11
May

Food for thought

A little while ago, my husband and I, along with several others form our church, had the oppertunity to listen to Randy Clark from Global Awakening here in Denmark. There is no way that I can summarize all he taught on and said, but I managed to scribble quite a few notes, and here are some of my favorite quotes (some may be somwhat paraphrased by me):

Enthusiastic – comes from latin and means “God in you”

Our faith lies not in our unworthiness, but in God’s sovereignty

I am only the donkey Jesus rides to church on.

Have you been drinking lately? It’s free – already paid for – on drinking from the Spirit in 1. Cor. 12:13:

We were all baptized by one Spirit  so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

We saw many people getting healed at these meetings, and felt the Spirit touch them greatly. I myself was overwhelmed by the Spirit on more than one occassion, and I went forward to receive prayer for my hormonal (PMS) problems. It was quite a funny experience, as the intercessors were instructed in getting us to “check out” our area of concern, in order to report back if there had been any change. I was prayed for by a pastor whom I know, and I told him quite frankly that I would have to wait about a month before I could note the difference. He prayed a simple prayer, something like “God, we do as the woman who bled for 12 years, we ask to touch the hem of your garment…” (Matt. 9:20) He didn’t get any further than that, the Spirit fell on me and I fell to the floor. I don’t know exactly what happened, bu I know that God did something. Perhaps I’ll have a very positive report in a months time.

I love the donkey quote from above. I want to be that kind of donkey too.

 

 

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26
Apr

Marriage

A photo has lately been circulating around Facebook, featuring an old couple with the following text:

“How did you manage to stay together for 65 years?”

The woman replied, “We were born in a time when if something was broken you’d fix it, not throw it away…”

I love that. I love that her straight forward answer doesn’t imply a lifelong marriage with no conflicts. Instead, her answer assumes that we all know and understand that life is tough at times, and that living together will cause problems every now and then. But above all, I love her solution to conflict: FIX IT!

Just yesterday a colleague confided in me that he had come home to an empty house, his wife having left him while he was a work. He was in a dazed state, very surprised and in an emotional shock. My heart goes out to him, knowing how he must hurt at this ultimate rejection.

Currently, I am reading a book on marraige that is stretching and challenging my conventional take on marriage. The author, Gary Thomas (www.garythomas.com), asks the question “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”

At first glance, this idea probably isn’t difficult to relate to, but after reading the book, I must admit there have been passages that have made me squirm… not because I don’t agree, but because Gary Thomas highlights the very areas of my own life and marriage where I so often fail!

Marriage today is often based on romantic feelings. We fall in love, and before we know it, we’ve planned a highly romantic wedding with a wedding gown, flowers, cake, huge party, guests and gifts. Somehow, it comes as a surprise to us when the dullness of duties hits our every day lives.

A while ago, another of my colleagues asked me, after 10 years of marriage and the birth of one child “Is this it? Is this what my life’s going to look like the next 10 years?”. She opted out and left her husband, now on a search to re-experience true love, as she so hopefully put it. I must admit I believe she is setting herself up for further disappointment. When we build our marriages on romantic feelings that cause butterflies to twirl around in our guts, we set ourselves up for a great, emotional fall. We will wake up one morning and notice that he doens’t quite make our hearts pound as fast anymore. We will suddenly realize that this guy has just as many faults as the other one. We will come to understand that there is no way that he can fullfill us completely. You see, marriage works much like a magnifying glass… the better I get to know my spouse, the more I will know about him – even his little, nitty-gritty secrets, his annoying habits, the way he smells, eats, brushes his teeth, things he says, his hobbies… When the purely romatic feelings have dried up, I am left with my man just the way he is! The question often becomes: “Can I live with that?” Instead, however, we ought to worry more about “Can he live with all my flaws?”

So… what should we do? I personally believe there are so many other  - and better – options than divorce. While I don’t intend to close my eyes to divorce being the only right decision in certain cases, I truly believe that divorce has become the quick fix of our time. We place our own needs and cravings above all else, leading us to discard  people around us when they stop being usefull to us. Even our spouses.

Each difficult marriage is of course, an individual case, and I don’t lean to “10 steps to…”, because we all have our own personal stories that must be taken into account. I do believe, however, that there are universal values that any marriage could benefit from. One of the is putting my spouse first.

