Tag: motivation

Praising Him Despite Hardship

This past week during my Bible study time I was reading in the book of Job chapter 1, where right off the bat Job is overwhelmed with many personal hardships.

Here’s the backstory…satan was certain that the only reason Job had been faithful to the Lord over the years was because God had blessed him abundantly. He thought surely if Job faced adversity he would cave and lose faith. So God gave satan what he wanted— permission to test Job in hopes that he would curse God. (See Job chapter 1)

Very quickly, Job is stripped of his oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants, camels and finally the house where his children were gathered collapsed, killing all of his sons and daughters. The only thing left for Job was his wife, which is interesting, right!? (We read further on in chapter 2 of her foolishness so perhaps she was spared as an additional part of Job’s brutal testing and suffering.)

It’s Job’s response to his affliction in verses 20-21 of chapter 1 that really grabs my focus though:

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother‘s womb, and naked, I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Affliction was heavily upon Job, it was devastating to him, yet words of praise to the Lord fell from his lips.

That idea strikes a chord and causes me to ask, how often does my reaction echo Job’s, to praise the Lord when hardship comes?

I regretfully admit that is not the second-nature posture of my heart. Instead sorrow and a woe-is-me attitude often lead my thoughts and words. I may get to an attitude of praise, but it’s usually after taking a very long detour of frustration and sometimes even harshly blaming God for my current state.

In this life, we are not promised ease. The Lord never says everything is going to be peaches and cream. In fact in John 16:33b we learn quite the opposite to be true, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Our saving hope stands strong because of the work Jesus has lovingly done on our behalf. He has already overcome any battle we have faced or will face, and He is ultimately the reason we can give praise.

In the heat of the moment it can be difficult, at best, to remember that truth. The hardships in life, the mistakes, the ugly, the negative, the unfair trials—those are all a part of sin. If we look back to the garden of Eden, we find sin’s beginning (see Genesis 3). And also that God had nothing to do with man’s choice to sin. He is not in sin nor is He to blame for it.

God planned on a world of peace, joy and perfection but it was man who chose the opposite. Therefore we are incredibly in the wrong any time we choose to blame or curse God for the difficulties in this life, instead those are the unfortunate repercussions and necessary consequences of sin which could’ve been avoided had man put God first. I’ll say it again, tragedy and sin’s consequences come to both believers and unbelievers (alike) as part of our fallen world, even if we didn’t do anything wrong.

Thankfully the Lord didn’t leave us stranded as a result, rather He sent His son, Jesus, as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, by His death and resurrection power. When we choose to seek forgiveness, trust in His love, mercy and grace, and believe that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will, we are met with the hope and salvation of eternity with Him—in Heaven where sin can not and will not reside.

Job set a fine example by looking to God regardless of his losses, and guess who then lost that fight? None other than satan. Though he was sure Job would curse God through the trials, Job remained faithful and committed to the Lord instead. Yes Job felt confusion and wrestled with patience and questions. He never did get an answer as to why he was going through the fire, but he ended up experiencing refining and restoration by the end of the book because of his overall loyalty to God.

Job 42:12a says, “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.”

Sometimes in life we don’t get the answers to our problems, nor the understanding to our suffering. Sometimes we don’t even receive restoration this side of Heaven. BUT what we can learn from Job’s story is that it’s better to know God, to be in relationship beside Him, to trust Him, and to communicate well with Him despite whatever our circumstances might be. As our creator, God longs to strengthen and comfort our heart no matter the condition..might we offer our praises and concerns with gratefulness to the One who loves and cares mightily for us…just as Job did.

Sweet weekend blessings, dear friend.

Lessons From Slap-Happy Lemurs

I’m reposting from a post I wrote in March of 2019, some how it was deleted from WordPress (probably operator error) but I was able to retrieve it from my email archives, so here it is and next week I’ll repost another post which was also deleted.

While sitting around the dining room table the other night, my kids reminded me of a funny memory… “Mom, remember those crazy lemurs we saw at the zoo in Kansas?”

“Oh great grief, yes!!” I replied with a smile and immediately my thoughts blissfully trailed to reminiscing…

My three kids and I had traveled to Kansas several years ago to spend time with one of my best friends and her family for a few days. While we were visiting we all loaded up and headed to a fabulous petting zoo in Wichita.

