I'm a cook at heart, so when I heard this analogy today I loved it and it really 'hit home with me' . . . I wanted to share it with you.
An egg is really pretty to look at, it is smooth, perfectly oblong and bright white! But, the best part is that there is something really yummy inside when you crack it open. Once you crack open the egg to reveal the white and yolk there are so many more things the egg can be used for, souffles, cakes, omelets. We are very much like that egg. We are perfect and all made up on the outside, there is nothing wrong with us. But, many times God (like the chef) needs to crack us (the egg) open to reveal what is really inside-the best part! Once we are cracked open there are so many more things we can be used for. Unfortunately, being cracked open is the hardest part and it usually is through trial and pain. But don't let the pain overcome or overshadow all the yummy things God can use you for, let the chef create his masterpiece in and with you.
Since Easter just past, I found myself sad when I had to throw away the Easter eggs my son had made-over 2 weeks ago! As I threw them in the trash I remember thinking,"Too bad, these beautiful eggs have to go to waste and we could not eat them." The eggs did serve a purpose, which was to be admired on the table top display and to be hidden on Easter day, but they truly were not used for their 'real' purpose which was to make scrambled eggs for breakfast or some other wonderful dish. I find it funny that I have never before found myself sad when throwing out egg shells, maybe that's because they were used.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Needing a Miracle?
Good Morning!
I want to share with you one of my quiet time moments I had yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was reading about Naaman's Healing of His Leprosy, 2 Kings chapter 5. It wasn't a very exciting story, maybe even a little on the boring side at first. Sometimes, I find myself feeling a little guilty when reading about miracles in the Bible because I don't get really excited, I almost speed read through them because I know the ending. The drama behind the story is ruined because I know how the story ends-their healed! But, yesterday this story had a twist which caught me off guard, I even laughed out loud!
Let me set the story up for you. This man (Naaman, he's a big wig) who doesn't even believe in the God of Isreal (Naaman believed in a different god) is told by his wife's servant to go ask Elisha (a prophet of God) for healing of his Leprosy. Well, Naaman goes to Elisha's house with chariots and horses (he's a big wig, remember) and knocks on the door. Elisha just sends out a messanger to tell Naaman to go to the Jordan river and wash your body seven times and you'll be healed. This is the funny part...Naaman gets really mad. He says, "I thought you would surely come out to me....call on the name of the Lord, wave your hands over the spots on my body and cure me."
I think this is so funny because my reaction would probably be similar to Naaman's. "What! No waving of the hands over my body, no special songs or words, just a note to take a bath?" Naaman pretty much says, "What is so special about your water, I could take a bath at home," and he leaves mad! Doesn't that just sound like a 21st century American, a.k.a "Do it now", "instant gratification", "my way or the highway." And that's exactly what Naaman did, he hit the highway on his high horses and fancy chariots back home.
Of course there is more to the story and you'll have to read it to find out the ending, I'm not giving it away. But, what dawned on me is how we expect God to do things our way-even how He performs his miracles. I remember as a kid praying and when I finished I would peek my eyes open as if the shiny pink bike I prayed for would be sitting in front of me. Sometimes God wants us to get off our high horses and go bathe in the river to be miracously healed. Other times it may be a long road we must travel with plenty of rest stops that give us opportunities to pull off the road to meet Him along the way. No matter how you get there, I pray that whatever miracle you need in your life happens.
I want to share with you one of my quiet time moments I had yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was reading about Naaman's Healing of His Leprosy, 2 Kings chapter 5. It wasn't a very exciting story, maybe even a little on the boring side at first. Sometimes, I find myself feeling a little guilty when reading about miracles in the Bible because I don't get really excited, I almost speed read through them because I know the ending. The drama behind the story is ruined because I know how the story ends-their healed! But, yesterday this story had a twist which caught me off guard, I even laughed out loud!
Let me set the story up for you. This man (Naaman, he's a big wig) who doesn't even believe in the God of Isreal (Naaman believed in a different god) is told by his wife's servant to go ask Elisha (a prophet of God) for healing of his Leprosy. Well, Naaman goes to Elisha's house with chariots and horses (he's a big wig, remember) and knocks on the door. Elisha just sends out a messanger to tell Naaman to go to the Jordan river and wash your body seven times and you'll be healed. This is the funny part...Naaman gets really mad. He says, "I thought you would surely come out to me....call on the name of the Lord, wave your hands over the spots on my body and cure me."
I think this is so funny because my reaction would probably be similar to Naaman's. "What! No waving of the hands over my body, no special songs or words, just a note to take a bath?" Naaman pretty much says, "What is so special about your water, I could take a bath at home," and he leaves mad! Doesn't that just sound like a 21st century American, a.k.a "Do it now", "instant gratification", "my way or the highway." And that's exactly what Naaman did, he hit the highway on his high horses and fancy chariots back home.
Of course there is more to the story and you'll have to read it to find out the ending, I'm not giving it away. But, what dawned on me is how we expect God to do things our way-even how He performs his miracles. I remember as a kid praying and when I finished I would peek my eyes open as if the shiny pink bike I prayed for would be sitting in front of me. Sometimes God wants us to get off our high horses and go bathe in the river to be miracously healed. Other times it may be a long road we must travel with plenty of rest stops that give us opportunities to pull off the road to meet Him along the way. No matter how you get there, I pray that whatever miracle you need in your life happens.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Welcome to Uplift Women
Welcome!
As I'm sitting in my bed thinking about writing my first blog entry, I start to reminisce about so many things in my life-you might call it the good, the bad and the ugly. I have always found it ironic that as soon as I start to remember good things that somehow, someway a bad moment pops in my mind to to deter me or get me off track from thinking about the good moments. Suddenly, I find myself dwelling on the bad moment. Does that happen to you?
My husband and I took a fantastic trip to Germany a few years ago and as I'm remembering back to the beautiful buildings, wonderful dinners we had, BAM! out of nowhere a flashback to that one bad argument we had flashes into my mind. Suddenly, I'm in a negative mood and thinking about how perfect the trip would have been if that one argument had not occurred. How did that happen? How was I thinking about something so wonderful, and then 2 seconds later, my thoughts are sabotaged?
Well, this Sunday I finally got the answer to my question and I felt so relieved because I also found a way to counteract it. Do you want me to tell you how to remedy the negative?
Okay, it's THANKSGIVING! Is that simple or what! Here's how I use thanksgiving, but try it for yourself today! I have found it to be a very powerful tool God has given us.
Yesterday, we had an open house because we are trying to sell our home via FSBO. It was dead, not a car drove by and it had already been 45 minutes into the open house. My husband and I started getting some negative thoughts and really started to second guess some decisions we had made. At that moment, we decided to pray and give THANKSGIVING a shot! We stood in the kitchen and prayed, "Lord thank you for the beautiful day, it is gorgeous outside. The rain from yesterday went away and it is the perfect day for an open house-thank you. Thank you for my mom watching our son last night and giving us a much needed date night. It was wonderful to relax and enjoy the evening and each other's company. Thank you for your word and the message that I needed so desperately to hear today. Thank you for this home! Thank you for giving us a roof over our heads and .... we prayed for maybe three minutes and then suddenly there was a "Helloooo, . . . " Oh, someone is at our door! My husband and I looked at each other in astonishment and laughed out loud! "Lord, you are so good," I whispered to myself. From that moment on our open house was flooded with people. It never slowed down and we extended it for another hour. Did we sell the house that day-no! But, I gave thanks that it was a good open house, we meet so many wonderful people, time went by quickly, we got some real interest in the house as well as some great feedback.
So today, I give thanks that you are here at upliftwomen.org! I'm thankful that you are reading this blog entry. I'm so thankful that the experiences I and many of the women on this site have had may help and encourage you today. I'm thankful that our experiences have made us stronger, more courageous and closer to the Lord. I'm thankful that God is using me and I am thankful that he is using you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord for I'm alive today!
Other sources on thanksgiving
As I'm sitting in my bed thinking about writing my first blog entry, I start to reminisce about so many things in my life-you might call it the good, the bad and the ugly. I have always found it ironic that as soon as I start to remember good things that somehow, someway a bad moment pops in my mind to to deter me or get me off track from thinking about the good moments. Suddenly, I find myself dwelling on the bad moment. Does that happen to you?
My husband and I took a fantastic trip to Germany a few years ago and as I'm remembering back to the beautiful buildings, wonderful dinners we had, BAM! out of nowhere a flashback to that one bad argument we had flashes into my mind. Suddenly, I'm in a negative mood and thinking about how perfect the trip would have been if that one argument had not occurred. How did that happen? How was I thinking about something so wonderful, and then 2 seconds later, my thoughts are sabotaged?
Well, this Sunday I finally got the answer to my question and I felt so relieved because I also found a way to counteract it. Do you want me to tell you how to remedy the negative?
Okay, it's THANKSGIVING! Is that simple or what! Here's how I use thanksgiving, but try it for yourself today! I have found it to be a very powerful tool God has given us.
Yesterday, we had an open house because we are trying to sell our home via FSBO. It was dead, not a car drove by and it had already been 45 minutes into the open house. My husband and I started getting some negative thoughts and really started to second guess some decisions we had made. At that moment, we decided to pray and give THANKSGIVING a shot! We stood in the kitchen and prayed, "Lord thank you for the beautiful day, it is gorgeous outside. The rain from yesterday went away and it is the perfect day for an open house-thank you. Thank you for my mom watching our son last night and giving us a much needed date night. It was wonderful to relax and enjoy the evening and each other's company. Thank you for your word and the message that I needed so desperately to hear today. Thank you for this home! Thank you for giving us a roof over our heads and .... we prayed for maybe three minutes and then suddenly there was a "Helloooo, . . . " Oh, someone is at our door! My husband and I looked at each other in astonishment and laughed out loud! "Lord, you are so good," I whispered to myself. From that moment on our open house was flooded with people. It never slowed down and we extended it for another hour. Did we sell the house that day-no! But, I gave thanks that it was a good open house, we meet so many wonderful people, time went by quickly, we got some real interest in the house as well as some great feedback.
So today, I give thanks that you are here at upliftwomen.org! I'm thankful that you are reading this blog entry. I'm so thankful that the experiences I and many of the women on this site have had may help and encourage you today. I'm thankful that our experiences have made us stronger, more courageous and closer to the Lord. I'm thankful that God is using me and I am thankful that he is using you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord for I'm alive today!
Other sources on thanksgiving
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