real life Archives - Journeying Outside My Box

Giving Purpose to the Journey

October 31, 2024 By Rebekah 8

I’m on a journey today - traveling with my little Picasso to appointments that he needs. He struggles with things that can’t be immediately fixed, but God is giving purpose to the journey that he is on, and there is so much beauty.

Purpose to the journey - that got me thinking about my own life. What I’m sharing here are just my thoughts. They are the wanderings of my mind on this day, on this particular journey, which is a part of a greater journey. And I’m thankful to be following God on the journey of life.

* * * * *

The sky is blue. The clouds are white.
The leaves seem so alive as we pass hillside after hillside arrayed in color.
Today is a beautifully bright, crisp, fall day and I am soaking it all in.
It’s amazing how very aware we become, even of small, seemingly insignificant things, when they’re almost taken away from us.

Once upon a time, I thought that my story to share with you would be that of a slightly-overscheduled, almost-always-a-little-tired mother and wife, doing her best to shine for Jesus in her small corner of the world. And while that is still very true, it’s interesting how God allows us to go to places that we maybe wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves.

And maybe it isn’t even that He allows us to go to those places, but rather that His love does not prevent our free will in making choices that may end up carrying us to some of the places we never planned to go.

That may be the reason that I’ve traveled through the valley recently.

Or, it may not be the reason.

Maybe God has something bigger on the far side of the valley, at the top of that mountain that will mark the end of so much of the brokenness that has been a part of my life lately.

Whether or not there is a reason that would define this journey, I know for sure that God takes our journey and gives it a purpose.

I am as sure of that as I am of the blood that runs through my body.

My natural instinct, when faced with an extremely difficult circumstance, is to panic. I want it to be fixed, corrected, repaired immediately. I want so desperately for the reason of the problem to be fixed…immediately. My timetable doesn’t always line up with God’s, though.

I’m learning that the purpose - the purpose that God gives - in our journey, can produce greater beauty than just fixing what caused the problem in the first place.

And that’s how I came to notice the blue sky, the white clouds and the trees dancing in the beautiful fall sunshine.

So often we can find ourselves in tough situations, and every once in a while we can find ourselves in the fight of our life.

God knew that, before He even created us.

And sometimes the choices we make can put us in a place where everything almost breaks, beyond repair.

Those are the moments when I go back to the things I know - to the things my heart knows, no matter what.

God is good. His name is more powerful.
The enemy will try to sneak in, trying to incite a riot of fear in our hearts.
If I wait on God - truly wait - He will direct my paths.

Waiting on God - I’m always stumped by that. What does it look like? How do I know I’m truly waiting on God?

I think being in those situations - the ones we can’t control - teach us to wait. It’s those times when all we can do is to be still. We can’t change our circumstances, we can’t predict the outcome, we can’t move things onto our timetable.

All we can do is raise empty hands to heaven and wait on God to work around us.

That is a hard place to be, and if I’m being honest, I’d be happy to run away, fast, from anything that puts me in that situation.

But, God.

Because when we raise our empty hands and set in our hearts that we will wait on God, He begins giving purpose to the journey we find ourselves on.

He gently molds us, He works in and among us, drawing us closer to Him. He reassures us of His love, of His grace and mercy.

It’s in those tough times, those soul-crushing painful times, that we can hear God, maybe even more clearly than any other time.

Why? Because when things are broken, when they’ve almost fallen apart, all that’s left is Jesus.

And in those times, I begin to notice the small, simple things in life that add beauty to our journey.

And on this day,

The sky was blue. The clouds were white.
The leaves seemed so alive as we passed hillside after hillside arrayed in color.
Today was a beautifully bright, crisp, fall day and I loved soaking it all in.

It’s amazing how very aware we become, even of small, seemingly insignificant things, when they’re almost taken away from us.

And when God is merciful enough to give it back to us, the journey we’re on becomes full of purpose.

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Filed Under: having faith in God, real life

10 Little-Known Facts About Me

January 18, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Yesterday, my friend, Ruth, share a post with 10 little-known facts about herself. I’ve been a little quiet here lately and thought this might be a fun way to get some words “down on paper”. At the beginning of a new year, (well, it’s still sort of the start of a new year, right?) I thought this might be a fun way to share with you a little more about myself.

So - here are 10 little-known facts about me.

