Just You Wait {Three Word Wednesday}

There is a blessing that comes with surrounding yourself with men and women older than yourself. You get the benefit of their wisdom, if you choose to take it.

And I can tell you, hands down, the phrase I have heard the most often from my beloved friends. It's a phrase I've even started using with my own younger friends.

"Just. You.Wait."

It's true. Kids are throwing fits, wiping snot on every article of clothing in my possession, crying about no-thing. And then I am reminded to treasure this time...

Because it's all downhill from here.

My daughter asked me when she could get to start shaving the other day. She's almost 8.

"Not for a few more years, Hon."

A bit more conversation about the wonders of growing older, and then I said the phrase that I wish I could just stuff right back into my mouth.

"You're almost 8. That's scary." Hello?! Why did you say that out loud?!

"Why is it scary?" Aw, isn't she so sweet? Because, Honey. Because your mom is freaking out. Because in just a few years you're going to be embarrassed by me. You're going to defy me. You won't like me at all. And I will have lost all control.

But I manage to keep those words in my head. Instead, I backpedal, "Oh, I didn't mean scary, Honey. I meant... exciting. It's exciting to grow up." She shoots me a quizzical look. Then she must just chock that one up to "Mom's weird" because she drops the subject.

How's about this? How's about I don't get so scared about growing up and growing old.

How's about "Just you wait," turns into this awesome thing.

Like when the Bible talks about heaven and the new earth. Like when God told Eve about her Offspring that was going to make all this right again. Like when God told Noah a flood was coming. Like when God told Abraham he was going to father a great nation. Like when God told Moses He was going deliver His people in a crazy big way. Like when the prophets told Israel that a Messiah was coming and that captivity would be nothing but an impotent memory.

Like when Jesus foretold His death, but then "just you wait" because He was going to do something that's never been done- something that would mean eternal life for the world.

I'm redefining this "just you wait" business. Or maybe I'm just undefining it. It seems that God holds the patent on that phrase and I like it waaaayyyy better than when others use it. His "just you wait" may involve floods, strife, captivity, and death; but it also involves love, life, light, and satisfaction.

And that's the "just you wait" I can live with. It's the kind I can share. Because honestly, there are enough things to freak me out in this world, and God tells me (very specifically, very deliberately) not to worry about it.

How's about (I'm just really liking the sound of "how's about" in my head. If it bothers you, feel free to cut off that pesky  's) we make a pact together. Instead of speaking fear of the future to those around us, let's give our word that we will only speak words of life*. We won't sugar-coat and speak fluff, but we'll speak the truth in love. Offer wisdom and insight, while reaffirming that we have a mighty God who holds the future in such a way that we can't even imagine the things He has planned.

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Have we got a deal?
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*For those of you wondering exactly what this "speak life" stuff looks like, think back to when you took your kids to the doctor. Sometimes they had to get shots and that was the thing they feared above all else. And you'd say, "It'll only hurt for a moment." There's truth and hope in that. That's kinda what us moms of young children need to hear about the t(w)eenage years. Thank you.

Today I am totally linking up with Simply Beth, and Woman to Woman!

Let Freedom Ring

Happy Advent Wednesday to you all!

I've been in the mood for some Martina McBride all day, and I gotta say, I haven't listened to much country in a very very long time. Still, I can't even think the words Let Freedom Ring without hearing that tremendous voice.

There's a slavery issue going on in my own heart right now. I didn't realize that until I heard the call to liberation.

Because my shackles were invisible. And now that I see my own, I look around at His Beloveds and see theirs too.

It's not a pretty Advent tiding.

Not nearly as eye-popping as the umpteen email ads I wake up to every single morning.

Not as cheerful as the jingle soundtracks to the great deals at the department stores.

But it's there just the same. Our country has a slavery issue, and I'm not even talking about human trafficking.

I'm talking about our simple, complicated, overwhelming lives.

And after I have shackled myself to the gift buying, the decorating, the family time, the church commitments, the Christmas cards, my expectations- well, it's no wonder I feel torn. Perhaps you feel that way too. A slave to your calendar, budget, baking.

Shackled to the good, forfeiting the best.

I've been wanting to write encouraging stuff. It's the Christmas season, people! Holly, jolly, very merry Christmas joy! This stuff that you put on my heart, Lord, it isn't really where I saw this blog going in December. Could you lighten it up a bit?

Remind them of their freedom.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

All the pretty shackles we use to decorate our hands and hearts and minds-

He came to free us from those.

The ways we would define our lives, portray ourselves to others-

He came to free us from those too.

The despair we would feel when we walk from our freedom straight back into a cell of our own making-

Yeah, He came for that too.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

    and the day of vengeance of our God;

    to comfort all who mourn;

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:1-4

The coming of our Lord is a celebration of more than Christmas.

It's our Independence Day.

