Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Life doesn't always happen in the lush green valleys.
Sometimes you have to climb mountains.
Sometimes there's steep hills.
Sometimes there's rough terrain ahead.
Sometimes it's dangerous.
Sometimes it's windy.
Sometimes it's unpredictable.
Sometimes it's stormy.
Sometimes it's scary.
Sometimes there's a climb, a long, uphill, exhausting climb...
Sometimes we can't help but ask ourselves and our God...
When will I get to the top of this mountain?
When will I get past the steep hills?
When is the walk gonna get easier?
When is the wind gonna calm down?
When is the storm gonna pass?
When can I find rest and peace?

Trees are amazing to me. They fascinate me. I think they are some of God's greatest creations. My God speaks to me through...
You guessed it: Trees!
Some live in the valley, by the still waters of a creek.
Some live beside the still blue waters of a magestic bay.
Some live beside the raging waves of a mighty ocean.
And some, yet some, live on the rocky mountain tops.

Take another look at the tree in this picture above.... What do you see?
A tree. On top of a mountain. Between two boulders. Soaking in the sun. Withstanding the wind. Surviving the storms. Planted securely. Surviving. Thriving. Living.

This tree never chose where it's seed would land. Never decided where it would take root. Never had the choice between the valley and the mountain top. It just began to grow where it landed. It just began to take root in the little bit of soil it could find. It began to grow stronger with every gust of wind. It began to enjoy the bright unhindered sunshine on certain days and the torrential rain on it's branches on other days. It just began to grow...
It just began to grow between a rock and a hard place. With little soil. With lots of wind. With lots of rain. With plenty of sunshine.

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.     Isaiah 61:3

A few weeks ago I shared about beauty for ashes...I love that God is the God who gives us beauty for our ashes, he fertilizes the ground even, with those ashes...
I love that he is able to give us joy instead of mourning when we turn our eyes on his goodness and provision.
I love that he gives us praise instead of despair and that so often that praise is the key to his peace in our lives. The peace we need in the middle of our storms.

I love even more that he doesn't stop there, but our God goes on further to plant you and me. To place us in good soil, enough soil to grow and to become strong. To provide the rain we need to survive. To be graceful to those near us in the process. To survive the winds. To make our roots grow deeper. To strengthen our branches with every new storm. To enjoy the sun so much more when the light breaks through the dark clouds. To enjoy it's warmth. To enjoy it's stillness. To enjoy peace in the presence of the sun beaming down on us.

FOR HIS OWN GLORY...

He plants us so that we can continue to bear fruit for His Glory, For His Kingdom. There is a purpose!!! Praise God! He is able, in His great sovereignty, to bring life out of the hard places. To make us grow even in those places. The steep hills have purpose. The long climbs have purpose. The wind has purpose. The rain has purpose. The storms have purpose. The sun has purpose.

I have been through storms, I'm certain there are more storms ahead. I have seen and experienced his great light from The Son. I've learned that eventhough there may be clouds that obscure my view at times, The Son is still there. He never leaves nor forsakes me to stand alone. He is what causes the silver lining to every cloud that comes.

Storms of life can be hard, down right tough and life altering. The winds can be very scary and move things around like nothing else. The earth can shake beneath our feet. Our roots can be uprooted and planted in a different spot.

I went to New York City several years ago and the most amazing thing I saw in that huge city was a tree. Yes, a tree. This was not just any tree. It was a tree that stood at the base of the twin towers when they were destroyed. A tree now known as the "Survivor Tree". The "Survivor Tree". I was overwhelmed and brought to tears as I stood there looking at that tree. See, I had a lot of things in common with that tree that day. I believe you do too. I had seen a lot of destruction around me. Things that once stood tall and proud no longer existed. The ground all around had shook. There was debris flying and a whole lot of devistation, hurt and loss. But that tree was still standing. I was still standing. You are still standing. The One who had created that tree, had sustained that tree. My Creator had been and would continue to sustain me, be my sole provider and hold my branches up until they became strong again. It's still a mystery to many who walk by the "Survivor Tree" as to how it survived. But, I believe I can say without a doubt, it was through Divine intervention. It was divinely kept and replanted so that everyone who sees it can know there is hope in the midst of destruction. It survives and thrives as proof to us that we can do the same.

