Lessons for a Master from The Master

We are on Day Three of our first drama of the new year: our dog, Bishop has sliced open one of his feet. Each time he applies weight to that foot, it reverses whatever healing has begun, and his wound begins to bleed again. Because of this, our obvious goals are healing and preventing infection; so we clean it and wrap it twice a day, and do all we can to make sure he stays off of it.

Now, just a little note about Bishop: he is a momma's boy. If I walk from one room to the very next, Bishop comes with me. In caring for our home throughout the day, I must roundtrip the stairs at least seven or eight times; Bishop keeps pace with me each time. Trying to keep this faithful little shadow from standing or walking is virtually impossible; it has required the watchfulness of both Scott and I for the past few days.

This morning, as Scott headed off to work, I knew I'd be spending my day planted in one spot as much as sanity would allow -- anything to keep my little man off his feet. Turns out, that was much harder than I anticipated. In addition to my compulsion to eradicate "to-dos" from my list, Bishop is feeling a little better -- either that, or he is tiring of this new sedentary lifestyle. He has attempted to follow me from one end of the kitchen table to the next. He rises from his bed every half hour or so, just waiting for me to give him permission to leave it. And each time he has ignored my command to stay, sprinting toward what I'm certain is a complete reversal of all we've endured. I've noticed his wound does not bleed through as quickly as it has in the last couple of days.

Funny thing about this brain God has given me, I found a few lessons in all of that:

Lesson #1: Problem areas require extra care.
The nature and location of Bishop's injury requires us to be extra vigilant that it might heal quickly and completely. We all have those things in life that really push our buttons. Things that may reach deeply into our past or former experiences, things we have found difficult to release, things that cripple us or cause us to really lose our minds. Those are the things that require extra care.

Matthew 17 gives the account of Jesus' disciples, approached one day by a man seeking healing for his demon-tormented son. The disciples were unable to cast this demon out. Jesus explained to them, this was not your run-of-the-mill issue; this one required special measures, prayer and fasting. Problem areas require extra care.

Lesson #2: Helping others can be God's way of dealing with us.
I marvel at the way Bishop is constantly moving. Lately, I have not been able to consider that without this voice of conviction that sears my lips closed: "Bishop follows you everywhere," it whispers. Oops.

Recently, God has, by His grace, had His finger on my busyness. My busyness causes me to ignore the many ways He wants to speak to me and the things He wants to teach me. My busyness causes me to put my relationships on the back burner. Sitting these last couple of days, and forcing Bishop to stay quiet has been a constant reminder to me of what God wants to do. Helping one anxious little dog has been God's way of dealing with me.

Lesson #3: A few seconds of foolishness can put our healing at risk.
Bishop appears to be feeling more like his old self. And that could be his downfall. By behaving as if he is uninjured or no longer in need of help, by acting according to his instincts, he can set the healing process back, or even cause further damage.

As Christians, we are to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). But we can never be that in our own strength; we have to give Him our problem areas, the diseased and damaged parts of our lives, and allow Him, by His grace, to sanctify us and make us whole. That's not always easy to do. Sometimes our old nature fights against the work God is doing; and sometimes our old nature tells us that we are good, tells us it won't matter if we skip worship just this once, tells us we've come so far we deserve a break. A few seconds of foolishness can alter all God wants to do in us.

Bishop will be fine. He will be trotting faithfully at my heels once again, listening for my voice, going wherever I go, never taking his eyes off of me.

There's a lesson in that for all of us.

Hyde and Seek

We are obsessed by "Before and After," and our obsession begins at the most basic of levels: Before, as children, we were incapable of feeding ourselves; now -- after -- we have jobs, choose our own foods, cook them, and maybe even feed others who require our help. "Before and After" signifies progress, improvement. But, what is it in us that needs to mark milestones, celebrate achievements, or strive for certain things?

We were made to search. For bigger. For better. The pinnacle, the apex, the culmination of all pursuits.

I disliked having to memorize the Westminster catechism in middle school, now I wish I remembered more than I do. But the one that sticks with me is Westminster catechism #1:

"What is man's chief end? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."

The purpose of all human life is to seek to bring glory to God and revel in who He is, forever. Not exactly a static condition if you think about the attempt. Malachi 3:10, throws down the gauntlet:

"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,'
Says the Lord of hosts,
'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.'"

Or enough time to enjoy it. Or enough words in your vocabulary to express your appreciation.

It's not easy to like greedy, unappreciative people, or troublemakers who lie and cheat just to get ahead. Who doesn't revile "users" and "Scrooges," and rats who put their own interests above law or love? Most of us root for the underdog, and we like people who are humble and kind to those who are weak. But I have discovered, those two, apparently opposite types of people are more alike than meets the eye. They are both doing what they were born to do: search.

More money; more charity. More me; more Jesus. "More" is not the enemy. It's the "what" that causes issues. In all of our seeking, in all of our straining toward milestones, it's more important we are making progress toward the right prize. The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:14, says:

"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

He strives for more -- the upward call. A calling that is progressive, a calling that is taking him to a higher level. A calling that does not leave him where he was before, but makes him a better person, a more grateful person, a more giving person, a more forgiving person, a more humble person. A calling that attempts to bring glory to God and to enjoy every opportunity. That is movement and improvement as we were meant to experience it.

There will always be a "Before" and an "After," but how different they appear may just depend in what you pursue.

Chasing Away the Blues Jesus' Way (Part Two)

"When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow." -- Luke 22:45

"But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, 'Have you any food here'?" -- Luke 24:41

Sorrow. Joy. Human emotions. But they do not escape God's care, for He loves us so very much. He wants us to know joy (Rom. 12:12), to be comforted in sorrow (Mt. 5:4) and if Jesus' response to His followers in either of the above situations is any indication, He will enable us to know it! When He showed me His admonition to His disciples in each of these accounts, I knew they were an admonishment to me as well.

