It's All About Willingness

Several months ago I began a series on the fruit of the spirit. I had to let some time pass because for one, I don't have the market cornered on patience. Remember; I am married and have three kids. I have friends, extended family, and neighbors. I have a past, a present, a future, and a dog. I drive on roads with other drivers also driving. That can be very frustrating!  I live in a place that is cold, even when everyone else says it's pleasant. There are many things about my life that don't go exactly as I want them to occur. Sometimes I take it well- in my own opinion. Other times I am a terrible pain as I "suffer" through whatever it is I am suffering.

I've taken these months to ponder what to write about patience. What about my life can be related to someone else? It's not that I'm all that different.

What can I do to practice patience?

Hold my tongue.
Bite my lip.
Take a proper deep breath.
Remember that patience shown to me so many times.
Just smile.
Remember the real fight I'm fighting.
Remember my purpose.
Remember what God has called me to do.
Remember that I am imperfect.
Remember that when we are under stress, we do things that don't make sense.
Remember that He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.
Think about how I would want to be treated in this situation.
Consider others as better than myself.

As I am typing this my children are fighting and yelling. Slamming doors. I have a pressure problem in my head. My hands were just trying to cool my brow. I didn't say a word. Whatever it was worked itself out. I remember being a very loud kid when it was convenient for me. This may be one of those moments my mom was talking about when she said, "I hope you have kids just like you." or something of that nature. The truth is, I do have kids just like me.

There are times when realizing in the moment that Owen, Alex, or Emma are just like me brings great joy. Then others come creeping in shortly after that bring a deep sense of sadness. This patience business is...well, it's really hard work. Oswald Chambers once wrote "all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult." In all honesty, the sadness creeps in because I recognize it's my sinful nature that they are reflecting back to me. I showed them how to be that way. Whatever that way is.

Praise the Lord, for the hope of renewal. Restoring relationships is what God does, so long as we let him. So, with that I bring in the fact that I choose, we all choose, if we will react or respond to any situation. Reacting is a natural chain of events, it occurs when we don't think first, but only feel. A response comes after we've examined the facts and determined what to do about it. Our emotions are not given to us as people made in the image of God to control us, and definitely not to control any other person. We are made with the gift of feelings so that we can learn to show compassion to hurting people just like you (or me.) It is not only possible, but imperative that we control our SELF. Sometimes we don't know this truth, but if you've just read this, then now you do!

My husband has said something that fits nicely, and that is, "People can have knowledge (you can tell them, and they can nod their head) but if they aren't WILLING, nothing will change." I guess what I need to do is be willing to put my will aside, and serve with His will. Because it's all about glorifying the Lord anyway.

I want to share the passage of Scripture I've been working on over the past couple weeks. It's a relevant topic to be sure. Here it is!

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge the rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. -Proverbs 24:3-4 (NLT)

Wrote Memorization

So, it's a new year. I like to begin sentences with so. That doesn't have anything to do with my latest post, though. I just wanted you to know. Consider it a "Getting to Know Me" factoid.

An acquaintance of mine sent a request in an e-mail asking if I would be interested in memorizing Scripture over the course of the year. I really didn't have to think about it. I just said yes.

This new part of the year is a time to set goals, make plans for reaching them, and network with those who will hold you accountable. I think that for the most part my problem has been not many of my friends and family hold me accountable to do what I say I'm going to do. Perhaps I should have asked. Bygones.

What I need is an accountability group; a few willing souls to help me commit to memory the life-giving Word of God. This is what that could look like in real life:

1. Read this blog, and make comments.
2. Call me. 
3. Text me. 
4. Write me a note of encouragement, say on Facebook, for the whole world to see.
5. Send me a bouquet of flowers to freshen my environment and give me hope. 
6. Tell me when you see me that I can do this. 
7. Memorize some verses too and share them with me so that I can help you as well. 
8. Watch the videos I make on YouTube. Then click "like"...share if you so choose.
9. You think of something. I'm getting tired. I will say I like chocolate.

So, my first memory verse is Psalm 65:11 from the New Living Translation. I did just a little bit of research, not as a scholar would, but I found a few interesting things. I'll tell you about those in a moment. First, I want to share the entire verse with you.

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

The words crown, bountiful, harvest, hard, and abundance are the ones for which I quickly sought definitions. Then I wrote it all down. Crown here is obviously a verb. So, I used the definition that fit, and that is this- to place such a prized emblem upon; to bless or adorn (found in my Bible's concordance). Strong's Exhaustive Concordance gives the Hebrew word atar, which means compass. God Almighty surrounds, as in to protect, our seasons whether that be physically or spiritually. To start, God surrounds us as protector, making our year bountiful. This is a freely given, and abundant generosity of God. It is for our benefit. It is good for us that He gives us a path to follow. That way we have boundaries- and a map. We can see where we've been, we are aware of where we are going and how to get there, and we know what will be out there for us as we are on our journey. On that pathway there are also clear signs of God's presence, provision, protection, and  pursuit of our perfection. The evidence drips onto the places we go because He is with us. If He is with us, the people we encounter will see it. They might not recognize it for what it is, but they will know it is something remarkable.

I make use of a variety of commentaries to better understand Scripture. For this verse, I was curious to know what the historical details are that shaped this in David's heart and mind. Though I was unable to find an occasion for the writing, it seems it could have been after a long drought, or simply the result of wanting to show thankfulness to God for his continued blessing. Barnes has this opinion to relay on the verse:

On the whole, the most probable meaning is that expressed in our common version, referring to the beauty and the abundant productions of the year as if they were a crown on its head...God goes, marching through the earth, fertility, beauty, abundance seems to distil or to fall gently along his path. God, in the advancing seasons, passes along through the earth, and rich abundance springs up wherever he goes.

I appreciate the idea that where God goes, there is blessing in abundance. I believe that is true in all times and in all places.

Does this verse speak to you for the coming year?