Life Is Not Promised

Posted on January 24, 2023 by shatwin2003

Today, I attended a celebration of life for a young woman. We would normally say she was gone too soon, but we were reminded by her father, even in the midst of his grief, that God is good, and God is in control. God had a purpose and a plan for her life here on Earth, and it was fulfilled. The book of James expresses to us that life is not promised.

yet you do not know what tomorrow brings. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

James 4:14 (ESV)

I have taken my life and the lives of my loved ones for granted. What should we do in light of knowing that life is so short? I believe God is calling us to make the most of our time here by walking in love and seeking to do God’s will.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (ESV)

I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose a child, but it was so beautiful to see the joy and the peace that her parents had today in the midst of heartache. They know their daughter is in the presence of the LORD! I am encouraged to show more love to my children and to point them to the One to whom they truly belong.

God, help me to walk in the sacrificial love of Christ, to make the most of my time, and to entrust my children’s lives to your care.

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Hiding in Plain Sight

Posted on January 10, 2023 by shatwin2003

Sometimes my kids hide from me when they do something they aren’t supposed to be doing. But what gets me is when they try to hide in plain sight. Like the time that my 3-year-old knew she wasn’t supposed to get out of bed, so she walked out into the hallway, turned her back toward me, and covered her eyes. She stood in that position until I asked her why she was out of bed. She said she needed to use the bathroom, and I told her to go ahead. Then, she turned around, smiled, and went to the bathroom.

While my daughter thought she could hide by not facing me and covering her eyes, all I could think was, “Don’t you realize I can still see you?” I imagine God is thinking the same thing in our futile attempts to hide from him. In fact, he says so in the book of Jeremiah.

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:24 (ESV)

When we sin, the temptation is to hide from God. I don’t pray, or I don’t mention my sin when I do pray, or I don’t look to God’s word. Just like my daughter covering her eyes, these things block my view of God, but it doesn’t hinder his view of me. Even from the beginning of mankind with Adam and Eve, their first response to their sin was to cover themselves and hide from God.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Genesis 3:7-10 (ESV)

Adam confessed that he hid because he was afraid. We hide from God when we fear his judgment. But 1 John tells us that we don’t have to fear and that because of God’s love, we can have confidence for the day of judgment.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:13-19 (ESV)

Further, God’s love is so great, that nothing can separate us from it.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present not things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

Those who trust Jesus don’t have to fear judgment because God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to take our punishment for sin upon himself. There’s no need to fear and no need to hide. God wants us to not only not hide, but also to confidently come to Him.

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:13-16 (ESV)

God, I praise you for your amazing love and your amazing grace. It is useless to try to hide from You. Thank You for a Savior that can sympathize with my weaknesses and enables me to confidently draw near to your throne of grace to receive mercy.

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Checking for Crumbs

Posted on December 6, 2022 by shatwin2003

A few weeks ago, I gave my baby cheese puffs in his carseat. Needless to say, he made a mess. He had crumbs all over himself and a white cheddar ring around his mouth. I thought about how I would have to clean him up later as I stuffed more cheese puffs into my mouth. While I was waiting in the car line to pick up my two oldest sons, I chatted with one of the ladies on staff at their school. I waved goodbye to the lady as I continued on in the car line and noticed the white cheddar sticking to my fingers. Then, it dawned on me. Cheese puffs are notorious for leaving powdery crumbs. I thought, “I bet I have crumbs on my mouth too.” I pulled down the sun visor, flipped up the mirror, and there were the crumbs. “How embarrassing,” I thought as I wiped off my mouth. This scenario made me think of one of Jesus’ teachings on judging others.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)

I could easily see the crumbs on my baby, but it took a little insight and and a mirror to see the crumbs on my own mouth. How do we get to where we can see that we have a log to take out of our own eye? How can we be in-tune to our own hypocrisy? In the book of James, God’s word is compared to a mirror that reveals where we are and where we need to be.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:22-25 (ESV)

We must look to God’s word for the truth about ourselves. But we can’t just see the truth; we must act on it. It’s like looking in the mirror to check for crumbs, and then wiping them off. Imagine looking in the mirror, seeing crumbs, and then shrugging and walking away with crumbs still on your mouth. It sounds silly, but that’s what we do when we hear and don’t follow God’s word.

