Tag: Godly Living

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)

Simply Thank God

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I helped my toddler climb into her booster seat, then clipped her tray in place. I placed her water cup in front of her.

“Hmm. Something is still missing.”

My daughter looked down, then patted her tummy. “Bib missing.”

I grinned as I reached for her bib. “You’re right. You are missing your bib. Here, I’ll put it on for you.”

I settled into my seat and pulled a slice of bread from the bag.

“What would you like on your bread this morning?”

My toddler straightened. “Pea-butter. Stra-sa jam.”

“You want peanut butter and strawberry jam? Okay. That sounds yummy.”

I spread the bread for her, then set my knife aside.

“Okay. Now it’s time to pray and then you can eat your bread.”

My daughter leaned forward earnestly. “Mary, Tommy, Dada, Mama.”

I nodded. “Okay, we can pray for your cousins and for Mommy and Daddy.”

Folding my hands, I bowed my head to pray, but before I began, her little voice piped up again.

“And wawa.”

“Yes, we can thank God for water.”

Her eyes scanned the area. “Pea-butter, stra-sa jam, bread… and tray too.”

“Okay. We can thank God for those too. Let’s pray now.”

Satisfied, my toddler folded her hands and sat quietly while I prayed.

“Dear God, thank You for Mary, Tommy, Mommy, and Daddy. Help us all to have a good day and to know that You love us. Thank You for the yummy food we get to eat. Thank You for water, peanut butter, strawberry jam, bread, and trays. Help them make our bodies strong and healthy. Amen.”

I passed my toddler her bread.

Happily she took a big bite.

This sort of interaction just before, or more often right in the middle of, prayer has become common recently. Almost any time we tell her it is time to pray, she lists off various cousins and relatives. Her eyes then roam the room looking for anything else we should pray for.

Water, various food items, tray, bib, crib, soother, bear, clock… Nothing is too insignificant to mention.

This got me thinking. How often do I stop to thank God for His many blessings?

When was the last time I paused to let my eyes roam my surroundings and simply thanked God for what I have?

Certainly not recently enough.

So many times we are instructed in the Bible to give thanks to God, yet how rarely I stop to do so.

Here are snippets of a few of those places. I encourage you to read the full passages to get proper context.

“Be filled with the Spirit … always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…” Ephesians 5:28b,20a NIV

“… Singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:16b-17 NIV

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

Beyond giving thanks for the things I have, how often do I pause to thank God for the people in my life?

Over and over again Paul mentions that he thanks God for people. (See 1 Corinthians 1:4, Colossians 1:3, and Philemon 1:4, among others.)

Furthermore, when was the last time I thanked the Lord for who He is? Regardless of my current circumstances, God never changes. There is always much to be thankful for regarding who He is.

As the psalmist puts it:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1 NIV

Today, may I take a moment to simply thank God.

What’s For Snack?

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I step into the kitchen feeling peckish. Surely there is something I can eat as a quick snack.

I head for the pantry. A salty snack would be perfect.

Opening the door, I eye the options: chocolate, breakfast cereals, crackers, chips.

Perhaps a few crackers or a handful of corn chips would do the trick.

I reach for the chip bag.

I pause. I had recently been reminded to try to include fruit and veggies in my snacks.

I ponder my options: apple, orange, carrot.

None of them quite strike my fancy, since salt is on my mind.

I know, a couple of lettuce leaves with a generous sprinkling of salt.

I retrieve the lettuce from the fridge. Rinse a few leaves and add salt.

Tasty.

I’ll have to remember to head for the veggie drawer next time I am on the hunt for a salty snack.

Why do I share this seemingly insignificant moment? Because it holds a reminder I need.

First off, are snacks like crackers, corn chips, or even chocolate bad? Will it harm me to eat them?

No, unless they are all I eat.

If I never include vegetables or fruit in my diet I would not be very healthy. I would be at risk of getting scurvy.

Okay, hopefully I’m doing reasonably well at keeping my physical food intake healthy and balanced, but what about my spiritual diet? Is my spiritual snacking healthy?

Am I including healthy spiritual snacks in my week, or am I starving my walk with Jesus?

Recently I found myself pondering why it can be so hard to have room in my thoughts for God.

Yes, I love God, but throughout the day, rather than thinking about Him, I would find my mind focused on other things – what will I make for supper, which toy should I buy my niece for her birthday, how can I improve my preschool blog posts?

These are all valid things to be considering. It does not harm me to think about them. In fact, it is wise to put some thought into them.

It wasn’t that I was thinking about bad things, but I wanted my thoughts to turn back to God more often. That would be better.

Over several days I considered this. What was the answer?

Then I started to understand. I began to notice what I was feeding my mind throughout the day: social media posts, podcasts about writing, and grocery store flyers to name a few.

Was I neglecting God?

Not necessarily. I still read my Bible daily, took time to pray for my family, and attended and volunteered at church regularly.

The problem was, I kept crowding my mind with other things.

