I bet a lot of you clicked on this solely on the fact that “F***” is in the title.
Well, folks, it’s not what you think.
Free.
Go free yourself.
Almost always we are our own limitations. We place ourselves within made-up parameters so that we never go very far. So many times we, as humans, are so afraid of failure or rejection that we put on our own shackles, just to hold ourselves back to a level far below our potential.
Don’t be like that. Unlock those shackles you clasped around your own feet. Break down those invisible walls. Reject those parameters.
Go. Now.
Gofreeyourself.
You were made for beautiful, wonderful things. Big or small, you are filled with purpose. You are full of life. You have been given talents and passions, dreams and capabilities to make a difference, to be a help.
What are you waiting for?
Be free.
“You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections.”
(2 Corinthians 6:12)
“For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Righteousness: According to Google, it can be defined as “the quality of being morally right or justifiable.”
Anger: According to Google, it is defined as “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.”
Now, how about righteous anger?
One could logically deduce from the above definitions that righteous anger could be described as a morally right or justifiable feeling of hostility, annoyance, or displeasure. Right?
Okay, now confession time: I try really hard to not get angry with people. I associate anger, most times, with rage or with a more lingering feeling of hostility. I usually resign any displeasure, annoyance, or hostility to the term of “aggravating” rather than “angering.” I say I’m annoyed with someone instead of angry with them. But honestly, it’s pretty much all the same in my world.
I hate being angry at someone. It steals away some of my joy, and I really don’t like a thief. It takes a lot to make me truly angry. I understand the warning against being “quick to anger” very well, trust me. But sometimes, things just build and build until I can no longer deny that I am authentically angry.
One of those times is right now. I am authentically angry at a certain person who fed me full of lies. When someone tells you something different than what God does, you should NEVER believe them. I can offer that advice from experience. When you admire and trust someone because of their intelligence and the good face they put on, it’s easy to blindly follow their lead. Don’t do that. I am authentically angry at someone who ripped a little part of me away, and then pretended it was no big deal. It is a big deal.
But as angry as I am, I can only imagine how angry my Heavenly Father is at this same person for how they have treated His daughter. Ever seen a father who is angry at a guy for hurting his daughter? Okay, now same situation only the father is God, the ultimate Judge and Ruler. His wrath has swallowed up nations. God’s anger is righteous anger.
On that note, it’s now hard for me to go around wanting to be hostile. I’m a firm believer in being efficient, effective, and giving the job to the person best qualified for it. Needless to say, the one who can give the best justice is the Judge. The one who can execute the best revenge is my Heavenly Father. The one who can bring truth through the lies is the One who IS Truth. Obviously, my anger is no match for the wrath of God. So, I give up the hostility to God so that He can be my revenge. He’s better at it, anyway.
“Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19
I have seen so many “I am thankful for _______” posts in the past month that it got me thinking: What would I put on such a list? Of course the normal things came up: my family, friends, health, home, safety, freedom, love, Jesus, faith, the World Race, America, clean shaven men, hand-holding, soft rainstorms, mountaintops, laughter, joy, hugs, kisses, smiles, frozen Greek yogurt, technology, fuzzy blankets, cold weather, bonfires, music, snuggles, accents, books, education, ASU, random acts of kindness, God-following men, letters via snail mail, and the list goes on and on.
Then, I got to really thinking and decided I was missing two important things: heartbreak and failure. Yes, at first I argued with myself. “Heartbreak? Failure? Those aren’t so pleasant. Why should I be thankful for them? I usually try to avoid them. It makes no sense at all to be thankful for having had a broken heart or having failed.” Oh, but it does!
You see, we are all naturally inclined to be thankful for the pleasant things, the things we want more of and hope to never be deprived of. I am among the world’s worst at simply trying to avoid unpleasant or uncomfortable things/situations/people. Someone breaks my heart? That’s fine, I’ll just move on and try to pretend it never happened. You know, avoid those memories like the plague. That’s totally acceptable, right? Unfortunately, no.
I believe a part of growing up is accepting that life is not always a series of pleasant, enjoyable moments that come together perfectly as long as you “do things right.” Things are going to happen. Despite perfectly executing that “next step” agenda that we are taught to strive for (college, career, marriage, kids, etc.), there will be unpleasant moments. There will be broken hearts. There will be failed attempts, plans, ideas, and relationships. That’s part of the process, and really, it’s one of the best parts if you think about it.
I happen to love the metaphor that places God as an artist and we, as people, are His masterpieces. Instead of thinking of us as paintings or sculptures, I like to think of each of us as mosaics. Each tiny piece has been broken off from somewhere, rearranged, fitted into the whole, and is an integral part of the big picture. Each time your heart has been broken, whether by a friend, a partner, a family member, boss, or even a stranger, those pieces are scooped up, rearranged, put back onto the canvas, and fitted into making the big picture beautiful. Same thing goes with every failure. Every failed test, failed relationship, failed plan, failed job, failed idea – it’s all used into making your big picture beautiful.
A song out right now by Casting Crowns that I have grown quite fond of states:
One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
I can’t wait to enjoy the view
And see how all the pieces fit.
