Friday, April 6, 2012

Infidelity of the Heart

First off, I would like to say that if it were not for God’s grace, mercy, healing, and restoration, my marriage would have ended up like so many others…the big ugly “D” word divorce. As a marriage survivor of infidelity, I feel strongly that God has placed upon my heart the burden of other marriages that are struggling. He has given me the opportunity to minister to other women who are going through a variety of situations.

God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), yet so many feel like it is the only option to fix their “problem.” While Jesus does give an “opt-out” button for adultery, it still is not His perfect will. What many do not realize is when they make get married they make a covenant not only to their spouse but also to Almighty God. A marriage is not a quick contract that can easily be dissolved with minor penalties. The repercussions of divorce are monstrous. Think of dropping a rock in a lake. The waves start out small but soon the whole lake feels the effects and weight of that rock.

So what causes infidelity anyway? It is not just something that happens in a few moments. It is something that takes time. It starts with the heart that is not guarded (Proverbs 4:23). It starts with a thought that has not been taken captive and made obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It starts with words that are vomited out of mouths that are not uplifting, encouraging. It starts at a place where self becomes the center of focus in the individual’s life rather than Jesus.

An argument ensues yet again between spouses over the same thing. As tempers flare, words being to spew out that are not thought through. Thoughts begin to form on how to get even or the “what if’s” begin to play out. Pain causes walls to be built. It could be stressors of bills, loss of job, children being defiant, etc. that seem to be the problem but deep down it becomes a heart issue.

If your marriage is struggling, take a look at your own life. Is it Jesus centered, with a guarded heart and thought life? Are words being spoken that are uplifting and encouraging instead of demeaning?

(I do know and understand there are some marriages struggling where one spouse has “jumped off the deep end” and the problems are not the results of the other spouse.)

Infidelity in a marriage is when one puts self before spouse. Infidelity of the heart begins when you do not place Jesus first and other things become more important to you than your relationship with Him. As Christians we are the bride of Christ meaning he is the bridegroom. We should put Him in the forefront of all of our thoughts, words, and actions. We should reflect who He is. When we choose the things of this world over him we commit infidelity of the heart. We are all guilty of infidelity of this fashion. Thankfully He is the great Forgiver and Cleanser of all unrighteousness.

Many out there are struggling with various addictions/idols. These could be in the world’s eyes big like Adultery, Gambling, Drinking, Pornography, Drugs, etc. But what about the other addictions/idols like food (gluttony), drama (crave to hear juicy junk), gossip (tell others about juicy junk), notoriety (wanting to be recognized by others), TV, Internet, even social media like Facebook, Twitter. We have to realize that anything that diverts our eyes, hearts, and thoughts away from our “Husband” (Isaiah 54:5) or anything else we run to in a stressful situation for comfort instead of going to our Comforter is considered infidelity of the heart.

If you feel like your relationship with Christ is struggling, take a look at your own life. Is it Jesus centered with a guarded heart and thought life? Are words being spoken that are uplifting and encouraging instead of demeaning?

It is time to take accountability for our own actions that have led to infidelity in our hearts. It is time for hearts to be forgiven, for restoration in our relationships to occur whether in our relationship with Christ or our marriage (which means both).

Monday, January 16, 2012

The Title

Okay so there is a joke behind the title of this post and I have to confess it started from a conversation my husband and I were having about movie selections. So the story goes like this...We were on the PBS website because we were interested in seeing what Masterpiece! titles they had available. I then clicked on the educational part of the classroom and saw a title I had recognized. I said, "Oh, they have this movie." My husband goes, "Oh really, well what is it about?" I said, "Well I really don't know but I have heard of the title before." We had a big laugh and discussed making a movie and a book entitled The Title and the cliff notes of The Title, and on and on the conversation went. It was late, we were tired and slap happy, but, needless to say, we were laughing our heads off.

So this has been running around in my head over the past few days and it got me thinking. How often is our relationship with Christ built on just the title of the Bible instead of the words inside. We find ourselves getting caught in ruts and having serious doubt issues because we look at the title of the "Good Book" and feel that is enough. Or we bring our Bibles to church after we dust the cover off from the weekly build-up that has occurred just to turn around and do it again the following week. We come to a place where then our beliefs become messed up because we only follow what the preacher preaches which often times gets twisted somewhat in our thinking due to our flesh. Then there are those who look at the title "Holy Bible" and come to a conclusion that nothing is truly holy anymore.

How much more fulfillment would we have if we really had an in-depth relationship with Jesus Christ! He so desires daily communion with us. He wants us to get past the title of the book and read His love letter. For some who have been around the block again in the church realm it can become easy to let the stories become too familiar thus losing the aspect of what God is really wanting to show us through them.

