Do Not Be Afraid

I know, that’s what it says, at least 365 references in scripture to admonish us not to be afraid. But seriously?! When the world seems to be falling apart? People are dying from something we can’t seem to stop or understand. People on the margins are losing their means to support themselves and their families. Racial injustice has led to despair and violence to destruction in our cities. Strong countries are preying on the weak and stripping them of their freedoms and autonomy.

How do we, in the midst of all this, not be afraid?

Let me confess that I do not consider myself to be a brave person. Fear is an issue for me, and so anything I have learned regarding it has come as a result of my personal struggle with it. For me, it all comes down to the following question: Do I choose to trust God, who says I do not need to be afraid?

I have found the writings of Henry Nouwen helpful in this struggle.          

“Our fear of illness, death, and the future takes away our freedom and gives our society the power to manipulate us with threats and promises. When we reach beyond our fears to the One who loves us with an everlasting love, then oppression, persecution, and even death are unable to control us. All forms of evil, illness, and death lose their final power over us. We come to the knowledge – a knowledge of the heart more than of the mind—that we are born out of love and will die into love, that every part of our being is rooted in love, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God…”

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

 we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The hard part for me regarding those verses is that it doesn’t say that if I love and follow God, I get to escape all those bad things.

It says that EVEN IN all those bad things, I can live with the certainty that I am loved by God and, therefore not abandoned. Not only that, but somehow through Him who loves us, we are able to conquer/overcome all those things.

How in the world?!

“To the degree we are dead to the world, we can live creatively in it. To the degree that we have divested ourselves of false belongings, we can live in the midst of turmoil and chaos. And to the degree that we live free of fear, we can move into the heart of danger. Thus, prayer is the basis and source of all action.” Henri Nouwen

In other words, if I am relying on/trusting in anyone or anything in the world around me, that is a false belonging!

The only times and there are painfully few for 50+ years of living that I have been able to push through my fears and be brave in the face of danger- it was because I had an overwhelming sense of being compelled by the love of God.

My experience leads me to conclude as Nouwen did that a life saturated with prayer- conversation, communion, and connection with God is the only way possible to live as an overcomer in a world of fearful things.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We do not get to run away and hide!

We do not get to arm ourselves and defend ourselves against our neighbors! It’s impossible to fulfill Christ’s final command with that mentality! It can’t be “us” against “them” because the THEM is who we are supposed to be baptizing and teaching!

I know that for myself- it is only when I get close enough to hear the heartbeat of God for a broken world that I am not afraid.

I Sing!

In the midst of the raging storms of life,

Battered on all sides by injustice and strife, 

Threatened within by my own fear and doubting, 

I flee for refuge to the shelter of Your wings.

There within the shelter of the Almighty God, I sing.

I sing with a voice that is weak and tearful,

A song from a heart that is trembling and fearful.

You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Foundation.

You are my Strong and my loving Salvation. 

You are my God, and I rest in You alone.

So, I sing in the shadow of Your wings,

Wrapped in the warmth of love never failing,

Absorbing the strength and peace of Your Presence,

Trusting my ways to Your faithful guidance,

Listening to the heartbeat of God, I sing!

(Meditation on Psalm 61, 62, 63)

Pick up Her Coat!

First, I heard of Mrs. Iva Dell’s passing and then of her dear friend Mrs. Raye Miles. I have to confess that the first thought that crossed my mind was that Iva Dell had beat Mrs. Raye getting home! They were such sweet close friends I could easily imagine there was a “see you soon” pact between them.

"borrowed" from Lori Ann Whann- hope you don't mind

Mrs. Ray Miles was one of my heroes. I don’t say that lightly. She is what I want to be when I grow up! Not just because she lived to 102 years old. She was a strong, gentle woman who was made of steel. The word “fierce” is thrown around these days as an accolade that somehow women should aspire to attain. When one met Mrs. Raye, fierce would have been the last word to come to mind.

But she fiercely loved her God and her family! I tried to remember if I have EVER had a conversation with her that did not include a prayer request for someone in her family. She carried them all on her heart. If someone from her family chooses to go down the wrong road, they will have to climb over her prayers to get there. Those prayers have built a wall of protection around them that only heaven will reveal.

But what now? How in the world do you go on when the umbrella of prayer that has protected you is removed? In My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers writes about this as follows:

It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, ‘I cannot continue without my ‘Elijah.’ Yet God says you must continue.

