journey onWord with us

Clouds, rain, and a little sleet are not the weather options I would have chosen heading into Thanksgiving.  But our family lives in Ohio, and it is November. So often in life our circumstances tend to cloud over the daily sense of thanksgiving that we want to enjoy.  And quite frankly, there are days that we feel like “when it rains, it pours.” So how can we live thankfully?

As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2016 today, a text that I received last week gave me pause to think about being thankful even on those “when it rains, it pours” days.  My wife and I have friends in Florida who are always the model of consistency and spiritual depth. But over a period of time spanning September through early November, the rain poured.  During that time, Linda and Jim experienced one tough circumstance after another.  Linda’s brother passed away after a short illness, and then her mother, who was blessed to live into her 90’s, grew weaker and also passed away. In the interim, Jim was leading a conference in Orlando and had been helped incredibly by his assistant.  Upon arriving for the conference, with a myriad of responsibilities, she became very sick and went to be with the Lord. And there’s more!  Amid all this, Jim fought a battle with Vertigo.  “When it rains, it pours!”

Last week, on the day of the funeral for Linda’s mother, I sent Jim a text and was a bit surprised by his response.  His words were, “God’s grace is amazing when you are in the middle of trials.” Most people, after a season like Jim and Linda had just experienced, don’t think about amazing grace, but about how drenched they are from a season of heavy rain. All believers in Christ have the capacity to respond like my friend did. After all, we believe in the sovereignty of God, and His great love and care. But often our viewpoints get clouded by long periods of consistent difficulty.  Jim’s words reminded me of how we can live.

One of my favorite authors, Henry Blackaby, gives even more perspective on difficult times in the book Experiencing God.  Henry and his wife were experiencing heavy rain as their daughter battled cancer.  Through it all, his viewpoint was focused on His Lord. He stated, “At times as I prayed about Carrie, I would see that behind her and her illness stood the cross of Jesus Christ. I said, ‘Father, don’t ever let me look at my difficult circumstances and question Your love for me. Your love was forever settled at the cross.’”  He focused on the love of God and trusted Him … no matter the outcome.

Christ-followers understand the cross, but looking at life through the lens of God’s love for us on that cross is a great perspective.  And then focusing on God’s grace in the middle of our clouds and heavy rains, like Jim and Linda did, shows the proper perspective in which to view difficulties. In Christ, all of this is possible!

So, what does all this have to do with Thanksgiving?  When I see the power of God’s love lived out, it challenges and encourages me.  None of us are exempt from clouds, rain or sleet. But when it rains, and pours — if we remember the cross, and think of His grace — we can live lives of thankfulness!

Thanks to our friends Jim and Linda for a great reminder. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, we can look back over the last year and say as Charles Dickens did in A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times and the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”  Each year, we will find our past to be part joy and difficulty, smiles and tears, new energy and tired bodies. In 1621 when the pilgrims gave thanks, it was not without recognition of the heartbreak of the last year. When President Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1789, he knew the struggles which were behind and before the people of the fledgling republic. But with a grateful heart, he declared it to be a day of prayer and giving thanks to God. Almost 300 years later the day is still special.  Joys and difficulties remain, but God is still good, and genuine thanksgiving to Him is in order.

For many, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday of the year. Families gather.  The turkey and trimmings are great (and so are the leftovers).  Football fills the afternoon, and often there is a four-day vacation. If you are like me, those items alone create thankfulness, but there has to be more.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 103:4-5

When life seems too difficult, He cares.. He is good and His love endures forever
When the sun is bright, and we can smile.. He is good and His love endures forever
When we pray, He has the answers.. He is good and His love endures forever
When we are fearful, grace is available.. He is good and His love endures forever
When hope fades, and no one understands.. He is good and His love endures forever

With all the joys and sorrows of the past year, one thing never changed. He is good and His love endures forever! It is easy to immerse ourselves in each new challenge, and forget that He is good and His love endures forever. In 1621, the pilgrims stopped in the midst of their struggle to give thanks. Should we be any different? He is good and His love endures forever.   As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, let those words ring clear. You may (like me) have a tendency to get caught up in all the earthly joy of the holiday, but God’s grace has been poured out on our country and our lives, and He deserves our deepest thanks and highest praise.

