bluebirduncaged Something to think about, Things I'm learning

For you were called to freedom,…through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" ~Galatians 5:13-14

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…Beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity. ~Col. 3:12-14

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments…are summed up in this one rule. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. ~Romans 13:8-10

bluebirduncaged Something to think about

Something to think about from Mother Teresa

We need to find God
and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.

God is a friend of silence
See how nature–trees, flowers, grass–
grow in silence.
See the stars, the moon, the sun,
how they move in silence

Is not our mission
to give God to the poor?
Not a dead God, but a living, loving God.

The more we receive in silent prayer,
the more we can give in our active life.
We need silence
to be able to touch souls

The essential thing is
not what we say,
but what God says
to us and through us.

All our words will be useless
unless they come from within.
    Words
        which do not give the Light of Christ
        increase the darkness

~Mother Teresa of Calcutta

bluebirduncaged Books

Book Review: Stepping Heavenward

Instead of going to prayer-meetings to get into a 'good frame,' we should live in a good frame from morning till night, from night till morning, and prayer and praise would be only another form for expressing the love and faith and obedience we had been exercising amid the pressure of business.

Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward

This is just one of the nuggets of wisdom found in Stepping Heavenward. Currently this book is quite high on my list of recommendations. It is a timeless source of encouragement for all women striving to walk with God. 

Stepping Heavenward is written as though it were a journal. We follow the writer, Katy, from her 16th birthday until her journal runs out (which I’m guessing is around her forties). Candidly written, the reader is made privy to Katy’s thoughts, dreams, disappointments, opinions, and feelings as though they were her best friend. She deals with issues such as being possessive of her friends, a failed engagement, finding joy in less than enjoyable tasks, falling in love, having a stubborn personality, losing a child, and dealing with annoying relatives. The relationship between Katy and her mother is also developed quite well. Always having a respectful admiration for her, we see Katy’s view her mother go from being a source of frustration to a trusted mentor. 

 Originally written in 1891, the grammar and syntax take a little while to get used to. Also, the writing and subject matter matures as Katy does; so, the beginning may seem a little slow. The pace definitely picks up as Katy grows and matures both physically and in her walk with God.

 Stepping Heavenward is a great encouragement. Through Katy, Mrs. Prentiss verbalizes the struggles and joys most women experience in their walk with the Lord. I highly recommend this book to you, ladies.  

bluebirduncaged Books, Things I'm learning

Not safe but good

“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.
“Aslan?” said Mr, Beaver. “Why don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood, …”

“Is–is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and son of the great Emperor-beyond-the Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion–the Lion, the great Lion”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he–quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and that’s no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just silly”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe?  ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you”
                                            ~C.S. Lewis
                                             The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Things I’ve learned this summer

Maybe I should have renamed this post something like "Things I've begun to learn this summer" or "Lessons I've started…" because, I have a feeling I'll never fully learn these things in this life. But that wouldn't make a catchy title. Anyways, God has seriously been blowing my mind over the past few months. Here's the condensed version.

  • Trust-He's got everything under control even if we don't see it
  • One day at a time-choose daily to live in His grace
  • He is faithful-He's always there even if it's not obvious
  • Live in the moment-don't get caught up in future plans or past events. Focus on what's happening now, who's in front of you now, what God's saying at the moment.
  • He's got plans-more than we can imagine
  • He's in the details-even the "little" ones
  • Think Big
  • Be patient-you can't speed everything up to your timetable (it's really not yours anyway). His timing is perfect.
  • Surrender is a daily thing

What have you learned this summer?

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Surrender

Surrender is a daily thing. It’s a process (like everything) that is moment by moment, choice by choice.

I’ve come to places in life where I thought “God, I thought I already gave this to you” And He gently says, “You’re still holding onto it”

I had what I call the “chunk theory” of surrender. Give everything you can at the moment and then later He’ll show you another chunk, so you give that one…and the process goes on until eventually, you have no chunks left.

But lately, I’ve realized that it isn’t like that. Surrender really is a daily exercise. It doesn’t happen all at once and I don’t think we’ll ever be done in this life. It’s another way of living in the moment. It’s waking up each day and choosing to live life in His grace; saying “not my will, but Yours, Lord.”

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

If everything made sense…

If everything made sense, the journey would be easier.
But would it be worth it?

If everything made sense, we might have all the answers.
But would we be walking by faith?

If everything made sense, we would be able to see the bigger picture more clearly.
But could our minds handle it?

If everything made sense, maybe God’s will would be obvious.
But would it require trust?

If everything made sense, we could try to work our way to God.
But then would grace be necessary?

If everything made sense, we would know how to respond appropriately.
But would we learn anything?

If everything made sense, the outcome would not be a surprise.
But would that make it a risk?

If everything made sense, would we learn to lean wholly on the One who made us?
Maybe that’s why life doesn’t make sense sometimes…

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Think Big Pt. 2

There is some danger in thinking big. There’s the risk of losing sight of the reason behind our actions. We can get so caught up in “making it work” and “fulfilling the dream God has given us” that we miss why God gave us the vision in the first place. We constantly have to recalibrate and ask: What is my goal? Is it to do/be _____ at all costs? Or is it to be strategically placed and used by God in something He’s made me passionate about?

We established in the last post that ultimately, the idea of thinking big is part of learning to surrender; it’s trusting God with your life and not yourself. This includes surrendering the success and outcome of the dream. The truth is, we may never see our dream fulfilled. We may never “make it” in the world’s eyes. And we have to be ok with that.

We have to remember that thinking big doesn’t only apply to the “big” things (the dreams, accomplishments, etc) It also applies to the small stuff; things we think are unimportant or insignificant. All those little details make up a bigger picture. When we look at our plans in light of this bigger picture, our perspective changes. We realize that our dream is a little part of something big and we become aware of the opportunities God has placed us in front of us.

Louie Giglio says, “A pathway of faithfulness is better than a pinnacle of success”* I believe that part of being faithful includes pursuing the dreams God has placed in us—pursuing them to the best of our ability—but not at the expense of making ourselves the center of the story.

Don’t settle for being a big part of something little. God gave you the dream for a reason and even if you don’t see it fulfilled as you imagined, know He was using the process for His glory. Pursue the dream, keeping the bigger picture in mind, trusting God for what He can do and remembering our reward is in heaven—the ultimate pinnacle.

 

*Sermon at a Passion City Church on 2/6/11