1/5/2024
How To LiveLast week, I told you about my friend. My friend whose husband had been diagnosed with an illness and given 3 years to live. My friend who had joy, and encouraged me despite her darkness. My friend who told me to live every day to the fullest~ one day at a time.
My friend who unexpectedly got her own diagnosis a month later. My friend who is now home with Jesus and whose husband is now a widower. My friend who taught me how to die. I have stood at the side of many death beds in the last 25 years. Too many. Each time there was a glimmer of hope that a miracle would come and each time, the miracle we were asking for did not come. When death lingered at the door, many were too weak to speak to me. Many were on medication to ease pain, and many just slept. Because there was always that measure of hope for recovery, I never truly had an opportunity to talk candidly with any of them about their imminent departure from this world. Until now. So many of my fellow Christian’s have shown me how to live. How to be lights for Christ in a dark world. How to overcome heartache and sorrow and live in the joy of the Lord, but no one really teaches you how to die because no one truly knows how they will react until they are put in that situation. It’s a morbid thought. No one wants to think about death at the beginning of a brand new year, but death is no respecter of time or person. And therein lies the importance of choosing to use our time wisely~living each day for the glory of God~ because none of us know when our appointment with death is. My friend certainly didn’t. Romans 8 tells us that our bodies are already dead because of sin. If we have accepted God’s gift of salvation, our spirits are alive because of Christ. Not just here on earth, but for eternity. What a season to grasp this lesson. A season of new beginnings, of hope, of life eternal. Because without the lowly birth in a manger there would be no death on a cross, and there would be no hope for us as we face death and eternity. My friend was on her death bed. She had bypassed treatment and although there was some pain, she was coherent. Her focus was on her Savior, on His promises and His goodness in her life. She didn’t speak of fear or uncertainty. She was smiling and laughing, albeit incredibly weak~ she was talking about the excitement of seeing Jesus. She was a light in the middle of so much darkness. And she probably never knew what an impact this had on me, until she was in glory. I asked her to give Jesus a hug for me when she saw Him. I will miss her so very much, and yet I have a peace about her home going. A comfort. Because of how she chose to live her days, she was not afraid when her days came to an end. I thought she taught me how to die. Until now. She didn’t just teach me how to die after all. She taught me how to live. What will you and I teach others in 2024? SCRIPTURE READING: Romans 8:10 Isaiah 46:4, 9-10 Isaiah 45:22 Romans 8:18, 22-28, 31-32, Romans 8:35, 37-39 Psalm 71:3, 5, 8-9, 14-21, 23-24 Psalm 73:23-26, 28 John 14:1-3 2 Corinthians 4:14-18 1 Corinthians 2:9 Philippians 3:20-21 Philippians 4:8 Colossians 3:16-17 1 Timothy 4:12 Matthew 5:16
12/29/2023
Today Doesn’t Have To Be A Bad DayOf all the gifts we will receive this season, the gift of time is one that God gives all of us equally. 24 hours in a day, no matter who you are.
When I was young and December came around, it felt like the weeks would just drag by. I couldn’t wait for Christmas vacation. I couldn’t wait for Christmas. Yet time seemed to be at a standstill to my little heart. And then suddenly, time became fleeting. Each year went faster than the last. I barely caught my breath after Thanksgiving and it was Christmas. I wanted time to slow down. I wanted to savor the beauty of the season, and yet even as I write, the season has come to an end. Christmas has come and gone. The gift of time is unique to everyone. Some want it to slow down. Some want it to go faster. Some of us want more. The beauty in such a gift is that it is made for everyone, yet specific to each individual. We decide how we view it, and what we do with it. Last summer, a precious friend’s husband had been diagnosed with an illness and given only 3 years to live. I asked how she managed to still have joy, despite such a cloud hanging over her. She told me that she was focusing on each day and living it to the fullest. One day at a time. Some of us long for the “good old days”, not realizing that today could be our very best day. Some of us fear the old fable~ Father Time, not realizing that our Heavenly Father holds time in the palm of His hand. In both cases we are so focused on the past, or the future, that we miss the “right now”. How can we live life to the fullest every day? In the heartbreaking, in the unknown, in the mundane? Despite that diagnosis, financial despair, loss or loneliness? Not by packing it full of things to do. Not by grand gestures or material gains, but by sitting in the stillness with Jesus. While I sit with Him, my life becomes like a snow globe. A snow globe in the palm of God’s hand. It’s contained, and yet it is moving, and I get to view all its beauty floating around me. Too often I find myself looking for happiness in things, and people, and activities. I end up watching the days and moments fly by, because I’m grasping at the big, while missing all the small. Stopping to “smell the roses”. Laughing, and then laughing some more. Singing at the top of our lungs. Telling our loved ones how very much we love them, and just how incredible they are. Noticing all the blessings all around, in the every day. Playing in the snow, or squishing our toes in the sand. Staring at the stars, and feeling the presence and the awe of our God. Holding His words in our hands, and realizing they are everything. Telling everyone we can about the hope and joy that lives inside us. Looking up in the stillness with Jesus, and noticing all the snowflakes of blessings falling down upon us. Before 2023 ends, determine in your heart to live every day of 2024 to the fullest. Pack every minute of every 24 hours God gives you full of His goodness and glory. You determine your time and what you make of it. God gives it equally to us all. You can decide that today is going to be a good day. Don’t focus on the bad, shake up that snow globe and focus on all the good. Focus on God. Use the time He gives you to thank Him for all that goodness. For every gift of the present. One day at a time. SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 31:15 Psalm 90 Colossians 4:5 James 4:14 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Why does life feel like a chore to me?
