God’s Mothering Heart

May 10, 2012 By 5 Comments

By Cyndi

Many exhortations we hear within the church are things we should be doing. Things like evangelizing, teaching, praying, serving, giving, studying and so on. Good things, I agree. The Bible does encourage us to do these things, but have we ever stopped to think about the fact that this is a masculine viewpoint of the Gospel? God created the masculine to go, to create, to conquer, to build, to produce. And often this is the side we see revealed in our churches. That’s great, but where’s the feminine side?

Simplified, the masculine is to do; the feminine is to be. A father speaks vision and destiny to a child. He reveals all the possibilities of what can be done, what can be accomplished. A mother expresses love and nurture to a child. She exhibits compassion, trust and connection. Picture this: a father and mother are watching their four-year-old son play soccer. He’s so cute out there running around in his bright uniform and shin guards on. The father yells, “Get the ball! Go to the goal! Shoot!” The little guy runs hard, dribbles as best he can towards the net and shoots. Just as he kicked the ball, an opposing team member tried to kick it too but missed and landed his cleat squarely on the knee of the little fellow. The ball makes it into the net, but the son is on the ground holding his hurt knee. Now what are the reactions from the parents in this event? From the father: “GOAL! Yes! My son made a goal! Look at him, he’s the greatest! Think he’s good now? Just wait till he’s ten!” And from the mother: “Oh honey, are you okay? (wanting to run out onto the field and check for herself) Can you get up? Are you bleeding? Do you need a band-aid?” Notice the difference in the two. This type of “mothering” is an expression of God’s heart.

And think about it: How can we truly carry out the Great Commision (“go ye into all the world”) if we first cannot obey the Great Commandment (“thou shalt love the Lord God with all your heart…”)? Love is always first. Before we go, we need to know love. We need to be “mothered” by God, nurtured in His care and secure in His affections towards us. Knowing His immeasurable grace gives us the base to stay in a place of rest and peace as we go into the world to do His works and share His love to others.

God’s mothering heart is open to us all. John, the beloved disciple, recognized this side of the Lord when he rested on Jesus’ chest at supper (John 21:20). It’s the place we find refuge, safety, security, compassion and peace. Just like a mother, He’s there to hold us when we’re scared, kiss our boo-boos, and walk hand in hand with us through all of life’s challenges. I pray that you will take time to rest in the arms of our Beloved. Stop “doing” for a little while and just “be.” When the world tries to beat you down and you don’t feel like you will ever make a goal or be a success, God has a mothering heart that wants to nurture you back to strength, and lavish perfect love on you.

Filed Under: Father's Love, Love, Rest, women Tagged With: , ,

Try Something New

May 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

By Cyndi

Have you tried anything new lately? Do you know that trying something new activates your brain in positive ways? Now this doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be something large like learning Russian or bungy jumping off of a bridge. It can be quite simply trying a new kind of food, wearing a different color, planting a new bush, or visiting a place you’ve never seen before.

New things produce creativity in the brain. To me, I find seeking out unfamiliar things brings a sense of awe about the Lord. As I look into new things, He reveals His diversity and unique designs. Seeing a sunset over the wind-tossed ocean, standing at the top of a high rise overlooking a large metropolis, sitting on the floor eating with chopsticks, all of these cause so many questions and feelings to enter into my thoughts. My brain is stimulated – unfamiliar tastes, sights, emotions, perspectives.

God has created so many incredible variables in this world we live in: shades, textures, flavors, seasons, lightings, temperatures, etc. Think about it. Just look at how many types of flowers or fish there are in the world. He could have just made three or four, but no, He was much more creative than that! And we, as human beings, are created in His image. We are the only creature He gave with this ability to think and be creative like this. That’s why we have the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Sydney Opera House. Our minds are able to study, to learn, to develop, to create. Our brains are meant to stay active and formulate new ideas, forms, methods and interpretations. This is a skill we can actually practice on a regular basis and helps to keep us emotionally healthy.

