Life is not a series of coincidences. God is orchestrating even the smallest details of your day. He is involved in the life altering and the easily overlooked. He shows up in the most obscure of places, when you are going about your day to day business. You may not be out there searching for him in the grocery store aisles, red light in a traffic jam or seat on a plane but none the less, he can still show up. He is remarkable in his ability to infiltrate every crevice of our ordinary lives.
Today I was given the perfect example of God's not-so-coincidendal drop in. It happened in downtown Scottsdale in one of their many jewerly stores. I was on the hunt for something pretty: Mom's orders. She encouraged me to get myself a reminder of the trip and, being the obedient daughter I am, I went into shopping mode (obedience can be so tough sometimes don't you think?)
I had walked in and out of what felt like ten different jewerly stores looking at the shiny cases but nothing seemed quite right. I had a picture in my head of a simple silver ring with a round blue stone. I thought I'd have lots to choose from but instead I didn't even have one to settle on. So I kept going up and down the streets. Finally I had exhausted all but one option. I figured I'd go into this last store, even though it didn't look like it had quite the selection of the others, and give it one last shot to find the ring of my mind's eye.
By now I'm sure you know where this is going.... to a pretty silver ring with a blue stone.
You'd be right. I walked around the circle of the store peering in all the cases. Again, nothing. A woman with a thick accent approached me and asked what I was looking for. "I can help you find it very quickly," she said. Normally I reply with a "thanks but I'm just browsing" but I wasn't just browsing and I wanted to find the perfect ring so I took her up on her offer. I told her I wanted a ring.
She immediately jumped into action. "It's over here," she said.
I hadn't told her that I wanted my ring to be silver with a blue stone, round or oval please. I didn't have time to get that far. She was up a few stairs to another circle of counters unlocking a case that housed an array of gigantic rings with silver bands and huge stones, some red, some white, and some blue.
I immediately tried to tell her that these were too big and that I just wanted something small and petite that wouldn't cover my whole hand! Again, she wouldn't let me get a word in. She was off and running, telling me about how she had my ring right here.
I gave up trying to stop her and waited for her to pull out "my ring." She reached in and out came a silver ring with an oval, blue stone. It was delicate but not so small that you would miss it. The stone didn't cover my whole hand. The band was precisely my size.
I put it on and the lady just smiled. "This is your ring," she told me.
How did she know?
I didn't ask. I just told her I'd take it.
After I paid for the ring she removed the tag and placed it in my hand. I slipped it on my ring finger on my left hand. (I'm married to Christ so I get to wear a ring on that finger).
Once it was on she reached across the counter and said, "For good health."
My jaw might have dropped, I'm not sure because I didn't ask to see the video surviellence in the store. But I'm quite certain that it must have dropped...to the ground. I asked her to repeat what she said. Again, she told me it was for my health.
How did this woman know that this particular ring, one that I hadn't described, was my ring. And how did she know that this ring was a symbol of my renewed health through Christ and my restored body through the power of God?
Beloved, there are no coincidences. You might not believe that God cares about where you buy your jewelry. But he is intricately involved in even the most insignificant of details. He can show up at a church revival and he can show up in Iranian woman's jewelry store. He isn't confined to only the "Holy places" or your morning devotional. He wants to be with you everywhere. When you invite him to be your constant companion he will faithfully go forth with you, everywhere and always. He will come along for the ride no matter where it takes you. When he is your traveling companion you can be sure that the miraculous will occur in the middle of the mundane. The ordinary will be turned into something extraordinary.
I am still in awe as I reflect on those three simple words: for your health. These past three days have been a love letter from God celebrating the amazing work he has done in my spirit and body. This ringis a symbol of that glorious restoration.
Monday, September 16, 2013
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found; he is my light, my strength, my song.
Is he yours?
Today as I sat in the middle of the gym at Living Streams Church, comfortably seated on a yoga mat in a position of calm and in a state of peace, I began to reflect on the abundance of strength I am given by my Savior. I have not done anything to deserve it. I haven't lifted heavy enough weights to grow my muscles big and strong. I haven't been a warrior in the face of all my trials.
I have picked up weights that were small and only mildly challenging. I have quit running when I knew I could go further.
I have cried in the middle of my darkest moments. I have crumbled to the ground when my life has proven more difficult then I could handle.
On my own I have been the embodiment of weak. I haven't been able to muster up enough courage out of my own core. I haven't been able to endure simply by chanting the words "try harder." All of these human tactics have fallen short for me. None have truly lifted me to soaring heights. They have just kept me limping along, tripping at times and completely falling at others.
Yet, there has been a hope for me. It hasn't come from me but it has been for me. It is from Christ. He is the hope that has carried me. It wasn't until I came to the end of my own flesh that I found him there, waiting to carry me in his unlimited strength.
He has given me strength to walk when it hurt, run when it seemed impossible. He has empowered me to lift weights that look daunting for longer then I thought my little muscles could possibly endure.
In my spirit He has come into my darkest places and shined a light. He has brought with Him patience and peace, pouring them out to me as often as I need them and ask for them. He has never let me down. He has been faithful in carrying me even when I thought my body wouldn't. There were days when it seemed my body simply couldn't go on. But He proved, over and over, that with him nothing is impossible.
In this little body He has shown that He can be all the strength we, His weak children, will ever need. My prayer for you is that you will see your need for His strength. Don't try to push through it on your own. No matter what your struggle: a run, a crisis of health, a dissolving marriage, a set of push-ups, inadequacy, failure, an eating disorder, a broken heart, an addiction... don't rely on your own muscle. Rely on HIS. He will carry you even when you don't have it in you to take another step. Cry out to Him. Believe that He is enough to take you to the top of the mountain. Hold tight to your Hope.
Let him be your All in All. Stand in the love of Christ. He wants to be your light, your strength and your most beautiful song. Will you let Him?
Is he yours?
Today as I sat in the middle of the gym at Living Streams Church, comfortably seated on a yoga mat in a position of calm and in a state of peace, I began to reflect on the abundance of strength I am given by my Savior. I have not done anything to deserve it. I haven't lifted heavy enough weights to grow my muscles big and strong. I haven't been a warrior in the face of all my trials.
I have picked up weights that were small and only mildly challenging. I have quit running when I knew I could go further.
I have cried in the middle of my darkest moments. I have crumbled to the ground when my life has proven more difficult then I could handle.
On my own I have been the embodiment of weak. I haven't been able to muster up enough courage out of my own core. I haven't been able to endure simply by chanting the words "try harder." All of these human tactics have fallen short for me. None have truly lifted me to soaring heights. They have just kept me limping along, tripping at times and completely falling at others.
Yet, there has been a hope for me. It hasn't come from me but it has been for me. It is from Christ. He is the hope that has carried me. It wasn't until I came to the end of my own flesh that I found him there, waiting to carry me in his unlimited strength.
He has given me strength to walk when it hurt, run when it seemed impossible. He has empowered me to lift weights that look daunting for longer then I thought my little muscles could possibly endure.
In my spirit He has come into my darkest places and shined a light. He has brought with Him patience and peace, pouring them out to me as often as I need them and ask for them. He has never let me down. He has been faithful in carrying me even when I thought my body wouldn't. There were days when it seemed my body simply couldn't go on. But He proved, over and over, that with him nothing is impossible.
In this little body He has shown that He can be all the strength we, His weak children, will ever need. My prayer for you is that you will see your need for His strength. Don't try to push through it on your own. No matter what your struggle: a run, a crisis of health, a dissolving marriage, a set of push-ups, inadequacy, failure, an eating disorder, a broken heart, an addiction... don't rely on your own muscle. Rely on HIS. He will carry you even when you don't have it in you to take another step. Cry out to Him. Believe that He is enough to take you to the top of the mountain. Hold tight to your Hope.
Let him be your All in All. Stand in the love of Christ. He wants to be your light, your strength and your most beautiful song. Will you let Him?
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Marvelously ruined
God has given us the most precious picture of restoration right here on earth. In each and every physical body he has provided a perfect vehicle in which to show the power of salvation and ability to make new the old and broken.
Isn't this picture the most beautiful you can imagine? Just look at your own life.
When I look back on my life I see the destruction I brought upon myself. Physically and spiritually. Physically I took my body for granted. I ate whenever, whatever. I over-ate at times and under-ate at others. I didn't build up my body with the healthiest or most beneficial of foods. I didn't challenge my body to grow in strength. I thought little of my health. I had it, so what did I need to worry about?
Have you ever slipped into this complacency? Can you relate to the error in my ways?
It took losing all I had in my physical body to understand how precious a gift I had. My body had to be ripped down to nothing, stripped of its strength and size so it couldn't be dependent on itself. My weight had to fall to dangerously low numbers. My legs had to throb with each step. I had to lose my healthy body so that I could see what it is I had.
I had to be marvelously ruined.
When I look at the trajectory of my struggle I am struck by the parallels I see between my physical journey and my spiritual journey. The outward journey that has been displayed in my physical body has been a mirror image of the inward journey that has taken place within the recesses of my soul, at the core of my being, in my innermost spirit.
That too had to be marvelously ruined.
The spiritual journey downward was subtle at first, small steps down the wrong path. But over time the divide between the road I should have been following and the one I had ended up on became so expansive that it was undeniable. I was in a state of rebellion against God, my parents and obedience to the Biblical standards laid out in scripture. I was walking my own path and in the process, destroying my life: relationships, commitments, integrity, honesty, joy, peace... they all became burnt out remnants of what they had once been. I was a hypocrite, a liar, selfish and living deep in sin. I had destroyed all the goodness that had once been in my life. All of the wonderful blessings that God had bestowed on me were squandered away in what I thought was my right to live life the way I wanted. In the end, it left me in a state of chaos, bound by sin and living a life of repeated destructive behaviors.
My life went up in flames. And then it went crumbling to the ground. Ashes.
And when there was nothing left God was able to break in. He was able to rebuild.
He had to let destruction take hold so that my faulty foundation could be scrapped away. The tearing down of my life was needed so that a new, better, stronger structure could take its place. A new structure, built by the hands of God, built on his word and designed by his loving hand. My construction had been built with my own human effort. In the end my lack of architectural know-how became abundantly apparent. And that is when the whole thing went crashing down.
My spiritual life had to go through a state of tearing down before it could be rebuilt. My body had to be stripped of all its resources before it could be refilled with heavenly resources and Godly strength.
This journey has been a long one. It has been trying at times. But not for a moment would I trade a second of it. Being marvelously ruined has been the greatest blessing I have ever received. I can't imagine one better. I can't imagine a love more divine then the love God has poured out on me in my darkest hours, at my absolute lowest points.
This is the beauty of restoration. We can make a mockery of God. We can ruin the very lives he has given us. We can squander all of the blessings he has poured out on us. And yet, he forgives. He restores. He rebuilds.
He can make us beautiful again. He can restore our bodies and restore our souls. He can take all of the darkness of our spirit and transform it into something beautiful. He can wipe clean the slate of sin we have filled with our rebellious, selfish, disobedient living and make it pristine again. He can make us new.
In our bodies he can rebuild the muscles we have let waste away. He can heal our suffering ligaments, tendons and bones that have become broken and frail. He can breathe new life into the painful, dark places within that have left us suffering. If we have neglected to take care of our physical beings he is there, ready and willing to be the strength we need on the road to tending to our temple.
He desires to restore your body and spirit so that it is at its best. He created you for strength, endurance, wellness and wholeness so that you can travel to all the places God has in store for you. He wants you to be a well-oiled machine that can travel along the road with him without sputtering out and breaking down. He needs you to be at your peak so that you can keep up with his big plans!
He can restore you physically. He can make you whole again. And, most importantly, he can do the same in your spiritual body. He can make it new. No matter how far away you have fallen or how much destruction has taken place, he can rebuild. This is the beauty of Jesus on the cross. He came to restore you, make you whole and save you from the messes you've made. Aren't you thankful?
Isn't this picture the most beautiful you can imagine? Just look at your own life.
When I look back on my life I see the destruction I brought upon myself. Physically and spiritually. Physically I took my body for granted. I ate whenever, whatever. I over-ate at times and under-ate at others. I didn't build up my body with the healthiest or most beneficial of foods. I didn't challenge my body to grow in strength. I thought little of my health. I had it, so what did I need to worry about?
Have you ever slipped into this complacency? Can you relate to the error in my ways?
It took losing all I had in my physical body to understand how precious a gift I had. My body had to be ripped down to nothing, stripped of its strength and size so it couldn't be dependent on itself. My weight had to fall to dangerously low numbers. My legs had to throb with each step. I had to lose my healthy body so that I could see what it is I had.
I had to be marvelously ruined.
When I look at the trajectory of my struggle I am struck by the parallels I see between my physical journey and my spiritual journey. The outward journey that has been displayed in my physical body has been a mirror image of the inward journey that has taken place within the recesses of my soul, at the core of my being, in my innermost spirit.
That too had to be marvelously ruined.
The spiritual journey downward was subtle at first, small steps down the wrong path. But over time the divide between the road I should have been following and the one I had ended up on became so expansive that it was undeniable. I was in a state of rebellion against God, my parents and obedience to the Biblical standards laid out in scripture. I was walking my own path and in the process, destroying my life: relationships, commitments, integrity, honesty, joy, peace... they all became burnt out remnants of what they had once been. I was a hypocrite, a liar, selfish and living deep in sin. I had destroyed all the goodness that had once been in my life. All of the wonderful blessings that God had bestowed on me were squandered away in what I thought was my right to live life the way I wanted. In the end, it left me in a state of chaos, bound by sin and living a life of repeated destructive behaviors.
My life went up in flames. And then it went crumbling to the ground. Ashes.
And when there was nothing left God was able to break in. He was able to rebuild.
He had to let destruction take hold so that my faulty foundation could be scrapped away. The tearing down of my life was needed so that a new, better, stronger structure could take its place. A new structure, built by the hands of God, built on his word and designed by his loving hand. My construction had been built with my own human effort. In the end my lack of architectural know-how became abundantly apparent. And that is when the whole thing went crashing down.
My spiritual life had to go through a state of tearing down before it could be rebuilt. My body had to be stripped of all its resources before it could be refilled with heavenly resources and Godly strength.
This journey has been a long one. It has been trying at times. But not for a moment would I trade a second of it. Being marvelously ruined has been the greatest blessing I have ever received. I can't imagine one better. I can't imagine a love more divine then the love God has poured out on me in my darkest hours, at my absolute lowest points.
This is the beauty of restoration. We can make a mockery of God. We can ruin the very lives he has given us. We can squander all of the blessings he has poured out on us. And yet, he forgives. He restores. He rebuilds.
He can make us beautiful again. He can restore our bodies and restore our souls. He can take all of the darkness of our spirit and transform it into something beautiful. He can wipe clean the slate of sin we have filled with our rebellious, selfish, disobedient living and make it pristine again. He can make us new.
In our bodies he can rebuild the muscles we have let waste away. He can heal our suffering ligaments, tendons and bones that have become broken and frail. He can breathe new life into the painful, dark places within that have left us suffering. If we have neglected to take care of our physical beings he is there, ready and willing to be the strength we need on the road to tending to our temple.
He desires to restore your body and spirit so that it is at its best. He created you for strength, endurance, wellness and wholeness so that you can travel to all the places God has in store for you. He wants you to be a well-oiled machine that can travel along the road with him without sputtering out and breaking down. He needs you to be at your peak so that you can keep up with his big plans!
He can restore you physically. He can make you whole again. And, most importantly, he can do the same in your spiritual body. He can make it new. No matter how far away you have fallen or how much destruction has taken place, he can rebuild. This is the beauty of Jesus on the cross. He came to restore you, make you whole and save you from the messes you've made. Aren't you thankful?
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Not just another Tuesday morning
Today is a big day! Have you heard? This day is monumental. Its importance is of utter significance. It could, quite possibly, be a defining day for your future. This day might very well be one you look back on and say, "Yes, it was that day that everything changed for me."
So, what is so special about today? Is this one of those days that conspiracy theorists and theologians have deemed "the date" for the end of the world? Is there a big election? Is a new technology being unveiled that will revolutionize your life? (Yes, the next generation of i phone is being announced but I highly doubt it will alter the course of your life.) Am I giving you a free subscription to Match.com, ensuring that today Mr. or Mrs. Right will be flung into your life, right onto your computer screen?
No to all of the above. I don't claim to know when the end times will come. If there is a big election I am unaware of it. Technology is cool but not this exciting, in my opinion. And, sorry to disappoint, but there is no free subscription of Match.com coming your way.
Today is exciting and monumental for another reason all together.
Today is exciting and monumental because it is the day the Lord has made.
Uh-oh, did I let you down? Were you expecting a big announcement or some deep, philosophical observation?
I hope you don't overlook the importance of my declaration just because you've heard it before. You probably sang the little song in Sunday School as a child. The leader sings out the simple chorus, "This is the day" and then all the little kids repeat. It goes on, "that the Lord has made," and once again the children repeat. Then, "I will rejoice...and be glad in it."
It is so simple, isn't it? When we're young we sing it with conviction. We don't fully grasp the depth and significance of our words but still we join in the chorus wholeheartedly.
Then we grow up. And we stop singing the song. Our music becomes more complicated, the words more in-depth. The words of classic hymns replace the simple melodies of a children's song. Yet, we are still called to be "children of God."
Matthew 18:3, "And he said, 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."
The song of our heart, all though it grows in obedience and understanding, is still to be a song of simple devotion. We don't need fancy words or complex reasoning. Life doesn't have to become complicated. What we proclaim can still be as simple as declaring this day the Lord's.
This day is the day the Lord has made. You can rejoice in that and be glad. You can take today as a special day for growth. You can use this day to anticipate the miraculous, knowing that you serve a God that is able to do all things in his limitless power. Today is a day that you can see healing, love, peace and joy all become realities in your very life.
Because today is special, set apart and ordained by your God who sits upon his throne on heaven. Isn't that a beautiful image? Today, a day unlike any other, was not an accident. It was created by the hands of a master potter using the most precise techniques to design the most intricate of details.
And you thought today was just another Tuesday morning?
Whether or not today is the day that God turns your life upside down in a way you can touch, feel and see, this day is something exceptional. You can experience all things wondrous and amazing if you will allow God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, making your ordinary truly extraordinary. Because that is what he desires to do for all of us. He wants to come into our mundane, run-of-the-mill, average lives and make them mind-blowingly, astonishingly (insert your favorite superlative here) extraordinary!
There is a beauty in walking with God and continually singing the praise of his glorious hand on each and every day. When you walk with him this closely and intimately you will find that even your simple days are sprinkled with the remarkable; it might be as inconspicuous as bumping into a stranger or as monumental as the birth of a baby. God can, and will, turn your life into a series of stepping stones that form a path to knowing more of his heart. Every day becomes a day for spiritual growth. Every circumstance becomes an opportunity to know God in a new way.
Today is no exception. It is the day the Lord has made. He wants to do something spectacular in it. He wants to bless you in it, no matter where you are or what you have on your to-list. He wants you to sing the children's song of praise and proclamation that this day is special because it is the handiwork of our almighty God.
So, what is so special about today? Is this one of those days that conspiracy theorists and theologians have deemed "the date" for the end of the world? Is there a big election? Is a new technology being unveiled that will revolutionize your life? (Yes, the next generation of i phone is being announced but I highly doubt it will alter the course of your life.) Am I giving you a free subscription to Match.com, ensuring that today Mr. or Mrs. Right will be flung into your life, right onto your computer screen?
No to all of the above. I don't claim to know when the end times will come. If there is a big election I am unaware of it. Technology is cool but not this exciting, in my opinion. And, sorry to disappoint, but there is no free subscription of Match.com coming your way.
Today is exciting and monumental for another reason all together.
Today is exciting and monumental because it is the day the Lord has made.
Uh-oh, did I let you down? Were you expecting a big announcement or some deep, philosophical observation?
I hope you don't overlook the importance of my declaration just because you've heard it before. You probably sang the little song in Sunday School as a child. The leader sings out the simple chorus, "This is the day" and then all the little kids repeat. It goes on, "that the Lord has made," and once again the children repeat. Then, "I will rejoice...and be glad in it."
It is so simple, isn't it? When we're young we sing it with conviction. We don't fully grasp the depth and significance of our words but still we join in the chorus wholeheartedly.
Then we grow up. And we stop singing the song. Our music becomes more complicated, the words more in-depth. The words of classic hymns replace the simple melodies of a children's song. Yet, we are still called to be "children of God."
Matthew 18:3, "And he said, 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."
The song of our heart, all though it grows in obedience and understanding, is still to be a song of simple devotion. We don't need fancy words or complex reasoning. Life doesn't have to become complicated. What we proclaim can still be as simple as declaring this day the Lord's.
This day is the day the Lord has made. You can rejoice in that and be glad. You can take today as a special day for growth. You can use this day to anticipate the miraculous, knowing that you serve a God that is able to do all things in his limitless power. Today is a day that you can see healing, love, peace and joy all become realities in your very life.
Because today is special, set apart and ordained by your God who sits upon his throne on heaven. Isn't that a beautiful image? Today, a day unlike any other, was not an accident. It was created by the hands of a master potter using the most precise techniques to design the most intricate of details.
And you thought today was just another Tuesday morning?
Whether or not today is the day that God turns your life upside down in a way you can touch, feel and see, this day is something exceptional. You can experience all things wondrous and amazing if you will allow God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, making your ordinary truly extraordinary. Because that is what he desires to do for all of us. He wants to come into our mundane, run-of-the-mill, average lives and make them mind-blowingly, astonishingly (insert your favorite superlative here) extraordinary!
There is a beauty in walking with God and continually singing the praise of his glorious hand on each and every day. When you walk with him this closely and intimately you will find that even your simple days are sprinkled with the remarkable; it might be as inconspicuous as bumping into a stranger or as monumental as the birth of a baby. God can, and will, turn your life into a series of stepping stones that form a path to knowing more of his heart. Every day becomes a day for spiritual growth. Every circumstance becomes an opportunity to know God in a new way.
Today is no exception. It is the day the Lord has made. He wants to do something spectacular in it. He wants to bless you in it, no matter where you are or what you have on your to-list. He wants you to sing the children's song of praise and proclamation that this day is special because it is the handiwork of our almighty God.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
You've got mail
Hands down one of the best movies of all time is You've Got Mail. Someone older, from a different era than my own, might beg to differ. But if you were born in the 90's and are a female then there is a very probable chance that you adore this movie.
Oh, you want me to enumerate the reasons I'm in love with this movie? Well sure I will, only since you asked.
