Shadows

Once again God took my post in a direction I did not expect.  I tried really hard to write a great post about busy signals.  Maybe next week. See if you are one of the ones who needs to hear this instead.

Shadows

Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105

My dog does not have the same sense of night and day that I do. If the urge strikes him to go out it is in my best interest to oblige. His Indian name is He-who-must-not-be-ignored. I don’t worry about being out with him after dark, because he can go from zero to ferocious in 2.6 seconds if he thinks I am being threatened. One night we were walking through the complex in the moonlight and I saw something strange on the ground. I reached to do pick it up and see what it was. It was actually just a shadow. It looked solid and real, but it was an illusion. 

One dark and stormy night when we were kids, the electricity went out. We hung out in the living room together.  We made popcorn in the fireplace (and scorched it). Dad told silly stories that he made up as he went along. We hung up a sheet between the living room and kitchen and put some big candles behind the sheet with us. Then we did a shadow play which our parents said was fantastic.

 Petra had a song that said,

Sometimes a shadow, dark and cold, falls like a mist across the road

But be encouraged by the sight. Where there’s a shadow there’s a light.  

In both of these cases the shadow was cast by the light from the moon or the candles.

                How many times does there seem to be a threat to our spiritual well being, our safety or our joy. Yesterday the threat to my joy was that I did not know how God was going to meet a need that I had. Fortunately he knew exactly how He was going to meet it. As real as my anxiety seemed it has melted away in the light of his truth.

Jesus is called the light. John 1 says  “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” One of the promises of Jesus coming was in Isaiah 9:2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. And in John 8, Jesus tells us,  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Let Jesus light cast out the shadows in your life. Then be the light that is set on a hill that all men may see.

 

Stars

This was not the post I was planning on tonight but apparently it is the one God was planning on. . Are you feeling insignificant today. Stop it and read on!

Stars

When  I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalms 8:3-5

With the weather in the brief span of time that passes for spring in West Texas, I am spending more time outside. I love to walk outside or lay on the grass and look up at the stars. Stars are just cool. They are beautiful and powerful and draw our attention in an almost hypnotic way. My children could spout lots of cool scientific facts about stars and how big they are, how far away they are and how long it takes the light from them to reach our eyes, but I am not going to put those numbers here.  If you want them you can look them up or call my children.

Louis Giglio has an amazing video on the web that talks about the relative sizes and distances of different stars I am blown away when I watch it.  The thing I come away with is awe at the power and majesty of God. God keeps galaxies with vast numbers of stars in perfect alignment, and yet we are fearful that he doesn’t have the power to answer our prayer. We may go to the other extreme and say that he is too busy or we are too insignificant.  The reality is that neither of these things is true. The psalmist has such a beautiful expression of this.  Read it again.

 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalms 8:3-5. Psalms 147:4 says He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Psalm 19:1 says, the heavens declare the glory of God.  The writer goes on to describe how God made a tent for the sun like a bridegroom coming out of its chamber.

We are the crowning accomplishment of this creator. It was for us that he sacrificed the one most precious to Him. He wrapped his power, so great it can keep billions of stars and galaxies operating, in humility and weakness for us. How dare we allow the enemy to make us feel insignificant! He has called us to be his children and invited us to share eternity with him. Take him at this word.

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.

Gifted and Talented

Welcome to unseen. I hope it has been a good week. Those of us who live Unseen have a difficult time receiving from other people and from God.  I think this is especially true of those of us who are caretakers.  Read on for insights in accepting God's love and blessings.

Gifted and Talented

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land Jer. 32:40-41

 

                It was Teresa’s birthday. Her parents went all out. They invited friends and family over. Because it was West Texas, they had a barbecue. They had cake and they had presents.  They had games and they had music. Everyone had a great time. That is, everyone had a great time except Teresa. She was sitting at the table with her head down and tears in her eyes. Her mother went over to ask what in the world was wrong. Was she not happy with the party? Teresa answered that it was a wonderful party, but that she didn’t deserve it.  When her mother asked her what she meant, she said that she did not  make her bed 2 days last week and she was last to school one day the week before and on top of that she had mean thoughts about her brother when he pulled her hair. She knew she was not supposed to do these things and that was why she knew she didn’t deserve the party. Her mother hugged her and explained to her that they did not throw her a party because she was a good girl. They threw her a party because she was their daughter and they loved her.  Then Teresa dried her tears and enjoyed the party for the gift of love that it was.

