Growing up

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:6-8

Did you know that some bibles have reading plans and suggestions in the front cover? I did not, but I was checking out a new bible and found a whole reading plan for Lent. Today’s passage included these verses and I read them without once getting upset, which is a major plus for me! You see, I used to get cranky over this passage, thinking that it was saying that people weren’t good and that the reason that God was so awesome was because people were so bad. I’ve always struggled with the idea that men don’t have any good in them but this verse in particular bugged me because it made it seem like if there were good people then Christ dying on the cross seems less like the amazing sacrifice it was. Who God is or what God does isn’t dependant on people and today is the first time I’ve read this verse and not thought that’s what it was saying. Maybe it’s because I’ve finally reconciled the conflict I had between sin nature and men doing good things; maybe it’s because I’ve grown and am able to read scripture with an open heart; or maybe it’s just because God has been working in me enough that I can understand what He’s saying to me through His word. And today I feel like this verse is God telling me that He loves me.

Sleepy Sunday

I will lie down and sleep in peace , for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Still thinking about trusting God and how that more trust applies to my life. I don’t honestly have a lot to say about this verse, I’m just tired and hoping to sleep better.

No Chickens Allowed

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

I used to think this verse was all about me. Well, “me” in the sense that it’s about people and how we shouldn’t be scared because we’re powerful people. Turns out, that’s not really what this verse is about. It’s not saying that I’m a powerful person, or that I can do things on my own. It’s not saying that God created me to be a person who could handle things on my own with my awesome abilities of power and love. It’s pretty clear that the spirit is from God and that He is the one that with the power and love and self-control, not me. Which is pretty good news since God isn’t changed by situations, His abilities don’t falter or fail when faced with troubling situations like mine do. It’s easy for me to be brave when nothing is happening, but much harder when life gets rough. It’s comforting to know that the Spirit within me isn’t so wishwashy, but steady and constant. When I come up against a situation and start getting scared, I know that I’m acting in my own abilities and not in accordance with the spirit that God gave me and that it’s time to change what I’m doing and who I’m relying on.

Give a Little Bit

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16 (NASB)

I love making new friends. The grocery store clerk, the guy walking his dog, the bus driver or janitor or drive-thru worker are all potential friends. There’s just something wonderful about being able to exchange a smile and a few words with other people that makes me happy. My favorite place to make friends is while I’m in line. It’s a cross between everyone focused on the same goal and people not being able to leave that makes it prime hunting ground for chatting. Today I got the chance to talk to a lot of people in line when there was only one lane open at Meijer. Not everybody was so pleased at the extended wait time, but I enjoyed the chance to meet new people. I’m grateful to God for giving me a love for people and an attitude that expresses that love.

It would be easier to buy a new wardrobe…

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for man. Colossians 3:23

Today is laundry day and instead of happily tossing clothes into the washer, I am sitting on my bedroom floor and trying not to be overwhelmed. Crazy hot temps in the 80’s over the past week (and my general dislike of laundry) has put me behind in my chores and I’m faced with lots of dirty clothes. Even if I got started at a reasonable hour, this will still take me a large portion of the day, and “reasonable hour” is passing by pretty quickly. Doing the laundry with a cheerful attitude seems out of the question, and I’m swiftly coming up with good excuses on why I could put it off and dress in old bedsheets.

The thing is, God cares about me and how I act, even when I’m doing my laundry. It’s easy for me to recognize that my attitude makes a difference when I’m working with others or at church or with my friends and family. I know that God expects me to serve with a willing heart, that He expects me to love others and to glorify Him with all I say and do. It’s just sometimes I forget that “all I say and do” extends to when I’m just saying and doing things by myself. Just because there aren’t people around or I’m not out in public doesn’t mean that God’s standards for me are gone. God is always with me and He’s always God, which means His rules for my life are always in place. When God says that I need to keep my thoughts pure, it’s not just when I’m sitting at church. When He commands me to love others, it’s not just when I’m face-to-face with them. And when God tells me to work wholeheartedly as if I’m doing the job for Him, God means that in everything I’m working at, whether it’s on the mission field or doing laundry.

God is right here with me and His word tells me to work for Him with my whole heart. Doing laundry seems like a little task compared to a big God, but if I can change my attitude with the little things, just think how easier it will be to change my attitude with the big things in life!