1. My first son was born on my 25th birthday. They induced me the day before, but he hung out and waited till my birthday. Now it’s our birthday, and he is the best birthday present! Here he was, at 2 days old (and, no, he never lost his hair):

2. I love bookstores and I love to buy books. However, I rarely finish a book. Don’t get me wrong - I read a lot, but if a particular chapter or section doesn’t keep my attention, I skip it. (Sorry, to all my friends who are avid readers.)

3. I don’t like to ask for help. No matter what it is. It may be small like carrying groceries, or bigger things like childcare. (I am getting better at this.)

4. This may not be little-known to my friends, but the rest of you probably don’t know that I don’t like wearing shoes. I’d rather wear slippers or flip-flops. Barefoot is even better.

5. I would prefer an evening hanging out with a couple of friends, over a large get-together with a lot of people. In general, I’m not a fan of large groups or crowds.

6. I have an overall favorite color - dark green - and a favorite color for each season.
Spring - pink (but not pale pink, more of a deep, rich pink)
Summer - yellow (like sunflowers)
Fall - orange (a close runner-up is a cranberry shade of red)
Winter - red & silver

7. Tulips are my favorite flowers - but not the kind with the pointy petals (although they are beautiful). I like the ones with the soft, rounded petals.

8. I would rather go out for breakfast than for lunch or dinner. I love breakfast but don’t often make big breakfasts at home. I wish I was a little more awake in the mornings to do that. I make up for it by making huge breakfasts for dinner sometimes.

9. I love to stand outside on a bright, sunny day, lean my head back, close my eyes, breathe deeply, and thank God for peace in that moment.

10. I have some fun hopes to visit New York City in every season. Last summer, my husband and I went up to NYC for a day and it was fabulous. We had a 1-day adventure all over the city, including Central Park (pictured below) seeing many different sites and it was amazing! I’d love to do that each season. One season down, three to go!

Any little-known facts about yourself that you’d like to share? Feel free to add a comment below! I’d love to learn more about you, too!

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The Prodigal Son’s Brother

December 6, 2024 By Rebekah 8

The story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32, is probably pretty familiar to most of us. The younger son decides he wants his share of the inheritance. He heads out into the world and soon squanders it all. A famine hits the country and the son has to take a job feeding the pigs. Finding himself to be so hungry that he is willing to eat the food he is feeding to the pigs, he considers his own father’s servants, and how well they are cared for, and decides to return home to his father. He is warmly greeted, celebrated, and loved! What a wonderful picture of God’s love for us - while still in our sin and worldly-ugliness, He runs to us, forgives us, and the angels rejoice that another sinner has come Home!

But what about the brother of the prodigal son?
He never strayed; he didn’t run out and squander his inheritance.
He didn’t leave his father’s side.
He wasn’t celebrated, but watched the celebration for his brother.

All that we are told about the older son is that he stays - he remains with his father. He questions the celebration for the wayward younger brother, and becomes angry when the details are shared with him.

When his father comes to him, his reply seems so appropriate - so raw - so reflective of his frustration:

‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ Luke 15:29,30

How do you feel about “death-bed conversions”? People who have had their whole life, who have heard of Jesus, who have ignored Him, and then choose Him in the last moments. Their lives may have been ugly, filthy, seemingly worthless - and maybe they have even gone against every social, moral, ethical and scriptural rule in their treatment of people. Yet, for some reason, they decide to accept Christ in their final moments.

I am thrilled for them! Our lives - yours, mine - we’re just one mistake, one poor choice, one unguarded act - away from the same kind of life that these others have had. Wouldn’t we still want the hope - the Hope - of salvation if we were the one facing our final moments?

Now, the prodigal son may not have been in his final moments on earth, but he was pretty close to being without any hope. His money was gone, there was a famine, his access to food must have been severely limited if he was considering a meal of pig slop.

He was almost without hope.

And then he made the right choice - after so many wrong choices. He realized that what he thought was hope turned out to be hopeless. He realized that when he had put hope in his own abilities, it turned out to prove hopeless.

And then he realized the true Hope - his father, his salvation, his source of life. His capital-H hope. And so he did the only thing he could - he went home to Hope. And what happened next?

Hope came running.

So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20

And he was saved. And safe. And full of hope - and Hope.

The older brother - the one also hurt by the younger brother’s decisions - he is filled with anger. Here stands his brother, who has made wrong choice after wrong choice, who has hurt the family, probably ruined reputations, squandered wealth and riches.

…and that younger brother is welcomed home…
to hope.
And to Hope.

