Karen Moore's Blog, page 12

Head and Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

If you’ve ever watched one of those amazing circus performances, where one person stands on the shoulders of another, and then another, and then another, you probably can’t help rubbing your own tired shoulders and wondering how they do it. After all, each one has to keep things balanced, and the one holding everyone up has to keep his knees from buckling. Sure, they are athletes who practice this particular skill, but most of us can’t imagine carrying that much weight on our shoulders. Yet, here’s the thing. We do just that!

Every time we take a worry from yesterday and bring it on over into today, and then add the worries from three days ago and let all of those things pile up, we’re electing to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We’re imagining that, somehow, we have to fix things or make things better. We take it all on until we’re overwhelmed with the load. Jesus offers to help. He says it’s okay to cast some of our burdens on His shoulders. He wants us to know that we are not expected to manage the weight of the world. No matter how athletic you happen to be, your shoulders were not designed for an excess load. So, what can you do?

Maybe it’s best to start by recognizing that it is not easy to give up worry. After all, if you don’t worry, who else is going to? Whether that awareness helps you or not, consider this. Worry never paid a bill, or healed a broken heart, or helped further a cause. Worry never got a promotion or learned something new. Worry just exists because, well, we won’t let it go. Just like those athletes who practice piling one person after another on their shoulders, you might practice taking off one worry after another. You might simply put those worries to work with the only One who can do anything about them. So, don’t wait till you buckle in the middle to get down on your knees because God has you covered from head to toe and He wants to relieve you of this stress. 

Are you ready? Okay, there go the worries from last week. Nothing came of them anyway. Put down the worries from yesterday. Good! Now pray God will be with you today and hand over those things that only weigh you down. God will help you. Jesus is on call. You’re in good hands!

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When I Was a Little Kid

Recently, I was able to spend some time with my grandchildren. They are a delight in every way and one of the greatest gifts they give me is the reminder to see the world with wonder. When my four-year-old grandson announced to me something he had learned from when he was a little kid, I couldn’t help but laugh. After all, at four, he is so grown up now. At the same time, I was swept back to the days when I was a little kid, growing up in a country setting, innocent of the world, and certain that everything was glorious. It seemed to me then that the world held a bit of magic in its hands as I discovered that a wild buttercup growing along a dirt road, could turn your chin yellow. As we walked to the swimming hole, (and I do mean hole) my sisters and I were awed by puffy little seeds that could pop and curl in your hand, and by dandelions that could blow blissfully along on the wind. Those days were filled with wonder.

Watching my three little grandchildren, I hope for wonder once again. I hope that they see the magic of the pumpkin that just grew up on the lawn from seeds planted several years before. I hope they are always fascinated by acorns and insects and the mystery that seems to be around every bend when you walk in the woods. As adults, we can still find the wonder of an awesome sunset, or the splendor of a beautiful waterfall. We can still discover the hand of God at work all around us, as we look with expectant joy at the things we’ve taken for granted far too long.

When you’re a little kid, there’s no end to the discoveries that nature provides, for you see God in absolutely everything. Perhaps it would be okay to let your “little kid” out for the day, looking attentively at those things you may have missed before. Like a puffy dandelion, you can take one breath and head out to explore all that is. Remember too that every seed is a story waiting to be shared. Every story is filled with wonder and imagination and confidence that something greater than exists. Every story still begins with “Once upon a time,” or at the very least, “When I was a little kid!”

May God’s spirit send you searching for new light, new life, and new stories today. He has more awesome things to share with you because His wonders never cease.

 

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I Spy!

Recently, as I spent time with my grandsons, who are two and four, we worked our way through a few I Spy books. “I spy with my little eye…” What? Of course, it was great fun to find the tiny red truck amongst all the other red objects on a page. It took a little work, but we always managed to find what we were looking for. Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder if that is the very reason some of us never quite see God’s hand at work in our lives. We look, but we don’t see. We search, but we don’t find. It seems to me that God has given us the perfect I Spy world to try to discover He’s there. Even more than that, He rarely hides out, except in plain sight. So why do we miss Him?

In the I Spy series, we might be told what to look for, or at least be given hints of what could be on the page. So, when it comes to spying on God to see what He might be up to in our lives, what do we look for? How do we find Him? Of course, there are a multitude of answers, but we could start with some very basic ones. Some of those basics might remind us of Job when God inquires whether Job knows how God created the world, or how God knew what every living creature would need to survive, or how God made the very ground we all walk on. God asked Job, “We’re you there, when I did all these things?” Of course, Job’s answer and ours is the same. “No!” Perhaps God was trying to say, you can see me anyplace you look, at least if you really want to find me. 

