The Race

Bella, at age 3, is in constant motion, but she's not always going in the direction we want her to go. Sometimes, I'll say, "Let's race to the kitchen" or wherever I need her to be. So, we stand side by side in the room we are in and she'll point to the floor and say, "Mamaw, this is the finish line".

I keep telling her "No, that's the starting line.  The finish line is in the other room," but she doesn't seem to understand that just yet.

Wouldn't it be nice if the race, with all its blood, sweat, and tears, was already run?  Right now, when the world seems to be upside down and we're all snuggled into our homes practicing "social distancing" - wouldn't it be great if the danger was over and life was back to normal?  It takes a lot of effort, discipline, and intestinal fortitude to deal with all the problems life gives to us.  Life is difficult and nobody likes things to be hard.  We like the celebration at the end when we've met a goal, but not so much the work that it takes to reach that goal.

The New Testament references the term "race" often.  Paul was bound, in chains, and on his way to  tribulation in Jerusalem when he said, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)

He later encourages believers by saying, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ( 1 Corinthians 9:24).

Nearing the end of his life, he states, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Reminding us that we are all in this together, he says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

You see, the race isn't part of the Christian life - it IS the Christian life.  Sometimes the road we're running on is flat and pleasant; other times it is rocky and the rain obscures our vision as we run, but we're always racing.  Right now, you may be racing by becoming a schoolteacher/parent, or by working from home, or by losing income and trusting God for provision, or by working many hours caring for those who are sick with any of the hundreds of things that can attack a human body, including COVID-19.

In the natural, if you ever see me running, it will only be because someone is chasing me! Running is not my preferred mode of exercise.  I've never experienced a "runner's high" which is a feeling of  stress lifting, a feeling of elation, and decreased sensitivity to pain.  This comes due to a release of endorphins (a natural chemical in your body) that occurs when you exercise.

However, one thing I have learned in my race of life is that the sweetest times - those times of joy, a reduction of stress, and less pain in my life, happen when I'm actively pursuing God - often in some of the worst circumstances of my life when joy seems to be the last thing I'd be feeling, when stress and pain are high.  The exercise of the pursuit is what releases the Holy Spirit's ministry in my life and produces that which is needed.  As my pastor preached to an empty room this morning via the internet, he said that when you don't know what to do, you should wait upon the Lord, worship in the midst of the situation, and you will win the race.

Red Light, Green Light

Our house is operating on a "no vacancy" basis these days.  Our son, his wife, and our granddaughter are moving into our home because they are in the process of selling their house.  Needless to say, adjustments are having to be made.  We're making room for their essentials, packing up some of our non-essentials to free up space, navigating how to share the rooms, deciding who is responsible for what household tasks, and trying our best to be patient and gracious with each other.

My son and I both work full-time, so we're away from the house more than we are home, but that leaves my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter (Bella), and my husband to spend our workdays there without us. 

Now you have to understand that of the four adults in the household, my husband is Bella's favorite.  She absolutely loves her Papaw.  I know she loves her mother too, but if we'd let her, she'd spend most of her waking moments back in our bedroom, watching "Bella shows" with her Papaw.

Paul also loves her very much, but he is accustomed to having his entire day to himself.  He spends 90% of it in our room where he has a television, a tablet, his books, a bathroom, and a comfortable recliner.  He only has to come out into the rest of the house when he needs food.  So, his days of quiet reading, watching war movies, napping at will, and doing what he pleases have effectively ended. 

In an effort to make sure he doesn't start a mutiny in the house, I have devised a plan.  Since Bella has started sitting front-facing in her car seat, we've been teaching her what the red and green lights on the stop signals mean.  She will watch for them and will give the current driver of the van directions on what to do when she sees them. So my brilliant idea was to tape a piece of either green or red paper on the bedroom door to signal to Bella whether she was free to knock on the door to get her Papaw's attention or whether she should stay in the living room with her mother.  So far, it's working.  She caught onto the concept pretty quickly.  The first morning the system went into effect, she stood in the hallway and yelled, "Papaw, is it red?" 

I absolutely do not blame Paul for needing that "alone" time.  There are times that I need a "Bella break" myself.  However, it made me think today how thankful I am that our heavenly Father never puts up a "do not disturb" sign that keeps us away from Him.  He is always and instantly available to us, even if we are not on our best behavior or are there asking Him the same "why" question for the fifteenth time.  He is endlessly patient in a way that we as human beings have a difficult time emulating.

Psalm 46:1 says,  "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." That sounds like a father who is there for us without hesitation.  There is no waiting area outside His throne room.

Psalm 125:18-19 tells us that " The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them."  Our Abba is not far away and available by appointment only.  In the uncertain times that the world is experiencing right now, He is not silent, He is not absent. He is as close to you as the air you breathe. He knows, He cares, and He's never too preoccupied to listen to what is on your heart.  Don't forget to take advantage of that constant green light.

