Tuesday of Holy Week. Trying to walk with Jesus through this week...but sometimes I get busy, frazzled, preoccupied and momentarily lose sight of Him. Forgive me, Father.
So I sit down just for a few minutes to touch base with the Savior. Tell Him about my day...my dreams...my mistakes...my fears...and my love. Oh help us to cease striving and working and rushing, Lord Jesus, so we might follow You to green pastures and still waters. Might we hand You our sins and failures and misses of this day and in exchange breathe in the divine air of Your forgiveness and grace and hope and joy.
As Jesus drew another step, another day, closer to the cross, He kept teaching and exhorting and loving those He had created and came to save. That tuesday morning, Jesus and the disciples again return to Jerusalem and pass the same fig tree the Lord has cursed the day before. Good old Peter excitedly notices it and exclaims "Rabbi look! The fig tree that You cursed has withered."
Jesus responds: "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mk11:20-26)
I don't even pretend to understand all that the Lord says here. Such a vast and amazing promise! But here's what I do know: Jesus said it. His Word never fails. And if He says we can move spiritual mountains by way of believing prayer, well then, I believe it even if I don't fully comprehend it. So why on earth aren't we praying?
There was more teaching on this Tuesday...more questioning by the religious leaders desperately trying to trap Jesus; more parables; more discussions with His disciples. But for now, it's enough to know Jesus resolutely continues heading towards the cross on this tuesday. And He does it for you. For me. For us.
And so we follow...and pray...and believe...and wait. The cross is coming. But so is the resurrection. To God be the glory.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Monday failures...and our loving Father
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.
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.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Despite all He knew, He came...and still comes
"Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once.' This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet saying, 'Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.' The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and He sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!' And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, 'Who is this?'" (Matt.21:1-10)
Palm Sunday. We enter today the first day of Holy Week, celebrating the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, while the Passover crowds shouted their "Hosannas."
Think of it--the city of Jerusalem was teaming with mobs of folks from all over Israel, who had excitedly arrived in the City of David to celebrate the Passover. And right in the midst of all that hoopla and activity and speculation, in rides Jesus--unequivocally fulfilling Old Testament prophecy from Zech.9:9 that the Messiah would come riding on the foal of a donkey. No wonder the crowds excitedly hailed Jesus as King!
But as I contemplated this joyous moment, with palm branches waving and children shouting happily, I couldn't help but realize...Jesus knew. Jesus knew the full and complete story. He knew that in five days, these same joyful shouts of "Hosanna!" would morph into brutal taunts and hateful yelling of "Crucify Him!" The disciples were blissfully ignorant of the horrors that lay ahead. The crowds were clueless about how fickle and deadly their shouts would soon become.
Only Jesus knew. And yet, He came. Despite the horrific knowledge of what lay ahead--the betrayal, the denial, the insults, the spitting, the slapping, the scourging, the taunting...the weight of all that sin upon the cross--despite it all, He joyfully rode into Jerusalem. All the while knowing, He was, at that very moment, signing His death warrant.
As Andreas Kostenberger writes: "Up to this point in Jesus's ministry, He could still have managed to live a long, happy, peaceful life, but His actions on Sunday set in motion a series of events that could result in either His overthrow of the Romans and the current religious establishment--or His brutal death. He had crossed the point of no return; there would be no turning back. Caesar could allow no rival kings." Nor could the pharisees and the religious establishment.
Somehow I never considered what internal agony this could have, must have, been for Jesus. Such excitement and enthusiasm exhibited by the crowds. Such unabated joy and rejoicing. I wonder if the sun shone brightly and warmly on a lovely spring morning like it is here today in Raleigh? Birds singing; trees budding; flowers blooming; and pilgrims happily shouting and waving palm branches to welcome the true and rightful King.
And yet the terrible, dark counterpoint...another step closer to crucifixion. Jesus' choice to enter as the King--humble, yes, on a donkey's colt, but nonetheless, as the prophetic fulfillment of the Messianic King--would inexorably begin His lonely, hard march to the cross.
If somehow or other you possessed the awful knowledge that in less than a week, you'd be hated, betrayed, denied, tortured, humiliated, and brutally executed, would you be able to do anything? Would you be able to have a single conversation with anyone? Wouldn't you be weighed down with the horrific knowledge of it all, filled with dread, fear, and even bitterness at the terrible abyss of pain and death staring at you?
I know I would. I'd be unable to speak or laugh or eat or frankly care about anything or anyone. How could you not be preoccupied by the oppressive, terrible weight of it all?
And yet, Jesus wasn't. No, despite everything He knew, He came and obediently, joyfully rode into the city filled with people that He loved and for whom He would soon be dying. Despite it all, He kept teaching, kept exhorting, kept working, kept forgiving, kept loving...all the way to the very end.
