More Abundantly

Exclamation marks.  What is it about them that makes us pay more attention to the sentence when one of these is at the end of them?  Oh, I know:  it’s because they are used to express strong emotion.  For instance, when “I love you” is only followed by a period it doesn’t quite have the effect that “I love you!” does.  Right?

I’ve been reading the Psalms in my morning Bible study time and am reacquainting myself with the emotions that these writers conveyed through their words.  Desperation, despair, grief, and loneliness are key topics but also there is the theme of redemption, of hope, and of love weaved through them.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times:  there is such a relief and release in writing.  I’ll say it again:  there is such a relief and release in writing!  May I encourage you to let your voices be heard through the written word as you go through whatever it is you are feeling?  Happy, sad, good, bad, doubts, hopes, fears, and so on.  When you write these things down, you are more able to focus on what you feel, why you feel that way, and then?  Then you are more prone to examine yourself and see if there is any validity to your emotions.  

What?

Seriously.  Sometimes we just want to be mad.  Sometimes we just want to keep going to those Pity Parties For One.  Sometimes we even just want to pout and blame others for things that--dare I say it?  Yes, I think I do dare!--things that we bring on ourselves that could be avoided if we’d look up instead of on self all the time.  Friends, don’t be fooled:  the devil is out to steal your joy.  Why make it easy for him?  Jesus came that we might have life--and this is crucial so don’t miss it!!--and have it more abundantly.  MORE ABUNDANTLY!  He wants to give us more, not take away what we already have.  How groovy is that?!

2 Corinthians 9:15 – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Psalm 15:3 --“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable!”

I John 3:1--“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”

Romans 11:33 – “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Psalm 32:19 – “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!”

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!  How wonderful You are to bless us the ways that You do.  Thank You, Father, for extra emphasis in Your examples to us that we know beyond reason that You are in control, that You love us, and that You...that You care so much about us, individually, that You constantly give to us what we need, when we need it, and as much of it as we can stand.

You are so good to Your children, Lord, and I praise You and lift my hands to glorify You as my heart sings “How Great Thou Art!”  I love You!  Amen.

You’ve Just Been Stefanied

Have you ever Googled yourself?  I have.  The other night during one of those restless times, I was bored and pondering about the inability to find background information on something I have been wondering about, so for fun I put my first name in the search bar and came upon the Urban Dictionary site, where--to my amusement (and also to my chagrin)--there I was, in black and white, defined for all the world to see.  Sort of.

For you see, this isn’t a “real” dictionary and the explanations in it are based on others’ experiences with certain topics, such as people’s names.  Now, I’ll admit it, the first “definition”  for my name was a bit offsetting so I went on to the second one, which was much more flattering and I liked it.  A lot!  It went like this:

Stefanie, without a doubt, is the perfect woman. Full of life and laughter. She has a smile that can light up a dark room. Beautiful on the outside and beautiful within, she's flawless and her beauty stands out. Sweet, caring, funny, smart, classy and determined. Stefanie always gets what she wants. She may be sweet but don't take her kindness for a weakness, she stands her ground. Once you meet a real Stefanie, don't ever let her go. Stefanie is unforgettable.  Stefanie is unforgettably gorgeous inside and out.

Nice, huh?  Who wouldn’t want to be a Stefanie, based on this?  Not so fast, though.  I kept reading and was not as pleased with some of the other remarks.  Case in point:

To give a harsh remark that was uncalled for.
A spiteful remark
Being able to speak your mind and not caring whether or not you hurt someone while doing it.

The most fake person you could ever be friends with. Often pretends to be nice towards others, but as soon as their backs are turned, she says everything mean about them, thinking they won't find out.

Girl: Did you hear what happened to Jenni?
Boy: Yeah, I heard she got "Stefanied."

See what I mean?  “I just got Stefanied” is not quite what I want to be known for, to be branded by, or to be someone’s byword according to these definitions.

As I was doing my morning reading, I turned to Psalm 69.  It described how David felt when he was trying so hard to live for the Lord and yet the opposition was all around him, trying to make him stumble, keeping him separated from those he cared most about.  He even wrote that “I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children” (verse 8).  Ouch.  If that doesn’t hurt--to not be considered as “family” anymore--then I don’t know what does.  And sadly, on this point, I can relate all too well to David’s angst.

As I thought through my own displacement from the family I grew up with and others I am estranged from, I contemplated if they felt they had been “Stefanied.”  This led me to thinking about my current acquaintances and friends and wondering:  would they be more prone to think kindly of me--as in the first definition--or (gulp!) would they be more apt to find me scornful, fake, causing hurt, and speaking with spite?  I shuddered then and am shuddering now.  

Friends, our names are our walking testimonies.  When others introduce us, the tone of voice that is used often depicts the internal emotions they feel towards us.  When they talk about us to others, that same intonation can be used to lead others to us or have them running for the hills when they see us coming.  Proverbs 22:1 tells us “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.”  As we go about our journeys, let’s ensure that we are leaving behind a pleasant aroma to those whom we come in contact with.  Then, when people say “You’ve just been ___________ “ (fill in the blank with your name) it will be a joyful thing rather than one that makes you write your own psalm of sorrow.

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, for all of the times I have left a bad taste in others’ mouths, hearts, and minds I am so sorry!  I know I cannot change the past but the present?  Oh yes, Father, with Your help and guidance, I can “Stefanie” others so that indeed they think they have been around someone special, someone lovely, and someone unforgettably gorgeous inside and out.

This is my prayer and I ask it so that I may reflect more and more of You, through Christ Jesus, the most lovely of all.  Amen.

