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Driving around the neighborhoods and cruising through the Target aisles, it is obvious that many people and customers are excited about the darker side of Halloween. Gruesome fake body parts (I will spare the details here), gravestones, nooses, and the like are scattered around yards and stacked in aisles alongside the more innocuous spider webs and ghosts.
There is something deceptive that attracts us to darkness. Why does the news media report on the Jeffrey Dalmers of the world? Why are some people so attracted to horror movies, books and tv shows? Watching such things makes our hearts race — we sit on the edge of our seats and delight in being scared.
I am not pointing fingers or judging. One Halloween I went to a teen party dressed up as Lady MacBeth with blood on her hands. As a tween I played “light as a feather” and held hands and pretended to do a seance. Guess where I did those things? At a church function! Obviously the caretakers did not know what we were doing. As children, we did not know that God directly tells us to NOT do such things.
” ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:31
God has done a lot of working in me since those days. I have no desire to be defiled, but sometimes I feel a little dirty just being around evil. If we have and use a newspaper, a television, the internet, even the library — we will be confronted with the face of the darkness of this world.
But praise God, I do not have to walk in darkness! Jesus made some statements while teaching in the section of the Temple Treasury. This was the part of the Temple where offerings were collected — and where candles were burning to symbolize the pillar of fire that led the Israelites out of the wilderness. Surrounded by burning candles, Jesus said:
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:13
In Exodus 13, we are told that when the Israelites set out on their journey, the Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.
Jesus residing in my heart fills me with light, so that even when I have to pass by the “decorations of death” (for lack of a better term) on the shelves and on the streets, I am not defiled. I am not in the darkness, and I am not taken in by the lure of evil. I have the light that leads to life. 
(This is a picture Cadi took of the light on the wing of the airplane as they flew over Canada. If we follow Jesus’ teachings, our path is marked out for us as clearly as the light created by the moving airplane and captured by the camera.)
Life, not death.
I will finish these musings with more verses from Jesus about light. I thought it would be appropriate to shout them out this week:
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”[a]
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:16-1714“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:21-24
We have nothing to fear at Halloween or at any other time of the year. Christ has given us authority over the agents of darkness in this world. He sent out 72 disciples ahead of him to heal the sick, drive out evil spirits, restore sight to the blind, give hope to the hopeless. And here is what happened:
16“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
Thank you, indeed, Father, for sending Jesus to be the light shining out in the darkness.
I’ve been thinking a lot today about words. From my previous posts, it’s probably apparent that I could be the star of the new PBS kids show entitled “Word Girl.” One of my favorite college courses was “The History of the English Language,” if that tells you anything! I’ve been reading Randy Alcorn’s book, Safely Home, which is a fictional account of a businessman who gets up close and personal with Chinese persecution of Christians. I became intrigued when one of the main characters explains a theory that the Chinese written language has its origin in the Biblical account of creation. I googled “Chinese characters and biblical accounts” and found a host of websites all describing the same things. I also found a healthy number of websites that hotly contested these theories. The main argument against seems to be that only a few Chinese characters have supposed links to the Creation account. Nevertheless, I thought it certainly bears looking into! Here is an example:
 |
| Lamb + (above) me = Righteousness |
Under the old covenant, the Hebrews sacrificed lambs as atonement for their sins. Interestingly enough, the ancient Chinese believed in an all-powerful Creator God (with a similar creation story) — and they, too, sacrificed lambs. In particular, “the sheep is placed above the symbol for I/me. The position of the sheep is significant and it suggests that the source of righteousness comes from the sheep.” (from authors Kui Shin Voo and Larry Hovee, http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v13/i1/chinese.asp.) The source of MY righteousness is also from a lamb — Jesus, the Lamb of God, who sacrificed himself for my sins!
Where am I going with this? All this musing about words got me thinking about the first chapter of John, which is all about words. Can you wrap your mind around the fact that:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; this one was in the beginning with God; all things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened. John 1:1-3
The Word (Christ) was WITH God, and the Word (Christ) WAS God. How can Christ be both WITH God and also BE God? So I turned to my concordance and looked up the meaning of the original Greek word.
