Do Ya Dare?

Hope is risky business.

That sense of eager expectation.  Anticipation.

It involves vulnerability.

Only those who hope can be disappointed.

Through all these months of medical ups and downs this purveyor of hope has been challenged.  One disappointment and delay after another.  There have been times when it felt like too much work, too much risk, too much potential pain...to dare hope again.

Cynicism is such excellent armour against disappointment.  Funny and witty!  Sophisticated, even.  But in the alone times it's a soul desert devoid of real joy.

Between the proverbial rock and the hard place.  To live without hope is to suffocate, but to hope again might be...will be, at times...costly.

There really is nothing new under the sun and 3,500 years ago there was a group of people who had endured slavery for many years, enough generations to have hope bred right out of them.  Along came Moses who told them that God says he's going to set you free!  Yeah, right.  They refused to listen.  "They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery."  Who can blame them?

The good news?  The state of their emotions didn't change the nature of the One who promised or the power of the promise.

Actually, things got worse before they got better for those ancient people.  It's often that way.  Still the power of the promise was not lessened.  Its fulfillment only nearer.

The only difference between those who dared to hope and those who didn't was the joy they had in the waiting.

Selah.  Pause and think on that.

Two weeks post surgery and I'm definitely feeling better. Dare I hope?  I don't have the pathology report yet.  What if...?

What if, indeed.  I have a Papa who knows the contents of that report before it is even written.  Not one iota of it will be a surprise to Him.  And He is faithful.  He will never leave me or forsake me.  He delights in every detail of my life.  His plans for me are good.

Pondering all of that goodness fuels hope.

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, 

fill you up with peace, 

so that your believing lives, 

filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, 

will brim over with hope!

Romans 15:13 MSG

Joy Fuel

It sneaks up behind me and clutches my heart with icy fingers:  I haven't done enough.  I should have done more.  It might be too late.  What if, what if, what if...and my heart takes off on a hamster wheel of worry.  

Joy leaks out of my heart like the strength leaving my knees.

Motherhood.  I love my kids more than anything.  I want to do it right.  Love them well.  Teach them everything they need to know to live a pain-free life.  Seriously.  You scoff because it's ridiculous, but look into the sweet faces of your own babies and ask yourself if you don't wish the same?

It's absolutely true that I haven't done very many (any?) things perfectly and only some things well.  Too late?  I don't know.  The experts say that the preschool years are the most formative and I wouldn't say I did my best parenting then.  What if it is too late for some things?  What if they do make some terrible choices that hurt...themselves...others...me?  Anxiety can be the worst kind of agony.

I fling myself at His feet, begging for mercy for my children, for some kind of second chance, for a "get out of jail free card"--and I find love-filled eyes.  Did He not come just because He knew we'd never get it all right?  Is it not His nature to create beauty out of ashes?  To bind up the broken-hearted?  To help desperate parents and imperfectly parented children?

A breath of hope.

Grace.

It's not an excuse for sloppy parenting.  It is hope for those who are doing their imperfect best.  I make an idol of myself and my abilities when I think it all depends on my capacity to parent perfectly.

He loves my kids with a passion that's far greater than a mother's love.   I can trust Him.  He put His life on the line for their redemption.  


Trust.  


Joy begins to well up and strengthen my feeble knees. 


Trust fuels joy.

The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. 

I trust in him with all my heart. 

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. 

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.  

Psalm 28:7 NLT

Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD!

Psalm 40:4a NLT

O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you!

Psalm 84:12 NLT

Those who trust the LORD will be happy.

Proverbs 16:20b  NLT 

Overflowing Joy

"I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes your joy will overflow!"

These words, surfacing over and over again in my thoughts, just savouring them making me feel joyful...  What precisely did he tell us so that we would be filled to overflowing with joy?

"I have loved you..remain in my love..."

He loves you.  Remain in--be vitally connected to--that love. Let His love be the source of your life.  Then you will overflow with joy...

As soon as the source of your life is the approval of others, the comfort of your circumstances, your sense of control over your life, the behavior of your children/siblings/friends...the joy begins to drain away.

