More Than A Consultant

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
                      John 10:10 ESV



I was talking the other day to someone who is contemplating a career change.  This person isn't sure what to do, but knows he needs a change.  I made the joke that if he could figure out what a consultant does, he could do that.  I thought it was a pretty good joke.

But this morning I was listening to a sermon by Timothy Keller and he used the illustration of how some people use Jesus as a consultant.  I thought this was a fantastic analogy.  But then a voice whispered to me, "Do you treat Jesus that way?"

I had been stopped in my tracks, and it got me thinking about what do people go to a consultant to gain.  Wisdom?  Direction?  Expertise?  So I went searching for the definition of a consultant; "a person who gives expert or professional advice".  That doesn't sound like a definition fit for The King of Kings, does it?

Unfortunately, though, I often approach Jesus that way.  I seek His advice on my ideas rather than seeking His Truths, His Will and His Answers.  I take what I think and "run it past him" as I would do a consultant.

Instead, I need to approach Jesus, My King, My Savior, My Redeemer with reverence, humbleness and a moldable heart.  Because if I don't, I'm falling short of living the life He wants for me.  And what kind of life does He want for me?  As John 10:10 states above, He wants to give me abundant life.  Some versions say rich and satisfying.

So if I am truly wanting to receive and life this rich, satisfying, abundant life that Jesus has for me, I need to approach Him as He truly is and not just a consultant in my life.

Blah Days

Do you ever go through times in your life when you feel like the blah version of yourself? Oh you continue on like nothing is really wrong and put on a good front for others to see, but in your head, you know that things aren't quite right.

And deep down, you know why things aren't right. Your relationship with God isn't your priority. You've let it slip down a few notches.  Even if you get around to reading your Bible, the words seem hollow. And your prayers? They become something you say by routine, if you bother to pray at all.

So what next. You know you have a problem; how do you fix it.  Some people would say to just "buck up" or "just get through it".  In my opinion, that's when you become numb to God and it your blah days can turn into blah years.

There was a time in my life when I was good at going through the motions. Good at covering up when I felt blah.  But that was a time in my life when I didn't have people in my life who I would trust enough to tell all my struggles too. Because let's face it, during those blah times, aren't you glad that those you come in contact with don't have ESP. So now, thanks to where God has led me in my life, I have close friends and family who I can be real with.  Real about all the internal struggles.  Who will pray with me when I can't find the words.

Now those blah times are much fewer and far between. But occasionally, they do come back. And I don't think they are always a bad thing. Because there is one thing that runs through my head during my blah days, "Is this what it's like without God?"  My blah days, I truly feel, are allowed my God to reveal to me how my neighbour who doesn't know him feels. It gives me a fresh perspective on the daily life of an unbeliever and how struggling through a day on my own strength without God feels.

So next time you have a day where you feel God is far away, remember that there is someone who lives that way every day and needs to hear about Jesus Christ.

The Great I Am

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with My victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10 NLT


My little 2 year-old daughter will often say to me "Hold hand, mommy" with a quiet pleading in her voice.  She will say it as we are walking down stairs, in a busy place or sometimes even walking down the hallway in our home.  Sometimes she is just wanting to hold my hand for fun, while other times it's because she is nervous or afraid of something.  My almost 5 year-old does not ask to hold my hand as often.  She's more confident in herself walking down a set of stairs or walking beside me in a store, even though there are still times when she just wants to be close to me; wants to feel my presence.  

I look at the way each of my daughters needs me or reaches for me and can't help but compare their needs to how I need God. There are times when I, like my 2 year-old, will cling the Word of God, desperately needing Him close and soaking up His presence.  These are the times when I usually see and feel the danger of being pulled away from Him.  But there are times when I feel confident in myself, like my oldest daughter, and don't feel like holding on to the Lord's hand or clinging to Him.  I walk along, thinking that I see everything around me clearly and that although I know God is there if I need Him, I don't need to hold on to His hand.

But how many times do I not see the danger of not clinging to God, just like my oldest who might not see the car backing up as we walk through a parking lot or the patch of ice at the bottom of the steps.

As I read this verse from Isaiah, I usually take these truths and tuck them away for a day when I am afraid or discouraged or needing help.  But the truth of the matter is that every day, no matter if I "feel" like I need God to be there or not, He is there.  He already knows my day, my stresses, my upcoming struggles and He is already victorious over them.  And although I may not be able to anticipate them, even if I try to, He is with me and I need to hold on to His hand whether I feel confident in myself or not.  I need to have the attitude of my 2 year-old, who wants to enjoy holding my hand, even if there is not any danger that I can see or feel.

Because above all, He is victorious over all that could harm me today.  

Better Than I Do

"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him." - Psalms 62:1


Quiet time.  Right now, at this moment in my home, it is quiet.  The clock reads 9:29 pm and my two sleeping princesses have crashed for the night.  Hopefully it lasts until I'm ready for them to get up in the morning, but it might not.  That's one of the joys of motherhood, expecting the unknown.

