You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby

Pat and I spent last weekend attending a church officers’ retreat at Pickwick. We laughed a lot and learned a lot and we were incredibly blessed by the wisdom and encouragement shared with us by Andy Lewis. On Sunday morning of the retreat, we were gathering to share communion and worship, and as the ministers set up the communion table, they didn’t have any matches to light the candles. I was seated in the front, so I opened my tiny purse and shared the box of matches I had inside of it…. And then was teased (in a truly funny and good-natured way) for being a smoker. I am not a smoker and haven’t been for over 20 years, but I won’t pretend for a second that I wasn’t. In my past, I have also been a marathon runner, tennis player, thespian, insecure teenager, boozy college student, bungee jumper and cat owner, and none of those things are true about me now. I can say with almost total certainty that none of those things will be true about me in the future. They are part of my story. I am embarrassed by some of these things and proud of others, but they all have worked together to shape who I am today. Today, I am a wife and a mother and a writer and a gardener, a pretty good cook, and I am a passionate student of God’s word. There are many of us who are so burdened by our past or absorbed in our past accomplishments that we are inhibited in moving forward. I certainly had anxiety in launching a website as I thought of people who only knew me in high school or college reading my blogs. There are also many of us that are so worried about the future that we allow anxiety to siphon out our present joy. We don’t take a step forward because of what might be hiding around the next corner or the possibility of failing. The liberating and happy truth is that we are told to live today, rejoice today and learn today. Today may be the hardest season of your life, but as awful as your circumstances are, there are thousands of great things about your life today that you can set your mind on. We are told to set our minds on what is true today.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Phil. 4:8 (NLT)

The enemy will whisper, “I know you. You are dishonorable and dirty and unlovely and should be ashamed. Reject these lies. Precious friends, do you know what is true about you today? If you love Jesus, you are a new creation. Claim Phil 4:8. Rejoice in what is true today and then praise your excellent Lord for who he is and all the freedom that comes with claiming this truth.