I am just amazed at what God will do to get my attention. I am also amazed at how quickly I can lose my attention and focus on Him.
Today had almost gotten by as uneventful. I got up, spent some time with the Lord, enjoyed three cups of hazelnut coffee, and went to work. After work, I spent some time on the balcony doing some homework. It was a little after 6 when I remembered that I wanted to make sure I am recording the shows I will miss during my three day business trip this week.
So I came in the house and turned on the television. The news was on but I hit the DVR button to review my recordings. So I couldn’t see the news. Unfortunately, I heard it. I never watch the news and tonight was an example of why I don’t.
What frustrated me was not the negativity. What infuriated me was that the newscasters, as well as most listeners, missed the point. They focus on the symptoms of the problem, not the cause. It’s like broadcasting about coughing and sneezing but ignoring the cold virus.
The story was about a shooting in Homewood. Yes, another one. There seems to be one every day. That is how it was broadcast – another shooting. When folks hear it that is what they will hear – another shooting. Want to know what I heard? This is what I heard….
“The shooting happened between 2 and 3 am at a club. One of the victims was a 21 year old mother of three”. STOP! Hold the phone. A 21 year old mother of three???? The children were not triplets. This was a woman who wanted to mess around and was not smart enough or selfless enough to pop a pill. My heart broke thinking about her innocent children. My blood pressure rose at her selfishness. But it doesn’t end there. This 21 year old mother of three was not home with her children at 2 am. She was in a club. This is when I look up and ask “how long will you let this stuff go on”.
Then, still on the same story, they show various people talking about how the gun violence is weakening the community. They are correct – it is. The community is known for its gun violence – despite the FACT that there are more good people living there than criminals. But again – the newscasters missed something – and so do most listeners.
The shooting happened at a club. Last week, it happened at a bar. People are on the news crying about what the violence is doing to their community. Hello – put the bars and clubs out of business! Gun violence or no, nothing good is happening at a bar or club at 2 am.
At this point I shut off the television. But by now my thoughts were focused on how bad the world is. I started to talk to God and thank Him for His mercy. I honestly don’t know how He can look at this stuff (and much worse) every day and not smite us all.
And then….
I remembered that I hadn’t gone downstairs to get the mail. So I went. In a pile of bills and other junk I saw a familiar envelope that made me smile. The envelope said Compassion – a message from your sponsored child. Each time I see that envelope I get excited - curious to see which of the four kids it is from. (I only sponsor two, but I assist Compassion in being a “correspondent” – writing to children whose sponsors will not write to them).
This letter was from one of my correspondent children, a ten year old boy in Tanzania. His letter was typical. He said he like to play sports with his friends and he drew a picture for me. But his last sentence surprised me. It momentarily took my breath away. In a previous letter, I had asked him if he had a favorite Bible verse. So in this letter, his last sentence to me was “my favorite verse is John 1:1”. The hair on my arms stood up. This boy is 10!!!! I have seen scores of adults read that verse and respond with a “huh?”
Moments earlier I was staring at the depravity of man on the television. God used a little ten year old boy to encourage me. His letter made my day. It also helped me to refocus and put the news in perspective. In the beginning… God. And guess what? In the end… God. He is the beginning and the end and whatever happens in the middle is His to take care of.
So yes, there was a 21 year old mother of three who got shot at a club in Homewood. But there is also a ten year old boy in Tanzania whose favorite Bible verse is John 1:1. And you know what, I bet there are more stories of boys like him – stories that will never make the news.
I ended the evening watching the Dove Awards. Another Scripture was shared on the show. I John 4:4…
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
I am so grateful that God will use anything to get my attention. I am thankful that He lifts me up and encourages me, even when I don’t think to ask Him to do so. And I am extremely glad that He is the beginning and the end – and the Lord of everything in between.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Enemy
I’m about to tell you an insanely wild story. A true story. Bear with me through the crazy details and the spiritual lessons will follow.
In May of this year I moved to Bellevue. I found an inexpensive one bedroom with enough storage for all my stuff. The building is an old duplex converted into four apartments – two bottom two top.