Alone at Your “Jordan” (2 Kings 2:14). The Jordan River represents the type of separation where you have no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.

Alone at Your “Jericho” (2 Kings 2:15). Jericho represents the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things. Yet when you come alone to your “Jericho,” you have a strong reluctance to take the initiative and trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you. But if you remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,” you will receive a sign, as Elisha did, that God is with you.

Alone at Your “Bethel” (2 Kings 2:23). At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). Make a determination to trust in God, and do not even look for Elijah anymore.

God help us- as we lose the saints in our lives it is not time to despair! It is time to snatch up their coats before they hit the ground and begin to do the work ourselves!

To live with a single-hearted devotion to God that never wavers no matter what life throws at us.

To know Him as the one who never fails.

To walk with Him daily, moment by moment, knowing He is with us and we are not alone.

To love our family and friends fiercely- always believing in the best that each one could be.

To carry our loved ones in prayer for their protection, for their salvation, for their direction into a life of fully following God.

To stick with and love the family of God no matter their faults and failings.

The God of Iva Dell Ferrell and Raye Miles is the same yesterday, today and forever. We may not have the friendship with God that they knew, but we can begin today. When Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak and walked up to that Jordan River, he had no idea that God would do even more through him than he had done through his mentor. Let’s see what He can do through us!

Who is on the ship with you?

It does matter, you know, who is sailing through life with you. The sailors who boarded the ship with Jonah had no idea that the runaway prophet was about to seriously endanger their lives and their profits.

Jonah chapter 1:

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish…But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them…And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us…” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Priscilla Shirer writes the following:

“The simple seafaring mission they’d planned on taking became a death-defying voyage that cost them their cargo and made them doubt for a long time that they would ever see dry land again. This is why you must watch your boat, sailor. Take great care in choosing those you intend to travel any distance with…But before you enter another work arrangement or binding contract or serious friendship that seems like it’s going somewhere positive, see if their heart is tender toward God and submitted to His way…Because if a storm of discipline is coming in somebody else’s life, you don’t want to be in the line of fire.”

But all the scriptural examples are not negative. The apostle Paul took a mandatory S.S. Minnow voyage as a prisoner for his faith. He even warned them that they were heading into dangerous waters.

The story is in Acts 27.

“the voyage was now dangerous…Paul advised them, saying, ‘Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.’ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said…the majority decided to put out to sea from there. But soon a tempestuous wind-struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along…When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned…

Paul stood up among them and said…’I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So, take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

But the centurion-ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so, it was that all were brought safely to land.”

For Paul’s sake, when the ship went down, God spared not only his life but also everyone else on board! Not a bad idea if the ship is sinking to be close enough to grab the coattails of the guy who is hearing from God when he jumps overboard!

So, we know we should avoid the Jonahs running from God and stick with the Pauls who are going to get to shore. But what about us? Which one are we, Jonah or Paul?

Are we the prophet who has the word of the Lord but is heading away from the will of God and threatening to take everyone down with us?

Or are we the apostle that even if the ship goes down, will pray everyone under the divine protection of his God and leave no one behind?  

We are all on the ship of life. Will we endanger everyone around us by running from God, or will we save everyone around us by sheltering them under the divine protection of a life in the center of God’s will?

A Third Option

Recently, I was challenged by one of my children for a polarization that had crept into my thinking. We see polarization all around us in our culture, and often the debates become so heated and hateful in the Christian community that any hope of Christlikeness is lost as tribal divisions and party loyalties divide us.

I long for a legion of divine armed warriors to make a round of appearances, to declare an answer to Joshua’s question, (Joshua 5:13-14) “Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” (Whose side are you on? It’s them or us, buddy!)

“And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” NEITHER SIDE!

That was what my child was trying to get me to see; there is a third option- it’s God’s showing up! I had laid out a particular scenario where two alternatives were all that I could see. Both were rather dreary and depressing, and I was prepared to accept either with teeth-gritting submission to the sovereignty of God. Because I had polarized my thinking that it HAD to be one or the other. The third option…

God could show up.

God could do a new thing.

God is a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

That -believe it or not- God might actually be capable of doing something I had not even considered.

Technically or maybe philosophically this mindset could be called engaging in a false dichotomy.

“A false dichotomy or false dilemma occurs when an argument presents two options and ignores, either purposefully or out of ignorance, other alternatives… (assuming that) they represent all of the possible options.”

