Philippians 4:13-- I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
I have had this verse sent to me by my sister for any sort of event in my life for 35 years. It has come to me tied to balloons, written inside hundreds of cards, and even engraved on a locket for my wedding. It is her gift verse for me, reminding me what she thinks of me. It has given me joy before flipping across the floor for cheerleading tryouts. It has brought peace to me as the doors to the operating room opened. It has made me laugh when my hair was a mess and my child was throwing up over my shoulder. Through it all, she keeps giving it to me.
At one point in my life the verse was almost a joke because she kept giving it to me. It seemed random for so many things that she offered it. I remember thinking, “Well, of course I can take a test through Christ, but why is she giving it to me for my birthday?” It took a very low point in my life to realize that my sister had it right all along. On Mother’s Day 2001, just roughly 5 or 6 weeks after Asher had died, I received an email from my sister. It was just a short note saying that she loved me and that she was thinking of me. But, at the bottom of the note was the verse reference Philippians 4:13. I think she just had it as part of her email signature. But, on that morning as I was sitting at my computer checking my emails, a lightning bolt of wisdom struck my heart. I shouldn’t want to do it without Him. I shouldn’t even try if I haven’t got Him by my side. What’s the point without Him?
I truly believe that this verse is so completely underrated. I think people quote this verse without fully understanding the complexity that is available in it. Yes, we can run a marathon because Christ strengthens us. Yes, we can walk through grief because Christ strengthens us. But, have you stopped to say, “I can teach my children to cling to righteousness because Christ strengthens me?” Or, “I can guide my children in purity because Christ strengthens me?” What about, “I can be a wife beyond measure for my husband because Christ strengthens me?” Better yet, “I can fully satisfy my husband in all areas because Christ strengthens me?” Don’t forget, “I can raise my children, enjoy my life, and get the dishes done because Christ strengthens me.”
Whatever it is, no matter the magnitude or minuteness, the strength and ability of Christ is available. We must seek it out as a parched wanderer in the desert seeks water. It has to be a quest for us. If we will purpose to seek out the availability of God’s ability through Christ for us, we will rise to levels never before imagined in our hearts.
This verse is talking about the same Christ who walked on water! The same Christ who healed the leper! The same Christ who fed the 5,000! What can that Christ do for you today? What do you need to get done? What paths do you need to trod? What lessons do you need to impart to your children? Then, let the strength provided by Christ flow to you. Ask for it and receive it. Yearn for it and expect it. And then use it to grow in your productivity and fruitfulness within your household.
Confession: I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. I mean ALL things. Everything that I need to do today and the great things of tomorrow are within His ability.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Do You Know My Jesus?
I was thinking just now about when Matt and I sat in the OB/GYN's office the day that we had Asher's 1st sonogram. This being our first full-term pregnancy, we were not educated enough to know how a baby should look on the sonogram monitor. We knew that the person administering the test had a tone of concern in her manner. The only thing she said to us was, "Would you like to know the gender?" That was it. No, "here's his eyes, his tummy, his baby parts." Nothing. She just finished the test in silence and printed out at least 30 photos from her screen. She then turned to us and said, "I need to ask you to leave this very moment and go to your Doctor. He will explain everything there."
That walk from one room to down the hall was similar, I believe, to that last walk of a person heading toward execution. I knew that something ominous loomed at the end of that hall. I knew my world was going to change at the end of that hall. I just didn't know how severely. Part of me just wanted to run full speed to the nearest exit. But, instead, my calm and collected husband took me by the hand and led me down an ever-narrowing corridor to our fate. After being told the news that Asher suffered from "Choroid-plexus" cysts on his brain and that there was certain evidence that he had Trisomy 18, we were escorted from the hospital to our car.
We then drove 1.7 miles to a genetics lab for further testing. Again, that was at the time the longest journey of my life.Upon arriving and being brought to a cold, dark, sterile room, I was given a Level II sonogram to investigate the 1st doctor's suspicions. There, on that glowing monitor, was the image of my son. The son I had prayed for. The son I had been dreaming of. The son whose baseball games I had already attended in my mind. The doctor proceeded to point out every single organ and system of my son's body. Not one thing was fully functional. Not one system was developing in its proper pattern.
