From Rachel's Heart...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Do you have precious moments in your daily life with people who you cherish? Since we have moved, I have found that I have been able to really enjoy many precious moments with the ones that I love. And, I cherish those moments and those special people so much and am so grateful that I have time to enjoy these moments.
I love the morning and spending time with my oldest daughter when she is the only one who has gotten up (she’s my early riser). She usually likes to sit on the couch with me until she completely wakes up and snuggle for a few minutes.
I love when my littlest lifts her arms to be held and just gives me the biggest hug around the neck. And if I can get her to sit still for a second (she’s two years old), I love when she just lays her head on my chest and listens to me sing to her.
I love sitting on the front porch and watching my son and husband play football. It seems like they can throw the football for hours and at this point in my life, I can sit there and watch them for hours too.
I especially love the moments right after the kids have gone to bed when my husband and I just sit and watch television together or sit on the couch with the television off and read together in the still of the night.
I love getting up before everyone wakes up and walking 3 miles with my best friend. I love this time each day before the world wakes up where we can talk about everything from cooking and weight loss to Jesus and Bible studies.
Are you enjoying the precious moments with the precious people in your life? Do you have time to even have these precious moments?
What I really want to share today is that these precious moments are so enjoyable and yet for many years, my life was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to fully enjoy them. And friends, I am fully enjoying them now and my life has never been sweeter. I pray that you have time to cherish the people in your life and the special moments that you spend with them.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
I am reading Sheila Walsh's book, Get Off Your Knees and Pray and I absolutely love it. I have written so many things down as I read each chapter. Her central thesis is the importance of prayer in our lives and how many people don't know how to pray, don't know if prayer matters, and simply don't make time to do it.
What I wanted to highlight today is something that she has said about living in a constant prayer mode. Early in the book, she stated the following: “We have to take that first step – and begin embracing prayer as part of our daily lives, as vital to us as breathing. I no longer divide my life into the spiritual part and everything else. I believe when we recognize God is always with us, every breath can be a prayer. Prayer is not just a few sentences we say to God while on our knees, but is living out our ongoing, every-moment commitment to God.”
I 100%, whole-heartedly agree with Sheila’s discussion of prayer in our life. I believe that we should certainly have dedicated quiet time that involves studying God’s Word and praying. But, I also believe that our prayer life should be a constant dialogue with God throughout our day. While we are in the car, in the grocery store, in the boardroom, and in the shower, we should be talking to God and letting Him speak to us.
It makes me think about Adam & Eve’s time with God in the Garden of Eden. When God created us, it was full of constant communication between God and His creation. Adam and Eve had the presence of God right there and they talked with Him freely throughout their day. How amazing that must have been. And how amazing it is to be able to still do that today.
We were created to be close to God and to be in constant communication with Him. Unfortunately, our hectic lives and other things keep us from talking with God. I challenge you to go back to the Garden of Eden and invest in a relationship with the Lord that involves constant dialogue throughout your day. Talk to Him as you are walking around your day and enjoy His company through the good and the bad.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wendy & I alternate writing the daily devotions for After the Miracle. And, it’s no secret that what we write about in our devotions usually reflects what we’re going through at the time or studying about or really being impacted by at that point in our lives.
One thing that has been on my mind lately and I have been reading about it in various books is the concept of love. As we’ve written about before, one topic that Wendy & I have studied and speak about is how to build and sustain good, healthy relationships with others. And the cornerstone of every good relationship is love.
Last week, I wrote a devotion on love and in it, I suggested that we all strive to love like God loves. And, this love is unconditional, undeserved, and unlimited. It is a love that exists when you are godly and strong as well as when you slip up, make mistakes, and fall down. God loves you all the time and He wants you to love Him all the time too. And, when we do love Him, we strive to slip up less, make fewer mistakes, and fall down fewer times. But, He doesn’t expect us to be perfect.
When we look at building relationships with others, we should all strive to love like this. When you take time to examine it, what we are searching for in our friendships is an earthly representation of God’s love. And, God’s love is unconditional and includes a complete knowledge and acceptance of our real selves coupled with a desire for us to fulfill our potential in Him. When you find that friend who loves you like this, as God loves you, then you have found a precious friend.
What this requires is that this friend have a relationship with the Lord. Loving like God loves requires that she knows God’s love, models God’s love, and believes in God’s direction for your life. And, in order to do these things, she must have a relationship with God. And in order for you to do this for someone else, then you must also have a relationship with God.
As you think about love today, I encourage you to go to the source and learn more about love from the One who loves most fully. Do you want to love others more fully? Then spend time with the Father today and learn about what true love is. And as you learn about love from Him and accept His love of you, then you will be able to more fully love those around you.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Today is a very special day for me. You see, today is the first day since I have moved that Wendy and I are getting together to work on our ministry. It is the first day of planning and studying and working on our ministry where we both live in the same town!
Last night, I was organizing some things that we are starting to work on and I was reflecting on the past year. Our dreams of a ministry together started in June of last year. She and I had taken a road trip in my convertible and we stopped at Potomac Mills in Northern Virginia to do some shopping. I remember that day so vividly. We laughed all day long about various things. We shared stories about our childhoods and young adulthoods. And, most importantly we sat over dinner and talked about how we felt like soul mates and sisters. We talked about everything we had gone through in the year and months before and how aweful much of what we had experienced was. But, we also talked about how much good God had done in our situations. And we sat there that day and pledged to do something together to share our stories so that somehow we could share the good that we found in our bad situations. We felt so strongly that the Lord had put us together to support each other in life and to support other women together.
