I believe God can move mountains, figuratively and literally. In Christian jargon, mountains often depict the looming problem that is preventing us from getting to the other side; that land of success and happiness we all long for. Faith leads us to prayerfully ask God to move the mountain. On Sunday in church we sang the song "Mighty to Save." The chorus says, "Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save." For the first time, I considered that I might be the mountain that needs to be moved.
In other words, perhaps I am so rooted in my current position that I am the biggest obstacle standing in my way. I do not like change very much. If one makes a suggestion after I complain, I am very likely to respond with a "yes, but.." Yes, getting up earlier so I can add some time to my day would be a good idea, but I'm so tired. Yes, writing a book is something I would love to do, but I'm so busy. Yes, I should exercise, but I don't have the energy. I am a mountain in the way of my own improvement, of my spiritual growth, and often, of my happiness.
I believe that God can move mountains. I believe He can heal the sick and wounded, restore the alcoholic, and bring joy to the mourner. And while I can truly believe Him capable of all these things, I can still deny His power in my own life. I claim to be a mountain too big for Him to move. Moses stood before a talking bush on fire that did not burn up, and told God he stuttered so he could not be the man to go talk to Pharaoh. The rich man who had diligently kept all the commandments his whole life, "went away sad" when Jesus told him to sell his possessions to the poor.
When I pray for God to heal the ailing, help the needy, comfort the mourning, and protect the endangered, I do not doubt His ability to work that miracle. But when I pray for my own weaknesses (if I even pray about them at all), I have nagging doubts in my mind of whether it is even possible for me to become more patient, more organized, more thoughtful, more willing. Why does the mountain seem so much bigger when it is me? I suppose it is because I know myself and my limitations; my habits of being easily discouraged and distracted. That is who I am, but it is not who I am in Christ- "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)."
There are days where I feel like there is no power in me... and those are the days that I have given myself over to laziness and self-loathing, spending idle time with the devil. God does not often reveal His power in a person when they are warming the couch cushions. His power is revealed in those who start moving in His Name. A sledgehammer is not very powerful lying on the ground, but if you pick it up and start swinging, you reveal its capabilities.
God can move mountains, even if that mountain is me. I have some major moving to do in my life, but I will not be going anywhere without the power of God behind me. I can not continue to be the mountain in the way of God's power in my life. How about you?
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Restoring Joy with Rocks
One of the greatest blessings of having children or being with children is experiencing the joy of childhood all over again. This morning I had the pleasure of spending time with my nephew, who will soon be ten years old. We had walked to a park with the girls and while the girls were playing on the swings, my nephew and I discovered that the pea gravel that blanketed the park was a never-ending discovery of fossils and cool rocks. We were on hands and knees for the next hour, imaginations taking us to long-ago days.
Our excitement grew with each find. We daydreamed about exploring landscapes more exotic than the local playground and my nephew shared his interest of being an archeologist if he does not become a professional baseball player. My pockets were weighted down with rocks that we could not bear to leave behind to be ignored and trampled. It was questionable whom was enjoying the exploration more. Unwillingly, we had to go back home for the girls were now hungry and confused with Mommy exclaiming over rocks we never took notice of before.
Reclaiming the reality of motherhood, we walked home and made lunch, but my heart was light with the joy of childhood. Those days of building forts in the woods, pretending to be pioneers, and imagining the possibility of the world's next greatest archeological find being in my backyard are long-gone for me, but they were re-awakened this morning. It takes a child sometimes for us adults to really behold the intricacies of the world around us that God created for us to behold His Glory.
This morning really has me thinking how, as adults, we so often only allow ourself to be mildly amused with the awesome. In a world where the computers of six months ago are ancient technology, and the ease of all our needs are within our grasp, it can be challenging to find ourselves in awe of the complexities of our own bodies, our ecosystem, and the treasures in our backyard. Isn't that the beauty of our children? The discoveries that are overlooked by the busy, responsible adult are treasured by our youth for good reason. It is the fuel for their imagination and their potential. How exciting it is to consider that my nephew's interest in a few rocks at a park could ignite a future archeologist!
I think an unfortunate result of the American way of life is our ability to easily become disinterested with the marvelous when the next big thing comes along, and that spills over in our relationship with a God Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. But perhaps the struggle is not all that new. David wrote a Psalm that is regularly used in the Lutheran liturgy that would indicate he struggled with remembering to take joy in the work of God. In Psalm 51:12 David prays, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation..." It would do us well to pray this often.
