Strong In…
A hurting world cries out ‘where is justice’ ‘where is relief’ ‘where is help’?
A son kills his father, policemen fear for their lives along with those they defend – and locked doors don’t protect. Rioters in the streets and rich young sports figures question what was once without question.
And weary citizens either tune out not wanting to hear one more tragedy or tune in wondering what will be next.
Who or what has the strength or ability to change any of it? The question rises because the askers have forgotten: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1Corinithians 1:25 NIV)
Creation is our great teacher. The spider spins it’s web without a blueprint. This delicate looking masterpiece has a ratio of strength to density exceeding that of steel. In a strong wind, the initial stiffness of the silk helps a web survive – able to tolerate winds up to almost hurricane strength before tearing apart. The web’s ability to flex and stretch keep it intact when torn. Where did the spider learn to weave, where did the proteins needed to make the web originate?
So it is with us. In our weakness we sometimes stiffen to withstand life’s blows. Other times we are stretched to what seems cannot be bared. Only to find out we are stronger because of it. Where does our strength come from? “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NIV)
Challenging times lay ahead in all lives. From the poorest homeless to the richest tycoon. No one is exempt. And not just us as individuals. But a nation that was once touted as a “city upon a hill” is in danger of going dark. Those who left England in 1630 had a great vision. They hoped to be an example for the rest of the world. Future governor John Winthrop said this: “We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”
Will those watching see us fight on our knees asking the only One who can right the wrongs to intervene? Or will they see us shake our fist in defiance springing from perceived self-sufficiency? I hope and pray this will be our anthem: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10 NIV)
All Things…
Thunder rumbles loud. Barely noticed by those beneath the grey sky.
Our noisy world hardly hears a siren, an explosion, a cry for help. Hearing only what is important at the moment. The phone call, the broken printer, the angry client.
But thunder rumbles for a reason, song birds call out for a reason, waves roar for a reason. The noise of creation calls attention to the Creator. The noise of the world calls attention to the seemingly urgent. Distraction from the important.
Wind rustles leaves, raindrops plop – and in the everyday their call is unnoticed. But a moment spent noticing calms the clenching of fists, the drumming of fingers – stress lessens.
As drops splatter and the bubbles form and pop, birds stop calling and tree limbs still. Creation is listening.
Yes, our world is demanding. But all things created need a silent break here and there. A remembering minute to breathe in and let go – to recall: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17 NIV)
When we think we’re falling apart, or the world is falling apart – remember He holds all things securely in His hands.
When it seems one more thing will do us in – remember our One thing. Jesus, our one desire. We may think we desire money, fame, popularity – or maybe just a good home, healthy kids, and enough to pay the bills. Those are things we chase after to fill a void. Only the void gets wider the more it is filled. But when earthly desire gives in to the Giver, the emptiness fills and our One thing becomes all we need.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2Corinthians 9:8 NIV)
Skies lighten and phones ring. But in the dripping eaves is a message for the soul: quiet enough, long enough, to hear the voice of the One who can make a difference. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
His purpose is to see us to an eternity with Him. He’s calling in the stormy times and in the laughter, in the heartbreaks and the triumphs. Hear the echo of unfailing love.
Sighs…
You do know it don’t you?
You are the joy set before Him, set before Jesus, set before your Savior, set before the lover of your soul.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him…” (Hebrews 12:2a NIV)
Sigh.
Shouldn’t it be someone who has accomplished much? Someone who has sacrificed their well being for another? Someone who models humility? Someone…’more than’ me.
Praise God the joy Jesus finds in calling us His own isn’t based on our do’s or our haven’ts. Solely based on our ‘Yes’.
The writer of this sweet verse tells us first to fix our eyes. Meaning our hearts, our mindset, our aim, our reasoning, our all – on Jesus. Because, get this, even our faith is not our own it comes from the Author and Perfector. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
Exhale.
He wrote on His hands, through nail scars, our names. He writes our story, and in His book there is a heart beside our name and our eternity.
Hebrews 12:2 finishes with “endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Done, sat down, finished. With His yes to the cross and my yes to Him, the undeserved gift is given, accepted, and I have no more do’s to do or have to’s to live up to.
Because Ephesians 2:9 leads right into 10 without hesitation reminding me “not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Surrender.
I am joy – you are joy. Is this a license to live as those who don’t know Him? Not a chance – for joy is mine and freedom is mine when I am living for Him. Self condemns, self imprisons – and all we see in the world is the filling of self – and the results haven’t been pretty. But in the midst of this world, good and bad, freedom comes in whispers to our soul – ‘You are my joy’, ‘You are free’, ‘I am writing your story.’
Now that leads to one contented soul sigh.
Brushstrokes…
At dusk last night clouds were backlit by a soon setting sun. Pinks took over where white puffs had just been. Streaks of peach arched from west to east. A canvas stretched sky wide. Brushstrokes of the Master Artist.
This morning a bluest blue canvas greeted me. As I pulled spent flowers and listened to chirps, curling puffs of white swept over the canvas. A dance of high and low clouds began. Moving art sent by their Creator.
Black dirt pops here with yellow, there with pink. Seeds created to put forth green leaves and top off with bold color. Designed simply for beauty.
Too often these works of art are never noticed. In busyness eyes are kept on the goal, the task, the electronic device.
But what if the Artist has a message? ‘Look up, look around, oh open your eyes and see – see what calms anxiousness, gives hope, brings joy.’ Notice these and use them in the midst of the busyness. Tell a child God painted the sky. Look out the office window and get others to join you. Smell a bouquet and know there is more than the insaneness of this world.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV) Does it fall on deaf ears, blind eyes?
Still it is hard to take notice. Pain, ours or a loved one’s, keeps our focus on the now. Finances stir anxiety, and our gaze fixes on what can be done. Brokenness blacks out and shows only shattered ‘what if’ pieces. How to take notice?
“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV) One sigh and surrender at a time. Looking up to our only source of joy. Joy in the midst of the everyday, the mundane, the ho-hum. Joy in the midst of the pain, heartache, loss. Joy in the midst of success, triumph, laughter.
Brushstrokes of reminding – He is always at work. His canvas is the sky, the ocean, the fields and mountains – and you. See the Master at work.
Hope for the Fidgeter…
When I sit, my leg is swinging or my toe is tapping.
It’s not a matter of impatience or boredom. It’s that inner fidgeter saying ‘What’s next?’ ‘Shouldn’t you be doing something?’
Lately I’ve been reading about happiness – seemingly one of the authors had accessed my inner wiring. She showed me what I already knew: I love listening to and being with my people – family, friends. But the me I’m ‘supposed to be’ has locked up the real me. Then I had an aha moment.
First, I realized I am a Mary raised to be a Martha. Guilt has been my companion whenever I’m not doing. And so the leg swings when I sit without the next thing. The toe taps when the mental list is being reviewed.
But the real aha moment was this: I realized I had a Martha mom who was happy in all the doing – and it didn’t necessarily mean she expected the same from me, or even that she was disappointed if I wasn’t doing.
Perhaps I had lost my way in the continual pursuit of making everyone happy.
Pausing from my reading, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge: It’s true, your momma loved you even when you weren’t in motion – and your Heavenly Father does too. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27a NIV)
Deep sigh – letting out years of wondering and wandering.
So am I free to just sit and soak in conversation ‘round the table? To not always have the cleanest house?
Yes! Jesus is our perfect example. Though He had much to do and did much while He was here, in those people-connecting moments there was no hint of Him checking His watch, no hurry to move on to the next thing.
With Him a broken woman was free to take as long as she needed to wash His feet with her tears. A disciple could have questions and not feel like He was wasting the Savior’s time. With Jesus we don’t have to have a checked off ‘to-do’ list. And we are free to share that same attentiveness with others.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NIV)
For me a slowing has come – and with it freedom. In His perfect timing He sets us free indeed – freeing us to be who He made us to be. For some it may be to accomplish more, do more, be more. But for others, like me, by letting go of striving we can find freedom in the still moments – and release from all our fidgeting.
Have It All…
It’s been a long, hot summer – and not just here, and not just the weather.
Here the usual relief of afternoon downpours often haven’t happened. Then there’s the flooding in Louisiana – and we count our blessing of not too much.
There’s the earthquake in Italy – homes, businesses, loved ones – gone in an instant. And we count our blessing of sound ground.
It seems the dark-sky-rumble threatens somewhere everyday. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7 NIV) (And tornadoes and storms and terrorists attacks, and and and)
But then there’s the bare flowerbed left alone because it’s too hot to bother. Suddenly green lacey leaves sprout. Overnight the barren becomes an oasis of waving yellow. Seeds dropped a season or two ago quietly nestled in the dark earth until just the right time.
And so it is with the fruit that pain sometimes brings. A need, a longing, a desire to know there is something bigger than our bank account, a roof over our heads, or any other so called security. And through the hard thing, faith grows.
Deep in our hearts is a knowing that this is not our home. That this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” (Hebrews 13:14 NLT)
In the mirror I glimpsed my deep smile lines and in that same moment turned to see the swelling of new life in a young mom. Life being knit together in the safety of the womb. And I’m reminded that a blessed life starts with smooth skin and ends with hard won crinkles where eyes smiled at the wonder of it all.
Rain or shine, bare fields or green harvest, youth or aging grace – we have it all.
All that the world tries to convince us we need cannot compare to what we already have. For if we’ve surrendered self and accepted true life, then it’s us who can tell the world “You are really missing out.”
Lived hard, loved deep, laughed loud – we can joy in this not because of the ease, but because of the struggle. It is in the hard stuff, we acknowledge our hope.
So the next time you hear ‘You can have it all’ – smile, knowing you already do. “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” (John 1:16 NLT)
Pineapple Bandits…
It happened again.
Most people don’t realize it takes two years (at least) from the time a pineapple top is planted till it flowers and grows a pineapple. I’ve grown a few, then last year a thief gnawed one clean off the stem and disappeared with it. I had waited one day too many.
That’s how it is with many areas of our lives. We keep waiting one more day to quit a bad habit, to offer forgiveness, to give to someone in need. Then one day we realize our rest has been stolen, our peace has disappeared, and we’ve missed out on true joy.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV)
This year three (count them, three) pineapples decided to grow. One had about a month head start on the others. As I worked outside one morning I noted it was just about ready. Sure enough the next morning as I went out with knife in hand, the bandit had struck again. The evidence left was a gutted pineapple skin with only the core inside.
“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV)
Now is the time to write that letter, visit the shut-in neighbor, study His Word. None of us knows what tomorrow holds, how many days we have left, when it will be too late.
So what about my other two pineapples? No hesitation, the moment they looked ready, I cut them. Their fragrance and sweet juice were a delight. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV) Desires put there by Him to shine His light in this hurting world.
We have just this one wild and precious life to share what’s truly important: the good news of salvation and the great promise of eternity. Don’t wait…
InSight…
Spending time – the only sure way to truly know another soul.
Sometimes a brief chat on the phone lifts our spirits, but nothing replaces a good heart-to-heart, hours-long soul searching with someone you love and care about.
I’ve had the privilege to bare my soul and find loving acceptance – as well as to listen and give back that same acceptance. ‘Sweet’ describes the bonds made – and memories made – during these times.
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 27:9 NLT)
And yet, as wonderful as these times shared with earthly friends and family may be – they don’t quite hit the mark. We sense something is left unsaid, unfinished.
Imagine how satisfying it was to Jesus’ followers to hear these sweet words as they journeyed through hard times with Him: You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15 NIV)
Everything – Jesus bared His soul. Everything those who follow need to know, He has revealed. And whenever we spend the time to bare our souls to Him, He tenderly and attentively hears. And He reminds us of the hope that is ours.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. (Hebrews 6:19 NIV)
Through the curtain, a passing in, always welcome. Better than any spa day could ever be, for this sanctuary is always at hand. An inner sanctuary – a place of rest free from condemnation and full of acceptance.
We are precious in His sight. InSight, He keeps us always before Him. His counsel always satisfies. Let’s pass through the curtain daily for the insight we need…
Night Light…
Ever turn out the lights at one end of the house only to realize one isn’t on in the bedroom where you were headed?
Sometimes I try to just walk through the dark (slowly) and find my way – sometimes I flick back on the light and go turn on the one I need to guide me.
I know there are a lot of grateful children to the inventor of the ‘night light’. Just a little light to make the night a whole lot less scary. That’s what us grown-ups need when suddenly darkness seems to surround. Those night times of severe illness, financial woes, loss of a loved one. And now in this world, husbands/fathers who don’t come back home from work or children who vanish never to be found. The long list of dark is scary.
We need a night light: “Even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” (Psalm 139:12 NIV)
God is perfect light and it is on His Light we can always depend. A storm may knock out the power to our homes. But even the most vile circumstance cannot overshadow the Light of our souls put there by the Holy Spirit. “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1 NIV)
Even the night sky is lit up for us. The Father knows His children’s footsteps are tentative in the dark. So many references in the Bible to God lighting our way, bringing us into the light, putting His light in us.
Once I took a tour of a cave with a dimly lit path. The guide stopped us and turned off the lights. Total darkness. Eyes never adjusted. What a relief when she turned the lights back on. Total darkness – that’s where many lost souls are when those scary times come. For that very reason He has put His light in us. We can shine our light for others to make the path a bit more bearable, to make a way from the darkness.
This is our promise, words written a long time ago and still true today: “For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.” (Psalm 48:16 NIV) The Light that never flickers, never fails.
Partly Sunny…
I’ve decided the weather anchors shouldn’t say ‘partly cloudy’.
Why not partly sunny? Instead of chances of rain, what about the chances of sun?
It’s all how we look at it. The Father calls us to be light, to bring light to dark places. And, oh, there are many dark places in our world. Darkness tries to creep in to every life – and so we need to share our light, whether with our best friend or a total stranger.
Seeking the Light is a daily, sometimes minute by minute, quest. Darkness wants to overwhelm, discourage, convince us of partly cloudy and the storm. But the Light reminds us of unfailing love and our forever.
“You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1Thessalonians 5:5 NIV)
I’m a morning person, as long as ‘morning’ has light. I do not consider 5am morning – it’s still dark. But once that light filters through the window, no alarm clock is necessary. I want to get up, go out back to see if there are new flowers, smell the early air, hear the twitter of birds.
The Light that awakens our souls is Jesus. Each day the Father rouses me with the Light of His Son. “For God, who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’.” (2Corinthians 4:6 NIV)
So how about we be weather anchors for God? When the storms threaten darkest is when the world most needs our forecast.
When my mom passed away, darkness was where my heart rested. As I drove away from the little town where she lived out her last few years, I turned on the radio. The song playing was called ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. Two of the lines are “Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day”. A Father who is in every detail gave a grief stricken daughter a forecast that this is not all there is.
Someday it will always be a bright, sunshiny day. God tells us that we are “a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1Peter 2:9 NIV) Today, I think I will declare that though now it’s partly sunny, someday Sonshine will be our everyday.
parisrenae 