There is no condemnation...

Awakening Greatness...3/3/2014

The verb: condemn means to 
express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure. To criticize, denounce, revile, blame, chastise, berate, reprimand, rebuke, reprove, take to task, find fault with; to blast or lay into….

You are nine years old, perhaps you have played sports for several years, perhaps you are trying something new that seems fun. Whatever the reason they choose to PLAY, I think at this point in a child’s life, we can all agree it is to gain (rudimentary) skills, develop a love for a game, or see what it is truly like to be on a team. Hopefully this experience will encourage a life long love of athleticism.

This year, Beth decided she wanted to play basketball.  The season started out great; just what Jeff and I wanted for our oldest daughter. It was low key, there was a focus on teamwork, she was making new friends in a new community, and Jeff and were making friends with some parents...It was all we could hope for. Then something twisted happened.  As we progressed through the season, some parents forgot that we were watching nine year olds. I have never in my life experienced the verbal bashing that parents started spewing. To be honest, I have no idea where it come from….just that it is now a part of every single game.  It became twisted….twisted like so many things do in our society. I think this happens alot. We mean for things to be good, but the results we yield are not what we expected. This happens daily (with me), I wake up with the best of intentions, but even just one hour in this world by myself and I fail miserably. I don't need anyone pointing out my failures, or mis-steps (I am perfectly good at that). But, what if I did have someone yelling at me when I did make a mistake, what would that look like....

The sidelines, of the (Nine-Year-Olds) basketball game, became a breeding ground for condemnation. It didn't matter if these girls played offense or defense the public ridicule started. Straight-up YELLING...”Don’t let her have it.”  “What are you doing” “Are you kidding me?” “Are you just giving them the ball?” …and ON and ON and ON. There was no end…This was loud chastisement, and it usually had a name of a CHILD associated with it…sometimes their daughter, sometimes someone else's daughter.  My low point was when a mom actually stood up and shouted, “YES” when a NINE year old (on the other team) missed a shot. On the other bleachers, some mom was so proud her daughter even had the chance to take a shot - perspective... Well, we went from bad to worse…The public blame being spewed when a shot or rebound was missed…a girl forgot to call a play….a screen wasn’t set up in a timely manner, a girl traveled, or double dribbled….did I mention the are nine?  The sidelines became an uncomfortable place…and when the game was over it was even sadder….the pointed statement, “why didn’t you __________________?” started. 

I couldn’t get over this. I had a nagging feeling about the message we were sending our children. We want our  precious girl to know that we are proud of her for simply playing, trying, and having fun….It is not based upon her performance. We love her if she wins, if she loses, if she makes a shot, and if she misses. Our one requirement, that she doesn’t quit. After each game, I choose to only say….”I love to watch you play.” I do. I take great delight in all of it..just as the Lord delights in me when I am doing something. 

The Lord your God is with you,
 the Mighty Warrior who saves.
 He will take great delight in you;
 in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
 but will rejoice over you with singing.                                                         Zephaniah 3:17

There are times I [have to] bite my tongue because I feel I could give “constructive criticism.” I have resigned myself, that this is the role of her coach at this point. I am there to be her cheerleader whether she sits on the bench or is the leading point guard. 

As life often does, this got me to thinking about my relationship with God. One of the beauties is, as it says in Romans 8:9,  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Not only does He delight, in me, but there is no condemnation. He is not a God of ridicule, blame, or chastisement. I cannot imagine they way I would feel if when I set out to do something, I heard voices from the sidelines yelling at me during the times I messed up. Let me tell you the yelling would not stop. There are times when I am on my game, but there are also times...well it is not pretty. I don't need someone to point out each time I mess up….as soon as it happens. I have my own voice to tell me I messed up.  The result of someone pointing out all my mistakes would lead to me wanting to quit, and ultimately hate the game I was playing.

Are you worn? Do you feel like giving up? Are the harsh realities of your life too much to bear, is there a nagging voice that won't let up? Today, let it go......LET IT GO! You Tube Disney's Frozen, Let it Go, and sing at the top of your lungs! Learn to play again, without the voice on the sidelines. Do this for your children as well....Learn. To. Let. It. Go! It will benefit your family. In our world, too many of us feel like we aren’t good enough. What if raised our kids in a way in which they are confident. What if we really provided them with a soft place to fall when the messed up. What if we showed them the game was fun and worth playing when we won as well as lost....

Today, Rest in God's love for you. He delights in you, and is singing over you. What a beautiful picture of unconditional love. He does this for you so that you may be able to do it for others. Be love!

