Walking in mud.  I use this phrase when I feel like my warp-speed brain is not connecting with my lead-filled shoes.  The harder I try to get things done, the more interruptions I seem to encounter.  Lately, I seem to be walking in mud a lot.  There is so much to get done in such little time, and life’s mud is just sticking to my feet and pulling me down.  I can hear the slurp of mud as I try to move forward in the running and gunning of work and mom life.  Before I know it, I’m stuck in a mud puddle of my own making and can’t seem to find my way out.  Ugh! 

^40 “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary.’”

Luke 10:40-41 (ESV)

I can easily picture myself as Martha.  “But Lord, I’ve got so much to do.  How can I focus on just that one thing?”  Have you stopped to consider the one thing that really matters?  In the midst of chaos have we just stopped, with our muddy feet, and taken time to think about how that one thing changed our lives? That one thing being the cross.  The cross that Jesus hung upon for us.  We complain about our busy lives, and He waits for us to stop, slow down, and look.  Look at what he has done for us.  That one thing.  We can’t avoid walking in the mud or getting mired down in it, but we can remember that in the midst of it that one thing is the only thing that really matters.   

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

A year ago I was repeating the following verse to myself multiple times throughout the day:

^5”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
 ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

This was during a time in life where everything seemed upside down and backwards.  My paths did not feel straight at all.  They felt twisty and turny, the kind that leaves your stomach at the top of the hill as you come over it kind of road.  Logically in my head, I knew to trust the Lord, but in reality my heart wasn’t quite all in.  Trust.  This phrase kept coming back to me.

How do I do that?  Nothing seemed to be turning out the way it was supposed to.  I had important, life-changing decisions to make.  I needed someone to tell me what to do, which way to go.  Why is it that we sometimes think of prayer as our final option?  Do we really believe that it has the ability to change things?  I will admit that I struggled with this.  Trust.

Surrendering our will to God’s will is the fight of a lifetime.  When we finally get out of the way of ourselves and let God be in control it’s amazing the roadwork that He can do.  One of the greatest examples in the Bible is the story of Joseph.  He was sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown into prison for refusing to commit adultery and forgotten about by the cupbearer whose life he saved. (Genesis 37-50) We read of his story and chalk it up to a part of Old Testament history.  But have you ever considered the story from the perspective of Joseph in the pit?  Or at the point in time that he was in prison?  If you stop and isolate that moment in time for Joseph, I would imagine that he felt that his path was definitely not a straight one.  However, his trust in God allowed him to persevere.  Looking back on his life he was able to see God’s purpose for him.

 ^“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”
~ Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

Many times we cannot see around the corner of our path.  However, I have learned that I need to stop worrying about the corners and focus on who’s driving.

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
~ Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

One of my favorite things about mornings is my first cup of coffee.  I love smelling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and just taking a few minutes to embrace the quietness of the morning.  Then again in the evening I often return to the cupboard in search for another cup to enjoy a moment of peace with a hot cup of chamomile tea. Coffee cups.  Whether it’s the way it fits in your hand or the memory attached to it, typically everyone has a favorite.  When you go to reach for your favorite cup and get ready to fill it, do you look inside of it to make sure it’s clean?  You wouldn’t dream of drinking out of a cup that has moldy residue left inside of it.  What if you saw one of God’s little creatures crawling around inside of it?  Would you be as eager to use it then?  I would certainly hope not!  (My germaphobic side is starting to cringe right about now.)  Clean cups.  Jesus used such a simple image to make such a big impact.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”
~ Matthew 23:25-26 (ESV)

Hypocrisy.  We know it when we see it in others, but are we looking for it in ourselves?  Are we making sure that our own “cups” are clean?  Jesus was angry with the scribes and Pharisees for saying one thing and acting another.  Hmm…. Sounds like a very familiar tune in today’s world.  But surely I’m okay, aren’t I? 

“…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ~ I Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

Cup checking.  It’s a thing.  When we think about the state of our heart, we must be honest with ourselves because God already knows what’s in it. 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!”
~ Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

Dancing, giggling, swirling around trying to catch fireflies in jars.  This is how I spent many a summer night as a child.  The beauty of lights dancing in my yard seemed to lure my barefooted self to them.  What is it about twinkling lights that appeal to us?  We use them to celebrate the holidays, decorate dorm rooms, and as a backdrop for backyard get togethers.  The presence of lights in the dark always seems to draw us near.  It illuminates our path both physically and metaphorically.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” ~ Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

God uses the concept of light throughout the Bible.  Jesus described himself as light.

