Keep your chest covered....

Okay, since last blog I fussed at the boys and I want to be an equal opportunity "fusser", today's blog is aimed toward the girls....or as Stacey and Clinton on What Not to Wear would say, your 'girls'.

Just the other day my daughter and I went to a local department store to pick out a dress for her to wear in a fashion show at our church. We found quite a few dresses that looked so adorable on the hanger, but when she put them on the were not what I'd call modest. While most came all the way to the ground in length (not something I was especially concerned over) they evidently had used up all their material making the dress long and in turn left the top as quite revealing! She still didn't dare bend over - not because the dress was too short, but because it was cut so low!!! We finally found a cute cami to go underneath and she looked beautiful in the show.

Fast forward to my classroom and I see one of my beautiful young ladies come into the class wearing a similar dress, only the cami she had chosen to wear underneath was cut so low it really didn't help much! I wish this was the only time I'd had to talk to a student about wearing revealing clothes, but unfortunately I find I am having to do this more and more. Do they look cute? Absolutely - until you look closer (and believe me - boys do) and you are basically being given a peep show! One teacher told her student that it was difficult for her to concentrate while being 'flashed' and she couldn't imagine how much more difficult it must be for the boys in her class! Our pastor once said that boys assume if you are willing to show it, you are willing to share it. OUCH!

With all these things in mind, we enter today's random thought about the armor of God. We've already covered (pardon the pun) the belt of truth and today it's time to look at the breastplate of righteousness - in otherwords, keeping our chest covered.

Now I am in no way a fashionista (hope I spelled that correctly), still I like to look cute in my clothes. The armor of God is, however, about more than just looking cute. We need it to survive, yet I find that wherever I go, young women are 'letting it all hang out' and never realizing they have left their armor at home. Maybe they don't even know what it is!

First of all, we are to put on the WHOLE armor of God so that we may withstand in the evil day and having done all, stand. According to Strong's, withstand is the word anthistemi which means to stand against...and it can be compared to antihistamine. Now anyone who lives in south Mississippi is very aware at how important an antihistamine can be in order to survive! When allergy season strikes, if you aren't taking an antihistamine, very often you won't be standing long! You find you can barely function, much less live life to the fullest or fight any kind of fight, much less a good one! We are to anthistemi or block the evil forces!

Back to the breastplate of righteousness. It obviously is to protect the heart. Let that sink in. How many young women are running around showing off their chest because they have been told it makes them look attractive? They think it makes them look 'sexy' and they have been led to believe by the lies of the world that 'sex' equals love. Just like the men, they have bought the lies. Young women, whose bodies have matured at a rate far faster than their spirits, have been lied to. What they desperately want, even if they don't know it, is to be loved. What they get is the world's cheap imitation.

Maybe I'm an old fogey...I'm okay with that. Perhaps you think I have no fashion sense....I'd have to agree with that as well. Some might even hint that I might be jealous that I am not as "blessed" in the 'girls' department...who knows. What I do know is that we are in a battle and cannot afford to face the enemy without our armor. Since our flesh should mirror what is happening in our spirits, I can't help but wonder how many young women are blindly following the world and letting their armor fall to the side. I'm not saying you have to wear longjohns in the summer, I'm simply saying that it's time to examine our hearts. It's time to grow up. Stop acting on what feels good and starting acting on what is good.

Men and women...don't buy the lies. The devil has nothing good planned for you, but God has promised that He has a plan for you that includes a hope and a future! You can know that if God said it, it is true.

Next stop....our shoes.

Pants on the ground

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, you're lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground."

Unless you've been completely disconnected from television and internet for the past year, you're probably familiar with this tune. It was made famous by its creator, Gen. Larry Platt, the 62-year-old civil rights activist, when he sang it for the American Idol auditions this year.

As a teacher, I have used this song quite a bit to humorously remind young men to keep their pants pulled up. Most are gracious and simply pull them up. However, as I walk around town I am still bombarded by young men (and some who are obviously old enough to know better) who walk around literally "showing their rear"! That phrase used to mean you were acting a fool, guess it still pretty much means the same only now all those around are subjected to the view or your plaid underwear, or in the worst cases, your dingy bvd's! Just the other day I watched as a young man crossed a busy intersection in front of me and he had to hold up his pants with one hand while dodging traffic. I have seen students run for the bus only to have their pants fall to the ground and almost cause them injury when they stumbled over them in the gravel parking lot.

