Trapped

Welcome to Unseen today. I got bogged down on this story last week. We all know enough not to pray for patience. Apparently, if you are going to write about forgiveness you get to take a refresher course. read on to see what I learned in my "mini forgiveness boot camp."


TRAPPED

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

I cut my teeth on stories. Mom read to us from before I could remember. I remember my brother and I sitting on Dad’s chest as he lay on the floor making up silly stories as he went. Grandpa Carver loved to tell me stories, from Going’ on a Bear Hunt to Bible stories to Irish fables from Henry Lauder. Is it any wonder that I became the “Story Keeper” for our family? Some of my favorite stories were those of Uncle Remus.  First published in 1879, they have brought laughter and lessons to generations. My favorite is the story of Tar Baby. Bre’r Fox and Bre’r Bear were after the wily Bre’r Rabbit. Thinking they had a sure fire plan, they took some sticky, smelly tar and made a Tar Baby. They put a shirt on it and a hat and left it in the road where Bre’r Rabbit lived.  Bre’r Rabbit saw the Tar Baby and said good morning. Tar Baby said nothing, being made of tar. Bre’r Rabbit repeated his good morning and tar Baby still said nothing. Getting angry he informed Tar Baby that if he didn’t say good morning by the count of three he was going to knock him to Kingdom Come. When he got no answer, he drew back his fist and got it stuck fast in the sticky tar. He repeated this with his other hand and both feet, until he was hopelessly stuck. At this point Bre’r Fox and Bre’r Bear come out from their hiding place and grab him, informing him that he is invited to be dinner. In the version I heard he got away by tricking the tricksters, but in other versions he has to be rescued.

When is the last time you felt like poor Bre’r Rabbit? Are you stuck in a situation or a habit that has you unable to move forward with God?   Do you feel like the harder you try to pull yourself out the worse you get entangled?  You are probably right.The biggest culprit is resentment. It would be great if we reserved resentment for people outside our circle. Unfortunately, we most often get angry with those closest to us, because we care what they think. This is true of our families and it is true of our churches. We allow differences within both to undermine two of the most important sources of strength we have.  We are not fighting story book characters. We are fighting a cunning and cruel enemy who is desperate to keep us from fulfilling our purpose. If we are focused on hurts and offenses of those closest to us, we have no energy or resources left to fight him. We become as trapped as poor Bre'r Rabbit. Unlike Bre’r Rabbit, we cannot defeat our adversary by tricks. We are dependent on the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. These give us the power to forgive that we can never have on our own.

We read so much about forgiveness in the Bible. Micah 7:18 is one of many verses that gives us the basis for forgiveness. Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. Then Jesus from the cross in Matthew 26 looks down at the people crucifying him and says, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.  That is quite a standard. In Matthew 18 Peter thought he had a handle on forgiveness, asking if he should forgive his brother 7 times ( the number of completion or perfection) Jesus said no, he should forgive 70 times 7. He tells the story of the man forgiven a huge amount by the king, then unwilling to forgive his neighbor a small debt. I am prone to go to one extreme or the other. I may resist forgiving someone so they don't "get away with it", especially if their offense was against my family members. I may also try to dredge up forgiveness from my own resources. Neither is a good plan. In Galatians 5:22 Paul tells us about the fruit of the Spirit, or what the spirit of God can give to us.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
USe the power you have at your disposal to forgive. We need not stay in the trap set by our enemy.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Welcome to unseen today. See what we can learn from our ancestors this week.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

 

All things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Our grandparents were experts at making the most out of what they had. They went through difficult times and learned how to use as much as they could out of something. A turkey would be killed and the feathers were used for stuffing. The meat was cooked and eaten with leftovers going for sandwiches and then the bones and fat used for soup. A dress was used until it was worn out and then cut down to make and apron and maybe clothes for a child. When that wore out it was torn into rags and used for cleaning or quilting. With our throwaway mentality we have lost the art of appreciating and using what we have. Signs and commercials encourage us to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

                The same thing is true of our spiritual lives. Pain is a part of life and we can’t escape from all of it. There are things we can do, though.

