Sharla, Author at Sharla Fritz - Page 4 of 30
November 23, 2021

One More Reason to Be Thankful

Thanksgiving is upon us. Maybe you can hardly wait for the roasted turkey and cranberry stuffing. Or perhaps you dread the holidays. Or maybe you’re struggling to find a reason to be thankful.

Perhaps you even feel thanksgiving is a bit passe. I mean all year long we hear about keeping gratitude journals. Experts continually tout the benefits of feeling thankful. And you feel like–enough is enough. What is so great about thanksgiving anyway?

One More Reason

Perhaps Psalm 95:2 tells us the biggest perk of thanksgiving:

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:2

The experts tell us that gratitude improves our physical and psychological health. Psychologists claim it will enhance your sleep and self-esteem. But if you need one more reason to be thankful, God says thanksgiving will usher us into His presence. What could be better than that?

All year long, I’ve been trying to notice God more in my everyday life. I want to see Him not only in the sacred hour of Sunday worship or the momentous events of life. I want to see Him on an ordinary Tuesday morning, a gloomy Thursday afternoon. I want to see Him while I’m typing at my computer or playing my piano. And sometimes I struggle with this.

However, I’ve found one sure way of discovering God in my everyday world:

Discover at least one thing to be grateful for.

Thanksgiving = Awareness

Somehow the simple act of thanking God makes me aware of His nearness. When I say “Thank you” for the Honeycrisp apple I ate for lunch, I remember His creativity. When I express gratitude for the encouraging words a friend texted me yesterday, I recall His care. When I thank Him for women who regularly join me for Bible study, I rejoice in His gift of sisters in Christ.

And all of it brings me into His company.

Of course, we know we should be thankful for the gifts God has given us. He grants us food and drink, home and family. He graciously gives us forgiveness and salvation through His Son, Jesus. So yes, we want to express our gratitude to the great Provider.

But if you need one more reason to practice thanksgiving, remember Psalm 95:2: Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: ,
November 16, 2021

Learn to Live Like You’re Loved

This article first appeared on The Redbud Post an online magazine put together by a wonderful group of Christian writers. Start reading here and click to read 6 ways to live like you’re loved.

I sat at my computer, trying desperately to come up with a few words that made sense. But nothing came. I felt empty. Overwhelmed. Beaten down. I questioned my ability to write. My power to keep going. My worth as a person.

These feelings were not new. In fact, they had appeared so often that I had a go-to remedy for this malady of the soul. I reached for a stack of cards that I keep on my desk and read these words:

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

I read each word slowly and meditated on the truth of God’s love for me. God was with me—even in my frustrations. His mighty power can save me—even from my gloom. He rejoices over me—even if I can’t come up with a cogent sentence. He quiets me with his love—his stillness calms my distracted soul. He loves me—so much that he sings love songs to my heart.

I set the card back on the stack and took a deep breath. Words did not magically jump onto the screen. Deadlines did not disappear. But I could cope. I could rejoice in my identity as a beloved daughter of God and work from a place of worth instead of a frenzied state of trying to prove myself.

I was learning to live like I’m loved.

Backward Thinking


For years, I got things all backward.,,Read more.

Want even more?

And if you want even more spiritual practices that will help you experience God’s love, check out my FREE ebook Live Loved. Click here to learn more.

Filed Under: God's Relentless Love
November 9, 2021

How Gratitude Changes Us

gratitude
John Milton said, 
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to experience everyday epiphanies.

Gratitude changes me. Thankfulness helps me remember that everything I have is from God. He gives the gifts of faith, love, and even a sunny day in November. Gratitude definitely inspires reverence.

Milton also said gratitude allows us to experience epiphanies. My dictionary gives two definitions for epiphany:

  • a moment when you suddenly see or understand something in a new way
  • an appearance or manifestation, especially of a divine being

Thankfulness enables us to see our everyday lives in a new way. We can complain about snow on the ground or we thank God for its beauty. We can gripe about the toys all over the family room or be grateful the children in our lives that put them there.

Thankfulness helps us to “see” God. Of course, God is always with us. But our busy, messy lives often crowd out our awareness of Him. A small prayer of gratitude even in the midst of a chaotic morning is enough to “manifest” His presence to our spirits.

The apostle Paul wrote:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

Could it be that one way to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts is to be grateful? That as we stop to say thanks we push out a bit of discontent from our hearts and make room for peace?

This week is a national celebration of Thanksgiving. At overcrowded tables all over the country, people will stop to give thanks.

