The Prayer Chair

One of the things I loved about our home when we moved in nearly 16 years ago, was the large size of the bedroom. There was plenty of room for me to make a little prayer corner for myself.  First I needed the perfect chair. I quickly found the chair I liked. It was beautiful and went perfectly with the decor in the bedroom. I bought a matching footstool that could be used as a side table to hold my Bible and coffee mug when I wasn't using them, and I could prop my feet up when I was. It looked beautiful!

The problem was, I never actually used the prayer chair.  Oh, it looked pretty in the room, but I really didn't go up to my bedroom often during the day.  It seemed like an out of place location.  Finally, one day I decided I would use my prayer chair.  I sat in it and tried to make myself comfortable to pray.  The problem was the chair wasn't comfortable.  As a matter fact, when I settle back and laid my head back to pray the wood trim actually hurt. What looked pretty on the outside was actually uncomfortable and almost painful.

Our prayer life can be like that chair.  It may look good on the outside. You know, when we pray in groups of Bible study, our flowery beautiful prayers sound great and look great in the setting.  But when we're home, we sometimes don't really get around to pray.  And when we do, our prayers can be uncomfortable or even painful at time. It can feel awkward to pray if we haven't worked on building that relationship with God.

God doesn't want flowery, public prayers. He wants us to be comfortable with him! He wants a relationship, where we can be our self and share our hearts.  Now my prayer chair is in the family room.  The recliner is overstuffed, and comfortable, and because it's in the family room, I'm there often, reminding me to pray.  The more I pray the more comfortable I get in my prayer life as well.  The old recliner may not be as pretty as the other chair, as a matter of fact, it's wearing out in some places. But that's okay.  

Because chairs and prayers share something important. It's not how they look on the outside, it's how they feel on the inside that matter.

(Jesus said,) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Matthew 6:5-7

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Is God your Sponsor or Crew Chief?

"Lord, none of this would be possible without you," the man prayed during Sunday services.  My 12 year old leaned over and whispered, "That sounds like a commercial, 'This wouldn't be possible without our sponsor.'"  Her words got me thinking. How often do we treat God like our sponsor?

If you've ever watched NASCAR racing, at the end of every race the winning driver thanks his sponsor,  "This wouldn't be possible without the support of XYZ."  But believe me, they don't let their sponsor tell them how to race.  For that they have their crew chief.  

The crew chief is continuously available via radio contact with the driver and the driver follows all the directions from the chief. From his position the crew chief can see everything that is going on.  He warns the driver of danger ahead, encourages him through hard turns in the track, and instructs him when to make pit stops.  The sponsor simply gives money and let's the team do what they want, as long as they give the sponsor credit when they win.

In life, God wants to be our crew chief. He is always available through prayer contact to give us directions; warning us of dangers, encouraging us through hard times, and instructing us. He is our Crew Chief, not our sponsor. He doesn't want us to just thank him and give him credit when we do well. He wants to be involved in the decision making, to have an active part in the race of our life.

How are you running your race? Let God be your crew chief, not just your sponsor. A sponsor may be nice to have when life is going great.  But it's the crew chief who is with you not only in the winner's circle, but also in the pits.

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Mismatched Friends

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) John 4:9

“Hi, I’m Sonya.”  The words were simple enough.  But my life changed because of them.

At first glance, my friend Sonya and I don’t have much in common.  It wasn’t always that way.  When we first met that day when she took the time to talk to me, we both worked for the same Fortune 500 company.  Neither of us had children.  We became fast friends and had lunch together every day.  We volunteered together through a local women’s club, and socialized weekends with our husbands.  We were inseparable.

Before too long, Sonya had her first child.  Then she had her second.  By the time I had my first, she quickly followed with numbers three, four and five!  Finally I had my second, and a year later she had her sixth. 

Our parenting styles are very different.  She has six children, and I am content with two.  She homeschools, while I send my children to school.  She cooks organic, and bakes her own bread.  I cook occasionally, and frequent the McDonald’s drive thru. 

Would we have dismissed each other as “too different” to be friends if we had met as moms instead of co-workers? What would I have missed out on if we had? 

Sonya is the person who introduced me to Jesus, not just as a Savior, but as someone I could have a relationship with.  She was there for me to help me get through difficult times with my alcoholic mother, and encourage me through years of infertility.  I was there to support her through tough days of mothering six kids, and when her dad died unexpectedly.

I’m glad that we met before we were mothers, because I’m not sure I was confident enough in my own season of mothering a small child to be friends with someone who parented so differently. 

What boundaries do we set up in life that exclude people who are different than us? Jesus showed us an example of inclusion when he spoke to the woman at the well.  She was a Samaritan woman.  Jews, like Jesus, didn’t associate with Samaritans.  But Jesus not only spoke to her, but offered her eternal life, and revealed himself as the Savior of the world.

Because Jesus spoke to her, many of the Samaritans from her town came to believe, simply because of her testimony.  Her life was changed forever because he took time to talk to her. 

I’ve grown so much by experiencing life from Sonya’s point of view, and she has grown through mine.  We are different, but our love and respect for each other is the same.   Our friendship has lasted 18 years, and through many different seasons, and continues to grow.

Simply because Sonya took the time to talk to me my life was changed, for the better.  Simply because Jesus took the time to talk to the Samaritan woman her life was changed for the better.  Whose life can you change, simply by talking to and encouraging her today?  

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

The "Bad" People in Heaven

"Would you miss me if I die?" my eight year old asked me. I hated to consider the thought, but I encouraged her, "I would miss you forever. But I will probably die first. And we know we will see each other again, and be together forever in Heaven, so we don't have to miss each other anymore."

My daughter thought about that a bit, and then said, "But what if I'm bad? Then I won't go to heaven and we won't be together."  How do we all seem to default to that thinking? Bad people go to hell and good people go to heaven. Is it true?

While I don't want my daughter to do "bad" things, I explained to her what I believe is the truth. God loves her. Jesus died for her, and as long as she confesses with her mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believes in her heart that God raised him from the dead, she will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Yes, her faith needs to be a live changing faith. But she will sin! And that sin will not separate her from God or keep her from heaven. Praise God! 

I am sinner, and I have done lots of "bad" things. I am repentant, so to God those things are gone. But I still did them, and the world could say I am "bad." Therefore, I am so thankful that God allows bad people like me into heaven.

There is a flip side to this story, however. And that is that plenty of "good" people go to hell.  There is great sadness in this. Unless God shows them mercy, there are plenty of people in the world that do good things, are kind, giving and loving, but do not believe in Jesus, and according to the Bible no one can come to God, except through Jesus. 

There will be "bad" people who go to heaven, and "good" people who go to hell. We can't judge who is bad or good by the standards of the world or even the standards of the Bible. The measuring stick is Jesus: Who loves him, and want to change their life to obey his commands. 

Keep living a life changing faith, so that you can show people the way to Heaven. 

It isn't their behavior...it's their Savior.

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Clean House or Clean Heart

My husband's cell phone rang on the way home from church. It was his son, calling to ask if he could come over...and oh, by the way, he was bringing his girlfriend whom we hadn't met.  Immediately my mind went to the breakfast dishes piled in the kitchen sink. The family room was likely a mess too. We'd had a busy weekend, and I hadn't cleaned up the house.

As we got home from church, I rushed around wildly cleaning. As I went from room to room, picking up things and putting them away, loading the dishwasher, dusting, vacuuming, I became more and more annoyed. Everyone could see how hard I was working but no one was offering to help. Finally I finished, exhausted and irritated.

I went upstairs to change out of my church clothes. The irritation still raging, I decided I needed to pray. My house was clean, but my heart was dirty.  I sat down and began praying. Quickly God showed me the heart issue going on inside me. The reason I was the only one cleaning wildly is because I was the one who cared if the house was clean.  I was the one worried about being judged for a messy home.

Measuring my worth by the wrong standard...again! When will I learn? God gently whispered to my soul that I am His dearly beloved. That my worth came from Him alone, not from how clean my house is. I felt the anxiety leave my body. I was still God's beloved. I belong to Him. Why do I continue to need to be reminded?

"Tell me once again, who I am in you...who I am in you. Tell me, lest I forget, who I am in you, I belong to you."  - Jason Gray, Remind Me Who I Am

I am thankful for a God who continues to remind me of my worth in Him.

What do you do to keep reminding yourself that you belong to God?

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! I am not one of those folks who ignores their birthday or are shy about their age. I love my birthday! But I can finally say it isn't as important to me as it used to be.

Growing up feeling worthless, I struggled to find worth. Often times I based my worth on other people's opinions and statements about me. A "good job" meant I had worth. However, a rejection - no matter how small, confirmed my worthlessness.  My birthday was just another day to measure my worth.  If people remembered my birthday and wished me well - I had worth.  If my birthday was forgotten - I was worthless.

I praise God that he has helped me find my worth in him alone! I am a daughter of the king. I will make mistakes. I will not be liked by everyone. I don't have to the best at anything. I can just be me, and be made complete by the Holy Spirit in me. 

So today is my birthday. But I don't need you to wish me a Happy Birthday to make my day complete. It is already complete by the one who knit me in my mother's womb, who sent his Son to die for me, and who loves me because of who HE is, not because of who I am.

Do you realize your worth as a child of God? Embrace your worth in him, regardless of your achievements or failures.  And wish me a "happy birthday" if you want to.  But if you don't, I 'm okay with that. 

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

When God Tells You Something Different Than Her

I put down the book, disappointed. One of my favorite Christian inspirational writers, the woman who was the reason I became inspired to write myself, had a new book out, and I didn't like the book. I couldn't believe what she was saying that God told her, because it was so opposite of what he was telling me.  Was I wrong?  Was she?

I thought back to past things she'd written and said.  In the past God had told her to give up television, now she was giving up sugar. How could he be telling her to give up things, when he was telling me of my freedom in him. How could he tell her to give up certain food, when he was reminding me that what I put into my body doesn't matter, it's what comes out of my heart and mouth that could be sinful. 

As I continued to search the Bible, and prayed, I realized something wonderful. We could both be right. The Word of God is living and active, and it speaks to us exactly what we need to hear. It would seem that her struggle must be self-control, and so God is training her to be self controlled by having her give up things for him. 

Me? My struggle is legalism and accepting grace. So God was training me to be free, not in bondage to "do" things for him, but to just accept his love and forgiveness.  God wanted me to stop living a life of man-made schedules and man-made rules, and accept the grace he gave me, the grace that I don't have to earn.

I love that God speaks to each of us individually, giving us exactly what we need. When you read a teacher's writings, it is your job to weigh their words prayerfully to decide if what they are saying is for you or just for them. Just because God calls one person to something, he may not be calling all to it. This is also seen in the fact that he gives each of us different gifts.

Yes, there are universal commands for all of us. And if anyone believes that God is telling them something that is opposite of Bible teaching, they are wrong. However, God works on each of us in different areas at different times. He may be telling one person to "Go" at the same time he tells someone else to "Be still." Both are Biblical commands. Which is God saying to you?

It is important to listen to good teachers, but it is more important to listen to God. What is He calling you to do? 

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com