Riptide

Getting caught in a riptide or rip current is frightening. The more you fight, the further you are drug from safety. The best move is to let go and to float until you are released from the rip’s grip. Then you can swim sideways until you reach the shore.

One day at the beach, when I was very young, I got caught in a bad rip current. I panicked. I think I screamed for help. I believed I was going to die. As I was getting pulled under again, an arm reached down into the water and pulled me out. It was my dad. He probably saved my life.

Psalm 18:16-19

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Always remember God’s love. He will rescue you from the rip currents, just like my dad rescued me, because he delights in you.

Unlimited

I am limited. God is unlimited. He shares his power with us through the Holy Spirit.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul celebrated his role as teacher and the church as a conduit for the Word of God.

In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul wrote:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul explains that Jesus dwells in our hearts because of our faith in him. Then, God fills in our limits with the love of Christ.

Instead of confronting our challenges and limitations on our own, think of what could happen if we deliberately relied on God’s unlimited power delivered through the Holy Spirit?

Challenge

James 1:2-4 states:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trials of various kinds come from various sources, and I believe, have various purposes. Hopefully, these trials teach us who we are in God.

When faced with adversity we have two choices: go it alone, or go with God. If we go it alone we may miss the point of the trial completely (which is to go with God.)

All of our power comes from God. He has loaned it to us to use at our discretion. We get to decide whether we collaborate with The Creator of the Universe, or go our own way.

If we go with God then the testing of our faith as described by James will lead to steadfastness, and ultimately, to our own perfection in God. If we go our own way, well, who knows where that may lead?

I was going to write about how God uses people to challenge us. He does. But that’s less joyful than this.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not only about releasing others for what they have done to us. It’s also about accepting others for who they are to us.

In Matthew 6:14-15, directly following The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus warns,

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We forgive others; God forgives us. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change how we feel about those who trespass against us. We hate them. And, so long as we hold on to hatred, we are trapped.

I am blessed with enthusiasm. At the core of my enthusiasm is an appreciation for the people God places in my life. Yes, sometimes they trespass against me, and sometimes I return the favor.

However, I have learned to accept others for who they are to me: namely, God’s agents in my life. I don’t always like or appreciate the role they play, but I trust that their presence is part of God’s plan, even in the most painful circumstances.

God is shaping and molding us daily into the people he created us to be. Forgiving others softens the clay.

Wisdom

God is the source of wisdom. Job 28:28 explains, “And he [God] said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

Job understood. Even when attacked by Satan; even when his “friends” gave him questionable advice; even when his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” Job understood that God is the source of wisdom.

We all have “life experience.” Sometimes (maybe most of the time) we do not learn from our mistakes, because we make them over and over and over again. We cry out to God to save us from ourselves. Mistakes are not the source of wisdom.

We all endeavor to improve the quality of our lives. Often we take action without fear of the Lord, without prayer, without asking God for direction. We head out on our own, not really understanding our circumstances. Action is not the source of wisdom.

Job openly laments his circumstances and demands a response from God. God answers him out of a whirlwind! God says, “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?” Job covers his mouth. God is the source of wisdom.

Christmas

John 15:12

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

God loves us; He lived and died for us. He tells us to love one another.

Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth. We love him by loving our families, spending time with close friends, and exchanging thoughtful gifts. It is a time when we appreciate what he makes possible: the gift of companionship, the beauty of our lives, and most importantly, grace.

As you share the celebration this year, take a moment to see Christmas through the eyes of our heavenly father. Like all parents, he is pleased to see his children love.

Miracles

Eric Metaxas wrote a book titled Miracles that I recommend everyone read. Eric is the author of the book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, but you may recognize him for titles like God Made You Special, The Pirates Who (Usually) Don’t Do Anything, and Jonah, Even Fish Slappers Need a Second Chance, all written for the VeggieTales series.

The subtitle for Miracles is “What they are, why they happen, and how they can change your life.” The author explains this by dividing the book into two parts: The Question of Miracles, and The Miracles Stories.

In part one, Metaxas describes miracles as God reaching into our lives and making supernatural changes. He explains the incredible science that supports life on Earth making it very difficult to believe that life, as we understand it, could possibly exist anywhere else. He then describes a few of the miracles in the Bible from a practical perspective.

In part two, the author shares first hand accounts of miracles in the lives of people he knows well. The stories are credible and very encouraging. He leaves no doubt that God is very active in our lives each and every day, and that miracles do happen.

Grace

2 Corinthians 12:9

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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

This is an invitation to the Holy Spirit to dwell within us daily, and boy, oh boy, do I need that.

I’ve been stressed out by life lately. Schedule, loss, need, and trauma – the struggle continues. How do I cope? Grace.

The relationship of our weakness to God’s strength is an uncomfortable one for us most of the time. I appreciate the power of the Holy Spirit acting in my life on a daily, hourly, moment-to-moment basis. But it isn’t easy to live this way. And it’s not supposed to be. That is the life of a Christian.

Understand what is happening: none of us, not one, is in control of anything. It’s about God in everything in every second of everyday. This is his story, his plan, his project, and we are all the recipients of his love. It’s beautiful.

And while I appreciate Paul’s desire to “boast” about his weakness, I find it hard to celebrate in those moments of desperation when, once again, fear, doubt, and yes, even trembling overtake me. Where is God in those moments?

It usually doesn’t take long for me to see him. I’m blessed that way. I know that eventually, sooner and sooner as I grow in my faith, the dust will settle, the murky water will clear, and I will again see the glorious work of my Father’s hands.

So, while I can’t always celebrate, I will rest with confidence in the warmth of God’s love and the almighty power of Christ. Fill me again today oh Lord.

Launch

Proverbs 22:6 encourages us, “Train up a child in the way he should go;
 even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

So far I’ve focused most of my parenting attention on the first half of the sentence. Now, with the launch of my second child to college (738 miles away), I am trusting on the second part.

Early in my life, I understood “train up a child” to mean, “teach them how to live.” Later, I understood “in the way he (or she) should go” to mean, “guide their personal discovery of their gifts.”

I trust that both have occurred, and will continue to occur as my children grow. I am now learning new ways to trust God when my direct influence on my sons is restricted by distance. God is never restricted. Trusting God never stops.

My largest challenge is trusting God when it appears that my children are departing from the  path he set before them. The space between my understanding of God’s plan for my children’s lives, and his actual plan for their lives can be deep and wide. I don’t want them to suffer in anyway, ever. But I have learned that suffering often leads to a closer relationship with God, and ultimately, a return to God’s path.

So, I will continue to pray for the success of my children, both at home, and away. I will trust God’s protection over them always. I am forever thankful for a wonderful loving Father.

A Simple Faith

Love. It’s that simple. We are commanded to love each other:

Romans 12:10

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

and John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

and finally, Matthew 36-40

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

If you do not love the people that surround you in your life, then you are not a disciple of Christ.

Christianity is not about going to church, or how many minutes a day you read the Bible, or how righteous you think you are (think again). Christianity is about the act of showing love for the people God has placed in your life.

God created each of us. God doesn’t make mistakes. None of us are mistakes. We are all his children who he loves dearly. He has us exactly where he wants us right now, in this very moment. So set your bias, your judgment, your fears and insecurities aside and remember:

1 John 4:7-12

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Jesus loves us enough to bear our sins. Now, we are free to love each other through him.