Shhh! Be Quiet

Do you ever think of the moments when someone has their faith turned up so loud that you just want to yell SHHH! BE QUIET in their face? You know the moment when you're in a room with someone and their positive presence just fills every inch of space? The moments when they are so full of joy, but you feel like all would be right with the world if you just had that one cup of coffee or perhaps that extra hour of sleep. Then there are the times when you know that every single solitary thing in their life is jacked up, but still a genuine smile is always on their face.

"You will be alright", she says. "There is no need for you to worry", is always what she tells you. And then there are the prayers. Prayers that are focused on others. Prayers that are directed in a way to make the listener refocus on God. Prayers that are always positive and so filled with praise. She even called you blessed and highly favored the very same day you lost your job. You could do nothing but wonder how anyone would have so much faith.

How can she walk so tall and remain so humble? How can she exude Love without screaming how much she Loves? How can she be so at peace and sure of her faith without constantly saying I believe in God? Is her faith for real? Is it genuine? Is her example to be followed or to be laughed at and ridiculed because it is so different?

It's not only different, it's radical. It's unheard of. Why would she give up the comforts of fitting in for the uncertainty of standing out? It's much easier to say "I'm blessed and highly favored", but her words continue to lift you. Surely she has things to address with God for herself, her family, her friends. Somehow you are the one she prays for. You and the people she encounters who can't pray or won't pray for themselves. 

"I love the Lord." When she said it, it was effortless and reserved just like when Whitney Houston put that very verse to song. You knew it was for Him and not for show. SHHHHHH!!!! BE QUIET! 

You try to stop yourself, but you just can't hold back. You're yelling at her to dial it down and fall back because the sound of her faith reminds you of how hard you work to silence your own.


I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Adayinthelife :-)

What Was Eve Thinking?

Do you ever sit and wonder what would have happened if Eve hadn't eaten the apple? Would we be so interested in designer clothes? Would mansions or cars exist? Would there be the technology for me to write this blog?

Eve's choice has been debated and scorned. How could she have gone against God's command and eaten that apple when she had everything? How could she allow the snake to tempt her? What would possess her to do something so dumb? Surely I am not the only one who has wondered all of this. But, today my thoughts about Eve and her choice are different. Today I realized for the first time that Eve was just trying to fit in.

Eve wanted what we all have wanted at some point. She wanted to be in the in crowd. Eve thought that eating the apple would allow her to see things as God saw them. She would have His knowledge of both good and evil and she would be as the Gods.

The problem was that Eve did not consider what her choice meant. She did not consider what knowledge of evil meant because she had no concept of what evil was. Instead of finding herself fitting in with God, her choice brought separation.

So what are you saying Candy? I used Eve as my example for a couple of reasons. A part of it was to help us to think thoughtfully about what happened when she tried to fit in where she didn't belong. Another part of it was to help us to think thoughtfully about how our own choices to fit in where we don't belong impact our relationship with God. 

When has your attempt to fit in caused you to be separated from God? Was it as simple as buying that extra revealing pair of jeans? Was it choosing to begin a friendship that monopolized your prayer time? Or was it walking away from your church home, your family, or your spouse because someone else found fault with them?

Our choices to fit in push us into or out of fellowship with God. Are your choices leading you into deeper fellowship? Or have you found yourself hidden from God in a place where you don't belong? 

***Genesis 3 is a great read.***

Adayinthelife :-)

True Love

I love you. These are three simple words that often are completely misused. We say I love you to express a feeling. We say I love you to validate each other. We even say I love you for our own personal gain. How often are we thoughtful about what those words imply or what our true motives are for expressing them?

I love you. When was the last time that you said those words and thought about God? Did He cross your mind when you kissed your husband goodbye and left him with I love you? Maybe you thought of God when you tucked your daughter in last night and whispered I love you. 

If you cannot recall, I want you to take a moment and think really think about what those moments were like. God was present the morning that you kissed your husband and told him I love you. God was the one who opened your heart when failed relationship after failed relationship had you thinking that love was found inside of a man's closed fist. It was God's loving you that allowed you to overcome the fear that tried to creep into your mind when your husband asked you on your first date. You had vowed to never love again, but God said no. I Am love. I can't take who I Am from you. I love you. 

And can you think back to the day when you vowed never to let a child in? Your own childhood was so heartbreaking that you were determined to not open those wounds again. God was there when you cried and cried yourself to sleep. I love you. He said it even when you didn't know it was His voice. His I love you quieted the anxious thoughts you had of being a bad mother. His I love you covered the guilt you had when fear moved you to abort your first child. His I love you was what you whispered to your daughter as she was on her way to sleep that day.

His I love you is intentional. His I love you is true. His I love you is the only I love you guaranteed to not be taken back from you.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Romans 12:9

Adayinthelife :-)