Monday of Holy Week.
Two big events occurred on this last monday of Jesus' earthly life. He cursed a fig tree that bore no fruit, and He cleansed the temple of the avaricious moneychangers and merchants who sought to profit from the needs of Jewish pilgrims coming to present their sacrifices at the temple. "In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, 'May no fruit ever come from you again!' And the fig tree withered at once." (Mt.21:18-19)
And then later that day (though it's not in chronological order in Matthew)--"And Jesus entered the temple, and He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it den of thieves.'" (Mt.21:12-13)
Scholars tell us that because the Old Testament often refers to the Israel as a fig tree, this cursing by Jesus symbolizes God's judgment upon this "nation that has the outward appearance of life but fails to bear fruit."
Oh man, that's convicting. How often has that been the case in our lives--we look the part; we show up at church; we say the right words...but inwardly, our hearts don't reflect what our words or appearance outwardly portrays. And if our hearts are wrong, then ultimately our attitudes and actions will be wrong as well. If there's little or no fruit in my life, well then, I'm clearly not connected with the Source of fruitful power.
And then there's all those merchants who, similarly, might look like they're serving God. They're at the temple, after all, apparently working and serving God, right? Wrong! Wrong motives--greed and selfishness--and terribly wrong hearts. Where there should have been prayer...there was profiteering.
Again, Lord help us. Forgive us for so often seeking our own ways, our selfish agendas, our promotion...rather than prayerfully seeking Your glory above and beyond all else.
Lots of conviction. Lots of reminders of all the ways we fall terribly short and miss the mark. Whew, mondays can be tough, can't they?
I just got a couple of emails from my youngest. He has had a tough go at school this monday morning. He'd studied really hard for a test. And I mean, he gave it all he had in preparing for this test. He assumed he'd done well. In fact, he was excited about getting the results back today. Well, that is till he actually got it back...and found out he'd done poorly. And his sad, utterly discouraged emails about broke my heart. This mama wrote him back that he'd done his best and that's what counted. That we would learn from this--maybe figure out a better way to study--and move on. That I'd just read this morning, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (I Cor.10:31) and that when we do our best and leave it to God in prayer, then He's glorified. We trust Him with the results and know He's working and moving.
But it got me thinking. Isn't it funny how we assume God is most glorified in our glowing successes and victories? We assume that when we fall down or fail somehow that, well, we've failed God and surely somehow or other dimmed His glory in our lives.
We moms can be especially good at thinking this. Whenever our children mess up...or we mess up...or anything in the universe even tangentially related to our families or homes or jobs mess up...well, then we shoulder that mother-load (pun intended) of guilt and shame.
But here's what I'm learning: God's glory doesn't depend upon our sterling performance. Or that of our children. Or our spotless home. Or our amazing ability to multitask and get it all done perfectly.
Nope, it's really about our hearts. When we have hearts devoted to loving and honoring Him in all we do, when we simply seek to love the Savior and follow Him as best we know how, I think He's glorified...
And dare I say it, I even think He's pleased as punch and proud of His children who stumble and fall sometimes, but who are giving it their all to love and obey their Heavenly Daddy? Well, that's how I felt about my dearly loved child...and my Father is a million, billion, zillion time (and beyond) better parent than any of us!
I needed to remind my son that sometimes it's not about results but about effort...and heart. We do our best, love our Lord, and leave the results to our Abba. We just don't want to be that fancy, fine looking fig tree that's all smoke and mirrors but no fruit. Or those moneychangers who appear so "religious" but in reality have hearts far, far from the Lord.
Failure's fine. False hearts are not.
So today, if you're feeling a bit like a failure, can I just remind you that God sees the heart and the effort, and that's what counts in His grace-drenched, forgiveness-filled and love-saturated eyes. Not the A on the test. Not the spotless home. Not the perfectly-behaved child. Not the accolades at work. Not the sparkling accomplishments. Nope, just loving and following Him with all your heart.
Loved these words from Jen Hatmaker--especially for us moms...us weighed-down-by-the-burden-of-our-impossible-expectations moms. "You are enough as a mother when you act like your Redeemer, dear one. When you talk like He talked, love like He loved, forgive like He forgave, and teach like He taught. When you launch your children into this big, exciting, wonderful world, that is all that will matter. It is what they'll remember and imitate. It is enough."
And it's enough for any of us struggling on a monday. Because He's always enough.
To God--the Redeemer not only of our sins but of our failures--be all the glory.
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