One Last Thought Before Voting...

For what seems like FOR EVER we’ve had the political streaming from every side of the fence now.  There has been tons of material for comedians, there has been so much BREAKING news and STUNNING new information for so many months I’m completely uninterested.  The click bait has numbed our senses.  I never turn on my TV (unless NCIS is on) I stopped scrolling on Twitter and I flip the screen on Facebook so fast I think I missed 6 birthdays and a really cool chicken riding a Roomba vac. 

There has been so much information, misinformation, data overload that it will make your head spin.  It has quite literally fractured our nation.  Everyone is hurting, annoyed, frustrated and we take it out on others behind a keyboard and a screen.  We should be out there being good neighbors, helping each other and laying down our phones, tablets and laptops and enjoying what is left of some nice weather before old man winter hits.  He can be quite the nasty sometimes. Long walks and raking leaves should calm our spirits and remind us that simplicity is good.  Honestly I don’t have the time to write or read some of the dissertations I see in some of the comment sections on social media.  Some of you really should write a book, there are tons of classes on it on the internet.  I’ve subscribed to some and trust me they will fill your email in box for days……..

I’d like to offer one last perspective on voting and the election tomorrow.  If it is what you want to do tomorrow – then go vote.  One great option we have here is that we have the choice to go or not to go.  No one can make you or stop you from voting (unless you didn’t register in time and then that’s a whole other thing).  If you do go – go be joyful about it.  Don’t whine, don’t complain about the candidates, don’t pry into other people’s business – just go be a nice person in line and make others feel comfortable that are in line with you.  Smile.  Compliment them.  If it’s going to be a long line, take water and a snack and extra for those waiting with you. Listen to some tunes.  Make it enjoyable for you and others.  Help the elderly, be patient with a Mom, have a funny story in mind you can share to make others laugh (very inappropriate to share intimate surgery details, got it?)  Don’t make calls and have long phone conversations or spend inordinate amounts of time staring at your phone.  Here’s a great opportunity to be neighborly and gracious. The people you are waiting in line with actually live in your community.

It’s been a LONG election cycle…. Tomorrow we go vote, wait for the results and start fresh on Wednesday.  There will be more waves of news media aftermath…but just ignore it…get on with life, enjoy life and be good to others no matter the outcome.  We all need that.  Our National Day of Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we truly have much to be thankful for and most of us will be with friends and family or maybe we help with a food kitchen or supplies for others.  Celebrate life….it’s way too short not to.  Let’s choose to be a good nation of people right where we are.

This is a rather simplistic post – but nobody needs a long read right now… just a little Comfort from the Cottage.  Be blessed.

Walk on Water

I am not much of a swimmer.  I did take swimming lessons as a child, but I never really learned to keep my head under water without holding my nose.  I can swim the length of a small pool and hold my own for personal enjoyment.  Mostly I enjoy using a flotation device.  I love going to the beach and about mid-winter that would be especially nice.

I spent several days in Matthew 14 reading and meditating on the passages there this past week.  Walking these pages of scripture absorbing Jesus’ life is so fascinating.  I camp out as long as necessary without outside influences and let his Word work into my heart.  Sadly this chapter begins with the death of John the Baptist.  The heralder of Christ has just been killed at the hands of Herod on a foolish whim. As soon as Jesus receives this news he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.  I cannot imagine how immensely saddened and burdened his heart was over this loss, ever aware of his own impending death.  Quiet and private time with Abba Father was a certain necessity. 

Crowds (multitudes, can we even imagine how many that is?) of people knew that he was aboard a boat and hurriedly followed its path looking for an opportunity for him to come ashore.  Scripture says that when Jesus landed and saw the large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  Despite his own grief, Jesus still managed to greet the people and meet their needs.  He graciously met with them and healed them.  I am amazed at the personal tenderness Jesus had for the hundreds, literally thousands that pressed in for his attention and healing.  He met them right where they were in their hurt, wounds and difficulties.  Earlier in Matthew 9 the Scriptures speak of Jesus being moved with compassion knowing their spiritual needs were even more desperate than the need for physical healing. 

