This blog has become an outpouring of what's on my heart. Today, a woman named Wanda is on my heart and I want to share part of her story with you.
Just a few months after we moved to Orange Park, we met Wanda. Wanda was an older, single woman with a big, beautiful heart. She suffered from numerous health issues that kept her from working the job she loved dearly, nursing. However, she also dearly loved children and she bonded quickly with my daughter, who was just over a year old at the time.
I had begun teaching a Bible study on Wednesday mornings and needed someone to watch Karis for a couple of hours every week. Wanda offered to do so, for free, that was just who she was, but we compromised and we paid her a bit here and there, while also helping in other ways, rides to doctor's appointments or the store, etc, since she didn't drive. Through the next two years, she and Karis foraged a special bond and Wanda became a big part of our family. Even when I stopped teaching due to pregnancy, Wanda was still there, willing to give me a break from my sweet but demanding 3 year old. I never worried about Karis when she was with Wanda, and that's really saying something when a mom can not worry about her child. Every time Karis came home, she would have a new craft and a ton of stories about what she and "Deeda" did that day. We would sit in Wanda's living room, urging Karis to put on her shoes and chatting for a few minutes before we headed home. Her pack n play took up permanent residence in Wanda's apartment until she outgrew it. She would often beg to go play at Deeda's house, even when we had nothing going on and if Wanda was feeling well, she always welcomed her.
Today, around 9:30 this morning, my husband showed up unexpectedly at the house. I could tell right away something was off as he went directly to Karis and greeted her and then came in the bedroom and sat on the bed beside me, without saying much. I knew he wasn't angry and not really thinking about his silence, I began chatting about our morning when I could tell by the look on his face that wasn't why he was home and I stopped talking.
He took a deep breath and started with, "I really hate having to tell you this..."
My heart sank. I knew what was next. I don't know how or why, I just knew.
"...but Wanda died. They found her this morning."
I was shocked, but not surprised as Wanda's health had recently taken a turn for the worse. The last I'd heard from her was a voicemail a few days before. I was helping Karis and couldn't get to the phone, telling myself "If it's super important, she'll call back, she always does." The phone never rang again. Later, I listened to the voicemail and was struck by the difference of attitude I sensed in Wanda's voice but didn't put 2 and 2 together until later. She was just calling to tell me she was sick again and that she wanted to let me know and to call her back to talk when I could. Not being a big phone talker and totally lost in my own pregnant world, I took a moment to respond to her on Facebook (a normal way for us to correspond), letting her know I was sorry to hear that and we had backups for Karis in case I went into labor before she got better, but I didn't call back. I had become distracted again by my own thoughts. Was I ever going to go into labor? Was Jacob small due to just being small or was he not growing? Which backup were we going to call if I did go into labor?
While I rejoice that Wanda has now experienced the ultimate healing, I grieve that I didn't answer the phone. I grieve that I didn't call her back. I grieve that I let my own thoughts and desires cloud my intuition and showing this special woman that she was loved and cared for. I'll never get that time back.
I'm under no illusions that I could have prevented her death. I truly believe it was her time, her body was tired, as was her spirit. But perhaps I could have provided some peace and assurance that despite her problems, she was deeply loved and appreciated by many, many people. I'd told her Happy Birthday on Facebook the day before and planned to buy her a gift and drop it off with her monthly check, but I never got the chance. She was always forgiving of my scatterbrained ways, knowing that I often forgot things like that. Now, I'll never get that chance back. It seems that self-centeredness, even with a "good reason" like pregnancy, is no comfort in the face of loss.
When we told Karis, she asked if she could go play with Deeda when she got back from seeing Jesus. With tears in my eyes, I told her I wish it worked like that. She is only 3, so she doesn't yet realize the permanence of death. I don't know if she will remember her times with Wanda at all when she's older - but I do know that I will. I will remember the beautiful, loving woman who loved my baby girl without reservation when we were so far from our own families. And I will grieve the loss we feel here on Earth. I may not be able to attend her service since I'm due to have our Jacob any day now, so here are my parting words to our dearest Deeda.
Wanda - I am so sorry for the pain you endured in your life. I miss you already. Karis misses you already. You were and still are dearly loved. I rejoice that you have finally found peace and rest in the arms of your Savior and I know he greeted you with the the salutation of "good and faithful" servant. You brightened our days and most of all, you loved others in the best way you knew how. Especially your "short person friends". There's a big, giant Wanda-shaped hole left in our hearts and it will not be filled until we see you again, on the other side of this life. I hope that Jesus had a big pile of snow waiting for you when you got there. We love you and we'll miss you. I love you and I miss you. I can't believe that you're gone. I can't believe that I'll never again sit in your apartment, rolling my eyes at my crazy daughter and listening to your stories. I grieve that you didn't get to see Jacob in the flesh. I wish I had taken the time to cherish every moment just a little bit more. Life hasn't stopped, the world continues to turn, but it did get a little less brighter in our little corner.
Goodbye for now, my friend, our Deeda.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
I'm still here. By choice.
Well, it seems I've accomplished the near impossible and avoided early induction, despite being a gestational diabetic - can you believe it??? I went in for my 39 week appointment today and was surprised when there was no midwife or doctor around, just the lab girls and the sonographer. (By the way, they were totally using the flower pens I made them from my extra supplies, lol!) I had my weekly NST and ultrasound to check the placenta and all that good stuff, and as usual, everything looked fine. I've kept my blood sugar controlled with diet and haven't had any abnormal numbers, in fact, Jacob is only measuring about 7 lbs, perfectly normal size. I was told my OB would take a look at the NST and ultrasound results and if there was a problem, he'd call me. It's now close to 7PM and I've heard nothing. I called before they closed just to make sure I was good and they gave me the all clear - "Come back for your appointment Monday if you haven't gone into labor." I guess since all my numbers (weight, BP, sugars, etc) have been holding steady, there's no need to worry or mess with nature.
So how do I feel about this? Overjoyed. Terrified. Disbelieving. Wow.
Being 39 weeks pregnant is not comfortable if you're 5'2". There's like, no room left in your torso for more baby, and you sometimes feel as if you need a rolling cart for your rapidly expanding abdomen. I don't think it's very comfortable for any pregnant woman, but I seem to encounter a lot of people that just can't believe I'm still pregnant, even when I say I'm only 39 weeks. (Only?!) I guess induction really is that common? I don't know. And even more unbelievable to most is that I'm choosing to stay pregnant, I'm not one of those poor women who begged to be induced and was told no. In fact, I haven't even employed many of the "natural induction" techniques because as hard as it is, I really do believe in God's perfect timing. After last weeks appointment (in which I was told for the first time that Jacob was measuring "small" and that was scary), I was extremely emotional. While I had effaced a bit more, I hadn't dilated past a 2 or 3, and I've been having mild contractions on and off for weeks. I've been convinced, more than once, that it was "time", only to try resting and timing contractions and have them stop.
It hasn't been easy. I haven't been strong all the way. I've prayed and worried and begged and resolved and resigned and prayed some more. Most of it consisting of "God I just can't do this anymore.... but as Jesus said, not my will, but your will be done" or "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." Sometimes it was "Seriously, Lord, this early labor thing has GOT TO STOP." But, in my heart of hearts, my biggest desire is to see how God is going to work all of this out. To look back and realize that I was in the middle of His working plan. Today, when I got to my appointment and there was no one there to tell me my progress and give me a deadline, I freaked out a bit. I had resolved to submit to a stretch and sweep to get things moving. I was ready to believe my body was broken. And no one was there to confirm that. It's like God was saying, "Will you just chill? I got this, just like you asked." And so I said, "Umm, is that you God?? Better call and make sure." So I did. And was reassured - I'm fine, Jacob is fine. And God said again, "Chill. I got this."
