Intense Truths and Leaky Buckets



You may be thinking, “What kind of a post-title is that?!:) And you’d be justified—rest assured, we’re getting to that. :D

For those of you who do not know this, my family does not have practical Internet access from our house, and so the only times I am able to use the internet, is when I am at the library or another source of free WiFi :D The way I work around this is by printing as PDF files the things I wish to read (blogposts, emails to respond to, etc…) for later to maximize my online time. This was the case with the following blogpost from one of my favorite blogs for Christian young women.

I’ve copied and pasted the following (concerning leaky buckets!) as well as the link to the entire post, should you wish to glean the rest of the post for your weaponry arsenal. :D

This post was an encouragement to me, and I hope that it will encourage you dear ladies as well!!!!! God bless! And God fill our leaky buckets! (Perhaps some of us are missing the bottoms of our buckets entirely!!! :( )

“…The people of Jeremiah's day had stopped looking to God for their satisfaction. I don't know who or what they were hoping would make them feel okay, but it doesn't matter. The result was like pouring water into a leaky bucket. It just didn't work.

You see the answer isn't to be noticed more often, loved by more people, or cherished more deeply. The answer is to know that God has already noticed you. In fact, He studies you. (Matthew 10:30 says He knows the very number of hairs on your head.) He loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you (John 3:16). He cherishes you like a father cherishes His own daughter (Rom. 8:15).
The trick is to let that be enough—to let the truth about who you are to the God of the universe fill your bucket instead of constantly looking to the people in your world to make you feel noticed.
It's not an easy switch to make. Praise from people seems so tangible sometimes compared to the affirmation we find in God's Word, but ultimately it is just like pouring water into a leaky bucket. It never lifts our spirits for long.
How about you? Have you been pouring water into a leaky bucket? Looking to the people around you to make you feel loved and important? I hate to go all Dr. Phil on you, but how is that working for you?
If your bucket's sprung a leak… …God alone is able to fill you up and answer your heart's cry. He's the only one offering "living water" that can take away our thirst for good.
I'd like to ask you to make a choice.

Option #1: Leaky bucket.
Choosing this route means continuing to look to other people to make you feel loved, accepted, and cherished. You should know up front that this route never works for long.

Option #2: Living water.
You make the choice to let God satisfy your craving to be loved. You study what He says about you in His Word, and you choose to believe it even if your feelings tell you otherwise.” (!!!!!)

(Emphasis of any sort was done by me, and the picture is from the original post as well J I encourage you, Dear, dear Princess, if this struck even the slightest chord within your heart, go read the (very short!) rest of this post at the Lies Young Ladies Believe Blog! Follow this link: www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=1956

When the Rubber Meets the Road...


Monday evening, I had a ‘rubber meets the road’ moment. 
It was one of those convicting, “ouch” moments.

My mother was planning to go shopping at Sam’s with a friend the following day, and I wanted ssooooo badly to go with her! 

But my Dad was going to be gone on-call, so if I did go with Mom and her friend, the kids would be left home alone—with the potential to pull a ‘free-for-all’ (you know the bit, no schooling would get done, there would be lots of noise and chasing each other around the house… :-)) and the would need someone to get them lunch.
In a whiny way and with a ‘poor me’ attitude, I told my mom I would ‘just stay home’.
I could have pushed it, but I could tell that my Dad didn't love the idea, probably as a whole, and mom wasn't keen on leaving the kids by themselves.


It would have been inconvenient if I had gone with my mom, and so I decided to stay… but I was sooo bummed.
I went back to mom and dad’s room to recant telling them “it was fine- I’d stay home”, but I was stopped by overhearing Dad (who didn't know I was there) tell Bethie (my 11 year old sister, who was looking right at me) how ‘it was good for me to be staying home, so mom could go do what she wanted and needed to do (go get food to feed her family!! :-D ) and to not have to worry because I would be there to just step in and take over’—keep things humming smoothly until she returned.
(And, apparently, Bethie informed me later, that he had said something to the effect of how ‘you don’t always get what you want’—which made me mad, but I knew he was right! Which is probably why it hurt so bad lol/;-/ I needed to hear it!)

I had a pity party and invited God—lol.
 I told Him I KNEW I was being selfish and asked Him to help me put Him first; others (namely, my family!!!) second, and reserve the few remaining crumbs for myself. I realized that I've been living a very ‘me-centric’ life lately :-( I so often do get my way or get to do what I want that I’d grown spoiled :-(
God helped me realize something.
Here I am, being all “passionate” about, involved in, and say I am and believe in being a Biblical, stay-at-home-and-heart daughter (who *clears throat* loves and ministers to her family…)(and by doing that is preparing for wife-and-mommyhood) but when it really comes down to it—when I encounter the HUGE test to act upon and actually LIVE OUT what my head knows and my heart believes…
Even when it comes to being a good example as the big sister—Bethie was right there watching and hearing the entire thing! (She mouths to me -and in a sweet, respectful way!- “but isn't that kind of selfish?!”… Um yeah. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I was not so hot on the performance end.

When all is said and done, when it comes time to PRACTICALLY LIVE OUT what I believe, do I selflessly submit and practice what I preach?
Do I lay down my desires to defer to another’s (A HUGE, integral part of wife and motherhood, BTW!!!)??
Or do I push, twist, and maneuver circumstances to get my way—what I want—at the inconvenience of others?!
As you can imagine, this was a big light-bulb moment for me. I can romanticize about and expound upon the virtues of being a virtuous daughter, but daydreaming and talking :-) are easy things to do.
Selfless, virtuous living?
Yeah.
That’s TOUGH.
But by the grace of God, it’s not impossible! (Matthew 19:26) (Matthew 10:27) (Luke 1:37) (Luke 18:27) (Philippians 4:13)

What about you, dear daughter? Have you (like me :( ) allowed selfishness to creep in and derail you from what you know and believe to be true?

