Deep Roots, Strong Trees

"Our roots only go as deep as they have to..."

I heard myself say this to a friend as we were chatting about the challenges of not having our usual supports of Bible study groups, etc., due to the irregular routines of summertime. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Gathering together to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25) is something we're instructed to do. It's an essential and wonderful part of being in a spiritual family. However, it's also easy to get used to slurping up the "water" that everyone brings and we're not so readily aware of the need for our own roots to go deep, deep into relationship with God. Trees with deep roots can better withstand storms and produce more fruit regardless of poor weather conditions.

Interrupted schedules can reveal the need. Sometimes our struggles are so great that the comfort of our friends isn't enough to sustain us. The not-so-obvious blessing in this is that, in this place, there's great potential for something truly marvelous to happen. "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the Lord. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes." (Jeremiah 29:13-14a)

Challenging times can leave us wanting to sink into despair or self-pity at the very time that we need to rouse ourselves to wholehearted seeking.

Seek with the passion of David: I earnestly search for you! My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1)

Seek with the determination of Jacob: I will not let you go until you bless me! (Gen 32:26)

Seek with the desperation of Job: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him! (Job 13:15)

Seek...find...live!

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.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

Declaration of...Faith

June is a crazy month for me... As a teacher and parent there's just a whole lot going on. It all screeches to a halt with a giant crescendo on the Last Day of School and I discover that I'm utterly exhausted. Flat. I long for sleep and when I'm not sleeping, all I want to do is lie around and read.

It's really important to take time to rest and relax--for our bodies, our souls, and our spirits. After a couple of days of rest, I was still feeling like I was carrying around a weight in my soul. I've learned that you can be weary in body without being weighted down in soul and spirit so I was motivated to get to the root of this. I picked up a piece of paper I have entitled "Daily Confessions of Faith". I began to speak out loud, "This is going to be a great day. God is guiding and directing my steps. His favor is surrounding me. Goodness and mercy are following me. I am excited about today. I am starting my day with faith and expectancy and I am anticipating good things..."

As soon as I began to speak, light began to flood my soul! Heaviness and weariness can creep in just because we have made agreements with the "facts" of our lives rather than God's truth. Confession of His truth breaks off the chains of heaviness! This is not the same thing as the power of positive thinking. The power of positive thinking rests in our ability to think up good thoughts, keep on thinking them, and somehow create our own reality. Success rests in our ability to do it. It's a counterfeit. The real thing is declaring what God has already said to be true. He said it, He promises it, it has already been created for us, we simply need to receive it. The power is of God rather than of us.

You can find all kinds of "confessions" on the internet. You want to be sure that you're confessing something rock-solidly based on the Word of God. I highly recommend Dr. Neil Anderson's materials. I regularly use his confessions Who I Am in Christ and 20 Cans of Success.

It's also important to "declare" your confession, to speak it out loud. Yesterday my daughter was feeling miserable. I encouraged her to go out onto the deck and shout, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!" It was hard to do. At first all she could do was whisper, but when she declared it a huge smile filled her face!! The lie of discouragement was dispelled and truth brought freedom and joy!

"You will also declare a thing,
and it will be established for you;
so light will shine on your ways."
Job 22:28 NKJV

Scars

I was mowing the lawn for the first time this season when I moved a piece of plywood that was slightly stuck and, in the process, gouged my calf with a corner. It really hurt and didn't look so good for quite a few days. It's looking better today. I sarcastically observed that "it'll add to the beauty of that leg". For some reason I have a lot of scars on that one...

Like the one on my knee from 1979 that still has rocks in it. I should have obeyed my mom and not taken my brother on the back of my banana seat bike... My kids love that story. Signs that mom once blew it too--and it wasn't the end of the story!

This got me to thinking about the scars on our hearts. We seldom think of them as beautiful and sometimes there's a bit of shame attached to them, but there's tremendous beauty in the miracle of a wound that has been healed.

Sometimes we carry scars that are "almost" healed, but are still a bit red and sensitive and seem like they've been that way for a long time. It's not meant to stay that way. Pray for complete healing. Ask someone you trust to pray with you.* God will answer--He's invested everything in your healing. He's answered this prayer for me in many ways and there's no end to His creativity. Pray with expectation!

