Faith

Why Jesus is the Greatest Shepherd

September 9, 2015 • 10 Comments

Last week a team of Australian animal welfare officers discovered a giant wooly sheep on the outskirts of Canberra. The merino sheep not only looked distraught, but it also struggled to walk under the weight of its enormous coat (it’s estimated he had five years of wool on him!).

Turns out some breeds of sheep, like merinos, never shed their wool and have to be sheared in order to survive. In the end, it took shearers 45 minutes to remove 88 pounds of wool from the overloaded animal, which has now been named Chris.

Whenever I see sheep, I think about our Savior, the greatest Shepherd and how many times he refers to you and I as His sheep throughout scripture. That is why, after hearing this story, I couldn’t help but notice the striking similarities between Chris and you and I. We have much in common with Chris, the overgrown sheep struggling to survive.

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)

Similar to merino sheep, which need a shearer to survive, we need a Shepherd to care for us and lead us through life.

When hope is lost and our spirit is downcast, we need a Savior to give us a name, just like the shearers gave Chris a name.Read More

Holding Fast to the Word

August 26, 2015 • 8 Comments

It’s only Wednesday, but this week has already been filled with uncertainty and chaos for not only myself, but for a lot of people surrounding me. Friends. Coworkers. Family members. I’m amazed at the stress that many of us seem to be under lately. And while I am slightly comforted knowing that I am not the only one that experiences stress, it’s difficult to witness and sustain so much strife and madness.

In this season of life, I know many people who are struggling to make sense of their purpose. They either don’t know what they are passionate about, don’t like the current job they are in, or are under so much stress that they can’t see a way out. Even for me — someone who feels like she has a sense of God’s purpose for her life — lately the path has not been clear.

Sometimes our purpose and the path before us is clear and smooth. But there are times when circumstances muddy the waters. In these times, our flesh wants to hold fast to our grievances and problems. We hold fast to the stress, as if clinging to it will make it go away. But there is another way. A better way.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about what it means to surrender our lives to Christ. We talked about how surrendering isn’t a one and done action — it’s a daily choice. Every day we have a choice to live for ourselves or surrender to our Father.

But when it comes to tapping into God’s will for our lives … surrender is not where the action stops. Surrender is only the beginning.

When we surrender, we stop holding fast to our grievances and problems. From there we have to make another conscious effort. We have to give up our troubles and hold fast to the Word of God. We let go of our stress to lay hold of Jesus: The name that saves; The name that calms the storm; The name that has the power to lift us from the grave. One Word. One Name.Read More

Am I Expecting God to Show Up?

August 18, 2015 • 7 Comments

A few years ago I dove into the local pool like any other morning, happy to swim some laps while resetting my focus on God and conversing with Him in the silence of the water.

This morning was different though because I was swimming with a heavy heart. A heart full of dreams, desires and wishes left unfulfilled. A heart full of longing. A heart full of wonder. A heart wanting so desperately to tap into the will of its creator.

God, I need you to show up here. I need you to make the way clear. I need you to show me what steps to take next.

With each flip turn I waited, expecting Him to show up and speak to me, but all I heard was silence. And so the day went on and with the distractions of work, I stopped listening. I stopped expecting Him to show up. I stopped looking for Him.

Later that day, I had the pleasure of getting coffee with a friend. We sat a talked for nearly an hour and I told her about my experience in the pool and the crazy workday that followed.

“I just feel like God is silent lately,” I said.

“I know what you mean … but can I ask you something? Why did you stop expecting Him to show up?”

I believe God used my friend to speak something into my life that I really needed to hear. I smiled as she spoke, and looked up the heavens. You showed up! I whispered to God. (As if there was reason to doubt that He would.)

Today I still have unanswered prayers in my life. I still don’t always know what steps to take or where the road is leading, but I do know one thing: I live in full expectation of God.

I expect to meet God today and every day. I live in full expectation of God.

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I expect to meet God today and every day. I expect Him to show up. I expect Him to do great things.

Remembering That God Is Always Good

June 22, 2015 • 7 Comments

As a person who lives with chronic illness I have learned, for the most part, how to control my mental, emotional and physical responses to pain.

