A Gift To Return Bookmark

A Gift To Return

It's a busy week. I don't have time to post or write at all. But as I serve at Fine Arts Day Camp all week long at my church, I am reminding myself of the same message I am telling to the kids. Our gifts must not be buried. Our talents must be used. But all for His glory. All for His name. All for His purposes. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the show and the production, that we can lose our focus. I almost lost mine today. Then I was reminded of a poem I wrote almost exactly one year ago...for the same camp. I am praying this poem He wrote on my heart for me, for the other leaders, directors and teachers, and especially for the kids of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship's Fine Arts Day Camp 2008:

A Gift To Return
By LauraLee Shaw

Your life is precious to our Lord,
“It is very good,” He exclaimed.
Your talent is a gift from Him,
So use it as one unashamed!

Whatever you do with your talent~
Don’t compare, looking around,
or
You’ll find yourself on sinking ground.

Because the Fact is:

Your talent is needed in this world.
It can make a difference, you know,
For when you use it with His strength,
HE is the star of the show.

Whenever you shine with your talent~
It’s by the power of the Spirit,
and
He is the One who is able to steer it.

Because the Truth is:

“…you have received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ.
Give Him the glory and the power
for ever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:9b,11b

Father God, I give You this new day of using my time, my talents and my spiritual gifts for Your glory. May I be small in my own eyes, and show You off HUGE in the eyes of others. I give You all the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

"All Wired Up" for Women, Part 2

So in "All Wired Up for Women, Part 1," I asked some questions about why some little girls like to play dress-up. Is it that they want to feel like a beautiful princess? We discussed, through the posting and the readers' comments, how we as Christian women are beautiful to the King. But that's not always the reason for dress-up, and for some, they would never even consider such a thing as beauty! So why else?

As I went to tuck my girls in the other evening, I found two pairs of my clothes on the floor--clothes that they sorted through and put on, promising to return them to their rightful place. Earlier, they had dressed up like "moms" and pretended to go shopping. It was really funny to watch, and especially convicting to hear their lingo. (Do I really talk that way? Nah, must be someone else's mom).

I remember the feeling of putting on my aunt's shoes or my older sister's clothes (when she wasn't looking.) I remember being at my friends' houses and putting on way too much makeup in the name of "playing." It was so much fun, and I have no idea what made it so fun for sure.

Yet, here I am today, an older woman, a mature (whatever that means) believer in the Lord, and I still find myself trying to wear others' clothes from time to time. If you are an extremely confident person, never comparing yourself to others, feel free to skip this post, but for the rest of us, whoa, boy, does God need to get our attention on this.

Sisters, God doesn't want us to slip into the trap of wanting or trying to be somebody we're not. It's perfectly healthy to emulate Godly role models or mentors, and it's certainly advisable to strive to be more like Jesus, but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about the icky kind of comparison--comparing the way we're wired or created to that of others.

I wish I could sing like her.
Why does she look ten years younger than me when we're the same age?
I'll never be as good of a mommy as her.
There are so many good writers out there. Maybe I should just give up now.
She decorates, she cooks, she cleans, she's perfect. Then there's me.

Get the point? What's floating in the quote bubble outside your brain? Many messages of God's truth could be applied here, but I'll just land on a few. The first is that this type of comparison boils down to envy and pride. Yuck! Proverbs 14:30 says, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." No wonder she looks ten years younger than me! My bones are rotting more each moment I look at her! ;)

It's great to improve ourselves, to try new things, to do activities outside of our comfort zones, but our motive should always be to do it for the glory of God--NOT out of pride or envy. I absolutely love, Love, LOVE the following verses from Hebrews. I first memorized them from the NIV, so read them there too if you get the chance, but the way The Message translation puts it is like music to my ears:

Hebrews 13:19-21
May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together,
provide you with everything you need to please Him,
Make us into what gives Him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Wowzer! Oh, yes, I want to be made into what gives HIM the most pleasure, not what will make me feel like a better person or fulfill my petty pride.

Yes, yes, yes, women of God. Let's talk to Him, ask Him what HE has purposed for us, and then let's live the way we're wired to the fullest, all to the glory of our Jesus, forever and always. Amen.

Sisters or Mommies?