That was my first thought the other morning. I was tired before I even got out of bed. Not wanting to escape the warmth, I laid there thinking back to a time when I used to wake up excited about the day ahead. What happened to that girl? I thought I had it all figured out. I told myself there was just too much on my plate. Too much busyness. Too much weariness. My mind felt like there were a thousand things going on all at once, and I couldn’t make it stop. I wanted it to stop. It was exhausting me. How do I find myself here again? I don’t know how many blog posts I’ve written on this subject, and yet I fall prey to its defeat again and again. Google tells me we have anywhere from 60,000-80,000 thoughts a day. We have 6-7 thoughts per minute. 95% of our thoughts are repetitive, and 80% are negative. Why is that? What feeds that negativity? The world tells me busy is better. It chides me to do it all. I work part time from home. I also have a stitching business. I over stress trying to be a good wife, mom and pastor’s wife. I hold Bible studies and ladies meetings. I schedule and teach and study and pray. I write a blog and run a Facebook page. I create more content, to gain more followers, to encourage more ladies, to have more hope. But somehow along the way, I continually seem to lose my own hope under a pile of busy. And that’s when the devil tells me that I am failing. He convinces me that I don’t want to be a pastor’s wife with ministry responsibilities, I just want to be a plain old wife. I don’t want to create posts or write a devotional every single week. I just want to scroll and be fed by someone else. I just want to be me. I just want to not have to think. And I will be honest ladies, that morning I told God ALL of that. I tried telling Him that I am a homebody, an empathetic introvert who wears other’s heartaches on her sleeve. “Don’t you know this is all too much for me?” I asked. As if He doesn’t know me. And that’s when the Holy Spirit revealed to me that my thoughts had gained control over my heart. My busy schedule and commitments overwhelm my soul. What “new” message of hope I can give to my followers constantly captures my thoughts. The heartache of others is continually on my mind. I find myself thinking about ALL of these things more than I think about GOD Himself. In fact, I’m sure it would be safe to say that 80% of my thoughts are “busy” thoughts, maybe more. That means only 20% of my thoughts are being still with God and thinking about Him. And therein lies the problem. Life has become a chore because I’m not dwelling in His presence and it’s only in His presence that there is fullness of joy. I am trying to be God, instead of resting in Him, surrendering all my thoughts, and days, and moments to Him. I was “taking the yoke”, but I forgot about the “learning” part. That morning Jesus told me~”Take my yoke upon you and LEARN of ME. If you do this Charisse, you will find rest for your soul.” When will I learn? Probably never, this side of heaven. But I sure am thankful for a God who doesn’t give up on me. His mercies are new every morning. The busy won’t ever stop. Life is filled with it. It will continue to pile up, but instead of being under that weight~ we can be on top of it, if we will just learn from God. What have I learned? Here are just a few takeaways~ *To wake up and rejoice before I get out of bed, thanking God immediately for the day ahead, and all He has blessed me with. *Pray about everything, all day long. If a thought comes into my head and I start trying to figure out my own solution, I’ve got to stop. I have to pray about it, because let’s be honest~ God’s solutions are so much better. When I do this continually it helps me to cease from “Charisse’s” works and focus on God. That’s when I find rest. *I meditate on God’s words throughout the day. When I think on God’s words, it pushes the busy right out of my brain. My thoughts are on God, and His peace tells me that He is in control and will take care of whatever has me stressed, anxious, heartbroken or fatigued. His words comfort me and He calms that storm inside my head. *Learn from Jesus. He continually got alone with God. The insurmountable love and burden for a sinful, fallen world was completely on His shoulders and yet, He took the time to rest and be still with His Father. Imagine if our repetitive thoughts~ the ones that take up 95% of our waking moments~ were transformed to think about God and His promises to us? He wants us to rest, but that doesn’t mean He wants us to stop. That voice that’s telling you to quit is from Satan. God’s voice tells us~ Be still. He is God. We are not. Life isn’t a chore. It’s a blessed, joy-filled opportunity to be about our Father’s business. Google might tell me otherwise. The world tells me “I” have to do it all. The devil tells me that “I” am not cut out for the ministry and convinces me that~”I just want to be me, plain old Charisse”~ but GOD… Who am I with God? I am crucified with Christ, YET NOT I, but Christ… In the multitude of my thoughts within me, His comfort delights my soul. SCRIPTURE READING: Philippians 4:4-9 Matthew 11:28-30 Jeremiah 6:16 Psalm 46:10 Hebrews 4:9-12 Psalm 16:7-9, 11 Lamentations 3:22-24 Galatians 6:9 Romans 12:1-2 Galatians 2:20 Psalm 94:19 I’m not sure what sparked the thought, but the other day it hit me that I may not be here to see my grandchildren get married and have children of their own. A sadness swept over me. My love for them is so strong. I have this immense desire to protect them and pray for them and be a part of their moments, good and bad. To rejoice with them and cheer them on. But this may not be my reality, and my emotions got the best of me. It’s probably silly, but the tears came.
