"I was Cup Bearer to the King"

"...I was cup bearer to the king..." Nehemiah 1:11 

As we’ve been going through the book of Nehemiah in church recently, I was reminded of something I read years ago but it had somehow made its way into the dark, “Me-world” corners of my mind where recall and vision team up in the basement of my mind to watch TV and eat potato chips all day long (I had grown a bit lazy, over-content and disengage from the real world)  I was grateful for the timely reminder.  It comes at the end of chapter one where Nehemiah says, “I was cup bearer to the king.” 

The phrase itself seems a bit out of place at first glance, but upon closer look, the words are remarkably apropos.  God placed a passion in Nehemiah for a restored Jerusalem ...and He was "cup-bearer to the king".  Nehemiah’s role as cupbearer was critical, it afforded him the king’s blessing and approval.  What seems a tag-line to his words serve as an important message.  It’s as if the incidental phrase was for those who would read the memoir in years to come and know that, “Where God puts me is where he uses me….My position has a purpose!”

Have you ever found yourself suddenly aware of a great need and thought, "Somebody should really DO something about this!"  Then you realize  maybe you're that somebody?  I know I have, and when I’m in that place I often ask questions like, “How can God possibly use plain, unqualified, me?  What do I possibly possess that would be of any significant use?” Well the truth is, those questions usually mean I have taken my eyes off of God and have put them back into the small world called “Me” and that world, without God front and center, holds little promise.  However, every person...bears within them a God-call - a role to play in His good Kingdom...and it often comes in the form of a "tag-line".

Nehemiah encountered a great need I'm sure images of it and stories about it replayed in his mind like movie. That's what happens when God awakens us to his call.  Nehemiah felt overwhelmed and compelled to do something about it...and he could because of who he was.   But this realization did not come about automatically.  It was a process and took some time to work out.  Then, taking God’s cue, he made his move.  And step by step, God paved the way for restoration.

How might God be inviting you to be a part of His restorative work?  Do you believe your position has a purpose; that where God puts you is where he intends to use you?  If you have breath in your body you play a role in the Kingdom of God... Our calling is often the place where the needs of this world and our deep gladness and passion collide.  It is often whatever makes us weep or sing....

Who can possibly fathom how far reaching God’s hand becomes and what can be accomplished through one life totally given over to Him right now in “this” moment under “these” circumstances…Who knows!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

 Ephesians 3:20-21

What is your tag-line?  What is it that ignites your passions and makes you weep or sing?

What are the current situation in your own life replay in your mind and compel you to envision something better?

How can you engage God in it?

Drops in the Bucket

“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you" - 1 Thes 3:12

 

Years ago I worked as a substitute teacher in the public school system.  For the most part, I loved it.  It was a great opportunity to spend the day with kids from all walks of life and learn their stories and bring added knowledge into their world. 

Often I would encounter a child who came from very difficult circumstances.  They would show up to school angry, exhausted, unkept, - you name it.  Those were the children most difficult to leave when my temporary job was done.  What could I possibly do in such a small amount of time that would make any bit of difference?  Due to their lack of sleep and life difficulties, their capacity to take in added knowledge was less than ideal.  I had no control over where or even IF they would sleep at night, and often their anger caused behavior which involved removing them from the classroom. 

The one thing I could do is love them, and accept them right where they were, right in that moment.  I found that love looked different at almost every turn.  Sometimes it meant sitting with them on the “time-out” bench during recess, sometimes it meant reminding them, “You are better (more valuable) than the way you are acting right now.”  Sometimes it meant letting them sleep in the classroom before school began and maybe during lunch.   And while it may have taken different forms, it always meant loving them in a way that Jesus would if he were me.

That’s it.  That’s all I could do, and often it felt so menial and small….just a drop in their impoverished-world-bucket.  Then someone reminded me of something today and it absolutely changed the way I think about those little “drops”.  We love, even if only for a short time, so that when they encounter Christ again, He will feel familiar.

WOW!  That makes our little acts of love, remarkably valuable and worth-while! Whatever they are, in whatever setting they may take place, down the road those small acts can prepare they way for eternity's entrance....

SO.....

I’m going to be bold here and say pass this message on to those you know who could use the reminder…I know I did J

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours,

yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion

is to look out to the earth,

yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good

and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now

 

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

 

 

Wrapped in God...Clothed in Christ"

“…Clothe yourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ…”  Romans 13:14

“There are plenty of people who follow our Lord half-way, but not the other half. They will give up possessions, friends, and honors but it touches them far too deeply to disown themselves.”...I both love and dread these words by Meister Eckhart. They bring the challenge of a "Gethsemane-walk" - one that reflects the honest journey of Gal 2, Col. 3, and Eph. 4..."For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God....put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness".  I love it because this challenge is also a holy vision of beautiful Kingdom-life.  I dread it because, the journey there is so counter-intuitive!