Back to the story about the movie selection...We decided to give the movie a try because of the title seemed familiar even though we did not really know a thing about it. Ended up that we did not even finish watching it. It was sick, twisted, demented. I did not do any research about the story prior to watching and it became a bad decision.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word says this. It does not mean he is the "same ol', same ol'." It means that His promises are true, that His Word is alive, now and forevermore. If the Bible has become just a title that you have become familiar with, or your relationship with Christ seems to be more of just a "well I gotta have Him to get to Heaven," or if the Bible stories just seem monotonous then it is time to stop looking at the title and open up the Holy Book, more importantly your heart. Ask God to come in and reveal Himself fresh and new. This is the smartest research you could ever do with your life, making it the best decision ever.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Disciplined!

Have you ever had one of those dreams that smack you upside the head of reality? That happened to me last night. It may have been an actual nightmare because in a sense it made me cry. In my dream I was with a group of people not sure exactly who was all there but I knew I was. We were watching videos of last year. I started to cry and it woke me up.

You see a year ago I was in probably the best shape of my life in quite some time. I was going to college taking 15 credit hours and working out and eating healthy (yes while having 9 children and a daycare. I will just say my husband is an awesome helpmate). So in my dream I saw the skinnier me. The last week of school my son had a doctor’s appointment which had him do labs. So we get a phone call that we need to go see an urologist soon. We already had family vacation planned so we had an impeccable time there trying not to be overly concerned about what the doctor would say. After all I had hardly spent time with my children and husband for two semesters and this was our time to reconnect.

So then starts the downward slope. My son goes up for a visit and ends up staying a week in the hospital. That can produce some stress. The doctors are throwing around words like dialysis and transplant. Through these stressors and other things going on at the time, I had gotten distracted from working out. The workout times began to become fewer and fewer. The healthy snacks started becoming “grab and go” and not care. The doctor appointments seemed to becoming more frequent as well. All these distractions caused me to lose the discipline.

So I started dwelling on this and really not feeling sorry for myself but wanting to look at it in a spiritual perspective. God led me to the scripture in Hebrews 12:11 which reads “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” If we allow God to spiritually train us accordingly, righteousness and peace will be shown.

How do we start this discipline? There are no “fad” diets in spiritual training that can get you to the goal quicker than other ways. We know reading the Word is your healthy eating program. It is the Bread of Life. What about the exercise regimen? I believe it is found in the verse following (Hebrews 12:12) It states “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” This came out at me like BOLD print. Your arms are made for praising and worshipping. Your arms are to be lifted high in worship or clapping in praise. Weak knees come from lack of prayer time. Prayer and Praise are the best way to stay spiritually fit.

Stressors of life are going to come at you. Do not allow these or attacks of satan to deter you from maintaining a spiritually disciplined workout and healthy eating of His Word. Remain disciplined and receive all that God has in store for your life.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spiritual Kidney Evaluation

So, of course, my mind has been consumed a lot with kidneys due to the recent transplant and the leading up to it. Talking to the doctors, trying to keep up with my son’s levels, trying to get my son to drink two liters of fluid a day, these are things that are consuming my life. Through it all though, God has been sharing with me some things in a spiritual perspective.

So first off let me explain what a kidney does. Its main function is to filter toxins out of our body. These impurities come from stuff that our body should not consume continuously (too much of a bad thing is not good). Think of all the preservatives and unnatural ingredients our bodies take in on a regular basis all in the name of convenience. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad as well. Examples include potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, etc. If too many toxins are in the body, your organs begin to shut down. It becomes especially difficult if your kidneys become diseased and cannot filter out all the toxins appropriately. The best way to keep your kidneys in good shape is drinking a lot of water on a regular basis. This will help flush out the toxins.

Unless you a specialist in urology or nephrology (kidney doctors) or understood blood work, you may not be able to tell when a person has kidney disease. Upon looking at my son, though smaller than most kids his age, he did not appear to have anything physically wrong with him, yet inside his kidneys were failing.

In Psalm 139:13 The Psalmist writes “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” The literal translation of inmost is “kidneys.” In fact it was this scripture that God gave me to hold onto while my son was in the womb and showing signs of kidney trouble. It was like a promise to me that his life was going to be alright. So I left everything in God’s hands.

So now let us take a look at kidneys and the importance of them in our spiritual lives. I know salvation is a matter of the heart but I believe we need “spiritual kidneys” as well. (Some would more or less call them a conscious.) I believe that in order to remove the toxins out of our system we need to have ourselves cleansed with the Living Water continually. In order for my son’s new kidney to work properly I have to make him drink. My Heavenly Father wants to wash out the toxins out of my life. Like I have to keep repeating to my son….Drink, Drink, Drink, my Father is crying out to me Drink Heidi, Drink Heidi, Drink Heidi. There have been a lot of toxins placed in my life over the years (wrongful teaching, complacency, lukewarmness in different areas, etc.) My Father is urging me to Drink in His Word, focus on Him, and be purified.