The landlord told me when I viewed the second floor apartment that the old hardwood floors intensify noise for the first floor tenants. It is actually in my lease than I am not permitted to walk in my apartment with hard soled shoes on. And boy, this man was not kidding when he said noise was intensified. My apartment is on the second floor and the laundry is in the basement. I have been in the basement and have heard my cell phone ding with a text message – while it was sitting on my dining room table.
This being said, I have always tried to be extra considerate of the lady beneath me. To make matters more complicated, she is a nurse and works all kinds of crazy schedules. I try to walk softly, I wait until she isn’t home to vacuum, I try to warn guests to not walk heavily or talk loudly. But there are two things I cannot control – my cats. My cats chase each other – mostly in the middle of the night. Mason is 15lbs. Rebecca is only 7 lbs but she can get very fast and hyper. I am sure the noise bothers my neighbor. Sometimes, it wakes me up and bothers me. I have done everything I can think of to lessen the noise for her. I have tried locking them in the bedroom with me. This makes then even more wound up. They chase each other in circles, knock things off my dresser and tear up the carpet – which makes more noise. I have tried locking one in the bedroom and one out. Well for one thing, I only have one litter box, but for another thing, whichever cat is outside the bedroom throws itself against the door – making noise. I talked to Animal Friends as well as my veterinarian and they both said the same thing – you can’t stop cats from being cats. It is just what they do.
Several weeks ago, my neighbor began banging on the ceiling when the cats would do this. I would get up and try to stop them, but each time I lay back down it would start again. This Saturday morning, at 4 am, she is banging away and began SCREAMING at me. I was up from 4 am trying to keep cats apart. Around 6 am, my doorbell rings – and it’s the cops. They came and talked to me and I am crying like a 5 year old. She told them my cats sound like German Shepherds. Maybe with these old creaky wood floors they do.
Fast forward to Monday morning. My alarm goes off at 5 am. I laid in bed until 5:20. I saw my smaller cat on the floor in the bedroom, didn’t know where the big one was. At 5:20 I stood up and literally all I did was turn around in the exact same spot to make my bed. She began banging. I was still half asleep and confused and wondered if Mason was making noise in the other room. But I heard nothing so I continued making my bed. She continued banging and screaming. Then I walked (barefoot) into my kitchen and refilled the cats water dish. More banging, more screaming. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth…. She is banging and yelling obscenities. I have no idea what noise I am making besides running water. At that point, I called the cops. Cops talked to me and said this was the landlord’s problem. All I wanted was for her to stop banging. As soon as the cops left, she was banging again – and I was in shower!
What is even crazier than this story is my reaction. I was rattled. I don’t mean an irritated, annoyed, angered rattled – that would have been typical. I was rattled like an anxiety attack. I had a rapid heartbeat, I felt weak and nauseous, and I was shaking. Why? I have no clue. You know how they say that responses are either fight, flight, or freeze? Raquel usually only knows one of those. For some reason, this one has me in freeze.
Ok. That’s the physical story. Here is the spiritual one. I was supposed to work from home on Monday, but I was so rattled I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate, so I drove into the office. At some point during the morning, I read my Jesus Calling devotional. In this case, Jesus really was calling. The devotional for October 14th reads:
This was an encouragement and a challenge. It was an encouragement because even after being in a relationship with Jesus for 25 years, it always thrills me when He speaks to me. It was a challenge because I was running from pain and hiding from problems. When I have to enter or exit my home while she is home, I get a knot in my stomach and try to gauge if I should use the front or back door. On Sunday, she was not home and I put a load of laundry in. It was in the dryer when she came home and I was afraid to go into the basement and get it – for fear of running into her. Not that she can hurt me or do anything to me. I just didn’t want the grief, the conflict. But through this devotional, the Lord told me to bear the circumstances bravely. So I will try.
Around lunchtime, I remembered the sermon from Sunday. Specifically, I recalled Pastor Scott talking about Joseph and asking that five second question. He mentioned that Joseph had suffered for half of his earthly life, but for the past 4,000 years he has enjoyed perfection in eternity with the Lord. That encouraged me and I was able to get through the rest of the day.
So I had asked the Lord to show me what He was trying to teach me through this – and I thought it was a lesson on suffering. Ok. Cool. I realized that I have been blessed. I have never had an “enemy” that I did not play a part in making. God knows my heart and He knows in this situation, my heart is pure. So ok – a lesson on suffering and praying for your enemies – got it.
Oh, but I missed it. Everything I mentioned above is true. But I was missing something and it wasn’t until I was laying on my couch last night did it hit me. The other part of Pastor Scott’s sermon. He said that justification and adoption are instant – they happen the moment we accept Christ, sanctification – the process of becoming more like Christ – is just that, a process. A lifelong process. But after he said that he reminded us that we have an enemy. And that enemy does not want us to become more like Christ. I Peter 5:8 says that our enemy is like a lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. When Pastor Scott said that on Sunday, it was a good reminder. And when I heard it, I was determined. I thought to myself that I should wake up every morning and instead of thinking about the days tasks, I should seek to spend time with Jesus because that is how we become more Christ like. I also thought that I should wake up each morning and remember that I have an enemy who wants to stop that sanctification process. So when I went to bed on Sunday, I was fiercely determined to wake up early enough to seek the Lord. I just knew the enemy was not going to pull one over on me this time. God had prepared me through Scott’s message. I heard it – and was ready to act on it….
Until an irate neighbor banged on her ceiling and called me obscenities. When I put my feet on the floor and stood up and she banged and yelled, I actually thought to myself “she is upset because I woke up and put my feet on the floor?” It was 9pm that night when it dawned on me… my enemy’s name is not Aileen. And my enemy was upset that I woke up and put my feet on the floor. And unfortunately, yesterday I didn’t recognize it and I lost my time with the Lord.
I am so thankful, then when I neglected to reach out to the Lord, He reached out to me with that devotional. Last night I felt a little embarrassed. My friend Ann Marie is in heaven with Jesus, but I heard her voice say what she used to say to me during my Bible College years – “the devil did a dance on your head, and you let him.” Sorry Lord. Its ok… His mercies are new every morning.
The evening ended with a smile. Still laying on the couch, I felt I should pray for my neighbor and this situation. But I was unsure how to pray. Well God gave us a gift for those moments and I began to utilize it. In the middle of my prayer my phone dinged. I didn’t look at it right away (yes, really) but when I did – it was a Facebook comment from my friend Pat. She mentioned that she and her husband had a bad neighbor once – and her husband would pray in the Spirit – and God took care of it. My friend posted that comment in the middle of me doing just that.
In May of this year I moved to Bellevue. I found an inexpensive one bedroom with enough storage for all my stuff. The building is an old duplex converted into four apartments – two bottom two top.
The landlord told me when I viewed the second floor apartment that the old hardwood floors intensify noise for the first floor tenants. It is actually in my lease than I am not permitted to walk in my apartment with hard soled shoes on. And boy, this man was not kidding when he said noise was intensified. My apartment is on the second floor and the laundry is in the basement. I have been in the basement and have heard my cell phone ding with a text message – while it was sitting on my dining room table.
This being said, I have always tried to be extra considerate of the lady beneath me. To make matters more complicated, she is a nurse and works all kinds of crazy schedules. I try to walk softly, I wait until she isn’t home to vacuum, I try to warn guests to not walk heavily or talk loudly. But there are two things I cannot control – my cats. My cats chase each other – mostly in the middle of the night. Mason is 15lbs. Rebecca is only 7 lbs but she can get very fast and hyper. I am sure the noise bothers my neighbor. Sometimes, it wakes me up and bothers me. I have done everything I can think of to lessen the noise for her. I have tried locking them in the bedroom with me. This makes then even more wound up. They chase each other in circles, knock things off my dresser and tear up the carpet – which makes more noise. I have tried locking one in the bedroom and one out. Well for one thing, I only have one litter box, but for another thing, whichever cat is outside the bedroom throws itself against the door – making noise. I talked to Animal Friends as well as my veterinarian and they both said the same thing – you can’t stop cats from being cats. It is just what they do.
Several weeks ago, my neighbor began banging on the ceiling when the cats would do this. I would get up and try to stop them, but each time I lay back down it would start again. This Saturday morning, at 4 am, she is banging away and began SCREAMING at me. I was up from 4 am trying to keep cats apart. Around 6 am, my doorbell rings – and it’s the cops. They came and talked to me and I am crying like a 5 year old. She told them my cats sound like German Shepherds. Maybe with these old creaky wood floors they do.
