Despite its demise, our current culture has a system of “Iron Walls”, even though many of them are not visible to the eye.  There are cultural, religious and political walls that divide us, and there are relational walls of misunderstanding, wrongdoing, and prejudice that separate us every day.  Some of those philosophical and relational differences are very definite statements of separation.

A System of Walls
In Jesus day, there were walls too.  The Temple in Jerusalem was set up in a system of courtyards; there was the Jewish court, in which only men and boys would be allowed to enter, the Women’s Court, the Priest’s Court and the Gentile’s court.  All of these categories of people were separated and had limited access to the Holy Place, where God dwelt.  Only once a year, the Holy Place could be entered by the high priest when he offered a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.  All this was a model of how our sins have separated us from God. (Isaiah 59:1)

Believe it or not, and despite the system of walls, God had a plan.  Because He loved us and wanted a relationship with us, those sins that separated us had to be dealt with. So He sent Jesus to become the way to obtain forgiveness and reconciliation.  Jesus came, lived with us and showed us God’s good will.  Then He made Himself the sacrifice in order to provide our entry point into a relationship with God. The Bible tells us “the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Matthew 27:51, Hebrews 10:19), and as a result, all of the distinctions that separated us were obliterated:

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.” Ephesians 2:14 New Living Translation

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:27-28 NIV

Now that we are reconciled to God, we can be reconciled to one another.  Through Jesus death and resurrection, He’s made that way for us. He gives us insight and direction on how to do this as we continue to follow Him and read His words.  “We love, because He first loved us”. (I John 4:19)

In 1989 a series of political movements began the process of eroding the power of The Iron Curtain. A few years earlier, President Ronald Regan declared “Tear down this wall!” as he stood at the Brandenburg Gate and soon East Germany announced it would allow citizens to visit the other side. Its power now gone, people began to chip away at it, taking pieces as souvenirs.  It finally was bulldozed with great force, and paved the way for Germany to unify officially in 1990.

Jesus broke down the wall of hostility with great force once and for all.  Our own Iron Curtains of sin, misunderstanding and differences can be replaced with love, reconciliation and unity through Him.

“He is our peace, who has broken down every wall.” -R

Originally written for “my peeps” at Newport Mesa Church Women’s Ministry
GIFT Series 2013

That’s the way the world tries to maintain peace.  It seems to view it as something that can co-exist with hostility – trying to keep the hostility at bay, expending energy and resources to make sure it doesn’t come to the surface, while maintaining the illusion of “making nice”.  That’s an artificial and fragile peace at best.

Likewise, we sometimes try to keep the peace by not expressing our true feelings and hope that things will just work themselves out, often because we have a sense that we may be unleashing our inner beach ball!  The world offers all sorts of systems to help us, doesn’t it?  There’s yoga, meditation techniques, New Age philosophies—even Oprah has recommended ways to achieve it.

But part of the reason we don’t achieve it is because we don’t understand what peace really is and who the giver of true peace is. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Rather, it is the existence of the Kingdom of God in our hearts.

Righteousness, Peace and Joy
The Bible tells us that the Kingdom of God “is not meat or drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:7).  This Kingdom is pretty distinct from the world and all its systems. We enter it by trusting Jesus with our lives, and start with being at peace with God:

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 New Living Translation

Because we know we’re forgiven and secure in God’s love, the character that forms in us doesn’t come from satisfying external wants and needs, but from an internal transformation that only God can bring. It helps us to begin to live in harmony with others, not because we’ll always be on the same page, but because we can respond from an inner core of strength that’s rooted and grounded in what the Prince of Peace has provided for us.

When Jesus was training his disciples for the work they would be doing in the future, He wanted to be sure they knew the legacy He’d be leaving them. It would be important as they would be facing many challenges much like the things we experience every day:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.  I do not give you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

His peace has been left with us and given to us freely.  It is the kind of peace that transcends hostility, fear, and misunderstanding and it produces a quietness deep inside that comes from knowing God holds our concerns in His hands and will continue to strengthen us and help us to live right with Him and others in this world.

That beats holding a beach ball underwater any day.