He is good and His love endures forever!

i found myself revisiting the story of three young men and a fiery furnace recently in preparation for a one-week men’s group focus on the first three chapters of Daniel.  Most, if not all, will know the story well.  Ruthless King Nebuchadnezzar has just been given a divine revelation about the rise and fall of empires from his day through the arrival of Jesus.  Yet even more amazing than the most comprehensive prophecy of world history in the Bible was the fact that God revealed the king’s dream (in vivid detail) to Daniel.  There are numerous instances of dreams being divinely interpreted in Scripture, but there is only one time when the actual dream was revealed to the one God chose to deliver its interpretation.

As the dream chapter (Daniel 2) narrative draws to a close, we find Nebuchadnezzar bowing in worship telling Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods…”  Yet in the span of just a few verses, as the furnace chapter begins, the scene opens to Nebuchadnezzar’s ninety-foot-nine-inch gleaming gold idol.  Before we’re quick to leap on the bandwagon of condemnation of the king’s epic reversal of worship, I wonder how many times this is true in our own lives.  How many throne changes per day do our heart’s average?

The people of Babylonia are summoned and gather around the gleaming “ninety-foot-nine” and are ordered to bow when the music begins.  Somewhere in the crowd, likely out of plain sight, three young men remain standing as the first notes ring out.  Their defiance escapes immediate notice, but it is not long before some royal tattlers run to the king to report it.  “But there are some Jews – Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego …” the astrologers urge.  “They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty.  They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:12)  Nebuchadnezzar flies into a rage and orders the three be brought to him.  He offers a second chance.  Bow or be burned, he shouts.

The finish to the story is epic.  The fire in the furnace is so hot that the guards who are tasked with administering the king’s punishment, die in the process of throwing the three young men into it.  But it is not the blazing heat of the story which struck me in reading.  It was the undercurrent of character in the story’s three main characters which most captured my notice.  More specifically, a single statement in their larger declaration of defiance.  “But even if he doesn’t…” (v.18)

We know how the story of these three men and the fiery furnace ends.  The angel of the Lord appears in the midst of the fire.  As it burns bright and hot, the king sees four distinct figures.  He calls out to the young men and they walk out from the furnace completely unharmed, without a singe or scent.  And Nebuchadnezzar once again finds himself bowing in worship to the God of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Yes, these are their real names.  Not the one’s most of us know them by.  Why don’t we know their real names?  Why do we refer to them as the names which specifically reference Babyonian gods, that were given for the purpose of stripping every bit of their true identity from them?  Not me anymore!)

The words and resolve which begin verse eighteen have special significance in my life.  Significance in a story which did not end like that of these young men.  Mine had the “He doesn’t” ending.  i cannot possibly tell it well enough here, but suffice it to say God chose not to rescue or heal.  Walking the road of that story introduced me to the distinction between the “He is able to save us” and “He will rescue us“ declarations of faith in verse seventeen and the truest and fullest declaration of faith … “But even if He doesn’t.”

i invite you to write those words on your heart today.  For they tell the full truth of God and His presence in our story.  Our troubles in this life do not always have fiery furnace rescues.  They are sometimes, “He doesn’t.”  The bold and true faith of the three friends was not in the outcome of their story, it was in the God of the outcome.  It was not in the “He is able” or “He will,” it was in the “But even if He doesn’t.”  May this also be true of us.

One of the thrilling parts of living in the Spirit is the incredibly unexpected places and times you find deep truth illustrated or revealed.  i had one such encounter a couple of weeks ago while taking a walk in my neighborhood to drop a letter in a corner mailbox.

In beginning my walk, i began to pray.  It was the kind of praying which is enjoyed with eyes wide open, sometimes speaking out loud (and honestly, sometimes feeling a bit self-conscious about who can see me out their front window walking along and talking to myself).  i was praying for my son at college and, at the same time, was caught up in the beauty of a clear, crisp Fall day.  Then, all at once, voices penetrated my moment and i took notice of who i supposed to be a grandmother, hands full with bags and papers, walking on the sidewalk of the street i was approaching, her two very young grandchildren following fairly close behind.  The granddaughter was the oldest by at least a year or so, and looked to be just approaching school age.  She was in charge … of that there was no doubt.  Her younger brother’s head was on a swivel, and the pace at which he walked was the meter of a drum beat that was solely his.  i smiled at the sight of the small troop and slowed my own pace to enjoy every step of their little parade.

The grandmother seemed to be weighed down by more than just the bags and papers that filled her arms.  She moved with purpose; something that was only partially echoed by her granddaughter.  With each step towards their front door, the gap lengthened between the two of them and their precious little caboose.  The grandmother reached the door first and struggled to locate her keys, fumbling around a bit as she tried to unlock it.  My own pace quickened as it seemed as though she had lost focus on her young grandson as he lagged behind and meandered perilously close to the street.

Just then, the granddaughter called out to her grandmother.  She was concerned for her little brother and wanted grandma to know.  As grandma’s attention remained fixed on the door, she seemed unaware of the nature of her granddaughter’s warning.  She became mildly irritated and called out for her grandchildren to come quickly.  Her granddaughter froze and began alternating looks in the direction of her grandmother and her brother — back and forth like a spectator at a tennis match.  i could feel the conflict within this little girl.  She wanted to obey her grandmother, but she also seemed to feel responsible for her little brother’s safety.  The grandmother called out again.  The granddaughter turned and began moving in the direction of her brother.

When there was no audible response to her call, the grandmother finally turned around.  As her hand still fumbled with the lock on the door, she noticed her grandson a good ways back.  Her volume and pitch increased, and she called out to him to come.  With the precious tone of a very young girl, her granddaughter began negotiating with her grandmother.  She wanted to help and protect and began to walk back towards her brother.  The grandmother insisted she come, and her granddaughter responded, “I’m going to get brother.”  Grandma said no, and insisted she come.  Both their intentions were pure, and they were locked in a stalemate.  Grandma insisted again, and then threatened time out if she didn’t obey.  Her granddaughter didn’t answer and, instead, defied the request and continued in the direction of her brother.  Grandma dropped all that was in her hands and quickly reached her grandson, taking his hand gently, but firmly in hers.  There was never any real threat.  In the small amount of time this all took place, a car never passed by.  i never completely stopped and stared, but i also couldn’t take my eyes off their significant and powerful parade.

i had empathy for the grandmother, and was proud of the big sister.  The grandmother’s hands and heart were full, and her granddaughter thought only of her brother, even at the very real risk of punishment.  i rooted for them both.  i wanted the little boy to be safe, first and foremost, but i was rooting for grandma not to lose her cool.  And i was rooting (a bit more) for the persistence of the little girl in protecting her younger brother.  What an amazing thing to witness someone risk personal consequence in putting someone else above themselves … especially one so young and innocent.

As i watched, and over the remainder of my walk, i increasingly saw Jesus in the loving defiance of the big sister.  A Savior who chose to rescue me rather than meet the expectations of a worldly authority.  i was the little boy, and there was not a power or force of nature in this world that was going to keep Him from pursuing and rescuing me.  The certainty of the suffering that waited for Him as a consequence for His defiance would not deter him.  A cup that caused Him to sweat blood as He prayed.  A cup He prayed to be removed from Him, but that He drank from willingly … for you and for me.

Call me crazy for seeing a sacred illustration in such simple circumstances, but the loving defiance of a little girl inspired me that day.  She showed me Jesus.  She reminded me who my Savior is, and challenged my own choices in circumstances that call for loving defiance.  Are the eyes of your heart and life open to see God and His truth in your everyday?  i do not tell this story to draw attention to myself, but rather to the thrill of living your life in Spirit.  Reject the flesh and live in Spirit.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death,
but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:6 (ESV)

My husband is still traumatized; it happened one day last week.  The phone call to our daughter started innocently enough, but it suddenly took a turn that Mike simply did not see coming.  (Don’t worry … I am being overly dramatic.)  Our daughter expressed her concern to Dad that the “check engine” light had come on in her rental car; what should she do?  Mike told her to call the rental company for further instructions and to not drive the car any further until she did that.  Then it happened (cue the suspense track) … “What does Mom say?” our daughter asked.  Mike replied that it didn’t really matter what Mom would say, because he just told her the proper course of action.  “Well,” she replied, “Mom is more mechanical than you!”  Poor guy was speechless.

Now, it is true that I have fixed the hot water heater at home … and the garbage disposal … and the DVD player … and, well, I guess we can see why our daughter arrived at that conclusion.  But isn’t it funny how we view each other and draw conclusions that could be completely false?

Have you ever had an encounter with a rude or nasty store clerk?  Maybe they just heard bad news about a loved one’s health.  What about the customer service rep on the other end of the phone?  I deal with one such person every week, and I have taken to calling him (not in a complimentary way), “Mr. Congeniality.”  How unfair could that be of me?!  For all I know, he is in constant pain, or has a sick child at home, or is going through a divorce.  What about that person at work who is always wearing a smile?  “They’re so lucky, they don’t have a care in this world.  Perfect family, perfect life.”  Perhaps that smile is just a defense mechanism for all the hurt she/he carries each day.

