All that matters...

When I was a kid, our family moved.  A lot.  My dad worked for a road construction company, which meant relocating to new jobs almost yearly.  This became our modus operandi:  every summer, we'd pack up everything we owned and head off to a new town.   Sometimes we'd like our "new town"; sometimes, not so much.  I won't mention any names.  By the time I was in 10th grade, we had moved 17 times, which explains why I said I'd NEVER marry anyone who made me move around!  (Have you ever heard the saying: "never say never"?)  Through all the hopeful hellos and the sad goodbyes, we were together, and that was what mattered most.  The transient lifestyle created a wealth of family memories and more than a few inside jokes.  I still talk to my parents at least every week, and my brother and I call each other often.  (He especially likes to call ME when HE is at some beach basking in the sun without a care in the world.)  

Flash forward a few years, and you'll find not much has changed.  I married an Army officer, and you guessed it ... we're still on the move.  Only the acronyms have changed.  (Now we call it PCS-ing, although there is nothing permanent about it.)  As we look forward to our next PCS, I find myself getting excited about the possibility of going back to Northern Virginia.  We were assigned there previously, and we fell in love with the area, the people, the culture, and a church called Image.    As we continue praying that God will take us back there next summer, I sense Him reminding me of the early days of my life.  I sense Him calling me to focus on Him rather than my location - either present or future.   We are family, Jesus and I, and we are together.  That is all that matters. 

Into the World...

John 17. 14  (Jesus says) "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

Seven years ago, we struggled with making a decision.  Russ and I discussed our options over and over; we talked to friends, we consulted our parents, and we prayed that the Lord would tell us what to do.  The question:  should we homeschool Sophia for kindergarten?  Our answer came through the passage above, in which Jesus prays for his disciples.  Jesus was soon to return to heaven, leaving his disciples to carry on the work He had begun.  I found what He did not pray for as compelling as what He did pray for his spiritual children.  He did not pray that they would ascend into heaven with Him ... yet.  He did not pray that they would be removed from the public arena in an effort to shield them from the inevitable hurts, questions, insults.  He simply prayed that they would be protected from the evil one while they were in the place He called them to be, i.e. the world.  He stated He had given them Truth and asked that God, using that Truth, would set them apart for a sacred purpose.  Then Jesus sent them out.  As I read those words during my quiet time in early August, 2001, I sensed I should do the same thing.  We had given Sophia as much Truth as a little five-year-old could take in, trusting God would both protect and use her.  Looking back, this was so much easier to do in 2001 than it has been in 2008.  

Although we have homeschooled our children off and on during the years, this year Sophia is attending 7th grade at a public middle school.  When I picked her up yesterday we had an interesting conversation.  The subject was homosexuality.  A girl in her class casually mentioned that her older sister was homosexual. Sophia told her that she believes homosexuality is wrong.  Interestingly, both girls had just come from a classroom session that dealt with handling disagreements appropriately.   Sophie simply read from the little half-sheet she'd been handed, "I understand how you feel, but I disagree."  It did not get ugly.  I told Sophia I was very proud of how she had handled the situation, and we discussed why we, as Christians, believe homosexuality is wrong.   

Like Jesus, it is not our plan to remove our children from culture ... but rather to train them to live out their faith in the culture.  And they are learning as we send them, step by step, into the world. 

All Those Questions...

Sam's favorite question these days is "why?".  He asks it at least a hundred times a day ... or so it seems to his tired mom.  Why do I need to do this?  Why does it work this way?  Why do you want me to do that?  He's not being rebellious; he's just growing up.  "Because I said so", just doesn't cut it anymore;  he needs a more substantial answer.  

Paul says when he became a man he put childish ways behind him. (1 Cor. 13.11)  Now in NO way is Sam a man!  He's still a grimy little boy who sometimes runs around the house dressed as Spiderman.  BUT, even at the age of 9, he's putting childish ways behind him.  He's beginning to question the establishment, as it were, in an effort to get answers and to form his own convictions.  He needs valid reasons, solid explanations, rational grounds ... and so do I.  As I grow in my faith in Christ, I am finding that I ask more and more questions. Sometimes ... even the dreaded "why?".   Like Sam, I am no longer satisfied with some canned answer I heard someone give years ago.  As I mature, I find that I have to think a bit more ... get into the Word a bit more ... pray a bit more ... obey a bit more in order to find those answers.  An example in my own life is the question of predestination.  I began seriously considering this matter ... over a year ago.  I've studied it, although not as in depth as I would like to.  I've meditated on it, prayed for understanding, and come to a conclusion.  I'll save that for another blog; the point I'm trying to make is that we should always seek to find answers ... even hard ones... because learning is growing.

