serendipity

I just finished reading Richard Power’s novel The Overstory a powerful book about how we are all so intricately connected through nature; trees in particular. Leaves flutter but the solid trunks are firmly planted. Some of the branches are broken; some sprouting new life, healthy and vibrant as they sway in the shifting winds. That’s what we are like.

When we are standing firm in our faith and rooted to the KIng, we dig deep down into the dust. That’s where we came from. We are like leaves changing with the autumn colors in the seasons of our lives as God works through us. Our scars, like carvings and lines in the bark are the outer edges exposed. Each is a unique pattern but we stand together. Knots on the outside, but inside a solid core; the rings of history as we connect with others around us - part of the forest. Part of the family of God.

From the seeds, to the roots, the growth and to the crown; there are so many parallels to the trees and stories interwoven in our histories.

The story of the underdog, the over achiever; the sob story, the success story but one story that never gets old or changes is the story of salvation - the soul story. The one about me as a sinner, someone who doesn’t get it all right; who has much to learn but I am loved by a God who chose me. And not because I deserve it, but because he loves me so much that he came into the world as a man to live and die on a cross so that I don’t have to suffer forever if I choose Him as my Savior. I confess that He alone controls my life because I have been born physically and now spiritually. It’s as simple as ABC.

Accept my humanness - I am a sinner. Believe that Jesus died - so that I can live, then Confess that He is Lord of my life. Each of us has his or her story, but sometimes we can’t see God’s story because we just chew on the thoughts and word and never grow. We have to swallow them and digest them to receive the Truth. It’s like finding something good without looking for it: Serendipity. You just have to receive it. That my friends is simply grace.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2: 12-13

indefatigable

Incapable of being tired out. That’s a mother, yet even she succombs to sleep eventually after nursing a crying baby well into the night. Persisting tirelessly. A runner with aching body pushing on to the finish line with weighted steps, feet feeling like lead and cracked, dry lips parched and in need of hydration. Untiring. That’s our God.

How many times did the Israelites disobey God and do what was right in their own eyes? Seven times in over 300 years is how many and yet, God, rich in mercy continued to redeem the nation. How many times in our lives have we decided to go our own way, share our opinions and do what the world told us was right? Too many times perhaps, but God never tires out from forgiving us. He even provides different ways out of our sin and situations and offers us choices that we are free to make.

Many have heard the story of the farmer’s donkey who fell into a well. The farmer had no idea what to do as the donkey cried for hours unable to get out. Giving up, the farmer decided the donkey was old anyhow and wasn’t worth recovering. He and his neighbors started shoveling dirt into the well because it needed to be covered up anyhow. At first, the donkey heed and hawed but as they continued shoveling, the donkey was quiet. When they looked into the well, they saw the donkey shaking off the shovel of dirt and stepping up on the growing mound. With each shovel of dirt that hit the donkey’s back, he eventually stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

We too can shake those doubts off our shoulders and step into a right relationship with a God whose resourcefulness is never ending. He never gives up on us and helps us find a way “out of the well”.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

muscle

Did you know that there are 32 muscles in each ear of a cat? There are about 600 muscles, give or take, in the human body. The brain, nerves and skeletal muscles work together to cause movement and boy, do mine ache at times from too much activity from inactivity or just that aging factor that inevitably creeps up on us. Nevertheless, muscles work!

I’ve got my physical muscles to get me around, but what about my faith muscle? Do I ever use it to its full capabity? Do I even use it properly or even get it to work?

If you think about objects that are powered by batteries, you notice that they have an off and on switch. If you are lucky with batteries included, you can use the item right away, but you still have to activate the switch by turning it on. In the same way, we can talk about getting exercise and working out, but until we “get off the couch”, the only muscle getting a workout is our mouth that professes we will do something. That movation is there but needs the action. As Christians, our move or switch is faith. When we turn it on, we can access the power within us. As Pastor Tony Evans states:

“Faith is not about how much you believe in what you believe. Faith is about believing that the One you believe in is believable.”

That’s what happened to Peter when he walked on the water to Jesus. “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14: 29-31

The Lord might not be asking you to get out of the boat or walk on water, but He does want you to act in faith and trust him with your life, your challenges, your relationships, your finances or whatever it might be. You only need to act by trusting in the one who makes the waves obey. That’s exercising faith. Are you putting your muscle to work today? Flex your faith muscle and see what amazing things God can do!

inkling

As we gobble on tidbits of information, we attempt to communicate our ideas. With social media comments and criticisms, it seems that everyone has an opinion and wants to follow different truths. The root systems of our morality, are eroded. We have lost our sense of the Divine.

