Tag: jesus

Troubled

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In the spring of 2015, my husband began to look for work outside of our home province of Quebec.

Since Montreal is a big city with plenty of opportunities, most of our friends and family established their lives in basically the same parts of the city where they grew up. And we thought we would too!

But sensing God’s call to explore opportunities elsewhere, we polished up the resumés and scoped out the Help Wanted sites for hiring youth pastors across the country.

When we put our house on the market (but not the children)

As a sidebar, I also happened to be giving up the six years of seniority I had accrued with my local school board teaching History and English at the secondary level. I was sure I’d teach with that board until retirement. Unfortunately, I was just 30 years shy of that goal.

Turns out the anticipation of moving was really only exciting to me in theory. When it got down to it, my heart was troubled.

Life, as I knew it was about to change forever. Apart from my little family, the solid pillars of my life – work and community – were crumbling around me faster than I could grasp them and bottle them up.

I want to tell you that it was an exciting time. I want to say that we were super pumped and eager for what would come next. And although there were many days when that was certainly true, it was often scary too. And in quiet moments, I was troubled.

Waiting for our flight to Leamington for a week of candidating

I didn’t actually want things to change. I didn’t want to uproot my family. I didn’t want to meet new people. I didn’t want to find a new church. Or make new friends. Or live in a new house, find a new job, or new community.

As much as I love surprises and adventure and exploring, I didn’t want those things at the expense of giving up the good things I already had: a close knit family that lived nearby, lifelong friends who knew me to my core…

It’s just easier to move on when your current reality sucks. But mine didn’t suck! I was happy. And I was in no rush to change a thing.

That’s why I think it’s possible to hold those things in tension: peace about change, yet heartache over loss too.

Fortunately, God knows better and He was already putting the wheels in motion to make those changes in our lives before we even recognized our need for them.

Our first youth group event: baseball practice!

What to do with a troubled heart

I’m reminded of Jesus’ disciples in John 14. Like me, the disciples were blissfully content with the status quo and had no interest in drastic changes that would alter their lives in any way.

So when Jesus warns His disciples that He would be leaving them soon and that they could not follow after Him, they were clearly troubled by the news. So Jesus tells them:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe God!

– John 14:1

What strikes me about this is not so much what Jesus says, but what He doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, Do not let your hearts be troubled…

  • Suck it up!
  • You can do it!
  • It’ll be fine!
  • Believe in yourself!
  • You got this!

When our hearts are troubled. When the future is unknown. When the path is confusing. When the plans are unclear.

Believe God!

Not yourself. Not your strengths. Not your gifting, talent, organizational skills, educational background, charisma, charm, or cash.

Just, God. Believe God about what He says about both Himself, and His promises to you.

The only thing we can trust in a changing world of unknowns, is a God who is unchanging, and who makes Himself known.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].

– James 1:17 AMP

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

– Romans 1:20 NLT

As Jesus told His disciples, the only remedy for a troubled heart is to believe God. I had mentioned this in my Easter post, but it bears repeating because I feel it to my core.

Leaning on anything besides Jesus for meaning or purpose will crush under the weight of our expectations for it to sustain us.

Moving was really hard. But it wasn’t impossible! And it didn’t crush me because I believed God for who He is.

  • He is trustworthy and true (Revelation 21:5)
  • He works all things out for my good (Romans 8:28)
  • His works are wonderful, I know this full well (Psalm 139:14)
  • He sets my feet on solid ground (Psalm 40:2)
  • He goes before me (Deuteronomy 31:8)
  • And He sustains me (Psalm 54:4)
Windsor Airport, after our weekend interview when we knew we had found where God was leading us

Core Strength

When Saul was still king of Israel, he felt so threatened by his successor, David, that he made it his mission to destroy him. 1 Samuel 30 describes a time when David and his men discovered that their city was burned and pillaged, and their wives and children were taken captive. It goes on to say that David’s men wept for their families until they had no more strength to weep. And while we’re being honest, I get it! But not David…

David strengthened himself in the Lord.

– I Samuel 30:6

At some point, we all must decide where we’ll turn and what we’ll do when our hearts are troubled. Do we strengthen ourselves like David did, in the Lord, THE Source of strength? Do we believe God for who He is? Do we believe in His promises?

As the disciple Peter told Jesus in John 6:68,

Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life!

Peter recognized that there really is nowhere else to go in hardship but to Jesus. My prayer is that we’ll all get there too!

Preach to the Choir

One of my favourite Psalms ends with the author literally preaching to himself, and almost nothing could be more relatable. We all do this at some point, don’t we?

Psalm 43:5 NLT says:

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again— my Savior and my God!

Other translations use terms like: depressed, downcast, disturbed, overwrought, disquieted, despaired, disheartened, gloomy, dejected, restless, and of course… troubled.

It’s ok to feel these things! God knows all about our brokenness and the broken world that causes pain. He created us. And He created our emotions and feelings too.

But it doesn’t mean He wants us to stay there. Sometimes, we have to do like the psalmist, and preach to ourselves. Put my hope in God! Believe God! Trust God! I will praise Him again… this troubled season won’t last forever.

Exploring the lake the day after after moved

To quote Shakespeare:

All’s Well, That Ends Well

Not to keep anyone guessing, but we did settle nicely into our new life and I wouldn’t change a thing. Not because I haven’t had a troubled heart here too, but because I believe God. And I only want to be where He planned for me. Where else would I go? He has the words of eternal life.

What’s in the Ears

Join the conversation! Comment below, send me a message, and even share this with a friend!

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Lived, Not Told

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

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Some things are hard to understand without experiencing them for yourself.

Have you ever been on the trip of a lifetime and taken in the most breathtaking scenery? Even trying to capture it with a camera doesn’t do it justice. In the end, you throw up your arms and say,

“You really just have to experience it for yourself.”

Or maybe as a foodie, your taste buds have finally basked in the glory of that long sought after pasta carbonara, tender filet mignon, flaky pastry, or full-bodied wine. You try to string together the most perfectly descriptive adjectives to explain the complexity of flavours – but in the end you throw up your arms and say,

“You really just have to experience it for yourself.”

Whether it be…
travel
food
falling in love
or becoming a parent for the first time…

We’ve all lived through things that cannot be adequately described without being experienced firsthand.

No matter how hard we try to explain it, some things just have to be lived, not told.

Unfortunately, so many of us end up missing out on the FULL LIFE Jesus promises because we only go by whatever we’ve heard, and we stop there.

Perhaps all you know of Jesus is secondhand accounts of the experiences of others. So you’re left trying to sort through what you actually believe.

Maybe you’ve been told,

“You really just have to experience Him for yourself.”

