Tag: prayer

Less of Me, More of You, Lord

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

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What am I going to do?  How am I going to handle this?  Several times over the last two weeks I have caught myself asking these questions.  I didn’t realize there is a niche of narcissism hidden in my heart until exposed by my thought pattern.

Every time my mind defaulted to one of those questions, I received a question back.  Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness!  The responses to my questions were a unified theme-ME.  “What are YOU going to do?”  “How are YOU going to handle this?”

Do you see my problem here?  I was exalting myself and excluding God.  

Also, in those moments of fear, my first line of defense was panic instead of prayer.  When I am under pressure, I easily forget the Source of my security. Control, micromanagement, and self-reliance are such insidious impostures that lead me down a path planned by my flesh instead of a passage paved by my Father.

I am grateful for the reminder that it was time for a self-demotion in exchange for a Savior promotion.  

Life is so much lighter when I settle into my designed role as a child of a Father, who knows and controls all things.  My planning hands rarely prosper, and life becomes futile; it is when I leave room for God to mold my purpose that living becomes fruitful.

Father, remind all your children who need to remember when we are prone to fighting for ourselves that Jesus’ victory belongs to us.  In all the ways, we deceive ourselves into believing we are in control, whisper that peaceful word that is too elusive in our hearts and minds-rest.  May we lay down all our plans, schemes and weapons intended to forge our plans for life and remember that You have already written our entire story with Your Sovereign Hands.  Father, I confess, I get overwhelmed by demanding days; tempting me to maximize myself and minimize you.  When I do this, chaos becomes my company, fear becomes my friend and anxiety becomes my advisor.  Quickly convict my heart and direct me back to Your promises, the only resivor of rest for riddled ragamuffins like me.  Amen.

A Prayer for Replacing Panic With Prayer

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

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Father when things do not go according to plan as they often do not, I am prone to a default reaction of panic rather than a posture of prayer.  Panic leads me to fear and worry sending me spiraling away from You.  The further I become from you, the more responsible I feel to make life work on my own.  In my busyness to “manage” life, I become so distracted with misguided priorities that I neglect my time with you.  As your word recounts in Luke, call me “out of the kitchen” as you did Martha.  Place within me the heart of Mary that desires to sit fully surrendered at your feet and bask in your presence.  Amen.

Are You Waiting?

- dannalundstrom

  
Are you waiting?
I am a fairly patient person but when it comes to waiting on matters close to my heart, I am a work in progress. Waiting for answers to my desperate prayers, especially the ones I have been praying for a long time challenges my patience and tests my faith every day. (Psalm 119:81)

I am learning to train myself to remember that my wait is God’s welcome. It is His invitation for me to grasp a deeper dependence on Him, strengthen my trust in His plan, not mine, and to spend more time in His presence. Also, I have come to realize that when I am waiting, He is working in me the most. He is pruning me and perfecting His plans for me.

God answers some prayers immediately. Some take us through many intervals of being on hold. I think in one way or another we are all in a season of waiting. I am practicing being grateful in my wait because I believe God’s word. (Lamentations 3:25)

I know that His timing is perfect even when it looks imperfect to me. I am practicing praising Him in my waiting because I am certain it is a conduit He uses to work all things for my good. (Romans 8:28.)

Sometimes my wait ends in an outcome that my earthly eyes view as unfavorable, but God has eternal eyes, and I trust His superior vision above my self-centered sight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If you are in a time of waiting, do not let it be wasted. Practice prayer. Practice trusting that God is perfecting His plan for you. Lastly, practice praising Him for the good things He is doing for you that no man can immediately see or imagine. It will transform the weariness of your wait, and give greater purpose to your grueling pause. (Psalm 33:20-22)

Keep fighting the good fight, friends!

Prayer for the Suffering This Morning

- dannalundstrom

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Jesus in a world of evil that produces the likes of Ashley Madison convict us to lay down our stones of hatred and stretch out our arms in help. Give us the strength to be peace planters, not problem perpetuators. Families are being ravaged by sin. Suffering is no surprise to You, Father. You are not shaking your head in disbelief or seeing us with disparagement. The world says we are doomed, but with confidence You say, ALL, can be delivered. In Your economy Lord, the redemption starts at the moment of the wreckage. Help us remember that you are in the business of restoration, not ruination. You represent redemption, not retaliation. You are a fountain of mercy, not misery; and You Lord are a grace giver, not grievance granter. Lend comfort to the hurting Father; the innocent, the condemners and the condemned. May we go and sin not, but when we do, remind us that in repentance and rest is our salvation. In quietness and trust is our strength.~ Isaiah 30:15. Amen.

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Let It Be You, Jesus

- dannalundstrom

 

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Jesus let it be your heart not headlines that capture us.  Some days discouragement seems the easier option.  Remind us you are in the business of deliverance despite destruction.  Your mercy and grace reach the biggest of mess ups, the deepest of deceptions and the grandest of griefs.  I ask you to encourage us in our brokenness today, Father.  Amen.

A Prayer For Aching Mamas Today

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

Father you know we mamas are creatures who crave constancy not change.   When it comes to our children, our hearts are never more troubled by the trials of transition.   Tis the season of so much change, God. Our babies are starting kindergarten, entering high school, arriving for their senior year and launching off to college.    As our lives are fluctuating, our familiar is becoming foreign, our normal is becoming new and our usual becoming unknown.   It feels as if pieces of our lives are changed forever. They will never be as they were again.   It is the dying of a chapter that is so deeply rooted and known that it is painful to imagine how life will look moving forward.   We are challenged to hold gently and fondly to what was so that we may courageously embrace what now is.   Give us the grace to be more than conquerors in all these circumstances of change, Father.   May the faith that lives in our hearts be bigger than the fear that lurks in our minds.   Bless our children.   Insulate each and every one of them from head to toe in your cloak of protection.   Remind us mamas that we have raised them to run this race with determination not retreat in doubt.   There will be trails, and there will be triumphs.   May we and our children know that disguise in all our disappointments are Your appointments.   Give us the courage to not look for life somewhere under the sun but in someone above it-You, Father.   Amen   P.S. Father, please bless all our special teachers and administrators.   Refresh them daily with endurance, compassion, empathy and love.

Consider Prayer Before Panic

- dannalundstrom

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The way we are wired is an indicator of how we react, but it does not have to be a dictator.  Being in touch with our tendencies is very helpful in maintaining stability.

This morning as people are defaulting to our natural fear mode about a “possible” Ebola patient at UAB, why don’t we take a moment and consider prayer before panic.  Pray for the patient, the family and all health care workers involved in this persons care.  So many times our fears never become a reality.

The media feeds fear. Be aware of what is going on to an extent, but fix your thoughts on a God, who is over ALL things, knows ALL things and is faithful through ALL things.  

Whatever situation you are facing today, possible Ebola, a dreaded diagnosis, broken relationships, God is not surprised.  He wrote the story, and He knows how it will end.  Do you trust Him?

The biggest battle we all face is the one in our minds.  Sometimes we become hostages to our thoughts but we are not helpless against them.  Consider prayer before panic in all situations.  It makes all the difference.  I know this because it is a discipline I had to learn, too!

Philippians 4:8 ~And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

One God, One People

- dannalundstrom

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I am a color,  but my color does not define me.

I am born of a race,  but I become who I choose to be.

God created me equal to all man so please respectfully acknowledge me.

I have a heart that beats just like yours.  It sins and loves no matter what my ethnicity.

History holds a wealth of bondage from scars inflicted by ancestors,  you and me.

The future does not have to reflect our wounds.  The choice is for God’s people, no matter color, race, religion or gender to spread and live in harmony.

There are good and bad of every kind.  Exclusive to no one;  not yours or mine.

My birth branded me with many labels,  but please don’t use them to judge me.  I only wish to be known as the person who desires to reflect God in how I live,  love and chose to be.

Kindness knows no boundaries in available hearts.  It is immune to the prejudice or color, race or gender.  It respects all, the receiver, and the lender.

We are all one.  May our eyes be blind to any differences and our hearts be open to every kind.  For it is in seeing, knowing and loving,  many treasures we find.

Congruence

- dannalundstrom


 

Last night my son and I had a dinner date. He wanted pizza. Pizza is always the predictable choice for him! Unfortunately, he did not have to twist my arm very hard, especially for Davenport’s Pizza in Mountain Brook.

“Let me drive mom.” Those words still jolt me. I just turned sixteen, or so it feels that way some days.

During our drive, he said to me, “Mom, your car is clean on the outside, but always messy inside.” I did not have much room for dispute, so I just affirmed his observation as subtle shame sunk me a little deeper into my seat.

Later I was thinking about what he said. I saw a picture of life that was worthy of consideration. Like my car, I typically clean myself up on the outside but easily neglect the inside. I cannot hide the external, but I sure can the internal.

I have a lot of “junk” inside. Some out of my control, some in my control. Some deposited by me and some left behind by others. I eventually get around to cleaning out the inside of my car, but I cannot be that nonchalant with my soul. Taking inventory of the inside mess requires daily diligence. When I neglect this process, it is to my detriment as well as those closest to me.

I want to be a congruent person. My desire is that my interior matches my exterior. I cannot withstand shining myself up all the time. That is exhausting and not realistic. Trash can be buried but unless destroyed, it will eventually stink again. I must be attentive to what I am fighting inside while being authentic about what I am flaunting outside.

Jesus addresses this very issue. Luke 11:39~ “I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates, so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. (The Message)

Father help me to live a congruent life between what people see and do not see. Give me the grace to dismantle facades and presentations based on social pressures and expectations. Grant me the courage to live free as I am in every moment within the parameters of your spiritual fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Thank you for the ways you pursue my whole heart; even through the observations of my children. You are a faithful God. Amen.

The Enemy is on Instagram

- dannalundstrom


There are days I wish I could quit social media altogether. It crosses my mind frequently, but ultimately it is not reasonable for me right now having two teens. It is my job to monitor their accounts, their etiquette, or lack of, their friends, what the current concerns are and so much more.

Lately, though it is getting harder for me, especially Instagram. I am concerned by the fading presence of modesty, particularly in young girls. Tiny bikinis that leave little to the imagination litter feeds. Low cut tops. Shorter than short shorts. Tight clothing that hugs curves and features as if to highlight and focus attention on them. As a mom of a boy, this is concerning. As a mom of a girl, this is concerning.

Girls are being reduced to the “perfection” of their bodies. Comments are rampant about bootys, boobs, abs and so on. All this, portraying the picture that your worth and power is based on your body. No one will be able to measure up to this standard forever, and some never.

I cringe when I see comments like these direct quotes, “I wish I could be you,” “Why can’t I be beautiful?” “Body goals.” I want to grab these children and say, you are beautiful, there is no one like you, and these are not goals! Ugh! Their precious, immature and permeable hearts! I think my soul sheds tears every time I read these comments.

I understand in young, immature minds that is what they think. I have been there. We as parents have the power to speak into that faulty thinking, though. If I think a post is even remotely inappropriate, you better bet it is being deleted. It has happened; it will happen, and it will continue to happen. I will never explain or apologize to anyone for that! Also, we cannot control what others post or comment, but we can sure communicate with our children about what is and is not appropriate.

It saddens me to see girls so young using their bodies to draw attention, affection, approval, power and validation. How this will impact them as they grow older is even more concerning. Our girls must know if they want to be respected and cherished for their hearts and minds, and if not now, someday they will; that is what they must accentuate. Our outward bodies decline quickly. Inward beauty has the potential only to get better as we age.

Equally as tragic are the boys who are looking at and commenting on these photos. They are not learning to respect girls. They see what is as it is! That is all! They are being bombarded with physical images that are hard to remove from their minds. The impacts of this, as they mature, are devastating.

The prevalence of pornography addiction is astounding. When I was, a child boys had to sneak and steal magazines and go off into hidden places to look at them. Now it seems as if what they are holding in their hands right under our noses borders on pornography. It is in my feed, and what is in theirs is worse! This is a problem on so many levels. Boys grow up to be men. Once the seed of addiction is planted in the adolescent years, it is VERY hard to overcome in the adult years. Porn and sexual addictions are destroying today’s families. If you do not, believe me, visit websites like Route 1520. Read the book, Surfing for God by Michael John Cusick. It is real. It is rampant friends! There is hope but not without going through hell first!

Sex trafficking and pedophilia are also alive and well in our world. We like to turn a deaf ear and cast a blind eye to these problems, but they are not going away. They are in our community, our churches and sometimes our homes. Who knows who is looking at our children’s photos. There are so many ways to access them and then do with those faces and bodies sickening things. Please don’t be naive.

I pray for the social media trend to shift from worth and approval based on my body, friends, likes, the number of comments and successful social lives. I pray girls and boys, too, learn they are already fully accepted and approved of by those who truly love them for who they are on the inside, not the outside. It is a pervasive battlefield where the enemy has a strong foothold, though. We must fight back!

Technology continues to change and evolve. Our talks and teachings with our children must too. Morals have not changed; we have changed. It takes more strength, courage, and prayer to be steadfast than streamlined. It is true, but it is entirely possible, and our children’s hearts are entirely worth it!