Archive for the ‘God’ Category

Lessons from Hot Chocolate

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

girlwithtea

The other morning I went to make hot chocolate. Not the homemade kind. I gave up on that a few years ago when I accidentally confused condensed milk and evaporated milk and wound up with a concoction that tasted like burnt chalk. On my recent attempt, I used instant hot chocolate from a box.

In times past I’ve frowned on the from-a-box variety because it tastes too watered down and not chocolaty enough. Turns out, my mugs are on the large side and I should have measured the amount of water I used per packet of hot chocolate mix. Since I usually just eyeballed it I typically ended up with brown water.

This time I measured and the result were perfect: warm, foamy chocolaty goodness. The water-to-powder ratio was everything. That got me thinking about some other ratios I encounter, namely my God-to-life ratio.

Have you ever hurried your way through life only stopping here and there to offer up a one sentence prayer or spend a quick five minutes aimlessly paging your way through your Bible hoping to “hear from the Lord”?

If your life is anything like mine you are just plain busy, always cramming 15 things into a slot on your schedule that was really only made to hold five. Because of that you tend to skip or rush your quiet times, and squeeze God in whenever you can find five extra minutes—which is, like, almost never.

Then you wake up one morning realizing that your life is a mess—just like the brown water I’ve made on previous attempts at hot chocolate. Somewhere along the line you stopped measuring. Your life-to-God ratio is off. Without even thinking about it, your days have been crammed full of too much life and not enough God.

And when things go wrong, like they most certainly will, and freshly manicured nails break, rent checks bounce, boyfriends end relationships and friends begin ignoring you and not returning your calls you find yourself wanting to throw your hands up in the air and scream, What is going on here?

It’s in moments like this that I can picture God peeling back the floor of heaven and looking down on His irate and inconvenienced child and saying, “It’s about time you showed up. I’ve been sitting here waiting for days.”

With the holidays quickly approaching it seems like the pressure to get things done has tripled in my life. I’m sure your life is similar. There’s always more to do—finals, papers, projects. And more fun to be had—parties, family gatherings, and holiday traditions. And the temptation is stronger than ever to leave your Bible unopened and your prayers unsaid.

Before you do that, think of your life-to-God ratio. It’s the times when life is at its busiest that you need to spend the most time with God. Otherwise, you’ll soon find yourself with nothing but a lukewarm mug full of brown water.

Nobody wants to drink that.

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.”

–Psalm 119:47

Faith It Until You Feel It

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Enjoying the sun

“Faith it until you feel it.”

Now, before you quickly shut your browser or click away from my blog because you think I’m selling a useless brand of Christian fluff let me explain why that statement by my pastor is actually full of sound biblical advice.

He used that statement in the context of worship. He was preaching out of Psalm 100 and he was exploring the exorbitant display of worship that the psalmist was calling all of us to.

I don’t know about you, but things like shouting for joy, possessing gladness, singing joyful songs and offering prayers of thanksgiving can be difficult for me when life gets hard, my way grows dark and God doesn’t do what I want Him too. It’s much easier to shuffle into church, put my head down and mumble my way through the songs.

Or, if my heart has been really sliced and diced recently I might not even sing at all. During some seasons it’s all I can do to get to church and sitting in broken silence is the best I can offer.

That’s not the correct response to being in the presence of the one true God. When we examine who God really is (the creator of the universe) and what He has done for us (forgiven us of our sins even though we keep sinning, and provided salvation to us) the correct response is a hands raised, voices elevated worship fest.

But we are a fickle people and when we don’t feel like worshipping excessively we don’t. We reserve those moments of overflowing adoration for times when our senses are heightened and our emotions are overwhelmed.

Psalm 100 isn’t a suggestion for how to worship on our best days. It’s a command to worship God fully every day. That’s where the aforementioned controversial statement comes in.

Faith it until you feel it.

That means you worship the Lord for who the Bible says He is even when your circumstances cloud your perspective and He doesn’t seem like He’s coming through for you. When healing is withheld from a loved one, you can worship Him as the healer even though you don’t feel like He is.

