Who Do You Love The Most?

“Who do you love more, Mommy?”

My oldest daughter used to throw this question out at me daily when she was a few years younger.  Only fifteen months separate her and her middle sister; a three year gap between her and her youngest sister. Competition for mom’s attention was fierce in the preschool/toddler days.  (It kinda still is.) She was seeking an edge. A way to one up her little sisters.  Bragging rights of being “Mom’s favorite”.

And moms, we get this question so often from our children! You probably don’t even blink before spouting out, “I love you all the same!” Because, really, we do.  There’s no way you could possibly pick one child over another if you happen to have more than one kiddo in your family. Sure, there might be moments in your day when you might feel a bit closer to one child because perhaps, they were the only one who was behaving well that morning or maybe they were extra cuddly with you that afternoon.  For example, when little Susie dumps a whole bottle of yellow mustard on the neutral carpeting in her bedroom and doesn’t tell anyone. (Ahem, ahem.  Not that I would know from experience.) You may struggle with what just happened, but a second later, she hugs you and all is right again. 

But this time, when my daughter asked me the question, I didn’t give her the usual “mom answer”.  This time I took a minute and with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I responded...

“Honey, I love Jesus the most.”

She looked at me puzzled. In her mind, Jesus wasn’t even an option. 

“But what about daddy?” she asked me.

“Sweetheart, I love daddy, and you, and your sisters too!  But I love Jesus the most.  Jesus died for me.  Jesus loves me more than you do, more than your sisters do, even more than daddy does! And you know what else?  The Bible tells me that I’m supposed to love Jesus the most.  Because if I don’t keep Jesus first, everything else in my life will fall apart.  I wouldn’t be a good mommy.  And I wouldn’t be a good wife to daddy. And that wouldn’t be good at all, right?”

She looked at me and let it all sink in for a second. 

“Does Daddy know?”

“Yes, baby, he knows.  In fact, Daddy loves Jesus more than he loves me too! And that’s fine with me.  That’s exactly how it should be.”

She pondered this thought for another minute...

“Ok,” my daughter exclaimed and bounced off on her merry way.

How about you ladies?  Who do you love most?  We have been learning at West Ridge through the “Better Together” Series that we need to keep God first, then our husbands, then the kids, and everything else comes after that.  So let me just ask... Is Jesus coming first in your heart?

I’m not perfect.  I struggle sometimes making God a priority when my day is full of running errands, laundry, homework, meal prep, cleaning the house (ok, I’m exaggerating about the cleaning the house part, lol!), sports practices, and sometimes more! But my relationship with God is important to me.  I want to keep Him first.  So if the laundry doesn’t get done because I need to spend some quiet time alone with my Lord, so be it.  The time I spend reading the Word and praying builds my relationship with God, keeping me focused on Him.  And that is not a waste of time in the least.  Just like any relationship, it can’t grow deeper unless you put time into it, making sure to talk and listen, giving it the proper place in your life. 

You know, it’s true, if God doesn’t come first...  If Jesus isn’t #1.... everything else will crumble.  You won’t be the best wife, or mother, or employee... You will not be the best YOU that you can be!  You will be distracted, unfocused, exhausted, ineffective, fearful...  I could go on but I think you get the picture. 

Sweet friends, I want to encourage you today if God isn’t your first love, consider doing some shuffling in your heart.  Your husband, family, career will only benefit from coming up second, third, fourth place to our Savior.  When we seek God first, giving Him the proper place in our lives, HE will take care of the rest!

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Are We Really Enough??

Let’s take a step back in time, shall we?

I remember sitting in a pew as a young girl, maybe around the age 13 or so, as the words caught my ears and settled in my heart. I don’t remember the exact words spoken, but it was a phrase I was quite familiar with growing up in the church. A phrase I would hear over and over again as I sat in church pews, chairs or just gathered with friends. At that time, I didn’t fully understand the words spoken.  Not at 13, not at 16, 21, or even 25. But somewhere along my journey I began to understand them better as I began to know God better.

