by MeredithNMills | Feb 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
Sometimes I hear voices in my head.
Not the audible, easy to recognize kind. No, the voices I hear are often so sneaky, so subtle, that I don’t even realize they’re speaking to me. Maybe you know some of them…
Comparison
Discouragement
Worthlessness
Resignation
Self-sufficiency
Self-righteousness
Drivenness
Fear
Unforgiveness…
A few weeks ago, I caught myself listening to the voice of condemnation…I don’t think that girl likes me. I just don’t fit in. Maybe something is wrong with me. And like minions falling in behind their commander, my emotions quickly followed suit. I began to feel worthless and wretched. A sense of inadequacy enveloped me.
Then suddenly, a still small Voice cut through the noise, silencing all others. “I am pleased. You are Mine. You are walking by faith, and that’s what matters. People’s opinions do not define you.”
It was as if a sigh went through my whole being. Peace replaced restlessness. Acceptance banished condemnation. Confidence supplanted inadequacy.
It makes a difference whose voice you listen to.
Ours is a noisy culture. Always “connected,” we hear voices from a myriad of sources.
Sometimes they scream, from perfect Pinterest parties, to billboards peddling”beauty” for a price. And sometimes they whisper, like merciless memories of past regret. Often conflicting, insanely demanding, these voices can keep us running in circles as we strive to do their bidding.
But in the midst of it all, the Voice of truth invites us to come rest. To find our security and identity in the unchanging Rock that is Christ. To cease striving, and just know Him. To receive His love, His grace, His acceptance. To abide in the Vine and let Him produce His fruit. To fix our eyes on Jesus and tune our hearts to His voice.
He calls us to simple devotion and nearness with God.
Sometimes, I just have to unplug. To turn off the music. To postpone the “to do” list. And just. be. still.
Because there in the stillness, I learn to know His voice and trust His heart.
Whose voice are you listening to today? How do you distinguish between the Voice of God and other voices? What ways have you found to “tune in” to God and “tune out” other voices? Do tell!
Related posts:
Apple of His Eye
Rest for the Restless
by MeredithNMills | Jan 15, 2016 | confidence, fear, freedom, grace, knowing God, ministry, rest, serving, Uncategorized, Walking by Faith
“Don’t You care that she’s not helping me?”
Martha’s words reflected the turmoil in her soul. With so much to do, how could Mary just sit there? Did she forget about their large dinner party tonight? The food wouldn’t cook itself!
Martha wanted so much for everything to be perfect – the meal, the accommodations, the service. It wasn’t everyday that Jesus came to visit! She had to make sure He was comfortable during His stay. He needed to feel honored, to know how much she loved Him. But…how could she do it all alone?
“Don’t You care that she’s left me to do all the work? Tell her to get up and get busy!”*
Do you ever feel like Martha? I know I do. All the time. Hubby jokes about my impossible “to do” lists. But it’s true. I seem incapable of creating a “to do” list that’s actually doable.
Oh, I totally get Martha. I know what it’s like to feel resentful when my priorities are not a priority to others.
So when I came across this passage in my Bible reading last week, I spent a while reflecting on it. Where did Martha go wrong? What is life’s one true necessity that Mary chose? And seriously, did Jesus not care about dinner? I mean, just practically speaking, how was dinner going to get on the table if both Mary and Martha sat at His feet?
What strikes me most in this account is the tenderness that exudes from Jesus’ gentle rebuke.
“Martha, Martha…My dearly loved Martha! I do see your hard work! I know you want to honor me and prove your devotion. But, Martha, that’s not what I want from you! You’re so distracted, so anxious, so uptight. You’re trying so hard all the time. Trying to take care of everyone. Trying to stay on top of things. Trying to do the right thing.
“I want you to quit trying and just come rest.
“Just be near Me. Listen to My heart. That’s what Mary has chosen. I won’t send her away to get busy.”*
The key difference, it seems, between the two sisters is this – Martha was driven to serve, while Mary drew near in love. Her adoration compelled her to just be close. To hang on His every word. To listen to His heart. To know Him deeply.
And Jesus said nothing in the world matters more.
His call to know Him and be near Him is woven through all the pages of Scripture.
“Cease striving and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10a).
“Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” (Phil 3:8).
“Oh, that we might now the Lord! Let us press on to know Him…” (Hos 6:3a).
“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good…” (Ps 73:28a).
“Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…” (Heb 4:16a).
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (Jas 4:8).
Boil it all down, and we find this at the heart of Christianity – being near God. It’s expressed in many different ways…Abiding in Him. Drawing near to Him. Learning from Him. Loving Him. Fixing our eyes on Him. But it all comes back to intimate nearness with God. Everything else in life flows out of that.
This nearness is certainly cultivated in quiet alone times with Him. But thankfully, for this mama with littles (who finds “quiet time” a bit elusive), I’m learning it can also be cultivated in the noise and activity of life. In my busy “Martha moments,” when dinner truly must get on the table, I can still have the heart of Mary as I rest in my relationship with Him. Serving my family (and anything else I do) can be an overflow of my walk with Him. As I receive and rest in His love, I can freely give it to those around me.
So whatever our season, however busy our days, let us press on to know Him!
How do you cultivate the nearness of God in your daily life?
*This is my paraphrase. 🙂 You can read the whole story in Luke 10:38-42.
by MeredithNMills | Apr 12, 2015 | abiding in Christ, Uncategorized
“If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success.”
That quote hangs on the wall at a fast-food restaurant we visited earlier this week. At first, I chuckled and thought it was just a silly quote. But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized – there is some truth to it. In fact, as a “recovering perfectionist,” God has been teaching me to do just that. To step back and reevaluate my definition of success in light of reality, in light of God’s priorities.
