“You Give Hugs”

I was with one of my students this past week. She came to me, arms open, to get a hug. I absolutely love hugs so naturally I held on for an abnormal amount of time. But in that time, I felt her begin to cry. Eventually, I pulled away from her body, looked her in her now water-filled eyes, and asked her why she was crying.

After talking a little bit and me running my mouth like I do, she ended the conversation with “I really just came over to get a hug.”

In the moment, I reminded her that I’m always here for a hug. I’m pretty sure God’s given me the gift of “hug.” But this morning, as I was thinking about that conversation, God pressed this sentence on my heart:

You give hugs.

Oftentimes I’m waiting for people to come to me and give me hugs. I’m waiting on others to love me, to reach out to me, to take an interest in me and want to know me.

No. “You give hugs.”

Give hugs to people when they don’t expect it, don’t deserve it, don’t want it, hate it, love it, and everything in between. Because no matter the appearance, no matter the body language, no matter the words – every single person needs hugs. Every single person wants love.

It’s a proactive, not a reactive, response. We love because He first loved us. Jesus’ love was not only displayed in the small act of a hug, but also in His death on the cross, the most brutal and gruesome death to suffer. He died so I could live. So I could love. So I could hug.

So you, I’m talking to you….

You give hugs.

The Purpose in Prison

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the  prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the  foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and  everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors  were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners  had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all  here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down  before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be  saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your  household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his  house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he  was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had  believed in God.

Acts 16:25-34

 

Ruined for ordinary.  I heard this phrase a couple days ago.  I’ve heard it before but for some reason, it came to life when I heard it this time.

As I look at my life, it feels like a prison. I’m in a jail cell, tied down by chains.  All kinds of chains.  And if you’re honest with yourself, so are you.  Or at least sometimes we feel that way. Right now, I feel that way.

Every day, I sing praises to my Savior.  Every day, I pray and praise Him through the storm.  And every day, I speak truth in faith that He will one day set me free – whether during my time on Earth or finally in Heaven.  And the chains I feel now stir my faith, challenge my walk, draw me closer to God. I praise Him even more when I realize my failures, my shortcomings, my obstacles.  I praise Him because He never leaves me alone in the struggle.  I praise Him because of His promises to set me free.

Our desperation draws us into a deeper dependence on Him and His unending grace and unfailing love.

My amazing connection group leader loves to suppose what was going through the minds of Biblical characters in pivotal situations.  I wonder what was going through Paul and Silas’ minds while they were in the midst of an earthquake and then presented with an opportunity of freedom.  Seemingly God opened a way out of the prison for them, yet they remained.

What made them stay?  With the chance of continued bondage and even death in Macedonia, what made Paul and Silas stay?  I believe they heard God and obeyed.  Obedience spurred by trust.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

My own understanding would have been, “Hey, there’s an earthquake, here’s my chance, peace out, ya’ll.” Do I believe God caused that earthquake? You betcha.  But Paul and Silas were so in tune with Jesus and focused on God’s will (not their own) that they remained in bondage so that they could save the prison guard’s life and lead him and his family to salvation.

I believe that sometimes God wants us to remain in the struggle so that we can walk in faith and be used to bring Him further glory.

Paul and Silas’ decision to stay in the prison spur us to ask the questions: 1) Where is God in this struggle? and 2) How does He want us to respond?

So where is God in your struggle?  What’s he speaking to you? And how is he trying to ruin you for the ordinary?

To Touch His Cloak

Hey! See this computer screen?  What if I told you that if you pressed your nose against the screen for exactly 10 seconds a Starbucks coffee would appear in your left hand (ya know, because I believe everyone should really be left-handed…most of ya’ll are just confused about that).  Anyway, would you do it?!

Probably not.  Unless you really like Starbucks. And then people would just call you naive and gullible.

But really, that’s absurd.  Absolutely ridiculous.

It’s funny because there was this one time, when a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years (yeah, and you thought the work week was long) decided that by touching a piece of fabric would heal her completely.

Naive? Gullible? Absurd?

And then Jesus called that faith.  In Matthew 9:22, He responded to her, “Take heart, daughter”…”your faith has healed you.”

Check it: Hebrews 11 details more absurd steps of faith taken by some normal people throughout history – building arks, parting seas, marching around walls until they fell…just to name a few.  In all of these situations, God made promises.  And in all of these situations, He was faithful.