Fast forward to Monday morning. My alarm goes off at 5 am. I laid in bed until 5:20. I saw my smaller cat on the floor in the bedroom, didn’t know where the big one was. At 5:20 I stood up and literally all I did was turn around in the exact same spot to make my bed. She began banging. I was still half asleep and confused and wondered if Mason was making noise in the other room. But I heard nothing so I continued making my bed. She continued banging and screaming. Then I walked (barefoot) into my kitchen and refilled the cats water dish. More banging, more screaming. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth…. She is banging and yelling obscenities. I have no idea what noise I am making besides running water. At that point, I called the cops. Cops talked to me and said this was the landlord’s problem. All I wanted was for her to stop banging. As soon as the cops left, she was banging again – and I was in shower!
What is even crazier than this story is my reaction. I was rattled. I don’t mean an irritated, annoyed, angered rattled – that would have been typical. I was rattled like an anxiety attack. I had a rapid heartbeat, I felt weak and nauseous, and I was shaking. Why? I have no clue. You know how they say that responses are either fight, flight, or freeze? Raquel usually only knows one of those. For some reason, this one has me in freeze.
Ok. That’s the physical story. Here is the spiritual one. I was supposed to work from home on Monday, but I was so rattled I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate, so I drove into the office. At some point during the morning, I read my Jesus Calling devotional. In this case, Jesus really was calling. The devotional for October 14th reads:
Be prepared to suffer for Me, in My Name. All suffering has meaning in My kingdom. Pain and problems are opportunities to demonstrate your trust in Me. Bearing your circumstances bravely – even thanking Me for them – is one of the highest forms of praise. This sacrifice of thanksgiving rings golden-toned bells of joy throughout heavenly realms. On earth also, your patient suffering sends out ripples of good tidings in ever-widening circles. When suffering strikes, remember that I am sovereign and that I can bring good out of everything. Do not try to run from pain or hide from problems. Instead, accept adversity in My Name, offering it up to Me for my purposes. Thus, your suffering gains meaning and draws you closer to Me. Joy emerges from the ashes of adversity through your trust and thankfulness.
This was an encouragement and a challenge. It was an encouragement because even after being in a relationship with Jesus for 25 years, it always thrills me when He speaks to me. It was a challenge because I was running from pain and hiding from problems. When I have to enter or exit my home while she is home, I get a knot in my stomach and try to gauge if I should use the front or back door. On Sunday, she was not home and I put a load of laundry in. It was in the dryer when she came home and I was afraid to go into the basement and get it – for fear of running into her. Not that she can hurt me or do anything to me. I just didn’t want the grief, the conflict. But through this devotional, the Lord told me to bear the circumstances bravely. So I will try.
Around lunchtime, I remembered the sermon from Sunday. Specifically, I recalled Pastor Scott talking about Joseph and asking that five second question. He mentioned that Joseph had suffered for half of his earthly life, but for the past 4,000 years he has enjoyed perfection in eternity with the Lord. That encouraged me and I was able to get through the rest of the day.
So I had asked the Lord to show me what He was trying to teach me through this – and I thought it was a lesson on suffering. Ok. Cool. I realized that I have been blessed. I have never had an “enemy” that I did not play a part in making. God knows my heart and He knows in this situation, my heart is pure. So ok – a lesson on suffering and praying for your enemies – got it.
Oh, but I missed it. Everything I mentioned above is true. But I was missing something and it wasn’t until I was laying on my couch last night did it hit me. The other part of Pastor Scott’s sermon. He said that justification and adoption are instant – they happen the moment we accept Christ, sanctification – the process of becoming more like Christ – is just that, a process. A lifelong process. But after he said that he reminded us that we have an enemy. And that enemy does not want us to become more like Christ. I Peter 5:8 says that our enemy is like a lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. When Pastor Scott said that on Sunday, it was a good reminder. And when I heard it, I was determined. I thought to myself that I should wake up every morning and instead of thinking about the days tasks, I should seek to spend time with Jesus because that is how we become more Christ like. I also thought that I should wake up each morning and remember that I have an enemy who wants to stop that sanctification process. So when I went to bed on Sunday, I was fiercely determined to wake up early enough to seek the Lord. I just knew the enemy was not going to pull one over on me this time. God had prepared me through Scott’s message. I heard it – and was ready to act on it….
