Love Your Enemies

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. " ~Luke 6:27-29

Loving our enemies is extremely tough... we find it hard to forgive those who have wronged us, especially because in many cases we feel they deserve punishment for their wrongdoing. God is the only, perfect judge, and to have faith in Him, is to trust that justice will righteously be served. But even so Jesus commands us not to wish and hope our enemies will be punished and get what's coming to them but instead to embrace the beauty of love through forgiveness. How beautiful is it to love an enemy so much that they have to ask, "Why are you doing this?" only to be able to respond, “I am able to love and forgive you because Jesus has loved and forgiven me, and wants me to love and forgive you.”

Matthew 6:33 - Resolutions

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." ~ Matthew 6:33

Tis the season of battling to keep up with our resolutions. For a few of us, keeping a resolution is a piece of cake (pun intended), for others of us, it's a little more difficult. For most of us, we cannot simply strap up our shoes and hit the road for some cardio and expect immediate results. It takes dedication and an adjustment of priorities. Waking up earlier, being more productive, buying healthier foods.

Isn't our faith growth and our relationship with God just like exercising? Doesn't it take effort and prioritizing? Waking up earlier, being more productive and being more efficient with our time? Jesus says, "...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." In other words, make God the center of your life, making your faith paramount above all other things. In doing so you will be given "all these things." What things? A fancy car? Money? Popularity? Nope!

The scripture ends with ... "and all these things (NEEDS) will be given to you..." Don't we want all our needs to be provided for? That would be pretty great, right? So if Jesus says that we will receive all that we need if we seek God's kingdom and his righteousness first, why don't we? Are the things we resolute to get/do this year even a NEED?

I challenge you to ask yourself this year, how can I seek God and his kingdom first above all things. It is then that we receive what we need even if it isn't the new car we were hoping for. God will provide, He always does and always will.

Happy New Year!

Obey your thirst: Jesus is the living water

One thing EVERYONE can agree on, is that to overcome struggle, a person needs strength, perseverance and endurance. We need strength for when times are tough; perseverance for when it feels as though there is no light at the end of the tunnel; and endurance to survive the indefinite trek. Energy drinks, coffee, water and even Gatorade will only get a person so far. Jesus however, goes the distance.

Obey your thirst. Jesus is the living water that will never run out.

Miracles

Miracles are believed by many and misinterpreted by even more.

Like so many of us, we make wishes. Whether it's by blowing out some birthday candles, wishing on a well or hoping for the sightings of a shooting star, we close our eyes to escape reality, in hopes of making a change in our lives. Just as quickly as we close our eyes and make our wish we open them and are placed right back into the reality that was before. No wish come true. No miracle. The act of our wish being nothing more than a really long blink.

The misconception with prayers and miracles is that God is a genie waiting at our beck and call. We pray to God that He may reconcile a friendship, get us an ‘A’ in physics or get us out of a speeding ticket. In most cases, we do not get our millions; we receive an ‘F’ in physics; and we find ourselves with a hefty fine for going to fast. We can’t simply close our eyes, fold our hands and pray to God, hoping he work a miracle in our life, then once finished praying, get up and continue playing video games. A miracle flows through an ACTIVE faith. Did you actively pursue conversation with your friend? Did you study as hard as you could, get tutored and ask the teacher for help to receive that ‘A’? Did you focus on the road and not your iPod or cellphone so as not to speed?

In John 2: 7-9a, the disciples were active in their faith by DOING and by BELIEVING in Jesus. They use their strength to lift the pots; fill them with water, etc. The miracle did not just happen without first doing what they could with the resources that they already had. When Jesus feeds the 5,000 he doesn’t just “I dream of Jeanni” a bunch of food out of thin air, he used the fish, bread and wine they already had.

This poem, written by an anonymous author and recently read aloud by Pastor James MacDonald, is a great illustration of being active in your faith.

Butt Prints in the Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there was seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,

And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"

Those prints are large and round and neat,

"But Lord they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,

"For miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused, and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith, you would not know.

