Stand Up!

I have been hearing many negative stories about mothers on the news and on the internet lately. I think it is intentional considering mother’s day is right around the corner. I think the aim is to get more people to feel overwhelm with being a mother. I believe it is to cause others to stay away from the idea of being a mother.

I am reminded how a man once told me, “No one celebrates Father’s Day, it’s just another day.” This man made this comment because he said there were no positive influences about being a father while he was growing up. As a result he perceived Father’s Day to be nothing out of the ordinary.

When considering this man’s view and the influence that the media is portraying about mother’s I find it sickening. After God created Adam and Eve and they became one, God blessed them and said be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground"(Genesis1:28). God instructed husbands and wives to multiply the earth. He gave these instructions not because the act of having children was so great but so we could have dominion over the world glorifying His magnificent name.

If a person gets deceived in to believing being a parent is horrible then the enemy has won them over. We have a positive influence in God. He is the most powerful, loving, trustworthy and awesome parent that we all should look to when considering parenthood.

To be a parent is an honorable position. A parent is there to guide and train while providing for another life. Parenthood should exemplify how our Heavenly Father guides and provides for us.

Having children will be a challenge yet it is a blessing worth fighting for. “When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world" (John 16:21 RSV).

When God created the world it was to glorify His name. As He made man and woman it was also to glorify His name. What is your perspective of being a parent? Do you feel it is too hard? Have you been considering refraining from parenthood based on the media? Are you a parent wishing you could renegotiate the terms of parenthood? Don’t let the media give parenthood a bad rep. Be bold as a Christian and Stand Up!

Instead of letting the negative views of parenthood flourish allow others see the joy in being a parent. Pray to God to help you Stand Up as a parent. Ask the Father to give you strength so others may be encouraged to know as a parent God still guides and provides for you. Call upon the Lord to help you make wise decisions in the act of being a parent so others may not be mislead about being a parent. Pray to God that you do not stand for people giving the name of a parent a negative one. For God has created the roles of the parent and everything He created He said it is good (Genesis 1:1 to 2:3).

Your Cross

I have been going through various obstacles in my life at this time. The interesting thing is God is still directing me. I’ll think I’m too tired, Lord. I’ll ponder who will be sick next or need me to tend to something else. As I consider my thoughts God will still give me instructions.

Part of me feels like I’m suffering. I am searching with my spiritual inspector lens for the question, “Who am I suffering for?” I want to know, while feeling weighed down, “Who is this load for?”

My aches and pains are merely my cross. My mind captures when Jesus called the people to Him “His followers were also there. Then Jesus said, "If any person wants to follow me, he must say 'No' to the things he wants. That person must accept the cross (suffering) that is given to him, and he must follow me” (Mark 8:34).

I can’t follow Christ if I am not willing to pick up my own cross. Often times in life a person suffers and considers why yet never who the suffering is for. I am reminded of Jesus carrying the cross. When Jesus carried the cross he was suffering for me. He took up the cross not because he did something wrong but because He knew I was going to do something wrong. He knew I would need forgiveness.

Many people are suffering today, some have high blood pressure, anxiety attacks, many are losing control, spiraling in a rage, gaining and losing weight, contemplating death. People that are suffering today are noticing their pain but not the root of the pain.

Have you been in much pain, lately? Perhaps your pain is your cross. Maybe you suffer at a time such as this because God wants you to understand that the cross is to position you to surrender to His way. When we bear our cross we can empty our self as He fills us with more of Him.

Instead of trying to figure out how to escape the pain, ask God to help you pick your cross. Pray to the Father for strength to bear the pains to help another, to inspire someone else get closer to the Father.

Pursue Your Gift

I overheard my daughter say “I inspired her to write a book when she saw me publish a book.” She said once she saw me she knew she could do it. Surprisingly,she managed to write and illustrate her book.

My comments are deeper than just being a proud mother because she published a book. Her actions inspired me more than she can even imagine.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was fired. The publisher told me due to my handicap I would no longer continue working at the publication. I was distraught. It was then that I closed myself from the life of being a writer. I had a pity party for seven years, too long. By the grace of God I am able to write.

When she says to me, “Mom you inspired me," I hear, ‘what if you never picked up the pen again.’ I praise the Father for pushing me to be the writer that I am for if it had not been for Him the inspiration He gives me through others would not be on paper today.