After the sonogram, the doctor got up from his chair and picked up a piece of paper lying on a small table near the door. On that paper, my name was clearly printed at the top as was the date. That doctor handed me the paper and asked if I wanted to "take care of things." I stared at the monitor for a moment and then back at the doctor and said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Well, we could go ahead and schedule the abortion today if you would like." I sat up on the table and let out a loud moan. My husband said, "Why would you say such a thing, doctor?" His reply was, "Because there is minute possibility that this baby will even be born, much less live more than 2 or 3 days." To that, my amazing husband said, "Well, I guess you don't know my Jesus, then, do you?"
I am reminded of that question right now. I have spent that last 10 years of my life in a full-throttle quest to know that Jesus. My Jesus came to earth supernaturally through the womb of a virgin. My Jesus grasped closely to the fellowship of His Father. My Jesus gave His every moment, every second, every breath for the sake of the Will of God. My Jesus was a funnel of the miraculous power of God, demonstrating it without reservation and without prejudice. My Jesus was bold in the face of sin and pride. My Jesus interceded on behalf of those who had no voice. My Jesus knelt in prayer during many, many hours just to have fellowship with His Father. My Jesus suffered more torture, ridicule, opposition, and harshness than any man before Him or since. My Jesus looked death in the face and gladly gave His life in order to repair a chasm He did not create. My Jesus took upon Him my sin, my shame, my sorrow, my diseases, my shortcomings, and my pain. My Jesus went to Hell for me so that I won't have to. My Jesus conquered death for me. My Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father on High and is my High Priest. My Jesus lives and reigns forevermore!
My Jesus is who equipped me to walk the journey of Asher's life and to boldly expect medical impossibilities to come to pass for me. My Jesus is why our precious son lived 10 glorious months. My Jesus is the reason why, at the emergency room on the day of his death, the pediatrician who had been Asher's doctor sat in the room with us just so he could witness how we handled that situation. My Jesus is the reason that pediatrician rededicated his life and his medical practice to the glory of God.It was because I pursued with diligence the Jesus my husband so boldly referred to in that dark doctor's office that I now have 3 perfectly healthy children. We were told to never try for any more children and, if we did get pregnant, to never again expect a child to be fully functional or developed. I am so glad that I know that Jesus and that I allowed Him to be the final Word in my life. The laughter ringing throughout my home today is the evidence of my Jesus in my life.
That walk from one room to down the hall was similar, I believe, to that last walk of a person heading toward execution. I knew that something ominous loomed at the end of that hall. I knew my world was going to change at the end of that hall. I just didn't know how severely. Part of me just wanted to run full speed to the nearest exit. But, instead, my calm and collected husband took me by the hand and led me down an ever-narrowing corridor to our fate. After being told the news that Asher suffered from "Choroid-plexus" cysts on his brain and that there was certain evidence that he had Trisomy 18, we were escorted from the hospital to our car.
We then drove 1.7 miles to a genetics lab for further testing. Again, that was at the time the longest journey of my life.Upon arriving and being brought to a cold, dark, sterile room, I was given a Level II sonogram to investigate the 1st doctor's suspicions. There, on that glowing monitor, was the image of my son. The son I had prayed for. The son I had been dreaming of. The son whose baseball games I had already attended in my mind. The doctor proceeded to point out every single organ and system of my son's body. Not one thing was fully functional. Not one system was developing in its proper pattern.
After the sonogram, the doctor got up from his chair and picked up a piece of paper lying on a small table near the door. On that paper, my name was clearly printed at the top as was the date. That doctor handed me the paper and asked if I wanted to "take care of things." I stared at the monitor for a moment and then back at the doctor and said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Well, we could go ahead and schedule the abortion today if you would like." I sat up on the table and let out a loud moan. My husband said, "Why would you say such a thing, doctor?" His reply was, "Because there is minute possibility that this baby will even be born, much less live more than 2 or 3 days." To that, my amazing husband said, "Well, I guess you don't know my Jesus, then, do you?"
