What Anchors our Hope

“‘When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.  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’” Jer. 29:10-11.

Jeremiah 29:11 has always been one of the most encouraging verses for me in the Bible.  It wasn’t until this morning that I considered the verse leading up to this treasure,  and it opened up more understanding than just that four letter word – h o p e.  Notice the LORD gave them a timeframe for their captivity.  They would be enslaved for 70 years before they return to their promised land.  This required acceptance, endurance, patience and all of the other graces of God that could not be accomplished in their own strength.   His message was clear, ‘This is going to be a long journey but a journey that has an end, filled with prosperity and everything good.  Hold on and have hope in Me rather than hope in the resolution.  You will move from hope to hope until my promise is realized.  Settle in and build a life within your circumstances.’

I don’t know many people who aren’t holding on to hope in some area of their lives.  We are all looking to the future for resolution, but is our hope in God or is our hope in the outcome?  That is the question on the table this morning.   We must anchor our hope in something bigger than our circumstances.  ‘God calls us not to escape from our circumstances but to embrace His presence and His will in the midst of them.  The question of hope, then, is not how we can get out of this situation.  The question is how we can embrace God’s purposes and God’s work in the midst of this situation.’ Faith Limps, p. 103.

The providence of God was so precious for me when our daughter was living on the streets using drugs.  He didn’t show me how long we would have to endure our Babylon.  For the first six years, I placed my hope in the resolution of my daughter getting clean - my hope was in an outcome instead my Savior.  It wasn’t until the last two years that I placed my hope in God and began to understand the true meaning of moving from hope to hope, and strength to strength.  He gave me the same sweet message, ‘Brenda, hang on, don’t give up and settle in to this life.  It may be a while but it will accomplish my plans for all of you.  Hope in Me, not in the outcome.’  It was two more years before that beautiful day when God stood up, called down to His child and said, ‘Kristen, today is the day you are redeemed.  Come to your Father and receive the plans I have for you.’

Whatever Babylon you are experiencing…whatever circumstances seem to enslave you…His message is for everyone, ‘Hold on, settle in and hope in Me alone.  Build your life around it instead of running away from it.  I am going to do things in your life that you cannot imagine.’

Friday Grace

“This, then is how you should pray:  ‘Our Father in Heaven…give us this day our daily bread’” Matthew 6:9, 11.

This was a portion of the prayer that Jesus taught to the disciples as an example of how they should pray to the Father.   This particular portion stood out to me today in remembering tough and painful times in my past.  Our daily bread is that precious grace that is required to get us through our suffering and challenging circumstances, tear by tear and fear by fear.  It is the food from God for our faith and is not a single serving to digest but an on-going fare of the day.  His daily bread serves us with whatever our hearts are aching for in that moment alone. 

Jesus was aware that we would have to keep going back to the Father continually for His provisions…the man who must go back to chemo day after day…the woman who must return to a job she hates day after day…a weary couple who awakens to the reality their daughter is on drugs day by day…a son who is consistently told he will amount to nothing day after day.

When my sister was dying my dad just didn’t feel he would be able to endure her passing and acceptance just couldn’t be reconciled for him.  I will never forget when God arose from His throne and spoke through the chaplain of Hospice.  It was a message from the One who formed this prayer a few thousand years ago.  The chaplain comforted Daddy with the most beautiful statement that echoes this prayer.  He said, ‘Don, don’t look for April grace in February.’  This translation was God encouraging Daddy with the words, ‘My sweet and precious Donald, I am giving you what you need for today alone, and when I bring Beth home to me I will give you what you need for that day.’

Michael Kelley, the author of Faith Limps writes:  “Trusting God is something we must consciously choose many times during the day, especially on those days when we’re fighting to hold on to faith…This is part of what makes the work of faith so hard – that you must persevere in believing in God, day in and day out, and in believing that He will give you what you need” p. 96-97.

Whatever your walk is today…whatever your heart yearns for this morning…take it to our Father and believe that daily grace will be matched according to your daily needs.  ‘Our Father in Heaven…give us Friday grace.’

Our Memorial Portion

“If your grain offering is prepared on the griddle, it is to be made of fine flour and oil…He shall take out the memorial portion…and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD…” Lev. 2:5-13.

I just love reading Scripture and having the Holy Spirit interpret, reveal and lift life’s application to my heart and mind – there is no greater Teacher.  Leviticus records the many offerings that were commanded by God for His chosen people to be set apart.  One of these offerings was called the grain offering.  Before the grain offering could be offered as a pure gift it had to be ground to fine flour with olive oil added.  The process of making fine flour was to mill and sift the grain.  Olive oil was a representation of new and fresh products from a harvest once the grain was broken down. 

Today’s grain offering is more of an attitude of the heart.  It is an expression of total thankfulness to God and wholehearted devotion no matter what suffering we are experiencing.  When my father-in-law lived with us in the final stage of Alzheimer’s, I felt as if I was being milled and sifted daily.   Who I thought I was didn’t seem to match who I was witnessing in the mirror.  I had a crisis of identity deep in my soul as I battled resentment, fatigue, anger and guilt.  I would move in and out of these emotions as my soul took hit after hit, and Satan didn’t miss a chance to point out my Christian shortcomings.  Once I surrendered my will, agenda and motivations on the altar of God, I began to see the offering come together.  I brought the grain – the unfinished raw fleshly body – and God transformed me into His fine flour.  Through the oil of the Holy Spirit I was given the hope of a new harvest. 

‘Our families, our jobs, and our reputation are our marks of self-identification.  But pain has a way of stripping us of those marks.  Tragedy takes away family, friends, finances, health – marks of our identity.  In short, pain leaves us in a personal identity crisis…When all of those other things are gone, we can begin to see our self-worth and identity defined by our relationship with God in Christ’ Faith Limps, p. 79, 81.

As we offer our flesh selves to God, the memorial portion, He will transform us through the fire of suffering into the fine flour of Christ, adding the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit.  Once the Trinity is at work in our lives we will be a perfect aroma and beautiful offering to God.

Where Were You?

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm… 'I will question you and you shall answer me…Where were you when I…?’” Job 38:1, 4

If you are like me the Book of Job is one that never seems to entice me when studying the Bible.  It seems to be more of a Bermuda Triangle which I tend to navigate around to avoid any possible peril of the heart.  This morning during my prayers I found myself asking the why’s of so many challenging circumstances in the lives of people whom I love and new ones I meet along the way.  I knew that I had to crack open the Book of Job which I now affectionately refer to as the Book of Why.  Job and his friends chewed and gnawed for 35 chapters on why God has allowed all of this, yet they concluded nothing.  They examined the prism from every angle but the results never changed – Job was experiencing suffering in every area of his life.  God spent chapters 38-41 questioning Job forcing him to consider the vast mysteries of God and how each element in the universe was under the authority of the Creator of all good and perfect things.

The LORD’s response reminded me of an answer I got from Him during church one day, as a story was revealed of a woman who was totally healed of cancer right before surgery.   My 41 year old sister had just passed away from cancer leaving a loving husband and an 8 year old daughter behind.  I remember looking up to God in church that day and asked Him why couldn’t Beth have been the woman to receive complete healing on earth?  Like Job, God impressed upon my heart that I had been given many miracles in regard to my daughter when she was a heroin addict living on the streets.  He brought to mind so many things that had been allowed in my life that were amazing blessings.   I felt He answered me with questions like ‘Where were you when I brought her back to life as she lay on the hospital floor that night?  Where were you when I kept her safe from those who preyed upon her youth?’

If God were to answer our questions with His questions they would sound something like this:

“Where were you when I took your dream of being a mother and formed your children with my hands?  Where were you when I placed in the heart of your employer to offer you that job that would benefit you for so many years?  Where were you when I formed the partner that would love you more on earth than any other?  Where were you when I protected that car from hitting your spouse?  Where were you when I gave up my Son so that you could join me one day in Heaven?”

I know that God welcomes our questions and expects our desire for understanding.  Just like Job, we may never get the answer to our why’s but through this intimate exchange with God, He will move from our head to our hearts.  Every question to Him will reveal more of Him.

‘My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.’ Job 42:5

Sitting Shiva

“When Job’s three friends…heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.  When they saw him…they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud…Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights.  No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” Job 2:11.

The Jewish foundation for mourning was a ritual called sitting shiva.  This ritual involved friends and family surrounding their suffering loved one for a period of seven days in presence and relative silence.   When Job’s friends heard of all the adversity and suffering that had occurred to their friend they went to him to encourage and comfort Job.  Job had suffered financial loss, property loss, loss in his livelihood and was in immense grief in the deaths of all of his children.  The final straw was when his health also was impacted.   I want to stop here in this story to examine the love and support of friends during our adversities.

It was the beginning of February of 2009.  My grandmother, my spiritual mentor had just passed on to heaven.  My dad’s cancer had spread to his liver and we were literally watching the earthly life leave my sister as the heavenly life settled in.  My husband was 8 weeks towards recovery of his knee replacement, still experiencing great pain.  My son-in-law had relapsed and left my daughter and three children, leaving us wondering if he was even alive.   As if these adversities weren’t enough to bear, my 17 year old daughter received a phone call that her boyfriend of 2 years had been killed in a motorcycle accident.   The culmination of that month was insurmountable in pain and indescribable in words.  Had it not been for my family and friends who traveled through this journey with me I fear I would have lost my mind. 

Throughout the Bible we are told that the number 7 is symbolic for completeness.  Our friends never left us and sat around us in every pain, every suffering and every tear until the healing was complete.  Many days they offered nothing but precious shiva – their precious presence and quiet spirits.   While they might have searched their hearts for the right things to say, their comfort was given in their presence and not in their words.  There were no words, just arms to hug with, shoulders to cry on and lips to whisper prays for us. 

I will never be able to express in words the comfort and encouragement from my friends in a time when I could barely get off the ground.  They surrounded me with sitting shiva and I will never forget their sacrifice.  We are often tempted when we hear the devastating news of a friend to pull back out of our own discomfort.  We must be the friends who come to the side of those friends we love and sit with them in silence.  Thank you to all my sweet friends who allowed God to flow through them in a time when I was broken.

Don't You Even Care?

