Dinner on the Wrong Night

The Bible is full of regular, everyday folks who heard the voice of God. They were usually quite busy, going about their everyday jobs like keeping wolves from eating their sheep, when God would single them out and say something profound that would end up being historical.

“Old age isnʼt an excuse, Noah. Get down to the local hardware store, because you really need to build this giant boat. If you Google the weather, youʼll see itʼs about to change.”

Those who were faithful and righteous were usually quick in their obedience, too.

My friend, Katie, hears God speak quite often. She once told me that the Lord had encouraged her to go on ahead and lay herself off work. As in, she was quite certain that her friend, Jesus, said, “Tell your boss youʼre laying yourself off from the company, and that you wonʼt be taking a paycheck from them any longer, while the company is struggling with some things.” Katie, being one who is quiet enough to know when itʼs the Lord speaking to her and when itʼs just a pesky mosquito buzzing in her ear, did just this. I was stunned. I would have argued relentlessly with Jesus and said, “Seriously? Lay myself off? Because you know thereʼs this thing called a mortgage, right? And you might not have to pay those in Heaven, but I have to pay it right now, and WHERE WILL THE MONEY FOR STARBUCKS COME FROM?” Iʼd like to say that my first instinct would have been faithful obedience, but I know myself. My first instinct would be to fight what I thought couldnʼt be right.

Katie laid herself off work. In the end, Jesus showed off a little bit and worked everything out for the better. Things didnʼt go back to how they WERE before Katie obeyed – things catapulted themselves into being even better than they had been.

Thatʼs kind of Jesusʼ MO. His Method of Operation. How He does things.

But your heart has to be still enough to hear Him speak, and you have to understand that sometimes He asks people to do strange things. In the book of Judges, Gideon didnʼt think he was capable of fighting a massive army with 300 soldiers, but God asked him to do it, and he did. And through Gideonʼs obedience, the Lord shone through, and a small army conquered one that was believed to be undefeatable.

A few years ago, I had a strange request made of me. Iʼd like to say that I blindly jumped to do exactly as I was called to do, but I didnʼt.

My husband and I know a family. A few years ago, they were a young married couple with a pack of very young children. They had children of every age, it seemed, running all over the place. The husband was very outgoing and friendly. He was easy to like, his sense of humor was incredible, and he was downright friendly. Although strikingly beautiful, his wife was the exact opposite. She was hard to get to know because she didnʼt talk much. When she did talk, her conversations were usually full of judgement toward others, and how her tribe of children were so much better than everyone elseʼs children. She was rude, she was unfriendly, and frankly, I wasnʼt interested in getting to know her very well, because she was quick to present a cold shoulder towards everyone she met. She always presented the feeling that she was much better than the world around her, so she couldnʼt be bothered to befriend those beneath her.

A few years ago, they bought a house and gutted it. They took that house down to the shell. They designed a floor plan for it, and they were going to turn it into something amazing. The husband was actually quite handy in the line of carpentry and construction, so he was doing the bulk of the work himself. His wife was helping, and somehow they were managing to get it all done while little kids ran wild everywhere.

On one particularly cold, winter day, I woke up and my VERY FIRST thought of the day was that I needed to take dinner to this family. The usual list of reasons for bringing dinner to someone didnʼt apply. They hadnʼt just delivered a new baby... no one close to them had recently died... no one was sick. And yet, all day long my heart was heavy with the thought that I was supposed to take them a meal for dinner that day.

But do you know what?

I didnʼt like the wife. She had never shown any kind of friendliness to me, or to anyone, really. She was snooty and aloof, and I figured that sheʼd be just fine cooking dinner for her many children that evening. I didnʼt WANT to take dinner to her.

I made a big pot of soup in the crockpot for our familyʼs supper.

Iʼd look at it often throughout the day and feel like I was supposed to load that crockpot up and deliver it to them. I just shook my head, because NO WAY.