I know Mother’s Day is past and the celebrations are over, but this mom and grandma still has so much on her heart to share. I probably always will. As I was reading all the celebratory quotes, one stuck with me and I’ve been pondering it ever since~ “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” Wow! That stopped me in my tracks. So mama, what message are we sending to the future? This thought went deep for me. There are just SO MANY!! To be honest, I wanted to be lazy and write a fluff piece for today but God gave me a nudge, just like He always does. It’s crazy how often I will read the daily devotional sent to my inbox and somehow my Scripture app just “happens” to be on the exact same Bible chapter that day. Today was such a case and as I worried about my children and my grandchildren’s futures, God literally spoke to me through His words. Words I would like to share with you today. I hope they encourage you like they did me. Psalms 90-94. Psalm 90:1&2~ Continually remind yourself that GOD is our dwelling place. Not this world, not our homes~ but God. He has been from generation to generation and know matter what the future holds, He will be from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 90:12-17~ With this in mind, let these words be our prayer as we look to the future of our children and grandchildren~ God: *TEACH us to number our days and in the doing, gain wisdom. (Each day is another opportunity to mold our children and grandchildren. Don’t take it for granted and don’t squander it.) 90:12 *SATISFY us with your STEADFAST (loyal, unwavering) love. (This is the heartbeat of our joy and gladness.) 90:14 *MAKE us glad ALL our days. (Not just the good days, but the bad days too. Our emotions teach our children just as much as our words.) 90:15 *OPEN our eyes to see your works and show your power to our children. (We take so much for granted. God is continually blessing us and we need eyes to see and in turn, share that with the next generation.) 90:16 *ESTABLISH the work of our hands. (This should be our daily prayer. When God is the author of every single thing we do, He is glorified and His love shines from us to others. Our children will carry this prayer with them into the future, by witnessing it in our lives on a daily basis.) 90:17 Psalm 91:1-16~ *When we dwell in God’s presence we are protected under His shadow. He is our refuge and fortress and we can trust Him with everything. 91:1-2 In the trusting we will not fear the present or the future of our children and grandchildren, because we made God our dwelling place and held fast to Him in love. He will protect, rescue and satisfy us. No matter where we are, no matter where our children are, there is so much comfort in knowing that when we have God, we are always home. 91:3-16 Psalm 93:1-2~ And when we realize ALL of this, we will give thanks to God. We will sing praises. We will talk about His steadfast love and faithfulness morning and evening because we will realize He alone makes us glad and joyful and He alone (not us) will make our children and grandchildren glad and joyful. Psalm 93:3-5, 94:14&15~ As the floods of this present world roar against us and we fear the future for our children and grandchildren, we can KNOW that God is mightier and that **“The things that we’re afraid of are afraid of God!” We can trust Him. He will never forsake us or abandon us. Psalm 94:17-19~ If we didn’t have these promises we would be utterly distraught, but we have an entire book of God’s promises to cling to. His steadfast love holds us up. When the cares of our heart and the worries for our children’s futures are many, God’s consolations will cheer us. When we are no longer on this earth to cheer our children and grandchildren on, His consolations will continue to do so. Psalm 94:22~ He is our rock. He is our stronghold and He will forever be our children and our children’s children’s rock and stronghold. From everlasting to everlasting. I know this was long, and if you stuck with me to the end I hope it encouraged you. Sometimes mamas just need a reminder that ultimately we are not the ones to determine the happiness in our children’s future. We want to be their rock and fortress, we want to bring them joy and happiness and we can, but our love could never compare to the steadfast love God has for them and the best way to show them that is by example. An example we will leave with them long after we’re gone. **The Things That I’m Afraid Of Josh Wilson
5/12/2023
Twenty Years LaterThe end of 2002 and the year 2003 were incredibly hard on our little church. Five moms passed away in that short amount of time, including my sweet sister in law~ less than a week after giving birth to her 6th child, and my own precious mom. We didn’t have our usual Mother Daughter banquet at church that year. The grief was still so fresh.
