Is It Really God's Job to Fix It?

With all the terror going on in the world, our country, our state, our cities, our homes.....We wonder where God is in all this.  The latest headlines read.....

But my question is this

Is it really God's job to fix it?

We treat God like a magic genie.

We stuff him back into the lamp until we want something.  Then, we rub the lamp expecting him to appear and grant our wishes.

I'm not a genius, but I know that's not the way it is supposed to work.

As I am reading my daily advent readings, I am reminded all the more that God created us out of love, His love for us.  And part of that love is to have a relationship with us.  Yes!  God wants us. He wants us to spend time with Him.  He wants to be a part of our lives....in the good and the bad.

But we are fallen and we only want Him in the bad.

It's in the bad that we pray for others.

It's in the bad that we seek Him to fix what's wrong.

It's in the bad we wonder where He is and why He isn't doing anything to make things better.

But after reading headlines and online posts about why God isn't doing anything, I am a reminded that He did do something....


God sent Christ.

And us.

And if we are in Christ and we are choosing to live our lives for Him, then we have the power to fix this to the best of our humanly abilities.

Another headline I read was this, displayed in my kitchen window....

And for me, this is the answer.

We must fear Him.

And we don't.

As a nation, we don't fear God.  And that's not to fear Him as in be scared to death of Him, which maybe we really need to be. But it is fear as in respect and acknowledge Him for who He is and what He can do.

Why should he show mercy to us?

We want to throw Him away.  Stick Him in a corner.  Rid our lives and homes of Him.  We want to pick and choose from the Bible what we should believe (if we choose to believe the Bible).  We want to justify and cry out "free choice" and "don't judge" and "it's my life" and then we wonder where things went wrong.

So why should He fix anything?

As a nation, if we really want to leave in peace, we must fear Him.

As a world, if we want this terror to stop, every heart and soul on this planet must choose to live for Him each and every day.

Until then, this..."this".....this pain and horror and terror won't end until Jesus returns.

But if we want things to get better until then, if we want to live in peace, we have to live for Jesus.  All of us. Not just my family. Not just my city. Not just my state. Not just my country. Not just my continent. But my whole world.

Five Minute Friday: Fear

"Mama! Come lay down with me."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because I'm afraid."

Fear.

It sets in early.  I know by these common nighttime pleas from my little ones.

I tell them there is nothing to be afraid of.

I ask, "What are you afraid of?"

My son will answer, "The dark."

"You know what's in the dark?" I ask.

"No. What?" is their terrified reply.

"The same stuff that's there in the light."



They usually don't know how to respond to that.

But I think about it now that these words are flowing off the laptop keys.

The light. The Light.

Jesus Christ.

He is there with us in our darkest moments.

He is there with us on our brightest days.

He is there.

Always.

I don't know how many times the Bible says it, but so many times, God says, "Do not be afraid." Whether those are His words or the words of the angels He sends, God reminds us there is nothing to fear.  He is with us always.

I know who goes before me.  I know who stands behind.

That's God.  He's our light. He's our rock.  He's our protector.  With Him by our side, there is nothing to fear.

Thank you so much for joining me for this Five Minute Friday. I can't wait to hear from you!  Don't forget, if you haven't already......go on over to katemotaung.com to join in the fun.

Writer's Block or Writer's Fear? Whatever, It's Got to be in God's Will

My dream is to write....for real....all the time...write.

The first thing I ever wrote was a book for Young Author's. If I recall, I wrote it with my friend, Bonnie.  I think we were in 6th grade.  Throughout the years, I've written poetry and blog posts, but the goal.....I want to write a book.  About what I have no idea.

I get these ideas and then fear sets in.

A young friend of mine wrote a blog post recently at her new blog A Lovely Mayhem (check it out) about the the Writing Process. 

It was so true. She is wise beyond her years.

We (or I) begin writing. The momentum is great. The ideas are flowing. The keyboard is on fire!

Then

That first bit of doubt eases in.  What began as a beautiful flower has now wilted.

It's dumb. It doesn't make any sense.  No one will care.

Ouch.  I hate that.

