Today debuts “A Minute of Hope with Lucy,” my short hope-filled weekend videos.
I’d love to do a video on a topic close to your heart. Leave your idea in Comments. Scroll to the very bottom of this post and you’ll see “Leave a Reply.”
By the way on Tuesday I’m running a wonderful — and thought provoking — blog post by Bob Kellemen on the downside of psychology. You’re going to love it or hate it. On Thursday, I announce the winner of my June giveaway. There’s still time to enter. Bop here to get in on the fun.
Psst: If yours isn’t listed, please send me a contact message and I’ll address yours in a blog post or give you an answer by email. 🙂
Also please leave a comment! Comments give encouragement to me and others. 🙂
Scroll to the very, very, very bottom of this post and type your comment. Thanks! Â
Today let’s look at the whys and the hows of taking a timeout. Ready? I am. . .’cause this mama needs a break!
What a Time Out Is NOT
When a mama takes a time out, she is not beating herself up.
I need to do more. I’m a bad mom. The laundry’s flowing over baskets. Err, this counter is sticky, this floor is stick, I’m sticky. I suck.
In your time out you do NOT start planning. Hey, if I’m taking a time out, I might as well get busy planning my day, my week, my month, my life.NO! Do NOT go here.
You do NOT rehearse “what if’s.” What if I were thinner or toner or smarter or organized?
 Do you beat yourself up sometimes, thinking you should do more or do different? Isn’t this a recipe for anxiety?Â
What a Time Out Is!
A time out is a time to rest. Sure, take a nap if you need one. But here I am focusing on resting the mind, bathing the Spirit in Jesus’ invitation. You know it, don’t you?
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29
These are power words, this time out invitation. Disconnecting with worry and busyiness. Connect with the One who loves you best. Amen.
Among the women I counsel biblically, I register not only a lack of soul rest but also iffy self care. Easy to remedy self care. Here are the three most important:
1. Drink water, about 6 to 8 8-ounces a day. Water has many healing properties. I’ll write a post soon on the spiritual and emotional healing properties of water. Incidentally, soda pop is not water.
2. Get enough sleep, about 7 to 10 hours daily. Set a time to get ready for bed and a time to wake up. Again, there are spiritual and emotional health benefits to sleep.
3. Move.You don’t have to join a gym or sign up for Zumba. Just move. Walks are perfect. Stretch. Breath deep from the belly.
What’s Next
When you read a post suggesting change, you make feel overwhelmed. Change is hard. You may feel defeated or think, “I tried that before and I quit after three days, so why bother?”
Why bother?
Take a time out to refresh and regroup because you matter, you are valuable, you are significant. Your children (toddlers or married adults) are watching how you take care of yourself and spend your time. God rested, didn’t he?
Take a time out and rest in Jesus. Go to him. He’s waiting. Find rest for your soul.
Coming up in the “Mama Needs a Break” series: Your Next Big Thing!
I love football. Cheered the Irish alongside my dad on Saturdays. Now I tweet Bears on Sundays.
What’s the disconnect? Any big event is big business for traffickers of sex slavery.
The traffickers bus in the girls and women and boys on Super Bowl weekend. The johns pay to indulge in sexual pleasure. They don’t care about the girls. Just themselves.
The slave owners pocket the money, lots of money: $9.5 billion throughout the world each year for sex slavery, according to Born to Fly citing the FBI. Human trafficking (all types, including forced labor) ranks #2 among all income-generating syndicates. Illegal drugs are #1; illegal arms are #3.
The average of sex slaves around the world is 11 years old.
Are You Angry?
Me too. Here’s a link to a brief video. It’ll get you real mad. Righteous anger! Warning: It’s disturbing.
What should you do with your anger? That’s the big question, a hopeful question.
You can make a difference. You can help end slavery.
Occasionally I’m awakened by a dream in which I’m the female version of Chuck Norris, karate chop my way into a brothel of sex slaves, and lead them to freedom.
But dreams won’t stop slavery at the Super Bowl. Action will. You can do more to end slavery than you might think.