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We fed large stalks of celery to mama giraffes and their babies, hung out in exotic outdoor bird cages, observed rhinos with rambunctious attitudes, and knelt down beside cuddly kangaroos to stroke their tummies and backs.

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When we finally arrived at the gate of the lemur exhibit we listened with anticipation as the zoo keeper dished-out strict instructions before she allowed us to enter. Visitors were warned to not pet the lemurs while in their living quarters or they would see this as a competitive game; instead we were to sit in a designated area with our hands placed on our legs. The lemurs would take interest and eventually climb onto our laps but whatever their behavior, we must NOT pet them! If we raised our hands to touch them, they’d view it as an invitation for play-time…aggressive play-time…which involves, but isn’t limited to, slapping the human species on the face…

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The kids smiled and giggled as these fluffy animals, with monkey-like characteristics, bounced around them like Richard Simmons. In my opinion, it was the most entertaining part of the zoo for all of us!

The thought of getting slapped on the cheek by a lemur may sound funny. Out of reaction, I’d want to defend myself from the savage rascals, probably even fight back.

…Here’s the object lesson, which I need as much as anyone else: Most of us probably aren’t hanging out in a cage with frisky lemurs on a daily basis, nevertheless we’re still at risk of a slap to the cheek by someone’s harsh words, negative attitude, or ignorant behavior; and when feelings get hurt and emotions flair, then we begin to behave on impulse much-like a bunch of slap-happy lemurs, right?…fighting our way to claim the victory of what was most likely a petty disagreement to begin with anyway.

When we turn the pages of scripture to Luke 6:29 we see what Jesus has to say about a slap on the cheek, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also.” There’s no real deep theology to Jesus’ words here. His expectations are pretty cut and dry. Jesus simply wants us to avoid revenge. When someone wrongs us, we often want to fight back—fist raised, teeth showing, Mike Tyson style…But Jesus says no, don’t go into defense mode, instead turn the other cheek.

He surely wasn’t offering us this advice just in dealing with the lemur family— however the concept is very similar to my visit at the zoo. The zoo keeper had forwarned us to remain calm toward any aggression from the cute, but deceitful, furry animals. I feel like Jesus’ message resembles the same instruction in dealing with one another’s differences.

Jesus goes on to say, “If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who ask; and when things are taken from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Verses 29b-36)

I don’t know where you fit into those verses, but I look at that and realize I could definitely use a lot of work in the areas of living graciously and compassionately, with or without lemurs provoking me!!

These verses require generous action—driven by love-motivated faith.

Serving and loving others starts with prayer and seeking opportunities to step out in generosity, and then more prayer. It becomes a mission of awareness and sacrifice…a desirable pattern, with prayer as the fuel, and there shouldn’t be an end.

Steps for loving and serving others:

  1. Pray for patience and guidance
  2. Seek opportunities/places to love and serve others
  3. More prayer as you follow God’s will
  4. Take action: step-out in generosity and faith
  5. Praise and more prayer for new ideas
  6. Repeat…

If it stops, it’s because we’ve lost our focus and converted from Jesus-focused to self-focused. But we don’t have to remain, we just jump back in, beginning with prayer and cycling through until it becomes healthy second-nature to love and serve others, never taking the idea for granted.

And when we feel like we’re lacking self-control (in dealing with difficult people) we can always mentally hang out in the lemur habitat—quietly, hands on laps—while the ornery critters climb all around and on us like a jungle gym, meanwhile our patience will have a chance to grow and endure…our humble approach is where love gracefully and abundantly leaps it’s way into hearts.

It’s Time for Quotes by the One and Only, Brother Jeff…

I’ve written before about my younger brother, Jeffrey, who happens to have short-term memory loss, along with a few other little quirks. He is one-of-a-kind and keeps me and our entire crew in suspense of what he might say next…hilarious, obnoxious, or embarrassing.

Every once in a while I like to share Jeff’s most recent comments, an idea I picked up from Patty, at He Said What blog, who also shares humorous stories and quotes from her special needs son.

