look

I accidentally dropped the belt to my jacket in the toilet at work yesterday.  Joel's car was in the shop, my head was throbbing, and a difficult conversation from the evening before was still very fresh on my mind.  It was a struggle to stay focussed and productive amidst all of the distractions pulling for my attention.  I am not very good at compartmentalizing my life.  If one thing starts to unravel relationally, professionally, or personally, you can be sure it will be felt everywhere else, too.

I guess that's why my Bible reading this morning hit me in such a profound way.

"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." Psalm 105:4

It is so easy to lose focus.  We can start the day off on the right foot (hopefully), and then the kids start to squabble, or there's an unflattering e-mail waiting for us at work, or we trip and fall as we're trying to get out the door.  Those seemingly insignificant things that pop up can play a very significant role in how the rest of our day goes.  I don't know about you, but when I find myself sinking further and further into life's unforgiving mess, my focus quickly moves from God to me.

This verse in Psalms is a wonderful reminder to look to God, and then keep on looking to Him.  When I spill coffee on my white pants, keep looking to God.  When I'm stuck in traffic and I have to get Sydney to ballet, keep looking to God.  When the pantry is bare and I need to get dinner on the table, keep looking to God.  These temporary challenges are not the end of the world.  It's just life.  Sure, there are frustrations, but in light of the big picture, they are really nothing but small speed bumps along the way.

I am challenged today to seek his face always...to keep my focus on what is eternal...hopeful...true.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2,3

Remember the Author.  Remember the cross.  Remember the joy.

He did it all, so that we would not grow weary and lose heart...

But we must keep looking to Jesus.

stuck in the mud

Growing up in Africa, Sundays meant long, bumpy trips off the beaten path to get to church.  During the rainy season, heaps of red clay and dirt roads would turn into miles of thick, muddy paths.  On one particular Sunday, our car got stuck in the mud.  We were out in the middle of nowhere, and our car would not budge.  We began to pray.  My dad tried to push it out all by himself, but the mud was so thick, and our car was so deep, that it was no use.  Suddenly, children started running toward our car.  We had no idea where they came from, but they kept coming.  Dozens of them.  With gigantic grins and bare, dirty feet, they gathered around us and started to help push.   Little by little, the car slowly inched its way out of the mud until we were free and clear.

There are a couple of things I have learned from this experience that have helped me navigate through those times when I feel stuck in the "mud of life":

1. Pray. Getting "unstuck" should always begin with prayer.  I realize my better judgement can be skewed by my emotions, so rather than try to figure it all out or sit and stress over the situation, I have learned to go to God in prayer first.

"Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it.  Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.  And Hezekiah prayed..." 2 Kings 19:14,15

2. Get out of the car and change perspective. When I am stuck in the mud, all I can see, feel, hear, and touch is my stuckness.  Getting out of the car allows me to pull away and look at the mud from a different perspective.  A new vantage point can also help me see some practical changes that I may need to make that will help pull me out of the mud.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8

3. Seek support from trusted friends. There is nothing worse than pushing out of the mud alone.  In fact, you probably won't get very far with that method.  Seek out loyal friends, invite them into your life, and allow them to help you through the process.  Working your way out of the mud will be far more successful with the support, encouragement, and strength from a true friend.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

The mud you're in doesn't own your life.  If you're stuck because of poor choices, stop agonizing over it, repent, and then move on.  If you're stuck simply because of the circumstances in your life right now, don't fret.  God is in complete control.  Rainy seasons don't last forever, and God never intends to keep us stuck when we are willing to follow him.

Keep pushing on.

divided heart

My heart is so easily distracted.  I have a passion for Jesus, and pursuing those things that are eternal, and I have a passion for temporal things that quickly fade away.

I start believing I can have it all.  Half of my heart can belong to God, and half of my heart can belong to the world.

I get distracted by the American good life.

My heart is divided.

Psalm 86:11 & 12 says: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.  I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all of my heart; I will glorify your name forever."

While David was walking through troubling times he realized the only way to stay focussed and strong was to reach out to God.  David's plea was that God would teach him, guide him in truth, and give him a heart completely devoted to the Lord.

David's prayer is my prayer.  I want to know God's truth.  I want an undivided heart.  I want to praise God with all of my heart.

And I do not think that God wants to share my heart with the world.  I believe he wants all of my heart too.

It is so very easy to get caught up in the cares of this world.  Maybe you have found yourself wrestling between complete surrender and half-hearted praise.  Maybe you are like me, so quickly distracted by the superficial worries that cloud sound judgement.

The troubles that you and I face may not be poverty, or the threat of physical death.  We may not think we have any troubles at all.  However, our greatest troubles come, not in the form of persecution and famine, but in comfort and security.  And it is mighty difficult to give God an undivided heart when the cost may be the very thing we are clinging tightly to.

God wants more.  No.  God wants all.

"When we fail to focus on eternity, we will choose comfort over danger, self-fulfillment over self-denial, and escaping rather than bearing our cross." - George Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God.

the voices in my head

Do your kids ever get scared?  Mine do.  In fact, I can get called upon, at least, three nights a week to come and pray for the "scary thoughts" that are keeping one of them from sleep.

"Scary thoughts" can be paralyzing:

"What if I fail?"

"What if I lose someone I love?"

"What if I don't have what it takes?"

"What if?"

Those scary thoughts can keep us from hearing God's voice, and those thoughts can even keep us from obeying God's direction.

Can I be honest with you?  I struggle with the "what if's".  Sometimes I get so carried away with the voices in my head that I stop listening to the voice of God.

Psalm 29 says:

"The voice of the Lord is over the waters...

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

The voice of the Lord is majestic.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars...

The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightening.

The voice of the Lord shakes the desert...

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

The Lord is enthroned as King forever.

The Lord gives strength to his people;

The Lord blesses his people with peace."

I have to ask myself, "Who's voice should I truly be listening to?"  My voice - self-absorbed and sinful?  Or the voice of God - powerful and majestic?  God's voice, His Word, is the word of the King.  The voice of God brings peace, not fear and confusion. The voice of God strengthens our faith, it does not turn us into cowards.

When I get caught up with the "what if's" I have to quickly tell those voices in my head to submit to the Voice that is over the waters.

When you feel scared, or when you find yourself like me, caught up in the "what if's", look to God's Word.  Remember His truth.  Listen to His voice.  Surrender your fears, and walk in obedience.  And the Lord will bless you with peace.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

broken

We get broken in different ways.  Sometimes it's through suffering.  Sometimes it's the struggle to live an overcoming life in the midst of our ever-present weaknesses.  Sometimes it comes through a series of events or choices that have left us completely shattered.  Broken.

I'm broken.  Without sharing how you got there, I would guess that maybe you are broken too.

I "get" broken people.  I relate to those who struggle against their weaknesses.  I empathize with those who suffer.

I sense that in our world of quick fixes and distorted doctrines that elevate happiness and prosperity, admitting brokenness is very hard.  But brokenness is a reality.  And it is not wrong or bad or a sign of not loving God or having enough faith.

Psalm 34:18 says: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

David faced many points of brokenness.  And in the midst of them, he knew that God was there.  That even with a broken heart, God would receive his prayers.

Psalm 51:16 & 17 says: "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Regardless of how we got here - whether through weakness, suffering or poor choices - a heart, broken and desiring atonement, lifted to God in praise, is a beautiful sacrifice and will not be dismissed.

God loves the broken.  He sent his son, Jesus, for the broken.

Jesus is the story of redemption.  He came to make the broken whole again.  Not whole in the sense that we are perfect and we will never suffer or go through difficult things anymore, but healed, mended and made beautiful so that others would see Jesus through our brokenness.  Jesus came so that we could offer our broken sacrifices to God, and find wholeness through complete surrender.

Sometimes it's the broken things that are my favorite.  There is beauty in the brokenness.  There is beauty in a broken heart.

This song by The Afters is a perfect musical illustration of offering a broken sacrifice to God...enjoy.

broken Hallelujah

a time for everything

Life is cyclical.  From sunrise to sunset, everything moves season to season, upsides and downsides, highs and lows.  I think it is difficult for us in the Western world, with our Western mindset, to comprehend the principle of time and season.  We believe anything less than the high is unproductive and wasted time.

And yet, in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 we see a completely different perspective.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Too often I fight the season I am in because I want to be on the other side of the cycle.  And I imagine that I am not alone in this.

We want to plant roots and dig deep, and God is calling us to uproot and make a change.

We want to dance and laugh, and God has us in a moment of mourning and tears.

We want to be silent, when God is calling us to speak.

In whatever circumstances God has allowed us to be, may we remember that we let go of our preconceived ideas, hopes, dreams, and plans, not to be left empty-handed, but to be free to embrace the new.

And remember...he makes everything - everything - beautiful in its time.

I love you more

Jackson and I have this little game we play with each other at bedtime.  I say, "I love you," to which he replies, "I love you more."  Then I say, "No, I love you more," and he pushes back with, "No, I love you more..." and on and on it goes.  Jackson, typically, will say, "Mommy, I love you too much to argue," when he's ready to have the final word, and our "argument" is over.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if we treated others from an "I love you more" mindset?  What if, rather than try to get our own way, prove our "rightness", or criticize our fellow believers when they don't quite behave up to par, we just loved them more...more than they love us, or more than they deserve?  What if we took Jesus' command to love and made it our number one mission in life?

Love others more.

Love others enough to forgive them, even when they don't deserve it.  Love them in spite of how we feel.  Love them enough to tell them the truth, especially when that truth is not something easy to share.  Love them more than our reputation.  Love them even when its not the popular thing to do.  Love more in the good times and the bad times.  Love more.

This is an impossible task...truly.  The only way we can be successful in loving others the way God has commanded us to is if we obey his entire command.  Love God completely, wholeheartedly, with our minds, hearts and souls.  Love him more and more and more.  Because when we love God, and we give our lives to God in surrender and obedience, then God's love will pour out of us and spill onto others.

It's not loving more in our own strength.  It is loving more out of an abundance of God's love within us.

Speak truth in love.  Weigh all matters of the heart against a heavy dose of love.  See the world from the other person's perspective.  Listen to the message behind the words or behaviors.  See that person as someone who was created by God, just like me and you.

Jesus loved us more.  He loved us so much more that he gave his very life for us.  His life, death and resurrection bear a message of absolute love.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 23:37-39

He loves us more.

Let us, then, love others more.

He will fight for you.

Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." He will fight for you.

Safely Kept

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.  Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm 138:8

From the dawn of time God had you in mind.  He created a tailor-made plan for your life, and being God, he intends to fulfill that plan.  The worries of this world would try to convince you and me that maybe God can't handle all the concerns and stress that we carry each day.  We begin to hesitate in putting our complete faith in our Heavenly Father, and we start looking to ourselves for answers and results.

But God knows what he's doing.  God hasn't forgotten his plans for you.  God is deeply aware of those things that concern you.  In fact, they concern him too.  And he is more than capable of taking care of our children, our jobs, our homes, our physical bodies than we ever could...no matter how hard we try.

Not only will he complete the work that he started in you, but he will perfect it.  He will make it better than you could ever imagine.  His love is a faithful love...it never goes away.  Just as you and I would never abandon our own children, he will never abandon you.  He will never forsake you.

You are safely kept in the palm of his hand.

How precious you are to him.  So let him carry your burdens.  Let him work out his plans for you.  Trust him and obey.  And allow him to draw you into peace, protection, rest and security.

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.  Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

Perfectly Peaceful

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

I've been feeling a little anxious lately.  In fact, I couldn't sleep last night.  So many lists going, so many meetings scheduled, so many unfinished projects.  So little time.  Staring blankly at the ceiling, at one-o'clock in the morning, the one comfort I had was this verse.  In the middle of the stress, if I keep my mind on Him, I will find myself perfectly peaceful.

He will keep me.  He will strengthen me.  He will be my supply.

I will trust in Him.

Suffering

In fact those who have experienced more of the love of God than anyone I have ever met have also endured more suffering.  When you crush lavender, you find its full fragrance; when you squeeze an orange, you extract its sweet juice.  In the same way it is often through pains and hurts that we develop the fragrance and sweetness of Jesus in our lives. - David Watson

You don't have to look very far to find suffering.  In fact, you may be in the middle of a crisis right now that is squeezing the juice out of you.  I've been thinking a lot about suffering lately as I've watched various friends go through some of the most painful seasons of their lives.  What I am most captivated by is the beautiful glow that surrounds them.  It's not the grit-your-teeth-and-put-on-a-good-show type of beauty, but one that can only come through the grace of God so lavishly poured out on them.  The more they are squeezed the sweeter they become.

We must be prepared to acknowledge that there is no simple definitive answer to the "Why?" of suffering.  Instead, we may approach the problem from a different perspective: God is a God who suffers alongside us. - Nicky Gumbel from his book, Searching Issues

We have a God who is not oblivious or ignorant to our hurts.  In fact, he is deeply acquainted with our pain, and he walks beside us through each crush and squeeze of our suffering.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered  him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:3-5

Who's Got The Power?

Did you know that nothing can, or cannot, happen to you without the approval or knowledge of your heavenly Father?  Did you know that, when trouble comes, there is someone ultimately in control?  Someone who really and truly cares about you and has your best interest in mind.  Nothing, nothing, has more power over your life, or your circumstances, than the power of God.

"Where do you come from?" Pilate asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.  "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said.  "Don't you realize I have the power either to free you or to crucify you?"  Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." John 19:9-11

That's a pretty weighty declaration Jesus makes.  Pilate thinks he's the one calling the shots.  He assumes he's the one with the power over Jesus' destiny.  What Pilate doesn't realize is that Jesus' life is not in his hands.  If God had not given Pilate power, Jesus would not be standing before him with his life on the line.  Jesus knew this.  Jesus understood who he belonged to and for what purpose his death would serve.  Pilate was only a part of the story.

Sometimes I wrestle with this.  I find myself in a challenging situation, and I just want scratch and claw my way out of it.  I don't want to go through difficulties.  I think maybe there is something I can do to "fix" everything.  And then I read those very simple yet profound  words of Jesus: "You would have no power over me if it had not been given from above."

Stop for a moment and think about that.  Nothing can have power over me or you unless it has been given from above.  God is in control.  And if he is allowing the pressure of pain to push deep, then he must know that the resurrection of your life, or your dreams, or your hopes, is on its way.  The same power that was given to Pilate is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

Nothing can happen to us that hasn't already passed through God's hands.  I take great comfort in this, whether it be in the challenges I face raising my children, or when a dream seems to be pushed aside and forgotten.  God is in control.  And I really like the idea of God's power working in my favor, even if it means facing some disappointments along the way.

Jesus Said A Prayer For Us

In John 17 Jesus prayed a prayer for his disciples.  And while he was praying he was thinking about me and you.  Some 2000 years ago my face flashed through the mind of my Savior moments before he was arrested and sentenced to death. "My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message..." (vs 20).  Jesus reached through time and space and said a prayer for me...for us.  As he prayed he visualized the face of every believer living, and those of us to come.  We were on his mind before he died for us.

And you know what he was thinking?  He was thinking what every parent thinks about during the long weeks of summer vacation when school is out and the kids are home and restless.  Please...get along.  Stop fighting.  Work it out.  Be one.

The one prayer that Jesus prayed for us was a call to be unified.

