What to do while you’re waiting on the answer

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“The vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” – Habakkuk 2:3

When you’re driving through heavy snow or on icy roads, you have to slow down and look intently. You can’t relax. You’ve got to watch for the next turn or an unexpected obstacle. Sometimes you have to stop altogether and wait it out.20131207.164307

I have this BIG prayer request, and the answer I want isn’t coming at the moment. The struggle is mighty. The stakes are high. There’s no end in sight.

But I’m not alone in this storm. God is with me. He wants to speak to me, even if the solution is nowhere near the horizon.

At Northwood Church this morning, Pastor Robert Stephens talked about what to do WHEN (not IF) storms come. Know Jesus and that He is the living Savior. When you don’t know what to pray, just say “Jesus.” Be obedient.

The Tuesday morning Northwood Ladies Bible Study gives me insight on what to do. We’re studying “Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks” by Priscilla Shirer. It’s been a wonderful reminder that God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. We have God’s power to do God’s will.

20131207.164703When you’re going through a storm, you’re on high alert. I’m seeking God’s face in my personal Bible study and prayer time. I’m desperate for guidance. Here’s some of what I’ve been hearing:

  • God may not be answering my prayer in the way I want, but He’s still giving me guidance.
  • I may not get the whole answer, but look for the next step.
  • Take it, even if it is uncomfortable.
  • I am called to act in love, but the response of others is not my responsibility.
  • Becoming like Christ is a process. Choose to obey the Holy Spirit in the small things.

I didn’t choose this storm, but I can choose how I face it: angry and fearful or expecting God to be with me and work in me.

I may not like this verse, but it’s proved true in the past and will be true again in the future:

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

While I’m waiting on the big answer, I’m not giving up. I’m searching for the good in the moments. I’m looking for beauty around me. I’m thanking God for His many blessings. I’m seeking out ways to bless others.

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” 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” – Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Letting go of Unrealistic Expectations (a.k.a The Great Christmas Card Fiasco of 2015)

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The last time I didn't send a photo Christmas card was 2000, when I painted one (back when a stayed home all day and did stuff like this to keep from going bonkers).

The last time I didn’t send a photo Christmas card was 2000, when I painted one (back when I stayed home all day and did stuff like this to keep from going bonkers).

Most every year since the girls were tiny, I’ve sent out Christmas cards with their shiny, happy faces on them, often including all five of us. This year, I did not.

I had every intention of doing it and had planned to get a quick family photo of us at Thanksgiving, like I did last year. I got busy and distracted and forgot, but we could still get one several days before Christmas. Anna, my youngest, has developed some great photography skills, so Shawn and I thought she could set up the photo. The challenge was Rachel would not be home until the day before we would leave to go to Kansas for Christmas. I could upload the photo for one-hour developing at Walmart and I could address cards on the seven-hour road trip. That’s kind of a holiday tradition for me anyway.

Rachel was later than expected, so we thought we could take the photo before we got in the car and send it to a Walmart in Norman, Okla., and I could still get them addressed and stamped.

Then the last-minute photo session fell apart. I won’t name names. Let’s just say some people don’t always work well together or cite creative differences and leave it at that. It was a very unpleasant 20 minutes that ended with no photos. Then we had to get in our Durango, three adult-size kids, two parents and a nervous medium-large mutt and ride seven hours together.

Some people had to get over some stuff fast or make everyone miserable. And when I say SOME people, I’m looking in the mirror. I still had the thought in the back of my mind of putting together a collage or getting a Yuletide photo in the snow once we got to Kansas and making it New Year’s Greetings.

Sometimes you’ve got to know when to let go.

My family knows I’m a bit of a Christmas junkie. I decorate like crazy and play Christmas music whenever I can. But it’s okay to let go of some of the trappings and focus on the people around you. It’s even better if you can see the bigger picture of what Christmas means.

