Last week in Sunday School our lesson was about Jesus as a child. I asked the group what kind of kid they thought Jesus was. The Bible doesn’t share much of Jesus’ life as a child, so it was interesting to hear how the kids answered. I’m not sure many of them had ever thought about the fact that Jesus was a lot like them. They thought I was crazy when I suggested that Jesus probably played baseball with his friends, had chores, went to school and had toys to play with. During our conversation I could tell some of the kids were really thinking, “Wow, he was a lot like me.”

Have you ever really considered that? Jesus came to this earth fully human. He literally was just like us…only without sin and was perfect. As we read the Bible, we see several times when he is sleeping or resting, times when Jesus is sitting around a table sharing a meal and eating food with others. The Bible tells us while he was in the desert, he was tempted by the devil (sound familiar?), ate nothing and in the end was hungry. All little pieces of the love story God has given us revealing that he ‘gets’ us, he understands the trials we face. As I think of these different Bible stories I often neglect to remember that while Jesus was special, he was also a lot like me. Pretty amazing if you think about it!

This past year has been a big year in the Junior Department. We’ve completely twisted around the way we have always done Sunday School. All in an effort to better teach our children about who our God is, who his Son Jesus is to us and that the Holy Spirit is with us always to lead and guide our life. To sum it up, we are trying to continue to build a solid and secure foundation. Reminds me of one of my favorite childhood Sunday School songs, The Wise Man Built His House. Recently, during Bible study, our group read from Matthew 7 where Jesus teaches about building on a solid foundation. I enjoyed how The Message put it very bluntly:

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who builds his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit – but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in the Bible studies (or church) and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” Matthew 7:24-27, The Message

It is my prayer that as we work in our ministry here at ARC that we don’t just use these teachings at church, in Sunday School or Bible Study, but that we work these words into every moment of our lives both in church, at home, in the world around us…and in our children’s lives.

I leave you with these questions: What sort of foundation do you have? Is it firmly in place on the rock or perhaps closer to the beach than you would care to admit? Are you actively and lovingly checking for cracks not only in your own foundation, but also your family’s? Perhaps most importantly, if these questions make you uncomfortable or question yourself, what are you going to do about it?

Inspecting my foundation, Becky Ossefoort

Earlier this week Evan and I were busy preparing a hotdish for supper later that night. It was still early in the day, so we thought we would make some fresh bread. He was eager to help measure and mix and soon his chubby little fingers were full of flour. We were in the middle of putting the last of the ingredients in the bowl when my phone rang. After a few minutes, I wrapped up the conversation with my mom, and Evan and I got back to work. We had some fun kneading the soft dough, and then put it in the bowl to rise. We went about our day, baked the bread and put supper in the oven.

Our family sat down to supper that night and everyone’s nose immediately wrinkled when I placed my dish in the middle of the table. No, not at the fresh bread, rather the hotdish I had made; too many vegetables, apparently. As they wrinkled their noses at the healthy meal in front of them, they all picked up a slice of bread. After a few bites, to my surprise, even more wrinkles. Kaylie spoke up and said, “This bread tastes funny!” Josh got after her for being rude and politely asked her to keep quiet and just eat it. After all, I had been busy all day creating a nice warm meal to enjoy and it seemed as though no one appreciated it. Josh and I must have taken a bite of our bread at the same time, because we both said, “Oh!” in unison. After reviewing the recipe and replaying all the dumping and stirring I realized I forgot to add the salt! It is amazing how bad bread tastes when you forget to add such a small amount of salt.

Over the last couple days, I’ve been looking at this bread wondering what I was going to do with it all. (My recipe makes 4 big loaves!) As I was looking at the bread today, I thought about the scripture of Jesus teaching about salt and light.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses it saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13

Salt. Seems pretty simple. My unsalted bread was flat, flavorless and of little value. As Christians, we are of little value if we do not make an effort to affect the world around us. Not only does Jesus instruct us to help “flavor” His creation, He also tells us to help preserve the good in the world.

Being “salty” isn’t always easy. Some people around us look at us like we are crazy, we are mocked for what we do, and people oppose our beliefs and morals. Sadly, often times the voices of the world are much louder than ours. While I don’t believe we are to yell back, I do believe we are to lovingly share our message. Around every corner, someone is watching; someone is taking note of our attitude and the way we live our lives. They are growing tired of their flavorless and meaningless life and desire something better. They take notice because they see a sense of peace and love. They see something different in us and desire it for themselves.