Let’s carry that attitude of thanksgiving throughout the year. As we do, we will see our lives in a new way. We will discover God in the mundane corners of our days.

Next step: This week, remember to thank God for the mundane and ordinary. Say a small prayer of gratitude and experience God’s transforming power.

howgratitudechangesus

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With:
October 5, 2021

Living Connected: An Introvert’s Guide to Friendship

What serendipity! One of my best friends has written a lovely book on friendship.

Afton and I met about ten years ago in a writers group where we all read each others’ work and offered praise and suggestions. As a newbie working on my very first book, I greatly benefitted from Afton’s advice since she was an experienced editor. That first book would have been far less polished without her input.

Fast forward a few years. Afton and I both joined the Redbud Writers Guild and took part in a new writers group. I had the privilege of seeing several new books birthed from that small group of writers–one of them Afton’s. As our group read each chapter of her fledgling book, we appreciated her honest stories about friendship and her helpful suggestions about improving our connections with others.

One day after the group meeting, Afton and I were talking in the parking lot of Panera and Afton got a call from her agent. A publisher said yes to her book! We did a little happy dance right there in the parking lot!

I have no doubt that you will also love her book! Living Connected: An Introvert’s Guide to Friendship includes real-life friendship stories, Bible stories, and hints on how you can reach out to others while remaining true to yourself. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of friendship. You’ll learn how empathy and loyalty contribute to deep friendships. You’ll see how approachability and creativity can help you make new friends. Flexibility and consistency balance our relationships. And humility and confidentiality hold them together.

So you can find out more about Afton’s inspiring book, I asked her to share more about why she wrote it and how it will enrich your life.

  • The book focuses on friendship for introverts. Isn’t that ironic? Don’t introverts just want to be alone?

Introverts do happily spend time alone. And they like quiet. But they do also like people. In fact, introverts really enjoy one-on-one conversations. But being with people takes more effort for introverts than it does for extroverts.

  • How exactly would you define the words introvert and extrovert?

One of the definitions that helps me most includes the answer to this question: What energizes you? Introverts find energy from quiet; extroverts find energy from activity, especially people activity.

For example, my husband, an extrovert comes alive in a room full of people. And on a Saturday morning after a draining week, he picks up the phone to call a friend—or two or three.

As an introvert, I feel overwhelmed in a room full of people. And on a Saturday morning after a draining week, I want a few hours alone in the basement.

Obviously, no person fits completely into a box. People have tremendous nuance. And the terms introvert and extrovert include so much more than just what energizes a person. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment has helped lots of people learn more about introversion and extroversion for over 75 years. The assessment talks about ways people gain energy, but it also covers how they take in information, make decisions, and organize their worlds. So helpful!

I also highly recommend the books Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain and Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam McHugh.

  • And you are an introvert? How did you come to own your own introversion?

Way back in college, I took the Meyers Briggs test and discovered that I am an introvert. I did not pay much attention back then. I wish I had. Instead, for decades I pushed myself to act like an extrovert and even shamed myself for my quiet voice. But over the past decade, I discovered some book friends that really helped me understand and own my introverted voice. Adam McHugh’s book Introvert’s in the Church particularly spoke to me. I have a quotation from his book on my dresser where it reminds me every day that my introversion is a gift: “I’d like to think that the work of God might be displayed through by introversion, and not in spite of it.

  • How does understanding this about yourself give you direction and purpose in terms of connecting to others?

The more I read and thought and prayed about introversion and friendship, the more I realized that God didn’t make a mistake when He wired me as an introvert. He gave me a gift! A gift that actually helps me connect well with people.

Introverts tend to have unique gifts that actually make them good at connecting. We don’t have to become “fake extroverts.” We can instead embrace our natural tendencies to listen, ask questions, think outside the box, process through writing, and empathetically feel others’ pain. All of those abilities help introverts connect with others.  

  • How does faith factor into living connected as an introvert?

As an introvert, I love quiet. I happily spend time alone, particularly in my large, over-stuffed, living room chair

But then I read John 15:12 (NLT) and discover a get-out-of-your-chair-and-reach-for-people challenge, straight from the mouth of Jesus:

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

These words remind me that because God has deeply and sacrificially loved me, I must head into a world that God has called me to live in—a world full of people who don’t know Him. And a world full of people who have lately heard and seen so much aggressive, divisive language and behavior done in God’s name.

BUT I don’t have to pretend to be an extrovert to do it. I can connect in a quiet, thoughtful sort of way, introvert-style.

  • Could an extrovert pick up this book and learn something? Do you recommend that extroverts read it?

Several extroverts read the book and even endorsed it. One of my endorsers, Mary Whelchel Lowman,  wrote this: “I have lived many of my eighty years without ever thinking about the challenge introverts face. In fact, when I did think or talk about introversion, it was usually with a negative slant—like this was a problem those introverts needed to solve! My good friend Afton Rorvik began to change that for me a few years ago, as she shared her life and writings with me . . . Introvert or not—this is a book you need to read!”

My hope is that extroverts and introverts will read the book and then use it as a launching pad for conversation.

  • Where can we get the book?

Get it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Connect with Afton! She is available to speak at your church or group. Contact her through her website: https://aftonrorvik.com/

Plus, follow her on social media.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningtoLiveConnected/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AftonRorvik

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aftonrorvik/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aftonrorvik?lang=en

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsesaQt8aFKy6cwx1nUqPg

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2845576.Afton_Rorvik

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afton-rorvik-a55b6080/

Website: https://aftonrorvik.com/

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With:
August 24, 2021

10 Ways God’s Love Changes You

We hear about God’s love in church and it sounds wonderful and spiritual, but perhaps not terribly practical. We want results and don’t see how God’s love changes you.

I’m an action oriented person. Give me a to-do list and I’ll tackle it until every item has a neat little check mark next to it.

So the idea of just sitting in silence and contemplating God’s love and nearness seems well–not very productive. How can stillness accomplish anything?

During one busy season of my life I decided to try a little experiment. During this period I had a to-do list the length of a football field. Just thinking about the list caused a panicky feeling. So to keep stress from being a frequent visitor, I decided to set a timer to go off every hour. At the sound of the timer, I stopped what I was doing for a couple of minutes and contemplated God’s great love for me. Sometimes I listened to a favorite song about God’s love, sometimes I reviewed words of God’s love from Scripture, sometimes I just closed my eyes and remembered: Jesus loves me.

The results were astounding. My productivity increased with these breaks instead of decreased. Stress wasn’t looking over my shoulder every minute. I remembered I didn’t have to work alone–God was more than willing to work alongside.

This small act of basking in God’s relentless love made such a difference in my day, that I took a look in God’s Word to see what it says about the effects of Divine love. Here are ten ways God’s love changes us.

  1. God’s love banishes fear. 1 John 4:18 says:  “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” I noticed that recalling God’s immense love for me chased away the fear of not being good enough. The fear of not pleasing people evaporated because, well, what did that matter if the King of the universe loved me?
  2. God’s love gives us strength against Satan’s attacks. Look at Psalm 59:10,17: “My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies…O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.” We are safe in the fortress of the Redeemer’s love. God’s love gives us the strength to resist Satan’s arrows.
  3. God’s love helps us trust. Psalm 13:5 says, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” It’s easy to trust someone who loves you unconditionally. When we think about God’s love our faith grows.
  4. God’s love leads us to contentment. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 90:14, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” When our hearts are filled with the beauty of God’s love, we are satisfied. Cravings of the world fade away. God’s love changes you with fulfillment.
  5. God’s love draws us to worship. King David wrote in Psalm 5:7, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.” When we contemplate God’s love for us, our hearts bow in worship. We enter God’s presence to praise Him for His priceless gifts.
  6. God’s love enables us to stay on His path. “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness” (Psalm 26:3). When I am mindful of God’s never-ending love for me, I am much more confident that God’s path is the best one. I don’t walk in my qualifications or in my competence. I walk in His faithfulness.
  7. God’s love gives us the confidence to pray. Psalm 69:13 says: “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.” Because we know God as a caring Father, we can come to Him as His much-loved children. His unfailing love gives us the courage to come with our debilitating failures, our overwhelming dilemmas, and even our pesky problems.
  8. God’s love motivates us to obey. Psalm 106:7 tells us the reason for the Israelites’ rebellion: “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.” After all God had done for them, how could they forget His love? Yet I often do the same. But when I do bask in the abundance of God’s love, my rebellious spirit is tamed. I’m drawn to follow Love.
  9. God’s love in our hearts enables us to please God. “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11). Just like any loving dad, what pleases our Abba Father most is for His children to curl up in His caring arms–to put their hope not in their own cleverness or ambition, but in His love for them.
  10. God’s love helps us to love others. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). We are to love others as Christ loved us. That little word as can have a couple of different meanings. It can mean, “Just like I have loved you, I want you to love other people” or “Since I have loved you, you are to love one another.” Loving others in the same way Jesus loved us is a difficult task. It’s made a little easier because God has filled our hearts with His love. God’s love changes you to become a more loving person.