Our family ate the soup. Even though cooking is my least favorite domestic chore, Iʼll just go on record and say that this soup was FANTASTIC! Paula Deen would have stood up and applauded me wildly for it. Martha Stewart would have put her fingers in her mouth and whistled her approval.

The temperatures dipped well below zero that night.

The next morning, I woke up again thinking about this family. My first thought of that day was, “I was supposed to make them dinner last night.”

So this is what I did. I huffed around my kitchen. I slammed a few measuring cups onto my countertop. I slammed cupboard doors. And in a state of angry irritation, I remade the same pot of soup, from scratch, and tossed it into my crockpot. My husband asked what I was doing. I growled, “Iʼm making soup for THAT FAMILY!” Late that afternoon, I loaded up the hot soup, and I drove to the house that they were doing an extensive remodel on. It was a ways out of town, and I had a hard time finding it in the dark, but I did.

I knocked on their door.

Their kitchen didnʼt exist. Oh, there was a spot FOR the kitchen, but no kitchen was there. They were in the process of mudding the drywall in the kitchen area. Their new stove and refrigerator were in giant boxes in their garage. Theyʼd finished a bathroom already, and it was beautiful. The tile work was amazing, and this was where they washed their dishes -- right there in that bathroom sink. There was a microwave plugged into an outlet on the floor of where the living room would be. There was a dorm-sized refrigerator plugged in across the room. They had no tile or carpet on the floor; it was just subfloors, and the kids were using markers and Crayons to decorate it.

The wife approached me and said, “What are you doing out on a cold night like this?”

I smiled. “I just thought maybe yʼall could use some dinner, so I brought over a big pot of soup and a loaf of French bread.”

She took the soup from me and said, “I already have chili in our crockpot for dinner tonight. I donʼt know when weʼll get to this soup.” She walked off, set the pot of soup on the top of a cardboard box, and picked up a crying baby.

The husband came up to me and said, “Thank you for dinner. Wow! What a surprise. Itʼs really too bad you didnʼt show up LAST NIGHT with the soup! What was it? Six degrees below zero last night? The battery in our mini van died, and I didnʼt have any way to jump it last night, and our neighbors were gone. The kids were starving. Weʼd planned to just get burgers in town last night, but we couldnʼt GET to town, so we fed the kids the packages of graham crackers and saltines that we had for their snacks earlier in the day. THAT was our dinner. Crazy, huh? And then this morning, our neighbors were back. I got the mini vanʼs battery jumped, and my wife went to town to get stuff to make chili. But man! Last nightʼs dinner was slim pickings!”

Yes, God often speaks to plain, everyday people.

But do you know what? His work wonʼt be accomplished if those regular men and women donʼt take His instructions and obey them. I have no idea what would have happened, had I showed up with a crockpot of hot soup the night before. All I know is that this family saw an ill-timed meal brought to them. It didnʼt show up when they needed it most, because I wasnʼt obedient.

Tammy is a wife and mother of 2 children, ages 13 and 1 1/2. She has recently joined MOPS in support of entering the baby and toddler years once again, blessedly, but somewhat unexpectedly. Her presence at our MOPS meetings is a comfort, her love for Jesus a special and hefty gift, and her sense of humor a brilliant light. She keeps us all laughing at the beauty and difficulty of motherhood through her personal blog Jedi Mama: Life at a Jedi House. We are hoping to hear from her often here on the Morning MOPS Blog!

Nudges

Have you felt the nudge of God today? Did His quiet voice ask you to kneel before a small child, look into her face and really listen?

Photo by Bethany Tippin

Did the movement of the wind in the trees blow a neighbor into your thoughts? Did you choose to walk by and say, “Hello”?

Christa Tietjen Photography

Have you known you should STOP what you’re doing and bow your head? Did you do it?

Did your tears fall, unhindered, as Jesus revealed a broken, hurtful situation? And did you recognize those tears as prayer? Your care and concern as incense rising?

Did you obey?

