Tag: Biblical

Camper Keys and Other Lost Things

One might be inclined to think that the “magic” to finding lost things is prayer but that’s just not true. Many a lost item has been covered in prayer yet never found and many things have been found without even a scant prayer. The focus of my story is not that lost keys were found but that, as the object of God’s affection, (Deut. 10:15) God bowed down to see me and pursued my heart.

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We seek after what we value. We determine to look for what was lost until we find it. We diligently search for it. It becomes a mental preoccupation. We may go about our day as usual but our minds cannot rest until we have recovered what was lost. We keep a watchful eye out for a glimpse of it. The fear of never finding it gnaws at our peace.

Some things just wander off like children and pets, unaware they are lost. Some things are carelessly handled and get lost in the shuffle of life like a cell phone, keys and my morning cup of coffee and some things just rebel like wayward children or chained dogs who’ve broken loose and run in freedom.

Jesus, in Luke 15 told three parables; The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coins and Lost Sons. In each of these narratives, something of personal value is lost, the owner ardently searches for it, and when it is found there is much rejoicing and a calling together of people to celebrate. Peace and joy replaced troubled hearts and anxious thoughts. A thankful heart is inspired to throw a party and celebrate!

I have a personal parable of lost and found…maybe not a parable but a really sweet story. The story of the lost camper keys. The setting is a campground in northern New Hampshire. It begins as I lock the camper and tuck my keys into my bag before going out to dinner. After dinner we made a quick stop at Walmart and then headed back to the campground. Upon arrival I went to grab my keys to open the camper – gone. I searched frantically for them; in my bag, in the truck, on the ground. I prayed and searched for about 15 minutes. I called both the restaurant and Walmart but no one had turned in my keys.

My husband was not impressed. His eye-roll tone of voice revealed his annoyance. He knew where his keys were and promptly unlocked the door. I think if it hadn’t been only three days earlier that I had left my wallet at the local seafood restaurant while picking up takeout, he may have had a wee bit more grace for me. The fact that I recovered my wallet, in tact, had no bearing on the fact that I had lost it.

Now this. I was feeling a bit like an irresponsible child. I still held out hope of finding them though I was ready to resign myself to the fact that they were forever lost. Keys are, after all, replaceable.

Out to dinner again, our last night of camping, we decided to run by Walmart just to see if maybe someone had turned in my keys. In passing I made the comment that I never remembered not finding something lost that I had prayed about. There was silence in the truck.

When we entered the store everyone scattered in different directions, each in search of something different. I headed straight for Customer Service. The very nice lady held up a set of keys…not my keys. When I described the retro key ring she held up a finger signaling hold on and promptly returned with my keys. MY KEYS! I nearly sobbed!. After a somewhat awkward exchange, (I think she was taken aback by my exuberance and joy) I hurried off to find the others!

Finding the keys was remarkable! Telling my husband was more than delightful! I found my husband and his response did not disappoint. He was stunned. He couldn’t believe it! He laughed. I cried. From down the aisle our friend rushed up to us and told me he had felt badly knowing that I had prayed for keys that he was pretty sure I wouldn’t find. He laughed! We all laughed! And all the way home I wept.

There were no tears when I lost the keys. I felt badly but I wasn’t undone. I wept when I found them out of this weird combination of humility and joy. I was delighted to find them but I was undone by the grace and mercy of the Lord. On the surface, this was about keys – just keys – but underneath this was a God-seized opportunity for His glory to shine on me in my smallness but not just me. My husband and my friend saw what I saw and knew what I knew and marveled. A kind and loving God revealed himself in an ordinary place. I saw the Lord because He saw me. He is the God who sees me. (Genesis 16:13)

One might be inclined to think that the “magic” to finding lost things is prayer but that’s just not true. Many a lost item has been covered in prayer yet never found and many things have been found without even a scant prayer. The focus of my story is not that lost keys were found but that, as the object of God’s affection, (Deut. 10:15) God bowed down to see me and pursued my heart. I was confronted and humbled by His love in a small place yet in an overwhelming way to the praise of His glory!

How astounding that a Holy and Wise God reaches down to build relationship with us though a million small things over the course of a lifetime! His love reaches to the heavens and his faithfulness to the skies! And in His light we see light. (Psalm 36:5, 9)

One For All

The call to serve, grow and mature is a corporate undertaking. Growing together as the body of Christ is an others-centered pursuit of growth for the maturity of the entire body.