In all things.

What does he need? What can I do for him? How can I continue to show him and assure him that I love him? This means putting myself second – or even lower yet, if there are children in the marriage.

Another value is facing conflicts and difficulties instead of running away from them. I am not inviting you to start conflicts. I am not saying it is ok to attack him the minute he walks through the door. But if there is a conflict – don’t hide! Listen to him – hear what he has to say and deal with it! All too often we hide or deny the conflict, and we refuse to deal with it. Sometimes we just don’t want to hear what he is saying. Sometimes we know we ought to change, but we don’t want to (yet a less potive trait of out time, this putting myself first…). At other times, we may be afraid of his reactions, so we try to ignore it. I believe we need to face difficulties in order to build stronger relations for the future. And if the difficulties arise from something outside the marriage, facing them together is just as important.

Being willing to forgive is yet another universal value that will help marriages overcome difficulties. If we hold on to grudges or live by the “forgiven-not-forgotten” approach, we can be assured that our marriage will fall into shambles at some point. We must be ready to forgive both big and small –  the toilet-seat discussion, the socks-on-the-floor issue, the whose-turn-to-something conflict, as well as heavier problems concerning adultery, mismanaging money, anger issues, substance abuse etc. And when you forgive – then do it with all your heart, letting completely go of your right to be angry.

Is marriage easy? By no means. But it is an investment that is well worth the effort. It is an investment that is pleasing to God. And – if you work at it, it is also an investment that will bring out all the best in you and your spouse. So. If there is someting broken, go fix it!

 

Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas

http://www.garythomas.com/sacred-marriage

 

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23
Mar

Esther – from orphan to queen – how obeying changes lives.

The book of Esther is a very special book. Unlike the other books of the Bible, God is never directly mentioned, but there is no doubt that God himself is the master behind the theme – he is the one pulling all the strings, making the plot of the story unfold until we understand the message clearly: God can – and will – use completely ordinary people to fulfill His plans here on earth.

Now, in the book of Esther, there are five major characters in this book—a king, a queen, an orphan girl, a man of God, and a villain.  The king is Xerxes, son of King Darius.  He ruled a vast empire that covered much of the Middle East, from India to Egypt to the borders of Greece.  At a feast, he commands his wife, Queen Vashti, to parade in front of all the guests so that he could show off her beauty. She refuses – perhaps because she knew that all the guests were drunk, and that her husband too was drunk. I think we can trust she felt violated, and thus she refused.  This made the king very angry, and she was punished by being removed from all her queenly duties. In other words, she was no longer the king’s wife.

Vashti’s disobedience, though it cost her a life in luxury, opened the way for God to place Esther in a position where her obedience would become the saving point for thousands of Jews. Her rise to royalty is extraordinary. Royal marriages were normally meant to secure political alliances, but as an orphan, Esther really had nothing to offer, except herself.

As a Jew, she was an outsider, a foreigner in a country not her own. Nonetheless, her beauty won the King’s heart and placed her within a circle of influence that would have life-altering consequences for many.

But Esther’s story is not a Cinderella story about a beautiful girl. Esther is full of fault – she is fearful, secretive and hesitant to act.  When her story is recorded in the Bible, it is not because her life was perfect and sin-less. We don’t know how her life ends, we don’t know if she has any children, if she lives a long life or dies young. The Bible gives us only a snapshot of her life – a picture of her in a situation where her decision whether or not to obey , makes all the difference! In this particular time in her life, she becomes an example for regular, ordinary women to follow.

The villain of the story is Haman, the king’s right hand. He is furious because Mordecai, Esther’s adoptive father (in reality her cousin), refuses to bow down to him. Mordecai is a respected judge, but also a Jew. He will only bow to God. As a result, Haman plots to kill all Jews.  Haman was slowly corrupting the minds and souls of his own countrymen, manipulating those around him and slowly building up his own power. Haman was a deadly snake, spreading poison everywhere he went.

Mordecai calls on Esther to try to save the Jews. With her position – status – she could be the one to convince the King to stop this meaningless killing. But at first, Esther is afraid. She fears for her life – if the King doesn’t ask for her, she is not allowed into his presence. But Mordecai will not let her go:  He reminds her of her Jewish heritage – she too will be killed – and says these famous words: ”…who knows but that you have come to your royal position for a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) Esther suddenly finds herself in a loose-loose situation. No matter what she does, she risks loosing! She may loose her life if she goes into the king’s presence with no invitation, and she will certainly loose her life if she doesn’t! Her Jewish heritage will most likely not remain secret once the senseless killing of the Jews begins.

Esther takes courage after 2 days of fasting – she goes to the king’s door and stands so he can see her, and he summons her. By gathering all her strength and courage, by using her female charm, she gathers access to the king and saves her people – and her own life.

While there is no doubt that Esther’s beauty helped her in becoming queen, I believe skin-deep beauty could not have been Esther’s only weapon. If we look to the beginning of the story, we will see that in fact, it was more her character that gained her the position. If we read Esther 2:8-16, it becomes clear to us that she was not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well! By using the very personality God had created her with – every gift, talent, personality trait – she won the hearts of those around her and earned the right to speak up. By staying true to what God had put in her, she became an ordinary woman who did something extraordinary!

Esther’s winning attitude gained not only the king’s favor, but caused him to trust her enough to let her speak. By seizing the moment, although fearfull, and by using her natural talents, obeying  became the key to changing the lives of many.

What talents, gifts and traits can you bring to the table today? What is God calling on you to do? We cannot change the world all at once, but we can impact the lives of many, one by one.

The LORD your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

 

 

 

 

 

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28
Feb

About forgiveness

Occassionally, I will ask friends to write for this site. This week, I’ve asked a friend to write about forgiveness. Out of respect for her and her family, she will remain anonymous.

About Forgiveness

Recently, I’ve been studying the topic of forgiveness.  I was surprised to discover how a London university had incorporated classes on forgiveness into their curriculum, not because they were of any religious affiliation, but due to the understanding that true forgiveness can change lives.  Not only is it capable of healing life-altering guilt and pain, but, more importantly, it can keep a person from living a life of bitterness.  It is freeing.

When I learned of my husband’s affair, a friend loaned me a copy of R.T. Kendall’s book, Total Forgiveness.  I’ll admit I began reading it with some misgiving, as I have always hated these types of books in the past.  You know, those self-help manuals that people give you when they think you need to change.  I’ve got an entire stack of them sitting in a box somewhere.

This book, however, was different.  Possibly this is due to the fact that it’s what I really needed at the time (and still do, to be honest), but the truth of the matter is that forgiveness is often misunderstood.  Despite being raised in a Christian home, I had never before given much thought as to how ones goes about forgiving such a serious offense.  Unconsciously, I chalked true forgiveness up to mere forgetfulness.  I must’ve forgiven any wrongs against me, because I can’t seem to remember what they were.

Whereas there may be some truth in this for petty offenses, forgiveness takes on an entirely different form when the offense isn’t something you can just forget.  It is much more difficult to obtain when you have been betrayed.

R.T. Kendall wrote his book after his own life-shattering experience involving an affair.  Although he never relates his painful story in full, he clearly states a simple fact: until you forgive, you will live your life in chains.

It’s a strong motivation, especially for those of us who are eager to escape bitterness.  I have seen first-hand how bitterness can transform a life into something unrecognizable.   It can cripple even the happiest of people, and it is something I desperately want to avoid.  In my quest for total forgiveness, I have found this a constant reminder of why I must not give up.

The first thing I learned was this: forgiveness is a daily choice.  Kendall calls it a “lifelong commitment.”  I want my marriage to heal, so I must remind myself daily to choose to forgive my husband.  Even when I am weighed down by the incredible hurt of it all, I can still choose to say “I forgive you.”  The emotions behind it aren’t always there, but I’m told they will follow.  Eventually.

As a Christian, there are numerous reasons to practice forgiveness, the first of which is that we are commanded to forgive as we have been forgiven.  Kendall states that choosing not to forgive is revealing a deep ingratitude for Christ’s death on the cross, the ultimate act of forgiveness.  Even more astonishing is the realization that God has already forgiven the wrongs committed against me personally, and that he chooses to overlook them as if they had never happened.

Who am I to refuse to forgive an offense that an all-righteous God has already pardoned in full?

Of course, this is easier said than done.    I was still drawing huge blanks as to how to daily forgive until I read Kendall’s list.  It’s something like this, although mine is somewhat paraphrased:

1)     Forgiveness involves being fully aware of how you have been wronged, and still choosing to forgive your offender.  This involves a refusal to live in denial, despite the fact that facing a wrong head-on can be extremely painful.

2)     It is keeping no record of wrongs, not even in your thought life.  This involves taking every thought captive.  For me personally, it has meant acknowledging the hurt, and then immediately giving it to God as each thought comes.

3)     It is a refusal to punish your offenders.  Not in action, not in word.  Total forgiveness means I can’t say hateful things to my husband to punish him for how he hurt me, even if they are true. 

4)     It is a refusal to repeat the offense.  Kendall says it is often important to share the offense with someone who can counsel you, or to let God use it to help others in similar situations, but otherwise it is to be kept a secret.

5)     It is showing mercy and graciousness.  God has been kindly opening my eyes to my own sins and the incredible mercy he has shown me despite them, a realization that motivates me to show mercy in turn.

6)     It is the absence of bitterness.  Kendall states that the very act of trying to forgive reveals that the bitterness is not as deep is it could be.  In choosing to forgive, we choose to release the bitterness daily.

7)     It is letting go of resentment, even a resentment towards God.  This one was a shocker for me.  Kendall says that “bitterness is ultimately traceable to a resentment of God.”  Despite the fact that God has not wronged us, we often unconsciously attribute the hurt in our lives to God.  I can see this in myself when I say things like, “God, why would you let that happen to me?”  But the very thought of me, a mere human, being resentful towards the God who gave me life is motivation enough to let go of my resentment.

8)     It is the ability to forgive ourselves.  In my case, this one has been especially difficult.  A broken marriage is never one-sided, so I have not only been called to forgive my husband for his affair, but to forgive myself for my own part in causing the marriage to hit the rocks.  Forgiving oneself is freedom to live and let live.

9)     It is necessary to continue in an intimate relationship with Christ.  Kendall states that the degree to which the Holy Spirit will be present in our lives is the degree to which we choose to forgive.  Forgiveness is not just a good idea because it wards off a bitter life; it is a commandment.

10)  It is choosing to pray that God will bless your offender’s lives to the same degree that you hope your own life will be blessed.  Believe me, I know how difficult it is to pray that God will bless the people who have hurt you the most.  At first, the words feel like they’re stuck in your throat.  But eventually, they become easier to say.  Even more, I am told that they become a joy to say.

When all else fails (because some days are worse than others), I find it especially useful to listen to worship songs.  Worship is a powerful invitation to God’s presence, and a powerful reminder that I’m forgiven, because he was forsaken.

 

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23
Feb

Living upwind from a slaughterhouse

Last week took our family to Bornholm, on a short vacation combined with some church work. As usual, 3 of us went running, while 2 stayed tucked under the warm sheets and watched cartoons.

On one of these runs, we passed the local slaughterhouse, and a gross smell of bad flesh (or something like it) filled the air. As the slaughterhouse was quite big, it took a couple of minutes to pass it and to run back out into clean air. As we went, I couldn’t help but notice the villas on the opposite side of the street. Imagine living in that stench! Imagine waking up in the morning, the sun shining and the birds singing – you fling open your windows, only to find your room flooded with the smell of death!

Sometimes life is like that – we find ourselves living upwind from a slaughterhouse. Our starting point often lies elsewhere, but others around us – or conflicts and situations – send off smells that influence our lives. Sometimes we are not aware of this, we don’t realize we are being affected. Sometimes the smell is so weak it is barely noticeable, but none the less, it creeps in and changes moods, viewpoints or emotions. Other times, the stench is so strong that it reeks a warning from miles off, and in those cases, most of us will try to steer clear of the stinker.

But what do we do with these odor emitting people? Is it always the right thing for us to turn them away? To avoid them?

There will be times when God calls us to live upwind from a slaughterhouse – times, where our presence and engagement in someone elses life will help transform the stench into a lifegiving fragrance. There will be times where we should be willing to absorb different smells from people around us, not to be changed ourselves into likeminded stinkers, but to eliminate and destroy the very source of the stench of death and decay. I believe we can make a difference!

But be warned… if you have ever sat around a campfire, or been in a place where people have smoked, you know that certain odors tend to cling. We must be aware of what odors we ourselves emit, otherwise we risk sending the very smells we should be quenching, on to someone else.

And frankly, sometimes we are the ones smelling up the place! I know that I, for one, sometimes send off smells that bring nothing good with them. I must become aware of this so that I can change the way I smell! And I know, that when I do reek, I am seriously in need of a friend. I need someone who will truthfully tell me I need to wash, or change. Someone who will stay with me until I am capable of smeeling sweet again.

The master of all sweet fragrances is Jesus Christ. He certainly has not only lived upwind from a slaughterhouse – he walked straight into the worst of them all. He let himself be surrounded by all the frekish smells we humans could ever conjure up, he bore them, died, and came back smelling sweeter, cleaner and holier than ever.

When you find yourself upwind from a slaughterhouse, remember Him. Ask him for his help. And let him wash you clean again, so that you too, will give off sweet fragrances!

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07
Feb

A hormonal post. Or… I want to be healed!

The other morning I went for a run with my husband and teenage daughter. Not an unusual thing for us to do, as the three of us share a passion of some sorts for this particular sport. It was a spectacular Saturday morning – frosty and cold, but with a high blue sky and few clouds. Snow was scarce, but there was enough of it to crunch deliciously underfoot.

I should have enjoyed this run. I should have enjoyed nature dressed in winter robes. I should have enjoyed being with 2 of the people I love most. But I was furious!

Like many women, my monthly cycle doesn’t go unnoticed and quietly by. But instead of cramps and headaches, or even bed-binding nausea, I plummet into what I best can describe as utter and great emotional turmoil every month. You see, I believe I suffer not from regular PMS (however regular PMS can be considered to be), but from PMDD – premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

PMDD is a more severe form of PMS, sharing many of the symptoms for PMS, but in particular anxiety, feelings of being “keyed up” or “on edge”, persistent irritability and marked anger. Chronic fatigue and feelings of deep sadness are common too.You can read more about PMDD here and here, and in Danish, here. Please know that self-diagnosis is rarely a good idea, so if you recognise any of these symptoms, please go see your doctor.

Every month this condition gets in my way. It clouds my mind, slurs my emotions and plays tricks on my heart. I hate it. I utterly and completely loathe it.

Can it be treated? Yes and no. There is no medication designed to treat PMDD yet, but there are types of medication that might help or relieve symptoms.Currently, I am taking herbal drops every morning, and they do help, just not enough. I could go see my doctor about medication, and I might just end up doing that, but I would really love for God to heal me instead. This thought of being healed is actually quite new to me. For so long, I’ve just quietly accepted my condition as being finite, as something that I just had to learn to live with. However, at a recent conference that focused quite a bit on healing, a new thought popped into my mind:

- before the fall, there were no diseases. That must mean that Eve never had PMS. Never had a headache. Never rolled over on the other side and said “not tonight, darling, I’m too tired.” And if that’s the case, then my PMDD and all PMS in the world is a direct result of Eve and Adam’s notorious sin! And since I believe without a shadow of doubt that God heals all kinds of illnesses, why on earth should He be incapable of healing my PMDD?

So, as I ran home furious and dark and full of bad things, I quietly scolded Eve for listening to the snake. I told Adam off for being spineless when he should have stopped Eve from sinning against God. I tried very hard not to tell God off, realising through all this madness that He has never wanted me to suffer in the first place. That He has always intended for me to be happy and content, but that the reality that I live in, is a fallen and sinful world. So I began to turn my anger into conversation, confiding the emotional agony  and the sad thoughts to Him instead. I’ve asked Him to heal me. Will He? I believe He wants to, but I have to submit myself to His will and to His timing. I may have to pray a thousand times for this, but I intend to bring it to His attention very often.

And I decided that day, steaming from the run and from the anger inside, that I would start talking about what women go through on a monthly basis. This should not be taboo. This should not be embarrassing. And I have discovered that the more I am open and honest about it, more and more women find the courage to confide in me, that they too struggle with PMS or PMDD in differing degrees.

Let’s bring this to our Father in Heaven, confident that He loves us enough to care about this aspect of our lives. That He knows how crippling and debilitating this can be as we try to be good mothers, friends, wives and sisters.

Please, drop me a line if this speaks to you. Share your story with us if you have found a helpfull way to deal this. Or call on us for help if you need prayer. You are not alone!

 

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24
Jan

/bai’feukls/

 /bai’feukls/

noun.

spectacles with lenses divided into two parts,

one for looking at distant objects, one for looking at close objects.

It’s been a while since my last update, and I have often thought about vineyardwomen/A Grapevine of Goodness with regret – regret that I haven’t had the mental energy to write, haven’t felt like I’ve had the time or deep enough thoughts to share. So I’ve been talking to God (I do that everynow and then – I imagine he’s sitting next to me or walking with me and I just talk. Try it – it’s very liberating!) and I must admit, I’ve been whining a bit.

As a mother of three, a pastor’s wife and a fulltime teacher, time is something very precious. But what good does time do, if it is spent on feeling tired? Feeling let down, dissappointed, unappreciated, unwanted and failing? Maybe not all these emotions at once, but in small doses most days of the week. My husband jokingly asks me to let him know when I’m NOT tired, because I so often tell him when I AM tired… and although it honestly bugs me deep inside when he says this, I know he has a point. Whether he intends to or not, he is pointing out an attitude in my life that I really don’t want to have – a tired attitude that constantly reminds me that life is hard work. This attitude keeps me from the joy I know God has intended for me to experience – joy over my wonderful family, joy over natures small perks and beauty, joy that I have a steady income, a warm house, food on a daily basis and friends and family that care, just to mention a few.

When my life really becomes heavy and burden-like, it is often my own doing. In hindsight, I see more clearly the choices  I’ve made that in the end, lead me to the dark places. Choices about how to react verbally and nonverbally, how to voice my opinions, how to view both my own as well as others’ efforts for the day, choices about what food to eat (overeating and hogging too many carbs a day does something bad to me), how much sleep to get and even what music to listen to all influence my ultimate outlook on my life! And when I get upset about all these seemingly small and unimportant choices gone wrong, the hardest thing for me is to admit my faults – to live up to my responsibilities and to manage my life in a God-honoring manner!

So, the other night, right smack in the middle of a leaders meeting, God whispered a word to me. Bifocals. What??? Bifocals. Maybe it’s time for you to adjust your sight.  Hmmm….

I knew God didn’t mean new glasses. I knew he was pointing to the eyes of my heart. And I realized that I have been looking in all the wrong places for enlightenment, for new passion, for extra energy and strength for the past few months. Instead of going to Him with everything – and most of all with gratitude – I have been going to food, music, television, Facebook,colleagues…

I need to adjust my sight. Frst of all, I need to lift my head. A friend once told me of two men in prison – one spent hours every night looking out through the bars and somehow kept his cool. His cellmate, irritated and affected by imprisonment, snared at him, wondering why he looked out every night – all he could see was the dirty, muddy courtyard between their cell and the prison walls. The first prisoner smiled and asked his cellmate to raise his head, and look to the skies instead, and a stunning display of bright, shiny stars almost exploded in his eye and brought a rare feeling of joy to his heart.

What are you looking at? The dirt or the stars?

Secondly, I need to adjust the spectacles with which I view the world around me. I need bifocals. My prayer is that God will renew and strengthen the part of my spectacles that allow me to see distant things – the things God wants me to see, the visions, dreams, hopes and longings not only pertaining to myself, but most of all, to those around me who are in desperate need of a touch from God. I want to see the Kingdom of God here on earth. I want to see signs and wonders, healings and deliverances right here. I want to see people transformed and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to see the supernatural soak into our natural lives, so that we cannot but leak Holy Spirit where ever we go.

I pray for God to adjust the part of my spectacles that allow me to see close things – that I may be able to choose wisely and correctly, that I will be a good mother for my children, a good teacher for my students, a good wife for my husband. I need God’s mercy to accurately see myself – in the light that he sees me, but also in the light of my actions, allowing me to learn from the mistakes that I so often make.

Maybe you need an adjustment as well. Ask God to reveal to you what kind of glasses you need.

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08
Dec

What are you waiting for?

I want to share with  you a story about 4 men in the Old Testament. They were lepers – the least of the least, the lowest of society.