This world is full of conflicts between pleasing God and pleasing others. Our life is characterized by clashes between our spiritual side and the part that simply must type the memo, get dinner on the table, and generally survive in the world.

But I’ve found that the one simple act that helps me win the battle: basking in God’s relentless love.

Next step: Try my experiment. Set an alarm or timer to go off every hour. Stop for a moment. Close your eyes. Remember God’s love. Watch it change you. For more verses on God’s Relentless Love, check out this post.

Filed Under: God's Relentless Love
August 10, 2021

Why God Wants Your Heart

God wants your heart. His desire for an intimate relationship with you is a bit like my daughter’s yearning for dolls.

You see, when my daughter was little, her heart yearned for Polly Pocket dolls.

I knew this because whenever she had saved enough allowance money, she begged to go to Toys R Us where we could find the newest and cutest Polly doll.

I sometimes wished that she would choose something more worthwhile. I didn’t see the appeal in another little doll. As a practical mom, I hoped she would choose something with more lasting value.

Today when I read Deuteronomy 5:29 for my quiet time, I heard God voice a similar wish for me:

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! 

I can hear God’s longing in that verse. To me, it sounds like He’s saying,

Oh Sharla, what I wouldn’t give if your soul were always leaning my way, your heart continually bent toward mine!

The verse tells me that my Father wants me to obey His instructions and follow His commands, but even more than that He wants me to want to follow Him.  He wants me to gladly choose His way. He wants my heart.

But God doesn’t want my heart to satisfy an ego trip. He wants me to willingly follow me for my own good. I can hear Him say:

If only you would choose my way! Can’t you see your life will be so much better if you would follow my path instead of heading down the road the world is pointing to?

God wants my heart because He desires what is best for me. Just like I knew a Polly Pocket doll would not have lasting value, my Father knows that many of the things I desire will not give me enduring joy. He longs to give me all of His best blessings that come through an intimate relationship with Him. And so He asks me to incline my heart toward Him.

My daughter eventually outgrew her affection for Polly Pocket dolls and began to save her money for more lasting and important treasures.

I hope that I will also outgrow my longing for anything but Jesus.

I pray that my heart will always be leaning towards God.

Next step: A prayer for today, “Lord, how amazing that You long for my heart! Forgive me when that foolish heart has wanted things detrimental to my soul. Help me outgrow my longing for anything but You.”

Filed Under: God's Relentless Love
July 1, 2021

What Encouragement Looks Like

This week I’m over at PerennialGen with an article about encouragement. Start reading here and click the link to finish!

What does encouragement look like? How can we develop this gift?

My third-grade year started out rather ominously. One day our teacher wasn’t at the front of the classroom. Our eight-year-old brains didn’t grasp exactly what a cancer diagnosis meant, but we did understand that Mrs. Harris wasn’t coming back.

We continued learning cursive writing and multiplication tables from a string of substitutes who flowed through the classroom. But everything changed when Miss Marquardt stepped through the door. Miss Marquardt had a different style of teaching. We still learned three times three equaled nine and how to loop a perfect S. But this teacher also encouraged our creativity. We made dioramas and performed silly skits. We wrote stories and created our own picture books.

When third grade ended, I regretted having to leave Miss Marquardt’s classroom. Thankfully, by the end of the school year, my mother and Miss Marquardt had become acquainted through our church. My favorite teacher began showing up at our dinner table and at family events.

Somehow, this teacher/family friend took an interest in ordinary me. Her simple act of noticing me made me feel special. And a shy, quiet girl began to bloom under her attention.

Continue reading at PerennialGen to learn 3 ways to become a true encourager!

And if you want even more information about encouragement, check out my post, “My Top Five Encouragement Phrases.”

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth, Taming Your Tongue Tagged With:
June 22, 2021

When the Weeds of “More” Choke Out Contentment

gratitude

The intersection of a biblical story and the some unruly weeds taught me a lesson about contentment.

The weeds in my garden are staging a coup. They are threatening to take over the flowers that are trying to bloom. I need to spend a little time pulling the unwanted plants out and fertilizing the flowers I want to enjoy.

Sometimes my attitudes also need a little weeding. I keep watering the weeds of “more” and allowing them to choke out my contentment.

I already have a rich life and yet I always seem to be wanting more and more.

