Inspired

Trainer Bob, Me, My Davenport-grown friend & her husband

When has the humble service of a fellow believer inspired you?

This question was posed to me in a Bible study I am doing with some friends. At first, it was difficult for me to think of an answer on the spot. I wrote down a time that the service of a fellow believer humbled me, but I couldn’t really pinpoint a time where it inspired me… until I really listened to my heart.

Maybe this question had me thinking among the greats of Mother Theresa and Jim Eliot. And with the recent read of Kisses from Katie, there is no doubt that Katie Davis' servant heart is inspirational. These are people who make a huge difference in our world, inspiring the many who inevitably notice the way they imitate Christ. My mind drifted to family and church members, thinking about those people who serve on a regular basis, making it appear like a natural part of life. While there are likely many people who have inspired me with their example to serve, my heart is stuck on a servant who could easily be overlooked.

All week, I’ve been thinking about my accomplishment of completing the Bix this past weekend. Over 15,000 people participated in this 7-mile race. It was crazy packed leaving my friends and me weaving in and out of people from start to finish. But it was an experience I will not soon forget. I am thankful that my Davenport-grown-moved-to-Plainfield friend put the bug in my ear for this goal. And we did it… with a time I’m pretty happy with, too.

Having this run on the calendar gave me a goal. I printed off a running schedule and, for the most part, stuck with it. While it was lonely training by myself throughout the week, there were friends who would be running the race with me and that kept me going. Better yet, my friend and trainer, Bob, was a person I could hit up for advice on what to do from week to week. He was continually checking in on me to make certain I would be ready for the hills I would face at the end of July. Trainer Bob woke up at 5am on more than one Saturday to take my friend, Stacy, and I out for hill training. Not only did he plan the workout and get up before it was necessary on the one day he could sleep in, but he always had ice cold water and Gatorade on hand for us as well.

This isn’t the first time Bob has pushed me to a healthy lifestyle. Just this past spring, he led “boot camp” at our church out of the goodness of his heart. He likes to inspire people to push themselves to new levels. While I wasn’t able to participate in the running group he organized last fall (due to a broken toe), I won’t be missing it this year.

Even now, in this post-race week, Bob has been pushing me. When I voiced my desire to lay off the miles for a few days, Trainer Bob was there to encourage me with a specific goal. (Two 3-mile runs down, Bob, one to go!) What amazes me is that he could be somewhere training people and getting paid for his time and energy. At Southfield, however, Bob has been giving with no expectation of anything in return.  Anything that is, except for healthy people alongside him with fitness goals on their minds.

This is my friend’s passion. It’s not mine… but I truly appreciate the benefits I have received from aligning myself with Bob and his family. It may not appear spiritual to some. But I know that serving in this type capacity requires selflessness. It takes a heart that is aligned with God’s to do what he does. Bob, you inspire me. Sure, I’m inspired to continue a healthy lifestyle, but more so, I want to embrace my passions and utilize them to help others live better lives. Thanks for surrendering your passions to God.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” – 1 Peter 4:10-11

Exercising my Freedom of Speech

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Out of curiosity, I "liked" Chick-fil-A on Facebook today. Although I have never eaten at the franchise, I wanted to see what was being said on their page about all this media coverage. The answer: not much. Today's “Appreciation Day” (as well as days in opposition to the restaurant chain) has not been initiated by the company. My understanding is that this week’s hoopla came about due to statements by Chicago politicians in response to Cathy’s (President of Chick-fil-A) boldness in speaking his beliefs.

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. ... We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles." - Cathy

While I can’t speak for the masses in their reasoning for lining up to eat chicken today, I would have joined them if there was a Chick-fil-A in closer proximity. I really don’t think the issue is discrimination as some have yelled loudly about. This has to do with our freedom. Here’s an article at the Washington Post as well as one by MercuryNews.com expressing the same concerns.

At the same time, I cannot deny that I agree that God defines marriage between one man and one woman. The title of this blog is My Identity: A Child of God. I am a Christ-follower and I believe the Bible… all of it. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” It’s simple really. I don’t get to pick and choose the parts of the Bible I believe. God's Truth hurts sometimes but it still needs to be spoken in love. I don't know President Cathy but kudos to him for not renegging on his statement for the sake of business.

