Looking Directly at the Son

I catch a glimpse of the sun before the clouds once again take over. It's presence is scarce when the snow flies for what seems like months on end and mixes with the slush already on the ground. I have been missing the warmth and smile as it kisses my cheek.

"Don't look directly at the sun," an adult cautions. The warning comes across the years of my memory.

But I want to look at the sun. It has been too long absent from my life. It's commanding presence beckons me to take a peek.

Don't look directly at the sun. Wise advice to follow, to some extent. In life though, what I think the world needs most is to look directly at the son, or more importantly, to not take our eyes off of the son.

When my eyes are on Jesus and his love for me, I am confident in who I am. I do not have to perform in order to prove my worth to those around me.

When I look at Jesus, I see he is beside me through the trials of my day. I can have peace when the chaos around me screams the loudest.

When my eyes remain on Jesus, I do not worry about tomorrow. I trust that he will give me what I need when I need it the most. He does not always give me answers but he always gives me himself - and that is enough.

So, look at the son. Study the son. Bask in the warmth of the son. Ask him what he thinks about you. And smile the next time the sky shines in radiance.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 NIV)

Lord, I want to keep my eyes on you and not on the world around me or the circumstances that change. Thank you for being the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

A Fresh Start to the Day

The commercial was brilliant. Relaxing at a kitchen table, a man drank juice while discussing what his day would hold with the individuals who would (hours from now) cause him stress. News of a flat tire, an encounter with an annoying neighbor, and a missed deadline later in the day was met with a strangely positive response. How would he be able to face it all with a smile? He started his day with the right drink. Cue the catchy jingle and fade to black.

All it takes is starting the day with a drink of juice, huh? Wouldn't that be nice.

But what if all it takes is starting the day with a drink? A drink of pure living water.

When I connect with the very source of life first thing in the morning, I handle stress differently. When I gaze for a few moments at the face of sacrificial love, I face unexpected challenges with more patience. When I ponder the immense power he holds in his hands, I worry about what the day holds less and am able to rest in peace.

With the opportunity to change the course of my day in this way, do I always begin in worship? I wish I could say yes. I am learning to seek him first because I see things more from his perspective and react in a way that is honoring to him when I do.

Plus, it's cheaper than stocking up on fancy juice.


But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 59:16 NIV)

Jesus answered her (the Samaritan woman), “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water...  Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10, 13-14 NIV)

He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water. (John 7:38 AMP)


Wonderful counselor, source of living water, thanks for the reminder of how important it is for me to start my day with you. I want to face the unexpected events of my day with a heart full of your love. Amen.

Worry While Waiting

I type when I feel I have been given something to say. I usually wake up with an idea in my head and an excitement builds until I put it into words. This month has been different, quieter than usual. It's not that God has been silent or distant, but I have not sensed a pull to act.

So I wait.

And I discover my anxiousness comes from wanting to do things in my own time, which is almost always NOW. I formulate a plan for how I want something to go or embrace a vision of my own creation only to forget: what is of God must come from God. It cannot come from me. If I run with what I want and ask him to bless it, it will not be the same as hearing from him what I need to do and acting upon it. And often in those situations, I give myself credit for the outcome.

Wait. Why is obedience in this area so hard? It does not produce tangible results, results I too often hang my value upon.

Waiting is hard, but in the stillness I can hear God's direction better than when I am constantly doing. Listening to him, waiting for a green light is not unproductive. It is right where he wants me, growing closer to him.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10a NIV)

Be silent, and I will teach you wisdom (Job 33:33b NIV)

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31 NASB)

God's timing is perfect. I may not know why I am asked to wait, but I choose not to worry about getting something done that was never from him in the first place. I will wait in expectation for his green light before joyfully moving forward.


God, teach me contentment right where you have placed me now. You ask me to seek your face and listen to your truth. I know you have big plans. I trust you with the timing. Amen.

Not a Resolution, a Realization

I am not going to make a resolution this year. Supposedly, according to some no-doubt highly trustworthy survey that was taken, less than ten percent of resolutions are realized. I will go a different direction altogether.

This year I am going to walk confidently in the realization that I am REDEEMED. I will look at myself the way Jesus does, not with condemnation, but with love.

LOVE.

He accepts me as I am while encouraging me to draw closer to him. I will accept my faults while allowing him to guide me in better decisions.

I will not worry about what others think of me. Their judgements, vocalized or not, do not change who I am in Christ. Their opinions can fade in the light of the King of Glory.

But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

REDEEMED.
 
My redeemer, guide me this year deeper and deeper into your truth. When I look in the mirror, remind me of who I am and whose I am.

"Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFC76Z_2oC4

Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV, Isaiah 44:22 NIV

Never Alone

Loneliness is no respecter of age. It weaves through the seniors' rooms where I work. My heart aches for them, and I spend as much time talking and joking with them as one person can. 

But driving home Christmas night I got angry - with God.