I have been a Christian pretty much all my life. I grew up in a Christian home, I was taught about Jesus from the time I can remember. I chose Jesus very early on, and really didn’t waiver. That is my testimony - that I found God early, and really never let go of Him. By some standards, it’s a rather boring testimony. I don’t have story of miraculous rescue from addiction or struggle; I didn’t make horrid choices. I stayed with Jesus.

But really - that’s a beautiful testimony, isn’t it? God is faithful - God has remained faithful! And I have been saved, safe, and protected from so much that others have had to struggle with.

What about those in our lives - yours and mine - who have squandered their Father-given gifts? I am so quick to extend grace - and Grace - to those who I don’t know; to those whose issues or worldly-wrongs haven’t directly affected me. Do you find the same to be true?

Why can we extend grace to those we don’t know, yet we struggle to extend grace to those we do know? Why did the prodigal’s brother have such a hard time forgiving his own sibling, but may have forgiven a stranger much more quickly?

Maybe because pain is very real. Maybe because for as much as we would like to view ourselves as Christ-like, the reality is that we’re still human. We aren’t actually Christ. We can only ever be Christ-like.

When we are hurt, angered, betrayed, it’s human nature to put up walls, to defend our name, our honor, our own life. We want revenge, or justice, retribution, vindication. We wonder why, when we stay on the straight and narrow, bad things happen to us. But isn’t that the way of this cold, cruel world?

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus lays it out for us - we will have trouble in this world. At the same time, isn’t that the key, dear friends? We will have trouble in this world.

“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14

This world is not our home. We were not created for this world. We were created to live in this world for just a little while, and then to have eternity with Jesus! And so we will have trouble here - because this isn’t our home. This world is just our journey to our Home.

And so for me, and for you, we will suffer; we will endure heartache and hardship. It’s meant to point us to Jesus - to help us keep our eyes on Hope and Home.

And our Father, who created us, knows our hearts. We can express all of our feelings to Him. We can tell Him, as the older brother did, just how angry we are at the seeming injustice. We can point out how we haven’t strayed, we haven’t been a black mark against the family, we haven’t disgraced our father, or our Father.

And I love the answer that the father gives to the prodigal son’s older, more faithful, brother:

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Those of us who have the testimonies of staying near to God, as the older son stayed near to his father, we have access to God - we always have. We have all we need in Him - we always have. We have all of who He is, working on our behalf - we always have. We have all of the things that God can provide, and all He can do for us - we always have.

Isn’t it just like Jesus to tell such a story of hurt, betrayal, anger, frustration, faithlessness and faithfulness, and then to end with the only thing that’s truly important?

At the end of it all, isn’t salvation the only thing that’s truly important?
Isn’t that the only thing that’s truly of worth in this life?

When you are hurting, and when I am hurting, whether it’s pain from a loved one, or from someone who doesn’t even know us, let’s remember the end of the story - this story in Luke, and this story in life. Let’s remember that while our lives may look like that of the prodigal son’s brother, we are one step, one action, one unkind choice, away from being the prodigal ourselves.

Dear friend, and to my own dear heart,
if you or I were the prodigal,
wouldn’t we LONG for the Father to see us a far way down the road
and come running to receive us Home again?

Friends, truly that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

Salvation.

We can be saved, from pain, from fear, from hurt, from death.

The end of the story is life.

Life.

Who can we take with us? How many other broken hearts can we gather and take Home to the Father? The Father is waiting - whether we have remained steadfast, or whether we have taken every path except the right path.

Luke 15 is made up of 3 parables, each one talking about loss of something precious. In each parable, Jesus describes the rejoicing over the salvation (the finding of) the lost item. Those who don’t stray, those who remain faithful - their reward is in heaven. The angels have already rejoiced over their choice of salvation. They were lost and then they were found. Just like the prodigal.

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7

If I was lost, or if you were lost - no, when we were lost - heaven rejoiced over our salvation! Remember, trouble is ours in this world - anger, frustration, pain, hurt. But this world is not our home. Our home is with our Father, whether we are the steadfast brother, or the prodigal brother.

Our Home is with our Father.
And He saw us a long way, far off down the road,
and gathered us up when we came running to Him.
And He will do the same for all of us,
prodigal or steadfast.