Until an irate neighbor banged on her ceiling and called me obscenities. When I put my feet on the floor and stood up and she banged and yelled, I actually thought to myself “she is upset because I woke up and put my feet on the floor?” It was 9pm that night when it dawned on me… my enemy’s name is not Aileen. And my enemy was upset that I woke up and put my feet on the floor. And unfortunately, yesterday I didn’t recognize it and I lost my time with the Lord.
I am so thankful, then when I neglected to reach out to the Lord, He reached out to me with that devotional. Last night I felt a little embarrassed. My friend Ann Marie is in heaven with Jesus, but I heard her voice say what she used to say to me during my Bible College years – “the devil did a dance on your head, and you let him.” Sorry Lord. Its ok… His mercies are new every morning.
The evening ended with a smile. Still laying on the couch, I felt I should pray for my neighbor and this situation. But I was unsure how to pray. Well God gave us a gift for those moments and I began to utilize it. In the middle of my prayer my phone dinged. I didn’t look at it right away (yes, really) but when I did – it was a Facebook comment from my friend Pat. She mentioned that she and her husband had a bad neighbor once – and her husband would pray in the Spirit – and God took care of it. My friend posted that comment in the middle of me doing just that.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Remember the Sabbath Day
Life is busy, sometimes chaotic. Lately, I have felt like my to-do list is playing a trick on me. The more I do, the more there is to do. This weekend was especially busy. Had class on Saturday morning. I was supposed to make an appearance at the quarterly LAMP Mentors meeting, but since I missed most of it due to class, I just decided to miss all of it. Had to stop at my mothers, do some shopping, do household chores… Most importantly, I needed to study for my Business Management final exam coming up this Tuesday. I did poorly on the mid term and my overall grade hangs on this final exam.
For some strange reason, I also felt like I need to go to work. It was not mandatory, but recent changes at my job have left me feeling out of control. It is probably just that – a feeling – not indicative of reality, but nonetheless, I was hoping to spend some time doing work stuff this weekend.
This morning when I woke up, my mind was racing before my feet touched the floor. Nothing was really “wrong”. I wasn’t even stressed out. I just had a lot going on and I wasn’t sure what to do first. For a fleeting second, I thought about skipping church to get my to-do list done. I am sure glad that idiotic thought did not linger long.
I got to church about ten minutes early. I sat down and tried to focus on the Lord and prepare my heart to worship. Easier said than done. My mind kept going from work to school to housework to my Bible study to my mentee to my sponsored children… I asked the Lord to help me focus. Worship began and during the first two songs my mind wandered so many times and I had to pull it back. Focusing got easier during the third song. The song itself made it easy: “Holy Spirit you are welcomed here. Flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your Glory God is what our hearts long for…” I love when worship is also a prayer. And that truly was my prayer. I am amazed at how easily my mind gets wrapped up in life’s tasks and I lose focus on Who is really important.
Well, the Holy Spirit knew what I needed. After the third song, Adam sat us down and told the congregation that sometimes we come in with so much baggage and our minds are filled with everything going on in our lives. He said they were going to sing a song over us while we sat. We could sing along if we wanted but the goal was to quiet ourselves and set our minds on the Lord.
It worked. As soon as the worship team said the first line of the song: “Lord, you’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek…” I felt myself relax and truly commune with the Lord… evidenced by a few tears slipping down my face. As I sat in His presence and focused on Jesus, I felt myself get put back on center again. I had felt so scattered, and now I was grounded once more. Then we transitioned into the song “Great I Am” and if anyone has trouble worshipping during that song – well – you are just spiritually dead as a doornail. Each time I hear that song, even in my car, I feel like I am standing at the entrance to His throne in heaven. Phew.
After worship, I thoroughly enjoyed the message. It doesn’t happen often but he made me want to go back and study the portion of Scripture he used.
After church, I went to breakfast with my friends like I usually do. We had a great time – or should I say I had a great time – I can’t speak for them. LOL. But I had a wonderful conversation and left laughing – in fact, it took awhile before I stopped laughing.
By now you are probably wondering why I am telling you every detail of my day. I’m getting there… when I got home I felt great. I still had my to-do list and I was still unsure of what to do first. But I poured myself a drink and sat at the desk (and of course checked Facebook – I have priorities). As I sat there, I thanked the Lord for the morning I had and I said “Lord, I really needed this morning.” He said “of course you did, that is why I commanded it.” I responded with an intelligent “huh?”. His soft patient voice spoke: “Remember the Sabbath Day”.
Oh yes. The Sabbath Day. One of the most misunderstood commands. Being raised Catholic, it meant “missing church was a sin”. In some Christian circles, it meant working on Sunday was a sin. This is the millionth example of religion deceiving people and keeping them from a relationship with Jesus. See religion is giving us rules to live by. Jesus didn’t come to give us rules, He came to give us life more abundantly. (John 10:10)
When God gave us the Ten Commandments through Moses, He wasn’t on a power trip like some folks might like to believe. In the same way a loving parent tells a child to not touch a hot stove or adhere to a curfew or go to bed at certain time, it is not for the purpose of exercising authority but it is for the child’s well being. When God told us to remember the Sabbath day, He was saying YOU NEED REST. He was telling us to stop the madness for one day. Stop the rat race. Stop. Come. Sit. Worship. Listen.
That spiritual rest brings us back to our core. It straightens our priorities and clears our vision. It gives us His perspective again. In Mark 2:27 Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In other words, His command to rest was a gift to us – something God did for us, not something we need to do for God.
Something else I realized… notice that God didn’t say to just take a day off of work and sit around and watch TV all day? Or sit by the pool? Or do some leisurely activity that you enjoy. Not that those things are wrong, but He knew we needed more than physical rest. We need spiritual, mental, and emotional rest. And there is only one place where that is found – in His presence. Note that I didn’t say “in church”. I said in His presence. If would have taken the day off and simply lounged around, I would be physically rested, but that is it – and my stress level would have risen once I thought about my to-do list again. But after spending time resting in Him, I feel centered and peaceful.
Pastor Jay said something several years ago that applies here. He was talking about making time to seek the Lord when life is so busy and hectic. He said “divert daily, withdrawal weekly, abandon annually”. Each day we ought to divert our attention to God throughout the day. These moments can be in small spurts of time. But weekly, we need to withdrawal – shed the hustle and bustle and spend quality time with the Lord.
At 2pm today I realized that not everything on my to-do list was going to get done. I also realized that it’s okay. I asked the Lord how He wanted me to spend the rest of my day. I got 4 hours of studying for my final exam in. I also did some of my Bible study and a little housework. I didn’t go to work. I didn’t write my sponsored children. I didn’t see my mentee. It’s okay. I feel refocused and I feel rested in every way. I am ready for the week ahead – even with all the stress it may bring.
I can’t wait for heaven… when every day will be a Sabbath Day and when I sing “Lord, you’re beautiful, your Face is all I seek” I will no longer see His face through eyes of faith, but I will see Him as He is.
Until then, I am grateful for the ability to withdrawal weekly and remember the Sabbath Day.
For some strange reason, I also felt like I need to go to work. It was not mandatory, but recent changes at my job have left me feeling out of control. It is probably just that – a feeling – not indicative of reality, but nonetheless, I was hoping to spend some time doing work stuff this weekend.
This morning when I woke up, my mind was racing before my feet touched the floor. Nothing was really “wrong”. I wasn’t even stressed out. I just had a lot going on and I wasn’t sure what to do first. For a fleeting second, I thought about skipping church to get my to-do list done. I am sure glad that idiotic thought did not linger long.
I got to church about ten minutes early. I sat down and tried to focus on the Lord and prepare my heart to worship. Easier said than done. My mind kept going from work to school to housework to my Bible study to my mentee to my sponsored children… I asked the Lord to help me focus. Worship began and during the first two songs my mind wandered so many times and I had to pull it back. Focusing got easier during the third song. The song itself made it easy: “Holy Spirit you are welcomed here. Flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your Glory God is what our hearts long for…” I love when worship is also a prayer. And that truly was my prayer. I am amazed at how easily my mind gets wrapped up in life’s tasks and I lose focus on Who is really important.
Well, the Holy Spirit knew what I needed. After the third song, Adam sat us down and told the congregation that sometimes we come in with so much baggage and our minds are filled with everything going on in our lives. He said they were going to sing a song over us while we sat. We could sing along if we wanted but the goal was to quiet ourselves and set our minds on the Lord.
It worked. As soon as the worship team said the first line of the song: “Lord, you’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek…” I felt myself relax and truly commune with the Lord… evidenced by a few tears slipping down my face. As I sat in His presence and focused on Jesus, I felt myself get put back on center again. I had felt so scattered, and now I was grounded once more. Then we transitioned into the song “Great I Am” and if anyone has trouble worshipping during that song – well – you are just spiritually dead as a doornail. Each time I hear that song, even in my car, I feel like I am standing at the entrance to His throne in heaven. Phew.
After worship, I thoroughly enjoyed the message. It doesn’t happen often but he made me want to go back and study the portion of Scripture he used.
After church, I went to breakfast with my friends like I usually do. We had a great time – or should I say I had a great time – I can’t speak for them. LOL. But I had a wonderful conversation and left laughing – in fact, it took awhile before I stopped laughing.
By now you are probably wondering why I am telling you every detail of my day. I’m getting there… when I got home I felt great. I still had my to-do list and I was still unsure of what to do first. But I poured myself a drink and sat at the desk (and of course checked Facebook – I have priorities). As I sat there, I thanked the Lord for the morning I had and I said “Lord, I really needed this morning.” He said “of course you did, that is why I commanded it.” I responded with an intelligent “huh?”. His soft patient voice spoke: “Remember the Sabbath Day”.
Oh yes. The Sabbath Day. One of the most misunderstood commands. Being raised Catholic, it meant “missing church was a sin”. In some Christian circles, it meant working on Sunday was a sin. This is the millionth example of religion deceiving people and keeping them from a relationship with Jesus. See religion is giving us rules to live by. Jesus didn’t come to give us rules, He came to give us life more abundantly. (John 10:10)
When God gave us the Ten Commandments through Moses, He wasn’t on a power trip like some folks might like to believe. In the same way a loving parent tells a child to not touch a hot stove or adhere to a curfew or go to bed at certain time, it is not for the purpose of exercising authority but it is for the child’s well being. When God told us to remember the Sabbath day, He was saying YOU NEED REST. He was telling us to stop the madness for one day. Stop the rat race. Stop. Come. Sit. Worship. Listen.
That spiritual rest brings us back to our core. It straightens our priorities and clears our vision. It gives us His perspective again. In Mark 2:27 Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In other words, His command to rest was a gift to us – something God did for us, not something we need to do for God.
Something else I realized… notice that God didn’t say to just take a day off of work and sit around and watch TV all day? Or sit by the pool? Or do some leisurely activity that you enjoy. Not that those things are wrong, but He knew we needed more than physical rest. We need spiritual, mental, and emotional rest. And there is only one place where that is found – in His presence. Note that I didn’t say “in church”. I said in His presence. If would have taken the day off and simply lounged around, I would be physically rested, but that is it – and my stress level would have risen once I thought about my to-do list again. But after spending time resting in Him, I feel centered and peaceful.
Pastor Jay said something several years ago that applies here. He was talking about making time to seek the Lord when life is so busy and hectic. He said “divert daily, withdrawal weekly, abandon annually”. Each day we ought to divert our attention to God throughout the day. These moments can be in small spurts of time. But weekly, we need to withdrawal – shed the hustle and bustle and spend quality time with the Lord.
At 2pm today I realized that not everything on my to-do list was going to get done. I also realized that it’s okay. I asked the Lord how He wanted me to spend the rest of my day. I got 4 hours of studying for my final exam in. I also did some of my Bible study and a little housework. I didn’t go to work. I didn’t write my sponsored children. I didn’t see my mentee. It’s okay. I feel refocused and I feel rested in every way. I am ready for the week ahead – even with all the stress it may bring.
I can’t wait for heaven… when every day will be a Sabbath Day and when I sing “Lord, you’re beautiful, your Face is all I seek” I will no longer see His face through eyes of faith, but I will see Him as He is.
Until then, I am grateful for the ability to withdrawal weekly and remember the Sabbath Day.
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