Day Twenty-One

Day Twenty-One

When I first read these verses this morning, I was so excited!  To hear that Jesus chose me long before I was even a DNA cell from ancestors that I’ll never meet this side of heaven. Jesus chose me.

Me.  What a humbling thought.  For so much of my life I have been the one chosen last.  I was the one who was not remembered when the party invitations were being sent out.  I was the one who spent her Friday and Saturday nights home alone while my friends were out dating.  I was Poor Pitiful Stef--except the devil had me believing I wasn’t even worthy of that title, for who even thought of me at all?

Well, Devil, guess what?  I’m on to you now.  I know your devices and tricks and schemes to make me feel less than.  I know your attempts to belittle me worked for a long while as I grew up through those horrid high school years and felt like the outsider.  I lived as the black sheep of my family for most of the years that it was still considered to be a nucleus.  I even let you beat me down during my teaching career as you worked your little games on me and my psyche to tell me how unsuccessful I was.

However, as I read these wonderful words of life--of life!!--I am again reminded that these light and momentary trials here on this earth are exactly that:  temporary.  They don’t last and those hurt feelings of my past days on it don’t even add up when put beside of those prepared for me.  For me!  Just as God chose me before the foundations of the world, His Son Jesus Christ is working now on my special place in heaven.  Personally, He is doing this.  He told me so when He said He’d go to prepare a place for me in His Father’s house.  

In conclusion, read these verses again, putting your name where applicable.  And remember:  if it were not so, He would have told you.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed Stefanie in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose Stefanie in Him before the foundation of the world, that Stefanie should be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined Stefanie for adoption as a daughter through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed Stefanie in the Beloved.  In Him Stefanie has redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of Stefanie’s  trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…”

Pretty groovy, huh? Let’s pray!

My Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank You for my daily bread and the forgiveness of my trespasses.  Lead me not into temptation and keep that evil one far from me.  Deliver me, Lord, for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and all glory goes to You.  Amen!

And the winner is...

It's that time of the year again. Political campaigns run rampant and no one is safe from all of the commercials and advertisements of those wishing to be elected as our next POTUS. Whether we like our choices or not, it seems like the two frontrunners are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Whoever wins, our country will still be divided, still have conflicts, and still wonder when there will ever be an elected official that we all are happy with.

This morning, in my spam folder, there was an email entitled "Stefanie Hutcheson: you have been chosen!" This is nothing new to me. I've known I was special for quite a while now. ;) Oh sure, way back in the day, I was seldom picked or nominated for anything. Well, there was that time I was in the running for a Senior Superlative--Class Clown, if you can believe that. But my good friend Cathy Allen Nicholson won instead. She's still cracking us all up with her charm and quirkiness, by the way. But back to me. While I love Cathy dearly, I'll have to write a blog about her another day.

While my "fifteen minutes of fame" were not realized back in high school, my eternal recognition for something better, something higher, and something much more significant have been written down in the books and thankfully, do not depend on my fellow man's decision as to whether or not I am the right woman for the job. I am. I'm kinda of special, you see. Famous? No. World renowned? Hardly. Is my face instantly recognized when plastered over billboards or on television ads? Nope: not there either.

So, where, Stef? Where is this fame, this notoriety, this special election you have been chosen for and just what are you running for anyways?

I'm so glad you asked! For you see, while I made the list, the even better news is that you did too! Woo hoo! You, me, and yes, that one over there who no one EVER thought would be anybody special? Turns out, we were all on the ballot! We were all in the running, and the best news? We were CHOSEN. We didn't volunteer. We didn't have to put our finances into being elected. And thankfully for many of us, our skeletons in the closet won't negatively affect our chances of winning! Read this passage from Ephesians 1 and see for yourselves:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him Who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory. 