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ~ John 8:12 (ESV)

Creating light was the first thing that God did when He created the world.

“²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep….³And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.  ⁴And God saw that the light was good…” ~ Genesis 1:2,3-4 (ESV)

The wonderful thing about light is its inherent quality to overcome.  It has power over darkness.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 
~ John 1:5 (ESV)

One of my favorite sayings that I have run across is, “We can’t all be shooting stars, but we can all twinkle a little.”  We each have the ability to be lights in this world.  How bright we shine is up to us.  Just remember, that no matter whether you’re the shooting star or the twinkle light, the presence of your light cannot be denied.  When your light is lit, it shows.  So let your actions speak for who you are today.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

“Hurry, hurry, we have a lot to do today.”  “Come on, hurry.”  “We don’t have time for that.”  These are probably the phrases that my girls remember me saying frequently when they were little.  I was the queen of giving the “2-minute bath”, and I prided myself on the fact that I could whisk my girls in and out of the grocery store in 30 minutes at the ages of 2, 5, and 7.  Until one day my daughter looked at me with her earnest little face and said, “I know Mom, we don’t have time for that”.  Whoa! Mom failure.  I can’t remember what we were doing or where we were headed that day.  What I do remember is that dreaded feeling that I was so busy with my own “hurry” that I was missing out on my most precious blessings, my girls. 

I have always been the type of person that makes an unrealistic list for my day and then gets frustrated when I can’t accomplish everything I set out to do.  I suffer from a type AAA personality.  Learning to slow down and take time to enjoy life is a skill that I am constantly relearning.  I still have life failure moments when I don’t get it right, but it’s a continual work in progress.

One trick that I have picked up along the way is what I call “big picture thinking”.  This type of thinking brings back into focus what is most important to me ~ God, family and friends.  It is the measuring stick I use when trying to prioritize life.  God has provided us with the frame for our bigger picture. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
~ Micah 6:8 (ESV)   

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.”
~ Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)

Keeping these foundational thoughts in mind when trying to decide between “want to”, “need to” and “like to” type of tasks helps me focus.  In the bigger picture of my life I want to be known as a Christian wife and mother who strove to love God and family. I have various other roles that I may be remembered by, but in the end the only thing that will matter is whose I was and who I belonged to.

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
~ Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

My kitchen window. Many a thought has filtered through my mind while standing at the kitchen window. I’m not sure what it is about that place. In each house we’ve lived in it’s always been the same. When I’ve got something on my mind my feet take me to that window. It is through this frame that I have dealt with happiness and grief alike. It is here that I have washed dishes while figuring out how the bills were going to get paid that month since the car needed repair or what was going on the Christmas list for the girls that year. There is nothing particular about this window, but over the years it has become my thinking place. A spot where my mind wanders through the day and back again.

Jesus had a “thinking place” too that consisted of quiet mountains. It was here that he took time to pray and regroup.

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.”
~ Luke 6:12 (ESV)

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,”
~ Matthew 14:23 (ESV)

We each need time and space to “reset” ourselves. While I wish I could reset on a tranquil beach somewhere, my kitchen window will have to do. Because who else is going to do the dishes?

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
~ Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

Have you ever listened to someone lead a prayer and felt like you were really listening to a conversation with God?  If you have ever had the privilege to hear my father-in-law lead a prayer, you’ll know what I mean.  When he prays, it is straight from the heart.  One of my favorite sayings that he uses in his prayers is that we be, “warriors in the kingdom”.  Early on, I adopted this phrase as I began to pray for myself, my husband and my children.  Now my prayers have started to include the future spouses of my children (those known and unknown) as well as their future families.  A generation of warriors!

^“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
 ~ Ephesians 6:10-11

But what are we fighting?  We have no imminent threats to our comfortable lives do we?  When someone says something offensive I have the ability to turn and leave or turn off the television or cell phone.  What motivates us to fight for the Lord?  Have you considered that the arrows the devil is shooting at us are things like complacency, the need to feel accepted, and feelings of jealousy?  The devil is cunning and crafty.  He knows how to entice and lure us into a mode of neutral.  Sure, we know we love the Lord, we go to church don’t we?  I do a kind act at least once a week, I think.  I surely haven’t offended anyone with my words, have I?  If this is the way we think then the devil will have won because if we do nothing to show our Christianity to the world then we’re at a stalemate.

