Post-workout PAIN!

Yesterday I went hiking at Webster's Falls in Dundas with the Junior High group at TLC. What an awesome time! We were left speechless by the fantastical water falls, exhilarated by the steep drop-offs and cliffs and truly awed by the beautiful leaves and landscape. But some of us....well, okay, I was exceedingly challenged by the steep, long hills and rugged terrain. Having not done really strenuous exercise in almost 2 years (since I hurt my back), this 2 hour hike - and trying to keep up with a mob of healthy young pre-teens - was truly a test of my endurance and stamina.

And so I get up out of bed this morning to find my quads absolutely screaming at me in protest! I didn't think I'd make it to the bathroom at first, the soreness in my legs was SO intense. You see, I was experiencing a kinda cool consequence from the hike known as "DOMS"; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. DOMS is caused by tiny microscopic tears that occur in the muscle as a result of high intensity exercise. The good news is that as my muscles begin to rebuild themselves the pain will fade and new muscle will develop that is bigger and stronger than before. Next time I attempt a hike I'll be stronger and better able to handle it. Keep it up often enough and I'll eventually do that hike without breaking a sweat. And I'll be able to conquer newer and bigger challenges.

The Christian life seems to be replete with "DOMS" of another sort; the spiritual sort. Since embracing Christ I've had to go through many trials that have left me feeling beat-up, sore and licking my wounds. Following Jesus has caused me to let go of many of my old habits, some with little challenge, others with my knuckles white in protest as I vehemently clung to them through a veil of tears. Chunks of me have been chipped away, little tears at my character that have left me wondering what will be left of the old me when God finishes with me.

There is good news for those going through spiritual "DOMS" in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4:22-24: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. God doesn't strip away our old habits and bits of ourselves and leave us as half a person. As we let go of these things they are replaced with a new self that is righteous and holy. He makes us over in closer image to Him. How awesome is that? Makes it just a little easier to let go of our old junk when we know it's to be replaced with Jesus-like qualities, doesn't it!

If God is calling you to be stripped of some old bits of yourself, do not fear! He's got something FAR better in mind for you. And let's not forget, you do get to see some awesome views along the journey that can only be seen if you embrace the challenge ;-)

God truly does make all things new! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKx_hx5itIM Listen and be blessed!

MY SELLEF!

I'm convinced that the first words out of the mouth of my niece were "MY SELF" - but with her two year old voice it came out in three syllables, sounding like "my sellef" as she pounded her fist on the table or stomped her foot to punctuate her rebellion. And what was this 2-year old tyrant rebelling against you may ask? Any help, for any task, from any person who was offering it. If she had her way she'd leave the house to run errands with mommy with mismatched shoes, her skirt half-tucked into her leggings, her hair a massive clump of knots on the back of her head and smears of breakfast down her shirt and across her face. Now 10 years later any time someone in my family refuses help and declares Independence in an endeavor, someone is sure to bust out with the words "my sellef" as we all break into laughter at the memory.

But how many times do we as adults say the exact same thing to God? We refuse His instruction and choose our own jobs, our own friends, our own past-times....and wonder why everything is going wrong! Sure, we allow Him a small level of domain in our lives, but we leave the big decisions to ourselves, thinking that He's too distant or too consumed with running the planet to worry about where we work, who we marry or how we spend our free time.

These day-to-day things are EXACTLY the areas of our lives that He wants to and needs to take control of if we are to live a purposeful life. The same God who has a count of every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30) is concerned about where you are going and what you are doing. Look at what he says in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". God, the creator of everything DOES have a plan for you. But how can God prosper you and protect you from harm if you don't follow His plan?

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I am rapidly learning that submission to God's plan is one of the most difficult things we can do in this life. It takes courage. It requires blind faith. It demands continual submission of your will to His. But knowing that the plan was contrived by an omnipotent creator who loves me and has my best interests at heart, I've decided to trust and follow. My days of going my own way with egg on my face by "my sellef" are over. Dare to join me?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP_uMWULQN0 - listen and be blessed for the moment. Commit to it and be blessed for a lifetime!

Straining on the leash or walking in obedience?

I love watching animal lovers with their dogs. You can always tell when they are with their true masters. Someone else could tell them to do something a billion times in various tones and volumes and they would pay little or no heed, but when their master talks, they tend to listen. Even someone who they've known all their life cannot command a fraction of the respect that their true master does....they know who loves them, cares for them, provides for their every need.

But no matter how obedient a dog will be with their master, take them outside with the right distractions and there's bound to be a time where they start straining against their collars, desperately trying to break free and explore. Fascinated by the sights and sounds and wanting to experience it all. But we all know that should they get away they would find danger and trouble, or at the very least get lost and miss dinner.

I know very well how that feels. I know that God wants me to walk with Him, by His side in strict obedience at all times. But I want to do what I want to do. I see places that I know I shouldn't go to and I do anyway. There's things to get into that God has specifically told me will do me more harm than good, yet I disobey and go there anyway. I continually strain against the leash, break myself free and wander off. And then I wonder why everything has gone wrong and I can't cope with the things I find in my path.

But when I in obedience do what God calls me to do, it's a good day. Stress is lower. Challenges are manageable. You see, when I'm walking in obedience, God leads me away from the things that are going to do me more harm than good. He may lead me to obstacles and difficulties, but He is right there by my side to help me over them, allowing me to learn and grow strong from them.

Should a 'rebellious Rover' break away and get lost, his master will have to spend a lot of time looking and calling for her poor lost pup. A dog may regret his actions within moments but spend hours lost and alone. The good news is that our Saviour hears our calls immediately and always knows exactly where we are. We may have to deal with the repercussions of our disobedience, but He will be by our side to lead us back to the right path as we deal with them.