So I challenge you to do something different and out of the ordinary this week. Use your imagination. Draw, paint, eat, bike, walk, wear, look, touch, smell, observe, photograph – experience life. Get in the middle of it and live! God has given us new life – abundant life! Let’s get out there and enjoy it fully. Go ahead, try something new. You may be surprised what happens.
(Feel free to post it on our blog!)

Filed Under: Emotional Health, life skills, right brain left brain Tagged With: , , ,

Inclusion and Acceptance

April 27, 2012 By 4 Comments

By Cyndi

Almost every Saturday morning I pass by a fellow who exercises regularly like me. And it seems like to everyone he walks by he says, “How ya feeling this morning? Feeling good? Alright. It’s gonna be a great day.” He’s truly is one of the most positive persons I’ve ever met, even though I haven’t exactly ever “met” him. He carries with him an atmosphere of optimism, of joy and goodness. I don’t know if he’s a believer in Christ, but I suspect he is.

A feeling of acceptance and inclusion is what this man shares – a real living example of Father’s love – and what occurs to me is that the only way he can spread this feeling around is by knowing it himself. I believe we can’t give away something we don’t have.

In order for us to make others feel accepted and included, we must feel that way ourselves. Just like trying to sell a product you don’t believe in, buyers can see right through your pitch and know it’s not good, or else you’d be using it too. This works through the principle of loving your neighbor as you love yourself (Matt.22:39). The foundation is first knowing you are loved and accepted unconditionally by Father God. When we understand this and can love ourselves – having mercy on our own faults, mistakes and failures – we can then, in turn, risk loving others with all their faults and problems.

This is the test. Are we able to risk loving? Are we able to hold our heart open? Are we able to give, knowing that we may be rejected, ignored, made fun of, or even despised in return? Many times our own pain keep us from opening up our hearts – we’ve been hurt before, so what makes us think this time will be any different? This insecurity only goes away when we fully receive His love and deal with our wounding.

Jesus was so secure in His Father’s love that He could endure the ridicule, the humiliation, and the judgement of others, even to the point of never retaliating or defending Himself. He was grounded in love. He always walked in optimism and joy.

So when I pass my Saturday-morning encourager, cheering on and lifting up those around him, this fellow reminds me of Jesus. And I feel happier. I feel included in the human race and accepted to just be me. The atmosphere around me has been charged with kindness and I can’t help but smile. Now it’s my turn to share it. Am I secure enough to give it away?

Filed Under: Encouragement, Father's Love, happiness, Love, self awareness Tagged With: , , ,

Living Txt 2 Txt (The SMS Life)

April 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Cyndi

Texting is an interesting linguistic form (or SMSing to some of our international readers). It’s a whole new language in itself. So many things R abbreviated b/c the point is 2 type as little & as quik as posibl. That, of course, makes it EZ & fast 2 read & communicate w/o saying 2 much @ 1 time.

In this day and age, we want everything done in seconds; if not, it’s looked down upon negatively. A prime example is a television commercial where a guy comments about new information he just got and two other guys texting look at him and say, “That’s so 17 seconds ago” in a derogatory tone.

So society doesn’t offer us any help when it comes to dealing with our issues. It’s presumed we will just swipe our screen onto the next page in our life just like we do with all our other devices. Or maybe we will create a bookmark for it or put it on our reading list so we can get back to it later. Unfortunately, usually the next time we get back to it is when our spouse is leaving, our teenager is in trouble, or we lose our job. Actually that “page” of our life tends to show up more than we think or want, yet we choose not to look at it. We get triggered by something or someone and the pain, anger, disappointment (or whatever) rises to the surface. What do we do?

