Discernment – Page 36 – Growing 4 Life

Your House is on Fire!

Leave a Comment / January 5, 2012 January 5, 2012

It was early morning, as I stepped out into the crisp fall air. My nose wrinkled as the smell of burning leaves assailed it. Assuming that the neighbor was burning leaves, I glanced towards their house. But instead of burning leaves, I saw a burning house! Could it be? Yes! The house was definitely on fire. What to do? “Call the fire company!” I shrieked to someone standing nearby, as I ran towards the burning house.

“Mr. Brown! Mr. Brown! Your house is on fire!” I screamed. The front door was unlocked, so I pushed my way through. The fire seemed to be at the very back of the house, so we were safe for now.

I found Mr. Brown lying on the couch, fast asleep.

“Mr. Brown! Your house is on fire!”

Mr. Brown raised his head and stared at me. “Okay. Thanks for telling me, ” he said, as he put his head back down on the maroon-colored pillow.

I stood for a few seconds in amazed disbelief and then tried again.

“Mr. Brown, do you understand what I am saying? Your house! It’s on fire!” I shouted.

Mr. Brown, looking half-annoyed this time, said, “Yes! I heard you the first time! I believe you. There is no need to tell me again.” and closed his eyes again.

Thinking he may be half-asleep and not quite with it, I decided to make one last ditch effort at warning him.

“Mr. Brown! If you don’t get out of here, you may lose your life! We need to get out now!”

This time Mr. Brown sat up and looked me in the eye. “Look, I hear what you are saying. Will you just leave me alone? Please? I will get out after awhile. I only smell a bit of smoke. You go on ahead.”

I stared at him. Was he losing his mind? I didn’t know what else to do, so I turned and left him laying there on his sofa in his burning house. As I stumbled through the rocky soil to my house, I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Could it be that this man, who seemed to be pretty intelligent, was just laying there as his house burned down around him? The morning had grown quite foggy and smoky and I couldn’t see…where was I going? I stumbled and fell. I hit my head…

And then, suddenly, I found myself in my bed. It was a dream. And, yet, something about it was very real.

If Mr. Brown believed that his house was on fire, like he said he did, why didn’t he get up? Why didn’t he do something about it? Why did he just continue to lay there on that old sofa like it was any old morning?

If Mr. Brown truly believed, he would get off of that sofa and out of the house. His mouth spoke the words that he believed what I was saying, but his actions showed that he really didn’t believe.

As the details of that dream continued twisting and turning in my head, I thought of all of the people who say that they believe in Jesus. They say they are Christians. And yet that belief hasn’t yielded any change at all in their lives. They still continue in their worldly habits. Most of their time is consumed with selfish pursuits. They do not thirst for Truth. They may or may not go to church. There is no evidence of spiritual growth and a deepening understanding of God and His Word.

While I knew it wasn’t my place to judge their eternal destinies, I knew that I had to change my thinking from this day forth. I couldn’t believe someone was saved just because they said they believed in Jesus. If their life didn’t match the words, I had to consider that they might not be saved. This was not about judging their outward behavior. This was about loving them enough to care about their eternal destiny.

You see, true belief requires action, whether we are referring to a burning house or our eternal destiny.

May we all be more careful about placing that “saved” stamp on those who say with their mouths they believe but have no fruits to go along with that statement. And may we continue, as always, in growing in our knowledge of God and His Word and in examining our own hearts and minds for sin.

I John 2: 3-5 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Matthew 7: 17-19 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

James 2: 17-24 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Just do it.

1 Comment / January 2, 2012 January 2, 2012

For many of us, January 2 brings the opportunity for a fresh start. Some of us have specifically set New Year’s resolutions. But, if you are like me, those resolutions usually last about a month…if that. So what truly brings about lasting change? Why can even people who do not know the Lord change for the better?

Could it be that they just do it? They just make up their mind to behave a certain way and then follow through on that decision? When Nike came out with their logo of “Just do it” I wasn’t sure what to think. But recently, I realized the wisdom of that phrase.

