Change of Heart

Posted on August 5, 2014 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Change of Heart

It is easy to have a heart filled with love, kindness, and forgiveness to those in our lives who show these same traits to us.  Those are the ones we are drawn to, the ones that are easy to love.  They make life fun and fairly peaceful.  These people in our lives are the sunshine on a cloudy day.

And then there are “the others.”  Those family members, friends, or even just acquaintances that seem to make life harder to bear.  Did a few of “the others” in your life immediately come to mind?

Our human hearts are usually drawn to fairness when dealing with “the others.”  And fairness isn’t wrong, is it?  The hurts they inflict on us are often met with frustration, anger, unforgiveness, and perhaps even bitterness.  There are times when we just become indifferent to them and try our best to distance ourselves.  The truth is our gut, our first impulse reaction, is usually not a feeling of love.

As followers of Christ, we have been blessed with the incredible all-consuming love of a Heavenly Father.  His love knows no bounds.  His forgiveness is immediate and we seem to ask for it over and over.  Although I am sure He gets frustrated and angry with us at times over our wayward steps in the wrong direction, His love never fades.  His gut, His first impulse reaction towards us, is always love.

The more time we spend with our Savior through prayer and bible study, the more this love will begin to change our hearts.  We can begin to see “the others” through His eyes rather than our own.  We might even begin to understand things from their perspective.  Or perhaps we will just begin to give others the benefit of the doubt.  The love we are called to show to others in our lives is not at all dependent upon fairness.  

1 Peter 3 is filled with great reminders about what this type of brotherly (and sisterly) love should look like in our lives.

1Peter3,8

This type of love is not our first reaction but it can be when our hearts are filled with gratefulness for the love and forgiveness we are given each day through Christ.  When our minds are filled with knowledge of the compassion and humility He showed when He died on a cruel cross for our sins, including “the others.”  Living this type of life where our hearts are so filled with His love that we cannot help but pour it out to others (regardless of how they treat us) will certainly look different in this world.  In fact, John 13:35 tells us that this is how others will know we are His disciples.

John13,35

This is the heart we are meant to have.  If we really desire to make a difference in this world.  If we have a heart felt passion to share Christ’s love with others, this is the way to do it.  They will be drawn to this love without even understanding why.  They will ask questions and we will be given opportunities to share.

My prayer is that each day (because we need it each and every day) we will have a change of heart through our time spent with Christ.  That our hearts will begin to look more and more like His heart.  That we will show love, kindness, and even forgiveness to everyone in our lives even (and especially) “the others.”  And that this love will always serve as a light that guides others straight to Christ.

 

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Praying Friends

Posted on August 1, 2014 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Praying friends

Sometime ago, I began praying earnestly that God would send friends my way.  And while I am always thankful for casual acquaintances that keep life interesting, I was yearning for friends that sincerely cared.  What I didn’t realize at the time is that what I was really seeking were praying friends.

We know that prayer is simply talking to God.  And while the concept is simple, it is humbling to think that we can go directly to the creator of the universe who knows us inside and out and still loves us.  And even more than that, He actually desires to hear from us.  For way too many years, most of my time spent in prayer was allocated selfishly.  I prayed about my needs and wants and those of my family.  I know God was listening and grateful to hear from me, but I am sure He was hoping for a little spiritual maturity that I might actually become burdened by the needs of others rather than just my own.  Needless to say, I wasn’t a praying friend.

Sadly, we live in a society that seems to be reminding us over and over that we are each more important than anyone else.  That we should satisfy our own needs and desires before glancing in someone else’s direction.  But our lives are meant for so much more than that. As followers of Christ, we are called to bear one another’s burdens.

Galations 6,2

So what does bearing another’s burden actually mean?  When we truly care and sympathize with others, we actually take on a portion of their burden and help lighten their load.  One of the most effective ways that we can do this is to go before the Lord and pray for the needs of others.  And because our loving Heavenly Father is faithful, the more time we spend praying for the needs of others, the more we begin to see God’s hand at work not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us as well.

The second part of Galatians 6:2 mentions that the act of bearing others burdens fulfills the law of Christ.  The law referred to here is that we are to love one another.

John 13,34

While you and I may sometimes feel that we are not capable of showing this type of love and concern for others, we have that love in us through Jesus.  It is His amazing love that we are sharing when we are bearing others burdens.  Being this kind of friend requires that we ask about the needs of others, that we truly care what is going on in their lives, and that we spend time talking to the Lord about it.

At a woman’s retreat years ago, I learned a fascinating fact about elephants.  In the wild, elephants who are burdened and sick have a hard time standing up.  And not standing up leads to death for these animals.  But their elephant “friends” will come along beside them and literally help them stand up.  They get them back on their feet until they can stand on their own.  This is a perfect picture of bearing others burdens.  This is what it means to be a praying friend.

The Lord has definitely answered my praying friends prayer beyond my expectations.  My life is richly blessed by “elephant friends” that occasionally come alongside me and help me stand up.  They rejoice with me when prayers are answered and provide a sympathetic ear when the pathway seems dim.  But in order for us to receive those friends with open arms, I think the Lord first works on our hearts and gives us a desire to be praying friends as well.

My prayer today is that each of our lives will be blessed by praying friends but even more importantly that we will become friends who pray for the needs of others, that we will have a desire to bear others burdens, and that we will allow the love of our Lord to flow through us as we show care and concern for others.