On that day, I do believe I will be seeing the most beautiful picture of my life – my life’s very own mosaic masterpiece crafted by God Himself. Each heart break, each failure – it’s all working together along with all of the joy, the love, the excitement, the adventure, the pleasantness of this life.
So, nestled on my list of things to be thankful for you can find “heartbreak” and “failure” somewhere amongst the others, probably hanging out somewhere between “traveling” and “men wearing ties.”
I will preface this post with a simple statement: I make no apologies for honesty, yet I have no aim to offend. That being said let me just go ahead and lay out what is irking me today.
Love. Christians and their “love” particularly, because I believe we (Christians) have been doing dangerous things to both the word, the value, and the context of love. It’s time for change. Or, maybe, it’s time someone just show me the error of my thoughts about this. Either way: something needs to give.
I am 22 years old and have been a Christian half of my life (I accepted salvation at age 11). I know God loves me to an extent that even after over a decade I still cannot fully know the depths to. I know that for Jesus, blameless and holy, to die on a cross for all of us who through our sins deserve the punishment of death, He had to have loved us more than we can really comprehend. Jesus and God both tell us over and over in scripture that we, as sinful people, are loved. God loves us. Jesus loves us.
How can we be sure? Well, God loves us so much that He created us just so we can experience His goodness and live forever with Him in glory. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His blameless, holy, and only Son on a cross through a torturous death so that we can be forgiven of our sins – that we do not have to bear the punishment of death for the sins that we commit daily. And Jesus, oh sweet Jesus! He was perfect – fully man and fully God. He never sinned. His eternal home was all ready going to be Heaven. He didn’t need to die on that cross for His own benefit. He chose to go through an insane amount of torture, ridicule, and hurt to sacrifice Himself since we could never do that ourselves. Jesus loves each of us enough that He gave Himself to pay for the wrongs that we commit because He wants to know us, He wants us to know Him, and He wants us to spend forever in the love and glory of His Father with Him in Heaven. That’s a love of love for the pure sake of love.
Now, basically the lasting command that Jesus gave all of us before He went back to Heaven to chill with God was to love God and love one another. Okay, so He wants us to love one another? And He said that God is love so by Him we shall know what love is and how to love. Sounds simple enough, right? Apparently that just isn’t so.
We as humans complicate everything, I’ve found. You know, dogs have it figured out. They get excited when their human(s) comes home and they spend all day just trying to love those who they are around. Animals are smart — and simple. But humans, oh we are so complex. We complicate. We compare. We rationalize. We justify. We modify.
It’s come to my attention that there are two major different camps of Christians these days when it comes to “love” or “loving on people”: the Over-lookers and the Reprimanders. You may find yourself right now immediately pulling towards one and justifying yourself. Stop. Be simple. Admit, change, and find a balance. You may be sitting there and thinking “I’m more of a half-and-half kind of person.” Good! You should be. Balance is the simple essence of real love here.
First, let us take a gander at the Over-lookers. This camp of Christians is what many would consider the hippies, the hipsters, the overall “anything goes” kind-of people. They claim that to “love” others you have to overlook all the sin that bonds them, ignore it, and just accept them as is. These are the ones who are infamous about proclaiming the “judge not lest ye be judged” verse in any and all context. They also heavily rely on the “look at the speck in your own eye” scripture. You’ll know these people. The whole “oh, you abuse your children and you cheat on your spouse? That’s okay, we all sin. I love you!” bit is the same record over and over. That is, unless you disagree with them. If another Christian, perhaps, tries to talk to someone about the sin that person is struggling with, then the Over-lookers immediately deem said Christian as “judgmental” or “self-righteous.” The Over-lookers love everyone – unless you don’t agree with them. Then you’re bad and you need to change. If you aren’t like them or aren’t blindly accepting of their ways or words, you better be ready to be told that you are not a “real Christian” and you are bad for the Kingdom. Ahem. These are the same ones who will get angry at me (a Christian) for calling out something I see wrong with other Christians. Don’t get angry at me – I’m just calling it like I’ve seen it.
Let’s look at the other end of the spectrum now: the Reprimanders. This camp of Christians is often considered to be the older generations, but in fact, have many young people. These are often found hiding behind the justification of being a conservative. They claim that to “love” others you have to call them out on their sin and keep telling them what they are doing wrong so that they can repent and change. These are the ones who will be flaunting the “better an open reprimand than concealed love” verse as their lives’ mission statement. They will also claim that since they are only reprimanding out of love “and righteous judgment” then it is an act of Biblical love. The Reprimanders love to be “helpful” in showing others what needs improvement, yet often are upset if someone tries to do the same for them. Their “love” goes only as far as what they personally believe, and they will be the first ones to let you know – they always know everything about how a Christian should live. The Reprimanders are easily the ones to come off pushy. While the Over-lookers are more likely to lead Non-Believers to avoid repentance, the Reprimanders are more likely to offend Non-Believers to a point that they are off-put from Christianity as a whole. The Reprimanders will be the ones who argue that I must not know enough of the Bible to understand their ways, that I need to devote more time to studying the Bible. Oh, and I’m sure they would be telling me that I should be writing a lecture to those who are alcoholics, murderers, rapists, or those other “bad” people who need Jesus (more than they do, of course.
