Saved

I'm sitting here on this dreary morning, cozy in my bed while the girls watch a little cartoons...Joei Kate is home from school with a sick tummy. So of course Lily feels the need to be sick as well since "we are not caring about her" like we are big sis. This plays out until dad brings donuts...then she perked right up. But then quickly became ill again once said donut was safely in her stomach.

Anyhow, I'm thinking about salvation this morning. If you look up the meaning of the word "salvation,"  it says, "the state of being protected from harm or risk."

Hmm. Indeed it is that. As Christians, we know salvation to be the day we are saved from the penalty of sin; the day we are guaranteed life eternal with Jesus in Heaven. Never again will there be a day that we won't exist. We will always be somewhere. Somewhere. I don't agree with Oprah on all the things she says but something I heard her say struck me interesting; she said, "we are all spiritual beings having a human experience." I thought that was really good. We will always be somewhere, living some kind of something. After my time is done living the human experience, I'm going to get to exist with Jesus! Wow. Oh that I may live out this human experience to the fullest potential...but that's another post for another time!

I am so thankful for the grace of God. The grace that draws people to belief in Him. The grace that I know beyond the shadow of a doubt welcomed my Grandpa into Heaven, regardless of the fact that Grandpa did not live his life for the Lord...but before he died, I know he came to faith in God. I know He believed. And because of that, I will one day see him again. So grateful for grace.

When I was 14 years old, I went on a trip to Mexico with the church we were going to at that time. My mom had since re-married a man that was a Christian, so we all started going to church. I was about 12 or 13 when that began; going to church that is. I didn't necessarily like church at the time, but I didn't not like it either. At that stage in life I was hanging out with friends and getting into things a girl my age ought not be getting into...my mom was none the wiser, as long as I went to church, she was happy.

So when a trip to Mexico was on the table, I was all for that! I remember driving on the church bus, staring out the window as we made our way through Tijuana. I recall feeling so hopeless as I stared at the poverty that presented itself outside of my little window. I wanted to help those wonderful people, but I had nothing to give them. I had nothing in me.

I honestly had no idea what I was in for, I thought it was a "fun" trip to Mexico. And it was fun. But what I didn't expect was salvation. I didn't expect it because I didn't even know I needed it.

By age 14, I was a mess of a kid. I had been so wounded by things in my childhood that the issues plaguing me were enough to send me down a very, very dark path...a path on which I believe I was already stepping into, one toe at a time. The choices I had been making up to that point were not wise, not for a young teenager. Heck, not for anyone!

I was steeped in hurt, pain, bitterness, anger, hatred, insecurity and fear. I was a mess. And that's putting it lightly.

I needed to be protected from harm or risk. I needed salvation.

The first night in Mexico we gathered for a service. There was preaching. I remember parts of the message that Coco Perez shared that night; he spoke out of Joel 2. But I remember salvation. I remember going to the altar that night to be protected from harm or risk. I remember going to that alter that night and surrendering my life to Jesus. I was saved! Gloriously saved!

I don't use the word "saved" often when referring to people accepting Christ in their hearts, but I should. Because when we accept Jesus, when we recognize the need for salvation, we are indeed being saved. We are being saved from a life of fear. We are being saved from a life of uncertainty. We are being saved from a life of hurt and of pain. We are being saved. Oh my goodness we are SAVED!

Sure we still face all the "junk" the world throws; but we are protected from harm or risk! Why? Because ultimately, our home is Heaven. In this life we will face trials of many kinds, but my goodness, we are just passing through. This is a stop on our journey, this thing called life. One day, I will face Jesus. I will look at Him with the same eyeballs I'm looking at this lap top with. I will look my Savior straight in the face...that is, if I can pull myself up off the ground. What a savior. He saved me.


I could go on and on...but today, I guess I'm just thankful to be saved.

My cool kids.

Lily's getting on her Rock n Roll outfit right now...watching the Fresh Beat band, since, according to her, they are "back in business!" Apparently they left for awhile. Her rock n roll outfit consists of a skirt, shirt and a jean jacket. She's channeling her inner 80's self I guess. Oh I wish you could hear her singing...oh now she's looking for Rock n Roll shoes. This ought to be interesting.

She will be 4 next month! I can't believe how quick they grow. My goodness this was just her a few days ago right?



Lily is a character, let me tell ya. It is never a dull moment with her! She's creative, loving, and absolutely hilarious! And que toys being thrown around her room now as she is moving from Rock n Roll to ballet.



I love that picture, Joei Kate holding Lily Rae for the first time! Look at Joei Kate's face, she is not quite sure what to do or how to react. She is so very cautious, she still is. That's her nature. I've been blessed with some great kids! Joei Kate (whom still is sticking to the whole "Kate" as her name at school, but she can be Joei at home business) is such a neat girl. She is nearing 8 years old, that's crazy to think about! It's fun watching her morph into an older kid. She's not a little babe anymore, she's my big girl now! Joei is very cautious, even still. She's a compassionate kid & very gentle natured. It's been cool watching her as she learns about life - the good, the bad & the ugly. Looking at life through her eyes is so fascinating.

Well I'm not real sure where this post came from, but there ya go, a little glimpse of my babies.

Ugly?

Our little family recently visited the Oakland Zoo; we had never been and wanted to take them to a zoo that was new to them. It was a really great zoo! Although Joei Kate was concerned about the lack of the Ostrich. I concur.

At any rate, they have a huge Bat exhibit! Needless to say, after looking at more bats than one person should see in their lifetime, I felt itchy. And scared. And like things were crawling on me. But I digress.

