As we pass Thanksgiving and go into ‘overdrive’ heading for Christmas, I pause to try to gather my thoughts into something that makes sense. I’m a grieving mother and grief and holidays don’t mix well – or do they? For many people, the acute awareness of the person(s) missing in their lives comes to the fore, pushing out any joy that once permeated the season. They find themselves depressed and pulling away from people in a season where gatherings are numerous. Is that the prescribed way to approach the season? Do I have any choice but to follow?
I find myself watching ‘Black Friday’ shoppers from a distance and realize that I’m not interested in shopping. Is it because I am depressed? I don’t think so… I never was too much of a shopper… but more than that, I realize that all of my life I have struggled with the extreme gift-giving that goes on. Ads say, “for the person who has everything” and I find myself saying, “I don’t need anything.” It’s hard to shop for the person who has everything. How do you give a meaningful gift that won’t end up being returned or sold in its original packaging in the spring yard sale for a fraction of the price paid?
Since our son is in heaven, heaven doesn’t feel so far away. When heaven touches me, I lose interest in all the things that our commercial world tries to convince us we need. God is looking down and seeing suffering – people with no food and no place to stay warm and no gloves to keep their hands warm and it reminds Him of His Son’s entrance into the world – no room in the inn – born in a stable and placed in a manger for a bed. Will I spend $40 to try to impress someone with my generosity or will I step into a world where there are people suffering and use the $40 to give ten people warm hats to wear?
It is time to put up the Christmas decorations. Will I join the festivities of decorating? It’s time to bake Christmas cookies. Will I enjoy baking? Or will I be too depressed to enjoy these activities? We have invited our surviving son to join us in decorating. We choose to make it a celebrative family time together. We will share fun memories and enjoy pulling out favorite decorations. We will include our son who lives in heaven by putting some of his favorite decorations up as well. And we’ll make some of his favorite foods to share with others.
As we have gone through all the ‘firsts’ this year, we have been proactive in thinking about them. We have planned ways to make them meaningful. And Christmas will be a special time too. Yes, there will likely be tears… we are, after all, grieving a significant loss in our lives. But among those tears will be joy and celebration. We are celebrating God’s greatest gift to all of us – His only Son who came to us as a baby, vulnerable and helpless and dependent upon others to care for Him. Our circumstances do not begin to dim that bright light in this world. We will look for the star and we will come to worship Him.
I think we will choose to put aside the idea of a ‘blue Christmas’ and celebrate Jesus and those He brings into our lives this season. We will choose joy.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Give Thanks to the Lord, for His Love Endures Forever
Jehoshaphat was one of the ‘good’ kings of Judah. It wasn’t that he didn’t make any mistakes… he did. But he sought after the Lord and he sent out his leadership, priests and Levites into the towns to teach the people from the Book of the Law. Through this, the people’s hearts were turned back to God and the kingdom prospered under Jehoshaphat’s leadership.
Then trouble came. “Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea…’ Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” II Chronicles 20:2-4
Jehoshaphat stood up and prayed to God. In his prayer, he proclaims God’s power and might saying, “no one can withstand you.” II Chronicles 20:6 He reminds God how he lead his people into this land and that they “have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’” II Chronicles 20:9 Jehoshaphat then tells the Lord about the vast army on their doorstep and asks, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” II Chronicles 20:12
I wonder how many times I look at things in my life as Jehoshaphat looked at that vast army. I feel helpless, unable to fight, knowing there is no way I can win. Jehoshaphat shows us how to be prepared for those times in our life.
1. Prepare by studying God’s Word. Know my history with God. Recount how he has led in the past.
2. Focus on my alignment with God through the covenant he has made with me when I chose to follow him. Remember his promises and believe them.
3. Call on God for help. Humble myself before the Lord and acknowledge my weakness and my need for his help.
Everyone was there standing before the Lord. And then the Lord spoke to them through a Levite named Jahaziel. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’… You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you… Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” II Chronicles 20:15-17
At that point, Jehoshaphat led the people in a praise and worship service. He “appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” II Chronicles 20:21
Jehoshaphat did not wait until the battle was won to thank the Lord. He began immediately. The army was led out with singing praises. And when they got to the place God had told them to go, what they found were dead bodies. The battle had already been won!
I wonder if sometimes I lock myself into my timeline of events and circumstances and miss the heavenly perspective of the battle being already won. In my journey of deep pain this year, I have discovered that when the vast army of the pit of depression rises against me, I need to focus on the Lord and worship him. When my eyes are on him, I gain more of an eternal perspective on things. The battle is won. I just need to claim the victory! I look at what I have to be thankful for, and my heart sings, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” II Chronicles 20:21
Then trouble came. “Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea…’ Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” II Chronicles 20:2-4
Jehoshaphat stood up and prayed to God. In his prayer, he proclaims God’s power and might saying, “no one can withstand you.” II Chronicles 20:6 He reminds God how he lead his people into this land and that they “have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’” II Chronicles 20:9 Jehoshaphat then tells the Lord about the vast army on their doorstep and asks, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” II Chronicles 20:12
I wonder how many times I look at things in my life as Jehoshaphat looked at that vast army. I feel helpless, unable to fight, knowing there is no way I can win. Jehoshaphat shows us how to be prepared for those times in our life.
1. Prepare by studying God’s Word. Know my history with God. Recount how he has led in the past.
2. Focus on my alignment with God through the covenant he has made with me when I chose to follow him. Remember his promises and believe them.
3. Call on God for help. Humble myself before the Lord and acknowledge my weakness and my need for his help.
Everyone was there standing before the Lord. And then the Lord spoke to them through a Levite named Jahaziel. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’… You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you… Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” II Chronicles 20:15-17
At that point, Jehoshaphat led the people in a praise and worship service. He “appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” II Chronicles 20:21
Jehoshaphat did not wait until the battle was won to thank the Lord. He began immediately. The army was led out with singing praises. And when they got to the place God had told them to go, what they found were dead bodies. The battle had already been won!
I wonder if sometimes I lock myself into my timeline of events and circumstances and miss the heavenly perspective of the battle being already won. In my journey of deep pain this year, I have discovered that when the vast army of the pit of depression rises against me, I need to focus on the Lord and worship him. When my eyes are on him, I gain more of an eternal perspective on things. The battle is won. I just need to claim the victory! I look at what I have to be thankful for, and my heart sings, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” II Chronicles 20:21
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I Am Blessed
We live in a nation where the ‘good things in life’ are plentiful. Most of us always have more than enough to eat, we have nice new clothes, we have nice houses to live in, we shop freely for ourselves and buy nice gifts for others, and we go on nice vacations traveling the world. We consider ourselves blessed by God – until something disrupts our wonderful lives. We have this notion that if we read our Bibles, pray, go to church on Sundays, and treat others well, these ‘good things in life’ that we call blessings will continue.
So when difficult things come into our lives – sickness, loss of job, death of a loved one – we become confused. I wonder if it is time to back up and redefine what it means to be blessed by God. Or maybe we need to back up even further and look at our ‘cause and effect’ notion that if we behave in a certain way, God will behave in a certain way.
Ezekiel had been walking with God – making himself available to God to be used as a prophet. Yet, in chapter 24, we find Ezekiel going through a very difficult circumstance – the death of his wife. And God is using that death to teach the Jewish nation how shallow their faith is. God lets Ezekiel know that he is “about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.” Ezekiel 24:16 And he tells Ezekiel, “Groan quietly, do not mourn for the dead.” Ezekiel 24:17 And I wonder, why would God take away the one who brings delight and joy to Ezekiel? Ezekiel is his servant who is consistently doing what God asks of him.
God spoke through Ezekiel, “Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary – the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’” Ezekiel 24:21-24
I wonder if God is pointing to Ezekiel and saying to the people, “If something like this can happen to someone who walks closely with me, do you think you will be exempt? You are trusting in rituals and things rather than in me! Sit up and take note. Get your focus off of ‘the good life’ and put your eyes on me.” “So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 24:27
Over and over in Ezekiel, I see the phrase, “They will know that I am the Lord.” God wants a relationship with us – not a cause and effect (if you do this, I will do that), but a personal, daily interaction of God speaking into our daily circumstances. He can and will use the circumstances in our lives to keep drawing us and others into that relationship with him. As I groan inwardly with the loss in this life, I take note that I am changing and others are changing as they watch me. I am blessed, not by the riches in this life or the freedom from suffering, but by my personal relationship with the Lord and by observing others walking more closely with him as God speaks through my life and my circumstances.
To God be the glory!
So when difficult things come into our lives – sickness, loss of job, death of a loved one – we become confused. I wonder if it is time to back up and redefine what it means to be blessed by God. Or maybe we need to back up even further and look at our ‘cause and effect’ notion that if we behave in a certain way, God will behave in a certain way.
Ezekiel had been walking with God – making himself available to God to be used as a prophet. Yet, in chapter 24, we find Ezekiel going through a very difficult circumstance – the death of his wife. And God is using that death to teach the Jewish nation how shallow their faith is. God lets Ezekiel know that he is “about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.” Ezekiel 24:16 And he tells Ezekiel, “Groan quietly, do not mourn for the dead.” Ezekiel 24:17 And I wonder, why would God take away the one who brings delight and joy to Ezekiel? Ezekiel is his servant who is consistently doing what God asks of him.
God spoke through Ezekiel, “Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary – the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’” Ezekiel 24:21-24
I wonder if God is pointing to Ezekiel and saying to the people, “If something like this can happen to someone who walks closely with me, do you think you will be exempt? You are trusting in rituals and things rather than in me! Sit up and take note. Get your focus off of ‘the good life’ and put your eyes on me.” “So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 24:27
Over and over in Ezekiel, I see the phrase, “They will know that I am the Lord.” God wants a relationship with us – not a cause and effect (if you do this, I will do that), but a personal, daily interaction of God speaking into our daily circumstances. He can and will use the circumstances in our lives to keep drawing us and others into that relationship with him. As I groan inwardly with the loss in this life, I take note that I am changing and others are changing as they watch me. I am blessed, not by the riches in this life or the freedom from suffering, but by my personal relationship with the Lord and by observing others walking more closely with him as God speaks through my life and my circumstances.
To God be the glory!
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