Comparing

Do you compare yourself to others? Who do you compare yourself to? Other women? Other minister’s wives? Your mother? Your mother-in-law? Your sister? When you compare yourself to others do you sometimes find yourself lacking? And then other times do you find you are “better” than “they” are?

Last weekend I lead several breakout sessions at Indiana’s SBC women’s retreat. The Thursday night before the conferences began on Friday morning, all of the speakers met for dinner, prayer and sharing. As each woman was sharing about what she was speaking on….I was comparing myself to her! “She is so much more spiritual than I am.” “Her topic is much more interesting and challenging than mine is.” “She is more creative, smarter, cuter….and on and on.” By the time I left the dinner that night I had convinced myself that I had no business being there and that no one would come to any of my sessions much less get anything out of them!!

What in the world!! It seems like I am forever comparing myself to others and always finding myself coming up short. I look around (instead of up!!) and I think, “Why can’t I sing and play the guitar?” Be smarter? Cuter? Richer? More athletic. Have curly hair? Be more creative. Funnier, and on and on it can go!!

When we compare, it is sin!! When I compare—I become discontented!!! Discontentment is sin. I must confess it and turn from it!

Honestly, most of the time when I compare and find myself not as spiritual or as smart or as cute or whatever it is….it is true! They ARE more spiritual and smarter and cuter….the point is what does my mind say then? The enemy tells me that I should give up speaking. That I am a terrible pastor’s wife. That I am useless. BUT I believe God would have me take my eyes off of myself and turn the lies into truths. I must change my words to "Thank you God that they are so spiritual, smart, beautiful, etc." Does this make sense? Instead of beating myself up….I must keep my eyes on the Potter…not on the other Pots! I must be grateful for the work He is doing in the lives of others instead of comparing myself to them.

Isaiah 45:9 says, “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker…will the clay say to the Potter, “What are you doing?...”

Stop and think for a moment. On a scale from 1 to 5, do you compare yourself to others??

The Pastor’s Wife Gets Saved

My post today is a little different.  It is not about loving Jesus and chocolate.  It is not about some crazy stunt I have pulled or some blonde moment that I have had.  It is a very personal experience that I feel God is leading me to share-my salvation story.  You see, I was the pastor’s wife who got saved.

 I grew up in a Christian home where my parents made sure my brother and I were in church every Sunday and Wednesday.  We were RAs, GAs , Acteens,  and involved in youth programs.  When I was in the 6^th grade, I remember the pastor coming to our home to present the gospel to me.  At that time I was a very shy person.  (I know that is is hard for my friends to imagine!)  I don’t think I fully understood what I was doing when I prayed the sinner’s prayer and walked the aisle of the church.  I don’t even fully recall my baptism except my brother was baptized too.

 After my husband and I married and we were in seminary, I began to struggle with my salvation experience.  I knew the bible, believed in God, but every time the invitation was given at church, my heart would pound out of my chest.  In attempts to end this struggle, I rededicated my life several times over the next several years.

 
It is said that a child will lead them.  This statement is so true, because during a revival when my children were young, they both accepted Jesus as their Savior.  However, it was my youngest son who simply told my husband that he believed in Jesus and then explained how to be saved.  There was no denying that our five year old was ready.  He made it look to easy and was so sure of his decision.  However, I was really struggling with what the evangelist preached.

 The next day was a hot, humid south Arkansas day and my heart was so troubled.  I decided that working in the yard would stop the agony I felt, but boy, was I wrong.  Over the next three hours I talked out loud to God.  I argued that I was saved as a child.  I got mad at God for how I was feeling.  I finally could not take it anymore.  I recalled how the evangelist spoke of a perfect peace.  I realized then I had never experienced this type of peace.  Right there in the middle of mowing my backyard with sweat dripping from my face I asked Jesus to be my Savior and bring a peace that surpasses all understanding to my heart.  Girls, the peace that immediately flooded my heart was unbelievable.

I was so scared of what my husband would say when I shared what had happened to me that day.  Although he was surprised at how I had felt about my childhood experience, he fully supported my decision.  Together, we presented me to our church for membership and baptism.  It is so unnerving for me because I felt I would be judged.  However, the church body came forward to embrace me.  I heard story after story of how other people had experienced the same doubt.

Although I am not a person who can just walk up to people, over the years I have shared my story with other people who are struggling.  I do not tell them that their experience was not real.  I simply tell them that if they are unsure of their salvation that Jesus is still waiting to provide them eternal life and perfect peace.  It has been my joy to see several of my dear friends come to know Jesus through sharing my salvation story with them.  I do not take credit because I believe God used my story to let others see that it is never too late.

 Why God is prompting me to tell you my story I do not know.  However, I do know that He has a purpose for it. 

"Quiet Times"

I tend to overdo; be too busy.  I often get so stretched in all the activities of ministry and life that I become totally useless.  In fact, it is very difficult and frustrating for me to not to “do.”  I sometimes wonder if my indulgence in chocolate has produced some form of chocolate hyperactivity syndrome. 

 Currently, we are living in a small, fully furnished rental house while we wait for our home in Tennessee to sell.  I feel unsettled and restless.  My servant’s heart is feeling useless as I sit and twiddle my thumbs.  Sometimes I find myself bemoaning our circumstances instead of praising God for supplying for our need. 

Recently, I was reminded to thank God for the “quiet times” He provides.  For a servant like me, this "quiet time" makes me feel isolated from the world.  If you too possess the spiritual gift of service, do you too question why God would create us with a servant’s heart and make us sit still?  I am embarrassed to say this but there are days when I do absolutely nothing but read.

 However, although I am not daily active in our church here (the distance between our rental and the church prevents such) or working with ministers wives around the state (our state is struggling to have a support system for wives), I can still trust God to know what is best for me.  He wants me to be still, focus on what He is doing in His time, and know He is God.  Besides, I have a feeling that very soon God is going to say, "Quiet time is over, Princess.  Let's get moving."

Something that is Better than Chocolate

Peals of laughter.  Shrieks and squeals.  Total shock.  Lots of jumping up and down.  I think that pretty well covers the scene that took place a few weeks ago in a city park during a family photo shoot.   I destroyed all the peace and quiet in this park when Stephen and Robyn announced that they were having a baby. 

I did not fully grasp what was going on until Stephen showed me the video he took with his phone.  Now girlfriends, this former cheerleader got a few feet off the ground to say the least.  The video has now been posted on my Facebook page and on YouTube (see Vickie Lee Going Crazy, vid-20120128-00000).  I told my family that I was going to charge a dollar per viewing in order to start a Vegas fund.  No, I am not going out there to gamble.  This is where my son and his wife are stationed and where my grandbaby will be born.

As I am still trying to wrap my hands around this new era of life, I find myself asking this question:  Why don’t we get all excited and jump for pure joy when someone comes to know Jesus as their Savior?  I know a lot of congregations who smile and say “Amen” when someone is presented for church membership through salvation.  I personally think we should shout “Amen” and give God a big round of applause for the miracle of a lost soul saved.

As you know my mind works in weird ways probably from all the chocolate I eat, however, this is the scene I envision that might take place in heaven when someone is saved.    God, the Creator of the universe, is sitting on the edge of His throne looking down on mankind in anticipation.  On his right side is his only son, Jesus, whose scars are evident and whose heart is pleading with one of his lost sheep.  The angels hover and the heavenly choir is hushed.   Finally, a lost human soul says, “Lord, forgive me of my sins and be my Savior.”  Suddenly, the heavens erupt in joyous celebration.  God the Father is hugging Jesus, the Son.  The angels are high fiving each other and doing somersaults.  The saints of old with people from all walks of life are laughing, shouting, and jumping up and down.  The heavenly choir sings “Halleluiah” from the tops of their voices.   

Now girlfriends, if me finding out I am going to be a grandmother brought out this much excitement in me; I am quite ashamed that I do not celebrate like this when someone is saved.  Nothing can compare to Jesus not even being a grandmother who adores chocolate.

Have a blessed day!

Seasons

It’s the middle of winter; spring is still several weeks away, yet before we know it, flowers will be in bloom, the grass will become green again, and everything that once looked lifeless will awake from its winter hibernation. I love the seasons, and those of us who live in the south experience the four seasons to some degree. Just as God created the seasons of nature, He also gave us seasons in our lives.

In my present season, my husband and I still have two kids at home to raise, a teen-ager and a pre-teen. Whew! In today’s culture, that is a very daunting task, to say the least, but we will survive. We love our girls, but at each age, raising children brings joy and some very real challenges.

