I'm not really a plant person, and do not have a green thumb. But I have been thinking about plants lately, and how they are like people. When you have plants, you have to water them so they can live and grow. If you don't water them, water them too much, or don't water them enough, they will wither away and die. You have to make sure that you keep up with them, pay attention to them, some people talk to their plants, some use special plant food or a different kind of dirt that provides nutrients to help them thrive, some require sunlight while others grow best in the dark. Any way you look at it, it takes time and effort and intentionality to keep them from dying. Sometimes we have a special plant that ends up requiring more effort to keep alive, so we pay extra attention to it, or it has particular needs that the others don't have and we really don't want this one to die so we work really hard everyday to make sure it's thriving. Before we know it, we may notice that some of our other plants are dying. We didn't mean to forget about them, but this one plant required so much of us that we lost track of the others. It's hard to keep up with all of those plants sometimes.
Our relationships with people are very similar to plants. It takes effort and time and intentionality to keep them alive and for them to grow. Sometimes we get so caught up with one or two of our relationships that we inadvertently lose track of the others. Our lives get so busy. We have jobs and kids and parents and activities, we get distracted by life and stuff that we forget to "water" some of our plants. Life can get pretty overwhelming and the demands on our time grow and we can't even sometimes get a moment to ourselves to breathe, let alone keep up with all the people in our lives. How do some people do it, they manage to maintain several close relationships, while taking care of their families and work responsibilities, some put in several hours of volunteer hours to serve others, many have hobbies or other demands and they're being pulled in so many different directions, but somehow they manage to continue to water all of their plants. Where do they get all this water? How do they do it, keep up with so many relationships at once??
Well I have a couple thoughts about this. First of all, the single most important relationship that requires much and in turn gives us much, is our relationship with God. He's the living water that we need every day. As I mentioned in my last post, God is the one that fills our jars. When we turn to Him everyday and work on our relationship with Him, when we seek Him and His will for us, He will direct us and provide what we need to thrive. When we are thriving in this relationship, He will guide us in our other relationships. God gives us wisdom, discernment and encouragement. He expects us to use what He gives us and then give to others. How do we know this? We look at Jesus. He was in constant communion with God, taking breaks from the disciples and the crowds of people everyday to be alone and pray and nourish His relationship with God. Then, He was able to be a great friend, healer and example to all of us and He showed us the way to treat others. He got what He needed from His father, and He turned around and gave to His people. He was a man in demand! People from all over wanted a piece of this guy Jesus. They just wanted to see Him, hear Him speak, touch Him, brush by Him...anything, just to get close to Him. He was THE celebrity of all celebrities...and I'm sure He was overwhelmed trying to keep up with everyone. But He showed us how. Just read this little excerpt from John 13:
John 13:12-17 - 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
John 15 goes on to say 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
I know how hard it is to keep up with relationships with all the demands of life. I believe that if we keep our relationship with God at the center of our lives and we ask Him to, He will show us where and how to give of ourselves to others. To our spouses or significant others, to our kids and other family, to our friends and to others we don't even know yet. Our God is all about relationship. He wants us to have an incredible relationship with Him so that we can have incredible relationships with others. He will give us all we need so we can give to others. Ask Him for His living water, and you'll have plenty in your watering can to keep all those plants flourishing.
Lord I thank you for giving me so many amazing people in my life. I recognize that these people are gifts from you. The demands on my time grow continually and it can become difficult to keep watering all of these plants. It's easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of some of my relationships. It's easy to focus on one or two and then slowly lose track of others. I know that the only way I can nourish all of my relationships is to seek You first. You can give me the wisdom and discernment to know where my watering can needs to go next, and how much water to pour into each of my "plants" to keep them alive and thriving. On my own, I can't always figure out the balance, but with You and Your guidance, I can maintain and grow in the relationships You desire for me to keep. You alone are my living water, and I know I can keep returning to you for more when I feel that my can is empty. Thank for You loving me well so that I can love others well. I don't do it perfectly like You do, but I try and I need You to help me where I fail. Amen.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The jar of life...
So I've been neglecting my blog a bit lately. Not because I haven't had thoughts...I have a million of those daily and they keep me up half the night many times too. But, I seemed to have been inspired today by something my BFF said, and by some stuff in my Beth Moore bible study (Breaking Free, HIGHLY recommend this one), and by today's sermon at church. I know that I tend to ramble and sometimes I'm not sure that I can follow what I'm saying, let alone anyone reading this. So I'll try to make sense of my thoughts but I can't make any promises.