In Luke 7, we read about how Jesus’ ministry is really gaining traction. People are flocking to Him for healing and teaching, and He’s causing quite a stir.

So much so, that John the Baptist, the last of the messengers from God to announce the coming Saviour, gets word of it while he’s in prison. After trying to sort it all out for themselves, John and his followers don’t know what to make of Jesus. Like most Jewish people at the time, they were expecting an overthrow of the Roman government and a messiah who would reestablish the throne of their ancestors.

Jesus didn’t seem to show signs of any of this. So John sends his followers to ask Jesus directly,

Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?

– Luke 7:19

Jesus’ response captures the heart of what I hope to get across here:

Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.

– Luke 7:22-23

Ok, notice what Jesus doesn’t do.
Jesus does not:

  • Debate with them about what the coming Messiah would look like
  • Pull out His ancient scrolls to show them where they were misinterpreting the Scriptures
  • Try to intellectually convince them to believe His words
  • Scare them into following Him by pointing out their flaws, sins, or doubts

In fact, as I really sat with this passage, I realized that Jesus doesn’t really say much at all. And He didn’t seem overly concerned with what they would do with His response to their question either.

He basically says, The proof is in the pudding. Look around and see for yourself. People are experiencing God’s transformative power. Lives are being changed. Draw your own conclusions.

For Jesus, it was never about using the right words to convince people to follow Him.

He knows we must experience Him in order to live the full lives He created us for.

So maybe you’re already there mentally or intellectually, but something is still missing, and you’ve yet to encounter Jesus in a way that can only be experienced.

To you I say… get to know Jesus by finding out about yourself!

Here’s what I mean: we were all created differently and therefore wired to connect with God differently. So experiencing Him is really about finding the ways that He created YOU to most easily and effortlessly find and connect with Him. It’ll be a little different for everyone.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes a comparison between the good gifts we give to our children, and the good gifts God the Father lavishes on those who ask Him.

For some context, He isn’t talking about material possessions or financial prosperity, but about a relationship! We know how to give good things to our children, even as broken and flawed people. So how much more does our Father in Heaven, through Jesus, One who is the full embodiment of grace, mercy, love, and compassion, want to give good gifts to us when we ask Him?

Friends, my point is this: He does not make it hard to find Him! Jeremiah 29:14 has the Lord literally saying, I will be found by you! So consider how this may be easiest for you, specifically.

When someone throws up their arms and says,

“You really just have to experience Him for yourself.”

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you gravitate towards:

  • Community
    Matthew 18:20 tells us that when two or three are gathered together, God promises to be among them. So gather with others who are pursuing God and want to experience Him! To actually live Him, not just be told about Him. This could be a Bible study, or simply connecting with another who walks with Jesus and wants to experience Him too.
  • Creation
    Romans 1:20 tells us that since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. This means that if you find yourself drawn to nature and sense His presence there – go do that! Experience God there!
  • Intellectual
    Psalm 1:2 talks about taking literal DELIGHT in God’s Word and meditating on it day and night. So if you experience God most easily through Bible study, podcasts, sermons, commentaries, and articles, then do that! I have no doubt He will reveal Himself to you as you continue to delight in Him there.
  • Music
    Psalm 98 starts by telling us to sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvellous things, then goes on about using musical instruments to make music to the Lord. We are created as musical beings – certainly some more than others! But if that’s how you experience God, then do that!
  • Prayer
    Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray about everything. To tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Time in prayer can be a powerful way to experience God.

The Two Waters

There’s a beautiful analogy that compares salvation to a tall glass of thirst-quenching water. When you come to faith in Jesus, your deepest hunger and thirst are satisfied in Him, just like a refreshing glass of water satisfies on a hot summer day.

But to really know God in a way that can only be experienced, is like sitting by the seashore and having a mighty wave wash over you, enveloping you and covering every last part of your being. It’s life-altering, and can’t be understood without being experienced. It has to be lived, not told.

What’s in the Ears

The last few months have been pretty reflective for me in a melancholy way. This song is indicative of this and really beautiful. Enjoy it!

Have you experienced Jesus beyond your initial salvation as I’ve tried to describe here? Which of the ways listed do you gravitate towards most? Let me know in the comments or send me a message!

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Mindset

Published on by tinavila202 Comments

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Happy Easter to all! It is a GOOD, Good Friday. If you checked out my post on Lent, you know I invited us to try memorizing a portion of Philippians chapter 2 together!

Seeing as the passage has been on repeat and repeat and repeat for the past 40 days, I just HAD to dedicate my Easter post/episode to the Hymn of Christ – as it’s known.

I got so much out of studying it over Lent and I can’t wait to dive in together.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage;
7 rather, He made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    He humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
    and gave Him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

– Philippians 2:5-11

One of my favourite things about about these few verses is that the sum of them actually represent the life of Jesus broken down into five sections.

1. Pre-Existence

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage;

This verse points to the eternal nature of Jesus. He is not a created being or inferior to God. He is in very nature God. This means that any immutable (unchanging) attributes of God are also ascribed fully, not partially, to Jesus as well. In Jesus, are God’s omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), omnibenevolence (all-good), omnipresence (all-present), and eternal (all-existing) qualities.

Ok but, so what? Why does any of this matter? It matters because of what we see unfold in the next verses. Let’s go to the next chapter of the story.

2. Incarnation

7 rather, He made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,

This picture of Jesus gives us such a stark contrast to the Jesus we read about in verse 6. Jesus, being equal to God, before anything existed, actually left His throne and made Himself NOTHING. He didn’t come to earth as a mighty ruler or powerful religious leader; but poor, obscure, and vulnerable. So that we could actually relate to Him.

We don’t have to wonder what God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, patience, and ultimately, His sacrifice might look like in our tangible world. Because of the Incarnation, all these qualities were fully manifest in the life of Jesus. So if you want to know how to live, what to prioritize, how to treat people, how to pray, how to love, and how to forgive, just look at Jesus.

3. Crucifixion

He humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

The more closely I draw near to Jesus, or more like, the more closely He draws me to Himself! – the more moved I am by His sacrifice. Because of Jesus, those who believe in Him will NEVER feel the level of pain, humiliation, or rejection that He experienced on our behalf.

His death meant that sin and death were conquered forever. So when He cried out on the cross, my God, my God, why have you abandoned me (Matt. 27:46), it’s because it was the first time since pre-existence and beyond, that He was not connected to God the Father.

God turned His back on Jesus and allowed the full wrath of God to fall on Him, destroying sin and death forever. Jesus was completely alone in those moments. Not just abandoned by His loved ones, but rejected by God so our sin would be defeated in the death of Jesus.