While the cards, decorations and carols are wonderful, what I like even better are the special times with family and friends. We got to spend Christmas with Shawn’s family on their farm in Kansas and New Years with my mom and step dad. Rachel came home for a nice, long visit, and we had friends from church come to our house to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

I treasured the few hours I got to spend having breakfast in Yoder, Kansas, with my friend, Anne, whom I have known since junior high when the Bee Gees topped the charts and “Happy Days” was the most popular show on TV. Anne teaches at a mission school on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, so I only get to see her a few times a year, at most. Enjoying the presence of one of my best friends was better than any present she could have given me.

I wouldn’t have traded Rachel coming home for any kind of material gift, nor would I want to give up time with other family members or friends. Festive cards from loved ones, strings of lights, the smell of spiced cider and ancient carols delight the senses, but treasured time with an encouraging friend, a warm hug from my mom, and the sound of my daughters, nieces, and nephews laughing together bring more joy.

The older I get, the more I realize that presence is greater than presents.Emmanuel is “God with us.” Jesus came to earth to be with us and so we could be with God.

People sometimes let you down. That Christmas card scene you imagined in your head may not come to fruition. Instead, you might be fussing and fuming. But stop for a moment to thank God for what you DO have. And when you do, remember that God is with you (long after the holidays are over)  no matter what. That’s the greatest gift of all.

If I were doing a Christmas card collage, here are some photos from 2015 that I might have included (see how I sneaked that in there?).

Posing with Rachel when she was a bridesmaid at Melissa Canter Ha's wedding.

Posing with Rachel when she was a bridesmaid at Melissa Canter Ha’s wedding.

Anna and Shawn at the Northwood Church Car Show with Anna's 1968 Chevy El Camino (nicknamed Buckley).

Anna and Shawn at the Northwood Church Car Show with Anna’s 1968 Chevy El Camino (nicknamed Buckley).

Rebekah and Carlos at Northwood Church's camp for 75 orphans in Atlixco, Mexico.

Rebekah and Carlos at Northwood Church’s camp for 75 orphans in Atlixco, Mexico.

Why I won’t be playing Powerball

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Okay, so I was planning to write a post about Freedom from Unrealistic Expectations (a.k.a. “The Great Christmas Card Fiasco of 2015”) but the craze surrounding the stratospheric payout of the Powerball lottery prompted me to tackle it instead. Look for the scoop on Christmas cards next time.

As of today, the lottery is estimated at a mind-blowing $1.3 Billion (yes, Billion with a capital B), that’s about twice the amount of the next largest amount ever won. An article on cnn.com said that in a one-hour period in Texas yesterday $5.8 million in tickets were sold. When I checked, my odds of winning were 1 in 292 million.Powerball Jackpot

I think most of us can identify with the fun of dreaming what we would do if we suddenly had vast riches dumped in our laps. I could drop $400 on a purse without thinking about it. Going to Hawaii like Shawn and I did last month wouldn’t be a rarity. We could have multiple vacation homes and travel wherever we wanted to go. We could give lots to charity and bless others.

But I worry about what the lottery would do to my motivation. Would work become less important than pleasure seeking? Would I expect money to fix a lot of my problems and be disillusioned when it didn’t? Would all that wealth wreck my family in the long run? What would happen to my attitude and gratitude?

Now that I’ve turned the Big 5-0, I think more about my legacy. Winning the lottery would really screw up my legacy. I’ve been very blessed by those in past generations of my family, not by life-altering inheritances but by their examples of hard work and careful management of their resources. Shawn and I have received inheritances and gifts but not to the extent that we could abandon working for a living. Those blessings have enhanced our family life and allowed us to make investments for the future.

That’s what I want to give my children and hypothetical grand children. Not so much money that it makes them lazy and entitled but careful gifts here and there that remind them of the benefits of hard work, planning and living within one’s means.

Shawn reminded me of his favorite Warren Buffett quote: A very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing.

I am beyond blessed to not have to fret about finances, and I know I am not exactly normal in that. If I were living paycheck to paycheck, I might be more tempted to spend a few bucks on lottery tickets and dream of not having money troubles. But the thing is, when you have money, you’ve got to spend time managing it. We’ve been learning that as our assets grow, we have to pay more attention to a lot of details. And guess which detail-oriented person at our house gets to do most of that? Not the happy-go-lucky creative one (thanks, honey!).