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One for all, all for one. While this declaration and motto of The Three Musketeers is not in the Bible, it is a principle of unity found in the New Testament. The concept of this motto is that the one supports and is dedicated to and lives for the good of everyone within the group and the group supports and is dedicated to and lives for the good of the one. The deep bond of love, trust, commonality of purpose, beliefs and goals strengthens the resolve of dedication to one another, placing the good of another above and before one’s own interests and profit/gain. It’s a living out of a surrendered life that sacrifices for others. This is the way of the body of Christ. We grow together maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This theme is woven through the New Testament.

If you are a Christian it is likely that you would agree that spiritual disciplines are essential to spiritual growth. Our growth as believers is directly related to our personal training; study of the Bible, prayer, fasting, journaling etc. As 1 Tim. 4:7 says, we are to train ourselves for godliness. The purpose of our training is not to be trained. The Pharisees were well trained in spiritual disciplines. They were trained and displayed their piety as a performance for all to see and admire. But God calls us beyond the exercise of these disciplines to a heart and mind transformation. It is through these disciplines that we become more like Jesus in desires, affections and character. It’s the process of becoming what Christ has already made us. Though we are positionally righteous through the person and work of Jesus, we grow experientially into that position which will never be fully attained this side of heaven.

In society today, personal growth and development has become a multi-million dollar industry. People from all backgrounds, professions and vocations are pursuing personal development for career and life. This focus on self improvement can be a selfish endeavor. Generally speaking, the desire to become a better me or live my best life now is for my own personal gain. This is the way of the world.

God gives us a higher reason to pursue personal growth and development. The call to serve, grow and mature is a corporate undertaking. Growing together as the body of Christ is an others-centered pursuit of growth for the maturity of the entire body.

Ephesians 4:11-15 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking truth in love, we are to grow up in every way to him who is the head into Christ, from who the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for us made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). We are His body; the bride of Christ. We have an obligation, born out of that great love, to grow up and mature in Christ that goes far beyond personal development. It is our duty, our act of devotion to Christ and our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As believers and followers of Jesus, we must set our hearts on knowing Him and growing up in every way into Him. Personal growth leads to corporate growth. When we work together for the maturity of one body we take responsibility for one another and help each other grow up into Christ who is the head. When we use our God-given gifts, talents and resources to encourage one another toward Christ-likeness, we build one another up and mature as others around us are also building one another up and maturing. We grow and mature together.

When a group of naturally imperfect, self-centered people are joined together in any group, it gets complicated by personalities, passions and deceitful desires. He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Cor. 5:15) He died that we might no longer have to live for ourselves. Only by the work of the Spirit are we able to put off the old self, be renewed in the spirit of our minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:22-24) It is only then that we can speak the truth with our neighbors because we are members of one anther. (Eph.4:25)

If we are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph. 4:1), we must be prepared to walk it with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This walk is marked by direction, effort, purpose and progress. It is characterized by humility, truth in love, gentleness, patience and a bearing with one another. It is made possible only by the outpouring of God’s abundant grace. It’s not a mindless, casual stroll in the park. It’s an intentional, others-centered walk toward unity and maturity in Christ.

Believers are called to live in unity together. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4). I must be devoted to growing, maturing and living for Christ because I am constrained and compelled by His love for me and my beholden, reciprocating love for him. I can only consider and commit my self to this great call of “until we all attain…” (Ephesians 4:11) because of His great love and sufficient grace.

One for all, all for one.

Who do You Really Represent?

When I remember my role as ambassador to Christ, the good name of Jesus will be showcased in all my associations; my family, my marriage, my job and my church. Before and above all else, I represent Jesus and endeavor to live in such a way that His name be made famous.

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My thinking was myopic and faulty. I had fallen short. While it was true, I represented my church and the desire to represent well was a good objective, it was secondary to my ambassadorship of Christ Jesus. As a believer and follower of Christ, I am sent out as ambassador to represent the one who sent me and to demonstrate His character in the manner by which I live and speak. As Christians we are called to represent Christ in words and actions. Acts 1:8, 2 Cor. 5:20

As I was making a reservation for a women’s retreat I determined, as a representative of my local church, to be especially kind, polite and patient. I had resolved to live out Colossians 4:5-6, Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of time. Let your speech always be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

As it turned out, there was a bit of confusion on the part of the hotel representative as to who we were and there appeared to be no block of rooms available for our group. A short phone call became long, filled with questions and long pauses of being on hold.