Maybe now you’re feeling a little convicted and instead of fuming in anger at me, you’ve decided to read on. Good for you! (Seriously, there is no sarcasm there.) If you can see how you are easily an Over-looker or without a doubt a Reprimander, don’t worry. I find myself in both camps in different situations, too. We’re imperfect people. We won’t ever be flawless at this whole love thing. But, and that is a turning point ‘but,’ we can try to be more balanced in order to have real love instead of synthetic version of Christianese love.
The best way I know how to put into words the balance between the anything-goes Overlookers and the everything is black and white Reprimanders is to take the words straight out of the Bible. Is that okay with you? Good, I hoped it would be. I had it feeling it might, but I thought I’d ask just in case. (Note: if you answered “no,” please stop reading in order to save your time.)
Okay, so we know that God is love. That’s a given. He is the source of love, the Creator, and the Teacher. That being said, let’s take a gander at:
Acts 17:30-31a (HCSB): “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed.” Mark 12:30 (HCSB): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” John 15:13 (HCSB): “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (HCSB): “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
The verse from Acts shows us something VERY important: the judge is God and no one else. In Mark we see that we are to love God first and foremost with all of our being and through that we can love others as much as ourselves. Would you sit and berate yourself for lying or would you repent to God and make every effort to not do so? Would you tell yourself that killing one person is okay because it was in the past? Would you convince yourself that despite no effort on your part to make amend or be sincerely repentant, your constant bitterness and jealousy towards so-and-so is okay? Treat your neighbor (who is everyone) like you would treat yourself. (Unless you treat yourself badly. If you treat yourself badly, we need to talk about something completely different.) In John Jesus not only calls us His friends (how cool!), but He tells us that sacrificing our lives for our friends is the greatest love. Chances are your sacrifice isn’t going to be death on a cross for your friends and neighbors. But if you are unwilling to sacrifice something as simple as your comfort zone for your friend, how can you say you love him/her? Finally in 1 Corinthians we see a full on description of how love is, what it does not do, and what it does. Replace “love” with your name. That should be your approach to each sinner, saved or not. You are to be patient. You are to be kind. You are not to be jealous, boastful, conceited, improper, or selfish. You are not to be provoked or to provoke. You are not to keep a list of wrong things that others do. You are to be joyful in the truth and not in unrighteousness. You are to bear all things. You are to believe all things. You are to hope all things. You are to endure all things.
So find that balance. Tell others the commands of Jesus, what God says the fruits of the Spirit should look like, and what the Bible says. Stating knowledge is not the same as trying to produce judgment based upon that knowledge. Make sure you know where the line should be drawn. You should always spread the knowledge of God and His commands, but you should never try to take His position as the Judge. Accept one each other as the sinners that we all are, knowing that we are each going to mess up, make mistakes, and ultimately disappoint at some point. At the same time, accept one another as the son or daughter that God made. Be patient with one another and gentle. Be careful to not fall into the snares of hypocrisy. It’s taken enough testimonies and degraded them – don’t be a victim (i.e. a hypocrite).
And finally, love. Just love. Seek God and ask Him to show you how to love His people. He will.
All of you – Over-lookers, Reprimanders, and everything in between – I love you, merely because Jesus loves you. And let me tell you, oh how Jesus loves YOU!
Tonight as we were sitting together in the family room watching the news, my Granny turns to me and asks, “Have you raised any money yet for your trip?” It always makes me shudder a little that she refers to the calling to be a missionary I have surrendered to as merely a “trip.” Brushing the mental note of her using that term away, I responded with a “No.” I’m not sure what annoyed me more, the fact that she asked or the fact that I have no funds in my support account.
Worry tried to sneak it’s vicious head into my thoughts and into my heart.
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God called me to The World Race. I know that I can do great things through Him while I’m on it. I know that it is where I am suppose to be. And I know that as of right now, I have only $150 of the $16,285 that I must have to go. I am also acutely aware that there is no way that I, myself, can come up with that money in the 250(ish) days until I am set to leave the country.
See why I was so vulnerable to worry?
My Granny asked me another question right after my response to the first. She asked, “Well, do you still plan to go?” Defensively I said, “Yes, Granny. I am still going. Why would I not go?” She retreated from her questions with an “I don’t know”, but we both knew what she was thinking. She was thinking, how could I go if I didn’t have the funds?
I know that’s what she was thinking because that’s exactly what I keep thinking. I haven’t any donors yet. My family is in no position to say, “Here Mary Elizabeth, we’d like to give you $16,135 to complete your funding needs for the World Race.” I have no doubt my sisters alone would gladly do that if they could. But they can’t. And I know that.
I keep thinking: If I had known at graduation that this would be my life trajectory instead of law school, I could’ve gotten a job back in May, not signed a lease and had to be paying it long after I moved back out of that apartment, saved on the expense of moving (twice), and the list keeps going on. That worry snakes it’s way deeper and deeper into my thoughts.