Bible YouVersion app

So without further ado here are some most-memorable as of late… (Jeff’s words bolded)

Upon me trying to get Jeff to laugh, which I can almost always do… “Alicia, what is your attitude fit problem with me?”

Or his other version goes like this, all while laughing almost uncontrollably: “Alicia, what is your attitude fitness with me?”

And sometimes when I call him “Kid” (because after all he’s my little kid-brother) I get this as a response: “Alicia, I’m not a kid, I’m a man of an adult cause I have a beard!”

When he’s cracking up and I ask, “you good bro?” … “I’m having a laugh attitude fit!”…simultaneously, hardly being able to catch his breath in-between roaring chuckles.

Jeffrey loves to read books (usually encyclopedia types or almost anything nonfiction) and last month I was giving him and my mom a hard time telling him he should read his books out loud…to our mom… “No, Alicia, I like reading inside my throat…I like reading inside my mouth.”

When I mentioned it again, a different time, he replied, “I like reading inside me, inside my voice.”

Recently, he must’ve been worried about talking too much, so he told me this story… “I made a reminder note that I used to be called, Motormouth, and I don’t want to be called that and talking so much, so I’m gonna start being quiet.” …Immediately, after telling me this, he belts out into a loud, little sing-song, “What a Beautiful Morning.” …a Jeff original of course…Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure singing still counts as talking, right?

When our grandma was sick, in the hospital, Jeffrey needed to use the restroom, I patiently waited outside the door for him. The toilet boisterously flushes, and Jeffrey starts absolutely obnoxiously laughing and then talking to himself through endless laughter he manages to spout out regarding the toilet’s flush, “WOW!! That is a loud one, I’ve never heard one that loud before. That is loud!!!” …his laughter thundered on long after the toilet’s flushing blast came to rest. I feel sorry for anyone else who might have been in there if this was a multi-person bathroom…

A few weeks after the New Year holiday, our family spent a lot of time at the nursing home with my grandma being on hospice. Jeff sat in the waiting area in the hallway off and on, and the rest of us (in my grandma’s room) could hear every word he spoke to the nursing staff. He kept chipperly telling everyone, “Happy New Year” as they walked passed him in the hallway and many of them got to hear the greeting multiple times. (Thank you short term memory loss.) We laughed as we’d hear the same person’s voice politely reply back for the umpteenth time with another, “Happy New Year.” And then the next nurse would come along, and same thing. On and on.

Jeffrey—when he noticed my grandma’s oxygen machine: “Hey what is that air conditioner on her?”

My sweet grandma, literally on her deathbed and here’s Jeffrey: “Hey grandma I have a bank account, pretty cool right?!”

Me thinking…umm I’m banking on the fact that she doesn’t give a dime about it at this point.

When I reminded him to, “please keep your hands to yourself.” He shot back with, “Okay, I don’t want to be spreading the coronavirus, you bonehead.”

And then later, to the nurse: “I got you, babe.”🤦🏼‍♀️

While reading one of his books, he came to a spot that showed, 2-4, and he asked us, “Hey, do I say a slash when I read that?”

“Alicia, call me Chatterbox…it’s better than Motormouth.”

When wanting to show his youngest niece (a year old) one of his hundred-plus puzzles he’s pieced together he pipes up: “It’ll take a few ages for Kinsley to have fun seeing the puzzles I made.”

That’s it for now, hope some or all of these brought a smile or a “laugh attitude fit” to your day!! Until next time…sweet blessings!!

My 2024 Focus Words

In years past God has laid a word on my heart to focus on throughout the new year.

This year I felt Him strongly pointing me to two words:

TRUST and JOY.

Knowing that as I work on surrending ALL things to Him it will build my TRUST in Him and therefore lead to a heart of JOY (among other good things).

It’s been neat to see, already in the handful of days in 2024, how many times I’ve noticed these two words here and there — on plaques, in devotions, throughout my Bible reading…and then being able to reflect on them in that moment and thereafter is a sweet blessing.

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If you don’t already have a focus word (or two) in this new year I encourage you to be still and listen to what God may be laying on your heart! If you do have a word, I’d love for you to share in the comments!!

Have a blessed 2024 through His will over your life!!

