Are We A Little Too Phoney?

I have a confession to make.  I love my iPhone.  I really do.  I carry it with me where ever I go.  

I love receiving a daily picture or video sent cross-country of my sweet grand-daughter.

I love that throughout the day my husband can text me a little love message… Who wouldn’t love that?!  I love that I can take a picture while going for an evening walk.  I love not missing that call from my mom. (Or anyone else!) I love my Kindle app, my Fitness Pal app, my Weather app., my FB app, my Instagram app...  You get the idea.

Now this is the thing…  The other day I was standing in the grocery line.  (It seems I'm always in a grocery line!) There was an elderly lady in front of me and an elderly gentleman behind me.  The line was long and I was a little bored, so I whipped out my trusty phone and began to check my emails.  I wasn’t expecting anything vital… I was just bored.  And then it hit me.  What if God had ordained this time to engage this man or woman in conversation?  Perhaps they needed a kind or encouraging word.  Perhaps they needed to have someone actually make eye contact, to notice them, to show a small kindness. 

It made me wonder how many other opportunities to share the love of Jesus I’ve missed...  The doctor's office, the hair salon, sitting at Starbucks?  As I thought back over my week, I became painfully aware of so many wasted opportunities.  

Would Jesus have ignored that mom and child 
standing next to Him at Target while He played FreeCell?

A while ago, friends of ours had some acquaintances over for dinner who spent an inordinate amount of time on their phones.  While one was Facebooking about how much fun they were having, the other was Instagramming pictures of our friend's dinner table and posting about the great meal.  She said she was tempted to invite them to stash the phones and just be present sans social media. 

I’m just wondering... In this age of uber-technology, do we sometimes allow our phones/tablets to steal God-ordained moments with those standing or sitting right next to us? 

So, Mary… Note To Self:
Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. 
Be aware of those around you.
Be careful not to use your phone to avoid making one-on-one connections.
If you’re visiting/working/engaging with someone, stay focused on them.  Stay present!
Remember that it’s sometimes those few kind and caring words, a random shared pleasantry, or eye-to-eye conversation that can lift a heavy heart, relieve loneliness, and give someone a glimpse of the sweet love of Jesus.   
 
Don’t get me wrong, I still love my phone!  It’s just that I’m going to try to be a little less 'connected' and a little more engaged with those around me.
 

Living in His grace,

  Mary  

How about you?  

Do you miss opportunities to engage with those around you?

Do you ever find yourself distracted by your phone

 and forfeit present-relationship?

Have you ever just wished someone would put down

 their phone, look you in the eyes and talk with you?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Please leave a comment! 

 

I'd like to ask you for two quick favors.

1.  Please go to the block of Friends over in the right column and click Join this Site. This doesn't subscribe you or obligate you to anything. It's just a way to let me know that you visited Woman to Woman. If you're reading this by email, you'll need to click Here to sign in.

2.  Please click the Facebook Like button in the right column. (I love seeing your beautiful faces!)

Each woman who stops by(I'm talking about you!) is so precious to our Lord and to me.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments, emails, and FB messages. 

  It's always so good to hear from you!

You Can't Drink A Cup Of Rocks

Let’s pretend that you’re stranded in the desert.  You have no water, no food.  Your lips and throat are so parched and dry that they’re raw, cracked, blistered, and bleeding.  A very nice man comes by with a large cup in hand and offers you a drink.  With trembling hands you reach out, take the cup and bring it to your blistered lips.  But wait!  It’s nothing but a cup of... rocks!

The very nice man encourages you to read what’s written on each rock.  One rock says conference, one says ladies retreat, one says church nursery, one says praise music, and one says Christian books.  You can’t believe that when you need water, he gives you rocks.  And he can’t believe that these wonderful, really great rocks won’t quench your thirst! 
 

At times you may be 'spiritually dry'.  You  feel raw, empty, cracked, blistered, lost and alone.  So what do you do?  Well, you may begin to do some really good things.  Things like listening to praise music, going to a ladies retreat, helping in the church nursery.  You get busy doing things, really good things. These are all wonderful events that may point you to Christ, but they, like the rocks, can’t take the place of a relationship with Christ, our Living Water. 

Apart from a relationship with Jesus, 

even the really good things won't quench your thirst.

Are there ever times when you just feel spiritually dry?  

What have you done to quench that thirst?

I'd love to hear from you!

Leave a comment!

Living in His grace, 

Mary

You can’t drink a cup of rocks.  

 If you try, you’ll just get a face full of stones.

 Picture 

For Every Woman

Come, let's take a walk.

This is important.

Be sure to...

Notice the sun glimmering on the peaceful water. Feel the warm sand under your toes. Take in the beauty of the trees and the soft mist floating between the glorious hills…This is God’s handiwork.  He created every grain of sand, every drop of water, every leaf on every tree and every rock that forms each mountain.  He created the sun that so beautifully reflects off the water…all of these things are magnificent creations of God.

Now, I want you to place yourself in this picture.  It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, how old or young you are, or what your skills and accomplishments are.  It doesn’t matter one bit what kind of car you drive or the size of your home.  You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for His purpose... To bring glory to Him.

