The Stories of Our Lives

A Flood of Memories

Being at my father-in-law’s house after his funeral brought such a flood of memories. I’ve been puzzling over why my older memories of times with Dad affected me so differently now than they did before he closed his eyes to this earth.  I’ve decided it's partly that, now, the book is completely closed.  Mom had already gone on to heaven 14 years before, and we have no more time here to make memories.  The memories are all we have, at least for now.  But there’s even more to it.

Concerning memories of things we used to do together in previous times, but that we couldn't continue do together in his later years, it was still sweet to be able to reminisce together with him about those times.  Now, though, our partner in remembering is gone, and it feels so very, very different.

Context, Connection, and Meaning--The Value in Stories Shared

Now, I’m beginning to see how good and healthy it is for us all to keep speaking of times gone by, even if it’s to others who weren't a part of the original memories, because doing so preserves the important dimensions of context, connection, and meaning for our lives.  And those dimensions, in turn, form a backdrop of significance for our lives, as storytellers and story-hearers alike.

 

When we are all alone with memories that we don't actively communicate or share with anyone, there’s a danger that something inside us can begin to shrivel.  It’s as if each of us can become a sort of timeline orphan, and not only do we suffer, but those who come behind us are robbed of their connection to a grander story.  We have a very real need to continue to tell our stories—including the many ways God revealed Himself in His work in our lives—and others have a very real need to hear them.

 

A Connection to Yet an Even Grander Unfinished Story

In a way, God’s preservation of the stories of “our people” from the past in the Bible is both an inspiration and a model for us to continue into the future.  I love how the stories in the Bible, the recorded episodes in the lives of our spiritual ancestors, give context, connection, and meaning to our lives, too, as we understand that we are part of God's big and beautifully orchestrated plan.  

 

And that leads me to one more thought.  As God’s people, we have more than a connection to a shared past, and we have significance in more than the past or even the present.  Those who bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ have a glorious shared future.  The parting of death is only a temporary one.  The resurrection of Jesus means that, actually, the book is not closed after all; death only marks the end of the earthly chapters.  

“But as it is written,

 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 

Nor have entered into the heart of man 

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'”  

1 Corinthians 2:9  

(NKJV)

 

It's true we can't even imagine what is ahead, but knowing the Author, it's bound to be good.

--Carol

The Platform of Pain

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, 

having received the word 

in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit…” 

—from Paul’s first letter to the Christians at Thessalonica 

(I Thessalonians 1:6)

That stopped me in my tracks—joy and much tribulation in the same sentence, simultaneously existing in the same life context.  Tribulation and joy are surprisingly uncommon partners indeed.

They’re surprising partners because too often I let my joy be based on my circumstances.  Life happens to me, and I react, and not always well.  Pain or problems pull back the curtain and reveal the foundation for my joy.  Then they point me back to anchoring my joy in Jesus alone.

Please let it end!  Or maybe not...

I usually pray for pain to go away.  But could it be that God wants to do something else through me?  Too often I forget that pain creates a powerful platform.  Joy in the midst of pain is the very last thing a watching world would expect, so people are going to notice it.  When I reflect on my own life, I realize that some of the most powerful testimonies of encouragement and joyful faith I have ever seen were from people in less than ideal circumstances.  

And that’s exactly what happened with the Thessalonian Christians, too.  Paul’s letter goes on…

“…in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 

SO THAT you became an example to all the believers 

in Macedonia and in Achaia.” 

(I Thessalonians 1:7)

So people all over heard about their faith and joy in the Lord.  And it gets even better.

“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you,

not only in Macedonia and Achaia, 

but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, 

so that we have no need to say anything.  

For they themselves report 

about us what kind of a reception we had with you,

 and how you turned to God from idols 

to serve a living and true God…” 

(I Thessalonians 1:8-9)

That’s right.  Paul would arrive somewhere, and the locals would tell him about the Christians at Thessalonica.  Incredible!

In this world you will have tribulation, so open a Fountain of Life stand.

I want to be one of those talked about believers.  Oh, not for my sake, not to draw attention to myself, but because Jesus deserves to have the story of what He’s doing, the story of His joy, told far and wide.  Especially when life isn’t pain-free.