The usual response to triggers is the “fight” or “flight” defense mechanism like most of us have learned at some time. But do we ever take the time to really process what’s going on inside our heart? Are we fleeing or fighting? And why? Is it really the situation that’s at hand or is it the fact that it’s the same pain you felt when _______ (you fill in the blank). This is now processing. And there are ways to help facilitate this too. Journaling and prayer ministry are the tools we believe work the best. Some issues can be processed between you and the Lord with prayer and journaling, while others sometimes require another person to help you through.

The fact is we all have issues to deal with; none of us have arrived at perfection yet. Taking the time to wait before the Lord, or to go meet with a counselor is extremely valuable. Don’t be in a hurry. This is a life-time process. R U 2 impatient? R U 2 busy? Take some time and W8 on the Lord. C wats going on inside U. There’s a point where U hav 2 stop living txt 2 txt.

YIC (Yours in Christ) –C

Filed Under: Counseling, Rest, self awareness Tagged With: , ,

Processing the Process

March 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Cyndi

Having an argument with your spouse is never fun. Dealing with the challenges in a teenager aren’t always fun either. Being alone  and by yourself all the time has its downsides too. What’s the link between these three? Each one of these circumstances have the potential to bring up issues in our life, and by issues, I’m referring to problems or questions.

But what most of us cannot always see, is that dealing with issues can be a good thing – not always a pleasant occasion, but at least productive. We first have to understand that having an issue is not an issue. Got it? What I mean is that no one is perfect and has it all together. We all have issues. It’s okay! Life isn’t a one-time event. It’s a journey – a process. And learning to process the process is the means by which we move forward.

The process of processing is actually somewhat easy – well, at least to begin with. It’s simply understanding and accepting that we are in process. Each one of us are on a path that God has us on. That path may be created more by our hands than His, but He is still God. He knows what’s going on and is not shaken by any wrong avenue we may have taken. We, on the other hand, sometimes need to step over to the side of the road, stop for a moment and take a look at our journey. Where are we going and where have we been?

As traveling teachers, Robert and I have been to many nations. Theoretically I can say I’ve been to Japan, but I’ve really only been in the Tokyo and Narita airports. I’ve never experienced the country itself. This is similar to living on a path and never taking the time to experience life. We’re just traveling through, going from point A to point B. This is not processing. It’s like going from airport to airport in country after country and saying we’ve visited all these places, but we haven’t. We have to get out of the airport! There’s more to life than a beginning and an end.

Life is a process. Dictionary.com defines process as “a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner.” It is definite that there will be changes in life, there will be stages in life, and there will be challenges in life. These are all part of the process. So when changes happen and issues come up, process them. When questionable feelings come up, process them. Accept that your life is a process and you are in process; then you have begun processing the process.

Filed Under: emotional responsibility, Emotions, How to Change, life skills Tagged With: , , ,

We Are Three

March 11, 2012 By 2 Comments

By Cyndi

Yesterday as I went out for a run, I was reflecting back on the opportunity I had had an hour or so earlier that day to witness and share with someone what the Lord has been doing in my life. I was invigorated and stirred up spiritually after that. My heart was full of praise, the sun was shining, and I was clipping along at a fairly quick pace. I could feel my spirit, soul and body in complete harmony and resonating with joy.

Gen.1:26 says, “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’”  God is a 3-part being – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and so are we. We are made in His likeness. Our spirit, soul and body are interconnected, integrated into one person that makes up who we are. One part does not exist without the others. If something influences one part, it will automatically affect the other two. As in the example above, my physical body and soul were energized by the spiritual opportunity that I had encountered.

The other day a medical doctor was telling us how so much emphasis is on physical health in her profession, but that without spiritual and emotional health, we don’t really have anything. The physical is only one-third of us. If only one-third of our car is working, would it still run? No. We would be silly to think it would, yet we attempt to “run” our bodies without the other two parts in working condition.

When we understand that all three parts of us affect one another, this can help us tremendously, especially in stabilizing our emotions. Look at it this way: if we are struggling with maintaining spiritual activities (prayer, Bible reading, etc.), or if we are struggling with being physically active or connecting with people (exercising, fellowshipping, etc.), then this information simply lets us know there may be an emotional disturbance within us. One of our “parts” may be out of balance and we need to check on it.