Now, that is good news worth reading about, don't you think? No presidential seals are waiting for us but we have a better trophy: the seal of the Holy Spirit. Our inheritance is guaranteed (unlike down here where our popularity can change on a dime--no pun intended). Christ Jesus chose us before there were Bushes and Clintons and Washingtons and Kennedys. Before the foundation of the world, He had you and me on His mind, set us apart for greater things, and is even now cheering us on as we fulfill His purposes in our lives. So, go on. Get out there and run this race. Don't grow weary and don't faint. His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. You have been chosen by One Who knows the end from the beginning. Regardless of the politics of the world, the government is on His shoulders and He has you by your right hand. Our victory is already established. Let's walk as if we're the winners Jesus already made us to be, shall we?

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, in a world where I am often overlooked and underappreciated, where my talents often lie dormant, and when the haters are out there seeking to destroy and steal my joy, You remind me that this world is not my home. Your Word assures me that when others are picked first, You chose me to be a part of Your family. Mostly though, God, You elected me and Jesus and the Holy Spirit confirmed me and now? Now, my future is secured and my position in Christ affirmed. I am Yours. Elected. Chosen. Set apart. May I take this role seriously and do You proud is my hope. Amen!

No Love Lost

No love lost. That was the title of an email I received today and it struck me. Usually, when I hear this phrase, there is a negative connotation to it so I was curious as to what the email was about. Seeing that it was from a photo company that wanted me to save all of my precious pics, it gave a whole new meaning to this term.

No love lost. Hmn. How much love do we have setting around, lying in our hearts, and aren't using it? How much love do we have in our eyes but aren't allowing it to shine forth? How much love are we withholding from our arms as we refuse to touch those around us who might need a pat on the back, a hug or two, a touch on the shoulder in empathy? And our fingers? Why aren't they picking up more phones, writing more notes, and cooking little goodies to take to those who are homebound?

Lost. Unable to be located but...not unable to be found. Remember when Jesus said that "none would be plucked from His hand" or when He said that He came "to seek and to save that which was lost"? I John 3 tells us quite a bit on how Christ first set the example and what our responsibilities are once we become children of our King. As I read through this passage, I determined that it's really not that hard--to love, I mean.

The other night, Steve and I actually did a study on verse one of this passage:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

While Steve's immediate thoughts led him to how much he loves his grandsons and all that he wants to give them, mine were focused more on the name calling aspect of this scripture. To be called a child of God, to be associated with His family? Many of you know the shame I have dealt with over the one I was born into so to be chosen to be a part of the family of God is an honor! What we both agreed the most on, though, was just how absolutely wonderful to be lavished, to be adored, to be able to love those gsons of ours because we were first shown how to by the wonderful Jesus.

In conclusion, let's not leave any love behind. Friends, as we go about our days, our hours, our minutes, let's look for ways to shine, to lavish, to love. Verse 18 says:

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Sounds like a great plan to me! Let's pray!

Dear Lord, how great and wonderful You are to delight in us, to choose us, to love us. May this love not be lost. May it not be taken for granted. May it not be hoarded up but instead spread widely for all of Your other children to relish and revel in.

Thank You for loving us, for loving me. I love You too! Amen.

Put me in, Coach!

Is this verse true to you?  Do you know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose?  If it is, then that means you have some sense.  Your eyes, ears, mouth, touch, and smell can tell what is going on around you, working on your behalf and on the behalves of others who have been chosen by Him to fulfill certain assignments in life.  

Chosen.  Isn't that such a wonderful word?  For most of my life, I was the one left behind, the last one picked for the team, for the group activity.  Except when someone needed the use of my special talents and skills. My brains, if you will.  I was always the "smart one" and when group assignments came to class, guess who was selected to be one of its members?  Oh no:  still not as first choice because--after all--there are just some loyalties that know no limits.  Often I was dumbfounded as the less-intelligent kids were picked by their friends to partake in something that counted for a large percentage of the grade.  How I envied such acceptance!

Guess what?  I have it.  Had it all along.  Those little stumbling stones from my past that made my self-confidence nearly non-existent were working, even then, to make me who I am today.  Bold.  Willing to volunteer rather than waiting to be called upon.  Unafraid to voice my thoughts and opinions for fear of ridicule.  The one who initiates activities instead of wondering why no one does anything around here.