“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  Mark 4:38b

Prior to meeting Jesus, the disciples had battled many storms in the past.  Before Him, they didn’t know any other way to survive storms but to focus on what they could accomplish in their own strength.   Now that they knew the power of Jesus, they focused on what He wasn’t doing to calm the storm.  Before Jesus, the storm was made up of wind and water to them; after Jesus the storm was made up of accusations and criticism.  These disciples did not question His power but questioned His character.   As our faith grows we become more and more aware of the power of Christ.  We know that we possess the One who can calm the storms and move mountains. 

It is one thing to navigate through life without a deep relationship with God.  We attempt to resolve our problems through our own strength and power.  But what about when we have invited God into an intimate and living relationship with us?  When we have experienced and witnessed the amazing power of the living God in other seasons, but now He almost seems absent…silent…asleep?  We look upon our circumstances and turn to God and say ‘Don’t you care, Lord?’  We seem to forget the other storms that He calmed, and begin equating tough times with a lack of His love.  ‘If you loved me you would …. If you really cared you would not …’

What questions are you struggling with this morning in your storms?  Are you questioning God’s character instead of His timing and provisions?  I believe God expects us to come to Him with confusing thoughts regarding desired resolutions and unmet expectations.  However, there is a fine line when we approach Him between the questions regarding the when and how’s of God and the love of God.  God is love first and foremost, and when we settle that in our heart and mind all questions will be appropriate requests to God.  We will come to Him in praise for His nature first and desires for His provision will follow. 

Through praising God for His divine attributes we position our faith to expect and hope for His provisions that will follow.

The Thorns of Life

“Cursed is the ground…through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns…and you will eat the plants of the field” Gen 3:17-18.

Let’s face it - we inherited a tough walk on earth through the fall of mankind.  Sin ushered in all pain, not just temptation.  Because of sin disease happens and people suffer.  Because of sin relationships fall and families are broken.  Because of sin tornadoes kill and earthquakes tear apart the ground.  Pain, suffering and natural disasters are all symptoms of the original disease of sin.   It is written in Genesis that once sin imposed its will upon mankind, the ground on which we live would produce thorns that all mankind must endure. 

Paul found this to be true throughout his walk with Christ.  ‘…there was given to me a thorn… Three times I pleaded with the LORD to take it away.  But he said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ 2 Co. 12:7b-8.

We all have thorns…those long running challenges that seem to be an unwelcome companion in our lives; situations that seem to be life-long without a resolution on the horizon.  There is a family with the thorn of terminal illness.  There is a young girl whose thorn reminds her every day that she will never experience the love of a parent.  The painful thorn of watching my niece grow into a young lady without the tender hands of her mother upon her.  We all have different degrees of thorns, but what will we do with them?  Will we try to numb the pricks or work through the pain with the help of God’s grace?  Will we surrender our discomfort and allow God’s power to rest in our circumstances?  Will we reach out to those whose thorn seems more painful instead of focusing on our thorn of inconvenience and self-absorption? 

Our degree of God’s grace will always match our degree of need.  Everything required to endure the thorns have been given to us in a measure that makes us more than just those who endure…it makes us those who conquer and overcome.  ‘Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ Romans 8:35, 37.

Whatever your thorn may be this morning be encouraged that God’s grace will be sustaining and sufficient for every experience you face.

Living On The Edge...

“So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the tree of life” Gen. 3:23-24.

God created this amazing space of grace…paths that led to ultimate joy and benches that offered total spiritual contentment.  This paradise was the crescendo of the Maestro’s greatest symphony.  But evil played its sour note and the world has been off-key ever since.  Within what seemed like moments after the birth of paradise, man fell to sin and creation groaned for it affected everything.  The commentary in my NIV Study Bible states that ‘before Adam sinned, he had worked in a beautiful and fruitful garden.  Now he would have to till undeveloped land and struggle with the curse of thorns and thistles.’ 

As I consider ‘tilling undeveloped land, thorns and thistles’ I am grieved for what we could have had, how we could have lived our lives, thriving and abiding in God’s original plan for each of us.  The joys of strolling through paradise with the constant songs of God piped in to our hearts and minds.  But as sin marred paradise requiring its removal, so did mankind.  It seems as if God picked up mankind and placed him on the outside of paradise with it still in view from afar.  He left us longing for our return to home, not the home we found for ourselves through sin but the home He originally intended for us.  ‘I have seen the burden God has laid on men…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;’ Eccl 3:9, 11. 

Because our God is always motivated by His love for us, we weren’t banished forever but only while on earth.  It is no insignificant fact we live hard and challenging lives as we till and toil through unchartered and rocky circumstances.  We are aware that our situations are filled with thorns that prick and thistles that prevent the beauty of life.   Thankfully, we have a God who is lighting the way home with His flaming sword, the Word.  At the edge of paradise He placed the cherubim to guard the tree of life.   1 Samuel 4:4 states that that LORD Almighty is enthroned between the cherubim.  He hovers and beckons…He woos and calls…He lights and guides. 

We will each make our way home to heaven and enter into the paradise for which we were created.

Empty Your Nets and Cast

“Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish.” John 21:5

Early that morning the only thing that boat occupied was exhausted fishermen.  Cast upon cast the nets returned empty.  They hung in there until the morning dawned but it wasn’t pretty…grumpy and tired souls with futile results.  And yet, when Jesus offered His guidance there was one who argued, one who felt he knew more.  There was no room for fish in his net because it was full of pride.  After reconsidering he emptied out his pride, took the advice of Jesus and cast the net once more.  Suddenly, the nets jerked violently and his eyes grew wide with excitement…fish piled on fish, a yield too great to pull in alone.

Years ago, when my daughter was on drugs living on the streets, I was constantly casting my net in hopes of reeling in that one big fish…the fish that would feed her soul and return her to our family.  Day after day I would pack my nets, push off from the shore and battle the storm.  I would cast and cast with no yield, believing that one day I would cast in the right place and hook my fish.  Days turned into years and hopes turned into heartbreaks.  My boat was battered and broken and was taking on water.  After six years of no anchor and a storm battered heart I dragged my little boat and humble net onto shore.  I was drenched with exhaustion and about to fall for good when I saw the flickers of a flame in the distance.   I sensed the aroma of the very fish I had been trying to reel in.  I walked towards that little flicker and the closer I got I realized it was Christ and He was offering the yield. 

‘When they landed, they saw a fire burning coals there with fish on it and some bread…Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast” John 21:9, 12.  I was looking for fish…He also gave me Bread.  I was looking for answers…He gave me His promise.  When I dragged up with a surrendered boat and an empty net He gave me the very thing my heart desired. 

Whatever you are battling in your life, don’t leave the shore without your Anchor and allow Him the helm to navigate.  Your yield will be too heavy to pull in.

If Only...

“…when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’ John 20:19.

It was a weekend like none other.  Just a few evenings ago they had been sitting around the table with Jesus laughing, reclining and making more memories.   Jesus had said some things they couldn’t fully understand but they had become accustomed to the mysterious manner in which He spoke.  And then their world went horribly wrong and betrayal and abandonment were their companions.  Jesus had predicted this but their pride wouldn’t allow them to accept it, after all they adored Him.  Why would they ever distance themselves from Him?  Who could have foreseen that they would replace their devotion with desertion?  I can only imagine the guilt that hung in the air after all of the chaos was over.  Their mentor and friend suffered a horrible death, and not only had they failed to intervene but turned and walked off.  ‘Why hadn’t they rushed the soldiers to save Him?  Why did they become so fearful and take off?  How could they possibly have turned the other way?  If only…But when Christ appeared in their dim little room, He came not with chastisement but with comfort. 

One of the most normal emotions I hear in grief counseling is the hypnotizing chants of guilt.  I should have…If only…Why did I…Why didn’t I?  These questions build thoughts that produce a misconception that we have the ability to ‘out power’ God.  The Bible states ‘The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand…For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” Isaiah 14:24, 27.  It is tempting to take on the responsibility of the outcome of tragedy, but we have no more power in preventing God’s plan than the disciples had during that weekend.  God had a plan for mankind which involved the death of Christ.  He had a plan for my loved ones that involved stretching His Father arms out to them and bidding them home.  He looked upon their lives and was ready to give them everything.  His plan included whisking them out of this old world and giving them life…real life…joyful life …perfect life. 

I know for certain that if I were to ask my loved ones if they would like to return to our world their answers would be no.  Why would they give up the perfect for the broken, the joyful for the suffering?  Our Father has purposed and determined for each of His children to return to Him one by one.  In this truth I have hope that everything and every passing is the perfect plan of God to give imperfect people eternal life. 

 

Doubters and Dreamers

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were…I will not believe it” John 20:25 NIV.

Thomas knew what he wanted and it defied logic. There was nothing on the horizon that indicated he would receive his heart’s desire. His heart had been broken and he wasn’t going to set himself up for disappointment and pain again. He dared to dream…he chose doubt over faith…demands instead of desires. He was certain of what he didn’t see…his precious friend and teacher walking with him along the shores laughing, joking and serving.

‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see’ Hebrews 11:1-2. We know what we want…we have stated our desire…we have determined our dream. However, there are obstacles that stand in our path, creating doubt and uncertainty. We do not see the way it can possibly happen. We want to look forward in faith but our eyes rest on the fact that ‘there are no nail marks’, and no logical way it can occur. Her heart aches from losing a loved one and she convinces herself she will never heal and be happy again. A woman cannot get pregnant and determines that her value is gone and her dream is dead. An exhausted man sees no way out of the entrapments of his job. The list goes on and on…

None of us can judge poor Thomas as we have all been doubters in our dreams. We have all been fearful to claim the desire of our heart in spite of what Jesus taught. The Bible teaches that many times dreams and desires are realized due to our faith. Blessings will come when we choose to believe instead of demanding proof and calculating ways. Thankfully, God is patient with our doubt. While He doesn’t hold it against us He may withhold blessings from us until our faith takes a stand and completely believes. ‘…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ John 20:29.

Thomas wanted his friend back even if only temporarily…he got him for eternity. I wanted my daughter to live…she leads women into sobriety testifying to God’s grace. My sister was given 2-4 months…we were blessed with 11 months. My dad was diagnosed in the final stage…God gave us 4 years. Whatever your dream is God will give you more. Don’t dare to dream but believe in what you are asking Him to deliver. It will be more than you could ever comprehend. ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…’ Eph. 4:20.

Blessed are those…

A Party Like None Other

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Co. 2:9.

It was a Saturday night and we were going out with my sisters and their husbands.  We met at a restaurant and ate wings up to our elbows.  Everyone decided to return to our home to extend the evening.  As we turned into our driveway we were met with cars lined down both sides to the house.  It was the year of our 25^th wedding anniversary, along with my sister and brother-in-law’s, and obviously the family had planned a surprise party for us.  As the four of us approached the walkway, we were amazed at all the friends and family who lined our path.  As I would embrace one person, I would see another person I couldn’t wait to get to.  Once we were inside I walked around trying to absorb all of the beautiful decorations and prepared food.  A video of our lives together documented all of the wonderful times shared and memories that made up a lifetime.  It was a beautiful day filled with surprises, blessings and sincere gratitude of all that had been planned on our behalf by those who loved us.

I wonder if passing from earth to heaven is somewhat like that experience only expanded to measures of joy we have never known.  I can see it now…

"I turn down that path and approach the walkway of eternal life.  On my left are the friends and cousins who have gone before me sharing a secret smile of things we shared growing up.  On my right were my precious in-laws, holding hands as if they had never been separated on earth, reaching out welcoming me for a second time.  I glance over their shoulders only to see my four grandparents with their arms extended.  I run into their arms and suddenly I am a child once more.  When I pull away I look up and there she is…my little sister who we felt was gone way too soon on earth.  She missed our anniversary party but wouldn’t miss this one for the world.  Remembering that I have eternity to catch up I keep moving with joy I have never experienced before.  Suddenly, my eyes lock with the eyes of the man whom God chose before my birth to carry me through my life.  My embrace seemed like forever but isn’t that what it is all about?  And then it happened…as I pulled away and lifted my eyes I saw Him and everyone disappeared.  The joy I had just experienced paled in comparison with the joy that only He could make complete.  It was the face I had longed to see and a love that only He could fulfill.  He embraced me, offered His arm and escorted me through the party showing me all of the beautiful things He had been preparing for me.   I had no idea and was astonished to see the fruition of my past experiences, and how He had worked them all for my benefit."

My imagination certainly runs wild this morning but one thing I know for sure... it will be a party like none other with a Host above all others.

“So with you:  Now is your time of grief but I will see you again…and you will rejoice, and no one can take away your joy.” John 16:22.

He Still Moves Stones

“They were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll away the stone?’” Mark 16:2-3.

‘On their way to the tomb…’ a haunting phrase and a harrowing walk. The two Mary’s walked a path they never thought they would walk. They were forced to consider things that were nowhere on their radar. They considered the future with questions and uncertainty, ‘Who will roll away the stone?’

This is the battle cry for Griefshare as session upon session I watch the participants drag their bodies in one by one, asking ‘Who will take away the pain?’ The light in their eyes has been replaced with a distant vacancy, and their hearts beat with ‘what if’s and if only’s.' They are searching for anything and everything that will bring healing to their lives and comfort to their souls. But how can comfort be present when the tombs are being revisited? How can healing come when hope itself feels as if it has been laid to rest? How can the tomb be viewed through the lens of resurrection instead of death?

I am always blessed and amazed at the spiritual work accomplished by these brave souls between the ‘cross and the empty tomb’…the broken heart and the healing heart. It is a long walk just as the two Mary’s experienced. There are discussions along the journey recounting, remembering and reminiscing. There are tears and fears, anger and guilt that litter the path to the destination. But, at the base of all of these emotions is the seed of hope that at the end of the path the stone will be removed…hearts will heal and lives will be restored…a devastated life will be replaced with a resurrected truth. ‘He is not here; He has risen!’ Luke 24:6. Much like the Mary’s, they are not even aware of the progress they are making on the path.

As the 13 class session comes to a close, I can see the light in their eyes and hope in their hearts as they fix their eyes upon the future. They catch glimpses up ahead of an open tomb with an empty grave. They realize that their loved ones are not dead but more alive than they ever were here in this temporary dwelling place full of suffering.

They walk out trusting in the One who conquered the grave and rolled away the stone. 'Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.' Isaiah 50:10.

Their faith shifts from 'Who will roll away the stone' to 'He has rolled away the stone!'

A Pocket Full of Posers

“The teachers of the law…brought in a woman caught…They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act…In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?’  But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger.  ‘If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone.’  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground…At this, those…began to go away one at a time…” John 8:3-9.

We are all guilty as Christians of casting stones as we drag our boulders around.  We judge people and drag them before others with our tongues.  We have loaded our pockets with rocks for the perfect stoning.  We have even brought them before God in our prayers… ‘But Father, he lied!’  ‘But Lord, she is a manipulator!’   Meanwhile our hands are deep in our pockets rubbing that stone back and forth.  It is so easy to point out the sins of others, and build a case for stoning all in the name of God’s laws.

‘Now what do you say, Jesus?’ they demanded.  He said nothing but stooped to the ground and began writing in the sand.  As the group was pointing fingers Jesus was using his finger to reveal something.  Could it be that He was quietly revealing the sins of those condemning the woman?  ‘Unforgiving spirit’ appears in the sand and one walks away.  ‘Withholding kindness’ becomes clear as the man to his right drops his stone.  ‘Stealing taxes’ is the next phrase that appears in the sand and his stone falls.  The point was taken and the only two people left were the only ones that should have been involved in the first place…the sinner and the Savior…the one needing to be forgiven and the Forgiver!

What are your pockets filled with today?

