Tag: #spiritual

God the Father’s Loving & Miraculous Care for Us is Unwavering

Miracles happen every day. God’s love for us is manifested miraculously every day and if we were more open to that truth, I believe we would see these miracles more often and our gratitude and trust would increase.  I believe we don’t see many miracles because we have taken them for granted and only label that which is larger than life and out of the ordinary as a miracle.  The amazing small things go unnoticed.  What do I mean by that? I think some examples would be the best way to explain.

One of the things I really enjoy is watching glass blowers make beautiful glass sculptures from nothing but melted glass. I can watch them for hours, but have limited myself to 30 minutes. There’s only so much staring they probably could take!

I find the entire process to be filled with God.  All creativity is God being manifested through His children and there could be no question that creativity like that can only come from God.  Who else can inspire someone to take glass, melt it at over 2000° and then blow in a tube and use other tools to shape it?  Blowing in a tube with molten hot glass on the other end…Only God could inspire that and our ability to hear the inspiration is a miracle. We are given the gift of being able to hear God and act out on His inspiration, creativity and designs. We can hear God!  That is amazing, but we often take it all of that for granted instead of standing in awe.   Because we do that, we miss so much.

The other part of the process of glass blowing that helps me to see it’s filled with God is that God can do anything. No miracle is off the table. Where we see impossibility, He knows it can be done “for nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Where we lack confidence, He asks what Father would do anything other than give his child what he needs and desires. (Matt 7:7-11).  He said “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3) and there was.   He said, “This is my body (Matt 26:26) and we can trust it was.   Jesus is the same yesterday, today and always (Heb 13:8).  His loving and miraculous care for us is constant. 

When we rob ourselves of seeing God fulfill His desires in us, we miss so much.  We miss out on seeing His love manifested. We lose out on peace. We lack a daily ability to see His care and by that grow in trust of Him.  Instead of standing in awe over His creative designs that are fulfilled through his people, we judge. We miss out on so much.

I write all this as I sit on my deck and take in the beauty of the many potted plants I have on it and the plants that decorate an old wooden swing set. I do not have a green thumb and yet these plants are thriving.  I know this to be a miracle that can easily be taken for granted. I look at plants and know I have a Father who loves me deeply. On a practical note they cost a lot of money and He has made sure it’s not wasted.  He knows how much pleasure I get from gazing at His creation. If He could care for these flowers, I know He can be trusted to care for me.  ( Matt 6:28-29). That confidence is an example of what we can miss when we fail to see the small miracles all around us because we take so much for granted.

Upon gazing at the miracle of these flowers, my dog began barking at me.  I am able to deduce that he is thirsty and wants water.  That was the problem exactly.  That I can understand a dog and take care of his needs is a reminder to me that not only do small miracles of love and care happen all the time, but God uses me to give them as well as receive them.  The interruption could have been seen as an annoyance, but because I am currently open, I find the interruption to be a chance to grow closer to God the Father.  I see that not only does He provide for the flowers, but for dogs.  I am reminded that I am made in His image and likeness and if in that image I have it in my heart to take care of a dog, how much more can I be brought to the certainty that He will take care of me.  I am again strengthened in my assurance that He loves me and will always provide for me.  

Last week I talked about the need for a relationship with God the Father in order for us to grow and model the humanity of Jesus which was centered on love of God and neighbor and the trust that comes from that relationship. I would suggest that we take this further by being open to the miracles that happened all around us throughout our day because we are loved in return.

I would suggest you look around and consider what you see. What has inspired people to create? How many small things flourish because someone is being used as God’s hands? What impossible situation is manifesting itself in a parting of the Red Sea moment for you? Are you judging what could be such a moment?   I would suggest you look at humanity through the lens of a Father who loves His children. His love surrounds us and His enemy is always trying very hard to get our focus off that fact.  In a time when the world seems upside down, knowing we have a Father who loves and cares deeply for us can bring us so much peace, strength and courage.  I suggest that we all continually work on our relationship with our Father just as Jesus always did. I know we won’t regret it.

Prayerfully reflect on:

The six scriptures noted above.  Go to God the Father with Jesus and talk to them about what you discovered in your heart.  

List some things that are gifts from God that you have come to take for granted.  Reflect on the love He has for you as indicated by His provisions in these ordinary miracles. In union with Jesus, go to the Father and talk about them.  Make this a regular practice so that your trust and confidence in difficult times can still be strong.  

If you are going through a difficult time, look for the little ordinary miracles that are actually gifts of love surrounding you so that you may find peace in the storm.

In what ways might God be using you to give miracles?  Receive them?  Talk to Him about this.  

Our Relationship with God the Father in Union with Jesus is Vital

Our humanity can be more fully understood in the strong relationship Jesus had with God the Father.   Actively Participating in a relationship with God the Father in union with Jesus is vital for our humanity, love, trust and peace.  Without a Fatherly relationship with God, we cannot expect to have the humble, childlike trust we so desperately need in the world (Matt 18:3-5).  