Many believe that before our children are born is when they are closest to God. Even David said God knit him together in his mother's womb, although I prefer to think God crocheted him.... Could it really be that God and Jacob are in cahoots and I'm just a spectator? It's an interesting thought to ponder. Kevin is convinced he will be born on Maundy Thursday. The full moon is Wednesday, so he could be right. Wouldn't it be awesome to tell Jacob the story of his birth, that he came on the day we celebrate "the mandate", the new commandment from Jesus, to love others as he loved us?
I wait with anticipation.
And, until then, yes, I'm "still here", larger than life, uncomfortable, but still joyful in being part of a modern day miracle, the birth of a child.
So how do I feel about this? Overjoyed. Terrified. Disbelieving. Wow.
Being 39 weeks pregnant is not comfortable if you're 5'2". There's like, no room left in your torso for more baby, and you sometimes feel as if you need a rolling cart for your rapidly expanding abdomen. I don't think it's very comfortable for any pregnant woman, but I seem to encounter a lot of people that just can't believe I'm still pregnant, even when I say I'm only 39 weeks. (Only?!) I guess induction really is that common? I don't know. And even more unbelievable to most is that I'm choosing to stay pregnant, I'm not one of those poor women who begged to be induced and was told no. In fact, I haven't even employed many of the "natural induction" techniques because as hard as it is, I really do believe in God's perfect timing. After last weeks appointment (in which I was told for the first time that Jacob was measuring "small" and that was scary), I was extremely emotional. While I had effaced a bit more, I hadn't dilated past a 2 or 3, and I've been having mild contractions on and off for weeks. I've been convinced, more than once, that it was "time", only to try resting and timing contractions and have them stop.
It hasn't been easy. I haven't been strong all the way. I've prayed and worried and begged and resolved and resigned and prayed some more. Most of it consisting of "God I just can't do this anymore.... but as Jesus said, not my will, but your will be done" or "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." Sometimes it was "Seriously, Lord, this early labor thing has GOT TO STOP." But, in my heart of hearts, my biggest desire is to see how God is going to work all of this out. To look back and realize that I was in the middle of His working plan. Today, when I got to my appointment and there was no one there to tell me my progress and give me a deadline, I freaked out a bit. I had resolved to submit to a stretch and sweep to get things moving. I was ready to believe my body was broken. And no one was there to confirm that. It's like God was saying, "Will you just chill? I got this, just like you asked." And so I said, "Umm, is that you God?? Better call and make sure." So I did. And was reassured - I'm fine, Jacob is fine. And God said again, "Chill. I got this."
Many believe that before our children are born is when they are closest to God. Even David said God knit him together in his mother's womb, although I prefer to think God crocheted him.... Could it really be that God and Jacob are in cahoots and I'm just a spectator? It's an interesting thought to ponder. Kevin is convinced he will be born on Maundy Thursday. The full moon is Wednesday, so he could be right. Wouldn't it be awesome to tell Jacob the story of his birth, that he came on the day we celebrate "the mandate", the new commandment from Jesus, to love others as he loved us?
I wait with anticipation.
And, until then, yes, I'm "still here", larger than life, uncomfortable, but still joyful in being part of a modern day miracle, the birth of a child.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
And now for something completely different.
So I usually go off on my theological tangents here on the blog (hence the name) but today, I'm doing something a little different - a tutorial!
The childbirth class Kevin and I have been taking recommends taking some goodies with you to the hospital for the nurses, to thank them for their hard work. This seemed like a fun idea to me, so I asked my sister, the nurse, what would be a good treat. She told me that they love to get candy and pens. I was surprised at first, since our class recommended baked goods, but the more I thought about it, candy and pens seemed way more useful and...well...sanitary - I mean, we're are talking about nurses here. So here's what I came up with, I loved the way it turned out, so I thought I'd share with y'all!
I thought a springy Easter basket with hidden surprises would be fun, so I made the pens look like flowers. The main thing I'll concentrate on is how to make the pens, the basket and the candy are the easy part. You can use any basket and candy you like. We got our basket at World Market for $5, I liked the fun, grassy look it had. We got a huge bag of assorted candy (Hershey's brand) at BJ's for $10, and even had some leftover for our munchkin. I didn't realize until I got home that I got retractable pens instead of regular pens, so I had to get a little creative. They were bulky at first, but I tested them out and the bulk made them easier to grip, so I didn't mind it so much.
Okay, so here's the materials I used for the pens:
We have a stalk of Easter colored daisies from JoAnn (40% off! Woot! I used several stalks), a couple of retractable (or as I like to say "clicky") pens, wire cutters, and Mossy Oak duct tape. I started with floral tape, but it was sticky on both sides, so I had to find something else that I already had and the duct tape did the trick quite nicely. How Duck Dynasty of me, huh?
First I measured out the length of each flower I would need:
I marked a line parallel with the pen grip with a permanent market, making sure to leave room at the top to click the pen, and then measured out the rest as well. (You may be able to eyeball it.) Then came the wire cutters!
I would recommend actual wire cutters and not just scissors because the middle of the stem is fairly thick wire and while scissor will cut it, they'll never be the same afterwards. After I cut the flowers, I got my tape ready to go and lined up the flower stem next to the pen. I put the clip part right up next to the flower stem to reduce the bulk and started taping from the top down, winding at a slight angle.
Once I got to the pen grip, I wrapped only until the plastic part of the pen started to taper, then cut the tape and pressed it into place.
It's as simple as that! I did the rest of the pens, then used the candy in the basket as a foundation to hold them in place.
Here's the finished product:
I hope the nurses love it!
The childbirth class Kevin and I have been taking recommends taking some goodies with you to the hospital for the nurses, to thank them for their hard work. This seemed like a fun idea to me, so I asked my sister, the nurse, what would be a good treat. She told me that they love to get candy and pens. I was surprised at first, since our class recommended baked goods, but the more I thought about it, candy and pens seemed way more useful and...well...sanitary - I mean, we're are talking about nurses here. So here's what I came up with, I loved the way it turned out, so I thought I'd share with y'all!
I thought a springy Easter basket with hidden surprises would be fun, so I made the pens look like flowers. The main thing I'll concentrate on is how to make the pens, the basket and the candy are the easy part. You can use any basket and candy you like. We got our basket at World Market for $5, I liked the fun, grassy look it had. We got a huge bag of assorted candy (Hershey's brand) at BJ's for $10, and even had some leftover for our munchkin. I didn't realize until I got home that I got retractable pens instead of regular pens, so I had to get a little creative. They were bulky at first, but I tested them out and the bulk made them easier to grip, so I didn't mind it so much.
Okay, so here's the materials I used for the pens:
We have a stalk of Easter colored daisies from JoAnn (40% off! Woot! I used several stalks), a couple of retractable (or as I like to say "clicky") pens, wire cutters, and Mossy Oak duct tape. I started with floral tape, but it was sticky on both sides, so I had to find something else that I already had and the duct tape did the trick quite nicely. How Duck Dynasty of me, huh?
First I measured out the length of each flower I would need:
Once I got to the pen grip, I wrapped only until the plastic part of the pen started to taper, then cut the tape and pressed it into place.
Here's the finished product:
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Perfectly awful timing.
Well folks, we're in the final countdown. From the information I'm getting at my now weekly OB appointments, it's not going to be long until this baby boy is here in the flesh. Could be Easter, could be earlier, probably won't be later though. By the way, if you haven't heard, his name is Jacob.
So, how does that make me feel?
A mixture of emotions, really. Overall, I am ready and I am calm. I cannot wait to meet my Jacob. I talk to him all the time, telling him how welcome he is, how much we love him, how much we can't wait to meet him. I have to go for weekly NST's now that I have gestational diabetes and I got to experience something really cool yesterday - every time I would direct my thoughts to him (I personally believe Mom and baby are connected on levels that far surpass spoken language), his heart rate would go up! It was like physical proof that he could feel that connection. I've spent far too much of this pregnancy being worried and anxious, afraid to get too close to him for fear of losing him, so I'm glad to finally be feeling confident and happy and connected to him.
Now, I don't necessarily feel these positive things because my house and logistics of having another kid are ready - they're not. Most of it's a total mess, I'm not sure exactly where he's going to sleep or how his clothes are going to fit in half of Karis' dresser, or why we thought it was a good idea to look into moving into a bigger house in a couple of months with a newborn and a 3 1/2 year old - but for whatever reason, none of that is bothering me that much lately. Why? Because I've learned that I have to trust in God's timing. There is simply no other option. God's timing is perfect. But sometimes, it's also perfectly awful. It's no secret that I went through deep deep struggles after my pregnancy and delivery with Karis. I was floored when I found out I was pregnant again. I was scared...no, that's not strong enough... I was abhorrently terrified. I just knew I couldn't do it again. But what choice did I have? I prayed "Why, God, why?". And you know what he said? "Because you asked for it."
You see, I've really been learning a lot about prayer lately. Kevin mentioned in a sermon, months ago, that sometimes Christians find it easy to pray because we don't really think God is going to answer us. Think about that for a minute. So many things we pray are pretty human-understanding based. We ask God to heal someone and then they die and we think "Well, what good is prayer anyway... it was just God's will that they died..." And maybe it was. Or maybe it was the result of an awful accident and it wasn't part of God's perfect will, but nevertheless, it still happened. (Andrea, did you really just say that? Yes, yes I did.) Those of us who are pretty devout to our faith keep praying anyway, but a lot of times it's born out of anxiety or fear, not faith. We're not sure how to handle things in a faithful way because so often we don't know what God actually thinks or says about certain issues, so we just pray to ease our minds and go about our business. Are you guilty of this? Boy, I am. But when you start studying how Jesus taught us to pray, you suddenly begin to realize some things about prayer. First of all, you don't have to butter God up. Jesus said acknowledging his holiness was enough. Because that's so easy - you know, truly humbling yourself before God and realizing that he is HOLY. Piece of cake, right? Yeah, right. So, once you get past that, you can then go on to pray that his Kingdom would come and be completed and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Wait - what?? So I'm praying that God's will be done in my life as perfectly as it would be if it happened in heaven? So, basically, I'm just giving up all control??? So, you would think Jesus would give us a break here - but no, he goes on to teach us to pray for daily bread - not just the physical stuff but the spiritual bread that keeps our soul alive. Like reading his word and struggling with doubts and questions and clinging to him to know the truth. Desperately seeking and asking for him even when your whole world is falling apart. Okay, so what am I getting out of this God? Forgiveness. But wait, not just any forgiveness - no - forgiveness like I give to others. Ouch.
I can see why people don't like to pray this prayer. I don't remember ever praying it out loud growing up. That doesn't mean that we didn't do it, just that it wasn't common enough to remember. Sure, we claim it can be just vain repetition, and it certainly can - but so can every other kind prayer! When you pray over your food, are you really thankful, or are you just doing it because it's the right thing to do or it's what you always do? I think a deeper reason we don't like the Lord's Prayer is because it removes OUR specifics and replaces them with GOD'S specifics. It's communication, it's a relationship based on trust and freedom of choice and then realizing that freedom can be scary and awful sometimes and leaning on our own understanding doesn't work. To pray the Lord's Prayer with honestly and conviction means to take on responsibility for our choices and to pray for God's leading in every choice. We are no longer able to "blame God" when things go wrong in our lives because we know deep down that we're trying to live inside his will and we know sin is still a powerful force in our world - God has conquered sin, but he has not removed it. The kingdom isn't complete yet. We hear "everything happens for a reason" and sometimes that "reason" is because we or someone else made a careless decision and now we all have to live with the consequences. Sometimes, there is no reason at all. Sorry folks, the phrase "everything happens for a reason" is not actually in the Bible. People will try desperately to make it say that, but they're totally missing the point. Again - ouch.
Karis was very much God's grace through my own plan for my life. I wanted a child, so we planned that. Pregnancy was rough, delivery was rough, I was scarred and never wanted to do it again. In the midst of this pain, I had an unexpected pregnancy and miscarriage. I definitely didn't ask for that and that produced more pain and scars. If you're a big believer in the idea of "God causes everything", tell me the "reason" for my miscarriage. Tell me the reason that I couldn't bond with Jacob due to fear that I would lose him too. The only ones who will try are the ones who have either never experienced that kind of pain or believe in a different God. Now, I'm not saying that God didn't use that situation to teach me about his grace, he did, but you will never convince me that he caused it to happen just to teach me a lesson. I really don't think God is that petty. I am a sinful human being and I would never, ever wish miscarriage or losing a child on anyone. Not even Hitler or bin Laden. Again, I'm not saying God can't or won't use situations or circumstances in order to draw us closer to him (Romans 8:28!!!), but to say he causes them for that or any other reason is a whole 'nother thing entirely and I think you need to check yourself before you start proclaiming you know the mind of God to hurting people. Free-will is a difficult thing, my friends.
As a result of these fears and scars, I had many conversations with God that went kind of like this: "Okay God, I am NOT HAVING ANOTHER KID. Just wanted to get that straight. But...I do want to live deeply inside your will and in my heart of hearts, I really want nothing more than for you to be in control of my life. But seriously, don't want another kid. I just can't handle that pain again."
I laugh when people give me yet another "biblical" cliche, that God won't give you more than you can handle. I understand where they're coming from and where the idea came from, but in my experience, we often have no idea what we can handle, so how do we know that's a fact? Our idea of that is very different from God's. When I found out I was pregnant with Jacob, I said "God, NO! I can't HANDLE this!!!" And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I had horrible back pain (kidney stone) and was sent to the hospital by my OB office and I was convinced I was miscarrying Jacob, I said, "God, NO! I can't HANDLE this!!" And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I said, "God, okay seriously. I cannot handle this. I can't." And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I started to get scared about labor and delivery, I said, "God, I feel really scared. But your grace is sufficient. Lord, help my unbelief." And you know what? He did.
I look back over this pregnancy and I see God's hand all the way through it. God's perfect and perfectly awful timing. God never promised to remove circumstances or consequences or prevent bad things from happening. He never promised to do everything our way. He never promised easy. He promised sufficient grace. He promised to provide for our needs and give us abundant life. He sends a friend who offers the swing, bouncer, and carrier set they bought for their granddaughter that she's now outgrown. He sends another friend who had a big baby and sent you all the newborn clothes he never got to wear. He sends a church member who heard that shipping the handmade cradle from Texas to Florida was something we couldn't afford, so they did it for us. He sends us grace. Amazing, unfathomable, undeniable, unrelenting, marvelous, match-less grace. Not always answers - grace. Divine grace. In Greek, it's χάρις, pronounced Charis. (Sound familiar?)
Oh God, you are so gracious. Your grace is sufficient. Thank you.
 |
| Here he is at 35 weeks, 1 day! |
So, how does that make me feel?
A mixture of emotions, really. Overall, I am ready and I am calm. I cannot wait to meet my Jacob. I talk to him all the time, telling him how welcome he is, how much we love him, how much we can't wait to meet him. I have to go for weekly NST's now that I have gestational diabetes and I got to experience something really cool yesterday - every time I would direct my thoughts to him (I personally believe Mom and baby are connected on levels that far surpass spoken language), his heart rate would go up! It was like physical proof that he could feel that connection. I've spent far too much of this pregnancy being worried and anxious, afraid to get too close to him for fear of losing him, so I'm glad to finally be feeling confident and happy and connected to him.
Now, I don't necessarily feel these positive things because my house and logistics of having another kid are ready - they're not. Most of it's a total mess, I'm not sure exactly where he's going to sleep or how his clothes are going to fit in half of Karis' dresser, or why we thought it was a good idea to look into moving into a bigger house in a couple of months with a newborn and a 3 1/2 year old - but for whatever reason, none of that is bothering me that much lately. Why? Because I've learned that I have to trust in God's timing. There is simply no other option. God's timing is perfect. But sometimes, it's also perfectly awful. It's no secret that I went through deep deep struggles after my pregnancy and delivery with Karis. I was floored when I found out I was pregnant again. I was scared...no, that's not strong enough... I was abhorrently terrified. I just knew I couldn't do it again. But what choice did I have? I prayed "Why, God, why?". And you know what he said? "Because you asked for it."
You see, I've really been learning a lot about prayer lately. Kevin mentioned in a sermon, months ago, that sometimes Christians find it easy to pray because we don't really think God is going to answer us. Think about that for a minute. So many things we pray are pretty human-understanding based. We ask God to heal someone and then they die and we think "Well, what good is prayer anyway... it was just God's will that they died..." And maybe it was. Or maybe it was the result of an awful accident and it wasn't part of God's perfect will, but nevertheless, it still happened. (Andrea, did you really just say that? Yes, yes I did.) Those of us who are pretty devout to our faith keep praying anyway, but a lot of times it's born out of anxiety or fear, not faith. We're not sure how to handle things in a faithful way because so often we don't know what God actually thinks or says about certain issues, so we just pray to ease our minds and go about our business. Are you guilty of this? Boy, I am. But when you start studying how Jesus taught us to pray, you suddenly begin to realize some things about prayer. First of all, you don't have to butter God up. Jesus said acknowledging his holiness was enough. Because that's so easy - you know, truly humbling yourself before God and realizing that he is HOLY. Piece of cake, right? Yeah, right. So, once you get past that, you can then go on to pray that his Kingdom would come and be completed and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Wait - what?? So I'm praying that God's will be done in my life as perfectly as it would be if it happened in heaven? So, basically, I'm just giving up all control??? So, you would think Jesus would give us a break here - but no, he goes on to teach us to pray for daily bread - not just the physical stuff but the spiritual bread that keeps our soul alive. Like reading his word and struggling with doubts and questions and clinging to him to know the truth. Desperately seeking and asking for him even when your whole world is falling apart. Okay, so what am I getting out of this God? Forgiveness. But wait, not just any forgiveness - no - forgiveness like I give to others. Ouch.
I can see why people don't like to pray this prayer. I don't remember ever praying it out loud growing up. That doesn't mean that we didn't do it, just that it wasn't common enough to remember. Sure, we claim it can be just vain repetition, and it certainly can - but so can every other kind prayer! When you pray over your food, are you really thankful, or are you just doing it because it's the right thing to do or it's what you always do? I think a deeper reason we don't like the Lord's Prayer is because it removes OUR specifics and replaces them with GOD'S specifics. It's communication, it's a relationship based on trust and freedom of choice and then realizing that freedom can be scary and awful sometimes and leaning on our own understanding doesn't work. To pray the Lord's Prayer with honestly and conviction means to take on responsibility for our choices and to pray for God's leading in every choice. We are no longer able to "blame God" when things go wrong in our lives because we know deep down that we're trying to live inside his will and we know sin is still a powerful force in our world - God has conquered sin, but he has not removed it. The kingdom isn't complete yet. We hear "everything happens for a reason" and sometimes that "reason" is because we or someone else made a careless decision and now we all have to live with the consequences. Sometimes, there is no reason at all. Sorry folks, the phrase "everything happens for a reason" is not actually in the Bible. People will try desperately to make it say that, but they're totally missing the point. Again - ouch.
Karis was very much God's grace through my own plan for my life. I wanted a child, so we planned that. Pregnancy was rough, delivery was rough, I was scarred and never wanted to do it again. In the midst of this pain, I had an unexpected pregnancy and miscarriage. I definitely didn't ask for that and that produced more pain and scars. If you're a big believer in the idea of "God causes everything", tell me the "reason" for my miscarriage. Tell me the reason that I couldn't bond with Jacob due to fear that I would lose him too. The only ones who will try are the ones who have either never experienced that kind of pain or believe in a different God. Now, I'm not saying that God didn't use that situation to teach me about his grace, he did, but you will never convince me that he caused it to happen just to teach me a lesson. I really don't think God is that petty. I am a sinful human being and I would never, ever wish miscarriage or losing a child on anyone. Not even Hitler or bin Laden. Again, I'm not saying God can't or won't use situations or circumstances in order to draw us closer to him (Romans 8:28!!!), but to say he causes them for that or any other reason is a whole 'nother thing entirely and I think you need to check yourself before you start proclaiming you know the mind of God to hurting people. Free-will is a difficult thing, my friends.
As a result of these fears and scars, I had many conversations with God that went kind of like this: "Okay God, I am NOT HAVING ANOTHER KID. Just wanted to get that straight. But...I do want to live deeply inside your will and in my heart of hearts, I really want nothing more than for you to be in control of my life. But seriously, don't want another kid. I just can't handle that pain again."
I laugh when people give me yet another "biblical" cliche, that God won't give you more than you can handle. I understand where they're coming from and where the idea came from, but in my experience, we often have no idea what we can handle, so how do we know that's a fact? Our idea of that is very different from God's. When I found out I was pregnant with Jacob, I said "God, NO! I can't HANDLE this!!!" And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I had horrible back pain (kidney stone) and was sent to the hospital by my OB office and I was convinced I was miscarrying Jacob, I said, "God, NO! I can't HANDLE this!!" And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I said, "God, okay seriously. I cannot handle this. I can't." And God said, "My grace is sufficient." When I started to get scared about labor and delivery, I said, "God, I feel really scared. But your grace is sufficient. Lord, help my unbelief." And you know what? He did.
I look back over this pregnancy and I see God's hand all the way through it. God's perfect and perfectly awful timing. God never promised to remove circumstances or consequences or prevent bad things from happening. He never promised to do everything our way. He never promised easy. He promised sufficient grace. He promised to provide for our needs and give us abundant life. He sends a friend who offers the swing, bouncer, and carrier set they bought for their granddaughter that she's now outgrown. He sends another friend who had a big baby and sent you all the newborn clothes he never got to wear. He sends a church member who heard that shipping the handmade cradle from Texas to Florida was something we couldn't afford, so they did it for us. He sends us grace. Amazing, unfathomable, undeniable, unrelenting, marvelous, match-less grace. Not always answers - grace. Divine grace. In Greek, it's χάρις, pronounced Charis. (Sound familiar?)
Oh God, you are so gracious. Your grace is sufficient. Thank you.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
How will you spend your Saturday?
I apologize for having gone so long without posting, it's been a little crazy around here, with babies being due next month and such. I had the honor of preaching my first sermon last Sunday at our church in honor of Marsha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching. (And no, I'm not getting into the whole should women or shouldn't they argument right now. Study it for yourself and form your own opinion.) There's nothing like preaching for the first time at 8 months pregnant. Just to add to the hilarity, here's a picture:
If you would like to hear the words that go along with the picture, you can hear the sermon here.
Anyway, as you can probably tell from the purple in the picture, our church follows the Christian year and the lectionary. This is the season of Lent. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a period of 40 days of "fasting", with each Sunday counted as a "mini Easter" or a feast day. It begins with Ash Wednesday and finishes with Easter, with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, & Good Friday sandwiched in the middle.
In our Wednesday night studies, we've been reading through a really interesting book by John Ortberg:
He really goes into a lot of the historical impact that Jesus has had over the last 2000 years, it's more than just a theological commentary, it's really a great book for anyone who as any interest in who Jesus was. Last night, we covered our last study which is called "Friday...Saturday....Sunday". Now being in the middle of Lent, it only took me a second to guess what he was referring to - can you guess? Good Friday, Good/Black Saturday, Easter Sunday. He goes into detail about what happened on each of these days and many of the interesting things we often skip over. He talks about what may have happened if Jesus did choose to call down legions of angels, or to fight along with his disciples, etc and how Jesus chose the best thing for everyone - except himself. Any of the other choices would have most likely included the death of countless others, only to spare himself. I had never thought about it that way. It seems to me, we often make Jesus into this victim and if he had just done this or that, he could've been spared. But Jesus was not a victim - read John 10, he chose to lay His life down and had the authority to pick it back up. Jesus could've been a hero. He could've gone down in history as the man who conquered Rome. But Jesus chose the road less traveled. Everyone wants to be a hero and these days, it's fairly easy to be a considered a hero. You know what's really hard? Being a servant. Making the choice that hurts you but benefits everyone else. Ouch.
So that's Friday, let's skip over to Sunday. Easter Sunday, we all love it. Pretty dresses, fancy ties, lots of candy, bunnies and eggs, it's just fun. It's the day of hope and we really like hope. Jesus first appeared to the women, sent them to tell the men, and really just went about scaring the daylights out of people. Apparently, the disciples had a hard time remembering that Jesus told them that this is what would happen. Dr. Ortberg points out that Jesus first words out of the tomb were remarkably unimpressive. They were equivalent to today's phrase, "Hey, how y'all doing?" In others words, "Why are you so surprised? I told you this would happen!"
So Friday is painful and Sunday is joyful - where does that leave Saturday? You know, I had never thought about it until after I went to my first Good Friday service. At the end of the service, they extinguished the Christ candle, turned off all the lights, and we left in darkness and silence.
And then we waited.
It began to occur to me how real this all was. 2013 or so years ago, this actually happened to real people just like you and me. Can you imagine how the disciples felt on Saturday? Their hope was gone. Everything - gone. Dr. Ortberg brings up something I'd never thought about: That Saturday was the only day in history that no one believed Jesus was alive. Wow. You mean there was a day that Jesus wasn't alive?? Why hadn't this occurred to me before?
Death gave way to silence. God was silent. He left space for waiting, wondering, grieving, and separation, even in the death of his own son. He could have spared him, but he didn't. Jesus could have saved himself, but he didn't. And so we wait.
But God didn't stop there. Death gave way to silence and silence gave way to hope. Jesus had every chance to take over and prove his power. He could've taken over the government and freed Jerusalem. He could've reigned forever over the earth. But he didn't do all those things, he chose to love and respect God the Father and then to love and serve his neighbors. He gave up all of himself for those he loved and for those who would never love him. "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." Does that sound like an angry, vengeful Savior to you?
This past Sunday, after I was done, we got to enjoy a solo by a very special woman named Jodi. Jodi is our music minister's daughter and about 2 years ago, she was diagnosed with a horrible, inoperable, malignant brain tumor and told she didn't have much longer to live. Two years later, she is cancer free and the doctors have no idea why. The song she chose to sing was "In Christ Alone". I had heard the song before, but hearing it from her had an incredible impact on me. The one phrase of the song that stuck out to me this time was this one:
"And on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied."
Now some disagree with the wording there, but I think we can all agree on the idea. Through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we were justified in God's eyes by the blood of Jesus. Wow.
There's a joke video called Djesus Uncrossed, a spoof on Django Unchained, and it features Jesus, after the crucifixion, coming back to take down those who made him suffer. It's disturbing and laughable all at the same time. What bothers me (and others) is that there are many people who seem to think this is what is going to happen in the end times when Jesus comes back. Even Jerry Jenkins once said that the amount of people that take the Left Behind books as gospel truth is disturbing to him. Now, I don't claim to understand everything (or even half) of what is spoken about in Revelation, but it certainly bothers me that most of us spend our time trying to interpret these symbolic things into things that will literally happen and trying to make sense of all this stuff, often completely ignoring the first part of the book where Jesus starts removing the lamp stands of churches for not doing what he told us to do. Shouldn't we be more concerned with that? Jesus told us that not even he knew the day or the time, so shouldn't we be focusing on doing what he told us to do, like loving our neighbor and being servants? That is how we remain watchful, vigilant, faithful until the coming of Christ.
Folks, we live in the "Saturday". Friday has happened, Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected. The ultimate Sunday is still to come, no one knows when or how. Right now, we are in the Saturday, we're waiting, wondering, grieving, overwhelmed with the silence. Sometimes we just can't take it anymore and in our desperation and anxiety we start searching and reading until we finally come up with our own answer and we experience this relief that we don't have to wait on God anymore. But that is not how God designed it. All the worrying and wondering in the world will not make Sunday come any faster. You cannot get to Sunday without first waiting through Saturday.
So I ask you this: how will you spend your Saturday?
 | |
| I promise I am wearing shoes, they're just nearly invisible for some reason... |
Anyway, as you can probably tell from the purple in the picture, our church follows the Christian year and the lectionary. This is the season of Lent. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a period of 40 days of "fasting", with each Sunday counted as a "mini Easter" or a feast day. It begins with Ash Wednesday and finishes with Easter, with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, & Good Friday sandwiched in the middle.
In our Wednesday night studies, we've been reading through a really interesting book by John Ortberg:
 | |
| You can find it at: http://www.amazon.com/Who-This-Man-Unpredictable-Inescapable/dp/0310275946 |
So that's Friday, let's skip over to Sunday. Easter Sunday, we all love it. Pretty dresses, fancy ties, lots of candy, bunnies and eggs, it's just fun. It's the day of hope and we really like hope. Jesus first appeared to the women, sent them to tell the men, and really just went about scaring the daylights out of people. Apparently, the disciples had a hard time remembering that Jesus told them that this is what would happen. Dr. Ortberg points out that Jesus first words out of the tomb were remarkably unimpressive. They were equivalent to today's phrase, "Hey, how y'all doing?" In others words, "Why are you so surprised? I told you this would happen!"
So Friday is painful and Sunday is joyful - where does that leave Saturday? You know, I had never thought about it until after I went to my first Good Friday service. At the end of the service, they extinguished the Christ candle, turned off all the lights, and we left in darkness and silence.
And then we waited.
It began to occur to me how real this all was. 2013 or so years ago, this actually happened to real people just like you and me. Can you imagine how the disciples felt on Saturday? Their hope was gone. Everything - gone. Dr. Ortberg brings up something I'd never thought about: That Saturday was the only day in history that no one believed Jesus was alive. Wow. You mean there was a day that Jesus wasn't alive?? Why hadn't this occurred to me before?
Death gave way to silence. God was silent. He left space for waiting, wondering, grieving, and separation, even in the death of his own son. He could have spared him, but he didn't. Jesus could have saved himself, but he didn't. And so we wait.
But God didn't stop there. Death gave way to silence and silence gave way to hope. Jesus had every chance to take over and prove his power. He could've taken over the government and freed Jerusalem. He could've reigned forever over the earth. But he didn't do all those things, he chose to love and respect God the Father and then to love and serve his neighbors. He gave up all of himself for those he loved and for those who would never love him. "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." Does that sound like an angry, vengeful Savior to you?
This past Sunday, after I was done, we got to enjoy a solo by a very special woman named Jodi. Jodi is our music minister's daughter and about 2 years ago, she was diagnosed with a horrible, inoperable, malignant brain tumor and told she didn't have much longer to live. Two years later, she is cancer free and the doctors have no idea why. The song she chose to sing was "In Christ Alone". I had heard the song before, but hearing it from her had an incredible impact on me. The one phrase of the song that stuck out to me this time was this one:
"And on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied."
Now some disagree with the wording there, but I think we can all agree on the idea. Through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we were justified in God's eyes by the blood of Jesus. Wow.
There's a joke video called Djesus Uncrossed, a spoof on Django Unchained, and it features Jesus, after the crucifixion, coming back to take down those who made him suffer. It's disturbing and laughable all at the same time. What bothers me (and others) is that there are many people who seem to think this is what is going to happen in the end times when Jesus comes back. Even Jerry Jenkins once said that the amount of people that take the Left Behind books as gospel truth is disturbing to him. Now, I don't claim to understand everything (or even half) of what is spoken about in Revelation, but it certainly bothers me that most of us spend our time trying to interpret these symbolic things into things that will literally happen and trying to make sense of all this stuff, often completely ignoring the first part of the book where Jesus starts removing the lamp stands of churches for not doing what he told us to do. Shouldn't we be more concerned with that? Jesus told us that not even he knew the day or the time, so shouldn't we be focusing on doing what he told us to do, like loving our neighbor and being servants? That is how we remain watchful, vigilant, faithful until the coming of Christ.
Folks, we live in the "Saturday". Friday has happened, Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected. The ultimate Sunday is still to come, no one knows when or how. Right now, we are in the Saturday, we're waiting, wondering, grieving, overwhelmed with the silence. Sometimes we just can't take it anymore and in our desperation and anxiety we start searching and reading until we finally come up with our own answer and we experience this relief that we don't have to wait on God anymore. But that is not how God designed it. All the worrying and wondering in the world will not make Sunday come any faster. You cannot get to Sunday without first waiting through Saturday.
So I ask you this: how will you spend your Saturday?
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Experiencing faith.
"Faith is the art of holding onto things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances." - C.S. Lewis
Boy, have I learned that the hard way throughout this pregnancy. I'm still in a giant learning curve with this whole diet thing, but I have started learning a few things about myself.
During Lent, I decided at first that I would be really good Monday - Saturday with my diet and testing and then allow myself to enjoy a "feast" day on Sundays (I had been told by my OB office that I didn't have to be so strict now that I had proven I could keep my numbers under control). Now, I'm not stupid, so I didn't go overboard, but I did have more refined sugar than I normally do on this new diet. I still checked my levels and they were within range, which brings me to my next point: I am now totally convinced that refined sugar is closely related to poison. It's a proven addiction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_addiction
Why do I think this? I'll tell you. As to be expected, I went through detox again yesterday (Monday). I. Felt. Awful. The exhaustion was back. The bone dragging fatigue was back. The depression and anxiety were back. I really did feel poisoned, I could hardly get out of bed all day. But, true to my decision, I spent yesterday sticking strictly to my diet, all good carbs and lots of protein and fiber. And guess what! I woke up this morning feeling incredible. Coincidence? I think not.
The hardest thing, for me, about this diet and diagnosis is being told "No." "No, you can't eat that. No, you can't drink that. No, you can't skip meals. No, you can't carry until 41 or 42 weeks." No, no, no. And like any good toddler, I mean human, I don't like being told "No". I tend to get all stubborn and huffy and decide I'm going to do it anyway because they don't know me! Except, they do, because I'm human, like every other woman they see, and when you eat crap, you feel like crap, and your body doesn't work like it should. I've come to realize that in food talk, "refined" simply means "removed anything healthy to extend shelf life and make it taste better to our sugar obsessed culture." It means it's cheaper for everyone, the producer and the consumer, so more money ends up in our pockets and we like that.
I think as Christians, sometimes we make food into an idol. We often don't participate in "worldly things" like drugs, rock music, alcohol, meaningless sex, etc, so we use food as our "outlet", our stress relief. Go to any good Baptist potluck and you will find every sort of comfort food you could imagine - and that's not even getting started on the dessert table. We do live in America, after all, so we do everything in excess simply because we can - and food is no different. There are countless TV shows about food. We have a network on cable that's all about food and another that's all about cooking. Our parties and vacations are centered around the table and what we're going to eat.
One of the key focuses of Lent is a sense of unity with other Christians around the world and from the past. This got me to thinking about what my brothers and sisters outside the US eat on a daily basis. Instead of spilling a bunch of statistics here, I encourage you to research it for yourself. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Staggering, isn't it?
A lot of churches focus on missions during Lent, leading up to Easter, and our church is no different. This also got me to thinking. (I think a lot.) Instead of focusing so much on what I can't have and my "feast day" that I think I "deserve", why don't I use this diet as a chance to share some solidarity with my global family in Christ and eat the way they eat? Why don't I get myself out of my spoiled American mentality and go without for a little while - and risk having it actually change my life? I've heard many people return from mission trips and say "I went because I wanted to change them - but instead they changed me." A friend of mine was on a mission trip in Africa and she had the chance to meet the child that her own family had sponsored through Compassion ministries for years. When she arrived, the family welcomed her ecstatically. They showed her how they had saved every book mark and picture that her family had sent over the years. When it came time to eat, they had prepared a huge feast for her. She later told her mom that from looking at their house, kitchen, and their food supply, she was sure they had used almost everything they had just to make her feel welcome and to show their gratitude for the help her family had provided over the past several years. They went without because they were grateful. Hmmm, makes me think twice about Thanksgiving dinner.
We have this idea that going without something we really want is this awful thing. It's counter cultural to us. Look at the debt we've built up as individuals and a country. We simply can't tell ourselves no. We don't have to. Got too much debt? Just file bankruptcy, print more money, or raise the debt ceiling. Not enough money left until the next check? Get a payday loan or buy a lottery ticket . It's easy.
This is why self-control is such an important fruit of the Spirit. Our culture will never teach us self-control, but if we let God in, he will. You don't even have to travel to Africa, you can start in your own home. He will not just give it to you, he will teach it to you. Are you willing to give it a try? What's an area in your life that you can use a little more self-control?
Boy, have I learned that the hard way throughout this pregnancy. I'm still in a giant learning curve with this whole diet thing, but I have started learning a few things about myself.
During Lent, I decided at first that I would be really good Monday - Saturday with my diet and testing and then allow myself to enjoy a "feast" day on Sundays (I had been told by my OB office that I didn't have to be so strict now that I had proven I could keep my numbers under control). Now, I'm not stupid, so I didn't go overboard, but I did have more refined sugar than I normally do on this new diet. I still checked my levels and they were within range, which brings me to my next point: I am now totally convinced that refined sugar is closely related to poison. It's a proven addiction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_addiction
Why do I think this? I'll tell you. As to be expected, I went through detox again yesterday (Monday). I. Felt. Awful. The exhaustion was back. The bone dragging fatigue was back. The depression and anxiety were back. I really did feel poisoned, I could hardly get out of bed all day. But, true to my decision, I spent yesterday sticking strictly to my diet, all good carbs and lots of protein and fiber. And guess what! I woke up this morning feeling incredible. Coincidence? I think not.
The hardest thing, for me, about this diet and diagnosis is being told "No." "No, you can't eat that. No, you can't drink that. No, you can't skip meals. No, you can't carry until 41 or 42 weeks." No, no, no. And like any good toddler, I mean human, I don't like being told "No". I tend to get all stubborn and huffy and decide I'm going to do it anyway because they don't know me! Except, they do, because I'm human, like every other woman they see, and when you eat crap, you feel like crap, and your body doesn't work like it should. I've come to realize that in food talk, "refined" simply means "removed anything healthy to extend shelf life and make it taste better to our sugar obsessed culture." It means it's cheaper for everyone, the producer and the consumer, so more money ends up in our pockets and we like that.
I think as Christians, sometimes we make food into an idol. We often don't participate in "worldly things" like drugs, rock music, alcohol, meaningless sex, etc, so we use food as our "outlet", our stress relief. Go to any good Baptist potluck and you will find every sort of comfort food you could imagine - and that's not even getting started on the dessert table. We do live in America, after all, so we do everything in excess simply because we can - and food is no different. There are countless TV shows about food. We have a network on cable that's all about food and another that's all about cooking. Our parties and vacations are centered around the table and what we're going to eat.
One of the key focuses of Lent is a sense of unity with other Christians around the world and from the past. This got me to thinking about what my brothers and sisters outside the US eat on a daily basis. Instead of spilling a bunch of statistics here, I encourage you to research it for yourself. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Staggering, isn't it?
A lot of churches focus on missions during Lent, leading up to Easter, and our church is no different. This also got me to thinking. (I think a lot.) Instead of focusing so much on what I can't have and my "feast day" that I think I "deserve", why don't I use this diet as a chance to share some solidarity with my global family in Christ and eat the way they eat? Why don't I get myself out of my spoiled American mentality and go without for a little while - and risk having it actually change my life? I've heard many people return from mission trips and say "I went because I wanted to change them - but instead they changed me." A friend of mine was on a mission trip in Africa and she had the chance to meet the child that her own family had sponsored through Compassion ministries for years. When she arrived, the family welcomed her ecstatically. They showed her how they had saved every book mark and picture that her family had sent over the years. When it came time to eat, they had prepared a huge feast for her. She later told her mom that from looking at their house, kitchen, and their food supply, she was sure they had used almost everything they had just to make her feel welcome and to show their gratitude for the help her family had provided over the past several years. They went without because they were grateful. Hmmm, makes me think twice about Thanksgiving dinner.
We have this idea that going without something we really want is this awful thing. It's counter cultural to us. Look at the debt we've built up as individuals and a country. We simply can't tell ourselves no. We don't have to. Got too much debt? Just file bankruptcy, print more money, or raise the debt ceiling. Not enough money left until the next check? Get a payday loan or buy a lottery ticket . It's easy.
This is why self-control is such an important fruit of the Spirit. Our culture will never teach us self-control, but if we let God in, he will. You don't even have to travel to Africa, you can start in your own home. He will not just give it to you, he will teach it to you. Are you willing to give it a try? What's an area in your life that you can use a little more self-control?
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The perfect picture.
I have a very non-Baptist, non-American confession to make:
My favorite holiday is not Christmas, it's Easter.
My favorite journey in the Christian year is Lent, not Advent.
To those of you who are not familiar with these terms, Advent is the season of waiting that leads to Christmas. Lent is the season of reflection that leads to Easter. Now, it's understandable that any pastor's wife who is also a mom may not particularly enjoy every part of Advent and the Christmas season, it's so busy, you don't get to see your husband a lot, you rarely get to see your family, it's stressful - but why on earth, you may be asking yourself, would I prefer Lent? Lent is hard, too. It's sad. You give up something you really enjoy. You sit through a Black Friday service and leave in total darkness after the Christ candle has been extinguished. And you wait, as the disciples did, until Easter. How is this more fun than snowmen and Santa and presents and baby Jesus?
Well, I don't enjoy it because it's fun, I enjoy it because I feel that it more deeply connects me with God. Concentrating only on the negative gets us no where - we must ask ourselves, where does the pain lead? We choose to give something up so that every time we crave it, we're reminded of God's sacrifice and it leads us closer to God. On Sundays, or feast days, we get to enjoy our "forbidden fruit" and it makes it taste just a little bit sweeter. We choose to sit through Black Friday so that we can experience the pain and the grief the disciples must have felt. We sit through it because it reminds us of the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. It reminds us that real prayer produces drops of blood mixed with sweat. We sit through it and then we wait until Easter. The experience of that grief makes the hope we find on Easter morning just a little bit brighter.
I've come to realize that I have a unique opportunity this year. My due date is Easter Sunday. Being in the third trimester of a hard pregnancy introduces a new understanding of pain, fatigue, and sheer will power. I have given up much for the sake of the child I'm carrying. In fact, I had a hard time coming up with anything to give up for Lent since most of the things I enjoy I was forced to give up months ago. At first, I wanted to do nothing but complain and cry and wallow in my self pity. It just feels so good, sometimes, doesn't it? But I soon came to realize that if I couldn't just stop there. If I did, how would I truly encounter God? I've said a lot that God accepts us as we are, but he doesn't just leave us there. But he doesn't force himself on us either.
Throughout this pregnancy, I decided I would "take charge". There were too many unknowns, too many "I should have's" in my pregnancy and delivery with Karis and I was determined not to let that happen this time. The further along I've gotten, the more that control has been ripped out of my hands. "Why, God, why??? Why is this happening???" I asked. You know the answer I got? "Because you asked for it."
Hold up, God, say what? And then I realized, I did ask for it. You see, the main thing I pray for, above all else, is that God would transform my heart to look more like Jesus. That I would seek holiness and humility over everything else. It's a good thing to pray, right? More than that (gulp) I prayed that God would be glorified through this whole experience. The problem with honestly praying things like this is that God actually answers those prayers.
Could it be that, besides a beautiful child at the end, God intended this pregnancy for more than procreation, that maybe he intended it to teach me more about him? Could it be for a purpose that the hardest part of this pregnancy directly coincides with Lent? Could it be for a reason that the joy of Easter - which is new life in Christ - will also mean the joy of a physical new life for our family?
I don't know the actual answers for these questions but I will tell you that I do not believe in coincidences. I do, however, feel that I am in the midst of God through this journey. I can feel him strengthening me, carrying me, helping me to keep walking, even when all I want to do is give up. I'm in the middle of God writing my story. I've had to give up my picture of the perfect pregnancy and birth. Man, that was hard. A friend of mine and I were discussing this just yesterday - often our own mental pictures of what life or a person is "supposed" to look like are not only completely inaccurate, but commonly get in the way of our ability to listen to and follow God. I got to thinking about that. It makes sense, we have no pictures of Jesus. We have no idea what he or any of the disciples or prophets looked like. If pictures were all that important, don't you think God would've left us one? So what do we have? We have stories. That's what the Bible is. I've always hated the old phrase that Bible means "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". Not that the Bible doesn't teach us the right way to live, it certainly does, but it is far more than a book of rules. If it were just a book of rules, it would be about as popular as Robert's Rules of Order. The word Bible comes from the Greek τὰ βιβλία or tà biblía, literally meaning "the books". What do we associate with books? Rules? Rarely. Stories? Most definitely.
I've come to realize, in my own life, that I had this "picture" of what a Christian looked like. Clean cut, carrying a Bible, handing out tracts or pamphlets, always smiling. It has crippled me through the years. Anyone I encountered that didn't fit my "picture" was automatically regarded with suspicion, which resulted in judgement upon their hearts. What did Jesus have to say about that? "In the way you judge others, so you will be judged." Ouch. Do I really want someone that encounters me to automatically assume that I don't have a relationship with God based on my appearance? What if I'm having a bad day and I'm not acting very nice - do I want them to assume I'm not a Christian because of that? No, I don't, so maybe I should stop doing that to others. Thank God for forgiveness and a million chances to get it right. Even the apostle Paul said that he constantly did the things he didn't want to do and found himself not doing the things he did want to do, so even basing those assumptions off of someone's behavior isn't any better. We truly never know the heart of another person.
So here's my question to you: What picture is God trying to get rid of in your life? What journey is he ready to lead you on? Are you ready to ask those questions of God and of yourself? When we start praying in honesty and earnestness, God is ready and willing to answer. What will your answer be?
God bless.
My favorite holiday is not Christmas, it's Easter.
My favorite journey in the Christian year is Lent, not Advent.
To those of you who are not familiar with these terms, Advent is the season of waiting that leads to Christmas. Lent is the season of reflection that leads to Easter. Now, it's understandable that any pastor's wife who is also a mom may not particularly enjoy every part of Advent and the Christmas season, it's so busy, you don't get to see your husband a lot, you rarely get to see your family, it's stressful - but why on earth, you may be asking yourself, would I prefer Lent? Lent is hard, too. It's sad. You give up something you really enjoy. You sit through a Black Friday service and leave in total darkness after the Christ candle has been extinguished. And you wait, as the disciples did, until Easter. How is this more fun than snowmen and Santa and presents and baby Jesus?
Well, I don't enjoy it because it's fun, I enjoy it because I feel that it more deeply connects me with God. Concentrating only on the negative gets us no where - we must ask ourselves, where does the pain lead? We choose to give something up so that every time we crave it, we're reminded of God's sacrifice and it leads us closer to God. On Sundays, or feast days, we get to enjoy our "forbidden fruit" and it makes it taste just a little bit sweeter. We choose to sit through Black Friday so that we can experience the pain and the grief the disciples must have felt. We sit through it because it reminds us of the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. It reminds us that real prayer produces drops of blood mixed with sweat. We sit through it and then we wait until Easter. The experience of that grief makes the hope we find on Easter morning just a little bit brighter.
I've come to realize that I have a unique opportunity this year. My due date is Easter Sunday. Being in the third trimester of a hard pregnancy introduces a new understanding of pain, fatigue, and sheer will power. I have given up much for the sake of the child I'm carrying. In fact, I had a hard time coming up with anything to give up for Lent since most of the things I enjoy I was forced to give up months ago. At first, I wanted to do nothing but complain and cry and wallow in my self pity. It just feels so good, sometimes, doesn't it? But I soon came to realize that if I couldn't just stop there. If I did, how would I truly encounter God? I've said a lot that God accepts us as we are, but he doesn't just leave us there. But he doesn't force himself on us either.
Throughout this pregnancy, I decided I would "take charge". There were too many unknowns, too many "I should have's" in my pregnancy and delivery with Karis and I was determined not to let that happen this time. The further along I've gotten, the more that control has been ripped out of my hands. "Why, God, why??? Why is this happening???" I asked. You know the answer I got? "Because you asked for it."
Hold up, God, say what? And then I realized, I did ask for it. You see, the main thing I pray for, above all else, is that God would transform my heart to look more like Jesus. That I would seek holiness and humility over everything else. It's a good thing to pray, right? More than that (gulp) I prayed that God would be glorified through this whole experience. The problem with honestly praying things like this is that God actually answers those prayers.
Could it be that, besides a beautiful child at the end, God intended this pregnancy for more than procreation, that maybe he intended it to teach me more about him? Could it be for a purpose that the hardest part of this pregnancy directly coincides with Lent? Could it be for a reason that the joy of Easter - which is new life in Christ - will also mean the joy of a physical new life for our family?
I don't know the actual answers for these questions but I will tell you that I do not believe in coincidences. I do, however, feel that I am in the midst of God through this journey. I can feel him strengthening me, carrying me, helping me to keep walking, even when all I want to do is give up. I'm in the middle of God writing my story. I've had to give up my picture of the perfect pregnancy and birth. Man, that was hard. A friend of mine and I were discussing this just yesterday - often our own mental pictures of what life or a person is "supposed" to look like are not only completely inaccurate, but commonly get in the way of our ability to listen to and follow God. I got to thinking about that. It makes sense, we have no pictures of Jesus. We have no idea what he or any of the disciples or prophets looked like. If pictures were all that important, don't you think God would've left us one? So what do we have? We have stories. That's what the Bible is. I've always hated the old phrase that Bible means "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". Not that the Bible doesn't teach us the right way to live, it certainly does, but it is far more than a book of rules. If it were just a book of rules, it would be about as popular as Robert's Rules of Order. The word Bible comes from the Greek τὰ βιβλία or tà biblía, literally meaning "the books". What do we associate with books? Rules? Rarely. Stories? Most definitely.
I've come to realize, in my own life, that I had this "picture" of what a Christian looked like. Clean cut, carrying a Bible, handing out tracts or pamphlets, always smiling. It has crippled me through the years. Anyone I encountered that didn't fit my "picture" was automatically regarded with suspicion, which resulted in judgement upon their hearts. What did Jesus have to say about that? "In the way you judge others, so you will be judged." Ouch. Do I really want someone that encounters me to automatically assume that I don't have a relationship with God based on my appearance? What if I'm having a bad day and I'm not acting very nice - do I want them to assume I'm not a Christian because of that? No, I don't, so maybe I should stop doing that to others. Thank God for forgiveness and a million chances to get it right. Even the apostle Paul said that he constantly did the things he didn't want to do and found himself not doing the things he did want to do, so even basing those assumptions off of someone's behavior isn't any better. We truly never know the heart of another person.
So here's my question to you: What picture is God trying to get rid of in your life? What journey is he ready to lead you on? Are you ready to ask those questions of God and of yourself? When we start praying in honesty and earnestness, God is ready and willing to answer. What will your answer be?
God bless.
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