There will be times when we forget to add the salt, but with God’s help and the Spirit’s guidance, we are all equipped to season and preserve the world around us.

Keeping it salty  Becky Ossefoort

PS – As for the bread, I took half of it and made bread pudding. The other half went in the freezer for stuffing the Christmas turkey. I am way too Dutch to throw it out!

I guess fall is officially underway, as I watch our beautiful landscape turn brown and fall asleep for the winter. These changes make for much anticipation for what the winter will bring. I know many of you do not care for the swirling white stuff like I do. While I look forward to the change in season, I too will eventually grow tired of it and anticipate the new signs of lush green growth.

With the current changes in our weather, I had been avoiding a job I knew needed to be done. Getting my garden cleaned out. (Insert a long sigh here.) After weeks of daily trips to harvest the bountiful goodness and storing it up for the year ahead, I had not made the trip across the yard in a while. Perhaps I was sad to face the facts that one of my favorite spots was done for the season, but today was the day. With a warm sweatshirt and gloves pulled up high, I got to work. It struck me as I was pulling out the plants how something that was once so good and fruitful was now just a crispy, dead plant that needs to be taken out, to allow for new growth next year. The plants were no longer producing the once beautiful fruit.

The plants in my garden were not a waste. My garden allowed a spot for me to enjoy this summer, spending hours tending to its needs. Several weeks ago I was harvesting a lot of wonderful fruit; harvested fruit that I have since stored in clear jars on my basement shelf to use and enjoy for months to come.

As I was cleaning, I was surprised to see a head of cauliflower. “What is this among all the drying, dead vines and stalks?” I asked myself. Could it be my first head of cauliflower for the year? I had given up on my cauliflower weeks ago. But, there among all the dying stuff was life. There was fruit (or a vegetable in this case J) that had sprung up among all the stuff that was not producing anymore.

After pulling everything up and bringing it to our burn hole, my mind started thinking. “Could this be similar to how we feel about things at church?” I have many traditions that I grew up with in Chandler that are similar to here at ARC. I enjoy and hold them close to my heart. It reminds me of my journey to knowing Christ, my loved ones and their love for our Creator. It can be difficult to see changes, sometimes even a bit hurtful. It is hard to see programs and traditions that you have participated in, found joy in, maybe even help begin, come to an end. We settle in and get comfortable, hold those feelings close to our heart and it just feels good.

Over the years, some of our programs and ways we do different things at church have changed or quit being effective, in the ways originally intended. Some have just naturally flowed in a little different direction without much notice. A few things, that were maybe very important to some people, have come to an end because of low participation or other circumstances. No matter the situation, much like the end of my gardening season, change can be difficult. I will admit it can sometimes be very difficult! However, sometimes we need to “clean up” a bit to allow for new growth, both for us and others.

Programs and traditions could be compared to my garden. It has grown and been a good place to enjoy, but now the growth has slowed or even quit. The garden produced a lot of wonderful fruit and now the fruit has been harvested to help sustain us for the new season. The fruit that has come from many of our programs has been plentiful and wonderful. This fruit has been harvested and is now stored up in the lives of many, in order to carry us through the new season of good things to come. While it won’t always be easy, we can be assured we have the much needed knowledge and love for one another to journey together as the body and allow for new growth within one’s heart, outside our physical church walls and into the hearts of the lost.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Appreciating God’s perfect timing in all things, Becky

Fall is in the air! As I look out my window this morning, the valley to the south of us is full of fog and I can tell there is a crisp chill in the air. I love the dramatic change of seasons here in Minnesota. There is a certain anticipation of the spring flowers, the hot and humid summer days, and even the knee deep white stuff that will all too soon be here to greet us on our way out the door. Perhaps the most exciting season for me has always been Fall. As a child, I was excited because it was sure to bring some fun birthday gifts. Now, as an adult, I know that it is time to harvest the fruits of my labor from my garden, not to mention the added landscape of my favorite colors. The leaves turn the most brilliant golds, reds, browns and every hue in between; only work that the Master Himself could produce!

The kitchen is just beginning to heat up at our house. Lots of clear canning jars, steaming pots and things bubbling over on the stove top are visible. Many smells (both good and not so good!) meet your nose as you enter our home. The sounds of chopping and grinding are interrupting conversations and TV viewing. My family turns their head to the disorder and occasionally complains of the aroma the salsa brings. Me… I love every minute of it! There is something about all those pretty sealed jars that just make me happy. Knowing that my family will have a variety of yummy food on the table is an added bonus.

When preserving foods, there are many needed preparations to ensure a product that tastes good, looks appetizing and is ultimately safe to eat. While doing all this careful preparation for canning and preserving, it made me think of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Do I use the same care in sealing God’s Word in my heart as I do storing my garden harvest?

Recently, I realized I had not been as faithful about caring for my relationship with God. The busyness of life had crept in and overtaken my time. Much of my busyness appeared to be good things, worthy of my time and energy. Perhaps it was the changing of schedules as summer was winding down and school was gearing up for a new year, but somewhere I started being less intentional about my quiet time with God. Some days I would just check in throughout the day and list off my needs and requests. During this time I frequently felt a bit overwhelmed and tired. Thankfully, it did not take too long for me to recognize something was missing from my life.

John 15 says “⁴Remain in me, and I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Do you see what I was missing? I was not abiding in the vine; I was going about things on my own. All that work, labor, effort and energy could have been way more fruitful. Had I been abiding and seeking God’s desires for my time, I can’t help but think how the outcome of my time and energy would have been very different. I can only assume that the fruits of my labor would have been much more appealing and helped advance God’s Kingdom, while glorifying God Himself!

Becky Ossefoort

We all know what it is like to feel hungry. Each one of us, at one time or another, has had our stomach rumble during a quiet staff meeting or some other inopportune time. People glance at you and get that look on their face. You quickly reply “Guess my Cheerio’s didn’t cut it this morning.” Happened to me just this week! Beyond that stomach rumble and finding something to snack on soon, we do not put much thought into real hunger. Imagine taking that a couple steps further; Your stomach is rumbling because there were no Cheerio’s that morning and there wouldn’t be any for lunch, snack or supper…or the next day or the day after that. Just think about that for a few minutes. We may know what it is like to be hungry for a short time, but probably do not know what it feels like to starve.

Do you bake ‘mud cookies’ in the sun so you can fill your stomach just enough to make the pain go away? This is an everyday situation for people in this world. Worldwide 10% of people have multiple servings of food each day, 30% of the world’s population has access to a small serving of meat and vegetables. The other 60% (60%!!!!) only have access to one very small serving of rice and dirty water. Read that again. How can that be?

Cory Grimm and I have had the opportunity to serve alongside the Rock County Ministerial Association in hosting a Kid’s Against Hunger food packaging event right here in Rock County. We have been planning for months and now the time has come to get these meals packaged and dispersed to people in need. Over the summer, the team has been fundraising within the community to pay for each meal that will be packaged during the event. These packets of food cost just 25 cents per serving and will not only be shipped around the world, but many will stay right here in our local communities. Local churches have taken offerings for this project, change jars have been placed at local stores, and local businesses have helped financially.

This is set to be a very special event. Not only are we working to package 100,000 meals to bring nourishment to people who do not have a lot of options, we are enlisting the help of our community, its businesses, children and youth who will come together to make this happen. The piece of the puzzle that I am most excited about is entering a school of both believers and non-believers and being an example of what Jesus instructed us to do! The event will be September 12 and 13 at the Luverne High School. The Luverne Elementary and MS/HS students will all have the opportunity to help raise money or package meals during their school day. The event is also open to community members, families, organizations and businesses that would like to package meals or help with students. Any group or individual is welcome! One of the goals for this event is to teach the children a lifelong lesson of serving others and working together as a community.

There are many ways for you to help and if you are at all intrigued by what is going on, talk to Cory or myself. We are both very excited to help within our community and be examples of Christ. We are also looking for a couple people here at ARC to be extra hands helping the kids, package meals or a number of other roles. We would love to share this time with you!

