The Well, Wise Men, and Anger

"What's down in the well, comes up in the bucket." 

This saying pops into my head more often that I'd like to admit. I usually hear it after I have behaved badly.

A few weeks ago I was feeling pretty angry. OKAY out of body experience angry. I was quite certain my anger was justified. So... I  let my husband and son have it. And..they took it. Not a word came back to me in the heat of my moment. 

Wise men. Two very wise men. 

I was looking for a fight and I didn't get it. I was MAD. I had reason to be "mildly annoyed" BUT my reaction was sinful (and definitely overblown).

Anger is a signal something is wrong and it needs to be fixed. 

Anger, a God-given emotion, is the emotion that identifies a problem. It is a very poor solution to an issue. In fact, I wonder when my outbursts have ever made something better. (Never) They make it worse. 

I've heard people say, "God gets angry. Jesus got mad." Well..true but I know I can't put my temper into the same category as the Lord's. My anger most often isn't righteous anger on behalf of a Holy God or another person. My anger tends to be motivated by feelings of offense or injustice toward one person... ME.  

I must begin with responding not reacting. 

I need to start with a description of the problem and then provide a possible solution; rather than react with big emotion that actually clouds the problem. Isn't it better to get to the solution side of an issue instead of blow off some steam? Yes, is the answer. 

I have to reap the consequences of my angry actions. 

So yes, I did apologize and ask for forgiveness. I do plan on not sinning in my anger. I am praying for a filling of good things in  my "well."

And... my two Wise Men have turned into the two Wise Guys. I am enduring some well deserved teasing which will morph into a favorite family story at some point. My outburst will go down in infamy.

HA. HA. HA. 

In your anger do not sin. 

Ephesians 4:26

Pack a PUNCH!

It's Martin Luther King, Jr Day today.  His life was focused, dedicated to making his dream of equality for all a reality.

What dreams do you have for your child? Do you desire that he would honor the Lord with his behavior? Are you hoping she grows her relationship with Jesus?

MLK could tell you prayer, persistence, and perseverance are the ingredients called for when fighting a spiritual battle against God's enemy.

Faith, hope, and love are the things I need before stepping into the battle. Then I'm ready to don the full armor of God. And like Abram in Genesis 14, I rally a few trained men and allies.

If you are in a spiritual battle, fighting for your kid's souls- pray, persist, and persevere. Have faith and hope to step into the war knowing that love never fails. Put on that armor and enlist the help of  your allies.

In the Christian community it can be hard to admit your child has walked away from the Lord. I believe that is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants you to keep this under wraps. Move past any fear and ask for help. (People that judge your situation are not the ones you want praying anyway.)

The adversary knows once the concern is spoken the power of secrecy is broken! 

NOW the troops are free to assemble and storm the gates. Trust God and trust in His power and strength as you move forward in faith to fight for your kids.

Prayer, persistence, and perseverance are called for when you are in a spiritual battle against God's enemy for your child's soul. Start PUNCHING!

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can  take your stand against the devil's schemes. 

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, 

against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 

Ephesians 6:11-12

Who are your allies? Who are the people that will stand with you, pray with you, and fight with you? When you grow weary, who will be your Aaron and Hur-the ones who will hold you up and stay by your side?

Forgive and Live

Friends, 

January 20 is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. My guest blogger is author Dianne E. Butts. She has interviewed many women (and men) who have experienced an unplanned pregnancy and chosen to abort. Dianne has a great heart for people in this situation. Even if you have not directly experienced abortion, you most likely know someone who has. Dianne's words provide hope and healing for those personally affected and perspective for those indirectly touched.

Blessings to all,

~Lori

January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two decisions which would change the course of United States history as well as tens of millions of lives. Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton legalized abortion on demand. Since then more than 54 million abortions have occurred in the United States. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated the Sunday in January closest to January 22 as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. This year, January 20, 2013, is the 40^th anniversary of these Supreme Court decisions.

