All day every day we run the race of life. We push for more. We fight for more. We fill the schedules with every school event, work event, sports event, church event, you name it there is an event screaming for your attention. As women, we do our best to make sure all the details are covered – food, clothes, extras - presents, parties, special moments and don’t forget every small detail needed for school so the kids aren’t left out or made to feel silly. We are like little mice running a wheel all day long. Then when there isn’t any running, the necessity of making sure all the clothes are washed, dishes are clean, sheets are laundered, floors are swept and of course those pesty bathrooms. And I haven’t even begun to mention all the additional demands if you also work outside of the home. Oh, and let’s not forget exercise and diet control. That is a HUGE FACTOR as well. AND kids needing dental work, doctors’ appointments and the never-ending calls for more. More of everything. Constantly pulling at the mind of a mother. And then the kids get sick, work becomes more stressful than normal, family members suffer from major life altering moments, and your home becomes under siege. And never forget the strong desire of your heart to teach your children the intimacy of a living and breathing walk with God, as well as, protecting your own intimacy with the Father.

The demands on a woman are great. The demands on a man are great – while I watch and see those pressures from afar, I will never do justice in speaking to them with clarity and entirety. For that reason, do not hear me dismiss the demands on a man. They are strong and they are great. Men of today are dismissed and made to look inferior, weak and unintelligent. That is the furthest from the truth. Our men should be respected, honored and revered. Even at times when we feel they do not deserve it.

Women today add too many extra pressures to their hearts, minds and souls. I am the chief among them. We are constantly taking care of so many and still trying to take care of ourselves with a good amount of zeal and purpose. Sometimes all of it is just too much. Have you ever wished you could just stop the madness and the chaos? Have you ever considered stopping it all? Have you considered redefining your days, weeks and missions with a different viewpoint or foundation? 

This summer, our family did just that. Not perfectly, but at least began to put one foot in front of the other to make our world look different again. This summer, we felt led to return to a place that shook our American Christian foundation as young adults. We knew the Lord desired us to visit with Cheryl Spence at Jesus Centered Ministries in Leon, Nicaragua, and lend her a helping hand with the orphans and the cleft babies she is helping with. We started our preparations. One week later, the Lord provided all of the money we needed to for our family of four to go. We casually mentioned this to our “best couple friends” and they shared their church was planning a trip to the same place at the same time. We knew the Lord had orchestrated this time for such a time as this. And if anyone has read any of my other blogs, you understand that the number 26 holds significant meaning in my spiritual walk. The departure date was December 26. The story about the 26 (https://wordpress.com/post/heather-haley.com/516). And here we were, going to Leon after fifteen years to love on a people we hadn’t seen and honestly allowed ourselves to forget about.

As I have been in Leon this week, I have been driven to the book of Joshua for my daily study. During Joshua’s farewell address he speaks so passionately from his heart on so many points -

• After a long time had passed, the Lord gave rest to Israel from the enemies around them.
• He reminds them that even though they fought, it was always the Lord who had fought for them.
• He speaks truth to them that the Lord will keep His promises and drive the enemy out before them so that they will take possession of their promised land.
• He encourages them to “be VERY strong; be careful to obey all that is written without turning aside to the right or to the left.”
• He cautions the people not to associate with the nations that will lead them astray and guide them away from their purpose and mission.
• He speaks to them about how they have been stronger and mightier warriors solely because the Lord gave them the win. He is the One fighting for them and He promised that He would. 
• BE CAREFUL TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD.
• If you choose not to love the Lord, then understand fully that the punishment that comes with that – He will stop fighting for you. The nations around them will become “snares and traps” for them. 
• YOU KNOW WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL THAT NOT ONE OF ALL THE GOOD PROMISES THE LORD YOUR GOD GAVE YOU HAS FAILED. EVERY PROMISE HAS BEEN FULFILLED; NOT ONE HAS FAILED. 
• He speaks of serving the Lord – with all faithfulness. All faithfulness does not mean you sign up for every job needed at the church office. All faithfulness means you sit and be still and hear Him guide you and your home into all fullness and mission. You hear Him speak your mission and your calling to you.

And now to the most powerful point, in my opinion, in this text and farewell message from Joshua –

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

BUT IF SERVING THE LORD SEEMS UNDESIRABLE TO YOU.

In my entire Christian life, I don’t believe I have every paid much attention to the first nine words of this verse. We quote and embroider the rest of this verse, but how often do we incorporate that first section. 

BUT IF SERVING THE LORD SEEMS UNDESIRABLE TO YOU.

Does serving the Lord seem undesirable to you? This is a true, genuine heart question. Is this something you have honestly no desire for? As a Christian, I feel there are many reasons that you can lose your desire for the things of God. Also, if you are not a Christian then you cannot desire the things of God – it is not possible. I know in my own journey, the last three years have challenged me in what I believe about my God. I was always a person who fulfilled her days with the busyness of church and ministry. I won’t say my heart wasn’t in the right place and that I was being intentionally disobedient. I know in my own convictions that I was following as I was being led in my service to Jesus. And I walked intimately with Him. And then the loss of my sister in 2020, struck a new chord in my journey with my Saviour. In that moment, my service to the Lord stopped and my service to my family began. In my opinion, I wasn’t serving the Lord anymore, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Maybe, I have never served the Lord more fully. Or more intimately. But in these reconstruction years, my desires have been challenged. There have been days that my relationship with God has been distant – through my own making and lack of focus and attention. And through that foundational fracture, my service was not desirable. When we are not in the Word of God, the Truth struggles to take root and our service is stagnant. And then we look at all of the areas of our lives that might not be the focus area He wants us to see.

When Joshua speaks this to the Israelites, they are being bombarded with the gods of their past and the new gods in their present setting as they both compete with the One True God. This statement and challenge is not different today. We still face the demons and desires of the gods we served in our past and present day. Did we deal with addiction before Christ? Did we suffer from depression or bitterness before Christ? Or what about the constant need to be busy? And in our present settings, what are the gods pulling for our attention? Is it the push to always go above and beyond at the workplace? Or the desire to constant be on your cell phone when your kids are sitting beside you longing for your eyes? The idea that the gods we face are different is a false idea. Anything that takes your focus and attention away from the One True God is a false god. It is a competing god. What is grabbing for your attention that takes you away from walking in the fullness of God.

And let’s not forget the final point I found in Joshua 24 – “Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.” But what happened after that? Once the people who had experienced the Joshua era of the goodness of God had died, did they continue to serve? When Joshua challenges them to choose this day who we serve, he is asking that because he is wanting them to make their worship and relationship their own and not just following the faith of the leaders above us and around us. Is your faith and your worship true and real to you? Or are you just mimicking the worship of those around you and those who lead you?

This trip for our home was to reset and recalibrate our focus and our purpose. This trip was to redefine the mission of our home as our own, not as one defined by the leaders around us. This mission was to follow the fullness that God has for us, the Haley family. Our purpose is already spoken in the Heavens by our Creator, we just have to listen.

If you are looking for a place to reset and serve – Cheryl Spence in Leon, Nicaragua, with Jesus Centered Ministries is a great place to start. Reach out and I will be glad to introduce you.

Today, determine if you desire to serve. Choose Who you are serving. And learn as a lady to relax and walk in the fullness of His plan and not your schedule.