Jesus came down from Heaven and emptied Himself of His divinity to share in our humanity. He taught us how to live out our humanity when He told us the two greatest commandments were to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). He made it clear that He Himself loved the Father and He wanted the world to know this ( John 14:31).  Perhaps one of the most beautiful things Jesus said were the first two words of the prayer He taught us… Our Father (Matt 6:9). In this prayer He showed us that we were family and our neighbors were all our family members.  He often gave parables to let us know how much the Father loved us as well. The prodigal son is one such story (Luke 15:11-32). Another story is where He  assured us that the Father provides and answers our prayers (Matt 7:7-11). 

Yes.  The major marks of Jesus humanity were surrounded with love of God and neighbor and by making His Father our Father, we became one family. When we look at His life and His humanity from those two perspectives, we get a better idea of how we are to live.

Jesus was born to a very poor and humble family. He didn’t grumble about it.  He said yes to His Father and trusted that He was being put into the arms of love. We often say He was born in a manger and into a poor family because He was humble. That is true, but it also shows that He loved and trusted the Father to have made the right choice. He was always going off to lonely places to pray to the Father. He definitely worked at their relationship and He made it very clear that He was here to do the will of His Father. He was born poor and died stripped and yet, no matter what it may have looked like on the surface, He always pointed to the Father that He trusted. He preached about the Father and told us how much He wanted to do His will and glorify Him.  He assured us of His Father’s love for us and His mercy towards towards us. He wanted us all to have the same great relationship with the Father as He did.  All these aspects are what His humanity was focused on and what He wanted us to know and model. Do we?  Do we live these out? From being born into a poor poor family to being crucified on a cross, Jesus trusted the Father because He loved Him, had a relationship with Him and knew He was loved in return.  

Do we pray to the Father? Do we work on our relationship with the Father?  Can we improve on our relationship if we have one?  Do we do His will? Do we trust the Father to the point that Jesus did? Do we have fear in our lives or do we trust we have a Father who loves us and takes care of us?  If we had a relationship with the Father in the way Jesus did, would our life be different? Would we fear less? Would we trust more? From His parents, Mary and Joseph, to Pontius Pilate, He trusted the Father in all circumstances of His life and with all the people He encountered. Do we do the same? If we get fearful or upset, where is our belief in having a very loving Father who watches over us?  How would our relationship with God be if our relationship with God the Father was greater? 

Have you ever looked at Joseph and thought how many attributes he must have had, though  to a lesser degree, that were the Father’s? It stands to reason that God would pick a father for Jesus that mirrored Him. The first fatherly relationship Jesus understood was with Joseph.  He had a very strong foundation of fatherly love from Joseph that He could then use to transition to loving God, the Father.  Oftentimes people say they have a hard time relating to God as a father because their relationship with their own father was a bad one.  In a world where families are degraded as well as Father’s, it stands to reason why this tactic would be used.  If one can’t see their own Father as a protector and provider, how could they see God the Father as one?  How could they truly trust and give their circumstances to God without always taking them back?  Add to that the desire this world has to push fear and how does one embrace the Fatherly guidance of God and the unfailing trust in His protection that He so desires we have?   Sadly, they often do not.  Sadly, while we are encouraged to be in union with Jesus, we are often given a pass not to even try to model the relationship He had with His Father.  This is especially true if we had a bad relationship with our own father.  Instead of praying to be able to grow in that relationship, we take the pass.  I believe we would all be better off if we developed a strong relationship with the Father right alongside Jesus so we, too, could have an unshakable confidence in His love and care for us.  We must have a Father/child relationship just as Jesus did.  If you have trouble with this, would it help you to better understand the Father and His love for us if you reflected on Joseph and his love for Jesus?  

There are many questions here to prayerfully reflect on.  With Father’s Day approaching it would really serve us well to reflect on these questions and see where we are in modeling Jesus and the extremely important relationship He had with His Father…a relationship He desires that we also have in union with Him.

Prayerfully Reflect on the following:

What type of Father was Joseph was for Jesus.  Talk to Jesus about this.  What can you learn from that reflection that you may be able to use to improve your relationship with God the Father.

What is your relationship with God the Father like?  Go with Jesus to the Father and talk to Him about it.

Reflect on scriptures noted above in regards to your relationship with Gid the Father.. 

Use any of the questions above to grow in your relationship.  

Every Face Tells an Important Story, a Gospel Story

The face says it all. We are made in the image and likeness of God. When we take the time to look at someone’s face, we see both God and our neighbor.

The smile, the wrinkles, the joy or sorrow in their eyes, the softness or the leather like look of their skin all tell a story. They tell the individual’s Gospel story.

To take a pause and look at one’s face gives us a chance to be mindful that God is in our neighbor. It gives us a chance to take a brief moment and have reverence for God. In someway, whether we know them or not, we know that God is working out a purpose He has given only to them.

When we take a pause, we cease to judge. Instead, in that moment we can find love and mercy because we love God. When we come back to the moment and end our pause, we may find ourselves more loving and compassionate. We may come out of it different knowing that even if they are doing wrong, they are loved by God and have a purpose that only they can achieve for God. Perhaps they got off course, but so did Saul. God has a way of using all for His good. He is the writer of all our Gospel stories. In the moment that we take a pause during the encounter with one who may have gone in the wrong direction, we may be reminded that while we must always defend truth and love, we also cannot forget that God has a plan and we cannot get in the way by becoming angry and judgmental. Those reactions only cause division. We can express our desire for the truth and love in these situations while, at the same time, loving the person because God loves them. We can trust we may be a part of their change of heart, but not necessarily the entire instrument used. We give our yes in the moment and give thanks to God for having been some part of that person‘s Gospel story whether we see it or not.

With every encounter, our faith is changed because our heart has changed. We have a new sentence to our Gospel story. We are now a little more like Jesus and we trust in someway the person we were with is changed also. In some way we have added something to their story as well. Once again we can take a pause and give reverence to God for the two hearts that are now slightly different than they were before. We are all connected because we are all one in the Body of Christ, but now our union with that person is a little deeper because in having an encounter with them, we’ve had an encounter with God because God is in our neighbor.  Just as Moses’ face radiated (Ex 34:29-35) because he had spoken with the Lord, our face now radiates. We may not be aware, just as Moses wasn’t. Nevertheless, it does and because our Gospel stories have been added to, the world has been made a little better.

So much good can come out of taking a pause and looking at one’s face with reverence for God. It can take an insignificant moment and make our lives and the lives around us better. It can make the world a little better because in the brief pause of that moment, we can be reminded that we are the prayer.

Prayerfully Reflect on the Following:

“We know that all things work for the good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28).  This is true for us and our neighbor.  It is true for those we like and those who rub us the wrong way.

Reflect on Exodus 34:29-35.  Imagine what you must look like and what is seen in the spirit of those around you when you come out of prayer. 

“God created mankind in His image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Gen 1:27).  We can be in awe over the fact that God chose us all to be made in His image.

We strive “to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call.” Ephesians 4:3-4

“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many are one body, so also Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one spirit.” 1Corinthians 12:12-13 

EVERY MOUNTAIN WE CLIMB TRANSFORMS US TO BE MORE LIKE CHRIST

We are all mountain climbers! 

Yes! Every day we awake and begin our journey towards God. Each journey is a journey within a bigger journey. The bigger journey is travelled so we can be with God in Heaven and all the little daily journeys are what get us there. Each journey begins at the base of a mountain and is complete when we reach the top. Some mountains are small and we can see the top before we even begin. Others are so big that the top is covered with fog. We have no idea how far or how long we must climb.  The journey is a mystery set before us.

Some journeys are pleasant while others are not. Some unpleasant journeys seem inconsequential such as doing the dishes. The journey from dirty dishes to clean dishes put away is done without thought. It is a mountaintop we can clearly see. Other journeys, the ones covered in fog, can be very difficult such as nursing a loved one to health. We move with no idea as to when we will reach the peak.  Whatever the size of the mountains are, however, they all have two things in common.

The first commonality is that we never experience them alone. Whether it’s a small mountain we must climb or a large mountain, the journey is always done with Jesus. (“Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up the high mountain apart by themselves.” Mark 9:2). We are never alone in it. (“Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not value or abandon you.” Deut 31:6)

The second commonality is that when we reach the mountaintop, if we are willing to take the time to notice, we can see Jesus and understand that we are united to Him. We are aware that the journey has transformed us. It is our transfiguration, so to speak. There is never a question that each journey changes us.  If we take the time, we can be aware of it and experience God. The question is whether or not we take the time to notice.

When we have finished putting the clean dishes away and we are at the mountaintop do we look for Jesus? It wasn’t a hard climb.  We didn’t need any consolation to get to the top, but God was there. He was there in the sacrifice made so you would have clean dishes to eat on.  Neither you nor your family will have to run the risk of getting sick from bacteria. You cleared the way for all by accomplishing what needed to get done because you were proactive in keeping your family healthy and strong.  You made a difference. You did it for Jesus and them.  He is smiling. Whether you know it or not, each day that you are aware of your accomplishment done with Jesus, you will grow in virtue.  You may not be aware of it, but you are slowly being transformed because even the little things shape us to be in conformity with God.  As Brother Lawrence said, “God is in the pots and pans.”

With the higher mountains tops we often sense the presence of God. He sends us consolations. Sometimes they come in a tangible form such as someone who helps us carry our crosses. Sometimes they come in the form of “Godincidences”. Either way, when you take the time to notice you know you are not alone. When you reach the top of the mountain you can see God. He is in the health and recovery of your loved one, the success of the trial, the neighbor helping, the sunset that stirs your soul, the truth discovered, etc. You are in union with God and when you look at who you were in the beginning and who you are now you know you have been transformed. Perhaps your faith is stronger. Maybe you are more loving, more forgiving or more patient. In any event, you know you aren’t the same. You look a little more like Jesus and you know that in some way your heart has grown because “God is love.” (1John 4:8)

Each mountain helps us to grow and when we are daily aware of them, we can better handle the more difficult ones that we suddenly find we have to climb. We know that the higher  mountain may appear, but we are not alone in the climb. We know we will be rewarded. We know the prize is Jesus.  The climb is hard, but the reward makes it worth it for you, all who may be climbing with you and all you have taken with you in the depths of your heart. They are the ones you prayerfully offered each step of the climb for. It is for them that you were the prayer.

