Keep Battling

I’m sitting here on a Wednesday night watching my Washington Nationals play baseball. It’s September and every game counts in the much heated run to play in the post season. Relatively new as a baseball spectator I have spent this low scoring game yelling at the screen and criticizing the players I call my own. “Why is no one hitting?” “They just don’t want to win! They aren’t giving it their all!” I am after all looking for the showy stuff; all homeruns and double plays. As I listen to the commentators, a/k/a people who know what they’re talking about, the game takes on a whole new dimension. They explain subtleties of gamesmanship that are completely lost on me: players covering other positions to make clutch plays; a stolen base – successful because the player knew what pitch to run on; a sacrifice fly allowing the go-ahead run to score. I also see the Coach who, by the way, is not panicking or screaming, but calmly talking to his players; giving instruction, making adjustments, providing encouragement.

It is then a pattern emerges. When I look at the game we’re all in, everything seems to be going wrong. It’s chaos. But if I’m paying attention I see God there, being the Coach. He is talking to His players, encouraging us, making adjustments and substitutions, etc. And sometimes there are commentators, explaining the rule book and clueing me in to complexities I would otherwise miss.

A simplified picture to be sure. There are many more comparisons to make and I know I will continue to ruminate: about relief pitchers and closers and people who are built to be catchers or short stops. For now though, this is enough. I am reassured that God is there overseeing everything and He really does have a handle on what’s going on so I can relax. And unlike the game I watched tonight, I am confident that the winner in this crucial match has already been decided. Wherever I fall short (and I do), when I drop the ball (and I will), I’ve got a ringer named Jesus who takes up the slack. Amen to that. My job is to keep battling. When I fall down, I need to get up, dust myself off and get ready for the next play – and whenever possible, assist the other players. This is, after all, a team sport.

Moldy But Goody

I discovered something yesterday, completely by accident, if you believe in such things. Fortunately for you blog readers, I do not. I see everything through the eyes of a lesson, that’s just the way my lenses are crafted. I was sitting in my living room preparing to review this past year’s small group materials. I picked up my woven bag which was sitting next to an accordion file leaned up against my bookcase when, lo and behold, as the pile was removed I was confronted by a nasty smell and an outbreak of mold! It was a wholly unpleasant discovery for several reasons; first the smell, as I mentioned; second that everything touching the mold was soppy and ruined (not to mention utterly gross!); and finally, I knew there were limitations to my ability to thoroughly clean it up. I was immediately overwhelmed and the thought briefly crossed my mind to just leave it there -- throw a towel over it and be done. I didn’t do this of course as the consequences of that choice were far more unpleasant than putting forth whatever effort I could muster to get rid of it. And so I began, donning gloves (the fact that it was toxic and we’d all be dead soon crossing my melodramatic mind), throwing away infected articles, using a magic eraser on the thick layer of mold covering the bookcase and finally spraying Tilex on the wall and carpet hoping to kill active spores and prevent regrowth. That was what was within my power to do. But guess what, permanent damage remains in the form of a huge area of discolored carpet and a ruined bookcase. The solution to these problems: a carpet cleaner and a new piece of furniture. In other words, I need outside help. I need a professional for the rug and a group of friends to assemble the furniture and transfer belongings.

As my metaphorically-trained mind began to reflect on this scenario I saw a very timely, relevant truth forming. I have recently discovered a festering, mold covered area, within. God has removed the things leaning up against it and there it stands nakedly obvious presenting me with two choices. I can throw a rag over it, cover it back up and ignore it, or I can expose it and clean it up. While covering it up saves work now and what is a sure to be a painful excising, leaving the bacteria not dealt with will only bring about more damage, more destruction and a far more painful -- and certainly unmanageable -- predicament once the condition reveals itself for all to see (inevitable, by the way). The better choice? Open that sucker up! Expose it to the light and the air. Discard the damaged and destroyed parts, clean out as much of the “infection” as you can and allow God access to take care of the rest. Translation: EXERCISE HUMILITY! Stop doing whatever is causing the problem; confess whatever needs confessing; forgive and throw out whatever grudges or grievances have formed; and/or repair whatever relationships have been damaged – starting first with your best friend, greatest advocate and Savior. After that ask the great carpet cleaner in the sky to hose you down and kill off whatever remains. God’s healing will also, almost without exception, include the body of believers.

So there you have it: God’s lesson to me through mold.

Psalm 90:8 (NIV):  You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

 

Micah 7:8(b)-9 [or thereabouts] (The Message):  I'm down, but I'm not out.  I'm sitting in the dark right now, but God is my light.  I can take God's punishing rage.  I deserve it—I sinned.  But it's not forever. He's on my side and is going to get me out of this [!!!].  He'll turn on the lights and show me his ways.   I'll see the whole picture and how right he is.

 

Acts 26:18 (CEV):  I want you to open their eyes, so that they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me [Jesus] they will become part of God’s holy people.

 

1 John 1:7 (NIV):  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

[Disclaimer: This was one of my first attempts - 2006. It shows. :) More importantly, it is about as brief an overview on this topic as is possible. Still it made me smile so I thought I'd post. So there. Ok, disclamers over.]

“Love guaranteed!” “Meet someone that will take your breath away!” “Have someone catch your heart!” “Find the love of your life!” Or the less sensational – “find your next love.” I find myself constantly wading through the heap of them; overflowing my e-mail inbox, assaulting me through tv ads, flyers slid in my door or under my windshield wiper – I have even seen signs on street corners appealing to my need for it, tempting me with what could be if I simply call. The promises of love - so enticing. Could it be true? Love? Life-changing, all-consuming, soul-filling love?

All of us have an innate need to be loved. So often we place our value on how loved we feel we are. Whether we are married, single, dating, living in a cave – we all internally ask the question, am I lovable? Is there someone I can count on to always love me? Unfortunately, all too often, we find ourselves and our love lives lacking. Even those in committed relationships find themselves disillusioned. Still asking the question - what is it really - this elusive thing called love.

And so I embarked. Curious, completely unsatisfied with the definition I had received up to this point. Romance, candlelit dinners and diamonds surely cannot be the extent of it. What’s to be for those of us still single - bupkis? Gooey love songs, pledges of endless devotion made by actors in Hollywood movies. I decided to go to the source. I had to believe the God who created not only love but our unquenchable desire for it, would have something to say. What I found was so very different. Love is not a feeling. Love is an action. Love is sacrifice and commitment, faithfulness and, yes, quite often pain. Is love ever combined with that warm, fuzzy feeling? Of course it is. Countless times during my quest I have sat brimming with tears or stunned to silence at the power and presence of God’s love; soaking in it like a most luxurious bath, immersed wholly in its warmth and perfection. But is that a necessary component to experiencing love? Not by a long shot. Love is getting out of bed at 3 am to talk a friend through an anxious night. Love is someone dropping everything to come and pick you up when your car leaves you stranded. Love is risking the rejection of someone dear to share a difficult truth. Love is opening yourself up to judgment and ridicule to share the gospel or stand on God’s word. As I digested all of the ways real love is so much deeper than the presence of a feeling, I heard God’s still soft voice whisper -

Love, dear heart, is death on a cross.

1 John 3:16 (NIV) - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

To God be the Glory!

In an effort to get into the consistent habit of writing I have made a pact with a friend to post one blog a week. Granted it is supposed to be completed by 9:00 am Sunday morning, which, as you will notice was approximately 18 hours ago. But today finds Verbal Girl in a bit of a state; I have nothing to say. Alert the media. The earth must be spinning off its axis.

Why the uncharacteristic clam up? Depression mostly I guess; listless from dealing with a schedule dictated by chronic illness and apathy. My inability to motivate towards something healthy or useful (like spending time with my maker) finds me wasting another Saturday planted in front of the tv – eyes glazed over with a lackluster stare. I flat out hate days like this; knowing well the path to something fulfilling is just a choice or two away, but choosing instead to slide down the well-worn rut of defeat and subsequent self-loathing.

