Loved ones in Christ, we are abounding with thanksgiving.

Or we should be, and increasingly so.

Yesterday, in neighboring communities around me, multiple tornadoes and hailstorms hit with unsurprising unpredictableness. For those who live in areas where tornadoes frequently occur, we know that when the sirens go off (and the environment grows strangely and suddenly quiet), it is wise to take shelter quickly. Because the conditions are ripe in a wide span, but the actual formation can occur and strike anywhere within. And the thing may lift an object or person and set them back down rather unscathed. Or it may impale one object with another in a split second.

It all passed my husband and I by — and passed by our loved ones as well. And we were thankful.

But many homes, churches, and businesses were moderately damaged — or blown apart. And many people, even some whole towns, are now in great need.

This morning, in the impending lull (since more tornadoes, hail impacts, and other dangerous weather is very likely in the coming 24 hours), Paul and I ran to get groceries. I stepped into the ladies’ room and overheard a mom and her two young daughters speaking to an elderly woman while they were waiting in line. The older girl, who was perhaps five, was excited to share that they were at the store specifically to buy food supplies and gift cards for families who had lost their homes yesterday.

My immediate reaction was to smile and then to think silently to myself, “In hearts that see clearly, tragedy beckons charity to rise up and minister. And it is sweet.”

I hope and pray that if my home were suddenly destroyed by a natural disaster….or my loved ones were suddenly cut off from me by unforeseen events…that my heart would still be abounding in thankfulness. But the realistic part of my brain says that it is easier to say “thank you, God” when things turn out favorably in my mind versus if they don’t. And, frankly, it so often takes enduring scary and hard times to make us pause and question how much gratitude we own internally. It is far less often that we daily and genuinely practice the habit of counting our blessings and speaking thankfulness from the heart — especially when the things God wills are not what we would will if it were up to us.

But we are encouraged and even commanded in Scripture to abound or overflow with gratitude. It is to be ever-increasing in us, day by day, no matter our life circumstances, and no matter how easy or hard it may feel. God knows our very human feelings, but as the goodness of Christ sanctifies us in ever-greater measure, He helps us to move past our feelings to also remember all that He is and all that He gives. And this can fill us with thankfulness and joy. And, as in the case of the little girls at the store, generosity.

So let us remember today all He has saved us from — and for. And let us be who we are.

Be abounding with thanksgiving.

Read more

Dear ones, we are misunderstood.

I currently work in a customer service job for a commercial insurance company. I take many calls from people who are newer to trucking, taxi driving, and the like — or they have been in the business for some time but have never previously been covered by the company I represent. And it is my job to answer their billing questions. I was not a math-accounting major in higher ed, and I have not taken a math class since high school geometry. But my years as an ESL educator and as a counseling major have prepared me for this job.

I often have to take wording and numbers from written communication and try to translate them into terms that salt of the earth (and salty) individuals can understand. Some people are already frustrated when the call starts, but I am able to help them calm down and reach a place of reason and solution. Other people start off calm but confused, yet end up disconnecting the call on me mid-response. And some people just flat out start mad and end even madder, reminding me of the ugly side of human nature that needs an extra smattering of God’s grace.

There are times when I explain something methodically and the caller tracks with me and can say, “Got it, that makes sense now.” But there are other times when I have to explain it over and over again on one call or in a series of interactions. In the latter cases, sometimes those people will still be frustrated and not understand. But the situations that are perhaps the most rewarding are the ones in which we’ve had to go over it all 2+ times and then there is the light bulb moment and the relief in their voice when it all comes together, and they feel empowered to understand their own rights or business or options.

Jesus said that we, as followers of Him, would face trouble, but He called us to have peace and take heart in the midst of it (John 16:33). And in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul clearly points to the idea that what we understand, know, and embrace will seem like foolishness, insanity, and nonsense to the non-believer.

We will be misunderstood.

Some people who see and hear us will never understand.

But others will understand after they have seen and heard a certain number of times.

And every now and then, you or I will be fortunate enough to be the one who gets to explain it one (last) time and see the beauty of another’s light bulb moment.

