Are We an Abraham?

I am walking with my Lord through the Life Journal this year…. Spending each morning in His presence reading His word, and shutting out the world for a while so that I can hear His sweet voice speaking to me.  

Today as I read Genesis 20, 21, and 22 - something struck me about dear Abraham.  He is just like many of the Christians I know and most especially he is like ME!  

Earlier this week I read in Genesis 12 of how Abraham ( then Abram ) instructed Sarah ( then Sari ) to lie and say that she was his sister in order for him to be protected.  God inflicts disease upon Pharaoh and his household and the lie is uncovered.  You read along and figure that ol' Abraham learned his lesson but alas no……

Genesis 20 finds Abraham going through this very same facade with King Abimelek only this time Abraham brings self justification into it.  Abraham states " She really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife".  My first reaction is "Really Abraham?  You learned nothing from before?  You are going to do this again?

But wait?  Is that really so different from what I do?  I have times of great faith and I stand strong.  Then there come those times when my faith wavers and I turn to the abilities of the flesh: which, just so you know, is NEVER a good idea!

So yes, I am an Abraham….. as are so many of us.  That retrospective perception is a great thing but cannot alter anything.  We are better to keep our eyes focused on God alone and use His perspective to deal with present circumstances.

And when the road becomes unclear, boulders are scattered about, and pain seems to become a traveling companion - it is then, more than ever, that we need to turn to our God and allow Him to lift the burden from us and carry us.  You see, it isn't our burden to carry to begin with.  His will has always been and will always be to walk in relationship.  Loving us, sharing His strength, providing great peace, bountiful mercies, and an eternal joy.  

Let's strive to be less like Abraham today and focus our eyes on Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith.

Walk on my friends, head held high, gazing into the eyes of Love…….

He is Found in Service

If you were asked to serve God in obscurity for the rest of your life, would you?  Sobering question isn't it?  I can assure you that my first response was definitely NOT yes….  How can you just disappear from all that you love and lead a life of service without anyone knowing who you are?  Would I even want to?  Honestly, no, I would not want to.  Not even a little bit.

This question brings us face to face with the depth of our commitment to serving God in all things and in the way that He is leading.  I am pretty great at serving Him amongst the things that surround my life, in the roads I have chosen to travel, and in the comfort of my family and friends.

As I stand here and take a look in the mirror at my commitment, and my obedience, the reflection is not nearly as pretty as I would have liked to believe that it is.  The reflection is marred with selfish desires, blurred with my plans, and scarred with the many imperfections I choose to allow to remain.

The voice rings out clearly…..   "Remember the forgotten people"

The forgotten people?  In todays age of technology and social media, you think there are forgotten people?  As I take a hard look, actively searching, the "forgotten" are everywhere.  They are the ones who serve quietly without recognition.  That person who comes in when everyone is gone to clean the bathrooms of your office or church.  Those who are different than our expectations but are over flowing with love for God and man.  Those who minister without a single person knowing their name, their acts of service, nor their hearts commitment to carry out the calling of Christ through out every day in which they draw breath.

The way of the cross is caring for those who would otherwise be forgotten.  It is our individual commitment to make sure that in our lives there are many tales of hidden service where we demote ourselves back to authenticity.  These are the times when we make sure that we are walking where Jesus is walking.

This is where Jesus is found…. in hidden service…..

May my hands and feet be busy and no one know it…..

In the service of the King…...

"In the kingdom of God, you have to be great in order to be a servant."  Doesn't make much sense now does it?  After all, servanthood is what we start off with and move quickly away from.  Just the first step on our climb up to greatness.  Or is it?

Jesus says otherwise.  Luke 22:24-26 "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was the greatest.  And He said to them, "...The one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant."

So often we start out with great determination to be a servant.  And often we do serve ~ for a season.  Then when we are no longer recognized, nor longer appreciated, it becomes work, when it becomes work, we stop.  The greatest test of a servant is always how he responds when he is treated like one.  We serve for the simple joy of being like Jesus and staying close to Him.

That is the truth found in a servants heart.  Service for no other reason than the depth of relationship we discover with our blessed Savior when we join with Him in serving those around us.

If people are to see Jesus in our churches we need to increase the servants and not the programs/people/staff.  Jesus is quickly lost among works but is always seen among the servants.  Why?  Because in service self glory is laid aside and the glory of God is picked up instead.  Self love is pushed to the side and the love of the Father for others is shown forth without reservation.
 
I confess, I will never have money.... I find way to much joy in giving everything away.  But wait.... don't applaud me....at the very same time I battle daily a desire for appreciation and recognition.  It is why God allows me to stay in the shadows, for were I to step out of the shadows, I would be lost in self pride and tragically, would lose the ability to hear His precious voice as He whispers His love to me.
So know this my friends.....  the riches found in service can never be found on this earth but lie in the heart of the Father.

Blessings to each of you during this season of celebration.

Cries of the Heart

There comes times in each life when the heart cries out in anguish.  The pain is real and searing, cutting like a knife.  The chest is constricted and I can't seem to draw a breath.  Tears begin their travel down the valleys of my face creating rivulets where sorrow flows seeking relief.

Times like these bring about intense feelings that encourage me to run away.  I seek the solution that will bring about the quickest relief. 

But should I?  

Or should I listen to the cries of the heart?

If I am to listen to the cry of my heart, I must be willing to move forward into that darkness. Willing to allow that pain to be. Open myself to fully experience the cuts that come with the pain.  

Just allowing my thoughts to briefly touch that journey causes me to recoil in dread and fear.  Who would ever knowingly, willingly travel this road?

The Spirit whispers the answer, "One who wishes to experience the fullness of God.  One who would know love.  One who would know complete healing."  

Am I that one?  Can I take this journey?  Will I take this journey?  My mind reels at the implications this journey brings about.  The strength needed.  The willingness to be utterly vulnerable. The amount of faith required.  All control surrendered.  

I cannot conceive of a beginning.  The end seems a lifetime away.  

He whispers again...words that soothe my troubled soul. 

Jeremiah 29:11. New International Version (NIV)
11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Plans to prosper me? Hope? A future?  How does this reconcile with the pain which seeks to destroy?  How can this be?  

I search but I cannot find where I am instructed know the mind of God.  His heart.  His heart calls out to me.  His heart yearns for me. His heart loves me.

When I cannot understand the mind if Christ, I cling to His heart.  One foot.  One movement.  One step.  

Forward into what, I do not know. Facing what, I do not know; nor do I think I want to.  

Here I stand, placing my hand in Yours, placing my faith in Your heart.  Ready to go where I am led in order to know that which You would reveal to me.   

The mountains ~ Their lesson

My husband and I were recently blessed with a week long trip to the Smokey Mountains near Cherokee North Carolina.  This was a week for reclamation, restoration, shedding those things which would drag you down and putting on Christ to exalt Him.  You see, hubby had just returned from 18 months in Afghanistan ~ not his first tour I might add.

The pressures, stresses, and fear that attach themselves to you for such an extended period of time, begin to drag you down and rob you of all the bountiful blessings that God sends your way each and every day.  For him.  For me.  It took a beautiful 26 year marriage of oneness and created two people.

Knowing that this is not what God called us to, not what we were designed for, and not what we wanted, we sought solace in the quiet of the mountains.  We removed electronic intervention and spent our days drifting with no definitive destination in mind other than to seek God and each other.

You see, when we turn off the noise of the world, you can clearly hear the voice of the Father as He calls you back to His side.  The Holy Spirit envelopes you and the work of healing begins.  There among the mountains, God's voice rang out clear and true.  His hand moved powerfully bringing peace in it's purest form, healing to hurting minds, tearing down walls of fear, removing stress, and most of all, once more strengthening that "three stranded cord which cannot be easily broken."  (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

As the days drifted into one another I began to notice something so stealth in appearance as to be easily over looked unless one is actively listening to the Spirits whisperings.

It is the lesson of the mountains…….

Each morning the sun would rise.  Each evening the sun would set.  Each morning we would miss the sunrise.  Each evening we would miss the sunset.  The reason was not that we were sleeping in or out enjoying night life.  We could not SEE the sunrise nor the sunset.

Simply a matter of logistics…. our cabin was in a valley between two mountains which delayed our ability to see the sunrise/sunset until an hour after each occurrence.

That is when God spoke to me so very clearly.  The Son is always there…..in the valley.  Even we choose to allow the mountains in our lives to block our view of Him, the Son is there, with us, loving us, caring for us, calling us to His side.

It is a lesson that I will cherish and carry with me always…..  the lesson of the mountains.

I pray that as you walk through this day, you take time to look past the mountains to the Son.

Jesus ~ Simply Put

Recently our church decided to embark on a community book study of a book titled "Jesus Pure & Simple" by author Wayne Cordeiro.

How was I to know how much God would use this author's writings to bring about a new work in my life?  It seems to have become a habitual process that when embarking on a book study or a study of any kind that God continues to call me to slow down in order that I may not only read the content but that I might LISTEN for His voice to speak truth into my life.