Originally written for “my peeps” at Newport Mesa Church Women’s Ministry
GIFT Series 2013

There are so many things that set our nerves on edge these days.  We worry about our children’s safety.  We hear stories about people showing up at schools with shotguns and predators’ trolling the internet. Our schedules seem to be non-stop, finances and relational issues bog us down, and we torment ourselves with all sorts of what-ifs: “What if I hate my job; lose my job and the roof caves in during the next rainstorm?”, “What if I’m spending too much time on Twitter?”

You may wonder if you exercise enough and feel guilty about eating junk food; think you should read the Bible more and be more patient with your kids.  World events are always looming as we turn on the daily news: “Will Iran acquire a nuclear bomb?”, “When will those pesky Congressmen finally get their acts together?” and “Earthquakes, tsunamis and oil spills—oh my!”

My cookie-eating-escapism works well when I consider all these things. And then it introduces a new worry: “Will my husband think I’m fat?”

Anxiety Feeds on Itself

Anxiety seems to feed on itself and it’s no wonder once we’ve started the fretting process (and subsequent cookie-eating, fingernail-biting, or coping behavior of choice), it seems we’re headed down the path of no-return. But does it really have to be that way?

Jesus addressed the subject of worldly cares when He was speaking to a crowd of people one day. He reassured them that He knew life was hard, but emphasized God has the things we worry about under His control and care.

“There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.  Look at the birds, free and unfettered not tied to a job description, careless in the care of God!  And you count far more [to Him] than birds.”  Matt 6:25-26 The Message

And He said as much to a wonderful lady named Martha, who worked, worried and wore herself down when Jesus came to visit.  She complained and fretted, while her sister, Mary, sat with Jesus listening to Him and taking in His words.  Martha’s distraction kept her from experiencing the benefit of that time with Jesus.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen the better, and it will not be taken from her”. Luke 10: 41 NIV

When we look at our To-Do lists, and the complications of our modern lives, it can be easy to forget that God loves us and has promised He’ll take care of us. But we need to take Him at His word, and add a little trust into the worry equation. Philippians 4:6-9 gives us some practical advice.  Here’s a short rhyme to help you, based on two points from that passage:

1)     Rejoice and Rest, Pray and Ask

“Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praise shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns”

2)     And in His Peaceful Guard You’ll Bask

“Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” The Message

In light of all there is to keep us up nights, turning worry into prayer, and leaning into God’s goodness will guard our hearts and keep our minds – and with the new mindset, we’ll be free to react in love, think on good things and quietly rest in the One who holds the whole world – and its worries! –  in His hands.

Rejoice and Rest, Pray and Ask
And in His Peaceful Guard You’ll Bask.
(Cookies optional.) 

Originally written for “my peeps” at Newport Mesa Church Women’s Ministry
GIFT Series 2013

“You and I are pretty unusual:  I am pretty and you are unusual.”

So, needless to say, I’m living up to the “Princess” label Joe has assigned to me. (I’m ok with that, by the way–I enjoy flouncing, and I love to make an entrance).  But I’ve also given Joe the label of “Quirky”.

Take the issue of our mutual toes. Every morning, Joe and I execute the same ritual of sitting on the sofa drinking multiple cups of coffee and reading the paper, our bare feet propped up on the coffee table.  I have the princessly joy of viewing my cute red toenails, and Joe has the quirky responsibility to cover his up with the velvet throw.  Yes, Joe’s toes have woes, and woes that need a pedicure.

I have tried telling him that it’s ok for him to go to the nail salon with me.  After all they don’t call them MANicures for nothing!  They knew women would need a semantic term to convince their men that taking care of their hands and feet was important. But I’m not having much luck convincing him.  So for now, Joe’s toes remain covered in the morning.

He Hates to be Late
I’m beginning to suspect a conspiracy every time Joe and I have to go somewhere important. (Did I mention that I like to primp?) So as we plan on what time we’ll be leaving, my efficient husband gives the absolute time we need to be walking out the door.

Only he moves it up slyly as I’m getting ready, creating panic that I won’t have my mascara on, and will walk out the door with mismatched shoes and jewelry.  I wonder if he’s trying to drive me insane, like in the movie Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer:

“You told me 4:00pm, right?”

“No, darling, I said 3:00pm.  I’m sure of it – you heard me.”

“I must be going insane.  Okay, I’ll hurry.”

“You aren’t going insane, you’ve been insane for a while, dear.”

Needless to say, I’m usually “late”, but we get there on time, thanks to my husband’s shrewd scheming and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride driving.  And a good time is had by all.

He Serves with Verve
As quirky as I say my husband is, here’s the upside… he has style. He keeps me laughing with his clever quips and sideways rewriting of current events. He rewrites lyrics to Broadway tunes off the top of his head and sings them to me.  We lie in bed laughing so hard sometimes that our son has gotten up to tell us to keep it down. And his writing and teaching have inspired me and many others to seek God’s best way.

Yes, I am pretty, and he is unusual.  Neither one of us is likely to change anytime soon–and I’m not at all sure that either one of us really wants the other to change. Well… maybe… maybe not. But for now, I’d have to say it’s a partnership that I thank God for, that I truly enjoy, and that I look forward to being in for many more joyful, and quirky, years.

Could our group relate from lessons learned in our own lives!  I appreciated the honest sharing, citing second chances and divine interventions, recycled hardships and God’s unrelenting pursuit ( O Love that Will Not Let Me Go! ).  We remembered the choices of our own that set us on a wrong-way-course, or how another person’s actions impacted us, creating grief and sorrow.  And like Jonah, our stories also showed evidence of divine redirection—in short, what one group member called “God’s Lemonade”.

The Great Lemonade Maker
To be sure, when life hands us lemons, we’re often prone to mix them with a little vodka, (or pain –killing-avoidance-technique of choice!) and not surrender to the Great Lemonade Maker.  (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28) With our limited perspective we question God’s intentions just as Jonah did.  He went through extraordinary means to avoid God’s call by getting on a ship and physically getting the heck out of there!  (Jonah 1:3) We do the same thing, only our distance is the one we keep in our hearts.(See Psalm 32)

But God went through extraordinary means as well.  He retrieved Jonah via a big fish, and deposited him at his mission’s doorstep (a little worse for wear, I dare say. See Jonah 1:17, 2:10) So Jonah decided to obey.  When the “But God!” intervention happens to us, we reluctantly do the same thing, not totally convinced that the outcome will be to our liking.

Fully Invested in Our Bias
So here’s our friend Jonah, fully convinced that the people of Nineveh would not change their ways and being okay with their impending doom.  His obedience to God’s directive to preach to them was in many ways, biased.   He betrayed his own self-will by stubbornly retaining that notion.  “He got a front row seat to enjoy the barbeque” as my husband says – and when the barbeque didn’t happen, Jonah got angry:

“God, Isn’t this what I told you would happen when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. God, take my life, it’s better for me to die than to live.”( Jonah 4:1-3)

In other words, “God, I’d rather be dead than see things your way!” Funny, how we can know the character of God, but still want to be the ones who dictate how He runs the universe.  We have no problem asking for grace for ourselves, and at the same time exercising judgment towards those with whom we disagree. (See James 3:9-10). We insist that others repent while we resist repentance of our own.

So, God brings lemons.  It’s a great analogy for how He uses the bitter to bring sweet healing.  Lemons are used for their disinfecting and cleansing properties – added to soaps they help clean more efficiently.  Added to our food, lemons are thought to help build immunities and fight free radicals, aid in digestion and are internal cleansers.  In the same way, if God sends lemons to us in the form of circumstances and situations that challenge our thinking, cause us examine our hearts and motivations, and bring conviction and godly sorrow,  it’s because, well… He wants to heal and cleanse us.  And He’ll use the bitter to bring out the sweet so we understand that His goodness extends not just to us, but to all He has made!  (Psalm 145:17-19)

Sweet Redemption
Isn’t that what redemption looks like?  The bitterness of the sin and separation we had from God was taken on the cross by Jesus, and the sweetness of fellowship with Him is made possible because of His death and resurrection.  If we can only look at lemons as God’s cleansing action, we don’t need to react by kicking and screaming and wishing we were dead.  We can be open to hearing His direction and not stay so invested in our own narrow thinking, and a whole new world of growth, peace and fulfillment will begin to bloom in our lives.

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”  Hebrews 12:11

God’s Lemonade is just the right juxtaposition of bitter and sweet -the bitterness of our sin and the sweetness of fellowship with Him made possible by His sacrifice and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Surrendering ourselves to the Great Lemonade Maker is a good thing; what is He speaking to you about today?