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Filed Under: authenticity, dealing with feelings, having faith in God, real life

The Goodness of One Simple Moment

September 24, 2024 By Rebekah 6

Many good things have happened in our home lately - many! I’m taking note of all the blessings. But last week? My heart. My heart has overflowed with the goodness of one simple moment.

I don’t write about the special needs aspect of our lives quite as much anymore, - at least, not the day-to-day of it, but there are some times when things need shared, and accomplishments need celebrated, and life needs to be valued.

When I was pregnant with Picasso, tests came back abnormal and there were all sorts of health issues, and we were given a choice.

THE choice.

To us, it was not a choice. Keeping the baby, despite the uncertainty of what may happen, was our decision, no matter what.

The first 5 years of his life really challenged our convictions in the “no matter what” of love.

I am a special education teacher by trade. My gut told me something was wrong, but I could not get a doctor to listen, to share my concerns, or to believe me, and so our choice to love, no matter what, was a struggle we ventured through on our own when we really should have had more help.

After a time, I crossed paths with another mom in the same situation and God used her in mighty ways to get to a point in my heart, and a therapy center, where I could begin to get help for my son.

When we started there 3.5 years ago, his reciprocal language scores were low. So very low. Maybe they never even fully developed. He didn’t know to look at people, he did not read facial expressions, he took no cues from others. He did not understand conversation, and he didn’t look at people talking to him, so he had no possible way of learning (or understanding) emotions.

His emotional development was also very far behind where it should be.

A lot of his therapy has centered around verbal and non-verbal cues, prompting to help him learn to LOOK at people when he’s interacting with them - to notice their facial expressions. From there he was supposed to try to recognize their facial expressions and then verbalize his recognition of facial expressions and other verbal or non-verbal cues. For example, did they look happy? sad? angry?

Last week, our daughter was doing an art project that was an extension of a lesson she had about Henri Matisse. She colored shapes, cut them out and glued them onto paper to make a beautiful scene. She then asked me where Matisse was buried. She said she wanted to take her picture to lay at his stone (that was her word for grave). Matisse would have been honored to receive that work!

My son was cutting shapes, too. As we often affectionately refer to him as Picasso because of his love for art, I was not surprised to find him joining in her project.

And then, there it was. Even now, my eyes fill with tears. My heart is full, so full.

I could not capture his words quickly enough, and typed through my tears. Later he permitted me to take some pictures, as he again described some of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard from him.

You needed the background of what he has struggled with, as shared above, to understand and appreciate what happened. And while I don’t expect that you will have the same tear-filled, joy-overflowing response that I did, please “get” this. Please understand JUST how big this is:

He said, while manipulating shapes, “You can just FEEL his emotions, can’t you?!”

He once knew no emotions. He once recognized nothing pertaining to emotions.

And now he FEELS them?!?! That’s understanding on a whole other level!!!

He went on to manipulate pieces of paper, shapes he had cut out, into these forms, and labeled each picture - some as a type of person, some as an emotion.

Please, tell me you understand? It’s taken 3.5 years of therapy, and 9 years of his life, to know an emotion, understand an emotion. And now that he can create the emotion, it means he has internalized the meaning, the understanding of it, and knows the “why” behind the emotion.

I couldn’t capture the information quickly enough and then get it sent to the therapists. They all got back to me quickly and expressed their utter amazement! Then, at one of his sessions last week, apparently he made more faces, different faces.

He made sequencing plans with another therapist in order to have some “cooking homework”. He still struggles with small things like, “Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth and go to bed.” But now he’s starting to follow multi-step cooking directions, feeling more confident in his own abilities within life.

My heart. The joy we might have missed with this one, or any of our kids, if our decision-making had been any different.

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, dealing with feelings, everyday success, gratitude and appreciation, real life, self-expression

Dream Big Dreams {For Our Children}

August 7, 2024 By Rebekah 2

Being married to a man who is a dreamer and visionary, we talk about big dreams a lot. As we’ve had children, we’ve talked about dreaming big dreams for our children. A sense of fear seems to pervade my attempts to dream big, even for our children. It’s not a fear of my own lack of success, but a fear that we might set them up to possibly fail. Not intentionally, of course, but along with my own fear of failure, I think I project that onto my dreaming for them.

Dreaming Big Dreams

Yesterday I shared about dreaming big dreams and a few requests that I made of God at the beginning of my blogging journey. Were my dreams big enough? It seems that I dream with some fear attached to it - a fear of failure. It’s completely self-inflicted because my parents were wonderful at encouraging my pursuits. I think the fear came with my own notion that “perfection” is the goal. How wrong that was! I think I’m so goal-oriented that “dream” and “goal” have been interchangeable in my own mind, and I realize they should not always be used in the same manner. I’m working to change that.

