by Stacey | Apr 14, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Lie #1: Marriage is about my happiness.
My husband delights me. He really is my best friend and we have a happy, happy life. But if my joy in life rests entirely with him, I am setting myself up for disappointment and setting him up for failure. Marriage takes compromise and compromise is not always pleasant. Marriage requires forgiveness, and forgiveness is hard. Marriage is about working together with the end goal of a union that brings God great glory. So marriage isn’t about my happiness, although it may bring me much. Marriage is about God. It is, in part, about making me more like Christ. It is a sanctifying journey that requires me to love someone like Christ loves me, with endless grace and patience.
Lie #2: I have to feel love to show love.
We have been married for 18 years. My love for my husband has grown and changed over those years. Our marriage could not sustain those electrifying moments of courtship for nearly two decades. No marriage can.
But, my ability to love my husband does not hinge on those feelings remaining or on him reciprocating my gestures of love. It is entirely up to me whether I will act lovingly toward him. The decision to love, even if he is being unlovable, glorifies God and sustains a marriage. And his decision to love me, when I am unlovable, glorifies God. When I serve my spouse instead of complaining about him, when I acknowledge and praise the things he is doing to provide for our family, when pray for him and with him, when I work on becoming the woman God has called me to be, I am showing the world that love is a choice. I choose to never give up on my marriage because Christ never gave up on me.
And if I’m honest, I’m glad we didn’t stay in that crazy, tingling, wonderful dating phase. Our relationship has evolved into something much deeper and far more real than it was when we promised forever. The transition from infatuation to intentional and committed love can be hard for some couples, but marriage is worth fighting for.
Lie #3: My spouse should meet all my needs.
No person will ever meet all your needs perfectly, only Jesus Christ can do that. At some point, my spouse will fail or disappoint me. At some point, I will fail or disappoint him. And when we hurt each other in our brokenness, we can find rest in the One who will never fail to love and understand us exactly as we require. I must find my identity and worth in my Saviour.
Just as no one can eat your food for you, or accept the truth of the gospel on your behalf, no one can love your spouse for you. You are in charge of that decision. Will you decide today to love the partner that you promised forever?
*none of this implies a spouse in an abusive relationship should remain in a dangerous situation. If your partner is harming or threatening you, it is imperative that you find a safe place and seek biblical counselling.
by Stacey | Apr 7, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
He preached it on Sunday. Do not be anxious. Then, he confessed the irony of his growing apprehension as the Sunday deadline rushed closer. Even the preacher knows anxiety.
But, he knows anxiousness is only a symptom of the deeper problem. The problem isn’t anxiety, he says. The problem is a distracted heart that strays from God and divides the mind. If you seek first God’s kingdom, the Spirit of God is able to refocus the heart on what matters, because life is about more than what worries us. Seek first the things of God over the things of the world.
And now it’s my turn. Without constant monitoring it would be easy to spiral downward with these questions: Am I parenting right? Are the children learning everything they need to know? Do they know how desperately, whole heartedly, and unconditionally I love them?
Will we have enough money to retire? Should we be saving for college? Do we invest, pay down the mortgage, fix up the house, or just give it all away?
Will my second book get picked up? Will the other one, the one that is my heart ripped open and scratched onto paper? What if God says, no? Or worse, what if he says yes and the reviews are horrid???
Seek first the things of God over the things of the world.
God knows what my children need. He gave them to us. Therefore, we are the right parents for these little ones. Will we parent perfectly? No! Can God work through our humble and sincere efforts to glorify Him and steer our children toward Him? Yes! How it is accomplished? Prioritize the things of the Lord.
When I consider the lilies of the field, how can I worry about our future needs? God cares for the sparrows, and He will care for me. Prioritize God and He promises to care for me.
And the book(s)? If my heart is truly in the proper place of desiring to glorify God with my ability, than WHATEVER He decides to do with my offering will be right and enough. Prioritize getting the message right, proclaiming His Word unashamedly and with boldness. God can take care of the rest.
Seek first the kingdom of God, and God not only provides what we need, He is delighted to give us the kingdom.
Seek Him first, in everything.
*Listen to message from Sunday here. It is titled Breakthrough 2
by Stacey | Mar 31, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
I’m on my third pot of soup.
This dry, raw throat craves salty chicken broth, and my pre-teen hasn’t yet mastered the soup cooking skill. So, I’m up, stirring soup.
I’m tempted to tuck myself back into bed and forget my responsibilities. I’m tempted to cozy up to Netflix and waste the day, popping pain pills. But, instead, I stir soup.
And the kids crawl out of bed and open their school books (we still homeschool when Mom’s sick). And my husband presses a kiss on my forehead and asks if I need anything else before he leaves. I need so much, but it has nothing to do with the pain in my throat.
