[00:00:01] Jessica: Hey, friend. Welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together, we'll explore how faith filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love, and grow.
So grab a seat, settle in, and join us on this journey to turn inspiration into action.
Let's dive in foreign.
Hey friend. Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. Sometimes the things God wants to change in us aren't actually the things anyone can see. We can be doing something good. We can be serving and encouraging, praying and showing up faithfully. But underneath all of that, God sees our hearts. He knows when parts of us need to be noticed or appreciated or recognized. And instead of hiding those things from him, what if we allowed him to lovingly refine them? That that's what we're talking about today. Not getting our motives perfectly right, but allowing God to keep shaping us as we become more like Him. And I'm especially excited because my friend Sharon is back with us. And since our last conversation, God has continued to work in her life. And recently he's been asking her to look a little deeper at the heart behind why she serves. Welcome, Sharon. I'm so glad that you're back.
[00:01:20] Sharon: Oh, I'm thrilled to be here.
I'm excited.
[00:01:23] Jessica: It's going to be great. I love it. So, you know, before I dive in, y' all know I love a good, fun fact. And Sharon, as I've gotten to know you, I feel like there's so many things that I keep learning about you and they're just so much, they're so fun and unexpected and they make me smile. And so one of those things is that you used to scuba dive, which I think is so cool. And you actually said that being underwater gave you a whole different appreciation for God's creation because there's just so much beauty that we don't get to see from land, which is absolutely correct. And so now I'm curious is what's one underwater moment that actually leaves you still in awe of God's creativity?
[00:02:06] Sharon: I had the opportunity to scuba dive off the Cayman Islands in, you know, in the Gulf of Mexico or in the Caribbean sort of area.
Anyway, it, there's a wall there that it's, it drops off from, you know, being fairly shallow, and then there's this wall of coral and it goes down. It's like a 6,000 foot drop. Oh my goodness. So you're just hanging in the water and you see all this gorgeousness of the corals and the fish and everything. And then you're looking into the depths that you can't even begin to see how deep it is.
And just the juxtaposition of that. I mean, this was a number of years ago, but I will never forget it. And then you have these giant fish going by, and it's just, you know, one of those things that just makes you appreciate the creativity that God has and all of these creatures.
And it's like this hidden wonderland down there that, you know, what a privilege to be able to experience that.
[00:03:25] Jessica: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I think that's so amazing. Whenever I watch videos or, you know, youtubes of people that. That do scuba diving or I guess you don't do scuba diving, you scuba. But I. I just think that's amazing and so much that we would never be able to see if we didn't go underneath the surface.
And I love that we have figured out a way to be able to go see more of God's creation. I mean, that is. Wow, that's absolutely amazing. And kind of what we're talking about in a similar yet different way is that God does that to our hearts. He's actually inviting us beneath the surface. And he lovingly shows us so gently what's really there. And so that's what we're going to talk about is what he's been showing you. So, Sharon, you shared with me that God has been working on your motives when you serve Him. So when. When did you first realize that this is actually something that he wanted to refine?
[00:04:21] Sharon: Oh, gosh, you know, I can't pinpoint an exact time other than, you know, he'd probably use scripture, you know, as.
[00:04:34] Jessica: He does.
[00:04:35] Sharon: Yes, he does. And in fact, earlier this week, I. I have a book that I use in my devotional time that takes you through the various stages, you know, of praise and confession and, you know, intercession and all of that. And it uses just scriptures. And so I was thinking about this whole motives thing, and all of a sudden it's like, well, there it is right there. And there it is right there. I was like, okay, God, I get it. But, you know, I actually jotted a couple of them down. And One was Proverbs 16. Two, all a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. I'm like, yeah, yeah. And. And, you know, just another sentence in Psalm 73, it Start. It's in sort of the middle. It's whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you? And I was like, is that true for me? Is that really my motive? Is that I desire him above everything else.
Well, you know, I cannot honestly say that that's 100% true.
But you know, I think scripture, you know, if we let will speak to us in areas where God's like, you know, yes, you need a little work in that area, girl.
