Tag: Godly Living

Drip Drip Drip

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

“Would you like some juice?” I asked.

“Yes,” my toddler replied from where she lay sick with a fever on the couch.

I fetched the little cup with a built-in straw from the fridge. It had a valve in the straw enabling me to tip it upside down without spilling. Surely it would be okay in the living room.

I set it beside my toddler, then scooped up my baby from where he stood leaning against the couch.

“I have to put your brother down for his nap. I’ll be back in a minute or two.”

My toddler took a sip of juice. “Okay.”

In the bedroom, I proceeded with my baby’s bedtime routine: drink water, put on sleep sack, read story, bounce while singing the “Prayer For My Child” song, then into his crib.

That done, I returned to the living room.

That was when I saw it. Beside my toddler, who was still on the couch where I had left her, was the straw cup. The cup rested on its side.

As I approached, one drip escaped.

Remaining calm, I quickly scooped up the cup.

Apparently, more than one drip had escaped.

There, on the couch, was a wet spot as large as the palm of my hand. I had only been gone a few short minutes.

Fetching a clean cloth, I pressed the drenched spot to absorb as much liquid out of it as possible, but it was a lost cause.

Giving up, I sighed. At least it was just watered-down apple juice on a brown couch.

A short while later, when I had a chance to lie down for a few minutes because I was sick with the same bug, it occurred to me that my actions are like that cup.

I thought the straw cup was a safe one to use in the living room because it didn’t spill, even when turned upside down. However, given enough time, one drip escapes. Then another drip escapes.

Before long, those slow but steady drips create a sizable spill.

My actions are like that. I may think they are inconsequential or “safe”, but, if I continue in them, they create a notable impact.

One small action after another, after another, after another… That’s how big impacts are made, whether for good or for evil.

Next time I am about to do something I believe is unimpactful, I would be wise to pause and consider the outcome. Will it lead to what is helpful or what is harmful?

In Galatians 6:7-8, I read:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (NIV)

The following verse holds valuable encouragement.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV

Lord, please help me be intentional to do what will lead to good for me and for those around me.

Licking Floor Vents

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I set my baby on the kitchen floor and opened the fridge to get the leftover containers out for lunch.

“He’s getting so good at belly crawling,” I commented to my 2-year-old. “Pretty soon he’ll be up on his hands and knees doing proper crawling.”

I fetched a serving spoon and began putting food on our plates.

I turned to my 2-year-old. “Do you want your food warm or cold?”

She glanced at the table from where she was on the floor, busy building with magnetic blocks. “Cold.”

I glanced at my baby who had lost interest in the blue car he had been playing with and was now making his way across the kitchen floor.

I put my plate of food in the microwave and turned it on.

I filled our water glasses, then looked over at my baby again. He was studying the wall. Perhaps he liked the texture of the paint?

Hearing the microwave beep, I turned to retrieve my food.

When I glanced back at him, he was just reaching the furnace vent in the floor.

“Careful,” I warned him, “that could have sharp parts.”

Of course, he didn’t understand me. He continued touching the vent.

I set my hot food on the table and headed in his direction.

Then, to my disgust, I saw him put his head down on the floor vent and lick the metal grate.

“No, no,” I said, scooping him up. “We don’t lick floor vents.”

As I carried him towards the table, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye.

My 2-year-old had left her blocks and was crawling. She was making a beeline for the very vent I’d just pulled my baby away from.

With a giggle, she licked the floor vent.

This incident is one of the more memorable times my 2-year-old copied my baby. She’d never thought to lick a floor vent before, but here she was doing it because her baby brother decided to give it a try.

There have been many other times my 2-year-old has desired to mimic our baby. She has wanted to be carried more. She has reverted to requesting to be spoon-fed. If I give my baby a biting toy, she wants one too.

In truth, such desires to be more “baby-like” are common in toddlers who have a new baby in the house. Indeed, even in the area of potty training, many fully trained toddlers have gone back to diapers when the new baby arrives.

Why share this story? Because I am similar to my daughter. Whether I realize it or not, I mimic those around me.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless I mimic those who set foolish or harmful examples.

In my walk with God, I am to be growing towards maturity (Heb. 5:11-14, James 1:4).

Likewise, my toddler is supposed to be growing in ability and intelligence.

When she mimics her baby brother, she is going backwards in her development. She is becoming more baby-like.

So who am I mimicking?

Are they influencing me towards maturity in Jesus, or away from it?

It’s worth taking time to consider the influence of my family, friends, and church leaders.

I like how it is put in Hebrews 13:7 – “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.” (CSB)

On top of that, which authors/influencers/musicians am I listening to? What influence do they have on me?

If, when I look around, it seems no one is influencing me towards a deeper relationship with Jesus, it may be time to make some changes.

One of those changes could simply be reading a biography of a Christian who had a deep personal relationship with Jesus.