A year ago, I committed to the Father to just write for Him. I have awakened every morning existing for Him. Prior to existing for Him, I was incomplete in search of the emptiness.

I can look at my daughter and be reminded of Jesus when he was a child. His parents traveled to Jerusalem to the Passover every year. Jesus had grown and “became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).

During this time, Jesus was teaching to others and he was a child. You and I were created in His image (Genesis 1:27). Our children are creations of His image; as a result they too can be filled with wisdom to teach others with the grace of God upon them.

An eight year old child has inspired me to continue pushing and be encouraged to do what the Father has created me to do. I can imagine the people being in awe with every word that came out of Jesus’ mouth. I can see them leaving with hope and being inspired to go through another day.

Has a little one been opening your eyes? Is there a child in your life growing in wisdom?

Don’t let the age of a person catch you off guard. Instead of brushing the child off listen to them. Allow the Father to minister to you through them. Ask the Lord to forgive you for not being the image of Him. Pray that the Father helps you maintain your focus, as you strive to go after His will. God will use anyone He pleases to engage you to pursue your God given gift.

Confessing When at Odds

I had a sibling that I could not get along with as a child. This sibling and I were as enemies. I could not stand to even be in the same room with this person. By the time I became an adult I decided to put my childish ways away. I forgave my sibling before I even approached them and then I asked them to forgive me.

Today, I can’t even remember all the issues we had. I know we had discord but the details get more and more vague as time goes by.

As I think of my past I am reminded that once we were enemies of God and He forgave us before we came to Him with an apology. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:10).

My sibling and I were at odds with each other because we did something against one another. We were both hurt and we were separated for many years. It was not until I whole-heartedly decided to be forgiving, before we were reunited with each other.

The Bible tells us that Jacob also separated himself from his brother when he hurt Esau. He ran to another town to get away from his brother because he knew he hurt his brother, after his dad did not bless him upon his death. It was not until Jacob decided he was going to be apologetic towards his actions, that he was embraced by his brother. Jacob was extremely sincere and brought gifts to his brother in hopes that he would understand (Genesis 32 and 33). God did not bless Jacob until he made things right between the two of them.

Are you at odds with your sibling? Have you been waiting for them to apologize to you for hurting you and you have not confessed your wrong doing? God does not teach us to forgive by receiving apologies first.

We must quickly confess, "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" (Ephesians 4:26). What ever has caused you anger or hurt should not fester the next day, but should be put to rest before the sun goes down. This eliminates bitterness growing. It is not wise for us to wait to apologies for it will make it more difficult and time consuming for us to get rid of the agony. God has given us the time frame of one day to cool down and get over the matter, with a forgiving heart.

Consider evaluating your confessions. Ask God to help you forgive those that have hurt you. Pray to God to help you focus on Him and not your pain as He releases you from your agony. For God forgave us while we were yet still sinners, at odds with Him.

Fixing Your Eyes

A woman is at odds with her husband. They have not been seeing eye-to-eye for the over seven months. She has been praying for a change.

One morning as she prepared the family for church her husband reveals to her, he is not joining them.

Inside this woman is having a fit, nevertheless, she presented herself in a loving manner. Not once did she question him, instead she played gospel tunes as she tugged the children and herself to church alone.

This wife is suffering from communicating how she honestly feels towards her husband’s actions. She is frustrated but yet is exercising the fruit of gentleness to her husband (Galatians 5:22-23).

This situation reminds me of Paul telling us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, who for joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame” Hebrews 12:1-2. Paul wants us to imagine how Christ displayed perfect love by tolerating the torture and humiliation on the cross.

This woman whom is striving to get her family closer to God refrains from speaking her mind not because she is afraid of him but because of his position. She bites her tongue because all the prayer request to bring her and her spouse closer will be undone if she has a rage and lashes out, what she feels.

Her toleration of pain is based on her fixing her eyes on Christ. Suffering for righteousness is an honorable virtue. Christ endured suffering for us so we may have eternal life.

How do you respond when you are suffering and being humiliated? Do you seek revenge? Have you composed an escape plan? Do you have a nasty note to convey your feelings? It is not wise for us to speak of things when we are upset for it will lay a foundation of more damage.

Maybe you keep feeling betrayed or disrespected. Perhaps your pride is being trampled and you just don’t get it. Don’t let bitterness consume you.

