Mercy

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!

Psalm 90:14

Oh, where would I be without God's mercy?  Every single time I fail, He is still there to pick me up.  Even when my many sins weigh me down and hold me back from approaching Him, He has covered the cost and forgotten them all.  He is passionately in love with me, even when I forget Him.  He reaches out to me and says, "You don't have to do anything -- I love you, and I want you back."  His infinite mercy for His beloved is such a relief for a broken, failing soul.  Here is joy, that He never fails to forgive!

Rise!

My grandma died yesterday, after a three-year battle with bone cancer.  When I heard the news, I didn't cry; I hugged my dad, then I went to the piano and played "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin:

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say, "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise
When He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise
On eagle's wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When the darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise . . .

And I hear the voice of many angels sing
"Worthy is the Lamb!"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart
"Worthy is the Lamb!"

I will rise . . .
Rise!

What a glorious thing to look forward to: rising out of the bondage of this dim and dying world to find oneself at the feet of the Savior!  At last, my grandma is there rejoicing, done forever with suffering and worry.  I haven't cried yet, and though I'm sure I will, I still celebrate a soul's entry into our great hope.  Praise God!

Still Fighting

A night and a day on the battlefield hot
Two young men-at-arms had valiantly fought.
Side by side their swords clashed
Against a foe not undone
Countless times they had dashed –
Yet still had not won.

Said one to the other, “I fear we are lost!

For to win such a battle is too great a cost.
We’ve fought far and wide,
And to what end, pray tell?
If we never had tried
We’d have done just as well.”

To conquer this foe looked hopeless to him,

But for his companion things seemed not so grim.
“Say not so, my dear friend!"

He said with a cry.

“If we stand ‘til the end

We shall win by and by.

“For what is a warrior without a true fight?
And what good is living, if not for the right?
Though all now seems dark
And the battle is long,
Our swords oft reach their mark
And we’re still going strong.

“Your battle shall end the moment you quit

If for such a fight you deem you’re unfit.
So come now, my friend,
And give it your best!
The right first defend,
And then we may rest.”

So he drew his companion back into the fray,

And as he foretold, they conquered that day.
Said the first, “Now I see
That in this you were right.
Though a battle there be,
Thank God I still fight!”

Opportunity

I faced an unforeseen challenge a couple weeks ago -- a little thing that could have been a big discouragement at the time, but turned out to show God's ability to get things done just fine in spite of "inconveniences." When I brought her the news, a friend told me she was glad this problem had happened to me of all people, because "you won't worry about it." "No, it's just an opportunity for God to do something great," I said.

That got me thinking: do I really have a reputation for not worrying? I want to be known as someone who sees every challenge, great or small, as an opportunity for God to act. I can trust Him with little things, a day, a week, but I want to be just as steady in big things, a month, a year, a life. For is not God the Author who never needs a rewrite? The twists and turns He writes are the setup for a perfect payoff -- maybe a few pages away, but it's there!

Since you cannot do this very little thing,

why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12:26

How to Make Something Happen

Lack of discipline (i.e. laziness) is the plague of my life.  Unfinished projects haunt my steps, untended piles grow to formidable heaps of rubble, and unconquered habits wear into weary ruts.  Once things go on for like this for a while, it's easy to start thinking, It's gone this long, so what's another day . . . or week . . . ?  And before you know it, it's been a year . . . or two . . .

A few months ago, a friend shared something very profound with me: "If you do something, it will happen!"  What a novel concept.  Really, the cure for most of our ills is so simple we overlook it.  Surely it can't be that easy!  But it is.  If any long-neglected thing is ever going to happen, it just requires some concentrated effort in that direction.

I say concentrated effort -- not shuffling things around halfheartedly for five minutes, but actually doing, finishing.  Profitable action requires a vision for the end result, a goal, a plan . . . but ultimately, it still comes right down to simply doing it.  So take some hearty action, and see what happens!

He who knows the good he ought to do

and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:17

God of the Unseen

Yesterday, I was blessed to be part of a successful excursion to the Valley of the Giants, and had a beautiful day of enjoying God's creation and fellowship with His people.  High in the hills, we rested, explored, had conversations and contests, and took pleasure in simple things.  Being in such a place, nearly untouched by man's "improvements", one can see clearly how much care God puts into His works, and praise Him for them.  And just to get to this little haven, we drove through miles of forest that is surely as lovely, yet likely has never been explored by man, at least in this generation.  But still the river washes faithfully over smooth rocks, flowers bloom and trees stand strong, and birds sing, even if humans don't observe it.

If God made this earth for our enjoyment, what is the point of all the things that come and go on it without ever once being seen by man?  Is it all just filler?  I wouldn't say so.  God made this world with our pleasure in mind, yes, but even more than that, He made it for His own pleasure.  He enjoys the beauty of it even more than we do, because it's all of His making.  Creation, corrupted though it now is, is more faithful to declare Him than we often are.  The things unknown to us sing His praise, whether anyone else sees it or not.

What an example for us humans, who are so dependent on the affirmation of our fellows that we will hardly lift a finger to do a task that no one will give us credit for.  Can we learn be content to praise God just for the joy of it, just because it's what we were made to do?  If by sharing our praise with others we can fulfill our purpose, let us do so, but let us not be discontent to bless the Lord where only He will see -- it's all for Him anyway!  His pleasure is the ultimate reward.

The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness,

The world and those who dwell therein.

Psalm 24:1

Perfect Love

God, give me perfect love.  Rid me of selfish fear and prideful anger.  Fill me with Your heart for others.  Give me strength to sacrifice myself for others as You did for me.  Grant me love that is not rude and self-seeking,  impatient and envious.  Change my heart to an image of Yours.  Amen!

Driving Lessons

As I've been tending a family's home this past week or so, I have also been given the generous, and risky, opportunity of driving their car, which happens to be a stick shift.  Now, I've driven stick shift a few times before, so I know how it goes.  Over the past several days, with the exception of a few interesting occurrences of sitting helplessly at intersections for five minutes, I have greatly improved my skills -- though I can't say the car hasn't lost some rubber on the tires and gained some cracks in the bumper.  But though I seem to have mastered the art of going forward comfortably, backing up is still quite another story.  In fact, having got the car safely parked, I've gone back to my friendly automatic for the time being, lest I inflict further damage on my friends' poor old rig!

Learning to drive a stick shift is first of all a wonderful lesson in patience.  So I've killed it five times?  Give it yet another try, and another, and another . . .  But when one more try has turned into two dozen more tries and I'm still only inching along in the wrong direction, in comes the next lesson: I need help!  I really can't do this on my own after all.  Somebody who's been there done that and fully conquered it needs to step in to my rescue.  I'm very thankful for the kind lady who did just that for me the other day -- God routinely uses His people to answer desperate prayers!

In every monumental thing we set out to learn in life, there will be moments of "I got this!" as well as many more moments of "I'm totally stuck!"  If we're going to get anywhere, we have to keep trying until we do get it.  Often God provides the ability to get through without outside aid, but when there comes a time that we simply can't get it on our own, a mile in the passenger seat and a little pointer from someone skilled may be just what we need to get us on the road again.  So if you're stuck, put on the brake and call for help before you get in a big scrape.  And when you've finally got it down, look for somebody who doesn't yet and lend a hand!

Without counsel, plans go awry,

But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 15:22

Of Salamanders and Friendships

As we hiked along a woodland creek last weekend, my young friend found a salamander, and like many children her age, she planned to take it home as a pet. She carried it lovingly down the trails, asking me what salamanders eat, noting that the creature liked water, and voicing ideas of a big tub to keep it in. But when I told her she would have to let it go, she couldn't bear the thought of parting with her new friend. I tried to explain: the salamander would likely die in captivity, and if she really cared for it, she wouldn't want it to be unhappy just so she could enjoy it. It was not made to live in a tub -- it was made for the creek, right there in the woods. At last she was convinced, though she held off the parting as long as possible before bidding the salamander a fond farewell.

"That's how it is with all friends," I told her. "If you're not made to live in the same place, you enjoy each other for a while, then you go and live where you were made to live." A lesson for us all, I thought. Aren't we so often like this in our friendships? People make us happy, and we want to keep them, caged up, if need be, for ourselves. We possess our friends. We get hurt if their lives don't run parallel to ours. But it's only because we love them so much, isn't it? No, in reality, it's pure selfishness. We have no right to own another's life. It is unfair and confining to the others and only a burden on ourselves to try to keep them for our own benefit.

Yes, some of us are made to live in the same places. But only the Maker can decide where each of His creatures will call home, thus, only He can decide who our fellow creatures will be. The parameter of where we were "made to live" includes not only the corner of earth we call home, but what makes it home to us -- the things we're passionate about, the things that feed our souls, the specific work God has given us to do. If a friend, dear as that friend may be, cannot share all this, we should not try to force a fish to fly or a bird to swim, so to speak. Granted, some do. And what a blessing such friends are! But let us not have too much sorrow over those who truly are made for a different place in life than the one designed for us. We may enjoy each other when we meet, then go in freedom to fulfill our purpose where we each were made to live until the day that all our true friends -- our family in Christ -- will share one great Home.

But now God has set the members, each one

of them, in the Body just as He pleased.

And if they were all one member,

where would the Body be?

1 Corinthians 12:18-19

The Hardest Little Word

"No" is such a negative word.  It is the denial of desire, the declaration that something doesn't measure up, the rejection of plans and ideas.  It's a slap in the face, a door slamming, a "Closed" sign.  It confines, constricts, controls, and condemns.  Never did two letters smash lives more quickly.

Hearing "No" requires some tough constitution, and saying it takes even more.  You must brace yourself for the word, and when it comes, what then?  "No" is isolating, and leaves you to take the next uncertain step alone.  It is dangerous to say -- for to deny a loved one is great pain, or there may come a risk of finding cruel pleasure in the duty.

On the other hand, "No" does have its beautiful place. It is the release from fear, the freedom to move on. It's a reassuring touch, a "One Way" sign. It protects, propels, and projects. Never did two letters bring such relief -- for a "No" here must mean a "Yes" elsewhere . . . or perhaps just later.

God, the perfect Father, often tells His children "No" -- always for our protection, and always so He can say "Yes" to something better.  "No" shreds our beloved rough draft and sets up a fresh blank page, which may indeed be daunting.  But it is good.  Amongst ourselves, as bearers of God's image, we must unflinchingly say "No" to evil, and often even to perceived good, so that we may be free to say "Yes" to the best.  For the best is coming -- our Father has planned it, and He has promised!

"The grace of God . . . teaches us to say "No"

to ungodliness . . . while we wait for the blessed

hope, the glorious appearing of our great

God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Titus 2:11-13