Category: Monday musings

Joy: Well-Being

 . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 (Hebrews 12:2-3 NIV)

 

As the bride enters the room, all rise and turn to her, but her eyes are fixed on her prize, her longed after groom.  This last, sacred week of Lent, I remember that I chose to take this journey as a bride, not a penitent.  At the start of the day, I felt forced and false. I was not looking forward to recounting the death of my Savior. I wanted to shake this grave feeling, but I needed someone to help me, like Lazarus needed unwrapping after four days in the tomb.

I ran to the Living One, who is no longer in the grave, begging for a week of celebration, rather than despair. I desired more time to linger over our honeymoon journey. I did not want to spend the entire week reeling under false guilt and recounting lost causes in my life.

And then I remembered these words: For the joy set before Him!

The cross was a joy, even though the pain was excruciating. The journey was a delight, in spite of the scourging and being spat upon and the jeering that Jesus endured. And He offered Himself to the cross, to be humiliated before all. He willingly went to that hill, because He knew that the stone would be rolled away, that His sacrifice would make possible a miracle. His love would melt our hearts of stone and bestow on us hearts that rejoice. He believed that mercy is new every morning! He had us in mind as He endured the oppression, and our faces eased His pain. For the joy set before Him!

Today, when I was tempted to give into false Lenten misery, I called my hobo (homeward bound) friend, Carol Ann, the one who invited me to see this journey as a honeymoon with the Beloved. She was feeling the heaviness, too.

But the Beloved had something else in mind for us. He was beckoning us both to experience joy. He invited us to embrace the snow laden, spring day.  I packed us some fresh bagels and coffee.  We drove past the railroad tracks to an abandoned neighborhood. We trekked to a picnic shelter, poured coffee into our mugs, dunking the bagels in our coffee for some quick nourishment. Then we packed up the picnic, bundled up in our mittens and scarves to stroll through the wintry landscape. Large snowflakes bathed us and eased us into other worldly calm, immersing us into the beauty of the Beloved.
 
 
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Hurry: To Perform With Undue Haste

 
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:25
 
 
Lord God, you who are source of all truth, wisdom, justice, and love…Help me constantly to rest my life upon the eternal foundations of your love and presence. Save me from haste and confusion, from wrongful desire, and the net of evil. Through the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, enlighten, instruct, and guide me all the day long. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
(A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants)
 
 
Do you ever wake up in a hurry? I do. My mind is whirring through all the activities inviting my participation, all the obligations awaiting my attention and all the unfinished projects crying out for my resolution. Some mornings, I rush through breakfast, complain to my husband for the umpteenth time about some nagging problem while sipping our morning coffee, and then dive into some pile of work.
 
Neglecting to be still.
 
Then His tender voice whispers, “Kel, Kel.”
 
And I press on in my task. He taps me on the shoulder, and I reply “Oh, it’s you LORD, what do you want?”
 
Then I pause, and He gently asks His routine question and offers His perennial invitation:
 
“Why all the bluster and rush? Come sit, awhile. Listen. Enjoy my Presence.”
 
So I do. And then the Holy Spirit leads me into green pastures, besides still waters and onto paths of righteousness, and all the while He restores my soul.
 
One of the pastures I found myself in today was 1 Samuel 3. The story of God revealing Himself to the young Samuel. At this point Samuel didn’t really know God. And it says that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days . . .” (1 Samuel 3:1). Everything was dimming. Eli, Samuel’s mentor had poor eyesight, and the lamp in the temple was burning low where Samuel slept in the presence of the ark of the covenant.
 
In this rare and dimly lit moment, God calls out to Samuel. 
 
Samuel thinks Eli is calling him. And it takes Eli, dull Eli with dimming eyesight, three times before he realizes it must be God calling out to Samuel. And so he tells Samuel, go back and if you hear the voice again, this is what you should say: “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” And Samuel goes back, and thankfully God calls him again, and God reveals Himself to Samuel and tells him some difficult news. Eli is to be judged for his negligence. Samuel reluctantly divulges this word to Eli, which Eli appears to accept with no argument.
 
Samuel continues to grow and be discipled in the truth by the LORD himself. “And the LORD appeared . . . and the LORD revealed himself to Samuel . . . by the word of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 3:21)
 
Oh, how I desire to be a beloved Bride, who hears and listens to her Beloved Jesus! That He would continue to call out to me even in the midst of my hurried moments, moments that really never need to be hastily taken in the first place. That I would start my day, waiting as a disciple to listen for words for the weary. (Isaiah 50:4)
 
 
May my heart readily respond:
“Speak, LORD, for your servant hears!”
 
 
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A Noble Wife Who Can Find?

 
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
(Proverbs 31:12 ESV)
 
 
 
 
 
As I have embarked on this Lenten “hobo honeymoon,” I’ve wondered what kind of bride am I for Jesus?
 
Please keep in mind that the metaphor for the Bride of Christ is not just about me as an individual, but for the whole church. (See Ephesians 5:22-33).
 
However, as I am a member of this family called the Bride, I desire to live out the qualities that would be considered praiseworthy in His eyes.
 
Often the poem about the excellent wife in Proverbs has been used as a litmus test for the ideal godly woman. But lately I have noticed  a different perspective. The Proverbs woman in some ways can be compared to the church, and her activities give insight into ways to honor Her Bridegroom.
 
In the middle of the poem the poet records the central outcome of the woman’s active life:
 
 
Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
(Proverbs 31:23 ESV)
 
 
Am I making Jesus known where I live? Am I offering good to Him? Am I harming His reputation with my words or the way I treat others?
 
 
 
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Perfection

 
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:36 ESV)
 
 
 
 
I was reading today that the call “to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) compares to being merciful. God’s perfection reflects His character, which is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8)
 
Perfection, which means moving toward maturity and completeness, seems more attainable in light of mercy. This added nuance of becoming merciful feels more practical. I can get a handle on being “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
 
I’m not saying it’s my natural tendency, but becoming more like the God of mercy and love seems more likely than attaining a flawless life.
 
 
 
 

 
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Love Letters


But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.
(Psalm 13:5-6 NLT)


 
I thought writing love letters to God would be easy. The frustration occurs when I attempt to write lovely letters, rather than true expressions of my heart, like Lynn D. Morrissey encourages in Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy Through Written Prayer:

It is the gift of the whole heart that God most desires-a heart without pretense and posturing; a heart in all its honesty, beauty, passion and brokenness; a heart pulsing with love, joy, sadness, delight, doubt, pain, anguish, even anger. True love expresses all emotions, and true love-God’s true love for you-accepts them. 



I don’t know why, but I feel awkward with God lately.

Am I struggling with accepting His love for me, yet again?  

So, I start thinking about the word, beloved, again. If I break the word apart it says, be loved.

Be. Loved.

The Spirit whispers, “Let Me love you. Don’t shrink away. Don’t listen to the lies that you’re not measuring up.” I whisper back, “Okay.”

A Prayer of Response:

Beloved-
Here we are! Another day! Me curled up in my chair, with the cat next to me, pen in hand, ink on paper . . .I am listening. I am seeking. I pore over words looking for a phrase to move me toward and forward to Your heart, Your will, Your way . . . my heart is clogged with worldly angst. Desire for relief, comfort, even nothingness.

Yet You have all this existence surrounding me, begging me to exist, breathe, live and move within it. Sometimes I feel so alive, I could burst. Other times everything falls flat.

Help me to put aside my agenda for today. I just want to rest in Your presence. Imagine what it was like for you to become “word made flesh.” You understand my fears and insecurities. Grant peace. Immerse me in your love. Let me be soaked with your love, joy, hope, peace, purpose and grace upon grace.

Your beloved- Kel



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