But while I have continued to learn, over the past many months, of ways to answer questions more clearly and concisely, the procedures of my employer and the truths I need to convey have not really changed.

Likewise, in the face of those around us misunderstanding what we know to be true — in the face of their rejection or anger or mocking: we must not water down the core message, nor should we be ashamed.

Just because what is communicated is not understood does not make it any less true, good, or right.

So, stand up today — stand strong. Run the risk of being misunderstood by the many for the sake of the ones near you who need to hear or see Jesus. Again.

Be who you are. And take heart. The One we adore has been misunderstood for millenia.

Read more

Brothers and sisters, you are worth dying for.

I recently heard a man talking about how much he loved his children, and among other points he made, he was able to say without hesitation or irony that he would die for them.

That made me stop and think about such sacrificial love. I think many parents would share that father’s sentiment. And, apart from those among us who are utterly self-absorbed and hard-hearted, most people would say there is at least one other person they would be willing to die for: a spouse, a dear friend, a treasured member of their extended family. To a greater extent, there are those who serve in military or other special capacities who might readily say they would be willing to die for their country or a particular people group and cause.

But to find a human being on earth who would honestly say, “I would readily lay down my life for anyone and everyone around me — even, and especially, my worst enemy!”…? I defy any reader to show me such a person in our midst.

And I would argue there has never been such a person to walk the earth — that is, none but Jesus.

Even if we had the heart to make that claim, we would not have the capacity, on our own, to love like that and make such a sacrifice. And, on our own, we could also never (even) have the heart to want to love like that and make such a sacrifice. We are so fallen and so limited. Only Jesus has (and can have) such a heart naturally.

Yet, the beauty of it is, through His love and His sacrifice, we were all seen by Him as worth dying for…and when His love changes and shapes the hearts of those who follow Him, we start to see circumstances and other people differently. We start to pause after someone has hurt or offended us and remember that He thought they were worth dying for too.

Our perception of our worth rightly aligns. And our perception of their worth rightly aligns. And while we may not still readily feel like we would (physically) die in the place of that other person if we had the chance to, we may start to sense some of our offendedness, defensiveness, or bitterness towards the other person fade away.

Children who are raised by sacrificially-loving parents may not grow up to behave likewise. But if they have sacrificially-loving parents or other community members as an example, they will be far more likely to love like that when they are adults. Likewise, as Christ thought toward and loved us, while we were yet enemies of God, so too should we follow His example: to remember that we were worth dying for in His eyes and that is how much He has loved the whole world.

Below, I will leave you with a jotted poem draft from three years ago, and will encourage you again in conclusion….

Be who you are. Live today as one worth dying for.

Read more

My family in Christ, we are sorrowful.

Before there was an Easter Sunday, there was the Father’s turning away from the Son at Golgotha and, even earlier, the Son’s prayer regarding His Father’s will in Gethsemane.

Before there was the raising of Lazarus from the dead, there were tears streaming down our Lord’s face in the face of his friend’s sickness and death, as well as the sorrow of many loved ones around.

Before joy comes in the morning, there is often weeping that lasts the whole long night through.

We have the ability to recognize and choose joy in part because we have the capacity to know the (seeming) absence of it.

So, some believers will say that if we are to be true and upstanding followers of Christ, we are never to be down but only to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

But the same apostle who wrote those words also admonished readers in Romans 12 to both “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” And Jesus pronounced, in Matthew 5, a blessing on those who mourn, promising that they would find comfort. And Solomon reminded us in Ecclesiasties 3 that there is a season for sorrow and a season for celebration.

We have been saved by grace through faith, and that is a spectacular gift which should fill us with happiness and thanksgiving.

But there are still sins we may struggle with throughout the course of our life, and when we face those temptations, godly sorrow should rightly guide us to renewed repentance.

And there are the pressures of life in a fallen world that may certainly lead us, sometimes in tears, to the arms of our Father who cares and understands our sadness.

And we are surrounded by those who are still lost and wondering in darkness, and it is often a necessary reminder of that sad reality that will motivate us to be the light we were reborn to be.

