If you think you are the only one in the world with a problem, think again. No one is immune to having some struggle or suffering that they wish just weren't so. For some people it is relationship centered. Children, husbands, wives, friends...they all can be the source of great joy or great heartache. And sometimes both in rapid succession. Other people struggle with financial turmoil. A house payment that is too high, a job that pays too little and more collection calls than a man would care to count. Still others carry the weight of failure, the agony of defeat and the sorrow of unrealized dreams. And then others, like me, suffer from something physical. Cancer. Lung disease. Arthritis. Legs that don't work. An illusive diagnosis to a debilitating condition.
Or flared muscles.
Everyone has something. No one's life is pain free. Oh sure, we've all looked over the fence at our neighbors lawn or into the lives of Facebook friends and thought, "If only I had that life! If only I had their life of ease instead of my life of pain!" Be careful what you wish for, dear Facebook stalker. Because what looks like all butterflies and roses is really just a life with a different set of problems.
We can try to wish away our trouble. We can try to run from trials. We can try to trade our problems for a different set. But no matter how far and fast we run we will never escape pain. The discomfort we face in this life is part and parcel of being human and living in a fallen world.
You may be thinking to yourself that this sounds like a whole bunch of bad news. Gloom and doom with no happy ending. But the post isn't over. The story isn't done. Because God has a plan and a purpose for our pain and it doesn't include being relieved from it or swapping it out for a different model.
Our pains - your pain, my pain, your "my life is perfect, just look at my smiley pictures" friend on Facebook's pain - is our own specially designed source of joy, signed, sealed and delivered by God on high. Yes, that's right friend. God loves you so much that He gave you a pain to remember Him by so that you will never forget to rejoice.
....He gave you that disobedient son to remind you that you were a rebellious child, separated from God by your sin but that Jesus came and rescued you and reunited you to your Father!...God gave you that little, tiny bank account as a daily reminder that you can and should depend alone on God who is your Provider and Sustainer. You can count on God to know what you need and to see you through even the bleakest of financial seasons....God gave you that disease as a constant reminder that your body and flesh will fail but that won't be the end because you have an eternity to look forward to in Heaven. You have a God who cares so much for you that He has prepared a place for you where your body will be perfect, where doctors won't need to poke you with needles and blood cell counts won't count for anything....
...And God gave you that flared muscle to remind you with each tug and pull that paralyzes you from taking another step forward there is a pull greater than any force this world will ever know - it is the pull of God on your heart. He loves you. He desires to be with you. And He is pulling you towards Himself for now and forever more. He is pulling you in to depend on Him, rely on Him and rejoice in Him. Every step you take forward in physical discomfort you have a moment-by-moment reminder that you are united with Christ in His suffering and will one day be reunited with Him in His eternal glory.
We can rejoice. We can praise God. And we can remember to do so because we each have that persistent pain as a daily, constant reminder.
Don't ask God to take away your pain. Don't covet your friend's particular set of painful circumstances or physical maladies. Don't kid yourself into thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of someone's fence. It isn't. What they have may be different. Their pain may come in a different package, wrapped in a different bow. But that's not because it is less aggravating or somehow better. It was just designed specifically for them. And your pain is designed specifically for you. So rest in it and thank God for it. Because He made it especially for you, with your name on it and God's hand upon it.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Saturday, October 31, 2015
One step at a time
Every morning she walks out of her cluttered apartment and painstakingly makes her way to the elevator. Three stories down she emerges, ready for her trek across the street, through the parking lot and into the public library. The walk is less than a city block but it will take her nearly fifteen minutes. Each step is labored, slow and stilted. She wobbles and wavers. But she makes the journey.
Her name is Teresa and she is my elderly, frail neighbor with missing teeth and a bandaged leg. She lives alone on the top floor of my apartment building. I've never seen her welcome a visitor or get in a car. Her days consist of her home, the library and the one single street in between.
For Teresa that journey across the street is a physical feat. She could just sit at home and avoid the labored walk across the road in the sweltering ninety degree heat. Or she could get a motorized scooter to take her to the library and maybe even a bit further to explore the buzzing downtown shops and restaurants. Even a cane would help assist her in staying upright without swaying back and forth, making the onlooker sick with worry that the next gust of wind will blow her little frame right over! But Teresa doesn't rely on any of those aids. She goes about her days on her own, making small steps towards her intended destination.
