How Can I Do for You, God?

Not what can I do. How. How can I represent You instead of myself? How can I make everything, every activity, every word, every action about You? How can my puny efforts matter in Your eternity?

How can I do

my family,
my work,
my relationships,
my ministry,
my life

for You?

How can an ordinary woman from Nebraska make a difference in Your kingdom? What can I possibly do that thousands couldn't do better? How do I make this life count?

I know I'm supposed to work at everything with all my heart, "as working for the Lord, not for men." I know I must die to myself. I know I'm not to look for the approval of men. But how does that help me decide the best way to spend the next half hour? How do I work hard at relationships and on my gifts at the same time? How do I fit it all in? How do I figure out what's most important?

All this thinking and planning and evaluating is exhausting and leads me to wonder, really, how can my work, my life, matter that much, both in this world and to You? I am one person in a planet full of people, many more skilled than I.

Yet Your words reverberate in my mind . . . I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are my servant"; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.*

I know You spoke these words to the Israelites, Your chosen people, yet they always stir me, as if You're speaking directly to me. I want it to be true for me. Oh, how I want that. Could You really have a special plan for me, for each of Your children? Can You be big enough to accomplish that? I can't comprehend it, but I don't have to.

I just have to believe it.

For when I believe it, I look for You to make it so.

Is it as easy as aligning myself with You, Lord? Is it throwing "off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles," and running "with perseverance the race marked out for us"? Is it merely fixing "our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith"? Is it a matter of coming to You each day and waiting for an assignment?

How can I do for You, God?

I think You tell me to draw near, to come to You with expectation and hope.

And let YOU do it.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.

James 4:8, 10

I will believe, Lord. Make it so.



*Isaiah 41:9

Inspired and Beautiful

The lyrics grabbed me.

What if our greatest disappointments and the aching of this life are a revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?

Tears stung my eyes, because I know the thirst and longing, but also from the sheer beauty of the line describing it so perfectly. It seemed inspired, beautiful, and everything in me longed to pen something comparable. I want to create something recognized as having God's touch. I want to be a writer of beauty. I want to move the way I was moved. I want to draw tears and make a person pause in their day to think about what's been said.

I asked God, no, I begged Him, to use me that way, to give others a glimpse of Him with simple elegance and clarity.

But Tami, He said, don't you see? Anything, anything, given with a sincere heart, expecting nothing in return, is inspiring and beautiful. It doesn't matter who sees it.

Inspired and beautiful comes in many forms. It's the mother comforting her sick child through the night, a friend leaving an encouraging note, college students donating money for a missions trip. It's a hug with no words, a warm meal on a cold night, a listening ear. Inspired and beautiful is more than a clever turn of phrase. It's admitting weakness, sharing pain, a healing cry, honest words. It's singing with passion, believing and hoping above all odds. It's recognizing this life is temporary, fleeting. Inspired and beautiful is knowing God is who He says He is.

I may never write what others consider an inspired and beautiful piece of art, but with God's Spirit within me, I can live it!

So can you, my friend. Never underestimate the power of every little act of love.

Be inspired and beautiful.



Photo Credit: Nina Matthews Photography

Being Worldly?

“Farewell, vain world; my soul bids you adieu. My Savior taught me to abandon you. Your charms may gratify a sensual mind, but cannot please a soul for God designed.”

David Brainerd

There's a lot about planet Earth I like.

I like people. I like the peacefulness of early mornings and hot tea and ice cream. I like stimulating conversations and the smell of rain and my porches. I like laughing and connecting, the warmth of the sun and butterscotch lattes.

But there are some things I wouldn't mind getting rid of. I hate cleaning and scheduling appointments. I get tired of always having something to do, of feeling pressed for time. I hate stressing about money, worrying about my kids, wondering if I measure up. I could live without fluctuating hormones dictating my mood. I get tired and discouraged and depressed. I take things too personally and carry guilt for not accomplishing more.

So as I ponder David Brainerd's quote, I think, absolutely, let's get rid of the yucky stuff, the junk that weighs me down. Amen, brother! But I'm not so sure I want to turn my back on the good. Does God require us to?

It's a matter of where we find our satisfaction, isn't it? In my desire to escape the hard in life, if I turn to worldly solutions that give temporary relief, I'm turning away from God. Those are the "charms that gratify a sensual mind" and don't please God. But Brainerd is not suggesting we ditch everything about this world, only those things that draw our attention away from Jesus. Scripture corroborates this.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 8:15

. . . I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

There's nothing "wrong" with enjoying the world, as long as it doesn't pull us away from our real purpose on earth, glorifying our Father.

What do you think?


For more ideas spurred by this quote, visit Urailak at LivingforGod.



Photo Credit: kretyen

Why Do You Care?

She took me off guard, looking at me with solemn eyes, tears brimming. Her voice choked as she asked the question.

Why do you care?

Her eyes zeroed in on my face and the pressure mounted. She wanted more than the standard Sunday school answer we'd looked at weeks before in 1 John 4:19--We love because He first loved us.

Her question disturbed me. We all want to know what makes us lovable, unique, special. I confess I've asked my husband the same thing too many times (to his utter frustration). He tries, listing qualities he likes in me, things I've heard a million times, but ultimately he knows it doesn't matter what he says. I'll find it unsatisfying or trivial.

"I don't know why, I just do," he finally says, "I can't explain it."

And when she asks me the question, I feel the same way. I don't know why, I just do.

"Why does anyone care about anybody?" I say.

I know it's not what she wants to hear, but as I think about the people I love, her included, words seem inadequate to describe my attachment. Like me, if I start listing her admirable qualities, she'll find a way to dismiss them as unimportant or ordinary. There is no right answer.

Is it because when we ask that question--Why do you care?--we're really looking for a reason for our existence? Are we really asking, "Why am I here?" How is mere man supposed to come up with that? How can any human know why God created another?

Why do you care?

I wonder the same thing of God. With billions of people on the face of the planet, why would He care about me? How can He be intimately involved with individuals? Is this the real issue? How can the God of the universe care about me? How could He possibly love us all perfectly? How would He answer the question?

I AM. I love you.

No fancy explanations, only truth. If my faith is genuine, if I trust Him as I say I do, I will take it at that and believe it. Because what good does it do me to doubt it? I lose my peace and any purpose for my life. When I refuse to accept it, I call Him a liar. Do I really want to do that?

Why do you care?

I care because He equipped me to do so. For whatever reason, He has laid you on my heart and made you precious to me. I care because He does, because He says it.

I AM. I love you. Believe it.

Why do you care?



Photo Credit: giacomo.nodari

What If There is No Big Thing?

I've spent a lot of time asking God to show me what my purpose in life is. What is the big thing I'm supposed to accomplish on earth? What did He create me for? What can I do that no one else can?

I suspect you've asked the same questions. We all yearn for significance, for the reason God put us here. We want to know our lives matter. We've all heard stories of people experiencing close calls and we remark, "God must not be done with them yet. He must have a bigger plan."

But what if there's no big thing? What if His only call for you is, "Follow Me?" What if our daily actions, over the course of our lifetimes, produce a beautiful work which may only be significant to God?

What if comforting a hurting child is big in His eyes? Or giving a stranger a ride home? What if He deems feeding your family or listening to a friend as noteworthy? What if consistently producing blog posts without knowing how they're taken, means something to Him? None would qualify any of these activities as a "big thing," yet I wonder how God sees them. Do ordinary works, compiled day after day throughout our years, earn us the coveted "Well done, good and faithful servant" when we get to heaven? Isn't that the biggest thing we could strive toward?

Trusting God means trusting Him to take every single day and make it count in His economy. I don't have to be a best-selling author or award-winning playwright or sought after counselor for my work to be valuable. I only have to be faithful to do what is before me TODAY. He will shape all my todays into something significant.

There is no big thing for each of us, my friends. All He asks is to persist in doing what's before us each day. While this may never seem important to our fellow man (and some days not even to us!), we can be confident God sees. He knows. He makes it matter.

To Leave No Question of His Gift

As I watched her sing, it was hard not to be jealous. The notes seemed to fall without effort, each one perfectly placed in a pleasing ebb and flow, beckoning me to listen, soothing my spirit. Her passion proved she believed what she sang and I marveled at the beauty emanating from her. "What a gift," I thought, blinking back tears. Wow.

I always thought I wanted to be the best at something, to be recognized as a stand out in any field, but in that moment, I realized what I've really desired is to be so good at something others would have to know it came from God. Imagine. What would it be like to possess such skill that people could not help but see Him?

The potential is in all of us. The Bible says all believers are given a gift by the Holy Spirit. Why don't we all shine like that? Too often those gifts aren't obvious or public and we dismiss them as insignificant or unimportant. Or because they come easy to us, we think they are no big deal. When we devalue them, do we neglect them? If we think our gift is minor, do we fail to exercise it?

Any master has spent years honing their strengths. No one achieves any level of proficiency without effort. My singing friend has been doing it her whole life. Did she always sound so heavenly? Probably not. It took years of practice. Likewise, our gifts need exercising. Any area of gifting needs to be worked out to reach the point where God is clearly seen. Can we expect to display His supernatural touch if we ignore or downplay our talent?

I have a friend who says her gift is service. And BOY does she exercise it. That woman is always going. She makes me tired just watching her. She finds joy in doing whatever she can to help others. There must be days she'd rather hole up in her house, but she doesn't. Whenever a need arises, she finds a way to meet it, without thought to her inconvenience, without complaining. She sees it as a challenge and takes it on with gusto. The light in her eyes, the smile that accompanies her in every task seems so unnatural, yet draws others in. It is beautiful and I recognize a divine touch on her. There is only one explanation for her joy and ceaseless energy. By using her gift in even the slightest way she points others to God. She would not think her gift anything extraordinary, yet her consistent use of it, her continual practice has shaped a beautiful picture of God.