What about you, dear sister? Have you been a less-than-stellar example lately (like me :( )?
What about you, dear Princess? Have you allowed the enemy and his minions to convince you that holy living is impossible—so why bother?

Please know that I do not condemn you! I’m guilty as well. 
But by God’s grace, let’s get back up, learn from this, and keep going forward!

We can talk a good talk—but when the rubber meets the road, can we, can I, walk a good walk?

A Verse for the Day... (that you've heard 100 times...)


In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:6

God desires to be acknowledged in ALL your ways—every seemingly silly, apparently trivial detail of your life!

ALSO! This verse doesn’t read, “and He shall direct thy paTH" … It’s “and he shall direct thy pathS" – He’s going to direct me and you over and over and over and over and over and over again, every single time we come to Him, acknowledge Him, for direction!!!
Praise the LORD and Thank GOD for the promise and provision of his guidance!!!

Trust: A Matter of the Heart


Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

I need and am supposed to trust in the Lord with all my HEART ♥. Not all my MIND! While, yes, it is a good thing to have, a “head knowledge” is NOT ENOUGH!!

It’s not!
It’s a matter of the heart! ♥♥

Finding Favor (Part 2)


 Yesterday, we looked at Proverbs 3:3-4 in reference to how we ‘find favor’ in God’s sight. But let us look at these verses again! J

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4) 

Not only does this verse promise favor with God if we apply verse 3, but it actually tells us that we SHALT find favor in the sight of man!!!!
While this verse says you SHALL “find favor in the sight of…man”, it doesn’t say what type of “man”—lol.
Ever notice how your church family can be all warm, supportive, and encouraging when you do something for Jesus, or something you believe God has called you to do? But over that same decision, others can be rude, cold, unsupportive and standoffish?? Obviously you haven “found favor” with that second group! J lol. But most likely, when this verse says you’ll gain favor in the sight of men, it’s speaking of Godly men and women (People whose good opinion is actually worth having because of their walk with GOD) (***what is your opinion about this?? I’m curious to know??*** J) And, occasionally, even thought unsaved people may oppose and disagree with you for a certain decision, they WILL RESPECT you for making and standing by it!!
(ALSO! What is your Biblical ‘opinion’ about this verse’s principal? I’m curious to know! J If you feel like sharing your thoughts, simple leave them as a comment below! J)

BUT!
My/your/our ultimate goal should NOT BE to find favor in the sight of any man or woman—Godly or not!!! Our main objective needs to be to find favor in GOD’S sight by keeping His Word’s not anyone else’s! No one else’s respect or recognition should matter!!!


However, Not only do we find favor in the sight of God and man if we “let not mercy and truth forsake us, bind them about our necks and write them upon the tables of our hearts” (verse 3), BUT! We will find GOOD UNDERSTANDING in the sight of God and man!!! Not sure if that means that we will be “greatly understood”, but I imagine not lol. (Again, your thoughts please!!! J) Probably refers to possessing good, Godly wisdom (or possessing good, Godly knowledge and then having the discernment and know-how to apply that knowledge which equals wisdom!) how to serve and obey God, and how to relate to others. Even more amazing, is the fact that it will not simply be “understanding” that we will obtain—but GOOD understanding!! As James tells us, if we only take a moment to ask God for wisdom—He WILL give it to us… liberally!!!!! (YAY!!!!! JJJ) (James 1:5) And guess what?! That’s another promise!!! J
So perhaps, before you continue with your day, you may take a moment to pray and ask God for wisdom to attain favor with Him and man—to endow you with the wisdom to obey Him and relate in a Godly way to others you deal with today! 

Finding Favor (Part One)


“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”  (Proverbs 3:3-4)

{found via Google Images}

If you and I, as young ladies, obey the advice laid out in verse 3, I will find FAVOR with God and Man. This is an actual promise from the Lord!

With Christmas so rapidly approaching, surely we've heard Gabrielle’s famous proclamation to Mary quoted at least once! Mary, at a young age, had not let mercy and truth forsake her. She had “bound them about her neck”. She had “written them upon the table of her heart.” Then, out of nowhere, an angel brings her the astonishing news that she of all women is honored with the privilege of carrying, giving birth to, and rearing the Messiah! After she voices her humble “why me!?” Gabrielle informs her that she had “found favor with God.”
Not by doing any huge extra-Godly act—but by a lifetime of humble, faithful obedience.
Sometimes, in trying to please other people and finding it impossible, we may subconsciously decide God is impossible to please as well. L
But thanks to the Biblical account of Mary we (you!) may rest assured, dear sister that just as Mary did it is possible to obtain favor with God!!!
AND! Before you even begin to even set up that ‘spiritual gymnastics routine’ to obtain that favor with God, let me stop you… (And stop myself as well). While we should strive to attain favor with God, there are no phenomenal, nearly impossible feats we must first accomplish in order to do this! (Ever notice that the SILENCE in the Scripture in reference to a detailed description of Mary or her spiritual “accomplishments”?? Maybe God left it that way for a reason!)
Perhaps the best way to “find favor with God” is by daily simple and humble obedience to God’s mercy and truth as written in His Word—not any type of ‘performance’ we must do before we can be ‘excepted’ or ‘a good Christian’.
So today, focus on that, dear sister. God loves you for who you are in and by Him—not because of what you do!!!!!