"That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (vs. 21).  The way the world will know Jesus is by the example of oneness of his followers.  And this kind of unity can only come from a sincere love for one another; a love that Jesus commanded:

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'  'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.'" Mark 12:28-31.

"A new command I give to you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35.

Jesus wasn't making a friendly suggestion.  He was lovingly commanding us to live in peace with one another.  To walk in unity, from then until now.  And by this the world would know Jesus.  In that very moment, when Jesus was preparing to die, he paused and prayed for us.  He must have known how hard this command would be for us to follow.  He must have realized that I would need the extra prayer support for those days when I just want to blast another believer because they "got on my nerves" or "didn't treat me very well".  Whatever the justification for our irritation, Jesus commanded us to love.  To love as Christ loved us.  To be one as Christ is one with the Father.

So, how are we doing on this?  I know I have a lot of room for improvement.  Which makes me both humbled and grateful that Jesus said a prayer for me.  That Jesus was thinking of me all those years ago.  It reminds me of how much he loves me...and how much he loves this crazy, messed up world.

Either Jesus Was In A Bad Mood Or He Had A Serious Fig Craving

(Once upon a time...) "Early in the morning, as he (Jesus) was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.  Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!'  Immediately the tree withered." (Matthew 21:18 & 19)

This same story is relayed in Mark 11:12-14:

"The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit.  When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  Then he said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.'"

My initial thought is, "Wow.  Was Jesus in a bad mood, or what?"  Cursing fig trees.  That's kind of how I get when I haven't had enough sleep.  I just want to curse my fridge for not having anything edible in it, and I want to throw every toy in my path into the garbage.  However, Jesus' words and actions are always intentional.  The Jewish New Testament Commentary calls this "making a point by means of a prophetic drama, an acted-out parable."  Look at the story in Mark again.  It was not the season for figs.  Surely Jesus already knew that.  This is the same Jesus who saw Nathaniel, in John 1:43-51, sitting under a fig tree before they even met.  And it's not like hunger was something that could undo Jesus either.  Remember when he was tempted by the devil after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4:1-4)?  This was no fig craving Jesus was having.

So why was he cursing a poor, defenseless plant?  Jesus was acting out a parable in front of his disciples to make a very serious point:  bear fruit.  A fig tree in leaf holds the promise that fruit is coming.  "We know that Yeshua expects God's people to put forth the fruit of righteousness, and that unproductive branches will be thrown in the fire.  Thus the drying-up of the fig tree is an acted-out warning."  Living fruitful lives is that important to Jesus.  He wasn't in a bad mood.  He didn't have a craving for figs.  Jesus took an ordinary fig tree and lovingly turned it into a teachable moment for his disciples, and us who follow him.

"Yeshua here is teaching his followers what it means to serve their master, God: it means simply to have the kind of trust that comes from God (vs. 22), and that they will wither away if they don't.  Yeshua neither acts from pique nor performs arbitrary miracles like a magician; every one of his supernatural acts has spiritual significance." - David H. Stern

The warning: bear fruit or wither away.  Jesus has some pretty high expectations of us.  It's not enough to have pretty leaves hanging from our branches.  We must produce fruit; otherwise, we are useless.  And the type of fruit we are called to produce can only come from trusting in God and walking with him every day.  We can't force the fruit to grow, just as a fig tree can't produce figs on demand.  It takes watering from the Word, and constant contact with our Lord.  And all things are possible for those who believe.  "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (vs.22)."  To live this kind of  life all we have to do is ask God and believe, and he will work the soil, plant the seeds, and water to a fruitful harvest.  That's a promise.

Maybe Jesus really did have a fig craving, but not the physical kind.  Maybe he has a craving to see more fruit in our lives.  And this he takes very seriously.

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." I like happy stories.  My favorite part of a movie is usually the opening scene showing a happy family going about their business, innocent and peaceful.  Stress builds in the pit of my stomach when the plot begins to unfold and the happy family is suddenly shaken by monsters or tidal waves or earthquakes and the like.  I want to go back to the beginning where everyone is happy.  I just don't like trouble.