Not sure what the truth is? Take some time to open the Bible and read it. WARNING: Once you do, you will either need to embrace it or deny it. To bear the name of Christ in labeling one's self as a "Christian" means we follow His commandments. So, what do you believe?

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” - Romans 1:16

                                                                                                                                  

I wanted to quit

I wanted to quit with the pain in my leg.

I wanted to quit when my foot hurt.

When a sinus infection made it difficult to breathe, I wanted to quit.

I wanted to quit because I was too tired.

I wanted to quit because of the heat.

When my life felt out of balance, I wanted to quit.

I wanted to quit because it was easier.

I just wanted to quit.

For about 3 months now, I have been training for the Bix. In two days (God willing), I will participate in this 7-mile run of hills. Many times over the past few months, I have wanted to quit for every reason you can think of. Just a week and a half ago, I was ready to throw in the towel. Crazy. I know. Who works that hard and quits just before the finish? Telling myself that perseverance builds character and I should run as one who gets the prize, I laced up my shoes and set out to finish what I started.

Earlier this week, I woke up with some crazy shooting pain in my tooth. I knew this wasn’t normal. Having just visited the dentist for a routine cleaning a month ago, however, this made no sense. With ibuprofen doing nothing for my pain, I called my dentist. As luck would have it, his office is closed this week. Equipped with a number for the dentist covering for him, I was hopeful the pain would pass. It didn’t. To make a long story short, I was in need of an emergency root canal.

Stressed out from forking out too much money for an air conditioner repair that morning, my emotions went whack. How were we going to pay for all this? Just last week, in a study of The Confident Heart by Renee Swope, I chose to focus on the truth of two of God’s names: “Jehovah Jireh” which means my provider and “Emmanuel” which means God with us. It was unlikely that this was just a coincidence.

Sitting in the chair, waiting with Novocain numbing the entire side of my mouth and face, I prayed in an effort to calm my soul. My arms and legs shook with anxiety. I hate to wait. My thoughts were difficult to reign in. It’s always the moments leading up to the event that wreak havoc with my mind. Whether a root canal or race day.

After giving it all to God, anxiety still threatened to rule my emotions. Peace won out. Had it been any other day, I wouldn’t have had the freedom to jump from one appointment to the next in an effort to remedy my pain. Friends and family were readily available to help with my kids. The Endodontist was able to complete the procedure in one appointment. Insurance will cover most of it. We have a savings account for the rest. Was I willing to trust that God is who He says He is or not? Did I believe Jehovah Jireh would provide and that through it all He was with me as Emmanuel?

Pain possibly unrelated to the root canal has me on Amoxicillin in hopes of a pain-free run come Saturday. I’m tempted to allow frustration to rule. Worry threatens to consume me.

The truth is that I can give all [my] worries and cares to God, for he cares about [me]. (I Peter 5:7 NLT)

I am able to trust in the Lord with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways submit to Him, and He will make [my] paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I know that the Lord goes with [me]; He will never leave [me] nor forsake [me]. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

[God’s] grace is sufficient for [me], for [His] power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The last thing I want is to have all my hard work in training for this race end because of some silly pain in my mouth. I may be unable to complete this race with the effort I had hoped for. This pain is out of my control and may possibly make it difficult for me to run The Bix at my very best. However, I will choose to allow this situation to draw me closer to my God. As churchy as it may sound, I know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

I just don’t want to quit.

HAH Blog Hop - Beating Summer Boredom

How do you beat summer boredom with your kids? Share tips and tricks for keeping everyone engaged...

When a friend recently pointed out my busy lifestyle of being out and about, it surprised me a bit. Even though I like to be home, we are gone a lot. This may be why I can count on my hand the amount of times I have heard “I’m bored” exit my children’s mouths this summer as well. If anything, we have packed our days full. A day at home usually comes with a welcome sigh of relief.

Because my girls are limited in what I allow them to participate in during the school year, summer activities are a little more abundant. Between swimming lessons, dance classes, play dates and weekend getaways, boredom has been kept at bay. For those ungrateful moments when the words, “I’m bored”, do whine through the air, I simply look around the room and inform them of a chore they can do. Naturally, this is far from a welcomed suggestion because they want to do something fun; not work. I simply stick to my guns that they can find something to play on their own or they can pick the chore I have brought to their attention.