God wants all three parts of us to be blessed and to prosper (3 John 1:2). And when we are harmonized together, it is like a musical trio that creates beautiful sounds that blend into a pleasing song. Or it could be like running in your best form, setting your best time and pace. As we are functioning as a 3-part being, balancing each of them and helping them work together, life is good.

Filed Under: design, Emotions, happiness, Running, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Getting Emotionally Fit

February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Cyndi

We all know we are supposed to exercise to keep our bodies healthy. Our heart needs to keep pumping, our muscles need to stay strong, everything in our body needs to be used regularly to maintain health and strength. If we live a sedentary life without physically moving much, then our body goes into atrophy. There becomes a decline or wasting away of vitality and abilities.

But what about our emotional health? Do you ever hear of anyone doing fitness for their emotions? A little weird, maybe? Maybe not. Our society is laden with depression, anxiety, and other emotional turmoil; and yes, there are times when medication may be needed. However, there are some steps we can take on a daily basis to help keep our emotions “fit.”

Step one, run some tests. Just like checking our bodies out physically first, check yourself out emotionally. Instead of standing on a scale and looking at the numbers, sit somewhere quiet and look into your heart. What’s in there? I mean, really. What’s in there? “Weigh in” and take notes. Which leads me to step two–journaling. You don’t have to have a fancy book with butterflies on the cover or bordered colored pages inside. A simple spiral notebook works fine. There are also some free journaling programs online you can download to do it on your computer, if you prefer. Just write.

Journaling is a great way to exercise your emotions. And just like doing bicep curls or push ups, do it repeatedly; if not every day, at least a few times a week. As there are different parts of the body to work out, there are different emotional parts: personal, family, work, past, present, future, hopes, spiritual, relational…I think you get the idea. Express yourself, your concerns, your dreams; it’s just between you and the Lord, which is the next step. Bring all these emotions before Him. I think reading the Psalms is basically like reading David’s journal. This is a good place to start if you need help.

Emotions are not right or wrong, they just are. And they belong to you. God honors your free choice and so should you. Allow yourself to feel. Now, as a disclaimer, that doesn’t give you the right to unleash all these emotions onto others; that’s why you write them down and bring them before the Lord. Talk to Him about them.

We want our emotional health to be just as important as our physical health. So go work out! No gym membership is required. Get emotionally fit.

To watch a video of this blog

Filed Under: Emotional Health, emotional responsibility, Emotions, life skills, self awareness Tagged With: , , ,

A Perfect Work

February 11, 2012 By 2 Comments

By Cyndi

I was reading through some chapters in Exodus lately and I was reveling in the details God gave in building the Ark of the Covenant and the construction of the Tent of Meeting. He specified exactly what kind of wood to use, the precise measurements of everything from the length of the Table of Showbread to the carvings on the Golden Lampstand, and even the exact colors and types of skin to use for the curtains. God had some well-defined plans made for this project.

Which makes me look at myself. I’m definitely a work in progress – a project the Lord is still building. I’m still dealing with issues, still working out struggles and challenges in my life. But as I see the nature of God through His word and through His creation, I believe He is extremely precise and accurate in everything. His plan for my life has clear-cut measurements and perfect timing for me as an individual, not a cookie-cutter person.

I can see that through all my childhood years, all my experiences as a teenager, and all my life as an adult, God is intricately building me to His design. He is using everything I’ve gone through (and going to go through) to select the colors, to carve a patterns, and to place in order my unique life. Experiences leave an impression on us. And when we deal with our issues and come to terms with them, God causes that impression to become His mark on us – that others will see Him in us. He is the same God from the book of Exodus; His plans are distinct, explicit, and perfect.

