One Little Weed

I spent way too many hours in front of the Tube during the Olympics. Managed to squeeze laundry in during the long blocks of commercials. I carved out time for the rest of the housework around events and pretty much neglected the yard work due to heat and days of rain. It was easy to ignore. This week should be dryer which means I must attack the weeds in the flower beds after work 2 or 3 nights this week.

Weeds - In southeast Texas, we have winter weeds, we have some winter weeds which only pop up on especially cold years, we have weeds that flourish during extreme heat and drought, we have weeds which grow by the minute when we have historic, epic, and Biblical (media description) rains and floods. Weeds are a year round problem to the gardener down here. This summer, to my dismay the weeds are green and lush.

Have you ever thought of anger directed at someone as a weed? Have you ever thought of hatred directed at someone, maybe a political candidate as a weed? Have you ever thought of any sin as a tiny little weed? You see this one little sprout and ignore it because life is busy. You'll pull it later, in fact, you will wait until next Saturday to pull it after you mow the lawn. Next Saturday arrives, you realize the weed has spread through your vegetable garden and flower beds and you are looking at an all day project pulling the weeds plus mowing and edging the lawn!

That is what happens to us when we neglect sin; when we do not confess and repent; the tiny little sprout has taken root and spread through our lives. Maybe the results are not visible to anyone but you and God. The text you should not send, the tale you should not repeat, misrepresenting hours worked on a time card, the little fib you told...the list is endless.

We all sin, we all fall short, we all need a Savior. Ladies, we must confess our sin, we must repent if we want to serve. Anne Graham Lotz told a story about drawing a circle around ourselves and asking for revival to begin in that circle. I don't need to look at others, I need to look in the mirror to see someone who needs to confess and repent. Pray for others - Yes, Judge others - No!


Abba Father,

Please draw us close to You. Give us hearts to be honest with the sin in our lives. Very clearly show us the changes we need to make to live lives which are pleasing to You. We want to be examples to those around us of your love, mercy, and grace. Fasting does not always mean giving up food, show us how You would have us fast - what we should add and what we should subtract from our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray.

August Heat

I admit it, Summer has defeated me. It has not been a terrible summer, no extended heatwave, no drought, normal, humid 97-100 degree days. I am listless, I am bored, I have no get up and go to accomplish anything outdoors, and meanwhile the weeds grow in the flower beds. I've made a deal with myself - if I weed the front yard after work tomorrow and finish Saturday morning, I can sit in front of the Tube watching the Olympics as long as I want. We'll see (the royal we of course) if this works.

Have you ever made a deal with God in the same way? Dear Lord, If You ______________________ fill in the blank, I'll ______________ fill in the blank? I used to pray that way as a teen. Dear Lord, keep the lights green so I won't miss curfew and I will not smoke tomorrow or something equally juvenile.

We are not born mature Christians and mature prayer do not pour out of us until we've prayed many prayers. The language does not have to be eloquent a la King James. Pray what is in your heart. Seek the Lord in the quiet. Of course, you can pray anywhere, anytime, but we need private, quiet time without distraction in prayer. Jesus prayed alone, He was busy, yet He made time. The more you pray, the more natural it becomes.

I think of the scenes in War Room in which Elizabeth tried to get comfortable in her closet and is reduced to drinking a soft drink and eating chips. We then see her staying in her closet all night.

There are many prayer needs in this world. People are lost, hurting, ill. Danger and violence all over the planet. How do we combat it? We stay in Word and we pray. We keep our focus on Jesus. I ask Him to give me 20/20 vision so my focus on Him remains sharp. I don't want blurry vision when it comes to our Lord.


So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Ladies: Prayer - Just do it!

Podcast

The Lord can use much to show us something missing in our lives. There are times and seasons, life does not remain the same. I noticed over the last 2 or 3 years, I have experienced trouble in the motivation department. I was motivated in short bursts. Occasionally it seemed as if I was moving from the death of the dearest of friends to another death of a dearest friend or close family member. The wind was knocked out of my sails when my cousin Bill died last Dec. I did not realize what a huge impact his death had on my life until last week.

Because I donate to a charity headquartered in Houston, I received an e-mail alerting me to a weekly podcast. I thought OK, I will listen to this manly podcast and see what I think instead of simply deleting the e-mail. There was a bit of colorful language between the 2 hosts and their guest. (3 former Navy SEALS) Their guest talked about motivation and passion. After the podcast ended, I realized I no longer had a zest for life or passion and all the motivation in the world was not enough.

After prayer, I pinpointed the moment passion left my life. I quit teaching...I no longer teach ballet and pointe, I no longer host and or teach Bible Study in my home with a group of ladies.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy many facets of life (not including being weighed at the doctor's office) and no, I was never passionate about cleaning grout but I did it when it needed to be done.

There were/are a couple health issues too which led to fatigue and lack of energy/desire to see things through to the finish line. The Hashimoto's Thyroid thing is under control, my Vitamin D level increased from 7 to 29 but is back down to 20, so I am working to raise it up past 30. I think when it gets back into the high 20's I will have more physical energy again.

I have prayed to have passion again whether it is confined to things around the home and yard or volunteering, running, advancing the Kingdom...as long as what I pursue is in the Will of God.

Ladies, if you find yourself treading water, no motivation - ask the Lord to show you clearly the cause. Shut out the distractions and really listen.

And speaking of listening - I am so glad I listened to Team Never Quit's podcast!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.