REDUCE

                Much of our pain is brought about through our own stubbornness and/or stupidity. As we grow in the Lord, we can reduce the amount of pain we encounter by making “good choices” and learning what God wants for us through his word and other believers. We also have the power of the Holy Spirit. In psalms David says, Keep watch over the door of my mouth (Psalms 143:11) and Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.(Psalms 119:11) As we become willing to be led by the Spirit, we can reduce the amount of pain we face.

REUSE

Some pain comes from thing outside our control, but we are not without help. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved. (Proverbs 18:10) In Genesis 15:1 God tells Abraham, I am your shield and your very great reward. If I am honest, though, even though I know these things, I am still in danger of forgetting them In the middle of a hard time. Roman soldiers put a notch in their helmets every time they won a victory. Imagine sitting in a foxhole and wondering how you are going to get past this enemy. Then you look down at your helmet and see the notches from the past victories, which encourages you.I have often thought that  I need a way to notch the helmet in my spiritual armor, so I can remember the hard times that God has brought me through. That way I can reuse the lessons that He has taught me in the past.

RECYCLE

Whether our pain comes from decisions we make or things beyond our control, Go d can use it for his Glory. James 1 says My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We get stuck wondering if the trial is a punishment from God or an attack of the enemy. In reality, either way he can use it to for our good and to help others. He did it for Joseph, for Moses, for Daniel, for Stephen and for Paul and he can certainly do it for you. He can take the lessons we learn from our pain and let us help someone else. When I had a miscarriage, I swore there was no way God could use it, but it has given me compassion for women in the same situation and taught me the value of silently being there when there is nothing to say. While I would rather my child had never stumbled in sobriety, he has learned how to get back up and can help others coming behind him. Many times I would like to put on my “holy face” when I write so you won’t think less of me for my struggles. I have learned though that God would rather have me be real than be an expert.  This is part of how he recycles my hurts to help others.

What do we do with pain? Reduce it when we can by making wise decisions, Reuse the lessons we have learned and Recycle it to help someone else.

 

You're not he boss of me!

Welcome to unseen. whether we live unseen or are just human, we have trouble being submissive to authority. Read on for a funny way God showed me where I need to change.

You’re Not the Boss of Me!

I was walking back to my apartment from the laundry room when I heard it. Two little boys were doing their best imitation of a swagger. One said, “She’s not the boss of us!” The other agreed. “Yeah, she thinks she’s the boss of us, but she’s not. “ It made me think about obedience and who is “the boss of us”. Let’s start with the dog. While my husband was in the hospital the last couple of weeks, he decided that he was the alpha dog, not me. On walks he would put on the brakes and I would nearly trip. I would stop and strongly encourage him to come on. He might, but he also might lean the other way and throw his head like a mustang, or plant his feet and not budge. Then he came up with a new trick. He was behind me walking on the leash and people started laughing and pointing. I turned around and saw why. He had straddled the leash and was his feet were moving the same direction I was, but he was facing the other way.  I believe this is the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

Now for the hard part. Let’s leave the dog alone and look at ourselves. We have trouble at work. It is hard to have the right attitude at work, sometimes more than others. In the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, one of the habits is “Begin with the end in mind.” The rough translation of this is “Deal with it. This is a temporary situation filled with flawed people. Use some grace and do your job.” True, but very difficult.  This is a challenge but we do know who is in charge at work. More difficult is with the people we live with. Whether with small children, teenagers, grown children, spouses or aging parents, it is often difficult to navigate changing roles and changing rules. More important than either of these, though, is our relationship with GOD. We know the rules that God has given us to live by and we know the work he has planned for us.  We still might say no to them. We might just refuse to budge and we might lean as hard as we can in the other direction. Much more dangerous, perhaps is that we might act like the dog. We might technically be doing the right thing but not doing it with our whole heart. We might be singing during worship while thinking about what we want to do after our nap. I confess. I had to take Candy Crush off of my phone because the temptation to play instead of listen to the preacher was too much. Even when we are doing ministry, we may have our heart in the wrong place.

If we are walking with God he has done two things for us. He has given us guidelines (rules) and he has given us his spirit. It takes both to accomplish what he has planned for us.  He does have a lot to say about work and our attitudes. For example in Colossians 3:23, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. He has more to say about how we worship him. In Isaiah 29:13, he grieves, saying, The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. This is the root of the problems we have at work and at home. This week use the tools he has given you to do the work he has given you in the manner he wants. By sacrificing his only son, he has earned the right to be the boss of us.

What's in a name?

When we live unseen, we can feel uncared for and unsupported. Read on to find out how untrue that is.

Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name and you are mine. Isaiah 40:31

We all have different names that we go by. i have been Susan, Susannah, SusieQ, Mrs. McCabe, Miss Mac,(by students who could not pronounce my last name) Honey and Mama. How many of you look up when a child calls "Mama", even though you know your own sons are grown and now have bass voices? I have also been referred to related to others in my life. I was Marshall's daughter, Brother and Sister Carver's granddaughter, and Stella Marie's little girl. I spent years as Sheryl's sister and was unduly excited when she told me that she had been referred to as Susan's sister. Then I was Joe's wife and Rob and Heath's mom. I have also ben referred to as what I do. People at church see me as on of the singers and at work, a resident asked me, "Aren't you the social lady?" I laughed and said yes, I was the social worker.

What a joy it is to hear your named called in a crowded room by someone who loves you. How about getting off a plane and scanning the crowd for a familiar face, then hearing someone call your name excitedly. There is a since of accomplishment in hearing your name read in front of crowds as you walk across the stage to get a diploma or an award.

There is an even greater honor and privilege, though. the God of the universe, who put the stars in place, knows your name.(Isaiah 40:31) He knows the number of hairs on your head.(John 10:22) He has chosen to be your father and set you apart before you were born. (Jeremiah 1:10) More important than being Marshall's daughter or Stella Marie's little girl is the privilege of being a child of the king, a daughter of God. When this life is hard, remember that someday we will hear him call our names. Let us pray that he says to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant. enter into the joy of your master.

Go first

Children do not have to be taught to go first, but somewhere we learn to hold ourselves back even when we shouldn't. Perhaps that is especially true for those of us who live Unseen. Read on.

Go First
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1John 4;10 -11

When the children were young, we were over at a friend’s house visiting. Her son was  between mine in age and they enjoyed being together. Usually. He and my older son were best friends, except when they were being mortal enemies. On this particular day, it got quiet, which is a red flag with 3 preteens. I went looking for them and found the two older boys on the balcony with a length of rope. My husband was right behind me and asked what they were doing. “We’re going to rappel off the balcony.” Eyes full of challenge, he looked at my husband and asked, “IS that OK?” My husband took in the situation and said, “Ok, but the knot is wrong on your rope, you need to hold it behind your back and the railing is not going to hold. He looked at my son and said, “You go first, Rob.” It’s not just scary thing we don’t want to go first at. Dr. Dobson told about a group of women who all really wanted donuts but refused to be the first on to get in line for them. In our lives whether it is something scary or just something uncomfortable, we would rather someone else make the first move. Even if we know there will be a blessing, like mending a broken relationship, it is hard to go first. Once, God was prompting me to do my part in making up with my dad and I was arguing that i didn't have to because he had done, this and that and he always had to be right. I turned the corner and saw,(I'm not kidding) a billboard that said, GET THE LAST WORD IN. APOLOGIZE.I wrote the letter and the restoration started.

God did not wait. He went first. Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In John 15:16 Jesus says, You did not choose me, but i chose you. God, knowing we were broken and helpless made the first step and what a step it was! He had already planned our salvation and how he would accomplish it, One of the verses that has meant the most to me is in John 4:10-11 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. and verse 19 says We love Him because He first loved us.
Because God went first we both love him and are enabled to love each other. Take courage to step out. meet someone  new. Invite someone  to church. Be a blessing or mend a fence. Go first.

Guest spot

Welcome to Unseen today. God is faithful. He has solved my 4 "absolutely impossible situations" in as many weeks. I want to share something that helped me through this time that was written by a co-worker, Christy Dodson. She works with both youth and elderly people, and we love her. Read on.

