Tag: Trust

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Perfection Problems

 

Dear sister,

I hate to break it to you, but life is not perfect, and neither are you.When I was a kid, my mom would remind me, “Karlie, you are not perfect, and you never will be. You might as well realize this now.” This may sound harsh, but I really struggled with perfectionism as a kid, to the point of frustration. Basically, she was saying life is not perfect and putting my hope in something that I cannot obtain is hopeless. Telling someone they are not perfect may sound discouraging, but it can be exhausting expecting perfection in a fallen world.

So does that mean we stop striving for perfection? We desire perfection, but often look to the wrong places for perfection. I usually put my hope in planning. If everything goes according to plan, my life will be perfect. But life is not perfect; relationships fall through, cars break down, family members get sick, etc. So what do we do? Well, if you are like me, I worry. At least then I feel like I am being productive. But in the end I find worrying doesn’t accomplish anything other than raise my stress level.

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:5b-7)

I am not the one in control. Worry only reveals a heart that does not fully trust the Lord with all things. If God can take care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:25-34), why do we doubt His care for you and me?

This year, I’ve made it my goal to stress less and trust God more. Will life go according to my plan this year? Probably not, and if hard times haven’t come, they are probably just around the corner. Yet what looks like failure or a mistake to us may just be God’s plan from the beginning. It’s frustrating when plans don’t work out, but that’s life. Thankfully, we cannot ruin God’s plan. His ways are above our ways and His timing is perfect, even if it does not fit our timeline. When faced with disappointments, we need to rejoice and trust in Him. After all, nothing is supposed to be perfect, on this side of heaven.

I guess my mom was partially correct, I am not perfect, but I am being perfected every day. As Paul says later in Philippians: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12).

We will be perfect someday, as He is perfect. When life doesn’t go according to plan, we need to look to the One who is perfect and makes us perfect in Christ; rest in His perfection.

In Christ,

Karlie

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The King…Our King…My King

Dear sisters,

We Americans are a cocky brood. It is one of our strengths as it brings ingenuity and fantastical ideas to life, but it also heeds our understanding of other admirable attributes. Living in Thailand for four-ish years helped opened my eyes to one of these attributes that has changed how I view of our Lord and King.

Thailand is still ruled by a King. He is more than loved; he is highly esteemed and honored. I was instructed early on never to step on Thai Baht (their currency) as it bears the image of the king. Think about how many times you drop a quarter and step on it to keep it from leaving your sight or to bring it closer to you so you can pick it up. This is unheard of in Thailand. His image is never defamed, his character is never questioned, and unlike our country, the media never turn up dirt on him.

Traffic is stopped so he can pass freely. The pedestrian walkover bridges are emptied so no one is higher than the king as he passes. Every movie theater begins their show by playing the king’s anthem and all stand in respect until the song finishes. Each Friday honors the king by people choosing to wear yellow shirts in honor of the day he was born. I have never talked to a Thai person who has a bad word to say about him. In his healthier days, he would sweat in the unbearable heat while walking with the poor farmers to find out their needs. His science background helped him find a way to seed clouds in the hot season to help the farmers receive rain for their crop. He is a king who loves his people and they honor him for it.

Living in this environment made me realize how much I do not honor my king, Jesus. I grew up knowing that all men and women put on their pants the same way I do and everyone makes mistakes. I was encouraged to always work hard and then try harder so I could be anyone and do anything. All good things, except my view of fallible humans bled into my view of God. I used my human experience to be my foundation of who God is rather than the truth of scripture informing me of who God is. Therefore my honor to Him was not as it should have been and my actions showed it. I prayed disbelieving that He could answer my request. I went to church not to honor Him, but to see friends. I did good things not for His glory but for my own. Honoring my king was not evidenced in my life no matter how much my mouth proclaimed it was. Thailand helped open my eyes to what it means to truly honor the king in word and deed.

How about you dear sister? Do you praise and esteem your King more than yourself? Do you live your life in a way that shows how much you honor your King? He has done more for us than seeding clouds for rain. He showed His love by becoming one of us and living in this broken world so we would know He understands our every feeling and circumstance. He died by the hands of sinful men to forgive our sin debt. He gave us His righteousness forever! He is a King that rules perfectly and knows all things! We can trust Him!

