Author Archives: Godly Girlfriends

Holiday Havoc

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

ggblog

If you are ridden with anxiety as Christmas events begin, I want to point you to a convicting story and remind you (and me) of those heart cutting words of Jesus in Luke 10:42, “but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

In this scene Martha, Mary’s sister, is frantically stressing out over the preparations and there’s little Mary, distracted and sitting around at Jesus’ feet. Martha pipes up, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Allow me recite the voices in my head… [Insert whiny voice]… “How come you guys are sitting around watching that dumb football game when I’m stuck with all the cooking, cleaning, serving and garbage removal. How come for the past month I’m the one doing all the shopping, gift wrapping, tree decorating and cookie making?”

Yep, that’s me. Embarrassing isn’t it? I imagine God sitting on His mighty throne shaking His head. “Oh Sarah, when are you going to learn?”

So, just as God is God, he shows up in scripture at just the right time to remind me about what is important and how He wants me to conduct myself today and every day.  Which one of these verses speaks to you?

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.“

Jeremiah 4:18 ““Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!”

Galatians 6:4 “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,”

1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Titus 1:16 “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

So if you needed to hear this, as I did today, I hope that you and I will remember that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, God’s son. God did not send His son to increase our stress, turn us into nagging, selfish, crabby wives and mothers. On the contrary, He wants us to mimic the thoughts, words, actions and deeds of Jesus so we can bring glory to him today and be a blessing. Let’s pass this chaotic Christmas finish-line with joy in our hearts, love in our actions and kindness on our lips.

Failure Rocks!

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

GGblog

Okay, I’m being facetious. Failure sucks! It makes you question a lot of stuff. “Am I stupid?”, “Is this REALLY what I’m supposed to be doing?”, “If not this then what?”

It overwhelms you with self-doubt. SELF-doubt. You not only start doubting yourself, your future, but your ability to be successful (at anything), but it draws up emotions – negative emotions – that otherwise wouldn’t have crossed your mind. Failing at something stops you dead in your tracks and spins you into a very unhappy place.  It begins with a pity party and if they devil can get a foothold, it will spiral into full fledged depression.

Why?

Why is really the question that we are seeking the answer to. “Why didn’t this work out the way I planned?”, “Why is this happening to me?”, “Why aren’t things going my way?”, “Why am I, I, I…?”  See the theme? At the center of MY failure (your failure) is something that didn’t go MY (your) way and according to MY (your) plan. Conclusion: Pride was/is the driver.

Does Philippians 2:3 NOT say, “Do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit?” God sure has a way with cutting to the heart of it, doesn’t he?

So, here are the real questions that we need to be asking ourselves when we fail. 1 – What is God trying to teach me in this/What have I learned? and 2 – How might I realign my thinking (aspirations, plans, expectations…) to what God wants for me? How can I, do I, should I respond in a God-like way to this unplanned, unforeseen circumstance?

There is so much learning and character development that results from failure when we ponder and pray over these questions and get re-centered on God and His will, His plans and His desire for my life.

When this happens, the second part of Philippians 2:3 comes to the forefront, “but in humility, value others above yourself.” Humility – the exact OPPOSITE of pride.

Here is the takeaway in times of temporary setbacks, unmet expectations, disappointments and trials: Romans 5:1-4: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.“

Onward Christian soldier! It’s not about you [Me].

How To Pick Our Next President

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

Oval Office“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17 NIV

I passively listen to the news as I get ready for work and one of the daily topics appears to be who just announced their candidacy for the President of the United States in 2016. Every one of their nomination speeches tout, “I am proud to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.” Immediately followed by their prescription, “This is what America needs… my agenda.” This is great! We need to know who these people are and if they have the credentials to fulfill our nations top job, but they are mere humans declaring what they believe is best for an entire nation; that’s a bold decree which takes courage and confidence. I applaud them all, yet pause to question, “Whose agenda is best for us?”

Have you read 1 Samuel lately? I’m in chapter 13 where Saul gets his undies in a bundle because Samuel doesn’t show up at his said time and he decides to take matters into his own hands and disobeys God (and Samuel) by offering a sacrifice. We do that don’t we? We get anxious when God is not providing answers and take matters into our own hands. Instead of putting our faith in God and waiting on Him. We are prone to run to our religious rituals as if to speed up the process or control outcomes. Little do we know that God could be testing our obedience and patience; a tough place to be when our circumstances overwhelm us. Saul was feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of the Philistines. The world is overwhelming right now, let’s not be prone to wander away from God and cling to the most enticing nomination speech.

We don’t need a leader rushes in and tries to “fix” things.  In Saul’s case, God gave the people a king because they were asking for it, yet the king (Saul) was more about himself than he was of God and for the people. If we evaluated our presidential nominee’s to discern who are the God fearing men and women that would certainly narrow the candidate pool.