Our language is so peppered with words like “try” and “maybe” and “perhaps” because we are so afraid to commit to change. And maybe that is because we are so afraid to fail. When we make the statement, “I will lose weight,” or “I will stay on a budget,” it sets us up for failure. It is much easier to say “I will try to lose weight,” or “perhaps this is the year we will work on the budget,”. Now, we have a way out. A bit of a loophole that we can crawl through if it doesn’t work.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that the Bible never tells us to try to trust the Lord. There is never a verse that says perhaps we should love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Instead, the Bible is filled with verses of commands we are to obey. There is no loop hole there. Below, I have placed a few verses that I looked up as I was writing this. I didn’t find one verse that gave me a way out of obedience.

So, how does that affect our resolutions? I think it is because many of the resolutions we set have to do with sin issues in our lives. Perhaps we are overweight (gluttony) or we are in debt (money is our idol) or we are wrapped up in an evil habit (spoken against in God’s Word). So we know that these are areas that God wants us to have victory. What are some steps we can take to assure that we succeed this year?

First: We need to set attainable goals. I am in the process of trying to figure out what are realistic goals for me. If we make a resolution to run an hour a day and we are having a hard time even finding 15 minutes of extra time for exercise, we are setting ourselves up for failure. In his book, Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey recommends paying off the smallest debt first, so that there will be some reward early on. I think the same is true for setting goals. Set one that you can actually reach. And when that one becomes a habit, then stretch yourself a bit further. It doesn’t have to be New Year’s Day in order to set a goal.

Second: We need to pray and ask the Lord for His guidance as we set goals. It is important that we make sure the goals we set are in accordance with His Word and His will for our lives. Let’s ask Him to give us strength. We need His help.

And third: Once we have determined realistic and attainable goals and we have asked the Lord for guidance and strength, let’s commit each morning to doing them for just that day. Let’s actually follow through. We make it seem so hard. But it’s not hard. It just takes commitment. We just need to do it.

Here’s to 2012 and attainable goals!

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct^[a] your paths.

Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there isany virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Colossians 3: 12-13 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

James 1: 2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

James 4: 7-8 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Representing the King

Leave a Comment / December 29, 2011 December 29, 2011

In my last post I gave some ways to make 2012 a great year. They were ideas from across the spectrum of life. Since that post, I have had some more ideas. But only one that I think is important enough to add to my list. And here it is:

Remember who your Father is.

Can you remember when you were a child and you first became aware of the fact that when you did something wrong, you not only made yourself look bad, but you made your parents look bad, too? As you grew into a teenager, you became very aware that your actions said something about your parents. You might not have cared what your actions were saying about your parents…but a message was being given. You see, while we were still living with our parents, we were, in effect, representing their household.

Now let’s think a moment about our relationship with God. If he is our Heavenly Father, what do our actions say about Him? He is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. He is King of Kings. If we are saved by grace, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are children of this King. We, in essence, belong to the household of God. Our words and actions–if we call ourselves “Christians”–say something about God, our Heavenly Father.

So what message are we giving? Do our actions speak highly of the one Who saved me by His grace, showing deep love and respect? Or are my actions rebellious and seeking for ways to rationalize activities that are clearly spoken against in God’s Word, with no inclination or care towards what He thinks?

Going back to my original illustration, we can see this principle clearly at work in real life. Which teenager represents his parents well? Which teenager shows through his actions that he loves and respects his parents? The rebellious teen who makes unwise choices or the obedient teen who makes wise choices? Of course, the obedient teen best represents his parents and what they stand for.

In a perfect world, all parents are worthy of being represented. But, here on earth, that is not the case. Parents aren’t perfect and life gets messy. However, we do not have the same issue when it comes to our Heavenly Father. God loves us perfectly. Any rebellion or foolishness or sin on our part doesn’t stem from anything He said or did.

And so as we head into 2012, let’s remember who our Father is. In every little thing we say. In every little thing we do. Let’s remember that we are a child of the King of kings! We are His representatives here on earth. Let’s represent Him well this coming year.

I wish you a very Happy New Year!

What IS that smell?!

Leave a Comment / December 12, 2011 December 12, 2011

I noticed it on Thursday. Something smelled wrong and it was definitely coming from the laundry room. I knew we had 10 puppies in the garage, just beyond the laundry room door, that did not give off the most pleasant aroma…but this smelled different. As the day wore on the smell got stronger. I started washing everything in sight. I emptied the trash. I opened up the windows. I looked behind the washer and dryer. I looked in the closet. But I could not figure out what was causing this terrible stench. As the evening wore on we all commented on it…and then we would forget about it…until we had to go near the laundry room.

