You know it's really spring when the weather is warm enough to start washing windows, airing rugs, scrubbing every surface, and letting the sunshine and gentle breeze seek into the farthest recesses of your house. Anyone who's ever under-taken spring cleaning knows it's a huge job and that there's something so satisfying in it. It's like you're starting over, dust and grim that has settled in during the long, hard winter is removed, things are fresh, and the air smells cleaner somehow.
A few months ago I moved into a new apartment. It wasn't exactly spring yet outside, but this move marked the beginning of a spring in my life. Typically when I move into a new place, I like to give it a thorough going-over, you know, removing the previous person's dust, and dirt. It helps me feel settled.
At first glance the apartment looked relatively clean. I noticed the places that often get neglected were a bit dusty, so I'd wipe them down, but as I did so, the angle I was working from would enlighten me to other areas that had been long-neglected. Each discovery yielded more and more disgust on my part as I realized that this apartment had not received a deep cleaning in years!
It took me days to remove the filth and as I was cleaning I sensed God speaking to me through the process. He showed me that just like it's good to undertake a spring cleaning in the the natural world, it is even more vital to take up this kind of discipline spiritually. What does a spiritual deep-clean look like? Well, in many ways, I think it's very much like in the natural world...you start scrubbing somewhere by confessing one sin to God, you're forgiven and that area is cleaned off, but now that you're there, you see that there are other things that you didn't notice before, and pretty soon, you realize wow, there are a lot of things to confess and clean out. You realize just how filthy you are on inside! And just like the satisfaction that you get when your apartment or house is finally sparkling like new, you can feel squeaky clean on the inside once you air it all out to God. But in this case it's not because of something you've done or effort or elbow-grease on your part. No, God's the one who moves in with power and makes you white as snow!
It's pretty amazing, you get all the benefits of a deep, spring, cleaning and all you have to do is confess, "I am dirty." and he does the rest! His word says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1John 1:9) and "...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). Wow!
And the interesting thing is, just like regular cleaning makes spring cleaning so much easier, regular confession, makes a spiritual deep-clean much easier too! Don't you love it how God uses the natural world around us to teach us spiritual truths?!
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
Signs of Spring
It’s been a long winter! "Well no, it hasn’t," you might be
thinking. "It’s really barely begun this year." Well the truth is—and I think
some of you know this—winters in our lives don’t always follow the earth’s
cycle of seasons.
For me it’s been a long winter and I was talking to God
about this the other day. I was telling him how hard it is going to be to go
through another physical winter with a spiritual winter still hanging on. Couldn’t
we just get on with it and move on to the next season? He encouraged me by
pointing out that spring is coming. It was an uplifting thought, but I needed more. It seemed like it was so far off still and I was ready to be done with winter right now!
And God was gracious and loving to His frustrated daughter.
He didn’t tell me when, he didn’t tell me that it’s here, but he did begin to
show me signs of spring, signs that things are changing, that things are on the
move; signs that he’s preparing the soil, that He’s up to something good, even
though it’s been hard to see. He even showed me how a few things that could be discouraging if I dwelt on them in the wrong way were really signs of hope, signs
of life, an indication that things won’t stay dead and dormant forever, but
that life will begin to blossom again.
In Colorado it might be hard to get an accurate picture of
what I’m describing. Spring can hardly be called spring here. It’s more like
fits and starts between winter and summer and then BAM—summer finally sticks.
What I’m talking about is a more like a New England spring, one that is a
gradual, even process, where buds begin to appear, where flowers begin to poke
their heads through the earth, as at least four or five months’ worth of snow
begins to melt. I picture my mom, out in her garden, tilling up the soil and
cleaning up muck that has slipped into the wrong places during the long, hard
winter.
Are you in the middle of winter, are you longing for spring?
God knows that sometimes we need help to be patient, help to believe that He’s
moving things along, that it won’t always be winter. We need just a little bit of sight to encourage our faith. My prayer for you today is
that He would show you some of your own signs of spring. That you would continue to believe that He is working, moving the seasons forward, and that He's up to something good in your life.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Reflections on Wandering
"All who wander are not lost..." though sometimes it feels that way! Recently I heard this quote, credited to J.R.R. Tolkien, several times within the span of a day or two. It reminded me of an experience that I had several years ago where some friends and I were wandering around in the dark.
