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Just Keep Swimming

Just Keep Swimming

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I’m probably dating myself with this reference, but a few years ago (read: close to 20. Heck, how was 2004 so long ago?!), there was this Geico commercial series with the tagline, “So easy, a caveman could do it!” Essentially, Geico was promoting their product to suggest that their process of getting car insurance was so easy that even someone so prehistoric could accomplish it in our modern world. In other words, “If a caveman could do it, why haven’t you yet?”

I genuinely think this is how we can present Christianity sometimes, specifically the area of relationships. We “sell” it in a way that almost suggests that if we just do these things and pray these prayers, the rest is smooth sailing. Easy as 1-2-3! Admittedly, I used to think this too until I actually tried it…year after year…with no successes and a litany of disappointments. I read the books and prayed the prayers, but it just wasn’t that easy for this cavewoman. I don’t know about you, but in my experience, living for Jesus is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, “Do I love Jesus enough to give Him my entire life even if it’s hard, or am I only willing to do so if it’s easy for me?”

Sure, salvation is not complicated in nature, but what comes after sure is. Much like our caveman friend, living for Jesus is a bit like living in a foreign country; a fish out of water if you will. In fact, culture has deemed Christianity and its standards as too “prehistoric” for a modern world, and as such, we are swimming against the current of society as followers of Jesus.

Let’s not sugarcoat it here: swimming against the current of society is incredibly difficult and extremely exhausting. Truthfully, it would almost be easier to just go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing. Problem with that is, we believe in the Bible and the Bible is very clear that being a committed follower of Jesus isn’t something you can do halfway, nor does it change to fit culture’s fickle standards. In fact, Jesus is pretty clear that Christianity is something that will make us stand out rather than blend in. Therein lies the tension: it would be easier to live like the world does, but God didn’t call us to easy.

The crux of the matter is that God is very clear about His standards for partnership while the world has made their standards increasingly vague. For me, dating as a Christian in 2021 is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack: they say it’s in there, but there’s a LOT to sift through, it’s incredibly frustrating, sometimes the hay looks deceptively like a needle, and it really just seems impossible. Still, does that difficulty mean that we can throw in the towel on our standards? Do we tell God, “I tried to live your way, but, sorry, it’s just not working out for me, dawg,” (to be read in a Randy Jackson voice)? No, that’s not how it works, but that doesn’t mean the struggle isn’t real.

See, experiencing difficulty in living the Christian life doesn’t dismiss us from its responsibilities and standards and this includes our relationships. When we decide to follow Jesus, we are actively giving Him our entire life; it’s a sacrifice. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but sacrifices are messy, and they cost you something. In fact, I’d argue it wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice at all if it didn’t cost you quite a bit. So, yes, living out Jesus’s standards in today’s society is hard. I will not lie to you about that, and I am struggling right along with you. But it’s important to remind ourselves that it is a sacrifice; it’s not supposed to be easy. But at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, “Do I love Jesus enough to give Him my entire life even if it’s hard, or am I only willing to do so if it’s easy for me?”

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Mistakes Included

Mistakes Included

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So, I married a man whose nickname is, “Mr. Nice Guy.” His other nicknames include, “Golden Boy” and “Goldie”. Early in our relationship, I actually hated it because I do not have the story to have ended up with “Mr. Nice Guy.” He’s the kind of person who eats broccoli for fun and his favorite books are on how to be a better leader. What made it worse for me was that we had known each other and been friends for a few years before we started dating, meaning he knew me when I was still growing as a Christian. It was hard for me to reconcile that we knew each other when I was wildin’, at a time when I knew that I was settling for less than what God had for me. Looking back, I used to have regrets thinking that I could’ve been so much happier so much earlier. But, the reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life. He factors in our stubbornness, our pride, our attempts at control. He factors in pain we didn’t see coming and tragedy we never could have prepared for. While regret, frustration, and bitterness can seem so much easier they are just masks for a lack of trust in God.

Colossians 3:1-2 states, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

The reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life.

Setting our hearts and minds on the things above is much easier said than done, because we are fickle people who get frustrated by the fact that we can’t actually see what’s above. I’ve been seeing commercials for new websites that allow you to buy a car entirely online; I wouldn’t buy a swimsuit online let alone a car. Apparently, people agree with me because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 10% of cars purchased in 2020 were bought online. I would say that’s because we don’t like to trust what we don’t see. While we can’t necessarily see what’s above, we rarely even look in that direction.