Yes, His majestic mountains, rivers, oceans, and solar systems are incredible,  
yet none can compare with you.   
He didn’t create the mountains to commune with Him.   

He didn’t create the rivers to talk with Him. 

But you… You He created in His image.  And when you placed your trust in Him 

as your Savior and Lord, by His shed blood, you were received as

His beloved ~ His precious daughter.   

Nothing compares to you.

I know for some of you this isn’t difficult to accept and believe. But for some... Perhaps you struggle with insecurity. Perhaps growing up you never felt loved or affirmed and you’ve been searching for that all your life.  Perhaps you feel inadequate as a mom.  Perhaps you've never felt pretty enough, or accomplished enough, or good enough...

  I’d like for you to close your eyes and sit  with this truth for a minute.

Let this wash over you...

   You are far grander than the highest mountains and vast oceans.   

  You are His beloved, His precious daughter, His workmanship. 

  You are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus.

Receive and embrace this as God’s truth.

It changes everything...

just for you. 

"For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, 

so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

Ephesians 2 :10 {NLT}

Do you truly believe you're a daughter of the King?

  Or, do you struggle with feeling less than?

I'd love to hear from you.

Leave a comment!

So many of you have been leaving comments, and I just need

to tell you how much I appreciate each and every one.  

You bless and encourage me each time you drop by for a visit.

Thank you so much!
With much love, 
Mary  

Mary

Living in His grace, 

Mary

Mary

The Big Surprise... Oh No!

What does it take for you to feel significant and valuable? Do you get your sense of worth from that long-worked-for college degree? Or perhaps you've always felt less valuable because you didn’t go to college? Maybe you get your sense of value from your job or how much money you make, how many friends you have, how you look, how your house looks, the clothes you wear, or the car you drive.  

Here's a big one for moms.  Do you get your sense of worth from how your children behave or what they accomplish? As moms, we invest so much of ourselves in our children that when they behave well, we feel so validated. And when they mess up, we can feel like failures.

When my son, Mark, was in preschool, he was really excited for the Mother’s Day program. The morning of the program I dressed him in an adorable new  outfit. He had his little “toys ‘r us” back pack on, and hand in hand, we walked to school. We moms were all seated, waiting for the program to begin. The little ones began walking into the room.They all looked so cute in their special little outfits. And then walked in... Mark.

Source

Well, he evidently had a few accessories in his cute little backpack that I didn’t know about. He proudly walked in with his coveted coonskin cap on his head, a pirate patch over one eye, and a toy gun stuffed down the front of his pants!  

Oh, but Mark wasn’t done surprising me that morning. The children had a song to sing. One of the little boys had been given the weighty task of keeping a steady beat on the drum while Mark, at the opposite end of the row, was wildly playing the air drum to a song that only he could hear!

Aah, but he still wasn’t done surprising me. You see, there was a poem... The children all recited in unison (complete with hand motions) this sweet poem about a seed that was planted in the ground. There was a spring rain, sunshine, and finally a beautiful flower grew out of the soil. All the little hand flowers were waving at their mommies. The poem was supposed to end there... 
(I really wish it had.)

Suddenly, Mark stood up and I heard my precious little armed, air drumming pirate with the coonskin cap announce:  “And then the poor flower... died. The end.”   

Well, at that point all the little girls gasped, and the little boys were rolling around on the floor laughing, which I’m sure is precisely the reaction Mark was looking for.  And I was on the front row trying to discreetly motion for him to s-i-t  d-o-w-n! 
(While trying to think of a way to convince everyone that "I'm just his caregiver and I really don't even know the family very well.")

Well, I have to tell you, walking home from that program I felt like a complete failure.  Why was my son the only child to behave like that?I was so embarrassed and I just knew that the other mothers must think I was a terrible mom.  

Fortunately for both Mark and myself, I quickly came to appreciate and enjoy his unique spin on life. But, I have to admit that there were times when I either saw myself as a failure or a success depending on how my children behaved or what they accomplished.

What about you? Today, where do you search for significance and worth? If you seek it from anyone or anything in this world, you will be very disappointed. The value that comes from things of this world is temporary and relative. You can mess up with your kids, lose your job, your home, or your looks. You can disappoint people and lose family and friends.

What is it in your life;  the thing, that if you lost it or really messed it up, would leave you feeling worthless and without value?

I love this!

"35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  “38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   

Romans 8:35,37-39  NIV

 Christ's love gives us value. 
Nothing can separate us from His love. 
Nothing in all creation can take our God-given worth away.

Our significance comes from Him alone! 

What a relief and a comfort!  

 Has your sense of self-worth ever been shaken?
I'd love to hear from you!

 Living in His grace! 
Mary
P.S.  Mark is now 24 years old and I still have his coonskin cap! 

   I'd like to invite you to visit 

What Joy is Mine, Women Living Well 
New Life Steward, Finding Joy, Intentional.Me 
Womanhood with Purpose , Beholding Glory 
Titus 2 Tuesdays, A Wise Woman Builds Her House 

and treat yourself to a few minutes of enjoyable reads!