Living a Life Emptied

 

I wonder what thoughts came into your mind as you read the title?  I wonder what living means to you?

For me, in my humanity, I want to have so I can give.  I want to attain so I can help. I want to be important and have something worth giving. We humans think to live we need to be full and to give, we need to have.

And in reality, that is oh, so true, for we cannot give what we do not have.  But the key is, what are we full of and what do we have?

Philippians 2:1-8 (NASB) has a message for us and because it is so connected I'm simply going to type all the verses.  

1)If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 

2)make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3)Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

4)do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5)Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6)who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7)but EMPTIED Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8)And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

This is a paradox, a bit radical, to live is to empty ourselves.  We find life after being emptied.

Jesus is our greatest example.  Verse 6 impacts me, He did not regard His royalty, His equality with God, a thing to be grasped.

Oh, how many times do I grasp something, I hang on, thinking I need this... to ....! (fill in the blank)

Jesus left it go, He laid it down.  He emptied Himself. Why??

He let it go for life.

He let it go, laying it down, so He could die to give us life, here and eternally.

He let it go for something greater, to make His love tangible.

Now let me clarify, He did not lose His royalty. He did not deny heaven.  He chose to lay it down, and yes, leaving heaven, to take on the form of man for a greater purpose, life!

This, my friends, brings me to my knees, causing me to bow before my Father in awe and reverence of who He is.

This one life we have to live can get quite complicated at times as we navigate living.  Satan wants nothing more than to destroy God and the life He wants to offer us. Satan will use anything, even good  to destroy God's breath of life within us and among us.

In the first verses, Apostle Paul was calling the Philippians to be united and intent on one purpose and he explains the mindset of Jesus.

Relationships get quite messy and broken a lot of the time.  Our own brokenness and distortion colours our view of what matters. 

And one of the ways to navigate living, is to start with verse five, having the attitude of Jesus.

1 - We cannot grasp on to something, even that which may be good and perfect, like royalty.

2 - We need to empty ourselves for that which matters more and most.

Jesus came to give.  Jesus emptied and was filled. 

We give what we have or are filled with.

What are you filled with?  What am I filled with? 

I'm either filled with what matters to me or more of God.

We cannot receive or be filled with God unless we first empty our hearts and hands of control, of lies and wrong beliefs, pride, bitterness, hatred, slander, etc. 

We need to let go to be able to receive what really matters.

We need to let go of revenge to find the grace of God is for me and my offender.

We need to let go so we can find God in all places.

Sometimes we may even need to let go of something that is good.

We let go of the striving, realizing that our jobs, getting it right, etc is not what defines us. Our worth comes not from getting it right, but we are defined because God pronounced His creation of us, good.

This is the season of autumn as I write this.  The leaves that were green are turning colours, the process of dying.  The leaves are good, the fruit once hung on trees is now gone. The season of summer is good.

As the trees let go of their leaves they are left bare and that is who the tree is.  Without taking care of itself, emptying itself of what is hanging on, the sap would run dry and eventually there would be nothing left to give.

The moments or times of letting go is hard, but oh, so freeing. It is a way of life and not a once and done thing. Seasons happen again and again. It's a continual leaning into Jesus, abiding in Him to find our life.  It's a remembering that life is not about us, but about God, Himself.

When we empty ourselves of ourselves and find Jesus, we find the truest form of life there is.  We find His abundant life that He so much wants to give us.  

And as we are daily filled with the truest Life we have something to give to those around us.

Humility is a fragile dance, for about the time we think we are, we make it about ourselves or am I the only one who finds myself in this dance??

It requires a daily, and sometimes moment by moment, remembering.  A remembering who I am and who God is.  It's a shift of focus towards God and remembering this is about Him and not me.  He can untangle threads and orchestrate details in ways I never could.

Humility requires me to trust God fully, again and again.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, not me! Humility is a by product of our awareness of who God is and who I am in His presence. Humility is the by product of allowing that to impact me.

Bloom, Right Where You Are

 This summer of 2023, found our family on a 4 week trip heading west. We left with much excitement and for me, it's a trip I'd do all over again. 

As it goes with travel, there is so much to see and learn about the world. To experience it firsthand is a gift I treasure. 

One of the things that stood out to me and I saw over and over again, was the life that exploded in many hard and out-of- the-way places. 

Bloom where you are planted, is a quote that has often been used and quoted. It may be a quote that inspires you but it may irritate you as well.

I don't always like where I'm planted. The soil, the circumstances aren't what I envisioned and to bloom means I need to reconcile that reality. It calls for a letting go of what I envisioned, to receive where I am and the gift of today. 

One particular walk that we did stands out to me. We had literally walked miles and the path we were on was sandy which made walking even more challenging. It was evening and I was exhausted in all ways, my legs screaming, "I'm done!"

Near the end of the trail, here were these little white flowers blooming. I stopped and took a picture of one of them. They were simply offering beauty to my weary heart and I took a moment to inhale the strength that gave. 

This flower, in this spot, is blooming alone. Pure, white, and beautiful. 

Even now as I write, it evokes tears. I remember how tired I was. I remember the exhaustion.

And I remember the vivid splendour and how encouraging this flower was. 

Blooming right where you are is a process. Not a linear one, but one of ever learning to accept today and choosing to see the gifts along our path.

Blooming is a byproduct. The mystery happens in our soul as we learn to trust our Father. He becomes the Voice that matters most to our soul and as we listen to His voice we find a space to heal, grow, and bloom.

When we release the tension and fighting of our circumstances, we find a space that is bigger than ourselves.

There were so many times I saw this. Over and over, experiencing the beauty in out-of-the-way and hard areas. Maybe it was a message that my soul needed. 

And I pass it on to you. 

It's been said many times, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% you're attitude towards it.

Bloom. Right where you are. You may never know what you offer to another weary soul. 

You're out-of-way blooming might be just for in-the-way for another weary traveler.

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.