Sit by me, friend! I found some hope to share today!
I was startled when I saw it.
It was a mundane circumstance for those without eyes to appreciate it.
But my heart quickened many beats. God seemed to be whispering in the ordinary, calling me to see something more profound than this mundane object. Would I have ears to hear? Did I have time to listen? Was I too busy to notice?
With desperation, I can ALMOST (!) hear you, then, asking me, “What is this one unknown truth that makes my plant (I.e., life!) flourish?”
Great question! I’m glad you asked (me!)!
It’s the following truth:
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
God has terrible math skills!
And so, in today’s article, we will:
Prove that God (sometimes!) has terrible math skills.
Explain how God’s bad math skills will help you to soar in your life!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Part 1
“How can I have the MOST productive, important life?” I asked God over and over.
Not that I am neurotic or anything, but I obviously asked this only so I could best help others thrive!
Well, that part came a bit later (it’s still coming a bit), but the point is that we ALL want to be IMPORTANT and AMAZING, if we push past the clutter of our words that we try to make ourselves believe when people are listening to us.
When I had my first child, I was almost immediately asked by a helpful (?) family member what everyone else was thinking: “Can you earn more money if you get someone else to take care for your baby, versus if you do it?” (I.e., He was basically asking me something like, “Do you have more earning potential than an unskilled nine-year old?”) Yes!
I did!
“Then you’ll put your kid in daycare,” his brain automatically assumed. He was talking without thinking. Makes sense!
The math adds up!
But then it seemed God was asking me to care for and then homeschool our two1 kids for twenty years.
Dr. Robertson McQuilkin, a prominent author, educator, and former president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary, famously resigned from his prestigious position in 1990 to become the full-time caregiver for his wife, Muriel, who was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
And so, how do God’s bad math skills help you to soar in your life?
For one, you can write online (if God is calling you to do this2). And then, you can write online with confidence! And if only ONE person (your mom?) reads your stuff, then you can still trust that your life is amazing!
I can trust that my small life, in the palm of His hand, is stewarded well as I do my best, falling as I go, to walk along the path He chooses for me because God carries the responsibility for what exactly a life well lived consists of!
So you can relax and follow God, and not care so much about what everyone else thinks of you or about boring stuff like whether your life is a good use of time, as valued by something as dumb as math skills! And that is freeing (once you can become socially adjusted enough not to care what others think of you, which took me twenty years3). But the IDEA is freeing once I can finally trust that my life has value as I trust Him to lead me!
And one day, I sensed in the depths of my heart God comforting me by whispering something along the lines of:
2 If you are a Christian who believes EXACTLY the same stuff as me, then You should be writing online, too! At least that’s what I think: We need more people to spout off and to say things just like I would, and to be exactly like me, is basically what I believe, though I would say that in a more nuanced way, if I were ever to mention that above a whisper.
4 Would I believe Him? Well, that’s for next time. But know that I did (!) start writing online! And then, my Mom even read what I wrote once! And now, even YOU read it! (More on why or if that matters another time.)
Shhh. . . Can you hear your heart speak what can’t be said, friend?
I have some permanent lines on my face as I’ve gotten (a bit!) older. I like the horizontal “smile lines” on the edges of my face. I also have vertical lines between my eyebrows.
I got those because I have been confused most of my life.
It’s NOT that I ever get angry! I’m mad that you think that! Anyway, the article below shows one of the ways I felt (a bit!) confused at times.
And oh!
This article is one of the crowd favorites, so I’m sure there MUST BE some wisdom in the confusion! May you gain more insight as you read, even if you feel a bit more confused at first, too! I hope this helps you!
As mentioned last time, I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out.1
Please “enjoy” reading about and laughing (at THEM, not ME!) in this previously published article.
You weren’t paying enough attention last time anyway, so you might as well reread it!
My family, it seems, is seeking some sort of revenge because of the embarrassing things I wrote about them and posted on the internet this week. But I don’t think that kind of attitude is a very Christian response! We are supposed to forgive those who wrong us! Wait – Let me find the right Bible passage to support my cause.
Which kind of animal do you most look up to, friend?
When my dog ran to greet me as I arrived home, I questioned him with exasperation, “Aren’t you ever going to lay an egg or DO something useful?”
The next day, my alarm blared earlier than my preference. I was up, busy (Of course!). My dog lay curled up in his comfy bed, his little eyes still closed.
“Wake up, Wake up!” I yelled at him.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
“How are you going to get all the things on your list done today, if you’re lying there, asleep for such a long time?” I asked my dog. And then I remembered that “Lie down and sleep for a while” WAS one of the items on my dog’s to-do list. And so, these thoughts got me perseverating on the fact that ALL of my pets (a dog AND a bunny) are completely useless!
Why did we have all the useless animals?
My friends have goats, chickens, and things that actually DO something!
And then, the next day, as we were driving home, our dog climbed onto my daughter’s lap as we drove silently. My daughter and I were pondering the discouraging news we just received. Our dog seemed to lick her a little more often.
I don’t know why.
Maybe because she was a little more ready to receive his love that day? She realized she needed an extra hug. She brought him with her to her seat, after all, instead of leaving him in the backseat, where he often sits, waiting for someone to notice him so he can love them.
And as we drove home that day, I remembered that loving others IS actually the most productive thing we can do in a day.
And so, perhaps, maybe my pets aren’t COMPLETELY useless.