And our Savior is Himself known as the Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53) who was and is acquainted with grief and who knew the deepest suffering — and all alone.

And…it was, after all, some point of heartbreak that led each of us to repent and invite Him into our hearts in the first place.

So, at the end of this Passion Week — and in every season — know the joy of salvation and of victory over the grave. But also live in the tension of keeping a soft, broken heart that makes room for His love to grow deepest roots.

Dear ones in Christ, be who you are. Be sorrowful.

The song that inspired this week’s art sketch.
Read more

Children of God through Christ Jesus, you are known and understood — and you always have been.

And there is a peace in the knowledge of this that nothing can ever shake when we trust in Him and believe His heart, for us, is good.

In that vein, I wrote a short poem yesterday, and here it is….

KNOWN BY HIM

We are known when we know

Not of what He’s doing.

We were known long before

Time held our names.

We are known when our world

Feels like it’s ending

While the One holding all things

Knows our days.

Let us hold tightly to this

Blessed promise.

Let us hold loosely to all

Our thoughts, weak.

Let us embrace the Great

Knower of our hearts.

Let us let go of the

Vainness we seek.

Just to be known by our God

Is the sweetest,

Just to be known by our Lord

Is His gift.

We will do well to know Him

And receive it;

We will do well to trust Him

And to rest.

Dear ones in the Lord, be known.

Read more

Dear ones in Christ Jesus, you are comforted.

When I use the root word comfort today, I am not talking about the idea of being comfortable in a wealth, pampering, or emotionally non-confrontational sense. I am talking about the sense of being comforted by someone who cares about and for us. Sometimes being comforted means another removes a source of threat, fear, or pain. But even if they don’t or can’t remove that source (temporarily or for the long-term), their presence, touch, or other provision of nearing care-full-ness calms us, strengthens us, and nurtures us.

From the time we enter the world, we are not only in need of food, clothing, and shelter; we are additionally in need of comforting by others. If a baby is given food and clothes but they are otherwise ignored, left untouched, and placed apart from people for the remainder of each day and night, they will languish. Even if they do survive and grow, their development will be forever negatively impacted.

The funny thing is, even though we understand that a baby needs to be comforted and our aging relatives also need the same as they weaken and approach death, people of every age need to be comforted. As an adult behaving in a mature and responsible fashion, I should earn money to buy my own clothing (or make it) and get up to wash and clothe myself each day, and I should seek shelter to take care of myself, my body. That should not be the responsibility of everyone else while I am of sound body and mind. But my need to be comforted when challenges arise and scary moments hit: that never goes away. No matter if we are male or female, or the family mentality under which we were raised, we all need to be comforted.

The Bible is replete with words on this topic. From the human side, we see examples such as Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:67, David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 12:18-25, and numerous mentions of individuals who comforted and encouraged the apostle Paul throughout his years of travel, ministry, and imprisonment.

But then….there is our dear and mighty God. Multiple times in the Old Testament, He tells us of how He has comforted or He will comfort. The passage I read aloud to my husband Paul (Isaiah 40:1-11) during our wedding ceremony starts with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her heart service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” And the end of the passage continues, “See, the sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

God is a comforting God. He does not mean to make us comfortable. But He does mean to comfort. And this difference is essential to understand and remember. Because sometimes the choices of other people will lead to our pain, frustration, anger, or sorrow — and often the things that God allows for his sovereign purposes may leave us scratching our head in perplexed ambiguity, decrying the limitations of the human mind and the human heart.

BUT that great and all-knowing God says, “Trust Me.” AND that great and all-powerful God says, “I am holding you close to My heart.”

And Jesus promised in John 14 that all of His followers will be given the continuous comfort of the Holy Spirit. No matter what waters swirl around us in this life, we will never be alone. And we will be strengthened to carry on — and to comfort others.

Be reminded of this precious gift today.

Dear brothers and sisters, be who you are. Be comforted.

Read more

We, children of the King and joint heirs with Christ, are royalty.