As a follower of Christ, I want a follower of Christ to lead our nation. Each nominee brings an area of strength that will make them best in some areas, yet ALL have weaknesses. On the candid roster, we have a blend of strong business acumen, military and foreign affairs guru’s, medical and healthcare experts, tenured government officials who “get Government”, but we don’t have one that is best at everything. In a time when understanding the world and the enemies in it is critical, when healthcare is overwhelming – yet necessary – for reform, our government is corrupt, economy waffling and our national debt compiling… Who IS the best man or woman for the job?

Here’s my proclamation. If we chose a Godly candidate, God will use their strengths for our benefit and he will fill in the gaps where he or she lacks. We don’t need a King Saul in the office of President, we need a committed leader of faith. So evaluate carefully America. A Christian doesn’t come with a party label of Democrat or Republican, race or ethnicity, age, gender, net worth, education or social status. God can use them all if they are true believers.

Yes LORD, You Have My Attention NOW!

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

2015-06-20 10.21.12Let me set the stage. I was upset. OK, truth-be-told, I was downright mad. Why? We had a fight. The whole family – all four of us were fighting right in the parking lot of the rental car place. Please know that I had a head start on getting angry, because it was just last night when I first learned that I would be my husband’s chauffeur to the rental car place this morning. We talked about his trip to Minneapolis, but I heard that in the context of July, not June – not this week, not THIS weekend! Admittedly, my fault – I clearly missed it – but I was selfish, inconvenienced, facing the reality of unmet expectations – Mad!

TODAY was my family reunion and tomorrow is Father’s Day. How could he do this to me? “I” had plans and even though I was trying to get a grip on myself, my oldest daughter, unknowingly, stirred up all of my emotions and I lost the fight.

To my husband, she says, “Wait a second, where are you going?”

“Minneapolis!” He responds, “I have to work!”

She shoots back, “When was someone going to tell me this? I thought we were going to breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” I darted, “No! Dad’s going to Minneapolis and we’re going up north for the family reunion.”

In further shock and now in an even higher high-pitched tone, “WHAT! Are you kidding me? I’m not dressed for a family reunion, I thought we were just going out for breakfast and how was I supposed to know we had a family reunion? If we’re going to a family reunion, we have to go back home (25 minutes away) because I need to change, I’m not wearing THIS. Are you kidding me?”

[Insert additional drama from, now, four emotionally charged people.]

My husband asks, “What time does it start?”

“10:00!” While looking at the clock that reads 9:52, “…And we’re an hour and a half away!”

I think you get the picture… We’re late and I’m upset that I don’t have a husband to join me at the family reunion, he’ll be gone for Father’s Day AND two teenage daughters with really bad timing to add to the dilemma.

As I drive away, the car is silent. I needed that, at that very moment, because my head was spinning. First, I wanted to justify that I had every right to be upset and that it was fine that I vented. After all, I had these feelings pent up for almost 15 hours so I was finding any excuse that I could to rationalize why “I” wasn’t the one who was out of line.

Then my irrational thoughts start moving to analysis of the problem. How did this happen? How did she not know? What do we need to do to communicate better? Why do I feel so angry with this whole situation? I ultimately knew that I couldn’t control any of it.

Slowly coming down from the adrenaline of it all, my attention was redirected to the radio; the Christian “Weekend Top 20 Countdown” was on. I knew that this is exactly what I needed, a song lyrics to help me get re-centered and help me come to grips with this. I was just starting to calm.

Then it happened. I’m stopped at the stop sign and I looked to the right as my eyes followed the car speeding past. Already looking to left and no cars coming, I pull out. Seconds later I hear, “Mom! Look out!”

I didn’t know what was happening and I didn’t know which way to look. I just kept my eyes forward, slammed on my breaks and prayed, “LORD, NO!”

I no sooner thought the words and a maroon mini-van came speeding, as if in slow motion, from my right. As I gauged its speed and the timing of it’s ability to clear my path in my peripheral vision I actually thought, “We’re going to make it!”

[SMASH!]

I felt a pressure on my chest; it was the airbag. Not fully grasping that, I looked to my left now, only to see the mini van sliding across the highway with the front-end now facing back at me. My car idled to a stop on the other side, debris everywhere.

People appeared from every direction. I sat in the drivers seat in shock, wondering what just happened?  Am I OK? Yes.   Are my kids ok? As I searched for the answer they were tugging at my drivers door. “Mom, open the door!”

I unlocked the door and my oldest daughter embraced me with a hug. “Mom, are you OK?” That’s when the tears started to flow. “Yes… Are you guys OK?”

