by Anne Utterback | God's Whisper, Life
Less than …
I was recently told that when I talk to people, my friends, that my conversation is not as important as my husband’s because he talks business. Later it was explained that him talking business meant opportunity and money. My conversation was just that, conversation. My husband was important; I was not. In my head I thought, I will not be treated as Less Than.
I have value …
I have value. God has called me to be an encouragement to people, especially women. He has given me a passion for truth in love, challenging people to align their lives with the Word of God. Using my life as examples of what not to do and what I have learned along the journey. I have many different life experiences. Many of my experiences are not great, they do not invoke inspiration, nor would they win any amazing awards. However, my stories do involve pride issues, embarrassment and failure. These types of stories are relatable to people. I have an innate ability to relate to most people. God has given me life experiences to be used to relate, to communicate and to add value to other.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Ephesians 4:15
The more I speak the truth and add value to others, the more I grow in Christ.
Money does not equal success …
Monetary means does not equate to success. I do not make money for my ‘business’. But living out my purpose pays much more than money. To truly understand this, one must understand God. God blesses me with peace and joy. There are times when I struggle with truth in my life. I want to point the blame to others or justify my actions and words. But then my peace and joy start to diminish. I begin to search for value in the world. I cannot maintain my peace and joy if my eyes turn from Jesus.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
This is not a post about money being evil. I believe that you can amass great wealth and be in line with God. There are many examples in the Bible – Job, Solomon, and David to name a few. I am simply saying that I am not less than because I make less money than my husband.
Equal significance in marriage …
Moms and dads have equal worth in a marriage. Dad should not get more respect and mom should not be treated with more snuggles and love. The man and woman should be treated equally by the children. Both should be loved, both should be respected, and no one should be the favorite. It goes back to treat people how you want to be treated. Do you want to be a favorite? Remember, when you are a favorite that means someone else is treated less than. How would you feel if you were the less favorite? I bet you would quickly change your mind on picking a favorite if you truly stopped and put yourself in the ‘less than’ shoes. No one wants to be picked last, forgotten about, or be the afterthought.
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents. 1 Peter 1:17
God has no favorites. Do you?
I have value. Money does not equal success. Moms and dads have equal worth in marriage. These are the 3 reasons why I will not be less than. God has blessed me with a passion to teach His Word to others through my life experiences and my truth which comes from Jesus. I look to Him for guidance and my next steps, not from the world. I am not better than but equal to others. Do you feel ‘less than’? I can assure you that you are not. Take time to pray and ask God to reveal places where you feel ‘less than’ and allow Him to heal you.
by Anne Utterback | God's Whisper, Life
I told myself that I would not wind up on the beach again, but I have. I think the best way to get on the road to recovery is admit it. So here I am admitting that I have been hiding from writing. I keep coming up with the same excuses.
I have a headache …
I really do get headaches, lots of them. I also suffer from migraines. Lately, I have been able to keep the migraine at bay, however, the downside is I have a headache for 3 days. I can either be in bed, in pain for at least a day or be able to function but be tired and medicated. It really is a toss-up. In reality though, I can still type and write, but I don’t. This is pure laziness.
Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.
I find that when I have a moment of laziness; it breeds more laziness. This verse is a great reminder of how true that is. I will get to the root of my headaches but until then, I need to remember this verse. I will not ‘sleep’ through life.
Life is busy …
Life is busy, but not that busy! When I take time to really think about how I spend my day, I could have carved out at least 2 or more hours. How do I know this? The amount of time it takes to watch a show or movie with my family is typically 2 hours.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
Now this verse states that there is a time for everything, but I am not sure that Solomon was talking about binge watching Netflix or playing Sugar Smash on his smart phone. These are my time wasters. Ugh. It’s so sad to write and read that. The truth shall set me free! Oh and let’s not forget social media …
I just don’t want to …
This is really the bottom line. I will come up with every excuse to not do what I should be doing. When I go about my day in my strength, not acknowledging God, this is what tends to happen. The time is wasted. Tasks are mediocre. I feel tired. I am drained. I have nothing to give at home.
Psalm 143:10 – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
In the commentary it says – “Asking God to restructure our priorities awakens our minds and stirs our wills.” My priorities are off when I leave God out. I need to constantly surrender my life and day to Him. He knows the plans, the best plans for me.
I am getting off the beach of laziness and excuses. I am going where He wants me to go. My mind is filled with words that need to be written, stories that need to be shared, blogs that need to be posted, and books that need to be published. I love the beach, just not this one. The beach of laziness and excuses is not one of beauty but of regret. I am leaving this beach behind.
Do you have a beach of laziness and excuses? Not everyone does. But if you said yes, what does it look like? Calling it out is the first step in recovery. After all, we are in this together!
by Anne Utterback | Life
Star Wars, the beginning …
I was unaware of how to create a sith lord, but I did. I decided to buy my husband the original Star Wars DVD set for Christmas. The movies are epic. Levi was maybe 3 years old at the time. We let him watch the movies. Little did I know I was creating a Star Wars fan for life.