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

Becky Ossefoort

I was at the clinic with one of the kids last Monday, the 16^th. During the appointment, there was a knock on the door. The staff at the clinic told us we had to head to the basement because of the intense thunderstorm that was due to hit Luverne. I’m not a bad weather lover like some of my friends. (You all know who you are!) I don’t chase storms all over the countryside, but I do like to see what is happening; only because I can’t handle the fear of not knowing what is actually going on. Now, Monday the 16^th happened to be the 22^nd anniversary of the Chandler Tornado and for those of you who didn’t know, I grew up in Chandler. While we were walking to the basement stairway at the clinic, I quickly called home to Kaylie and told her they should go to the basement also. I did the typical mom thing and told her it probably was nothing and not to be scared, “you know what to do and you will be fine.” After that, no cell service as I entered the basement at the hospital. Two of my babies were home in the storm all alone. My husband was in the middle of nowhere loading pigs on a truck. Great! Here I sit in a cold basement hallway with no window. Fear immediately set in, but I couldn’t let people think I was a whimp, and I didn’t want my child to sense the fear that was overcoming every inch of me. There I sat, staring at the wall across from me with my eyes wide open.

Wishing I had just stayed home that afternoon, I wondered what I could do to take my mind off the events. A few minutes later, I found myself informing God that he should make the storm go away. I was scared and I was pleading with him, I was telling him this weather on this day in this place is a very cruel thing, just make it go away. A few moments later, His calm response was, “Be still, I’m right here…everything is going to be alright.” It was in that moment that my skin tingled and the fear quickly turned more to shame. I realized I was informing God of what I thought best for me, rather than asking for him to comfort me and allow myself to just trust Him. I thought of the disciples on the boat during the storm. Was I like them? Was Jesus asking me the same questions he had asked the disciples after he rebuked the storm? “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:39b) Who was I to rebuke God?

While I will never forget the sick feeling deep in my gut on June 16, 1992, I will also never forget the many beautiful lessons I learned at the young age of 10. I learned that God is always faithful and he loves and protects me, no matter what I do or am going through. Another one of those lessons was about helping and loving your neighbor even when you are struggling also. That summer long ago, our house was a terrible mess, but my father was one of the people that took charge of the cleanup organization for the entire community. Last Sunday morning I read one of my friends post on Facebook about how grateful she was for a neighborhood that stuck together to help each other wade through hip deep water in basements and backyards all night long to prevent further damage to properties. The exact opposite of selfishness; unselfishly loving one another and taking care of one another. Trusting that God would continue to take care of them during and after the storm passed.

Twenty-two years later, we talk about the tornado and often comment on the many amazing events and situations that happened because of it. Many of which could have only been orchestrated by our Heavenly Father. All these years later, I think of how God protected my family and my friends. All these years later,       I still know how powerful my God is and how much he loves me. The very same God who created the scary, devastating and even frustrating storm, is the very same God who loves you more than you can even imagine. Turn to Him, He is all you need.

One day, we will look back at the last couple weeks and do the same. While I hope it is truly 100 years till the next flood, let’s be sure to pass on the spirit of unselfish giving to the future generations, even when we have our own trials. Let’s pass on our faith in trusting God even when we are afraid of the storm. Let us not rebuke God for the trial we are going through, but rather trust Him and know our God is so mighty that even the wind and waves obey him!

Grateful for life’s storms, Becky Ossefoort

They are always watching…

It’s been an interesting month at our house. While busy doing chores one day, the skid loader broke. Because of its age, parts were hard to find; which automatically equals expensive. The day I came home with the new cylinders for the skid loader, Josh was in the middle of splitting our tractor in half. Literally! Never a good sign when you can physically walk between the cab and the engine block. The good news is, I married a tractor mechanic and he has a shop.

Josh loves being out in his shop working on other peoples tractors. He claims it isn’t as much fun when it is your own. However, I think he failed to see how much fun this was for our two youngest to watch their Dad fix the tractor they ride in every single day. You see, when Josh is in the shop, AJ and Evan are always right behind him. They find random bolts and nuts and twist them together. (Never parts from the actual tractor being serviced, of course!) When the cherry picker isn’t in use, they are hoisting their bikes, pedal tractor, and other child friendly transportation up for an oil change or some other type of service work. They love to watch and imitate what their daddy does. Grease and all!

Children learn by watching and imitating the things we do. They are quick to pick up on our actions; both good and bad. What do your children see when they watch you? Are you demonstrating yourself as someone who dabbles in your faith or as a passionate follower of Christ?

