Trust me, I know how it feels to have the vice of God clamped down upon your chest, all of the air gone out like a three day old helium balloon. It is painful, confusing, frustrating and tear filled. Right there with ya, right now as a matter of fact! I have looked around me for the glaring mistake and found none. I have wandered the halls of human solution and found no doors ajar. I have sunk to my knees in prayer, tearfully begging my Lord to show me the way, to relieve me my burden, to enlighten my mind and heart to His desire. I have had no answer... Yet.
I am not calm in this endeavor, at least not all the time. I have moments of peace but nothing lasting. Each time the panic hits me it seems to ratchet up a notch and I am left in a sobbing heap, frightened and exhausted. I don't pretend to know what God is doing, but I do know some very basic truths.
God loves me, has from the start and continues to do so even now. I don't have to feel good to know this. I stand on the truth that He has promised to neither leave nor forsake me. I cling desperately to Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This alone is my source of strength in this very confusing time. Of course I want a solution, I want to see the issues I am so desperately afraid of come to resolution in my favor. For whatever reason, God is slowing the pace down, stretching my faith, pruning my vine. I accept it, reluctantly.
I realize in my turmoil, my problems pale in comparison to others'. I watched a young woman on television who had been abducted and sexually assaulted at an extremely young age say a very profound thing. She said that if you carried your burdens in a sack to your circle of friends and sat and shared their contents openly with them, and they in turn shared theirs with you, by the end of the day you would be happy to retrieve your own bag and walk your own path, rather than anyone else's. Very wise council indeed. Anytime I think about how hard my life is, I try always to remember that someone else has it much harder than I do.
The last truth I am clinging to is hopeful, but proven time and time again. In the words of my Grandma, "This too shall pass..." (Yes, I know she wasn't the author, she's just the person I remember saying it to me over, and over, and over....) I know that tomorrow holds another challenge, time marches on and once this problem is resolved, I will have more issues to resolve, pray over and wait out with the Lord. When I am faced with those things, I hope I will remember to look back and relive the surety that God is still in control, He still loves me, my problems are for me, not against me and I can rest assured He is walking with me through the valleys as well as the mountain tops.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
All You Need is Love...
We have all seen them. That elderly couple, tottering down the aisle way of the local market, holding hands like they were sixteen again. Maybe some of you even have that couple living in your family. A set of grandparents that appear seamless in their love for one another. You hardly ever know of an argument between them, they finish each other's sentences, anniversaries and birthdays don't go forgotten... And if you are like any other human being on this earth, you wonder how they do it.
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 22:37-39 NIV) This is again one of those concepts that is simple, not easy.
I believe that love is a complex concept, not often understood by many in this lonely, fallen world. As complex as it can be, however, I know one thing to be true. Love is not meant to be looked as an emotion, love is a choice, a verb, if you will. This contradicts everything we want to believe about love. We want it to FEEL good, to be easy, to be the one thing we don't have to work at or think about to much. Oh, how wrong we are!
Love as an emotion is so shallow and fickle! If I were to look at my marriage in light of love as an emotion, I should have been divorced long ago. Marriage is hard work! It isn't easy, it isn't convenient and it certainly isn't stable. What it is, frankly, is a choice we make every day to keep on doing it. Love your husband when he isn't lovable, choose to not leave him when he is ill, or unruly, or thoughtless...That is love. A choice.
If you want to make it even clearer, have children. It is then that the love-choice becomes more understandable. Our kids can often be the hardest and the most rewarding things we could ever hope to do in our lives. They are definitely not always lovable, especially when teenage angst enters the picture. Remember when they were tiny and they woke up every couple of hours to demand food from your exhausted self? Loving them then was a choice. As they grew into the willful toddler, pushing every boundary you set up as if it were their life's work to make you crazy, loving them was a choice. Even as they roll their eyes at you and maybe even scream the most hateful of things during those teens, you don't stop loving them. They are your children, you choose to love them through whatever they are going through.
Love isn't easy. Ask Christ how easy it was to hang on the cross and He will tell you He didn't do it because it was easy, He did it because he loves you. I think we all remember, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)" Do you also remember that Christ wept in the garden before he went to that cross, asking God that if there was any other way, let that burden be lifted from His shoulders? His choice is our salvation. His choice is our example. His choice was and still is to love us. We were not worthy of that love, we did nothing to deserve that kind of unconditional sacrifice. He chose to love us anyway. That my friends, is what love really is.
The next time you have a fight with someone near and dear to you, the next time you are tempted to say something you cannot take back, remember, love is not an emotion that we can fall into and out of like rolling in and out of bed. Love, true love, is a choice we make every waking moment of every day. It isn't easy, but then the good things rarely are. Love doesn't mean there won't be pain. There are times that the deeper the love, the more painful it can be. Christ simply urges us to choose love, over and over and over. It is His first and second greatest commandment to us. It isn't a suggestion, it's the rule.
Who will you choose to love today, no matter how much they don't deserve it, no matter how hurt you are? Christ is our example and He will show us how. Choose 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 22:37-39 NIV) This is again one of those concepts that is simple, not easy.