To shift our perspective, first start trying to believe what you read when you read the Bible. It can be easy to know scripture and become so familiar that you’re no longer in awe of who God really is and what He really does. In turn, we forget that He is ultimately worthy of the trust and control that is so hard for us to relinquish. I would also suggest being a little relieved that God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

He factored in the fact that we might be distracted by earthly things and I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God knows me as well as He does and that He factored that into His plan for my life. I’ve just realized I’ve been using the past tense, but God continues to do this and will continue to do this in our jobs, our children, our marriages, and our health every day of our lives.

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Just As He Said

Just As He Said

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“We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.”

– Luke 24:21 (emphasis added)

This passage in Luke reminds us to take a look at how Jesus’ followers felt when Jesus was crucified on the cross. Friends and family watched as their beloved Jesus was beaten, bruised, mocked, spat on, and crucified. The amount of sorrow and disappointment that they felt must have been overwhelming. Why would the Messiah, the Savior of the world, allow this to happen? I am sure Jesus’s loved ones felt a multitude of emotions; perhaps some including doubt, anger, confusion, and defeat. But this passage in Luke proves that though they had many emotions, they still had had hope in the promise.

May the weight of this world be lifted off your shoulders and the promise of the Father’s love delicately restore the condition of your heart in this season and the seasons to come.

Perhaps you are grieving today. Perhaps you are discouraged, disappointed, anxious, tired, lonely, or doubtful. Jesus knows. During a very dark period of my life the Lord led me to this passage, it gave me great comfort, and I pray it does the same for you.

“God, your God, will restore everything you lost;”

He will mend all that has been broken.

“He will have compassion on you;”

He knows your heaviness and has compassion on us when we are in pain.

“He will come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered.”

He picks up our brokenness.

“No matter how far away you end up, God your God, will get you out of there.”

He meets us where we are. He pulls us away from our pain and closer to Him.

– Deuteronomy 30:3-4 (emphasis added)

No matter how far, He will meet us where we are – whether that be in pain or joy. I pray that when the sting of sorrow feels all-consuming, you will be reminded of the hope that the disciples clung to in the midst of darkness. Be reminded, for what was said has been fulfilled – the victory has been won and the King holds you close.

“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said [He would]. Come! See the place where He was lying.”

– Matthew 28:6 (emphasis added)

Hope is always evident. When all seemed hopeless, God was working, and He still is. He keeps His promises – “Just as He said”. May the weight of this world be lifted off your shoulders and the promise of the Father’s love delicately restore the condition of your heart in this season and the seasons to come.

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Why Should I Help

Why Should I Help

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I love springtime! Nature that was sleeping now springs to life! Grass sprouts up green, and flowers blossom as life-giving nutrients flow up through their roots. The birds’ songs even seem brighter with each morning’s dawn. Easter arrives during this time which reminds me of the eternal life, complete forgiveness, and reconciliation with the Father that we’ve been given.

I’m a Lord of the Rings fan! I love reading about the characters’ adventures, their struggles, and the victories they achieve! There are so many great stories within these pages. Join along with me as I share just a part of a much bigger story and see how it might relate to us.

There are many kingdoms in this fictitious setting of Middle Earth, and they all have one common enemy – Sauron. Sauron is trying to destroy every race except the evil one he created. Every kingdom is united by this common destruction of Sauron and his pursuit of dominion. One by one, the kingdoms are destroyed by Sauron, and now he reaches the Kingdom of Gondor with an enormous army. Gondor cannot withstand this army alone and sends word to the other kingdoms for help. When word reaches the King of Rohan, he asks a curious question from a supposed ally of a common foe, “Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?” But before we write this off as just some fictitious story, I would propose that we might see real life exposed here.

As Christians, we fight against a common enemy, too, satan. By sharing the Good News of Jesus, we’re in great opposition with this evil one. If a fellow Christian is in trouble, we should be the first to aid them, right? But sometimes aid doesn’t arrive. “What have they done for us? Did they help us when we were in trouble?” Maybe our questions are a bit more subtle. “They liked a certain (media post, political party, certain organization). Why should I help?” Or maybe our thoughts are, “They believe differently about God than me. I don’t need to help.” You can fill in the blanks. And what about non-Christians who don’t even know about this battle against them or who is luring them away from God and yet, we still don’t help?

Let us put aside all our differences, fight together against the true enemy, and be the ambassadors of love this spring, allowing Jesus to shine through us brightly!