                Teresa was smart enough to do that. Are we?  God has offered us not only salvation but an abundant life. If we were wise we would be like Teresa and bask in that, doing good because we have received it no so we can earn it. We may refuse the gift of salvation because we don’t deserve it. We may bargain with God to bless us. “If you help me get this job I will read my Bible for an hour every day.”

We may also feel that we deserve the bad things that happen to us.  Abuse victims feel ashamed because they feel they did something to cause the abuse.  A miscarriage might be seen as punishment for not wanting a child at first. If we receive the blessings we might go into a frenzy trying to earn them by keeping the rules and doing enough good. I have been introduced to grace for thirty years and acquainted with it for twenty, and when I get under stress I can go back to this old mindset in a heartbeat if I don’t guard my mind. The reality is that God blesses us because he loves us.  He has even given us talents that we can use for him. We use them because he loves us, though, not so that he will. Do you think Teresa cleaned her room faithfully and helped her parents without complaining after that party? She did it out of love and not guilt or bargaining.

As incredible as it seems, the God of the universe adores you. Look again at the verses in Jeremiah.

 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.

 Zephaniah 3:17 says,  The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. It might be easy to think he gives us salvation and then says that is good enough. In Rom 8:32 he says He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

 I am by no means saying we should not use our gifts and talents for God.  There is no time that I am happier than when I am singing for God or writing. I have to keep in mind that it is in response to God’s love and not as a way to earn it. We are all unique and this may not be your struggle, but I bet it is for someone you love.  Please join God’s love feast for you and encourage others to do the same.

WAIT FOR IT...

Welcome to Unseen today. Waiting is hard and it may be especially hard for people who live Unseen. Read on for a lesson I learned from my four legged teacher.

Wait For It

They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Is 40:31

 

            Well, my little fur ball of a dog did it again. He taught me another lesson. I was cooking supper the other night and he was watching me intently. I knew he would like the hamburger meat so I had set a little aside for him. (Yes, I give my dog people food sometimes.) He looked up at me and wagged his tail. I said, “Wait just a minute. It’s hot.”  He kept watching me hoping I might either hurry up or drop something. He turned on what I call the “puppy eyes”. He fixes his huge brown eyes on you and droops his ears and his head. It is supposed to make you feel sorry for him and it usually does. The meat was still hot, though, so I couldn’t give it to him.  Then he got tired of waiting and went rooting around in the trash. He dug out dried bread crusts and a tiny bit of rind from a ham. He did enjoy the hamburger meat with gusto but he had to wait until it was done.

            It would be easy to say, “What a silly dog. Couldn’t even wait a few minutes for something good.” You’d be right, too. How good are we at waiting, though?  Let’s say you have asked God for something and you haven’t gotten it yet. For a while we wait pretty well, wagging our spiritual tails. Then we start to get impatient, and give God the spiritual equivalent of puppy eyes. We might remind him of how faithful we have been and the things we have given up for him. Maybe if we convince him that we are deserving he will hurry. We might get mad at him for taking so long.   Finally, we get tired of waiting and go rooting around in life’s trash. Let’s look at Abraham. God promised him a son. For a while he waited expectantly, and then not so much. Don’t you think he reminded God of his promise? Then he decided to look in life’s trashcan. “I guess God meant Eliezer my servant would be my heir. I know. I’ll have a son with Sarah’s hand maiden. Maybe that’s what God meant.” All the time God was preparing things for Isaac, and in a way that there would be no question he was the one who had done it.

            I am not going to pretend it is easy. A few weeks ago we bought a car. I was so excited because I had waited so long.  Two weeks later after a funeral, I told a friend to come look at my new car.  He said, “Oh, that’s nice.” I said, “Listen to how good it sounds.” And turned the key. At this point it made terrible clunking and grinding noises and died.  The engine had jumped time and it was one of the cars where that is a terrible occurrence and blows the engine. After several more delays the dealer replaced it with one that is more what I needed in the first place.  Because God knew how life is he left us instructions on waiting on Him. The one we are most familiar with is Isaiah 40:31. They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Psalms 37:7 says, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Boy is that hard to do.  Jeremiah 14:22 reminds us of a time when the people were waiting for rain. He says , Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.

            God knows what we need. He knows how to give it. Trust in the Lord with all of your hearts and lean not on your own understanding. Prov 3:5