Living Our Faith

 

           In our travels across the country, one place  that stands out is the Devil’s Tower Monument in Wyoming.  It’s a massive natural igneous rock (created from cooling and solidification of lava) rising into the air, inviting visitors to walk around the huge structure and also to catch a glimpse of those brave souls who choose to scale the nearly upright sides.  

            The climbers look like tiny specks against the mammoth rock, as they hang tenuously, tethered to the ropes and other equipment, that holds them close to the sides as they make their climb.  They completely trust their ability through a training process, and the ropes that hold them securely.  I would not be so trusting!  In fact, the very idea terrifies me!

 

            Ice climbing is another area where trust in the specific tools of their trade is necessary. They, like the mountaineers who choose to scale the side of Devil’s Tower, are those who choose to scale the sides of frozen waterfalls or glaciers.  While both kinds of climbing are dangerous, ice climbing has a greater risk given the continually changing ice, which causes different grading patterns, requiring changing routes during the climb.  This also, while amazing to watch, requires absolute trust in the equipment used, and trained skills to reach the summit.

 

            There are days in our lives, when circumstances make us wonder what we even want trust in!  Our world is spinning with all kinds of negativity.  The COVID Pandemic, weather related disasters and fire tragedies, among the regular day to day living, can upend us.  We feel like the rope we are supposed to hang on to, to steady us, and hold us firm, is nothing but a thin piece of thread, which at any moment could snap!

 

            It’s times like these where, as Believers reach for the constant rope, we call faith, to cling to, enabling us to take a breath and know we are sustained through Christ. Even when we have faith, it seems we are continually finding ways to overcome the challenges we face.  

 

            The Bible tells us faith overcomes defeat and demonstrates this idea through Moses and others.  Moses died and did not make it into the Promised Land, as he had planned. Even though he was God’s chosen leader for the Israelites, there were instances where he wasn’t faithful and obedient to what God asked of him, so God would only let him see the Promised Land before his death.

 

            Joshua, another great man of God, also had a faith issue from time to time.  Once he sent a small group of men into Ai believing the threat didn’t require a larger one, feeling confident they had this battle won!  But Joshua forgot to pray first to get God’s direction, and did not win his battle.  At first he blamed God because he believed God didn’t send enough help for the fight and then learned there was ‘sin in the camp,’ furthering a weakened ‘rope.’

 

            Yet, once Joshua dealt with the sin in the camp, and turned his focus back on God, he discovered he had the right tools through faith, to continue with his God given talents and purpose.  His faith was back on track and the quality of life and love grew exponentially! 

 

            This can be the same in our life too.  We can scale those rock mountains and ice sculptures that seem way too intimidating, when we tether ourselves in God’s grace, and tie the knots of faith in our ropes, as we climb higher and higher, up and above those massive negatives that threaten to plummet us to the ground!

 

            God wants us to live life positively, through trust and faith in Him.  When put this belief into practice, we can see changes all around us, and scale the mountains with confidence! 

It's The Small Changes

             

          Changes!  There have been so many changes over the past year!  2020 has proven to be challenging for most every person on the planet!  There have been devastating fires, earthquakes, damaging flooding, catastrophic hurricanes, ravaging tornadoes, wrecking hail storms and even huge snow storms that have rocked our world.  On top of this, we have a disastrous Pandemic which is a huge game changer.   And we have a stressful election, which again, tends to unsettle one side or the other!

            Regardless of where our lives fit in the equation, there have been changes.  Some have had to rebuild or move, others have had to replace vehicles (hail), restore businesses, lost everything, dealing with broken relationships, and some have lost lives.  These, from my perspective are large changes.  

But what about the seemingly smaller ones?  Replacing a roof or windshield, replanting a landscaped yard, wearing a mask every time we venture out, our shopping norms or educational routines or even our workplace routines?  And I’m sure you could name a whole lot more!

When negative changes come, our stress levels rise, health issues increase, and our emotional state is often rocked.  Sometimes even our spiritual health is shaken.  We tend to say “When is it going to stop, Lord?”  Or “Why does my family have to deal with this loss?”  “I can’t handle any more, God.  Where are you?”

Our days feel dark and lonely without a sliver of sunshine to see us through.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel; just this grey cloud suffocating the life out of us!

But when we look closely, we can see God creating small changes in our lives, that are for his good.  Sometimes it causes us to muster up courage to break out of our comfort zone and try something new.  Other times it requires us looking for the tiny shoots of green, beneath the snow that are peeking their tiny heads up looking for the warmth of the sunshine that is sure to come.  While still more often, as Believers, we are drawn to His Word to search out the golden nuggets found there, that will give us His strength and wisdom to carry on.

When we look inside ourselves we can see tiny grains of growth, regardless of the pain and difficulty we’ve suffered.  Spring is coming, even within our souls.  We’ve just got to look for the small changes that God gives us every day.  These small gifts allow us to grow in love and understanding when our hearts are open.  It may require taking a risk of some kind, but within the confines of God’s love we can’t possibly go wrong.  He’s always with us!  

As Thanksgiving is this week, I’d like to wish each of you an amazing day!  The COVID changes have altered our lives, and many of those changes aren’t necessarily small!  Take heart!  God is with us regardless of our circumstances, and I pray you are each safe as you may or may not be gathering with your family, as you normally would.  We still have much for which to be thankful and I am thankful for YOU!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Upside Down World

 

          Most of us had high hopes when this year started out, but our world changed radically in mid-March when our world was described as being in a Pandemic.  Many of us have been upended in our work environment, which has always been face-to-face, to zoom meetings with our work computer set up in our homes, or even settling for telephone conversations.  Even doctor’s appointments have been relegated to meetings in our living room via computer chats.  Education had taken a hard right as classes came to a screeching halt, until computers could again become the medium for which teaching could be accomplished.

