Red Letter

One of the echoes in the A Whole New World chorus:

"Every moment red letter"

I guess it's supposed to mean stand-out and extraordinary, but red letter makes me think of the Bibles that have the words of Jesus in red.

Growing up I didn't have one, but my latest Bible has the red letters and it really does draw my eyes toward the words spoken by Jesus. There's something about the red that demands attention. And the words of Jesus are something that should be getting all my attention, and not just when my Bible is open.

There are so many voices in this world telling me endless lies, pushing and pulling and looking to steal my attention. But I don't want to be ruled and dictated to by that noise. I want to be led instead by the life giving truth of my God (Hebrews 4:12).

I want to live every day, consistently with the words of Jesus as my foundation and guide (Joshua 1:8).

Every moment red letter.

Between The Before And After

Since living in America, I have discovered the joy of HGTV, a channel that is dedicated to the transformation and renovations of houses. I love watching them flip old, rotting, unattractive buildings into beautiful, welcoming, functional homes.

But the problem with HGTV is that it makes transformation seem so quick and easy. In the space of a half an hour show, a dilapidated house becomes a sought-after home. In what seems like 10 seconds, the whole kitchen is gutted and rebuilt. It all seems so speedy and seamless.

However, if you’ve ever tried a home improvement project, you’ll know that it takes an awful lot of time and effort. There are no shortcuts or fast forward buttons. There is a lot that happens between the before and the after.

And it’s the same with our lives. In Romans 12 we’re called to be transformed, to measure our lives at a higher standard than this world, and that sometimes that (incorrectly) puts the pressure on to be perfect right now. It can be so discouraging when we compare our work in progress lives against the final designs of what we’re called to be.

It’s so vital to differentiate between saved and transformation. “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Justification, ‘saving’ happens when we place our trust and faith in Jesus and his work on the cross. But transformation is something that keeps on rolling until the day we see Jesus face to face.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Are BEING transformed. Being is the present participle, the continuous form of the verb ‘be’. I.e. it’s still happening. The transformation is still in progress, the end point has not been reached. It isn’t something that happens suddenly overnight. Rather, transformation takes time.

First, you are saved when you first repent of your sins and put your belief in Jesus. Second, through the power of the Holy Spirit, transformation begins and continues for the duration of your life. There will be many steps backward, and some hidden rot that takes a while to deal with, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, you are continuously being transformed by the gospel.

Another thing that happens on HGTV is that the homeowner gets to drive the design decisions. They provide the direction as to what the end product should look like, they get to decide which rooms should change, and what is off limit. That makes sense, as they’re the ones paying for it all.

But when it comes to the transformation of the gospel, the cost was not borne by us. The broken-down house of my life was purchased by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and so he gets to call the shots (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Thankfully, he is more than qualified for that role. He is the creator of the universe and the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2), so I can trust him with the plans and process of my transformation. His plans are so good (Jeremiah 29:11). But I have to open up every room, from the basement to the attic; every hidden thing needs to be open to change.

Because if I am to be transformed by Jesus, my whole life will be transformed, not just certain aspects. The gospel brings total transformation to every area of our lives.

It changes the way I interact with the people in my space. I become more patient and gracious and kind and humble as the love of God becomes the way I love others (1 Corinthians 13). I find myself seeking to serve rather than to be served, just as Christ chose to serve undeserving me (Philippians 2).

Total transformation changes how I handle my finances. It starts to bring in a whole new value system, where the iPhone 11 Pro and the latest BMW are not the pinnacle of success, and where it is truly more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35).

It changes how I approach my work. I find myself working harder and giving it my best shot, rather than letting laziness drag me down to the bare minimum, knowing it’s all for the glory of God.

Total transformation changes the whole concept of dating and marriage. It begins to change the game from self-gratification to having a much larger God-given purpose. People become more like beautiful individuals created in the image of God, that I am called to love and serve and team with, rather than a mere object to gratify my own selfish desires.

This list goes on: career choices, friendship, hobbies, where we choose to live. Everything is impacted, not just the areas that are convenient for us.

And in all this process of transformation, where we are living less for ourselves and our comfort and more for the glory and knowing of God, true freedom and joy is found. We’re free to love and serve both God and people. Which perhaps doesn’t sound exactly like the fun ‘freedom’ the world tries to promise us. In fact, the devil wants you to think that the only way to live a happy, fulfilling life, is by living for yourself. That’s a lie.