How often I have been tempted to simply roll over, pull the covers over my head, and give up, as I have been caring for Mom. In truth, I have done it internally: avoiding, detaching, even blaming others -- anything to pretend this routine is not the "pointless rut" it sometimes seems to be. And there is no monopoly on these feelings. Full-time moms know tremendous joy in having their young children with them all the time; but there is also loneliness, frustration, feelings of failure and inadequacy, and a tremendous inability to check off those things on our "To Do" lists (something many of us enjoy doing). Athletes recovering from serious injury or illness can find themselves thrown back to "START", unable to see the finish line, much less taste victory. Bright, idealistic graduates who emerge from college unable to find employment in their desired field. I think anyone whose plan have been thwarted for any length of time, or anyone who finds themselves at the mercy of their circumstances has experienced some of these same emotions.

Please allow me to share with you the principles God has shared with me from these verses:

1. Rise. In Luke 22:46, Jesus' response to His sleeping disciples was "Rise." Get moving! I have found myself, parked on the sofa watching endless hours of "Wagon Train" with Mom because she needs me to be with her. And some days she does. But when she's having a good day, I can get a lot finished so long as I stay close by, and I check in with her every hour or so. I just can't fall to the deception that every day is going to be "bad". I need to Rise. Give it a shot. If I have to close up the paints, or put away the ingredients, or close the laptop, there's always tomorrow.

2. Pray. In the same verse, Jesus tells His disciples to pray, Nothing -- and I do mean no thing -- beats the power of prayer. Heading to a fight without the power of prayer is like going to war without knowing how to use your weapon -- you've got the tools it takes, and you may even get lucky and plink off an enemy or two, but you are out of your league! Exposing your heart to your Lord and Savior, sitting in quiet before Him, awaiting His peace, or instruction, or loving rebuke, readies you for battle or pulls you back to safety where you can watch what He does for you!

3. Give. In Luke 24:41, Jesus asked His followers to provide what they had that He might show them the truth and bring them to joy. Some broiled fish. A voice to sing. A couple of hours of "free time" on a Saturday afternoon. A sweatshirt that no longer fits. Whatever it is, Jesus can use it if we give out of a heart to honor and serve Him. If a few bites of fish and a honeycomb can open a man's eyes to who Jesus is, what can a few years of teaching Sunday school do for a group of children?

 4. Watch. In verse 43, to prove He has risen, to prove His resurrection, to prove He is flesh and bone, Jesus eats what they have given Him. Imagine them at first, looking a bit confused; but not a single eye is turned away. And as they watch, the truth is revealed. It is as He said. They can believe for joy! For now. For all eternity!

He said it to me. He is saying it to you. Watch what God can do...

...when we get moving
...when we pray
...when we give
...when we watch

 

Chasing Away the Blues Jesus' Way (Part One)

So, here's one of those moments where I give you a peak at my life for the last year.

My mom has dementia, and has lived with us since 2015. As you can imagine, I repeat myself quite a bit; but it's not like a Sunday afternoon visit at the local nursing home, or Christmas with your grandparents. It's waaaay more than just, "Granny, you told me that story already." Mom has trouble understanding and articulating -- anything. So, my day is more like...

"Mom, comb your hair." "Huh?" "Comb your hair."

"Mom, put your shoes on." "Huh?" "Put your shoes on."

"Mom, put your coat on." "Huh?" "Put your coat on."

Now, I could just do those things for her and save myself a lot of trouble, but she feels useless enough some days. So there's that to combat; constantly look for things she can do so she continues to "be important." There are lights left on, and dirty clothes refolded amongst the clean, and multiple unnecessary toilet flushes throughout the day. There is the pacing and anxiety. But the thing that weighs most heavily on me, is the need. Not the need for me to do all those things she cannot; that's easy. It's the need for me to be.

Mom looks to me for cues. If I'm ordering the omelet, she should want the omelet. If I'm laughing, it must be funny. If I'm rising from my chair, she must be going somewhere as well. Those things are definitely annoying, but it is more -- the need for me to do those things, to give her those cues, to be ever-mindful she is watching in order for her to feel safe. If I am where she can see me, life is OK; but if I am not... I am constantly "on", smiling, reassuring her, "carrying" her, and for an introvert like me... Well, let's just say, it has led to some moments of deep despair and dysfunction.

This morning I was reading Luke 24. Jesus' followers have seen Him, resurrected, speaking, but they -- verse 41 -- "still did not believe for joy." They had experienced so much pain and grief, they refused to believe something joyous had happened. It wasn't simply a death-to-life thing that had them in disbelief -- they had seen the dead raised to life before -- it was that the One they loved, the One taken so brutally from them, had returned. Tragedy had become triumph. Loss was now life!

I recognize that kind of disbelief. I have searched for purpose in all of this: "Lord, what are You teaching me? How are You changing or preparing me? Why have You brought me to this place?" And when He doesn't reveal it to me, I sulk, slipping into feelings of loneliness and purposelessness. The kind of feelings that make me want to pull the covers over my head and stay in bed all day.

Jesus' followers felt that way also. In Luke 22:45, as Jesus prayed fervently in the garden, He returned to His disciples and "found them sleeping from sorrow." They were so hopeless, so grieved, they slept, sorrow pulling them into a sort of giving up.

Friend, with Jesus, that is never the end of the story -- not so long as we are willing to listen to what He has to say, and see what He is willing to do. In both of Luke's accounts, Jesus responds to His followers' humanity in a way only He can; and He responds to us today as well. Please join me tomorrow, and I will show you what He has shown me.