However, upon my nose being assailed with an even worse odor–if that was even possible–on Friday morning, I realized that this smell was not going to vanish on its own. I started to panic a little because we were having a large Christmas gathering at our house that night. What was I going to do? I was going to have to solve this mystery…and sooner rather than later. So I did what I often do in these circumstances: I asked my husband to help me when he came to the house for a few minutes from the office.

Within a matter of minutes he found the culprit. When we were making room in the freezer for our recently acquired venison, someone had put a bag of chicken on top of the freezer and forgot about it. Boy, did that thing smell! It was put there on Wednesday morning and by Friday it smelled like the chicken had actually died right there on the freezer and was laying in the hot sun. We quickly discarded the offensive chicken and then I went about trying to remove all remnants of that terrible odor from my house.

There seems to be a spiritual parallel here, doesn’t there? If there is a bad odor surrounding me, then something is causing it. Let me give a few examples. If I am angry, there may be a deeper issue of selfishness at work. If I tend to yell a lot, there may be a deeper issue of lack of self-control. If I brag about my accomplishments and boast about my kids, there may be pride in my heart. If I arrogantly express that no one is going to tell me what to do, then there is probably a root of rebellion at work. If I entertain myself with the things God hates, then I am lacking discernment. If I am sweet and kind on Sunday, but not so nice the rest of the week, then I am a hypocrite.

Anger…indulgence…pride…rebellion…a lack of discernment…hypocrisy…they all give off a bad odor. They are not the fragrance of Christ. Paul talks a little about this in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16. He says:

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ¹⁵ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are the aroma of death, leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

If our fragrance is from Christ, then those who are being saved will find our fragrance refreshing and wonderful. But those whose hearts are hardened will not like our fragrance. It will irritate them. We will be the aroma of death.

I think it is pretty clear that not only are we to dig out the roots of sin in our lives that give off a bad odor but we are to conduct ourselves in such a manner that we will give off the fragrance of Christ. A rather inadequate analogy would be that it is like the difference between being around a person who has just come from digging in a manure pile and a person who has just freshly showered and has applied a sweet-smelling perfume.

This incident has made me think about what sin is in my life…and what aroma I am giving off? Not only to those who do not know me all that well, but also to those who know me really well…my family. What about you? What do you smell like?

On purses and bad decisions

Leave a Comment / December 5, 2011 December 5, 2011

“Mom, can you cancel my bank card right now?” The distressed voice said quietly in my ear. My mind quickly thought of a few scenarios that may have triggered this request, but I wasn’t expecting to hear that my daughter’s car was broken into while she and her boyfriend were delivering turkey dinners to the needy for Thanksgiving.

After a long and drawn out conversation with my bank to deactivate the card, I called my daughter back to get the longer version of what happened. She had hidden and locked her purse in the car around 10am, when they had joined a group to deliver the dinners. About five hours later she returned to a broken car window and a missing purse (along with a few other items). Thankfully, she still had her iPhone and the car key. But her favorite purse- a loss in and of itself- had contained a special key chain with all of her other keys, her glasses, her camera, her bankcard (with $300 stolen in a matter of hours), her license, and a number of other items hidden within the depths of that purse.

When she returned home, we had a long conversation about why it isn’t ever wise to leave your purse in a locked car in the city. It wasn’t wrong–it just wasn’t wise. If she had asked me (the older and wiser person in this case) I could have steered her in a different direction…at the very least I would have suggested she put it in the trunk. While it caused some major inconvenience and expense, we all make mistakes and thankfully it wasn’t the end of her world. You can get a new license. You can get new glasses. You can buy a new camera. And supposedly the bank is even going to return her money.

But it did make me wonder–how often could we spare ourselves consequences if we listened to someone wiser than ourselves? Not only on the black and white issues that are clearly stated in God’s Word, but on the gray issues, too.

Some mistakes aren’t just inconvenient and expensive. Some mistakes cost a lifetime…or a relationship…or your life savings. Why are we so slow to ask for…and then follow…advice from someone older and wiser than ourselves? Perhaps we don’t always need to learn the hard way. What if there are people who learned through some very difficult circumstances and can tell us where our current path will probably lead?

That lady who married an unbeliever may tell you marrying an unbeliever is like playing Russian roulette.

The workaholic, now aware of his mistakes, may tell you that what he gained financially wasn’t worth what he lost in relationships.

The recovering alcoholic may tell you that it all started with a weekly trip to the bar.

The nagging wife may tell you that all her nagging got her was an unhappy marriage.

The recovering gambler may tell you that he would give anything to never have walked into a casino.

Oh, the wisdom that can be gained from listening to those who are older and wiser than ourselves. But, no, we think it won’t happen to us. We won’t become the alcoholic who destroys our family or the gambler that puts our family into financial jeopardy. We think the person we marry will become saved… eventually. We believe that “nagging is just my personality”. Oh, we come up with all kinds of rationalizations, moving full speed ahead.

But do we have to always learn things the hard way? Or does a wise person learn from the mistakes of others? In fact, God’s Word, in Proverbs 19:20, instructs us to “listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” The person who shuts his eyes and proceeds to travel a dangerous path is going to fall. It is not a matter of if…it is when.

Pride and stubbornness lead to heartache. An unwillingness to listen to wise counsel leads to heartache. And do you know what is the most heart-wrenching thing about this principle? It is that nine times out of ten–if the person would have just listened– they could have saved themselves such dreadful consequences.

As I write this, I think of a girl who just made this statement. She has found herself in a terrible, awful mess. About the worst you could find yourself in as a 22 year old. And as she ended up tumbling down to the bottom of a very deep emotional chasm, she said to the person who had counseled her wisely several months before: “I should have listened to you.” She wishes she would have listened to the wise counsel given to her. But, for her, it is too late. She has a long, dreary, difficult road ahead of her now.

We have one opportunity to live this life. Only one. And there is no guarantee on how long it will last. May we be wise and teachable. May we learn from our elders. May we not be so arrogant and naive to think we will be spared the obvious consequences of unwise behavior. May we never think we are too old and wise to learn from the experiences of others. And most of all–may we desire to please the Lord in all that we do.

O, to be like a crossing guard

Leave a Comment / November 17, 2011 November 17, 2011

Each morning I pass by a busy intersection near our local middle school. And every morning, I see the same lady faithfully directing traffic and protecting children. She stands with confidence and is dressed appropriately for the conditions, whether there is sunshine, rain, wind, or the dangerous fog. She is observant and always on her guard because any lapse of judgment would put the children she protects in great peril. And, given it is middle school children she directs, I can imagine that the “thank yous” are few and far between. She has also probably put up with a couple of obscene gestures and angry drivers, as well. But she keeps doing her job. Because she is dedicated to that job and takes it seriously.

We Christians could learn a lesson or two from her–

1. We should know what our job is and do it with confidence. God’s Word tells us the “job” description of a true believer in Jesus Christ. We should know what that is and then go about it with confidence. There is such an emphasis on tolerance in this culture, that many of us, while being and looking like true believers in our hearts and homes, are not so confident out in the middle of the intersection. We raise a half-hearted hand to direct traffic and to “kind of” tell them to slow down, but we are afraid to say, “Stop! Do you know where you are spending eternity?”

2. We should stand strong in all types of weather. It is hard to do our job when tough times come. And tough times are not just the big stuff, like job change, death, or divorce. Sometimes tough times can be a long week of being unable to sleep at night. Or they may come with a child who is simply downright difficult. For some, it is related to children leaving the home or perhaps intrusive in-laws. We all have different weather conditions we face. But I think it is safe to say, we all experience different types of weather. Just like the crossing guard shows up and does her job, no matter what the weather, so we, too, should be standing strong with Jesus, no matter what the weather.

3. We should be dressed appropriately. Ephesians 6: 10-20 gives a vivid description of the armor of a Christian. Paul describes how we should be covered from our heads to our toes. And, yet, so many of us are missing a piece of armor. Perhaps it is Truth that is to be girded around our waist, or maybe the Breastplate of Righteousness. It could even be the Shield of Faith. But no matter what it is, when we are missing our armor, we become very vulnerable to our enemy. Any chink in our armor becomes a target, where we can be attacked and destroyed. We need to make sure we have on the whole armor of God, as Paul teaches us in this passage.