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

Parents, making disciples is your primary calling and your children are the primary disciples in your life. God has entrusted them to your care, for you to show them how to honor, glorify, and live for Him. God wants us to disciple our children to glorify Him, and no one is better qualified than you!

No one knows or loves your child more than you, so you are the best person for the job. You may feel a bit inadequate, but practice makes perfect. Get in your Bible each day, spend time in prayer and then sit quietly and listen for God to help you and for the Holy Spirit to guide you.

If you are still a bit unsure, study Jesus’ life. Jesus showed the Disciples how to follow God by simply following him for a few years. Jesus made sure the disciples had what they needed, he led them into the world, disciplined them, and taught them righteous living. Jesus didn’t just teach the disciples how to not sin. He was a perfect example of how to live FOR the Father in Heaven, and he is your perfect example of how to show your children do the same.

God isn’t interested in teaching our children behavior modification, but rather complete and total heart transformation. God wants nothing more than your children to seek Him. Be their best example to follow. Let your children see you seeking God by reading your Bible each day. Read the Bible to them and discuss what you read together. Teach them to pray and to listen for God to speak to them. Some of this may be new to you, but use these times of study to grow together. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. We are lifelong learners, and you have the best Teacher available for the job. Just because you can’t see him does not mean he isn’t right beside you helping you.

Watching for my Father’s example,

Becky Ossefoort, Children’s Ministry Coordinator

A couple of months ago, a friend stopped in my office wondering if I could use a few craft supplies she had come across at home. As she listed off the items she wanted to share, she mentioned she had some polished rocks that her children had put through their rock polisher years ago. I commented how I had always wanted a rock polisher as a kid, but never had one. A few days later she delivered the little ‘treasures’ including the polished rocks. (no rock polisher) 🙂

Several weeks later, my friend appeared outside the door to my office. She had a package in her hands and a smile on her face. After working at Justice For All she came across a new rock polisher and she thought about me. I couldn’t wait to try it out! I was like a little kid after opening her birthday presents! Like all good women, I read the directions. Much to my disappointment, as I read, it became very clear that these little polished stones were going to take nearly 3 weeks of continuous turning, washing, tumbling… definitely not what I was expecting. I wanted the pretty polished rocks quicker than that.

Much like the rocks in the tumbler, we are tossed around in this world with different adventures both large and small. Some of the experiences are joyful, like when we welcome a new baby into the family. The precious, little child we hold in our arms is a beautiful creation and gift from our Father in Heaven. The joy of getting to know that child and raising them to know our Lord is amazing. I’m not a perfect parent and there are some things I would maybe do a little differently with my children, but I wouldn’t delete any of the experiences we have journeyed through together.

Sometimes as we are being polished, it hurts. We often would rather skip over these portions of our life. Times of sickness, bitterness, sorrow, depression, forgiving others… The list can go on and on. As my sister-in-law battles cancer, I want her to be healed of this disease. But, do I want her to miss the realization of the power of her mighty God? Not for one moment.

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Friends, God doesn’t promise us a life full of consistent joy, peace and happiness. According to Google, we have an average of 80 years on this Earth. Seems like a pretty good amount of time, but in the grand scheme of things, it is just moments. Moments we can spend seeking our Father’s face or doing things our own way. Sometimes I stumble, but God is always there watching over me, teaching me something and most of all extending His hand for me to hold on to and just trust Him.

Suffering for a little while… Like waiting for those tiny stones to be made beautiful ,we too need these times in life. God is polishing and refining us to be perfect masterpieces when we arrive in Heaven someday. He uses these earthly moments, both joyful and painful, to make us fully and completely His.

Becky

Have you heard the song “Keep Making Me” by Sidewalk Prophets? The words of the song caught my ear a while back.  “Make me broken, so I can be healed. Cause I’m so calloused and now I can’t feel. I want to run to You with heart wide open. Make me broken.”

When’s the last time you asked God to ‘break’ you so He could do His work through you? Not just ask Him to use you, but really interrupt your life so He can be glorified. Is your walk with Him so calloused that He is just part of your life instead of your whole life. Asking to be broken isn’t easy.

A few weeks ago during a staff meeting we were discussing how much we grow when we are experiencing a trial in our life. I recall commenting, “Why is it still so hard to pray for those valleys in our life?” We all chuckled a bit and agreed even though we grow in those times, it is difficult to ask God to send ‘hard times’ our way.

