She's So Unusual -- or What It Looks Like When A Little Old Woman Chooses To Say 'I Want God'

In her soon-to-be-published book, 'I Want God:Forever Changed by the Revival of Your Soul' (Harvest House Publishers -- Oct. 1, 2014), author Lisa Whittle says this:

'We talk too much and pray too little. We worry too much and pray too little.’

I have to say that I TOTALLY agree with her statement. Not because I’m part of Lisa’s book launch team and have an advanced copy of ‘I Want God’ in my hot little hands to read and review -- and possibly to give away later -- and therefore, feel as though I HAVE to agree.

No. I agree because I’ve lived this in the past. And, truth be told (sad truth that it is), Lisa's words resonate with me all too well because I’m living this right now, in the present.

But believe me – I DON’T WANT TO LIVE THIS IN THE FUTURE.

Because talking too much and worrying too much is a pathetic and exhausting way to live. For a follower of Christ.  For anyone.

I took this photo of a tiny old woman who lives somewhere in my neighborhood. She’s as frail looking as a dragonfly’s wing. Her face is a mosaic of wrinkles. She walks so agonizingly slow, if she were in a race with a snail, I believe the snail would win. No contest.

And yet – EVERY DAY, this little babushka lady makes her slow and steady way to the church across from my house and stands at the gate for a good 20 minutes – and prays.

This is her time, and her sacred spot, where she meets and speaks with God on a daily basis. On hot days and cold days. On sunny days and cloudy days. She takes no notice of those who look at her as they pass by, some pointing and giggling. Some shake their heads at her, muttering sarcastic remarks.  Some actually just stop for a moment or two to stare at her, as if she were an oddity.

But really, in this day and age, in our society and through the eyes of the world – that’s exactly what she is. 

An oddity

Unusual

Old fashioned, even 

A woman who sets aside time EVERY DAY to bring her burdens to the Lord and unload them at His feet. 

A woman who doesn’t talk too much or worry too much, who doesn’t pray too little.

Some may argue that we can pray to God anywhere. We don’t have to stand in front of a church, or even inside of a church.

And yes -- I know that’s true. You and I can talk to God in the car on our way to work, to school, to the grocery store; while we’re doing laundry, jogging, walking the dog; as we soak in the tub, splash in our in-ground pool, sit at a table at Starbucks and sip our coffee, etc.

THEN FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD -- WHY AREN’T WE?

Why are so many of us wasting too much time talking and texting and worrying and woe-is-me-ing? Why are so many of us playing and platforming and pouting and posting online too much? 

And praying too little?

This little old woman could do her aging, broken and no doubt hurting body a HUGE favor by staying home and praying from the confines and comfort of her living room easy chair or from her bed.

But I love the fact that she doesn’t. 

I love the fact that she wants God enough to, every day, choose to grab her cane, step out of the comfort of her home, and hobble her way down to her outdoor meeting place, where she stands on holy ground to have some Face Time with God, caring not who sees her, or what they think of or say about her.

I want to want God like that.

I want to stop talking too much and worrying too much and praying too little.

I want to be looked upon as an oddity. Old fashioned. Unusual.

Because I want God.

How about you?

(If you are tired of wanting things that are useless, don't make sense and don't last; if you want your life to be changed; if you're wondering what all this #IWantGod stuff is all about, go on over to Lisa Whittle's website or visit and follow her author's page on Facebook and Twitter

Fear Factor

This morning, after my son had pulled out of his parking spot and drove off to work at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM, I remained standing outside on our tiny front steps, staring up at the moon. 

Even though he is almost 21, I still walk out with him, under the various guises of hanging up our decorative front porch flag, taking some early morning pics, or putting out the garbage and making sure the front door is locked. Sadly, over the past few years, our neighborhood seems to have become home to some pretty unsavory and even dangerous characters, and we’ve come to know the township police officers here on a first-name basis.

I heard a noise near our alley, and felt a chill hit me that didn’t come from the frigid morning temperatures. Literally frozen with fear, I couldn’t move. I held my breath and waited. Nothing happened. No one appeared. 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I glanced back up in the sky towards the moon, which looked to be fighting to be seen amid some clouds and the tree branches, and this verse suddenly came to mind:

In this life, we never seem to run out of things to fear, do we? Whether due to bad, past experiences (our own or even someone else’s), or because of future unknowns/uncertainties, all of us have a fear factor. 