If money is tight and you are worried about paying your next bill you can still praise Him for being your provider because that’s what the Bible says He is. You can raise your hands to God Almighty even when you are facing the biggest defeat of your life because that’s the name the Bible gives Him.

Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith not by grace through feelings. So when you are broken and your life is hard you may need to apply the “faith it until you feel it” mentality to your worship. Praise God for who He is and not just who you perceive Him to be in that moment.

Your tragedy, your trial, will not last forever. One day there will be a breakthrough. Then you will feel joy again. Worshiping with hands raised and your voice lifted up will come naturally. But until then, worship God lavishly through faith.

Not because you feel like it. But because it’s what He deserves.

Lessons from a Smudged Pedicure

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

SpaOn Friday I treated myself to a pedicure. It had been a long, busy and productive week and I wanted to relax my way into the weekend.

I climbed up on the spa chair with one of the best novels I’ve read this year and exhaled slowly. If I had it my way I was going to thoroughly enjoy the next hour. And I did.

Jennifer, the lady working on my toes, is an artist. My feet were their very own fall wonderland when she was through. I was welcoming in November with a rich gold accented by purple rhinestones. Four other women who worked in the salon walked over and admired my feet before I left.

They jabbered on in a language I didn’t understand and kept smiling and saying things to me like, “Very pretty.” “So nice.” Although it felt funny to have people admiring my feet, I had to admit the results made me want to wear sandals even in the cold weather. Careful not to mess them up, I shuffled out of the nail salon in flip flops and went on my way.  

Three hours later my feet were freezing. I was in my kitchen making a pumpkin pie cake and the cold stone floor was making my bare toes numb. So, I quickly stepped into my new slippers to make them nice and toasty, thinking nothing of it.

About an hour later when Michael and I were lounging on the couch enjoying the cake, I kicked my slippers off and discovered my toes were now smudged. Not all of them, just the two big ones. You know. The ones people actually see.

My heart flip-flopped in disappointment. Not even 24 hours into my new toes they were ruined. Major bummer. I hadn’t even showed them off yet. You would think three hours is more than enough time for toenail polish to dry. Apparently it wasn’t.  

As I sat on the couch lamenting the works of art that my feet used to be, I began to think about timing. God’s timing. Sometimes I think He’s had more than enough time to work on my circumstances and in my life. Yet He hasn’t moved, and I’m tempted to rush in and take matters into my own hands.

Thinking I can’t possibly mess things up, I tend to make a disaster out of something that would have become beautiful if I would have kept my hands off and let God work.

Trying to rush God so I can have my way, find relief from pain, or skip over a difficult lesson, always results in a mess. Like a smudged pedicure, the results aren’t pretty and I don’t want to show off what I’ve done. In fact, when this happens sometimes I even want to hide from Him in shame and embarrassment. After all, He’s the only One who actually knows what might have been.   

Whenever we try and rush God we are taking something that could turn into a real work of art and thwarting its beauty. Are you trying to rush God in an area of your life? Is there something you are trying to hurry through?

If so, do yourself a favor. Don’t smudge your toenails. There is a better option.

Isaiah 40:31 says:

         Yet those who wait for the LORD
         Will gain new strength;
         They will mount up with wings like eagles,
         They will run and not get tired,
         They will walk and not become weary.

Instead of rushing, wait for the LORD to do His work in your life. If you do, He promises all the strength you will need to make it through. Otherwise you’re on your own and that’s a scary place to be.

Memorizing the Curves

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

curvyroad

Last weekend I was driving to my parent’s house. In order to get there I have to take a windy road that cuts through the mountains in the Cleveland National Forest. Over the years I’ve made the trek so many times that I’ve memorized the curves in the road. Although I can’t see what awaits me on the other side of each turn I’m able to visualize the road in my mind.

Although weather, construction and other cars can provide some sense of variation on my journey, knowing the curves keeps me pretty well equipped for my drive.

If only the curves of life could be memorized.

Imagine being able to navigate through the trials and disappointments of life knowing what awaited you on the other side. Setbacks would mere delays instead of life altering events. Disappointed expectations would be gentle redirections. Peace would reign and panic would be banished from our lives.