I am reminded of that question right now. I have spent that last 10 years of my life in a full-throttle quest to know that Jesus. My Jesus came to earth supernaturally through the womb of a virgin. My Jesus grasped closely to the fellowship of His Father. My Jesus gave His every moment, every second, every breath for the sake of the Will of God. My Jesus was a funnel of the miraculous power of God, demonstrating it without reservation and without prejudice. My Jesus was bold in the face of sin and pride. My Jesus interceded on behalf of those who had no voice. My Jesus knelt in prayer during many, many hours just to have fellowship with His Father. My Jesus suffered more torture, ridicule, opposition, and harshness than any man before Him or since. My Jesus looked death in the face and gladly gave His life in order to repair a chasm He did not create. My Jesus took upon Him my sin, my shame, my sorrow, my diseases, my shortcomings, and my pain. My Jesus went to Hell for me so that I won't have to. My Jesus conquered death for me. My Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father on High and is my High Priest. My Jesus lives and reigns forevermore!
My Jesus is who equipped me to walk the journey of Asher's life and to boldly expect medical impossibilities to come to pass for me. My Jesus is why our precious son lived 10 glorious months. My Jesus is the reason why, at the emergency room on the day of his death, the pediatrician who had been Asher's doctor sat in the room with us just so he could witness how we handled that situation. My Jesus is the reason that pediatrician rededicated his life and his medical practice to the glory of God.It was because I pursued with diligence the Jesus my husband so boldly referred to in that dark doctor's office that I now have 3 perfectly healthy children. We were told to never try for any more children and, if we did get pregnant, to never again expect a child to be fully functional or developed. I am so glad that I know that Jesus and that I allowed Him to be the final Word in my life. The laughter ringing throughout my home today is the evidence of my Jesus in my life.
Do You Live on the Ark or in the Dark?
I have been studying the story of Noah recently and it has inspired me to evaluate my own walk of obedience before God. During this time in history, there were other people on the earth. Why did God choose Noah? The Bible said that Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Gen. 6:8) Verse 9 tells us how he found God's grace, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
According to this passage, Noah was it. He was pretty much the only person that God saw obedience in. Everyone else lived for themselves. People are the most complex beings on the earth because we have personalities. Even genetically-similar humans are diverse in their personality and processing of environmental stimuli. That is why it has always intrigued me that God chose Noah in this point of history. Is it possible that no other family within God's creation possessed the ability to obey save Noah's?
I believe the Bible and I believe that God chose Noah because he was singularly obedient in a world of conformity. God perceived within Noah the ability to process His revelation knowledge of an event that had never-before occurred in the history of time. There had never been any floods before now. I don't even think people really explored the water before now. It is theorized that water was a separate entity at this point in history and the concept of swimming was foreign to all peoples. Therefore, for Noah to perceive the gravity of this situation is phenomenal. For him to obey just because God asked him to shows the type of character he possessed.
Now, what about the length of time it took to build this thing? The Bible does not say exactly how long it took. However, we do know that when Noah is first mentioned in the Bible his age is 500 and when he entered the ark he is 600. So, at some point 100 years transpired. Does that mean that he was spending that entire time building the ark? This boat was taller than a 3-story building, 450 feet long (over 4 football fields), and 75 feet wide. Noah was using rudimentary tools and the Bible does not mention anyone other than his family who were involved in this endeavor. Beyond that, he had to cover the entire outside and inside with pitch (tarlike substance) to help promote buoyancy. Noah only had 3 sons, so at most the available adults for this project were 8. So, using a 10-hour workday theory, how long do you think he would need to accomplish it? Some speculate it took the whole 100 years, but I personally think that is too generous. I don't know, but I am more than sure it took over a year.
Would I be willing to work for God doing something that noone else in history had ever done for over a year? Would I be consistently obedient in the face of questioning and ridicule for over a year? Noah worked day after day after day with NO RAIN falling. He worked when the sky was blue and the storm clouds had yet to gather. The point remains that Noah was building his salvation. He was constructing the only vessel capable of weathering the future storms. I think that the Bible would have let us know if other people were doing this, too, and were not successful. I think it is safe to assume that Noah was the only person working day-in and day-out on a boat for the "future flood." Genesis 6:22 simply tells us, "Thus did Noah, according to all God had commanded him, so did he."
It was eventually time to get onto this massive boat.When the day arrived, Noah just did it. God makes it a point in the story of Abraham to point out how many times he questioned God's planning and timing and how many ways he pursued his own measures of making it come to pass. We don't see that in Noah, do we? We simply see someone who did "all God had commanded him." Even if I could obey for at least a whole calendar year with no signs of fulfillment on the horizon, could I truly do it without complaining or questioning? Could I get up every day when the sky is still gorgeous and the weather great and go out in the yard and work on my Ark without at some point looking at that thing and saying, "Am I sure He wanted me to do this?"
So, is the point of this story just that Noah was obedient? I don't think so. I truly believe the thrust of this story's poignancy is the fact that when the door was shut by God, what happened to the other people? Did they suddenly realize that this oddball may have known something? Did they suddenly understand that the sky was about to get very nasty? Did they bang on the doors and beg to be included? Were they like the animals in The Little Red Hen? Did they want to enjoy the fruits of the work without investing the work it took to get them? When the sky grew gray and the first raindrop fell, what do you think happened in those people's hearts? I truly believe that their entire life's choices were flashed before them and they each saw a moment of obedience that they pushed aside. I truly believe that every single person is born with the potential for greatness and the possibilities of doing all that God dreams for them. While I am a proponent of environmental staggering for people raised in evil, I also believe that no circumstance is beyond God's cleaning ability or the reach of His grace.
So, how do we take these insights and apply them to our lives? Well, a close friend of mine one commented to me, "The time to build the Ark is before the rains start." That's where we need to start. What Ark in our lives needs to be built? What act of obedience can we wholeheartedly invest today? What questioning and complaining can we refrain from so that our minds can stay open to the possibilities of the future? Can we start today, this moment, by opening our hearts to His voice and asking Him to show us what to build (or what to tear down) in our lives so that we will successfully survive the storms of the future? I want to like on the Ark and not in the Dark. Don't you?
According to this passage, Noah was it. He was pretty much the only person that God saw obedience in. Everyone else lived for themselves. People are the most complex beings on the earth because we have personalities. Even genetically-similar humans are diverse in their personality and processing of environmental stimuli. That is why it has always intrigued me that God chose Noah in this point of history. Is it possible that no other family within God's creation possessed the ability to obey save Noah's?
I believe the Bible and I believe that God chose Noah because he was singularly obedient in a world of conformity. God perceived within Noah the ability to process His revelation knowledge of an event that had never-before occurred in the history of time. There had never been any floods before now. I don't even think people really explored the water before now. It is theorized that water was a separate entity at this point in history and the concept of swimming was foreign to all peoples. Therefore, for Noah to perceive the gravity of this situation is phenomenal. For him to obey just because God asked him to shows the type of character he possessed.
Now, what about the length of time it took to build this thing? The Bible does not say exactly how long it took. However, we do know that when Noah is first mentioned in the Bible his age is 500 and when he entered the ark he is 600. So, at some point 100 years transpired. Does that mean that he was spending that entire time building the ark? This boat was taller than a 3-story building, 450 feet long (over 4 football fields), and 75 feet wide. Noah was using rudimentary tools and the Bible does not mention anyone other than his family who were involved in this endeavor. Beyond that, he had to cover the entire outside and inside with pitch (tarlike substance) to help promote buoyancy. Noah only had 3 sons, so at most the available adults for this project were 8. So, using a 10-hour workday theory, how long do you think he would need to accomplish it? Some speculate it took the whole 100 years, but I personally think that is too generous. I don't know, but I am more than sure it took over a year.
Would I be willing to work for God doing something that noone else in history had ever done for over a year? Would I be consistently obedient in the face of questioning and ridicule for over a year? Noah worked day after day after day with NO RAIN falling. He worked when the sky was blue and the storm clouds had yet to gather. The point remains that Noah was building his salvation. He was constructing the only vessel capable of weathering the future storms. I think that the Bible would have let us know if other people were doing this, too, and were not successful. I think it is safe to assume that Noah was the only person working day-in and day-out on a boat for the "future flood." Genesis 6:22 simply tells us, "Thus did Noah, according to all God had commanded him, so did he."
