Bondage....it's not what you think!

My laptop is on the fritz.  Perhaps because my son accidentally knocked it over and it fell on the floor.  Maybe due to it's age (I have had it 3+ years and it is a refurb).  What I can tell you is that during this past week I have come to realize that I may have a small computer addiction.

I found myself frequently reaching for my laptop during downtime so I could just browse through Facebook to see what was going on.  It didn't happen just once or twice - but several times throughout the day.  I was forced to stop and examine just how much time I spend on mindless social media interactions.....and I am ashamed to admit that it is more time than I am comfortable with.

The irony is that my husband and I decided to limit the screen time for our children.  We were concerned that they would spend so much time on a computer or game screen that they would miss real world experiences.  And somehow I missed the lesson and became the example.

During my Bible readings this week God really drove this point home with the verse from 2 Peter chapter 2.  It says:

for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage (verse 19)

God whispered to my heart that sometimes our enemy disguises himself in order to overcome us.  In my case, I was being overcome with a false sense of camaraderie with others.  Now don't get me wrong, Facebook and other social media tools can be a wonderful communication tool (thanks so much to those of you who are following us!) and way to keep in touch.  My problem was a result of too much of a good thing becoming a bad thing.  ANYTHING that pulls us away from God becomes a bad thing, and screen time was not only pulling me away from God, but was pulling me away from the things God had laid on my heart to do.

I was getting up in the morning and rather than opening my Bible I was opening my Facebook app.  I would be on the computer planning for the upcoming home school year and then get sidetracked when I "quickly" checked my Facebook.  I would log in to Pinterest to pull up a recipe and find myself browsing other pins instead.  And the next thing I would know my husband was home, my kids were hungry and I hadn't managed to turn on the stove.  I would pull out my knitting needles to create an item to donate to my favorite charity only to find myself on my favorite pattern site browsing endlessly for that perfect pattern....that I never managed to get started on before the sun went down.

The good news is that bondage can be a good thing too - in the right circumstances.  It is just a matter of who or what you allow to control you.  The thing is, about 15 years ago I willingly submitted control of my life to Jesus.  Over the last 15 years I have had to stop and examine myself to see where I had given that control to something or someone else instead several times.  It reminds me of Paul who said, "I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate". (Romans 7:15)  I don't want to be brought into bondage by anything or anyone other than Jesus.  But that requires me to daily submit and draw close to God.  Fortunately, when I do that He promises to draw close to me as well.  (James 4:8)

So, for now, it's bye-bye screen time as I refocus.

*originally published on Coffee with Christ

Bound Together

“Fear not, be glad and rejoice. For the LORD will do great things.” Joel 2:21 

I don’t know about you, but for me these last several weeks have been hard.  Social media has blown up with opinions on both sides of the "Love Wins" issue, and some harsh words have flown - both from those who support and oppose the decision.  I have at times been very disappointed with the Christian community during all of this.  You see, sometimes it is easy to forget that our enemy isn't flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil.  (Ephesians 6:12)  Sometimes it is easier to take a stand against those who are held captive to sin rather than against the one who holds them captive....after all, those caught in sin are easier to see and confront.

I have been trying to remember this when others talk to me about my opinions on the subject, but honestly it is difficult to answer.  I worry, am I going to say the right things? Am I going to honor God in my actions? Is this what I am supposed to be doing or saying? It can be overwhelming at times.

 Joel prophesied to a nation that hungered for God, even if they didn’t know it. The times were dark and the enemy was near.  Yet Joel reminded them of just how much they needed to say “yes” to Him, that God had not turned His back on them. I feel like we are standing in a similar place. We stand in a world that hungers for all that God offers - love, acceptance, compassion - and yet they often do not understand or even know that it is being offered to them.  They face an enemy that they can not defeat alone and don't realize that they don't have to.

We, as followers of Jesus,  need to remember who is in control.  We need to take to heart the words of Joel.  He tells us that we must return to God with all of our heart (Joel 2:12).  He encourages us to trust in the Lord, because He can and will do great things.  This word “great” in Hebrew is gadal which can also be translated as "to cause to grow". Gesenius’s Lexicon defines it as “to twist together, to bind together.” I find that comforting. The Lord will cause us to grow, bound together with Him. I don’t know about you, but I want to grow bound to Him, and I want to help others to grow that way too!

So perhaps we need to stop lamenting the law and start reaching out and sharing how love really wins, through a relationship with Jesus.  Maybe it is time to stop pointing a finger of condemnation and instead extend our arms in love.  That doesn't mean accept their sin, but it does mean that we realize that God loves them just as much as He loves us - despite ALL of OUR sins.  It is through love that we can lead others to be grafted into God's family.  It is through love that we can grow.  And it is through love that we can be bound together as His people.  THAT is how love truly wins.

*originally published at Coffee with Christ