Wow...

You know what I find amazing about God? I can come to him any time.

I don't have to wait until my attitude turns from Scrooge to Polyanna; I can be honest with Him and ask for His help in correcting it.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me... restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:10,12.

I don't have to wait until I figure everything out; He wants to give me understanding.
"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4-5.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:8

I don't have to hide what I'm ashamed of; I can let Him heal my brokenness when I am honest about my sins and my wounds.
"But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me." Psalm 109:21-22.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:1-2.

I don't have to leave a message or call back later; He is waiting to talk with me every moment of the day.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

I don't have to struggle to explain my confusion, frustration or pain; He's the one who made me.
"I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul." Psalm 31:7


"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22.

A Sacrifice of Praise?

There were people around me, but I felt far away. They were talking, I was listening. But the more they talked, the more tense I became. I rested my head on the top of my chair, studying the floor closely. My arms were fastened around the back of the chair, as if maybe it could shield me from life. I thought I already learned to deal with change Lord? Why am I so afraid when I sense it coming on? I closed my eyes, wishing I could just spray some detangler on the muscles in my stomach and comb them out. "Get a grip Kara, focus on your work." I tried to tell myself. I was able to finish what needed to be done, but I fought the urge to lock myself in the bathroom and cry (or scream) several times that night.

The urge didn't go away the next day.

What do I do with this God? How do I deal with this?

The answer seemed simple.

Bring me your sacrifice of praise.

Something inside me urged me to run the other way.

What was that God?

Turn your eyes to me. Bring me your sacrifice of praise. I'll teach you how.

That's what I thought you said.

So what exactly is a sacrifice of praise? And what does it have to do with the situation described above? Here's what God has been showing me.

When I think of a sacrifice, I think of giving something up. Not for the sake of just giving it up, but for the sake of the One you are doing it for. Because He's worth it. I think of David. In 2 Samuel 24:24 he says, "...for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing."

What does it cost to bring a sacrifice of praise? For me, I have discovered it costs my selfishness. If my hands are going to be free to offer up a sacrifice of praise, they must be emptied of my self-interest first. This includes my fears, pride, insecurity, jealousy, anger, bitterness, and just plain selfishness. I find myself wanting to hold on to the hurt, wallow in my fear and make my pity-party last just a little bit longer. But I have to learn to open my hands and let those things fall to the floor, or I'll never grow. Offering a sacrifice of praise can be costly, but it's worth it.

I'm beginning to understand that I am faced with a choice every day. When I find myself in a situation where I am out of my comfort zone, when I don't like what's happening around me, or when I am afraid, I can do one of two things. I can continue to dwell on the circumstances that are making me uncomfortable, or I can recognize that God is in control of each of those circumstances and choose to praise Him. Even if all I can says is, "Thank you God that You are in control, and you know what You're doing, even when I don't." As I continue to do this, God helps me loosen my grip more and more, so my hands can be free to bring more sacrifices. Does it cost me something? Most of the time, yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

But these choices aren't all about gritting our teeth and "just do it" or "get'r done". There is one more thing that happens when we make them. We experience God's peace. (Supernatural stomach detangler!) :) For me, it may not always come right away. But, the more I practice choosing to bring my worries and stresses before God, thanking Him that He can handle them, the more this happens:

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

How does the Monsanto commercial go? "Now that's peace of mind you can't put a price on." I couldn't agree more.

Lord it's really hard for me to let go some days and trust that You can handle what's going on around me. But I thank you that You are teaching me to do this more and more, one day at a time. Help us not to give up Lord. Teach us how to get to the place where we continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to You. I feel like it's going to take me a long time Lord, but thank you that You will walk with me every step of the way. I love You Lord. Thank you for loving me first.



Here are a couple of thoughts I found really helpful this week:
(Note: These suggestions, and probably many of the thoughts in this blog came from or stemmed from Linda Dillow's book, Calm My Anxious Heart. I urge you to check it out. Great book. Tami can tell you. :) Ultimately the thoughts below are based on Philippians 4:6-8.)

1. Choose to give my anxieties to God.
(This is a moment by moment thing for me... not just once in the morning and then I'm done.)
2. Choose to pray specifically.
3. Choose to be thankful.
4. Choose to dwell on the positive.
(This is not just the power of positive thinking, see Philippians 4:8)