Category: Accepting Change

When God Interrupts- Women of the Word Part 1

Mary’s example humbles me, but it also inspires me.

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“Hey, Aunt Marybeth—would you be up for having me recover from my knee surgery at your house? I thought it might be a little more comfortable than my dorm room.”

My attitude toward my nephew’s request could have gone one of two ways. I could have viewed it as presumptuous and an imposition interrupting my family’s busy schedule. Or, I could have considered it an honor that he felt comfortable enough to ask us for help. My family had developed a close relationship with him since he began attending a college near our home, so the request was easy for him to make and for us to grant. Opening our home to him had always been a blessing to us and this was no exception. Being there for him after surgery just deepened his relationship with our family further.

I remembered that event and the blessing of having life interrupted as I read Mary’s story in Luke 1 recently. Scripture tells us that Mary was a virgin, pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. In a stunning set of events, an angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” He explained that Mary would conceive a child who would rule on David’s throne and that her son’s kingdom would never end. In other words, she would be the mother to the Messiah that had been promised since the time of Abraham, thousands of years earlier.

Not surprisingly, the news of this impending life interruption troubled Mary greatly since she was an unmarried virgin. Under Jewish law, she could have been stoned to death as an adulteress for being pregnant out of wedlock. Even if she wasn’t accused of adultery, her plans for the future were going to be derailed by this unexpected pregnancy. However, after the angel explained a few more details, Mary responded simply, “I am the Lord’s servant…May your word to me be fulfilled.”

I marvel at the way Mary relinquished her plans for God’s greater purposes. She trusted Him and didn’t ask about how He would work out all of the potential problems that lay ahead. She was open to Him, no matter how disruptive His plans would be to her life. It’s humbling, isn’t it?

From a worldly perspective Mary had much to lose through this pregnancy as an unwed teenager. It could have signaled the end of her betrothal to Joseph and the beginning of a life ostracized from her family and her community. Yet, Mary knew God had a vantage point beyond what she could see. She didn’t let possible negative outcomes keep her from being open to His plan. She didn’t know how things would work out, but she did know Who would work them out for her.

Reading further in Luke 1, we find Mary’s song of praise to God, often referred to as The Magnificat. In the nine verses of her song in Luke 1:46-55, she recounted God’s greatness and remembered His deeds from the Israelites’ history. She recognized that the child she carried would fulfill the promise God made to Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation…and all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2a & 3b, NIV)   Throughout her song, Mary quoted passages from Psalms, Isaiah, Habakuk, Exodus, Jeremiah and 2 Samuel.

Mary’s song reveals her tremendous knowledge of Scripture and a deep understanding of God’s character. Maybe this is part of the reason He chose her to bear His son. She recognized the significant role she had been chosen to play and rejoiced in it saying, “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name…He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” (Luke 1:48b, 49, 54, 55, NIV) She knew God kept the promises He made because she had seen it throughout the history of her people. She applied what she learned to her circumstances and lived like she believed it was true.

Mary’s example humbles me, but it also inspires me. Her knowledge of Scripture and her ability to apply what she learned to her life makes me want to study it even more. Her openness to God’s interruptions challenges me to be mindful of the ways He wants to bless me with unanticipated opportunities. Her willingness to accept God’s new plan for her life and to believe He would use it for good makes me want to pray for His will more and mine less. Mary saw beyond her circumstances and recognized that God would impact the world through the child she would bear. This attitude causes me to evaluate my prayers and to consider how often they focus on my needs and my little world versus praying for God to use me for His purposes and His greater good.

How does Mary’s story impact you? Are you open to God’s interruptions in your carefully orchestrated plans? Do you want to see beyond yourself and to let Him use you to impact the world? I pray this Christmas season will be one that provides new opportunities to encounter Him and to recognize the blessing of His divine interruptions.

Francesca Battistelli’s song “Be Born in Me” provides a beautiful example of Mary’s willing spirit. Click on the link and enjoy a Christmas worship moment as you listen.

Continue reading “When God Interrupts- Women of the Word Part 1”

Transition Troubles

ike waves crashing on the beach, life is constantly moving and changing. We can try to dig our toes into the sand and refuse to accept change or we can frolic in the surf as it washes over us.

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The e-mail caught me by surprise when it landed in my inbox two months ago. A dear friend broke the news that she was moving 3000 miles away. To say it was a shock would be an understatement. We squeezed in time to meet once before she left to see her new house for the first time. A month later, she returned to California to take her son to college and say goodbye to friends. It was a fast transition with no lead up–I was nowhere near ready to say goodbye. I know we’ll both be processing this huge change for months to come. I miss her already, but I trust that God has good things in store for both of us.

