We Must Gaze Beyond The Grave

Jonah 2:4 says, “Then I said, ‘O Lord, You have driven me from Your presence. Yet I will look once more toward Your Holy Temple.’”

Here we find Jonah having been swallowed by a great finish. In his disobedience, God had arranged the plan of redemption in the belly of that was thought giant whale.

Jonah created his own separation from God. Jonah had willfully withdrawn from standing in God‘s presence.

It wasn’t until Jonah had seemingly lost all hope that he regained proper eyesight. As it is with us, the darkest hour of night is that which precedes the dawn. Out of the very depths of hopelessness and helplessness and sheer isolation, faith begins to rise. Jonah’s faith was rising from the depths of the ocean both literal and spiritual.

I picture God whispering to Jonah, “Look again… Look again! I’m here. I’ve never left. I’ve been with you all along. And your poor choices have resulted in abandonment from My Spirit.” You see, our perceived punishment is often times His powerful provision. We can look at the fact that Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish and say, “Wow – God must’ve been really mad at him!” And yet I say, “No – He must’ve been madly in love with him!” I love verse 17 in chapter 1 it says, “The Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah.” He arranged it! He orchestrated it. It was the plan all along. Jonah’s reprimand became his rescue. And it wasn’t until he opened his eyes, looked up towards the Lord‘s Holy Temple, and cried out in authentic faith, that delivery was possible.

“Yet... in my circumstances today… I will look again!”

Victory Cannot Be Achieved Without a Battle

Luke 12:14 says, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”

The Bible is pretty clear that there is work involved in the Christian life. The truth is that victory can not be achieved without a battle.

As believers we have a tendency to say that “In the name of Jesus victory is ours!” But I believe that promised victory doesn’t give us permission to sit idly by and do nothing. We must busy ourselves with activating our faith. We have work to do! And I believe the good news for many us who currently find ourselves in difficult seasons of life... is: victory cannot be achieved without a battle.

Be encouraged that the battle you’re facing is being used by God to draw you closer to Him. It’s being intentionally purposed to reveal victory you’d never witness had it not been for the effort it took to achieve.

Bedridden Praise

Psalm 149:5 says, “Let the faithful rejoice that He honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie in their beds.”

And what really caught my attention this morning was, “as they lie in their beds.”

Their beds. Our beds. Whether we’re sick or in pain... where once the bed was a place of mourning, can now be the sweet spot to meet Jesus. “ I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed would weeping, drenching it with my tears.” Psalm 6:6.

On our beds… Let us sing, meditate on the Word of God, commune with the Lord, remember His loving kindness and superior goodness. We must keep in mind that the Lord gives us safety when we sleep. Psalm 4:8 says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

Oh rejoicing in sorrow and sickness and pain is most difficult… but we must always be trying. Just try it. Go as far as you can. Take that small step. Read His word, even if it’s focusing on one single verse that brings some hope. Listen to a worship song that ignites your spirit. Charles Spurgeon says, “Wherever there is grace there will be glory.”

And I believe that the highest level of our praise comes from a voice within a body racked with pain.

And why our bed? Because this is the place of seclusion… There is the place where you are all alone. Even within the stillness of your heart, if not with your voice… No, especially there! This is where true, authentic worship and praise is really determined.

Our bed of pain and suffering is the greatest opportunity we have to demonstrate our sincere devotion to God.

He is beautifully promoted by bedridden praise!

There’s no doubt in my mind that I ran across this in my journal yesterday.

Because someone else has to hear it.

The date was March 23, 2016, and it was my morning reading that day… John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2. 21:7 21:20. 

All the times John refers to himself as, “The disciple Jesus loved.”

“The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.”  (John 13:23)

I had to chuckle when I first read the words.  Those seemingly prideful words coming from the pages of the book that bore his name. 

And John’s name signifies “gracious”.   And perhaps he was just that.

Because gracious means… “favorable, kind, benevolent, merciful, expressing kindness and favor, renewed or implanted by grace, excellent, graceful, becoming.”

Ahh… definition always deepens perspective and allows us entry into a world of opportunities overflowing.

I see it differently by definition.

John was gracious.

And to himself so powerfully.

Favorable.
Kind.
Benevolent.
Merciful.
Expressing Kindness.
Favor.
Renewed grace.
Implanted grace.
Excellent.
Graceful
Becoming.

John knew the secret!

