Learning From the Rabbi, Our Master

 

Following Jesus was never about perfection. It wasn't getting it right that made someone a follower.  It was wanting to learn.

A rabbi's follower was someone who stayed with the person showing up day after day to learn from him. 

The twelve disciples weren't chosen for their perfection, they were simply chosen and given the choice to follow Jesus. 

The invitation given was to follow Him.  The days that followed was the learning to know who Jesus is.

"Did you not know I must be in my Father's house?", were the words Jesus said to His searching parents.

To the disciples  - "Do you know who I am?"

To Mary, when she told Jesus if you had been here my brother would not have died, Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection". 

Jesus again and again, over and over was telling and showing people who He was. He even got frustrated at times with the seemingly just-not-getting it from those who followed Him.  Mark 9:19 tells us Jesus response to the disciples when they could not cast out a demon in a child.  He said, "How long shall I put up with you?"  If it was about getting it right and perfection as a bar that is set, then the disciples missed the mark.

He showed who He was in the multiplying of the loaves and fishes.  He revealed who He was to the disciples in the fourth watch of the night as they battled and struggled in the fierce storm.  When Peter walked on the water, as the many people were healed, Jesus was revealing more of who He was.  As He spoke to the multitudes on the hillsides or to the disciples as they walked, He was telling them ways so opposite to what they understood but they were the ways of who He is.

The Pharisees are the ones who were about perfection, crossing t's and dotting their i's.  In striving to get it right, they missed seeing who Jesus is.

The same is for us today. Jesus wants us to know Him, to learn from Him and of Him. He wants to show us who He is - through His names, His actions, and most of all through our faith.  

In our night watches of wrestling, fears, and tears falling, who is Jesus?  When we get a diagnosis or the pain just doesn't go away, what does Jesus want us to know about Him?  Maybe you were missed by the people who love you, rejection showed up at your door, or words spoken want to define you - what does Jesus say and what truth does He want you and I to know?

Our faith is a believing in Him.  It's staying with Him, showing up again and again especially when He doesn't make sense to our human minds.  Faith is the reaching for Jesus to learn more, to ask the question, "Lord, help me understand and help me to see You when I have fears and questions and when life doesn't make sense."

The challenge for me is to learn to live with an openness.  Open to what could be and to the possibilities that lie within the very thing we would rather not be in. With Jesus nothing is wasted.  With Jesus we find our hearts and minds being realigned, which hurts sometimes.  For in my humanity and human thought-processes, I think this is good or important and valuable.  He in His infinite wisdom and all-knowingness says, "No, this is what is truly good."

Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28-29 to learn of Him.  He is the Rabbi, the Teacher.  Do you want to be His student, His follower?  If you answer yes, stay with Him, sit in His presence and offer your questions, fears, and aches.

He wants to tell you more about who He is.

Showing up again, today, is the space we wait and we find Jesus. 

The prayer of Psalm 25:4-5 -

Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths.  

Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee I wait all the day.

Come Out - Loose Him and Live

 

Life.  Sometimes I wonder if we really understand what living and life really is.

Let me take a moment and let's travel dusty roads to look back over the paths Jesus walked and the life giving He demonstrated and lived.

As He broke bread and told us to remember this - He gave thanks; all while knowing what He was about to walk through.

He gave thanks before breaking the bread and then it was passed to over 5,000 hungry people.

The kernel of wheat must die before giving birth to more kernels.

Jesus died, giving His life so that we may have life.  These are just a few...

Really.  Paradoxical to my way of thinking.  This is not the way I picture life coming and being given.  But it is the way of Jesus; upside down to we humans who strive after perfect as we were created to be in the beginning.  We plant, not even thinking of the seed that needs to die to produce the flowers and veggies we look forward to enjoying.

Lazarus laid in the grave for four days.  He was stinking by now and bound.  His sisters, Marry and Martha were grieving, after all they sent a message to Jesus to come and the road was empty of the visible presence of Jesus as Lazarus took his last breath.

