God is at Work in Hard Seasons

Scripture Reading: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

The other day I was texting with a fellow new mom friend about how chaotic and busy the season of new motherhood felt. We chatted about our shared season of having little ones, a season where you often don’t have a second to check-in on yourself and self-care takes the form of a 5-minute shower twice a week. We echoed each other’s sentiment of being in survival mode. And then these words were laid on my heart: “God is at work in my hard seasons.”

I have seen the mantra “I can do hard things” proclaimed a lot, especially in the past year. There are many days where I rephrase this mantra into “I have no choice but to do hard things”, but that isn’t the whole truth. The truth of the matter is that I can do hard things through Christ as my strength. As I look back on my life and analyze places of the greatest growth in my faith, they are tied to seasons of trial: seasons where I questioned who I was, what my purpose was, and if God really had a plan for my circumstances. I couldn’t see God at work, but I have learned to feel him at work in those seasons. Even when it seems like I am just in survival mode, there are things He is doing to mold, shape and refine me for the work ahead, as hard and painful as that might feel. If you too are experiencing a tough season, I want to encourage you with these three actions.

Look up. Take a second at least once a day to lift up your eyes. Remove your gaze from your circumstances and look up to the God of all comfort, strength, peace and grace, who loves you more than you can even begin to fathom.

Fill your cup. God has put people, positions, passions, and more in your life that require your time and attention. Most of these require much of you every single day. Remember the importance of filling your own cup first, so that you have something to give. This may look different for you than it does for me, but discovering what it is that fills your cup, can be one of the greatest gifts you can give to those around you.

Flower where you’re planted. I’m not sure about you, but I have killed many plants from overwatering them. Many plants need dry, parched conditions to thrive. You might find yourself in such conditions right now, and I encourage you to flower right where you are. Dry seasons are not without moments of joy and triumph. Your dry season, and the flowering you do in your dry season, will speak of God’s glory more than any #the-struggle-is-real Instagram post. Your flowers will speak to others in ways that only God can orchestrate and you might be just the encouragement someone needs to look for the blessings in their season.

“Gracious God, I ask that you draw us near to you. May we look to you for our help and strength, no matter our circumstances. May we seek to glorify you in all that we say and do, and we commit all our seasons to your ultimate glory. Amen.”

Speak Out

Scripture Reading:  “. . . as [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” Acts 4:1-4

These days your words can get you in trouble. Saying the wrong thing can get you a reprimand in some quarters or even cost you your job. Words matter. 

That’s no less true for Christians living out their faith in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. We live in a day when Isaiah’s words of warning couldn’t be more true:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20

Today loud voices say you’re evil, dark, bitter if you’re a Christian. We can add hateful to Isaiah’s list.  In times like these, dare we identify ourselves as Christians? Dare we reach out to others with the Good News about Jesus Christ? There could be a price to pay, as Peter and John experienced in their day.

It’s tempting to avoid trouble by hiding our faith, blending in, or fleeing the situation before we can be found out. But that creates a dilemma, because Jesus said, “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes . . . .” (Luke 9:26). Who wants that?

The other option is to believe, be bold, and speak out—in love. That seems insanely counterintuitive, but remember: We’re in a battle, not with people, but with dark forces in the spiritual realm. Paul told the Ephesians, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, . . . authorities, . . . cosmic powers over this present darkness, . . . spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). When we love people, even the ones who despise us and find us annoying, we’re doing what Jesus bid us to do (Matthew 5:44), and we’re following His example. Haters can become believers. Enemies can become friends. Remember Saul who became Paul? And we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is working in people’s hearts, just like He did in ours by convicting us of sin and leading us to faith in Jesus Christ. And He’s still using believers to reach nonbelievers. 

It can be scary. Even the Apostle Paul needed prayer for words and boldness, asking the Ephesian church to pray “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20). And what about Peter and John, whose words got them in trouble? Two things: (1) Some 5,000 became believers (Acts 4:4); (2) they reported everything to their friends, prayed together, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and continued to speak out with boldness (Acts 4:23-24, 31).

“Dear Father, empower us as believers in Jesus Christ to be light bearers in a dark world getting darker; channels of love in all its expressions in a time of division, distrust, and hate; victors in life, no matter what present battles we’re facing; and clear, calm voices boldly speaking the truth in love. Thank You for Your Spirit, working in us and through us, working in the hearts of those around us, some of whom will believe, if we speak out. Amen.”

A Love Story…Love for Family, Love for God

Scripture Reading: “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  (Psalms. 118:24)

This is one of my favorite verses. I start my morning prayer with this verse every day. It’s a verse that I relate to and a reminder that God is the one in control but it’s up to me to choose whether I’m grateful and/or joyful or whether I respond in a different way. This is a comfortable verse for me because I am grateful for each day and life is generally pretty good. It’s easy to be grateful and joyful when life is pretty good. However, I recognize that other people have circumstances in their lives that make this verse more challenging in terms of “rejoicing and being glad in it”. Trials present themselves and life starts to feel less gratifying and less joyful.  How do we respond?

Last year I wrote a blog about a friend, “G”, who had suffered a life-threatening injury and how inspired I was by the way her family responded to this tragedy. I knew this was a strong family of faith but was completely in awe of how they were handling the situation. “T”, her husband, from the day of her injury had emphasized to his girls that each day was a gift, and they would praise God for any time they had, or any progress made. At the time no one knew what her future would look like. That is still true a year later. Because of the severity of her injury her health care has been extremely challenging including intensive care and long-term rehabilitation. To make the situation more difficult the world saw the emergence of Covid 19 which changed everything, including the approach and availability of medical care and rehabilitation. Because of Covid no one from her family could be with her in the medical rehab facility so they decided to take her home and provide 24-hour care. Their support team, which had included medical professionals and dozens of friends and family, was reduced down to her husband, her sister, and a mother/daughter care team. They, as a family, were, and continue to be, exhausted but have never given up hope. For most of us it would be difficult to continue to thank the Lord and be grateful or joyful for these circumstances. The family posts a daily blog to keep all of us informed on her progress. Every single post, while sometimes uplifting, sometimes depressing, never fails to give thanks to the Lord and show gratitude for the gift of that day.

From the outside looking in this has been a painful journey to watch. However, it is also a story of amazing love of family members and love between this family and God. Painful to have so many unknowns and yet beautiful in that they have never blamed God or lost faith. I’m sure they have questions and ask “why” but that has never been their focus. The family refers to her journey as a marathon, not a sprint. They ask for prayers for their endurance and her healing. They are joyful with each small victory in her recovery and consider it their ministry to provide love and care. I think of James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”.    

The family’s daily post, written by her husband, recently stated,“G” and I have talked about thanking him (God) for whatever comes our way. If we had his perspective, we could see why this is happening and the good that will come from it. I remind “G”, God must be really doing some good through our present trial. She seems to trust that encouragement and have hope in his promises.”

In my life I have had seasons of highs and lows but nothing to this degree. This family inspires me every day to strive to have their complete trust in our Lord! They have shown me how to take each day and appreciate the gifts it brings. To me they embody Psalm 11:24 and how important it is, even when life isn’t that easy.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of this beautiful family. We are so grateful that you never leave us to go through trials alone. Please help us continue to learn from you and to bring honor through our perseverance. In your precious name we pray. Amen.”

That Was Then, This Is Now

Scripture Reading: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

I haven’t traveled extensively, but have stepped foot in Washington, D.C. and Washington state; Toronto and Tijuana; Burlington, Wisconsin and Bermuda and several places in between. All have been memorable, but none so memorable as my trip to Israel. In my planning, I anticipated “walking where Jesus walked” and experiencing the Holy Land first-hand. Nothing - not even Pastor Gabe’s telling us how life-altering it would be - prepared me for what happened there.

I’m an “outline,” step-by-step, measure-twice-cut-once kind of person. This first, this next, then this - you get the picture. Why was I so surprised that the itinerary didn’t start in Bethlehem and end at Calvary? I mean, if I were to walk in His steps, wouldn’t we go where He went, the way He went, in the order He went? I am so glad we didn’t, as it enabled me to concentrate on where I was, rather than ponder the next location. So I focused on each step, which, by the way, is good advice when walking the sandal-polished stones of Jerusalem’s ancient streets! 

With each step where Jesus’s feet touched, “Jesus was HERE!” filled my thoughts…the small portion of stairway leading to the temple, still visible since He first walked those stones;  the tortuous path to Golgotha, including one spot His blood and sweat most assuredly dripped onto the pavement; the Sea of Galilee’s sandy shore; the short path between Peter’s house and the nearby synagogue; the actual stairs He climbed to Caiaphas’s house; and the Garden of Gethsemane. 

It happened in the Garden. Beautiful. Quiet. Peaceful. Yet, in the stillness, was an awareness of Jesus’s agony as He cried out to the Father, beseeched his companions to watch with Him, sweat great drops of blood, and surrendered to the perfect will of God. Imagining how it was, I prayed step-by-step through that Garden, telling myself again, “Jesus was HERE!” Suddenly, overwhelmingly, I sensed His presence, and heard Him speak to my heart, “I am here with you NOW!” There. There it was. As awesome, as inspiring, as emotional as it was to have planted my feet where He had planted His, it was there, in that Garden, that He reminded me in no uncertain terms that He is with us in the NOW. He agonized in the Garden there and then so He could be with us here and now. In every moment, every day, every triumph, every trial, He IS with us… in the exciting and the mundane; in the stress and the calm; in the joy and the grief...not WAS, but IS… Is. With. Us. He lives in the perpetual NOW! I will always treasure having followed His footsteps there and then, but more precious is knowing He’s walking with us here and now. Is your walk difficult? He’s walking with you. Are you plodding through grief? He’s beside you. Are you dancing with joy? He’s dancing with you. In every circumstance, we can embrace Him, His peace, His joy. Here. Now. Forever!

“Lord, thank you that because of your immense love and perfect sacrifice, your everlasting presence is with us in every circumstance and situation. May we always be aware of that presence, knowing you are with us always, for you have said in your Word, “Never will I leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).  Remind us that you are walking with us every step of the way...when we rejoice, when we grieve, in special celebrations or in everyday routines. Let us long to know you more and more on our daily walk with you, as we study your Word, listen for your voice, and submit to your will. Amen.”

Finding Family

Scripture Reading: “Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14

On November 15, 2020 I was baptized at The Point, and this is part of my testimony that was written on that day.

Church has always been a part of my life, and I’ve spent 50 years attending church, serving, teaching, and volunteering. However, I recently began feeling that God was leading me to make a change. My church family and activities were things that I had always enjoyed, but now I seemed to be on a quest for something deeper and truer to the real message of Jesus. I considered making that change and searching for more. 

So I began praying for direction and set out on my journey. Part of my plan was to visit a few local churches. A friend told me about the Point, and the first Sunday I attended just happened to be a celebration of the Point’s 10th anniversary! There were balloons, kettle corn, and other fun surprises, but what stood out most to me were the love I experienced, prayer, and a strong sense of family. I loved that visit and felt a connection from the first welcoming handshake.  The next Sunday I returned, and even without all the extra celebrations, the love, prayer and sense of family were still there, and were just as energizing and illuminating as before.

Soon I signed up for Growth Track, which has been very helpful to me in discovering my personal strengths and “purposeful design.” I’ve found several opportunities for serving and enjoy it very much. I’m also excited about the small groups I’ve attended and cannot speak highly enough about them and the way they continue to promote a strong sense of family. I highly recommend both of these programs to any new believers or members.

Yes, I felt at home that very first day. And now in our new church facility, the message on the wall reminds me of an amazing concept: “Love God, Love People, Love Life.” In fact, I have been focusing on LOVE, and find that it is a superpower! Jesus is my guide and example. I’ve also been reading God’s Word, journaling and praying the scriptures.

During this process I’ve read a book by Bob Goff- Love Does. The author wrote one line that really stands out to me – “Love is a DO thing.  It’s an energy that has to be dissipated.” This is what The Point is living and what I am aiming to do as well. “We love each other because He loved us first.” (1 John 4:19)  Indeed, God is love, and He graciously puts us in church families where we can receive and share that love with others.

“Thank you, Lord, for your great love for us, and for leading us to walk with you each day. As we follow you on our life’s journey, please guide us into all truth and use us for your kingdom. We love you and give you glory and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Achievable Goals for 2021

Scripture Reading: “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8

Do you like to set goals in a new year? I read somewhere that almost half of Americans make New Year’s resolutions but only 8% stick to their goals. I am definitely not in that 8% successful group! My resolve to be a goal-oriented person starts strongly at 6 a.m. but by 5 p.m. I can have a completely different attitude. For years I gave up making formal resolutions because adhering to them was so tough. It was discouraging to set a goal and miss the mark time and time again. “Maybe I’m not setting the right goals,” I eventually concluded. “Maybe there’s a better way to help my growth and development. What does God think about all of this?” I wondered.

We’re far enough into 2021 to see it will require a lot of flexibility to function well. Amidst a different set of challenging circumstances, the prophet Isaiah realized something special about God’s people. He noted that are we being *made* by God’s hand. We are clay, not a finished project yet, still in the development phase.

When a work of pottery is being created, it is the maker who chooses how to shape the object. The potter decides what to make the clay into and what traits it will have. Our development process is the same. God, our Potter, is molding us into something new. He picks our features and purposes. He shapes us into what He wills us to be.  

In a world of Covid, personal, political, and economic crises, God shows us through his word he wants to mold our hearts and lives. He desires to shape us into His pre-planned pottery! God has goals for YOU in 2021.

As you consider setting resolutions for this year or lament the ones you have already made and broken, what would it look like to embrace what God is teaching you in this season rather than make plans exclusively based off human objectives?

Ask God specifically what traits He wants to birth in you in this season. What are His goals for your heart? Recently, He showed me that He wants me to become more mature by learning patience. And thank God, He has given me an abundance of opportunities to embrace it and practice patience in this crazy world! What is God molding you to be? Rather than fighting against the process, how can you welcome the Lord’s goals for you and embrace the ways He shapes you? You will find incredible purpose and success this year if you seek the Lord’s objectives for you, because God never fails at His goals.

“Father, You are the Potter and I am the clay. I surrender to You. Soften my heart and show me how You want me to grow in this season. I want to embrace Your work in me, not fight against it.”