An Open Letter for the First Day of School

I usually start my blog with a scripture, but not today. And it's probably a little more than a #60seconddevo. See, I don't have a single verse today. Today's blog is an open letter--specifically to my daughter, but also to all students who start school tomorrow, whether it's pre-K or, like Chloe, your senior year of high school.

So here we go. Some things I'd like to tell you:

Remember who you are. My grandmother admonished my dad with that phrase when he was young. Dad admonished my older siblings and me. I have admonished you and your brother. You are, first and foremost, a child of the King. You belong to Him, and you represent Him. "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17) You also represent your father and me (and yes, your Mo and Papaw, even though they're no longer with us). You are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Find joy this year. "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22) Remember God is always good. Always. You may have days in which you don't think you have any reason to be happy or joyful. Make it a point to count your blessings on those days. I promise you'll find some reasons to be happy. Because God is always good.

Don't forget how incredible you are. Not because you're pretty or smart (although I believe you are both of those and more). No, you're incredible just by virtue of being a creation of the true and living God. Remember, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14) You are an amazing young woman, and you need to remember that.

Always be kind. I know you've had friends in the recent past who've turned out not to be friends at all. One of the people you believed you could count on told lies about you. Some of your friends ghosted you after that. Turned out not to be loyal. Don't let those people make you bitter. Don't let your experiences make you distrustful. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience ..." (Colossians 3:12) Treat others--all others--the way you want to be treated (Matthew 7:12), no matter how others may treat you.

Suck it up. I know. You hate it when I say that. But sometimes, no matter how hard you work, in spite of doing everything right, people and situations and life in general will knock you down. And you have a choice. You can stay down and get trampled. Or you can get up and keep going. You are stronger than you think, but there is One even stronger, and He holds you in His hands. "You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance." (Psalm 32:7) He will help you.

Pray. All the time. No power on earth is stronger than the power of a sincere conversation with God. Praise Him in your victories, thank Him for your blessings, cry out to Him when you're hurting. "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:13-16) Just pray.

Make new friends. Everyone needs friends. "And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) And you never know; you may be the person who saves someone else's life ... just by being a friend.

Listen to your parents. I'll tell you a little secret: I know stuff. Doesn't mean I'm smarter than you are, but the simple number of my years means I've experienced things you have not. "A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke." (Proverbs 13:1) If you listen to me, I may be able to save you from mistakes or heartache.

And finally, my sweet girl, be brave. God is always with you. He loves you even more than I do. And with Him, you can be a warrior. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i]against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;     we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39) Be brave.

I Put My Trust in Him

"When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you." (Psalm 56:3)

You might have noticed I've been a little slack in blogging for about the past week. I've been a little stressed about a couple of things. That's not a good reason, but it's my excuse.

Anyway, stress aside, I'm generally a positive, upbeat person. In the face of problems, I look for silver linings. It's just who I am. So in the midst of busyness and stress and concerns about a million different things, I got up this morning, ready to start my day. Normally, I work from home on Fridays, but I'm working on a particular project, and I needed to get some things done at the office. I wasn't totally happy about it--I do love my Fridays working from home, often in my pajamas.

And honestly, I had a lot of things on my mind and on my heart, including my husband. You see, he woke up with the right side of his face paralyzed. Now I'm not the kind to panic. so we talked about our options. He already had an appointment with a dermatologist, but we debated him going to our primary care to see if they could work him in. He decided to stick with the dermatologist. I told him to call me as soon as he saw the doctor.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the office was our prayer wall. And on the whiteboard where our sweet "Office Mom" writes scriptures ... "When I am _________, I put my trust in Him." I stopped where I was and pulled up the Bible app on my phone to look it up.

Long story short, my husband called. The doctor was sending him to the ER. We still don't have all the answers about what's going on with him, but all day--from the time I saw the passage on that board, all the way up to right now when I'm listening to the live stream of the Westside church of Christ's Youth Lectures--that verse has stayed with me. It's brought me peace and comfort. It's reassured me. It's reminded me Who is in control and that I don't have to worry about everything.

