Left Behind

“Jesus, remember me…” Luke 23:42

When I was a little girl we always took two cars to church because Daddy had to be there early since he taught Sunday School. I remember one Sunday being left behind when one parent assumed I was with the other parent. Of course, cell phones didn’t exist, so it wasn’t until they arrived at home that the discovery was made. Meanwhile, the one time it happened to me I remember sitting on the front steps of the church waiting for one of them to return. I knew they would remember to come and get me when they arrived home and the discovery was made. I wasn’t scared because I trusted them, and I knew it was just a matter of time. But time seemed to drag by and watching the road seemed like watching a pot producing steam instead of a boil. I felt impatient, irritated and frustrated. I didn’t want to admit it, but somewhere deep down was that haunting echo, ‘Have I been forgotten?’

I’ve got to say that some days I feel like that little girl sitting on the front steps of church watching everyone else’s life go by and wondering when God will reveal His plan. Sitting there wondering at what point in time will God answer my prayer…remembering my deep desire. When will God walk up that front sidewalk in our circumstances and provide what was lost…remembering the need of purpose in work. Most importantly, remembering His promise to me.  I wonder if you ever feel the same way, wondering if God has forgotten you? Are there days you look at the horizon in your life just watching for signs that God is remembering your pain…remembering your loneliness…remembering your need? For me, when I get in the mindset of that little girl on the church steps I begin feeling unfocused in prayer…scattered in my emotions…discontent in my Bible Studies. But then, God reminds me that I have not been forgotten. That He is on the way back to the church to pick me up. That it is just a matter of time before I see the grand plan from the divine Planner. From Genesis to Revelation God has been remembering people and working for their good. From Abraham waiting forever on the promised son to the criminal on the cross, God’s children have been praying for God’s memory to include them.

What is it that you are hoping for God to remember regarding your life? How do we not become weary in the wait? I truly believe it is by getting out of our normal ‘God routine’ to move things out of the mundane to the memory. If I want God to remember me and my circumstances I will focus my heart on my memory. My memory of how God saved my daughter…my memory of how God ignited my heart in 2006…my memory of how He preserved my marriage…my memory of how He sent work after another dry season. Waiting on God can be difficult but finding a time He didn’t remember me is impossible.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

Tarnished Hearts

“But the Lord said unto him, ‘Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name.’ Acts 9:15.

Last year about this time we were preparing for Mother’s wedding to a wonderful man who has settled right in to our crazy family. We love him, and I call him our ‘exceedingly more’ blessing. God certainly gave us more for which we could ever have imagined or asked (Ep 3:20). I wanted to use my friend’s beautiful silver dishes which she acquired from her grandmother. She hadn’t had the chance to clean them since they divided things up in their family. She was more than happy to share the beautiful dishes, but I understood that I would be spending days with tarnish remover, rubber gloves and a ton of elbow grease. I just couldn’t believe the beauty of the silver once the work was done. It went from dull to shiny…black to silver…dark to brilliant. There was something powerful about the process of bringing beauty and restoration back into something that had been shelved and untouched for a long time.

I wonder if that is how God felt when he reached for me in Feb of 2006. I had been His since the beginning of my life, and I cannot remember a time when He wasn’t a focus in our home. But my lack of intimacy with Him kept me in the curio, and I became tarnished and used very little in His kingdom. But one day as He considered my life and saw the journey up ahead He knew I would need a more active and living relationship. He gently lifted me from the life I was living and worked on my heart, removing the dark places that had lost its shine and beauty. It has been a wild restoration project where some silver breaks through but there is still a lot of spiritual tarnish to remove. The point is to be that vessel that allows Him to take the darkness and replace it with brilliance. Only in His hands can He restore our life and circumstances that will be more beautiful than the ones we originally had. He is the only One who knows what situations will eventually bring forth the valuable silver…our testimonies.

Whatever has been tarnished in your life will be replaced with brilliance when placed in His hands. We can know with everything in our heart that God has an ‘exceedingly more’ blessing up ahead for you and for me. Every single detail of every set of circumstances have been crafted and orchestrated for your life to display His reflection. And what beautiful vessels He will display for His glory in His kingdom.

Hush Little Baby

“He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul;” Psalm 23:2b-3

This morning when I was meditating on still waters I was blessed to read some of the antonyms of the word still.  My favorite word that conjured up powerful memories of my childhood was the word hushed.  I can remember that whenever I felt scared or anxious as a child I would look for my mother for no other reason than being close to her.  Her very presence hushed my inner fears and concerns as a child.  I knew that if I stood next to her I was safe because at that age I was convinced that she had everything I needed to be safe.  Just by being by her side my heart and mind were calmed and the noises of my soul were hushed.

Fifty-five years later I am still that little girl who looks for the One who leads me into calm.  I know when I have stayed away too long God will draw me to Him leading me back to His still waters.  The closer I stay by His side the fewer noises I hear that are unsettling.  Some of my noises involve the taunt that there is no future work…some of my noises involve an unanswered prayer I’ve been lifting for over a decade…some of my noises still try to win me back over in my pursuit of pleasing people.  But thankfully we have the same Father King David had a few thousand years ago. His beautiful Psalm states, ‘You who still the noise of the seas…The noise of their waves…’ Psalm 65:7.  He hushes the competing sounds so that we can hear His whispers.  When we quieten our souls and nestle up next to Him, we give Him the opportunity to show us that He is God.  When we stop ‘trying’ and start ‘being’ we activate His power of stillness…peacefulness…comfort.  It is through just being near Him that our soul is restored and it well with our soul, even if it is not well with our circumstances.

What noises do you have that need to be hushed?  Move closely to the Father and take comfort that He has everything you need for this season.  He knows the tough journey you are making, and He has equipped you for the deep valley.

‘For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand.  He knows your trudging through this great wilderness…the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.’ De 2:7.

Save the Date

“The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9

I presently have the privilege of serving on our 40th high school reunion committee along with 16 other wonderful classmates. It’s been both fun and rewarding to meet and reminisce about our childhood experiences. As our work progresses the discussions are so thoughtful in preparing for the big day. Everyone on our committee has the same desire…to provide an incredible event where every class member can come and fellowship together. The committee is working tirelessly trying to find each person, not wanting anyone to miss out. We sit around the table discussing ways in which we can locate everyone, along with plans for that anticipated celebration. It is shaping up to be a fun time with good food, great music and hopefully tons of dancing.

This morning as I was thinking about our committee I was wondering if heaven is hosting the same planning meetings. I can just picture saints and angels filing in the room as Christ has saved them a seat at the planning table. But this planning session is for each of us who has their own reunion day on the calendar. In my imagination and through my curious eyes, I peek into the room and tune my ears to the conversation. I hear plans of a future day, the feast that they are preparing for me, and the music that is being chosen according to the songs I love. They are making a guest list for my celebration…my grandparents are coming…my dad will make a speech…my sister will be in charge of flowers since she has such a wonderful green thumb. There will be gatherings of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who will form a welcome line. And then, I will turn around and there will be the face of whom I’ve longed for…and my faith will be my sight. He will ask for the first dance and the music will be a symphony I’ve never before heard, and of course He will lead.

I don’t know what day my celebration is scheduled for and I don’t know what day on the heavenly calendar marks your name. But I’m so glad that we all have a Save the Date notice kept in the Bible to remind us that this is not our home and that perfect things and awesome celebrations are up ahead. The event planners of above will not rest until every person has been found, and every heart has been given the opportunity to RSVP.

Beautiful Evergreens

"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:2

A couple of years ago I was with my mother at her doctor’s appointment. I was sitting beside her as he was going over her chart. Thankfully, Mother is a very healthy 82-year-old woman who has taken care of herself over the course of time. She was having an issue with balance at that time, and he was encouraging her to take a balance class. But the statement that was sobering was when he said to her, ‘What you do in your 80’s will determine how you live in your 90’s.’ I can’t tell you the impact that one statement has had on my full life, physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. This truth is why I try to walk each day…to keep my heart healthy and continue to exercise my muscles. This truth is why I try to eat the right things…to ensure that what I digest will nourish me in healthy ways and give me energy. This truth is why I begin the day with ‘green pastures and still waters’ time with the Lord…to renew and restore my mind, soul and spirit. I am far from perfect in my attempts, but I know the importance of the pursuit of these truths. The most important one for me is the last one practice…my time of rest with God.

In the same vein as the doctor’s statement to my mother, what I do each morning determines how I experience the rest the day. When I don’t spend that concentrated time in His pastures I seem to be impatient that day with others. When I don’t pause and allow Him to lead my mind into His will for that day I experience an unsettled heart. The real danger is when days turn into weeks and social media becomes my pasture. I seem to lose gratitude for the things I have, and feelings of inadequacy enter of heart. It is so important each day to experience God in our mornings. What we do in our mornings will determine what we experience in our afternoons and evenings. We will be like beautiful evergreens in our pastures that not only offers nourishment to our souls but to the souls of others in our lives. ‘Your Shepherd wants to lead you to green pastures not just to bless and minister to you but, so He can bless others and minister to others through you.’ Psalm 23 – The Shepherd with Me, Jennifer Rothschild, p. 61.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is Him. He will be like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit." Jeremiah 17:8

Who We Say He Is

“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” Matthew 15:18

If this were a movie line, we would hear the music swelling in the background and see the tension in Peter’s face when Jesus softly asked him this question.  It was the 64-million-dollar question back then and it still is today.  If Jesus would have asked me this question before 2006 I would have told Him that He was the One who died for me.  I would have declared to Him that He is God’s Son without a shadow of a doubt.  I would have proclaimed that He was before time and in all things created.  But if He asked me today that same question my answers would be completely different.  My old answers were the foundation blocks on which I have built my new answers. 

This morning, I say that ‘You are the One who can move my mountain.  You are the One who is taller than my valley.  You are the One who has rescued me from my fire.  You are more than enough when nothing I do is enough.  You are the One who tells me I am loved when my flesh tells me otherwise.  You make me secure in my seasons of insecurity, and you are the One who tells me my value.  That is who I say You are and You are who You claim to be. 

I am grateful that He still asks this question today of me and of you.  When we answer this question in our prayers we build a prelude to our petitions.  Before we ask for anything, we tell Him that He is our everything.  He is the provision to our need for work…He is the deliverer of our deepest dreams…He is our healer when it comes to our marriages…He is our protector when it comes to our children.  That is who Jesus is and He will never quit asking ‘What about us?  Who do we tell others He is?’ 

“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45b

Making New Wine

“But let your heart keep my commands…and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Proverbs 3:1, 10

Whenever I hear the word command I think of an exclamation point instead of a period...a shout instead of a whisper. I think of a list of rules made by someone else for the benefit of things or people I cannot see. I think of someone in greater authority with greater wisdom. But this morning I’m seeing a more tender image for this word and His name is God. Sure, some of His commands are instructions to make a better world. Do not murder…Do not lie…Do not steal…Love others despite how they treat you. But what about those tender encouragements where we are commanded to be brave…to walk in courage…to believe that God is in control of our circumstances. What about those precious promises that He will never leave our side…He will never fail us…He will give us comfort and rest, turning our sadness into joy…Through our pain He is making new wine.

There is a song that just stops me in my tracks when the piano begins. Its melody sings the promise that ‘in the crushing…in the pressing…You are making new wine…I came here with nothing, But, all you have given me...Jesus bring new wine out of me.’ New Wine, Hillsong Worship. I recall several seasons where my circumstances crushed my heart and soul. All my body wanted to do was sleep, and all my mind wanted to do was worry. I was crushed in spirit, body and soul and felt completely depleted on most days. It wasn’t until I began pressing into Jesus that I could feel new wine being made of my circumstances. He slowly and tenderly ‘commanded’ me to have hope. His whispers echoed that I would be a new creation…I would find freedom where I had once been imprisoned…I would no longer pursue useless things…all new wine.

I’m sure there are some of you who have been crushed by the news of something. Are your circumstances pressing in on you squeezing the life out of you? God promises rest, renewal and redemption if we will press into Him. He has a heart of reconciliation and orchestrates all the details of our lives. But life can be a hard journey, and hearts certainly can be broken. But when we take what is pressing in to us and press in to Jesus our seasons will overflow with faith, encouragement and hope. He will make new hearts out of every situation and our testimonies will flow out of our suffering.

If Jesus turned water to wine, He can certainly turn our tears to overflowing hope...new wine. I pray this song will soothe your soul today and give you hope.

https://youtu.be/qQjsufBDxYY