Taking a thoughtful walk through a broad meadow, a young girl pauses to take in the world around her. As she drinks deeply of it all, a lone wildflower left over from the great burst of spring catches her eye. She wonders at its beauty, its tenacity. Approaching it, she stoops lower to marvel at the wildflower blushing purple. Its lovely face upturned toward heaven, expectant to receive the good gifts it receives every day... the dew, the sun, the breeze, the busy bees. Her thoughts turn to her own life, comparing herself to that one flower.
"God takes care of this flower, will He not much more care for me?"
"Interesting," she thinks, "how this little flower reflects faith and hope. How it has endured to the end of spring, stands alone and still has an upturned face. How beautiful it is, it seems almost grateful. Had I not taken the time to stop and look around me, I might have missed this precious gift. Funny, I had to stoop lower to really see all of this. I wonder if this is the way it works, if stooping lower is the path to gratefulness. Is stooping lower the only way to really see the good gifts? Surely there are gifts I receive everyday just like this flower. Even the gifts this flower receives are gifts that I receive I suppose."
"What is it that scripture says?" She pulls a small bible from her skirt pocket. Turning the pages to Matthew 6 she reads softly to herself, "Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!" (v. 28-30)
Humbled by the thought, she sits next to the flower to turn her own face heavenward and bows her heart in grateful praise.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
And then there was one...
Leprosy was and still is a devastating disease, one that separates you from society. Lepers are outcasts, people fear being near them, they suffer physically and emotionally every day. Imagine losing all of your day to day relationships, even the seemingly insignificant ones like the grocery clerk or bank teller. Imagine seeing fear in the eyes of everyone who sees you, feeling the rejection of people you know and those you don't know, to be unable to touch another human being for the rest of your life. Devastating and hopeless.
In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus encounters 10 lepers along the road to Jerusalem. This story is both extraordinary and sobering. These 10 men called to Jesus from a distance to have pity on them... to see their physical condition and restore them to wholeness.
Christ simply tells them to show themselves to the priest - he is the one man who can declare them cleansed so they can return to normal life. The remarkable sentence here is this one (v. 14), "And as they went, they were cleansed."
AS THEY WENT... they heard a simple command, they simply obeyed and as they obeyed they were cleansed! Absolutely amazing isn't it? That phrase struck me for the first time although I have read this account many times before.
Yet this isn't the most remarkable part... verse 15-16:
"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan."
ONE.... one of them came back. One of them praised God. One of them threw himself at Jesus' feet. One of them thanked Him. ONE. Wow. Sobering.
Ten men followed Jesus' directive but only ONE acknowledged the life altering change that took place. The restoration of life, relationships, wholeness. Each one of those men was given physical life back.... physical life.
But ONE. One returned to Jesus, Who asked where the other nine were. Had this one man been the only one to return with gratitude and praise on his lips? Not only was he one man but he was a Samaritan man - a man despised by the Jews for his split nationality: a Jewish Gentile, unclean to the Jews.
This Samaritan man returned with a heart full of gratitude at the physical miracle his body had experienced and Christ healed him even deeper than that...
"Then He said to him, 'Rise and go; your faith has made you well.' ” (v. 19)
The ONE: he believed, he was grateful, he fell at Jesus' feet, he had faith and it made him well. He was whole again, completely whole, not just physically but spiritually as well. Spiritual life. Extraordinary.
There is the greater miracle... faith.
Hebrews 11: 1-2, 6 tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.... And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Do I live my faith? Do I live a life of gratitude? Do I return to the feet of Jesus in humble, wholehearted worship and thankfulness when He heals? When He provides? When He restores?
In what ways am I like the nine lepers who took the good from Christ and never thought to say thank you? Who only thought of themselves?
In what areas do I need to repent because I have not acknowledged God's grace and mercy in my life?
How can I make gratitude an active practice of my living faith in Christ? Every single day?
Lord, enable me to be like the one who returned before he saw the priest to praise You with boldness, to fall at Your feet, to thank You... in ALL things, every moment of every day.
In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus encounters 10 lepers along the road to Jerusalem. This story is both extraordinary and sobering. These 10 men called to Jesus from a distance to have pity on them... to see their physical condition and restore them to wholeness.
