Be Prepared!

I’m getting ready to go on a trip to see my Mom. I’ve been getting prepared in various ways for days. Two days ago I did all the laundry. I’ve been wearing old stuff that I knew I wouldn’t want to take with me. Yesterday I cleaned. I always feel better leaving if I know I will have a clean apartment to come home to. Today I spent time with my kids, as I won’t see them for a week. Tonight I showered and shaved my legs (always important when going on a trip. What if you crash and end up in the hospital? Do you want the doctor to see you with sprickly legs?).  I counted the days and counted out my pills (you don’t want to see me off my meds!). I thought ahead to the events I would be attending and laid out what I would wear. I made sure I had all my make up and personal hygiene products. I planned with care. There will be things I forget, and things I bring that I won’t need, but I’ve done the best I could to make sure I am ready for any situation.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. I Peter 3:15

Just like I have prepared for my trip, the Bible says I should be prepared. The result of life lived in faith is hope. Hope is attractive. It is a rare commodity. People will want to know where your hope comes from. You should be ready to share that with them.

So how do we prepare to talk to people? First of all, we must be certain that we know where our hope comes from, and the reason we have it. We study to know the steadfast nature of God, whose promises are certain and true. We do the right thing, and in doing so we receive the peace and strength that give us hope. Perhaps we write out our testimony, our witness of how God is at work in our lives, and practice giving it so that we can talk without stammering. We understand how to bring someone into the presence of God so that they can find relationship. We spend time in prayer, both for openness and insight into the heart of God and for the people we spend time with, that they would be open to his touch.

If we never prepare to talk to people, will we be able to share effectively? Sure. There will be times that you have the exact right words to say, or that the Holy Spirit uses you in the lives of others in miraculous ways. Being prepared doesn’t take the place of the working of the Holy Spirit. Being prepared keeps you focused on God. It helps you recognize opportunities, and gives you words so that you are more confident. Being prepared helps you understand the amazing ways that God is working in your life, and helps you articulate that to others.

We prepare for trips. We prepare dinner. We prepare lessons and reports and financial statements. The motto of the Boy Scouts is Be Prepared! Lets not neglect the most important preparation of all, preparing to share where we found life.

A Day to Remember

Today is Memorial Day, the day we set aside to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service of our country. It used to be called Decoration Day, and I can remember my aunts and cousins making the rounds of all the cemeteries to decorate the graves of family. The day holds a special place for me, as my Dad served faithfully in the Navy, and is buried in a military cemetery. I am grateful to the Boy Scouts who decorate each of the graves there, treating each with honor and respect.

The idea of remembering is certainly not a new one. After Jacob had his dream of the ladder to heaven, he erected standing stones to commemorate the event, and to signify that God was in that place. Standing stones were small piles or stacks of stone that were used throughout the Middle East to signify a place and event of significance. When people would pass by these stones they would ask, “What happened here?” and the story would be retold for their own remembrance and to teach their children.

Another method of remembering was the establishment of an official feast.  When the people of Israel were led out of Egypt, God initiated the celebration of Passover, so that they would never forget. Every year since the ancient time of Moses, the Seder has been observed and celebrated. Jesus established The Lord’s Supper or Communion for the same reason. We partake so that we will never forget the great sacrifice, the huge and holy act of God for our salvation. We have relationship with God because of Jesus. That is certainly worth remembering!

One thing worth remembering is what God forgets, our sin. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus and because of God’s great love for his own, he gives us new hearts and makes us his people.

For I will forgive their wickedness,

And will remember their sins no more.

Hebrews 8:12

As you enjoy your Memorial Day barbeque, remember. Remember the men and women who sacrificed for your freedom. Remember the God who saves and loves you. Remember, and remind somebody else! We are blessed indeed.

No Disappointment!

I just found out that my rent has been raised $100 a month. I don’t have a job.  A friend is in the hospital. My dryer is falling apart, and my oven doesn’t work right. Russia is poised to invade Ukraine. Thailand has just declared martial law. Pollution in China is visible from space. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. My hair is fuzzy.

