Not just hearing, but doing

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. James 1:22

I know, I know...two blogs in just three days? Miraculous! Actually, I'm just taking a break from cleaning the house, so I thought I'd sit and blog for a minute or two. Marc comes home tonight, so I'm trying to really get the apartment straightened for him. Nothing is worse than coming home after a long trip and finding a big mess. Needless to say, we are anxiously awaiting his arrival.

This morning in my quiet time, I was reading from a little devotional magazine that I get from my sister when something struck me. I don't just mean I thought it was interesting. I mean there was a thunderclap from heaven and instant revelation for me. The passage was the familiar verse above, and the question that struck me was, "How would your life look different if you were a doer of the word and not just a hearer?" So I took out the four passages of scripture that have been especially important to me in the last months, and I made a list of how my life would look different if I was a doer of these passages.

II Timothy 4:5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

• If I were to do this instead of just hear this, there would likely be less whining from me. Just the other day I was complaining to an old friend that it was hard for me to "just" be a housewife and part-time teacher and watch Marc jet around the country, traveling and having adventures and doing things for God. But if I am a doer of this passage, then that means contentment with the ministry God has given me for right now. And that ministry is mostly being Marc's wife and Sarah Beth, Hannah and John John's mommy. While that may not be glamorous, it is the ministry God has given me for this moment, and I will never have a more important one than raising my children and loving my husband.

Psalm 31:7-8 I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul, and You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.

• If I am a doer of this passage, I have to stop whining about how hard it is to be in Russia, particularly in Moscow. Enough, already! People in Mali are living in huts, for heaven's sake. I have to walk everywhere, but that seems pretty small in comparison to the sacrifices others are making. And, according to this passage, this big place is where God has set my feet. I didn't come here because it sounded like a good time. I came here because my faithful God called and I had no choice but to answer. So enough whining!

Psalm 31:21 Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

• I need to pray for my city more. And I need to be grateful for the last year in this besieged city, where God has made Himself known to me more than in all the other years of my life together. There is no word to describe His actions toward me better than 'lovingkindness,' which gives the spell check a heart attack every time I write it. But it's perfect, because He has been lovingly kind to me, and what He longs for is for Russians to come to know His lovingkindness, too.

II Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...

• My struggles are, quite literally, all in my mind. No matter how physically difficult living here has been, it cannot compare to the difficulty of struggling with a negative thought life. If I were to be a doer of the word, then I would see those struggles for what they are, taking every thought captive to the One who brought me here. This is, by far, the hardest thing for me. Whether it's my own self-doubt or the enemy's whispering in my ear, I have fought against a negative outlook almost from the moment I arrived in Russia. I have said to Hannah a hundred times, "You are listening to the wrong voices. What you are choosing to listen to is not the truth." Hmmmm...maybe I need to listen to (and heed) my own advice.

I just reread this, and it seems like kind of a downer. However, the good news is that every single day, God gives us a new chance to do it better. And I have to say that in the last year, I have worked harder at being the person He has called me to be than I ever have in my life before. And more and more and more, I am learning to be content with who I am right now, looking forward to the person He is turning me into, and being glad that the old me is not around any longer. Sometimes, though, it's good to look at the struggles head-on and acknowledge them. Better than that, it's great to know that each and every battle has already been won by my always-victorious God. Wherever you are in the world, I challenge you today to be a doer and not just a hearer of the word, and I pray that your husband is on his way home to you, too! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye