I Should Be...

I should be freaking out right now.  In fact, I should have been freaking out for a month now, at least. 

Deadlines.
Business/work pressures.
Kids.
Responsibilities.
Unexpected bad news.
Holidays.

The month of November has been full of ups and downs. And there’s every indication that December will be more of the same. But this season has been different for me. It would not be unusual for me to have mini meltdowns silently in my head for weeks, fretting over the things on the list above, only to have it all spill out in a major meltdown with tears and snot bubbles.

But this season, I’m finding myself much less stressed.  Things I used to worry about no longer cause my stomach to clench in knots.  In fact, I’m going to be bold and say that this season has been a season of peace. Now don’t get me wrong, I have shed some tears and had a couple moments of silent panic this month but it has not overtaken me.  

So what is different for me this month than in the past? My thoughts.

Philippians 4:6 instructs us not to be anxious about anything.  We are told to bring our prayers and requests to God with a thankful heart.  And then when we do that, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.  

But, you might say, “I’ve done that and I am still fearful, worried, stressed, etc....”

Well, let’s keep reading in Philippians, because this is key to moving forward...

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

After you have prayed, after you have cried out to God – where do your thoughts go? Are they heading back into the mire of worry and stress?  Are they diving deep into the dark unknowns? Are you trying to be two steps ahead of whatever is chasing you down?

As I have navigated this month, I’ve tried to be very careful and purposeful in where my thoughts go.  And I’m not talking about “the power of positive thinking” here.  I’m talking about focusing my thoughts on Christ. After I have prayed and allowed God’s peace to wash over me, I’ve been careful to not let my thoughts wander but to keep them focused on God. My desire is to hold on to the peace He has graciously given me.

“You keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Where are your thoughts heading today? What’s trying to dominate your mind? May I offer up a bit of direction? Here’s where I have been trying to steer my thoughts to lately... 

Whatever is true – remembering all I know about God from what He has revealed in His Word.
Whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable – focusing in on Jesus and all He has done for me.
Whatever is excellent or praiseworthy – keeping my eyes open for all God is doing right now in front of me and thanking Him for it!

I hope that helps you, sweet friend, as much as it has been helping me!  May we move forward with our thoughts fixed on Christ and resting in the abundant peace that only He can give!

Post by: Marcy Gates

Whatever They Do...

Recently while I was at work one day, a customer wrote out a check to pay for her purchase. As I wrote down the information from her driver’s license, I noticed that she was born in 1924! My immediate thought was a question, “I wonder what she thinks about our culture today and the way the world has changed?” I kind of wanted to ask her out for a cup of coffee! I had so many questions! But a lot of times, I’m still shy, so I never asked her because I thought she would think I was weird.

The next day while I was counting money in the office, there was a note on her check for me. It read, “Was this woman really 93?!” It made me chuckle a little. But I just couldn’t stop thinking about how much life this woman has seen. What was it like in 1924? How have things changed for the better? How have things changed for the worse? 

And then I thought about the people in my life who have come before me, my great aunts and uncles, my grandparents, my parents, etc. I thought about the legacy they have left on my life and the legacy they have left on the lives of my children.

Our “Young Fishers of Men” series at West Ridge that Pastor John just took us through also came to mind. And I just felt an overwhelming thankfulness that I’m part of a church community who is passionate about investing in our young people. Another question I wanted to ask that 93-year-old customer was what she thought about this younger generation. As the parent of a teenager, and a leader in our youth group, I must say that I think this new generation gets a bad rap. Much like with anything else, you can’t really know about something unless you spend time learning about it. I have to say the teenagers in my life tend to blow me away over and over again. They struggle with the same things that I struggled with is a teenager and probably the same things that you struggled with as a teenager too. But ultimately the way they think, their heart, their passion, it all just blows me away!

I remember needing somebody in my corner when I was a teenager and young adult. I am proud to be part of a community that is going to stand in the next generation’s corner, cheer them on, and help them rise up to be the individuals that God made them to be. As we talked about in the series, so many young people in the Bible served God and changed the world for His kingdom and for His glory. We learned that age doesn’t matter, God can use anybody for His purposes. It’s with this perspective that we choose to move forward and invest in God’s kids of all ages!

And I just love when God makes these little connections for me whether it is between a sermon series at church, Bible verses in my devotional time, or whatever the case may be.  When these little connections pop up it’s a reminder to me that God cares and that He listens and that He still speaking.

At West Ridge, we are in a new series called, “Bless”. When we were discussing this past Sunday’s message in our small group, the end of Psalm 1:3 stood out to me, “...whatever they do, prospers.” (I’ll post the entire verse at the end of my post.) When a person follows the decrees of the Lord, whatever they do prospers.

Immediately my children, and their peers popped into my head! You see God is blessing and His blessing is eternal. Whatever they do, prospers. My children, your children, your neighbor’s children, they are a blessing from God. Much like a tree, children grow, develop, mature... they prosper! You want to see God’s blessing in your life? I challenge you to invest in a young person! Be their cheerleader, their shoulder to cry on, point them to the Word that will root them like a tree planted by the water. (Amen!) I’ll leave you with this key verse from the current West Ridge series“Bless”...

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni