Category: FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew

Head Knowledge vs. Heart Knowledge

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Head knowledge. Heart knowledge.

 Isn’t it funny that we need both in our Christian walk? When we make the decision to believe in not just the existence of a God but in the existence of a God who sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins so we can have eternal life, that’s heart knowledge. On the surface, it’s hard to believe. God came in the form of man. A virgin gave birth to that same God. He lived a perfect life. A humble life. Died on the cross. But rose again. For us.  Believing that requires heart knowledge. Faith. A huge leap of faith.

And for those of you who took that leap of faith, now what? Where is He? Why is there so much turmoil on this earth? Why do our lives often feel like one continuous, non-stop struggle? Why can’t we always feel His presence? When we can’t see God or feel His presence, especially in the midst of tragedy, that requires head knowledge. Knowledge that whether we feel Him or not, He IS there. When September 11th happened, many asked, “How could God let this happen?” It is during times of tragedy or despair that our feelings betray and we can no longer just follow our heart. We must dig in deeper. We must rely on what we know to be true.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

Knock, Knock…

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Today two things didn’t go as expected. Disappointment quickly set in like an evening fog, clouding my vision and blurring my future hopes and expectations. Soon worry ensued. 

But as JMathis challenged us yesterday, when guilt, pain, and stress came knocking, I fought those negative feelings by meditating on a verse that has brought me great comfort in the recent year.

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

 Lord, does that mean you can take my mistakes and still get me to where I need to be? And as if to answer that question, I am reminded of King David whom God established his bloodline despite David almost ruining his reign with adultery and then covering that up with murder.

 Lord, does that mean you can use situations where I feel like people are against me and use even that to benefit me?  I am quickly reminded of the story of Joseph who was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery but later rose to second in command of a Egypt.

 Lord, I’m middle-aged…if you were going to bless me, wouldn’t it have happened by now? I am reminded of  Sarah who gave birth to her promise well after her physical body would not have been able to conceive.

 In “all things” Lord? Really?

Really.

 But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

 Okay, Lord. As challenging as it is and as impatient as I am, I will wait upon you and your perfect timing.

 

 

 

 

 

One Day at a Time

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring
its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

Being in the moment, the “right now” can be one of our
biggest challenges, especially in today’s world. So many distractions. So much
to do. So much to worry about. Dinner to cook, bills to pay, kids to feed,
bathe, and put to sleep. But being in the right here, right now is all that God
wants us to focus on.

So how do we not worry when it goes against our very nature?
Learning not to worry takes practice. It requires us constantly reminding
ourselves that worry is truly useless…that it accomplishes nothing except
exacerbating our anxiety level. Often worrying works against us. It clouds our
thinking. It can drain our energy and most of all, it takes our focus off of
God who can truly help us and make a difference and puts the burden back on us.

Today’s challenge is for you to reflect on one thing that you are worried about. What is robbing you of your joy? Each time you think of it, say a prayer of thanks to God, acknowledging that He is in control and practice letting it go. Notice I said “each time you think of it.” Once won’t be enough, especially if it’s important to you.

Embracing Difficult Days

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Challenge yourself to embrace both difficult and picture perfect days.  AbbyA

Embracing picture perfect days is easy, but are you, kidding me, AbbyA? Embrace difficult days, too? Surely you mean accept difficult days, right?  After all, who of us wants to embrace those dreary, overcast, “when is my life going to get better” days that we all have to endure? Have you not seen the economy or the job market? Embrace? Really?

Really. For AbbyA hasn’t just given us a challenge with those words. She has given us an invitation. She is inviting us to experience God at His greatest…when we are at our weakest. When He is our true sufficiency when we are at our most insufficient. When He is the only thing we can rely on, that is when we truly experience God.

I am convinced that the Children of Israel had the desert experience not as a punishment, but it was an invitation to have the most intimate experience with their maker. During their desert experience, God provided them with manna for food, but every time they tried to hoard it for the next day, it became filled with maggots. God was inviting them to experience His Sufficiency. He was trying to tell them to trust that He would provide them with their morning manna every day. Trust that he would continue doing what He promised.  He didn’t want them focused on the manna…He wanted them focused on Him.  Because He would take care of all their needs.

Yes, my friend…embrace your difficult days…It may be during those days, where like Children of Israel, you have the chance to be fed by His Manna by day and warmed by His Fire at night.  Let those difficult days be the days where God reveals His true power to you. Where you experience the “Peace that Passes All Understanding” despite your circumstances. Where you experience His Power over the most hardest of hearts. Where He opens up the impossible doors of your life like the Red Sea so you can walk through them. Those difficult, stormy days that you are hating and wishing would just pass may end up being the most defining days of your Christian walk. Because it is there, through the haze and fog of the storm, where you will see and experience the Presence of your Maker.

 

The Surgeon

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, September 2011 (Authenticity)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

1While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.a

3“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Luke 21

The World looks and judges solely based on the exterior, but remember, our God is always focused on the Heart. It’s always the intention, the motivation, the “heart of the matter” that God sees.  And it’s in that place where He will continually test us and refine us.

Rich or poor…

Beauty queen or Ms. Plain Jane…

Genius or Ms. Average…

Limp or no visible limp…

None of that makes a difference to our God.

For every time God looks at us, He pierces the exterior of us with His X-ray vision and goes straight to the heart. Like a skilled surgeon, he works his surgical magic, whether it’s just a little unclogging of some stubborn blocked arteries or a complete heart transplant, He is able to resuscitate and renew that heart of yours. Now isn’t it time for your annual checkup?

Finding Your Voice

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, September 2011 (Authenticity)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

I once had a friend who was afraid to pray in front of people. She didn’t feel like she sounded “spiritual” enough. “I can’t pray like people in church,” she complained. Finally one day to help build her confidence, I convinced her that she should give it a try and pray at least in front of me. She finally agreed, held her palms together dramatically and began, “Oh, Lord Our Most Holy Exalted Father…” She threw in a couple of “thee’s” and “thou’s” as well as some additional grandiose words that I didn’t even know the meaning of. After she was done, she looked at me, grimaced, and said, “I told you so…”

I laughed, reminding her that few people today could pray in King James English as well as she did, and that God, not surprising, could understand our everyday English. I reassured her by telling her that if you can talk and hold a conversation with someone, then you already know how to pray. It’s not a good sign, I reminded her, if you’re more preoccupied with how you sound than what you’re actually saying to God.

Spiritual authenticity is about finding your voice. Speaking from your heart. Because that’s the only one that matters to God.  And frankly, that’s what He finds beautiful.

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. Matthew 6:5

When It’s Not Just About You…

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, September 2011 (Authenticity)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

The “Such As”…
In yesterday’s blog, AbbyA described to us those “such as” moments: The very moment you decide to wear the inside on the outside.  Such as, speak a word of encouragement to someone you don’t know that well by using your own embarrassing past to make the point.  Such as, revealing you also sometimes feel isolated, alone and different.  Such as, admitting that you rely more on chocolate than God.  Such as . . .  Think about what you are hiding because it reveals too much about the real you.  That is the such as that I am talking about.

The very moment you open your mouth to share the such as.  At the very moment, you decide to go-out-on-limb, The Map pauses the fire in your gut and flashes for you a nice, clean path from A to Z.  That is, from the school pick up line, directly to your car.  That is, pass her quickly on the way to office kitchen because you are too afraid to mention to her that you too had a recent miscarriage.  That is, run like hell from the chance to wear your heart on your sleeve . . . even if to serve a greater purpose.  –AbbyA

I had a friend a couple of years ago who had a miscarriage. It was in the early stages of her pregnancy, and she had just started showing. She hadn’t told everybody about the pregnancy, but after she lost the baby, she did open up about the miscarriage, her struggles with it, and how she overcame it. Not necessarily to everyone, but to key people whom she felt could be encouraged by her story. When she first told me about it, I listened to her in stunned silence, my heart going out to her, my mouth at a loss of what to say to comfort and encourage her. But as she continued her story from loss into victory, I realized she didn’t need my encouragement, I needed hers.  No, I hadn’t suffered from a miscarriage, but I could learn by her example. I could be strengthened by her faith, by her perseverance to get past her own loss, and her desire to press onto victory and encourage others.  By being honest, by being authentic, she took away the feelings of shame and failure that often accompany miscarriage and was able to help herself as well as others.

Think about your struggles and what you’ve overcome. At the time you’re dealing with it, it may seem that it’s all about you. But when you press onto victory, it’s not about you any more. It’s about God. It’s about giving Him and honor and praise through your personal life and victory. It’s about encouraging someone else who is now struggling like you once were.

Authenticity. In the end, it’s really not just about you.