Some of you ladies are empty-nesters; I have heard from those who have gone through this season, that it brings mixed emotions; sometimes joy (Yea! They are finally out of the house), to confusion (What am I suppose to do now?), to sadness (I miss taking care of my kids!). It will be a little while longer before I can relate to this season…I sometimes wonder how I might feel.

Some of you dear sisters are newly married, or starting families and have very young kids at home. I call that the season of “beginnings”, when you experience adjusting to a new spouse, or becoming a mom for the very first time; I remember those days.

Some of you are in your golden years, enjoying retirement, spoiling grandchildren, or maybe perhaps having to take care of an elderly parent or relative. Also, with aging comes our very own health issues…new aches and pains that seem to spring up quite frequently!

Whatever season of life you find yourself in, make the most of it. At every age, God has a plan for our lives. One of my favorite Scriptures in the whole Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In every season it’s good to know that with the Lord we have hope and a future.

So ladies, enjoy your season!

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our Greatest Valentine

Well ladies, it’s that time of year again. . .hearts, flowers, candy, maybe dinner, and red, red everywhere! I actually don’t mind all the red; it happens to be my favorite color! I hope you all have a very nice heart day, and that you get a great gift from that special someone. But if Valentine’s Day 2012 turns out to be just another day, we can celebrate the fact that we have the Greatest Valentine ever. What do I mean?

We can take Valentine’s Day and make it a special day to celebrate the lover of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ! To honor the Lord, I wanted to come up with an acronym for V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E, so here it goes:

V – HE is VICTORIOUS….He conquered sin and the grave!

A – HE is ALMIGHTY….There is no one more powerful!

L – HE is LOVE…The apostle John expressed it so well when he proclaimed that God is Love!

E – HE is ETERNAL…He lives forever, and we will also live forever with Him in heaven!

N –HE is NEAR…..He is available to all those who call upon His name!

T –HE is TRUTH…..He cannot lie, and we can always trust His words!

I – HE is IMMUTABLE…..He cannot change; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

N –HE is the only NAME by which we must be saved….Salvation is in Him alone!

E – HE is EXALTED…..His glory fills all of the earth!

Let’s celebrate JESUS!! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Time

Ladies, it is hard to believe that 2012 is already about a month and half old! Where does the time go? Sometimes it does seem that the older you get, the faster time flies; of course, we know that this is not literally true, it just appears that way. But why is that? I imagine that as we get older, we sometimes have a lot of things on our minds and on our “plates”, a lot of activities going on with our families, churches, jobs, communities, etc. All these things seem to compete for our attention. As we attempt to deal with everything going on in our lives, before we know it, a day has gone by, a week, a month, a year, two years, a decade!

In this era of smart phones, ipads, ipods, and similar electronic devices, many of us can schedule events or to-do lists at the click of a button or by typing a few words on a keypad. (I must admit, I still operate in the “stone age” since my day planner on my desk serves the purpose for me. . . not very techno savvy, but it gets the job done!) So with all of this help to keep things on task, why do we still struggle?

Have you ever stopped to contemplate this thing called “time”? We all have it; some of us wish we had more of it. We all are given 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, yet we still frequently complain that we don’t have enough time to get all our tasks done. Perhaps, we need to spend some time with the Creator of time to help us budget our time.

The Lord is concerned with every detail of our lives, including how we spend our time. In fact, He tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to “make the most of your time”(NASB). Also, the passage in Luke 10:38-42 is a classic example of what the Lord commends as the best use of our time. Ladies, you are familiar with the story. . . Martha is busy doing all these things for Jesus, and Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet, soaking up His every word. The Lord rebukes Martha for all her distracted busyness and commends Mary for taking the time to learn from Him. We all at times have many things to do, but it makes sense to sit at Jesus’ feet and let Him direct our days. Martha was too preoccupied with her many preparations; she merely needed to spend time with the Lord first, letting Him speak to her heart.

I have learned that when I give my days to the Lord, busy or not so busy, it’s amazing that I have all the time to do all the things I NEED to do. Some things may have to wait until another day. When your days seem overwhelming, sit at the Lord ‘s feet in prayer and in His Word, and watch how you have SUFFICIENT TIME to carry out the necessary tasks of the day.

“There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.” Luke 10:42 (New Living Translation)