How You Make a Difference
First. pray. Pray for the johns, the slaves, the traffickers, and the authorities. Pray how the Holy Spirit leads you.
Yes, we Christians are born again and attend church and pray and read the Bible.
But. . .
in day-to-day living — between paying bills, helping with homework, and finding time to laugh — we Christians doubt God more than we care to admit.
Did God really say we can cast our cares on him? If I believed him, why this worry? Was he joking about consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds? If I believed him, why do I balk when life goes awry?
Thank God there’s hope for us.
“If You Can?”
Without confidence in God, it is impossible to worship unless, of course, I am asking our God to strengthen my belief like the father described in the Gospel of Mark.
Do you remember the biblical account?
A father’s son was possessed by a demon, causing the boy to convulse, foam at the mouth, and gnash his teeth.
Desperate, the dad asked Jesus for help. A crowd had gathered. “How long has he been like this?” Jesus asked.
“From childhood,” the father replied. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“If you can?” said Jesus.
(Let’s pause. Jesus knew he could. The father had gently questioned Jesus’ ability – possibly he recalled the disciples’ inability to drive out the demon – but Jesus knew he had the power. The more important question: the dad’s belief.)
Jesus continued, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)
Embracing Honesty
The man’s raw honesty warms me like a bowl of chili in January. I want to hug him. I hope I’ll get the chance in heaven. But until then, I’ll settle for knowing that I’m not the only one who struggles with belief.
The type of belief I’m talking about isn’t the one-time decision of belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord of her life. This one-time decision secured the new believer’s eternal destiny: heaven. (Past tense!)
We who’ve made this decision are declared children of God. Chosen, blessed, forgiven and redeemed. You cannot do, think or say anything to cause God to love you any more. Or any less. God completely loves you.
Continually Believing
Continually believing is tough. It’s moment-by-moment belief.
Do I continually believe God will provide what I need today? Do I continually believe he is good even if one of my kids gets badly hurt? Or worse? Do I continually believe God’s Word that he hates divorce? Do I continually believe he has my best interests in mind?
What if I get cancer? Or we go bankrupt? Or my neighbor shows off her brand-new Audi while my Civic pushes 120,000 and needs a brake job? What if my Bible study sister can’t kick her drug addiction for good?
What if I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong with me? That I’m not a good-enough mom? Or a good-enough friend? That what I do and think don’t really matter?
What if I’m afraid I can’t handle the ugly stuff of life? That I’m not strong enough?
Then God reminds me: He can. He can handle the uglies.
When I am weak, he is strong.
Oh Lord, help me overcome my unbelief. I am needy.
Imagine what would happen if you had mountain-moving faith in Jesus power.
Your arms would reach to the hurting, the poor, to HIV-positive babies. You’d accept folks who don’t look like you or smell like you or talk like you. You’d embrace the outsider, whether she wore brand-name stilettos or tattoos.
At stores and office buildings, jails and nursing homes, hospitals and orphanages, universities and kindergartens, you’d share Jesus in action.
The gates of hell would tremble. Oh yes!
I want this type of mountain-moving faith. But call me fraidy cat. Outside my safe places, I shrink. My voice thins. Over and over my mind runs the tape, “What if they reject me. . .reject me. . .reject me.”
Stop Acting Small
When you rely on yourself you act small because you are small.
Yes, when I act “in Lucy,” courage scatters like shards of broken glass. Yet “in Christ” I can access his power to do his will.
A familiar psalm proclaims, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4
Some think this is a promise that God will give you what you want. Not so. Reread the first half of the psalm. As you delight yourself in the LORD, you will want what God wants. And whatever God purposes will come to pass. How do you delight in the Lord? Pray!
Start Acting Big
To live your mountain-moving faith, to receive the desires of your heart, you need to commune with God. This means prayer. This means talking to God and listening. This means thinking on Scripture.
3 Simple (and Fun) Prayer Ideas!
1. Pray “bookends.” When you awaken, dedicate the day to the Lord and ask him to direct you all day long. At bedtime, thank God for his direction.
2. Shoot bullet prayers. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray all day long. Then when he reminds you, pray.
y.