If we won a billion, our focus would be on managing that money and using it. I don’t think I would be as motivated to write, and I wouldn’t be as inclined to share life lessons with my girls on getting the best deals at Kroger (use the card, look for savings, accumulate those wonderful fuel points). Would giving lose a lot of its meaning if it wasn’t any kind of sacrifice?

Maybe it is God’s plan for you to win a billion and use it to help others, but as for me, it just doesn’t fit. I think it would mess up my motivation and wreck my legacy, so I’ll just be thankful for what I have and keep planning for the future.

What’s Inspiring this Fresh Start

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Aloha and Happy New Year!
For the first Monday in 2016, I’m trying to make good on one of my goals for the year: to blog once a week, or so. I hope that you will find my posts encouraging and entertaining.

My first trip to Hawaii blew my hair and my mind!

My first trip to Hawaii blew my hair and my mind!

A couple of circumstances are inspiring me to make positive changes.

This year, my youngest daughter will graduate from high school. I want to both dance a joyous jig that would totally embarrass her and moan a dramatic dirge to the end of the line for raising school age kids (which she could either find appalling or hilarious).

With this impending milestone of her departure for college, I want to make the most of my time. I’m a mom in transition. I also turned 50 in 2015, a number I have problems associating with myself. No thank you, I don’t want that AARP card!

I used my restlessness over the last few days to try to be more intentional in my approach to 2016. Last week, I did several things:

They all have similar themes of making thoughtful, intentional plans about making the most of life in your current season. My goals are different than my friends Jill and Kala who are moms of young children or my good buddy Anne who is single and teaches at a mission school on a Navajo reservation.

I came up with a short list of goals. One of them is to post regularly on the blog and another is to plan fun times with my family.

For the blog, I’m not going to wait for an inspiring idea. I’m going to make myself post something. I hope I don’t disappoint my seven avid readers… (I love you, Mom!). I’ve decided that if I post five more times by Feb. 15, I will reward myself with something I want but don’t really need.

On the family fun list, we’ve been wanting Anna to decide where we will go for Spring Break (must be in the continental U.S.). I’ll help her get started because planning trips is one of my passions. Shawn and I went on an amazing Hawaii vacation last month, which I planned through VRBO, TripAdvisor and other online resources.

What about you? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Do you have any advice for how to stick to your plan?

Yes, it is as lovely as it looks.

Yes, it is as lovely as it looks.

A comic in my own mind: embracing my inner goofball

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Here’s one thing I’ve learned over the years: if you learn to laugh at yourself, you’ll find a lot more humor in life. I like to laugh, and the older I get, the more I’m inclined to laugh at my own mistakes.

The Bible says laughter is good medicine. I think the Proverbs 31 woman was able to laugh at the future because she knew enough to find humor in her own gaffes. People who take themselves too seriously weigh on others. Instead, let your humor be that shot in the arm that lightens their steps, right?

Every once in a while, I’ll do something funny enough to share with others. Go ahead! Laugh at my airheadedness! It’s got healing properties.

Twice in the span of a few weeks, I was a comic in my own mind.

The first one involved my curly often out-of-control hair. The other day, I swear I looked like BTTF’s Doc Brown, only dyed blonde.  Daughter Anna showed me a can of dry shampoo that she’d quit using because it wasn’t dry enough. A few days later, I wanted to try it to see if it would help tame my wild locks in between real shampoos. I went to the girls’ bathroom and grabbed the can of spray, shook it vigorously and spritzed my hair. It wasn’t too wet and toned down the frizz. A pretty good solution, I thought. No wonder people like this stuff. I used it probably half a dozen times.

Several weeks later, Anna asked me to buy her some more dry shampoo, and I told her I’d been using her old stuff and found it still worked okay. She picked up the can on my bathroom counter, looked at it and said, “This is not shampoo, it’s deodorant.”

No wonder I’d had such a hard time washing my hair after using the spray! I bust out with the best deep belly laugh I’d had in ages. Of course, my teenager thought I was crazy–bonus! Moms of teens, embrace that super power.

In my defense, if you look at this picture, the two cans look very similar. Also, if you are

Dry spray could be interpreted a couple of ways!

Dry spray could be interpreted a couple of ways!

late 40s or older, you will understand that I’m really not reading a lot of fine print and directions like I used to. Most of the time, I just wing it. That way, I hardly ever need my reading glasses…

The second instance may also have been attributable to difficulty reading small print, but more likely, I was just in a hurry.

Hubby Shawn was in D.C. to give a presentation on a big project he’s leading at work. That morning, I grabbed my phone and texted “Praying for you. Love you!” and hit send. Seconds later, I heard the buzz for an incoming message.

My boss, Alice, texted me “What’s up?”

Okay, I think you can see where I’m going here. I’d just professed my love to my boss. Fortunately, she has a good sense of humor.

In my ladies’ Bible study last week, Beth Moore talked about not being a poser and not falling for posers in this information age.  During my Tuesday morning run, I happened to listen to Michael Hyatt’s podcast and his co-host, Michele Cushatt was sharing what she learned about the transforming power of suffering while battling cancer. She said, “Perfection never creates connection.”

Who are we trying to impress with our Pinterest perfection? Let’s get real, people, and tell others what’s on our hearts, be it deep pain or just silly embarrassment.

Today, that means to me,

embrace your inner goofball

and the gift of laughter as you share those moments with others.

Now where did I put that deodorant?

What to do when you’ve blown it

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I went to bed last night drowning in disappointment and woke up in the wee hours with the weight of it sitting on my chest. I tried my trick of listening to the melodious voice of Max McLean reading the Psalms on biblegateway.com. He can almost always lull me back to sleep. Not this time.

Almost all of my frustrations were messes of my own doing. I said something to friends that was VERY judgmental instead of reflecting the love of Jesus.

I couldn't resist this impromptu trashcan bouquet

I couldn’t resist this impromptu trashcan bouquet

My house is pretty much a wreck from one end to the other because I’m busy, and when I do have time I get discouraged because my efforts have so little impact.

I worry that my mistakes as a mom have made it harder for my young adult kids to follow God rather than easier.

Around 5 a.m., I gave up and got out of bed. I brewed my coffee and sat down with my computer, Bible and journal looking for solace. I found a Beth Moore video that included a pop quiz. One of her “true-false” questions was, “I know God loves me but I think I often disappoint Him.”

That struck a bruised spot on my heart. I disappoint myself so often that I think God must be disappointed in me, too. Beth said God isn’t disappointed because He isn’t surprised by our struggles. I didn’t catch Him off guard when I messed up.

She quoted Romans 5:5, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

As I was looking up that verse, my eyes drifted up to 5:1. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

My problem is that sometimes my faith is in the wrong place. I try to do big things (or not-so-big things) through my own efforts and I fail. I may be disappointed, but God is not. He’s saying, “Look over here, my daughter. Put your hope in me. Give me your expectations. Let me guide your steps. Don’t sit down and have a pity party or immerse yourself in distractions to avoid the difficult work ahead. Grab my hand and take a step with me. You don’t have to know the whole trip just the next step.”

As for dealing with my shortcomings, I can apologize for thoughtless words. I can wash the dishes and start a load of laundry. I can pray for my girls and look for opportunities to love them in words and actions.

20150920_173605And I can remember that I will never be enough, but God is. There’s a certain freedom in that.

Did you ever think of your failure as an opportunity to grow your faith?

Brave enough for the next step

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You know how sometimes you need a kick in the pants, but you don’t want one, so you avoid situations where you think God’s going to call you out on stuff? Tonight I knew I’d probably get a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit, and I’ve been allowing myself to be mired in the rut called “I’m too busy and tired to do that.”

I went to Brave anyway and got that bop on the backside. Instead of collapsing on my couch with the next episode of “Downton Abbey” on Amazon Prime Video, I spent an hour and a half hearing God’s Word, listening for His voice, and talking with women I’d never met about the awesome power of grace to break the chains that hold us back.