He had been ministering to the people since early morning and soon the disciples realized it was getting late in the afternoon and there was no food.  Their solution was to dismiss the crowds and send them back to find food in town.  With no fast food and large eating establishments this would have been a huge strain on the neighboring towns to meet the need to feed over 5000 hungry people.  Jesus said they did not need to go away, the disciples needed to feed them. It is just like him to ask us to do something that is so totally beyond ourselves so we can watch him work... The disciples public declaration of insufficiency paved the way for everyone to witness a miracle. 

Owning a hospitality business and having served church dinners, feeding a few people can be daunting to ensure you have plenty of food, but 5000 in the middle of nowhere?  I really would have loved to be a witness and a partaker of bread and fish blessed by Jesus.  Five loaves and two fish fed 5000 plus.  It takes two loaves of bread and 6-8 eggs to serve enough French toast to a full house at our establishment that is equal to 8 to 10 people.  The kicker?  These 5000 plus were fed to satisfaction and there were 12 baskets of leftovers.  I can see them lining up for to go bags now.  After witnessing this miracle and serving and cleaning up the premises, interestingly, Jesus discharges the disciples to board their boat and go on ahead of him. I’m also guessing they packed a lunch.  Their eyes had seen so much that day.  Healing, feeding, blessing….they needed some time to themselves to take all this in as well. 

Jesus turns to the crowd and I can only imagine the graciousness with which he dismisses them to go home. Loving eyes that gently tell them to go home, worship God, love others, share this new faith they have found.  Oh to hear his words, know his loving touch.  As the final ones depart, one last wave, he heads up the mountainside to pray. 

Solitude. 

Quiet.

Long moments with Abba Father. 

 

What did these prayer moments look like?  What did they sound like?  After ministering to literally thousands, did he bathe their lives in prayer?  Did he look forward to the next stop?  He had met so many physical needs in healing the sick, filling them with food, pouring out his life so they could know the Father’s love.  Unimaginable grace and sacrifice given even in light of his own personal grief.

As evening came and he was alone he could see the boat was considerable distance, but the disciples were having a bit of a rough ride as the waves were very contrary that night.  I’m pretty sure I would have been content to sit on the mountainside and wait out the storm, but not Jesus.  He heads on down and walks out on the water toward the little boat.  Isn’t there just a part of you that just says he has a great sense of humor?  “Oh there they are, I’ll just walk on out to the boat.” 

No doubt the disciples are terrified at this sight!  Who walks on water?  Who walks on water at night?  Who walks on water at night in a storm?  They are convinced it’s a ghost and they are screaming in terror! 

Here’s the best part, he says, “Be of good cheer!”  “Take courage!” “It’s me” “Don’t be afraid!” Really Jesus, you just decided to walk on out here on the water in the dark in a storm???  You scared us half to death.

Peter always incredibly impetuous decides it’s not enough just to watch him do it, he must do it too and says, “if it’s you, tell me to walk on out to you.”  There is not a hint of it in the pages of Scripture, but surely Jesus laughed a little to himself as he said, “Come.”  Bless his heart, Peter sure enough went over the side of the boat and walked on the water.  I’m always one to kind of visualize this type of scene as the others are watching wide eyed and Peter is making his way across not so calm waters.  In fact, he becomes more consumed with the waves and wind than Jesus and begins to sink.  He cries out, “Lord, save me!”  Literally grabbing hold of Peter, Jesus lifts him from the water and they both get on the boat.  “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  I do believe this was said in ear shot of all the disciples.  After all that has happened today, all you have seen and witnessed, you still have such little faith?  I don’t believe it was condemning at all, but more an observation for them to consider.  Why do you doubt?  He caused the waves exhaust themselves and stop - they all exclaim that he is the Son of God.  What else could they say?

We all want to walk on water with Jesus.  We look out expectantly from the comfort of our boat and are terrified at first. We can see who he is, that we want to be with him.  We have seen him meet our physical and spiritual need. We ask him to tell us to come out on the water and he says, “Come.”  Brave at first, we step out of our boat and head towards him.  But like Peter, we see the waves and the storm around us.  The world clamors for our attention.  It hammers at us and shouts insults.  The waves are opinionated, stubborn and offended at us. We falter and take our eyes off of Jesus and we begin to sink.  We cry out, “Lord, save me!”  With strong arms he grabs us up out of the mire and muck.  Drenched, he sets us back in the boat with loving eyes saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

Jesus looks on us and smiles at our misguided attempts to live out our life in the way we see fit.  It is not who we want to be.  We want to be alive with His power, filled to overflowing with His story…..so Who are we?  But the question should be, Whose are we? 

Maybe I have been a woman of recklessness, a woman who turned her heart away from the Lord in frustration, a woman who cried herself to sleep because of the grief she had caused someone else.  What remains of the mess we make?  Fragments, disgrace, hurt, wounds, a sense of loss? 

Certainly not.

This Jesus who says “Come” – we are his beloved.  He leaves nothing untouched by his mercy.  His eyes, his grasp is on me – my eyes need only be fixed on the one who gives me faith. 

Choose to let the Son of God fill you today.  Don’t become consumed with your circumstances that you miss the divine moments he allows for you.  Remember that you are a recipient of a love so wild and beautiful that the world can’t understand it.  Look in his generous tender eyes as he meets your need, physical ones and spiritual ones.  As he calls to you let him demonstrate what he can do, things that are beyond yourself.... Choose to get out of the boat, choose today to walk on water. 

(Photos courtesy of Jeanne Carpenter, Gulf Shores, AL   www.vrbo.com/50470)

Luke 2: Three Things I Learned From the Shepherds III

The grand, majestic angel choir had announced the Savior’s arrival, nothing was more grand, more significant or divine than the actual birth.  God with Us.  Immanuel.  The Messiah. The Promised One of Israel.  The Name Above All Names had come at last.

Mary and Joseph, unaware of the demonstration of praise by the heavenly host to the Shepherds out in the fields beyond Bethlehem were muffled by Mary going into labor, finding the manger and giving birth. Mary was young and inexperienced.  Her Aunt Elizabeth may have helped prepare her for this very event.  She would have to completely trust her husband and God for his arrival. Her level of trust is seen as she left for Bethlehem heavy with child.

The Shepherds left the field that night in search of the tiny baby and the Scriptures say that they found him.  Maybe it didn’t take too much inquiry to locate the woman and man who had traveled to be registered in Bethlehem, very obviously pregnant.  Expectantly they crowded around the manager and found the baby, just as the angel had said. In their excitement and joy they told every one of the events of the night.  I’m sure Mary and Joseph were stunned when a group of smelly shepherds arrived to see this baby and marvel at his birth.  It says Mary pondered the words of the shepherds in her heart.  Don’t you think that when the guys ran all over Bethlehem sharing this amazing news that others came by to see him?  We don’t know how many people came by to see this little baby and his parents after the shepherds shared the news.  Hopefully some nice neighbors brought in extra diapers and some meals to help out the young couple and God’s own son.

Luke 2:9 says that “the shepherds returned.”  After confirming all that the angel had told them and witnessing the spectacular heavenly choir the shepherds went back to work.  They had work to do, day in and day out guarding and herding the sheep to food and water, ensuring their safety and the twice daily chore of counting. The events of the past several days had certainly been overwhelming – they had seen and heard with their own eyes and ears the glory of God.  Faithful men to their tasks they returned to life and the usual mundane tasks that lay before them. 