Second rate stuff is not as good as getting it first hand. While it is important to be taught by Godly men or women mentors, it is of utmost importance that we drink in His Word on a personal note more. We live in a time where teachings are becoming tainted with worldliness, where social networking is more importance than having a spiritual network with our Father, where things are more valuable to us than our love for Jesus Christ. These toxins come in and invade our “kidneys” which can cause our heart organ to slowly deteriorate and our views, focus, and teaching are none better than mediocre.
The one sad part about the “kidney disease” that is going on in today’s Christian society is people see other people looking good on the outside but inside the toxins are slowly destroying their spiritual being. We need to continually encourage one another by “watering each other with the Word.” We also need to properly correct each other should we see one another taking in toxins that are not good.

It is time to get some blood work done and truly examine ourselves. We know ultimately that Christ can read our blood work. We cannot fool Him. He truly knows whether or not our “kidneys” are working properly. He knows we are born in sin but do not have to remain there. He wants to have His blood flow through us untainted by the pattern of this world.

Each of us has a choice to make now. My choice is to Keep Drinking the Living Water!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

But God

This past week has been really hard for me. Until Tuesday I think in the back of my head I really believed that God would show up in tights and a cape, be my super hero and “save the day”, or come with a magical wand and say “bibbity bobbity boo” and poof a new kidney would appear. I mean surely God did not intend for my son and my husband to have to go through all this pain. He obviously has all power in His hands and is able to just say the Word and it happen.

When we met with the transplant surgeon on Tuesday, though, and the transplant coordinator gave me his lab numbers I knew we had to do this. Tuesday evening was spent crying uncontrollably to the point that I got extremely sick to my stomach and did not even get to really say good-bye to my husband when we dropped him off at the hospital on Wednesday morning.

From last May forward, my faith has been challenged, I have questioned my faith, and really the depth of it. I prayed and prayed to no avail for Andy’s healing. Surely God is the same today as He is in the Bible. I felt that I must have so much doubt and that’s the reason Andy and Larry had to go through this.

I even started questioning whether or not I am truly saved. Like I wrote in the last blog a lot of confession had to occur before “entering in the sanctuary of God.” You see in my lifetime I have had several major “storms” in my life. Each of these challenged me and through them I always come to this fork in the road. Do I take the right WAY or do I just walk away? This time has been the toughest because doubt had begun to overwhelm me.

I had to stop and take an evaluation of my entire life and see how I really got through the former storms. My marriage was pretty much destroyed BUT GOD. My finances were a mess BUT GOD. My son was told he would die young BUT GOD. And the list goes on and on and on.

The only factor in these former situations that were common was BUT GOD. So I still sit here wondering why this way of healing instead of “supernatural.” I am reminded once again of “My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts.” I also read something the other day that challenged me greatly..."Am I in love with God or with what He can give me?" OUCH!!! or this..."Even though I glimpse God's holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not me at all." Talk about some hard core looking deep into myself to see if my life fully reflects who He is or just using Him for convenience.

I sure hope the longer I am here the more this all makes full sense. BUT GOD will get me through this.

***quotes taken from the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan***

Friday, March 11, 2011

Understood!

As Time is closing in on my son's kidney transplant, I have found myself consumed by all the minor/major details I have to get done before we leave. Having 10 children is not easy during these times. I have a huge to-do list that, though it gets smaller by the day, I am afraid that I might not get it all finished before I have to leave.

So I stop this morning and take a few moments to read a book called "Crazy Love." The beginning of chapter 2 hit me like a ton of bricks with the real reality of LIFE. I have allowed myself to be consume with so many things going on around me that I have not taken the time to remember what LIFE is. "Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE." The scripture that made me stop dead in my tracks and realize this was not the John 14:6 quoted above but a Psalm that as I read it certain parts stuck out to me.

Psalm 73:16-17 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I UNDERSTOOD....

I have been so oppressed with everything going on around me. The thought of having to be away from the family 4-6 weeks; the thought that my son does not even fully understand what is getting ready to happen to him (causing him pain so he can feel better in the end); the thought that my husband is going to be in one hospital and my son in another and I will not know the outcome of my husband's surgery because we both agreed it was more important that I am with my son; the children we have to leave on Sunday so we can be up there on Monday morning for Pre-op; my youngest being only 19 mos. old as her mommy it's more difficult because she does not understand; and the list goes on....

I confess this day that I have been wrong because my life has been consumed with everything going on around me instead of LIFE Himself. I have sinned against God by not trusting in Him and not putting my faith in Him. I confess that my prayer life has been crippled at best and paralyzed at worse. I confess that my time reading the Word lately has been more of a "responsibility" instead of reading it as the "LOVE letter" it has always intended to be.

I thank God for his forgiveness and purifying me. So EVEN NOW I am purposing in my heart to enter the sanctuary of God. Though I may not understand all the plans He has for me (and my family), my life is in His hands....

On Sunday morning if you see me I will be the one with tears in my eyes or tears flowing freely; but I do know this my heart will enter into worship with joy and gladness because He has this situation fully in His hands and THAT I have NOW UNDERSTOOD!