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Gaining Traction

Posted on July 29, 2014 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Gaining Traction

I’m not really a runner.  I’m more of a “want to be” runner.  I’ve gone from couch to 5K, 5K to 10K and back to couch and then starting over again.  And while I would still not be considered a runner in most categories, in the last few weeks I have been noticeably gaining some traction.  My stamina and endurance have improved.  I have even been able to stay focused on the path ahead without getting sidetracked by soreness and fatigue.

The unseasonably cool weather has probably helped as well as a new pair of running shoes.  But what has made the most difference is the nourishment my body has been getting.  For the first time in my life, I am drinking more water (prior post link) to the point where my calves are no longer cramping up from dehydration.  The caffeine has been removed from my diet as well as most carbs and sweets.  And although this lifestyle change may not be completely permanent, it has been amazing to see the difference in how my body can perform when it is getting all the right nutrients (and not so much of the bad ones).

And regardless of whether you consider yourself a runner or more of a “want to be” runner like me, as followers of Christ we all have a race to run and we need to be gaining some traction.  A wonderful scripture about our race can be found in Hebrews 12:1-2.

Hebrews12,1,2

In the race of our lives, we are called to run with endurance while keeping our eyes on Jesus.  And we are given the assurance that He will provide us with His faith that will move us from the start to the finish line.

This race is about staying on the obedient course that Jesus has so lovingly laid out for us, letting go of the distractions of sin, allowing His precious love to shine through us in our words and actions, helping and sharing with others along the way, building endurance and allowing our faith to grow through the times we stumble and even fall, and the whole time keeping our our eyes fixed on our Savior.  This is the very definition of moving from chaos to Christ.

This shouldn’t be confused with the chaos of the rat race, trying to finish first in our society through worldly success.  There is no real prize at the end of that race.  In fact, it is futile.  I Corinthians 9:26 warns about that race”So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.”

So how can we gain some traction in the race of life?  Just like our bodies perform better getting the right nourishment, it is important for us to continually fill our hearts and minds with the words of God through time spent in prayer and Bible Study.  It is only then that we will really be able to keep our focus firmly on Christ.  He will help diminish the distractions of sin.  He will keep us from continually looking backward at our past mistakes and disappointments by providing forgiveness and mercy and instead, allow us to move forward with His strength, His endurance.

I pray that in this important race – the very race of our lives – that we will look to Jesus.  That we will allow Him to continually show us the way, help us to run and not grow weary, give us compassion to help others along the journey, and finish the course strong.  It is time for us all to get on our running shoes, lace up, and get moving!!  Look forward to seeing you out on the course!

 

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The Highlight Reel

Posted on July 25, 2014 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

 

Highlight Reel2

The story of Mary and Martha found in the Bible is one that I have always been drawn to.  Generally, the way this story is viewed is that Martha was the wayward one and Mary was the one making good choices.  But I always feel bad for Martha because I can SO relate to her.  Perhaps we could show her a little grace.  I mean, couldn’t it have been that on the particular few hours chronicled in Luke 10:38-42, Martha was just having a bad day?

Martha had great intentions.  She was working for Jesus.  Busily cooking and preparing a meal for the wonderful Savior that had come to visit.  I bet she was cleaning and straightening up everything around her as well.  She was working hard to make sure everything was perfect.  And these were her gifts.  She took great pleasure in hosting others (I’m assuming a little here).  And this time the stakes were even higher – Jesus was in her home.

But as she was working, she began to feel anger and even jealousy perhaps towards lazy Mary who was just sitting there (I added in the word lazy).  Granted, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Listening to His words, learning from Him, expressing a sincere desire to understand.  Mary did make the right choice.  Mary was having a good day, actually a great day! Perhaps Martha was seeing an image that day from Mary’s highlight reel.  And this comparison caused Martha not only to be a little jealous, it caused her to lose her joy.

Do you ever feel a little jealous and perhaps lose your joy when comparing yourself to others?  As much as I love to communicate through social media it definitely has its drawbacks.  Facebook, twitter, Instagram all reflect images from others highlight reels.  Pictures that display each of us in the best possible light.  Perhaps while on vacation or surrounded by the best of friends.  Always appearing happy, usually on our best hair days, wearing nice clothes, and everything is going great for us.

The truth is, most of what really goes on in our lives behind the scenes, in our homes, and in our hearts usually is never known through our highlight reels.  Theodore Roosevelt once said that “Comparison is the thief of joy”.  He was so right.  When we start to compare ourselves to others, joy can be the first thing to go.

Comparison

And when we are focused on others, it causes us to lose our focus on Christ. Think about it, here was Martha with Jesus in her very presence and all she could think about was Mary.

Perhaps like me you can also relate to Martha’s busyness. There are days when I am working hard for Jesus but that isn’t always the right choice.  Sometimes He calls us to be still and listen for His direction. And sometimes being still is hard to do.  There are moments in our lives (that definitely don’t make our highlight reel) when deep down we know exactly what God is calling us to do or not do and we don’t make the right choice.  Perhaps like Martha we need a little grace.

My prayer is that we stop comparing ourselves to those around us and instead look upward, keeping our focus on Christ, and allow Him to direct our steps. In that, there is pure joy!

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