In the midst of the storm

Welcome to Unseen today. Summertime means storms, both in the physical world and in our lives. Read on for a lesson about weathering tough times.

In the Midst of the Storm

These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. John 16:32-33

                Monday was a long day. I was making visits for work and MapQuest had failed me more than once. People in rural West Texas give directions like, “Find the Atmos building and go 3 miles till you come to a red fence. The mailbox has cow horns on it. You can’t miss it.” Believe me, I can too miss it! It was a little over an hour’s drive home and I was tired. I had friend riding with me so she could navigate. The clouds started to look a little dark. The further we drove toward home the darker they got, and I noticed the wind picking up. Finally, we reached a spot where there were dark, ominous clouds on one side of the car and bright sunshine on the other. We went around a curve and got a few misty sprinkles, so I turned on the wipers. Within a few seconds it was raining heavily and I listened to the wipers. Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, thunk. I looked out my rain streaked driver’s window to see my wiper dangling off the windshield. I couldn’t reach it to get it back on track, so my friend got out of the car. The wind whipped her hair and clothes as she wrestled the wiper into place. She got back in and we took off, but in just a few moments it was raining too hard to see the road. We pulled off on the shoulder, such as it was. No sooner had we parked than hail peppered the car and wind gusts rocked it back and forth. I would like to tell you that I realized the power and sovereignty of God, but the truth is it scared the willies out of me. When we could hear over the storm we called and texted our families to let them know we were stuck but unharmed.  When we were able to go again we drove slowly for the last ten miles into town. She laughed and asked if I could pry my hands off the steering wheel. I was never so glad to see town in my life.  

                Are you going through a storm in your life? If not you probably have recently or are about to. How do you cope when you’re in the middle of a storm? Some people rage and rant at the unfairness of the storm, but that doesn’t make it go away. Some people are like me and try to isolate so they won’t bother anyone, but that doesn’t help either. Remember the story of the disciples in the storm? The Bible tells us in Matthew 8 that they were on the lake in a boat. I was not happy being in a little car in the rain, wind and hail. I can not imaging being in a boat! They were just like us. Some of them ranted and some tried to hide while shivering in their sandals. Do you remember what Jesus was doing? He was asleep in the boat. “Lord,” they said, “Don’t you care that we are about to drown?” He got up and spoke to the wind and the waves. “Peace. Be still” Immediately the wind stopped and the waves died down. Then he looked at the disciples and says, “Oh you of little faith, Why were you so afraid. .”

 Jesus is with us in the literal and spiritual storms in our lives. Sometimes I may be going through something that seems huge to me, but Jesus is asleep in my boat. This is not because he doesn’t care, but because he is so completely in control. Some of my storms last a lot longer than I want and I am ready for Jesus to hurry up and speak to the waves, but he does it in His time and he is with me in the boat in the meantime. The psalms tell of the privilege of hiding in God and resting in Him. Psalms 46 and 84 in particular encourage us to be still and know the safety of being with God. Isaiah 30:15 says in quietness and trust shall be your strength. When you go through storms try to rest in Jesus. It is harder than it sounds and takes a conscious decision, but it will get you through till you see the end of the journey.

Together

Welcome to Unseen today.  People who live unseen may find it hard to have time together with people who build them up. Read on today for a precious memory and the lessons I learned from it.

Together

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

            My grandmother was a really special person. She had a lot of pain and a lot of frustration from Parkinson’s, but managed to stay positive. She was determined when she wanted something, and told me she was a daredevil when she was a girl. She went to college for the first time when she was forty and I kept her diploma on my dresser while I was back in school for a second degree.  She was encouraging and she was accepting. She was funny and she made you feel special. I spent a lot of time staying at my mom’s parents and it was a lot of fun, but staying with Grandmother was different. I think one way to explain it is that she let me grow up. To Grandma and Grandpa I was “Little Susan” even into my 30’s, but not at Grandmother’s.