I don’t want to be the seed crowded out by thorns as mentioned in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13).

I want God to be first in my life.

What does this mean practically?

Just as I switched out an okay snack for the healthier option of lettuce, I can switch out some things in my life to be more intentional to be feeding my mind on the things of God.

Rather than only listening to writing podcasts, I can listen to a Christian podcast or sermon.

Rather than gorging myself on social media posts, I can read a Christian theology book or a Christian biography.

Rather than listening to more news, I can listen to some worship songs.

It is not that I will never listen to a writing podcast, browse social media, or listen to the news. Those things have a place.

Instead, I want to change the balance of what I’m feeding my mind on so as to fuel more thoughts about Jesus.

As Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” NIV

As the old hymn says, I want to turn my eyes upon Jesus; to look full in His wonderful face. For then the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

The more I think about God, the more those petty, unimportant things that can cause so much stress will bother me less.

For today, what is one thing, no matter how small, I can do to feed my mind on the things of God?

Need suggestions for healthier options? Here are some I have enjoyed:

 

Books:

Through Gates of Splendor

Elisabeth Elliot – Easy to read Christian biography

Seeking Allah Finding Jesus

Nabeel Qureshi – Easy to read Christian biography with apologetics

Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis – Theology for deep thinkers

Evidence that Demands a Verdict

Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell – Apologetics (Why we believe what we believe)

The Case For Christ

Lee Strobel – Investigation into evidence for Christianity

 

Other:

Laugh Again

Phil Callaway – Christian Comedian podcast

https://redcircle.com/shows/laugh-again-with-phil-callaway3308 

Women Worth Knowing

Cheryl Brodersen & Robin Jones Gunn – 30-minute podcast biographies about various Christian women

http://graciouswords.com/women-worth-knowing-podcast/ 

Stay in the Word

Glenn Nudd – Verse by verse Bible teaching

https://messages.calvarychapel.ca/stayintheword/ 

Enduring Word

David Guzik – Verse by verse Bible teaching

https://enduringword.com/media/audio/ 

Life-Giving Water?

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I looked out the window as we sped along the highway. We’d left the forests and fruitful prairies of southern Alberta behind.

I stared across the barren hills of Montana. Even wild grass struggled to thrive here. There was not a house or building in sight.

This desolate landscape continued for mile after mile.

It changed, however, when the highway joined paths with the beginnings of the Missouri River.

As we zipped along the river valley, I observed lush trees and thriving farmland.

We drove past house after house clustered at the river’s edge. People were out on boats or busy tending their farms.

When I looked at the hills beyond the valley, I saw the same dry barren countryside with hardly a house to be found. Yet everywhere in the valley I saw vibrant colors of thriving plants and human habitation.

I marveled at the difference plentiful water makes. Good water is life-giving.

Then, hours later, we arrived in Yellowstone National Park.

(For those unfamiliar with the park, it is an area of the United States with volcanic history. Now, rather than lava, boiling water gurgles or sprays through holes in the ground. The water comes mixed with sulfur. The well-known geyser, Old Faithful, is only one of the many phenomenons to be witnessed.)

As we drove through the forests of Yellowstone National Park, I noticed a column of steam rising in the distance. As we got closer, we could see sputters of water bursting from the ground.

The runoff from this geyser poured over scaly white ground to a pool.

The steaming water from a nearby spring left orange build up where it trickled to join the pool.

I glanced at the trees in the area. They were ugly skeletons of branches. Not a speck of green could be found on them. They were bleached white and dead – oh so very dead.

As we drove on, we again passed through good forest with strong healthy trees interrupted by the occasional meadow of thick wild grass.

“Look! Bison.” I called as we came across another clearing.

The giant animals were grazing peacefully.

But then the landscape changed once again. Ugly skeleton trees stood ridged.

I looked around. Sure enough there was a nearby geyser spouting its venomous water.

Some days later, as we drove homeward, I pondered the things I’d seen.

I came to the question, “What type of water is flowing through me?”

Jesus offers Living Water (John 4).

That Living Water is like the river in Montana. Everywhere the river goes it brings life and abundance.

It doesn’t matter that the terrain the river cuts through is dry and barren – hardly habitable for humans. The river brings life with it.

Have I received that Living Water from Jesus today? Am I filled with it?

If I am filled with that Living Water, it will spill over bringing hope and encouragement to those around me.

Sometimes, however, I choose to do what the people of Israel did in Jeremiah’s day.

God declared: “They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves…” (Jeremiah 2:13b CSB)

When I choose to try to do things myself rather than receiving the help God wants to give me, I quickly become like those geysers and springs in Yellowstone.

The water spouting from them is not life-giving. Regardless of how clear it may appear, it is venomous. It sucks the life out of nearby trees.

Indeed, the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone has pools hot and acidic enough to melt through rubber boots and more.

So what will I choose today? Will I lean into Jesus to be filled with His Living Water, or will I try to do things on my own?