Spiritual Growth Archives - Page 11 of 13

Sharla May 15, 2014

When You Struggle to Rejoice

Do you struggle to rejoice? Does the command in Philippians 4:4 make you wince?

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

I certainly have days when it’s hard to be full of joy. Hard to rejoice in anything.

And what is rejoicing anyway?

I looked up the word rejoice in my Greek dictionary and found that it comes from the word chairo.

It carries the idea of being glad about something. It is the picture of a person who is euphoric over something that has happened. Other words to describe chairo would be overjoyed, elated, ecstatic, exhilarated, thrilled, jubilant, or even rapturous. (from Sparkling Gems From the Greek, p. 682)

When I read that I asked myself–when was the last time I was purely ecstatic about God? When did I feel thrilled in God’s presence?

I think it’s been too long.

But perhaps it’s because I keep looking for joy in other things. I expect to find it in success. Or friendship.

I wait for joy to happen when everything goes according to my plan.

And because that isn’t very likely, joy remains elusive.

Perhaps I should be glad that I can’t always find joy in something other than Jesus. Because then in my desperation, I’m forced to look to the only reliable Source of joy–my Savior.

God doesn’t tell us to be euphoric over success, or achievement, or even cute shoes because none of those are lasting.

God asks to be elated in Him.

Next step: Have you struggled to rejoice this week? Take all of your disappointments to God. Then rejoice that He hears your prayers and cares about your problems–big and small.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: joy, praise

Sharla May 1, 2014

The One Mirror Where You Will Always Look Beautiful

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Do you remember those words spoken by the evil queen in the Snow White fairy tale? Every time the queen approached the mirror, she fully expected the mirror to reply, “You, O queen, are the fairest of them all.” And watch out if this wasn’t the answer she received! If the mirror mentioned anyone else, the poor girl was quickly done away with so the next day the queen could receive the reply she wanted from her mirror.

Who wouldn’t want a mirror that gave a daily dose of compliments? We all long to be attractive and sought after. We all want to be told that we’re beautiful.

The bathroom mirror might not always give us the answer we want when we ask ourselves the question, “Am I beautiful?” After all, bad hair days, bad skin days, bad everything days happen now and then.

But there is a mirror that will always tell us we are beautiful—in Christ. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we always look lovely in God’s looking glass. Our heavenly Father sees us not as we are with our mammoth mistakes, our messy sins, our major bedhead. He sees us as we will be—perfect.

The Bible tells us:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In God’s eyes we’re already beautiful because He sees us dressed in the robes of Christ’s purity. He watches your makeover progress, but at the same time sees you in your final photo shoot. God can already envision the reveal.

When we have trouble seeing past the flawed image in our bathroom mirror, we need to look at God’s mirror—His Word. In it God tells us over and over how much He loves us. When media, self-doubt, or even my friends leave me feeling unloved and unlovely, I can look in God’s miraculous mirror to see who I am in His eyes.

Here is how God sees you!

You can download and print this poster in a 5X7 or 8X10 size for yourself.

Find God’s Mirror here.

This post was adapted from my new book for teens and young women:

Divine Makeover: God Makes You Beautiful.

Perhaps you have been looking for a resource for your youth group or a study to do with your daughter. Or maybe you need a confirmation or graduation gift for a lovely young woman.

Check out Divine Makeover at CPH and Amazon.

Filed Under: God's Relentless Love, Spiritual Growth Tagged With: mirrors, true beauty

Sharla April 10, 2014

Three Lessons For Facing Life’s Surprising Challenges

What do you do when faced with surprising challenges? A recent trip to Zion National Park taught me some valuable lessons in persevering through difficulty.

* * * *

Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

These are the words I repeated to myself over and over on the Hidden Canyon trail we hiked in Zion National Park in Utah.

The Hidden Canyon trail is a path that takes you up about 1000 feet above the canyon floor. A trail that, at times, is only about a foot wide with a sheer drop-off to the side. A trail that I never would have believed I would climb.

If someone had described this trail to me and then invited me to climb it with them, I would have said, “No way. I’m not that daring. I’m not that brave.”

But we had heard that the hidden canyon at the top of the trail was worth the climb–and we didn’t know about the narrow portions where you were inches from falling hundreds of feet–so we started the trek up to the top.

As I was panting my way up this trail, I was struck by how what I was learning on the hike applied to life as well.

Life’s path often has surprising challenges. We aren’t often warned of difficulties up ahead. What can we do when our life suddenly seems as challenging as a mountain climb?

Here are three lessons I learned on the Hidden Canyon trail on handling surprising challenges:

1. Cling to the Rock. The Hidden Canyon trail had very narrow sections where you needed to hang onto a chain–attached firmly to the cliff–so that you didn’t fall off the foot-wide path.

When life’s path turns out to be more challenging than I anticipate, I need to hang onto the Rock of my life:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

When life seems uncertain, I need to cling to the One thing that is sure and unchanging. When I’m afraid of falling, I need to hang on the One thing that will never fail–God. When I face challenges in life, I can grab hold of the One who will never let me down.

2. Stop and rest. Climbing up 1000 feet over the distance of one mile meant that at times I needed to stop and rest. My lungs demanded that I plant my feet and just breathe.

In life I don’t always pay attention to the signs that I need to stop and rest. I tend to keep plowing ahead when my soul is demanding that I simply stop and breathe. Even God knew we needed to rest, so He commanded a Sabbath:

This is what the Lord has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.” Exodus 16:23

God commands us to take a day of rest–a day to stop and breathe in His grace.

3. Don’t look down. When I was on those very high and very narrow pathways, it was best not to look over the edge to the valley floor so far below. I needed to keep looking at my feet. I couldn’t even look too far ahead. I had to pay attention to the very next step.

I also get in trouble in life when I try to look beyond where I am right now. It’s easy for me to get anxious when I look down at all the possible things that could go wrong. Or to worry when I try to look too far ahead. I need to concentrate on what is happening right now. Jesus said:

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34

So when life ends up being more challenging than you planned on, remember:

Cling to the Rock–the Rock of Christ

Stop and rest–breathe in His grace

Don’t look down–just concentrate on the next step

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: life's challenges, trust

Sharla April 4, 2014

6 Time Management Lies Christian Women Believe

Today’s post is by Melanie Wilson, a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six! Find out more about her at the end of the post.

#1 I’ll remember that

I have a really good short-term memory. I can memorize information for a test and do well, for example. But if my son asks me to buy deodorant, my friend asks if I want to do lunch, and my husband tells me I’m in charge of taking the kids to tennis, I won’t remember. I have to write it down and set up reminders as well.

I know I’m not the only one who forgets. The Israelites constantly forgot what God said and got into trouble. The truth is, we not only need task reminders, but the reminders that come from regularly reading God’s Word.

#2 I don’t have enough hours in the day

I have often been guilty of saying I don’t have enough time. The cleaning, cooking, and other tasks seem overwhelming. Yet God has blessed all of us with 24 hours of time each day. Would He give us more to do than could be accomplished with the time we have? I don’t think so.

God doesn’t overload my to-do list; I do. To make sure we’re doing His work, we have to go to Him every day in prayer. He promises to give us the wisdom we seek. When we’re done trimming the list, we’ll find we have all the time we need to do all He has called us to do.

#3 I’ll get caught up later

One of the things I learned from trying to lose weight for many years is that there will always be a reason to overeat today. We’re very creative at making holidays! The same is true of getting things done. I can come up with myriad reasons why I shouldn’t work on something today.

My favorite reason is because I’ll have more time later. We’ve already established that we’ll always have the same amount of time each day. What we will have more of, if we wait, is work. We should start today, even if we can only spend a few minutes working.

#4 I just need to find the right planner or application

Planners and apps for your phone can definitely help us remember our to-do’s. But they won’t add hours to our day or help us get caught up. If they did, we wouldn’t keep looking for a new one.

The most powerful time management tools are those you already own: paper, a pen, a timer, and willingness to work. Write down what you’d like to accomplish today, set a timer for a reasonable work period before taking a break (5-50 minutes) and get busy!

#5 I’m a procrastinator

As Christians, we would never repeatedly label ourselves a gossip, a liar, or a jealous person. We know that in Christ, we are new creations. The old is gone! But for some reason when it comes to putting things off (which the Bible calls laziness), we are comfortable retaining the label.

Research has demonstrated the power of labels on our beliefs and then our behavior. The more we tell ourselves we are procrastinators, the more we will exhibit lazy behavior. Try on the diligent woman label for a change.

#6 If it is to be, it’s up to me

This has been my lifelong motto and it’s a foolish one. This past year I’ve learned that I am running myself ragged for nothing. My family and friends want to help me; I just rarely let them.