Friends, is this you today?  It doesn't have to be.  As children of God, we have been specially selected--before we were even brought into existence!  Talk about being first choice!  

And we know... states this verse.  We know.  No more doubt.  No more feeling less than.  No more desperation to fit in.  We are His.  He chose us.  Us.  You.  Me.  But He didn't stop there:  oh no.  He chose us to work together:  together for good.  We aren't in it alone anymore.  Woo hoo!!  

If some of you are scratching your heads and thinking "Uh, Stef?  The verse says all 'things.'  I'm a person not a thing"  then let me point you on to the words following:  to them that love God.  Mmn hmn.  See it now?  You love God, right?  Thus, you are working with your fellow man because--once again--you are the called.  Called according to His purpose, not some grand scheme of man.  Nor for popularity contests.  Called according to His purpose.  God's.  Got it?

So, because you are so smart, because you know that you are working alongside of others, and since you love God then I guess there's just one thing left.  Work.  Oh come on now.  If everything was easy everyone would do it but since it's not, since some things just cannot be done through wishful thinking.  We've got to step up, offer assistance, and join our brothers and sisters in Christ in working what needs to be worked for the greater good of us all.

Here's an example.  Yesterday at the Card Ministry Meeting, we were short two ladies.  But, we also had a new one to join us.  Throw in the sweet young girl who came with her babysitter and voila!  Mission accomplished.  Needs discussed, cards divvied up, and...and then someone had the bright idea of asking the Sunday School Classes to help pay for stamps.  Hmn.  Now how about that?  Why would we ask for others to assist us when we--regardless of how many came to participate--had up unto this point just paid for the stamps ourselves?  Oh yeah:  I remember!  It's so that others could be a blessing too.  Much as some of us would like to have unlimited funds, sometimes there are so many cards to send that it can get a little expensive for those who live on fixed budgets.  And because ol' slew foot is out there, trying every way he can to get us to not work together, he could easily make this ministry a drudgery when folks feel like they just can't participate because of a few stamps--a few stamps that a couple of dollars can easily be obtained by a willing few who want to be a part in some way but cannot attend meetings.  Ta Da!  Purpose fulfilled!!  

As I conclude today, let me challenge you to examine yourselves.  Are you working together or are you trying to do it all on your own?  Don't you know, dear one, that when you do this what you mean for good can too often be turned into a task that you dread, that there is no joy in, and that you soon neglect?  Don't be a grumbler, murmurer, nor a whiny goat.  Get in there and support your teammates.  Ask for help when you find yourself floundering.  Mostly though?  Remember, God picked you.  You!  He's using us all and there aren't any bench warmers on His team.  We all get to play so get out there and do what needs to be done.  Amen?

Store up for yourselves...and others too!

Lately I've seen several friends and/or acquaintances showing off their jars of jelly, spaghetti sauce, and other goodies that they are planning to use this winter.  Makes my mouth water as I look upon their delectables and makes me wish I was that productive.  Alas:  I am not designed this way!

According to John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you."  While my friends are bearing their fruits and vegetables, I am as well.  Each time I write a blog, each time I sing a song of praise, and each time that I do something in the name of Jesus, I too am storing up treasures.  Who knows when someone will come upon one of the things I've written and be touched and draw closer to God as a result of it?  

Who knows when that card, that visit, that helpful deed will be remembered by the soul that YOU affected?  Those canvases you paint and those photographs you take?  All beauties to glorify our great God.  Those steps you fixed, those teeth you cleaned?  All is to be done to the glory of God.  

Don't feel bad if you can't can.  Don't feel envious of others' abilities to sew, to paint, to sing, to be constructive.  You have been chosen!  Doesn't that make you curious to know what God has in store for you?  Go the next step with me.  You have been chosen to go.  Go where?  Wherever He leads you!  And then, lastly, you are to bear fruit.  Bear means to carry, to produce.  If you can't take them a jar of homemade salsa, by golly, take them a jar of Pace Picante Sauce.  If you never learned how to make those berries into jam, go ask someone to teach you!  I daresay you will learn more than you dreamed.