Conversations In The Dark

I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders Psalm 77:6

My bible study has been encouraging us to meditate over God’s word lately and that’s not always easy for me. I get easily distracted by sights and sounds and dust motes and breezes. Trying to focus on a verse gives me super ADD and then I get frustrated with myself and nothing good gets accomplished. I’ve tried all sorts of tricks and what I’ve found to work the best is to try going over a verse at night. There’s the natural fact that the world is quieter at night, less cars and pedestrians and it’s darker too which limits how many things I can look at instead of my bible. There’s also the fact that I find it’s easier to talk to God at night. It feels like there is nothing between me and God. Maybe it’s because I don’t feel like I need to stand on any sort of ceremony at night, or that I feel like I can say anything and my embarrassment is hidden by the darkness. There’s an intimacy at night that I feel with God and it makes it easier for me to devote my whole heart to hearing how He’s going to speak to me through His word.

One of those days….

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Not having a great 24 hours with the whole Lenten fast thing. I definitely need to refocus on God and what He’s teaching me and how this is drawing me closer to Him.

Trust

In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4-5

Bible study this week asked us to look over hymns, finding what spoke to us and singing them as praises to God. I’m not much of a singer but I actually enjoyed this activity a lot, I found lyrics and concepts that encouraged me and convicted me.

Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus was written by Louisa Stead after her husband drowned. Her and her daughter were left behind without a way to provide for themselves. The fact that she wrote this song about how she could take His word as something solid and joyful is pretty inspiring.

There are lots of versions of this song on youtube, but I thought this one was pretty fun.

God vs Bad Attitude: No contest!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. 1 Chronicles 16:23-25

Yesterday’s road trip was a great success on so many fronts. Perfect weather, beautiful vistas, safe traveling and even good music on the radio. The two things I was worried about the most, my attitude and sticking with my Lent fast of chips both went well. I had to pray about both, which is good. If I sailed through yesterday without needing to go back to God and ask for help, I would have just thought I did the whole thing on my own. Struggling with my own weakness helped remind me not only that God is strong enough to take care of me, but that my behavior honors Him. Sure, skipping chips for 40 days helps my waistline, but the real reason I’m doing this is to put aside the things that keep me from God, to go to Him when I need comfort instead of finding temporary comfort in food. And having a better attitude with the people around me makes life easier for me, but the real reason is because God wants me to love others, to behave towards them in a way that is pleasing to Him.

I’m excited to be praising God today. I was impatient for church this morning and then I realized I could start praising Him now, there was no need to wait for anything. Today I want to praise God for all the things that He’s done for me, for salvation and sanctification, for placing me exactly where I am and for giving me all I need. But mostly, I want to just praise God for being God because He’s definitely worth it.

Road Trip Preparedness

Hunter and I are looking up good verses for me to use tomorrow on my road trip. Usually I spend the night before a road trip packing coolers or making playlists, but tonight I need to prepare something stronger. This week has been a struggle at times and I’m nervous about how I’m going to act during a long road trip. I don’t want to spend the day being grumpy and unhappy, not looking for God’s blessings. I also don’t want to ruin the trip for others just because I’m not willing to follow God all the time. So I’m coming up with several verses, some about following God, some about controlling my speech and some just about being at peace. I don’t know how the road trip will go tomorrow or even where we are headed…but at least I will be heading there prepared with God’s word!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10(NIV)

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Driving Through Fog

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Raincloud Day

Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. 1 Timothy 4:4

There are days when it seems like such a waste to do…well, anything. It’s like there is a permanent raincloud over my head today. Today has been a hard day with everything, especially with the fasting. Not sure if that’s because it’s a hard day and I’d like the comfort or because I’m struggling, I’m having a bad day. Chicken, egg, whatever…it’s all lousy. It’s a struggle to stay on the right path, much less to remember that God doesn’t create wasted days. I’m going to hope that tomorrow is better and that even if it’s not, that I remember the truth of this verse. God is a good God and His creation should be met with thanksgiving not whining.

A Winner is You!