It appears that we live in a world that has stopped looking. We are comfortable with our own intellect, our own genius at figuring things out, and so then we assume, we somehow have all the answers. For me, I might buy that theory when things are going well, but when everything is crazy, I want somewhere else to turn. I want to know that I can seek God’s face in the darkness and hold tight to His spirit when everything else knocks me off my feet. 

When you’re looking for God, the game of I Spy is easy. You can see Him in the faces of people who radiate His goodness and feel His presence in the power of prayer. You can trust His faithfulness when things fall down around you and witness His favor on those who need His courage and strength. The other day, I had a perfect I Spy moment when I literally saw an outline of the face of Jesus as clear as crystal in a cloud. For just a moment, I could see every detail. When it disappeared, I was left with the very real feeling that God sees me too. After all, I suspect He plays I Spy all the time, looking for those things we do to shine His light. Keep looking! You’re sure to see His hand at work all around you.

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It’s Back to School Time!

Do you remember what it was like when you headed back to school after a long summer? You probably needed new shoes, a new book bag, or a lunch pail.  If you lived in a small town, like I did, you hoped for a good homeroom teacher and that some of your friends would be in your same classroom. I loved starting the school year again. I loved learning things and imagining what could be. Maybe I could try out for the school play, or run for student government, or go to a dance. In my school where everybody from first grade to twelfth grade, was housed in the same building, school was where you got connected to everything that was going on. 

I’m not sure how it works these days. Schools have big campuses, and kids’ text and connect with one another all the time. They may attend a class, or they may do all their work online. I wonder if they still anticipate that first day because of all the possibilities and opportunities it holds. I wonder if they recognize the gift school really brings to their lives. I suspect some do and I’m glad for that. 

So, what about us? Are we done with our education? Do we still have things to learn? Well, it seems to me that life is a great big classroom, and those who put God at the head of their schoolboard, know there’s a lot to do and a lot to learn. You may have noticed that you get some life lessons whether you wanted them or not. If you did your homework, chances are good you got through those pretty well. If you missed the point of your lesson, you may find that it simply comes up again. You take that class over, so to speak.

No matter what age or stage you happen to be, God is not done teaching you some important things. After all, you’re one of His favorites, the apple of His eye. He likes you to sit close to His desk so He can help you at a moment’s notice. He’s your coach, your teacher, and your cheerleader. When you struggle to pass a test, He knows it. Sometimes He helps you get the right answers to pass with honors. Sometimes He allows you to fail so you can try again. Your effort always pays off though and He’s got a great book of gold stars to share.

So, as we approach opening day at school, maybe you want to get a new notebook, sharpen your pencil, and grab your textbook. You could even read ahead a bit, so you are ready to begin as soon as the bell rings. It’s going to be a great year and your teacher is already fond of you. What can you do to give Him a favorable impression? 

Whew! There’s so much to learn!

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God’s Image and Mine

Sometimes I like to ponder what it means for you and me to be created in God’s image. Does that mean that we bear some resemblance to God, even if we don’t share any of His DNA? Does it mean that on a good day, I might do things that seem like something God would do? Maybe I choose to be extra kind or loving or patient. Does that help me bear God’s image?

There’s a wonderful quote from Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, where Aslan is giving him guidance. It goes, ” Do you mark all this well, King Caspian?” “I do indeed, Sir,” said Caspian. “I was wishing that I came of a more honorable lineage.” “You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan. “And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in earth. Be content.” Caspian bowed.

Lewis was trying to tell the king through Aslan that human beings are special to God. In part, they are special because they were created by God’s own hand. That makes all of us both amazing and wonderful, shameful and humbled. As the sons and daughters of Adam, we were designed to recognize God in one another because God placed a part of Himself in each of us. Whether we come from a legacy family, a bit of royalty, or utter poverty is all the same to God. He doesn’t care about the images we place around us. He cares about how we display His image to others. We can do that in any environment and any culture. We can shine His light from a lampstand or a billboard. All God wants is to see His reflection, His image within our hearts. 

King Caspian hoped to be from a great and honorable lineage. He discovered that, in fact, he was. We too are the offspring of Lord Adam and Lady Eve. We are the work of God’s hands, and He knows everything about us. Our job is not to worry about where we come from, but to look carefully at where we’re going. As we go forward, we have opportunities to grace others with a sense that God is somehow present among them. That means we show up bearing God’s image. 

