Do you see what I see

Welcome back to Unseen. I apologize for the delay due to technical difficulties. Today's post concerns the very essence of living Unseen.

Do You See What I See?

We fix our eyes on what is unseen, not on what is seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal. 2 Cor 4:18

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. Many Friday nights I would spend the night with them. They had an amazing assortment of interesting gadgets. These often occupied my attention while they were watching Lawrence Welk and Heehaw.  There was a covered wagon made out of pewter, a box of “rattlesnake eggs” (a noise making gag toy), and an Emmet Kelly doll. One of my favorite things at their house was a triangular prism. I loved to hold it up to different kinds of light and see the colors it unlocked. The window, the light fixture and the television all had their own special rainbows. I would walk around the house with the prism up to my eyes just to enjoy the interesting perspective. It showed me things that I couldn’t see otherwise.

The same thing is true in our spiritual lives. We look at the things we see around us and often see hurt and injustice. This is a fallen world, and whether through consequences or our own actions, spiritual warfare, or whatever reason, there is a lot of suffering. It is much more difficult to find the hand of God in these situations. This Sunday was the day after Christmas, and in church we read about Herod’s murder of the innocents. The preacher admitted to sometimes skipping past this difficult passage, and I understand. It raises some difficult questions.  What kind of monster kills hundreds of children just to eliminate one? Why would God allow it? Where was the justice? He went on to show how God did work through the situation, not only in sparing Jesus life, but by working in the bigger picture. One of the things that he said is that even in terrible circumstances, God is present. Also, there are forces at work that we can not see.

I know that this is true in my life. There are things in my life that are not as I want them. I am personally dealing with hurt and injustice. I can see though, that God is blessing me even in the midst of my trials. In many cases, the blessings are not in material things or in circumstances changed that I can see. Instead, they are the blessings of watching my teenagers learn to reach out to God and accept the faith that we have tried to instill in them as their own. They are the blessings of God’s sustaining grace in my storm. Looking back I can see how things lined up for God’s glory and my good. The storm is not over yet, but God is still in it with me. 

It is so easy to look at the mountains in our lives and become discouraged. Instead let us remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:17 and 18.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more     exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

Just like the prism was able to reveal things I could not see due to the physical limitations of my eyes, so the Holy Spirit can reveal things that I can not see because of my limited spiritual eyes. Take heart and learn to see the things that are unseen, in your own life and the lives of others.

High Priest

Welcome to Unseen this week. It has been a wild week and I have been tempted to feel alone. I was reminded of an experience from my past that showed me the folly of that. Read on

High Priest

We do not have a high priest who cannot understand our weaknesses, but he was tempted in all things, just as we are, yet without sin.  Heb 4:15

    I was talking to my child the other day about sports.  I told him that when I was in high school the coaches would come out on cold days wrapped up in t-shirts; sweat shirts, quilted coveralls, jackets, gloves and hats.  We would come out in our sweats, and they would say, “Go run. It’s not cold.”  We always complained that of course it wasn’t cold to them in all their layers.  Off we would go, shivering and grumbling.  About half way around we would meet the boys coming the other way.  There was one important difference though.  Their coach was running right along with them. Dressed the same way and willing to undergo the same thing he asked them to, he would encourage us as well.  He did not let them get out of the workout, but he went through it with them.

    We have the same privilege.  We do not have a God who sits up in the expanse of heaven and shouts out rules to us.  He did not just start the world spinning and then watch to see how bad we would mess it up.  He came to earth, personally, in the form of Jesus.  He was tempted like we are. He felt the pain and joys we feel.  After leaving us a path to follow, he paid the price for our sin and shame. 

    I worked with a lady once who had problems, which had isolated her. She told me that she was complaining to God and said, “Lord, do you have any idea of what it is like to be rejected?” She said that in her spirit she felt that God was laughing, because of course he knew exactly how it felt to be rejected.

    Take heart when you feel alone. When temptation feels like it is too much for you, be assured, you have a God who has not left you alone.

The bigness of small

Welcome to Unseen today. When we live as unseen, it is easy to minimize the effect of our service ande our work. Read on for a lesson I learned on what is important.

The bigness of small

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Cor. 1:27

Every year when I was growing up we had the Peewee Track Meet. As I remember, it consisted of 2 races - the 50 and 100 yard dash.  Each class ran a heat and the four winners from each class ran a final. The parent cheered and tried to keep order among twenty five kids waiting in the March wind for their turn to run.  I ran my hardest every year, only to watch the rest of the class pull ahead of me one by one. After snacks on the football field we would go back to our classroom where the teacher would hand out the ribbons.  The six place ribbons were blue, red, white, yellow, orange and green. (Ugly green, by the way). Then she would pass out maroon ribbons with cartoon kittens trying to look ferocious. They were printed with the words, “I’m a Little Panther”. I have six “I’m a Little Panther” ribbons, each with a slightly different ferocious kitten but no other ribbons. By 5^th grade I tossed them all in the closet.