4. Resurrection

9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
 and gave Him the name that is above every name,

Jesus’ resurrection is the tangible proof that sin and death were actually defeated on the cross. Jesus said in John 10:18, No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded. His resurrection power is then available to anyone who calls upon His name.

5. Ascension

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus ascending to heaven means that we’re not simply saved from our sin as a result of the crucifixion, and then left to fend for ourselves. His ascension means two critical things:

  1. Jesus intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus lives forever to intercede with God on behalf of those who come to God through Him.
  2. The Holy Spirit was sent to help us. In John 14:16, Jesus says that He would ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. That’s the Holy Spirit

In His ascension, Jesus was restored to the full glory of God. And one day, everyone will know it too! Because on that day, every knee will bow and everyone tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Bonus

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus

You may have noticed that as we went through the Hymn of Christ, we skipped the beginning, where we are invited to actually adopt this posture in our own lives. Paul doesn’t go through Jesus’ whole biography for the purpose of growing our intellect, as great as that is. We are encouraged to actually live that way ourselves!

So whatever status, reputation, education, corporate position, fame, skillset, or dollar signs in the bank account, none of us begin at the same level of glory as Jesus, who in pre-existence, was equal to God the Father Himself.

This means by default, whatever level of humility we may think we’ve stooped to for the sake of others, it is nothing compared to that which Jesus subjected Himself, by being made in human likeness, becoming obedient to death on a cross.

So this Easter, let’s not just be intentional about appreciating the sacrifice that bought our salvation, but let’s look for ways to manifest the sacrifice, humility, and love that Jesus modelled for us.

Moreover, we must press into the resurrection power of Jesus. For anything else we might lean on for strength or meaning is an idol that will crush under the weight of our expectations for it.

The Apostle Paul says this in the Message translation,

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

– Philippians 3:10 MSG

Where does this land for you? Do you also recognize the eternal implications and benefits of having the same mindset of Christ Jesus? I hope so! Because I can personally vouch for the fact that there is no peace, hope, joy, goodness, or power apart from Him.

What’s in the Ears

Let me know your thoughts in the comments or send me a message! Happy Easter, friends!

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The Deepest Desire

Published on by tinavila201 Comment

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Every evening, after the kids finally settle for the night – or in my daughter’s case – settle for 3.5 seconds before she makes herself dramatically known to the world again – I have this inner battle over what to do with my freedom. Especially on evenings when my husband is out for work, I struggle between binging a show and spending time in God’s Word or in prayer.

Don’t hear what I’m not saying.

I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with Selling Sunset or the latest trending Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s not sinful to stream a Rom Com, and you don’t go to hell for watching TV. That’s not the point.

The point is to answer the following question with unwavering conviction:

What is my goal?

  • Is it to numb out until Netflix asks me (ever so passive-aggressively), “Hey! Are you conscious? Still watching?” RUDE! Yes, I am, OK?
  • Or is my ultimate goal something bigger? Something…. deeper?

Saint Ignatius was the founder of the Jesuit Order. For all the bad rap they get for the many atrocities committed, their founder, Ignatius, was actually a man of deep devotion and profound commitment to Jesus. He emphasized an ardent love for the Saviour, and union with Jesus was his goal – or, deepest desire, if you will.

And herein lies the distinction we all must make.

The difference between our deepest desire and our strongest desire.

  • The deepest desire is the thing you want in your very core. The desire that drives you. The desire that you arrange the rest of your life around.
  • The strongest desire is the thing you want so badly. Often, right in the moment. An intense draw. A momentary pull. Fleeting, but overwhelming. Brief, but intoxicating. It can also be considered the surface desire. That impulsive thing you want at a superficial level.

Here are some examples of each:

Deepest desire:
To be more like Jesus.
To be a supportive spouse.
To be an attentive parent.
To be a reliable friend.
To be successful in my work.
To find fulfillment in my purpose.
To achieve a work/life balance.
To be a source of love, joy, peace, inspiration to those around me.

Strongest desire:
To be comfortable.
To have it easy, and to take it easy.
To enjoy the finer things in life (food, drink, entertainment, etc).
To be attractive.
To have financial security.
To be sought after.

Saint Ignatius argued:

The goal of our life is to live with God forever. The God who loves us and gave us life. Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God’s life in me.

In light of this, I recently came to a sobering realization.

I was driving home after a day of uneventful errands and feeling inexplicably anxious. There was so much unrest in my spirit and I found myself close to a panic attack. I couldn’t settle on why until it dawned on me:

  • I am looking to so many things to sustain me. When nothing and no one but Jesus can. (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)
  • I want peace that passes understanding, but I don’t go to the Source of peace. (Phil. 4:6)
  • I want joy beyond my circumstances, but I don’t go to the Source of joy. (James 1:2)
  • I want to be loved unconditionally, but I don’t go to the One who IS love! (1 John 4:16)

We allow our strongest desires to dictate how we live our lives and fill our time. And then we wonder why we lack peace, or feel so unfulfilled.

A friend recently shared this example from her own life:

After a few days of feeling quite anxious over the state of our world. She realized she’d had AM radio droning on all day as a backdrop to her daily tasks.

Now, as we already established with everyone’s favourite streaming service, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with the radio.

But if my deepest desire is to see a deepening of God’s life in me, then I must be intentional to engage in activities that will do that. It’s that simple.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 

– Colossians 3:1-2

This manifests differently for everyone. Thankfully, God is so amazing to connect with each of us in ways that are unique to us. But I must still find out what that is!

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

– Philippians 1:9-11

I can’t sugarcoat it. Choosing to deepen God’s life in me requires sacrifice and discipline. These are not popular words in a culture whose mantra is: Treat yo’ self!

And yet, we see both applied in everyday life.

  • Training for a marathon? You’ll deny yourself certain foods or activities to help prepare your body for the task.
  • Got a big job interview? You’ll reschedule a social dinner the night before to ensure you get a good night’s sleep.
  • Looking to move your growing family into a larger home? You’ll sacrifice day and night to save for a down payment.

Generally, we can agree with the concept of sacrificing small things for BIG goals.

But we must accept that our deepest desire, the one put in us by God, requires more than just discipline and sacrifice. It’s a dying to self that doesn’t make sense without His Spirit in us.

You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.

– Augustine of Hippo

When nothing else makes sense, prioritizing God in us makes everything else make sense. Because as A. W. Tozer argues, God made us for Himself is the only explanation that satisfies the heart of any critical thinker.

Coming back to our original question: What’s my goal? Ignatius would encourage his pupils to ask this of themselves in a different way: What do I desire?

Let’s consider this too. What do I desire? And then just sit with that question. Bring it to the Lord. Let Him show you what is at the core of you. Is it Him? More of Him in your life?

Is your deepest desire to be all He made you to be? To fulfill all He created you for?

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.