O, Lord, turn our eyes to you, fill us with your joy, and make us magnetic messengers who make the most of the platform of pain, for your glory alone!

All for His Glory,

Carol

Inexpressible Joy

(Second in a series on Joy.
For Part One, click here.)

“I will see you again,

and your heart will rejoice,

and no one takes your joy away from you.”

—Jesus, recorded in John 16:22

Yes, but some days, life is just really hard.  And we can find ourselves wondering whether it’s really true that no one can take our joy away.  Are you sometimes tempted to be suspicious that the reassurance Jesus gave might have been just for Jesus’ apostles?  That’s when I go again to read what Peter had to say about it.

To those who have received a faith like "ours"

Peter, by the way, is the one who explicitly explained, as recorded in Acts 15:7-12, that God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles, cleansing both their hearts by faith, that God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, just as He did to the Jews, and that Jew and Gentile alike are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.  That means me, too.  And that means you.  Peter is also the one who was one of Jesus’ closest friends while Jesus walked on earth, and the same one who addresses his second letter to the ones “who have received a faith of the same kind as ours…”  (II Peter 1:1)  That means me, too.  And, yes, it means you.

So this is what Peter—one of, as he says, the “eyewitnesses of His majesty”—writes to scattered Christians about hope and joy…

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly REJOICE, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with JOY inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 

I Peter 1:3-9

There is no doubt that, for Peter, the living hope secured in Jesus’ resurrection meant great joy—glorious, inexpressible joy.  Great, glorious, and inexpressible joy, even in the face of various trials for a little while now.  But beyond his own powerful testimony, what grips me most is that there is also no doubt that he meant that this joy was indeed for us, too!  He specifically addresses these powerful words to those who have not seen Him, but love Him, to those who do not see Him now, but believe in Him.  That most certainly means me.  And it means this joy is meant for you, too!

Yes, it is true for us, too, that there is nothing we will ever face that the resurrection of Jesus does not put into perspective!  Nothing that can overshadow the joy of our inheritance, the inheritance that will not fade, the inheritance reserved for us, who are protected by the power of God.

Peter, who saw Him alive, was convinced that this salvation puts everything into perspective…

“…Fix your hope COMPLETELY 

on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 … And after you have suffered for a little while, 

the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, 

will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

 … Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.  Amen.”  

I Peter 1:13; 5:10; II Peter 5:18

With great Joy,

Carol

Unstealable Joy

“These things I have spoken to you,

that My JOY may be in you,

and that your JOY may be made full.”

—Jesus, in John 15:11

Been pondering John 16:16-22…where Jesus tells His disciples (just before His arrest) that in a little while they wouldn’t see Him, and then, in a little while, they would.  Understandably, they got confused.

I WILL see you again
Jesus, of course, picked up on it, and further explained.  They would be very sad, He said, but their sorrow would be turned to joy.  Unhesitatingly, He declared, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice.”  Jesus knew He was going to be taken away to die, yes, but not against His will.  He was pursuing the very purpose for which He had come, and which He knew did not ultimately end in their separation.  He was no helpless victim; He was, in fact, even now predicting His victory—with certainty. 

And He told them something else I find especially momentous.  “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and NO ONE TAKES YOUR JOY AWAY FROM YOU.”

Nothing compares
After witnessing the death of Jesus—and experiencing such heart-breaking separation from Him—seeing their precious Savior and Friend resurrected brought joy that defied description.  He predicted that it would be for them as it is for a mother who forgets the anguish of labor in the midst of the overwhelming joy over her child’s birth—and it was.

Truly, after seeing His death, nothing would ever seem as bad as losing Jesus had seemed to them.  Nothing else could ever be as terrible to them.  Nothing could be that dark ever again.  And this, their crushing grief at His death, had been turned to rejoicing when they saw Him alive again.  Now nothing they could ever face in the future could take the joy of knowing Him alive.  Once they had seen the risen Christ, absolutely nothing could take their joy away!  Life for them would never be the same!

Have you seen Him alive?
What about for me?  And what about for you?  Do you know the risen Savior?  If we, through the eyes of faith, have "seen" Jesus alive, then there is nothing we could ever face that His resurrection does not put into perspective.  Once we have seen Him alive, there is nothing that should seem to us impossible, nothing unredeemable, nothing so dark that His resurrected life cannot illumine!  He has promised to never leave us as orphans, to never desert us or forsake us.  Once His Holy Spirit lives in us; we can never experience the agony of separation from Him or from His love.

