My Name

I have a confession to make.

Today's reading was Nehemiah 10-12...and I have to admit that I skim read lots of it. Have a quick glance at those chapters and you might be able to work out why I didn't do a thorough read.

Lists and lists of names....half of them I can't even pronounce. Boring!

Well actually, not boring if you think about it like this.....

What if it were MY name listed there....right in the middle of God's Word? What if I was being recognised for all of humankind to read and see that I was a person who loved and served God? What if I was counted amongst the ones who were worthy of special mention because they obeyed the Lord?

I got to wondering how God looks at my life, my heart and my actions. When He looks at me, does it make Him smile? Do I make Him proud? Am I a 'chip off the old block?'

So today...even though I woke up grumpy and a little bit sad....I am determined to move on. I don't want to waste this day. I don't want to give God cause to shake His head or be disappointed. I want to get to the end of the day and as I lay my head on my pillow, be able to look back and know that I had a day 'well spent' and even though it may not be full of actions and thoughts that would get my name in the Bible, it was still a day that I lived for the One who gave it to me.

You are just making it up

I laughed when I read my 4 chapters of Nehemiah this morning.
You may find that surprising, considering the subject matter of that OT book.
But check out ch 6 v 8 in the NIV.....I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head."
The context is Nehemiah replying to accusations his enemies had written to him.
I laughed because the wording sounds pretty funny and I can just imagine an old man in a long robe with a flowing beard saying these words with the shake of a finger.
But then I thought more about Nehemiah's words and got the feeling that you and I could probably have those same words said to us many times in a week. Not that people actually say them out loud to us, but perhaps it's what they and God would like to say.


And we give them reason to....Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
There's just too much to do today. I won't be able to do it all.
I can't believe they said that about me.
I'm terrified of letting my kids out of my sight...they won't be safe.
I'll never be as good as her.
The doctor will have bad news for us.
Ahhhh! Christmas with his family...it'll be chaos!
Why bother applying for that job...I won't get it.
My husband just doesn't love me, otherwise he would do/say......
They all must think I'm an idiot now...
I always worry/fail/put my foot in my mouth/go off the deep end/get sick/etc...that's just what I do.
Teach RE / Sunday School God? But I'm not good with kids.
I have nothing interesting to say.
God could never forgive me for that.
And there's no doubt 13 or 57 or 189 more thoughts we have in a week that come from a similar place.


Isn't it tragic that we give so much of our thought-life to things that a) will never happen or b) simply aren't true? We worry and we fret and we get frustrated and in reality "we are just making it up out of our head." Silly us!


How about being really conscious of what you're thinking today and asking God to help you get a good dose of reality regarding those thoughts. Pray that your thoughts would be His...life-affirming and positive....joyful and true. 

Maybe then you'll be able to laugh often, love more and live long!