And silver linings? Well, I have two kids who stepped up to the plate and took care of some things I usually handle. The MRI ruled out a stroke. Through the marvels of modern technology, I'm able to watch and listen to the Youth Lectures, which is one of my favorite events of the year. And finally, if I hadn't had a big project at the office, I wouldn't have had that scripture smack me in the face. And I wouldn't have gone outside and seen that picture right down there, the clouds above my neighbor's house reflecting the sunrise.

God is good. All the time.

Always Yes in Christ

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes." (2 Corinthians 1:19)

I intended to write a completely different blog. Had it all planned in my head. But when I went to copy the verse I had in mind from the Bible site I use, this verse spoke to me.

I'm not much of a planner. And when I do make plans ... say, for a specific blog, I sometimes change them. I change my mind. I know I'm not the only one. I know a certain teenage girl who changes her plans and her mind on a basis that might be dizzying to lesser parents. (I'm kidding; it makes me dizzy, too.)

So isn't it reassuring to know in Christ, the answer is yes? Not maybe. Not I've-changed-my-mind-today. But yes.

I know a lot of people fall into the mistake of believing God is some genie who'll grant your wishes. The prosperity gospel, as it were. But asking for wealth, for material things (not necessities, mind you) isn't what God's yes is for.

BUT ... when we come to Him asking for forgiveness, for salvation, for peace, comfort, wisdom--anything we ask according to His will--the answer is, and will always be YES.

Because God wants to forgive me. He wants me to have peace and comfort. He definitely wants me to have wisdom. And salvation? He wants me to be saved so much He gave His son to die in my place.

So the next time you change your plans, stop. Take a few minutes to thank God for His steadfast love and mercy.

Worship Matters

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Have you ever wondered about that phrase "acceptable worship?" Sometimes I see things that make me question the world's definition of worship.

The dictionary defines worship in two ways. First, as a noun, meaning the feeling or expression of reverence or adoration for a deity. Second, it's defined as a verb, meaning to show reverence and adoration for a deity, or to honor with religious rites.

Nowhere in either of those definitions did I see I, me, or my. In other words, worship isn't about me. It's about God. The Father. The Son. The Spirit.

I hear a lot these days about the reasons young people are leaving the faith. I read articles about all the things churches need to do to attract and keep people. I've seen churches that offer every kind of entertainment imaginable. I know people who complain about not getting anything out of going to church.

But honestly? God never told us it was for our pleasure or entertainment, did He? He demanded man worship Him, and He demanded that worship be according to His desires, His rules, not ours. Don't get me wrong. I take great pleasure and joy in worshiping God. But I also believe the congregation I belong to follows the Bible in our ways of worship.

I mean, shouldn't we learn something from Leviticus 10? Was it really "strange fire" that caused the deaths of Nadab and Abihu? Or was it, perhaps, the disobedience represented by that strange fire? Was it because they didn't follow the Lord's directions for worship?

And shouldn't that give us all pause? Shouldn't it make us question if our worship is pleasing to God ... or only pleasing to us?

Worship matters. The Who and the how. And we should pray we're always doing it in the way God's word shows us, whether through direct commandment or inferred by example.

Is our worship for us? Or for God?

It matters.

Barricades and Confidence

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

I want you to use your imagination for a minute.

Imagine you're visiting Washington D.C. You want to go visit the president of the United States. You mosey on up to the fence, hop over, and head on up for a little chat with the man in the Oval Office. And then you find yourself face down on the White House lawn with a mouthful of grass and the knee of a Secret Service agent in your back.

New scenario.

You're in London, and you want to see if Queen Elizabeth is as gracious as she seems. Again, you wander on up to the gate and slip past those guards. Now bear with me, because I've never been to London, so I don't know exactly what would happen. I'm pretty sure, however, you'd end up face down again, just like you did on the White House lawn.

The thing is, your reason for wanting to see the POTUS or the queen doesn't matter. Those security guys don't care. They're going to tackle first and ask questions later. And oh, boy, are they going to have questions. And even if they frisk you and search you and question you for hours, and they determine you're harmless, guess what.