God doesn’t expect us to do what He’s called us to do alone. Moses did this and his father-in-law pointed out that it wasn’t good! When we try to do it alone, we deprive others of the joy of serving alongside us. Today, kindly delegate some of your tasks that don’t have to be done by you.

Reading the Word, praying over our task list, starting today, using simple tools, wearing the right label, and asking for help can combat the lies we’ve believed about time management.

Which of these lies has been the most destructive in your life?

Dr. Melanie Wilson is a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. She blogs about faith, time management, and homeschooling at Psychowith6.com.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: time management

Sharla March 13, 2014

She’s Got the Look

Wouldn’t you love to overhear someone say about you, “She’s got the look”? Well, you do! Some lessons from when I worked at a bridal salon explain why.

Years ago, I worked as a seamstress at the local wedding shop. I loved seeing the transformation I saw when a girl in shorts and flip flops came in and tried on her dress. Each woman instantly changed from an ordinary young lady to a dazzling beauty the moment I slipped the wedding gown over her head.

But when a girl came into the bridal salon for her fitting, it was very rare that the dress fit her perfectly. Yes, she was instantly transformed when I slipped the white satin over her head. She looked beautiful. But usually the dress needed a bit of work. Perhaps I would need to shorten the dress an inch. Or nip it in at the waist. Or let out a seam or two. I didn’t stop until the dress fit perfectly.

The Holy Spirit does the same for our spirits. Once we have received Christ, we are spectacularly changed. Galatians 3:26-27 tells us:

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

When we are baptized into Christ we are clothed with Christ. He covers all of our mistakes and sins. We are beautiful in God’s eyes.

But while we are still on earth, we’re not perfect. So the Holy Spirit keeps on working. He alters our hearts by giving us faith and trust and hope. He shows us where we need to make a few adjustments and offers forgiveness at the Lord’s Table. He gives us the desire to look more and more like Christ.

When I altered a wedding dress, there were two possibilities. Either I needed to subtract a bit of the dress—shorten the skirt or take in the waist—or I had to add something to the dress—let out the side seams or add a bit of lace to the neckline. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives, He often needs to subtract from or add something to our lives.

Ask the Spirit to show you if there is something in your life that needs to be removed.

Do you need to subtract?

a particular TV show
friends that aren’t the best influences in your life
hidden sins
magazines that only make you feel bad about yourself
trying to be perfect

Or is the Holy Spirit working to help you add something to your life to bring you closer to God.

Do you need to add?

more time in God’s Word
a more consistent prayer life
trust in God’s goodness
confidence that comes from God’s immense love for you
friends that love the Lord

Let the Holy Spirit work. He will alter your spirit, making it even more beautiful. With each addition or subtraction, you will become more Christ-like. You will have the look—the look of Christ.

Next step: Spend some time in prayer. Thank God that He has transformed you by clothing you with Christ. Then ask Him: Do I need to add something to my life? Or subtract something?

This post was adapted from my new book for teen girls:

Divine Makeover: God Makes You Beautiful Check it out!

Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Growth

Sharla February 27, 2014

Where To Take Your Complaints

Where can you take your complaints? I mean, is it alright to complain to God?

An incident with my dishwasher helped me understand this better.

It all started with a box of dishwasher detergent. We bought a new box of the stuff and soon began noticing a change in our dishes. I grumbled to my husband that our brightly colored plastic tumblers were no longer brightly colored. Instead, they looked like the surface had been etched. I thought perhaps the formula of the offending detergent was too high in abrasives.

I called the company to complain, hoping that I would not only get my money back for the offending detergent, but also for my ruined glasses. (Never mind that these plastic tumblers were almost twenty years old. It was the principle of the thing.)

The pleasant customer service representative asked that I send a sample of the detergent to the manufacturer along with some of the tumblers. I was certain that the company would acknowledge the problem and send us money to buy new glasses. However, what we received back in the mail was our own cardboard box with the old tumblers in them. Only now they were as vivid as before the problem detergent. Inside the box was an explanation that the company had not found the tumblers to be scratched, merely coated with a soap scum. They had soaked the dishes in a mildly acidic solution and the gray film was now removed. I felt a little silly for complaining about soap scum, but I was glad to have the problem solved even if I didn’t get my twenty-year-old tumblers replaced for free.

Simply griping about the lousy new dish detergent to my husband did nothing to fix the problem. But complaining to the manufacturer did. I needed to take my complaints to the right person.

King David knew this as well. He wrote in Psalm 142:

With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him. (v. 1-2)

“Now wait a minute!” I can hear you say. “King David, a man after God’s own heart, was complaining? I thought Christians weren’t supposed to grumble!