We had decided to tackle one of Colorado's 14ers--Blanca Peak. Our plan was to leave right after work, but we got an even later start than expected. By the time we got to the trail-head darkness had descended and the moon had already risen high into the night sky. There was a mountain lake a few thousand feet below the summit, which we thought was only a few miles up, and it was our goal to reach it that night and camp there. We were packing it in, so we carried tents, sleeping bags, food, and clothes on our backs.
After several hours of climbing on a steep, rough trail, we still hadn't reached our destination. We wondered if we had gotten off track. Though the moon helped light the way a little we knew that we could step off a ledge at any moment. Were we just wandering around in the dark, way off course? It was past midnight by that time and we were exhausted. We had no way of knowing how close we were to the lake, so we decided to pitch our tent on the next level piece of ground we could find and wait for the morning light to give us more direction.
When morning dawned, we packed up camp and were on our way. It turns out if we had kept going, we still would have had over an hour of hiking, so we made the right decision. Our directions had told us that we should drive up the trail as far as we could go and then it would be a certain distance to the lake. It warned that if we tried to keep going we might break an axle or get stuck. Well, we played it too safe with the vehicle and thus had a much longer hike than we should have.
My life as an adult has included what appears to be lots of wandering. I've lived in at least 13 different houses and had over 20 different housemates since graduating from college a decade ago. In each and every case what might have appeared to an outsider like aimless wandering and an unwillingness to settle down really had genuine purpose. Though sometimes it did feel like I was wandering around in the dark, not quite sure if I was heading in the right direction, I can clearly see looking back, how God guided me each step of the way. It's definitely not the life that this homebody would have chosen, but it is definitely the life-path that God in His sovereignty led me on...and I'd do it all over again too!
I've lived in Colorado longer than anywhere else. I sometimes wonder if God is going to settle me down here or somewhere else or keep me on this path of wandering. It is reassuring that wandering does not mean that I am lost. It means that I am a sojourner on this planet that is not my true home. I know that I don't want to get so comfortable anywhere that I am not prepared to move if God calls me somewhere else. At the same time, I don't want to move just for the sake of moving.
What does it really mean that all who wander are not lost? I think it has something to do with the fact that life doesn't necessarily go in the straight line that we expect. We seem to zigzag and back-track and loop around, and there's often lots of change. Sometimes we think we're on the right path, but we don't seem to be getting there. What we expect to happen when we thought it should happen doesn't. It feels a bit like we're wandering in the dark.
But this type of wandering is not aimless. It has a purpose. It is growing us. We're not lost. God knows exactly where we're going. If we keep trusting and walking ahead, eventually the darkness covering our sight will lift and we'll be able to see the trail that we've taken. Sometimes we'll see that there really was a more direct way, but maybe the trail we took was really the right trail after all because we had to work hard and learned so much, growing and gaining strength along the way. As we wander we are found by Him. He's right there beside us, seeing through the darkness, waiting with us for those things that are still hidden. And sometimes, when we just can't seem to get where we're going and all is still dark, I think it's ok, to take a break, pitch our tent and wait for morning. Rest and light always seem to have a way of renewing vision and giving direction to our feet.
We had decided to tackle one of Colorado's 14ers--Blanca Peak. Our plan was to leave right after work, but we got an even later start than expected. By the time we got to the trail-head darkness had descended and the moon had already risen high into the night sky. There was a mountain lake a few thousand feet below the summit, which we thought was only a few miles up, and it was our goal to reach it that night and camp there. We were packing it in, so we carried tents, sleeping bags, food, and clothes on our backs.
After several hours of climbing on a steep, rough trail, we still hadn't reached our destination. We wondered if we had gotten off track. Though the moon helped light the way a little we knew that we could step off a ledge at any moment. Were we just wandering around in the dark, way off course? It was past midnight by that time and we were exhausted. We had no way of knowing how close we were to the lake, so we decided to pitch our tent on the next level piece of ground we could find and wait for the morning light to give us more direction.
