Plans

I have always been a planner. I remember planning my life when I was 5. All the plans I made were those I thought, in my 5 year old brain, would bring me happiness. I was going to be the First Lady (because that was as close to a queen you could get in America!). I was going to have 2 kids; a boy first so he could protect his younger sister. Those were my plans. Not a lot of detail but enough to send my imagination soaring on summer afternoons.

God makes plans for us too. In Jeremiah 29: 10-12 God lays out the plans he has for the children  of Israel. He says; “¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

These promises were given to people about to lose everything. Their country, the promised land, the temple, everything because of their rebellion and disobedience.  Yet God was giving them a promise. He was giving a promise for generations to come. For those who would be born during the exile. He was reminding  them of the promise that he would fulfill.

The Character of God never changes and his plans for us never change. But the interesting  thing about God’s plans is that he never says that they are to make us happy. God is much more concerned with our holiness than he is with our happiness. This truth is the reason God allows us to suffer and go through hard times.

God allows us to suffer financial ruin, relationship strain, illness, and the death of loved ones all so that we will run straight into his arms and allow his strength to carry us through. His plans are for character building, relationship building, trust  building and our utter reliance on Him.

God is more concerned with our character than he is our comfort. His plans for us always include those lessons that will shape us into who we need to be for eternity. God’s focus is eternity. He isn’t worried about what is temporal.

Over the last year I have watched God’s plans in my life.  What I had planned for my happiness, he stripped away and revealed His plans for my character and my holiness. These included stripping away relationships. Removing the mask which I had become so accustomed to but which was slowly suffocating me. Taking away the security I held so dear to teach me whom I should be relying on. And finally, reminding me that it is only through His grace and mercy I call him Father. In the last year I have learned what it is to be completely broken before God. And I have watched as he chipped away the plans I held onto for so long.

I have decided to rest in the fact the God knows the plans he has for me. They  are plans for hope and a future. They are plans for a new prayer on my lips. They are plans for holiness and character for eternity. These are not what I planned when I was 5 but they have always been His plans.

I Have Seen The Lord!

Daybreak was still a few hours away. She woke, if you can call the restless hours she had laid upon her bed sleep, dressed and prepared her small satchel. The oils, spices and cleaned strips of burial clothes packed securely. A light tap on her door brought her companion. She picked up the bag and opened the door. The morning air brought a hint of the warmth of day.

They spoke few words as they headed to their task. The sadness that cloaked their hearts seeped out into their words. Their task was not one they looked forward to. As they traveled and spoke they remembered the stone. How would they move it? It was so large. Perhaps someone would be there to help.

The first rays of sunlight had just broken the horizon when the earthquake stopped them in their tracks. The second one in 3 days. Terror seized their hearts. But they had an important task. They wouldn’t be stopped by an earthquake. As they approached the garden the scent of the early spring flowers reached them. The garden was beautiful.

The tomb stood open. The large stone moved. She stopped, then lifting her skirts ran as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face. She reached the upper room and flung opened the door. “Peter!” “John!” “He’s gone! They have taken him! He’s Gone!”

Watching the men run from the room she paused to catch her breath but soon found herself running back to the tomb. She arrives as they are leaving. Their disbelief replaced by resignation. Too consumed in conversation they don't see her return.

Walking up to the tomb she bent to look in. A blinding light flooded the darkness. Blinking at the light her eyes begin to focus, not on the strips lying on the shelf, but on the two men seated. Their voices full of compassion they asked, ”Woman, why  are you crying?” Didn’t they know? Who were they? Where had they come from?

“They have taken my Lord!, And I don’t know where they have put him.” With these words out she began to sob. The weight of sad from the last few days crushing her. Covering her face with her hands she turns to leave.

“Woman, why are your crying?” The voice sounded so familiar. “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Sobs coming harder now. She is doubled over as the sobs rack her body. “Please,  just tell me where he is.”

“Mary.” A single word. Her name. Spoken by the one who had saved her. She had heard it when he had cast out the demons. Heard it when she served meals to the twelve. She thought she would never hear it again and yet she just had. He had spoken her name! Her hands flew off her eyes and she gazed at him.

“Teacher!” She rushed to him, Fell at his feet reached to touch him. “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

Her sorrow replaced by sheer joy and happiness. She had seen him. The excitement bubbled up out of her! For the second time that morning she lifted her skirts and ran to the upper room. Bursting into the room she exclaimed, “I have seen the Lord!” I have seen the Lord!”

Mary could not contain herself. She told everything that had happened to her.

I have seen the Lord and my life is not the same. I have seen the Lord.

I pray that this Easter you will take the opportunity to See the Lord and, like Mary, once you have seen him you will be unable to contain your excitement.

One Moment

Having lived in Pennsylvania for 4 years it was not hard to understand the outpouring of strong emotions that surrounded the firing and death of Joe Paterno. Regardless of where you stand on the issue one fact cannot be disputed. For 60 years he dedicated his life to preparing men for theirs. Whether that was on the football field, the board room or being a dad, he expected excellence from their lives. Sadly, for some, his life will only be defined by one moment.