And as much as I’ve wondered about the boldness of his declaration, “I am the one whom Jesus loves”… the more I am convinced that John called himself by which he was absolutely certain Christ saw Him.

Because his very name (John) declared favor and mercy and grace and kindness.

Could it be that John identified himself as the “one whom Jesus loves” because he was the only one in the bunch who believed it?  The only one who identified himself according to how he believed God saw him??

And could it be that WE begin declaring His love for us with boldness like John… the one meaning gracious?  Because seeing ourselves the way Christ sees us is becoming gracious to ourselves?

Our self-concept changes when we begin seeing ourselves the way He sees us.

It’s about speaking life to our lives.

Because we believe more of what we tell ourselves than what anyone else tells us.

And it deeply matters - this graciousness to self!

Oh friends, that we would begin declaring today… “I am the one whom Jesus loves!”

Discipleship Crisis

My heart is breaking for the hearts that are far from Him!

We are in a real crisis for discipleship!

Amos 8:11-12 says, “‘The time is surely coming’, says the sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine in on the land – not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’”

Oh friend… we are in an absolute crisis for discipleship. For women to be brave enough to stand up and say, “Enough is enough”. We don’t need more sites to visit or vacations to book or trinkets to buy or accolades to accumulate… We need more Jesus.

We need more of His Word. We need more women who will stand up and say I choose YOU. Above everything else and everyone else… I choose Jesus!

But You Haven't Lost Me!

I am an avid journaler.

And at any given time I have at least 4 journals that I am actively depositing content.

Even though it sounds silly, these small books mean everything to me.  They hold within them thoughts and ideas and sermon notes and teachings that I intend to preserve for years to come.  They contain prayer requests for loved ones, great nuggets of wisdom from speakers from all over the world, and God-breathed words straight from heaven.

And I remember wrestling with the thought to take it to the concert last Wednesday night.  I knew I would want to take notes… to capture the moments to process later… and it was a last minute decision to take one that was near full to capacity and busting at the seams.

And even days later I am wondering why I had to choose… that one.  Of all the blank ones available to me.

It would be less than 24 hours later that I would realize I didn’t have it.

And with a sinking heart I searched and searched - to no avail.

It was gone.

And I had remembered, only then, that I had laid it on the chair beside me.  The one that folds up when not weighted properly.

My journal.  The one possession of precious value.

Now gone.

And I can always tell when God is working on this weary heart of mine.  I can feel it in the way His purpose is visioned in the midst of heartache and pain.

And it was only today, as I was still grieving the loss of penned words I may never recall without it’s physical presence in my life, that I heard Him.  God whispering straight to my spirit… “But you haven’t lost Me.”

Ahh… yes…. God.  That!  You’re right!

And I just might see it now.

My best friend would tell me, “Those written words may be saving a soul right now.” 

And she’s right.

And so is He.

Because we will all experience loss.  And far greater than a $10 journal.

And He whispers it again… multiple times as needed to penetrate this hard head… “But you haven’t lost Me.”

And it’s true for all the losses in my life.  It’s always been true.

“I lost that friend, God.”  “Yeah, but you haven’t lost Me!”
“I lost that job I loved, God.”  “Yeah, but you haven’t lost Me!”
“I lost all my strength, God.”  “Yeah, but you haven’t lost Me!”
“I lost their trust, God.”  “Yeah, but you haven’t lost Me!”

It is a journal.  It is the small stuff.  Because at the end of the day, those God-inspired words just might, at this very moment, be blessing someone who needs to know they haven’t lost Him.  And it took a small town girl with a journal obsession to remind them of His amazing grace and love!

He's Filled AND Moved With Compassion!

And then there comes a morning in the middle of the week.

Tears streaming.
Love abiding.

A sweet morning when the Holy Spirit’s presence is so amazing you are left awestruck.

Praises!!!
So many of them.

Blessings overflowing!

And just like He often does… the Holy Spirit was at work this morning as I prayed. (So grateful that I keep a pen with me as I pray!)

Last week for our Wednesday night bible study at church, I wrote down all the verses I could find on the demonstration of Jesus’ compassion. I was able to find more than 10 examples of being filled with compassion on behalf of His sons and daughters all throughout the Gospels.

But I had this thought this morning… Jesus wasn't just FILLED with compassion… He was also MOVED with compassion.

Matt 14:14 in the NLT says, "... He had compassion on them and healed the sick."
But the King James version says, "...He was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."

Filled = Made full; supplied with abundance.
Moved = Stirred (to action); excited.