The good thing is we don’t have to just rely on our own insight. We can receive help from the people around us to see our flaws. Sometimes this help from others can feel like judgment, because it hurts to hear where we’ve messed up. We must be careful not to confuse the loving correction that we need with judgment.

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV)

There have been times that I wished someone would have told me that I had crumbs on my mouth or tissue on my shoe. But, I don’t think that I’ve ever wished that someone had told me about my sin. I don’t like to hear that I’m wrong, but it is what I need. Further, it is a demonstration of love when someone speaks up and speaks the truth. When we hear the truth, then we can act on it and be blessed in being a doer of the word.

In addition to receiving help from others to see our sin, when we trust Jesus we have help from the Holy Spirit to teach us, remind us, and empower us to do what’s right. As Jesus prepares his followers for his departure, He gives them these words about the Holy Spirit.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 14:25 (ESV)

I am definitely guilty of judging others. Sadly, I must admit that I have judged others in parenting. Before I had kids, it was easy to think that I would handle things differently than someone else. The more children I’ve had, the more I see that parenting is not easy. As a parent, I am so encouraged when someone looks at me through a lens of grace rather than judgment.

Lord, you alone are the righteous judge. Forgive me for trying to assume your position as judge over others. Open my eyes to see my hypocrisy. Help me to diligently seek your word for the truth and to act on it. Humble me to receive correction from others, and give me the courage when led by the Spirit to speak up and speak the truth in love.

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No Turning Back

Posted on October 19, 2022 by shatwin2003

Whenever my 11-month-old spits up, I know I have to clean it up quickly. Otherwise, he’ll start playing in it. But today was even worse. This time when he spit up, he licked it off of his arm. Yuck! This incident reminded me of a proverb.

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 (ESV)

Please don’t hear me calling my son a dog or a fool. It was just the visual imagery of him licking his spit up that made me think of this verse. In thinking of this verse, I began to reflect on how it applies to my own life. How I know that something is wrong or unhelpful and still do it. Or I know what is right and still refuse to do it. I find myself going back to the same foolishness.

Peter references this same proverb when warning about false prophets and false teachers. He explains how serious it is to foolishly return to sin.

They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit and the sow after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

2 Peter 2:19-22 (ESV)

Many times I have been the recipient of God’s grace in my foolish decisions. He patiently teaches me lessons over and over again. But we are not to take advantage of God’s grace by continuing in sin.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)

God, thank you for your grace and patience with me when I turn back to sinful, foolish decisions. Help me to realize that I have been set free from sin by Christ’s death, and help me to walk in the newness of life that comes from Christ’s resurrection.

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Listen!

Posted on October 11, 2022 by shatwin2003

We were on the way to pick up the boys from school. “Mommy look,” my daughter called, from the backseat of our van. “I can’t look now. I’m driving,” I replied. Then she told me to look again and said the baby’s name. I decided I had better take a quick glance to make sure the baby was okay. He was not. His carseat was tilted over sideways. I immediately pulled over to fix it.

I had assumed that when my daughter called for me to look that she was just pointing out something she saw outside, or she wanted me to look at a toy she had. I was prepared to ignore or dismiss whatever she wanted me to see, because in my mind, it probably wasn’t anything significant. I have a tendency to not give my full attention to things that my kids say when I don’t think it’s something important. Because of their youth, I treat them as undeserving of my time and attention. However, this is not the way of Christ.

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 10:13-16 (ESV)

Not only did Jesus consider children worthy of His time and attention, but he also calls us to appreciate the simple trust and total dependency of children, for this is what it takes to enter the kingdom.

God, forgive me for not listening to and for not valuing my children as I should. You have set them before me as an example of how to have faith. You use things they say to get my attention. They are your precious treasures that You have temporarily entrusted to my care. Help me to care for them as you do.