And then there’s Jesus.
When everyone and every situation seems to keep telling me “this is virtually impossible” or “you haven’t enough time” or “your needs are too great,” Jesus offers up the truth.
He says, “Mary Elizabeth Bailey, do I not love you? Does My Father not love you? Didn’t He send me to die so that you can live with Us and rest in Our love for eternity?” Of course, I’m over here with teary eyes saying, “Yes, Jesus.” And Jesus continues on saying to me, “Do the birds of the sky worry about being taken care of? Does My Father leave them without food? And the flowers that adorn the Earth and remind you of natural beauty created straight from the hand of the Father, do they worry that there is no one to clothe them day after day?” And I answer with tears still in my eyes, “No, Jesus. I know our Father takes care of them. But —” And Jesus cuts me off saying, “But what? But you do not think He has the power to take care of you? You do not think that when you died to sin through my blood that the Spirit within can work to take care of you? You worry, but about what?! The birds are fed, the flowers are clothed, and Father doesn’t even love them near as much as He loves YOU.” Ugh, sometimes I want to cross my arms like a toddler and pout when Jesus calls me out. He’s right. He’s always right. But instead, I just sit with a half-smile on my face. So Jesus goes ahead and says, “I’ll remind you again: I love you. Father loves you. You have no reason to worry. When you worry, it’s like you are doubting Him. We can both agree that doubting Abba Father’s love and provision is crazy, right? Look at what I have been through. Look at what you have been through. Has He not provided every step of the way? So child, stop worrying.” I can’t help but smile now. There’s just something about being told that I am loved and being shown the truth. Truth sets me free, and this time I’m being freed from the chains of worry. How dare I doubt my Father! I tell Jesus, “I’m sorry, Jesus. I don’t doubt Father God. I know He’s taking care of me and that He always will. I need Your constant reminders, so thanks!” Jesus wipes the drying tears from my eyes and tells me, “Just seek God and His righteousness. When you do that, not only do you have no time to worry, but also you’ll be awed with the perfect provision He gives. Don’t worry about tomorrow — or the next day or the next day or months down the road. Father has you taken care of. You can’t see it, but I can. Trust me. I love you.” He never ends a conversation without making sure I know that He loves me. Ah, what a sweet Jesus!
After this chat all I can do is continue to trust in Him. Trust in the One who made me, called me, and loves me. Trust the One who provides for me always. All I can (and want to) do is what Jesus told me — stop worry and seek God.
If you are knee-deep in worry and your heart is feeling overwhelmed, I encourage you to have a chat with Jesus. I promise you, He loves you just as much as He loves me or anyone else. He wants you to bring your worries to Him. My chat with Jesus came from Matthew 6:25-34 tonight. Yours can, too — if you want.
Love you, my sweet blog readers!
And so does God.
He actually loves you much, much, MUCH more than I could possibly imagine loving you. 🙂
P.S. I actually am leaving in July 2014 to go across the world (11 countries in 11 months) to bring the message, the hope, the love, and the light of Jesus to people I have yet to meet, but already have places in my heart. I DO need $16,000+ in my support account to be fully funded. I am confident that God will use His people (many of you reading this) to make this happen. So, if you feel led to make a donation (which is actually tax deductible — yay!), you can go to my World Race page (http://maryelizabethbailey.theworldrace.org/) and click “Support Me” on the left side. Even if you can’t donate, I welcome and ask you to check out my page and the World Race site in general to get to know what I have been called to. 🙂
I’ve heard more of you preach than I can count in my lifetime, so I would say I’m a rather experienced listener. I’ve come to the realization that, perhaps, you need some raw, honest feedback. I suppose I ought to give you such instead of waiting for someone else to. Please note, though, that this does not apply to all or many of you, but to the ones it does — oh, we all know who you are.
First of all, can you do your congregations a favor and STOP WITH THE THEATRICS? Seriously, we all have televisions or YouTube. We don’t come to you for a show. We come to be taught the holy Word of God. I don’t really need to see you jump around stage or walk up and down the aisle slapping hands or strutting about. You don’t have to stand still or anything, but remember you aren’t an actor up there. You are a teacher appointed by God Almighty to tell people about His Word so that they may draw nearer to Him — act appropriately.
Next, I have a little news for you: we can hear just fine. If you want to scream then please for the sake of our ears turn the microphone off! My grandfather is in his 70s and you are even too loud for his ears. Unnecessary, sir! I don’t think a single person comes to church with the mindset of “I sure hope the preacher verbally assaults my ears again this week!” So just calm down on all that yelling. (Your bulging neck veins and tomato red face will probably appreciate it, too.)
Thirdly, we can keep up. I’m sure you do those dramatic ten second pauses in the middle of your words and sentences (especially at the end of the sermon) to make sure we can keep up with you. How considerate! I must tell you though, it’s more annoying than helpful. We can keep up with you at a steady pace. All those pauses just make me think I’m listening to Obama give a speech.
