Reproductive Activities

I was texting a friend the other day and asked how her weekend went. She listed the things she had accomplished and finished with “…and other reproductive activities.” I had to laugh, come on…reproductive activities…. (raised eyebrows, wink, wink)! Her text had auto-corrected her when she meant to say productive.

I got to thinking, though, that many of the activities that we do are reproductive. This made me think of the Biblical concept of reaping and sowing, which comes up often in Scripture. There are two passages in particular that are meaningful to me. The first is in Galatians 6:7b-9 which says,

“A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

Truthfully, the last year and a half or so, a constant plea in my head has been ‘Jesus, I’m tired.’ One of the things that has contributed to this weariness is my inability to live up to a standard of motherhood for my step-kids, who are teenagers and coming from a broken past. I also get caught up in a comparison of all the positive that I want to sow into my family and all the negative that it seems like I sow.

The second is Psalm 126, specifically verses 5-6, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who got out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of job, carrying sheaves with them.” (Check out this song about this Psalm at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI0eJSlDd1g)

This passage speaks to me of hope. That although it is hard to keep sowing good things, if I continue to do that when it’s hard or painful that I will reap with joy and gladness!

So, friends, mothers, step-parents, do not give up in doing your good deeds and loving your friends and family. (Trust me, they do notice and they do listen!). Keep plugging away! Keep up the good work! You are doing a fabulous job. You are fabulous.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you that you have equipped us for every good work that you have called us to do, that you walk by our side, lift up our head, and help us along the way. Lord, if anyone is in a season of reaping good, I rejoice with them. Help them to revel in it. If anyone is in a season of reaping but it is not good, help them to turn to you and allow you to turn things around. Lastly, Lord, if anyone is tired and needs encouragement, would you please just reassure their hearts and give them something to lift their spirits? Thank you.

Forever

50 Years of the European Southern Observatory…’Editorial Use Only : Mandatory credit ‘ESO/T. Preibisch’ Mandatory Credit: Photo by ESO/T. Preibisch / Rex Features (1893081r) ESO

The fad surrounding vampires, werewolves, and zombies has flummoxed me, even as I have partaken of this cultural revelry. Finally, indulging in an episode of The Mindy Project (a guilty pleasure) it made sense!

In this particular episode, Mindy is confronted with the idea of forever in relationships from a 15 year old. Mindy exclaims how the teen generation is obsessed with immortal vampire love stories because teens are obsessed with the idea of forever.  

 Wow! What an insight into our culture! Of course, the vampire fad has spread. We desperately want our marriages, our friendships, our minds, our bodies, to last forever. The search for the immortal is nothing new and is often referenced in history, mythology, and entertainment. We long for it like forbidden fruit and yet are terrified of it at the same time. Forever does not mean happy and perfect and beautiful. Forever means all of it simultaneously! Forever is not something I think our human minds can fully comprehend.

The Bible says “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)

The desire for forever is actually God-inspired. It is meant to cause a search for him! Friends, He is the love that will truly be forever. He is the love we are to spend the rest of our lives with! He has dreamed of you, since before you were born. He completes you. He will never leave you. He will not disappoint you. He died for you and he lives for you! He is the beginning, middle, and end. He was, and is, and is to come!

What if, instead of giving people the immortal dead, we somehow gave them the immortal living?

Lord Jesus, I ask that you speak to each person reading this and overwhelm them with your total encompassing love. If they do not know you, may this be just the beginning of getting to know you. If they already know you, may they come to know you in a deeper way. Thank you for laying the foundation in our hearts to receive you, because sometimes receiving love is harder than finding it. And lastly, come Lord Jesus. Come!

Modesty

Today, the topic of modesty is on my mind. It seems, that as summer heats up, shorts and skirts rise with it.

In fact, every summer we have to do short shopping for my teenage step-daughter and I dread it every year. There is always a disagreement about the modesty in the length of the shorts. (I also struggle to find shorts for myself!). We have often had disagreements with her about clothing choices, especially these days when middle-schoolers are often seen dressing like clubbers just to go to school!

I was raised to dress modestly, (it’s what Christian females are supposed to do, right?) and while I’ve always agreed with dressing modestly, I could not have told you why.

However, the other day, I was at the grocery store and I saw a young woman with shorts that only covered half of her bottom and I got it! I think there are three main reasons for dressing modestly.

