A Government Shutdown and a Jesus Opportunity

I don't know what all has taken place during this government shutdown, but I do know that there has been some SERIOUS women shut down and some serious Jesus movement going on in my workplace.

It feels good to talk about Him, to just be with those who are missing Him; who know Him, but who are missing that feeling of His arms around them.

I had the opportunity to sit down with a co-worker of mine a couple months ago and share my love, my struggle, my undeserving need for Jesus and my every day stumbling walk to get closer to Him. She has come from a place, a past hurt, that, to this day, has her chained to the very place she would like to escape; her past. She has placed a lot of blame on God and how things have worked out in her life thus far. I've become a good friend to her, but I know that she is not ready to let go, she is not in a place where she wants to give up control and allow God to move in her life in His most omniescent way.

Wednesday, I witnessed another co-worker of mine just break down in her office, crying, sobbing, putting herself down. I came to her as a listening ear, as a sounding board, a comfort place for a good laugh. Lord knows I don't have it all together and I can usually always make her laugh with a funny "at home" story about the kids or my inability to look like I'm 21 anymore and how I barely have time to brush my teeth.
She just broke down saying "I'm horrible, I'm a terrible person, no matter what I do I can't ever seem to get anything right, I'm just awful and have always thought that way about myself."
Immediately my heart broke for her; I didn't know what to say, what to do, Lord give me the words, I'm like a deer in headlights. All I could do was throw myself on my knees at her chair, put  my hand on her arm and tell her that that is NOT true. Those thoughts are from hell and the devil himself, she is deeply LOVED, cherrished, glorified by the most high King; the ultimate healer and redeemer, the One who has made her in His image, for His purpose, for His time.
This wasn't the first time I have seen her put herself down, and for a moment, I felt as if I had ten plus years of spiritual knowledge on a woman who is old enought to be my mother.

Today I had the opportunity to share my love, my struggle, and my stumbling walk again. I didn't offer, but the opportunity presented itself; because I am lowly, I am no better than the woman sitting next to me, I am no less important than the woman down the hall who beats herself up everyday. I am just real, raw, and okay with that. She opened herself up to me and where her past has been with her walk with God, her frustration with Him, her "fed-up" moments with Him. We shared similar stories from our past of hurt, disappointment, longing, helplessness, the constant questioning of why do I have to endure this and go through this? Why didn't this relationship work out this way, why did he do that to me, and why did I have to lose everything for that person?
She told me the one thing she admired about me, I thought for a second I was going to cry, was that I always made her feel accepted, I always made her feel good, welcome, like she wasn't any different or any less deserving than anyone else. That made my heart sing!!
If that could be the one thing I left this earth with tomorrow, would be that I could just "keep it real" with people, anyone. That they truly know the love of Jesus is not about worldly status or the "norm."

Women today have just beat themselves to death over their pasts, over their mistakes, over why they aren't like the woman next door or the woman down the hall. It makes me want to punch out a wall!! It makes me want to punch my own self because I am guilty of it too.
Ladies you are BEAUTIFUL, IN ALL WAYS, and created only by GOD in His image after His heart and loving will. STOP. I MEAN STOP. RIGHT NOW. Apologizing for every little thing, suffocating yourselves under a blanket of guilt and a past where YOU DO NOT LIVE ANYMORE. The past is dead. Do you hear me? It is dead. Lord knows I have to constantly punch the devil in the face because something that I just got done burrying, he is no more than five seconds later trying to resurrect that mess from the dead just to make me feel bad about myself.
Lose yourself in Jesus. Your self worth, self-acceptance IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN defined and named by HIM. You have nothing to prove to anyone. He has declared your name and your value far precious than anything this world has to offer.
Name it. Claim it. Know that every day might still be a struggle, but stumble on to Him, fall, and let Him show you how to get up and fight.

All my love in Him,
Lisa

A Political Christian Rat Race

I woke up this morning thinking about my new facebook page I want to start, or should I say praying about?
I see a lot of encouragement everyday about marriage and relationships but little encouragement for the working woman?
Don't get me wrong, I love that encouragement for my marriage, they are all awesome tools, but I want more too.

