A Bit of This and That

So I don't currently have much time to write a decent post on anything, but I figured a few graphics might suffice. Now, they're not the greatest, and none of them correspond to the others - making them a kind of random mash-up - but you might appreciate them all the same. There are four 100x100 icons, two 500x250 banners, and a 1024x768 wallpaper. Enjoy!

As Surely as the Dawn

They go by various names.

"Dry seasons."

"Times when God is silent."

"Days when your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling."

"Spiritual deserts."

But whatever Christian lingo we end up tacking on to these scenarios doesn't really make much of a difference. We've lost a certain vitality, that power-packed edge that seems to fuel our Christian walk, and we want it back. God seems far away; we can only attempt to re-live the times when we'd open our Bible and get that soul-zap of encouragement.

I've recently been sloshing through this scenario, and while it hurts, I've committed to hold fast to the truth. What more can a child do, than trust in the unchanging character of her Heavenly Father?

Nevertheless, I've needed some encouragement. And God knows that. He led me to this passage:

“Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces;
    now He will heal us.
He has injured us;
    now He will bandage our wounds.

In just a short time He will restore us,
    so that we may live in His presence. 

 Oh, that we might know the Lord!
    Let us press on to know Him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
    or the coming of rains in early spring.”

{Hosea 6:1-3}

As I read this, I can only sit and contemplate in awe. Hosea is issuing a challenge - "Oh, that we might know the LORD!" - that echoes in my heart. The mental picture created in my mind is one of a race (cliche, I know, but it fits perfectly). Your breath is being snatched away, your muscles are screaming, your head is pounding - but you press on. The finish line is ahead; why on earth would you stop running and forfeit a chance to win? 

"Let us press on to know Him."

I could sit here, clacking away at the keys, delivering my thoughts on this sentence...but is there really anything more that needs to be said? Hosea doesn't engage in in-depth philosophical language. "Just. Do. It. Press on."

"Let us press on to know Him."

What I do gain from this is the awareness that Christian life is not - has never been - easy. The subconscious assumption that salvation is the gateway to an early spiritual retirement is a lie. Children of God are called to a great adventure, an epic trek, which includes (cliches again; beware) mountains and valleys; streams and deserts; sun and rain - the instruments by which God refines us into the image of His Son. 

"Let us press on to know Him."

He will come. As surely as the sun rises in the morning, as surely as it rains in the early spring - He'll come. He'll restore.

"Let us press on to know Him."

 If you're dealing with a similar situation, I hope these musings have encouraged you. Breath deeply, and take a moment to listen to this song (performed by Brooke Fraser and Darlene Zschech). Your Heavenly Father is faithful; He'll come. Just trust.

My Frame

 This bit of rambling poetry (if that is what it may be called) was prompted after peering closely at the heart of a beloved sister in Christ and seeing the struggle that lay beneath the surface. Like the rest of us, she was battling for her identity in a world that refuses to give a satisfying answer. Her war is our war - a war from the beginning of time that we wage against "evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). We must remember in the midst of it all that our "real [lives are] hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3) and that in Him is life, and life abundant (John 10:10). Isn't that the heartbeat of grace?

My Frame

With one eye I seek Your glory;
The other craves the glitter
Of a world that is fading.
One foot
Firmly planted in the Kingdom,
The other
Scuffing about for a softer ground.
But I'm not a demon,
Masking the truth with lies and telling myself
With one breath
That I'm "all in,"
Then mumbling a straddler's half-hearted prayer.
God, You know me.
You know this fragile frame,
Dust to be caught on the softest wind,
In a moment blown away.
Help me to know myself,
To look past the veneer of stereo-typed humanity
And see the war that rages in my very soul.
Teach me the meaning of words that only my ear seems to know,
Words like "grace"
And "freedom"
And "forgiveness"
And "redemption";
And oh, teach me how to understand Calvary!
Show me that grace is my gift and my responsibility,
That I should not "use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh"
But "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" before You.
For when my days are done
And my number of breaths spent
Then before whom else will I stand,
To whom else will I be called to give account,
But my Savior
And my God?

Happy Memorial Day!

