Living a Full Life with JOY!
“Even youths grow
tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope
in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be
faint.” Isaiah 40.31
Joy Johnson knew this passage of
scripture well. She had a portion of this verse hanging on her wall
in her kitchen. Joy died this week; one day after running her 25th
New York Marathon, which took place on Sunday. Joy was an inspiration
to many people. Not only because of her incredible accomplishments,
but also because Joy was 86 when she ran her last race. This
inspiring widow and former PE teacher was said to have lived up to
her name. Her friends and family say she was a joy to be around, and
brought others so much happiness. In 2011 she told USA Today, “I
want to keep running as long as I can drop in my running shoes when
the time comes.”
I'd say this is a woman who knew what
it meant to live life to the fullest. A passion for the Lord, a
passion for life and the things that brought her joy during her time
here on this earth. I'd love to go out like this – living fully and
enjoying every moment.
Jesus talks about this kind of life in
John 10:10. He is talking to a group of teachers of the law –
Pharisees, who often in scripture were rebuked by Jesus for thinking
they had all the answers, who lived life by strict man-made laws and
regulations. He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill
and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the
full.”
So... who is the “thief?” The thief is Satan, and he disguises
himself in many different ways. Think of things that rob you of a
full life. Like the Pharisees, it could be legalism or trying to keep
up appearances. It could by an over-booked schedule, your unhealthy
friendships that do nothing to build you up and encourage you, your
procrastination or laziness, contentment or even greed.
I think of another story in the Bible of a runner of sorts. This man
is described as 'a rich, young ruler.' Mark 10:17 says the man saw
Jesus while he was on his way somewhere (isn't that a typical picture
of Christ – always on a mission, but willing to help those who seek
him out along the way). The man ran to Jesus and fell at his knees,
asking what he was to do to enter the Kingdom of heaven. It was
established that this man was a “good man,” and appeared to have
lived a very full life. He was young and wealthy, he had a genuine
desire for the Lord, but when Jesus asked him to give up the one
thing that had such a grip on him – his wealth, the man walked away
sad and unable to commit himself to the Lord.
A full life has nothing to do with our wealth, it's not measured by
our trophy case (of which I have zero trophies, so thank goodness for
that), it's not even necessarily measured by our accomplishments. I
would define a full life as described in John 10.10 as living life
with the joy of the Lord. For me, it's finding His purposes in all
that I do and abiding by the word as I participate in things that
interest me. The Lord definitely has a plan for each of us, and what
joy is to be found when you are striving to live every day in the
will of the Lord. I think it would be impossible to feel any other
way than completely full of life when every step taken is one on the
path of God's purposes. Step one: tie up your laces, ladies. There's
a full life ahead and our Savior is waiting at the finish line,
cheering us on!
“Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let
us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY
set before him endured the cross, scoring it's shame, and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12.1-2
Proverbs 31 (Super)Woman
Many lessons are to be
learned in the description of The Wife of Noble Character as
described in Proverbs 31. In my Bible I have nearly all of the
chapter highlighted, underlined and have written in the margin
different things the Lord has shown me. I have read it many times,
and feel like I may never be of the same caliber as this woman. There
is so much that we can take away from this chapter, but for the
purposes of this study, lets take a look at the first section to see
how a healthy lifestyle can prove beneficial in striving to become a
woman of noble character.
Proverbs 31:10-18
A wife of noble character
who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full
confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good,
not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and
works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her
food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food
for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a
field and buys it out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets
about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her task. She sees
that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at
night.
Wow! No wonder later in the chapter it
says, “her children arise and call her blessed” (v.28) Duh! She's
super woman! Verse 27 says, “She watches over the affairs of her
household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” This is not a
lady who sits around playing Candy Crush or scouring through Facebook
while still wondering what's for dinner. She is intentional in all
that she does. She selects,
she provides, she
considers, and sets
about her work vigorously. The
Word doesn't say that she throws it all together at random on her way
out the door. She carefully selects the clothes on their backs, the
food that they eat, and purchases she makes. She is thoughtful, and
intentional about the way she provides for her family. In a modern
society, she would be the woman looking at the labels of every food
item she puts into her cart. She would be shopping for quality, not
necessarily quantity.