What does that mean?  Frank Lambauch says that he believes his job is to live his life “Wrapped in God, trembling with His thought, burning with His passion”…and claims that this is the best gift someone can give.  When I am “wrapped in God” I am clothed with his compassion and goodness, mercy and love.  Do I wear Christ?  The question causes me to pause and take inventory of the manner in which I live. 

When others meet me - spend time with me, begin to know me - Do they see Jesus?  If they do, it seems those are the less hurried moments and God’s voice is easier to hear. My personal agendas, then, can be set aside, which makes his voice easier to follow.  That’s when Jesus shows up in me.   But what about the times when I’m hurried, which is often!....Like when I'm trying to get out the door for work, or desperately want something to happen a certain way, or when I feel vulnerable and I’m compelled to protect myself somehow.  Do people see Jesus in me then? 

It seems like those are the times I’ve forgotten "my life is now hidden with Christ in God.”…sometimes it touches me “far too deeply to disown myself.”  Instead of a reflection of Christ, others see a reflection of the tepid waters (not 'living water') that still reside within me.  I may get edgy and critical, even punishing when things do not go “right”.  Sometimes His garments just don't fit because there is some shaping in me that must be done first.

I don't know about you, but I want to wake-up to new mornings and, before putting my feet to the floor, hide myself in Christ.  I want to go to the closet of his riches and put on his clothes, knowing that they are not simply what I wear, they are also the manner in which He covers me. They are my "grace-garments".  They are found in the closet of stillness, where we surrounded by his love,  it changes who we are and becomes the energy behind what we do!

He's calling...do you hear it?  Shhh, listen, slow down and come closer.  He is saying, "Come and Gethsemane with me and you will find your life.  Your old clothes no longer fit. Wrap yourself up in me, ...I won’t lay anything ill-fitting or too heavy on you…(Matt 11:28-30).  This, THIS is the best gift we can ever give or receive....The gIft of Jesus, coming close and wrapping us in His love.

What are you wearing today?

In what way is God inviting you to his wear his garments?

I'm Putting the Pen Down!

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Phil 1:6

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith...” – Hebrews 12:2

"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." - Jer. 29:11

My Daughter recently turned 15 and my son will be 18 in a few short months.  I’ve been imagining them at this age for a long time.  Mainly because it would be the last year they’d both be home, sharing this space they've come to know so well.  I can hardly believe we're here.  Where did the time go?

 I had no idea what to expect of this season except that it would most likely involve learning to let go to give them more independence.  When they were younger I imagined this stage as easy and carefree (even though plenty of people informed me otherwise),  and in some ways it is. There are no more midnight feedings, no babysitters to arrange, they can dress themselves and tie their own shoes (most of the time!), and on occasion they make dinner and do the laundry. 

In giving them independence, though, it means they are free to make decisions on their own. It means they begin to navigate this world in new ways that are independent of home and their parents.  Sometimes that brings me deep joy as I watch them spread their wings. Sometimes it makes me cringe as I watch them fly headlong into difficulty or disappointment...or the unknown; but they need all these experiences in order to grow and become mature, wise, confident, compassionate, functioning adults.

It’s funny how I often want to protect them from the situations that bring pain and disappointment.  I want to send them off into the world in bubble-wrap and forget it is through difficulty that God has done some of his best work in me.  I guess there's just something in a parent that impulsively lunges to the rescue when their child seems vulnerable to things that are risky or don’t make sense.  When my daughter was twelve I was caught trying to micro manage her world a bit too much.  She responded by saying, “Mom!  When will you put the pen down and let God write the story?”  Well that was a good question!  When would I?  Or better yet, WHY wasn’t I?

I find that I want to manage my kid’s world because I believe I know best.  But do I?  Don’t they have a God that is far better at managing the chapters of their story than I am?  Can’t I trust Him to be good when the situation does not LOOK good to me?  And most of all, don’t I want them to learn dependence upon this loving God that we call all knowing, all powerful, and all present?  If I keep placing myself into God’s role by seeking to manage their growing independent life, then they become dependent upon me not God. 

So I am choosing to put the pen down.  I have found that in doing so, I am free to enjoy the story a bit more and delight in what God might be doing. In the end, it opens up the opportunity for better conversation and shepherding because I can listen without agenda and they feel heard. We laugh together more…and we cry more too.  But we are all learning how to live with increasing dependence upon the one “who began the good work” in the first place, and trust “the author and perfecter of our faith”, because He indeed has it all planned out for the good.