I believe that love is a complex concept, not often understood by many in this lonely, fallen world. As complex as it can be, however, I know one thing to be true. Love is not meant to be looked as an emotion, love is a choice, a verb, if you will. This contradicts everything we want to believe about love. We want it to FEEL good, to be easy, to be the one thing we don't have to work at or think about to much. Oh, how wrong we are!
Love as an emotion is so shallow and fickle! If I were to look at my marriage in light of love as an emotion, I should have been divorced long ago. Marriage is hard work! It isn't easy, it isn't convenient and it certainly isn't stable. What it is, frankly, is a choice we make every day to keep on doing it. Love your husband when he isn't lovable, choose to not leave him when he is ill, or unruly, or thoughtless...That is love. A choice.
If you want to make it even clearer, have children. It is then that the love-choice becomes more understandable. Our kids can often be the hardest and the most rewarding things we could ever hope to do in our lives. They are definitely not always lovable, especially when teenage angst enters the picture. Remember when they were tiny and they woke up every couple of hours to demand food from your exhausted self? Loving them then was a choice. As they grew into the willful toddler, pushing every boundary you set up as if it were their life's work to make you crazy, loving them was a choice. Even as they roll their eyes at you and maybe even scream the most hateful of things during those teens, you don't stop loving them. They are your children, you choose to love them through whatever they are going through.
Love isn't easy. Ask Christ how easy it was to hang on the cross and He will tell you He didn't do it because it was easy, He did it because he loves you. I think we all remember, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)" Do you also remember that Christ wept in the garden before he went to that cross, asking God that if there was any other way, let that burden be lifted from His shoulders? His choice is our salvation. His choice is our example. His choice was and still is to love us. We were not worthy of that love, we did nothing to deserve that kind of unconditional sacrifice. He chose to love us anyway. That my friends, is what love really is.
The next time you have a fight with someone near and dear to you, the next time you are tempted to say something you cannot take back, remember, love is not an emotion that we can fall into and out of like rolling in and out of bed. Love, true love, is a choice we make every waking moment of every day. It isn't easy, but then the good things rarely are. Love doesn't mean there won't be pain. There are times that the deeper the love, the more painful it can be. Christ simply urges us to choose love, over and over and over. It is His first and second greatest commandment to us. It isn't a suggestion, it's the rule.
Who will you choose to love today, no matter how much they don't deserve it, no matter how hurt you are? Christ is our example and He will show us how. Choose love!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Decisions, decisions...
The sun was scorchingly hot. He could feel the sweat bead on the nape of his neck and run slowly down his back between the crags of his slumped shoulder blades. It ran into his eyes and stung, mingling with the tears hiding in the midst of the perspiration.
He watched ahead as they hiked up the steep slope while his only son, born a few short years ago in his dotage, bounded up the hillside as only youth can. The boy played with the sticks he carried, beating at the sparse shrubbery as if warding off dangerous beasts and wily robbers. He grumbled low under his breath and played at parrying imaginary foes with the dagger he held. Any other day, the man would have smiled lovingly t the gameplay. Today was different. The boy had no idea.
As the two of them reached the pinnacle, he began harnessing the boy's energies to gather rocks to build a small altar. It seemed barbaric to the man that he would be asking his son to help him now, but there it was. The sweat flowed freely now, the morning giving way to the hot desert afternoon, as they stacked and balanced each piece until the altar was set.
"But, Father," the boy asked quietly, "Where is the sacrifice?"
Can you imagine the father's desperation and despair as he explained that God would provide a sacrifice all the while knowing the boy himself was to be killed on the altar? His heart had to have been breaking with the weight of the small boy's immediate shock as he was bound when the altar had been dressed for the burnt offering. No where in the scripture does it say that the boy resisted his father's will, so am I to assume that he simply crawled up there willingly, in absolute trust? The father didn't stall or argue with God, he simply kept at the task with an almost robotic methodology - this is how I am to sacrifice for my Lord.
The dagger is held up, glinting in the cruel desert sun, ready to plunge into the chest of this man's only, hard won son... And at that precise moment, when it was certain that the man was in full obedience, only then does God intervene.
"Stop! Do not lay a hand on the boy!"
What relief... What sweet relief that father must have felt at that moment! His obedience would be rewarded with so much, but the sweetest had to be gathering up his bewildered son in his arms and telling him how very much he loved him.
Decisions aren't always easy. Sometimes the decisions we are faced with, even when they are the right ones, directed by God, are very, very difficult. Some decisions even seem to contradict what we know to be true and right and definitely contrary to what we deem easy. Some decisions are made because they are the right thing to do, not the easy thing to do.
For whatever reason, we humans seem to think that once we become Christians we will not have hardship. We buy into the ill conceived idea that our decisions, if truly from God, will be made with ease and lightness of heart. We think that God wouldn't make us sad in our decisions for Him. How do we ever come to that conclusion?
Growth is painful. God is in the business of growing us. Ergo, some of the decisions God will ask us to make will be painful, heart rending, antithetical to all we thought would be asked of us. Sometimes God asks us to give up the one thing we feel is holding us together, when what God sees is that very thing holding us back. He cannot do the work in us He desires until we can truly be wholly His, without hesitation or questions. God wants all of us.
