The Posture of Two Hands

 

The Posture of Two Hands

Lord, You created two hands.

Hands to give.

Hands to receive.

So much of life is both and and.

Both joy and sorrow.

Bothe pain and purpose.

Both hard and holy.

Both thorns and pleasure.

These hands sometimes are gripping, holding on.

Other times they're clenched, tightly shut.

And then, there are those times, I let go and open the fists to receive, to embrace what I would never ask for and allow You to place another thing in my hands.

Your strength.

Your peace.

Your Presence.

Your grace.

Two hands.

In the one I hold the ache of loneliness and the other the soft glow or bold glory of the morning sunrise or the evening sunset.

In the one I hold the tears of disappointments and the other the confidence of Your faithfulness.

In the one I hold my anger at what doesn't make sense and the other one the release of trusting You and choosing to continue to believe in Your goodness.

Two hands.

Either open or tight-fisted.

Either closed or open.

Either rejecting or receiving.

If I close my hand to receiving the hard, I close my hand to the holy as well.

Closed to receiving Your love and grace, closed so You cannot put in my hand the strength I need to walk the journey, to take the next step.

Two hands.

I bring together in a posture of prayer and praise.

Prayer for grace to accept the parts of my story I'd rather not have and 

praise for Your presence and the little joys that are around me for me to notice.

Two hands.

Pain and purpose.

Joy and sorrow.

Thorns and pleasure.

Two hands.

Brought together in a moment for Your glory and for Your purpose, Lord.

And then,

joy, peace which cannot always be explained invades my soul and I take the next step with a little more of a dance, a little lighter and with a little more spring.

When we create space for what we don't want, there is space for the joy and the goodness of God to be seen and experienced.

But I confess, this, takes a whole lot of trusting God.  Of believing He is still good when circumstances simply don't make sense.  Of choosing to not bow down and give in to grief and despair and proclaim, "Even if..."  It's choosing, again, by faith, to stay with God and remember He loves us, not because of what He does, but because of Who He is!!!  It's learning to accept and embrace what I'd rather not, with a smile that tells of His goodness and provision.

And this.  Causes me to pray, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief."

We Experience One to Know The Other

Jesus responded to Peter's indignation towards the woman wiping his feet with her hair after she had anointed them, with these words... He who is forgiven much, loves much.  He who is forgiven little, loves little.  Luke 7:47

This woman knew the deep pain of costly mistakes.  She understood her complete undoneness and because of that recognized her need of Saviour.  She came to Jesus, when Jesus was in a group of men, and was completely vulnerable... poured ointment on Jesus' feet and then took her hair and wiped them.

How could she do it??

She was extremely grateful.

She experienced deep pain.  She knew unbounding forgiveness.  And she was extremely grateful.  To where she risked her reputation and became vulnerable.

She was forgiven much, so she loved much.

Hebrews 7:11 ... Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood.., what further need would there have been for another priest to arise ...?

Hebrews 8:7 also says, For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for the second.

To experience one thing is to open our hearts up for something else.  To experience the  lack of something helps us to realize and long for that something better.

Counselors will tell you that you will not seek change out of a bad situation until the pain of where you are is greater than the fear of the unknown.

The Jews were a people whom God chose and He gave them the Law and the Law was to point to something greater.  It also showed them their undoneness and incapability to do what was right on their own.  He promised them a Saviour, a Redeemer.

When we experience a deep loss of any kind we open ourselves to knowing what's on the other side of the door.  And we often don't realize or appreciate what we had until we don't have it anymore.
There are two sides to a door.  Two sides of a coin.

There is an opportunity ... Pain/Hard = Redemption.

If there is no mess up, there is no need of redemption.
If there is no death, there will be no resurrection.

God has promised to redeem us.
He will restore the years the locusts have eaten.

To the extent that we experience the depth of hard and loss we understand the height of redemption and healing.

Jesus experienced death and because of that He could know and experience the resurrection.

The darker the night, the brighter the light.
The deeper the depths we go, the higher the heights we'll know.

The songs that touches the deepest chords of our hearts were written out of the broken cry of someone else's heart.

One morning as I was doing my usual morning walk, I breathed deep because I was experiencing the joy of a clearer brain and the simple joy of a friendship that was refreshing.  Those days of clarity and feeling good are limited for me right now and so when I experience one, the delight is extremely delightful.

