Are You Being Served?

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about learning to be content that God is pleased with me even when I am being criticized by other people.  I am trying to learn not to beat myself up because others are disappointed with me or simply think I am not good enough.  On my own I am not good enough, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).  The realization that the very thing I do to please one person might simultaneously irritate, annoy or anger someone else reminded me that I should be striving to please God and not men (Galatians 1:10). The seemingly ironic thing is that to please God I must serve my fellow man (John 13:14-15).  This seems to put me in a quandary, but I know that there is a balance that I must strive for.  I always must put God first and serve others, but knowing that I can't always please others I must be content to serve them and receive criticism for it sometimes.  

In this world that says, "do what you want to do," "do what feels good," and "do what makes you happy;" I must stand apart and do what pleases the Lord, for that is where true joy is found.  Hopefully it will often mean meeting a real need and being appreciated, but it doesn't always work that way.  Sometimes it will mean giving someone what they need instead of what they want, as the Lord often does with me.  Sometimes it will mean speaking the truth in love.  Often it will mean setting aside what one person wants to meet the needs of another, but it is still putting God first and serving others.  

I recently had this principle of receiving joy by serving others brought to life in a very simple way.  I was addressing Christmas Cards to friends and family and as I got to the end of my list (not alphabetically) I became discouraged.  I started thinking crazy things like, "I never hear from this person, why should I send them a greeting?"  How ridiculous!  Somehow I had let the process of sending out cards become about me instead of the people who I was wishing a Merry Christmas.  I asked Eric if I should send cards to this person or that person, and his response was, "Well, you have the stamps."  He left the room and I began to think about my attitude and realign my perspective.  I started thinking about how it may bless the people to know that someone was thinking of them.  True, they may not like the particular card or even appreciate the thought, but that is not for me to worry about.  As I wrote out the remaining greetings as an expression of love to others, wishing for nothing in return, I was filled with joy once more.  I had grown weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9), but it was such a blessing to receive that second wind and reenforcing life lesson.  Serving is for the other person.  Yes, the server receives a blessing of joy, but if their motives become corrupted it robs them of that joy.  

So the lesson continues.  On the journey through this world God is working to transform me into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29)(2Corinthians 3:18).  It's a process, but someday it will be complete (Philippians 1:6) (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).  The longer I struggle against my human nature, which wants it's own way, the more I long for that day.  Until it arrives I will thank my God that His grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:19) when I stumble along this road.  Praise the Lord!  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever! (Psalm 106:1)

So you can answer the title question this time if you want to, or you can share your own story of one of your own life lessons.  :)

2013 Greetings From The Huyett Family

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been quite a year of change here. As the year began so did our discussions about farm animals. It wasn't long before we were visiting farms. In March we got some chicks and by Easter we had brought home our male Nigerian dwarf goats. On Memorial day we went to pick up the rest of our goats, two of which were freshened does, and we also had our first and only milking lesson. The rest we had to learn through experience and research. This fall the does were bred, and we are expecting our first kids in March. So continues our hands on educational experience.

Another thing we began to seriously consider as the year dawned was alternate employment opportunities. Eric compiled his resume and sent it to Penn State. It took most of the year, but the Lord's timing is perfect, and in November he received the offer we had been waiting for. He is scheduled to begin his new job on January 6 after 17 ½ years at Raytheon.

In July, Eric went on another business trip to Denver. I had the opportunity to go spend some time with him while he was there. This was a new experience. It was nice to see where he has been going for the past eight years. The kids did a wonderful job of caring for the animals while we were away, and Eric's mom, June, and Aunt Peg were very kind to come and stay with them driving them to their activities and helping them stay on task. Eric was able to take the weekend off while I was visiting, and we had a wonderful time in Rocky Mountain National Park, and at Pikes Peak. You can view pictures from our trip at:

http://whathasbeenmade.blogspot.com/2013/07/colorado.html

In addition to all the new happenings we continue to stay involved with Church, Small Group, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Soccer, Band and Drama. The three older kids also did track in the spring, and they went to Disney with the marching band. Darren had the opportunity to take some horse back riding lessons, which he loved. Eric still plays volleyball on Sunday evenings, and I still enjoy participating with the worship team. It's such a blessing to have three of the kids by my side in that ministry now. Cody has been training Heather to operate the sound board, and Austin plays keys occasionally.

One of the best things I have done this year is to keep a journal. I have been able to realize so many answers to prayer that may otherwise have gone unnoticed. Thanks be to God for all he has done and Praise to Him for He is worthy!