Here’s what I think. God is definitely displeased when we complain about our lives “behind His back,” effectively displaying displeasure with His provision and grace. But if we come to Him directly and pour out our concerns honestly, He can reassure us of His love and goodness.

Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira writes in her book, Grumble Hallelujah,

“Grieving, shedding tears, emptying ourselves of hurt seems to clear up room for God to work.”

When I feel like complaining, I now try to go straight to the Manufacturer. I “pour out my complaint before the Lord.” I lay out all my feelings, my gripes, my sadness.

But I do it with the knowledge that God can do something about it. He can change the situation, fix the problem, or simply comfort my soul. Pouring out my complaint makes room for God’s consolation and reassurance.

Look at the end of Psalm 142:

Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! (v. 7)

Being a chronic complainer can leave you in a prison of discontent. But pouring out your complaints before God with the expectation that He is going to do something wonderful frees your spirit.

So take your complaints straight to the Manufacturer and watch Him work!

Next step: What do you do when you feel like complaining? Instead, of complaining to other people, take your complaints to the Father who cares immensely about you. As you leave your complaints in His lap, praise Him for taking care of your problems in the best way possible.

This article was adapted from my book, Bless These Lips, which helps women learn to use their words to transform the lives of the people around them. Get it here and here.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth, Taming Your Tongue Tagged With: complaining

Sharla February 20, 2014

What Time is It?

When my oldest grandson was about a year-and-a-half old, he developed a fascination with clocks. He would look up at the clock and ask, “What time is it?” We would answer with the correct time and go on playing with him or eating our lunch.

Two minutes later he would ask again, “What time is it?” We would tell him the time.

Two minutes later he would ask, “What time is it?”

You get the idea. Aaron was constantly curious about the clock.

This week in my Bible reading, I came to Psalm 39. Verse 4 says:

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.

And I was reminded that I need to be like Aaron and pay attention to what time it is.

Now I could tell you strategies for time management. I could share secrets on how to plan your day wisely. I love that kind of thing. I love planning my day and making a to-do list and checking off the finished tasks.

But this post has only two strategies for making the most of the time you have on earth.

First, I need to remember that my life on earth is short. Psalm 39:6 says:

We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.

I ask myself, “Am I using my time wisely? Or am I busy rushing here and there–not accomplishing anything important? Am I trying to heap up money in my bank account or accomplishments on my resume–all the while knowing those things are not eternal?

An eternal perspective will make me more aware of how well I use my days and weeks.

Secondly, ask God what He wants me to do with my minutes and hours.

Psalm 39 goes on to say:

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
I am silent before you. (v. 7, 9)

In January I sat down and planned my year. I made some goals. I developed a strategy to keep my life on track.

But while goals and resolutions are important, the most important thing I can do is ask God what He wants me to do.

Psalm 39 reminds me that in addition to making goals I need silence. Silence before God is what it takes to hear Him. Silencing my rushing mind helps me to hear what He wants me to do. Silencing my both my fears and my ambitions help me to step out onto the path He wants for me.

“What time is it?”

It’s time to realize that our moments on earth are a precious commodity. I want to spend them wisely.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: Psalm 39, time management

Sharla January 7, 2014

How to Repair Your Soul

My daughter and her family live in China. They have been studying the difficult Mandarin language for almost three years and are quite fluent now. Which amazes me because when we visit them I am astounded at how anyone could learn such a beautiful, yet complex, language.

Recently I was reading about the phrase ling xiu. In Chinese characters the phrase looks like this:

灵修

and together they mean a Christian’s devotional time. I found it interesting that the two characters have different meanings when they are used separately. Ling means “spirit” or “soul.” Xiu means “to repair.” So fitting don’t you think? Our devotional time with God is our spirit repair time!

Spirit repair.

How desperately I need this every day. The world shreds my soul. Stress tears at the seams. Worry tries to rip my heart apart. And when I try to mend it on my own, the rips just become bigger.

But when I sit in God’s presence and let His Word stitch me back up again, I feel whole. When His Spirit mends the holes my soul is once again intact.

Sometimes we think of our devotional time as duty or a dusty routine. But what if we saw it as our spirit repair time?

Next step: Take time to practice ling xiu or spirit repair time every day. God is waiting to heal your heart.

Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Growth Tagged With: devotions, Lessons from China, quiet time

Sharla October 22, 2013

When You Need a Little Hope

I recently read a story about the power of hope.

