Unveiling Hope

DNA: Desire for Natural Alignment

A parent’s love is sought by a child even if that love is withheld; it’s innate. Too many are the children who – now as adults – still pursue that love with diligence and perseverance. Such was my case. I don’t share this in order to seek sympathy – no. I have found a better love. I have found an unconditional love.

I cannot remember a time in my life when I wasn’t seeking to be loved. When it was withheld, I would instinctively look elsewhere and be disappointed. Even in the best loving relationship there has – at least for me – remained an incompleteness. My heart’s desire cannot be adequately expressed. In the depths of my heart and soul has always been a desire for completeness, like a seed planted in the soil waiting to be watered. The seed can remain planted for years, giving and receiving nothing. It’s dormant – having no knowledge that it can actually LIVE and produce fruit. The fact that it is asleep however, makes it no less a seed, its purpose remains.

As far back as my memory goes, I have always had this built-in longing - the desire to love and be loved by my Parent, my Father, the One whose DNA lives inside me calling me into alignment with Him. He desired me before I was; He created me with a desire for natural alignment with Him. I had been asleep for so long, living underground, until one day, the rain came down.

No longer do I feel the need to seek from others what can only be fulfilled in Him and by Him. That emptiness has been filled. I am whole. My only real desire is for Him, to seek Him always, and to live in Him as He lives in me.

“I am my beloved’s and his desire is for me,” Song of Solomon 7:10.

Simple Truth

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and and those who don’t mind matter,” Dr. Seuss.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them,” Psalm 139:14-16 ESV.

Not Guilty!

I wonder if, on the day she and her husband were banned from the Garden, Eve blamed herself for the whole mess. I wonder: did she walk around with guilt for the rest of her days? Did she labour in the weeds and soil, beneath the hot sun, thinking “I bet Adam is still blaming me for this!” When Cain and Abel were young boys, did she tell them about that day, or did she bury the memory away with her hopes and dreams? Did she long to tell them about the long walks she and Adam used to take with God in the cool of the evening?

And, what about Adam? He, at first, blamed Eve, but I wonder if he ever took his share of responsibility or if he harboured resentment toward her. Well, they did have children so they must have eventually made up … or pretended to. I wonder though, did Adam would have spent his days feeling guilty, feeling as if he had ruined his life and the lives of Eve and his children? Did he ever think to himself, “Why didn’t I do the right thing!?”?

Did either of them, as parents, ever feel responsible for their poor choices; did they ever pause to reflect upon the kind of lives their children could have lived, if they hadn’t been banished? And, if they did – did they dwell on it? Did they lived under the indictment of guilt? More pertinent perhaps is the question: why would any one of us live under the yoke of our past poor choices?

I’ve done it; I do it. I try not to. It seems that sometimes it’s just more powerful than I. I allow it. I know that the Good News is: I don’t have to live in guilt or shame because of sin anymore – perhaps the serpent that speaks to me has convinced me that the price for my sin will never be paid.

The truth is: God did not banish them because He no longer loved them, it is for that reason He spared them. He gave them life – albeit not an easy life - but I don’t think He ever expected, nor wanted, them to re-live or live in the past. As a loving Parent, God allowed them to suffer the consequences of their actions. Adam and Eve learned their parenting skills from Him. They allowed Cain to make his own decisions. He was raised in the same household as Abel. It all came down to three things in the end: 1) the children were raised with love; 2) the children were permitted to make their own decisions; 3) Adam and Eve (as far as we know) made no attempts to avert the consequences of Cain’s decisions.

The fact is: my sin has already been paid for – in full. I have been found NOT GUILTY. Now all I have to do is to live in that verdict and allow my children to do the same.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13-14.

A Perspective on Perspective

Not too long ago, my son and I were at the other end of the city – the part of the city where I lived when I was about ten years old. Like many parents, I had recounted stories about my childhood to him – that included the story of my long and lonely walks to school during those cold winter days. I drove around the old neighbourhood and showed him my primary school and the townhouse I lived in.