When morning dawned, we packed up camp and were on our way. It turns out if we had kept going, we still would have had over an hour of hiking, so we made the right decision. Our directions had told us that we should drive up the trail as far as we could go and then it would be a certain distance to the lake. It warned that if we tried to keep going we might break an axle or get stuck. Well, we played it too safe with the vehicle and thus had a much longer hike than we should have.
My life as an adult has included what appears to be lots of wandering. I've lived in at least 13 different houses and had over 20 different housemates since graduating from college a decade ago. In each and every case what might have appeared to an outsider like aimless wandering and an unwillingness to settle down really had genuine purpose. Though sometimes it did feel like I was wandering around in the dark, not quite sure if I was heading in the right direction, I can clearly see looking back, how God guided me each step of the way. It's definitely not the life that this homebody would have chosen, but it is definitely the life-path that God in His sovereignty led me on...and I'd do it all over again too!
I've lived in Colorado longer than anywhere else. I sometimes wonder if God is going to settle me down here or somewhere else or keep me on this path of wandering. It is reassuring that wandering does not mean that I am lost. It means that I am a sojourner on this planet that is not my true home. I know that I don't want to get so comfortable anywhere that I am not prepared to move if God calls me somewhere else. At the same time, I don't want to move just for the sake of moving.
What does it really mean that all who wander are not lost? I think it has something to do with the fact that life doesn't necessarily go in the straight line that we expect. We seem to zigzag and back-track and loop around, and there's often lots of change. Sometimes we think we're on the right path, but we don't seem to be getting there. What we expect to happen when we thought it should happen doesn't. It feels a bit like we're wandering in the dark.
But this type of wandering is not aimless. It has a purpose. It is growing us. We're not lost. God knows exactly where we're going. If we keep trusting and walking ahead, eventually the darkness covering our sight will lift and we'll be able to see the trail that we've taken. Sometimes we'll see that there really was a more direct way, but maybe the trail we took was really the right trail after all because we had to work hard and learned so much, growing and gaining strength along the way. As we wander we are found by Him. He's right there beside us, seeing through the darkness, waiting with us for those things that are still hidden. And sometimes, when we just can't seem to get where we're going and all is still dark, I think it's ok, to take a break, pitch our tent and wait for morning. Rest and light always seem to have a way of renewing vision and giving direction to our feet.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Things God Whispers 3
"People of God should be people of integrity!" declared the speaker. Instead of the confident, resounding "yes" that I expected to feel in my spirit, I found conviction. Instead of a blank slate, I was confronted with a memory of a time when I had not acted in complete integrity. So I confessed it to God, received his forgiveness, and moved on, or so I thought.
A few days later I still felt the guilt. I wondered why I was sill walking around with it. Didn't I believe that God had forgiven me? Why couldn't I let it go? As the days progressed I couldn't shake the feeling that things still weren't resolved in my spirit. I sometimes suffer from an overactive conscience, feeling guilty about insignificant things, but this felt different. What was the problem?
Here's how I knew what it was--the thought of confessing to someone else horrified me. I realized that I hadn't just sinned against God, I had sinned against a person. I didn't want her to know what I had done. When I realized that, the real struggle began--could I confess my actions to her? How would she react? What would the consequences be? I thought through all the scenarios and some of them seemed pretty awful at the time. I thought if I could just push the feeling down and keep it between me and God it would eventually go away. In my heart of hearts, though, I knew that wasn't true. I knew that it would nag me, it would erect a wall between me and God that would continue to grow.
Finally, I decided in my heart that I could not consciously choose to disobey God. I was willing to deal with the consequences whatever they may be. So I resolved to tell her what I had done. It was hard, it was humbling, but I wrote to her, confessed, asked for forgiveness and suggested ways to make it right. I wanted her to know the reason I felt compelled to confess, that it wasn't that I was a good person, but it was because I call myself a Christ-follower and he had convicted me to come clean.
Amazingly she wrote back full of grace, expressing her respect for me, telling me what a good person I was and had always been. It was such a relief! At the same time, my prayer is that she would come to know and understand the one whose goodness lives in me. Without him I am nothing. Without him, my spirit is filled with darkness. Without him, what a wretched person am I. But with him, I am full of courage. With him my spirit is filled with light. With him I can do something. And I will.