That’s when I saw the mini van with it’s back door slid open and I thought, “Oh NO! Was there a baby in the car?” I tried to run, hollow heels were clicking across the pavement, and I quickly approached the van. Shaking, but speaking, she says, “We’re OK! Are you guys OK?” I looked in and there were two beautiful brown-eyed little girls looking at me and a reverse facing toddler playing with his Elmo shoe. They were OK.

“Oh Thank You God!”

So God got my attention and this is what he said, “This is how quickly you could lose them and your life be changed forever. You may be disappointed that the weekend isn’t what you had planned, but guess what, roll with it. It’s not worth the fighting, it’s not worth the hurt feelings and it’s definitely not worth the anger. Inconvenience? I’ll show you inconvenience, now you get to deal with insurance companies, deductibles, collision centers, lack of transportation and a $175 ticket for not yielding to the right-of-way that until now you took for granted. Oh, and by the way, it’s not about you, it’s never about you so you better get your priorities straight.” Love, God

So we made it to the family reunion; five hours late. There was an applause when we entered the room and it felt GREAT! My Facebook page is streaming with praise and relief which in and of itself warms my heart to have so many caring friends. As for the car ride to and from the reunion… none of us uttered another harsh word and we had a very spiritual and God-pleasing conversation about how lucky we ALL were. If I would not have slammed on my breaks, she would have t-boned us at 45-50 mph; it could have and would have been so much worse.

I’ll deal with all of this inconvenience and all things considered – I’m happy to. I have my life, I have my family and I have a God who loves me enough to get my attention and remind me what REALLY is important.

Jeremiah 29:11-12, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

When Commitments Collide

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

The text message reads, “As soon my son walks across the stage and receives his diploma I will leave for class. He’s graduating high school tonight.”

My response, “No way. You stay until you get that Father/Son post-graduation picture and send it to me, THEN you can come to class. Class can wait.”

What was this father going to sacrifice? A grade, ridicule from fellow classmates, a missed lesson in ethics class, some lecture from me, the teacher, on being a responsible adult? In the overall scheme of things, so what, right? We’re talking about a family milestone and a chance for a Dad to give a huge “atta boy” to his youngest son; something far more important that any of the aforementioned consequences.

What saddens me is two things: 1) There are teachers out there that would have said, “Great! See you when you get here,” and then have some penalty for tardiness with strict academic by-the-book justification, and 2) Adult students who would have made class (a grade, image, etc.) the priority in their decision.

I may have been one of those rule-abiding teachers had I not had my wake-up call when I was in my own graduate program. I missed class for being out of town for a work conference and the following week I was vacationing with my family 3 hours away. As I stripped myself away from my family to “make it in time for class” I knew my life/my choice was out of balance. I contacted my teacher and told him I was turning around and that I couldn’t justify missing time away from my family when I had just missed class (and my family) the week before. He told me I was doing the right thing, but he needed to drop me a full grade for having two absences and he did, I got a B for the class. I obviously didn’t graduate with a 4.0, but I’m more proud of that ‘B’ than any ‘A’ I ever earned. I learned a valuable life lesson from that and still earned a graduate degree.

Don’t get me wrong, when you have responsibilities like school and work, the right thing to do is to follow-though and honor our commitments. I also appreciate this gentlemen for his willingness to compromise; trying to make both work, because I also value his sense of obligation to being in class too. After all, I too am away from my family to teach class. Time is precious and there is no responsibility greater than family and I feel truly blessed to have paid-it-forward.

After class he came up to thank me and thanked me. Sharing that his son was beaming when he saw that he was there for the whole ceremony. What really brought me to tears is that he said his son was fine with the fact that Dad had leave early to get to class, but when he saw that he had missed class and was there for the whole ceremony, he was extremely happy. That is what made this story all the more special and inspiring for me.

I praise God for giving me the discernment that this is where this Dad and student needed to be. I pray that this young man will make the right choice for his family when his adult commitments collide. To me, these smiles are priceless; a life experience that no tuition can teach.

2015-06-04 19.43.50

Rehash Your Life

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

On Life's Journey

“It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” Joshua 24:17-18

As I read Joshua Chapter 24 and how the LORD, through Joshua, spelled out deliberately all that He has done for them, it made me think of the recount God may give of my life…

“Sarah, I gave you breath, your parents, your siblings, that scar on your knee. I saved your neck from being broken when you did that dumb stunt in the barn and comforted you with kind nurses when you were hospitalized from appendicitis. I protected you from that boy your parents didn’t approve of, I gave you that internship that helped you launch your career. I brought you out of credit card debt, gave you a husband and two healthy, beautiful smart daughters. I drew you into fellowship with other believers, I orchestrated that conversation with your mother-in-law that ultimately sent you searching after Me. I gave you that strong-willed personality, your passions, your drive, your heart for people.”

