Unchangeable

When the day is filled with uncertainty and difficult decisions, it is good to pause for a moment and cast our eyes into the past.   The future we cannot know, but the past is locked firmly by the boundaries of our memories.  And, when we pause in the midst of dark filled days to look at the past, the first thing we see is the faithfulness of God.  What we are tempted to forget midst the chaos of a tough day is that fact that the God who has been with us, cared for us, loved us, and got us through other tough things, is still ever present with us.    

It may be that our circumstances are changing, but the God of yesterday is the same God who is showing up today.  Even as we have memories of not being forsaken, we can know in the deep places of our being that such remains true.  Even in the midst of trouble we are not forsaken.  God remains with us.  Circumstances may change, but God is utterly dependable.  As He has been with us in the days filled with sunshine, so is He with us in the days so stormy we cannot see our way forward.    

He is the same for us in the difficult times as He is in the good times.  In that part of our life, nothing has changed.  Our memories are precious.  They bring into view the good moments of our life.  Things stay ever present in our memory.  And, even as such is true with our memories of things shared with those we love, so is it true of the way God has been with us.  In the times of trouble, it is good to remember that His presence with us yesterday is nothing more than a promise He has made to be with us today and tomorrow and even beyond. 

Looking and Seeing

We do not see by looking.  Looking implies effort.  Looking speaks of what we set out to do and something for which we expect to see.  Seeing is not about effort, but about being.  To think about the difference between seeing and looking is to remember Jesus saying, "The kingdom of God  is not coming with things that can be observed....For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you, within you."   (Luke 17:20-21)   Those who go looking with great effort for spiritual manifestations in the world are likely to look beyond them and not actually see what is breaking in all around them.     

The words of Jesus remind us that we see evidence of the Kingdom by being instead of doing.  There is nothing we can do to make how God is making Himself known in the world more visible.  It is all around us.  It is inside the fabric of every part of the creation.  We come to understand this not by human effort, but by simply being in the midst of it.  Mercy and grace is what opens the lids of our spiritual eyes so that we can see what we are unable to see by intentional looking.     

Ears to hear and eyes to see are wonderful gifts of grace.  Otherwise, we suffer from a kind of blindness that prevents us from being attentive to the present moment of our life.  We will always experience the Kingdom, the blessings of God, and the manifestations of His presence by being out there with no pre-determined plan and no set of expectations.  If we are looking for signs of God in the world, we are far more likely to see them by simply being in the world and waiting for God to do what God is always ready to do which is to be present with us.    

Glory

It has been a day when the sun refused to shine.  Gray has been the constant color of the sky that sent drizzling cold rain to the ground all day long.  Grateful is what I was when I looked at the pasture and saw the hay bales put out yesterday.  In a moment totally unexpected the late afternoon turned into the early evening with a sunset beyond description.  Instead of a great ball of fire in the sky which sent colors across Creation's canopy, there was instead a red and orange glow which lit up the sky making it something to behold.    

Seeing through the window what was going on outside caused me to walk out the front door onto the porch.  Even knowing what was out there did not prepare me for what was there.  The color seen through the window did not seem to be limited to the western horizon, but instead was like something mysterious which wrapped me up within it as I stepped outside.  For a moment it seemed that I had indeed stepped into glory.  It was a glory above me, around me, beside me, and a glory that wrapped  its arms around me. 

Imagine for a moment that the glory we see and experience on this earth is but a glimpse of the glory that is just beyond the gray darkness that separates this life from the life that is out there waiting for us.  It is not just the glory of the sun, but the glory of the Risen Christ which is out there waiting for us to step inside of it, ready for us to be surrounded by it, and ready to wrap its arms around us.  Indeed, the glory of the eternal is beyond description.  It is not only the glory that awaits us, but the glory in which those who have gone before us bask in the present moment with joy.  

The Hard Way

The hard part about affirming faith in Christ is not what other people think about us.  Certainly, there have been times when believing in Christ could be as costly as losing your life, but that day is not this day, at least not in the places where we serve Christ.  When I was young, peer pressure was a real deterrent to a young man who wanted to practice faith, but felt surrounded by those who would only ridicule.  As we get older and move more into our life, what others think becomes less a factor.    

What seems true is the that the real hard part about affirming faith in Christ has to do with what Christ thinks about us.  We want His approval; yet, we do not always want to offer a life style which is within the scope of His expectations of those who say they believe in Him.  It is not that His eyes look upon us with judgmental sternness.  Instead, we look upon ourselves and know that we live more according to our will and our agenda and not His will and agenda. It is at this point that the Christian faith becomes an unbearably hard thing.   