To have known pain in many ways opens my eyes and heart to know the joy of health and healing.
To know the loss of one friendship is to awaken me to the delight of another.
To experience the sickness of mind and brain is to know the joy and delight of its slowly healing.
To know many days of pain is to rejoice and be exceeding grateful for the day of lesser or no pain.

As  one family experienced the near loss of a husband/father an anniversary date holds extra special meaning.

To experience one is to know the other.

To know joy we experience loss.
To know God's love deeply we experience rejection.
To know light we walk in darkness.
To know the freedom of God's new covenant, people lived the old.
To know forgiveness we made a mistake.

To experience one.  Is to know the other.

In the valleys of hard there is the fact of what we have lost or are experiencing but there is also the reality of new joys to discover.
The pain of the hard is a storm that shakes the soil our hearts and sometimes it's more like an earthquake, but one day we realize that it has loosened the soil and a 'flower' is growing in the crevice.  Our hearts are awakened and we appreciate and receive the gifts of today as richer, fuller, and more simplistic.

There are new and fresh gifts to see and experience.  And I am realizing that in the newness there is a simplicity that is refreshing.  Like the refining of gold, a fire that removed the dross and the metal now shines, till it reflects the face of the Master.

All hard must be grieved and in its own time will find healing.
But there comes a time when we must choose what we are focusing on.  We must decide which side of the door we will be, which side of the coin we will face... the hard stuff or the simple and pure joys and gifts in the middle of the hard.

To focus on one is not to deny the other, it simply is giving one the greater attention.  And the one we focus on will be the one that dictates our days and moments.  It will be one of despondency or walking in hope.

And when sadness overwhelms you because of the hard, take a moment to grieve and cry because as you do that you will find healing, again.
It is not a once and done deal when you live with a chronic illness or the loss of a loved one, etc, so the grieving will not be a once and done deal either.

But remember... to turn your face and your sights to the sun/Son.  Turn your gaze to look around you and see if you can find a pure and simple joy that may be there to surprise you.

He is our Promised Redeemer!

And if you don't find anything right then because the storm cloud is too dark, turn your heart's eyes of faith to Jesus, the One who is with you and wait, holding on to His hand in faith.

When Life Boils - What Happens?

A question asked by my youngest son one night during our evening meal, "Why do carrots get soft when they are hot?" brought to mind an illustration I once read.  You can read it by clicking the link that follows...
www.moralstories.org/struggles-of-our-life/

Hard things happen.
Life changes.
Our bodies fail.
We get sick.
Our ears don't hear as well as they should.

It's easy to blame.  To clench our fists and wonder why.  To harden our hearts against the pain that assaults us.  To be like the egg when boiled.

Jesus calls us to come to Him, pain and all.  To become soft in Him and allow Him to change the ashes to beauty.  Like the carrot or potato and coffee bean.

Come to Me... and learn of Me... all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus does not belittle our pain, He is inviting us to come and learn of Him.  To know Him.

His strength when ours is weak.
His grace that sustains us when we feel we can't go on.
His love that values us beyond what other words we may hear.

To know Him as Friend, All-Sufficient Grace, Power, Light, Truth.  To experience His compassion, love, and embrace.

Lord, give us eyes to see beyond the pain and to see You.  The courage to rest in Your embrace.  The heart that finds You to be enough.
Lord, sometimes life simply hurts, we bring that pain to you because You care and ARE BIG ENOUGH to handle all that comes with a painful package.
Lord, we choose to believe.  Choose to trust Your heart towards us.  Choose to keep our hand in Yours till we are safely in Your Presence.

Lord, keep us.  Hold us.  Carry us.  Sustain us.

Thank You, for the love You so freely give.
Thank You, for revealing Your Truth in our searching moments.
Thank You, we love You.

When Jesus' Living and Leading Looks So Different...

How Jesus lived and leads is so often different from the way I thought it would look.

And so it was with the disciples and people of the days He walked the earth-lands.

I'm seeing in a more real way the struggle and disappointment many faced as they walked with Jesus. The struggle to believe and the tension of the heartstrings to trust the heart of Jesus when life makes little or no sense.

The Romans were a people that were ruthless, hard, and had little to no mercy and many were waiting for someone stronger to subdue them.
The disciples often wanted Jesus to sweep in and take over.

What did He say?
Love your enemies.  Do good to them that hate you.  Go the second mile.  My kingdom is not of this world.
And on it goes...

Peter even went so far as to kill a man in the garden only to catch the ear.  Jesus wasn't doing anything...
Fear settles in the hearts of many as Jesus, their leader, is crucified.  Why?  What happens to us??