Remain. Stay vitally connected to His love that never fails, is unconditional, that supersedes all circumstances...and your joy will overflow.  Meditate on His love.  Fill your mind with the truth that you can't earn it or lose it.  He loves you!

Knowing how loved we are takes the sting out of every rejection and failure.  Letting our thoughts dwell on that incredible love rather than all the he-said, she-said, what-if...and your joy will overflow.

He told us these things because He wanted us to be filled with His joy. 

John 15:9-11

Let Joy

I'm a word nerd.  


If there was a club for word nerds, I'd want in.  Words are amazing!  I love all that you can express with them--and am sometimes frustrated by lack of just the right one.  I've secretly longed to be Greek just so I could have more to choose from.  If I had loads of money and time, I'd get a degree in linguistics just for the fun of discovering more of the wonder.  I'm so convinced of the fun of words that I'm sure others would think they were fun too, if only they knew!


Take for instance a little-known, virtually overlooked, yet profoundly impactful word...a word that, once you recognize it's full meaning, changes your entire reading of the Bible.  Seriously.  Three common letters that have the power to change your understanding.  What is this word you ask?  Let.  Yep, that was it--slow down and reread if you missed it.  Let.


The word "let" as it's translated into English means to grant permission, allow, or to loosen, slacken, relax.  Relax.  Oh, yeah, that's the one I need a reminder on some days.  Relax.  Let go of your need to control.  Whether it's control of my own world or control of how everyone else manages theirs, sometimes I need to let.

I've been thinking about the connection between joy and let.


Along with secretly wishing I was Greek, I've also secretly wished I was African-American.  This is partly because I'm convinced that I could sing better, but mostly because I like the way they let the joy roll in church.  I wish I could just let out the joy-whoops like those mommas do in the movies.  Full disclosure:  I know I can because I've tried this at home.  Perhaps what I mean is that I'd like to do it any time the joy bubbles up without giving anyone whom I dearly love a heart attack.

I've found a bit of scriptural evidence that God doesn't mind a little volume and enthusiasm.  He's even granted permission to let the godly rejoice and be filled with joy.

But let the godly rejoice.

Let them be glad in God's presence.

Let them be filled with joy.

Sing praise to God and to his name!

Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.

His name in the LORD--

rejoice in his presence!

He's granted permission.  I need to relax and be filled with joy in His presence.


Let yourself relax (relinquish control) and let His joy flood your soul.  All those things preplexing and worrying you?   Let go of control and let the joy fill that space.  It's often when I'm not looking, when I'm letting the joy bubble up, that all that stuff becomes clear anyway.


And if there's ever a time you feel a bit uncomfortable with someone's enthusiasm level, just remember that God said it was good.  Let them rejoice.


I'm going to go sing some loud praises now.

Let.

Psalm 68:3-4

Joy!

In the '80s there was a really popular song called Don't Worry, Be Happy.  It was so catchy, so happy!  You couldn't help but love it and people loved to hate it.  It was often described as cheesy.  I'm not sure exactly why it's not cool to be happy...I think it might be another one of those lies we've been sold.


"Serious, calm, cool, and collected" didn't make it on to the list describing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Joy did.  That is not to say that there isn't a time to mourn and be comforted--it's just that mourning is not a defining characteristic of those who are filled with the Spirit of the Living God.


To be joyful does not necessarily mean to be obnoxious or silly (though it possibly may look that way to the uninformed).  As a fruit of the Spirit, it is accompanied by love, peace, patience, long-suffering, gentleness, and self-control.


Joy looks different on everyone.  I have an uncanny ability to laugh and/or cry when I'm filled with joy.  (It's not always pretty which is unfortunate.)  My beautiful friend Amy is a lot more quiet than I am, but she radiates.  My husband's eyes twinkle.  My daughter just has to spin around.  Joy in any form is unmistakable.


So is joy something we get randomly blasted with or must we conjure it up?


I can conjure it up once in a while.  When I've had enough sleep, the sun is shining, I've had my coffee, the kids are behaving, adequate amounts of chocolate have been consumed, no one has looked at me funny...  You get the idea.  Conditions are rarely optimal.