God told me to let the Holy Spirit out of the closet where I’d chucked Him lately. He told me to call on the Holy Spirit to help me do the difficult things he has planned for me to do, to face fear and be brave.

My beautiful mom venturing out on a pasture trail at sunset in central Kansas.

My beautiful mom venturing out on a pasture trail at sunset in central Kansas.

While I was praying with the small group of women I’d never met, one of these ladies quoted a verse that has been one of my favorites for a long time because it coaxes me out of my comfort zone. I remember it being my key verse when I was in labor with each of my three children. God often brings it to my mind even now that my girls are 23, 20, and 17.

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

Some translations say “a sound mind” instead of self-discipline. Some days I really need that sound mind promise and other days the self-discipline.

I believe that God calls me to use my writing to encourage others. I don’t yet know all the details, but I don’t have to know the whole journey, just the next step.

As I look to Him during the trials of this season in my life, I trust that He is at work. As Laurie Graves told us at Brave, “When we stand against the devil, we get joy and patience, and eventually, we get a testimony.”

Make no mistake, my friends. God has plans for you in this very season.

What is God calling you to do in the middle of your difficult time? This isn’t a hypothetical, by the way. If you want to comment with what God is calling you to do, your words may encourage someone else to be brave enough to take the next step.

The most important thing you will do…

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The most important thing you will do…

costco-chickenAlmost a year ago I went from working 25 to 28 hours a week outside the home to a 40 hour week (sometimes more). Since then, I’ve struggled to juggle work and home demands. I’ve dealt with fatigue as an all too frequent companion and cut back on extraneous activities like watching “Bath Crashers,” cooking on meeting nights that didn’t involve Kroger rotisserie chicken and dusting (to be honest, dusting rarely cracked my top ten, but now I have an excuse).

The extra duties I took on at work involve a lot of writing, which is good for a writer like me. I get paid to do something I love. What is not good is that I let weariness from writing hamper my personal writing mission. I believe that God gave me the ability and desire to write so I can encourage others to find their purpose, strength, and joy in the Lord. I’m asking God to help me be faithful to his calling.

“‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6b

In my own strength, it seems impossible, but with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

What dream are you ignoring right now? Maybe like me, you’re discouraged because you don’t have a lot of extra time to devote to it. Just start somewhere. If you have 15 minutes today and 15 minutes on Wednesday, that’s 30 minutes you’ve spent on what Jon Acuff calls pursuing “your awesome.” As you start to make progress, you may find that it’s easier to give up things you enjoy (like that Sunday afternoon nap) in pursuit of your passion.

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings (Zech. 4:10) because even small steps make progress on the journey.

Now here’s a caveat emptor (buyer beware) caution for you. Crafting your calling probably is NOT the most important thing you do.

As a Christian, the most important activities I do involve loving God and loving others (Matt.waffles 22:37-39). I’ll give you an example. Last week, I drove the 45 minutes north to Denton to take my mom out for brunch. My stepdad had been ill and in the hospital, and I arranged my work schedule so I could spend a few hours with my mom and briefly visit with her ailing husband.

It struck me later that visiting my mom was way more important than writing a front page story for the Star-Telegram (which I’d done the week before) or a blog post that inspired others. There are many people to write such things, but I am my mother’s only daughter.

I’m also reminded that the most valuable part of my day is the time I spend with God. Reading the Bible, praying and asking for the Lord to direct me sets my course and my attitude.

While our culture is often focused on achievements and possessions, God’s economy is based on reliance on Him and relationships. Don’t be surprised that the two don’t line up, “for the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.” – 1 Cor. 3:19a.

Go ahead and shut down your computer and go for a walk with your husband.

Let the dishes sit in the sink while you read to your toddler.

Leave the office and take your teen out for ice cream.fro yo

You may find that the most important things you do are not the ones on your “to do” list or your life goals.

 

A map for the soul-weary

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“Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

I find myself bone-tired a lot these days. The weight of trying to keep up with a growing list of obligations and expectations is daunting. As a wife, a mom, a daughter, an employee, a friend, a church member, I just get “tie-yerd” (say it with a Texan twang) trying to keep my head above water.