Dirty Feet

“If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet.  I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you” John 13:14-15.

Can you just imagine the scene?  Jesus, one-third of the Trinity who formed the universe with his hands, now kneeled before sinners washing their dusty feet.  He scoots on His knees from disciple to disciple and rinses the dust away.  He gently wipes the dirt from the feet of the one He dearly loves.  He approaches the one whom He knows His church will be built upon one day and quietly serves.  He moves to the next chair ready to cleanse, but this chair occupies the one who in a few hours will be responsible for His suffering, yet He washes…He rinses…He tenderly dries.  By the time the eyes of Jesus and Judas met, both motives were clear, one to harm but the other to love…one to gain while the other would lose.

It is easy to kneel before those we love and wash their feet.  It doesn’t take a champion Christian to rinse those dusty sandals of strangers through our acts of kindness.  But what about when we find ourselves asked to kneel and wash the feet of those who have wounded and betrayed?  How will we respond when our eyes lock with their eyes requiring our grace and mercy?

Scripture makes it clear and offers no caveats…we are to kneel, wash, rinse and dry just like Jesus.  There is no hurt or betrayal greater than that kiss in the garden where the sinless met the sacrifice.  Our acts of compassion and kindness are not determined upon who is sitting before us.  When we truly align our hearts with God, we understand that in all situations it is Christ who sits in that chair before us.  We are told in the Bible that what we do for others we do for Christ, the same being true of what we withhold from others.

When Christ finished washing those 24 dusty feet they were all clean to the same measure, not just 22.  This is the example by which we are called to live.  I love the remedy that Max Lucado offers, ‘Try shifting your glance away from the one who hurt you, and setting your eyes on the One who saved you…Jesus offers unconditional grace to you; we are to offer unconditional grace; The mercy of Christ preceded our mistakes; our mercy must proceed the mistakes of others.’ Experiencing the Words of Jesus, p. 143.

How will you wash?  Will you withhold or will you extend?

Wringing Our Hands

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret.” Psalm 37:7

After an exhausting day there is nothing better than to climb in my bed and settle my mind into an anticipated good night’s sleep.  I never have trouble dozing off in the beginning of the night, but the challenge is staying sleep.  When I awake in the dark, my mind becomes filled with the quandaries of yesterday or the beckons of tomorrow.  On some occasions, anxiety and overwhelming responsibilities crowd my mind as I lay in the darkness, making rest an obscurity. 

Why do we question things regarding our lives when we are clearly commanded to enter into belief and faithfulness in God?  Why can’t we have as much faith in God meeting our needs as we do in the sunrise?  We don’t lie in bed at night and question whether the dawn will bring light so why do we question God’s arrival?  Why do we believe in the faithfulness of the creation but not in the Creator?  ‘Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place….? Job 38:12.  We cannot rush a resolution in our circumstances any more than we can rush a sunrise.  God commands the timing of everything so why must we fret about anything?  He lays the lightning bolts upon a specific piece of ground, and commands each wave to break at His beckoning. 

I love the verse that David wrote as he struggled with the same fears and temptations just like each of us.  ‘Be at rest, once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.’ Psalm 116:7.  Every one of us has things in our lives that seem to entangle our faith with our fear, requiring a constant need for the readjustment of our emotions.  Much like David, we must remind ourselves to once again be at peace, and patiently anticipate the faithfulness of God. He will rise and meet the needs of each challenge as faithfully as the sunrise meets the morning.  We will not question, ‘Will the Son rise?’ but rather ‘How beautiful will the Sonrise be?’

One of the most powerful praises to God I have ever read was in my grandmother’s journal after my grandfather passed away.  She wrote ‘I do not have to beg for healing Father, but patiently wait on it like the earth waits for spring.’

Rest, wait and fret no more!

Our Road to Emmaus

“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus…And they talked together of all these things which had happened.” Luke 24:13-14

Their hearts were broken and their spirits were crushed.  Their hope and their mentor had been crucified on the hill that previous week, and their grief was unbearable.  As they walked and talked they tried to make sense of a senseless situation.  Jesus came to them on their walk to help them and encourage them.

The week following our sister’s death, my sisters and I met for lunch trying to claim a slice of normal.  It was our exhale to 11 months of inhaling sadness, chemo, impending death and shattered hope.  We dissected the events that played out between the prognosis and the preacher’s benediction of her funeral.  The questions in our head made their way into our conversation trying to make sense of the events our family had experienced.  No matter how we held the prism up to the light all the views were the same – she had died to this earth and we held devastation in our hearts.

Over the next few months, God met me on my road of grief and intersected my path with His comfort and wisdom.  He explained that, like Christ, we will all have to meet death to gain life.  He encouraged me in the truth that He was ready to give Beth the permanent riches of heaven instead of the temporary things of the world.  He tenderly reminded me that we all have an invitation to the reunion with our loved ones, and one by one we will claim our place.

What is your disappointment this morning?  What devastation resides in your heart?  Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has experienced a broken heart and shattered dreams.  ‘I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.’ Psalm 38:8.  Whatever road of aftermath you are walking, be encouraged that the Lord is up ahead and will meet you in your pain.  ‘The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ Ps 34:18.  ‘The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ Deut 31:8.

While we may have a broken heart, we will never have a broken promise from God.

