Deer, Deer, Me!

Have you ever really looked closely at this verse? If you're like me, you think you have but I discovered this morning a key work I had overlooked all these years. The word is "He."

This verse was made into a song I grew up singing and, I may be totally "misremembering" but in my head it was always sung as "we will rest in his love" but that's not what it says. It says "He" will rest in his love. That spoke to me this morning so loudly. He will rest in his love. Read that again, He will rest in his love. He will rest, why? Because he understands his love. He understands that power of that love and he knows that nothing can ever separate us from him because of that love.

The word tells us that God is love. So, in essence, this verse is saying that God will rest in himself. He knows that he is in control, that he's got you right where he wants you, and that he is mighty enough and loving enough, to save you when that perfect time for saving comes.

We all go through rough times, times of battle, times of pressure, of attack, of trying and testing of our faith. The word tells us in 1 Peter 4:12 to not think it's weird or odd when fiery trials hit us from every direction. Peter doesn't mince words here. He doesn't say "if," he says "when." In John 16:33 Jesus himself tells us that we will have trouble in life but he has provided a way for us to have peace in the midst of trouble. We are encouraged to "take heart" because he has overcome the world!

I am arrested by that phrase "take heart." What does it actually mean? When I go to the original language, I find out so much about John 16:33 that I never quite realized before. First, that phrase "take heart." It means to take courage, (did you notice the word "take" there, even in the definition? That denotes action. Courage is something we are told to TAKE!) and to feel confidence. Jesus says he has overcome the world. Overcome means to conquer, to be victorious, to prevail. Now look at the phrase "the world." Have you ever considered what that actually means? In this verse it has, what I thought, was an interesting meaning. It is speaking of the ordered entirety of God's creation, but considered as separated from God. What am I trying to say by all my ramblings about original language and the meaning of individual words in this verse? Just hang with me and read a little bit further!

In John 16:33, Jesus is telling us that we are going to have trouble while we are on this side of heaven. We are going to know trials and tribulations, sorrow and heartache, loss and betrayal and pain, but he has an answer for all of it. He has overcome the world, but remember, in this verse the world is speaking of his creation separated from God. He has overcome our separation from God!! Read that again and let it soak in a bit more. Jesus has prevailed over what separates us from our Father! That is why we can be of good cheer, feel confident, and take courage.

He is our answer, he is our refuge, he is all mighty, all powerful, and all loving. Of course, he knows all this about himself and THAT is why he can rejoice over us with singing and THAT is why he can rest in his love.

So when trouble abounds and things seem to come at me from every side in every aspect of life, my goal will be to remind myself that the God of the universe rests in his love and rejoices over me with singing. If God is at ease and I have given my life to him, they why would I not be at ease as well? So my goal during this difficult time in my life will be to remind myself that God is not worried about anything. He is all powerful and he is all loving and he is in control. My heart, and my life, are safe in his hands. 

 

So I encourage you, my dear reader, when you find yourself awash in troubles and trials and it feels like you will be snuffed out like a candle in a hurricane, to take heart!  Nothing separates you from the one who is deeply and eternally in love with you and he just happens to also be the one in complete control! 

 

With you always in His grip,

Spokenfor

Slippery Kitties and Lost Sleep

Feelings have power, we all know that but where does that power come from?

We recently had an issue with out cats.  I was careless and our young, small kitty slipped out the door when I wasn't looking.  Then, as I was looking for her, one of the others bolted out the door as well.  So, in a matter of 10 minutes, I managed to lose half the feline population of our house.  To say that my youngest son was not pleased with me or thrilled with the prospect of losing his cat, would be an understatement! Cue the worry and anxiety and lack of sleep for me.  I didn't pray so much as I laid in bed and begged God mindlessly (and faithlessly!) to take care of them and to bring them home.  They were both located the next morning and were completely unconcerned and unimpressed by my lack of sleep due to concern for their well being.  

As I looked back on the situation, I realized the real problem is not that I love my kitties and want them to be safe.  The real problem is that I didn't trust God enough to take care of the situation.  So my feelings were simply a symptom of the lie I was believing - that God didn't care enough about me and my family to protect the things that are important to us or to provide the care and comfort Josh would need in the event that our cats were never found. 

I began to ponder on how many times we vilify our feelings.  Feelings are not bad, they are not evil, they are not shameful, they are a symptom of something.  If we are happy (which we all know is not the same thing as joy!), it may be a symptom of believing we are loved because our husband or kids cleaned the kitchen for us, washed our care, bought us flowers, or maybe we are happy because we found a good parking spot, scored a deal on a new pair of shoes (yes, please!!), or our favorite song came on the radio.  The feeling of happiness is simply a response to what we have experienced or what we are believing.  

