True Colors

What do you see when you look at this picture?  It looks like pretty fall colors on the trees, doesn't it?  It appears that these pretty colors on the leaves are the true colors....the colors they are supposed to be in the fall, but they are not.  Yes, the trees might turn colors in the fall, but in our area they shouldn't have been turned when this photo was taken on October 1st.

This summer, during the worst drought and extreme high heat our area had seen in a very long time, we had a lot of wild fires.  Many of the fires rapidly spread over hundreds or even thousands of acres in some areas.  The fires damaged the trees, as did the drought.

Now here's another picture, just a little bit further down the road.  What do you see now?  Burned tree trunks, branches, and leaves.  This picture shows the destruction from the fire.  There are many scenes like this in our area and in the areas around us.  Those aren't the leaves' true colors, either.

My mom was an elementary school teacher until she retired several years ago.  One of the things I remember her telling me that she learned from teaching one of her science classes, was that a trees' true colors are what they turn to in the fall.  They bud in the spring and spend all of the months in between growing and growing.....then, in the fall, they turn to those true colors.

Hmmmmm.......I wonder......What are my true colors?  What are yours?

Our true colors are revealed when we go through 'fire'.  This 'fire' comes in many forms in our lives. When troubles come our way.  When things don't go our way.  When we're in a hurry.  When we're tired.  When we're alone.  When we're stressed.  We could go on and on.

Do we, like the trees in the first picture, look beautiful - even in the 'fire'?  Or, do we, like the trees in the second picture, look like the 'fire' is getting the best of us?

The photos I took was from a fire that was burning at the Quartz Mountain State Park in late July.  It was threatening Bible camps and homes, but the firemen came in and saved everything.  Thankfully, no structures were destroyed.  What a tremendous job those firemen had during that fire!

When 'fires' come into our lives, they can destroy us if we just try to fight the fires on our own.  But, there is One who will save us from the fires of life.  God is ready and able to put out those fires!  He will keep the fires from destroying us.  Will they damage us?  Perhaps they will....for a little while.  But God can restore us.  He can help us get through the pain.  He can heal us from the damage we receive in the fires. 

How we, as Christians, respond to the fires in life, shows the world our true colors.  When our true colors are revealed, we should look like Jesus Christ, Our Savior.  

When you pass through the waters, 

                                                  I will be with you; 

and when you pass through the rivers,    

they will not sweep over you. 

When you walk through the fire,    

you will not be burned;    

the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

Dare to Be Different

I love the stories of Daniel.  (Daniel 1:1-21) One of my very favorite stories is when Daniel and his friends dared to be different.  Instead of eating the king's fine, rich food, they would only eat the vegetables and drink water because that is what God wanted them to do.  What courage Daniel and his friends had before the king!

My two middle boys don't play football.  They tried it in elementary school, but so far, in junior high and early high school, neither of them have desired to play any more.  That may not seem like such a big deal, but in a small town, where football is "king", it really is a big deal.  Football Friday nights are a BIG deal in our community, and while we go to many of the home games and a few of our children go to some of the out of town games, it's not that big of deal to us.  We're supportive of it and the team (in fact we sponsor a few of the football boys), but , we're just not as into it as most everyone else in town seems to be.

Our oldest son Zachary, who is in high school, commented several weeks ago, that it's harder to not play football now that he's in high school.  Immediately my "momma radar" went off, thinking he meant people were making fun of him or teasing him about not playing, but he assured me that no one did.  What he meant was, that football is a  BIG DEAL in high school, and he recognizes even more that he's not a part of it.  He's okay with that because he's not going to change his mind. (Okay....."momma radar" went off!  All is good!)