There are times when our hearts have been healed, but shame lingers. We think it's the story of The Stupid Thing I Did or The Awful Thing That Happened to Me. This is a terrible lie that can stop the flow of Life from us to others. The truth is that everyone has wounds, but we have a testimony of a glorious Savior who heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds.

A wound that has healed is a beautiful thing. It's a testimony, a story, that tells of a great Healer who gave everything so we could be healed. Stories of healing need to be shared...everyone around you is in need of that hope!

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,
for the LORD has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD'S favour has come
and, with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the LORD has planted for his own glory.
Isaiah 61: 1-3

*You can send me a private message if you'd like me to pray--I'd love to pray for you.

An Audience of Angels

When I was a child someone told me about the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). Somehow I got the idea that angels and people who had gone to heaven before me were watching over my shoulder and keeping track of all my mistakes. This was a fear-filled thought because no one knew better than I how often I failed to do things perfectly. I'm pretty sure I got that idea because it's not an uncommon thought...

The truth is so far more glorious and exciting. First Peter 1 tells us that our faith is on trial. It also tells us that "God is protecting you by his power" (v. 5), "that your faith is far more precious than mere gold" (v. 7) and that "it is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (v. 12) Words like "protecting", "precious", and "wonderful" are not words to inspire fear, but hope!

How is our faith being tested? In the opportunities to believe that God has good plans for us...even when things look like they're falling apart around us. (Jer. 29:11) In the opportunity to forgive, not because someone is sorry, but because we've been forgiven. (Matt. 6:12) In the opportunity to sing praise to God when we feel like we're surrounded by a challenge much bigger than we are. (2 Chron. 20) If you pause and consider your life for a minute, you'll know where this particular trial is for you right now.

In the moments when we're facing these struggles it's easy to feel weary, condemned or insignificant, but if angels are watching "eagerly" because "it is all so wonderful", we can be encouraged that something very huge, amazing and eternal is happening when we lift our hands in praise and confess God's truth in the face of difficulty. It's breathtaking to think that the angels who stand in the presence of God are eagerly watching the seemingly mundane events of our lives with excitement.

May God bless you with hope and encouragement and the knowledge that He is protecting you by His power!

Extravagant Love

Watch what God does, and then you do it,
like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.
Mostly what God does is love you.
Keep company with Him and learn a life of love.
Observe how Christ loved us.
His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn't love in order to get something from us
but to give everything of himself to us.
Love like that.
Ephesians 5:1-2
(The Message)

Ever have one of those days where you get a bit of a wake-up call on how much room you have to grow in the love department? Even with people that you really, truly, genuinely love. I recently had one of those and then just "happened" across this verse. God's really cool like that.

Our lack of perfect love can hurt those that we love most. On this particular day I was teetering on the thin edge of condemnation and despair. How can we grow in love? A perfect love is humanly impossible. It can't be achieved just on the strength of willpower alone--who hasn't discovered that?

God's spirit is never condemning--He gently offers conviction and the promise that He can make something beautiful out of our messes if we'll offer them to Him. This verse doesn't slam us with "smarten up and love like God" but rather gives keys to greater love: watch what God does, keep company with Him, observe how Christ loved...

Again, I am reminded that determination to get it right isn't enough. An intimate relationship with the source of perfect Love is the answer. When my heart is filled with the awareness of His great love for me, I'm safe to love "extravagantly" and without fear of not "getting something for myself".

My heart has heard you say,
"Come and talk with me."
And my heart responds,
"Lord, I am coming."
Psalm 27:8

He is With You

My son has recently asked to be read to from "the real Bible" instead of his story Bible. This works for me. He likes stories about mighty men of God and so I've been going through picking and choosing--starting, of course, with my personal favorites! After David, there's Joseph. His story never ceases to amaze me. To be mocked, betrayed and falsely accused and yet remain faithful to God qualifies him as a hero in my mind.

Joseph's story is quite familiar... He was the beloved son of his father which provoked jealousy in his older brothers who sold him into slavery. In Egypt he was elevated to head slave in the household where he served. His master's wife falsely accused him of trying to seduce her and his master threw him into prison. In prison he helped some men who promised to remember him to Pharaoh, but promptly forgot all about him. He eventually interpreted some dreams for Pharaoh, was raised to second-in-command and rescued Egypt and his family from starvation.

