The Fight Is Bigger Than You Think

The Fight Is Bigger Than You Think!

It feels like we are all in this battle against this tiny, yet powerful molecule which can cause us to get really sick.  I think most people would define winning your individual battle in this way:  

1. Avoid catching coronavirus, or

2. Recover if you do catch coronavirus. 

But I think it is MUCH bigger than this.  I think corona can win in some other pretty significant ways too.

• If you come out of this season, physically unhealthier than when it started.  I think people are choosing to cope with the stress by turning to unhealthy things: junk food, alcohol, the couch to name a few.  I know we don’t have access to things like gyms and sports.  I know we have more downtime.  I know my kitchen with my favorite foods is steps away from my current office.  But it all comes down to choices that we make, literally hundreds of times every day.
• If you didn’t deal with the anxiety.  Face it, we were all at least a little bit shaken by this.  Maybe it had direct impacts on your life, maybe it was a huge loss or lots of little losses, maybe it was just a daily feeling of insecurity and fear of the future.  The most important question is ‘What did you do about the anxiety?’  Did you let it cripple you and basically shut out the world?  Did you ‘suck it up’ because others probably had it worse than you?  Did you squash it with unhealthy habits? (see #1)  OR….Did you identify what you were feeling and process through it?  Did you talk about it with others who love you?  Did you talk to God about it?  If the anxiety was really big, did you seek out professional help?
• If you didn’t take advantage of some unique opportunities.  Here is a list of just some of the opportunities that might have come your way:

1. More time with your immediate family
2. More time to do things like read, resume or start a new hobby, etc.
3. More $$.  If your income was not impacted, chances are that your spending went way down.
4. More needs around you

Soooo, basically you have more time and more money.  And you are surrounded by people who are struggling either emotionally or financially.  You have a unique opportunity to love and serve people like you have never loved and served them before!  

• If you didn’t spread hope.  Some things have spread even quicker the past weeks than Corona and those things are rumors, false facts, fear and panic.  Right now, people are listening more…to the news, to press conferences, to social media and to each other.  When people heard you speak or read your words, did they hear fear or hope?  As Christians, we are carriers; not of a disease, but of the greatest hope of all time!  During this season, people were literally starving for hope.  Did you give it to them?

I believe this is all going to end eventually.  Many parts of it will fade from our memories.  2020 will be that year when for the whole world, time was basically paused.  But for you, who won?  Did you REALLY beat the virus?

Some Thoughts on Election Day 2016

1. Social Media is a horribly divisive thing.  I am sure for centuries there have been differing political views in families and friend circles and churches.  But people are now “saying” things out loud, online, that they would never vocalize in person.  Unfortunately I don’t think Believers in Christ look much different than the rest of the world in this area.  If you truly want to reach people who are lost and you openly support a candidate and bash the opponent, you have just lost the respect and possibly the ear of half of the people who read your posts.

2. I am so confused by this whole feminist thing.  So many people seem to be voting for Hilary based on her gender.  I get it…..many people also voted for Obama based on his race.  But why are women suddenly being viewed as oppressed?  In America?  Really?  I must be totally blind, because things seem pretty even to me.  I can’t help but wonder what women in three-fourths of the world, who are TRULY oppressed, think when they see American women claiming to be feminists and talk about being oppressed.  It’s embarrassing.

3. Ultimately I had to base my vote on something.  Honestly, until about a week ago I didn't think I could cast a vote for either person.  As much as I could, I pulled the personalities of the candidates aside and chose the person who I believe will lead the country in the best direction.  You will not see me post who that person is on facebook or twitter or even on this blog, (which I'm not even sure anyone reads.)  I'm smart enough to know that proclaiming who I choose is not going to influence others to do the same.  And I am choosing to love people rather than divide people.

I didn’t vote for our current president, and I didn’t agree with most things he did while in office.  But I still had a level of of respect for him.  It’s probably the way I was brought up to respect those in authority.  I cringed inwardly when I was around people who bashed him.  Whether the person I voted for wins tonight or not, the president is the president.  I was born into, and have chosen to remain in, a country where the people choose.  And most importantly, God is always good,

A letter to 3 young men....

Dear Son-In-Law,

I (probably) haven’t met you yet. Yet you have been in my heart and in my prayers for a whole lot of years. All the years I have been doing what I can to raise a daughter who loves God, I have been praying that you are on that same path.

I pray that you are part of a family that is modeling what a strong healthy family should be. Parents shape us in a way that no one else can. I pray that your father modeled what it means to cherish his wife. I hope he was the spiritual leader of your home and that you have a healthier view of your heavenly Father, because you had a godly earthly father. I pray that your mom taught you that there are qualities and values far more important than any sport you ever played or any grade on a report card. And that you learned the valuable lesson of unconditional love from her.

If you happen to come from a broken or unhealthy home, my hope is that you learned what you DON’T want a family life to look like. I pray that you had people in your life to model strong relationships and that you believe with your whole heart that marriage is meant to be ‘til death do you part.’

This next sentence will make you do a double take. I want you to be totally and completely in love with someone MORE than you are with my daughter. I want your first love, above and beyond your wife and your kids, to be for Jesus! God cannot simply be an ingredient in your life together or an activity you do together on Sunday mornings. Rather than an ingredient, he should be the bowl that holds all the other ingredients (your finances, your children, your careers, your social life, etc.) together. If you are both chasing Him with all that you are and keeping Him as the center, all other things will fall into place. When couples start letting their spouse (or anything else for that matter) be their number one thing, you are building on sand and treading on dangerous ground. Allow God to be enough. Everything else are the good gifts He has given you.

I have also prayed for my relationship with you. Someday I am going to be handing over one of the most precious things in my life. She will go from being a primary part of my family to starting a new one with you. I don’t mean to make it sound like she is a possession, but I have a lot of history with this girl. Her priority, after God, is now you and your new family. I want to be the best mother-in-law I can be. I want to be a support and a prayer warrior for you, but never OVERLY involved in your lives.

Your new wife is an amazing woman. She has made me proud to the point of tears many times. She has tried my patience and pushed my buttons, as I’m sure she will with you. I know she loves Jesus and I can’t wait to see where He leads the two of you together.

Until we meet, I will continue to pray for you.

Love,

Your Mother-In-Law