Sitting down to spend some time with the Lord this morning turned out to be quite the challenge. The kids were gone, the washing and drying of the clothes had begun, the house was quiet, but my mind was screaming. The thoughts ran continually around in my head of all I had to do today and the rest of the month. Thoughts like, "flying to California and back twice in one month, what were you thinking? Adding a trip to Alabama on top of it all, really? You know when you get back, there are parties to throw, preparations to be made and gifts to be bought and wrapped for Christmas. The house needs to be cleaned today and you have only exercised once this week." As I thought about crawling back into bed, His voice cut through all the chaos in my head.
"Be still and know that I am God"
Willing my mind to focus on His attributes, I started through the ABC's calling out praise to Jesus with each letter. A, You are amazing; B, You are beautiful; C, You are so caring; on and on it went until I got to the letter N. N, Lord, You are near. That is when it clicked. His presence is THE game changer. Psalm 73:8 "For me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord my refuge that I may tell of all your works." His nearness is my good and He is always here. God promises that His Presence will be with us wherever we go and whatever we do. He is our source of power, courage and wisdom and He never leaves us. When I am overwhelmed, all I need to do is admit I need His help and trust that He is here and He is able.
His nearness isn't based on my performance or lack of it. His nearness is based on what Christ did on the cross. Ephesians 2:13 "But now you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." The death of Jesus provided a way for me to come near to him and opened the door for me to have a right relationship with God. His nearness provides peace in my heart in the midst of chaos in my life. Ephesians 2:17 "And he came and preached peace to those who were far off and peace to those who are near." His nearness is my peace. None of the pressures or events have gone away, but after hearing His voice, I am different. Knowing that He is God and He is near, changes me and changes how I live my life.
Many of our struggles in life involve waiting. Right now I have a dear friend who is waiting for her fifth child to be born. Her due date is tomorrow but surely with the fifth child, God would have mercy and the baby would come early, right? Another dear friend is waiting hopefully, month after month to find out if she will have another child. After 2 years, the answer is still, not yet; she is still waiting. We wait in line. We wait to hear the results of the test from the doctor's office. I have been waiting all summer for our basement to be finished. From the trivial and mundane to the critical and the urgent, we are all waiting for something; or maybe it is really Some One we are waiting for.
Romans 8:19-25 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward (waits) to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth (waiting and enduring while suffering) right up to the present time. And we believers also groan . . . for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children . . . we must wait patiently and confidently.
Do you feel the pull of the wait? I do. I am waiting for a new body, one that will praise Him and glorify Him perfectly. No more sin, selfishness, and self focus to mess it up. I am waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where there is no more violence, anger, pain and suffering. I am waiting for the day when I see my Savior and the Lover of my soul, JESUS, face to face. I am waiting for my eternal family to all be together in our heavenly home forever. No more emails, facebook messages, cell phone calls and texts or hopes for airfare wars, we will all be there together, worshiping our Lord!
In the here and now, we wait. We wait, doing our best to love and serve Jesus and the people around us, deeply feeling how much we miss the mark. We wait with hope and with confidence that God knows best. He is Infinite Wisdom. We can trust Him and His timing implicitly.
I was talking to my 15 year old who was not having the best day of her life, when I heard these words come out of my mouth, "You have to choose joy." Her response, "I did . . . yesterday!" The shelf life of joy is less than 24 hours! That is the reality of the world we live in. We have to choose, even fight for joy daily. Some days, joy is just easier to come by than others. But here is the greatest reality, joy is not restricted to how well our day is going, or even whether we think all of our needs are being met. Joy is found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is part of who He IS and He invites us to come and share in the joy of loving and knowing Him.
In John 15:11 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." I love that Jesus says "my joy" because the truth is, He is the only source of joy! I don't have any of my own, it all comes from him. Joy is linked to obedience. We surrender our faulty, short-sighted will to His perfect will. As we pull Him into every moment, asking Him to show us the beauty all around us, to give us wisdom to see the needs of people, and the grace that He provides, we intertwine our lives to His and we find a joy that surprises and sustains us.
