I have been blogging this month about my friends, and I am excited to announce that over the next few weeks you are going to get to meet some of them. Five wonderful, witty, and faithful friends will be guest blogging here on The Celebrated Family. I can't wait for you to meet them all. First up Lindsey Wingo from Missional Motherhood.
In
our previous rental house, we were able to put an extra refrigerator in the
garage for food overflow...only, it didn’t work out quite like we hoped.
Somehow,
that old refrigerator tripped the downstairs breaker from time to time turning
itself completely off when we least expected it. The first time I discovered
this unfortunate situation, I found a giant bag of frozen mixed berries in the
freezer completely melted. So much for those smoothies! Just when we thought it
was safe to store some food in it again, it tripped the breaker and totally
shut down. Bottom line is, it was unreliable, it was using up more energy than
it was worth, and it became a nuisance rather than a help.
One
morning, after a busy weekend, I woke up early for the first time in several
days to take in God's Word and sit in His presence. The night before I found
myself frustrated, anxious, stressed, and feeling guilty because I knew I had
been short-tempered and easily agitated that day. I was letting my focus shift
from what I knew to be true, that God would provide for all of my family’s
needs and is in total control of our lives, to worrying and showing a complete
lack of trust in the God who, even though He doesn't have to, has proven
Himself faithful time and time again.
That
morning, as I remembered I left some groceries in the downstairs refrigerator,
I thought to myself, "If that stupid refrigerator turned off again in the
middle of the night I will be so mad!" I made my coffee and sat down to
read my Bible. I was reading in Jeremiah and something interesting stood out to
me. God used very practical, everyday situations to speak to Jeremiah, make
certain points, and then pass on those words to the Israelites. As my mind
wandered toward that thought, I remembered how Jesus often spoke in parables
during his ministry on earth and constantly gave practical life lessons in ways
the people would understand. Then I remembered the refrigerator…
What
was its problem? It was not broken, it was just unreliable hooked up to its
current power source. We put food in, it stayed on long enough for us to
reconsider trusting its performance, then before we knew it, we had melted
berries. I am far too often like that refrigerator. I'm unreliable. I take in
spiritual food, sometimes very consistently, and then before you know it, it's
been days (or even longer) that I've failed to feast on God's word or spend
time with the one who sustains me, making it quite evident in the rotten things
that come out. Can I be trusted with a word from the Lord? Can I be depended on
to cultivate and preserve the Word of God in my heart, or will it become a
rotten stench in His nostrils in the way I go on ignoring His truth. Just as
the refrigerator preserves physical food in order to feed our growing family,
is the spiritual food deposited into my soul being then poured out in order to
feed those around me, or am I holding it in, letting it waste away inside me?
This
gentle reminder from the Lord spurs me on in my faith, reminds me of the utmost
importance to stay "plugged in" to my true source of power, and not
allow His word to sit and sour in my heart. May I become more like Him so that
I can be depended on to preserve the Word He's given and faithfully share it
with others in my sphere of influence. May my husband and children not get the
rotten stench of my flesh, but the pleasing aroma of Christ in me.
***
Lindsey Wingo is the wife of Worship Pastor, Ryan Wingo and together they have two daughters, Ivey (3), and Ruthie (1). She is currently a stay-at-home mom and spends her days among piles of toys, sippy cups, laundry, and groceries. Lindsey has a passion for women's ministry and loves nothing more than conversing with a fellow sister in Christ over a hot cup of coffee…and chocolate of course! With a newly rediscovered love for writing, as well as a desire to encourage other mom’s, Lindsey recently launched a collaborative blog for mothers at missionalmotherhood.com. Lindsey also enjoys writing letters to her daughters on her personal blog, which can be found at lindseywingo.blogspot.com. 
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