But we can’t memorize the curves of life. Cancer still ravishes bodies. Dads continue to walk out on families. Friends betray friends. Sometimes, no matter how prepared we are, life takes us by surprise. Every drive down the road of life isn’t the same. We don’t always arrive at our destinations unscathed.  

Yet there is another option that is even better than memorizing the curves, but we tend to overlook it. While we cannot predict the outcome of our circumstances we can learn to rely on the faithfulness of God. We can trust Him in the unknown. We can put our full weight on His reliability in the midst of the confusing and devastating things of life.

When life floods us with problems we can’t solve, heartache we can’t fix and circumstances that are less than ideal we can rest assured in one thing:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8:28

What are the first three words of that verse? And we know…We what? We know. What do we know? That in all things God is working for the good of those who love Him.

Now, God’s perspective of good and our idea of it can be two totally different things. Remember, God can see what lies beyond the next curve and you can’t. What you see as good might be outshined by something that God can see is better. So, He may withhold something from you that looks like it would be just what you need because in His wisdom and sovereignty He knows that really it would do you harm.

So, instead of lamenting the fact that you can’t memorize the curves in life, spend your time memorizing the character traits of the One who can see further down the road than you can.

Lessons from a Grumpy Man

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Grumpy

I smiled. He didn’t smile back. So I quickly looked at the ground and kept walking. It was a glorious Sunday afternoon and I certainly didn’t want to catch his wrath. If he didn’t want to be polite, I wouldn’t try to make him.  

Lately, I’ve noticed a very grumpy man at church. I would estimate he’s somewhere in his late fifties. He helps out and seems to have his hand in everything the church is doing, but I’ve heard him yell at other volunteers and almost growl at churchgoers that stop to ask simple questions.

A few weeks ago I even caught myself silently praying that God would grab him by the scruff of his neck and tell him to get it together. The woman he yelled at was embarrassed and nearly in tears.

During worship grumpy man happened to sit a few rows in front of me. I noticed his hands were raised to the heavens and he was singing his heart out. This was after he yelled at the poor woman at the information table. What a hypocrite, I initially found myself thinking. Worshiping God and yelling at His people.

This past Sunday things were different though. Don’t get me wrong, grumpy man was still grumpy as he scowled at a man who asked if there was more cream for the coffee and donut table. But the way I viewed him changed.

Instead of seeing his grumpy, snarled face, I tried to look past his actions and see the pain that might be causing him to behave like this. There was no wedding band on his finger. Did his wife leave him? Did she pass away? Had he spent his entire life single? My guess is that somewhere along the line something happened to make grumpy man grumpy.

I tried to view grumpy man through God Goggles—I tried to see Him the way God does. I can’t really call grumpy man a hypocrite without calling myself one too. I also have bad days. Sometimes I yell at innocent people, or I think too highly of myself. But I’m not sure that God would call either of us hypocrites.

Instead, I think He might see us as works in progress. God doesn’t just see the way we act, He sees the wounds festering beneath the surface of our lives that sometimes cause us to act out of our pain instead of out of healing. Although He never condones our sin, He does offer to clean us up if we are willing.

If there was ever a person who blew it in Scripture Peter was it. A disciple of Christ, Peter always seemed to let Jesus down. First, Peter fell asleep when Jesus asked Him to pray for Him in His darkest hour. Then, Peter denied that he even knew Christ not once but three times. If that wasn’t enough, when Jesus wanted to restore Peter, Peter began asking why John might be given a better ministry.

Peter was a man of faltering faith. One minute he was walking on water, the next he was sinking. One day he was following Jesus claiming he would die for Him, the next he went back to fishing because Jesus was dead and all hope was lost. Most would call him a failure.

But there was one thing Peter wasn’t—a hypocrite. Sure, Jesus called Peter out on his little faith. But He never accused him of being inauthentic. Instead, Jesus reserved those words for a select few. Jesus saved those words for the religious elite. The Pharisees. In Matthew 6:5 He points out that they always tried to look like they had it all together. They thrived on the appearance of looking like they were close to God when their hearts were really far from Him.

Jesus had room in His life for people who were fumbling their way through life blowing it on more than one occasion. The people He had no tolerance for were the ones who always had their act together.

While I still have concerns about grumpy man being in such an upfront role in my church, I’m trying to view Him through God Goggles. When I do, I see a Peter. And if there’s one person I can sure relate to, it’s Peter.

Who knows? Maybe one day grumpy man and I will even be friends. But first, I’ll have to get him to smile.

Air Hockey & How God Views Me

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

airhockeyAbout a year ago I played air hockey with my friend’s two-year-old son. He stood on a chair so he was tall enough to reach the table. The sound of the electronic air fascinated him and he laid his blonde head on the table with his ear down just to hear the hum. But just as much as he was intrigued by the table, he enjoyed the actual game. For a toddler, he was a fierce competitor.

He’d zing the puck toward me and I’d tap it to him trying not to make a goal. Whenever he has an especially nice hit he’d punctuate it with, “Whoa! Dat’s fast!” After about 15 minutes of play I was growing tired, so I decided to let him win. When the puck came sailing down the table and stopped just short of the goal I tapped it in and victoriously shouted, “Yeah! One point for Carter!”

He wasn’t buying it. “Hey!” He yelled in a tone that implied what I’d done wasn’t fair. Thinking he’d let it go if I didn’t address the issue I sent the puck back toward him. With a michevious look on his face he tapped it in the goal and exclaimed, “Yeah! One point for Shannon!”

I was stunned. Quickly I looked around to see if anyone else noticed what just happened. Carter and I were the only ones by the table. So, I smiled at him and kept playing. No more favors. Carter wanted to win on his own.

When I got home that night I began to think about Carter’s cute antics and what they said about me. I’m a person who likes to play fair. Don’t give me a handout. I want to earn the prize myself. Now, that’s not a bad thing when it comes to work ethic. But it could be detramental if it becomes the way I view my relationship with God.

Although I’ve been a Christian for years and know it isn’t true, I feel like God loves me more on days when I’m working harder and doing more for Him. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to prove my maturity, or that I deserve to be counted among the saints who will enter the gates of heaven. If I have more I can point to I feel safe.

During seasons of life where my acts of obedience and service are less obvious, or when God calls me to rest for what’s next, I fell like Carter did when I hit the puck in the goal for him–like I’m not doing enough. Like the prize really isn’t mine.

Although obedience is an integral part of the Christian life, the truth is God loves us even on days when we blow it. Even on our best days heaven isn’t earned by our efforts. As Christians we’ve got to get rid of our tendency to try to earn our own worth or prove our value to God.

Romans 4:5 says, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

Righteousness does not come through works. It comes by grace through faith. Unearned. Even on our bad days. Want proof that God still sees us as righteous on our bad days?

Proverbs 24:16 says, “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…”

Falling. Failing. Blowing it. Whatever you want to call it the righteous man is doing it yet God still counts him as righteous. How is that possible? Our righteous standing is not determined by what we do. It’s determined by what Christ has already done.

So, do yourself a favor. Stop trying to make life fair. Stop trying to earn your own righteousness. Recognize that the only way you’re getting into heaven is with a free pass. Let your obedience be an outpouring of love and not a process of trying to earn your own way.

At the air hockey table of life, today is a day in which we can all exclaim, “Yeah! One point for me!” Even if we didn’t bring our best game.

Lessons from a Slow Boiling Cup of Tea

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

girlwithtea

I was cold. It was early and I knew that a cup of tea would be just the thing to warm me up. So I put the kettle on and stood there waiting for the water to boil.

I waited and waited. It seemed to be taking so long that I examined the clock to see if something was wrong with it. The minutes were ticking away but my water wasn’t boiling. Finally, in exasperation, I ventured back upstairs to get my slippers. That’s when I heard it. My kettle was whistling. The water was finally ready.

As I sipped my tea I began to think about a circumstance in my life that I was waiting to see change. For over a year I had been expectantly waiting on God to move in this area and He hadn’t. And with each passing week I was becoming more and more agitated.

Just as I was staring at the tea kettle waiting for the water to boil, I had been staring at my circumstance waiting for it to change. It quickly became an all consuming passion. I lived and breathed to see the outcome I wanted. Certainly, this change would glorify God. So what was He waiting for? Why would He deny me of something that would bring Him much glory?

Through his current sermon series my pastor was able to walk me through some truths I desperately needed to be reminded of:

  •  •Everything God does is for His glory
  • • I know God works all things together for my good

As I began to process these truths I began to realize that if everything God did was for His glory then when He looked at my circumstance and my future He saw that greater glory could come from either a delay in what I was asking or through an entirely different plan altogether. Knowing that helped me see this delay of action in a different light.

Recognizing that God ultimately has my best interest at heart (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11) also helped me reevaluate my circumstance too. Getting what I wanted now (and maybe even ever—that part still remains to be seen) obviously isn’t good for me, or God would have moved in and taken action by now. So, really His failure to act is His way of protecting me from danger, going down the wrong path or settling for second best.

He can see my calendar six months from now. I can’t. He can see my calendar six years from now. I can’t. Because God has the ability to see into the future and recognize the struggles, triumphs, dangers and victories that await me He knows exactly what to schedule into my life and when.

That’s a hard truth for a control freak like me. It’s not easy to come to terms with the fact that staring at the tea kettle isn’t going to make it boil any faster. Water boils at its own speed. God moves on His own clock.

So on a day like today when there are many things I don’t understand about God and the mystery of His ways, I’m going to choose to rely on the things I do know: God loves me and His plans for me are good.

And now I’m going to make another cup of tea—at whatever speed the water chooses to boil.

Compassion in a Time of Need

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

African sportImagine if you lost everything you had over night. Intense rains came pouring down washing away every possession you owned, taking your dreams—and maybe even some of your loved ones—with it.

About a month ago that became a reality for many of the people in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Issouf, my sponsor child I told you about on Monday, and his family live there. Although I’m not sure about the status of their frail home, I do know that 150,000 people who lived in extreme poverty to begin with have now lost everything they own.

Fifty-six Compassion centers have been affected. The damage is currently being assessed and Compassion is working hard to meet the needs of those impacted by the floods.

Perhaps your heart was stirred as you read my posts this week about Issouf and Robert, but you aren’t in a position where you feel you can take on the monthly commitment of sponsoring a child or a Leadership Development student.

This is your chance to help. Compassion is now accepting one-time gifts to help meet the needs of those who have been affected by this severe flooding. A single gift of $30 will help one family receive food, emergency supplies and clean water for two weeks.

Moments like this are opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people who need it most. In Matthew 10:42 Jesus says that those who give even a cup of cold water in His name will rewarded in heaven.

Will you consider giving what you can—even if it’s not a full $30—to help the people of Burkina Faso overcome this devastation? Issouf and many others like him will be grateful for your generosity. Please also join me in praying for the protection and provision of the people in Burkina Faso.

If you have given to Compassion in any way this week as a result of reading this blog series I would love to hear about it—and I would love to send you a thank you gift. Please email me and let me know how God moved in your heart and how you stepped out in faith as a result. Thank you on behalf of the world’s poorest children for your generosity. Your reward in heaven will be great.

Compassionate Leadership

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

young african man

When our most recent photo of Robert came in the mail something about him looked different. He was a college student in his early twenties so I surmised it probably wasn’t that he had grown a foot between the two photos like Issouf, who is only ten.

“Does Robert look different to you?” I turned to my husband and handed him the photo.

“Yes,” he answered with certainty. But he couldn’t put his finger on it either. Suddenly the reality struck me and I ran to our refrigerator to compare his last photo to the one I was holding in my hands. It confirmed my suspicions.

“Michael,” I said with a wobbly voice. “The difference is that in the new picture Robert is actually smiling.”

Someone like Robert, who has grown up in a slum and gone to bed hungry on more nights than he can count, doesn’t have much to smile about. Friends, relatives and neighbors waste away to nothing in front of his eyes and he wonders if he will be next. It’s hard to dream about the future when you’re wondering where your next meal is going to come from.

In 2006 Michael and I began sponsoring Robert through Compassion’s Leadership Development Program. He is now a student at Kenyatta University studying sociology. In his letters Robert shares his dreams to change the world. He has an interest in politics and hopes to gain a position of influence so he can shape his nation and share Christ with many.