"How can lives that were once so full seem so empty? 
Why do you allow this solitude? 
Where are you?"

 He spoke to me in a song. 
(Which he does more often than anyone would believe.)

We cannot separate
You're part of me
Though you're invisible
I'll trust the unseen 

I cry out with no reply
I can't feel you by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here, and I'm never alone

It was obvious, but I had missed it. Those who trust in him have been given the gift that conquers loneliness: oneness with Christ. The baby born in a stable grew to be a man who cannot be separated from those who love him.  

Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Our God gives you everything you need. 

My perception of being alone is in essence, wrong. It is a lie whispered by the prince of darkness himself. I can feel alone. I can observe that others seem to be alone. In reality, this is an impossibility for believers.

So, as the song suggests, I cling with all my might to the unseen.

I am never alone.

Those who are truly alone have decided to walk down the path of life solo. And I must continue to reach out a hand and offer a better way.

Christ in me, thanks for bringing me around to truth. I love how you remind me often of your presense with glimpses of your glory. Help others to realize the magnitude of this gift you have given us. Guide me as your light in a dark and lonely world. Amen. 

"Never Alone" - Barlow Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlaV4z8QqSE

*Col. 1:27 NIV, 1 Thess. 1:2 MSG

When Greatest Fears Come True

Senseless. Questioning. Torn.

How could this happen? They were only children, concerned mostly with whether their heart's desire was waiting under a tinsel topped tree.

Their parents had probably been praying for their safety for years. How could God ignore such a selfless request, twenty times over?

That is the view from down here, in a fallen world.

But what if God not only answered the prayers of each of the parents in Connecticut, but he did more than they could ever ask or think or imagine. *

In my mind, a prayer for my children's protection means safety and shelter from the evil around them. "Please keep them safe" translates to, "Don't let them be hurt."

Since my thoughts are not his thoughts and my ways are not his ways,* I have to try to make sense of things from his point of view.

What if his idea of "keeping them safe" means giving them peace that passes all understanding* in the midst of evil? What if it means them feeling his warm arms around them and hearing a whisper of "I am here with you. Fear not." Perhaps he answers prayers by wiping every tear from their eyes*, forever.

I serve a God who promises to never leave me or forsake me*. I believe he can do anything. So I have to trust that his love was wrapped around each scared student and teacher. It's possible he kept them from feeling any pain at all. He was outraged at the evil even more so than I was. Yet, as the broken son of Adam pulled the trigger, I am sure God was speaking to his soul too, saying, "I love you. I still want to forgive you. Yes, I died even for you. Please turn and believe."

It still hurts. The happenings of this world will never seem fair. Death was not the original plan for his children. Pain in the face of evil, especially for those left trying to make sense of it all, is unavoidable. He longs to comfort those who mourn if we will let him.

However, my faith can not depend on God answering my prayers the way I want them to be answered. That is telling God, "I know better than you how to handle this situation."

Tonight as I pray over my children, I will ask him to use the pain they encounter in this world to make them stronger and keep them safely in his arms forever. I will echo Paul:  

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19 MSG)

I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (Eph 1:17-19 MSG)

Thank you, God of wisdom, for allowing me to share this life with others, whether it be for decades or days. Help me to hold onto everyone around me loosely and you tightly. Amen.


*Ephesians 3:20, Isaiah 55:8, Philippians 4:7, Revelation 21:4, Deuteronomy 31:6   

Gazing Upward

The day had been hard. I needed a moment of stillness. Although the computer beckoned to me, I chose to turn the lights off, save for the Christmas tree, and lay on the couch. My mind wandered for awhile until I focused on the scene before my eyes.

The children had obviously played with the nativity set on the coffee table. Every figurine except for one was toppled. The lone shepherd was gazing intently into the sky, watching in expectation. His act of reverence and the current state of my heart were polar opposites, and it unnerved me.

In an act of defiance, I gave a tug to the cloth beneath him. If I was not standing tall, he should not either. (This all made perfect sense to me at midnight.) My earthquake, however, did not achieve the result I desired. He stood his ground, staring skyward in perfect peace.

Then I remembered something my pastor had recently said. In a study of Christians who had gone through times of great trial, the ones who kept their faith and peace were the ones who had a habit of sitting at the Lord's feet daily, in his word and in prayer. They did not wait until they were in a bind to seek the Lord. They were in constant communication with him already. And when troubles (earthquakes) came, they continued to gaze upward.

Chuckling to myself for allowing the circumstances of the day to darken my spirits, I carefully restored order to the entire manger. Then I thanked God for the humorous heart lesson.

I choose to keep my eyes focused on the King of Kings.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. (Psalm 8:1 NIV)

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me... (Psalm 16:8-10a NIV)

 

Almighty God, thank you for showing me truth in ordinary objects. Help me to always look for your messages of hope, even when the light around me grows dim. When others fall, plant my feet deeper so I will not be shaken. Amen.