And Jesus' last words to his disciples in John 16 is a guarantee that trouble is brewing.  Trouble is a promise.  Life isn't going to be easy and smooth.  It is going to be hard, especially for those who believe in Jesus.  The happy picture isn't going to be the whole story.  There will be monsters and tidal waves and earthquakes.  There will be broken relationships, hurt feelings, financial difficulties, and challenges raising children.  The minute we say "yes" to Jesus doesn't suddenly make us immune to the pain of this world.  It's like Jesus is trying to tell us here, "I beg your pardon.  I never promised you a rose garden."

The Jewish New Testament Commentary says this: "The life of a believer in the Messiah is not the proverbial rose garden, except, perhaps, for the thorns.  Nevertheless, Yeshua encourages us: Be brave!  I have conquered the world!"

So, life is hard.  And a life devoted to Jesus is even harder.  That's not very happy news.  However, while Jesus doesn't promise us a rose garden life, he does promise us that, while there will be thorns that prick us and cause deep pain, we can take heart.  Jesus has already conquered the thorns.  He has already won the victory over the monsters and the tidal waves and the earthquakes and the like.  We can be brave.

Jesus holds the salve for every thorn that pricks our skin.  And while we may not see the happy ending just yet, it is coming.  The same God that has overcome the world has overcome our problems.  He gives us peace and assurance of his faithfulness.  And that is the promise we can hold on to...till the very end.

The Things We Hold On To

I successfully delivered three truck loads of old baby clothes, furniture, books, toys and various kinds of paraphernalia to Goodwill today.  With the help of my parents, I confidently tackled the most ominous space in our house: the garage.  For six years it has taunted me, and I've been too wimpy to face the junk.  Today I conquered my fears and took my overstuffed garage by the horns.  It's been a long day, and as we sit in the living room, nursing sore muscles and still sneezing from the dust, dirt and cobwebs, I keep thinking about all the meaningless, weighty stuff that we held on to for so many years, and wondering why it took me this long to lighten the load. Going through boxes, plastic tubs and footlockers - that I'm sure were purchased way back in the 80's - I was struck by the wide variety of things we have held on to: papers, old coats that went out of style 15 years ago, toys our children have outgrown.  There was even one unidentifiable object that has seen us through three different moves.  What a crazy thing to hold on to!  It was time to let it go (whatever it was).

Just as I have a tendency to hold on to material junk - you could call me a tidy hoarder - I know I am capable of holding on to other kinds of junk too: anger, hurt from the past, resentment, a grudge.  Eventually someone wise speaks into my life and says, "Isn't it time to clean out your garage?"  And as painful and overwhelming as it seems in the moment, once I get started the better I feel.  The weight of the burden, the unidentifiable objects I've been carrying around for years, begin to lift, and life looks good again.

It is surprising to me the things we hold on to.  And most of those things we don't need.  What about you?  Is it time to clean out your garage too?

Trust In Real Life

Problems.  They either get your heart pumping with adrenaline or bring weighty worry. One thing that I am slow in learning, but growing in just the same, is trusting in the Lord no matter what my outside circumstances - or pending deadlines - look like.  God is always in control, and He has never let me down.  When real life happens, and it does quite frequently at my house, my go-to reaction oftentimes is fear and worry.  Immediately I wonder how we will pay for this, or how this interpersonal relationship will be restored, or how I'm going to break it to my kids that we are having Tortilla Casserole for dinner (their moans can be heard all over Portland).  I confess, I don't always run to Jesus and His promises.  This is real life, and this is where rubber meets the road and we either act on what we say we believe or we let worry and fear monopolize our lives and drive us to despair.

We get to choose.  Trust in the Lord or freak out.

