Laurel Wreath’s Reflections

Sometimes the Lord has a way of smacking me up side the head. Many of my long time readers know that that my family tried to sell our house last year. The house was on the market for over a year, but because of the way the market is in our area we have decided to take down the sign. I have been less than happy with the turn of events. I went from angry with God, angry with my husband, not caring, jealous of others, ignoring, apathetic, and back again. Oh what a thorn I have with this. I have cried to my Mom saying whatever I have planned in this last year the Lord closed the door. After so many closed doors my heart has just sunk. I wish I could say I am back on track, but the Lord did speak to me boldly this last weekend.

I was washing my boy’s bed sheets and struggling to get them back on to the bunk beds. Anyone who has owned bunk beds know that changing their sheets equals as much energy as running a small marathon. I was grumbling about the effort and then I over heard my oldest son and manly man talking in the living room. I heard the phrase, “that is why they all think we are rich.” Good thing I did not have a drink because I would have spit it out, shocked by that comment. I asked my oldest son to repeat what he said, and he said “all my friends that came over yesterday think we are really rich.” Yeah right, I mumbled stomping back into the bedroom two of my boys share because we only have two rooms for three boys. Then as I was struggling with the sheets again the Lord spoke to my heart and said YOU ARE RICH what are you complaining about? And the Lord began listing all my blessings in my heart.

Oh I know I am rich compared to the suffering in other countries, which is why I support all the effort Compassion does. But rich compared to the friends my son hangs out with? You see I have spent too much time looking at what others have that seem to be out of my reach, instead of viewing what I do have. God has blessed us by being debt free, we are blessed in being able to take a vacation each summer. There is so much the Lord has given me, but all I could see is what I didn’t have. All I could see were people who made less money have nicer stuff.

Yes our grass looks like a weed haven, each of my boys don’t have their own room, most of the furniture we have was given to us, oh the list could go on (believe me, this pity party has been my home for awhile). But I am ashamed to admit through my complaining, I did not realize how “rich” we were….even among our neighbors.

Thank you Lord for using a bunch of 8th grade boys to snap my perspective back to where it should be. Thank you for not giving up on me and continuing to weed out things in my heart that should not be there.
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UPDATE: Goodness then I wake up this morning to this quote, do you thing the Lord is talking to me, heheh.

“Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One to Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said “I will set my throne above the throne of God.” Faith looks out instead of in, and the whole life falls into line.”

- A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1993), 85.

HT: First Importance

Father I am struggling this week. Last year felt like a year of pruning. And I know in John 15 you said, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” But Father it hurts. It seems as soon as I feel like I am back on my feet, back to bearing fruit, then I am chopped again in the pruning process.

There are things in my life that I feel would not make a difference one way or another, but yet I feel your pruning. This lack of control I feel is scary, but I know this testing of my faith develops perseverance (James 1). The sinful side of me pleads, “Father there are so many people you give a ‘pass’ to in certain areas, but you never let me get away with one single thing.”

Constant pruning.

Having my heart open and raw seems to be a constant feeling. A feeling I rather do not enjoy. This week you led me to the verse about being a lover of discipline so in turn I gain knowledge. And if I do not care for disciple then that is stupid. Well Father I feel stupid because this discipline hurts.

I know

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

I praise you Father when I don’t understand why, I praise you when all I feel is your constant pruning. I praise you that you don’t give up on me, even though it hurts so much. Because as much as your pruning hurts, I think I would fear it more if I felt nothing from you.

Father forgive me if I can not produce “good prayers” during this season, all I can seem to pray is “help me, teach me, don’t give up on me (even when I want to give up).” Give me that perseverance that develops faith, and the certain joy that comes in trails so that I may become mature and complete; lacking in nothing (James 1).

“Bring your heart with its profoundest emptiness, its most startling discovery of sin, its lowest frame, its deepest sorrow, and sink it into the depths of the Saviour’s love. . . . Christ’s love touching your hard heart, will dissolve it; touching your cold heart, will warm it; touching your sinful heart, will purify it; touching your sorrowful heart, will soothe it; touching your wandering heart, will draw it back to Jesus. Only bring your heart to Christ’s love.”

- Octavius Winslow, The Sympathy of Christ (Harrisonburg, Va.: Sprinkle Publications, 1994), 165.

HT: First Importance

even for this baptist girl. Turn up the speakers and be blessed this Friday.

Oh Father may I always give you all glory and praise!

Happy Friday.

I have often wondered about the crowds that yelled to crucify Christ…go here Tim Challies has a guest blogger that is WONDERFUL.

The only way to the empty tomb is through the cross. There were disciples who followed him for years, they gave up everything, left their families to follow Christ. But when it came time for his crucifixion only John could be found standing at the foot the cross. We all have 20/20 hindsight today. Where would you have been if you lived during that time? In all honesty I don’t know where I would have been. And if I am real honest, probably hiding.

I see the scourges tear His back,
I see the piercing crown,
And of that crowd who smite and mock,
I feel that I am one.

‘Twas I that shed the sacred blood,
I nailed Him to the tree,
I crucified the Christ of God,
I joined the mockery.

Yet not the less that blood avails,
To cleanse away my sin;
And not the less that cross prevails
To give me peace within.

(Horatius Bonar)

For it was I who nailed him to the cross, it was I who made him die. But in return I was saved.

I am not sure who wrote that quote but I love it. So many times it is overwhelming the hurt and suffering we see. As a Christian it is overwhelming because you want to do something for everyone. But God does not call us to be all for all people.

But when I see a chance to do something so easy as watch a short video so it can raise awarness and money for a little girl that is dealing with autism, now that is something I can do.

Won’t you join me?

Each person who watchs this short video, the band will donate $.49 to the fight against Autism. Go here and be blessed, I promise you won’t be sorry.

See below for my book giveaway

“For Christ to be our Saviour there was no other way than the way of the cross. God’s righteousness demanded it, our sin required it and Satan feared it. And for those who would be saved from sin and its consequences, there is no other way than the way of that cross where God’s holy conscience has been satisfied, sin has been dealt with and Satan has been routed.”

- The Cross He Bore by Frederick S Leahy
photo credit: victor_nuno

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

It is a free gift…FREE. No strings attached…

“By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

There is nothing you have done in the past, nor anything you can do in the future to make God love you any more or any less. It is through his Son’s death, that you are made clean. “it is the gift of God.”

21 DAYS UNTIL EASTER.

If you are not sure if you are ready, this will help you make sure.

photo credit: Alone…

“If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate about sharing it with others. I mean passionate about thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be.”

- C. J. Mahaney, The Cross Centered Life

I will be posting some quotes leading up to Easter.