Dreaming Big Dreams {For Our Children}

I’ve watched as my husband has spent time with our children, sharing some of his dreams for them. His way of thinking is so opposite of mine sometimes (ok, maybe a lot of the time!), but he conveys his dreams for them with no fear attached. He has a way of making dreams, goals, and achievement seem exciting! He also has a wonderful ability to convey how to achieve those dreams. But, he doesn’t consider failure attached to a dream - he just sees the dream as an ultimate possibility.

My own recovering-perfectionist spirit used to try to remind him that he may be setting them up for failure by sharing some of his big dreams for them.

He has never accepted the idea that he may be setting them up for failure. (Wise man!)

He has reminded me that if we don’t teach our children to dream, we are, in essence, telling them that mediocrity is okay.

What a great lesson for him to remind me of - mediocrity is not the goal. And just as we sat with them through attempts at talking, walking, bike-riding, schooling, we need to sit with them at their attempts to learn to do their best. And even in their attempts to learn to dream big dreams.

We’re learning - and some of you seasoned parents already know this - that we have to open our children’s eyes to possibilities for what they can do in life. As they grow into their gifts and talents, then their likes and dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses, will begin to shine through, and we’ll be better-equipped to know what direction to guide them. We also have to continue to remind them to be following what they feel God has for them. Making life-choices should always start and end with prayer.

My husband has been providing a good example of what I mean by opening our children’s eyes to the possibilities of what they can do. Our kids are all musically inclined. Our oldest, nicknamed Mozart because, well, it fits, has been taking piano lessons for over 5 years now. And he’s good. (Must brag a little!)

When he was younger, there was a little discussion of continuing to take lessons, and maybe working toward music as a big part of his life. As he has gotten older, their discussion has become more fine-tuned to various things he can do with his gift and talent if he continues to pursue it - composing, teaching, musical groups, things like that. We’ve also shared more piano music with him, so that he can hear some of the best pianists at work!

Dreaming His Own Dream

The result has been that we now have a teenager who has a better grasp on what he wants to do with his life.

His intent is to pursue music through high school and college. I love that!

But do you know what I love even more? He knows what he needs to do to reach that goal.

And that’s what I love most: He’s doing what he needs to do to take steps toward achieving his goal! His practice time has increased substantially. His effort is matching his practice time - he is working hard!

Big Dreams and Big Prayer

As Tim and I dream big dreams for our children, we’re able to share those with them and teach them the steps to take in dreaming their own big dreams. Our prayers for them take on new depth as we pray for them to always hear God louder than anything else (even us!), and that they would stay close to Jesus and share His love with those along their path.

And if I’m being bold, then I’ll let you in on a bit of our dream and say this:
We hope to see you at a concert hall someday
where our Mozart will play from the music of the Mozart, to many eager hearts!

In case you missed the previous post:
Part 1: Dream Big Dreams
and you can also find
Part 3: God’s Big Dreams {For Your Life}

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Filed Under: big dreams, family focused, goals, parenting, prayer, real life

Dream Big Dreams

August 6, 2024 By Rebekah 0

Do you dream big dreams? Do you have some big goals in life? Do you find it easy to dream your dreams? Do you dream big dreams for your family, your children, your friends, your church? When do you dream your dreams - in good times or bad? Why do you dream your dreams - because you’re hoping for more, or because you’re shooting for the stars?

My husband is a dreamer, no doubt about it. I love that he enjoys shooting for the stars! I feel very much like a realist when I compare his dreaming ability to my own. And as I’ve been thinking about this lately, I think that for me, there’s almost a fear of failure tied to dreaming big dreams. If I dream, try, and fail, then the perfectionist in me is extremely frustrated. But if I just keep going along in life, and meeting goals, then I feel very successful. But am I missing out on dreaming big dreams? (Yes, I think so!) This is the first of several posts that will focus on dreaming big dreams!

