It all started as I began my reading about King Hezekiah.

2 Kings 18 1-7

“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.

He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.

And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.”

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Ki 18:1–7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

My morning study led me through several passages, but it was in this passage that I discovered the words, almost like a neon sign, beckoning my attention. We’re told that Hezekiah broke the brass serpent that Moses used in the wilderness because the people had started to worship the brass serpent instead of God.

That’s when I began to ponder the ease of idolatry.

I’m sure if you asked most of us if we worship idols we’d say, “Of course not.”

Maybe we should really ponder this question some more.

Psalm 139:23

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

In Numbers 21 God had told the people if they wanted to be saved from the bite of the fiery serpent they had to look upon this brass serpent on a pole that Moses had made. What once was established by God to heal them had now become an idol to them.

I began to examine my own life and consider areas where I might have easily misplaced my gaze.

I wrote to my Joe saying,

“There is an ease in idolatry that I hadn’t considered until this morning. Perhaps it’s because idolatry puts my attention on my efforts and is tangible in some way to stimulate or satisfy my senses.”

Friends, let us remember that our good works, important traditions, right words, or proper clothes won’t bring us one step closer to God. If we begin to put our gaze on any of these things other than Him we’ve fallen prey to the ease of idolatry.

I am confident that God deserves all of our worship.

My thoughts and study will continue until I fully consider the implications of idolatry in my own life. I hope you’ll take a moment to consider the importance of this topic as well.

May our eyes be fixed on the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

The post Ease of Idolatry appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.

Psalm 30: 5

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Have you ever waited for morning to arrive?

I’ve been considering the life of Sarah for the past few weeks. She knew a lot about waiting, didn’t she?

I told my daughter over coffee, “I am probably more like Sarah than I’d like to admit.”

I can recall those younger years of motherhood when I would take multiple pregnancy tests just waiting to see those pink lines announcing that God had placed a gift in my womb.

There were seasons between children that seemed so long, but nothing like Sarah’s wait.

After living for 80 years barren, God spoke a promise to Sarah that she would have a child.

If it were me, I would have been taking a pregnancy test as soon as I went back to my tent.

I can’t even imagine what she must have been thinking month after month passed with no child. In fact, it was ten years before she would hold the child she had been promised.

Why?

Why wouldn’t God wait to tell her of His promise or hurry the promise into existence?

One of the things I’ve learned in life is that God’s work isn’t just the exclamation of each promise but it’s also in the commas of life, the pauses, the ellipsis of waiting for what’s next.

It’s in these moments when Sarah found herself in-between the promise spoken and the promise held that she grew weary.

I can see myself doing the same thing (just a lot sooner than she did!).

I can picture the conversations I’d have with myself. The thinking that I must have misunderstood what God meant or God must have wanted me to do something to help him.

I can’t count the times I’ve traded God’s best for my best all in the name of “helping” God.

God’s timing is typically not our timing.

Without an eternal perspective, we can grow discouraged waiting for the promise to arrive.

I am convinced, that just because we become tired of waiting for His promises, doesn’t make the promises any less real. Even when we forget the promises, God remains faithful to His promises. He will unveil His promises in His timing and for His glory.

The morning will come.

I’ve had those seasons of life where I’ve grown weary waiting.

I would tell myself it’s better thinking of something else than to wake every morning expecting the promise to appear only to be disappointed once again.

I’ve grown tired (no wholly exhausted) waiting for Salvation to come to my home, hoping for healing, praying for relationships restored, searching for Truth, and longing for His revealed promises.

Through the years, I’ve learned that it’s in this waiting, this ellipses of life, that God is doing something magnificent in me. I can honestly say, I am not the same person. Those journeys to His promises transformed me. I wonder if Sarah felt the same way about her journey of waiting for the promise of Isaac.

Joy comes in the morning.

When I read the Scriptures, I get a birds-eye view of the journey from promise to promise. As I flip from chapter to chapter, it’s easy to forget that some, like Sarah, waited years to see the promise manifested. Time does not change the validity of His promises. Each promise was made complete at the exact moment God ordained.

Personally, I have witnessed Joy arrive, and more glorious than I ever imagined. Multiple times in my life, I have seen God’s promises revealed. Yet, not once, can I recall witnessing it appear on my timeline. Reminding myself of this fact gives me hope to wait on the Lord again and again and again.

Have you ever felt that way too?

Have you been waiting for the morning dawn to appear?

Let’s remember to wait on the Lord. Let’s learn from Sarah that God doesn’t need our “help” (really!), and we certainly don’t need the hardships that come from orchestrating wannabe promises in our strength.

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the Lord:

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Friends, Joy is coming!

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

The post Joy Comes In The Morning appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.

Maybe it was the news of Kate Spade’s death or the fact that a friend confided in me that she wanted to end her life.

