Robin Gilbert Luftig's Blog, page 36

Trusting God Enough to Ask Him the Hard Questions

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Christina Custodio

I remember meeting Christina Custodio the fall of 2016 and being immediately impressed by her soft voice and calming manner. It wasn’t until I heard her tell the story that I saw a mighty prayer warrior powerful and mother who has an incredibly personal relationship with God. So personal, in fact, that she had the audacity to ask Him to change his mind in the middle of a crisis involving her son.

Here’s her story …

Connect with Christina at her website, http://www.christinacustodio.com/,

or her “Pray for Isaiah” Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/coollikeisaiah/

Watch a video about Isaiah by the 700 Club here

And thank you, Lisa Moore, for sharing her incredible story of faith. I am blessed to know both of you.

I count it a privilege, Lisa and Christina, to witness your dedication embracing brokenness and discovering hope.

We’ve Been Warned

[image error]We should not be afraid or surprised at the current events. People hating each other, calling those who used to be good friends terrible names. Everywhere we look we see abuse. First, it was politicians, then Hollywood businessmen and entertainers. The self-importance that once held them apart has now turned to ugliness. And today I read a prominent Christian college president was fired due to his handling of a sex abuse allegation.

It’s not pretty out there. But we shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve been warned.

Make sure you’re prepared for the fallout.

Be Humble. Or Be Humbled.

If you find humility difficult, ponder on these prize-winning quotes. Thanks, Mitch, for bringing them to our attention.

And to my blog followers who are not following Mitch Teemley, what’s stopping you?

Mitch Teemley

A flight attendant once reminded the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali to fasten his seat belt. “Superman don’t need no seat belt!” Ali replied. “Yeah, well, Superman don’t need no airplane, either!” the attendant retorted. Without another word, Ali fastened his seat belt.



“In the course of life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.” ~Winston Churchill



“Always tell the truth, do no harm to others, and don’t think you are the most important being on earth. Rich or poor, you then can look anyone in the eye and say, ‘I’m probably no better than you, but I’m certainly your equal.’” ~Harper Lee



“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” ~Ernest Hemingway

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Healing a Broken Spirit

[image error]Stories of people with broken spirits are threaded throughout the scriptures. Elijah wanted to die (1 Kings 19). The widow with the last of her olive oil (2 Kings 4).  Another woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:40-47). Even Jesus wept, asking His Heavenly Father to take the cup He needed to drink from him (Luke 22:39-45).

In each example, turning to God for help made the difference. And it can make the difference for us. Here’s a short poll for those who have a favorite go-to scripture to get them through dark times. I know I have my own. But I want to hear yours! If yours isn’t listed, share what makes a difference for you.

Take Our Poll

I can’t wait to hear from you.

(previously posted, September 16, 2016) 

Don’t Be Distracted. Instead, Be All You Can Be

It’s human nature to want to be all we can be. The United States Army tapped into that personal need in 1980 and came up with a catchy slogan and ad campaign:

We’re exposed to lots of choices as we begin our lives. We learn to set goals, beginning with walking, coloring in the lines and even going from eating “ba-sketti” with our hands to mastering “spaghetti” with a fork. As we grow older, we plot, plan, and strive to hit newer, more advanced marks of success. We strive to be all we can be.

But don’t be distracted. In our striving to reach our goals, we forget about contentment. To find contentment, we must first figure out who we are.

A pretty simple question at its face value. Yes, we know our names, where we live and either where we parked our car or what mass transit stop we need to return to for a ride back home.

But go deeper. Who really are we?

[image error]This exercise knocked my world from its axis for a moment. I’ve been striving for years to perfect my performance in the areas of “wife-dom”, mommyhood, speaking, and writing. I took courses in cooking and how to love my husband and children properly. I’ve studied trends and attacked with vigor how to build a social platform. I participated in classes that taught me how to project myself as well as how to write the perfect book proposal. While these all are extremely important—I value all the knowledge I gleaned from each lesson—I neglected to focus on my foundational need.

Who am I and why am I doing all of this?

Leaning back in my chair and pondering these questions, a scriptural passage exploded in my mind: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

I had been distracted.

I’m not a mom or a wife. I am not a writer, nor am I a speaker. Those are choices I made—paths I’ve taken in life. They are things I do.

[image error]I am, however, the daughter of the Creator of the Universe and He has a purpose for my life. That purpose is to share God’s love, mercy, and grace to those as God has freely given to me. I do that by learning how to be the best mom and wife I can be. I strive to be the best speaker and writer I can be, sharing with others how God loved me through difficult seasons in life. Approaching life as who I am, I do what I am purposed to do.

Now my world is back on its axis and my focus has been reset.

Are you struggling with purpose? In society today, education and instruction are readily available and it’s easy to get overloaded. But return to your focused purpose. Who are you?

Lean back in your chair and take a deep breath. You may be surprised at what comes to mind.

Get Rid of Shame

[image error]It’s mid-week. How’s it been so far? What do you see in your future? I pray it’s all good, filled with love and laughter. If not, don’t let discouragement or shame rob you of the Joy that’s waiting.