Christ simply tells them to show themselves to the priest - he is the one man who can declare them cleansed so they can return to normal life. The remarkable sentence here is this one (v. 14), "And as they went, they were cleansed."
AS THEY WENT... they heard a simple command, they simply obeyed and as they obeyed they were cleansed! Absolutely amazing isn't it? That phrase struck me for the first time although I have read this account many times before.
Yet this isn't the most remarkable part... verse 15-16:
"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan."
ONE.... one of them came back. One of them praised God. One of them threw himself at Jesus' feet. One of them thanked Him. ONE. Wow. Sobering.
Ten men followed Jesus' directive but only ONE acknowledged the life altering change that took place. The restoration of life, relationships, wholeness. Each one of those men was given physical life back.... physical life.
But ONE. One returned to Jesus, Who asked where the other nine were. Had this one man been the only one to return with gratitude and praise on his lips? Not only was he one man but he was a Samaritan man - a man despised by the Jews for his split nationality: a Jewish Gentile, unclean to the Jews.
This Samaritan man returned with a heart full of gratitude at the physical miracle his body had experienced and Christ healed him even deeper than that...
"Then He said to him, 'Rise and go; your faith has made you well.' ” (v. 19)
The ONE: he believed, he was grateful, he fell at Jesus' feet, he had faith and it made him well. He was whole again, completely whole, not just physically but spiritually as well. Spiritual life. Extraordinary.
There is the greater miracle... faith.
Hebrews 11: 1-2, 6 tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.... And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Do I live my faith? Do I live a life of gratitude? Do I return to the feet of Jesus in humble, wholehearted worship and thankfulness when He heals? When He provides? When He restores?
In what ways am I like the nine lepers who took the good from Christ and never thought to say thank you? Who only thought of themselves?
In what areas do I need to repent because I have not acknowledged God's grace and mercy in my life?
How can I make gratitude an active practice of my living faith in Christ? Every single day?
Lord, enable me to be like the one who returned before he saw the priest to praise You with boldness, to fall at Your feet, to thank You... in ALL things, every moment of every day.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Got Endurance?
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1: 2-4
There it is, the challenge to consider ALL joy, various trials, testing of faith, the need for endurance. (Note to self...This journey of eucharisteo appears to be uphill- put on your hiking boots and take lots of water!)
Groan... endurance? You mean the act of bearing or suffering; a continuing under pain or distress without resistance, or without being overcome; sufferance; patience? Yes My child
O Lord, without being overcome? Yes My child
I am often overcome, impatient, and resisting Your sovereign hand through various trials. Had you set the bar lower I would have hit the mark at least once in a while.... Let endurance have it's perfect result My child
{Scripture rings so true that we do not think the thoughts that God thinks, we do not operate the way God operates. (Isaiah 55:8-9) }
Endure even when others exclude, accuse, reject, purposefully hurt me? Yes My child
Endure even when the oven breaks, the car dies, the window cracks, the furniture falls apart? Yes My child
Endure when there are interruptions at every turn, distractions, hindrances to progress, setbacks? Yes My child
Endure.... continue under pain or distress without resistance. Yes My child
Wow... do I ever do that? Not on my own.
Oh Lord, You and You only can enable me to endure.
There is one of the greatest graces I can find in this world, add that to my One Thousand Gifts list... not having to endure alone.
I run to Your Word- You are my refuge. (Psalm 5:11; 16:1; 18:2; 18:30; 25:20; 31:19)
I found another grace to add to my list! Firmly in His grip.
Thank You Lord that You are the source of my endurance and the source of my rest. Enable me Lord to count it ALL joy.
Pressing in and pressing on by His grace for another day.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1: 2-4
There it is, the challenge to consider ALL joy, various trials, testing of faith, the need for endurance. (Note to self...This journey of eucharisteo appears to be uphill- put on your hiking boots and take lots of water!)
Groan... endurance? You mean the act of bearing or suffering; a continuing under pain or distress without resistance, or without being overcome; sufferance; patience? Yes My child
O Lord, without being overcome? Yes My child
I am often overcome, impatient, and resisting Your sovereign hand through various trials. Had you set the bar lower I would have hit the mark at least once in a while.... Let endurance have it's perfect result My child
{Scripture rings so true that we do not think the thoughts that God thinks, we do not operate the way God operates. (Isaiah 55:8-9) }
Endure even when others exclude, accuse, reject, purposefully hurt me? Yes My child
Endure even when the oven breaks, the car dies, the window cracks, the furniture falls apart? Yes My child
Endure when there are interruptions at every turn, distractions, hindrances to progress, setbacks? Yes My child
Endure.... continue under pain or distress without resistance. Yes My child
Wow... do I ever do that? Not on my own.
Oh Lord, You and You only can enable me to endure.
There is one of the greatest graces I can find in this world, add that to my One Thousand Gifts list... not having to endure alone.
I run to Your Word- You are my refuge. (Psalm 5:11; 16:1; 18:2; 18:30; 25:20; 31:19)
I found another grace to add to my list! Firmly in His grip.
Thank You Lord that You are the source of my endurance and the source of my rest. Enable me Lord to count it ALL joy.
Pressing in and pressing on by His grace for another day.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Eucharisteo
Eucharisteo - a Greek verb meaning to be grateful, to feel thankful, to give thanks.
I am on a journey this year to practice eucharisteo in everything. In the latter part of 2010 I realized my desperate need to grow in gratefulness - not just in the good (that's the easier part) but in the difficult, frustrating, disappointing and hurtful things. To be sure I am not alone in struggling to be thankful for these seemingly undesireable things.
Yet I wonder, are they "undesireable"? At first glance yes but upon further investigation the undesireables are actually necessary and even good.
Have you ever considered what it would be like to be blind like the men in Matthew 9:27-31? To have the faith to be healed and then to see for the very first time? Can you imagine how overwhelming that experience must have been?
Or how about Saul (in Acts 9) who was on the road to Damascus fully able to see being struck blind for a time? As he obeyed the word of the Lord he received his sight again.
In both of these cases, the blindness was physical and faith was the key to the cure. I can only imagine how these men were forever changed by the power of receiving their sight. Greater than that, they met with Christ. Their healing was greater than physical, it reached into the depths of their souls.
Blindness is not limited to the physical realm, it is a very real malady in the spiritual realm. Blindness ranges from limited vision to completely eliminating vision. It impairs perspective and our ability to interact with the world around us properly.
On the "undesireable" side we are blind and in need of a Savior, a Healer - yet because of that "undesireable" state we are brought to the "good"- the recognition that we need a Savior, a Healer. Without blindness we risk missing the beauty, the gift of seeing. This brings us to the good side, being given sight and healing to our broken, bleeding hearts and souls. So you see that it is really just 2 sides to the same coin, the "undesireable" and the "good" working together to give us more perfect sight.
What undesireable am I facing today?
How can I "see" the good in it, the healing, the grace, the purpose in it?
For what good is God working all of those difficult, frustrating, disappointing and hurtful things in my life? (Romans 8:27-29)
Am I willing to completely trust Him that He is good and the He will be faithful to complete the work which He has begun in me? (Philippians 1:5-7)
Will I yield to His perfect plan for my life and all that the plan might require? Even (or especially) the "undesireables" ?
I agree wholeheartedly with the apostle Paul when he says:
"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14
I am on a journey this year to practice eucharisteo in everything. In the latter part of 2010 I realized my desperate need to grow in gratefulness - not just in the good (that's the easier part) but in the difficult, frustrating, disappointing and hurtful things. To be sure I am not alone in struggling to be thankful for these seemingly undesireable things.
Yet I wonder, are they "undesireable"? At first glance yes but upon further investigation the undesireables are actually necessary and even good.
Have you ever considered what it would be like to be blind like the men in Matthew 9:27-31? To have the faith to be healed and then to see for the very first time? Can you imagine how overwhelming that experience must have been?
Or how about Saul (in Acts 9) who was on the road to Damascus fully able to see being struck blind for a time? As he obeyed the word of the Lord he received his sight again.
In both of these cases, the blindness was physical and faith was the key to the cure. I can only imagine how these men were forever changed by the power of receiving their sight. Greater than that, they met with Christ. Their healing was greater than physical, it reached into the depths of their souls.
Blindness is not limited to the physical realm, it is a very real malady in the spiritual realm. Blindness ranges from limited vision to completely eliminating vision. It impairs perspective and our ability to interact with the world around us properly.
On the "undesireable" side we are blind and in need of a Savior, a Healer - yet because of that "undesireable" state we are brought to the "good"- the recognition that we need a Savior, a Healer. Without blindness we risk missing the beauty, the gift of seeing. This brings us to the good side, being given sight and healing to our broken, bleeding hearts and souls. So you see that it is really just 2 sides to the same coin, the "undesireable" and the "good" working together to give us more perfect sight.
What undesireable am I facing today?
How can I "see" the good in it, the healing, the grace, the purpose in it?
For what good is God working all of those difficult, frustrating, disappointing and hurtful things in my life? (Romans 8:27-29)
Am I willing to completely trust Him that He is good and the He will be faithful to complete the work which He has begun in me? (Philippians 1:5-7)
Will I yield to His perfect plan for my life and all that the plan might require? Even (or especially) the "undesireables" ?
I agree wholeheartedly with the apostle Paul when he says:
"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14
Friday, January 7, 2011
One Thousand Gifts
Gratitude - thankfulness - joy.
I have been challenged to pursue these characteristics by a book I am reading. Currently I am barely at chapter 4 but I am challenged to make a list. Not just any list but a list that will cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. A list that contains those things that bring joy and wonder from day to day, that reflect God and His creative genius, that inspire awe.
The lofty goal? To list one thousand gifts, everyday things that are gifts from God no matter how small or great. Day by day, one at a time, writing in a journal those things no matter how long it takes. No pressure, no limits, just opening my eyes to see all those things that bring joy and acknowledging them by putting them to paper as they capture my attention.
Here are a couple of things that are on my "One Thousand Gifts List":
1. the beauty of snow capped mountains
7. the sound of falling rain
9. my husband's heartbeat as I rest my head on his chest
16. a sky full of fluffy clouds
Would you like to join me? I believe that we may end up surpassing a thousand but let's not worry about that. Let's put one foot in front of the other and see where this journey takes us.
I have been challenged to pursue these characteristics by a book I am reading. Currently I am barely at chapter 4 but I am challenged to make a list. Not just any list but a list that will cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. A list that contains those things that bring joy and wonder from day to day, that reflect God and His creative genius, that inspire awe.
The lofty goal? To list one thousand gifts, everyday things that are gifts from God no matter how small or great. Day by day, one at a time, writing in a journal those things no matter how long it takes. No pressure, no limits, just opening my eyes to see all those things that bring joy and acknowledging them by putting them to paper as they capture my attention.
Here are a couple of things that are on my "One Thousand Gifts List":
1. the beauty of snow capped mountains
7. the sound of falling rain
9. my husband's heartbeat as I rest my head on his chest
16. a sky full of fluffy clouds
Would you like to join me? I believe that we may end up surpassing a thousand but let's not worry about that. Let's put one foot in front of the other and see where this journey takes us.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Years = New Perspectives
It's another new year and everyone is asking... what is your New Year's resolution?
For some it's to lose weight (again), to finish a project (not accomplished since last New Year's), to be smarter, richer, kinder... more generous, philanthropic, successful... change strengths to weaknesses, failures to successes, losses to gains.
Resolutions are hard to nail down, hard to accomplish, hard to even remember at times... they are like that perpetual carrot before the horse; it may be driving us forward but never really satisfying us.
This year I have resolved not to have resolutions... I am determined not to choose that same goal and forget about it by March another year. Not that I have struggled with that ... or anything like it ... or... well you get what I'm saying.
In place of a resolution, I am working on a new perspective (or two or three). Lately a recurring theme has arisen in my life in the midst of a string of challenging set backs and frustrations. You know they say things happen in three's - don't believe them!{Maybe someday I'll list them so we can look back and laugh about it... someday}
Anyway, this string of things crippled me in a soul killing sort of way. As things kept happening, I began to struggle, cry, and crumble. My vision became clouded and dim, day to day my heart grew darker. One week I lashed out - I cried and vented - I surrendered hope and saw nothing but what was unlovely, unhappy, unsatisfying. One long week going where I hadn't been before, where I shouldn't have been. BUT GOD.