As Martha met Jesus when He came, her words held the question, the wondering, the disappointment.  The words that followed also held her hope and belief in who Jesus is.

Jesus spoke to her that He is the Resurrection and the Life and she responded with, "Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." John 11:27 (italics added)

Jesus paused at the tomb of Lazarus after he laid there for four days and lifted His eyes toward His Father, and gave thanks.  He gave thanks that He hears.  But first the instructions Jesus gave were to remove the stone and Martha who had just declared to believe Jesus; struggled to understand, declaring that by now there will be a stench!

Jesus reminds her, "Did I not say - to you - if you believe you will see the glory of God?"  As Jesus paused, He looked up and gave thanks.  He gives thanks knowing that His Father hears.  He gave thanks because of what God would do for the benefit of the people.  He wanted them to really know who He is and we learn that through the experience. 

God hears our cries - right at the entrance of our graves.

Broken pieces.  Brokenness given to Jesus gives way to the birthing of life; deep within our souls and that's what matters the most.  It's the fullest healing and sometimes it simply doesn't look like we thought it would.

And that remains a mystery, but one I'm learning to lean into when the next hard comes.  I may be like Martha and still say something practical like 'there will be a stench'; but I'm learning to trust the Giver of Life and the One who gave His life with thanks so that I may have eternal life; the fullness of life.

And so, I stop, look up and give thanks.  Thanks giving is thanks living.

Maybe for you, this season of thanksgiving is brutal.  Maybe life simply doesn't make sense and the road to your house remains 'empty' of the presence of Jesus.  Let's just sit 'together' for a moment and let's remember - He is here.  Jesus knew about Mary and Martha and Lazarus' last breath.  He hasn't forgotten you and like Jesus said, " Let us go..." He will come and He does come.  In your pain He just may not be visible.  That is okay - but I breathe a prayer that you may rise with faith like Martha did; choosing to still believe and some day, give thanks for who He is.

The One Voice That Matters Most in a Storm

 

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

Trials come.  Waves of tribulation wash over us and take us under, causing us to flounder from the impact.  The hard we didn't see coming, blind-sides us and we wonder what is up or down and where in the world am I?

-that phone call

-the diagnosis

-the relationship breach

and so on...

It's not a matter of if, it's only a matter of when this happens.

So while I understand the dynamics of hard, trials and tribulations, because I have my own to walk through and yet recognize each is unique to our own; this verse tells you and me a truth that helps us navigate the storms.

WE ARE NOT VICTIMS!!  WE ARE OVERCOMERS BECAUSE OF JESUS!

Jesus tells us to take courage, (indication it's hard) because He has overcome the world.  And IN HIM we may have peace.

That 'may' is critical, because it's available to us but we must access it.  We need to choose Jesus in the storm and tribulation.  We need to go on a treasure hunt and find the truths of Jesus because it's only in Him that we will find the Presence of Peace.  He is Peace and it's through Him that we find peace.

Sometimes Jesus calms the storm and other times He calms me within the storm. -jel

The process of finding Jesus in the storm is not a box to check off, it's not even a straight line. It's more like a treasure hunt, lifting up stones and heavy ones at that, searching under this and that; persevering.

When the storm hits, the hard knocks us over, the tempest rages... the voices come.  

The voice of discouragement, to give up.  The voice that hisses in your head, "you are alone, no one cares".  The voice of doubting God's presence and goodness.  The voice of... 

But we aren't stuck with those.  We have the voice of God through His word, the Holy Spirit, and the 'heaps of stones' from past experiences of God's visible and tangible evidence of who He is.  His is the voice that speaks, giving guidance.  

In the storm, is the time we remember.  We remember and recount, in faith and because of faith, the ways we experienced God before.  We choose to believe the truths He says in His word and the ones that impacted us before.  We anchor our heart and soul in the truth as weather-out the storm.

Whatever has happened to you, is the opportunity for the two kingdoms to speak - Satan's or God's.  

These two voices give us a choice.

We can choose to listen to the blame game Satan hisses at us, the lies he speaks or we can choose to go to the words of Jesus and let His voice of Truth speak to us.