I can go on and on, but here’s my point. It’s all His. Everything I have, everything I am, all that I have been through – good and bad – He has had a hand in it. He disciplines me because he loves me and He reminds me that I’m not created to be prideful, self-reliant, self-serving or arrogant. He keeps me on the right path.

So today I’m praising God for my life, and I have surrendered it to Him. But when the Isrealities made that profession, here is verse 19-20, “Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

Remarkably, here is their response in verse 21-22, “But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

We are witnesses, all of us who are believers… Live out today, our commitment and decision to serve the Lord.

The Extra Load

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

Brick in the drawer

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

It’s been busy the last couple of months. Earlier this year we bought a house in the country. Our daughters have a love for horses so we wanted enough land for pasture and for the last 13 years we have lived with a highway in our backyard – we were ready to put city life behind us.

When moving day came we hired a couple of local guys to help us load our U-Haul with some of our heavier furniture. The day started with two men and about an hour into loading a third guy showed up. They spoke Spanish so I didn’t understand a word, but from the appearance and sound of their hissing laughter I suspected that guy #3 was an instigator; only later to confirm I was right.

There was this wooden horizontal filing cabinet located in my husband’s basement office. Near it was a pile of bricks that we used to secure the carpet atop the septic tank; an effort to dull the clinking sound when the pump would kick in to push water out. I remember that cabinet because I asked our moving guys to try it in every corner of my husbands new office, only for him to veto the decision of having it altogether. “Put that thing in the garage it’s junk,” he said, and those poor movers carried it (once again) out of the house and deposited onto the junk pile in the third stall of the garage.

Fast forward two months and it’s garbage day. As my husband and I went to pick up the cabinet and place it onto the truck, we struggled to lift it. I knew the cabinet was heavy, but I found that I wasn’t strong enough to help him. He opened the drawer to see if we could remove them and make the cabinet lighter when he found a brick right there in the middle of the empty drawer. Sure enough, Mr. Instigator was playing a joke on his friends and found humor in adding weight to the load. Some joke!

This brick reminded me of how I tend to “carry extra weight” in my life.  Weight that shows up in the form of guilt, worry, shame, anxiety, fear, fatigue, stress, pressure, deadlines, etc. Everyday brings it’s own “stuff” and what does the world do? Piles it on. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some funny joke. I’m the one who picks it up, takes it on and then goes to God with my “stuff” as if I expect him to fix it.

Well, he did.

Not only did He take it all, He gave it all – for me! For you! I love the verses in Matthew and am reminded that His burden is light. So I’m taking that brick off of my back and giving it to God; praising Him for giving me a better life.

My Christmas Poem

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

We are so spoiled, we are so blessed
The presents are open, the house is a mess

The busy shopping season finally comes to an end
and the birth of a Savior inspires me to send
Christmas blessings to you and your family today,
reflecting on what is important and say…

That the real meaning and purpose for this day to be
Is that God sent His Son to save you and save me
Don’t take this for granted, it’s a serious event
Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven, be sure to repent

He came to this earth to save us from our sins,
in a world that is hopeless, heaven really does exist
If you are still reading and just got the chills
It’s because your heart you know that Christmas isn’t just frills

So take time to pause, question what you really believe
it’s not Santa or good works or religion to cleave
The decision is personal for each one of us
and there is no greater gift than Jesus, God’s Son!

GG Pin

Happy Birthday to Me!

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

Knees at the Cross

When I was 3 it was all about me- my cup, my doll, my shoes… mine, mine, mine!
When I was 13 it was all about me – Are my breasts forming? Am I pretty enough? Will that boy that I like ask me to dance?
When I was 23 it was all about me – My job, my car, my party, my house.
When I was 33 I gave my life to Jesus and thought that He was there with me – My resume, my career, my accomplishments, my “keep up with the Jones’ image.
I’m 43- It’s not about me. I now live my life for my daughters, my husband, my quiet times with the LORD. My life is not my own. I am HIS and HE is mine. I see my flabby stomach, crows feet forming on my eyes. Salary and income matter, but only for what I tithe. I get less sleep than ever and selflessly submit to my vows. I used to see the how big the world was and now I see that my life is small – but significant. I live for the ministry of my home.

Godly Girlfriends On Break

Posted in Reflections From My Heart by

blog

Godly Girlfriends is taking a break. God is at work in my heart and in my life. Right now I need to seek God’s voice and follow his leading with a focus on Him; being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Thank you for your faithful following. Please don’t unfollow during this time of my personal growth and restoration. After all, we need our Godly Girlfriends, right? What can you do?  Prayer for myself and my family would be greatly appreciated.

I guess you could say it’s one of those seasons of pruning. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)

So I guess you could say the best is yet to come.

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Thank you for your loyalty, faithfulness and prayers. ~Sarah Schneider