Category: Faith

Masks

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Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and my soul knows very well.”

According to this scripture, we are God’s masterpiece. How many of us feel like we are full of awe, special? Unique? A masterpiece?

I can honestly say I don’t feel like a masterpiece often. I don’t feel like I am anything special or unique. I am just me. A long time work in progress.

In our daily life we don’t stop to think about being a creation of God. We were born, grew up, worked, retired (well, at least some of us). We live our lives. At work we put on our work face. We greet people, we go to meetings, we manage expectations, we have our work persona.

At home, we are more relaxed for the most part. Family sees you with your family face on. You can be angry, or frustrated. You can laugh freely. You can unwind.

At church we put on what we think to be our spiritual face. We say amen at the appropriate times, we sing, we greet one another with a sweet smile. We hide how we are truly feeling. A smile in a moment is wonderful, and then you are just looking at each other’s back. It can be safe.

Each of these are masks. We put them on. They become a part of us. We have control of each of these masks. But, when we are alone. In the car alone. Awake at night when everyone is sleeping. In your home by yourself, behind closed doors. This is when our masks come off. What do you see at these times? Do we see the workmanship of God reflected back at us? Do we even believe in those times that we are precious in the sight of God?

During these times, I believe, is when we are the closest to God. It is quiet, it is still, we are alone, with Him. Listen the next time, remove all the masks and hear what He may be saying to you.

Psalm 139

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
    Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
    your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
    Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
    for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (NLT)

Where are you looking?

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The other day Dale and I went into town. On the way in, he looked out his window and said, “The sky is going gray again, the clouds are back.” Meanwhile, from the passenger side of the window I was looking at a pasture where cows were lazily munching on grass and enjoying the day under a bright blue sky dotted with wispy white clouds.

I looked out the other side of the car and commented that it truly does depend where you are looking. I further informed him that from my view it was a beautiful spring day. We laughed and agreed, that a day is defined depending on your view.

The same is true in life. Often I have viewed my life, my circumstances as gray, cloudy, lifeless and hopeless. In those times, taking a step forward was a chore. Breathing was a burden and seeing any light at the end of the tunnel was impossible. I lived like that for several years.

Finally one day, I opened up my drapes in my living room in San Diego and truly looked out at the world. Granted, it wasn’t a spectacular view, our yard in need of actually grass, instead of the few springs of grass between the rocks in the ground. The back yard view was much better. Looking past the freeway, in the distance was the Coronado Bay bridge. It’s blue paint shimmering in the sunlight. The water of the bay glistening in the sunlight. The sun and the beautiful fluffy clouds that dot the skyline. I breathed deeply and I felt relief after a long season of clouds.

Gray clouds are not always a meteorological condition. Clouds in our lives can come from nowhere. They are just there. It’s not always easy to open the curtains of our mind and see a new day full of hope. Not easy, but it can be possible. ” Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NLT)

“The Word gave life to everything that was created,  and his life brought light to everyone.” John 1:4 (NLT) “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us” Luke 1:78 (NLT)

Anchored in the Rock

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Last week we took a trip to Looking Glass Falls in North Carolina. It was a beautifully sunny day, although the wind at times was brisk.

I took many photos of the falls, and then my eye caught sight of this tree.

This tree was literally growing out of the rock. The roots appeared glued into the rocks around it. It was at the edge of the water and was majestic.

“They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8 (NLT)

When I saw this tree, I thought of this verse. A tree planted by the water. It’s roots go down deep where we cannot see. It is fixed in it’s position. It withstands the wind and the rain and snow. It remains firm.

We need to remember where our roots are. Are they anchored in solid rock? Do we hold fast to the promises of God? Or, are our roots in shallow ground where they can be plucked away?

“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” This hymn is a declaration of how we should attempt to live. Anchored. Firmly Planted. Fixed. Healed.

The Zipper

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I was going into the fifth grade in the fall. I remember sitting at the kitchen table talking with my Dad. Our conversation was about an upcoming trip to Conneaut Lake Park. It was the first time I remember going to a park. We talked about the Blue Streak, a wooden roller coaster, and I decided I was going to love that ride. I did.