Our society tells us what to think, but we need to recognize the wonders and grow in wisdom and get pulled out of the rhythms of our culture and reconnect with an encounter with God. I have an inkling that in the flatland geography of our modern world; there is so much more to explore in the spiritual realm.

People want to run the line. Right is right and wrong is wrong and there are no greys. Jesus is the only Way. He is the truth and the light and no one comes to the Father but through Him.

When people walk away from truth; when people deny Jesus; when people run from God they find themselves trapped in a prison, desperate for freedom with people throwing them keys in the cells of their life thinking that they will escape. The reality is that life is a process to unlocking identity. My identity is in Christ. Sometimes we have to move away from God to realize how desperately we need Him.

“It is the prodigals… that the memory of their Father’s house comes back. If the son had lived economically, he would never have thought of returning.” Simone Weil.

And so I implore and plead with others to get in touch with the Divine - the Creator of the universe, the Almighty, the God of wonders and let Him reveal himself and speak His truth in love. He is listening.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4: 1-6

solomon

There are many paradoxes evident in our world today. A paradox is a statement that appears to produce two entirely contradictory outcomes or goes against what we intuitively expect. Paradoxes have been part of philosophical thinking for centuries. King Solomon was a paragon of wisdom and sage judgment and yet his personal life was a bit of a mess.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother gave me a pictoral bible. My favorite story was from 1 Kings 3:16–28 which recounts two mothers living in the same house with their newborns. One day the mothers came to Solomon distressed because one of the babies had been smothered and died. Each woman claimed that the remaining baby was hers. King Solomon called for a sword and then asked that the baby be cut in two, each woman to receive half a child.

One mother was content with Solomon's proposal, indicating that if she couldn't have the baby, then neither of them should. However, the other woman looked to Solomon, and 1 Kings 3: 26-28 tells the story.

The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

Once the mothers revealed their true feelings, Solomon could discern the true mother from the fraud; however, what does that have to do with Paradox?

According to the Journal of Psychological Science, this is an actual phenomenon. Solomon’s Paradox is the state of mind where you can understand, reason and solve other people’s problems more wisely than you can your own. Solomon was the wisest man of all time, but he couldn’t manage his own personal life all that well. His hundreds of wives led him to follow customs and worship practices of other cultures. We may advise well, but don’t follow our own advice or counsel.

Maybe it’s time to start following our own advice and see the results. We might gain much wisdom.

lessons

In the womb of the dawn, I perceive how the yellow sun devours the pink clouds and I think about how to slay the dragons in my life. A machaira was a short dagger and saber used in close combat during a war. These aren’t physical battles we fight, but I know that my “tongue is a sharpened sword that can slay the devil.” ( Ephesians 6: 17) If I really want to stop the attacks of the enemy, I need to commit scripture to memory. If I do, I will see results.

If you have never seen the sun, then you will be impressed with a simple candle. If you’ve never heard the sound of thunder and seen bolts of lightning, you will be impressed with a firecracker. If you don’t read God’s Word, praise Him for His majesty and all He has done and turn your back on the Creator of the Universe, you will fall in love and into the trap that the world sets before you with it’s short-lived pleasures and shadows of doubt. As A.W. Tozer says, “The most dangerous trap is just living and forgetting that God exists.”

I pray I will never be afraid of the Fridays in my faith. Christ died on the cross, but there was a day of mourning; a time to question; a time to weep and feel the loss. But it took that sad Saturday in between before we saw the dawn of the resurrection and the Sunday of our soul. I know there are days of doubt and it’s okay to cry and wonder why. That’s when I look to verses in the bible to read, sing, memorize and meditate on. Refresh your mind and soul. There are lessons to learn.

Psalm 119: 25-40 - Daleth

 I am laid low in the dust;
    preserve my life according to your word.
 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
    teach me your decrees.
 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
    that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
 My soul is weary with sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word.
 Keep me from deceitful ways;
    be gracious to me and teach me your law.
 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I have set my heart on your laws.
 I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;
    do not let me be put to shame.
 I run in the path of your commands,
    for you have broadened my understanding.

 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.
 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
 Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
 Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.
 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
    so that you may be feared.
 Take away the disgrace I dread,
    for your laws are good.
 How I long for your precepts!
    In your righteousness preserve my life.