The Best You That You Can Be

 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

         My husband never could sing on key. Not. One. Single. Note. It wasn’t that he didn’t try. My goodness, he tried and tried and tried. But it never happened.   The sad part to me was that he never knew if he was on or off-key. His only clue would be the reaction of people around him when he sang.

   For example, people in the row in front of us at church would subtly glance at him when he sang during worship. He would see them frowning, lean over to me, and whisper “Way off?” to which I would always, quietly but honestly respond “Yes. Yes, you are. Totally.” But that never seemed to keep him from singing and singing loudly.

         I felt so badly for him that I convinced our family to start a new tradition: singing “Happy Birthday” as off-key as possible.  I thought it would make him happy to “blend in” with the crowd. But I was wrong. “Why did you change the way we sing Happy Birthday?” my husband asked me. In my mind I thought “Are you nuts? I did it because you sing so badly!” but I responded, “I thought you might like to sing it differently for a change.”

         He smiled. “I know why you did it. You think I feel out of place with my singing and you don’t want me to feel bad, right?” I nodded as he went on. “Honestly, honey, it doesn’t bother me at all!” (Enter my “seriously?” face.) But he continued. “This is the way I look at it. God made songbirds and He made crows. I just happen to be a crow. And I decided a long time ago that I would be the best crow I could be.”

    What a lesson for me! My husband didn’t complain about being a crow. He never asked God to change him to a songbird. He didn’t even question his plight in life of always singing off-key. He simply worked his hardest to be the best crow that God created. And he praised the Lord in his best crow voice every time he sang.

    My husband had learned an important lesson from Colossians 3:23-24. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” That’s a lesson I need to learn as well.

   How about you? What has God gifted you with? The voice of a songbird or that of a crow? In other words, what are you doing with what you have been given by the Creator? Not everyone is an opera singer. Some may be a grand ole opry singer. Some people hand out fast food at work and others work at eating fast food. Is one better than the other? More loved by God? Absolutely not! 

    No matter what I am and what I do, I long to be the best at it and to work at it because I truly am working for the Lord who loves me and made me just the way I am. Are you a songbird? Great! Are you a crow? Super! All that God asks you to do is to work at being the best “you” that you can be!

    Father, you tell me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you for creating me to live for you. I pray I will serve you with my whole heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

    R.A.P. it up

Reflect      

• Have you ever thought that you needed to be the same as everyone else in order to be loved by God?

• Did you feel inferior because you thought you weren’t as talented as other people?

Apply

•  In your journal, write this at the top of your page “God has created me to be.” Under that write down all that you are: truck driver, nurse, mother, custodian, teacher, wife.

• Begin each morning by asking the Lord to help you work hard to be the best that you can be. He is faithful.

Power 

• Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

• Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

·       

The Itemized List

 “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

Proverbs 20:22 (NIV)

   The bitterness in the woman’s voice in the next room caught my attention as I walked into the main office of an auto shop.  It was an innocent request - “I want the itemized statement sent to him today.” - except for the fury in each word she emphasized. I envisioned shots from a rifle with each syllable being aimed at its victim with 100% accuracy.  

   I had an appointment to have my car inspected at a restore and refinish auto shop after a minor bumper mishap. From the tone of her voice, I assumed the vehicle belonging to the angry woman must have sustained an exorbitant amount of damage. It sounded as though she was having every single part replaced as she listed item after item that needed to be ordered.

   “And one last thing,” she concluded. “I want a new paint job. He’s gonna be sorry by the time this is done.” I almost pitied the guy who hit her car. “Must have been some collision,” I thought as the man talking with her laughed. “What about new leather seats?” he asked. “Sure, why not,” she replied. “He’s got the money. He’s getting the bill.”  

   As they concluded their business, the woman walked into the main office where I was sitting and, with a glance over her shoulder, made one final comment to the man as she left: “He thinks I am just going to have a few things updated on my car. Just wait until he gets the bill! This is going to be great! I’ll teach him to divorce me!” and with a laugh she was gone.

   Getting even. Oh, haven’t we all been there? “He said” or “She did” and we immediately believe we have a right to hold a grudge and to inflict judgment ourselves. Now, I know you may be thinking “But you have no idea what has happened to me and what he/she did and how sad and hurt I am.” and that is very true, just as I have no idea what happened in this woman’s divorce. 

   But I can tell you that, after she had inflicted her damage to her former husband’s billfold in revenge, there was no joy in her laugh. I also know that resentment and bitterness do more harm to you than to the person you are resentful and bitter toward. Your physical health is affected immediately and, more importantly, your spiritual health is compromised.

   Forgiving does not mean that you accept as right the wrong done to you. It simply means that you trust God to turn that wrong into a right for His glory. The woman’s itemized statement was in reality a list that included revenge, bitterness, resentment, anger, and unforgiveness.

   If you have an itemized statement like hers, I urge you to truly count the cost and write “forgiven” under the amount due.  

   Father, I have had a “get even” attitude so many times in my life. Please help me to look at all situations through your eyes and to learn to forgive. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of an instance in your life when someone committed a wrong against you?

• What was your first reaction? To get even or to forgive?

Apply

• Make a list of the wrongs that have been done to you.

• Beside each one write “forgiven” and the Scripture that applies. Then forgive.

Power 

• Proverbs 20:22 (NIV) “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

• Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

• Leviticus 19:18 (NIV) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

Innocent Bystanders

 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who  believe in me  to sin, it would be better for him  to have a large millstone hung around his neck and  to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

 Matthew 18:6 (NIV)

    Subbing at school is always entertaining and a bit interesting – especially in the younger grades. A few weeks ago I subbed in a 5th grade classroom in the morning and a 2nd grade classroom in the afternoon. My conversation with a little boy in the afternoon class as I walked in the door went like this:

“Who are you?”

