Son Worshiper

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."     2 Corinthians 2:18

While many people in the Heart of Dixie welcome Fall with open arms, happy to see the end of another hot and muggy summer, I actually feel sad to see it come to an end.  Each leaf falling is a wave of good-bye from a dearly loved friend I know I'll miss. For months, I've started my day with coffee and the Lord on my front porch watching the sun rise, afternoons on the back porch with a good book watching it set, and time in between watching kids swim, play and explore in it's warmth.

And though I care nothing about getting a tan, my hours in the sun are evident by my darker skin, lighter hair (I always promise my hairdresser I'll wear a hat to protect her work but somehow never end up doing so), freckled face, sun spots and even wrinkles! Yikes!  You'd think the wrinkles alone would be enough to keep me indoors but I just can't stay away from the sun I love.  Perhaps it's the endorphins it produces or the Vitamin B it provides but problems seem less problematic and life seems sunnier in general after a little time in the sun. 

And can't the same be said for time with the Son?  Recently, one of my dearest friend's son, Zach Dimmock, was asked to join Christian rapper DPB on stage for an impromptu rap.  Can you imagine?  Now, if it had been me, I probably would have fainted at the thought of performing in front of an audience.  Or at the very least asked if I could join him back on stage in a month after having adequate time to type something up, over analyze every word, practice hours on end and put together a stage-worthy outfit. But at 15 years old, Zack has a boldness for Christ like few I've ever seen.  He takes advantage of every opportunity the Lord provides and uses his talents as a song writer and rapper to reach others in a way that a sermon, blog or book may not.  He sure reached me as one particular lyric has played over and over in my heart.  "Man, I'm always with the Son, you'd think I'd have a tan."  See, isn't that cool?

Just like my time in the sun is apparent to others around me by my physical appearance, our time with the Son (or lack thereof) is just as obvious. Have you ever been around a Christian who lights up the room or feels like a breath of fresh air came in with them?  Joy shows all over their face and their countenance is robed in peace and contentment.  There's no other way to describe it other than to say it is obvious they have spent time with the Son. 

I want that, don't you?  Exodus 34:29 says, "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken to the Lord."  Psalm 34:5 tells us that "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." That same radiance is available for each of us when we make spending time with the Lord a priority.  Just as the moon produces no light of it's own but merely reflects the sun's rays, we as Christians are incapable of producing light and must reflect God's glory to those around us.  The only way for that to happen is with direct Son exposure.  We need daily breaks from Sonblocks like TV, work, friends, busyness and worries in order to spend time in God's Word and time in prayer and praise. It won't take long before others start to notice the effects of us being Son Worshipers.      

Let's Get Glowing Challenge:  Commit to spending 45 min a day with God and God alone for the next week.  See what a difference a little time with the Son can make.

When Your "Daily Bread" isn't Bread

My husband and I have been blessed with two children who have taught us more than we could ever teach them.  Our son, Jackson, was born to us 11 years ago and our daughter, Gracie, came to us through the foster care system 7 years ago.  At some point, I would love to share more about our adoption process but today it's on my heart to share a lesson I learned in the waiting.  There's always so much to be learned in the waiting, isn't there?

When God called us to be foster parents, I knew it would be difficult but I never imagined the mix of emotions that would pour over me from day to day as I held the precious girl God had put in our hearts years earlier.  You see, when you agree to foster a child in your home, you often don't know if you will have them for days, months, years or like in our case, be able to adopt them into your family at some point down the road.  From the first time I held Gracie in my arms, there was an undercurrent of peace in my heart that she would always be a member of our family, but often what rose to the surface were waves of fear; fear that I might be misunderstanding God or inserting my own desires to keep her, fear that I would love her with all I had only to have her leave, taking my heart with her as she went.

It was during one of these fearful moments when I was on my front porch literally crying out loud to God that I learned a definition of "daily bread" I'd never considered before.  I had been telling the Lord I didn't think I could love this child with abandon like I'd planned because it would simply hurt too bad if she was unable to stay with us.  I desired to do something life-changing for someone else, but in these moments, all I could think about was myself.  As I cried, I heard Him tell me that she deserved to be loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally because we might be the only ones who would ever give her such love.  Every child deserves to be loved so deeply.  It's a vital step towards being able to accept God's perfect love.  He also reminded me that Jackson wasn't mine any more than Gracie and that both their futures were in His hands.  He showed me that if Gracie left, I would still have a husband and a child who loved me.  I would still have a roof over my head and a relationship with Him, but Gracie might not have any of those things.  In that moment, I committed to love her with all I had while I had her but I also knew I wasn't capable of doing so on my own. 

From that day forward, I met Jesus on my porch each and every morning while my babies still slept.  Each day, I arrived fearful and spent but left hopeful and filled.  I had always taken the "daily bread" portion of the Lord's Prayer for granted because I had no real understanding of what it meant to trust God for my next meal.  But what happened in that year and a half of waiting changed how I saw "daily bread" forever.  I now feel it can be anything you are completely reliant on Christ for (which shouldn't that be everything?).  For me, it was "Lord, give me this day my daily portion of unconditional love for Gracie." Your "daily bread" may be strength to care for a loved one, money to keep your business open another day, patience with a child who is testing you, love for someone who isn't acting very lovely, etc.  We often just want the problem to go away or have so much excess that we don't have to worry, but there is something so special about relying on the Lord for that daily portion.  I'm reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness.  God could easily have chosen to grant them food that would never spoil and warehouses stockpiled with whatever they could need, but He chose to supply them with one days worth of manna at a time so they would learn to trust and rely on Him.  I can't promise you mammoth amounts of manna but I can promise you that God will supply all your needs day by day.  He will be your portion and He will never fail to equip you for what He's called you to do.