As I sit here with my cup of tea, the silence almost feels overwhelming.  In a world where our lives are constantly bombarded with the sound of the phone ringing, music on the radio or ipod, dishwasher running, kids playing hide-and-seek and a miriad of other noises, I can honestly say that I'm not really comfortable with quiet anymore.  Are you?

Unfortunately, I think the noise of our society and lives is one of Satan's biggest weapons.  Why?  Because if you look at the verse from Psalm 62 quoted above, you'll see that when we wait quietly before God, we are victorious in The Lord.  So why wouldn't Satan use ever tactic he can think of to distract and muddle our minds with noise.  He doesn't want us to be victorious over anything.

Yet, amidst all Satan's distractions, we are called to be quiet.  How many times have you heard Psalm 46:10a quoted?  "Be still, and know that I am God!"  I even have it on a painting in my living room.

As a mom, I have struggled so many times with this, personally, in my life.  And after talking to countless other moms, I know I'm not the only one.  We struggle to stay awake if we do get a chance to sit still in a chair for 5 minutes because the baby started teething and kept us up half the night.  We are so desperate for adult conversation that if we get any "quiet", we jump on the phone to catch up with a friend or make that dentist appointment for our husband.  The receptionist at the dental office is an adult, so that counts as our adult conversation for the day.  We try to get up earlier than anyone else to enjoy the calm before the day, but in our morning fuzzy brain forget about that one floorboard that sqeakes and wakes up the toddler.

So is there an answer to finding quiet time with God as a mom of young, noisy blessings?  I think it comes down to this.  Who or what is our priority and what are we seeking to fill us?  Is it Facebook?  Is it a gossip magazine?  Is it Pinterest?  Unfortunately, I have to admit that I don't always utilize the time I do have.

I don't believe that God measures our devotion to Him by the amount of time we sit at the kitchen table in complete silence.  I do believe that He knows our lives, better than we do.  He knows our limitations and obstacles, better than we do.  He knows me, better than I do.  He knows what I have to face that day, better than I do.  He knows that I won't get to sit down until 9 pm, better than I do.

So why can't I find even five minutes with the One who knows, better than I do, the joys and sorrows ahead of me and also the One who gives me my victory.  As my clock now reads 10:01 pm, I'm going to end this post, and go utilize my time with the One who is my victory and knows my tomorrow, better than I do.

The Basics of God's Will

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
                  1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

If you're like me, at one point in your life, you've probably tried to get into shape. You research different kinds of workout programs and meals plans to find the perfect one for you.  You watch the interviews of people who have successfully toned, sculpted and transformed their bodies.  You tell yourself that you can do this and look forward to the end result.

But what happens if you only do part of the program? If you ignore the meal plans, or only workout out 2 days a week versus the 6 days that are recommended, will your body get the results that are promised in the program?  Probably not.

Our walk with God is kind of like that too.  We so often search for God's will in our life. We read all the books.  (Just for fun, I went to christianbooks.com and typed in "God's will" in the search bar and got 14,815 results.)

Like physical fitness, searching for spiritual fitness is something sought after and researched. But as I studied the verses from 1 Thessalonians that are quoted above, something stood out to me.  This verse tells us what God's will is for all followers of Christ.  It is to be joyful, never stop praying and be thankful in all circumstances. 

But like physical fitness, we want to shortcuts.  We want to skip steps and get the same end results. We are thankful in most circumstances, joyful sometimes (if our kids are being good and the sun is shining), but only pray in front of others.  Yet, we get so frustrated when God doesn't seem to be moving in our life the way we expect. 

Doesn't that give you a fresh perspective on being thankful, prayerful and joyful?  It does for me. As much as I enjoy books and studies on learning and following God's will for my life, I'm going to get back to the basics and make the following the theme for my days:  "Erin, always be joyful.  Erin, never stop praying. Erin, be thankful in all circumstances. Erin, this is God's will for you.  Erin belongs to Christ Jesus."  Thanks to Melissa Taylor from Proverbs 31 ministries online bible studies for issuing this challenge :)

Deception of Perfection

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fear the Lord is to be praised."
               Proverbs 31:30


I have naturally curly, dark brown hair.  And each morning, when getting ready for the day, I like to make sure that each individual strand of hair is curled just so.  My main reason?  What if someone thought my hair wasn't naturally curly because of one hair not curling properly!  So because of this thought running through my head, I take extra care to check my hair at every angle.  Sounds a little ridiculous, right?  It's really not that anyone would think less of me if one hair was out of place, but I want to make sure that I don't look that way.