“Your sub for the afternoon.”

“Why weren’t you here this morning?”

“I was subbing in 5th grade.”

“Hey! I have a friend in 5th grade!”

“You do? What’s his name?”

“His first name is Donald.”

“I don’t think I had anyone in my class by that name. What is his last name?”

He paused and thought for a couple of seconds. Then an ah-ha moment:

“I think his last name is Trump.”

Comment from the boy beside him: “Your friend is on TV??!!”

   Can I share with you that I laughed off and on for about 30 minutes? I did. But then something occurred to me. Obviously, these two little boys had seen and heard some of the political news – who hasn’t? But I realized that they were probably just “innocent bystanders” to what they were hearing and seeing at home.

   Then I found myself asking a simple question: what are children hearing and seeing when adults are having other conversations at home? For example, the phone rings and Mom whispers to Dad “Tell them I’m not here right now.” Or perhaps Dad gets too much money back from a purchase at a store and he laughs “I’m not saying anything – it’s their mistake!” And the children watch and listen. And learn.  

    Scripture from Matthew 18:6 is a crystal clear caution from Jesus. He says “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Wow. Jesus doesn’t get more direct than that.

    We, parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, have a responsibility to guard what our little ones hear and see every day. No, we will not be able to shield them from everything that can hurt them spiritually but we can make sure that we are not directing them toward sin by our actions. Our actions. Our words. Our example.

    We may not think they are listening and watching but they are. And if we are not careful with our words and conversations, we could easily lead them in the wrong direction spiritually.

    I encourage you to guard the hearts of your children. Begin by guarding what you say and do. Innocent bystanders are always watching and listening.  Let them hear your conversations about Jesus and what He has done in your life.

    Father, please convict me of any actions that would cause a little one around me to fall into sin. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Have you ever been speaking about someone in an unchristian way and then realized that your children were watching and listening?

• What was their reaction to what you were saying? How did it make you feel?

Apply

• In your journal make three columns. Write “example” at the top of the first column and write “Christ-like” above the second column. Above the third column write “Scripture.”

• Now journal conversations you have had or television or movies you have watched with your children listening, under “example” and place either a + or a – under the “Christ-like” column. Look up Scripture references to help you redirect your example.

Power

• Matthew 18:6 (NIV) “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

• Psalm 19:14 (NIV) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

• Mark 10:14 (NIV) “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”

Fix It, God!

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

     Teaching my four-year-old grandson to tie his shoes was quite a challenge. He struggled for several minutes but eventually got “one rabbit in the hole” before his attention turned to “Max and Ruby” on television and the lesson ended. But it brought back memories of another shoe-tying experience as a school nurse many years ago. 

             I was in my office when the mom of one of our first graders came in, obviously frustrated. She looked at me and demanded, “Nurse Nancy, I have a problem and YOU need to fix it now.” Notice that she was the one with the problem but I was the one she had decided needed to fix it. So I replied, “Well, Mrs. Smith, what’s the problem?” And she said “It’s my daughter Megan. She refuses to learn to tie her shoes.”

      When I asked what she had done to help her daughter so far, she replied “Well, I show her how to do it but she screams and refuses to even try. She throws her shoes at me, crosses her arms, and yells at me to get out of her room.” I couldn’t resist asking: “And what do you do then?” She seemed surprised at my question. “I get out, of course!” she replied.

    To me the problem could be fixed within about 10 minutes, I told her. She was very excited and said “How? Tell me how!”  (Can I mention that it was the middle of January and we were having some pretty nasty weather?) I continued “I would put Megan’s shoes on the front porch and put Megan on the front porch. Then I would tell her she can come in when she ties her shoes and I would shut and lock the door.” 

     Honestly, does that not make sense to you? Made sense to me. But Mrs. Smith didn’t think so because she began yelling “I can’t believe you would ever suggest anything like that! YOU don’t have a heart!” I thought to myself: “And YOU don’t have a brain.” (Yes, it was a thought for which I later repented.)

     As I reflected on the shoe-tying incident, I realized that it was often a mirror image of how I act when faced with a tough situation. I react in two ways: first, I pray about what is going on but if I don’t like God’s answer to my heart, I move on to my second reaction: “Fix it, God!” without listening and obeying His will.  

    Maybe He whispers “You can do it, Nancy” or “Wait, Nancy” or “Keep on doing what you are doing and be patient, Nancy” but that’s not what I want to hear. Too often, I know what God wants me to do . . . I just don’t want to do it. Instead, I want HIM to instantly get rid of the trial by either removing or solving the situation or changing the person that I have a conflict with or . . . you get the picture?

   We must learn to seek His face first, in all situations. And when we do that, we have to be willing to listen to His answer . . . and to obey. Oh, the lessons I have learned when trials have come and I have focused on the Lord, listened to His voice, and obeyed. Resist the urge to cry “Fix it!” to God and instead trust Him to guide you in His Word through whatever situation you may be facing . . . including shoes that refuse to be tied.

    Father, help me to seek your will and obey. Please guide and direct me through each trial so  I may grow and mature in my walk with you.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What is your immediate reaction when faced with a trial?

• Do you want it “fixed” instantly or do you ask God to show you His will?

Apply

• When a trial confronts you, meet it head-on with a short prayer of “Your will, your way, Father.”

• Journal a list of previous trials you have had and how God answered your prayers each time. Then praise Him for His faithfulness.

 Power

• James 1:2-4 (NIV) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

• Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

• Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”