How can you not love such a Savior? How can you not worship such a Redeemer?
He knows it all about us too. Even as we vow to put Him first, to "get our priorities straight," and then fail Him again...He still loves us and comes to us and urges us to follow Him. Even as we make promises we're, again, unable to keep...His promises to us in His Word never, ever fail; nor will He ever fail us or forsake us. Even as we give in to fretting and fear over the future and refuse to trust Him again...He comes to us, riding in as our King, and telling us, once more, that He's got it; He's got us; and He's working all things out for our good and His glory. Even as we, fickle children that we are, complain and fuss, forgetting all He's done for us and all He's given us...He loves us still, continuing to lavish upon us His grace, His mercy, His presence, His peace, His power.
What a relentless Savior. He never gives in to fear. He never succumbs to discouragement. He never grows tired or weary or exasperated. No, He keeps coming, loving, forgiving, saving as our gracious and glorious King. Day after day, despite all that He knows of us...because of His infinite love and His unrelenting grace.
So, Father, all we can say is, thank You, thank You, thank You. Oh might we truly worship You, our King--not just with our voices...but with our hearts, souls, minds and bodies. Thank You that despite all You know of us, You still come to us as our Savior that we might know You as Father and Friend.
For You, our true and forever King, are worthy.
To God be the glory.
Palm Sunday. We enter today the first day of Holy Week, celebrating the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, while the Passover crowds shouted their "Hosannas."
Think of it--the city of Jerusalem was teaming with mobs of folks from all over Israel, who had excitedly arrived in the City of David to celebrate the Passover. And right in the midst of all that hoopla and activity and speculation, in rides Jesus--unequivocally fulfilling Old Testament prophecy from Zech.9:9 that the Messiah would come riding on the foal of a donkey. No wonder the crowds excitedly hailed Jesus as King!
But as I contemplated this joyous moment, with palm branches waving and children shouting happily, I couldn't help but realize...Jesus knew. Jesus knew the full and complete story. He knew that in five days, these same joyful shouts of "Hosanna!" would morph into brutal taunts and hateful yelling of "Crucify Him!" The disciples were blissfully ignorant of the horrors that lay ahead. The crowds were clueless about how fickle and deadly their shouts would soon become.
Only Jesus knew. And yet, He came. Despite the horrific knowledge of what lay ahead--the betrayal, the denial, the insults, the spitting, the slapping, the scourging, the taunting...the weight of all that sin upon the cross--despite it all, He joyfully rode into Jerusalem. All the while knowing, He was, at that very moment, signing His death warrant.
As Andreas Kostenberger writes: "Up to this point in Jesus's ministry, He could still have managed to live a long, happy, peaceful life, but His actions on Sunday set in motion a series of events that could result in either His overthrow of the Romans and the current religious establishment--or His brutal death. He had crossed the point of no return; there would be no turning back. Caesar could allow no rival kings." Nor could the pharisees and the religious establishment.
Somehow I never considered what internal agony this could have, must have, been for Jesus. Such excitement and enthusiasm exhibited by the crowds. Such unabated joy and rejoicing. I wonder if the sun shone brightly and warmly on a lovely spring morning like it is here today in Raleigh? Birds singing; trees budding; flowers blooming; and pilgrims happily shouting and waving palm branches to welcome the true and rightful King.
And yet the terrible, dark counterpoint...another step closer to crucifixion. Jesus' choice to enter as the King--humble, yes, on a donkey's colt, but nonetheless, as the prophetic fulfillment of the Messianic King--would inexorably begin His lonely, hard march to the cross.
If somehow or other you possessed the awful knowledge that in less than a week, you'd be hated, betrayed, denied, tortured, humiliated, and brutally executed, would you be able to do anything? Would you be able to have a single conversation with anyone? Wouldn't you be weighed down with the horrific knowledge of it all, filled with dread, fear, and even bitterness at the terrible abyss of pain and death staring at you?
I know I would. I'd be unable to speak or laugh or eat or frankly care about anything or anyone. How could you not be preoccupied by the oppressive, terrible weight of it all?
And yet, Jesus wasn't. No, despite everything He knew, He came and obediently, joyfully rode into the city filled with people that He loved and for whom He would soon be dying. Despite it all, He kept teaching, kept exhorting, kept working, kept forgiving, kept loving...all the way to the very end.
How can you not love such a Savior? How can you not worship such a Redeemer?
