Tag: hope

Iniquity.

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of the word “iniquity” is a “gross injustice, a wicked act or thing, sin.” As I researched, some of the more “Christian-based” definitions went as far as saying that it was a deliberate choice to go against God and his laws.

When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.

Psalm 65:3

I have an abundance of iniquities – more lately than my usual amount, which is more than plenty. I’ve been unfocused and easily distracted, avoiding my Bible and prayer time all together, cranky, selfish, and lazy – just to name a few. I have not been in a good place emotionally or spiritually. I just haven’t.

It is so comforting for me to know that the God who made gorgeous mountains and roaring seas also made me. Not only that, but knowing I was going to be the way I am right now, knowing the sin in my heart, He also still forgave me; He still made a way for me to be saved. He has already atoned for my transgressions. The other amazing part, to me, is that long before Jesus physically came to Earth to be hung on a cross, David already knew the forgiveness of God; he already knew that God saves His children because He loves us so much.

I’ve been letting my “iniquities prevail” lately. Life is hard, and instead of hitting the floor with my knees and handing it over to God, I’ve been putting my head down, glazing over, and just floating through each moment to get it over with. This is a hard time in my life, the hardest I’ve faced yet, but it is still part of my life. I can’t just close myself off and wait until the storm passes; I might be waiting for years. And I can’t get those years back, I can’t do them over. They will be wasted. Yeah, life really sucks, it’s hard, and satan seems to have a new surprise around every corner. Everyone goes through hard times. What we do with it is what makes us ourselves. Do we let our iniquities keep prevailing, or do we start living like we know a God who has already atoned for our transgressions because He loves us so much?

That second thing? That’s living abundantly, and it’s exactly what God wants for us.

Refreshed.

You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling in its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.

Psalm 65:9+10

I have a weird relationship with water, which is a strange thing to say, but bear with me. I don’t like being wet; swimming is definitely not my favorite; I’m not a fan of being in the ocean; I don’t like going out on boats; bridges and ferries make me uncomfortable; I even get motion sickness at the aquarium. But, I do love to watch water. I love to sit and watch rain fall – I love the smell and the sound of it – rain makes me happy; I like hearing the ocean, the waves crashing in the distance; I love watching water rush over rocks in a creek; and I generally prefer water over anything else to drink [besides coffee of course, but you make that with water…so I’m thinking that still counts] I honestly feel like water quenches my thirst better than anything. I realized at some point in my life that I’m drawn to instances where God uses water to draw us closer to Him. Songs like “All My Fountains” by Chris Tomlin, “Oceans” by Hillsong, and more recently “In the River” by Jesus Culture seem to speak more deeply to me. Maybe it’s because one of my deepest fears is drowning. Not being able to breath in general is at the top of my list. When it’s not being able to breathe because there’s water… terrifying.

This Lifehouse song is [yeah, I know, super old] one of those songs that resonates with me every time I hear it. I always picture Peter stepping out of the boat completely focused on Jesus, only to get distracted and fall into the depths of the water. I love the reminder that Jesus is always there to catch us when we fall.

Anyway, this passage of scripture caught my attention from so many angles. I love the notion that God rains down showers upon us and quenches our thirst, He enriches us, He makes us productive, He settles into our souls that He has carefully prepared, He softens us, and He blesses us. Baby girl and I have been trying our hand at caring for an herb garden over the last few weeks. It’s always amazing to me what a little water and sun can produce. We have more basil than we know what to do with, the oregano that was barely started when we received the garden has taken off and grown so much, and the dill is so much bigger than it already was. The imagery of God watering us just hit in a different way than it has before. I understood that I am like that little herb, and God’s loving care showers down on me and helps me grow. I’ve grown a lot from where I started, and God can grow me even more.