So, here's a little glimpse into my texting conversation today with the bestie: Her: "I was thinking this morning about people who don't follow and how some people seem fine without God." Me: "Seem fine...that's the key. You may seem and even think your'e fine...and then you find Jesus and realize you were so not fine."
I know a lot of people, and in fact, I WAS one of those people...who thought, "hey, I'm a good person, I try to do what's right, I'm nice to people, I give to charity...I don't really need religion, I don't really need to go to synagogue." Basically, I was saying and many people say, I'm good without God. Here's the thing...God created us to have empty spaces in our jar. Many of us think our jar is pretty full, or that if we just had [money, a spouse, a bigger house, a better car, a good job...insert just about anything here] that we'd be full! There's always just "one more thing" we "need" or "want" to have that fullness we innately desire. But God didn't have all that stuff in mind when He created us. He actually purposefully left empty spaces in our jar of life. Why? Because He knows and He wants us to know, that HE is the only thing that can truly fill us up. Beth Moore, in her video session this week, stuffed a glass vase full of things that we fill our lives with (men, money, cell phone, sports, activity stuff, a baby, etc etc). That vase looked pretty full. It seemed to be stuffed. Didn't look like you could fit anything else in there. Then she poured water in the vase and you could clearly see all those empty spaces, and now they were full. A little scripture...John 4, I won't give you the whole story, because I think you should go read it, but here's a verse, John 4:10 "Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Friends, our jars cannot be full without God. We may truly believe they're full, we may truly believe we have all we need, that we're happy and that we're "fine" without God.
It's entirely possible to go through your entire life, be on your death bed, believe that you have been "fine" and die without knowing or having known Jesus. Frankly, this just makes me sad. Because now that I know...now that I see...I know how so not fine I was before! I know how empty I truly was. I know how empty people that don't believe really are, and they may not even realize it. Now that I know...I can't even imagine my life without God. The empty spaces. The desperate wanting and seeking for something to fill them up. My heart, my life...has been changed. Truly transformed by knowing Jesus. He has given me living water and I can't get enough. I'm not saying I don't have times of feeling empty. I feel loss, I feel guilt, I feel lonely, I feel sad and I have longings in my heart. The cost of following Jesus is not easy and it will not be easy...and it will be really hard when I do finally tell my family, it's really hard now. But I know that God...is the only One that can fill all of those empty spaces, that can heal all of my brokenness. He came to bind up the brokenhearted. I can tell you that I was NOT fine before I knew Him.
Following Jesus comes at a cost and there are sacrifices to be made. It's hard to let go and let God do His work in us. I'm still learning, still failing, but still desperately want to follow Him and live in His will. I know that His will won't always match up with mine. I know that I have to TRUST Him. Completely. With everything. With everyone. Hold nothing back. If I will let Him...He will fill my jar, over and over and over. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. If I let Him. It's hard to let go and not be in control. But I know that His ways and His timing are perfect. So, one thing, one person, one empty space at a time, I'm learning and trying to trust, to let go and to let Him fill my jar of life. Only He can. Only He is meant to.
God I thank you for opening my eyes to your truth. I know that not everyone knows You. I know that there are many people walking around this earth either thinking they're fine without You, or they're seeking for something or someone or many things or many someone's that can fill up the empty spaces. I know now that You are the One, the ONLY One, that can fill up our jars. I know and I am blessed to know, that you are the living water and that I can have as much as I want, and never be thirsty again. Jesus, You are THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. I cannot imagine my life without You and I know I wasn't truly living until I knew You. I know that following You is hard...and there are times I want to push the "unfollow" button for just a time...so that I can be in control of something, someone, myself. But I truly know and believe that, having done this so many times already, that I have no business trying to fill my own jar. I may think I know what I need to fill up my jar and Lord you know how often I've tried and been wrong. You've allowed me to "unfollow" you...because You gave me free will. Jesus, I want to follow You and never push that button again. We both know on my own I'll fail. But we also both know that through You, all things are possible. Please fill my jar of life today, and every day. Remind me through Your Word, through prayer, through my Godly relationships and through my relationship with You that You gave me life and everything that I have and that I am is from You...help me to live in Your will, and to let you fill my jar! I pray in the name of Jesus! Amen.