I need to press pause. My little ones have become big kids. They no longer fit on my lap or tug at my skirt. They’ve grown into thoughtful children who work hard, play quietly, and try their very best to behave when their mamma is ill. I have husband who loves the Lord, who works hard to provide for his family, who spends his entire day off running the house so I can rest and still asks what more he can do to ease my load. I need to press pause and be thankful.
So, instead of feeling overwhelmed at the laundry, the dishes, the long grocery list, I’ll thank God for the gift wrapped in a raw throat. Because one day, I’ll wish for just one more day. One day, I’ll want to turn back the clock, I’ll wish I had taken a day to be fully present.
So today, I’ll cozy up to my pre-teen with a cup of hot soup and we’ll work the math together. I’ll whisper-read with Irish twins and cherish the slower paced day spent in our jammies. Maybe we’ll get that Netflix movie, but it won’t be me alone in the room. It’ll be us, piled high on the bed, cozy together.
I won’t wish away the gift that is today. The gift that slowed down a busy household to embrace the joy of just being together.
by Stacey | Mar 24, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Thank you for all the prayers poured out on behalf of this precious family. Because of the overwhelming response to this petition for prayer, they have allowed me to update you on momma and baby. Meet little Matthew, who has changed so much in the few weeks you have been praying for him.
God has answered our prayers and poured out amazing grace toward this family. Momma’s organs are functioning again (praise the LORD!). There are tentative plans to stop dialysis because her kidney function has improved so rapidly. The hospital staff are amazed at her recovery.
Initially, she had limited time with her son due to the severity of her (and his) condition. When she finally got to see him, fear overwhelmed. What if he didn’t know her? How could he know her when the majority of his care came from the nurses? He kicked up his legs, arched his back, mouth wide open in typical new born frustration. Her heart ached. She and her mother prayed that the Lord would show her that Matthew knew SHE is his Mom.
This new momma, still weak and overwhelmed in many ways, rose from her wheelchair and reached out her hand. She placed it on top of his little head and she sang a tender song she had sung to him while she was pregnant. Her boy instantly settled. His legs relaxed and he started that sweet sucking motion with his lips. He knew his mother’s voice.
I love that our God cares about the small prayers just as much as He cares about the big ones. I love that He saw fit to grant her that sweet connection and joy in comforting her child. Thank you, Lord.
And please, keep praying. Little Matthew needs to gain more weight, and there is a long recovery road ahead of him. Pray for his protection against infection.
by Stacey | Mar 17, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
If you look closely, you’ll see it—the evidence of a dried up root, the lack of passionate worship, the absence of devoted prayer. It caters to the appetite of culture. It softens the Word, resulting in worship of the blessing rather than worshiping the Bless-er.
And God departs.
Bounty may remain for a period, fooling many, but inevitably, the fruit shrivels. The plant dies when the Spirit of God leaves. It’s happening all around us. Once a picture of abundance and blessing, now withered nations, withered congregations, withered families, withered hearts struggle to survive.
Why do passionate people drift from their first love of the Lord? What causes us to grow indifferent and callous toward Him? What transforms faith into routine that breeds fickle love? Our attendance slips. Weariness grows. Works become a chore and tongues wag. The atmosphere dips and eventually turns cold. God departs and takes His blessings with Him. It is the consequence of fickle love.
Look close and you’ll see it. In many places, the Lampstand has been removed for the abandonment of first love.
It is not enough to toil with patient endurance. It is not enough to test and expose false teachers. It is not enough to endure patiently, bearing up for Jesus’ sake and not growing weary. It is not enough, because without passionate love for God—God removes His presence (Rev 2:2-3).
The bride is no longer like grapes in the wilderness, like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season. Woe to the bride who becomes a thing of shame.
*Read Hosea 9 , Revelation 2:1-7
by Stacey | Mar 10, 2016 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
A young momma, in the fight of her life, inhales God’s strength. Her young man, yanked from dreaming dreams into a living nightmare, stands on the Word, inhaling Truth and exhaling prayers—
—prayers for his love, praying she has more days written in the Book. Prayers for the one so tiny and precious, knit by the Maker, his days pre-determined and purposed for His glory. Day by day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, second-by-second, each breath is a victory. Each breath declares God’s goodness.
The breath of the Almighty gives life. He ushers His own to the place of dependence where faith truly lives. God’s mighty name is praised because nothing is wasted—not even this.
God is good when it is dark and when it is light. God is good when it is hard and when it is easy. God is good when He gives and when He takes away. His Truth is the oxygen a suffocating world needs to breathe, and needs to breathe deeply.
*pictures and story shared with permission in hope you will pray for this family.