So I got tired, I got fed up,

and there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,

when one must fight, and one must climb.

When one must rise and take a stand,

or leave their butt prints in the sand."

So the next time you find yourself in prayer consider the following: did you do everything you are capable of doing; are you doing all that the bible has counseled you to do; have you removed all impediments to God through prayer (confession of sins); are you praying in faith; and a big one, are you praying for a miracle that will be for God’s glory and not a selfish motive?

Our God is an awesome God, abundant in love and active in our lives, so long as we follow him.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

(John 14:13 ESV)

Mourning and Celebration

This past Sunday I received a call that I wasn’t expecting to get, at that moment, on that day. On Sunday a special friend of mine passed away. Like most people, I listened to the news, sat in silence and was more stunned and unsure of what I was hearing than I was sad or upset.

* * *

Ashley and I were in the Art Education program at Northern Illinois University. I am sure we can all remember a time when we were new to a school, sitting in a classroom filled with people we did not know well, and were scared to the bone. While at the same time, sitting there trying to bestow an air of confidence, friendliness, and trying to pick out who the weird people in the class were. Then you hear the always-dreaded announcement, “Find a partner, this assignment is going to be a group project!”

Lucky for me Ashley and I were paired up. One of the many cherished memories I hold in comfort about Ashley is our first time working together on a group assignment. I can’t honestly recall the details of the assignment or year we were in school but I do remember her hosting our meeting at her apartment. I recall walking in and thinking, “How cool, this girl has her very own place.” Upon getting comfy and her and I sharing one of our more favored college past times, we relaxed and got down to our assignment. It is a simple memory, but one I will not forget. It hangs in my thoughts as a time when Ashley was happy and healthy and I am so blessed to have this particular memory of this particular girl whom is so special to me.

* * *

Keith and I were just finishing up talking about our finances like a couple of adults when I decided to check my phone for missed calls and texts. Keith standing near me, paused in our conversation, watched my face go from a smile to a long, unsure face, to what I imagine was more glazed-over and stiff. “…Ashley passed away this afternoon.” That is all I can remember in detail about the voicemail, and something that still rings in my head. I was certainly not happy, I was definitely surprised, but I did not honestly know how to react hearing such news in that moment.

We all handle this kind of news differently. I am no novice when it comes to cancer, and the unfortunate news of someone close to me passing away. This however, does not make it any less difficult. News like this still baffles me. You hear the news, and you react. Some of us may think we know exactly how we will react but in truth, no one ever does. It is different every time.

Even though it has only been a couple days I struggle with how I am to process such news. I knew Ashley’s condition fairly well and knew that this was a situation where her being cured was less than likely. I feared that her time was getting limited and that I would one day receive the news I received on Sunday. I did not however, imagine it would be on that Sunday, at that moment, while I was in that mood. What I realized though is that it is not how we handle the news, as it is, above all, how we celebrate a life.

These times of mourning are not about us. These times stress, confuse and misdirect our thoughts, but can be handled well with the help of our most cherished memories. We all know the saying, “Count your blessings, not your troubles.” In short, that is what we can do now. Relive the times we had with her. The times we can laugh at and smile about.

Since we all handle death differently I am not saying not to cry or be sad. Mourning and sadness are healthy things. I am however encouraging that we mourn at our own pace, but be sure to leave room in our hearts for the invitation of those cherished memories we all have of our dear friend Ashley.

She lived life well. She was surely taken sooner than we all would have liked but now she is with our Lord, in a place of comfort and ease. No longer will she be in pain, or have to live each day compromising to her condition. Instead she will forever be with The One who knows her the best. If we want a glimpse of where she is, and how happy we can be knowing that she is in good hands, just take a moment to revisit a time you shared with Ashley. Whether you can remember vividly or not, I can say for certain there are plenty of memories that we can cherish, memories that we can celebrate and find comfort in.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

The Strongest are Vulnerable

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me..." John 14: 1.