Also, you don’t have to wear that suit jacket. Listen, I am a gal who loves a man in suit and tie. Truly, I do. However, if you are going to be sweating through the whole service – ditch the jacket. I appreciate your style and effort to look nice, but the streams of sweat down your face make it hard to concentrate on then content what you are yelling. You’d look a lot better and feel a lot cooler if you simply dressed for function rather than style. Your congregation will not mind, or at least it shouldn’t.
Lastly, what is with the whole drawn out altar call? I understand wanting people to come forward if the Lord is leading them to. I get it. I want that too! But, after three invitation songs and a few more yelling fits of yours about hell and damnation, it sounds more like a threat than an invitation. Last time I checked, God didn’t ask us to manipulate others by inciting fear to make them come to Him. Nor did He say, “harp on and on until you make your congregation bored or annoyed so much that they will kneel just to make you shut up.” Let’s be a little more on point, please?
Just one more tip for good measure: you should never make your congregation leave feeling like crap. Don’t confuse this with me being against stepping on toes. Step on toes. Dance on them. Lay the Word of God on our hearts so that we feel the Holy Spirit stirring. Welcome conviction on your congregation. But NEVER let us leave without giving us the hope, the redemption, the message of love. God didn’t end with condemnation, but rather grace. Mirror that.
I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job. These are merely suggestions. A little constructive feedback, if you will.
I would just like to end this in saying that I am thankful that God has called so many passionate, fired up Christians to teach His Word. It is an honor to be called to be a preacher. I respect you all a great deal, so please do not take this as a rude or disrespectful article. It is neither. Any good preacher will always want to improve. I am merely trying to help you do so.
This is actually my nephew and my stepsister, but it shows a picture of love and respect from a boy to a woman he is growing up learning from and respecting at his right hand.
Being an unmarried 22 year-old woman, of course I have this idea in my head of what kind of man I want to say “I do” to one day. How this man should be, in my opinion, changes a lot. At one time I thought I wanted a man who liked to dress up all the time, but the more I wear heels around the more I realize I want a man just as happy with his jeans and tee as he is with a suit and tie. At one time I thought this mystery husband should always be hilarious, making me laugh every moment. But again, I have changed my mind. I sure want a man who can make me giggle and laugh, but he also needs to know when to be serious and when to take me seriously. I could go on about the changes I have made, but instead let’s switch gears to the additions and the concrete.
I have always wanted a man who loved the Lord first and foremost. There should be nothing (not even me) that he loves more than his Lord and Savior, Jesus. I refuse to ever change or modify this “must-have” in my mystery husband.
As I dig deeper into the Word and gain more insight into life that comes with growing up, I keep finding more things that biblically make sense to add into what my mystery husband should be like. It’s quite wonderful that I don’t have to come up with these “must-have” or “should-have” qualities on my own, I just have to find ’em in God’s Word. After all, every father does raise his daughter with some idea of the man he will one day be willing to give her to. God is no different. He’s such a good Daddy.
As I was reading in God’s Word today, I was reading in 1 Kings about King Solomon. Now if you grew up in Sunday school like I did, you already know the story of Solomon and what he is famously known as: the wisest man in history. I don’t know about you, but I sure wish I could’ve met Solomon and learned from him. People filled with wisdom, especially wisdom straight from God as with Solomon, are always intriguing to me.
Anyway, I came to 1 Kings 2:19 and it hit me: since I want a wise man to call my husband one day, I’m going to have to find one who loves his momma and respects her. That is what wise men do. If you’re a little confused at how I can make such a definitive statement, then keep on reading. I’m about to explain it.
In 1 Kings 2:19, Bathsheba comes to King Solomon to ask him something. Now, King Solomon was quite the royal being the newly anointed king and the son of King David. So this Bathsheba comes to him as he is on his throne — so, you know, at his workplace — and wants to talk to him. This Bathsheba is his mother. (Making more sense now? I hope so!)
King Solomon could’ve dismissed Bathsheba with as much as a “Mom, I’m at work. I’m busy. We can talk later.” But he didn’t. No, when Solomon saw his mother approaching him, he stood up to greet her. What a respectful son! I love when a man will stand up when a lady walks into a room. Solomon further demonstrates his respect and love for his mother by bowing to her. The King bowed to his mother. That’s a big deal. The King is the one who others bow to, not the one who bows to others. Yet, we see here the wisest man on Earth bowing to his mother as a sign of respect. Precious, just simply precious! As a final and beautiful act of respect for his momma, King Solomon sits back on his throne as his mother sits down on a throne he had placed for her there at his right hand. He didn’t make her stand to approach his kingship. He didn’t have some fold-out chair or stool brought before him so she could chat. No, he had a throne for her to sit in. Notice the placement of the throne, too. It wasn’t placed in front or behind or way off to the side of his. He had his mother’s throne placed at his right hand because that’s how he treated her — as his right hand woman. Wow!
Now, I’m not a mother but to all you mommas out there: isn’t that what you want to see your son(s) grow up to be like? Mommas are sure important — and a real man will treat them that way.
