The One who Wants to See

When I was growing up, I was very imaginative. I was always playing weird games outside, pretending that I was a deer in a forest or that my playhouse was really a castle in an enchanted kingdom. I was always looking up at the sky and marveling at the clouds. A rainstorm meant the chance to dance down the street barefoot and take in the fresh, clean, air. I almost remember feeling as though I was a part of all that was around me. I remember talking to God then, too. A lot.

I was also very creative. I've loved music and art as long as I can remember. I remember sharing my creativity most with my stuffed animals, pets and imaginary outdoor friends. It's a shame, because none of them ever asked to see what I was doing. They just sat, motionless, and let me show them. I guess that was enough when I was a child. I was aware that I had something special to share. A picture, a painting, a poem... but, sadly, I didn't get much feedback.

As I grew into an adult, there were no longer toys and pets to look at the things I created. I ended up hiding them away and, in some cases, dismissing them altogether.


I've learned recently, through a lot of soul searching and discontent, that there is One who wants to see all of those things. He put them there, you see. He has tugged, ever so gently on the creative parts of my heart for a very long time, as if to remind me that we used to dance in the rain together when I was young and that the beautiful ideas I had as a child were truly from Him.
It's as though He's waiting for me with a huge smile that says, "What's that you have? Can I see?"

Fear has kept me from pursuing creative endeavors. It's not fear of failure so much as fear of success! It's so much easier, and less painful, to keep it inside.
God is teaching me to stop putting so much stock in what people think and reminding me that He won't reject me and He wants to see what I can do for His glory through the creativity that came from Him in the first place.

I'm not entirely sure why I decided to blog on this, but I hope it will resonate with another creative spirit that needs encouragement to reach into the dark places where they've hidden all that is beautiful about them.

Take it out and share it with the One who wants to see.

What's in your hand?

Sometimes people do extraordinarily horrible things. History is filled with atrocities committed against people from the dawn of time to our present age. Crime after crime. Injustice after injustice. Evil after evil. The world has been filled with it and remains so to this day. Of all the things that people have endured at the hand of evil minds, however, nothing remotely compares to the horrific injustice we presently face in human sex trafficking. I learned that, in my own city, the average age of a girl forced into prostitution is 13.
I look at that statistic and weep.
My oldest daughter is 13.

Then again, sometimes God does extraordinarily miraculous things through ordinary people. I had the life-altering privilege, last night, of listening to a speaker that can only be referred to as a modern-day abolitionist. His name is Pat McCall.
Pat has been called by God to eradicate child sex slavery through the unique and long-overdue approach of unifying forces in the city, regardless of belief, for the common purpose of doing justice. He started a ministry in the Phoenix area called, "Streetlight."
It exists to educate the public about child sex slavery, rescue those who have fallen victim and give them a safe place to heal, while pursuing stricter punishment for those who commit these unfathomable crimes.

Of all the things he said during his presentation, one in particular stuck out to me. He said that there is a common mindset among people that basically says, "If we can't do everything, then we shouldn't do anything." This paralysis has led to very little being done about problems like human sex trafficking. We look at such a huge, dark, horrible problem and think that it's impossible to fix. Or, in most cases, we don't look at it at all.

Then he talked about Moses.
He mentioned the passage in Exodus, chapter 4, where Moses was called by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Moses argued with God, saying, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” and God asked Moses, "What is in your hand?"
Moses was holding a staff. That's all he had. The Lord told him to throw it on the ground. When he did, the staff turned into a serpent. Then, the Lord told him to pick it up by the tail, and Moses did. It turned back into a staff. The Lord reminded Moses that what He was asking him to do was not by his own power, but God's.

What Pat McCall envisioned in Streetlight is not by his own power. What God is doing is rescuing His little children from the horrors of sex slavery by using a man who believes in the power of a miraculous God and knows that there is strength in unity.

I now support Streetlight.
I can't do everything, but I can do something, and I can't think of many things more important to do with my resources than help to rescue our precious children from the nightmare of sex trafficking. Can you?