In the following days after our discussion, I did ask God to send me a trial. The next week, as the staff was gathering around the table for our meeting, I received a phone call from my mom. She informed me that our family had a large valley to cross. My sister-in-law, had just been diagnosed with cancer. Because of a knee injury, an MRI and the sharp eye of a newly trained doctor, they ordered a second MRI. This one would go just a bit higher in her leg. What they thought was a small cyst was actually a large tumor in her femur. The cancer is considered a pediatric cancer. Rare after puberty and unheard of after giving birth; yet at 25 years old and a mother of 2 small children, there it was. While the next year is going to be rough, the medical staff is confident it was caught early and she will make a full recovery.

This isn’t necessarily my valley, but it does affect my family, so I guess it is our valley. I see my little brother stumbling over his own two feet, not sure what needed to be done next. My sister-in-laws changing appearance will soon reflect she is ill. I’ve already witnessed my beautiful 4 year old niece asking when her Mommy is going to be home again. My parents have been reminded what a 3 a.m. feeding is, when my adorable 2 ½ month old nephew needs a bottle in the middle of the night.

While we are only a few weeks into this journey, I already see our family unit coming together to take care of one another. I see God working on our differences, mending our relationships, and healing past hurts and failures. I feel my Father in Heaven teaching me and leading me through this valley; a valley that I feared so much on the decent, which really felt more like an abrupt thud at the bottom.

Thank you for breaking me Father. Thank you for making me cling to your promises more, each and every day. Father I don’t know your plans, but I am so glad I know you will help us through this valley and make us know you more.

“Til You are my one desire. ‘Til You are my one true love. ‘Till You are my breath, my everything. Lord, please keep making me.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:2-4

Father, Keep Making Me (Us)… Yours,  Becky

It is Sunday, January 12, 2014. If you have not set your New Year’s Resolution, you better get going because we are well over a week into the New Year. I don’t know about you, but I am not all that big on resolutions or even goals, for that matter. I get a shiver down my back if someone even mentions the word goal. I am not sure if I just do not like the word, or if it is a fear of not meeting the goal I set. Perhaps most of all, I fear getting side tracked from staying on task for the goals I have. Sure, I have goals, I just prefer not to use the word “goal.” Once achieved, my goals always look just a little different than the way I imagined. Goals are supposed to be specific and precise, so if they look different and are interrupted by something else, did I really achieve what I set out to accomplish?

Everyone has some goals. God has a goal for your life. Even Jesus had a goal while here on Earth. His goal was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. In Mark 1:35-39 it says this:

³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else- to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” ³⁹So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Did you notice how even Jesus needed his Father? He went off for a while to spend time at the feet of his Father and re-energize so he could meet the goal of reaching people to preach to them. When Simon came and said “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus did not get angry or annoyed at the interruption. He did not tell Simon that he “didn’t have time for that right now,” rather he took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves and said, “Let’s do this!”

More often than I should, I find myself telling Josh or my children “I don’t have time for that right now!” “I’ll get to it later.” “Maybe another time.” Makes me wonder how often I say those things to God. Just the other day, I was trying to remember what I had read earlier that day during my Bible study. I read it, but I was definitely not in the right spirit, and must have had other things disrupting my focus. This bothered me all day, so I read it again, and it just so happened to be the scripture above. My goal that day was to learn something from my time with God. I fell short of that goal that morning, but perhaps it was God’s teaching plan all along. I do know my goal of learning was fulfilled, just later in the day.

Whatever your goals may or may not be for 2014, I do hope they include spending more time at the feet of your Heavenly Father each day. For some, this may be something new, for others maybe just an area to grow into a deeper love with our Lord and Savior. Either way I know you will not be disappointed with the result! Just remember you are never too young or old to start. Today is the day! Do not put it off any longer. I always thought it would be too hard to squeeze time in my day to spend time with him. I prayed a quick prayer and asked for his help throughout my day and I was off. I was missing out on finding peace in knowing God, having my soul re-energized and learning where he wanted me to go next. Guess what. There is always time. All those things I could do during that time, get done just like they would otherwise. Often times I end up with spare time in my day…time I find myself joyfully saying, “I have time to sit at his feet again today!”

Doing my best to achieve God’s goal for my life,

Becky