Hubby and I often joke about my impossible “To Do” lists. Really. Truly. Impossible. Impossible even if days were 48 hours long, and not just twenty-four. And the problem with such “To Do” lists is that I rarely feel like I’ve succeeded. There are always more tasks to do, no matter how much I did accomplish.
And this is not just true of my written “To Do” lists. It’s true of my unspoken expectations as well. I need to be wife, and mommy, and household manager, and housekeeper, and decorator, and cook, and cleaner, and homeschool teacher, and church member, and Bible study attendee, and friend, and neighbor, and citizen…And I need to do all those things well. But it seems that if I really focus on one area, the other areas start to slip. It feels impossible to keep up.
Especially when I spend time on Pinterest or Facebook. So many fun ideas. So many healthy recipes. So many ways to do more, to be better. As if my own expectations of myself were not enough. Now I add the pressure of comparison. And I’m left feeling even more inadequate. Unsuccessful.
So, yes. A redefinition of success is in order.
How does Jesus define success? In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a parable of three servants entrusted with the stewardship of their master’s wealth in varying amounts. Two servants manage their money well, and are able to return double to their master when he returns. The master is overjoyed at their success and welcomes them to celebrate with him.
It’s interesting to note that the master didn’t compare the servants’ success. One was initially given five bags of gold (NIV) and returned ten, while the other was given two and returned four. But both received the same approval from their master. Likewise, I don’t believe that God is comparing us with other people. He rejoices over our progress, no matter how small it may seem.
The third servant buries his master’s money and has only that same money to return to his master. His motivation? Fear of his master. He appears to have had no personal relationship with the master to motivate his service, and he did as little as he possibly could. And the master does not approve of his service. Rather than being welcomed into his master’s presence, he is sent away.
Similarly, God wants our lives to characterized by “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6), not fear. (See 1 Jn 4:16-19.)
The Christian life is first and foremost a relationship. It was love that motivated God to send His Son to redeem us (Jn 3:16, Rom 5:8). And He wants us, by faith, to love Him in return. From that mutual love relationship, everything else flows.
Enoch (Gen 5:22-24, Heb 11:5) was a man we know very little about. But two things stand out about his life. He walked with God, and He pleased God. Boil it all down, and you will find this at the heart of godly success -walking with God.
Jesus called it “abiding” in Him (Jn 15). Staying connected, being close to Him, drawing on His wisdom and strength moment by moment.
So as you go about your day, as you make decisions and interact with people and fulfill your responsibilities, ponder this question:
Where is Jesus in your world?
Is He Someone you touched base with this morning, maybe? Is He Someone you need to try to make time for? Or is He THE Someone everything else revolves around, like the hub of a bicycle wheel with your other priorities like spokes radiating outward? To be truly successful, He must be central. He is the foundation of success.
Stay tuned for more thoughts on redefining success… In the meantime, how do you keep Jesus central? Any practical thoughts on abiding in Him? I’d love to hear!
by MeredithNMills | Jan 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being” Gen. 2:7.
“I wish I could give you my breath!” My sweet husband’s words still echo in my heart. This week, I’ve been fighting a really bad asthma attack. I’ve had asthma for almost as long as I can remember, but this one’s been a doozy! One night, as I struggled to breathe, my hubby said those words to me…”I wish I could give you my breath.” And I knew he would if he could.
His kindness, his sacrificial love, are a beautiful picture to me of our life-giving God. In Scripture, one of the first pictures we receive is of God breathing life into His creation. After speaking everything into existence by His powerful word, He stops to “get His hands dirty.”
He doesn’t just say, “Let there be man!” Instead, with intricate detail and loving care, He forms mankind from the dust of the earth. An amazing masterpiece. The crown of His creation. But still lifeless. No blood coursing through His veins. No mind whirring into action. No nerves sending rapid-fire messages. Until God breathed life into his body. Then man became a living being (Gen 2:7). It is God’s nature to create. To breathe life.
It is also His nature to bring back to life what was once dead. You see, after God’s astounding work of creation, mankind chose to commit cosmic rebellion, thus issuing death into the world (Gen 3). And for thousands of years, death reigned in humanity.
But like bookends upholding the story of redemption, we see God once again imparting life in the New Testament. Only this time, He Himself took on our flesh and breathed our air. He became like us so that He could give His very life FOR ours (Heb 2:14). We were dead in our sins, helplessly unable to bring our spirits to life. But with sacrificial love, He took on human breath, so that He could give it up again (Luke 23:46). The sinless One died a sinner’s death.
But death could not hold the Creator, the One who is the essence of life itself (Jn 14:6). He brought Himself back to life and now offers this same resurrected life for those who come to Him in faith.
So what does that mean for you and me today? If your spirit is still dead in sin , you can find forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus (John 3:16).
And if you already have this spiritual life within you, your days can consist of more than “religiously” doing the right thing. “…the blood of Christ…(will) cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb 9:14). Religious duty without an intimate connection to His life-giving Spirit is nothing more than “dead works.” Just as He breathed life into your soul at salvation, He can breathe life into your service for Him.
Those menial tasks you do, they can have spiritual significance now because the Spirit of God is living through you. That person you just can’t love or forgive, you can choose love now because it is the living, forgiving Christ who abides in you. That sin struggle that holds you captive, you can live victoriously because Christ has set you free from the power of sin (Rom 8:2). So bring your burdens, your responsibilities, your fears, your dreams, your everything to Him. And watch Him breathe life into all you are and do.
Where do you need God to breathe new life today?
