The Colorful Cross

“Now Israel loved Joseph…he made him a tunic of many colors.” Ge 37:3 “So it came to pass…they stripped Joseph of his tunic…they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty…and they lifted him out…and sold him.” Ge 37:23-28

I have not read this story in many years, but it is certainly a story from which to draw application as believers. Israel, Joseph’s father favored his son, and out of his deep love made a robe for him with his own hands, displaying brilliant colors. Joseph experienced several dreams which prophesied that his family and all the nation would one day bow before him. Once he shared those dreams, they became enraged in addition to the jealousy they already had felt. They concocted a plan to remove him from the picture when they saw Joseph approaching them. No doubt he stood out on the horizon with those bright colors on his tunic. Once he came upon them, they stripped the robe off him and sold him to the Ishmaelites. But he didn’t need a robe to continue being favored. God began a string of circumstances that led Joseph into leadership with Pharaoh, gaining authority and status over all the land.

We too have a Father who has personally handled our lives, favoring us with love and blessings. Once Christ died for us, we have been given a robe of righteousness that displays His brilliant colors of grace, peace, hope and salvation. People should be able to see us from afar, recognizing that Christ is in us. We are favored children; we are chosen people and even when others try to strip us from favor and tear us down, we are protected. We are to reflect the beauty and radiance of Christ Jesus for a hurting and searching world. Whenever it seems someone has stripped us from our peace and joy, we must remember that we belong to our Father, who will never separate us from His favor.

When Roosters Crow

“Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus…who said, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly.” Matthew 26:74-75

This morning as I was considering this heart-breaking scene, I decided to put myself in Peter’s sandals.  The day had to have been a gut-wrenching display of torture as Peter watched his friend and mentor experience the brutal treatment.  As a physically broken Jesus dragged His own cross through the streets I wonder if Peter was running along side through the crowd.  As Peter witnessed Jesus being flogged and nailed to the cross, was he thinking that he might be next?  Traumatized and frightened, he feared that through his association with Jesus he might also be chosen to endure what he had just witnessed.  Did he see the leers and hear the cheers arise as Jesus fell down?  I can’t even imagine the hysteria that surrounded the crucifixion, but I can certainly understand Peter being scared half to death.  And so, with the trauma of the day and terror in his heart the multiple denials came…and immediately the rooster crowed…and tears were shed.

We probably all know what it is like for our emotions to prompt regretful actions.  Sometimes the person most surprised by our sins or weaknesses is our self.  The rooster crowed the morning that I had to disclose my hidden secrets about spending.  The rooster crowed the morning I signed my divorce papers 35 years ago.  The rooster crowed when after years of bitterness for a family member God revealed my heart. 

What was it for you when the rooster crowed?  What set of circumstances were set up that caught you at your weakest moment, during your most fearful time?  The image of the crow of the rooster in our story has always brought me sadness.  But this morning I am blessed by the reality of not when the rooster crowed, but the moment after when awareness filled Peter’s heart.  That crow marked a change of heart in a man for whom Jesus had great plans despite his denial.  That crow marked a line drawn in the spiritual sand where Peter would become the rock on which Jesus would build the church.    Whatever we have done, there is always life after the rooster crows.  Our greatest failures can be used to carry out God’s greatest successes.  It is when we discover our weaknesses and flaws that God will use our stories to accomplish great things in His name.

With Gloved Hands

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:11

A few years ago, I was preparing to host Mother’s wedding to Ben. I had asked to borrow some silver serving pieces from a good friend of mine. I remembered that she had been given several beautiful pieces from her grandmother. When I went over to look at them, they were all tarnished with a grayish black marbling. I knew that I had 3-4 weeks to polish the dishes, so I packed some up, and brought them home. Day after day, I put on my rubber gloves, applied the tarnish remover and gently rubbed it until I could see the shiny silver reappearing. Over the course of the next month I actually looked forward to handling and bringing back to life the beauty of the separate pieces. By the time the celebration was upon us, the reception table boasted silver beauty. I was so delighted to be a part of bringing the beauty back from tarnished offerings.

There were times as a mother when I felt like that tarnished serving piece. Challenging and painful seasons when I wanted nothing more than to hide and be alone…sit on a shelf behind a piece of glass. I had allowed my circumstances to define me, and I felt tarnished…flawed…broken. But God, in His gentleness and loving kindness took me off the shelf. With gloved hands He gently applied His healing and comfort to my heart, and slowly brought beauty back into my life.

Life has a way of tarnishing our beauty, doesn’t it? Heartache has a way of redefining our value. When we look to humanity to define us, we will always be disillusioned. But when we look to our Creator, we allow Him to show us our worth which is Christ in us. When our beauty comes from Christ within, we cannot help but to reflect His reflection. There is never enough tarnish on our lives that God cannot remove if we will place our lives in His hands. We are His vessels prepared in advance to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve Him. He will gently restore our original beauty before the tarnishing appeared. And what a beautiful banquet our lives will display.

Scattering Ashes

“‘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.’” Jeremiah 33:3

In 2010 my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s came to live with us for that last season of his life. In February of 2011, he crossed over into Heaven and received a perfect spiritual body and a clarity of mind he had never experienced on this earth. After Bruce’s dad passed away, we received a portion of his ashes after cremation, and began identifying places we wanted to scatter them. We were very thoughtful in our decision and wanted to honor places for the most part where we had done life with him. I kept a small portion in a little box for myself at our home to mark the time he lived with us. A little butterfly sits atop this sweet little box protecting its contents and reminding me of the past. Not all the memories were good ones during that last year as Alzheimer’s is such a thief. But scattering ashes isn’t just about the good times, its about ‘all times.’ It marks a memorial for a shared life that has come to an end. It lays to rest the unhealthy…the sick…the broken. Scattering ashes marks a new beginning with new experiences.

I’ll just bet that there are emotional ashes that you need to scatter this morning. For me, there have been times that the emotions from challenging experiences needed to be memorialized so I could move on. It’s never good to hold on to emotional ashes. It’s never helpful to be tight-fisted around the ashes of hurt…betrayal…bitterness. It takes courage to scatter our emotional ashes, laying them to rest. It takes trust in God to handle our hurts and open our hearts for our future. There is one gift from scattering emotional ashes that is the gift that keeps on giving…the gift of freedom. Freedom from our past…freedom from our decisions…freedom from broken experiences. When we scatter all the painful emotional ashes with our hands, they are suddenly open to receive God’s best.

The Unsearchable Day

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Well I LOVE October 28th every year when it rolls around. I call it The Unsearchable Day and the date represents our great God. You see, after Daddy died Mother continued to be completely engaged with life and the network God placed around her…family…friends…church…faith. Grief had been her companion for quite a while during our sister’s journey home followed by our dad’s transition into Heaven. With two vacant spots in her heart she allowed God to fill them instead of any bitterness or barriers in her fellowship with Him. No doubt she called to Him daily for comfort, peace and encouragement to walk out the next 7 years. She did exactly what the Lord invites us all to do…reach out to Him…talk to Him…carve out time with Him…believe in His plan…and boy did He answer! October 28th marks the day that represents one of the most precious blessings He brought to her…Ben, the second man God sent into her life. She didn’t even know to search for another partner. But God knows things about our own hearts that we don’t even know. He knew her loneliness had gone on long enough. He knew how well both she and Ben had loved another, till death did they part. He knew that sending Ben to her would provide what she had lacked in her soul. Two years ago, today, Ben and Mother said, ‘I do!’ and have never looked back.

I sometimes wonder what unsearchable things God has for me and my family up ahead. I wonder what things have been planted in our hearts…things God has set in motion to bless us…things not yet revealed. What if we decided to believe that every circumstance that flowed into our lives was to accomplish the amazing and unsearchable blessings of God? What if we had the courage to embrace even the details that challenged our very faith? What if the very things that would be our greatest blessing has not been revealed because we haven't developed a close relationship with God to hear? These are things of God and all the details of every situation have filtered through God’s will for our lives. We wouldn’t even believe the great things that God has for us if He revealed them to us now. But one thing is for sure, you and I will be the benefactors of Unsearchable Days when we take our hands off our lives and place every situation in the hands of a good and great Father. He cannot answer if we do not call!

Happy Anniversary to Mother and Ben on their Unsearchable Day!

Holding Up Mirrors

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

Yesterday I was out walking when I received a text from my daughter asking if I was around. I told her I was and asked her what she needed. She informed me that she was at the Emergency Room with my granddaughter Tiffany and grandson Carson. She had been at home and suddenly experienced intense pain. Carson ran and got her sweater and shoes, and Tiffany grabbed her car keys. Tiffany drove the three of them to the ER and helped her into the lobby. Once they got her settled and the doctor gave her medication, she sent me the text. She told me not to worry about coming up there after-all, because the kids wanted to stay with her. She told me she would keep me informed and could tell her teens wanted to be the ones to care for her. She said that she had never been in a position to see them step up in the way they did, and it certainly blessed her. I told her that their care for her was a mirror reflection of how she had cared for them all their lives.

I was reminded this morning of this Bible verse about loving others in the same Jesus loves us. When we devote our time to God, we can’t help but to learn His heart. We watch how deeply He loves…we witness how relentless He protects…we experience how powerfully He heals… we testify to the compassion He gives. We cannot experience His love if we are not growing up in His presence. When we have bent hearts toward God, we have molded hearts toward others. What we have been given we are to share with every person God has placed in our lives. He doesn’t withhold anything based on feelings or entitlement, but abundantly shares His whole heart without reserve. This is the pattern for which we are commanded to live out our lives. We are to love with the same love He has given us…We are to forgive with the same forgiveness we have been given…We are to give grace in the same measure we have been extended. We can only do this when we spend time with God, receive His attributes and experience His love.

We should all ask ourselves daily, ‘What reflection is in the mirror this morning?’

Ashes to Beauty

“In the beginning God…” Ge 1:1

I am so grateful that God initiates new beginnings for every one of us no matter how old we are. I’ll bet that God enjoys fresh beginnings just like we do. Beginnings are full of dreams…full of vision…full of hope. Spiritual beginnings are where God’s power intersects our willingness to partner with Him. Such was the case in February of 2006 when God pursued me in my lackluster faith. I began studying His Word and spending time in intentional prayer. He began in me an understanding of how to relate Scripture to my own life. He began a writing initiative where I had never really had any interest. For the next two years I would write and write and write, as I couldn’t get enough of it. Most of these writings were for my own growth and desire to understand Scripture. But just like God always does, His beginnings start much sooner than our beginnings. He goes before us with the knowledge of future circumstances and prepares us for the path that leads us there. But ELM (Emerging Life Ministries) as you all know it was born out of a season of intense pain and suffering. My first ELM was written on May 5, 2008 and God has sustained it ever sense. Our family had created a Caring Bridge website to share communications about my sister Beth and her journey through cancer. Each morning I would update the website with Beth’s latest status and a short verse of Scripture with some thoughts. ELM’s beginning was birthed from Beth’s journey to Heaven. ELM emerged from ashes into beauty because God was in its origin and His power has sustained it all these years later.

Many of you are going through very tough times or have been through tough times. Nothing experienced is without spiritual gain, and our times of deep sorrow…our ashes…will be turned into beauty when the hand of God is applied. For the couple who has been through heartbreaking times… there is a reconciliation ministry. For the spouse who had to say goodbye too soon…there is a grief ministry. For the person who was betrayed by their family member…there is a forgiveness ministry. For the patient who has triumphed over cancer…there is a survivor ministry. I think there is nothing sadder than to see missed opportunities…vacant testimonies…ministries that never came to be. Whatever you have experienced God will turn your mourning into joy and your ashes into beauty. It is this beauty that displays the love and faithfulness of God.  And what we are given from Him, we are encouraged by Him to share it with others.  As Oscar Hammerstein once said, 'Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay - Love isn't love 'til you give it away!' 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3