Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Head in the Clouds
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Shoot for the Moon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Rescued
- Rejected – pushed aside, or even sent away because someone thought she was lacking?
- Afraid – does fear cause her to cower down or lash out? What scares her the most?
- Alone – which is worse, being afraid of those around you or being completely on your own?
- Chosen – God calls us each by name, longing to give us an eternal home.
- Victorious – In the battle of good vs evil, God has won! Through Him, we cannot be defeated.
- Loved – God loves us so much that He gives us His Holy Spirit so we will never be alone.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Feel Good or Get Better?
You've got to know the answer to that question BEFORE you lay down on the massage table. Your answer will determine what you experience for the next sixty minutes.
I'd waited four weeks for the day of my massage appointment to arrive. I couldn't wait to get a relaxing back rub to the sound of soothing music in a dimly lit room. Ahh … bliss!
So when Alicia, my massage therapist, asked me if I wanted to feel good or actually get better, I automatically said “I want to get better.” I mean, who doesn't want to be better? There's always room for improvement, right? I was a foolish, foolish girl.
The next hour was an exercise in restraint. You know, the don't-scream-out-in-pain, cry-like-a-little-girl, or pass-out-completely kind of restraint. There was no restraint shown by Alicia, however, as she attacked every pressure point on my body.
If I'd only said “just make me feel good” I could have wandered out of her office feeling like a limp noodle and made my way home for a mid-day nap. But since I said “make me better” I left feeling sore in muscles I didn't know I even had, longing only for the recommended epson salt bath.
We have the same choice when it comes to God's Word. Do we want to feel good or actually get better? How many times have we gone to Scripture just to get a warm and fuzzy word of encouragement? A word to help us through the task at hand? Don't get me wrong, God gives us His word to replenish our spirit and encourage us to keep going. It's our living water.
But then there are other messages, the one's that challenge our thinking and discipline our behavior. Those messages are tough to take, but they actually make us better. They don't tell us what we WANT to hear, they tell us what we NEED to hear.
Alicia could have just given me a light, gentle massage and ignored the underlying problem. Instead, she got to the root of the issue and caused the muscle to release the toxins that were causing me pain. Scripture releases toxins too. God's Word brings light to the dark areas of our hearts, forcing us to let go of the lies that have built up and hurt us.
What has Scripture been telling you lately? Are you just looking for the feel-good messages? Or are you allowing God to get to the root of some of your pain? Maybe it's time we ask ourselves the question, “Do I want to feel good or actually get better?”
Be blessed,
Jennifer
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God my be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16