Soaking it all in

A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold. The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord. When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it—be smart and hide. (Proverbs 22:1-3)

Every day in our lives is an opportunity to leave a legacy of some kind. It can be positive or negative, uplifting or kind of a bummer, rewarding or just plain dumb. Some days are the type we might call 'transition moments' - a time when God is taking us from one place to another - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or even relationally. Transition is just a big word for change - moving from one position to another, passage from one state into another. The old adage certainly holds true - there is one constant in life and that is change. Sometimes change comes in ominous, crashing ways. We need to know we have an opportunity to not take those change moments alone - Christ walks at our side, even leading the way so we have a clear pathway through even the most difficult of change.

How another "estimates" our worth or value is based on what they observe in our practice. We might think this is kind of sad since what someone may see might not fully represent who and what an individual is on the "inside". I daresay this is often the case with my own actions - for sometimes my actions align well with what is at the core of my being, and at others they just go all askew and are totally out of character to the truth that Christ dwells in me! All of life is a journey from one point to another. We are to be "smart" about how we face the transition points of change. The one constant we have in the midst of transition is Christ!

Change equals growth. It almost seems like our passage tells us to go somewhere and hide while transition is coming our way, but I want us to consider something a little closer to the point. To ensure we face transition well, God is telling us to avoid the unwise choices, running instead into the place of safety we have in Christ Jesus. After all, God is our hiding place, is he not? When the winds of change in our lives come, are our roots deep enough to help us stand strong in the midst of their force? If we want to know how deep our roots are we need only look as far as the soil in which they are planted. 

Hardened hearts don't allow for deep roots. The occasional watering (only going surface deep) of our hearts with a little of the Word of God once in a while is not enough to give us depth in our lives. In fact, we will be deceiving ourselves if we think a little "taste" of God's Word is enough to help us endure the forces of change in our lives! We need good soil - in order to be made good, it has to be worked. We need depth of watering - in order to get to the depths of our soul, we need to allow time to be soaked in his presence and his Word. Just sayin!

Words from within

Stop for just a moment in your busy day and consider what your words of praise have been today. Not the praise you give another, but the praise you lift to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. I get really put off by words like "God's blessing be upon you" when it seems to be words that come out like they are memorized or simply spoken out of habit. Sometimes I think we become so familiar with saying something like "Bless God!" or "Thank You Jesus!" that we almost speak them without any really thought behind them! Consider how we might feel when all we hear from someone is, "I love you" or "You are so special to me", but then never really see the love or "special" connection displayed. The words become hollow when spoken so frequently without any really action behind them, don't they? The same could be true of our worship!

Blessed are you, God of Israel, our father from of old and forever. To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You've raised yourself high over all. Riches and glory come from you, you're ruler over all; You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand to build up and strengthen all. And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to you, praising your splendid Name. (I Chronicles 29:10-13)

David often spoke publicly of his God's greatness. Whenever he did, he called attention to the characteristics of God he had observed in his own life and as he acted as the leader of the land. He knew God and he was not shy about revealing God's greatness in and through his life - even when he failed, he showed time and time again how God's grace overcame every stupid mistake he made.

- God's greatness and might. We are not to lose sight of the fact God's works are indeed noteworthy, but his presence is more noteworthy than all his works! We can see the display of his might, but we sense the awesomeness of his greatness! Look around and see the hills, trees, birds, and even the caterpillar creeping along on that leaf. All created by his hand - all display his greatness. His might is what makes him stand above all others. His ability to accomplish what he says is to be our focus. Truly God's greatness AND his might go hand in hand. One is the display of his creativity and the other is the display of his ability!

- God is worthy of glory. What we need to see is that God's greatness and might set him apart from any other god on this earth. Nothing and no one can fulfill what he has done. We are to proclaim the renown of God! To be able to do this, we have to see him as he is - we cannot have a second-hand knowledge of him. When we have first-hand knowledge of his greatness and might, it is a natural response to observe God is indeed "set apart" from other gods!

- Victory, majesty and splendor are his. No opponent stands a chance in his path. This should cause us to shout! What opponent stands in your way? It could be a habit, a person, or a circumstance beyond your control. God is bigger, more powerful, and all-consuming. Nothing stands in his way. When we think of majesty, we think of the distinction which comes with a person in a place of authority. Focus on God being in his right place in our lives - the place of authority. As long as he is, we know with assurance no opponent will stand in our way.

