Five Minute Friday: Same

Change is scary.  No one really cares for it. We fear it.

Change makes us uncomfortable by bringing the unknown, making us step out of our comfort zones.

But really, change can be good.

Is anything really meant to stay the same?

Babies grow and develop into toddlers. Eventually those little kid days turn into the teenage years. Then our children are adults and living on their own.

They changed. Didn't stay the same.

Sometimes its good not to stay the same.

As a Christ Follower, I should not stay the same. If I do, that means that I haven't grown in my relationship with Him. I haven't lived for Him.  I haven't given up my old ways for Him.  Part of being His is change, not being the same as I was.

I am starting to welcome some change.  There are things I don't want to stay the same.  I need growth. I need to experience the unknown. I need out of my comfort zone. Sometimes we need change.

Yet, sometimes we need things to stay the same.

Thank you for joining me on this Five Minute Friday.  Please leave a comment if you are joining in from Kate's and let me know what number you are in the link up. I'd love to stop by.  If you aren't joining in the FMF party, leave a comment anyway. I'd love to hear from you.

Change: Put off the Old, Put on the New

New Year's is an exciting time.  It brings hope. It brings dreams. It brings change.

For the most part, the change that a New Year brings can't be controlled. We don't know what the future holds for our jobs or health. We don't know if we will lose a loved one. We don't know if we will be in financial distress.  For those of us in a military family, we don't know if we will face a deployment.

There is a change, however, that we can have control over.

Colossians 3:8-10 says, "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

We can, as believers, control our behavior.  When we surrendered our lives to Jesus, we were to put on the new man.  Sometimes we slip back into the old.  For whatever reason, our prayer time, Bible study time, and even church attendance may falter.  We get into ruts and habits of old.  These pull us far from our God. 

I can see it in myself. 

When I don't pray like I should, when I don't read my Bible like I should, some of the "old me" comes back.  My attitude changes back. I am a little more negative. My temper is shorter. a choice word or two may slip out. 

Sometimes I forget who I am. I am a Child of God.  I should mirror His image.  That is the change I should see in me.  When I take the focus off of Him, and put it on me (my fatigue, my wants), I don't mirror Him.  In everything I do, I should have the witness of Jesus Christ and the work He has done. No one should ever wonder what I stand for and who I kneel to. 

So, this next year, as I resolve to be a physically healthier me, I also resolve to be a spiritually healthier me.  My goal is change: to put off the old and put on the new, to be the woman God intends for me to be.

Forever Changed

I told Colin the other day that our lives are forever changed. I take a look back and think about the times my life took another path.

When Jeffrey and I got married, our lives were forever changed.

When Colin was born, our lives were forever changed. I remember thinking how life before him had never existed.

When I gave my life to Jesus in 2004, our lives were forever changed. This change would impact everything to come.

When Carson was born, our lives were forever changed. That was Colin's baby. He was so proud of him. I'll never forget the excitement on Colin's face the day we brought Carson home from the hospital. He bolted through the front door to meet us at the car.

When Jeffrey was accepted into the US Army Reserves, our lives were forever changed. We knew God was at work and His purpose would be fulfilled.

When Carter was born, our lives were forever changed. It is amazing once again how the big brothers in the house have taken to the baby. They are eager and willing to be there for him already. As time passes, it will seem as if this is the way it has always been.

These moments are what create life. We can't expect things to stay the same. We shouldn't desire things to stay the same.

God has forever changed my life. For that, I am truly blessed.

The Woman I Want to Be

I'm a sucker for a good love song. I guess that is why I like country music so well. There is nothing like a man pouring his heart out in song to reach the woman he loves.

There is a song by country artist Chris Young called The Man I Want to Be. Have you heard it? The first time I heard it, I saw the video: this guy and his girl have split and he talks to a stranger about it. The stranger convinced him to go around back and give "God a call." I really liked it. This morning, the video was back on, and I focused more on the lyrics than the story in the video.

The chorus says,

I wanna be a good man
A 'do like I should' man
I wanna be the kind of man the mirror likes to see
I wanna be a strong man
And admit that I was wrong, man
God I'm asking you to come change me
To the man I wanna be

As a I think about those words, I think, "You know, that's what I want. I want to be a good woman, a do like I should woman, the kind of woman the mirror likes to see. I want to be a strong woman, but an admit that I was wrong woman. Each day, I ask God to change me to the woman I need to be."

Its one of those things where you have to be careful what you ask God for, or you just might get it. Some people are "happy" with themselves for the simple fact that they aren't willing to admit they are wrong or need to change. It is easier to find faults in others than ourselves.


Matthew 7:4 says How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Lots of times we are eager to help change other people, point out their faults and imperfections, but how dare someone do that to us.

I remember back in high school, I found out a friend of mine had asked her Sunday School class to pray for me. I was furious. I felt that she had betrayed me, afterall, there was nothing wrong with me. Years later, I sent my friend a note telling her "thank you" for praying for me. There was something wrong with me. I wasn't a Christian. I was failing to admit my sins and open my heart to Jesus. Now, it is so easy for me to say, "I am wrong" or "God, I am nothing without you." When I do that, He can change me and make me the woman I need to be.

Last year when I did the Esther Bible study with some wonderful ladies, one thing we talked about was why it is tough to be a woman. We all agreed that we have to be so many things to so many people. As part of my prayer, I ask God to make me the wife I need to be, the mom I need to be, the daughter I need to be, the teacher I need to be, the friend I need to be. We may think that to be all of those things, we have to have different personas, but that isn't true. When we allow God to change us to the women (or men) that we need to be, He molds us into the Christians we need to be. When we are the Christians He wants us to be, we can then be the mom, husband, wife, son, dad, daughter, friend we need to be. As we are asking to become the men and women we need to be, we need to be sure that our hearts are in the right place. If we ask just to get something we want, our prayers won't be answered.

God will never be completely finished with us. So, each day, I will sing....
I wanna be a good woman
A 'do like I should' woman
I wanna be the kind of woman the mirror likes to see
I wanna be a strong woman
And admit that I was wrong, woman
God I'm asking you to come change me
To the woman I wanna be