Disillusionment.  Anger.  Disappointment.  settles in.  Many walk away.  Others follow, with questions.  Still others trust Jesus knowing He is the Messiah, even though they did not understand...

And, I too, want Someone bigger and stronger to right the wrongs, to subdue evil, to sweep in and take over...
And it often doesn't happen...

Disillusionment, anger, frustration grips my heart just as it did the disciples and others.  I have, in that moment, the choice of those long ago --- Will I walk away,  or stay, or believe the heart of Jesus and His words and trust Him, in the middle of questions and even disappointment?

Jesus just did not come like they thought a King or Messiah would come.  He did not live like they expected Him to.  And He did not lead in a way that they wanted Him to.

He called that of His followers... to live differently.

And so, it is today.

Will you trust Him when life hurts and makes little sense?
Do you believe He is good and has your good in mind?

Hard questions.  Real stuff.

But there is a Greater Truth and that Truth is... JESUS LOVES US!  HIS LOVE IS DEEP.

Let that love go deep in your heart and take root, again.  Believe it until it creates a new groove of thinking in your heart.

It's a journey.  A lifetime of understanding and learning of God and His love and learning to trust His heart towards us.

But the more we choose to believe, the stronger the root.

Love to you, my friends, my readers as you walk with God in the hard and easy. Sometimes we lose our way in the hard, it's hard to believe...  May someone fight for you, believe for you, walk with you when you can't...

And remember when you feel as if you're alone.... you're not - there's a Greater Truth, God never leaves or forsakes us.

May you know and 'taste of' Him who loves us so much He stretched His arms and gave His life.

Let's give Him ours.

The Cost of Beauty

Have you thought about beauty and maybe how beauty really looks??
Is is merely taking what is already beautiful and creating beauty with that?
Or is it maybe seeing beyond...?
Beyond the present situation to what something could be?

Beauty.
Flowers. Diamonds. Candles. Love. Joy. Radiant faces.

That's fun.  That's easy.

But what about the hard times?  The person who is hard to love?  The person who struggles to rest?
Is there beauty in that?  What about seeing beyond and fighting for the deeper things of life?
What about rejection, loneliness; is there any beauty in that?

Maybe not.  Hard times are not fun or beautiful; it's the outcome.  It's what can be produced in our hearts or another's heart that becomes beautiful.

What about getting involved in someone's life?  Jesus did.  He became involved in our world.  Our lives...

Sometimes beauty costs.
And...
Sometimes the cost is high.  very high.

The cost to live selflessly, giving up dreams, wishes, and desires, at times.
The cost to follow the commands of Jesus, loving when it's not easy.  Forgiving.
The cost for beauty and refinement, having those rough edges, planed.
The cost to become involved, to fight for another's heart and soul.

Jesus gave His all.  His life.
It cost Him misunderstandings.  betrayal.  helping others when He wanted to be alone with His Father.
It cost Him His life.

This time of the year, we stop and celebrate the fact that Jesus came as a baby.  We put up a manger scene.  We rejoice that the Messiah came to set us free. We are comforted that Immanuel, God with us, came.

He got involved in our world.
And it cost.
His life.  The ultimate sacrifice, once and for all.

I am grateful Jesus came.

It cost Him all.
Now it costs me...

We don't do the physical, daily sacrifices of offering an animal; but we have many opportunities to daily sacrifice - AND IT COSTS.

AND IT HURTS.

You give yourself to helping another and you may hear words of criticism instead of encouragement.
You pour yourself out for the sake of loving another, and someone says in some way... "It's not enough..."
You're in a role of leadership and the many opinions and criticism seem to be a dagger...
You expose a struggle or dare to be vulnerable and another doesn't seem to get you...
You want a moment of quiet with your Heavenly Father and someone comes 'banging' on your door.

It hurts.  We get scratched.

I have a quote that reminds me what it means to be involved in other's lives...
Sara Hagerty penned these words "Little did I know that most of the treasures within a person lay hidden below the surface waiting for a voice to  call it out.  Beauty in another requires participation."

I recently took a walk down a road and up a bank to cut some greens for a friend to add touches in her house this winter season.  There were weeds, briars, and some slippery muddy spots.

I got scratched.  It was awkward at times to not slip.  I cut red berries and there were thorns that pricked...

I was helping to create beauty for another, and it didn't always feel good.  But it was so worth it.

Not all of life is that basic.  But the picture I got a glimpse of is... SOMETIMES TO CREATE BEAUTY OR TO CALL OUT BEAUTY IN ANOTHER HURTS.