4. Apathy puts our children in peril. If the crossing guard was not paying close attention to what she was doing, the children would be in great danger. If she stood on the corner lazily smoking a cigarette, the intersection would become a difficult and very hazardous place for the children she has pledged to protect. Why is it any less important for us as we guard the hearts and minds of our children? We can never let our guards down. We can never stop striving to discern, protect, and make decisions that please the Lord within our families. There is no time this is tested more than when you have teenagers. Oh, the many times I have been tempted to throw my hands up in the air and shout, “I am tired! Do what you want! I don’t care!” At those moments, it is my husband who tells me, “we have to care! We cannot grow tired!” How thankful I am for his perseverance. It is critical to have this perseverance when raising children. To not have it is to put their souls in great danger. We need to parent with a purpose. We are responsible for these children God has entrusted to us. We can never grow apathetic or lazy in this duty!

5. We can’t care what people think. As most of us have already learned, there is very little thanks that comes for standing what is right. More often, we are attacked. But if we are standing on God and what His Word says, then we can stand with courage and confidence. What would happen if that crossing guard walked dejectedly out of the intersection every time an angry driver made an obscene gesture? And, yet, so many of us walk dejectedly away when we are criticized or someone disagrees with us. While we are to be at peace with all men to the best of our ability (Romans 12:18), we are never instructed to compromise. So, while we need to go about standing for truth with love and grace, it is important that we stand. Not saying anything when God’s Word is being compromised is sinful. We can never afford to back down when Truth is attacked. May we stand strong even when the heat of the fire starts to burn us!

As Christians, we have been called to be salt and light. God gives us everything we need to know in His Word. May we be like that crossing guard, standing in all types of weather, dressed appropriately, and always persevering. May we give little heed to those who criticize us unjustly. And may we hear “well done, good and faithful servant,” when we meet God face to face.

Which matters more?

Leave a Comment / November 14, 2011 November 14, 2011

Casey said “I love you so much, mom!” and gave her mother a big hug as she walked out the door. She was headed to her boyfriend’s house, where they would be alone for the next 2 hours. She was disobeying something her mother had specifically told her not to do. So what did her words mean?

Jack passionately kissed his wife good-bye and said, “I love you, honey”, before he walked out the door to meet his mistress for lunch. What did his words mean?

“You are my best friend! I am so thankful for you!” is what Marta heard in her ears…the day before Janet betrayed her deepest secret. What did her words mean?

Which said love? The words? Or the actions? The words are great—if they match the actions. If we truly love someone, we show it with our actions.

So how does this transfer to our spiritual life? Thousands of people across America sing their hearts out, dance to the worship music, raise their hands, and feel “close to God” each week during Worship. But if they are living like they want, giving no heed to God and His Word the rest of the week…are they really “close to God”? The answer is no. It is not possible to live in disobedience and still be close to God. Is it possible that we are being fooled into thinking we are close to God? Perhaps the music, the words, the raised hands are giving us a false sense of closeness. Perhaps we are not really close at all.

This is not about judging the sin in the lives of others. This is about common sense. Just as a child cannot have a close relationship with his parents if he is living in rebellion to their rules and wishes, so it is impossible for anyone to have a close relationship with God if he is living in rebellion and disobedience to God’s commandments and desires.

And yet, if you had the opportunity to peek in worship centers across the country each week, you would see thousands of people raising their hands and “feeling” close to God. Are some of these feelings genuine? Of course. Absolutely. But if we are living in sin–according to the Bible’s definition and without conviction; without any effort to change–then our feelings are deceiving us. How we feel when we worship is irrelevant to the truth.

