When God asks the impossible.

The Bible is full of examples of God asking people to do what would not come naturally to them. When you read through the lives of Noah and Abraham, or the  command given  to Jonah you realize that God often expects what men would call the impossible. But I think the most impossible thing that God asks is what he asks of the prophet Hosea.

Hosea, a man of God, a prophet, is told to marry a promiscuous woman. A woman who will not be faithful to him. When we marry we do so with the promise that we will forsake all others and cling only to the one we are pledging to. Some marriages enter into the difficult land of infidelity and affairs. Others sail past this into struggles with infertility, money and family interference.  All marriages have times of trouble. But once again God tells us what he expects even in times of trouble. He expects the impossible. He expects us to love. He expects us to treat each other honorably. He expects us to lay down our own plans, dreams and expectations and allow him to work in the life of those around us.

Hosea does what God asks. He even goes after his wife and brings her out of an adulterous relationship back into his home and back into his life. He tells her in Hosea 3 that she is to be faithful to him and he will remain faithful to her. God was using this as a picture of his relationship with his people. What is amazing is that God’s faithfulness is not dependant on ours. He is always faithful even when we stray.

Marriage is designed the same way. Vows are not conditional. We do not say if you stay well, wealthy and faithful then I will love you and stay faithful to you. No our vows tell our spouse, no matter what you choose to do, no matter what God takes us through, I will remain faithful. I will love you until death.

The impossible task that God asks of us is not to base our treatment of others on how they treat us. The world says, If you don’t make me happy, fulfill all my needs, then I have the right to find someone who does. The world says if your spouse has an affair then you get to have one too. If your wife is bad with money, well then you can recklessly spend too. If your husband ignores you and treats you badly then you can retaliate. The world says you have the right to divorce anytime you want. Working things out, laying aside your own desires that’s too hard.

God asks  us to do the impossible every day. He asks us to follow his example and stay faithful and to treat each other with love even when we are not treated this way. It is by acting different than the world that the world will know whom we serve.

A Servicable Piece

During my first two years of college I attended the community college near my house. While I took a full load of general education classes I decided that each semester I would also take a fun class. One semester I took beginning piano. One semester I took racquet ball. Another I took tennis. My last semester there I took a pottery class.

During my semester made several projects. None could be called works of art but I did complete my assignments and pass the class. After a  semester  of learning to work with clay and the wheel we were given our final assignment. We were required to make a pitcher. After watching our professor demonstrate the proper way to make the pitcher we were turned loose with our clay.

Creating pottery on a wheel requires stead firm hands. Applying to much pressure on either side and your pot begins to wobble. Too much strength and you will crush the forming pot. Several of my tries had to be reformed. Finally I had a pitcher.

The next step was to place the pitcher on a shelf and allow it to air dry. This begins the process to make the pitcher from a useless lump of clay into something serviceable. But even at this stage changes can be made. When I returned to class I noticed a crack had formed near the spout. I was able to  repair the crack using some wet clay. A more skilled potter would have been able to do this without it being noticeable. I was not that skilled. After the pitcher had air dried It was ready for the kiln.

The kiln has to reach 1800 degrees minimum to properly fire the clay into a serviceable piece  of pottery. The heat of the kiln not only tempers the clay it also can bring out the impurities of the clay. Too much air in the clay and the pot can explode sending shards into the pots sharing the kiln. This explosion can destroy the work that others have done.

The final two steps are to take something serviceable and make it beautiful. Applying a coat of glaze brings color. A final firing in a lower temperature kiln makes the color shine. A pitcher that can now serve a refreshing beverage from a lump of clay.

This class reminded me of the way that God works with us. He starts with an unformed lump of clay. He forms us using firm and steady hands. He, at times, has to crush the clay and reform it until it takes the shape he has in mind. Then he allows us to strengthen through everyday life. Sometimes the cracks form. The Master Potter fills these in, creating something whole without blemishes. Finally, when we have strength he allows us to enter the kiln. The trials and test in life that will either strengthen us into something serviceable or will cause our imperfections to crack us. For those who survive the fires of life, they are adorned with beauty of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Taken from a useless lump of clay to a beautiful work of art. A serviceable piece to be used by the master.

God works for our good.

I don’t know a ton of people. I have a little over 100 friends on Facebook and 19 contacts in my phone. I can run errands without ever running into someone I know.

