Demolition

Imagine that you are walking the streets of Europe and you happen upon the Cistene Chapel. You enter, look at the ceiling and decide that something is missing and so you get an enormous ladder, a paint brush, a color palette and a drop cloth, and then get busy improving the work of Michelangelo. 

Or perhaps you are strolling near a cafe, realize you are in front of the Louvre, and go in determined to make Miss Mona look happier by putting a twinkle in her eyes and some color in her cheeks.

Appalling thoughts, aren't they?

Yesterday when I wrote about God completing us, there was an aspect I hadn't considered until this morning.

What if our work in progress is actually part restoration to what God originally intended for us before we took it upon ourselves to make the changes we commissioned without His approval? What if our Construction Zone is also a Deconstruction Zone?

From personal experience over the last seven months, this is what I can say I have seen of this:

* God has never intended us to run around worn out and exhausted, too tired to do what actually matters most. When neccessary, He will intervene, forcing us to slow down and remove the excess until we are functioning in the capacity He intended before we added all the extras we deemed made us worthy, valuable, or indispensable.

* God will make an appearance in the areas of our lives where we have put an unhealthy focus on what we want in order to make His purpose for said aspect of our lives clear. Our extremes will be thwarted one way or another.

* God will relentlessly pursue our hearts on these matters from different angles until we are ready to see it and humbly submit.

Unfortunately God is not likely to take many of us up on a mountain top for forty days to show us exactly what our lives are supposed to look like. He gave Moses a blue print to follow because He knew Moses could handle it. But He knows we can't. Our hearts would abandon God the second they knew exactly what He expected because we wouldn't need Him to lead us day by day. Sadly we also tend to get distracted by ads, magazine covers, other people, and anything else that enters into our hearts and minds through our eyes and ears and that we decide to run with. 

But on the off chance God would show us exactly what He planned from the start for every aspect of our lives, how off-course would we be? And would we be willing to acknowledge how much of that was because we turned to the right or left instead of staying straight?

As His masterpiece we have to realize that He knows so much more about what will bring us His deep and lasting joy. So whether we feel like we are being built up or completely dismantled, let's choose to believe that He is not only good and knows what He is doing, but that His completed work will not only be what we would have done if we knew what He does, but that He will speak over it and declare it very good.

Construction Zone

Confession: I have never seen Jerry Maguire. Honestly I don't think I ever will. I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise and truthfully never have been. As a matter of fact, in the spirit of full disclosure, I don't even know that I've ever seen all of Top Gun. (And all the women close to my age just audibly gasped with their hand over their mouth.) I know, odd one out over here.

But despite never seeing the movie, I do know the famous lines......One by Renee Zellweger (You had me at hello) and the other by Tom Cruise (You complete me).

While there is no scientific study related to this comment, I would guess that one line by Tom Cruise has done more harm than good. As a woman, I can honestly say that I would love for my husband to say that I complete him. To feel completely and totally irreplaceable as if he would up and die without me, that the world would stop turning, and that his life would cease to have meaning if I were not in it. Ego? No, I don't think so. A desperate desire to feel valuable, treasured, and needed, no doubt.

But as romantic as that notion might be, it's not only unrealistic, it's incredibly unhealthy. When we find our value and worth in anyone else that is just as human and flawed as we are, we are setting ourselves up for loads of disappointment and heartache. We were not designed to carry that kind of pressure or manage that expectation.

This morning I started a new devotional by Michele Cushatt called I Am. She wrote something I want to share and encourage us with: When you and I look in the mirror and struggle to see evidence of a marvelous creation, it's simply because we're catching a glimpse of a work in progress. (p. 29)

If you are local, how many times do we walk into Giant Eagle and see a sign that says Pardon our mess while we remodel? Or for that matter any store? Why? Because they know that what we expect to see is different than what we are about to see. Improvements are being made whether it's to the flow of merchandise or the aesthetics of the store with fresh paint, flooring, or decor. Improvements that aren't quite finished yet. And heaven forbid you walk into one of the newly designed Targets unaware of some of the changes they've made. Goodness gracious, their cosmetic department now looks like that store in the mall or that other store that is usually close to a mall. And the teen section? Oy! The one I was recently in had music playing. Target NEVER has music playing.

Sorry, rabbit trail.

The point is this. We can't accurately assess the position we are in at any given point because we are constantly a work in progress. We may see capital improvements along the way, but even those things will eventually become outdated and we end up in another major overhaul. It's the concept of pruning. And if I have learned anything, it's that pruning, while purposeful, is still painful. (You can use that. It preaches all by itself which is why I keep it on repeat in my head.) Not only is it an uncomfortable process, but sometimes it can be a real eye-sore to look at.

So what does that have to do with Jerry Maguire and being completed? We can't complete ourselves and no one we know can complete us either. The only one in charge of any rennovations is the one who created and designed us in the first place. We can resist or submit to the process, but we really have no control over it. But the good news is that the one who started it, will see it through to His perfect completion.

Wherever we find ourselves today, let's remember that nothing about our lives (our homes, our callings, our kids, marriages, or stuff) will ever be able to complete us. And if we are tempted to be unhappy with anything we see, maybe we need to put on a hard hat and slap up some yellow tape that says Construction Zone to remember that the work isn't done, but that when it is, it will be a thing of unmistakable beauty.

The Bodyguard

This might be quite possibly the worst example I will ever use to illustrate a point, but it's the best one I've got and it's a true story.

When I was in college there was a girl that did not like me. I am not going to say that her dislike was unwarranted, but I wasn't the only guilty party. Unfortunately, I was the easiest target. Anyway.

On the weekends in my senior year, I had quite a happy social life. That is until a very brief period of time when her presence in the same places I liked to go began to hinder my enjoyment of said places. But, it's where I liked to go, it's where my friends wanted to go, and I didn't want her dislike of me or my perceived threats to stop me. So I went. But every single time I walked in the door, I was undeniably looking over my shoulder nervous, afraid, and paranoid.

While one evening something did unfold, it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated it would be. But that one incident made me wonder if another might eventually happen. Until I told the one person I believed could/would protect me at all cost.

See, I had a friend that was a rather intimidating presence. I loved him so much. He was the sweetest, kindest, funniest guy I knew. And I asked him if he would go with me because I knew with him by my side, I had absolutely nothing to fear. Not because the situation wasn't still scary, but because I knew who was with me and that his ability to handle anything was unquestionable.

And the reality is, this is no different than what God says. In Deuteronomy 20:1 (CSB) reads, When you got out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. (emphasis mine)

Did you catch that? It says don't be afraid of them because the LORD your God is with you, not because they aren't bigger, scarier, or more equipped. God isn't asking us to deny reality, He's asking us to trust Him and His ability to handle the situation.

While this may be a horrible way of putting it, this is just like when I went out with my bodyguard and felt more confident that no harm would come my way. The only difference is that my bodyguard was human and not guaranteed a victory while God is not human and already has my victory.

As this brand new week kicks off, let's ask God to help us remember that He is always with us, that He will not leave nor forsake us, and that He is worthy of our trust. If He hasn't let us fall up to this point, I'm thinking He isn't about to drop us now.

The Sabbath

Weekly Recap ~ March 5 thru March 9

Monday, March 5, 2018

If you watched Friends, you probably remember the episode where we learned what UNAGI means. The question is are we more aware of our surroundings than what's actually going on.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

When preparation meets opportunity.....

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Relationships......God's lesson on humility to try to not do it all ourselves.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Pride is the root, forgetfulness is the fruit.

Friday, March 9, 2018

If we don't even know the answer to the first part, we can't answer the question at all. 

Ten Word Question

In his new book  Not God Enough, J.D. Greear poses a question that might be the hardest question we will ever answer. I'm sharing it here because it's Friday and I don't post new things on the weekend so it will give us all something to think about. And with Good Friday just three weeks away, maybe by Easter will have some ability to answer it.

Is what you are living for worth him dying for? (emphasis his, p. 152)

I'm almost through this book. And I can tell you without hesitation it is a challenging read and well worth the investment. It's not like reading Tim Keller where you have to have absolute silence or an updated classic of Andrew Murray where you can only take little chunks at a time. He is a relatable guy that pastors a church and teaches some really deep theological concepts in ways that help the reader get the magnitude of who God is and what His greatest desire is for our lives. 

Have a great weekend!

Undeserved Pursuit

A Vocabulary Lesson

Humility: freedom from pride or arrogance.

Humble: not proud or haughty

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0......boom

Around these parts I've certainly shared my perspective on why it's so important to remember what God has done in our lives. I don't think God was haphazard in using the word remember in Scripture at all. We are called to remember a lot. Why? Pride. 

Deuteronomy 8:14 in the CSB reads be careful that your heart doesn't become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Pride is the root, forgetfulness is the fruit. 

A few verses later we get a stern warning. You may say to yourself, 'My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,' but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17 CSB)

However, God saves the mic-dropping truth bomb for chapter 9. You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the LORD your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to fulfill the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deuteronomy 9:5-6 CSB)

I promise this post is not meant to beat us up. I swear.

When we read these words it's easy to feel like our lives have just been blown to smitherines. I mean, we all have a degree of pride in our lives and it's not pleasant to have it pointed out. But instead of wallowing in self-pity for thinking we're a horrid people, we can realize something immensely more beautiful. Despite our flaws, desipite our failures, despite our gross imperfections, God truly does love us and He is still faithful to keep His promises. Not because we earned it, not because we deserve it, but because He is good and He is relentlessly pursuing our hearts. And if anything, the reality of this should cause us to humble ourselves the way He's been hoping we would since He first put His breath in our lungs.

If we get nothing else from this, my hope and prayer is that we understand this: While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. He was promised in the beginning, He came to fulfill that promise, and we have been benefitting from it every day since. We don't get to our promised land because we perfectly follow every command, statute, and decree, we get there because we humbly realize that God is extending something to us that we can never earn, keep, or sustain on our own. It will always be His grace, His love, His compassion, His mercy, and His forgiveness that will lead us there as we respond to His invitation to fear Him by walking in all His ways, loving Him, and worshipping Him with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12 CSB), no matter how imperfectly we do it.