ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
This new season of life for all of us has brought an array of emotions. Some of us have been anxious with the unknowns of how long this quarantine will last. Some are frustrated at losing their senior year of high school or college. Some don’t know how to manage working from home and doing all the other tasks that include caring for an elderly loved one or teaching their children. There are job losses. Friends and family getting sick. This list is not exhaustive, but there is so much going on in our world right now.
She was skipping along, smiling, and searching for the moon. Before I could remind her to watch her step, her feet lost their place and the sidewalk reached up and ripped the skin from her knees. She howled. Using the sleeve of my hoodie, I wiped the blood from the legs of my tender-hearted three-year-old and held her tight.
Love Prays. The words embossed on a T-shirt and purchased as a fundraiser for a dying young girl whose life I had only followed through an online blog, have had far-reaching effects. The vibrant life of the small child for which these words were penned may be gone, but the message of her life and those who loved her will live forever.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.”
These words from Psalm 23 seem so soothing and comforting – and easy - at first look. But what I’ve been learning recently is that those verbs – MAKES – LEADS – RESTORES – these are action verbs. God is doing something here.
Like many of you, I collected random paraphernalia during my elementary years. Child development experts tell us that this ‘gathering and sorting’ stage is a healthy indicator of our active imaginations and natural bent toward classifying objects. My two oldest are currently in this phase and the organizer in me wants to chuck all of their [perceived] rubbish out the window.
Matthew 22:36-40 tells us: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The young man walked into the political science class and handed the moderator her copy of his report. When she went to shake his hand, he snubbed her. When he turned to face the class, she tore up his report. How childish these middle schoolers were behaving! Had their parents taught them nothing about proper behavior? As leaders in their class, they should have set a better example! Their behavior was so disappointing and so immature!
Oh wait! Those weren’t middle schoolers!
In 2003, as my youngest was off to college and I was heading into the empty nest stage of life, I was presented with the opportunity to go on a missionary trip to Jamaica. Upon my return, I was left with lots of questions. What did we really accomplish? What difference did we make? Was the impact of our work just a temporary fix, or would there be a longer lasting impact?
She sits on a thin, dirty mattress in her room, if you can even call it that. It’s more like a dark, damp, hopeless cell. The ragged blanket wrapped around her does little to protect her from the chill. She no longer notices the overwhelming stench of unwashed bodies permeating the space. The door is locked from the outside, holding her prisoner to the nightmare she is currently living. Walled in.
When I dream about becoming the woman God has created me to be, it’s often associated with a long list of items that I have to do. How I can muster enough strength to stop worrying, focus on the positive, stop spending excess money, be more patient. I make these mental lists in my mind and when I don’t achieve them, I get upset with myself, causing a cycle of guilt. I want to live out this dream to be the best wife, mom, daughter, sister, co-worker, but it is honestly futile if I am doing it on my own strength.
When I say “12 days of Christmas,” my guess is most of you think of a song. If I ask if you know what Epiphany is, would you connect the two? Now, many of you have probably heard the word epiphany used to describe that peak “aha!” moment when a character in a book or play, for example, has a sudden realization that brings all the pieces of the story together to make sense. You may have even used this word yourself when something has clicked into place for you in your mind (I’ve just had an epiphany!).
The season of Advent seems like the perfect time to remind us all of this important truth: appearances are limited in their ability to tell the whole story.
First century Palestine was a tangled web of political bullying and economic power mongering. The military of Rome and the religion of the Pharisees reigned with iron fists that opened only to snatch more money from the overtaxed Jews. The gods of power and wealth and position were worshipped by a corrupt government that demanded total allegiance from the oppressed.
I recently had a job performance evaluation. Categories were “Exceeds Expectations,” “Meets Expectations” and “Below Expectations.” These boxes are pretty black and white. Easily defined. And our expectations tend to be that way. Without even realizing it, we rate others, ourselves, our experiences and even God by these standards. Before I left for South Asia to do mission work…