Perhaps it’s the fact that every year, here in the US, almost 45,000 people end their lives.

Whatever the reason, I’ve been pondering the reality of a broken heart.

I know that not all of us will wrestle with feelings of suicide, but all of us will experience heartbreak in some fashion.

Heartbreak comes packaged in all shapes and sizes at different seasons of life.

There is the heartbreak of loss, betrayal, rejection, empty promises, loneliness, sin, and countless other ways we experience brokenness. I don’t know what heartbreak you’ve experienced or what heartbreak lies ahead of you, but this is what I know: heartbreak happens to each of us. While none of us escape life without heartbreak, I am confident that there is hope on the other side and mercy in the midst.

The reality is that not all of us will find hope or recognize His mercy in our seasons of brokenness.

Why?

Maybe that’s because we fall captive to the fables of a broken heart or the weight of loneliness, or perhaps we fail to see the purpose and beauty that brokenness reveals.

Myths of a Broken Heart

1. It’s my fault.
2. Time will fix it.
3. If I were stronger, it wouldn’t hurt so bad.

It’s my fault.

If I had just done “insert whatever lies you tell yourself” or if I were better at “insert next lie,” There are a thousand lies that try to creep into our thoughts when we face heartbreak; we must learn to take captive all thoughts that are contrary to the word of God. This myth is devastating. It’s not just our thoughts we battle against; we have to fight the negative thoughts of others.  “Helpful friends” who try to reason and make sense of hardships often like to point out what we’ve done wrong.

Let me stop right there.

Friends, bad things don’t just happen to bad people. Job knew this better than most of us will ever know. The very first words written about Job were how he was perfect and upright, he feared the Lord and rejected evil. His story goes on to share about brokenness, sorrow, and trials; none of what he experienced were the result of his failures.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had countless times in my life when my personal choices made things challenging. I reap what I sow, just like you do.

Galatians 6: 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ga 6:7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

At the same time, there have been countless times when I’ve experienced the depth of heartbreak, and it had nothing to do with my wrongdoing, sin, or failures.

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 5:45). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Time will heal your broken heart.

No, no, it won’t. Only God can heal our brokenness, and yes, that process can take time, but time alone will not heal my broken heart or yours.

Good intentions or not, it’s vain for us to suggest that time will heal a broken heart.

Time doesn’t heal anything.

For some, time may do nothing more than ferment bitterness. For others, it may grow an abundance of gratitude. Time is a tool God uses as He completes the good work He has begun in each of us, but no, time won’t heal our broken hearts.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Php 1:6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

If I were stronger, it wouldn’t hurt so bad.

Maybe you’ve thought these thoughts before:

“I should be stronger than this.”

“If I was stronger like (insert whoever you compare yourself with) I would be able to deal with this.”

The truth is, you don’t have to be strong enough for your trials.

I distinctly remember the moment I accepted the freedom to be weak.

Sobbing on my bathroom floor, I folded the red towels I had just dropped.

Silently, I prayed, “Lord. I quit; I can’t do it anymore.” It could have been a dozen things that brought me to my knees, but like most things in life, it was the straw that had broken the camel’s back.

Through my tears, I gasped for breath when the verse from 2 Corinthians came to mind.

2 Corinthians 12: 9-11 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Co 12:9–10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Whenever God changes us, it becomes life-changing. No matter how many years pass, we remember what we were doing and where we were at. This moment was no different- It was life-changing for me. I began to embrace my weakness and my inabilities; praising HIm for His strengths and His perfection instead of worrying about my weakness and shortcomings.

I believe that once we get over those myths, we can move forward to finding mercy in brokenness and hope on the other side.

Responding to Heartbreak

Brokenness isn’t something we get to choose. There are times when we can see it approaching, and other times when it takes us by surprise. In either situation, we must prayerfully choose how to respond instead of reacting.

My first response to anyone who asks me how to get through a challenging situation is,

“Spend time in the Word like your eternity depends upon it.”

That’s how we should face every single day. Spending time in the Word helps us respond purposefully, with grace and courage. This is much better than reacting in our flesh, which gets scared, overwhelmed, and doubts.

As I went through my devotions this morning, David’s example encouraged me to praise God as a response to His brokenness.

Psalm 34: 1-4 

I will bless the Lord at all times:

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:

The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

O magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:18  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 34:1–4). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Purpose of Brokenness

Sometimes it can feel that the only purpose of brokenness is to destroy us. We don’t see any beauty that can possibly come out of the pain and yet that’s exactly what God does. I know there have been seasons I thought I would never dance again, and yet He traded my sorrow for gladness.

The Lord is merciful to us through the heartbreak.