– 2 Thessalonians 1:11

May our deepest desires be for Jesus. After all, He came to give us life! That we may have it in the fullest way possible. (John 10:10)

What’s in the Ears

From the highly recommended new album, Homecoming! This song talks about God’s love being deeper than just infatuation or the rush of something new… a love that’s weathered.

When you walk with Jesus long enough, you know it to be true.

How sweet it is to trust You, Jesus.
To know You, I mean really know You.

Where does this land for you? Does comparing deepest vs. strongest desires resonate with you? Enlighten you? Annoy you?
Let me know in the comments, send me a message, and feel free to share this with a friend too!

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What a Disappointment

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

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I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed…

Anyone had that line thrown at them growing up? It stings, doesn’t it? We can easily feel like we’ve fallen out of someone’s good graces when we’ve disappointed them.

Or maybe you just can’t look at someone the same way after being so painfully let down. The relationship has changed and you can’t seem to come back from that disappointment.

Our loved ones disappoint us, we disappoint them. We are fickle and relationships change.

Thankfully, God is not like us.

Although sin stirs His anger, His love for us CAN. NEVER. CHANGE.

Here’s why:

1. God is omniscient

(All-knowing)

Meaning, He knows all that has happened, is happening, and will happen. God knows it all. Which means He created us knowing we would fall short of His standards.

…for all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.

– Romans 3:23

And yet God chooses to heal and forgive you!

He delights over you with gladness! He will calm all your fears and rejoice over you with song.

– Zephaniah 3:17

Despite knowing your worst, God chooses to bless you and include you in His good plans to bless others!

In love [God] chose us before He laid the foundation of the universe! Because of His great love, He ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in His eyes with an unstained innocence.

– Ephesians 1:4

God sees us from a divine perspective

This is significant, so don’t miss this!

When we surrender our lives to Jesus, His glory is magnified in our lives, and He forgives our wickedness and remembers our sins no more. (Hebrews 8:12)

Friends, He doesn’t even remember our sins! How can God be omniscient AND also forget our sin?

Because He chooses to see Jesus’ atoning work on the cross to redeem us instead!

An omniscient God can be trusted to know that Jesus’ sacrifice truly is the best plan of salvation imaginable. We couldn’t come up with something better if we had a thousand lifetimes to try.

Thinking that we could add or take away from God’s love for us, implies that Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t enough to save us. But it was! And because of it, we are enough in God’s sight too.

We are enough for Him, solely because Jesus is enough for us.

Isaiah 53:10 says that it actually pleased God to crush Jesus and cause Him grief through death. It was through Jesus that God’s purpose was to be accomplished: the salvation of our souls. So all of God’s wrath reserved for sin was fully absorbed in Jesus on the cross.

But what does this mean in our daily lives?

Do we carry on sinning so that God’s kindness and grace will increase? (Romans 6:1) That’s a hard NO!

Sin dies with us when we surrender our lives to Jesus. Though we still fight against sin, God’s omniscience means He knows what we are and He loves us the same – on our best days, and our worst.

What’s more, our FEELINGS do not disappoint Him because He created us to feel each one in response to something we experience.

Maybe you’re confused, frustrated, hurt, disillusioned, or even jaded by what God is doing or NOT doing.

I’m convinced He is more disappointed when we hide our true feelings from Him, rather than just being honest with Him and ourselves about our struggle to trust and surrender.

Doubting Thomas? More like, Confident-Faith Thomas!

Consider how Thomas in John 20 wanted physical evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus finally appeared to Thomas and the disciples, He greeted them all, but He addressed Thomas directly. Jesus invited Thomas to reach out and touch His wounds. He encourages him to stop doubting and believe.

Have you ever noticed that there is no record of Thomas actually touching Jesus? Yet Jesus’ invitation was there. He offered the tangible opportunity to dispel Thomas’ doubts because Jesus knew Thomas, and He knows us.

He knows we are prone to doubt. He knows it is sometimes hard for us to trust. He isn’t disappointed with how we might feel.

But perhaps the assurance of faith that Thomas so desperately wanted is exactly what Jesus honoured by allowing him to explore for himself.

Perhaps Jesus wants to see that in all of us. Echoing author Angie Smith: like Thomas, we don’t question God because we want to prove He doesn’t exist, we question because we want to rest in unshakable faith!

So we can freely wrestle through those doubts, trust issues, and ugly emotions with God without fear of disappointing Him or losing His love.

2. God is unstoppable

At the end of Job’s tragic but redemptive life, Job tells God:

I know that You can do anything. No one can keep You from doing what You plan to do.

– Job 42:2

Other translations say that God’s plans could never be: thwarted or withheld, frustrated, restrained, ruined or hindered.

WOW! Whatever God wants to do, whatever He wants to accomplish on this earth, in your life, in your family, in your character, in your destiny… it. will. happen. It cannot be stopped. God cannot be stopped. Because God’s plans always come to fruition.

There is nothing we could do to ruin what God has put into motion before the foundations of the earth. The hard truth? We’re just not that powerful – and that’s a good thing!

A line from the song I’ll be sharing at the end says:

I’ll never be more loved than I am right now. Wasn’t holding You up, so there’s nothing I can do to let You down.

Coming to terms with how small we are in the presence of a Holy God should humble us. But realizing how loved we are, how good His plans are, what He gave up to save us, should draw us all the closer to Him too!

Because only He can heal brokenness, pain, rejection, and sin. Only He can do it. His plans cannot be stopped. And neither can His love for us.

3. God is immutable

(Does not change)

God has never changed and can never change in any smallest measure. To change, He would need to go from better or worse or from worse to better. He cannot do either. For being perfect, He cannot become more perfect, and if He were to become less than perfect, He would be less than God.

A. W. Tozer

Here’s the connection:

If God does not change, His thoughts towards us don’t change either. We are loved fully and completely in every moment.

The psalmist says in Psalm 139:17

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

Let’s conclude with some of God’s unchanging thoughts towards you:

  • You are chosen (1 Peter 2:9)
  • You are treasured (Deuteronomy 14:2)
  • You are protected (Psalm 121:3)
  • You are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
  • You are free (John 8:31)
  • You are forever loved (Jeremiah 31:3)

What’s in the Ears

This line of the song bears repeating:

Wasn’t holding you up, so there’s nothing I can do to let you down.

Friend, you can put down that burden. You can let go of that pressure. You can stop trying to avoid disappointing God through perfect performance. He can take it. You’re not fooling Him because He already knows. He wants you to admit your weakness so you could finally accept His sufficient grace. For His power is made perfect in your weakness. And we can boast in our weaknesses and struggles, because that is where God’s power dwells. In the parts of our lives that feel like a disappointment, that’s where His power can manifest most.