I realize that not
all moms are on kitchen duty. Sometimes it's dad's responsibility.
Typically, though, mom is the one in the kitchen cooking dinner,
packing lunches and handing out snacks for the family. If we are to
bring our family good, not harm, wouldn't it be also our
responsibility to ensure our families are eating foods that are
nutritious and healthy for their growing bodies?
I'm sure in
Biblical times there were women who spent their day chatting with
their friends in the field or lollygagging at the market, but not
this lady. She was a woman on a mission! The woman in Proverbs 31
earns money from items she makes (she is self employed), she does the
shopping, she has a vineyard (so we can assume she is a gardener),
she volunteers to help the needy, and still she finds the time to
prepare food for her family.
Busyness is no new
thing. In our fast-paced culture, and constantly being on the go,
convenience foods definitely make life a little easier, and we can
justify eating so poorly because “I'm just so busy!” But I
promise you that providing options for your family that will fill
their stomachs while keeping them healthy and happy will be
beneficial for the whole family, and leave you feeling good about the
way you are nourishing your family. Plus, it puts you one step closer
to being supermom. And who doesn't want to be supermom?
Put it into
action:
Putting extra
effort into food preparation may mean waking up a few minutes earlier
(Lord, help me!) to peel some carrots for school snacks, or to send
them with a school lunch that contains healthy, nourishing foods.
What is one way you can improve the quality of foods your family
eats?
Salty Parenting
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Provers 25.11
Moms have a lot of responsibility. The demands of life and the expectations we often pile on top of ourselves can leave us feeling overwhelmed and tired. Some days I have a to-do list that is a mile long. Those days usually coincide with fussy-kid-days (coincidence? I think not).
I remember one day when our son was probably two or three, and I was having such a day. Both him and our infant daughter were fussy, and who knows what else I had going on, but I do remember feeling very stressed and ready for bedtime (it wasn't even close to time for bed). He started fussing for the millionth time that day, and I quickly took him by the hand, marched him to timeout and said in frustrations, "ugh! I'm so sick of this!" And that's when the water works happened. This wasn't a I-just-got-in-trouble-and-now-I'm-crying kind of cry. I could tell this was something else. When his timeout was over with, he asked, "Mommy? You're sick of me?" ugh! Parent fail! I HATE it when I do that. No, I hadn't said "I'm sick of YOU," but my actions hadn't shown him any different.
That wasn't the first (or the last) time that something has flung out of my mouth without being properly filtered. I know I'm not the only one, either, because the Bible talks a lot about controlling the tongue. Words are so powerful and can be used to build each other up and are also very effective at quickly tearing someone down.
Colossians 4.6 says,
It's a reminder that in every interaction with our children, our husbands, friends and strangers should be mimicking what God has shown to us - His Amazing Grace. I'm sure God has felt like taking me by the hand, plopping me down into timeout and shouting, "AAAhhhh! I'm so sick of this!" But what he has done instead is show me time and time again his Grace that covers all my sins. Yes, there have been lessons I've had to learn (and ones I'm still learning), but God has always been faithful to gently lead and correct me."Let your conversation be always full of grace,seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
How are we, though, to season our conversation with salt? That's weird. (I said that in my best Jim Gaffigin voice.)
Salt is used throughout the Bible to show a commitment to something, a friendship or loyalty. In 2 Chronicles 13, salt was used as a symbol to proclaim David as King of Israel. Elisha used salt to purify water for the city in 2 Kings chapter 2. He sprinkled a bowl full of salt into the well, proclaiming that "never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive." (v.21)
Jesus talks about salt in Matthew 5.13-16. He says, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put in on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may glorify your Father in heaven."
Bring It Home
Teach your children to be a light in their home, school and community. You can read together the passage from Matthew. Light a candle, and cover it up with a bowl. Talk about what happens when the light is hidden. What happens when you place a candle on a stand in the middle of a dark room? Your kids can learn the importance of their own influence with their friends and family. Leave a comment on how you have taught your children this passage. What were your experiences?
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