Is humanism creeping into your worldview?

I was recently reading a post from a very inspiring, convicting blog when I came across this thought:

Humanism is the belief that all things exist for man’s good and betterment, and therefore man determines right and wrong; Christianity is the belief that man exists for God, and as such, He knows what is best for us...  The two [sets of beliefs] are antagonistic in nature.  But there is a MAJOR problem…many Christians have unknowingly begun to follow the doctrine of humanism, wounding the body of Christ, rendering themselves impotent—and even worse—accomplice to man’s destruction.

I have been thinking about this off and on for several weeks.  What is our purpose for life on this earth?  What are we really living for?  I would guess that the majority of us (myself included) would indicate that we want—and perhaps even expect—a life that is "good" (according to our own standards) and nice and fun, and definitely without significant hardship.  And when hardship, suffering, illness, or just plain old unpleasantness touch or begin to permeate our lives, we (in our human condition) often feel shocked, dismayed, or even angry.  And we start thinking things like,
- why is God doing this to me?
- what did I do to deserve this?

And that is the very spot where we need to take a few steps back and think about our expectations for life.  Who are we living for?  As stated above, Christianity is the belief that man exists for God and that He knows what is best for us.  Do we trust Him??  Do we trust {a} that He is good and {b} that He loves us and {c} that He has the best plans for our lives?

All three of those points are the unwavering Truth!  If we, as believers and disciples of Jesus, are having trouble taking that in, we need to dig into God's Word to find the truth for ourselves and embrace it!  (See the verse references below to get you started.) 

That concept—that we exist for God, not for our own good and betterment—has huge implications for how we think (the filter we use as we process life's happenings) and the decisions we make.  In order to survive and thrive, we absolutely must understand that God is good, all the time, and that the way He deals with us is always through the filter of His love.  (If you want to discuss this further, please get in touch via the comments! I would love to connect with you!)

{a} Psalm 119:68, Psalm 107:1
{b} John 3:16, Romans 5:8
{c} Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 32:8, Romans 8:28-29

100th Day of School

Yesterday was Ryan's 100th day of school.  (My husband was like, "What? What's that for? We never needed anything like that when I was a kid. I walked 2 miles to school, up-hill both ways..."  OK, I made up that last part....)  ANYWAY, Ryan's kindergarten class celebrated with popcorn and movie day, as well as coloring cool 100th day crowns!  Here, he's wearing his at the breakfast table this morning...  Cutest boy!

The faith of a child

Here's the note my oldest son wrote this morning...

Jesus please help my cold go away
Amen

Now that's pointing your hope in the right direction!

Be a Noticer – notice the good!

Lysa TerKeurst is one of my favorite authors. A couple of my faves:
  * What Happens When Women Say Yes To God (formerly entitled "Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed")
  * Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions
  * Am I Messing Up My Kids?

Lysa offers so much encouragement and godly wisdom for the [struggling?] woman who wants to be victorious and honor God with her life!  Here is an excerpt from a recent blog post:

I Want To #BEaNOTICER# With My Words

Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

We live in a day and time where our rights sometimes take precedence over our pursuit of righteousness.

I can be quick to offer a complaint when things don’t go right. I can be forgetful with my “thank yous” when things go well.

And I am challenged by this. ...

My rights – make me feel accepted, good, and treated fairly.

My righteousness – my choice to make right choices that honor God daily.

So here’s the challenge I’ve issued myself – find the good.

In every situation, in every interaction, in every day – be a noticer of the good.
 


Even when the good has nothing to do with the circumstances and everything to do with how God will teach me through them – find the good.

And be a woman who is lavishly expressive of that good… who rarely, rarely, rarely utters the complaint. ...

Check out Lysa's blog for more inspiration at www.lysaterkeurst.com !

It's snow fun! :)

OK. That was my lame attempt at wit. Well anyway... the boys had fun this weekend with a special friend named Miss Mary, who loves to watch our boys.  She brought her new dog, Little Bear—isn't he cute?

They all had a great time!

 

It's c-c-cold, Minnesota!

M-M-Minnesota has been experiencing s-s-some bitterly c-c-cold d-d-days this winter.  (My husband has no sympathy for all the complainers. He grunts, "This is Minnesota, people!")  Schools have been closed five times in January due to sub-zero wind chills... like near -40... and apparently your exposed skin can start to freeze after just 5-10 minutes of exposure.

But in spite of the teeth-chattering cold, we have had some of the most gorgeous, sunshiny days!  My grandma used to say she'd take the sunshine any day, regardless of the cold.

And I agree with her. That sunny sunshine helps to warm my soul! :)