A Christmas Post: Light in the Darkness

Everything was beautiful. Before sin. Before mankind decided to break the perfect unity between God and man.

And then everything was dark. There was no light. There was no joy. There was no peace.

But God loved man so much, even though they sinned and willingly broke his heart, that He provided a Way. For generations, He told those that sought Him of the redemption to come...of the single candle that would brighten the darkness.

And then He came. He wasn't anyone special in the world's eye. He was a baby, swaddled in a manger, cooed to sleep by the sound of nearby sheep and His mother's singing. He was a boy that was very misunderstood by those He grew up with and sometimes by His own parents. He was a man with insight and understanding but not accepted in His own town for Who He was.

He was the Savior. He was the Redeemer. He was the Son of God.

And as He began His ministry, He awed people with telling them of secrets and wonderful ideas they had never considered. He preached and healed and comforted. He wasn't the handsome and fearsome leader that people expected, but He was like nothing they ever dreamed.

He was the long awaited Messiah. And when He died on the cross, He paid the blood sacrifice that we needed to cover our sin. Because our sin meant death--not only physical death but an eternal death that separated us from God. He was perfect. And somehow, to restore the relationship, we would have to be perfect too. But the only way to do that was if Someone that was perfect took our place--took the death that was meant to be our own. And so He did. He was the final Spotless Lamb. No longer would people need to sacrifice animals to cover their sin. Because His blood did it all. And His resurrection from the dead sealed the deal. Otherwise, sin would have won. Death would have had the final say.

But Jesus didn't stay in the grave. He rose. And His resurrection gave us all new life. It made everything bright again. If we would only accept it...what He did for us...and live with Him as our Lord. We could have abundant life. We would no longer need to live in darkness.

And someday, some glorious day, everything would be made beautiful once more. And there would be no more sin. And no more darkness. We would live everlasting in perfect unity with our Creator.

And that is what Christmas means. That is what we celebrate. For why would we celebrate anything else? But our Savior? For all glory and honor goes to Him. All praise. All hope. All prayers. Forever and ever.


His Answer, Ever Steady

Jesus, the only one who makes cheery
A world, though sparkling and glist’ning with lights
A troublesome place, perfectly dreary
A mirage, only He can put to rights

He, Lord and Savior, blessed us already
A gift, He gave to make us shine as bright
As that sight, His answer ever steady
In a sky, the white trav’ling star alight

Giving promise, granting hope, beautif’ly
Making right, a new dawn in deepest night
And now evergreen, life eternally
At Christmas, at home resides so we might

Love Him, the babe Jesus, whose throne heav’nly
His flight waits, ‘til come His day divinely

Room to Wait

There's a verse in Habakkuk that stays with me. It rolls around in my brain and is imprinted on my soul. "For the vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarries, wait for it. For it shall surely come. It will not be behindhand on its appointed day."

There was a time in my life when this verse was gift from God to me. Suddenly, I was seeing it everywhere. I bet it appeared twenty times in one week. It was God saying to me--wait, be patient--things will happen in my timing.

And you know what? His timing is best.

I've gone from where I would ask for things to come "soon, please" to asking for things to come in His timing. This is a recent thing with me, as in maybe two weeks ago. lol But I am so at peace with that prayer. Because, finally, I think, just maybe...I get it. Maybe God has finally broken through all those barriers built by the world, Disney movies, and my own sense of entitlement.

And I can see the choir of angels singing. ;)

Really, I think it must bring God extreme pleasure to finally get through to His children. Of course, it's been a process. And there's nothing wrong with imperfect progress. He teaches things to our souls as life goes along. There's some lessons we're not ready for at twenty. Perhaps we would have been burdened by them. But at thirty, they set us free.

Just maybe. Just maybe we weren't meant to have everything we ever wanted. Just maybe. Just maybe we were only meant for Him.

And everything else is a gift. Talent, career, family...it's all a gift.

May we thank Him everyday. Even for the wait. I believe we all need a vision. The Bible says that "without a vision, the people perish." But as that vision comes into focus, we must live in the moment, love in the moment, pray in that moment. And be happy in the wait. Knowing that God gives us the room to wait for a reason. Perhaps, it's all a process of our sanctification--each tear, each sigh, each smile, each kiss, and each breath.

So let's take that breath and rest by abiding in Him while waiting on Him.

I am, finally. What about you?

"I Promise"

Promises--what are they?

According to the dictionary, a promise is a "declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen."

