It’s All About Me!

How many of us actually say that out loud? I know I would never want to come across so self-centered. But how many times do our thoughts and actions actually say that for us?

When I went to camp a couple of weeks ago with our church, while the children were in their Bible studies, the adults also had a time to reflect on the word. One day there were stations around the room with Bible verses and thought provoking questions, sometimes even an action to perform.

The scripture reading for one station was Ephesians 5:15-18 and said this:

God commands us to be continually filled with Holy Spirit. God must do the “filling” and we must yield our lives to Him. To be “filled” with the spirit is not a command to get more of Him, but rather to give more of ourselves to Him.

I don’t know about you but when I think about my Christian walk, I sometimes think about what I can get out of it rather than what I can give to God. Sure, I can teach Sunday school and feel good that I am serving God. But it’s not about me feeling good. It’s about planting seeds in the hearts of the children. Being a crew leader for VBS? No problem. But when you look deep in my heart, you will see the dread of long evenings and getting kids to bed late. There again, I put the focus back on me.

The reflection portion of that station read this:

While a piano is capable of making beautiful music, it is useless unless someone plays it. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, we are like a piano without a player. We have been called to live supernatural lives and do supernatural things, which we cannot do by our own power.

Take a few moments and simply ask God to take His rightful place on the piano bench of your life. Remember that Holy Spirit always works in such a way that He shines the spotlight on Jesus. Spend a few moments simply being still in His presence. Ask Him to focus your ambitions and passions on the person and mission of Christ!

Coming Down from the Mountain

Have you ever had such a good feeling that you were kind of sad when it went away?

Recently, I attended Lifeway’s CentriKid camp with my oldest daughter and our church. Let me begin by saying that though I enjoy going places, I also enjoy my bed and my shower. But I thought it would be a good opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Madison. And to be honest, I knew I would feel better about being there with her than at home wondering how she was doing.

As it became time to pack and get ready to go, I was beginning to wonder what I was getting myself into. What a wonderful thing that “what” turned out to be!

I guess in my every day routine of being a wife and mom, I can forget that I am also a daughter of God. Responsibilities, distractions, and everything in between often get in the way of my spiritual path.  Well, let’s be honest, I let them get in the way. And sometimes, I’m just too tired to stop them.

Despite the early wake up calls, the late bedtime prayers, and lots of stuff in between, the week was spiritually energizing. It was a week where the main focus was to do just that: focus on God and our relationship with Him, a week to worship God. I feel God often speaks to me through music so what a treasure that was! It was a week to remember He is all we need.

The key verse that week was Philippians 4:19. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

What a perfect place to remember that verse. Who cared if the beds were made? I couldn’t do laundry. All the meals were prepared for me and even the dishes were washed afterwards. And though I am somewhat ashamed to admit I was thankful to have my cell phone, there were none of those things we allow to get in the way of our spiritual path. I felt so joyous and at peace coming down from that mountain.

Now that I am back at home, I have been thinking about that week and how I felt. As I was listening to one of the songs I heard at camp, God whispered, “You can feel that way here too!” He is always here waiting for us to come to Him. In fact, He longs for us to come to Him. Part of the lyrics of the song I was listening to are:

So to the cross I run, Your arms reach out for me, You gave your life so I could be set free.

Though Satan tries to tell us otherwise, we can worship God through those responsibilities and distractions that are often called wife and mother.

And for those who are familiar with Jeff Slaughter's "Humpty Dumpty" song, I can still do that “Ain’t that funky” dance here at home.