Making the decision to be obedient to the Lord will always be rewarded. It may not be an immediate relief or a certain welcoming response, but God rewards faithful and obedient hearts every time. Have faith that in your desire to be obedient to your Lord you will be rewarded with His ultimate praise when you make your decisions based on His truth and His will, not on your emotions. It is a very difficult thing to do, no doubt. Christ never said it would be easy, simply that we would never be alone in it. He will always be with us.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
He watched ahead as they hiked up the steep slope while his only son, born a few short years ago in his dotage, bounded up the hillside as only youth can. The boy played with the sticks he carried, beating at the sparse shrubbery as if warding off dangerous beasts and wily robbers. He grumbled low under his breath and played at parrying imaginary foes with the dagger he held. Any other day, the man would have smiled lovingly t the gameplay. Today was different. The boy had no idea.
As the two of them reached the pinnacle, he began harnessing the boy's energies to gather rocks to build a small altar. It seemed barbaric to the man that he would be asking his son to help him now, but there it was. The sweat flowed freely now, the morning giving way to the hot desert afternoon, as they stacked and balanced each piece until the altar was set.
"But, Father," the boy asked quietly, "Where is the sacrifice?"
Can you imagine the father's desperation and despair as he explained that God would provide a sacrifice all the while knowing the boy himself was to be killed on the altar? His heart had to have been breaking with the weight of the small boy's immediate shock as he was bound when the altar had been dressed for the burnt offering. No where in the scripture does it say that the boy resisted his father's will, so am I to assume that he simply crawled up there willingly, in absolute trust? The father didn't stall or argue with God, he simply kept at the task with an almost robotic methodology - this is how I am to sacrifice for my Lord.
The dagger is held up, glinting in the cruel desert sun, ready to plunge into the chest of this man's only, hard won son... And at that precise moment, when it was certain that the man was in full obedience, only then does God intervene.
"Stop! Do not lay a hand on the boy!"
What relief... What sweet relief that father must have felt at that moment! His obedience would be rewarded with so much, but the sweetest had to be gathering up his bewildered son in his arms and telling him how very much he loved him.
Decisions aren't always easy. Sometimes the decisions we are faced with, even when they are the right ones, directed by God, are very, very difficult. Some decisions even seem to contradict what we know to be true and right and definitely contrary to what we deem easy. Some decisions are made because they are the right thing to do, not the easy thing to do.
For whatever reason, we humans seem to think that once we become Christians we will not have hardship. We buy into the ill conceived idea that our decisions, if truly from God, will be made with ease and lightness of heart. We think that God wouldn't make us sad in our decisions for Him. How do we ever come to that conclusion?
Growth is painful. God is in the business of growing us. Ergo, some of the decisions God will ask us to make will be painful, heart rending, antithetical to all we thought would be asked of us. Sometimes God asks us to give up the one thing we feel is holding us together, when what God sees is that very thing holding us back. He cannot do the work in us He desires until we can truly be wholly His, without hesitation or questions. God wants all of us.
Making the decision to be obedient to the Lord will always be rewarded. It may not be an immediate relief or a certain welcoming response, but God rewards faithful and obedient hearts every time. Have faith that in your desire to be obedient to your Lord you will be rewarded with His ultimate praise when you make your decisions based on His truth and His will, not on your emotions. It is a very difficult thing to do, no doubt. Christ never said it would be easy, simply that we would never be alone in it. He will always be with us.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
About that....
Every now and then I get a wild hair and I clean out closets, rearrange my office shelves, or just generally go through stuff and de-clutter. Amazing the things I find buried in my back rooms and upon shelves, pushed far into the back unreachable spaces. I have often re-found something that I had been missing for quite some time and determined to make a place for it at the edge of the shelf instead of the dusty back.
Come to think of it, I do that with God. It's natural, I suppose, that when things are clicking along and doing well I tend to keep God up in His space on the shelf. I can handle these little things, I think. I keep Him up there until it gets dire and I feel strangled, arms tied to my sides, afraid to move at all, lest the binding get even tighter. Then, and only then, do I reach up to that shelf and bring my Lord down to where I am, begging Him to free me from the mess I have created.
Is that really how God wants me to be? Keeping my Christianity compartmentalized and tidy, only bringing Him out when it's convenient or when I deem it necessarily urgent enough? I know that is not true. God wants to be in my life continually. He wants to sit at my side, not be locked away on a shelf somewhere. He created me to be a companion to Him, to walk with Him, to share my desires, my needs and my thoughts with Him. God rejoices in the times I ask for Him to guide me and to complete the tasks I know I cannot. He desires my fellowship and He celebrates in earnest when I choose Him as my confidante and companion.
So how then do I take action and remove God from the dark and dusty closet to the foreground of my everyday life? This is where the rubber meets the road, and that road can get pretty darned bumpy so you might want to buckle up!
I think you know what to insert here... Prayer. Yup, broken record here, but it is a very valid point. Prayer is the first thing I can immediately insert into my day in order to keep God in the foreground. I don't mean that I walk around with my eyes in continuous closure, or mumbling to myself. I mean I pray in my thoughts. I attempt to keep an ongoing dialog with my Father as if I were talking to myself about all the things I have to do today. I find that God chooses at times to rearrange my schedule around His purposes if I do that. He gets the things done on His agenda and His timeline, not necessarily my own. Sometimes they coincide and I too get to check off items from my to-do list.
Second, resist the urge to reserve certain instances for conference with God and keep other things firmly in the realm of the World. The instant I do that, I am reaching up to shelve my Savior and tie His hands. God will not intrude upon me to force me to listen to Him. He has his ways of rattling that shelf, but if I choose not to open the door and take Him down, He will not force me. As I have said before, God wants me to CHOOSE Him. In making that choice I am telling Jesus that I trust Him.
Thirdly, I have to remember to take at least three deep breaths when I am upset before I respond to anything. During those three deep breaths I can ask the Father to guide me, the Holy Spirit to give me words and Jesus to give me compassion for the other person. Even when I am not upset that would be an awesome practice to get into... Can you imagine how many careless words would go unspoken if only we could do that simple exercise? Remember, simple, not easy!
Last, I have to constantly picture God sitting patiently in my living room waiting on my return. I mean no disrespect in this manner. What I am trying to visualize is the fact that the Father WANTS my company. He doesn't need me, He is God, after all. He WANTS me. That is a powerful picture and concept to get my mind around. If I truly had a physical representation of Christ sitting in my living room, would I really ask Him to leave the room while I dealt with some stuff? I don't think so! Would I keep God waiting if I knew he was sitting in my living room, wanting to talk with me? Absolutely not! However, when I don't pray, when I compartmentalize my Christianity, when I respond in haste I am passing by my Lord who is waiting on me to choose to come to Him. He holds every answer to every question I could think to ask. Whether He will indulge me enough to answer any given inquiry is His prerogative, it's my simple job to be available and open to listening to what He has to say.
Come to think of it, I do that with God. It's natural, I suppose, that when things are clicking along and doing well I tend to keep God up in His space on the shelf. I can handle these little things, I think. I keep Him up there until it gets dire and I feel strangled, arms tied to my sides, afraid to move at all, lest the binding get even tighter. Then, and only then, do I reach up to that shelf and bring my Lord down to where I am, begging Him to free me from the mess I have created.
Is that really how God wants me to be? Keeping my Christianity compartmentalized and tidy, only bringing Him out when it's convenient or when I deem it necessarily urgent enough? I know that is not true. God wants to be in my life continually. He wants to sit at my side, not be locked away on a shelf somewhere. He created me to be a companion to Him, to walk with Him, to share my desires, my needs and my thoughts with Him. God rejoices in the times I ask for Him to guide me and to complete the tasks I know I cannot. He desires my fellowship and He celebrates in earnest when I choose Him as my confidante and companion.
So how then do I take action and remove God from the dark and dusty closet to the foreground of my everyday life? This is where the rubber meets the road, and that road can get pretty darned bumpy so you might want to buckle up!
I think you know what to insert here... Prayer. Yup, broken record here, but it is a very valid point. Prayer is the first thing I can immediately insert into my day in order to keep God in the foreground. I don't mean that I walk around with my eyes in continuous closure, or mumbling to myself. I mean I pray in my thoughts. I attempt to keep an ongoing dialog with my Father as if I were talking to myself about all the things I have to do today. I find that God chooses at times to rearrange my schedule around His purposes if I do that. He gets the things done on His agenda and His timeline, not necessarily my own. Sometimes they coincide and I too get to check off items from my to-do list.
Second, resist the urge to reserve certain instances for conference with God and keep other things firmly in the realm of the World. The instant I do that, I am reaching up to shelve my Savior and tie His hands. God will not intrude upon me to force me to listen to Him. He has his ways of rattling that shelf, but if I choose not to open the door and take Him down, He will not force me. As I have said before, God wants me to CHOOSE Him. In making that choice I am telling Jesus that I trust Him.
Thirdly, I have to remember to take at least three deep breaths when I am upset before I respond to anything. During those three deep breaths I can ask the Father to guide me, the Holy Spirit to give me words and Jesus to give me compassion for the other person. Even when I am not upset that would be an awesome practice to get into... Can you imagine how many careless words would go unspoken if only we could do that simple exercise? Remember, simple, not easy!
Last, I have to constantly picture God sitting patiently in my living room waiting on my return. I mean no disrespect in this manner. What I am trying to visualize is the fact that the Father WANTS my company. He doesn't need me, He is God, after all. He WANTS me. That is a powerful picture and concept to get my mind around. If I truly had a physical representation of Christ sitting in my living room, would I really ask Him to leave the room while I dealt with some stuff? I don't think so! Would I keep God waiting if I knew he was sitting in my living room, wanting to talk with me? Absolutely not! However, when I don't pray, when I compartmentalize my Christianity, when I respond in haste I am passing by my Lord who is waiting on me to choose to come to Him. He holds every answer to every question I could think to ask. Whether He will indulge me enough to answer any given inquiry is His prerogative, it's my simple job to be available and open to listening to what He has to say.
Monday, June 13, 2011
God's Shelf
A man was worshipping in church one morning when suddenly he was carried away. The surrounding music and atmosphere faded imperceptibly into the background of his mind as he was swept along a long hallway, following a man robed in white before him leading the way. Not so much from the way he looked as the way he carried himself, the man could identify that this was his Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Son of Man was beckoning to him now, eager to reach the end of the hall where a well populated knick knack shelf hung, full of many figurines. it seemed to stretch on for as far as the man could see. Once they reached the shelf, Christ began taking down each figurine, presenting it to him with immense joy and pride. There was a small woman, dressed very obviously as Mother Theresa, her blue and white habit settled about her wiry frame and an eternal look of peace upon her wrinkled little face. A tall, thin man had to have been the representation of one Billy Graham, poised mid-sermon, his shock of wild hair belying his passion for the Lord. There were many more as Christ shared with the man, putting them back in their places carefully but not before he had turned each over to reveal an inscription he lovingly stroked. From where the man stood, it looked like each inscription was the same, though he couldn't quite make it out.
Walking the length of the shelf the man came upon a misshapen glob of clay. He couldn't tell but it seemed that the work had been abandoned, left unfinished in the dimly lit hallway and it had begun to take on an unpleasant odor. While the other figurines had glistened and shone in the darkness of the hallway, this one was dull and lifeless and not at all a work that the man wanted to reach out and touch - in fact, he was repulsed by it. Before he could walk away, however, Jesus put his hand upon the figurine and lifted it just as gently as he'd done with all of the other works he was so proud of. In disbelief, the man watched as Jesus caressed the nasty, odorous glob of unfired clay. His expression was one of absolute adoration, as if only Christ could see the beauty within this vessel.
It was then that the man realized with a sudden clarity that the misshapen, ugly, unfinished work the Lord held so tenderly in his palm was indeed a representation of himself. HE was the unfinished work, reeking of his own sin and willfulness, his pride and his hardened heart. Yet Jesus didn't shy away as he found himself doing. He caressed and looked lovingly upon it, as if it too was as pristine and beautiful as the others they had marveled upon together. Christ reached forward with the figurine's bottom held forth, the inscription clearly readable now. "Cost me everything," was delicately scratched into the surface like a potter's mark. As the man began to weep, Christ placed the unfinished figurine back in its place on the shelf among many other recognizable saints.
In a moments time the man returned from his vision to the worship service, still engaged and yet fully consumed by what he'd just seen. The revelation rang a clear message to his heart: It didn't matter what he had done or what contributions he'd made, Christ saw him as an invaluable part of the family of God. No one person was more valuable than the next, no matter what their lives had produced, how famous they were or how pious they seemed.
You are just as valuable as the man in the story. I know that is terribly hard to believe, but God sees you, not with the eyes of man, but with the eyes of a doting Father. I know, I know, "But you have no idea what I've done!" I don't have to. God knows everything about all of us, and if he can still love me, I know he will love you too.
Each of us has a special place on God's shelf and we must remember that comparing ourselves to other members of the Body is not productive or admirable. We each have talents and works of our own that no one else can complete for us. Remember, when you are tempted to compare yourself to others or even when you are tempted to look upon someone else as unworthy of God's love and grace that Christ looks with unfathomable, unconditional love and tenderness upon you and wants you to do the same for yourself and others. We are all a vital part of his family and we all have value, whether we see it or not. And really, what we see doesn't matter - Only that He sees us and loves us in spite of it. Thank Christ today for loving you no matter what you fall into. I know I will...
(Story related with permission.)
The Son of Man was beckoning to him now, eager to reach the end of the hall where a well populated knick knack shelf hung, full of many figurines. it seemed to stretch on for as far as the man could see. Once they reached the shelf, Christ began taking down each figurine, presenting it to him with immense joy and pride. There was a small woman, dressed very obviously as Mother Theresa, her blue and white habit settled about her wiry frame and an eternal look of peace upon her wrinkled little face. A tall, thin man had to have been the representation of one Billy Graham, poised mid-sermon, his shock of wild hair belying his passion for the Lord. There were many more as Christ shared with the man, putting them back in their places carefully but not before he had turned each over to reveal an inscription he lovingly stroked. From where the man stood, it looked like each inscription was the same, though he couldn't quite make it out.
Walking the length of the shelf the man came upon a misshapen glob of clay. He couldn't tell but it seemed that the work had been abandoned, left unfinished in the dimly lit hallway and it had begun to take on an unpleasant odor. While the other figurines had glistened and shone in the darkness of the hallway, this one was dull and lifeless and not at all a work that the man wanted to reach out and touch - in fact, he was repulsed by it. Before he could walk away, however, Jesus put his hand upon the figurine and lifted it just as gently as he'd done with all of the other works he was so proud of. In disbelief, the man watched as Jesus caressed the nasty, odorous glob of unfired clay. His expression was one of absolute adoration, as if only Christ could see the beauty within this vessel.
It was then that the man realized with a sudden clarity that the misshapen, ugly, unfinished work the Lord held so tenderly in his palm was indeed a representation of himself. HE was the unfinished work, reeking of his own sin and willfulness, his pride and his hardened heart. Yet Jesus didn't shy away as he found himself doing. He caressed and looked lovingly upon it, as if it too was as pristine and beautiful as the others they had marveled upon together. Christ reached forward with the figurine's bottom held forth, the inscription clearly readable now. "Cost me everything," was delicately scratched into the surface like a potter's mark. As the man began to weep, Christ placed the unfinished figurine back in its place on the shelf among many other recognizable saints.