We meet them at a time where Samaria is under terrible siege – the people are starving so bad, that some have begun to eat their own children in an attempt to survive (read 2 Kings chapter 6).  These 4 men were facing death no matter what. But let’s back up a little:

Read 2 Kings 7:3-7:

 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there,  for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

The 4 lepers had decided that waiting would do them no good. Why wait for death to come creeping? Why wait for the pains of hunger to slowly suck the life out of them? I would suggest that they had already waited long enough. The siege of their city had lasted for a long time, and they were on the edge of desperation. They desperately needed something to change, and instead of just sitting at the gates waiting for someone else or something else to end their lives, they decide to take matters into their own hands.

They had nothing to loose. And as they got up and walked, the Lord began to change their immediate future. As the 4 of them got closer to the enemy camp, the sound of their footsteps multiplied into the sound of a huge army, and the enemy became so afraid that they ran for their lives. They hadn’t seen what was coming to them  – the mere sound was enough!

You see, that’s what happens when we not only passively wait on the Lord, but also begin to act. Sometimes we wait so long that we forget to really listen. We may even forget to do what he asks us to do. Sometimes we forget to use the talents he has given us – the voice of reason, for example. These 4 men didn’t hear a clear message from God. They simply reasoned with themselves: if we stay, we die. If we go, maybe we die, maybe we don’t – let’s take a chance!

They took a chance and God used their willingness to act to set Samaria free! You see, if we keep doing what we have always done, nothing will ever change!

So – what are you waiting for?

Let me finish by reminding you that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 says For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

So – wait on the Lord – listen for His voice, and then gather all your courage and act!

 

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02
Dec

Advent – a time of waiting

Advent comes from the latin “Adventus Domini”, and simply means ”coming” or ”arrival”. Every sunday from November 27th till December 18th, we celebrate adcent – or the coming of Jesus Christ.

Christmas eve we celebrate his 1st coming- his birth -, and as we rejoice in the fact that he actually came, advent is also a time for us to look forward to his 2nd coming.

Advent is a time of waiting and hoping, something 2 well known prophets from the Bible knew all about. Both John the Baptist in the New Testament and Isaiah in the Old, prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah never godt to see JEsus, as he lived several hundred years before JEsus was born, but John was his cousin, and only a little older than Jesus himself.

Advent has everything to do with waiting. Waiting for the return of Christ. Perhaps even waiting for just a touch of his hand now, a healing, a sense of direction and guidance.

But waiting is difficult in our day and age. How do you wait? For how long is waiting reasonable and acceptable? And won’t you just loose hope when what you wait for doesn’t show up?

But being a christian is about waiting. That’s part of what we do. And we hope. Imagine for a moment yourself as a child, christmas eve is close and the tree is decorated, mother is cooking in the kitchen, the gifts are all wrapped. How do you feel? When I was a child, the anticipation of christmas was almost bigger than christmas itself. Unwrapping my gifts was fantastic, but I think the best part was the short time between receiving the present and opening the present! These few seconds where anticipation and hope mingled and soared to incredible heights!

Hope – hoping for that special toy, that beautiful dress, those wonderful earrings…

Hope can carry your through the darkest times. Hope means that there is a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, that there is a breeze of air offering just a small moment of relief.

Did you know that the symbol for hope is the anchor? And just as the anchor holds a ship in one place,  hope  steadies us and keeps us from drifting aimlessly about.

Like an anchor, hope cannot still the waves. It cannot make the storm subside, but it keeps us on the right track.  And as we use  this anchor, we cannot see it – hidden in the waves, it brings us the peace and safety, keeping us in the right place. But if we pull the anchor up, we will begin to drift.  The anchor will loose it’s power. Hope unused does not work.

Hope is invisible and untouchable, but personified in Christ. Hebrews 6:19-20 says:

 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

So as we wait, we have hope – hope for the return of our Lord, hope that He will hear us when we pray, that he will heal us and help us always. Hope that He will be our anchor.

But I want to return to the waiting. Psalms 27:14 says to

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Waiting on the Lord is not something we do only once. We have to wait on him on a continual basis. Some of us wait on Him daily, some weekly – in our own, private devotions. But how do we do it? We stop all activity, become quiet, and we focus our attention on Him.

Waiting on the Lord means looking intently for communication from Him, it means turning from the noise of the world, calling on His holy presence, and then… waiting. The question is… what are you waiting for?

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22
Nov

Shoes

WedgesI have a thing for shoes. Really. I have a BIG thing for shoes. My mother-in-law asked me the other day how many pairs I own, and I honestly don’t know.

My friends and family like to make fun of my love for these earthly, usefull but nonetheless unimportant coverings of feet. They tease me when I pass a shoe store after it’s closed for the day. They trick me into looking the opposite direction so I won’t notice a shoe store on the way. They push shoes my way telling me that I’m a poor girl with no shoes at all, tempting me to buy shoes that I honestly don’t need.

I don’t mind. It makes me laugh – at my self and at them for being so funny. But it doesn’t stop me from loving shoes. And it doesn’t stop me from buying new shoes either – there’s always an occassion for new shoes. There’s always an outfit that desperately needs new shoes. There’s always a dress that’s incomplete without new shoes. I have loads of excuses for buying new shoes. I’m an expert at arguing for the purchase of new shoes.

And shoes got me contemplating the other day – what kind of shoes does the Bible talk about? Does it even care about shoes? The disciples take their shoes off and wash each others feet. Moses removed his shoes when he found himself standing on holy ground.  It seemed to me at first, that the Bible was more concerned with the feet inside the shoes, and not the shoes themselves. Hmmm.

I take it to be true that the feet inside are more important than the actual shoe. I know from experience that a shoe can be perfect and pretty and fabulous, but if it doesn’t fit the foot, it’s not worth buying. It’ll just end up in your closet gathering dust – useless and bringing no joy at all to the one who imagined wearing it.

Shoes are made for walking – not gathering dust in the closet!  And a smart woman knows to buy shoes that fit the occassion – you cannot wear heels on the track field. Boots on the beach in hot, sunny weather is just impractical, and running shoes are not suitable for a wedding!

sneakers

And not only do different occassions call for different shoes, different feet call for different shoes too! Consider these shoes:

Sneakers – flat, easy to wear, very comfy and not demanding at all. Is that the shoe you prefer? Watch out for the laces – you don’t want to trip over them.

Running shoes – good running shoes are essential for the runner, providing the correct support and proper bounce. Do they fit you? If they don’t fit your foot or running style, they may cause damage to your body, letting you wear out as you pound the tracks. And why are you running anyway? Are you making sure that you are fit for fight,or a you fleeing a fight? Jonah was the first to break in running shoes in the Bible – called by God to a challenge he didn’t like, he sped the other way.

Flip flops – I have always admired flip flops … on other peoples feet. For some reason, flip flops don’t look good on me, by my own opinion. And did you know that they are bad for your feet? Flip flops require the fine muscles in your feet to work very hard to keep the shoe on, and with excessive wear, they may damage your feet. And have you ever tried to run in flip flops? Quite impossible. And how safe are you anyway, in flip flops?

 

Then there are, of course , baby shoes. Any parent knows that finding the right pair of shoes for your baby is a task to be taken seriously. You need it to stay on the foot without hurting it, it needs to be bendable and soft, yet provide the correct support. It has to be strong enough to stand scrapes and bumps as the babe learns how to crawl, walk and jump, and it needs to keep the foot nice and warm, but not sweaty and uncomfortable at the same time.

 

 

And then – combat boots! Any soldier knows that combat boots are heavy and hot, but completely necessary at certain times during war. They protect the very feet that in the end will carry the man away from harm and danger, or lead him into rescue missions to save lost and hurting souls. Combat boots walk on shattered glass and shrapnell, they tramp on smoking coals and as they carry righteousness into dark, torn places, they become bringers of peace and hope.

Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God, and no armor is complete without combat boots :

 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 
There are many occassions that require different shoes. But as christians, the combat boot is the one shoe that we should have ready at all times. There may be times where the running shoe comes in handy. Times where the sneaker provides all the cunning sneakiness we sometimes need. Occassions that call for high heels and stilettos as we celebrate Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord and friend, or where sandals are preferred due to hot, humid and sunny weather. The only good occassion I can find  for flip flops concerns baptisms, where flip flops could come in handy because they won’t be ruined by the water!

Nonetheless – let us not forget that the feet inside the shoes are what truely matters. Isaiad 52:7 says:

7 How beautiful on the mountains 
   are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
 

So, whether you wear one kind of shoe or another, I am sure you want to have beautiful feet. Whether running a race, dancing in worship or rescuing victims from the kingdom of darkness, make it your ultimate goal to have feet that bring good news always.

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