The Gap

Have you ever felt in life that you are capable of so much more than what you are currently doing?  I know I have felt this way before and sometimes still do.  To be honest, when I first started staying at home with my kids about 4 years ago I felt as though I wasn't really doing much with my life.  At that time I had two kids I was at home with, a 2 year old and a 4 year old with one on the way.  I felt as though my life was sort of mundane, and that I should be doing so much more.  However; with now three kids in the mix and many life lessons behind me  I now understand why I am experiencing this gap.  I believe we all have these gaps in life. Actually, sometimes we may just feel that we are existing, maybe not doing a whole lot, maybe doing less than what we feel are capable of.  Here's the secret....this is preparation for what lies ahead of each and everyone us.  We are being prepared and groomed for the extraordinary for something phenomenal! we may not see or know exactly what is..... but God knows.

As I was working out today I thought about the story of David.  The story of David reminds me of the gaps that we have in life.  David was one of eight siblings and he was a shepherd for his father Jessie. I'll give you brief history on how he became King. David had to replace a king named Saul.  God gave a judge named Samuel a word and told him to go to a man named Jessie's house for the next king.  Samuel arrived and asked Jessie to bring all of his sons to him because, one of them is king.  Jessie did so, he brought out seven of his sons and Samuel said to God "surely one of them is king?"  God replied "not so, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart" 1 Samuel 16:7.  Samuel asked Jessie if he had any more sons?  Jessie replied yes, but he's a shepherd Samuel  told him to go and get the boy.  Jessie brought David in to meet Samuel and God said to Samuel "this is my next King"!  Historians actually believe that the way Samuel knew who was and was not king was because, in that day they anointed each King with a rams head full of oil.  In this story the oil did not pour onto the seven other brothers, however; when David walked in the oil flowed all over him.  (You can read the entire story of how David becomes ruler over Israel by reading 1 Samuel 16- 2 Samuel 10)

You see, we all have a particular anointing that God has in store for us. Even if seven people are ahead of us. if God prepared that anointing for you it will be there when he has it ready for you. The gap is actually a time or period in our lives where God uses it to build character within us.  He uses these gaps to prepare us for what's ahead.  I believe that God never gives us more than we can handle (although it may feel like he does) He is preparing us for greater things! however; with greater things always comes greater responsibility. Therefore; we must have greater character and competence to withstand this responsibility of where he is taking us. God has to prepare us with a gap before he takes us to our next destination. WHY? you ask?  because once we get to the destination he has prepared for us, it is then to late to get ready.

At the end of this story David has to fight a giant, he picked up five stones and was prepared for battle.  He threw the first stone and the giant was laid to rest.  You see, David was able to handle this because while out tending to his fathers sheep he took down a lion with his bare hands to protect the flock.  In other words while tending to his herd he was being conditioned for defeating a giant. Like us, the obstacles that we may have faced were not meant for our agitation they were meant for our education.  The  hurdles that we have encountered in the past have prepared us on how to handle the larger ones in the future.1 Samuel 17 (the story of David and Goliath)

Sometimes we may feel lost and down right hopeless in our life but just remember this.  The difficulty that we are facing now, or the gaps that we may be in are only preparation for greater things to come.  Keep your eyes on the prize, keep your eyes on God.  Don't focus on the stumbling block and give adversaries your soul attention.  However;  focus on how God is preparing you for your destiny and how is he conditioning you for a future that is better than you could even imagine. Trust in him.

The Challenge

Earlier last  year I did a 5k mud run.  A mud run is exactly what it sounds like.  You run in the mud and in the process of this you have to complete obstacle courses.  Well, it was quite the experience when I had the opportunity to participate in this.  We did a number of things, such as swimming for a mile in a lake, crawling through a dark ditch which contained barb wire, and hopping a wall.  But, the most challenging part of the course was the gauntlet.  In this gauntlet we had to climb 11 feet using a rope and then in order to get to the other side of the gauntlet, you had to hop down about 4 feet onto a log.  Now here’s where it gets good. I decided to slide onto the log backwards (bad move by the way) and in this process I fell 11 feet onto the floor and on the way down I hit my shins on platform and I was badly injured.  However; I brought myself back up and finished the race.  If you don’t believe me I have the scar to prove it!

  

                                                            Let the race begin!

