Category: Recovered Blogs

Back to Nature

Having lived in a huge city of concrete towers and masses of people, I think I appreciate even more the opportunity to live closer to the natural world. Up here on our windy hilltop with the birds at the feeder and the deer walking through the forest, I am so much more at peace with the world. Feeling the earth as I dig and plant, listening to the rain, even petting the cat connects with some deep place in my spirit that was missing amid the materialism of malls and mass transit systems.

I did not attribute any great spiritual significance to my love of nature, I just thought as a child of the 60’s I was a bit of a hippie at heart. Recently I have discovered that there may be more to this.

Why did God when he responded to the angry questions of Job, point him first to the natural created world? It was almost as if God was saying, “Have you looked around? How can you question a God who is capable of speaking into existence all this magnificent, intricate, overpowering living and life-giving planet?” Go back to nature Man! It’s all there in the rhythm of the seasons, the tides, the creatures and in the very soul and mindfulness of man.

Dallas Willard states, “Paul himself explains that all human beings remain responsible, no matter how far they fall, because of the clear way in which God stands forth in natural reality. ‘Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible nature is clearly presented to their understanding through what has been made.’ Romans 1:19-20.

The question is frequently asked regarding the people who have never heard the gospel of Christ. To which Paul answers in Romans 10: 17-18 from the Amplified Bible

17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God’s message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world.

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

Yes, this world received the curse of the fall; as a result natural disasters are a part of our existence. However, the scripture indicates the burden of this on the earth with almost sentient descriptions.

Romans 8:19-22

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Jesus Himself pointed people to creation,

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!…27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

The purpose of this blog is not to gloat over those of my friends who still live in the steamy, smoggy overcrowded cities of the world. It is rather to say, take a break! Stop and watch the birds. Smell the flowers. Sit and listen to the waves. There is within the chaos that man creates to drown out the call of his creator, a still small voice and sometimes it is in the fragile face of a flower or the call of a bird.

If the very act of petting a cat has been shown to lower blood pressure, God must be saying something through the natural world. Maybe He is saying there is peace and praise when we pause long enough to appreciate the world He gave us.

Canticle of the creatures by Saint Francis of Assisi

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,

all praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.

No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all you have made,

and first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day;

and through whom you give us light.

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor;

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All Praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon

and the stars; in the heavens you have made them,

bright, and precious, and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Brothers wind and air, and fair and stormy,

all the weather’s moods,

by which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,

so useful, humble, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,

through whom you brighten up the night.

How beautiful is he, how cheerful!

Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through our Sister

Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us,

and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Let’s Talk

For many people, hearing the phrase “we need to talk” is somewhat terrifying. It equates in their minds to being in trouble, an invasion of privacy, and a need to disclose uncomfortable feelings and emotions that they would rather not air. Still, communication is absolutely vital to maintaining healthy relationships.
When it comes to talking with God, it becomes even more complicated. Recently I had posted the following quote by Timothy Keller to my Facebook page regarding Job’s often rather “in-your-face” challenges to God: Job 42:7-9
“Why would God be so affirming of Job? Job cursed the day he was born, challenged God’s wisdom, cried out and complained bitterly, expressed deep doubts…Through it all, Job never stopped praying. Yes, he complained, but he complained to God. He doubted, but he doubted to God. He screamed and yelled, but he did it in God’s presence. No matter how much in agony he was, he continued to address God. He kept seeking Him. And in the end, God said Job triumphed.”(1)
The story does not really end there though, because God knew that Job’s perceptions about Him were incorrect so after affirming that Job was still in right relationship with Him, He sat him down and gave him a lesson. Job 40:1-2, 1 The Lord said to Job, 2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”
After God had revealed Himself to Job in all the glory of His creation, Job had a more correct perspective on Himself and the God of the universe.
Then Job answered the LORD and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6 ESV)
That cosmic “attitude adjustment” is not really the point of this blog. Rather it is that this same overwhelmingly powerful God Job finally “saw” wants to communicate with us. It is there in the scriptures repeatedly!
Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
In other words, God was saying, “let’s talk about the things that separate you and me. I can take them away so that we can be in a free, open, unhindered relationship.”
He even went beyond through the Holy Spirit to promise to be with us available 24/7. Unlike what we experience within our frail and flawed human relationships, He will never be stand-offish or cold; whether or not we can perceive or feel Him, He is there!
Amplified John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor. Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever-
Then He says, talk to me!
Call, Isaiah 65:24,
Ask, Matthew 7:7-11
Pray, Ephesians 6:18
So, my goal for this New Year is to come when He calls, to sit at His feet like Mary, and to talk to Him!
Brother Lawrence, a monk who lived in the 1600’s, described it this way, “a habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with God.”
He goes on to describe coming before God in confession as if before a king.
“This King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastening me, embraces me with love, invites me to feast at His table, serves me with His own hands, and gives me the keys to His treasures. He converses with me, and takes delight in me, and treats me as if I were His favorite.” (2)
I do not think I have ever felt like I was truly someone’s favorite…
Maybe the Father and I should talk about that.

(1) Keller, Timothy. Walking with God Through Pain & Suffering. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2013.

(2) Foster, Richard J. and James Bryan Smith, Devotional Classics. New York: HarperCollins, 1993

Hope for the Almonds

I realize that this is a strange title for a blog post. No, it is not a campaign to raise awareness regarding the imminent loss of nut trees. It is not a new organic diet to cure cancer. It is rather a concept that has spiritual significance to me. Try not to laugh…smirking is allowed.
As an introverted teenager, ages ago in boarding school, I was blessed by the words God spoke to Jeremiah: 1:6 ESV 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”
For many years, these words were tremendously helpful; however I am no longer a youth. One day in my later years, I was reading this chapter in the Amplified Bible and found the following verses: “11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter].
12 Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.”
Alertness, activity, and the ability to blossom even late in the winter of life, that sounds great to me! It is necessary to observe that God is the one who is alert and active in the performing of His word. This fact is important, since that means the activity is generated in His power and not in mine.
Recently, I encountered reference to the humble almond again in Numbers chapter 17, where even after his tremendous sin in enabling the people to worship the idol of the calf, Aaron’s tribe is chosen to be priests by the selection of his staff.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi…5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout…8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
What a sign of restoration! Sometimes we might wish we had a similar test to give to our Christian leaders who have fallen to see whose repentance was real. Even more important for me is that God knows my heart. He can cause me to blossom and bear fruit again even when others have written me off as a spiritual failure. Grace can do that!
For years, that rod of Aaron was just a dried up piece of stick found dead in the desert. Until it was touched by God. Francis Schaeffer describes what it is like to be a “Rod of God”.
“The people who receive praise from the Lord Jesus will not in every case be the people who held leadership in this life. There will be persons who were sticks of wood that stayed close to God and were quiet before him, and were used in power by him in a place that looks small to men. Each Christian is to be a rod of God in the place of God for him. We must remember throughout our lives that in God’s sight there are not little people and no little places. Only one thing is important: to be consecrated person’s in God’s place for us, at each moment.”[i]
This stick of almond wood intends to stay close to the alert and active God, who is going to fulfill His word in my life. I may blossom in the late winter of my life and, who knows, quite possibly become even nuttier than I am now!
[i]
Schaeffer, Francis A. No Little People. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1974.

Waiting for Rain

James 5:7 “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.”
Coming back to an environment with seasons has been refreshing in many ways. I confess that most of the time I am chilled to the bone now, but even living in layers of clothing has a certain comfort. There is a sense of expectation that comes with watching the trees turn colors and the seasonal decorations anticipating the coming holidays.
However, this verse from James touched me profoundly this week for another reason. You see, I know so many friends right now who desperately need the sustaining patience only God can provide to get them through their season that is in between the rains. The spring rains come; the farmer plants, but sometimes the wait until the latter rains can seem interminable.
That project that is halfway through and seems hopelessly stalled…
That child who has turned away from the family or God, and all you can do is beg the Father for mercy…That relationship that has been neglected for so long that it seems easier to walk away from, than to do the monumental task to rebuild…That final semester of all the classes when it seems you have been in school forever…My precious friends around the world who are fighting for their lives against the horror that is cancer, chemo, radiation, and fear-filled words like malignancy…

To all of us who do not feel we are currently living under the “showers of blessing”, this verse reminded me that the rains will come. As the writer of Hebrews says, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Heb. 10:36
How can you endure when the suffering seems too long? This is not a post advocating singing in prison, rejoicing in trials, etc. Yes, those verses are in scripture and are truth and will help you to be an overcomer. If you have the strength- by all means sing!
This post is an acknowledgement that there are times when our strength and hope are gone, and the best that we can do is endure. The same Paul who “brought the house down” singing in the jail with Silas, also wrote 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.”
There is also scriptural support for the following methods of coping:
Honestly tell God specifically what you need at this moment!
In the model prayer (Lord’s Prayer) Jesus said we could pray for enough bread to get through today. He also said worrying about what is ahead only leads to anxiety. (Matthew 6:34)

Dallas Willard explains it as follows:
“(Give us today our daily bread) this request embodies that confidence in our Father that relieves us from all anxiety. The emphasis is on provision today of what we need for today. His reign is the Eternal Now. So we do not ask him to provide today what we will need for tomorrow. To have it in hand today does not guarantee that we will have it tomorrow when we need it. Today I have God, and he has the provisions. Tomorrow it will be the same. So I simply ask today for what I need for today or ask now for what I need now.”(1)
James refers us to Job as the ultimate example of perseverance. James 5:11 “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” What is most remarkable about Job is how blatantly honest he was with God. He did get what he ask for, which was a chance to present his case directly to God. Granted he found the experience a bit overwhelming, but God did not condemn Job for his questions and even commended him. Job 42:7 and 8. Present your case before God.
Ask for help from others!
It is so much easier to complain to others about how hard it is, than to ask them specifically for help. It is interesting that following the verse about patiently enduring the time between the rains, James says not to grumble against one another. When no one seems to be aware that we are hurting, it is easy to become bitter and resentful. James solution is to verbalize: pray, sing, call, confess, and again to pray. James 5:13-16
In the Corinthians scripture where Paul said they had despaired even of life, he gives the lesson he learned through that experience. “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”
There are times we cannot rely on ourselves. We simply have to hold on to the God of resurrection and lean on the prayers of others! My friends, please be honest with your needs, and don’t apologize for asking. Let us help one another to hope as we listen for the rain.

(1) Willard, D. (1998). The Divine Conspiracy. New York: HarperCollins

Mud Men

It is no secret to those who know him that my husband has always had a fascination and love for Asia. Inferences to the “other woman” in my life come to mind. Years ago we started collecting “mud men” figures from wherever we could find them. Mud men are small clay figures that were originally used to decorate bonsai or miniature landscapes. The practice was known as Pen’Jing.

“To capture the realism of a favorite countryside or mountain scenic view, the artists added rocks and planted small trees in a large ceramic tray to simulate the panorama on a smaller scale. These were intended to invoke a harmonious feeling to the viewers.

In an effort to capture the illusion, the Chinese artisans used figurines of people, animals, huts, and temples, which gave an appearance of great age and size to the miniature forests. Figurines have had a place in bonsai as a visual contribution. Pen’Jing, nearly a lost art form, is experiencing a revival in modern-day China and is once again popular with Chinese bonsai enthusiasts.”[i]

As these things happen in my life when God wants to get a point across, my daughter Brenna and I have just returned from visiting the River arts district in Asheville North Carolina. This area is well-known for producing some of the finest artistic pottery and sculpture in the US. My daughter is also an accomplished pottery sculptor herself.

In church, for the past several weeks, the messages have referenced the scripture in 2 Timothy 2:20. “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

Then just in case I still wasn’t getting the message loud and clear, the speaker yesterday morning told the story of God’s command to Jeremiah to go and observe the potters at work. (Jeremiah 18) It was almost a deja vu experience since we had just returned from watching so many potters at work. How incredible that the process of pot-making has changed so little since the time of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 18:3, “So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”

The first thing you notice is how messy it is. Mud, buckets, utensils everywhere. Potters may be neat and fastidious, but their medium is not. Next they knead, roll, mash, the clay until it is soft and pliable. Even when it is on the wheel, as Jeremiah’s story states, the sensitive hands of the potter may still find a hard lump, an imperfection that creates a flaw and means the project will have to be started all over again. My daughter tells me that sometimes the clay just will not cooperate. Even finished pots that get broken can be ground back down to make “grog”. Grog can be worked into new posts to make them strong and flexible.

In the very beginning, God, the master potter made a little mud man named Adam.

Genesis 2:7 “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Even now, as Solomon said, that is really all we still are. Ecclesiastes 3:20, “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”

I think God has been trying to tell me that is all that I am, a lump of clay in the hands of the potter. The process of formation is sometimes painful, but the imperfections must be removed. Otherwise, as Jeremiah says, I will end up marred. It is frustrating that God seems to have to remake me over and over, “as it seems good to the potter to do”. That’s the thing that it is hard to remember. God is doing a good thing. Yet how often I become difficult, as Isaiah describes.

Isaiah 45:9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, (NIV says, ‘those who quarrel with their Maker’), a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’”

What is God doing? He is making that “vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

That’s the key; I need to remember that at best I am a little mud woman with a treasure inside. The power to be useful, honorable, and above all holy; certainly must come from God.

When I was reading about the Chinese mud men, I found this statement.

“For smaller ones, the artist just picked a small piece of mud and in no time made a figurine out of it by using their two fingers…Then the entire collection was fired in a kiln to cure the clay. Fingerprints can often still be seen, immortalized in the fired clay.”

When I come out of the fire Lord, let the world see Your fingerprints all over me!

[i] “Mystery of the Shekwan Ceramic Mud Woman & Mud Man.” n.d. EdenSong community. 10 November 2015. <http://www.edensong.com/mud_men_figures.htm>.

Repent!

Since returning to the U.S., I have been saddened by the constant stream of media fear and alarm that only ever seems to escalate with no real solutions offered. It seems that it is time to bring out the placards “Repent the end is near!”
I do not doubt that the trouble in the world is escalating, but I do object linking the concept of repentance to the idea of final judgment. One of the most liberating steps in spiritual understanding comes when you realize that repentance is not a punishment! It is the gift of God that restores relationship.
To repent is to turn. You have been going in the wrong direction! When you repent, you adjust your course to go the right way. In fact, the word translated “repent” is often translated “turn” as in Matthew 18:3-4, in the ESV when Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
When Christ who is the “way” arrived, He announced repeatedly, as in Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The point is that HE was at hand, right there beside them offering relationship with himself if they would only “turn” to Him.
That was then, and yes, it is different now. We cannot see a physical person that we can follow physically down through the streets and businesses of our city. It is difficult to grasp that His physical presence could have been a hindrance for them. With the limitations He placed upon Himself when He accepted a physical body, Jesus could only be in one location at a time; although He did, through the Spirit, heal people who were not in his exact location at times.
Paul explains it as follows: Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “In him we live and move and have our being.”
Paul, who spoke after the death and resurrection of Jesus, says that if we want to turn to God, He is not actually far from any of us! If we are living, moving, and are self-aware we are doing it ‘in Him’. Should He suddenly decide to remove Himself completely from us, we would cease to exist. He veils Himself from us simply in order to give us the opportunity to make choices of our own free will. But the fact remains He is there. All we have to do is turn toward Him, and we will find Him. The God who sustains our very existence has promised, Deuteronomy 4:29 (ESV)
29 you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him,
Instead of “Repent! The end is near!”, Let’s adopt the better approach and “Repent! For HE is near!”

Alone at Jordan

The first church where my husband served as a paid member of the staff was Grace Church in Jackson Mississippi. He started as the music member and ended up as the youth pastor. As usual, he was a bit of a troublemaker and began to bring in young people who were not “church” kids. In truth, this bothered some people since it was apparent that we did not always have control of the behavior of the group. One sweet older lady was different. Mrs. Mildred Hutchison had her hair in a bun and her skirts below her knees, but primarily her heart in the right place. She never tried to fix any of these unruly teenagers or even their unruly youth pastor. In fact, I do not ever remember her saying a critical word to us. She did ask for all their names. She asked about their families and lives.

Most importantly, she prayed for them all. Throughout the years, I have often heard my husband speak about her and the tremendous blessing it was to know that she prayed for all of us. Last Saturday she passed away at 90 years of age.

I confess I cried when her granddaughter posted a picture of a prayer list that they found in her Bible. There we were all our names and all those teens. How many times had she prayed over that list and saved us from disaster by the blanket of divine protection she wrapped around us? God only knows, and I am so humbled and grateful!

There is though with the passing of that praying generation, a sense of loss. Who will pray for us now?

Oswald Chambers offers the following admonition from the story of Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:

“It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as God gives him to you, but remember the time will come when he will have to go; when he stands no more to you as your guide and leader, because God does not intend he should. You say- “I cannot do on without Elijah.” God says you must. Alone at your Jordan v. 14. Jordan is a type of the separation where there is no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one can take the responsibility for you. You have to put to the test now what you learned when you were with your Elijah. You have been to Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are up against it alone. It is no use saying you cannot go; this experience has come, and you must go. If you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be, then go through your Jordan alone.”[i]

How many times throughout the years have we stood at a Jordan River in our lives, and watched the waters part without knowing that the prayers of a little woman in Mississippi were the Elijah cloak that struck the waters for us? Now it is our turn, and my heart cries out as Elisha’s did, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit!” As the old song said, let your mantle fall on me!

LET THY MANTLE FALL ON ME

1) Elijah was God’s prophet;

Elisha stood close by,

And ere the prophet left him,

He heard his servant cry:

CHORUS:

Let thy mantle fall on me!

Let thy mantle fall on me!

A double portion of Thy spirit,

Lord, Let thy mantle fall on me!

2) Then Elijah made the promise

That, if faithful he would be,

His petition would be granted,

And God’s glory he would see

3) As Elijah rose to heaven

In a chariot of fire,

He did not forget his servant,

Who expressed one strong desire.

4) In the Upper Room they waited —

“Twas the faithful Christian band –

And their prayer was heard and answered

Over in the gloryland.

5) That prayer of early Christians

Long ago and far away

Is the cry of all God’s children;

And He’s just the same today.

Floyd W. Hawkins

Now we have so much greater access to one another through social media. Has your friend list become your prayer list yet? Mine has! Please let me know how I can pray for you, you see, I found this shawl that looks a lot like the one Mrs. Hutchison used to wear…

[i] Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest. Uhrichville: Barbour Publishing, 1963.

Broken Pieces

Have you ever come to the end of some portion of your life and looking back felt a sense of accomplishment that you had done well? A sort of Apostle Paul confession, “7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

Although, by the grace of God I have managed to finish one or two things in my life, it is almost never with a cry of victory. It is usually with a whimper and a sigh, with more gratitude for having managed to survive the experience than triumph. Frequently lately, I have been reminded of the following favorite devotional written by Amy Carmichael: John 6:10-12 NIV

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”

Have you ever felt at the end of the day that you had nothing to offer but ‘broken pieces’ of things?

“In the morning we put our day in the Lord’s hands. Then we began to do His work, but we were not able to do nearly as much as we had hoped. Interruptions came and broke up our plans, and the evening finds us a little disappointed. ‘I hoped to do so much, and I have done nothing worth bringing to Thee’—and that is how we feel. I have been finding new comfort in the two words, which are used by the four evangelists in telling the end of the story of the feeding of the Five Thousand. They speak of ‘broken pieces’ and the same words are used by two in telling of the later miracle. There was nothing left over but broken pieces, and yet of those fragments our Lord said, Gather them up that nothing be lost. Even so, our dear Lord cares for the broken pieces of our lives, the fragments of all we meant to do, the little that we have to gather up and offer, and He will use even these fragments. He will not let even the least of our little broken things be lost.” Amy Carmichael from Edges of His Ways

I am staring down at my bits and pieces, tonight, thinking that there is not much left of my pathetic little lunch I offered to the Lord. Still, I have more pieces than I did when I first gave it.

Father, please gather the broken pieces of my offering so that nothing (no one) will be lost.

When my son and his wife were running the Los Angeles marathon to raise money to dig wells in Africa, I spent a lot of time looking for inspirational quotes to pester them with while they trained. You know, on one of those apps that speak your likes and words to them while they run. I found a common theme running through the quotes:

Everyone who finishes a marathon is a winner whether they come in first or last! Anyone who undergoes the discipline to train, endures the weather, traffic, aches, pains, and stays with it all the way to the finish line has accomplished at least a victory over himself or herself. They have attempted what others avoided. They have finished something, even if it is with a whimper.

The winners say, “Not somehow, but triumphantly!”

I guess I am more in the category of “not triumphantly, but somehow”.

So how can I go forward? I have to believe-Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

Every morning I reach out for a larger portion of the Lord’s love and mercy, which He says, will never run low. Every morning there is a new supply. It is GRACE! Ravi Zacharias often quotes this poem although the original author is not known:

A New Start

He came to me with a quivering lip,

The lesson was done,

Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher,

I’ve spoiled this one.

So I took his sheet all soiled and blotted

And gave him a new one, all unspotted

And into his tired heart I cried,

Do better now, my child.

I came to the Father with a trembling soul,

The day was done.

Have You a new day for me, Dear Master,

I’ve spoiled this one.

So He took my day all soiled and blotted

And He gave me a new one, all unspotted.

And into my weary heart He cried,

Do better now, My child.

—from an Elementary School Teacher

Mercy!

All week long as I have followed the events in Gaza, Iraq, and Syria, my heart has been calling out, “Lord have mercy!” As my country mourns the loss of a man known for his humor, and yes, his kindness; I have prayed God’s mercy for those I know who daily square off against the demon of depression and with great courage, choose life. As my sister and members of my church family endure the next round of chemo…God have mercy!
David prayed for mercy regarding his sins, which were many. Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Certainly, that is the first vital step to restoring our broken relationship to God, but that has not represented my heart’s cry this week. This description of the Kyrie Eleision (Lord have mercy) as understood from the Greek Orthodox tradition, comes closer to where my heart has been dwelling.
“The word mercy in English is the translation of the Greek word eleos. This word has the same ultimate root as the old Greek word for oil, or more precisely, olive oil; a substance which was used extensively as a soothing agent for bruises and minor wounds. The oil was poured onto the wound and gently massaged in, thus soothing, comforting and making whole the injured part. The Hebrew word, which is also translated as eleos and mercy, is hesed, and means steadfast love. The Greek words for ‘Lord, have mercy,’ are ‘Kyrie, eleison’ that is to say, ‘Lord, soothe me, comfort me, take away my pain, show me your steadfast love.’ Thus mercy does not refer so much to justice or acquittal a very Western interpretation but to the infinite loving-kindness of God, and his compassion for his suffering children!” (Kyrie Eleison to read more.)
Jesus loves the little children; we used to sing in Sunday school. ALL the children of the world! I firmly believe that every child who loses their life here on earth is instantly taken into the loving arms of the Father God.
Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
2 Samuel 12:23 “But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Still those left behind with aching arms are in desperate need of that soothing oil of mercy. How can this mercy be poured out then in these remote places of the world and even to those in darkness around us who do not know of the Father God who loves them?
We who know the way, must go to the source of mercy: Hebrew 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We must be filled with mercy and grace like a treasure carried in a jar of clay: 2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
We then have a God-given responsibility to pour out that mercy to others: James 2, “8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well… 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Practically speaking, I cannot go and rescue all the children in harm’s way around the world. I can pray however for mercy to be extended to them from whatever means God can use! I can start much closer to home giving mercy and not judgment to my family, neighbors, church community and especially to that person from another part of the world that God has brought to my doorstep so that He can love them through me.

I don’t need to worry about…

If there is an organization for chronic worriers, I probably need to be a card-carrying if not a founding member. Worriers anonymous …Hello, my name is Esther, and I worry about everything…all the time. Thankfully, the good God, who never gives up on me, loves me enough to keep working on me.

I recognize that my obsession with worry is a symptom of my lack of trust in God. If I really felt like He was big enough to handle my problems, and if I genuinely trusted Him with them, then I would not feel obligated to expend vast amounts of emotional energy in trying to figure things out myself. How futile and draining, my frantic attempts to come up with solutions and plans B’s truly are; compared to the peace that comes on those rare moments when I actually do completely, hands-off, trust God.

So scripturally speaking, below is a list of the things I do not need to be worried about…

My height, not a “big” one for me, but how long I will live is a bit more of a concern these days.

Matthew 6:27, “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life?”

Food, drink, clothing, so all the basic necessities of life…

Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?”

Uncertainties regarding the future

Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.”

(When I get to tomorrow if I feel the need to worry, Jesus promises that there will be plenty to keep me occupied then as well. Oh great…)

Wicked, evil people, my own fear of slipping, 

Psalm 94

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
    Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.

Worry and anxiety are indeed the cares of the heart, and they can weigh one down with a spirit of heaviness.

Proverbs 12:25 (ESV) “ Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

So let me pass along some “good word” for my fellow members of Worriers Anonymous!

Philippians 4:4-7 – God’s steps to recovery for this condition.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

  1. Rejoice in the Lord, not sometimes, always! Hey, if we are still breathing, we can rejoice, if only for that.
  2. Be reasonable! Certain more pessimistic personalities tend to see eminent disaster in nearly any difficult situation. Ok, so I do have to tell myself regularly that it is probably not the end of the world.
  3. Remember the Lord is at hand! He has not abandoned my pathetic little ship. In fact, He may be so confident that everything is under control, that He is resting; maybe even napping in the middle of my apparent catastrophe! Matthew 8:24-26
  4. Do not be anxious about anything! No small print, nothing held back, no special cases or pet concerns that I refuse to bring to God because I do not want to bother Him.
  5. In everything! Nothing is too small or insignificant, or too large and overwhelming.
  6. By prayer and supplication! Sometimes we pray, and sometimes we need supplication (noun-the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly), be persistent, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on asking. Work those faith muscles!
  7. With thanksgiving, keep a thankful heart! A spirit of gratitude is the opposite of a spirit of entitlement.
  8. Let your requests be made known to God! We need to bear one another’s burdens, but too often, we talk to everyone else about our concerns, except God! He does not mind. He tells us to talk to Him about it, even to make requests! 

I am trying consciously to ask myself when I realize I have slipped into worry mode, “Have I given this request to God?” If I have prayed about it, then I must say to myself, “Then I do not need to be worried about this!” Unclench my fists, unlock my gritted teeth, relax, breathe, and trust that the ALMIGHTY GOD of the UNIVERSE can handle whatever it is.

  • Let the peace of God guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Giving oneself permission to relax into the peace of God, may not be a problem for most people. However, for the chronic worry types, if we are not worrying, then we feel we are not doing our part, no matter how futile and pathetic it may be. As if, we cannot actively show that we love someone unless we worry over them. When in fact, the most loving thing we could do is bring their situation to God and trust Him so completely to care for them that we no longer have to fret. God’s peace is the only thing powerful enough to calm my heart and mind and to deliver me from worry and anxiety. 

I have …uh…many…years of bad habits to break in this regard, but I hope you will join me on the journey of actually practicing Philippians 4:4-7. Are you afraid that you cannot do this? Don’t worry about it- see #1 and continue…