He gives it to us.  He came to give us "messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit."  Instead of.


So why can't I feel it sometimes?  Because I quench His Spirit within me. I forget to give thanks in all things.  I stop praising and begin fretting.  I pile on all kinds of burdens, complaints and worries.  I get my undies and my eyebrows in a knot.  (That's not pretty either!)  I've gotta lay them all down at the feet of Jesus and look into His love-filled eyes.  


Joy is the fruit of His spirit.  It's what naturally happens when we "abide in the Vine."


There is joy in His presence!


His joy gives us strength. 


Blessing you with the courage to lay down your burdens and trust in His promise of good plans for your life.  May you feel the strength-giving joy of His presence!


Joy is yours, it belongs to the children of God.  Don't let anything steal it away.

Is 61:3 MSG, John 15, Nehemiah 8:10

Joy made Full

Today's little scrap of paper was smaller than the others, tightly folded...

I ask and receive and my joy is made full.

I ask. A lot. I receive...sometimes.  My joy...is it full?  I have lots, but I think there's still room for more.

I've been pondering the big questions of unanswered prayer a lot lately.  Seeking words adequate to describe trust when the answers aren't neatly packaged in a little box and adorned with a perfect bow.

In my own life I've gone through times of such profound pain and disappointment that I shut out, blamed, even accused the One who was my only source of hope.  

We can get sad, mad, hurt, frustrated, angry, disappointed, distressed, depressed when He doesn't enter our circumstances in the way we want Him to, when it looks like He hasn't done what He promised.  He promised a way to escape temptation, but I just want to escape reality.

We block Him out or say He isn't real because He doesn't dance to our tune or rescue us according to our plan.

Yet all the walls built to block out the pain of disappointment also block out the light.  The hope.  Even those disappointed places, especially those disappointed places, must be surrenderd to Him if I want to be filled full with joy...

So many mysteries, so many complexities, that don't fit into the neat little columns and boxes I adore.  Yet I always come back to the fact that He is huge and full of love.  Trustworthy.  He hung the stars and keeps the planets in their orbit.  He can handle the details of my life.  I can trust even when things don't make sense.

He says to ask...He invites us to ask.  He promises we will receive all that we need...and then some.  My joy is full and when I trust that He is answering and providing all that I need.  Even when it doesn't come in the package I was looking for.

And this same God who takes care of me

will supply all your needs from his glorious riches

which have been given to us in Christ Jesus

Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever!

Amen.

John 16:24

Philippians 4:19-20

This post is part of a series Love in a Box

Overcome with Joy

This morning I unfolded the little scrap "Week 1, Day 5" with anticipation...

I am overcome with joy because of God's unfailing love, 

for He has seen my troubles, 

and He cares about the anguish of my soul.

I contemplated the words as I watched the morning sunshine seep across the valley.  I savoured them as the clouds shimmered from magenta, to pink, and finally white.

I know what it is to be overcome with joy because of God's unfailing love...  I have felt His care in times of anguish.  I know He sees my troubles.  Should I just wait to be randomly overcome with joy today?

Funny thing is that as I remembered occasions when He rescued and comforted me in times of anguish, I felt overcome with joy all over again!  Therein lies a key to joy...  The remembering.  Reminding yourself of what He has done in the past.  Inspiring faith and hope for what He will do.

Some days joy comes to us as a gift.  Some days we find it in the remembering of His unfailing love.

Psalm 31:7

This post is part of a series Love in a Box

Unusual Christmas

This Christmas hasn't been like any other Christmas I've ever experienced.  

It's not the first time we've been without extended family, but it was the first time in my entire life that we haven't had people other than our immediate family around the table.  I had sought out others who might want to join us, but it seemed everyone had somewhere to go.  When I realized this I felt undone.  The gathering together is as essential to me as the gifts and the carols.  We've always shared our table with others who were also without family or who would otherwise be alone.  

I felt bent.  Unreasonably bereft. Couldn't really look the thought in the face.  Finally had to.  Why was this so hard for me?  I'm not unaware that I have much to be thankful for...  