Life is full of stuff to worry about. There are so many things out of our control. Big things. Small things. Silly things. I worry about my kids, my pets, my friends, people I don’t like, what I will wear and if I will look appropriate, what I will eat and if it will satisfy. And to what end?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27

Calvin Coolidge said, “If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.” Think about all the possibilities of life. Let your imagination go wild. What is the worst that can happen? Now, think about all of those possibilities. Which are liable to actually happen? The reality is that the things we worry about rarely happen, and what does happen never crossed our minds. We spend time and energy worrying about troubles that never reach us, leaving us depleted of resources to handle what does happen.

So, why do we worry? Sometimes we worry out of fear.

            Perfect love casts out fear. I John 4:18

If I trust that God loves me and holds me in the palm of his hand, I won’t worry. If I love God, I will believe that he can handle my life. No fear.

Sometimes we worry because we feel we need to be in control.

            Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Proverbs 3:5-7

I think that often we worry because we have a wrong focus. We focus on the negative. We focus on temporary things. We forget that God knows our needs, and that he possesses all the riches of heaven and earth. We forget where he wants our focus to be.

            So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:31-34

So today, instead of worrying about how I will pay the rent or finding a job or my friend in the hospital, I will turn to Jesus. I will lift my friend before the throne of grace, and I will lay her and all my cares and worries at his feet. I will resist the temptation to pick them back up and carry them myself. I will trust that he loves me perfectly, and knows how to care for me. I will focus on the face of my Savior instead of the silly things I waste my time and energy on. I will seek his righteousness.

He who believes in Him shall not be disappointed! I Peter 2:6

A Life Without Regret

As you lay on your deathbed, what thoughts will go through your mind? Will it be filled with warm memories of a life well lived? Will it be filled with thoughts of people you loved, and who love you? Will it be filled with pleasure, or will it be filled with regret?

My guess is that most of us will have a combination of all of these. I don’t have a lot of regrets. Part of that is because I believe that our mistakes are part of our becoming the person that we are. I’ve certainly made my share of mistakes. I do have a few regrets. I regret that I didn’t stick up for myself more when I was younger. Mostly I regret that I didn’t take the time to be kinder.

Now, I am not by nature an unkind person. I am, however, a busy person. I am a fixer, a doer, someone who listens with action in mind. When I was younger, there were always a million things that needed to be done, a child who needed attending to, a church program that needed working, a meal that needed cooking or a room that needed cleaning. I was always in a hurry. I wish I had listened more. I wish I had taken time to sit in the park and listen to the lonely mother, or the grandmother. I wish that when I had taken a meal to a sick friend I had stopped for a moment to listen.

 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

I know that sometimes I got tired of being sensitive to every one else’s needs. Sometimes I had a misguided sense of what was important. There were clothes that needed washing and dinners to cook. Maybe I would have taught my kids better about what was really important if I had stopped for a minute, and done a kind thing. Mostly I regret the relationships I missed out on or slighted by not taking the time to be kind.One author says that true love equals listening. People want to be heard. People need to be heard.

God gives us to each other, to help each other, to lift each other up. We are also given to each other for our benefit, to remind us that while sometimes we are the giver, other times we are the receivers of relationship, of compassion and kindness, of help. Sometimes when we stop and take a minute to listen or to reach out in compassion, the one we really help is us. When we fail to do the kind thing, when we are too busy to stop and listen, the one who loses is us. And the other person.

Heaven is made up of the Body of Christ, you and me, living in eternal relationship. The laundry and the job and the errands and the programs are temporal. You and I are eternal. When we do good, when we are kinder and more sensitive, when we love, we are investing in the eternal. When we set aside ourselves and our excuses, we live into the perfect eternity that we are already a part of.

When I die, will my tombstone say, “This wasn’t on her to-do list,” or will it say, “She loved well.” I’m learning to live for the latter.