It’s raining lemons, hallelujah!  Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Don’t get me wrong here – my mother was a wonderful role model for me, and the older I get the more I’m grateful for her and appreciate who she was and what she gave me. She not only was a beautiful woman revered by my father, but was admired by many for her loveliness as a person.  Even so, as most teenagers do in the thick of their coming-of-age-individuation-stage, I regarded my mother as “old-fashioned”.

So there was Helen: regularly showing up on the talk show circuit, doling out her brand of feminist thought. She became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, where she challenged the traditional women’s “status quo” values and promoted developing a career independent of a man, encouraging women at the same time to tap into their power to attract and seduce one.  She fascinated many men who could only cheer her view that sex before marriage was admirable, and she annoyed the hard-core feminists who accused her of promoting the objectifying of women at the expense of hard-won rights. She once said “If you’re not a sex object, you’re in trouble”.

Feeding Insecurities

It’s always interesting to reflect on your early influences and examine how they helped form your attitudes, and Helen’s death made me ponder this once again.  For me, her influence fed into my insecurities and caused me to conclude that “looking good” was the most important thing a woman could be.  My best friends happened to be the two most attractive and popular young women in my high school, and I always felt a bit like the third wheel.  One was elected Homecoming Queen and the other Homecoming Princess; I was elected Student Body Treasurer and official school anthem singer.  I never seemed to get the attention from boys they did, and Helen Gurley Brown’s influence had me convinced that it was essential to make sure I could attract them, or I wasn’t really a woman. For me, it began a 15 year-plus struggle with weight, body image and obsession with fashion. (I’m still not over that one – I regularly get my fix with Project Runway episodes).

As I think of it now, insecurity was also part of Helen’s narrative.  She was a self-described ugly duckling and “mouseburger”, growing up during the Depression and losing her father at age 10. She was smart and worked hard, eventually becoming an award-winning copywriter at the prestigious Foote Cone and Belding advertising agency in Los Angeles.  Her big break came in 1963 with her book Sex and the Single Girl which is widely considered the precursor to the television series Sex in the City.

Call me an armchair psychologist, but it seems like she had to work hard to prove two things, both of which seem to be related to her father being taken from her early in life:  One, that by sexual prowess she could always have a man, and two, that she could live without one if she wanted by developing a career of her own.  Maybe she succeeded in proving that.

But what if she didn’t?

Insecurity is something that seems to feed on itself, and is never satisfied.  Why else do we go from conquest to conquest, procedure to procedure, or diet to diet, always looking for the vindication of perfection that will never come?  There has to be something more.

I learned that after marrying young, going through a betrayal and divorce and never quite getting a handle on the whole feminist “liberated woman” thing. I had to face the fact that even though I was a Christian woman, some of my own devices for living were from the Helen Gurley Brown playbook, and they were only leading me to heartbreak.  I needed to renew my thinking.

My heartbreak led me to seek God again and I remembered these verses:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:1-2

Liberation had always been there for me, but not the way the world or HGB defined it.  In surrendering my devices to Him, I became free of them.  It was intrinsic to me now –in Him, I had been created, loved, accepted and planned for.  It didn’t matter what man I could attract or what career I would succeed in.  He had a purpose, hope and future all mapped out for me (Jeremiah 29:11, Hebrews 12) and that by living in relationship with Him, I would have the joy of seeing that plan unfold. His Word is my essential playbook now – it’s everything I need for life abundant, and a practical guide for living that never fails.

Biblically-Correct Post-Feminism

It’s important to remember, now that we’re in what many call the “post-feminist era”, that cultural norms haven’t always been Biblically correct.  And maybe that’s why the feminist movement reacted so virulently to an inherent lack of justice administered in this fallen world.  In so many cultures, men have sought to dominate women, objectify and relegate them to second class status.  In reaction, some elements of the feminist movement sought to gain power over men, and Helen Gurley Brown had her own prescription.  But the Biblical principle has been defined for us in Galatians 3:28, where it tells us that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” We may have different bodies, roles and responsibilities, but we are all equal recipients and stewards of the life He’s given us.

Unfortunately, we haven’t always heeded that principle, but I think we’re reclaiming Biblical equality more and more.  Perhaps the feminist movement had a role in this, I can’t say for sure.  But I do know there’s awareness among Christians now that a more balanced approach to marriage, parenthood, ministry, work and outreach is called for.  And where we find it being practiced, it’s a good thing.