Below is a sweet little video that depicts "leaving the nest quite well

http://www.wimp.com/mandarinducklings/ 
 

Sticks In the Ground

(This post is a continuation to the post from January 1, 2014) 
...When a rose bush has been pruned it is not much prettier than before the pruning began.  The stems are appropriately trimmed or removed, but it still looks like a bunch of dead branches set in the ground.  Nutrients have been worked into the soil for good systemic growth but blooms and foliage have yet to appear.  Pruning is something a gardener does for a future bloom – a future beauty and harvest.

I noticed as I read through the previous blog that after pruning I skipped straight to the beauty that’s found in the bloom.  Isn't that what we often want to do - skip past what is difficult or unlovely?  However, as I walked back outside and noticed the roses along our front walk, I could not deny the fact that they were still just a few sticks popping up from the ground with no real apparent beauty. They were still dormant and without the welcome of soft blooms, they could still prick an unsuspecting-someone as they walked by.

That is the picture of a pruned heart.  There’s no visible evidence of the work that has been done except for the thorny sticks in the ground.  It’s quiet and unadorned.  At times when others come close our thorny places still impose unexpected pain because we are not yet ready to extend a soft welcome and let them in.  We wait, like the rose…

...Under the ground, where no one can see, there is work being done.  There is a private fellowship with the Trinity where systemically, God is pouring nutrients into the soil of our heart as we let ourselves stay “dormant” and close to Him.  It happens as we place ourself before his word and hold it as a light unto our feet.  It comes alive as we sit silently before him inviting his presence to come near.  It becomes active when we discipline our steps toward his love in and through us.  And it comes tangibly as we let others share the winter with us among the thorns. 

The sight of the sticks in the ground outside of my front door is a visual reminder that just sticks in the ground are OK for a while.  I needn’t hurry the blooms…


How are you, like me, tempted to hurry the blooms?

Where are the thorny places in you that may bring accidental pain?

How are you engaging God's word in the process?

What feels vulnerable as you consider letting others and God in?

How are you letting God and other's in, even when it means being a bit "thorny"?

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.  Leave to thy God to order and provide: In every change, He faithful will remain.  Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy Heavenly friend...
...Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

Surrendering to the Shears... a New Years Resolution

(I actually wrote this yesterday and thought I'd wait to post it but a conversation this morning has reminded again of some needed "pruning".)

This Morning I was greeted by three thorny, intrusive rose bushes.  They line the walkway to our front door and have grown quite gangly as they’ve been left unattended. So earlier this afternoon I grabbed my pruning shears and set out to do a little pruning.  I was struck by how overgrown they’d become. They hardly looked like roses at all and weren't their beautiful selves for sure!  Some stems had to be clipped in excess of 4 feet! 

Pruning is one of those things I avoid like the plague but once out there I find myself in conversation with God and I wonder why I would ever procrastinate such sweet encounters. Maybe it’s the mess and prickly thorns that I don’t like.  Maybe it’s simply inconvenient and I don’t want to be bothered or interrupted.   Maybe I don’t readily see the value that pruning brings.  Maybe it’s all three.  Well, like it or not, pruning must occur for roses to be ready in the spring; and my out of sight, out of mind approach has produced a rather deformed and diseased set of rose bushes.

 John 15:2, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

 "Angel Face"

As I mingled with God among the thorns I was mindful of a different pruning – the one that God does in us.  I'm tempted to avoid moments like that because it’s messy or inconvenient and I neither want my daily routine interrupted nor my heart disrupted.  However, when our heart is left unattended the places that need pruning become painfully obvious.  Life becomes about me, I'm easily irritated, sometimes dismissive, and often lack love. Thorny, overgrown branches prick and sting others while my soul becomes deformed and diseased. 

Thankfully the story does not end there.  When we "surrender to the shears" God does the needed work to shape our life into a resemblance of His beauty and presence that is good and kind.  One of my favorite bushes in the garden is call "Angel Face", they're quite fragrant and offer such a sweet aroma in passing.  We are not much different.  When Christ takes form in us we are his fragrance to the world (2 Corinthians 2:15) as it passes by and encounters us.  It happens in us the same way it does with the roses the as they lie pruned and dormant in my garden this winter.  As we let God work on the places in our heart that require his love we will be nourished and made ready to produce bountiful, fragrant blooms when the season comes for the sun to cascade its warmth and shine it light once again.  

So for 2014 I have the resolution to surrender to the shears when opportunity comes...albeit painful and hard, it alone holds the promise of spiritual beauty in due season.

What are the thorny gangly life-branches God may be drawing your attention to this year?

How can you open yourself up to his pruning work?

Spend some time imagining what a beautiful expression of his life in you look like once he has done his necessary pruning?