It was eventually time to get onto this massive boat.When the day arrived, Noah just did it. God makes it a point in the story of Abraham to point out how many times he questioned God's planning and timing and how many ways he pursued his own measures of making it come to pass. We don't see that in Noah, do we? We simply see someone who did "all God had commanded him." Even if I could obey for at least a whole calendar year with no signs of fulfillment on the horizon, could I truly do it without complaining or questioning? Could I get up every day when the sky is still gorgeous and the weather great and go out in the yard and work on my Ark without at some point looking at that thing and saying, "Am I sure He wanted me to do this?"
So, is the point of this story just that Noah was obedient? I don't think so. I truly believe the thrust of this story's poignancy is the fact that when the door was shut by God, what happened to the other people? Did they suddenly realize that this oddball may have known something? Did they suddenly understand that the sky was about to get very nasty? Did they bang on the doors and beg to be included? Were they like the animals in The Little Red Hen? Did they want to enjoy the fruits of the work without investing the work it took to get them? When the sky grew gray and the first raindrop fell, what do you think happened in those people's hearts? I truly believe that their entire life's choices were flashed before them and they each saw a moment of obedience that they pushed aside. I truly believe that every single person is born with the potential for greatness and the possibilities of doing all that God dreams for them. While I am a proponent of environmental staggering for people raised in evil, I also believe that no circumstance is beyond God's cleaning ability or the reach of His grace.
So, how do we take these insights and apply them to our lives? Well, a close friend of mine one commented to me, "The time to build the Ark is before the rains start." That's where we need to start. What Ark in our lives needs to be built? What act of obedience can we wholeheartedly invest today? What questioning and complaining can we refrain from so that our minds can stay open to the possibilities of the future? Can we start today, this moment, by opening our hearts to His voice and asking Him to show us what to build (or what to tear down) in our lives so that we will successfully survive the storms of the future? I want to like on the Ark and not in the Dark. Don't you?
The Power of 10
"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)
My middle child is such an amazing child. She has this unique personality coupled with a confident assurance in her own abilities and mindset. She twirls through the house to the music in her heart. She lays on the floor coloring with the same color on every page and can explain the picture to you with such interpretations that you would profess that there was a splattering of hues on that page. She can sit on her bed taking care of her dolls for hours on end, all the while narrating every single thing she is doing in real-time narration, "I am combing your hair. I am changing your clothes." We call her "Captain Obvious" for her way to point out what is right before you in such a stupendous manner. I say this all to help paint a picture of her persona.
The other day she was sitting with her Daddy on the couch watching her favorite show. It is an animated show that has music integrated into the story line. She asks us to watch that show with her no less than 10 times a day. Luckily, we have several episodes DVR'ed. As she sat that day with her Daddy, she was giggling, quoting the dialog, and singing along with the music. Matt turned to her and said, "You really like this show, don't you?" She said, "Daddy, I like it 10." Daddy then asked, "What do you mean 'I like it 10?'" She said, "Daddy, 10 is all the fingers I have. It's the most I can like it."
I sat there for a moment and pondered what my daughter had just said. I watched her as she stretched her adorable fingers as wide as her hands allowed and held them up for her Daddy to examine. She was right. 10 was the most she had. It was everything her hands contained. It was the highest compliment she could pay to that show. Then, I thought, "10 is her whole heart."
Jesus reminds us in the Gospels that we are to, "love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength." (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) He is quoting Moses' Law in that reference. Once again Jesus presents to us something that sounds so profound, yet holds such a simple truth within. The Old Testament gives us so many examples of people who tried to accomplish greatness in their lives outside of the help, influence, and strength of the Lord.
Remember Jonah? Remember King Saul? Remember Abraham and Ishmael? Time after time, we are witness to those who encountered God and were given a glimpse of their potential, yet they chose to work with their own hands to try and accomplish it.Let us look on the other side of that spectrum. Remember David? Remember Daniel? Remember Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego? Remember Esther? These examples teach us that when times get hard or the task seems impossible, leaving it in the hands of God will bring a profound result. Conversely, the people mentioned in the above paragraph had to learn the very hard way that doing it your own way will only bring disaster, distraction, and discontentment.