Please take a moment to visit the website and ask yourself, "What is in my hand? And what could God do with it?" http://www.streetlightphx.com/

Waiting with Hope

I read a devotional, yesterday, by Max Lucado. I admire his writing because it always sparks a desire in me to draw closer to the Lord and to evaluate where I am, spiritually speaking.
This particular one was about hope.
Hope is something I thought I understood. Unfortunately, if I'm honest about how I've applied hope in my life, I would have to say it's been about being prepared for the worst but hanging in there just in case the best happens...

Ironically, when asked what my favorite verse in the Bible is, I can answer confidently, "Isaiah 40:31." I don't even have to think about it. It's just always been my favorite.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint."

Only recently did I start looking at this verse closely and wondering what it is that makes it so special to me.
It could be that it's such an empowering verse, filled with the image of being lifted by the Lord out of darkness and weakness. Or, possibly that it evokes the idea of leaving behind the weight of my burdens, to fly into the freedom that God provides.
Both are interesting ways to look at it, but in either case I think I missed the most important concept. The verse says, "They that wait upon the Lord..."

I have to tell you, I am terrible at waiting. I am constantly fussing about how I can't wait for something... to finish a project, complete my degree, decorate my house, master the guitar, go on a mission trip, finish my book, get my finances in order, feel successful as a wife and mother, have my own business, buy my own house, and so on and so on...
Rarely, if ever, do I evaluate my present situation with quiet confidence that I am waiting on the Lord. It's kind of sad when I think about it, because THAT is where hope is. It's in the waiting.

Max Lucado commented in his devotional (from Upwords 03/04/11) that when Noah's dove returned to the ark with an olive branch, Noah was filled with excitement. The olive branch didn't get Noah off the boat. It didn't even let him know where dry land was! It merely reminded him to hope, and that was enough.

I wonder what sort of olive branches God has been sending me that I may have overlooked out of frustration from having to wait?

I'm going to make every effort to learn to wait. Not with frustration and discontent, but with assurance that the Lord is aware that I'm waiting on Him and will faithfully provide me with pure and simple hope.

Prayer Works, People!!

This man, Said Musa, was listed on my "Prayer for the Day" just two days before the following article came out. (Praise be to God!)


As reported by the New York Times and other sources, Said Musa, an Afghan man who had been in prison for the past eight months and faced death by hanging for converting from Islam to Christianity, has been released.

Under enormous international pressure, government officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, said they freed Said Musa. His release followed intense negotiations between the Afghan government and United States Department of State and members of Congress and other foreign embassies.

CFI and other human rights organizations launched petition campaigns on behalf of Said Musa. “I want to thank everyone who prayed for this man’s release and who made phone calls, and sent in petitions,” said CFI president Jim Jacobson. “This case demonstrates that we can make a difference when we speak out.”

The Good, The Bad, and the Unethical

I complain a lot about my job. And then I feel bad that I complain, because I HAVE a job! I thank God for letting me have a stable job and have tried to keep a good attitude.
Then I have days, like today, where I'm reminded why I complain. Then I pray for God to deliver me from this job.

It's one thing to be underpaid for what you do (which I am and have been for almost 5 years).
It's another thing to work in an unpleasant environment (which I do. It's a sewer plant and it stinks).
Both of these things I have accepted and have chosen to learn from rather than loathe. I look at it from as humble a perspective as I can, being a spoiled American, and say that I'm able to handle things that others might not and have learned to live with less than others with my same skills and experience might have. According to my faith, these are not bad lessons to learn, no matter how frustrating.

Then there is the issue of ethics. I have to agree with Woodrow Wilson's sentiment when he said he would rather "break than bend." I just CANNOT abide unethical behavior. I can't. The blatant misuse of authority, disregard for policy, and mistreatment of people in my company is more than I can bear. Literally.
I've struggled with this issue over and over in my job and it only continues to get worse. I look, almost daily, for other employment opportunities. I utilize my company's "whistle blowing policy" when issues arise. Unfortunately, it seems that my HR department is just as corrupt as my manager is, or possibly just negligent. I can't say for sure.

