Empty Presents

I just got back from Christmas shopping.  I LOVE finding that perfect gift – the gift that just reminds you of your loved one.  And, thankfully, I found a lot of those today!  (And I found some silly little things for myself…like a 5 dollar compilation CD of “The Four Great Tenors”.  Haha.  Sometimes, you just need to hear Jose Carreras sing “The Impossible Dream”….)

 

I came home and found myself spreading out the spoils of my shopping trip – getting excited about what my family members and friends will say when they open their gifts (and how they’ll laugh J).  Christmas can be so fun, can’t it?  And yet, I can almost feel God gently calling me to spend time with Him each day…to remember that it’s actually His birthday we’re celebrating…and to give him a present, too.

 

And God wants my presence.

 

These past few weeks have just been chock full of teaching, coaching, traveling, grading, reading, etc.  And I get to the end of the day feeling tired and not wanting to do anything that involves deep thinking.  So, sadly, my first end-of-the-day thought is not to spend time reading God’s word and praying.  Honestly, not only would it bring joy to God’s heart, but - it would also be the most refreshing option out there. 

 

Why wouldn’t I want to be reminded of who God is?

Why wouldn’t I be excited to read of His great love for me?

Why wouldn’t I want to talk with Him about the struggles of my day? 

What better listener or advice-giver exists?

 

As I look back through my journal over the past month, I can see that God has taught me quite a few things.  I think I can quickly touch on them and “wrap” it all up at the end.  (Get it?  Present pun. J)

1.       Oh…to be famous. 

I spent around 3.5 hours in a local grocery store one Friday night in November, disguised as a young mother.  (my get-up was complete with a blond wig and fake baby doll – which looked surprisingly real…)  As I wandered around the store, waiting for my high school students to find me as part of the scavenger hunt they were on, I found myself reading the Guinness Book of World Records to pass the time.  Did you know that you can make it into this book by having the most Harry Potter paraphernalia, having surgeries to look like Superman (what some people will do for a cleft chin!), breaking 10 pieces of wood with a weight attached to your hair, and eating 6 hotdogs in 3 minutes?  Or...you could be “Flash”, the world’s fastest guinea pig who can run 32 feet in 8 seconds. 

People go to great lengths to be famous.  And it doesn’t have to be “Guinness Book” famous.  We all go to such great lengths to be recognized by other men – and yet, how far do we go to be recognized by God?  We want our names in record books – yet don’t seem to care as much about making sure our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life – and that our actions are making God smile. 

What do I want to be famous for?

2.       What kind of star am I? 

Jude 12 describes false teachers as “clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted – twice dead…wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever.”  All of these images bring to mind something that promises and does not deliver.  However, I was stuck on the wandering stars.  What were these stars not delivering?  And then I read MacDonald’s Bible Commentary:

“Wandering stars are celestial bodies that do not move in regular orbit.  They are worthless as navigational aids.  How appropriate a description of false teachers!  It is impossible to get spiritual direction from these religious meteors, falling stars, and comets who blaze brightly for a moment, then fizzle out into darkness like firework rockets.” 

Ooh.  God asks his followers to shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the Word of life (Philippians 2:15-16).  And yet – if we are not grounded in the Lord – we, too, could be like a wandering star – not pointing people to Christ.  We could promise direction, but not give it because our lives are empty.  As a Bible teacher at a Christian school – what kind of star am I like?  I want to be a “fixed” star.

