The Price

We recently celebrated Memorial Day, a day to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. My husband shared a photo with me that showed the numbers of people who died in combat during the different wars our country has been involved in. It was humbling to see how many people loved this country so much that they would be willing to sacrifice their lives in service.
I also saw many Facebook posts that said, "Land of the Free because of the Brave." How true. And again, how humbling. Men and women have paid the ultimate price to give me freedom. How can I every say thank you? The words are not enough compared to the gift given.
When I was in grade school, a popular song claimed "more than words" was all the singer needed to know his girlfriend loved him. The same is true here. My actions in response to the gift of freedom go miles beyond the words "thank you." I can show respect for our country and its leaders, teach my children to do the same, and show respect to the people that our brave soldiers died for.
As a Christian, I can do so much more. Galatians 5:13 instructs me. "You my brothers and sisters were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."
I am thankful for the sacrifice soldiers have made for our country. This gives me more freedom to live my Christian life openly. But it is only because of Jesus' sacrifice that I am able to have true freedom. Freedom from the burden of sin fills my heart with the love of Jesus so I can serve others humbly.
Humble service looks different for every person called by Jesus. For me, humble service means fulfilling my responsibilities at home-cleaning, cooking, caring for children-without expecting my kids' or my husbands' constant praise. It means showing patience with the people around me when I am out running errands. It means joyfully praising God with the members of our church's worship team. It means letting Jesus shine through in all the other parts of my life, too.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the sacrifice of the men and women of military. Thank you for their families' sacrifice. Thank you most for Jesus' sacrifice for me. You have created us all to humbly serve you. Forgive me for the times I seek my own glory. Please let Jesus shine through me today. Amen.

A Beautiful Heart

The devil has been working hard to steal my joy lately. I look in the mirror and the first thing that comes to my mind are negative thoughts. As I interact with my kids and other people through the day the negative comments keep running through my mind.
Tonight our Bible story with our kids was the story of Samuel anointing David. My husband and I talked with our kids after reading the story about how God looks at what is inside us. When our heart is full of the Holy Spirit, what comes out is God pleasing and makes us a beautiful person to him.
After we read the Bible story, my daughter shared a devotional story that she thought fit, too. It was based on Matthew 6:25-34. The devotion described a girl sorting through her closet, worrying about what to wear to church. We connected that with the Bible story because some times we get so caught up in worrying about how we look that we forget what is truly important to God.
It didn't really hit me until an hour and a half later that God was speaking to me, too. He doesn't look at the outside fluff. He sees my heart. When my heart is full of self-loathing and anger, there isn't room for Jesus and his love to shine through. I can't be a beautiful person when I focus only on my appearance. But, when I do focus on making my heart pleasing, the way I take care of my appearance is a way to glorify God.

Dear Father,
Forgive me for worrying about what I look like on the outside more than what my heart looks like to you. See Jesus in my heart so that I may be your beautiful daughter. Amen.

My Why

I'm tired. Physically, yes, a little. But I am more tired emotionally and, sadly, spiritually. I feel like I've been on autopilot lately, going through the motions of being a mom, a friend, a child of God. But I'm tired of being mediocre, of being lukewarm, of being tired.
Last night at our last women's Bible study for the school year, a friend said, "We should be in love with Jesus." Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I heard them and thought, "Yes. Yes I should. But I'm not."
It made me sad to think of how many times I have done extra for my husband because of all he does and sacrifices for our family, but I have an apathy toward my life with God. Last night, as I fell asleep, I told God that I wanted to be in love with him.
This morning my Bible reading was Psalm 63. It begins, "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you..." It struck me that David was in love with God-head-over-heels. And I want to feel that way, too. Today, as I went through my day, my mantra was "I want to be in love with Jesus."
This afternoon, I was watching a Ted talk my coach asked me to view. It's about finding my "why." I felt so convicted by his words, and they weren't at all about being a Christian. But it hit me that I have been settling with mediocrity from myself lately, and it's showing in my relationship with my friends, my kids, my husband, and my Savior.
Part of my homework assignment for today is to come up with my "Why." As I have been thinking this through, struggling and praying, God has given me some clarity (that I only hope grows). Why do I want to do anything?
When I am head-over-heels in love with Jesus, I will be at peace. It's a wonderful feeling. I want other people, particularly other women, to feel that same peace. So, the first part of my why is that I want to have a platform to share Jesus' love with others.
As a coach, I will also be able to encourage other people as they use their bodies to glorify God. As much as I post a proof pic when I'm done working out, I don't really exercise to bring glory to my body. I exercise to be able to use my body to bring glory to God. When I am healthy and active, I am a much better mother: I can physically play with my kids and exercise provides a stress-relief for me that helps me be more peaceful in my interactions with my kids. So here is the other part of my why-sharing the walk through the encouragement of daily interactions around healthy actions.
I pray that I have the opportunity to share the walk with you!