What/Who will you listen to?  What/Who will I listen to today?

Jesus' voice and His words matter most.  They are the ones that will guide us safely through the storm and anchor our hearts when we feel forsaken or alone.  His truth is our one and only safe anchor and light to guide your steps and mine.

I Believe in the Sun Even When It's Not Shining

 

There are those days, those moments when the sun shines, the warmth is felt, all seems right in the world and faith and God seem near.  

There are also those days when the clouds hide the visibility of the sun and the day seems quite cloudy and uncertain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I sat outside one morning as this day was dawning, it was raining, foggy, and the birds were chirping.  Life was happening and the day dawning just like yesterday, but that day started with the colour in the sky and the sun appearing.

I reflected.  This morning is no different in the day dawning, except that is was raining and foggy.  The fog hid the sun but that did not mean the sun wasn't still shining.

So it is with our storms and rain and Jesus.  

When I was in my darkest stormy nights, Jesus felt far away.  I felt forgotten and often wondered if He cared or even still loves me.  (Yes, it is my weakness as I associate care, presence with being valued and loved.)  Prayers seemed to go unheeded or answered.

Through that and looking back, I see ways God was navigating and very present even when I could not see it or the darkness hid Him, just like the foggy morning hid the rising sun.

Faith.  Faith is believing in the presence of the Son, Jesus, even when what I am walking through is hiding His presence and I cannot see His workings.

Another day. Another morning. Repeat.

I wonder if you have this same experience?  I suspect you do, for we humans have the same struggles they only have a different face, maybe a different way it is seen or experienced.

You know, sometimes it's real easy to have faith in Jesus, the mountain top feel.  But the reality is, there are times it really is not so easy.

We recently experienced the eclipse of the sun.  For a minute or three, the day got dark and the sun obstructed by the moon.  Light and warmth were obstructed as the moon passed between us and the sun. It was a glorious moment to witness, but when the 'sun' gets eclipsed in my life it's really not such a glorious moment to live out.  

Faith is a choice.  A decision and a learning to know the heart of God and to trust Him, even if.  Faith is a decision to learn to really know God and to believe Him whether the sun is shining or not.

These words are easier to type than to live out.  These words I don't write lightly but I write them because it is true and to keep reminding my own fragile human heart that God is still good in the stormy night as He is in the sunlit, heartfelt moments.

The words to the song, I believe in the sun even when it's not shining, I believe in a God even when I can't see Him were written and inscribed on the walls of a prison concentration camp.  There were inscribed with a choice to stay with God, to believe Him even in the darkest and meanest of times.  

I don't believe they were written lightly.  They were written with a specific, faith-filled choice to believe God for who He is.

And I do the same.

Is it dark for you today?  Have you walked away from the God who loves you and is still good in the hard?  Maybe it is only a shift in your heart to not believe God or to think He doesn't care or you don't matter?

I know I have, it's easy to do when the hard washes over and knocks us down.  But I have also come back to stay.  To find refuge under the wings of our Almighty Father and to choose to believe His words of truth in a moment that screams otherwise.

Faith isn't faith until something doesn't make sense and you still stay with Jesus, trusting Him  and choosing to believe in His love and goodness; even if. 

In a Leap of Faith We Discover Our Wings

 

In the call of faith, that faith pleases God; there are times when this feels oh, so scary.  Because faith in the trenches requires something very different than the faith when the sun is shining.

This is a piece of my wrestling with faith in a really hard season.

Lord, 

I have heard the saying that when one takes the leap of faith,

One may fly.

(You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.)

But, Lord, is that always really so???

What if I fall??

(Underneath are the everlasting arms.  I will catch you.)

What if I crash???

(I am sent to heal the broken hearted.  To bind up the wounds.)

Lord.  You are there.  Here.  In every situation.

I am no where that You are not.

Nothing happens haphazardly.

You want to redeem any situation.

You want me to know You.

To know more of Your compassion and grace.