Logos, when used with an article (the) as in John 1:1-3, means the Divine Expression — account, cause, communication, intent, utterance.
Aha! Let’s replace some words and see what we get:
In the beginning was the (Divine Expression, Intent, Communication), and the (Divine Expression, Intent, Communication) was with God, and the (Divine Expression, Intent, Communication) was God; this one was in the beginning with God; all things through him (the Intent) did happen, and without him (the Intent) happened not even one thing that hath happened. John 1:1-3
Jesus was God’s intent all along. Jesus, in the flesh and now in the Spirit, is God’s communication to us. God’s Word (Christ) is literally who He is. This answers my earlier question about how Christ could be WITH God and also BE God.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Christ, when he became flesh, became the walking manifestation of God’s heart, (his Words).
Have you ever thought about how your words are literally who you are? Jesus said it this way:
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.“ Luke 6:45
So what about my words? God is showing me tonight that my heart directs my words. What is the condition of my heart? How can I put myself under a microscope to make sure that I continue abiding in Christ?
Hebrews 4:12:”For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
When I get into the word of God (the Bible), I am also getting into the Word of God (Christ). He shows me my heart and brings to mind my words. I confess and repent of the thoughts and attitudes and words I have said that do not glorify Him (by the renewing of my mind).
I hope I have not confused you with this discourse. It’s been a thoughtful journey tonight. My prayer is that perhaps this line of thought might be encouraging to those who, like me, tend to “gloss over” and “overlook” the words in Scripture that appear to be contradictory or unclear. When we dig deeper into His Word, he rewards us with understanding and helps us open our eyes to some of the hidden things.
The one thing, the shining thing that matters is this: I am so grateful that the Logos, the Divine Expression, the Word, the Christ — is IN me.
Growing up, my dad used to tell me that if I didn’t like the weather here in Texas, just wait a minute. It’ll change.
Yup. Dad was right about that and about lots of other stuff too. Case in point: yesterday it was a balmy 86 degrees and humid. I sat outside until the sweat trickled down my back and the mosquitoes found me. Today it’s a balmy 56 degrees, wet, and clammy. The front that blew in overnight did more than almost blow our patio chairs into the pool (Thanks, Lord, that I didn’t have to go deep sea diving to fish them out this morning!). In one night’s time, the leaves of our lonely sweet gum tree are already changing color.
I like the fall season before it gets too cold. Unfortunately, in Texas we pretty much have two seasons: Hot and Cold. We get a very brief span of time when we can sit or walk or play or skip outside and revel in all God’s creation without getting dehydrated or frostbitten. (Confession: frostbitten to me is anything below 65 degrees. My hands can’t take the cold!)
During this time frame, the trees go through a mute transformation. The colors here in North Texas are not as vivid as the ones in Maryland and Connecticut, but they are there nonetheless. I started thinking about transformations.
Catepillars…into butterflies. Tadpoles…into frogs. Bright green leaves of summer….bare branches of winter. A person without hope…into a Christ follower, filled with hope.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
When my mind gets in a rut, the verse above helps me grab hold of the truth. Just like the tree in my front yard, Jesus transforms me. The tree goes from the green glory of summer to a burst of joyful yellow and red, to a tired brown, and then it is leafless, quiet, and restful. It waits, biding its time until the Lord calls out another season of growth. I am like that tree. My spiritual journey winds through seasons. Lately I’ve been in a tired, restful, introspective season. I have a sense that God is going to continue to do great things in my heart, if I only will be still and let him work.
I stand still, arms outstretched to heaven just like the branches of the tree in my front yard. Expectant. Hopeful. Glad to shed my leaves and just let my heart drink in the Lord.
What season are you in these days?
It’s been a tough couple of days. I have never been more thankful than I am today that the Lord is with me. If you could see the landscape of my heart WITHOUT the Lord, you’d see a surface similar to the moon – colorless, dusty, thirsty, barren. You’d see a waterfall sans water, a rainbow without color, a flower without petals, a butterfly without wings.
