Let Go... and Let God...

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10

I have read this verse numerous time, but haven't spent a great deal of time reflecting on it. What I have come to enjoy about it is that Jesus keeps talking... He could have ended the verse by saying, I have come that they may have life." But He doesn't end here... He goes on to say, "... and have it to the full."

What do you think it means to have life and live to the full?

I believe that living life to the full means giving up control of your own life, surrendering all hopes and dreams to God... fully. I believe that you cannot truly experience life to it's fullest until you are completely relying on God for everything. For example, think about taking a wild car ride with some friends. What makes the ride more exciting? The fact that you have no idea where you are going! If you are driving, you know when the turns are coming and which direction to go. It's not a wild ride if you are the one driving.

I believe that this is how it works with our life and God. Life is not as exciting and enjoyable if we are driving and in control of it. Now this is a concept that I completely understand, but for me (who loves to control my life) I am always a work in progess, and God will continue to show me how to trust in Him.

The enjoyable parts of life are when we are surprised by what is happening around us... and what better surprises than those God gives to us... spend today being surprised by God... and live life to the fullest!

GPS and God

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6

Trust can be defined as "putting complete confidence in".

The other day I had to attend a teachers conference in a nearby town that I had never been to. When it comes to directions and me, I'm not very good at them (I like to think that north is always in front of me). I get lost pretty easily, and get nervous driving in big towns in which I have no idea where I'm going.... although this time was different. I had a GPS with me for the trip to an unknown city. I was putting my trust in my GPS, and it was so easy for me. It was so easy to put my 100% trust in a little machine to get me to a city I have never been to. I can't even really explain this the way that I want to, but it is very hard for me to put 100% of trust into anything... and I did it so easily with a small machine.

Why is it so easy for me to put my trust into a small machine but not always God. I started to dig deeper and look at the attributes of God. In Job 38 God is talking to Job and asking him a series of rhetorical questions. Each question God asks give a some insight into his power, here are just a few...

• God laid the foundation of the Earth (vs. 1)


• God gives orders to the morning and shows dawn it's place (vs. 12)


• God brings forth the constellations (vs. 32)


• God sends lightning bolts on their way. (vs. 35)


• God gives understanding to the mind. (vs. 36)

Wow... God has all of these attributes and so much more! Now, I know that putting my trust and confidence into something is not always easy, but that is because things and people will always fail me no matter what, but what if I (we) put that trust and confidence in God who will never fail us. Sounds like something to to consider....

Blessings....

"Surely you have granted him unending blessings..." (Psalm 21:6)

I believe that we are given many blessings in life... things that bring us joy. Here are some of mine (in no particular order) ... :)

1. 
   
   
   Jesus



2. 
   
   
   Family



3. 
   
   
   Friends



4. 
   
   
   Hot chocolate on snowy days



5. 
   
   
   Maple trees



6. 
   
   
   Jelly Belly jelly beans



7. 
   
   
   Beaches



8. 
   
   
   Prayer with friends



9. 
   
   
   Fall colors



10. 
    
    
    Camping



11. 
    
    
    Reading a good book



12. 
    
    
    Flannel blankets from mom



13. 
    
    
    Forgiveness



14. 
    
    
    Starry nights



15. 
    
    
    Homemade chicken noodle soup



16. 
    
    
    Park River Bible Camp stories



17. 
    
    
    Children's literature



18. 
    
    
    Organization



19. 
    
    
    Being in awe of God



20. 
    
    
    North Dakota sunsets



21. 
    
    
    Spiritual conversations



22. 
    
    
    Kindergartners



23. 
    
    
    Shoes that "click"



24. 
    
    
    Pink



25. 
    
    
    Tim Tams



26. 
    
    
    Crunching leaves in the fall



27. 
    
    
    Wearing hats



28. 
    
    
    Blue ink



29. 
    
    
    Kind people



30. 
    
    
    Honeycrisp apples

Still and Silent

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

For anyone who knows me.... they understand that it is extremely hard for me to be still and silent. When there is silence for any length of time, I feel as though I need to fill it by talking and asking questions. It's difficult for me to ride in elevators, subways, and sit at conventions because I have to be still and silent for such a long period of time.

I wonder why this is? Why do I, or anyone else, feel as though silence needs to be filled?

There are so many distractions in life! Music, television, friends, family, homework, cell phones... NOISE. With all of these distractions it is very easy to fill silence with something and get used to that noise in our life a being a normal part of it. Not sure about you, but I have taught myself to not only fill the silence with something, but have a pretty short attention span. Teaching kindergarten over the years has allowed me to change activities every 5 to 6 minutes. Doing this day after day has made my own attention span short, and therefore makes it hard to stay still and silent... :)

Now... I do realize that the scripture verse is saying to be still before God, and I understand the benefits of being still and silent before God. Jesus was silent before His Father many times in scripture, here are a few examples.

• 
  
  "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place..." (Matthew 14:13)

• 
  
  "Very 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." (Mark 1:35)

Now it would be easy for me (and you) to keep living day to day without be silent (really silent) before God, but just think how much He has to say. What if we actually slowed down and listened to Him? I'm willing to start being quiet (at least I'll try) ... :) How 'bout you?