journey onWord with us

Have you ever been caught between “a rock and a hard place” or faced a “catch 22” situation? No matter which way you turned, things were not going to work out easily. And someone would not be happy with your choice. Part of life’s journey is navigating hard choices with seemingly no good alternatives.

On one particular day, Christ came face to face with “a rock and a hard place” confrontation. He used divine wisdom to navigate the moment and showed extravagant grace in the process. In the “catch 22” moments we are sure to face, Jesus’ pattern of confrontation and grace give us insightful direction.

Even the secular world will use biblical wisdom like: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7b) The event where Jesus spoke these words occurred on a literal “rock and a hard place” day in His earthly life. Religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus. While He was teaching, they brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. It could not be argued this woman had sinned, but her sin was merely the bait within a trap which the religious elite expected to snare Jesus.  The leaders confronted Jesus with these words, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:4b-5)

Humanly speaking, Christ was in a no-win situation. If He said “stone her,” it would injure His ministry as a “friend of publicans and sinners.” How could they believe His message of grace and forgiveness with such a sentence? But if He answered “No!” He would be in conflict with the Law of Moses and the just penalty for that particular sin. So what did He do? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bent down and wrote on the ground with His finger. There has been great speculation over what He wrote in the dirt.  I would love to know the answer! (a question for heaven, perhaps). After writing, the Lord straightened up and spoke the famous words mentioned above, “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” He again bent down to write.

Godly wisdom and grace had won the day. And with those words, the “religious” crowd started leaving, one-by-one, with the oldest going first (an interesting detail). He had confronted the “rock and hard place” as well as the hypocrisy of the crowd of judges. But what happened to the woman caught in adultery? As the last person walked away, just she and Jesus stood alone.  Jesus asked her …

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.
“Go now and leave your life of sin.”
John 8:10b-11

Jesus took what had been “a rock and a hard place” and made it into “a rock and a grace place.”

So what can we take from this stoning that never was? First of all, be careful of the condemning spirit which can so easily rear its ugly head (the one that sees a splinter in their brother’s eye and misses the log in its own —  Matthew 7:3-5). None of us is without sin. I am also reminded that godly confrontation is the standard and is much-needed as we stand amidst the rocks.  Truth tellers sometimes have to confront. And although we may never be as masterful in the rocky places, we can be as merciful.  God’s wisdom is absolutely available and His grace is to be re-gifted.

Of all this real life moment teaches me, the most important truth is that people matter above all to God. The adulterer was shamed, but Christ forgave her.  I believe her heart was changed. It is easy to look outward with condemning eyes, but when we love like Christ, our words will be full of grace and compassion — not condemnation!  Follow His example and leave your rocks lie in a grace place.

Please know that at Journey on Word, our desire is to show the grace and compassion of Christ through our writing. Our hope is to encourage Christ-followers, and to share the hope of salvation to anyone who is searching for the ultimate peace that only Christ can give. If we can help you on the journey, please contact us at: journeyonwordwithus@gmail.com

Being defined by what you do … It is so easy for others to do this to us, but it is also something we can do to ourselves.  In our deep sense of responsibility or the drive to achieve and provide, we can become inextricably associated with the “work of our hands”.  And lest this be judged solely as a “corporate America” sort of problem, I believe this touches every area of vocation.  Our “work” consumes an increasing measure of our time and attention.  The trend is upward, and I am not sure I see any break in that trend anytime soon.

Several years ago, a brother-more-than-friend spontaneously bought me a book.  The book was titled Let Your Life Speak (by Parker J. Palmer), and it landed squarely in the lap of a growing discontent I had shared with him.  It immediately spoke to me, and helped me begin to see the essential distinction between what I do and who I am.  Early in the book I came across a word I mentioned in the third sentence of this post … vocation.  It’s a word I thought I knew, but have since discovered otherwise.  It’s a word that I associated with “work” or “profession,” but have since learned these associations are only the foliage on the tree, they are not its trunk or roots.  Maybe you already knew this, but the word “vocation” actually has its roots in the Christian faith.  Bullets three and four in the dictionary.com definition say:

• a divine call to God’s service or to the Christian life.
• a function or station in life to which one is called by God.

The word vocation comes from the Latin word for “calling”.

I could go on for several more pages with what I have learned about the word, but suffice it to say our modern vernacular has drawn the definition away from its roots.  Unless I am the exception, our understanding of the word is more consistent with the first two bullets in the dictionary definition:

• a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.
• a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.

I found myself saddened by an ignorance of the word’s true meaning, but buoyed by the hope the new discovery brought to my life.

On page 25 of his book, Mr. Palmer offers his own definition of vocation.  He writes…

Vocation at its deepest level is, “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.”

I found the roots of the reasons in the words of Ephesians 1:11 (MSG) …

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

“Yes, Jesus!”, cries my spirit.  “It is not my job or the things I do as a husband, father or friend which define me.”

When I began reading Let Your Life Speak, I started a small journal and titled it, “Journey to my sacred self.”  Over the years that have followed, I have written and sketched some revealing truths about the “true” me (who I believe God made and gifted me to be).  I wouldn’t presume to suggest that you follow my same path, but I do encourage this essential conversation with God to discover who He has made and uniquely gifted you to be.  Sit a while with the words of Ephesians 1:11 and let them echo in your heart and mind.   We are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image, and it is only in and through Him that we find “who we are.”  And it is only in the process of finding our true self that our life begins to pour out the streams of “what we are living for.”  In finding your vocation (what your true and sacred self was knit together by God to do), you may just find that it’s not your job.  You may also find new hope that your “job” and your vocation are closer than you expected.

Amazing is a fair word to describe the number of surprising events which happen to each of us in the course of every day, much less every week. Just yesterday, I was surprised to arrive at my hotel and find the power off! Did God say, “Oops, what just happened to Mike?” Later that evening, I was again surprised when the power flickered and I lost TV coverage of my favorite basketball team. Did God say “Oops again” to my second power outage of the day?  Then, upon arriving at the gate for my early morning flight today, it was announced there were three groups totaling 130 people (mostly children) on the flight. Why me? Did God say, even once, “Oops Mike, that caught me by surprise?”

Often, the surprises you and I face aren’t just funny or annoying but serious and concerning. But do any of the events which cloud our days and weeks cause God to say, “Oops, what is going on here?” Intellectually, we would all agree there is no “Oops” in God’s vocabulary. He is conscious of every moment, available for every need, and utterly dependable. So why do Christ-followers let the inevitable surprises of daily life annoy, frustrate, and cause us to live with unsettled hearts? If our Father is not saying “Oops” and we can trust Him with every part of our lives, why should (or do) we say it? It all boils down to trust, and how we view His control over the events of our lives.  We know that surprises are coming.

I am writing this article at 35,000 feet on my quiet flight (all those kids must be asleep). It is a joy to be looking down at a canopy of beautiful clouds. Who made those glorious, powdery, white balls of fluff? Oh yes, the God who never says “Oops!”  If He can make the beauty of those clouds, then the daily and weekly issues of our lives are no problem for God to handle. We may never understand why some events happen and why the pain of life is often palpable, but there should never be a question about the Father’s understanding, care, and knowledge of every moment we experience. Our, “Oops, what just happened?” moments are never missed by our sovereign God.

O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!
Jeremiah 32:17 

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
Psalm 139:1-3

The verses above give us a clear picture of God’s power and personal knowledge of us. My thoughts on God never saying “Oops” came from a passing comment by Michael Booth (a Christian singer). His words came and went quickly, but the concept penetrated me deeply. Does anything happen to you and I that is outside His knowledge or reach? Of course not! Trusting Him for every day and every surprise changes our perspective of the, “Oops, what is going on?” moments. Can any of us even suggest that what just happened to us caught the Maker of heaven and earth off guard?

We all know the answer. We all know surprises are coming. We all know that He cares about us beyond our comprehension. It’s time to give every surprise over to the One who never says, “Oops, that caught me off guard!”

The question is, will we?

How much and how completely do I trust God?  These were questions that unexpectedly arose as I prepared myself for the day last Friday morning.  To fully understand the context, we need to back up a few days to Wednesday of last week.  I was navigating my week with a deep, unspoken anxiety.  I was experiencing some physical pain which truly scared me, but which I couldn’t bring myself to share with anyone.  I suppose I was “praying” that it was nothing, so why cry wolf.