May you be encouraged today that wherever your seed has found itself, God is able to nourish it and make it grow. He is able to strengthen and uphold your branches to weather any storm. You will, by His Spirit, show grace to those around you. His Son will shine bright and will give you warmth and peace in His presence. He is a good God. I declare over your life today: there will be beauty instead of ashes, there will be joy instead of mourning, there will be praise instead of despair because God has planted you for HIS OWN GLORY. You will produce fruit and it will be good. You too are a survivor tree!

Bearing beautiful fruit!!!

www.911memorial.org/survivor-tree

In the Event of an Emergency...

Most of you, I suppose, have flown at least once in your lifetime...if not yet, possibly In your future...

I just returned from Honduras myself which included four planes, four flights, four take offs and four landings to get me there and back...safely...praise God!
As we were taking off each and every time there was an announcement that was made. An announcement that has been made since the beginning of air travel, I would guess,  on each and every plane that makes its way down the runway and entering the friendly skies. An announcement that most tune out, so much so that if you've heard or watched the video lately they have cleaverly made it entertaining in hopes to hold your attention long enough to get their important message across...if the message is so important, who would tune it out you may ask...Well I suppose it's those who don't want to be reminded as they enter the friendly skies that sometimes the skies are not so friendly. They begin to fix their stuff in their seat, getting situated for the next few hours and just don't want to listen to these words, "Please take a moment to locate the nearest exit door, your seat can be used as a floatation device, if the cabin looses air pressure a little yellow oxygen mask will drop down from that round thing above you, simply take the mask, while remaining perfectly calm and secure the mask around your nose and mouth, begin to breathe normally, if someone near you, needs assistance, be sure to secure your oxygen mask first before assisting them, there will be small lights that will guide you to the exit doors and there will be a slide that inflates for your ease of exit, it turns into a raft if necessary, and as always thank you for flying the friendly skies with us today." okay, so that's my version of the whole in the event of an emergency spill...and yes, I agree with most, we really don't want to be reminded that emergencies happen, the plane is headed down the runway and the cabin door has been securely fastened!

I pray myself nor anyone else has to ever go through such an emergency...

As I listened to the announcement though, I heard something, something that made me stop and say, wow, that's something to think about...that's a pretty important point they just made. That's what I want us to think about today.

So, let's begin to look at this important announcement from a spiritual stand point...If you've lived long at all, you have realized by now the skies aren't always so friendly. There's turbulance along the way. There are sudden drops when we fly through air pockets. There are storms to pass through. There are moments of sudden loss of cabin air pressure. In those moments, we can loose our breath for a bit, we can feel like someone just punched us in the gut and begin to gasp for our much needed oxygen. Let's just be honest and say, there are moments when we desperately need a tiny yellow mask to fall from the ceiling of our heart that we can strap on and begin to breathe normal again...The thing is, the thing we miss sometimes, the thing I missed so many times, is this most important part: "If someone next to you needs assistance, be sure to fasten your mask on securely before assisting them." Man! How many times have I reached to help someone else put their oxygen mask on when I'm gasping for breath and about to near pass out myself!!!

I could tell you what to do with the best of them.  I could give advice. I could speak my opinion with confidence. I could tell you what God's Word said in regard to certain situations. But, in the end in the depths of my own heart, my friendly skies were not so friendly, I was experiencing turbulance like never before, my plane was in an air pocket falling ever so slowly to the next wind, my cabin had lost all air pressure and I was desperately gasping for air! I knew there was an oxygen mask, I could even see it hanging midair just waiting for me to strap it on tightly, but I was so stubborn and independent I choose to try to breathe on my own.

Bad choice.

I sit here today so grateful for the faithfulness of God! I'm thankful He allowed my plane to take a slow dive, giving me time to grab my mask before totally crashing. I'm thankful it was a storm, a really big and bad storm, and not engine failure. I'm thankful that His Word and Holy Spirit became the very breath that I began to breathe. He allowed me to walk through a time of "Lenee's way", breathing through "Lenee's mask", so I could realize I desperately needed "His way", His oxygen mask provided through Jesus Christ. I realized I was the ONLY person in the plane I had control over, and I didn't even have that much control over that person! I was the only person I could change, or allow God and His oxygen to change and bring back to life again.

Our bodies cannnot survive without precious oxygen. Any place that goes without it for a period of time dies. The cells cannot survive. That's how our Creator made us. I think it's so amazing that the very thing, the one thing, that our bodies cannot do without, we have been given in abundance and created to do naturally. I don't have to tell myself to breathe. God knows I might get distracted and forget...how bad that would be!! He knew if He didn't make it part of what our bodies do automatically we couldn't and wouldn't do it on our own.

