Thoughts On pride…(07/21)

“Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18.

In the age of Instagram and Twitter, the wisdom literature found in Proverbs is very useful. You’ve likely seen the verse above highlighted on a Pinterest board or scrolling across a friends’ IG story in a fancy font. My personal experiences with Proverbs 16:18 are more cringe-worthy than Pinterest-worthy.  Like, when I was so frustrated with a co-worker that I felt justified in correcting her, publicly, in a condescending manner…and then she showed up that night at the Bible Study I was teaching. (Yep, true story) Ironically, the sin of pride rarely manifests in behavior that makes us proud. 

Sins of pride and arrogance sneak in, and—according to my counselor—masquerade as strength. But, scripture affirms the opposite: our sinful pride will lead us to fail. Few exemplify the painful consequences of pride more poignantly than King David. After David sins with Bathsheba and pridefully manipulates people, circumstances and even army battalions to cover his sin the prophet, Nathan, shares a parable to rebuke the king.  “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. 9 Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider evil?” 2 Samuel 12:7-9. To fully understand the gravity of David’s fall read the entire chapter, but suffice it to say, this king learned that pridefully usurping the authority of God was not a good idea.

“Friend, I can’t get up and teach tonight without asking your forgiveness” I quietly admitted to my co-worker. She was sitting around a table near the back of the room, and I physically stooped down to look her in the eye. My prideful actions hadn’t exalted me to a higher platform or qualified me as a leader. Rather, they humbled me, convicted me, and brought me to a low place, one in which I pray I remain; reliant on the Savior’s leading over my own.

Lord, reveal the pride in my heart to me before I reveal it to others.

Thoughts on poetry…(05/21)

Did you know approximately 1/3 of the Bible is comprised of poetry? My sister recently taught the book of Hosea with me and explained that poetry is one of the languages of God. You see, often, mere narrative and description fall short of emotions and experiences God is trying to communicate. Poetry allows word pictures and analogies to abound, creating a fuller picture of our creative God. 

Now, please understand this is not a foundational tenet of our faith, but since this is a place I share my thoughts, I’m of the opinion that everyone should at least try to write a poem from time-to-time. When you attempt to write poetry, you connect with a deeper part of yourself than when you chronicle events, pen an email or factually describe something. Skeptical? How ‘bout you just try it and prove me wrong?

Here’s one I wrote during my daughter, Cassidy’s, senior year in high school. Enjoy.

Ode to May

The word seems so innocuous, three letters, short and sweet

The month is marked by nuptials; flowers, gifts and treats

But hidden underneath the sunshine and the frills

A frantic, jam-packed schedule is sure to bid you ill

The teachers clearly tired, of our children by this month

And moms let out a heavy sigh when making their kid’s lunch

Recitals might be fun…every once in a while

But every night, for every kid, makes life a little wild

And did I see some balls slosh around in your backseat?

Then you can add team parties; last games so bittersweet

And don’t skimp on the sunscreen, you’ll be outside a lot

Field Day, school-end parties for every little tot

I hope you don’t forget that school’s not all you do

Your church should hold a special place for all your family, too

Awana graduation, and year-end choir parties

VBS preparation and directorship meetings

And, since you spread your children out, high school gets a nod

Prom is just a little dance, but it will cost a wad

The seniors soon will skip, one day ‘cause that’s their rite

Of passage into college soon, the end is now in sight

But not before we honor them; baccalaureate’s up next

And then there’s senior breakfast, and maybe one more test

Caps and gown and parties; graduation in three weeks

Lots of feels from dads and moms as tears run down their cheeks

And, while we’re on the subject, we dare not leave out Mom

Her special day is crammed in the middle of this bomb

A month so full of mayhem, it hardly feels complete

Without a day to pause and say “Mom, you’re really neat”

Days are now much longer, which helps since there’s so much

Left to do in May, though June will soon be up

Assemblies and awards, banquets and soirees

Paperwork and physicals for camps and summer play

A picnic on the weekend we remember those who died

You’ll need to bring the burgers, and maybe make a pie

But, still, you’ll get together with many that you love

Thankful for the freedom that our bravest soldiers won

And, see there in the distance, you’ve almost made it through

The hardest month of the year; May, I speak of you

Exhaustion and emotions; your bank account deplete

But most of all the memories that make your life so sweet

Thoughts on relationships…(04/21)

Social Media platforms offer “it’s complicated” as a way to describe the status of some relationships. And though “it’s complicated” may primarily be thought to describe a romantic relationship, our own real-life experiences would tell us that scope is much broader. In fact, I can think of few relationships that aren’tcomplicated, at times. Relationships have the tendency to get so complicated that we often wish we had a magic do-over with our spouse, or prodigal child, contentious sibling, or business partner who was once our best friend. So, yes, it’s complicated.