1) It takes place in NYC...in the fall. This, in my humble opinion, is the optimum movie setting. Fall is such a picturesque time of year. New York is tough to beat when it comes to the ranking of big cities. Put the two together and you have the ideal movie setting.
2) Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Who doesn't love the two of them together? We fell in love with them in Sleepless in Seattle and they never fail to disappoint us.
3) AOL dial up. Old school internet connection is a step back in time. Plus it adds suspense - my kind of suspense. Will there be a new message in the inbox??? So much better then the kind of suspense that involves a possible murderer behind the next door.
4) A dog. I live in Chagrin Falls (aka dog town) so it would follow that I love dogs in my movies, too. 5) A small, family owned business. Who wouldn't want to have a shop around the corner that all the little kids flock to after school? This is small town America at its best - in the middle of a big city, no less. We all long for this kind of intimate sense of community at some point in our lives.
6) There is a villain: Fox Book Store. Again, my kind of villain, the kind that sells books at a discount price.
7) The Starbucks and its seats next to the window, overlooking those that pass by on the sidewalk. Starbucks is a passion of mine (can I call it that?)... Currently I am sitting in a Starbucks at just such a seat by the window overlooking the street and those that walk by on the sidewalks. My own little slice of You've Got Mail.
I could continue on to infinity with my litany of reasons I love You've Got Mail (and the reasons you should love it, too) but I think you get the point. There is one last reason for my love that I think it worth sharing. It is a bit more in depth. Not as basic as a cup of coffee. Not as definable as a dog.
I love You've Got Mail because it can hit a chord with any person who has ever wanted to have love returned to them. It speaks to the heart that is longing for a love letter, a confirmation of mutual desire.
At some point in life's journey we all feel deeply for someone. Some of us will act on that wheeling up of desire and proclaim it to the one that has captured our affection. Some do it in words, others in actions, some in a letter. Others keep their feelings close to their chest, never revealing the passion that is stirring within them.
Whether or not you have ever made a declaration of love, chances are you have felt it inside of you and chances are you have desired that the other person would take the risk and proclaim the feeling first. You've wanted a love letter.
You've wanted to get mail.
In You've Got Mail the whole premise of the movie is based on wanting to hear the confirmation that this other person who you've fallen for and who your heart is yearning for, is thinking of you and is yearning for you in return. Neither person comes out and admits to such feelings, at least not right away. So instead they are holding onto inbox messages that keep their dream of mutual affection alive. With each new message comes a renewed hope that, yes, this person has a desire for me. My feelings are not just mine, but they are his as well.
The greatest part of the movie is the end. If you've never seen it (which would be hard for me to believe) then I won't give it away. But as I'm sure you can figure out by my love of happy and not scary movies, the ending is a good one. There is a happily ever after. Blue birds do fly. There is a rainbow. Love wins out.
Maybe you are like me today. You have felt love in the past and you took the leap of faith to proclaim it, declare it and act on it. But the ending wasn't a happily ever after fairy tale like you had hoped. Yet your desire to share love with someone still blooms within you, even if the love affair with a particular person does not. As Meg Ryan says, "there is the dream of someone else..." Maybe, like me, you are hanging onto that dream.
My message to you, dear dreamer, is to hold on and not give up. I can't promise you that your dream will ever be fulfilled. I can't guarantee that mine will be either. None of us can. But I can assure you that your dream is a worthy one. Love is always a worthy cause. Love is always worth desiring.
There is no perfect love this side of heaven. We must face reality and know that if we do reach a time in our life where love is felt and returned, that love will be imperfect. It will be flawed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be beautiful, so keep desiring it. Keep your heart open to being blessed by that imperfect human love.
In the meantime, don't forget to read the love letters you already have in your inbox. No, not that inbox. A dial up or even a DSL connection is needed to receive these letters. The love letters that are awaiting you are right on your book shelf, tucked away in the scriptures that God has written for you. They are a passionate, intimate, burning letter of love and devotion.
Today, as you go through the routine of your day, dwell in the beauty of the words written for you. Here are just a few that God has penned to you, sent via the Holy Spirit in the form of ancient scriptures, meant for you today, tomorrow and forever. They are true for all of time, filled with as much passion now as they were the day there sentiment was scribbled onto paper. In them you will find all the love letters your heart could ever imagine, more abundant and beautiful then any e-mail inbox could ever hold.
Oh, you want me to enumerate the reasons I'm in love with this movie? Well sure I will, only since you asked.
1) It takes place in NYC...in the fall. This, in my humble opinion, is the optimum movie setting. Fall is such a picturesque time of year. New York is tough to beat when it comes to the ranking of big cities. Put the two together and you have the ideal movie setting.
2) Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Who doesn't love the two of them together? We fell in love with them in Sleepless in Seattle and they never fail to disappoint us.
3) AOL dial up. Old school internet connection is a step back in time. Plus it adds suspense - my kind of suspense. Will there be a new message in the inbox??? So much better then the kind of suspense that involves a possible murderer behind the next door.
4) A dog. I live in Chagrin Falls (aka dog town) so it would follow that I love dogs in my movies, too. 5) A small, family owned business. Who wouldn't want to have a shop around the corner that all the little kids flock to after school? This is small town America at its best - in the middle of a big city, no less. We all long for this kind of intimate sense of community at some point in our lives.
6) There is a villain: Fox Book Store. Again, my kind of villain, the kind that sells books at a discount price.
7) The Starbucks and its seats next to the window, overlooking those that pass by on the sidewalk. Starbucks is a passion of mine (can I call it that?)... Currently I am sitting in a Starbucks at just such a seat by the window overlooking the street and those that walk by on the sidewalks. My own little slice of You've Got Mail.
I could continue on to infinity with my litany of reasons I love You've Got Mail (and the reasons you should love it, too) but I think you get the point. There is one last reason for my love that I think it worth sharing. It is a bit more in depth. Not as basic as a cup of coffee. Not as definable as a dog.
I love You've Got Mail because it can hit a chord with any person who has ever wanted to have love returned to them. It speaks to the heart that is longing for a love letter, a confirmation of mutual desire.
At some point in life's journey we all feel deeply for someone. Some of us will act on that wheeling up of desire and proclaim it to the one that has captured our affection. Some do it in words, others in actions, some in a letter. Others keep their feelings close to their chest, never revealing the passion that is stirring within them.
Whether or not you have ever made a declaration of love, chances are you have felt it inside of you and chances are you have desired that the other person would take the risk and proclaim the feeling first. You've wanted a love letter.
You've wanted to get mail.
In You've Got Mail the whole premise of the movie is based on wanting to hear the confirmation that this other person who you've fallen for and who your heart is yearning for, is thinking of you and is yearning for you in return. Neither person comes out and admits to such feelings, at least not right away. So instead they are holding onto inbox messages that keep their dream of mutual affection alive. With each new message comes a renewed hope that, yes, this person has a desire for me. My feelings are not just mine, but they are his as well.
The greatest part of the movie is the end. If you've never seen it (which would be hard for me to believe) then I won't give it away. But as I'm sure you can figure out by my love of happy and not scary movies, the ending is a good one. There is a happily ever after. Blue birds do fly. There is a rainbow. Love wins out.
Maybe you are like me today. You have felt love in the past and you took the leap of faith to proclaim it, declare it and act on it. But the ending wasn't a happily ever after fairy tale like you had hoped. Yet your desire to share love with someone still blooms within you, even if the love affair with a particular person does not. As Meg Ryan says, "there is the dream of someone else..." Maybe, like me, you are hanging onto that dream.
My message to you, dear dreamer, is to hold on and not give up. I can't promise you that your dream will ever be fulfilled. I can't guarantee that mine will be either. None of us can. But I can assure you that your dream is a worthy one. Love is always a worthy cause. Love is always worth desiring.
There is no perfect love this side of heaven. We must face reality and know that if we do reach a time in our life where love is felt and returned, that love will be imperfect. It will be flawed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be beautiful, so keep desiring it. Keep your heart open to being blessed by that imperfect human love.
In the meantime, don't forget to read the love letters you already have in your inbox. No, not that inbox. A dial up or even a DSL connection is needed to receive these letters. The love letters that are awaiting you are right on your book shelf, tucked away in the scriptures that God has written for you. They are a passionate, intimate, burning letter of love and devotion.
Today, as you go through the routine of your day, dwell in the beauty of the words written for you. Here are just a few that God has penned to you, sent via the Holy Spirit in the form of ancient scriptures, meant for you today, tomorrow and forever. They are true for all of time, filled with as much passion now as they were the day there sentiment was scribbled onto paper. In them you will find all the love letters your heart could ever imagine, more abundant and beautiful then any e-mail inbox could ever hold.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ— by grace you have been saved—
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Controlling the dimmer switch
When I was in middle school my parents gutted our kitchen and remodeled the whole thing, completely transforming it from a dark, dated, cramped space into one that is white, bright and timeless. Everything that they did to that space was an improvement. Wood floors were laid, white cabinets were installed, new appliances filled the space where old (some no longer working) appliances used to sit and new recessed lighting was placed in the ceiling. The lighting continues to be one of my favorite features of the kitchen. I am not a big fan of bulky, fluorescent lights that hang from the ceiling like an impending alien invasion. I like the sleek, subtle lights that are set into the ceiling with a look that is finished and polished. The added bonus of recessed lighting is the nifty switch that comes along with them: the dimmer.
I am a big fan of the dimmer. I use it every day. In the early morning the lights at full blast are just too bright for my liking. Instead I usually ease into the day with lights at half their fullness, then gradually increase their brightness as the day progresses and the sun rises.
Recently my love of the dimmer has grown into a little bit of an annoyance because the dimmer seems to be on the fritz. It still performs its function but it does so with a constant buzzing sound. When the lights are anything but completely off or completely on there comes a constant low grade buzz from the vicinity of the wall switch. My limited (or rather, nonexistent) electrician skills forbid me from being able to diagnose the cause of the problem. All I know is that the dimmer no longer wants to perform its function in silence. If it's going to give me dimmed lights it is going to complain the whole time.
The current status of the dimmer in the kitchen got me thinking about my own internal dimmer. Never before had I considered that I am in control of a dimmer that is letting in or keeping out the light in my own life. My possession of an internal dimmer isn't unique. We all have one. Some of us are aware of its presence and power. Others of us have no clue that we can control such a thing.
Our internal dimmer sets the amount of God we allow to penetrate our daily lives. The dimmer can be turned completely down. Every day we can choose to wake up without the slightest thought of God, his presence or his will. We can walk through the day without considering obedience, scriptural right and wrong or Godly love. We can go to sleep without letting a prayer pass our lips or even pop into our mind. The dimmer might as well not even exist. You could cut the chord that supplies its power and no one would know because no one has thought to turn the knob in so long they have forgotten what it controls or that it is there at all.
Others put their dimmer up part way but never get the full brilliance of the light. They turn it up enough to see but, afraid of blinding light before the eyes are adjusted, don't crank it up all the way. They never get to live life fully because the lights are only up half way. They perform the tasks of the day with a constant ringing. Yes, they can see but there is something not quite right. The buzzing gets in the way and the shadows of the dim light require squinting. Seeing isn't effortless. Some things (like dust and dirt) are missed. Some spots on the floor don't get cleaned. And always that buzzing. Something is just not quite right. Something is being overlooked.
But then there is the life lived in the full brightness of the light. Instead of waiting for our eyes to be adjusted to the light of the day, instead of easing our way out of darkness, this life jumps into the day full steam ahead, lights ablaze. This person doesn't shy away from the dirt and grim that is only seen in full light. This person doesn't fear the startling effects of the quick transition of sleep to full light. They revel in the brightness. Their day is a celebration of all that can be seen in the fullness of the light. They don't have an annoying buzz to disturb their thinking. They have clarity of thought and the clearest of vision.
Every day, when we wake up and roll out of bed, we can choose where we will set our own internal, personal dimmer. Will you turn yours on at all or continue to stumble around in the darkness? Will you tap into part of its potential, allowing for just a shadowy dimness to cast over your surroundings while still having to put up with an incessant and unexplainable ringing?
Or will you turn the lights on full blast? Will you risk the alarming brightness for the thrill of being able to see everything fully without having to squint and without having to put up with an unnatural buzz? The shock might startle you at first. Bright light at 6 AM on a cool fall morning can make a person stop dead in their tracks. But the shock is temporary. The eyes adjust.
When our lights are turned completely on our hearts can be completely open to what God has in store for us. We can see heartache and joy through his glasses. We won't be looking through a fog. We won't be trying to read print that is too small in light that is too dark. We will have clear vision.
Each morning God wants us to set our heart's dimmer to this setting. If you woke up this morning and didn't even reach for the switch it is not too late. If you turned it on but didn't turn it up, it is not too late. The round knob still holds the power to shine those lights at full potential. God is still there, ready to illuminate your heart and bring light into your life. All you have to do is turn that knob all the way up.
I am a big fan of the dimmer. I use it every day. In the early morning the lights at full blast are just too bright for my liking. Instead I usually ease into the day with lights at half their fullness, then gradually increase their brightness as the day progresses and the sun rises.
Recently my love of the dimmer has grown into a little bit of an annoyance because the dimmer seems to be on the fritz. It still performs its function but it does so with a constant buzzing sound. When the lights are anything but completely off or completely on there comes a constant low grade buzz from the vicinity of the wall switch. My limited (or rather, nonexistent) electrician skills forbid me from being able to diagnose the cause of the problem. All I know is that the dimmer no longer wants to perform its function in silence. If it's going to give me dimmed lights it is going to complain the whole time.
The current status of the dimmer in the kitchen got me thinking about my own internal dimmer. Never before had I considered that I am in control of a dimmer that is letting in or keeping out the light in my own life. My possession of an internal dimmer isn't unique. We all have one. Some of us are aware of its presence and power. Others of us have no clue that we can control such a thing.
Our internal dimmer sets the amount of God we allow to penetrate our daily lives. The dimmer can be turned completely down. Every day we can choose to wake up without the slightest thought of God, his presence or his will. We can walk through the day without considering obedience, scriptural right and wrong or Godly love. We can go to sleep without letting a prayer pass our lips or even pop into our mind. The dimmer might as well not even exist. You could cut the chord that supplies its power and no one would know because no one has thought to turn the knob in so long they have forgotten what it controls or that it is there at all.
Others put their dimmer up part way but never get the full brilliance of the light. They turn it up enough to see but, afraid of blinding light before the eyes are adjusted, don't crank it up all the way. They never get to live life fully because the lights are only up half way. They perform the tasks of the day with a constant ringing. Yes, they can see but there is something not quite right. The buzzing gets in the way and the shadows of the dim light require squinting. Seeing isn't effortless. Some things (like dust and dirt) are missed. Some spots on the floor don't get cleaned. And always that buzzing. Something is just not quite right. Something is being overlooked.
But then there is the life lived in the full brightness of the light. Instead of waiting for our eyes to be adjusted to the light of the day, instead of easing our way out of darkness, this life jumps into the day full steam ahead, lights ablaze. This person doesn't shy away from the dirt and grim that is only seen in full light. This person doesn't fear the startling effects of the quick transition of sleep to full light. They revel in the brightness. Their day is a celebration of all that can be seen in the fullness of the light. They don't have an annoying buzz to disturb their thinking. They have clarity of thought and the clearest of vision.
Every day, when we wake up and roll out of bed, we can choose where we will set our own internal, personal dimmer. Will you turn yours on at all or continue to stumble around in the darkness? Will you tap into part of its potential, allowing for just a shadowy dimness to cast over your surroundings while still having to put up with an incessant and unexplainable ringing?
Or will you turn the lights on full blast? Will you risk the alarming brightness for the thrill of being able to see everything fully without having to squint and without having to put up with an unnatural buzz? The shock might startle you at first. Bright light at 6 AM on a cool fall morning can make a person stop dead in their tracks. But the shock is temporary. The eyes adjust.
When our lights are turned completely on our hearts can be completely open to what God has in store for us. We can see heartache and joy through his glasses. We won't be looking through a fog. We won't be trying to read print that is too small in light that is too dark. We will have clear vision.
Each morning God wants us to set our heart's dimmer to this setting. If you woke up this morning and didn't even reach for the switch it is not too late. If you turned it on but didn't turn it up, it is not too late. The round knob still holds the power to shine those lights at full potential. God is still there, ready to illuminate your heart and bring light into your life. All you have to do is turn that knob all the way up.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Another setback...
Well, as life would go, another setback has put me on the sidelines once again. This is the never ending story of my life for the past 3...almost 4 years. Just when things start to turn a corner I get dealt another blow. This time to a tendon in my foot.
I started running about a month ago and fell in love. I fell so hard that I went a little run crazy, increasing my distance and speed too quickly. At least, that is what all the webMD sites tell me. "Increase load by 10% a week." I knew this yet I thought I could handle more. How wrong I was. I was increase my loads by 20% a run which I was doing almost every other day. So much for weekly increases at a slow and steady pace. I threw caution to the wind and now I am paying the price.