I remember so many tears at that time. Reading all the quotes about grief getting easier with time and yet, here I am 20 years later, and it seems like yesterday to me. Year by year the grief has changed with me, along with my view of my mother. The older I get, the more I understand. And I miss her. It’s almost a daily occurrence for me to wish I could ask her a question, or share in that deep love I have for my grandchildren or just give her a hug. There were so many things I got irritated about when I was younger, when life got crazy and I needed her but she couldn’t come for one reason or another. I’m sad to admit that I never realized how much SHE needed me and now as each year passes, I understand more and more and I find myself crying for the young selfish girl I once was and whispering “I’m sorry mom.” Guilt and grief can often live side by side, but guilt is not the author of my words today. Love, and understanding that comes with age is. Your mom will never be perfect. Your mom will mess up, but.. Your mom loves you with her everything. She always will. She will never stop loving you. She won’t always be able to be the mama you remember as a child. She will wish with all her heart that she could be but… She will get older and she will need you just as much as you need her. And sadly, you won’t see it because in your eyes she is the mom of your yesterdays. The one who always took care of you. You are who you are because of who she was and who she is. Her spark lives inside of you. She raised you to be the strong woman you are. To accomplish “all the things” whether that’s school or a job or raising a family. And as you are accomplishing “all the things”, you won’t see mom with clear eyes until one day you’re her age and you’re watching your own children as they accomplish “all the things.” All the things she taught you. All the things you taught them. And you will wish for that time back when you could’ve said “I understand mom.” When you could’ve said “I’m not too busy for you.” When you could’ve said “how can I help?” When you could’ve said “thank you” more. When you could say “I love you” one more time. Mother’s Day is a good place to start, but it shouldn’t end there. A mom is a mom every single day, whether her child is a newborn, or a senior citizen. She is mom. Don’t wait until she’s gone to realize how much you took for granted. You may not get to spend another Mother’s Day with her. The grief still seems fresh, but in so many different ways than it did 20 years ago. Don’t hold on to the mess ups. Jesus doesn’t hold on to ours. Hold on to all the good. Ask God to open your eyes to that spark that lives inside you, to the woman she was and the woman she is. The mom who loves you with her everything. Don’t whisper wishes in the dark when she’s gone. Tell her today how much she means to you. Tell her thank you. Not just today, but everyday because one day your “everydays” will become a thing of the past. I looked at that beautiful white picket fence. It was like something from a storybook. The kind of book that always says “Happily Ever After” at the end.
As I watched him put his little car away, I gazed down the road to where my house was. He smiled at me and waved. And the words to this song played in my head~ “Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something greater happening here? It’s like our hearts are a part of a bigger story…” Was this real? My grandsons sharing their moments in between the white picket fence and my heart. All right down the road from me. I looked over my shoulder as the sun set. I looked at the place my daddy had called home. I smiled because I knew that my son and his wife were making memories there now. I heard my youngest daughter’s laughter as she walked home with her husband. I thought of my granddaughters playing with their new puppy just across the creek. All on my block. All my children and grandchildren. All right down the road from my home. And my heart was so full. And the words to that song played in my head~ “Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something greater happening here? It’s like our hearts are a part of a bigger story?…” Every single day. This story God wrote for me. It’s beautiful. I know I might not live to see the end. I might not be here when my grandsons grow up and get married. I might not be here when my granddaughters have their own children~ when my children become grandparents. But I know my heart is a part of this big story and I am going to cherish every single second of it while God allows. Because it’s beautiful. Our lives are beautiful. Too often we don’t even realize until we are at the end of our story. There’s beauty all around us. Beauty we can easily miss if our eyes tend to focus on the bad. Every moment, every second you are a part of a bigger story. God is using you to write it. Days flow into each other. Faster and faster. The pages keep turning. We are always anxious for the next chapter. We worry that the ending won’t be a “Happily Ever After”, so we strive to make sure it is. In that constant rush we miss all the good parts. That one chapter that changed the entire narrative. That paragraph that touched our heart. That word that held the meaning of a thousand words in one. Your story. Linger longer. Stay on that page and read it again. Hold it close. Because time and moments and memories will change with each chapter and if you aren’t absorbing the words~ you will miss it. And you will wish you could go back to the beginning and read it again. Slower. Soaking in every beautiful second. But you can’t. We can’t. “Do you ever get the feeling that’s there’s something greater happening here? Its like our hearts are a part of a bigger story…” I stood there and allowed the soft twilight to wash over me. I lingered and soaked in his smile and wave. This moment would not come again. His smile is that one word that holds a thousand words. Tomorrow was a new chapter. And my heart is full, because I know~ My heart is a part of a bigger story.