“For I am convinced

that neither death, nor life, nor angels,

nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

According to the One who resolutely declared, “I will see you again,” no one can take our joy away!

Is it any wonder that the fruit of the Spirit has always been joy?  (See Galatians 5:22.)

Joyously giving thanks to the Father (Colossians 1:11-12),

Carol

P.S. READ MORE on this one-of-a-kind joy in Part 2 Inexpressible Joy.

It'll Never Happen!

So when was the last time God answered with this:

"Oh, I really wish I could help, but all my resources are pretty much exhausted right now!"?

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,
so that you may know…
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…"
Ephesians 1:18-19

If we only knew... 

Divine Appointments

This is a regular post, but, as by divine appointment,

it also happens to intersect with

Part 8 of the Beyond Trophies Series

I’ve just got to tell you about something that totally amazes me, and if you’re reading the Beyond Trophies series, today’s topic is the foundational key to beginning to understand what ballots must add up to.  (What Ballots Must Add Up To and what God is doing through them is what I’ll be focusing on the next time, too, but this just has to come first.)

Nobody will ever convince me that there’s no such thing as a divine appointment!  When Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover (see Luke 22), He told them ahead of time whom they would meet when they arrived in the city.  And it wasn’t that He just gave them an address where they were to hope to find somebody in the vicinity.

No, the designated man was to be en route carrying a pitcher of water, and his path would intersect with Peter and John at the very moment they would enter the city.  Peter and John were to follow the man into a house and then ask the owner (who, by no accident, of course, would be home at this moment) where the guest room was where “The Teacher” (Jesus) could eat the Passover with His disciples.  The owner would then proceed to show them a large, furnished upper room.  No confusion, no surprise, no hesitancy, just hospitality from the owner of the house.  Doesn’t that whole scenario strike you as just a little out of the ordinary?

Don't miss this

If we’re familiar with the Bible, sometimes these things can slip right past us, but to be honest, I don’t want anything to slip past me.  I aim to read it like I’ve never read it before, like I don’t already know what happens next—to read it like it’s the first time.  And I’m blown away.

And not just blown away by Jesus telling them exactly what to expect.  Oh, no, it gets even better: “They found everything just as He had told them.”

This is the God I serve.  Nobody else plans and executes like that.  He has the perfect power to carry out His perfect plans to accomplish His perfect purposes.  He is more than able to put us in the places He needs us to be, and at just the right times, so that His purposes for us—personally and in His overall plan—will come to pass!  For you team policy debaters, we’re talking about solvency considerations.  There are no holes in God’s agency, enforcement, funding, or timeline!

NOTE TO SELF:  Time to quit stressing.  Pray for direction, plan in light of His Word, and be available.  The next person I meet is my next divine appointment.  (Including, in the world of competition, the next competitors and judge I meet.)

Your divine appointments

Speaking of the world of competition, are you seeing the implications of God’s choreography and orchestration here?  Let's bring it a little closer to home for you competitors.  Your judges and your ballots are not just haphazard coincidences.  God divinely appoints the judges he needs to accomplish His purposes for you (and for them) and makes sure they get to your rounds.

When it’s time for awards, God has the power to appoint every single competitor to the place where He needs them to be—whether that’s on or off the platform—and arrange them in the order He chooses!  Will you trust God for that?

If you will, then you can relax and enjoy the ride much more than if you think you’re at the mercy of out of control circumstances.  Do you feel sometimes like trusting God about this seems like somewhat of a challenge?   Well, I’m pretty certain Isaiah knew someone else who may have struggled with this…

“Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, 

the One who leads forth their host by number, 

He calls them all by name;

 Because of the greatness of His might

 and the strength of His power 

not one of them is missing.

[WOW, okay, I’m listening…]

Why do you say, O Jacob [O debater], 

and assert, O Israel [O speaker],

 ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, 

and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?’”