This morning was superficially hard. Nothing major happened, but a bunch of minor annoyances made me lose sight of my purpose for today. [Side note: baby girl had a series of several weeks where she just woke up cranky and stayed that way all day. She was defiant and just plain mean. I decided I needed to help set a better example of gratefulness, especially in the mornings. So, we started doing what I call a “thankful board.” Each morning as she eats her breakfast, we read a story out of her Bible book, then make a list of three things we are thankful for. Sometimes she says things that are right in front of her (milk, doughnuts, etc.), which is fine. But sometimes she pulls stuff from nowhere and leaves me astounded. One morning, she said she was thankful for her eyes. The other day, she came up with “breath.” Long side note – sorry] So this morning baby girl woke up grumpy and didn’t want to do her thankful board. I was trying to keep my cool and encourage her, and she finally decided we would do it. We read the Bible story about Jonah and then I asked what she was thankful for. She said “nothing,” and didn’t want to do it. I told her that was okay and that I would write down some things I was thankful for instead. Then she said, “no, no, I want to do it!” She immediately listed off, seemingly out of nowhere, “water, singing birds, and letters!” The water could have been from the Jonah story, but she hadn’t said anything about it before that moment. Anyway, that was my first “water hint” of the day. As the day went on and those minor annoyances I mentioned compounded, I could feel myself getting more nervous, anxious, and on edge. I was also physically thirsty. I kept hearing this still, small voice whisper that I needed to be “refreshed.” That particular word is not one that I generally think to use, so it was strange to me that it kept popping into my head. I had just laid baby girl down for a nap, started a cup of coffee, and turned on The Dick Van Dyke Show (my go-to feel-good show) when I felt a nagging. I will admit that I didn’t listen to it right away. I watched an episode and and finished my coffee, but my bible was sitting in front of me on the coffee table, just waiting to be opened. When I finally reached and grabbed it, I decided that I needed a pick-me-up, so I turned to Psalms. This passage jumped out at me. I read it, and the day’s “theme” just made complete sense. I did feel refreshed. I felt renewed. My attitude completely changed. I’m so incredibly thankful for the way God works. I love the gentle reminders and loving nudges He sends us through the Holy Spirit. And I’m always in awe of how He can use something in His word that I’ve read before to speak to me in a completely new way.

Called.

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

If ever there were a specific passage for a specific time, this is perfect for right now. Of course, it applies every day, but this is such a timely reminder of how we are called to live as Christians. I feel like in a time when we are all so self-centered and only focused on our own comfort and happiness, we need this encouragement and nudge in the right direction. My heart has been so heavy lately seeing all the hate and selfishness in this world. I know the bible warns us how evil the world is, but I’m not sure I realized the extent of it until this year. Sure, I knew evil people existed and caused their share of problems, but I think I assumed the majority of people in the world were generally good. This year has sure taught me otherwise. This year has not only forced me to see the reality of the evil that runs rampant in the world, but it has also made me greatly reevaluate my own intention and focus. It has made me take another look at my role in not only my life, but society in general. That last line of the passage gets me. The things listed are God’s will for us, it comes right out and says it. So many times I’ve felt like I didn’t know what God wanted of me, but He spells it out very plainly here.

Admonish the idle: my bible also includes the words “disorderly” and “undisciplined.” If we’re honest, we’re all a little disorderly sometimes, and God knows I’ve got a lot of work to do in the discipline department. The word “admonish” means to warn, advise, or urge (someone) earnestly. To me, this is a great reminder that we are called to keep each other accountable when it comes to our Christian walk. We are called to (in love) point out when someone is missing the mark. Likewise, we are called to be humble, so that when we are admonished by our brothers and sisters, we can keep our heart open to God’s direction, address it with grace, and make changes if necessary.

Encourage the fainthearted + help the weak: to me, this goes along with the first thing. We’re all weak sometimes. We all struggle with some thing or another. We all go astray sometimes. That’s why it’s so important to build each other up, encourage each other, and together turn back to God. We can’t do life well and be who we are called to be without each other’s love and support. We’re made for each other, just as we are made for God. Following Him is a lot easier when we have help.

Be patient with them all: whew, this is something I’m working on myself. I’ve seen so many people that I love lately be inconsiderate and selfish, hurtful out of arrogance, and just plain mean and nasty. And I’ll be the first to admit that my reaction to seeing this is not patience out of love – more often than not, it’s impatience out of anger. I need to work on that whole “slow to anger” thing. It just really gets me going when I see people mistreating other people, whatever the reason may be. And that’s where another hard concept comes in: loving the sinner while hating their sin. That’s another huge thing for another day.

Seek to do good: I love that this says, “to one another and to everyone.” We are to strive to do good to everyone – and that doesn’t just include our family, friends, and church, nor is it limited to people we like or agree with. It’s everyone.

Rejoice always + give thanks in all circumstances: God is always good. Always. Even when we don’t feel it, even when it seems our world is crumbling around us, even when it seems there is no hope in humanity anymore. God is still good, and there is always something to be thankful for if we step back and really ponder on who God is and what He’s done for us.

Pray without ceasing: talking to God through everything helps us stay focused on our calling, alert of evil and temptations around us, and keeps us in the right frame of mind. When we pray, we are more likely to see things with a heavenly perspective.

I’m not sure if God could send us a clearer message about how to treat people. I am sure that Christians as a whole are not following these instructions. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, we’re human and we’re going to mess it up. But, we also have the Holy Spirit and [ideally] each other to help us along. We should be doing better. We have work to do. I know that sounds daunting and hard and uncomfortable. I know it’s easier to just worry about ourselves. I know sometimes it feels as if it’s us against the world. But guess what? God has already overcome the world. We don’t have to. He’s gone before us and made a way for us to live as He has called us to.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

Good.