Psalm 31 

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:

Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 30:11–12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Friends, take heart. There is hope on the other side of heartache. There’s also mercy in the midst of it.

If you feel like your life is a mess of shattered fragments and that nothing good can come out of it, let me encourage you that God makes mosaics out of messes. He brings beauty out of ashes.

Art created by Elisha T. Wood, Storytime Illustrating.

He’s done it for me, and I’m confident He will do it for you. God’s not like man, He doesn’t pick favorites. The Scriptures tell us that He is no respecter of persons.

Romans 2:11 

For there is no respect of persons with God

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 2:11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

The post On The Other Side of Heartbreak appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.

I sat in the line at the coffee shop this afternoon. Their espresso machine must be down again because the wait is longer than normal.

Suddenly, I noticed that my truck started to rock from side to side, not violently, but noticeable all the same. I looked up from my phone, looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I must be imagining things.

I went back to reading messages on my phone.

There, it happened again!

This time I was confident I felt the car rocking side to side. Looking around, still not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I got out of the car to look.

As I walked around to the back of the car, I noticed a beat-up sedan with more dents and dirt than I had seen in a long time. The car was parked so close behind me that the bumper was pressed firmly against the hitch of my truck.

“Well, that explains it,” I thought.

“Oh no! I did not hit your car ma’am!” came an angry voice out of the car window. I looked back and saw a woman with two young children in the car with her. It was obvious that she thought I wanted to fight with her.

“Why in the world is she yelling at me?” was my first thought when I decided to respond intentionally and not just react.

I replied in a soft tone, “Oh no! You didn’t hit my truck. You hit the hitch on my truck.” She wasn’t listening. She continued yelling. I smiled and gently said, “Ma’am, it’s okay. Everything is okay. I’m not mad.”

As I walked back to her car to talk with her, it was apparent that she was hot and tired. If her day had gone anything as her hair looked, she’d had a super rough day! The little girl in the back seat had as much dirt on her face as she did on her clothes. Still, her smile sparkled. The little boy, sitting up front in the passenger seat, had his body turned away from his mother. The mother didn’t make eye contact with me, but started to apologize and softened her voice.

I smiled then reassured her all was well and got back in my truck.

As I pulled up to the window, I told the barista that I’d like to pay for the car behind me. I drove away praying for the family in that beat-up sedan. I hope they saw that not everyone wants to fight.

Changing someone’s worldview won’t happen in one experience.

Still, it’s no reason for us not to look for opportunities to respond with thoughtfulness. Oh, I don’t get this right every day, I probably don’t even get it right most days.

The Scriptures remind me to use a soft word. It’s not always easy to do, but it is always beneficial.

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turneth away wrath:

But grievous words stir up anger.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Pr 15:1). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

It’s easy for us to separate the worldview conversation from our daily choices. It’s our everyday decisions that reflect our worldview; they reflect our faith. Our thoughts, opinions, perspectives, and decisions are all based on our worldview. Just like our worldview reflects our relationship with Christ. Some have classified themselves as “worldview neutral.” The truth is, no one is worldview neutral. Every one of us expresses our worldview by the way we respond to situations around us.

It’s also important for us to remember, we’re not God. We don’t change hearts, open ears, or remove blinders from eyes; only God can do that. It may be impossible for us to change someone’s worldview, yet we can change the way they view us by our thoughtful responses. Lord willing, by His Spirit and our actions we can shatter faulty worldviews and lead people to Truth.

My daughter, Bekah, has created a “kindness scavenger hunt” for you to share with your family. It would be a great family activity to do this summer. Make sure you download it and join us on Facebook for more conversations.

My challenge to all of us is that we slow down long enough to reply thoughtfully and not impulsively. Make sure we’re spending time in the Word and with friends who will cultivate more biblical conversations than conversations of the flesh. I want to be mindful of my words, thoughts, and actions to ensure they reflect the Truth I know. Let’s see how living out our faith can impact someone’s worldview to be more positive. I’m convinced it will have tremendous benefits for all of us!

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

Other related blog posts:

The Power of Gratefulness

The post Worldview, Community, and Coffee appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.

Loneliness can creep up on us in both the good and hard times. Often, loneliness reveals itself most when we’re walking through a difficult season of life.

Jeremiah 31: 2

“Thus saith the Lord, The people who which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness;”

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Je 31:2). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Life’s journey is sure to lead us to the wilderness at one time or another.

I have applied so much energy to avoid the desolate places in life. I have searched in vain for the detours, shortcuts, or the easy way out. Dreading these moments in life, I held my breath and walked through the wilderness. I had some notion that I could complete the journey, untouched, and as quickly as possible.

Mark 6:31

“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while”

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mk 6:31). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I remember the moment of solitude when the Lord asked me to stop rushing through the wilderness. When He invited me to pause and fellowship with Him in the midst of my most desolate places.