My favourites include:

  • Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
  • Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by  Dr. Howard Taylor
  • Seeking Allah Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

I was recently reminded of the encouragement podcasts can give when I listened to “Women Worth Knowing” by Cheryl Broderson and Robin Jones Gunn, “Enduring Words” by David Guzik, and “Laugh Again” by Phil Callaway.

Ultimately it is Jesus whose example I am to follow.

All these other examples ought to point me towards Him. As Paul put it: “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB)

Being intentional to keep times of prayer and Bible reading in my daily life is critical for this.

As I go forward, may I be aware of how I am being influenced. May I be intentional to seek out those who would influence me towards Jesus. May I grow towards maturity in my walk with Jesus.

Receipt Pile

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I took a deep breath. I had a few minutes to myself while my husband took our kids on a walk.

It was time to tackle one of those old boxes taking up space. They had been sitting there far too long.

I squared my shoulders. I didn’t feel like doing it, but this was my opportunity.

Lifting the lid off a box, I peered inside. A heaping pile of receipts caught my eye.

I lifted a lengthy receipt from a grocery store, not worth keeping for more than a month or two (in case of recalls). I searched for the date. It was from two years ago. Certainly not needed now.

Setting the receipt on the floor beside me, I started a “To Be Recycled” pile.

I glanced at the next receipt. It was from a similar time period. Into the recycling pile it went.

Pausing, I studied the receipt pile. I could probably toss them all without a second glance.

“But there might be something valuable mixed in.”

With the thought that maybe there was a receipt from some big item with a warranty still valid, I began shifting through the receipts one by one.

As the pile on the floor grew, I found myself becoming reflective.

What an incredible amount of stuff we bought in the past couple of years! Groceries, household items, kids clothes…

The majority of the receipts were from the grocery store – the food we bought long since consumed.

I lifted a receipt to see which store it was from – Staples. I glanced at the item purchased. Immediately I recalled buying that computer mouse.

A pink paper caught my eye. It was the alterations receipt from my bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding.

At the bottom of the pile was a separate box of receipts from my own wedding: ribbon, flowers, thank you cards, and my husband’s wedding band.

So many memories.

Many of the items I was thankful to have decided to buy. Other items were long since forgotten.

I found myself wondering, “What about in my life?”

If I saw all the receipts of how I spent my time and energy this past year, would I be pleased with what I saw?

Would God be pleased?

Before I go further, it is at this point that, as someone who has dealt with chronic fatigue, I often must stop to remind myself of 2 Corinthians 8:11-13.

“For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (CSB)

I am only responsible for how I use what I do have, whether that be the energy, time, or resources God has given me, not for what I don’t have.

If today all I can do is rest in bed, God understands.

That aside, how did I use my life this past year? If I had a receipt for every action and thought, what would each say?

Was I pursuing Jesus and active in the work He has given me to do (whether parenting, or doing my best at my job, or whatever that may be).

Did I waste my time, energy and resources on meaningless things that have now been long since forgotten?

Ultimately it is my heart He is after.

My thoughts and actions are merely an outpouring of where my heart is at.

Do I love God? Am I trusting Him? Am I praising Him? Am I resting in the fact that He is in control? Am I thanking Him?

Where my heart is at will be evident in the receipts of my life.

One day, I will need to give an account to God for each of those thoughts and actions. (Romans 14:12)

As I look forward to the new year, may my heart seek after God, so that, with His help, I may not be ashamed of the receipts. May the receipts of my life in this coming year be pleasing in God’s sight.

Unexpected Influences

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

“Ready, Mommy?” My toddler called from her car seat.

I twisted in the passenger seat to see her. “Ready for what?”

“Ready for me to put my sunglasses on?” She held her sunglasses poised above her head, ready to be put on.

Amused, I glanced at my husband who was driving. “Okay, I’m ready for you to put your sunglasses on.”

Slowly, and with great emphasis, my toddler pulled her pink sunglasses down over her eyes and settled them in place.

“I have my sunglasses!”

I smiled. “Yes. You put them on. Very good.”

I was slightly puzzled at her wanting my attention when putting on her sunglasses, but toddlers sometimes do things that don’t make sense to me. I didn’t dwell on it.

Turning back towards the front of the vehicle, I resumed my conversation with my husband.

This event repeated itself several times over the course of a few months. I still didn’t think much of it, until my husband made an observation.

“It’s because of the babies wearing glasses videos she’s watched.” He pointed out.

I immediately saw the truth in his statement.

We don’t watch many videos or TV shows at this point, but from time to time, I will watch YouTube videos with her. Her absolute favourite, which she often requests, is “babies wearing glasses videos”.

“Babies wearing glasses videos”, as she termed them, are short videos of babies or toddlers, who have vision challenges, trying glasses on. Typically they have huge smiles as they get to see clearly for the first time. Family members cheer and exclaim adoringly as the little one takes in the world.

It was in mimicking these little ones that my toddler was insisting I watch as she dramatically put on her sunglasses.

