Coming Back

I grew up in church. And I say that as literally as I can because more than half of the memories from my childhood (counting up through college really) are set inside the walls of the church we were attending.

As a kid, we attended 3 separate churches over the years and the only reason we ever changed churches was because we moved. My parents did a WHOLE LOT of things wrong, but we were faithful church attendees. And I have zero regrets about the tine I spent in church.

We were Southern Baptists. I guess they (my mom and stepdad) would still be since they attend the same church they've gone to since they moved to Texas 20 years ago. I have seen a whole lot more of the non-denominational church thing since adulthood & that's categorically the type of church that I attend now.

The interesting thing about churches nowadays is you can go to their .org website and read their "what we believe" or "what we're about" statement and get a good idea of how well your beliefs jive with what they teach. Because you know churches have slight nuances regarding specific topics and you can easily suss out their stance on any larger debates topic by reading their "faith statement".

Currently we have been irregularly attending church that is very much a "come as you are & let's love each other & do what the Bible says without getting caught up in semantics". Which I am all for because Jesus said "Love" - not judge everyone based on what my Word says and your interpretation of it. I say irregularly because for most of 2018 I was working at least every other Sunday and often 3/4 Sunday's a month.

After some changes to my schedule, I made a commitment to myself and my family (and obviously Jesus) to let Sunday be my day of rest and get to church regularly.  Trust me, being a parent to rapidly growing elementary school aged kids will send you into the arms of Jesus on the regular anyway. It's funny how near death experiences or the loss of a loved one can serve as a "Come to Jesus moment" but just the same, so can your 8 year old asking really tough questions about life!

I NEVER get home from church or a bible study and think "Man, THAT was a waste of my time" or "I wish I hadn't gone!".
So, 2019 is about improving myself by making my relationship with Christ the priority and creating time in my day to spend in His word .

For the last 12 or so years I have not been consistent in my walk with God & I have some bad habits and attitudes that frankly I am sick of dealing with . Do you ever hear yourself say something and go "wow, that sounded awful" ? I've gotten into this habit of just literally complaining 24/7 .
Sure, life is annoying . People cut you off in traffic . Your kids complain about dinner . Your spouse leaves a mess behind . And those things can be daily occurrences that WON'T STOP HAPPENING.

I've gotten to where I begrudgingly wash dishes or roll my eyes when someone asks what's for dinner while I'm cooking . Can I tell you how many times I am told "I'm hungry" during a week? Why do I let that annoy me? I could jokingly quote James here

"2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a]whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. " 

But in reality, my faith isn't being tested by my family wanting to eat EVERY SINGLE NIGHT . Maybe my cooking skills are, but it's not a trial, no matter how irritated I allow myself to be .

No, the real thing I should be considering is Colossians 3:17 that says

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Another translation says "as a representative of the Lord Jesus"..... Whoa whoa whoa , I think to myself. Pump the brakes. Do what now? 

Am I representing Jesus as I care for my family? As I look for my younger sons missing shoe two minutes before we are suppose to leave for school? As I pour a second cup of orange juice in the middle of dinner? As I mop the paw prints off my floors? As I prep the coffee pot for my husband's 5am wake up call? 

Because Jesus may not have used a crock pot, but I KNOW He didn't roll His eyes when He fed the hungry crowd with 5 loaves and 2 fish. He didn't huff and sigh dramatically when He was asked where they were headed by one of His disciples . I am confident, however, that He came to serve and set an example of caring for others sacrificially. 

I am NO saint and even if I could follow Jesus's example well, I would never be perfect. And that's PERFECTLY fine with Him . But He has called His followers to represent Him to whatever our ministry field may be . Our family, co workers, clients, neighbors - all of them. And if anyone should be showing my family the love of God, it's me . So, a shift in my focus & a change in my attitudes and mindset will multiply my joy and probably my family's happiness too.