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."

Breath of Life

We all face hard things... disappointments, disillusionments, sickness, rejection, death... something...  Something that hurts and causes us to want to protect our hearts.  We want to run and hide, cowering against the harsh blast of pain and hurt.

But when we do we limit ourselves.  We limit ourselves to the power of what happened and who caused it, whether it be a human being or God.

We can't see very far when we are cowering and hiding our hearts. (note to self ;))

Ok.  Before you run away and think I'm telling you your pain doesn't matter, stay.
Because what happened matters.  How you feel matters.  What it did to you matters.

But there is something more and in time, the right time, I want to encourage you to see a little further.  To shift your gaze upward as you lay there, hurting.  To shift your gaze as we are sometimes left limping.

When we get gut-punched with pain and hard things it sends us reeling and the breath sometimes gets knocked out of us.
A job loss.
A failed marriage or relationship.
A death.
Another's choice that affects us deeply.
You fill in the blank ____________.

We are left grasping for air, clutching our sides.  Broken.  Devastated.

The LORD is nigh to the brokenhearted.  He hears the cry and bottles the tears. Psalm 56:8

How He cares... to bottle our tears.  Jesus wept.  He agonized in the Garden.  He agonizes with us because He knows.
He knows the pain of denial.  The sting of betrayal.  The gut-wrenching agony of not being understood.
After all, He is Life.  He has the power of Life...  How He wants to give that to us!  And that reality makes the stings of pain so much greater.

But He went to the Cross anyway.  He saw something and knew something that carried Him beyond that reality.

Pain, hard, disappointment were all a reality.
But so was the Presence of His Father.

Jesus never lost sight of His Father and I wonder if that was why He so often slipped away, alone.  Alone with the Father to shift His focus off of the pain and on to the Greater Truth of what His Father says.  To keep in focus the reason He was here on this earth.  To take the pain and agony and hear what the Father had to really say.

Alone with the Father.  To shift gaze.  To breathe.

God BREATHED INTO Adam the BREATH OF LIFE.
Breathe.
In, out.  In, out.  Inhale, exhale.  Inhale, exhale.

When we take a breath there is an exchange.  We take in oxygen and push out carbon dioxide.  We breathe in life and breathe out poison.

God still wants to breathe into us the breath of life.
His Truth.  His Words.  His statements.

He wants to exchange our agony with His Presence and His Words of Truth.
Our worry with His peace.

I will never leave you or forsake you.
When you walk through the waters, I will be with you, they will not overwhelm you.
The LORD is a refuge.
He is our Strength.
And so much more.

That broken relationship or marriage...  What does God say??
That rejection, whether it be loss of job or someone else getting a position you wanted, or simply another person....  What does God say??
Loss of health... What does God say??
In the midst of losing a loved one, death... What does God say??
What you put in the blank ___________ ... What does God say??

And when the breath is knocked out of us and we lay there clutching our sides... What does God say??

Picture with me.... you're running and you get a side ache to where you bend over trying to breathe but with every breath, it hurts.  Or you're playing a game and you get knocked over or punched in the gut, and you're struggling for the next breath...
The coach or someone comes running to you.  They put their arm around you, supporting you, most likely saying something to guide you until your breath evens out.
A mother labouring to bring a child into this world has someone telling her to breathe.  I remember taking those birth classes and one session included the teaching on how to breathe and the coach was given instructions on how to instruct the mother to breathe during those painful contractions.

And so, it is with God.  He is our Coach.  Our Father.  And when we're gut-punched with the hard things of life, He doesn't walk away or punch us some more.  No, He comes running, supporting us with His Truths, whispering what we need to hear until our breath evens out.  Telling us how to breathe in the middle of it all.

Inhale His Words.  His Truth.
Exhale the disappointments.

Inhale His Truth.  What does He say??
Exhale our lies and bitterness.

Sometimes to take a breath, hurts, but we do it anyway.
But at some point there will be more healing and the breath we take will be life abundantly.

Breathing exercises.  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
And receive the Breath of Life because our very life depends on it.

Life.  He came to earth so that we may have life and have it abundantly.  John 10:10

Living the sacred dance of grief and seeing the gifts and joys of life.
Living again because I shift my gaze to the One who gives peace which passes my understanding.
Living again knowing I'm loved and cared for in spite of the circumstances that I'm experiencing.

Our circumstances don't always change or life doesn't necessarily become smooth, but we exchange our angst and worry for His promises and Presence.

Doing those breathing exercises because my life depends on it.
Inhale,exhale.
The Breath of Life.

Guiding or Directing

They sound very similar, but one day...

As I was pushing a grocery cart that was full and I had a bag or two in my hand; I was struggling to keep the cart going straight.
I, then, went in front of it and guided it; and the struggle wasn't so intense.  It was actually easy, as I strolled down the parking lot.

My mind went to parenting.

I give a child a project that needs to be done, like cleaning, my husband has a to-do list, and off go the boys.  We tell them that Jesus is the Way.  We ask them to speak kindly.  We want obedience and honesty.

But do they see...

Sometimes, if I remember the nudging in my spirit and follow the whisper... do it with them, it'll go much easier.  Especially if it's a newer project.  An even harder nudging is... am I honest?  Do I love Jesus with my whole heart?  Do I speak kindly? etc...

Guiding or directing....

Walking the path or like they say, "I can't hear what you are saying, your actions speak so loudly", isn't the easy way.  It calls something out of us.  It calls us to be accountable.

The 'easier way' would be to simply say, to direct, and have the end result turn out...

Maybe this is a bit of a play on words, for we can direct a ship or horse on the correct course, but we are still with them.  We don't give direction and let the ship or horse find it's way, we stay present.

The Lord gave His disciples direction, but was ever watchful and present, if not in body, in spirit.

Like when the Jesus told the disciples to row across the Sea of Galilee.  While sailing, a storm came up and they were struggling; Jesus, then appears on the water, aware of their present situation.

So, maybe we need both, with guiding being the ever present awareness.

Show Me the Way

Lord, You showed us the way.

You left Heaven

and entered this cruel, sinful world.

Why?

To show us.

To show us a better way.

Emmanuel. God with us.

To show us how You want us to live.

You love.

You forgive.

You spoke words of Life.

You walked this earth-trodden soil

So we could see.  another way.

You left Heaven

to give Your life.

For me. For all.

You came to make another way.

Salvation.

Lord, You are our Guide.

The Light for our Path.

Help me, to pass that light and guidance

on to those around me, as I walk with You.

The young ones.  The broken and hurting ones.

The lonely.

For what we see speaks so loudly

and often guides our way.

Thank You, that you take our brokenness

and redeem it.

You take our successes and failures

and create beauty.

A melody pure and sweet

that only comes from a life

who is willing to follow You, Our Guide.

Freed to be YOU

Is there a secret to being YOU???

We've all said and heard another say it too, "I like being with you, because I can be myself."

That was something I either said or thought of as I interacted with people.  It was something that either set me free or paralyzed me to be me.

A few questions/thoughts that I roll around are:
Being yourself, Is that always a good thing?? (Sometimes myself needs to be refined... it's not always a good thing to let loose :))
Can I be myself, even if I am misunderstood or not gotten?
Do I reject someone just because I can't be myself with them?

When we hinge 'being ourselves' with someone, then the people around us, control us...
But when we hinge our self on Someone, then we are controlled by a Force and Love greater than ourselves, and we can be our true self wherever we are.

Yes, there are people who we can relax with more than another.
Yes, there are people who we are more comfortable with and enjoy us.
Yes, there are people who 'get us' where another may miss us.

And THAT, is a gift!  I love being with people like that.

But that is not the case with all people and I don't think it's meant to be...

So, how can you can be you wherever you are?
What's the key??  Is there are key?
And why do I say, "secret"?

Because I believe it's in the quiet of our connection with Jesus that our selves are truly found and secured.  It's alone with God, that we find out who we truly are.

The secret to being YOU is secured in the secret places with God.

We are loved.
We are beautiful, created perfectly by God.

Sin has marred that perfect creation.  And we may feel like the daisy pictured below, missing petals, scarred among others who we think have it all together.
So, it is that when we are with Jesus, we re-member who we are.  We are put back-together.  We are put back together by the One who put us together.

Let's look at the life and story of Jesus...

The Son of God.  The Man who lived in perfection, created perfection.

He left perfection for brokenness and pain.

Why??  Why would anyone want to enter a world of pain and brokenness??

For YOU.  For ME.
To set us free from the bondage that grips our hearts.

His earthly story begins when He entered the womb of a virgin.  Mary.
His earthly story begins with the shame of a virgin bearing a child and is riddled with rejection, death, denial, and being misunderstood among the people who got Him, among the people who loved Him.  (It's easy to focus on the negative instead of the positive)

Yet, He didn't withhold Himself or love to anyone.  He gave in the midst of pain.  He loved in spite of the rejection.

We find Jesus, many times, being intentional in His time alone with His Heavenly Father.  I believe it was in those times alone that gave and kept His perspective and mission clear and He was reminded of Who He was. (if Jesus needed reminding... I believe the man of God needed it...)

It's not the absence of pain where we can be free to be, but it's in the middle of it and knowing Whose we are.
He did it for YOU.  for ME.
He knows and understands our pain and when we turn to Him He sets us free from the bondage and fear that grips our hearts, to set us FREE TO BE in spite of and in the midst of heartache and misunderstanding.

Jesus, is the component needed to be truly YOU!  Not the validation or lack thereof of people tangible.  It's so easy to wrap our identity in what people around us are saying or not saying because that's what we see and hear.

But it's by faith that we please God.  It's believing His Truth and going back to His Word when we need reassurance that we are love.
It's in Him that we remember who we are.  It's in Him that we are re-membered.
It's in Him that we remember our mission and gain eternal perspective.

Being rooted and grounded in His love, you can soar and grow to heights you aren't aware of.
Being rooted and grounded in His love, you are FREE TO BE YOU!
Ephesians 3:17-21

Be Still and Know

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Psalm 46:10-11

Be still means to cease striving, to let go, relax.
It doesn't mean, do nothing.  It means stop working so hard at making life work.
Cease striving for perfectionism.  Let go of a standard or criteria to perform.  Relax.  Take a deep breath.  Let go...

Why??

To know God. To listen for His voice.  To know that He IS God.  He is capable.  He has your back.  His shoulders are big enough to shoulder your load.  He wants you.  Pursue Him and learn of His heart for you.
Relax.  Let go. Cease striving...

Let go of perfectionism to find His perfect love, grace, and rest.
Let go of a standard you place on yourself or you think others want to find His standard of grace is enough for this moment, this trial.
Let go of doing or performing for God and relax.  He wants you.  He wants you to find Him...

Let go of worry to rest in His care.
Let go of hate or bitterness to find His love and forgiveness.
Let go of performing to bask in His grace.
Let go of control to find that He is strong enough to take care of you.
Let go of criticism to hear His words...

Let go...
To find Him.

God wants to be and will be exalted and when we find Him, He is exalted. He is exalted among the people around you.

God is with us.  He is our stronghold.

He is in the boat with us in the midst of the storm.
He is holding our hand and guiding us.  Don't let go.
He is our stronghold.  A place to find refuge from the darts and daggers that come our way.  That want to hit the mark of our heart and lodge there.

Strongholds were a place built for a group of people to be out of danger's way.  So the darts of the enemy could not pierce them.  They were built to be strong, to endure attacks.  Human strongholds didn't always last or hold up, but our Stronghold will.  God will endure the storm, so hide in the shadow of the Almighty; for you will find that you will make it.  You will endure, because He endures.  You will be safe.  Not that life will now be easy or comfortable, but when I think of safe, I think of a place where I can relax and take a deep breath.

Relax, because I know He is trustworthy.  Relax, because I know in whom I have believed, has a heart that is good towards me.  Relax from perfectionism because His love is not based on my performance, but on His heart of love; which neither success or failure will alter.  Relax, because I am important to Him.

Be still.
Cease striving.  Let go.  Relax.  To find His hand.  To find a place of safety from all that threatens to overwhelm our soul.

To hear His voice.  To hear His words above the words that pound our minds and hearts.  His words whisper and bring peace.  His words calm the overwhelmed soul and soothe the troubled heart.

Listen.  Let go.  Relax.  Be still and know God.

Encountering The Giver of Life

In parenting children, for me it's boys, it's a world of noise, laughter, egos, and more.  It's a place and time I feel completely lost to sea a lot of the time and wonder, "How does one raise boys to be men?  To instill character that will chart their course to live by.  To direct their energy and drama toward God."

Many times in my lostness and out of my comfort zone, I wonder, "Am I getting anywhere?  Am I making a difference? Will they... "
If I am going to judge by what I see there are days that would seem like I am and days that tell me I am not.

I am given raw material.  Human hearts that imprints will be left upon.

So often I leave an imprint that pushed too hard, wasn't gentle enough with, spoke too harshly, etc. and I wonder if it hardened...  Will it stay that way?

Redemption.  Whispers its way into my heart.  Yes, redemption.

Look at Peter.
A man of vivaciousness.  Blurting out many words before he thought.  Making strong commitments and then not keeping them, denying the One he followed.
to -
A man of bold faith.  Preaching the One to many and offering Him to those he met; like the lame man desiring alms.  Silver and gold have I none, but in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.