It becomes a hard thing because it is always hard to live two lives.  We are created to live one.  When we start saying one thing and living in a way that is inconsistent with what we declare to be our core values, we become like Adam and Eve.  We start hunting a fig leaf to cover our soul.  We start hiding when when we sense God is near.  We become dishonest with ourselves, one another, and the One who has made us.  If such is not a formula for a hard and difficult existence, there is not one.  Yet, here in the land of compromise we strive to live.  It is no wonder the Christian way becomes such a hard way that we seek another.

A Strange Mercy

There is divine mercy in not knowing what is ahead.  If we were given the gift of clarity and certainty about what tomorrow or next week would bring, we would no doubt spend the moments between now and then with such anxiety that living would be impossible.  Or, we would end up trying to manipulate the future so that tomorrow's story would have a different ending.  Of course, all the worry or work has little bearing on what is ahead in the unknown future which stretches ahead of us.    

When Abraham said yes to God's call to go, he had no idea where the act of going in obedience would take him. When Moses headed back to Egypt from the wilderness, he could not have imagined the circumstances which God would unfold in his life.  And when those disciples of long ago decided to leave everything and follow Jesus, they only thought they knew what such a response would mean for them.  Surely, when they looked back they must have realized they had no clue what it meant to follow Jesus into an unknown future.   To follow Jesus is to always follow into an unknown future.  The one thing Jesus never promised was an easy way.  He made it clear from the beginning that discipleship granted no exemptions from adversity, hard times, and difficulties.  

Anyone who reads the story of the gospel and comes to a different conclusion needs to read it one more time.  The truth is we never know what is ahead.  We only know Who is ahead.  Knowing Who is ahead means knowing that the One who is in charge of what is ahead is out there ahead of us making the way that might seem impossible, possible.  How thankful we are that we have learned that the One who holds tomorrow also holds us and everything which will touch us for harm and for good.

A Wise Heart

Not everyone enjoys birthdays.  Oh, for sure most of us enjoy a party and, perhaps, enjoy it even more if we are at the head of the table, but some folks would just as soon not take much note of the day.  It is understandable.  Each one we have does have a way of reminding us of the relentless march of time, the diminishing of what we used to be able to do, and at some point we start sensing that more are behind than ahead.   And even though I broke my arm at one of my boyhood birthday parties, I remain grateful for it and all the rest.    

Before anyone wants to send me a birthday greeting, please know mine for the year is long past.  What brings reflective thoughts to mind are the birthdays of some others in recent days.  Getting old is not always a lot of fun, but it speaks of years God has given and is giving.  It speaks of blessings of being with those who are important to us, who love us, and who we love.  It speaks of time to remember memories, sorting them out, laughing at some, and learning from others.  Birthdays are not bad things, but gifts from our Creator God who knows the number of our years and though sometimes hard to see, He has a purpose for them.      

Psalm 90:12 says, "So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart."   Maybe there is more to this counting of our days than we see in candles and cakes, birthday presents, and having a a party.  Maybe the counting of our days is not a thing to be dreaded, but instead simply part of God's way of creating new things in us which we have never given any room to flourish.  Being wiser is not the same as being smarter.  Smarter is about knowing more information.  Wiser is about knowing how to live.  These recent years have made me wise enough to know I have still a long way to go in learning how to live with a wise heart, but it is good to be still on the way.   

The New Season

A recent conversation with a preacher friend who is finishing out his last year before retirement set me to thinking about this season of life.  When I first walked into it, I must confess to thinking I regarded it as the last and final season of life.  After all, when forty years have been logged in the pulpit, it is hard to imagine that stopping means entering into what some would describe as "the best is yet to be."  Those words sound good, but it seemed unlikely to me when the robe was put in the closet.    

After eleven years now I have come to know the truth of the words of the poem.  The best is not yet to be, but all around me.  And, the truth is, it always has been all around me.  My problem has been more in the seeing than anything else.  Too much of life is lived thinking about what is ahead, hoping its grass will be greener, and worshiping at the altar of productivity.  This season which seems framed chronologically is really a season to be experienced throughout life, but, unfortunately, ignored by most.    

God does not throw us away when we reach a certain age.  Instead, it seems more likely that He leads us into a different era of usefulness.  And, surprisingly enough, the manner in which He leads us into this new era of usefulness is often nothing like we figured it would be.  What must never be forgotten is that He never gets through with us.  When He moves us from one part of our life to another, it is not because we can no longer serve, but because there is something new He can do with us if we simply pay attention to the leading.