My assumption had destroyed my ability to believe God could truly dig me out of the ruts in which I was prepared to be buried.

When you’ve struggled with declining options for seemingly forever, this mindset is despair in action. It’s definitely not faith. The widow who was out gathering sticks to make her final meal for herself and her son was at such a place. If she fed the bedraggled prophet her last meal as he asked- she died. If she cooked it for her son and herself- she still died, only maybe later. Despair had stolen her ability to see the third option was God showing up to fill the flour sack and the olive jar.

Even in the presence of great faith, we can still fall into this trap in our thinking. Take, for example, the three Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace. They told the king that God would deliver them from the fiery furnace or not. God decided to combine the two options-He did not save them from being thrown in the furnace, but he also did not let them die. AND He showed up to walk through the fire with them!

When Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when Lazarus fell sick, they assumed their friend would come and heal him, or he would die. Jesus did not arrive soon enough, and Lazarus was dead. Really dead. They only had two options in mind, but when Jesus (God) showed up- resurrection!

I guess what I am trying to learn is that my dilemma is false. Where I can only see two options, God has endless possibilities- like supplying physical needs, walking with me THROUGH the fire, and even resurrection. I like that third option!

Starting Over


For those of you who have followed this blog in the past, “Hello again.” Life has been quite hectic for the past few months, so I hadn’t been checking the blog very regularly. When I did- imagine my alarm to find that it had been removed. Apparently, I had missed a renewal payment and discovered that not only was it not functioning, but also that restoring it was not possible and the only real option was starting over. In order to return credibility to my name on internet searches, (it is alarming to find your name mentioned with warnings as a possible source of malicious internet activity) I’m trying to start over.

This whole process of starting over has gotten me thinking. It is a new year, and that would seem to be an appropriate time to begin again in many areas of my life. Sigh…but it’s not easy. Restarting the blog is easy by comparison even though I am technologically incompetent. Words like “adventurous, spontaneous, rash”, left my vocabulary as descriptions of myself with about the birth of my first child.

The greatest new beginning is our salvation, 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” God is the only one who can give us a genuinely new start and even though we are forgiven and He is merciful, He doesn’t always choose to deliver us from the earthly consequences of our wrong choices whether they were sinful or not.

Here are some points I am trying to learn:

  1. Acknowledge what went wrong the first time. Something vital was ignored, neglected, destroyed by myself or in conjunction with someone else. Even if I was completely innocent, which is rarely the case, if it is no longer fixable it’s time to stop crying over it like Samuel did Saul- go anoint the new direction and start over (1 Samuel 16:1).
  2. The second is like unto the first. Letting go of failure-refusing, if God has forgiven me, to keep on flogging myself. (1 John 3:20)
  3. Forgiveness of others which includes letting God weed out the bitterness. God has to pull this one, I’m not strong enough.  Forgetting is not always possible but, when it all comes flooding back if God can enable me to see the other person through His eyes- I cannot help but feel compassion. How does God see that person?
  4. Moving forward into an unknown future with a renewed commitment to God that trusts Him enough to risk relationships even if that trust is violated. The older I get, the more I realize that in this sinful, fallen world -hurt is inevitable! Either I curl up and crawl away to hide, or I have to trust the NEVER-FAILING love of God, allow Him to deliver justice on my behalf, and trust that He WILL make ALL things work together for my good. If I cannot do that, I will withdraw and avoid people the rest of my life- cause they just mean sometimes! *
  5. I must admit- I cannot do it all! I don’t think that I ever really thought I could…I was just so busy trying to that I never stopped to admit it wasn’t working. I am not able to do every job at the church, be on call 24-7, be made-up, fixed up and show up for every need I encounter. It isn’t even a matter of compassion fatigue anymore, although I have been there, it is simply physical fatigue at this point. I have to sleep right, eat right, and know my limitations, or it (meaning me) is just going to hurt. Besides, since when was God only able to use me? If I do it all, others will never get a chance to step into the place God has for them. I don’t want Him to have to move me out of the way.
  6. Last but not least. If I am going to start over, I’m going to need somebody smarter than me. Not just the helpline tech guys I have been harassing for a week, poor things. The older I get, the more I realize how flawed I am. “I need someone older and wiser telling me what to do” now as much as I did when I was 16 and not listening anyway. But I also know that EVERY other human’s reasoning can be as convoluted as mine! It is only the wisdom from above that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17. I want to listen to that voice!