They're still not letting you in.

Now imagine going before the throne of God. You just ... walk right in. You sit down at His feet. You tell Him how thankful you are for all the blessings He's given you. You pour out your heart to Him. Your worries, your cares, your fears. And then the security guards come and drag you out of ...

No. Nobody comes to take you away. He listens. He takes every word you've spoken into His heart. There are no guards. No barricades. Not even a fancy velvet rope to keep you away.

No, the only thing keeping you from approaching God on His throne ... is you.

What's stopping you?

Mirror, Mirror

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Am I the only person who believes that verse should be inscribed on every mirror sold? At the top of every page in fashion magazines? Tagged as a disclaimer to every YouTube makeup tutorial?

Because let's be honest: we live in a world consumed with physical appearances. Oh, I realize beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. For example, my husband thinks I'm gorgeous. I think he should have his eyes checked. Seriously, I appreciate his affection, but I also know it's not only my appearance he loves.

Oh, how I wish we could convince young people how much more important the heart is than that image they see in a mirror. 

In a world obsessed with beauty (and who determines that, anyway?), it's almost impossible to convince young people of this truth. But I believe we, as parents, aunts, uncles, mentors, teachers, and even friends, must continue to reinforce it. 

Just this evening at dinner, my family and I were discussing (okay, there might have been some arguing going on, too) this very topic. We talked about how the media pushes certain images, telling us that's how we should look. Wear those clothes, that hairstyle, that makeup--even perfumes and colognes imply wearing them will make us more appealing, more attractive--dare I say it? Sexier.

So here's a question for any young person who might be reading this: Why are you listening to a group of people who are, for the most part, amoral? Godless. Self-absorbed. Concerned only with selling. Selling clothes, hair products, makeup, fragrance, more magazines. Selling to you. They don't care about you, only the contents of your wallet.

How about, instead, listening to God's word? How about understanding--and believing--your heart is the one thing, the only thing that matters to God?

And at the risk of sounding naive, I've always believed when you make the inside beautiful, the outside disappears. So the next time you look in the mirror, ask yourself what God sees?

When Kindness isn't Enough

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

Did you know the word compassion appears 56 times in the Bible? Kindness appears 29. I believe if you ask people what one of the most important things we can teach our children is, a large number would say either or both of those. Kindness and compassion.

But what if kindness isn't enough?

We live in a world in which the word bully can be heard every day. In the news, in social media, in conversations. Unfortunately, we also live in a world in which bullying is pretty easy.

When I was a kid, being bullied meant somebody pushed you on the playground. Took your lunch money. Cut in line. That kind of thing. As I got older, I realized bullying can also take the form of words.

Remember that old saw, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me?"

Wow, was there ever a bigger falsehood taught to children? It outstrips Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Boogie Man all together, doesn't it?

Words hurt. And I've also seen where the absence of words hurts. Have you ever seen a group of teenage girls exclude or ignore one of their peers? It hurts.

So while we're teaching kindness and compassion, why don't we teach our children to stand up? To speak out. To include.

The thing about this particular topic that truly saddens me is that I see a lot of exclusion among Christians. I realize we all gravitate toward people with whom we have things in common. But our love for Christ should unite us above all other bonds.

As a parent, this topic is kind of near and dear to me. I've seen young people excluded and ignored by their Christian friends. And this was really brought home to me this weekend when I picked my child up after a week of ... not summer camp with other young Christians, but rather a week spent with about 600 other young ladies--all races, religions, cultures, and walks of life--learning about our government, citizenship, and leadership. But in addition to those things, my daughter told me repeatedly how encouraging, uplifting, and empowering those other young ladies all were to each other.

Shouldn't we be able to say that after spending time with our fellow Christians? So while we're teaching kindness and compassion, let's take it a step further and teach our children to stand up in the face of unkindness. Teach them that kindness and compassion is inclusive to everyone, not just the people they like. Kindness and compassion is strong. It's brave.

And if it isn't all those things, it's not enough.