trust

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Just keep asking

“I’m just going to keep asking if I can help. Who knows? One day the answer might be yes.”

After the Boiler Room I was teasing one of my friends–a mom with two young kids–about her not accepting my requests to help ferry things to her car. 

She’s never really needed my help because her husband is great at taking care of that kind of stuff–which is awesome btw. 

It got me to thinking…

There’s nothing wrong with sticking your neck out after being turned down by whoever you’re trying to help. 

Just keep asking. 

Just keep being a friend. 

I truly believe that’s one of the biggest reasons most Christians aren’t making disciples like we should be. 

Most of us give up way too fast on people. 

Most of us have bought into the lie of microwave evangelism when evangelism and discipleship is more akin to a crock pot. 

It takes time. 

I’ve spent a lot of time in different communities where trust is everything. 

You have to show up and keep your word. When you don’t, you better fess up fast because the people can smell a phony a mile away. 

This kind of intentional lifestyle of service is refining; think about it like sand paper that takes off the rough edges. It demands absolute sincerity. 

And it’s truly the most worthwhile way to live. 

I am a better person and Jesus follower because of this demand to slow down, to take off my mask. 

Going back to what I said earlier, never stop asking how you can help. 

Being available to serve is a foundational teaching within the gospel. If Jesus’ mission was to serve and not to be served, then that’s our mission too. 

Be unrelenting in your pursuit to help, to pray, to encourage. 

You might get turned down 9 times out of 10. 

You might get cussed out. 

You might be misunderstood. 

Just keep asking. 

Because your quest to serve will provide opportunities to share the love of Christ in ways you could never orchestrate on your own. 

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Closer to the Light

How many times have we talked about how Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted? 

Probably enough times that you’re sick of hearing about it….

But it’s true. One of Jesus’ primary purposes in coming to earth was to mend broken hearts. 

I bet you and I could each fill a notebook with the names of friends and families who fall into the brokenhearted category.

In my dream the other night a young homeless girl just needed to be comforted. The weight of the world was crushing her and she found herself all alone. 

Do you know where she was?

At the school library! (See, libraries and librarians are awesome!) 

The librarian knew something was off with the girl and reached out to her. When she did, the girl started to sob. The messy, uncontrollable kind of sobbing that comes from knowing you’re finally safe, someone will help you.

And that’s all the librarian said as she wiped away the girl’s tears: “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

How many times a day do I pass up an opportunity to comfort someone?

If Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, that means it’s my job to help the brokenhearted. 

This is where following Jesus gets real…

It’s also why the Lord gave me this dream. He only shows me stuff that paints a clear picture of where I’m headed in life. 

Friend, my heart is changing.

I think I finally understand why Jesus said lights aren’t meant to be hidden. 

Following Jesus will always take you straight into the darkest places, places where most people are afraid to go.

You will find the brokenhearted, the poor, the sick, and the oppressed in these dark places. 

Picture a light in the distance getting closer and closer to where you are. Bringing hope and light to the darkness is why Jesus came in the first place.

 

 

 

 

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Avoid overcommitting

I’m learning that showing up is a big deal. No one likes a flaky, only when it suits me kind of person. 

Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”

I try to only commit to what I can reasonably do. Overcommitting was a major problem in my past and it led to me not being able to do anything all that well. 

As much as I love to help people, jamming my schedule full of stuff only meant that there was no way I could actually be of much help. 

I think about the requests that come my way now. 

Keeping a calendar is the best way I’ve found to keep from overcommitting. 

Whatever you need to do to show up when you agreed to show up, do it!

Being faithful in your commitments speaks volumes. 

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Filter your words

I scrap a lot of posts…

There’s no telling how many times I get to 200 words and hit delete. (Maybe I should start a file of my “Almost got posted” words.)

Here are a few reasons I scrap posts: 

  • I’m thinking too negatively about a subject.
  • It’s just a really silly topic.
  • I’m simply spewing unprocessed emotions.

I started this blog to put into writing the everyday happenings and thoughts of my 25 year old self. 

Of course, my mind always wanders back to you, my reader, because I want these posts to be a source of encouragement to you as well.

Years ago, a friend of mine jokingly said she processes everything through her Jesus filter. 

I know she was joking, but I seriously do process everything through that filter.

What would Jesus say?

What would Jesus post on Facebook?

A lot of heartache would be avoided if we’d only think before speaking (or posting). In fact, just today I said the right thing in the wrong way.

Did you catch that?

It was the right thing to say, but I said it the wrong way, so I ended up needing to apologize to a good friend of mine for not being sensitive to her situation. 

Words are powerful.

Everything you and I say is either building someone up or tearing someone down. 

There is a time and place to share unfiltered words and thoughts–and it’s not on blogs or on Facebook or to any random stranger you meet.

For this reason, self-control is just as much about knowing when to speak as it is about watching what you say. 

 

 

 

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A faith that can rest 

My hometown bank is awesome. There are bigger and better banks, yet the personal service makes staying with them worth it. 

On Monday I called to have a problem with my account straightened out. 

The branch manager told me not to worry about the issue because he was personally handling it. 