1. It causes a problem for other females.
2. It causes a problem for men.
3. It causes a problem for you (the wearer).

First, when a lady see another female dressed suggestively, she begins to compare herself. She thinks negatively, either of herself or the other woman or both. She looks at the suggestively dressed woman and thinks, not only about the parts that are being shown off, but the other parts: “She’s got better skin, hair, breasts, bottom, thighs, tummy, biceps (insert body part here) than I do” and it causes her to be unhappy with herself. OR she thinks of the other woman as a “floozy, tramp (insert other term here).” These thoughts often spin out of control and color our experiences and interactions for the rest of the day.

Secondly, it causes a problem for men. Men are visual. We know this. They will notice a woman dressed suggestively. Once they notice, they now have to deal with the image and thoughts this lady has caused. Some men can quickly and  easily put it out of their minds. Some men will turn their thoughts on their wife or significant other. Some men will be tempted to any number of things: pursue the girl, pornography, crime. Some men may even have significant others that struggle with jealousy and insecurity and give him grief for seeing or noticing this suggestively dressed woman, causing relationship problems.

And thirdly, the wearer ends up with unwanted (or possibly wanted) attention that is not healthy or uplifting. She also shares parts of her body with whoever is looking, and these are special and intimate, designed only for herself and her husband.

The only person who can control what she wears is herself. Women, I encourage you to dress modestly. Mama’s, Daddy’s, I encourage you to have a conversation with your children, especially your girls, about modesty. Enjoy your clothes and your body. Dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable, confident, and attractive. Most of all, be a woman who, in thought, in deed, in appearance is an example and and up-lifter of others.

Derailed – Going off the Map

        I was spending time with a friend of mine recently and she shared with me that her life plan has been “derailed.” She explained that her current life events, causing her to essentially be a single mom are “off the map” for her. The word pictures she used caught my attention.

How often do we come up with a plan or timeline for our life? I know I did! Some things followed my carefully laid out plans (like getting married at 23, having a baby at 25) and many things did not. I think it’s this expectation of how our lives should be or will be (depending on how optimistic you are) that causes us to end up feeling like our lives have been derailed. The last few years have not been the happiest of my life and I have often found myself quoting the title of a Christian self-help book, “This Isn’t the Life I Signed up For.”

Boy, we can certainly sit there, can’t we? We sit so well in the disillusionment of where our lives are not. But I think this is one of God’s favorite places to have us be! When he takes us off the map and into unknown or unplanned for territory, we have to learn to rely on him more. This is something that I am still actively learning and re-learning. Friend, by no means, do I happily move into circumstances that I never planned on being in! However, isn’t that where the most growth can occur? Isn’t that where I grow closer to the Lord?

Jesus, I thank you for the times and circumstances of my life that where you have taken me off the map and derailed my plans. I pray for anyone who is going through a time in their life that is greatly unexpected and has derailed their plans. I pray that you would meet them in their response, whether that is grief or anger or hope. I pray that you would comfort them and guide them. I pray that you would turn this time into a time of adventure instead of a time of being lost.

The Perfect Setting

Before starting this blog, I wanted to get some posts written in advance. I kept thinking that perfect setting would be to pack up my laptop, arrange for someone to watch my daughter, and go to a coffee shop. I pictured myself tucked away in a corner, headphones in, sipping coffee, typing away. Alone! Doing something for myself! (Many of you understand how hard it is to get time alone with a baby on hand. I can count on one hand the times I’ve gone to the bathroom alone since having my daughter). During this daydream, I realized that I often wait and hope for the perfect setting, and it very seldom occurs! I wait for the right time to talk about an issue, to take a photograph, to read a particular book, to feel close to my husband, etc. This means that I end up doing a lot of waiting and often feel frustrated if I don’t do the activity I’m waiting for the right setting to perform it in!

How silly! Instead, I need to both go with the flow and make the most of the time I have! So, I still haven’t made it to that coffee shop alone yet. In fact, I still haven’t been able to do something for myself alone yet, but I have jumped in and started this blog, and read a book, and taken those photographs, and chosen to connect with my husband…

          Jesus, help us to stop waiting for the perfect time and to take advantage of the time we have. Lord, if we are not supposed to move forward with something, please make it clear and help us to be still and wait for you. But if we are holding ourselves back, I ask for the courage and the motivation to get started. Thank you for your perfect timing. In Jesus Name.