Isaiah 40:26-27  

[brackets mine]

The One who keeps the stars in place would assure you that He’s not looking the other way at ANY time, and certainly not during ballot distribution or while your judges are filling out ballots.  Our days are no accident.  “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”  (Psalm 139:16) 

I challenge you to view your next day, even your next hour, and yes, your next tournament, as a series of divine appointments, and watch expectantly to see what happens!

Breaking News:  God interrupts this post…

to bring me a divine appointment!

I had written only as far as the “note to self” section preceding (the “next person I meet is my next divine appointment” part), when I had to stop to go do some errands.  And guess what?  I found myself in the middle of an amazing divine appointment!

I had been in the men’s shampoo aisle wondering what in the world caffeine in a shampoo does to a person’s hair and trying to decide which product—glue, paste, wax, or gel—was right for my son’s hair (…was he going for spiffy or casual?), when someone approached me and asked me for help.  But not for help with the hair stuff.  He began to explain his need.  I never know for sure in these kinds of situations whether I’m being sold a scam or not, but I felt he was genuine.  In case he should read this someday, I want to be careful how I tell this, but I can tell you that when I gently listened and bought him groceries, he literally cried out of gratitude and stayed to hear the good news of the gospel!

Please understand that I’m nobody extraordinary, but I’m here to tell you that our God is.  And I absolutely love to be a part of the plans He’s working out through divine appointments!  How about you?

P.S. If you haven’t been following the Beyond Trophies series and would like to catch up, you can click on “Beyond Trophies” near the top of the page to find the rest of the series (or click here).  The whole world, it seems, is all about competition, from backyard races to basketball tournaments and job promotions.  The Beyond Trophies series is about navigating the world of competition with a Biblical compass and it's relevant in any arena of competition!

No Exception To Nothing

So when was the last time God answered a request with this one:

"Sorry, that job is too big."?

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh;

Is anything too difficult for me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

"NOTHING will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

There's no exception to nothing.  Okay, my worries are looking pretty irrelevant about now.

The Prequel to Family Forever

So this is what lead up to the previous post…

Some days, life is just hard.  “Lord, I need You more than ever.”  And He meets me where I am, comforts me, heals me, fills me back up.  It was one of those days.  He met me initially in Luke 22 & 23.  I was feeling really weary (…the details don’t matter so much, and I’m sure you have personal wearying things of your own…) and I needed time in my Father’s arms.  Here’s a window into what happened.  (Backdrop: Luke 22& 23)

My sympathetic high priest

Lord, You faced tremendous stress even from a human perspective, not to mention the fact that You were going to bear the sins of the whole world.  Humanly speaking alone, it must have been awful, knowing that one of Your own was going to betray You, totally stab You in the back.  And then the ones You had poured so much into, the ones who, on all the earth, were closest to Your heart and most understood Your ways, got into an argument about which of them was the greatest.  How incredibly discouraging after all You had taught them.  Then, to know that Simon Peter was going to deny You, not once, not twice, but three times before morning.  On top of that, You knew their lives were about to get much, much harder very soon.

Were they up to it?  NO.  Would Your power in them sustain them?  YES. 

You cried and sweat blood as You fervently prayed about what You knew was coming to secure our redemption.  Your best friends couldn’t even stay awake to support You.  Then Judas came, and Peter lost His temper with the sword.  The priests, who acted as mediator between God (not realizing it was You) and the people, rejected the God to whom they prayed when He (You) stood before them.  Your ears heard Peter insist He didn’t even know anything about You.

I look to You

Friend and foe alike piled distress high upon You.   Made fun of, beaten, put through sham trials, and turned over by a spineless Pilate to the Jews to be crucified, You took it all.  For me.  To redeem me.  So I could be Your friend.  (John 15:12-15)  So You could be my Father.

You emptied Yourself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:7-8)

My Lord, I am going to fix my eyes on You, the author and perfecter of my faith, You, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  I will consider You, who endured such hostility by sinners against Yourself, so that I will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Thank you for reminding me that sometimes I, too, must go through hard times for a greater purpose, maybe known only to You for now.  Yet none of my troubles even touch the depth of what You went through for us.  You kept Your eyes on Your purpose, on the joy to come.  Help me to do the same.  I know You can understand anything I face.  You have been tempted in every way like I have, and You overcame.  You can sympathize with me, and You comfort me like the precious Father You are.  (Hebrews 2:18)  I will hold fast my faith.  I will hold fast the confession of my hope.  I will draw near to You, to your throne of grace, confident that I will find Your mercy and grace to help me in my time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

I will not lose heart

And I now have the words to the verses for a song I’ve been writing, though there really aren't words adequate to describe these two incredibly amazing aspects of His mercy and grace--refreshing forgiveness and free access to the Father.  (If you have my CD, you will recognize the words in the chorus.)

