Hannah’s Irritation

By Nina Medrano –

We can discern God’s seasons in life by seeing what is going on in the natural setting. Then we can see the parallel take place in the spirit.

For instance, for the past few weeks, we have been experiencing record counts of rainfall throughout our great state of Texas. In parallel, I have noticed every day as I read the Word of God pearls of truth are reigning down into my spirit. One of these pearls of truth comes from the story of Hannah’s irritation, found in 1 Samuel 1:3-7 (NIV):
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

Have you ever had a rival in your life that just irritates you every time he or she enters the room? Even when you take this issue to the Lord in prayer, this person continues to provoke you to the point of stress.

By definition, rivals compete against you. And a rival can be anyone or anything: a family member, a new boss, a home project, a work deadline, a budget and yes, even a ministry. When a rival’s provocation endures for a length of time, we tend not to see the greater work of God that is being done in us through the process of irritation.

When I think of the word “irritate,” the word picture that comes to mind is natural pearls. Pearls form when some type of irritant enters the mussel or oyster shell. As a defense mechanism, the oyster secretes nacre in layers, surrounding the irritant; resulting in some of the worlds most beautiful pearls of great price.

I have had plenty of irritants my life, but, unlike Hannah, I had not always responded to them in a way that was pleasing to God. Thank God for His mercy that is new every morning.

Recently, a new irritant has entered my life. This time around, I responded differently. Instead of complaining and whining, I prayed blessing and wisdom and favor over this person’s life. And, instead of resisting or pushing away or worse, walking away from the irritation as I always do, I struggled to see this person’s value to Him.

In the end, surrendering to God’s process of irritation is difficult. We are such strong-willed humans—dying to self does not come willingly. I am humbled by God’s overriding grace that continues to work in our character.

The Apostle Paul, no stranger to irritants, states this process so well

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessel, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4: 6-10, NIV).

Nina Medrano, a native Texan, writes short inspirational stories for women and children and leadership articles for the workplace.

Are You Too Busy to Squeeze Fitness Into Your Day?

By Laurette Willis –

Is it a challenge to squeeze fitness into your day? There are ways to incorporate health and fitness for spirit, soul and body into your day—and actually have more time and energy to do all you’re called to do.

Hectic schedules seldom leave time for two very important parts of a well-balanced life: our relationship with God and keeping our bodies strong and healthy. God wants us to put Him first. Yet before I made time with the Lord a daily priority, I wondered why I never seemed to have enough time. Without realizing it, the rest of my life was suffering because I didn’t have my priorities in the right order. But when I began investing time in my relationship with the Lord first, I found the peace and wisdom to handle whatever came my way the rest of the day.

Faith AND Fitness!

Why not combine the two—faith and fitness? The Lord delights to be a part of everything we do—even exercise! One woman I know respectfully calls Him her “Personal Trainer.” Suddenly physical activity is no longer drudgery but an extension of our worship time with Him. In His presence, the joy of the Lord lifts and strengthens us spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Here are 5 quick ideas to make the most out of a short amount of time:

1. Cut workouts in half and squeeze in a 10- or 20-minute session instead of your normal workout. These mini-workouts can still produce lasting results and keep you from putting off working out until tomorrow, the day after or next week. Make use of the time you DO have.

2. Get up a little earlier. Either ask the Lord to awaken you earlier, or set the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier to pray and get a workout in before your day starts.

3. Lunch break: Divide your lunch hour in half and devote 30 minutes to exercise before you eat. Curb your appetite and boost your metabolism at the same time!

4. Nap time: If you have children at home, squeeze in a 10- or 15-minute workout while they’re napping.

5. Commercial break: Instead of vegging out in front of the TV, use the three to five minutes during the commercials to get some exercise in. I keep my exercise mat and rebounder (mini-trampoline) in the living room so I can stretch or bounce-bounce-bounce through some of my favorite TV shows.

Better yet, speak aloud your Bible-based confessions for the day while working out, walking, running on the treadmill…you get the idea! Combine faith and fitness in every way you can.

Changing Your “Want To”

What is your “want to”? Make a decision to add at least 20 minutes of exercise into your day (30-60 minutes is even better!). Commit your decision to the Lord and ask Him to help you. I guarantee, you’ll quit saying that you are too busy. Instead, you’ll suddenly find you are able to have a few minutes here and there that you can devote to becoming a “Fit Witness for Christ!”

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry (http://praisemoves.com). Hear the latest in faith and fitness at http://ChristianFitnessTeleseminar.com. Get her free “21-Day Christian Fitness Program” and “Fit Favorites Devotional” http://praisemoves.com.

Purple Basil Nightmare

By Susan Dollyhigh –

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Mark 14:38, NIV).

One day, I saw and purchased a beautiful, ornamental purple basil plant thinking it just the right addition for my little herb garden. This plant grew very fast. The dark purple, frilly leaves were beautiful and it smelled wonderful. I enjoyed its beauty all summer long. When winter came, the basil plant died and I soon forgot it.

Spring came and I looked at my garden and saw little, purple basil plants coming up all over the place. I felt so proud. Boy, do I have a green thumb. Those little plants just kept coming up, and coming up, and coming up. Before long, they were trying to take over my entire garden. Hold on there, I have some other things planted in this garden. I didn’t want to just pull up the basil but I had to give the giant hibiscus a little space. And my purple salvia and lilies were completely surrounded by basil. Then, I started noticing the purple plants in my other flower gardens.