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James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Healing the Broken Pieces

Well this time of the year marks another birthday celebration for our family, our son (Warren) turns 14 today!!!

This kid keeps us on our toes, he’s sassy but witty, goofy but cool, impatient but thoughtful. We have been absolutely blessed by 14 years of this character!!

Happy Birthday Bud!!

I want to share a unique story with you all today…last year, at the same time of year, Warren found himself wearing a sling on his left arm after a wrestling incident landed him with a broken collarbone, quite literally. Needless to say he decided wrestling wasn’t for him, that happened on the third day of the season and he was a complete newbie to the sport.

Fast-forward to present time and he’s in a sling once again. This time it’s the other arm, his dominant side. Recess (or rec-time because they’re older now and recess is something for kids, not teens, I’ve been informed) consist of lots of soccer play. It happens to be Warren’s all-time, favorite sport, and he’s pretty gifted at it but last week, somehow or another, while they were playing, a kid accidentally slammed into the back of his right shoulder…Warren ended up with another broken collarbone in the same exact spot, only on the opposite side.

Crazy, right?! Side-note: We met with a specialist last week who assured us all is good and not to worry about a bone disorder, etc.

Anyway I share this story because you can absolutely bet that ten more weeks from now Warren will no doubt go right back to soccer practice; in fact he should be healed up right in time to start YMCA soccer—which he looks forward to every year, all year!!

I’m reminded, through this experience, that in the Christian faith we sometimes have seasons of brokenness. Challenges in relationships, prayers not met in the way we hoped for, an embarrassing moment, loss of loved ones.

We can turn bitter or turn to God in these times. Bitterness will lead to harsher memories as we reflect back later on—turning to God will glorify Him in the moment and bring a message from a mess. Healing is a process but always happens more effectively when we allow the Great Physician to intervene on our behalf. Yes, a mark or scar will remain, but we get to choose the story it points to.

For Warren, he’ll go straight back to the very sport that caused the injury once he’s been cleared. It won’t even be questionable.

For us (as Christians) there has been and always will be times of getting burnt or broke, so to speak. We get to choose, however, how we’ll mend.

There’s no need for us to give up, back down, or not return to a heart of joy because Jesus fixes us to His purpose if we let Him—right in the current moment. In Him we find motivation, perseverance, and the strength to bounce back.

The beauty from brokenness happens when we brace ourselves with Christ’ care and healing power—and allow His light to shine through the cracks. Because of His faithfulness we can face the obstacles of our today or tomorrow knowing that He’ll provide, regardless of circumstances.

What a story to be told when Jesus is our remedy in overcoming.

Psalm 147:3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

A Second Chance, Not To Be Taken For Granted

For years now I’ve been quite a fan of thrift-store shopping. I’d probably even go as far as to say, ‘it’s become a hobby of mine’. And if I can get into an antique shop that’s equally as satisfying to me…Garage sales—well they rank right up there too.

Recently I was thinking about this and asked myself, “What is it about thrift-store shopping that I like so much?” The answer that followed probably has more to do with emotional means than anything materialistic. Sure it’s rewarding to snag up an item that I’ve been in search for, and it’s even better when it’s condition is like-new…but the greater treasure is when I consider that someone once owned “said piece” and it no longer held value to them so out it went until a new owner came along, seeing purpose and worth—offering a second chance.

Can you see how this is somewhat similar to Jesus’ affection for us? Lets look at a few verses from Ephesians chapter 2. We were once dead in our transgressions and sins (1)…Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (3b-5)

Notice the parallel in the second chance we’ve been offered, as God called us from an old life of sin and into a new one filled with unconditional love.

Another chance. I love that. That’s what Jesus does for us when we turn to Him.

But once we accept that offer of salvation—a new life secure through God, we might be moving in faith with great strength in Him until a road bump pops-up and throws us completely off course. Independence might ensue for a time, but Jesus remains nevertheless. He patiently sets up road blocks in hope that we’ll recognize our need to turn back around. Back into His control. Back to His second chance, or third or fourth chance, and so on.

Bible YouVersion app

The thing is, when it comes to stuff, I’m not a collector. Purging is very much a thing in my house. Often times the very item I once, happily picked up from a thrift-store ends up right back on those sale shelves in search of yet another owner, another chance.