Scientists that were doing a study on how long Norwegian wharf rats could swim. For the study, the scientists took some of these rats and placed each of them in a tub of water. They sprayed the tubs so the rats couldn’t roll over and float on their backs, but were forced to swim. After seventeen minutes of swimming the rats gave up and died.

The scientists then took another set of Norwegian wharf rats and repeated the same exact experiment. But this time, after sixteen minutes, just as the rats were about to die, they removed the rats from the tubs, dried them off, placed them in their cages, and fed them.

After a few days of allowing the rats to recover, they were put back into the tubs of water under the same conditions as the original experiment. Only this time, the rats swam for more than thirty-seven hours before they died. The scientists concluded that the reason the rats were able to endure for a much longer period of time is because they had previously been saved which led them to hope they would be saved again. The rats were able to swim thirty-seven hours instead of seventeen minutes because they had hope.

Recently the Holy Spirit has been highlighting the word hope in my daily Bible reading.

For instance, Colossians 1:4-5:

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.

We all need hope because the world beats us down every day. Every morning we feel like someone has thrown us into a vat of water and is forcing us to swim until we are exhausted. We need hope that someone will rescue us–save us from the struggle.

And that is exactly what God does for us. He is there to scoop us out of the deep. He is there to give us strength when we don’t have any of our own. He wants us to know there is an end to the struggle. He has a place reserved for us in heaven.

What is especially interesting to me about the Colossians passage is that it tells me that faith and love spring from hope. Without hope I lose trust that God will see me through. Without hope, I give up on loving God’s people.

So I’m going to God for a daily dose of hope. Confidence in His strength to save me. Expectation of His loving care.

Next step: Thank God that He is always there to give us a daily dose of hope.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: Colossians 1:4-5, hope, study on hope

Sharla September 19, 2013

Did You Know There Are Two Ways to Be Made New?

One story from Christmas past helps me understand what it means to be made new in God’s kingdom.

When it came to Christmas presents, I never knew what to get for my dad. It seemed an impossible task to find something he actually wanted or needed.

One Christmas I asked my mother what she thought he might like. She said, “He could really use some new flannel shirts for wearing around the house. The ones he has are really torn and ratty.” So I went to Sears, bought two thick, warm, colorful flannel shirts, and wrapped them up in red and green paper, anticipating a smile on my father’s face when he unwrapped the package.

But when my father opened the box, he said, “Why do I need these? I’ve got a whole drawer full of new flannel shirts at home!” My dad kept wearing the old, ratty shirts even though he had brand-new ones available.

Sometimes we are that way with our spiritual clothing as well. We learn all about new fashions for our soul, but keep wearing the old ones. How can we be made new?

Colossians 3:10 talks about the new self, the new person God wants to fashion us into:

Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Did you notice that the word new actually appears twice in this short, little verse? First, God tells us to put on the new self and then He tells us that this self is being renewed.

It turns out that the words translated new in Colossians 3:10 are from two different Greek words. The first one, in the phrase “the new self,” is translated from the Greek word neos and means new in relation to time. This is like the new flannel shirts I bought for my dad. He already had flannel shirts, but he had worn them for a long time. I bought the same kind of shirts, but they didn’t have the holes the old ones did.

The second new in the word renewed is anakainos in the Greek. The root word is kainos which means new in relation to quality. If I had bought my father kainos new shirts, I would not have purchased fifteen-dollar flannel shirts like he often wore. I would have splurged on a custom-tailored, polished-cotton shirt with French cuffs.

On our own we can only put on the neos new. We can brush on mascara and style our hair. We can buy new clothes and refashion our image. We can even try to change our behavior by reading self-help books or making New Year’s resolutions. Still, inside we are the same person.

But when God works His makeover miracles, we become kainos new. He transforms us from the inside out. He alters the quality of our character and the value of our lives. In fact, the change is so dramatic that we begin to look like our Designer. Colossians says that we are being renewed in the image of our Creator.

I wish I could say that my divine makeover is complete. That I already look “just like” my heavenly Father. But I still mess up. I still make mistakes. I still wear my old self sometimes.

It’s then that God reminds me I am being renewed. It is a continual process. But it can be a process of joy and discovery.

Next step: How have you experienced God’s kainos new lately? Thank God that is transforming you from the inside out. In Him you are made new.

To learn more about a spiritual makeover check out Divine Design: 40 Days of Spiritual Makeover on Amazon or at CPH.org.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: Colossians 3:10, makeover, renewed