Heavy Burdens

By: Holly Minion

One evening, I was listening to a sermon that was preached about the 12 stones that were made into an altar after the crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 4.

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

The preacher made an interesting statement that made me stop and go back to listen to that part again. Those stones must have been a heavy burden to carry. Why couldn't a God who just made the waters of that great river to part just assemble that altar Himself?

But sometimes God gives us a heavy burden to carry, because when He relieves us of that burden, we can look back at the landmark He made of those burdens and we can say to ourselves and to others:

"Look at what God has done."

I can look back on my life and see many heavy burdens. But one of the greatest joys of my life is the ability I have to point to the amazing things God made out of those hard times and tell others about what God has done in my life through those burdens.

I don’t know what burdens you are carrying today. But remember, we serve the God who makes the impossible things possible, and the God who makes monuments of glory out of our worst moments in this life.

Ten Reasons to Stop Being Critical

by Holly Minion

I'm beginning to realize that the most draining people to be around are critical people. Sadly, I'll admit that I used to be, and at times still can be, a very critical person myself. It only takes me a few minutes with someone who is criticizing others and their motives, methods, or actions for me to realize what an awful and yucky thing criticism is. Below are ten reasons we should put the language of criticism out of our vocabulary.

1. This was the hardest one for me to handle, but it was also what turned me from a critical person to a more loving one: Being critical is a sign of a bitter, selfish heart attitude. That sounds harsh, doesn't it? But it's so true. The Bible says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Matthew 12:34)

2. It hurts others. It hurts others badly. Most of us have been on the receiving end of negative criticism, and we know that it can really wound our own spirits. Why would we want to do that to another person? (Proverbs 18:14)

3. It says, "I think I'm better than that person." Pride doesn't look good on anyone. (Proverbs 21:4)

4. It sets a bad example. Next time we are tempted to criticize others around our children, we need to remember that little kids have big ears. Our four-year-old son hears everything we say, even if we think he’s just coloring or playing with toys and off in his own little world. (1 Timothy 4:12)

5. It breeds more criticism. If we have a critical attitude it will quickly influence those around us to be critical as well. 

6. It robs us of our joy. We can't be happy people if we are too busy looking for the negative things in life.

7. It can cause others to give up. In the past, I have felt like quitting many of my church ministries a critical word (or two) has gotten back to me. I decided to stick with those ministries when I realized that those who were criticizing me were in the minority, but they were very discouraging. Don't be the cause of someone quitting their ministry. 

8. It leaves no room for grace. I don't know about you, but I receive more grace than I ever deserve every day from my heavenly Father. Doesn't it stand to reason that, because of that, we should show grace to those around us? (1 Peter 5:5)

9. It gives us the wrong focus. Instead of focusing on that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and good, we are focusing on what is probably not true and definitely not kind. Let’s focus on showing love instead. (Philippians 4:8)

10. It keeps us from being a blessing. Before I became a mother, I heard many moms criticizing other parents and their parenting styles. Let me tell you, it was not encouraging for me to know that when I had children myself that those same ladies would probably be whispering behind my back, criticizing me as well. I'd much rather have them offer to help me than be critical. We can be such an encouragement by offering to be a blessing, rather than a hindrance. (Titus 2:4-5)

My husband and I were on our back porch looking at the sunset one evening. He commented on how nice it looked, then mentioned how the broken-down trailer behind our house ruined the view. I turned to him and said, "I'm choosing to focus on the sunset instead."

Do yourself a favor this week, and anytime you're tempted to be critical of someone or something, choose to "focus on the sunset" instead. Life will be better that way, for you and for those around you.

Perfection

By Holly Minion

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 5:10, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” As a child, and even as an adult, that promise was very appealing. Perfection. I wanted to be perfect. 

I agonized over my college choice, because I had to make sure I went to the perfect school. While I was there, I had to make the perfect grades and be sure I was still following the perfect educational path for me. I found the perfect guy and planned the perfect wedding. Then, according to plan, I had the perfect babies I had always dreamed of having.

Along the way, God attempted to show me that my plans for perfection were useless. He upended my college plans between my sophomore and junior years. (That disruption changed my entire life for the better.) I always knew I wouldn’t really find a perfect guy (although I’m pretty sure he’s as close to perfect as it gets), and the crazy things that happened during my “perfect wedding” now make for fun stories at parties. The road to my perfect dream of motherhood was long and hard. 

But what if these events in my life weren’t for me? What if my marriage and my husband wasn’t about me? What if my children weren’t the compilation of a lifelong dream? What if everything in my life was a lot more basic than that—they were to make me perfect. Strongs Concordance defines the word perfect in 1 Peter 5:10 as, “to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be.” 