Comparatively, like we don’t know the number of times a piece may have made it through the doors of a second-hand store, God’s record of wrongs against us isn’t kept either. He is full of second chances. This isn’t a pass to take His chances for granted, but rather that we might understand and appreciate His boundless mercy and grace, despite our inadequacy to be perfect.

The more familiar in our relationship and the closer we daily walk with Him, the less our faith beckons for those second and so-forth chances, which is really where we should want to be.

To bring it full-circle, just like an item in a second-hand store is just trying to find its forever home, as Christians ours is safe in Jesus and this is a treasure that, once found, is always worthy of keeping. After all, we were always His to begin with…

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!

Follow-up For Last Week’s Post—Running With The Prize Already In Hand

Last week I shared about a high school young man running cross country who helped another boy that was struggling at the end of their race. Today, since it’s made the paper and Nebraska’s news channel, I want to share a few photos and links (a write-up from our local gazette and a video interview on NTV) if you’re interested in checking them out!

https://nebraska.tv/sports/high-school/mccook-runner-comes-to-the-aid-of-competitor

I’m keeping this post super short this week and sending you sweet weekend blessings! Enjoy!!

https://www.mccookgazette.com/story/3010140.html

Photo credit to Prep Running Nerd

Running With The Prize Already In Hand

This is the second year my son has been running cross country in school. Last year he was a true rookie, usually crossing the finish line about middle of the pack or so. This year, as an eighth grader, I’m not sure where the kick has come from, but his technique and endurance has increased dramatically. Second place the first couple of meets, 4th out of 72 a few days ago, and last night 2nd out of 58. And I don’t write this to brag by any means, but it’s been a sweet mom-experience, plus it seems appropriate to let those reading get a better idea of his improvement.

My boy, Warren

Side-note: If you’ve ever gone to a cross country meet you might know there can be quite a workout, even for the fans, as you follow the runners along at different points of the course. I try to watch and encourage at the starting line, and then meet up with them towards the middle of the run, and of course I love to see and cheer them on as they cross the finish line, no matter what place they come through.

I want to highlight on last night’s cross country meet though (not over my son’s performance) but over two older boys running in the high school race…I was standing near the finish line and a boy who was holding maybe 7th or 8th place fell to his knees and as he tried to come to his feet again he dropped another time…each time he’d try to scramble to his feet, back down he’d go. It was incredibly tough to watch.

But oh my, if I could’ve paused the moment just to think to grab my camera by what happened next I would have…along came one of our very own McCook runners, a guy who sets the bar high by his leadership, he scooped that fellow runner to his feet while other runners swiftly passed the two of them by…but the boy just simply couldn’t grasp his footing—his body was absolutely done, so our Bison Brother battled to the finish line one stride at a time while he carried his exhausted competitor along at his side.

Friends, tears welled in my eyes—and even as I recall the story now, goosebumps rise on my arms. It was such a joy-filled experience to witness.

As a friend of mine noted of our McCook kid, “he traded a better placement for his heart.”

Y’all how often do we see things like that occur? If we’re honest not often enough. And really had that been me running (or let’s get real, probably walking) up on that scene I’m not sure my reaction would’ve been to help. I hate to say it but my mind and eyes might’ve been too focused on the finish line, clearly in view at this point of the race.

What a reality check…because in the Christian-faith, when times are more than challenging, there have been numerous days where my goal is set ONLY Heavenward—which isn’t always a bad thing, BUT being fixed so far ahead (and wanting to overlook the current obstacle) I risk missing the celebrations that are simultaneously happening and are meant for the here and now (regardless of poor circumstances).

Scripture tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

‘Not conforming to this world’ means we need to reject the world’s bad habits and pattern a life of renewal. In this verse ‘renewal’ means to transform the way a person thinks and lives, but it isn’t a one and done concept. It takes DAILY, routine intention keeping one’s self healthily accountable.

The end of the verse lets us know, ‘there will be testing,’ (we will need to deal with trials), BUT because we are directed to ‘renew our minds’ this creates a continual, key reminder—that we’re equipped to ‘discern God’s will’—not on our own—rather in His strength. And His will is always good and acceptable and perfect.