You know that oh so Southern and so very country saying of "listen twice as much as you speak"?  Well there is more inherent truth contained in that phrase than most will ever realize.  Cliche's are often that way.  A foundational truth which has been repeated so often as to become trite and the significance of adopting that truth into our lives is lost.

As I sit here sipping coffee enjoying the relaxed pace of time spent in the mountains in a cabin with no schedules to keep, I am once again reminded to listen.

Wayne posts a reminder at the end of Chapter 4 …….

Do not be afraid to let Him remove from you what you are not, lest you become what you never wanted to be.

 This phrase is ricocheting through out my spirit, my heart, and I know it will continue on through out my life.

This phrase leads me directly to Romans 7:15 New International Version

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

These two combined are becoming a powerful force that God is using to further shape me.  To refine those things within me that keep me from living His love.  It is awfully easy to live my definition of love, but to lay aside all and live God's love, well now that is just an entirely different matter all together.

All around me the world screams that I am to hand out kindness only when kindness is given.  Judgement is to be passed around liberally.  We are taught that harshness and hurt are ok as long as we are in the right.  Teaching that love is reserved for those who are deserving.

"Right"….. now there is a word for you.  In today's world, right is determined solely upon individual perception.  Gone are the days when "right" was based upon the infallible truth of God's word.  Right is a fleeting definition which changes upon the situation, the individual thought process, and emotion.

But wait…. I am not called to be part of this world.  

Romans 12:2  New Living Translation

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When we are called to allow God to transform us, we are not being called to stand in judgement against people who do not follow our beliefs.  We are not being called to a behavior of religious righteousness. We are being called to allow the very same all encompassing, forgiving, merciful love that He so freely bestows upon us to live fully and completely in us and even more importantly, to allow that love to live outwardly toward those around us.

So just what does Wayne's statement above linked together with God's word mean for me?  What am I to do with what God is showing me?

Simply put ~ I am to allow God to shape me in to what HE created me to be.  No longer do I look to my wants, desires, needs but instead I look to the author and finisher of my faith.  I look to the One who has adopted me as His own and I allow Him to grow to fruition those things He fashioned in me while I was yet being formed.

This means that I lay aside my perceptions and instead allow His word to transform my thoughts.  I lay aside my emotions and pick up His love.  I allow myself to be bare in order to put on His holy armor.  Hmmmm…. something way wrong in the above statements.  Oh…. that's it.  The great "I" is used way to often…..

Galations 2:20  New International Version

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Simply put ~ I no longer live but Christ lives in me…..

That is my thought now, may it continue to be my thought each minute of each day with each breath that I draw……

For you alone, Father, are worthy of praise.  You alone are worthy to be glorified.  You alone are worthy ……..

It is when we listen that we hear....

Revelation....

What has God called you to do with your life?  That question can be as intimidating and daunting as the decision we face our senior year of high school.... "what am I going to do for the rest of my life?"

Just like when we were seniors, many of us "flop" around for years not knowing what we want to do, should do, or need to do.  We wander aimlessly floating from job to job, relationship to relationship.

Are we truly seeking God's direction for our life or are we content to wander like the Israelites of old?

At 48 years of age, I have discovered my "God purpose".  It is not grand and glorious.  It will not bring fame nor fortune.  It does not even remotely resemble anything that I would have thought a calling from God should look like.

Take my hand a moment and walk a bit of my history with me as I share my heart with you.  This history that I share with you is being told from a position free from hurts and pains, with no malice and no judgement, but most importantly it is being shared from a position of complete and utter healing flowing with peace and joy.

My earliest memories of my mom were those of her laughter.  Mom had a great laugh, she was pretty, and mom could do whatever she set her mind to. My dad had a great sense of humor, was a tremendous mechanic who could fix anything, and served his country well.  But - my dad wasn't the greatest dad nor husband.  I was like most young girls in that I sought to be the delight of my father.  My father's focus was on his son, my brother.  Now my brother was a cherub of a child.  Quick to laugh, amiable, easy going, and a joy to be around.  Quite the opposite of me.  I was not an easy child ( now I know this shocks you but trust me, this was indeed true ) in that I was strong willed, precocious, and at the same time I needed to be loved like some need air.  A marriage that began at too young of an age (17), based on self will, by two people who did not put God in their marriage well, it was easy to see what lay ahead.  It wasn't long until my parent's marriage ended and through the workings of a nasty/bitter divorce, they went their separate ways.  And with that divorce, my father walked out of my life.