I have a friend who dreams of what it would be like to have a quiet Christmas.  As we talked at the Christmas Eve service about the challenges of our different situations, I found myself declaring adamantly, "Wherever we find ourselves, we need to find Him!  He will be with us--we need to be alert to His presence."

My kids were unsettled when they realized no one would be joining us at our table.   Turkey dinner was vetoed.  While they all watched a movie I sought inspiration in the kitchen...and it came.  

My Oma's biscuits, cut with the Christmas tree cookie cutter...

Locally made sausage and cheese.  Table set with a cloth gifted by a friend who is having her own unusual Christmas overseas this year.  Gingerale poured into crystal goblets and candles lit...

Everyone laughed with delight at our odd Christmas feast.  We held hands 'round the table and gave thanks.  I found Him there.  He is in us and we are in Him.

"I have told you these things

so that you will be filled with my joy.

Yes, your joy will overflow!"

~ Jesus

John 15

The Advent of Joy

We lit the "joy" candle in the advent wreath this morning, reminding us that the coming of Christ brings joy.

I love the joy candle because I 'get it'.  It's more than a ritual, it's something life-changing that I've experienced.  My heart does a little happy dance just thinking of it.

You see, joy isn't just the expression of an upbeat personality.  I've seen people who are quietly joyful and others who are a bit more exuberant in their expression.  It's not like winning the lottery--joyful isn't just a disposition you are born with or not. It's a person, Jesus, changing your life.  He gives you joy in the place of mourning.  It's real.

I'd like to tell you part of my story as an example...

In 1990 I decided I needed to change the trajectory of my life.  I ended a four-year relationship with a man, quit a job I really enjoyed, and moved from the east coast to the west.  I was confident that I was making the right choice, I just didn't know how hard it would be.  It was a lot of major life changes all at once.  I sank into depression.  I don't mean just feeling sad, I mean d.e.p.r.e.s.s.e.d.  The kind of heaviness that leaks out of your heart into your body and you feel like you can't even move.

One day I was lying on the living room floor wondering what my life had come to and if there was any possible way other than death to escape this hideous weight.  I really felt desperately at the end of my rope.

I love that God was Immanuel, God with me, at that moment.  He wasn't repelled by my sorry state, He met me in it.  I was crying out to Him for relief.  I felt an "urge" to try to sing a song--a simple, old gospel chorus: God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me.

If you've never been in that state of depression, it may sound silly to you that I could barely form the words.  It was all that I could do to whisper them, but it was enough to let in a ray of light.  I repeated the song over and over and over again until my voice grew stronger.  Eventually I was striding around the house, singing with all my might as though my life depended on it.  It did.

Nothing about my circumstances changed that day.  My heart still needed to mend, I needed to build new relationships and put down roots in a new place, but Joy filled my heart.  By declaring truth--that God is good--the darkness of despair was dispelled.  Lies of hopelessness were annihilated by the light of truth.  Joy came in the place of despair.

God is good.  All the time.  In the worst circumstances He has a plan for redemption.  When we've brought those circumstances upon ourselves by poor choices, He gives grace and restoration.  Anything else is a joy-destroying lie.  His truth brings Joy.

This is so much more than the power of positive thinking--it's an encounter with Jesus that transforms us.  He really did come to live among us, to share our sorrows and to make a way from darkness and despair to freedom.  Joy has come.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

and to proclaim that captives will be released

and prisoners will be freed.

To all who mourn...

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

Isaiah 61:1b, 3

The Joy of His Presence

But you are holy, You who inhabits the praises of Israel.

  Psalm 22:3

God is everywhere, yet scripture says he inhabits, lives in, is enthroned on, or dwells in the praises of His people.  Can He be everywhere and especially in praise?  Does praise attract His presence?

Of this I am certain:  as I begin to praise Him I become more aware of His presence.  Awareness of that presence makes everything so...much...better.  He's been with me all the while, never left more or forsaken me for a moment of my life, but it's the awareness that makes the difference, that strengthens me.  And in His presence there truly is fullness of joy.

So I shout His praises as I count blessings:

~  My co-workers make me laugh!  I love that.

~  My husband taught the kids this morning so I could catch up at work.