That was over a year ago. And that began a long journey to where we sit today. You see, back then, the big hurdle was the fact that she was moving. That road trip in June was about 2 weeks before she moved away. And, I’ll be honest, I felt such heartache when she left. We knew we were supposed to start some sort of ministry together, we just didn’t know how it was going to be possible from two different cities.
I’ve shared the story before of how God opened so many doors to allow my family to move to Wendy’s small town. And as I sit here this morning waiting for her to come over, I am overwhelmed with emotion. We have waited for this day for a long time. A day that will be filled with praying for direction, planning our next steps, and just enjoying the gift of friendship and ministry that the Lord has given to us. My heart is very full today and my dreams are big. And so is my God.
Monday, July 19, 2010
When you think about ways that other people have encouraged you and supported you in your past, what sorts of things do you think of? When I think of the things that people have done for me over the years, I can recall different things. First, I think of cards and letters and emails that people have sent me over my lifetime. Some of them I have kept and as I’ve mentioned before, several of my most precious cards and letters are tucked inside the cover of my Bible. I also think of when we were pregnant with Isabella and how our friends watched our children and cooked meals for us when we really needed it. And then I think of the times where a friend has offered a spontaneous distraction in the form of a quick shopping trip, coffee shop visit, or long dinner when I needed it most.
Of all the different ways that others have supported me over the years, I think the one that sticks out most is when a friend prays for me and shares that prayer with me. There really is nothing more special than hearing the words that someone else is praying to God for you.
Wendy and I actually have a habit of sending each other the prayers that we are praying for one another. Oftentimes, we send them in an email or in a text message and they really are so special to receive. And, they are often very simple as we are presenting each other’s needs to Jesus and asking Him to comfort or meet the needs of our dear friend. It is very powerful and comforting to receive and it is another way that you can encourage someone in their daily life.
If you don’t pray daily for the loved ones in your life, then I encourage you to start doing so today. And, as you are praying for them, go ahead and share your prayers with your loved ones. Send them an email or a text with your prayer and show them how much you love them by praying for them. As I have experienced, it will encourage them greatly. I have been the recipient of many texted prayers and I cherish them each time I receive them.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I have become really interested in the different personalities of the Bible and how God has used each one to accomplish something for Him. We see Peter as impulsive and daring. We see John as loving and attentive. We see Thomas as cautious and thoughtful. And we see Paul as intelligent, well spoken, and fervent.
Last night, I spent some time studying the life of Paul. You see, I have become really interested in his life and ministry. And, with many of the stories in the Bible, I like to think about the emotions and thoughts that these individuals may have had as they were going through the experiences that we read about. In Acts, we read about Paul’s conversion from a ruthless persecutor of Christians to a fervent apostle. We don’t see much written about his emotions or thoughts as he went from Saul to Paul, but I like to think about it. What was that experience like for him? Did he have regrets? Was he ever embarrassed by his past? Did he ever wonder why the Lord chose him?
When I think about Paul or Peter or Moses or Joseph or David or anyone who made an impact for God, what I am struck by is how the Lord uses who they already are. For example, when we look at Peter, Jesus didn’t try to change Peter. He didn’t turn Peter’s personality into John’s personality. He just refined Peter and used his tenacity and his fervor to do amazing things.
If you are sitting there today wondering how God can use you, then don’t wonder anymore. God created you and he created your personality and skills. He can use those along with your unique experiences to impact others. Don’t try to be someone else. If you are a Peter, don’t try to be John. And, if you are John, then don’t try to be Peter. Just be who you are for Him.
Monday, July 5, 2010
I haven’t blogged in about a week because things have been really crazy with our move. We spent a few days in our new hometown and celebrated a good old fashion small town 4th of July and now we’re back in Maryland to tie up some loose ends up here.
Much like I wrote last time, my heart is so very full with everything that has transpired in the last couple of years. So much has happened and so much has changed and there are some days that I just want to “be.” I don’t want to think too hard, I don’t want to be too emotional, and I don’t want to really do anything but exist in the moment and experience what is going on around me.
One of the reasons that my husband and I really wanted to move is because we were finding that our life in Maryland was getting too hectic. We had very little free time and it felt like we were always running to something. We spent most of our time raising our 3 kids and working, with very little time for just the two of us. But last night that all changed…..
I think I have mentioned before that one of the things that amazed me about my new small town was the sky full of stars that welcomed me last summer. And last night, we saw it again. After we returned from watching fireworks, we put our three sleepy kids to bed and took a blanket outside and just laid down and gazed at the stars. I’m not sure exactly how long we were out there, but we just enjoyed the warm summer air and the spectacular view above us. We talked about our dreams for the future and mistakes we’ve made in the past and then just random stuff. And I realized that I finally had the time to just “be.” After five years in Baltimore where life was just getting away from us, we have found a new life where we can enjoy each other, our children, and the beauty of the world that God has created.
If you are finding your life to be a little too chaotic, then may I recommend that you think about ways to change it. You may not be able to make the radical change that we’ve made, but you can make some change. Don’t miss out on life and love because you are too busy working or accomplishing things. Ask God to show you the changes you need to make and then be open to them when He shows you what you need to do!