The post-script of this story is that about six months later I was talking to a friend. She revealed that she was struggling with long-term guilt, something she couldn't shake from an incident many years before. In some ways what she had done didn't seem like a big deal and others had said as much. But when I heard her speak about her struggle, it sounded just like mine. I told her my story and it gave her the courage to confess to someone who had been in authority over her at the time. God revealed that his timing was perfect. Due to circumstances, if she had waited any longer the opportunity to bring it into the open would have been gone.
God is good. He is patient with us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Sometimes for some of us it's hard to distinguish between guilt and false guilt. My simple principle that I follow now is that nagging conviction is not something to live with for very long. Get rid of it--confess it to God and to the person affected as soon as possible. Bring it into the light. Even the worst consequences you can imagine are better than a living with a conscience that is not at rest and separation from God.
Here's how I knew what it was--the thought of confessing to someone else horrified me. I realized that I hadn't just sinned against God, I had sinned against a person. I didn't want her to know what I had done. When I realized that, the real struggle began--could I confess my actions to her? How would she react? What would the consequences be? I thought through all the scenarios and some of them seemed pretty awful at the time. I thought if I could just push the feeling down and keep it between me and God it would eventually go away. In my heart of hearts, though, I knew that wasn't true. I knew that it would nag me, it would erect a wall between me and God that would continue to grow.
Finally, I decided in my heart that I could not consciously choose to disobey God. I was willing to deal with the consequences whatever they may be. So I resolved to tell her what I had done. It was hard, it was humbling, but I wrote to her, confessed, asked for forgiveness and suggested ways to make it right. I wanted her to know the reason I felt compelled to confess, that it wasn't that I was a good person, but it was because I call myself a Christ-follower and he had convicted me to come clean.
Amazingly she wrote back full of grace, expressing her respect for me, telling me what a good person I was and had always been. It was such a relief! At the same time, my prayer is that she would come to know and understand the one whose goodness lives in me. Without him I am nothing. Without him, my spirit is filled with darkness. Without him, what a wretched person am I. But with him, I am full of courage. With him my spirit is filled with light. With him I can do something. And I will.
The post-script of this story is that about six months later I was talking to a friend. She revealed that she was struggling with long-term guilt, something she couldn't shake from an incident many years before. In some ways what she had done didn't seem like a big deal and others had said as much. But when I heard her speak about her struggle, it sounded just like mine. I told her my story and it gave her the courage to confess to someone who had been in authority over her at the time. God revealed that his timing was perfect. Due to circumstances, if she had waited any longer the opportunity to bring it into the open would have been gone.
God is good. He is patient with us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Sometimes for some of us it's hard to distinguish between guilt and false guilt. My simple principle that I follow now is that nagging conviction is not something to live with for very long. Get rid of it--confess it to God and to the person affected as soon as possible. Bring it into the light. Even the worst consequences you can imagine are better than a living with a conscience that is not at rest and separation from God.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Things God Whispers 2
"Just relax!" If I had listened to those words at the beginning maybe things would have turned out differently or at least I would have saved myself from a lot of grief. Looking back, I know that they were from God, but somehow I let my emotions take over and I didn't relax, I didn't surrender. I just let myself get more worked up. It's interesting how sometimes you can think that you're walking in obedience and your temper tantrums are justified, but they never really are.
Those words were a second invitation that God had given me to surrender to him in a certain area of my life. The first time he had asked me a question, "Are you willing to....?" My response had been, "Yes, but..." As a friend actually pointed out to me, that "but" says it all. "Buts" are never words of surrender. I mean when we read the story of Abraham, do we hear him saying, "Yes God, I will sacrifice my son, but only if..."? No, he just began to take the steps to do it. Of course we are not told of the conversations that he had with himself and God along the journey, but we do not see him throwing any tantrums and trying to manipulate God out of his command. And what do we see from God? It is a most gracious and merciful response of provision. That should encourage me to listen next time I think I know better than God.
