The Full Rainbow

In Genisis God promised to never again flood the whole Earth by sending His bow as a promise. Gods promises are always everlasting. Yesterday when I was on a plane I saw a rainbow in the clouds but for the first time in my life I saw the WHOLE rainbow. Just like the promise of God, when you can see the full rainbow, it is everlasting. I couldn't get a picture of what I saw so I borrowed this from a flicker account. Remember that Gods word is true and everlasting.

I am so glad that God loves me and that I know that truth now. He loves YOU too.

Running the Race of Life

Working on a new bible study has given me some things to think about. By reading and really studying the root meaning I get a whole new perspective on what God wants from me.

Heb 12:1 NLT

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."

Am I holding on to sin that hinders my witness? I think so. People around me either see God in me or my sin nature. When I allow my selfish nature to take over, I fail. I am just like everyone else and I don't allow God's light to shine through me. I complain about the trials that I am faced with instead of being able to see past them and trust that God has something to show me or those around me.

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith"

Everything I do and say, someone, somewhere is watching me. Weather it be friends, family, or even just a stranger on the street, there is a multitude of people that are a witness to my behavior. When I am standing strong in the faith, God is lifted up and glorified. When I complain, get angry, lose control or compromise my faith, I give the scoffers something to talk about. I allow people to believe that Jesus is less then He really is and give Him a bad name. I already have what it takes to live correctly but I don't always choose to put it into action.

"Let us strip off every weight that slows us down"

Every means just that, Every. All of them, not just the ones that I am willing to let go of. The sin that we want to hold onto actually holds on to us. Weighs us down to the point that we get tired more easily. I think about the Biggest Loser episode that I saw that showed the contestant trying to army crawl under the other contestants. As they made their way from one to the other, the contestants that were above were instructed to place some of their weight on the one trying to get under them. Imagine yourself as that contestant. You are trying with all your might to crawl just another few feet but the weight that is above you is holding you down. Wow, what a burden that is. Yes, we will become stronger if we can make it through but we are going to be exhausted by the time we get there. When we take that weight (our sin) and give it over to God fully and completely, He gives us the strength to go further and do more for Him.

That would include the burden of any trial that I am under. I can choose to try and do it myself and get worn out, battered and bruised over it, all the while getting a little stronger if I make it to the other side or I can choose to believe that through the trial, I will get closer to God and give it over to Him so that when I am on the other side, I am refreshed and feeling stronger because I allowed Him to be there to carry me through it.

"Especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress"

Even more then when I am not allowing God to be the Lord in my life is when I refuse to let go of the Sin that I hold onto. Whether it be anger, disobedience, unwholesome thoughts, speaking or actions, gluttony, or a number of other sins that I could be holding onto, the knowledge that by my actions, I hinder what God has for me is an eye opening and sobering thought for me. I want to be used by God and when I can't let go, I am useless. God may have to break me a little to get me to comply. The more I spend with Him the more I can see what He wants of me. Weather it be reading His word, praising Him, on my knees praying for guidance I need to spend time with Him like I would want to do with the love of my life. I don't want God to become just an acquaintance, I want Him to be my Lord.

"and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."

This should be like the race of my life. The root word means haste or to spend ones strength to attain something, being steadfast and consistent, not swayed even by the greatest trials in life. I have been called an over achiever at school 3 times this year by different people. If I were to exert the same energy serving the Lord and seeking out what He wants of me, what a great relationship I would have with Him. I never really doubt God and His ability in my life but many times my actions or words do not convey that truth. I don't get on my knees like I should, I just assume that God will take care of things without me asking. If I want to have a good relationship with my husband, I need to talk to him. If I just went through life believing that he always knew what I wanted but I didn't talk to him, there would be a huge disconnect in our marriage.

That is the same with my Lord. Even though He does know what I need and want even when I don't ask Him, His desire is that I know Him (He already knows me). My prayers, reading the word, seeking the Holy Spirit to guide me is all for my benefit not His. In order to be able to fully let go of my old self, I need to wrap myself in His truth. Lord help me to finish the race that YOU have set before me.

Ever Wonder??

