Unveiling Hope

Do Not Despise New Beginnings

Winter is officially over in the Canada’s capital city. The remnants of winter are scarce; the occasional dirt and soot covered snow banks are sparsely scattered about the landscape among the budding trees and the tulips beginning to push their way through the earth. Welcome are the short rains that wash away the remainder of what is now past as they  prepare the way for new beginnings.

New beginnings can be a frightening thing to people. I know they are to me. I’m incredibly  adaptable for someone who doesn’t exactly welcome change. God has been changing me since I returned from Israel in December. He’s been pruning me – removing various things in my life that, in the past, were not only a great source of joy for me, but also a way in which I could serve and worship Him.

I’ve had to adapt to changes in situations before however they were usually bitter circumstances in which the terrifying and unknown prospects of the future could only be for the positive. When God gives you something wonderful like a friend, a particular gifting or ability, or He places you in service to a ministry or profession you enjoy, and then decides to let you know that it was only for a season – well – let’s just say that it can be difficult to let go with a healthy attitude.

Dr. Barry Boucher  often remarks, “if God gives you something you better not hold on to it too tightly.” He’s absolutely right. Serving God with all my heart means that whatever new beginning He has in store for me I had better acknowledge that it’s my love and worship of Him, and not necessarily what I have or what I’m doing, that is paramount.

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them,"  Isaiah 42:9.

So, Where's the Blessing?

On Sunday evening my eldest son was to swing by my place and pick up his brother and me; we were planning a dinner out together. He called 4 minutes before he was scheduled to pick us up and asked if we could meet him there half an hour later. I agreed, but I let my impatience get the best of me. So, I occupied myself for about twenty minutes before my youngest son and I left.

Dinner was good. The company was great. Just as the waitress was bringing the bill my eldest mentioned the word “egg”. I jumped out of my seat with immense panic building up. “Sweet Jesus! I left a pot of eggs boiling on the stove!” (Not just a ruse to get him to pay the bill). I darted off. I broke every speed limit on the way home, praying for help and praying for forgiveness for breaking the law. As I was approaching the turn off to the intersection nearest my home, I rolled my window down to see if there was a smell of fire in the air. As I rounded the corner I looked for a fire truck and saw none. I jumped out of my car, it may have still been moving for all I can recall, and I ran into the house. It was full of smoke, the stench of 8 eggs was glued to my walls, floors and ceiling, and the smell of burnt teflon permeated the house. There remained in the smouldering pot half an egg. Those eggs were hard boiled alright – to the tune of 2 hours!

My dog Buddy was no where to be seen. I ran to the patio door to let some air in and then ran to the front to open the door. Just as I opened the door Buddy appeared out of no where and darted out the front door and stood by my car. “How could you do this to me,” was the look on his face. “You know I’m afraid of the smoke detector!” I’m sure even he prayed during those two hours. Buddy ended up with egg all over his face and so did I. It took my son and I over an hour to clean up the mess.

So, where’s the blessing in all this? All the way home I prayed and prayed and begged and pleaded that everything would be okay and that I hadn’t burned down my neighbours’ homes or killed my dog. He answered my prayer. In the natural scheme of life, my home should have gone up in smoke Sunday evening. The fact that it didn’t was a God thing. That was supernatural. There was no luck involved. It was answered prayer. Thank you, Lord.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us,” 1 John 5:14.

Some Things Should Never Mix

If I was a vegetarian I would starve to death. My repertoire of veggies is sorely limited to: corn, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes (which is technically a fruit), celery and lettuce. That’s it. I refuse to apologize to my children for having limited their formative years to believing that those were the only veggies in existence. Why? Because they developed their own sense of taste over the years and have moved beyond the restrictions my palate placed on them and have embraced many veggies that you’d have to put a gun to my head for me to try. Yeah! That’s right. Some of them I’ve never even tried!

I’m not ignorant of the fact that eating vegetables is important to my health so, I try and scarf down a V-8 once in a while. I noticed this wild commercial on TV for V-Fusion. THEY said that I could get my serving of veggies in a fruit drink and not even taste the vegetables. I bought a HUGE bottle of Strawberry Banana V-Fusion. THEY LIED. I distinctly tasted carrot in my first gulp. Some things should never mix – they just weren’t meant to be.

So . . . I have this acquaintance who has fallen head over heals with someone who doesn’t believe in God. I didn’t even know she was dating him. She told me not to worry. She knows that Christians are not supposed to be unequally yoked but she “has it all under control.” What can I say. She’s already acquainted with the biblical perspective and the reasoning behind it. All I can do is continue to love her, meet him and love him, and pray to Almighty God that He works a miracle.

This past weekend she told me they went to see a psychic who believes they were “meant to be.” And there we have it. Some things should never mix. So, I’m praying for wisdom and understanding and a couple of pounds of unrelenting grace. I just hope she notices the taste of carrot in her fruit drink sooner rather than later.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails,” 1 Corinthians 14:4-8 NIV.