Because of that, if to know You more…

And to know more compassion and grace and love…

Is learned through pain

Then I lean towards You as You allow pain and suffering and loss to happen.

To bring redemption.  In my heart.

To reveal more of what me is really like,

(my heart is deceitful)

 so that Your Glory may be seen, purging and shining on.

When I learn to trust Your heart and to believe Your love.  Again and again.

When I choose to believe Your Greater Truth.  Again.

Then I fly.

Fly above the rejection, the loss, and the hard.

Soar beyond the pain.

I learn that You are my comforter.

That Your peace passes understanding.

That Your love surrounds me.

I learn that I will be okay.  Because the One who promises to carry us in His arms is faithful.

Thank you, Lord.  I adore You.

I can FLY!!  

Sometimes the only way to truly being alive - is to LEAP...

The One who delights in our faith is faithful.  Maybe, today, you need to take the leap of faith...

go ahead, for His arms are truly there to surround you and eventually, you will fly.

If you can't today, that's ok.  He won't let you alone, but will continue to woo you...  keep choosing to believe.  Keep holding on to His hand when you feel all of life is slipping...

Because of His love we can trust and believe Him!!

The Walk of Faith is Not a Walk by Sight

 

Hebrews 11:6 says to us, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

One morning as I sat, wrestling with the path I was on, aching with the losses and what was being required of me, I felt the whisper, the stirring of God as the thought took form in my mind, 'Faith pleases Me'.

Faith is one of those words that's easy until it's not.  It's easy to say, "Have faith, believe."  And sometimes it is easy to do that; but sometimes it's not.  Sometimes faith is stepping when the sun is shining and it's a delight.  But sometimes taking the next step is falteringly taken, have little to no clue what is around the bend, who may come flying at you on a bike or just the right timing and two of you collide.  Sometimes, to keep walking is actually excruciating to my self protection and to let go is one of the scariest things.  To some, there may the adventurous one who delights in seeing what's ahead or around the bend; go, live in that.

But I think if we are all honest with ourselves, there is something that causes us to stop and wonder if this is the right path?  Is it safe? (insert - no it won't always be 'safe', but that doesn't mean it's a wrong place - but it will always be a place of rest, even in the storm.)  What's ahead?  Do I have what it takes?  How will I know what to do?

All those questions are ok and a part of our human wrestling in our minds.  But I have learned and am continuing to learn, that I can keep taking steps because of the One who walks WITH me.  I also know that as I walk with Jesus, I can converse with Him about my questions and fears.  (Sometimes, I might more like, drag my feet or even stomp them...)

Jesus, our Way, my Way, is also the Guide and Shepherd of our way, and we can take that next step.

It thrills me.  No, I don't like foggy and murky hard, but I am so delighted to know that in those moments, I am not a victim, I am walking with the Victor and when I keep in step with Him, listening to His voice, I find my way, the Way.

Those times when faith is one of the most difficult things to put into practice, we can tell God that.  I picture myself stopping and having a conversation with God, my Father, about how I can't go on, of all that is scary and what all hurts.

And sometimes, it's all legit; but He gently whispers, reminding me of Himself, that He is with me and it's okay.  If I stay with Him, if I keep taking steps, He holds my hand, steadying my faltering steps.

He is faithful. He is a faithful Guide and Keeper of our souls.  He will see us safely to the end.

You know, it's a lot like being blindfolded in a game, where you have someone giving you instructions or even holding your arm and giving directions.  You take faltering steps, cautious steps, but if you follow carefully what is said or lean on the one holding your arm; you get to where you need to go, one step at a time.

The same is with Jesus.  If we stay with Him, we will get to where we need to go, even when we can't see the way.  But we must trust Him and know that He is good.

We walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7  Faith is our shield and a shield is moveable, always keeping it in front of us as we face the darts of fear, doubt, anxiety, etc.

Faith. Trust. Sometimes it is taking the next step towards the Father, just as a parent stands in front of their young child as they encourage them to take their first steps.  God is always encouraging us to come to Him or to stay with Him; learning more of Him in every hard part of our story.

Friend, fellow-traveler, let's keep taking steps with the One who knows the way, who is the Way, and who delights and loves each step of the way.  Tell Him everything.  Stay with Him.  And we will get to where we need to be, one step at a time.

Another Year, The Unknowns That Lie Before Us Gives Us A Choice

 

I don't know about you, but me, when I'm asked to trust Jesus it's easy to say the words when not much is at stake, but in the trenches, my heart rushes towards fear. F.E.A.R.

From my often morning place of time with my Father, I see branches that in the morning light form the letter F.  Fear of all that was looming and is at times still looming.  Relationships fraught with tight pain.  I want to manage, to fix what is broken, to keep things from breaking, but, it's not mine to do.  It leaves me fraught with anxiety and stress.

There's another F word, Faith.  

That morning and many mornings that followed, I have a choice as I face the day, another year, Fear or Faith.  Which one will I reach for??

The way may oft times be laden with unclear, dark moments, but I know we have One who goes with us each step of the way.  He is the Way!  He parts waters, walks on waters, and calms storms.  He is the same today, tomorrow and each day!

One particular morning I was more fragile, weary, and worn in the battle, laying on the ground, wondering what I was to do?  Do I keep fighting or let go?  Oh, another F word (and by now, no I'm not swearing), Fight!

Faith. Fear. Fight.

I asked the Lord, "What do I do?"

(Fight, my daughter, fight) How do I keep fighting?  In Ephesians 6 we have the armour of God and in verse seventeen we are told the the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.

So, I take the word of God and wield my sword, even from the ground.

And then, I'm rallied by friends and family, coming alongside to aid in the battle to fight.

Friends, this new year that we're standing on the threshhold of can so easily have us reaching for fear and then control to manage it all.

But there is another choice, Faith, and that requires a letting go and a choosing to walk a path where many steps are not very clear, except to stay with Him, the Way because His steps are sure and confident.

Friends, I don't know what pain or ache or trauma your soul may be carrying, but I do know the One who we can be confident loves us and cares for us each step of the way, even if the steps are rocky and they cut deep.  

Picture with me as we're taking a hike.  The summer of 2023 our family took a trip west and did many a hike.  A lot of the hikes had easy places to walk, others places were quite the feat to master.  And sometimes my husband would take my hand to steady me along the way or my Majestick walking stick kept me quite steady as the way beneath my feet was anything but smooth.

So, our Father, with us, steadying, holding, encouraging us when the way beneath us is anything but clear or smooth.

As we step into 2024, we have a choice in our Fight - Faith or Fear.

And so I do both... I fight and I let go.  I let it go to God and wield my sword, the words of God.  As  only God can untangle all that is, I stay with Him and choose to believe His words with Faith and I Fight...

The Faith of Seeing Beyond

 

What's ahead? What awaits me around the bend? In the fog, I can't see far.  What's enshrouded in the mist?

Unknowns. Disappointments. Anxiety. Hard places.

These are the fertile soil where fears can take root in our hearts. The tender, worked up soil where faith can take root is also the place where fears can take root.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. So, if it's that important, what is faith?

Faith - Webster defines it as an unquestioning belief that does not require evidence; trust, confidence.

God defines faith in Hebrews 11:1.  It says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. "

Assurance. Conviction. The assurance and conviction that God is for me.  So I then can choose to believe what is unseen above what I'm seeing in my circumstances and what they are screaming to me in the moment. 

It takes faith to see beyond, to learn the heartbeat of the One Who created us and to trust Him.

How do we catch a glimpse of eternity to stay engaged with Jesus in the middle of unanswered petitions, watching wrong choices being chosen by loved ones, relationships gone awry, and more? 

To see beyond, is the wrestling of faith and fear. It's the space of finding Jesus and choosing at times, to stay and believe Him and His words of truth, even if it doesn't make sense or all is so unclear. 

To see beyond gives us the strength to keep on, keeping on.

To see beyond is to know and find God in our stories. 

I get so embroiled in the happenings of my life and all the details playing out before me.  Some days I can see through it all, the joys, the sorrows, the lovely things and hard, the peace and the chaos.  But some days the negative and hard threaten to sink my ship with all its turbulent waters. 

How God, do I make sense of all this? How do I keep going?

May I hide? May I walk away?

Jesus whispers, "What did I do?" 

"I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Life. I came.  I came to be present, to show you the way through is the way with Me."

II Kings 6 tells us the story of an army that surrounds prophet Elisha and his servant.  The servant awoke just like any other day only to discover the army surrounding the mountain they were on.  All fear rose up within him and he cried out, "What shall we do?!?"

Elisha's response beckons us to remember who is with us.  His reply was, "Don't be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them".

Then he prays a prayer, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see".  And He did.  The servant saw the horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.  God was with Elisha on that mountain, surrounding him with His presence.

Elisha was confident in God's provision.  (I really wonder what Elisha was seeing...)

Open our eyes to see... 

Yes, Lord, I get it just a little bit more. You are in our stories, just like You were a part of Elisha's story and many others.

You want us to see You. And when we see You, we get a glimpse of beyond. 

While all this is good and true, how do we live the way of seeing beyond??

I have found it's not an easy 1,2,3 to find God but there are a few things I have learned that helps make this tangible and ways that God has become visible in all the muck and mire, joys and successes of life.

1) Gratefulness - learning to view life through the lens of gratefulness is a powerful shift.  In every sorrow there is a gift or something we can say thanks for.  We don't have to be grateful for what is happening, but in every happening there is something to find and give thanks for.  Reframing sorrow is a step toward finding God and His healing love.

2) Acknowledge the both/and - in life we experience joy and sorrow; pain and healing.  It's not one or the other, but both.  When I learned to be okay with both and didn't need to choose one, I found life to be full, for the depth of pain or sorrow I was experiencing is the height of knowing God's love and His peace and joy beyond measure.

3) To live today - to wake up each day, claiming the grace of God and His new morning mercies. (Lamentations 3)  Learning to live with grace for today and sometimes only the moment that is right before me, was to live in rest from all the lies and frantic expectations.  To not let yesterday's choices affect today. Today is a new day, another beginning, a fresh start.  Living in God's new morning mercies is so freeing, it's grace.  Today is God's manna grace, just what is needed for today!

Elisha eyes - seeing beyond what is surrounding me because I am learning there is more with us than with them.

Seeing -

Beyond me to You. 

Beyond my strength to Yours.

Beyond my finite to glimpsing a bit of Your infinity.

Beyond my control to Your all-seeing eye. 

Beyond my workings to orchestrate plans to trusting Your working all things for good. 

Beyond my doubts, questions, confusions,  to see a choosing of staying with You because You hold us in Your everlasting arms.

Beyond temporal to get a glimpse of eternal.

So, LORD, as only You can do, untangle all the threads that threaten to ensnare us and keep us caught in the web of fear and unrest and guilt.

To see beyond is to find You present and rise on the  eagle's wings to soar in the confidence and belief of Your power, strength, and goodness, in spite of and because of.

To see beyond is to let God's love sink into our hearts and see others through that lens. 

One of many of my favorite quotes, "To love someone means to SEE them as God intended them." Fyodor Dostoyersky

To see beyond can only be seen when I allow His grace, love, and mercy to impact my heart deeper and deeper.  For God's vision is beyond and above ours. We are finite, He is infinite. 

He is here. He is present, with us.

Quote, "For the Author has written Himself into the Story and now walks with us until the Story is finished in His time, in His way, for His honour and His glory. All is well."  -Peretti 

And all is well with my soul for the Author of my story is the Finisher of my story and He'll keeps us all in the middle moments of our story. 

Faith, the vision of seeing beyond, shifting, so our heart's eyes can catch a glimpse of the Author who truly loves us deeply. 

Faith the vision of staying with Jesus, abiding in His presence when our flesh says, "Leave, God is not trustworthy".

Faith is seeing beyond.