We don't like to admit it, but we're all afraid of SOMETHING. And, for the most part, not all of us are afraid of the same things.

Some people are afraid of heights (that would be me)

Some are afraid of insects or big dogs or bats (oh my!)

Other folks are afraid of flying, of driving in snowy/icy weather or across bridges, or of public speaking (me once again)

And still others are afraid of the dark or of thunderstorms

At times, it may feel as if our fears, much like the bare, spidery tree branches in the photo above, are reaching up, entangling us and choking the light and life right out of us. 

In the midst of moments or even seasons that appear to be or truly are dark and fearful, we may think "what to do?", as a friend’s son used to say when he was very small.

The only thing you CAN do when you’re afraid: put your trust in God.

Some time ago, not long after I was handed my breast cancer diagnosis and just before I was about to be wheeled into surgery because of it, I was handed something else. Psalm 56:3

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Being a still-wet-behind-the-ears follower of Jesus and pretty much new to Scripture PERIOD (let alone its memorization), I had never heard of this verse. But, like a drowning woman, I grabbed onto it like the lifeline that it was for me (and still is), and held on for dear life!

I repeated it over and over in my head as my journey to the operating room took an unexpected detour to a ‘holding room,’ because the results of an earlier, routine (but obviously pretty important) pre-admission test had not come back yet.

I whispered the verse out loud again and again as medical personnel scurried around me, checking my vitals, making frantic phone calls to the lab for those missing in action test results, and doing their best to reassure me that everything would be fine.

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

But this verse REALLY hit home once I was finally brought into the blindingly bright and starkly sterile operating room as several folks from the surgical team lifted me off the gurney and placed me onto the hard, bare operating table, while two others each grabbed an arm of mine and stretched them out to insert more tubes and attach more wires.

It was a frightening moment for me, and a somewhat bizarre thought wormed its way into my brain. I wondered if Jesus had felt that same sickening fear overtake and overwhelm Him as the Roman soldiers stretched His arms out onto the cross? Could the Father have impressed these very words from the Psalms upon Jesus during His time of agony in the garden of Gethsemane? Did He bring them to mind as nails and hammers were poised above His hands and feet? 

Did KNOWING that He could COMPLETELY trust in His Abba bring Jesus some measure of comfort, peace and the strength to endure what was coming at that very moment?

Because they did for me. Those 9 simple words -- “When I am afraid, I will trust in You”  -- plus the realization that Jesus could relate to what I was going through (fear), supernaturally brought me to a place of peace, comfort and the strength to endure what was coming, at the same time removing that fear factor.

And just for the record: although it sounds absolutely unthinkable, outrageous, and even sacrilegious for me to compare my circumstance to Jesus’s, please know that is certainly NOT my intent here. I merely wish to share my thoughts from the moments before my surgery, and to point out that IF that small portion of Scripture had indeed invaded Jesus's thoughts that long ago Friday afternoon, I HAVE TO believe that He surely must have benefited from it as well.

I deposited that verse, securely and permanently, into my heart that day, carrying it with me as I headed off to surgery. I continued to carry it into the second surgery that came along 6 months later. It remained there through the upcoming, draining chemo treatments; through the endless, taxing tests and painful procedures that awaited down the road.

And for all the dark and scary situations and experiences that have confronted-- and continue to confront -- me and my family since then, it remains my ‘go to’ verse.

Beloved - maybe you’ve found yourself in the midst of a dark and scary situation right now:

• The loss of a loved one
• or of a job
• or of a home 
• The shattering of a marriage 
• or of a friendship
• or of a parent/child relationship 
• Or your own health or financial crisis

And that light at the end of the tunnel everyone speaks of?  It seems somewhat hazy and not very bright -- if it can be seen at all. That still, small voice of God others remind you to listen for can often barely be heard above the crashing waves and deafening claps of thunder in your life’s particular storms.

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Dear one – may I encourage you and urge you TODAY to grab hold of this verse with both hands? And don't EVER let go. Carry it close to you in the midst of fear and uncertainty; as you walk through the tunnel's darkness and maneuver the raging storms.

  

Memorize it

Meditate on it

Whisper it

Shout it

Believe it

Own it

It’s not a magical incantation. It’s a powerful statement of faith and trust in the only One Who can bring you out of darkness, shelter you in life's storms and factor out your fear. 