I want to share with you how the God of all comfort is providing comfort to me while Jon, Cadi and my mother-in-law are traipsing around London.
Family
Yesterday I was invited to attend my nephews’ soccer game. The twins are four years old, and this is their first soccer season. Caleb was the self-appointed goalie (in this league at this age, they do not have goalies, but Caleb runs to the goal and stops the opposing team from getting goals. He figured this out on his own!), but Seth was a reluctant player. He reminded me of myself when I tried out T-ball as a child: I spent more time in Mom’s lap than I did on the field! Seth wanted to play as long as he had the ball and didn’t have to fight anyone else for it. I think he might prefer a sport that has more clearly defined roles. He’ll probably love it once he gets older and they start learning about positions.
I got to see Caleb and Seth and my niece Grace, my brother, his wife, and my parents also drove in for the game. It was a brief visit, but oh so nice! Seeing them all was just what I needed to lift my spirits.
Great Books
Have you ever spied a book in the bookstore or library and had a nagging feeling that you really NEEDED to read it? That’s the way it has been for me for awhile now with the Yada Yada Prayer Group book series by Neta Jackson. I saw the books but thought they might be a little too “fluffy” for me. I like all sorts of stories, especially thrillers and historical fiction. Boy, was I ever wrong! I picked up the first two Yada books and have finished them in 2 days! Let me tell you, I read those books and felt an immediate need in my soul for a group of friends like that unveiled in these books. My heart has been lonely for Christian relationships ever since we moved back to Texas. It is taking a long time to really get to know the people around me, and many times I feel discouraged. I spoke with my mom on the phone last night and commented to her how much I NEED to find a Bible study where I can be eyeball to eyeball with the ladies so we can share each other’s lives.
God Breezes
Imagine my surprise when I found out what today’s sermon was about at church: Friendships! Is God talking to me, or what? I’m listening, Lord!
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Whoa! God is preparing my heart for some deep friendships. I can feel it. But the deepest friendship of all is the one I am having with Jesus. There I was, feeling perhaps a bit sorry for myself because I haven’t found a place for myself yet, when Pastor Bill reminded me of Jesus’ friendship with me.
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:12-15
Who picks you up when you are down? In this crowded but uninvolved, high-tech but low-touch world, who catches you when you fall? Encourages you when you are weary or weak? Who do you pick up, catch, and encourage? Those are your friends. If you can’t think of anyone immediately, take heart. Your first friend is Jesus.
One of the songs we sang was I Am A Friend of God. Here are some of the lyrics:
Who am I that You are mindful of me…That You hear me when I call..Is it true that You are thinking of me…How You love me… it’s amazing
I am a friend of God…I am a friend of God…I am a friend of God
He calls me friend
God Almighty, Lord of Glory
You have called me friend
As if that wasn’t enough, when I returned home I had an email in my Inbox from an old friend I hadn’t heard from in a year. Thank You, Lord!
It’s been on my heart for awhile to host a Beth Moore Bible Study in my home. I haven’t pursued the opportunity yet because I wanted to make sure if I did it, it was done for the right reasons and at the time the Lord is prompting. My “problem,” if you call it that, is that homeschooling limits my free time. Jon travels so frequently that I can’t rely on him to watch Cadi for me while I conduct a study. So I had a thought: why not do a mother-daughter study? For those of you who have done several studies, can you think of one that might lend itself to a multi-age grouping? I know I’d need to adjust the format — perhaps have a separate prayer time for the girls upstairs while the moms pray downstairs. If I did a Beth Moore study, could the girls watch the DVD with us? I know Cadi would do just fine, especially if she was filling in the blanks, but it is so true that girls (both old ones and young ones) sometimes get the “sillies,” and then we’d be distracted. If you have any ideas on how I could structure this, or if there are any out there specifically for mothers and daughters, can you let me know?