We hope that your family has realized many blessings this year as well, and we wish you many more in 2014.

~With love from the Huyett Family.

Are You Pleased?

I walked away from a conversation at the beginning of the week feeling like a loser.  Why did I feel like a loser?  The person had made one remark that felt like a put down, and I came to the conclusion that I was not pleasing them.  I struggled hard as the accuser (Revelation 12:9-10) used this conversation to bombard me with all the reasons I should give up, quit, walk away from what I was trying to do. It's ironic that one of my thoughts shortly after the conversation was, "oh well, everyone's a critic."  I know I can't please everyone.  If I try to please one person, the very thing I do to satisfy their wishes will offend or disappoint someone else.  Regardless of what I know, I let myself be taken down that dark and bumpy road. 

I started to pray about it.  What else could I do.  I was a mess.  I was discouraged and depressed, and I had no ability to change this persons view of me.  But praise be to God, when I asked for his help he reminded me that I don't have to please people. I knew this, but when God tells me something it means more than my knowledge.  He is truth.  What He says is.  The verse that I was lead to was Galatians 1:10  "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."  

As long as I am obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit who is always consistent with the written word,  I don't have to worry what anyone else thinks of me.  There are people who don't like me, the things I do, or sometimes just the way I do them.  I may feel sad sometimes, but I can have peace and joy knowing that God is pleased.  He's made me his child.  (John 1:12) I am an heir with Christ!  (Romans 8:17)  He helps me to do what is right, though sometimes I try to go it alone and I fail.  I am sinful and flawed, (Romans 3:23) but Christ has paid the debt for my sin (1 Corinthians 15:3-5), and the Holy Spirit is working in me to make me more like Christ as I walk with him (Romans 12:2).  I am under construction, and I won't be perfect until God calls me home (Philippians 1:6), then I will be a completely finished masterpiece. (1 Corinthians 15:51) 

My actions fall short of pleasing God, but He is pleased with me because he sees the righteousness of His Son.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)  As I strive in this world to be a pleasing aroma, let it be for God alone. (2 Corinthians 2:15)  I will be considerate of people to the best of my ability, but I will have to let go of trying to please them. (Romans 12:18) I will serve them as Christ taught me to, but if they reject me I am not responsible for that decision. (John 13:14) (John 15:18)  (Luke 10:16) I will live my life for Jesus who gave His life for me, and I will strive to please God and not man.  

So, don't answer the question in the title.  It really doesn't matter as long as God is pleased.  :)

Of Camels and Needles and Such

Have you ever heard the testimony of someone who turned to Christ and was delivered from a life of addiction or crime?  Do you know anyone who thinks that they are a good person and deserve to go to heaven?  There are times when I think some unbelievers who are obviously "bad" may have a spiritual advantage over others who have always been relatively "good."  That sounds outrageous, but let me explain.  No one deserves to go to heaven.  We all need a savior.  None of us is really good, but for some folks it is easier to see their need than others.  Jesus said, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."  (Mathew 19:24 NIV)  The rich man depends on his wealth and therefore overlooks his need for Jesus, and sometimes the "good" man does the same.  Anyone who depends on their own goodness to save them will be disappointed though.  Isaiah 64:6 says, "but we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade like the leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."  No one is an exception to this save Jesus who in His perfection was able to substitute himself for us as the Bible tells us.  "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."  (Isaiah 53:5)   The problem is that many people refuse to admit the guilt that they should be punished for, and will be punished for if they do not accept his gift of forgiveness.  "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."  (John 3:36)  People who can plainly see the sin in their lives can repent, unlike those who think their offenses are inconsequential.  Telling a lie or spreading gossip is just as much of a sin as murder or robbery.  Sometimes we sin without even knowing it.  On our own we are held accountable for it all.  That is why I am so thankful Jesus came to save me.  In the sermon on the mount Jesus tells us that anyone who is angry with his brother without cause is in danger of judgement, and that looking at someone lustfully is adultery of the heart. (Matthew 5) No one is without sin, but there is a sinless Savior waiting to remove the guilt of those who are willing to admit their wrong and trust in Him.  Thank you, Jesus!

Martha, Martha

Today I read through the past two months of my journal so I could jot down the prayers that have been answered.  So many times I pray about things while I am worried and barely even notice after the prayer is answered.  I want to have an attitude of gratitude, so I started this practice at the beginning of the year.  It is sometimes amazing when I look back just two months and see what my prayers and concerns had been.  Sometimes I see that God worked things out the way I had asked Him to.  At other times I see that He had a much better plan.  Sometimes I am still waiting for an answer two months later, but I know that God's timing is perfect. As I turned in my little notebook to the page marked July 2, 2013, I was blessed by what I read there...

