Dec 17, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
The family table is where it all happens: It’s where the day is discussed over great food. Plans are made. Moments shared. It’s community at its finest. Serious discussion and laughable antics abound.
And when your chair is empty, God sends out His Son to find you and bring you back.
Because you’re that important to Him.
You bring something to the table no one else can: You bring you.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous how well I know it.”
~Psalm 139:14 NLT
Don’t deprive the family of your company.
Frankly, On Faith: Take your rightful seat at God’s table.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Dec 3, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
We say it a lot when trying to embolden ourselves to move in a direction we’re not entirely sure of.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
But do we really want to know the answer?
If we knew the answer, would we hesitate?
What if we didn’t know the finish line, but we knew the journey?
What if the not knowing part is where we shine, where we prove to ourselves what we’re made of?
What if that’s where we say okay, yes, I’ll do it?
So, God says, “Hey. I have an idea. And I want you to be a part of it.”
But instead of telling us all the nuts and bolts that holds the plan together, He just whispers.
“I have an idea. And I want you to be a part of it.”
I mean, it’s God. Are you gonna doubt that He’ll take you from here to there?
“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.”
~Psalm 85:8a NLT
God is the One who cannot let you down. He’s the One who will go all the way with you. He’s the One who is always looking out for your best interest.
So, if you’re hearing that still, small voice. If you keep finding God trying to get your attention. If you feel Him gently nudging you, don’t question it.
Keep moving forward. You got this.
And He’s got you.
Frankly, On Faith: What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 26, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
God is not a game player in the sense of messing with us. He doesn’t tease or do a bait-and-hook.
But He’s a great Team Leader. He’s honest from the get-go. Transparent in His game plan for us.
God gave up His star player so the rest of the team could win.
He has never changed the rules. He didn’t replace you with a better athlete, because He knows you are His better athlete. For this game you’re in, for the piece on the board that you represent, the cards you’ve been dealt, the track that you’re on.
He’s in it with you. 100%.
You don’t have to worry about being left behind. You’re not going to be forgotten. The bus isn’t leaving without you.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.
For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
~Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
Never forget who’s team you’re on. Never forget who picked you first. And never forget you’re not alone, ever.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, On Faith: God is Not a Game Player, He’s a Team Leader. @MollyJoRealy #faith #God #team
Frankly, On Faith: God Wants Everyone to Win
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 15, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : When God Locks You In
I’m a bit behind in reading my Bible on the One-Year plan. Okay, to be honest, I’m about 331 days behind. What can I say? It’s been that type of year. Well, now that I have a in-and-out-of-office career, I figure I can listen to the Bible through the app on my phone while driving. Less road rage. That’s all I’m sayin’.
I love Genesis. The stories of Creation, the beginning of Man. But I also don’t like it. The beginning of Man being, well, man and all that. You know the drill: Eve ate the fruit, Adam blamed her, she blamed the snake, God held them all accountable and now we have things like pain during childbirth (tell me about it!), fields that need tending, and bloodshed.
But then we get back to a story I like. The story of Noah and the Ark. Yup, childhood songs. Epic movies. This is the stuff, I’m tellin’ ya. And you would think, having read at least this part of my Bible multiple times throughout the year that I’d be immune to it. Just familiar words. You would think.
Think again.
So, here’s what I learned today in my umpteenth listening to Genesis Chapter 7. It starts with Verse 13:
“That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons- Shem, Ham, and Japheth- and their wives. With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal- domestic and wild, large and small- along with birds of every kind. Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.”
~Genesis 7:13-16 NLT
The world has fallen, fallen, fallen into chaos and disorder. And the world is laughing at Noah as he and his sons build the Ark. And the world drowns as Noah and his family float on safety.
Here’s what got me today: “Then the LORD closed the door behind them.”
Do you get that? God said, “Hey, Noah. Build an Ark.” And Noah did. God said, “Make sure you have male and female of every living creature.” And Noah did. And God said, “Get your peeps in there, ’cause it’s about to go down out here.” And Noah did.
