Fearless and Fierce in Your Faith

In May of 2010 we went to Lubbock to watch my step-son Morgan in the Regional track meet. We took our youngest daughter Baylor and my step-daughter Madison. We really had a great time watching Morgan run and taking the girls all over Lubbock.

One of the mornings we were there we went out early to get a good breakfast.  When we pulled back into the parking lot of our hotel, we were approached by a woman asking for some money . She was about 45 maybe, looked much older than she was. Her clothes were filthy with dirt and stains. Her hands and face were dirty too.  Her face was harsh yet sad.

I proceeded to tell the woman that I didn't have any money on me but  I had some snacks in the room. I asked her to hold on a second and told her I'd be back down in a minute. I hurried up to our room and grabbed the new big bag of goldfish we had just bought and 2 cold sodas.

When I walked back down, there she stood, right where I left her. Madison asked to follow me... kind of curious about the whole thing. So Madison and I walked right back out there and handed her the goodies. She was thankful. I had prayed on the way back down for God to move in the situation  and did He ever!! As I handed her the goldfish I asked her what her name was, and she said May.

"Well May.." I asked.  "How are you doing? What's going on in your life? Do you know Jesus?"
She quickly replied "Yes.  I know Him.  I am a christian."
"Well May, I know this isn't much but, can I pray with you today?  Do you need prayer for anything?" I said with Madison standing beside me soaking it all in like a sponge.

May went on to tell me with tears quickly filling her eyes that her husband was out of work and sick, very sick. She asked me to please pray for him. So, I did. I grabbed her and Madison by the hands. When i opened my mouth the words just flowed. God was there!  Believe me when I tell you that! Sometimes I'm telling you, God just hijacks my mouth, and I'm just an empty vessel. That day with May was one of those days for sure!! I didn't even get past "Father, we come to You today....", and I had big tears dripping down my face. I wish I could tell you what was prayed for, but it really doesn't matter. I think the things I remember the most and will always hold in my heart were after anyways. I hugged her neck like she was my own momma and looked right through her eyes to see a quiet broken spirit.
"Hang on.. just hang in there May.. in the blink of an eye you will be on streets of gold to never cry another tear or worry another day.. I'll see you again soon May.. be strong." was the last thing i said to my sweet new sister May.

We smiled a small smile at each other, gave one more hug and went our separate ways both wiping the tears from our faces.

I often still think about May, and when I do, you better believe I lift her up.  It's so easy to pass those type of opportunities by. Sometimes we are just too busy and other times we are scared.

When talking about being fearless and fierce in faith I cant help but think about Mother Teresa. She is such a perfect example of that. I found a few things on the Internet about her I think are worth sharing, a few quotes and a small portion of her bio:

"On 21 December she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and TB. She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him in the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." - author unknown


"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."- Mother Teresa

　

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received, and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work." - Mother Teresa


"I was to give up all and follow Jesus into the slums.....It was an order.....And when that happens, the only thing to do is say yes." - Mother Teresa in Ladies Home Journal, April, 1996


Her words and actions spoke volumes. What a life!! We can all learn something from her willingness to put others before herself. She was such a great example of dying to self. What a bright light in a dark world!

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. - John 12:24

I'm sure Mother Teresa bore much fruit, and you can too! God desires that for each and every one of us, not necessarily to that extreme but in some form. I want to encourage all of you to think about this.. how easy it is to go day in and day out in our own little worlds that consist of PTO meetings, scrapbooking clubs, soccer practices, baseball games, golf tournaments and fighting to climb our professional ladder. We get so enthralled in our material, our homes, our cars, our clothes, the next vacation we want to take and our new landscaping plans. We often forget there are people like May all around us just waiting for someone to hug them and give them an encouraging word.


I challenge you to take a few (say 10) sack lunches and bottled waters to the needy. Hold their hands and pray with them. Just watch what happens! I promise you there is no better feeling on earth! God lead me to do this about a year and a half ago. I came in contact with a man confined to a wheelchair sitting behind a dumpster at a gas station on the east side on downtown Austin. You go into those situations thinking you will be blessing them, and you come out with them blessing you! Nothing like it. Simply nothing like it. It's truly amazing.


(although, I don't advise you go by yourself, be fierce in your faith.. not ignorant. Pray for God to show you where He wants to use you.. and go there.)