Lessons from Esther...

This morning I read to the kids from the Old Testament book of Esther.  The title character is a young Jewish girl whom God uses to influence a king and save a people.  While Esther’s story is certainly complex, one particular part of it really spoke to me, as if God Himself had highlighted it in fluorescent yellow!  (I am consistently amazed at the lessons I learn from the Children’s Bible!) 

In preparation for meeting the King of Persia (who ruled while many Jews were still living as captives in Babylon), Esther was given a year of beauty treatments.  A year.  A year of having massages, special ointments, perfumes and cosmetics.   OK, before you begin to feel jealous, thinking Esther had been pampered quite enough … let’s investigate the real beauty secret. 

Esther Chapter 2.12-13 states “…she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments – six months of oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.”  Any bride-to-be would relish a full year at the spa, but Esther’s beauty treatment involved so much more than she could have imagined. 

As you may know, myrrh was used as burial spice as noted in John 19.39, when Nicodemus brought myrrh to anoint Jesus’ body following His sacrificial death on the cross.  Death.    Myrrh (which means “bitter” in Arabic) was also used for medicinal purposes, to promote healing because of its antiseptic qualities. Healing.

Through Esther, the Lord is showing me that death and healing go hand in hand and are meant to beautify His people.  Having experienced the death of both her parents, Esther had known great pain long before she was placed in a position of great influence.   Two friends of ours have suffered similar pain just recently. Each has lost a sibling unexpectedly.  I cannot imagine the difficulty of such a loss.  But after the death comes the healing … and after healing, beauty.  Both our friends know and walk with Christ, so the healing oil may not sting quite as much.  Nevertheless, it still stings.  I don’t profess to understand what beauty may come from this sorrow, but I trust in a Savior who never wastes a hurt. If the Jesus I am called to imitate did not exempt Himself from the most painful of experiences … separation from God … but rather let God use it to bring about unimaginable healing and beauty to the masses, then I must follow suit.  I must allow God to use not only the most pleasant parts but also the most painful parts of my life to minister to others.  

SPOILER:  Esther 2.17-18 “…the king loved her (Esther) more than any of the other young women.  He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen… To celebrate the occasion, he gave a banquet in her honor for all his princes and servants, giving generous gifts to everyone and declaring a public festival for the provinces.” 

Plenty...

In Luke 23.35, Jesus asks his disciples a question.  “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag or extra clothing, did you lack anything?”

In this particular passage of Scripture, Jesus is about to hand over His earthly ministry to those He has trained and equipped.  As Jesus sends the disciples out on the mission of their lives, He reminds them that it isn’t the first time.  In Luke 9, Jesus sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  A dress rehearsal, you might say ... although it would be anything but a "dry run".   While He gave them power and authority, he did not give them much in the way of material possessions.  (And apparently, they didn’t NEED much!)  Jesus told Peter, James, John and the others not to “take a bag, or food or money … not even an extra coat.”   The result:  they came back rejoicing over what God had done through them!  So, what does this have to do with us?  Plenty.

In Luke 23.37, Jesus says, “But now, take your money, and your traveler’s bag.  And if you don’t have a sword, sell your clothes and buy one!”  Although these words were spoken to eleven men over 2000 years ago, they are also meant for us Christians in the 21^st century!  I am encouraged to know that Jesus is not sending us out into the world empty-handed.  Just like the early disciples, Jesus gives us authority to preach His Kingdom. Furthermore, He gives us His very Spirit to live inside each of us who answer His call! His mission will be accomplished, and we will lack nothing!

As Russ & I look to a future that may not include wearing a uniform, this is tremendously encouraging.  If the early disciples – who basically had nothing materially speaking – can make Jesus known to the world around them, so can we.  We, who have the Spirit of God living in us, we who have relationships with people outside our hometowns, we who have money, clothing, extra clothing, clothing we no longer fit in, clothing we don’t particularly like anymore, and … don’t even get me started on how much food we have!  We who have the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) in our hearts, in multiple Bibles, on our radios, on our laptops and cell phones ...  we can preach the Good News and bring healing to millions!  All we have to do is go…