Jesus is speaking to the Father in John 17:13. He says, "Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so that they would be filled with joy." Jesus wants us to have joy in this world, even to be filled with it! He says, "I told them many things . . . so that they would be filled with joy." Here is another place where joy is found, it's in His Word. It starts with us being in the Word daily, taking what we read and believing His Word as the truth for our lives. As we believe His promises that He will never leave or forsake us, that He holds all things together, that He works ALL things out for good for those who love Him, and so many more, the result is abundant joy. I often find myself giving more weight to my own thoughts and feelings and discounting what the Word of God says. My emotions will lie to me, but the Word of God is forever true. Which will I choose to believe?
In my basement there is a bathroom mirror covered with verses on joy. They are daily reminders to my 15 year old daughter (and everyone else who passes through there!) to fight for joy. The battle is worth fighting, for the war has already been won. Rejoice in HIS victory today!
There once was a daughter of the King. She had not always lived in the palace of the King. The King's Son had paid the ultimate price to rescue her from the slums of the street and from certain death. The King adopted her and everything changed, her name, her clothes, her very life. The highlight of this child's day was in the morning when she would come and sit at the King's feet. She would open His book and together, they would read and talk about what He had written. The words would leap off the page as her Father explained them and showed her how to apply them to her heart. Every morning was different as they talked, laughed, cried and just sat in silence together. Every morning was also the same because her Father was always there. Time would move too quickly as the tasks of the day seemed to compete for her attention.
As the child moved from the feet of the King to the tasks at hand, He was still in her thoughts but it wasn't the same as when they just sat together. She had other loves, other interests that brought her much joy. She wondered if she clung to these other loves too much but reasoned, "These are good things that my Father has given to me. Surely He wouldn't have given them to me if I didn't need them." Slowly she began to derive a little more happiness and security from the gifts of the Creator rather than the Creator Himself.
It wasn't long before the child started to notice that gifts she enjoyed so much were changing. They were moving, and seemed to be just out of reach. In fact, when she would try to reach for them, try to grasp them, she could hear the Father saying to her heart, " No, child. They are just out of your reach for a reason." The daughter felt dejected and for awhile, tried to stretch out her hand as far as she could to take hold of what once, had been hers. But try as she might, there was no way to reach them. The Father had moved them Himself.
Finally, exhausted and weary from trying to take back what was never hers to keep, the daughter lifted her eyes to the Creator of it all. "Why? Why are You taking all the things that I am attached to? These things are a release and bring happiness from the pressure of the day. I can't make it without them, surely You know that Father." Slowly, kindly, softly the Father replied, "I am greater than your need. I am your Creator, the One who formed you and the One who holds it all together. Trust me. Stop living as if I am not enough."
The last sentence has reverberated through my heart over and over again. "Stop living as if I am not enough." Sadly, that is exactly what I have been doing. The gracious Father always knows what is going on in my heart and loves me enough to point it out. He takes away ALL things that take His place and He gives us something greater. He gives us Himself. HE is always enough.
John 15:2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,, that it may bear more fruit.
Our family has a memory that was a defining moment in the thoughts and prayer lives of our kids. The best I can remember, it had been a crazy busy day. We had just arrived in a new town in our truck and trailer with our 4 kids, ages 7, 6, 3 and 6 months. It was set up day, so for me, that meant unpacking, cleaning and straightening everything we owned in the trailer. It was 5:00 pm and I was trying out a new recipe for dinner. The recipe book was open and I was hurriedly trying to find and add the ingredients it called for. The 6 and 7 year old were sitting at the kitchen table staring at me, wondering just how long it was going to take before dinner was ready. The 3 year old was on the potty, waiting for her bottom to be wiped. The 6 month year old was in her crib just beginning to wake up when she would also need to be fed. My husband kept opening the door to the trailer and asking me to get different things for him off his desk. The pressure was on and was building! Finally after returning from what seemed like the 5th thing I need to get for Trent, I looked down at the recipe book and realized, I had no idea which ingredient I had just added and what was still waiting to be added. I turned away from the stove, slammed my hands down on the counter top, and yelled, " I have no idea what I am doing!"