The Bible addressed the complicated nature of relationships long before social media sought to define them. In some ways we could catalog the accounts of scripture from Genesis to Revelation as one big case study on complicated relationships—with the greatest complication of all being our sin that separates us from relationship with God. Christ removed the ultimate barrier to relationship when He bore the penalty of our sin on the cross and conquered death on our behalf. It is our relationship with Christ that allows us to have the hope of healthy relationships with others. That do-over is possible.

Our relationship with Christ is what equips us for relationship with others. Scripture outlines how relationships should look, and the Holy Spirit empowers us from within to accomplish this work. Proverbs 17: 17 tells us a “friend loves at all times and a brother was born for adversity”. But we don’t have to love others from our own flawed, depleted, human reservoir. 1 John 4:19 says, “we love because He first loved us”. We love others from the abundance of love given to us by God; with a love Peter tells us “covers a multitude of sins”. That is relationship-building love.

It is our relationship with Christ that allows us to live in a manner worthy of our calling, by walking in the Spirit. Paul says, “…walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh”. A few verses later we see the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These aren’t a list of goals for which we are to strive, they are a list of outcomes birthed from walking in the Holy Spirit’s leading: relationship-building, transformational fruit.

Scripture confirms God wants our relationships to be made new. In one of the pinnacles of His earthly ministry, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks clearly. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God”. In our pursuit of new and healthy relationships, we are like our Heavenly Father when we make and initiate peace in relationships. Because we have been restored in relationship to God by the work of the cross, we can share His love with others, we can walk by His Spirit, and make peace with others—forging new relationships—because of the power we’ve been given as sons and daughters of the living Lord.

Thoughts on forgiveness…(04/20)

Though most in my family have used and repeated this phrase for years, I think it was my sister who originally said, “we are all one bad decision away from a Dateline special”. It stuck because it’s true. If you’ve ever watched an investigative crime drama, you know it often begins with a person who looks and acts like you and I. But, somewhere along the way, they make a decision that sets their life on an entirely different, tragic path.

You’ve likely not been the center of a crime investigation, but our humanity—in and of itself—sets us on a path that leads to death.  Romans 3:23 says, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. And, though our decisions may not be chronicled on prime-time television, the Bible is clear that ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Rom. 6:23). However, unlike those cliff-hanging, crime, dramas God doesn’t leave us to our sin and cut to a commercial.

Yes, our sin deserves death, and death it received; the death of Jesus.  Jesus Christ, God’s only son, lived a perfect, sinless life and paid the penalty for all our sins through His death on a cross—our small sins, our careless sins, the sins to which we are addicted, and even the sins which might cause Lester Holt to show up at our house with a camera crew. It’s true—we are all one decision away from death. But, we are also one decision away from eternal life.

As Jesus hung on the cross, an innocent man, He prayed to God “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Jesus shed His own blood as punishment for our sins in order that we might be forgiven. When we truly repent of our sin and choose to accept the forgiveness of Jesus, the Bible tells us, “…as far as the East is from the West, so far does He remove our transgressions…” Ps. 103:12. What’s more, the forgiveness of Jesus comes with the assurance of redemption. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Eph. 1:7.

As it turns out, we are also all one decision away from eternal life. May we choose to accept the forgiveness Jesus offers to all who repent of their sin and follow Him.

Thoughts on christmas (2020)

Consistency is a challenge for me; day-to-day, and year-to-year. My 25th wedding anniversary is around the corner, yet not one Christmas tradition has lasted all 25 years. Sigh* We’ve had traditions worthy of holding dear: taking the girls to sing and deliver goodies at local nursing homes on Christmas Eve: delivering pizza and Bibles to day workers waiting for work on Main Street: going to see a family movie on Christmas Day. (<< derailed the year I was pregnant and sick with my 4th daughter) So many traditions interrupted by life.

Disruption became the norm in 2020. Disruptions to work, school, productivity, shipping and even worship gatherings.  In fact, 2020 has been one giant interruption, making us desperate to protect the normalcy of Christmas…the normalcy of Christmas. Was Christmas ever meant to be normal? There was nothing ‘normal’ about the first Christmas, after all. God sent a Savior, born of a virgin and announced His birth with a star and host of heavenly angels. Christmas was the biggest, most welcome interruption in the history of ever!

There is a familiar carol birthed from a famous poem that comes to mind as I ponder Christmas 2020. It was written in 1863, but feels shockingly relevant.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said; 
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."