So, here's a little glimpse into my texting conversation today with the bestie: Her: "I was thinking this morning about people who don't follow and how some people seem fine without God." Me: "Seem fine...that's the key. You may seem and even think your'e fine...and then you find Jesus and realize you were so not fine."
I know a lot of people, and in fact, I WAS one of those people...who thought, "hey, I'm a good person, I try to do what's right, I'm nice to people, I give to charity...I don't really need religion, I don't really need to go to synagogue." Basically, I was saying and many people say, I'm good without God. Here's the thing...God created us to have empty spaces in our jar. Many of us think our jar is pretty full, or that if we just had [money, a spouse, a bigger house, a better car, a good job...insert just about anything here] that we'd be full! There's always just "one more thing" we "need" or "want" to have that fullness we innately desire. But God didn't have all that stuff in mind when He created us. He actually purposefully left empty spaces in our jar of life. Why? Because He knows and He wants us to know, that HE is the only thing that can truly fill us up. Beth Moore, in her video session this week, stuffed a glass vase full of things that we fill our lives with (men, money, cell phone, sports, activity stuff, a baby, etc etc). That vase looked pretty full. It seemed to be stuffed. Didn't look like you could fit anything else in there. Then she poured water in the vase and you could clearly see all those empty spaces, and now they were full. A little scripture...John 4, I won't give you the whole story, because I think you should go read it, but here's a verse, John 4:10 "Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Friends, our jars cannot be full without God. We may truly believe they're full, we may truly believe we have all we need, that we're happy and that we're "fine" without God.
It's entirely possible to go through your entire life, be on your death bed, believe that you have been "fine" and die without knowing or having known Jesus. Frankly, this just makes me sad. Because now that I know...now that I see...I know how so not fine I was before! I know how empty I truly was. I know how empty people that don't believe really are, and they may not even realize it. Now that I know...I can't even imagine my life without God. The empty spaces. The desperate wanting and seeking for something to fill them up. My heart, my life...has been changed. Truly transformed by knowing Jesus. He has given me living water and I can't get enough. I'm not saying I don't have times of feeling empty. I feel loss, I feel guilt, I feel lonely, I feel sad and I have longings in my heart. The cost of following Jesus is not easy and it will not be easy...and it will be really hard when I do finally tell my family, it's really hard now. But I know that God...is the only One that can fill all of those empty spaces, that can heal all of my brokenness. He came to bind up the brokenhearted. I can tell you that I was NOT fine before I knew Him.
Following Jesus comes at a cost and there are sacrifices to be made. It's hard to let go and let God do His work in us. I'm still learning, still failing, but still desperately want to follow Him and live in His will. I know that His will won't always match up with mine. I know that I have to TRUST Him. Completely. With everything. With everyone. Hold nothing back. If I will let Him...He will fill my jar, over and over and over. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. If I let Him. It's hard to let go and not be in control. But I know that His ways and His timing are perfect. So, one thing, one person, one empty space at a time, I'm learning and trying to trust, to let go and to let Him fill my jar of life. Only He can. Only He is meant to.
God I thank you for opening my eyes to your truth. I know that not everyone knows You. I know that there are many people walking around this earth either thinking they're fine without You, or they're seeking for something or someone or many things or many someone's that can fill up the empty spaces. I know now that You are the One, the ONLY One, that can fill up our jars. I know and I am blessed to know, that you are the living water and that I can have as much as I want, and never be thirsty again. Jesus, You are THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. I cannot imagine my life without You and I know I wasn't truly living until I knew You. I know that following You is hard...and there are times I want to push the "unfollow" button for just a time...so that I can be in control of something, someone, myself. But I truly know and believe that, having done this so many times already, that I have no business trying to fill my own jar. I may think I know what I need to fill up my jar and Lord you know how often I've tried and been wrong. You've allowed me to "unfollow" you...because You gave me free will. Jesus, I want to follow You and never push that button again. We both know on my own I'll fail. But we also both know that through You, all things are possible. Please fill my jar of life today, and every day. Remind me through Your Word, through prayer, through my Godly relationships and through my relationship with You that You gave me life and everything that I have and that I am is from You...help me to live in Your will, and to let you fill my jar! I pray in the name of Jesus! Amen.
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