In a moments time the man returned from his vision to the worship service, still engaged and yet fully consumed by what he'd just seen. The revelation rang a clear message to his heart: It didn't matter what he had done or what contributions he'd made, Christ saw him as an invaluable part of the family of God. No one person was more valuable than the next, no matter what their lives had produced, how famous they were or how pious they seemed.
You are just as valuable as the man in the story. I know that is terribly hard to believe, but God sees you, not with the eyes of man, but with the eyes of a doting Father. I know, I know, "But you have no idea what I've done!" I don't have to. God knows everything about all of us, and if he can still love me, I know he will love you too.
Each of us has a special place on God's shelf and we must remember that comparing ourselves to other members of the Body is not productive or admirable. We each have talents and works of our own that no one else can complete for us. Remember, when you are tempted to compare yourself to others or even when you are tempted to look upon someone else as unworthy of God's love and grace that Christ looks with unfathomable, unconditional love and tenderness upon you and wants you to do the same for yourself and others. We are all a vital part of his family and we all have value, whether we see it or not. And really, what we see doesn't matter - Only that He sees us and loves us in spite of it. Thank Christ today for loving you no matter what you fall into. I know I will...
(Story related with permission.)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
When Yes becomes Yikes!
We've all been there, haven't we? Said "yes" one too many times and found ourselves overwhelmed and frustrated because nothing is turning out as we expected... I know I have. In fact, it is something I struggle with daily because working from home seems such an innocuous situation. I talk myself into thinking that I have so much time that I can do all kinds of things, often many more than I can actually accomplish in a 24 hour day, forgetting that all of us must schedule in sleeping... oh, and eating... and potty breaks... Ugh. See how it happens?
Time is a precious commodity. One that none of us will ever have enough of, it seems. In American society, you are considered a slacker if you aren't somehow busy 24-7. If you take time out during the day to nap, you are looked at as if there is a physical ailment you must have acquired. If you have only one job during the day, you must also have hobbies that keep you running from place to place with much ado during the evenings and weekends. Time wasters are bad, bad things and we must continually keep an eye out for their ugly little heads to rear up when we least expect them to, when some of the best time wasters relieve so much of the stress we have saddled ourselves with.
Time is only one part of the "Yikes" factor, however... I have also found myself stuck in the position of doing things that are definitely not mine to do. I am often easily manipulated by guilt, the needs of others or again, that pesky inference that because I work from home, I can do all manner of "extras". There are things that I get added to my plate because God asks me to step out of my comfort zone and stretch, but that isn't what I am talking about here. I am talking about doing things that are definitely NOT a God given employ.
For example, I once decided that since the pastor of our church had often announced a need in the church nursery and since I had given birth (twice), I would fill that void. I reported to the nursery, I watched the children, I played and I read stories. I held adorable babies and rocked in the rocking chair - and I was absolutely miserable! I had no heart for ministering in this way. I wasn't negligent, I wasn't unqualified, I simply wasn't gifted for that type of ministry. I had to admit to myself after a few weeks that I was simply filling a void with my body that my soul had no joy in. It was hard to leave that post because I was afraid I was letting so many down, but ultimately God spoke to my heart that I was in the wrong spot. I had tried to say "Yes" where God did not give me permission to do so.
So what do I do when I feel that pull to do more in the day than I have time for? What do I do when I see a need I think I can fill with my body because I have skills to complete the task? How do I protect myself, my family and my heart from the "Yikes" factor before I am knee deep in a situation?
First, I pray. This is of course, easier said than done and it is a habit that isn't fully formed in me as yet. I have to remind myself that when I feel a time crunch coming on I need to stop, drop and pray! I immediately ask God to stretch my time, so that I might get done those things that I have committed to do. I ask that His will be done when my will seems to be so muddled and confused. Then I make a list. I list out the details of the task and pray for God to reveal things that I might delegate to others, if any, and places where I might consolidate two tasks to one. After I have completed the list, I get to work! Prayer is necessary, lists are helpful, but putting rubber to the road is paramount to finishing what I started. (That is, if God doesn't answer the prayer by providing someone else to take the reins.) Once I have completed the task, or failed miserably at it - depending on how big the "yikes" is, I sit myself down and I pray once more. "Lord, how do I not do this to myself again? Was this a task I planned poorly or was this something I did in my own flesh, by my own will and not something You would have chosen for me?"
Depending on His answer I have some choices to make. I can choose to listen to God's answer and be obedient, or I can continue on in my own way, figuring that I will eventually find myself right back in the position of "Yikes" once more. The next thing I get to choose is my response to the situation. There will always be others who try to foist their own "yikes" upon you. A friend of mine uses her list here. She simply checks it in light of the current request, and if it isn't on the list, she politely declines to add it. This keeps her "yes" a "yes" and keeps "yikes" politely on someone else's plate.