As we practice this mindset, our focus becomes less about ourselves, any potential obstacles, or even the finish line, and more so about putting Jesus and others first in the midst.

You see, last night at the cross country meet, I didn’t realize it until they called the high school boys up for awards, and they announced (in ascending order) our humble McCook runner in 15th place, along with acknowledging his good sportsmanship…but just ahead of him, in 14th place—the young man who he carried across the finish line.

Character such as that stands out in front of us and is remembered long after the sweat from a long, hard run is washed away and the jersey and shoes get tucked in the closet. A record time or a higher placement just can’t ever beat the value of running this race of life, with the prize already in hand…and in heart.

Thanks for reflecting over this alongside me, have a wonderful weekend!!

Growing Tulips in the Lows of Life…

This time of year I’m always intrigued by the tulips in my front flowerbed that pop up and open with seemingly little effort or notice to the cold. In Nebraska we have temperatures that dip below freezing in the evenings, sometimes until May. There’s a reason I typically don’t plant any flowers or garden goods until around Mother’s Day weekend and that’s why!!

…But those tulips, which showed up a few weeks ago, are hardy little showstoppers and never seem bothered by the cold. They’re a perennial flower (meaning they come back on their own each year) and always, without fail, they make an early entrance, almost with a wink and twinkle to their petals, as if to say, “welcome Spring.” And then just as quickly as they appear, the petals gently but persistently drop off one by one, leaving only their tall, green leaves to admire over the Summer months—just in time for the salvia and mums to continue their gradual growth journey which last until Autumn.

For myself there’s much to be learned from the tulip, in all of its charm and bravery.

I’m taught that beauty can blossom even in the coldest of times. When my feelings long to utter cries of despair I can rise up against them, drawing strength from the Lord…I don’t need to wait around for more comfortable circumstances or a more favorable environment, much like the tulip doesn’t wait around for the temperatures to warm up and the sun to shine without clouds blocking its view. The tulip plant, instead, obediently listens to God’s cue and at just the right time it burst through the chilled ground, forward and up. What a powerful way to display God’s work of art.

Photo credit: Christianfaithfellowship/Facebook page

Colossians 2:6-7 (see above) reminds us we have the opportunity and choice to grow—even in hard times. We don’t need to sulk or become dormant, regardless of how cold our world gets. Rather we can lean into God’s goodness, relying on His direction. We place our hope and trust within His flourishing garden of mercy and grace and experience growth.

Within my own personal, mental battle there have been many times where I’ve felt like simply wilting away. But the truth is, wilting doesn’t come that easily…a flower or plant must be overlooked and ignored for a period of time before the wilting process begins. And for us as God’s people that’s just not how God plans our days.

Despite our lowliest times, when we feel forgotten, He shows up and whispers to our heart—through the reminder of a comforting Bible verse, a call from a friend, a word of encouragement from a family member, the whimsical fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, the light shining through our windows at the dawn of a new day. He is in all the details, working it all for good and for His glory.

I was recently reminded how important it is to push forward and do the fun things even if my feelings were telling me otherwise. A few months ago I was at a time where all I wanted to do was say no to everyone and everything, but instead I made the choice to disregard the negative and to say yes. To say yes to a couple of 4-H pigs. Yes you read that right! Pigs are a first for us, a completely new experience on our little acreage but had I answered out of satan’s efforts I would’ve missed the blessing that has followed. And boy has it been entertaining, educational, and downright amazing.

Tiggs and Clove

Though I’m still in the ups and downs of anxiety and depression I’ve just said yes again…yes to another new adventure…yes to a trio of Nigerian Dwarf goats and I can already feel the anticipation of God’s favor growing as we prepare to bring them home next month.

Sometimes, when we know something is good, harmless, and right…the best thing we can do is say “yes”…even if our emotions long to urge us in the opposite direction.

Feelings (or emotions) aren’t always reliable, and when they’re negative we must counter them with truth and positivity. Every. Single. Time.

Just like it may not be in the most desirable interest of the tulip to push through the sometimes still freezing ground, it does so anyway at the will of God, and there is so much beauty wrapped up within its little colorful body as a result. If we want to be a people following in God’s steps may we be encouraged to do likewise.