Mid-morning Wednesday, I walked down the hall at work, grabbed a cup of coffee and stopped at a friend’s office to chat for a few minutes on my way back.  I must have been wearing a bit of my anxiety on my face, because not long into the conversation my friend asked me if anything was up.  I paused for a moment (as a discussion went on in my head about whether I should finally just let it out), and then answered.  I offered a plain and honest admission of what I was experiencing and my friend listened intently.  Almost immediately, he began finishing my sentences.  It did not take long to figure out that he had experienced nearly identical symptoms and pain himself several years ago.  He shared his own fear and details from a visit to his doctor.  Almost instantly my anxiety began to lift, and not soon after I began laughing as the tension just broke loose.  As I left his office, I felt as though the 10 or so minutes I spent with my friend was a gift from God.  An answer to the prayer I should have been speaking for peace in the midst of my troubling circumstances.  My friend reassured me that with just another few days to a week of additional patience and perseverance, my pain was likely to subside then disappear.  There was proper caution of a few things to keep a keen eye on as signs of potential trouble, but all in all I could breathe again.

As I stood in the shower Friday morning I felt another twinge of pain.  The anxiety I’d been carrying earlier in the week instantly returned.  Maybe my circumstances (although appearing to be an identical match) were somehow different.  I stopped myself.  As the anxiety seemed to be rolling downhill and picking up momentum, I stopped myself.

In that moment I saw my circumstances as an illustration of my trust issues with God.  How much and how completely do I trust Him?  When He answers and then my circumstances tempt me with concern, how do I respond?  Was God’s gift to me on Wednesday really Him and was it really a gift or was that just me responding to a suggestion (which I craved) that I was going to be fine?  I had a genuine feeling walking out of my friend’s office that God had spoken words of peace to me, but how quickly did the pain of my now injure that peace?  The words “trust but verify” echoed in my head.  Maybe they had some merit in considering these questions of trust.  I felt as though I needed to consider them further before I judged how biblical that “wisdom” is.  It’s worldly wisdom which makes sense, but my heart was not settled on them being words of absolute truth.  Maybe they head in the direction of describing Thomas and his insistence on seeing and touching Jesus’ wounds before believing that He had risen.

Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.
John 20:25b (ESV)

Did Thomas want to trust, but couldn’t do so completely without proof?  Did I really want to trust, but didn’t do so completely (as evidenced by the return of strong anxiety after feeling the twinge of pain)?  I hear the beautiful grace and forgiveness of Jesus in His invitation to Thomas to touch and see.  I felt the beautiful grace and forgiveness of Jesus in the revealing of my imperfect trust.  I believe my heart was right to be unsettled with “trust but verify.”  I hear that in Jesus’ response to Thomas.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29 (ESV)

Father, I believe.  Please help me in my unbelief.  Spirit, guide me as I orient my heart and life in the direction of unconditional trust.  I do not hear or feel condemnation in my battle to trust You.  I hear the invitation to touch and see.  I desire to trust without the need to, and battle to fully accept Your grace after the twinges of pain and doubt.    Thank you for the illustration in my anxiety of the past week.  Thank you for working all things for my good.

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;
I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
Psalm 56:4 (ESV)

I am going to tell you about an incident in my life this week which will probably sound a little silly.  But sometimes, simple moments suddenly bring “Ah Ha!” type epiphanies.  We had our house power washed last Friday.  We were asked to remove all the window screens so there would be no chance of tearing one with the force of the water.  Mike was able to get them all out rather quickly and easily.  I decided to go with the moment and took them down to hose them all off and let them dry in the sun.  That evening, we proceeded to “attempt” to put the screens back in — no amount of effort could get those screens back into the windows!  We both tried, studied, analyzed, groaned, huffed and puffed, but not one screen would pop back into any window.  We tried the next day — and the next — but there was nothing we could do to get those screens back in.  So, now it’s Monday and I am thinking we cannot possibly call Champion windows to ask for a repairman to come and put in our screens!  I arrived home first Monday afternoon with a renewed commitment to get those dumb things in. I knew we must be missing the little “trick” to pop those suckers in, but what was it?! After another frustrating 15 minutes, it finally hit me … is this too silly or goofy to pray about? So I had a frank talk with the Lord, and asked Him to show me the “trick” — the right way to pop in the screens.  And, you guessed it, the screen popped in on the very first try!  It went in so easily, it was almost like magic.  As I happily skipped from window to window, popping in screen after screen, (each taking about 30 seconds to do), I had to wonder;

Was the Lord smiling or shaking His head?

The prophet Habakkuk said in chapter 2, verse 1:

I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

In the book Jesus, Continued, author JD Greear writes that prayer is relationship and a two-way interaction.