Faith is not merely saying “Yes, I believe there’s a God, blah blah blah.”  Faith is demonstrated in action.  So are you building an ark? Are you parting the sea? Are you marching around an enemy’s wall?  Well, probably not.  But He’s calling you to action.  The Christian life is not complacency and comfort.  It’s an exciting adventure, and faith (aka action) is essential to experiencing Jesus and the “life to the full” He’s promised in John 10:10.

One of my favorite passages since experiencing a huge hardship in high school is Romans 5:3-5.  It speaks of joy and hope in the midst of trials:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

 

And then He revealed this to me today.  Rewind a couple verses to Romans 3:1-2:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

The joy and hope must be preceded by faith!  Faith is the foundation that yields peace and joy and love and hope to move through the trials with Him, standing firm in His promises. And He is always faithful to fulfill the promises.  So pray in that faith, seek Him with that faith, and move forward with that faith.

 

Father, just a mustard seed.  Give us the faith of a tiny mustard seed that it may grow and be rooted in You. We want to walk by faith and not by sight. Keep making us, Lord. Amen!

 

You: Redefined

Inadequacy.  Ever felt it?

Inadequacy, by definition, requires a comparison.  I don’t want to ramble on and on about how we shouldn’t compare ourselves to one another.  That’s all well and good and true.  But what about the ideas we have in our minds?  What if we don’t live up to our own expectations or our own desires?

Well, now that’s a whole other ballgame.

I grew up singing “Jesus loves me.”  I know He loves me.  I mean, He died for me.  Like woah.  Yeah, I’d say He loves me.  I think oftentimes we view Christ’s sacrifice as one for a scummy stranger.  Personally, I think it’d be easier to die for a scummy stranger than a scummy friend (and I’m almost certain scummy isn’t a real word, but just roll with it). It’d be easier to die for someone about whom you knew no dirt, no hidden secrets, no past offenses or any of that messy stuff. But, Romans 5:8 demonstrates that while we were sinners (because Jesus knows us better than we even know ourselves), Christ died for us.

Now the more I draw close to Him, and the deeper our friendship gets, the more I realize that He died for me, a scummy friend.  So that’s true love if I’ve ever tried to wrap my head around it.

Galatians 2:20 reminds us:

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

But on top of that love is the concept of like.  Jesus likes you.  Let that sink in for a second.

So those feelings of thoughts of inadequacy were crushed by Christ’s work on the cross.  He redefined you.  He renamed you.  You’re no longer inadequate.

You are:

• His Treasured Possession (Deuteronomy 7:6)
• Apple of His Eye (Psalm 17:8)
• Fearfully & Wonderfully Made (Psalm 139:14)
• Loved (Isaiah 43:4)
• Chosen & Called (1 Peter 2:9)

That’s just to name a few.  Moreover, you are the Daughter of the Most High (insert crown here).

Father, thank you for the life you’ve given us through your Son, Jesus.  We cast off feelings of inadequacy because we know that because of You, we are enough.  You are all we need.  We trust you to grow our faith and take us to new heights with You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

When We Ask God to Get Coffee: His Response

This past week, I met a friend for coffee.  I haven’t seen this friend in a while and was excited to share with her some things that were going on in my life, and likewise, hear about hers.  I waited for about 10 minutes before she got there (ummm, annoyed much?) and when she got there, she was almost immediately distracted in conversation with one of her co-workers.  Thus, after I got my coffee, I stood there silently while she chatted away with her co-worker (ummm, frustrated much?).  Needless to say, I was hurt.  Big time.  I ended up cutting our visit short and leaving without as much as a few sentences with her.  For the rest of the morning, I struggled with that hurt, but kept my feelings to myself, though I was definitely tempted to text her and let her know.

This morning, as I prayed about it (really asking for the ability to forgive and love regardless), God revealed something to me.  How many times have I been my friend?  How many times have I met God for coffee and then blew Him off?  How many times did He have exciting things to share with me, and I ignored Him, choosing to spend my time with another?  How many times did I voice my excitement and desire to know Him and then turn my back when the time came?

More times than not, this is exactly how I treated my Savior.  And the most amazing part of it is: He doesn’t love me any less for it.  And He doesn’t give up; He keeps pursuing me, keeps desiring that time with me, still wants to tell me things and be intimately involved in my life.  He doesn’t hold a grudge.  He doesn’t get frustrated and tell me how much I’ve hurt Him.  No, he welcomes me with open arms, with a big, strong hug that only my True Father can give.  He loves me today just as much as He did the day I was born (even before I was born)!

He’s always there; always wanting to spend time with me and draw near to me.  James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  That’s not a conditional statement.  Every step we take, even the smallest one to just initiate interest in knowing Him, is beautiful to God.  Yes, maybe we blow Him off, but He knows our hearts and he knows our desires.