12/31/2021
What Is Your “Because”?It’s going by too fast. Faster than I want it to. Fear of the swiftness grabs a hold of my heart. I try to reach behind me and grasp at it, but it has already moved past me. Time. I want more time. Time with my kids and grandkids. Time with my best friend of 36 years.
What happened to this year? What happened to this Christmas season? What happened to yesterday? I want it to slow down, but it pays no heed to my desires. This year I watched as beloved friends lost their best friends and soul mates, and it crushed me. How could they move on? Is that the reality of what we thought would be our “Happily Ever After”? To fall more in love as each year passes, to grow old together and then to face the heartache of losing one another? Of losing your whole life? And then, the other night I watched as the story of Christmas came alive on television. And the message spoke to my heart. It went beyond the good tidings of great joy to a message of hope for all mankind. A message of hope because of Jesus. Do not be afraid. That message was spoken to Zacharias, to Joseph, to Mary, to the shepherds. The beautiful message tucked away within the pages of Christmas. Do not be afraid. That message spoke to me. I watched the television as Mary, the mother of Jesus, lay close to death. I couldn’t help but think how excited she must have been with the knowledge that her life was drawing to an end. The fear of death did not grip her. She did not try to grasp at the past, because she knew Who was waiting for her. Her Son and her Messiah. What love her heart held for Him. And it humbled my own heart that the love I have for Him does not reach that level as it should. I used to pride myself in the fact that I wasn’t afraid of death, because I had no doubt a home in heaven awaited me. Not because of anything I had done, but because of everything Jesus did for me. As each year passes, the reality of death has changed for me. I realize that there is a fear~not for myself~but a fear of loss. Loss of what I hold so dear. And I do not want to face it. I fear the loss of my husband. I fear the loss of time. Time that goes too quickly. Time that I want back. Death has become so much more real to me as the years go quickly by. If my eyes are not on Jesus, fear can consume my thoughts. But the angels words whisper to my fearful heart over and over again. Do not be afraid. God speaks those very words so often in His word, that it is easy to pass them by. Just like time. To not be intentional in the regarding. The regarding of every minute of every day. The regarding of choosing to truly hear God’s words spoken to a fearful heart. Do not be afraid. If God allows, next year I will be writing words of encouragement as another year ends. Next year. It will fly by even faster. I will look back and wonder where the time went. And so, I will purpose in my heart to let the message of this Christmas season soak into my soul. Do not be afraid. I don’t know what next year holds. So much can change, but God’s words will never change. They will be a constant until I behold Him in glory. I will cling to His unchanging promises as I step into the future and I will choose to believe them. Do not be afraid. Why? Because~ Jesus.
9/11/2021
These Are The Moments That MatterHe had no idea how much this moment meant to me.
He might not even remember it. A little knock at my front door. My visitor stopping by after piano lessons at the church. Barely inside, he began to tell me all about it. His eyes danced as he told me his ideas. Deep breaths were taken between each sentence. Excitement made it hard to get the words out fast enough. Even though I was smiling and laughing along with him, I wanted to cry. I wanted to grab him and hold him and somehow make him understand how much I loved him. How much I loved this moment. Every part of it. My home next to our church. My grandchildren living so close. My grandson wanting to talk to me. I wanted him to be this way with me as long as God allowed me to live. Sharing his ideas and dreams with grandma, no matter how old he was. She might not even remember it. She might not ever know how much it meant to me, my oldest granddaughter coming to me with her drawings. Telling me she remembers when she was “little” and how I taught her to draw a cat after school one day. He might not ever remember, my middle grandson with his tough exterior and big “muscles” hugging me and whispering “I love you” when his little heart needed reassurance. My youngest granddaughter rearranging the pottery bowls she and her sister made for me so that hers was on my top shelf, and the much needed smile it afforded me in a lonely moment at 2am. The look of pure joy on my 2 year old grandson’s face as he ran into my home like it was the greatest place in the whole wide world. The times they are all together and I catch them playing church and talking about Jesus and even praying together. No they might not ever remember, but it is a beauty God has given me that I will never forget and it is my prayer that it will always be this way. The closeness. The sharing. The smiles. The joy. The love. One day… When my oldest grandson comes home and stops by to tell me he met “the one”, excitement in his eyes as he shares every detail of his future plans. My granddaughter one day reminiscing and remembering the precious bond we had as she told me about school and friends and growing up and the many things I tried to teach her in the moments she was in my care. My grandson whispering he loves me and brushing away my tears as he leaves for college or the mission field or maybe even the military. My granddaughter inviting me over one day and making me smile as my crazy, silly girl takes pride in her home and family and shares it with me. My grandson coming over “just because” and always making me feel like it’s the greatest place in the whole wide world. My grandchildren one day telling me all the amazing things Jesus has done in their lives. Parenting doesn’t stop when our children leave our homes and start having families of their own. It doesn’t stop when our grandchildren arrive and it doesn’t stop no matter how old they become. We will always be mom and grandma, maybe even great grandma if God allows. So invest in their lives now. Listen, share, teach, pray, love. Turn off the TV. Turn off the phones. Push them on the swings, take walks with them. Don’t just talk to them about Jesus, show them the wondrous miracles He performs daily in your