“We all fall short…”

There is typically more that follows this phrase but it seemed to always stop there for me. I can’t quite explain why my heart wouldn’t hear anything further. I have talked about being a rule follower before, so it could be my proclivity to “being good”? Nonetheless that is where it stopped for me and for a long time this phrase settled in my heart as “I will never measure up, I am not worthy, I am not good enough.” And that is what began replaying in my head.

Now here’s the thing, those words are true. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 (NIV). When we read this verse or hear it in a sermon, we are asked to look our depravity in the face. Some of us need this. We need to look at our sin head on and confront it. It should help us to see our need for a Savior. But I tend to have reservations about calling one to recognize their depravity. Because, I know there is someone out there who feels the weight of those words and they pick up that weight and carry it themselves. And I know that carrying that weight by their own volition will send them into a spiral. They will either give up under the weight, “If I can never measure up then what is the point?” Or strive harder, “If I am not good enough then I will try harder, do more, be better.” I know this because I have been that person, and I have been on both ends of the spectrum.

I missed the second half of this truth. For a long time… I missed it. I plead with you now to listen to what I am about to share next. Let this truth settle in your heart, maybe in a fresh and new way.

“And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24 (NIV) [emphasis mine]

That’s it right there! We fall short yes, but we are enough! You are enough because Jesus made you enough. And this truth, it changed my life.

So let’s fast forward to today...

That phrase “You are enough”, it has carried me through so many trials. It has been my mantra, my go to phrase for probably the last 5-6 years. When I start to slip into to one of those modes, either giving up or striving harder, this phrase serves as a reminder that Jesus calls me, “enough” and I need only to rest in Him.

I have seen this phrase start popping up again around the Christian blog-o-sphere and it is more so being written about in a negative light. The critique I have seen charges, “I am NOT enough,” and it is followed up with, “only Jesus is.” (This is true. What Jesus did though, made us enough.) It urged the Christian reader to no longer use this phrase and tagged it as “worldly”. After reading some of these critiques, it brought me right back to that place as a young girl, teenager and young adult. That place of “If I am not enough then I must try harder.”

What we must remember though, is this... There is no condemnation in Christ!

As with most things, I dug a little deeper. I did have this small moment of panic that maybe I was believing another lie. But this phrase, “You are enough”, it had gotten me through so much. God gave me that nugget when I needed it most and He used it to pull me out of a pit. So then… Was it wrong?

I asked God to show me.  And you know, you can do that too!! Never be afraid to ask and seek.  God is not afraid of our questions.  When you seek Him earnestly, you will find Him! “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 (NIV)

I’d like to share with you what I believe God said to me (in our own little way of communicating).

“You are enough. Everything you have poured out at the end of the day, is enough. Just like the woman who gave her two pennies, you are enough.”

And I thank God for it! Friends, we must test and prove everything. When we ask God to reveal Himself for us, He does.

“But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”” Mark 12: 42-44 (NIV)

Side note: I’d like to point out that shortly before this verse in Mark, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Ch.12 V. 30, NIV) So when God tells me that at the end of each day, everything that I have poured out is enough, I believe him. Each day, I give it everything I’ve got and He calls it enough. Because, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that comes by Christ Jesus!”

Because He is enough, He has made you enough.     

You, my friend, ARE enough!

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni

At His Feet

I’m going to share something a bit personal with you.  I am not fond of feet.  Oh sure, a newborn’s feet are precious.  Tiny little footprints inked onto a birth announcement – adorable!  But aside from babies, I’m not a fan.  And if you are a dude, don’t even show me your latest flip flops, showcasing your manly toes – eeek!!!  No thank you!!!  In fact, I’m not even very happy with my OWN feet these days.  The only thing my tootsies have seen is the inside of my fluffy, soft socks!  My poor toes are in need of a pedicure, desperately. 

So when I would read emails or articles mentioning being “at His feet”, I would usually think, “Ugh... feet!”

One day though, I was reading Beth Moore’s book, “The Beloved Disciple”.  It showcased the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23), John.  John was a fisherman when Jesus found him.  He was one of the sons of Zebedee who jumped out of his boat along with his brother, James, and followed Jesus.  John and James were nicknamed by Jesus the “Sons of Thunder”. (Side note, how awesome of a nickname is that? Sons of Thunder?! Don’t tell me Jesus does not have a sense of humor.)