Filed Under: Christianity, destiny, Encouragement, Personhood, Spiritual Maturity Tagged With: , , , , ,

Considering the Impossible

December 16, 2011 By 2 Comments

By Cyndi

With Christmas upon us, I’ve been thinking a lot about the birth of Jesus. For example, look at  Mary. She was just an ordinary teenager and an angel shows up one day telling her she’s going to be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and give birth to God’s Son. Now I don’t believe that’s something you would eagerly text all your friends about and immediately put as your Facebook status. This was big – really big! Even a little bit “out there,” you might say. But as we know, Mary received the message from the angel with great humility and seriousness.

After Jesus was born, when all the shepherds showed up at the stable, they told Mary and Joseph the amazing story of how an angel had appeared to them announcing the birth of the Savior – the Christ – and were given directions to where the child lay. The shepherds explained they had seen multitudes of angels filling the sky, singing and praising God. It was an unbelievable story! And what did Mary do with all this? She pondered these things in her heart (Luke 2:19).

So here’s what I’ve been thinking: I believe most of us have heard something God told us that seems a bit “out there.” Maybe it’s something we’re supposed to be, something we’re supposed to do, some sort of “dream” or idea we’ve had deep down in our spirits for a long time, perhaps even as a child. It may have been forgotten or put away because it seemed so large, so inconceivable, or so unimaginable; but my word to you today is consider the impossible. Just consider it. Ponder it.

Many of our societies today have lost the art of pondering, taking time to thoroughly consider, pray, and weigh things out. I challenge you to contemplate those things God may have planted deep in your spirit. Were they just childish wishful dreams, or were they legitimate words from the Lord about your calling and true purpose in life? I can’t answer these questions, but God can. So I encourage you to be like Mary and treasure up, keep those things in your heart. God uses us ordinary people so He can do the extraordinary. Consider the impossible. (Luke 1:37)

Filed Under: calling, destiny Tagged With: , , ,

Stillness

October 27, 2011 By 3 Comments

By Cyndi

Stillness. Stillness in mind, body and spirit. Got it? I don’t always. Many times my mind is racing with ideas or replaying events over and over again. My body usually wants to be moving, remaining active with chores or exercise when possible. And my spirit…well, I don’t always check in to see how my spirit’s doing. My spirit is typically the one who wants to be still. It’s deeper and it’s hearing the voice of my Beloved calling from the deep, yearning to connect with Him.

I find myself most of the time staying “on the surface” of life, like the stereotypical news, sports and weather persona. I’m too busy to connect emotionally with God or anyone else. I have things to do, people to see, places to go, a long list in front of me to get accomplished. And where does this get me? Well, sometimes I get a lot done, but my spirit is undernourished. You see, Father God made us to be relational beings, and if I’m not being relational, then what’s the point of being?

We were meant to have emotional connections every day. Connecting with our own emotions, those of our spouse, our children, our friends and co-workers, and of course, the Lord. Some people naturally tend to link emotionally with others, sharing their dreams and desires as well as being a good listener to those who, in turn, disclose their   bundles of feelings. And emotional awareness is needed to unite with God too.

King David constantly was pouring his emotions out to the Lord. As you read through the Psalms, there are numerous examples of him sharing his fears, his anxieties, his joys, his sorrows. And God didn’t complain about it. I think we think that showing our emotions is a sign of weakness or a lesser, negative quality; but the Bible is full of people, including Jesus, who were keenly aware of their emotional state and brought it before the Lord. Their deep calling to His deep, spirit to spirit. They chose to stay connected to the One who could understand, console, and help them.

But to connect with God this way I have to know what’s going on in myself first. I have to still my mind and body enough to know how my spirit is doing. Brother Lawrence and Madam Guyon have shown us that it’s possible to continue working while communing with God, yet it’s more than just offering prayers and petitions to Him. It’s a relational linking, a joining of emotions, my heart to His, a deep to deep in the stillness of my spirit.

Filed Under: Emotional Health, Father's Love Tagged With: ,
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