life. Let them see Him in every area. Teach them what faith truly means. Share with them the blessings He has poured out upon you time and time again. Listen to them. Listen to every little thing they want to share. Show them a picture of Christ in the listening. I don’t want my grandchildren to have to remember the moments, because I want those moments to be a regular part of their everyday lives~no matter their age. I want them to live in those moments and I want them to see Jesus in those moments. I want them to cling to those moments when life becomes unbearable, holding onto the knowledge that God will never leave them or forsake them. I want them to know beyond a doubt that I will always be praying for them and more than anything~ I want Jesus to be their best Friend. I want them to truly know Him, not just about Him. As life so quickly slips by and the days become months and years faster than you could have ever imagined, you will one day catch your reflection in a mirror and wonder for a moment who that older woman is looking back at you. You will stop and look deeper into her eyes and you will see the heart of the young mama you once were. You might have changed physically, but your heart will always remain the same. You are mom. You are grandma…. With the realization of all that entails, allow it to encourage you to make every single moment count in the lives and memories of those you love, because those moments are fleeting. Hold fast to the promises of God’s words. One day you will be remembered. Let that memory be one of unfeigned faith. A faith that will last from generation to generation, and in the mean time~grab those babies and hold them a little bit closer, love on them a little bit longer and pray for them a whole lot more. Make sure they know how much you love them. How much you love these moments, because these are the moments that matter. Philippians 1:3-6, 2 Timothy 1:3-5, 3:15, Psalm 44:1,8, Psalm 45:17
6/19/2020
Read Through The BibleSo, 60 days ago a family member of mine asked if I wanted to start a bible plan with him.
The plan was~Read through the Bible in 60 days. 😳 All kinds of thoughts~and arguments with myself~ran through my head. ⁃ If I say no, what will he think of me? ⁃ 60 days for the whole Bible?? How much time will that take me to read every day? ⁃ I don’t have time for that much reading! ⁃ I’m a pastor’s wife, I should make the time. ⁃ But I don’t have time! ⁃ Maybe I can just “listen” as I do dishes or put on my makeup, then say I read it. ⁃ I just want to read a short devotional every morning, pray and feel good about myself for putting my time in. ⁃ I don’t have time for that much reading! ⁃ Then Jesus said- “Yes you do Charisse”. And it changed my life. Guys, it changed my life. I make the time to watch TV, movies and Instagram stories. I make the time to go on Facebook. I make the time to scroll endlessly through Pinterest. I make the time for relationships that are important to me. I go on dates with my husband. I spend time with my children and grandchildren. Is my relationship with God important? I have the time to get in Gods word. I have the time for the One Who created me, loves me and died for me. The One Who forgave me of every wicked thing I’ve ever done and will ever do. The One Who took away my sins and gave me eternal life. The One Who gave me this wonderful, amazing, glorious, blessed life. I am spoiled beyond belief by His blessings and I was arguing with myself about giving Him an hour of my time each morning to truly get to know Him. My eyes have been opened to so much. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The more I read, the more I wanted to talk to Him. The more I read, the more I felt His presence, His comfort, His peace. He became more real to me each day and I couldn’t wait until the next day to read again. I don’t usually write posts like this, but I’d like to give you some tips that helped me on this 60 day journey. ⁃ Before you ever start, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you each day. Ask Him to show you what God wants you to learn from His words. Even difficult passages with genealogies came alive to me. ⁃ Get the Bible app. You can read along with the narrator. You can also speed the narration up. I started at 1.5 speed and increased it to 2. It was difficult to follow along at first and I had to keep pausing it to reread, but eventually the speed became normal to me and it was easy to follow along. ⁃ http://bible.com/app ⁃ I was able to highlight verses on this app and later go back and highlight the verses in my physical bible as I reread them. It was like a double blessing. ⁃ Find a partner to read along with you. It helps you to stay on track and not get lazy. ⁃ At the same time, don’t beat yourself up if you have to miss a day. Life happens. God understands this. ⁃ Stop looking at God’s word as a “get out of jail” card and ask Him to help you see it as a means of getting to know Him in a deeper way. I realized how often I opened God’s word to make me feel better. I always made it about me and rarely made it about God and just loving Him and wanting to glorify Him. We were never created to just live our lives on our own, maybe giving God 15 minutes in the morning to read a quick devotional then go about our day. We were created to live in complete fellowship with Him. To be engulfed in the gospel and have it transform our lives. To glorify him in everything we do. It is only because of God that we are here. How foolish we have become in thinking that we are living and glorifying Him by “giving” him 15 minutes of our day when He gave EVERYTHING for us. We are a generation that binge watches Netflix, gets pulled into reality shows and social media, that does extreme diet and exercise plans to change our lives but neglect the very book that can literally transform us from the inside out. Please don’t think that I see myself as better, or more spiritual than others for doing this. Quite the opposite. On this journey, with a clearer vision I have seen myself and the wickedness my sinful heart holds. I’ve seen how much I have taken for granted and how much I have let slide, but I’ve also seen how very much God loves me. I am so undeserving of His love and yet He redeemed me. That brings me to my knees. I’d like to challenge you today to start a 60 day plan with Jesus. If you have never experienced God’s redeeming love, please reach out to me. There’s so much more I’d love to share. Guys, it will change your life!!
