It's been a grueling, sorrowful week for several families who are dealing with children injured in tragic accidents. And we've been doing the only--but most powerful--thing we can do: pray. Pray earnestly and constantly. We know that we serve a God of all goodness, all power, all wisdom. We know He can heal. And sometimes He does so in miraculous, glorious ways.
But sometimes He doesn't. And in those moments we're left to wonder...and weep...but ultimately, finally, to trust the sovereign, severe mercy and ways of the Lord. He is God. We are not. And some things will have to await our understanding in heaven.
Yet in all this I've been reminded of a moment years ago as I sat right here in this very living room where I'm now sitting. It was late March, nearly 13 years ago exactly from this day. Our family was eating dinner around our big, round kitchen table when the phone rang. It was my dear sister, Jane, giving us the news we'd been dreading...we'd been praying fervently against. Our wonderful Daddy's cancer had spread from his lungs to his brain and was now unstoppable, untreatable. The end was at hand.
We'd just lost our remarkable Mama less than a year and a half earlier of a shockingly sudden ruptured aorta. Then less than two months later we learned Daddy had cancer. As Daddy said at the time, "We're going through a rough patch." And it got rougher--another family member diagnosed with cancer; dearly beloved cousin, uncle and aunt going home to be the Lord; Daddy's brave, hard battle against not only his cancer, but also terrible sadness over losing Mama. It was, indeed, a rough patch.
But time and again, the Lord brought us through. When you're going through a rough patch, you eventually come out on the other side. It's a patch--not an infinite abyss. And God does bring you through to the other side--scarred, yes...but wiser, stronger, deeper, richer in gratitude and grace.
Yet this phone call, this moment, simply seemed too much for me. I hung up from my sister, walked into the living room and wept. "It's too much, Lord. Too much. To lose another deeply loved pillar of my life? I can't do it. Can't go through another visitation with all those tears. Can't go through another funeral. Can't even begin to think about bearing it all. No way."
As I wept, it was one of those raw and remarkable moments when you seem to hear the very voice of God. As I sit here, I can still hear it. These were not my thoughts. No, this was from the throne of grace. And He seemed to say, "You don't have to bear it right now. Trust Me. When the time comes, I will give you the strength that you need to get through it. And you will even know My peace and joy in the midst of it all. But I'm not giving you that grace now. You have to trust that just like that manna in the wilderness, I will give you what you need when you need it. One day at a time. One moment at a time. And it will always be more than enough."
And He did. And He was. And He always will be.
The Lord carried our whole family through those hard, bittersweet last days with our Daddy in the hospital. And just as faithfully in the aftermath of the visiting with dear friends and family. And the funeral too. Our Heavenly Father quite simply carried us through all that loss and sorrow, and impossibly His manna seemed to meet our every desperate need for strength and peace and, yes, even joy.
It truly was "strength for today...and bright hope for tomorrow" as that great old hymn says. "Strength for today" meant strength for that day, that hour, that moment. And hope that He who so faithfully provided and carried us through that day, would be just as faithful, loving, kind, gracious, and good tomorrow as well.
And so we had hope. Great hope for our tomorrows.
The prophet, Jeremiah, wrote the book of Lamentations in what was surely one of the darkest and most desperate times in Israel's history. Israel defeated and decimated by the ruthless Babylonians. The nation destroyed, and her people either killed or taken prisoner into exile far from their promised land.
Yet in the midst of all that despair, the prophet's words rang out, a beacon of truth and stubborn hope: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." (Lam.3:22-24)
Yes, it's true!...though sometimes, you don't fully realize it, until you've come to that kind of a desperate, dark "rough patch." His love never ceases. His mercies never end...they are new--Every. Single. Morning. His faithfulness is great beyond measuring.
And therefore, we will hope in Him. Not hope in our circumstances. Not hope in the answers we want to our prayers. Not hope in getting what we want. Not hope in hope.
No, we hope in our faithful, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, all-good, all-kind, all-merciful Father. Our Heavenly Daddy. Our Abba.
And since He's got it--and He's got us--we've got hope, no matter our circumstances. Because great is His faithfulness--through every one of our rough patches and beyond. Faithful--today, tomorrow, and on into the forever future.
So thank You, Father, for Your daily manna that sustains and strengthens us in all of life's rough--and smooth--patches. Might all who are mired this day in sorrow or fear, place their hope in You, the ever-faithful Father. Give us eyes of faith and hearts of stubborn, gospel hope.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Blooming grace
I love to imagine a "Southern Living" yard outside our doors that merely involves hopeful thinking, waving the magazine over it, and watching God and mother nature miraculously do the rest. Alas, this has proved to be an ineffective strategy for successful gardening. How I wish I were more like my friends Nancy or Creecy, whose yards make you want to take off your shoes and luxuriate in the thick grass while holding a tall glass of lemonade and gazing at the profusion of flowers all about you.
This would not be the case in our yard...unless you want to sit on various piles of sticks thoughtfully retrieved by Bingley...or step into something that would definitely not remind you of fragrant, fresh cut grass (I'll leave that to your imagination....but think "gagging" and you get the idea).
So try to envision my astonishment and delight over the profusion of Camellia blooms on the bush right outside our kitchen door. We planted this bush years ago--a gift from my wonderful sister when our youngest child was born. It was just a little old thing when we got it--only about a foot high. When we planted it, did we dig around and do whatever it is you're supposed to do with the soil before putting in a new plant? I'm guessing you know the answer to that hypothetical question. Did we fertilize it properly? Ha! Have we faithfully watered it during the searing months of summer drought? Right. Have we pruned it or sprayed it for aphids or done anything to aid it's growth or beauty? You're kidding, right?
Despite our persistent neglect (I admit this to my shame), this bush has grown exponentially and blossomed to beat the band (to quote my mama). Seriously, we must be the most undeserving recipients on the face of the earth of such spectacularly beautiful and effusive bounty--but it's true! Blooms and more blooms that give us nothing but unmitigated wonder and joy every time we go in or out of the kitchen door.
And here's all I can think: grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. Truly amazing grace.
Isn't that a picture of what our Lord has done for us? You tell me--who on earth could deserve the forgiveness and grace poured out upon us by the Lord Jesus? Certainly not me. Oh no. To think that He "saved a wretch like me" never ceases to astound and fill me with inexpressible joy and gratitude.
I love how Tim Keller put it: "We are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope at the same time."
Seriously, if you've been a believer for a while, don't you sometimes wonder why on earth you still struggle with your same old selfishness, competitiveness, envy, ingratitude, or pride? Wouldn't you think you could get over all that mess by now and be a paragon of virtue and holiness?
But as long as we're on this planet, we will continue to have to fight the good fight against our sin, selfishness and pride. I loved John Newton's words on this. When he was a very old man, he admitted, "By this point I thought I'd be different. Always love to pray. Not jealous. Not controlled by money. Love for God never cold."
But Newton goes on, "The reason God allows us to continue to struggle all of our life with indwelling sin is He wants us to grow even more amazed at His grace." AMEN!
Yes, Lord, I stand amazed, astonished, and oh, so very, very grateful for Your goodness and grace that is infinitely beyond anything we ever dare hope for or dream. You take the dirty rags of all our sins and replace them with Your regal, glorious robes of righteousness.
And You do it again...and again...and again. Daily, hourly...like those Camellia blooms. Undeserved, unmerited...but profuse and abundant crimson packages of grace. The color of His blood that washed away all our sins.
"In love, He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight." (Eph.1:5-8)
Who can comprehend it? None can ever earn it. We simply stand amazed at the wonder and riches of His grace poured out upon us in Christ Jesus.
So thank You Father for being the Heavenly Gardener in our lives--sowing what we do not deserve, reaping what we could never, ever merit. Bountiful, beautiful, amazing, glorious grace. Day after day. Bloom after bloom.
Thank You, thank You, thank You. To God be the glory.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Pascal's Fire
A little food for weekend thought--
From A.W. Tozer:
"Blaise Pascal, the famed 17th century French scientist and philosopher, experienced in his lifetime a personal, overwhelming encounter with God that changed his life. Those who attended him at his death found a worn, creased paper in his clothing, close to his heart--apparently a reminder of what he had felt and sensed in God's very presence. In Pascal's own hand it read:
'From about half past ten at night, to about half after midnight--fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob--not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy--Amen!'
Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word--'Fire!'"
When my daddy was in the navy on the destroyer, Preston (and then on the Summers) for four years during World War II, he apparently read most or all of the words of the brilliant Pascal. In one of Daddy's letters to his parents, he talked about how much Pascal's writings had meant to him. I try to imagine what that must have been like...fighting horrific battles at places like Iwo Jima or Okinawa and then reading such deep treasures from the pen of Pascal...and then right back to the life and death struggles they faced every day, every hour. Wow. That's real world, isn't it? I wish I could ask Daddy what he especially liked about Pascal. Or maybe he just explain him to me! Oh well, we have all of eternity to talk about it...and maybe then, I'll understand Pascal myself!
But I loved these thoughts from Tozer about Pascal. We think of Pascal as such a brilliant thinker--a scientist, mathematician, inventor, philosopher. But this powerful and emotional moment between Pascal and His Lord, well, it profoundly changed and affected him for the rest of his life.
An encounter with our Lord leaves us never, ever the same. Whether He meets us in the ICU by the bedside of a loved one or in the quietness of our home with a Bible on our laps or in the joy of savoring a glorious piece of music or even on a destroyer in enemy-infested waters far, far from home...our Savior's powerful presence is truly "security, feeling, peace, joy...[and] fire!" Once we meet Him, we are never the same...we are never alone...and we are never without hope. For He is Fire! The fire that burns away the dross of our sin and selfishness. The fire that warms our hearts with His presence. The fire that provides His Light in our darkness. The fire that empowers us to live for Him in a hard world.
Oh might His fire burn brightly in our hearts and in our lives this day and everyday...because we know Him and love Him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
To God be the glory.
From A.W. Tozer:
"Blaise Pascal, the famed 17th century French scientist and philosopher, experienced in his lifetime a personal, overwhelming encounter with God that changed his life. Those who attended him at his death found a worn, creased paper in his clothing, close to his heart--apparently a reminder of what he had felt and sensed in God's very presence. In Pascal's own hand it read:
'From about half past ten at night, to about half after midnight--fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob--not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy--Amen!'
Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word--'Fire!'"
But I loved these thoughts from Tozer about Pascal. We think of Pascal as such a brilliant thinker--a scientist, mathematician, inventor, philosopher. But this powerful and emotional moment between Pascal and His Lord, well, it profoundly changed and affected him for the rest of his life.
An encounter with our Lord leaves us never, ever the same. Whether He meets us in the ICU by the bedside of a loved one or in the quietness of our home with a Bible on our laps or in the joy of savoring a glorious piece of music or even on a destroyer in enemy-infested waters far, far from home...our Savior's powerful presence is truly "security, feeling, peace, joy...[and] fire!" Once we meet Him, we are never the same...we are never alone...and we are never without hope. For He is Fire! The fire that burns away the dross of our sin and selfishness. The fire that warms our hearts with His presence. The fire that provides His Light in our darkness. The fire that empowers us to live for Him in a hard world.
Oh might His fire burn brightly in our hearts and in our lives this day and everyday...because we know Him and love Him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
To God be the glory.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Making a point...or a difference?
"Jesus didn't come to make a point. He came to make a difference." Andy Stanley
Ever since I heard that sentence, it's been rolling around in my brain. Stanley's point--this is a terribly broad and brief paraphrase!--is that as believers we are not here to score points...we are here to serve and love our Lord and other people.
Yes, we know that truth, but isn't it something how quickly we forget? Given time and opportunity, we all tend to drift to defaulting to rules rather than relationships. It's so much simpler to judge other people rather than love them. It's so much more manageable to text them rather than spend time listening to them. And it's surely much easier to ignore them rather than invest emotional energy in them. Serving, forgiving, encouraging, helping those that are sometimes unlovely or difficult can be so messy, so time-consuming, so exhausting.
Ah, but it's those very places of messiness and challenge and weakness that God calls us to come and follow Him. Jesus didn't come to this earth just to make a point about Who God is. No, He came to make an eternal, destiny-altering difference by taking all our messiness--all our failure, dirt, and chaos--and dying for us so that we might know Him and gain eternal life.
And so we follow Him into the trenches filled with broken, weak, doubting, hurting humanity. We aren't here to make a point. We're here to make a difference...like our Savior...and for our Savior.
We do that by the way that we reflect our Savior in our daily lives. We do that by the way that we love, the way that we care, the way that we forgive. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col.3:12-14)
I surely can't do this...but He can. And so I pray that He will do it through me.
Father, help us this day to put on love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness. We don't need to be clothed with designer duds. We don't need to be "right" and score points. We don't need to have lovely homes or perfectly behaved children or ideal, enviable families and relationships.
No, it's not our beautiful lives that will impact the world for Christ...it's our bountiful love. It's His love, His forgiveness, His patience, His kindness as poured out through us--weak, leaky vessels that we are--that will make an eternal difference.
Thank You, Jesus, for coming not to make a point, but to make an eternal difference for us--undeserving, unlovely, ungrateful though we are. Help us to love as You love, that others might see how good and great You are. Thank You for loving us...help us to love. To God be the glory.
Ever since I heard that sentence, it's been rolling around in my brain. Stanley's point--this is a terribly broad and brief paraphrase!--is that as believers we are not here to score points...we are here to serve and love our Lord and other people.
Yes, we know that truth, but isn't it something how quickly we forget? Given time and opportunity, we all tend to drift to defaulting to rules rather than relationships. It's so much simpler to judge other people rather than love them. It's so much more manageable to text them rather than spend time listening to them. And it's surely much easier to ignore them rather than invest emotional energy in them. Serving, forgiving, encouraging, helping those that are sometimes unlovely or difficult can be so messy, so time-consuming, so exhausting.
Ah, but it's those very places of messiness and challenge and weakness that God calls us to come and follow Him. Jesus didn't come to this earth just to make a point about Who God is. No, He came to make an eternal, destiny-altering difference by taking all our messiness--all our failure, dirt, and chaos--and dying for us so that we might know Him and gain eternal life.
And so we follow Him into the trenches filled with broken, weak, doubting, hurting humanity. We aren't here to make a point. We're here to make a difference...like our Savior...and for our Savior.
We do that by the way that we reflect our Savior in our daily lives. We do that by the way that we love, the way that we care, the way that we forgive. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col.3:12-14)
I surely can't do this...but He can. And so I pray that He will do it through me.
Father, help us this day to put on love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness. We don't need to be clothed with designer duds. We don't need to be "right" and score points. We don't need to have lovely homes or perfectly behaved children or ideal, enviable families and relationships.
No, it's not our beautiful lives that will impact the world for Christ...it's our bountiful love. It's His love, His forgiveness, His patience, His kindness as poured out through us--weak, leaky vessels that we are--that will make an eternal difference.
Thank You, Jesus, for coming not to make a point, but to make an eternal difference for us--undeserving, unlovely, ungrateful though we are. Help us to love as You love, that others might see how good and great You are. Thank You for loving us...help us to love. To God be the glory.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Our Burden-Bearer
Just read this morning from Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." I've always loved that wonderful promise, for our Savior is our Burden-Bearer.
And then, when Peter decided to go outside and sit in the sun for a few minutes of fresh air to see if it revived him a bit (it didn't, unfortunately), Bingley figured this would be a good opportunity to jump up on the bench as well and offer a little more moral support to his ailing buddy.
But I began thinking about that--what does that mean exactly? Here's what Oswald Chambers says, "We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt [because Jesus bore and removed those for us at the cross!], but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him--to literally 'cast your burden,' which He has given you, 'on the Lord...' If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence."
As long as we live on this planet, we will bear burdens. The burdens of parenting, of work, of sickness, of ministry, of loving and serving other people. Not to mention the burdens of dying to our selfishness or of relinquishing our desire to be in control or have things our way! And sometimes it's simply the burden of having a lot to do and limited time and energy--burdens occasioned by people we love or ministry we enjoy or work we just have to do.
But isn't it good to remember that our Sovereign God has given us these burdens. They are allowed by Him and surely are used by Him to cause us to depend upon Him and to grow in our likeness to Christ. Thank goodness for work--for it means there are people in our life that count on us to provide for their needs or to bring light and joy into their world. The people in our lives bring burdens--but, oh, the incalculable joy they bring as well!
No burdens...no blessings.
Moreover, if we had no burdens, we'd be spiritual pygmies...and horrifically selfish and shallow ones at that!
No, God gives those burdens that we might continually cast them upon Him. Hand Him the full bulk of that burden so that it's discouraging and exhausting weight are all upon His omnipotent shoulders. He can easily bear it..and you can fully trust Him, knowing that while you still bear the shadow of that burden, He carries it's actual weight for you. "You have been bearing it all," Oswald Chambers writes, "but you need to deliberately place one end on God's shoulder...[for]'the government will be upon His shoulder.'" If He can carry the weight of all the governance of the entire universe, He can surely bear your burdens as well!
So this morning, Peter and I had a little lesson in burden-bearing from Mr. B. Peter's home sick today...feeling achy and crummy. He plopped down on the kitchen floor, and who should immediately crawl into his lap to offer his comfort and consolation? You probably guessed--
So thank You, Father, for Your promise that if we will cast our burdens upon You, You'll not only bear them, but You will sustain us in the midst of whatever we are enduring...and enable us to stand strong and immovable. Not my word...but Yours.
And thank You, also, that You call and enable us to help one another bear those burdens. What a privilege to comfort and encourage others who are struggling with life's burdens. And what a gift to be the one who is strengthened by other's coming alongside us to help us carry our load.
And thank You, also, that You call and enable us to help one another bear those burdens. What a privilege to comfort and encourage others who are struggling with life's burdens. And what a gift to be the one who is strengthened by other's coming alongside us to help us carry our load.
Bingley was doing his best to be a burden-bearer...but You are our perfect, never-failing Burden-Bearer. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Might we continually cast our burdens upon You...and be ready and available to encourage and strengthen others with their loads as well. You will never fail us, Father.
To God be the glory.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Sit still, listen and be loved
I've been gone a lot today...here, there and yon, running errands, attending a birthday party for a dear friend, picking up lunch for another friend...
But I have another little furry friend who was simply in need of time. Sure, there's lots of laundry to fold, dinner to fix, drawers to clean out, groceries to buy, phone calls to return. But you know what? It needed to wait for a few minutes, so that I could spend time with my friend... Well, actually two friends.
Mr. Bingley was anxious, whining and looking at me with restless, disappointed eyes. It was tempting to get annoyed with him..."What is it now?" I wanted to fuss. That to-do list isn't getting any shorter, you know Bingley, and I've places to go, people to see, and things to accomplish. I really don't have time for you right now.
And that still, small voice whispered in my heart..."Is that what you do with Me?"
Is that how I view spending time with my Maker and Redeemer? Is He just another something in my busy life, another item on the agenda, another--dare I even say it--interruption in my day.
Oh, Lord Jesus, never, never, never. Forgive me for ever putting You somewhere down the list--You are the List! You are the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. Without You there is no list, no life, no love.
And when I fail to spend time in the light of His presence, eating of His Word, simply being still and drinking deeply of His love, I become just like Bingley--discontented, restless, irritable, complaining.
So I knew it was time to plop down on the floor...with the Word and with Mr. B. Our puppy needed a few minutes of uninterrupted time with his "mom"...and I surely needed a few minutes with my Heavenly Father.
(that's my knee poking out from under the Word and smashed right up next to Bingley!)
At first Bingley tried to crawl into my lap and snuggle up. This worked well when he weighed 10 pounds. Now that he's well over 50 pounds--not so much. But he did his best, and I tolerated it for a few minutes till he decided it would be more comfortable nestled right next to me.
Bingley quickly relaxed and nodded off to sleep...snoring, in fact! He's a happy camper, because he knows he's loved.
And for the first time this day, I'm feeling a deep down settled peace, soul joy, and sure contentment, simply because I'm sitting in the presence of my King.
What a privilege! What a wonder! To simply sit quietly with the King of the Universe. To be loved by Him; to be filled by Him; to be taught by Him; to be empowered by Him. What on earth did I think I had to do that could compare to that? How can I possibly be the kind of wife and mama God calls me to be if I don't spend time being refueled and restored by my Maker?
And I've just been thinking--I know Bingley's happy to be here with me...but miraculously, wondrously, could God be happy to be here too? Just sitting with His child on a rainy, quiet Wednesday afternoon? The Creator of the ends of the earth...the Sustainer of the spinning planets and the most distant galaxies...the Author of salvation...could it be that He actually finds joy in being with His often silly, thoughtless, clueless child?
Sure, commonsense would say, absolutely not! Who on earth do you think you are? You're just a little peon. Just a little nameless, faceless, insignificant "dust person (in the words of Jill Briscoe).
But commonsense would be dead wrong.
For His Word--the forever Truth--says, yes! You are His beloved, redeemed child whom He knew and called and loved before He fashioned even the first white-hot star. "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me." (Isa.49:16) "As the Father has loved Me [Jesus], so have I loved you." (John15:9) "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." (Jer.31:3)
"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep." (John 10:14) He is my Good Shepherd, and I belong to Him. Oh the wonder of being one of His beloved sheep...and the joy of simply being with Good Shepherd, knowing He'll lead me to green pastures and still waters and restore my soul.
Yours too. He's promised.
If you've been restless or discontented or fretful this day, maybe it's time to stop. Seriously, for a few minutes, cut off all the technology distractions. Put away the to-do list. Set aside your agenda. Sit down...and simply enjoy being in His presence. Listen to His voice of love speak to you in His Word. Soak in His grace and mercy. For you, all for you.
Incredible as it sounds, it's true--the God of the Universe wants to spend time with you. For you are His beloved, irreplaceable child. So loved, in fact, that He died for you...just for you.
Thank You, Abba, Father. Might we simply come, listen, be loved...and worship.
To God be the glory.
But I have another little furry friend who was simply in need of time. Sure, there's lots of laundry to fold, dinner to fix, drawers to clean out, groceries to buy, phone calls to return. But you know what? It needed to wait for a few minutes, so that I could spend time with my friend... Well, actually two friends.
Mr. Bingley was anxious, whining and looking at me with restless, disappointed eyes. It was tempting to get annoyed with him..."What is it now?" I wanted to fuss. That to-do list isn't getting any shorter, you know Bingley, and I've places to go, people to see, and things to accomplish. I really don't have time for you right now.
And that still, small voice whispered in my heart..."Is that what you do with Me?"
Is that how I view spending time with my Maker and Redeemer? Is He just another something in my busy life, another item on the agenda, another--dare I even say it--interruption in my day.
Oh, Lord Jesus, never, never, never. Forgive me for ever putting You somewhere down the list--You are the List! You are the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. Without You there is no list, no life, no love.
And when I fail to spend time in the light of His presence, eating of His Word, simply being still and drinking deeply of His love, I become just like Bingley--discontented, restless, irritable, complaining.
So I knew it was time to plop down on the floor...with the Word and with Mr. B. Our puppy needed a few minutes of uninterrupted time with his "mom"...and I surely needed a few minutes with my Heavenly Father.
At first Bingley tried to crawl into my lap and snuggle up. This worked well when he weighed 10 pounds. Now that he's well over 50 pounds--not so much. But he did his best, and I tolerated it for a few minutes till he decided it would be more comfortable nestled right next to me.
Bingley quickly relaxed and nodded off to sleep...snoring, in fact! He's a happy camper, because he knows he's loved.
And for the first time this day, I'm feeling a deep down settled peace, soul joy, and sure contentment, simply because I'm sitting in the presence of my King.
What a privilege! What a wonder! To simply sit quietly with the King of the Universe. To be loved by Him; to be filled by Him; to be taught by Him; to be empowered by Him. What on earth did I think I had to do that could compare to that? How can I possibly be the kind of wife and mama God calls me to be if I don't spend time being refueled and restored by my Maker?
And I've just been thinking--I know Bingley's happy to be here with me...but miraculously, wondrously, could God be happy to be here too? Just sitting with His child on a rainy, quiet Wednesday afternoon? The Creator of the ends of the earth...the Sustainer of the spinning planets and the most distant galaxies...the Author of salvation...could it be that He actually finds joy in being with His often silly, thoughtless, clueless child?
Sure, commonsense would say, absolutely not! Who on earth do you think you are? You're just a little peon. Just a little nameless, faceless, insignificant "dust person (in the words of Jill Briscoe).
But commonsense would be dead wrong.
For His Word--the forever Truth--says, yes! You are His beloved, redeemed child whom He knew and called and loved before He fashioned even the first white-hot star. "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me." (Isa.49:16) "As the Father has loved Me [Jesus], so have I loved you." (John15:9) "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." (Jer.31:3)
"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep." (John 10:14) He is my Good Shepherd, and I belong to Him. Oh the wonder of being one of His beloved sheep...and the joy of simply being with Good Shepherd, knowing He'll lead me to green pastures and still waters and restore my soul.
Yours too. He's promised.
If you've been restless or discontented or fretful this day, maybe it's time to stop. Seriously, for a few minutes, cut off all the technology distractions. Put away the to-do list. Set aside your agenda. Sit down...and simply enjoy being in His presence. Listen to His voice of love speak to you in His Word. Soak in His grace and mercy. For you, all for you.
Incredible as it sounds, it's true--the God of the Universe wants to spend time with you. For you are His beloved, irreplaceable child. So loved, in fact, that He died for you...just for you.
Thank You, Abba, Father. Might we simply come, listen, be loved...and worship.
To God be the glory.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Welcome Home!
This was yesterday morning...yep, take warning, alright, because the weather turned, well, let's just call it "unwelcome." Rain, cold, dreary, and now sleet. Geez.
It's funny, because at the same time I enjoyed the brilliant red sunrise, I also noticed the first daffodils of the season. Yay! Take heart--spring's going to get here...eventually. We live on a spectacularly beautiful but imperfect planet, don't we? If this earth could be so breathtaking, can you imagine heaven?
Ever since we heard the news late saturday of a wonderful man, Lacy, in our church who suddenly went home--truly home--to be with the Lord, heaven's been on my mind. But shouldn't it always be?
I just read these words by Charles Spurgeon: "...hold your friends lovingly but be ready to yield them to Jesus. Don't hold them back from the One to whom they belong. When they are sick, fast and pray. But when they are departed, do much as King David did, who washed his face and ate and drank. You will go to them; they cannot return to you. Comfort yourselves with the double thought of their joy in Christ and Christ's joy in them. Add the triple thought of the Father's joy in Christ and in them....Let no doubt intervene; let no gloom encompass us. Dying is but going home."
Thank You, Father, for the hope we have in Jesus. Not hope so...but know so! Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross...because that tomb is empty...we know that we know that we know that we will one day see our loved ones in Christ. What a reunion!
Only imagine what wonders they are seeing and experiencing right now. Right at this very moment. Yesterday in church, as we joyfully sang our worship music (and it truly was heavenly!), I kept thinking of all those loved ones who have gone on Home and are really worshipping right now. They now know the inexpressible joy that our songs merely hint at...they now know what it is to bask in the glow of His glory. They understand fully what it means to rejoice in the presence of the Lamb...and the heavenly hosts...and Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, Paul, Peter...and beloved parents and siblings and children and friends.
Wow. There simply are no words. Only wonder. And overwhelming gratitude and thanksgiving.
So Father, thank You for the hope for glory. Thank You for the treasure of friends and family that have gone before us and are already Home. And thank You for the whiffs of heaven's glory that we sense on this earth. Oh my, the best is yet to come.
"Well done, good and faithful, Lacy. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master." (Mt.25:21) Oh to hear such words!
Welcome home, Lacy. Welcome home to all those who've gone before us and are rejoicing and laughing and seeing and experiencing the glorious Truth as never before.
To God be the glory.
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