Isaiah 55:9 The Ceramic Horse

This post originally appeared on Jesus, You, and Me on March 17, 2011.

I had 75% of this post done last night while I was waiting for Ben to cry himself to sleep. He got really upset so I went to check on him. He found a little ceramic rocking horse Christmas ornament. This ornament had a hole that the bottom, like some ornaments do. He was convinced it was broken and should be fixed. I could not convince him otherwise, so eventually I just hid the ceramic horse in my pocket. He was more upset and so we looked at his stuffed animals, talked to them, and then settled into bed. Read through my thoughts from last night and see how this story is connected.


"I need to be more like God and not try to make God more like me." I heard this idea 3 times today from 3 different sources. I'm not sure exactly what I should be learning from this, but since I heard it 3 times, I thought it important enough to blog about. 

I 'heard' this first this morning when I was going through my Bible Study homework. In Me, Myself, and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild, she mentions Isaiah 55:9. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." From my notes this morning, "You don't have to and can't live up to God! He accepts your broken parts!" There is no way for me to live up to God. He is higher than me. I can't change that and I don't have to be ashamed by that.

The second time was in Stuff Christians Like this morning. He actually quoted the same verse. He spoke about wanting God to do things like he would. Wishing God would give him choices he is comfortable with and has gotten used to using. (BTW, I am doing a really bad job of summarizing this. Go read it for yourself, so what I'm saying makes sense.) Once again, I 'hear' God isn't like me. Don't try to make him like me. Let him do his job. You just sit back and let him.

The third time I heard it was at church tonight. Drew said it in his lesson about renewing your mind,Romans 12:2. Renewing your mind isn't something that is only for the recent converts. It is for all of us to continually renew our minds and be less like this world. We should not make God more like us, but make us more like God.

So back to the ceramic horse, how often are we like Ben convinced that we know the way something is supposed to look, the way it is supposed to work, etc? We know best and why isn't everyone listening to us!! Don't we sound like a two year old demanding our way? We yell at God and huff at the world because it isn't working like we 'know' it should. God tries to reason with us and maybe sometimes it works. We realize that we need to let him do his job because he is higher and we shouldn't make Him more like us. 

What if we don't? Will God take that thing away from us because it is causing us too much strife? Will he get our mind off of it with something else, so we can settle down and rest? I'm not sure what the answers are, but I think the answer could be yes. Are you holding on to a ceramic horse? What might God be able to do if you let it go?

Unedited thoughts on the sermon

"I want to experience the presence of God and to dwell with God." Sermon on 11-11-12.



If I never have another child, do I love him?
If he called for my life, do I love him?
If he called for Ben's life, do I love him?
If he called for Drew's life, do I love him?
If we lost our home, do I love him?
If I am in physical pain, do I love him?

Do I trust him to be useful? What if I had to trust him to be useful?

What if there was not going to be a place without suffering, and pain? Is He enough even with pain and suffering?

Psalms 27:4 - If I was facing New Testament Saul, would I still say this - "I want to dwell with God."? Do I mean it that much? Would I love him if he ordained it? Even as enemies surround me? Literally?

What makes me happiest? Doing the will of God.
Why? Because it makes him happy.
And? Because he is proud of me? Because he would love me more?

Because I love him!

Is doing the will of God similar to wanting the presence of God?

In doing His will, we are IN His presence!!!

David said, "I don't want to be delivered from this. I just want you."
Would I say that?

How to be a Christian when you are tired

  Photo Credit: dprevite

You probably clicked here thinking I was going to give some useful steps about being a Christian when you are tired.

Sorry about that!

The post title is more of a question than a self help post.  You see this week has been exhausting.  I have stayed up later than normal a couple times.  We have had car trouble a couple times.  Errands, chores, and some work stuff took longer than expected or didn't get done.  And there is going to be a big change coming for me at work.  So I am exhausted both mentally and physically.

I am stressed out and worried about various things that are happening and some that aren't happening.  I know God is in control and I genuinely believe that he is looking out for what is best.  That doesn't negate the fact that I have been more cynical this week.  I have had mean thoughts creep in often.  I have snapped at my husband and son more than once.  All I really want to do is curl up in a ball under my covers and go to sleep.

However, I decided to be an adult and go to work even though I really didn't want to do that.  I have tried to stop the negative thoughts and focus on positive things, like smiles and laughter.  Blessings like a full belly and a warm bed.  Maybe that is what growing in your faith is all about.  Maybe it is looking for the blessings more than you do the negatives.  Maybe it is believing God is going to come through even when things look tough.

What do you think?  How are you a Christian when you are tired?