Every time my husband forgets to run the dishwasher, it’s not a disruption of my perfect life. It’s God’s way of giving me a chance to become more perfect, more complete. When my five-year-old forgets to be quiet while the baby is napping for the fortieth time in one day, I can choose to see it as an interruption of my perfect plans, or I can appreciate how God is teaching me patience to make me more like Him. 

What about those things that I thought I needed to make my life perfect: that spouse, that job, that house, that car? What if the reason that I don’t have them is because God is using different tools to make me perfect? He is using the circumstances I am in and the people surrounding me to ground me, complete me, and strengthen me. 

The beginning of the book of 1 Peter reminds us of the temporary nature of this life.

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

In 100 years, the things in this life that give me the greatest heartache, as well as the things that bring me the greatest joy, won’t matter. What will matter is that I will be in heaven. And how I responded to those sorrows and joys either brought me closer to the God I will see face-to-face or farther away. If I view every single thing God brings into my life as an opportunity to grow more perfect, holy, and Christ-like then I will begin to treat people and circumstances differently. They aren’t tools towards happiness or success. They are tools in the hand of a loving God to help me see a bigger picture. 

I have a choice every single day. I can live it with just today and my wants in view. Or instead, I can live it with a view towards heaven, towards the end of my faith, and take every opportunity—the good and the bad—to really, truly become more perfect.

Heavy Burdens

By: Holly Minion

One evening, I was listening to a sermon that was preached about the 12 stones that were made into an altar after the crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 4.

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

The preacher made an interesting statement that made me stop and go back to listen to that part again. Those stones must have been a heavy burden to carry. Why couldn't a God who just made the waters of that great river to part just assemble that altar Himself?

But sometimes God gives us a heavy burden to carry, because when He relieves us of that burden, we can look back at the landmark He made of those burdens and we can say to ourselves and to others:

"Look at what God has done."

I can look back on my life and see many heavy burdens. But one of the greatest joys of my life is the ability I have to point to the amazing things God made out of those hard times and tell others about what God has done in my life through those burdens.

I don’t know what burdens you are carrying today. But remember, we serve the God who makes the impossible things possible, and the God who makes monuments of glory out of our worst moments in this life.

10 Reasons to Stop Being Critical

I'm beginning to realize that the most draining people to be around are critical people. Sadly, I'll admit that I used to be, and at times still can be, a very critical person myself. It only takes me a few minutes with someone who is criticizing others and their motives, methods, or actions for me to realize what an awful and yucky thing criticism is. Below are ten reasons we should put the language of criticism out of our vocabulary.

1. This was the hardest one for me to handle, but it was also what turned me from a critical person to a more loving one: Being critical is a sign of a bitter, selfish heart attitude. That sounds harsh, doesn't it? But it's so true. The Bible says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Matthew 12:34)

2. It hurts others. It hurts others badly. Most of us have been on the receiving end of negative criticism, and we know that it can really wound our own spirits. Why would we want to do that to another person? (Proverbs 18:14)

3. It says, "I think I'm better than that person." Pride doesn't look good on anyone. (Proverbs 21:4)

4. It sets a bad example. Next time we are tempted to criticize others around our children, we need to remember that little kids have big ears. Our four-year-old son hears everything we say, even if we think he’s just coloring or playing with toys and off in his own little world. (1 Timothy 4:12)

5. It breeds more criticism. If we have a critical attitude it will quickly influence those around us to be critical as well. 

6. It robs us of our joy. We can't be happy people if we are too busy looking for the negative things in life.

7. It can cause others to give up. In the past, I have felt like quitting many of my church ministries a critical word (or two) has gotten back to me. I decided to stick with those ministries when I realized that those who were criticizing me were in the minority, but they were very discouraging. Don't be the cause of someone quitting their ministry. 

8. It leaves no room for grace. I don't know about you, but I receive more grace than I ever deserve every day from my heavenly Father. Doesn't it stand to reason that, because of that, we should show grace to those around us? (1 Peter 5:5)

9. It gives us the wrong focus. Instead of focusing on that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and good, we are focusing on what is probably not true and definitely not kind. Let’s focus on showing love instead. (Philippians 4:8)

10. It keeps us from being a blessing. Before I became a mother, I heard many moms criticizing other parents and their parenting styles. Let me tell you, it was not encouraging for me to know that when I had children myself that those same ladies would probably be whispering behind my back, criticizing me as well. I'd much rather have them offer to help me than be critical. We can be such an encouragement by offering to be a blessing, rather than a hindrance. (Titus 2:4-5)

My husband and I were on our back porch looking at the sunset one evening. He commented on how nice it looked, then mentioned how the broken-down trailer behind our house ruined the view. I turned to him and said, "I'm choosing to focus on the sunset instead."

Do yourself a favor this week, and anytime you're tempted to be critical of someone or something, choose to "focus on the sunset" instead. Life will be better that way, for you and for those around you.