Immediately, two sets of wide eyes were fixed on me. The baby woke up and the 3 year old quickly wiped her own bottom. I don't remember what happened with dinner that night but I do remember the impression it left on my older two kids. Every night, my husband prays with the kids as he tucks them in bed. That night and every night after that for TWO YEARS, when Trent would tuck in the older kids, they would pray, "and please help mommy know what she is doing! In Jesus name, Amen."
That was several years ago and I laugh when I remember it, but lately I have felt the same way. Life has just been so crazy busy that on most days, I have no idea what I am doing! It's all good, finishing a basement so the kids can have bedrooms, 4 kids now going to two different schools, a growing church and new ministries beginning, friends coming to visit, juggling doctor's appointments, dinners, sack lunches, homework and soccer games. But in the chaos of life, how do I keep Jesus and his interests, my top priority? Thankfully, HE has me. Every morning as I have opened his Word, He says things to me like:
Psalm 142:3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. V5 Then I pray to you O Lord. I say, "You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life."
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? V14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord!
Then in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 it says, "We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure…as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and LEARNED TO RELY ON GOD." That is really the bottom line of it all isn't it? When I live in my own power and strength, I make a mess of things. As I rely on God, daily seeking His face, opening His Word, interacting with Him every moment of every day, He leads. Lord Jesus, in the chaos of life, you are teaching me to get my eyes fixed on you, to fully rely on your strength and your grace. It is a much needed change in my life. Great Teacher, teach and change me, I am listening.
This summer I was able to go water skiing with some friends. Skiing is one of my favorite things to do but the opportunity doesn't present itself very often. In fact, the last time I had skied was 5 years ago. As I jumped into the water, I kept wondering, "Do I still know how to do this? What if I can't get up? What if I don't make it out of the wake if I do get up?" As I crouched in the water waiting for the boat and the rope to come around, I remembered the main instruction you need to follow as you are being pulled out of the water. "Let the boat pull you up." I popped right out of the water and skied in and out of the wake until I was too tired to go any further! I let go of the rope and rested awhile. When I caught my breath, I was ready to try again. Again the instruction floated in my head, "Let the boat pull you up." I had an amazing day on the water all because of one simple instruction, "Let the boat pull you up."
The next morning as I spent time with Lord, I was looking through all that I wanted to accomplish, everything on my agenda. Again, I felt the Lord say, "Andrea, it's just like in skiing. Let me go ahead of you, let my power and strength pull you up and set the direction and pace of where you need to go." Now I know that God is immeasurably more powerful and wise than a boat. And the things going on in our lives are way bigger than the opportunity to ski, but that is just the point. The more I try to fight the waves around me and pull myself up out of them, the more hopeless it becomes. Only He is able to go before me and set the right direction for my life. As I yield all of me to Him, my marriage, my friendships, my health, my agenda, He alone has the strength and ability to pull me up on top of the all the pressures of life surrounding me.
Deuteronomy 31:8 " It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." So my challenge today and everyday is to make sure I am letting the boat pull me up. To make sure I am not running ahead, speaking too quickly, or attempting to fix everything, but simply allowing the Lord to lead and direct my life. There is such freedom and joy in resting in God's agenda and timetable. Things that are impossible for me, become possible, even fun, while resting on His immeasurable power.
From the other side of the wall I heard, "I cannot do this mom! It's too hard!" I rounded the corner to find Alli and Leah steeped in frustration and surrounded by scattered school supplies. All over the floor were open packs of pencils, washable markers, dry erase markers, highlighters, brightly colored folders, notebooks, plastic binder sleeves, index cards, wide ruled paper, graph paper…you get the picture. On Monday afternoon, we had taken our list and shopped for school supplies. On Tuesday morning, almost everything that was on the school supply aisles at Walmart, was now in the Griffith house, opened and scattered all over the floor. I had asked the girls to go through the school supplies and make two separate piles; one with Alli's supplies and one with Leah's. After the stacks were made, I was going to sit down and help them organize it all. The girls were so excited about having new school supplies that before the stacks were made, they decided to open everything and check it all out. Once it was all opened and looked through, they suddenly remembered, "Oh, I'm supposed to be making two piles with this." By then, it was more than a ten year old and an eight year old could handle!