What about those "other" feelings, the ones we deem "bad?"  What if you are irritable or grouchy because you came home and the house was a mess and your teenager and husband are piled up on the couch playing video games in the middle of it all? You walk in and the only response you get from them is to ask when dinner will be ready.  What will you feel thing? If you're anything like me, you're a bit more than irritated, you're down-right angry and, if I'm honest, under the anger I'm hurt and then comes depression. 

Anger, depression, hurt, these are all emotions that we would normally put in the "bad" category, the I-shouldn't-feel-this-if-I'm-a-good-Christian category.  While some could make an argument that these feelings would be justified in this scenario and I agree, why not look a little deeper? What if these feelings are symptoms of my believing the lie that I am not loved, and even more than that, that I'm not lovable, or that I have to do everything and no one will ever help me, or that it's up to me to shoulder the weight of keeping everything together? Then my feelings become symptoms of believing those lies.  Do you see what I mean? The feelings I maybe experiencing are not inherently "wrong." They simply are what they are.  The "wrongness" of it all shows up in the lies that I may be believing that are prompting the feelings.

Feelings, in and of themselves, are not wrong, they are not evil or sinful or shameful.  They simply are.  It is what we do with them that lends them the power.  It is a favorite ploy of the enemy of our souls to keeps us focused on our feelings and blinded to what is deeper underneath.  This allows him to continue to hide under our feelings and feed us the lie that we are somehow bad because our feelings are "bad."  When we see our feelings for what they are - simply feelings and symptoms of something deeper, we rob the enemy of his ability to use our feelings like strings on a puppet and we no longer dance to his tune.  

Feelings are part and parcel of being.  How many times in scripture are we urged to simply be? It comes in the form of words like, abide in me, rest in me, remain in me and while we are abiding and resting an remaining, we are also feeling.  When we take those feelings to Jesus, He helps us sort through them, figure out if they are based on truth or a lie, and process through them properly. 

In psychology there are two trains of thought on the subject of emotions and beliefs/thoughts.  The first one is that our feelings inform our thoughts/feelings, the second is that our thoughts/beliefs create our feelings.  I believe it can go either way at any given point and, in the end, does it really matter?  If we are renewing our minds through the word and taking our feelings to Him for help in processing them, we've got all our bases covered. 

My challenge to you this week, my dear readers, is to stop being mean to your emotions and just let them be!  Whether they are the prom queen or the aesthetically challenged wallflower hiding in the corner, they both have the right to be at the party!  So take them out on the dance floor and give them a whirl with the Lord.  You will find tremendous freedom in simply being and feeling and dancing! 

Until next time, I'll be here being and feeling, abiding, resting, remaining, and chasing errant kitties.  I have no idea how something so small and furry can move so quickly! 

As always, I'm
Soaked in His blessings,

Spokenfor 

Flying Rats, Baseball Bats, and the Armor of God

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know, those kind of days when the coffee can is empty, the car won’t start, the kids are fighting and the dog is sick in the middle of the kitchen floor?  Yeah, one of those kind of days.  I have and, in fact, I had a doosey of a day last week.  It seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  I have never been so glad to see the end of a day roll around as I was that day! 

Let me set the scene for you – Dinner is over.  The kids are all upstairs busy with various teenage/10 year old things. J and I are snuggled up on the couch watching our favorite show.  The dog is dozing at my feet.  The cat is dozing at the dog’s feet.  All is quiet, still, and right with the world.  I can finally take a deep breath and relax.  We have reached a rare state of peaceful nirvana in my home.  

And then……

(There always seems to be an “and then”.  Doesn’t there???)

Monkey boy wandered downstairs for sustenance as he was clearly on the brink of starvation having eaten at least 2 hours ago.  I heard him say “Hey! Who left the back door open??”  I roused myself from my semi-comatose state long enough for the fact the back door had been open to register on me and then returned to the very important work of watching tv.  

And then……

About 15 minutes after Monkey Boy had procured enough snacks to feed a small 3^rd world country or at least keep him happy till morning, a visitor showed up.  It was not your average visitor, this visitor had wings, and little claws, and is known for drinking blood.  It was basically a flying rat, also known as a bat.  

Let the chaos and shrieking begin! 

My screams of pure terror quickly brought most of the man-children that inhabit the upstairs running down.  They thought it was awesome!!  Great fun!!  That is, until the thing flew towards them and then, they too, ended up doing a really impressive duck and cover while screaming like a little girl.  (where was my camera when I needed it?!?!)  To make things even more fun, it seems the little rodent on wings was attracted to sound so, as it flew overhead and someone screamed, it did this little dive bomb thing right at your head!  Things got out of hand in a hurry!