As I shared this memory with my daughter, without hesitation, she replied, “Oh! desolation, that doesn’t sound like a pleasant place!” She verbalized what my soul had screamed on multiple occasions in my lifetime.

At that time, I thought my survival was dependent on how fast I could get through these painful moments. The idea that God called me to this desolate place. The thought that He wanted to fellowship with me in the wilderness. These ideas brought a whole new outlook to my journey through the desert. Looking back, I can clearly see God was in the very place, the desert, that I had been trying to avoid. Not only was He there, but He had provided grace and rest for me in this desolate place.

Friend, are you needing rest? Do you feel like you’re trying to skirt around the wilderness? Do you feel alone as you travel? Take heart, God is there calling you to come away with Him to that place of rest is filled with grace!!

Discovering Grace In The Wilderness

• Create a gratitude book devoted to this season of life.
• Use colored pencils! Allow your creativity to add splashes of art on the pages as you journal.
• Enjoy this uplifting Spotify account, Grace in the Wilderness, with encouraging music
• Gather reminders of encouraging passages from Scripture. Place these reminders around the house, in the car, and in your workplace.
• Make time to be quiet before the Lord, praying and reading the Word. Be careful to guard this time! Don’t let any busy work steal this time away from you.

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

P.S you may also enjoy this note I recently wrote called, Growing in Grace.

The post Rest- Finding Grace in the Wilderness appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.

Hormones and exhaustion can often leave me feeling like a jumbled up mess. It’s important for me to recognize my limitations and biases as I go to the Lord in prayer. This lesson was painful for me to learn. There have been times when I wanted something so desperately it distorted my ability to listen. To be honest, I don’t think I wanted to hear His voice. I wanted Him to hear mine. I wanted Him to agree with me instead of me aligning myself with him.

There have been other times when I couldn’t hear anything at all. No matter how much I cried out to Him for answers, He remained quiet. Have you ever needed to hear from the Lord?

Were you uncertain you could hear His voice, even if he used a megaphone to speak to you? Yes! I’ve been in that place too. There are times when I only want to say, “Speak up Lord, I’m hormonal,” but the reality is, He already knows that.

Praying through our Emotions.

So, how do we hear the Lord’s voice in the midst of our emotions? Or how do we make sense of His silence? Well, I don’t have all those answers, but here are a few things that I’ve learned over the years.

Spend time in the Word- There are no shortcuts here. We must spend time with the Lord through the reading of His Word if we expect to hear His voice. Don’t think I am promoting the idea that we begin hopping around the Bible, grabbing at any verse to make it apply. Instead, let’s spend time with the Lord to understand the context of what’s written. Let’s read to learn God’s character, God’s desires, and God’s plan for us.

Spend time in Prayer- This goes without saying, but I’ll just say it to make sure we’re all on the same page. Friends, if we want to hear from God, then we must position ourselves so we can hear from God. It’s important to find time to pray on a regular basis. Joe, my husband, and I spend time each morning praying. I spent the evenings in private prayer for people and issues important to me. Those are both quiet times set aside for nothing but prayer. Yet, during the day, I am often thinking of someone or a situation that I will talk to the Lord about. Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Like all relationships, the more I listen (by reading the Word) and talk to God (through prayer) the more my relationship grows.

Give it time-  I have learned that waiting is an active task. God is at work even when it feels all is at a standstill. God is changing me. If only I could remember in the midst of waiting all the times past when waiting had its perfect work in my life.

Okay, now what?

You might be saying, “Okay, I know those things, and I do them for the most part, but I still don’t know when it’s God’s voice or when it’s my own.” Hold tight. I’ve got a few more suggestions you will find helpful.

If you’re like me, you can be in prayer, be in the Word, be waiting, and still not know if God’s leading you to go this way or to go that way. In those times, I am encouraged by the testimony of Moses, Gideon, or Thomas (just to list a few) who needed God to reveal Himself through events. I ask God to open doors no man can open and shut doors no man can shut. God has been so gracious to me over the years to give me hope in tangible ways and provide direction when I wasn’t sure which way to go. I know He’ll do the same for you. He’s no respecter of persons.

A final note, Let’s keep our emotions in their proper place! When my little girls were growing up, I would remind them that emotions should act as a thermometer to show us our current situation. Emotions are not a compass that takes us off in this direction or that direction. It’s important to govern our emotions if we want to be emotionally and spiritually healthy! When our emotions or hormones do get the best of us… let’s just remember that the God of the universe loves us even in the midst of our hormonal mess.

Until our next chat…

Mrs. Joseph Wood

P.S. You won’t want to miss my note, “Don’t take it personally.” 

The post Is that you Lord or my hormones again? appeared first on Mrs. Joseph Wood.