Author: 1transparentchristian

I have been a Christian since 1988 and have found the most helpful thing for me in my Christian faith has been speaking to others who are transparent in their life experiences and growth in the LORD. I am hoping that in some small way God will use my blog to encourage you in your faith. God bless you as you draw closer to God.

Woman of Faith: How God Sees You

1transparentchristian

As women in today’s society, we are bombarded with images of the ideal woman through pictures in magazines, movies, TV and the internet. There are ads for hair color, perfumes, products for clear skin and wrinkle reduction, weight loss and exercise equipment to help us achieve society’s image of the perfect woman. This will make the average woman feel ugly, old and fat. In a nut shell we feel inadequate.

Many of the things available to us to look pretty or to have healthy bodies are very useful but we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of making our bodies our number one priority. We also need to be careful that we don’t let these feelings of inadequacy consume our thoughts causing depression. There is a healthy balance for caring for ourselves that will help us become all that God wants us to be. The following scripture is one commonly used when speaking about the wonders of a pre-born child but we forget to apply it to ourselves. It is very relevant in understanding how God sees us.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16 NIV

You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God! Before your mother even knew she was pregnant, God saw you and made a plan for your life. You are unique and designed by God. Woman of Faith you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

The beauty of being made by a loving Creator is that He loved you before you even knew who God was. It is quite mind blowing to think about. In fact, God knew that we were going to mess up again and again in our lives. He knew we had sinful hearts and were going to sin but that doesn’t change His love. In fact, God loves you and me so much that He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins so that one day we can go to Heaven to live with Him and others who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

God demonstrated His love for you when Jesus died on the cross. He knows our hearts; the good, the bad and the ugly. He knows about those thoughts that we have in our head that no one else knows. He know about those ugly words that come out of our mouths sometimes. He knows when we are hurt and don’t feel loved by the people around us. He knows our past, our present and our future and loves us so deeply. Woman of Faith, you are loved unconditionally!

God’s love is greater than any love we can experience. It is unconditional. It doesn’t go away, it is always there. It offers forgiveness when we call on Jesus.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1: 7-8 NIV

We have redemption, we have forgiveness of our sins. None of us are perfect. We are all a work in progress throughout our lives. We all have areas of weakness. God is merciful and will convict us and forgive us of our sin. Woman of Faith you are forgiven!

God has many ways to speak to us and teach us. Many times it is during Bible reading and prayer, other times it is through a sermon, a worship song or even other Christians. His purpose is to draw you closer to him.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

This verse says we are God’s masterpiece. Wow! When I think of a masterpiece I think of an artist creating a beautiful, one of a kind piece of artwork. Are you allowing Him to paint your life’s journey? Are you making your heart pliable to God’s touch? Allowing your heart to be like a soft piece of clay that God, the Master Potter, can shape into a vessel to be used by Him? You can trust Him. You are God’s Masterpiece!

We need to frequently remind ourselves and each other : God loves you unconditionally. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are forgiven. You are God’s masterpiece!

God Bless you sisters,

~Catherine

Sorry Rabbit, Easter is for Jesus

1transparentchristian

Decorative bunnies and baskets are everywhere in the stores this time of year. In fact, I had a hard time finding any religious Easter decorations. The above picture was at one of my favorite stores as I was looking for a “He Is Risen” sign or cross shaped decor for my front door. I am sad to say it took several shopping trips to find something for Easter rather than just Spring.

When there is even a hint of Spring, those of us in Central New York go a little crazy preparing for the excitement of warmer days and no snow. Of course, with the change of seasons is the glorious holiday of Easter Sunday.

There are two times a year that most people go to church, Christmas and Easter. Christmas was the beginning of Jesus on earth when He was miraculously born of a virgin and Easter was the resurrection proving He was truly God the Son. But why did Jesus have to die? Was it really necessary? The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23

When Jesus Christ died on the cross HE took the punishment for our sins. He stretched out His arms willingly on that cross and demonstrated how much He loves us. When Jesus rose from the dead three days later it was a celebration of forgiveness for all who will call on the name of Jesus Christ. These are the words of Jesus:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NIV

A dear friend of mine had been struggling with her faith and finances for many years. Just recently, she told me how a very large bill was miraculously paid in full in a most unusual manner. There was no doubt this was definitely an answer to her prayers. She was filled with thanksgiving and said “Jesus does love me!”