As things are changing in our lives and workplaces, I’m sure that some of us are really starting to feel the sense of impending doom because of the unknown…where will I work, do I have a job, can I relocate, how is this going to affect my family…have those thoughts crossed your minds…to be honest I know that I do not do well with not having a plan of action…that’s when I have to reevaluate my priorities…when we get that heavy dark out-of-options feeling, it is because we are trying to do things on our own…whether you are a spiritual person has no bearings…it is human nature that when we are struggling with anything, handling it ourselves makes it even harder…am I right? We all feel better after talking it through with a loved one or friend or even your dog…it helps to just get it out…aloud…for me I drown my stress in music and art…how do you drown your stress? Who do you talk to? When I am stressing or feeling heavy my faith has to take over and I have to let go of the wheel…and if you know me, you know I am always in the driver’s seat…because that is where I am most comfortable…and not having a plan and having to wait to find out where my next step needs to be can be brutal…I am one who needs a plan of action and a few backup plans…all I can do is keep faith that HE will comfort me and keep me…HEBREWS 11:1 says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Take the drought for example. We all have been hoping and praying for rain, right? Our land was parched and cracked...our plants and animals were weak and fruitless…then the wind began to blow…we couldn’t see the wind, just the effects of the wind…some of those effects were rain clouds that brought rain for almost 4 days! We couldn’t see the rain coming for the several days that the wind was blowing, but when the clouds rolled in with that wind, we felt relieved. Faith is the same way. We may not see it at first but the blessing or solution to our situation is coming…it may just be a while…HE’s got our backs! I’ve got your back too! I’m sure if we look around we can find at least one person who has our back…”so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your GOD. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ISAIAH 41:10…see I told you…all we need to do is let HIM know where we are at, how we are doing…give HIM our stress, if you’re like me you’ll have to give HIM your stress at least once every few hours!!! But that is ok…HE doesn’t mind!! Take a sec today to just stop and think about your blessings so far in life…then take another sec to be thankful for what you have…don’t stress about what you don’t have or what may happen…GOD GOT U!!! 1PETER 5:6-7 “humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of GOD so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he loves you.”

I know that may sound preachy, but I just felt that I needed to share something…I know that a lot of folks are feeling anxious and this is gives me peace and yes, because I am human, it is hard for me to accept grace because I am an earner and protector and servant, so I have to remind myself CONSTANTLY that HE is my refuge…not me…HE has his ever strong arms around us and his embrace is unwavering…take a sec to feel HIM today.

All I have to say about the last few weeks is God is faithful. Read on.

Can you hear me now?

Yet he took note of their distress

    when he heard their cry;Psalms 106:44

Technology is a blessing, and a curse. We have access to vast amounts of information, provided we can access it. We can contact anyone at anytime, yet we spend less time communicating with each other. We have internet friends, but we are desperately lonely. There are glitches and hitches involved in the technology. One weekend we went to a retreat off the beaten path. I looked out and saw my friend walking around in a circle outside. I didn’t see her phone in her hand and wondered what she was doing. When I asked, she pointed to a stick stuck in the ground and said that was the only place in camp that she could get cell phone signal and she was trying to call home.

                Do you feel that way trying to communicate with God? Whether you are trying to pray or meditate, do you feel that you have lost signal? Maybe you feel that you have to go through elaborate rituals to have your prayers answered or have to check all the boxes. Maybe you feel that you have to follow the rules and say the words right for God to hear you. Maybe you just can’t think of what to say to God, especially if you are upset. Sometimes it is easy to feel that we can’t hear what God is telling us. Back the technology train up and think back to walkie-talkies. If you were talking and had your button pushed down, you could not hear if the other person was talking to you. This may be one part of our problem with God. We tend to not be very good at being still and listening.

                The last two weeks were really hard for me. I had battles on several different fronts and I was tired of fighting. I asked God to fight for me and he kept sending me verses like  Be still and know that I am God (Psalms 46:10) and Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31.) I was looking for the ones like strike my enemies in the teeth.  (Still haven’t found that one but I know it is in Psalms.) We quote Jeremiah 29:11-13 a lot and it is true that God has plans for us that are to give us a future and a hope, and plans for welfare and not for calamity, but the rest of the passage is just as important. It reads, you will come and call to me and I will answer you. You well seek me and find me when you search with all your heart.  We read in Psalms     I cried to the Lord in my distress and he answered me. Psalms 106:44. He hears us. He answers us. He tells us to come boldly before the throne of Grace that we may find help in our time of need. Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made, we have access to God and his mercy and his provision. No passwords, no complicated formulas and fear. Can you hear Him now?