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

I’m not a huge video game player and I’ve always said it’s because I’ve got horrible hand eye coordination. Which is the truth, my skills in that arena are pretty weak. But I think the real reason is because video games stress me out. The little characters are my responsibility and my weak skills and short attention span are not going to benefit them at all. If I were at the controls, Mario would never save Princess Peach, Link would never save Zelda and Donkey Kong would never…actually, what was Donkey Kong supposed to be doing anyway? I was just constantly being smooshed by barrels.  The point is, I felt bad that I couldn’t ever win the game for the characters and that added a whole level of stress for me. I preferred games without all the added guilt. The tiny shoe in Monopoly never made me feel bad if I lost!

That doesn’t mean I don’t ever play video games, but I enjoy them a lot more when I can mitigate the stress involved. I willingly give up the controls to someone who can jump and snag a rope in Lego Pirates, or who can throw an apple at the right time to beat the level in Aladdin. Angry Birds was more enjoyable when I used a code that registered all the levels as 3 stars so I can just goof around to my hearts content. I played Plants Vs Zombies for 3 days straight till I beat the game and have enjoyed it much more ever since. It’s so nice to be able to play and think “no worries little plants, I’ve already been through that last level and made it out, this is cake!”

It’s probably sacrilegious to be comparing salvation with video games but that’s what this verse reminds me of a little. Jesus is talking to the disciples about what’s going to happen and it’s not great. There are going to be rough times ahead for them and for the world. But he tells them to take heart, to have courage, to be of good cheer because he’s already overcome the world. Jesus is bigger than any problem here on Earth, he is the solution to the dilemma’s we face and is telling us to be at peace because He’s got this handled. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has conquered death and gifted us with salvation, a way to spend eternity with God in heaven. Game over!

Sick

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Another day of not feeling well, but I’m powering through with choosing a verse. It did help to be able to pray about a specific verse yesterday, so I’m going to do that…between all the sleeping that I’m going to be doing, of course. Lots and lots of sleeping.

Melancholy Monday

I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. Psalm 50:11 (ESV)

Today is just one of those days. Not enough sleep the night before, feeling sick to my stomach, rainy morning…I just feel like hiding under my covers. I don’t feel up to writing much today, but I decided that my day would be much better if I at least picked out a verse. I find that if my focus is on God and what He can teach me through His word, then there is significantly less brain power that can be focused on me whining about my problems. I love bible verses about birds. They didn’t use to mean as much to me until I met my friend, Elaine. She has paintings and pictures and statues of birds in her house and now whenever I read about birds in the bible, I always think of her and her relationship with God. We get a lot of large flocks of birds around here and it’s mind boggling to think that God knows each bird, created every one and that they all belong to Him. But the other half of this verse is even cooler/creepier. In a lot of translations, it says “the animals of the field” or “the wild beasts” or even “creatures” but in the Common English version it says “even the insects in the fields are mine”. I almost phobic about bugs and therefore think there are too many of them. Personally I think that one bug is too many and I can’t even imagine how many are in a field somewhere (that is not a question btw, if you know how many just keep it to yourself as I would like to not be terrified to step outside my door…) but it’s cool to think that God has a track on that sort of thing. That it doesn’t matter how big or small the aspects of creation are, God is able to handle it all.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 I’m a total geek 90% of the time normally, but this close to The Avengers coming to theaters and it seems like everything I look at online relates back to that. (Unless it’s relating to the Doctor Who anniversary next year…or the Star Trek sequel. …did I say 90%? That number may need to be bumped up) So when I was reading today’s verse, I just also happened to be reading Thor comics online and thought how neatly the two fit. You see, Loki was jealous of Thor and his standing in his father’s eyes and those negative emotions prohibited him from ever being truly satisfied and he turned evil and tried to destroy the Earth and stuff.

Okay, that doesn’t really fit. I think this verse is actually stating that keeping our heart focused on God, on the gifts that He gives us, on His love for us is the way to have a healthy life. To forget that, to let envy of what others have and to compare our lives to theirs hurts us. It doesn’t give us peace and it certainly doesn’t push us closer to God. It’s a good reminder for me to check myself when I’m feeling like comparing myself or my life to others. The practice doesn’t do me any good and it would be better to praise God and live a healthier life.

(Despite the failed attempt at using it as a reference, I’m not removing the Thor picture. Deal with it.)

A Song in your Heart

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7 I love the “burst out in songs” part of this verse. It makes it sound spontaneous, like you’ll just be sitting at the bus stop and then bam! A full on song and dance number! When I was in junior high, I had a recurring dream that the moment the kids at my stop stepped on the bus, we transformed into sequined costumes and started singing and dancing. That’s what I imagine what bursting out in songs of thanksgiving is like, matching shiny outfits, coordinated dance moves and lyrics that are both rhyme and are in perfect pitch.

Of course, imagination and reality are totally different. My thanksgiving song bursts are less like a scene from a musical and more like a cross between cats in heat and really awkward clog dancing. I am not graceful, I don’t have rhythm, and even if you gave me a tune in a bucket, I wouldn’t be able to carry it successfully. For pete’s sake, I can’t even whistle! When I burst out in songs of thanksgiving, it’s not a pretty sight…to anyone who isn’t God. Because despite my lack of talent, my heart is full of joy and God sees that, as only He could.

Duped

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2 (ASV)

Jen’s Pizza Parlor had the fastest delivery men in town, they had to be in order to keep the business afloat. It didn’t matter how delicious the pizza was at Jen’s, nobody came into that neighborhood to pick it up. Even the people from the wrong side of the tracks were afraid to go grab a slice! With high delivery costs and no one wanting to dine in, Jen was on the brink of bankruptcy. Her solution was to go to Vinny, a guy in her neighborhood who offered ‘protection’. For a price, Vinny and his thugs would make sure that nothing happened to the pizza parlor. Of course, everyone knew that it was all a farce. If you paid the fee, your business was safe, but if you didn’t…Vinny and his thugs would cause all sorts of damage. It was a pretty lousy situation.

Then one day a new mayor took over the city. He recognized the problems the people faced and gave them solutions. Police patrols expanded, criminals were arrested and just like that, Jen’s Pizza Parlor was in a safe neighborhood. People felt free to come and eat and the business flourished under the new mayor’s law. At the beginning of the next month, Vinny stopped by and asked for his payment. “Sure,” he said, “the new mayor is in charge and things seem fine. But are you sure you can trust him? Are you sure that he can handle everything? Are you positive that I’m not more powerful than he is? What would it hurt to keep paying me? You know, for extra safety?” Jen was confused, she now experienced true protection under the mayor and wasn’t required to pay thugs any longer, but her lack of trust was enticing her to keep paying for the false protection that Vinny offered.*

As Christians, we aren’t slaves to sin any longer. We’re helped by the Holy Spirit, we’re taught by God’s word and we’re motivated by our commitment to honor God in our lives. But because we’re humans and God gave us the option to make our own choices, we still sin. We still get into situations and choose to do the wrong thing. Even though we have a new mayor, we still find ourselves paying for fake protection. Even though we are servants of God, we still find ourselves answering to the flesh.  For me, a lot of my sin choices stem from not trusting God. He has shown His faithfulness, His power and protection and yet I still find myself going back to the false security I get from sinful choices. Those choices don’t help me, they never solve my problem or protect me from anything. If anything, they hurt me. I need to start trusting God consistently. It’s time I recognized that pattern in my life and stopped it, breaking the cycle of mistrust and sin that causes so many of my problems.

*adapted from the landlord analogy, pg 96, Changed into His Image – Jim Berg

Nature’s Beauty

The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours--you created it all. Psalm 89:11

Aurora over Lake Superior, Upper Peninsula of Michigan from LakeSuperiorPhoto on Vimeo.

Who’s the boss?

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. Ephesians 6:7

I don’t mind working for God. In fact, I love it. I love when God clearly gives me a task to do, a person to help, something to accomplish. If it’s easy, that’s awesome. But even if it’s hard or it takes me a long time, I’m okay. I mean, God told me to do this thing…I’m just excited to be working for Him!

The problem for me occurs when it’s not so clearly defined that I’m working for God, but working for someone else. I know in my heart that everything I do should be to glorify God, but it’s hard to remember that when I’m serving people. People are messed up. They are ungrateful. They make harsh demands. They are unfair and sometimes mean. They take my work and use it in ways I don’t like and most of the time don’t acknowledge God. All those things cause me to get frustrated, angry, and start serving with less than my whole heart. I begin to decide just who I want to serve and how I want to serve them, pride starts dictating my actions with a helpful boost from arrogance. Pretty soon it doesn’t matter who I’m serving or not, because I’ve got such a horrible attitude that it’s clear that I’m doing it entirely under my own power and nothing of God is shining through.

