All in One Beauty Creme

“All in one Beauty Crème!” that was my call to attention this morning as I walked through my parents kitchen.  Their early morning TV show was being interrupted by the latest advertisement for a product that promises to be a “one stop shop” for beauty.  What full blooded American woman wouldn’t stop and consider this to be the answer to…THEIR PRAYERS?

Here I am again, at every corner being asked to think about...my prayer life.

As I considered not too many posts back, I was looking at the young moms in my life.  I thought the only piece of advice I had then was “Go take a Nap!”  This post reflects what has been my personal admonition for the week…GO PRAY!

From the topic of my small group in South Florida to the college convocation I attended in Virginia – “Just Pray!” is the mantra. Even as I recorded my “prayers’ asking why there are relational struggles the Lord turned my hand to the New Living Translation of James 4: 1 – 3

“What is causing quarrels and fights among you?

Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war with you?

You want what you do not have, so you scheme and kill to get it.

You are jealous for what others have and you can’t possess it,

So you fight and quarrel to take it away from them.

And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that

You don’t ask God for it!

And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because

Your whole motive is wrong,

You want only what will give you pleasure.”

Moms, the convocation speaker, author of ten books, pastor from Capitol Hill, Mark Batterson asked the thousands of students of Liberty University to unleash the power of prayer.  He challenged the audience to live in holy anticipation, saying “God can accomplish more in one day than we can in 100 lifetimes.”Pastor Mark encouraged me with the closing comment, “We are one prayer away from a different life!”

Moms please don’t give up!  From our vantage point we feel like we have to do more for the Lord. Be more for our husbands and children.  Prayer isn’t a one stop shop for living the Christian Life. However daily, we need to make prayer THE one stop that will lead to a Beautiful Life.

So your challenge today, go make yourself beautiful… PRAY!

Questions???

Being a Mom involves so many questions?  We ask ourselves constantly…what should I do? What does this child need?  When should they be corrected? What should they eat?  What doctor should we us? And ultimately, “Why do they ask so many questions?”

Almost daily while driving from home to school or church we pass a walking track.

We see a host of healthy enthusiasts biking, jogging, roller-blading, those pushing strollers, jumping rope, you name it…they are busy getting healthy. Recently, while driving by the track, we noticed what appeared to be a less than health inspired “group” of people walking.

We knew this because they weren’t in the traditional “uniform” of the “typical track people.”  These groups were wearing jeans and some wore even a more church appropriate attire.  As we passed a second “group” we saw they where carrying a sign that identified themselves as being from a church.

My youngest and I began a conversation filled with questions, “who are they?” and  “why are they dressed like that?”  But the final question came as we passed a little guy carrying a poster board across his back that looked more like a blanket then a message.

His sign read, “Prayer Changes Things!”  To that I smiled.  Hope, on the other hand, almost as if no one was listening asked, “Is that true?”

We had the obvious conversation that would follow such a question.  However I have replayed that moment so many times since that day “Is it really true…does prayer change things?”

Of course the obvious is, it does!  I believe prayer changes things!  I believe all of life is sifted through the providential fingers of our Heavenly Father.

And yet, such bad things happen...have happened, are happening and will happen.  Why can’t God stop those things…or why doesn’t He?

I have thought back to friends of ours in South Carolina, Lt. Clebe and Deanna McClary.  Mrs. McClary's incredibly handsome husband went off to Vietnam to return without an eye, an arm and a limp.  To this day he suffers with the pain of those injuries.  Yet the injuries and experiences he sustained have allowed him to travel and speak in places he could have never spoken to if it weren’t for them.  He shares his salvation experience and invites others to do the same.  Many have come to Christ as a result of his involvement in the Vietnam War.

You know what? Many prayed during that time for him and the war.  They wanted the war over, they wanted our armed forces to come home safe and without injury.  God was answering their prayers and their questions.

Mark Batterson a pastor in Washington DC, says of his salvation experience as a result of watching the movie, The Hiding Place, that he was the beneficiary of  “Corrie ten Boom’s unanswerable questions and unexplainable experiences.”

We don’t have all the answers to our children’s questions let alone ours.  Romans 8: 28 (can we all say it together?)  ALL THINGS work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose.

Mommy’s we can trust Him with our “unanswered” questions and prayers.  Lets encourage our children to trust Him with all their questions.