A Call to Discipline

Would it surprise you to learn I am lacking discipline lately?  I have been struggling for a few weeks just to do what I know I should and finding all kinds of silly excuses not to.  Even my prayer journal has been hit and miss, with more misses than hits last week.  How timely that Courtney over at Women Living Well posted this on her blog:

5-weeks-5-disciplines-5-challenges

The time has come to stop praying about it and confessing my failure everyday and start doing something.  I am somewhat limited on physical activity at the moment as I am nursing a sprained knee and sprained ankle.  My sweet son Matthew pointed out that I do not have to live with these weak ankles.  So I went online and found some suggestions that I am going to put into practice beginning today with the Ankle Strengthening Program.  With my good ankle I worked through most of these today. (The one using the towel was a lot harder than it looked.) 

The other thing I need to work on: getting to bed at a reasonable time.  10:30, lights out for me.

Ken and I decided to enlarge the pond in our backyard and began work on it this past week.  The first two photos are from this past winter- notice the size of the water feature, the little pond was not much bigger than it.

My amazing hubby dug a huge whole in the backyard-
16x9 feet at it's widest and  two feet at it's deepest,
with lots of shelf space for plants!

Below is the current stage of the pond- notice the size of the water feature- it is the same as the "Before" photos.   Still a lot left to do- including choosing plants, and adding a bog area.

I sat out by the pond this morning and enjoyed my quiet time by this peaceful spot.  I enjoyed the sound of the water spilling into the pond as I contemplated what the Kingdom of God is like.  Then Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?  How can I illustrate it?  It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds come and find shelter in its branches."  He also asked, "What else is the Kingdom of God like?  It is like yeast used by a woman making bread.  Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough." 

 Luke 13:18-21, NLT1

What if I am that tiny mustard seed?  What if I am that little bit of yeast?  My part--your part--in the Kingdom of God may seem like a small or insignificant role.  Yet when we do our part God can take our wee offering and do something incredible with it.  We have no idea the impact our individual lives have on the whole world, or what God can accomplish if we will simply do what He asks of us.  I am dealing with the effects of weakness in a part of my body that I never give much thought too, except when I am in pain and can't walk very well.  I don't even want to think about what my lack of discipline could be doing to the Body of Christ.  In love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the whole body for the building up of itself in love.  Ephesians 4:15b-16, NASB  (Feeling convicted yet?)

Courtney's challenge to develop some discipline has come at a good time.  What about you?  Are you up for the challenge?  Leave a comment below about what things you want to work on and let's encourage one another as we strive to be the women God wants us to be in 2012.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy, Deb

Wholehearted Commitment

There are days when I pick up my Bible and begin reading and the conviction that comes is very humbling.  Today was one of those days as I read these words, "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today." Deuteronomy 6:6, NLT1.  With what I wrote on Friday about how I had struggled with my quiet time and journaling still fresh on my mind these words hit hard.  To be honest, that is the root of my problem, a lack of wholehearted commitment.  I do not yet love the Lord my God with ALL of my heart.  Can someone like me actually say that in writing?  I have lots of lesser loves that vie for my attention.

When I looked for an image to share,
my search for "wholehearted"
pulled this one up-
 I think they are pretty much focused
 on just one thing here,
and really isn't that what it is all about?

I went on to read Jesus words to the disciples of John the Baptist.  John had sent them to ask Jesus if He was the one-the Messiah they were waiting for-or if they should wait for another.  This one line caught my attention, "God blesses those who are not offended by Me."  You may wonder how that fits with my earlier thoughts.  I have gotten the impression that Jesus was not what they were expecting.  He was not coming in and overthrowing the government.  He was not restoring Israel to power.  He was busy going around healing people, He had even just raised a woman's son from the dead.  A story that is one of my favorites by the way for what did not take place.  The woman did not seek out Jesus for this miracle, she did not ask for His help.  Jesus simply noticed this woman's grief as she walked by with the funeral procession and He was moved with compassion and returned her son to her. (Luke 7:11-17)  That is the kind of God that He is.  And that is the God who wants me to be wholeheartedly committed to Him.  The things He asks me to do with my life are things that the world just does not understand.  Sometimes I do not understand them myself.  Will I be offended by what He asks of me?  Am I offended by His call for me to spend time with Him each and every day?  To lay aside my own selfish, and often times foolish desires, to follow Him with my whole heart?
After John's disciples left, Jesus then spoke to the crowd that was gathered about John the Baptist.  The NLT1 concludes that passage with these words, "When they heard this, all the people, including the unjust tax collectors, agreed that God's plan was right, for they had been baptized by John.  But the Pharisees and experts in religious law had rejected God's plan for them, for they had refused John's baptism." Luke 7:29-30.
To know what is right and not do it is to reject God's plan for me.  That is where I really feel convicted.  I started this year with the goal of becoming the woman God wants me to be.  Am I willing to accept His plan for me in that process?  Am I willing to give myself over to that plan wholeheartedly?  The very last verse i read from Luke this morning were these words from Jesus, "But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." Luke 7:35, NLT1  A wise woman would follow the path that the Lord has laid out for her.  I am making the choice to take another step on that path today, and I intend to make the same choice again tomorrow.  I pray for a heart that will make that same choice every day for the remainder of my days on this earth.


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb