Mary Poppins Magic

Tonight at our deacons' meeting it was said: "Victory comes from the Lord, perseverance comes from you."

But perseverance isn't easy. In fact, sometimes it just downright sucks.

Whenever I watch Mary Poppins and the scene of her tidying the children's room with just a click of her fingers, I always wish I could do that. Imagine things just happened at the snap of our fingers! Wouldn't it be nice if we could buy a 'get fit fast' package or take a pill to magically gain a six pack. If we could click a button and instantly know a new skill or language or be filled with endless knowledge; a magic word that would break our bad habits If we could snap our fingers at the hard times, and they'd disappear back into the wardrobe. 

Trying to get fit. Losing weight. Learning a new skill. Mastering an art. Breaking an addiction. Saving money. Gaining knowledge. Renovating your house. Learning a language. Loving people. All these things require time and effort and, yip, perseverance.

Sometimes I so want God to just make my struggles disappear. I want him to pull out a magic Mary Poppins wand and cause my problems and things that require effort to vanish into thin air. And Luke 1:37 says nothing is impossible for him, so he totally can!

But that doesn’t mean he will. His plan is so much greater than that. His ways are so much higher than mine.

2 Peter 3:9 says that our God is incredibly patient. Whether we like it or not, that means he probably won’t use quick fixes for our problems. Quick fixes don’t lead to permanent solutions; they just lead to more future problems. If he simply resolved my issues, I wouldn’t learn anything from them, grow closer to him, or develop endurance and the ability to persevere.

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

We won't properly know hope if we don't persevere through difficult experiences. Hebrews 10:36 says that perseverance comes with a promise, God's promise.

But maybe you haven’t noticed many promises or miracles in your life. Maybe you’ve been praying for decades about a certain issue and still haven’t seen God work. Maybe you feel like God is being silent and distant.

There is still hope for you.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

We know the first verse so well, but we don’t always hear the second on. It's just as important because it shows us how God shapes his people to become like his perfect Son Jesus when they trust in him. God wants to mould us into his image and he so often uses difficult circumstances and the dark times to accomplish that.

But moulding and shaping takes time.

An artist can’t make beautiful artwork appear out of thin air. It takes time to create art and transform it into a masterpiece. We will only become masterpieces over time. But if we remain in his hands, in his time, masterpieces we shall be. Because although we are tempted daily to give up, our God will always persevere in his love for and transformation of us.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6

For me, knowing that Jesus not only persevered on the cross for me, but every day loves me and leads me in perseverance -- that encourages me to keep going, keep fighting, keep putting one foot in front of the other in this marathon race of life. I stop clicking my fingers at things to make them happen. Instead I faithfully and consistently do the things that I've been called to; little by little and step by step.

I persevere and I trust in my perfectly persevering God for the victory.

Sunday Morning

It’s usually easy to live as a set-apart Christian on a Sunday morning.

But between the church doors and the safety of home, something happens. We’re back in the stark reality of our culture. Singing of and talking about Jesus in a sanctuary of believers is one thing. Speaking out his name down the dark tunnels of the world is another.

Yet we’re called to do both. Dare I even say that if we were to rank them, that living for Jesus in the world is more important than at church on a Sunday?

Christianity can't be shed at the sanctuary doors. It isn’t an act limited to the stage of church. It’s a lifestyle that needs to permeate everything we do and everyone we touch. Church on Sunday isn't the game day of the Christian life, it's just the locker room that preps us for the world. That is, if Christ is truly our hope.

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” 2 Cor. 2:15

Like a fragrant aroma, our faith in Christ should seep into every crack of our lives, infiltrating the in’s and out’s of who we are. When that is the case, it will waft into the lives of others, every day, without any active trying or planning on our part.

Limiting our faith to church is living lukewarmly. But a believer whose wick of life has truly been lit up by Jesus will burn for his glory every day.

What inspires you? Often, you can tell what inspires you because it’s what fulfills you. It’s what completes your joy and makes you smile. And most significantly, it’s what spurs you into action. If Jesus has ignited our wick and infiltrated our lives, he will be our greatest source of inspiration. He will fulfill us, complete us, and bring us deep joy.

Jesus must be more than an accessory to our lives. If he isn’t the foundation on which we stand, he won’t transform us. He must penetrate the way we live. He must be the root of the things we love. He must infiltrate every aspect of our lives. The he will inspire us to act, even outside of church.

So whether we’re in the company of believers, or out there in the big wide world, let our lives be wholly proclaiming Christ.

“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Cor. 5:14-15

The Struggle Is Real

Life is hard.