Yet who really believes anyone anymore? Yes, maybe we hope they are telling the truth and that we can rely on them, but we probably seriously doubt any promises that people make to us. When you hear the saying "they have some promise," it means that there is hope that this person will be reliable or prove trustworthy. But that's all it is--a hope.

Because broken promises are all this world is full of these days, it seems. And if we were really honest and serious with ourselves, there is probably one or two we've broken ourselves.

But the big ones--the ones we make to God, for example--those we should keep.

Right?

Yet it seems like many people don't do that either now. They promise before God to love their spouse through better or worse...and they don't. They promise to drop the alcohol or the drugs...and they don't. They promise to make healthier choices so that they will be here someday for their grandkids...and they don't.

This seems to be human nature, doesn't it? I know I see elements of those things in my own nature. Perhaps I've never made those specific promises, but I've made some of my own. Some I've kept with vigor. Others maybe I've slipped a little bit.

All I can say is, thank God that we are not God. And thank God that He ALWAYS keeps His promises. Why does He do that? Because He cannot help Himself. His nature is inherently good and honest. He is perfect. And He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature.

So when He makes a promise...it is virtually guaranteed.

This morning, when I woke up, my daily Bible verse on my email was "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began..." It was another reminder to me that God cannot lie. So He must keep His promises. It also was a cool "God wink" since this was the topic for this week.

For a long time, I walked in my faith without thinking much about God's promises. And that's not a bad thing--I just didn't know the power and significance behind them.

"His faithful promises are your armor and protection." ~ Psalm 91:4

Wow! His faithful promises are my armor and protection? That's pretty amazing! But what does this mean?

I think it means that, when you know He's promised something to you, believe it. Nothing this world throws at you is going to stop His promise from coming true. And that's where we find security in His promise.

Even when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham knew (as the New Testament points out in Hebrews) that God would raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. Abraham KNEW that God would fulfill His promise to him. I think that God may have been testing Abraham's confidence and belief in His promise. And Abraham passed that test with faith and trust in his God, knowing His character could not and would not fail him. I doubt that I would do so well as Abraham.

But I have my own set of promises to believe in with gritty determination. This quote, below, has helped me a lot these past several months.

"May you find a moment of peace and quiet tonight to thank God for all this right in your world. May you have the presence of mind to release your cares and worries to Him. May you have the gritty faith to grab a firmer grip on His promises to you. And may you wake up in the morning knowing that you've gained ground even during your sleeping hours because God is always moving on your behalf. As you entrust your whole self to Him today, He'll get you where you need to go tomorrow. Sleep well tonight." ~ Susie Larson

I love the idea of gritty faith. I think of grit and determination like in the old westerns--the idea of never backing down and with steely guts, doing what you have to do to defeat the enemy, get the girl, or prevent the train from being robbed...just think John Wayne.

All I know is, there are days where I have to hold onto my promises from God with gritty faith. And sometimes, I hold on for dear life.

But I trust God that He will fulfill His promises to me. And will for you too. He cannot not fulfill His promise. So, if you know that you have some from Him, hold on with expectation. And if you are unsure about His promises, start writing down the ones that you know that you have in the Bible--like His salvation. And start praying for Him to speak into situations of your life. Ask for His assurances and hope. And if you don't hear right away, keep praying. Keep asking. Keep drawing nearer to God.

He will draw near to you and speak His promises to your heart. I promise.

Prayer Warrior Princess

With the Hunger Games book trilogy and movie series out, there are a lot of images in our minds of people with bows and arrows--especially the iconic Katniss with string pulled back, about to release an arrow that we know will hit its mark. She's a female Robin Hood, really...when you think of it...maybe sans the stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

Honestly, I like the Hunger Games. Although a little violent for my taste in places, I think the storyline is good.

And I don't mind the imagery. A warrior princess. A girl that, although she has a soft and tender side, is willing to fight for what she believes in, even to the death. Because maybe, instead of the typical Disney style princesses, that's what we really all are. Warriors.

I don't know about you, but I've had some life harrowing experiences. And I've had some real fears I've had to conquer. Thankfully, I've yet to have to fight for my life physically. But I have had to spiritually, praying away dangers that may have been imaginary at times, but unfortunately, were real at least once in my life.

I am going through a daily devotional type book called Prayer Warrior by Stormie Omartian. I have to tell you, it is powerful! There is no telling what our prayers have done in the past or will do in the present. As the Bible says, "The prayer of a righteous man affecteth much." And you know what, we are all righteous in the Lord when we have accepted the covering of His blood--our cloak of righteousness--to cover our filthy rags. So every one of us that claims our name in The Book of Life needs to be praying earnestly and unceasingly. We all need to be prayer warriors.

And I know...you're probably thinking of that news story where a speaker or professor called a bunch of young women warrior princesses and they got upset, saying it was sexist. Personally, I think that's hilarious! I kinda get it...where the girls were coming from...they didn't like being objectified even when the image was a positive one. But come on now!! I kinda think being a warrior princess is a pretty awesome thing to be.

Can I be one? Please?

Or am I already? As daughters of the King, we women believers are princesses. And as a member of the Army of the Lord, we are also warriors. Especially prayer warriors.

We should be praying for our mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, nephews, husbands, friends' kids, neighbors, and their neighbors. Maybe that seems extreme, but is it really? Who of us, as busy as we all are, can't keep a book like Prayer Warrior on their desk or coffee table and pick it up now and again, praying for  themselves and all the people they can think of? Taking the scriptures and prayers and praying them specifically over people that they know desperately need it?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to just take what Satan hands me. I'm going to do my best to pray him out of my life and the life of my family, friends, and community.

Yes, bad things still happen. Even when we pray. Because God, in his sovereignty, allows some things to happen. And because people have free will.

But who knows what outcomes in our lives prayer has changed? We will never know. But we can be thankful, knowing that each breath is a little miracle. Any of you that has experienced a big miracle, like I have, and like my mom has, knows that prayer does change things.

Because God loves to hear our prayers and loves to answer them. I truly believe that. He wants to give us good things. And He wants to fulfill our dreams and desires as long as they line up with His will.

You know, Lysa Terkeurst said something the other day that I thought was cool. She said a question had been challenging her: "What if God decided today to answer every prayer you prayed last week...would you be utterly blown away or deeply grieved you hadn't prayed for more?"

I am challenged too--to pray more and expect more from God. Because He could answer every prayer we've ever prayed today. Now, I have chills...expecting a prayer movement...and many answers coming our way.

"Thanks a Lot"

As Thanksgiving approaches, nearly every person and every Facebook post has something to do with the being thankful. It is psychologically, emotionally, and even physically beneficial. Yet to be thankful or grateful in the midst of turbulent times sometimes seems false. At best, we may want to let out a sarcastic, "Thanks a Lot."

I know the generation right above mine--of which my eldest brother is a part of--is known as the "real" generation. Everything has to be genuine and real to be worthwhile. If you want to say it, say it. If you feel it, feel it. Because then at least you are being real. Although there is a huge positive to being truthful and genuine, there is also something to striving for endurance and exercising self-control. There is something to being courteous and to being kind even when we don't feel like it. Even when our situation doesn't grant it as the "authentic" answer.

But I ask you, when Jesus said on the cross, "I forgive you, for you know not what you do," was that a clear reflection of the pain he was enduring? Or was it a choice he made while dying? I know Jesus, being God and perfect, is hard to emulate. I know that He went to the cross willingly with our best in mind and truly must have felt the forgiveness that he was offering. Whereas, I'm not so sure my feelings would have been so pure.

But forgiveness is a choice.

A lot of our life is a choice.

Even when we smile during sadness, it is a choice. It is choosing to be light, love, and bring happiness to this dark world. It is deciding there is too much cynicism, hatred, and bitterness. It is a refusal to be a part of what makes this world a worse place to live in.

The Bible says to be thankful in everything. It doesn't say for everything. It says in. Because if we're really honest, there are just some really terrible  bad things in this world. Evil does exist. But we are to  be thankful in everything which means that there is always a reason to be thankful. For our salvation if nothing else.

I promise you, if you dwell on the beauty and magnificence of your salvation and what Jesus did for you on the cross for very long, a soft flow of joy and thankfulness will begin to take over your spirit. When you focus on all the beautiful things in the world--sunrises, first kisses, the moon glittering over the ocean, puppy licks, caterpillars turning into butterflies, marriages restored, babies born, and forgiveness offered...hope begins to rise, doesn't it?

Because God is good. Even in a bad world.

And we can be thankful for that. And His special graces to get through each day.

His mercies are new every morning."

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

 

You know what I just realized after posting that verse? In the middle of lamentations, the author pauses to praise the Lord and talk about his mercies and faithfulness.

 

Perhaps that is what we should do too.

 

Happy Thanksgiving. May we all make this world a better place, one thankful choice at a time--one genuine, even with clenched teeth, "Thanks a Lot."