Watching Teresa I can't help but see a little bit of her in all of us. Our spiritual walk with God is a lot like her walk to the library. It is slow. It is labored. Sometimes it looks terribly wobbly and precarious. We have to make that walk in all kinds of conditions - unbearable heat, a winter's blizzard. Yet, if we fix our eyes on our destination and go forward with determination, we can overcome every obstacle.
The journey won't necessarily be easy. In fact, we shouldn't even be surprised by all the hurtles we'll have to climb over, difficulties we will face and obstructions that will be placed in our way. 1 Peter 4:12 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." When we struggle and suffer and our every step is painful and slow, we shouldn't be surprised. We have been given fair warning. While walking with Christ we can expect fiery ordeals and trying times. But we can rejoice in them because what we are experiencing is a taste of what Christ endured. We are sharing in His suffering and one day we will share in His glory.
As we labor along our road of life we need not look too far ahead. Teresa doesn't. She just looks across the road, to the library, to her very next destination. If she can make it there she can rest. She'll worry about the strength needed to return when the time comes, but for now she has one mission: make it across the road.
I could use a bit more of Teresa's spirit, attitude and outlook. I don't need to see the whole year ahead or even the whole day ahead. I just need to take the next step. God will see me through the rest. But if I can make the next step, no matter how painful and difficult it may be, He will provide me with the strength and endurance needed for the rest of the journey.
Her name is Teresa and she is my elderly, frail neighbor with missing teeth and a bandaged leg. She lives alone on the top floor of my apartment building. I've never seen her welcome a visitor or get in a car. Her days consist of her home, the library and the one single street in between.
For Teresa that journey across the street is a physical feat. She could just sit at home and avoid the labored walk across the road in the sweltering ninety degree heat. Or she could get a motorized scooter to take her to the library and maybe even a bit further to explore the buzzing downtown shops and restaurants. Even a cane would help assist her in staying upright without swaying back and forth, making the onlooker sick with worry that the next gust of wind will blow her little frame right over! But Teresa doesn't rely on any of those aids. She goes about her days on her own, making small steps towards her intended destination.
Watching Teresa I can't help but see a little bit of her in all of us. Our spiritual walk with God is a lot like her walk to the library. It is slow. It is labored. Sometimes it looks terribly wobbly and precarious. We have to make that walk in all kinds of conditions - unbearable heat, a winter's blizzard. Yet, if we fix our eyes on our destination and go forward with determination, we can overcome every obstacle.
The journey won't necessarily be easy. In fact, we shouldn't even be surprised by all the hurtles we'll have to climb over, difficulties we will face and obstructions that will be placed in our way. 1 Peter 4:12 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." When we struggle and suffer and our every step is painful and slow, we shouldn't be surprised. We have been given fair warning. While walking with Christ we can expect fiery ordeals and trying times. But we can rejoice in them because what we are experiencing is a taste of what Christ endured. We are sharing in His suffering and one day we will share in His glory.
As we labor along our road of life we need not look too far ahead. Teresa doesn't. She just looks across the road, to the library, to her very next destination. If she can make it there she can rest. She'll worry about the strength needed to return when the time comes, but for now she has one mission: make it across the road.
I could use a bit more of Teresa's spirit, attitude and outlook. I don't need to see the whole year ahead or even the whole day ahead. I just need to take the next step. God will see me through the rest. But if I can make the next step, no matter how painful and difficult it may be, He will provide me with the strength and endurance needed for the rest of the journey.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Love thy rain
Sitting on my couch surrounded by comfy pillows, soft light and an apple cider scented candle, I hear the beating of the rain against the side of my apartment building, making gigantic puddles outside in the street below my window. Few sounds rival the bliss of an evening rain with the door wide open to let in the fresh, clean air. The rain does the spirit good. It brings with it refreshment and calm.
Now send me a rainstorm on a Saturday morning when I am hoping to get in a run or a visit to the outdoor farmer's market and my view of rain takes a dramatic turn. I want rain when I want it (while I'm warm and snuggled up at home) and not when I don't want it (while I'm enjoying time outdoors). This is the rain paradox. It is a love-hate relationship.
But the rain is a necessity and it does the earth good. It contributes to the vital hydrologic cycle. This basic earth system contributes to so much of what I take for granted. Every fish that swims relies on the rain to maintain their aquatic habitat. Plants need it to grow and thrive. We need it to for drinking water and our very survival. The rain seeps into the earth, maintaining the health of the soil and life itself! Oh, how different would our world be without the rain! It would be lifeless. It would be dry. There would many more parched throats. And many fish with useless fins.
This must be why God gave us rain - he knew we'd need it. In Isaiah 30:23 it says, "He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful." I may not always appreciate the timing of the rain or the way it makes me look like a wet dog when I get caught in its onslaught, but it is a necessity of life. Without the rain my world would look so drastically different; less vibrant and lifeless. Without rain I wouldn't enjoy the soothing sounds as it lulls me to sleep. And I would never, ever see a rainbow. I need the rain. The earth needs the rain. This world needs the rain.
When God made the rain He knew He was creating something that wouldn't always be welcomed with open arms. He knew that rain would come and disrupt picnics and proms. He knew that rain would get our clothes all wet and make our hair look like we just stepped out of the shower on our way to a job interview. But He made the rain anyway because He has a plan bigger than our hair, our picnics and our proms. He has a plan that includes rain. All kinds of rain. Rain that comes in the form of precipitation and rain that comes in the form of trials and tribulations. He's created them all with a purpose that is for the long term survival of our very being - body, heart and soul.
Sometimes rain comes in the form of an unwanted circumstance. Like the falling of big fat water droplets, we get pounded by something terribly trying and troublesome. It can be an illness. It can be a break up. It can be the loss of a job or the loss of a friend or perhaps simply a set of lost keys. These troublesome circumstance come upon us like rain on our wedding day (think Alanis Morissette). If only the rain could have come on a different day!
But just like the rain that falls from the sky, our rainy days of trials have purpose. They are necessary. They provide us with the testing we need to increase our faith. Without some rain there is little growth in the spiritual life. Without the pouring down of God's good precipitation we wither up and die like a plant parched for water. We need to be drenched with difficulties if we want to see our faith increase, grow and thrive.
Today I was thrilled to see the rain outside my window. It was a welcome change to the days on end of ninety degree heat with high humidity and sticky air. But when I encounter rainy circumstance in my day can I say that I always have the same upbeat, positive, welcoming response?
The emotional rains that call into question my faith and reliance on God lay before me a choice I alone can make: rejoice and dance in the rain...or lament that I can't go out and have a picnic.
I alone can make the decision to put on my rain boots and do some puddle jumping. It is my choice to embrace the rain no matter how hard it falls or how many days on end those dark storm clouds linger overhead. I am compelled to learn to love the rain because it is the rain that has made me who I am and who God intends me to be. I will wither up and die without the rain that God sends my way. So instead of cursing the rain and pulling a blanket over my head in an attempt to escape it, I'm going to go out and dance, sing and jump around. I am going to learn to love the rain.
Now send me a rainstorm on a Saturday morning when I am hoping to get in a run or a visit to the outdoor farmer's market and my view of rain takes a dramatic turn. I want rain when I want it (while I'm warm and snuggled up at home) and not when I don't want it (while I'm enjoying time outdoors). This is the rain paradox. It is a love-hate relationship.
But the rain is a necessity and it does the earth good. It contributes to the vital hydrologic cycle. This basic earth system contributes to so much of what I take for granted. Every fish that swims relies on the rain to maintain their aquatic habitat. Plants need it to grow and thrive. We need it to for drinking water and our very survival. The rain seeps into the earth, maintaining the health of the soil and life itself! Oh, how different would our world be without the rain! It would be lifeless. It would be dry. There would many more parched throats. And many fish with useless fins.
This must be why God gave us rain - he knew we'd need it. In Isaiah 30:23 it says, "He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful." I may not always appreciate the timing of the rain or the way it makes me look like a wet dog when I get caught in its onslaught, but it is a necessity of life. Without the rain my world would look so drastically different; less vibrant and lifeless. Without rain I wouldn't enjoy the soothing sounds as it lulls me to sleep. And I would never, ever see a rainbow. I need the rain. The earth needs the rain. This world needs the rain.
When God made the rain He knew He was creating something that wouldn't always be welcomed with open arms. He knew that rain would come and disrupt picnics and proms. He knew that rain would get our clothes all wet and make our hair look like we just stepped out of the shower on our way to a job interview. But He made the rain anyway because He has a plan bigger than our hair, our picnics and our proms. He has a plan that includes rain. All kinds of rain. Rain that comes in the form of precipitation and rain that comes in the form of trials and tribulations. He's created them all with a purpose that is for the long term survival of our very being - body, heart and soul.
Sometimes rain comes in the form of an unwanted circumstance. Like the falling of big fat water droplets, we get pounded by something terribly trying and troublesome. It can be an illness. It can be a break up. It can be the loss of a job or the loss of a friend or perhaps simply a set of lost keys. These troublesome circumstance come upon us like rain on our wedding day (think Alanis Morissette). If only the rain could have come on a different day!
But just like the rain that falls from the sky, our rainy days of trials have purpose. They are necessary. They provide us with the testing we need to increase our faith. Without some rain there is little growth in the spiritual life. Without the pouring down of God's good precipitation we wither up and die like a plant parched for water. We need to be drenched with difficulties if we want to see our faith increase, grow and thrive.
Today I was thrilled to see the rain outside my window. It was a welcome change to the days on end of ninety degree heat with high humidity and sticky air. But when I encounter rainy circumstance in my day can I say that I always have the same upbeat, positive, welcoming response?
The emotional rains that call into question my faith and reliance on God lay before me a choice I alone can make: rejoice and dance in the rain...or lament that I can't go out and have a picnic.
I alone can make the decision to put on my rain boots and do some puddle jumping. It is my choice to embrace the rain no matter how hard it falls or how many days on end those dark storm clouds linger overhead. I am compelled to learn to love the rain because it is the rain that has made me who I am and who God intends me to be. I will wither up and die without the rain that God sends my way. So instead of cursing the rain and pulling a blanket over my head in an attempt to escape it, I'm going to go out and dance, sing and jump around. I am going to learn to love the rain.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
A little step forward
You may not always get the next ten steps all plotted out for you, laid out in a nice little row with color-coded arrows. More often than not the steps come one at a time and the arrows aren't bright and flashy. And you want to know what I'm finding out about those arrows? They are enough. Taking just one step in the right direction is enough. We don't need to leap. We don't need to run. We don't need to cover lots of ground in little time. We just need to take each obedient step forward that God shows us, as He shows, when HE wants to show us. I know as well as anyone that His time table will not look like ours. We might take one step and wait quite some time before we see the next arrow. Sometimes we wait longer than we need to because we are looking for a series of red, flashing arrows when all the while a little one painted in black and white is right in front of us all the while. It might not have been what we were anticipating, expecting or hoping for but it is what God has given us. So take the step, even if it is just one. Go on God's timing, at His pace, in His direction. He will bless that obedience. Your faithfulness and trust will not return void. Your obedience will never be for nothing. God has a plan and a purpose for every step of obedience He has for us to take. So take it. Own it. Love it. Embrace it. This is a step made for you, plotted out for you, specifically designed for your foot to land on. Don't miss the blessing in the smallest steps. Because God hasn't overlooked you. On the contrary, He has so detailed out your every moment that He even crafted little steps. What is your next step going to be? Get excited. Because I know it is going to be good.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Where I came from
I've heard countless celebrities say, "I never forget where I came from." Mind you, they say this as they sit in their four million dollar mansion on the side of a hill in LA with huge glass windows looking out over the Hollywood sign. The sentiment is good but it feels awfully jaded coming from the lap of luxury. With my sour view of such a claim it is ironic that today that very sentence kept coming to my mind.
From my seat in a casual cafe, far from the Hollywood Hills, I, too, began to reflect on where I came from. And I don't just mean just my home city, state and zip code. I don't even mean my childhood home or the smell of freshly baked cookies that used to emanate through our house in the fall. I don't mean the high school I graduated from or my family's business that shaped my understanding of hard work and dedication. When I say, "where I came from," I mean where I really came from, where I was known before I was born and where I will one day return: my heavenly home.
In this life, on this earth, I don't know what will become of me. Maybe I will wake up one day and find that I am famous (that's a long shot - and a shot I'm not even sure I'd enjoy). Or maybe I'll wake up one day and find that I'm a housewife with three kids and a minivan (a shot I can see being much more agreeable to my sensibilities and desires). Or maybe my future will look a lot like my present, characterized by an ongoing tug-of-war between health and sickness, vitality and weakness. I don't know where precisely I'm going in this life but I know where I came from and I know that one day that is where I will return.
What comes next in my life may be blissful or it may challenge my faith and tax my spirit. Either way, I can rest in the knowledge of where I came from. The place I came from is perfect. God in His love created me and designed me in His image. He laid out for me a path to journey through this life, a mystery that is being unfolded daily. He knew there would be challenges and struggles, but He put encouragement and encouragers along my path. It all began at the place I came from, long before I was even a blip on a sonogram machine or a baby in a cradle. God knew who I would be and He planned for me in advance.
Now I am here on His journey. This path isn't mine. It is His. It is a path that is lived out on earth but is leading back to Heaven, circling back to my first and forever home. Knowing where I came from makes all the difference in how I live. I can walk along this path knowing that it is set out for me and that I am safe and secure even when I feel anxious and vulnerable. My feet are secure because my future is locked in, it is written in God's book of life.
Because I know where I came from I can live with the joy of knowing, ultimately, where I'm going. I may not know what tomorrow will bring. I may not know what my earthly future holds but I know where I'm going to end. I know that I'm going back to the perfect home that I came from. I have a bed there and a room that's all mine. I can live with joy and anticipation because I'm headed home, back where I belong.
From my seat in a casual cafe, far from the Hollywood Hills, I, too, began to reflect on where I came from. And I don't just mean just my home city, state and zip code. I don't even mean my childhood home or the smell of freshly baked cookies that used to emanate through our house in the fall. I don't mean the high school I graduated from or my family's business that shaped my understanding of hard work and dedication. When I say, "where I came from," I mean where I really came from, where I was known before I was born and where I will one day return: my heavenly home.
In this life, on this earth, I don't know what will become of me. Maybe I will wake up one day and find that I am famous (that's a long shot - and a shot I'm not even sure I'd enjoy). Or maybe I'll wake up one day and find that I'm a housewife with three kids and a minivan (a shot I can see being much more agreeable to my sensibilities and desires). Or maybe my future will look a lot like my present, characterized by an ongoing tug-of-war between health and sickness, vitality and weakness. I don't know where precisely I'm going in this life but I know where I came from and I know that one day that is where I will return.
What comes next in my life may be blissful or it may challenge my faith and tax my spirit. Either way, I can rest in the knowledge of where I came from. The place I came from is perfect. God in His love created me and designed me in His image. He laid out for me a path to journey through this life, a mystery that is being unfolded daily. He knew there would be challenges and struggles, but He put encouragement and encouragers along my path. It all began at the place I came from, long before I was even a blip on a sonogram machine or a baby in a cradle. God knew who I would be and He planned for me in advance.
Now I am here on His journey. This path isn't mine. It is His. It is a path that is lived out on earth but is leading back to Heaven, circling back to my first and forever home. Knowing where I came from makes all the difference in how I live. I can walk along this path knowing that it is set out for me and that I am safe and secure even when I feel anxious and vulnerable. My feet are secure because my future is locked in, it is written in God's book of life.