So, did something change? I am guessing, dear reader, you are hoping to see something other than several more paragraphs of the same blah, blah, blah. I’ll end the suspense - yes, it did. A friend came over tonight. A wonderful woman who has taught me more about humility and being authentic then she probably knows. So we talked. We talked about life for a couple of hours. And in that sharing with each other, we spent the evening gabbing about God and extoling his goodness. We examined his character and his tenderness. We shared stories about his love and the personal way he speaks to us. And you know what? Suddenly my weekend had a point. It was no longer fixated on poor me and my pitiful life; it was instead focused on light and life and blessings and mercy - and the wonderful joys of friendship.

Malachi 3:16: Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

Here are some words from Sheryl Crow's I Shall Believe that seem particularly appropriate -

Open the door
And show me your face tonight
I know it's true
No one heals me like you
And you hold the key

Never again
would I turn away from you
I'm so heavy tonight
But your love is alright
And I do believe

That not everything is gonna be the way
You think it ought to be
It seems like every time I try to make it right
It all comes down on me
Please say honestly
You won't give up on me
And I shall believe
I shall believe

Packaging or Contents?

There's something I've noticed about living in America. We are obsessed with our appearance. I know this will not make CNN as new news, however, I have been struck recently with just how much of our energy is devoted to this pursuit (a preoccupation most of us will swear on a stack of catalogs we don't have).

We have closets full of clothes that we choose because they flatter our shape. We have “slimming” garments that pinch and bind so much that were we to put them on an animal we’d be brought up on charges by the ASPCA. We are fanatics about our hair and get it colored, styled, cut, straightened, curled, shellacked, etc. Travel ten feet and you can’t help but run headfirst into a day spa, where we get manicures and pedicures, facials, peels, injections and a host of things I don’t even understand. We wax, wage war on our cellulite, spend thousands of dollars on crèmes and potions, and hire gypsies to curse the day the little crows started roosting in the corners of our eyes. Even with my limited energy, rarely is the day I don’t get makeup on and comely attire pulled together before I go to work or to an event. Plastic surgery is at an all-time high; as is liposuction, fad dieting, and the list goes on and on. So engrossed are we in the packaging, it’s remarkable we don’t witness people regularly dining on cardboard ice cream containers or chewing on kit kat wrappers.

This post is not to condemn any of the things I’ve listed (well, plastic surgery, maybe). Wax and peel to your heart’s content. Apply crèmes until your skin resembles a baby’s touché. My point is this. We spend so much time preening and perfecting our outside; how much time is spent decorating and cultivating the inside?

I have some thoughts on the matter. (I know, that’s so unlike me, right?) We don’t want to give a sideways glance to our insides for several reasons, the most important being we don’t like what we see. Stop and look at your heart, what lies in there? When I look at mine – and am honest – I see all sorts of ugly little creatures; I see pettiness and jealousy, arrogance, self-righteousness, vanity, envy, anger, malicious intent and self-promotion – just to name a few. Whew that’s a mouthful. And I know I am not alone. All of us – again be honest with yourself – are prone to these qualities. Truthfully, there are millions of people more devoted to good causes than I am; organizations brimming with those dedicated to the good of others – and still, if you could inject them with truth serum, I’m sure they would proclaim the same bag of snapping turtles as me. Before you bellow, I am not promoting self-flagellation; simply taking truthful stock of what lies beneath. And so we go back to the surface; how much easier and less unsettling it is to overhaul the outside than the inner man. Slap another coat of shellac, put up new curtains; thicker ones so no one can see inside, least of all us.

Matthew 23:25-26 details what Jesus said about this very thing to the religious leaders of his day:

25Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

It just doesn’t get much clearer than that. Jesus is not impressed in the least with the outwardly show. He gets straight to it. How many of us cringe when we read this passage because we know our tendency is to do the same. I am wired no differently than a Pharisee. He goes on:

27Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Ouch!