To the momma that I will one day call my mother-in-law: your son is going to treat you like Solomon treated Bathsheba. You will always have a place of honor in his life, one that I will never try to take the place of. Additionally, I will probably often admire the respect that my husband (your son) has for you because I know he will teach any son(s) that we may have to grow up treating me like that. What a precious circle, right? Future mother-in-law, wherever you are and whomever you are, thank-you for raising up a man who treats his mother with respect. Thank-you for raising up a wise man that I will be able to call my husband.
To my future/mystery husband: You will be a wise man. You will be a wise man who, like King Solomon, respects and loves his momma. You are always allowed and, in fact, you are required to make sure that your mother always feels loved, heard, and taken care of. I know in-laws are often stresses on marriages, but ours won’t be. Your love and respect for your mother (your father, too) is going to be contagious and I’ll follow suit. On an ending note, I’d just like to say to you — thank-you for being a biblical picture of respect. It means a lot, truly it does.
“So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother. So she sat down at his right hand.” – 1 Kings 2:19 (HCSB)
I don’t know about y’all, but for my daily readings I tend to gravitate more to the New Testament, or if in the Old Testament regularly stick to Isaiah (my absolute favorite book of the Bible), Psalms, and Proverbs.
However, lately I’ve been drawn to the other books in the Old Testament. Today I was namely drawn to 2 Chronicles.
A favorite story of mine from 2 Chronicles stars King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah in the face of three armies outnumbering them. The people of Judah did all they knew to do (under the direction and guidance of Jehoshaphat) in the face of overwhelming circumstances — they prayed to God and asked for His help. They petitioned their Rescuer to come and save them. They knew that their power was too weak, but that God’s was strong enough. They believed in the might and power of God to save them.
In 2 Chronicles 20:13-24 God tells the people from Judah that they do not need to fight the three armies coming after them. In fact, God tells them to “position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” in verse 17. Above that in verse 15, God tells the people of Judah who are depending on Him that “the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Oh how precious that when we are seemingly cornered and outnumbered – whether that be by people, burdens, circumstances, or whatever – God is mighty enough and loves us enough to take the battle for us! So many times I want be the one in control and on the front lines trying to determine the outcome, but God is saying, “Child, just stand there, praise me, and I’ll do the fighting.”
Here’s to giving up control to God and being joyful in simply being still, praising Him, and living in the victory of my salvation in Him.
(I think I was made more for praising than fighting, anyway.)
It is an honor to be accepted into a good law school.
It is an even bigger honor to be given a scholarship to law school.
I have been honored, but more so blessed.
I finished 1L Orientation week last Friday, which means a week spent at the law school 9am-4(ish) being “broken in.” Mock classes, real classes (just Legal Research and Writing), lots of networking, case briefing, listening to speaker after speaker, being given a ton of new things (mailbox, locker, passcodes for material, class lists, etc.), and anything else you can imagine to go along with an orientation for law school. It was a good week, sort-of like “law camp.”
I learned that law school isn’t as scary as people try to make it sound, or at least it doesn’t seem like it. I found that going through orientation I am even more confident that I could succeed in law school. (Please don’t mistake this confidence for arrogance.) I learned that as pretentious as a lot of law students are, there are still the good ones in every class. I think I found those “good ones”, too. I now can say without a shadow of a doubt that I know I am capable to get through law school, and probably even enjoy almost all of it.
To all of the beautiful friends I made in that one week: I barely know you but I know you have a BIG future to walk into. Each one of you is going to go on to do great things, either as a lawyer or as something else. You hold a place in my heart and I will be praying for you all as you go through this law school journey. You have a good community in the U of A Law School Class of 2016 – take care of one another (especially of my dear friend and roommate, “T”). Friendships are never by chance, so know that God above put each of you in one another’s path for a reason.
I asked my Heavenly Father to let my law applications find favor. He did. I asked Him to provide – He did. But then I asked for something else: I asked for Him to give me complete and total surrender to Him and His plans for me. I asked Him for direction. I asked Him to use me right now where He knew I could shine brightest for Him.
It’s true what they say: “Don’t ask for something if you don’t want it.”
I wanted God to give me what I asked for: a surrendered life, obedience, direction, guidance, which all comes down to: a calling, His calling for me. Right now. In this moment at this exact second in life. Every single day. Every minute. Every moment. That’s what I wanted and that’s what I continue to ask for.
The thing is, after I started asking God for that which is listed above and truly meaning it, something changed. My carefully laid out plans didn’t seem quite as significant as they once had. In fact, I couldn’t help but think there was something BIGGER planned for me, if only I let Him do the planning.
That’s when I realized: law school isn’t the biggest plan for my life right now. Read those last two words again. Right now. I have no doubt that God gave me a passion and capabilities for the law. I have no doubt that God set everything up for me from my inquisitive nature and natural inclination to persuade to placing me in undergraduate classes that taught me basic skills needed for law school success like how to read court cases and brief them (thank-you, Dr. Hacker). I sincerely do not doubt that at some point in my life I will go to law school and become a lawyer.
