Month: February 2021

The Wise and the Fools

Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

I am raising my three teenage sons and on any given weekend there are at least 3-4 other teenage boys at my home. Let me tell you, some of the conversations I hear are crazy. These guys will talk about anything and everything around me because I have worked hard to let them know that my home is a safe place for everyone.

I have a huge burden on my heart to witness to these young men since God has placed them in my path. They all come from good families and have wonderful parents but “crowd mentality” is a real thing and sometimes they can get off on a wrong path and open the door to trouble. I do not preach to them, but I do redirect the conversation and encourage them to see the situation from a different point of view, God’s point of view. It is so important to help your children, your family and even your friends to identify when someone is being wise and when someone is being a fool because if you “walk with the wise” you will become wiser but if you “associate with fools” you can get into trouble.

The character and behavior of the people you allow into your life are also important. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” I am not saying you should not witness to people like this, but it is a slippery slope to think you will be able to change someone to be different than who they are when you first meet them.  You see, YOU cannot change them, only GOD can. You can be the wise person, doing the right things and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Others will see who you are and notice there is something different about you and your home.  It will draw them in, and they will want to know what makes you different. Then a natural conversation about Jesus can come up and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Dear God, thank you for providing us with the best example of what it is to be wise through your son, Jesus. And thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to take over where I fall short. You have the best plans for everyone. Please help me to open my eyes to see what you are doing. Amen.

Provisions

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus.

Provisions. The Lord provides in a time of need. This past week was exceedingly difficult. Even more difficult for me than the pandemic has been. You see I live in Texas and we had the worst winter storm I have ever seen in my lifetime last week. Most everyone in my neighborhood either lost power or had rolling blackouts for days. We either lost water due to pipes bursting or had to boil our water due to possible contamination. The temperatures were below freezing for days and even got down to zero degrees. The roads were icy, the stores were closed due to blackouts or wiped clean of all fresh food. The internet was down when the power was off and cell phone service was sketchy. We were just not prepared for that kind of weather for that long in Texas.

But the Lord provides. Our neighborhood Facebook page became a communication tool for people offering hot food or a place to warm up. Neighbors were offering neighbors free firewood or a place to charge their phone. If someone found bottled water or a gas station open, they would send out a message so others would know where to go. Then churches in the area started offering free hot meals and bottled water through drive thru lines. This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26. He said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

We can trust that God will meet our needs even if all our wants are not satisfied. Because let’s be honest, most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. I know I do. But that may not be what you need. You might need to go through the discomfort or pain to come out on the other side a person that is ready to share their testimony with others. In that case, the Lord may provide you courage to face the problems at hand. Do you have a story that you can share about how God showed up for you this week?

Heavenly Father, thank you for being with me this week when I was scared, alone and didn’t know what to do. Thank you for providing me peace and assurance that no matter what you would provide for my needs. Amen.

Coincidence or God Showing Up

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Do you believe in coincidences?  Or do you believe there is a purpose for what happens to you?  God is doing things all around you every day.  He shows up when you least expect it and even when you haven’t asked for it. 

Twelve years ago, when my oldest son was in 1st grade, he started having behavioral problems at school.  His grades were also suffering and towards the end of the school year the teacher asked if I would allow him to stay after school a few times a week for tutoring.  Of course, I said yes. 

After the first day of tutoring, a teacher that I didn’t recognize walked my son to the car and introduced herself as his tutor.  We talked a little bit about what she would be doing with him and during the short conversation I mentioned that dyslexia runs in my ex-husband’s family.  She said she was the dyslexia teacher for his school, and she would keep that in mind while she was tutoring him.  After the very next tutoring session, the same teacher came to my car window and said she would have my son tested before the end of the school year. 

Typically, a teacher must complete an incredible amount of documentation before they can recommend a child for testing. But what typically takes 3 months to accomplish only took us 2 weeks.  My son was tested and started the 2nd grade with the accommodations he needed to be successful.  There is no way I could have accomplished this on my own.  God put that teacher and my son together in the right place at the right time.  It was not simply a coincidence that she was assigned as his tutor. It was 100% a God thing. 

The fact that my son has dyslexia is not a good thing, but the fact that we were able to identify it so early was. Once again, God showed up in my life. God can turn every circumstance around for our long-range good.  So, remember, God works in “all things” – not just isolated incidents – for our good.  Pay attention.  Look around.  Notice what God is doing in your life and then share your story with others.

Lord, thank you for taking an active role in my life.  Open my eyes to see what you are doing all around me and help me to be a witness and share my story with others. Amen.

I am Enough

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Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

A few weeks ago at the Women’s Night at my church we heard a message about using our voice and giving our testimony. Last week I shared a testimony with you that casted me in a very favorable light. This week, I’m going to share a testimony with you that is different. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but here it goes.

I am divorced. I’m not proud of it. I’m not ashamed of it. It is just a fact. I’m not going to get into the details of my divorce except to say that it left me very separated from God, my family and friends. I tried so hard to hide what was happening in my marriage that I had to keep everyone at arms length.

After my divorce I was raising a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 year old child. I was in an important position at my job too so I had a lot of pressure and responsibility. My entire life consisted of work and my boys. I was tired, lonely and a little depressed. I really didn’t have any friends back then. I had kept everyone so far away that I had isolated myself. My family was wonderful and very supportive but I still felt very alone.

After a few years I slowly started meeting people in my neighborhood and I learned to let other people help me so I could have a little free time to myself. But then I started craving more. I wanted more friends. I wanted more attention. I wanted to find a mate and it became my focus. I started going to clubs and online dating. I was determined to find a man to be a part of my life.

I put that desire in front of God, in front of my kids and in front of my career. I was reckless. I was having fun but it was an empty fun that left me still searching to fill that hole in my heart. I was going to church at that time but what happened at church stayed at church. I wasn’t acting like a Christian when I left the building.

A friend invited me to go with her to a different church one Sunday. We got there late and we had 5 kids with us so we ended up sitting in the overflow room. My friend was not impressed. But all I could think about was, “how can I get into the main room?”

I loved the singing and the worship and I wanted to be in the middle of it. So I returned the next Sunday and we sat in the main room. Wow! I was so overwhelmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was hooked.

I kept returning, not just because of the music but because I was being fed. I was engaged with the message each time I went and I started leaning in to God. I wanted to be there and I wanted to learn more. Then one Sunday something happened. I was convicted by what the pastor said and inside I changed. I wanted to look on the outside how I felt on the inside. I wanted others to see the difference in me. I wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I loved Jesus. When other people looked at me, I wanted them to see a little bit of Jesus.

So I started to change my behavior. It didn’t happen over night. It happened over a few years. But it happened. I changed my priorities. I changed where my focus was. I changed how I dressed. I changed the music I was listening too. I began to seek Him and I found Him. That is a promise from God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So did that desire to find a mate just go away? No. Not at first. But I prayed about it. I asked Jesus to help me through it and He did. During worship at church one Sunday I kept hearing in my heart “let me be enough”. So I opened my heart and let Him in and I said YES! Jesus is enough for me.

Today I have JOY. Not happiness, because happiness comes and goes. I have a joy in knowing that Jesus is my Lord and savior. This year when I was looking for a Christmas present for myself, (come on moms, I know you do it too) because no way my 3 teenage boys were going to know what I wanted, a ring came up on the screen. The ring says, “I Am Enough”. Now some people might think that means that I, Debra, am enough. But that is not what it makes me think about. It reminds me of when I let Jesus into my heart and allowed him to be enough for me. I wear it often and with pride.

Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me while I found my way back to you. Thank you for walking by my side and being ready for me when I finally surrendered to you. Amen.