After a bit of time passed, another man was brought into our lives through a relationship.  This man ended up marrying our mother.  Again, God was not consulted nor invited to be part of the marriage.  With the entrance of this man, evil came into our lives.  After the "honeymoon" period that all relationships go through, the truth of this man's character made itself known.  Through a governmental position of power, abuses went unchecked and unreported.  My mom was subject to emotional abuse but rarely anything physical.  My brother was subject to verbal and some physical abuse, mostly after I had left the home.  You see, for years, my brother was afforded the lofty position of "only son" and was granted the rights of such according to Louisiana heritage in which males are very much the ones allotted a position of preference in the culture as well as the right to do many things that as a female you should not do.  As such, it was not until I left our home that my brother began to reap some of what had been laid upon me.  Now my experience in our home was vastly different from my mom's and my brother's.

I am indeed a country girl born and raised.  I am not a dainty, genteel southern girl content to sit on a porch and fan myself while proclaiming "fiddle de dee but it is hot today."  No siree, that is a far cry from who I am.  From birth I was much as you see today....into everything especially anything to do with animals and the out doors.  Well, to help you understand a little of what my good friend Wendy likes to call "being from the black water", it was very much a dual set of standards for raising children.  One for boys and one for girls.  I remember one of the first beatings I got...it was after a family reunion in which I made the mistake of going to the living room to watch football and I was commanded in quite colorful language to carry myself back to the kitchen.  Yes, he literally meant the kitchen where the rest of the wives/daughters had gathered.

After the passage of a few years, I was allotted the "privilege" of some of the male dominated activities.  Well privilege would be a subjective word here.  You see, I am four years older than my brother so I was the one old enough to move the cows, help with planting/harvesting, cutting wood etc until my brother was old enough to pick up and join in.  But.....I did get to sneak in the joy of hunting and could out shoot any one until well after I was married.

Hunting was a joy.  Until hunting became the cover story for abuse.  Then the abuse became bold and occurred in the home.

I lost count over the years of how many times my braces were knocked off my teeth, of how many ways there are to dodge someone, and of how many times gym teachers turned a blind eye to all that went on.  I lost count of the times I cried myself to sleep, calling out to God, "I only wanted a father, why can't I have a father?"

I wasted a ridiculous amount of years asking God why?  What was the point?  Even when through the Godly wisdom of a pastor, I allowed complete healing and peace to enter my life, the question would still come up.  Why?

As I woke this morning, the answer to that question was burning in the depths of my soul.  So I would accept the love that had always been there for me.  So I would know love.  So I would take that same love and share it unashamedly and unreservedly with every single person around me.  To include the evil that began in my life all those years ago.

You see, I got a phone call yesterday informing me that the man who had brought such pain into my life was diagnosed with kidney cancer.  Kidney cancer!  Just how often do you hear of someone being diagnosed with kidney cancer?  I can tell you it isn't all that often.

As I hung up that phone my mind was swirling.  As one who was diagnosed with a kidney disorder at 21 and who battles renal failure now, I can promise you that what this man faces is more unpleasant than what most will go through in their life time.

I began to pray for this man even more than I had over the years and my heart began to break.  You see, this man does not know God.  He lived his life according to his desires.  As a result, his life has been fraught with heartache, hard times, very few friends, and much loneliness.

I began to pray.  The direction that has come from those prayers has brought me to the position of revelation this morning.  I am to do what God has called my life to be about.  I am to love.  Love completely without reservation with the same love that God has given me.  For you see, as much as I would like to think I am so much better than this man, the facts are that I am not.  I am a sinner the same as he.  The difference is that I am redeemed by grace, washed in the blood, and I now live for the One who is love.

So the answer to all those questions all those years was one that is oh so simple.  Love.  I am to love.  Love beyond reason.  Love without exception.

As I have prayed, I feel myself being led to minister to this man.  I am going to contact him personally and do what God directs me to and what the man will allow.

I also feel led to ask that my fellow believers join me in sending cards of prayers and love to this man.  I will not shame him nor harm him, so any one who wishes to write a note of Godly love and encouragement, can send them to me and I will forward them to him.  Feel free to include your name and address as I will make sure that he knows these are not from me but from fellow believers who are walking in God's love.

I was so silly to always be looking for the grand, bigger than life calling God had placed on me.  Well, the calling IS grand and it IS bigger than life!  Just not in the way my human mind would have comprehended.  To love as He loves will take me a lifetime and will be perfected and culminated in heaven.

To that end I ask you to pray and see if God leads you in reaching out to this man who is facing such a terrible road and is truly alone as only one who is without God can be.

Many blessings to you my friends....