This verse is speaking to slaves and even for them, it’s clear on who they should be serving. These people belonged to their masters and yet God made it clear that their service was to Him. The same must hold true for me then when I’m serving people that have much less of a hold over my life. It doesn’t matter who I’m working for down here…what matters is that all I do is in service to God. With that in mind, I need to serve with my whole heart, with an attitude that honors God as my savior and king. Other versions of this verse say "serve willingly”, “serve with good will” and “work with enthusiasm”; all good reminders of me of just how I need to change the way I’ve been serving lately.

I need a hug

I spread out my hands to you, my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalm 143:6

Little kids are excellent in sharing what they want without any words. If they want a toy, they point at it. If they are upset they stomp their feet. If they want help or a hug, they lift their arms. It usually doesn’t even matter who is around, they just know that when they are upset, they just need to lift their arms and someone will be there to give them a cuddle. Even though, as an adult, I know that comfort doesn’t solve a problem…it doesn’t stop me from wanting it when I’m hurting.  There are times when I’m struggling or upset and I wish that I all had to do was to lift my arms and there would be help. I’m so blessed that God promises that He will always be with me, whether I’m struggling or not. Even though He doesn’t need to wait for me to lift up my hands to know that I need help, it’s a nice visual for me to remember. To know that when I reach out, He is right there waiting.

Are you serious?

Right after I talk about how much I enjoy church and learning and being excited about what God is teaching me...my pastor announces that we are going to start studying Revelation soon. (not my favorite book in Bible)

Sometimes I think God is just laughing.

A Willing Student

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:10

Today is Sunday and I’m so excited for church! It’s kind of a weird feeling. Oh, it’s not like I didn’t use to be excited about going. I grew up in the church and loved Sunday mornings. When I was little I was excited about Sunday School and singing, seeing my friends and family, wearing pretty clothes and that feeling I would get when surrounded by people all praying to God at the same time. As I grew up there were others things about church that made me excited, like going on trips and talking to friends and Girls in Action meetings. There were times when I was excited for selfish reasons like when I only wanted to go to church so that I could earn points for a amusement park trip, or so that I could climb the hill behind the church to find wild blackberries. Other times, I enjoyed church because it was a way to serve God, through plays and mission projects and for a great portion of my life, through teaching. Of course, like any good Baptist, I got excited about potlucks.

The excitement I feel about church these days is based entirely on learning. I feel like I’m a sponge sitting in a pew as I soak up everything God is teaching me. It’s not just the sermon, although I’m getting a lot out of each one. But I’m also learning from the children’s lesson and the pastoral prayer and even the hymns. It feels like every moment, God is showing me something new, something more about Himself and I’m an eager pupil. I’m so grateful that God is not only teaching me something, but that He has created in me a heart that thirsts for knowledge.

Hulk Smash!

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

Bruce Banner is a physicist, brilliant but withdrawn. He was exposed to gamma radiation which, when triggered by emotions, causes him to explode into a giant green muscled monster called The Hulk. While it’s true that The Hulk does save lives, join the Avengers and sometimes spout witty dialog…it’s not a transformation that Dr. Banner really enjoys. He loses control, he smashes things, he rips an awful lot of clothes. He doesn’t form attachments to people because he’s always afraid of ‘hulking out’ on them, he strives hard to maintain emotional stability to the point of removing himself from society. I always thought that The Hulk was pretty cool. His alter ego was unrecognizable from his superhero self (glasses, Superman, really?). He was practically impervious to injury, he’s crazy fast, super strong and is able to not only leap single buildings but leap whole  continents! But none of those are why I liked Hulk. I liked him because when he got angry, everybody was afraid of him. I loved the transition from meek scientist to angry monster. I don’t need someone with a psych degree to point out that this tells you something about me, I’m well aware. I have a temper that may not reach “transform into giant green creature” level, but there are times when it gets pretty close. When I get angry I want people to listen to me, to do what I say and there have been times when I wished that I had the ability to ‘hulk out’ on people. Thankfully comic books aren’t real and those around me are just subjected to non-green Angry Jen. Which isn’t a picnic either. Today my plans for the day were derailed by family obligations and I spent a lot of time very cranky. At one point my attitude even prompted someone to say “oh no, we’ve angered the beast.” I don’t know exactly where my focus was today, but it certainly wasn’t on God. I’m pretty sure that He wouldn’t want me to hulk out on anyone…no matter how deserving my siblings are at times.

