In

It's been almost six months since my mother was completely released from the bonds of humanity. It sounds glorious, doesn't it? No more pain and confusion; no more waking up to unfamiliar faces. Mom is youthful, not just restored, but made whole --a wholeness she could never truly experience in this world! Where do I sign, right? Well, if you know Jesus, yours is coming. The One who is faithful and true, the One who keeps His promises has given His Spirit as a pledge of His word. And while all of that brings me tremendous comfort, my mother's absence has left a void so large I am still discovering its depths.  

Today, for instance, arrived as perfect walking weather. Lu and I and others from our neighborhood took advantage --including one of my mother's old friends just emerging from the winter. Of course I said hello, and of course he asked for my mom. She passed in October, I said gently. My condolences to you and your family, he replied. And I thought that was nice. Some part of my soul needed that. Almost six months later, I could finally receive it. At the time of her death, so many wonderful people wrote and texted and spoke beautiful sentiments, sweet remembrances of her, and kindnesses I could have never imagined! I was surrounded by love, but I was so numb and, at the same time, so overwhelmed by the compassion of others, it was difficult to process all of those things occurring simultaneously. Grief and comfort, pain and love, attempts to keep my heart in check so life could continue, focusing on "the good" I knew to be true over "the bad" I knew to be equally true. But today, with those kind words --My condolences to you and your family -- my heart felt the pain of loss but truly received comfort for the first time. No brushing it off as though I needed to hold it together, no clock ticking within my head,  measuring the time I'm in my feelings; just an experience of blessing in grief. Blessing.In.Grief. Not in place of, but all the while. 

In this world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

The Greek word translated "trouble" in this Scripture means oppression, affliction, distress, tribulation. This is going to hurt! It will not be easy! We will grieve, we will fall down, we will lose friends and be overdrawn on our accounts; we will receive death sentences and divorce papers and pink slips; we will watch our children walk away from every good thing we taught them and gave them; we will be falsely accused, we will question our faith, we will watch our dreams go up in smoke, we will be tempted by something so strong it makes our bodies ache. But be of good cheer, keep your head up, have courage, take comfort, imitate Christ, remain kind, guard your tongue, worship, hope. Why? Because Jesus has overcome all of that! We can sing and laugh while we weep and strive. In Christ, we have life, and abundantly! 

Jesus is brutally honest when He says this physical world will make it difficult for us to live spiritually; it can draw us away from eternity by its troubles (and sometimes by its pleasures). But by His power, trusting what He says is true, and hoping in all He has promised (guaranteed by what He has already done!), we can know that in God's time, relief, rescue, glory will come. We may not yet be completely released from the bonds of humanity in that we still reside here in flesh and bone, but in Christ, our spirits are free from following the dictates of this world's travails. We can bear loss and sadness deep within our souls because we have truth and hope. We can feel the weight of childlessness in our bodies because we have truth and hope. Our stomachs can growl with hunger while we stand on truth and have hope. Our very bones can ache from the illness that threatens to steal our joy, but one need not supplant the other; we stand on truth and hope. Our lives are built on Jesus while we traverse this physical realm, while we experience its limitations and adversities. Physical coexisting with spiritual. Because of Jesus, however, our spirit is not beholden to the physical; the spirit alone is eternal and imbued with the power that raised Jesus from His grave. Joy in pain. Peace in turmoil. Worship in fearfulness. Blessing in grief. 

And, as always, it is my prayer that you are found in Jesus on the day you too are completely released from the bonds of humanity.

Photo courtesy LuAnn Martin

Midweek: Community

John Donne, an English writer and cleric in the Church of England, lived a life of great ups and downs. In his early fifties, Donne became seriously ill, and was confined to bed, near the point of death. As he lay there day after day, he heard the bell toll out the death of others and, in his isolation, came to realize the interconnectedness of all our lives and our deaths. 

We are part of the same race, the human race, and like it or no, we have a responsibility to one another. 1 John 3:16-18 declares, By this we know love, because He (Jesus) laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 

What do you have that you can be sharing with others? As Christians, the most important thing we can share is Jesus, but the resources and talents we are given are often meant to bless others as well.   

