Hands and Feet

Everything is eerily quiet around the house. Light is pouring in from open windows and flickering candles. And my soul feels a little quieter, more at ease, than usual today.  I feel so often like I'm treading water to keep afloat through the everyday ins and outs. Between family, household responsibilities and outside obligations, I've often wondered what has happened to me.  I take on a lot more than I can carry sometimes. And my stress level tends to stay pretty high.

But today I prayed something I haven't prayed in a long time. And I heard that quiet whisper in my soul. The words I knew I needed, but often don't listen long enough, to hear.

I want to be Your hands and Your feet...but how? To whom?

To them.

I could hear the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Laughter erupting and rushing down the hall toward me. Them. Three munchkins that run around here day after day.  Little lives that have yet to follow Christ. Personalities that are daily watching and acting what they see. And a man that needs to be reminded he's not in this alone.  One that needs to see the love of Christ being poured out in his home to his family and not just from him.

Today, less takes on a new meaning.  Instead of less clutter and stuff, it will look like less social media, less television time, less shuffling the kids off to play. Fewer outside obligations and responsibilities. It will begin to look like more stories and games, more playing cars and super heroes.  More purposeful interaction with my family. More of the love of Christ pouring out through me.

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” ~Matthew 19:14 NLT

And the last thing I want to do is stop these children from coming to Jesus.

What does purposeful family interaction look like at your house? To whom are you seeking to be the hands and feet of Christ?

2014 In One Word

Years seem to come and go more quickly than I remember as a child. 2013 was no exception. Looking back it was some of the best of times.  And there were days I struggled to keep myself afloat.  One thing is certain, Christ has walked this road with me.  He has been by my side when the tears flowed and when my heart rejoiced. To say I am thankful may be an understatement.



This new year has begun and already I know that Christ has ordained some vital, life giving things for me and my family in 2014. What, well, I can't say for sure.  However, I can say that when considering this new year, the word He laid on my heart was Less. That little four letter word has such a BIG meaning.

Sitting down to flesh out some of what might be less in my life this new year resulted in a list, a conglomeration, of decisions that are made daily. Decisions to make less of worldly possessions and passions that unhealthily draw me away from responsibilities and relationships that have eternal value. Choices in healthy eating habits, daily exercise, removing clutter from my home, thought patterns, healthy media boundaries and choices of responsibilities outside the home, just to name a few.

Romans 6:12-14

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Some of those decisions may seem trivial, but for me, they are vital.  Because I have been made alive in Christ, I am seeing the importance of using my whole body as an instrument of righteousness.  Freely living in the grace God has provided.  Just as Romans 6:12-14 says. 2014 will bring less of me...my thinking, habits and choices.  It will reflect Christ and how He has changed my life.

What is your one word for 2014?  What are you hoping this year will bring?