But God, in His unfailing mercy and longsuffering and infinite grace, patiently endured my sinful behavior then He began to whisper gracious words into my wicked heart - one small message at a time, each from a different source. Do you know what I am talking about? A quick comment by a Christian DJ on the radio, a line from a "randomly chosen" devotional, a shared thought by a friend who doesn't know where your heart is at, a song that cuts right to the point, a verse you've read a hundred times strikes a bullseye.
As I began to repent of my sin and the scales began to be removed from my sin blinded eyes, the theme that was woven through those messages so skillfully began to emerge clearly... gratefulness, thankfulness. Yes, being grateful no matter what the circumstance. Giving thanks in everything.
Yesterday I read in Job 2:10 these words, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job spoke this AFTER he lost all of his livestock, servants and children. OK, my situation isn't nearly that bad and I had to search my heart with that question... Am I willing to accept good from God and not trouble?
First perspective that I need to renew and live out is trust in God's sovereignty in EVERYTHING.
Second perspective I need to practice and become proficient at is gratitude... true thankfulness in all situations, at all times (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Simply stated: If I can truly live out that first perspective change then the second one will easily follow because they go hand in hand. God is sovereign, I am His child; He's got me, my life, my family, my world firmly in His grip and I am grateful that the God of the universe is at the helm.
You see, God knows exactly what He is doing and how to perfectly work all things together for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28). The God Who spoke the heavens into place (Genesis 1)never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:3). I can trust His sovereignty and I am grateful.
For some it's to lose weight (again), to finish a project (not accomplished since last New Year's), to be smarter, richer, kinder... more generous, philanthropic, successful... change strengths to weaknesses, failures to successes, losses to gains.
Resolutions are hard to nail down, hard to accomplish, hard to even remember at times... they are like that perpetual carrot before the horse; it may be driving us forward but never really satisfying us.
This year I have resolved not to have resolutions... I am determined not to choose that same goal and forget about it by March another year. Not that I have struggled with that ... or anything like it ... or... well you get what I'm saying.
In place of a resolution, I am working on a new perspective (or two or three). Lately a recurring theme has arisen in my life in the midst of a string of challenging set backs and frustrations. You know they say things happen in three's - don't believe them!{Maybe someday I'll list them so we can look back and laugh about it... someday}
Anyway, this string of things crippled me in a soul killing sort of way. As things kept happening, I began to struggle, cry, and crumble. My vision became clouded and dim, day to day my heart grew darker. One week I lashed out - I cried and vented - I surrendered hope and saw nothing but what was unlovely, unhappy, unsatisfying. One long week going where I hadn't been before, where I shouldn't have been. BUT GOD.
But God, in His unfailing mercy and longsuffering and infinite grace, patiently endured my sinful behavior then He began to whisper gracious words into my wicked heart - one small message at a time, each from a different source. Do you know what I am talking about? A quick comment by a Christian DJ on the radio, a line from a "randomly chosen" devotional, a shared thought by a friend who doesn't know where your heart is at, a song that cuts right to the point, a verse you've read a hundred times strikes a bullseye.
As I began to repent of my sin and the scales began to be removed from my sin blinded eyes, the theme that was woven through those messages so skillfully began to emerge clearly... gratefulness, thankfulness. Yes, being grateful no matter what the circumstance. Giving thanks in everything.
Yesterday I read in Job 2:10 these words, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job spoke this AFTER he lost all of his livestock, servants and children. OK, my situation isn't nearly that bad and I had to search my heart with that question... Am I willing to accept good from God and not trouble?
First perspective that I need to renew and live out is trust in God's sovereignty in EVERYTHING.
Second perspective I need to practice and become proficient at is gratitude... true thankfulness in all situations, at all times (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Simply stated: If I can truly live out that first perspective change then the second one will easily follow because they go hand in hand. God is sovereign, I am His child; He's got me, my life, my family, my world firmly in His grip and I am grateful that the God of the universe is at the helm.
You see, God knows exactly what He is doing and how to perfectly work all things together for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28). The God Who spoke the heavens into place (Genesis 1)never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:3). I can trust His sovereignty and I am grateful.
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