Recently, I was thinking about those that I do know and what they are going through. There is one person recovering from breast cancer, one from an iliac aneurism and subsequent strokes. One has relocated, another is putting their marriage back together after an affair. Another is raising her 2 sons alone. Another recently lost their spouse.

In all of these cases the question can be asked what good can possible come from this? We are told in Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. But is what we believe to be good the same as what God considers good?

We often think of good as a lot of money, success, health, popularity. A life without struggle, or pain. A life where joy outweighs the sorrow. But God says that this is not what good constitutes. Good in God’s economy is the development of character, the further reliance on God and the surrender of self.

In light of that what  good comes from our trials? Our characters are strengthened. We gain compassion and understanding of others. We learn that sometimes our physical discomfort brings spiritual comfort that only God can provide.  In our weaknesses we learn what real strength looks like. We become more sympathetic to those going through similar circumstances. We can act as guides to those who are beginning the journey we have just traveled.

We may, like some of the people I know, be going through a very difficult trial. We may just be dealing with ordinary life stresses. But we can be sure that in midst of our situation  God is working everything out for our good.

Gathering Manna

When the children of Israel left Egypt they left a life of slavery and oppression and ventured into what they thought would  be a short trip back to the promise land. After being free for only a short time the food ran out. No longer able to provide for themselves they began to grumble, complain  and  long for the security that their captivity had brought them. God stepped in. He told them of his provision. Manna. A seed like wafer that tastes like honey.

The manna came with some instructions. They could only gather what they needed for that day. Any manna leftover would spoil overnight. The exception of that being the day before Sabbath. Then they would gather for two days. This manner of provision required only one thing from the Israelites: Trust.

They had to trust that God would provide the manna. They had to get up in the morning and go out and gather the manna. They had a choice, they could decided they were not going to gather the manna and accept the provision. They could have sat in their tent and said He is not going to provide. They could have waited until they starved to death. God always provided until the day they entered the promise land. They just had to go gather.

In the last year I have learned that God still provides daily. While manna does not rain down each day other provisions are given every day. Strength, mercy, grace, forgiveness, love and peace. These are the daily provisions that God gives us. He pours these out into our lives so that we can pour them into the lives of others. But we, like the Israelites, have to trust. God will only give us what we need for that moment.

A few months ago I found myself curled on the floor of our closet. I was overwhelmed with my life. I cried out to God. I told him that this was too much! That I could not continue. I told Him that I was at the end of my strength. I was in the closet for 20 minutes. When I came out I was not happier than I went in. I was still overwhelmed but I trusted that God had the strength to carry me through. In my closet I had gathered my manna for that day. I started each morning “gathering manna”. Some days I had to go back and ask for more manna, more strength. Over the months I learned that God is trustworthy. He  always provides but we have to gather.

Each day we wake up lacking something. Each day God provides exactly what we need. We just need to get up, walk out of our tent and gather the manna.

What Are You Holding Onto?

During my husband’s last year in seminary he was mentored by the pastor of the church we were attending. During one of his meetings with the pastor the comment was made that my husband would never be successful in ministry because he had married me. He was told that I would be a detriment to his ministry.

Now I do not know what the context of these comments were made only that they were. When I found out about this comment I decided that I would do everything in my power to prove him wrong. And so for the next 10 years every ministry that I undertook, every decision that I made about what I would become involved in, Sometimes even what I was going to wear to church or what purse I would carry was based on proving him wrong. I poured myself into being perfect. And I held on tightly to these comments.

In September of 2010 I was challenged to let go of the things of the past that were hindering my growth in ministry. I knew that in order to grow I had to let go of what I had been holding onto. I sent an e-mail to the pastor asking his forgiveness for holding the grudge. And I never expected to hear from him. But my conscious was clear and I felt better for the first time in 10 years.

Two days later I received a reply from him. He said that he had no recollection of ever making those statements. He had reviewed the file he had kept and had not made any notes indicating that he felt that way. He apologized for making them and for me having labored under them for 10 years. And that was it. For a decade of my life I had been working prove my worth to someone who didn’t even remember making the comments.

I tell you this because lately I have been cleaning out. Cleaning out closets, toy boxes,  drawers, and cars. And it got me wondering what else in my life I have been holding onto that needs to be cleaning out. Are there grudges that are keeping me bogged down? Are there attitudes that need to be checked? Are there relationships that need to be reevaluated?

The start of a new year brings the chance to look at what I have been holding onto and to ask the question if it is something that I want to take with me into the next year. So I challenge to do the same.

What are you holding onto?