Day 22: Say No

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Several years ago I sat in a friend’s living room listening to our other friend talk to our group about living simply.

My friend who did the talking(who by the way co-founded Take Them A Meal) is someone who naturally exudes peace.  She speaks calmly.  Her children are tame.  When I’m in her home, I feel the pace of my heart begin to slow.  I’m not kidding.  Something about her just seems so peaceful.  I realize how amped up I am when I spend time with her.

When she spoke on simplifying life, something she said really stuck.  She said something like this, “I want to create enough space in my life so that when a friend unexpectedly calls and asks me to watch her children, I can do that.”

Hmmm, that is an interesting concept.  Who has that kind of margin in their lives?  At that stage of my life, I rarely had that kind of availability.  I felt that my days were packed full and we couldn’t possibly fit in the unexpected occurrences.

She got me thinking though.  Margin doesn’t just happen.  We have to create it.  Like many things in life, if we want it to happen, we have to be intentional in setting the stage.

If I wanted margin, I needed to learn to say no.  I needed to realize that my plate would continue to be stacked if I didn’t say, “I’m full, no more please.”

I watched my friend live her life this way.  There were many things she said no to that were uncomfortable for her.  But for the peace of her family and for the availability she wanted to be able to offer to give of herself to others, she said no to things she might have wanted to say yes to.

What are some things you may need to say no to in order to create margin in your days?

[box] This is Day 22 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

Day 21: Happy Birthday Steve

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So two birthdays fall during my 31 day uncomfortable series.  And all of our birthdays fall between September and November.

Today we celebrate a man who consistently challenges me to move outside of my comfort zone. A man who God gifted with the gift of encouragement and who is not content to sit by and watch the ones he cares about stay comfortable.  He motivates in the most direct ways to the point you have no choice but to move.

We celebrate a dad who understands what is most important and models it beautifully.

We celebrate a husband who patiently and faithfully loves a wife that many days doesn’t deserve the affection he shows.

We celebrate a friend who is loyal and available always.

We celebrate a man who loves and honors God with his life.

We celebrate a man who models to his family the priorities of life.

Happy birthday, Steve.  Thank you for encouraging and challenging me to get out of my comfort zone.

We love you!!!

[box] This is Day 21 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

Day 20: Catch Up Day

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For the month of October, I’m writing everyday on the topic of getting uncomfortable with God. What does that look like?  What does that mean?

If you are just joining in on this series, here is Day One which contains an index of all days in this series.  Today is a good day to catch up.

[box] This is Day 20 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

Day 19: Be Strong and Courageous

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This weekend as you ponder where God is moving you in your walk outside of your comfort zone, take this verse to heart.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Whatever uncomfortable places He takes you to, you can be certain He is with you.  Be strong. Be courageous.  Don’t be discouraged.  Your God goes with you.

What more comfort can we ask for than that?

Happy Weekend!

[box] This is Day 19 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

 

Day 18: Radical is Pretty Uncomfortable

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Radical by David Platt:

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do, everything changes.”

“So when you and I hear staggering numbers and statistics about the poor and needy around us and around the world, we have a choice.  We can switch the channels on our mega-tvs and continue our comfortable, untroubled, ordinary, church going lives as if the global poor don’t exist.  We can let these numbers remain cold, distant, and almost imaginary.  Or we can open our eyes and our lives to the realities that surround us and begin considering the faces that are represented by these numbers.”

David Platt brings a convicting message in his book Radical.  Only read this book if you are ready for an awakening.  But please do read it. It’s an uncomfortable read for most of us Americans.  But the message is crucial.

The orphan crisis is a crisis.  It’s uncomfortable for sure.  And when you enter this world, you may well never be the same.

If you are new here, let me catch you up.  Our family hosted an orphan through New Horizons for Children last Christmas.  Our family will never be the same- for which we are grateful.  I will have more to follow in the coming days.  Now, I’m an advocate for NHFC and desire to bring awareness to the crisis and how we can all take a part in impacting the lives of these forgotten children.

[box] This is Day 18 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

Day 17: The Book That Made Me Love Him More

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I read a book that made me uncomfortable from the first page.  In a good way.

Listen, everything I’m exploring this 31 days is to move us closer in our walk with Jesus.  It’s not getting uncomfortable for the sake of discomfort.  Not at all.  It’s so we can experience an intimacy with God like we’ve never experienced.  And that is so what He wants.  He simply wants an intimate relationship with each of us.  Often that is acheived when we are willing to leave what feels good.