Oh filled and moved!!!

Two different words!

He IS, indeed, filled with compassion. He is supplied and has an abundance of it.

BUT…

He also IS, indeed, MOVED with compassion. He is stirred to action and excited to extend it.

HE is FILLED and MOVED with compassion!!!!

And the proof that He was moved with compassion is found in the remainder of that verse... "... He healed their sick."

He was moved to action!

He is a GOOD GOOD God!! And He doesn’t just sit on His throne filled with compassion yet refusing to apply the action steps of grace!

He is a God who LONGS to hear from His children and LONGS to know the desires of our hearts.

He is a God who displays enormous compassion on His sons and daughters.

And He does.

And so I believe today… TODAY is a new day! A day that we reach out for His compassionate hand. A day that we cling to His compassion and declare His goodness over our lives.

Oh how MADLY in love He is with you!!!

And I felt impressed on my heart, too, that as we pray we need to remember (and I wrote this in my journal too, the words that dropped into my Spirit right from the Father)… “Just because it’s not visible by the eyes, doesn't mean it can’t be perceivable in the heart!”

Oh the ways He longs to show you compassion today!!!

All of us!

Let’s cling to Him today in a new way! And trust and believe in His sweet compassion like never before!

He is filled AND moved with compassion.

He’s filled with it… and He is moving on your behalf!

He will never leave us alone in our complacency!!

Enjoy this song I have attached below.  I just know you’re going to fall in love with it like I did!! Soak in it today if you can! (And get your tissues!)

And let's praise Him today for WHO He is and all He longs to do in and through our lives!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHQOcUizZuQ

The WORK of Wickedness

Psalm 5:5 says this, “Therefore, the proud may not stand in Your presence, for You hate all who do evil.”

And we’ve heard it said that God hates the sin yet loves the sinner. But this verse takes on another direction of thought.

Sin is detestable to God. He considers sinners to be the greatest fools. Fools of their own making.
But I love the way the King James version says it, “The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”

Ahh.. workers of iniquity. WORKERS.

Iniquity is defined as injustice, malicious prosecution, wickedness. Here I believe scripture is not inferring that God despises those who sin, because we all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. But I believe He’s speaking about those who WORK in wicked ways. Those who give themselves up to the business of doing wickedness. Those who are employed by the devil to live lives in constant and perpetual sin, never ceasing to surrender to a loving God who stands always ready to lavish grace upon us.

Romans 3:13-18 defines for us people who are separated from God. These people, “their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are filled with cursing and bitterness. They rushed to commit murder. Destruction in misery follows them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.”
Oh.. but! But.. we have a choice to escape from the work of evil! Because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus we have freedom from our old sinful nature! Jesus was and IS our covering from old sin patterns. Glory!

We cannot conceive of sin without a sinner. And so indeed every sinner is both criminal and detestable to God. But thanks to Jesus and His overriding of sin by the undeserving debt He paid, we have hope!

Jesus says to the woman caught in adultery and He says it to us too... “...neither do I condemn thee… go, and sin no more.”

It’s the work of wickedness that separates us from the love of the Father.

Our Declarations Determine Our Destiny

Often times I am brought to tears by the condition I witness that people resolve to live in.

I see it all the time.. political debates attempting to be resolved by hate slurs spewed from one direction to the other. Marital controversies battled out in public platforms in a defeating effort to proclaim your rights and preserve your reputation. We “get mad” and “get even”. We complain when we are even slightly inconvenienced, and we argue when the opinions of others faintly differ from ours. We gossip about those we’re threatened by, and we insult the ones we’re intimidated because of.

I ran into a weary soul a couple weeks ago and I asked her how things were going. And her response impacted me so deeply I went home and wrote it down on a sticky note before placing it on my prayer wall: “I’m just going through the motions… trying to get through one day at a time.”

A part of me wanted to cry out, “Really?”

I mean I get it. I do. I have those days where life is overwhelming and difficult. I understand loss and pain and rejection and fear and grief and loneliness.

I understand.

But I also understand that the attitude I embody testifies to the heart of the God that I serve.

And I think it’s why He keeps graciously bringing me back to the verse… the one that wakes me up in the middle of the night… the one that leapt off the pages and into my heart and now my mouth almost daily… “Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13)

And I find myself declaring it daily.

Because the truth really is that if I don’t declare it, this fallen world will deny it.
And I am found most ready for His goodness when I am actively pursuing it. Making observations daily of the ways He lavishly gives, undeniably protects, and lovingly forgives.

