The Yokes On You

Simon Says. I don't know about you, but I was no champ when it came to playing Simon Says. After about five or six commands into the game, you would typically find me out on the sidelines. There were so many commands and twists. "Simon says, 'Sit down.' Simon says, 'Stand up.' Simon says, 'Sit down.' 'Stand up.'" Simon, I could never keep up with all you wanted me to do!

So today I write a little more about obeying commands. By the way, if there's one thing that you may not know about me is that I tend to be a bit nerdy (OK, a lot nerdy) and just eat up all of the historical facts of other societies, their politics and their culture. But particularly, the Jewish culture intrigues me most, though I wouldn't claim to be an expect about it. But here's something interesting that I have learned and think you'll appreciate, too (maybe).


Back in the B.C., ancient Jewish rabbis would pray through and pour over God's word, which at this time were the first five books of our Bible. He would then interpret what God was saying through the scriptures and then help the people understand it, as well. A rabbi's interpretation of the scriptures is called his yoke, which also included his insights into holy living. These insights were generally conveyed through lists of do's and don'ts. When the people decided to follow a rabbi - called taking up his yoke - it meant that they would dedicate their lives to following his teachings and obeying the rabbi's do's and don'ts.

Most people don't realize this, but the disciples looked to Jesus as their rabbi. They not only followed after Him, but they took up His yoke and committed their lives to trusting Him. Jesus made an incredible claim about his yoke. He said that it was easy. (I once confused this in my mind with an egg yolk and always envisioned bacon and eggs over easy. Don't be confused. It's totally not the same thing.)

What does that mean - that His yoke is easy?

The yoke of Jesus was simple: love God and love others. He said that He didn't come to do away with all of the laws, but to fulfill them. We don't have to carry the burden of upholding lists and lists of laws because it's all fulfilled when we love God and others. Think about it. When you love God, you won't sin against Him or His people. In fact, you love His people. You're compelled. You can't help it. You don't have to think about it. When you love His people, you won't hate or steal or cheat. Instead, you see people as He sees them and you'll want to be kind and generous to them.

Do you ever get tired of trying and failing to be a good person? As I discussed yesterday, there's nothing good in and of ourselves. For anyone who is tired or frustrated of trying to be a good person, this is for you. Give up. You'll only grow weary of all the trying. And love God. You'll find yourself acting differently and seeing others in a whole new light. You'll stop acting so much like yourself and acting more as Jesus would.

I leave you with this:

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Not Tall Enough To Ride

Do you remember those signs at Six Flags or Disney (if you were lucky enough to go) that indicated how tall you had to be to ride a roller coaster? If you didn't measure up, you couldn't ride. Do you know that my Dad stretched every inch out of me and my sister? He was so ready to have roller coaster buddies that as soon as we were 36 inches, my little body was strapped into some of the biggest roller coasters in Texas. Of course, I was just as glad for the day I measured up, too.

Have you ever thought about how you measure up to God's standards? It took me a long time to realize that no matter how hard I tried, though I'm a Christian, I'll never live perfectly. You see, there's this standard of righteousness that you and I cannot live up to on our own accord. For example. Think about the Ten Commandments. This was the Law that God gave to show people how to live a holy life. Have you ever broken any of them? Well let's take a look at a few and see how we measure up.

God says don't murder.

Easy. You've never killed anyone! But wait, Jesus said that if you've ever hated anyone, it's as if you've murdered them.

God says you shouldn't commit adultery.

So you say, "I've never once cheated on my spouse," or "I'm not even married!" Jesus said that if you've ever once lusted after anyone, you've already committed adultery in your heart.

God says that you shouldn't steal.

You're no thief! Well, at least not with anything significant. But his commandment doesn't talk about how big the offense has to be before we've broken the law. Stealing is stealing.

So at this point, if you're like me, you're a thieving murdering cheater.

Romans 3:23 says that everyone has sinned and falls short of God's perfection. When I read this, I think DUH! There's nothing in my body or my mind that feels even remotely perfect. But then again I'm quite amazed - there are some seemingly perfect people out there and even they don't quite measure up.

So when we measure ourselves up against God's commandments - His Law - we realize that no one is perfect. No one measures up to God in and of themselves. But, here's the good news that has inspired me so much lately. When you become a Christian - meaning you allow God to rule over every part of your life - God sees us as He sees His Son: perfect.

For anyone who has ever felt like they just didn't amount to much or just couldn't measure up, this is for you.

Love!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Check out my, Mom! Do I have great genes, or what??

My Mom is awesome. Everyone who meets her thinks she's such a blast to be around. And she's one of the most generous people you'll ever meet. Growing up, if I thought her shampoo smelled better than mine, she'd just give it to me. Ladies, that's saying a lot, isn't it? Now that I'm older, I appreciate the way she goes over and beyond for people. She never expects a thank you. She's merely satisfied in knowing that the people around her are taken care of. She truly exhibits a servant's heart.

Some of my favorite Mom phrases:

"Don't call me 'dude'."

Everyone was "dude" in the 90's.

"There's no crying in Mom's."

A League of Their Own. Hello?!

"Can you cut me a sliver of cake?

Who says sliver? My mom, that's who!

"Your face will stay like that."

And it really did.

"Are you wearing that?"

The answer was always yes.

"Come hold your sister's hands and tell her you're sorry."

So what if we were in high school. It worked.

I love you, Mom! I couldn't tell you enough.

What's a Kritty Krub?

I moved to Louisiana the summer after my freshman year of college to work as a church youth intern. Looking back, I can't believe I moved away to another state to go work in a town where I knew no one. I moved in with a family I had never met. There were no college kids where I lived, either, so I was either mentored or I was mentoring. Feeling a certain calling, I ventured to Benton, Louisiana. And what started off as just a summer job ended up becoming a year-and-a-half adventure. In that time, I learned a lot about myself, who God is and how His people are called to love deeply. And I developed one of the coolest friendships.

My first and closest friend there was a 15-year-old girl named Christie Tubbs, a.k.a. Kritty Krub. Despite a four year age difference, we clicked immediately. And she quickly became my loyal sidekick -- I couldn't shake her even if I had wanted to. I could tell you some fun stories about this girl and some of the great moments we've shared. She's one of those kind of friends you make that you'll know the rest of your life. But what I'd love more than anything, though, is for the world to experience an ounce of faith this girl possesses. She moves mountains. It hasn't always been the case, though.

One of the hardest parts of leaving Louisiana was saying goodbye to my dear friend. We've kept in touch through the years, but never enough to satisfy close friends or to sustain a deep friendship -- that is until recently as we pick up where we left off. Over the five years that have passed, Christie hit a rough patch. And after only recently being pulled out of the crap called her life, she received disturbing news on her birthday -- she's got cancer.

Now 23 years old, Christie has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In a nutshell, this is a cancer that affects your lymphatic system. The good news is that it's not in her bone marrow. The doctor's say it's Stage 2. Christie says, "God's bigger than cancer." It's kind of ironic to me how she's been the comforter to me and everyone else around her. And moreover, her faith is incredible. She's an absolute inspiration. It all goes to show that God's glory is displayed no matter what -- despite our circumstances, despite who we are.

I'm blogging about her because she's a huge part of my life, and I'd just like my friends and family to pray for her and her family. She starts chemotherapy next week, and her strength is going to be shot. So start praying for peace, patience and strength -- all of which come only through relying on God.

I also invite you to check out her blog as she writes about what she's going through. I hope you'll be as inspired as I am.

http://christieblogsalot.blogspot.com/

Love and Peace!

My MeeMaw is the Bomb

This May I was compelled to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure. Breast cancer treatment and care is something that has come to mean a lot to me, especially since it hits so close to home. My MeeMaw, Jean Teague, is a breast cancer survivor of almost 20 years. So this year she and I signed up to walk a mile at the Komen Race. It's one of my favorite days. I admire my MeeMaw a lot. She's a sweet and incredibly strong woman. I mean, you would have to be to raise my Dad. :) Well anyway, here are a few pictures. Next year, I invite you to join our team.

A Warm Welcome

My brother-in-law and sister-and-law, Dave and Kristy, make beautiful people. I met my sweet nephew this week, and you can see for yourself how cute he is. And you can also see what great big sisters he has. As excited as I was to meet him, I think the feeling was mutual as Andrew greeted me with a very warm welcome and peed on me. :) Welcome to this world, little dude!

Andrew

Sydney and Andrew

Kayden and Andrew

Who Do I Think I Am

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg

Kinda cool, huh?

R.C. Sproul writes, "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

I'm as guilty as the next person of becoming bogged down by the stresses of this world. I need reminders like this to wake up and realize there's more to this life than meets the eye. I hope you're as inspired as I am to more than merely walk through life, but to truly live, of which only comes through knowing God.