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Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23

UGH! I couldn’t stand myself. I heard my whiney words and couldn’t stop them from spewing out of my mouth. Anybody who would listen got a taste of some nasty, stale, ungodly whine. Poor souls.

The event is less than a month away and I’m working it like it needs to be worked – putting out the information to my web of connections, calling on churches, and praying for big numbers. All of this while I was hooked on my whine.

The only thing I wasn’t doing on a regular basis was trusting God to bring the women to the event.

The one thing I did do on a regular basis was wonder out loud if I was enough to bring people in, if I can connect with mothers while I am childless, if fewer women than my goal attend would that affect my reputation. In short, I whined incessantly.

It became a habit that began to spiral out of control. And I couldn’t stop it.

Until…

As I was whining yet again about how much work I was doing and how little response I was getting, I heard words from a most beloved source that stopped my whining…and turned it into anger.

My wonderful husband who is as long-suffering as he is loving said, “You are making yourself too big in all of this.”

Ouch!! I was so angry I almost hung up on him.

I was angry because he was right. He nailed me and it stung. But it also woke me up.

I was making myself too big. In God’s economy numbers of people in attendance don’t matter. It’s who is supposed to be there. My reputation is based nothing on the world’s standards, but on God. If I do what He has asked me to do and show up, God will take care of my reputation.

God’s opinion is the only one that matters. He asks us if we’re willing to go. He doesn’t ask us to predict the finish; He asks us to take the next step. He wants willing people who can be humbled to His plan.

I thought I was being humble in thinking that I wasn’t enough, but by focusing on my own short-comings and measuring success by who comes to see me, I was in fact prideful. This is not about me. It’s about God. It’s about who responds to God’s message of love. It’s about showing up and doing my best for God’s kingdom.

It is not about us. It’s about God. It’s about the people in our lives who need Jesus desperately. It’s about daring to speak a word of truth with someone when the Spirit nudges us. It’s about loving others in the name of Jesus and trusting that God will water and harvest the seeds that we sow.

Whining is a nasty habit that the enemy loves to make a daily ritual. Whining takes the focus off of Jesus and others and turns it directly onto our weaknesses. And that’s where Satan wants our focus. When we take our eyes off of Jesus the glare of our imperfections blinds us from the truth.

And the truth is we are ineffective without Jesus. Without Him, we can’t love our enemies and even sometimes our friends. Without Jesus, we don’t have the strength to carry on when the numbers don’t line up and the walls seem to be closing in. Without Jesus, we are nothing.

But when we focus on Him and align our lives with His teachings we can accomplish abundantly more than we could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

With man, things seem impossible, but with God anything is possible.

So, with the words of my wonderful husband firmly planted in my head and with the promises of God nestled warmly in my heart, I gladly put down the whine.

Will I be tempted? Probably. But my prayer is that I will recognize my propensity to whine well before it morphs into an addiction.

God Says I Am

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

I recently wrote a post titled, “Fifteen Minute Pity Party” in which I stated:

And failure is not an adjective that describes us. Too often we slap that label on us and let it define us. We walk into a room and say, “Hi my name is Failure. Would you like a list now of all of my mess ups or should we wait until later.”

And then I found Matthew West’s song, “Hello, My Name Is,” which talks about labeling ourselves by our past and not who we are in Christ.

Check out his lyrics to ‘Hello, My Name is”

Hello, my name is regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget

Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief

These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed,
And I have been set free
“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life

What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King

Powerful!

His video is presented using the sticky labels we get at church and business events with room for us to fill in our name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o&list=TLBbi-8SsiHJbsRgJm6x_5SXkqE-1Lae8m

Our names come loaded, don’t they? When I write “Heidi” I too often define myself by what I once was or worse what I think I’m not, as opposed to seeing my true identity in Christ.

And I know I’m not the only one.

The truth is we aren’t defined by our past, our failures, our weakness, our inabilities. We are so much more than just what we aren’t. No we’re not all athletic or mathematically gifted. We all aren’t musical or good communicators. We all aren’t graceful or sweet-natured.

But we are all good at many things.

Society and the media do a fabulous job of showing us all that we aren’t, or what we don’t have, or worse, what they think we all should be.

The noise from all the negative voices in the world drowns out the voice of God who calls us by name. Isaiah 43:1 says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.”

1 John 3:1 says that we are called the children of God. All throughout the scriptures is the truth of what we are: redeemed, loved, forgiven, beautiful, wonderfully made, gifted, mighty, free, made on purpose for a purpose, worth dying for. All because of the lavish love of God and the incomprehensible sacrifice of Jesus Christ who bought us for a price.

So I decided to have fun at an event I was holding and then at church the following day. I propped up poster board, laid out colored markers, and wrote across the top “God says I am…”

Children, grandparents and all ages in between wrote words on the board. When I picked up the board I was delighted with words sprawled in big letters and those in tiny print. They were different and heart felt and purposeful.

People paused when they saw the board. Some thought longer than others. Many immediately picked up a marker and wrote. But all who wrote know what God says about them.

And don’t we know? But how often do we forget? We get caught in the trap of negative talk and self-doubt and forget God’s truth.

So I challenge you to put up poster board in your house, label it “God Says I Am” and every time you and your family and friends walk past, write the first thing that comes to mind. If you struggle, pray and ask God to remind you. He will.

And put up a poster board in your church or other public place and encourage people to write their words on it. You’ll have fun reading what they wrote.

God says I am something special. When I write my name I want it to be loaded with how God sees me. Don’t you?

God says I am….