It seems everywhere I turn I’m encountering people dealing with transitions right now. Some of them are just part of our life stages: families leaving beloved elementary schools as their children begin middle school and other families taking kids to college for the first time. There are parents adjusting to having an empty nest and young adults trying to figure out life after college. Some are watching their kids get married and start families of their own. Others are wrapping up careers and navigating the unknown waters of retirement; some are selling homes and moving on now that their kids are grown. While these events are emotional, they are also evidence of positive growth and change.

Other transitions are more difficult to accept: the shift into single life resulting from divorce or the transition from being married to being widowed. There is the unwelcome transition from having a job to searching for a new one. Or the struggle of watching a close-knit community unravel and wondering how to move ahead.   These difficult transitions may be forced upon us, but we still have to learn how to live with them.

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t like times of transition. They are usually uncomfortable and awkward; often they are painful and difficult. But no matter what negative feelings I have about transitions, they are a part of life I’ve learned to accept and to entrust to God. When I’m still struggling to understand how to function as I transition from one thing to the next, I can trust that God already has a plan for me. I may not like the changes, but I can thank Him anyway and live expectantly knowing He has good things in store.

If you’re going through a transition, here are a few things that might help you navigate it and keep your focus in a healthy place:

-It’s OK to Grieve

Transitioning from one phase to the next means you have to leave something behind. It is healthy and normal to grieve the loss that the change is causing. If you’re trying to bottle up your negative emotions and put on a happy face, you’re going to struggle that much longer. Acknowledge your sadness to God and let yourself grieve for a while. Get help from a wise friend or counselor if you need it.

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:8, NIV)

-It’s Not OK to Wallow

Sometimes we get stuck in a transition and can’t move on. It’s healthy to feel sad for a while, but not to make it a permanent habit of your mind. If we spend too much time lamenting painful changes in our lives over and over, it prevents us from looking ahead to see what God wants to do next. If you’re still living and breathing, then God still has plans for you. There is a time to move on.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14, NIV)

-It’s Good to Move Forward

Like waves crashing on the beach, life is constantly moving and changing. We can try to dig our toes into the sand and refuse to accept change or we can frolic in the surf as it washes over us. Either way, we’re going to get wet.  We can’t avoid being affected by what’s happening around us. You can trust God whether you know what life holds for you on the other side of your transition or not. Seek Him in the midst of your struggles and let Him lead you.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

Continue reading “Transition Troubles”

The Thrill of Letting God Disrupt Your Patterns

Are you letting the predictable patterns of your life keep you from something new Jesus wants to do in and through you?

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San Francisco’s Coit Tower stands 210 feet tall atop Telegraph Hill. As one of the city’s best-known landmarks, it was a regular stop for my parents with out of town guests during my childhood. I still remember tumbling out of our station wagon with my four siblings, my mom and whatever visitors happened to be getting the grand tour. My dad would patiently drive in circles through the packed parking lot as we took in the panoramic view. There was an elevator that went to the top of the tower, but we never made the ascent. With the size of our group and the number of tourists waiting in line, we never had the time to fit it in with all of the other sights. We figured the view from the bottom was good enough—even with the trees and bushes partially obstructing it.

Although I’ve lived in the Bay Area most of my life, it was not until a recent visit to San Francisco that I rode the elevator to the top of Coit Tower with my son.  The 360-degree view of the city and all the surrounding areas was worth the time and effort. In one direction, the tall buildings of the financial district rose up in front of the green waters of the bay. Moving a little further around, I could see the iconic towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and the red brick buildings of Ghiradelli Square. Just beyond that, Alcatraz Island stood sentinel in the waters just beyond Fisherman’s Wharf.   A little further to our right, the Bay Bridge intersected Yerba Buena Island before continuing across to the city. The view from the bottom paled in comparison.

Sometimes I wonder if we treat our faith like tourists hitting the highlights in a big city. We breeze through a lot of opportunities for growth without engaging them fully or delving deeply. We hear sermons or read devotionals and declare they are “good” but never make time to incorporate the truth we’re learning into our lives.  We’re content to make a loop through the parking lot and catch the view from below, not wanting to inconvenience ourselves with the time, effort and cost required to ascend the tower and see the view. We have routines that we follow and agendas to keep. We like what is predictable and manageable for our schedules and we get complacent.  Or we pack our weeks so full there isn’t time to engage in anything deeply and we’re hesitant to relinquish any of our precious “free time.”

