Like A Father Carries His Son: Part I

Deuteronomy 1:29-31
²⁹ Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. ³⁰ The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

The other day my friend and I were discussing how wonderful it is to see a man with his baby.  There is something refreshing about witnessing the strength and safety of a man's arms, holding a vulnerable little baby.  There is something beautiful about seeing the gentleness of a man brought out by the little child in his grasp.  He is utterly responsible for this little one, and in daddy's arms there is no safer place. 

I have always loved this verse because it describes so well the safety we can feel in the arms of God. 

Whether single or married, many times as adults life can get to a place where we feel we are fighting the battle alone.  We are walking along the journey of life feeling depressed and discouraged.  We are at the end of ourselves, broken and weak- having no strength left carry on. 

The unfortunate thing is, many times we try to hide this state of weakness from the world, putting on our disguises and masquerading around as if everything is quite fine.  We are afraid to show weakness.  We are afraid to be vulnerable.  We are afraid to be real.  Somehow, we have learned to believe that Christians should never be broken.  That they should have it all together, all the time.  That discouragement and despair are a sign of a lack of faith or closeness to God.  We have it all wrong. 

As the bible says, Christ did not come for the healthy...but for the sick.  He came for the broken, the weak, the tired and the weary.  He came for those who are able to recognize their need....for those who are able to cry out in despair, like a desperate child raising up his hands for help.  To them that realize they are dying...to them who are willing to lay down their lives.  The beauty is, in Christianity- this is where salvation is found.  It is only when we are at the end of ourselves that God can begin to offer Himself. 

He reaches down and carries us, when we can't walk anymore.  Like a father carries his son, He picks us up off our feet and gently cradles us in His strong arms.  And He doesn't let us down until it's safe.  Until he knows we are strong enough to handle it.  Until we have felt His closeness.  Until we have recognized how important it us to rely on Him. 

My favorite description of this verse is found in Rob Bell's video Nooma: Rain.  He describes an experience he had with his son one day, and how it made this verse come to life.  He describes the beauty that can be found in suffering, because it is in suffering that we are cradled like children in the arms of a loving God. 

What do you need?  Are you at the end of yourself?  May you cry out to Him today.  May you let Him pick you up off your feet and carry you like a Father carries his son. 

The Gift of Unhappiness: On true Joy

John 12:3
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. 

There are a lot of "happy" things going on in my life right now.  My husband and I just bought our first home two weeks ago.  We are having so much fun setting up and decorating, and making it our own.  We are also expecting the birth of our first child- a little baby girl, at the end of September.  There is so much excitement in thinking about her and imagining what she will be like.  We just moved to a new city, where we are surrounded by family and friends who love and care for us.  Like I said, a lot of things to make a person "happy". 

But I must say, yesterday evening, "happy" is not exactly what I was feeling.  In between all the running around, setting up, planning and dreaming- something went wrong.  I tried to put my finger on it, and then I realized: I was experiencing the GIFT of Unhappiness. 

Max Lucado refers to this gift in chapter one of his book "Heaven, God's Highest Hope".  He discusses the concept of unhappiness as a gift- because it reminds us that we will never be truly happy by the things of this world alone.  My favorite part of the chapter describes the gift of unhappiness like this:

"Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land...We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are “like foreigners and strangers in this world” (1 Pet.
2:11).

Take a fish and place him on the beach.2 Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and martini? Do you wardrobe him in double-breasted fins and people-skinned shoes? Of course not. Then how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach simply because he was not made for the beach.

And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. 

Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead....
 
Those moments are appetizers for the dish that is to come."

I don't think there is a better explanation for what I was feeling last night.  You see, when God's blessings are used to replace Him- the end result can only be unhappiness.  It's so easy to get caught up in all that he has given and forget to take the time to get caught up in Him.  The only source of true joy.  The only place in which our hearts find rest.

As Saint Augustine so eloquently says: "Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee"


So what does all this have to do with Mary pouring perfume at Jesus feet?  As I read this story this morning, it reminded me of the importance of taking all our physical blessings and pouring them at the feet of Jesus.  True happiness, therefore, is not found in enjoying the perfume- but in pouring it at the feet of the one who is worthy. 

I'm challenged to take all the blessings that I have been given and bring them back in thanksgiving and adoration to the feet of Jesus.  This is where true happiness can be found.  This is where permanent joy can be achieved.  Joy that stands alone.  Joy that is not dependent on the things received but on the One who gives those things.  Joy that is everlasting.

Thank you God, for the gift of unhappiness....because it reminds us where true joys are to be found. 

Sorry, Wrong Number: On Being an Active Christian

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season...

I heard a woman speak the other day on a blessing she received through a "wrong number".  She had dialed the wrong number and was introduced to an older gentleman on the other end of the line who would bless her more than she would have ever imagined.  They talked for hours, and prayed together, and at the end of the wrong number phone call he was able to bless her and her family through a financial gift that met a desperate need they could have never imagined would be met in such a way.

That story got me thinking.  Less about financial needs, and more about spiritual needs.  The verse about being prepared in and out of season came to my mind.  I mean, at the end of the day- you never know how God intends to use your mediocre day to day life...especially if you aren't looking for Him to use you, and even more so if you aren't prepared.

This was confirmed to me the other day when I text messaged a friend at an old number...and it turned out not to be my friend.  Another wrong number.  It was ironic...considering I had just heard this woman's story a couple weeks back.  Call it God's Spirit, or call it preparation- I decided to take advantage of this wrong number and try to bless the person on the other end.  I encouraged them, and asked them if I could be praying for them about anything.  Because, at the end of the day- you will never be used by God unless you take action. 


If you think about it, it's way to easy to become a passive Christian.  It's easy to let life go by and wonder why God isn't using us when the reality is He wants to use us everyday- we just tend to go through our day unprepared.  It's easy to be prepared "in season"...when we're on a mission trip or at a church function.  But what do we look like "out of season" when we're walking through the grocery store or dialing a wrong number.  The reality is, most Christians are either most effective or most damaging to the name of Jesus Christ and to the gospel in those moments when they are least expecting it.  In the times we are caught off guard. 

My husband and I have been trying to think of ways to be active in our faith, ways to be prepared even in situations where we would normally be unaware of the spiritual needs of those around us.  We've thought of ways to bless our waitress/waiter at a restaurant, and once we said a prayer for the Walmart cashier named Albert who was checking us out.  Places in our lives where we would normally be passive in our faith.  Because we want to live lives that are active...prepared to preach the gospel and share God's love even when we least expect to do so...even when it feels unnatural...even when it's out of season.  

So may you, Christian, as you go through your day today...may you be looking for ways to be an active Christian, taking every moment you have been given.  May you break free from the life of a passive Christian and be released into the power of an ever-loving active God.

Question for Discussion/Reflection: What are some ways you can be an active Christian in unexpected places?

 

Still Alive:

Just a note to all my faithful friends and blog readers out there...this blog is still alive. 

This has been a busy season in life, and I haven't had much time to write.  Thank you all for reading, and for your continued comments and support throughout. 

I can't wait to get back to writing!  In the mean-time, please share any verses you have been contemplating on or learning from...I would love to hear what God is doing in your lives and it will help spark some of my future devotions.

Thanks for your faithfulness. 

Free to Forgive: If Joseph did it- so can you...

Genesis 45: 4-5; 15
"I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you...

...And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him."

On our anniversary, my husband and I went to a show put on by Sight and Sound Theaters portraying the life of Joseph.  It was awesome, to say the least, and I highly recommend everyone taking the time to go see it.

There was something really special about seeing the life of this man in "real life".  It's easy to read through the story in Genesis and make light of the severity of experiences that Joseph lived through.

But beyond the severe dysfunction of Joseph's entire family, the betrayal by his brothers, being sold into slavery and totally disowned, and spending years of his life in jail...there was something glorious about the story of Joseph.  Sure, he had high points in his life as well - being second in command to Potiphar and Pharaoh, having all of Egypt at his fingertips, and being powerful beyond any man...his real moment of power came at the very end of the story.

His real moment of power came when he forgave.  You never consider the anguish that Joseph must have experienced when he finally saw his brothers again after years of isolation.  The betrayal, the pain, the rejection and the heartache that came with seeing their faces and hearing their voices.  You never consider the memories that must have come flooding back, and the feelings that he had managed to stuff away for years.

For Joseph, seeing his brothers again opened the flood gates of the pain in his past.  Pain that was so severe and unjust.  Pain that he had carried around for many years.  Pain that he was no longer willing to claim as his own.   

It's hard to wrap my brain around this kind of forgiveness.  Forgiveness that is not granted based on the merit of the one(s) receiving it.   Forgiveness that is not based on the abilities of the one releasing it.  It is forgiveness founded solely in a supernatural grace that Jesus Christ bestows upon his desperate children. 

He bestows it because he understands the salvation that comes when we are able to let go.  He bestows it because He knows how un-forgiveness can rot the soul and destroy the spirit.  He bestows it because he knows that ultimately, that is where freedom can be found.  He bestows it, because he too has been rejected, abandoned, forsaken and misunderstood...yet he forgave. 

It's true that unforgiveness is like an acid that destroys the container which harbors it.  It's easy to become that tight-sealed container, holding on to our bitterness for dear life.  But at the end of the day, for us to truly be men and women who are free- we must be willing to pour it out.  We must be willing to let go of the power that others have over our lives on account of our bitterness. 

Not because others are deserving of our forgiveness...but because we are undeserving of bitterness.  We deserve better than that.  We deserve freedom.  We deserve peace.  We deserve forgiveness. 

Lord, grant us the power to forgive. 

Two Are Better Than One: (Hang in there you Single ones....)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. 

[***Disclaimer: If you are single...don't tune me out.  Read to the end.  There's some good application for you at the very end...and try not to gag in the meantime]

Today is my wedding anniversary.  My husband John and I have been married for three wonderful years.  It's hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly, yet at the same time it feels as though we have been together forever.  It feels right.  It has since the beginning. 


Many years ago I didn't believe in soul-mates.  I wasn't sure if God had one person planned out for each of us...like Adam and Eve.  But when I met John my perspective on this took on a transformation.  It feels too right for it to be some sort of coincidence or "good match".  It feels like destiny...what I was made for.  I was made for him, and he for me.

I used to believe that singleness was the "better route".  Don't get me wrong, I had a strong desire for marriage, but I always wondered whether or not I was sacrificing my relationship with God in order to be married.  I'm glad my perspective changed on this topic, because in marriage I have found depth to my relationship with God that I could have never imagine existed. 


Two are better than one in so many ways.  First of all, my husband encourages me.  He picks me up when I am down.  He fuels my spiritual fire when it feels like burning out.  He makes me laugh when I am sad, and challenges me to keep going when my strength has run out. 


Secondly, my husband sharpens me.  He is the mirror I need to see my flaws...some flaws I would have never been able to see alone.  Because, deep down we all think we're perfect.  We need someone to give us a reality check every now and again and gently remind us of who we really are. 


Thirdly, my husband loves me.  His love is the most tangible thing I have ever experienced to the love of Jesus Christ.  In so many ways, when I look at my husband, I see the qualities of Jesus.  He challenges me to love him in this kind of way.  To love severely, selflessly, richly, and fully.  To love with no strings attached.  To love the way our Lord Jesus loved us...giving everything so willingly and without reservation.

Now that I am married, I feel that both my love for and my service to God have found a new avenue for growth.  And in a good marriage- that's how it's supposed to be.  Two are better than one in so many ways.  There has to be proof of that in every day life. 

The beauty of this companionship, though, is that it isn't limited to just marriage.  In fact, it shouldn't be.  Whether single or married we need people in our lives to encourage us, to sharpen us, and to love us.  This concept is found all over the New Testament with the focus on community and companionship among believers.  My last post on community highlights this idea. 

And for those of you who are surrounded by community, but single...and waiting....continue to wait.  There is nothing more glorious than being married to the right person.  But there is nothing more miserable than being married to the wrong person.  I see this sad reality every day in my counseling office.  Women and men who are in agony and pain because they didn't wait patiently for God's best.  Lives shattered, destroyed, and broken because they settled for less than best. 

So wait for the best.  Wait for the best because you are worth it.  Wait for the best because you deserve it.  Wait for the best because it's out there and in God's perfect timing, you too, will experience this kind of companionship.

And for those of you who are happily married...take time today for an anniversary of sorts.  Take time today to remember and cherish the gift that God has given you in your spouse.  Take time today to encourage them, to sharpen them, and to love them.  And take the time to let them know. 

I love you John Fileta.  Happy Anniversary my love. 

Koinonia: On Christian Community vs. Isolation

Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the communion, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I need people.  On a certain level, I find that being around people brings a sense of freedom.  It allows me to take a step outside of myself (even if ever so briefly) and interact with others, considering them rather than me.

I believe community with others is one of the things that makes me a better Christian.  It is only when I am around people that I have to actively "hold my tongue" from speaking every foolish word that comes to my mind.  It is only in community that I have to deliberately put others first, considering them better than myself.  It is only in community that I am forced to love and be loved, to give of myself, and to learn how to be sensitive to the needs of others.  


I believe this is the reason Jesus encouraged community during his life here on earth.  Not only did he encourage it, he lived it out.  He created community wherever he went.  He allowed himself to not only rub elbows with the people around him, but to rub hearts.   

The word Koinonia is used to describe community in the Greek New Testament.  It is defined as "intimate participation" with others.

I don't know what your experience has been, but Koinonia is something that has been missing in my view of Westernized Christianity.  We have watered down "intimate participation" to the point where we consider community shaking the hand of the person in the pew next to us at church (and only when we are prompted to do so, mind you), and then going on our way.  I hardly call that intimate. 

We have lost something in the transition of generations, we have lost the giving and receiving of self...and in the process, we have lost a piece of Christ Jesus.

There is something powerful about joining with other believers.  There is something unexplainable that happens when God's spirit is united in men and women of different shapes, sizes and colors.  You see, we weren't made to do this Christian life alone, yet for some reason we keep trying.  

The people in Acts were filled with joy, praise, and gladness in their community while many American Christians are filled with loneliness, isolation, complaints, and dullness in their faith because they are trying to do it alone. 


It's not a personality type, or the difference between an introvert and an extrovert.  It's not a matter of location, schedules, or obligations.  Those are just likely excuses. We were all made for community if we allow ourselves to take a few steps outside of ourselves and try to live life Christ's way.

So go the extra mile.  Introduce yourself, make that phone call, invite them over for dinner, open your home to others, give of what you have to those who need it, do what it takes, but at the end of the day, seek to live a life of Koinonia, a life of intimate participation, a life of giving of yourself.