Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Horrors!

by 4 Comments

Isn’t it odd that ordinary, everyday things cause us to ponder our lives? Case in point, my neighbor.

What she did horrified me.

“John, Ellen, y’all come see what I have!” My neighbor called to us. 

I strolled over, thinking she would show me one of her beautiful roses budding out. Well, I can tell you, it was not a lovely flower!

“It’s a full snake skin! He was at least four feet long. Look, you can even see where his eyes were!” She picked up the skin and brought it toward me.

“I can’t believe you are touching that thing,” I screeched, backing away from her.

I was horrified! Not only did she pick up the snake skin, she waved it around like a ribbon gymnasts use in their dance routines. Back and forth, the snake skin fluttered, while my neighbor used her hands to talk. Animatedly. All while holding a SNAKE SKIN. The snake crawled out of his skin, while my skin crawled with repulsion. YUK YUK YUK!

Beautiful, horrible nature

I do not love snakes. I had to deal with them when I was working, because my office was on a beautiful wooded property with a bayou running through. Snakes snuck up and played in the ornamental grass around our office. A few times, I almost stepped on one while walking to my car. There were times baby snakes would get inside. Never have I been more thankful for a good, strong broom to WHAP them with. One day, a snake slithered up the outside of the office window (we had two walls of windows with a panoramic view of nature!). And then there was the time a snake was climbing down a tree.

I saw him hanging from a branch, right outside the office window. He reached the large trunk of the tree, slowly slithering down. 

“Scott, turn around and see what’s behind you,” I told my co-worker. When he saw the snake, he looked…well, horrified. He worked a few more minutes, then “remembered” a meeting in town. There were skid marks on the floor, he left so fast!

“So the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will put hostility between you and the woman” Genesis 3:14–15a (CSB)

Please note, I did not put a picture of any snake skins or snakes slithering or climbing. I don’t like snakes. They horrify me.

Time is fleeting

You know what else horrifies me? Lord willing, I have only 15-20 years left on this earth. Time is fleeting. It makes me ask myself:

-Have I served Jesus well?

-Have I loved others well?

-Have I loved well?

I’m also horrified that I haven’t asked myself those questions before this time in my life. They should be regular points of reflection for me.

 

Reflection Questions:

*Is time passing quickly in your life? What can you do to slow it down? 

*Do you have regrets when you think about your life? What would you do differently?

*How would you answer the questions listed above?

Bring these concerns to the Lord in prayer. He will guide you into all truth.

Grace be with you,

 

 

 

Get your copy here: Longing to Belong

Want to Grow Spiritually? Imitate!

by Leave a Comment

Those seconds you’re stopped at a traffic light seem interminable unless you see something remarkable. 

That’s where I spotted them. Their car turned, crossing in front of me. It was obvious they were mother and daughter. Their conversation was animated. There was a reflection in their mannerisms and facial expressions. 

It was in the tilt of the daughter’s head and her hand movements—even her expressions. The daughter was a mirror of her mother. She was imitating her mom, whether or not she realized it. 

Did she reflect her mom spiritually? Did her mom provide a pattern for spiritual growth?

Their obvious bond stabbed my heart. I wish I had had a mom I could imitate and emulate. Not long after I gave my life to Jesus, my parents decided to start camping on weekends. I understood they needed a restful break from work, but it left a gaping hole in my spiritual walk. During those formative teen years, when I needed a solid, meaty Biblical foundation, I received only baby food. There was no regular church attendance or encouragement to join the youth group. Nothing but Sunday morning non-denominational services in the campground. No depth, no solid foundation, no godly women to imitate.

Oh, make no mistake—Mama and I loved each other. But could I imitate her? Not in every way, not until I was an adult, and she had become firm and rock solid in her faith. For decades, my spiritual growth was stagnant. I had a wonderful, loving mother, but I needed a strong spiritual role model: someone who would guide and teach me in my young Christian life and who would help me grow deep roots in Christ Jesus. I didn’t know how to grow in my Christian walk. But I did learn how to imitate.

Unfortunately, I watched the world and reflected what I saw there. I modeled my life after worldly things. I walked in a spiritual desert for decades.

We must be careful who we imitate. 

We grow spiritually when we imitate suitably. 

Who can we imitate? The writer of Hebrews tells us to imitate those who will inherit God’s promises through faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12). Look around you at church. Find a Godly woman that you admire. Notice the qualities in her that you aspire to have.

Our women’s ministry recently had a night of testimonies. One woman grabbed my attention. She had been through so much pain and hardship physically with her body and emotionally with the death of her husband. This suffering had been happening for years. But do you know what I saw in her? Joy! 

I want to imitate her because joy oozes out every pore in her body, despite her sufferings.

And what if you can’t find someone to imitate? What then?

Look to God’s Word. Paul says, “Imitate me (1 Cor. 4:16).” Why? Because he imitates Christ. And we grow when we become more and more like Jesus.

And what was Jesus like? He loved, mentored, and taught. He did nothing without His Father’s approval. He was completely surrendered to the will of God. Oh, that I could more closely imitate Jesus in my walk! Oh, how I wish surrendering in obedience would be as easy for me as it was for Jesus!

Be a reflection of Christ. Find a strong Christian to imitate. 

Because who you imitate matters.

In His Image,

 

 

Do you have a longing in your heart that needs to be filled? Are you hurting or grieving? Click here to get your copy of Longing to Belong. It will bring hope to your longing heart!