As a working mom who loves Jesus, there are daily obstacles I face and sometimes struggle with.
I was knee deep in this struggle a couple months ago praying whether or not working or staying at home with my children was doable?
Serious kudos to the stay at home moms, that is some hard work! Just being honest, but there are times when I'm about ready to pull my hair out just after a weekend. And for my working mommies, we have a tough job as well!
I talked with my pastor about my struggle and some other things I was facing. He re-assured me that if working was my way of helping my family then that's what I've got to do. You do what you've got to do right? And i love my job, I love what I do, but I'm still searching for that reward? Then Pastor told me, he reminded me that going to work everyday isn't just something I "do." I go to work to share Jesus, to be a light in a dark place. Do what? Come again? Are you sure? Not something I wanted to hear because that would mean that I would actually have to do some of Gods work at work, not me Lord!
Its hard being a light in a dark place, I can barely be a light in my own home some days, but hey, someones got to do it, and Lord you owe me about 4,653 little debbies when I get to Heaven.

So with all this said it made me think about our government, ugh, that just gave me a headache. You have people, who may or may not be christians, sitting in an executive chair. They have pressures coming down on them from left and right, trying to figure out ways to make an extra dollar, and the constant griping about another employee in their ear. Oh no, I'm not talking about my office, I'm talking about Congress. Ok maybe both.
The only action that sentence makes me want to take is to run in the complete opposite direction. I mean who wants to reason with that?
Most people are who they are and they're not going to change unless God comes down here and smacks them up side the head. It is hard to reason with selfish, unruly desires of the flesh. It is hard to be the example because then you're the outcast trying to stir up trouble, trying to make change where stiff shells don't want it.
So it starts with us, and we need to step it up, we need to step up as a people and prayerfully not let our country be handed over to the devil's hands.

We need to step it up and quickly help the woman next to us at work that is quickly spiraling down a tunnel she shouldn't be going down.

I had forgotten that the reward is there, I just didn't realize that I need to be using ALL my tools God has given me!


Happy football Saturday friends!

And remember "God IS with you WHEREVER you go"

Lisa

The Knicks of Labor = )

Here is a picture of my wedding band.... the back of it actually. I found myself staring at it Tuesday morning while sitting in the dentist chair.

It is quite fascinating how much we are like our wedding bands; strong, solid, beautiful to look at. When we turn it over we see the knicks, dings, smudges of our labor; labor in marriage, labor with children, labor as a wife and a mother. Happy labor, sad labor, sufferring labor- all work done through our physical hands, through our hands of faith. All of the things that go around and around and around.
We forget what is beautiful, what is pure; the diamond in our heart's rough: Jesus.

I have been going to my same dentist for 15 years now, love her! We always talk about God and our families and your normal day conversation of how things are going.
In the fifteen years I have known this person, I never knew that she was facing her own battle. Many many years of knicks and smudges encompass her wedding band- the journey with a husband who was diagnosed with MS who's health is steadily declining. I listened to her story, her journey, her transformation, her fears, her praises, their beautiful children. A journey I could not quite come to grips with.

Right then I realized how selfish I could be sometimes and how powerful God is ALL the time. What usually took 30 minutes to clean my teeth; now took an hour because I was totally in love with God working on my character through my relationship with this wonderful person.
I knew right then that I didn't do my due diligence to my husband or my God by really praying for my husband; I mean praying for him thoroughly, from his head to his feet.
I had to immediately look for something, find something, a tool, an outline-- I needed some serious "how to pray for your husband" help :)

I remembered this book a friend of mine shared with me; been lazily telling myself that I would read it soon. The book is called "Becoming the Woman of His Dreams" by Sharon Jaynes. I have a couple of her other books and they are very good reads as well.

Before ordering the book, I did read the first chapter and wanted to print it off as a "go to" every day. If you are struggling with what to pray for or what to say, read the first chapter of this book on how to pray for your husband from his head to his feet. I pray for a lot of these things, but some things were new and very good. You can get to the portion of the book through this link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Woman-His-Dreams-Qualities/dp/0736913513/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371746667&sr=1-1&keywords=becoming+the+woman+of+his+dreams#reader_0736913513


Just a little tid bit for you today :) Happy praying ladies!

Lisa Schipansky