- God builds up and strengthens. Some think this "Christian" experience is some kind of "crutch" for a bunch of weakling individuals. I am not so sure they have ever walked in my shoes! In fact, I am far from weak! The greatest struggle I have is to NOT rely upon my own strength and allow his strength to come through in my life! The problem with my own strength is observed in its destructive power, not in its creative power. As a matter of fact, as long as I use my own strength, I only seem to run others down, run myself down, and basically steamroll my way through life. In Christ's power, my "self" takes on the right perspective.

I wonder if we really think about the words of honor and respect we "hurl" God's way on occasion? Are they intentional? Or are they spoken by 'rote' and merely words to "fill space". My own thoughts over the past couple of day have been on the idea of being intentional in my speech. Words are indeed "cheap" when they are spoken to only fill space - when they come from a deep well within, they just might carry a bit more refreshing and enjoyment! Just sayin!

Is any of that for real?

I have a observed this trend to get eyelash extensions, lip puff ups, and other types of augmentation. If you have them don't be mad at me right now, but why on earth do some of these gals get those eyelashes almost an inch long? It is like they almost need to work at opening their eyes! Those lashes are so long and with all the mascara on them to boot, they must catch the focus of their eye a whole lot. I also notice the lip enhancements with some form of stuff that is meant to puff them up, the eyeliner that goes on forever, and the six inch heels with the pointy toes. Mom had always taught me to leave the house "presentable". This does not mean I dress up, or 'super-enhance' what I have, but simply that I don't go out in my PJs or with hair every which way! Silly, isn't it, how much we focus on the external as our "view" of being presentable or beautiful to those around us?

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Presentable INSIDE and OUT! This should be our goal! Jesus knows exactly what we are like - it doesn't matter how we "dress ourselves up" - he knows us inside and out, just as we are underneath everything we try to 'add' to our appearance to give some 'other' impression of what we are already! Amazingly, he loves us exactly as he knows us - exactly as we are! There is no hesitation in approaching God when we do it through relationship with Jesus - because 'in Jesus' we are made as beautiful as we could ever hope to be. Just as every home needs a doorway by which we enter, so access to God is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. There is no other way to God EXCEPT through Christ. It is this relationship which gives us the boldness to enter into God's presence - no longer fearful of what he sees when he looks upon us. Why? Simply because he sees Jesus and the effect he has in our lives when he looks upon us!

We often hesitate to enter God's presence because of some guilt over past or recent sin, kind of like when we have curlers in our hair or no make-up on and don't want to be seen in public. The truth of the matter is God already knows about our sin and he has provided a perfect "covering" for our sin - the blood of Jesus. We need not avoid contact with God simply because we have sinned - in fact, we need to confess our sin and move right up close to God for his healing touch! The confidence of being fully presentable (inside and out) is something we need to appropriate and believe in our lives. We live far below our potential when we listen to our own mind's arguments of our "worth" or "value" or "beauty". The very thing which gives us supreme value and beauty is Christ inside of us! There is no other action which makes us "more presentable" or "more beautiful".

The good news is the "clean-up" or "transformation" of our lives has begun, but it isn't finished! We come to Christ with all our "baggage" of past hurts, wrong actions, and selfish deeds. He takes them, one-by-one, and replaces them with the perfect touch of his grace. We need a firm grip on what keeps us "centered". Plainly put, this is the Word of God. The more we allow the Word of God to get INTO us, the more it will affect what comes OUT of us (inside and out equally affected). No amount of 'self-beautifying' effort is more rewarded than the time we take getting the Word into our lives. The good news is we don't need to look into the mirror of the Word alone - we have been given each other to spur each other on - to help each other take frequent and long looks into the mirror of God's Word. No race is easy to run! In fact, whenever we "ramp up" our momentum, there are usually multiple obstacles to overcome. This makes it all the more important to not run alone! We need each other! A spur "digs in" and causes the one being spurred to become acutely aware of the action required. It is good to have others who will alert us to action and to assist us in "ramping up" when we need to! So, blemishes and all, don't be afraid to enter God's presence! Who knows - maybe his touch will leave you with so much inward beauty you won't care about those 'artificial beautifiers' any longer! Just sayin!