Mumbles picked up the vacuum cleaner and started swinging it in the air, not the long hose attachment, the entire, upright vacuum cleaner.  When I finally convinced him to put it down, he simply started punching at it like a prize fighter at the tail end of a 3-day binge – lots of wild flailing, but never actually coming close to making any kind of contact with anything other than himself!  Meanwhile, Monkey Boy had darted out to the garage and came back swinging, not one, but two aluminum baseball bats.  I was forced to stand at a distance and yell at him to put the bats down because there was no way I was getting close to that craziness!  At one point, the boys were standing in one doorway of the dining room yelling and J was standing in the other doorway yelling and the poor flying rat was just going around and around in a circle.  I’m sure at this point, nasty little Dracula wanna be was wishing he had never followed that little bug through my back door!  In a last ditch bid for freedom, it swooped past J’s head and flew through the kitchen.  Of course, we all followed, some of us a bit slower than others. When we all made it to the kitchen we were relieved to find it was gone. 

The crisis had passed.  As we stood around laughing, some of us still shaking just a bit, and talking about what had happened, it seemed we had come through the trial with flying colors.  We shut all the doors that had been left open to ensure the little nasty thing wouldn’t gain access to the house again.  I managed to get everyone calmed back down and we all headed off to bed.

And then…..

The next morning I woke up and headed downstairs like every other morning to get J’s coffee and breakfast.  Through half-closed, sleep drugged eyes I spotted a tiny mess on the kitchen floor.  I thought to myself “how did I miss the dog having an accident in the middle of all the chaos last night?”  I grabbed the disinfecting wipes and started the clean-up.  Imagine my surprise when, upon closer inspection, I saw it was not actually a mess made by my little white pup, but the head and what was left of one wing of our nocturnal visitor!  (give me a minute, it’s hard to type when I’m still shaking at the thought!)  I squealed and panicked  nearly lost my breakfast  came close to passing out calmly and quietly picked it up in a plastic baggie and put it somewhere safe.  Then, my heart sank.  No, that’s not right.  My heart jumped out of my body and ran out the door into traffic!  

The problem was, of the three cats and one dog in the house that night exactly none of them were up to date on their rabies shots.  (I know, I know!  My fault!!  Don’t write me nasty letters!)  The cats never set foot outside.  I would never have dreamed that outside would find its way inside! Now, my neglect had endangered the lives of every animal in the house.  Not only that, but if the bat was shown to be rabid, every person in the house would also have to be treated.  

I called animal control and the came and picked up the head.  The tech was very nice, but told me there was, in his opinion, not much chance there was enough left of the bat’s head to get a clean test.  If they couldn’t do a good test, it would be treated as an automatic positive and they would be back to collect every four-legged critter in the house.  

That was the beginning of one of the longest days of my life.  The hours seemed to drag by.  They moved slower than one of my boys on his way to empty the dishwasher! 

And then…..

Finally, at 4pm, the call came in.  Negative!  No rabies!!  We were in the clear and we celebrated long and loud.  

Frequent readers will know there is more to the story, there usually is! 

As I sat at the vet’s office the next day waiting for everyone to get their rabies shot (yes, I learned my lesson!), I pondered over what had happened.  There are some important lessons to be learned here.  Yes, one is most definitely to be careful not to leave the back door open and a case can be made for one lesson being to always be sure all the pets have their shots.  But there is another one as well. 

I made a mistake. I thought the cats were safe without their shots because they never went outside.  I didn’t think those shots were really necessary because the cats environment was so carefully controlled.  Sure, I knew it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and get those shots updated, but I thought I could handle it.  I thought I had it all under control.  I thought wrong.  

I can’t help but think about how often we do the same thing in our lives.  The word tells us in Ephesians 6 to put on the whole armor of God, not some of the armor, or part of the armor, but the whole armor. At times, we are quick to grab the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.  Everyone knows the importance of these things.  It’s the other pieces, the seemingly “lesser” pieces that get over looked. We need that belt of truth whether we realize it or not.  The breastplate of righteousness helps us guard our hearts.  There is a reason why our feet need to be shod with the gospel of peace.  I know I need my walk to be covered with His peace!  But how many times do we make the same mistake with the armor of God that I made with the protection of my animals?  I thought I could handle things.  I thought that one little thing wasn’t really necessary.  I was wrong and it almost cost my family every pet in the house. Well, except for Monkey Boy’s rat, unfortunately. Give that thing wings and you’ve basically got another rat!!  But I digress….  

My point is, yes, I do actually have a point, is that unexpected things happen, but if we take care to do the things we know we should to protect ourselves, life will be that much easier.  There was no way for me to know that the sinister world of nature would find its way into my living room to become a midnight snack for one of my cats.  But I would have been sparred a day of anxious worry if I had done what I knew needed to be done ahead of time.  If we are careful to suit up in our armor daily, then when the enemy manages to throw something unexpected at us we are prepared and protected.  

So my challenge to you this week, my dear readers, is to suit up! Utilize all the tools the Lord has been so gracious to give us.  Be aware that, even when you least expect it, the outside will make its way inside sooner or later.  And when it does, you’d better have all your shots, eerr, I mean, you’d better have on all your armor!  

Until next time, I’ll be here attempting to restore the sanity in the house while guarding against all flying rodents, both big or small! 

Soaked in His blessings,

Spokenfor

Inside out? or Outside in?

But How Do You Show Him?

So you love God? Really?

How do you know? More importantly, how does He?

You go to church and sing worship songs,

but are you living inside out, or outside in?

Because if you’re living outside in, you’re wasting your time.

Your time, His time, our time.

As you strive to present on the outside a picture of what you

think you should be on the inside

Wasted time,

Wasted effort,

soul sucking, heart wounding, fear inducing, worry causing

waste of time and effort shriveling the truest you.

But if you’re living inside out, however that looks for you,

His love is made alive in your life.

He does the working,

you do the walking.

Love him, really love him.

Be captivated by him

Understand his heart

Learn his soul

Fall, yes, fall

fall from your pedestal of arrogance,

perfection is not worth the chase

fall on your face before him

because you can never fall from his grace.

Fall in love all over again, fall.

Listen, really listen

and more than that, actually hear

his heart as it sings

Its a song of delight at the thought of you

Don’t offer back, in the face of such pure devotion,

empty praises and meaningless phrases

designed to impress men.

Truth is what the lover of your soul most desires

Bring the truth as you see it

raw

ugly

shameful

real

your truth.

He will not change it

He will exchange it

When you begin to understand how he sees you

when you get a glimpse of what is his truth over you

that will confound you.

He looks, He sees

Beauty

Grace

Love

Goodness

Worthiness, yes, worthiness

Truth, His truth.

He exchanges your facts, for His truth.

You are worthy, beloved of the most high.

You are worthy because he says you are worthy.

He gave himself for you, withholding nothing

Saving no part of himself

emptied

depleted

poured out

leaving nothing left undone

Why?

Because he deems you worthy of such a sacrifice.

In the face of such all-consuming love

doubt melts

fear is banished

insecurity, pride, judgment

all vanish like the morning mist

and we are lost, forever, hopelessly lost

drawn by

consumed by

woven into

lost in

the very fibers of the heart of God

So how do we love him?

How do we show him that love?

We trust him with our truth,

we trust him with our brokenness

our pain,

our fear, confusion, doubt

we allow him to plumb the depths of our heart

and watch in awe of the treasures, the beauty, he brings out

not because we created them or are deserving of them,

but because he had already put them there

when he formed us

in our mother’s womb

lovingly,

carefully,

gently

with more tenderness than any artist has ever shown

with more purpose and intent than any composer bringing forth

the greatest musical masterpiece

the hands that spread the stars like rolling dice across the night sky

are the same hands that placed each eyelash,

each strand of hair

every freckle

every dimple

every nuance of your personality

the way you laugh

the way you smile

what amuses you

and what touches your heart and brings a tear.

Nothing escaped his careful, loving touch

and nothing, and I mean nothing

was or is ever left to chance.

What is required of us in exchange for this gentle intensity of love?

Nothing, and everything.

He requires that we be nothing more than what he has already made us to be.

He asks that we give him everything,

our wounds

our scars

our fears, doubts, screw ups, and failures

our hopes,

our dreams

our plans, efforts, schemes, and our attempts at our own righteousness.

He takes it all when we offer it

and in exchange offers back

life

pure, unadulterated, never ending life

not just later, but now

not just so we can float around on a cloud someday with a harp and wings,

but so that we may live,

really know what it is to live in every way possible

to live in ways we never knew were possible

to exist surrounded, suspended

by and in the majesty of this great love. 

For it is this love that is the power that holds all things together

It is by this love that the universe is kept in order

the planets kept on their course

the laws of nature function

the very atoms that make up the matter of all things are kept in line

and it is by and through this love

that our hearts continue to beat

our lungs go on drawing in air and

that we are granted life and breath.

So it is only right that with this life and

with this breath

we offer back to him our worship

true worship

not from a heart that bears no pain

not from a heart that knows no disappointment

or bitter regret

or loss

but from a heart that understands that despite these things

we are loved

purely

completely

profoundly

recklessly

intensely

eternally

loved.

So we trust him and we open to him

We offer back to him the very love he has showered on us

we learn his soul

understand his heart

desire his hand

but seek his face

and that, beloved of God

is how we love him.