Just try it... I double dog dare ya! ;)

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matthew 25:40

Father- Open our eyes, show us this world as You see it. Show us where we can be used by You for You.  Help us Lord to not stay so self-absorbed.  Forgive us where we have walked right by. I also pray for us that are parents, Lord that you would give us convictions about teaching our children to care for the least and the lowliest. To teach our children by what we do, not just what we say. I pray that we would do our work not out of obligation to religion but with hearts full of love and compassion because of our relationship with You. This life is so short Lord, make us and mold us to be more and more like You with every breath we take. In the Name of Your Precious Son Jesus. Amen

 

why we do what we do.... honestly.

every 4th of July our neighborhood has a parade. we usually go stay with my parents at their lake house that weekend, but on occasion we stay home. this year, last minute we decided to just stay home.
the night before the parade i stayed up late to decorate the girls bikes. i blew up bright red balloons for the handle bars, and used a sharpie to make tons of stars on all 6 balloons. i wrote sayings like, "God Bless America" on each one of them. then i had the girls make signs to tape on the front of their bikes and we put red, white, and blue streamers in the back. that night i did a good bit of gripping at my 5 year old to "stay out of the way" and to "not mess me up".


i can be OCD about really silly things! after all that i woke up super early the morning of the parade to fix the girls hair all up and paint their faces. we put big red feathers in Navy's hair. Madison and Baylor got red, white, and blue bows and head bands! i was throwing mini tantrums every time they messed up their make-up or hair! running around like a chicken with my head cut off finishing the decor on each bike, then loading the bikes, and touching up face glitter and lip color.
in my insane mommy frenzy i told the baby (she's 5, i know.. but, she is my baby)
"get over here and stand by your bike so i can take your picture". she was in no hurry and was eating an apple.. AN APPLE! ............ MESSING UP HER LIPSTICK!!! Lord have mercy!


i fussed and fussed about that, then i said..
"i did all this work for you girls and all mommy wants is a darn picture! is that too much to ask!?!!"
Baylor proceeded to take another bite of her apple and very calmly looked up at me discussed and said:
"WHY ARE YOU SOOOO OBSESSED WITH THIS STINKIN' PAHWADE??"
yes, just like that. pahwade. (parade) :)


my. five. year. old. just. told. me. off...... and the worst part was
SHE WAS RIGHT!!!
of coarse my husband was in ear shot for that and looked at me with a huge grin.. obviously in agreement with her. that's when i realized what a spectacle i had become.
what in the world was i doing? i had convinced myself i was "doing all this for the girls"
uhhh.. yeah right!


because the girls absolutely love getting squawked at while watching their mother in a complete and total hairspray, glitter eye shadow and streamer tailspin.


we often do things like this in our christian walk. we think we are fooling other people but, they see. make sure you get that part.... THEY SEE. we aren't fooling anybody but ourselves. sometimes we have been doing the same thing for so long we don't even realize it. we need to take a good look at our motives and what is behind them.


why do you do what you do? honestly.          


"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrew 4:12


intent of the heart. i like that, that's exactly what we are talking about here. what is the actual intent of our hearts in what we do?


God is all knowing. he knows exactly why we do what we do and if indeed our motives are pure. another one of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 19:14 i think goes along side the topic at hand.


May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -psalm 19:14

 i say Psalm 19:14 verbally almost everyday at least twice! i so desperately want to be pure in my heart and words. the word tells us in Matthew 12:34 out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. so that means if we have a mouth issue whether it be gossip or filthy language or anything in between we have a heart issue. don't try to just control your mouth, I'm not saying don't control your mouth. but, we do need to realize that there is a deeper root issue there.
think of that issue as a weed in your yard..most of us have certain issues and we just cut them off at grass level or mow over them. which does no good because what happens..?
THEY JUST POP BACK UP!

we need to get our gloves on, get out our gardening tools and DIG THAT ROOT UP!
let's quit grabbing for the same ol' weed spray that doesn't work! spritzing the same "issues" over and over again and again. just dig it up, get it out of your yard (your life) and move on down the road.


who is willing to do that?
who wants everything Christ died for you to have??
who is sick of going around that same ol' mountain day after day?
who is willing to ask God sincerely "show me where my motives are just not pure?"


see, i did all those things the day of the parade for me. i wanted to bring my girls down to that parade and show them off like little dolls to everyone. my motives where not for the girls. if they had been i would have let my girls color those big red balloon's, paint each others faces and decorate their bikes with what they thought would be fun!


come next year my daughters will be doing all those things and i will just be there to video, giggle and enjoy watching them create there own style!

Father- we come to you humbly today asking that you would search our hearts and show us where there is any selfish or impure motives. Lord we want to be authentic in your sight. let us not hide behind lies and manipulations that are false. as we walk through this life show us where we have convinced others or even ourselves of a false motives. give us the strenght we need to break out our gardening tools and pull the weeds up from the root. allow our heart to unfold like flowers before you as it so beautifully says in the Casting Crowns song Joyful Joyful. Father we are asking you to show us just why we do what we do.
 in Jesus precious name.

Amen

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24