This blog was a big dream. As I started it, I asked God for His words to fill these “pages” (this was my first request). I also asked God for a few other things - the option of writing for one or two other sites (my second request), and the ability to contribute to an e-book before working on what may someday be my own book (my third request). I started this blog in March, and made these 3 requests of God around the same time. This blog has been “live” for just over 4 months, and those requests were my big dreams.

blog title

Guess what? They’ve ALL been answered. Request one - God continues to fill these pages. I often sit down with a particular idea in mind, and God changes it to something slightly different, to bless me, or a reader. Request 2 - I write at several other websites. You can find them by Writing Contributions tab at the top of this page. Request 3 - I am contributing a chapter to a book. More information to come on that. I’m thrilled that God has answered all of these - THRILLED!

But really, the next question is, now what? My dreams - the dreams that I thought were big dreams - are all answered. As a friend said, “You’re going to have to dream bigger dreams!”

I think I’m still really learning how to dream big dreams, and push my fear of failure to the side. I have a lot more to say about this, so I think I’m going to make it a separate post. I’m still praying over my own big dreams, and our big dreams as a couple and as a family. We’ll talk more about that in the next post. In the meantime, you can join us on Facebook for more discussion about dreaming big dreams.

UPDATE:
You can read part 2 here: Dream Big Dreams {For Our Children}
and part 3 here: God’s Big Dreams {For Your Life}

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Filed Under: family focused, goals, having faith in God, real life Tagged With: dream big dreams

Coffee and Superheroes

July 30, 2024 By Rebekah 0

This morning, while sipping my coffee and enjoying a slow start to the day, I was only sort of paying attention to the cartoon my kids had on. The shows they watch in the morning are parent-approved and basically pretty good. They usually choose the superhero shows and watch the battle between good and evil. Today, I was struck with how they showed the superhero combating the evil ways of the villain.

The villain in the show had apparently been good “in another world”. Everyone seemed to remember that except for the villain. As the battle waged between the villain and the superhero, the hero began to talk down the villain, saying things like, “I know you were good once. I believe in you. I know you will not harm me.” He was talking down his opposition. And ultimately, he won because the villain listened just long enough to realize the superhero truly believed that his words had power behind them - power to turn a bad situation around, and to see the good that could come out of it.

The tactics that the superhero used, speaking truth into the situation with the villain,
hold true for us, too, as Christians.

In II Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul says -

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When we battle tough situations, or attacks of the Enemy, our combat is not supposed to look the same as those who do not know Jesus. That means when we face situations where the Enemy is trying to destroy us, we need to respond differently. Maybe we need to step out in faith, or at least not cower in fear. Maybe we need to speak truth into the situations where we are struggling - God’s Truth.

We need to realize that as a follower of Christ, we are now a target for attacks by the Enemy. Satan does not want to see us on God’s side. He does not want our lives filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. He does not want our hearts and minds transformed by God’s Word. And so He is coming for us - He is out to attack us where he can.

How do you combat the attacks? The Bible gives us a very clear plan of how to stand against the devil.

Ephesians 6:10-17, again, from Paul -

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I like how this passage says, “so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground….” To me, (and this is just my opinion) this indicates that we won’t get attacked immediately, or constantly. We may not be in a battle right now, but…it’s coming. That’s what I take out of that particular section.

BUT - our armor needs to be on already. Do you see that? “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes….” We aren’t supposed to wait for battle and then get ready; we’re supposed to be prepared in advance.

The passage goes on to describe the armor in detail, giving us an understanding of why each piece is important. I’ve heard many different pastors and speakers point out that the only part of this weapon that is for going on the offensive is the sword of the Spirit - the word of God - the Bible. We are to be prepared and covered in the full armor of God, but apparently we are not just supposed to stand there and take the attacks. We have the word of God to speak truth into the situation, to wage war with the enemy.

To wage war, you have to know your weapon, inside and out. Consider a soldier who uses a gun in battle - that soldier knows how to dismantle the weapon, how to clean it, what type of bullets it uses - he knows everything about his weapon. Why? Because he has spent time with it. He has had it in pieces, and then put it together as a whole. He has inspected every available spot to make sure nothing will hinder his use of the weapon. He has trained with it, specifically for combat situations so that he knows exactly what will happen and does not need to have a fear of using his weapon in the midst of battle. He is prepared. He knows his weapon as though it were an extension of his person.

So, here’s the important question: Are you ready? Are you ready for when the attack comes? Have you put on the full armor of God? Have you prepared with your weapon as the soldier has? Paul is very clear - our struggle is not against flesh and blood - it is not of this world. It is a spiritual struggle and we have all of the protection that we need, along with the only weapon we need.