So, I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks. It’s not for a lack of words – I have oh so many – rather, I feel like they are nothing new. Everyone has words about what’s going on in the world right now, and I wasn’t sure mine were important or eloquent enough to share. I wrote the following several days ago, and obviously a lot has changed even since then.

(8) This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:8&9

In this passage, God is speaking to Joshua, preparing him to take over where Moses left off and lead the people into the promised land. As it is with a lot of old testament stories, I think it’s important to use as an example still today. We have a serious pandemic going on in our world. After brushing it off as not that bad for a while, I’m just starting to understand the gravity of it all. Schools are closing, events are being cancelled [there’s no basketball!😕], and people are freaking out – store shelves are empty (we just went to grab a few things we needed tonight and the store had zero gallons of milk and no toilet paper in sight?) I saw where someone had posted verse 9 on Facebook in reference to all of this, and decided to look it up. Verse 8 ended up seeming equally as important. God isn’t telling Joshua to go out and evangelize to these people, they have seen their share of miracles and were slow to understand. (Sound like anyone we know today? I’m talking about all of us, here.) All He told him to do was to ponder God’s word in his heart and live it out. He also very plainly commands Joshua, not just tells him, to not be afraid as he carries out the plans God has for him.

This pandemic is one of those things that I don’t understand the purpose of, but I KNOW God can use it for good. This definitely feels like one of those times where, as Christians, our actions are going to speak abundantly louder than our words. Because of what’s going on, people are facing not only inconvenience, but straight up hardships, and some even the danger of death. Plus, the world hasn’t stopped turning. Things that afflicted and burdened people every other day are still there – with the added stress of trying to keep themselves and those around them healthy. Life is hard for everyone right now, for some much more than others. People who have never even thought about food insecurity are faced with shortages, and those who already struggle with it are struggling even more. God can use this situation to soften and refocus our hearts if we let Him. His ways are so much higher and greater than we could ever imagine, but I want to be ready and prepared to be used in His plan. I can’t do that if I’m consumed with fear or defeat.

The world doesn’t need our preaching right now so much as they need our compassion and our help. They need us to be the hands and feet of Jesus just like we are called to be. God can and will take care of their spiritual needs through our physical work. I love how I already see communities coming together – strangers sharing supplies because they can’t be found at a store, people offering to run errands for those who shouldn’t get out, school districts going above and beyond to make sure that students are still fed, supported, and loved, even though school is out. Good will come of this, and I totally want to be a part of it!

Some things that have come about from this or have been exacerbated by it that I just feel the need to comment on:

  • PLEASE refrain from sharing false information. It leads to confusion and chaos, and sometimes is downright dangerous. I’m not only
    talking about virus-related info, but closings and other rumors that are easily verified by checking the appropriate website. Do a little digging before you hit “share” PLEASE. (Ex. Holding your breath is not a test for the virus, calling customer service on the baby formula can will not result in a free case of formula, and Amazon is still currently shipping out all kinds of items, not just medical supplies and necessities.)
  • Be considerate. Don’t be ridiculous. Hoarding 50 thousand rolls of toilet paper doesn’t do anything for you and it takes it away from those folks who might actually be out. Also, things don’t just magically appear on the store shelves all by themselves; someone, a person who, just like the rest of us, is trying not to get sick and keep their loved ones well, is delivering, unloading, and stocking the items you’re grumbling about not being there. These people are working hard. Be nice. Be considerate. At least be decent.
  • I cannot say this loud enough: just because you don’t feel sick or are healthy enough to think you would more than likely be fine if you got it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow the recommendations from experts and officials. Fine, you don’t have to worry about yourself. But please worry about those whose immune systems, for whatever reason, can’t fight for them. Worry about others. Can I say that again? The world doesn’t revolve around me, and it sure doesn’t revolve around you either. We need to take precautions for the good of EVERYONE.

I pray that our selfish world uses this time to take a step back, to ponder the importance and the worth of those around them. I pray that, as we are forced to slow down and spend time with those we love, we don’t take these moments for granted. Yes, it’s inconvenient. Yes, it’s different. But maybe, just maybe, humanity needed a little stir. Maybe we needed that reminder to appreciate the little things: the movie night, the family dinner, reading books with our children, and having real conversations with our spouses. Maybe we needed that push to care for others, that kick in the rear to be more thoughtful. Maybe, just maybe, this will change our perspective for years to come and shift our focus and concern to our whole community instead of just ourselves. Maybe.