From Interruption to Invitation

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah…saying, ‘Arise, go…’” Jonah 1:1-2

I’m so excited to revisit this Bible study which I did back in 2013.  The subheading of the study is Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  Interruptions… from the smallest to the biggest of them they range from irritating us to devastating us.    I remember when we had gone to a 100-year celebration for our grandmother years ago.  Many people who had been impacted by her life had come to give a short testimony of her impact.  I was expecting to hear stories of awards she had received, ministries she had started and speeches she had given.  But some of the most impactful stories I heard that day regarded the ways she had touched their lives in her daily interactions…the sacred rhythms in God’s daily symphony.  Grandmother fully understood that her value would be found in the spiritual notes that God assigned her in the daily movements with Him.  One story described a time when a woman who was in great despair knocked on Grandmother’s door without calling first.  She said that when the door was opened, she glanced at the dinner table where steam was rising from the food where Granddaddy sat.  Suddenly aware that she had interrupted them right as they sat down to enjoy dinner, she promised to come back later.  Grandmother insisted she come in and took her coat and purse.  She took the women in a private room and comforted her…prayed with her…encouraged her as long as it took.  Grandmother saw the person on the other side of the door as a Divine invitation from God instead of a dinner time interruption. Story after story played the same tune of the heart of a woman who embraced all interruptions as an opportunity to showcase her God.

But as we all have experienced, interruptions can be much more devastating than our dinner getting cold.  Many of us have had our lives interrupted and are trying to navigate through our circumstances.  Our lives are interrupted with a marital crisis.  Our health is interrupted with a medical diagnosis.  Our families are interrupted with a relationship fracture.  Our financial health is interrupted with a lack of employment. Our golden years are interrupted by the exhausting care for our elderly parents.

But what if we tried to see our interruptions as something higher?  What if we change our perspective from interruption to an invitation from the God who controls our situation?  The best way to see God at work are the places where only God can handle the situation.   When our interruptions flow into our lives we can be sure that God has already worked them out and allowed them to be our experience.  It is our responsibility to ‘arise…to go…to prepare for the journey.’  He has already laid out the mercies for our route and knows the destination up ahead.  Nothing flows into the lives of His children without flowing through the palms of His hands.  Whatever interruption you are presently experiencing have faith that lives will be impacted by watching your journey.  God has personally chosen you to partner with Him in your unique circumstances.

A Fresh Coat of Paint

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Bruce and I are having the back side of our home repainted after 10 years. This house was built as a solar home, so it faces the exact direction that receives the most sun. As you can imagine the relentless heat of the sun has baked the paint on that side of the house. The painters have done a great job of power-washing to clean the surface, scraping the old paint off each board that was loosened and prime those areas which are compromised. Once that work is complete, a beautiful thick and final coat will be brushed on. I can’t wait to see the fresh coat because right now I see a home in different stages of repair.

As I was looking at it this morning, I couldn’t help but to think about the work that God has done in my heart over the course of my life. As a child I was given a beautiful coat of paint of protection and attention to spiritual details from my parents. As I grew up there were areas in my life that I ignored such as my spirituality. Years passed and the sun beat down in my circumstances compromising my faith. There were adversities that left lasting impressions in my heart that God had to work on. Through these experiences He has scraped away the outer shell of surface living. He has exposed things in my heart only to apply the fresh primer of forgiveness. He has removed rotten attitudes that I secretly held in my heart. I have a long way to go to receive that final coat of paint…righteousness, but God shows up every day and does the work needed to make my life beautiful. As I look upon the back side of my home, I don’t see a completed job. However, I do see progress being made just like in my heart.

God isn’t looking for perfect people, but people who open their hearts for Him to restore the old. He is looking for willing and available people who will embrace the new work He is doing in their lives. No home is ever too rotten to repair, and no heart is ever to sinful to forgive. Whatever disrepair is evident in our lives, God is the original Builder and fully understands the work that will bring us back to true beauty.

Free Indeed!

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

This morning as I was sitting on the patio a song came on that took me back 10 years as I sat beside my sister's hospice bed near the end of her life. I had brought my laptop to help my family identify songs for her celebration of life service that would soon come to pass. I was looking at how peaceful she was as she was certainly already looking to another world. Her eyes were closed to this one, but they were open to a world I could not see. Sometimes a smile would cross her face while other times her eyebrows would be so raised, I was trying to imagine what she was seeing. Her body was imprisoned but her spirit was free. And suddenly, ‘I Am Free’ by the Newboys came on. As I listened to the words, I was overwhelmed that in the next day or two her broken physical body would be traded in for her beautifully healed spiritual body. And man, was she getting ready to be free… free to run…free to dance…free to live for God! She loved sunflowers and I could picture that healed little girl running and spinning through a sunflower garden on the other side of the clouds.

We don’t have to be at the end of lives to experience that freedom. Christ was bound for us in the most horrendous way to give us freedom in the here and now. In Christ, we can have freedom from our loneliness…freedom from our fears…freedom in our belief…freedom in every circumstance. The Son HAS set us free so whatever we place in His hands He will place peace and hope in our hands.

What circumstances do you feel are holding you captive this morning? For the mother who sees her child walking out a prodigal season…in Christ there is freedom from worry. For the patient who has been given bad news…in Christ there is freedom in healing. For the couple who feels trapped in their marriage…in Christ there is freedom in reconciliation. We were meant to be 'free to run' here on earth...we were meant to 'partner in dance' with God in this world. All freedom comes in Christ before the resolution of the circumstances come. The empty cross is the miracle of Christ. Reach out and take hold of the freedom that is yours and let God take hold of you!

The Waiting Game

“No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4, The Message

I remember back in the early 1990’s Bruce and a team at work were being considered to relocate to Australia.  Of course, this meant the families would also follow.  The kids were 10, 5 and 2 at the time and I was desperately and secretly trying to pay off a huge debt I accrued.  I discovered that Bruce would receive a rather large bonus for relocating.  I saw this at a way to pay off our debt and have a fresh start.  I began desperately praying for the contract to go through so my problem would be solved.  At the time I took care of the finances while Bruce was working hard to build his career.  But God knew what motivation was ruling my heart and fueling my prayer.  He wanted more for me than just to get out of the trouble in which I found myself.  He wanted the same thing I wanted…for the debt to be gone…but He wanted the heart work to also be done.  So, I didn’t get the answer to my prayer in the way I wanted but Bruce did discover my little secret.  Sometimes, we don’t get answered prayers because there is transforming work that needs to be done in our lives.  In addition, only God was aware of what would be experienced by our family over in Australia, and the impact it would have had on our lives.  I’m so thankful He didn’t answer that prayer!

I sit here with a desire in my heart this morning awaiting the fulfillment of something God promised me over a decade ago.  Over the past 14 years, He has worked on my heart and changed my focus from the fulfilled promise to the Promise-maker.  I am confident of the statement from Charles Stanley that I read this morning in his devotional.  ‘Sometimes people require fresh spiritual insight before their hands are ready to hold what their hearts desire.’ God Acts on Our Behalf, Charles Stanley.   I fully believe that I’m not spiritually ready to hold what my heart wants.    

We all have desires and dreams tucked deeply in our hearts waiting on God to act.  God fully understands our motivation for what we want and knows the impact on which it will have in our lives.  God invites us to dream big and to ask for whatever is in our hearts, but we must hold our desires loosely and give God the freedom to act in His way and one His timetable.  If we haven’t received what we desperately want but it aligns with His will, then it isn’t the designated time to be given His best.  Most times, while we are waiting on God He is waiting on us!

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" Luke 1:45

Having a Little Faith

“He replied…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

At the end of each day Bruce and I go to an area of our home and recap the day while listening to an array of music. We have always been passionate music lovers so Bruce is constantly searching on the internet for music that we would love. The other night while sitting there enjoying the new songs he downloaded a song began playing that choked me up to the point of silence. It was ‘Have a Little Faith in Me’ by John Hiatt. As I sat there listening to the words with tears streaming down my face, I realized that the words the singer was promising was the reality of how Bruce has cared for me over the years. With each promise in the song, a season would flash through my mind… joyful times…sinful times…fearful times…excruciating times. And with each season that I saw through the eyes of my heart Bruce had been there loving me…carrying me…forgiving me…protecting me. I have faith that Bruce will always be here for me, but it took a series of seasons to understand that the faith I had in him could be trusted.

This morning as I was on the patio praying, I was thanking God for always being there for my family. Suddenly, it dawned on me that the reason Bruce has been so much for me is because God has been so much for him. The overflow and blessings from our fellowship with God will spill over into the people with whom we interact. When we truly begin to understand even a fraction of how loving and powerful God is, we will be able to live above the chaos and fear. It is through our faith that we see our giant defeated while he is still taunting us. It is through our faith we see cancer healed when the doctor gives a grim report. It is because of our faith in God that marriages are restored, prodigals return, and our grieving hearts embrace the promise of future reunions.

Begin your day today with the beautiful reminder that God has so much to give us if we will only ‘have a little faith’ in Him.

The Bridge to Eternity

“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.” John 10:18

I remember when I was a teenager Mother and Daddy took us somewhere in the mountains where a swinging bridge stretched across a cavern.  I can remember feeling anxious while crossing over to the other side, but I kept looking straight ahead out of fear.  Slowly I inched my way and took caution steps while my hands were firmly grasped around the ropes to my left and right.  Intellectually, I knew that if this bridge wasn’t safe, we would not be allowed to cross over on it, but it was still scary.  It seemed to be the only way to get to the other side.

In John 10:18, Jesus stated that God’s intense love for Him was bolstered when He laid His life down by choice.  Through that choice we are the recipients of God’s great love and acceptance into the family.  Because Jesus laid down His rights, entitlements and will for His own life, a Bridge was stretched across the impassable caverns to Heaven.  As believers the Bridge is the only way to get to the other side where our loved ones have already settled into eternity.  We walk that Bridge on some days with anxiety and other days with confidence.  We keep our eyes focused not on what we do, but on what Christ did so we can walk that journey in hope and faith.  Sometimes we walk shoulder to shoulder with other believers while crossing, but many times the walk is lonely, and the view is scary.  It is those times, when we must remind ourselves that the Bridge beneath our feet is safe and secure.  We must make a choice that we will go the way that Christ went before us…God’s will…God’s way…God’s when.

With our feet planted securely in the Word, and our white-knuckled grasps around God’s promises we will move across the only Bridge that was constructed just for our arrival.  It is the Bridge to eternity!

What is It?

“And the house of Israel called its name Manna.” Exodus 16:31

Like I’ve always heard, ‘Context is everything!’ So, to fully understand the significance of their manna we must first recall the circumstances that led to this provision from Heaven.  The children of Israel had been belly-aching and grumbling about not having the delicious food they once had in Egypt (albeit at the cost of slavery!)  They were accusing God of bringing them out into the wilderness only to have them die of hunger.  It reminds me of when my children were little, and they would caution me that if they didn’t get something to eat, they would die.  God had provided for the Israelite’s daily, but it wasn’t what they longed for.  God’s response was to send ‘bread from Heaven’ which they would gather each morning while it was still fresh.  Can you even imagine expecting grocery bags of food one morning only to find instead a wafer like covering on the ground?  That was the provision God was giving them each day.  He provided but it was up to them to come out of their tent and gather the provision.  “‘The Hebrew word for manna literally means, ‘what is it?’” Ready – Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 164.

I couldn’t help but be amused this morning thinking about this translation.  Sometimes, our understanding of God’s provision is the very same.  We don’t even recognize when God is giving us what we need.  We long for something different, something more desirable.  I remember I was praying for work years ago when we hadn’t had any for over a year.  Through much prayer and frustration God showed me that although we didn’t like living on our home equity, we had the provision we needed.  I remember feeling like my prayers were not answered, when in fact they were just not answered in the way I desired.  Looking back, I know that God was doing some work in my heart about trust. 

Many people are going through circumstances that require them to lean on God for everything.  Each morning is met with a great hunger or need.  Whether it is financial, physical, emotional or mental God has provided everything needed to navigate through the day.  It is up to us to gather His provision each day through His word and through our fellowship with Him.  He knows what our stomach is growling for, something that the world cannot satisfy. When we shift our prayers from ‘what is it?’ to ‘thank you for it’ our trust in God will grow. 

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die…If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” John 6:50-51.

Choosing Life

“Every day we are faced with choices. From the insignificant to the impactful, our life can be summed up with a series of choices. One foot in front of the other, to the left or to the right, sometimes forward and sometimes back, we take action or an inaction that leads us…through the wilderness, across the river, or into battle. But within each choice lies only two outcomes: one step closer to God or one step away from Him. We are changed by the choices we make.” Ready – Having the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 154.

This paragraph immediately prompted me to consider the year when Bruce’s dad came to live with us. He had Alzheimer’s and the choice to bring him to our home was an easy choice because it meant he didn’t have to go to a nursing home. The choice was easy but walking it out was one of the most difficult faith walks I have ever experienced. That year was a battleground between the flesh and the spirit. The choice upfront shrunk in comparison to the monumental daily choice I had to make to lay down my own agenda and crummy emotions. I found myself on the best of days grumbling and battling resentment… guilt… exhaustion...impatience. ‘Sometimes forward and sometimes back’ was the melody of my out of tune heart. The devil was trying hard to show me the unlovely part of my heart while Jesus was trying to convince me that the choice was noble but the daily journey difficult. Throughout the day as I passed by a mirror, I would see a woman playing the victim…a woman taking credit for things in a desperate attempt to win! Through a series of choices throughout that year, God took me to dark places but not out of punishment. He took me to dark places to work on my heart…to break old flesh patterns…to bring me freedom from myself. I was changed by the choices I made throughout that year, but man was it a battle. I was in constant need to forgive myself for the emotions I was feeling. I was in constant need for forgiveness from God for not forgiving others during this season. I was in need and Jesus met my needs at every turn, breaking old habits and creating a new person. I still have many flaws and I still need transforming but I know that one of the darkest years allowed some of the brightest Light into my heart.

I know many of you are living out your choices…some brought on by you…some brought on by others… and some brought on by a broken world of sin and sickness. Whatever our seasons are, each day we have the opportunity to choose to lean into Jesus or to lean into our emotions. We have the choice to plant our feet in the Word of God where promises live…examples of choices testified…where freedom reigns. We are certainly changed by the choices we make but everyday provides a backdrop for getting one step closer to God.

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” De 30:19

Our Unknowns

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going…not knowing what will happen to me there…However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24.

If there was ever a person who didn’t take a step without waiting and watching for the Spirit’s nudge it was Paul. And it was an understatement when he spoke of going to places for which he was concerned for his life. He rarely was being sent to places of safety and comfort because he was a man on a mission for God and didn’t consider his life apart from the Spirit as an option. He fully understood that the point wasn’t what would happen when he arrived at his destination, rather would he be successful in testifying about how God’s grace saved mankind.

I began thinking of all the times that life forced me into the unknown. Waking up one day to the unknown safety of my 15-year-old daughter who had left home. Walking out of my dad’s diagnosis of cancer with the unknown amount of time we would have with him. The unknown length of time that my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s would live with us. The unknown… something that can certainly loom as a shadow causing us concern and worry.

What if we were more like Paul and focused on the testimony of God’s grace in the unknown instead of the details of the unknown? We have the same Spirit within that Paul had, so what if we aimed our attention to telling the story of redemption, restoration and the faithfulness of God in our past unknowns? You and I cannot control the things of this world that are thrust upon us, but we can control who we are in Christ during the unknown. I know that as believers we don’t arrive at the thresholds of our circumstances unequipped. The Spirit of the Lord lives in each of us, and where the Spirit is there is power. In Christ, we have the power to overcome. In Christ we have the wisdom in navigate through our stormy waters. In Christ, we have the hope to triumph over the unknown. These are the promises of God, but we must watch for Him, move with Him and testify about Him.

The Clinging Cross

“…each of you take up a stone on his shoulder…that this may be a sign among you” Joshua 4:6.

One of the instructions from God to the Israelite's when crossing over the Jordan was for one man from each tribe to pause, pick up a stone from the riverbed and place it on their shoulder. It would be a future remembrance of how God carried them through the flooding waters of the Jordan and placed them securely on the banks of their Promised Land. God knew something then that He still knows now…humanity has a short memory once the crisis is over. He knows what power an object holds that forever ties us to an emotional experience. It is through that power that He builds our courage and faith for the next crossing.

I remember when my sister Beth was in her most intense season of suffering with her cancer, someone gave her the most powerful ‘stone.’ It is called The Clinging Cross and it is a cross that was shaped in the perfect clutch for a hand. If I close my eyes, I still remember seeing her small thin fingers gripping around it. Once she passed and I going through some of her things I came upon that little cross. The power I felt as I slowly wrapped my fingers around the cross where she had wrapped hers is in explainable. The very thing that brought her comfort as she was crossing over her Jordan brought me comfort as I was left behind on the other bank. Every season of suffering through which we live is not without gain. When I carry that ‘stone of remembrance on my shoulder’ I carry the knowledge and comfort that God was faithful then and He will be faithful again. ‘When you step into courageous living with God, that fearful thing you conquer today is the easy thing you’ll step over tomorrow.’ Ready – Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 132.

I know that some of you are going through such terrible times right now. I know that things seem like they will never be resolved in your circumstances. I know the work it takes to believe that the waters of the flood won’t overtake us, but that God will calm the waters. If you want to feel brave today, just look back at yesterday and the way God brought you through that day. So, take up a stone…any stone…that reminds you that yesterday did not win and that today the cross will!

Stacking our Stones

“What do these stones mean to you?” Joshua 4:6

One of the most asked questions of my parents when I was a child was ‘Why do we have to go to church again?’ If the doors of the church were unlocked, we were going to be there. You see, my parents fully understood at that point in their lives that the ‘stones’ meant depending on God. Just like the Israelite’s erecting memorial stones after they crossed the Jordan, my parents lived their lives displaying testimony after testimony of God’s faithfulness. We were constantly reminded of the things that God had seen them through. As we became adults, we continued to watch them trust God for the challenging and fearful times. They showed us through their actions and their faith what the ‘stones’ meant to them. In turn, I pray that the memorial stones of my heart show the love and devotion I have for a Father who has never turned away. I pray my life displays the gratitude for the mercy and grace God has extended to me through the painful times.

‘The victorious Christian life isn’t a once-for-all triumph that ends all our problems. It is a series of conflicts and victories as we defeat one enemy after another and claim more of our inheritance to the glory of God.’ Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong. The battle and the blessings are the hallmarks of the Christian faith. All our lives will be built with the stones of remembrance from challenging circumstances. Our stones will speak volumes whether we say a word about our experiences. One stone stacked upon another. What will they display? Will they display bitterness from a previous battle? Will they reveal a battle we are still not ready to lay down? Or will our stones cry out of how we were helpless but not hopeless because of God’s great presence during the suffering? Will the stones be stacked high boasting the blessings of God's delivery?

We live in a watching world full of searching and discontent hearts. Our lives as living stones represent Christ Jesus who is our cornerstone. All things build upon Him so why would we ever want to keep quiet about what He means to us?

“And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” 1 Peter 2:5

Resting on the Promises

“When the feet…who carry the Ark of the Lord…come to rest in the…waters, it’s waters will be cut off…the water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” Joshua 3:13

I absolutely LOVE the historical account of Joshua and the Israelite's crossing over the Jordan to receive what God had promised them for decades…the Promised Land. I have read this chapter so many times which has brought me such comfort during times when I was facing the unknown. But is wasn’t until this morning when a little word was lifted off the page and into my heart. The word ‘rest’ revealed to me a new meaning for the crossing of the deep waters. This small verse shows an action on the Israelite's part that must occur before the path became passable. The blessing of delivery would only come once their feet came to rest in the rushing and dangerous flooding waters.

Rest…another word for peace and acceptance. Rest is the beautiful offering of worship expressing our trust and confidence in God. In order for the rushing waters to be cut off in any of our circumstances we must first step into the chaos firmly believing in God’s protection and provision. As believers, you and I carry the Ark of the Lord in our hearts. We are all called to the edge of the flooding plains that look impassable…that look hopeless…that look impossible. But our Ark tells us to have courage and step out…our Ark promises us that He can make all things possible…our Ark loves us and will never remove His protection from around us. So, our part is to step out…to believe…to REST in His promises…to accept His will for this first step. Once we are resting in His will, we will begin to see His movement and have confidence in the waters of fear being cut off. God will stack up our obstacles to the right and left of us allowing us to pass through them on dry ground.

I don’t know about you, but rest is the one thing I need when going through all times, both good and bad. I am so thankful that God’s word never grows stale and that when I need one fresh word to guide me into action, He is faithful. Our word for the day…for the situation…for the journey up ahead is REST in Him.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11