“Oh My King, help us honor, respect, and esteem you more than ourselves. May we sing your praises and stand in awe of you more than all else in our life and may we never defame your name in word or in deed.”  CC

Your Sister in Christ,

Colleen

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Patiently Waiting

My dear sister,

“I want it now!” is what I find myself saying to God tonight as I selfishly and impatiently relay to God all the reasons why I should have this thing that has become so important to me. “I don’t want to wait until Thursday. I don’t want to wait for more wisdom. I know what I want and I want it now!”

At times I find myself pondering the thought that God might be looking down at me and laughing at the predicaments I get myself into and the impatience that I typically respond to those circumstances with. I have also noticed how often in God’s Providence the topic for which I am about to write is the very thing that is testing my faith! All that to say; How gracious it is of God to allow me to be struggling with patience this month as I sit here writing this to you!

Are you going through a particularly difficult time in your life? Has the Lord responded to your prayers simply by saying, “Wait.”? Are you struggling to be patient through this time of uncertainty? If yes, then I am right there with you. Waiting on the Lord is hard and being told to wait may even be worse than a flat out no. Having to trust the Lord through the in between times is not terribly fun. It’s actually really hard.

I was at my aunt’s house about to babysit my cousins on Saturday night. Before my aunt and uncle left my 4 year old cousin was repeatedly asking for a cookie in a less than pleasant voice. “You have to stop whining if you want a cookie, ” my uncle said. “I’m not whining!” my little cousin whined in response.

Wow. Do I sure feel like my little cousin this week. I know what I want and I think that everyone else should cater to my desire and give it to me now. How selfish! And how immature! I’m acting like a four year old! Even more than being selfish, my attitude tells God that I’m the one who knows what’s best for me and that I should be the one calling the shots. Could I be anymore arrogant?

Remembering the events of last night regarding my own personal situation, I realized that I said some things to a dear friend that I should not have said. I think, “If I had only been patient I would not have acted so selfishly!” But unfortunately I let my desire overtake my reason and instead of waiting upon the Lord to bring about the final results in His timing and in His way I took matters into my own hands. What a mistake that was, dear one.

Romans 5 has been my companion through these last few days. It says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Are you going through a trial right now, dear one? Has the Lord told you to wait when you don’t want to wait? Remember this verse. God is working in you and teaching you things now that will be for your good and to your advantage in the future. Remember that Romans 5 is true and that we will need endurance, character, and hope no matter what the Lord calls us to or what circumstances He puts us in. Trust and be encouraged by the truth of Romans 8:28 that the Lord does indeed work all things for the good of those who love Him.

I know what you’re going through right now is difficult and I know that you don’t want to be here very long but you need to wait. You need to, as the psalmist entreats us, ‘be still and know that I am God.” Pray for patience and pray for peace. The Lord will grant you both and remember ‘not one good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly’ (Psalm 84:11) God has our best interests at heart no matter how the circumstances may appear. Trust Him to bring the rainbow through the rain.

Under His wing,

Kayla

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Disappointment and God’s Way

 

Dear sister,

Last night I was supposed to go dancing but my prolonged sickness flared up and there was so much that needed to be done around the house that I had to stay home, help out and finally get some much needed rest. Having waited all week to go to this dancing event I was very disappointed that I was not able to go. In a façade of contentment I told myself that God knows best and there was a reason I was at home sick and not out driving to dance class. Dear one, I think many times we are so concerned about our own needs and our own wants that we place them far above the will of God. We pretend to be content in His sovereignty but in our hearts we are dissatisfied and tell God that we can take it from here. Ha! How arrogant we are to think that we are more equipped and more able to manage our lives than God is.

 Dear sister, there is no doubt in my mind that at the very moment we try to take control over our lives is when they start to fall apart. Then, when they do we get angry with God and ask Him why He’s letting it happen! Dear one, if you have taken the reins from God, give them back. He will not slumber or sleep. He is your keeper and the shade of your right hand. He will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life (Ps. 121:3-7). This means that He can be trusted with your entire life! Confess to Him that you have been dissatisfied in His will and more concerned with your own purposes rather than His and remember that He has promised us that if we love Him, He will work all things together for good (Rom. 8:28).

The next time you find yourself disappointed because something did not go your way, remember that it did go God’s way. And though we may not understand it now, His way will always lead to good, not evil. Rest in that truth daily, dear one.

Your sister,

Kayla