Choosing to Sing

Old pirates, yes, they rob I

Sold I to the merchant ships

Minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit

But my hand was made strong by the hand of the Almighty

We forward in this generation

Triumphantly

Won't you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

'Cause all I ever have

Redemption songs

Redemption songs

~"Redemption Song" Written by Bob Marley and Edwin Hawkins

I realize Bob Marley may be an unusual start to one of my articles, but Redemption Song is one of my favorites. It's such a simple melody with a powerful and timeless message: We have to choose for ourselves redemption. 

Years ago, I sat on our sofa reading to one of the children I love most in this world. As I kept my eye on the clock nearby, I tried to stay focused. In less than thirty minutes, I would log on to a court hearing deciding the fate of this dear child and his sister. Would they remain with us? or would they be returned to their parents? My heart was racing, and my stomach was churning as I read the Children's Bible account of Joseph, thrown into a dark, deep pit by his brothers. Oh, how I could relate at that moment! "I've got to take care of something," I said as I closed the book. "We'll leave Joseph in the pit...for now," I added, not exactly certain what I meant by that.

Last night, more than three years after those anxious moments, I turned the page. Our answer had come quickly that day: The children will be picked up in two hours. The indescribable, unanticipated level of grief that settled on our home --for months! I'd never experienced a loss like that, and though I knew I'd be delivered, I wasn't at all sure how. But it was in the months and months of pressing into the Lord, saturating my heart and mind with His truth and worshiping through song and tears, it was through the dark days and even darker nights that followed, our adoption journey began. And as last night, I read to the beautiful child that has currently come to share our home, the Redemption Song sung over us was not lost on me. 

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
~ Zephaniah 3:17

I was able to turn the page because of the redemption acquired on my behalf at the cross, because when redemption was far from apparent, I trusted in the One who calls things that are not as though they are, because I gave my grief and confusion to the One who is mighty to save, because He is working all things out for my good no matter how tragic they seem for the moment. I did not affect my own redemption, but I chose it, and as a result, was able to experience all Jesus had done for me: forgiveness, hope, joy, new beginnings, and restoration. Yes, restoration. You see, those two much-loved children who captured our hearts daily are once again, a part of our lives today. Along with their parents. Along with their younger sibling. That's what I'd call redemption! What is the Redemption Song Jesus is singing over you? Have you chosen to sing it with Him?

Midweek: Revealing Grace

The following is one of many beautiful poems written by Leslie Bustard, and lovingly collected in her book The Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living:

To Make Visible

To make visible,

glory;

for a moment

see the mystery of eternity

in our ordinary.

To long for the light

and to let it sweep

through shadowed windows,

waiting hearts.

To listen.

To say yes,

let it be as you say it will be.

To wait till the word breaks in,

revealing grace

upon grace upon grace.

~ Leslie Anne Bustard

Let Your Light Shine -- Radiantly

The sun beat furiously on our window. A storm had just passed, and yellow beams pierced their way through each break in the remaining black clouds. Intensity. Ferocity. Radiance. A star's unwavering resolution to pierce the darkness and unambiguously scorch the atmosphere despite the threat of further cold and gloom. Pretty incredible.

Matthew 5:16 commands us to let our light shine. We are light-bearers to the world, not of our own light or our own power, but of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. The Message version of this passage implores:

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

As I felt the sun's energy warming the glass and marveled at its vibrant reflection on the surrounding landscape, I considered the intensity of the spectacle, made possible by two very conflicting conditions. The sunlight defied the clouds' shadows and threatened to dry up in an instant the deluge they had levied on our neighborhood only moments before; but without the heavy blackness that surrounded it, without the ominous threat of storm would I have even noticed the searing presence of the sun? All summer long, the sun burns hot, but its light, even its heat is dispersed, dissipated in the vast sky above; rarely do I stop to take notice of its glory or intensity. But, when framed by thick, dark clouds, the light is eye-catching, impossible to miss, and its heat is almost ruthless --a blitzkrieg of temperature and radiance.

Let your light so shine before men...Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. 

What is your style of spreading the good news of Jesus in this world? What is your plan for letting your light shine? Do you share your true story with others? or does your life look social-media ready all the time? Is your house open to others? Are you generous with your life and your possessions? Do you intentionally give of your time to others? Are you authentic? or are you perfect? When you talk to others about Jesus, do you tell the story of mercy and grace, a broken and degenerate sinner whom God saved? or is your conversation more like a litany of religious acts and polite Christianese? 

Just as the clouds enhance the energy of sunlight piercing through, so does the truth of life in this world intensify our need for Jesus. As the surrounding blackness directs one's attention to the radiance of our sun, so does the evil and pain still present in our world point to the goodness and deliverance of God's Son at the cross. As the heaviness of rain-filled clouds struggles to stand against the conquering light, so the heaviness of our hearts gives way to longing for the Conqueror, the Light of the World. The spectacle displayed across the skies draws our eyes upward to the King and Creator of it all, that we might accept His assurance of trouble, but rest in His promise of an overcoming goodness, a Kingdom in which His children might never face adversity again. And as we share our testimonies --not dwelling on the difficulties which have appeared heavy and ominous, or the struggles which have brought storms of conflict and flooded our hearts with fear, but being forthcoming in sharing them so as to define and accentuate the Son who was all along breaking through the darkness --as we share our testimonies honestly, let us bear in mind that the Light shining through us will prompt others to surrender their stories to Him that He might pierce through the clouds and shine boldly, brightly in their neighborhood.