Sharing your Faith

It's pretty hard to share your faith in God with people nowadays.  The world is turning away from Him without shame.  People who go around preaching their faith all the time are considered pushy or self righteous.  How do you find the right way to share God's love?  It can be as simple as a friendly smile to someone who looks down, a meal to someone having a bad day, a gas card sent to someone struggling with finances.  Sure, you can put a note on the card or with the meal that says God loves you.  You can let them know God thought they could use a little pick me up.  But along with that, you need to be living a life that Glorifies Him!  That doesn't mean you have to be perfect, never mess up, always have it all together.  If that were the case Heaven would be pretty empty!
We don't want to condemn people, to judge people, to harp on anyone for their undesirable choices.  Why? Because thats not what Jesus came to do!  He came not to condemn, but to seek and save.  We want to show His love through ourselves, let our light shine, be a good example.
We also can't be afraid to let people know that we do love God, that we are Christians, and that we want them to be as well.  I'll admit, I don't do this as much as I should.  Sure, if asked, or the conversation is started, I'll let my heart be known.  But I don't seek out like I should.  During church service yesterday, the hymn pictured below was one we sang.  "You never mentioned Him to Me".  What an awful feeling it would be, to be standing at Heaven's gates and see someone we have worked with or played ball with or been in contact with many times, to see them weeping at the gates and look up at us and say "you never mentioned him to me!"  Oh that thought makes me sick to my stomach.  I had never thought about it that way before.
Its not my job.  Someone else can do it.  I'm not a preacher, I'm not a Sunday School Teacher.  There's a hundred churches in this town, if he/she wanted to know they could have just went.  The list of reasons/excuses can go on and on.  And sure, maybe those are true statements.  But God doesnt say, you can only talk about me if you are such and such or so and so. We are all called to not only share His love with those who already love Him, but to SEEK out those who are lost in an hopes that they may come to know and love Him as well.
I know I plan to do better about this, not by shouting and yelling and judging, but praying that my heart, my eyes, my ears are opened to hear the call when He places someone in my path that needs Him.  A simple hug and an "I'm praying for you" can be life changing.

Giving up?

Do you ever feel like giving up? Quitting when the going gets tough? Throwing in the towel because the preparations for the goal are boring, repetative, not exciting enough?
Of course you have.  If not, you are either super human or haven't tried many things at all.
I have children that want to give up.  I refuse to let them. That makes me the meanest mommy ever at times, or the mom that doesnt listen and try to understand just how hard life can be.  I'm also the meanest mommy ever when I dont give in to every toy, every friend they think they want, or the "i'm too tired to clean my room, take out the trash, feed the dog" protest that happens daily.
I'm ok with that.  It's not easy, I do have to ask for help/support from Godly friends, and I have to pray alot.
What could happen if I gave up, took the easy way out, gave my kids every fleeting desire of their heart because it is easier than telling them no and having to deal with their protest? They would become adults unable to function in the real world because the real world doesn't cater to anybody! I would be setting them up for a life way harder than it has to be, and that would make me a pretty crappy mother.
God doesn't call us to be quitters either.  He doesn't like for us to give up. 
What if Jesus had given up? Chicken-out from hanging on that cross? Oh, how easy would it have been for him to call out to his Father God and say "the pain is too great, my fear too strong, I give up, I quit."  Where would that leave us today? Living in this insane world with no hope of Heaven, thats what would  happen.
Its hard for me to see my children unhappy, hard for me to not be a "yes mom" and always give them their latest wishes.  Imagine how hard it was for God to see his only son suffering for our sins upon that cross!! But He knew the outcome, He knew the victory would be His, the sacrifice worth the pain! Surely I can stand tough and keep the end in mind when parenting my children through their hard times as well.  And when I can't, when I struggle and need support, reassurance, guidance, I  have my God to turn to.  I have the people here on earth He has placed in my life to help me.  For that, I am so greatful.

For this child I have prayed

Lacee's baptism

Linked above is the video. :)
On April 10, 2013 Lacee put Christ on in baptism.  I am so very proud of her and the life she leads.  Lacee has had her fair share life's kicks, but she has overcome them with grace and dignity.  And now with this beautiful symbol of faith and obedience, she has made the most important and best decision of her life. 
I love the fact that she is 14 and a freshman in high school.  Many of her friends were baptized sooner.  I have never held her back from making this decision, but wanted her to come to it on her own, when she was ready.  I love that she is old enough and has seen enough to know how hard life can be as a teen, and has seen the temptations of the world.  I feel this makes her desire to be baptized and serve our Lord even more certain, even more heartfelt for her.

Not getting better

I can list a million "reasons" things don't get better. Not in the right clique. Not at the right church. Not in the right job. Not in the right town. Not being raised with Christ at the center of the home, life, and heart. Too many heartaches. Too many let downs. Not enough help here. Too stubborn. No self esteem. Misunderstood. The list could go on and on.
And maybe all those things are true for you, maybe they are true for me. But this much I know is true, but until we decide to let go and let God, it's not gonna get better. Not permanently.
Sure, I've handed things over to God in prayer many times before. But then the next morning, or later on that same day, I pick back up whatever burden or worry I handed over to Him, and kept on trying to deal with it myself.
Is that really turning it over to Him? Is that what is asked of me? To ask for His help, but still act like He needs my help?
I don't know why I do this. But that's exactly what I do. Every time.
I pray for His help, guidance, wisdom. Yet as soon as that issue comes up, or a new one pops in, here I go all vigilante trying to handle my own business like I am able.
It's not out of a conscious lack of faith or trust on my part that I do this. It's not even a conscious decision to wrestle with what I have prayerfully asked for His hand to govern over. It's not something I mean to do. It just happens.
We must, I must, practice what I actually am saying to God when I tell Him I give it all to Him. I must learn to not just let him hold the problem for me til I am ready to wrestle with it again. I need to ask Him to take it far far away so that I won't try to fix it myself, or worry over it any longer.
To let go and let God.
Really let go, give away, never to see it again.
That is my goal.