More and more I'm choosing trust.  Because there is no return for worry.  But there's always a great blessing in trust.  God takes care of the real life stuff.  He provides.  He heals and restores.  And he gives grace to moms who have run out of creative dinner choices.  Trust brings hope and peace.  Worry brings fine lines and wrinkles.  I can't afford Botox, so I think trust is a better way for me to go.

And here's what Jesus says, His promise to us:

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Trust in real life means God is in control of the practical things too, and freaking out is a waste of time and energy.  And Lord knows, I need all the energy I can get.

Remove Your Veil

"We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 Recently my friends and I were discussing this scripture.  Each one of us expressing its impact on our lives and our varying perspectives on it.  Our conversation inspired and challenged me to dig a little deeper.

The veil in this scripture is not an actual veil - Paul is speaking figuratively.  What he is referring to is the mind of the unbelieving Jew who lives with impaired vision and understanding.  They are hard, unreceptive, stonelike.  There is a resistance to the truth of Yeshua.  In the time of Moses the presence of God was hidden behind a veil.  And the unbelieving Jew still lives behind that veil.

The writer of the Jewish New Testament Commentary cites the use of "Adonai" in this text - which is not in this text, but what he believes to be Paul's sense - means "Spirit".  He goes on to write:

Where the Spirit of Adonai is, there is freedom to function within the framework of Torah without being enslaved by it.  And thus all of us, not just Paul and his co-workers, but all believers, with faces unveiled, with open hearts, not stonelike but sincere and unclouded, see as in a mirror the glory of Adonai, and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit.  This is how the Spirit "gives life".

This excites me.  When Jesus Christ came, so did the fulfillment of the law.  Where once we had to enter into the presence of God hidden behind a veil, we can now enter his presence with unveiled faces.  When Christ died the veil in the Temple was torn in two.  The significance of that amazes me.  There are no barriers to entering the presence of God.  And it is the Holy Spirit that brings this revelation.  It is the Spirit that removes the veil from our faces and brings clarity and understanding.

I was driving to meet some friends for dinner this past week and happened to look over at the car next to me as we stood still at a red light.  The woman driving the car was a Muslim.  Her face was almost completely hidden behind her head covering.  In fact, her veil was so prominent that I couldn't even make out the shape of her profile.  Every part of her face, except for the eyes, was covered.  I thought of this scripture.  I thought of how many of us walk around blind and covered up to the truth of Jesus Christ.  We are driving through life, believing in the restrictions and distortions of false hope and religion, our hearts hardened to the truth.  We have yet to see clearly.

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Even as the veil drops, we have yet to see fully the magnificence of God.  On earth we can only comprehend so much...we can only see in part, but one day we will see everything.  "But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (vs. 10) What we have now is an imperfect awareness of God's glory, but when Christ returns the imperfection will disappear, and perfection will be fully known.

I wish I could have encouraged the woman in the car next to me that she doesn't need a veil to enter into God's presence.  The veil was removed when Christ died for her sins.  But I didn't get the opportunity to share this with her.  The light eventually turned green, and we drove our separate ways.

I hope and pray that you will see clearly, that if you have been wearing a veil out of fear or stubborn rebellion you would allow the Holy Spirit to soften your heart to the truth.  You don't have to live bound up behind a veil.  You can have freedom.  You can have life.  You can know Jesus.  You can remove your veil.

In The Beginning

Adam and Eve.  Theirs was truly a life to be envied.  Can you imagine walking and talking with God in the cool of the day?  Can you imagine the lushness and beauty of the Garden of Eden?  What must it have been like to be fully exposed, naked, and unashamed?  Their relationship with God and each other was one of perfection.  Can you imagine?  It was a perfect world. And then sin entered the picture.  Truth was distorted.  Deceit and empty promises enticed.  Eve chose first and Adam followed.  And what was pure and perfect, lovely and whole, became shrouded in shame and disgrace.

The first thing they noticed once their eyes were opened was their nakedness.  They scrambled to cover themselves up - to cover up their shame, to hide and withdraw.  Sad.  This wasn't what God intended, but in his love he gave them the freedom to choose.  And they chose.