If this resonates with you, let me know in the comments, send me a message, or even share with a friend!

Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor!

United We Stand

Published on by tinavila202 Comments

*Podcast version on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Anchor!

It’s no secret we’ve all struggled through the past few years, but for various reasons. Personally, I’m grieved by the growing division amongst followers of Jesus.

I recently finished reading Francis Chan’s Until Unity. Y’all… I HIGHLY recommend it and I’ve linked it here. I’m not foolish enough to attempt anything more original than him, but it’s worth sharing highlights I found especially compelling.

So, if you’re weary of divisiveness, and still think unity is possible, then this is for you!

6 thoughts to compel us and propel us toward unity.

1. Why unity?

Because it was Jesus’ dying wish. One of Jesus’ very last prayers before being crucified was for unity. I think we sometimes breeze past this without giving it much thought.

We can become enthralled with someone’s last words, death bed confession, or final blessing before they pass. With this in mind, should we not give more consideration to Jesus’ desperate last words to Almighty God in the garden before His own death?

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are One— 23 I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.

– Jesus, in John 17:20-23

2. Unity: Because nothing is more important

We weren’t called to follow political parties or ideology, nationalism, consumerism, or power. Instead, we were called to apprentice ourselves to Jesus’ way of life. We were called to be part of establishing the Kingdom of God here and now in our walking-around lives.

– Sarah Bessey, Out of Sorts

If we’re truly a people that believe Jesus’ call to unity is as important as He says it is, then by default all the other things that may define us or divide us are simply not as important, and should not take precedent over our unity and the fellowship of believers. It’s that simple.

3. Unity: Because it’s the one thing that makes our mission effective

If we can at least agree that the believer’s mission is to make disciples of all nations, then scripture is clear that love for one another is the way that we’ll succeed in our mission.

This is how everyone will know that you are My followers: if you love one another.

– Jesus, John 13:35

Notice how Jesus doesn’t say, everyone will know you are my followers if you form compelling arguments regarding:

  • correct ways to worship
  • women’s roles in the church
  • spiritual gifts
  • the relationship between church and state
  • strong Biblical literacy vs. charismatic Christianity
  • Biblical politics

It’s solely about how we love one another!

4. Unity: Because division grieves a Holy God

When love is shallow, all it takes is something as trivial as a disagreement to divide us.

– Francis Chan

Division has plagued the church for centuries. So if we can get serious about this and consider that the disagreements we’ve allowed to divide us are actually the work of the enemy, and not Spirit-filled conviction from God, we would be humbled to realize that we are actually grieving God’s Spirit who dwells in us.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

– Ephesians 4:29-32

5. Unity: Because I couldn’t possibly be right all the time

The love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) states that for now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Friends, how can we be so arrogant to think we are right all the time, every time? How?

Even the Apostle Paul admits in this passage that he couldn’t know it all perfectly on this side of heaven! I love how Francis Chan puts it when he says that if God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34 and James 4:6), it’s hard to imagine those who are most arrogant would be the most accurate. Yes!

He goes on to say that…

Everyone seems to start out with the assumption that his or her opinion of God is right, rather than recognizing that all of us have an incomplete, flawed knowledge of God. Without humility, we will never have unity. More importantly, without humility, we cannot be in a right relationship with God.

6. Unity: Because nothing matters more to God

Consider this, if God moved heaven and earth in sending Jesus to die so we could be reconciled to Him, would it not make sense that He would also want His beloved children to be reconciled to one another as well?

His plan of salvation, the goal of redemption, is to reconcile all things unto Himself! Allow these words to wash over you from Colossians 1…

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through Him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through Him and for Him.
17 He existed before anything else,
    and He holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is His body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.
    So He is first in everything.
19 For God in all His fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through Him God reconciled
    everything to Himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

This passage really struck me as I asked myself a simple question. I encourage you to reflect on it too:

If I will stand before God, holy and blameless without a single fault after all He’s done to reconcile me to Himself — what is stopping me from lovingly accepting a fellow believer who I don’t understand, cannot relate to, and have rejected as dead wrong?
Am I justified in that?

What’s in the Ears

This is an old hymn and I just love this rendition so much. As Jackie Hill Perry recently put it, this song’s dripping oil (anointed). Enjoy!

Do you also share the grief of disunity among believers? Let me know if this encouraged you! Send me a message, comment below, and share with a friend!

*Podcast version on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Anchor!

The Art of Waiting Well

Published on by tinavila202 Comments

*Podcast version on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Anchor!

This is could easily be the extended version of my last blog post, Count the Fruit. There was just too much to say about the fruit of the Spirit that I couldn’t help but keep writing this week. So if you haven’t checked that out, please do!

A little behind the scenes of my writing will tell you that I read Bible passages in almost every English-language translation, and try hitting the original Greek text too, in order to get the most out of what the authors are saying.

Well, this was no different. And I was particularly struck by the Amplified Bible translation of the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

– Galatians 5:22-23

Did you catch what it said about patience? Oh my WORD! That’ll preach.

Patience isn’t just about the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting.

I mean, am I the only one who feels personally attacked with words like that? (I feel like Michael Scott from The Office when he declares that he is the victim of a hate crime!)

The point is that if we are truly surrendered to God, walking with Jesus, and filled with the Spirit, then the result of His presence within us will. be. this. fruit!

It’s literally the cause-and-effect theory in action.

Why does it matter how we wait?

  • If I’m not hurting anyone, why does it matter how I wait?
  • If it doesn’t make the wait any shorter, why does it matter how I wait?
  • If I’m not gaining anything from it, why does it matter how I wait?
  • What difference does it make??

I’m reminded of that line by John Wooden that says:

The true test of a person’s character is what they do when no one is watching.

So maybe it doesn’t change anything in your circumstances to wait well. But something happens inside us when we do.

  1. Perhaps you wait in ANGER
    Your default is irritability and frustration. You have a short fuse and should not be crossed if you don’t receive the answer you’re waiting for in a timely manner.
  2. Perhaps you wait in ANXIETY
    Your default is to be overwhelmed and filled with stressful, anxious thoughts. You can’t get your mind to settle, and you can’t function as what if‘s overtake you.
  3. Perhaps you wait in LISTLESSNESS
    Your default is apathy and disinterest. You lose any kind of ability to function because waiting on that one thing becomes all that matters. And life loses all meaning without that piece of the puzzle in place.

What do all these characteristics have in common?

They are symptoms of distrust in God.

Focusing on our circumstances makes the process of waiting unbearable.

It puts all the responsibility on our circumstances to fulfill us – our needs, wants, expectations, goals, and more. It’s not meant to be this way. We will ALWAYS be disappointed with this approach.