Prayerfully reflect on:

Each of the three scripture passages above.  Talk to God about them.  

Brother Lawrence reminds us that God is in all things and all things conform us to look like Jesus.  Reflect on God even being in something so little as the pots and pans. 

How might little daily mountains be transforming you to look more like Jesus?  How does this help in your relationship with Him? With your neighbor?

If you were climbing a higher mountain recently, reflect on how you saw Jesus at its peak and how you may have changed to become more like Christ because of it.  How has this helped in your relationship with God? With your neighbor? 

If you are currently climbing a mountain, try and keep your heart open to seeing the love God is sending your way.  At some point in the day, sit with God and speak to Him about seeing and experiencing His love.  Give thanks for it.  Let the realization of that love embrace you in the silence of your heart so it transforms you and lifts you up. 

The Whispers of God are Good for the Soul

Sometimes God speaks the loudest in the whispers. 

We embrace the undeniable “Godincidences”.   We rest in the impressions of love that deeply penetrate our souls. We feel great joy when the lightbulb goes off with something we read in scripture because we sense the presence of God. There are times, of course, when we feel alone and dry. We aren’t going through any difficulty in life, but we just feel blah.  We would love to sense the presence of God so that our souls would be enlivened, but as much as we long for it, we still come up dry. Those are the times that we would do well to listen for the whispers of God.

That is precisely what happened to me this week as I was praying on what to write about. I listened for the whisper of God that came in the form of a houseguest…my mother.  It came in the form of sitting quietly on the couch at night before bed and just talking. It came in the dogs that were like Velcro to her, a type of companionship that can only come from a dog.  Seeing her give the dogs water because she decided they were thirsty even though their water dish was full was a gentle whisper of God’s love.

When we push back from the table and observe our surroundings, we are better able to see those whispers. The key is becoming mindful of what is happening around us and listening not for what we can hear, but for what we cannot hear.  The whispers of God can only be heard when we listen to the heart.

The people down the hall who are in conversation with smiles and laughter can be a whisper of love. The smiles on their face and the laughter from their lips shows they are enjoying each other. The conversation doesn’t matter.  The joy that can be seen in the smiles and laughter is what can bring us in touch with God.  No words or noise are needed.  Seeing someone carrying a handful while the person next to them carries nothing can be seen as a whisper of God’s love.  In the depths of your heart you can hear God saying, “Let me help you. I can carry it.”  Watching a pet owner walk their dog is a whisper. They are friends and while the dog definitely gives unconditional love, the owners care is evident as he or she takes the time to walk their friend. It is a companionship. The noise of the details doesn’t matter. The soft whisper of love says it all if you take the time to listen.

On the days when stress is high, when you feel blah or when you are looking for God, take the time to block out the noise and listen to the whispers of the heart, which is where you will find God. Children playing, strangers talking, a neighbor cutting the grass… The list is endless because God’s love is endless and He is in all things. When we turn down the noise and listen to the heart of the doer we can hear the whisper of God’s love. We don’t need words. Actions are motivated by love and as long as we can perceive it as not being self-love, we will find the heart of the whispers of God’s love.  It is a practice that is good for the soul and even when we feel the dryness of the desert, we can find the waters of love.

Prayerfully reflect on the following:

“Then  the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks— but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a soft whisper of a voice.”  1Kings 19 11–12

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Who is God?  “God is love.” 1John 4:8

Make it a practice each day this week to observe without the noise at least once a day. Talk to God about how you encountered His whispers of love.  How has what you found helped in your personal relationship with God?  How has it helped in your relationship with God in your neighbor?

WE CAN NEVER ASK FOR A BETTER PARTNER THAN OUR LOVING GOD

We are in a loving partnership with God. We do all things with Him. We never do anything alone.

Every moment God is there partnering up with each of us. When we realize this, we can wake each and every day with an excitement and energy knowing that no matter how good or bad we expect the day to be, God is with us and that will make it an amazing day. 

All God asks is that we show up. He desires that we partner up with Him. We recognize that what we are doing is not done alone. We have a partner that is there doing our task with us. When we give God our yes and show up, He is there. This is true of all aspects of our lives… We just need to say yes and show up.

At times prayer is dry and it’s hard to even begin. Show up. We may wonder why bother. It may seem that our prayers aren’t changing anything.  Show up and praise God for all He is doing to work things out anyway.  We need to be aware of this partnership in our prayer life just as we would do with any other area of our lives.  

In the circumstances within our life, in our encounters with our neighbors and when we see we can do nothing to cause calm and peace in the world other than pray, we need to show up knowing and believing that when we say yes and show up to do what little we can, God partners with us and does the rest.  When we show up with this awareness and love for God and God in our neighbor, we glorify God and amazing things happen even if we can’t see them.

In practicing this with the daily little things in life, we can build up many joyful memories that can hold us up in the more difficult times. Feeling tired and unmotivated to do anything? Say yes and make a first step.  Show up and take note of where you may feel energy. That’s God honoring your yes. Not feeling well? Feeling down? Try with all you can to show up and then take note of what happens.  For instance, who may have called and lifted you up enough so that you could get much done and feel better about yourself?  You have to make dinner again, but feel uninspired. Suddenly inspiration comes for no reason other than you have been God inspired.  As evening rolls around and you think back on your day, how exciting it can be for you to know that simply by showing up with nothing more than your yes, God came and in partnership He supplied all your needs. What may have looked like a day where you were going to go to bed feeling blah, unproductive and even alone turned out to be a great day because God partnered up with you. Your yes is all He needed to supply all your needs and make your day one filled with joy, but that’s not all.  One simple yes can bring about an overflow of your needs AND whether you realize it or not, the needs of others because we are one. 

Waking up each day with hope-filled anticipation because you know you are taking the day on with God can change everything. Your yes to the partnership can change your interior life, your active life and the lives of others even if you don’t see them.  It can help you in all circumstances including encounters with your neighbor so you can love both them and God in them. Even in a world where you seem small you can say you made a difference simply by saying yes.  In partnership with God, yes is a very powerful word.

Prayerfully Reflect on the following with God.

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 and carefully reflect on each of the following 

  1. Being in partnership with God  
  2. Doing our part in showing up 
  3. Trusting that when we do our part, whether we are aware or not, God is doing His part to change things for the good.
  4. Reflect on anything else that may have touched you in this passage.

On the first Christmas, how many were aware that the world was about to change due to a yes in partnership with God? (Luke 1:26-39)

On Holy Thursday how many were aware that the world was about to change due to a yes in partnership with God? (Matt 26:36-46)

How does all this effect your relationship with God in your prayer life, active life and with your neighbors you know and do not know. 

Love of Neighbor and an Effort to Serve Them Beings Unity

The other day my dog rang the bell on our deck door. We taught him to do that as a way of letting us know when he wanted to go outside.  It suddenly struck me as being really funny. I felt like the butler being called. The realization then hit me that God always gives us the opportunity to live out His teachings.  Having to humbly serve a dog did just that.  

We are called to love our neighbor just as we love God. One way we can live this out is by doing for the very least of our brothers because we know we are then doing it for God as well. It goes in line with being taught that in modeling Jesus, we must keep in mind that He came to serve, not to be served. We must live that out. It is a sacrificial life of putting others before us. It requires those “above” to be humble and serve.  It does not require those “below” to be filled with pride and demand to be served or raised, however.  They remain humble while served.  These two positions help us to recognize that we are all called to be on an even playing field.  When we remain faithful to God in the small things, He will answer our desires and raise us up when it is our time to move from the humble served to the humble servant.  Yes. When our desires are answered and we are raised up, we must recognize that it comes with an attitude of servanthood. This is far different than that of the secular world that demands to be raised and then lords it over others causing division.  The Christian attitude fully lived will always level the playing field. We are all equal before God and when we humbly serve with love those who are humble and in need of service we are reminded of our equality before God. This humility lived when we are raised up in position always maintains equality instead of division.  We are mindful of whence we came and the unity of love for each other flourishes. 

It doesn’t always play itself out this way in society. We are led to focus on what makes us different, judge and then get angry about it.  We are different politically and religiously. We are different by our gender, ethnicity and race. We are led to believe we must all think the same way and we will go to great lengths to protect our position in life so we don’t drop lower in the eyes of others and be judged by those who hold different positions.  Our many differences are seldom celebrated and seen as a beautiful and creative means of God making us different so that when we are united we are one complete and whole community known as the Body of Christ. Instead we are falsely led to believe that being united means we must be alike, be angry about any kind of recognized difference and refuse to celebrate those differences that are given to us for the glory of God.  We act like God could only create flowers and animals to be different and we end up living in a world of division and chaos where Satan is the author who tries to destroy all that God creates.

As we are in Holy Week we are reminded that Jesus came and died so we might be one, but we jump at the words expressed by those who are used to divide. Stories of unity are seldom told.  We easily vilify our neighbors before entire stories are told and gifts and talents are never lifted up.  Unity and love of neighbor is forgotten and we fall into the trap of believing judgment is somehow righteous. We no longer know how to separate the act from the neighbor we are called to love. We can easily become blinded and let hatred be our compass.

We may be small in this world. We may have little influence, but it isn’t the powerful influencers that inherit the earth. It’s the meek. The meek have an easier time sitting back to take a pause to control pride, resentment and hatred. They can more easily see truth and as part of that they can discern what will cause love and unity and what will cause hatred and division. If everyone took this path in life, if they searched for unity within their circle through love and service, we would find a more peaceful world. We can make the choice not to let the fire of division and hatred overcome us. A house divided falls apart, but by being meek in our small circles, we could connect with other circles and the meek could overcome evil and inherit the earth with God as the head. 

We may say we could never make a difference. We are far too small. But it is that very attitude that causes everyone to quit before they even start. Each small step every day can be in time a way to lead the world to one where we love our neighbor, serve them and find the equal playing field of love and unity by it. It doesn’t take a great effort just a great awareness of who is trying to lead us.  God or the enemy. Do you want to be an instrument of love or do you want to jump on the latest bandwagon meant to make you an instrument of division?  Do you want to view our differences as making us more completely one unit known as the Body of Christ or do you want to be like the Scarecrow whose parts were scattered preventing him from being able to do much of anything?

Holy Week is the perfect time to evaluate if we are loving our neighbor and living a life that encourages the unity that Jesus desired and died for or if we are being used by the pharaohs of the world to divide. 

Prayerfully reflect on the following:

Jesus meant for us to be one.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you and me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:22-23

We are called to love God and neighbor.

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”Matthew 22:37-40.

We are called to serve, not lord our position over others and by hat highlight division.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20 25–28.

The desire for position can be powerful, but it is God who raises us up.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” Luke 16:10   AND “For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.”Philippians 2:13

We can overcome the darkness of the world.

“Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

The Truth Hurts Before It can Set You Free To Embrace God’s Love For You

Truth. What about it frightens us so much? We want it when it’s good. We run from it when it’s bad. 

As we get closer to Easter we can reflect that God is truth and just as Jesus could not be buried, the truth cannot be buried either.  Both God and truth have resurrection power.  When we embrace the truth, we embrace God.  When we follow the truth, we are following God. Anytime we seek the truth, whether we realize it or not, we are seeking God. God is love. He can never go against that. It would do us well to remember that when we are frightened by the truth. It may be hard, but since God is love and truth, then even hard truths that we become aware of are signs of God‘s great love for us.  

I love you!  It’s a boy! You’re hired! You won the bid for the house! All these facts are truths we love to give and receive. Even something as simple as, “dinner is ready” can make a hungry one soar with joy.

On the other hand, the truths that are difficult to hear are often difficult to accept. The diagnosis of a serious illness, the death of a loved one, the loss of a dream you worked hard for, a betrayal and finding out you had been believing a lie are all examples of difficult truths to swallow. At times we try to bury them or we refuse to believe what we have discovered.  It does us no good, however.  As I said before, God is truth and just as God cannot be buried, neither can the truth. It begs to be noticed.  The acceptance of the hard truths can be difficult. Acceptance will lead us on a different path, but we can be certain, as difficult as it is, we will not be alone. It is a path that God is sending us on and it is a path of love. It would do us well in these times to remember that God’s loving plans for us are often discovered by the uncovering and the following of the truth.   

We are all sinners and there are times when we fall and do things that are wrong. To avoid facing the truth of what we have done, we try to bury it in our subconscious. We can only get away with that for so long. The truth will not be kept down and buried.  It will eventually bubble up to the surface. The deeper we try to bury it, the harder is the work to deal with it. How much easier it can be to heal if we are mindful that within the hurt is a God who loves us unconditionally and the fear of looking at the truth is fear of being a part of mutual love.  Mutual love?  What do I mean by that?  In our love for God, we cannot bear to look at what we have done to hurt Him.  In His love for us, He desires that we look because when we do, we will find that He is not resurrecting the truth so we can see His anger.  He is resurrecting it so we can see His mercy and love.  There in the depths of the truth is a mutual love that is stronger than death and just as truth cannot be buried, neither can love, who is God.

Of course, there are times when we know the truth and others refuse to accept it.  We may even be attacked for speaking truth.  In those times we can take comfort in the truth, in God.  We can rest in knowing that the truth will resurrect and never stays buried in the tomb no matter how much man or the devil may try.  Easter morning proves that.  We can also find comfort in reflecting on the mercy of God.  When truth is difficult and one’s emotions are taking over, it is hard to sit back and reflect.   Oftentimes people lash out without thinking. It is almost as if God has given them a safety net in those times.  When they aren’t thinking straight, instead of attacking truth, who is God, they attack the messenger.  Yes. God is in us and we are being attacked, but it is almost as if attacking truth is a direct hit since God is truth.  When we are attacked it is almost as if we are taking the greater hit so God doesn’t have to.  It is like we are shielding Him.  If we were to keep both those reflections in mind when being attacked, we may end up staying calm and being a model of God’s patient mercy…a shield for our neighbor against our anger…while, at the same time, shielding God by defending truth. 

God is love. God is truth. Truth is love. Maybe if we remember these points when we are hit with hard truths or we find that we are the messenger of truth, we can better deal with the situation. Our immediate reaction is to treat the hard truths as a foe.  If we take a pause, we can see that that foe is really a friend and that friend is God.  If we are the messenger, we can then be the model of that very dear and loving friend.

Prayerfully Reflect on the Following:

Can you recall a past hard truth that sent you down a different path that ended up to be filled with love?  In looking back, can you now see God’s hand in it?  

Were you ever attacked for being a messenger of truth?  Can you see that by defending truth you were defending God? Can you see the importance of defending truth, while at the same time being God’s mercy? In the future would it help to think that when people are attacking you for being the messenger, you are shielding God, who is truth, from being directly attacked and, at the same time, being given the opportunity to be His mercy by shielding your neighbor from any attacks that may come from you?

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6a

“Children, let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and truth.” 1John 3:18

“And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:16

“But when He comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you to all truth.” John 16:13

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 32:8

“The Word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5

“Assuming that you have heard of Him and were taught in Him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.” Ephesians 4:20

“If we say, we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1John 1:8

BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

Here there and everywhere. That’s how it can feel at times. There are so many things pulling at us at any given moment. We walk along our path journeying towards God, but the world begs for our attention and as we lose the present moment, we often lose our way.  

Yes, there are times when it feels that the more we try to be on the path towards God, the harder it is to be certain we are on it. That’s when we can have the greatest peace if we take a pause and let our focus be on the present moment, God and trust Him more.

When it looks like you are in the storm, remember that in that moment He is in the boat with such a great peace that He sleeps right through it.

When it looks like a good Friday is the end it never is because God hasn’t had the last word yet.  Stay calm.

When it looks like there is no clear way to go, stop and look at the present moment where you may find that He is ready to part the sea.

When it seems like you are going uphill with 100 pounds on your back in the pouring rain and you question if you are in God’s will as you certainly thought when you first started out, remember when God wants it there will be a battle and the greater the importance, the greater will the battle be.  That alone can give us great peace in the battle.

The point is, God is always there. He hasn’t left. He only asks that you be mindful of Him, remain thankful and trust that He is your compass.  You don’t need to know where north is.  He knows.  In the moment keep your focus on Him and while your heart is sincerely on His will, He will make it so. There is no need to be anxious. He knows your heart and He will not steer your boat wrong.

We should always put time aside daily to be prayerfully in the presence of God, but when the moments come when we feel overwhelmed and we don’t know which way to turn, time alone with God is essential.  The storm is not the time to drop prayer and get distracted with worry. Trust that He will calm your heart. He will give you peace. He will remind you that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. No situation is bigger than Him.  Hold His hand and He will bring you through it.

God gives you what you need in the moment. As we close, maybe Mary Magdalene is a great way to remember all of this.  When we are anxious, we tend to look either ahead or behind. Jesus said that Mary Magdalene should not give the perfume to the poor because she would need it for His burial (John 12:3).  In that moment, because He was her focus, she could trust that He took care of her needs even if she and the disciples didn’t fully understand what He meant.  He told her to hold onto the perfume and at the same time He stuck up for her and what she had done.  Those two actions met her immediate needs and that is all she really needed to understand. Later, at the time of His death, it turned out that she did need the perfume for His burial…or so she thought when she was headed for His tomb.  When going to the tomb she needed the perfume in anticipation that it would be used to anoint the body of Jesus for His burial.  When she got there, however, she saw that that was not why she needed it. He had risen.  It turned out that the purpose of the perfume being needed for Jesus’s burial was correct, but not in the way she would have thought it to be.  God knew, however.  In the present moment she needed it when she was heading for the tomb (John 20).  The sorrow in her heart would have been too great if she headed to the tomb knowing she had no perfume to anoint His body with.  As it turned out, she did not need it for His burial, but for the peace and calm as she journeyed to the tomb to ready His body for burial.  She couldn’t have known this, but in each present moment, she did what was expected and the future need worked out without her worrying about it.  She did not need to worry about the future. She only needed to know the calm Jesus offered in each of the present moments.  

As we move closer and closer to Holy Week, it is a good time to be mindful of staying calm. Be anxious for nothing. Pray.  Keep your heart open and let God lead in each moment.  He will show you the way.  He will show you what you need to do now so the future works it’s way out  even if you don’t understand.  It will always works out when Jesus is your focus and your compass. 

Prayerfully reflect on any part above and the following:

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything  by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Prov 3:5-6)

“And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you are also called in one body. And be thankful.”  (Col 3:15)

The story of Jesus asleep in the boat.  (Luke 8:22-25)

The story of the parting and crossing of the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:10-31)

PICKING UP OUR DAILY CROSSES (PART 3 of 3)

THE CRUCIFIXION 

Today is my third and final reflection on picking up our daily crosses.  I’d like to look at how Jesus’s prayer life and what He taught manifested itself at the time of His crucifixion.

First He went to the Garden of Gethsamane to pray and He separated Himself from His disciples so that He could PRAY QUIETLY ALONE.  “Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Matthew 26:36).  This is in line with His teaching about praying alone in quiet places.  At Gethsamane we see He was modeling what He taught when we recall He had previously said,  “When you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) Because Jesus always modeled what he taught, He must have modeled this completely at Calvary as well. 

When He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34), we see He forgave just as He taught on countless occasions.   

Knowing He always lived what He taught, we can trust He had to have given thanks and believed as well.  Last week we reflected on Jesus teaching the importance of giving thanks and believing our prayers have been heard and answered.  He, therefore, had to know that in spite of what it looked like, He would conquer death.  This belief could only have been the result of much prayer and years of believing that He would conquer it…and He did.  When Jesus said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30), He knew that all He believed that had to be accomplished in order for us to be saved had been completed even though His death looked like the opposite.  Three days later He rose.  His prayers were answered.  He won.  He had the relationship, and in growing closer to the Father, He came to know His will and greatly desired to conquer death.  He prayed, trusted, forgave, hoped and believed.  Those are the lessons of how we should act when we carry our crosses.  Let’s not embrace fear like we so often think of the cross as being, but instead take on a view that it will make us conquerors.  “In all things we have complete victory through Him who loved us!” (Rom 8:37).