~  My daughter is at an amazing youth program tonight.  Other people are volunteering their time to make that happen...so grateful.

~  My electronic connections with people I love...staying so connected with them wouldn't be possible without it.

~  My friend Joanne was born on this date--she's enriched my life in so many ways!!  So glad God created her and gifted us.

~  The list would not be complete without including the hard things...the place of praise for that which is not yet...the faith step of giving thanks before the answer is received...  Someone I love has been waiting months for surgery that has been delayed yet again.  I yearn for a miracle of the "rise up and walk" type, but I'll shout for joy over a surgery date too.  Giving thanks for the gifts that are yet to be received... Please join me in praying and praising for Erin?

Just the highlights...the recounting of His gifts has no end.  I invite you to keep counting with me, growing in awareness of His presence, living in the fullness of joy.

You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 16:11

A Recipe for Joy

This is my least favorite time of the year.  The glorious leaves are gone, the gracious mantle of snow hasn't yet arrived to cover the bleak landscape, and there's so...much...less...sunlight.  I'm pretty sure I'm solar powered.   For the rest of the year I cannot sleep in.  In October/November, it seems I cannot wake up or remain awake.  As a substitute for sun, my body demands carbs and sleep.  It is as though I'm overtaken by a primal urge to hibernate.

However, nothing else in my life recognizes or validates my hibernation theory so I trudge on determined to hang in there until my body adjusts.  I take my vitamins, try not to eat as much chocolate as I'm inclined, go to bed early when possible, and...well, I'm thinking about dusting off the elliptical machine.

Kindly, graciously, (might I add humorously?) my Father reminds me that my attitude also has a huge effect on my body, that there is a Source of strength greater than my circumstances.  Through the "mouths of babes" He speaks to me.  My daughter gave me a lovely picture--this is where the "humorously" comes in as I recognize it as a smack up the back of my head!

This is now posted beside my bathroom mirror--the spot where my day more or less begins and ends--to remind me of the best way to start and end.

"Every morning tell him, "Thank you for your kindness."  Starting the day by thanking Him that it's going to be a good one is a really good plan!  Something physically changes in my sleepy mind and body as I say, "Thank you for your kindness," out loud, first thing in the morning.  It's surprising that choosing this stance of anticipation of His kindness actually positions the heart to recognize that kindness throughout the day.  I spot it in the laughter of my coworkers, in an encouraging phone call from a friend, in the hugs of my children.  It's everywhere!

"Every evening rejoice in all His faithfulness."  Ending the day by counting it's blessings rather than groaning under the weight of it's challenges has a good way of putting those (very real) challenges where they belong:  in the faithful Hands that carried you through this day.  Remember, pause to make yourself aware, and rejoice in His faithfulness.  Faith grows.

"You have done so much for me...I sing for joy!"

It's true.  It's a recipe for joy.  Even when the sun's not shining.

Joyful are those...

This week I have heard two stories of God's faithfulness...and a few huge prayer requests.

My friend writes to me about her new job and her message is full of happy faces and words like "superb...hilarious...incredible...ridiculous...happy!"  I feel full of laughter that's half choked with tears as I read.  Months ago she boldly turned down a job that didn't seem right, but then there were no other offers.  We prayed.  She did a mission trip.  Waited.  Prayed.  Wondered.  Did she make the right decision?  Her bank account dwindled and she dared to give some more.  Still no job.  Then suddenly!  The job is perfect--all she hoped for and more!

I think of her heavenly Father smiling on her all those months of waiting and wondering.  I think of the angels cheering her on as she took courageous, faith-filled steps that seemed only wondering and trembling to her at the time.  All the while her Papa knew that He had this wonderful surprise in store for her.

The second story is of praying parents watching their daughter stand at a crossroad in her faith walk, knowing they can only pray and love and wait.  The daughter has taken small steps toward the light.  The parents have lain awake, praying in the darkness.  This week they met a total stranger who had encountered their daughter months ago...and has been praying for her ever since.  The parents are filled with joy realizing that God is at work, has been at work all along, and they don't need to be afraid.

These stories encourage and excite me!

But what about...

My friend who has a lump in her breast.