Fruit bats are uuuuuugly (said like the Hyena from The Lion King.) I mean, U.G.L.Y you aint got no alibi, you ugly. Hey hey, you ugly. Did I mention how ugly they are?

They just hang from the fence, upside down, wings wrapped around them all snuggly like; which is good cuz aint nobody else gonna snuggle a bat. Some of them would open their wings and they were massive! And veiny and gross. And ugly.

Once we moved past the ugliness (Ok, I never really moved past that) and my husband's extreme urge to shoot them, (yes, apparently a hanging fruit bat just screams to him "SHOOT ME NOW") I started to read about the fruit bat.

They have purpose. As ugly and freaky as they are, those suckers have purpose. They fly around, eating fruit and spitting seeds and parts of said fruit all over, thereby pollinating fields, and giving us fruit. They help forests, they help plants, they help us. We don't even realize how much we need the fruit bat to exist in our world, but we do.

I'll admit, my first instinct was to look past the exhibit, not to even pay attention to the creepy bat that my husband longed to shoot. But I was so intrigued by the ugly I had to look closer.

I often think the same thing can be said for people. Not the ugly part, because I don't believe anybody is ugly. I don't even use that word much, except when talking about bats. And spiders. And as I also discovered at the zoo, millipedes. But I don't say ugly much. It's not a word I care for.

That being said, like that fruit bat, we often look past people. We make a snap judgement on a person, based on their outward appearance, or our perception of them. Maybe they are different than us. Maybe they dress different than what we think works. Maybe their personality is the polar opposite of ours. Maybe they just don't fit in. Ohhhh. You expect to hear that last statement when in the midst of a group of teenagers right? "They just don't fit in."

Sadly it's not just amongst teenagers, it's everywhere. It's in our homes, in our schools, in our communities and sadly, in our churches. They just don't fit in. Tears come to my eyes as I type this because I've seen it happen all too much, and I'll admit that I've been guilty of it as well.

You ever been the one "that just didn't fit in?" I have. And it's ugly.

The fruit bat has purpose. How much more purpose do we have? If God created that fruit bat for a reason, than my goodness, what did He create us for? Oh if we even had but a glimpse of the greatness that resided in each individual person, can you imagine what this world could be? Greatness. Not ugly. Not creepy. Greatness.

So I learned a lesson that day at the Oakland zoo. Well, I learned a few actually. I learned that my handsome man really likes to shoot things. Thankfully, not people. Most the time.

I also learned that Lily will more than likely be the person that breaks into the zoo at night to free the animals - as she screamed "The camels were made for the desert, not the Zoo, that's why they are asleep!" We will wake up one day to Elephants in our backyard. It's inevitable.

And I learned that something that has caused me fear, and many others, has purpose. The fruit bat, creepy as it is, has purpose.

Maybe, just maybe, the fruit bat isn't so ugly after all.

Jumped

2 Chronicles 20:15-17
New King James Version (NKJV)
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

If anyone needs encouragement on this Monday morning, take strength today in knowing that the battle does not belong to you, the battle belongs to the Lord! That situation you are facing that seems insurmountable, it's not your battle, it's Gods. The marriage problems you face today, they belong to the Lord. The family problems you may face today, they belong to the Lord. Your financial struggles belong to the Lord. Your physical ailments, they are Gods fight. The anxiety that rules your mind, it belongs to the Lord. The depression that may try to plague you today, it belongs to God. It's not our battle to fight! We can't fight it. It's too much for us.

Have you ever been in a fight before? I have. Well, not really, I got beat up actually so you can't really call it a fight. I was 13 years old at the time and was walking home from a friends house and came upon a group of girls that proceeded to beat the ever lovin' daylights out of me! It was a very scary feeling, totally a helpless feeling actually. I wish I could say that I fought back with all that was in me, but I didn't. I'm pretty sure I just fell to the ground and let them pummel me until they had their fill, then I got up and hobbled home crying. I was just around the corner from my house so I didn't have far to hobble. And cry. Not my brightest memory to say the least!

I share that to say that fighting is not fun! Well, not that I would know, seeing as I didn't fight back. So I should say getting beat up is not fun. And yet, we allow ourselves to get beat up on a daily basis. We carry all these huge problems on our backs, we let them build up in our minds and become even bigger than they actually are! You ever done that? You play this thing up in your head to be so massive of an issue, and once you speak it out loud you realize the insanity of what's gone on in your head? Ok, maybe that's just me.

But we get beat up. The problem overwhelms us to the point that we can't see an answer anywhere on the horizon because our vision is so blurred from the beating.

I love how the scripture continues:
2 Chronicles 20:20-22 (NKJV)
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

When they began to sing and to praise, the battle was won! That's the ticket folks! The battle is won in our praise. The battle is won when we stand up, square our shoulders and refuse to get pummeled! The battle is won when we hand the situation over to God, and begin to praise Him for who He is; how merciful He is to us. When we take that thing off the pedestal in our mind, giving it over to God, we are on the way to victory. Our praise seals the deal.

Because even if the problem does not right itself immediately, even if God's answer is not made ready in our preferred time frame, the victory is ours the moment we praise. The moment we take our eyes off the issue and put them onto God's goodness, we win. The devil has no place to play in our mind when we do that. And when we kick the devil out of his playground, HE HAS NO HOLD ANYMORE!

So today I encourage us all to sing, to shout, to praise God for all He has done in our lives thus far. When our focus is off the problem, the solution is being made ready.

And when you are walking home from your friends house, maybe just walk a little faster ;)