The most interesting part of this whole thing for me has been in reflecting on what God has spoken to me regarding this area of my life in the past. Almost exactly four years ago I very clearly surrendered to God. In response he gave me this word to hold onto: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." That sentence is straight from that same story of Abraham's surrender to God. The words are a reminder to me of God's gracious provision when he asks us to do something that doesn't seem to make sense or isn't exactly what we want. What it tells me is this--God's got my back if I would just cooperate with him! I hear him whispering, relax, just relax. This time I'm saying, ok!
Those words were a second invitation that God had given me to surrender to him in a certain area of my life. The first time he had asked me a question, "Are you willing to....?" My response had been, "Yes, but..." As a friend actually pointed out to me, that "but" says it all. "Buts" are never words of surrender. I mean when we read the story of Abraham, do we hear him saying, "Yes God, I will sacrifice my son, but only if..."? No, he just began to take the steps to do it. Of course we are not told of the conversations that he had with himself and God along the journey, but we do not see him throwing any tantrums and trying to manipulate God out of his command. And what do we see from God? It is a most gracious and merciful response of provision. That should encourage me to listen next time I think I know better than God.
The most interesting part of this whole thing for me has been in reflecting on what God has spoken to me regarding this area of my life in the past. Almost exactly four years ago I very clearly surrendered to God. In response he gave me this word to hold onto: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." That sentence is straight from that same story of Abraham's surrender to God. The words are a reminder to me of God's gracious provision when he asks us to do something that doesn't seem to make sense or isn't exactly what we want. What it tells me is this--God's got my back if I would just cooperate with him! I hear him whispering, relax, just relax. This time I'm saying, ok!
Things God Whispers 1
"Do not be afraid!" The words were so unexpected that I knew that they had to be from God. I had asked him to give me a word for a particular area of my life and his answer jumped back at me. They were startling words because I didn't think I was afraid. But why am I surprised that God knows me better than I know myself?
Over the next several weeks those words became my gage for making decisions regarding what to say or do or what not to say or do. It's amazing how many times I found myself motivated by fear and had to change course so that I would not be acting out of that fear.
The more I dwelt on this phrase, the more my fear subsided. The more I allowed it to guide my thoughts, words, and behaviors, the more I saw my fear replaced by courage and confidence. And guess what? Usually my fears were quite unfounded. Things often turned out a lot better than I expected.
The phrase "Do not be afraid!" is repeated throughout the Scriptures. We see God encouraging Joshua with it as well as Joseph and Mary and others. It's interesting, but usually it's because something big, something significant is about to happen. God is up to something different and he wants his children to be prepared, to have something to come back to and remember when times get tough. I'm not really sure what big thing God might be up to in my life. It might just be healing me from a significant amount of fear, but whatever it is I want to listen and I don't want to be afraid!
Over the next several weeks those words became my gage for making decisions regarding what to say or do or what not to say or do. It's amazing how many times I found myself motivated by fear and had to change course so that I would not be acting out of that fear.
The more I dwelt on this phrase, the more my fear subsided. The more I allowed it to guide my thoughts, words, and behaviors, the more I saw my fear replaced by courage and confidence. And guess what? Usually my fears were quite unfounded. Things often turned out a lot better than I expected.
The phrase "Do not be afraid!" is repeated throughout the Scriptures. We see God encouraging Joshua with it as well as Joseph and Mary and others. It's interesting, but usually it's because something big, something significant is about to happen. God is up to something different and he wants his children to be prepared, to have something to come back to and remember when times get tough. I'm not really sure what big thing God might be up to in my life. It might just be healing me from a significant amount of fear, but whatever it is I want to listen and I don't want to be afraid!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
God-Walk Perspective
I think I could live just about anywhere as long as it is close to a raised bit of earth. It would have to be high enough so that I could climb and get above where my normal life takes place, but it wouldn't have to be too tall. There's something about being above it all that gives you perspective, partly because you're getting away, but partly because you're seeing a bigger picture.
Everywhere I have lived I go looking for such a spot. In northern Kenya I lived at the base of Mount Marsabit, a highland oasis in the desert lands. Amidst the shepherds and their flocks, I would hike up to various vantage points to sit, and look, and pray. When I first moved to Colorado, I lived close to several parks and open spaces--my options for getting above it all seemed endless there.