We encourage imaginative play between our children and we are fine with a good movie or interactive play on the Wii. The swingset in our backyard as well as the fact that we live on a cul-de-sac allows quite a bit of outside play as well. At the same time, we have many circles between family, friends and church that play dates and activities come in abundance. Between worship, serving, and just enjoying time with others, boredom does not have a place in our lives. With all of the many areas we need some improvement in our home, I’m thankful this is not something I need to think much about!

If you are in need of some ideas to overcome summer boredom for your children, however, head over to Jill's blog and hop around the blogs for some ideas!

　

16 Years of Not so Wedded Bliss

We were in the years of our marriage usually considered the honeymoon stage. Yet there I was, anxiously inquiring my husband’s approval to purchase a book entitled What if I Married the Wrong Person? “Go ahead and buy it. I saw it too but I didn’t want to upset you.” Carrying the book to the cashier was a sad but honest moment as we both acknowledged our unhappiness in this marriage.

A couple of years later, I was sitting across my friend’s kitchen table as she exposed the truth of my heart. “You don’t really seem to like him very much.” Was it really that obvious? Apparently it was evident enough that the purpose of our visit was centered on a marriage conference. I don’t know if there was a flicker of hope in either of our hearts or if it was simply the fear of coexistence that prompted our attendance at Family Life's Weekend to Remember. Either way, this became a turning point in our marriage. Change was not instantaneous but we walked away with the tools to work at becoming one in our life together.

As I think back on the first five years of what should have been wedded bliss, I can’t help but feel like we wasted what could have been the best years of our lives. When I shared my feelings with my husband, he assured me that “God will restore the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2). Some days as we juggle the commitments of life and raising three little girls, I still wonder. Most days, however, the struggles and battles of those beginning years together are a reminder of how far we have come. God truly does work miracles.

Our sixth anniversary didn’t bring with it any grand celebration to mark the change in our life together. Actually, we only celebrated with takeout and a movie but it was due to the blessing of our newborn baby. We were able to enjoy our life together and our little family for what seemed to be the first time. Until my husband’s job made him travel about 90% of the time through the pregnancy of our second child and the beginning of her life. While this time period carried a lot of stress, nothing compared with the adjustments of working past the selfishness those initial five years held. Not even watching cancer claim the lives of both of our dads the same year our youngest daughter was born. There was just something about working through those seemingly hopeless years that ensured us we could get through anything.

Sixteen years into our lifelong commitment, I firmly believe that persevering through the early trials and tribulations gave us a foundation of hope. It certainly hasn’t been easy. With every obstacle we faced, however, we did it together. We have learned that we make a great team. In those moments where one of us “lost that loving feeling”, we are grateful for the knowledge that marriage is not a 50/50 arrangement. To make this work for a lifetime, there needs to be 100% commitment on both of our parts.

God as our foundation has been the saving grace for our union (as well as our lives) especially in the dark times. Divorce has not been an option. We know that in everything, Christ is our example of what love looks like. Our marriage is an opportunity to point to Him.

 The card I bought my husband this year tells him I adore him… and I do. I remember the days where I strained to find the card that spoke love and honesty all in one. This year’s card tells him I am grateful for him… and my heart swells with appreciation for all He does. It calls him my friend that I cherish… he truly is the one I want to spend my days with.

We got away for a bit last weekend to celebrate our anniversary.  I can honestly say that I was disappointed to return to reality. One of the best things we do for our marriage is take short little getaways without the kids. This year we had to enlist the help of many in order to pull it off. We are so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who bend over backwards to help keep our marriage strong.

After sixteen years of marriage, I might go back in time and do a lot of things differently if I had the opportunity to do them over again. One thing I would NOT change is the man that I married. God knew best (as He always does) when He gave me Rod to spend my lifetime with. My husband completes me and I’m forever grateful to have him in my life. I’m better with him than without him.

“She’s got gaps; I got gaps. Together we fill gaps.” – Rocky