EOS – Page 7 – Ericka O Smith

The Art of One-Anothering

Graphic courtesy of http://overviewbible.com/one-another-infographic/

Have you ever realized how many of the verses in the Bible dealing with our personal growth and maturity in Christ involve direct interaction with other people, other sinners?

People can be annoying.

People can be chafing.

People can burrow under your skin with their insensibility.

Some can be so prickly that interaction with them is akin to hugging a hedgehog.

Amazingly, God has commanded us to live in community with other believers, to bear with the annoying, to be polished by the chafing, and to be changed by the process of living life with one another. That adds much needed perspective to those interactions that could otherwise provoke an emotional and divisive reaction. What if you could see such individuals as gifts from God sent for your sanctification instead of criticizing or avoiding them? What if you could actually THANK the prickly people for being avenues through which God chose to mature you?

PONDER: Think of the prickly people in your life. How could their annoyances be used to build your character? Thank God for providentially placing them in your life.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the prickly people you have placed in my life. Thank you that through interaction with them, You are adding to my own character and molding me more like Jesus. Help me, Father, to truly appreciate them as avenues of my sanctification.

The Art of One Anothering is one of thirty devotionals I’ve been asked to write this year as part of a friend’s year-long devotional project. You can read more short devotionals like this by clicking here or the Devotionals tab at the top of this page.

Post-Easter Perspective

Excitement fills every part of his little 5 year old body as he races around looking for Easter eggs, his 3 year old sister hurrying to keep up with him, and 7 year old brother trying to lose both of them! But as he spies the next egg he forgets everything except the treasure that lies inside…

Sweet memories…I wish I could go back. Why? The treasure! To teach them about the true treasure! You see, it’s not really about what’s inside the egg. It’s about WHY we celebrate… FullSizeRender

Easter is the most important holiday for Christians. It is what separates Christianity from other religions. Easter is the celebration of our risen savior! He is ALIVE! He is RISEN! This celebration is the promise and hope of our faith. It’s not colorful, dyed Easter eggs we hunt or the treasures inside. No, the treasure is Christ Himself and the Word of God which gives us His story.

“I rejoice at your word as one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162

That’s what I would do over again. I would spend more time telling my kids the story of Jesus and what He did for us, dying to forgive us for our sins. Coloring eggs and hiding them full of worldly treasures is fun, but worldly treasures pass away too quickly. As a parent, my goal for my children is like Paul’s goal for the Colossians, “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3.

He is Risen!

This Post-Easter Perspective is written by Laurie Newby, Children's Ministry Director at Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, TX. Laurie's perspective is born out of decades of parenting eight children and grandparenting eleven grandchildren. She has over 30 years experience working with children in both volunteer and professional positions. To learn more about Laurie, go here or here. — This Post-Easter Perspective is written by Laurie Newby, Children’s Ministry Director at Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, TX. Laurie’s perspective is born out of decades of parenting eight children and grand-parenting eleven grandchildren. She has over 30 years experience working with children in both volunteer and professional positions. To learn more about Laurie, go here or here.

Help for the Hurting Heart

Because of what I shared here on Monday, I wanted to follow up with some encouragement for those who are currently experiencing brokenness and are “feeling the feels” today. Know this – God loves you and there is help to be found in Him.

Please feel free to share and print this graphic.

Brokenness & Butterflies

The butterfly emerged as the symbol of the Women’s Retreat I helped plan last year. Our theme was brokenness and the butterfly’s life cycle beautifully illustrated that.

Some types of brokenness are like the caterpillar who molts, or sheds its skin and grows from the experience into a larger caterpillar who will at some point be broken again and grow from the experience into yet a larger caterpillar who will at some point be broken again…and again…and again. For a caterpillar, this is called molting. For all of us, this is called life. Experiencing this kind of brokenness is as universal to human beings as it is to that growing little caterpillar – a failed test in school; not getting that promotion at work; hurtful gossip whispered behind your back; feeling excluded from a group that you desperately want to fit into; unreturned romantic feelings…

There comes a point in every caterpillar’s life when it will go through something it has never gone through before! Instead of the brokenness it is used to experiencing in its life, it won’t be able to struggle through it and come out on the other side a bigger, better version of itself. Instead, it will become completely enveloped; it will be penned in, immobilized by something beyond his control, entombed. If you asked the fat little caterpillar if it would choose to be entombed in the chrysalis, it would undoubtedly say ‘No!’ It would prefer to keep to its cycle of manageable brokenness. It was used to it. While it caused it pain, it could handle it and it was bigger and stronger on the other side of it. This new thing, this new brokenness, is confining, painful, scary. Unknown and unsearched for, it is woefully beyond the butterfly’s management and personal control. It feels alone, unable to see outside its own pain.

Many of us have experienced these immobilizing types of brokenness – widowhood; divorce; miscarriage; cancer; long-term unemployment; depression; wayward children. Like the caterpillar inside its chrysalis, we were morphed and changed into something new altogether. We were transformed through that painful process and finally broke free, becoming unshackled from the constraints of life as a mere caterpillar to soar on the heights as a new creation, a beautiful butterfly.

Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory.
They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
(1 Corinthians 15:43 NLT)

Perhaps you have felt that type of brokenness, but haven’t yet emerged from your confining chrysalis. You haven’t experienced a breaking free moment and the pain is all you can focus upon right now.

Research verses that speak to your brokenness. Compile a list like the one here. Highlight them in your Bible. Use them as prayer prompts until you are raised in strength like that broken butterfly.

You are loved, beautifully broken friend, and there is hope to be found in Jesus.

FREEBIE – Ecclesiastes 7:3

I confessed on Monday that inside me lives an ugly, scary ogre. Have you soberly reflected on your own heart’s character this week?

My Inner Ogre

My stellar second-born (Abigail-5), our precious third (Jude-2 months), and my fabulous first-born (Job-7) - Easter 1999 — My stellar second-born (Abigail-5), our precious third (Jude-2 months), and my fabulous first-born (Job-7) – Easter 1999

I have this incredibly meaningful picture of my first three kids on display in my house. It is a pre-digitalized, unadulterated photograph taken during the olden days of film photography. I love the composition. The natural lighting is beautiful. The subject matter is – wait for it – picture perfect.

Instead of bringing me joy, however, it brings a healthy dose of sobriety to my view of self. When I look into the smiling faces of my children captured in that photo, I’m taken back to the day I took it. It was Easter. My kids were dressed to impress. We had just celebrated the most important event of our faith. What started as a quick and easy photo op morphed into a l o n g and oppressive ordeal that left my tenderhearted young kids in tears. With each blinked eye, each scratched nose, each look in the wrong direction, my inner ogre inched closer to the surface until she exploded in rage. I’m not exaggerating when I confess that I was scary. It is one of my lowest moments as a parent and it is thankfully seared into my memory. I cannot look at that photo without tears and the justified feelings of tremendous remorse, shame, and sorrow.

Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart. Ecclesiastes 7:3

That photo is a sober reflection of who I am at my core, of my own undeniable state of sinfulness. It reminds me that I fight a battle not only with the enemy of my soul, but with my own sin-stained flesh, as well.

I display it, not for the warm fuzzies it generates, but as a solemn reminder of my inner ogre. It reminds me of who I could (too easily) be without the transforming power of Jesus Christ at work, forever renewing and always refining my heart and mind (Romans 12:1-2).

Spend some time today in sober reflection. Ask God to bring to mind the things He wishes you to ponder.

A Round Up of 2016’s Spring Break Staycation

*We had constant rain and Thunderstorms all week, so we kept drawing until we got an activity we could do that day. Saturdays activity was actually drawn on Tuesday and we all wanted to do it so badly that it kept getting top billing each day - if it didn't rain. We are finally expected to dry out by Saturday afternoon, so our fingers are crossed that we'll finally get to hit a bucket of balls. — *We had constant rain and Thunderstorms all week, so we kept drawing until we got an activity we could do that day. Saturdays activity was actually drawn on Tuesday and we all wanted to do it so badly that it kept getting top billing each day – if it didn’t rain. We are finally expected to dry out by Saturday afternoon, so our fingers are crossed that we’ll finally get to hit a bucket of balls.

We had so much fun geocaching, we kept it up long after the initial 7 I had planned. Free app for your phone called “Geocaching,” complete with a very good gps (even with the clouds!) that walked us right up to the caches. Highly recommend!