...because the one who is in you, is greater than the one who is in the world

Awakening Greatness…2/14/2014

Last year I started a journey…. a journey to find my mission. I took a class that after much examining, pondering, searching, reviewing, asking, and reevaluating I determined that my mission was to Awaken Greatness…this fit me.  I EXIST TO SERVE BY AWAKENING GREATNESS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. I am a cheerleader, a proponent, and an encourager. I have spent my entire life doing this. The puzzle pieces were fitting together, and wherever I went I looked for opportunities to Awaken Greatness. My life verse is Psalm 100:1-4:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; 
 come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he, who made us, and we are his; 
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

It’s not about me, but about Him. We are his people, I am just His vessel sent to awaken and encourage your journey. A light in this world that can be dark. I became energized helping <mostly moms> feel good about what they were doing. Moms have a life-changing job to do for someone. They give their all and expect nothing in return. While it is one of the most important jobs of our time, it is a job that is isolating, lonely, and scary. We live for our kids, am I right? BUT… who do we call upon when we have had no significant amount of sleep in days, or we have a question that we feel so stupid even asking…I mean, we are the mom, we are supposed to know. Who do you have to commiserate with? If you have support that is awesome, but so many moms don’t. I have a heart for them. Those lonely women who are wondering how to do it, why they do it, and who they can call when life is overwhelming.  I want to Awaken Greatness in them. Grab them by their shoulders and let them know they are loved, and more importantly they are not alone. This excites me; it has for the past year. My cry was use me God.  USE ME!

I have wanted to start this blog for a year, but never had the time. Well, that is one reason – the safe one. Other reasons I believe are lies, and will leave it at that.  I have thought and prayed about my first post for months. I have wondered, what will make a difference, how can my gift be used for his glory…then at the kitchen sink…IT.HIT.ME…Humble yourself. 

My blog: Making Greatness.  It starts with me. I am a work in progress. Yes, he wants to awaken your greatness, but He also wants to continue awakening mine.  I wouldn’t say I am at rock bottom, but it has been a hard few months. It has been glorious, but it has been hard. Did you ever think God has a magic wand – he could wave it and all your troubles would vanish? He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the almighty God. He definitely has this power, but would you want him to do this if he could? At first, I would say yes, but experiencing life with its ups and downs is truly what it is all about. A sermon given by a great friend's husband, said if we never experience life in the valleys, the peaks wouldn't be so awesome (paraphrased).

We gave up a lot in our move. If I can be transparent, I thought that would be the price. Once we were settled, “all our dreams would come true.” Naïve, yes. Many have, but many haven’t. My one constant. God Loves Me, and he is working all things together for my good. PERIOD. I can say this, because I have had a few hard months, not because he “Fixed” everything according to my wishes. We paid our rent with our last paycheck, and our mortgage with this one. We have eaten top ramen, peanut butter sandwiches, and eggs for the past two weeks, and that is on the menu for the next two as well. Our choice of beverage, well that’s water. It's a season. (Another great friend taught me this) Praise God we had the money for this and our shelter. Is this how I want (and plan) to spend the rest of 2014? (Well it’s not my will, but His.) In my plan the answer is no, but we will see how his unfolds. I do know it will better our family. We are not destitute, just making tough choices. I am doing it with someone I love dearly, which helps, and adds humor. My husband is great for that!

My prayer is that this experience will awaken HIS greatness in me. It will give me compassion, humility, and most importantly love. The plus side is I can now say I have fed my family of 5 for ONE BUCK…. 5 packs of top ramen, at .20 a piece. You would have thought it was steak the way my kids hooted when I put it on the table. There has to be a brightside, because it is important to me that anyone who reads this knows I am not grumbling….when the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years…it was documented over and over that they grumbled. I don’t want to grumble. I want to be thankful for his provision, and right now it is what it is.

I will leave you with this. We have gotten into Little House on The Prairie. We all love the Ingalls family, and most Americans think they are just the salt of this earth.  Well in the movie premier, they moved and set up a new homestead. Jeff and I looked and laughed, and praised God that after three days of DRIVING to Oregon in a CAR we had an apartment to go to. The Ingalls traveled by wagon, and once they arrived, had to cut down trees and build their house. This mama would not have been up for that. Just sayin'. Then for Christmas that year, she got sweet potatoes….SWEET POTATOES! And she rejoiced. She said it has been a long time since her family had had a treat like that. Sometimes life calls you to scale back. While some people may think we are poor right now (by American standards that is), I am here to say I have never felt richer. The only one that can awaken that feeling is Jesus.