I still called back today to make sure everything was squared away, which is when the manager said:

“Thanks for the call, but I’ve got this.” 

In that moment, the Lord said to me, “I feel the same way when you ask me for help and then check back in. I’ve already told you that it’s being handled.”

How many times do we ask the Lord about the same situation ad naseuam? 

I do it a million times a day! 

God’s not mad when we come to Him again and there are times when it’s appropriate–there is a Bible verse that says to put God in remembrance of His Word–but His quiet comment echoed like this:

Where’s your faith?

There is great peace in knowing God is your provider. You can rest, catch your breath, with the assurance that He won’t leave you hanging. 

The example that resonates most with me is resting in a hammock. Nothing beats the coziness of a hammock in the shade. It’s the best place to relax!

God’s often telling us to put our faith in Him and relax. 

Our response is often wringing our hands, staying up all night, and asking God a million times when He’s gonna move. 

His response?

“Thanks for the call, but I’ve got this.”


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Another successful move

I am now settled in at my new place! It’s a one room apartment about 5 miles east of Rhema. 

All of the details of this move–much like my original move out to Tulsa–have been taken care of by God. 

God’s faithfulness to provide is yet another clue to how much He loves me and wants me to trust Him. 

We all know this verse:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added unto you. 

When you determine in your heart to follow God no matter what, He will take care of your every need. 

God’s provision is promised to us because He doesn’t want anything to distract us from our purpose:

Loving God and loving people. 

I look forward to opening up my home to others. God has blessed me so much and I want my home to be a safe, peaceful place full of God’s love. 

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Trust is key 

I entered a busy season today. There’s a lot going on at school and work. 

It’s all good stuff, but it could easily become overwhelming if I let it. 

And we all know that stress and worry has never helped anyone. 

I’m doing my best to combat any anxious thoughts immediately by praying about them instead of fretting over them. 

It really works! 

In fact, I am more at peace now than I ever was in the past when facing similar situations. 

My trust in God has increased exponentially and I’m learning to bring it all to Him first–not as a last resort. 

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning at Rhema is that knowing something and doing something are very different. 

Yes, I have known for a long time that trusting God is key to a peaceful and fruitful life.

 I have many stories about how trusting God has pulled me out of many seemingly impossible situations. 

But living in Tulsa has only increased my opportunities to trust God more fully. 

Like Dean Tad says, “If you can move to Tulsa by faith, you can follow God anywhere by faith.”

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Punch worry in the face 

Worry is stupid. 

Seriously, there’s no greater waste of time than to worry. It’s taken me 25 years to grasp this simple truth…

Today I faced a situation that could’ve taken the wind out of my sails, but I made a decision:

I chose to believe the Bible instead of all the negative junk. 

This one choice  made all the difference. 

I’m still not sure how everything will play out, but I trust God. 

He’s my provider. 

He knows all my needs. 

There are times my control freak, what’s-going -to-happen self fights for my attention. 

But I continue taking my mind back to God’s Word. The more I stay in the Word, the less the little things throw me off. 

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A life with no strings

unityPeople know when you’re a phony.

I know that I can tell when someone’s treating me more like a project or a prospect. It’s the fastest way to shut me down.

And it’s also an area where I have to be careful…

One time, my friend Holly Beth called me out on my general distrust:

Not everyone is out to get you, Audra.

Her comment helped me see that I was approaching situations all wrong. I had allowed things from my past to warp my perception of others.

The change wasn’t overnight, but it got me going down the right path. In fact, my problem with perception was something I discussed with my counselor last year. Her suggestions helped me even more to change my view.

I used to only see the strings attached to what others were saying or asking of me. My counselor wanted me to identify every string that I saw in a conversation.

The assignment was to give a name to each string. Then I had to examine it and see if there was any truth to it.

I saw a lot of strings that week and many of them were only my perceptions. The other person’s motives were pure! It was me with the problem.

 No matter the filters you have to set up to protect against faulty judgments, sincerity is easy to pinpoint. Finding out you’re nothing but a project or prospect is the quickest way to lose what little influence you may have in someone’s life.

In a world of posers, you don’t get many do overs.

This is why it’s important to be yourself. Period. When you’re okay with you are, you won’t get caught playing pretend.

 

 

 

 

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Learning to Trust

God is good. 

He takes care of me and He’s the only reason I am able to come to Rhema right now. 

My bank’s entire computer system was down….

I needed to pay my tuition, which involved working with the bank to raise the limit on my debit card.

So, I prayed. My friend Marci prayed with me as well. 

Lord, I want to get my registration done today. Please get this cleared up for me. 

Then I called the bank and my favorite teller moved me to the top of her priority list. 

Then I stood in line outside the admissions office and waited my turn. 

The registrar was very gracious and understanding. She told me to come back in the morning. As I walked out the door, my phone rang. 

The computer system was back up and I was able to register. 

I’m pretty sure God was laughing at me in that moment. 

Trust me, Audra. I told you it would be okay. 

All I can say is this:

The most important thing you will ever learn in life is to trust God. If He says it, He’ll do it. 

This whole journey to Rhema has done nothing but build up my faith and trust. 

The key to resting in the promises, to limitless faith is trust.