Dear friend, are you ready? Maybe you need to step back and re-evaluate your battles, knowing that while they seem bound in things of earth, they are really a spiritual fight for your soul. Maybe you need to prepare in advance and choose today to clothe yourself with the armor of God so that when your battle comes, you are prepared. And maybe you need to check your weapon. Clean it off, open it up, learn what’s inside of it, so that when the attack comes against you, you are already prepared.

Just like the superhero in the cartoon my kids watched,
let’s be prepared to speak truth into our battles -
God’s Truth!

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Filed Under: having faith in God, Hope, my morning coffee, real life

Can We Be Real? Part 4

April 26, 2025 By Rebekah 6

This is the final post in the “Can We Be Real?” series. The first post was About Me, because you don’t want to take a journey with people you don’t know, right? There were some great comments on that post! The second post in this series was about Craving Real Friendships - as in, authentic relationships. The third post, titled Perfectly Imperfect, dealt with our real need for a real Jesus. And this week, I want to talk about a real relationship with Jesus.

For me, I know that I get hung up on “the right way” to have a relationship with Jesus. You hear people talking about first thing in the morning, or how long you are spending in devotions or prayer.

Can We Be Real? Life can be tough. We are often lacking sleep, on the go taking our kids to school or homeschooling them, running children to and from appointments, keeping up with the housework, and the many other tasks that find their way across our path. God knows all of that. He knows the families we have, the jobs we’re in, the children we have, the time and attention they require. He knows the activities we are involved in, the people we help, the chores we do. He knows ALL of that. And He isn’t trying to add to our to-do list. He wants to fill our hearts so that we can be about the work that is ours.

Maybe our perspective is askew. I know for me - being real here - some days are overwhelming and it’s hard to sit and read through various passages. You probably understand that feeling, too. On those days, I don’t put away my Bible and say, “Never mind, this is too hard.” Rather, I pull out my Bible, jot down a favorite verse, one that easily comes to mind, and I meditate on that throughout the day. I find I often get just as much from a day spent meditating on one verse, as I do from reading an entire passage on another day. One of my favorites:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

In keeping it real here, this post was supposed to go out yesterday, Thursday. Unfortunately, our son had some real struggles this week and I wasn’t able to get back to this. I thought about this post because I knew it was due. I considered it as I poured out my frustration to God - frustration that life can be so difficult for my son who struggles with communication issues, among other things. I considered this post because I knew I wanted to tell you that a real relationship with God is not just about spending time reading His word and listening to what He has to say to you. It’s also about being real with Him.

When things started to go wrong for my son on Wednesday, I began talking to God about how much the whole situation frustrated me. I wanted things to be easier for my son - for all the kids who struggle.

And that’s an honest part of a relationship - getting to voice your thoughts and feelings. Do you know it’s okay to do the same with God? Do you know it’s all right to tell him your problems, your frustrations and the things you’re struggling with? Do you know that it’s okay to be REAL with God? It is. After all, He created us. He knows all about us. And He knows how we’re feeling. He didn’t just create us and then walk away and forget how He made us. He is very aware of how we feel.

And while having a regular time of hearing from God is a very good thing, I think we sometimes think we need to have a “perfect” relationship with Him because He is God. And when that doesn’t happen, it can leave us feeling more defeated than anything else.

What if we dared to have a real relationship with God? What if, rather than measuring ourselves by how much we read in one sitting, or how long we pray, we focused more on making sure we spend time being real with God. And that can mean different things to different people. Maybe for one person, it means meditating on a verse rather than feeling the need to read through a certain number of chapters each day. Maybe for another it means to be bold and to be open about how we are feeling, and pour that out to God. For another, maybe it could mean time spent quietly, listening to what God has to say. As we do that, as we spend real time with God, He will speak to our hearts and encourage us. As we do that, we’ll find we’re naturally drawn to wanting more of that time with Him. As we are faithful in being real and showing up in the relationship with God, He will be faithful in meeting us where we are and helping us to grow in our relationship with Him.

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Filed Under: real life, writing Tagged With: being authentic

Can We Be Real? - Perfectly Imperfect

April 18, 2025 By Rebekah 4

Perfectly Imperfect. What does that conjure up in your mind? Honestly, I think we would all have a different answer. For me, though, it conjures up the memory of a conversation, rather than an image.