Now I’m an impressionable Boomer. I still appreciate beauty, and by no means want to age gracefully!  But I’ve learned that being in God’s will is preferable to “looking good” and more secure than trying to gain power for the sake of proving something.  That set’s me at ease to love and serve others from a place of strength found only in Christ–liberation indeed.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  John 8:36

And so it seemed fitting this week that our women’s ministry began a study in The Book of Nehemiah. In this book, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem with a broken heart to rebuild broken walls, and broken lives after a devastating time in the life of God’s people. I think often of my own life and times God has found it necessary to tear down walls of unbelief, pretension and judgment. I am grateful, because as painful as the tearing down was, those dysfunctional places were reformed with faith, sincerity and grace. That’s what I call restoration:

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Hosea 6:1-3

This framed my thinking this week, as I channel surfed and happened upon a gospel concert by Alan Jackson. I found myself weeping as I heard the familiar hymns “Are You Washed in the Blood?”, “Blessed Assurance”, and “How Great Thou Art” sung with simplicity and clarity. And I found comfort in the eternal purposes of God, knowing that I belong to Him, and no matter what storms and trials ensue, no one can take me out of His hand. Ever.

It was raining last evening, an early summer humidity that is rare in Southern California. Who knew? I grabbed my umbrella and we decided to go to a special screening of the 60th Anniversary of Singin’ In the Rain – one of our all-time favorites, and whose poster gloriously decorates my home office. There is nothing like seeing a favorite film on the big screen “in revival”, laughing and clapping to familiar scenes and favorite lines with an audience that appreciates them. I appreciate them so well in fact, that I’ve often used these lines when I teach Bible studies or do workshops. Here are a few of my favorites:

“Dignity, always dignity.”

“And I can’t stand him!”

“… all our hard work ain’t been in vain for nothin’!”

“People! I ain’t people!”

It was when I watched Gene Kelly, though, that famous profile and athletic dancing style defying puddles and laughing the face of downpours, that this week came together. I was reminded of God’s grace, for even as He corrects through seasons of tearing down, weeping and rain, we are always secure in His love:

“I’m singin’ in the rain

Just singin’ in the rain

What a glorious feelin’

I’m happy again.

I’m laughing at clouds.

So dark up above

The sun’s [Son’s] in my heart

And I’m ready for love.”

But reality tends to check us at the door of home sweet home. The things we sought to understand in the insulated safety of that mountain now present themselves squarely in the valley of real life. There are the voices from the valley seeking to dissuade us—media outlets and blogs, family members pushing our buttons and boundaries, and Christians, so-called, who tell us we shouldn’t be taking literally God’s call to sexual purity.

Voices from the Valley

And the voices seem to be getting louder and louder in their efforts to dissuade. In a recent article in The Christian Post, Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church commended the LGBT community in the Presbyterian Church for creating “enormous confusion” in the Church, and calling the “holy chaos” a huge step forward.

As I thought about what my devotion subject should be, I found the letter of Jude to be particularly relevant. He wrote to Christians warning them of voices in their circles who had arrogantly challenged the leaders God had sent and the gospel message first delivered by the apostles. They claimed an unwarranted authority in the church, and promoted open sexual immorality among the Christians. Jude warned of the divisions they caused, saying it was evident their natural instincts drove them, not the Spirit. (See I Corinthians 14:33 and James 3:16-18)

Defined by Who Has Called You

So he starts by reminding them of their real identity – an identity which is defined not by their temptations, but by who has called them, loved them, and kept them (Jude 2). Then he reminds them of what God has done for them by delivering them from slavery and bondage, and encourages them to earnestly contend for their freedom.

But how were they to contend? By doing specific things to withstand the pressures from without and build a structure within in order to persevere—to continue on with the things they had believed and learned:

“But you, dear friends, build yourself up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 2:20-21

Intentional Faith

With that in mind, let’s break that verse down and look at what intentional faith looks like, and how it produces a mindset of perseverance.

BUILD: The Greek word for build gives you the idea of building from the foundation up –“as in an edifice or structure, or restoring by building or repairing.” So with Jesus as the foundation of our life, the idea is to build in order to be effective and productive. 2 Peter 5-9 tells us to add to our faith and lists the qualities that should be growing and in evidence; if these qualities are not there, we may have become very nearsighted and perhaps have even forgotten why we first believed.

