Drop the mask!!!!

Will you drop the mask and show who you are to the people in your sphere of influence?

Do you ever feel that it is best to hide behind the mask of “Everything is fine, sure the kids are great, no problems in my life?” Anytime a friend you haven’t seen in a while intersects your path you hurry to readjust the mask of perfect. You adjust that smile from behind the fabric. You intentionally, add a little extra smile to the sparkle of your eyes. Yes, all is well in my life and circle.

The need to fake it until you feel it seems stronger than being a transparent human who struggles with insecurity, has yelled at her kids, disconnected with her husband because its easier to take a walk than to speak your peace. Ah yes, I can fake it too. But what is the end result ? A mound of dirt and rocks grows outside your heart or is it within? Spring is a perfect time to consider pulling weeds and tending the garden of your heart.

The isolation of Covid and the material prop of THE Mask seems to insight a greater need to pretend. Are you walking in truth or a faker?

It is the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.  Matthew 13: 24 - 25

The mound of dirt, rocks and weeds of discontent, anger, frustration and selfish motives are sin. They are destruction meant to choke out our relationships so our witness for Jesus is scarred. We have to make a decision to turn from the sins daily and seek wisdom from above, Jesus. Wise sisters and brothers who know Jesus help us is a tangible way, even if at a safe Covid distance :). Even more so, if we drop the mask of perfection, slowly but surely, there can be growth and potential.

I confess I can be a faker; a few weeds are growing. Will you let yourself be pruned? Listen to the wisdom of others who help you soak in the Living water, the Word of God.

Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them in bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn."

We have to be willing to let the Farmer till the soil and burn out the weeds. We must see our weeds for what they are; sin. We must turn away from the weeds and let them shrivel. Admit your sin to Jesus and ask forgiveness then be refreshed as you grow.

Are you ready for a bountiful harvest? Let him pull one plant at a time. Let sisters and brothers in Christ water the dry places, and expect a bumper crop into sunny springtime.

Photo credits Mary Mesikapp and Helen Wiseman

Who Does He say you are?

 Psalm 139: 13 - 14
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Whether you feel the message of these lyrics or not, The Lord is for you not against you. I am blessed with three children from adoption. Sometimes when they are processing through their adoption story they need to be reminded that first and foremost, they are a Child of God. God knew them from conception. They are created for a purpose, He made them uniquely so others can see the beauty and plans of God. I hope this song with lyrics by Hillsong Worship encourages you. Walk in the knowledge that You are Created for a beautiful purpose. Let His love fill you with hope.

Illuminate.

This photograph was taken at an old mountain community church outside Estes Park, Colorado. It was beautiful to see light illuminate the stained glass window. In a way, it is like each person who wants to learn the Word of God. We can take what we learn and illuminate what God is teaching us, sharing what we are learning about our own broken lives and let His Light shine through our stories.

Photo credit by Mary Mesikapp

A Clump of Clay

crop potter with clay in hands — This is us, an unformed clump of clay — Photo by Monstera (Pexels.com)

Sometimes, mistakes can lead us to repentance and in our humility we can see how much our Savior really loves us. The painful feeling of sorrow sticks to guilt like a mishmash of superglue and confetti. An array of colors; darks and lights seem to form highlighting more dark than light. Or are we the neutral color of clay? Does anyone see the cracks in our clay formed pottery exterior?

Does anyone see our impulsive choices? Did we just sabotage a wonderful friendship with a quick response? Did we share someone’s personal story under the statement, “Can you pray for so and so who is in crisis, here’s the details?” Why couldn’t we stop at “Can you pray for her, God knows the details?” Oops, I am an imperfect human.

We are a clump of cold beige clay being molded; by the people around us, our own thoughts (whether truth or not), the words of affirmation or curse that are expressed from friends, family or the community, and also the whisperings from our Creator God. Did we let Him lead? Did we push forward again without so much as a “Jesus, what do you think?”

Jeremiah 18: 1 – 3 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, ” Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at the wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

We can have little stones or hard spots embedded in our clay clump by the words or actions of others, for good or in hard times. We can feel the spin on the Potters wheel, around and around, repeating the lies of the enemy, ” you aren’t good enough, you will always be a mistake, you can’t do better”, and as a result we feel our journey become smaller and more lumpy. We can’t hold on to lies, they are meant to hold us back and stop the trajectory of the Lord’s plan for our future. Did you know the pottery term crawling means, “when the clay doesn’t stick to the glaze due to dust not cleaned off the surface? Lies can be like dust that need to be removed before the glaze can stick and shimmer correctly.

Picture this, the Lord is the Potter and we are the clay. We are imperfect. Yes, I said it, You are imperfect, you have blemishes, imperfections that need to be kneaded out. You have hard spots of clay, as do I, that need a splash of the Living Water of Jesus.

Do you thirst for a different course like less stones? Open your heart, mind and soul and let Him pour life back into you. He wants to refresh His children. Let His hand on the Potters wheel work out the blemishes and bring smooth, softer clay along with a more Christlike example. The eyes of your circle of influence are watching your journey.

How do we combat the imperfections and believe in the Lord’s promises? We must spend time learning His Truths, in the Bible. We must clear out the cobwebs of past lies, blowing instead in the whisperings of God. We must claim the truths of scripture, here are a few scriptures that have empowered my walk with Jesus. Write the words of life on an index card and tape the message on your bedroom mirror, refrigerator, on your car visor, or wherever it will encourage your day.