Some People Stink

The other day a beautiful young woman confided "Love sucks.” My heart almost broke for her. Her statement resonated deeply inside my heart, my close-to-being-healed heart. What can hurt more than to see such a young person say something like that with such conviction? I believe, with everything in me, that she honestly believed what she was saying. I remember – not all that long ago – holding close that exact sentiment.

What makes us like that? I never wanted to live with such a cynical disposition, but I did. I never wanted to build a fortress around my heart and close myself off from the potential of experiencing love – giving and receiving, but I did. I never wanted to spend countless hours convincing myself that love sucks – that it stinks – but I did; I didn’t feel as if I had a choice. People have been used and abused, hurt and disrespected, cheated on and lied to – some people have experienced it from parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses and even friends and children. Please note: I am in no way advocating anyone remaining in a relationship where they are currently being abused.

It’s what I learned of the love of God that changed my perspective – not overnight – slowly and surely. It’s knowing that no matter who hurts me, or how deeply, He never will and He’ll always be there. I know that He loves perfectly because He is the expression of love – He is love. Because I trust him – that He’ll guide me in relationships, teach me about healthy love and boundaries, and that He’ll be there for me – I’m now willing to risk loving and being loved.

Love doesn’t suck, but some people do things that suck. Love doesn’t stink, but some people just stink at loving others – usually because of how they were loved. We don’t have to walk around the rest of our days on this earth hiding the scabs, bruises and scars that “love” has left on our hearts. God’s love is a healing love, it’s anointed with grace and forgiveness. We cannot accept His love when we harbour unforgiveness for our past hurts nor can we heal when we hang on to the pain and isolate ourselves, presuming that history will always repeat itself. As God’s love grows in us we grow in love.

“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath,” Psalm 34:18 MSG.

Battery Low?

There are times I’ll be plugging away on my laptop and I’ll get a little balloon at the bottom of the page that says battery low – 7 minutes remaining. That’s annoying, especially if I’m on a roll. A simple solution would be for me to make an effort to bring my power cord to whatever room I’m working in and then I wouldn’t have to panic to beat the clock. My battery would recharge while I’m working.

Too bad life isn’t like that. Many of us live plugging into our pseudo-power cords for energy, but all that really seems to give us is a power surge and we all know what usually happens after a power surge – lights out. Grab an energy drink or an espresso and that’ll keep us in 5th gear – for a time. Reach for that Hershey bar and you get energy and taste all at once; that gives us a bit of a charge and a couple of hundred unwanted calories to store. Run a couple of miles on the treadmill perhaps mentally tackle some of those problems while working out the kinks in the old body. While all these things work, they only work for a time. It’s like plugging one end of the cord into your laptop and not plugging the other end into the outlet.

I have to admit, I’m not perfectly trained yet, but I find that the more I have to do the more necessary it becomes for me to stop plugging into the things of this world and start plugging into my greatest power source – The Power Source. Five, ten, or twenty minutes, being still and peaceful with God is more energizing than 2 espressos and it doesn’t give me the shakes or a caffeine headache. The busier I am, the more I come to realize that my Source will be my strength and power when I let Him charge me.

Battery low? Get plugged into God.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul,” Psalm 23: 1-3 NIV.

Opportunity Knocking. Quick, Close the Door!

I’m thinking about having a surgical procedure done; I really need to have my lips sewn together because it seems that this will be the only way to surely keep my tongue from flapping off its roller.

Talking can be a dangerous thing, not just talking to others, or about others, but revealing something about yourself which ends in the phrase, “I wish I wasn’t like that” or “I wish God would change that about me.” It’s not as if I haven’t experienced enough to have learned that God answers prayers. Is not one of my favourite sayings, “Watch what you pray for, you just might get it?” Huh? I ask you?? Why do I keep letting these things slip out? I’ll tell you why! My tongue is alive – it has a life of its own – it seems to be an entity in and of itself.

So, here’s the thing: I’m in a conversation the other day with a close friend. I’m revealing to her my dislike for most opportunities to socialize with people – parties, dinners, you get the picture. I end my phrase with, “I wish God would show me what that’s all about because I wish I wasn’t like that.” (You can’t see me, but I’m still shaking me head). She’s shocked and I’m all do you know me at all? Soooo, my friend pipes up and says, “maybe you’re afraid of people.” Gulp. Huh? Wha? Ding, ding, ding. Wait – that can’t possibly be it! Can it???? Her comment has left me drilling down beneath the surface to find out why I go to such great lengths to avoid people – especially meeting new ones. Opportunity might be knocking, but while it knocks I’m trying to bolt the door shut.