As I looked at them and saw the predicament they were in, all I could see was myself. So many times God gives me a small assignment, just one thing that I am to do or obey. I get so excited seeing the potential of it all that I dive in and go way past the one thing that God told me to do. I end up way over my head, exhausted and wondering how in the world I got here!
At the end of Jesus' life, he was able to say, "It is finished." He had done the work and only the work that the Father had called him to do. Not seeming to be able to accomplish that on any given day, I wondered what His secret was. John 5:19 says this, "So Jesus explained, 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.'" I love the way the John says, "So Jesus explained." Jesus knows that if I am ever going to do life right, I will need Him to explain it to me! That is one reason it is so important that we are in the Bible everyday, listening for the voice and direction of God for our lives. Jesus was so connected to God, that he lived, moved and breathed in perfect unity with Him, always doing what God would do. He was never ahead or behind, he just consistently did what God was doing. Because Jesus lives inside of us, we have the opportunity to live just as He would. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we can now live in unity with Him. I'm seeking to ask myself "What Would Jesus Do?" in this situation, in this day, in this lifetime?
If given the choice between change and stability, I would have chosen change every time. Living a life where we moved every three weeks to new surroundings, new people and new places, caused me to believe that I thrived on change. But the changes that we have gone through lately, have left me longing for some stability! It seems just as you get used to one way of living life, it changes; changes in schools for the kids, changes in health, moving from one house to the next, even from one job to the next.
A character in the Lynn Austin novel, Though Waters Roar, had some wise words about change. "Life is like that, always changing, always flowing forward like a stream. Things never stay the same. And we have to move on and change too." Her daughter replies, "But what if I don't want things to change?" The mom responds, "You can't fight against the current. You need to trust God and be prepared for wherever the river of life will take you next." Sometimes we are the ones going through changes, other times we are staying still but everything around us is changing.
Yesterday as I opened my bible, I was like a woman drifting in the stream of life hoping to spot a life preserver! Thankfully, God threw me one. "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7 Change is guaranteed, but as a believer, I have a safe place to run to. As the steadfast love and character of Jesus begins to matter more than the changes taking place around me, I will be taking refuge in Him. The Lord Jesus never changes. His love and faithfulness are never ending no matter what is going on around me. Jesus is the safe place in the midst of the chaos and changes of life. I have a choice of what I am more aware of, His steadfast love that is eternal, or all the temporal changes of life that can keep me off balance. Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
It was a bittersweet day as I vacuumed my basement for the last time before we moved to our new home. The main part of the job was done but the cord was just not long enough to reach the entire basement. I knew right where the extension cord was so I thought the job would be finished in no time. I got the extension cord plugged in and started the vacuum up again. Every time I moved the cord even a little, the vacuum would turn off. I knew there was nothing wrong with the power source. I had just been using it with no issues at all. The problem had to be somewhere in the connection. I must have reconnected the electrical ends a dozen times when John 15 started running through my head.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing."
I am just like that vacuum cleaner. In order to work right, I have to stay connected to Jesus, the power source. If I am not connected to Him, I accomplish absolutely nothing of lasting value. As Jesus walked this earth, he knew this reality. Over and over again in scripture we see Jesus retreating to spend time with His Father. Mark 1:35 says, "And rising early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed."
We stay connected to Him through times of focused Bible study but also, all throughout day. We need a super singularity of life; a life that simply follows Jesus; a life that does the things that connect us to God. Maybe as we wake up in the morning, before our feet hit the floor, we say, "Good morning Lord. Thank you for the gift of this day. How can I use it for you?" As we go throughout the day, to be constantly thanking God for the people and things that He has placed around us. When life is hard, we thank God for the grace that He is providing and simply who He is that helps us make it through the day. Singing worship music or just whispering a simple, "I love you Jesus" can be the reconnection that we need.
About the fifteenth time the vacuum cleaner stopped, I was tempted to just keep pushing the vacuum around instead of stopping, walking over, bending down AGAIN, and reconnecting. I would have looked like a really hard worker. I would have been using the same amount of energy. It would have saved me some time… but I would have accomplished nothing. How about you? Are you making the connection? He is the vine, we are the branches, apart from Him, we can do nothing.