Window gazing

If you have ever made a conscious decision to look beyond the surface in someone's life, you know just how conscientious you have to be to not just stop at the "surface stuff" you observe with the eye, but to look deeper.  It is easy to think you might get to know the "real" someone just because you see them act a certain way or say certain things.  Truth is, we aren't really getting to know the "inner struggles" of a man or woman until we get beneath the surface.  For some, the holidays were a tremendous time of reconnecting with family and making new memories.  The homes were filled with laughter and lots of stories which added to the good times.  For others, the holidays were kind of melancholy and lonely.  The memories of yester-year were just not enough to bolster their enthusiasm for the holiday.  Relationships had been lost, hearts were left open and hurting, and things just didn't ring with the same cheer as in years gone by.  Still others seemed to enjoy it, but deep inside, something was missing, leaving a hole not really filled, needs not really met, and moments not fully realized.  Surface-reads only tell us so much, don't they?  Sometimes we just need to stop long enough to really recognize the heartache, reach out to the emptiness, and re-energize the weak.  To do this, we have to look beyond the surface.

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.  (2 Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG)

Looking inside gives us a different perspective, doesn't it?  Look out from any window in your home and what might you see?  Other homes, some landscaping, a fence or two, some cars, a bird, a neighbor's cat - infinite possibilities because even what seems "normal and customary" changes on the "outside" doesn't it?  Now, go outside your home and look inside through the same window.  What do you observe from this side?  If you stand back a ways, you might just see a reflection of some of those things you saw when looking out, right?  Get closer and you begin to see rooms, hallways, furnishings, and even maybe a few people.  Why are those people there? Isn't it because someone let them in?  Why are those furnishings arranged as they are?  Isn't it because it meets some need of those who have to make use of them?  Truth is, we don't really know what is on the inside until we begin to get close enough to see more than a reflection of what is on the outside!

Try as I might, I cannot "convince" someone to change the way they are feeling, to fill the emptiness of their lives with something which really makes a difference, etc.  I can set an example, but I cannot do the "convincing".  You don't convince someone TO enter or change, but you do convince them that what awaits them presents a pretty convincing argument that they SHOULD enter or embrace change.  

Too many times we look "inside" past the reflections we see on the outside and what we observe indicates to us someone needs something specific in their lives.  We might even point it out. Like if we were to observe through the window of the house that the couch facing a direction which did not give a view of the TV without craning one's neck in an awkward position.  We might try to convince them to move the couch, or to get rid of the couch and opt for two armchairs instead.  Either way, it is not our part to convince them TO change, but we can show them the possibilities of what change might look like by presenting an example for them to see in the way we "arrange" and "live out" our own lives!

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I got this wrong in my own life.  I'd be looking INTO someone's life and then go about trying to rearrange their "furnishings" and fill their "space".  Only God really has the right to do this in another's life.  Admit it, we don't like it when someone actually does this to us, so why do we go about doing it in anyone else's life?  Am I the only one who has ever interjected myself INTO someone else's "space" without specifically being "invited in"?   

The purpose of anyone looking "inside" is to really begin to see another for who they are, as life has made them through the series of events and choices they have made over time.  When we look "inside", we might just begin to see Christ at work within - rearranging what needs movement and has become stagnant or stale in their lives.  Me might see him cleaning away years and years of "built up" dirt, giving a sense of freshness and purity.  Maybe we observe him at work making places for others to enter in and to find a place of special purpose where other relationships left gaps or holes never refilled again.  It is his work - we are only observers of his "life change".

I don't have many who I have really "let in" to see me as I am, but those who have done more than really only see a reflection of what is really on the outside have come to recognize it is Christ in me setting things right - convincing me of the need for life change.  Others have been content to see the reflection of what is on the outside, never getting close enough to really look inside.  I am okay with that, as long as they don't judge me by what they see on the surface, because sometimes I can present a pretty picture "out there", but I am pretty much a mess on the inside!  To really get to know each other, we need both vantage points, but most importantly to see each other for what God is doing on the inside!  Just sayin!