Let's face it, saying "no" is hard and not something most folks are comfortable with. It is so much easier (and somehow more acceptable) to say yes and suffer rather than face someone and say no. I try to keep in mind that God has special things that only I can complete for Him. He has special things that he wants to give others. If I am continually doing those things that I am not called to do, I am in effect stealing someone else's thunder at a task that they are better suited for than I could ever be! I miss the opportunity to see God glorified in the most wonderful ways when I allow myself to wallow in the "Yikes."
Enjoy your "yes's" so much more once you learn to say no to the "Yikes" factor.
Time is a precious commodity. One that none of us will ever have enough of, it seems. In American society, you are considered a slacker if you aren't somehow busy 24-7. If you take time out during the day to nap, you are looked at as if there is a physical ailment you must have acquired. If you have only one job during the day, you must also have hobbies that keep you running from place to place with much ado during the evenings and weekends. Time wasters are bad, bad things and we must continually keep an eye out for their ugly little heads to rear up when we least expect them to, when some of the best time wasters relieve so much of the stress we have saddled ourselves with.
Time is only one part of the "Yikes" factor, however... I have also found myself stuck in the position of doing things that are definitely not mine to do. I am often easily manipulated by guilt, the needs of others or again, that pesky inference that because I work from home, I can do all manner of "extras". There are things that I get added to my plate because God asks me to step out of my comfort zone and stretch, but that isn't what I am talking about here. I am talking about doing things that are definitely NOT a God given employ.
For example, I once decided that since the pastor of our church had often announced a need in the church nursery and since I had given birth (twice), I would fill that void. I reported to the nursery, I watched the children, I played and I read stories. I held adorable babies and rocked in the rocking chair - and I was absolutely miserable! I had no heart for ministering in this way. I wasn't negligent, I wasn't unqualified, I simply wasn't gifted for that type of ministry. I had to admit to myself after a few weeks that I was simply filling a void with my body that my soul had no joy in. It was hard to leave that post because I was afraid I was letting so many down, but ultimately God spoke to my heart that I was in the wrong spot. I had tried to say "Yes" where God did not give me permission to do so.
So what do I do when I feel that pull to do more in the day than I have time for? What do I do when I see a need I think I can fill with my body because I have skills to complete the task? How do I protect myself, my family and my heart from the "Yikes" factor before I am knee deep in a situation?
First, I pray. This is of course, easier said than done and it is a habit that isn't fully formed in me as yet. I have to remind myself that when I feel a time crunch coming on I need to stop, drop and pray! I immediately ask God to stretch my time, so that I might get done those things that I have committed to do. I ask that His will be done when my will seems to be so muddled and confused. Then I make a list. I list out the details of the task and pray for God to reveal things that I might delegate to others, if any, and places where I might consolidate two tasks to one. After I have completed the list, I get to work! Prayer is necessary, lists are helpful, but putting rubber to the road is paramount to finishing what I started. (That is, if God doesn't answer the prayer by providing someone else to take the reins.) Once I have completed the task, or failed miserably at it - depending on how big the "yikes" is, I sit myself down and I pray once more. "Lord, how do I not do this to myself again? Was this a task I planned poorly or was this something I did in my own flesh, by my own will and not something You would have chosen for me?"
Depending on His answer I have some choices to make. I can choose to listen to God's answer and be obedient, or I can continue on in my own way, figuring that I will eventually find myself right back in the position of "Yikes" once more. The next thing I get to choose is my response to the situation. There will always be others who try to foist their own "yikes" upon you. A friend of mine uses her list here. She simply checks it in light of the current request, and if it isn't on the list, she politely declines to add it. This keeps her "yes" a "yes" and keeps "yikes" politely on someone else's plate.
Let's face it, saying "no" is hard and not something most folks are comfortable with. It is so much easier (and somehow more acceptable) to say yes and suffer rather than face someone and say no. I try to keep in mind that God has special things that only I can complete for Him. He has special things that he wants to give others. If I am continually doing those things that I am not called to do, I am in effect stealing someone else's thunder at a task that they are better suited for than I could ever be! I miss the opportunity to see God glorified in the most wonderful ways when I allow myself to wallow in the "Yikes."
Enjoy your "yes's" so much more once you learn to say no to the "Yikes" factor.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Beauty Series: Working it...
My daughter loves to watch America's Next Top Model. I think her fascination is partly my fault.... I love reality tv. Not something I am proud of, but something I don't hide either. She's funny how she watches it, with all of her pragmatic and teenage attitude hung out there. The girls that whine get on her nerves, the mean-girls should be sent home immediately and she is often rooting for the underdog. The girl that is a little awkward, who's beauty isn't the obvious, jaw dropping, glamorous type but just simply takes your breath away in a photo is usually her favorite.
There is always a segment or even an entire episode devoted to "the walk." Besides taking stunning photos, these gals have to be able to walk down a runway in monstrous heels and incredible fashion contraptions to be able to be a "top model." Some of them are elegant, some are sassy or sexy and others clump down the runway like a moose on stilts. The coaches are often appalled at some of the walks they see and it does make for some very entertaining evenings. What makes it even more entertaining is the way that the girls will defend their particular style and even try to perfect it. They are non-plussed when told they "clump" or "stomp," it simply doesn't phase them. They are confident and controlled, knowing that in an industry that can chew them up and spit them out they need to find a way to stand out. If walking down a runway like some stampeding animal gets them looked at, they are perfectly willing to do just that. They are incredibly comfortable in their own skin. They like themselves, they don't kvech about being too this or too that, they don't whine about wanting more of anything, they just are and they are happy to be that. Ah, youth... But I digress.