Jesus tells us in the book of Luke chapter 11:28 "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." If you haven't been feeling as though you are living in God's blessing lately, you gotta ask yourself have you been walking WITH Him, or have you been running off on your own?

Pullin' weeds

My mom is an avid gardener. When the beds are clean with perfectly groomed edges and not a weed in sight, she is in her happy place. So when her hip surgeries were going to prevent her from maintaining her perfectly manicured yard for pretty much an entire summer, she ensured that not a single weed was present before she went under the knife. I'm positive she said a prayer or two against their swift uprising as well. Imagine her disappointment when she realized that one of her gardens was already sprouting little green enemies the very first time she looked at it post-surgery.

What actually IS a weed? According to Wikipedia, it is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance. Which is why we have toddlers generously gracing their mothers with bouquets of dandelions every summer. One person's weed is another's beautiful flower. I've had many weeds in my life that I've adamantly asked God to remove. My back injury was one huge unwanted pest in my life. But I think God sometimes views these nuisances a little differently than we do. And He knows the outcomes of these trials when we will long be blind to them. As we read in 1 Peter 5:10 - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.". God knew that my back injury sucked big time for me. That it kept me from doing what I thought I should be doing. But He also knew that it would bring me to a new, deeper relationship with Him and send me on a new path in my life. It would make me strong, firm and steadfast. The injury may have started out as a weed, but over the course of a year, became a beautiful rose; I just had to get past the thorns.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't pray for God to take away illness or pain; what I am saying that if He's not quick to remove those things, He just may have a bigger better purpose for these things in our lives. Today's weed could be a promise for tomorrow's blooming garden! We just need to learn to trust the master gardener a little more ;-)

Oh....and those "weeds" my mom discovered after her surgery? Well, see the picture? lol. They turned out to be beautiful white edging flowers. My aunts transplanted them to various gardens around our property later that summer and let's just say, they've grown like "weeds" and made a beautiful covering for mom's neglected beds.

Walk like a goose!

I HATE being late. If something throws me off by just a few moments I become little-miss-lead-foot until such a time that I once again feel I'm running on time, or even better, a little early. And I gotta admit, all this construction around Guelph has been throwing me off and ruining my groove.

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So imagine my surprise as I'm rounding a corner on Kortright - at, well, let's just say a few clicks faster than the posted speed limit trying to make up for the delay on Downey Road - when suddenly this huge goose is right in my path! I slam on the brakes with my heart in my throat, stopping just a foot away from my feathered friend. The arrogant bird had the nerve to just continue on his way, strutting across the road as if nothing had happened! He didn't even turn his extra-long neck in my direction to acknowledge the peril he almost put himself into. In disgust I continued on my way, resenting the arrogance of this silly bird.

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But just around the next corner there lay a huge hunk of roadkill...I think it had once been a raccoon. EWW! Poor thing! But it got me to thinking about how raccoons and squirrels tend to cross the road as opposed to this silly goose. They dart and dash, racing back and forth, seeming to not make a conscious decision whatsoever, acting completely on an over-reactive impulse system that really makes NO sense whatsoever at the moment. No point in even trying to dodge their path, because they'll turn the other way in a split second, directly into your line of travel.

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How would God rather us journey through life? The answer can be found in Philippians 3:12-13: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

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I dunno about you, but that sounds far more like our driven, motivated, straight moving goose than our dodging, dashing, unpredictable squirrel! So I've decided, I don't care if the world thinks I'm oblivious to peril or marching in a direction that makes no sense to them....my eyes are focused on the prize in Christ. I'm gonna walk like a goose to God!

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This song always helps me to remember to press forward and keep my eye on the price - www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU4U8_wMdRs - listen and be blessed!

Friends are just desserts

When I was first saved I put a lot of emphasis on my church life. It became the source of my friends, my fulfillment and my musical outlet. It became the place I went to with my troubles and sorrows. It was where I found peace.

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And these were all good things to find at a church, don't get me wrong. But when a horrible back injury kept me out of services for over 6 months I was left with a big vacant void that I was unable to fill. I pleaded with friends to visit and when certain ones didn't come through for me I felt completely lost and abandoned.

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You see, I had made the tragic mistake of making church and the people in it "the main course" of my spiritual journey. A position that should be held by God and God alone. As we read in Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" God is more than capable of supplying our material, financial and emotional needs.

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I thank God daily for the awesome friends He has given me. But when push comes to shove and my whole world seems to be crashing down, when it seems like I'm being attacked on all sides, I know it is God who is the one who is going to come through for me. He will feed me and leave me satisfied. My friends can console me, distract me and encourage me, but in the end God is the main course and my friends are just amazing desserts!

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This reality hit home for me when I first heard this awesome song by Steven Curtis Chapman - listen and be blessed! www.utube.com/watch?v=v2xghAYprUs

A Blog???

Yeah, a blog. Hadn't intended of going there. But God has been showing me a lot lately and nudging me to put it down in text and share it with others. A blog seemed the easiest way to do exactly that.

So why am I calling my log "Sharing my baby steps"? Cuz that's exactly what my walk with Christ has felt like. Tiny, tentitive, cautious steps, often falling flat on my bottom (without the extra cushioning of pampers)....crying in frustration, then gently being lifted and healed by a loving, caring father who places me back on my feet, hovering over till my next wrong turn and BOOM we start all over again. The cool thing is that each and every time I fall, once I get around to stopping my tantrum and drying my eyes, our heavenly Father is ALWAYS there. My God be cool like that!

Feel free to follow, your comments are welcome. Please join me on this walk; I promise, you'll never be walking alone....


www.youtube.com/watch?v=98nG3xH02wo - listen and be blessed!