But those who wait for the Lord? Ohhhhh….. they will renew their STRENGTH! They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.

– Isaiah 40:31

How is this even possible?

How can strength be RENEWED… not just sustained, propped up, extended… but renewed. Only God, y’all. Only God.

Because if His Spirit is filling us, even though we may begin weary and worn out… renewal comes as we focus on Him over our circumstances.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

– 2 Corinthians 4:18

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God’s throne.

– Hebrews 12:2

So how do we wait well?

Worship while you wait

Because He is worthy ALWAYS. Even when we’re not getting what we want.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

– Psalm 42:5

Bring it to God

Because He alone can sustain and fill us with hope in the waiting.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

– Romans 15:13

These can only happen when we expose TWO LIES, and disarm their power over our thinking patterns.

Culture feeds us the following lies that are masquerading as RESPONSIBILITY and MATURITY.

1. The Responsibility of Being in Control

  • Culture tells us that we’re somehow being responsible when we get busy trying to control every potential outcome of our circumstances. It is the illusion of control, and believing the lie that we can decide when and how things will turn out. Of course, we can control some things. So distinguishing the difference between things we can control, and things we cannot control, is critical.

Listen, those of you who are boasting, “Today or tomorrow we’ll go to another city, spend some time there, go into business and make heaps of profit!” But you don’t have a clue what tomorrow may bring. For your fleeting life is but a warm breath of air that is visible in the cold only for a moment and then vanishes!

– James 4:13-15

2. The Maturity in Worrying

  • Culture also tells us our worry is a sign of maturity. Because if we dwell on our problems and consider all possible outcomes, then we are morally good for worrying about them. We believe that immature people simply don’t understand what’s at stake, or don’t consider all the factors. When in fact, we’re really just believing the lie that we care more because we worry more.

Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day? So if worrying adds nothing, but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry about God’s care of you?

– Luke 12:25-26

It goes on to talk about how if He cares so much about birds and plants, wouldn’t He care for YOU all the more?

Bottom Line

Waiting well matters. Not just for my witness, but for my mental health and the state of my soul! It’s worth reflecting on how we wait, and ask God to help us trust Him with all the unknowns so that the result of His presence within us could be the fruit of His Spirit. And that is the true art of waiting well.

What’s in the Ears

I cannot even deal with how good this song is. Hit it at the 7:00 mark if you feel like a good cry over words to build you up in your season of waiting. You’re welcome.

Have you mastered the art of waiting well? I can assure you, I have not! But I’d love to know if any of this has been helpful to you! You can let me know in the comments or send me a message. And feel free to share this too if it resonates!

*Podcast version on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Anchor!

Character over Comfort

Published on by tinavila204 Comments

Alright, I didn’t want to get into it. But sometimes God allows me to go through stuff that freakin’ sucks and then prompts my heart to write about it. So here we are. This is truly, from the overflow.

A few months ago, I shared about how my daughter doesn’t sleep and how it’s costing my very sanity. You can check it out here. Unfortunately, no change to report on that front. But it’s a tiny example of what many are dealing with in this season.

Our problems just won’t go away!

Maybe yours is related to…

  • the pandemic
  • polarized political views
  • relationship challenges (spouse, child, relative, friend?)
  • work struggles
  • physical health issues
  • strained mental health

…and all the ramifications thereof?

So let me ask you this:

Hearing that for the first time felt like a bucket of water dumped over my head; but like the coziest hug too… somehow all at the same time.

Some follow up questions:

What am I really after in this life? What do I really want?? Is it comfort? Is it ease? Is it a pain-free, smooth ride?

Umm, yes. That’s literally what I want. And all I want.

  • I don’t want things to be difficult.
  • I don’t want an uphill battle.
  • I don’t want to be pushed out of my comfort zone.
  • I don’t want to struggle.
  • I don’t want my people to struggle.
  • I don’t want to be uncomfortable
  • And I don’t want to grow. I DON’T!

This past year has been difficult on a lot of people, but not all for the same reasons. No matter your experience, I think we can all admit that it’s pretty much been THE WORST. We just can’t seem to agree on why.

Whether you fear the virus, the government, or what another minute stuck in your house will do to your mental health… we all have a choice in how we’ll deal with what we’re facing.

I confess, this year of survival mode for me has been with a lot of numbing. Numbing with Netflix, comfort foods, mindless scrolling, etc.

But is that the ultimate goal? I’ve really got to ask myself: is this all I want?? To be numbed out of feeling any kind of pain that forces me to deal with hard things?

And what then? Say I choose to deal with those things. Once that’s done and I’ve put on my big girl pants, maybe even matured a little… What do I do with it all?

It’s meaningless if God’s Kingdom mission does not become my own life mission.

Let me say that again...

If my life doesn’t become about God’s kingdom mission, it’s all meaningless.

At some point we must ask ourselves:

Do we actually want to be used by God in drawing people to Him?
And if following Jesus is so important to us, why are we not talking about it more?

These are just questions I’m personally wrestling with. I’m sorry if they ruffle feathers. But also, not sorry…?

Because honestly, I’m just nearing the end of myself with this extreme desperation for comfort over character. After all, comfort does not build character. As much as I wish it would. And the longer I sit in the presence of Jesus, the less I care about how cushy my sweet little life really is.

If you’re looking for validation in your quest for comfort, then good news is that you can absolutely settle for simply eternal salvation with a comfortable life!

That’s because God’s love for us doesn’t change. BUT! …our effectiveness does.

If you’re like me and the latter doesn’t sit well with you, then read on, friend! There’s work to be done if we’re willing!

Here’s what I propose regarding character > comfort:

Let’s get back to the basics!

  • LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE. (Mark 12:30-31)
  • LOVE YOUR ENEMIES (Luke 6:27-36)
  • TAKE GREATER INTEREST IN OTHERS – less navel-gazing? (Philippians 2:1-11)
  • PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU – or even just disagree with you! (Matthew 5:44)
  • BE HUMBLE (Ephesians 4:2)
  • HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS – desperate desire to be right with God! (Matthew 5:6)
  • SHOW MERCY (James 2:12-13)
  • HAVE A PURE HEART – integrity! (Philippians 1:9-11)
  • WORK FOR PEACE (Romans 14:19)
  • WATCH YOUR ANGER (Matthew 5:21-22)
  • BE GENEROUS (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
  • BE PERFECT – ok, ouch (Matthew 5:48)

We could go on, of course. But a common thread is that these can be super hard to do!

In general, we’re just not naturally inclined to do anything that might compromise our comfort. It goes against our survival instincts!

It requires intentional work and sacrifice. But these are the very things that will build REAL character in our lives.

It’s truly a matter of priorities. What matters more to me? Obedience to God, His will, His purpose for my life? Or my own plans and agenda?

