I met Mila when she came from Russia to Paris to marry a friend of ours. Over the next couple of years I slowly learned her story. Mila was raised in communist Russia. When she was 12 years old her father didn’t return home from work. They never saw him again and never learned what happened to him. Her mother died in a car wreck when Mila was 15, leaving her to care for her younger sister and her mother’s aging parents, including her grandmother who was blind and was showing signs of Alzheimer’s. In Paris she gave birth to her son who immediately had to have surgery on his kidneys and had ongoing health problems. She has returned regularly to Russia to check on her grandmother whose condition has worsened and who is now alone since her husband’s death.

I've never heard Mila complain or question God. But I finally saw her cry after a difficult trip as she described her grandmother’s condition and the challenges of providing and caring for her from afar. She didn’t cry as she told me of her hardships, but as she told me of solutions God had sent. Tears rolled down her face as she said, “Who am I that God would be so kind to me?”

My tendency in difficult times is to cry out, “Why?” My friend has taught me a new question and perspective: Who am I? Who am I that in my darkest moments God would take notice and come to my rescue?”

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” 2 Samuel 7:18

-Angela Beise

Edited: 05/28/2009 at 1:09 PM by LaCroix Church Blog Moderator

I have a close friend whose first child went off to college this fall. When he left she called me and was sobbing. If you've been there, like I have, you know how hard it is when one of your children leaves home. It's the end of an era. It's not that you're sad about where they are in their lives or that they are going to college, but it marks the end of childhood.

As she was crying on the phone to me she said, "When he was a cute little baby I never imagined this day would come so quickly or that it would be so hard to see him go." I told her that we have to remember the goal. The goal from the day our children are born is independence. We teach them to eat by themselves, to walk without assistance, then to drive, to take responsibility along the way, to make wise decisions, etc.

As I was telling my friend this she stopped and said, "Oh my gosh, I forgot the goal!" She and I have laughed about that since then and talked about how easy it is to forget the goal.

Later that day I read this verse:

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." 1 John 2:15-17

As I read those words I realized that I also tend to forget the goal. I so quickly start to crave what I see. I somehow begin to think that God owes me certain things and certain comforts. It's easy be proud of what I've done or what I have. As I thought about that and looked at the state of my own heart I had to say to myself, "I have forgotten the goal!" How easy it is to forget the real goal and start to live for less than worthy goals.

So I sat down to remind myself of the goals for my life:

To glorify Christ in all that I do and say and even think

To never depend on my own understanding or wisdom but to completely trust God

To surrender every area of my life and let God have His way

To love Him, really love Him, and to love the people in my life like I have been loved by my Savior

To seek Him and all that is important to Him and to let the rest go

To be content with whatever He has provided for me and whatever He has allowed in my life, good or difficult.

It takes a lot of work to keep the goal in focus, to live for and be motivated by the right goal. God didn't give me precious children for my own pleasure and fulfillment, and He didn't put me on this earth to accumulate a lot of stuff and applause. I've got to keep my eye on the right goal!!

-Angela Beise


Edited: 05/05/2009 at 2:05 PM by LaCroix Church Blog Moderator

To help me through the book of Numbers, I have decided to read a chapter of Proverbs along with my normal reading. Good call Robert!

Proverbs 1 rocks. It has solidified my understanding that the primary way in which God deals with our disobedience and foolishness is to first call us out on it, asking us to turn away from it and back to Him. But if we refuse to listen, he doesn't zap us or grind us into the dirt; he simply let's us have our way and reap what we sow.

"Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them..."

It is not God who causes our calamity, but our own way, devices, complacency and turning away. This of course is not to say that all of our difficulties or troubles are caused directly by our own sin. Sin has corrupted and broken the good world that God created. Just as the tower that fell on some men in front of Jesus and the disciples was not the result of something they did, things that happen to us are not always the result of something we have done. But, certainly, our disobedience and folly have consequences.

-Rob Mehner

Welcome to the La Croix blog. Our hope is that this blog will be a resource for readers seeking to experience spiritual growth, life transformation, and a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Expectations
You can expect a daily post no less than Monday - Thursday. Posts will be some combination of Biblical exploration, devotion, poetry, editorial, testimony and fun. Primary writers include Rob Mehner, Spiritual Formation Pastor, and Angela Beise, Spiritual Formation Coordinator; but a multitude of guest writers will appear from time to time.

What we ask is that comments and questions be thought-provoking and respectful in tone and language. We look forward to this opportunity to interact.