The Other Side of Grief

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” John 16:12-15

The disciples walked alongside Jesus for three years, and witnessed amazing acts and wonders through Him.  They were privy to the mind of Christ every day since Jesus asked them to follow Him.  The questions must have been unending as the conversations went late into the nights.   How boring their prior lives must have been before walking with Jesus.  While several cast their nets day after day, another counted money coin after coin.  Once they decided to follow Jesus their lives took on the twist and turns of a great novel experiencing joy, amazement, fear, failure and successes.  Sound familiar?

When we decide to pursue an intimate relationship with God we can expect storms to brew and foundations to crack.  As we grow in Him through difficult circumstances we are guided through them and taught by them.  Just as Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to the disciples we also have His spirit dwelling within us.  The Spirit will teach us spiritual truths and will reveal what God has in mind for each of our lives.  We will gain God’s wisdom and understanding in every circumstance when we are spiritually ready to receive it. 

Once the disciples had experienced the heartbreaking death of Christ, He appeared to them on the other side of their despair.  It was the proper time to open their minds and give them everything God had given to Jesus.  ‘Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scripture.’ Luke 24:45.  These men were not chosen because they were the best and the brightest, rather because of their passion to follow and serve.  It was through their fellowship with Jesus that afforded them the mind of God.  The same is with you and with me.  As we walk with Christ through difficult times we have access to everything required to move us from despair to joy in Him.  When we use our difficulties on earth and minister to others, He will consider those precious and worthy offerings.  He doesn’t take for granted any tear that has fallen and any heart that has been broken.  He will always be there to guide, comfort and sustain, thereby expanding our faith.

Spiritual Book Clubs

“…if you accept my words and store up my commands within you…and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright…For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” Prov. 2:1-10

When I was in ninth grade I signed up for a speed reading course which was offered in my high school.  I remember that the purpose was more about the volume we would read opposed to the depth of understanding that would be attained.  We were tested on the general points of the stories but not on the details.  In the latter part of ninth grade I was required to read Huck Finn.  What a different experience in reading this novel.  I inserted myself in the story and found my home among the barefoot boys that roamed the streets looking for adventure.   I was able to experience what they were experiencing and lift their life lessons from the pages. 

Reading the Bible is not a speed reading course in life where we boast about how many times we have read it.  We are to experience God’s word through the beautiful stories of those who went before us…novels of fear and faith…accounts of adventures with God.   We are to mine the chapters in search of His precious relics which we will collect and store up in our hearts.  We are to use the Light to search in the dark places of our hearts finding those nuggets of knowledge and understanding from God. 

The caves to mine are endless and the Author of our lives never quits writing our novel.  Our story builds one chapter to the next, swelling in faith and adventure with twists and turns.  When we access His knowledge and wisdom through His word, we can apply it to the next season of our lives.  Then one day when that final page has been written and our novel on earth is finished, we will join the eternal library where our stories will never end.

Game On!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Col. 3:15-17.

There is nothing more enjoyable (and frustrating) to me than watching college basketball.  I just love it!  One of the most frustrating aspects however is the constant interruption of the referees in their efforts to keep the game in balance.  In their striped shirts, they run up and down the court beside the players with their whistles on their lips.  Their goal is to keep the ebb and flow of the game fair, safe and controlled.  They operate from the sidelines with the best interest of all the players in mind.  The coaches have drilled the rules into the hearts of the players, but it is the job of the referees to remind them of these game principles.

When Paul wrote these verses above he likened the rule of Christ in our hearts to athletics, similar to a referee or umpire.   The only way that we have access to the peace of Christ ruling over our lives is to know and abide in what His playbook says.  When He calls a foul we must be obedient in His authority.  We must operate within the body of the team instead of our own individual agenda.  When His character is our dribble our game will be elevated to new levels.  We must always be grateful for every opportunity in scoring for Him, being a representative of the greatest Team that ever performed.  There will be many onlookers, some criticizing our game while others are cheering us on.

Christ is the only one who has the authority to call our game since He bore our stripes on the cross.  We must know what His word states, and allow Him to run alongside, blowing the whistle when we are stepping out of bounds.  

Game on!

Ears to Hear

“How gracious will he be when you cry out for help!  As soon as he hears he will remember you … your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21

The ability to hear and see God will only be sharpened through our intense focus on Him.  We must become accustomed to His voice and recognize when He is speaking to us.  If we only call out to Him in times of distress it may be tougher to discern His voice and guidance.  We have all been given spiritual awareness of God, but some have developed it more than others.  It is erroneous to believe that some have been given a greater spirit than others, with a deeper capacity to understand.  God speaks the language relatable to all of our hearts, but we choose whether to invest the time to really listen for Him and speak back.

‘You have seen many things but have paid no attention.  Your ears are open, but you hear nothing.’ Isaiah 42:20.  God knew that pursuing Him would be a choice that some would make and some would ignore.  This choice to hear brings knowledge and understanding once we call out to Him.  We all have been given ears to hear and eyes to see, but what does mean in the spiritual realm? 

