Thank God for the Lighthouse!

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” - I Thessalonians 5:4-5

I love to look at lighthouses. There’s something so nostalgic about them. I love to see them perched close to the ocean, standing strong for all to see.

Today I have the chorus of a 1997Audio Adrenaline song, “Lighthouse,” playing in my head:

If it wasn't for the lighthouse

Where would my life be?

On a ship bound for nowhere

On an unforgiven sea

I thank God for the lighthouse

I thank God for the light

Truth is that although I didn’t come out of a major, catastrophic lifestyle before I became a Christian, I am so very thankful for the Lighthouse. No, I didn’t struggle with drug addiction, alcohol, or any type of abuse, but those aren’t the only reasons that lead us to a relationship with Christ. God knew back in 1984 that I would need the guidance and direction of that Lighthouse.

God knew that I would need rescuing from many issues, hurts and disappointments that I would encounter on my sea of life. He knew that I would need to rely on the direction of that guiding Light that would steer me away from catastrophe and collision.

That Lighthouse has sheltered me from many a storm that I thought I wouldn’t survive. It has made me stand strong against many prevailing winds that would have blown me away if not for the sturdy shelter He provided.  

Perhaps your life lately has felt like you’re being tossed to and fro in an unforgiven sea; feeling lost and afraid; feeling like the waves of life are going to overtake you. Perhaps, recently you’ve been hit with many disappointments that have caused you to veer off course in your sea of life. Perhaps you’ve completely given up because you have been feeling like there’s no safety in sight. Perhaps you’ve been feeling desperate as you try to grasp at the air for safety because you’re tired of treading water. It’s in these desperate moments that we need to cry out to God and He’ll direct us to the Lighthouse. Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Remember when you first cried out to God and He gave you Jesus? Do you remember where you were in your sea of life when you cried out to Him for the first time and He directed you to the Lighthouse? In our desperate times we need to remember that we’re called to walk in the Light as opposed to walking afraid and in darkness. Remember the words written in I Thessalonians 5:4-5, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”

Let’s not allow the strong winds, waves and storms in our sea of life cause us to be in fearful darkness. Focus on the beacon of light and you’ll be led to safety. Run to the Lighthouse for shelter in the storm and you will be covered. We do not need to live life in an “unforgiven sea.”

If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, where would our lives be? Thank God for the Lighthouse!

Read more: Audio Adrenaline - Lighthouse Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Shake Off The Cobwebs

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. – Mark 5:14-15 (NKJV)

Spring has sprung….the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and “the bees are buzzing in the trees…they’re making honey just for me….” (sorry I had a brief Disney moment there). Spring is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts…..2^nd chances!

At the beginning of this year I was given, what I feel was, a second chance at life. I had been experiencing a hormonal imbalance that was causing me to have extended menstruation. Well, I greeted the new year with hemorrhaging and my daughter calling the paramedics. I was swept away to the ER where they ran tests and discovered that my hemoglobin levels were at 3. Not a big deal you say? Well, as it turns out a normal level is somewhere between 10-13….8 is a dangerous level and at 6 people have been known to die. Needless to say my level 3 was dangerously low…to the point where my heart should have seized. My vitals were normal and I was functioning in a normal manner (whatever that is for me J); the nurses were surprised that I was even able to talk. They told me that I was basically bleeding out and asked, “How is it that you’re awake?” My response??? “It’s by the grace of God.” And God was gracious indeed. I was given 5 blood transfusions before my surgery and another transfusion in the recovery room. I thank God that despite my stubbornness and ignorance, He covered me with His grace and His healing hand kept me alive and well and gave me a 2^nd chance and an opportunity to start fresh.

And speaking of fresh starts, let’s talk about spring cleaning….You know the take down the curtains, clean the windows, move all the furniture, get rid of the hidden dust bunnies type of cleaning that many do right around this time of the year (or hire someone to do this time of year). While spring cleaning wouldn’t be a huge undertaking for my sister…who is very clean and organized…..I always say you could eat off her floors.

It would, however, be a huge undertaking for this full time working woman (insert finger pointing back at me). For me it would require taking time off work and a whole lot of recovery after the cleaning to get it done. My house gets cleaned, but not the detailed clean that my sister does on a daily basis. Busy work days, full schedules, the amount of people who live in my house and plain old exhaustion keep me from deep, detailed cleaning. 

Sometimes this is also true of our spiritual spring cleaning. When we become busy, frazzled and exhausted, it prevents us from keeping up with our spiritual “house” cleaning. We allow the dust bunnies to gather around our hearts, moths to flutter around our thoughts and grime to darken our windows. It becomes difficult to feel, hear or see God in our lives much less reflect Him unto others.

We read in Mark 5:14-16 that we are the light of the world….a light that can’t be hidden. Our Creator made us to SHINE….not for ourselves, but for others to see our light and glorify God. But how can our light come shining through dirty windows, moth infested thoughts and tumbleweed dust bunnies? It can’t! It’s our responsibility to keep up with the cleaning and renewing of our minds in order to keep those windows streak free! C’mon…we could all use some spring cleaning in our lives….even if you feel that your house is spotless….let’s be honest….it’s not.

So, during this Spring season, in the midst of gardening and spring cleaning, let’s try cleaning out the cobwebs in those murky, dormant areas of our lives. Light and life needs to shine through, not only from the Father to us, but from the One who lives in us towards others. 

So take this opportunity to start fresh and new. It’s great that God gives us 2^nd chances…..seriously, where would we be, if not for His grace?

Seasons Change

Have you ever seen a field of tulips? From a distance it looks like a blanket of color….a beautiful, colorful quilt. Up close they look majestic…standing tall with just a slight bow. I associate tulips with Spring and change.

Some of you might be thinking, “Why did you have to ruin everything by bringing up change?” Believe me, I know change isn’t a welcomed visitor, with its stretching and pain. But change is good….

Let’s look at our tulip friends again….Yes, they’re beautiful with their color and perfect petals. However, beautiful as they may be, they didn’t start off that way. 

Tulips are grown from bulbs….bulbs that can spring back to life even after lying dormant for months, enduring frost and other elements; bulbs that continue to undergo chemical change to prepare for the next cycle.

These bulbs have a biological clock that tells them when to sprout roots, when to stem, when to sprout leaves and when to flower and then finally when to die down and go into dormancy. In fact, bulbs that sprout in Spring need to be planted in Fall while they’re fully dormant.

So what can we learn from a dormant bulb? Plenty!

Dormant is defined as, “not doing anything at this time; not active but able to become active.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  I love the BUT part of this definition. When you see “BUT” be prepared to read something contrasting that is being added to that sentence.

In our Christian walk, oftentimes we lay dormant. Sometimes we’re dormant because we’re waiting on God’s direction; we’ve prayed about something and are waiting to hear from God before we make the next move or make a decision….and this is fine. However, most often we end up in the dormant state because we’re just not doing anything…….

This is a danger zone because in this state, unlike our tulip friends, we don’t allow a natural biological clock to continue working and telling us when to sprout roots, stem, sprout leaves and flower. When we’re in this state we often isolate ourselves. We don’t allow ourselves to hear from God, and if we do allow Him to speak to us, we push it aside because, after all, we’re having a bad, dry season in our lives.

Been there…….done that……..

So, ask yourself, “What brought me to this state of dormancy?” Look back and take inventory of what your life has been like. What can you change? How can you expand your horizons? Have you allowed the circumstances of life to destroy your dreams?  After assessing the damage, get ready to make a change. Plant yourself, like a bulb, into the soil and anxiously await the change...without fear.

Truth is we all go through seasons in our lives. But the important thing is that we allow Him to be our biological clock and sprout roots when He tells us to do so; stem when He sees that the time is right; sprout leaves when He sees that we’re ready to branch out and flower/bloom when the proper season has arrived.

 

And just as we read in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…” we will see colorful fruitfulness in His perfect time and season. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 

James 1:22 "But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

“What do you want to do? What is something that you would do if you weren’t holding back?” This was the question posed to me by a coworker during lunch one fine afternoon. My mind drew somewhat of a blank….and I say somewhat because in the far back corners of my mind I had an idea, but my mouth wouldn’t release the thoughts. You know that feeling where your mind is spinning with a gazillion thoughts but you feel that you can't organize them into a simple statement??? Well, that's where I was.....

Truth is that I KNOW that what I’m doing now is NOT what I want to do for the rest of my life. It poses no challenges, no adventure, no rush of adrenaline or emotion. Work is...well, work to me....My job can't compare to what my heart is yearning to do. So WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?????

I would like to teach, share messages that God so easily puts on my heart. I want to share those thoughts that I’ve jotted down after being awakened in the middle of the night….the phrases that God has given me that flourish into thoughts, ideas, messages that I’ve kept hidden away in the dark, secret corners where no one can see.

I want to write devotions, words of encouragement that will uplift, help and carry others on when they feel that there’s no hope, no happiness, no more fight left in them. I want to share my own experiences with others and let them know that life will get better after the storm…that we’re not promised perfect, rainbow colored lives, but promised to be carried through the storm and the tough times to a place where we can see the rainbow colors on the clear horizon.

So, what am I doing to get there? Nothing……nothing because of fear; nothing because of lack of opportunity; nothing because I’ve never allowed anyone to see into the secret corners of my  heart; nothing because I’ve allowed the enemy to lie to me saying that I’m not worthy, not ready, not eloquent enough. Nothing………

Oftentimes we hide in our comfort zone because it's....comfortable. We sit in our comfy, hidden, quiet, easy to live with area....and as long as no one sees our secret potential we're fine. But we haven't been created to sit hidden away and comfy? God created us with gifts, talents, potential and for a purpose.

So we need to do SOMETHING, because the longer we sit doing NOTHING the more unhappy and unaccomplished we'll feel. We need to stop deceiving ourselves, as stated in James 1:22. Stop playing the tapes in our head of the lies we've allowed to infiltrate our heart. For we have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We need to unlock our potential and start doing the things that God has equipped us to do.

So, as stated in 2 Timothy 1:6, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands."

Let's get up out of our comfort zones and do SOMETHING!