Perhaps you can relate to this, but I have a tendency to manipulate my own interpretations of scripture or understanding of God’s character to suit my needs and desires.

Yes, God is for us. (Romans 8:31)
Yes, He fights our battles. (Exodus 14:14)
Yes, He works for our favour… etc etc etc. (Psalm 84:11)

These things are true AND biblical! But how they manifest may look very different from God’s perspective and our expectations.

My tattoo says: “YET HE IS STILL GOOD”. A reminder that even when things don’t go the way I want, God is still good. I am stubborn, forgetful, and lazy. So I needed this permanently etched on my skin as a reminder of God’s forever goodness. For a post I wrote about it, click here!

Let’s recall our original question, is He still good if He only sustains me through the very thing I’m asking Him to save me from?

Can I come to terms with that, and still trust Him?

Can I still believe that the comfort I’m giving up to follow Him will be worth the character He is building in me?

Worth the intimacy He offers in His presence? Is it worth it? Is He worth it?

Because it’s got to be a daily sacrifice of comfort.

Even more than that, it’s also a sacrifice of control. Or actually, the illusion of control.

I think this past year taught me that more than any other time in my life. I don’t actually control my life like I thought I did! The question is, will I trust God with all that this implies, or claw my way back to the driver’s seat of a car I’m lousy at driving anyway?

I’m almost positive that this blog post has got more questions than any other I’ve written. Probably because I’m still working through all this.

  • I haven’t arrived.
  • I’m not yet where I want to be.
  • I’m still selfish and moody.
  • Still fail constantly at all the basics I previously mentioned.
  • Still revert to numbing pain.
  • Still prioritize my own comfort over submitting to the character-building I know God wants for me.
  • Still learning to bring that mess of crap to Jesus.
  • Still learning to trust Him to sustain me.

My dearly loved readers….

I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this good work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!

– Philippians 1:6

What’s in the Ears

Couldn’t bear the thought of slappin a self-promoting song onto this blog post. It’s always all about Jesus. This song is a great one for that. Check lyrics here!

The struggle is so real. The tension between comfort and character is palpable. But there’s goodness in it!
Do you feel yourself fighting against it? Or is your heart shouting, yes! To be honest, I’m a bit of both. So if that’s you too, you’re not alone, friend. Let me know your thoughts on this! Send me a message or comment below!

Too Much and Not Enough

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

Confession: I don’t know what it is about 7pm, but once it strikes, I hit a wall and can no longer parent. It’s like I’m a character out of Cinderella who’s out past curfew and turns into a pumpkin.

Being a stay-at-home parent means you’re ON for your kids at all times. And with one kid who isn’t a lover of sleep, it means we sure do see lots of each other during all hours of the day and night.

By the time we’re finished with dinner, I have a hard time even being around my kids. Is that TMI? My tank is empty. I’ve reached my limit and I have nothing left. I just can’t seem to be enough for them.

*Disclaimer, my kids are freakin’ awesome. They may feel like too much, but they’re really not. They’re just regular kids, with regular needs. However, I am a human mama with human limitations. I don’t have boundless energy or infinite patience. Even on my best days, my kids can feel like way too much! And I can often feel like I’m not enough.

Regular kids + mama with limits = high chance of not being enough for them.

**Disclaimer 2: I know I can also be a little much. Being married to an introvert, I’ve learnt that when my husband has had a difficult day, I can be a little overbearing with my questions, requests and anecdotes.

It requires a conscious effort on my part to Tone. It. Down! and not be overbearing, demanding, naggy, clingy, desperado… ya know, all the most sought after qualities every man loves in his lady.

But it doesn’t stop there, folks!

Being too much or not enough is a struggle in many relationships dynamics.

Take friendships: we can all think of that one needy friend – hey, maybe you are that friend!

That one person who never seems to get enough of your time or attention. Who needs more of you than you can give, or are willing to give!

With unhealthy boundaries, we can feel like we’re stretched too thin in meeting the demands of our time and relationships.

We can feel like we’re either too much for some people, or not enough for others. To some, we may feel like a burden or a nuisance. While to others, no matter what we do or how much we give, it’s never enough.

This is the tension we all have to manage as people created with limitations in our time and mental capacity. We simply cannot be all things to all people (Scripture taken out of context, don’t @ me!).

He loves me. Even when I’m annoying and clingy!

To find any success in these areas, I humbly propose the following:

  • Recognize the struggle
  • Put healthy boundaries in place to manage time and responsibilities
  • Ask God for His empowering strength to face each day and its demands
  • And voilà! You win at life!

Ok, ok I’m obviously making ridiculous mom jokes. But the truth is that the heart of this blog post isn’t about boundaries, tips on time management, healthy vs. toxic friendships, or anything else like that.

What I’ve come to realize is this: our culture of unrealistic expectations means that we can so easily feel suffocated by the needs of others. Or on the flip side, we can feel the pressure to shrink ourselves in order to not be so overbearing.

Whichever side you tend to lean on, neither gives us a healthy view of God. That’s what I really want to shed light on here, and that’s the real tragedy of this whole thing.

Allow me to make a few things clear:

  • You will NEVER be too much for God.
  • You will NEVER be not enough for God (excuse the double negative, I’m making a point).
  • You will NEVER be misunderstood by God.
  • You will NEVER be a burden to God.
  • You will NEVER be annoying to God.
  • You will NEVER be insufficient to God.

Why? Because God is not like us! He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t lose His patience. He doesn’t expect something from us that He knows we were never meant to give.

He doesn’t roll His eyes at our neediness. He doesn’t get exasperated at our worry. He doesn’t get frustrated with how long-winded our ramblings can be.

Yes, He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6) and He is angry at our sin (Isaiah 59:2).

But amazingly, God—so full of compassion—still forgives us! He covered over our sins with His love, refusing to destroy us all. Over and over He holds back His anger, restraining wrath to show us mercy.

Psalm 78:38 (narrative edit by me)

Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the people who overwhelm me, I have to consciously remind myself that God doesn’t get overwhelmed by me. He doesn’t need a break from me. He doesn’t get His fill or reach His limit of “Tina time”.

Because the Lord longs to be gracious to me; therefore He will rise up to show me compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!

Isaiah 30:18
Sweet scooter gang

Where do you go to fill up when you’re empty? Who could ever truly be enough for you when you’re just not enough?

1 I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, He who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord Himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.