^“13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…”
~Ephesians 6:13-18 (ESV)

Taking up the armor of God sounds like a heavy load, but God has told us that his burden is light (Matthew 11:30).  So how do we follow this instruction?  By taking a knee – pray, study, pray, repeat.  Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith.  These are four things contained in the armor of God.  When we deconstruct the verses in Ephesians and look at them piece by piece, we can see that it all begins with knowing God through His word so that we will be ready to wield our “sword”.  The devil doesn’t knock and ask permission to come into your life, he slides under the door of your heart and whispers in your ear… “You’re fine”.

^“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”  ~ I Peter 3:15 (ESV)

“Lord, give me patience and give it to me now.”  This is the prayer that repeats through my mind as I’m waiting in line behind that person in the grocery store who got in the express line with 30 items.  So many times we pray for patience, but we want it right now!  Unfortunately, patience is an “on the job training” kind of virtue.  We do not learn it from reading it out of a book.  We often have to learn patience through the endurance of a trial of our own.  Have you ever had a day when the more rushed you were the more seemed to go wrong?  You have a tight schedule for the day with several appointments, and all of a sudden you have a flat tire or the baby has a fever?  Patience.  We only learn it by doing it.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

Thankfully, the Lord provided us with a way to endure our trials as we learn patience which is another “P” word… prayer.  As we are waiting we should not be passive bystanders and expect that the Lord will automatically wave a magic wand over us like the fairy godmother in Cinderella.  We must do our part.  Prayer is a place where your most intimate thoughts are bared and all your imperfections are open and given to Christ.  Prayer is a place where we can let it all go and give it all up.  However, prayer is often our last stop on the road to frustration.  So as you are waiting in the grocery store line behind that person, remember the “P” words.

 “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
 At an acceptable time, O God,
 in the abundance of your steadfast love 
answer me in your saving faithfulness."
  ~ Psalm 69:13 (ESV) 

If tables had ears.  Have you ever thought about what goes on around the kitchen table?  There is a reason the kitchen is referred to as the “heart of the home”.  It is not necessarily what is served on top of it, but rather what is shared around and across it.  As you think of the kitchen table of your home or the home of your childhood, I’ll bet that every nick, scratch and water mark has a story or memory.  They serve as evidence of small children with pudgy fingers that knocked over cups and science projects that bled through the poster board.  Coffee cups left sitting as conversations spilled from dusk to dawn or problems solved with tears and hugs.  Kitchen tables have served as the setting for many a cherished moment throughout history.

If I could listen to table talk though, I would like to have sat at a table in an upper room in Jerusalem.

“When it was evening, He reclined at table with the twelve.” ~ Matthew 26:20 (ESV)

Take a moment to read about this moment in time when Jesus made the most precious memory for us all when he instituted the Lord’s Supper.  Our Lord and Savior knew the value of table talk.

Hurry, let’s get packed!  “Is my blue shirt clean?” “Mom, I’m out of make-up wipes!” “Honey, did you pay the electric bill?” Road trips. They can be exciting, but the prep time that goes into them can be exhausting. However, the destination makes the hassle worth it as you look forward to some relaxation time or seeing loved ones that are eagerly awaiting your arrival. But what if you were told to hit the road with no destination in mind? What if you were told to leave everything that was familiar and head out into the unknown? You have zero facts about the trip. Would you go? I have no doubt that there are those that would. However, I don’t leave the house until I have ALL the details down to the temperature at 5:03 pm the next day.

“So Abraham went, as the Lord had told him…” Genesis 12:4 (ESV)

What? He just left? He didn’t ask why, where, or how? Nope. He went. I’m not sure I can even make it to the grocery store without a list! What makes a man pick up his entire household and go?…. Faith.

Where does your faith lead you? Does it lead you to face “giants” as David did? (I Samuel 17:48-49) Does it allow you to speak boldly like Esther? (Esther 4:16) Or does it give you a spirit of perseverance like Job? (James 5:11) If your faith could use some bolstering, then take some time to read about the “Road to Emmaus” in Luke 24:13-35. Take a road trip with the Lord.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)