[00:06:06] Jessica: Yeah, well, and he's so gentle to bring those things to light. And he. I feel like he's just patiently waiting for us to finally get the memo. But you know, when they say that we say all the time that the word is alive and active and that's, that's literally what that means, is that sometimes in our seasons when we're reading verses, we're not meant to get a certain meaning, you know, motives out of these verses until we're in that season. And then God's like, hey, remember that verse? And you know, or when you're just reading and it goes, oh, that one kind of stung. And then we have to wait and ask, hey, why, why does that sting?
[00:06:44] Sharon: Because that, you know, it also says it's like a two edged sword, you
[00:06:48] Jessica: know, and yep, sometimes that's clean.
[00:06:54] Sharon: Don't dig too hard, you know, I get it.
[00:06:57] Jessica: Exactly. That's, it's, it's a precious thing that he does and I'm so thankful for that in our lives because it's what we need. It's what we need even when we don't realize that we do. And it just makes us better human beings, but also it makes us closer to him as children of God. And I'm, I'm just so thankful for that. Another thing that you mentioned was actually during our wholeness in the wilderness retreat, how it played a part in that realization. And so what happened during that time that the Lord made you feel, made this, this feel different than before?
[00:07:34] Sharon: You know, I can't pinpoint anything specific, but one of the questions you asked of us to really think of is what, what do you want to lay down? What do you want to lay down before the Lord? And also what do you want to pick up? You know, but for me the laying down is, you know, I guess that's when God was like, your motives matter. You can do a bunch of good things for the wrong reason.
[00:08:08] Jessica: Oh, for sure.
[00:08:09] Sharon: And so I just think it was, you know, time God said, you know, it's time, Geralda, that I want you to really think about your motives. And you know, mine are generally a mixed bag if I'm honest with myself. You know, that yes, there's a desire there to serve God, but I also don't Mind if somebody praises me a little and thinks I'm a good person, you know? And, you know, it's hard to say, well, I'm doing this for God, but sometimes I'm also doing it for Sharon.
And I haven't really figured, you know, I am not yet to the point where I can look and say, you know, most of the time it's all because I nothing. I don't desire anything but you, God.
And then if I ever got said that, then I would be suffering from pride, probably.
[00:09:03] Jessica: But, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that it's so important for us to recognize this within ourselves, because conviction can be uncomfortable, but it's also a beautiful invitation for God to do something deeper within us. And so when we see that in ourselves, I think it just allows for an easier transition.
[00:09:24] Sharon: Well, and I think, you know, I think it was Dietrich Bonhoeffer and some book I was reading said, you know, and he was talking more about confession. But I think it's true for anything like this. But is we prefer sort of the light touch, you know, not to get too specific, you know, well, just forgive me for my sins. You know, exactly what they are.
And I don't think anything changes in our behavior until we let God really get specific with us and say, no, it's. It's this little thing right here, you know, this little motive that you have clung to and you're not willing to let go. That's the one I want you to give up.
[00:10:15] Jessica: That.
[00:10:16] Sharon: That's painful. When you get down to whether, regardless of the type of sin, is that you really have gotten to the point where you hate that sin and you want to be rid of it. And I remember the first time I heard a Sunday school teacher say, we need to hate our sins. And I was like, that's such a strong word.
[00:10:40] Jessica: Yeah, yeah.
[00:10:42] Sharon: But it's really true. And until we hate them, we're not going to let go of them.
[00:10:46] Jessica: No, no. Because when we don't name them, we become comfortable with them.
And, like, you can say sorry to someone and not really mean it. We can say, lord, forgive me for my sins, but not really mean it or name it. Right. And so unless we're specific, it's hard to be there. So in that specificity, since he's been telling you this, specific motives work. Working on what has he been teaching you in the difference between serving him and serving for recognition? Because I know that that's one that I think all of us struggle with.
[00:11:24] Sharon: Yeah, well. And, you know, when you raise your kids, positive Reinforcement that's. We're used to that being the way we know. Oh, that's good behavior.
But I don't think it serves us well when we're serving God. Right. Just recognition is a big part of it. And I think in anything, you have to slow down. If you hurry through whatever it is without just thinking about who am I doing this for and what do I want to get out of this.