Robert’s faith is rock solid. And he constantly writes to us about prayer meetings and Bible studies he takes part in. Several months ago Michael and I sent Robert an outline of how to read the Bible in one year.

He excitedly wrote back to us saying that he had never read the entire Bible before. But he started using the reading plan and recently read books in the Bible that he had never opened. One of the books he read was Esther.

“Reading this book has taught me that God can place you in a certain position so that you can become a savior of a certain situation,” he wrote, “just as He raised Esther to be queen to save Mordecai and all the Jews from the hands of Haman.”

As a result of reading the book of Esther, Robert felt led to start a Christian club on campus at his university. He has assembled a team to help him, and the club will launch next month.

Robert has gained a position of influence on his campus, and other students will be shown their need for a saving relationship with Christ because of Robert’s boldness.

Once he completes his degree he will also be able to make the kind of income that will allow him to lift his entire family out of poverty. The slum where he grew up will be a distant memory. Someday Robert will likely get married and have children of his own, and to them poverty will be just a word and not a reality.

Sponsoring a leadership development student costs $300 a month, which isn’t a small amount. But if an entire youth group—or college group—joined together, I’m sure that $300 would be raised quicker than you might think.

Most American college students think they’re starving because they have to scrounge for change to make a Taco Bell run—I lived with that belief for four years. I know that the cost of going to college in America is steep, and it can be hard for college students to come up with extra cash.

Right now my husband, Michael, is a student at Biola University, and we have to write out a check each month to cover tuition. But we’ve been faithful to write out a check each month to pay Robert’s tuition too. And God has faithfully provided for us to make both payments every month. He will provide for you if you’re willing to take a step like that too.

Will you approach your youth group or college group this week and ask them to join you in investing in a leader who can make a difference for God’s kingdom and break the cycle of poverty in his or her family?

Having Compassion

Monday, September 28th, 2009

African children

A few weeks ago I was having a rough day. I felt like nothing I was doing was making a difference. I was discouraged. By the time my husband came home from work I was nearly in tears.

He walked in the door holding a green sheet of paper and when he saw me he began reading aloud. Within seconds I knew what he was doing—he was reading a letter from Issouf, one of our sponsor children through Compassion International.

 Issouf wrote to us with excitement—he wanted us to know our prayers had been heard and he passed his primary school exams. Once the summer in Burkina Faso was over, he would be moving on to secondary school. That might not be big news to a child in America, but for Issouf it meant everything. Because school fees are extremely high in most impoverished nations, many children are not able to go to school.

Several years ago Issouf lost his father to AIDS, and he and his younger brother are raised by their mother and grandmother who are only sometimes employed. School is a luxury Issouf is able to take advantage of through Compassion’s child sponsorship program. He regularly writes to us to tell us about his grades and how hard he is working because he knows he is only in school because he has a Compassion sponsor.

I was so proud of him as Michael read me the letter. Then I noticed that something was stapled to the back. It was a photo of Issouf and his mother with some large bags of corn and rice and a few cooking utensils.

In his letter, Issouf went on to thank us for the recent monetary gift we sent. What he wrote next put me in tears:

 “This gift will help us overcome this rainy season hunger.”

Hunger. When I was hungry this afternoon I drove to Subway. But on the other side of the world, when a child goes hungry, he or she goes to bed like that. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way.

Children like Issouf and their families are going to bed full and satisfied because of people just like you. A simple gift of $38 a month is enough to provide food, clothing, medication and education to a child in need. That’s less than $1.25 a day.

For some people that’s one less trip to Starbucks a week. To others, it’s one less meal out. If you’re a teenage girl it might mean taking the money from one babysitting job a month and sending it to the other side of the world. Or it might mean getting three of your friends together so the four of you can contribute $10 each a month to collectively change the life of a little boy or a little girl.

Michael and I began sponsoring Issouf and a college student named Robert (who I will tell you about on Wednesday) in 2006 and the relationships we have built with them through our letters are priceless. The way I see it, I have two African brothers. I hope to meet them in person one day. But even if I don’t, I know that my life is making a difference in theirs each month.

Will you join me in my quest to make a difference in the lives of impoverished children by sponsoring a child through Compassion today?