I remember the day I told my mother-in-law that I battled with headaches on a daily basis. She was absolutely shocked. “I had no idea!” she told me. It’s not that I try to be fake around people. I just prefer not to be known as “the girl who is always in pain.” On a daily basis, I strive to choose joy over despair and sadness. If someone genuinely asks me how I am feeling, I won’t lie — but I also don’t need to walk around complaining about things. Griping, moaning and complaining never does any good. (See Philippians 2:14-15.)

You see, I don’t want people to identify me solely by my struggles; I want them to identify me by my faith in Jesus Christ.

But despite my efforts to remain outwardly optimistic, joy-filled and peppy, I must admit, there are days when the pain finds itself written across my face.

The other day at work, I was walking down the stairs slowly to prevent irritating my leg and knee, which have been giving me intense burning and stinging issues lately. As I reached the landing between the first and second flight of stairs, my coworker caught me by surprise.

“You feeling OK today Lauren?” she asked, visibly concerned.

I smiled and replied, “Ah, I’ll be alright. Could be worse!”

“Is that how life is for you? Some days are good and some days are bad?”

“For the most part, yeah,” I said.

You know those moments when the Holy Spirit speaks to you and you want to act on it but then it’s too late? That’s what happened in this moment. We went our separate ways just as I felt God speak to me:

You might have good and bad days, Lauren. But I, the Lord, am always good. You can always count on my grace and goodness to be sufficient for you.

Making Spirits Bright

November 25, 2013 • Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas already on many of our minds (Anybody else break out the Michael Bublé Let It Snow album yet?) Thursday marks the beginning of a season of giving. In an ideal world, this season would be a 24/7 way of life, but a lot of us need that turkey and some mistletoe to remind us why giving is important.

Whether it’s time, love, grace, joy, peace, inspiration, assistance, guidance, resources—we all are in need of these freely given gifts. Even the tiniest sacrifice has the potential to create positive and significant ripple effects. A gift makes spirits bright.

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I were reminded of the importance of giving time by helping Minnetrista, a local cultural center, decorate for the winter season. At 10 a.m., few volunteers were showing up, but one-by-one, a solid group formed within the hour.

For three hours we hammered snowflakes into the wall, stringed skates with blue ribbon, decked out trees and enjoyed some pretty delicious food. Nobody asked any of us to be there, but by simply offering our time, we were able to create something beautiful for the community. It was also a joy to see how everyone used their unique gifts to fulfill specific needs for the project.

Wonderful things happen when we make ourselves available and use our talents for the benefits of others.

When we give unselfishly, we make a difference…and no matter how big or small that difference is, I guarantee you that it does not occur in vain. Life is enriched when we choose to give freely and offer ourselves for the sake of something greater.

Seeing Ourselves As We Are In Christ

October 14, 2013 • Leave a Comment

For my senior honors thesis at Ball State University, I am writing a women’s devotional book. I began this project hoping that thousands of women would benefit from the stories and words that line the pages. What I didn’t anticipate however, but have found along the way, is that God is changing my heart as I delve deeper into this project.

Trail 2 at Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, Indiana

Yesterday, after my boyfriend and my annual camping trip, I sat down to write chapter four of the book, “What is Beauty.” For 10 minutes, I sat in frustration, unsure where to start. As a woman who has struggled with self-perceived beauty, there is so much I could say…

When the words wouldn’t come I took a break by uploading camping pictures. As the thumbnails flashed one-by-one across my computer screen, I felt a jolt of inspiration. I remembered the joy I felt walking through canyons and riverbeds, breathing in the sights and sounds of trickling waterfalls and basking in the calming embrace of fall’s sunshine. I’d never been so captivated by beauty.

Nature doesn’t try to be showy or beautiful—it just is. The magnificence of God’s creation doesn’t have to be realized, because it’s all around us and can’t be denied.

We, too, are beautiful as we are, and our Father longs for us to see ourselves the way He sees us. I’m always captivated by Psalm 139 where it talks about God loving us for all that we are: