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Tearing Off The Plastic!

I save.  My husband says I hoard.  But I know too well the rainy day and so I save.  Primarily gifts.  I don’t think I have ever thrown away a gift I have received because they are too precious and priceless in my eyes.  But I also rarely use them for fear of ruining or tarnishing them.

When I was in grade school, Nerf came out with a soccer ball.  It was all I wanted for Christmas.  When I was lucky enough to receive it, I kept it wrapped in the plastic it came in …  for years.  I didn’t want to ruin this gift that I had been given, I didn’t want it to lose the panels as I had seen happen to others, to slowly have its material chipped away so it looked like a cratered moon, to become less than what it was, because I knew I could not afford to replace it.  And so, this gift that I wanted more than anything, remained in plastic.  I did not use it. I certainly did not share it.   I kept it for later. My joy was knowing I had it… but I lost the purpose, the value and the joy of using it and sharing it with others.

Last night I realized I was doing the same with the gifts God gives us.  I keep them under wraps.  I am afraid to use them, lest they get ruined, lest others try to chip away at them, or are too rough.  I want to save them for another day when I can truly enjoy and savor them without fear of interruption or destruction, like they were a finite resource.  I hide the love of God afraid that someone will wreck my joy or tear it away from me.  I suddenly feel like the little kid holding on to a Nerf soccer ball still wrapped in plastic.

I know that God’s love is infinite.  No one can destroy it or chip it away.  Only we can prevent our own self from enjoying it, from experiencing the joy that comes from Him, from sharing it with others.  Nothing we or anyone else does can destroy His love or take it away from us.

As Paul told the Romans:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,  nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

I know this and yet I still try to save it.

Jesus tells us in multiple ways throughout the Bible to use the gifts that we have been given,  to share God’s love and God’s light with others:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.

Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Matthew 5:13-16

God’s love is infinite, but my opportunity to share it is not. I outgrew the soccer ball before the plastic ever came off. I do not want that to happen with the gifts God has given me.

Lord,

I am ready to unwrap the plastic.  I am ready to move the light that you gave me out from under the bushel basket.  I am ready to shout from the mountain tops about your love.  Help me to use the gifts that you have given me in the manner in which you have intended.  Help me to follow your will and to glorify you in all that I do. Help me to start right now. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. Not when I have time. Not when I get around to it. Now.

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Second Chances

We all need second chances. We rise. We fall. We hopefully rise again.

Today is the ultimate day of second chances. Although we are sinful, Jesus died on the cross for us, to redeem us and give us a second chance:

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25

How many times do I let the insult, misstep, or even simple misunderstanding of someone else drive a wedge between us? Or worse, result in me returning the insult or misdeed. Turning the other cheek is hard. Forgiveness is even harder. But, oh how I want that forgiveness when I misstep! Oh, how I want that second chance, that do-over, that mulligan for my own failings.

Jesus endured betrayal and rejection from his friends. He endured being arrested and bound. He endured the rejection of the crowd (and “public opinion”). He endured their shouts to crucify him. He endured being scourged. He endured the soldiers mocking him, stripping him of his clothes and human dignity. He endured them spitting on him. He endured thorns piercing into his scalp and the soldiers striking his head. And he endured hours on the cross, nails driven through his flesh, hanging there to die, while others continued to taunt and mock. All for you. All for me. All to give us a second chance. To repair the damage that our sin caused. To ransom us, redeem us and return us to the One who created us, the One who loves us so much, that He sent his only Son — so that we would know Him and willingly return to Him.

It is a day for second chances.

Lord,

Forgive me for my sins. Forgive me for turning away from you, for focusing on things of this world more than the next. I am truly sorry. I am sorry that things I have done and things I have failed to do, hurt you and hurt others whom you love. Thank you for giving me a second chance (and a third, fourth, fifth and sixth….). I desire to do better. I desire to sin no more. I desire not to go astray. Please forgive me. Please continue to lead me. I love you, Lord. I am thankful, grateful and humbled by your sacrifice and love for me. Help me to serve you and your world better. Help me to forgive others who hurt me. Help me help others always know the second chance that you provide.

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We Thirst (and no drug, or porn or AI will fill it)

The mental health of our country is terrible. Too many are turning to drugs (prescribed and unprescribed), food, porn or other addictions to try to feel better.  And it doesn’t look like we are doing anything to improve it.  Instead, AI is continuing to deplete our individual wisdom, our thought, and our human interaction.  Our devices take away our quiet and our ability to sit in silence, and think and, more importantly, listen.

We are all filled with an aching hole.  A hole that cannot be filled by anything in this world. No food, drug or sex will fill it. All of the things that the world markets to us on TV, on our devices, on the billboards, are useless, to what we truly ache for.

And the ache is not new to this world. Roughly 3,000 years ago, this Psalm was written:

As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

Psalm 42:2-3

Even Jesus knew the ache, as He hung on the cross, 2000 years ago, among His final words, He said: “I thirst.” John 19:28

We are made by God, for God. He formed us in the womb.  The aching hole is our ache and longing for God. Our soul, our being, longs to connect to God, our Father, our Creator, the one who loves us, the one who loves you and me, individually and fully. The one who loves us so much that he sent His Son to die for us so that we might live — that we might believe — that we might turn to Him and fill our aching hole.

God is missing in our lives.  He is missing in our hearts.  He is missing in our thoughts.  Missing… and yet… He is right there.  Right beside us.  He is whispering to us, “I love you, I am here.  Turn to me.”  But sometimes (and maybe most of the time) we are too busy, too consumed by the media, devices and distractions of the day, to listen, to hear Him, to feel His presence.

Jesus told us: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.” John 7:37

We all thirst! Jesus also thirsts, He thirsts for us. He longs to share His love with us.

Stop what you are doing right now. Put down your phone. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes for just a moment and say: “God, I thirst for you. Jesus, I thirst for you.” Sit in His arms. And breathe Him in. Tell Him you long for His waters, His love, to wash over you, to clean you and to fill you.

O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, In a land parched, lifeless, and without water. I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. For your love is better than life; my lips shall ever praise you!

Psalm 63:1-4

Lord, open our ears and our hearts.  Help those who are desperately trying to find joy in drugs and porn and other vices or addiction to hear you, to turn to you.  Help me to turn to you.  To choose you over my devices.  To spend time in the quiet and listen for you. God, I thirst for you. Jesus, I thirst for you. I long for your waters, your love, to wash over me. To wipe me clean of the distractions and the evil around me, to fill my aching hole and my emptiness. Let me drink from your fountain of love, and I will be satisfied.

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Forgiveness

Forgive. How do we forgive someone who has hurt us? I have said “I forgive” before, but I don’t know if my heart is always in it. I am also not sure I know what forgiveness really looks like. Are words enough?

Last week I was threatened. Someone I don’t know that well threatened to kill me. The police were called. Security was hired. My life was disrupted. But, thankfully, no physical harm occurred. I felt rattled and helpless. But then I prayed. In my prayer, I said I forgive this person, as I have for others over the years, but then rather than just moving on to my needs, I began to pray for this individual. I prayed for forgiveness and prayed that the Lord would enter her life, heal her of her anger and any mental health issue that might be plaguing her. I prayed that she would know God. And as I prayed, I realized that my heart was fully in it. I want this individual — who has threatened me, who has disrupted my life and caused anguish for me and those around me — I want this individual to have peace. I want her to know God. Is it forgiveness? I don’t know. But I realized that I wanted what was good for her (and that if she received what was good for her — if she received God — that would be good for me too).

Jesus said:

When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.

Mark 11:25

I have struggled with this verse most of my life. I know I need to forgive (and I have plenty I need to be forgiven for), but I have struggled with how to do it. Just saying the words did not seem to change how I felt about the individual or the pain they had caused me. I have heard that when you forgive you should want the good for the other, and I could never bring myself to truly want good for them — but I think I thought about it as material good, and I got trapped by my anger, my pride and my selfishness into thinking that was not fair. This week I realized that the good they need, is the good we all need — God! And why wouldn’t we want that for everyone, especially those who have hurt us and have the potential to continue to hurt us. I don’t know if it is forgiveness, but I know this individual has no power over my heart. I know I do not feel trapped in anger. I know I feel released. And I know I do want God to come into her life and help her.

Lord,

You are all knowing, all powerful and all present. You know what we need and there is no limit to your goodness. There is no need to be jealous over your love. The more people who know you the better all of us are. Lord, I pray for those who have hurt me. I pray for those who have trespassed against me. Heal them of their hurt. Send your Holy Spirit to them. I pray that they come to know you better. Lord, forgive me of my trespasses against you and against those you have created in your image. Heal me of my hurt. Send your Holy Spirit to me. I want to know you better. I want to repent. I want to return to you.

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Jesus Wept

Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the bible, but oh so powerful. Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, even though he knew he would resurrect him.

Tonight, I weep for the loss of my friend. I weep for myself and the loss I feel. I weep for her family, her husband and young children. I weep for her friends. I weep because the world has lost a unique individual who cannot be replaced. I weep.

But I also pray. I pray for her resurrection into eternal life and rest. I pray for God’s love and comfort to surround her and her family and friends. I pray for wisdom and understanding. I pray.

And I feel. I feel Jesus weeping with me. I feel comfort in knowing that he knows my sorrow. I feel the loving shepherd swooping me up, like the lost sheep, into His arms. I feel.

Lord,

I know we do not know the hour and our time on earth is short. It is hard to lose someone so young, but I have hope in the Resurrection. I weep. But I know you weep with me. Take Megan into your loving arms. Hold her family close. Protect them from harm. Grant them the wisdom and the grace that they will need.

And Lord, help me to gird my loins so that I am ready when you call. Help me to be ready at each watch of the night. Help me to know your path and not my own. Father, may your will be done and may I glorify you in all that I do.

Thank you for sharing Megan with us. Though I wish I had more time, I am grateful for the time we shared. I trust in You and I rejoice in the Hope of eternal life.

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Be The Light You Are Called To Be

The world is dark. It is so easy to become enveloped in the darkness, to close our eyes to it, to pull our covers around us, to blame others for the darkness and to wait for someone else to bring us light.

But Jesus told us:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

We are not called to hide in the darkness. We are not called to wait for someone else to shine a light. We are called to be the light. We are called to light the path for others. We are called to glorify God through our light.

It is easy to blame others. It is easy to give up and shelter in place. It is easy to think, what can I do. My light is not big enough. My light is not bright enough. My light is not strong enough. All of this is easy if we think that we have to provide the light. If we are so braggadocious to think it is all about us and our light, our strength and our brilliance. Of course, we do not create light, which is why it is easy for us to sit in the darkness. We are the light of the world when we follow Jesus.

Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

We do not have to create the light. Whoever follows Jesus will have the light. But we cannot hide under a bushel basket. We cannot hide under the covers. We cannot expect someone else to shine the light. We have to stand up. We have to open our eyes. We have to open our arms and our hearts and stretch out wide so that we are big and strong and the light of Christ can shine though us, and reflect off every inch of us. Light one candle in a dark room and witness what one candle can do (even a very small one). Walk outside on a full moon night. Like us the moon does not create its own light but it is a powerful reflection of the sun. (We too can be a powerful reflection of the Son). On a clear night, when the moon is not hiding behind clouds, it provides enormous light. You can walk without need for a flashlight. It shines light into our homes if our shades are up and we let it in. Our light, our reflection of Jesus’ love can shine into the hearts of others who are open to letting it in.

Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you. Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, Upon you the LORD will dawn, and over you his glory will be seen. Nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning.

Isaiah 60:1-3

It is easy to bemoan the darkness around us. It is easy to bemoan the evil. It is easy to bemoan the generation of nonbelievers and the empty pews at church. It is easy to ask why isn’t someone doing something about this.

Do something. Be the light. Follow Jesus. Fill your heart, your soul and your spirit with the love of Jesus. And don’t hide it. Let the world see your love. Let the world see your strength to stand up and follow Jesus. Let the world see your brilliance.

Jesus,

I want to follow you in my words and deeds. I want to be filled with your light. Help me to pull the covers off, to open my eyes in the face of darkness, to stand proud in your light. I want your light to shine through me. I want to reflect your love and your brilliance to others. I want my life to be spent glorifying God through my words and deeds. Help me.

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Don’t Return That Gift

Christmas is over. Holiday cheer is gone and we are now fighting in the stores to return those gifts that weren’t exactly what we wanted. The sweater that “didn’t fit”, the gift we did not even take out of the package because we didn’t know what to do with it, the puzzle that was too hard. And all of the other “well-meaning” gifts that we didn’t think we wanted or needed.

As we focus on the material gifts and whether they fit our wants and needs, what are we doing with the true gift? Have we taken the time to even open it? Have we taken it out of the package? Have we read the instructions? Have we tried what seems hard? Did we decide it didn’t fit without attempting to try it on? Did we decide we didn’t need it or want it because it was too hard to understand?

We know what the true meaning of Christmas is, but did we accept the gift? Or did we put it on a shelf or away in a box til next year?

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

John 3:16

This is the greatest gift. This is the gift we are reminded of every Christmas. And yet we spend too much time ignoring it, ignoring Him. Perhaps, without even meaning to, we reject the gift. It takes more time than a video game or an air fryer to fully understand. We can’t just press a button to make it work. We need to take the time to read the instructions, read the scriptures, read God’s word. We need to take time to be in His presence. We need to put the work in to believe, to have faith, to fully embrace the gift that we have been given. We may not think it is what we want or what we need, but it is. God is what we want. He is what we need. He is what we are longing for. His love can and should be returned (in kind) and regifted, but first we must accept it.

Lord,

Thank you! Thank you for the greatest gift that we could ever ask for. Thank you for sending your son to us, for suffering for us, when we turned away. As we start the new year, help me to accept your gift with open arms. Help me to take the time to read your word, to listen, to be present with you. Help me to keep Christmas in my heart throughout the year and to not reject or ignore the gift that you have given. And help me to regift and return that gift in kind to others so that they too may feel and experience the greatest gift of all.

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rest

One of my favorite bible verses is Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

I could use rest. Rest from work. Rest from the daily grind. Rest from worry. Rest from disgruntlement. Rest from the negativity. Rest from the politics. Rest from a world that publicly appears to rebuke God and the rest and the peace that He provides, and wallows in worry, disgruntlement, negativity and politics.

My prayer most mornings is Lord, I place my worries and the work ahead of me on you. I give it over to you. I trust you to see me through it. And it is amazing how freeing it is and the immediate rest that I receive. But then I pick back up my own yoke and return to the daily grind and the feeling of rest is quickly swept away.

I miss the second part — to take up Jesus’ yoke and learn from Him.

Hmmm. Take up Jesus’ yoke? He was ridiculed, stripped, whipped and crucified with nails driven through his flesh. That does not seem easier than my typical daily grind. Yet, even knowing that, He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light. How is that possible?! Our burdens on earth do not compare to what Jesus endured for us. They do not compare to what his mother endured watching this occur to her son and savior. Even the heaviest burden on earth is light if we are meek and humble of heart and place our trust in God. In other words, we are called to put aside anger and frustration and disgruntlement and worry. We are called to patient and hopeful endurance of undesirable circumstances, to be humble in knowing that God knows better than us. We are not as powerful or as knowledgeable as God and when we lean on Him, when we follow Him, the yoke (even though it may seem hard in earthly terms) is easy and the burden is light because God is lifting it for us.