I believe in the same way, He has placed in each of us an automatic desire to know Him, as Creator, look around for a moment, isn't He just awesome! Spring is only a few days away! My favorite season! I believe He has placed in us an automatic search to know Him as our Savior from this world, from the skies that aren't always so friendly. There's a place in each of our souls that He has created for Himself, for His love and grace to be real in us and our automatic response is to desire to fill that place. Sometimes we choose to allow Him to be in that place, sometimes we don't. Either way, the place has to be filled. I'm thankful that He was patient with me, He was loving and showed me that it was His place...His place alone.

Today, I don't know what your plane feels like, nor what your skies are like, whether they are calm and pleasant or whether you are passing through a storm and experiencing the turbulance of your life. What I do know is that there is HOPE! There is an oxygen mask available should your cabin loose air pressure knocking the very breath out of you. I know there is life giving oxygen available and it is in His Word and by His Spirit alone that we can continue to breathe through the turbulance and storms. Breathe life, new life, breathe deep, breathe normally. Breathe in peace though the plane is jumping all over the place.

Reach up, take hold of the little yellow oxygen mask that has been given for this very purpose, take hold of Jesus and all His promises in His Word, secure those promises around your heart and mind, breathe normally with His peace that goes beyond understanding and look around...there may be others who need help securing theirs.

"Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds my future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives"

His Words

This morning I sit in His presence beside the waters of Honduras, God reminds me once again of His Words from Isaiah 45:1-6....These Words have been my strength this week as I served with an amazing medical team underneath the palm trees in a remote village named Limon...I pray they will be an encouragement to you today as much as they have been to me...
"This is what the Lord says to Cyrus....Lenee....you....His anointed one, whose right hand He will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to shut against him. This is what the Lord says, 'I will go before you, Cyrus....Lenee....you...., and level the mountains. I will smash through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness- secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the One who calls you by name. And why have I called you to this work? It is for the sake of Jacob, my servant, Israel my chosen one. I called you by name when you did not know me, I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have prepared you, even though you do not know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord and there is no other."

We serve an amazing God who loves to speak to us...because of these words, I know, you can know, we can speak over our lives today:
You hold my right hand
I am your annointed
You subdue nations before me
You open doors
You will go before me
You will reveal and give me treasures hidden in any darkness I encounter
I will know, I do know, that you call me by name and You are my God!
You have called me to this work
You do this for my sake and for the sake of Your beautiful people You love so dearly
You have redeemed me and  given me a new name
You have prepared me
There is no God besides you and all the world will know...

May God bless you today as you hear those words today from underneath the palm trees...