I’m asking because I had a friend obey the Spirit’s nudge this morning. I had a friend listen and respond. I witnessed the power of God’s touch through the hands and feet of a human right here on earth, right here in Sheridan, right here in MOPS.

It was just a hug. And yet it was so much more. It was a hug with the words, “I just felt like I was supposed to hug you.” And do you know what those words said to me? “My friend is listening. Wow. She’s in tune with the Holy Spirit. Right now, here, she’s dwelling in God.”

And the hug? It said, “I love you. I know what you lack. I heard your prayer, I heard you state your need and I am providing.”

Because, last night I sent a text that said, “I just need a hug.” A text. Silly. But, a truth. A statement to myself and another that I had a need. And God heard me. He prompted another believer to serve me in love and to serve Him in obedience. The result: a moment of wonder, awe and glory.

Over the course of my life, I know I have heard God’s still, small voice many times. I wish I could say I’ve responded promptly in obedience every time. But I haven’t. These sweet, sweet moments, however, where someone else’s obedience magnifies the power of the Holy Spirit and touches me intimately, these moments push me forward, move me onward, make me want to do a better job. They make me believe I will take the next bold, silly or seemingly trivial step that presents itself, in obedience. They remind me that we can all be unlikely sources of God’s provision.

Christa Tietjen Photography

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church, and in Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever.” – Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV, emphasis added)

- Bethany Tippin, MOPS Mom & Publicity Leader

Bethany Tippin is a wife and mother of 2 children, ages 3 and 5. She is a musician, teacher and writer. She joined MOPS very soon after moving to Sheridan and regularly finds blessing in her participation. This, her 6^th year, is her 1^st year in a leadership role. Serving as the 2013-2014 Publicity steering member is a joy and a challenge. She is massively excited about all the ways Christ is evidently moving in her life and community!

Children Are a Blessing...Right?!

Article by Misty Krasawski                 Reprinted by permission                  Original article published at http://www.itakejoy.com/children-are-a-blessing-right-launch-week-giveaway-2/

The text comes toward the end of a busy day.

We fed and dressed and drove our full house to church, hustled to a nearby pizza place for a long lunch with friends, then topped it all off with a sightseeing day. A touch of fall was in the air and we searched the trees for spots of color as we drove along. A veritable parade of fifteen in a funky, nearby mountain town, trying to keep everyone together amongst the crowds, we window shopped a zillion stores and trekked through a select few, ate too much fabulous chocolate, and finally made it back to the car, exhausted and spent and (possibly) just a teensy bit grouchy. While we were on our way home, a dear friend’s message came: “Can you call me for just a few minutes, later? It’s, ummm … important.”

As soon as we got home I sent everyone to their rooms for an hour–including me! Now it was time for me to head out again to do some last-minute grocery shopping before my husband left for another week of work. Dialing her number, I smiled at the thought of a little heart to heart–hard to come by in the midst of busy days.

Her weary voice was still sweet to my ears. She described to me her week, filled with little ones who had been ill, carpet needing to be cleaned, meals still to be made and laundry still to be run despite her own illness. And now a new surprise … just at the moment she’d said to the Lord, “I thought you said you wouldn’t give me more than I can handle! I can’t do this!” His return? “Let’s let Me decide what you can handle, okay?” And it was that moment she knew … and now had it confirmed … two pink lines.

Oh dear! How we laughed. Okay, mostly I laughed. Only because I’d been in her shoes so many times!

After we had a little convo about that bit about God not giving us more than we can handle (totally unscriptural, by the way! But He does promise He will help us handle whatever He gives!) and the congratulations were heartily given (please call me if you ever find out you’re pregnant; numerous friends can confirm I’m the best responder to such news) her question finally poured out–the reason she’d texted so plaintively.

“I love my children so much. I cannot imagine life without any one of them. And yet right now … as I’m cleaning up after sick children … in the midst of the mess … I know they’re a blessing. I know God says that. But can I just ask … HOW?”

Can we ask, friends? Is a mama allowed to have a bad day, or a string of bad days, or a few bad years where she feels pressed to the carpet and wants to cry “uncle”–can she ask for someone to please remind her why and how exactly this all is supposed to be a blessing?