10/23/2019
Until They No Longer Need YouUNTIL THEY NO LONGER NEED YOU
I listened to him tell us about his dump truck. His big blue eyes sparkled as he spoke. Any other person may not have understood half of what he was saying, but I did. He’s my grandson and memories of his own mother came flooding back. With her lisp and tiny voice. I could hear her telling me all about her little stuffed bunny. Just like it was yesterday. And this grandma wanted my daughter to hold that memory and make time stand still for a moment. I wanted her to realize how much she would miss these seemingly trivial conversations with her son. Telling mama about dump trucks. But when we’re a young mom and in the thick of it, often we don’t even hear it. They talk and talk and talk... It is non stop. Life is so busy, our schedules are so hectic, our day to day responsibilities are so weighing~ that we brush it off. We don’t really pay attention. It’s just background noise. Until one day he is talking to you like an adult, and your heart skips a beat. When did that happen? When did it change? Time goes on and pretty soon their life is too busy. Your children are adults with schedules and day to day responsibilities that weigh on them. And then there is no talking at all. Moments that are few and far between. You understand their busyness because~ wasn’t it just yesterday that you were there in the thick of it? Wasn’t it just yesterday that your own mother was telling you how much she missed you? How she wished you would visit more often? And you were frustrated. You complained that she had no idea how busy your life was. Until it wasn’t. But then it was too late. Dare I say mama that you may think your life is hard now, that you will never get beyond the constant talking, interruptions and neediness~ You might wish for peace and quiet~ but one day all you will have is the quiet. That’s when it’s hard. So mama~ Soak up every single word. Stop what you’re in the middle of while your child is talking to you, think about what I have said and try to picture that little one as an adult who no longer needs you. Look at them~really look at them~ and listen, because one day they will be too busy to talk and you will wish for that moment back again. You will wish he was telling you about his dump truck like you were the most important person in his world. Because honestly mama, you were. Don’t ever take that for granted. And one day, just because you remember that busy time in your life and you understand it~ doesn’t mean you miss your children talking to you any less. You will remember those moments and wish you could have them back again. Just you and your baby~ talking about dump trucks. 
1/8/2019
Don’t Miss Out On The RooftopsDON’T MISS OUT ON THE ROOFTOPS
I stand at my bedroom window in the quiet. This room that my three daughters once shared. It didn’t used to be this way. Quiet. I look out into the darkness. The moon’s brilliance reflects softly off the snowy rooftops. My bedroom used to be downstairs. I never had this view. I didn’t realize what I was missing. My life was downstairs. Down in the trenches of the crazy life of a pastor’s wife with four children. Busy and happy. Crying and laughter. Moments turned into memories. Now~all quiet. I see the snow covered rooftops of our church....our hall....our beautiful town. I look toward my children’s rooftops. Sleeping soundly with their spouses. Their children. Their moments. Their memories. They will be busy. They will be happy. They will have crying and they will have laughter. And I weep for the blessings my Heavenly Father has bestowed upon me. The happiness He has allowed me to hold under this rooftop. Some years I was so focused on the mess that I missed the moments. So focused on the busyness that I missed the blessings. But now I see them all. I look at the rooftops. The beautiful clean snow falling softly in the darkness. I see God. Don’t miss the rooftops. They’re there~ in the craziness, in the busyness. They’re there in the crying and laughing. They’re all the sweet blessings God gives us each day~ that we often somehow miss. They’re all the beautiful moments that make up our memories. There~ under the rooftops. Soon the snow will melt. Winter will pass and before you can blink~the tiny laughter of little children, the busyness, the craziness~ It will all pass, and another rooftop will hold that magic inside. Cherish those moments while you can. You might not even realize what you are missing. Don’t get so caught up in the trenches that you miss the miracles you hold at your fingertips. But don’t get so caught up in the memories that you miss the moments you have right now. I hear my husbands soft breathing as he sleeps, and I smile. Old memories are deeply cherished but new ones are ahead. Don’t miss out on the rooftops.
12/18/2018
You Can Change The WorldYOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
I know it’s cliche, but what if we really did choose to live every day as if it were our last? What if we had to go through the exact routine today that we went through yesterday ~nothing changing~ not telling anyone it was our last day here on earth. Knowing that when we laid our heads on our pillows tonight and closed our eyes, we would wake up in heaven. How would this change how we chose to live? How we looked at our loved ones and treated them? How we lived our lives in front of those we work with, knowing that today was the last time to share our Savior with them? We wouldn’t worry about tomorrow because we would know there would be no tomorrow. Only today. Today would be so much more important to us. We would cherish every single second with our loved ones, with our children. With our spouses. We would make time for family because we would know we didn’t have any time left. We would put our phones down and try to teach our children as much as we could, knowing we wouldn’t be here tomorrow. We would love on our spouses deeply, and be so forgiving of so much. You know where I’m going with this. Preachers have preached on it often~”What if today was your last.” When we hear that, we usually tend to think outside the box of reality. All the extravagant things we would do our last day on earth. But think about having to stay inside the box of reality. Having to live out your day today not changing a thing except for how you view it, and then how you act and react ~because that view is drastically changed. And yet God tells us- We aren’t promised tomorrow. Psalm 90:12, Matthew 6:34 We aren’t supposed to worry. Matthew6:25-34 We’re supposed to love on our children and train them up in the way they should go. Proverbs 22:6 We’re supposed to forgive and love our spouses and each other as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Ephesians 4:32, 5:25 We’re supposed to be a living testimony for Christ in all we do or say. Galatians 2:20 We’re supposed to find the joy of Christ in everything. Every single second. John 15:11, I Peter 1:8, Philippians 4:4, Romans 14:17, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 118:24, Just as if today were our last. This December lets choose to live every day to the fullest, with a different view. To cherish every single second and not allow the Christmas chaos to change our perspective. To view each day as a beautiful gift from God and strive to share that present with everyone. Let’s determine to be thankful for Christmas and focus on Christ~just as if we will be seeing him tonight. A drastically changed view can drastically change the world. Through Christ alone and for His glory we can change the world. One day at a time.
11/20/2018
Now I’m That MomNOW I’M THAT MOM
Hey all you mamas out there~ What is it that you want from your children? Not FOR them, but FROM them. Does that sound selfish? Let go of the idea that it is, and look deep into your mama heart. What do you want more than anything FROM your kids? Love? Respect? Compassion?Thankfulness? Time? When they are tiny little ones, the answers are a lot easier. What we probably want most is rest. We don’t think a lot about the other things. Yet. The fact is, when they are tiny they automatically do all the other things. But then they get a little older. Love is still there, but that respect thing starts to lose its footing. A little older, and thankfulness and compassion turn into eyes rolling and heavy sighs. Still, a little bit older and we would give anything for time. Time with the ones who were our whole world for so long. How quickly things change. Our babies once snuggled on our laps, begging us to read to them, soaking up the sound of our voice with sweet, childlike adoration. And then, adulthood in all her glory turns that childlike adoration to annoyance and frustration if we call and want to talk. How quickly it changes from making every “boo boo” better with just a kiss. From caring for their sick little bodies through the night, to more annoyance if we share our concerns when they aren’t well. I can remember all of these scenarios in my own life with my mother, but they are only a memory now. My little self wanting to be with her and like her. Wanting to spend time with her. Wanting to be taken care of. Time changes things. I became a mom. Amidst the endless responsibilities young children bring, the phone rings and it annoys me. I know it is her. I’m so ashamed of the thoughts my mouth would not utter~ “She always picks the worst time to call. I don’t have TIME to talk to her right now!” But then one morning the phone rings again. Amidst the chaos of craziness that surrounds me, I hear nothing but my dad’s voice~almost as if he is speaking in slow motion... “Your mom is gone”~ My breath escapes me as my entire world rushes backward. I long to give more love, more respect, more compassion, more thankfulness, more time. So much more time. For a very long while, whenever the phone rang after that moment~ I thought for an instant that it was her. I wanted it to be her. So, I’m that mom now. The one on the other end of the phone. Calling, worrying, wondering if they’re ok. Wanting to help. Wanting to love. Wanting to spend time with them. Wanting all of those things. The same things my mom wanted from me. And as much as my human mama heart loves her children, it doesn’t touch the love my heavenly Father has for me. A love that desires all these things. Love. Respect. Compassion. Thankfulness. Time. Glory in the time you have with your little ones. Glory in the time you have with your mama. Glory in time spent with your Savior. Don’t allow time to change your child like adoration~ Allow it to deepen the love you have~ Not only for your mama~ but most especially for your Savior. |
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