Music Miracle
Okay, so some of you might not consider this a miracle, but you will if you are as technologically ignorant as me! I’ve never figured out how to work the AppleTV contraption. It allows us to play our iTunes over our TV. I couldn’t get it to turn on this morning, so I did pray and Praise God that He is the God of technology as well as of everything else. I still couldn’t get it to come on, so I gave up and started breakfast. After about fifteen minutes, I heard the AppleTV gizmo start up — Praise!! It started working, and I got to begin my day with some Chris Tomlin.
Today is Jon’s birthday. My heart is aching that I’m not with him, especially since it was my own choice not to go with him. He wrote me an email and said that Cadi got to light a candle and say a prayer at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I hope he took a picture of that moment, but for now I can just see it in my mind’s eye.
If I did not have my God, I would be flogging myself mentally for not having the courage to go. Instead I am praising Him, remembering his promises, loving Him, and using this time to grow closer to Him. As a result, the landscape of my heart is not gray or barren. I may feel saddened and grieved about missing Jon’s birthday, but I am assured that the Lord is the Lord of us both, and that He ties us together no matter how many miles apart we may be.
I praise you, Father!
A few times a week I have Cadi help me clean up the dog toys. The other day she had the great idea to stick Lacee in the basket with the toys! Now that is REALLY cleaning up! 
Yes, I do have a “toy box” for the dogs. What does that say about me???
Isn’t there something beautiful about a house that is clean? Or, if you’re like me, even having one clean spot to rest my eyes on is like a breeze to my spirit. Since we’ve been living in Texas we have been so blessed to have a homeschool family come over and help us out with the cleaning every other week. The whole atmosphere of the house changes when order reigns over chaos. I feel better. Cadi studies better without so many distractions. Even Jon notices and appreciates a clean slate.
Don’t we all? Jesus spoke of cleanliness several times in his ministry. I am such a stickler about germs and keeping my kitchen counters and dishes clean that I cringe and identify myself with the Pharisees in this encounter in Luke 11 –
As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.
I wonder…was he starving and just HAD to eat? Or was he proving a point?
Then the Lord said to him, ‘You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.’
Now, I am not Jewish, and I do not have a ceremony per se, but in our house we WASH our hands before we eat! Cadi has known since she was a toddler that before we eat, our hands get clean. It’s a common-sense thing. It’s something doctors and scientists tell us to do to prevent the spread of diseases and germs.
But Jesus wasn’t speaking about the diseases that can be spread from person to person. He used this opportunity to speak to the diseases within our characters. He was talking about talking the talk but not walking the walk. Can you imagine sitting down to dinner with the Lord Jesus and having him tell you that you are filthy — filled with greed and wickedness? But I love my Jesus — he always gives constructive criticism. He followed up by telling them how they could get clean, on the inside of their hearts, not just on the surface of their hands: by giving to the poor.
Because I am a Christ-follower, I have been washed clean by his blood, Praise God! But I still have to deal daily with the fleshly fears, concerns, and habits that are entrenched in my sinful nature. (Speaking of clean, do you typically think of blood as being clean? If I cut myself shaving and get blood on my white pants, I quickly grab the Clorox bleach pen! But God required blood sacrifice as atonement for the sins of the people…someone had to die. Wow – I get choked up whenever I think about the One he sent to die for my filthiness, for my greed, for my wickedness. His ONLY son. I have an ONLY, too. I cannot fathom the vastness of his love for us. If you’ve seen the movie The Passion and read the accounts of Jesus’ last hours on earth, you know his death was bloody. No amount of Clorox could wipe away the stain, the grief, the pain that he took on his own body.)
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I have been cleaned. I get down on myself, I berate myself; I am great at put-downs when they concern me and my many failures. I cry out CLEAN ME, Lord! And I’m in good company. Here’s what this hero of the faith, David, wrote:
“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me — now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:7-12
I guess I could say — Keep On Cleaning Me, Lord! It’s wise to take stock of our own vessels and see what’s on the inside, with help from the Holy Spirit. I leave you with this morsel from Jeremiah:
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
How can I keep on being clean? Trust in the Lord, and make him my hope and my confidence. This is not to say that in the Lord’s eyes I am ever unclean — I am sealed, I am His. But when I get in the driver’s seat instead of letting go and trusting God to do the driving for me, I sometimes run into a ditch. It gets pretty muddy down there. I praise Him that He reaches down, picks me back up, WASHES MY FEET, and gets me started down the road again.