(Verse 1) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

You covered my sin;  (Hebrews 7:25-27; 9:11-14; 10:10-18)

You took me in—to Your family.  (Romans 8:14-17)

Now I stand without blame;  (Jude 24,25)

You took my shame;

You see me holy, beyond reproach.  (Colossians 1:21-23)

(Verse 2) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

Forgiven is just the start;

Now You fill my heart—with unquenchable joy.  (John 16:22)

Your mercy and grace

For each day of the race

Is my confident hope at Your throne.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

(Chorus)  O Holy God, Your blood paid my ransom;

You mercy redeemed me; I’m forgiven and free!

Once and for all, your blood gives me life.  (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Your life indestructible lives now in me!  (Acts 2:24; Hebrews 7:16; Galatians 2:20)

(Tag) I will hold fast; I will draw near;

I put my hope in You, the ever faithful One.  (Hebrews 6:19; 10:19-23)

What about you?

Friend, He died and rose for you, too, to offer you legal status: forgiven and loving sonship forever!  Will you believe it?  If you want to know more, write to me at unsmotherabledelight@gmail.com.

Do you already know Him, but feel like your joy has been hijacked?  I can’t give you some pat answer formula because there isn’t one.  But we do have His word that He will hear you.  Use your words; pour out your heart before Him, and trust that He, the real and living God, will respond in just the way you need.  The fruit of His Spirit always has been and always will be joy and peace.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8

Family Forever

Sometimes I just have to share, or I'll burst! 

This is definitely one of those times.

I was weary,
needing a gentle reminder that His grace is so good.

He took me out of the mire and set me back on the rock--

and gave me a new song--like in Psalm 40:1-3.

How very like Him, such tender grace!

I am increasingly seeing that the impact of God’s mercy and grace is manifold.  On one hand, in Jesus death, His mercy and grace accomplished the once for all sacrifice for our sin, sealed our forgiveness, and obtained our standing as blameless in the sight of the Almighty Judge.  As Jesus Himself said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)  Our sin debt is cancelled when we place our faith in what He did.  (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14)

There's more mercy and grace

But—and here’s what’s so recently blessed my heart—it doesn’t stop there!  Though that most wonderful thing has been accomplished for all time, His mercy and grace also have a most glorious on-going effect, too.  By His mercy and grace, continual access to the most intimate relationship with God is forever opened to us.  Through His blood we have confidence to enter the most holy place, to confidently draw near to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need!  This is the every moment relationship reality of the spilled blood of Jesus on our behalf!  And this would be impossible without the death of Jesus.  (Hebrews 4:16-17; 10:19-23)

Eternal life is...

Yes, though almost impossible to comprehend, His mercy and grace mean even more than the magnificent and unfathomable blessing of status as forgiven subjects of the King of Kings.  This gift of forgiveness is the starting place where unlimited access to the Father forever as sons begins.  Jesus, in the prayer His disciples overheard on the night he was betrayed and arrested, talked with His Father about their plan to give eternal life.  According to Jesus, talking to His Father, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God…”  Our forgiven status is the door to knowing Him, to intimate access as sons.  His gift of eternal life is to know Him!

More than the granting of legal status: forgiven, which alone is immeasurably glorious and more than enough to inspire praise to Him forever, God’s mercy and grace also mean His intentional, generous, yes, even lavish, gift of loving sonship forever!
(Ephesians 1:3-8)

The strength to live

This is what keeps me going from day to day—mercy and grace in my time of need from my precious Father who lavishes His love on me!  We are not doomed to be weary, with our heads barely above water! 

The writer of the absolutely amazing Psalm 18 understood this, and this can be the song of any and all who will put their hope in God!

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…

He heard my voice out of His temple…

He bowed the heavens also, and came down… [WOW!]

