James Chapter 2

“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” ~James 2:17, NIV

Prayer Over Our Children

May my daughter love her neighbor as herself, judging not nor casting favoritism. I pray that she will speak and live out Your Word so that she may know true freedom in Christ. Grant her mercy, oh Lord, and may she likewise show mercy to others. Give her faith feet, oh God, so that both faith and action may work in her life and through her to touch the lives of others. Choose my little girl, oh Lord, and make her rich in faith and an heir to Your Kingdom. 

Here my fingers type, clacking and clunking on this keyboard. It has been many weeks since I last wrote and posted. Winter has melted into spring and now spring has giving way to summer. Where has the time flown? And just as time tiptoed silently past, what has happened to my inner flame and passion? It has felt like my energy has slipped away like sand in the ocean breeze, leaving me bereft of any creative thought.

As a mom, wife, daughter, friend, and co-captain of my family, I have found energy to be a valuable yet limited commodity as many hats vie for time and attention.

It is sometimes hard for me to prioritize, for often what is urgent takes priority over the important. For example, the deadlines looming before me are urgent yet my time with the Lord is of greater importance. The 2 a.m. call from my scared daughter is urgent as it hurdles me out of bed to her side. But the sleep which is important to the functioning of mind and body lies woefully unattended and still calling my name. Somehow, the dishes must find their way into the washing machine because company is coming. Yet, in the wake of the household hustle and bustle, my quiet time with the Lord gets pushed to the side. And then of course, I feel torn between my child’s plea for me to play with her or the demand of unending chores which will not get done unless Mary Poppins herself magically appears. 

Like you, I, too, have become lost in the everyday shuffle, allowing the urgency of each day to define me rather than refine me. As weeks have passed into months, I woke up with sudden clarity. Have I been allowing my days to dictate the seconds of my life rather than yielding myself to the voice of the Lord? Have I been allowing convenience and comfort to cause me to stumble away from faithful obedience? For I have heard Him calling my name to once again dive deep into the love of creativity and inspiration. Yet, sometimes it feels too hard to rekindle the flame. But, even if the fire runs cold, should I not take up the flint once more despite the mammoth effort it will take to create that tiny ember? 
     
The truth is that the fire cannot be fanned, nor the flames be stoked unless we take that first step of obedience. If we do not take that step of faith, how can the ember even be lit? How can God breathe breath into our very lungs when we refuse to breathe? For if we do not use our very arms to strike the flint the ember can never come to fruition. Yet, once we strike forward, even if it with fear and trepidation, then that fragile ember trembles to life and can now receive the breath of God to fan the flame. 
     
So, here I sit with keyboard in hand, taking that tremulous step forward in faith and obedience as I ask the Lord to reignite the fire. With obedience comes blessing, whispers His gentle voice in my ears. Come, so that I may live, breathe, and move in you. And in this moment, in this hour, I must decide. I must make a choice. Either I smother the voice which calls so that I might tend to the urgent and the pressing or heed the call as I step out in obedience and faith. Do I want what is good or do I want what is great? Is it life to the mediocre or life to the fullest that I wish to claim? Will we yield or surrender to what is hard and often inconvenient to our own timing or choose an easier road?
     
Today, this night, this hour, and in this minute, I choose to embrace what appears difficult, what seems impossible so that I might begin to walk in the fullness of Christ. Why? Because I know the plans, He has for me, which are also the plans He has for you, are to prosper us and not to harm us, plans for a hope and a future. This is how I wish to walk. This is what I want my life to proclaim. This is where I go and who I will follow. 
     
​So, may it be for you also. May you, too, heed the voice of the Lord and His gentle calling. May you push aside the demands and pressures upon your day to focus upon the One who speaks life, brings hope, and ignites our very souls. He is our Helper. He is the very breath that we breathe. Gather your courage and press through the earthly inconveniences to step forward so that our own choking embers can be brought back to life. Let God through His Holy Spirit rekindle your flame that you may be revived, restored, and renewed. Press into Him today and heed His gentle voice as you step out in faith that you may begin to live life to the fullest.

A Parent's Prayer

Oh Lord, give me the strength to step out even when my flesh trembles. Make Your flame burn bright in me, even when my own spirit is weak. Breathe on me, oh God, Your breath of life so that I am filled with Your holy presence. Reignite my spirit and rekindle the flame once more in my life today.