Then a couple of weeks later, the younger junior high boy, Jacob, and I were talking.  Something was brought up about kids at school being picked on.  I asked him if people made fun of him for not playing football.  He answered: "No, they don't, and I don't know why.  It's the weirdest thing, because no one says anything to me about not playing, but then there are a few others that don't play and they make fun of them for not playing.  It makes me so mad!"  I talked to Jacob about standing up for those others.  He said he did.  He said that he even asked them why they were picking on others for not playing, but they don't him.  Of course, the "pickers" didn't have a reason.  Jacob was still aggravated about it telling me the story.  It's really not fair and doesn't make sense.  Sometimes children and adults are just mean and cruel!

Football isn't that big of deal.  My boys have chosen to be different and not play like most every other boy in school does, but they haven't had any trouble because of it.  Obviously, some others who have made the same choice haven't been as fortunate.  My boys' conviction of daring to be different and not playing football is admirable to me because I'm their mom.  Their dad feels the same way.  But still, it doesn't really matter in the scheme of life.

But, where I want my boys (all three of them and my daughter, as well) to be different and where it really does matter, is in spiritual matters.  What matters to God is if my children will dare to be different when it comes to drunkenness....when it comes to sexual immorality.....when it comes to respecting others.....when it comes for resisting sin and standing up for their morals in regards to the music they listen to, in the movies and TV shows they watch.  That's what really matters.

So far, all of our children have dared to be different in those areas and in others, and for that, we are proud of them for the choices and stands they have made.  It takes a lot of courage to be different.  Sometimes our children have been made fun of - by other teens and adults.  Sometimes they have stood alone.  Sometimes they've had a few friends standing with them.  But, I pray that they will always dare to be different as a child of God - no matter what. 

It's easy to be like everyone else.  It's easy for Christians to just blend right in with the world.  It's easier to not be different. 

So here's a challenge for you this week:  Dare to be DIFFERENT!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Get More Than a Sample

When we were expecting our second child, and the oldest was only about 20 months old, I sent my husband to get a new mattress for the baby bed.  We had moved the original baby bed mattress over to the little toddler bed for our daughter.

Much to my surprise, when my husband got home that day, he had a small, little mattress, about a third of the size of what the regular mattress should have been.  I asked what he had bought?  He said, "I bought what they had.  They were all this size."  Amazed, I asked more questions about "Why?"   "The worker, who happened to be extremely short in stature", he added, "is the one who pointed them out to me."  He had bought a small, little SAMPLE baby bed mattress instead of the regular sized one!  I couldn't believe it!  Yes, I was a little perturbed, but couldn't help but laugh at the situation at the same time!

A sample sized mattress didn't do us any good.  If it was put into the baby bed, it was obvious that 2/3 of a mattress was missing because the springs and coils were visible at the bottom of the bed.  It wouldn't work.  It wasn't enough.

Many people want just a sample of Christianity.  They believe in God.  They believe in Jesus, but that's as far as their faith will take them.  They are just getting a sample of what God has made available to them.  They are not getting all that comes from being a baptized believer.  They are not getting the fellowship that comes from being in unity with their Christian brothers and sisters of the church.  They are not getting involved in service to the Lord, in giving to the Lord, and the growing that comes along with it.  They are not maturing in their faith.  They are not bearing fruit. Their belief isn't to the extent that they are transforming to become more like Jesus.  And just like the sample baby bed mattress didn't work, neither will this.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 1:9-12

The next day after my husband bought the sample, he went to return it and replace it with a larger one.  My daughter, Mom and I happened to be going shopping that day, as well, so we went with him.  However, because Mom and I were laughing so hard about the small mattress, we stayed way back behind him as we followed him in.  We weren't sure what the customer service workers would say about the return!  Thankfully, it all worked out.  The sample mattress was returned and a regular mattress was purchased.  It's still one of our favorite memories that we laugh about.  Even my husband laughs.  (I hope he will as he reads this today, too!! Ha ha!)

If you are just getting a sample of Christianity, why don't you turn that around and get the whole thing?  God has offered so much to you.  He has a whole book of blessings and a plan in mind just for you.  Get the whole thing.  The sample just won't work.

ZEST!

ZEST!  Such a neat word!!  Kind of like SPARKLE that I wrote about here.  

Yesterday I needed some lemon zest for this cookie recipe I posted on my recipe blog (click HERE for recipe).  I was excited to get to use my favorite kitchen gadget - the MICROPLANE (shown above).  It's so fun and makes the "zesting" quick and easy. 

As I started getting the zest from the lemon yesterday, my husband commented on how strong the lemon was smelling.  I explained to him that the rind part was called zest and that a little bit of zest goes a long way in a recipe.  He agreed that from the smell, it wouldn't take much.  Later on, as the cookies baked, the thought of 'ZEST' kept coming back to my mind.

What does the word ZEST actually mean?  First, in regards to foods, it means flavor or interest; piquancy (which I also looked up and it means pleasantly pungent or tart in taste.  And the other definition, relating to a characteristic of a person is great enthusiasm and energy.

So ZEST means two different things, depending on whether it is referring to a food or to a person.  Just as zest adds tons of flavor to a recipe, zest adds tons of personality/character to a person.  Someone who has zest is someone who is excited and enthusiastic about a certain idea, thought, or mission.

As Christians, it is absolutely essential that we have ZEST - a zest for life, a zest for Christ, a zest for God, a zest for His church, a zest for our Christian walk, our service, and on and on.  We should be enthusiastic about our lives and have an energy about us that comes from the salvation we have because of what Jesus has done for us.  It should come from our commitment to God and our service to Him.  Sadly, instead of having a zestful attitude, we take the wrong approach and act as if we have nothing exciting to share.  

Maybe you recall a phrase I've mentioned before.  It has to do with lemons, so goes along with this ZEST post.  "Some people walk around looking like they were weaned on lemons!"  I'm sure I've had that look on my face before, too.  But we shouldn't.  None of us.  When we walk around with that look on our faces - all sour-faced and mopey - we look like we have no hope.  We act as if God isn't going to do what He says He will do.  Perhaps at that time we have forgotten what He has already done.  Something has to change if we're looking like we've been eating lemons or looking like we were weaned on them!

What can we do???  Here's a few thoughts:  

Let's get more ZEST in our lives! 

Let's be enthusiastic!  

Let's be energetic!  

Let's be excited about our salvation and share the Good News with others!

Yes - ZEST! Just what we needed!  Remember, even a little bit will go a long way!

(Note:  I thought a verse about 'zeal' would be great, because zeal means the same as zest!)  So....let's be zealous!

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:10-12

Just Like It's Supposed to Be

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:11-12

My husband came home for lunch today and I happened to be baking cookies in the kitchen.  I asked him, "How's your day today?".  He answered, "Just like it's supposed to be."  Because he's usually cracking a joke and because, unfortunately, many of his days are hectic and at times eventful, I thought he was just being sarcastic; however, he wasn't.  He just used a really good reply to my question that I immediately wrote down to use for today's blog post!

I love that answer:  "Just Like It's Supposed to Be."

What if, every day, we went through the day thinking that very thought....that everything was just like it was supposed to be.  What if, every day, we recognized that God is totally in control, that there is nothing to worry about?  What kind of day would we have?  What kind of attitude would we have?  What would our example to others show them about our Christian walk?

The reality of the phrase is just that - it's REAL.  It's TRUE.  It's a FACT. 

Each and every day - no matter what comes with it - good or bad, happiness or sorrow, sickness or health.....it is just like it's supposed to be.  That even when things don't make sense, God has a plan and He has a purpose for our lives.  Even when things get hectic and crazy or sad and worrisome, He is there.  He is in control.  We just have to believe that He is, and that He will continue to be by our side - no matter what, just as He said He would be. We just have to believe that everything is "Just like it's supposed to be."

On this Gratituesday, I am grateful that today was just like it was supposed to be.  Aren't you?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, LORD, is the kingdom;

you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;

you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power

to exalt and give strength to all.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12