In conclusion, we all have been chosen to go and to bear fruit.  Mine may look different than yours and yours may be tastier than mine but the point is:  go.  Bear.  Your fruit will last.  God promised this!  Well:  what are you doing just sitting there?  GO!!

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, thank You so much for the little lessons learned by those around me--especially those in cyber space that I don't get to encounter daily.  Bless them as they make their jars of sustenance--whether that be as actual food that will feed their friends and families--or works of art that will last for countless generations or words about You that will be read, recited, sung, and reiterated to our children, friends, and Facebook friends.

Help us all, I ask, to bear fruit that when it's brought to You will be blessed, multiplied, and savored.  Thank You for the gifts, Lord.  May we all use what You have given us to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It's in His name that I pray.  Amen.

So you think you've got problems? Wait until you hear mine!

June 3, 2015

Okay, I know: school is almost over for the year. But before it winds down, let's do a word problem together. Yeah, I know that too: they are hard! But I think we might find this one interesting as well as educational.

Earlier today I got an email. Make that two because the author apparently thought she needed to be clear that this was important stuff that I "needed to know": stuff that I would probably "want to know." And just to be extra clear, she left a voice mail on the hubby's machine to make this important announcement have that little extra punch.

Soooooo...that's part one of the problem: what she said. Let's go to part two: what I heard.

What I heard when I read those words was "Stefanie, even though we've talked about this before, your feelings aren't important. This information is. Yeah, I know what you said about how you think this person has no business in your marriage but I am right and I know that you and Steve need to act on this. Yes, I understand that this person tried to create havoc way back then and even recently BUT that is not important. YOU aren't important. She is."

Okay, just for fun, let's throw in a part three to this equation. It shall be deemed as "watch as I sit back and laugh at the calamity of this situation," authored by the devil. As I pondered my response-or if there should even be a response given to this person--ol' slew foot was running to and fro, bringing up "facts" about how even after all of this time, even after all of these years of proving myself and my love for my husband, when the chips are down, so am I. This "chosen one" was who mattered and in her time of need I was to be disregarded.

Ugh. As I sat here digesting it all (which was pretty tough because I really didn't want to swallow this bull I was hearing), my flesh was getting pretty hot. I guess I could blame it on this fever I've been having for a few days now and--you guessed it--I chose to respond. That way I could blame it on the medication, right, in case it didn't come out right? (Cough)

I sent the lovely soul a nice email back, thanking her for the information and reminded her that she and I had already discussed this person recently and in case she wasn't clear, neither Steve nor I cared to ever hear of this woman again. I continued the note with some niceties and then went to take a nap. The medicine made me sleepy.

So, let's wrap this little problem up and put IT to bed, shall we? Just because someone says one thing and someone else takes that information and reads something else into it, does that make it true? No, it most certainly does not! What does God tell us to do? Plenty! Guard your hearts; take every thought captive; trust Him; lean not on our own understanding. Those are just for starters. When we examine the truths of His Word over the lies of the devil, something just doesn't add up, now does it? Next time you are faced with a word problem where it's just too hard to decipher what is really being said, I suggest you go to The Word and look for your answers there. Don't read what isn't. That just makes things more complicated.

Okay? Any questions? All righty then: class dismissed!

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, first off, I have to apologize. I was too easily able to get riled up over this incident because of my own insecurities about the effect I have--or don't have--on certain souls. Seems like no matter what I do, I often don't feel like I measure up to their standards. That's okay, Lord, for You have balanced me on Your scales and I pass the test! Help me, I pray, next time to take a deep breath and not fly off of the handle. I can't afford to give away too many more pieces of my mind, Lord, so temper me and placate me to examine truth before settling for lies.

Thank You for this situation, God. It turns me back to You for my validation. The world will never see me the way You do. The world will continue to hold my past against me and refuse to see my light and that is their loss. I'm not who I was and I have You to thank for that. Thank You! Keep honing me, Father, so that one day they will have no other choice but to see You in me and to realize I am the chosen one, chosen by You, and here to stay! In the name of Jesus I pray these things. Amen!