3.       The World Concerns Conference

I spent the early part of Thanksgiving break with some students and fellow staff members in Washington, D.C.  We were privileged to hear from wonderful speakers who inspired us to truly reach out into this hurting world with Christ’s love.  There were quite a few good one-liners:

a.       “In a world of radical selfishness, if we live selflessly, the world will notice.”  Mike Yankowski

b.      “What in your life is going to matter 1000 years from now?”  Joe Baker

c.       “Leadership is lonely.  And you must forge the path.”  Lila Rose

d.      “Average is your enemy.”  Garland Hunt

e.      “When faced with the troubling problems of today, many people ask:  What’s God’s plan?  Christians, you’re the plan.”  – Bruce Main

One of my favorite speakers was a woman named Bernadette Todd.  She was confined to a wheelchair and told us her story.  She started off by asking us, “What are the secret things that break your heart that no one can see?”  And then after explaining all of her struggles, she said:  “I saw that His [God’s] love for me was greater than all of my sufferings…Our God is a God of miracles – and He turns our teardrops into rainbows…God has a purpose in what he allows in our life (John 9:1-3)…Are we allowing the work of God to be displayed in our lives?  What do we have that God can use?”  Powerful. 

As I drove back to North Carolina after my Thanksgiving break, I heard Andy Stanley on the radio talking about the parable from Matthew 25.  He reminded us that life isn’t “fair”, or even.  We all get time – but different amounts of it.  We all get opportunity – but different amounts of it.  What are we doing with what God has given us? 

Great question.  What am I doing?  What does God want me to do?

4.       Yawning Planks.

As a teacher, it’s slightly depressing to have students falling asleep in your class.  It doesn’t really matter if it’s early morning – when you love your subject – it’s frustrating that everyone doesn’t share your passion!  And it’s even more frustrating when the subject you teach is Bible…because understanding the Bible has eternal significance.  I found myself getting angered at my seemingly complacent students…and then realized that many times I get up to do my devotions and look exactly like my students!  They look outwardly “bored” – and there are days I read the Bible in the morning, yawning and having trouble keeping my eyes open.  Isn’t God’s word more important than that?  I realized that like many other things – I need to get the plank out of my own eye before removing the speck from my brothers’ eyes.  I do want to be a workman who is not ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).  But I need to actually be present in my devotions.

5.       “Precious”

“…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”  (Psalm 139:16-18). 

This passage reminded me to embrace each day – for God had ordained EACH day for me.  Crazy.  So, I shouldn’t just be living for Christmas break. J  But what also stuck out to me was the Hebrew word for precious.  “Yagar” literally means “to be heavy, valuable”.  What weighs upon my heart?  What do I spend my time thinking of?  Is it truly valuable?  Is it thoughts of Jesus? 

 

Whew.  Lots of lessons, eh?  I’m so glad that God has patiently taught me similar versions of the same lesson over and over.  His patience is overwhelming.

 

He reminded me His recognition is what’s most important – not being famous in the Guinness Book of World Records.  He showed me that wandering stars are useless as navigational tools, as are Christians who try to shine the light of God without sticking to the Word.  God wants to use His people to reach others with His light and truth – to be His hands and His feet in a hurting world that so desperately needs hope.  But how can we display that hope when we get so caught up in the unimportant – and are also guilty of putting other things before God…and don’t consider Him our most precious thought?  He cannot use lives that are empty of Him.

 

Oooh. 

 

God deserves to be (and desires to be) acknowledged (Hosea 6:3, 13:4) for both who He is and what He has done.  God has given us many remarkable gifts.  He has given us His Son, Jesus – whose birth we remember this season – yet he has also given us new compassions every morning!  (Lamentations 3:21-23)

 

Too often I am guilty of giving God “empty presents”.  I may promise to spend time with Him and then I neglect Him for something else.  Many times, I lack the strength of character to give Him the present of my presence.  Because as unbelievable as it is – the God of the universe wants to spend time with me!

 

So, as I look at the spread of gifts I purchased today lying under my Christmas tree, I pray that God would help me to remember that nobody likes an empty present…not even Him.  And when I spend time in His presence, I’ll find that it not only helps me personally, but it also helps me to make sure that the gifts I give to others are not empty either…because they will be filled with His love…and His wisdom (helping me to not be a wandering star!)

 

This Christmas season is truly all about Him.  May we not forget place thoughtful presents for our friends and family members under the tree…but may we never place an empty present before the manger.

Devoted Heart

“’I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to being close to me?’

Jeremiah 30:12b

Who will devote themselves to being close to the Lord? 