So how do we think people view us?  How many times have we been wrong in our view of others?  Let me give you one example Mike read several months back:  A young father was struggling greatly with his 2 unruly kids on the subway in New York City.  The kids were loud and rowdy, and just would not sit down and ride politely.  The father was at his wit’s end.  The disapproving looks of the other passengers were not lost on him, either … especially from the man sitting in the next seat.  It was evident he was thoroughly disgusted by this father who could not control his kids.  It was such a bad situation, the father finally leaned over to the upset passenger and confided, “I am so sorry about my kids … but my wife just died and we are all just really upset.”

And that is my point.  We don’t know what others are going through.  What if, through our actions or kind word or gestures, they could see Christ in us and be touched?  Let me give you one more example that a woman in my Sunday school class shared with me.  She had a terrible fall with broken bones.  She has been in terrible pain and is enduring many sleepless nights.  The television has been her best friend in those lonely hours, and the night that the cable went out she was more than ticked off.  But the tables were turned on her when she perceived something in the voice of the support technician on the other end of the line.  One thing led to another and my friend ended up talking to, and encouraging, this woman at the cable company for 45 minutes in the middle of the night.  Her pain was forgotten as she opened herself to God’s leading – He used her greatly that night.

So, my challenge to myself (and to you) is to try to look beyond the curt voice on the other end of the phone, or the scowling face at the counter.  We can show Christ in a genuine smile, a ‘thank you,’ or a ‘take care, now’ comment.  I read something a couple of years ago (I don’t recall where) that challenged me to ‘make someone’s day.’ Christ wants to use us all day long in every store, office, gas station, and fast food place we go.

Let’s ask God to help us make someone’s day today!

…and I am actually a little more mechanical than Mike!

This week took me to the sight of my most humorous appointment ever. It was five years ago, and I was in Tennessee for meetings (you will see the fuller context of my humor in the next paragraph). And wouldn’t you know, the culprits came to see me yesterday in coon skin hats! In the telling of my most “unusual appointment,” I trust you will also be challenged in your APPOINTMENTS!

Have you ever had an experience which left you absolutely speechless? I had one of those, “I can’t believe what I just saw!” moments on a business trip to Tennessee. It came as I was meeting with a great couple in their beautiful home nestled against a small mountain. We were working together at their dining room table when, out of the blue, the husband motioned out the window and his wife bolted to action. This normally calm, quiet and respectful wife grabbed a 22-caliber gun, slammed in a bullet clip and took dead aim on the squirrel that had appeared out the window. I was speechless, and even thought to myself, “at least open the window!” as the action unfolded. She didn’t shoot, but the moment was priceless.

It should be noted that the couple was passionate about eliminating the critters that were eating their vegetation. Their determination and passion challenged my thinking … and left me speechless! I wonder if you are experiencing any moments in your relationship with God that leave you speechless.

With relative certainty, I would surmise that you prayed last week. After all, isn’t that what “good Christians” do? It may have been a quick plea for help, an obligatory meal prayer, or maybe even a desperate cry for God’s intervention. But as the words left your lips, did you really believe they would make any difference? As a fellow journey struggler, I must confess that my prayers are too often littered with unbelief. Yet even in my weaker times, I have seen dramatic answers to heartfelt cries.

Books have been written about model prayers, mountain-moving faith, praying without ceasing, etc. My purpose here is not to answer all of your questions about prayer, but rather to challenge you to turn your heart back to the simplicity of seeking God through prayer and seeing Him to move on your behalf. If you are new to faith in Christ, please trust me when I say that prayer works and God does move mountains. If you have journeyed with Christ for many years, trust me when I say God still wants to move mountains for you … and maybe, in the process, He will even leave you speechless.

For just a moment, be honest with yourself. Do you really live with a confidence that prayer works? I mean, for you, and not just everybody else. I bet you can list several requests on your heart right now that you hope God will answer.  However, your hope is more like the kind surrounded by quotation marks, than that which ends with a period. It may not sound spiritual to say, but that is the way we too often live. With childlike simplicity and a passionate prayer life, you and I just may find ourselves in the middle of speechless moments. God would not challenge us with so much about prayer if He didn’t want it to be a fundamental part of our relationship with Him. But our lives get so cluttered that we pray amiss, and miss some speechless moments.