This verse is a good reminder for me, especially on days when I struggle with anger and not loving people the way God wants me to love them. It’s not just telling me to love one person or people just when they are good…but to walk in love. The root for ‘walk’ in this case is less like traveling and more like a way to live. To conduct your life in love. That’s a hard thing to conceptualize, to conduct your life in love but the verse helps you out immediately by giving us an example. We are to love as Christ loved us, a love that was selfless and pleasing to God. Okay, despite having an example, that’s still a hard task. It’s easy to love people who are nice to you, or those who do no wrong. It’s easy to love people with selfish or temporary love, but anything more than that and it gets tough. In fact, it’s kind of impossible to do on your own. Thankfully, God knows that and is ready to help us out whenever we ask. I believe that God can not only help me control my anger, but He can help me ‘conduct my life’ in love. A love that isn’t focused on me getting my own way or focused on my pride, but a love that is holy and selfless. A love that comes from and points back to God. I just need to remember to ask God for help with that love before I start to ‘hulk out’.

When the cold winds blow

He sends his word and melts them; he makes the winds blow and the waters flow. Psalm 147:18

I am sort of scared that the stormy winds are going to break my window. The glass is rattling in the pane like there’s an earthquake and despite the seal, enough air is getting through to move my curtains. It’s not a pretty night out tonight. Rain and hail and thunder and now I think it’s cold enough that what’s coming down has turned to either ice or snow. Today was a long day of wind and rain and carefully driving through puddles and watching out for slick spots. It’s easy to grumble in a day like this, to think about how the cuffs of your pants are going to get wet and then your socks and pretty soon you’ll have ankle-based pneumonia and what will you do then?! It’s easy to look at flooding rivers and tornado warnings and think that things are out of control. But the reality is much more comforting, there is someone who has control over nature. Someone who causes the winds to blow and the water to flow.

There was a rainbow this afternoon that I spied on my way downtown. I called people to let them know and even pointed to the sky so my fellow drivers could  see. It was funny how excited we all got. A rainbow is just another aspect of God’s creation…although it’s a much prettier one than hail! But because of it’s beauty, it’s easy for us to thank God for seeing one…even though it has to rain first for it to even exist. It may be hard tonight for me to thank God for scary winds, but I can at least acknowledge that He is in control of them, and that is a truth that I am thankful for!

Looking for a perch

  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

  Turning and turning in the widening gyre
    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

~W.B. Yeats

These stanzas by Yeats are my go-to poem for when I’m feeling overwhelmed. For the times when I’m feeling like things are out of my control, for when I’m feeling lost. I’ve often imagined the frantic wheeling of a falcon in the sky, ever searching for his falconer, the one who cares for him, his home. So many times I’ve uttered these stanzas and thought that they gave me comfort. I thought that knowing and explaining my feelings was all I needed. When the truth is, that’s not so helpful. I mean, sure it’s important to understand how you’re feeling. And there is merit in being able to express those emotions…even to express them by using poetry. But what do you do beyond that? What is the next step? How do you get out of those feelings? There is nothing in that poem that helps with the next step. As pretty as those words are, they are just words and they are limited in how they can help me.

Last week in bible study, the author used this verse and it immediately clicked that this was the end game for all those times when I felt overwhelmed. When I felt like things were spinning apart and I had lost my perch, I needed the truth in this verse. That God holds all things together. That there is nothing that is out of His control, no situation or circumstances or people can throw God off. God created all things, He is the power behind all of creation and only He is in charge of when things ‘fall apart’. God is my creator too and its’ good to remember that nothing can separate me from His hand, the perch He offers me is eternal. The falcon may lose sight of his falconer, but I can take comfort in knowing that God never loses sight of me. The next time I experience these feelings, I won’t just stop with expressing them. I’ll use God’s words, the truth about His power and put my trust in Him.