“Prayer is not just informing God about things we need His help with.  He already knows everything and doesn’t need us to be His news-ticker reel for our lives. Prayer is relationship in which we pour out our requests to God and experience His guidance…”

So I have decided that God was smiling as I cheerfully rejoiced with each new popped-in screen.  He took pleasure in my joy, but even more so because I came to Him (even with my simple and silly).  He could have shaken His head at the fact that it took me until the fourth day before I took this little frustration to Him, but I don’t believe that is in His nature.  Habakkuk got it – watch and listen for what God will say to us.  In big things and in the small, a relationship like God wants to have with us allows us to talk to Him about …

Anything!

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much
Luke 16:10

Last Friday, a friend shared with me that when her husband died, two of their grandchildren sang a song (I saw Jesus in You) at his funeral. What a legacy! I believe there was something within the granddaughters that wanted to imitate the Christ-like quality of their grandfather. We all see qualities in others which are worthy of imitation. Yet most of us shudder at the thought of having someone imitate characteristics from our lives. But they do! So, on one hand we desire imitation, and on the other we fear it.

From our earliest memories, we can recall occasions where we would imitate our parents. Did you ever follow dad around the garage pretending to use his tools exactly how he would, or make cookies with mom in the kitchen? We all started young with a desire to imitate others. In all areas of life, whether it is talents, skills, or even character qualities, others have attributes that we want to possess.

Conversely, what are the special qualities in your life worthy of imitation? You may feel there is nothing special about yourself, and reject the notion that anyone would care to mimic you. But without question, qualities in your life can be worthy of imitation, especially the spiritual attributes. When you are growing in faith, and consistently loving others, the distinctiveness of your life is worthy of imitation. You may tend to look solely at your weaknesses, but others also see patience, care, humility and steadfastness.

Can you imagine someone willingly volunteering the words, “Imitate my life”? I believe we are all too afraid of failing or hindering someone to mouth those words ourself. And even thinking those words seems profoundly arrogant! But there was a prominent man in ancient times who said as much a couple of times. Was he arrogant, or just confident enough in his relationship with Jesus to speak his true feelings? Listen to the words of the apostle Paul.

Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
I Corinthians 4:15-16

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God–even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
I Corinthians 10:32-11:1

What courage! What confidence! But let’s also be quick to clarify. What Paul wanted was for others to imitate him as he followed the example of Christ, and in his role as a spiritual mentor. We may never utter those words ourselves, but our hearts should beat so strong for Christ that our lives are worthy of imitation. Could others say that your love for Christ inspires them to mimic that love? I may be preaching now, but our kids (even adult children), friends, and work associates need to see a life worthy of imitation. Paul may have had the courage to speak strong words, but let us join him with our own courage to live strong lives. How we live before others does matter for eternity.

When all is said and done, could it be said of you and me, “That was a life worth imitating”?

One of the many things I LOVE about scripture is how the Spirit can use a well-worn single phrase, verse or entire portion of scripture and bring it into view at just the right time in your life to bring hope, healing, encouragement or challenge.  Truth is the same yesterday and today and forever (just as is said of Jesus in Hebrews 13:8), but its application in our lives can be as new as the circumstance we find ourselves in right at this very moment.  This is the living and breathing power of God’s Word in any age and at any time.

This idea of power (in forgiving, healing and judgement) is a recurring theme in a chapter in Luke we read only a short time ago.  And it’s at the heart of the disciples response to Jesus’ standard of forgiveness.

The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”
Luke 17:5  MSG

It seems a bit odd, but on deeper consideration totally plausible, that the disciples would ask for more faith in living up to the standard Jesus had just set for forgiving someone.

Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,” forgive him.
Luke 17:4  MSG

This wouldn’t be the world’s wisdom in responding to repeated hurt.  In our own selves, it isn’t ours either.  Would you have answered back as the apostles did?  I think we can easily hear ourselves saying the very same words to Jesus.  “But Jesus, did you hear what they said?!  Did you see what they did?! And this isn’t just the seventh time they’ve said or done it either!  It can’t be okay for them to keep saying or doing it, is it?!  You can’t want me to be walked all over, right?!  Alright, I heard you, but I’m going to need more faith if I’m ever going to come close to forgiving them again!”  I wonder if any of that was going through the heads of the apostles that day.

Jesus’ response begins with one of those “well-worn single phrases” I referred to as I began this post.  They are a handful of words that most, if not all of us, would readily recognize (maybe not in the exact words of “The Message” text) …

But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.
Luke 17:6  MSG

“You don’t need more faith.”  That must have been a response  the disciples didn’t see coming.  And I wonder if it’s one that we really believe.  I’ve heard and repeated, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed ” many times over, but as I read and allowed the words to settle deeper, new life was breathed into that “seed” of truth.

As I navigate through life and its many uphill moments and seasons, it seems my call is most often for “more” … more time, more presence, more healing, more patience, more peace, more power, more faith.  Jesus is clear in responding that we don’t need “more.”  We only need a minute measure of pure faith to possess the kind of power which uproots a mature, stalwart tree.  Romans 8:11 tells us that if we believe, we have the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in us.  A truth you’ve, no doubt, heard many times before but take a minute and let that settle deeper.  The exact same power as raised Jesus from the dead is within all who believe … is inside of ME … is inside of YOU.

The pace of human technology is traveling at light speed.  In the design, research and manufacture of Intel’s most recent computer processor chip, researchers created transistors so small that it was calculated 30 million of them could fit on the head of a pin.  Yet as powerful as “30 million on the head of a pin” sounds, it is dwarfed by resurrection power.

Let us not be found asking for “more.”  Let us rather focus on becoming less, and tapping into the bottomless well of resurrection power found deep inside each of us.  Let us live and forgive in that power.

Do you ever come to a turn in the road and sense your emotional tank is on “E” (empty)? It may not sound spiritual to admit it, but I do. As you advance in your journey, I am inclined to believe there will be many more times you will feel as though you are running on fumes. If you are not careful and intentional, you will find that your emotional equilibrium will have measurably more “tank drains” than “fill-ups”. If you have followed Christ for any length of time, you can confidently articulate key verses of Scripture which give hope. But if you are honestly struggling to not “stall out,” something needs to change. My trust is, the next few thoughts are just the journey fuel that you need.

Over the years, a friend from another century has blessed me. He feels so much like a friend because of the mentoring influence his own journey has had on mine. Hudson Taylor was serving God in China, sacrificing for God’s purpose and running on empty. At a critical time when his spiritual agony was at its peak, he read a sentence contained in a letter from John McCarthy. The words of that sentence were life changing for Taylor.

“But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.”
(an excerpt from Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor)

If you have ever sensed your emotions were beginning to stall-out, you can probably relate to what Hudson Taylor felt. And if that is you, consider the words of his friend a “fill-up” for you as well. In the letter from his friend, the Holy Spirit gifted Hudson a “fill-up” of fuel for the journey. The words were few, but they were powerful and life-changing.

He was trying too hard to generate faith, and not understanding that he could simply rest on the Faithful One. He possessed the principle … and stopped striving.  Rest came! Our culture is all about striving to succeed. Although we know better, “I can do it” logic bleeds into our spiritual journey. For years, I found myself working (striving) to have His rest. It was futile.  Are you willing to quit trying so hard to grow in faith? Are you willing to rest on the Faithful One? When the emphasis moves from our striving to His never-failing care for us, there is a powerful change that takes place. I call it rest!

A few pages later in the same book, the words of a non-striving, restful Hudson Taylor are penned. Over the last two weeks these words have inspired me. Read them slowly accepting that, for all Christ-followers, they can be reality!

“I am no longer anxious about anything, for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where he places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient. —- So, if God should place me in great perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? No fear that His resources will be unequal to the emergency! And His resources are mine—for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.”

In Christ, our lives can reflect the same confidence and rest!

Life didn’t become easy for Taylor after his eyes were opened to the rest of God. Likewise, our journeys will continue to have twists and turns, but we are not a prisoner to the desperation of running on fumes. God’s design is not for His children to feel empty. He is willing to give us the fill-up of emotional and spiritual energy for each mile we travel. Our challenge is … will we avail ourselves of God’s provision?

Stop trying so hard to be faithful and listen to my mentor – rest on the Faithful One.

A wife suddenly announces to her husband of 20 years, “I never loved you.”  A position that was going to take the employee to retirement is terminated without reason.  A Good Samaritan loses their life trying to help a person in trouble.  A wedding engagement is inexplicably broken.  A person pours their heart and soul into a project only to be replaced by someone far less qualified.  As you read this, I have a question for you…

W H Y ?

Some years back, the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People , by Harold Kushner, hit the shelves and became an instant bestseller.  The author’s three year-old son had been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and the doctors felt he would only live into his early teen years.  The author, as he struggled with this crisis in his family, kept asking the question…

W H Y ?

Charles Swindoll (one of my favorite authors) states, “God has trusted each of us with our own set of unfair circumstances and unexplained experiences to deal with.  Can we still trust in Him even if He never tells us why?”  Unfair and unexplained.  I know 98% of you reading this can almost instantly think of an experience in your life that was either unfair or unexplained … or maybe both!  I can, too.  And I bet most of us, at one time or another, navigating through the process asked the question…

W H Y ?

