I Will Say to the Lord, You Are in Control

Last Thursday, I went to the grocery store to pick up some laundry soap. Aldi, Sam’s Club, and Walmart have become my new go-to destinations for stretching my legs and engaging in meaningful conversations with the human race outside of my family (keeping six feet away, of course). There are only a handful of other businesses deemed necessary to remain open for the public, so my fellow townsfolk and I are allowed to frequent the grocery stores as much as we need to, while practicing social distancing or until our finances run out.

Over the last few weeks, it has become my habit to make funny quips to total strangers about the predicament we find ourselves in, but as time has passed (as of this writing, this is day seven of the President’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread”) a real weariness has set in. You can clearly see it on everyone’s faces, both store employees and customers.

Although we’re all pulling together as Americans, what choice do we really have? We all know we’re on day seven of 15, but do any of us really expect it to end that quickly? First, we were told we could gather in groups of 250, but the next day it was only 10. And just like that, we can no longer go to church! No wonder we’re battle weary. We’re still in shellshock! That’s why I prayed a silent prayer on the way to the store to be uplifting to anyone whose path I might cross.

People are desperate for hope.

So, it was really no surprise that just as I came around the end of the cleaning aisle, a woman looked directly at me and exclaimed, “This is just awful!”

“God is in control.” I gently replied, as we rolled our “buggies” (that’s what they call shopping carts here in the South) out of the way of other customers so we could chat for a minute without getting in anyone else’s space.

“Oh, I know!” she said emphatically, almost begrudgingly, because I’m sure she felt like I was preachin’ to the choir! After all, this is Kentucky, and almost everyone you meet in the grocery store (in my county, anyway) is a Bible lovin’, red hat affiliate, “Meet you after church at The Cracker Barrel” kind of Christian.

But here is the problem. On one hand this dear flustered woman agreed that God is in control, but on the other she complained that too many people bought freezers and were hoarding all the food! It’s obvious she was struggling with our new alternate reality as everything we Americans have known our whole lives has been stripped away from us in one. short. week. And quite frankly, it’s frightening and surreal!

You see, she had just come down the canned goods aisle, which is next to the frozen meat aisle, and I’m sure she was still in shock from seeing all the empty coolers and shelves. The only offering left in the whole long aisle of canned goods was some generic brand of pork ‘n beans. In the next aisle over, there were only two cans of turkey SPAM left. Even I couldn’t bring myself to buy that stuff. Well, I almost bought them for a joke for my husband, but I thought about how this whole shutdown isn’t a laughing matter anymore, so I left them for someone else.

On the shelves opposite the canned meat, there was still a good supply of ethnic foods, like Gefilte fish, and little jars of duck fat. Don’t know that I’ve ever had Gefilte fish or duck fat for that matter, but I wasn’t desperate enough to buy “exotic” food items when I could still purchase a four-pack of Alaskan wild-caught canned salmon. There were just a few packs left, so I left the rest for somebody else, and I left the Gefilte fish for some other savvy covid-19 stocker-upper, braver than myself.


I’m sure this nightmarish phenomenon of suffering “lack” in the land of “plenty” overwhelmed this poor lady with a sense of dread of which I am neither unsympathetic or immune. However, assuming a cheerful Pollyanna attitude and playing the “glad game” would have proved ill-timed. So I waited patiently for her to finish her end-of-the-aisle meltdown, and when she was done, she pushed her “buggy” past me to continue around the end-cap and down the next aisle, but not before looking me straight in the eyes again and exclaiming, “This is just awful!”

Speaking the truth in love was all I could offer her. Unfortunately, it seems my well-intentioned words fell on deaf ears. But those four words, GOD IS IN CONTROL, have become my daily bread. And as far as my neighbors go at the grocery store, a ready answer to quell the insanity we’re all experiencing as we try to cope with overly sensational news stories, and ever-changing governmental directives concerning the covid-19 virus.

When I first began to share with others that God is indeed in control of these crazy, unprecedented events that have threatened our most basic human needs in America, namely food and bathroom security, i.e. toilet-phobia (the irrational fear of running out of toilet paper), I almost choked on the words. They seemed hollow in the face of empty meat coolers, depleted canned goods aisles, bare pallets where the bottled water used to be kept, and countless numbers of empty cardboard boxes littering the shelves of the toilet paper isles in all the major stores. Can God really be in control of all this corona virus chaos? Can He really supply all our needs regardless of what we see with our eyes?

The stores are full of heavy-hearted shoppers, me included, who are just trying to take care of their families, albeit last minute, as we prepare for the possibility of a long and drawn-out national crisis. We have been scared out of our wits by misinformation, sensationalism, conflicting reports, and scary images of forced quarantines in China.

What we see happening to our planet is so mind boggling and outside of our normal scope of comprehension, it is easy to default to total fear, and as the enemy knows, fear is a great catalyst for change, and many in our world would seek exploit the American people when they are so dazed and exhausted.

But God . . .

That’s why earlier in the morning, before leaving home, I spent some time doing a little word study on Psalm 91:2 “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” I use a Keyword Study Bible that has the Hebrew and Greek concordances right in the back, and I was sure I knew the context of the word “say” as used in the text, but I looked it up anyway because it was underlined and numbered.

The Hebrew word for “say” is number 559, ’amar, aw-mar which means: to say, talk, tell, declare, desire, commune, consider . . . But what I didn’t know is, this word also refers to thought as internal speech and what is being communicated by a person’s actions along with his words. So, what we focus our thoughts on, and the actions we take, clearly show our heavenly Father how much we trust Him!

So that is why I declare today, God is in control of this whole covid-19 mess! All of it! He’s not surprised, and His right hand is not to short to save!

I pray the Lord will bring those words to my dear fellow sojourner’s mind when fear threatens to consume her in the face of want. And when I am all alone, lost in thoughts that so quickly default to fear or despair, let me also remember that God is in control. Let me remember that God is my true supply and that He has a plan, and I can trust Him with all that concerns me and my family and my fellow man.

I will say to the Lord, My refuge and fortress, My God in whom I trust.

And no matter what I see with my eyes, what lack I may temporarily have to suffer, let me rejoice continually in the God of my salvation!

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labor of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

Decluttering the Soul

During the holidays, I temporarily stored the seasonal decorations out on our porch. My son and his family had come home for an extended visit, so as I took “fall” down, and put “Christmas” up, I tossed everything I didn’t need out the door just to get it out of the way. It was a quick, out-of-sight, out-of-mind solution for containing the chaos, and I secretly dreaded the day of reckoning that was sure to catch up with me, “The Day After Christmas!”

When the kids left on the 26th, I opened the porch door and promptly began to organize the decorations into “keep” and “give-away” bins. My oldest daughter, Claire, offered to lend a hand, and in about an hour, we had most of the mess under control. I was in a real good “throw it out mood,” too, which always helps! We easily filled two bins with unwanted holiday “treasures” to give to the Goodwill, and the rest went back up in the attic. After surviving the dynamics of a multi-generational household for over a month, decluttering felt good! Every unwanted item that slipped through my fingers seemed to lighten my load, but truthfully, I was doing more that organizing the chaos, I was unburdening my soul.

My elderly father who lived with our family for six years, passed away last fall. “Grandpa” as we affectionately called him, loved the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and strength, and he couldn’t wait to go home. He was a real character (he had quite a following on Facebook), and even though he struggled with physical limitations due to Parkinson’s, his spirit was undaunted. Mentally he was “all there” and over the years the Word of God had so transformed him, he was nothing like the self-absorbed father I had grown up with. He had truly become a new creature in Christ! This last Christmas was our first without him, and we all miss him dearly.

And now that the New Year is well underway and I’m not a caregiver anymore, I’m feeling a bit displaced. I still haven’t made a list of resolutions or contemplated yearly goals. My energy has been mostly focused on routine, everyday responsibilities as I care just for my family again (they’re enjoying having my undivided attention). I don’t have the strength to muster up a new plan of attack for making any changes that need to be made – not just yet. In fact, I’m sure I need a New Year’s extension! How about you?

For most of us, the arrival of the New Year is out-of-sight, out-of-mind until it is upon us. We may make a few last minute token resolutions, like exercising more or reading through the Bible in a year, but before you know it, our good intentions are derailed by reality, i.e. “Life is what happens when you are making other plans.” Another famous saying that fittingly applies is: “Time and tide wait for no man (or woman for that matter).” Even the fortune cookie I opened at my favorite Chinese restaurant struck a redundant chord, “If you don’t have a plan for your life, someone else will!”

