Tag: Walk humbly with God

The time is now

I have been watching the developments in our world for the last few years. Our politics is nastier, our culture more extreme, our values nebulous and ever-changing. It is hard to get a sense of our footing.

But as all this madness around us swirls I am more convinced than ever that God is the answer. What we are seeing is a world with no stability, nothing to cling to.

What can we do? Can we change the direction of the world? No. Can we affect great change? No. But we can believe in something meaningful. We can set an example. We can have a small influence in the world right around us.

Now is the time. Now we need to step forward. Now we claim the territory. Now we say, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Do it now. Don’t wait. The world needs people of faith. Desperately.

Ephesians 6: 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day
of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Learning from hardship

My firstborn girlie turns fifteen this weekend. Fifteen years ago we were in the midst of a whirlwind of crisis and activity. This little baby was arriving with a half a heart. We were facing the largest hurdle and challenge life had thrown at us. We didn’t know what to expect, and we were anxious and afraid. But calm. There was nothing we could do but hope and hang on.

As I look at this event in the rear view mirror, much of the pain is hidden. I see the outlines, like a city fading into the distance. I don’t see the raw, ugly streets that were traversed. Just the fading emerald city.

Life is like that. We can’t hold onto the pain. It must subside, or we couldn’t manage to keep moving forward. We carry the scars and the lessons of the past, but we move onward. Sometime onto better days, sometimes into other struggles. But we must keep moving.

If we are wise, we let the trauma teach us without embittering our hearts. This is tricky, but essential. If we see our suffering as a lesson that we can share with others, then we are less prone to envy. In this way we can find benefit in the hard fought experience, not just pain. This is how we can avoid bitterness.

Ephesians 4: 31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Self-doubt

Often when I think about the Bible I find people within it’s pages to whom I relate. I admire Esther’s courage and willingness to be used for the good of her people. I wish I were more like David, who confidently strode into battle with Goliath because of his confidence in God. I love Mary’s heart as she watches her Son become the Messiah.

Perhaps the story that hits closest to home is the story of Moses when he is called to go back to Egypt to save God’s people. Moses sees a bush burning, but it isn’t spreading or burning up. He thinks, “That’s strange” and investigates. Before he knows it he’s standing barefoot, covering his face, talking to the creator of the Universe.

God tells him he wants him to go back and rescue the Israelite people. Moses says, “What if…” God answers. Moses says, “What do I do when…” God answers. God shows him miracles he can preform. Even after all this Moses says, “I’m not a good speaker, you better send someone else.”

Moses is talking to God through a burning bush. God is showing him how to do miracles and when he says, “Go” Moses thinks, “Nah, you can find someone better.” Do you think it might enter Moses mind, that if God had a better choice he would know about it?

I am too often like Moses. My own self-doubt keeps me from feeling up to the task. I think of millions of reasons of why I am not worthy. But like Moses, this lack of confidence in oneself is actually lack of confidence in God’s ability. It was God who freed the Israelite people, it was by his power, Moses was just the vessel. I need to put my faith in the Great I Am and allow him to work in my life.

Exodus 4: 13-17 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;
I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

Grace is sufficient

Many of the ideas in the Bible are counter-cultural and even counter-intuitive. They go against what is instinctive for humans. The best example of this is the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t pretend to fully understand these ideas. They are a struggle – my humanness gets in the way of my understanding.

Lately, Paul’s phrase ‘my grace is sufficient,’ has been running through my head. How do we feel this in the face of personal loss? How do we understand this when our life is stuck in neutral? How do we share this when we see others facing serious trials? And yet, this is the most important idea for a Christian. Grace. Pure simple grace is enough. It is sufficient.

Wrapped up in this is the hope for a better tomorrow. The hope of reunion with loved ones. The hope of a dwelling with God. The hope of resurrection. Grace. The one complete act.

It is my job not to be distracted by the failings of life, by sin and the earthy trials. Grace! It is my obligation to not let my heart be drawn into the pleasures of earth. Grace! It is my responsibility to not be seeking affirmation from the world. Grace!

What other prize and trophy or reward could compare with grace?

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Who’s in charge

My kids are getting old enough to make plans. I’m no longer solely in charge of the family schedule and events. It is fun to watch them take ownership over their time and space. They are more involved in what they want to eat, how their room should look, who they play with, and other aspects of their lives. They are moving from childhood into adulthood. They are learning to control their own world.

In the past my children went where I planned, on my schedule. I, like most good parents, planned events that were age appropriate and that I thought they would enjoy. They had complete trust. They had little or no idea what each day would bring, but they trusted me to work it out. Most times they were happy with my choices.

Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he told us to be more like children. I need to wrestle with my own sense of control and give my life over to God. I need to let him schedule my life and chart my course. I should be like my own children used to be, a happy passenger. Humbly letting him lead.

It’s a struggle. But it is a worthy struggle.

Matthew 18: 2-4 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

He is righteous

We are conditioned from an early age to perform to a list of expectations. Schools use tools like curriculum and grading to help students understand how well they are doing. In our jobs we have to fulfill the job description and criteria. Often we have yearly reviews to evaluate our performance.

When I had my first child all of this was pulled away. I didn’t have any external way of evaluating my success… until I had the first visit with the health nurse. I was then introduced to all the physical and mental markers that my child should be hitting by certain ages. We even set standards for that.

Given this training, how do we cope with religion? I’m afraid we do the same thing. We set standards of morality and markers, so we can differentiate ourselves from those who don’t believe. This is a human instinct that the biblical writers warned against it. Learning we can’t earn our way to God.

The way it works in the world is that the harder you work the more likely you are to succeed. Therefor, those who are successful can be proud of their wealth and position because they have indeed earned it. This may be true – here. But the grace that God offers is unattainable, even to the most determined and perfect of humans. We can’t be proud of our own righteousness, but we need to rely on His.

It goes against the grain. If we are doing it right it should change the measure stick with which we judge ourselves and others. We should not be envious of those who have more stuff or position. We should not yearn for the ease of life and lack of trouble in our world. We should indeed embrace the path that leads us to acknowledge our own inadequacy.

It isn’t an easy task. It means changing how we see the world and how we see ourselves in it. It means trying to view things in the way God does. No small task.

Romans 4: 1-3 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according
to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works,
he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Our path in life

We were able to attend a small graduation celebration for my niece and nephew last night. It was a joy to be able to celebrate with them. These two young people, full of youthful promise and expectation. As their Aunt, it made me feel rather old, but mostly nostalgic. These two little bundles entered the world almost 18 years ago and now they stand on the cusp of adulthood.

Almost eight million years ago, I was also in their situation. A young woman looking at the rest of my life. All the plans! All the dreams! I could do anything. I began charting my course. There was a definite idea of where my life would head and how life would go. It makes me smile now, as well, little or none of those plans happened as I expected.

I know this is universal. I know you have felt this way too. Our lives unfold, one step at a time. We do have agency. We do chart our course. The largest decisions we make to go left or right belong to us. But the rocks and bumps in the road are hard to navigate and God guides us through this. He is the good shepherd leading us by calm waters and protecting us through dark vales.

Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

Remember

I remember getting the seed catalogue. Pouring over its pages and dreaming about all the potential, while the snow lay thick on the ground. My thoughts catapulted to spring for a few short moments, while the pages lay open on my lap. I could forget the frozen world around me and recall that beneath it lay the promise of spring.

But I have other memories too. A long list. I store them and sort them, like the seed catalogue. I’m digging in my past for the promises buried there, like the bulbs below the layer of snow. The times God saw me through difficulty. When I felt helpless and he offered aid. Memories from the annals of my life.

There is enough there to give me courage, if I take time to read through them. Like the Seed catalogue this internal list offers hope as I sift through my memories. My past offering hope to my now, like a flower full with blooms in the summer.

I sit and I remember what God has done.

Psalm 77: 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes,
I will remember your miracles of long ago.

My better nature

I have, what some people call, a contentious disposition. I rarely ever take anything at face value. I’m always skeptical of everything, and I actively search for the other side in almost every issue. Except of course, the proper way to put the toilet paper on the holder. There can be no discussion on this point. It is the most black and white issue in all humanity. In all other cases there are two sides to every issue.

This can make me a bit argumentative. Just ask my husband. I love a good discussion/argument. As long as it doesn’t get nasty. I don’t like to engage in angry disputes. I like rigorous discussion but not nasty confrontation.

But there is always a risk when you have a disposition like mine that you can be quick to defend your point, not because it matters but because you like to win. I have learned, through experience to temper this desire. The biggest teacher is learning just how many ways you can be wrong, even when you are sure you are right. If you haven’t been in this position then, well… maybe you aren’t looking hard enough.

Learning to humble myself and listen and be slow to react, has been the work of a lifetime. Maybe by the time I get to my eighties I’ll have figured it out.

James 1: 19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Be thankful

My husband and I have been… what is the best way to say it? We’ve been living under a cloud for years now. Whether financial struggles, serious health issues, worldwide collapse of everything normal… you get it, it’s been tough.

It can be easy to feel discouraged. I was reading about depression the other day, I think it was something Tim Pippus (a great preacher – look him up) posted about depression. Women tend to exhibit feelings of depression as sadness, while with men it tends to be anger. We need to be aware of this. We need to learn not to react to each other based on the outward emotion, but try to see past the bevahiour and find the root of the problem.

Even doing this can be frustrating. Sometimes you know the cause but can do nothing to change it. Life is hard! Not just for us, but for everybody. We all have difficult times and struggles.

We are admonished to be thankful in all circumstances. It isn’t a choice, we should just do it, even when it’s tough to do. I have found when I do this, even when I am least thankful, that I soon come across blessings I had not contemplated before. This is the key to seeing God’s hand in our life. We will never see our blessings if we forget to look for them.

Sometimes it’s like finding a needle in a haystack, other times it’s a cup overflowing with goodness. Either way we must seek and see God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.