On this day or upon hearing these statistics, many people think of the lives lost to abortion. But I also think of all the other lives touched by it. Not only millions of women, but men, parents, grandparents, families, and society as a whole have been affected.

When we start talking about abortion statistics or Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, I can almost feel these women and men cringing. Some are crying inside. Some are running. Many are secretly suffering in silence, knowing and regretting the choice they made.  I want to speak not only to those who are secretly hurting but to everyone else reading this.

While writing my book, Deliver Me, about unplanned pregnancy, I worked with many women and men who shared their stories. The one statement I heard repeatedly was, “I thought I had committed the unforgiveable sin.”

There is only one unforgiveable sin...and abortion is not it.

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 

To women who have experienced abortion: this is not the unforgiveable sin. God loves you. He will forgive you if you only turn to Him and ask. Many men also feel the burden of unforgiven sin. Whether or not he was involved in the decision, he often harbors regrets that he did not take a stronger stand or left the decision to her to make alone. To you I say, God loves you, too. And... He will forgive you if you only turn to Him and ask.

The only unforgiveable sin is to reject the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Most people seem to think some sins are worse than others.

Some think the sin of abortion is worse than most other sins. But the truth is all sins carry the same level of punishment: death. Another truth is we each are guilty of something. Equally true is that God is willing to forgive every sin when it is recognized, confessed, and turned from. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

To those who have not experienced abortion, if you harbor anger toward those who have you need to do some work with the Lord God. I once spoke with a man who appeared very self-righteous, hanging on to his anger toward his mother whom he learned had aborted his sibling. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

As you contemplate the meaning of these verses, it is my hope and prayer that you will let go of past sin, confess it, and ask God for forgiveness, so you can move forward into a new life with Jesus Christ as Savior.

May you find Life on this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.

For you, O Lord, have delivered me. …

You delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.*

(*Dianne’s paraphrase of the Scripture that inspired the title of her book,

Deliver Me, Psalm 116: 8-9.)

Dianne E. Butts is the author of Deliver Me: Hope, Help, & Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy (Connections Press). This book won Book of the Year (Family/Relationships) from Christian Small Publishers Association. Her other books include Grandparenting Through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Challenges to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ and Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus. For more information go to www.DianneEButts.com or www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com

Not a Snot

"Our Father 

Who art in heaven,

 Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

Lead a snot into temptation..."

What? Yep... as a child, that's how Lynn, a friend of mine, prayed the Lord's prayer. In a way it makes a little sense, right?  Go ahead God! Let those snots have it! 

Our sense of fairness and justice is satisfied when the bad guys get caught and are punished. 

Our kids don't have much problem figuring out the fairness factor. That tends to make sense. But the ideas of grace and mercy are much more difficult to comprehend and extend. 

Grace and mercy. Unmerited favor, freely given combined with compassion and kindness. For example, if you (by you I really mean me) deserve a speeding ticket but get a warning instead...that is mercy. (I just got some of that mercy recently.) Or if one of my kids takes care of my typical morning routine of feeding the dog and unloading the dishwasher, I just got graced!

So..how do we help our children learn and embrace the concepts of grace and mercy? What does it look like in a family? 

Talk about it and show it.

 Grace is proactive. Showing favor-even when it isn't earned. Loving your child when he's a little snotty. Mercy responds to an offense a child committed with training rather than punishment. Rather than grounding him for life, have him restate his concern with respect. 

Of course it's important to balance grace and mercy with fairness and justice. Without justice, we can end up with cheap grace. 

Avoid tipping the scales to one side or the other. 

And..as a family pray for that "snot"and show him a little amazing grace!

"But deliver us from evil.

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever." 

Amen

  NOTE: I took this photo in Jerusalem at the Church of the Nations on the Mount of Olives. The church has the Lord's Prayer written in 170 languages! Here it is written in Ethiopian.