No marks...

People say “Life has a way of leaving its mark on us sometimes”. Well what is that supposed to mean? Webster says a "mark" is “an indication of damage”. It is the evidence of pain. It is proof that something has hurt you, and that hurt left a visible change. So, what do we do with these marks? We hide them. We cover them up with our own strength, self-sufficiency, relationships, pride, power, independence, busy-ness, the list goes on and on. It gives us a temporary & false sense of empowerment to think we’ve dealt with and conquered our past and we were strong enough to do it on our own. (If any of you know me you can probably guess that I struggle with the independence excuse! “I can do it!” Don’t fall into that prideful trap. I’ve learned the hard way…repeatedly!) 

We try to handle these marks ourselves with our own efforts. The problem with that mindset is this…it is taking a massive pain or hurt, and trying to fix it with mere human strength. It only leaves things in your soul unresolved and issues buried. The mark is till there. It is just covered up. With every hurt comes layers of healing. Healing is not an overnight event or a one step process. Often times we have to deal with pain, take a step forward, be ok for a while, and then revisit the pain again so that we can heal on a deeper level. This re-visiting and pain often rears its head when we least expect it. We think we're done healing and then it catches us off guard. It is at this point that we have a vitally important choice to make…who’s strength will we use? Will it be our meager human efforts, or will it be Christ’s permanent and healing strength? 

We have to allow Christ to point out specific things we need to do to continue to heal. Being specific is imperative. What does He say needs to happen? Ask him specifically. Is there a behavior that needs to be stopped? Is there a behavior that needs to be started? Forgive someone. Be specific, who do you need to forgive and exactly what for? Pray it out loud so you can hear yourself say it. Release it. You may have to do it more than once until your heart means it. These levels of healing get deeper and deeper each time we revisit them, gradually getting to the root of the pain until finally one day, you realize that the layers are gone and the healing is done. It may be easier and quicker to put a band-aid on it our selves, but that WILL NOT HEAL YOU. Healing will ONLY happen when we allow Christ to come in during the middle of our pain, point out specific healings that need to take place and turn them over to him and let him work. It will go against human nature (especially the forgiveness part), but you must follow his lead.

Healing comes with surrender, not control. Isaiah 9:6b says “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We see a certain order of titles in this scripture, and I cannot help but think that this order is intentional. What we all need first when we are healing (weather we are too prideful to admit it or not) is a counselor, someone to listen to and guide us when we cannot guide ourselves through the healing. This is Jesus, and he beseeches us to let him be this for us. He knows that we cannot heal with out him. He knows our efforts are too small. He alone can see to navigate us through the deep, murky waters of pain and ourselves so that we can find the shore of healing and forgiveness. When we finally put down pride and control and let him be our Wonderful Counselor, he will then show us how he will also be the rest of those titles to us…Mighty God (he fights for your restoration) Everlasting Father (your dad will NOT give up on you, no matter how big your scar is) and finally….our beautiful Prince of Peace. His overwhelming, all-encompassing peace comes only when we allow him to be the first three titles for us. 

Let him take you there, down this road. It is long, it may tire you at times, but it deals with your marks in a way that does not cover them, but removes them completely, layer by layer. What will you find when you ask Christ to be your counselor? You will find a mighty, everlasting journey to Peace with no marks, scars or blemishes. You are made new in his healing and he will clothe you in righteousness with each step you take with him. Start now. Talk to him. Let the healing begin.

Step Out

Trust.  What does it really look like? God has been dealing with me in regards to this issue and in regard to service this week. 

True and absolute trust casts out all worries and fear. It inspires confidence because you know what ever you have put your trust in is not going to let you down. It requires surrender because you have to be willing to give control over to the one you're trusting. With this in mind, do we truly trust God and his plan or do we have symptoms of mistrust in our lives? Worry, doubt, fear, insecurity... It is so commonly stated "I'm trusting God to (you fill in the blank)" and yet we worry, panic, doubt, etc. in regard to the area we say we're trusting him with. If these symptoms exist, just making that statement is hypocritical (unless you're saying it to convince yourself of it rather than to declare it). Trust and doubt cannot dwell together because they contradict each-other. God asks us to trust him, but it is not until we truly do that he can do amazing things through us. 