When the confusion was eventually cleared up, the hotel representative thanked me for my kindness. As I hung up the phone my heart swelled with gratitude for the grace to represent my church well by exercising patience and kindness. That momentary sense of victory turned to piercing conviction and joy turned to sorrow. I had fallen short of the mark.

Though I had set my mind to represent the church well, the object of my representation was wrong. My goal is not to make my church look good. It’s to showcase my Lord to the praise of His glory. How quickly and easily I forget that while we live out our lives before human-kind, we live for the good name above all names, Jesus Christ and for His glory.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven.

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and faithfulness!

When I remember my role as ambassador to Christ, the good name of Jesus will be showcased in all my associations; my family, my marriage, my job and my church. Before and above all else, I represent Jesus and endeavor to live in such a way that His name be made famous.

Psalm 45:17 I will cause Your name to be remembered to all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Above and before all else, I represent Jesus.

Should not my every encounter be an opportunity of mindful representation?

The Low Whisper

The amazing, miraculous, and astounding are seen because their presents disrupts, unsettles and overshadows the ordinary. What of the daily whispers? How do we recognize God in the common?

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I had forgotten that hearing God in the ordinary everyday moments of life was a practiced ability. It is a skill to be honed as a tool, tuned as an instrument and sharpened as a blade. It requires conscious, continuous practice to hear the low whisper of God in the ordinary; to recognize His presence in the smalls, the bigs and everything in between.

Recently, I asked a 10 year old if she ever remembered a time when she had asked God to help her do something that she knew and believed he had answered for her. It took a bit of thinking but her answer was a spectacular back flip into the pool. That was not the answer I was fishing for. I had cast my net out hoping for a simple, “I prayed for God to help me study for a test.” or “I prayed for courage to talk to the new girl at school.” I was hoping for a simple prayer in an ordinary moment in life.

But of course she thought of that particular moment! It was a hallmark feat in her life! She really knew and believed God was her helper. She called upon Him and He heard her. He was her helper. And a wonderful moment it was! It was personal and important to her. I was blessed to hear her story.

That moment made me think of how often we miss the low whispers of the God of the details. The same God who parted the seas also knows when one sparrow falls to the ground. While, as believers in Jesus, we want to be seen, heard and known by God, God desires to be seen, heard and known by His people. The invisible God is made known to us through His Word and creation. He is experienced as we diligently seek him even in the routine, common areas of our lives. He acts on our behalf as we wait for him (Isaiah 64:4).

Elijah was prophet running for his life from the wicked Jezebel. In a cave on Mount Horeb the word of the Lord came to him.

1 Kings 19:11-13 And he Said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord Passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And After the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and After the fire, the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’

God was not found in the spectacular; the wind, the earthquake, the fire. God was found in the low whisper. There were no flashing lights, sirens, ground shaking announcements or heraldic proclamations. A low whisper. When Elijah heard it, he drew closer to it and positioned himself to hear. Elijah desired a personal moment with the Lord. Only those who are near, with an ear tuned to the voice can hear a low whisper.

The amazing, miraculous, and astounding are seen because their presence disrupts, unsettles and overshadows the ordinary. What of the daily whispers? How do we recognize God in the common? How do we come to realize that God helps us in our strengths as well as our weaknesses? It is He who gives us gifts, talents and abilities and who helps us in our struggles. He is still there directing and delighting in the details. Psalm 37:23 tells us that “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” And yet, so often we miss Him in the common, everyday, ordinary moments of life.

Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you.

Recognizing God in the whispers of life takes practice. How did Elijah listen? He drew closer to God’s voice and positioned himself to hear. Elijah tuned his ear to the voice of God. One very simple but profoundly important way to hear God in everyday, ordinary moments of life is to pray about those very things. Praying positions us to wait and watch for the Lord. Praying heightens our awareness of God’s presence in those moments. Praying affords us a platform for gratitude and thankfulness and multiplies blessings and glory back to the giver of all good gifts. Praying and giving thanks in all things reckons us to say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper.” (Heb. 13:6)

Loving Father and Attentive Lord, I pray to you that I might see you this day in the whispers of life; that I may seek to know you in the ordinary and recognize your handiwork and fingerprint on the details of my day. Give me the grace to recognize and acknowledge, in those moments of accomplishment, that in my own strength and apart from you I can do nothing. May your spirit open my eyes to see you in all things and give me a listening ear to hear your still, small voice. Amen!

MY WAY

My personal preferences are a good servant but a lousy master.  They can serve me well but when I become a slave to my preferences I serve no one else.

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While sitting in a class (which I wasn’t super excited about in the first place) I found my critical heart becoming increasingly nit-picky.  It began with the subject matter.  Before the speaker even opened his mouth, I had attitude.  As he began to teach I found him as well as his presentation to be distasteful.  Soon I found myself getting up to leave the room.  I needed a break to regroup and regain some perspective before I could head back in.  What I began to realize was, that while critical thinking is vital to true discernment, a critical heart suppresses the Holy Spirit.

My personal preferences are a good servant but a lousy master.  They can serve me well but when I become a slave to my preferences, I serve no one else.

  • My way is right
  • My point of view is right
  • My perceptions are right
  • My thoughts are right
  • My counsel is right

If I believe my methods/preferences are right then, by default, the methods/preferences of others are wrong.  I am setting myself up as the standard by which all other things should follow.  It’s a throne position.  I am exalted in the process of expressing my preferences as truth at the expense of others.

When I am controlled by the narrow view of my personal preferences, there is no room for the way of others or their viewpoints, perceptions, thoughts or counsel.  They cannot be heard in my presence.  I become the authority.  My way becomes the standard by which all things should be perceived, thought of, stated, done and counseled.  I am teaching others my way while I myself remain unteachable.  I do not hear others because I do not listen to others, therefore I cannot learn from others.

It’s a “my way” approach to even the most menial of tasks which are meaningless to the big picture.  Process, not people, is first.

Have you ever found yourself grumbly in everyday circumstances such as:

  • Folding laundry – Do you refold or instruct others how to fold laundry.  Even worse, when you are helping someone else fold their laundry, do you fold their way or your way?
  • Loading the dishwasher – Ever reorganized the dishwasher?
  • Making the Bed – Which side of the top sheet faces the bottom sheet?
  • Toilet Paper – Under or over?- Have you ever changed the roll position…at someone else’s house?
  • Bible Study – Morning, noon, night? And with what method? Inductive, Deductive, SOAP?

The answer is probably “yes” for most of us.  Are any of these things a big deal in light of eternity?  I think most of us would say an emphatic “no.”  And yet, when someone disrespects/disorders our preferences, how do we respond?  Does emotion well up inside of us?  When we believe that our ways should be everyone’s ways we have lost site and control of our preferences.  They rule us, we do not rule them.  There is  no freedom to waiver from them.  We must now adhere to them and enforce them upon others.  In a sense, we are saying, “This is the way, follow me.  If you do not adhere to my way, I will correct you.”  There is a rightness/wrongness but not a righteousness to this way of thinking.  We are in bondage and we put others in bondage to our way of thinking and doing.

So often we measure the good, sufficiency, adequacy or maybe a better word is value of something based on our own preferences.  We evaluate situations and circumstances as if everything about it revolves around us.  Food, temperature, hotels, restaurants, smells, neighborhoods, communities, schools, classes, people, teachers, conferences etc., are assessed by our own personal palate.  It seems our ability to enjoy and appreciate something is based on what we like or dislike.  How many times have you gone to a restaurant with rave reviews only to be disappointed?  Your personal preferences were not met there.  We cannot fathom how people considered it a good place to have dinner!

So, what’s the difference between a fair assessment and a biased one; an assessment that is just or one that is critical because of personal preference?  What is real and what is preferred?  How do we determine if something is good?

We must sort through our own personal preferences, as one sorts through puzzle pieces; by color or flat-edged pieces.  A good puzzle worker sorts first.  How often do our personal preferences get confused with the really important facts?  Before we assess a speaker, program or a class, we must ask ourselves, “What is my measuring stick of value?  Do I have a gospel view?”

The gospel is the picture of self-sacrificing love in action.  For God so loved the world… it was good for the world that Jesus should suffer for it’s sin but not so comfortable for Jesus.  It was greater love.

To assess fairly we must think beyond what we like to what is real, whole-group and gospel centered.  We must have a wide lens view that takes in the whole horizon.  We must see the big picture and give grace to minor details that are not important in fundamental ways.  How would it change the way we evaluate situations, tasks, people, speakers etc. if we saw them in light of the gospel rather than ourselves?  What if, instead of being critical, we look for the good?

I’m not saying we should turn a blind eye to sin.  Matthew 18:15 is very clear about what to do if we see a brother in sin, as is 2 Corinthians 10:5 as it addresses arguments and lofty opinions or anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.

When we align our personal preferences with the Word of God and measure them by the call to love one another, we are not only God honoring vertically but we are God honoring horizontally.

Philippians 2:3-8   Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Do nothing from selfish ambition but in humility, look around you.  People are wounded and struggling to survive one day at a time.  Can we find enjoyment in what others enjoy?  Can we give an honest evaluation of a situation based on the needs of others being met?  Can we remember to measure goodness based on what God says is good and not on our own comfort, preference or level of needs being met?

Jesus is the Son and all things revolve around Him.  It is through Him that all things are held together.  His ways are higher.  His thoughts are for all as well as the individual.  He humbled himself by taking on the form of a servant for a lost and dying world of which we are just one of many in that category.

I can have preferences, but my personal preferences are not a measuring stick I can use to determine right or good.  My unit of measure must be higher than myself.  When I measure myself against a Holy God, I am humbled and brought low.  His glory is all I see.  This is true and right perspective.

Isaiah 55:8-9   For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher that your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s thoughts and words for us are found between the front and back covers of the Bible.  He has established a true and better way, as His ways are perfect.  Let us choose to be wise thinkers in our assessments and use the Word of God as our system of measure.

Freedom from the bonds of our personal preferences is a gift to those around us!

 

 

 

 

LOVE BELIEVES THE BEST

There is a sizable gap between what the Word of God says about love and how I actually live out that love for others.

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The battle rages on.  The struggle between the prideful ruler and the humble servant.  The rub between what feels good and right and what is righteous.  It is not a wrestling of two individuals but of one; an internal struggle of being my own god or bowing to the only Wise God.

I want to tell you I struggle with  believing the best of others.  I want to believe the best of others but I assume to know heart and motive.  I want to say that it’s because I am observant, discerning and often right in my assessments; therefore when I see questionable behaviors I know what people are thinking, how they are feeling and what motivates them.  I like the idea of promoting my strengths.  It’s a curse to be so darned discerning!  I’m pretty sure that’s  not the path toward anything good and while sometimes I may be right, being right is not the issue.  The real struggle – my real issue – is love.

1 Corinthians 12:1-7, 13, 14:1a    If I speak in tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have  not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it his not arrogant or rude.  It doe not insist on its own way:  it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  14a Pursue love,

It’s love.  Without love we are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal; lots of talk but nothing more.  He says we are nothing and we gain nothing.

I look at this beautiful, poetic description of love and I wonder, “How do I get there?”  This love is not my nature!  This love is outside of my skill set:  This love goes beyond my own ideas of love and calls me to a higher love that does not rely on my own senses and sensibility.  It is counter-intuitive.  I think things.  I know things.  I sometimes believe what I think without really knowing fully as God fully knows.  My mirror is dimly lit.

There is a sizable gap between what the Word of God says about love and how I actually live out that love for others.  Knowing that I will never love perfectly does not disqualify me from the race nor should it discourage me from entering it.

1 Corinthians 9:22-27   Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

No runner can endure or gain speed without practice.  I need practice.  I need to practice love with the purpose of learning to love others the way God loves me.  I need to practice to make it my nature.  It takes consistent discipline to not only believe the best of others, but to love them in all the ways God has called me to love them.

The practice happens in the battle.  Love cannot be rehearsed outside of being in relationships and situations that require love.  It is a battle to catch those thoughts (2 Cor. 10:5) and remind myself that only God knows heart and motive.  It is a battle to replace those thoughts (Phil. 4:8) with loving, beneficial thoughts.  It is a battle worth fighting.  Thinking fuels my heart; if I think wrong, I believe wrong, therefore I feel wrong.  Believing the best of others inspires right feelings about them and toward them.  It inspires love.

And love believes the best of others.

Guilt and Shame

God uses guilt and shame as a tool to draw us back into right relationship with Him and others and delivers us from its power over us as we could not rescue ourselves.  

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Guilt and shame.  Two words that go together like peanut butter and jelly or bacon and eggs.  We run…flee the weight of guilt and shame.  We try to rid ourselves of the cloak. We try to take it off, put it off, shake it off, positive self-talk it off, deny it off and yet its sticks to us like a fly sticks to fly ribbon.

Book are written to help us shed the weight of this burden; to escape the black cloud that covers our conscience.  We seek out counselors, therapists, and pastoral advice to help us feel better about ourselves.  We read books, take the guilt and shame magazine tests, fill out the “breathing worksheets” and practice physical ways (running, yoga, low carb diets) to help ease our inner conscience.  We look for any way to boost our self-esteem, forgive ourselves and just feel better and yet our efforts are temporary at best.

What if we stopped running from guilt and shame; stopped and turned to face it head on?  What if we recognized that guilt and shame were not something to avoid and remedy but something to embrace?  Maybe we’re asking the wrong question and looking for the wrong solution?   Instead of asking why we can’t shake this black cloud of guilt  and feel good about ourselves maybe we should be asking ourselves better questions.  What if the question is not, how do I escape guilt and shame but how do I identify the root cause of it?  What if guilt and shame are legitimate feelings that God uses to restore right relationship with Him?  Is it not the work of the Holy Spirit to convict?  John 16:8

We see Adam and Eve go from being naked and not ashamed in Genesis 2:25 to cover themselves with fig leaves and hiding from God because of their nakedness in Genesis 3:7-10.  Sin had brought them guilt and shame.

David’s sin with Bathsheba multiplied his sin, and guilt and shame weighed heavily upon him.    With the help of Nathan he was able to turn and confront his sin.   He states in 2 Samuel 12:13  “I have sinned against the Lord.”  He writes in Psalm 51:3-4  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;  so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. And in Psalm 32:3-4  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.     David was suffering under the heavy weight of guilt and shame.

What was it that David needed to be free from this burden?  Did he need someone to tell him how great he was and remind him of all of his accomplishments?  Did he need to read a good book on boosting self esteem and overcoming self depreciation?  Or did he need to listen, with the help of another, to the voice of the Holy Spirit through the heavy weight of conviction that was working with his conscience?

David was guilty.  His guilt and shame were legitimate and an appropriate response to his sin.  God’s love for David would not allow him to escape.  He couldn’t move on in peace without confronting his sin and humbly confessing and repenting.  His relationship with God had been interrupted by sin upon sin.  He had sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, Joab, the people of Israel and his own family.  He needed to face it in order to restore right relationship with God in heaven and with people on earth.  Then and only then was his heart set free.

Psalm 51 is David’s heartfelt confession and repentance.  Psalm 32 is his song of restoration and freedom.  He continues in Psalm 32:5-7  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”  And you forgave the guilt of my sin.  Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

When God forgave David he knew he was forgiven and he no longer wore the garments of guilt and shame.  It’s the same for us.  When we stop running and making excuses and turn to face our God and confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.  This is where real freedom from guilt and shame is found.

It is finished.  We are free.  God uses guilt and shame as a tool to draw us back into right relationship with Him and others and delivers us from its power over us as we could not rescue ourselves.

Though conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit working with our conscience, condemnation and accusations are the work of Satan.  He is called the accuser of the brother (Rev. 12:20) and comes as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).  In other words, he tells us how deeply bad we are and condemns us even after we have confessed and repented of our sin.  We come to believe these accusations because they sounds as though they come from a place of righteousness.  We find truth in these recriminations  but the real truth is that they are lies of Satan who wants to separate us from the love of God.

But God is greater than the accuser!   Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:33.   There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death, Romans 8:1-2.  For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything, 1 John 3:20.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39.  We have been freed from condemnation by the love of Almighty God in Christ Jesus and He knows everything.

We are free.

 

 

 

 

 

Seasons

The Upward Path2 Comments

Last year at Word of Life in upstate New York, Richard Blackaby, author of Seasons of God,  taught four sessions on the subject of seasons.   It gave me great perspective on the seasons of my own life both looking back on the past as well as to what lies ahead.

Seasons are a fact of life.   We can count on there being four seasons every year but those seasons don’t always look the same.  Sometimes spring is cold and seems to come late.  Sometimes summer is hot, dry, and without much rain.  Sometimes warm fall weather lasts into November and sometimes winter has brought us feet of snow .  Every year brings with it its own brand of seasons.

As does life!

I love how Solomon says it Ecclessiates 3:1-8  

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

For EVERYTHING.

Everything has a beginning, a time preparation, a time of furrowing and planting and waiting for things to happen and grow.  There is a time of hard work, weeding and toiling under the sun.  There are signs of life but not much fruit.  There is a time when the evidence of your investment and work proves to be fruitful and there is a return on your labor;  harvest season. Then there is a resting season, a time when everything good has been harvested and the ground needs a rest, the people need a rest.  It’s a time when some things die and other things only look like they’ve died but they are simply in a time of complete rest.

Today I am facing a winter season.  As season of letting something go; ceasing to breathe life into something that clearly needs to die.  There is a bit of grief stirring within me.  Saying goodbye to this season is necessary in order to move on the the next thing.  I am reminded of what Paul writes in Philippians:

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I must let go of one thing in order to grab hold of another.  Just like the playground horizontal ladder.  I cannot move ahead without first letting go of the hand behind me to swing forward to the next wrung.   If I don’t let go, I do not move ahead and neither can those behind me.  Those following me cannot move ahead until I move. Horizontal Playground Ladder

So what’s behind the hesitation to let go?  Why the ambivalence?    It’s easier to hold on to the thing you know, than to let go, trust God and grab hold of the unknown thing that lies ahead.   Living out a faithful life in Christ to the glory of God requires me to let go and trust that God will uphold me with his righteous right hand.   It’s a walk of faith.

Life is reflected in the image of seasons.   I can rest in this season of winter and let go; no need to strive to make things happen.  It is foolish to attempt to harvest when the fruit is gone.   I must see that there is no more to be gained and let go.  No worries about what will happen if something has to end.   God has more for me until He calls me home.  It may be winter now but spring is coming!

And so I rest.

 

 

 

Growing Together

God doesn’t need us to do His work for Him but He invites us to share in His good work.

The Upward Path1 Comment

I used to think of mentoring as an end of life endeavor: after I’d lived, seen and heard it all, I would pour it out on a younger woman. I even prayed to God, “Grow me up to be a woman of wisdom.” I hadn’t yet come to the truth that God’s word is living and active. I wasn’t supposed to wait until I was ready but I was to be made mature.

To whatever degree, mentoring is about my mentoree AND me. As God is refining me, He has put me in a relationship with another woman so that I can continue in my humility and vulnerability and thereby point to the beauty of Christ, embracing His transformational love and grace. Being a mentor keeps me at His feet listening for His voice, reading His word, and conforming myself to His will.

And I have discovered a wonderful aspect of mentoring: this younger woman is sometimes my Ebenezer in the sense that she reminds me of what God has done in my life as I walk with her through hers. I recognize that God alone is able to shepherd, protect, teach, rebuke, encourage and grow my younger sister in Christ into a mighty warrior for His kingdom. We are spurring one another on to love and good works.

So, what’s my point? There is no magical age, no arriving at a perfect moment in time to mentor another brother or sister in Christ. In all honesty, God doesn’t need us to do His work for Him but He invites us to share in His good work. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” so that not only can you bless another with your service but so that you can be blessed with: greater knowledge and intimacy with Jesus, seeing the transformational power of God in another’s life, and witnessing God’s faithfulness to His children down through the years.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is names, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

Imitate Me…

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.

The Upward Path1 Comment

1 Corinthians 11:1   Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.

Imitate, mimic, copy, watch me and do as I do, be as I am. I am following Christ.  You follow me; I follow Christ, therefore, you follow Christ by following my example.  Paul is so confident in his walk with Jesus that he is willing to say, follow me.

1 Corinthians 4:15-16   For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.  For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.  I urge you then, be imitators of me.

Paul clearly draws a line between guide and father.  A guide can lead you through something and point you in the right direction but a father is personally invested.  You are his, he is yours. A father’s care is beyond guide.  It is also, protector, guardian, authority, parent, caregiver and caretaker  – all motivated by love.

Philippians 4:9   Whatever you have learned, received, heard or seen in me – practice these things and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul is saying here, not only observe and learn but put it into practice. Make it your habit to do these things.   And what’s the payoff?  Peace!

So what about you?  As a mentor are you comfortable saying to your students, “Follow me as I follow Jesus?”   Are you living a life worthy of the gospel?  Phil. 1:27-30    If not, then what? Do you dumb down your mentoring to make yourself the standard by saying, “If I am not doing it then I cannot require someone else to do it.” or  are you willing to follow Jesus in a way that you are confident brings honor and glory to God and you would be fully confident saying, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”