Let Your Yes be Yes

We all do it. From time to time, we may answer "yes" but in our heart or mind, it's really a "maybe." It's a "yes" unless something better comes along or something else comes up. In our world today many of our decisions are almost hesitant or "yes, for now" rather than definitive.

Our social norm has gotten away from RSVPs (do you remember those?) because no one wants to commit their decision firmly on a certain day, time, or event. Those of us who've planned a dinner or party know how hard it is to plan without accurate RSVPs.  Though life is not a dinner party, there are still times when our "yes" needs to be a solid commitment.  I think we would agree this would be true for marriage. I also believe this is true for following Christ.

Since last summer, I had known of things coming up in my future that may lead to significant life changes. Two variables in particular question were my living arrangements and my job. Regardless of what decisions were made...I knew change would be coming in 2013.

My roommate and dear friend of nearly 14 years was being given the opportunity to move to Hilton Head, South Carolina for her job as a nanny to a set of twins. The family also extended the invitation for me to come too. It's been a life-long dream of mine to live near the beach! I was not opposed to the idea...but I did question the practicality.

I also knew things would be changing at my workplace within the next year. By the end of 2012, I truly sensed I would not transition when those changes occurred next summer. I was ready for a professional change and a change of scenery, but just because I wanted it didn't mean it was to be. So I began to regularly pray for God's will in these matters and put the thought of "change" aside for when the time came closer for decision-making.

Come March, my roommate looked like she was definitely moving to SC. The offer of assistance to transition in this move from the family still stood. I thought, “I'd love to go!”, but I questioned if it was really "my calling" or just hers. I still wasn't sure. I increased my focus on these decisions in my prayer and Bible study.

In my daily readings and devotional, I kept receiving confirmations from the Lord in going. I gave a hesitant "yes" in my heart. I knew in a few days, my roommate would be talking with the family to see what their extension of this offer to move really meant for me. After all, I'd be leaving a job, my church, my friends, and a place where I'd put down roots as an adult for the past 15 years. That's not a decision I wanted to make without some concrete assurances. My plan was wait to see what was said, then make a firm decision.

As you probably figured out...that was NOT God's plan. Three days before I was to have the details I wanted before making this decision, He called me on the carpet during my quiet time. I was reading through the book of Hebrews and as I approached chapter 11, reading Abram's account of obedience in faith without sight, I was challenged by God in my reading..."What's your YES, Stacy?" It was a subtle question. A quiet whisper. Yet it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I knew God was giving me the go ahead, the "release" from things in North Carolina. His question was about my willingness to say YES without the details. He wanted my yes to be yes. Not contingent upon that which I would like to have in place, but contingent upon my trust in HIM...as my Provider, my Protector, my Strength, my Shield, my Deliverer...MY LORD! I wept! Hard! This unexpected revelation was a huge answer to prayer for clarity in these decisions. I knew I must answer YES and be obedient to walk by faith, not by sight!

That night, as I journaled, I recorded these two verses:

"We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

"By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance; he went out not knowing where he was going." Hebrews 11:8

Though I am not Abraham, and South Carolina is certainly not my "promised land" (that will be heaven one day), I too felt strongly called to get out and up-root myself from the foundation I had laid with my hands. I knew I was to move with the purpose to step out in faith and not sight for this season. It's been a few weeks and I'm still not sure what all God is up to, but He has been in every detail so far. I cannot begin to recount the doors that have swung wide open for so many provisions in the preparation and move. I know He is desiring my faithful obedience to continue to walk as He leads.

Perhaps you are struggling with a call or decision in your life. Know that God IS there! He is faithful to answer your prayers if you seek Him in His Word, through prayer, and in fellowship with believers. Remember, although He does not answer everyone the same way, He is faithful TO answer. Ask for ears to hear and eyes to see, His answer...not your own. I pray you will know His perfect will in whatever your situation with all clarity and peace. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to your children!

Focus on Scripture Resource (Week 4 recap)

Sunday night we changed up the teaching style a bit and welcomed four new ladies to our class! We missed a number of regulars and hope to see you next week.

If you've been reading along, you'll notice that from Chapter 10 forward (through Chapter 29) the layout of Proverbs changes considerably. From longer passages of Scripture that have a particular theme or focus (as seen in Ch. 1-9), we now get blips of wisdom on various topics. Many of these are repetitive subjects, which is great for utilizing in our Scripture resource (aka Scripture reference). Keep in mind we're now in the section of Proverbs called "The Wise Sayings of Solomon", hence the multi-subject blips. Not all of these sayings are specific promises, some are simply factual statements. As you are reading be sure to read each passage and pause to meditate on that one and it's theme or focus before moving to the next verse. I find that doing so helps me when I read these chapters. I can easily grasp the focus of that verse and jot down where I feel it best applies in my Scripture resource section of my journal. This comes in handy not just when I need it but also when I encounter someone going through a struggle. Knowing I can reference this resource to quickly find an applicable Scripture is wonderful. I hope you'll find someone this week you can minister to by referencing God's Word in this way.