I’ll chew on that the next time Shiner tracks in muddy pawprints all over the carpet. After the huge sacrifice Christ made for me, cleaning my house, my sinks, my toilets — and my dog toys — are all opportunities to reflect on and praise his love, his mercy, and his glory.
Today was a very busy day as I prepared for my sweet mother-in-law’s arrival. We picked her up from the airport this afternoon. Tomorrow she, Jon, and Cadi leave for London. I am feeling blue tonight…not because they are leaving, but because I haven’t the COURAGE to go with them.
I have just a moment to blog, so I thought I’d find some verses that deal with cleaning since that’s what I’ve been doing all day! (I wish I had these memorized so I could recite them, with a twist, as I “bless” my family by my cleaning!)
Job 37:21
Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.
Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Jer 33:8
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.
Matthew 23:25
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Mark 1:41
Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
Luke 11:41
But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
I’ll dwell more on this topic tomorrow when I have more time…
March 31st, Cadi and I were home getting snuggled in for bed. Jon was out of town on business. I had her downstairs with me because the weather forecast was for severe weather and high winds; I hesitate to have her upstairs when severe weather is approaching.
The news station reported that radar indicated a rotation near a town just to our east. At that moment, a tremendous wind hit our house, the satellite went out, and we heard something very large hit the back of the house. Without thinking, we ran to the laundry room with the dogs and shut both doors. I piled dirty clothes around us and covered Cadi with my shaking body. All the while I was praying, “Lord, save us. Lord, protect us. God, You are our shield. You place your hedge of protection around us.” The wind whisted under the laundry room door like a freight train.
It lasted perhaps a minute, maybe two minutes. We waited there for another five before I grabbed the telephone just as my neighbor called me to check on us. Their wooden playscape was lifted off the ground and turned upside down; part of it had been ripped up with the pieces scattered over their roof and the front of their yard. I took a quick look out the blinds, and in a flash of lightening, I saw that our fence was mostly gone. Sections were down on the ground in various directions. We later discovered that our neighbor’s trampoline is what hit the back of our house…it landed upside down in our back yard.
By God’s grace, none of us was hurt. The trampoline hit us on the only wall where we had no windows. We lost shingles and had to replace the fence, but our God helped us in the midst of the storm, literally!
All of which brings me back to something my new friend Bev told me as we said goodbye last Saturday. She had been to a different Beth Moore taping for a Bible Study on Esther. One of the things Beth focused on was this: over and over, more than any command in the Bible, God tells us to TAKE COURAGE and do not be afraid. Picture courage as something tangible that can be touched. Picture the Lord holding courage out in his strong hand for you to grab hold of with your trembling one.
I never imagined courage to be something given away like a gift, but it is! I am moved to study the word courage and the circumstances in the Bible when people were given courage.
Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.
Mark 6:45-50
My Bible notes that the words “It is I,” in Greek, are actually ‘I Am.’ And who is God? God is the great I Am! In that terrifying moment, Jesus handed something to his disciples that was very real, even though it wasn’t temporal. He gave them courage. Where did that courage come from? It came from his very presence, from the fact that He Is. His presence not only gave them courage, but it also calmed the rough seas.
I don’t know about you, but I hate rough water. I get seasick on a waterbed, so being in a small fishing boat in the middle of a squall sounds like a horror film to me. But I keep going back to Jesus, giving out courage like my grandma used to hand out cookies.
Where did I get courage during the tornado that hit near our house? It was a gift inside me, and I didn’t even know I had it. I wonder if the Lord’s gift of courage is something he continually gives out, or is it something he fed-exes to us when we need it?