I have encountered obstacles to goals in my life and sometimes feel that no matter how hard I try still end up with an “I’m a Little Christian” ribbon and no successes. I haven’t achieved some of the big things my family has and often feel that my life and service to God is inferior. Recently a preacher prayed for me that God would continue to anoint me in my work with disabled people. It stopped me in my tracks.  Wasn’t anointing for the big things like preaching or singing? I know He has anointed my writing and my music, but what about my work? Does God care when I try to soothe tears of frustration or chase flailing limbs with socks?  Is he present when I coax a smile out of someone who is locked inside a broken, twisted body? Does it bring Him Glory when I show up with a smile when I would rather be home in bed? How about when I love a family member who is acting unlovable? Could it be that these things bring him as much honor as the “big things”?

Recently at our church we had a series on “Extras”, the minor characters in the Bible. Take the Christmas story. The major characters are Mary, Joseph and Jesus, but God chose to include a host of extras, to make the story richer. He included the innkeeper who gave them a place, although not the best place. He included the shepherds who the equivalent of today’s rednecks, the wise men who were foreigners with vastly different customs and beliefs and two elderly people in the temple who were waiting for Messiah.  The next time the enemy tries to tell you that your life or service is inferior, take the advice of Joyce Meyer. “Just stomp your little holy foot and tell him that he is a liar.          

Lost in Translation

Welcom to unseen.  Many times when we live unseen we feel like we are not getting through to God and he is not getting through to us. Read on for what to do when you feel like you and God are not speaking the same language.

Lost in Translation

When the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. Matt 12:46

                My mother taught for many years and for the last several years she worked with students in English as a Second Language.  Many times there were communication breakdowns. After Mom corrected one little girl’s behavior, the child said, “Who was that teacher that was here last year?”

                “You mean Miss So-and-So?” asked Mom.

                “Yeah,” said the girl. “I sure do miss her.”

                One boy told her that he would be out the next day because he was going to the eye doctor to get glasses. “Oh,” she said. “Are you near-sighted or far-sighted?”

                He replied, “I’m not ‘cited at all. I don’t want glasses.”

                Do you ever feel like when you try to communicate with God, things get lost in translation? The goal of this book is to help you learn to tune in to the things God can say to you in everyday life. The most important tool to accomplish this is the Holy Spirit. Jesus explains the Spirit’s role in John 14:15-17. He will guide us into all truth. He will remind us of the things we have been taught. He will intercede for us with groanings that are too deep for words.  We also read in Romans 11:34, “Who has known the mind of God or who has been his counselor?”

We are finite beings and God is an infinite God. Knowing that we would be limited in our ability to communicate with Him, He provided for our needs from the start. It is up to us to accept the help that is available to us.  If you feel that you and God are speaking different languages, be willing to go to the one who can intercede and interpret for us.

Let it Go

Welcom back to Unseen. We are back after some technical difficulties. Today's post is about trusting God. Many people who live unseen have experience physical therapy. Read on to find out lessons from PT on living

Let it Go

Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you. ! Pet 5:7

                The individuals that I work with have multiple handicaps. Most are in wheelchairs and many have limbs that are misshapen. Some have a condition called spasticity.  There are opposing muscle sets in the body. For example, the biceps contract and the arm raises, and then the triceps contract to bring the arm down.  A person who is spastic has both muscle groups contracting at the same time.  As a result, the body part is effectively frozen.  One common result of this condition is hands that are clenched tightly.  The hands start to sweat and provide a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of germs, especially since air cannot get to the skin. The muscles get sore and the joints get stiff, which can be very painful. If the condition continues the circulation can be cut off from the tissues and the skin and even the muscles can die.

                All this happens because people are not able to open their hands. As much as a problem as this is in the physical world, it is also a huge problem in the spiritual world.  What is most hard for you to let go of? We all have different struggles. For me, it is letting go of a problem or situation instead of trying to force a solution on my own. It usually doesn’t work any better for me than it did for Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. For some, it may be letting go of resentment or of guilt over bad decisions. For others it may be letting go of a habit that has them in bondage. Whatever the struggle, the result is the same. Like the opposing muscle groups there are opposing forces in our lives – our flesh and our spirit. Holding tightly to something creates a breeding ground for fear, guilt, shame and resentment, and the healing of the spirit cannot get to our hurting places. This can cause more pain in our lives and we may begin to withdraw from God or from fellowship.  This can cause our spirits to begin to die.

                We can all agree that this is a bad thing, but what is the solution? Simply put it is to let go. This idea is at the center of the 12 step programs - let go and let God.  It works with all the struggles we mentioned.  God can eliminate resentment in a moment that we work on for years. He can work solutions that we never dreamed of when we cast our cares on him. (1 Pet 5:7) I have seen this twice int the past month when I finally said, “OK, God. If you never do this for me I will still serve you and love you.”  Seemingly hopeless situations resolved almost overnight. Finally,  Jesus died not only for our sin, but for our shame and guilt. He tells us in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

                Dare to have the courage to let go.   It is easier to hold on because we are in control of the outcome, and it takes faith and courage to trust God with our dreams and our hurts.  It is worth it though, because the almighty God of the universe cares for you.

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.