Perfection or Obedience?

Off and on in my adult years, I have had the joy of gardening. Years ago, I was introduced to banana peppers and found them to be a tasty treat. So, I decided to grow them in my garden. It is so fun to watch as the little seed is planted and soon sprouts a tiny green shoot. As time goes on, you have a plant that starts producing fruit. With the first little pepper, I was so excited. It grew and almost seemed to be the perfect pepper, some of its siblings were bent and mangled but that first one was perfect. I gave it the name, Perfect Phil.

Perfect Phil grew and grew and only looked better with each passing day. Then the day came when I picked Perfect Phil, I could hardly wait to taste the first pepper I’d ever grown. I took Perfect Phil to the kitchen, washed this vegetable that I’d grown from seed and then cut into it. Oh no! It wasn’t nice inside, in fact, it appeared nasty and rotten!

People can be like Perfect Phil. They can look good on the outside. In today’s world, a person’s looks are so important or the way they present their house or car but once we take a look at the inside, it’s another story. You may have to get to know the person to some extent before you realize that they aren’t so nice inside. You know, a person can only pretend to be nice for so long before their true colors come flowing out…usually out of their mouth.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Life and death, that’s powerful words. You can see this oftentimes in marriage. A marriage can flourish when kind words are abundant. When one or both people build one another up on a daily basis. Not only do they enjoy being around each other but others like being around a couple who lets the Spirit of God act as a cooling salve for their partner.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45 As we read the Bible daily, it is seed to help us change our speech. It seems that today many people use cursing in everyday speech and don’t even care if it offends those around them let alone that God instructs us “but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” Eph 5: 3-4

We may not understand why God is asking us to act a certain way, but perhaps it is not for us to understand. If we are obedient to His Word, blessings will come. Can we know what God is asking of us if we do not read the Bible daily? To seek Him at all times so as to be obedient?

Ephesians further tells us, “Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” (5:8b-12)

We have a choice to make, we can be a Perfect Phil where we look good on the outside but are rotten inside or we can be intentional in living a life pleasing to Christ. When we please God with our behavior, we will please those around us. And if those around us are not pleased, it is probably best not to be around them.

You still have plenty of time to start reading the Bible for 2020. Don’t worry about getting “behind”…that is for human terms. God will have you right where he wants you.

Remember, you can write me a personal message using the email address on this page or you can pop over to A Fae Original on Facebook and share your comment with the group.

The Christmas We Had Nothing to Give

© Cindy Bevington Olmstead

Used with permission.

We didn’t have much to give for Christmas, 1976.

Back then, my then-husband was a full-time student with a part-time job. I had two jobs, but our three jobs together barely got us from one paycheck to the next some weeks, and were it not for our families feeding us on weekends, we wouldn’t have made it on what little money we had.

That year, my husband and I had agreed not to give each other gifts; because our daughter was only 4, we figured she wouldn’t notice that all the little presents we’d placed under the tree didn’t add up to $20, total. And, our families understood that the only presents we could give them was our presence at the traditional get-togethers.

I was depressed. I couldn’t get enthusiastic about decorating our $4 tree. It was hard to be cordial to my sisters-in-law when they called to plan the holiday meals because I resented not being able to afford to cook or bake much.

Their calls made me obsess over everything I lacked: A better car, a new house, money for a vacation. On top of that, I couldn’t stop thinking about the things I could give people, if only I had the money. One day, as I wallowed in self-pity by complaining to my co-workers during a coffee break, one of them, a woman who rarely joined in on any of our conversations, mentioned that she and her five children, age 2 through 12, were not having Christmas at all.

None? At all? Surely she meant the kids were just getting a little less? I asked her. But no, she insisted they were getting nothing. I knew she was in the middle of a divorce. What I didn’t know until then, when I pressed her for the reason her children were going Christmas-less, was that she didn’t receive child support because her husband was in prison.

Unlike me, she had no family close by to help. And, no money to buy even a $4 tree, let alone presents. By working, she paid her own way most of the time, making meals stretch by skipping them herself so her children could eat more. But, still, things were so tight that she often had to let bills go just to make it week to week. Usually in winter, that meant choosing between heat and rent.

Inevitably, when the back rent piled up so much her landlord was threatening eviction, she would move her brood and their car full of belongings from house to house. The last couple of Christmases, rather than tell them the truth that she had no money for presents, she’d simply told her children they’d moved so much Santa couldn’t find their house. This year would be the same, and she hoped the older ones wouldn’t tell the younger ones the truth, if it turned out this was the year they’d grown old enough to figure out the truth.

I was ashamed. Here was a wispy-thin woman who denied herself food so her children would have more to eat. She wore the same old dresses to work year after year, so the children could have second-hand shoes and coats. It hurt her to deny her kids Christmas presents, but first things came first. This year heating fuel for their house was way more important than a Christmas dinner or presents.

That night I made some phone calls to friends, fellow co-workers, my sorority sisters and even my own family. Our daughter, Heidi, didn’t recognize her dad in the Santa suit when we drove a panel truck full of food, clothes and gifts to the woman’s house on Christmas morning.

The woman stared wide-eyed as Santa and my sorority sisters’ husbands unloaded our truck and two other trucks, as well.

It was the 12-year-old who brought us to tears, though, as he jumped up and down, shouting over and over, "Santa found our house this year! He found us! He found us!"

When we left, boxes of food lined the kitchen floor, the table and the hallway. Stacks of gifts filled the living room. The woman was sitting in a chair, crying softly and fingering a new dress.

The 12-year-old already had his new train set up, and its engine whistled as it clattered over the tracks.

Later, as I sat down to dinner with our family, I wasn’t hungry, even though I hadn’t eaten all day. I was just so full of excitement I couldn’t eat. All I wanted was to share with everybody the tale of my wonderful day, to shout from the rooftops what a great Christmas I’d had.

Funny, it wasn’t until years later, after repeating this story for about the two-dozenth time, that I remembered this was the Christmas we had nothing to give.

Preparing for Christ’s Birth

Is Jesus still that baby born in a manger to you? Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? A baby born—born for what purpose? What if Mary, a single girl, would not have believed the angel, Gabriel? What if she would have destroyed the baby within her? What if she would have lived in fear? What would Joseph think? And her parents. Oh, and the neighbors and friends?

But she believed that “…nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 NIV) Her answer to this news was “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (v. 38) Could any of us be that brave? That strong of faith?

Or is Christmas all about shopping and trees and lights? Of looking forward to all the gifts you will get? Of family and over-eating and movies on TV? Or, of sadness, because this is the first Christmas without that special loved one? Of loneliness for all those who have no family nearby and don’t want to “bother” their friends?

I think Christmas is about God’s plan of redemption being fulfilled, that is, the beginning of the earthly fulfillment. How do we know what His plan was? God chose to reveal this plan through visions, parables and so many other ways given through the prophets of old. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.”

God is faithful to keep His promises! Not only is Jesus heir to everything but He was a part of creation, He was there, he created everything! Jesus perfectly reflects God’s glory. As we continue reading in Hebrews, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (v 3) Jesus is not just reflecting God’s glory, He IS God and radiates His own glory. Charles Stanley has said, “If you want to understand what God is like, look to Jesus.” (see John 1:1)

So like the Jewish Christians being addressed in Hebrews, we too can suffer persecution because we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, God Himself and we proclaim it. For many of us, He is such a part of our lives we cannot help but talk about Him because He is the most important person in our lives. Many have surrendered their lives to Jesus and have chosen a different path than the one we were on. Jesus forgives us. Jesus loves us. Jesus is patient. When we question what God is like, read the Word and look to Jesus. He’s waiting for you with open arms. Is today the day of salvation?

Dear Jesus, I need You in my life! I’ve sinned and ask You to forgive my sins. I surrender my life to You and want to start a new life in You. Than You, Jesus!