It is sobering to think about and yet so important. You see, our Sunday worship time should simply be an extension of the rest of our week. Worship is so much more than one hour during the week. It is about how we live our whole life. May we live with a heart that longs to please God with every moment of every day and may we not be deceived by feelings that are oh, so fleeting.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The little girl on the beach

Leave a Comment / October 31, 2011 May 24, 2015

The little girl on the beach was investing all of her childish energy into making obscure shapes in the sand and digging holes to find the tiny sand crabs and the water beneath the surface. It was the perfect pastime on this hot summer day. After awhile, she realized that she hadn’t seen a familiar face for awhile. She looked up towards the mosaic of colorful towels, beach umbrellas, and bathing-suit clad crowds all along the beach. Her little heart started to pound.

Where was mommy? Her heart pounded harder.

Where was daddy? She started to scan from left to right, growing alarmed.

As she stared at the horizon full of strangers, full-blown panic set in and she started to race down the beach as fast as her short legs could carry her. She had no idea where she was going. She just knew she was lost and she had to find someone to help her. Her safe, comfortable world had suddenly grown dark and frightening.

Meanwhile, her parents looked up to notice that their little girl wasn’t where she had been just a split second before. They started to panic as they searched in vain for her blonde head. The beach was especially full that day and the nightmare of a lost child—their lost child—started to become real.

Getting ready to head over to the lifeguard, the father gave one final searching glance that just happened to be in the right direction. He saw a little girl in a navy bathing suit running down the beach as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. It was his little girl. And she was running in the opposite direction.

Before he could even give it a thought he was tearing down the beach after her. His young, strong body was fast—but this tiny 6-year old was making it hard to catch her. The adrenalin flowing through her little body made her much quicker than normal.

As her daddy finally overtook her, she stopped. She looked into his face and she knew that she was safe. That familiar face changed everything. She grabbed her daddy’s neck and hung on for dear life. So very thankful and relieved he had found her, her daddy carried her back to safety.

That little girl was me. I don’t really remember all of the details, so some of them are from my imagination. However, I do still remember the fear and panic that was in my heart as I looked up and couldn’t see my family. I remember running. I vaguely remember the safety of being in my daddy’s arms. My parents tell me the story of how frightened they were when they couldn’t see me. I do know that after that incident I was deathly afraid of getting lost for at least 20 years. I was in my mid-20s before I realized that I was smart enough to find my way home if I got lost.

As this memory came to my mind a few days ago, it started me thinking about how sometimes we get scared in life and we just start running, searching for safety. We find ourselves in the midst of an unforeseen and uncomfortable trial and when we realize that we are in trouble, we start running like our lives depend on it.

Only we run away from God.

We run towards what looks like the exit door, only to find out it is not an escape from our trial at all but a fake exit door or maybe even a trap. Fake exit doors and traps take all kinds of shapes. They can look like a chocolate cupcake. Or a player-laden green field with lines on it. Maybe it is in the shape of a red Mustang GT or a nice boat. They can look like a thick best-seller or virtual military men on your TV screen. It may be in the shape of a wine glass or a small, white ball. It could be a court room or a corporate conference room. Whatever it looks like in your life, one thing is certain: There will be no escape there. Nor eternal peace or fulfillment will result from going the wrong direction.

But if you are one of God’s children, saved by His grace alone, God will catch up to you. He loves you and nowhere you can run can take you so far away that He can’t find you and catch you and bring you back to His fold. Just like my daddy did what he could do to protect me, so our Heavenly Father protects us. Even though, in ignorance, I ran a different direction than where my daddy was standing, he found me. Our heavenly Father will find us, too–if we are His.

This reminds me of Romans 8:38-39:

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we are His, then nothing can separate us from His love and care for us. We may get lost for a little while but He will find us. Great is His faithfulness!

May we find our safety and peace in God alone and not waste precious time running the wrong direction.

saturating your soul

Leave a Comment / October 27, 2011 October 27, 2011

What am I feeding my soul? That is a question I found myself pondering, as I read the story of a missionary who was captured by guerillas. His captors covered his head and placed him in a stone box. They tied his hands to his belt and his feet about a foot off the ground to a tree. There he lay for hours and hours. As he lay there, he quoted memorized scripture. He sang hymns. He tried to show love to his captors, instead of hate.

And I found myself feeling ashamed. Would I even know enough memorized scripture word-for-word to make it effective if I was without my Bible? Probably not. Sure, I know the general message of a lot of verses and can quote a few of those verses by heart. And I certainly know where lots of things are found in scripture. But to quote an entire passage? I have never worked that hard at memorizing scripture.