Unlike my other setbacks this has been self inflicted. Certainly not intentional, but still, the consequences have been the same. I brought this on myself and now I must pay the price by putting into practice the recovery principle of rest.
Oh no.
This may have been self inflicted and a training mistake on my part but there is no doubt in my mind that God has a much needed lesson to teach me in all of this. "Rest" has never been my strong suit. I'm a doer. A goer. I like to be on the move. I don't like to sit still. I don't like to have a day where I'm not accomplishing things. Being a load drives me nuts. I am no good at being physically lazy. I don't have a job and I don't bring home big amounts of bacon, so in some sense people may call me extremely lazy. But I don't sit on my butt all day zoned out in front of the TV. I don't waste my time on the Kardashians. I like to make lists of things to get done so at the end of the day I can put big check marks next to my completed tasks. I like the feeling of a completion.
And I love working out. I love running. I love the feeling of setting a goal and reaching it - if not exceeding it. So this whole "rest," "limit physical activity," "abstain from running and weight bearing exercises on the foot" idea is driving me up a wall.
Two whole weeks of this?
No running?
Being overly concerned with my activity, limiting it and making it extremely low impact?
You said a whole, entire two weeks?...at least??
This was making me depressed and moody. How can I live like this for two days, let alone two weeks?
These questions plagued me until I pictured God sitting up in heaven, on his throne, just smiling. He knew I needed to be forced to learn how to rest.
He has been working on my resting skills for years yet there is still work to be done. I am, to say the least, a work in progress.
Now God is going to use this latest set back to raise the bar. Can I be content when I am grounded, stalled out, put on the sidelines and told to hang tight - literally? Just when things started to look like they were going to turn around, when I thought my life was finally going to take off, a step backwards. Will I be able to rest in the midst of this latest storm cloud?
This torn tendon in my foot is the latest barometer of my spiritual health. It will revel the status of my heart and who really holds it. Am I still trying to control my emotions and grasping for the steering wheel of my life or am I surrendered to God, finding peace in his presence and unshakable power?
My reaction to this set back can go in a number of different directions. Some of them will only cause a wall to build up between me and God. I can grow depressed and frustrated, lamenting my current lot in life. Or I can choose to take this time and let it grow me further. I can take my time stuck on the couch to read more of God's word and write more about what he is doing in my heart.
I can take what might be seen as a devastating blow and turn it into a time for blossoming. The choice is mine and mine alone. This is the challenge and beauty of free will. At every fork in the road we have a number of options when it comes to which road to travel. Not every road will honor God and draw us closer to him. The right road to take is always the road that moves us closer to the heart of God. A journey down that road will never disappoint and time on that path is never wasted.
I started running about a month ago and fell in love. I fell so hard that I went a little run crazy, increasing my distance and speed too quickly. At least, that is what all the webMD sites tell me. "Increase load by 10% a week." I knew this yet I thought I could handle more. How wrong I was. I was increase my loads by 20% a run which I was doing almost every other day. So much for weekly increases at a slow and steady pace. I threw caution to the wind and now I am paying the price.
Unlike my other setbacks this has been self inflicted. Certainly not intentional, but still, the consequences have been the same. I brought this on myself and now I must pay the price by putting into practice the recovery principle of rest.
Oh no.
This may have been self inflicted and a training mistake on my part but there is no doubt in my mind that God has a much needed lesson to teach me in all of this. "Rest" has never been my strong suit. I'm a doer. A goer. I like to be on the move. I don't like to sit still. I don't like to have a day where I'm not accomplishing things. Being a load drives me nuts. I am no good at being physically lazy. I don't have a job and I don't bring home big amounts of bacon, so in some sense people may call me extremely lazy. But I don't sit on my butt all day zoned out in front of the TV. I don't waste my time on the Kardashians. I like to make lists of things to get done so at the end of the day I can put big check marks next to my completed tasks. I like the feeling of a completion.
And I love working out. I love running. I love the feeling of setting a goal and reaching it - if not exceeding it. So this whole "rest," "limit physical activity," "abstain from running and weight bearing exercises on the foot" idea is driving me up a wall.
Two whole weeks of this?
No running?
Being overly concerned with my activity, limiting it and making it extremely low impact?
You said a whole, entire two weeks?...at least??
This was making me depressed and moody. How can I live like this for two days, let alone two weeks?
These questions plagued me until I pictured God sitting up in heaven, on his throne, just smiling. He knew I needed to be forced to learn how to rest.
He has been working on my resting skills for years yet there is still work to be done. I am, to say the least, a work in progress.
Now God is going to use this latest set back to raise the bar. Can I be content when I am grounded, stalled out, put on the sidelines and told to hang tight - literally? Just when things started to look like they were going to turn around, when I thought my life was finally going to take off, a step backwards. Will I be able to rest in the midst of this latest storm cloud?
This torn tendon in my foot is the latest barometer of my spiritual health. It will revel the status of my heart and who really holds it. Am I still trying to control my emotions and grasping for the steering wheel of my life or am I surrendered to God, finding peace in his presence and unshakable power?
My reaction to this set back can go in a number of different directions. Some of them will only cause a wall to build up between me and God. I can grow depressed and frustrated, lamenting my current lot in life. Or I can choose to take this time and let it grow me further. I can take my time stuck on the couch to read more of God's word and write more about what he is doing in my heart.
I can take what might be seen as a devastating blow and turn it into a time for blossoming. The choice is mine and mine alone. This is the challenge and beauty of free will. At every fork in the road we have a number of options when it comes to which road to travel. Not every road will honor God and draw us closer to him. The right road to take is always the road that moves us closer to the heart of God. A journey down that road will never disappoint and time on that path is never wasted.
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