I Don't Want To Settle For Good Not Great

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  James 1:22

Most of us are familiar with the story of Pinocchio, right?  Jiminy Cricket tells the story of a wish coming true about a puppet becoming a real live boy.  The Blue Fairy visits Geppetto’s workshop during the night and brings Pinocchio to life, but until Pinocchio proves himself to be brave, truthful, and unselfish, he will stay as a puppet.  As the story progresses, we find that Pinocchio has issues with telling the truth, which causes his nose to grow longer each time a lie is told.  It’s a good story on morality and will be the background theme for today’s blog.

Okay, be warned: it’s going to get real here.  Hang on and follow me as I delve into my own issues with truth.  I might need to put my boots on!

The other night I began a writing class.  One of the things that the teacher alluded to was the concept of branding.  For those not familiar with branding, basically it’s a way of marketing yourself.  We all know that everything you read on Facebook is true, right?  Yeah.  But truthfully, many of us take at face value what we read as gospel and often quote it to one another as such.  Much of this is because we are too lazy to investigate for ourselves, preferring to take someone else’s word over things, and believing what is “presented” instead of seeking the validity of it.  I mean honestly, how many times have you seen a headline or meme or portion of a story and immediately accepted it without reading the entire story itself to see what was real versus what was proclaimed?  We’re just so busy that we neglect to seek these statements out for ourselves, so we accept without hesitation what the headlines proclaim.

Therefore, when introducing ourselves to others in print, we can embellish our talents, our skills, and who we are and others will just eat it up.  For instance, our teacher told us he was a renowned traveler, journalist, and so on, making himself sound like he was really something and because it was right there, in black and white for the whole world to see, who was going to question it?  It sounded impressive--HE sounded impressive so, of course, we swallowed it and began to blindly believe whatever words came out of his mouth.  This is branding.

The next day in my Bible Study group, one of my dear friends referred to me as “the favorite aunt.”  We had a new lady join our group and as we were discussing age and kids and grandkids, Kristy told me I was more like everyone’s favorite aunt, rather than an old granny (my words, not hers).  Have I mentioned I just love this girl?!  As I tucked this away to reflect upon later, I wondered about how I was going to brand myself for this new chapter of my life that I am embarking upon.

I like to think I am a pretty nice woman.  Fair.  Able to see both sides of the story before spouting off my opinions about whatever situation has been addressed.  I like to think I have sense, integrity, and the ability to love without being too judgmental.  I like to think that I am modeling Christ in my daily activities and making Him proud of the woman I am endeavoring to be.  Friendly, warm, and someone others are comfortable around.  Yeah, this is me and I have got it going on.

Right.

What about the other night at the restaurant, Stef, when that waitress somehow took an instant disliking to you?  How did that happen?  Where were all of those wonderful traits you just described about yourself when she was attending to you?  Could it be you were projecting an attitude of self-importance and that your needs must be taken care of before anyone else’s?  What was just so special about you that instead of falling all over herself to make sure your every wish was granted she seemed to do all she could to avoid being in your presence?  

Choke.  

Ouch.

Truth.

Sigh.

As he so often does without any falseness in his demeanour, along comes my hubby who is just so much higher than I am.  While I told him of my waitress woes and to not be in a hurry to get our order taken, what does he do but treat the gal with exceptional kindness and compassion?  Oh sure:  he too had had a rough day and suffered harsh words thrown at him.  He could very well have joined in with me in my rant against humanity and how poorly his hard-earned dollars were being wasted at a place that didn’t value and appreciate our presence but instead...instead he made a point of being nice, of asking the lady how her day was, and treating her like the one who needed attending to rather than him being the customer.

I was mortified.  Again.  Just who did I really think I was?  Regardless and sometimes in spite of how others treat me, it is not my place to be rude, to complain, nor to speak badly of them.  Had I not just been writing about how wonderful I was and how great of a representative of Christ Jesus I am?  Yeah.  Epic fail.

With dismay and a heavy sense of regret for this huge lapse, I told Steve I needed something from him.  For each time I even think of getting out of line or thinking of myself more highly than I ought, I asked him to say these words to me:  “Remember who you are.”  And then, if that didn’t get me to instantly straighten up, I told him to say this to me:  “Remember Whose you are.”  Firmly.

How grateful to God I am that each time I fail Him He doesn’t cause a disfigurement, such as the extending of my nose, as per Pinocchio.  How thankful I am to Him that He has earthly examples to show me how to live more like Him and less like the world.  How ashamed I am to call myself His child, His bride, when my actions prove otherwise.  

Sigh.

So, if I was to write a brief brand for myself right now what would it say?  Hmn.  Perhaps this:  Stefanie Hutcheson is a wandering soul on a mission to become more like Christ.  While not there yet, she is learning, growing, and seeking truth through her interactions with others, with her writings, and mostly with the studying of God’s Word as her journey continues.  While she has no awards to prove this, one day a crown will be waiting for her that she may return to her Jesus for His faithfulness in making her worthy through His own righteousness.  

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord, I don’t want to be a hearer of Your Word and think I have it down pat only to go out into the world and disregard the truths You have revealed to me.  I don’t want to attend Bible Study and church services to only walk away unchanged and still doing the things I think are right in my own eyes.  I don’t want to be a hypocrite, writing this blog and encouraging others to be more when I myself am less.  People follow examples, Lord, and You have been the Perfect One.  Help me today--each moment of today and whatever days You allow me--to remember I am Yours.  I am a child of God and the future bride of Christ.  It’s time I started acting like it for it’s a privilege not given to all.  As I strive to achieve this position of honor, I need You every hour, every minute, to help me to remember what price was paid so that I could be Yours.  I fail too often, Lord.  Thank You for tender mercies that allow me more opportunities to get it right the next time.  In Jesus’ name I humbly pray:  amen.