John Donne came to realize he was just as desperate as the next guy, that his life was just as fleeting as others, and that we are a community. It is with his thoughts I leave you today.

"No Man Is an Island"

No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent, 
A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.

Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

~ John Donne

Are Details Necessary?

I only have to do two things: die and pay taxes. Have you ever heard that? Well, "eternal life" sort of takes the death thing off the table. But what about pray and pay taxes? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 makes it clear: pray without ceasing. And maybe, when it comes to taxes, you're praying a little more than usual. Consider this, the way you --or your accountant -- prepare your tax forms. Someone (hopefully) records diligently, methodically every financial detail of the past three hundred sixty-five days. Those details are important and, in some cases, can save a lot of heartache. 

Is the same true of prayer? Just how important is detail? A friend of mine calls some prayer requests "godly gossip" --her tongue-in-cheek way of saying the sharing of prayer requests has devolved into something much less like concern and much more like spilling the tea. We've all heard it: Pray for my neighbor who has MS and she's all alone because her husband just up and left her three years ago, and her daughter isn't speaking to her because of something that happened last Thanksgiving, and her son's institutionalized... "Godly gossip." Truly nothing godly about it, and we definitely need to be wary of that. But there's another sort of attention to detail that may often be unnecessary. How about this one: Jesus, please do x, y, and z because she is just so young and has small children who need their mama, and a husband who is currently unemployed... It's not gossip after all; we're talking to Jesus. My concern here is the additional context. What is it saying? That because she is worthy, or her circumstances are so dire (in our opinion) we are petitioning the Lord for healing? Are we expecting the additional context is what will sway Jesus to act. And what are we asking? Are we being specific in our request because x, y, and z are the best course of action? the only course of action? Are we pleading with the God of the universe, the God who made this woman, who knows her deepest need --are we requesting God heal her or provide for her, or are we submitting our plan and demanding God approve it? Here's the way this situation needs to be resolved, and here's why she is/ is not worthy of such a solution. 

I'm not trying to start trouble. God knows what we want before we ever open our mouths. God knows our hearts and certainly knows if we are asking His will or demanding He rubber stamp ours. God wants us to have compassion for one another, and things like motherless children or the death of a young person grab our hearts. We were made to yearn for good things like health and security and strong marriages and parents who get to see their children graduate and children who care for their aging parents; there is nothing wrong with wanting those things (wanting is what causes us to pray and work for change this world). But I think we have to be very careful about putting God or situations into a box. 

In Jonah 1:2, God commands Jonah: Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me. We all know the story: Jonah decided the people of Nineveh were beyond help, and not a group of folks he was willing to risk his life to save. And I'm not sure I would have felt any differently had I been in Jonah's sandals. But God saw a people worth redeeming. When we bring our petitions before the Lord, are we trying to see things as He sees them, or are we trying to manipulate Him into doing what we want or expect? The Holy Spirit is our guide as we pray: Holy Spirit, what am I to be praying for in this situation? We pray honestly to the One who knows our hearts: Jesus, here is what I want, or Here is what I see as the only solution, but... We pray as Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane: Father, not my will, but Your will be done. We ask for the same insight God has --and the longer we are in relationship with Him, He will develop it in us --but ultimately, we trust His will. However He chooses to act, for whomever He chooses to act, for whatever reasons He chooses to act. We persist in prayer, we pour out our hearts, but we trust Him.

Whether it's a poor single mother or the wicked people of a "great city" God does not desire the loss of any human spirit. The more folks that come to know Him, the more His glory will be known throughout the world. Jesus died for all, as there is none of us worthy. So, all those little details --how generous she is or how rebellious they are or how hopeless the situation appears --shouldn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to our prayers. The means God uses to bring His plans to fruition are at His discretion and according to His perfect knowledge of the situation, not "the best course of action as seen from our view in the cheap seats." The Bible doesn't make it any clearer: pray without ceasing. No caveats, no disclaimers, no details to force God's hand, no roadmaps to success. Let's just pray and trust Him with outcomes. Save the details for your accountant.