Some may question this because  they know that Jesus asked that the cup be taken from Him.  “Father,’ he prayed, ‘My Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup of suffering away from Me. Not what I want, but what You want” (Mark 14:35-36).  Wanting the suffering to be taken away did not mean He wanted to drop His mission.  How often do parents express that a situation they find themselves going through is not what they signed up for?  How many times do they say if they had known, they wouldn’t have signed up?  The truth is they would have.  They greatly love their children and would go through anything for them.  When a great desire is in our heart, it is best not to know all that will be required to achieve it.  At the foot of the mountain, we enthusiastically say yes to being a parent.  Knowing what we may encounter on the path going up the mountain may prevent us from even trying.  When the cross comes, we may want it to be taken away, but the bottom line is we would never want it if it meant a door of harm to our children would be open. Love sacrifices and the cross teaches us.  “No greater has a man that He lays down his life for a friend” (John 15:13) is foundational to being able to act as conquerors when carrying a cross.  We know that as hard as things can get, when we choose poorly, God always takes free will and uses it for good.  Trust in that truth and how sacrificial love plays into it is what Jesus modeled.  He may have wanted the suffering to stop, but not His sacrificial  mission of love.  The desire to save us was there.  It was being realized.  He loved us.  He would see it through if that was how the mission was to be a success because He knew His Father ultimately uses all bad for good. 

Adding to Jesus’s ability to see it through was the added comfort in being able to remember when His Father intervened when He was in Nazareth and some in the community wanted to kill Him.  “When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. They rose up, dragged Jesus out of town, and took Him to the top of the hill on which the town was built. They meant to throw Him over the cliff, but He walked through the middle of the crowd and went His way.  (Luke 4:28-30).  It was not His time to battle against and conquer death.  If Good Friday was not the time or means by which He would do battle, He knew the Father would turn it around and intervene just as before.  He had prepared for this in so many different ways because HE HAD A RELATIONSHIP THAT WAS STRONG DUE TO HIS PRAYER LIFE.  It didn’t just happen.  He worked at the relationship and that made Him free to love and conquer.

Some may say that their cross came out of left field had had nothing to do with their purpose.  I would argue that in some ways they always do because we are where we are at any given moment because of our choices that are made because of who we are.  Simon of Cyrene is an example of this.  Scripture tells us, “The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus” (Luke 23:26).  It is said that Simon was coming from the country or fields. Perhaps he worked there and was heading home. His home and his way of making a living all brought him to where he was at that time.  It is also said that he and his family converted to Christianity.  God wins.  Did Simon pray and believe? Perhaps he prayed for the salvation of his family.  He received it through a cross that was unexpected, but He was a conqueror in Christ Jesus.  In all crosses, we are given the opportunity to be victors.  

Jesus gave us the formula. Pray so as to be close to God the Father and believe. We know in our mission/vocation, it will be hard, but we know that “in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).

What about death?  While we can learn much from Jesus when those difficult times come, we can also see that the crucifixion showed us the pain of the cross at death.  While we may not die on a cross, we often find that at death the cross comes in the form of a bed we cannot get up from when our mission is complete.  In the end, it is not death, but the ultimate victorious conquest.  It is that hope that always gets us through.  On the other side of the cross is a victory for those who believe.  While this is true of all crosses because they present us with the opportunity to lose our life in some way so it can be saved, it is never more powerfully seen as when we die and go to Heaven.

How different we would be if we looked at the cross through the lens of hope, of believing what we pray for is being accomplished and that good will be the fruit.  How different it would be if we saw ourselves, not as victims, but as conquerors filled with love just as Jesus was even while experiencing unimaginable pain.  This can only happen by seeing the cross not as a weapon of defeat to be feared, but as an instrument that brings us to our form of a wonderful resurrection because with each cross we know that “the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom 18:8).

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING:.  

Are there crosses in your life now that you can embrace as Jesus did by being close to the Father, trusting, believing and hoping?  Can you see that sacrificial love is foundational to it in some way?  Not seeing it does not mean it isn’t somehow a means to desire you have based on love.  If you cannot see the sacrificial love behind it, offer the cross up as a prayer.  In that way you will make what you cannot see, seen. 

Can you see the good that has come out of past crosses?  Did it ever turn out that a cross was the means to getting a past prayer answered?  In looking back, can you see former crosses can now be seen as a means to give you courage and strength for one you may be experiencing now?

Last week we reflected in the practice of giving thanks to God in advance for answering your prayers.  Have you been practicing that?  Are you living as if your prayers have already been answered or are you living in fear and worry?  How do you think this practice may have helped Jesus in leading up to the cross and experiencing the crucifixion?  In light of this prayer practice, how do you think Jesus felt about all His thankfulness and believing being manifested at His resurrection?

Prayerfully reflect on the scriptures cited above and bring in any cross you may be carrying currently.  Talk to Jesus about these.