‘The sheep recognize his voice…and they follow because they are familiar with [the Shepherd’s] voice.  They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.’ John 10:3-5 MSG).  It means that our thoughts, actions and decisions will be guided by our spiritual ears or guided by the ears of the flesh.  If God’s voice is unrecognizable in our lives we will default to our own understanding which will always guide us away from truth.  We will blindly and deafly wander around on the hills of confusion and miss out of the messages from God.  Once we listen for Him and learn His voice we can always depend on Him to show us the way to walk in all circumstances.  We lean into the Shepherd who knows us by name, and answers back in our heart language.

The Spirit guides but the flesh scatters. 

A Day in the Temple

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Co. 3:16

When I was 15, I traveled to Europe with a group of teens and adults, and experienced some amazing architectural designs.  The most beautiful building was this massive church adorned with some gorgeous displays of art and stained glass.  It would have been easy for visitors to be carried away with the beauty of the temple instead of its purpose.  The desire of our hearts should always be the worship of the One who 'stands behind the pulpit and deserves our attention.'

Each one of us is a temple of God with the Holy Spirit residing within.  The focus of our lives should be the worship and service of God, instead of the plans we determine on our own.   Personally speaking, on some days I focus more on ‘straightening the hymnals and dusting the pews.’  I walk down the aisle assessing the temple from my own standpoint, making plans of how it could be better.  I miss the fact that at some point I allowed distraction and self-focused thoughts to enter and take their place behind the pulpit.  They preach to me that I should consider what service I want to do in the temple, and convince me that I deserve better than my present assignment.   The temple music drifts into my sub-consciousness lifting those old familiar songs, lulling me to sleep as I forget the purpose of the temple.  As I nap, a new speaker comes in and takes over…the one who would love our worship and attention…Satan.

‘He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.’ 2 Thess 2:4.  As the Holy Spirit elbows me and startles me from my sleep, my head snaps up and I realize that I have allowed my own desires and ideas to take center stage, becoming my object of worship.  Faithfully my heart is realigned with the help of the Holy Spirit and my worship returns.   

We must stay spiritually alert with who speaks in our temple, and what thoughts and desires we allow in the temple doors. 

Grumblings

“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.  Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.” Numbers 11:1.

Although we are the benefactors of God’s patience, there comes a time when God draws the line in the sand, indicating that enough is enough!  He doesn’t leave us but determines that we require something different to change our attitude and focus.  God provided everything good for the Israelites going from captivity to freedom, but they lacked gratitude.  God showed them in all instances His power and sovereignty, but they lacked humility.  God continuously spoke of their promised land, but they lacked faith.  They ‘lacked’ alright, but more in the areas of their spiritual walk.  We notice the verse states that when (not if) God heard more grumbling in their circumstances, He acted. 

‘Complaining always reveals a lack of humility and plenty of self-centeredness.  Complaining doesn’t flow from a thought closet where God is central.  Our grumbles show our self-focus …God is really the one to whom we are griping.’ Me, Myself & Lies – Jennifer Rothschild.  Grumbling usually begins with statements like ‘I should…I deserve…I don’t want…I ought to be able to…’  It is human nature that we have these thoughts but it is not in our best spiritual interest that we invite them to hang around. 

“‘Everything is permissible’ – but not everything is beneficial.  ‘Everything is permissible’ – but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 1 Co. 10:23. By focusing outside of ourselves we are in better posture for approaching God.  Our spiritual motives become more than our earthly desires, and our pride becomes lessened through our humility.  We are encouraged to ‘demolish…every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’ 2 Co. 10:5.

God is the God of giving whether we require the disciplines of the flesh or the desires of the Spirit. 

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"And you, my son, Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you…Consider now, for your LORD has chosen you to build…Be strong and do the work.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10.

I have no doubt that Solomon grew up very aware of the love and devotion his father had towards God. King David had adored Yahweh since he was brought out of the field as a young shepherd boy. With both wholehearted devotion and a willing mind to serve God, David still managed to slip into the darkness of sin. The Psalms offer many beautiful praises to God that David penned, along with laments of his failures. He was a man well aware of the caution required in dealing with his temptations. I am sure that the words above were certainly not the first time Solomon had ever heard these exhortations from his father. David spoke tenderly to his young son as he was preparing him to be king. ‘Son, don’t do what I did…Be aware of what divides your heart and controls your mind…Always meditate on God’s words…Serve where He shows you to serve…work where He assigns you and be devoted and committed to His choosing for your life.’

I spoke a lifetime of ‘words of wisdom’ to my children as they were growing up. In retrospect, my words were centered in encouraging them to ‘do good and be good.’ Since I have more deeply moved into an intimate relationship with God, I have become aware of missed opportunities in the encouragement and godly wisdom I could have given to my kids as children. Thankfully, our Father doesn’t place an expiration date on His wisdom. He continuously provides windows of opportunities to pass along new found truths I have learned. I cannot teach what I do not know, so I am grateful for the mistakes I have made. It has given me a message to share with others along the way. Much like David, my messages are, ‘Don’t wait so long to search for a deep relationship with God…Set your mind and your heart on things that are important to God, not to man…Look for God’s initiation in your work, not selfish motives...Recognize that where He has placed you in life is the intention of His mind and heart for you...work hard in these intentions.' Like the song says, 'These are a few of my favorite things.'

The more I learn the more I am aware of how far I have to go, but with God’s grace He keeps me moving forward. It is when we allow Him complete access to our heart that our minds are renewed and our hearts are transformed.

'Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.’ Prov. 16:3…spoken like a true son of the King!