This may seem drastic, but my question is this – are we willing to do whatever’s necessary to help someone, to come alongside them if it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable, if they go against what we think is right, or if they think differently than us? I feel too often we are quick to justify why we shouldn’t help because of an offense or hurts we’ve experienced. But Christ didn’t do that with us, and if we’re followers of Jesus, then we need to follow His heart!

2 Corinthians 5:15-20 says that Christ died for everyone and those who receive His new life, no longer live for themselves. Christ died for us all, and as verse 16 states, “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” We’re called to see people through Christ’s love and not our human mindset! (emphasis added)

The Message version paraphrases verses 18-20 like this:
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.”

God reconciled us to Himself and forgave us of everything! Our job here on earth is to point people to Jesus so they can experience His life-giving love! We can’t do that if we’re offended. As Christians, we aren’t living for ourselves anymore. We are living for Christ alone! It’s not easy, but it is possible with the Holy Spirit’s help.

This Easter, let us reflect upon the selfless love Christ showed us! His death and willing sacrifice brought us into reconciliation with the Father, access into His very presence, and adopted into His family. Let our hearts be changed to be every bit like Him. If He did this for us, we must do this for others! Let us put aside all our differences, fight together against the true enemy, and be the ambassadors of love this spring, allowing Jesus to shine through us brightly! The people we could reach could be countless!

 

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The Same Grace

The Same Grace

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Growing up, I was all about basketball. Extremely competitive in nature, I worked hard on the fundamentals and conditioning not only during the regular seasons, but every summer I worked hard to get better. My older sister was my basketball mentor. While I was on a middle school basketball team, she was in high school and played on a team that won a state championship. Living in a beach town, I spent my summers in middle school and high school at the beach and at the gym playing basketball, many times, both in the same day.

One of the best opportunities I had to get better was playing pick-up ball with my sister’s high school championship-level team. I was excited to get to practice alongside such high caliber players, but quickly found out playing against them was a completely different experience, and I struggled to keep up.

You see, they had years of training that I didn’t. They had been on their journey of learning, making mistakes, playing against other higher caliber players, excelling in the fundamentals, and getting better longer than I had.

But what I remember is their patience for me as a younger player. They didn’t kick me off the court and tell me I was bringing their game down. It had to be frustrating for them. When we scrimmaged and I’d miss a pass, shoot an airball, accidentally turn the ball over, or throw it out of bounds, I can only guess their treatment of me was because they saw a piece of me in them.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t as kind or understanding when I took my new skills to my middle school basketball team. Plain and simple, they frustrated me. Instead of showing grace, I snapped. I wouldn’t throw the ball to players who I thought were less skilled, and my frustration showed.

I held my middle school teammates to a higher standard than the better players had held me. I left my compassion in the locker room and ruled with an iron fist on the court. Isn’t that so like us as Christians sometimes? It’s easier to hold people to a higher standard than we are held.

Often times I want all of the forgiveness, grace, and patience God has shown me, but I’m not willing to follow His lead and extend those same attributes to others.

Often times I want all of the forgiveness, grace, and patience God has shown me, but I’m not willing to follow His lead and extend those same attributes to others.

Colossians 3:12-14 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

If I can, “put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience,” does that mean I have the ability to, “take them off”? I’m not sure about you, but I know at times I have. I’ve justified it by saying things like, “I’m right, they’re wrong,” “But you don’t know what they said,” “You don’t know what they did,” “I can’t possibly forgive or get past this offense.”

And if anyone has the authority to speak on forgiveness, it’s God.

No matter what size the offense or hurt we are holding on to – imagine what God could hold against us, yet He doesn’t.

One of my favorite worship songs is ‘Reckless Love’ by Cory Asbury.

This is a portion of what Cory said about the writing of that epic song:

“His love bankrupted heaven for you. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. His love isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He’ll gain or lose by putting Himself out there. He simply puts Himself out there on the off-chance that one of us might look back at Him and offer ourselves in return.”

“Finding that one lost sheep is and will always be supremely important. His love isn’t cautious, it’s a love that sent His own son to die a gruesome death on a cross. There’s no plan B with the love of God. He gives His heart so completely, so preposterously that if refused you would think it irrefutably broken, yet He gives himself away again and again and again. Make no mistake, our sins do pain His heart, and 70 times 7 is a lot of times to get your heart broken, and yet He opens up and allows us back in every-single-time.”

“His love saw you when you hated Him and all logic said, “They’ll reject me,” but He said, “I don’t care what it costs me, I lay my life on the line as long as I get their hearts.”