I love going to amusement parks, the higher and the faster the ride, the better. However, I dated a young man who wasn’t as keen on fast rides at the time. We went on a date to the Rocky Grove Fireman’s Fair, held in a neighboring city. We walked around and rode some tame rides, holding hands and being young and in love. Then, I saw a ride, The Zipper and suggested riding it. My life could have turned out entirely different, had my husband said no. He didn’t and it was one of his first wild ride. He hated it! He still talks about his dislike of that wonderful ride. (I guess I could say that ride is symbolic of our relationship, fun, wild and unexpected)

I thought of that ride last night. I knew I would write about it. I asked the Lord how that would relate to Him and this blog. Of course, I heard how it relates.

Our lives and this world are like that amusement park ride. We are rotating in a pattern and individually we are contained in our lives. Our lives continue like the earth, rotating yearly. But, during that year, we are spun around. Sometimes we feel like we are falling forward and we brace ourselves for what we see may happen. Other times we are twisted backward where the world seems topsy-turvy and we have no idea how to brace ourselves. We feel out of control. Unable to focus clearly, being held at bay and not able to escape. We may scream, we may laugh, but we know, like being in that ride, that it’s not over until it’s done.

Standing in a line at an amusement park you look at the ride you are waiting for. I confess that there have been a few that I look and question my sanity. There are some rides I look knowing how much fun it is going to be. That is how I often look at this life the Lord has given me. I can panic, I can scream for things to be over, and I can look at situations knowing the joy that will come from it.

Our God never leaves us. Isaiah 46:4 promises, “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (NLT)

Unopened Gifts

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A friend of mine gave me a book several years ago. It is called “God’s Guest List” by Debbie Macomber. In the first few pages the author tells a story of a person going to Heaven. She is met by St. Peter. He takes her on a tour of Heaven and she sees a door that is closed. She asks if she can see inside. He, at first declines, saying it is a storeroom. He reluctantly takes out a key and opens the door. Inside the room is a never ending view of beautifully wrapped gifts. She claps her hands in delight and asks if these were the gifts for those in Heaven. She sees her name on several gifts. She asks if she can open them. She is told no. St. Peter explains that these gifts were meant to be opened while she was alive. He further explains that all of the gifts in the room were returned to Heaven unopened. (The link to the book is above)

This image detailed in the book has made such an impact on me. I am a big kid inside. I love presents. I love to see them in bags with tissue paper peaking out of the top, I love presents wrapped with big bows on them. I am a child when I see them.

Years ago, when our dog was still with us, I had to come up with a solution at Christmas time. At that time we had real trees and our dog would get into the tree water and it would make him sick, each and every time. So, obviously our tree skirt would be filled with stinky stuff from both ends of the dog (if you know what I mean). In response to this, I started to wrap fake presents to put under the tree as we put up the tree. Then on Christmas Eve they would be replaced with the real presents. I still do this although the dog is no longer here with us and we have an artificial tree. I pick a theme each year and I love how put together it looks. My grandchildren volunteer to open them after Christmas. They say, even it they are empty, it’s still fun to unwrap them. I totally agree with this logic.

Seeing a present with your name on it brings joy and sometimes surprise. The story from the book hit me with a stark reality. Daily we receive gifts from our Heavenly Father. James 1:17 says, “ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (NKJV)

Now, these gifts aren’t always noticeable to us. Some of the gifts we take for granted. A roof over our heads, transportation, heat, food, health, these seem like they are our right. They are gifts. How many other things do we take for granted? How many gifts do we each send back and are now stored?

I desire to look for these gifts and to be thankful for them, using them however I can.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. I Peter 4:10 (NLT)

Never Alone

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I was given a devotional three years ago by a dear friend. I have read it daily since. On Valentine’s Day I read the following, I know when it was because I wrote down the date of the reading. “We cannot see the path. We do not know what the future holds. But no, we are not alone” Max Lucado

How often do we feel alone? As a child I felt like I was the odd one out. Like I didn’t quite fit. That feeling followed me most of my life. Traveling as we did in the military the awareness of loneliness presented itself with each move to a different area. I loved being inside my home, and when I went out to work I would think I would feel much more secure sitting in my home than venturing out to the world. Of course, once I was at work I was fine. I enjoyed my jobs and liked the people I worked with (for the most part).

Loneliness hits us at the oddest times. We don’t have to be alone to feel lonely. We can be in a crowd and still feel alone. It’s strange like that.

In the times where I picture myself standing off, alone, and silent while watching others interact and conversing, I physically remind myself that I am not alone. The Lord is right beside me. He cares for me. He knows me.

Isaiah 49: 16a says, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (NKJV)

We are inscribed on His hands. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of inscribe is: to write, engrave, or print as a lasting record or to dedicate to someone. Daily we see tattoos on people. If asked about the ink on them, there is always a story they want to remember, an event or a person they want to honor. We are inscribed on the hands of God. He wants to have us engraved on Him. We are never alone.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

A Case of the What If’s

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I watched Little Shop of Horrors once. All I can remember is the plant singing for Seymour to feed him. I recall Rick Moranis’ character dreading going near the plant knowing there would be a demand for a feeding. He knew he would do something he would not want to do

Similarly waiting in a dentist’s office, hearing the drill going in the next room, knowing you are next. It will be your turn to sit in that chair. Your turn to hear that drill start up. It’s not a pleasant feeling.

Today I sat in a waiting room. It was for that appointment women dread. Their turn with the torture machine. It is in that waiting room where cases of the “What if’s” are birthed. The room was not filled, and it truly is a pleasant room to sit in. Comfortable chairs and couches fill the room. A waterfall peacefully spills down a wall. Music from my youth is now chosen as the ‘elevator’ music that quietly plays in the background.

I always think of the 23rd Psalm while sitting there. Verses 2 and 3 somehow come to mind whenever I see a waterfall. “He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.”(NLT) Although looking around the room I see faces strained with worry and fear. Fear and anxiety in these circumstances can be contagious, it is the nature of the beast.

I do tend to not enjoy these times, but I know well that the Lord heals in these circumstances. I have experienced such healing. I sit in those rooms reminding myself of the healing and thanking God that He is in control of all areas of my life.

I remind myself of the what if’s. What if they find something? They find something, nothing you can do to change that. What if they need to do further testing? Would I rather know than wonder? What if it is cancer? Well, the last I recall the C in Christ is more powerful than the C in cancer.

What if’s can infiltrate your mind, causing unrest and panic. We do not serve a God of panic. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NKJV)

If the God who created us knows the number of hairs on our head, He knows what the ‘what if’s’ in your life are. He does not sit on His throne of Grace wringing His hands wondering what to do next. No, He knows the plans for our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

I choose to give my what if’s to my Lord. He can deal with them better than I can.

The Still Small Voice

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“Oh, I’ve heard a thousand stories of what they think You’re like
But I’ve heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You’re pleased And that I am never alone

‘Cause You’re a Good, Good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am” Good, Good Father~ Casting Crowns

When the lights go out for the night, when you lie in bed, getting comfortable, waiting for sleep to come. Suddenly a parade begins. The clanging cymbals, the beating drum, the kazoos blasting from obnoxious clowns and rest flees. It’s not an actual parade, it’s a screaming replay of everything you have tried to stifle. Fears become focused. Dread is creeping from it’s hiding places. Ridicule is throwing grotesque memories at you. Peace is gone. Sleep is being held at bay.

Your mind goes through each part of this parade. You struggle to gain containment of your thoughts. In times like these I begin to pray. I ask the Father to remove the lies and their cohorts. I endeavor to find the peace and calm I had before the lights were turned out.