The struggle is real

Although “hard” is relative and looks different for everyone, this is an inescapable truth to which we can all relate. Pain. Worry. Depression. Disappointment. Heartbreak. Anxiety.

These are just a few of the things that can knock us down, hold our attention, instill fear, and test our faith. There are real reasons to hurt. We should never minimize that.

But friend, there are equally real reasons to hope.

Maybe today is a dark day for you. The very name of this blog, 'Finding The Lord', came from a phrase 'finding the Lord in the dark days' that some friends and I used to encourage each other with in some rough times. I've been there.

Maybe you struggled to get out of bed because the weight of the things to come were too heavy, too overwhelming to face.

Maybe you fought through your day with a smile on your face, but your soul feels empty and you feel you have no hope or purpose left.

Maybe you feel like the entire world is against you, and that you’ve fallen too far to be loved.

Can I encourage you?

The struggle is so real. The darkness can be so powerful.

But the truth is more powerful still.

Here are three truths to give you hope in the dark days.

1. TODAY HAS AN END

Jesus tells us (in Matt 6:34) to not worry about tomorrow. He also says each day has enough trouble of its own - i.e. Jesus knows, he acknowledges that each day can be a struggle (more on that later).

This makes me stop and think about how much of my stress and anxiety and struggle is coming from worrying about tomorrow.

If I allow myself to think about all the tomorrows that would be painful as well, the weight becomes impossible to bear. Putting the day in perspective, taking just a small bite of the 24 hour time period, it seems less daunting to carry on.

Today has an end. Tomorrow is a new day. And His beautiful mercies are new every morning.


2. YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Nothing tricks us into believing we are alone faster than pain and heartache.

Everyone experiences pain in a unique way, so it is true that no human will ever fully understand what you may be going through.

However, we have a loving Savior who knows us so intimately and and understands us so perfectly. Jesus understands our pain and our fears and our disappointments. He knows your struggles and your worries. And He has sent us the Comforter (John 14), the One who will walk alongside us through the darkest days and the deepest valleys.

We have the Holy Spirit. We are not alone.

In addition, He's given us the people in our lives. Don't isolate yourself in your pain. Separated from the herd is exactly where the prowling lion Satan wants you to be. God calls us in (Romans 12) to weep with those who weep, and as a body, if one part suffers, we suffer together (1 Cor 12). Push into the people God has given you. There is strength found in unity.


3. GOD NEVER CHANGES

"When the earth trembles, and its people shake; you alone keep its foundations firm." - Psalm 75:3

When everything around you is shifting hold onto the truth that never changes -- Life is undeniably full of terrifying uncertainties but the Anchor to which we cling has never once failed.

What an incredible blessing it is to have a Father God who is so sure. His love for us never ceases. His mercy is endless. He is characterized by consistently faithful faithfulness.

His grace is enough. His power is enough. He knows you perfectly. He sees your struggle. He hears your cry. He is moved with deep compassion and love for you.

Nothing you can do will change Him. Nothing you will face can overshadow him. Nothing you will fear can outpower Him. He's got you!

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'" - Lamentations 3:22-24

Yes, life is hard. Still, we hope.

The struggle is very real, but so is our God.

Diamond Heart

I heard the song Diamond Heart by Alan Walker today. Here are some of the lyrics:

I wish that I did not know
Where all broken lovers go
I wish that my heart was made of stone
Yeah if I was bulletproof
I’d love you black and blue
If I was solid like a jewel

If I had a diamond heart
I’d give you all my love
If I was unbreakable
If I had a diamond heart
You could shoot me with a gun of gold
If I was unbreakable

Oh how easy it would be to love if we had a guarantee that our hearts would never be broken. How easy it would be to hope if we knew we would never be disappointed. How easy it would be to give of ourselves if there was a promise that we would never be rejected.

How easy, but how incredibly boring and dull, empty and unsatisfying.

We were not made to have hardened, bulletproof, impenetrable, unfeeling, diamond hearts. We were made to love. And like CS Lewis said:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

Not only were we made to love, we were called to love. Jesus said to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and to Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)

And Jesus said this, knowing that it wouldn't always be easy. In fact, he said that sometimes love means laying your whole life down for a friend: “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

But the good news is that we don't have to do this alone. In 1 John 4 it says “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son... We love because He first loved us.” We have the perfect example of love in Jesus. He gave Himself despite our rejection. He hopes for us, though we constantly disappoint Him. He had his heart and body broken for us that we may live. He loves us, even in our brokenness and shame.

And because He loves, I will choose to love. Through the heartache, the uncertainty, the rejection and the pain. I will choose to turn the other cheek, to be patient, kind and forgiving and accepting. Because Jesus loves me, I will soften and open my heart that He so loved to wholeness, and I will love.