A Measure of Success

How do you measure success? Is it getting that perfect job, or marrying the right person? Is it a big house with lots of kids and a big yard? Maybe it’s a big 401K, or the ability to travel, or lots of well connected friends. And after you achieve your version of success, what next? Is it a raise and a secretary? A corner office? Or maybe once you’ve succeeded in life you just sit back and enjoy your success.

Jesus knew what success was for him:

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You gave me to do… John 17:4

God had sent him to provide salvation to the world. The Father was very clear about what Jesus was to accomplish. Earlier Jesus had told Nicodemus exactly why he came:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in him have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:14-17

For Jesus, success was dying, conquering death, and rising from the dead. It was accomplishing the work God had given him to do.

Success for us is not so different. Not many of us will be asked to die. But we are asked to give up our own definition of success, our own goals and worldly desire, and live to achieve the good work God has for us.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Success is the same for us that it was, and is, for Jesus. We are to do the work the God has prepared for us, and prepared us for. You are unique. God knit you together in His own way for His own purpose. He created you with a personality, with talents and characteristics that make you who you are, and then He gave you gifts from the Holy Spirit so that you could do what only you can do. You can bring Him glory like no one else can.

How does your definition of success line up with God’s definition? What is keeping you from being successful? Set aside your fear, your feeling of inadequacy, your selfishness, and live for God. Be successful.

A Mother Deserving of Praise

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I have been very blessed from both directions in this department. Not only do I have the worlds best, smartest, and most beautiful children that ever lived, and I’m going to be a Grandma soon, but I come from a long line of strong, Godly women. Grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and my sister are all women who have faced life with strength and laughter and have overcome polio, military husbands who moved them around a lot, loss of children, and heartbreak beyond what I can imagine. My mother is a prime example of strength and grace, and I am blessed to have her in my life. I’ve used the word blessed a lot in this paragraph, but I can’t come up with any word that is more fitting.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
 but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Not all of you have been so fortunate, and in truth, none of the women in my life have been perfect. With strength comes a bit of stubbornness, and we’ve had our struggles. Some of you have done more than struggle. Some of you were abandoned, or were harmed in unspeakable ways by the women who should have protected and nurtured you. Some of you have lost children, and your arms feel very empty. Mother’s Day is a painful reminder of what others have that you don’t. It feels very unfair. To make things worse, maybe you don’t feel like you know how to be a good mother yourself. Perhaps you aborted or abandoned your baby, and you suffer from the pain and guilt that accompanies that.

We know that God is our perfect father. Jesus called him Daddy, Abba, and his paternal love is well documented throughout scripture. Sometimes we forget that God is also our perfect mother. God is spirit, and gender is a physical attribute. As humans, we were created in the image of God, male and female, and so it follows that God is both father and mother.

For this is what the Lord says:  “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass… Isaiah 66:12-14

God is the mother you should have had. God is the only perfect mother. He is there, waiting to lift you onto his lap, to snuggle you, to comfort you, to love you as only he can do. He is your perfect mother, and is the perfect example of the mother I want to be. He loves us perfectly, and expresses that love in ways that are good for us, that encourage our growth and that help us be all that he wants us to be. He helps us flourish like healthy grass.

Bring your hurts, your disappointments and your fears to God. Let him kiss your pain and make it better. Let him mother you, as only he can. Rest in his forgiveness, and accept his peace and comfort. Rejoice in him today.

Out of Step...

I frequently feel out of place. I am a woman in a room full of men, or a single in a room full of couples. I am fat and old in a world full of young and beautiful people. I am under dressed. I am a city girl in the county. I feel awkward and inadequate in a world of graceful, competent people.

There are a million little ways I don’t fit in.

It leaves me feeling uneasy. I am shy. I am an introvert. I’m a bit of a hermit. It runs in the family. I know that much of it is in my head, and before you all rush to reassure me that you all feel that way too, and that I’m really OK, let me say that I think that its healthy. This unease reminds me that I am different, that I live by a different set of values, and that I’m not supposed to fit in.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

I feel different because I am different. I am a stranger, an alien in a strange place. I am a foreigner, with an allegiance to a King not of this world. My values and worldview are different, because they are not from here.

