10: Don't do stuff "for" God

Maybe God doesn't want us to do stuff "for" him...

Hearing God's Voice

Who am I going to marry?
Where should I go to college?
What career should I choose?
Should I try out for the play?
Should I play baseball?
Should I go on that mission trip this summer?
Should I talk to so-and-so about that thing that bothers me?

How do you know what God wants you to do? 

How do you hear His voice? 

I want to start by saying that you CAN hear His voice. 

We are often taught to be so afraid of being "deceived" by satan or our "fleshly" desires that we are convinced that we can't hear God.  Yet, the Father is talking to us all the time; we just have to learn to recognize it.

Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice." 

There is no manual to this.  Yet, I've found that somehow, we can just "know" his voice.  As I've gotten to know him, I've slowly learned what he 'sounds' like and then I can tell the difference between the competing thoughts in my mind.  For me his voice is mostly leanings inside of me or thoughts that influence what I'm considering.  Sometimes they have been words or sentences that came to my mind or while journaling, though mostly it's more impressions.

To begin with, this is what I've learned for myself.  I'm not going to say "These are THE ways God speaks."  They're simply the ways he has spoken to me. 

Here's the first one I've noticed.

Let me give you an example.  The other night I was rocking our one year old, Celia, before putting her to sleep in her crib.  I starting singing Jesus Loves Me to her.  I sang the first verse and then the chorus, but while singing the chorus I realized that I couldn't remember the second verse.  Weirdly enough, when I finished the chorus I suddenly remembered the first part of the verse.

"Jesus loves me, He who died Heaven's gates to open wide."

During that part of the verse, I thought, "Uh, I don't know what comes after that."

But, guess what.  When I got there it suddenly came to me.

"He will wash away my sin, let this little child come in."

I find that God's leading is a lot like that for me.  He seems to fill me in just when I need it, not often before.  I've found that he often wants me to trust myself and his leading and just make decisions.  As I'm heading down the line, he sometimes steps in and redirects, refines, or simply confirms my direction.

I saw career paths in college work this way.  I saw dating relationships that worked this way.  I just

made choices that seemed good to me at the time and that seemed to share my heart to follow Jesus and he was always faithful to keep me going the direction he wanted.  Sometimes that was to stay on the track I was on.  Other times it was a complete change.  In some cases a dating relationship fizzled out.  In another, with my wife, it didn't and just kept growing.  I also headed to college thinking I was going to major in psychology.  A difficult class redirected me to education. 

There were times when I felt an unusual "God is telling me something here!" moment.  Other times I simply found my way blocked and needed to go a different direction.  Sometimes I felt those blocks were from him; other times he encouraged me to push past those blocks. 

I've learned to trust him and to trust that he is leading me all the time, whether I realize it or not.  The key for me has been to stay close to him emotionally.  When I'm in tune there, I find it so natural to stay close to his heart for my life.

Love Without Legs: An Ugly Romance

This story is cute.

But it's actually quite ugly.

Check out this video that shows their story.


Andrew and Tori Smith rushed their wedding to marry before Andrew's military deployment.  Within a short amount of time Andrew, stationed in in Afghanistan, stepped on an IED and lost both of his legs.

The vigorous commitment of his wife Tori is inspiring.  She drove hours to reach the last-minute location of the landing of the plane with her injured husband.  When he arrived at the hospital, she ignored protocol, breaking through the acceptable distance in order to hold his hand, kiss him, and tell him she loved him. 

Hospital personnel instructed Tori that she was not to stay with her husband in the hospital room. 
She disregarded them and stayed, even sleeping in a chair. 

She stayed with him through every bend in the road and helped learn to walk again with prosthetic legs.  Today they are still together. 

So cute, right?  But think about how ugly things really are.  What is it like to lay in bed with your husband who has no legs?  How might this affect their romantic relationship?  What limits might this put on their future?  Will he ever be able to run around with their future children? 

One article said, "Shrapnel from the explosion ripped through his groin and slashed apart his abdomen...He lost his abdominal muscles on his right side.  Doctors performed 15 surgeries on his intestines."  I have no idea the implications these injuries have on Andrew's daily living, but there's got to be lots. 

To me, though, recognizing these 'ugly' factors shows what real beauty is: love, commitment, affection in the midst of sadness, or even in spite of it. 

It is proof that light can conquer darkness, that love can stomp on destruction.

Jesus' love is like this.  His cross-bearing is disgusting when you fully understand crucifixion.  And look at us, our failings, our messiness, yet love, His love pushes back the darkness.

Andrew and Tori have seen the evil, the destruction, the darkness that life tries to flood us with, and yet have said, "No, our love, and romance spits in the face of evil."

And there is beauty.

Is there someone you are trying to love, but it is messy?  Do you see the real beauty of your love?  Is there someone who loves you in your imperfections.  Do you honor the beauty of that love? 

Do you, now, see why "Jesus loves me" is not just an old-hat, clichéd phrase?  In those three words there is universe-shattering, shocking, excessive beauty.

Here's the article that first introduced me to the Smith's and where I got a lot of the info above.
Here's a site dedicated to Tori and Andrew.

Ten Commandments: Who Cares?

You will never look at the 10 Commandments the same again after watching the 11 five-minute videos made by Dennis Prager. Far from just a personal list of do's and don'ts, he shows how God's wisdom in these 10 items changes and has changed everything about our lives, our views, and the world. This is not light, simple stuff; this demonstrates the deep wisdom inherent in our Father's ways. Below is the introduction video. Here's a link to the rest of them: http://prageruniversity.com/Ten-Commandments/#.VLkRccs5C70

Freaking About Finals

The following is a post from the past that I thought was relevant again as exams come our way next week.

If you look at some of my previous posts you'll see I've blogging about how to be "Ok."  When we let Father be our cup-filler, our source of peace, love, contentment, then we can give to and enjoy the people, places, and things in our lives, instead of using them to make us feel whole. 

Here's how I think this principle can play out in a real life situation: final exams. 

When you're afraid of something (that is not physically dangerous), the fear you feel is ultimately about how it will affect how you see yourself and how others will see you.  Going into exams there are a lot of expectations.  For many it is the expectations of parents that you fear.  If you don't do well, how will they perceive you?  You may also fear the judgment of your teachers.  Finally, there's always the fear of how you will feel about your own abilities.  Do you cut it?  Are you good enough?  How will you measure up to everyone else?

All of these questions come down to: whose opinion will fill your cup?  I suggest you face the fear of finals, the same way you can face every other fear: Because I am deeply loved and enjoyed in my soul of souls by Father, my life has meaning and value, and nothing will change that. 

If you can let yourself trust in your Rock, then you can face the reality of the world: yes, my achievement matters in life.  But, see it doesn't matter ULTIMATELY, meaning in the most crucial sense-your sense of safety and value.

So, yes, go and study your brains out, but enjoy learning (as much as is possible of course!).  I pray you can do well and reflect what you've learned this semester, but, in the end, even if you don't do well, and even if some people are disappointed with your performance, choose to fill your cup with your Father's love.