As a writer (can I call myself that?), I want my words to move people.  I want my words to change lives.  That's a big task.  Can I handle it? Do I have what it takes? Can I take raw emotion, real life experiences, and honesty then blend it with the right words and say something worth saying?

I want to. Oh, so badly, I want to.

Some days it feels as if I have nothing to say, no words to share.  There are the days when I have the words, but I hold them back. I don't want to offend. I don't want to point fingers. I don't want bring shame.  Then there are days when I don't hold back.  The words flow from my fingertips and I eagerly click post.

Those days are refreshing.
Those days are far and few right now.

I've got to convince myself that words are worth sharing. I have to let go of the insecurity.  I have to believe in myself. I have to just do it.

What are your dreams? What is holding you back?  We live in a time of possibilities, and seriously, with My God.....ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

When I first began this blog, I made a deal with Him. (Come on, I know I am not the only one out there that makes deals with God!) This was a to be a place to bring Him honor and glory.  Whether I was going to write a devotional or share about my family or tell about the military, whatever the words that were to come, they were supposed to honor Him.  I would not spend time here if I wasn't spending time with Him.  I've tried my best to honor that deal.

Some days, I'll admit, it is difficult.  I may have a really great idea for a blog post and worry that my readers, dare I say followers, think I've fallen off the face of the earth, but I fail to come here because I haven't held up my part of the deal.  If I've not spent time with the Lord and had Him move my soul, I can't come here and share.  And for someone who wants to share words, that's difficult.

Whatever our dreams are, whether sharing words, music, athletic talent, those dreams must be aligned with God's will.  Sometimes those dreams come with seasons of our lives.  God's perfect plan takes us on paths we've never imagined possible. My job is to strengthen my relationship with Him, to grow and allow Him to guide me.  If He wants me to write, the words will come.  If God wants me doing something else, He will open other doors for me.  I do have to realized that He did not place within me a spirit of fear.  When I truly feel I have something worth sharing, I need to lean on Him and let His spirit guide my words.

Whom Should I Fear?

The other night, Colin brought a book to me and asked, "Mama, sometime soon can you and I have a private book club and read this together?"

"Sure," I replied. "What book is it?" 

He turned it toward me and the title was Share Jesus Without Fear. He then added, "Sometimes I don't talk to people about Jesus because I am afraid they will make fun of me."

As my heart began to melt, I admitted, "Me too, Colin."

I was surprised that Colin came with me out of nowwhere with that.  However, I am not surprised by what he said.

I think his admission is true for so many of us.

But why is that? Why are we so afraid to share Jesus?  Our pastor has asked, "What part of Hell are you afraid you'll offend them to?" Seriously, that is the worst that can happen, that we share the Good News of Jesus and the person rejects it. The person is then responsible for his/her decision. It has nothing to do with us.  We would have done our part, but we don't.  We take their reaction personally.

Psalm 34:4 says I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 56:4 says In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

His Word tells me that if I seek Him, the Lord will hear me and my fears will be relieved. When I trust Him, there is no need to fear anything beause He will take care of me.  I will do my best to remember that, to remember Psalm 118:6, The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

I will prayerfully begin to share Jesus without out fear.  Colin, will you join me?

Nightlight

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4

Many of our children are afraid of the dark. So, what do we do? We put a nightlight in the bedroom to calm their fears. This small dim light doesn't brighten the whole room, but it puts off just enough light for our children to see. We even go so far as to show them the inside of the closet and peek under the bed, you know, just to make sure.


I've always told Colin, "You know what is in the dark? The same things that are there when the lights are on."



Eventually, our children grow out of this fear because they do realize its the same in the dark as in the light. That nightlight helps give them that assurance.



The older we get, we have our own fears: health, finances, future, death. But God gives us a nightlight to help calm our fears: His Word, The Holy Bible. It is filled with God's promises to us, promises to calm our fears and take away our worries. If we didn't didn't seek God to calm our fears, we would be scared children hiding under our blankets. Night after night, we would fall asleep, exhausted from our fear. Life doesn't have to be that way, and God is the answer.



If we seek Him through His Word and prayer, He will be faithful and meet with us. He will shine His light upon us, alleviating our fears. Those same things will be there, but God will make them less scary.

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
Isaiah 41:13