Personalizing My Faith

If anyone gets to know me very well one of the first things they’d probably note is that I like things to be simple and make sense. And when something goes against that or I don’t understand, I’ll problem-solve to understand or fix it as best I can. (This is probably a good indicator of control-freak behavior.😅)

So let me explain what happened recently…

I was trying to simplify my phone—get rid of extra things I no longer needed on it. When I went into the phone settings and discovered (under my Apple ID) that there were several former phones of mine still listed from the past five or so years I decided I’d ‘simply’ delete them. To me it seemed reasonable to have only my current phone connected to my Apple ID. So off went two or three old phones and when I came to the listing that read IOS (and whatever else after it) I thought, “well I have no idea what this one is, don’t recognize the name, out it goes!!!”

Within seconds my current phone, as I held it in my hands, began progressively and ambitiously deleting. And there was not a thing I could do to stop it!!!!

My phone was almost instantly back to fresh, right out of the box, factory mode.

“Okay! Easy!” I thought to myself, “I’ll just reload it by inserting my Apple ID password and everything will flood back in.”

However, thinking I knew my password after three different tries, Apple locked me out! For security reasons! For two weeks!! Not even an Apple representative could override my issue even though I had backup verification methods.

I’d love to report that I dealt with this like a sweet, mature Christian gal—but far from it. I was so irritated, realizing I had none of my contacts, no email, or apps, no iCloud, and all 6,000 plus pics gone. Basically I had a working phone but with absolutely no personalized settings.

I did soon discover though that since I knew passwords to my email, WordPress and some other things I use, that I could still access them after bringing them up through Google. In the end it worked out fine but felt inconvenient and wasn’t my typical, simple style of doing things. First-world problems, I know.

I finally was offered to reset my Apple ID password on Wednesday (after the two weeks) and wasted no time in doing so and am happy to say all is back in working order on my phone.

I share this because I actually hadn’t realized how personalized my phone is until this happened. Over the years of having an iPhone I’ve been able to choose which apps to have or not have on my phone, which numbers to save with a name or not, and so on.

We’re ridiculously, nearly pathetically, spoiled when it comes to our phones. We personalize them in the way we best see fit. And most of us probably take this for granted until things go haywire.

I always try and pull a life lesson from my experiences—the good ones and the bad ones and here’s what I’ve reflected on through this particular one…

As a Christian, what I put into my faith journey is up to me. I can choose to draw closer to the Lord or on the flip side lazily trail behind. I decide if I’m going to read my Bible this day or let it sit on the table collecting dust. I pick if I’ll pray before a meal or let my “hanger” take over—with me plunging a fork into my meal before even considering a word of thanks. Reaching out to others with love and care, that’s also my own choice.

Just like I choose how I want to personalize my phone, every day I get to choose how I’m going to personalize my faith.

And if I’m honest sometimes I really stink at it. There are times when worry or fear overtake my thought patterns and prayer is far from my arsenal of choice. On numerous occasions, my impatience has resulted in un-concentrated Bible reading rather than soaking in the heartfelt words of Jesus. When I initially chatted with the Apple representative over my own phone foul-up, he experienced Raging Alicia rather than Compassionate Alicia.

These things mold my faith journey for better or worse. All of it matters and makes for how I’m choosing to personalize my faith.

Just like my phone went to factory reset settings so it will be when Jesus’ returns to call home those who have placed their faith in Him. For some, there will be a time when it’ll be too late to decide to follow Jesus. Personalizing our life with Him as Lord and Savior will have made an extraordinary difference. For the ones who haven’t chosen to place their faith in Him, their lives will be as useless as an old iPhone with no identity or personalization linked to Him.

I’m reminded of Jesus’ words regarding the servant in Matthew 25:21a, ‘well done, good and faithful servant!…’

As Christians we’re servants of God, and it’s absolutely our choice how we’ll personalize our faith. It doesn’t always look simple, the way I usually prefer, in fact it’s often times the opposite BUT through Jesus it will always make sense as we trust His leading.

Are we personalizing our faith and pressing into Jesus in a position where we’ll one day hear, ‘well done, good and faithful servant?!’