But it wasn't until today that I finally started to understand what was going on with "pants on the ground." Our youth pastor was sharing a message on the armor of God and he titled it, "The Belt of Truth - Truth holds up more than just your pants." It was then that the random though hit me....no wonder so many young men are walking around with their pants falling off - they have no belt - no TRUTH!

Over the years, I have watched truth become more and more relative in people's eyes. The whole, "if it feels right for you" nonsense explains why these young people are walking around with their pants falling off and then telling you it's "comfortable". It feels right to them...even if it's not.

Think about it. People think it's normal now to lie. They expect it! We expect if from our politicians, our news media, etc. We have learned the hard way that people lie...and we justify it. We say it's normal and everyone does it. I have students who will blame their misdeeds on everyone around them, even ME, but almost never admit to telling a lie or doing wrong. They have been taught - deny, deny, deny. It has become a way of life for them, and in the process, they have given up the belt of truth that would strengthen them and allow them to run without fear of their lies tripping them up.

Belts are sometimes uncomfortable - so is the truth. Belts show us when we're getting a bit lazy and out of shape - so does truth. Belts may be seen or not, but if you're not wearing one and haven't yet "grown into your britches", everyone around you will know about it....same with Truth. Telling the truth often lets the world know you're growing up. It is tough to tell the truth when you know it will mean you get in trouble. Telling the truth means you are becoming a person of character, depth, and responsibility. You can be trusted.

Perhaps the greatest reason for truth is that it sets you free. I have to wonder how many young people with their pants hanging off their rears think they are showing the world how "free" they are, when actually they are showing the world their bondage and slavery. They have become slaves to the lies they have come to believe. Lies like: if it feels good do it, women are for your pleasure, sex is love, all authority is out to get you, divorce is normal, infidelity is normal, violence is normal....don't believe me? Turn on the radio or watch a little tv. You'll find plenty of lies, but to an entire generation of young people it has become what they think is real. They've lost their belts! They bought the lies!

I don't think I'll ever look at a young man with his underwear showing quite the same again. Now I don't see rebellion, I see someone who has lost their belt of truth and it shows. We simply see on the outside something that has been slowly happening to our country on the inside for years. It's time to put back on the whole armor of God, beginning with our belts. It's time to examine my own life to see if perhaps my spiritual pants are 'sagging'. I want to know that every part of my life is held up by truth so that I can run, not from the battle, but into it. I don't want to be a person who is "looking like a fool with my pants on the ground." How about you?

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 "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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Face the storm....

Well, today's blog sort of came out of nowhere and it's a bit different from my normal "Random thoughts" Today's blog is more of, well - for lack of a better word, a vision I had. No, not some sort of spooky weird thing, just a picture that came to mind while I was a church today.

There I was in worship, enjoying the music and sort of seeking direction, just open to hear from God. I knew I wanted more of God....more wisdom....more....that's when I got this picture in my head. Imagine if you will a storm shelter. Inside it is safe, not very big, and not really all that great. I sat in the corner of that storm shelter knowing I was safe, hoping I was safe...and suddenly I knew what I needed to do. I needed to stand up, fling open the door of that shelter and face the storm. Yes, the winds were whipping around me like crazy, but there was no fear. I knew I could stand. There was perfect peace despite the storm....for I knew it could not really harm me.

For too long, I, and many others, have tried to stay safe in our little world - hoping the storm would not harm us. In doing so, our "world" became very small - sort of like that box of a storm shelter I imagined. In trying to separate ourselves from the growing storm around us, we have actually retreated into a place of fear. We can't really stretch out or grow...and we're not even sure it's all that safe anymore. It's time to fling open the door of our small little world and face the storm - WITHOUT FEAR.

Words for once, fail me; however, if in reading this you can picture what I am saying, then perhaps this was not only for me but also for you. I don't pretend to know what storms you are facing in life, but it's time to stand up, fling open that door, and face the storm. You don't have to live in fear.  The storm  may bluster and blow, but it cannot touch you. In facing it, you can go out and help rescue so many others that are being ravaged by that same storm. But it is definitely not time to hide in our little shelter anymore. It's time to change the world.

See you out there!

"...greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Didn't expect that to happen...

Spring is in the air. The breezes are getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and most importantly, my daffodils are starting to bloom! I always get excited when those happy little flowers make their first appearance. It takes me back to when I was young and my mom would point them out to me. Their bright yellow faces lifted toward the sun somehow fill my heart with hope every time I see them.