In chapter 2 of his first epistle, Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy…. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

From our human perspective and examples we have seen in world history, we have many different ways to think about living as royalty. There have been kings and queens and lords and ladies in various capacities have lived fairly upright lives and tried to treat those whom they ruled over or were responsible for with fairness, kindness, and wisdom. Additionally, there have been members of royal families who were self-centered and were more concerned with their own comfort, personal causes, and other selfish desires than they were with any sense of honor and being a good example of virtue to all those watching them. Finally, there have been those who carried royal titles while they lived — though their actions were evil and destructive, their legacy in history now an infamous one.

What does it mean to be royals, princes and princesses in the family of God as ones Christ has redeemed?

  1. We have been lavished with the richness of God’s tremendous love (1 John 3:1). But unlike an earthly royal family, the storehouse of our budget cannot run dry. And we are called to NOT use it only for our own comfort and promotion; we are called to invite others into it, for them also to be adopted as royal heirs, walking hand in hand with us. We are not to live for our own pleasure but are to enjoy God’s blessings and provision, to live for His honor and glory.
  2. We are to live as people of light (Philippians 2:12-16), as excellent examples of what is good, pure, and outstanding. We are to daily represent the One who showed us mercy and point others toward the beauty of that mercy. We are to find great joy in doing our duty: representing our Father God who is the king and source of all life and light (Psalm 36:9).
  3. We have been given a new name and role in the procession of heavenly saints, and an inheritance that is being saved up for us, all awaiting us one day with our Lord, for eternity, in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-9). And with all of that, we also carry a hope in this life that no one can possess apart from being a royal member of God’s family.

Most of us do not eat every meal off of fancy dishes and wear jewelry that costs more than a car and live in an earthly mansion. But in the spiritual state of the universe, each follower of Jesus has been welcomed into the status of royalty.

When we remember this, it will rightly define our worth and how we honor Him and treat others. And it will impress upon us the desire to have those others join us in His kingdom.

Be who you are. Be royal.

Read more

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, you are healed.

I am not espousing a health and prosperity gospel here. I am not saying that while we reside in these earthly bodies, He will automatically heal every physical or other ailment which troubles those of us who follow Him.

I am, instead, reminding us that true healing in every way is only, ultimately, found in the blood, peace, truth, and grace of our Lord and Savior.

And I am rejoicing in knowing that our Lord who is outside of time already (presently as we might think of it) sees us as fully healed, fully restored, perfected, mended, glorious. He has foreseen us in that state since before time began.

This past week, I heard a beloved song (“Mended” by Watermark) again. Listening to it inspired the above word art sketch and stirred up the above thoughts. I have linked the video below for your edification as well.

No matter what pain, limitation, or sorrow you may presently feel, you will not remain there forever. In His strength, you are running to meet Him and all will be made new again.

My dear friends, be healed.

Read more

(Photo credit: Laura Ann Guerrier)

As followers of Jesus, we must be righted.

Many a ship sailing upon the sea has been tossed by the waves so that the ship will dip wildly to one side or the other. What a relief it must be for those aboard when the water is calm once more and the ship has been righted: fully level and upright, moving in the correct intended direction again. If a ship starts to list, that means it takes on water and begins to tilt to one side. If the source of water intake can be stopped early and a water log can be somehow drained, perhaps the ship can be saved. But many ships have gone down after they listed too far, never to be righted again.

The modern follower of Christ, especially in the west, is surrounded by cultural influences which urge us to “follow your heart” and claim that “my heart can’t possibly lie.” Yet God’s word clearly states otherwise. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” And 1 John 3:18-20 says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

If we do not have a heart being redeemed by Christ, we have nothing higher to guide us and no greater purifying filter through which to view life circumstances, emotional responses, personal choices, and inevitable pain. But when we start to desire His leadership in our lives, we want to trust Him more than we trust our fickle, tossed — and even listing — heart.

While we yet live in this world, in bodies still limited and broken, with souls being sanctified, we will wrestle with this.

But with our eyes on Jesus, we will see a truer reflection of how things really are. Then, we will come through each small and big storm of life to the peace of smooth waters and a righted ship.

Dear friends, trust Jesus to know and steer your heart.

And be righted.

Read more