Living a 'Weed' Free Life

Someone told me the other day that they see that old "victim" mentality coming off me. What a fabulous thing to say. For me it was better than "you look skinny in those jeans". 

I had not realized that I had as many hang-ups as I did. That may seem like a weird thing to say, but the biggest lies we believe are the ones we tell to ourselves. 

For the most part I thought I was pretty good. I had come through so much. But I failed to realize that there is no one good but Jesus and He is the author and the finisher. He began writing my story but He is not finished. 

I was never more aware of how far I still had to go as when I was sitting in the parking lot of Wal-Mart at ten at night crying my eyes out. The rough day I was having had been topped off with my youngest telling me she needed new heels for her choir dress, twenty dollars for the trip to competition the next day and a sack lunch two days from then. 

I realized I had passed on some major hang-ups I have with money onto my kid, and standing in Wal-Mart with her just twenty minutes earlier, I saw those hang-ups in her face and body language. She felt guilty even asking for something as small and as trivial as a pair of $15 shoes, a sack lunch and $20. Less than $40 had her so bound up that her anxiety was palpable. 

It wasn't all the demands that really upset me: it was that I knew in that moment, crying my eyes out, that I had missed the mark as a parent. Not because she asked for too much, these things are small, but because I placed a higher value on the cost of things than on the value of my daughter. My heart broke right then. 

As I sat in my truck talking to a friend on the phone, tears streaming down my face, I knew what I had to do. I had to repent to God for placing money higher than Him and then I had to repent for placing money higher than my girls, and I had to tell them that I was sorry too. 

When I came home, I gathered my family and repented for my attitude in the store, which had not been good, and then I repented for placing such value on not being able to afford “things” it sent a message to my girls that money was somehow more important than them. Lots of tears flowed from me, and my girls did not know how to take what I was saying. I think it surprised them, and hopefully it made them think. 

When my husband and I talked about it later, I made a statement that I hope to never forget. “I will never be moved by what I don’t have again, I will forever be moved to give because God says to give, even when my wallet says no, my faith will say YES! I will give above my tithe, and I will stretch my faith.” 

Will this change in my attitude make a difference? 

The bible says “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:37-38 KJV) 

The Message says it this way- "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." 

It is not the amount of my giving, but the attitude behind it that is important. This is true in every aspect of our lives, not just money, though that is what I am focusing on today.

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 in The Message says “Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.” 

It is a lifestyle of giving that I need to live: not a lifestyle of lack. I have more on my hand in jewelry than some people in countries around the world make in a year. God said not to worry about tomorrow. I need to trust God in this area of my life, just as I have for every other area of my life so far. 

When we worry about the things of life, rather than concentrate on the things of God, the work God wants to do will get tangled up in the weeds of life, and our futures are strangled and choked. I want a life that is “weed” free, thank you very much, and as I grow in God, He pulls those weeds from my heart and grafts newness into me. 

God’s grace is sufficient, He is my provider, and I will not go hungry. He is able to do above and beyond all I ask or think, I only need to trust Him! 

So I want to ask you this, do you place more emphasis on what you have or don’t have than on God being able to “do” on your behalf? 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember give is a verb- and so is trust!

Ministry Highlight - BIG LOVE!

We have all at one time or another asked the fateful question Why me? Well, why not you? The word says it rains on the just and the unjust.  None know this better than the families fighting cancer, especially when the battle is for the life of a little one.  Jesus said that children have a special place in the kingdom and he took special care to pay attention to them. He also said we are to minister to those who are in need, hurting, and that is exactly what Big Love Cancer Care does!

The whole family is affected when there is a diagnosis of cancer for a child. Everything from family dynamics to finances changes. Big Love provides services like phone cards, parking cards, toiletries, groceries, prayers, and foremost love and understanding for parents who are stuck in the hospital with their children while the kids undergo treatment.

I began this blog in part to highlight ministries that I believe in. I give to this ministry myself through my offerings at my home church, but I want to encourage you, please give. As little as $11 can pay for parking for a day: $20 can provide meals for a family. God gives seed to the sower. I believe that there is a reason you are reading this.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 The Message (MSG) says: 8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

I stand on this scripture. I know that this blog is seed, and as I sow into you, won’t you in turn sow into Big Love? Now abides faith, hope, and LOVE, but the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Corinthians 13:13)

Be blessed and BE A BLESSING! Love is a verb!

Giving is Worship

People Just Don't Understand

I want to talk about giving. Have I lost half of you already? It is a touchy subject, but I believe it is because people often don’t understand the principle behind it. 

One of the reasons I started this blog is because I want to give more to other ministries than I have monetarily. I felt like I could give more, but knew that what I did have wasn’t a lot of money. I had an ability to write and a love of words. I had a background in journalism, a geeky fascination with the internet and a list of ministries that I would love to tell more people about because I believe in what they do, and how they do it. 

I believe this is one of the reasons that God gave me this idea, to give what I could: my time and talent. 

You see, giving isn’t just about money. Giving is about your time, your talent and your money. As a girl I grew up in a church program that taught me to be “a faithful steward of my time, money, and talent”. Here is that lesson I learned as a girl in action. 

Luke 6:38 says Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. (ERV)

God uses men and women on earth to carry out His work. When I give, whether that is my time, talent, goods, service, or money, I am being used by God. Give and you shall receive. 

This is a spiritual law. 

The key to which is found in the second part of the verse, which focuses on the attitude of the giver. “The way you give”, some translations say “whatever measure you give”. 

I have always thought of this scripture like this: if I were romancing someone and I wanted them to return my affection, I would give them my time. I would share with them gifts; I may even buy them a thing or two. 

Romance God. 

When I give it is not to man, but to God. When I serve at church, I give to God. When I put money in an offering plate, I give to God. When I write a check to a family that is struggling because dad is out of work and the wife is battling cancer, I give to God. When I sing it is not so people are blessed, that is a by-product of my gift, it is a gift to God. I am in essence, romancing God. This is an expression of my love. 

But why do we give? Because giving is a form of worship. When God has done so much for us, it is a natural extension of our gratitude and love for Him to give. 

Luke 8:2-3 talks about some of the women that served Jesus while He ministered to the masses. “(They) ministered unto him of their substance.” What they had, their possessions, they gave to him. This was their worship. 

Do you worship God by giving? Do you give with a good attitude? Whether you have a little or a lot, 5 talents, 2 talents, or one talent (Matthew 25) give what you can, and let God take care of the rest. 

Remember, worship is a verb.

What is one way you can give to God this week?