What I can say is that I'm done. I've been done for a long time now and I feel like a piece of me dies every time I witness another one of my manager's immoral or unethical behaviors.
But I can't be done.
I have a husband and three beautiful girls who need me to stay in this job. It makes me feel like I'm being torn in half mentally and I'm really tired of it.

The only hope I have is that God will answer my fervent prayer and provide a way for me to have both an upright job with an upright employer and manage to cover the bases for my family.

I hope to be able to blog about my amazing new job in the near future! Until then, I'll keep praying and keep applying...

Immune Boosters

My family has been sick lately. Really sick. Since Christmas, we've had a total of 10 separate illnesses between the five of us! It's ridiculous. I think if I had all the co-pays, lost work hours, and prescription fees that I've spent recently, I would be able to pay for a nice weekend get-a-way with my husband (which, according to some medical studies might actually improve my chances to fight illness.)
Since I avoid harsh chemicals and use only natural cleaning products, I thought it might be wise to "sterilize" my house. I broke down and bought Lysol and, trying not to breathe, cleaned every square inch that could be cleaned with it. I changed out my a/c filters, washed all bedding and made sure everyone was using anti-bacterial soap. To no avail, folks. At least no significant change in our health has been evident. I say this between sporadic coughs and with, yet another, low-grade fever.
I got to thinking that I should research how to "boost" our immune systems. After reading extensively, on Harvard University's medical website, I came to the realization that it's all a big mystery. There is no significant proof that diet, exercise, or stress-reduction have anything to do with the direct increase or decrease of immune response! There are promising studies, but ultimately nothing to hang your hat on. How crazy! I can walk into any store and find a myriad of immune-boosting remedies, vitamins, drinks, etc... and yet none of them have been PROVEN to work.
It got me to thinking about my "spiritual immune system." We, who are so quick to trust the latest health remedy, regardless of proven effectiveness, often overlook the proven "life-remedies" we have been given in the Word of God.
The Bible is full of information on the subject. From Proverbs, which is full of practical tips for living a good life, to Revelation which gives us insight into that which is to come. He didn't leave a thing out and there is no further proof required!
If sin is a terrible virus, God not only gave us excellent avoidance strategies, but He provided a CURE!
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
It doesn't get any simpler than that. When I feel myself start to weaken spiritually, I know that the one and only remedy is to get into the Word and to pray.
It's amazing to me. There is no co-pay, no adverse side-effect, no risk of recurrence.... Nope.
It was finished.

If we had the cure for the common cold, influenza, or cancer, wouldn't we share it? We would surely receive awards and worldwide recognition, but even then, there is no promise of eternal life here on earth!

Such a precious gift we have in our Lord and Savior. It makes me want to "immunize" the world! Unfortunately, many willingly choose not to open the Word. They deny the cure altogether.
That is the only catch. Each person must accept Christ for His cure to work. It would be far better to live a life on this earth with cancer or another horrible ailment, then to deny the eternal life promised to each of us if we choose to accept it. Yet so many do just that.

It's no wonder that the last thing Jesus asked people to do before he ascended to Heaven was to go into the world and spread the "cure." (my paraphrase of Mark 16:15)

I think, rather than praying for a better earthly immune-system, I'm going to start praying for more opportunities to spread the good news that there is an eternal cure for all who accept it.

Rescue

At dawn arriving, bathed in light
amidst dew and budding blooms
unaware of pain or fright
dancing onward into days

Swept up in breezes from darker places
subtly warned, though unconcerned with night
blind to exploit behind fond faces
pulled slowly into a haze

Surrounded by fog, no sense of the hour
helpless to fly with wings weighed down
all thoughts muddled, hopelessly cowers
enveloped in madness

Against the weight of past imparting
choice to fight, to spread out wings
a chance to fly as fog is lifting
The Son reaches in.