My friend would not have agreed to coffee if she hadn’t had some interest in spending time with me.  So it is with Jesus.  I believe He rejoices even when it’s only a few sentences or one thought a day.  Maybe your prayers are short; you’re not sure what to say or how to relate to God.  He longs to hear from you and He longs to speak to you.  Rest in John 15:15:

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Thank you, Jesus – my Friend, my Confidant, my Forgiver, and my Love.

Free: Are you, really?

We fight for it.  We die for it.  We live for it.  We crave it.  We were created for it.

Freedom.

From the Emancipation Proclamation to World Wars to the Civil Rights Movement and even to today…we strive  for freedom.  What is it about freedom that enraptures us? Why does it mean so much?

I think the answer is simple.  When we’re free, we loose our chains.  We can be who God created us to be.  We can take off the pressures, the stresses, the weights, and anything else holding us back from Life.

So, I live in America: the land of the free.  But not really.  All this hype about our freedom, and people still walk around with chains.  I see them.  I wear them.  We’re bound to social media, addicted to ourselves, searching for purpose in a bottle or a drug or another person.  We’re actually all captives.  We’re captive to our own flesh, our own desires, our own sins and mistakes in our past.  We’re bound to our fears, our failures, our attitudes, our thoughts.  Can you see your chains?  Can you see your scars?

I’ve been a Christian almost my entire life.  I went to church, learned to pray, read the Bible, watched Veggie Tales, sang the songs, went on the mission trips…and still, I found myself in chains.

One thing I know about freedom: it’s a process.  It does not happen overnight.  God doesn’t work on our time because I mean, if I had my way, it’d be a “one and done” (as we say in the retail world).  The freedom wouldn’t have a cost either.

True freedom is only found in Christ.  When we die to ourselves, we gain freedom.  When we truly surrender, repent, and commit our entire lives to Jesus…when we cast off the chains of our past (Satan has no more control…in Jesus name)…when we seek Him with all of our hearts…we will find Freedom.  And Life.  And not just Life.  We will find Life to the fullest.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  

John 10:10 (Thank you, Jesus!)

Real freedom comes with true fulfillment.  It comes with purpose.  No more chains.  Wounds are healed.  So what is the cost of freedom?  What does it cost to experience freedom through an uninhibited relationship with God our Father?

“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.”

Galatians 2:20

You know all of those things you’re doing?  The ones that don’t leave you filled? Some of them I mentioned above.  Ask God to show you those areas.  He will.  He is faithful.  Or maybe you recognize them.  You know how you’ve been trying to fill the hole in your life with money or material things or men or women or addictions…whatever it may be.  You know one thing: it always leaves you empty.

I’m telling you I know Someone who will never leave you nor forsake you.  He will never leave you feeling empty.  You can always be filled.  It will cost you those desires, those attempts at fulfillment, your sins.  It will cost you acceptance; people may think you’re strange.  But when you find Him and His love, you won’t care.  You will be so filled, you’ll want nothing more than to be with Him.  And in Him alone, you will find true freedom.

By His wounds we are healed.  In the power of His holy name, thank you, Jesus!

Praise Him.

 

What to Do with Your 2013 Failures

So the last day of 2013 is upon us. The last hours actually.

I can’t tell you how many different topics the Lord has put on my mind and heart to write about over the past few weeks…and how many drafts are sitting in my “Draft” box right now.

This one, though…this one, hit home for me.  So let’s start.

God has many, many names.  One name hit me in particular this morning: Redeemer.

We just finished celebrating the birth of Jesus (which, by the way, should not be exclusive to only one day a year, but I digress).  And Jesus came to save.  He came to redeem. Keep this in mind as I continue.

So typically, today I would write out my goals or “resolutions” for the next year.  And, if you’re like me, some of those goals from 2013 will carry over to 2014 because, let’s be honest, we can get a little side-tracked.  This roll-over process requires us to look at some of our “misses” or even failures over the past year.  “Well, I started going to the gym more this year, but I still haven’t lost those 20 extra pounds…”  Got it? Okay.  So we see our failures fleshed out before our eyes, black and white, plain as day.  And you know what? It can be painful to see just like the next failure.

Personal note: For me, I should be employed by now.  Failure.  Setback. And a roll-over.  So, you’re probably wondering where this whole Redeemer idea comes into play?  Hold your horses…I’m getting there…

So Jesus came to redeem. Yes, Jesus came to save us from our sins, to win us back from our fallen, sinful nature, and to cleanse us with his blood so God can see us as He sees Jesus: perfect.  But our Redeemer doesn’t stop there.