Let's revert to that familiar "potter and the clay" analogy for a sec. The potter has a specific intricate plan to make the clay something amazing. However, if the clay refuses to be totally moldable, the potter will not be able to make it into what he has planned for it. The lump of clay has all the potential in the world to be beautiful, but potential means nothing with out willingness and action. The clay has to be completely surrendered to the potter, limp in his hands in order to be made beautiful. The clay has to trust the potter or it will always remain a purposeless plain lump of clay. 

He has a divinely amazing plan that involves us and waits to be unveiled until we trust in him. He says "I have something amazing to share with you, but you are unable to see it until you trust me because your doubt and control issues make you blind. Throw those down at my feet, trust me and let me open your eyes and show you something incredible. I'm waiting. 

This brings me to my second issue I've been searching out...service. Trust and service go hand in hand when you're serving to the degree that God calls us to. God doesn't call us to comfortable service, he calls us to sacrificial service. Sometimes what he asks us to do doesn't make sense to us, or doesn't seem humanly possible. That is why service requires trust. When we are 100% sure that God has called us to do something, we have to just step out and do it. He promises to take care of us and we can trust that. 

As humans, we all struggle with control issues (Well, I sure do!) We have good intentions and want to serve God, but when he calls us to something we try to wait and get a back up plan together to prepare for the act of service. Here is the thing about God and serving him...THE MOMENT HE CALLS US IS THE MOMENT HE WANTS US TO RESPOND. He has perfect timing and he reveals his will to us when he deems it time. When he tells us, He is ready for it to be done, other wise he would have waited. He only reveals to us what we need to know at that time. He may have a big plan in store for you but he may choose to reveal it to you in bits and pieces because He doesn't want you to try to get ahead of him. This is when trust and service collide and create something beautiful. We trust that He is sovereign and has an incredible plan that we are a part of, and we serve him whole heartedly as he reveals his will to us and takes care of us. Then we begin to see the big picture...the amazing, beautiful, intricate "why didn't I get the hang of this before" picture that will blow you away. Just step out. Trust and serve..and be amazed.

Eager Patience

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with in us, to him be the glory...!" -Eph 3:20

This verse quickly became my life verse in 2010. For me, 2009 ended with some of the biggest challenges and changes that I've ever endured. It seemed like so many parts of my life had turned upside down right before the year ended. I suddenly found myself not knowing where to even place my foot next.  That is when God came and completely swept me off my feet and reminded me that I didn't have to know where to step. He would place my foot where he wanted it to be on his time.  I learned to trust that and be patient.

Leaving something that is familiar is always hard, and if anybody tells you its not, they're lying. The wonderful thing about having a relationship with Christ is that when He leads you to leave something familiar, you can guarantee he is only going to take you to something better (no matter how good the current situation seems). Often times this is a test of obedience. He asks "Will you follow me? Will you leave what you know and enter into something that you don't understand just because I ask you to?" When we truly trust him and understand how much he loves us, we can not help but obey.

That is the moment this verse will come to life. When we say "Yes Jesus, I'll do what makes me uncomfortable for you, I'll do something that feels like it hurts for you" that is when he will completely blow you away and knock your socks off with what he's been trying to do all along. When we learn to have his view of things, our entire perspective on life will change. This world is not our home, so why do we live and strive so hard for things in this life? It's because we forget that truth. We have all heard it and know it in our heads, but we don't exemplify it in our daily lives. It is not our core. When we make it our core, we cannot help but be changed and our hearts desire will not be to satisfy ourselves, but to be used by Christ in any and every way possible. When we realize that our purpose in life is to glorify him regardless of our situation, we will be transformed.

He has proven this to me so clearly this year. He moved me from a situation of comfort to one of uncertainty, but in that uncertainty there is the most immense peace I have ever experienced. I can't see the big picture of what he is trying to do yet. He isn't ready to reveal it to me, but I have never felt so clearly that I am exactly where he wants me to be and that something HUGE is just around the corner. He is about to "do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" and I am waiting.  Its hard to wait when you're so excited about what he is doing, but we can't rush his plan. So I wait with an eager patience. I wait knowing that his plan is perfect and mine was not. I wait with confidence in knowing I am right where he has placed me. I wait because he has ransomed my heart and shown me that his plan is truly the only one that will heal and satisfy it.