Because I know where I came from I can live with the joy of knowing, ultimately, where I'm going. I may not know what tomorrow will bring. I may not know what my earthly future holds but I know where I'm going to end. I know that I'm going back to the perfect home that I came from. I have a bed there and a room that's all mine. I can live with joy and anticipation because I'm headed home, back where I belong.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Writing a masterpiece
The best stories written aren't the ones written by man. Even the greatest novelists borrow from real life. And who is the author of real life? Certainly not man, for what man can keep himself from a car accident, disease or death of a loved one? Reality is authored and directed by God. There are a million and one circumstances outside of man's control but none that are outside of God's. He writes the script of our lives and orchestrates its unfolding in His perfect timing. What we watch play out in our lives is His imagination at work, His creative genius.
I know what you're thinking, "My life is not the result of any genius! It is a chaotic mess!" Or so it looks from your perspective. How many movies have played out on the big screen in which the characters make us believe they are hopeless two thirds through the film? How many novels are plagued with a tragedy, trial or dilemma that makes us wonder, "how will this ever end well?" Those novelists and screenwriters didn't come up with their plots by their own sheer brain power. They borrowed from real life and the Author of it. They watched friends overcome struggles, family members succeed in the face of every difficulty and thought to themselves, "That would make a great movie!" Art imitates life. Authors imitate God. It is not the other way around.
At this very moment your life may look like the middle of a dramatic movie. The plot is thickening, every obstacle is in your way, the enemy is advancing - your ending isn't looking good. But just think back to how all of those dramatic movies ended. A big break leads to a successful career. A chance encounter with a stranger leads to love. The unexpected opens a door to a happily ever after.
God can bring about your happy ending but it will be in His time, on His terms. He will write you a blockbuster of a screenplay for a life but you have to be willing to play your role, even when its tragic. He'll write you a best selling novel of a life but you have to keep reading even when your character is getting beaten down by disappointments and struggles. Keep reading. Keep acting out your role as an obedient, surrendered follower of Christ. Keep on the path that leads to life and peace and joy, not because you are in it for the blessing but because God is worthy of your every breath and every step. When we give Him our all, He gives us an amazing story to live for His glory. He has written you a book with your name on it. Today you are living out one of its pages, living out one of its scenes. Remember that as long as you have life and breath the book isn't over. The climax may not arrive anytime soon! Your open door, unexpected opportunity or chance encounter might be pages or chapters ahead. You won't know unless you keep reading, keep walking with Christ, keep living for God. Trust me, He has written you a masterpiece and the ending is going to surprise you.
I know what you're thinking, "My life is not the result of any genius! It is a chaotic mess!" Or so it looks from your perspective. How many movies have played out on the big screen in which the characters make us believe they are hopeless two thirds through the film? How many novels are plagued with a tragedy, trial or dilemma that makes us wonder, "how will this ever end well?" Those novelists and screenwriters didn't come up with their plots by their own sheer brain power. They borrowed from real life and the Author of it. They watched friends overcome struggles, family members succeed in the face of every difficulty and thought to themselves, "That would make a great movie!" Art imitates life. Authors imitate God. It is not the other way around.
At this very moment your life may look like the middle of a dramatic movie. The plot is thickening, every obstacle is in your way, the enemy is advancing - your ending isn't looking good. But just think back to how all of those dramatic movies ended. A big break leads to a successful career. A chance encounter with a stranger leads to love. The unexpected opens a door to a happily ever after.
God can bring about your happy ending but it will be in His time, on His terms. He will write you a blockbuster of a screenplay for a life but you have to be willing to play your role, even when its tragic. He'll write you a best selling novel of a life but you have to keep reading even when your character is getting beaten down by disappointments and struggles. Keep reading. Keep acting out your role as an obedient, surrendered follower of Christ. Keep on the path that leads to life and peace and joy, not because you are in it for the blessing but because God is worthy of your every breath and every step. When we give Him our all, He gives us an amazing story to live for His glory. He has written you a book with your name on it. Today you are living out one of its pages, living out one of its scenes. Remember that as long as you have life and breath the book isn't over. The climax may not arrive anytime soon! Your open door, unexpected opportunity or chance encounter might be pages or chapters ahead. You won't know unless you keep reading, keep walking with Christ, keep living for God. Trust me, He has written you a masterpiece and the ending is going to surprise you.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Scripture Pictured
Check out ScripturePictured, my new business putting scripture on display through photography! You can find the pictures on etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ScripturePictured.
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