Lest my words be misconstrued, I am not advocating that God has to respond my way if I have enough faith, or that He always moves dramatically. He doesn’t heal our loved ones every time or remove every problem. In His wisdom, He allows difficulties in our lives. Remember, God is Eternal and Holy. He will choose to move in our lives according to His design and in His time, which are always good. But the truth remains that He wants us to pray with faith. History, Scripture, and my own life experiences have taught me that God will intervene when faith is present. And He does move mountains!

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:19-20

This dialogue between Jesus and his disciples gives us powerful insight. We can come with faith as small as a mustard seed, and still see Him move mountains. Do you really believe those words … for yourself?  Is your faith simple and passionate, or tired and cluttered? Faith and prayer go hand-in-hand. I believe our Eternal, Loving God wants to move mountains for you. Would you simply trust Him?

I was speechless at my appointment in the mountains watching my friends’ passion and determination (and they did wear coon skin hats yesterday).  I trust you will be as speechless in your appointments with God when He moves a mountain for you!

So little of our lives is known to us in advance.  We live moment by moment, day by day, or maybe even paycheck to paycheck.  And you’ve probably wished at times that you knew what was waiting for you just around the corner or over the crest of the next hill .  Maybe you’re searching for your true calling.  Maybe you’re dealing with a major life decision.  Maybe you’re losing hope that the circumstances you’re drowning in right now are ever going to change.

The book of Acts, and more specifically chapters 20 and 21, give us an amazing account of a sold-out servant of God who knew exactly what was coming in his life.  Within these chapters, Paul begins to face his certain fate.  His life post-conversion has been on a collision course with Jerusalem.  Along the road, he has experienced and endured much (that’s an understatement of epic proportion).  He has faced it and walked through it with an unflinching faith.  As he faces Jerusalem, Paul knows what’s coming and makes a bold and clear declaration in Acts 21:13 …

Then Paul answered,“What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart?  For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (ESV)

The Message reads …

But Paul wouldn’t budge: “Why all this hysteria?  Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me?  You’re looking at this backward. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can’t you see that?”

i love when Paul says, “you’re looking at this backward …”. Can’t you just hear Paul saying that?!  When i read that verse, i literally stopped.  i was overwhelmed with the reality of Paul’s sold-out dedication to the message of the gospel, especially in the face of his very real and certain fate.  He was walking a Jesus road.  A road that he shared with Stephen.  A trail blazed by his Lord, who also met His road with a full awareness of where it was leading.  Christ did that for Paul (and for all of us), and Paul was doing it for Christ … and only Christ.  i experience an amazing smallness when i meditate on this.  Enveloped in the immense shadow cast by a small man in service to the radiant Son.  i feel compelled, as i stand in this shadow, to put myself in a place of hypothetical substitution.

Jerusalem is quite literally a city on a hill.  The final steps of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem were an uphill climb.  How amazing is the imagery of having to climb to his eventual fate?  Not a final shift into cruise control after a life well-lived, but a downshift into four-wheel drive in order to make it to the summit.  A summit that finds the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of Christ as it’s prize.  Standing at the foot of that hill, what would I have done?  What would you and I have done in Paul’s place?

We have an opportunity to answer that question each new morning that God gifts.  Who are we living for?  If the answer is “us,” then we are, indeed, looking at this backward.  We are focused on what our circumstances do to us, rather than what Jesus is doing both in and through us in the midst of them.  Only God holds our next breath and owns all our tomorrows.  Live for Him today and trust Him with your tomorrows.  He will give you all the strength, comfort and wisdom you need to climb your hill today.

The issue is not what this world and its troubles will do to you, but what your Master Jesus can do through your obedience.

My wife, youngest son and i visited my oldest son for the first time at college this past weekend.  What an immeasurable joy in experiencing his new home through his eyes, following his lead.  When we moved him in at school over two months ago and began to drive away, i anticipated a flood of emotion.  It never came.  What i felt, instead, was a deep sense of  pride (in him), and an overwhelming sense of peace that he was exactly where God wanted him in this season of his life.  In driving away the second time, i was hit by the freight train of deep sadness i had anticipated in leaving him the first.  It was an immersive and cleansing sadness.