I think we can. And I think we do, even if we don’t dare say it aloud, even if we’re afraid we’re going to look unspiritual and ungrateful if anyone hears our cry. Because our Father? He knows our hearts and He knows what it’s like to be pressed and weary and always wanted and filled with compassion. If we love one another we will respond with grace and admit to our own asking, and pray they remember all we say so next time we’re in their shoes the tables can be turned and we’ll find ourselves on the receiving end.

Here’s what I told my sweet friend (grateful that I could hear myself say what I, too, needed to hear …)

Children are a blessing because God says they are. Because they are people who can carry the messages of our hearts into the future long after we’re gone. Because they are multiplication–and we cannot even see how many times our story will be told down that road, how our struggles and determination to be faithful will bless those our children and grandchildren touch.

They are a blessing because He intended families to work together, to divide the work of home and even business and enlarge our territories and ability to produce and provide.

They’re a blessing because today they are throwing up, but in a few days they will be wearing clean clothes and have brushed hair and possibly even shoes on, and they will sit next to each other in a row at church and make our hearts just about burst.

They’re a blessing because they are insurance for the days when we are old and gray and need their help.

They’re a blessing because today, right now, with nearly every action, thought, and attitude, they are handing us an opportunity to become more like Christ. To die to ourselves, to pick up our cross.

They point out to us our flaws, our selfishness, our laziness, our procrastination, our failures in the area of love. Every child under our roof is yet another tool in the hand of a Father determined to see the image of His Son formed in us.

Some of us must just take more work than others.

And so we laughed and cried a bit and I thanked her for the reminder. For making me remember and speak all the reasons my own gaggle of giggles is a blessing; a blessing even on the days I’ve spent on my own floor with a bottle of cleaner in one hand and a box of tissues in the other … or maybe just the box of tissues.

Come in close, friend across the screen, and let me whisper in your ear a truth counter to all you’re hearing in culture. Your children are a blessing. They are not easy; mothering is not for sissies; loving well is hard work. In those truths lie the heart of what God wants to teach us: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” You don’t have to look any farther than down your own hallways to find a great place to practice imitating Jesus. And that is a blessing, indeed.

- See more at: www.itakejoy.com

Me, Too

Mandy, at mops.org, shared a blog entitled, “Lady Parts and All Those Things I Haven’t Mastered Yet.” At the end of the post she said, “My one saving grace, the thing that keeps my head above water in the mom department are my friends. Especially the ones that say, “me too.” Friends who assure me that hiding in the bathroom to eat the last brownie without having to share, is something we've all done. Mom friends make you feel more competent, and like this whole adulthood thing is a little more do-able.”

And, you know what, I started to cry. Because, yeah, that’s what mom-friends are for, and because MOPS has brought me a whole lot of them!

I sat with one of them this morning and got to listen to her concerns, laugh hysterically at our ridiculous children and take a turn sharing my own struggles. I had the privilege of fellowshipping with another woman on real terms, in real life and in real time. It wasn't a purely relaxing, uninterrupted visit. There were questions from tiny voices, screams from down the hallway and an indoor picnic spilled all over the floor. But, there was also true friendship and understanding, there were tangible acts of coming alongside one another and uplifting each other. There was encouragement and love.

Today was a day where things felt much bigger than simply not wanting to share the last brownie. It was a day where my confidence was low and my energy lagging. I was searching for redirection – and I found it. My friend totally and completely directed me back to the Center. She lovingly reminded me to refocus my eyes on Jesus, the great shepherd: who gently leads those that have young (Isaiah 40:11).

Friends, when we allow each other into our lives (the real, messy part of our lives) we open up a powerful space for Christ to use us and grow us. We become better moms, better friends and better women. I encourage you to reach out to one another this year. Forge friendships, make connections, find the places we can all say, “Me too.” 

- Bethany Tippin, Publicity Coordinator