Our focus really does determine our forecast. What we choose to focus on will eventually become the condition we must accept to live in.

And so today I determine to remain conscious of what I say. To be keenly aware of the words that flow so freely from my lips. I will begin declaring His goodness over my life and over the lives of those I love. I will no longer be a slave to the disease of defeat and discouragement. I will say it with confidence that I am victorious over a jaded tongue and speak only words that bring life and increase faith!

Our declarations determine our destiny!

It's Our Experiences of our Personal Experiments with God That Changes Everything!

Wanted to share quickly that my reading this morning was John 2:11.  It was the miracle of Jesus… His first one recorded in the Gospels… the turning water into wine.  The verse says, “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed His glory.  And the disciples believed in Him.”

Ahh… so many rich things from this text.

The MIRACULOUS sign (note: John is the only Gospel writer who uses the word Semeion (greek for sign) instead of the word Dunamis (greek for power) as used by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  My commentary says it’s a deeper meaning word than Dunamis, in that it was not as “far-fetched an idea as others suggested it to be).  He describes the miracles of Jesus as the WORKS of Jesus (erga in the greek), and considers them merely and supremely just part of the work God gave Him to do (17:4).  He considered this natural work for the incredible Savior.  John chooses to write about 7 miracles, including this one, with the purpose of highlighting fuller teaching.  My commentary says, “They are signs of a new revelation and lead to higher faith.”

It also says Jesus REVEALED HIS GLORY.  And yet somehow I think we only attribute this revelation of His glory to the BIG things we see Him do.  Heal the cancer, restore the marriage, bring the wayward child to repentance.  But I think it’s more than that!  I think He reveals His glory all the time.  I see Him do it in my quiet time a lot.  I will admit not all the time… but I see it on MANY occasions.  By feeling His presence.  By worshipping at my computer and then being stirred by the enormous weight of something He’s pressing into me about.  By the way the Holy Spirit will prompt me to pray a certain way for a certain thing and realizing the profound affect my words can have on another person simply because of my willingness to act on HIS behalf.  Oh that we never miss the ways He’s revealing Himself to us every day.  Beautiful sunset - JESUS!  Kind note from a friend - JESUS!  The sweet sound of the bird chirping outside of my windows - JESUS!  Jesus revealed in His glory.  Arriving to us in the common like the miracle at a wedding in Cana!  (Many even considered this a miracle unworthy of Him.)  Isn’t it like our Jesus to appear to us in the common, natural, everyday, ordinary places!  GLORY!

And then it says, the disciples BELIEVED HIM.  And it’s hard to read this without thinking, “Did they not believe Him before this?”  They did.  But their faith was CONFIRMED and STRENGTHENED by what they witnessed.  I wonder if, for some, it was all in all ESTABLISHED.  Before this, they had believed on the testimony of John the Baptist.  Oh… but now… they saw with their own spiritually weak eyes that He was invested with almighty power and it secured their faith.

Ahh… there it is.  The great chasm between BELIEF and FAITH.

According to my dictionary, the word BELIEVE means: to credit upon the authority or testimony of another.  To be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another.
But FAITH means: the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another.  Resting on His authority alone without further evidence.  Faith is an affectionate, practical confidence in the testimony of GOD (ahh… what we are experiencing in our OWN lives).

So the Lord dropped this in my spirit to say today: 

Faith is not only believing without the presence of proof… but also by the experience of His existence!

We cannot ride of the coattails of anothers’ faith.  We cannot be satisfied to BELIEVE in something because someone else says it so.  We have to establish FAITH for ourselves.  We have to engage with His Word, spend time in His presence, and strive for the life-transforming power that He brings.  It’s the MIRACLE work He longs to display in your life that will allow your FAITH to be strengthened.

It’s the experiences of our personal experiments with God that changes EVERYTHING!

Like my pastor often says, “One encounter with Jesus can change everything!”

And I believe it!!

Be aware of the miracles He’s working in your life today!!!

GLORY!!!!

Delays of Mercy are not Denials of Prayer

I don’t know what it is you’ve been waiting on God for.

Maybe it’s a job.
Maybe it’s a spouse.
Maybe it’s the renewal of a friendship.
Maybe it’s healing from a health issue.

And the truth is that we are all, at one point of another, waiting on something.

And some of us have been praying for years for breakthrough.  Some of us have been faithfully trusting God for a miracle, and yet we cannot physically see His hand at work.