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It Tastes Good

Posted on September 27, 2022 by shatwin2003

One day, my daughter spilled some juice on the floor. I told her to get a towel and clean it up. In typical 3 year old fashion, she replied, “I want to jump over it first.” Then, she stepped up on a nearby step stool and jumped over the juice on the floor. I repeated that she needed to get a towel to clean it up, and I went back to feeding my 10 month old his pureed baby food. The next thing I noticed when I looked up from feeding the baby, my daughter was laying face down on the floor sipping the juice that spilled. I gasped, “What are you doing? You can’t drink from the floor!” She responded, “But it tastes good.”

Even though my daughter probably knew she wasn’t supposed to drink juice from the floor, that knowledge wasn’t enough to stop her. Why? Because it tasted good. So it is with sin. We often know what we should or shouldn’t do, but we disregard what we know is right. Why? Because sin feels good. If it didn’t feel good, we wouldn’t be tempted to do it. In the book of Proverbs, foolishness is personified and says,

Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

Proverbs 9:17 (ESV)

However, the good feeling that we get from sin is temporary.

Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

Proverbs 20:17 (ESV)

My daughter didn’t understand the danger in drinking juice from the floor. We also often don’t see the danger in the sin that we engage in. In the book of Proverbs, a father warns his son about the danger of the sin of adultery, and he illustrates how we can’t avoid the consequences that sin brings.

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.

Proverbs 6:27-29 (ESV)

Thankfully, my daughter avoided the potential consequence of getting sick by drinking from the floor. Sin will sometimes bring negative consequences in life, but the ultimate consequence of sin is eternal separation from God. Thankfully, God loves us so much that he provides a way to avoid this ultimate consequence.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

Once we have faith in Christ, we have the power by the Holy Spirit to resist the sweet allure of sin.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galations 5:16 (ESV)

God, please forgive me for choosing to sin against You. Help me to remember that knowing You is infinitely sweeter than the fleeting pleasure of sin. Give me the strength to resist temptation to sin and to walk by Your Spirit.

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Taking the Phone to the Throne

Posted on September 12, 2022 by shatwin2003

One day, I told my daughter that I had to go use the bathroom. She replied, “Okay. Here’s your phone, Mommy.” I cringed upon hearing her response, because I knew it meant that she knows I have a habit of bringing my phone with me to the bathroom. I take advantage of those few moments alone to check emails, read news headlines, or browse social media. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, but I know all of the little moments of “free time” that I use to check my phone add up to a lot of wasted time. If I think I’m being hard on myself, all I have to do is check my phone’s screen time report. It doesn’t look pretty.

There is a fine line between enjoying the things of this world in a healthy way and allowing those things to take over in an unhealthy way. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes about this dynamic.

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)

Paul later repeats this wording in addressing how our actions can affect or be interpreted by others.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

1 Corinthians 6:23-24 (ESV)

What message am I sending to my children with my phone habits? What do they think when the phone is always glued to my hand? What is communicated when they have to call my name a couple of times to get my attention when I’m on my phone? Not only do I need to not be ruled by my phone for my own sake, but also for the sake of my children who are learning by what they see.

Lord, I confess that my phone has been a distraction and an idol. Please forgive me for craving time with my phone more than time with You. Give me the strength to not be ruled by it, and help me to seek to do what’s best for my children.

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Keeping Your Word

Posted on September 7, 2022 by shatwin2003

When it’s time to grocery shop, my kids always want to know to which store we’re going. Depending on the day, they’ll prefer one store over another based on if the store has free fruit for kids or a car attached to the shopping cart. I’ll want to go to one store over another based on sales, fuel points, and what I need to buy. On this particular day, I planned to go to a grocery store that wasn’t my son’s preference. He begged to go to the other store, and eventually, I said that we would go to both stores since there were sales I wanted to take advantage of at the other store too. We went to the store I initially planned to go to first. By the time we were ready to leave, it was getting late (close to time to make dinner), my eight-month-old was crying, and it was raining. I told my children we wouldn’t be able to go to the other store today. My son was so disappointed that he cried. When I told him that we could go to the other grocery store tomorrow, he said, “I don’t want to go to the store tomorrow. I want to go today. You said we were going today.” I got the sense that my son’s emotional response was deeper than just not being able to go to a grocery store. I have a problem with indecisiveness and as a result, I often change my mind about things. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to shop at both stores that day, but I caved under pressure and said we would because I wanted to make my children happy. In the end, it resulted in disappointment, tears, and probably broken trust.