Consider being more Christ like when you are in agony. Pray to God to help you be more as the Lord. Ask the Father to enhance your personal spiritual growth. Call upon the Lord to glorify and please Him in your marriage or any other relationship. For it is better to be “kind and tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Orderly

Frustration can slow you down or stop you altogether. One day my family and I were cleaning the house. I was determined to get things in order. As I was cleaning my room their task was to clean the living room. Later, my two oldest began arguing with one another when I asked them to fold clothes and put them away.

I noticed when they were told to work together as a team, they argued. I then decided I would not raise my voice but call them in one by one to discipline them, so they may return to the business at hand.

I was reminded of the Apostle Paul addressing the church about having order in Corinth. The city had become completely out of order, as a result Paul called a meeting to get things to flow accordingly to God’s arrangement. He spoke to them saying “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

When considering this scripture I gave attention to the words decent and order. According to the Concordance, to be decent is to be honest, working in harmony. Order is a regular arrangement, setting in proper order.

In our life there is a system of patterns. These patterns help us to categorize the flow of our days. When there is structure life flows as a river and tranquility is vibrant. Yet, when things are piled from the ceiling inside your home; likewise, outside your home is disorderly, you have no sanctuary to rejuvenate yourself to face another day.

Imagine a person leaving to work, sitting in traffic. Upon arriving to work this person is bombarded with people not cooperating or not doing their task creating more work for the one individual to do, which is additional pressure. Then when the person enters their home, shoes are piled in front of the door. Picture clothes splattered on the floor; while, dinner is in the fridge, and people are running around having fun. Peace is so far from this person, he or she becomes stressed in their own home.

As I reflect upon the scenario with my children, I conclude it is in order for me to discipline my children, when they insist on arguing when required to work in love. If I allow them to fuss, then I am going against to decency and order. There is no harmony when arguing is occurring. As their mother I have to take charge in a gentle manner, so order is maintained.

Gentleness is strength under control. I was not happy with the bickering that was going on but I was able to control myself through the fruit of the Spirit of gentleness. I did not join them by raising my voice. I disciplined them and enforced the continuation of cleaning.

What do you do when you get frustrated? Do you slow down or become paralyzed never completing your task?

You have a choice to reflect your old nature or the fruit of the Spirit. Don’t allow sinful nature to take root and choke the Spirit that dwells in you to be devoured. Pray to God to show you how to be gentle when you are annoyed. Ask the Father to channel your attention to the Fruit of the Spirit, He has given you and not your nature. Request to have your fruit produced more and more to look more as His image.

Having Joy

Night after night, a couple argues in disagreement. The children view them at odds with one another as they prepare for bed. The night falls and the children are tucked in bed. As the sun rises they are not greeted by their father for the parents are no longer one, but two.

Many years pass and the children grow as adults and they all spiral out of control when things are out of order. These children whom are now adults don’t understand why they have so much anger inside.

The mind can be tricky. Our mind is compiled with thoughts that are negative and positive. At times those past thoughts can have control over our present reactions. In the book of Romans it speaks of how our mind can divide us from God. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Having control over yourself, denying the impulse to satisfy your human nature is a requirement; if you are serious about reframing from sin.

I imagine these children never fathomed why the smallest thing would cause them to tick. They never tapped into the root of why they are instilled with such anger and remain clueless to their mannerism.

I propose that the stem of their anger is from the divorce of their parents. The last impression they had of their parents together was of them arguing with each other. It is normal for them to respond to things in a hostile manner because it’s the most vivid illustration they have upon the laying of their foundation. These adults are consumed with a carnal mind and can’t see were their joy comes from.

Joy is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is often times confused with happiness. However, it is the source of happiness. Joy is a strength which comes from the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10). Having joy is being supremely blessed by the Father.

Perhaps you have walked with joy in the midst of struggles. Possibly you were able to control yourself because you recognized your joy came from the Lord and not past experiences.

Do you have experiences from the past that you never resolved? How do you respond when reminded of it? Can you recognize that you are being controlled by the past?

Consider evaluating the carnality of your mind. Pray to God to bring the things which make you tick to the light. Ask the Father to help you grab a hold of yourself so you can control your emotions. As you examine yourself, request for the Spirit to lead you, so you may walk in love, peace, in addition to joy.