But it doesn’t mean He isn’t working.

He knows.  He sees.  He hears.

And He’s working on our behalf in ways we cannot even fathom!

He’s causing all things to work for our good… and His glory.

So maybe that job isn’t the right one for us.  Maybe He knows something about the corruptible environment that would only serve to set us on a backwards track if we were offered a position!
Maybe that person, the one you thought was godly, is not so after all.  Maybe God is protecting you from a lifetime of heartache had you prematurely said yes to that marriage proposal.
Maybe He has not brought about unification in that friendship yet, because there’s still heart-work He needs to do in you, and restoration requires a reconstruction.
Maybe that health issue lingers for the mere purpose of the continuation of your witness to a modern medicinal community.  Perhaps that team providing your medical care would be void of the presence of Jesus if you weren’t still there.

So cling tightly to Him in your season of waiting.
Remain in obedience to all He is calling you to do as you remain in training.
Praise Him for all you’ve seen Him do, all you see Him doing, and all you’re going to see Him do.

And then see what the Lord is going to do!

Psalm 27:13 is one I keep on repeat in my head and mouth… “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”

Delays of mercy, are not denials of prayer.

He Sees You

I know there is someone else who needs this same encouragement the way I did this morning.

God sees you.

Three words that may rescue you from the pit on a Wednesday morning.

God. Sees. You.

Hagar knew a little something about this.

Unexpected grace.

There in the midst of her pain and her sadness and her overwhelming fear and regret… she knew it.  And she said it in Genesis 16, verse 13, “… Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord who had spoken to her.  She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’”

I had highlighted it there in my Bible many years ago.  But I wonder if I’ve always believed it?

Because I think the truth really is that we are quick to recognize His presence in the lives of others.  We easily embrace this idea that He speaks to others and draws near to those more “godly” than we.

But that’s improper thinking.

He sees you!

From the top of your head, to the bottom of your feet… yes, even now… He is examining you.  And He is greatly riveted by your comings and goings and your doings.  He sees you supremely, constantly, entirely.

He sees where you are hurt.  He hears the cries of your heart before you even utter a word.  He knows the pain your have suffered.  He knows the nights you have laid awake in bed burdened by the weight of your circumstances.

He sees you!

And there is never a moment when you are out of His sight.  There’s not one place you can hide to escape His awaiting and abiding love for you.

He sees you lying wounded on the battlefield, and with unending mercy He leaves the masses to behold your aching spirit and mend the shattered pieces of your heart.

I say it often to those I love who’s brokenness and wounded-ness has gravely affected their disposition… “He is madly in love with you!”

And He is with you too!

He is a God who sees.  A God moved with compassion for the hearts of His children.  And “…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.”  (Matt 10:29)  And how much more precious are you than one sparrow?

Know it today.  He sees you.  He knows you.  He longs after you.

Go forth today in hope knowing that the God who holds the universe together, is also holding your heart together today!

The Greatest Reassurance is Recognition

There’s just something good about being known.  Being recognized.  Being noticed.

And I bet it felt this way for Mary Magdalene.

Early on the Sunday morning following the cruxifixction of Jesus… HER Jesus… Mary stood outside the tomb crying.  The one who had committed to embalming her Christ, was the one who now stood beside an empty tomb and wept because He was not there. 

And thinking His body had been stolen, the tears begin flowing heavily as she corresponds with an angel about her despair.  So much focus was on her grief, that she fails to even recognize the risen Jesus when He appears to her asking, “Dear woman, why are you crying?  Who are you looking for?”  (John 20:15)

But then He says it again, and this time my mind believes it to be a whisper as He draws closer to her.  “Mary”, Jesus said.

“Mary.”

And her words following this about bring me to tears.

“Rabboni!” (Hebrew for “Teacher”.)

She cries out to Him saying, “Rabboni!”

She recognizes Him when He called her by name.  Because there’s just something in recognition that brings reassurance.

I believe in that moment, she realized, that everything was okay.  Her Savior had been found and He was calling her to Himself!

And so I see it now… that there is only one thing more important than knowing God, and that’s Him knowing me!  You!

Does He know me?
Does He recognize me?
Have I journeyed with him long enough for the intense personal bond to affect His intentions and inclinations toward me?

It’s all that truly matters.

To me.

The greatest reassurance is recognition. 

We See By Manner Of How We Sow

 

Let’s be honest… some mornings we don’t have to look real hard to find the things that threaten to steal our joy. Some days we’re handed plenty of opportunities to be frustrated.  And one look to social media confirms it for us by the way we are exposed to negativity, pessimism, and suspicion.

And the weight of it can be so heavy.  Especially for those of us who feel deeply and live passionately. 

And I heard it in the way she responded to my question when I asked how she was doing.  After a long sigh she said, “Just going trough the motions…trying to get through one day at a time.”

I felt it in his words to me on Easter Sunday… the day of resurrection celebration… “I’ve seen better days!”

I hear it in her aching voice when she explains to me, “This is not how I intended for it to go!”

Broken hearts.  Shattered plans.  Disappointed expectations.

But what about misaligned vision?

And on a Thursday morning I see the sticky note there on my prayer board in my office.  A prayer I’ve been praying for a while now.  “A new vision.”

And this prayer came from a season of struggle in my own life.  A dry season of desperately wanting more of Him and less of me.  A determination to commit to God’s purposes and my refusal for a mediocre life.

A new vision.

And the prayer is a bold one… because it’s surrendering the will.  It’s allowing God to do some heart work.  It’s giving Him permission to examine your inward self… the parts we typically deny other people entry.

And He’s been showing me… the slow learner… what it means to have a new vision.

Because there we see it in Matthew 5:8… “God blesses those whose HEARTS are pure, for they will SEE God.”  (emphasis mine)

Okay… so there’s a distinct link between heart and vision.

Yes.  Yes!

And so could it be that our eyesight is dependent on the condition of our inner life?

Because the one who is working diligently on manufacturing healthier heart habits is the one who is continually producing optimistic optical options.

Those who’s hearts are bent towards growth in His ways, are always the ones who see clearer and who’s perspective is forever altered by grace.

A synonym for sow is inject.

It’s always, always, always a matter of what we are allowing ourselves to be injected with.  The heart duplicates that which the life devours.  Profanation in… Pollution out.

I want a better life.
I want clearer eyesight.
I want a new vision.

I want to speak like David and say, “Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”  (Psalm 27:13)

And then speak it out for the whole world to hear!

We see by manner of what we sow.

Perfect Looks Don't Adequately Represent Perfect Lives

I am not sure who specifically this is for… but I know who it’s intended to reach.

The hurting.
The hopeless.
The dejected.
The misguided.

The one who sees the images online and tries desperately to compete with what seems so unrealistic and foreign.

Because I couldn’t help but think of it this Easter Sunday.

It nudged on me from the moment I awoke until the few remaining minutes before I drifted to sleep.

And for so many the holidays can feel like a comparison game.

Because don’t we want to look our best for Christmas gatherings and Easter celebrations?  Don’t we race all over town in search for the perfect outfit to best represent the perfected image we wish to create?

We do.

We buy the shoes even though they’re killing our feet, because they look good. 
We scrub the parts of the house visible by guests “extra special”, while cramming everything unnecessary into that hallway closet no one uses, for fear of misrepresenting our over-protected reputation.
We smile for the picture even as we’re forcing back the tears from an insult dart hurled at us only moment earlier.

And I get it more than you know.

Because unfortunately our pictures, too, don’t always adequately represent the moments lived out on the other side of a camera.

And on a sunny Easter Sunday I, too, make mistakes.
I say words I wish I could take back.
I act in selfish ways I demand are not invalid.
I hurt someone I love unintentionally, but unquestionably.

Because I am not perfect.

And here’s a heads up… they aren’t either.

I know what it can feel like seeing all of those images and feeling inadequate.  Flawed.  Insufficient.  Defective.  Imperfect. 

I know that by comparison it would seem you’ve missed the mark.

Oh friend… I wish you wouldn’t feel that way.

We ALL fall short.
We ALL experience deep brokenness.
We ALL fight in the war of comparison.

Isaiah 43:4 reminds us of God’s great love… “… because you are precious to Me… You are honored, and I love you.”

Zephaniah 3:17 says that He takes great delight in you with gladness, and that He, “… rejoices over you with joyful song.”

Oh my prayer today is that you would see yourself through HIS eyes.  That you would begin measuring your worth against His standard of grace and not by the world’s idea of superiority and excellence.

He loves you just because.
All the shattered pieces too.
All of the imperfect parts too.
He loves all of you!
Just because.

Stop comparing yourselves to others who are just as concerned with image-bearing as you are.
Embrace your weaknesses.
Because it is then, and only then, when His greatness can shine the best!