PRAY: Jesus said in Luke that “men ought always to pray, and to faint not”, but sometimes we’re just unable due to our own weaknesses and shortcomings. So in Romans 8:26, we’re told that the “Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”. To quote my Pastor, when we avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit “we reach for a resource beyond ourselves” that will help us pray in accordance with God’s will.

KEEP: Keeping is cultivating and maintaining our relationship with Christ. So many of us will say “I love Jesus”, but just end up giving Him lip service. If I were to say “I love my garden” but didn’t go out and water it, till it and give it attention, it would die. So it is with keeping ourselves in God’s love. We cultivate our relationship with Him by planting the truth-seed of God’s Word in our hearts, watering it by worship and fellowship with others in our faith community, and consciously applying our hearts to keep His commands.

WAIT: As the King James Version puts it–“looking for”. Putting “wait” and “looking for” together, we are hoping for our future promise. One day, all our striving will cease and God’s mercy will be complete! (Titus 2:13) “We wait eagerly for our adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies”, says Paul. We will no longer have the struggle of a new nature in and old, sinful body. We will be made whole. But in the meantime, heed the writer of Hebrews when he says “you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you may obtain the promise”. (Hebrews 10:35) The promise will come, because in Christ, all the promises of God are “Yes!” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

God’s Work in Us

And yet even as we make the effort to build ourselves up in the faith, it’s not all up to us. That’s the paradox of the Christian life best illustrated in Philippians 2:12-13:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

And so, perseverance—intentional and consistent–is called for. Build, pray, keep, and wait with expectant confidence! And trust His voice first, for His sheep know His voice. -R

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy– to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen (Jude 24-25)

Can anyone relate to this? The pent up emotion, the sadness, the joy—the exasperation!
The brain-freeze.  The sudden urge for chocolate.

It’s a Jumble Out There
I may be, like many of you, suffering from information overload. I have Face Book, I get text messages. Internet and cable news outlets beckon me to read the latest on Brittany Spears and the Stimulus Package.  Uh… make that the Over-Stimulus Package. (So high you can’t get over it, so low, you can’t get under it.  Oh, mess with my soul.)

Our culture spews out information and stimulus like baseballs at batting cages.  Eventually, we cease to connect with the ball.  And once in awhile it hits us in the head. Dazed and numb, we can’t process anymore. I tell you, it’s a jumble out there.

Just Stop It
So what’s a stressed, overwhelmed mom and wife to do? Just Stop It. (Nike, be quiet, I am not “just doing it” today.)  I am stopping and resting.  I am taking in the quiet whisper of the Lord. For He is not in the whirlwind of the airwaves (I Kings 19:11-12) and even though problems pursue with a vengeance, He says “stand still, and know that I am God”. (Exodus 14:13-14)      I am reminded of His power when I have come to the end of my own:

 “The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love
He will rejoice over you with singing.”  -Zephaniah 3:17

Many of us have difficult relationships to manage on top of the day-to-day responsibilities of life.  We look for answers and comfort but find many competing voices.   Confusion, hurt and fear hit us like fastballs and we feel like we can’t do life anymore. But God sees and asks us to take His promise to heart. He is waiting to quiet us with singing and whisper of His great delight in us.  And as we find rest for our souls, the clutter will dissipate and we’ll be able to see His work in our situations more clearly.

I’m standing still and taking in the quiet whisper – can you hear it too? -R

I’m reminded of what Jesus said in Revelation 3:16 when He talked about the distaste He felt for those who said they were Christ-followers, but seemed to only to engage Him in a lukewarm way.  The danger of being lukewarm is that you can be lulled into thinking you’re in a safe place, when you’re actually in “danger from mixed motives and disregarded principles…having religion enough the lull the consicence but not religion enough to save the soul.”(Jamieson, Faucett and Brown).

Where a wife needs to see “the rubber meeting the road” in her husband’s intiative, she sees ambivalence. And that can be hard to deal with, because it leaves her marriage in a sort of  limbo.  How long does she wait patiently as he “processes” without some tangible signs of growth?

Joe and I were talking about this the other day, and he wrote a post that I think will help wives understand how a man’s spiritual walk has much to do with his recovery.  Please take a look at it, and let me know your thoughts. Can you relate?

You can read it here: He’s Just Not That Into Him