Lord, this world can be a scary place. One look at the newspaper or internet headlines is confirmation that everything has become upside down. In the world, right is wrong, and wrong is right. But I praise You and stand up tall. I take my position that you’ve given me for this moment, and I grab onto the courage you provide. With your presence, we will overcome even death. Praise God!
“When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2
The torrent of rain we had yesterday and our pool filled almost to overflowing have my thoughts wandering back to the time when the Lord put his hand on me and changed me with regards to water.
Up until two years ago, I was terrified of the water. Even the shallow end of a pool made me nervous if I stepped too close to the water that would be over my head. I took swimming lessons every summer as a child until I was 12. Then, I begged to be released — I was the only 12 year old in a class with first graders. I just couldn’t get past the fear of the water.
It is difficult to explain this fear to someone who swims like a fish. It’s not merely a matter of not wanting to go deep; it’s more of a crushing fear. When my husband took me out in the deep water, I held on for dear life not just because I loved hugging him, but because I was terrified. Imagine being so scared of something that your chest squeezes tight, your knees and hands shake, and you forget how to breathe.
And then there was Florida. We moved to the resort-style neighborhood of Eagle Harbor. Suddenly I was facing not one but two huge neighborhood pools and a daughter who wanted to go swimming every day but was afraid to get her head wet. Her first swim lessons were not good ones. It’s not surprising; kids are very good at picking up on their parents’ fears.
One day in my quiet time I came upon the verse from Isaiah 43. Suddenly I felt as if the Holy Spirit knocked me upside the head. “Hello, Christie! This one is for you!” I flashed to an image of myself relaxing in the water, held up by the hands of God himself. The next thing I knew I was signing Cadi — and myself — up for swim lessons.
My instructor’s name was Carol, and she had been teaching kids and adults for over 25 years. Carol was God’s gift to me. She helped me learn, step by step. When she saw how stressed I was about getting my face under the water, she taught me how to swim on my back. When my chest pounded painfully and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, she let me sit on the steps and pray. And as I prayed the Lord reminded me again and again,
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. “
Happily, Cadi learned how to swim right alongside me.
Today, we both enjoy swimming in our pool. Truth is, she’s a much stronger swimmer than I am. But I AM a swimmer. I can make it across the pool. I can enjoy a day in the sunshine with my family in the water instead of sitting on the water’s edge. It’s taken me a long time. God was always there. He just wasn’t — and isn’t — finished with me yet!
Next step: flying without anxiety. Jon and Cadi are leaving this Friday for a trip to London. His wonderful mother is going in my place. I honestly could not make myself sit on an airplane for nine hours. I have to say that as much as I will miss them, I know God has some growing in store for me. I will spend my time resting in Him and learning from Him.
Is there something God is working out in you?
Power. There’s a lot to be said for that one little word. Today I started musing about power when a ferocious storm knocked out our electricity. It was early morning. Cadi was still thinking about getting up to start the day. I turned on the computer thinking that the worst of the storm had passed. The house was quiet — or so I thought. The minute the power went out, we listened to complete and utter silence in between rumbles of thunder.
The electric power all around us gives off a hum that we seldom notice. The ceiling fan whirs, the computer gives out a constant high-pictched but quiet hum. The refrigerator creaks and groans. All these sounds disappeared, and the first thing we noticed was the void.
“Be still and
know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
These days it’s hard to be still. We press on in all of our business, running the kids here, there and everywhere. We rush to sign up for little league baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics, dance, drama, choir — and our kids’ lives get so scheduled that they don’t have even a moment to BE STILL. As a homeschool mom eager to make sure my child isn’t shorted on social interactions, I’ve found myself with no time at all to be still. The only day of the week we weren’t running somewhere was Monday. While most of the world cringes at Mondays, I’ve been eagerly embracing them because those are the days I’m not driving all over town.
But we’ve taken a new direction (it’s that GPS, you know!) We’ve dropped a couple of activities so we’re not running so much. The extra time will be well spent in drinking in His power. I’ve found that the times I am still are the times the Lord speaks to me. He refreshes me. I am NOT the Energizer Bunny; my batteries need powerful charging.