Starting over can be a process that as my granddaughter says, “It takes 2-ever”. 2-ever or 4-ever, change is never easy. But I know that He who began the good work in me doesn’t have to start over because He has never stopped and He never will. (Philippians 1:6)

*Please do not stay in an abusive situation. You can work on forgiveness and learn to trust God much better from a safe place!

Do you see this woman?

There has been a lot of social conversation lately about women being harassed, exploited or objectified. I welcome the spotlight that has been shown on the issue. My personal experience is that it was a part of my own story in nearly every job where I have worked and sadly, in almost every ministry where we have served. Learning how to deal with it has been a difficult and often disgusting life lesson.

I firmly believe 1 Peter 4:17, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” Our goal as followers of Jesus is Christlikeness. So, on the issue of attitude and treatment of women, what was Jesus approach?

In Mark 5:25-34, Jesus is pressing through a great crowd on an urgent mission to save a dying child. He calls it all to a halt though when a woman reaches out in faith and touches him. Rather than allowing her to continue in the shame and isolation of her sickness, Jesus refuses to move until her healing is acknowledged publicly. He forced them all to see her while calling her “Daughter”.

In Luke 13, Jesus challenges the ruler of the synagogue; accusing him of having more mercy on his ox or donkey that on a woman healed after eighteen years of a spinal deformity. This time he refers to the woman as a daughter of Abraham, elevating her by her connection to the founding father of the nation, and also to some degree demanding the “daughters of Abraham” be given the same respect as the sons.

Luke chapter 7, tells the story of Jesus having dinner at the home of a Pharisee when a woman comes in and anoints Jesus’ feet. The scripture clearly states that the woman was a sinner.  That was all that the religious leader saw, her sin. Jesus looks at her and asks the man, “Do you see this woman?”

Not her sin, her embarrassing behavior, her intrusion into your dinner party…Can you look past all that to see her?

Because Jesus did see her.

He saw her many sins, but he also saw her repentance had led to forgiveness, and that she loved him so much she was willing to risk all social stigma to show Him.

Then there were those two dear sisters, Mary and Martha. Surely of all the women in the Gospels, they were among Jesus closest friends. When their brother Lazarus died, the scripture says Jesus wept when he saw Mary and the others weeping. He SAW her. It was that same Mary who just days before his death anointed him with expensive perfume, and again, Jesus had to tell the men in the room to “leave her alone”.

My point is that Jesus saw the women in his world as real people. He didn’t wait until the women He met had reached some level of perfection and were prepared for pedestalized sainthood and were thereby worthy of his attention.

I think it is safe to assume that the woman taken in adultery was not fully covered when they dragged her in front of Jesus. Maybe that’s why Jesus did not look at her the way the rest of the men did. He stooped down and wrote on the ground which would have also drawn the gaze of the men away from her. In front of her accusers, He doesn’t confront her sin; he confronts theirs! Was he also challenging their blatant double standard for only bringing the woman from the adulterous affair when He said that “HE” that was without sin should cast the first stone?

When He went to the cross, Mark 15:40 states, “There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem”.

Even in His final dying moments, He made certain that His mother would be provided for by John. After His resurrection, He appeared first to the women who were the first to believe.

 Within the family of God, do you really see the women? Do you recognize them? Jesus does, He calls them daughters. You’d better not mess with one of His!

Who do you look like?

You know how people and their pets begin to look alike after some time? There is even some science to show that long-term married spouses begin to resemble one another. According to the article linked here, “when people mimic their spouses’ facial expressions, they also evoke the same emotions, thus empathizing all the better. ‘Facial mimicry allows a truer empathy because it triggers the same inner state,’’ Dr. Zajonc said. ‘Couples can understand each other much better when this happens.’”
I found an interesting verse today in 2 Kings 17:15. It was speaking about the apostasy of the people of Israel in that they left the worship of the true God and substituted idols. The verse says, “They went after false idols and became false”. Apparently, their mimicry triggered within them the same inner state. They were following something fake and so became fakers themselves.
Isaiah is so descriptive of the state of a person following something false, “He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:20) The NIV says “is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
What is this thing in my life that I am, consciously or not, spending so much time focusing on that I am mimicking it in my behavior or attitude? If I am only reflecting the culture and ideology (interesting how close that word is to “idol”) of the world around me, am I not in danger of becoming what it is?
I had a discussion recently with a young adult regarding being culturally relevant. How much of current media, movies, and music do I need to consume to be able to speak the “language” of this current generation? I do not have a good answer to that question. Sorry, if you were hoping for one. Partially, because I believe only God knows a person’s heart and can know how easily they will be influenced by what they are exposed to. Lest you accept that as a caveat to greater license remember Paul’s discussion with the Roman’s regarding dietary restrictions.
Romans 14:20 “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.”
The obligation is always placed on the one without the “too sensitive” conscience to not become a stumbling block by what they feel they can do without guilt. However, note that last sentence carefully, “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.”
In other words, we need to look in the mirror and watch ourselves! What are we mimicking of the world around us because of what we have approved? It’s not our job to judge others as being “too sensitive”. We have to pass judgment on ourselves, and that is not easy to do!

We know that as followers of Christ the standard for our behavior has to be Christlikeness. The only way to truly accomplish that is to keep Him forever in our focus so that His is the face we are mimicking.
Philippians 2: 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
How can we look out for the interests of others? Only by mimicking the mind of Christ.
How can we know God? 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
The older I get- the more I want to look like the face of Jesus!

Don Quixote’s House

She’s at it again! The female cardinal who travels from window to window around the house attacking her reflection in each one. She must think that there are innumerable enemies since every time she looks in a window another one appears who surely is bent on encroaching into her territory. Her lovelorn mate sits behind her in the tree calling to her; obviously, he is failing to understand that she has a duty to run off all these interlopers!

My husband collects Don Quixote themed items. Note, I did not say clutter. He has always had an affection for the story of a man who in his delusions of chivalry had a tendency to confuse windmills for giants. Also, this particular quote could apply to him as well, “Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.” I do hope he doesn’t follow it to the full extreme.

Our poor Mrs. Cardinal and the old Don have much in common. Their perception of threat and danger, their determination to defend and protect has seriously skewed their ability to understand reality and cause them to harm themselves. Mrs. Cardinal must at the very least have some brain damage from repeatedly running her beak into a hard glass wall.

Mrs. Cardinal sees a threat where there is none. She is ready to throw herself into a battle where none exists. She is literally fighting against herself. Why? Because her reflection threatens her. So often when we are determined to defend some territory in our lives, it is purely a reflection of our personal insecurity. In our attempts to keep everyone away from “our” stuff, our rights, our portion of whatever pie; whatever it might be, we are revealing to the world; not how brave we are, but how fearful. We end up wasting our time that could be spent building relationships, homes/nests and investing in the next generation.

Don Quixote wasn’t particularly territorial. He wanted to bring back the days of chivalry, the knights in shining armor defending the damsels in distress.

“But our depraved age does not deserve to enjoy such a blessing as those ages enjoyed when knights-errant took upon their shoulders the defense of kingdoms, the protection of damsels, the succor of orphans and minors, the chastisement of the proud, and the recompense of the humble.”  

This backward-looking perspective can also be a destructive pattern. When we are committed to bringing back the “good ole days”, we begin to see everyone and everything as a threat to our desired reality. We pick fights with everyone we meet, champion causes that are truly ridiculous, not to mention time-consuming, and we are completely ineffective in bringing about change because we are not dealing with systems and people as they really are, but rather view them as an enemy to our ideal way of life. In the story Don Quixote is not able to bring back the golden age or restore chivalry; he only further deludes and harms himself.

Surely there are principles and truths that we need to hold on to and be prepared to give an answer for when asked.

1 Peter 3:14-16 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

The only effective response should be done with gentleness, respect, and accompanied by such good behavior that those who are attacking us are ashamed of themselves.

Dirty Job

Manual labor is defined as physical work done by people rather than machines or animals. The labor is done by “man”. I was thinking about this lately in connection with a very familiar incident in the life of Jesus.
It is the last supper, and Jesus washes the disciples’ feet.
John 13:3-5, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
At this moment of fullest realization of who He was as God and His purpose within the plan of salvation, Jesus does this act of “man”ual labor.
He doesn’t just do Peter’s feet then tell him, “There I showed you how; now get busy and wash others.”
He doesn’t pay one of the disciples to do the washing for him.
He doesn’t tell them to go hire a servant to come and wash their feet.
He doesn’t find one of the women who undoubtedly was preparing the meal, and add this chore to her list of responsibilities.
He doesn’t even denigrate them for their lack of self-respect and personal responsibility that they don’t wash their own feet.
He does it himself. He physically lowers himself to take each of the disciples’ dirty feet, wash and dry it himself. He does the dirty work Himself. Then He says the following:
12-16 “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.’”
God expects us to do the dirty work for each other ourselves. Not to show someone else how and then order them to do it. Not to pay someone else to do it. Not even to find someone in our employ or the woman in the kitchen to do it for us. Alarmingly, He is not even concerned that we might be enabling them to avoid washing their own feet.
Ann Voskamp says it well in these excerpts from The Broken Way.
“Anyone can have enough compassion to write a check for the needy, but who has compassion for the kid who makes life hard? Compassion can feel like the right thing when it involves a donation. But when there’s been a violation of your rights? Compassion can feel like a degradation…It’s more like Christ to go after the one than to go for the applause of the ninety-nine. There is more compassion in the giving of yourself in hidden, dying ways to the unworthy than there is in giving expensive things in noticed ways to the applauding.”
Jesus showed that to do the dirty work of ministering to others was to do the work of God Himself. All of heaven’s resources were in His hands at that moment, and rather than command their feet to be clean; He did the manual labor the way that He knew we would have to do it. On our knees with a towel.

Know that He hears!

As I have stated before, I am addicted to Ladies’ Bible studies. I can’t help it. If I am not involved in one, then I am looking for one to join or start. Whether or not the studies benefit the other ladies who attend, (I do appreciate them joining me on the journey), I know I need the structure of designated time in the Word. Right now, our group is preparing to do Ann Voskamp’s one thousand gifts. Her book and subsequent study came about after she was challenged to write down one thousand things that she was thankful God had given her. It also goes deeper than that.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 states that we should, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Give thanks in everything? I have struggled with this. There are several things in my life that I would be outright lying if I said I felt thankful for them. How can I come to a place of being truly thankful for them without feeling disingenuous?

I can do it because God says to- choice of your will- and all that, but I don’t want to serve God that way; although, I have on many occasions. It is a white-knuckle sort of obedience that results in very little joy. I want to obey God out of the fullness of a heart that loves Him. I WANT to be able genuinely to give thanks in ALL circumstances.

In my preparation for this study, I have been hit with one of those “Aha!” moments. Why didn’t I see this before? So, at the risk of spoilers for those attending the study- sorry ladies- I just had to share this.

First, go back to the 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 passage and put the give “give thanks in all circumstances” verse in context.   “17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.” So, praying without ceasing, which pretty much means pray about everything, comes before the thanksgiving.

Here is the amazing part.

In the story of Lazarus, Jesus is standing before the tomb, and He prays this beautiful prayer.

John 11:41-42, “So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Jesus could give thanks because He KNOWS that God ALWAYS hears Him!

Pray without ceasing the apostle says and then give thanks no matter what the circumstances are because like our Master, we can KNOW that God Always hears us.

John then takes this a step further, 1 John 5:14- 15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

Here is where we falter. We know that if our hearts are holding on to or harboring sin, God is under no obligation to listen to our prayers unless or until we confess to Him. Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity (sin, wickedness) in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” We have to make sure our hearts are right before God, and as much as it is possible within our power to be right with our fellow humans. Why would you live miserably? Confess it and move on!

Then we run into the “ask according to his will,” and we stumble again. How could we ever know before we pray what the will of the Lord is concerning the situations we are bringing to Him? In our fallen humanness, we are only ever going to be able to “see through a glass darkly”, so it’s time to quit worrying about having perfect knowledge and ask away! The loving heavenly Father will put His stamp of approval on all the requests that line up with His sovereign will, and I don’t have to worry about it as long as I am willing to accept what He gives.

Matthew 7:11 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

 Back to my original issue, which is- what about the things that I find it hard to give thanks for. I think the problem comes down to my lack of faith that God has really heard me, or that He is capable of handling the issue. Jesus is standing before a tomb ready to raise a dead man, and He was so supremely confident that God had heard and would answer that He could thank God. Resurrection power should cover anything I need!

ASK!

KNOW that He hears!

TRUST that His will is best!

THANK Him!

  1. Pray without ceasing.
  2. In everything give thanks.
  3. Because HE Hears!