In the same way, we have a very large debt of sin that we can never pay off on our own. It is by the grace of God that our sin debt was paid in full when Jesus died on the cross for you and me. It is up to us to accept this wonderful gift of salvation and to live our lives for Him. It is only then that we can truly experience the joy of Easter.

Jesus, The Greatest Gift

1transparentchristian

As the Christmas shopping season continues, it is wonderful to feel the expectancy of a wonderful Christmas celebration. People look forward to buying gifts for their family and friends. The Christmas music joyfully proclaims our Savior’s birth at home, at work and in the stores. Families and friends plan parties and dinners for the blessed Christmas holiday. Then as the beautiful, big white snowflakes float gently in the air we think of the songs “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, “It’s Beginning to look a lot Like Christmas” and “Joy to the World”.

I truly love the Christmas season. People seem to be happier and much nicer to each other,even strangers greeting each other with “Merry Christmas” with big smiles. Houses become cozier as families decorate their homes together with Christmas trees, wreathes, angels, candles, nativity sets, Christmas cards, lights and lawn decorations. There is an expectancy of wonder and joy as we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth.

Of course, with all the warm fuzzy feelings, we may start to feel bombarded with commercials for the newest toys and electronics. Sales ads come flying at us in print, TV, and online. Stores become so busy it can sap the life right out of us. The pressure of finding that perfect gift can even steal our Christmas joy.

Many years ago, when my children were little, I shopped at a large toy store on Black Friday. At first, it was fun to feel the excitement of shopping with all the great bargains and happiness of checking the toys off their wish list. Then as I continued shopping, I saw shoppers take toys out of other people’s unattended shopping carts! I couldn’t believe that parents were stealing from each other! As I guarded my own cart, I made my way to the checkout, which turned out to be a very long line from the front of the store to the back. I thought, is it worth it to stand here for hours to save a few bucks? Is it worth it to feel I had to protect my cart from other shoppers? I left the store feeling tired, worn out and discouraged. My Christmas joy went right out the window and it was only 9am. I needed to come home to get refocused on the true reason for the season- Jesus.

Advent is a time of expectation. It is a time to prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of our Savior’s birth. This includes a time of focusing on the prophecies of the Messiah in the Bible. A time of reflection, realizing that the birth of God’s One and Only Son was for us personally. It truly is a time to joyfully celebrate Jesus’ birth.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:8-14 NIV

Dear Lord, this Christmas season, help me to understand the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. Please open my eyes, to your divine plan for my life and how I can share the good news with those around me. Lord, fill me with true Christmas joy,

in Jesus’ name. Amen

Potato Chips and Faith

1transparentchristian

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

Sometimes, we joke about the sin of gluttony during church dinners or around the holidays as we enjoy some very tasty foods and indulge in portion sizes we would not normally eat. Maybe you look forward to loading up on Turkey and all the trimmings at Thanksgiving or Mom’s frosted sugar cookies at Christmas time. There are certain times of the year that in the American culture we cook for hours and enjoy delectable meals with family and friends. To my shame, my favorite foods are available at every holiday and to make it worse, any time during the year. I confess to you now that my greatest food weakness is a bag of rippled potato chips alongside my favorite brand of French onion dip. I have watched TV alone with a bag of chips beside me and 30 minutes later wonder how all the chips disappeared. I don’t think I am alone in this because the slogan for Lay’s potato chips used to be “Betcha can’t eat just one”. I have concluded that I have very little self-control around chips! I must stay away from the bowl of chips and only buy them for a special occasion. Self-control in our spiritual lives can be very similar. We may need to stay away from certain things, places or even people to protect ourselves from giving into a weak area of our lives.

The topic of self-control is a huge territory to think about. The above scenario is a little silly but quite honestly who wants to blurt out to the world what their sinful weaknesses are? Take a few moments to think about one area of your life that Jesus is telling you to have more self-control. If you don’t know right away, then ask the LORD to open your heart to hear how you can become closer to God. What sin area are you dealing with right now? Is it alcohol, smoking, swearing, watching dirty movies, sex outside marriage, wandering thoughts or violence? Or are you in the stage of your Christian life where the LORD is pointing out the subtler sin areas? Do you get easily sucked into gossip or think judgmentally about others? Does the computer have more of an appeal to you than reading your Bible or praying? The Holy Spirit is so kind to only convict us of our sin areas one or two areas at a time. If He showed us all the areas of our lives that need refinement I don’t think we could bear it. The great news is that God loves you so much that He wants to help you remove the barriers that keep you from living an effective and productive Christian life.