There’s an expression people use a lot, “hurting people hurt people.” Yes they do indeedie. I have inflicted and been afflicted and it’s not fun – even for the inflictor. I have to admit that this fear of being hurt affects my willingness to stick my neck out there on the social chopping-block if you will. So, sighing loud enough to wake the dog, what’s a person to do in such a situation? Feel the fear and do it anyway! Trust! Ask God for His help … OY!

You know. When you ask for His input He’s always the comedian. He’s already staged His opening act by presenting me with more social situations than I can fend off with a stick. I’ll go, but I’m not gonna like it – until He changes me that is.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” Romans 12:2.

Temperature's Rising

My best praying and meditation is done in the privacy of a nice hot-water filled bathtub. For some reason, it seams to be the only place that I can feel completely relaxed and undistracted.

There’s only one thing about relaxing in the tub that offends my senses and that’s when the water gets cold. This past weekend I’ve been speaking to Jesus about my desire to take our relationship to the next level. I’m needy that way. I am never satisfied and always wanting more – more of Him. I don’t think I’ll ever have enough.

As certain as the water in the tub will get cold, every good relationship needs work to grow. When an individual is wanting more in a relationship, the best place to begin to look at where to start is from within. And so I did.

The longer you remain in the bathtub, the more frequent you need to add hot water, therein lies the issue: the tub can only hold so much water before it overflows. Our relationship has always been one of warmth and comfort, but as the water began to chill on Sunday and the newly added warm water was emptying into the overflow tube, He gave me a revelation.

My heart is much like the bath experience. Before coming to know Christ, my heart was like a big empty tub – a God-shaped hole – needing to be filled. As I came to know and love Him, my reservoir filled with warm water. We’ve been in relationship for five years now. It seemed as if the water was beginning to chill. I wasn’t staying in the “tub” as long as I had in the past.

Just when you think you’ve got it all together, He shows you differently. You see, He also wants to keep the relationship moving forward and growing. God showed me that like the water growing cold in my tub – there remained some unforgiveness in my heart. I hadn’t realize it was there. I thought we had worked that all out. Well, He worked most of it out – but only in layers that I was ready to handle. The cold water was a reflection of what was inside me.

A tub only hold so much. At some point you need to pull the plug and drain the cold to make room for the warm. This past weekend, I pulled the plug and made room for more – more of Him.

How’s the temperature in your tub?

Life Apps

 

Several people I know own iPhones . I think that’s great – if you’re technically inclined that is. I’m still trying to figure out how a picture is transmitted through a fax machine and comes out the other end whole again. I have a fear of technology. Oh sure, I use a laptop with various applications. I have a Blackberry, a DVD player and even an iPod . It’s my personal experience however that the more technology I have, the more confused and frustrated I get.

I’m a simple girl. I like paper. I have an electronic agenda, but I don’t trust it – I write everything down on my paper agenda just in case. I use the calculator and I always double or triple check to make sure I get the same answer every time. Yes, technology is wonderful.

I’ve been looking at the iPhone online lately – ah don’t ask me why and forget what I just said. You can purchase what I call Life Apps. Oh, some of them look super! They have apps for entertainment. They have directional apps (yup – apps for maps). They have educational apps such as dictionaries, and they even have apps that help you get yourself fed.

So, I was thinking about what a great tool this might be for me, (if I wasn’t so afraid of the “T” word), until it dawned on me – I already have one Life App that provides all those things and more. My Bible gives me direction, it feeds me, it even entertains me. It educates and encourages me. It provides wisdom and counsel. It gives me courage and strength. It’s my 9-1-1 direct line 24/7. There are always 5 bars going strong with no re-charging required.

Maybe for now I’ll just hold off on the iPhone  – but in case you’re wondering – if and when I ever buy one – my first Life App will the the Holy Bible!

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful,” Joshua 1:8.

Who Gets the Last Word?

Last week I had one of those days. You know … the kind of day where all the little things in life, that on their own are minor irritations or concerns, seem to join together and take on a life of their own. The kind of day when the enemy whispers little nasties in your ear incessantly – the kind of day where you just seem to be listening to everything he has to say – he gets the last word.

The Bible counsels us to take our thoughts captive. Sometimes however, by the time we notice our thoughts have become prisoners of war. Having the discernment to notice before is a gift. It’s a gift that lives within each of us and grows as we grow. An unawareness of that discernment does not mean there’s no escape. Nothing is impossible with God. The moment we become aware of the thoughts that are bringing or keeping us down THIS is the time we can take action. We no longer have to choose to be a prisoner; we can choose freedom. We don’t have to let the enemy have the last word.

God’s Word is immutable – an immovable anchor in every storm. God’s Word tells us who we are in Him; it tells us that He abides in us when we abide in Him – in His Word – His living Word.

If someone is going to have the last word in your life, don’t you think you should decide who get’s the last word?

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 ESV.