As I was thinking about this mud run today, I began to remember how hard it was for me to get back up on my feet. I was in so much pain. But, as I look back I was so happy to get that medal at the end of the race.   Every so often our lives become similar to a mud run.  We have to get down and dirty. Sometimes, we even have to fall 11 feet from the top.  But, the most rewarding part is when you can reflect back to that one moment in time and say “I survived!”  You may have come out with some scars, but it’s a scar that you brag about, because you turned that struggle into a triumph. Adversity is often times a test that turns into a lesson.  Meaning that you have overcome the obstacle, and now it’s your job to reflect and learn what you can improve on. A mistake should be used as a building block for the future, not as a weight to carry upon your shoulders for the rest of your life. Proverbs 24:10 says “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”

 

Crawling through barbed wire

Waiting to do the final challenge "The Gauntlet" this is where I fell from, but on the other side. 

                                                   

God loves us in spite of all our flaws.  God doesn't look at us and say “look at that sinner, he’s a thief, he’s a liar” no, he looks at us and says “this is my son, this is my daughter and I love them” Friends we first have to forgive ourselves for the error of our ways and turn from them for good.  By doing this we open the door for God to bless us. We have to make sound decisions, and use our aberrations and turn them into something that can be used to glorify the Lord. Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" 

                                    This was me 59lbs heavier last year. but we made it to the finish line!  

Just like a mud run; life will get dirty, you will get hurt, and you will even have scars.  But don’t let your scars be a sign of defeat, let your scars be a symbol of courage and hope to those who are in the gauntlet of life. 1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Have a blessed day friends. 

To Honor and Serve

Have you ever been in a disagreement with someone?  And has it just spiraled out of control that you don’t even know what you’re fighting about?  Yea, been there, done that, and will most likely do that again (to be truthfully honest).  However; I think before I let that happen again, I will definitely keep one thing in mind. Would I say disgraceful things, and use my tongue as a weapon if God were standing right in front of me?  I’ll answer that boldly and say NOT A CHANCE!  I honestly think if I could physically see the Lord with my human eyes everything would be completely irrelevant! I would focus all my energy and everything on him.

In the Bible it says this in 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” I hope you find that just as interesting as I do. I mean down to the last drop literally! Whatever we do, he wants us to do it unto him.  So I began to reflect about my relationships and started to become very convicted…. I thought to myself….. “How can I handle an out of control circumstance a little better? ( and here’s where I had my AHA! moment)  by  looking beyond the shoulder of the person, that I’m at odds with, and looking to God.  I realized something…while not trying to be irreverent to the person I’m at odds with.  I should see them as being irrelevant.  Although, honoring and loving a difficult person may seem impossible at times. If I remind myself look pass them and focus on God it becomes a bit easier. Since, I certainly know I am very capable of living my life to be pleasing to my creator. John 13:34-35 says 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” What I really like about this is that God does not give us an option, it’s a command! And he doesn't say that we should” “love another….If the person is nice, or if we think they deserve it.”  It’s a statement, it’s a command.

 Personally, I know this makes me feel a bit relieved.  Because I know at some points I can be unlovable! I know that there are things that I do that can be unloving, but God loves me regardless.  Therefore I should love everyone regardless of their attitude, or their attitude problem, for that matter.  I am called to love because I am called to honor and serve God.  Friends we are called to loved and we are all called to honor God.  Look beyond the shoulder of your adversary and see the king, because even though we can’t see him he’s always watching us.

Broken

Here’s a fun fact! Did you know that there are over 100 uses for an egg? It’s one of the most widely used foods across the globe! I know our family easily goes through 5 dozen eggs in a week! And that’s on a slow week for us! But, did you ever stop to think, that if you never broke that egg it may not be used to its full potential?

To perfectly honest with you I was having a really hard day yesterday.  Life’s growing pains had gotten the best of me yet again and I was at odds with myself.  Meanwhile, I began to make some lunch in the midst of my despair and I was whipping up a hard-boiled egg; when I asked myself this question “what could I do with an egg if I never cracked it?”  And here’s my answer…. “NOTHING!” if the egg is not broken you cannot get the best use out of it….it would go to waste and eventually would spoil.  I then reflected on how I was feeling at the moment and I thought one word “BROKEN…..”

In 2 Corinthians 5:7 it says “For we walk by faith, not by sight”.  In really tough situations sometimes it feels like all we can see is the jagged edge path that we are walking on. But when walking by faith we trust that soon we will be on that beautiful sandy beach we are working towards.  We may lose our stepping and our direction and hit stumbling blocks.  But with faith in God, he will guide is to the proper path. 

In essence, we have to first be broken in order to become what God wants us to be. Our lives were not promised to be easy, but as long as we trust and put our faith in our Lord he will see us through.  We all have a finished product to become, and just like the egg we can only reach full potential unless we have been broken. Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”