There are times when I am sitting in church and what I hear has been said before or fails to intrigue me, and my mind begins to drift. Oh for shame that I do not marvel anew at the work of my God! God's Word is awe-inspiring every time- my disinterest is a chosen state of mind. Has salvation grown old to you? I will confess it sadly has to me many times. I must be reminded that the work God has done in me, in my family, and in my friends is worthy of a joy that is fresh every morning.
Though He is an unchanging God and His Word remains today as it was thousands of years ago, the possibilities of my God- His mercies, His miracles, His wisdom- are new to me every morning. Take a moment today, tomorrow, for a lifetime, to find joy in the miraculous He is working in you everyday!
Our excitement grew with each find. We daydreamed about exploring landscapes more exotic than the local playground and my nephew shared his interest of being an archeologist if he does not become a professional baseball player. My pockets were weighted down with rocks that we could not bear to leave behind to be ignored and trampled. It was questionable whom was enjoying the exploration more. Unwillingly, we had to go back home for the girls were now hungry and confused with Mommy exclaiming over rocks we never took notice of before.
Reclaiming the reality of motherhood, we walked home and made lunch, but my heart was light with the joy of childhood. Those days of building forts in the woods, pretending to be pioneers, and imagining the possibility of the world's next greatest archeological find being in my backyard are long-gone for me, but they were re-awakened this morning. It takes a child sometimes for us adults to really behold the intricacies of the world around us that God created for us to behold His Glory.
This morning really has me thinking how, as adults, we so often only allow ourself to be mildly amused with the awesome. In a world where the computers of six months ago are ancient technology, and the ease of all our needs are within our grasp, it can be challenging to find ourselves in awe of the complexities of our own bodies, our ecosystem, and the treasures in our backyard. Isn't that the beauty of our children? The discoveries that are overlooked by the busy, responsible adult are treasured by our youth for good reason. It is the fuel for their imagination and their potential. How exciting it is to consider that my nephew's interest in a few rocks at a park could ignite a future archeologist!
I think an unfortunate result of the American way of life is our ability to easily become disinterested with the marvelous when the next big thing comes along, and that spills over in our relationship with a God Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. But perhaps the struggle is not all that new. David wrote a Psalm that is regularly used in the Lutheran liturgy that would indicate he struggled with remembering to take joy in the work of God. In Psalm 51:12 David prays, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation..." It would do us well to pray this often.
There are times when I am sitting in church and what I hear has been said before or fails to intrigue me, and my mind begins to drift. Oh for shame that I do not marvel anew at the work of my God! God's Word is awe-inspiring every time- my disinterest is a chosen state of mind. Has salvation grown old to you? I will confess it sadly has to me many times. I must be reminded that the work God has done in me, in my family, and in my friends is worthy of a joy that is fresh every morning.
Though He is an unchanging God and His Word remains today as it was thousands of years ago, the possibilities of my God- His mercies, His miracles, His wisdom- are new to me every morning. Take a moment today, tomorrow, for a lifetime, to find joy in the miraculous He is working in you everyday!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Free To Love
My apologies for an extended hiatus. Life has been very busy! This past weekend was a combination of celebrating the blessing of freedom that we have in this country, as well as the blessing of seven years of wedded bliss for Jon and me. Originally when we planned our wedding for July 3rd, it was a matter of convenience and availability with the added benefits of Independence Day festivities. This year I reflected on the significance of celebrating the two together.
There is such freedom in love. When one is pursuing love, it seems wise to be cautious of how we reveal ourself. We are certain to look our best and act our best, laying out evidences for worthiness. We read into the actions of our love interest to interpret their level of desire for us, and attempt to reflect the same, hiding feelings that may indicate more out of fear of scaring them off. There are times when I get lost in years of journal entries and that angst of love not yet requited seems still so fresh. The feeling that I remember most was being so bottled up with love for Jon while he was off in that male world of oblivion. What I really wanted was not his love in return but just opportunity to express the immense love that was building up for him. I longed for that freedom to tell him how I felt and to serve him in love.
But there are always those games of pursuit first, right? Perhaps that is why, when love is in grasp, you suddenly feel so free to let go of all those appearances and dig deep into the heart of the person. When I was finally able to show Jon the love that I had for him (and he finally realized that he felt likewise), our worlds exploded with the freedom of just being who we are. Isn't that the best part of love- waking up with messy hair in an old t-shirt that you are only now discovering was splattered with spit-up the night before and knowing it does not affect one ounce of love the person next to you feels. 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." Those days of fearing that I would lose Jon by turning him off with one bad hair day or one ill-received gesture are gone.