With that perspective I reflect on what Colossians means when it says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

God doesn’t ask us to do something He wasn’t willing to do. No matter what size the offense or hurt we are holding on to – imagine what God could hold against us, yet He doesn’t.

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Hydrate

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I have two siblings, one of whom has lived in the UK for almost 5 years now. He and his wife moved there so they could travel, and they did a fantastic job of it. They hopped around Europe for years, spending all their free time in France, Italy, and Spain along with dozens of other places. Then, the UK went into lockdown, and they’ve spent the last year in their little London flat praying for opportunities to travel; but the lockdowns kept piling up. They’re moving back to the States this week, and though they’re excited to be closer to family, they are grieving a year of life that was taken from them.

I think that’s how a lot of us are feeling right now. We’re grieving all of the things we’ve lost; things like rights of passage, time with friends and family, and loved ones who have passed away. We are exhausted by uncertainty. We are all dried up.

I’m reminded of the vision God gave Ezekiel:

1“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” -Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NIV)

The truth is that God is making things new in our lives, even in the desert. What we need to do is hydrate.

We are a thirsty species. In fact, humans are made up of about 60% water. I looked it up, and as a female adult, I should be taking in at least 11.5 cups of water a day. That’s a lot of water, y’all! We can only survive a few days without water.

But this thirst goes beyond our physical needs; we are thirsty spiritually as well. We thirst for love, purpose and, among other things, to feel in control. So when we’re suddenly uprooted and ripped from our normal way of being, we feel lost or forgotten. It’s like we are wandering around the desert searching for the life we once had. We don’t know which snakes are poisonous or not, but we’re pretty sure that the scorpion staring us down isn’t our friend. Either way, we’re parched.

But Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) says this, “Behold, I (God) am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

God longs to bring us life and make things new! But notice God doesn’t say he will take us OUT of the desert. Instead, He meets us right where we are: in the desert, in the dust, at our pile of bones, and turns those bones into flesh. He gives us water that can quench our deepest thirsts:

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” -John 4:13-14

The truth is that God is making things new in our lives, even in the desert. What we need to do is hydrate. Lean into Jesus through prayer, study the scriptures, dive deep into His love. Choose to rely on God for everything you need, and your cup will overflow with faith, hope and love.

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” -Isaiah 58:11(ESV)

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KeepItHoly1920x1080 (1)

Keep it Holy

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Living biblically is living holy. The truth of the gospel demands spiritual submission. PERIOD. Yikes! There’s no easy way to say, read, or write that, but now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

One reason I believe we struggle with the truth of holiness is this: God is perfect, and we aren’t. First off, holiness isn’t acquired by a litany of good works, but it is freely attributed to us because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and the blood He shed on the cross. That sacrifice not only covers us but presents us pure and holy (set apart) before God the Father. Therefore, holiness is not subject to, or a result of, your opinion or emotions. By definition, to be holy is to be consecrated unto God. Putting to death our sinful nature requires recognition of causal effect.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Romans 12:1 NKJV

Holiness isn’t about our perfection, it’s about submission to His perfection.

Not only was the sacrifice of Jesus great, but it was complete and necessary to redeem us from our fallen and sinful state. And, if we receive salvation by faith through grace, then we live holy by that same grace. I like to think of it like this: Grace covers the gap. Here’s what I mean. Even in the middle of my sin, which caused separation from me and a holy God, His grace, freely applied, actively fights for me to have communion with God because and through the blood of Jesus. Knowing that, His perfect sacrifice begins to take on a more impactful and practical form and inspires us to present ourselves as an offering to God as well. Holiness isn’t about our perfection, it’s about submission to His perfection. This is the part that keeps us humble. How much are we willing to give over to the Lordship of Christ? Is my sin — my broken patterns of thinking — more valuable to me than uninterrupted communion with my Heavenly Father? Holiness in every essence of the word will make you feel unworthy, and that’s ok because you are. We all are. You’ll begin to realize that the only reason that you are presented holy before God is not because of anything you’ve done or try to do, but because of what Jesus has done. Simply put, the death He died in your stead is what makes you holy.

Pastor Josh in the “How To Be A Christian” series put it like this:

If you underestimate the holiness of God, you will underestimate the severity and consequence of your sin.

If you underestimate the consequence of your sin, you will never understand why Jesus had to come.

If you don’t understand why Jesus had to come, you will never fully understand the finished and complete work of the cross.

If you don’t understand the finished and complete work of the cross, you will never understand the magnitude of your forgiveness.

If you don’t understand the magnitude of your forgiveness, you will never be fully passionate about Jesus.