And rarely is my answer absolutely nothing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's just. I think about it a lot, you know, this. I. I pray for people and.
Which God called me to do because I wasn't good at it. I usually text people and I text them a prayer, and I do that. I hope. My motive is that they. Number one, they know I have prayed for them.
And number two, having it there, they can refer back to it again if they need it. But there is a little part of me that also likes it if they put a little heart on there.
[00:12:39] Jessica: Yeah, yeah.
[00:12:41] Sharon: You know, and sometimes I don't get anything back, and that's fine. But it is showing me.
I mean, just that whole process of getting into that is to think about, what are you trying to get out of this, Sharon? And to really slow down.
And I think God puts some people in my life where I don't hear anything back, and that's good for me.
You know, just sort of by his call to me to do that has sort of raised this issue more up in my mind of, okay, let's get real here, about who are you serving?
And, you know, frankly, I see this as probably a lifelong struggle for me.
[00:13:25] Jessica: I think it's for all of us, because we're human. We're human. And like you said, like, we want that recognition, and we know that we get it from the Lord, but it's different when it comes from a human.
[00:13:37] Sharon: And it feels. It feels more.
Well, it's more physical in our physical world rather than something. And, you know, he tells us we'll get our rewards in heaven and they're going to be absolutely stupendous.
[00:13:53] Jessica: Yes.
[00:13:54] Sharon: But, you know, a lot of us like instant gratification.
[00:13:58] Jessica: Exactly. We live in a microwave society. And, you know, one of the. One of the beautiful things about the Lord is that when he does convict us, he doesn't do it to leave us discouraged. He's inviting us back to him so that he can reveal these things and work in relationship with him. Because obviously without a relationship with him now, this is just mean, and he's just pointing fingers at things. But I think it's such an important reminder because I know that I personally, and maybe, maybe you do too. But, you know, when God reveals something in my heart, my first instinct is to go and fix it myself, because I'm a fixer.
But the. The opposite of that is that when he's bringing that to us, he's actually again, inviting us to come to him and let him work through that. And I feel like, yes, our humanness shouldn't want to just continually be satisfied by praise from others. But also I think that that's that little bit of grace that the Lord gives us in that is that we're able to have a heart on a text or a thank you for praying or some verbal communication. And that's kind of like his way of saying, I see you, you know, good, good and faithful servant. I see you doing what I've asked you to do. Keep going. And I think without that, we. We wouldn't want to serve. I mean, we. We know. Right, like what you just said. We know our treasures.
[00:15:23] Sharon: Encouragement. Yeah.
[00:15:24] Jessica: Yes.
[00:15:25] Sharon: And I think God does allow us, you know, to get some feedback so that we don't get discouraged.
And. But, you know, too much is dangerous.
[00:15:38] Jessica: Yes. Because then we rely on it. Yeah.
[00:15:41] Sharon: Well. And I have. I have seen the downfall of a couple of pastors who received so much praise, and it just led to really bad results.
So I think God knows our hearts and he knows that I would not do well if I just received a continuous bathing glory.
[00:16:08] Jessica: Yes, yes, yes. Well, but on. On that in a. In a real world sense, you know, God is always working within us, and I love that he does things in and around us and for us in ordinary moments. And so you actually told me about an experience that you had that you actually called a sacred encounter with your nurse, Moises.
[00:16:30] Sharon: Yeah. English Moses. Yes.
Well, a few weeks ago, I was dealing with some health issues, and so I needed to have 10 days of IV antibiotics at home.
And so they assigned me a nurse to come and administer this. And so this guy shows up. His name is Moises, and he was from Cuba. And, you know, over the days, you know, he began to tell me his story.
He had, you know, things in Cuba right now he's been here, I think he said, four years, but things are bad, bad in Cuba.
And he tried. He had family already here legally, and he tried to get asylum and come in. Well, he ended up not getting asylum. He came in across the border, which normally I don't have a whole lot of, you know, patience for, but, you know, Given his circumstances, I be. God softened my heart, you know.
Anyway, so we would sit and chat while. While we were. Thing was dripping in my arm.
And he would go in the kitchen and prepare everything. And then he would come in and, you know, sit there with me. And he came in maybe two or three days in and he said, do you believe in God? And I said, well, yes, I'm a Christian and I have a painting in my kitchen that is of the communion elements, a pitcher and, you know, the bread and the chalice.
And he said, well, I saw that picture and I wondered. And so we talked and he was raised. I thought this was. He was raised Baptist in Cuba, which I would have expected. Catholic.
[00:18:21] Jessica: Yes.
[00:18:22] Sharon: Strong faith in the Lord. Anyway, it was just.
We then talked about, you know, he asked what's your favorite Bible verse? And. And my husband would be here sometimes and we chat and just talk. And his favorite is Jeremiah 29:11. I have the plans for you to prosper you and. And so forth. But it turned out to be such a sweet time. I was. I was originally supposed to have seven days, and then my doctor decided to extend it to 10. So I'm on the phone with the nursing people and I said, I want Moises back.
But it was. It's one of those. One unexpected little encounters. Well, unexpected for me, but God had it planned all along, I think.
[00:19:12] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:19:13] Sharon: And so now I keep up with Moises and his wife.
I'm praying for them because she does not have asylum status yet.
And they recently drove over to Tampa for a visit with ICE office there. And they were. They had gotten transferred. They wanted to be transferred to that office. I think they maybe are a little more receptive to the Cuban issues in Florida.
[00:19:41] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:19:41] Sharon: Maybe here in Texas. Anyway.
Well, they had a Sunday appointment, which I thought was odd.
So as I am prone to do, I'm praying for them and typing out a prayer for them on Saturday and sending it. Well, then I heard back. They got there and they waited and they waited and the office never opened. I'm like, anyway, so everybody who hears this pray for Moises and his wife. And so I now have a new friend that I wanted to continue to. I don't know if I'll ever see him again.
I hope so.
I want to throw a party if they get her asylum granted.
[00:20:20] Jessica: Yes.
[00:20:21] Sharon: It's just, you know, to me, it's just so. I was not expecting anything like this, you know, when I had. I knew I had a nurse coming.
And you just never know where God has you planned for an intersection with somebody in your life.
My life intersected with yours and I got to come see you.
[00:20:45] Jessica: Yes, I know. It was so wonderful. And we wore matching caftans.
[00:20:50] Sharon: Yes.
And so, you know, these are, you know, to me, when these kind of things happen, we need to recognize them for the gift that God has given us.
And to me, the gift he's given me is to meet these beautiful people who want to become productive citizens. I mean he was a doctor in, in, in Cuba, but it does. Their training doesn't meet the standards here in the US so. But he took a series of tests so now he's a, you know, a registered nurse here in the US and they're trying to be productive citizens. Yeah. So anyway, I just, it was great. And you know, we just have to keep our eyes open.
[00:21:41] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:21:41] Sharon: You never know what a painting in your house, how it might spark.
[00:21:46] Jessica: Exactly, exactly. One of, one of the ladies that we both know, she has this huge painting of Jesus. It might be walking on water, but it is life size, massive. And every single person that walks in sees that. And it has stopped people in their tracks and brought up so many amazing conversations. So yeah, you never know what is going to stop someone and then you're able to share the gospel with them and it's just such a beautiful, beautiful thing. And I love that you mentioned, because I was going to ask you about it, about your prayer spreadsheet and that intentional rhythm that you do in your quiet time. So how has having that structured prayer list helped you stay connected with God and paying attention to what he's doing?
[00:22:35] Sharon: This. It was in response to God's prodding that I was not really that focused on intercessory prayer for others.
And you know, a lot of times I'm guilty, you know, oh, I'll pray for you. And then I forget about it. And so by being nerdy and actually a sweet friend of mine, she was talking, we were talking about prayer and she, she had her little, she had a little chart because she had a big family. She did it so she would, you know, spread out the prayers during the week. And you know, she has tiny little perfect handwriting and it was on like a big post it note. I was like, well, that won't work for me. So I need an Excel spreadsheet.
And. But I'm. It's changed my life. It is such a privilege to pray for others.
And there's no shortage of people that need prayer, self included.
And part of it was I was stepped into a role at our church as moderator of the deacons, and God just put on my heart, the best thing deacons can do is to pray for their people.
And I just started.
I just, you know, sent a text. Text has turned out to be a fabulous tool.
And it was like, how can I pray for you today? Well, I did introduce myself. Hi, I'm your deacon.
But it was just remarkable from the very beginning that people really responded to that. I think it feels very safe. Even safer than asking somebody for a really sensitive topic face to face, if you don't know them well. But I've had dads that I hardly know say, pray for me to have patience with my wife and my kids, you know, all sorts of things. And it has enriched my life in so many ways, but it also has brought to life, you know, okay, Sharon, who are you doing this for? Because, you know, make sure that I'm doing it. I want to do it for God and for them, and not just because I get a little pat on the back, you know, so God has kind of used this prayer thing to say, okay, just be sure you're doing it for the right reasons. And I'm sort of like, God, keep yanking me back. Yank me back.
[00:25:08] Jessica: Well, we have to keep our eyes on him for all things, right? And so telling him, hey, I'm gonna need your help here, because we tend to do float. But I think that you. I mean, you nailed it on the head. Is that when we pray for others, it's that beautiful opportunity that we get to love and care for people that we can't change their situations or circumstances, but we know who can. And we have just a little bit of seed planting in. In that and giving them prayers. And I feel like that also helps them to see, to be and feel seen and known here on earth. Knowing that this. This is. Is a connection that they can have with the Lord. And then, of course, it does offer and open up opportunities for you to share more about your relationship, and it's so beautiful.
[00:25:57] Sharon: Well, I feel blessed. I. I feel like I'm way more blessed in doing this than anybody else. I just love doing it. It takes time. Yeah. You know, it takes time because usually every morning I have my list, and there's like over 100 people on my list. So I don't pray, but I'll usually pick a verse and that I'm like, okay, I'm going to pray this verse for everybody. But then there's certain ones maybe I haven't contacted in a while. I'll say, I'm praying this for you, this verse for you today. How else. How else can I pray for you? And so I kind of try and keep track. And I never erase a strand, a text strand, because I can always look back and say, I know something was going on with somebody and let me look back.
So anyway, I love it.
[00:26:49] Jessica: So for. For a woman that is listening and she recognizes that she has mixed motives in her own heart, what is. You know, maybe. And maybe even another area where God is still growing her and maybe convicting her in that or. What encouragement would you give her today?
[00:27:09] Sharon: Just lay it in front of the Lord. To me, this just kind of came to me. I probably really need to ask God, help. Help me to hate having mixed motives. Help me to hate that, for it to be repugnant to me. And I think that's a really strong prayer and I don't want to pray until I really mean it.
[00:27:32] Jessica: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:27:33] Sharon: And part of it may be just, lord, help me to hate this thing, whatever sin it is or whatever thing, you know, help me to hate this so I can. My motives will be just a little bit pure. I know I'm never going to get 100% this side of heaven. It's sort of a daily. Let me lay it down again, Lord. I know in. In my book that I use to. To sort of guide my quiet time during the confession section. Finally, on page 183, I made a list.
I'm like, okay, I'm tired of trying to think of all my sins, so I'm like, for the repetitive ones. So now I have a list on page 183. And when I get to confession, I go back to my list and say, okay, Lord, they're all still there.
[00:28:25] Jessica: Yeah, but again, I think that recognizing it is. Is a huge thing. And that is. That is the. That's how the Lord's going to continue to work on your heart. And our hearts. When we recognize it and we put it in literal black and white, write it down right. And. And see it every time that we go back and go, Lord, what is it that I need to be working on? And I think there's another important part of that too, because when the Lord does reveal those things to us, those things that we've written down, it's not only about recognizing them and asking for forgiveness, but Scripture also calls us to repent and turn away from those sins and turn back to God. So that doesn't mean we're never going to struggle in that area again, but there should be this willingness in our hearts to say, lord, I don't want to keep holding onto this. Help me turn from it and walk differently. Honestly, I don't think. I mean, again, you mentioned it. I don't think any of us are truly honest about all of the sins that we have because we would rather be. Just blanket it with, lord, forgive me. You know what it is, instead of pinpointing all of these things, because we don't want to be uncomfortable, but it is uncomfortable to stay in sin.
