What are YOU doing with your spare time?

Over the last couple of days, I've been thinking about what I do with my spare time.  How can I better utilize my time when I'm waiting for someone or something.  When the kids were in school, the times I spent waiting to pick them up, I tried to spend memorizing scripture.  However, over the last several weeks, there have been no kids to pick up.

So today, my son and I went out for breakfast (from Tim Horton's of course!) and sat in the library parking lot eating until it opened.  As we watched people wander by, I shared with him something that I used to do in the past.  I had done it early on when I was young, and then when we were on a Missions Trip found someone else who did the same thing.

Often, as I sat and watched people, I would often look them over and try to imagine what kind of job they would hold. Who they were and what they did.  Obviously as we sat and watched moms with children it was an easy call. She's a stay at home mom.  A gentleman in what looked like barn clothes walked by and yet he was carrying a briefcase as he walked into the library.  Peyton and I had varying ideas as to what he might do for a job!  It is always entertaining to hear what the other person thinks as compared to what I was imagining.

Once Peyton had gone inside, I was thinking that as I waited for him, I would put in some time and check out Facebook, or Pinterest. But suddenly, I was prompted to start praying for the people that I saw walking by.  I saw a friend and coworker of Keith's biking away from his family on his way to work.  So I prayed for them.  I prayed for their children. I prayed for his wife as she mothered her three kids while he was away at work. I prayed for their relationship that God would honour their dedication to each other. I saw a father get out of his car with 2 younger children and head over to the play structure. I prayed that he would be a caring and loving father to his two kids.  And that God would bring someone into his day that showed him Jesus. I saw a momma with her young child playing on the play structure and blowing bubbles together. I prayed for patience and joy for her.  Safety for the little one. I saw an elderly gentleman park in the wheelchair parking spot and slowly make his way towards the library doors.  I prayed for safety.  I prayed for strength throughout his day.  I prayed for someone to bring joy to his day.  And for each person I saw, I thanked God for bringing them into my day because by being able to pray for them, it brought me joy.

It was so easy.  It was so uplifting to spend that time praying for those people that didn't have a clue I was watching.  It was so refreshing to bring them to God rather than "waste" my time staring down at the phone. In fact, I really liked the fact that they didn't even know that they were being brought before God right there as they did their every day things.  And it was all so easy for me to do.

I challenge you to look around you to see what you can see.  How can you change someone else's life by taking an interest in them?  Who is God calling you to share with?  Who is God calling you to connect with?  Who can you pray for?  How can you focus on others in your spare time, rather than using the time for yourself?

I can say even a couple hours later as I've thought about the people I watched today, I thank God that He brought them to my mind.  And I pray for them.  Specifically for those I knew, but also for the others.  As God brings people to my mind, am I letting them drift away, or am I taking the time to bring them before God?  When you see a post or text from someone, take the time to pray for them.  When you pass someone on the road, pray for them.  AND if you see someone in the store, stop to say hello.  Bless them with your time.

Imagine what Jesus would have done when He passed you.  Would He have been absorbed in His own thoughts, or would He take the time to notice and care for those around Him?  Let's all try to be a little more like Him in our daily contacts with other!!!

I'm going to take on that challenge. . . . will you join me?

I would just like to share this video that I came across the other day.  It certainly made me think about all I do in my spare time!

May YOU be blessed today as you take the time to look at those around you and bring them to God!

What would I give up?

Here are some rambling thoughts for today. . . . . Hopefully I can get them to make sense to you - or at least to me. . .

I am so thankful to have grown up in a Christian home.  My parents modeled what it was like to be Godly parents and always strove to emulate God's love to us.

As I grew up and took my Christianity on for myself, I started to create an image of what a "good" Christian would look like.  You know, the "thou shalls" and the "thou shall nots"??  You know what I mean.  As a Christian you cannot do __________.  As a Christian you MUST do ________ .  I had my list of rules and regulations as to what the outward image of a Christian would look like.

Over the years some of those images have changed.  Of course the things that the Bible clearly states should or should not be happening in my life are still there.  The black and whites if you will.  It's those grey areas that I'm unsure about.  However, even in those grey areas, I've decided for myself that there are some things that while maybe grey, I make them a little more black or a little more white.

I know for myself, I can be judgmental.  I can look at someone and make a judgment call and think to myself (and HOPEFULLY not voice it out loud!) that "Oh they must not be a Christian" - solely based on what I am seeing.  As I have grown and changed in my Christianity I have realized how wrong I can be in making those judgments!!  WOW! As I've gotten to know someone, I've realized that I don't know their stories.  I don't know their path that they have walked, and I certainly do not know where their hearts are just by looking and making that judgment call.

And I know I unfortunately still do it.  I do it with those around me.  I do it with my family.  Not always about the Christianity issue but other issues too.

This morning, as part of a Bible Study I am involved in, I was reading from Acts 18:12-22.  This wasn't really what the study was about, but as I read and reread through the passage I was struck by an odd verse.  Paul had been brought before the courts by several different Jews because they didn't like what he was doing.  These were people that he was teaching and in the end the courts decided that the issue was between themselves and not something for the courts. Paul left the area and headed on to other parts of his journey.

Verse 18 reads like this:  Paul stayed in the city several days after that and then said good-bye to the Christians and sailed for the coast of Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. At Cenchreae Paul had his head shaved according to Jewish custom, for he had taken a vow.  

What an interesting verse.  What kind of vow did Paul take that would make him shave his head?  As I researched a little into it, I realized it went back to the Old Testament Nazarites.  Now Paul had always preached that because of Christ's death, the laws from the Old Testament were done away with, so why was he following one of those laws?  As I was reading, I wondered if this was something Paul was doing because as he was headed to Syria, there were those there that still practiced this law.  I couldn't really find a reason as to why he did it, and I know that it was barely mentioned in this passage, but I really got to wondering WHY he did it.