There is a saying, "Happiness lies in wanting what you have, not in having what you want." You've met those kinds of people, haven't you? Those souls that have a calming effect on a room just by walking into it? If you look closely at them you may find that they aren't a perfect size two, or drop dead gorgeous by today's model standards. You may actually find that they don't differ greatly from the other people you regularly interact with, at least on a physical level. But you will notice that they have something the others don't have and that is a quiet confidence married up with humility, grace and patience. I know... Hits you where you live, doesn't it? It does me.
God wants us to get there too. He's our coach for our runway walk. He isn't trying to mould us into the same girl or boy, time after time. He wants us to strut our stuff just as we are, with confidence in His ability to use it, no matter what we think we are capable of. He wants to get credit as the designer, for certain, but He also wants us to remember that our uniqueness is our gift, direct from Him.
Each of us has a gift that God has given us to use in our lives. It's incredibly selfish and unfair of us to think that we all should have the same gifts, in the same order and same quantity as everyone else. We all have abilities given by the Father to do work He has designed for only us to compete. My level of humility will look different from my friends', and their grace will look different from mine, but I believe that God gives us each a measure of all of these things to use in our walk in order to bring Him glory. If we Christians all looked the same, it would be rather discouraging. I can tell you that I would never have accepted Christ if I had had to become some quiet, sit-in-the-corner personna that is a mere shadow of who I really am. Likewise, I know plenty of women who would die in their shoes if you told them that to be a Christian they had to stand up in front of every person they ever met from there on out and proclaim the Gospel loudly and forcefully. Luckily, God doesn't ask us to do that. He tailors our walk to the gifts He gives us and asks only that we respond in obedience.
God gives us what we need, when we need it. Our job is to want what we are given. We have to start deciding that our attitude is one of contentment in our gifts, no matter what others have around us, and a willingness to use those gifts however the Father decides is best. THAT is how we work it and strut our stuff! What part of your runway walk is God working on today?
There is always a segment or even an entire episode devoted to "the walk." Besides taking stunning photos, these gals have to be able to walk down a runway in monstrous heels and incredible fashion contraptions to be able to be a "top model." Some of them are elegant, some are sassy or sexy and others clump down the runway like a moose on stilts. The coaches are often appalled at some of the walks they see and it does make for some very entertaining evenings. What makes it even more entertaining is the way that the girls will defend their particular style and even try to perfect it. They are non-plussed when told they "clump" or "stomp," it simply doesn't phase them. They are confident and controlled, knowing that in an industry that can chew them up and spit them out they need to find a way to stand out. If walking down a runway like some stampeding animal gets them looked at, they are perfectly willing to do just that. They are incredibly comfortable in their own skin. They like themselves, they don't kvech about being too this or too that, they don't whine about wanting more of anything, they just are and they are happy to be that. Ah, youth... But I digress.
There is a saying, "Happiness lies in wanting what you have, not in having what you want." You've met those kinds of people, haven't you? Those souls that have a calming effect on a room just by walking into it? If you look closely at them you may find that they aren't a perfect size two, or drop dead gorgeous by today's model standards. You may actually find that they don't differ greatly from the other people you regularly interact with, at least on a physical level. But you will notice that they have something the others don't have and that is a quiet confidence married up with humility, grace and patience. I know... Hits you where you live, doesn't it? It does me.
God wants us to get there too. He's our coach for our runway walk. He isn't trying to mould us into the same girl or boy, time after time. He wants us to strut our stuff just as we are, with confidence in His ability to use it, no matter what we think we are capable of. He wants to get credit as the designer, for certain, but He also wants us to remember that our uniqueness is our gift, direct from Him.
Each of us has a gift that God has given us to use in our lives. It's incredibly selfish and unfair of us to think that we all should have the same gifts, in the same order and same quantity as everyone else. We all have abilities given by the Father to do work He has designed for only us to compete. My level of humility will look different from my friends', and their grace will look different from mine, but I believe that God gives us each a measure of all of these things to use in our walk in order to bring Him glory. If we Christians all looked the same, it would be rather discouraging. I can tell you that I would never have accepted Christ if I had had to become some quiet, sit-in-the-corner personna that is a mere shadow of who I really am. Likewise, I know plenty of women who would die in their shoes if you told them that to be a Christian they had to stand up in front of every person they ever met from there on out and proclaim the Gospel loudly and forcefully. Luckily, God doesn't ask us to do that. He tailors our walk to the gifts He gives us and asks only that we respond in obedience.
God gives us what we need, when we need it. Our job is to want what we are given. We have to start deciding that our attitude is one of contentment in our gifts, no matter what others have around us, and a willingness to use those gifts however the Father decides is best. THAT is how we work it and strut our stuff! What part of your runway walk is God working on today?
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