Reflections

"Abby, what do you think of when you hear the word "reflections"?
"A mirror."
"Elizabeth, how about you?"
"Yeah, I agree with Abby...I think of a mirror..."
"A mirror?...  wow... a mirror. hmmmm ...what if we are like little mirrors walking around in this world....what do people see?", I responded back to my girls on our way to school yesterday morning...I've been pondering that thought ever since...
Have you ever experienced someone seeing themselves for the first time? I have and I must say it was a pretty amazing moment... think about it, there are places in this world where there are no mirrors, people don't stand in front of them or hold them up to see what they look like every morning, noon or night even...hard to imagine, right? So, when I was in another country a few years ago and took a picture with an elderly lady, when she saw that picture, her own face, teeth, wrinkles and all, she just stared for a few seconds...then she began to smile...then she smiled big...I didn't understand her spanish, but I just knew she was pointing and had to be saying, "me, that's me". It was then that realized this was possibly one of the few times she may have ever seen what she looked like. Maybe the first time even of seeing her own reflection. She continued to just stare at her picture. It was so awesome and It was soooo hard for me to take my camera back....
I can't imagine not having a mirror to stand in front of every morning...I even like to look in the mirror after lunch to be sure I have no food between my teeth, I look at it before I go to bed at night too... when I was camping in the bush of Kenya, I even had a small mirror hanging in the tent to look into...to check my reflection...
Mirrors. We love mirrors, don't we? We like to see what we look like and we like to try to improve what we see...That's just how we are...If you think about it, we are kinda expected to do that, aren't we?... We expect each other to look in the mirror and make some improvements before walking out of our front door every day. But how about the inside stuff too? The stuff not so easily seen by ourselves nor by others. Are we just so concerned about our outer appearances? I've been found guilty on many days. Do we ever take as much time examining our inside stuff: our mind, will and emotions as we do our outside stuff? Not often enough...
Here's some interesting words from James..."My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. So get rid of all the filth and evil in  your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in  your hearts for it is strong enough to save your souls. And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law- the law that sets you free-and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us." James 1:19-27
Wow! James just said a mouthful, right?! James didn't play, wouldn't you agree? He just pointed out some pretty important stuff when it comes to us being little mirrors walking around this world...when it comes to us looking ourselves in the mirror of God's Word and reflecting who it says we are...
Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry...When I think of those words, I think of being still... just sitting there, listening and calmly resting before a great God...under a bunch of palm trees...When I think of the word reflections, I think of water...some of you are thinking, "of course you do!" Palm trees are found beside water...I also think of how the water has to be calm and still before it can make a reflection. If you look at the picture above, the only reason the water is able to reflect the sky above is because it has become the calm, smooth water, resting on the shore. The rushing, turning, tossing waves are not the part of the water that does the beautiful reflecting...
As we wade through this ocean we call life we can be like the waves are: tossing and turning, stirring things up, or we can be like the calm, still water, resting and reflecting God's grace because He has taken us safely to shore. There's a huge gap between the two, but I believe it is possible. I also believe it is His Holy Spirit that closes the gap. His Holy Spirit is often related to water in the Bible. His Holy Spirit is the water we need to cover us, making us calm, smooth and still in the midst of waves crashing all around us, making us able to reflect God's grace. God's Word says in Zechariah 4:6, "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty."
We can also go through life looking in the mirror and just walking away, doing things that make us forget what we look like...Or we can look in the mirror of God's Word... We can find what He says about us and we can put that on just like we would our clothes or makeup. We can start wearing what God's Word says about us. His word says we are righteous in Christ Jesus. We are the apple of His eye. We are His and He is ours. We are more than conquerers through Christ Jesus. We are set free. We are redeemed. We are covered by the blood of Christ and that blood, that blood, when God the Father looks at us reflects the most amazing thing...When we realize we are covered in the blood of Christ, then we realize that God sees a reflection of Christ when He looks at us...that's why He asks us to do amazing things! That's why He calls us to greatness!.. He sees what we don't see!! How good is that?! The next time God prompts you or myself to say or do something and our first thought is, "are you kidding me right now?", maybe we should remember He's not seeing me or you, He's seeing Christ! He's seeing himself! That's just almost too good for me to move on to my next point right now...Let's just sit and think about that for a moment. He sees Christ, not me! not my weaknesses, short comings and limited resources...He sees it all different! God help us begin to obey, not based what we see when we look in the mirror, but based upon what His Word tells us, based upon what He sees when He looks at us, His mirror, the mirror made by the blood of Jesus poured over us.
"When we look steadily into God's perfect law, the law that sets us free..." ...that's a huge point James making here. Before Christ, the law was time consuming, burdensome, and very, very difficult to even come close to keeping. Ever! And it certainly didn't set people free! So now, how is it that James says, when we look at the law it actually sets us free? It's because of one word: PERFECT. The previous law has now become the Perfect law because Christ, through his sacrifice, has fulfilled the law. The imperfect has become Perfect because the blood of Jesus covered the requirement...God sees perfect, we still see imperfect. God clean our mirrors, help us to take time to wipe the dirt off the mirror that we continue to hold up to ourselves. God help us to receive the precious blood of Jesus provided to cover us completely...May your Holy Spirit work in our mind, will and emotions, our soul, today to receive your gift of this precious blood of Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice made on our behalf...may we choose to believe, to live, to walk, to wait, to obey, to reflect...to see ourselves the way you see us.
Help us to reflect on your goodness and to become a reflection of your goodness, mercy and grace. Help us to control our tongues, to simply shut up short of messing up with hurtful words, help us to listen and rely on your Holy Spirit to speak your words, not our own. Help us to show grace and mercy instead of seeking revenge and repayment. Help us to reach out to the needy all around us...Help us to refuse to allow this world to corrupt us and how we see ourselves in the mirror.
"Whatever is good and Perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation BECAME HIS CHOICE POSSESSION." James 1:17&18
Reach out your hand, you're about to be handed a New Mirror.