Soon my neighbor told me she had purple basil coming up in her garden. “Just sharing,” I told her with a neighborly wave as I backed up to return home. It became a serious problem when my Aunt Millie, who lives in the house below me, told me that my Uncle David had taken a strange, purple plant to the city horticulturist because it was coming up all in their yard.  Soon my section of the neighborhood had become a purple basil nightmare. I was even pulling it from the cracks in the sidewalk.

That purple basil plant was beautiful. I hadn’t seen any harm in it. I just wanted to enjoy its beauty and fragrance. My experience with this plant sounds like what happens in our lives. The purple basil may be anything Satan puts in our path. It may be beautiful and fragrant. It may make us feel good. But before we know what has happened, it has taken over the garden of our lives and choked out the things we really wanted to keep. The hazard is it may even spread and affect people around us.

I should have found out more about that basil before I planted it. The horticulturist told my neighbor that it spreads and takes over everything.

We need to be aware of those appealing, beautiful traps that Satan puts in our lives because they too can spread and take over everything. God’s word and His Spirit living in us will help us to be alert before the purple basil nightmare occurs in our lives.

College Coping

By Robin Steinweg –

Remember what Mark Twain said about raising teens? He suggested they be put in a barrel and fed through the bung hole. At sixteen you close up the hole.

We never went through that. In fact, we can’t get enough of our sons. Nope, the trouble we had was Texas. The three-year Bible college that was a perfect fit for our oldest boy was in Dallas, Texas, a thousand miles away. I don’t hold Texans personally responsible for this.

I think there ought to be support groups for families with youngsters going off into the world. It should begin with Lamaze—special breathing exercises to get you through a prolonged transition. Maybe ice chips. Or visualizing your young adult in your Happy Place or right at the dinner table.

Parenting classes should include at least one week of preparing to say goodbye. Pain management clinics might at least offer brochures on how to cope.

I turned to others who had (apparently) lived through it. This was not helpful. Some teared up, put a comforting (?) hand on my arm and could say nothing. Others were obviously in denial or maybe had had shock therapy. They said they could hardly wait for the Blessed Event.

His senior year included the last Christmas concert, last fundraiser, last choir tour and last prom. Summer brought his last week working at the local grocer’s, last family fun day at the Dells, last worship service together. I remembered all the firsts we’d had with him: the first goodbye as he left the womb, first smile, first tooth, first time he sat up, first word, first steps, first haircut.

We squeezed his belongings into the car. It felt like helping to build my own gallows. I can’t believe we took him down there—and left him! But we did it. We drew closer to the Lord, He helped us survive, and now it’s three years later. I am compelled to write encouragement to parents who are facing this. There is hope. They graduate, and then…

They come back!

Our younger son is a senior. Here we go again.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Find reasons to rejoice in all the firsts, lasts and in-betweens. Trust in the First and Last, who gives more grace than sufficient to meet every need.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

Summer Plans

By Caro Jackson –

“Laughter is the beginning of prayer,” states a quote I read yesterday on my wonderful calendar. I think it might be better than a bumper sticker, and I hope that you will find something to laugh about today.

We are traveling on the road, escaping the heat, and have settled into cooler climes. We have some friends here, who make it all the more delightful. The weather is awesome with cool mornings and warm afternoons and a touch of rain thrown in. My husband has already found some streams to fish, and I have been able to go on my own to paint, yea! I have already read three books, which may be a record—ought to be caught up for various book clubs.

We left our home base with the idea that this would be good time to try to drop those extra pounds that seem to follow us around. South Beach seemed to be a good way to start so we vowed to begin after our weekend in the Texas mountains with friends. Thank goodness, because I would have missed the desserts that we shared with good friends. So off we went toward Colorado, studying the method to become mere shadows of our former selves. Right!

When I began telling the driver, who shall remain nameless, what was NOT on the list, the light went out of his eyes and he began to feel weakness in his knees. After several meals, he said he felt like he was going to die. You do feel a little devoid of energy. Could be the fact that you are getting no sugar.

When we arrived here, we were met by friends we had met last year who came to greet us. Of course, they immediately invited us for a cocktail which is a no-no. Not good. Three days and we were back to the beginning. No longer able to blame the lack of energy on the altitude, we began a modified version which will probably not modify us enough, but it is a start.

We were invited to dinner the second night at the home of good friends who have a knockout house on a hill with a view to kill, and we were presented with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn from a special restaurant here. Wanting to be the perfect guests, we dug in and vowed to start dieting another day.

Breakfast is about the only thing under my control and we have altered it as well. I am convinced that the only way for us to actually get through the first two weeks is to lock the two of us up at home and throw away the key. So I have renamed ours the “trailer trash” diet and we are moving on doing the best that we can with a tiny fridge and three pans.

We are off to the mountains today with friends so perhaps we will add a little more exercise to the mix although the dogs make me take a long walk each day. I guess the bottom line is just to enjoy where we are, do what we can, and remember to laugh. Have a great week!

« Previous Page — Next Page »