“Mom!” he said, “I thought you told me your school was like two miles away?! It’s like not even a block away!” A flashback to my childhood flooded my mind as I looked at my former home, and then the school, and then my home again. He was right, it was – at the very most – half a city block away. It was so much farther when I was smaller!

It seems that I have made a habit throughout my life of seeing things bigger than they are. I am far too easily intimidated when it comes to things that seem out of my reach, or difficult. I let fear settle in and over-power me as if I’m a tiny little minnow swimming about in the sea. Lately however, thanks be to God, I have come to realize that there is nothing – no one – greater and more powerful than He is. He is for me and not against me. He’s on my side. He cares about the small details of my life – every detail. When I look at what seems to be a battle before me, instead of feeling small and insignificant, I need to run to Him – I need a new perspective – His perspective – on every “battle” before me.

““When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

"But Lord , " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." Judges 6:12-14.

Damaged Goods?!

I had to return an electronic device the other day. The salesperson was unable to determine what the problem was. I had explained to him that I’m not technically inclined and that perhaps the problem was with me. “Damaged goods” he said. My eyes opened widely, my heart began to pound in my chest. For a brief moment, those words – while I knew were not intended to describe me – chilled me to my very core.

The drive home was quiet – no radio – just my thoughts. Those few moments in the store took me back to a time, less than six years ago, when I exchange my “life” for the Life of Christ who came to live in me. You see, before that exchange was made – my life for His – I had always thought of myself as damaged goods. In those first months after surrendering my heart to Him, I struggled with one recurring thought: why would He want me? I am damaged goods. I won’t try and pull the wool over your eyes, there are still times – however infrequent - when the enemy still tries to convince me that I was born damaged, I am damaged, and I will always be damaged. What does he know?!

God’s Truth tells me that I am not my circumstances – past, present, or future. My past sin does not define me; my future sin will not define me, nor do the sins committed against me define me. I am who I AM says I am.

God knew me before I was conceived. He knew everything I would do, think, say, feel … He knew that I would make many poor choices before choosing Him; He knew that there would be others who would make poor choices on my behalf. He knew my fears, my habits, my secrets. He knew I would reject Him. He knew I would reject those He loves. He knew that I would choose to please others before Him. BUT, He never focussed on anything other than His love for me. He loved me – He loves me - with an everlasting love. He let nothing stand in the way of His plans for me. His love and His promises are for all who choose Him regardless of the who, where, when, what, why and how.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart,” Jeremiah 1:5(a).

Grace or Gloss?

Glossing over something … giving it a lustre or shine. Gloss is meant to refer to a thing, not a behaviour, character trait, or a person.

Before giving my heart to the Lord, I glossed over nothing, nor was I grace-filled. Neither of which was a good thing.

I have come to notice however, since my re-birth, that - for the sake of peace - I have become somewhat adept in giving a shine to what doesn’t sit well with me, and giving a gloss-over to things that I know are not sound according to the Word of God; this behaviour I have mistakenly called “grace”. Someone has called me on it and rightly so.

Grace is God’s unmerited favour bestowed upon an individual. I wonder then, when we extend grace to someone, are we giving them favour that is undeserved? I believe not. God gives it to us; we don’t deserve it. Why then would we be stingy with grace where others are concerned?

Grace before truth . . . this is a core value … an example of a behaviour that Jesus walked out. He never lied or covered up His thoughts, His beliefs, His values, and He never glossed over the actions of others that demanded correction. The “before truth” portion of Grace before Truth is fundamental; it infers the truth will be spoken. We are saved by grace – by God’s goodness and loving-kindness toward us. His unconditional love is expressed always, but never at the expense of correction; what father who loves his child does not correct him?

I wonder sometimes, as a Christian, if I have come to confuse grace with gloss? Who doesn’t like a nice sparkle and shine? When grace is extended however, a risk is taken - the possibility exists that the truth – when it is spoken – may very well result in exactly the opposite of what the grace was hoped to accomplish when it was given before truth. Without His grace and truth, we can accomplish nothing.

“For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favour and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 AMP.

In Deed

From May 2007 until May 2009, someone I love very much was in a pit so deep that there were times – long periods of time – when he had no vision of being rescued. From his perspective, although he appreciated the support, it mattered little in the thick of the quagmire how many people were routing for him.

He had begun to question his very foundation; was it built on Rock or sand? Doubt was beginning to drown him and guilt, fuelled by the doubt, was the anchor pulling him down. How easy it is to tell someone to “have faith.” The truth is, unless we are going through the exact thing at the exact time, and under the exact circumstances, we can only begin to imagine what someone is living through.

What could I do? What can any of us do for others on our own? The only thing I could do was pray. And while I know that God heard my prayers – I also knew that when two or more are gathered, there He is. I began asking for others to lift him up in prayer without divulging personal and intimate details. Groups of people began praying for him; some he knew of – others he did not.

On September 21st, 2008 – someone spoke into this life – someone spoke life into this situation. A brother had a vision of the Lord reaching down into that pit and leading him into a bright future.

James (2:14-17) wrote that faith without deeds is dead. Believing that God can and wants to change a situation is faith. Uniting with others in prayer is a deed; giving encouraging words is a deed. Faith indeed. Faith in deed.

God is Great. God is Faithful. God deserves all glory; He did reach into that pit. He did pull out one that I love. He did give him a vision and is leading him into a bright future. God deserves all the glory.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14.

Hallelujah, Lord. To you be all the glory.

The Strength of One

Perfect wisdom comes from God. Throughout history, God has given knowledge and understanding to those whom He chose to give voice to His message; today nothing has changed and tomorrow be no different – because perfect wisdom does not change.

This morning, pastor unfolded a passage of Scripture found in Deuteronomy 6: 5-9. In this particular passage, God was commanding Israel to love Him with all heart, soul and strength, from morning to night, in everything they did, and to teach their children about Him. His command was given to Israel as one – one nation – one people – one heart, one soul, and one mind.

People say: “there is strength in numbers”. I don’t believe that to be true. In reality, throughout the Bible – the Old and New Testaments – the Word of God teaches that true Strength is found in One. Those who unite as one have far more strength to love than the many who love but are divided. Those who individually and collectively unite first with God, in heart and soul, love and serve in the Strength of One; this is perfect wisdom.

“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.’" Mark 12:28-31 ESV.

Going Through the Motions

Oops! I did it again! There are some things that people do in life so repetitiously that it just becomes second nature, a habit, a routine. There are meals I make for my children that I’ve made so many times I no longer need the recipe. I take the same route to work every day without fail. It has become so routine that I could not begin to tell you which exits or landmarks I pass; I no longer notice them. I’m not complaining – there’s something about my personality that rather enjoys routine – but there are some times, some places, and in some relationships where I have come to appreciate the unexpected . . . and I expect the unexpected . . . as long as it doesn’t upset my schedule.

In my zeal for God, and my desire for an ever deepening intimacy with Him, I seem to have developed a routine. I have a set time for devotionals, studying His Word, and praying. Last week however, I began to wonder if it seemed to Him as if I was just going through the motions – so, I shook things up a bit. OY! What point is there in trying to change something that needs no change?

As I re-arrange my schedule to it’s former way, I can say with confidence that if a person’s “routine” involves heart rather than going through the motions God says, “It’s all good”. I am the way I am which is not to say that the unexpected cannot, or will not, occur during, or outside my schedule. My heart is always open and my spirit always ready to receive. He knows me and that is what’s important.

And while I do enjoy routine in various aspects of my life, my relationship with God – whether in His Temple, within the community, or in my home – is the most important part of my life. In every place, in every situation or circumstance the unexpected is not limited to my schedule; He is so much bigger than that. How things look to me, or others, is not part of the equation.

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam. 16:7.