Christine Caine’s devotion, Unshakeable: 365 Devotions for Finding Unwavering Strength in God’s Word offers daily power-packed quick reads to get each day off on the right foot.

Realize we all listen to the opinions of others. Our responsibility is to make the opinions that you listen to count. Focus on God’s perspective. Because really, are any others better?

Celebrate today and get ready to finish the week in an outstanding manner!

Show Them You Care

[image error]What have you done today to show someone you loved them? It’s not too late to give it a try.

Maybe open a door for a busy mom. That could be the nicest gesture anyone offered them today.

Let the panicked driver cut in front of you. Those few seconds may be important to them.

Wave at your neighbors. We often see the same people every day. Let’s show them they’re important.

Actions don’t have to be huge to be life changers. Do something nice. Come back and tell me and the other followers about it. Let’s try and make this a better place … just for a moment.

Quieting the Voice of Insignificance

[image error]If you’re anything like me you occasionally battle the feeling of insignificance. You watch as others excel with ease in projects you sometimes struggle. Maybe it’s parenting. Your best friend’s kids seem sweeter and kinder than yours do. And how can it be that every time you go over for coffee her house is spotless?

It can be enough to send you to bed and pull the covers over your head. But know your significance counts in ways you may never know.

Take my dad for example. He quit school and worked on an assembly line in a factory all his life. Even though management had asked him to consider other positions such as Forman or Floor Supervisor, his focus never desired that. All he wanted was to work (seemingly insignificant) and earn an honest day’s wage. To most, he probably met his goal. He never made much of a splash with others.

[image error]Instead, he chose to invest his time and energy into his children. He taught us—many times through his actions—how to be people of character. And even though past hurts kept him from attending church, he modeled Christ every day to his children. He shared his time and taught the value of Truth, telling us things our Heavenly Father tell us still:

I was my dad’s princess, and I’m also God’s (So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Galatians 3:26)
My dad said he would always love me, just like my Heavenly Father (… neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39)
My dad had plans for me, yet God’s plans are even greater (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11)

[image error]There was a time that I believed voices that lied and built my feelings of insignificance. Those were some of the darkest days of my life. But God’s words found a way back to my heart and rang true. I was still His princess and nothing would ever stop Him from loving me.

And His plans for me live on. Even though I walked away from God’s plans for me during those dark days, He uses those years now when I speak at conferences and events about God’s gift of Mercy and Grace. I write—often through personal examples—that there is nothing that separates us from our Heavenly Father’s love.

Trust these words: learn how to quiet the voice of insignificance when you hear it. Sometimes we hear new voices that offer words that hit our vulnerabilities. These voices are speaking lies. Listen, instead, to the loving voice of Jesus.

While Truth sometimes hurts, it’s always trustworthy and never grows from insignificance.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever . (Psalm 136:26)

Happy Anniversary to Me!

[image error]Happy Anniversary to me!

It was eight years ago today—April 11, 2011—when my life’s journey took a turn. This was the day when I had brain surgery to remove a ginormous tumor from the front-top quadrant of my brain.

[image error]After that, life changed. Days of running up and down steps with ease were gone forever. Forgetting how to say words became commonplace. Putting together jigsaw puzzles with my husband was a thing of the past. One look at them made me anxious. Weakness on my entire right side has never left me. I don’t know if that was from the surgery or becoming paralyzed from the grand mal seizure I had on April 1st. But that seizure—while traumatic—was the reason they found the tumor. That’s why they decided to do an MRI of my head.

But nonetheless, I am celebrating. Why? Because I know that each moment since that surgery has been a gift.

[image error]The doctors were clear—they could not give me any guarantees that I’d survive the delicate and lengthy operation. They had to cut my skull open and remove and try to replace a sizable section of bone to get to the tumor. Then there was therapy: physical, occupational, and speech. I worked diligently for months with therapists who encouraged me to do the simplest of tasks: walking without assistance, standing and not losing my balance, learning to pick up coins one at a time, and repeating words and phrases after they were said to me.

But I celebrate because God was with me every step of the way, and I’ve tried to never take life for granted again.

“ …‘you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:13-14 NIV

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Feel that? It’s your heart beating. It could stop at any time, but instead, it keeps on going. Not because of anything you’re doing, but because it’s God’s gift to you.

So celebrate with me. I’ve had seven years of appreciating and trusting God’s gift of a day—one at a time. Let’s celebrate yours.

Robin speaks to women’s groups on trusting God through adversity. She’s also  written a book, “It Started with a Brain Tumor” recounting a life filled with scars, yet a life lived under the watchful eye of a loving and non-intrusive Heavenly Father. Watch for it!

 

Writing is Secondary

[image error]Recently I wrote about an experience I had at the Florida Christian Writers Conference that reminded me that God’s purpose is bigger than my own. Check it out …

http://www.floridacwc.net/fcwcblog/304-Writing-is-Secondary/1-