“For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep your from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Peter 1: 5-9 NIV)

Here is a suggested prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love for me. I know you are a holy God and my unconfessed sin prevents me from being close to you. Please forgive me for the sin of ________. Help me to have self-control in this area of my life. Please give me wisdom and open my eyes to see the ways You want me to work on this. I can’t do it in my own strength and I need you Jesus to lead, guide and encourage me. Amen.

Gentleness, a Soothing Touch for the Soul

1transparentchristian

IMG_0020 (Edited)

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.” Philippians 4:5 NIV

When I think of gentleness, I think of something soothing or calm like a gentle breeze or kind-hearted person or sweet words spoken to a baby. My husband and I were blessed with our first grandchild seven months ago and it is so nice to witness the way different family members interact with him. My husband’s eyes light up as soon as he sees Dawson. He smiles sweetly at him and the sound of his voice automatically changes to a warm, happy, higher pitched voice reserved especially for babies. Dawson loves this interaction and smiles and wiggles his arms and legs with excitement. My 19-year-old son, on the other hand, is new to being around babies and approaches Dawson, differently. He will come in the room stare at him, stick out his tongue a few times and say nothing or say “what are you doing?” He does not change his voice at all and waits for the baby’s reaction. The other day when this interaction occurred, Dawson slowly gave a half smile to him and then looked around the room awkwardly like “why doesn’t he talk to me like grandpa? Ummm, what do I do?” After a few minutes, we all laughed amazed at the baby’s perception of the different approach from his uncle. When he saw us smile and laugh the baby relaxed and started smiling broadly too.

The way we approach adults and children alike is very important. If a seven-month-old baby can pick up on clues in posture, tone of voice and facial expression you better believe others can too! Researchers say it takes less than a minute for someone to form an opinion about what type of person we are. Our attitude is felt by body language and speech. Our words and tone give clues to our feelings and agenda. I want to take this a step further as we think about our words when we speak to our family and friends. Is gentleness evident in your words and your tone? One of my own weak areas in my Christian life has been how I speak to my kids and my husband when I am tired or mad. Those words and reactions to their simple questions do not always exude gentleness. The Bible tells us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of a fool gushes folly.” (Proverbs 15:1-2 NIV)

It is so easy in the heat of the moment to let words fly. It is when we are careless with our words that we hurt those we care about the most. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we are being so hurtful and mean to our family or friends until we have already caused the damage. Think about it. Do we yell at the kids the same way we yell at the dog? Do we respectively speak to our husbands the same way we speak to our boss or our father? Ouch! I know, that one hurts me too! Do we radiate the same gentleness we feel at church into the lives of our family in and in our homes? Gentleness does not happen overnight. It occurs as we grow in our relationship with the LORD and as we submit to his correction.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 NIV

Dear LORD Jesus, help me with my words and my tone of voice. Help me to take captive the bad thoughts and words that fly through my mind. Holy Spirit, filter my thoughts before they become harmful words and help me to exude gentleness in all I do.  I want to draw closer to you and grow spiritually so that the fruit of the Spirit are evident in my life. Amen.

The Journey

1transparentchristian

Thanks for joining me! I am starting my journey into blogging. Last year, I felt impressed to somehow, someway reach out to others through the the internet. My purpose for this blog is to encourage others as they seek to grow stronger in their own walk with Jesus Christ. I began my own commitment to Christ in 1988. God has changed me over and over again throughout the years. Some of the growth was personal discovery that we all go through as we get older, some was ministry related and some was after journeying through life’s painful heartaches. Regardless, I think it’s important to share what we have learned about God through personal stories and those eye opening moments God gives us. None of us are perfect but God Almighty is and wants us to draw close to Him. It is with transparency that I will share my heart, soul and faith hoping to at least encourage one person as they seek after God.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1