So, the dilemma becomes, if all of us have this proclivity, what then is the anti-proclivity? I believe there is only one way to quiet the goblins of the dark side. The forgiveness and blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But there’s a catch (yeah, isn’t there always?) To take away the power of these pesky weaknesses, we must believe we are no longer condemned by them. That’s right – the catch is BELIEF! Romans 8:1 states, “1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . . .” What? That’s it? I don’t get it. Well, here is the Message version of verses 1 and 2 which I think help make it plain as day.

1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

That’s what allows me to look inside and not turn away. I am accepted wholly by the one who died for me. I am free! Free to change, to examine, to atone and very importantly, to move on!

So the next time you find yourself obsessing about your appearance, see it as a red flag and ask yourself why. Go ahead, I double dog dare you! In the meantime, take a cue from the one that formed you.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

John 8:36 (NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:34-36 (The Message) Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.

Make Sure To Run Your Race

I have become totally enamored with the movie Secretariat. The telling of the horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973; a feat not accomplished since 1948. On top of that, said Equus Caballus still has the standing records for two of those wins, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, historically winning said Belmont by an unprecedented 31 lengths! Not to be unenthusiastic, but many would say so what? Cool horse, nice story, great athlete or some such musings.

First, I set about to confirm some interesting observations which lead to furious digging into newspaper articles and background information. As I should have expected Hollywood scriptwriters liberally rewrote the timeline and performed their customary massaging of the facts into a seamless fairy tale. At first this really bothered me, but I wanted to continue. So plowing through movie magic dust, I looked to the wisdom of God. The more the story rolled around in my brain, the more I saw a bigger truth, and this one infinitely more worthy. Yes, Hollywood has the luxury of painting its picture in smooth, colorful brush strokes where good triumphs and people are caricatures of themselves. But life isn't like that is it? It's splotchy with big, ugly blobs of paint thrown on and so many splattered colors it becomes mottled and messy with giant black smudges and huge chubby-fingered smears. I'm sure to the naked eye it clearly depicts the strokes of a near-sighted two year old (and at moments a psychotic blind man). Replacing the picturesque and serenely victorious are failures, bad choices, awful judgment, vain pursuits, lack of movement -- a colossal jumble -- but no less triumphant; in truth, more. Greatness is achieved in the midst of the mundane and victory strides on the track of tediousness. So despite the detail manipulation, every word in my opening paragraph is true.

Life is broken and gritty and miracles can still happen.

What set these people apart? What allowed them to share in this extraordinary spectacle? Several things come to mind. Every single partaker in this horse's legendary feats was quite simply carrying out their lives with authenticity. Penny was the right owner seeing this horse’s potential and refusing to yield to pressures to sell. Eddie was the best horse companion and groomer. Lucien was the perfect trainer, Ms. Ham, the loyal family secretary and confidante. Ronnie Turcotte the right jockey. Every one of them being the best that they could be at what they were created and gifted to do. They also demonstrated great commitment and fortitude. No matter how bleak the circumstances appeared, they did not abandon their quest. Lastly, they did not abandon each other - another rousing thumbs up concerning the importance of being in community.

How many times did doubt and despair threaten to overcome our bold owner Mrs. Tweedy? How many times was her marriage on the brink of divorce? How close had Lucien come to retiring before Secretariat? And because I am biased, how many times did Ms. Ham wonder how her life had impact - an unmarried secretary? All is purely speculation I know, but reality dictates there were probably more hopeless moments then this telling reveals. And to that I say AMEN!

I have hopeless moments. Despair surely knows my address and I go to bed countless nights wondering if I did, or ever will, use my God-given giftedness to count for something. None of that, though, bans me from the miracle, if I just hold on and trust in an Almighty God whose brush strokes create the ultimte masterpiece from our finger painting.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV): For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Isaiah 64:4 (NIV): Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Join me in singing, won’t you?

Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When my Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away!

He taught me how (oh, He taught me how)
To wash (to wash, to wash)
Fight and pray (to fight and pray)
Fight and pray
And he taught me how to live rejoicing
yes, He did (and live rejoicing)
Oh yeah, every, every day (every, every day)
(oh yeah) Every day!

I have reprinted an excerpt from a letter Penny Tweedy’s youngest son, John, wrote commenting on the movie:

"The movie does, indeed, glamorize and improve on my family's situation in the early 1970s, as it sanitizes the cultural context of that era. In real life, we Tweedys were more riven and frayed by the large and small conflicts of the time, and by the pressures of celebrity into which we were suddenly thrust. The wars between our parents were more bitter, the marriage more broken, and we kids were more alienated and countercultural than the movie depicts . . . . And on that day in June 1973, when he [Secretariat] blew away the field in the Belmont Stakes, he transcended argument, rivalry, even transcended sport itself. In that moment Secretariat gave my family, and gave the public, something like grace." [My personal comment – something exactly like grace!]

Here kitty, kitty. Niiiiiice kitty.

I have recently acquired another cat. The whys and wherefores of my choice are boggling to the mind considering the fact that I am moderately to severely disabled with m.s. Maybe I was a quart low on chaos. This is not a kitten. She is a 14-year old, one-eyed cat who has had only one owner since a fluffball and lived in the same house. She's lovely and was in desperate need of a good home, and since kitties come here to be spoiled, it seemed the reasonable choice. I want to love and help her, she needs love and help.

It's been about a week now and at first things seemed to be rolling right along. She and my cat hissed a little, but nothing major and I started to feel fairly positive about the whole situation. And then . . . I came home one night this week, walked in the room and began the new ritual with the new houseguest – I bring the food, she comes out for dinner and a pet, when . . . WHAMMO – ATTACK CAT came out to play and I found that my hand had become the main course. I don't know if I rushed things with trying to integrate living spaces, or if the desperation had worn off my new charge and the fear of the unknown had settled in, but something went haywire. Contemplating the situation (as I cried and soaked my hand in hydrogen peroxide), I started to think about the picture as a whole. Here was this little fuzzy thing that had spent her entire life with one person. She had a home she knew, a territory that smelled like her and nothing was a surprise or presented any fear given her limited sight. Now here she is where NOTHING is familiar; new house, new caretaker, new sibling (that hisses and growls her welcome), new smells, news food, new litter accommodations, new, new, new, new! I can only imagine that she is terrified. Terrified and defensive and suspicious; about me, about everything.

It was then I started seeing the parallels in my relationship with God. My health seems to be deteriorating at a very rapid rate. I'm losing abilities right and left; even the simplest of chores is fading into the background; a severely diminished social calendar. A hazy, not altogether pleasant future looming ahead and I, like kitty, am terrified, defensive and suspicious. I began recollecting how many times I have bitten the hand of God recently. He is the bringer of my sustenance, my caretaker; in fact my very survival depends on Him. And yet, when I let the fear of the future, the “why me” self-pity, or the jealousy and often anger that lurks just beneath the surface directed at everyone who can do what I can't, I snap and lay it all on God – biting and scratching, kicking and screaming. “Why won't you help me?” “How can you say you love me and watch me struggle like this?” “Why won't you rescue me?” I'M SCARED!

I know with kitty it will take time. I have to prove to her I am trustworthy. I am sure I'm not much different. I stopped to consider the massive collection of times God and the love of Jesus Christ has proven they are trustworthy. My provision is whole and complete. I live in a lovely place, have the support of amazing people, have a job where they like me and I like them – a steady paycheck being a huge blessing alone in today's economy. I have health insurance, and the list goes on and on. God is present. God is living up to His promises every moment of every day. He is here with me. Whether I need guidance, protection, comfort, friendship, unconditional love, forgiveness, grace. He offers them all and more with overflowing hands.
My responsibility is to constantly remind myself of that truth through His word and His actions, so that when the waves of change and difficulty come I am filled with confidence and praise instead of fear and distrust.

Genesis 28:15 (NIV): "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Jeremiah 1:8 (NIV): "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.