A friend who believes God has abandoned him because the circumstances of his life are so difficult right now.

The baby girl I've been longing to see healed for two years but open-heart surgery is now imminent.

A woman is still barren...a marriage is still falling apart...

When my thoughts dwell on all these things something icy cold fills up the center of me.  I want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head.  These challenges are big.  Real people are in pain.  How can I rise up and face the day?

Unless I surrender my right to understand for now.  Unless I believe that God is at work, even now, behind the scenes...that glory is yet to be revealed...that I'm someday going to use words like "superb...hilarious...incredible...ridiculous...happy" to describe the end of the story.  Unless I believe His promise that He is willing and able to make something beautiful out of messes.   Unless I choose to give thanks before I see the miracle.  Unless I begin to worship the One who is my only Hope...  Then a fire fills me and I overflow with laughter.

That is how we can rise up and face the day.  Worship.  Giving thanks in all things.  Remembering what He has already done...which gives rise to more worship.  Then we are filled with hope and laughter...and it's contagious!  It's a hope and a confidence that you can bank on.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord as long as I live.

I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath

...joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, 

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Psalm 146:1-2, 5

Shining and Doing

"How do I let my light shine?"

He is intense and frustrated.

"How do I know that I'm doing it?"

He has a ferocious scowl when he's this serious.

I know, little son, I know.  But how do I explain it to you when it's a dance I'm still fumbling through myself?  I know the direction of the steps, but execute them better some days than others.  It'll be no help to explain the grammar of "letting".

I know it's not about doing.  And yet we crave the doing.

Check.

Yep.

Got it right.

There's so much safety in defining the doing and then checking it off as accomplished.  Never mind the security of knowing that those who choose to judge me will come to the conclusion that I'm getting it right.

Therein lies the essence of the Pharisees.  And exhaustion.  It's only attractive to those with the same disease.  To everyone else it looks like oppression.

It's more about being...which feels a bit too vague until you get in the habit.  Choosing gratitude, believing that He is good and His plans for us are good.  Living aware of His presence.   Meditating on His love and grace.  Every act becoming an act of worship.  Falling in love all over again.  Joy begins to bubble up and suddenly the light is shining whether you're rescuing orphans or holding the door for someone. Scrubbing the floor (again!) or feeding the homeless.   Light is shining!

It's not an excuse for not doing.  It's just that the doing comes out of the being.  It's the response of a lover rather than a laborer.  It's joy.  It's a beacon of hope.

And so I told him about the moon and the sun and how the moon reflects the sun when its face is turned to the light.  How living with our faces turned to the Son is what makes our light shine no matter what we're doing.  That might seem too abstract and complicated...to an adult.  His little brow smoothed and he snuggled in with a sigh.  He may not be able to explain it to someone else, but something deep inside resonated and he rested.

I'll walk with you, little man, and we'll learn the steps together.

At a Bar in Bowness

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I found myself in a bar Bowness. Not my usual Sunday afternoon haunt, but a friend of my friend was playing in a Blues band there and... I love good music and it was fantastic! If I closed my eyes, I could easily imagine I was listening to Diana Ross. If I opened them, I could see a fascinating array of characters...

There were the brokenhearted, the love-hungry, the poor and the rich, some who appeared slightly off their rockers, those who loved to dance, some who just tapped their toe and listened...everyone was there for the music that afternoon. In the midst of this kaleidoscope there were three women who captivated me...

The first was an ancient granny whose wrinkled black face was adorned with a beautiful smile. Her vibrant patchwork skirt and vivid yellow tights shouted out joy as she stomped to the music, hunched over her gnarled tree-limb walking stick.

I want to live with that sort of unabashed joy.

The second was a woman of significant proportions who could dance like no one I've ever seen before. She was completely unselfconscious. Her faced glowed with happiness. She embodied the music and it was beautiful.

I hear the rhythms of heaven, but I am too often conscious of myself and what others may think. I want to abandon myself to the music, to the song that the morning stars sing. I want to be a physical expression of the cadence of glory.