It's laughable, yes, but realistically, how often do we that with our homes, our kids, our vehicles and just our life in general.  There have been many times I've asked my husband to change shirts so people don't think I neglect my husband (and if you know my husband, he doesn't give one thought to the wrinkles, but will change for me).  We seek to deceive others, and sometimes ourselves, into thinking we're perfect.  We strive to make sure that the house "looks" neat and tidy to the naked eye, but hoping that no one looks too closely.  We make sure our child has a healthy snack at school, hoping they don't tell the teacher about the popcorn you gave them for supper last night.  We buy these things called "Spanx" to make sure those extra few cookies we indulged in don't show themselves through the pretty new sundress we got off the clearance rack at Wal-Mart.

We also spend a lot of time "researching" perfection.  How many of us buy those home decorating or organizing magazines that stare at us from the checkout line at the grocery store?  We see these while our kids are grabbing for the strategically placed candy bars or gum, and succumb to the temptation that this magazine, for only $4.99, will help us rearrange our lives to perfection.  And how many of us have seen or subscribe to blogs that will give us all sorts of tips on meal-planning, pantry organization and the perfect color of blue for your guest room.  Don't get me wrong, I love that we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, but what feelings do you come away with?  Do you feel inspired or depressed?  Hopeful or overwhelmed?

One of the biggest images of perfection that I've struggled with is the Proverbs 31 woman.  But, because I truly believe what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," I cannot avoid Proverbs chapter 31.  This week I was reminded by Karen Ehman in her book, "Let. It. Go." that it does not say that this woman accomplished all of these things in one day or even by a certain age.

What a relief, because I've struggled so many times with why my house will never stay toy-clutter free (thanks to my beautiful, giggling 2 and 4 year-old princesses) like the ones in the magazines. Or why I can't get my act together and plan my meals days in advance.  Or why I'm not more organized with my time and make it to the gym to rid my waist of those extra cookies.  What I've have to remind myself it that I need my my priorities, to be God's priorities.  He wants me to be real.  No more deception of perfection. And to remind myself that for everything, there is a season.  He calls me to do my best each day.  And as we all know, His best is not the same as what the world deems as "best", so I need not bog myself down with images of the perfect home or the perfectly dressed children.

Someday I may have a well-organized home, pre-planned meals and dresses that don't need spanx hidden underneath.  And maybe, one of these days, I'll be able to let go of having the perfect head of curls.

Starting Fresh

To the woman He said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
            Genesis 3:16

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
            Proverbs 12:4


I always thought I had a pretty good handle on the submissive wife thing.  I had no problem allowing my husband to have the final say on the big things and trusting in his leadership according to how he thought God wanted us to proceed.  We'd discuss our options, I'd let him know what my thoughts were, but then I'd give it to him and to God. No biggy.

But heaven help him if he loaded the dishwasher wrong, put a diaper on a way that I didn't think was good enough, dressed one of our girls in yellow polka dots and pink stripes, etc.  You get the idea; I like things at home done my way!

In the last week, as I read the chapter entitled "Managing Your Man" in Karen Ehman's book "Let. It. Go.", I've come to see little more clearly how I am falling into the curse of sin that God spoke to Eve in Genesis 3:16.  I am desiring to control my husband.  It's a part of the curse that I had never looked at too closely.

Through Karen's writing and my other bible study, "True Woman 101" by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss, I've felt God reveal to me that the way I speak and correct what my husband does, is more like the disgraceful wife in Proverbs 12:4.  And that is not what God created me, and women in general, for.  He has called us to be soft, nuturing, relational, welcoming and helpful.  These are strengths God has given to every woman.

God has designed women and men with different strengths.  Women's strengths are not more important than men's strengths, and vice versa.  God designed our strengths to compliment each other and together, display His glory in a marvelous and unique way.  So this just means that if I stay within my own strengths and not try to take over ones that my husband has been given by God, we will accurately display His glory.

Easier said than done, right?  Another aspect to my marriage that creates some unique challenges is that my husband and I are both firstborns.  This generally means we like things done our way because we each think that we know best and are the most trusted person for the job.  Can you say "Type A Personalities"?  That's us.  So this is why when Karen Ehman says to me in the book that "backing off and and not controlling your husband will feel foreign", I want to shout "Amen" because at least I'm not the only one that struggles with going again my natural tendencies! She also says that "the act of submitting is always a choice by and an action of the wife."  And praise the Lord that He gave me a husband that I'm not scared or afraid to submit to.

So today I'm starting fresh.  Seeking to be a bit softer and a bit less obsessive over the little things that I think aren't just the way they should be and focus on what God has given me.  He has given me a man who willingly tries to comb a little girls hair and dresses her sister to help me not be so rushed getting out the door.  He has given me a man who cooks supper if I'm too tired.  He has given me a man who makes sure my vehicle runs, has the best tires and gas in the tank.  He has given me a man who goes to work to provide for his family, works 12 hours and comes home to help me put two little girls to bed.  He has given me a man that I have never doubted his love for me.

Thank God for the blessing of my husband and help me be the wife of noble character that is my husband's crown.  And thank you Karen Ehman for enlightening me with this quote: "You see, if I had a perfect husband who could meet my every need, I would have no need for God."