Being an Instrument

We often say that we desire to be an instrument in the hands of God - to do His will and to minister to others by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to do His work through us.  Something about being an instrument was said in passing in church this morning and it started me thinking about musical instruments and how they might teach me something about being used by God for His purposes.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13)

An instrument doesn't function on its own.  It only fulfills its true purpose when it is the hands of a master.  When the right person is in control, the music that flows from the horn or the violin or the flute is beautiful and controlled and has an effect on the hearts and minds of those who hear it.  We may try to function on our own.  We can rely on what we know about God and what we have learned about ministering to go through the motions, but unless we are truly yielded to the Holy Spirit, our actions can be just meaningless religious activity.

An instrument must be in good condition to work as it should.  If it has been neglected, the notes won't be true or in tune. We must take care of our physical bodies as well as our spiritual health to be in a position to be ready to obey whatever directions we are given by God. We need to know His Word to be prepared to function as we should.

An instrument has a unique sound.  A composer uses the different tones in a variety of instruments to make one harmonious piece of music.  If all the sounds were the same, the richness of the composition would be lost. Instruments function in different ways.  Some bring their sound when they are struck, like a drum or a piano.  Others have air blown through them like a clarinet or a trombone.  Others yield their sound from the vibration of strings like a violin or a guitar.  In the same way, all of us have different gifts and talents and we are varied expressions of the love of God to others.  We need to appreciate the differences among us and to expect unity, but embrace the different ways we contribute.

Instruments can vary their sound depending on what the composer and the conductor require for a piece of music.  Notes may be played quietly or loudly.  The tempo of various pieces of music is quite different.  The pitch of the notes may be low bass notes or very high notes.  We need to look at the music that God has written for us in His Word and adjust our responses to what He has designed.  The Holy Spirit is our conductor, guiding us to exactly how He wants a situation to be handled at any given moment.

Sometimes an instrument plays a solo, while other times it combines its sound with many others to contribute to an orchestra of instruments working together toward the same goal.  In our lives, there may be times when God calls us to do something on our own, without the presence of other Christians, so we need to have mastery of the Word and be connected with God for ourselves to be obedient to that call.  Other times we are part of a team effort and must learn how to cooperate with our brothers and sisters to fulfill God's purpose.

An instrument left in its case and never removed to be played is a tragic waste of the material from which it is made.  So much potential is bottled up inside that enclosure when there is so much beauty to be created with its use.  If you aren't functioning in the kingdom you are creating a lost opportunity where there could be such joy generated.  Won't you consider unlocking the walls around yourself, tuning up your instrument and placing yourself in the hands of a true Virtuoso who can take your life and play the most beautiful, unique music for the rest of the world to hear?

Three Instructions

Life can be incredibly frustrating for all of us sometimes.  It can be especially so when you are a three-year-old, like my granddaughter, Bella. So much is out of her control.  Her family has spent the last couple of weekends at our house, as they often do, and on several occasions on those days, I would hear her cry or whimper about something that was going wrong in her little world.  It could be as simple as not being able to reach something she wanted or a toy not functioning as it should.

Instead of letting her fuss about the situation or quickly solving her problem for her, I tried to teach her the same thing I taught her father and her aunt when they were young. 

These were my simple words. "Don't cry, ask for help, solve the problem."  If I said them once, I said them 20 times over a period of just a few days.  I'd dry her tears, remind her to ask for assistance, and then together, we'd figure out what to do to take care of the issue.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that it's been about six weeks since I posted anything.  There was no big crisis going on in my life.  I haven't been any busier than usual.  I'm not angry or depressed or sick or frustrated, yet I've just felt strangely disconnected - unable to hear from God.  With no insight from Him, there was no blog post to write on those Sundays. I didn't want to write out of my own mind - I try to only write from what God gives me.

Since I didn't understand why I was experiencing what I was going through, I just tried to ignore it and I distracted myself with my daily responsibilities and entertainments.  I was inwardly frustrated and whining, just like Bella.

After I'd repeated those words to her a handful of times, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Listen to your own advice!" What He was trying to tell me was that when I find myself in a situation I don't understand, a season that confuses me, that I should stop fussing about it, ask Him for help, and solve the problem.

I finally did that last Sunday morning.  Standing in a worship service, I breathed a prayer asking God to help me name what was happening in my life so I could stand against it, instead of trying to ignore it.  Just moments later, someone spoke a word over me assuring me that this time of dryness, of not being able to hear from God, was over - that very day. The emotional and mental issues that I hadn't even recognized in myself were touched and healed and a time of refreshing had come.

Psalm 34:18-19 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."

When those troubling times of confusion come, that's when the Lord is close to us.  We may be in the middle of a frustrating problem, but this scripture reminds us that the help we need is in God.  We need to shake off those tears and groans of whatever burden we are bearing, ask for help, and let the Holy Spirit lead us to the solution.