There is so much more joy to be had. The joy to be found in living selflessly is on an immeasurably larger scale than the joy you can ever find in living for yourself.

We were created to worship God, inherently designed to bring him glory. Of course, we can rebel and instead choose to worship ourselves, but that will never end well. We were created for the King who humbled himself to be a servant, who washed his disciples’ feet, who suffered for you and me. In following in his footsteps, and knowing him by obedience to him, I believe we will find the greatest fulfillment.

Let Jesus take the wheel and let Him completely transform you. There’s a joy that compares to no other kind of joy when we serve Christ, living wholeheartedly and all out for Him.

Hallmark Happy Ending

I love Hallmark movies. At the moment there are so many feel-good Christmas movies out there to watch, it feels like, well, Christmas! Because, although I do enjoy watching some angst, I’m a happy ending kind of person. My favorite stories are those that end with everyone living happily ever after with every piece of the plot tied up in a neat little happy bow.

Everything turns out perfectly, everyone (except the bad guy, of course) gets just what they wished for, and everybody is a little too happy. Evil is defeated, the twinkling lights sparkle, and the happy couple dreamingly gaze into each other's eyes. The end!

Sometimes, movies are even so bold as to have things go terribly wrong in the middle. But that all just serves to make the happy ending that much happier.

TV, books, movies pretty much all tell us we just need to follow those easy steps, believe these few facts, and say these magical words, and all our problems will disappear. And unfortunately we’d like to think life works that way too. After all, the media is meant to be a reflection of the world and reality we live in.

But buying into the idea that all problems will be so easily solved and hurts so quickly mended is a dangerous game. Life isn’t a Hallmark movie where all wounds are mended and relationships are forged in a quick ninety minutes. But wouldn't that be nice? If one heartfelt conversation could cure a lifetime of hurt. One prayer to fix all the wrongs. One right decision to make up for a lifetime of wild living. One act of kindness of to gloss over years of mean treatment. We want quick and easy and painless solutions to all our problems. But that’s not how hurt works. That’s not how relationships work.

Possibly an opposite to the Hallmark movies if the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s stories are filled with dark evil, with many unanswered and unfulfilled longings. Yes, it ends with the triumph of the Fellowship and the fall of Sauron; but people are changed for it and life does not go back to being quite the same as before.

They can’t quite go back to the good old days. There are losses and deep hurts that will never fully be healed. Questions are left unanswered, the Shire is not how they left it, the Elves sail west, Frodo leaves, and a heaviness lingers. Yes, they find victory and joy, but it’s not the same as before. Evil left its mark.

As much as I love my Hallmark movies, I know that the reality of the rollercoaster of life is a lot more like the LOTR. Things and people get broken. Healing takes time. Wrong choices are made. Friends leave. Lives are shattered by the actions of others. People hurt each other. Sickness lingers. Terrible, unthinkable things happen. Life is hard.

In all this darkness we wonder if it’s even worth it. Sadly, as the suicide rates show, too many people decide it's not. All this evil and hurt and weeping at midnight and brokenness.

And we can't just shrug it off or live in a state of ignorance is bliss. When we think that all problems can be fixed and tied off with a pretty bow, we’re cheapening hurt. We’re deceiving ourselves, putting our heads in the sand and blocking our ears to the reality of life.

In fact, if we think we can just ignore evil, we’re lessening the Gospel. We’re lowering the stakes. Because a small wrong doesn’t require much to defeat it, but an overwhelming hurt needs a powerful healer. When we don't acknowledge evil for what it truly is, we don’t fully see the full brokenness and depravity of sin and it's wretched outworking (Romans 7:24).

But Jesus came, fought, and in dying on the cross and through his resurrection overcame, so that the story does not end in darkness, so that evil does not have the last word (Hebrews 2:14).

It's important to see the darkness, because it is proof of how much the light is worth; how much we need it. Because as grave and as real as hurt may be, healing is realer still. As the wonderful Samwise said, there is still good in this world, and it is worth fighting for.

Things are broken, but they can be put back together. They aren’t and will never be the same, no. But they can still be good. Mended things are good. You tell a story of redemption, hope, and a powerful God. When we trivialize hurt as something easily fixed, we lose something vital. When we silence sorrow and gloss over grief, we miss a key part of the story.