However, the question is when. I have been struggling for weeks with the decision to go ahead and attend law school or not. It’s hard when you have an amazing opportunity and confidence in yourself to fulfill the responsibilities therein, but yet you don’t feel at peace with going through with it. It’s hard to willingly exile myself from this community of beautiful, big-hearted, wonderful people I just barely became a part of. It’s hard to leave something I enjoy and am capable of doing. But guess what?
Faith is hard.
If I truly have the trust and faith in my God that I claim to have, I will trust in His plans for me and confidently hand over my own. Yes, I have a lease that I signed for a year in Fayetteville that I either have to pay or get someone to take over (if you or someone you know is interested in an awesome apartment, let me know — please!). Yes, I have no job lined up, especially here. Yes, my savings are getting smaller and smaller since I haven’t been employed since May. Yes, it’s scary to give up your careful and well-made plans for uncertainty. But that’s what faith is. I can’t see the future, but I have faith in God to provide for me to follow the path He has laid out for me. I don’t know what is going to come my way, but I trust that God does and I have faith He will carry me through it.
Now, let’s talk about what faith does. Faith moves mountains. Faith heals the sick. Faith overcomes death. Faith makes change. That’s who I want to be: a world changer, with the most literal definition possible.
I wear a ring every day that says, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Pretty simple, right? The change I wish to see is people treating one another with love and respect and genuine care for their neighbor. I wish for people to look for justice in the right places and lavish mercy on one another. I wish for people to know that there are second chances. I wish for people to know that it doesn’t matter what you “can” do – it matters what you are called to do. I wish for people to know that there is a mighty God who loves them more than anyone or anything ever can. I wish for each person to know that they are important. I wish for people to know how precious each one of them is, a preciousness that is not contingent upon their past, what they have or have not done. If I embody those wishes every day and spread that to the lives I meet, I think the world would change – at least for some people.
I’ve been thinking long and hard for months now about this thing called the World Race. Some of you, if you know me well, know about The World Race. I mentioned it several times between last winter (or late fall) and now. For those of you not acquainted with The World Race, it is a mission trip in which you go to 11 countries in 11 months spreading the love of Jesus. This can be seen in a lot of different ways – prison ministry, helping build or rebuild homes/churches/schools, playing with kids who often feel unimportant and unloved, caring for and helping widows, teaching English, etc. It’s an all-together amazing ministry. If you have time and would like to, check out the website: www.worldrace.org
I know that following God’s plans for our lives and living like He wants us to is not always found in mission trips. I know that ministry is found everywhere: in an orphanage in Romania, at a church in Turkey, in the slums in Thailand, or even somewhere like the classroom of a law school. There are no parameters to where you can minister to people in action. I mean, we see from the Bible that Paul even made prison a place of ministry. I want you to be clear that I’m not saying that I could not spread the love of God in law school or that doing so there is less of a ministry than on the World Race or any other mission trip. It’s not.
But, and that word is such a “changer” in and of itself, I believe God calls us to our ministry wherever it is and it’s high time I start listening to that calling. To illustrate, there is a fantastic woman that I worked for all through college named Linda. She not only became like a second mom to me, but she was (and still is) a spiritual rock for me. I have no doubt she is for others as well. Linda isn’t a preacher. She isn’t in some forgotten, impoverished community sitting down with people who never heard of a man named Jesus and telling them the Gospel for the first time. Linda works on a college campus at a science research facility. She lives the Gospel everyday by loving those she works with, works for, and those who work for her (like me). She prays diligently for those that intersect her life. Her calling is there. She knows that. She lives that. And trust me when I say, it’s a beautiful thing to see and be a part of. (Thank-you, Linda!)
I want to be like that. I want to live according to my calling. I want to be able to act with love and patience daily to those I encounter. I want to feel the divine calling of God with each person He places in my life and each step I take, whoever and wherever that is. For me, I think my calling is the World Race. Right now – not five years from now.
Now, the World Race is a process: you have to apply and be accepted into a Route. Then, you have to be properly vaccinated, get a passport if one is not already had, acquire the necessary gear, and the big thing – come up with the funds. The World Race is not free. The monetary cost is $15,500, without figuring in travel insurance or any “spending money” during those 11 months for things like shampoo, soap, socks when what you bring wear out, and other things. That’s a lot of money for a just-graduated-college twenty-two year old like me. The government will give you loans to go to law school, but not to fund an 11 month mission trip.
So here we are: I have withdrawn from law school to pursue my calling to go on the World Race. I have no job (I’ve applied places, I promise), I live 4+ hours away from my family and all the people who love me, and I am stuck with this lease until July 31, 2014. I want to leave on a World Race route in this upcoming year – 2014. I’m going to try to be that change I wish for in 12 countries – starting with this beautiful place I call home, the United States of America. But until I embark on the World Race, you will find me not in law school.