I try not to be guilty of flaunting my ignorance, but I recently did so in a conversation with a friend. We were discussing, of all things, the importance of Memorial Day. In the spirit of revolting against meaningless traditions (which, you'll admit, do exist in the trappings of American life), we both casually shrugged off Memorial Day as another excuse for grilling hamburgers and taking trips to the lake. (And has anybody else walked up their driveway to get the mail, only to feel like an idiot when the empty mailbox reminds you that, hey, it's another government holiday?)

But I was wrong. While Memorial Day may seem to be a generic re-run of July 4th, it isn't.

Since its establishment as a national holiday on May 5, 1868 (under the name of Decoration Day, due to the fact that observers decorated the graves of dead soldiers with flowers), Memorial Day has been the herald of heroes who loved their freedom, their country, and their families more than life. Their courage and sacrifice give us the freedom to grill those hamburgers and take trips to the lake and grumble when the national postal service decides to take a day off.

We're remiss if we just glaze over the holiday with red-white-and-blue tablecloths and potlucks. The very, very, VERY least we can do is pause and thank God for the heroes that lived and died for the United States of America.

So, then:

To all the families who have lost loved ones in the fight for freedom: thank you. To all the heroes who fought long and hard and survived to share the victory in this life: thank you.

John 15:13 says it best: " There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." Happy Memorial Day!

(For more information on the history of Memorial Day, check out this site: http://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp).

What's On Your Tongue?

 I know firsthand the fine line one often has to walk when it comes to communicating with others. Words, phrasing, context - it's something akin to tiptoeing through a mine field. Since verbal communication is arguably still the most important way we interact with others (despite the overwhelming popularity of tools like Facebook, Twitter, and...oh yes...Blogger), it's often the hardest to navigate peacefully. All too often, we open our mouths and subsequently find ourselves victims - or perpetrators? - of unkind speech. We never meant to say that...or did we?

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness," the famous actress Audrey Hepburn once said in a long dialogue summarizing how to be a beautiful woman. I find it interesting that she got the whole thing rolling with a adage on how to properly use the words sitting on the tip of your tongue. At its heart, Audrey's suggestion was more than a feel-good, look-better-by-being-nicer, pop-culture-morality quip. Instead, it almost directly mirrored a characteristic of one of the Bible's most famous characters: the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. 

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.

{Proverbs 31:10}

Substitute "woman" for "wife" in the above verse (because to be a virtuous wife, one must first be a virtuous woman), and it's immediately apparent that Proverbs 31 isn't just the go-to chapter for wives and homemakers-in-waiting. It's a set of guidelines for every daughter of the King who wants to live to please her Heavenly Father and shine as a light in this very dark world. (If Proverbs 31 is a new one on you, then take some time here and now to read verses 10-30. Go ahead. The rest of this post will still be here when you're done, I promise.)

I've known about - studied - the virtuous woman for years, but recently one of her characteristics - the one Audrey Hepburn mentioned -  jumped out at me in a way I couldn't ignore.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

{Proverbs 31:26}

Nope. Can't ignore it. If it said something like "She wants to say wise things and when she speaks she tries to say nice things that don't offend people," then I could just move on to verse 27 (which, incidentally, would also need a rewrite, since I can tell you down to the tiniest detail what the bread of idleness tastes like). But it doesn't say that. It doesn't mention trying, attempting, wishing - it talks about doing. 

"She opens her mouth with wisdom..." The heart of this kind of woman is so bent on seeking and applying God's wisdom to her life that when she opens her mouth, wise words practically fall out. She has intentionally focused on becoming wise - reading and obeying God's Word, interacting with older believers who share with her from their depths of godly wisdom gained by experience, etc. - and not without results. What's in her heart is coming out. And it's looking - errr, sounding - good. Her speech is reflecting the heart of a wise God.

"...and on her tongue is the law of kindness..." Notice that Solomon (the author of Proverbs) didn't say, "She tries to say kind things" or "She says kind things" or "On her mind is the law of kindness." No, indeed! First of all, kindness isn't expressed here as a wishful thinking process. This gal actually is kind. She actually says kind things to actual people in actual scenarios with actual results. (Getting the picture?) Her desire to be kind has made the trek from her head to her heart to her tongue.