When God found them - he is a God who pursues - he noticed their efforts to clothe themselves.  He was disappointed and, dare I say, heartbroken.  The freedom to be bare and completely known was gone.  There were severe consequences for these actions, and we are still dealing with them today.  And yet, even as God brought firm discipline to Adam and Eve for their disobedience, he extended grace.  God made garments for them, out of skin, and clothed them.  He knew the curse of sin that now entered the world, and he knew the shame that they would carry as a result of their sin, and so out of love he graciously clothed them and covered up their shame.

We have stuff.  We have pain.  We carry around our ugliness, our insecurities and our pasts - each one of us.  But most of us are pretty good and hiding behind our fig leaves.  We cover up our shame through good deeds, nice clothes, success, and lots of Bible knowledge.  We are terrified to let anyone see our nakedness.  But God sees.  He knows.  He longs, not to hide our sin, but to cover our sin with his grace.  While he isn't in the business of making animal print pencil skirts and blouses, he is in the business of restoring and covering our sin with his perfect love and undeserved grace.  When Christ died on the cross he did so in order to bring this story of redemption full circle.  He covered Adam and Eve's physical nakedness in the Garden, but now we are covered completely in his blood.

This is good.  Shame and confusion, hiding and fear, are the things that initially drove Adam and Eve away from God.  God pursued and exposed, and then he clothed them.  He is doing the same thing today.  He gives us freedom to choose.  He gives us room to make the unwise choice, but he also guarantees that his love is big enough, strong enough, and complete enough to gently expose our shame, and then cover us with His grace.

Eternity Is Closer Than We Think

Last week an Ethiopian church planter was martyred, a wife and four children left without a husband and father.  A friend of mine miscarried her baby.  My grandfather passed away only a few days ago.  And we are all aware of the recent tragedy in Japan.  This has had me thinking about eternity.  Life after death.  What am I living for? There is something profound that takes place when a loved one dies or tragedy strikes.  We are compelled to stop and think about what comes next.  As a Christian my thoughts linger upon eternity.  The reality that earth is not my forever home sinks in deep within my soul, and I find that these earthly worries - material distractions, how my hair looks and what I'm wearing - quickly fade into the background.  Suddenly my heart is drawn to the number one purpose of my existence, and that is God.  The hope that the cross gives us.  The grace that God has so lavishly poured out upon my life.  And the promise of heaven that awaits me.

I heard someone say that we can create "heaven here on earth."  My inner response to this disillusioned statement is that earth is corrupt and sinful, messy and painful.  Earth is not eternal.  And I'm not living for earth.  I'm not looking forward to "heaven on earth".  I'm looking heavenward to eternity with Jesus Christ.  Where there will be no more sorrow.  No more pain.  No more heartache.  No more prejudice.  No more fear.  No more sin.  This...THIS is what I am living for.  This is what that precious pastor in Ethiopia died for.  This is where my grandfather now walks and runs and sings.  This is where my friend's tiny unborn child waits for her mother.

And eternity is closer than we think.  Beth Moore talks about our "ten minutes on earth".  Our lives are a mere breath.  A snapshot in time.  Our moment is very brief here on planet earth.  Eternity is literally a heartbeat away.  Are we ready for it?

I want to be ready.  I want Jesus to say to me when I enter eternity, "Well done, Amy.  Well done."  Until that time there is much to do.  Giving God my life.  Serving him and representing Jesus to a lost world.  Speaking TRUTH in LOVE.  Aware of and meeting the needs here in the present, but always looking upward to a better future.  And as my seven-year-old daughter would say, "We gotta love God like we mean it!"

Jesus.  How I so desperately need him, cling to him and know that this beautiful life beyond death was only made possible through his sacrifice on the cross.  I can't repay that.  But I can give him my life.  I can do my best to point others to Him.  To point others toward eternity - to hope.  To Jesus.

Eternity is closer than we think.