I know that what youngsters see has a huge impact on them. Therefore, I am quite particular about what we watch. These “babies wearing sunglasses” videos seemed harmless and cute. Other than being wary that she might try putting her sunglasses on her baby brother, I hadn’t expected them to influence her much.

Yet here she was, clearly repeating what she’d observed.

What about me? Is there something seemingly benign and unimpactful that is influencing me?

Most likely yes.

Peers, TV, books, social media, church, friend circles… They all influence me whether I know it or not.

I am instructed to imitate what is good, not what is evil (3 John 1:11).

The writer of Hebrews tells me, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:12 NIV)

Then later, in Hebrews 13:7, he says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (NIV)

So what about my life? Who or what has influenced me?

Are there any things or people that may be influencing me towards ungodly and unhealthy attitudes or lifestyles? How can I minimise those?

On the flip side, how can I increase the good and beneficial influences on my life?

May I be intentional about who and what I imitate with the ultimate goal of imitating Jesus.

Water Displacement

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Having used the toilet, I pulled the lever to flush, but nothing happened. There was no tension on the lever.

I frowned. Something was evidently wrong with the toilet. Not a fun problem, and in a house we’d only recently moved into.

With a sigh, I closed the toilet seat lid and lifted the top off the tank.

I peered in, frowned, then looked again. Something was in the toilet tank.

What was a small plastic jug doing in the toilet tank?

I looked closer at the plastic jug, its lid barely above the water line. It looked like a familiar shape.

Hesitantly, I reached into the cold water and pulled out… apple cider vinegar?

Who puts a full jug of apple cider vinegar in their toilet tank? 

Various theories rushed through my mind – as an author, I can come up with some pretty wild ideas.

Was the previous owner hiding something? Perhaps drugs or something valuable? Did they leave it behind accidentally when they moved?

Yet the container appeared to be still full of apple cider vinegar – likely never opened.

The previous people in this house were respectable and smart. Perhaps there was some other reason? A logical helpful reason rather than something sinister.

I spotted the problem I had originally opened the tank for – a break in the chain causing the failure to flush. Based on the rusted safety pin at the end of the chain, it had broken and been fixed before.

Reaching in, I pulled the chain to complete the flush.

When my husband returned from work, I wasted little time before telling him about the toilet troubles and my discovery.

After taking a look, we decided to check our other similar toilet tank.

Sure enough, it also had something in it but this time it was two standard plastic water bottles filled with sand.

My husband, who is very intelligent, suggested right away that the previous people may have added them to displace some of the water in these large, not-so-water-efficient, toilets.

For those unfamiliar with how this type of toilet functions, here’s a quick toilet 101.

The tank on the back of the toilet sits full of water. When you press the lever to flush, a release valve is opened and all the water rushes into the toilet bowl washing away whatever is there. Once the water has left the tank, the release valve closes allowing the tank to refill with water.

This particular toilet had a large water tank – larger than it needed. Therefore, the previous people had added a jug of apple cider vinegar into the tank to displace some of the water. This allowed the tank to reach “full” without using as much water.

To the untrained eye, the toilet still flushed effectively. However, it was conserving water – a helpful thing for both our city’s water supply and our utility bill.

It wasn’t until a few months later that it occurred to me that this toilet held an important allegory for me to learn from.

Although in the story above, the apple cider vinegar was a good, simple, and inexpensive improvement to the toilet, in my life an apple cider vinegar jug displacing the living water is a bad thing. Let me explain.

Jesus taught the crowds about living water in John 7:37b-39a:

“Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”‘ Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…” (ESV)

I don’t know about you, but I want this living water in my life and overflowing out of me. I want to be filled with it fully. I don’t want something displacing part of the living water that could otherwise flow through me.

Sure, when there is displacement in my life, it may still appear the same on the outside to the untrained eye, but the power and effectiveness will be decreased.

I want to be fully effective in the ministries God has given me. That is only possible when fully filled with the living water so that it may flow through me.

So, what does the apple cider vinegar jug represent in me? Unless I stop and take a look inside, I’ll never know. I probably won’t even realize there is a jug displacing the living water in me at all!

Rather, I must ask God to reveal this jug to me. Often He does so through prayer, study of the Bible, and fellowship with other Christians.

As I went to write this allegory, I took a moment to pray asking God to reveal my jug of apple cider vinegar. As I did so, I added “but please don’t reveal it to me through trial and hardship.”

That right there was my answer. My love of ease and comfort is the apple cider vinegar jug that is displacing some of the living water in me.

With God’s help, I will be able to remove this jug from my life.

Then it will be time to ask Him if there is another jug displacing the living water within me.

What about you? Will you dare to take a moment to ask God if there is a jug of apple cider vinegar displacing His living water in you?

As David wrote:

“Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my concerns.

See if there is any offensive way in me;

lead me in the everlasting way.”

(Psalm 139:23-24 CSB)