by Kelli Garms | Feb 14, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
How long is too long to wait for God to fulfill His promise? It seems everywhere I turn in Scripture recently, I am reminded that God’s timing isn’t our timing.
- Sarah giving her maid to Abraham to help God fulfill His promise to make Abraham a mighty nation
- The Israelites making the golden calf because Moses was taking so long on the mountain
- Saul seeking out a medium so he could talk to Samuel and get direction
- and so many more
It’s easy to sit back and judge them, but how many times do I believe God has called me to something, so I must push ahead? When He’s taking longer than I think He should I start to wonder if I should be doing something, saying something, planning something. Because doing something is easier than doing nothing, than waiting.
Instead, I should trust that, if He called me to it, He will make it happen in His timing. I can trust Him for just the next step because my goal is to walk beside Him, not ahead of Him.
by Kelli Garms | Feb 7, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
By now you probably know how much I value words. Words are powerful; they have an impact. And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “freedom.”
Have you ever responded to someone’s request with “It’s a free country”?
- Can I sit here? It’s a free country.
- May I ask you a question? It’s a free country.
- Do you mind if I chomp my gum in your ear while you’re trying to watch a movie? It’s a free country (but you’re driving me crazy!)
Unfortunately, we have begun to think of freedom as the entitlement to do whatever we want, whenever we want, without fear of consequences because, well, it’s a free country. This isn’t the definition of freedom but of anarchy.
The truth is freedom doesn’t give us the right to do whatever we want whenever we want without consequences. Freedom means we have choices. We have the opportunity to choose with the understanding that all choices come with consequences.
Those who live in countries that aren’t free don’t have choices. They might be told what career they will pursue, how much money they can make, or how many children they can have, and they don’t have a say in that decision. Their spouses, their faith, and their standards of living are assigned to them without their input.
In this day when the entitlement epidemic is running rampant, it behooves us to remember that nothing is free of consequences, and chances are someone else paid the price for us to have a choice.
What a powerful punch that little word packs!
by Kelli Garms | Jan 17, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
I remember back to when my family had first returned to the U.S. after spending most of my childhood and adolescence on the mission field. My mom would wash and reuse zip lock bags and plastic cups. Now, I watch my kids use a paper plate for one (1) cookie and then throw it away. How times have changed! We live in a disposable culture. Even things like computers, cell phones, and kitchen gadgets seem to be cheaper to replace than the money, time, and energy it takes to repair them.
Unfortunately, this disposable mentality has seeped into other areas of our lives. It is more difficult to get people to commit to jobs, ministries, and even relationships. If you have a disagreement with someone in your church, you can go find another church. If you have a falling out with a friend, that’s ok, you can find another one on Facebook. If you don’t like something your boss said or did, just get another job. Everything in our lives seems to be disposable.
An unfortunate side effect of this mentality is that we don’t have any depth in our lives. Our friendships are shallow or even non-existent. We give up on our marriages at the first sign of trouble. We walk away from our jobs or our ministries because they aren’t fun anymore.
But there is something to be said about sticking with something or someone even when things are hard or monotonous. There is maturity and depth that comes with working through the issues or choosing to be content in our circumstances. And the loneliness that comes from a disposable mentality can be suffocating.
From what have you been tempted to walk away lately that maybe deserves a second glance?
by Kelli Garms | Oct 25, 2019 | Family, Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
Do you wish your husband was more spiritual? We are at a unique time in our history where, as women, we have access to so many tools to improve our personal walk with the Lord. Unfortunately, sometimes it can lead us to frustration with our husbands if we don’t see them tapping into resources like we are. Here are some things to remember:
- Your expectations for your husband’s spiritual walk aren’t necessarily God’s expectations for him. God doesn’t love us more because of what we do or don’t do. Our spending time with Him is for our benefit; as we spend time in His Word and in prayer, we fall deeper in love with Him, but it doesn’t change His love for us.
- Your husband doesn’t answer to you. He is a grown man who makes his own decisions. Dropping hints, nagging him, or trying to manipulate him into a closer walk with the Lord will very likely have the opposite effect.
- Celebrate the “little things” when you see God working in his life. Is he faithful to church? Does he listen to podcasts or watch youtube videos that discuss spiritual things? Is he a godly father to your children? Ask God to open your eyes to the things He is doing in your husband’s life.
- Most importantly, pray. Pray for your husband, but also pray for yourself. Pray that God would soften your heart, open your eyes, and convict your spirit when things get frustrating. Pray for your husband’s protection, the guarding of his heart, and the shielding of his eyes from everything the enemy is throwing at him.
Remember that your personal walk with the Lord is just that—personal. Your husband’s walk with the Lord is also personal. Wait and watch as God does a marvelous work in you both!
by Kelli Garms | Oct 11, 2019 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
As I’ve been reading through the Bible this year, I have been struck by how God started the journey of so many great men and women. None of them were able to stay comfortable and complacent and still accomplish what God had in store for them.
- Abraham had to leave his country and set out for an unknown destination.
- Noah, who had never seen rain, had to build an ark and preach about a flood without a single convert.
- Joshua had to take the mantle of leadership after watching how often the Israelites turned on Moses.
- Ruth had to leave her family and country and become a beggar in the land of her enemies.
- Daniel lived in Babylon as a solitary believer.
- Paul, David, John the Baptist, Samson, Esther…. The list goes on and on.
It has made me realize that my desire to stay comfortable is a desire not to be used by God. Ouch!
Will you get uncomfortable with me? Let’s see what God can do when we take that step in faith!
by Kelli Garms | Sep 13, 2019 | Bible Study, Family, Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
In last week’s post, I talked about submission in 1 Peter 2 & 3. Lest you think submitting to your husband makes you inferior to him, I wanted to continue in that passage today.
Peter includes only one verse that speaks directly to husbands, but it sure packs a punch! Let’s look at 1 Peter 3:7:
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Am I right to assume reading that verse got your hackles up?? There are several things in this verse that can rub us the wrong way, but let’s unpack it a bit. I think you’ll find it becomes a comfort to you.
When Peter commands husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, the idea is to do life together. This isn’t describing a domineering husband with a floor mat of a wife. Doing life together implies a partnership, and partnership implies equality.
The term translated “weaker” in reference to the woman is speaking of physical strength. Whatever you may believe about gender roles, you can’t deny that physical strength lies on the side of the man. This is not a slight to women, however, who are natural nurturers and care givers.
Peter specifically references the equality in God’s eyes when he tells husbands that their wives are “heirs with you of the grace of life.” We can’t be co heirs if we are not equals.
You can submit to authority and still be equal in importance. Christ is not inferior to God, yet He submits to God’s will.
Although you can’t control how your husband responds to you, submitting to your husband is a strong testament to your faith in God.
