Jess Foreman

at 11/12/2012

Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies and in honor of the holiday season that is so quickly approaching, I thought I would use this picture to illustrate a visual example that I use to teach what it really means to follow Christ and to live a life that is honoring to God.

What do the escalators and the Christian life have in common, you might ask?

The call to surrender your life and follow Christ is like walking UP a downward escalator...

Ever done it?!?

I'm totally guilty of being one of those people in such a hurry that if there are too many people on the escalator going up, I will walk up the downward one.

In one of those moments of haste and insanity as I was fighting to climb a downward escalator, I found an incredible connection to my life as a believer in Christ! (Random I know... but my mind is a random crazy place)

To be a follower of Christ means that we are called to live a life that is not natural, and a life that is countercultural. This call is beyond difficult (thankfully we dont have to go through it alone). We are even looked at as crazy sometimes for the way that we live our lives.

Along the way we are faced with temptation after temptation that pleads with us to just turn around and ride the escalator down like the rest of the "normal people" in the world. The source of these temptations can come from anywhere or anyone.... even from other people who call themselves believers in Christ, it can come from friends or family members, it can also come from within your own heart.

"It would be so much easier if you would just stop going against the grain.... You would be more accepted and well liked."

The longer you are walking up this downward escalator, the harder it gets. Your legs begin to burn, you begin to doubt why you are even pursuing this path in the first place. It becomes more and more enticing to turn around and just "go with the flow" of things.

I truly believe so many people within the church today are lukewarm in their faith because it is so much easier to become complacent. To pursue Christ passionately for a lifetime means you surrender your ENTIRE life to His will, it means you will regularly be asked to lay down things (or people) that you love, it means you will be called to die to yourself on a daily basis, it means you will be rejected as He was rejected, it means a life of comfort and worldly success are not promised.

There are many times in the life of a Christ follower that we give in to temptation and stop climbing toward the pursuit of the Lord. We are pulled down by the escalator of life. Usually at first we don't even realize that we are slipping, but before we know it we are so far from the Lord. The truth of the matter is that it is so easy to fall and so unbelievably challenging to climb back up.

But should that be an excuse for lukewarm, mediocre, complacent faith?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

If you are one of those people who have been riding down the downward escalator for a long period of time, it might be too overwhelming to turn around and start climbing again. You might buy into the lies that God doesn't love you anymore... that you aren't strong enough to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)

But I want to challenge you to fight those lies with TRUTH!

It is NEVER too late to be obedient to the Lord!

In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) we see that there is celebration and restoration when someone turns from the world and runs back into the open, loving arms of Jesus.

Finally, we need to surround ourselves with other "downward escalator climbers" (followers of Christ) to encourage us to press on, to call out in boldness when we are turned around and are falling, and to remind us that we are not alone in this treacherous journey of life.

Child of God, be reminded today that you were NOT put on this earth to conform to the world (Romans 12:2) As hard as it is to follow Christ, we must persevere and remain steadfast under trial for there will come a day when we will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12) True joy comes from pursuing and knowing the Creator of the universe... it surpasses any temporary happiness that the world has to offer!

Become a downward escalator climber today and never look back!

Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies and in honor of the holiday season that is so quickly approaching, I thought I would use th...

at 11/08/2012

at 9/30/2012

at 9/25/2012

I've been reminiscing a lot this week of my sweet love story with Jarryd. It feels like just yesterday that I walked into a class in grad school and felt my stomach drop as my eyes met his for the very first time. 5 years later and I can never imagine my life without him! Falling in love with him will always be one of the greatest highlights of my life. It brings me great joy to know that our love story is only just beginning and it's my desire to never stop falling in love with him.

The Lord taught me something this week when it comes to marriage that I thought was a great visual example of how important it is to always work at keeping your relationship healthy.

I was looking at my beautiful engagement ring... I remember in great detail how magical the day was that my best friend gave it to me. Then it dawned on me... When was the last time that I cleaned it!?! It didn't look that dirty to me but I decided to bust out the old jewelry cleaner and give it a quick polish.

WOW!!! There's my pretty ring!

I was almost blinded!!!

I had no idea how dirty it had gotten and was blown away by how different it looked once I cleaned it. How had I become so desensitized to its dull and filthy complexion? My incredibly beautiful diamond ring had become a lifeless rock on my ring finger. And the saddest thing of all was that I had inadvertently become content with its new normal, yet uninspiring appearance.

When I first got it I bet I cleaned it several times a day. I took great care in making sure that it remained as flawless as possible because I cherished it. I also knew that it would be on my finger for the rest of my life and that it deserved great devotion to help it stand the test of time.

The day Jarryd proposed... one of the happiest days ever!

I also remember that I used to get compliments on it all the time. It seemed like everywhere I went someone would make a comment about how beautiful it was, I would then in turn respond with how amazing the man was who gave it to me. The radiance of my ring reflected how my heart felt inside for Jarryd.

The very next day after I cleaned my ring I got a compliment on it! All of the sudden people noticed it again.

And then the Lord hit me with a beautiful comparison to apply to marriage...

So many couples are great at taking care of their relationship in the beginning of their marriage. Fueled by an intense desire to beat the divorce rate statistic that gives them less than a 50% chance of making it. In the beginning, they find great joy in serving and delighting in their spouse. Going above and beyond to show that other person how special they are and how much they are unconditionally loved. Never going to sleep angry, freely forgiving, and humbly admitting when they are wrong (even when they are right). Dating each other, not out of obligation or convenience but with a passionate desire and a creative spark. Sacrificing their own wants and desires for the good and joy of the other person.

As a result of this loving care in the marriage, these newly married couples are usually much more noticeable. You can spot them from a mile away! The couple who can't get enough of each other and are probably displaying a little too much PDA. And even with no PDA at all, a couple who demonstrates this unconditional love is easily recognizable! That love is inspirational and completely contagious!

Jarryd and I now have 3.5 years of marriage under our belt and a beautiful baby girl. We have full time jobs (both in and outside of the home), busy ministries, personal projects, and a countless number of other things that demand our time and attention. Life is definitely very different now than it was in the beginning of our marriage but that will never be an excuse to be complacent in taking care of the precious gift that God has given us. And even though we are now in an extremely different stage of life which brings about new obstacles and challenges, our priority is and will always be to glorify God through our marriage.

THIS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY!

But with regular attention, your marriage can be just as shiny and new as it was in the beginning. Maybe with a few scratches and dings in it (Let's just call it vintage) which just represents how you have weathered the many storms of life. But none the less, your relationship has the potential to be more radiant than ever. One that people notice from afar and think to themselves... "I want what they have!"

Ask yourself these questions this week:

Think back to how you were in the beginning of your marriage... even though life has changed... In what ways have you become less disciplined in how you care for your spouse?

Have you become desensitized to your marriage becoming dull and lifeless?

Does your relationship need some polishing? (I'll give you a hint on this one... the answer should always be yes!)

When was the last time someone complimented you on what they see in your marriage?