As i sat in my sacred space the morning after, God began to reveal the answer to the question i had repeatedly and silently considered on the drive home — Why the second time?  In a matter of moments the answer became clear … separation.  In leaving my firstborn son the first time, i had only the expectancy of separation.  In leaving the second time, i had experienced it.  Although our transition from four to three has been genuinely good, i have experienced a palpable loss in Spencer’s absence.  We are “a man down,” as my wife recently put it.

Our time, and my time, with Spencer last weekend had re-earthed the joy of being with him.  i am thrilled for his independence, but i do deeply miss his presence.  As i sat in that sacred space, i was reminded of a post i’d written several years ago and a truth of God that mirrored what i was experiencing.  i share it again with you and pray that it finds value in your “right now.”

God doesn’t need us, God desires us.  How does that sit with you?  Some will answer with quick agreement, some will wrestle and some will take issue.  But there is an underlying truth in that opening declarative that I believe scripture clearly states, and which has the power to forever change you and I.  That truth is that God desires to be with us, and is infinitely more interested in the invitation into our everyday than what we do for Him.

In our performance-based culture, we can be easily deceived into believing in a do-based gospel.  After all, are we not exhorted to be doers of the word (James 1:22), and busy at the work of storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20)?  Acknowledging the out-of-context use of those pieces of scripture, I would still assert that we have all been exposed to the message that it is what we do for God that matters most.  And while I would never deny the truth that faith without works is dead, I see a pattern in scripture that points to a foundational truth that God desires most to be with us, and us with Him.

In a great truth and mystery of the Christian faith, in eternity past God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit existed in perfect communion with each other.  And thus begins the pattern of with.  Our place begins at the onset of creation, where we see the pure and perfect relationship that existed between God and man before the fall.  It exists in the story of a man and a woman in a garden, where God walked with them.  Later in the book of Genesis we are told of a man named Abraham, and the promise that God would be with him and through him would create a great nation that He would call His own.  Advancing in the story of that great nation, God calls out to Moses from a burning bush, saying that He has heard the cry of His people in bondage, and instructs Moses to go to Pharaoh.  And when Moses asks, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”, God answers simply, “I will be with you …” (Exodus 3:12)  And then there was Joshua.  After the death of Moses, God speaks to Joshua and says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9).  This thread continues through the prophets and kings of the Old Testament, all the way up to the birth of the Messiah, who was called Emmanuel … God with us.  God takes on flesh in the person of Christ and walks with us on this earth.  Eating, talking, walking, and suffering with us.  Being acquainted with, and present in, the full width and breadth of our humanity.

As I begin to meditate on, and process this pattern of God being and going with us, it brings to life a truth I see in my own earthly relationships.  My desire above all else with those whom I love, is to be with them.  Yes, I certainly get pleasure in doing things for them, but the greatest joy is in spending time with them … no matter what the circumstances.  At the end of a long day, does my wife wish most that I would complete a list of tasks, or spend time with her?  Okay, maybe both.  But with the obvious kidding aside, the choice would be an easy one for her.  That goes ditto for me.  If this is true of my earthly relationships, how much more true is it of my heavenly Father and his relationship with me?!

In a collection of letters assembled into the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence writes about the true joy he found in discovering and experiencing God’s presence amidst the pots and pans that were his job to wash and dry each day.  It was not his lot in life to spend his days immersed in prayer, or the translation of scripture … He worked in a kitchen.  Yet, in letter after letter he told of the experience of God’s profound presence in the activities that others would judge as mundane, and anything but sacred.  Through it all, he presents us with the challenge to invite God into our everyday, and experience that same joy.

In focusing first on being and doing with God, the “for” happens with no calculation on our part.  A performance-priority, in contrast, risks treasures that will burn up or blow away.  What would our walk look like, if no matter what the time or place, we invited God to go with us?  From prayer and study to pots and pans, God’s presence makes anything sacred and of eternal value.

How are you at relationships? Every one of us is joined to someone.  A kindred bond defined in one of a variety of ways. Our relationship equity is often dictated by the value that we place on the other (spouse, child, friend, etc…). It is easy to say we value others, and place their needs before our own, but reality says that frequently our personal agenda (selfishness) collides with meeting the needs of others.  Let me illustrate with an event which took place over thirty years ago. It was at Christmastime, and like any good husband, I wanted to get my wife a gift. At that point in my life, getting gifts early was not the norm. At the last minute, I was racing through a department store in Hialeah, Florida. I found a pretty robe, bought it, and was ready for gift giving.