Somehow, due to our redemptive God, things can be better for being broken. Not the same, and to pretend that they could be is a joke. But like a painting made richer by its darker colors, for they make the light stand out. Like returning home, not the same hobbit, but still able to say, “Well, I’m back” with rich memories and stories of the journey to share.

We will never avoid hurt. We will never be able to shrug away the problems of this world. Wrongs don’t just disappear, and brokenness can't mend in a hour and a half run time. We have to face the darkness head-on, seeing and acknowledging it–yet holding onto the unwavering hope we have in Jesus (Hebrews 6:19). Fighting the good fight for light (1 Timothy 6:12). Knowing and choosing to believe that God is still fully in control and that his goodness still prevails. Yes, it might never be the same, never be what we wanted and wished for, but it will still be good, because our God is good (Psalm 145:9).

And beyond this broken earth, there is eternal good. Where somehow everything will be better for having gone through the hurt. One day all tears will be wiped away, one day we’ll see it was all worth it (Revelation 21:4). One day we’ll see the Righteous One Jesus, who bears on His hands the scars of the greatest, darkest wrong, through which good triumphed.

And we will one day rejoice forever and truly live happily ever after in the presence of our Good, Good Father.

Quiet, Please

Last week I did a nine-day road trip with my brother. And as I explained to the friends we met along the way, my brother and I couldn’t be much more different personality-wise. He’s an outgoing, adventurous, risk-taking, people person, whereas I’m way more reserved and quiet and I like to have my own space.

But what’s key for me to remember is that different does not mean better or worse. Both our personalities were shaped and scripted by our Creator God. We weren’t created to be the same. In our own ways we reflect the image of God and can bring glory to Him.

That’s what I must remember when I feel the pressure to be louder, crazier, more up in people’s faces. I have to silence the voice of lies that tries to tell me I’m less valuable, less wanted, less needed than the extroverts around me.

Instead I must choose to listen the voice of the one who knit me together perfectly, who calls me fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). The voice of truth that tells me that my quietness, my introversion; they don’t define me. Yes, they are a part of natural me, but they are not who I am. They don’t get to dictate my worth.

Because my worth is not found in my abilities or my shortcomings or how many new friends I can make in a month. My worth, regardless of my personality and popularity, is rooted in the fact that I was created by the Creator of the Universe and that through the work of Jesus, I belong to Him.

God values equally the bubbly welcomer and the gently quiet, the extrovert and the introvert, the famous and the unknown. If this is the way God chose to make me, then he will most certainly use every aspect of my personality and every struggle I face according to his perfect plan.

We are all his masterpiece, created for good works which he has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). In no way is God restricted in his ability to use his creatures for his purpose, he can use both the bashful and the bold.

In fact, sometimes standing alone against the wall is where I have met the person who really needed a friend. Sometimes staying at a distance from the crowds is how I learn to seek the approval of Christ above the approval of man.

In Mark 12:41-44 the widow was acknowledged by Jesus for the smallest, yet most generous of gifts. He invited this overlooked woman into his family–not because of what she had to give, but because of her willingness to give what she had.

God doesn’t judge us by our follower counts but by our devotion to him. If we love him and choose daily to live for him, our faith and our actions will glorify him, whether in the grace of the few words we speak or in the kindness, compassion, and generosity of our actions.

That being said, being a quiet kid is no excuse to shy away from the things God has for us. Sometimes we are called to step up out of our comfort zones. That’s where we learn and grow and are shaped by God. And hiding behind the excuse of quietness robs us of opportunities to grow and glorify God.

In Jeremiah 1:7-8, God tells Jeremiah to lay aside his excuses and step out in faith, holding onto the truth that God would be with him. The same thing happens in Exodus 3 and 4, God answering Moses’s excuses with his power, provision and presence.

Not that we need to get personality changes, but sometimes it means speaking up, even when we’d rather stay quiet. It means by the power of the Spirit being courageous and confident in the Lord.

So whether you are quiet or loud, don’t ever believe that your differences detract from your worth. Diversity in unity is part of God’s glorious plan, not a disadvantage. Either we allow our personalities to divide us, or we bring them to God as a sacrifice, working together to use whatever he has given, wherever he calls, the quiet and the loud, to build up the body of Christ and glorify him together.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. And if the ear should say,’ Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 16-18