I have just finished reading a wonderful book called Captivating: Unveiling The Mystery of a Women's Soul. If this were just a few months earlier in the year or God forbid, a year or two ago, I would have been embarrassed to let people know that I desired to read a book about the heart and soul of a women. But I now know, and have gradually learned over the years, that I am a vulnerable human being, I am a sinner, a person with weaknesses, problems and things to work on and I love it! I have found comfort in being my true self and comfort through knowing my true self was made and can be entrusted by I AM, Yahweh. After all, He already entrusts His love with us. 

I found that this is a book that teaches and inspires such encouragement. Yes, it is a book about the soul of women, however authors, John and Stasi Eldredge, wrote the book not just for a women audience but also for men. This is not a self-help book with 3 easy steps for women to be the best women they can be. It is not simply a list of secrets about women that men can read so as to better understand what lies behind enemy lines. Instead it is a book that speaks truths of us as humans and children of God. While it is about women, it is also about how women have played such an integral role in our world, and how men can better their women, and how women can in turn better their men. It is a book I plan to delve more deeply in, as I know I missed many important facts. It challenges, and even made me scratch my head and disagree with at times, but THAT is what makes a great book. If you sit and agree with what you read and never once feel challenged or feel as though you discovered new truth, well... then that means you just read a terrible book. 

In the last chapter, Stasi Eldredge discusses a fear that even as a man I absolutely related to. It is a fear that claims no gender and is in no way situational. In fact I believe it is a crippling fear that just about every single person struggles with. She discussed her fear of vulnerability. In her explanation of her fear she goes on to tell her story about being a speaker to women's groups in which she would offer her heart. In essence she would speak in front of other women who struggled with a variety of spiritual and emotional issues and allowed herself to be vulnerable to them. Her role was to be a strong leader type and positive example, but how? How do we get past our problems and allow ourselves to be vulnerable? How do you preach to a group of people about truth when you yourself feel the pain of past lies and current struggles? This is scary for even the most powerful speakers. She had felt added pressure being that she was at the time "severely overweight." She describes her being overweight as her, "sin, [and her] addiction. [In plain sight] for all to see." She knew she was still healing and she knew she struggled and she knew that she was a sinner yet she also knew something we can all take a great deal in knowing. She knew to trust in our Lord. She knew the Lord invites us to be vulnerable and to share our weaknesses.

So many of us believe our troubles and problems are things that can be battled and fixed without the help of others. So many of us feel like our problems aren't "that big of a deal." But the truth is if you think you can keep yourself hidden in the crowd, fixing yourself alone, waiting for that day to come when you can finally jump in front of the crowd and show your newly figured out life... you will fail. Every time. You will fail if you do not surrender to the life of vulnerability. I am not saying we need to stop relying on ourselves or to be completely dependant on others--that is unhealthy too. Instead accept yourself for who you are. Be vulnerable and get motivated to change yourself with the help of others. Show your strength when it most needs to be shown, but learn to let that guard down. We tend to get hurt in so many different ways over the years that we put up our guard and never allow it to come back down. We choose to block out the army of others and battle alone. We have a “guard” to put up for a reason, but we tend to get so afraid we soon forget how to let it come down when we want it to. It’s incapacitating. It pushes us further into our depressions and sorrows. That guard that was once put up to protect from further damage ends up slowly suffocating us into more of a weakened and damaged state.

So what then? What did Stasi learn? What can we all learn from knowing this? It is best said in Stasi’s caption from the book, "...we don't get to wait to offer our lives until we have our acts together...If we did, would anyone ever feel like offering anything?"

We are meant to be vulnerable. We do not get the luxury to step out and be strong as soon as we "get our acts together." If we were to wait until we were to figure ourselves out, no one would ever set an impact on this world. No one likes to be a person who hides and cannot move forward, so take that first step, be vulnerable and know that you are not alone. Even the most powerful and strong have their weaknesses; the difference is that they are strong enough to accept their God given right to be vulnerable.

I make mistakes; YOU make mistakes, so may you learn that WE can work on our mistakes together, in God.