 ________________________________________

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things."  Oh how soothing those words seem to me this morning.  Jesus wasn't speaking them with judgement or condemnation, but with compassion and understanding.  Mary had chosen not to be upset or worried.  She sat at the Lord's feet, enjoying His presence.  Martha hustled and bustled around trying to "serve" Him.  Martha didn't think that it was fair that Mary could just sit there like that, unconcerned about anything else.  

When my heart becomes overwhelmed with all there is to do, or with decisions that must be made, I want to remember the kindness in the way my Savior responded to Martha.  "Juanita, Juanita, you are worried and upset about many things."  Often when I become frustrated with a person, as Martha was frustrated with Mary, it's the same way.  It may not be as much about that person and what they are doing or not doing, but more about the "many things" that I need to let go of so that I can rest comfortably at my Savior's feet.  

Lord, give me peace and rest today that continues through my life.  Amen

_________________________________________

The passage of scripture that inspired this reflection is Luke 10:38-42

OMP

On Labor Day our family was out geocaching with our friend Tom who is visiting from Wyoming.  We had been to the parks at Benner Township and Bernel Road, taken a walk along Blue Course Drive, eaten lunch at Dairy Queen, and stopped various places along Martin Street.  Our quest to find hidden "treasures" had finally taken us to Circleville.  As we finished up our day of walks and searches I heard my daughter burst out with a frustrated, "OMP."  One of her brothers had asked her to do something he easily could have done himself, and she complied with a measure of annoyance.  We all looked at her a bit perplexed because none of us knew what OMP was supposed to mean, and then she spelled it out for us, "Oh My Pumpkins!" 

Part of me wanted to laugh, and part of me wanted to scold her.  I was about to tell her she couldn't cover up the meaning of what she was saying by changing the word to pumpkins, but before I did I mentally flipped the proverbial coin and looked at the other side.  Maybe she really is just say the word pumpkin in vain.  What if she were to say this among her peers at school?  Would they react the same way we did?  Her brothers just sort of rolled their eyes, and maybe even laughed at her silliness, but would someone who doesn't know her so well wonder why she would change the phrase?  I know why!  She respects God and doesn't want to use His title flippantly.  I say title because the One True God who created everything has many names that express His attributes.  Many people worship gods that are not real.  They are not divine, in fact many of them are not even alive.  Could OMP be Heather's way of saying, "I am frustrated, but I respect God?"  

I didn't actually say anything to her about it, but pondered the thought for a while.  In a culture where there is very little respect for anything, might this be one of the subtle ways that Heather stands out from the crowd?  Could it cause her friends to ask her questions and open the door to conversations about her faith that she would not otherwise have?  Is there anything wrong with exclaiming pumpkins? I'm not sure I know, but I think that I am often inclined to take things a little too seriously.  My prayer is that Heather will stand out as a light in the darkness, as one who knows the true and living God, and as someone who is eager to lead her friends to Him.  I can see that this is the desire of her heart, and so I am glad that I took a look at the other side of the coin before casting a judgement.  Heather, you are one special girl! 

Exodus 20:7  “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Late In August

The sky above is blue.  

The clouds are floating softly.  

They are big white puffs of cotton on this calm and peaceful day. 

The breeze brushes against my arm.  

Strands of hair tease my face.  

A little bug lands on my leg and I flick him away.  

The sun is shining brightly, 

but I am sitting in the shade from a great cluster of trees.  

They are standing proudly.  

Their leaves are green in this summer scene,
but very soon they will be changing.  

Shades of flaming orange and fiery red
will creep up the mountain behind me.  

Golden streaks will stir themselves into the mix.  

The air that is now moist and heavy
will soon be crisp and clear.  

Those birds that are gliding overhead
will fly south to their winter home.  

The bugs will go to sleep, 

and I will hide my legs from the chill.  

The friendly breeze will become harsh and cold.  

The wood piles that we have split and stacked
will soon be in demand. 

Steaming hot milk flavored with rich dark chocolate
will once again be my faithful companion. 

 How the world changes!  

...and yet, it stays the same.  

From year to year the days shorten and lengthen
as constant as the tide, 

and there is peace and contentment in knowing that
trees will bud again and the sun will warm the earth once more. 

Jesus taught about signs of the changing seasons...

^{Matthew 24:32} “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. ³⁴ I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

You have to read the whole chapter to know what "these things" are.