Todays Christian Message Brought to you by Taylor Swift and One Direction

I know what you're thinking...she needs to get out of the house more.... and you would be right. But, first let me explain why I even know who those people are to begin with...You see, every day at 4 pm my kids start melting down. I suppose it's a long day and they are ready for Dad to be home, ready to eat supper and mostly I think it's just become habit and we would hate to break routine. Anyway, at a crucial time when I also am ready for Dad to be home and trying to make supper, the dreaded 4 o'clock hour has been known to make or break my day. I have come up with a few remedies, one of which is to crank some music and have a dance party in the kitchen while I make supper. It's pretty awesome watching my littles attempt to dance by running in circles or bending down and shaking their butts. Plus as they laugh at my INCREDIBLE dance moves, I get an extra endorphin boost from doing physical exercise to get me through the rest of the hour. I found the Kidz Bop station on Pandora to be one of the best for these awesome 4 o'clock parties, and then often download a few of the kids' favorites so we don't have to rely on Pandora, which is why Taylor Swift and One Direction have made their way onto my playlists.

So now that my musical reputation is back in-line (or ruined forever...) we can get to the heart of this message. We had few laughs at the retreat I was recently on because right after the theme song for the retreat, being caught up in the prayer of the moment, I would forget to turn off the music and immediately after the theme song, on came the very upbeat "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Great for dancing in the kitchen, not so great in the chapel for prayer. Or so I thought. Except today, I let the song play since I was home with my kids and not in the chapel, and I actually listened to the words for the first time. I wished I had let it play through on the retreat.
If we listen to the lyrics as how our God feels about us, it's a great reminder: He's crazy about us!
How perfect for Lent when we focus so much on our sin and trying to make ourselves better, to hear Him tell us we are beautiful even though we can't see it. That we "light up His world like nobody else"
"If only you saw what I can see,
You'll understand why I want you so desperately,
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,
You don't know, oh oh,
You don't know you're beautiful"
We could all do better to see ourselves how He sees us, not as we do, not as the rest of the world does. Lenten sacrifices and taking a good look at ourselves to try to rid sin from our lives are great things, but we can't focus only on the bad. See the beauty of YOU that God created, of Jesus living in you, of one person that God wants so desperately. Don't believe me? Just look at the cross. He wants you that desperately that He got up there for you, because He sees your beauty even when you don't.




Ok, so if One Direction has something to share, we have to give Taylor Swift a chance, too... are you still with me? The second song in line on the playlist: Shake it Off. Again, great for dancing with toddlers...and to my surprise, great advice for our Christian journey.
"I stay up too late, got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, that's what people say
I go on too many dates, but I can't make 'em stay
At least that's what people say, that's what people say

But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my body and it's gonna be alright

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off"

Here's what happens: We come home from a retreat full of fire for Christ and wanting to put it into action. Or we slowly grow more and more in holiness with daily prayer and reflection. And then, something happens to completely deflate our sails. We encounter resistance when trying to work with people at our church. Our friends or family aren't at the same place and can't relate or support our newfound faith. Most often, new struggles pop up in our life as the devil's desperate attempts to keep us away from God. Maybe you're struggling with your Lenten sacrifices or a specific sin. Maybe you're discouraged by the people or events in your life right now. Good news: Taylor's got your back. She's so right. That stuff is all going to happen, we can't let it consume us or discourage us, we just have to keep going and "shake it off". You know the "music" you have with you all the time, the Holy Spirit, and it's reminding you "it's going to be alright." So just keep cruising.

I hope this was funny to those of you without toddlers, I sometimes think my sense of humor has changed considerably since I rarely talk to someone older than 5. ;)

Prayers for you all that you can see yourself today the way your Father sees you, and cruise past the devils attempts to separate you from that incredible love!

When Winter Gets Long

I just spent 4 days working on a retreat in the middle of the state. I didn't realize until I started driving that it seems our small little corner of the state has a LOT more snow than everywhere else. The further I drove the more it looked like spring. While I was there, I quickly forgot about the snow at home. The retreat itself was a wonderful spiritual refresher, but like any other great event, it had to come to an end (and it was good it did because I was really missing the 5 people I share a house with!!). The closer and closer I got to home the more and more the snow was piled up and I felt like I was driving from spring back into winter. For those on the retreat, myself included, it probably feels like that with their spiritual lives as well. We get an opportunity to shut out the rest of the world and focus only on Jesus. To be surrounded by other people who love Him too and therefore love us. We let Him break through the cold in our hearts with the warmth of His grace. And we promise ourselves we won't let the cold back in.
But then, we have to go back to winter. We have to go home. Back to the same struggles, temptations and heartbreaks. We have changed, but our world has not. And even more difficult, we are asked not just to survive the cold but bring warmth to others.
Yesterday, I got outside with three of my four tiny humans, and my four year old just had to get to the top of this "mountain". My 1 1/2 year old thought it was also a good idea. Off they went, and as I watched them going, I couldn't help but stop to take in the beauty of it all. There was nothing but pure white snow in every direction. They looked so alone and tiny out there, but neither one seemed to notice as they trudged on, determined to get to the top.
We could all take a lesson from them, I decided. They don't see how small they are or how big the snow is. They see where they want to go and they know the only way to get there is to take steps in that direction.
I came home from the retreat with the goal of being a more patient, sacrificial mom, making more time to pray and determined to find more joy in my sacrifice. I succeeded at this in the morning....for four hours. And then I was right back to my old self. Watching my boys reminded me that the change from winter to spring is a slow process, that lasting change takes time. I can't get discouraged when I don't instantly change, just like they can't quit because their first steps don't get them to the top. I just have to keep moving in the right direction, and eventually I'll be able to look back and see all the progress I have made, even if I am still surrounded by snow.
In addition to taking steps in the right direction, the other key element to the boys confidence and success was that they were not alone. Having each other on the journey helps them feel safe and gives them encouragement. And they knew I was right there watching when Nathaniel would turn around to say "look at me mom!" or Samuel would cry because he had fallen down and it's just so hard to get back up when your layers of clothing are almost as wide as you are tall.
We need to encourage each other and pray for each other on this journey, especially when we're walking through the difficult times, or just the mundane times. And we need to remember that God is  right there to pick us up when we fall or point us in the right direction if we lose our way.
Winter really is almost over here in Minnesota even if it doesn't look like it. Jesus speaks the same truth in our hearts today, that the difficult things we face won't last forever. Just keep going in the right direction, encouraging each other, and know that He is there. You'll make it through your winter, and you might even enjoy the journey.