For the next few weeks we will be sharing our topical references in class so as to encourage and admonish each other. This means your participation in class will be crucial. Your journal notes and Scripture reference entries will easily enable your participation and foster discussion during our large group class time. Please be sure to "be prepared" each week with something to share from your journal or reference.

This week we reviewed how the Scripture reference is laid out, various topics of wisdom and verses from our reading that related to those topics. As the group discussion was more in-depth, I'm going to simply record samples of the topics and a few verses so you can get a feel for how to lay out your reference if you have not started one already. For example, in the back of my journal I have designated a section for my reference (so it's all in one place, that's easier for me...you may wish to have a separate notebook for this and that's fine too). I have designated at least one front and back page of my journal to each of the various topics of wisdom. In class we shared our various topics and reviewed and discussed some of the verses we put in each topic. 

Some of the reference topics we came up with and corresponding verses were:

Righteous/Believers (Promises/Facts)
10:28, "hope vs perish"

Mouth (Practical)
10:19, "shut up"
10:31-32, "righteous"
11:13, "gossip
12:17, "speak truth"

Vocation
11:1, "integrity in sales"
12:11, "worker vs slacker"
12:14, "worker vs slacker"
13:4,  "worker vs slacker"

Family/Parenting
13:24, "discipline your kids"

Marital
12:4, "excellent wife"
12:16, "slow to anger"

Moral
11:17, "kindness"
13:14, "wisdom=life"

Financial
11:24, "generosity"
11:26, "don't withhold"
11:28, "don't trust wealth"

As we discussed in class, there are no "right and wrongs" per se...your topics may have different titles, which is fine. You may have chosen to put some verses under a different topic, which is also fine. So many verses are applicable to more than one topic. These are just some ideas to get you started. The descriptions beside the verses above are the ones I jotted down to jog my memory of the verse's point so I can easily reference it later. Your descriptions may be different...what ever makes sense to you as you'll be the one referencing your own resource in the future. I want to be sure this is something that will be of benefit to YOU so just lay it out as best suits you.  

Be sure to come Sunday for the review and discussion. Claudine Snyder will be leading the class in my absence. Be praying for her as she prepares and pray for me this week. Thank you ladies! 

**Remember to contact your accountability/small group members to encourage them this week too.** 

Hybrid

In my yard there are some gorgeous well established camellia bushes just starting to bloom. This morning I noticed a very distinct flower. It truly looked as though one bloom from each of two bushes had been cut exactly in half and molded together creating a hybrid of the solid fuchsia and swirled cream and fuchsia bushes.

Seeing that visual started me thinking about my relationship with Christ; how my spiritual walk sometimes looks like that hybrid. There's me and there's Christ in me. To see the full cream bloom with a thread of fuchsia, is the start of growth. This growth occurs as I yield to the changes the Holy Spirit makes as He works in my life for their must be yielding in order for the fusion of my spiritual walk to affect permanent change in my life. As I allow the Lord to do more, He does, and then my life looks more like the full fuchsia blooms in the bush next to where I saw the hybrid bloom. What a picture that too makes! The full fuchsia bloom with no cream is like the full covering of the blood of Christ; none of me remains. This is how God sees those who have chosen to follow Him. We are covered in the blood; all of our sins washed away...visible NO MORE!

When I saw that distinct line of demarcation in the bloom, I wondered...is that where I am? Have I put the brakes on the Holy Spirit's work in me? Have I ceased to yield? The Lord Jesus will ONLY come into our hearts as far as we allow Him. He never pushes but does desire to have our whole heart. It really gave me pause to examine how that bloom can reflect our lives and the state of our spiritual growth.

As I did today, I encourage you to look inward at your own heart...what colors do you see there? Is there an area of your life you are not giving over to God? Is there an aspect of your life you are choosing to keep separate? Where is your line of demarcation? Are you still simply swirls of cream and fuchsia or is the full fuchsia of the Holy Spirit showing Himself in the bloom of your heart? We are all at different stages and none of us will ever reach 'perfection' until Heaven. However, we can choose to yield ALL areas of our life to the Holy Spirit; letting Him have His way in our life and choosing to reflect Christ each day. We will fail and we will fall short. Do not beat yourself down when that happens. Get back up and re-yield to Christ! Then you will begin to see the bloom of your heart move from a hybrid bloom to a full fuchsia bloom as you are fully consumed by the Holy Spirit.