It is times like these, when it feels like the world has tormented you and filled your mind with all sorts of thoughts and you feel alone in the night. Elijah the prophet felt the same, alone. He had, with the Lord’s help, destroyed the prophets of Baal and fled for his life, thinking his life was next to be destroyed. He traveled for 40 days and nights and came to cave in Mt Sinai. The Lord asked him what he was doing there. I Kings 19:10-13a, “ Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (NLT)

Sometimes when we pray, we expect earth shattering answers, filled with the drama like the old Bible movies where everyone is speaking in King James English. I have seen few answers to prayers that dramatic and I can say I never hear the Lord speaking to me in thee’s and thou’s.

In the dead of night when I call him, it is like a child calling out to a Father after a bad dream. The response is the same. A tender answer and an encouragement. The above song we sang today at church. It struck me, that our Heavenly Father will tell me He’s pleased with me and He loves me, just as I am.

“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. ” Psalm 68:5 (NKJV) He is a good, good Father, it’s who He is.

What Do You See?

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For years I avoided looking into a mirror. I didn’t want to see myself. I knew I would pick out all my flaws. I know that’s a common thing. We think our nose is lopsided, our teeth not white enough, or straight enough, blemishes, age spots, uni-brow and that’s just the face! Our bodies do the same thing. We aren’t blessed with six packs. I always see my spare tire and my furniture disease, you know, when your chest falls into your drawers. I’d like to say I am getting better at looking in the mirror, but, honestly I still make faces at myself and tug at the extra inches I have accumulated.

What do I see when looking into the mirror? A senior citizen, (when did that happen?), gray hair, wrinkles, jowls. I also see hands that have loved and cleaned a lot. I see a shorter stature from 10 years ago. I see me.

I read today in 1 Samuel 16:7, when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint a king in Saul’s stead, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NASB)

What we see isn’t what God sees. We see our outward flaws. We know our thoughts and frustrations. We see our failures, our deficiencies. We see how we aren’t living up to our own personal standards. We are not looking through the eyes of God.

In 1988, Ray Boltz released a song called Shepherd Boy. It expresses the the above verse in song. The lyrics go like this, ” But when others see a shepherd boy God may see a king Even though your life seems filled
With ordinary things In just a moment He can touch you And everything will change When others see a shepherd boy God may see a king”

We were each created to do mighty things in the Lord. We aren’t all called to preach, teach or perform miracles, but we are called to do what we were created to do. I have struggled with this. I desired to do great things for God. What I have gleaned in the passing years is that a smile, a compliment, a hug may be someone else’s miracle. We are each a person inside that the world does not see. We can’t even see it. God does. He knows us intimately well. He sees His masterpiece.

Our challenge is allowing God to show us His reflection when we look into a mirror. To see what God sees when He looks at us.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Rose of Sharon

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Joy of my desire, all consuming fire; Lord of glory, Rose of Sharon, rare and sweet. You are now my peace, Comforter and friend, wonderful, so beautiful, You are to me. I worship You in spirit and in truth.
Lord, I worship You in spirit and in truth.
There will never be a friend as dear to me, as You. Lyrics by Randy Rothwell

When this song was popular to sing in church services, I was, at that time, going through some difficult times. Many of my friends had left me. I felt alone and isolated.

Singing this one week in church, the words implanted themselves into my heart. I thought of my companions and began to learn what a friend is. A true friend is by your side in difficult times, they do not scatter to the winds. I found this verse and knew I was not alone. Psalm 55:12-14 in the NASB says “For it is not an enemy who taunts me, Then I could endure it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him.  But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my confidant;  We who had sweet fellowship together, Walked in the house of God among the commotion.”

We have a true friend in our Lord. Oftentimes we look upon Jesus as our Savior, our Deliverer, our Healer, as the One we worship. He is all of that, but He is our friend. He is by our side all the time. He knows us intimately. He knows our likes and dislikes. He knows what makes us laugh. That is a definition of a true friend. One who does not fail us or disappoint us.

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Joseph M. Scriven 1855

How blessed I have been since emerging from that season that the Lord has blessed me with gifts of true friendship. He truly is the great God!