Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:21-22
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| photo credit: Donna Bolster |
God wrinkles our plans with unexpected situations. Sometimes they are blessings; sometimes they come as trials; sometimes they hardly make any difference at all. But in every situation, God seeks to be glorified. He designs every situation to point us to Him.
We can see His plans as wrinkles in our plans, or we can look for the blessings and hurry to tell everyone we know about the ways that He works, as those women did on that first Resurrection Day.
Well, all I know is that the snow cleaned all that nasty spring pollen off my car. And now it is gleaming almost as brightly as my resurrected Lord on that Sunday! I praise Him for all the situations in my life. Let me glorify Him, look toward Him and see the blessings in everything that comes my way.
Hallelujah! Happy Resurrection Day!
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matt. 28:6-8
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. John 19:1-3
To continue reading, click over to Circles of Faith.
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| Feb. 13, 2014 – and it ain’t over yet! |
God never wastes a hurt, a problem, a sorrow when yielded to Him. In every storm, there’s something to be learned, an attribute to be developed, an insight to be gleaned. And once again, today’s snowstorm provided more blog fodder.
I keep hearing the refrain, “This winter just won’t end. I’m ready for spring already.” Well, that makes for pleasant small talk. We can all commiserate, but the truth is that winter will end. It always does. Even if you live in Alaska or Antarctica, there are seasons. Winter will become less fierce in those regions. For us, don’t expect winter to end yet. It officially ends in March, not February, but it will end. In the summer, we’ll be saying, “This summer is so hot, it just won’t end.” But it will end. It always does.
Life has its seasons, too. When my son came back from one of his mission trips, he desperately wanted that spirit-filled mountaintop feeling to continue forever, but with each passing day, he slowly settled into the “ordinaries.” We shared that if all our time were spent on the mountaintop, it too would be come ordinary, not a unique, sacred, set apart time. Also, if all our time was spent on the mountaintop, we’d be useless to those who need us in the valley. We’d miss the lessons that He teaches us in the deep, dark seasons of our souls. Jesus can calm any storm. If He lets the storm rage, He will calm the child.
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter was eager to set up tents to remain there on the mountain. But the gospel writers all say that Peter didn’t know what he was talking about (Mt. 17, Mk. 9, Lk. 9). Jesus didn’t spend all His time on the mountaintop, but He did make it a point to have some time there. A season, if you will.
Years ago, when my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii, we met a guy who told us that he had to fly to California once a month to get away from the sameness. Paradise – sameness? Are you kidding? But he wasn’t kidding.
Here in NJ, I do feel blessed to experience the variety of seasons.
And may it help me to remember that spiritually, there are seasons, too. The chill of winter will end – it always does. The scorch of summer will end – it always does.
And until it does, let’s remember and appreciate that there are lessons to be learned in the season that will make the next season easier to endure.
Some seasonal encouragement:
Be prepared in season and out of season… 2 Tim. 4:2
She is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Psalm 1:3
Have you experienced a storm that yielded a lesson learned?
ps – as I post this, I’m listening to the roar of the snowblower as my husband is outside hard at work in the midst of the storm. This is a lesson to me now – to not wait out our storms doing nothing but fearing or complaining or just being lazy. Let’s do what we can when we can even though it can be difficult at the time. Otherwise, when the snow stops or the issue calms down, the mess left behind will be much harder to deal with.
pps – here are 2 other posts from that snowy year. Enjoy!
Ok I promise – that’s it from me for now ;D How about you? What lessons is God teaching you through your storms?
The whole time we talked, I couldn’t help but stare at his bracelet.
Bug shared that the bracelet is from his men’s group study on the book Courageous. The men are encouraged to “man up!” and take responsibility to be the godly husband and dad they’re called to be. The other side of the bracelet says I RESOLVE.
But for me the I WILL was huge.
I usually fall into the I WANT TO camp, often falling short of completing what I set out to do.
My “want to’s” are pretty well established.
But if I’m honest, I’ll call it what it is – sin. That’s what Paul called it:
The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? Rom. 7:21-24 MSG
Thankfully, Paul doesn’t stop there. He answers that question with this:
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. Rom. 7:25-8:2 MSG
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Phil 1:6 MSG
The One Who calls you is faithful and He will do it. 1 Thess. 5:24 NIV
What do you struggle with wanting to do, but not actually doing it? Let’s be accountability partners! Leave a comment below. Together, let’s say I WILL, and then let’s DO IT!
“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10
Today I’m over at Laced With Grace sharing about pressing on in the race of life. Won’t you join me there?
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I was so proud of myself.
I’ve been digging, sorting, and clearing out stuff.
I bagged it, washed it, and carted it to the car to be donated to Ditto, the “upscale resale thrift shop” that raises funds for my kids’ alma mater.
Felt like a real accomplishment.
The problem is Ditto’s hours of operation aren’t in sync with my hours of operation ;D I can’t seem to get there before closing time.
And so I have been driving around with my discarded stuff for a week. I went through it – did the inventory. I identified and separated it. I even moved it. But I haven’t really gotten rid of it. I plan to, but it’s still there hanging around. Moving around. I stopped short yesterday to avoid a car that ran a stop sign, and heard a symphony of shuffles as the stuff in back slid toward the front.
In order for me to actually get rid of this stuff, I have to make a change. I need to change my habits and rearrange my schedule. I have to move out of my comfort zone.
I have some other stuff I’d like to get rid of. Fear, anger, resentment, jealousy. I have done some soul-searching. Taken inventory. Identified what needs to be addressed. Felt some pride and a sense of accomplishment in that.
But that stuff is still hanging around. An unwelcome remark or a difficult situation becomes like that car running a stop sign bringing all that stuff toward the front, a symphony of emotions sliding around my interior. So how do I actually get rid of it – for real?
Paul says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” But he doesn’t leave it at that.
He continues with, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph. 4:31-32)
James instructs us, “Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent”
And like Paul he goes on, “and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, .. Do what it says.” (James 1:21-22)
To get rid of these unwanted emotions and behaviors, I need to move beyond identifying them. I need to replace them with desired behaviors. Clearing out the old creates a void and the old will slide right back in if there isn’t something already in its place.
Replace resentment and anger with forgiveness.
Replace doing evil with doing what the Word says.
Then I’ll be getting rid of it – for real!
How about you? Do you have unwanted stuff hanging around? How can you clear it out? For real? Let’s talk about it.