Freedom in love is a wonderful thing, but there is much responsibility. Though Jon has expressed his love for me even when I am at my worst, I have a loving desire to please him and be at my best. Not that I feel his love for me is dependent on it, but because the freedom to love him is so enjoyable. I love to make him smile, to be a part of his happiness. So it is in the freedom of love that I serve him. It is opportunity, not obligation, that rolls me out of bed in the morning to make him breakfast and pack his lunch and send him off with a kiss. It is opportunity that drives me to spend his hard-earned money wisely and keep our home as orderly as possible. And he is quick to find opportunity to remind me of the love he serves as well.
Psalm 119:32 says, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." At first glance the language seems almost contradictory. If one is under the command of another, we rarely consider them free by today's interpretation of the word. The verse makes me visualize someone running through a wooded path with the freedom to steer off the course, but a desire to stay on the path someone laid out before them. It is clear to the runner that the path was laid out in love, a means of safe travels through an otherwise treacherous terrain. Perhaps the runner could explore other options, but in following the path there is freedom in every step for the path has already been laid and he has no worries of hurdling fallen trees and tangled vines. His feet are light down the path that has already been laid. The designer has promised a safe arrival and the runner is free to follow.
What freedom we have in Christ to follow the path He has laid out for us! It is love that drives us down that path of service in His name. And we are free to love because He first loved us. He drove out those fears of unworthiness by making our worthiness known to us when He died on the cross for us. God made the first move in declaring His love for us so that we could have the freedom to love Him in return. Let that love drive you down the path He has forged for you; one that promises success and arrival at your Heavenly home. It is your choice to serve Christ in love, but your heart will be set free from the burdens of this world if you anchor it to Christ.
There is such freedom in love. When one is pursuing love, it seems wise to be cautious of how we reveal ourself. We are certain to look our best and act our best, laying out evidences for worthiness. We read into the actions of our love interest to interpret their level of desire for us, and attempt to reflect the same, hiding feelings that may indicate more out of fear of scaring them off. There are times when I get lost in years of journal entries and that angst of love not yet requited seems still so fresh. The feeling that I remember most was being so bottled up with love for Jon while he was off in that male world of oblivion. What I really wanted was not his love in return but just opportunity to express the immense love that was building up for him. I longed for that freedom to tell him how I felt and to serve him in love.
But there are always those games of pursuit first, right? Perhaps that is why, when love is in grasp, you suddenly feel so free to let go of all those appearances and dig deep into the heart of the person. When I was finally able to show Jon the love that I had for him (and he finally realized that he felt likewise), our worlds exploded with the freedom of just being who we are. Isn't that the best part of love- waking up with messy hair in an old t-shirt that you are only now discovering was splattered with spit-up the night before and knowing it does not affect one ounce of love the person next to you feels. 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." Those days of fearing that I would lose Jon by turning him off with one bad hair day or one ill-received gesture are gone.
Freedom in love is a wonderful thing, but there is much responsibility. Though Jon has expressed his love for me even when I am at my worst, I have a loving desire to please him and be at my best. Not that I feel his love for me is dependent on it, but because the freedom to love him is so enjoyable. I love to make him smile, to be a part of his happiness. So it is in the freedom of love that I serve him. It is opportunity, not obligation, that rolls me out of bed in the morning to make him breakfast and pack his lunch and send him off with a kiss. It is opportunity that drives me to spend his hard-earned money wisely and keep our home as orderly as possible. And he is quick to find opportunity to remind me of the love he serves as well.
Psalm 119:32 says, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." At first glance the language seems almost contradictory. If one is under the command of another, we rarely consider them free by today's interpretation of the word. The verse makes me visualize someone running through a wooded path with the freedom to steer off the course, but a desire to stay on the path someone laid out before them. It is clear to the runner that the path was laid out in love, a means of safe travels through an otherwise treacherous terrain. Perhaps the runner could explore other options, but in following the path there is freedom in every step for the path has already been laid and he has no worries of hurdling fallen trees and tangled vines. His feet are light down the path that has already been laid. The designer has promised a safe arrival and the runner is free to follow.
What freedom we have in Christ to follow the path He has laid out for us! It is love that drives us down that path of service in His name. And we are free to love because He first loved us. He drove out those fears of unworthiness by making our worthiness known to us when He died on the cross for us. God made the first move in declaring His love for us so that we could have the freedom to love Him in return. Let that love drive you down the path He has forged for you; one that promises success and arrival at your Heavenly home. It is your choice to serve Christ in love, but your heart will be set free from the burdens of this world if you anchor it to Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