He knows it all about us too. Even as we vow to put Him first, to "get our priorities straight," and then fail Him again...He still loves us and comes to us and urges us to follow Him. Even as we make promises we're, again, unable to keep...His promises to us in His Word never, ever fail; nor will He ever fail us or forsake us. Even as we give in to fretting and fear over the future and refuse to trust Him again...He comes to us, riding in as our King, and telling us, once more, that He's got it; He's got us; and He's working all things out for our good and His glory. Even as we, fickle children that we are, complain and fuss, forgetting all He's done for us and all He's given us...He loves us still, continuing to lavish upon us His grace, His mercy, His presence, His peace, His power.
What a relentless Savior. He never gives in to fear. He never succumbs to discouragement. He never grows tired or weary or exasperated. No, He keeps coming, loving, forgiving, saving as our gracious and glorious King. Day after day, despite all that He knows of us...because of His infinite love and His unrelenting grace.
So, Father, all we can say is, thank You, thank You, thank You. Oh might we truly worship You, our King--not just with our voices...but with our hearts, souls, minds and bodies. Thank You that despite all You know of us, You still come to us as our Savior that we might know You as Father and Friend.
For You, our true and forever King, are worthy.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Remebering Haman-hardship to Purim-celebration
Well, our Bible study just wrapped up for the year as we finished with the wonderful book of Esther. What a story in which God used a Jewish exile named Mordecai and his niece, an orphan named Esther (who was, remarkably, married to the Persian King Ahasuerus--long story) to thwart the wicked plan of an evil Persian commander named Haman. Haman convinced the king to issue an irrevocable order to allow the killing of every single Jew in the vast Persian empire. And it's incredible, but out of all that fear and despair and seeming hopelessness, when it appeared as if the Jewish race would be utterly wiped out, God used Esther "for such a time as this" to courageously intercede and save her people from annihilation. And thus, out of the most potentially horrific of circumstances comes one of the most joyous of Jewish celebrations--the Festival of Purim.
That's a drastically abbreviated version of the book of Esther--but if you haven't read it, go find Esther in the Old Testament! I'm telling you, the Bible is filled with amazing stories of real people, just like you and me. Ordinary folks just living their regular old lives...but in the midst of their day-by-day living, God uses them in extraordinary ways. Because that's the kind of God He is.
But I digress...something new and different.
Here's what I was thinking about--isn't it remarkable how God takes the very things in our lives that seem so discouraging or disastrous or disappointing and uses them in ways that unexpectedly and ultimately bring hope and joy and blessing? It may take a while. A long while. But, boy, God uses those hardest, darkest of places in our lives in ways we cannot possibly see or imagine at the time. Perhaps, just perhaps, that frightening or seemingly impossible thing in your life right now might one day be your Purim--when you'll be able to look back and rejoice at what the Lord incredibly did...how He used, that most challenging or frustrating or even bewildering of times in your life for remarkable good.
I was reminded of this again, because I just saw two pictures that took me back. One was of Mary Norris and Matt when they rushed to be with us after Janie's accident. Janie lay in a coma-- unconscious and unresponsive--and had developed a high fever and infection that required us all to don hazmat-like suits to go into the ICU to be with her. But even then, God gave us the gift of His presence and, incredibly, hope--
We had our thumbs up because we were waiting and praying...waiting and praying....that Janie would somehow, someday awaken and give the doctor's the "thumbs up" in response to their efforts every hour, round the clock, to awaken her. The nurses and doctors would yell each time: "Janie wake up! Janie wake up! If you can hear me, give me a thumbs up!" Day after day, night after night, nothing. Oh such painful waiting. She never woke up...until one glorious day, nearly two weeks later, those eyelids flickered and there was the tiniest, almost imperceptive movement of her left thumb. Oh thank You Lord! This picture just brought it all back--the waiting and praying and hoping and fighting constant dread and fear with faith.
And then, this picture from just a few weeks back when Mary Norris and Matt came through Chapel Hill, and a couple of us got together for a little dinner and dessert at their favorite spot--"The Yogurt Pump." A good study break for Janie...and a good reminder of God's faithfulness for us--
God took a terribly dark and scary time in our lives...and brought unimaginable blessing out of it. Many folks came to know Jesus as their Savior through all this. We came to know trust and gratitude in ways we couldn't have imagined. And through it all, God was mightily glorified.
I say all this simply to remind you--if you are in the midst of that hard, tough place of waiting or longing or suffering or struggling, God is still on His throne. He is working and moving in ways you may see and cannot imagine.
And sometimes, you simply have to trust Him in the darkness. Because He will always, always, always somehow or other, bring light out of that darkness. He's promised. "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
Might you see the Light of the World in the midst of your darkness...and trust. He may, even now, be turning your Haman-like hardship into a Purim-like celebration.
To God be the glory.
That's a drastically abbreviated version of the book of Esther--but if you haven't read it, go find Esther in the Old Testament! I'm telling you, the Bible is filled with amazing stories of real people, just like you and me. Ordinary folks just living their regular old lives...but in the midst of their day-by-day living, God uses them in extraordinary ways. Because that's the kind of God He is.
But I digress...something new and different.
Here's what I was thinking about--isn't it remarkable how God takes the very things in our lives that seem so discouraging or disastrous or disappointing and uses them in ways that unexpectedly and ultimately bring hope and joy and blessing? It may take a while. A long while. But, boy, God uses those hardest, darkest of places in our lives in ways we cannot possibly see or imagine at the time. Perhaps, just perhaps, that frightening or seemingly impossible thing in your life right now might one day be your Purim--when you'll be able to look back and rejoice at what the Lord incredibly did...how He used, that most challenging or frustrating or even bewildering of times in your life for remarkable good.
I was reminded of this again, because I just saw two pictures that took me back. One was of Mary Norris and Matt when they rushed to be with us after Janie's accident. Janie lay in a coma-- unconscious and unresponsive--and had developed a high fever and infection that required us all to don hazmat-like suits to go into the ICU to be with her. But even then, God gave us the gift of His presence and, incredibly, hope--
And then, this picture from just a few weeks back when Mary Norris and Matt came through Chapel Hill, and a couple of us got together for a little dinner and dessert at their favorite spot--"The Yogurt Pump." A good study break for Janie...and a good reminder of God's faithfulness for us--
I say all this simply to remind you--if you are in the midst of that hard, tough place of waiting or longing or suffering or struggling, God is still on His throne. He is working and moving in ways you may see and cannot imagine.
And sometimes, you simply have to trust Him in the darkness. Because He will always, always, always somehow or other, bring light out of that darkness. He's promised. "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
Might you see the Light of the World in the midst of your darkness...and trust. He may, even now, be turning your Haman-like hardship into a Purim-like celebration.
To God be the glory.
Monday, April 7, 2014
The Road of Bitter or Blessed?
Well, you win some, you lose some. Truer words never were spoken!
It's was a tough weekend for Team Fountain when it came to golf. Both our boys had practiced as hard as they could, had high hopes...and both had disappointing finishes in their respective golf tournaments. And let me tell you, as a parent, it's so hard, so heartbreaking to see your child discouraged and disappointed after they've given it all they had and have seemingly fallen short. I awoke in the middle of the night and fretted about it into the wee early morning hours. Sometimes it's tough being a mama or a daddy!
But now that I've taken a step back...and a deep breath (have you noticed we tend to forget that in the heat of the moment?)...God reminded me that He's still on the throne and uses everything in our lives and in our children's lives to draw us closer to Him and to increasingly conform us into the image of Christ. Here's my basic problem: I would like that process to occur without any problems, any disappointments, any failures, or any sorrows whatsoever.
Yep, Lord, how about skipping the car accidents, failed tests at school, evidences of sinfulness in the form of lies, unkindness, or ingratitude, losses--whether on the golf course or in the course of life generally, diseases and sicknesses...and on and on. How about a perfect, pain-free, success-assured life for all of our children and loved ones? Wouldn't that be a great way to grow our children into the mighty men and women of God You've called them to be?
Naw...don't think so. God can grow a mushroom in 60 hours...but if He wants to grow a mighty oak, it takes 60 years. And lots of sun and rain and blowing gales and thunderstorms to cause that oak to grow it's roots down deep, deep into the rich soil of His good earth, so it can withstand the test of time and tempest.
So too with our children...and all the rest of us. Lord, we want You to grow them into mighty oaks of Your righteousness...but we know that requires time, patience, love, guidance, correction, wisdom...
And failure. Sometimes falling down and getting back up again...and again...and again--all by the grace of God and all for the glory of Almighty God.
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand." (Ps.37:23-24) "...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." (Prov.24:16)
Thanks for the reminder, Father, and please forgive this forgetful, fretting, often failing mama. Oh thank You for grace for all my many stumbles and falls...and for all the ways You redeem even our failures!
Just this morning, I found a little quotation I'd scribbled on a piece of scrap of paper in my Bible. It was something I'd heard and illegibly jotted down years ago, but the Lord knew I would need to read it on this very day. Here's what it said--
"Every milestone moment always forks, and you get to choose which road you'll go--bitter or blessed."
Yes, Father, I choose the road blessed. I choose to see everything that You choose to give--and everything that You choose to withhold--as a blessing...though sometimes artfully disguised as disappointment or pain or loss. All as gifts from the hand of a Sovereign Lord whose heart is ever tuned to unrelenting love and grace for His own. Thank You for Your relentless blessings--even blessings of falling down and failure and missing the mark. For You are in them all, through them all, and will use them all in powerful ways to perfect our characters into Your beautiful likeness.
When that milestone moment forks for each of us...might we turn away from the highway of bitter...and worry...and resentment, and choose instead the road of blessed...and trust...and gratitude.
Oh, and by the way, yesterday afternoon, I couldn't help but be reminded of the famous line at the end of the movie, It's a Wonderful Life. You remember it--the angel, Clarence, writes to George Bailey, "No man is a failure who has friends." Friends--another priceless treasure on the road of blessed. Our son may have lost in golf, but he sure won in friendship. These are a few of his Davidson buddies that came yesterday to watch him for one of his last tournaments as a college student--
The gift of such friends over four years on the road blessed...I'd chalk that up as a win. A big win.
To God be the glory.
It's was a tough weekend for Team Fountain when it came to golf. Both our boys had practiced as hard as they could, had high hopes...and both had disappointing finishes in their respective golf tournaments. And let me tell you, as a parent, it's so hard, so heartbreaking to see your child discouraged and disappointed after they've given it all they had and have seemingly fallen short. I awoke in the middle of the night and fretted about it into the wee early morning hours. Sometimes it's tough being a mama or a daddy!
But now that I've taken a step back...and a deep breath (have you noticed we tend to forget that in the heat of the moment?)...God reminded me that He's still on the throne and uses everything in our lives and in our children's lives to draw us closer to Him and to increasingly conform us into the image of Christ. Here's my basic problem: I would like that process to occur without any problems, any disappointments, any failures, or any sorrows whatsoever.
Yep, Lord, how about skipping the car accidents, failed tests at school, evidences of sinfulness in the form of lies, unkindness, or ingratitude, losses--whether on the golf course or in the course of life generally, diseases and sicknesses...and on and on. How about a perfect, pain-free, success-assured life for all of our children and loved ones? Wouldn't that be a great way to grow our children into the mighty men and women of God You've called them to be?
Naw...don't think so. God can grow a mushroom in 60 hours...but if He wants to grow a mighty oak, it takes 60 years. And lots of sun and rain and blowing gales and thunderstorms to cause that oak to grow it's roots down deep, deep into the rich soil of His good earth, so it can withstand the test of time and tempest.
So too with our children...and all the rest of us. Lord, we want You to grow them into mighty oaks of Your righteousness...but we know that requires time, patience, love, guidance, correction, wisdom...
And failure. Sometimes falling down and getting back up again...and again...and again--all by the grace of God and all for the glory of Almighty God.
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand." (Ps.37:23-24) "...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." (Prov.24:16)
Thanks for the reminder, Father, and please forgive this forgetful, fretting, often failing mama. Oh thank You for grace for all my many stumbles and falls...and for all the ways You redeem even our failures!
Just this morning, I found a little quotation I'd scribbled on a piece of scrap of paper in my Bible. It was something I'd heard and illegibly jotted down years ago, but the Lord knew I would need to read it on this very day. Here's what it said--
"Every milestone moment always forks, and you get to choose which road you'll go--bitter or blessed."
Yes, Father, I choose the road blessed. I choose to see everything that You choose to give--and everything that You choose to withhold--as a blessing...though sometimes artfully disguised as disappointment or pain or loss. All as gifts from the hand of a Sovereign Lord whose heart is ever tuned to unrelenting love and grace for His own. Thank You for Your relentless blessings--even blessings of falling down and failure and missing the mark. For You are in them all, through them all, and will use them all in powerful ways to perfect our characters into Your beautiful likeness.
When that milestone moment forks for each of us...might we turn away from the highway of bitter...and worry...and resentment, and choose instead the road of blessed...and trust...and gratitude.
Oh, and by the way, yesterday afternoon, I couldn't help but be reminded of the famous line at the end of the movie, It's a Wonderful Life. You remember it--the angel, Clarence, writes to George Bailey, "No man is a failure who has friends." Friends--another priceless treasure on the road of blessed. Our son may have lost in golf, but he sure won in friendship. These are a few of his Davidson buddies that came yesterday to watch him for one of his last tournaments as a college student--
To God be the glory.
Friday, April 4, 2014
What I don't do...
Well, we're off to watch our oldest son, Richard, play in one of the last remaining college golf tournaments at Davidson. Where on earth has the time gone? He surely arrived there as a freshman the day before yesterday...and now he'll be graduating in a little over a month?! No way...but yes way. Time doesn't march on...time sprints on.
Lord, can't we make a little agreement to freeze time and all our children for say, 5 to 10 years?
I think I know the answer to that question...so instead, I join King David with the prayer, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps.90:12)
But here's what I've been thinking a lot about lately--time is a limited and precious resource. Duh, you say? But still, how often do we treat lots of other far less important and expendable things as more valuable than the brief time God gives us on this planet? I try not to go out and throw $20 bills all over the ground to be blown about in the wind. I make an effort not to ruin our children's best clothes when I'm doing laundry (sometimes I fail in this endeavor--a size large Broughton golf jacket recently became a small. sigh). I valiantly strive not to back our suburban into walls or mailboxes (again, not always with success).
Yet how often do I throw away and waste time as if I have an infinite supply of it? Sure, we have eternity in heaven...but while our feet trod the dust of this earth, we have a limited amount of time and energy to do what God's called us to do and to love Him and the people He's put in our lives. Shouldn't we go after expending this extraordinarily priceless resource with every ounce of our wisdom and intention and gratitude?
So, yes, I've got loads to do, but now it's time to go watch our son play golf. Granted, I feel sick with nervousness the whole time and assume I'm going to drop dead of a heart attack while following him...but I'm handing that to God and asking Him to renew my warped perspective and give me joy and gratitude in each moment. After all, as I shared in a blog last summer, I keep reminding myself of the acronym the Lord whispered to me: "Golf" can stand for Game Only, Lord Forever!
But can I also share something I read recently in a book by Shauna Niequist that has helped refocus my attitude towards time? As a young, frazzled, exhausted mother, Niequist met one day with a much older, wiser grandmother and asked her how on earth she seemed to have gotten everything done with such joy and excellence. And here was this woman's response: "It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What's hard, is figuring out what you're willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about."
Bingo!
Shauna said she later sat down and wrote two lists: "Things I do" and "Things I don't do." She said the first list was easy--her priorities were her faith in Christ, her marriage, her son, her group of friends, and cooking meals for friends (as this is something that joyfully feeds her soul). But making the list for "Things I don't do" was far harder--because, let's face it, don't we all want to do everything well?
That Proverbs 31 woman sometimes haunts my dreams, because she makes me feel so inadequate. I should be able to grow all our own vegetables, cook Martha Stewart-worthy meals, sew all those missing buttons, hem all those clothes and iron all those khakis before 8:00 a.m...not to mention have a spotless house with no clutter, never miss a friend's birthday, volunteer regularly in all our children's schools....all the while spending plenty of quality time with my Savior, encouraging and loving my husband and children, and...oh good grief, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
So here's the thing. I've finally decided that I'm putting away my childish dream of doing it all and doing it perfectly. Nope, never gonna happen. Our endless quest for 360 degree perfection accomplishes one thing--destroys relationships. Something has to give...and let's choose to cast aside the relentless striving and instead seek to use our time loving and living to God's glory and with His priorities.
That means, for instance, that I'm going to stop worrying about the fact that I'm a crummy, lazy gardener. Yes, I love beautiful yards...but not enough to put it on my "Things I do list." Not when I have only limited time for gardening in this season of my life and it's simply not one of passions. Doesn't feed my soul. I really apologize if this eyesore of our yard drives others crazy...but time is priceless and there are husbands and children and friends to love and other priorities to pursue right now.
I won't go into the specifics of what needs to go on each list, because it's different for everyone..and it may change in different seasons of life. I never could have helped teach a women's Bible study when all our children were younger and all at home. Some people can do this, but I lacked the organizational skills to keep that many balls up in the air. But now, in this season of life, God has allowed me the time to pursue this glorious privilege. Thank You, Father! So I challenge you to really think about this and ask God: "what things do I do" and, especially, "what things don't I do" in this season of my life. Because He's given you this one awfully brief dance on this planet--don't you want to be using these days and hours and minutes the way your Creator knows is best for you? We've got eternity in heaven to do all that other stuff.
Okay, time to shut up...you haven't got all day to read this! Time to get busy loving, living, and rejoicing in the gift of this day.
To God--the Author, Creator, and Sustainer of time--be all the glory.
Lord, can't we make a little agreement to freeze time and all our children for say, 5 to 10 years?
I think I know the answer to that question...so instead, I join King David with the prayer, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps.90:12)
But here's what I've been thinking a lot about lately--time is a limited and precious resource. Duh, you say? But still, how often do we treat lots of other far less important and expendable things as more valuable than the brief time God gives us on this planet? I try not to go out and throw $20 bills all over the ground to be blown about in the wind. I make an effort not to ruin our children's best clothes when I'm doing laundry (sometimes I fail in this endeavor--a size large Broughton golf jacket recently became a small. sigh). I valiantly strive not to back our suburban into walls or mailboxes (again, not always with success).
Yet how often do I throw away and waste time as if I have an infinite supply of it? Sure, we have eternity in heaven...but while our feet trod the dust of this earth, we have a limited amount of time and energy to do what God's called us to do and to love Him and the people He's put in our lives. Shouldn't we go after expending this extraordinarily priceless resource with every ounce of our wisdom and intention and gratitude?
So, yes, I've got loads to do, but now it's time to go watch our son play golf. Granted, I feel sick with nervousness the whole time and assume I'm going to drop dead of a heart attack while following him...but I'm handing that to God and asking Him to renew my warped perspective and give me joy and gratitude in each moment. After all, as I shared in a blog last summer, I keep reminding myself of the acronym the Lord whispered to me: "Golf" can stand for Game Only, Lord Forever!
But can I also share something I read recently in a book by Shauna Niequist that has helped refocus my attitude towards time? As a young, frazzled, exhausted mother, Niequist met one day with a much older, wiser grandmother and asked her how on earth she seemed to have gotten everything done with such joy and excellence. And here was this woman's response: "It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What's hard, is figuring out what you're willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about."
Bingo!
Shauna said she later sat down and wrote two lists: "Things I do" and "Things I don't do." She said the first list was easy--her priorities were her faith in Christ, her marriage, her son, her group of friends, and cooking meals for friends (as this is something that joyfully feeds her soul). But making the list for "Things I don't do" was far harder--because, let's face it, don't we all want to do everything well?
That Proverbs 31 woman sometimes haunts my dreams, because she makes me feel so inadequate. I should be able to grow all our own vegetables, cook Martha Stewart-worthy meals, sew all those missing buttons, hem all those clothes and iron all those khakis before 8:00 a.m...not to mention have a spotless house with no clutter, never miss a friend's birthday, volunteer regularly in all our children's schools....all the while spending plenty of quality time with my Savior, encouraging and loving my husband and children, and...oh good grief, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
So here's the thing. I've finally decided that I'm putting away my childish dream of doing it all and doing it perfectly. Nope, never gonna happen. Our endless quest for 360 degree perfection accomplishes one thing--destroys relationships. Something has to give...and let's choose to cast aside the relentless striving and instead seek to use our time loving and living to God's glory and with His priorities.
That means, for instance, that I'm going to stop worrying about the fact that I'm a crummy, lazy gardener. Yes, I love beautiful yards...but not enough to put it on my "Things I do list." Not when I have only limited time for gardening in this season of my life and it's simply not one of passions. Doesn't feed my soul. I really apologize if this eyesore of our yard drives others crazy...but time is priceless and there are husbands and children and friends to love and other priorities to pursue right now.
I won't go into the specifics of what needs to go on each list, because it's different for everyone..and it may change in different seasons of life. I never could have helped teach a women's Bible study when all our children were younger and all at home. Some people can do this, but I lacked the organizational skills to keep that many balls up in the air. But now, in this season of life, God has allowed me the time to pursue this glorious privilege. Thank You, Father! So I challenge you to really think about this and ask God: "what things do I do" and, especially, "what things don't I do" in this season of my life. Because He's given you this one awfully brief dance on this planet--don't you want to be using these days and hours and minutes the way your Creator knows is best for you? We've got eternity in heaven to do all that other stuff.
Okay, time to shut up...you haven't got all day to read this! Time to get busy loving, living, and rejoicing in the gift of this day.
To God--the Author, Creator, and Sustainer of time--be all the glory.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The gift of laughter!
One of my all-time favorite verses: "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10)
Then, of course, there's "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!" (Phil.4:4)
Or perhaps "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
Thank You Lord for Your indomitable JOY! Thank You for Your gifts of laughter and light-heartedness and mirth. What treasures God gave us in a good old-fashioned sense of humor! There's not a doubt in my mind that Jesus laughed louder and deeper and stronger than any other who ever lived--for He was a man of joy. In the midst of great sorrow and strain, despite the horrific weight of all that He carried and knew, He was anointed, we are told, with the oil of joy. (Heb.1:9)
He is the God who created puppies and kittens and babies and giggles and bumble bees. Just a few minutes ago, I laughed out loud watching Bingley. He was utterly transfixed by the erratic flight of some kind of flying bug...and his persistent (but thankfully fruitless) attempts to snap his jaw shut on this mysterious prey! What a Lord who would create such hilarious beauty!
Today, my family has been actively and enthusiastically trying to fool one another with various April Fool's pranks. My brother-in-law, Pat, has long been the king of April Fool's. He "got" my parents more times than I can count. Not sure if he was supremely courageous...or foolish. Pat's gotten me many a time as well.
But this year, well, it was my brother, Rich, who trumped us all. Yep, despite the fact that we're all on high alert after long years of getting bamboozled every April 1st, nonetheless, one of my siblings inevitably somehow manages to come up with some wild scheme that fools us yet again! Even via email! Good night.
And after grumbling a bit...you laugh uproariously...and rejoice in the gift of laughter and fun and joy. Thank You, Lord!
Which all brings me to one of my favorite writers--G.K.Chesterton (who, in addition to loving the Lord, had a brilliant mind and an incredibly sharp and hilarious wit). He wrote some musings on Jesus and joy that I have long loved. So here they are. Enjoy!--
"Joy, which was the small publicity of the Pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian. And as I close this chaotic volume [Orthodoxy], I open again the strange small book from which all Christianity came; and I am again haunted by a kind of confirmation. This tremendous figure which fills the Gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers who ever thought themselves tall. His pathos was natural, almost casual. The Stoics, ancient and modern, were proud, proud of concealing their tears. He never concealed His tears; He showed them plainly on His open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of His native city. Yet He concealed something...Solemn Supermen and Imperial Diplomatists are proud of restraining their anger. He never restrained His anger. He flung furniture down from the steps of the Temple and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of Hell. Yet He restrained something...I say it with reverence--there was in that shattering personality a thread that must be called shyness. There was something that He hid from all men when He went up a mountain to pray. There was something that He covered constantly by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation. There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth, and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth.”
I agree!
You know, sometimes in the nitty gritty of life, in the challenges, in the hard places and dark corners, we forget, don't we? We forget His gift of joy...so we have to stop looking down. Stop looking around. And start looking up...and laughing. Because our Savior is the Author and Sustainer of Joy. And joy births laughter and mirth.
The Lord who created the heavens...also crafted a sense of humor...and I daresay it's one of His jewels. Don't you bet heaven will be filled not only with rejoicing and worship and wonder and glory...but also laughter? Joyous, Jesus-centered laughter. Yes!
Oh, by the way, if there's April Fool's up there...watch out for Pat.
To God be the glory.
Then, of course, there's "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!" (Phil.4:4)
Or perhaps "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
Thank You Lord for Your indomitable JOY! Thank You for Your gifts of laughter and light-heartedness and mirth. What treasures God gave us in a good old-fashioned sense of humor! There's not a doubt in my mind that Jesus laughed louder and deeper and stronger than any other who ever lived--for He was a man of joy. In the midst of great sorrow and strain, despite the horrific weight of all that He carried and knew, He was anointed, we are told, with the oil of joy. (Heb.1:9)
He is the God who created puppies and kittens and babies and giggles and bumble bees. Just a few minutes ago, I laughed out loud watching Bingley. He was utterly transfixed by the erratic flight of some kind of flying bug...and his persistent (but thankfully fruitless) attempts to snap his jaw shut on this mysterious prey! What a Lord who would create such hilarious beauty!
Today, my family has been actively and enthusiastically trying to fool one another with various April Fool's pranks. My brother-in-law, Pat, has long been the king of April Fool's. He "got" my parents more times than I can count. Not sure if he was supremely courageous...or foolish. Pat's gotten me many a time as well.
But this year, well, it was my brother, Rich, who trumped us all. Yep, despite the fact that we're all on high alert after long years of getting bamboozled every April 1st, nonetheless, one of my siblings inevitably somehow manages to come up with some wild scheme that fools us yet again! Even via email! Good night.
And after grumbling a bit...you laugh uproariously...and rejoice in the gift of laughter and fun and joy. Thank You, Lord!
Which all brings me to one of my favorite writers--G.K.Chesterton (who, in addition to loving the Lord, had a brilliant mind and an incredibly sharp and hilarious wit). He wrote some musings on Jesus and joy that I have long loved. So here they are. Enjoy!--
"Joy, which was the small publicity of the Pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian. And as I close this chaotic volume [Orthodoxy], I open again the strange small book from which all Christianity came; and I am again haunted by a kind of confirmation. This tremendous figure which fills the Gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers who ever thought themselves tall. His pathos was natural, almost casual. The Stoics, ancient and modern, were proud, proud of concealing their tears. He never concealed His tears; He showed them plainly on His open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of His native city. Yet He concealed something...Solemn Supermen and Imperial Diplomatists are proud of restraining their anger. He never restrained His anger. He flung furniture down from the steps of the Temple and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of Hell. Yet He restrained something...I say it with reverence--there was in that shattering personality a thread that must be called shyness. There was something that He hid from all men when He went up a mountain to pray. There was something that He covered constantly by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation. There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth, and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth.”
I agree!
You know, sometimes in the nitty gritty of life, in the challenges, in the hard places and dark corners, we forget, don't we? We forget His gift of joy...so we have to stop looking down. Stop looking around. And start looking up...and laughing. Because our Savior is the Author and Sustainer of Joy. And joy births laughter and mirth.
The Lord who created the heavens...also crafted a sense of humor...and I daresay it's one of His jewels. Don't you bet heaven will be filled not only with rejoicing and worship and wonder and glory...but also laughter? Joyous, Jesus-centered laughter. Yes!
Oh, by the way, if there's April Fool's up there...watch out for Pat.
To God be the glory.
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