            My Granddad had been a telegrapher for the Santa Fe Railroad, and they decided that we should experience the passenger trains before they were gone. They took my oldest cousin by himself, and then took my sister and my other cousin together. After Pa-Pa died she took me by myself. We rode the bus from Amarillo to Albuquerque, New Mexico and then boarded the bus to Raton.  We met the rest of the family at the end. It was a magical day. There were plush red velvet seats that I could hardly get up into, the music of the train on the tracks, and the amusement park fun of trying to walk down the aisles on a motion. One of the most interesting things was the dining car. I remember that it was hot and stuffy, unlike the rest of the train. The tables were set close together and had impossibly white tablecloths and sparkling silverware. This is a treasured memory, and the details of it are so clear more than 30 years later. As much as the trip, though, I loved the time with her. I had hours and hours of not having to compete with my more outgoing siblings for her time and attention. I have no idea if the weather was bad or if the food in that amazing dining car was good. I only remember that for a whole day we were together. She told me stories about things that were important to her, including riding the train from Panhandle to Amarillo every Saturday to go shopping with two little boys in tow. It was so special.

            God’s word says that one of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel or God with us. (Mat 1:23) More important than what he does or what he gives us is his presence. It amazes me that the Lord who made the world is pleased to walk with me and be with me. I don’t have to compete with the powerful people or the charismatic people or the pretty people, or even the thin people. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we are welcomed into his presence and encouraged to come boldly before his throne.(Heb 4:16) We will be with him both here and in eternity. I think the only thing that can be said to that is REJOICE!!

Chosen

Welcome to Unseen today. I hope everyone had a good memorial day and thank you to those of you who served. People who live unseen feel less worthy than others. Read on for a lesson on why it is not true.

Chosen

You did not choose me, but I chose you that you may go and bear fruit and that your fruit may endure. John 15:16

 

When I was growing up, I felt like I had a sign on my forehead that said, ALMOST GOOD ENOUGH BUT NOT QUITE. It was more than not being part of the in crowd.  I grew to hate PE, especially if we picked teams.   I was almost always among the last 3 to be chosen. Academic teams were a completely different story, but the pattern started early of focusing on what I couldn’t do rather than what I could do. As I got older, I tried out for teams and groups, and many times I almost made it. All district choir. All district band. Homecoming Court. There were 9 girls in my ninth grade class and 8 spots on the Homecoming Court. I was the one sitting in the bleachers. It was the same story with cheerleading tryouts. I had a very rational response. I grew to hate cheerleaders. Interviews, when I made it to the top 2 or 3 and didn’t make the final cut, added to the feeling.  None of these experiences by themselves were that bad, but the sum of them left me with deep wounds. I felt like I would always fall short, no matter what I tried. This conflicted with the message that if I tried hard enough I could get anything I wanted and do anything I wanted. I was confused and frustrated.  I coped by trying to never hope so I would not be disappointed. Would you like to guess how well that worked out?

Even growing up knowing God, I was shocked when I found what Jesus said in John 15:16. You did not choose me, but I chose you that you might go and bear fruit and your fruit should endure. This verse began the slow process of setting me free.

Maybe you are like me. Maybe you have wounds from rejection. Maybe you don’t see why anyone would choose you, much less the God who created heaven and earth. It is the truth, though. He assures us over and over that we are His beloved and His chosen. Isaiah 43:1 says that he calls us by name. Imagine being at an event where the governor is speaking. When he announces the team to manage a ne w project, He calls your name. He doesn’t just say, I want the short lady with the short blond hair. He says, “I want Susan on my team. I have work for her to do.” What an honor that would be, and that is what God did  for each of us. He told Jeremiah that he chose him and consecrated him (set him apart) to be a prophet before he was born. You, like Jeremiah, were made on purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says God had good works prepared in advance for us to do. Finally 1 Peter 2 tells us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation  and a peculiar people so that we should show forth the praises of God, who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Knowing the truth of our destiny, it is vital that we get that truth into our spirits. We have walked around long enough in hurt, fear and rejection. If the enemy can keep us there we will not do the works that God prepared in advance and we will not show forth the praises of God. The enemy will shine the light on our rejections and replay our hurts in our minds like DVDs. We can choose to take hold of the spotlight and shine it instead on God’s acceptance and show others how to do the same.

One final note: once, on a retreat, I was dealing with rejection that I felt. I had an image of my hand and it was bleeding from many places, like pin pricks. Then I saw Jesus nail scarred hand superimposed on mine. He said, “What is their rejection compared to my acceptance.” Good question.