There are many who the public remembers for their one moment Pete Rose, Tonya Harding, Martha Stewart, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert. Though these individuals have moved beyond their infamous moments, when their names come up they are remembered only for their moments of poor judgment. Everything else in their lives are overshadowed.

We often do the same thing to those around us. While we love the testimony of the ex-gang member who was in prison for murder, who found Christ and is now and evangelist, we tend to look at the lives of those we consider “good” people and remember them only for their lapse in judgment.

Psalms 130:3 “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” The Creator of heaven and earth, who sent His own Son to die in our place, keeps no records of our wrongs, but we can’t seem to forget. We refer to each other as the girl who got into trouble, the man who cheated on his wife, the executive who stole from his company or the woman who lies.

Our moments should not define us. Each of us should view others in the light of grace. One of my favorite gospel songs says:

I'm just a sinner saved by grace
When I stood condemned to death

He took my place

Now I live and breathe in freedom with each breath of life I take
Loved and forgiven
Back with the living
I'm just a sinner saved by grace.

In my own life there are many moments I hope go completely undetected by others. Moments of anger, hatred, jealousy, rage. When these moments come I find myself deeply ashamed. Yet, even if no one on earth sees these moments my Savior does. 

He does not define my life by these moments so how can I define others by theirs?

As Comfortable As Our Favorite Jeans

Proverbs, the  book of wisdom, guides us through wisdom in all parts of our lives. Proverbs 31:10-31 is the summary of all the wisdom in the book of Proverbs. We get to see what wisdom looks like in everyday life. Wisdom personified. Wisdom in dealing with people we encounter. Wisdom in handling our resources.

When we apply wisdom to our lives our children trust us. Our coworkers find us dependable. The cashier at the grocery store knows we are honest. Our friends depend on our counsel. Fellow Christians know we are sincere. Our reputation gives credence to those who associate with us. Our spouses have confidence in us.

Wisdom gives us a chance to live a life without regret. When we use wisdom we do not have to apologize for words said in haste. We don’t spend  time regretting decisions made in moments of weakness. When wisdom is part of our lives we boldly stand before others knowing that we have nothing to hide.

In our busy lives wisdom allows us to be our best. When we are our best we allows those around us to be their best. Wisdom allows our children to call us blessed. Wisdom lived out in our lives give us value greater than rubies. While we may age and lose our physical beauty, wisdom shines from us and makes us beautiful. Wisdom, when applied to our lives, should fit as comfortably as our favorite pair of blue jeans.

The Roaring Lions

In 2007 my husband and I toured the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. We went for the purpose of seeing Sue the most complete T-Rex ever found. After spending some time with Sue we spent the remainder of our afternoon touring the rest of the museum. It was during the tour that we came across the exhibit of The Ghost and The Darkness.

In March of 1898, as Indian workers constructed the Kenya-Uganda railway bridge than spanned the Tsavo River in Kenya, they were stalked and eaten by two maneless Tsavo lions. The railway workers  tried everything to prevent the lions from dragging their fellow workers out of their tents and into the night. They set up guards, the lions just attacked them. They tried ringing their campsite with a fence of thorn bushes and bonfires. The lions dug through the bushes dragging the screaming worker into the night.

After several months of living in fear the workers fled the project. Lt. Colonel John Patterson set traps and tried unsuccessfully to capture the lions. After several months the first lion was shot on December 9, 1898. The second lion was killed 3 weeks later. The lions are attributed to the deaths of between 35 and 135 men. When the lion’s den was found it contained the skeletal remains of some of the victims.

In I Peter 5:8 we are told to Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Our enemy is just like these lions. We try to set up protection and he charges through seeking out our weaknesses. We have, in our culture, diminished the devil and his intents. We have made him a cartoon figure. Someone who appears on one shoulder when we are tempted. Someone whom is more mischievous than evil. Many movies have portrayed him as the seductive temptress or the scheming old man. But we should not fall prey to these images. The bible is clear Satan is a roaring lion seeking the utter destruction of your soul.

Think for a minute of the early church receiving this letter from Peter. Many may have witnessed friends or family members being devoured by the lions in the coliseum. If they had not seen it firsthand they certainly knew what was happening. And here Peter is telling them that the enemy of our souls wants to do the same thing.

In John 10:10 we are told that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I (Christ) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Again we are told that our enemy has one purpose: destruction. Fortunately for us we already have a skilled hunter of lions on our side. While we may fall into the temptations of Satan our souls cannot be destroyed by him as long as we have Christ as our Savior.

Our war with the enemy has already been won. We may still have the occasional battle. Satan knows he has lost. He is just trying to take out as many as he can. But do not be afraid. We serve a master Lion Hunter and he has his prey in sight.