God signed a holy declaration in the little bundle of His Son:

"Yeah, this is happening."

There would be battles to be waged and won, but God's resolution was clear from the beginning.

He would see it through.

So those of us poor spirits in need of hope would hear the Good News.

So those of us brokenhearted would burst from the shackles of brokenness and be bound by the Heart Healer.

So those of us held in captivity to all manners of masters would be carried into the fresh air of absolute freedom.

So those of us mourners would be comforted and adorned with true, everlasting love.

So those of us fainthearted would celebrate and praise our Lord, that He may be glorified.

I'm feasting on that right now. Before I go plan and clean and, cook and bake, I feast. I feast on His Word, and on His presence. I pause like an inmate realizing the cell door has been left open. That the warden is here not just to lead me to liberty, but to carry me there Himself because honestly, I'm pretty used to this little cell. 

But what lies beyond the bars is so amazing. It's life giving. 

Now that is an Advent tiding worth sharing.

Praying that you are given the gift of pause today. Praying that those shackles on your life are not only recognized, but handed over fully to the Only One who can bear their weight. Have a beautiful day of freedom.

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Today I have the pleasure of linking up at Simply Beth for Three Word Wednesday, as well as Woman to Woman for Word Filled Wednesday, and Michell for Doing You Well Wednesday!

Holiday For Prodigals, or, I'm the Jerk

I'm about to make a radical change in my Advent scripture line-up.

I know, I know. Why deviate from the beloved Christmas story? Why postpone pondering the prophecies of the Old Testament fulfilled in that little person born in Bethlehem?

And after all, I have all year to reflect on the other portions of the Bible. Studying the birth of Christ at Christmas really just makes sense.

Honestly, I'm doing it because Christmas is a holy day for the prodigals.

Of course we have other terms for the Christmas and Easter Christians. Chreasters, Submarine Christians (they only come up twice a year- if that).

I've been thinking about that over the past few days- the beloved Chreasters- and I regret to inform you that I have been, well, a jerk.

I'm not beating myself up. I'm convicted, not condemned. But the real deal is I've become this guy:

Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound."
But he was angry and refused to go in.

Luke 15:25-28

Now I'm pretty sure everyone loves the parable of the prodigal son- as long as they identify with the prodigal. The disgraceful idiot who squanders his inheritance, lives destitute with pigs, and finally returns home to the Father who has never stopped loving him, never stopped waiting for Him- yeah, I'm that guy.

We'd rather be the stupid one, not the jerk.

This morning I realized, I'm the jerk.

I don't pout at the door of the church, ignoring the masses whose faces I don't recognize, but I mentally tsk-tsk and want to shake them. "Don't you get it?! We get this Christmas deal ALL THE TIME! WAKE UP!" It sounds like compassion, but it is borne just as much out of frustration.

One thing is certain, I don't celebrate them. (My stomach just turned typing that one.) The packed church brings no lasting joy in the knowledge that, in just a few days, life will return to normal and the church will be half-empty again.

I guess that means that I possess the ability to look at a glass that's filled to the brim and see it as half empty.

Then I remembered this verse:

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 
It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

vs 31-32

Christmas is for the prodigals. It just is.

I'm not saying three hours a year is enough to satisfy the needs of a weary soul, or that all that makes our God worthy of praise can be summed up in a couple annual holidays. I'm saying it is fitting to celebrate and be glad because they are there, and Jesus is there, and the Father is running to meet them, which means that is what I should do.

Because I am a prodigal too.

So this Advent I prepare not only to welcome the Christ-child, but those for whom He came. People like me- who need the embrace of the Father. People like the ones Jesus was telling His parable to- sinners and tax collectors, Pharisees and scribes. People who, like the nasty dirty shepherds, sit on the outskirts of society and venture in to the crowd hoping to remain invisible rather than feel the judgment of the "holy" every-Sunday Christians.

I prepare my heart with the what-if's:

What if the shallow, temporary goodwill the world preaches about during this time of year was completely blown out of the water by the never-ending, unconditional warmth and love shown by God's people in His house and world?

What if, instead of settling for the anonymous "acceptance" of a disinterested society, people experienced the intimate, I-know-you-and-accept-you-just-the-way-you-are true love of God through His body, the church?


Wouldn't that be the best Christmas gift we could give them?

Wouldn't that embody the purpose for which He came- not just to sacrifice, but to reconcile?

It is my Advent Prayer that the Lord loves the jerkiness right out of me- out of us- so we can love with a full heart the same people He loves with relentless passion. And so, when faces of our towns darken our doors for one of the few times this year, we will not be the stumbling blocks that trip them up on their way to the manger.

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Today I'm linking up with a few friends: Woman to Woman, Doing You Well Wednesday, and (of course) Three Word Wednesday with Simply Beth. Click, join, read, write, enjoy!

