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Are you exhausted, yet?

Luke 5:5 (AMP) Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again].”

The month of December can mean a bunch of different things to every one. We can busy ourselves cramming in as much holiday festivities as possible. Such as, scheduling in ginger bread house building, cookie baking and decorating, attending parades and all the wonderful things a small town like ours has to offer. Some are just getting started on their Christmas shopping lists or taking second and third jobs to be able to buy something for their loved ones for Christmas.

I like all the Christmas events, although, I do not stress to get there. I have ginger bread houses that I bought after last Christmas to put together, but I have not carved out that exact time to do them. Christmas cookies are ready to be baked. The icing and other items have been sitting on my counter for weeks ready to be put on with creative hands. Although, I have not set a time to do that either. Maybe I will have some ready for my boys when they get home from school today. Maybe not. We have all December long to do them.

One of the items I did carve out to do this December is to get out a new Advent Devotional and start reading the Book of Luke again (if you read one chapter a day starting December 1, you will read the entire life of Jesus by Christmas Day). Yesterday as I was waking up, and realizing it was Sunday, my thoughts were to what church service would be like. I prayed about bringing something fresh to the house of worship. How could I be a blessing to my church? As I was reading chapter five of the Book of Luke this verse popped out at me. They had worked all night to the point of exhaustion. To me exhaustion comes when I have been either disappointed, distracted or devastated. Which ‘D’ word do you think they associated with when they did not come home with any fish from making an effort all night long?

Jesus had already started His ministry at this point, yet He had not met His disciples. This was His first encounter with them. He saw some fishermen putting away their nets and asked for them to take Him out on their boat so that He could preach to the multitude following Him. After He finished, they were in awe. After the Word was brought, He told them to put down their nets again. Simon (Peter) told them how they were feeling, but despite how they felt, they did what He asked anyways. It was that “yes” moment that Simon’s life would never be the same. The nets were so full they nearly broke. There were other people in the boat, he had to asked for help to carry them in.

We may be broken. We may be exhausted. We may be run down by life. One Word can change all that. There is a “yes,” a “at Your word I will do as you say” moment. I have had a few of them and those moments have changed my life. The “yes” set me on a course for my purpose. Those exhaustion moments do happen, but not as often. Joy is found in the “yes.” My “yes’s” have a focus though. They are designed to glorify my Father. Bring Him into your Christmas plans this year.

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Football and reflection

As I have said before we live in Alabama. My husband and I moved to Alabama when we married. I was raised in Columbus, Georgia…where we are is roughly thirty five miles from where I grew up. We love living in this small town! We are right in the middle of college football country!!

I did not grow up watching college football, but my husband did. He grew up in Belize, Central America. His parents were missionaries and they would come back to the United States to itinerate (raise money to go back and live on the mission field). On one such session it was Iron Bowl weekend and the host family were big Auburn fans. The Iron Bowl here is a rivalry game between Alabama University and Auburn University (two big college teams in the same state). My husband, not being raised in the states, did not get exposed to much college ball (he may have been eight at this time). The other family’s kids asked who he was going for Auburn or Alabama? Having been born in Alabama, he said Alabama (not realizing both teams were in Alabama). They won that year and he has been a lifelong fan since. It started a love for college football for him. Our boys have been raised on it.

I am telling you this because now my youngest has a passion for football. He has been playing full contact since he was five years old. He is now thirteen and plays travel ball with a team called the Opelika Dawg Pound. He opted out of his first year of middle school football because this would be his last year to be eligible to play with a team that he was there at the conception of. Our children know what loyalty is. This year has not been easy for him. He loves to be on the defensive line, he loves to hit!

This year he played center, that is an offensive line position that snaps the ball between their legs to the quarterback. This is a skilled position, that takes effort. Most of the time the guy across the other side of him is almost twice his size ready to knock through him to get to the quarterback. So not only does he have to make sure the snap is not crazy, he also has to push the other team’s player away from him to keep him from his quarterback to make the play.

This weekend were were in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Choo Choo Bowl. Our boys got up and on the road at five thirty in the morning, only to play their game at five thirty in the evening. This was along day for our boys. Eli had some high snaps that day (but he was not aware of it). It was not until the end of the game that one got a little wild and the quarterback missed it. The quarterback let him know then. We lost our first game and the chance to be in the championships. Eli got in the van defeated. He blamed himself for the loss. How heartbreaking for a mother to hear her son sobbing because he felt the weight of the team on his shoulders. His dad told him his snaps were a little high. Eli said no one told him…but he still took responsibility. So the next game Eli adjusted. His snaps were perfect. Our team dominated the next two games and we walked away in third place for the weekend. The first game was not lost because of bad snaps, but he knew he did not do his part. He adjusted!

How heartbreaking for a mother to hear her son sobbing because he felt the weight of the team on his shoulders.

I am a boy mom and when I read about sons being born in the Bible it makes me weep. I was reading Luke last week The first chapter talks about the conception of John the Baptist and Jesus. Elizabeth was Mary’s aunt. Elizabeth being greater in age, it was a miracle for her to be with child. Zachariah was in disbelief when the angel of the Lord came to him to tell him about this child that he was made mute until after his son was born. Actually it was eight days after he was born that he was able to speak again:

Luke 1:65-80 (MSG) A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone heard about it and took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his had in this.” Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, ‘Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, just as he promised long ago through the preaching of the holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, and he remembers to do what he said he’d do, What he swore to our father Abraham – a clean rescue from the enemy camp, so we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,” will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.’ The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

When I read this I wept. This was a child born to proclaim and prepare the way for Jesus. Such a heavy weight for a child. I wept knowing how his life would end, his head placed on a platter for a snide and vengeful woman. No matter what the end was for John the Baptist, he was focused. It makes me think of Philippians 1:6 (AMP) I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will (continue to) perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (the time of His return).

What has this weekend taught me? Whatever part I play in the purpose God has for me is important. If I am not where God told me to be, doing what He called me to do, with the people God called me to do with, I am out of my place. This week starts Advent. It is a time to reflect of the birth of our Lord, Jesus. I remember the joy of holding my sons for the first time. They are teenagers now, I still wonder what God has in store for them. I look at their personalities. I take joy when I see characteristics that reflect Him. Take time today and look for things that reflect Him! Look for daddy moments. “Through the heartfelt mercies of God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us.” How wonderful!