These thoughts unintentionally reminded me of that season in our church when we got a LOT of things right. But I forgot to love people QUITE as well as I had in past seasons, I realized later.1 I may have taken them for granted a bit, remembering they would always be there in the backseat, ready to love me when I needed it (They were).
Our dog is the one who (irritatingly) seems to remember the most important things.
I, however, unfortunately, seem incapable of learning this lesson, but my interactions with my dog this week were ANOTHER STOP sign, it seemed, that God was placing in front of me, hoping I would notice.
Could it be that Holy Spirit is sitting right there next to my mini-goldendoodle, or your dog or cat or bunny or other useless animal you notice out your window, willing to offer a crumb of His love to any of us who notice him?
While I was trying harder and doing more, there was a yawning emptiness under it all that no amount of activity, Christian or otherwise, could fill.
So that’s why I’m going to try to be more like my dog (or my bunny) a little more often this week and a little less frequently, a reflection of my friend’s (helpful!) goat.
How about you?
Oh! And by the way, doggy love changes the world and culture, too! Proven HERE in the news this week.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
As the song below plays, consider asking God – What is the ONE most important priority to focus on this week? What is one small step you can take to remember this priority item? (And may you give and receive a little more love from your furry friends – or even God! – this week, friend.)
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits – My AWESOME Dog by ME, Need Some Love? by Helena Lopes on Unsplash, and Did You Stop For The MOST Important Things? by Juli Kosolapova on Unsplash, My AWESOME Bunny by ME.
Sit by me and be encouraged to take this anti-seasickness medicine, friend!
As mentioned last time, I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out1.
And if you are still deep in the throes of homeschooling, friend, or are trying to get through another nearly impossible situation this winter, well, JUST GET THROUGH FEBRUARY.
I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out. What that involves is figuring out all the ways I messed her up, and then gently revisiting those topics to say things like, “Ha Ha! I was kidding! Of course!”
That type of process is what motivated our first daughter to begin her own healing journey, so I’m hoping the same method works again!
Come here and sit by ME to get your life transformed, friend!
Tony Robbins1 is larger than life, both in terms of stature (6’7” – 1.98 m) and influence.
I have considered myself larger than life as well. For example, that time when I gained some weight! So, I point out, however humbly, that there are some slight similarities in the impact of my life, Tony Robbins’ life, and God!
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
The context of today’s article is that I was part of the energetic, jumping crowd that listened to some of Tony Robbins’ free Time-To-Rise teaching series on YouTube this week.
When Tony Robbins’ talk began this week, I thought he said there were two billion people at his online meeting. At that level, he would be helping almost as many people as Jesus in that moment! However, I got order of magnitude confused, and it was ONLY two million people that he was helping!
It’s easy to mix up how many zeros there are after a number when we consider how many people we have helped!
As for me, I don’t have quite as many zeros after my two people that I have helped,2 but, as Tony Robbins helpfully points out, it’s not the order of magnitude that matters so much as how much value you provide!
Jesus feeds every person on the planet every moment, if our eyes are open enough to see. For example, check out this YouTube channel. He is helping lots of people!
And there are tons of other people with boring4 lives like mine that Jesus also helped!
For now, we have firmly established that Tony Robbins and Jesus5 help people! A future article will compare the details of how Tony Robbins helps people (He helps a lot of people!) and how God helps people (God also helps a lot of people!). We hope that, after delving into this theme in more detail, you, too, can find someone (awesome) to help you transform your life!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
2 For example, I helped two people in my church a few years ago! Once, I helped a child in our church find her toy after I gave her toy to my daughter because I liked my daughter more! I also helped one other person way before that, but I can’t remember the details now.
3 It should be noted, just as an aside, that I feed my family almost every night, which is also impressive because I’ve cooked even when I didn’t want to!
4 And by boring, I mean exciting because I write online, so of course I have a fascinating life under the boring bits!
In the last article, we discussed the hints of a spiritual revival breaking out, especially among youth. Here’s another example of a quiet revival that occurred among some youth several years ago. And when I say ‘quiet revival,’ it wasn’t so quiet.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
A few Christian youths who lingered after church to pray made international news headlines.
Many of us have experienced something similar to what happened at these events.
For example, several years ago, I was sitting beside a lake one morning, minding my own business, when God’s spirit ushered into my life and gently woke me.
What happened at Asbury reminded me of this experience. A bunch of regular kids attended a church service. It was an uneventful day.
But God‘s spirit rushed in and grabbed them, gently shaking them with a deeper awareness of His love.
The kids stayed and worshiped.
We know someone who attended that event. This person said that the sense of God‘s love was palpable as soon as you entered the building. Many others felt it too. In the sermon that Zach Meerkreebs preached just before this outbreak, he said, “Make sure you experience God‘s love. Don’t graduate until you have experienced God‘s love. Don’t leave this building until you have experienced God’s love.”
How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding – this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!
And, coincidentally perhaps, I was asked this question this morning: How would this (day, month, or) year look different if you really understood that you are deeply loved? A good question. (Who wouldn’t fly around the world to experience a bit more of the felt presence of God’s love?)
But we can also experience this type of powerful felt presence of God’s love in our own homes.
The time when God touched me, powerfully, precisely as happened in Asbury, I also experienced a deeper understanding of God’s love just before it. I had listened to a sermon by Rolland Baker. He said that many of us are seeking outpouring, seeking even what happened in places like Asbury, but what we need to seek is simply God.
And so this touch of God at Asbury that shook the world, that is waking us up to say,there is more, is possible within each of our hearts and in our homes and in our churches in every moment.
Restoring Life 