What a world of trouble we would be in if God was like me. Unlike me, God always keeps his word. God is both able to and faithful to fulfill his promises.

For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

Psalm 33:4 (ESV)

We can trust God’s word and not have to wonder if what he promises will happen. His promises are not swayed by the weather, time, or people. We don’t have to live in fear, doubt, or expect disappointment when it comes to placing our hope in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and for eternal life.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

But even those who trust Jesus experience times of fear and doubt. God’s promise keeping doesn’t depend on the strength of our faith, but on His character of faithfulness.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.

2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

God, forgive me for not being a woman of my word. Thank you for being faithful to your word despite my times of faithlessness. Help me to be honest and to honor you with my lips. Help me to trust You completely.

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Open Arms

Posted on August 10, 2022 by shatwin2003

On my way home, I had to stop for a school bus dropping off a student. A young girl got off the bus and started running across the yard toward a house. When I turned to look at the house, I saw a man standing on the front porch. His smile was beaming and his arms were open wide like he was waiting for an embrace. As I drove home, I thought about how beautiful it was to observe that father’s love and excitement to see his child come home. This man’s excitement over his child coming home from school gave me a mere glimpse of God the Father’s love for us. God desires for us to come home to Him, and He longs to embrace us with his loving arms.

In the book of Luke, Jesus tells us a parable to illustrate how God feels about his children coming home.

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his field to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV)

The son in this parable wanted the benefits of being a son (his inheritance) without the hard work of commitment. He wanted to live life on his own terms. He quickly realized that his idea of the good life was not good at all. It wasn’t until he hit rock bottom because he was hungry enough to eat pig slop, that he decided to return home in humility as a hired servant. When he returned home, his father didn’t even wait for his son to come, but ran toward his son to embrace and to kiss him. The father rejected his son’s offer to be a servant, and instead dressed him with honor and celebrated.

When we run away from God and rebelliously choose to do things our way, we become like the son in this parable. God mercifully draws us back to himself (hitting rock bottom is painful, but a useful means to bring about repentance). When God sees us return, He doesn’t feel hurt and hold a grudge like I would, but he feels compassion. Usually, I think of God like the father on the front porch – arms stretched, waiting on his daughter to embrace him. However, in the parable, God is illustrated as not waiting, but running toward his son to embrace and kiss him. When I’ve turned away from God in sin, I want to hide, or I’m hesitant to approach him out of fear. But, God longs for us to be reunited to him. He forgives us, clothes us with the honor of Christ’s righteousness, and all of heaven celebrates. God makes a big deal out of his children coming home!

God, your compassion and mercy are amazing. I am grateful to know your love as your daughter. When I run from you, help me to humbly return to your open arms.

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Hidden

Posted on August 4, 2022 by shatwin2003

Last week, I brought my kids to a playdate at the park. As I settled down on the bench and engaged in conversation with the other mother, I began to notice flies. I’ve had multiple mosquitos flying around me before, but never this many flies. As I waved them away, I looked over and did not see any flies bothering my friend. “I took a shower this morning,” I thought to myself. I started to feel like Pigpen from Charlie Brown – the dirty kid who always had a cloud of dust gathered around him. The playdate ended, and I was still left wondering why I had attracted so many flies. It wasn’t until later in the day that I remembered that my eight month old had spit up on my shirt. It dried and was forgotten about, so I never got around to changing my shirt.

Like the source of the flies’ attraction was unknown to me, sometimes our own sin can be not so obvious to us. The swarm of flies gave me a hint that something was off. Our sin can have a ripple effect that indicates something is off too. When our sin is obscured from us, how can it be revealed so that we can deal with it? King David models for us how to do this in his psalm.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

God knows our hearts and thoughts even better than we do, and He is the One we can turn to to reveal our sin to us. God does not just reveal our sin to us and leave us to wallow in the mud. He leads us to the way everlasting. Jesus is the way everlasting.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (ESV)

God, it can be easier to see the sin in others and miss the sin hidden in my own heart. Please show me my hidden sin, and point me to Jesus.

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