If we consistently use our gifts, won't we clearly display beauty like that? Won't others notice? When we work at them, gaining greater proficiency every day, will we leave no question of His touch on us?

Are you with me? Do you want your work to count like that, to make that kind of statement? Don't neglect the gift God's placed in you, my friend, no matter how small you think it is. Use it. Work at it. Others will notice your consistency and be pointed to the only explanation. Leave no question.

Prescription for A Meaningful Life

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Galatians 5:22-23, 25-26 (The Message)

Photo Credit: bench_30

What if this is all there is?

Her question slapped me in the face. I'm a dreamer, imagining great things for life, hoping for the impossible, believing God can do miracles. But one day as I was dreaming out loud, a friend said it.

What if this is all there is?

The question haunts me years later. When goals seem hard to reach, when life feels mundane, when I wonder what on earth God's doing.

What if this is all there is?

Am I dwelling on fantasy? Does my preoccupation with what could be drown out what is? What if my hopes never materialize? Can I still be happy? Can I trust God with ANY outcome? Is THIS so terrible? I have a very good life, full of quality relationships. What is it in me that desires more?

If this is all there is, I need to be happy with it. I need to make the best of it and run with it and do it well. I need to be content.

What do you think?

What if this is all there is?

Mining Michelle

I caught a bit of the Democratic National Convention last night. I confess I don't follow politics closely, but conventions are a fascinating look into human nature. I wonder why people react as they do and why certain phrases stir them. I am captured by the ability of the speakers to set a tone and change momentum. As the cameras scan the audience and I see individuals completely tuned in, I wonder what it is about a speaker that makes one believe them.

The one that got to me last night was Michelle Obama. She walked out to the podium gracefully and unafraid, delivering a polished, articulate speech. She assured us she and her husband are just like you and me. She promised with Barack at the helm, there could be a better tomorrow for our children and real opportunity for which America stands.

What struck me is that her message is not new--Barack Obama (or fill in the blank with your politician of choice) is the person to lead this country. With hard work and perseverance, we can have hope for a stronger America. Hasn't this been the same speech of political candidates for decades?

Yet people ate it up. Why?

We're all looking for hope, in any form, from any source.

An entire convention center applauded her message (some in tears), even though they know the game of politics and the strategies involved. They know her words were calculated carefully, meant to produce a specific effect (and Mrs. Obama did her job very well), yet they got sucked in just the same. Why?

We all want something, someone to believe in.

Her speech stirred something in me too, not necessarily her message, but the way she was able to have the room in her hands with such simple words. I possess the greatest message of hope the world has ever known. I know the One who never disappoints and can always be trusted, the One we can truly believe in. Why don't I produce such emotion in others as I talk of Him? How can I communicate this message to the hearts of those around me?

What does Michelle Obama have to woo the hearts of people that I do not?

Yes, I understand she has a huge platform with which to deliver her message that I don't, but I couldn't help noticing some of her qualities I often lack, things like confidence, well-preparedness, determination, fearlessness, eloquence and passion.

I learned a lot from Michelle Obama last night. She made me examine myself and my work ethic. What must I do to step it up a notch and impact people with real hope and God's love? What does God require of me?

You know I'll be mulling that over for days to come.

Finding the Right Mark

PURPOSE
something set up as an object or end to be attained: intention, resolution, determination

Does God build into each of us a desire to do something BIG in life? Or is it our own egos wanting to be known for something? What is it in us that belittles anything we do? Why do we feel whatever we have done is not enough? Am I the only one who asks herself these questions?

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

What is your purpose?

What is your end goal? What do you determine to do? Where are you heading? How does your daily life get you there?

(If you're thinking, "Oh, boy, Tami, aren't we hitting it a little hard here? Get a cup of coffee or something and chill already," you're not alone. The same thought just crossed my own mind!)

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, don't we? Well, maybe you don't, but I do. I want my life to count for something. I think I need to accomplish some amazing feat for it to matter. Surely I need an impressive title or credits to my name. Shouldn't I be working towards something significant to have real purpose in life?

I too easily overlook what is right before me. I have purpose, YOU have purpose, in the ordinary. It is no small thing to be a mother. There is value in cultivating integrity and completing any job well, whether anyone else notices or not. Simply connecting with people is great work. Why do I let Satan tell me otherwise? Most ordinary tasks do not bring attention or notoriety, but does that make them less important in God's eyes? I often think those things done quietly and consistently are more pleasing to Him because they are done without expecting pats on the back. They are done purely out of love.

As I struggle with these thoughts, I can't help but think of Jesus' words to Martha, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." I imagine Him saying the same thing to me.

"Tami, Tami, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Concentrate on Me and I will lead you where you are to go. Your purpose is to seek Me and follow. That's all. One day at a time, in determination, consistency and trust. I am your purpose."

Forgive me, Lord, for getting lost in my head, lost in my culture, plain lost. Remind me each morning You, and You alone, are my purpose. When I seek to follow You first, You will guide my every step and the rest will be added in Your time. Thank You, Lord. You ease the burden.