My state of mind doesn’t improve when I focus on the never-ending pursuit of Pinterest perfection or float too long in the shallow end of Facebook friendships. What truly helps is following Jesus’ promise.

7500NPlum_land_20140423.070809Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest: Take Jesus up on his invitation. Get away from your obligations–even if it’s just a few minutes–and look into God’s Word. Linger on an encouraging verse.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me: This tells me that you have to learn to follow (Duh!). It does not come naturally to us. It’s a discipline we build into our lives. When I am struggling, I try to mentally stop myself and ask, “What is the Lord trying to teach me here?” In her talk at Northwood’s Ladies Bible Study yesterday, Annie Murray said we have to go through the process to get to the promise. That, my friends, is godly wisdom.

For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls: You won’t find soul rest by looking out for number one. This goes against what our culture teaches. I see this promise as having two parts, putting others first and being transparent. Feeling weighed down by your cares? Find someone to help. Even a simple act of easing off the gas and allowing that annoying driver to get ahead of me can reframe my focus. Discouraged because you stumbled on the same spot AGAIN? Overwhelmed by worry? Be transparent with others. Sharon Tedford said in our table group discussion yesterday that transparency leads to faith. A lack of transparency leads to religion.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light: Why is it easy and light? Grace. We don’t have to do it on our own (we couldn’t anyway). Grace is God’s power that holds us up when life is hard. Grace is God’s unexpected blessings that show up on the way. Grace is the promise of better things to come. As believers, we can look ahead to the future with joy.

Is your life hard right now? Join the club.

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“Don’t think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” – Matthew 10:34

Is your life hard right now? Join the club, sister.

As our Ladies’ Bible Study works through “The Carpenter King,” a study of Matthew by Max Lucado, I was a little ticked off at him this week for focusing on a passage I’d like to ignore. You see, Matthew 10:24-40 is a very tough teaching. It lets us know that we aren’t on an easy road. Expect rejection from the world, and (even worse) from those you hold closest to your heart. It’s counting the cost: “A person’s enemies will be members of his own family” (v. 36).

7500NPlum_land_20131229.144524Sometimes following Christ pits us against friends and family. What could be worse than that? The truth is we often will disagree with loved ones. The difference is how we handle that disagreement. Jesus spoke of enemies here in Matthew 10, but he never treated his enemies in the “eye-for-an-eye” way of the world.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44). Love them into the fold when they’ve strayed far from the right path, like he did with the woman at the well. Love them when they turn away from us, like his call to the rich young ruler. Love them when they betray us, like when he restored Peter who denied ever knowing him.

He calls us to a radical love that means we don’t put anyone ahead of him. Not our spouses, not our children, and not our parents. We look first to Him for strength through His Word and prayer, and then serve our families. Loving Jesus first means we love others better than we ever could on our own. In denying our own wishes and following Him, He meets our needs and gives us the power to serve others.

In his look at this difficult passage, Max asked us to reflect on highlights and lowlights in our time of following Jesus. It forced me to examine the fact that I’ve been traveling a rough road for a long time. I haven’t been blogging at all lately because life’s been hard. I’ve had challenges at home and at work. This week was a reminder to me that I can’t check out on what I believe God has called me to do.

While I’d like to escape into mindless diversion of TV or surfing the Web, I realize that what I’m really doing is sulking. I don’t like the way things are going, and it’s hard. Matthew 10 is telling me to suck it up, sister. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how these trials will turn out. But life is more of a battleship than a cruise ship. Jesus is asking us to follow Him into battle. And guess what? We’re going to get hurt. When others inflict pain, we need to go to the one who will never forsake us.

This “pull on your combat boots and join the battle” message keeps popping up:

– To the procrastinator (that’s me!) from Ann Voskamp who says it so beautifully: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/01/dear-you-who-doesnt-want-to-do-that-hard-thing/

– And from Desiring God:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/lay-aside-the-weight-of-not-feeling-like-it

And finally, this prayer from Max Lucado: “Help me resist the common but erroneous notion that following you will be anything but hard.”