Fill Me Up

 

"Dad and I had a talk tonight."

 

They talked earlier in the afternoon. I had been on the phone with a friend, but their disappearance caught my attention. Snippets of their conversation had floated into the kitchen. Now it seemed the conversation was on her mind again.

 

"Really? What about?"

 

"Um. Well, I don't think I should talk to you about it."

 

"Ok... why not?"

 

"Well, we just got it all figured out and I don't think I need to bring it up again."

 

 

A couple hours later I sat on the couch, knowing what I wanted to write, but not sure how to get it out.

 

Then my husband told me. Our sweet daughter with the big heart acted out of character. Mean.

 

And my heart breaks because all she wanted to do was fit in. For once. Been there.

 

My daughter is weird, and she's just about the most refreshing weirdo you could meet. She really truly loves Jesus and lives like it. She loves everyone because that's what Jesus does.

 

So it broke my heart to hear her struggle because there are times when her specialness isn't enough for her. When she would trade the very thing that sets her apart, that makes her look like Jesus, just so she could look like everyone else.

 

My heart breaks for other daughters. Sons too. People like me. People who sometimes would rather just fit in. Who would trade our love for our neighbor just so we could join in the gossip, or not look odd for keeping company with the less desirable crowd. Who would forfeit the new creation for the old Adam.

 

Let's be honest- doesn't it just seem easier? Easier to make decisions based on what we want? Easier to keep "our" money and buy nicer things? Easier to spout our opinions- giving no regard for speaking the truth in love. Easier to have a conversation completely ignoring whether or not that person has saving faith or anyone serving them in Jesus' name?

 

Maybe I'm the only one, but I've read enough of the Psalms and Ecclesiastes to figure this mindset isn't anything new under the sun. And I'm pretty sure the Israelites didn't scurry after foreign gods because they didn't know it was wrong. Being chosen by God wasn't quite enough- they wanted to be chosen by their neighbors too. They wanted to fit in. So on the off-chance you ever find yourself camping out with me, my eldest, and the Israelites yearning for the easy road, maybe my girl, myself, and you, my dear friends, can learn a lesson from a maple I once knew:

 

It was a sad moment in an otherwise raucous celebration over FaceTime. Unable to join the rest of the family for Thanksgiving, they feasted a couple weekends early and we joined in later over the iPad to see all the darling faces. That's when my father-in-law broke the news. He had some trees taken down. 

 

I had no particular attachment to any of them, except one. The attachment is shared by many others, and for that reason my father-in-law was hoping the tree could get by with just a trim.

 

See, it holds the tire swing.

 

The tree service man inspected the tree, and there was no question about it. The tree had to go.

 

There was one crucial fact that my father in law could not see from where he stood.

 

The tree was hollow. The fact that none of the limbs had crashed into the house can be received as nothing short of a true blessing.

 

It's hard to believe it. To look at a tree so strong, so loved, and discover it's hollow.

 

It's not so different with the people around us. Looking strong. Standing tall.

 

But from where we stand, we don't see the whole picture.

 

Only One is privy to that information.

 

One strong gale and it all comes crashing down.

 

There's one truth that the Liar wants us to forget: being hollow, taking the easy road, doesn't make anything easier.

 

If you are tempted to believe your unbelieving neighbors might have it better than you in at least some areas of life, just talk to them. Really talk.

 

* Hollow is an eye for an eye. Being filled with the spirit is freedom to love. (Who wants to keep track of all those eyes anyway?)

 

* Hollow is "I make my own way." Being filled with the spirit is freedom to be made into our true selves by the Master Craftsman.

 

* Hollow is uncertainty about God. About the future, and who will care when I'm gone. Being filled with the spirit is certain hope, an imperishable soul waiting for a glorious reunion.

 

* Hollow is an incomplete definition of love, a sickly shadow of it. Being filled with the spirit is knowing a completely sufficient and unconditional love that we don't even have to earn.

 

* Hollow is... empty.

 

* Being filled with the spirit is being full:

 

of light (Luke 11:34)

 

of grace (John 1:16)

 

of joy (John 15:11)

 

of goodness (Romans 15:14)

 

of the love of God (Ephesians 3:19)

 

of courage (Philippians 1:20)

 

of knowledge (Philemon 1:6)

 

of assurance (Hebrews 6:11)

 

of mercy and good fruits (James 3:17)

 

of God (Ephesians 3:19)

 

Because even if you think you have nothing else going for you, Jesus + nothing still equals Jesus.

 

And Jesus is all that matters.

 

Praying that we all praise the Lord today for filling us up. May the forest of believers stand strong, pointing the way to our Creator.

 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

 

 

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Today I am linking up with Simply Beth for Three Word Wednesday and Michell for Doing You Well Wednesday! Click on the button, join in the reading, writing, and fun!