The prince of this world would have us believe that power is important, that money equals power, and that the acquisition of money is all important. He would have me value people according to what they can do for me, to love things and use people, and to always need more. He tells me that whatever I do is OK as long as it feels good and I don’t get caught. He doesn’t care about me; the fact that those who buy into his values are dying means nothing to him.

The fact that I feel out of step with this world is a good thing. I am not subject to the prince of this world, but am subject to the King of Kings. This King loves me, and so has given me ways of living that are good for me, even when I don’t understand them or would rather indulge in more instant pleasures. All he asks is obedience. All he wants is that I would love him. He wants a relationship with me, something real.

So, when I feel out of place, when I feel like I don’t fit in, I can remember where I DO fit in.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household. Ephesians 2:19

You and I are out of step with this world because we are in step with the Spirit, and with each other. We are part of a kingdom of love, in relationship with God and with each other, new creations who live values that are noble and righteous and real. And when all that the prince of this world values has passed away like a morning mist, we will live on into an eternity of love and peace.

It’s good to be different.

Fragile like glass...

We humans are fragile creatures. One little virus, and we are sneezing and sick. One little blow, and a bone breaks. Put a little bacteria in our food, and we are incapacitated. It doesn’t take much to break us. We are like glass, needing to be protected and treated with care.

Like glass, we have different uses. If you coat the back of a piece of glass with silver, you have a mirror. No matter how much scrubbing you do to the front of that piece of coated glass, you will never be able to see through it. Like a life coated with sin, its use becomes limited.

A piece of glass that is tinted with color is a different thing. You can still see through it, but everything takes on the hue of the stain the glass is colored with. The sun can shine through it, casting its color around a room, and creating a thing of beauty. A life that is stained with the blood of Jesus likewise colors the circumstances it finds itself in. It creates a thing of beauty.

Which are you? Are you a mirror, reflecting the sin and sadness of the life you find yourself in? Or are you a piece of stained glass, allowing Jesus to shine through you, creating a place of peace and beauty?

When I was in New York City a few years ago I visited St. Peter’s Cathedral. All sides of the sanctuary there are decorated with the most beautiful stained glass windows. As the sun shines, the combined effect of the millions of small pieces of colored glass is stunning. The pieces together tell the story of the life of Jesus.

Each one of us alone can shine with the love of God, to the glory of God. But together with the rest of the Body of Christ, we become something spectacular. Together, we tell the story Jesus’s love for the world we live in, of his sacrifice, his death and resurrection, and his continuing work today.

What kind of glass are you? Do you reflect the sadness of this world? Or is Jesus shining through you, creating beauty?

Are you tired?

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 As a father has compassion on his children,
 so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Psalm 103

Have you praised the Lord today?  I confess, I am tired. I didn’t want to praise him today. I got an unfair grade on a report. I lots points on a final for taking too long to answer. I didn’t get a job I didn’t really want, but would have had my ego stroked if I had been offered it. So instead of writing inspiring words, I decided to rest in one of my favorite Psalms.

David knew what it was like to be tired. He knew what the sting of rejection felt like, and to have someone dislike him, through no fault of his own. David knew what being treated unfairly felt like, and he had been unfairly judged. David knew my life, maybe better than I know it.

And David knew what I needed to hear, and what I need to do. I need to remember. I need to sit down, and let my Savior love on me. I need to praise him. I need to worship.

Did you notice all those action words, actions that God takes for you? Forgive, heal, crown, redeem, satisfy. He works righteousness and justice for me. For you. And perhaps my favorite part, he does not treat me as I deserve, and he is mindful that I am dust. (My kids used to say that he is mindful that we are butt-dust, a play on "we are but dust", but that’s a story for another day!)

What kind of a week have you had? Are you tired today? Maybe every muscle aches, or maybe this was a two policeman day, or maybe you are just tired. Maybe your spirit aches. Maybe you are confused, or hurting.

Take a minute. Remember. Praise the Lord. Lift your soul before his throne, and worship. He is worthy.