The third thing I learned from the shepherds is that as they returned to their normal life they returned, “glorifying and praising God.”  They had learned the secret that had been withheld in the Old Testament; they were the first witnesses of the gospel, they had seen God’s son, beheld his glory, and shared the great event with others and they got back to work – but worked joyfully praising God knowing of his great provision of Salvation for mankind – peace on earth to men.

As believers we walk this earth with the same secret, we are witnesses of the gospel, we know God’s Son and in this knowing we behold his glory in a unique way – believing without seeing and we have the greatest opportunity that has ever existed to share salvation with the masses.  Yet despite this great opportunity it seems normal life keeps us from glorifying and praising God.  We live unhappy, burdened lives. We keep to ourselves and rarely reach out to others with good news of great joy.  We keep to our inner circle daring others to invade our comfy space.

God first shared his message of hope with quiet, unassuming, boring, shepherds and they immediately turned into bold, excited jubilant heralders of faith – their lives changed forever. 

I have wondered if any of these shepherds were still alive when Jesus began his public ministry.  I like to think they were.  I think Mary shared with Jesus their arrival when he was born and the events that surrounded his birth.  I think he held a special place in his heart for the shepherds and used them regularly in his parables and equates those who watch over God’s flock here on earth as shepherds.  Maybe he had these guys in mind in his stories, especially the one that paints of portrait of God who leaves the 99 to go find the 1 who went astray. 

The Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of Jesus means different things to different people. There are mounds of sentiment and tradition, joyful memories and sad memories.  The month may not get by without a good cry or two over those who have passed away and are no longer with us, or the happiness of seeing a loved one we’ve been apart from too long.

The simple shepherds, however, have shown us the true meaning of the season:

Life is dirty and mundane.  Isn’t it?  This time of year is broken up into gift shopping and decorating, but normal stuff just keeps happening.  Wash the dishes, pay the bills, drive to work, do the laundry, throw in some extra baking, count the sheep….day to day life rolls on.  Folding clothes, putting away the socks, vacuuming the floor – it all blurs into the dirty and mundane. 

They sought him immediately and didn’t keep silent about God’s message. If we will seek God in the middle of the mundane he will not be silent.  Remember, God had been quiet for 400 years, but the hearts of the faithful anticipated his coming, his voice would sound out again.  The shepherds responded with urgency to the message of hope.  Here was HOPE!  Here was PEACE!  God was real, he was big, he was magnificent, he was MORE than they ever imagined. If we anticipate him working in our lives, he is faithful to turn our day, our very lives upside down.  Look for his divine appointments every day – make room in your heart for him to do something wonderful in the middle of the mundane.  He may place a person who needs a kind word behind you in the grocery line. Maybe you need to take an extra few cookies to the lonely neighbor next door or surprise them by bringing their trash can back to the side of the house after pick up day.  Share the message of hope and peace and salvation with those around you, don’t be shy, share the joy you have with others just as the shepherds shared. This side of the cross we have the greatest news anyone could hear.

They returned to the mundane and dirty, yet they glorified and praised God.  Yes, back to the normal stuff.  After they were used of God to share the good news of the birth of his Son, they went back to work, but they were able to glorify and praise God for all he had done and would continue to do. It is in the praising and the glorifying and the worshiping that he fills our hearts and minds and it makes all the little tasks worthwhile. Praising him enables him to fill those empty spaces, to take away the darkness, it allows us to be responsive to him. 

It is easy to be weighed down by the clutter of life; the chores to do and our tasks can crowd out the majesty of the Holy One.  Jesus joined the mass of humanity in the most humble of circumstances, his birth announcement was proclaimed to dirty shepherds on hill while they counted sheep.  As you celebrate the wonder of His birth, celebrate also your re-birth into eternal life that he provided by his life, death and resurrection and ascension. Receive his gift of love with awe and humility.  Share THIS gift with others.

The Shepherds got it right.  They understood the message and they understood their role.  It was a simple one, yet they made it into the pages of Scripture for everyone to read, so we too can share God’s message:  

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

Photo Courtesy of Paul Oberlander 

A New Canvas

I’m not much of an artist.  In fact I cannot sketch out much more than stick figures on paper.  I can decorate, paint walls and organize a home which is an art form, but drawing is not my thing. My brother actually got that gene and is quite good at penciling out a cartoon and he has some nice art he did while studying for his degree at Georgia Tech. Stick figures are okay I guess, but just not very entertaining and their expressions are little more than thin emoticons. 

I often look at life as one big canvas and for me my canvas is often the calendar. I think in arenas of quarters or seasons and then map out a year.  I love to plan and try to orchestrate life around what I know is ahead.  I’m not quite sure why I’m like that.  I have kept a calendar since as long as I can remember and I have them saved away so I can prove it. Of course there have been hard and difficult years or seasons and thankfully many good ones. I love to get my new calendar and mark all the birthdays and anniversaries and things I know will happen circling holidays in color marking New Year’s, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4 and such with appropriate holiday color.  Then I get a little more detailed on events that surround work and travel, I try to think ahead to when a vacation would be possible and mark that in pencil.  Then in pencil I also mark ahead to remember someone’s birthday or their passing away day so that I don’t forget to be sensitive to those days for someone else.

This has been my habit at the end of every year.  In some ways it’s very reassuring and reminds me of days or years gone by and comforts me that things are mostly the same. It becomes a canvas of my life...all the comings and goings and doings.

One year I ruined my canvas.  I tossed paint on the board and spilled it all over the floor. I was angry and rebellious and I turned my back on all that I knew and loved.  I left everything to follow an idol in my heart and I left a huge gaping hole in the calendar and all things familiar.  I destroyed relationships cut people and God out of my life.  The canvas was ruined, stained and un-salvageable. At least that is what I thought, and so did many others.

Now God is an amazing artist.  His landscapes, sunsets, sunrises, waterfalls, seasons and mountaintops bespeak of a master painter with an eye for detail in color, placement and timing.  His artwork is not only found in nature, but in people’s lives.  He can make shy people bold, he can make the prideful humble, he can make joy out of sadness and tenderly bring life back to one filled with grief.  His handiwork can take our breath away if only we will look with eyes to see.

After my disaster in the art room, the creator of the universe quietly and gently took my canvas and placed a fresh new one in its place. He mopped up the spattered paint on the floor and set the canvas stand by an open window with different hues from the sunlight. His heart of love removed my hand from the paintbrush and he started a new work of art and he turned a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.  He is not only a true artist but he excels in music and put a new song in my heart as well.  He removed all the trappings and expectations and disappointments putting one goal before me, to love His Son, Jesus.  He gave me a new family and a new life.  All I have known since is his deep abiding love for me, grace and mercy that completely overwhelm me and I cannot praise or thank him enough. 

Right now the canvas is not finished.  The colors are not dry.  He works daily to show me the shades and colors he is using to paint a portrait of a woman devoted to him.  I sometimes want to advise him on a nice palate that would suit me, but he asks that I trust him with the painting to be fully revealed when I see him face to face.

Occasionally I grab an etch-a-sketch and try a design of my own, all squiggly and off center, but gratefully we can shake it up and down and erase the mess I can make on my own.  I still pull out my calendar and outline the year and plan (it’s who I am), but now I seek his guidance for each facet of our home, life and business.  He fills the edges of the painting with people and friends both near and far.  Then slowly, but surely the image of Christ begins to emerge as the Creator generously fills in the lavish landscape with his loving-kindness and the righteousness of His Son.  My stick figures hardly compare to the master, and my sketches are more like post it notes.   

Rest in his Word today, he is in the business of making all things new… even a ruined canvas.  The Architect of the Universe can mend a broken or hurting life.  He makes all things beautiful.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”