Let us make God proud today by all the things we do.

May He see His reflection in each of our faces!

 

 

 

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Pie Crust Promises

I love the line from the original Mary Poppins where Mary says, “Oh, those are pie crust promises…easily made, easily broken!” I suspect most of us make promises with good intentions, feeling sure that we can deliver on whatever it was we said we would do. No doubt, we make efforts to follow through, but so often, something else interrupts our plan. Whenever that happens in my life, I somehow picture the broken piecrust and wonder how I can fix it to make it presentable again. 

As a kid, my mother taught me and my sisters how to bake. We learned to measure ingredients, knead some dough, and bake everything from actual recipes. We even learned to make pie crust. Mom was a master at apple pies and had she entered the local county fair, probably could have won a prize. Her pie crust was lovely and flakey and most of us would not contend that that was easy to do. In fact, we make promises much easier than we can make pie crust.

So, here’s the point. what can we do to truly make promises we can keep? The Bible reminds us not to make any vows to God, because it’s likely that we’ll break them. Yet, we do make vows and less serious promises and we break those too. Why? Maybe in part, we didn’t stop to evaluate what it would mean if we couldn’t follow through. We didn’t measure the sadness on a child’s face when we didn’t show up for the sporting event or the school play. We didn’t consider the disappointment of our spouse when we forgot our anniversary or missed out on a plan we agreed to weeks before. We made pie crust promises.

Many of us rely on God’s promises. We trust that He will deliver on everything He said He would do. We believe that He is faithful and steadfast and even when things don’t happen in the time frame we expected, we know that God will still come through. His promises are as eternal as a rainbow. We know He will show up when the conditions are just right.

So, today, consider those big promises and little ones that you make to others and even to yourself, and be honest. If you can’t honestly say you will fulfill that promise, then don’t make it at all. It’s okay to say you’ll try to be somewhere, or you hope to be able to do something, but don’t promise anything you can’t do. It’s just a thought, but I wanted to pass it along.

Now, where’s mom’s pie crust recipe?

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Whew! It Is So Hot!!

Wow! Practically the entire country is sitting under a heat dome. Record temperatures have been noted throughout the South and parts of Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. Extreme temperatures are also finding their way around the globe as they go through Europe, Asia, and parts of the Atlantic. In a word, it’s hot!

So how can you keep your cool when the temperatures are rising? Of course, for our purposes, we’ll be talking about how to keep your spiritual cool, you know that part of you that relies on God even in a heat wave. The biggest thing of course is to stay hydrated. Water is your friend, and it keeps nearly everything about you running smoothly. It regulates your temperature, supports your digestion, transports nutrients, and flushes away the stuff you don’t need. Water is cool! Jesus called Himself “living water,” saying if you drank His water, you would never thirst again, no matter how hot it was outside. That sounds like amazing water to me!

The intention of His metaphor then was to remind us that just like tap water sustains life through all the ways we’ve noted, the kind of water Jesus gave sustained spiritual life, and not just for today, but forever. Jesus is the cooling agent, the source, the water that keeps you satisfied in all kinds of weather. The good news is that with Him, the well never runs dry. You can always be refreshed and replenished. 

It’s also helpful to stay calm when it’s too hot for your liking. In other words, be kind to those who are troubled by the heat wave and be patient with those who just can’t fan themselves enough. After all, it’s not easy to maintain your bliss when even a breeze isn’t comforting. So, you get the point. You can do things that will make you feel better despite the heatwave. It may not change your thermostat, but it will likely help you feel a bit cooler. If you’re struggling with the heat, remember that Jesus is your wellspring, your never-ending supply of refreshment.

So, how about some nice cold lemonade? 

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What’s Your View?

Each one of us sees the world through a personal lens. We developed that lens through upbringing and cultural influences, through friendships and life experiences. We use our particular point of view to help us manage expectations, perceive impressions, and even grow in our faith. Whether we hold a positive and uplifting view of life depends a lot on all these things. As we engage with the world, we find ourselves in the midst of many other people’s views.

All of this means that at some point we have to choose what we believe. We have to decide if the world holds the best opportunity to live with truth and justice, or whether there’s something more. We have to set a boundary for what is acceptable to us and what is just too far beyond the scope of anything we can trust to be good. It’s not an easy job, but all of this goes into the point of view we hold. When Jesus came along, He had an agenda that was partially about helping people get a new perspective. 