“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25
The Lord who created the universe, who set the stars in the sky one by one, the one who calls us each by name — He himself refreshes me! How does this happen? It’s not as if I have a power cord sticking out of my back that I plug into a great big outlet in the sky. No, it is the power of the Holy Spirit, the gift that Jesus gives to all who believe in Him.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” (Acts 1:8)
I don’t know about you, but it’s very easy to let busyness drown out the gentle whispers of the Holy Spirit. To be sure, there have been times that He’s yanked me off the wrong path — but those times weren’t very pleasant and were sure results of my refusal to do what I knew to be right. When I’m too busy to make time to Be Still for God, I don’t hear.
“Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”
Lord, let me NOT be spiritually dull and indifferent! If I am too busy, I stop loving others. I get irritated by the traffic because I’m running late for piano lessons. A school bus turns in front of me and I mutter under my breath. Let me instead breathe words of prayer for the children on the bus! Let me be so filled with love for others that I shine with Your power.
The power came back on after about three hours. During our three hour pioneer lifestyle, we brought our school books down to the living room so we could sit and read by the big windows. The silence was actually nice, and we were forced to Be Still. How about you? Have you had a moment today when you can sit still and let the power of the Lord refresh your spirits?
I am now officially a blogger! For many years now I have felt compelled to write encouraging words and have done so, through letters and emails. Lately I have been greatly encouraged by Holly’s blog. Holly and I cut our teeth together in the journalism industry way back in high school. Through her words and these:
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (Heb 10:23-24)
I spent the weekend driving around the DFW area with Holly. She flew in to attend a taping of one of Beth Moore’s ministries. The teachings were wonderful, but I have to say, “thank you Lord!” for the navigation system in my car! We drove from the airport to Arlington to Euless to Bedford to downtown Dallas and all points in between. I’ve only lived in the area for a year, and my forays into that area of town have been limited to…one. The taping was held at Life Outreach International. Holly had great fun plugging in the name of our destinations and watching as “Claire,” (the name we gave the navi system because the voice is so crisp and clear), told me to “take the exit on the right, then second right.” Perhaps the best feature of all is the ability to simply touch “Go Home” on the touchscreen, and the computer maps out directions from anywhere to home sweet home.
And that brings me to a remembrance I have of my daughter’s comment shortly after we got our car several years ago. Cadi was and is intensely interested in all things having to do with technology and was fascinated with the navigation system. Imagine our surprise when our then-six year old said, “God is our GPS! He tells us where to turn!”
Indeed, he does! I like her metaphor. But there is a key difference. The GPS in my car isn’t perfect. On a couple of our trips, it led us to the wrong destination. The roads have changed since the last update, and Claire tells me take the left exit when I really have to take the right. Even though I rely on that computer to help me traverse the unknown, I am on my toes. I have to carefully watch the signs and know that the computer isn’t fail-proof.
But my God IS fail-proof! Hallelujah! He IS perfect! And His directions never fail. They will never tell me to go left when I’m supposed to go right. And though I don’t see them specifically laid out in blue on the screen, they are whispered straight to my heart. For God promised,
“But this is the new covenant I will make…I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Heb 8:10)
With God’s law written on the tablet of my heart, I am guaranteed fail-proof directions. He may send me on a detour, but it will be for His purposes and for my good. Sometimes, he changes the nature of the road I’m on:
“You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.” (2Sam 22:37)
“You have made known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:10-11)
Though I do not have a button to push that says, “Go Home,” I know that one day the path of my life will lead me to my heavenly home with my Jesus. The Holy Spirit in my heart directs me through unknown terrains just as sure as the GPS in my car, only better. My car’s battery dies, the tires wear out, and when it runs out of gas, the GPS is worthless. But God is writing his path for me on my heart every day, moment by moment. He never fails, never runs out of gas, never gives up. He’s writing on your heart, too. Have you reviewed the map of your heart lately to see if you’re walking on the path he is leading?
