Who you are

Eyes of Man

"What God considers His chosen is rarely if ever adequate in the eyes of man."

       Have you ever been picked by God to do something, be somewhere, be apart of a team etc and yet those surrounding the very place God's called you make it clear you're not adequate - you're not enough and you're not wanted. People don't have to come out and say, "I don't like you" for you to know you're unwanted. Their lack of consideration, sharpness, hard exterior make it clear.

      When God chooses to use someone, He's not thinking about what man thinks about. When we want to fill a spot of some sort (job, friendship etc) we often think of earthly things like looks. Does the person look the part? We also think about personality. Does this person click with me? When God looks at filling a spot He sees deep into a person's heart. It's the heart that qualifies. 

        We often miss out on knowing special people that could truly bless us and us them because our qualifications are way off and eternally meaningless. Choosing our pick over God's pick will throw everything off because the person's heart does not line up with what God's trying to sow or counter act. The Lord uses people to bless and He may see something we don't. He knows what we need in our lives, our families lives or companies to insure we continue flourishing on  the right path. But we often want what's comfortable and normal, but it's those very things God tries to cleanse us of.

       Our automatic reaction when seeing someone that does not belong is to criticize. We begin to wonder who made a mistake and allowed this person in our circle? If it's a job maybe the person who gave the recommendation made a mistake. If it's a friendship maybe we made the mistake. Either way we begin trying to figure how this "mistake" got here, and even how to get rid of them.

       I've learned over the years that it's very hard to cross over into different circles and areas where you stick out like a sore thumb. It's difficult because there are a number of unseen road blocks, hurdles, and  social check points. If you haven't been groomed correctly there is no way to continue when one of these blockages occur. It's for this reason when someone odd or out of place shows up in my life I try to find the purpose behind their presence. There has to be a reason. They obviously didn't get here by themselves.I try to keep an open mind, but most importantly an open heart.

Who would have guessed?

“Saul among the prophets! Who would have guessed?!” 

-1 Samuel 10 THE MESSAGE

  

       Who would have guessed? When the Spirit of God comes upon someone things change!Those who previously knew you will be shocked. No one expected YOU of all people to be lifted to such a place of honor and used powerfully by God.
       "When Saul and his party got to Gibeah, there were the prophets, right in front of them! Before he knew it, the Spirit of God came on Saul and he was prophesying right along with them. When those who had previously known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they were totally surprised. “What’s going on here? What’s come over the son of Kish? How on earth did Saul get to be a prophet?” One man spoke up and said, “Who started this? Where did these people ever come from?” - 1 Samuel 10:10-12 THE MESSAGE 
      It's so tempting to be a doubter when something good happens for someone who hasn't lived in a way we think is deserving of honor and promotion. I love the part where those who knew Saul say, "How on earth did Saul get to be a prophet?" (haha) Isn't that the truth! We say that out loud with our friends or in our minds when we see someone lifted up that we judge as less than. But that's what happens with God. People don't get it, but God does what He wants.

 Insert your name, "How on earth did _____ get to be a ____?" 

      Be filled with hope! People may say the same about you one day, "How on earth...?" or "Who would of guessed!"  when God uses you in an unexpected way. I believe God loves shocking us with His choices. It shakes up our religious minds and rips apart the boxes we've made for Him and man. We have a habit of categorizing people and filing them stereotypically, so when God does something unexpected with them we're like, "Wait! What? Whoa!!!" I've been guilty of saying, "Who? Him? Are you sure?" When we learn to embrace God's ways (which are higher than ours), we can truly be excited when unexpected people are used in unexpected ways.  
        You see, when God breaks our rules, and smashes our boxes and uses people no one thought could be used it should fill us with hope that the same is possible for us!

Who would have guessed!!! :-) 

He's the finisher

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

      This verse really encouraged me today. I'm so thankful we are not the ones "finishing" the work started in us. I think sometimes we forget it's God who began it, and it's God who will finish it. We wont always have good days, or even good seasons. It's those times when we really need to know who the worker is in our lives. If we believe it is ourselves we may be left feeling depressed, hopeless and regretful, but when we know God is the one who began the good work within us, and He will finish it, we are left feeling hopeful. It takes the pressure off. Our job is to delight in the Lord, to enjoy Him, spend time with Him and remain in Him. 

        He's the beginner and finisher.

Happy 1yr Anniversary

"Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority..." - Mark 6:7 NIV  

     Wowzers! It's our 1 year anniversary today! I can't believe we've been married a whole year already, where did the time go? I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world. God blessed me beyond measure when He allowed my best friend and I to get married.
     So many changes have already taken place and some still around the corner (like our first house). Marriage is so special when the one you marry is actually your friend. We are able to be silly, childish and have fun with each other. We have so much in common as friends usually do. It keeps us connected in may ways. I feel one with my husband. He is mine and I am his, connected at the hip. We catch ourselves calling each other at the same time, thinking the same thoughts and feeling what the other is feeling. I can imagine how much our connection will grow as the years continue. (It helps that we were friends for 9-10 yrs before we got married ;-) lol )
       As I shared before in another post we've been house hunting. We actually found a house and should be getting the keys any day now. We are excited to start our 2nd year of marriage in a house.
      
       

A Steady Rain

       I believe God is gentle with people, like a nice steady rain - at least He's always been faithful gentle with me.  Sometimes we are more like fire hoses toward people, painfully blasting them & spraying them down. We actually end up injuring and traumatizing people with the very things that are meant to bring healing. Then we wonder why people cower and crawl away. All the while we conveniently don't see  the red blotches we gave them from the painful water pressure we applied.
        I've seen many gifted prophetic people do this. They may be old in age but they are still young in their gift. The very gift given to bring hope and healing ends up causing the hurting to bleed more. They use their gift to spiritually strip people naked but never offer new clothes, a blanket or even a towel for them to cover up. And we wonder why they leave our church, our ministry, our friendship etc. No one wants to remain naked. They pack their bags and move on to a place that feels more safe.
       The "fire hose" approach is not just used in ministry, but we can get into a habit of using it in our families because we are comfortable. It's easy to get harsh, allowing our rough edges to remain. I remember my hubs and I got in a little disagreement and I got an attitude about it. The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Do I treat you that way?" and I was quickly humbled. Not only does God NOT treat me that way. He also does not treat others that way.
        Does God blast us? Is He impatient? Rude? Unkind? Exposing? Causing us shame, fear or humiliation? No way! He is gentle with us!  If the God of the universe does not brutally spray us down with a fire hose, why do we feel justified in dishing that out to others? We should be a gentle, steady rain - refreshing and healing. It should sooth all it touches, not leave welts. :-)
        As the years go by and I continue to grow in my relationship with God, I'm seeing more and more how gentle and kind He is towards me. It makes me want to give the same away to others.  We can be firm yet gentle, solid yet gentle, sold out yet gentle. Being gentle does not mean you are wishy washy, two faced or weak. It means we apply everything with love and leave lots of room for grace and mercy, knowing that everyone is on a journey becoming more like Jesus. It's a process.
           The world is harsh enough. Lets be a safe place - a soft and steady rain.