The first time I moved in Colorado I figured I had given up convenient access to wild heights. One day, a few weeks after my move, I was walking along a nice city path, but missing my normal haunts. I had walked the path up and down several times before, but it just didn't seem to have much to offer. On this particular occasion I spotted a path leading up to the left that I had not really noticed before. Thinking it would dead-end in a neighborhood since it was just a feeder trail, I grew more curious as the path kept leading up, further and further. And to my amazement and sheer delight this other path led to a large loop which offered panoramic views of the mountains and city. There was even a little wilderness-like area with rocks to sit on and soak in God's beautiful creation, listening to Him speak to me. I decided to call it my "God-Walk." It reminded me of His care and provision and walking it always seemed to give me His big-picture perspective.
Now with my latest move I was expecting something similar. So, on my first free day I went walking on a city path and after quite some time following it in the heat of the day I was disappointed. It didn't have what I was looking for. How could I live here? The houses were so close together. Where could I get away? I was feeling antsy.
But God had something even better in mind for me this time. About a week later my new roommate told me how to easily access some open space behind our development. Within five minutes from our house I was hiking up to the rock outcroppings peppering the area. Once again, I had my God-Walk and something settled in my heart--I knew I could live here. Wandering and sitting there just about every afternoon during that week I discovered again that God works in our hearts when we get away, when we go to a quiet place. He offers his wisdom, his perspective, his kindness, and grace.
Whenever I read Ephesians 3:6, I picture what it says, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." God's big-picture perspective is really available to me at all times because I am already seated with him in the highest place. Could I have lived here if God had not provided a physically high vantage point? I think that the answer has to be, "yes", but in his graciousness God knew I needed another God-Walk at this season in my life. And God is gracious and kind. Verse 7 says he seated us in the heavenly realms, "in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." What a good God He is!
Everywhere I have lived I go looking for such a spot. In northern Kenya I lived at the base of Mount Marsabit, a highland oasis in the desert lands. Amidst the shepherds and their flocks, I would hike up to various vantage points to sit, and look, and pray. When I first moved to Colorado, I lived close to several parks and open spaces--my options for getting above it all seemed endless there.
The first time I moved in Colorado I figured I had given up convenient access to wild heights. One day, a few weeks after my move, I was walking along a nice city path, but missing my normal haunts. I had walked the path up and down several times before, but it just didn't seem to have much to offer. On this particular occasion I spotted a path leading up to the left that I had not really noticed before. Thinking it would dead-end in a neighborhood since it was just a feeder trail, I grew more curious as the path kept leading up, further and further. And to my amazement and sheer delight this other path led to a large loop which offered panoramic views of the mountains and city. There was even a little wilderness-like area with rocks to sit on and soak in God's beautiful creation, listening to Him speak to me. I decided to call it my "God-Walk." It reminded me of His care and provision and walking it always seemed to give me His big-picture perspective.
Now with my latest move I was expecting something similar. So, on my first free day I went walking on a city path and after quite some time following it in the heat of the day I was disappointed. It didn't have what I was looking for. How could I live here? The houses were so close together. Where could I get away? I was feeling antsy.
But God had something even better in mind for me this time. About a week later my new roommate told me how to easily access some open space behind our development. Within five minutes from our house I was hiking up to the rock outcroppings peppering the area. Once again, I had my God-Walk and something settled in my heart--I knew I could live here. Wandering and sitting there just about every afternoon during that week I discovered again that God works in our hearts when we get away, when we go to a quiet place. He offers his wisdom, his perspective, his kindness, and grace.
Whenever I read Ephesians 3:6, I picture what it says, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." God's big-picture perspective is really available to me at all times because I am already seated with him in the highest place. Could I have lived here if God had not provided a physically high vantage point? I think that the answer has to be, "yes", but in his graciousness God knew I needed another God-Walk at this season in my life. And God is gracious and kind. Verse 7 says he seated us in the heavenly realms, "in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." What a good God He is!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Living Simply...a Blessed Life
We know the sayings, "less is more" and "bigger isn't always better" yet how often do most of us really live that way? A few years ago God blessed me and my roommates with a huge house. We had prayed for each item in it, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a finished basement, a bathtub. You name it, we had asked for it. We had asked for comfort for ourselves, but also a nice place to share with others. The house we found fit our requests down to the very details and more. The more was that I could walk to work, which most of the time really ended up meaning that I could sleep in a little later and drive to work in just a few minutes. The years in that house were truly blessed.
About a month ago I moved. Though the new house was very nice and I was grateful for the provision of a place to live, it seemed like a downgrade after being so "blessed" before. I would have to drive a lot further, my room would be smaller, and my total living space would shrink at least by half. I rationalized that I had been spoiled before and now I would simply be going back to normal life, but perhaps less blessed.
But God is reminding me of the simple things...like being able to finish the house cleaning in under 30 minutes, so there's more time for friends and fun. Driving 15 or 20 minutes to work each day, so there's more time to reflect and pray and oh yeah, wake up. Living simply is giving me less physical space, but it's amazing how life seems to have opened up more.
Afterall it wasn't really the house that was the blessing before anyway, it was the time spent building relationships in that place. It turns out people still like to visit and hang out in a smaller house and it could be that I am actually more at home with this simpler life, this blessed life, too!
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33
About a month ago I moved. Though the new house was very nice and I was grateful for the provision of a place to live, it seemed like a downgrade after being so "blessed" before. I would have to drive a lot further, my room would be smaller, and my total living space would shrink at least by half. I rationalized that I had been spoiled before and now I would simply be going back to normal life, but perhaps less blessed.
But God is reminding me of the simple things...like being able to finish the house cleaning in under 30 minutes, so there's more time for friends and fun. Driving 15 or 20 minutes to work each day, so there's more time to reflect and pray and oh yeah, wake up. Living simply is giving me less physical space, but it's amazing how life seems to have opened up more.
Afterall it wasn't really the house that was the blessing before anyway, it was the time spent building relationships in that place. It turns out people still like to visit and hang out in a smaller house and it could be that I am actually more at home with this simpler life, this blessed life, too!
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Rock on Which I Stand
It is an understatement to say that I was a bit disappointed when we reached the top and found a dusty road, no place to sit, and virtually no view. Why would someone create a trail that seemingly led to nowhere important? So, instead of enjoying what I had been envisioning, after a quick look around, we headed back down. Somehow the beauty of the trail seemed lost. What was the point? Now of course I could go into the details of how the hike gave us the opportunity to exercise and fellowship, see someplace new, etc., but honestly those weren’t the main reasons I had trekked all the way. I had wanted to see and experience something better at the destination, so I felt jipped.
So often life treats us like that. God seems to open a door, we get a truly inspired idea, a relationship starts, we branch out in a new direction. At first it seems so right, we walk along and can’t believe the new things we’re seeing and doing, we’re enjoying the sights and what God is up to. As we progress the climb gets a little steeper, but we’re not discouraged, the trail must be leading somewhere, it must be worth the effort and work, not to mention that the views so far are great. And then it comes—this trail doesn’t really lead anywhere. There’s nothing at the top. We ask, what was the point? Why did that happen? It seemed so right. We so easily discount the beautiful journey because it didn’t turn out the way we wanted or expected, so we head back down quick, this time missing the sights because we’re hung up on the fact that God didn’t come through for us. What started out so great didn’t turn out the way we expected. He led us along a path that led nowhere. People will chime in and say, well maybe you didn’t go the right way, maybe you got off course there. Or others will try the more positive approach saying that the next climb is sure to have what you’re looking for, so don’t be afraid to try again. Just keep hoping. But they have missed the true point.
This is what I’ve found. You can be following God completely and a trail can have a dismal finale. But even though you don’t understand why a trail that God opened up would seem to lead nowhere, as you descend and release your disappointment to Him, His whisper begins to win you over again. Hints of beauty break in and pretty soon life is not looking so bleak. Though the sights are the same as what you saw before and the trail you hiked led nowhere, God is still in control and He still knows what will speak to your heart, what you need to see and do, even if you’re right back where you started. And the truth is you may be back where you started, but you’re not actually the same. Even though it seems like nothing changed, God did something in your heart on the journey. You now know that life sometimes feels like you’re wandering without a destination, but the fact is that you are headed somewhere, towards someone and the best way to get there is to keep walking and following His voice. Pretty soon you realize that He’s not only in front of you, but he’s also behind you, and above you, and on either side, He’s right there inside of you. He has not moved. Pretty soon you realize that He’s enough and all the sights you saw and all the sights you hoped to see, don’t compare to who you’re looking at now—the Rock on which you stand!
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(Words by Edward Mote)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Red Light, Green Light
As I sat in the dark watching the cars stop and start at the four-way traffic light, I couldn’t help but think of the parallels between what was happening in front of me and my spiritual journey. God has me at a red light right now. I wonder when the waiting will end, when it will be my turn to go forward, to turn, to at least move. Watching the cars stop and go I realized just how close everyone was away from a fatal crash. If one car went when it wasn’t its turn it wouldn’t have been good for that car or the one it hit. It wouldn’t have been good for anyone not to have waited.
But waiting on God is hard. It feels like it would just be easier if you knew how long the wait would be. At least with traffic lights you know your turn will come around sometime. That is unless the light is broken and in that case it really was supposed to be your turn, but the system just didn’t work right. I wonder if that is part of it. We do live in a broken, messed up world and even though our master engineer works beautiful things out of the junk the fact is that sometimes things just don’t work right.
One thing I heard recently was the idea that we shouldn’t always wait for green lights. God is more in the business of giving us red lights to protect us, but he wants us to move forward in faith, so maybe sometimes we’re sitting at an intersection and it doesn’t have any signals. Sometimes we’re just supposed to go. How do we know? Well if our eyes are open and we’re not color blind we’ll see the red lights. We won’t be able to miss them. In other cases the rules for stopping and going at intersections are more discretionary.
A harder question though is how do we know if something is always going to be a red light and we need to go another way or if at some point it will turn green? How long do we wait before we move in another direction? Is the red light a barrier that won’t come down or just a light on a timer, like the one that I witnessed in action beautifully conducting traffic. Timing, God’s timing is mysterious.
Recently I moved from a house that was a very short distance from where I work to a house that has tripled my commute time. Though it is hardly a distance to complain about I have found myself waiting at more traffic lights than usual and it has reminded me of my impatience. For me, I think I usually give up on waiting before things have fully been birthed. I rush ahead thinking this must be it, only to have my hopes disappointed. How long can I sit and wait and not do, just be? Can I wait or must I always rush ahead? I want to wait. I want to be ok in this place of not knowing what or when or where or how or even whom? I want to wait at this light for a little while longer even though it is hard.
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait patiently for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." - Lamentations 3:21-26
But waiting on God is hard. It feels like it would just be easier if you knew how long the wait would be. At least with traffic lights you know your turn will come around sometime. That is unless the light is broken and in that case it really was supposed to be your turn, but the system just didn’t work right. I wonder if that is part of it. We do live in a broken, messed up world and even though our master engineer works beautiful things out of the junk the fact is that sometimes things just don’t work right.
One thing I heard recently was the idea that we shouldn’t always wait for green lights. God is more in the business of giving us red lights to protect us, but he wants us to move forward in faith, so maybe sometimes we’re sitting at an intersection and it doesn’t have any signals. Sometimes we’re just supposed to go. How do we know? Well if our eyes are open and we’re not color blind we’ll see the red lights. We won’t be able to miss them. In other cases the rules for stopping and going at intersections are more discretionary.
A harder question though is how do we know if something is always going to be a red light and we need to go another way or if at some point it will turn green? How long do we wait before we move in another direction? Is the red light a barrier that won’t come down or just a light on a timer, like the one that I witnessed in action beautifully conducting traffic. Timing, God’s timing is mysterious.
Recently I moved from a house that was a very short distance from where I work to a house that has tripled my commute time. Though it is hardly a distance to complain about I have found myself waiting at more traffic lights than usual and it has reminded me of my impatience. For me, I think I usually give up on waiting before things have fully been birthed. I rush ahead thinking this must be it, only to have my hopes disappointed. How long can I sit and wait and not do, just be? Can I wait or must I always rush ahead? I want to wait. I want to be ok in this place of not knowing what or when or where or how or even whom? I want to wait at this light for a little while longer even though it is hard.
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait patiently for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." - Lamentations 3:21-26
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