I’ve been captivated by the term “redemptive perspective” recently.  Take any failure or any negative situation or setback and try to find the good (or the redemptive perspective) in it.  It’s there.  And trust that even if you can’t see it, God can.  He works even when we can see or understand. So take those roll-overs or set-backs or failures, and I guarantee God has a redemptive reason behind them.

Another personal note: For me, my jobless state has brought me some awesome friendships, friendships that God knew I needed.  It also brought me to trust Him more, know Him more, and truly understand what it means to praise Him through the storm. Priceless.

As we roll into 2014, remember the truth of Romans 8:37:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

He loved. He redeemed.  And he continues to redeem.  Believe that now, in 2014, and forever.

Praise Him!

My Plan

I’m feeling especially inspired to write tonight. It’s been a while, and frankly, I’m sick of studying! So this is my little break.

Today I made a life plan. I’m unsure of the span of time – somewhere like the next 5 to 10 years. It’s kinda crazy to think how drastically my “plan” has changed over the past few years. But, I’m glad I have a plan. And when life throws curve balls, I know all I have to do is adapt.

It is a comfort to know that God ultimately has a plan for my life, completely known to Him and very much unknown to me. And that’s okay. I trust Him, love Him, and know one thing for certain: if I live every day for Him, make choices that honor Him, and pursue Him and His will in every sense, He will direct my path. He will bless me. Goodness, when I think of “bless” though, I think of good things. It’s hard to imagine that He brings blessings through what we deem “bad” situations. But He does work through everything. Good and bad to bring Himself glory.

Thank you, Jesus, for Your plan, Your care, Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your grace. Glory be to You this holiday season and always.

Love, Your daughter

The Hole

No, no. Not that hole. I’m referring to the hypothetical hole I am convinced we all feel at some point in our lives. It’s the hole you try to fill. I’ve tried to stuff a lot of things into that hole, but it never feels filled. I’ve stuffed tons of things, things I thought would end the empty feeling and would make me feel complete. Things that would bring me sustainable happiness if only I kept them there. I tweaked them just so they fit, but with any sudden move, they’d come bursting out.

Boyfriends. Money. Activities. Hobbies. For me, it was mostly boyfriends. I looked for fulfillment in someone else’s eyes. They’d give me my self-worth. They’d affirm me. They’d always want the best for me. They’d love me unconditionally.

The problem is – no person here on Earth can ever, ever, give me any of those things. And I was silly to think they could.

So there’s another method to filling the hole. Well, instead of trying to fill it, many people run from it. In other words, the escapism is called “alcohol” or “drugs” or “intentional ignorance.” But as with the bursting hole, those people can only get so high (no pun intended) before they come crashing down to reality. And reality is – that hole is still there!

There’s only ONE permanent solution. Jesus needs to be let in. He fits and he fits perfectly. And the thing is – he wants in. You don’t have to force him to conform to your hole. And since He fits so well, He wants to stay. And He’ll stay as long as you let him.

He will give you love. All the love you ever sought elsewhere that couldn’t fill the hole.
He will give you self-worth. All the self-worth you tried to derive from other people and accomplishments and awards.
He will give you direction. He has a plan; all you have to do is trust and listen.
He will give you happiness. Real happiness. The happiness that stays and doesn’t go away with the initial excitement dies.
He will give you life. “And life to the fullest.” John 10:10
He will give you fulfillment. “And my God shall fulfill every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

To be filled by Christ, you must first believe. Believe He has come to save us because He loves us. The sins we’ve committed against Him, he forgives. But we need to ask for His forgiveness; we ask so as to wipe our hearts clean for Him to live in us. We must believe there’s a Heaven, a place God is preparing for those who believe, those who’s holes have been filled by Jesus. And in Heaven, there will be no more tears, no more death, no more crying, no more pain. We’ll be totally united with God.

I recently finished a book called “Crazy Love.” In the book, the author talks about God’s love for us and what our love for Him should look like. It’s a great book – I highly recommend. One of the few I would ever read twice. Anyway, the point of the book –

Love God like He loves you. Listen to Him. Live for Him. Let Him work in your life. Love others more than you love yourself. By loving others, you are loving God. Get to know God. Read His book and draw near to Him.

Those are just some of the takeaways. He also outlines how to go about those things. What loving God really looks like.

But back to the hole – a little logic for you as I end:

If you fill your hole with God, He will never let you feel empty again.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

Just a Song…