~ Prayer of St. Francis

"Lord make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
 

Eye Photos

"I wish my eyes could take photos."

I read that somewhere. And I though it was cool at first. Then I realized, our eyes do take photos.

They're called memories.

I wrote a poem a year or two ago about a guy...one from more than 8 years ago. It was a poem about release and forgiveness. It was a poem about old dreams encountering new dreams. It was about life, love, and times forgotten. It was about the bright future we both have apart from one another. It was about my prayers and wishes for him. (I will post the poem at the bottom of this blog)

I haven't really thought about him much since I wrote that poem. And thank God. Seriously, I do thank the Lord. I'm so glad that I moved past any thoughts of him and what might have been. But seeing that quote the other day and the little project I'm currently undertaking of putting together a poetry book made my heart a little nostalgic again--not for him (again, thank the Lord) but for times of friendship and ease, of laughter and kindness, of the mystery of first love...

And although I was never in love with this person, I have to admit, I love a whole lot of people. Love is not a feeling so much as it is caring and considering for another person, doing good things for them, and hoping the best for them. We are called by the Lord to love ALL people, and so yes, I love these people in my past--even the guys that ended up not being "the one."

And I cherish the memories--the eye photos. I miss long talks with my friends in college, I miss worshiping together at events, I miss working out with the ladies in Smithville--just being together and striving for a goal as one--and I think about the long days spent writing papers, studying, and working for my dreams...only to find myself in a completely different dream years later than I ever imagined. Just as good, mind you--if not even better.

Because God's plans for me are better than my own. If there is one thing I've discovered to be true in 31 years, apart from the Truth of Who He is, it is that.

And so, I find myself very thankful today. For the eye photos of the past and for the ones I'll make in the future. For the people, the events, and cares of yesterday...and the people, events, and cares of tomorrow. I am thankful for today. And for the memories I've made.

Here's to making more eye photos...wanna join me?

"Mirrored Memory"

A memory, a sigh, a heartfelt wish
Imprinted on the mirror of my heart
Beautiful in all its imperfections
Like you and like me--and what we once were
Who knows why I refused to find my way
Free of images of you reflecting
Right next to me like someday you'd be there
When it should have been clear you never were
And the warbled antique dreams fade away
Replaced by this era of clarity
Renewed and fresh, you're forgiven and loved
And so am I, alone just like you are
Because despite good and right intentions
I expected you to be genuine
And you? You expected me to be her
Instead of reflecting all that I am
True and beautiful, right in my own eyes
And His too, I think--the one opinion
I care for, yours weighing so much far less
Than His as to be nothing to me now
Even so, I find I don't miss seeing
Wishing, sighing, hoping for memories
Of you except to laugh or smile or shrug
And to say hello instead of goodbye
Free and content to bless, to wish you well
On your way, wherever life and God lead
And hope for your sake that someone might teach
You to see in color rather than stay
Black and white, forever in memory

"Spring Season"

It's spring. And new life refreshed by rain is in the fragrance of the air we breathe. The spice of growing saplings, the faint scent of wild life, and the musty aroma of moistened earth create an aesthetic that is completed by visions of verdant green grass, a bubbling creek, chasing squirrels, romping calves, and birds flying overhead in newfound freedom.

Spring is beautiful for the redemptive story it tells. Everything that was dead or dormant has come to life again.

But without winter, would we even see spring? Or would it pass by us taken completely for granted? 

Without the years of wilderness, would we even find our promised land? It's a process of sanctification, these seasons of life. We should never forsake his lessons, his truth, and his joys today. 

Abundant life is now. Each season has its own blessing. Whether you're a child wanting to grow up, a teenager figuring yourself out, a single person wishing to be married, a married person fighting with their spouse, parents of young kids just getting through the days, parents of young adults stuck in teenage years, older adults wondering what to do now that their kids are grown...

...wherever you are there is truth and beauty, lessons in faith and hope for tomorrow...

But until we learn, with willing spirits, what God is teaching us in this season, I don't believe we'll move on. So, I don't know about you but I've had an extra long wilderness. And God has taught me so many invaluable things that I am not even the same person. 

I can feel it coming. Spring is in the air. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss it. 

So, I'll listen and learn, love and lean on Him, living in this season until he says it's time for new life to bud. 

His process of sanctification began the day I believed and will never stop until the day I am in His presence. So I will celebrate this season and all it has to offer, knowing that when spring finally arrives, I'll be ready for all its promises to come true.