There is nothing on earth as important as God. Nothing with which we burden ourselves is worthy of the worry and strain that we put into it. When we put our focus and our energy into connecting with God, humbling ourselves to accept God’s glory and turn to Him for help, our burden is truly light. And we discover a peace that we cannot otherwise find despite our best dedication, our hardest work, our late-night hours. No accomplishment or reward on earth is worthy of the one we are truly seeking in heaven.

Lord, I place my worries and the work ahead of me on you. I give it over to you. I trust you to see me through it. Help me to be meek and humble. Help me to be patient and place my hope and trust in you even when I have to endure undesirable circumstances. Help me to keep my focus on you and on the only reward I truly seek which is eternal life with you. Lord, give me the rest and peace that comes from knowing you and following you.

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The Faithful Cry

Have you ever cried out to God?  Have you ever cried out when the world is telling you not to?  When the world is telling you literally and figuratively to shut up?

Today in the gospel Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus.  The world and even the followers of Jesus rebuke him and tell him to shut up.  But he continues to cry out. 

And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Mark: 10:46-52

The world continues to tell us to shut up.  Don’t talk about religion lest you offend someone else.  Don’t talk about God lest you be told to shut up, or receive looks or are rebuked.  As a society we have allowed the rebukes to silence us. Sometimes we keep religion separate, on the side, an after-thought, something we think about on Sundays. We hide our faith and our love of God, lest we be judged on earth.

Bartimaeus persisted.  Although he was blind he knew that Jesus was all that he needed.  Jesus was more important than what others in the world thought.  I have also been blind.  I go through life often blinded by the world around me. I go to church. I read the bible. I say some prayers, but do I see? I cry out in the quiet of my heart, when I have time, when I get around to it, when the world is not otherwise distracting me or silencing me. But, do I hear? Do I listen? My cry is so quiet, that even I don’t always hear it. (But God does.)

Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.

Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!

JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!

Open my eyes so that I see you. Open my eyes so that I see you in others. Open my eyes so I can focus on what matters and what you call me to be, not what the world is shouting around me. Open my ears and my heart, so that I may hear you… and follow.

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An Eclipse of the Heart

April 8, 2024. A total eclipse. The news has been reporting on this, hyping it, for over a year and constantly for the last week. People are traveling miles to witness it. It is all anyone is talking about.

All that is going through my head is Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands. Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge. There is no speech, no words; their voice is not heard; A report goes forth through all the earth, their messages, to the ends of the world. He has pitched in them a tent for the sun; it comes forth like a bridegroom from his canopy, and like a hero joyfully runs its course. From one end of the heavens it comes forth; its course runs through to the other; nothing escapes its heat.

Psalm 19:2-7

Many will spend hours today to witness the eclipse. They will travel for miles, wait in crowded fields, and curse at the traffic afterwards. But even with their glasses on, will they really see? Will they witness the glory of God? Will they experience the bridegroom or feel the heat from God’s love? Every day the sun comes up and we take it for granted. God’s truth is poured out all around us, but we do not stop and take the time to hear and to listen. We cannot escape the shining light that He provides, His warmth or His love, despite how much we may try. Today’s eclipse is marvelous and will inspire awe. But everyday is just as marvelous. No matter the darkness of night or the darkness of any storm, the sun always returns to light our way, to warm our hearts. Each spring the deadness of winter is replaced with the beauty of rebirth, green grasses, blue skies, and yellow, red, orange and purple flowers. God’s love and miracles surround us. Every. Single. Day. The Psalm goes on to state:

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just; More desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb. By them your servant is warned; obeying them brings much reward.

Psalm 19:8-12

As we look to the heavens today, I pray that we experience the wonder and awe of our Awesome God. May our souls be refreshed, may our hearts rejoice, and may our eyes be enlightened! May we be in pure awe and know that our God is a might God. Lord, help us to hear… and listen.