An Encouraging Word

Have you ever desperately wanted something and didn’t get it, but when you don’t need it anymore, there it is? I think God does those things on purpose. Not to make us feel we can’t ever have what we want, but to make sure we don’t chase after an easy answer that can’t truly satisfy.

When we fear a lack in our lives, our first instinct is to stockpile that thing we need, ensuring our security. A stockpile of money means we can buy whatever we want, making sure we’re happy. A ton of friends on Facebook means we’ll never be lonely. Wait, isn’t that right?

It’s like fear of the dark. Is it darkness we fear? Probably not. We’re afraid of things we can’t see. Harmful things hiding under the bed. The switch brings light to hidden corners. We know when we hit the switch, the light will come on. But we have to hit the switch. What if instead, we worry and fret until the sun comes up? Problem solved, right? Oops, not so much. Sunlight brings relief for another day, but nightfall looms again.

Does that mean darkness is the enemy? No, it signals time for the rest our bodies desperately need. So the answer isn’t to remove darkness permanently, but to know light is just a switch away.

God is the power in our lives, waiting to be called on in our time of need. He knows we need money and friends and other such things, but He wants us to turn to Him, the source of all good things.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  – ¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours  and every act prompted by your faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 My study Bible says God initiates every good purpose and every act prompted by faith. So God is initiating in us the faith to do the actions that bring Him glory. Pretty powerful stuff, huh?

Many times we wonder if we’re called, or if it is us longing for a purpose. God is so gracious, he puts the desire in our hearts to complete what He calls us to do. If you have a longing to do something for God which doesn’t go away, you’re probably called.

So why do we want to do this frustrating thing anyway? In my case, it’s staring at a blank page, then becoming such good friends with the delete button, that I sometimes delete more than I’ve typed for the whole day. For you, it may be entirely different, but for everyone there comes a time when what we’re called to do seems impossible. We strive for perfection, hoping God will accept our service to him, but the bible says our strongest goal should be glorifying the name of Jesus Christ.

‘Worthy’ is almost as scary as ‘called’, since we’re not worthy of much. We may feel unable to perform the work He’s called us to, or uncertain what our calling is. One of the scariest things is knowing we’re to reach others for Christ, but not knowing how. So, what can we do?

1.  Know that God is in charge. His words and actions are what touches a heart. Our part is to listen and obey.
2. Work at exercising our gift. We keep learning so we can represent God to the world in the best possible way.
3. Relax. God knows you want to serve Him. He knows your heart. And He positioned you where you are for a reason.

So when I doubt God meant it when He pointed my way, (I turned around to see who was behind me) I remember that as long as my heart is right, and I’m doing my best to point others to Him, then I’m right where I need to be.

John Eldredge, in his book Ransomed Heart, says life is a story. He’s right. We know our own story, and maybe those of a few people close to us, but we don’t always know what makes another person tick. We know what they do, but not why they do it.

That’s where grace comes in. Giving grace to each other is the highest form of generosity.  It humanizes both them and us, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and forgiving ourselves for our own slips from perfection.

When we give grace without understanding the why of the action, we show God we trust Him. We trust He knows what He’s doing in their lives and ours. All of us have different gifts and talents, so we may not understand what makes each person behave the way they do. Each individual has the core personality God created for them. This one is more gentle, that one more fiery. God created each specifically for the work He planned for them. We need to respect it, and not try to change them.  That doesn’t mean we don’t temper the downside of our own gifts–it means we don’t put our gifts onto someone else.

We may never know the intricacies of another’s story, and we don’t need to. We only need to know they’re a work in progress, just as we are. We give them grace to grow into their calling, and accept God’s grace to grow into ours.

It’s a brand new year, and time to put away the old one. 2016 had its ups and downs for sure. My husband was recovering from surgery in the first part of the year, causing me to realize just how much he does around the house. We mourned for friends and family who passed away, and celebrated the births of two new grandchildren.

As I look toward 2017, I wonder what the year will bring. I’m not a person who makes resolutions at the start of a new year, it’s more my personality to start (or quit) things when I think of them. Which can make it hard for my husband when we’re dieting in December while everyone else is feasting. Nobody said I had good sense about the whole thing.

In the end I think resolutions are a way to better ourselves. A time to try again to become the person we hope we can be. My resolution this year is to better discern the voice of God. In 1 Kings 19:11-12, God passed by Elijah on a mountain. A powerful wind tore at the mountain, shattering the rocks. Then an earthquake came, and after that, a fire. But the Bible says that God wasn’t in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. Finally, Elijah heard a still small voice. When he heard it, he left the safety of the cave, knowing it was the voice of God.

When the world shouts options at us, and we don’t know what to do, we need to listen for the still small voice. The one that whispers deep in our spirit, that we recognize as the voice of our Shepherd. In John 10:4-5 it says the sheep know their shepherd’s voice and won’t follow anyone else. In 2017 my desire is to know my Master’s voice, and not follow a stranger.

When I’m afraid,
He emboldens me.

When I’m disgraced in my guilt,
He pardons me.

When I’m wounded,
He restores me.

When I’m humbled,
He encourages me.

When I struggle against the wind,
He calms me.

When I come to the end of myself,
He loves me.

God is not a God of rules, waiting for us to mess up so He can punish, but instead a God of mercy and grace, waiting for every opportunity to lift us up. He comforts and consoles, picking us up in strong arms, telling us it will be okay.

That is God to me.

I was lucky enough to serve the homeless last week, and it was a revelation. The joy we had passing out lunches far surpassed any gift I could have received. The people lining up for food were glad to see us, but it was the delight in the faces of the ones giving that made the most impression on me. Parents brought their children, teaching them a lesson in the value of serving. It was a pleasure to see their excited faces as they handed a sack lunch to an adult who needed one.

Around the holidays people’s hearts turn to giving in a way that doesn’t happen as much the rest of the year. Not that we mean to forget, but we all get busy, and life gets in the way. Jesus said if we do for one of these, it’s as if we do for Him. I’m embarrassed to say I’m guilty of putting my head down and missing opportunities to help. I pray I can remember to serve others more than I serve myself in the coming year, andI know it will take an effort on my part.

It may take a scheduling change to make it happen, but whatever it takes, I want to be a part of something that makes a difference. I’ve been bitten by the serving bug and I want more. More of the camaraderie we felt making one-thousand lunches, more of the excitement in handing them out, and more of the joy we saw on the faces of those who received.

Serving is like giving; the pipeline absorbs the blessing. If you’re in need of a blessing, serve another. Let’s see what happens.

A sweet woman died this week. She was part of my church group, and I only knew her well enough to say hello on Sundays. But what I knew of her, I admired. She embodied the things I write this blog about, a positive attitude and a generous nature. There weren’t many Sundays that she didn’t have something to add to the prayer list. Not for herself, but for others. A man she worked with had an accident, or a woman she knew had cancer. Week after week she displayed a caring heart and a loving spirit for those around her. Every single person she touched will miss her.

Even when she found out she had cancer, she still prayed for others. She was upbeat and positive, joking about the baseball hat she wore to cover the distinctive signs of chemotherapy. She’s in heaven now, praising God in person, but she left behind a gift. She showed us how to care.

It made me think. What kind of legacy am I leaving? Am I caring and generous? Or am I selfish and critical? I hope I can be more like this dear lady. Hers is a legacy I would like to pass along.

The tree outside my window is changing. It’s an Autumn Purple Ash, and the leaves turn from summer’s green to yellow, to red, and then to a dark ashy purple before they fall to the ground. At the moment, it’s red on the outer branches with yellow underneath, highlighted with a few green leaves remaining unchanged.

I believe the leaves are representative of our lives. We enter the world green and untested; pure and innocent. Chilly nights cause the green to lighten to yellow as our individual personalities take shape, and then to red as the harsh realities of experience deepen our character. Finally the red evolves to a deep purple before strong winds send our bodies to the earth and our souls to their final destination.

Every leaf is designed to go through the process, and each stage is beautiful to God. He sees where we’ve been and where we’re headed, all in the exquisite colors of our lives. The red of our knowledge rests next to the stubborn green of our refusal to change.

He loves each phase, because added together they make up who we are. Without our experiences of joy and pain we would be colorless, lifeless even. Every encounter we have influences us in a different way, shaping the tree that is us.