And God locked them in.
Bam. Just like that. No one coming in. No one going out. Trapped. Isolated. Alone.
But not alone.
And God was the one who secured the door.
What does that even mean?
Well, I can tell you when I heard that today I paused. I listened to it a few times. I read it. I thought about it. Because it got to me. God locked them in! Why would He even do that?
Because He wanted to secure them, the parents of the future. He wanted to seal the Ark so completely that they could not be harmed by the outside world, the world tormented by the actions of those left behind. He wanted to make sure no evil entered the Ark, and He wanted to make sure no good would get out and fall prey.
Doesn’t life feel like that sometimes? Like we’re trapped, like God has isolated us from the world, like we can’t move around or get out of a situation? Like we can’t get anywhere, there’s nowhere to go? There’s Noah and his family trapped inside for months with those animals. I can imagine after a while, it would get pretty stinky. I mean, I only have four cats and what they do to that litter box . . . *shaking my head, here, folks.
God wanted to protect Noah so fiercely, so completely, that He sealed the door. He locked them in. Noah didn’t have the key. Until God gave it to him. Until the coast was clear, if you’ll pardon the pun. God wasn’t about to bring Noah this far in his salvation journey to let him sabotage it. It’s that old adage, “If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.”
Well, God brought Noah to the Flood, and He certainly brought him through it to the other side.
I can also imagine during their time on the Ark, there might have been some grumbling. Some, “Wouldn’t a roast beef sandwich taste good right now?” “Yeah, but we can’t light up a barbecue in here.” Or, “I miss my friends. Even the irresponsible ones.” Or, “I just want to see dry land.” Yup. I grumble a lot when God puts me in my spiritual Ark and tells me to stay put. And then I feel guilty. Because He’s God, right? He’s got my best interest at heart.
It’s hard being in a place you don’t know when or how to get out of. It’s hard to trust God when all around you is darkness and solitude. But . . . Keep floating. Because the next chapter is God taking care of you. And the chapter after that is His promise to protect you forever, and not do it again.
Next time you feel alone, trapped, unheard, pushed in on all sides, dark, abandoned . . . Remember that God is with you. And what you’re praying for, He may have sealed the door against it for reasons you’ll never know. If you’re in a stinky part of life right now, hang in there. The rainbow’s coming.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Dot’s Rainbow
TWEET THIS: It’s hard to #trust #God when all around you is darkness and solitude. But keep floating. The #rainbow’s coming. @MollyJoRealy
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 5, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
I screw up regularly. In case y’all thought my claim to Christianity is perfectionism, it isn’t. It’s forgiveness and being loved through the parts I need forgiveness for. [Can I get a sigh-of-relief-AMEN for that one?]
I am a perfectionist because I try to do everything right. But I’m about as far from perfect as Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. I don’t eat right, sleep enough, love enough. I’m just not that good at taking care of myself.
I do know one thing: God loves me through it all. No matter what. Which is kind of a foreign idea to me. I mean, when I mess up here on earth, people are quick to call me on it. And vice versa. I admit my anger. My judgments. My negative, sinful actions and thinking. How I feel inside is often manifested on the outside. And it ain’t always pretty.
I also admit I need Him. The parts of me that don’t want to work right. The parts I don’t want to fix, but know they should be. And I’m able to turn to Him and ask for help.
“Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.”
~Proverb 2:11 NLT
It’s easier, now. Getting to Him instead of pushing Him away.
It’s easier to just say, “Hey, God?” and let Him walk through the door. Even if I don’t think the door is open. Or that He’s listening. Because it is. And He is.
Frankly, On Faith: Earnestly Seeking God
So even if I’m too stupid to see what’s happening or how to handle it, I’m smart enough to step back, let go, and let Him lead.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, On Faith: Earnestly Seeking God @MollyJoRealy #franklyonfaith #faith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