Looking at the life of David, there were many occasions he had to ask, “Why?”  He had tried to serve King Saul with loyalty and bravery.  He had saved the nation by killing Goliath.  He had followed orders well as a soldier of the king.  He tried to respect Saul’s position even though he knew God had ordained him to be the next king (he was willing to wait on God’s timing).  Yet time after time David experienced deep hunger and despair, fear and dread, and was so often on the run for his life.  After repeatedly trying to do the right thing to honor God, David must have asked himself…

W H Y ?

In Psalm 7, David asks this question.  He searches his heart and asks if he’s brought this on himself.  He begs the Lord to reveal to him how he is to blame for this situation.

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
if I have repaid my friend with evil
or plundered my enemy without cause,
let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust.

David is struggling with the feeling that his suffering is something he did not really deserve.  And by verse 27 of that same Psalm, he has resolved to place his confidence in the Lord.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

For many of us, not knowing “why” things like that happen is almost mental and emotional torture.  Today, can we strive to replace the “why,” with…

Confidence and Trust

Bad things are going to continue to happen to good people.  With strength as we cling to the Lord and His promises, we can stop asking “Why?” and start praising Him in confidence and trust.

Please allow me to share a story which I wrote nearly two years ago.  It would take too long to explain my reason for doing so, but suffice it to say the events of the past week and a half have caused me to remember the story and experience its resonance with where I find myself today.

I found myself alone in the drive-thru at McDonald’s the day my boys and I were set to travel and join my wife for the viewing and funeral of her best friend Lisa.  I’m not sure I was hungry, but felt as though I needed something to curb the dull ache in my stomach.  I decided on a menu choice that triggered a spontaneous, yet sad chuckle.  I was anything but, when I asked the polite drive-thru clerk for a “happy meal.”  As the clerk confirmed my hamburger with no onions and apple slices, she asked me a question that quite unexpectedly buckled my knees.  It was all I could do to answer, “for a boy, please.”  I’m not completely certain why things hit me like they do, but her question hit me square.  “Is this for a boy, or a girl?” she innocently asked.  It was as if the very words of the Spirit that lives inside me were asking the same question of my suffering.

I have an earthly father and mother whom I love deeply.  There was a time in my life when I was completely dependent on them.  As I began to grow, my parents lovingly and intentionally taught and guided me.  They did so with the knowledge that it was best for me to leave them one day, and they equipped me for that day as well as any parent could.  I was given freedoms and responsibilities that ultimately prepared me to establish a life for myself and to love, care, and provide for the wife and two boys God had specifically chosen for me.  This, for me, was the natural progression of growing up as a man — to be responsible and feel responsible.  This was what I was desperately trying to do for every person whom I loved who was hurting in the hours and days after Lisa’s death.  My motives were pure, my intentions were good, but I was acting as if my strength was what was required of me.

In what seemed like an instant, the completely unrelated, yet essential question from the drive-thru attendant penetrated the tough outer layer which had already begun to form around my heart and mind.  The kind of layer we tend to believe is necessary to stand firm against an attack of this magnitude and be a shield and support for those we love.  In what seemed like an instant, the Spirit of God whispered words of comfort and permission; permission to admit, “I am just a boy.”

I’d like to believe I’m a maturing boy, but I am a boy, nonetheless.  My heavenly Father is lovingly and intentionally teaching and guiding me, but it is not for the same purpose as my earthly parents.  Meeting this moment of suffering as a “grown man” and being “worthy” as a husband, father, brother, uncle and friend are not what God expects of me.  I am just a boy.  I am a boy in a world which was not created to experience loss and pain.  I am a boy whose heart can only be hardened by it, if I try to experience and conquer it on my own.  I am a boy who is made strong only in as much as I choose my own weakness and my Father’s strength.  I am a boy who needs the refuge of my Father’s arms and the comfort of Abba’s lap.

In the grief-filled moments which followed my drive-thru exchange, a beautiful peace poured over me.  For all the responsibility I felt, I had been invited into the only thing God expects of me; to answer my suffering with the response, “for a boy, please.”  I must experience this truth for myself and accept the invitation I’m being given to know God more.

In the midst of the “hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” a voice comes over the drive-thru speaker and speaks directly into my suffering.  I wonder if you need to hear that too in the midst of your right now.

Join me.  Say the words.

“For a boy, please.”

“For a girl, please.”