I am more than a Conqueror in Christ ( Romans 8:37)

I am made uniquely. ( Psalm 139: 13 -14)

I am God’s workmanship ( Ephesians 2:10)

I am loved. ( 1 John 3 :1)

He delights in me. ( Zephaniah 3:17)

I am His, wanted ( Psalm 139:17)

He has plans for my life. ( Jeremiah 29:11)

He works best in my weakness. ( 2 Corinthians 12:19)

Meditating on these scriptures daily can change our minds, Romans 12:2, states, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” We must put down our need to be in control and allow God’s words to change our lives. Don’t be afraid to ask a fellow brother or sister in Christ to pray for you and share Godly wisdom. We are blessed with other sojourners who are placed in our lives to help. Galatians 6:1 -2 reminds us to gently and humbly help that person onto the right path. You may be surprised who else may need comfort and support. Ask the Lord to guide you to the specific person. We are works in progress, He wants to transform us.

Aren’t you grateful for ” do-overs?” Let the peace and grace of God into those imperfections and be ready for renewal, His hands can soften even the hardest clay.

New beginnings

Springtime reminds me of new growth,the sound of robins and chickadees music to my ears. The call of a dove cooing to get noticed and find her partner or maybe a new friend….

The flash of movement as a rabbit scurries across the front garden. Suddenly, I hear a loud shriek and the wrestling sound of our cat, Nemo running through the dry yellow Timothy grass to the safety of our yard.

Nemos’ eyes focused on the safe place just over the fence. I glance behind him as a blur of red fur scampers across the pasture.

Hmmm, I ponder, was that a red fox and her kit, a mom training her baby to find food or fun?

Nemo is just a bit too friendly. He can even be seen bumping heads with our white and black Boer goat. Will he ever learn to be cautious with new friendships? His best buddy is a chocolate Labrador with golden eyes and Sampson our rescue black cat.

Nemo assumes all animals are friendly. Surely there is safety outside the yard. Peace and harmony rule in our home with the occasional struggle for being the lead animal.

Isn’t that so much like life, each contact with another human can be a great beginning or a path to destruction? Being kind, generous, and compassionate are the traits of character I want to exemplify. Yet, I may have to choose with the wisdom of the Lord, that only comes, if I am spending the time to know what my Jesus guides.

Oh yes, I can claim the title of being a Christian but the harder action is to seek the Kingdom of heaven and let Him gather all things for me. It means being open to new friends and being amazed as He opens my friend group to a Sisterhood in Christ that spans the country. Those with like mindedness who honor the Creator God and want to spread the love of Jesus. That is the body of Christ gathered to do a great work not for our glory but to spread the message of the love of Jesus.

Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Just like the disciples in Acts, they had to trust the Holy Spirit, seek His wisdom, and throw caution to the wind. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

In order to know where the Holy Spirit may be leading, we have to prioritize time; put Jesus first. That may mean, initially, setting aside time to be in the Bible. I find the New Living translation easier to understand, however, you should chose a version that speaks to you. It takes time to set up a habit that will feel natural. Consider a special, quiet spot, perhaps a quiet corner, comfy chair, in your home, or maybe a park bench in the sun.

Daily setting aside time to be with the Creator of all things will bless you. Give yourself 20 days in a month, specific day a week, 15 min. No guilt if you miss a day. The book of John in the Bible can be a great place to start. You will see the life of Jesus written.

Let His will draw you to Him.

Hope in God, ask Him to guide your path.

Reflections: Strong will

Have you ever had a conflict with a strong willed child and seen in the reflection of their eyes your own strong will? As you stake your claim, set your boundary, demand their cooperation for being an obedient kid, you see a bold determined mini me. How do you respond? Continue to speak, deny their voice, say, ” I am your mom, you are the child.” or do you say, ” Because, I said so.” I shutter as I ponder, oh no, have I become my mom?

A mother hen wants to direct her chicks not keep them bound in the henhouse. She wants to provide a space of peace, love, instruction and real life experience. When her chicks leave the roost she wants the best for them. She wants their voice to be heard, their gifts to be shown and their walk to bring harmony to the brood. We have a chicken coop, there are six “Clucky Ladies”, yes that is the name of their coop. Surprisingly, each chicken has a different personality. There are leaders and followers. Those that love to be held and those that are free spirited. However, when my daughter or I let them free range who do they follow? You guessed it, their lead hens, Kristina and I. They trust us to keep them safe and fed. They stick together for the most part and when there is a predator or when competing for food, they are loud and obnoxious just like their human counterparts. They poke with their sharp beaks to get their turn being held.

I wrote in my gratitude journal last night, I am grateful for the learning lessons of life; mistakes in speaking not listening, short tempers and yelling are a sign that there is a block in my reflection of Jesus to my own child. Are we not created with two ears and one mouth? Is there a reason I should shut my mouth and listen more. Non validation is a block to a healthy relationship. I have been on the receiving end of this form of destruction. We must choose to break this cycle. We must step back, deep breathe taking a deep inspiration to the count of four and expire at a count of 6 – 8. As we do this breathing exercise we can feel our brain fog of strong will clear and maybe, just maybe, open our mind to another persons feeling and hear their deepest thoughts. We can count to 10, as maybe our own parent has instructed. Maybe there is something to that skill. We can ask Jesus into our experience and relationship especially with those we love. We must allow our broken patterns to be changed as we let Him move in the space between us and them. However or whoever they may be. He will make a way, Will we let him lead?