– Psalm 121
  • God is always always always available to us. ALWAYS! (Hebrews 4:16)
  • He created us for Himself! For the sole purpose of being in relationship with Him. (Romans 11:36)
  • He is fully aware of all our limitations and toxic traits, and they do not deter him from us. (Hebrews 4:15)
  • He knows every little thing about us, and still loves us completely. (Psalm 139 – all of it! Read it with fresh eyes when you need the reminder that God doesn’t think you’re too much or not enough.)
  • When we put our faith in His Son, Jesus, we are covered by Him, and can have full access to fountain that never runs dry. (John 4:14)

When you’ve been burnt enough times by people who want you to be less of yourself, or demanding more than you have to give, please please please – remember that Jesus is not like that. Yes, He asks us to lay down our lives to follow Him (Luke 9:23), but it’s so He can give us abundant life in return!

I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect —life in its fullness until you overflow!

– John 10:10

I’d say that’s a trade in our favour, friends! So when you feel hesitant to go to God with your frustrations, questions, qualms, and needs – don’t! Don’t feel hesitant! He’s not burnt out by you. He has more for you than you could ever need.

What’s in the Ears

This week we’re showcasing not 1, but 2 songs!

The first was an obvious choice and truly ministers to the heart.

This is a perfect song for our topic too! It’s a recent release and the whole album is really powerful.

Talk to me, friend! Do you ever feel like you’re too much or not enough for your people?
Where does this land for you? Do you ever project those feelings onto God? Let me know in the comments or send me a DM!

Bandaids on a Gunshot Wound

Published on by tinavila202 Comments

5-step program! 4 smart solutions! 3 easy payments! 2 effective strategies! 1 piece of advice!

Does it not draw us in to think that all our troubles could magically go away so easily?! Wouldn’t we all love a quick fix to life’s woes?

Living in a world that prides itself in efficiency and results, it’s no wonder the Easter story, and the wild notion that Jesus’ death can transform your life, appear downright foolish. And if not foolish, at least perplexing.

The reality is that we fool ourselves by believing that our bandaid-solutions will make ANY lasting difference to our broken lives here, or in eternity. Because it’s not about steps of improvement to implement, but a Person to know, a Redeemer to save!

Once we see that the real transformative power Jesus offers is the only real solution to our fatal problem, we’re then awakened to the futility of our own self-help efforts.

Like bandaids on a gunshot wound.

Please hear my heart through this intensity of a ramble…

NOTHING has had a greater impact on my life than simply doing life with Jesus.

  • Trusting Him with the unknown.
  • Trusting Him with circumstances I can’t control.
  • Trusting Him with whatever I want to change but don’t know how to (no matter how many bandaids).
  • Ultimately trusting Him with the salvation of my very soul!
  • To believe that God created all of us for more than what our eyes can see.

Because if we could see it, we wouldn’t need God to do it, that’s why it’s faith! (Pastor Mike Todd said it first)

Sin: The Gunshot Wound

If I really had to reduce it all to a step-program, I suppose that acknowledging our own sin as the problem would have to be the first step. You can then follow that with having the faith to believe God for our solution.

But if we fail to recognize the true consequence of sin on our lives, and acknowledge the fatality of this gunshot wound to our very existence, then I suppose a quick fix bandaid works just fine in deluding us into believing that God sending Jesus is unnecessary or irrelevant.

Thankfully God’s offer of salvation is available to anyone who will to accept it. It isn’t any less true whether you believe it or not.

2 Corinthians 5:21 gives us a beautiful, yet simple synopsis of the Easter story:

God made Jesus, who had no sin, to be sin for us. So that in Jesus, we might become right with God.

Unfortunately, until we truly taste and see how GOOD He is, “we basically reduce Jesus to a cultural icon, rather than the living, resurrected Saviour. And apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing” (Dr. Crawford Loritts). That’s why the quick fix can never work. In the ancient world, the sacrificial system offered a way for people to be made right with God. But like I keep saying, it was a bandaid solution!

Today, the sum of our good deeds can make us feel like we’ve earned our way into God’s good graces. And with polarizing views on what good deeds actually look like, it’s hard to know if you’re even getting that right in the first place!

11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest I offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. 14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy. 16 “This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then He says, “I will never again remember
 their sins and lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

– Hebrews 10:11-18

I’m so grateful that Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t only about taking on the consequence of my sin and the reality of whatever awaits us in the afterlife, which is obviously a big deal!

But His sacrifice has amazing consequences in this life too! For an abundant life (John 10:10) and peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I need me some peace to get through each day. I need confidence in knowing I can be right with God. That even if I make mistakes, I don’t have to carry the weight of my sin through life. And my identity can now be found in Him.

I don’t have to try to cover my tracks by putting bandaids on gunshot wounds and hoping for the best. I can KNOW with confidence that I’m forgiven, I’m redeemed – for a purpose!

Tim Keller says that Christian identity is the only one that is received, not achieved. This means that transformation doesn’t depend on my performance, but when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice, we receive a new identity as a child of God – forgiven and loved.

And that’s such good news!

Because when it comes down to it, what we really need is good news, not good advice. We don’t need good advice to follow, but good news to believe. One is about tips and tricks, the other is transformative.

I echo Paul’s question in Romans 2:4, don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

This may sound cynical, but unfortunately, I don’t think we actually care for God’s kindness, when all we want is quick solutions to our problems. It grieves me to think that we completely miss what God offers us when we fail to recognize how amazing His mercy and grace really are.

When we reduce the Easter story and God’s plan of salvation to simply being good enough or bad enough, we miss the point! Because that’s not what God’s grace is about! We bring the wrong solutions to a problem only God can rectify. “It’s not about being good or bad. It’s about being dead or alive!” (Louie Giglio) None of us could ever be good enough to get to heaven. No matter how many tips and tricks we try. It’s about recognizing our need for a Saviour, and then being made alive in Him.

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

– 2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:10‬ ‭

I guess that would be it. The big tip. The main point. I love how the Corinthians author addresses the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. One leads to repentance, salvation, and life! The other is filled with regret, shame, and death.

Let’s be sorry for our sin, but let’s bring it to the foot of the cross where we can exchange it for fullness of life and a new identity as children of God. Not just a bandaid-solution, but a complete transformation from the inside out.

More than a bandaid

The following verse – stripped of any complex theology, in all its simplicity – is the best possible way I can think to conclude. The story goes like this: Jesus heals a blind man. Religious leaders (who happen to be spiritually blind themselves!) give him flack about it. And all he says is…

“I have no idea what kind of man He is. All I know is this: I was blind, but now I see.”

– John 9:25

And that’s the beauty of the whole dang thing.

Many people, much smarter than I, have ventured to answer life’s tough questions and solve humanities impossible problems to no avail… I don’t know everything about Jesus. All I know is this: I was dead inside, but now I’m alive. I was blind, but now I see.

What’s in the Ears

Comment below or send me a message with any thoughts or questions on this Easter post that’s so dear to my heart! I just love to hear from you.