That question struck me these past two weeks.  It seemed like in my devotions I kept reading verses about a devoted heart. 

·         “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD.  They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”  Jeremiah 24:7

·         “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13

·         “They will be my people, and I will be their God.  I will give them singleness of heart and action…”  Jeremiah 32:38

God draws us – but also asks us to continue to seek Him.  He asks for devotion.  And, really – after what He has done for me – it’s the least I could do, eh?

Last night I had the privilege of listening to some beautiful songs by Chi Rho, a Christian men’s a capella group from Wake Forest University.  They did a great job – but what stuck out to me more than their talent were the songs they chose (either live or on their CD).  So, I want to share the choruses to two of them:

1.       Garden, by Needtobreathe

“Let the songs I sing bring praise to You – Let the words I say confess my love – Let the notes I choose be Your favorite tune – Father, let my heart be after You.”

2.       Your Grace Still Amazes Me  by Phillips, Craig & Dean

“Your grace still amazes me – Your love is still a mystery – Each day I fall on my knees – Cause Your grace still amazes me!”

Ah.  Letting my heart chase after the Father will lead me to the point of being AMAZED by His love and grace.

Do I recognize TRUE love?  Could I answer the Lord’s question with a “Yes”?  Can I say that I will devote myself to being close to Him? 

Father, like Jesus, let my heart be for You.

Graham & Hands

 

That’s Graham.  Isn’t he a cutie?  Three weeks ago I visited the local animal shelter and found Graham, a 5 month old kitten.  I brought him home and soon got used to being greeted by him every morning and every afternoon, being tripped by him as he excitedly led me to his food and stopped under my feet just to make sure I was coming, playing with him and his toy mice, and watching movies and grading papers with him cuddled up on my lap.  But, sadly, I had to give him back to the animal shelter yesterday because my allergies reacted much stronger to Graham than they had to my childhood cat, Tigger.

I’m not going to lie.  I feel brokenhearted.  It’s amazing how attached you can get to something in a period of three weeks.  And as I got ready for church this morning, I couldn’t help but feel like my apartment was empty.

I wish I could have kept Graham.  But, to state the quote that no one who is hurting likes to hear, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”  It’s true.  I’m glad I had three weeks to love this little kitten, and I pray that he would be placed in an even better home than mine. 

And I will say that God used Graham, even in this short time, to teach me some very good lessons.  I’d like to highlight just one here.

When Graham would sit on my lap, he just wanted to be in contact with one of my hands.  He would move around, looking for my hands if they weren’t petting him.  And if I put my hand down, he would squish his little face into my hand and fall asleep.  It was absolutely adorable.  J  I don’t know why he was so obsessed with hands.  Maybe all little kittens are.  They get their backs rubbed by hands, and food comes from hands, and….even medicine sometimes comes from hands.  I think that Graham felt comforted by hands.  Which, also explains why, while he was in the crate on the way to the shelter, he used his paw to hold onto one of my fingers in the midst of pathetic mewing. 

As we both cried in the car, (okay…maybe I teared and Graham just meowed) I realized how often life can seem like I’m Graham in his crate.  Journeys are rough.  When I am taken into different places, scared by loud noises, and forced to interact with new people it can be intimidating.  And yet, if I trust my Owner – I know that He does the hard stuff (gives me medicine and moves me) because He loves me and knows what’s best.    

Graham was comforted by my hands at home…in a place that was familiar…and in the journey, he could still find comfort in my hands/fingers, because he trusted them.

What a lesson Graham taught me! 

With Christ, my Lord, I don’t just lean on His everlasting arms…I can hold onto His powerful hands.

I looked up Bible verses that referred to the hands of the Lord, and there were many.  There are verses that talk about how big & powerful his hands are (Job 12:10, Psalm 95:4, Psalm 98:1, Psalm 118:14-16).  There are verses that refer to the security we can have by trusting in his hand/strength (Psalm 16:8, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 63:8, Psalm 111:7, Isaiah 51:16).  There are even verses (many of them) that show God’s hand as a pressure to remind us of our sin and guilt, like in Psalm 32:4.  But I wanted to highlight the few that have always stood out to me – and now, especially so:

1.       “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

2.       “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’” Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

3.       “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles…”  Isaiah 42:6 (NIV)

Phew!  Such great reminders!  God holds our hand!  He grabs a hold of it.  He keeps us.  He helps us.  And, how much comfort when we recognize it:

4.       “Yet, I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”  Psalm 73:23 (NIV)

5.       “You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”  Psalm 139:5-10 (NIV)

As Matt Redman so musically reminds us, God never lets go.  Thankfully, it doesn’t depend on our strength.  But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t reach out.

6.       “…I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

I want to walk through life holding Jesus’ hand.  I want to seek after it, just as Graham sought after my hands.  I want to rest in God’s hand, no matter what the journey is – through joy or heartache.

I had to let Graham go, but Jesus will never let us go.  His hand is always there. 

But often, it is when we spend time with the LORD in His Word that we truly recognize His hands. 

The Bible contains the story of Ezra, “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given” (Ezra 7:6).  Whenever I read the section on Ezra, I see some variant of this phrase over and over:  “the gracious hand of the LORD my God was on me”.  I’ve counted 6 times in Ezra (7:6, 7:9, 7:28, 8:18, 8:22, 8:31).

Ezra was a man who recognized God’s hand.  As Christians, we are led, guided and protected by Christ’s hand.   Psalm 95:7 (ESV) states:  “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”  Is that my identity? 

The gospel writer John described himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.  I want to take it one step further – to not just be amazed that I am the “girl who Jesus loves”, but also the “girl who holds Jesus’ hand”.  (and maybe I should say, “the girl whose hand Jesus holds”. J)

I thank God for my time with little Graham.  He is precious.

And as Graham reached out for my hand for comfort – may I never forget reach out to hold the hand that holds the world and recognize that it also holds me.    

 

Praying like Nehemiah

I often wish I was more of a prayer warrior.  I read of people in the Bible like Epaphras who struggled on the behalf of others in prayer (Colossians 4:12) and was considered a faithful minister (Colossians 1:12).  How often we think that the greatest ministers are the ones in the limelight…but I’m beginning to realize that the greatest warriors are the ones on their knees.

This summer I read A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller.  Miller offered a refreshing look at prayer, including a reminder that while we are content to be child-like in many aspects of faith, (especially as new Christians), in prayer we assume that we must have it all together when we start.  And yet – we need to learn to talk to the Lord. 

It’s much easier to talk to friends with whom we have a lot in common…people who we have shared experiences with…and wouldn’t it make sense for prayer to easily flow out of someone who spends significant time with the Lord? 

I know for me…it’s silly to expect long, flowing dialogues with the God I too often neglect.  Not only do I need to spend more time listening to the Lord and hearing from the Bible, but I also need to talk with Him.  As amazing as it seems, God actually likes hearing from me!  (and all of us!)

So, when I started reading the book of Nehemiah a few days ago, I was struck by his prayers.

Here’s the scene:  Nehemiah works for the king as his cupbearer.  He’s kind of a big deal, seeing that the king trusts Nehemiah with his life.  Yet, Nehemiah receives bad news about the city of Jerusalem.  So he mourned and fasted and prayed for days.  Nehemiah 1:5-11 is a well-formed, articulate prayer.  In summary, Nehemiah:

1.       Praises God for who He is. (great, awesome, covenant-keeping, loving God…)

2.       Asks for God to listen and see him.

3.       Confesses his sin, and the sins of the people of Israel.

4.       Reminds God of His covenant to His people…that if they return and keep His commands, He will gather them.

5.       Asks for favor in the sight of the king.

Nehemiah had to know God well to form this prayer.  He had to know that God was all of those things (great, awesome, loving, etc).  He also knew where he fell short in God’s sight.  And, Nehemiah knew God’s promises.  It all makes for a better prayer, eh?

So, if I were God, I think I’d like this prayer.  But instead of a quick answer, Nehemiah has to wait over a month for an opportunity to talk to the king about helping his city.

And when that time comes in chapter 2, Nehemiah again offers a prayer…but this time, it’s what my high school Bible teacher affectionately called “the Nehemiah prayer.” 

“The king said to me, ‘What are you requesting?’  So I prayed to the God of heaven.  And I said to the king…”  (2:4-5)

Nehemiah had time only for a short prayer – almost like a “Here we go, God!  Help!”

And God granted him favor.  The gracious hand of God was upon him.

Isn’t that encouraging?  God hears our prayers.  Sometimes we have to wait for months, even years for answers...but He is listening.  And He listens to 10 second prayers as much as He listens to the long ones. 

The long prayers are much easier to say when the God who we are talking to is very familiar.  But, we have to start somewhere…and God appreciates even the 10 seconds...and those persistent in the 10 second prayers will soon find that 10 seconds is just not enough. 

My desire this year is to come to more deeply know the Lord, not only through the Bible, but also by spending more time talking with Him….wrestling in prayer for my classes, my family and my friends.  I want to be like both Epaphras and Nehemiah…able to pray the long prayers, but not afraid to pray the short ones in every moment of life.

“We don’t need self-discipline to pray continuously; we just need to be poor in spirit.  Poverty of spirit makes room for His Spirit.”  (Miller, p. 66).  And in His Spirit rests the power to change lives.  What better ministry could we have than the one on our knees?

Boiling Guitar Strings, Tuning Hearts

“Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace…”

As I sat in church this morning, I was struck by a thought:  How do we tune our hearts? 

The Bible is full of verses about praising the Lord – and one of my favorites is below:

·         “It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.”  (Psalm 92:1-2)

Psalm 150 mentions praising the Lord with the trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, dancing, strings, flute, and cymbals.  In fact, everything that has breath is encouraged to praise the Lord in verse 6. 

So, just like I wouldn’t want to play an out-tune-guitar to praise the Lord, how do I make sure that my heart is in tune so that I can more fully praise Him?  **

Because Robert Robinson penned the words to “Come Thou Fount” in 1758, it would be next to impossible to ask him what caused him to use the phrase “tune my heart.”  However, I know that when I heard the words, I immediately thought about how you tune any instrument…and the following is the result of my research this afternoon:

“Musical instruments are not all tuned in the same way. Some, for example, need to be tuned by tuning specialists. So, you would generally have your piano tuned by an expert piano tuner. Other instruments, however, can be tuned by their players. So, a violinist, for example, would be expected to keep their own instrument in tune.

The way that you tune an instrument depends on the type of instrument that you play. For example:

·         String instruments -- string instruments are tuned by turning the pegs at the end of the strings. This alters the actual tension of the string which affects the notes that can be played on it.

·         Keyboard instruments -- keyboard instruments tend to be tuned by expert tuners. Again, this is generally about changing the tension of the strings that produce the notes when keys are played on the keyboard.

·         Drums -- drums come with taps or pegs which, when turned, change the tension of the drum head itself.

·         Wind instruments -- wind instruments are tuned in various ways usually by adjusting the position of one or more joints on the instrument.”

It appears that the producing of in-tune music is always about adjustments and frequently about tension.  The lengthening of ‘barrels’ or joints in wind instruments (or even the shape of the player's mouth or amount of air blown), the valves in brass instruments, and the tension of strings or drum heads all are necessary to produce beautiful music.  If the temperature or humidity changes, a skilled musician knows that he/she needs to perform even more adjustments because the sound could be affected by those things as well. 

Because I am in the process of learning to play the guitar, I thought I knew all there was to know about guitar tuning.  But I looked it up anyway.  And although the general concepts were not new to me – let me tell you what I gathered:

1.       Guitar strings can be tightened or loosened to match the correct sound.  (duh.)

2.       Guitar strings can be made of nylon (classical/folk guitars), steel/nickel (electric), or bronze (acoustic).

3.       The tensile-strength of a guitar string is necessary for good sound…and over time, a guitar string can lose its sound and need to be replaced.

BUT WAIT!  Did you know you could boil guitar strings?  I know.  Crazy.  Here’s the deal:

·         Old guitar strings can be boiled to cause them expand and release oil and dirt, vastly improving the sound.

·         New guitar strings can be boiled to allow for better stretching capabilities, tone and tension. 

·         The time spent in boiling water depends greatly on the specific string (composition, thickness)…

·         And there are risks:

o   If a cheap string – it’s not worth boiling.  Go buy a new one.

o   Most strings should not be boiled more than twice.

Okay – so admittedly, I was excited by this discovery - not only because it’s awesome (and my guitar strings are 8 years old…yikes), but because of the neat connection to tuning hearts.

Guitar strings are made of very different materials, but all need to be stretched and put through tension to make beautiful music.  Guitar strings can experience “boiling” for better sound early in their lifetime, or guitar strings can go through that hot water later in their lives to remove the built up oil and dirt…or both! 

How like our hearts!

We humans are very different from each other, but our hearts are all in need of a pull from the Savior.  And when we come to Him, Jesus “stretches” us in new experiences and sometimes allows us to experience “boiling” in order to be better able to praise Him.  (and to match our sounds better to His key  J).  You could say that when we go through trials, He’s in the process of tuning our hearts – either for cleaning purposes or better stretching purposes.  AND – just as such effort is not wasted on a cheap string, but on one with promise, Jesus stretches and provides us with tension in our lives because He knows that someday because of it, we will make beautiful music. 

Have you ever thought about what heaven will be like?  Imagine Christians gathered together from all across the globe, having had their heart tuned by the Master Musician.  Can you imagine millions of people praising God together?  We won’t all be the same and lose our individuality.  Even the instruments in an orchestra are different.  But just as an orchestra tunes to the same note, the heavenly orchestra will take their cue from the Master Musician and together produce richer, fuller music.

It reminds me of a quote by C.S. Lewis:

“But it is also said, ‘To him that overcometh I will give a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.’ [Revelation 2:17].  What can be more a man’s own than this new name which even in eternity remains a secret between God and him?  And what shall we take this secrecy to mean?  Surely, that each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise some one aspect of the Divine beauty better than any other creature can.  Why else were individuals created, but that God, loving all infinitely, should love each differently?  And this difference, so far from impairing, floods with meaning the love of all blessed creatures for one another, the communion of the saints.  If all experienced God in the same way and returned to him an identical worship, the song of the church triumphant would have no symphony, it would be like an orchestra in which all the instruments played the same note.”  (from The Problem of Pain)

Heart tuning.  Instrument tuning.  Boiling guitar strings.  Richer, purer music.  Heavenly sounds. 

I’m not quite sure that Robert Robinson had all this in mind when penning those beautiful words.  But I know that the next time I sing “Come Thou Fount” I will have a better picture of what it means for the Lord to tune my heart to sing His grace.

**As a side note – for those of you thinking:  “But it says make a joyful noise!  We don’t have to be in tune!”  Although Psalm 95 and 98 both say to make a joyful noise, and God appreciates worship from our heart – the Bible also says in Psalm 33:1-3 to sing joyfully and play skillfully.  I really do think God appreciates excellence... J

Swept off my feet...

At the beginning of the summer, I bought a used copy of the 1968 bestseller Christy by Catherine Marshall.  (Summer for a teacher is a time to read fun books – books that require little deep thought…).  And yet, the story of Christy did make me think deeply.  It made me think about what love is.  Whether it was Miss Alice Henderson’s love for people, Christy’s love for her students, or the Doctor’s love for Christy, love kept appearing.  In fact, some of the most powerful words of the book come at the end, as Christy wakes from her coma (sorry for ruining the ending, guys) to hear the words of Doctor calling her back.  In response she thinks, “He loved me.  He loved me like that.”

Love.

That word is tossed around in our culture so freely.  We love potato chips.  We love the Olympics.  (yay diving!)  We love our friends and family. 

And we hear so frequently… “God loves you.”

But what kind of love is that?  Is it a love worth italicizing, like Christy did?  Should we be in shock that GOD loves us? 

Yes.

The Bible is full of verses that declare the greatness of God’s love:

Psalm 108:4  “…For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

Psalm 107:43  “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.”

Great Christians of the past, who studied God’s word and spent a lot of time learning about Jesus, prayed prayers like this one found on page 53 of the Valley of Vision: 

“I know but little – increase my knowledge of Thy love in Jesus, keep me pressing forward for clearer discoveries of it, so that I may find its eternal fullness;  Magnify Thy love to me according to its greatness, and not according to my deserts and prayers, and whatever increase Thou givest, let it draw out greater love to Thee.”

Older hymn writers and newer worship leaders are stuck on the theme of God’s love:

 “So nigh, so very nigh to God; I cannot nearer be.  For in the Person of His Son, I am as near as He.  So dear, so very dear to God; more dear I cannot be.  The love wherewith He loves the Son, Such is His love to me!”  C. Paget, A Mind At Perfect Peace With God

“What heart can hold the weight of Your love?  And know the heights of Your worth?  What eyes can look on Your glorious face shining like the sun?”  - Matt Redman, Holy

I can’t begin to summarize God’s love.  The hymn “The Love of God” says well:  “Should we with ink the ocean fill, or were the skies of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill or every man a scribe by trade – to write the love of God would drain the ocean dry.  Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.” 

I have realized that in this past year I have focused a lot on my struggles.  I wrote in my journal about getting through disappointment or trials…and while that is not necessarily wrong, I missed out on the joy of focusing on God’s love.

A few Sundays ago, I was struck by the story in Mark 14 of the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus – to the chagrin of those watching.  Those watching exclaimed over how expensive it was, and how it was a waste to pour it on Jesus when the money could have gone to other things.  And do you know what Jesus said? 

“Why are you bothering her?  She has done a beautiful thing to me.”  (Mark 14:6)

Wow.  Jesus doesn’t use words lightly.  He called what she did BEAUTIFUL.  She poured an expression of her love on Love Himself.  She sacrificially gave all – becoming more like the One she was worshiping…making her beautiful.

It’s the beginning of a new school year for me – and instead of focusing on my trials and thanking God for the opportunity to “smell more like Jesus” – like I did last year, this year I am going to try to focus on Love Himself.  When I am amazed at how much Jesus loves me, then the sacrifices really don’t seem like sacrifices anymore, you know?  And oh…how much more I must learn.

Besides Christy, I read a few other books during the summer.  One was called Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey and contained a quote that made me chuckle as I reread it today:

“Given our fallen human nature, we typically do not really sit before the Lord unless our legs are knocked out from under us…”

God effectively knocked my legs out from under me this summer as I had ACL surgery and a change of plans.  But it made me realize His love for me more deeply – and for that I am grateful.  His love is one worth italicizing…and one worth learning about forever.

In fact, I’d rather not think of it as God knocking my legs out from under me this summer….I prefer to think of it as Him sweeping me off my feet. J

Counting Clouds

“Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?”

Job 38:36-37

A simple verse, isn’t it? It’s found in the Bible after Job questions God…and is part of God’s questioning of Job.



Who does give wisdom and understanding? Well…that’s God.



But who has the wisdom to count the clouds?  Doesn't that seem like a strange question?



P’shaw. I can count clouds. That’s easy peasy.



I’m just going to look up and count them right now. Maybe even in this picture from my recent trip to Alaska.

One, two, three, four…. Well, wait. What actually makes up a cloud – how many particles of water are needed? And where does one cloud end and one begin? And what about their formation? When does it actually become a cloud?



I’ve discovered that it’s not so simple to count the clouds.



But I’ve also discovered that the One who is capable of not only counting, but also producing the clouds, is the One who holds my future…and my hand.



It’s a lovely thought.



So in the midst of fun summer travels, time with family & friends, school work, interrupted plans, ACL surgery (yay Monday!), etc – I have found that one simple thing reminds me that I need to trust in the One who is bigger than it all:



I just try to count the clouds.

But God...

Isn’t language funny?  I’m reminded of this quote from the movie, Letters to Juliet:

“What and if are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side by side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life.  What if.  What if?  What if?”

Sometimes, it’s not just the two words put together, but the way we say them.

“But God…”

I’ve been recently very good at saying that phrase in a whining tone…like a frustrated child that didn’t get what he wanted.

But this week, I have been reading again about the life of Joseph in Genesis, and have been amazed at the way he repeatedly said this phrase…without whining.

Here’s a quick recap on Joseph’s life in Genesis 37-51.

·         At 17 years old, Joseph has two dreams predicting that in the future his family would bow to him.

·         His brothers hate him…they throw him into a pit and sell him into slavery.

·         He works for the Egyptian official Potiphar, and is given much responsibility because “the LORD was with him” (39:2,3).

·         Potiphar’s wife comes onto him…he refuses her advances because he doesn’t want to sin against God, and is, yet again, thrown into a pit.  (this time a dungeon…but it is the same Hebrew word “bor”)

·         He, again, is given much responsibility (this time in the jail), because people noticed “the LORD was with him” (39:21,23)

·         Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer are thrown in prison, together they have two dreams, and Joseph correctly interprets them.

·         The cupbearer, although he had been asked to remember Joseph, forgets him for 2 years.

·         Pharaoh has two dreams.  Joseph is called “out of the pit” to interpret them…and ends up becoming Pharaoh’s “right-hand man” and the second most powerful man in Egypt.  (Joseph is now 30 years old – 41:46).

·         Seven years of plenty pass, and in those years Joseph gets married, has two sons, collects grain, and stores up enough food to help Egypt and the surrounding countries make it through the next seven years of famine foretold in Pharaoh’s dream.

·        During the seven years of famine, after Joseph is 37 years old, he again sees his brothers…they do bow to him…and after a period of testing, he brings them and his father to Egypt and helps them survive the famine.

Whew!   What a story!  Obviously, I left a lot out.  And there are some amazing things within that story if we only take a closer look.  I highlighted some of the words above to bring them out, but I would highly recommend The Story of Joseph & Judah by W.A. Gage & C. Barber for more study.  It’s really eye-opening.

Back to our phrase, “But God”…

Joseph could have EASILY used a whining tone when talking with God during those years.  He was thrown in pits, wrongfully accused, and forgotten by people.  And yet, he trusted God.

He could have committed adultery with Potiphar’s wife…but he didn’t want to sin against God.

He probably could have tried to escape from prison if he really wanted to…he was in charge there.

He could have been frustrated with the fact that everyone else’s dreams were almost immediately being fulfilled…but his weren’t for 20 years!  (*Read what Joseph says in Genesis 41:32.  Crazy.)

But in the midst of it, we see Joseph say some amazing things:

1.       He recognized God as being all knowing. 

a.       Genesis 41:16  “‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’”

2.       He recognized God as One who has better plans.

a.       Genesis 45:8  “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”

b.      Genesis 50:20  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

3.       He recognized that God will always be there.

a.       Genesis 50:24 “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die.  But God will surely come to your aid…”

You don’t hear Joseph use any whining.  He is just amazed by the character of God…the God who brought him through real trials, and used it all for good.

Was Joseph tempted to whine?  I’m sure he was.  Am I tempted to whine?  Yes. 

And though I may not be able to see 20 years ahead in my life, I can definitely see 2000 years back.

Because of a cross 2000 years ago, I can have confidence like Joseph that God will always be here, He does have better plans, and I can trust that He knows all.

And my hope is that when I'm tempted to whine "but God" in the future, this verse will hit me square in the face:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8