As we opened gifts that Christmas morning, there a noticeable issue. In my last-minute bustle, I missed something … the size of the robe! Can you imagine the look on my wife’s face upon receiving a (beautiful) robe that was several sizes too big? She can now amusingly illustrate opening the robe that could have contained her, plus my daughter and me. With all honesty, I can say that my failure was not in loving her, because she was and still is the best wife I could have wanted. My failure was in looking at our relationship selfishly. How hard would it have been to shop early, having the time to — Oh, I don’t know — read the sizes and show my wife the honor she deserved? But in choosing to live out the relationship on my terms, the gift was meaningless, and the hurt was obvious.

How does this relate to our relationship with the Father?  I’m glad you asked! Without a doubt our Father desires our full and complete love.  In Mark 12:30, Jesus states this clearly:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  

Intellectually, those words ring true for many believers. But in the reality of living, we are all confronted with distractions ranging from busy schedules, to health issues, to job struggles, to — last, but nowhere near least — our own sin. In the course of these life issues, what we know about loving God (intellectually) can be far different from our experience of loving Him with our whole heart.  In so many ways our distracted lives dictate how we love our Lord … and how we buy robes (terribly mis-sized ones).

Loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength is not something we just naturally do. It is a result of the level of our focus, communication and seeking after the Father. When we become distracted and lose our passion for the Word and prayer, we do not love God as He would desire. None of us seek Him perfectly, but where is your love level these days? If you find yourself being driven by your daily distractions and busy agenda in building your love relationship with God, maybe you can relate to my purchase of the (big) robe.

My issue was not in the love I felt for my wife. It was in defining our relationship by my schedule, selfishness, and lack of preparation. The result being, the level of love she received was far less than what she deserved. Your issue may not be the love you feel for your Father. But when your love for Him is squeezed in between all your daily distractions, you are dictating the terms of your most important relationship.  And the level of love He receives falls far short of what He deserves.

As you begin a new week, would it be appropriate to speak to the Father about loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Don’t ignore what God already knows … your level of love!

Some stories repeat themselves over and over, year after year. One of the most repetitive dramas for all of us is often tied to the moments of non-stop activity and corresponding energy drain. This week feels very similar to my fast-paced story of two years ago. I needed the same reminder today that God me gave back then … maybe you do too.  I hope you will take the words to heart!

Last week was one of those weeks.  Everything hit at once.  Everything had a deadline.  Every day was full and every evening was spoken for.   Have you ever heard the metaphor of the hamster on the spinning wheel?!  Well, I was living it last week.  I believe this story gifts a cause for reflection when you’re having one of those weeks.

In the book The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, there is a humorous, yet thought-provoking story about a monk who was chased by a tiger.

The monk raced to the edge of a cliff, glanced back, and saw the growling tiger about to spring. He spotted a rope dangling over the edge of the cliff, grabbed it, and began shimmying down the side of the cliff out of the clutches of the tiger. Whew! Narrow escape. The monk then looked down and saw a quarry of jagged rocks five hundred feet below. He looked up and saw the tiger poised atop the cliff with bared claws. Just then, two mice began to nibble at the rope. What to do?!

The monk saw a strawberry within arm’s reach, growing out of the face of the cliff. He plucked it, ate it, and exclaimed, “Yum! That’s the best strawberry I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.” If he had been preoccupied with the rock below (the future) or the tiger above (the past), he would have missed the strawberry God was giving him in the present moment.

At this very moment, you may have regrets or fears from the past week, and/or an anxiety about the future.  I wonder if you feel like a hamster on a wheel or a monk clinging to the side of a cliff. After reflecting on the story, I was reminded that we only are guaranteed this moment.  And giving that moment – the only thing we really have – away is foolish. Stop with me, in this very moment, and consider a verse in the book of Psalms.  This specific verse has been especially meaningful to me personally, and speaks directly to this very real battle:

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 (NLT)

What you and I miss in our preoccupation with yesterday and tomorrow (and later today) can never be retrieved. Wisdom available from God can help us to live in the moment and realize how brief our lives really are.

Those who get lost in one of those weeks need to look away from their tiger and jagged rocks. I am sure you can relate. Moments matter! The end of my week brought great blessings through some unexpected people and events – in abundance beyond any expectation I harbored.  They were my strawberries!

You cannot re-live yesterday or control tomorrow, but opening your eyes and heart to a strawberry in this moment can turn one of those weeks into a reason to smile.