When you are fully passionate about Jesus, you will pursue a life of holiness.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Titus 2:11-14 NKJV

The things listed above — the grace of God, salvation, and redemption — are all received by faith. In addition, denying ungodliness and worldly lust requires the grace of God to empower us to do it. When we are convicted of sin it doesn’t always feel good, but it is good. Conviction of sin is a sign that the gospel is working in you and at some point, or many points, our character becomes a better reflection of the character of Christ. If you haven’t caught it yet- Jesus is the beginning, middle, and end of this equation. Because of love, He came to earth. Because of love, He gave His life for us. Because of love, He conquered death, hell, and the grave and now presents us as righteous and holy before God the Father. And because of love, we offer our lives back to Him as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable.

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ThinkAgain_Blog

Think Again

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Imagine that you are stuck in traffic on Route 66 on your way home from work. You’re in one of the two middle lanes that is crawling along, when suddenly you notice the right lane is moving. Your instincts tell you to wait; surely this lane will eventually start moving. But then five more cars pass you, and you reconsider. You decided to be bold and merge into the right lane.

And, of course, the moment you do, the right lane grinds to a halt and the middle lanes begin moving. Why must we constantly overthink every decision when our instincts are usually right? If we could just learn to trust ourselves, life would be so much better.

But is that true? Is overthinking really the problem that we think it is? Are our gut reactions really more powerful than our measured reconsiderations? In 2005, Justin Kruger, a Psychologist at the University of Illinois, published a paper in which he decided to find out. Researchers monitored the midterm exams for 1,561 students and counted the number of eraser marks on the paper, comparing the final answer to the correct answer. What they found is that 51% of the changes were wrong-to-right compared to 23% were right-to-wrong.

So, what made these students so bold to challenge their own gut reactions? Were they all living by the mantra of Jerry Seinfeld to his friend George Constanza, “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite must be right,”?

Hardly. When Kruger interviewed the 51% who changed their answer from wrong to right, he discovered that 75% of them expected there would be more changes from right to wrong than from wrong to right. They changed reluctantly, in spite of their assumptions.

When you submit something to God, He always replaces it with something better.

What Kruger discovered is that while changing our answers from right to wrong isn’t more common, it is more memorable. You remember the time changing lanes on the highway didn’t work because it is incredibly frustrating, and you feel dumb; you don’t remember the dozens of times you changed lanes and it worked out better.

This is what has come to be known as the First Instinct Fallacy. It is the idea that our first instincts and assumptions, while not necessarily bad or wrong, carry a greater weight in our own estimation than they might merit upon closer examination. 

This is not that big of deal, of course, when it comes to what lane to crawl along in during rush hour traffic or what line to pick at the grocery store. However, when it comes to our assumptions about life’s big issues, this form of confirmation bias can keep us from applying the truth of God’s word to things like relationship, family, morality, and politics. Because if my gut instinct is correct, why bother checking it against the truth of God’s word? 

The truth is that we do not want to submit our gut instincts to anyone, God included. And yet, this level of submission is what the gospel requires of us.

Jesus himself highlighted this point with a very strange illustration in Luke 9:23, when He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Jesus says it’s not enough merely to deny yourself. You must also take up a cross, an instrument of torture and death, every day to be his follower.

This is why being a truly devoted follower can be so challenging. There are parts of you that do not line up with the word of God. These parts can be assumptions, beliefs, behaviors, habits, or mindsets. And because they are our first instincts, we think they are true, good, and right. But they are not true, good, or right. They feel good, but they are killing us. Still, letting go of them will be difficult. It will feel like a kind of death.

But the wonderful thing about Jesus is that He is a resurrected savior. When you submit something to Him, He always replaces it with something better. This is the testimony that echoes across history from a Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, who spent years trying to stamp out a heretical movement in first century Judaism called the way because he knew this is what God wanted. Until God Himself met Saul on the road to Damascus and invited Him to think again.

Saul reacted to his encounter with the living Word of God with humility. And through that humility came freedom, influence, and authority. That’s the power in dying to self. You might sacrifice the fleeting comfort of self-reliance. But in Christ, that death is met with a resurrection, and it is that resurrection that our world is dying to encounter. So, let’s be a church that is ready and willing to think again.

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2-25_Blog_1920x1080

Running on Fumes

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I have to admit something to you, dear reader: right now, my “hope tank” is running on fumes. As I prepared to write this week, all I could think was, “How on Earth am I supposed to encourage people when I, myself, feel so incredibly discouraged?” 