My sweet husband has always given me daffodils in the spring. After a few weeks of enjoying them indoors, he takes them outside and plants them. I thought I knew where each one was located - that is until today. Somehow a new batch of daffodils has shown up in my yard! I noticed them when I returned from my afternoon run. In the middle of one of the azalea bushes, I could see the faint yellow of daffodils! I picked up my pace to check them out. They were different from any of the other flowers in my yard. These flowers had a softer yellow hue and they showed off their ruffled center with a certain feminine flair that my bolder flowers didn't quite have the hang of. I was thrilled!

The only thing was, the azalea bush was sort of crowding out the flowers! Now I like azaleas as much as the next person - okay....that's not quite true. I don't particularly like these azaleas. They don't bloom very often and they seem to make an awful lot of work every spring. Now they were crowding out my beloved daffodils and I without hesitation went to get the clippers. There was nothing to do but cut away the offending limbs so my daffodils could shine.

I was very careful to cut away from around the flowers and not damage the tender green shoots. What I did not seem to notice was that with every cut, the flowers started to droop a little more. By the time I had finished the "trim" at least 3 of the blooms fell toward the ground! Try as I might, I couldn't get them to stand straight on their own. What I thought had been an obstacle for my daffodils had actually been a support! Those limbs were allowing that gentle plant to make flowers that stood taller than any others around them.

And then I looked at my life and wondered - am I making the same mistake in other areas as well? My children immediately came to mind. I so want them to have a life free from burdens and pain. I want them to have so many more advantages than I did...but by removing some of the obstacles, am I keeping them from reaching as high as God wants them to go? Perhaps that which I am trying to remove is actually what He will use to help them shine. I definitely don't have all the answers on this one.

I eventually had to cut one of the blooms because nothing I tried would help it stand again. It now is in a vase in my kitchen and while it is beautiful, this daffodil makes me a bit sad. Sometimes it's hard to learn life's lessons.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
"...yet not my will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:42b

What you talkin' about Willis?

Okay, I'm showing my age again. I've had that phrase, "What you talkin' about Willis" stuck in my head for almost a week! For those who don't recognize it, it's from an old tv show and like many of its era, it had a "catch phrase"...well, it's definitely "caught" in my head!

There is a scripture that says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." It is from Matthew and Jesus was speaking a group of Pharisees, so you know it wasn't meant as a compliment. There are other references to the connection between what we say and what is in our heart: "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." Luke 6:45, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Eph. 4:29, and my FAVORITE - "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Ps. 19:14.

You don't have to talk to someone for very long to discover what is on their heart. I know if you give me five minutes, you'll probably hear at least one reference to my children - they are my heart! I love to tell stories about them. But I've been wondering, what other things do people hear come out of my "heart" on a regular basis?
We joke at our house about our son and some of the things he says. Whatever is passing through his mind at the moment comes right on out of his mouth. You never really have to wonder what he's thinking. In light of those verses, perhaps we're all a bit like that. Whatever we're thinking is obvious to everyone around us. What we've been consuming is there for all to see.

While thinking about this, I got another, not quite so pleasant, mental picture in my head. Prepare yourself. There's been a stomach virus going around lately and if you happen to be unlucky enough to be near when someone "up-chucks", you can pretty much tell what they've been consuming for the past few hours. It's right there for all to see. I wonder if our words are a little like that. Whatever we've been thinking on, consuming through our eyes and ears, and spending our time on - it's gonna come out! It will be a bit more fermented because we've usually been stewing over it, but it will be obvious all the same.

I don't really have a catchy end for this blog - just a question for myself. "What you talkin' about Willis?" Are my words filled with faith, praise, hope or are they filled with angry critical words, negative thoughts, fear, and doubt. The answer will reveal where my heart truly is.

Hold on or give it away?

Do you ever have those thoughts that come into you head as you're going to sleep, and you just can't shake them? Last night I had one of those thoughts. It was about some things I was wrestling with...in my mind some pretty big problems. They were just too big for me to handle. Honestly I had no real control over them at all. All I could do was worry about them. I was sort of praying/complaining to God about these things, asking Him to help me when I realized how ridiculous that was.

Don't get me wrong - it's not ridiculous to pray. It's what I was praying. I was asking God to help me...I was standing before my Father God with my ridiculous toy tools in my hand asking Him to help me. It's as if I keep telling Him, "I can fix it. I just need You to tell me what to do!" The truth is I had no more idea about how to fix the problem than a 5 year old has about how to fix an automobile! Instead of asking Him to help me, I needed to simply get out of the way and let Him fix it!