Inviting God to do new things feels disruptive to our carefully ordered lives. We fear it will be messy and complicated to serve in new places with different people. Sometimes we’re afraid to let God use our gifts in new ways because the results are unpredictable. Although we know He wants to stretch us continually, it just doesn’t seem worth the cost. The time and effort we’d have to expend deter us from pressing on.

Even people who met Jesus face to face struggled with these issues. The gospel of Luke tells the story of three different people who encountered Jesus and claimed they wanted to follow Him. All three ended up turning away when they realized how disruptive it would be to their lives. You can read about them in Luke 9:57-62.

Contrasting that is the story of Jesus calling his first disciples, Peter, James and John. Luke’s gospel describes a day when Jesus preached to the people on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret as He stood in the boat of a fisherman named Peter. After working all night and catching nothing, Peter and his fishing partners, James and John, sat and listened to Jesus’ teaching. Once He was finished teaching, Jesus directed them to push out from shore and cast their nets even though they’d been unsuccessful the night before. Instead of balking at instructions from a non-fisherman, the men listened to Jesus and caught so many fish their boats began to sink. Their willingness to obey Him brought amazing results and revealed Jesus was no ordinary man.   After the miraculous catch of fish, He invited the three to follow Him. They responded in a way that humbles and inspires me:

“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:11, NIV)

Peter, James and John abandoned their predictable lives and began the adventure of walking with Jesus. Their willingness allowed Him to use them in powerful ways. Think what they would have missed if they’d declined when Jesus asked them to follow Him.

Are you letting the predictable patterns of your life keep you from something new Jesus wants to do in and through you? Summer is a good time to evaluate your schedule for the coming year and to consider new opportunities. Is it time to step out of your comfort zone and get involved in something different? Is it time to test out that spiritual gift that’s been simmering on the back burner? Maybe you need to relinquish some of your cherished free time to volunteer or meet a need. Maybe it’s time to evaluate your finances and consider how you can bless others and honor God in new ways.

Will you trust God enough to pray and invite Him to stretch you in a new way? Will you let Him break you out of your routine and discover more joy? The view from the parking lot is nice, but the view from the top is beyond compare. It’s just a matter of letting Him change your vantage point. Are you ready to let Him take you there?

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Advance Part 4: Policing and Pacing

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My past three blogs have summarized and expanded on Beth Moore’s teaching at the “Living Proof Live” event I attended in Stockton, CA recently. So far, we’ve been examining the acrostic A-D-V-A-N-C-E that focuses on Philippians 1:12-30. My previous posts have highlighted the first five points:

 A– A Kingdom is coming

D– Dare to advance it

V– Vie fiercely in prayer

A– Add traction to your action

N– Never take a “no” from the devil

This post explores the two aspects of the next point:

C– Cease the policing and the pacing

This teaching is based on Philippians 1:15-18

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

Policing

Beth focused on the tendency we have to question the motives of others and to decide who is sincere and who isn’t. She emphasized that it is God’s responsibility to figure people out, not ours. Sometimes we size people up to make sure they do spiritual things “our way” and we miss out on the new things we could be learning from them. We become so focused on our “brand” of Christianity and our little faith community that we can become ingrown.

Back in my college days I was involved in a vibrant campus ministry. It was biblically solid and intent on sharing the gospel with others. Every spring, this group encouraged the students to be part of its summer outreaches. I prayed about it each year, but felt led to serve in other ministries over the summer. Some of the students and leaders were disappointed by this and even questioned my spiritual maturity.

One fall when we returned for classes, a guy in the group approached me. He’d attended a Christian camp as a counselor with his home church and heard I’d served at another location of the same ministry. He was excited about the ways he’d seen God at work there and wanted to know more about my involvement with the camp. The suspicion with which he’d viewed me had ceased once he saw that the place I was serving was “legit.” He, and others like him, had been policing me and questioning my maturity because I was involved in a ministry they didn’t know. I was relieved when he recognized its worth, but also hurt that I’d been judged for so long.

If I’m honest, there are times when I’ve been on the other side of that equation. When I encounter a fellow believer who doesn’t know the same Christian buzzwords, who hasn’t read the same books or embraced the same ministries, I can be a bit suspicious, questioning the validity of his or her faith. However, when I take time to get to know the person, I’m often humbled to discover a deep faith that just looks a little different than mine from the outside. It makes me want to give people the benefit of the doubt more and to judge less. I’ll rely on God to give me the discernment I need instead of policing them with my human wisdom.

Pacing

I’ve learned a few things about pacing from watching snippets of NASCAR races with my husband and sons. If there is a safety issue on the speedway during a race, a pace car will be sent out on the track to lead the other cars. The pace car drives at a safe speed and the race cars stay in their positions behind it. Once the problem on the track is cleared, the pace car exits and the cars pick up the pace again. The race resumes and cars are free to pass and drive at any speed.

Imagine if the cars continued to drive at the same speed once the pace car left the track. It wouldn’t be much of a race if the vehicles weren’t doing what they were created to do: drive fast.

When we fear breaking pace with others to follow God’s call, we become a bit like race cars that drive like they’re following a pace car after it’s left the speedway  We limit our spiritual growth and miss out on the ways God wants to stretch us and use us when we try to keep pace with others. There are seasons when our gifts, vision and goals may align with others and this can be a rich, rewarding experience. However, we can also get so comfortable with a group that we fail to see when God is calling us in a different direction. Sometimes He beckons us to claim new ground for Him, but we hold back on advancing because we don’t want to break pace with a group we love. It feels awkward or painful to move forward without “our people” beside us. However, if God is calling us in different directions, we need to break pace and trust Him. When our focus becomes sticking with certain people instead of following God’s call, we limit opportunities to grow and to advance the kingdom of God.

For me, this has been a significant area of growth over the years. As God has led me in new directions, there have been challenges and painful moments, but I’ve seen Him at work in exciting ways. My faith has grown, my trust in Him has deepened and I’ve been blessed to maintain cherished friendships and connections to different ministries even as I’ve expanded into new areas.

It boils down to this simple truth: when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we won’t be as worried about policing or being policed. When we are more concerned with keeping pace with Him than with others, we allow Him to use us to advance His kingdom.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 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 12:1-3)

The song “Fix My Eyes” by For King and Country inspires me to cease the policing and the pacing. Click on the link and let it do the same for you.

Grappling with Change

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The end of the school year always makes me nostalgic and a bit wistful. This year was especially poignant as we had three nephews and two nieces graduate from high school or college.   As I sat in the audience during one niece’s graduation ceremony, scenes flashed through my mind of the eighteen previous years, starting with the day she was born. It’s hard to believe she’s grown and about to leave for college in a few months. I know I’m getting older every day, but those milestone moments drive it home with extra impact.

Change is a part of life, but sometimes I don’t like it very much.   Kids grow up, friendships change, and communities evolve. All of this is normal, but sometimes it creates an ache in me that spirals to a place of deep longing.   If I’m not careful, I can wallow in my sadness and lose sight of the truth.

Life is constantly changing and there is nothing I can do to stop it. However, there is a greater Truth that gives me hope in spite of this:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).

No matter what changes this life may bring, God is always the same. He is our Solid Rock and the firm foundation on which we stand. Our circumstances may change, our relationships may ebb and flow, our health may fail us, but God will never leave us or forsake us.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2)

There is an old hymn that has been a favorite of mine for many years called “The Solid Rock” by Edward Mote.

 My hope is built on nothing less


Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;


I dare not trust the sweetest frame,


But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

 When darkness veils His lovely face,


I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,


My anchor holds within the veil.

 His oath, His covenant, His blood


Support me in the whelming flood;


When all around my soul gives way,


He then is all my hope and stay.

 When He shall come with trumpet sound,


Oh, may I then in Him be found;


Dressed in His righteousness alone,


Faultless to stand before the throne.

 Refrain: 


On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;


All other ground is sinking sand,


All other ground is sinking sand.

It’s based on Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 7:24-26.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

If we want Jesus to be our firm foundation, then we need to read His word and put it into practice. As we pursue Him, He’ll continue to shape our characters and refine our perspectives. Although I don’t like change, this is transformation I want. This is change I need.

Jesus is the Solid Rock to which we cling in this world of shifting sand. Having a firm foundation beneath our feet gives us hope and courage to press on. We can be reassured and filled with confidence knowing God never changes.  How could we ever keep this amazing hope to ourselves when there is a world that desperately needs to hear Truth?

Click on the link to hear a newer interpretation of “The Solid Rock.” Hillsong sings this recent version called “Cornerstone.” (The title comes from Isaiah 28:16 and 2 Peter 2:6 depicts Jesus as our Cornerstone– the most important stone in a structure which determines the design and orientation of the entire building. Noted in the Zondervan Study Bible).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEhSk7bfbK8