While reading this morning a phrase jumped off the page: "The Lord was with Joseph...as he served in the home of his Egyptian master." And again, "The Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love." (Genesis 39:2, 21) There were thirteen years of "setbacks" between the time that he was sold by his brothers and then raised to Pharaoh's right hand, yet "the Lord was with him" in slavery and in prison, all the while preparing him for a great task.

How easy it is to believe the lie that we've been abandoned by God when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances or simply numbed by routine! Maybe we don't consciously believe we've been abandoned, but we live as though He is absent, our hearts unaware of His presence.

How did Joseph overcome bitterness and discouragement? I'm sure there were many lonely hours when he must have wrestled with these giants. We don't have Psalms recorded for Joseph like we do with David, but he must have been able to strengthen himself in the Lord. We know he was faithful in the daily tasks given to him and that this faithfulness raised him in favor with his masters and eventually led him to Pharaoh's court--this is not the legacy of one languishing in depression.

I'm inspired to be faithful in the humble tasks set before me today, to accomplish them with the awareness that "the Lord is with me" and that His favor will increase in my life through faithfulness in the little things. (Luke 19:17) I don't want bitterness and resentment to cripple me. I want to say with Joseph, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good." (Genesis 50: 20a)

May you be blessed with an awareness of God's presence in your life today. He will never abandon you!

"For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"
(Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Three Rs for a Clean Receptor

I have an electric kettle for boiling water. It's the kind that has a base that gets plugged into an electrical outlet. The kettle part can be lifted off the base without dragging the cord along. There's a little button in the bottom of the kettle that fits onto the base to transfer the electricity. I've had it since I was boiling water for baby food and it works great. Most of the time. Turns out that if you lift the kettle from the base while the switch is still on, a small electrical arc is formed and somehow leaves carbon on the little prongs. If I continue to misuse the kettle in this way, the carbon builds up and the electricity is no longer transferred. There's absolutely nothing else wrong with the kettle--it's ready and designed to function. There's nothing wrong with the electricity. There are 120 volts running through the cord ready to do the job. The only problem is in the receptors.

We're a lot like that kettle. We're designed to receive God's love and be used in powerful ways. His love is available to us in immeasurable abundance. Sometimes our receptors get messed up. That "carbon" builds up between our ears when our thoughts aren't in agreement with God's truth. Believing a lie can keep our hearts from receiving the truth of His love. It's there. We just don't "get it".

One of my favorite verses about the love of God is in Romans 8:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 38-39)

Someone recently pointed out to me that our past is not in this list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God. I can emphatically say without hesitation that our past cannot separate us from the love of God--that's the whole message of the New Testament! What we believe about our past can, however, prevent us from receiving His love. It's not a love problem, it's a receptor problem.

Guilt, shame, and a sense of failure can seriously clog up our love receptors. They're all based on lies--Christ paid the price for every sin and every failure. Yet, we often see the consequences of past choices and it's easy to come under the weight of a sense of failure or guilt. There really is a way to be free.

Repent. Renounce. Release.

Whether we've robbed a bank or lost our temper, we can confess our sin and the penalty has been paid with the blood of Jesus. Maybe you've already repented--most of us know enough to do this, but we continue to carry the weight of shame, guilt, or a sense of failure. It's generally easy to see that wrong choices we've made have hurt people and affected lives. What's may not be so obvious to us is that God is a Redeemer and He can make something beautiful out of the worst mess. In fact, it's a promise. Depression, despair and darkness are tied up in believing that this is not possible.

This is where the "renounce" comes in. The dictionary defines renounce as: to refuse to follow, obey or recognize any further. We need to renounce the lie that our failures are greater than His power to redeem. We need to renew our minds by filling them with God's promises of redemption. It takes faith to hold onto these promises until we see them fulfilled.

Release. This is the word I use to describe the "letting go" process of putting my messes into His hands. He alone has the power to redeem. He wants to redeem. In fact, it's His nature to redeem. I don't know exactly how it works, but I've seen it happen so many times--when I finally get to the point where I release things into His hands, changes begin to take place. It's almost as though I've been in the way as long as I've been hanging on to my sense of failure.

And so these three Rs get rid of the "carbon" on the receptors and once again the power of His love can flow through our lives. Living in the light of His love we find that, indeed, His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and His joy is our strength.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
(Isaiah 61: 1b-3)