We often recite the phrase "cast all your cares upon Jesus" and yet I don't think I had a clue how or what that meant. I was really good at going to Him and showing Him what I was worried about, but I kept it clinched in my grubby little hands the whole time. I'm gonna fix it, I just need Him to tell me HOW.

I can picture God patiently standing there, waiting for me to finally hand it over so He could take care of things, but I won't let it go. I have to keep examining it and telling Him about what's wrong and how He could go about fixing it. It's times like that I'm glad my Father God isn't like me. I'd be tempted to just throw up my hands and say, "Fine, go ahead. Break it completely! But don't come crying to me because I tried to get you to hand it over and let me just take care of it!" Whew...bet you're glad I'm not God too!

God stands and waits for us to give it to Him - completely.

Recently I had another situation/problem I couldn't fix, (there have been lots to choose from lately.) I was out for a run and praying/complaining to God, asking Him how to fix things....what should I do. I'm not sure at what point things changed, but I do remember turning the corner of the street and saying, "It's yours God. I give it up. I trust you with this completely." Tears started to fall and the promises of God started to run through my mind. I had finally let go of what I could not control in the first place.

I am wondering how many times I stand in the way of what God wants to do because I feel like I need to fix it. I'm also trying to wrap my head around how in the world I can let God flow THROUGH me instead of trying to get Him to HELP me. Asking Him to help me sort of feels like I'm handing Him my plastic hammer and telling HIM where to hit the engine to get it going again. Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds - but isn't that what we do? We - well, I - keep trying to get God to help ME when I haven't a clue! Instead, I need to hand it over to Him, move aside and do what HE tells me to do.

Maybe today's random thought is a bit too random, but it's because I'm still learning. I need to stop asking God to help me and instead step aside and ask Him, "Can I help?" There are problems out there so big I don't know where to begin. A good place to start is by giving them totally to Him. I need to open my grubby little hands, let go and let God.

Oh, and there's one more part....somewhere in all this I'm learning to stop asking God to fix others and asking instead that He fix me and how I deal with them. Somehow I think that might be a whole other blog.

1 Peter 5:7 (New International Reader's Version)
"Turn all your worries over to him. He cares about you."

Salt in the wound

Okay, I was bleeding. It didn't really hurt, but somehow in the process of moving some debris from the area I cut my finger and made quite a mess. After checking it out, I realized it wasn't that serious, put a band-aid on it and went about my merry way. That is until later when I was working with some salt and it got on the wound. OUCH! I didn't think I could rinse it off fast enough!

The sting didn't last that long, but as I washed off the cut, the thought came to me "pouring salt in the wound". In the way my random thoughts run, I immediately thought of how we are called to be the salt of the earth and well, all that got me curious. I always thought salt in the wound was bad, but we're to be salt to a wounded world and well, those two things just didn't seem to go together.

I did what any red blooded, (wounded), woman would do. I googled it...I went right to my computer and looked up salt and wounds. That's when I discovered something pretty interesting. While salt may sting initially, it is one of the best antiseptics that can be used to help wounds heal naturally. Some doctors even recommend the use of a saline solution (salt and water) to clean some wounds instead of hydrogen peroxide! It seems that it doesn't damage the healthy cells like other things do and actually helps the body begin to heal itself.

Of course, there is a spiritual random thought in here. If we are to be the salt to the world, and we learn to use the water of the Word, then we can help bring healing to those around us! Let that "soak in" (pardon the pun) for a minute. Part of our job as "salt" is to be a healing agent to those around us. Pretty cool, huh.

Now, don't expect the wounded to get excited about this salt. I can tell you from experience, salt stings at first! I guess it's at work driving out all the bad stuff from the wound. That doesn't mean the salt shouldn't be there doing what it does, it just means it might not always get a welcoming committee when it arrives. Actually, the salt really doesn't have to "do" anything. The presence of it is enough....if it is salty. I guess that's the tough part - staying salty. But it's something we really need to do, cause in case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of wounded people out there.

I wasn't thrilled when that salt hit my cut, but I've noticed that since it did - the cut seems to be getting better. It's not nearly as tender as before. I can still see it, but it doesn't hurt to touch it anymore. That sounds like healing to me. Makes me wonder if I'm "salty" enough to help bring healing to those I come in contact with each day....and do I have enough water of the Word to make a difference.

Mark 9:50
"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Colossians 4:6
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."