He sped upon the wings of the wind…

He took me; He drew me out of many waters…

He rescued me because He delighted in me…[yes, delighted!]

The Lord my God illumines my darkness…

And by my God I can leap over a wall…[or more]

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him…[okay, I'm in]

Your right hand upholds me…

Your gentleness makes me great…[Almighty, yet gentle]

Exalted be the God of my salvation!” [yes, my salvation]

[brackets mine]

By the way, the long version of Psalm 18 is even better! 

Honestly, this really isn’t the whole story, but I didn’t want to make this post any longer.  So, I'll share more on where I started in weariness and how God led me to this place of rejoicing—and the new song He gave me—in my next post.

In Step With The Spirit

Only three verses in all of Scripture about her, but I’m convinced I would have loved her.  Anna was one amazing old lady in love with an amazing God.

Someone in her circumstances might have become overwhelmed, bitter, and lonely, being married only seven years before becoming a widow, but not Anna.  She spent her time attached to the Lord’s interests—and He communicated with her (she was a prophetess, says Luke 2:36).  Now as an 84 year old, “she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.”  (Luke 2:37)  I wonder just how long she had been doing this.

Nowadays, people twenty years younger than Anna was are retired, but not Anna.  She obviously wasn’t sitting around at home doing nothing or feeling sorry for herself.  No, she was in step with the Spirit.  “At that very moment . . .” as Simeon was prophesying about little eight-day-old Jesus as he held Him in his arms, she came up and starting giving thanks to God.  Oh, to be so close to Him, so in step with the Spirit, that when the Lord is doing something significant in my vicinity I, too, would be in the center of it, and not missing it.

Most of the people on the planet, whether young or old, let their own selfish purposes dictate their lives, but not Anna.  Anna let God’s purposes direct her time and energy.  She “continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”  (Luke 2:38)  Interestingly, it was those who were looking to see what God would do who got in on the news of what God was up to.  I wonder if the ones who weren’t looking for the redemption of Jerusalem ever found out what God was doing?

And that’s it.  Just three verses, yet her life has inspired and challenged mine.

Where is my focus?  On my situation or on the Lord’s interests?

Am I in step with His Spirit, or I am I too focused on me to see what He’s doing?

What directs my time and my energy?  Am I ready at any moment to step up and begin giving Him thanks?

O Lord, in all my days, I don’t want to miss even one moment of what You are doing or one opportunity to give You thanks!

Moment by moment, may I, too, be a praying woman who hears from You, keeps on speaking of You, and gives You thanks that others can hear.  Shape me in such a way that the simple snippets from my life would point others to bless Your name.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

My Night Job

This post (also shared with the IAHE) is dedicated to everyone

who has ever lain awake worrying over something,

or might ever be tempted to. . .

At 5:12 last Wednesday morning the lights came on.

No, not the electric lights.  Something dawned on my heart--and I realized something.

I awoke to use the bathroom, and as I got out of bed, I began to marvel.  The things I have historically worried about in the night are never the really "big" things.  The things I know I have absolutely no control over--and that are entirely in God's hands--are not the things that keep me awake.

No, what keeps me awake are those smaller things that I think I have some control over.  The things I think are up to me, that I somehow control the outcome of.  I lie awake concerned about how I am going to get them done.

And then it hit me.  This line I've drawn between what's in my control and what's in God's control is an illusion--it's a non-existent line!  There's really no difference at all.  He is sovereign over the big things, and He's no less sovereign over the small ones.  What ever was I thinking?!  He reminded me that apart from Him I can do nothing (John 15).  My life is fruitful only as I depend on Him.  And His power to mastermind and accomplish the big things is more than sufficient for the smaller things of my life.

So I resolved to retire from my night job as worrier.  I've known all along it wasn't right, but somehow, I kept getting pulled into it.  Without actually consciously acknowledging it, I sort of imagined that I ultimately had control over the things I stayed awake over.

I'm learning to trust Him more.

"Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God,

for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night*,

A prayer to the God of my life.

Hope in God,

for I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance, and my God."

Psalm 42:5, 8, 11b

P.S. * So I've taken a new a new night job (when I'm not asleep, that is).  I'm singing His song.