Chains and Shackles

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love."

From the Hymn: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

 

We must stay vigilant to the reappearance of idols in our lives. I find myself clearing them out only to find them coming back in different forms. John Calvin once said, "Man's nature is a perpetual factory of idols." Without even knowing it or realizing it, I flirt with new ones. I am freed only to forget quickly the pain I left behind and I find myself trying on new chains and shackles that appear prettier and shinier than my old ones until the Holy Spirit gently opens my eyes and tugs at my heart and wakes me up to my mindless cravings and I realize how empty and ugly the fake promise is that I am being offered. It is that same old trick from that same old garden and I keep falling for it over and over again. The same trick with a newer, more modern facade- yet still deadly. How ugly is the reality of deception. How broken is the human heart. Mine is no exception.

It's All Okay

I'm wired the way that You intended for me. Questioning that and not embracing that is questioning You and telling You, the Creator, that You messed up and failed somehow. So what that I always feel a little removed from this planet. So what that my favorite days are being domestic in my home and caring for my family's needs. So what that I'm ordinary and not exciting and that I may never travel to faraway lands. I may never get to do exotic things. So what that I get excited about hemming my kids' clothes and shopping clothing sales for them while I sometimes sheepishly buy the cheap Wal-Mart shirt as I am about to enter the checkout lane. So what that I would live in Birkenstocks if I could get away with it. It's all okay. I'm okay. You've made me that way and  for that I thank you God. You never make mistakes.

 

Devotion #13- Heart Tattoo

 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you  today shall be on your heart." Deuteronomy 6:5-6 

Sometimes it is so easy to get overwhelmed with my job as a mom. The day to day needs are urgent and time consuming. I could simply miss out on the big picture, the real reason that I am doing this. I could effortlessly lose my joy and not to mention my sanity during these early years of mothering. During those difficult moments I focus on the fact that my children are on loan from God and that ultimately my most important job as a mom is to teach them about Him.

This past fall, I completed an in-depth Bible study with a Community Bible Study group on Deuteronomy.  I know, I know- it sounds incredibly dull but hang with me here. I felt the same way prior to the study and was actually disappointed when I initially found out that this was the book we were studying for the next sixteen weeks! Throughout the course of my study though I discovered that no other book is quoted more by Jesus which lead me to conclude that it is really important for me to know it as well as to pass on this truth to my children. Also during a recent refresher on Deuteronomy through  a lecture study by Beth Moore which I highly recommend,  I found out that the book of Deuteronomy is essentially a commentary given by God on the entire Bible. The Hebrew name for Deuteronomy actually means "to explain" or "make something plain."  I am all for simplification in this stage of my life and to think that God provided one for me in His word is amazing!

Now I am not a tattoo girl, my typically sweet Dad is very dogmatic on this point,  but if  I were these pivotal words from Deuteronomy 6:5 would make their way onto my body as a representation of where they should be internally- on my heart and soul forever. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." The chapter continues with, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." Then the chapter goes on to talk about teaching our children, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Essentially we are to teach our children about Jesus all the time. There is nothing more important.

After providing the simplification in writing in His word, God then goes one step further in providing a model for us to see the simplification in the flesh- Jesus! When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22:36 what was the greatest commandment he replied from Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments."

So all this to say that if I fail miserably in all other aspects of my life but hold fast to these, my life has been a success. If when I leave this world my children know these principles, I will have been a successful parent. Being the coolest mom doesn't matter. Being the most athletic mom doesn't matter. Being the mom who is the most creative doesn't matter. Being the mom who cooks the best meals or makes the fanciest Birthday cakes doesn't matter. When I meet my maker face to face and receive my, "Well done good and faithful servant" it will only depend on these two things: Do I love God with everything I am and have and do I love others? It can't get much simpler or more direct than that for someone easily confused  who can quickly lose their focus like me.

So what does "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" actually look like for real moms? Stay tuned for the next devotion!

My Soul Must Cling

I am a people pleaser by nature. That is to say that I am by nature a liar and a coward. I have been carelessly flirting with the father of lies for most of my life. I don't know how to be apart from the lies. Lies to make others feel good. Lies to cover up my true feelings. Lies, lies, and more lies. A foundation of them built on sand. So when I finally decided or I guess when I finally listened and obeyed God in this matter and spoke the truth to a family member, it came across as heartless and cruel because it was the truth not candy coated and easy to swallow as my past confections have been.

 Add in the fact that I have made an idol out of this person and our relationship, and things quickly go from bad to worse. I have craved this person's approval most of my life, allowing it to become oxygen to my soul. I gave the devil a foothold and he took up residence in my already wayward heart.

The funny thing is that even though it was hard to speak the truth, I felt lighter. Even though I don't know where this relationship goes from here, I feel strangely peaceful. I don't need this person like I once thought I did and there is a quiet strength in that realization. Most of my life I have feared the loss of this person's love and I have fought to hold onto it at all costs. Now my hand is open and that love can go. And I'm okay with that. There is peace in the truth. There is liberation in knowing in my heart that the only love I need, the only love I must have, is the love of my savior. His acceptance is the only validation I need now or ever. I will never lose His love or approval. I don't have to work for it, or earn it, or jump through countless hoops to obtain it. He is my portion forever. When all others have let me down, He never fails. He is the only certainty I have in an uncertain world. And whatever has to come in order for me to draw nearer to Him, bring it on. It is all worth that cost. He will never change. My soul must cling to Him now and forever more.