If my husband reads today’s blog, he will shake his head in agreement when he reads these words, knowing full well how these words have come out of my mouth time after time.

“I Am A BIG Girl & I Can Do As I Please.”

• Both TRUE.
• Both ALLOWED.
• Both MINE to CLAIM.

Both NOT GOD’S DESIGN FOR ME OR FOR ANY OF GOD’S CHILDREN.

It was a typical Friday night, one where we did not really have any set plans.  I had my plan, and my husband had his, but it was here (in our backyard) where we find ourselves ‘loving our neighbors’ as the Bible tells us to do.

I was working at the kitchen table, typing the meeting notes, preparing for Sunday, when I heard a tapping.  Tap. Tap. Tap.

Naturally, I turned to see where the tapping was coming from, and there by our broken sliding door (yes, that’s a whole other story) stood my husband, tapping on the window.

I stood and walked over to the broken door.  As I slid it open, my husband voiced:  “Can you change your shoes and come help me?  It should just take five minutes.”

When my husband asks me to change my shoes, to come help, well, I know that what we are about to do is not something that will be ‘a fun, Friday night outing’ but rather something that needs to be accomplished.

‘Five Minutes.  Sure,’ I thought.

So I grabbed my coat and went out into the back yard.  That’s when I noticed the dug hole in the yard exposing the gutter drainpipe.  I saw the wire protruding from the pipe, and thought, ‘That looks weird.’

Now, let me say this and get it out of the way:  “My husband is WAY-SMARTER than I will ever be in so many ‘around the house fixing of things’ & this particular Friday night, he proved it.

“Your ears are better than my ears, so can you go over there and listen?  I am trying to find where the drainpipe goes into the field.”

LISTENING FOR WHERE A DRAINPIPE TRAVELS UNDERGROUND!

This was a brand-new experience for me, but my ears work pretty good, better than my husband’s ears that had been damaged from the time he spent in Iraq during days of military deployment.  Thus, I could go to stand in the field & yes, I could listen. For the next hour or so, we found ourselves working side-by-side in the backyard to find the drain line buried in the ground.

• AMAZINGLY, WHEN MY HUSBAND PUSHED THE WIRE INTO THE EXPOSED DRAINPIPE RUNNING UNDERGROUND, I COULD HEAR THE VIBRATION RUNNING UNDERGROUND, MANY FEET AWAY AS I STOOD ABOVE GROUND WAY OUT IN THE FIELD.
• ALSO AMAZINGLY, HIS ‘FIVE MINUTES’ TURNED INTO 10, 20, 30 MINUTES, BUT I FOUND MYSELF HAVING FUN & DID NOT MIND.
• MOST AMAZINGLY, WE HAD THE MOST ENJOYABLE FRIDAY NIGHT SHARED IN OUR BACKYARD SEARCHING FOR AN UNDERGROUND DRAINPIPE.

Yes, we were successful.

Together, we were stronger.

Truly, “loving your neighbor as yourself” brings a person such JOY!

Oftentimes, we are called to do things that we would never imagine doing, being in places we would never see us going, and helping ‘our neighbor’ in ways that we would never imagine possible.

Truly, the mantra—

“I Am A BIG Girl & I Can Do As I Please.”

This statement is YOURS & MINE to CLAIM.

BUT THIS IS NOT EVER GOD’S DESIGN FOR YOU OR FOR ME OR FOR ANY OF GOD’S CHILDREN!

We know because the Bible tells us so—

• How does God’s presence in our lives give us joy?
• How does God’s faithfulness lead us to live in the right way as He desires?
• How can we allow God more access into our lives, into each ‘ordinary moment’?

We are able to walk away from living, consumed by the fleshy desires that consume us as we follow God’s Spirit & look to Jesus!

• How can we gain genuine wisdom & the power we need to daily let God lead us throughout our days?
• How can we make a difference in the world where we walk?
• How can we bear Spiritual Fruit as we encounter the people, the ‘neighbors’ God places into our daily path?

We Cannot Really ‘Be a Big Girl, Doing as We Please’ & bear God’s Spiritual Fruit to those surrounding us!

• It is only through the Amazing Grace provided through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary that we can obtain access to the POWER of GOD directing our lives!
• It is only through the POWER of GOD that we can live as the Holy Spirit of God leads!

We must walk through our days, NOT LIVING LIKE THE WORLD SURROUNDING US!

We must follow CHRIST JESUS—ALONE!

The Christian band for KING & COUNTRY sings the melody “By Our Love” reminding us how the world comes to know JUST ‘WHOSE’ WE ARE, JUST ‘WHO’ WE CALL ‘FATHER.’

Take a few minutes to listen and be reminded.