Ending note: I sincerely apologize to all of you who may feel disappointed in my choice. To every classmate, friend, family member, and past professor – I can only hope that you can support my calling as you have my plans that I had made for myself. I can only pray that each of you who may feel some sense of betrayal (trust me, I almost feel like I’m betraying myself) can realize that God has bigger plans for me than either you or I could dream up – and I want those bigger plans. Also, don’t give up on me being a member of the law community. Just because I am not starting my law career (which begins as a 1L, per the words of orientation speakers) this year does NOT mean I won’t in a future year. I hope as much as many of you do that my future will include law school. If any of you want to hear a more detailed account of things, just let me know and we can discuss it all. For all of you who have been generously supportive of law school, thank-you. It means a lot to have so many people believe in you. Truly, it does.
The nephew happily waiting to be pushed in his swing.
My nephew is only 4 years old, but he’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Honestly, kids teach you as much as you teach them. But kids don’t teach you how to find the square root of a number or how to calculate the CPI. No, kids teach you lessons about life.
My nephew Mason is 4 years old, but has more wisdom than he knows. In fact, I’m not sure at his age he can even grasp the concept of wisdom. Sometimes at 22, I’m not sure I even get it. Honestly.
A few days ago Mason and I were playing in the backyard. I was pushing him on his little swing tied out from a big tree branch. Each time he would say “higher!” I would push his swing just a little bit harder and listen to his gleeful little squeals of excitement. (Seriously, that little man will capture your heart.) After a little while I was ready to join the rest of the family who were around the old wooden picnic table in a different part of the yard. (In the countryside of Arkansas, a “yard” can be a very expansive plot of land, just so you know.)
Instead of just telling Mason I was going to join the rest of the family, I asked him if he wanted to come with me to see what everyone else was doing. His response was a very quick “no” with demands for more swinging. So then I said, “How about I teach YOU how to swing on your own? That way, you can still go higher and higher, but you won’t need me to stand behind you and push.” He looked at me with unconvinced eyes, but he didn’t say “no.” I quickly went to telling him how you simply kick your feet while holding on to the rope. I even moved his legs in the way he would need to move them to be able to swing himself.
After the short tutorial, little Mason slid down off the swing onto his feet and started slowly walking towards everyone else. His facial expression was….disappointed and defeated. I walked beside him and asked why he didn’t want to swing. That’s when he started saying, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it!” He had zero faith in himself. I encouraged him with, “Well, why don’t you just try? Come on, bud. I’ll stay over there until you get the hang of it.” He shook his little defeated head and said, “No, it awright (all right). I can’t do it.”
How in the world does he know he can’t do something that he has never tried? I know he can learn to swing by himself. He’s a smart, strong little man – and it’s just swinging. But he didn’t have any confidence or faith in his own abilities. Of course I told him, “Of course you can do it, Mas! You just have to try. I know you can do it. Come on, just try. I’ll show you again.” Of course, that just frustrated him because he just KNEW that he couldn’t do it and was bothered with me asking so much of him. His response was another “I can’t do it.”
Finally I looked at him and said, “Okay, well WHY can’t you do it?” I mean, what was his basis for claiming that he couldn’t do this task that I know he can? This is what got me. His response was the most genuine and honest and simultaneously heartbreaking and eye-opening sentence. He said, “Because I’m not perfect!”
Oh Mason, if only you knew what a perfect little teacher you are! This showed me EXACTLY what I hide behind – my imperfection. So many times I don’t try something because I have already made up my mind that I failed at it. Time and time again God asks me to “try this, daughter” and I walk away defeated and disappointed in myself because I have no confidence or faith that I can do it. Well, I am half right here – I can’t do most things. But yet, I can. If it were just me – Mary Elizabeth Bailey – I couldn’t do the bulk of what God asks me. But it’s not just me. I have the Holy Spirit within me. I have the Son of the Living God as my Savior. I have the God of ALL creation watching over me every single moment. It’s not just me. It’s never just me.
My God has equipped me with abilities that He KNOWS I can use. My goal is to not walk away saying “I can’t do this because I’m not perfect.” My goal is to hold on and do what God asks knowing that I CAN because my SAVIOR is PERFECT. God doesn’t ask anything of me that He doesn’t first prepare me for, one way or another. Trusting in that is one of the hardest things for me to do, but when it comes down to it – it’s just a matter of faith. *Oh Father, let my faith be much!*
I can’t wait to explain this one day to Mason. I can’t wait for my nephew to embrace the love of the Heavenly Father. I can’t wait for him to live out Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”) I cannot wait for Mason to be old enough to understand that there is a mighty God who is going to do great things through him. I can’t wait to one day share with Mason the lessons he so freely teaches me.
God used my 4 year old nephew to speak to me. Who (or what) is He using to speak to YOU right now? Listen to Him. Embrace His direction and guidance. Seek Him. You will find Him, I promise. And TRUST in your Creator. He knows what you can do because He knows what He can do.
“For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11
An ending note: To my nephew and the rest of the little ones out there, the Bible says in Luke 12:32 “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.” Don’t be afraid to do anything that God asks of you. Don’t be afraid of your imperfection. Your Heavenly Father has it covered (with the blood of a perfect Savior), and He just wants to give you the kingdom. 🙂
Moments With ME 