The book is called Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges.  It’s on my bookshelf as a resource book now.  This isn’t one you can read and mark off the list.  You will revisit it.  Well, at least I do 🙂

Reading this book I realized I needed Jesus more than I thought I did.  And that convicted me to the core.  That statement alone might shock you.  It shocks me a bit to write it.  But it’s true.

You see my struggles are the more dangerous ones.  The “respectable” ones.  The ones that can be hidden and ignored.  But in God’s eyes, they are all heinous, and they all will destroy.

Jerry writes “Sin is sin.  Even those sins that I call “the acceptable sins of the saints”- those sins that we tolerate in our lives – are serious in God’s eyes.  Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety (see Philippians 4:6); all of these are serious in the sight of God.”

Negative patterns can become a source of comfort to us.  Often we may not even realize they are negative patterns.  We accept that this is who we are.  This is how God made us.  But this is dangerous.  Yes, God made us the way He did, but He is also refining us and never expected us to stay the way we are.  He is sanctifying us moment by moment.

For that I’m eternally grateful.  The fact that He loves me that much leaves me longing for more of Him.  I get tired of myself and my repeated failures.  I want to throw the towel in and just be done with the fight.  He never stops cheering me on.  He continues to allow me to struggle and fail so that I will finally stop and see my deepest needs are in Him.

What a God.  Seriously, what kind of God is that?  I desperately want to love Him so passionately that I will give no thought to my comfort and will just go.

[box] This is Day 17 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]

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Day 16: When We Accept the Uncomfortable Gift of Rest

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I buy into the lie that my value comes from my productivity.  I buy into the lie that if I’m busy, I’m making a difference.  I buy into the lie that if I don’t keep moving, it will all fall apart.  I buy into the lie that if I stay busy and moving that I will get it all done – and done well- and then I can finally rest.

I buy into the lie that once I finish this (whatever this may be) then I can rest.  But that rest never comes because the next pressing thing pops up.  The rest is like a mirage in the desert.  I can see it, so I keep lunging forward.  I’m thirsting for it.  Almost there, so close I can taste the water.  And so I trudge harder until I think I’m there.  And it disappears.

Do you buy into any of these lies?

Rest will never fall into our laps.  It’s a gift from God.  We can make the choice to accept this gift and leave the guilt in the desert.

Women in particular struggle with this guilt of rest.  Working or staying at home doesn’t matter, each of us struggles with the guilt of rest.  If we work outside the home how can we rest when there is so much to get done?  We’ve worked all day, now we need to switch hats and take care of the family and the house.  If we stay at home we are working hard all day and seeing little results it seems.

Rest is a gift.  Rest is crucial to our sanity and to our JOY.  Surprisingly, rest will actually produce better productivity.  It’s a discipline and takes time to develop.

One of my favorite authors is Keri Wyatt Kent– who, by the way, endorsed my first book, Seeking Christmas.  I first learned of her when a friend recommended I read Breathe.  The title alone brought me peace.  That is what I needed… to simply Breathe!  Then I came across her book Rest.  Again the title spoke to me.  The subtitle is Living in Sabbath Simplicity.

This book coupled with a challenging message we heard in church spurred us towards following the command from God to rest on the sabbath.  Not an option, a command.  Could we obey?  It’s easy to not kill, not steal, but to rest?  Is that possible in today’s world?  Surely this is an outdated command, right?  Not so.  God’s Word is timeless and He sees it all, which is why He commanded it.  He knew we wouldn’t do it on our own.

One of my favorite excerpts from Rest by Keri Wyatt Kent:

“As the quote at the beginning of this chapter points out, our restlessness injures the people around us, who need our attention more than they need our accomplishments.  Our children need us to have the time to look them in the eyes, to ask about their lives, to give them the gift of attention.  And we need that as well.”

“Resting seems wasteful, extravagant, a luxury a person as busy as we are cannot afford.  But really, and here’s another paradox, resting is as necessary as breathing if we are to do more than cling to the cliff of life by our fingertips.  It’s something we cannot afford to do without, but once we learn how to do it, feels luxurious.  It’s a gift, but we can’t receive it if we don’t stop to open it.  Once we do, we realize that stopping, resting, is actually the secret to getting more done, to understanding living our true priorities, to enjoying our lives, and to experiencing the presence of God.”

Start small, friends.  Change begins with a decision.  That decision becomes one small step.  If resting for an entire day seems too daunting, try 5 minutes a day.  Progress from there.  God commands it.  It’s a gift.  Take His gift.  It’s meant only for your good.

[box] This is Day 16 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]