My sweet daughter gave her highest approval for her favorite show. She passed along the greatest measure of love that her 4 year-old heart had to give. I want what she has. I want a devotion and affection for the work of the Lord in my life that I give Him no less than my everything. I want Him to have my best, my most, my all. I want Him to know that He can trust me with His plans for my place in the earth and that I will work with diligent hands to be used to see them come to pass. I want Him to be able to be satisfied that His dreams for me were worth dreaming. His plans for me were worth His investment of His Son into my heart. His hopes and love for me are worth the blessings He sends my way each and every day.
He deserves my everything. He deserves my 10. He deserves the highest and most that I can possibly give. It is not perfect. It is not vast. It is not probably as much as others can give. I probably won't accomplish as great of a testimony in life as many, many others have or will. But, it is all that I have. It is my 10. And I will give it all to Him. Will you join me?
My middle child is such an amazing child. She has this unique personality coupled with a confident assurance in her own abilities and mindset. She twirls through the house to the music in her heart. She lays on the floor coloring with the same color on every page and can explain the picture to you with such interpretations that you would profess that there was a splattering of hues on that page. She can sit on her bed taking care of her dolls for hours on end, all the while narrating every single thing she is doing in real-time narration, "I am combing your hair. I am changing your clothes." We call her "Captain Obvious" for her way to point out what is right before you in such a stupendous manner. I say this all to help paint a picture of her persona.
The other day she was sitting with her Daddy on the couch watching her favorite show. It is an animated show that has music integrated into the story line. She asks us to watch that show with her no less than 10 times a day. Luckily, we have several episodes DVR'ed. As she sat that day with her Daddy, she was giggling, quoting the dialog, and singing along with the music. Matt turned to her and said, "You really like this show, don't you?" She said, "Daddy, I like it 10." Daddy then asked, "What do you mean 'I like it 10?'" She said, "Daddy, 10 is all the fingers I have. It's the most I can like it."
I sat there for a moment and pondered what my daughter had just said. I watched her as she stretched her adorable fingers as wide as her hands allowed and held them up for her Daddy to examine. She was right. 10 was the most she had. It was everything her hands contained. It was the highest compliment she could pay to that show. Then, I thought, "10 is her whole heart."
Jesus reminds us in the Gospels that we are to, "love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength." (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) He is quoting Moses' Law in that reference. Once again Jesus presents to us something that sounds so profound, yet holds such a simple truth within. The Old Testament gives us so many examples of people who tried to accomplish greatness in their lives outside of the help, influence, and strength of the Lord.
Remember Jonah? Remember King Saul? Remember Abraham and Ishmael? Time after time, we are witness to those who encountered God and were given a glimpse of their potential, yet they chose to work with their own hands to try and accomplish it.Let us look on the other side of that spectrum. Remember David? Remember Daniel? Remember Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego? Remember Esther? These examples teach us that when times get hard or the task seems impossible, leaving it in the hands of God will bring a profound result. Conversely, the people mentioned in the above paragraph had to learn the very hard way that doing it your own way will only bring disaster, distraction, and discontentment.
My sweet daughter gave her highest approval for her favorite show. She passed along the greatest measure of love that her 4 year-old heart had to give. I want what she has. I want a devotion and affection for the work of the Lord in my life that I give Him no less than my everything. I want Him to have my best, my most, my all. I want Him to know that He can trust me with His plans for my place in the earth and that I will work with diligent hands to be used to see them come to pass. I want Him to be able to be satisfied that His dreams for me were worth dreaming. His plans for me were worth His investment of His Son into my heart. His hopes and love for me are worth the blessings He sends my way each and every day.
He deserves my everything. He deserves my 10. He deserves the highest and most that I can possibly give. It is not perfect. It is not vast. It is not probably as much as others can give. I probably won't accomplish as great of a testimony in life as many, many others have or will. But, it is all that I have. It is my 10. And I will give it all to Him. Will you join me?
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