What's Your Corner Look Like?

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 (NLT)

Recently, someone that worked with my husband passed away. It was sudden. No one was expecting it. Her story is unusual.

She started coming to the restaurant with her mom when she was little. Her mom worked there as a waitress and Margaret would come and do her homework at one of the tables. After she graduated from high school, she started working at the restaurant. I am not sure in what role she started but eventually, she became a waitress. After many years in that role, she became a manager.

She worked at the restaurant for over 35 years. This was the only job she had ever had. Every day, greeting strangers and serving them.

After she passed, the restaurant decided to put on an event to celebrate her life. I expected a handful of people; family and friends. I got there early to help and to my surprise, the place was filling up before the event even began.

As the evening wore on, the restaurant became packed. There were between 150 and 200 people that came out to pay their respects and so many more who couldn’t make it because of other commitments. As I walked around talking to people, one theme stood out. It was her kindness and giving. Every person I talked to shared how she helped them in some way. Every person talked about how loving she was.

According to the world’s standards, her life would not be rated as a success. She worked one job, as a waitress, for her entire working career. She didn’t have a lot of money. She had no accolades to show for it. But what she didn’t have in those things, she made up for in love.

She loved well. She cared about people and made the effort to show it. Her life impacted so many people and made their world better and brighter. The love that poured from her in that restaurant changed that particular corner of the world.

Truly, what Jesus meant when he said “Love one another.”

Wanting More

17 The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”
19 The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 22 As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” Exodus 33:17-23 (NLT)

Moses and God had been having a conversation. God was ready to walk away from the Israelites. Moses was talking to him about how important it was that God go with them. Moses wanted a reassurance that God would be with them on the journey.

This reminds me so much of my conversations with God. “God, I know you want me to do this but I need to know that you are in it. I need assurances.”

God responded to Moses’ request for an assurance in an amazing way. Moses could not fully look at God and live. None of us can. God knew this and because he loved Moses and wanted to protect him, he allowed him to see a much diminished version of his glory. He took Moses from where he stood and put him in a place where Moses would be protected.

I don’t know about you but I, like Moses, always want to see more of God. I want to know he’s in this messy life with me. It’s almost like I want him to prove he is there. Admittedly, I probably want more than I can handle. If God answered my prayers and showed me all I told him I wanted to see, I would most likely not survive the event.

And our gracious God knows this. He could just say “Look, you won’t be able to handle it.” But he doesn’t. He shows us who he is in ways we can handle. He shows up so just like Moses we see enough to know it’s him but not so much we are overcome. He demonstrates his love and protection for us so we understand we are loved and that he is protecting us.

Moses’ experience with God did not end in this one encounter. He caught glimpses of who God was all throughout his life. So do we. Knowing God is not a one-time thing. It’s on ongoing adventure. You know the thing I love the most about this? Each time I experience him, it is just as life altering as it was every other time! And each time I am left wanting more.

Where Is Your Tent of Meeting?

7 It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. 9 As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. 11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting. Exodus 33:7-11 (NLT)

It was Moses’ practice. When the Israelites set up camp, Moses would set up the Tent of Meeting. Whenever they moved (which was a lot), the Tent of Meeting would get set up outside the camp. And he would go talk to God there.

Moses was one busy guy. He was leading hundreds of thousands of people. He was responsible for them and everything that entailed. Not to mention that well, people are people and they can be challenging at times. I began to wonder about the journey Moses was on. Day in and day out. What an overwhelming job he had. Too much to do, not enough time. More than a human could possibly handle.

But Moses was not in it alone. God was in it with him and Moses throughout his journey spent alone time with God. He met him at the Tent of Meeting regularly to talk. He would disappear inside the tent and spend time lingering and listening and sharing. It was there he would get his inspiration. It was there God would share his wisdom and peace. It was in this place with God that Moses would once again be filled with the courage to continue.

Where is your Tent of Meeting? Do you have one? If you don’t, you should get one. We all need one-on-one time with God. You can’t accomplish your purpose without it.

Compromising

I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. 1 Chronicles 29:17 (NLT)

I’ve mentioned recently that I have a big decision to make and I’ve been praying through it. God has been talking. I don’t have a definitive answer yet but I wanted to share something that really stood out to me.

As I look at what I think God is calling me to do, it seems impossible. Like, really humanly impossible. My initial reaction is to look at the all the reasons it won’t work. And then I remember that No Thing with God is impossible.

Then, my brain starts trying to figure out ways that I can make it work. Have you ever come up with ideas that you know are somewhat unethical? I did. My brain started thinking of ways I could do what seemed impossible by walking the very fine line between being unethical and not technically being unethical.

And then God said “What are you doing?”

You see, what I am trying to do is make this work in my head. I am trying to figure out how to be comfortable with what God is asking. I am trying to figure out something that is not mine to figure out. I am trying to not be scared.

If God is calling me to this thing, then God will work it out. That is his job. Not mine. When I begin to compromise the way God is calling me to live so that I can be in control, then I have made the wrong choice. That choice is to trust me and not God.

My job is to obey the call and trust that God will work it out even if it seems impossible to my limited human vision. God’s job is to do all the rest. And let’s face it. When I obey and God works it out, who will get the glory? Certainly not me! I am struggling to get past thinking it’s impossible. God will get the glory. And that is exactly as it should be.

The real question becomes “Do I trust him enough?”

It's All About Relationship

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

Then God gave the people all these instructions[:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You must not murder.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
15 “You must not steal.
16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

What are the first four commandments about?
What are the last six about?
Given this, what do you think is important to God?
Is there another Bible text that sums these up?

He's Got This

I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. Ezekiel 17:24 (ESV)

As I listened to these words, I suddenly realized how silly I can be.

Notice what the text doesn’t say. It doesn’t say:

You are amazing! You want it, you can do it.   Or….
Look at all you’ve accomplished! Keep going, you can do it.   Or….
You are so smart and resourceful. You can figure it out.

No. It says “I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Sometimes, as we look at our full plates or the balls in the air we think everything is up to us. We stress ourselves out worrying about how it is going to work or we exhaust ourselves trying to make it work.

But God says, let me do it. I am the only one qualified and I’ve already got it covered.

Are you trying to make something work that is not yours to handle? Maybe, we need to just trust what God says.

Love Isn't Always Easy

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

Our church is doing a merger. We are joining two congregations together into one church. Everyone has said this is really hard to do. And it’s different.

Two different cultures, two different sets of people who do not do things in the same way. You can imagine that this might not be a totally smooth process. Right?

But I’ve witnessed something amazing as we walk through this. And I believe it’s what the Bible talks about when it talks about unity. Unity doesn’t mean everyone looks the same, thinks the same or acts the same. It doesn’t mean that you get to the goal using the same methods. It means that you walk together toward the goal while loving each other.

And what is that goal? Jesus. We all want to be a church that is following the mission of Jesus, to go and make disciples.

Each of us is specifically created by God to be who we are. Each of us is different by God’s design. I was designed to love you with my heart (not my sister’s or my friend’s.) And hopefully, I am loving you in a way that reaches your heart. We don’t have to show love to each other in the same way but, we do need to love with Jesus’ heart.

When you are sitting in a room of 20 people, discussing the path the body should take, it’s not all going to look the same. There will be different opinions, different beliefs. But, with prayer and continued conversations, taking into account the mission you are on together and other people’s perspectives, eventually you get to the place where you agree.

It’s a process. Love is a process. Following God is a process. I love how God designed us so that during that process we all are different but walk together with the same focus. And when you see it, it is a beautiful thing!

Doing the Jesus Thing

Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 (NCV)

We had known each other a long time. We’d worked together and I believe, our work relationship had grown into a friendship. This couple that I considered friends were good people. I thought. A few years ago, they made a choice that hurt me financially and emotionally. During this process, they didn’t call to explain. We didn’t have any conversations. Immediately and abruptly, the relationship was severed as they made choices that would negatively impact my life - all in the name of business.

As I journeyed through those years, trying to get back on my feet, I prayed to forgive. It didn’t happen immediately but I eventually got to the point where I intellectually said I forgave them. I reasoned that God is in control of everything and truthfully, this journey grew my walk with God in ways nothing else could.

Recently, God revealed to me that I had not completely forgiven them. In my head I could say I did but my heart was not 100% following along. When I heard there names, my head would understand where it needed to be but my deep down self was not as compliant.

There was still a root in there that I have not addressed. There is still hurt and some anger leftover. And God says this cannot be. God tells us (many times) in the Bible to forgive. We need to forgive because we have been forgiven for so very much. But mostly, I think, we need to forgive to be free of that weight that holds us down.

Do you know how I know I have not totally surrendered this to Jesus? I know because when I think of them I don’t see two children of God who Jesus loves so desperately. My heart doesn’t ache for them to know Jesus. Instead, I see two people who are on the wrong path. Sure. I pray for them but mostly I pray for me. I pray that God will help me forgive.

When I have forgiven someone, the negative burden I feel lifts. I begin to see them as someone Jesus heart aches for and I want nothing more than for them to know him. And my prayers follow that with pleas to God that he will reach their hearts.

So, I am back to the beginning. I am facing this thing that happened but with a different goal. I don’t want to get to the place where as a Christian I can say I did what God asks. I want to get to the place where I actually am doing what God asks. Only the transforming power of Jesus can do this in me. I just need to surrender and stop trying to do it on my own.