Listen, don’t get me wrong, Jesus loved His disciples, not just John alone.  But in the Book of John, this is how John is referenced multiple times – the disciple whom He loved.  And as you read through the Book of John, you will see, there was a different bond between Jesus and John than that of which the other disciples had. 

What sticks out most to me is how Jesus and John were so close.  John was so at ease with Jesus that at the Last Supper, he leaned back against Jesus and questioned (at Peter’s urging) who it would be that would betray Him (John 13:23-25).  Later at the cross, Jesus entrusts the care of His mother to John, telling him that she was now John’s mother and John, now Mary’s son (John 19:25-27).  That’s not a responsibility that one would just shrug off to any old person.

I began to think, “Man, that is how close I want to be with Jesus.”  I want to be so close that I can lean in to Him, ask Him anything, and hear every word He says.  Every single word. But I question, “What is stopping me?”

So this brings me back to feet.  Specifically, the feet of Jesus.  There are quite a few instances where Jesus and “feet” come together in the New Testament.  The sick were brought to His feet for healing (Matt. 15:30).  The sinful woman who wet His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and then kissing and perfuming them (Luke 7:38).  Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him while annoying her sister, Martha, who chose to toil away in the kitchen (Luke 10:39).  Jesus washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:5). There’s more, but I think you get the idea.

This made me wonder, was I shying away from the feet of Jesus? What was keeping me back, at a distance? Then I realized what it was.  Fear.  Fear of what I might hear.  Fear of being so close, so deeply intimate with my Lord.  Fear of ugliness.  Not my Savior’s, but my own.

You see, when you sit at someone’s feet, there’s a closeness, an intimacy that is established.  At the feet, there is no hiding.  At the feet, you can hear what the person is saying distinctly. At the feet, you are humbling yourself, bowing low, and becoming a servant.  At the feet, love flows. 

I decided that I was no longer going to let fear get in the way of what I loved – my Jesus.  I was no longer going to shy away from His feet, keeping Him at an arm’s length.  Oh no.  I’m all in.  I’ve chosen to push past that fear and lean in.  I want to hear Him clearly.  I want to serve Jesus and love Him.   I want to share in that same closeness that John did.  That amazing relationship filled with intimacy and unending love.

My friends, don’t you? Are you finding yourself sitting at His feet these days or shying away?  Are you leaning in or pushing away?

Ladies, let’s choose to be at the feet of Jesus, here and now!  Let’s follow the example of Mary from Luke 10:39 and allow everything else to melt away for a bit and focus in on Jesus.  Press in and listen.  The Teacher wants to share precious words with you today.  Will you join me as I sit... at His feet?

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 (NIV)

Post by: Marcy Gates

My Grilled Cheese Moment

Hi ladies, Marcy here : )  It's my pleasure to introduce you to a very special guest writer today... Michelle Wheeler is a wife, momma, small business owner, and my neighbor!  When Michelle told me about her "grilled cheese moment" a few weeks ago, I knew we just had to share it with all of you too!  Michelle was gracious enough to take some time and bring this post to you today...  

God often speaks to me through my children.  One day last winter will always stand out to me as what I like to call "my grilled cheese moment."  I had been worried about finances and wondering how God was going to work out all the details.  I was doing dishes and praying to God to just answer my prayers now.  I felt very impatient and began to plead with God in my head, wondering if He was listening. 

Just then my son came up to me and asked for something to eat.  I asked him if he'd like a grilled cheese.  He excitedly responded, "Yes!"  I love to show my love through my food that I prepare!  So I gathered some Havarti cheese, pumpernickel bread, Kerry gold butter, and even started to cut up some thin apple slices.  This was going to be the best grilled cheese he had ever had! 

My son, only being 2 at the time, saw the Havarti and demanded some cheese pronto.  I gave him a slice to hold him over as I prepared this decadent sandwich of love for him.  He couldn't wait and quickly came over, demanding more cheese.  I looked down at his precious face and said, "Son, if you could just wait... I have something much, much better!"