We should not want to stay there. We should want to bring it out and just like. Just like a child, you know, that needs discipline.
Take the discipline. And now we can walk together even closer. Because now we've worked through that. And I just. I'm so thankful, Sharon, for you and you coming here and being so vulnerable and transparent. Because there's not a lot of people that would come on here and just say, hey, here's my. All my sins, and I'm writing them down. Like, I am so, so thankful for you because it really is relatable and honest. And I think our friends listening are going to be able to relate to you and go, yeah, I'm in that same boat. Because I know that I'm in that same boat. I mean, there's times where I don't. I do not pray for all the sins because I'm like, lord, how much time do you have?
Because I'm not a perfect person, and none of us are.
[00:30:23] Sharon: And one thing I've learned, hurry is our enemy. Yeah, when we pray or when, when we have our quiet time in a lot of things, hurry is our enemy because we're gonna, we're gonna take the shortcuts, the, the, you know, uncomfortable parts. We're gonna go, oops, I'll do that tomorrow. And, yeah, tomorrow never comes.
Yeah, you know, I, I. And I can say all this because I'm. That's the way I am, you know, And I just learned. Gotta slow down.
You can't uncover the dirt in your soul, if you will. Yeah, in five, Five minutes. No, no, no. But Satan's gonna fight us every second.
[00:31:07] Jessica: It reminds me of, like, excavation when they go and they get those little brushes and they're like, dusting the little brushes, and you can't use a shovel in those because it will break. It'll break apart things, and there'll be more damage. But it's. This whole conversation has just been such a beautiful reminder that God, he's not interested in just what we do, but what's happening within us as we're doing it. And so, man, I can't. You know you're coming back, right? Because you're just full of so much beautiful wisdom. So just, that's what I told you last time and here you are.
[00:31:41] Sharon: So, yeah, I'm just a work in progress.
[00:31:45] Jessica: You are. We all are. And I love that. I, you know, we love sharing the in the middle parts of life here because not everyone can relate to a wrapped up ending, but they're in the middle of it now going, what do I do? How do I get here? And so that's, that's exactly what we do. So as we're wrapping up, I do have that one last question that I ask every guest, and that is, what is one perspective that you would encourage listeners to apply today?
[00:32:12] Sharon: Maybe it's just the last thing I said. Don't hurry. You know, and sometimes there are days where that doesn't work.
[00:32:21] Jessica: Right.
[00:32:22] Sharon: But just as often as you can, don't hurry through your time with God. Don't hurry through your prayers.
Don't hurry through particularly examining your heart.
Yeah. Create in me a clean heart. Oh, God. Yeah. And you have to then say, okay, what's dirty in there? Yeah. So don't hurry.
[00:32:45] Jessica: I love that. Sharon, thank you so much for being here. It is always such a joy to have you. And I cannot wait to hear continually what God is doing in your life when we come back next time.
Friend, maybe there's something that God has gently been bringing to the surface in your own heart. You don't have to fix it before you bring it to him. Bring it to him first and allow him to do the transforming. If this episode encouraged you, would you share it with a friend who might need this reminder, too? And before you go, I want to let you know that these conversations here aren't just for women with big platforms and perfectly polished stories. They're for everyday women just like you and me. So if God has been teaching you something right now, or changing your perspective or simply meeting you in an ordinary season of life, I would love to hear about it. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't even need to know exactly what you'd like to talk about. Just reach out to me and tell me a little bit about what God is doing in your life and we'll take it from there. Message
[email protected] and lastly, if you are looking for a place to connect with other Christian women beyond the podcast, come join us at the Story Haven. It's a free online community where we can grow in our faith and encourage encourage one another along the way. You can find
[email protected] or just search the Story Haven in the App Store or Google Play. And remember, even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.