It goes back to what we talked about yesterday in Minivan Theology – God will show up in the everyday areas of our lives if we are open to His presence. A week or so ago, we were headed to or from therapy again, and my son started asking questions:

So we’re created in God’s image, right?
Yes.
So that means He created us perfectly – just the way He wants us.
Yes!
But He created us to need Jesus, didn’t He?
Yes…
So we aren’t actually perfect, are we?
No, we’re not. We need Jesus to save us from our sins.
So we’re created perfectly…
Yes…
But we need Jesus so that means we’re imperfect.
I think you’re right.
So – we’re ‘perfectly imperfect!’ Perfect, because God created us and He doesn’t mess up. Imperfect because we need Jesus and can’t get to heaven on our own. Perfectly imperfect.

That really got me to thinking – what if we truly viewed ourselves as perfectly imperfect? What if we treated ourselves as though we were created by a holy God, who knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us our hair color, eye color, our height, our physical characteristics.

But let’s not forget about our need for Jesus – the longing in our heart that only He can fill. How amazing to consider that God sent Jesus to take our place, to transform our spiritual imperfection so that someday we can be in a perfect heaven with Him!

When I consider that God is willing to transform our spiritual imperfection, through the gift of His Son – that the price has already been paid and we only need to accept the free gift – it gives my life great value. I was bought with a price, a very heavy price. I don’t know that I would be willing to sacrifice one of my children for someone else to be saved.

Romans 5:8 -
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were still sinners…while we were still in our spiritual imperfection. He didn’t wait for us to get cleaned up, to get our lives together, to work to become holy. His Son paid the price, years ago, before we were even born. And He waits for us – imperfect and all – to come to Him.

That means that on our messy days when we’re running late, when the syrup gets spilled and there are dishes left in the sink and we aren’t sure if the dog got fed or not, and we’re pretty sure that we’re in over our heads with this parenting thing – God perfectly loves our imperfect mess. He doesn’t view us as the imperfection that lingers on the kitchen counter, or find us beautiful based on if we are well-attired and looking perfect. He sees us as the gift we are, the precious gift that He paid for so dearly, the perfectly imperfect life that we are!

You can catch up on the first two posts in this series here:
Part 1 - Getting to Know Me
Part 2 - Craving Real Friendships

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Katherine’s Corner

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Filed Under: Questions, real life, writing Tagged With: being authentic

Focus On Joy

November 13, 2024 By Rebekah 0

Here we are, in the season of giving thanks. Usually this is a favorite time of the year for me, so full of many things for which to be thankful. This season is still my favorite and I’m already savoring the precious moments to focus on joy, gratitude and love. However, some recent events have left me needing to work harder to find my joy.

In the past month, we’ve lost -
*Tim’s job (that one that gave him the ability to work from home)
*Our power for a few days during Hurricane Sandy
*Some fridge and freezer food (not much, just some)
*A car, due to an accident that Tim was involved in (the other guy was at fault). Thankfully, Tim was not hurt, and I don’t think the other man was, either.That list looks a little daunting in terms of needs and making life work on a day-to-day basis. If that was the end of it, I could definitely understand how I, or someone else in this situation, could feel a lack of joy. Sometimes, though, you really have to work - HARD! - to keep your focus where it should be. And focusing on joy is requiring me to take a good look at my blessings.

Oswald Chambers

In the past month, we’ve received -
*The news that, despite an accident, Tim wasn’t injured
*The gift of some clothing for our daughter - including a gorgeous Christmas dress
*Several gifts of food (including a type of cereal that I *never* buy for the kids - they’re THRILLED!)
*The blessing that all things related to the car accident are taken care of by our insurance including the use of a rental car until our car is fixed or until it’s determined that it’s totaled (The mechanic didn’t think it would be totaled, but won’t know for sure until he starts taking it apart)
*Several gifts in various forms
*So much encouragement
*A second opinion from an orthodontist, that is saving us time (in the form of appointments we no longer need) and money (no longer needing to pay for braces)
*The opportunity to trust that God knows what He is doing, even when we are uncertain.

When I look at that list, it’s a little easier to truly focus on joy, which is where I want my heart and my mind to be - especially at this time of year.

Anyone else struggling with focusing on joy right now? Feel free to share any thoughts or techniques that work for you, to help maintain your focus.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - and that’s where I want my focus to be! Circumstances may knock us down for a bit, or leave us wondering why, but they cannot steal our joy!

Life is like a piano...

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Filed Under: gratitude and appreciation, inspiration and motivation, intentional choices, real life

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Focus On Joy

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