Dollar Theater was a re-draw (due to weather). With 25 minutes until the movie started, friends were not able to join us. It was a so-so experience. Dollar Theaters are...well...loud. — Dollar Theater was a re-draw (due to weather). With 25 minutes until the movie started, friends were not able to join us. It was a so-so experience. Dollar Theaters are…well…loud. And no one seems to have heard that you’re suppose to be quiet during the movie. And the popcorn chewing! Ugh!

One of my girl's most enjoyable activities. She loved having her sweet friend over for the afternoon. (My son chose to sleep, as he was recuperating from a 26-mile backpacking trip a few days prior.) — One of my girl’s most enjoyable activities. She loved having her sweet friend over for the afternoon. (My son chose to sleep, as he was recuperating from a 26-mile backpacking trip a few days prior.)

We took our Minute-to-Win-It Games on the road to a friend's house for after-dinner fun. Two teams. Family v. Family. Good fun! — We took our Minute-to-Win-It Games on the road to a friend’s house for after-dinner fun on Friday night. Two teams. Family v. Family. Good fun!

Note: I did not take pics of my kids in their skivvies on Thursday, but I will share with you the pajama bottoms my son had on all day. He got these for Christmas and they fool me every time he wears them! (Amazon affiliate link)

I’d love to hear about your Spring Break Staycation! Please share in the comments what you did to make some memories with your kids without breaking the bank.

Spring Breaking

While others were buying bathing suits & plane tickets, reserving massages or checking out destinations, I was busy planning our Spring Break staycation.

I compiled two lists of activities (see below) and put them into a clear jar, displayed on our dining table. We’ll randomly draw an activity out of the above-pictured jar each night at dinner. The activities are simple, cost-effective ideas that will give us daily memory-making times together, without spending the entire day on the go or breaking the bank. (My youngest two are teenagers, so sleeping and taking a break from constant activity are, thankfully, much-appreciated Spring Break activities.)

Here is a sampling of activities we’ll choose from:

Spring Break activities — NOTE: The two in the middle are what I chose for factory tours because we’ve never been to either. There are a variety of other factory tours available to the public here or you could substitute a day trip from the list here.

I’ll share each day’s activity – complete with photos, cost breakdown and our family’s feedback – on the blog at at the end of the week. Feel free to share with me, too, in the comments, either here or on Facebook! I’d LOVE to hear the creative ways your family is making your Spring Break staycation memorable!

Netflix, Slavery & Pharoah – My Public Confession

Simon and I ditched our cable this year. We only had it a few years, but it was long enough to feel the acute absence of it now.

During our detox period, we turned increasingly more to Netflix. There are a plethora of great shows to watch on Netflix. During my “alone” time (husband traveling; insomnia; convalescing from a back problem), I unfortunately did not choose one.

Instead, I chose (Am I really going to admit this publicly?!) The Vampire Diaries. Yes, you read that correctly. The Vampire Diaries. In two short weeks I had worked my way into season 3 of this lame teenage drama.

From the first episode, I was appalled. There was rampant teenage drug use, teenager sex, more blood than a blood bank, violence to women, witchcraft, communing with the dead, and absolutely NO STORY LINE. I didn’t like this show, but for some reason, I kept watching it anyway.

For two straight weeks I watched countless bloody murders and various crimes committed. For two straight weeks I voyeured the practice of witchcraft, allowing those heinous exercises into my home via the television screen under the guise of entertainment. For two straight weeks I binged on imagery that was unglorifying to God and, to be honest, harmful to me. For two straight weeks, with each episode, I felt the weight of my guilt heavier and heavier on my shoulders until, thankfully…

God intervened.

I started noticing more and more in my quiet time that what I was reading in Exodus (yep, Exodus!) applied to me with regards to this wretched show I was watching.

I confess that I resisted God’s reprimands. I dug my heels in over whose will I would follow – His, or mine.

God is persistent. He loves His children and wants His best for each of us. He chased me through the pages of Scripture, no matter where my Bible reading plan took me.

Here are some of my actual journal entries as I wrestled with God:

Exodus 6:9 – Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor.

How often have I not listened to the voice of the Lord for any number of reasons? Today I am struggling with not wanting to listen to Him regarding the show The Vampire Diaries. I’m embarrassed that I started watching it a couple of weeks ago. I do not like that my kids see that I watch it every time we open Netflix. It is vile. It is some of the worst t.v. I have ever watched. To add insult to injury, they recently added witches, spells and seances! This is evil stuff made into entertainment & I am knowingly partaking in it. I know I need to stop. I feel God prompting me to stop watching. I feel His reprimand with every click of the remote when I turn to it, but I’m unwilling to give it up! WHY?! What is holding me back? God wants to free me from my bondage, but I am like the Israelites in Egypt preferring my slavery to being FREE just because it may be rough going as I walk away from it.

Exodus 13:14b – By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

I feel like the Lord my God wants to deliver me from the yoke of slavery I feel to this wretched show I’ve been binge watching on Netflix in my free time. I am resisting – even though I do not like the show! I’ve gotten to the place in my heart where I truly do not intend to watch it again, but I feel like God wants me to bind & seal the deal with a promise/vow. And I am resisting doing that because I know elsewhere in Scripture we are told it is better to not make a vow to God than to make one and break it.

Exodus 13:15a – Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go…

I. Am. Pharaoh. I am stubbornly refusing to let this show go! I am like Pharaoh when he agreed to let some of the people go, but not all of them. I feel God wants full compliance from me, but I am “bargaining” with Him for partial compliance – only offering something I am willing to give (“I don’t intend to watch it” is what I am willing to promise God, just in case I later don’t follow through and return to it. I’m bargaining a loophole – with God, of all people!). I’m trying to please God by naming my own sacrifice instead of obeying His leading when He is the One that determines what is acceptable or not. How foolish I am!

(I thought the Psalms would give me reprieve…)

Psalm 26:4-5 – I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Could this be applied to what I watch on Netflix? Could I boast of doing the same if I included the characters on the screen in my list of people I sit or consort with? I am spending a lot of my time with them.

(And this from the New Testament…)

Romans 8:5-6 – Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

I am not feeling the peace! I think my flesh is vying for a coup with the enemy’s support. I am even looking for ways to bargain with Him, to stop watching this show without technically vowing to do so (so that I’m not bound by it if I fail).

(He didn’t go for that.)

2 Corinthians 10:5 – We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Woah. (That was my actual journaled response.)

A few days after that last entry, I repented in the truest sense of the word – I turned from my sin of disobeying Him, of sitting myself on the throne of my life, of running from the freedom He offered. I turned from the show, to God.

I made my promise/vow. And I found peace again.

What about you? What has you enslaved from which the Lord wants to set you free? Of what are you stubbornly refusing to let go?

Ps 101-3

A Valuable Gift – a short devotional

Genesis 2:22 – The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

Growing up, I loved looking at the illustrations in my Bible. The stories recorded in the pages of Scripture sprang to life through the illustrations. They became the pictures I see in my minds-eye as I read and reread the Word.

As I was reading about the creation of Eve this morning, my mind was taken back to my childhood and one such illustration. This morning, however, my eyes focused more on the text than the picture in my head and I noticed something new. After God created Eve from the rib he had taken from Adam,

He brought her to the man.

In my mind, I have always seen God creating Eve right next to a sleeping Adam just like my Bible illustrations. This, however – this made me wonder. Did the picture in my head distort the reality of the event?

And then I wondered, Did God intend Eve to be a gift to Adam, bringing her to him like one would present a valuable present?

I love this illustration much better than the one I had in my head all these years. You can almost hear God making the introductions - "Adam, this is Eve. Eve, meet Adam." The Creation of Eve by William Blake is currently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. — I love this pencil illustration much better than the one I had in my head all these years. I can almost hear God making the introductions – “Adam, this is Eve. Eve, meet Adam.” ***The Creation of Eve*** by William Blake is currently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

PONDER: Could your husband honestly describe you as a gift to him from the hands of God? What is keeping you from answering with a resounding ‘Yes!’?

A Valuable Gift is one of thirty devotionals I’ve been asked to write this year as part of a friend’s year-long devotional project. You can read more short devotionals like this by clicking here or the Devotionals tab at the top of this page.