He sang hymns. Maybe now, for you, it would be worship songs. Again, we know the songs. But do we listen to them enough to sing them without the aid of a worship leader or a band? If Sunday morning is the only time we hear them, then the answer to that is probably not.

Would I be able to love my enemies instead of curse them? If I am filling my head with movies and books and music and video games that promote revenge and the very common theme of “getting even”, then I would probably struggle with this immensely.

You see, I think many of us spend so many hours of our days listening to secular music and watching the news or talk shows, that it ends up being way out of proportion to the beneficial things we fill our minds with. I believe we are so attached to our cell phones, our ipods, our tablets, and our laptops, that the time we dedicate to them becomes time wasted, instead of a good use of time.

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, saying that secular music, the news, or our gadgets are evil. They are not. They can be great blessings. My question would be what kind of priority do they have in our lives? On what do we spend spend most of the precious hours we have been given? With what are we filling our minds that will help us to understand God’s Word better and grow us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord?

Are we saturating our souls with the things that will stymie, or even hinder, our spiritual growth? Or do we spend our time filling it with things that will augment and strengthen our walk with God? That is a good question for all of us to ponder.

2 Peter 3:17-18 ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Persevering in the Grey

Leave a Comment / September 28, 2011 September 28, 2011

I opened my eyes. The missing sun cast its presence by its absence. Another dreary day. September had been full of them. I sighed. Somehow I would have to get up the energy to be productive for another day. With or without the sun. I hadn’t realized just how much its bright presence cheers me. As I stepped into the early morning, the humid air became a sticky blanket on my skin. So…it was dreary and humid.

As I went about eating my breakfast and tidying the house, I argued with myself as to why this would not be a good day to exercise. I had had the same losing argument with myself for every dreary day the past month. And there were a lot of them. It just wasn’t a good day to exercise. Surely, I don’t need to exercise in such conditions. In the meantime, by body, while not really gaining in pounds, had deteriorated substantially in tone and shape.

From somewhere deep inside, I recognized that I was going to have to push through the grey. Push through the humidity. Persevere. I reluctantly walked upstairs to put on my running clothes. Then I grabbed my iphone, my headphones, and headed out the door.

The first mile was tough. The stickiness melted my clothing to my body. Even when I was only walking. I kept going. I started to jog. I knew, even though this wasn’t fun, that I was doing the right thing. Not just for me. But for my family. I am a much better “me” when I exercise. As I jogged, the flourescent pink trim and laces on my new running shoes made me smile. There was a little brightness everywhere…if you took the time to look for it.

As I ran, I listened to these promising lyrics:

Everyday’s a brand new day
A chance to undo my mistakes
And be the me I know that I can be

Count my blessings one by one
Grateful for what God has done
Spending more time down upon my knees**

As I listened to this song, God showed me that my life choices weren’t so very different from this run of mine. Every day, we are given the opportunity to make choices. Good ones. Bad ones. The good ones are so much easier to make when the sun is shining. When there is a crisp breeze in the air. When the flowers and fields are sparkling in the sunshine. But when it is grey…when all is dreary and dismal around us, then the good choices are harder.

When we lose our best friend…when we get sick…when our spouse is struggling at work…when a child is rebellious…these are the times our minds cajole us, saying things like: “Eat what you want. You deserve it. Watch TV and escape the world. Go shopping. Go golfing. Escape with this book. Play this video game. Because you will feel better if you do this.”

But you never do. You never feel better. You always feel worse. Oh, maybe for a minute or two I will feel some satisfaction from eating some Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream. But as soon as the last bite is done…if I am eating it for the wrong reason…then the guilt comes.

As I finished my exercise with a brisk walk, the sun made a brief appearance and I heard this in my headphones “Now the bridge leads on…to a brighter dawn. It’s waiting for me.” And I realized that the bridge does lead on. That we who love Jesus Christ have the hope of an eternal dawn. Where there are no grey days. We need to persevere…we need to make good, wise choices–no matter what our circumstances– as we move ever closer towards that eternal, brighter dawn that is waiting for us in glory.

**Higher Calling by Blessid Union of Souls