Sometimes to have beauty refined in our souls, hurts.

The misunderstandings.  the betrayal.  the criticism has the potential to create a beauty in our souls that is beyond our understanding.  A beauty that others will benefit from.

The hard also has the potential to harden.  To harden our hearts and put up walls.

It is a beauty that we cannot create or handle on our own, we must take our pain to the Father.  We must hold out our hands... the one with the pain, the other with being reminded of who we are in Him, His Greater Truth.

He, too, has scars.  Nail-pierced hands and feet that mark His costs.

My scratches will fade, but some are indelibly marked in our hearts.
Jesus knows.

He has permanent marks, too.

He endured pain to set us free.
Now our pain can set us free.

Free from self and selfishness.
Free from bondage and lies.
Free to live.
Free to be in Jesus!

Jesus has said and promised, that He will create beauty out of ashes.  He can take what is hard and ugly and create beauty.

We are NOT ALONE in this quest for beauty.
Jesus has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
He has promised His grace IS SUFFICIENT.

He gives more grace when the trials are greater.  As deep as our hard is, so is the depth of His grace; if we choose to see Him and lean on His understanding and trust His heart when our way is blinded with pain and sorrow.

Hard is meant for us to find God.  To search for what is truly life-giving and eternal.  To remind us, we need God.  REDEMPTION...

That is another form of beauty.

Beauty of soul. Beauty that lasts.
Beauty that hurts.

But beauty that is LIFE-GIVING.

Keep your hand in His.  He has promised that He will finish the work that He started in you.

Cost it does... but it is and will be WORTH IT!
HEAVEN.  Glorious Heaven.  Eternal beauty and bliss.  Jesus!

Who Is Jesus??

Who Is Jesus??

Who is Jesus to you today??

We've heard many times before

Jesus is to be your Rock to the core.

He is to be your everything

Your security and the main thing.

So we come to Him for healing

for strength and grace and pleading.

To intercede on our behalf

and guide us with His rod and staff.

What happens when our day is done

and the sickness still remains?

What happens to our hearts

when our longings remain unmet?

What happens to my faith

when I pray and pray and the request remains the same?

What happens to my heart

when dreams come crashing down?

Who is Jesus?

Is He only a Healer?

Is He only a Miracle worker?

Do I come to Him to see the loaves and fishes multiplied?

the sick healed?  the lame walking?

Who is Jesus?

Yes, Jesus is the Healer.  He is a Miracle worker.

But Jesus is so much more.

He wants to show me Him.

He wants me to know Him as Sustainer.

as Life.  as Strength for the hard that remains.

He is Messiah.  Redeemer.  Saviour.

He is Lover.  Friend at all times.

He is Truth. Life. and the Way.

He wants us to see Him and to know Him.

To search Him with our hearts

as the wise men did many years ago.

Yes, life has it's hard, but in the hard

we are to find Him as our all in all.

We are to seek Him.

The hard is meant to draw us to His embrace.

Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.

 Our hearts are lonely until they find Him as a Friend.

Our hearts have aching spots that are meant to draw us to His arms of embrace.

If we come to Him for healing, alone,

we may be left disappointed.

If we come to Him for prayers to be answered,

our faith may be left to flounder.

But if we come to Him, wanting Him

wanting to know, we will find Him.

We will not be left destitute.

Who is Jesus to you today??

Some call Him prophet.  

Some call Him a good man.

Some say He is a miracle worker.

But who do you say He is??

                                                  

Sometimes we look down the track of life and we cannot see where it goes.  Our dreams crashed. Our friendships are awry.  Sickness is hounding our bodies.  

Brokenness.

It seems to prevail.

But Jesus' Greater Truth is... BROKENNESS DOES NOT PREVAIL!

JESUS DOES. 

I believe Jesus wants to ask us a question as He did to His disciples many years ago and we have it recorded in John 9:20... "But who do YOU say that I am?"

Is Jesus enough for you?  simply Jesus.

Is He still good when His track looks different than what we thought it would?

Is His plan still perfect when we can't see very far down this track we're on?

To my friends, near and far, young and older,  whose life's track have taken hard turns, Jesus wants you to find Him.  To know and see that He is more than Healer and Prayer Answerer. 

He wants relationship.  He wants to be enjoyed and loved for Who He is and not what He does.

Many you find and know Him today.

One day the train will come.  One day it will make sense.  One day...

Until then, let's keep our hand in the hand of Jesus, He will Guide us safely.