I looked up in shock, picturing God watching my reaction, realizing that God was talking to me right now.  If I could only just trust God and wait because much like I was doing for my own son, God was lovingly constructing my very own “grilled cheese”. 

I smiled and a peace passed over me as I realized for maybe the millionth time, God has not forgotten me and He never will.

Post by: Michelle Wheeler

One Little Word

We are one month into 2017 and for many it doesn’t seem to be fairing much better than 2016. Marcy said it beautifully in our last post, When All You Can Do Is Pray, about how unstable last year felt. As 2016 came to end I saw an abundance of posts on social media about how terrible 2016 was. Some were funny memes that gave me a little chuckle and others were more extreme. I thought to myself, “I don’t think I have ever heard (or seen) such a larger number of people agreeing about how terrible one single year was.”  It felt overwhelming to me. I found myself agreeing with all the Facebook posts.  But I know how easy it is for me to get caught up in the “hype” if I am not careful so I took a step back and decided to evaluate.

Much like Marcy, I saw hurt, illness, hardships and tragedy all around me. And it seemed like so much more than “usual”. I thought about my own life and remembered the number of transitions we experienced this past year and... Yeah, I can’t say it was fun. After processing the collective data, I could certainly see how so many of us were more than ready to say “Farewell!” to 2016. I think it can be easy to believe some lies as we look back on the tumultuous ending to 2016. And that can leave us feeling confused, upset and overwhelmed.

…“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”  Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)

We don’t have to stay that way though! We serve a God who is unchanging, unwavering and faithful to the end! Let’s not be tossed by the waves but stand, anchored, as we keep moving forward.

As 2016 came to end, I felt God pulling me to withdraw from some things and out of that I got my one word for 2017. I am not a resolutions type girl, that carries too much pressure! A few years ago I learned about choosing one word for the year and I have adopted that practice each year since. I try to listen and follow where God is leading me on this (because again, it takes the pressure off). So I would like to share my word for this year with you!

My one word for 2017 is ABIDE. It comes from John chapter 15.  Abide means to stay, remain or wait. It makes me think of the words home and anchor. So as I tuck my one word in my heart (and write it down of course!) I look to 2017 with hope, peace and purpose.

I don’t know what your 2016 looked like, but I pray that you can look forward with hope! Maybe it means prayerfully choosing your own one little word or a verse from the Bible or even a song. But as we embark on 2017 we can use these things to keep coming back to, regaining focus and pressing on; using it as an anchor to withstand the waves that will come.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

Share your one little word (#OLW) with us in the comments below! We'd love to hear what God has been speaking to you...

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni

When All You Can Do is Pray...

Am I the only one who had a tough time in 2016? Raise your hand if last year was full of ups and downs.  (I’m raising both hands and both feet!) I feel like I am simply treading water as I limp into 2017.  What about you?

From health issues to emergencies to even the state of our country, 2016 had me wondering what to do next.  There were so many times when I dreaded when the phone would ring because it was only going to bring bad news.  I was afraid to check my email, fearful of what I might find.  Not to mention my Facebook newsfeed. People are scared and hurting. And so many of these instances were out of my control.  Some, deeply far from my grasp.

When we find ourselves in those times...  Difficult, trying, even downright scary times... What do we do?

Pray.

I know that sounds so easy to throw out there.  But I am telling you from experience, when you don’t know what to do – pray.  When there is nothing you can do but pray – pray!

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV) (Emphasis mine.)

I think I have lost count of the number of times in the last 6 months that I have dropped everything because there was an urgent need that I felt compelled to pray about.  An event that I simply needed to stop and bring to the throne of Jesus in prayer.  It just was such a great need, I had to press pause in my day and intercede for loved ones and friends.  Waiting for a quiet moment later was not an option.  I needed to take a few minutes right there, right then and fall to my knees in prayer.  Sweet friends, I urge you, when all you can do is pray – PRAY!

“Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.” Psalm 69:16 (NLT)

We can’t control everything.  We don’t know all the answers.  Try as we might, we can’t fix everything either.  But, we know the One who does and can! It is through prayer that we bring to the Lord what is on our hearts not only for ourselves but what our heart is toward others.  When your heart is breaking for a friend or loved one, lifting them up in prayer is such a treasure.

Even in those times when maybe the request isn’t so urgent, don’t neglect praying for others.  When you tell someone that you will pray for them, be sure to follow through. By the way, I’ve never had someone not say “thank you” when you’ve revealed to them that you are praying or have prayed for them.  I’ve yet to come across a person, believer or otherwise, who has said they would rather I didn’t pray for them. And come to think of it, don’t you love to hear when people share that they have been praying for you?!  Doesn’t it make your heart happy to know others are bringing your needs to Jesus too?! So make sure you bring your prayers to God for others as you would want others to pray for you.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19 (NIV)

When situations come up that you are completely powerless to do anything about, bowing down to the Lord in prayer instead of cowering in fear; it’s a way to put our faith into action. We are approaching the throne of mercy and believing God is hearing our pleas. We are trusting Him to answer according to His will. And He will answer...

Prayer

Releases

All

Your

Eternal

Resources

-        Richard A. Burr

Post by: Marcy Gates

With Full Abandon

During our Christmas Eve service at West Ridge, I was reminded of a quote from Anne Lamott... which we will get to in just a moment.  It was during our time of worship and the worship team did this really funky and cool intro to get started. Pastor Erik encouraged us all to let go and just praise like a child. I watched my five year old move his entire body to the music and oh my, how I wanted to do the same! Throughout the rest of worship I thought of this quote and as you read on you will see how God made it my own.

(Now bear with me as you read… it will all make sense as you keep going!)

“Oh my God. What if you wake up some day and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because our thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just to strung out on perfectionism and people pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen. Repent just means to change direction—and NOT to be said by someone who is wagging their forefinger at you. Repentance is a blessing. Pick a new direction, one you wouldn’t mind ending up at and aim for that. Shoot the moon.” ---Anne Lamott

In full disclosure, I haven’t read much of Anne Lamott but I came across this quote about a year and half ago and it changed the way I was looking at my life. It was a very freeing turn!

And so as I watched my boy, Maxson, and lifted my own hands with a huge smile on my face, I thought, “Oh my goodness! What if I reach the end of my life and I never praised God with full abandon? What if I never shouted His name in praise, or fell on my face before my King? What if I never danced for Jesus or lifted my thanksgiving because I was too worried about what everyone behind would think? What a tragedy that would be!” And I wanted to full out dance and shout right there.

But I didn’t.

Because no one else was.

My fear of being the only person, or fear of what other people might think held me back from really going for it.

I’d like to take you on a short journey if I may. During my more formative years the church congregation I was a part of was pretty conservative (nothing wrong with that at all), bringing out the tambourine was wild and crazy for us. So when I got to college and I witnessed folks raising their hands, clapping, jumping and dancing, I wanted more of what they had. But I was way too shy. The Lord has done and amazing work in my heart but still my fear hold me back. Deep down, what I really want is to just go all out for Jesus. And you know that might even look different every time! Sometimes it could mean dancing and jumping around and other times it could mean bowing in reverence and honor.

So as we enter this new year, 2017, I want to be ready to praise God in whatever way He is leading me. No more holding myself back due to overthinking and fear of judgment. I would like to encourage you to try the same. When you feel the Lord impressing you to lift your hands but that is not the norm for you, do it anyway! Do it and break down those barriers, knock down those walls. Don’t think about anyone else around you. It’s just you and Jesus, sing praises, dance for Him and worship him with abandon. Abandon fear and doubt or overthinking, whatever it is that holds you back, let it go and worship the King! We’ve really got nothing to lose. Am I right?

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100 (NIV)

As we walk into 2017 together, I pray we can let go of the fears that hold us back and enter fully into the presence of God. Worshipping Him with all we’ve got because He is worthy and He is faithful! Amen?

Have a blessed New Year sweet sisters!

With Love,

Jimmie Lee