God already had a point of view that differed from the way most humans thought. He had spent generations trying to capture the attention of His creation, only to have them take one step forward and two or three steps back every time. Sometimes they forgot about him for decades. Jesus wanted to wake them up, help them see that God was still there, still powerful, and still in charge, and there were simple ways for them to get to know Him. Mostly, they had to put down the perspective they had held for so long and be willing to see things from a new lens, a different angle. They had to witness the amazing things He did to help them understand what God wanted for them and from them as they lived, and long after they lived on earth. He wanted them to have hope for tomorrow and to understand that this earth plan was definitely not all there was. He opened their eyes to see something new. 

Whatever point of view you hold, try to imagine what God’s view of you might be at this very moment. Does He see you and understand you just as you are? Does He root for you to wake up and realize He’s there? Does He give you hope? What’s your view?

God is busy even now, trying to open your eyes to see Him more clearly.

 

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Spaghetti Days

There’s an amazing savory smell coming from the kitchen and giving your nose a treat. Pasta sauce, rich, fragrant, and delicious is slowly cooking. Combined with your favorite spaghetti and perfectly ground parmesan, your senses feel a happy dance coming on. You’ve been smelling that sauce all day and there’s only one thing you have to remember before you head to the dinner table. Change your shirt! That white shirt will never make it through the meal. You know from experience that one tiny spot of red sauce will appear out of nowhere. You don’t know how it happens, but there it is. One spot, one clear message that you lost control somewhere along the way. Changing your shirt is a small price to pay.

As a slang word, we actually use spaghetti to talk about an embarrassing act, called “dropping” the spaghetti. It can also point out a general moment of awkwardness or foolishness, or a faux pas. So, what does all this have to do with you and your life? It may simply serve as a visual reminder that even when you make a mess, or get into a difficult situation, God already has your back. He’s got you in His hands and He started talking about the importance of this way back in the book of Isaiah. 

Isaiah wrote about our spots and blemishes in his early chapters. It reminds us that we always have to be on the lookout for things that might spot our character or show up in bright red stains that can never be washed away. It seems that those awkward and embarrassing things we do, because foolishness happens to everyone, mean that we simply can’t avoid a spot or two. We need to know that when we make a mess of things, there’s some kind of damage control.  After all, we want to get back to clean and bright, shiny and new.

We are grateful for Isaiah’s words, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”  In those words, he’s letting us know that God has an answer for each faux pas in life. He wants us to turn to Him any time we recognize a spot, or a stain has happened. When we ask for His help, He shows us kindness and love. He cleans us up so we can try again and maybe even be more careful the next time.

A spaghetti moment may taint you for a bit, but it won’t last long. Forgiveness comes with the perfect spot remover.

So, maybe try wearing a red shirt on spaghetti night, or blue, or green? 

 

 

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Let’s Unload those Burdens

The Scottish theologian John Baillie wanted to help people recognize that a personal relationship with God was possible. HIs book, called A Diary of Private Prayer is a classic 31-day devotional that gives readers a greater understanding of what that means. Looking at the issue of burdens we carry, Baillie wrote: Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord.

Since burdens are generally the stuff that life is made of, it is helpful to all of us to learn how to best manage them. Most of us are prone to keeping our burdens private, which means we often carry a heavy load. We carry those burdens for ourselves, and for people we love, and even for the world as it is. We carry them because we don’t really know how to set them down, or where to put them that can make any difference at all. 

If we take a page out of Baillie’s notebook, we might find that there’s more we can do than simply shrugging our shoulders and hoping to be able to bear the weight of those things that concern us. The truth is God knows you can’t carry those burdens all on your own and He never intended that you should. Here’s where that personal relationship with Him comes in. If we believe that He not only will, but truly wants to share in our burdens, then we immediately have a place to take them. We are not left alone to simply stress over those issues that are too big for us to handle. We don’t have to imagine that somehow, we will miraculously come up with all the right answers, whether for ourselves or others. In fact, we can lay those burdens down at the feet of the One who offers to walk with us and carry the heaviest part of our load. So, how do we do that?

There’s a secret to our success. We have to remember this. Once you cast your burdens on the Lord, place them squarely in His hands, then you have to leave them there. Yup! You don’t get to take them back the next day and start to worry all over again. If you struggle with that idea, think of all those times that you have personally helped someone else. You helped them because you cared for them. You wanted better things for them. You knew you could help them move on and feel better about life. If you can remember how good you felt about helping them, then remember that God feels that way about you. He wants to help you. Just get out of the way and let Him act. Your heart knows that He will keep His promises and bear your burdens joyfully.

May God give you a great big believing heart today!

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