The Old Testament Jewish law in the Nazarites shaving their heads was because they were separating themselves to the Lord. See Numbers 6:2-21  The vow included shaving their head, not drinking wine or anything with vinegar in it, etc.  All these things were done to show their dedication to God during that specific time.  I don't believe Paul felt that he still needed to do that (everything in his letters show us that he truly felt the OT was in the past and the old law needed not be followed) so I wondered why he would be following this OT practice.

A couple things crossed my mind.  I know before Easter, I like to observe Lent.  I wondered it this wasn't Paul's way of observing a sort of lent.  But what I also thought was, maybe he was going to a group of people that observed this law and he wanted to show that he respected what they were doing.  Not that he believed this was the way to God, but that he respected their practices.

I got to thinking about what I do.  I know that I believe that as Christians we should be a certain way.  I also know that as a Christian, I don't think we have to be a certain way that others do think.  And I wondered if I was so set in my ways that I wouldn't change to respect their beliefs.  Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about taking up a practice that goes against what the Bible teaches.  But if I was going to a home that felt the women should wear dresses.  Or head coverings.  Or not speak in a church. Etc.  Would I be willing to take on their practices out of respect for their beliefs or am I so set in what I believe, so adamant that I don't need to follow those practices that I would stick to my guns and do what I felt was right?

I wonder if that was what Paul was doing.  Was he following this practice out of respect for the people that he was going to?  To show them that it's not what you practice that makes you a follower of Christ, but rather it's what Scripture is telling us.  Sure these people may still be following some of the OT practices, but if their heart was in the right place and they were following the Scriptures, then that is what mattered.  So perhaps Paul shaved his head out of respect for them, not to mention that doing so, would also allow him to share and talk with them, when perhaps otherwise it might not have happened.

And so it was with those thoughts that I wondered, would I do the same?  Would I be willing to give up some of my comforts, some of my feelings, in order to win others to Christ? Would I be willing to give up my judgments of others in order to present the Gospel to them?  Would I be willing to enter their world (AGAIN - without compromising what the Bible teaches me!) to share Christ with them?  Would I be willing to give up my comforts to share Christ?  Would I be willing to give up the luxuries that I experience here in Steinbach to share Christ with others?  Would I be willing to take on some of their cultural experiences in order to share Christ?  

Am I willing to put down all of my comforts to share Christ with others???  

After all, look what He gave up for us!!!!!

I did my best - now You do the rest!!!!

So today, I have been getting back into my book "YOUR BOY Raising a Godly Son in an Ungodly World" by Vicki Courtney.  VERY VERY good book.  As I was reading today, it was dealing with the whole aspect of dating (AGGHHHH! He's only 10!!!) but also how to teach your son to be "nice guy" so that a Godly woman would want to date him.

I know my son has a big heart, but I also know he has a big attitude.  Which is what we have been dealing with as of late - hence the book!!!! Lots of issues, and struggles as we start to meander these tween years.

I have struggled "letting go" of my kids.  I have struggled "letting God" with my kids.  I want to help them along.  I want to keep them from harm.  I want to MAKE them do what is right.  And over the last month or so, I'm realizing it just isn't possible.

And so I have been having to give my kids to God and telling God "I did my best - - - - now you do the rest!!"

It's hard.  It's hard for a Momma to become "hands off".  As my husband and I chatted about how we have raised our children, we agreed, that we have made mistakes (and some big ones!) but as a whole, we have tried to raise our kids in a Godly home, with gentle, but firm guidelines.  And now we need to let them make their own decisions.  We can still guide them and nurture them in some of those decisions, but for the most part, they both are of the ages that THEY need to start to decide what path they are going to follow.  Thankfully, both our children have made a commitment to follow Christ early in their years, but now, as they get older, it is starting to have to play out in their every day lives.

So, as I've been struggling with the bits of "rebellion"  (OKAY - independence!!!) that my son is starting to exhibit, today God showed me that we "have done okay".

Today, I asked the kids to take the dog for a walk.  Several reasons: 1. dog needed a walk  2. kids were wired!  3. mom was tired!  A couple days ago, Peyton had mentioned that he had gone by a house that had a box labeled "FREE STUFF" and there were lots of treasures in it.  I wasn't sure exactly what those treasures were, but in the end we never did go by to check it out.  Today, on their walk, he found this house yet again.  And what happened, made me weep!!!! 

Peyton came home after their walk and said, "Mom I have something for you."  Truth is. . . I was skeptical.  I was SURE it was going to be a flower he had picked off of someone's yard, or a lily from my row of lilies (that had JUST started to bloom), but in that moment, I resolved that whatever it was that he was going to display from behind his back, I would accept it in the manner in which it was given - OUT OF LOVE!  Well, I can tell you - that boy shocked me.  He presented me with 2 nearly new books.  The first was Phillip Yancey's What's So Amazing about Grace? and the second was The Woman's Book of Courage - to which he said "Mom, I know you are scared some days to go out of the house or do things that other people can do so easy.  So I saw this book and hoped it would give you courage to do all the things that I KNOW you can do!!!"

Well, as you can imagine the tears started, but my heart was BURSTING!!!!  I could see it.  I could see God working in him.  I could see how his heart was tuned to God's and he was literally living out God's love. My ten year old was living out God because God was living in him!!!!

I thought we might have the Yancey book already in our library, but apparently we don't and so it is definitely one that both Keith & I will be reading.  I think God used our "little" boy to bring some timely words into our lives.

So yes. . . today I was reminded that despite what we do, God is still working in our kids.  God works despite us.  And we have done our best. . . . and look what God is doing with the rest.

I AM SO BLESSED