The third was a lady with only one leg. When the band began to play Lean on Me, she came up to the dance floor on crutches, set them aside, reached for her partner, and began to dance. Not hop, but dance. I don't quite know how she did it, but she wasn't hindered by what she didn't have. She was having fun. She had someone to lean on. Tears came to my eyes as I watched her.

I live much too aware of my weaknesses and inabilities. I want to live more aware of His strength. I want to lean on my Friend and dance, have His presence make up for what I lack.

I've been invited: "May I have this dance?"

I want to shout out my yes with abandon, without self-consciousness. I want to embody the rhythms of heaven.

For the Lord has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them.

They will come home and sing songs of joy

on the heights of Jerusalem.

They will be radiant because of the Lord's good gifts--

the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil,

and the healthy flocks and herds.

Their life will be like a watered garden,

and all their sorrows will be gone.

The young women will dance for joy,

and the men--old and young--will join in the celebration.

I will turn their mourning into joy.

I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.

The priests will enjoy abundance and my people will feast on my good gifts.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

(Jeremiah 31:11-14)

The Holy Moments

This weekend we attended the wedding of a friend we've known since childhood.

The groom had waited 43 years to find the perfect wife and it was worth the wait. She stood beside him in glorious white. The musical prelude was the same as "our song". My husband sang a beautiful love song in the very spot that my heart had felt it's first "pitter-patter" toward him. The preacher was reminding us of what real love looks like and I was focusing intently because I earnestly desire to keep our love alive and strong when the moment was shattered by scuffling beside me and my head jerked sideways to see two sets of blazing eyes...

"She won't let me use her pen!" he growled.

"He's going to use it all up and wreck it," she hissed.

I was filled with fury that they were disturbing this holy moment with selfishness. And I tumbled down into the pit with them.

That's precisely how all of our holy moments are destroyed.

Immanuel is God with us. All the time. In every place. Permeating every moment.

The very minute that I treasure my stuff...my agenda...my opinion...my schedule...my time, space and comfort...my...my...my...over the treasure that is in the soul and spirit of another person the sacredness and joy of that moment is lost.

It's not that I shouldn't have healthy boundaries or that I shouldn't be a good steward of all that I've been given. It's about life being lived with a keen awareness that my family, my friends, and random people in the grocery store are so loved and treasured by God that they matter more than...the stuff. This requires an element of humility. It's a choosing to honour what God honours.

The boy matters more than the pen.

The nurture and training of my children matter more than my agenda for the moment.

Forgiveness restores the holiness to the moment. Grace is a healing balm.

Recognizing that the person in any given scenario is the most precious part of the equation preserves the sacred.

It's another divine paradox that the letting go releases the joy we crave.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another,

for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

This is one of my favorite holidays and it's not about the food. Something really special happens whenever we pause and give thanks. It's not because our lives are trouble-free or because we just cheer ourselves with positive thinking.

Psalms 22:3 says, "You are holy, O you who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel." This word enthroned is translated from a Hebrew word that means "dwell, remain, abide, inhabit". God lives in, His presence abides in, our praises to Him!

My parents established a great tradition in our family of inviting anyone who might otherwise be alone to join us at our table. My husband and I have added a tradition of pausing between the main course and dessert to let our food settle and have each person (including the little people) share something about the past year for which they are particularly thankful. These two traditions combine in a way that means we're gathered with people who may be suffering from a particular loss or sadness and yet we are expressing gratitude. It always seems to me that in those moments when we are saying our "thankful things" a holy hush enters the room. God's presence abides in our praises.

This is the glorious message of the hope of the gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ. We live in a world at war, an earth in which there is pain, sorrow, tears, and dying. But that's not what defines our story. In the midst of the challenges we have Jesus and He brings us hope in the place of despair, joy in the place of mourning, a "garment of praise" in the place of the "spirit of heaviness"! (Isaiah 61:3)

If you're feeling the weight of disappointment and loss today or simply the blues because the skies have been grey for too many days, I'd like to encourage you to begin to give praise to God. This is far more powerful than positive thinking! The presence of God dwells in praises offered to Him. Declare the truth of who He is, praise Him, exalt Him, worship Him and the joy of His presence will begin to fill you!

May your day of giving thanks be filled with the joy of His presence.