There is Paul.
A man who was convinced the Christians were wrong and needed to be annihilated.  Passionate.  Supportive of anyone who chose to kill the Christians.  Dynamic.
to -
A man whose only goal and passion was to know Jesus and Him alone.  Preaching with strong, dynamic passion that we must not let anything become more than Jesus.  Not even preaching, not even the ceremonies, and not even the way we live out our faith.  It must all come after a relationship with God.
And as Paul wrestled with God about his thorn in the flesh, God gave words to Paul that brought him peace and rest.  He encountered God and experienced Him, when he heard the words, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness,"  Paul's situation did not change, but his heart did.  He chose to trust God and find Him to be strong for him.

Rahab.
A lady.  A prostitute.  A Gentile.  One who sold her body so she could live.
to -
selling her life so she could really live.  She met Jesus, and she chose Him, and she received true life.  eternal life.

Mary Magdalene.
Another lady who sold her body and the demons invaded.  Her life was trapped in the forces that took hold of her.
until she too -
Met Jesus and He, gently, set her free from those forces and Jesus became the force and passion of her life.  She was devoted to Him, for she was set free.

What about you and I??  Have you initially encountered Him as the One who has set you free from your bondage, sin, and fear?  Do you continue to encounter Him, the One who loves you SO MUCH?

Encounter.  What does it mean to encounter someone or something?  Webster's definition is: to meet unexpectedly; come upon; to meet in conflict or battle; a direct meeting.

Have you met God in your battle?  Have you had a direct meeting with Him and found Him to be your Strength?  Is He your Hope?  Is He your Salvation?  Do you KNOW Him, really know Him?

It will be a life-long journey of learning to know Him.  This lifetime will never exhaust who He is. Is it your passion to learn more of Him, today.  in this moment that you are facing?  Do you encounter Him again and again?  When we, like Mary Magdalene, remember what He saved us from, our sin, our fears, our bondages; gratefulness and adoration must be our response.

This doesn't come without a cost. a price.  It will cost us our self.  At times, our desires and goals may need to be given up for His goals and passion.  He gave His all, am I willing to give mine?

I believe, when we have a life-changing encounter with Him we will want to give Him our worship and our passion.
Again, my mind goes to the disciples... Their time with Jesus and the learning and falling and learning it took for them to be changed.  It didn't happen with one encounter and neither will mine or yours. It will take a lifetime of intentional and passionate living for Jesus; the redeeming of our selves will happen with each encounter we have with the Giver of Life.

It's a learning more of His love for each one of us.  It's a choosing to believe His Greater Truth and inhaling it in the mundane and painful moments we experience.  It's looking to Him when want to run away.  It's holding and even gripping His hand until we see Him. in this moment.

When You Wish You Were a Different Mommy by Alicia Broxvoort, is an excellent article, reminding us of our hope, our redemption, Jesus!  Jesus is our strength. (you will probably need to click on search engine or look for previous devotionals)

The truth is... not only do my children need to encounter God, so do I.  So do you.
After our initial encounter with God, the Giver of Life, we need daily encounters.  Encounters over and over, because we experience life over and over.  Disappointments, unmet desires and longings, pain, death...
So, point your children to God; for it is only in Him that they will truly live. (And I speak to myself as well...) Trust Jesus.  Proverbs 3:5-6 is there for a reason - Trust in LORD with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
It may even be more of a changing of our hearts before a changing of our children's hearts.  For if our children see God alive in our hearts, it will be more likely that they will want to know God as well. (It is still no guarantee, for each child is given a choice...)

When someone is excited about something and when you hear how Jesus is alive to an individual, doesn't it make you want it to??  It does me and it's a greater chance that it will affect your children, too.  We all want life.  We all want to live...  It boils down to - Are we willing to pay the price?  Are we willing to allow Him to change our desires and passions to match His??  Do I believe His love for me and that His heart IS good towards me?

Can I trust Him with my boys?  Can I trust Him if things don't turn out the way I want them too, that He will be big enough?  strong enough for me??  Yes, I believe He will be.  But will I trust Him?  Yes!  It just may take a lifetime of learning. :)

We need to encounter God so He can empower us to rise above all the heartache and pain and the self that lies within us.

The truth of the matter is, we all need an encounter with God.  Not just once, but again and again.  over and over as we experience life over and over.  Let's find Him today and if we don't see Him right now, we hold His hand and ask again for Him to show Himself to us.

You are loved by God.  fully.  deeply.