Hope in Who We Are

Welcome to Unseen today. This may be a post that someone needs to read because there have been numerous technical difficulties this morning. Today's post is about worth. It is popular to talk about self worth, but living unseen can erode our sense of self worth. Read on for a solution.

Hope in Who we Are

Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished onto us, that we should be called the children of God. That is what we are.1 John 3:1

There is an old folk tale about a man named Johnny Lingo. He was a very respected man on a Polynesian island. When the time came for Johnny Lingo to marry, he surprised the villagers by choosing to marry a plain looking girl. He surprised them even more by offering much more for her dowry than anyone expected. The traditional dowry was one cow, and two for a really valuable woman. Johnny Lingo paid 8 cows. Then he and his bride went away for several months. When they returned, the islanders were amazed at the girl’s grace and presence, and a smile that transformed her plain face. Because of Johnny Lingo’s love, she had become an 8 cow wife. They asked Johnny Lingo about the change. He replied that he had loved her since they were children and that he loved who she was, not how she looked.

Think about what Jesus paid for us. Much more than 8 cows, He left the glory of heaven and came to earth. He lived separated from the presence of God for 33 years. Then He paid for us with his life. Why? Because God has loved us with an everlasting love. (Jer 33:3) Not only that , he loved us before we ever knew. Romans says that God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

We need to allow God’s love for us and his belief in who we are to transform us. The enemy will tell us we are worth maybe a chicken or a sheep, but God says otherwise.

He says that we are worth Heaven’s best. Let’s let his love change us into the People he sees in us.

Consider the birds

Welcom back to Unseen. Hope your new year is off to a good start.  If you're like me, a new year often brings new anxieties.  This year it had to do with restoration and how to make that go faster, work and writing projects, including how to market my book (Help me Find the Stairs) and how to start my next publication project (Grace Notes). Sorry. That was a shameless plug. Anxiety can eat us up. Jesus invites us to consider the birds of the air. Here are some of the lessons I have learned as it have done just that.

Consider the Birds

Consider the birds of the air. They do not toil or spin or gather into barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Luke 12:24 

I do a lot of driving with my job, sometimes through bleak West Texas landscape. Sometimes I wonder if I have passed the same cactus more than once. To keep my mind occupied I often watch the birds. Here are some things that I have learned from watching them.

            Each bird’s body and beak is uniquely suited to its individual needs. From the hummingbirds amazingly fast wings to the design of the pelican’s beak and the woodpecker, God has designed each bird specifically to do the task it was created in the environment in which it exists. Birds instinctively understand this and do not try to do tasks they are not designed for. No oriole envies a pelican and flies to the ocean to catch fish. They are content with what God has given them.  We too have been uniquely designed by God to do His work. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do His good work, which He prepared for us beforehand.”  Too often, though, we envy those in public ministry or those who seem to have easier lives. Like the birds we need to be content with where God has put us in ministry and the blessing He has given us.

            One of the most fascinating things I see with birds is the way they fly in formation. Aeronautics researchers learned that the V-formation that geese and other birds use is incredibly efficient. Flying together, they can fly faster and longer than they ever could alone. The draft takes the pressure off the individual geese to make it easier to fly. Also, after flying in the front for a while, the lead birds peel off and go to the back of the pack. They take advantage of the draft and recover their strength.  What a lot we need to learn from this. Ephesians 6:2 says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” By “flying together” we can take strength from each other. And when we are spiritually exhausted we can retreat and let others take the load. Instead, many times we tend to isolate ourselves in trouble and not accept help from those who love us. We put on a happy face and say we are just fine. We need to stay in fellowship and give and receive support.

            Finally, like we saw in Matthew, birds are not anxious. They don’t sit in their nests wondering what they are going to eat that day. One of my many hats at the nursing home was to go with one of the residents to fill up the bird feeders. We would start at the bird feeders close to the front door and go all the way around the buildings. Apparently the birds had a pretty good communication system. By the time we got to the third or fourth feeder, they were perched on the roof or in the trees waiting for us. One bold little fellow would sit on the bird feeder and chatter at us.

            Is that the way we are? Do we wait expectantly to see how God is going to meet our needs?  If you do, you are doing better than I am. My car is down today, which gives me time to write but also causes me angst. What is wrong with it? How much is it going to cost? How long is it going to take? What if I have to miss a day of work? What if we can’t get to the preliminary meeting for high school classes? Then if I am not careful it will snowball on me and I am worried about summer and graduation next year and what will happen if ...  I actually caught myself worrying what my eyesight was going to be when I am 80 if it is this bad now. Yep, I need to take a lesson from the birds

            God has gifted us with His creation. It is ours to enjoy and it is ours to learn from. 

Take a few moments today to go outside and look up at the birds. Remember that they are uniquely equipped to survive, they draw strength from each other and they wait patiently and expectantly for what God will do. Then strive to be like them.