A Living Prayer by Alison Krauss

For I, the LORD, your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the One who helps you. ~ Isaiah 41:13, ESV

An endlessly confusing, exasperating, somewhat troubling and very tiring day.  What a lovely, unexpected gift this was, to come upon this sweet, sweet song just now!  And for me, such a beautiful way to end this day.

May its words and music bring comfort, rest, joy and peace to your mind and spirit.

In Your love I find release,
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer
My God, to Thee ~ A Living Prayer, written by Ron Block

Walking Through The Hard

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. ~ Job 2:11-13, NIV

I wanted to share something with all of you out here in the Blogosphere, and it is now my extreme honor to do so.  


Today's post focuses on how we as Christians often deal with those people in our lives who are broken, hurting, struggling and suffering.  Many on a daily basis.   Most times, since we seem to be really uncomfortable around them or are unsure what to say, we simply avoid them.  


Or sometimes, like Job's buddies, we try to pinpoint their problems with misspoken words in the hopes of 'fixing' them.  Job's friends were really off to a great start in comforting him in his time of need....until they opened their mouths.


Or perhaps -- you yourself are among the broken, the hurting, the struggling and the suffering.  And nobody really seems to understand what you're dealing with or knows what to say to you.


I did not write this.  It was written by someone else, a young woman named Rebekah Bell, who posted it on her Facebook page.  Rebekah's friend, Christi Armstrong, a Christian mom and poetry and blog writer (like many of us here), felt her friend's message was of such an important nature that she shared it on HER Facebook page, which is where I found and read it.


And after reading it, I too felt so strongly about the subject matter, that I contacted Christi and asked for her and Rebekah's permission to share it myself. 


As Christi noted when she reposted this:

"The only way things will change is if we all actually change them. Jesus went to the hurting and sat with them, where they were. He didn't sit in His comfortable life and avoid the pain others were going through. We need to start living like Jesus..." 


Amen, sister, amen!  Read on -- let Rebekah Bell's words and her heart's cry seep not only into your mind, but into your heart and soul as well.  And perhaps -- let them change you and how you see those in your life who are hurting as they attempt to walk through the hard......

To Walk Through The Hard 
by Rebekah Bell


So God is teaching me how to “walk through the hard." 

This past month has been insane.  Not just because of stuff in my universe… but because many people I love are going through genuinely "tough times".  Tough health news.  Tough relationship news.  Tough job news.  Tough times in their lives.

And what has been unusual for me is to watch Christians "dive into" these tough situations.  These situations are in different parts of the country.  Dealing with different varieties of Christians.  But the response, across the board, seems to be the same.  Well meaning followers are attempting to fix other people’s complex situations with "one size fits all" answers.

Without divulging details of anything, many of these situations are degenerating. Some involve diseases that won’t end in recovery.  Relationships that are broken in ways that would be difficult to ever fix.  Jobs that were lost because of a dying economy, making finding replacement positions immediately unlikely.  

In this, how does the church help?  Promises of prayer. Which are nice, but lonely solutions.  People sit alone in their damaged lives, while you wander off to your happier situation to pray.  Some tossed around trite scripture passages talking about "seasons" or "making things perfect in their time" or that "God has great plan for you."  Which are nice.  But like handing someone a flashlight without batteries, when faith is shaken by circumstance.

And sadly, I am not much help either.  My heart isn’t full of grand solutions.  Recently, I had to face the reality of my Grandmother’s mental condition.  First, you have to understand, my Grandmother was my rock.  She helped raise me.  More than a Grandmother, she was my friend. We chatted about school.  She taught me to drive. When times were hard, growing up, she let me sit in her house and cry (that happened a lot).  My Grandmother now seems to have developed dementia.  The person that I loved has changed into someone unpredictable.  I am watching one of the most precious relationships in my life slip away and I can’t stop it.

To help me deal, someone gave me the "it gets better" speech.  Seriously.  From this, there is no better.  The relationship that I once had is going to slip away, not get better.  

What I need is people who are willing to help me "walk through the hard."  Not tell me "look for the better."

But this is where Christians seem to "land."  Easy quotes that are supposed to make things better.  A prayer.  Pat on the head.  And you are off.  Faith bright and shiny.  Into a world with complex situations. Shouting "keep the faith" at people, from the safety of shore, as they bail water from a sinking boat.  