            The dynamics of visiting with family and friends has also been changed.  We have been encouraged to not come together in each other’s homes at all or at best, limit the meetings and if it was necessary to come in one place together, to keep a six foot distance and by all means absolutely no touching!  Even Thanksgiving is being threatened as a ‘non-connected’ event, while traveling has been discouraged and even many airlines have shut down.

 

            Marriages—even apparently strong ones--- have been strained as couples who both work outside the home, have allowed the pandemic to pry them apart, to the extent of sleeping in different bedrooms to eliminate the need to touch each other.  Some will tell you the effort of staying ‘strong’ has instead left them emotionally drained and mentally exhausted.  

 

            When we are brave enough to venture into the outdoors to do some necessary shopping, we are forced to place a mask across our face, smothering air intake, weighing heavier and heavier with each breath we take.  Churches are faced with social-distancing; and worship through song, in some congregations is denied; and instead of sitting near a favorite friend, we have to have a pew in between us.

 

            Lay-offs have happened and people are on the verge of losing everything they own and fear creeps in, as the threat of job loss loom.  Between health care problems, as well as shopping changes, and life style changes in general, each of us at different levels have felt those fears niggle at the back of our neck.  There is so much uncertainty.  How are we to move on, to even move forward in small increments?  It seems an impossibility given the current political arena.  There is corruption, deceit, and manipulation it seems, in all sectors.  

            

The passions of many regarding the election, have caused friends, family and colleagues, to be torn apart.  The racist card has multiplied the emotion and storm that swirls around us, no matter where we are physically.  Many of us grit our teeth, even when we hear something with which we entirely disagree; yet we are intimidated by the evil force that seems to be sweeping our nation and squelch the urge to voice our opinion.

 

David, as the Psalmist, knew fear, anguish, abandonment, exhaustion and vulnerability. Yet he knew he could call on the Lord, and he did, repeatedly, to give him the peace and understanding he desperately needed.  He expected the Lord to deliver him and God did.  Shouldn’t we be driven, like David, to call upon the Lord when life closes in and suffocates us with rules and regulations we don’t understand, changes in our lifestyle, the brokenness of relationships that leave our hearts split in two?

 

Sadly, the roughest days are still ahead of us.  It’s going to be a long journey.  As Believers, we need to unite in prayer that God’s will is done throughout the land, even if we don’t understand or agree, and pray for his imminent return.  It will be at that time, we will be able to say, “I ran the race and fought the good fight.  I’m going home!” 

Where To Lord?

 

              I read about a seventy-four-year-old widowed, woman who decided, after much prayer and nudging from God to move from her home in Pennsylvania to Texas due to an invitation from her daughter.  The woman was horribly nervous about the move.  She’d lived in Pennsylvania half her life, married and raised her children there, and couldn’t imagine herself uprooting all she’d known for such a drastic move.  She was comfortable in her church family, her town and friends, and held back in fear of making a big mistake.

            Praying about the situation she asked herself, “Is there a valid reason to even consider the move?”  She said she heard the most distinct whisper, ‘to flourish.’  Yet the ‘ghost of fear’ invaded her thoughts, feeding her mind with doubts and nagging questions with a vice grip.

            Still she remained in prayer, asking God to lead her. The whisper of the words, ‘to flourish’ continued to also creep in and ultimately would override the negative vibrations haunting her. Matthew 19:26 also planted itself in her mind, “With God, all things are possible.” She felt her fears melt away, and also recognized how many other blessings she might have missed over the years, because fear kept her one step away from doing the ‘unlikely!’

            Fear has a way of crippling and tripping us up on those decisions we aren’t sure we should make, when we look at the picture we can see.  Our vision is narrow.  We can’t see the whole painting. I can recall times in my own life where fear kept me from moving forward.  There is the fear of failure --- or success, the fear of disappointing those who counted on me, the fear of rejection, of being inadequate and just not good enough, of being judged unfairly, embarrassment or being shamed, and even the fear of expressing my true opinions.  

            That’s a lot of fear right there!  It’s easy to see why people hesitate to start a new career, change jobs, start relationships and even do something which simply brings them joy—like taking a long hike by themselves, painting or playing music (or singing in the choir!).  There are so many ways we hamper our God given gifts and tie our hands behind our backs in a defeatist attitude!  I’m guilty!  I have done this!  

Is it not sinful to allow this to happen?  If you don’t want to go so far as to call it a sin, isn’t it sad that we’ve allowed fear to cause us to miss so many blessings, had we just tried and allowed God to manifest himself in us so we could touch another person’s life in a very positive way?

            What, then, are we to do? Some would say confronting our fears is the first thing to fight the battle.  While I agree that’s important, I believe claiming God’s promises should be first and giving these fears to God, much like the widow spoken of above.  The Bible is filled with them!  As we claim these promises, we will find our faith growing.

            In our growth, we will likely see, we are able to reach out to others in need.  This ‘look beyond ourselves’ is a way to be an ambassador of God’s love and generates a balm for misery of almost any kind!  This ‘touch’ of ministry can grow us into where God wants us to be!  What a gift! 

            I urge you to call of the Creator of the Universe to help you turn your fears into victories and watch the unlikely places God will take you.  Enjoy the journey!