I don’t share this with you for sympathy or for any selfish gain. Quite the opposite, actually. I share this because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there can be power in discouragement; it really just depends on what we do with it. 

If anyone knew discouragement, it was David. We talk a lot about David before he was anointed and then we talk a lot about David and his less than stellar decisions when he finally became king, but really, I imagine the wait during those two bookend events was rather dark. I mean think about it: David had been given a promise and an anointing from God after being overlooked for so long. Finally! Someone saw him and not just anyone, the God of the universe. He had hope. He knew where God was taking him, but after the years started to stack up, at best, it really seemed like God was taking a whole lot of backroads to get there. Bumpy, rocky, dangerous backroads. Frankly, if I was David, I’d wonder if God had really been the One behind all of this after all or if that old guy, Samuel, got it wrong and wasted all that oil on the wrong guy. Because when you consistently have people trying to kill you for what God called you to, you have to wonder, “God what the heck are you doing here?”

The presence of opposition isn’t a sign that you’ve been disqualified from God’s ultimate purpose for your life.

You might not have people actively trying to kill you, but in some area of your life, you probably have a great deal of opposition threatening to discredit what God has promised. It’s important to remember though that even though he always seemed to find himself in precarious situations, David was called, “A man after God’s own heart.” This encourages me because it shows me that the presence of opposition isn’t a sign that you’ve been disqualified from God’s ultimate purpose for your life. Because despite all of David’s troubles – both those that he brought on himself and those that he didn’t — it was from his lineage that the Hope of the World was born.

Still, you have to wonder if David ever thought about giving up. It had to be exhausting doing the same thing to fight for your life every single day year after year only to be met with more of the same thing when you opened your eyes the next day. You have to wonder if he ever thought, “What’s the point?”

But what if David had given up and let Saul kill him? What if he had given up and just gone back home to tending sheep? What would the lineage of Jesus be like? Would there be a lineage at all? Furthermore, what would our hope be without Jesus? That’s a sobering thought.

But that’s not what David did; David let his discouragement bring him closer to God.

See, the decision you choose to make in the midst of your discouragement is about more than just you. And regardless of how hopeless it seems, you always have a choice to make when you are discouraged: you can choose to let discouragement be the end of your journey, or you can choose to let your discouragement be the fuel that propels you into the arms of the Father. I know which one seems easier, but which one will be worth it in the long run? Not just for you, but for those who will come after you. Choose that one. The fumes of hope can still move you forward. It might be ugly, and it might be slow, but forward is forward. Keep going.

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Falling_1920x1080

For When You’re Falling

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I grew up with two Siberian Huskies: Shadow and Bandit. We had a huge backyard, so they normally stayed outside, fenced in. I’ve heard from other couples and learned personally that there are normally two very different kinds of people, and they marry each other. The same could be said of those two dogs, and it was demonstrated most frequently when Shadow would find a way to run off. She would jump the fence or dig under it. She even chewed a hole through the fence at one point. Every single time she ran off, Bandit would stay by the part of the fence she’d escaped from and WAIL. He would bark and whine and cry. He was our living alarm system. The best part is that he was so consistent that whenever she would stray, he would always help to bring her home.

If I’m being honest, I’ve definitely gone through storms that made me want to run away, but I’m so grateful that there’s always been someone to bring me home. Sometimes, I would feel Jesus telling me to do something and I’d put it off for months. I’d hear Him telling me to stop doing something and keep doing it for way too long. I’d be struggling with depression and would rather just feel numb than to be vulnerable and talk to Jesus about it.

I know falling on a rock hurts and its hard, but the truth remains that when you fall down on it, you won’t fall any lower than it either. 

So, when I think of Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash,” I’m reminded not only of the stability when I’m standing on the rock but of when I feel like I’m falling on it. I know falling on a rock hurts and its hard, but the truth remains that when you fall down on it, you won’t fall any lower than it either.  

I grew up in the church, but I didn’t have a deeper relationship with Jesus until I was in college. Because of that, I distinctly noticed the difference between knowing God was a firm foundation and feeling it. The benefit of having a solid rock in a storm is that you’re never not being held up when you feel like you’re falling. I used to feel like my depression was at its worst after I had come to know Jesus; I even wanted to blame Him for it sometimes. But the truth was, that my relationship with Him had just given me the foundation I needed to be vulnerable with it for the first time. It was the first chance I gave myself to just cry, to scream at Him, and to ask Him why because I knew that He wouldn’t be moved by my storm. Our storms will come and go, they’ll change, but the stability found in His love never will.

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