Thoughts on Time and God

Does anyone else feel like waiting on God to do "His thing" is like holding your breath underwater for a really long time? I am NOT a patient person, although I'm developing into one (slowly), thanks to my children. In my immediate family, my impatience is notorious to the degree that my dad would call me "Impatience Johnson." I always held to a lesson Grandma taught me: NEVER ask God to grant you patience because He will give you ample opportunities to learn it. Grandma always has been, above all things, practical and wise.

And yet as I've grown up, I've really begun to understand how time works. One second will always be just one second. One minute will always be sixty seconds, and so forth. Time is a constant. Sometimes, it's an asset, and sometimes, it's a liability.

Furthermore, I've come to a real epiphany on time: it does not work the same way for God as it does for us. Since He created it, He can bend its rules as He sees fit! Our job is simple: bring our needs to God, and He'll respond with His solution. In most of my circumstances, waiting for the solution has been much more difficult than realizing I had a need. Why? I want to do the work. I want to be the clever one who thought of a solution to her problem. Where's the glory due to God in that?

When we wait for God to act or answer our questions, sometimes it really does seem like forever. Realize this though: sometimes, He's just waiting for one of His other kids to be obedient and be the blessing we need them to be. We are just as responsible for the way we use our time as we are the way we use our bodies, money, belongings, etc. When we don't have an issue that needs heavenly intervention, we need to be most "in tune" with God to make sure we are doing everything we can to help others out. Just because we're doing well doesn't mean that our neighbors are!

I urge you (and myself) to be especially aware of all the opportunities we have to be a blessing. Sometimes, it just needs to be a smile and wave at the neighborhood kid who looks a little down after school. Other times, it'll be acting on a conviction that came as a result of prayer and communion with God.

The point is, we need to be using our time to enjoy God, as John Piper encourages us to, and to fulfill our commission of spreading the Gospel. This can be done through full-fledged, "legit" ministries, like being a full-time missionary, or by being a godly role model for our at-home family and church family. God calls us to serve exactly where we are. We don't have to be like Paul to be doing our godly job! Use your time well!

-Domestic Goddess out.

Giving God His Due

Today, our pastor talked about a convention he attended and some things he learned from Rick Warren, the guest speaker. Before writing The Purpose Driven Life, Rick and his wife had committed to tithing to God in a very uncommon way. Every year, they would take another percent of their income and add it to their tithe. Instead of giving 10%, they raised their tithes to 11, 12, 15%. I don't know how high they actually got before The Purpose Driven Life was published, but I imagine it must have been pretty high because it took a long while to get to the point in his life where God had prepared him to write the book.

Once The Purpose Driven Life was published, money came rolling in. That book is actually the #2 bestseller in the entire WORLD. It's second behind the Bible. :) Our pastor said Rick got to a point where he was excited about the prospects that money could bring him...until God reminded him otherwise. Rick become impressed with the fact that the money was God's and that he should remain in his "old" home and continue to use his "old" truck. He didn't need more than he already had, and if he did, God would provide. What a way to be kept humble!

What's more, the success of The Purpose Driven Life has allowed the Warrens to give 90% of their income to God's kingdom. How amazing! They live on the 10% normally allotted to God and give God the 90% allotted to them. Would that I could do the same! Thankfully, our family is debt-free, so we can give without worrying about where the money is going to come from.

But I have to wonder about people who are in debt. How hard it must be for them to give even the "minimum" 10% to God! It's hard to trust anyone with money, even God. The laws of mathematics say that 0-x=-x. But when we give to God, He breaks those laws (He can because He created them). 0-x=enough. He ALWAYS provides for those who are faithful and trust Him. I encourage you to give your tithe, even if you don't think you can afford it. Trust me, God math is incredible.

Before we were debt-free, we struggled to make the right money decisions. However, we never ever considered stopping our tithe. In fact, it was one of the things we agreed we'd always do despite our circumstances. Whatever we have, be it little or much, is from God. We owe him much, so why begrudge Him the 10% He asks us for? Such were our thoughts six years ago during marriage counseling, and five years into our marriage, we see the fruits of giving to God.

I urge you to examine your finances carefully. Decide to pay God before you pay yourself and definitely before you pay your bills. If you're in debt, make plans to get out of it. Christ calls us to give freely, but we can't do that until we get rid of our allegiances to our credit companies. God says the borrower is a slave to the master. Stop working to further someone's agenda and put your money to work for God's kingdom!

Finally, analyze whether you can give a little more generously to those on mission for God. You can give your money to your church, to missionaries, or to Christian non-profit organizations. Do a little research and give where your heart is. Stop being selfish with your money and give it to people who actually need it. Everything we do will be returned to us, not necessarily in the form of money, but in the form of blessings.

Domestic Goddess out.

In God We Trust

Our family went to The Journey church (NE location) in Raleigh, NC yesterday. The pastor spoke right to my husband and me with his sermon on waiting for the Lord. We are going through a time of testing, and we're getting antsy about things. We are used to evaluating problems and putting the best solutions into action ASAP. So waiting on God's timing is hard for us sometimes, especially when we're waiting for financial answers.

The pastor reminded us that our decisions have major impacts not just on us in the here and now but on everyone around us in the future. He also reminded us that God is our loving Father who has plans for us. Just because we can't see the plan doesn't mean He doesn't have one. So...we're praying harder, studying the Word a little more closely, and doing our very best to trust and obey.

My husband and I had a conversation about what hearing God is like. It's hard to distinguish between His still small voice and those sneaky solutions that we come up with that lurk in the background. It's also hard when we don't feel connected. Our minds know what's going on, but our hearts just can't get into it. Being a Christian is all about trust! Sometimes, trusting God is hard because we can't have a visible one-on-one conversation with Him and just hash out details. But that's where grace and faith come in, right? :)

Truthfully, it's been easier to trust God since I became a parent. When I think of how much I love my kids, I realize how much more God loves us. It's amazing. There's so much I would do for my kids, and yet there is so much more He would do for us! Thanks, God!

-Many thanks to the mounds of laundry to fold that gave me time to muse on this.

Domestic Goddess out.