provision

  • In Middle School, Middle Earth and Middle Age

    ByLauren Christian, community, envy, Jesus, parenting, provision
    21 Comments

     

    Photo by William Cavanah on Flickr

    “We are always one flesh wound away from our middle school insecurities.”  -Kay Wyma

     

    Mini-school night.  This is the middle school version of Open House – at least for our school district.  A week or two after school starts, parents are invited to walk their child’s schedule, complete with class beginning and ending bells.  Between bells, we parents spend roughly 8 minutes meeting each of our darling’s new teachers for the school year.  This is a ginormous beating.  You can’t find a place to park, you can’t find your spawn’s classes and you’ll be lucky if you can find your sanity by the end of the evening.  And yet I go every year.  At this stage in my daughter’s education, it may be the only time I lay eyes on some of her teachers.

     

    As I moved from class to class at this year’s mini-school, I anxiously looked for a familiar face before choosing a seat.  That’s all it took to mentally transport me back to the awkwardness of my own teenage years.  The insecurity of growing curves and actually needing a bra before any of my friends.  The other girls still looked like sticks, so in my eyes, curves = fat.  At almost my full-grown height, I felt like a lumberjack with permed hair and the genesis of an acne problem.  The weird new feelings for boys increased my self-conscious insecurity.  Growing up and apart from my childhood friends added loneliness to the parcel of new and excruciating feelings.  Mix in my propensity to wear the ketchup or gravy served with most cafeteria lunches and it’s a wonder I escaped Jr. High with any semblance of dignity.

     

    A couple of weeks after mini-school, I signed up for a new Bible study with a friend at a neighboring church.  My friend had an appointment the very first day and let me know she would be late.  Walking into the huge room filled with 200 women – not knowing if I would recognize a soul – gave me that middle-school feeling once again.  As a middle-aged, happily-married mother of 2, I kinda expected to be well passed the “will I fit in?” and “who will be my friend?” apprehensions.  But I still get blemishes, (How unfair is it to have pimples and wrinkles at the same time?)  so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  Self-doubt still comes out to play at the most inopportune times.

     

    To be truthful, I am nothing special in and of myself.  But my Savior is something very special.  So when I’m uneasy or feeling fragile, I like to remind myself of what He says about me.

     

    1.  When I feel like a dork, God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  (Psalm 139:14)
    2. When I’m needy, He reminds me that He supplies all my needs. (Philippians 4:19)
    3. When I’m struggling to belong, it helps to remember I’m a citizen of heaven.  (Philippians 3:20)
    4. When the last thing I feel is confident, Ephesians 3:12 says I have confident access to the God of the universe.
    5. As I dab concealer on a breakout, I’m reminded that in Christ I am holy and unblemished. (Ephesians 1:4)
    6. Even if I’m left out by friends, God chose me as His special possession.  (1 Peter 2:9)
    7. When the fat pants make an appearance and my hair won’t cooperate, God says He created me in His image (Genesis 1:27)
    8. When everyone else’s talents seem bigger and more significant than mine, I can read in God’s word that I am His handiwork, created in Christ to do GOOD work. (Ephesians 2:10)
    9. And lastly, the Bible counters those times I just feel all wrong (don’t tell me I’m the only one).  I am not only right, I am the righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)

    Do you remember the pimply, permed girl from middle school?

    If God can transform me and use me, He can do the same for anyone.

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     Do you know His son Jesus, who makes these 9 things true of me?  If you aren’t sure, I would love to tell you about him.  Jump over to the comments page of my blog and you can send a completely private message to me there.  I would be so pleased to have coffee, lunch or a phone call with you.  And in the mean time, keep rocking’.  Sorry.  That flashback brought to you by adolescent PTSD.

  • Joey – How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others to Learn to See

    ByLauren Christian, Faith, provision, trusting God
    18 Comments

     

    As a member of the launch team for the brand new book in this picture, I received an advance reader copy.  What a joy it was to learn about Hope Reins ranch.  The focus in this true story is on Joey, an appaloosa who was so badly mistreated that he went blind.  This therapy ranch rescued him to train him to work with hurting children.  In essence, he was rescued to rescue others.  There are too many gospel messages in just that sentence for me to unpack here.  But then again, the gospel of Jesus is all over this sweet book.

     

    Joey may be the title character, but I think this book is about God.  More specifically, it weaves an ongoing saga of God’s provision.  One woman started a therapeutic horse ranch with only a dream and a dollar.  A dollar a month that she paid for 17 acres of premium land because a church believed in her vision and God’s ability to produce fruit from it.  Through fundraisers and generous donors God provided the money needed time and again for sheds, tack, feed, vet bills and all other supplies.  Our good Father graciously provided Hope Reins as a loving, stable home for mistreated and neglected animals.  He certainly doesn’t have to care about the suffering of animals, but that’s how big His heart is.  Especially when alleviating that suffering brings glory to Him.  And it does, as He provides comfort to these horses, they provide comfort to hurting children.  God provides hope and healing through the unlikeliest vehicles – and not just for the children.  Many of the adults who find themselves drawn to volunteer at Hope Reins receive much more than they bargained for –  a purpose and healing of their own wounds through time with these majestic animals.

     

    God is in the details.  That’s the encouragement I got from Joey’s story.  Our Heavenly Father cares about our hopes and dreams.  He cares about our wounds.  He concerns himself with our physical, emotional, financial and spiritual needs.  And He provides.  He is Jehovah-jireh.

     

    Kim, the founder of Hope Reins, constantly repeated the mantra, “Worry and trust.  Worry and trust.”  Life would be much simpler if we could eliminate the worry from the equation.  We can trust that God will prove Himself every time.  That’s who He is.  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7 NIV  “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19 NIV  Test him in it.  And if you need some extra encouragement in the battle, pre-order (it releases May 8th) the story of Joey – a tale of a blind horse and blind faith – by clicking here.