However, lest I be accused of throwing the proverbial New Year’s resolution out with the January bath water, and to satisfy my curiosity, I thought I might see if the word resolution is even in the Bible. Well, I’m here to say it is, and after a little contemplation, I have a new perspective on the subject that is very freeing.

In Isaiah 46:9-11 the Lord proclaims. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure . . . yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Yatsar as in, I have purposed it, means to mold into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively, to determine (i.e. form a resolution): earthen, fashion, form, frame, make(-r), potter, purpose.

What impressed me about this definition is that whatever God has purposed for our lives, He will accomplish. In the seasons when we are struggling just to do the next thing, God is working at refashioning, remaking, and repairing the cracks in these broken pots of clay. It’s what the Master Potter does best! He’s using everything that touches our lives to mold and make us into His image. He’ll never abandon us in a hopeless state, spoiled and useless on the wheel of life, or leave us to gather dust on a forgotten shelf somewhere, labeled “reject.”God is faithful and committed to fashioning us into beautiful vessels of His own choosing, intended for His good pleasure.

And especially powerful to remember is a verse from Job: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted”(42:2). We need to get this truth deep down in our spirits. No purpose of God’s can be thwarted! When we fail to plan or fall short of our goals and dreams, when we become frustrated by changes we have yet to make or discouraged by desires unmet, when circumstances knock us off our feet and we don’t know which way is up, we can trust God to perform His Word over us. “. . . yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” 

With this wonderful knowledge, we can face the New Year in complete confidence that God will accomplish all that concerns you and me. “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands”(Psalm 138:8).

Here are more scriptures for decluttering from the inside out:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”(Romans 12:2).

“So shall my word be that go forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus”(Philippians 1:6).

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”(Romans 8:28).

“Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:1-2).

Blessings,
Jill

By the Hand of God

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This morning, the chilled breath of winter clung to every leaf, flower, and bud.  Contours once hidden from view were accentuated by the delicate tracery of tiny ice crystals.

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The last dahlia, the last of the black-eyed susans, and the last rose of summer competed for best of show, but I could not award the prize. All were strikingly beautiful, all were brave and bold as they tried to hold the line against the frosty sword of cold and the first scatterings of snow.

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Coated in a blanket of hoarfrost, the dull brown landscape glowed. And as the sun grew higher in the sky, the fairyland melted into droplets of dew until it evaporated into thin air, just as surely as it had come, even by the hand of God.

“He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.”
Psalm 147:16

 

Overcoming the “Perfect Family” Syndrome

“Love suffers long, having patience with imperfect people.”*

When I was a young mom, I wanted to have the perfect family. As you can imagine, this put a lot of pressure on my husband and children to try and live up to my expectations. Mind you, I had it on good authority from all the books I read (before there were blogs), the tapes I listened to (before there were iPods), and the conventions I attended (before there were online conferences), what that perfect family looked like. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make my family measure up. Instead, we sort of looked like the Banks family in the movie Mary Poppins.

Remember when Mary Poppins pulls out her magical measuring tape and sums up the Banks’ young breed? Michael is found to be extremely stubborn and suspicious, and Jane is rather inclined to giggle and doesn’t put things away. The children are embarrassed by her frank observations. And then, Mary Poppins measures herself. Why, she’s practically perfect in every way! I’m not surprised, are you?

In those days, I exhibited many of Mary Poppin’s perfectionistic traits (but my family knew I was far from perfect). I’m sure they thought it unfair that I was the one doing the measuring! But then the Lord began to use them to show me just how “imperfect” I was.  Suddenly, I became a student in the school of forgiveness and an expert at making apologies.

How misguided I was to think I could be the Holy Spirit, hoping to push my family up the slippery slope of sainthood. I did have a great role to play in their growth, but apparently I was a little slow in scaling the ascent myself. I wasn’t nearly as patient with my family as the Lord was being with me. I had a lot to learn about love.

“Love suffers long, having patience with imperfect people.”

The Greek word for long suffering is makrothumia (mak-roth-oo-mee’-ah) which means to be long spirited, forbearing (indulgence towards those who injure us; delay of resentment or punishment). The definition of resentment is: The excitement of passion which proceeds from a sense of wrong offered to ourselves, or to those who are connected with us; anger. This word usually expresses less excitement than anger, though it is often synonymous with it. In this use, resentment is not the sense or perception of injury, but the excitement which is the effect of it. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary asks, “Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?”


Look out children, Mary Poppins is not happy!

More than not, impatience, resentment and anger were my first reactions to bad attitudes and family squabbles. I (Mary Poppins) did not handle conflict well! An inner voice kept telling me, They’re not measuring up! They’re not measuring up!  Well the truth is, I was the one who wasn’t measuring up, and it took me many years to realize that I needed to change.

And this is what I really want us to meditate on, ladies. If you’ve ever heard that judgmental voice in your head or struggled with a critical perfectionistic spirit, there are some important questions I would like you to ask yourself. How do you handle your family’s imperfections? Are you patient and long-suffering toward them or do their flaws bring out the worst in you? Scripture says, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:2 (NASB) I would rather err on the side of God’s grace and mercy, wouldn’t you?

Personally, I need all the grace and mercy I can get. But more than what I need, my children need me to parent them the way the Lord does. He doesn’t embarrass  or humiliate. He’s gentle, loving and kind.

Just think: Where would we be without the Lord’s unconditional love? He’s not surprised by our mishaps, mess-ups, and miserable attempts at living a godly life. He’s knows that sanctification is a process. And the funny thing is, the very imperfections and failures we cringe at are His greatest catalysts for perfecting and making us whole in Him. We need to see our family’s imperfections in the same light and pray for God’s wisdom in handling them. After all, it is the Lord’s kindness that leads us to repentance. “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 (NASB)

The good news is: the ground is level at the foot of the cross! We can choose to love fully in the face of imperfection, just as we are fully loved. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 (NASB)

God isn’t interested in any of us looking perfect, but He does say to be perfect as He is perfect. There’s a difference. To have Christ formed in us more and more, to be maturing in the Lord, to be complete and whole in Him, – this is the perfection the Bible speaks of and this is the perfection I want for my husband, my children, and myself. “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 (NASB)

Now, that’s the perfection worth striving for!

The Cost of Grace

Cost of Grace

If we knew what life held for us some days, we wouldn’t get out of bed.

I’ve had days like that.

Four significant ones come to mind – days that altered the course of my life forever.

I didn’t see them coming. Some I was prepared to handle more than others, but nonetheless, they were days, in my very limited wisdom, that I would have rather skipped.

God, however, knew they were coming, and that I needed to walk through them. And in His infinite wisdom, He allowed me to wake up to the days I would hear:

My husband lost his job.

Our baby was born with a terminal genetic disorder.

My spinal cord was permanently damaged in a routine operation.

My elderly father was now my family’s sole responsibility.

These were some of the worst days of my life – days when tears of grief fell heavy like huge droplets of rain into puddles of muddied dreams.

The weight of these days almost melted my heart for fear.

Yet, these were the days I woke up to God’s grace poured out heavily upon me like Mary pouring perfume over the feet of Jesus – the Alabaster box of costly Nard just opened, the pungent fragrance escaping, drifting up, overpowering the senses.

On the days I could not lift my head, Jesus opened His Alabaster box of grace and poured it out over my  life. And by the power of His Spirit, He sustained me in the midst of my deepest pain.

He sustained me with His grace.

Costly.

Heavy.

Anointed.

He will do the same for you.

None of us knows what tomorrow holds. We can fret and fume and fear or fantasize and fill our days with a thousand yearnings for some other day, but this is the only day we have to receive His grace.

It may not be a day we would choose – the circumstances, the trial. But it may be the very day God uses to usher in a whole lot of other grace-filled days when we experience His love and care poured out upon us like never before.

Even in the midst of our deepest heartache, we can bow low and worship at the Lord’s feet.

We can lift our cupped hands to receive His grace poured down from the throne of grace – grace sufficient for every need.

Costly.

Extravagant.

Overpoweringly more than we can contain.

Sit at His feet today, and let Him wash your soul in His grace.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

 

 

Celebrating the Imperfect Christmas

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Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

I really hadn’t given much thought to Christmas this year–the imperfect Christmas that is–until it was upon me.

Even though I tried putting everything “Christmas” in the same place in the attic last year, we still can’t find the ornaments or the battery operated candles that light up the windows. The top of the Christmas tree is still waiting for the star. I’m sure everything will surface in the next couple of days as I go searching through the boxes again.

Ideas for presents occasionally cross my mind, but in all honestly, I haven’t had much time to think about them because my 93-year-old father has needed a lot of attention the last few days. We have been living with Grandpa (as he is affectionately known) for the last four years, and the holidays are a little rough on him. My 14-year-old daughter has also been sick with a persistent cold for the last week, and my son and his new wife will not be able to make it home for Christmas which is definitely weighing heavily on everyone’s hearts.

It’s only the first week of December, I tell myself. I still have time . . . but time for what?

I need something more than a perfect Christmas. I need a touch from the Lord!

“Where is the nativity set?” my daughter Elizabeth asks, interrupting my thoughts.

“Out on the porch with everything else we brought down from the attic,” I reply.

“I don’t know how to arrange it,” she says.

“Arrange it any way you want to,” I say. “I took on that responsibility when I was about your age.”

She sighs. “But there’s so many duplicate pieces!”

It’s true. Over the years, I’ve added to our nativity set by purchasing individual pieces or partial sets off of eBay. There are duplicates of shepherd boys, sheep, and fife blowing minstrels. We have Mary and baby Jesus sitting on a donkey, accompanied by Joesph who is taking them to Egypt, but we’re still missing the Mary and Joseph who would be kneeling by the manger.

Missing Mary.

That got me thinking. Maybe we do miss what Mary must have gone through that first and imperfect Christmas so long ago.

“ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 1:4-7

Imagine what it must have been like for Mary–a young girl, probably 12 or 13 years of age. Think about the shame and humiliation of being found pregnant out of wedlock in a tight-knit Jewish community like Nazareth, where everyone was sure to know everyone’s business sooner or later.

Think about having to tell the man you are betrothed to that you are carrying the Son of God–the long awaited Messiah! At first Joseph thinks he will hide the whole affair, but then he has a dream, and the Angel of the Lord tells him to marry you anyway! That must have been such a relief.

As your due date nears, you are informed that you must make a lengthy journey to Bethlehem, the town of your husband’s origin, roughly eighty miles away–and on the back of a donkey no less! Imagine the fear and apprehension of such news!

As the journey begins, you feel every jostle and jolt of the donkey’s steps.  It will take a week to travel the rock strewn road before you. You wonder how you’ll be able to endure it!

Near the end of the journey, your water breaks and the contractions begin. You feel the panic rise in your chest. You have never given birth before. You need your mother’s help, but she is back in Nazareth, so very far away! There is no way on earth she can help you now.

As Joseph finally reaches the outskirts of the busy town, you begin to slump over. It isn’t long before he finds an inn, but just as he prepares to take you off the donkey, he is quickly told there is no room, even for a woman in your condition. You send up a silent, frightened prayer, Oh God, help me!

And at the last minute, when you think you may have the baby right there on the street, Joseph is offered the refuge of a stable . . .

You barley remember being lowered down onto the freshly strewn hay. How can this be happening? A cry of pain escapes your lips. You wait in exhaustion, your belly heaving, the pain rising and falling until you are finally able to push the baby out into Joseph’s waiting hands.

You can’t believe it! It’s over at last!

You stare in awe at this new little life, the Son of God, your Savior.

I’m sure Mary must have been frightened and perplexed at times like any young girl would be, but she had surrendered her will to God’s proclaiming, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

Sometimes, I wonder if we can really comprehend that kind of surrender. It wasn’t easy. Nothing she went through to give birth to the Savior was easy. But with God’s all-sufficient grace poured out over her life, she was able to bear the overwhelming circumstances He had called her to walk through.One agonizing decision after another, He carried her the whole way!

And He does the same for you and me. We may not realize it at the time, but he does, and for that we can be truly grateful.

Tonight, around a “mostly” decorated tree, I will gather with my husband and daughters to read an advent devotional we began on the first. We will sing Christmas hymns together and pray, and in the sacredness of set apart moments, we will find our hearts comforted and filled with the awe that comes from being touched by presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at this special time of the year.

Advent is a time of reflection . . .

Advent is a time to worship . . .

Advent is a time to wait expectantly for His coming . . .

In the midst of a less than perfect life, we can enter into His presence and rejoice no matter what burden we carry. God meets us in the imperfect  for that is where we receive His all sufficient grace to carry on.

I pray that no matter what you are going through this CHRISTmas, you will find the time to contemplate the love of God for you and your family, and that you all will rejoice in the gift of His grace.

“. . . My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

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