Why can’t we let the bad stuff be bad?  The hard stuff be hard?  Situations remain broken.  Why are we quick to stick a band aid on a broken leg and tell people that they should be able to walk around.  Where does this impulse come from?

I think that it is because faith in a loving God is threatened by unlovely circumstances.  

And that is hard to deal with.  To travel that road.  And we are generally unwilling to do it.  We pray for protection in our lives and are happily isolated from the difficulties of others.  Holding out for them pretty pictures of uncomplicated faith, rather than sitting with them in the dark places, where there aren‘t beautiful things.  

I think we fear the hard.  That is why we can’t let it be hard.  And to me, empirically, the inevitable conclusion seems to be that God is frequently unwilling to make things easy.  He lets them be hard.  

Thus, if we are to call ourselves a people of a true faith, it is time for us to embrace the presence of hard things. To seek out darkness and not run away.  To resist the urge to make the complex, less than what it truly is.  To allow the faith to exist in the dark and forbidding places of life.  Situations where "better" is unlikely.  And not abandon those who are in pain, to the pain they are feeling. 


It is time to learn to walk through the hard.


"Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15, NIV

Wholly Yours

There's an ache
Deep in my heart

A desire nothing
And no one
Can satisfy

A hunger in my soul
That can't be fed

A thirst in my spirit
That can't be quenched

An emptiness
A cavernous hole
No one
But You, Jesus, can fill

So fill me up
Quench my thirst
Feed me and put an end to my hunger
Satisfy as only You can

Comfort me
Heal me
Soothe me
Define me
Love me

I long to believe
That I am....
Wholly Yours

Rest In Your Weariness (from a "Jesus Calling" devotional)

Below  is an excerpt from the "Jesus Calling" devotional book I use during my morning prayer times. Even though it's not this day's actual devotional,  I thought it quite relevant to share here.   This morning, I am beyond weary and on the path to completely exhausted.  The past several weeks have been so busy, busy, busy, with getting things in place for my daughter's 8th grade social and my son's vocational and high school graduations.  Last night culminated in over a decade of public school education for my son, and today, I am the proud mother of a high school graduate and a high school freshman. After my son's graduation ceremony, his school had a chaperoned, locked down, all night celebration at a local college, called 'Project Graduation.' After running all day, and physically and emotionally drained, I had the task of driving him out there at 11:00 PM and picking him up this morning at 6:00. I had about 4 hours of sleep and now it's on to work.


I'm sure many of you can relate, although your circumstances are different. At one time or another, we've all been in 'that place' of weariness.  Maybe today is just that kind of day for you. So as you read the devotional below, I want you to picture yourself sitting on the front porch of a cozy cabin in a wooded area of the mountains, overlooking a beautiful, peaceful lake in the early morning.  The sun is almost up and the temperature is slightly cool.  You're in a cushioned wicker chair, wrapped in a soft, light blanket.  And you’re so very tired. Birds have begun to sing softly, there's a slight aroma of honeysuckle and lilac in the air.  You smile, because Jesus is seated in the chair right next to you.  There is no one else around.  It’s just the two of you, so His entire focus is on you as He leans forward, looks directly into your eyes, and speaks tenderly to you:

"Come to Me for rest and refreshment.  The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary.  Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.

Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different.  Start with where you are at this point in time and space, accepting that this is where I intend you to be.  You will get through today one step, one moment at a time.  Your main responsibility is to remain attentive to Me, letting Me guide you through the many choices along your pathway.

This sounds like an easy assignment, but it is not.  Your desire to live in My Presence goes against the grain of ‘the world, the flesh and the devil.’  Much of your weariness results from your constant battle against these opponents.  However, you are on the path of My choosing, so do not give up! Hope in Me, for you will again praise Me for the help of My Presence."  (Romans 8:28 {AMP}; Psalm 42:11 {NASB})

As you read and visualize yourself within this scenario, may you find Christ's comfort and healing, rest, peace and strength to bring you through the remainder of the day.

Are you looking for someone to be gentle
With your broken heart your shattered dreams
And are you searching for someone who'll be faithful
To you no matter what life brings?
Well I know the Maker of the storm the sunrise
He is both the lion and the lamb
He is strong enough to shake all earth and heaven
Yet meek enough to take me as I am.


He says come unto Me
All who are weary
And I will give you rest
Bring what hurts
Bring your scars
Bring the load that you carry
And I will give you rest ~ Nicole C. Mullen