When I was very young, I was taught to eat all the food on my plate. I wonder why my parents would tell me that there were "starving children in China" and I would respond, "Why don't you give it to them then?" Now as an adult, I struggle with my weight. One of the hardest things in the world is for me to leave food on my plate when I am full. I have made it my mission to NOT make my children clean their plate. I do require that they eat a little of everything and they are not allowed to eat after the meal is over but when they say they are full, I allow them to be done eating. I don't want them to have the same struggle with weight that I do.

I was very active as a young child, riding my bike, walking everywhere I went, playing basketball and football with my brothers, sister and dad, sledding in the winter. I was so active that I really could eat just about anything and not gain weight. It gave me a false sense that I would be like that forever. When I began to gain weight I didn't even see it until it was too late. Now I struggle to get active. I can see myself walking or running or playing sports with my kids but just can't seem to muster up the energy to really do it. Like a circle, I need energy to to get active and getting active will give me energy.

It takes everything out of me just to get my kids to go outside today. The kids complain that they don't have friends but they won't do what it takes to meet the new friends. So many days I dream of days past when entertainment meant being with friends and enjoying each others company. Spending a day riding bikes, catching crawdads from the creek or climbing the trees gave children pleasure. The simple pleasures of life are needing to be found again in this life. I wonder if I can help my kids find it?

There are days

There are days when the sadness just overwhelms me and every little tiny thing makes me feel either sad or mad. Those are the days that I just don’t want to be around anybody. I need peace and quiet that just does not happen at my house. I try to get to a quiet place and am followed by at least two little feet wanting a piece of me. “What is for dinner?” “I’m bored! What can I do?” or just the proverbial noise that comes out of my 4 and 6 year old. The only time they are not making a ton of noise or getting into something is when they are asleep.

Then I am reminded of why my day is going so bad. I didn’t begin my day by spending any time with my creator.

A poem called “I didn’t have time” really sums it up. http://unsolvedmysteries.com/usm38250.html

We wake up in the morning forgetting about God and trying to live a life apart from Him. I don’t pray to Him or spend any time in His word and then I wonder why my life seems like it is spinning out of control.

How can I show God’s love to anyone when I am so far away from Him? I spend my days running around spinning my wheels, on the computer, cleaning my house or watching TV. I sometimes feel like I just don’t have the time to spend but in reality I am spending my time unwisely.

If I want to have a relationship with my husband or children or a friend, how long would that relationship last if I didn’t want to ever spend time with them or talk to them? Wouldn’t our bond be broken if I consistently did things that I knew would be a disappointment to them? If the answer is yes (and it is) then why is it that the one I claim to love the most is the one that I forget all too often and I act in a manner that brings displeasure to Him?

This continuous theme in my life needs to be changed. God has already done His part and promises - 1 john 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I am thinking . . maybe I need to get on my knees and do some confessing. Not for His sake but for mine.

The Beginning (sort of)

Every day is a challenge in this life. God gives us new and exciting paths to take. Many times these paths take us where we never thought that we would go.

Several years ago my husband and I were well on our way to becoming empty Nestors. With two jobs between us we were not rich by worldly standards but we were able to go out to dinner when we wanted, get our kids nice gifts for special occasions and do home improvements. We had a 21 year old son still living at home and our daughter was 14. We were done with having to worry about getting babysitters if we wanted to go out.

One day in early November 2005 everything changed. A little girl was born 8 weeks premature. Her parents were not able to take care of her and within weeks we were asked to take her into our home. 6 weeks later the beautiful 5 pound girl came to live with us. A short 6 months later her 4 siblings came to live with us as well. Our lives were turned upside down within a matter of months.

Now 4 years later with half the salary, our lives are sustained only by God. He certainly showed us how much we needed Him. Many days I wonder how we are able to still survive financially but somehow it all works out.

Every day is a new day and the kids are growing and learning. The struggles of raising the children have been many. It is hard for a husband and wife to raise their own children in this world and new challenges arise when you add more people to the mix. After 23 years, my husband and I have learned to communicate with great success but 4 years ago added my brother in to that mix.

My faith has grown by having to rely so heavily on my creator and I don't believe that I would change a thing. Would I have chosen this life for myself? Probably not but then again, what I think I need in life is not always the best thing for me and many times what I would choose is not His plan for me.