Action vs. REaction

by Laura Hechel

Jerolyn asked me to share this experience, so here goes...

Almost four years ago, my family moved to Sacramento. Within the first week, I met a woman and her son in our apartment complex. She eagerly pursued a friendship with me and I was desperate for social interaction, so we became fast friends. I learned that she lived with her boyfriend, their son and her two dogs just a couple of buildings down from me. I learned she had been previously married, subsequently divorced and never wanted to be married again. I began to pray for a witnessing opportunity, for a window to share my faith with her. One day, we were sitting outside on the sidewalk while our children played and I mentioned I was in a Bible study at Capital Christian Center. Immediately, she responded with an excited, "I'm a Christian, too!! I go to Adventure Christian church in Roseville!" Confused, I wanted to address the hypocrisy of her current living situation and how the prevalent sin in her life was damaging her witness as a professing Christ-follower. But something in me told me that now was not the time. Every time we met up, I struggled with biting my tongue. As believers, we should hold each other accountable! It was Biblical for me to "restore her gently to the faith". But every time, something in me told me to wait. I prayed often about the situation...for God to convict her, for God to check my heart and remove all fear if it was standing in my way, for God to bring about yet another opportunity to speak with her about her beliefs...And it happened. One day, at the park, we got in an intense discussion over raising our children to know the Lord. The discussion ended amicably, but in disagreement. After some intense (read: obsessive) thought over lunch, I decided to call her to clarify my beliefs, which I felt I had not adequately articulated to her in our original discussion. I prayed before I called. She continued to disagree with me over the phone and lecture me on how I should raise my children. However, she did acknowledge that Christians can have different beliefs and still get along. To back her point, she stated that her pastor says things with which she doesn't agree, but she still attends his church and respects him as a person. I stopped the conversation right there. "Wait a second!" I said. "What kinds of things does your pastor say that you don't agree with? Because if he's saying stuff that's not scripturally based, you should NOT be there!" She responded by stating that her pastor believes that Jesus is God and that she KNOWS Jesus is NOT God because Jesus himself said he was the SON of God. At that moment, everything became clear to me because the Holy Spirit prompted me with, "THIS is the conversation I need you to have. GO FOR IT!" We spoke for over an hour about who Jesus was (and is). Jesus did indeed say he was the Son of God. He also stated he was the Son of Man. But his most "blasphemous" claims were that he WAS GOD, a concept that is difficult to grasp, but pivotal to the Christian faith. God gave me verse after verse after verse to reference to her. The conversation ended as friends...but in disagreement. We have remained friends and we eventually did have the discussion about her living situation. But I learned something very valuable that day: My REaction to visible circumstances can be scripturally-based...but that is radically different from having actions that are Holy Spirit-driven. If I had barreled forward to have the discussion about her living situation, I never would have had the opportunity to address the heart of her faith issue.

We play no small part

I've been reading this great book! Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life. Living in your sweet spot. It is, to say the least, a very good book! I'm only partly through it, but so far I've gained so much from it. I thought I would just share a snipit of what God has been teaching me through this book, as well as some digging into the scripture he shares in it. Something I've been struggling with is finding a job, something I feel called to do in which God would be able to use me. Well, He will use me most when I am doing my best with what He has gifted me in. Still, I'm searching for it, but I know that He has gifted me with abilities and passions that He desires for me to use, as does He for you as well. Lucado says "You play no small part, because there is no small part to be played"...if I find something that seems like a not so great job, but I am using the gifts God has given me and I'm allowing Him to use me and work in me, then it doesn't matter what kind of job it is. No one else can do exactly what God purposes me for. We are each made so uniquely and creatively that no one else can fill our role. He continues to say "If you aren't you, we don't get you. The world misses out." And, I think each one of us is so worth knowing! The Message version of Galations 6:4-5 says "Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life."

And the other thing that I'm learning with that, is that more is not always better! In my last job, the opportunity for more money became appealing, but all the details that went with that promotion meant I wasn't using my gifts anymore; my talents and passions about the job were being replaced with other responsibilities which did not make me a lovely, or loving, person. When God presented a way out, I took it - less money and all! Then down the road, God provided a new opportunity for Joe, which was right up his ally; such an awesome fit for Joe's talents and giftings - less money and all! God is good...ALL the time!! If we keep our eyes fixed on what's important (not money, not greed, not promotions that might lessen how effective we are for God), He will bless us, provide for us and protect us. I know that God will continue getting us through this tough season and I need to keep praying for His will to be accomplished in us. And with praying that, I need to be open to how He wants to do that...whatever job He sees as best for His giftings in me!

Joanna

Online Magazine - Christian Women Today

Here is a wonderful site of many Christian articles for women.

http://powertochange.com/experience/women/

"Consecrate Yourselves"

Yesterday the Lord directed me to Joshua 3. This is the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan. Verse 5 says, "Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Then here is what I had written in the margin several years ago, and it really spoke to me again yesterday.

"Be prepared. Heart tender and sensitive to God's leading. Keep building the relationship with the Lord so you know His voice when He leads."

We don't always understand what is going on in our life. Neither do we know what tomorrow will bring. But in the meantime, what we can do is consecrate ourselves. Set yourself aside for the sole purpose of obedience to His holy leading by being with Him in complete surrender.

Jerolyn