He became obsessed. I was hoping for a true jedi master but instead I got a sith lord. He dressed himself in all black with hints of red. He scoured the house and car for loose change. The all empowering light saber was his goal! Of course it had to be red. Over a bowl of cheerios I could feel his stare, hand extended, desperately trying to force me into pouring more grape juice in his sippy cup. I stared him down and in my best Yoda voice which sounds more like Kermit the frog, I said, “No! Try not! Do or do not, there is no try.”
The sulk was deep. Shoulders slumped. Dragging his light saber behind him he went into his lair to plot revenge. A battle strategy was strewn all over the floor. It was a sea of legos, knights, and ninja turtles. I couldn’t tell which century we were in. The losses were massive. Wounded creatures everywhere. Sitting triumphantly amongst the wreckage was Darth Leviticus nodding his head. He had a plan.
Prepare the battle station …
I prepared my own battle station. I could hear Master Yoda, “Wars not make one great.” Oh Yoda, do I retreat and hideaway on another planet? How can I reach my son, Darth Leviticus? I know there is still good in him, I can feel it!
I could hear his footsteps, the light saber humming. The battle was about to commence in the family room.
Darth Leviticus stands tall at about 3 feet, and he says, “If you are not with me, then you’re my enemy.”
“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.” I reply.
“The Jedi turned against me! Don’t you turn against me too!”
“Oh Levi, I have not. I love you. What is really the problem?” I could see the turmoil in his eyes.
“I want more grape juice!” He shouts in pure frustration.
“Seriously, that’s all you wanted? Why didn’t you just ask me? Oh, and the answer is no. You get one cup a juice a day but I will gladly get you some milk, even chocolate.”
The light saber is dropped. As fast as his legs can carry him, he snatches his sippy cup and hands it to me. His little face lights up as I shake it up to ensure the mixture of chocolate and milk. He crawls up on his chair. I place a couple of animal cookies on the table. He smiles and says thank you as he shoves two in his mouth.
The turn-around?
I was able to avert disaster today. I knew there was good in him. As I stand in awe of my wisdom, Levi gets down and runs to play. I tell him to wash his hands first. He turns slowly, head tilted down, eyes seering into my brain, hand begins to extend out, no words are uttered, no words need to be uttered. I know. I have awakened the darth lord within. It’s time to prepare the battle station.
by Anne Utterback | Life
Let’s discuss comfort …
I am reminded of a Facebook message I wrote to a friend months ago. A simple definition of comfort: 1. a state or situation in which you are relaxed and do not have any physically unpleasant feelings caused by pain, heat , cold, etc. 2. a state or feeling of being less worried, upset, frightened, etc., during a time of trouble or emotional pain. 3. a person or thing that makes someone feel less worried, upset, frightened, etc.
It’s interesting that it says ‘less’. It never fully disappears. The negative feeling just lessens. The only way to achieve comfort is from God. He promises comfort over and over in the bible. According to answers.com the this word appears 66 times in the King James Version and 65 times of other forms of comfort. God desires me to have comfort.
Where am I looking to get comfort?
Usually not from the right place. Not from God. But my own desires. The stuff that gives me that relaxed physical pleasantness from the first definition. For instance, binge TV watching, sitting and contemplating the world’s problems and solving them with great ease and fantastic ideas, checking out the internet and apps on my phone, baking, not exercising, research on the internet, trying to find something new to watch on Netflix, laying in bed an extra hour in the morning, etc. These are just a few. Riveting I know. I am an introvert and like my alone time. A lot of alone time and sitting, I like sitting. But this is not the comfort I am to be searching for.
I cannot deny the nudging at my heart. Get uncomfortable. Move. Read. Study. Write. Get uncomfortable with the world and get comfort from Me. I desire you to have more, more of Me, more comfort, and more joy. It amazes me how much I accomplish in a day when I take my eyes off of my desires and turn to Him in everything. Is it smooth sailing everyday? No. I haven’t exercised in 3 days. My family has had more take-out for dinner than I have cooked this week. I am sun burnt from napping in the sun. And I might have a bed sore. Okay, that last one is not true.
However, I do know that He loves me and desires me to cast all my anxieties and rest in Him. Rest. It doesn’t say strive for, grab on tight, cling for dear life, or be a better person. He says rest. Now that brings me joy.
How do I get comfort?
I must first start with casting my cares to God. When I release my worries, I can begin to understand the plans that God has for me. I get focus which gives me drive, with drive comes action. What action is God calling you to? What are the whispers that you hear when the noise is turned down? Be encouraged, He is still there. Answer Him and begin the journey of true comfort.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7
