No More Drama! We Dont know What's Real These Days!

A teacher had a poster on her classroom door that read, "Save the drama for your llama." This poster was absolutely necessary because she worked in a middle school! But the truth is drama is not only for middle schoolers; it can be a part of anyone's life at any age. 

In the world we live in today, drama can make you rich and famous. Don't believe me look at Real housewives of ??? (you fill in the blank). It is almost like reality TV has taken over the world and we reward people for a life full of drama. We condone their lifestyles because it's entertaining. We overlook the bad habits and rude behavior because it something to watch and makes us feel better about our own lives. "We say things like my life is not that bad." 
We laugh at the drama we see on TV and even in regular TV shows, more and more is about how much drama can I put into an hour. I mean even one of my favorite shows is Scandal. Why because we all love to see a scandal unfold before our eyes. Each week it something else that makes me say "Oh my, what will happen next?" Now there is nothing wrong with watching Scandal unless God tells you not to. For the sake of making my point, we are addicted to drama. the worst it is the more we seems to gravitate to it. 

Drama tears us and others apart. Paul says in Galatians 5:15-16, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (NIV) Just before this in verse 14 Paul reminds them of Jesus’ teaching from the Old Testament that everything is summed up in loving God and loving others. In other words, our responsibility is to love God and others instead of causing drama by talking about each other and engaging in other sins of the flesh.

How do we stop the drama? The first thing is to walk in the Spirit. We are lead by God in the way He has uniquely made us to love Him and others. When we do this, God takes away our desire or "need" to create drama by filling it with meaningful, life-giving tasks.

Prayer:

Our Father, help us to see the meaningful purpose that you have given us. May we not be drawn in by dramatic situations that cover up what is truly going on in our hearts. Let us see who we truly are and find joy in the purpose that You have given us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

You are Bound No More.

Leah: From Unloved to Beloved

What woman hasn’t felt like Leah at least one day in her life?

Who hasn’t had the best friend that became homecoming queen? Who hasn’t sighed when she looked in the mirror, desperately trying to camouflage her flaws? Who hasn’t had that moment, perhaps after hanging the eighth bridesmaid’s dress in her closet, that the only way she could possibly get a man to marry her would be if he were tricked?

Rachel, Leah’s sister, was the head-turner of the sisters—Rachel’s name meaning “ewe” and Leah’s, the far less complimentary “cow.” Rachel was the one whom Jacob merely had to lay eyes on and he didn’t care how long it took—he had to make Rachel his wife. Leah, whether by guise of night or veil, then gets thrown into the bride role at the last minute, in her father’s hope that he could marry her off. Somehow.

Jacob rejects Leah.

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, saw behind Leah’s tender eyes and discerned her heart.Leah may not have been “lovely in form,” but she was exactly what God was looking for through whom to establish the house of David and the lineage of Christ.

Leah recognized her children as blessings directly from the Lord, and despite the pain of rejection and her unquenchable desire to be loved by her husband, she praised Him. (Genesis 29:35)

We’ve all been Leah, with the desire to be loved. We’ve all had to swallow the realization that, not only will other people fall short of our expectations, but we’ll fall short of theirs. We’ve all had to make the decision that even if we don’t get our storybook ending and we don’t get to be the beautiful princess adored by the prince, God is still so, so good and we will praise Him.

We may not ever be homecoming queen. What physically greets us in the mirror each day may not be what others define as “beautiful.” We may not ever get married or experience the type of romantic love we’ve dreamed of (or been told to dream of) since we were little girls.

But I promise you this, ladies—in God’s eyes, we’re all stunning beauties. He wants us to forget what the world thinks is beautiful and remember the beauty He created in each of us. He wants us to desire His admiring glances above anyone else’s.

The truth is, we may never get our prince, but we all get our Prince. Yes, even us Leahs.

You are Bound No More.