I screw things up a lot. I grow impatient, I become frustrated with myself and others, I do not always floss my teeth as regularly as I should, and I seldom drink enough water. I could go on and on about all the ways I fall short, but I will spare you the time. We all screw things up, we all fall short.
Month: April 2021
If you live long enough in a broken world the burden of unforgiveness has penetrated your heart. Left untreated it will fester and rot, spreading from your heart into your mind, your eyes, and finally your hands and feet. When left untreated the things you feel, see, and do will be contaminated by the consuming rot of unforgiveness. I know. I have lived with unforgiveness in my heart I have experienced its damage firsthand. I have also watched it eat others alive from the inside out. Forgiveness is hard, our minds tend to operate on a scope, someone cuts you off in traffic for most forgiveness is quickly given, if someone hurts your child the pill of forgiveness is hard to swallow.
I planted four fig trees in my yard last summer after learning they could grow in my climate. I did not insulate them as I had planned and so far, there is no evidence of life, they are just dainty withered sticks. Time will tell if they grow and bear fruit or just become decorative sticks in my front yard. I was reading in Matthew about the fig tree and the lesson of the withered fig tree, chapter 21:18-22 (and Mark 11:12-14 where the story is also told). In this story, the fig tree is Israel when Jesus was alive. Israel had the lush foliage of a majestic fig tree but failed to bear fruit because they rejected the Son of God.
Imagine an extravagant restaurant meticulously decorated overlooking an incredible indigo ocean at sunset. You can hear the waves crashing on the shore from your perfectly appointed table and soft music plays as the waiter welcomes you and tells you about the evening specials. It is wonderful, but all you can think about is the cost, it is out of your budget, you should not have come, you are unworthy of this expense, this experience.
I was meditating on this verse as I snuggled on the couch with two of my dogs this morning. It has been especially busy in our household the past few weeks, packed with commitments, projects, and adventures. I am a little weary around the edges, and if you are anything like me the busier, I feel the less time I spend in stillness and worship. I become a trailblazing party of one and not a humble servant in need of my King.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young Isaiah 40:11 NKJV As a shepherd and especially during lambing season every cell in my body feels the optimism of this verse. To the Israelites under Babylonian captivity,…
I have been thinking often about the invisible struggles of others. It is difficult to forge a deep meaningful connection with every human that crosses our paths. We have all felt the sting of heartbreak, the grief of loss, and the crushing weight of the world on our shoulders. Believers or not, we are all the beloved children of God.
Maybe an hour, day, week, or month got away from you? When you emerged from the clutter of life, and felt like you could finally catch your breath there before you loomed another hill to climb? I think of the song from Finding Nemo that Dory sings to calm herself. Remember it? “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming what do we do? We swim, swim, swim…”
I started reading a book called Grace, the power to change by Dr. James Richards and as I was reading before bed last night a sentence jumped off the page and landed in my heart. We think we are supposed to be strong for the Lord instead of strong in the Lord. Grace, the power to change by Dr….
A tragedy struck my small rural community. The announcement of the death of an 8-year-old little girl, her grandmother, and her guardian arrested on first-degree murder yesterday. I did not personally know this family, but I have felt the violent bite of murder too close to home before, the sting of finding out someone you…