Second, notice that what's on her tongue is vividly described as "the law of kindness." Now, when you think of the word "law," you probably think of police officers, the Ten Commandments, and court rooms. That's exactly the idea implied here. The virtuous woman has a tongue that's ruled by kindness, just as our roads are ruled (in a loose sense) by the police officers patrolling them. Hers is a tongue whose every word is dictated by the God-given laws that make kindness what it is: "of a sympathetic or helpful nature: of a forbearing nature: gentle: arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance : of a kind to give pleasure or relief" (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary). 

I don't know about you, but I get the message. God has a heart for women - and men and children - to be intentional about guarding their speech and using their words to bring Him glory. This includes everything from the obvious, like obscenities and their derivatives, to the subtle, like snapping back at another person or (*gasp*) gossiping.

Why don't you do what I'm doing: surrender your tongue to God's law of kindness and ask Him to control the words you say (Psalm 141:3)? Make a resolution to be the kind of person who opens their mouth with wisdom and has the law of kindness on their tongue. It's not easy, but you can depend on God to help you every step of the way. He is faithful!

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

{Psalm 19:14}

Diamonds and Spiders' Webs

When an April rain shower meets hushed sunlight and the radiance of God's incredible world, I can't help but snatch the camera and snap a shot or two.

Days like these take my breath away, and I inevitably find Maltbie Davenport Babcock's song "This is My Father's World" running through my head again and again:

This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise.

This is my Father's world, he shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

                   This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!

 This world bears His glory, and we are witnesses to it with every waking moment. That's certainly something to celebrate. Delight in His handiwork!

 "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature...." (Romans 1:20).

When Daddy Says I'm Beautiful

Just the other day, I found myself once again in front of the mirror getting ready for an event later that afternoon. Whilst I was engaged in bemoaning acne, uneven skin tone, and other belligerent facial elements, my MP3 player was connected to its color-coordinated speakers and cycling through the "shuffle" setting.

Sound familiar?

As my appearance all but underwent  "urban renewal" (as comedian Bill Cosby once put it), my musical accompaniment played the likes of Tenth Avenue North, Darlene Zschech, Kari Jobe, Newsboys, and the O.C. Supertones...ignoring, of course, the Christmas ditties still lingering on my playlist long after the season to be jolly had passed.

I've never been especially ecstatic about my physical appearance. Even though I believe that external beauty is temporary and not nearly as important as a beautiful heart (Proverbs 31:30), I still have to grapple with how the culture defines "beauty" and tell my fickle heart to be still (Psalm 131), to stop seeking an identity in anything other than Jesus Christ (Col. 3:3). It's a daily arena for battle, and satan knows that. He'll come at me with everything he's got, and I'll start to weaken and let my armor down, leaving my heart vulnerable to his lies.

Sometimes, however, I won't even give the whole makeup/hair/clothing routine a thought. It's just something I do almost involuntarily, especially when my schedule is busy. That's the situation I found myself in the other day. Not really consciously engaged in what I was doing. The music kept on playing, a background noise that I wasn't actually listening to.

Until this song started playing.

 

*cue smile*

I have an incredible daddy, who not only takes the time to tell me I'm beautiful, but has spent his life teaching me how to have a truly beautiful heart in the presence of God. I still remember the very first time I heard this song (when Annie Moses Band performed it live at our church), and I'll never forget how the tears started streaming down my face. This was a song about me and my daddy, and about all the other daddies and daughters in this world.

But beyond celebrating the incredible, encouraging relationship between a father and daughter, this song reminds us of an even greater relationship: the one that exists between God the Father and His daughters who have had their sinful blemishes washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of the incredible mercy and grace of our Heavenly Father (Romans 5:21, Romans 8:15), He looks down on us and says, "I have called you by name; you are Mine. You are precious to Me. You are honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:1, 4). Our Heavenly Daddy says we're beautiful.

And that's the very first thought that entered my head, as I stood in front of the mirror poised with an eyeliner pencil in one hand. My Daddy says I'm beautiful. Here I am, not even concerned about today's cosmetic forecast, and He chose to speak to my heart because He knows its weakness. What a God I serve!

God was reminding me - and you - of the unbelievable, radical truth in Zephaniah 3:17:  

"For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty Savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With His love, He will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

 Take the time to hear Him singing over you today.



Do you struggle with the "beauty game"? How has God shown Himself faithful in this area of your life? Share your thoughts!