Rachel and Leah

A while back I reread the story of Leah and Rachel and noticed the two sisters’ constant desire for more. From the time they got married to Jacob, they each wanted what the other had. Leah wanted the adoring love of her husband that Rachel obviously had and Rachel wanted children. Especially when Leah gave birth multiple times and Rachel’s own cradle was still empty.

When I read the story again in Genesis 29 I saw that the sisters’ discontent was especially evident in the names they gave their children.

Leah named her first three boys:

  • Reuben which sounds like the Hebrew for “God has seen my misery.”
  • Simeon, which means “one who hears,” and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, He has given me this son also” (Genesis 29:33).
  • Levi, which sounds like a Hebrew term that means “attached.” Leah said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons” (Gen. 29:34).

Rachel was no better. She was miserable when she was waiting for a baby while Leah gave birth to six sons, Leah’s servant had two sons, and Rachel’s servant had two baby boys. But when God gave her a child she didn’t give him a name that meant, “Thank you, God.”

Rachel named her first son, the son she had waited years and years for, Joseph–which means–“may he add.” Her first words weren’t, “I praise you God for this wonderful gift of life. They were, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

I was dumbfounded. How could she not even thank God before she asked for more?

Gratitude Tames the Weeds of “More”

Then I realized that I do the same thing. Often when a prayer has been answered, I forget to say, “Thank you.” I don’t pause in gratitude.

Instead, I ask for more. I see the next thing I want and once again am discontent until I get it.

Maybe if Rachel would have taken the time to fully enjoy the blessing of Joseph, she would have been content. Maybe if I would remember to say, “Thank you Lord” the weeds of “more” would be tamed.

Thankfulness yanks at the weeds of discontent. It pulls at the attitude of dissatisfaction and gives peace room to grow.

Gratitude allows contentment to bloom.

Next step: Pay attention to your words today. Did words of discontent outnumber words of gratitude? Find three simple things you can be grateful for and thank God for them.

Filed Under: Contentment Tagged With: ,
June 8, 2021

What If *This* Was My Identity?

Knowing your identity can change everything! Today I’m over at Perennial Gen which helps readers start “Growing Deeper Roots in the Dirt and Light of Midlife.” Begin reading here then pop over to Perennial Gen to finish reading and to check out some of their other inspiring articles!

When my kids were little I grabbed any opportunity to be alone. I loved being a mom, but sometimes I simply needed to be me—without a toddler hanging on my leg. One day when both kids were glued to the TV watching Sesame Street I saw my chance for two minutes alone in the bathroom. I snuck in and closed the door.

But my alone time didn’t last long. Twenty seconds later I heard a knock on the door. “Who’s there?” I called out, knowing full well it was the two-year-old.

A precious little voice replied, “It’s me—Cutie-pie!”

My little one had heard us call him by this nickname so often he thought it was his name! He identified himself as “Cutie-pie.”

Recently I thought of this story while reading the book of John. Four times in this book the apostle John identifies himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Continue reading at Perennial Gen.

And if you want even more information on your identity in Christ, check out my free ebook: Live Loved: 5 Practices to Fully Experience God’s Relentless Love. Read about here.

Filed Under: God's Relentless Love
April 27, 2021

The Father’s Renovation Program

I’m honored to have a post on The Perennial Gen this week. Read about God’s renovation program for our souls.

“Should we watch another?’ my sister asked. When I spent a weekend with my sister in her Tucson home, we passed some time on her new reclining sofa in front of the TV. Although we walked at a botanical garden and hiked in a national park, we also relaxed by watching a marathon of HGTV home makeover shows. Whenever I witness the process of taking something old and worn and making it beautiful again, something in my spirit also experiences a transformation.

As we watched, I noticed that some of the renovators stripped the aging homes of everything old and installed brand-new flooring, walls, appliances, and furniture. These houses now looked completely different. Although I had to agree that the home looked better, the drastic change made me wonder if the old building wondered, “Was I really that bad?”

My favorite shows featured ancient buildings that needed a tremendous amount of work just to make them functional again. But while the renovators repaired the leaky plumbing, updated the electrical service, and refinished the worn wooden floors, they kept the character of the home. Not everything old was discarded. (Something I appreciate the greater my age!)

When I returned to my home in suburban Chicago, I thought of how the process of renovating a home sometimes resembles the process God uses to refurbish our souls. Sometimes I have felt that I needed to look like one of those perfectly renovated homes before God would slow down, pull over to the curb, and notice me. So I’ve embarked on my own remodeling projects—reading self-improvement books, taking classes, setting goals—so I could look flawless.

Read more….

Want even more?

Here’s another post about not trying to do everything on your own.

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth
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