The Simple String

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Eccl. 4:9-12)

What ability does the simple string possess? It has so many uses. It can keep items that are destined to fall apart from doing so, at least for a season. It brings two disparate parts together. I have seen it hold a car together. Leave those strings untied, and a frightful stumble is likely to happen as one walks about. 

The ubiquitous string. A jack of all trades, but it can so easily be misapplied. When you think of a string, probably the first thing that comes to mind is your shoe. We are taught from early on that independence resides in our ability to come out of the Velcro-strap shoe and tie our own laces. When we achieve this feat of individualism, we are quite proud. Likely more proud than we would have been if we had learned our alphabet. A singular triumph, the tying of one’s shoes reaches in our minds at least, past that of saying, “Mama” or ‘Papa.” But the above passage implies life is not done alone, but in community.

Genesis 38 talks about a scarlet thread; Rahab used it to show the Israelite spies where she lived, and thus spare her life and that of her family. Sometimes, our lives seem to be tied with a scarlet thread of shame. We seem to be damaged and cannot escape our past. Much like Esau felt I am sure. When he came from the womb, he was tied with a thread to show that he was the firstborn, but in the end, he lost his inheritance and the blessing (Genesis 25:21). Isaac was the child of promise, but when Abraham bundled together the wood for sacrifice, it likely seemed that his future was not assured. What He needed to remember was that God was ultimately holding the strings. No matter who or what appears to pulling the strings in our lives so to speak, God will always have the final say: Not sickness or disease.
 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).

I have a  not-so simple question for you: what string is holding your life together? Is it a solid string, three-cord stranded; how is the knot tied? And frankly, who tied it and to whom is it tied? Are you willing on wealth, 501K, an inheritance, a good education, a well-placed match of a marriage, to get you through life?

Any pioneer worth his salt refused to go on the trail without salt and string. If you are on the trail without either on those two, stop, turn around and start over. Make sure that you have tied yourself securely to the immovable Rock, Christ. Like a hiker scaling mountain, you need a sure hope that when you tumble, the one holding the other end will keep you from falling off the cliff's side. No one but God can make such a promise. He has told us that He will make feet like hind's feet on the mountains that stand before us, and He will.

 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights (Psalm 18:33).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
It is always good to have a traveling companion, but the best and most surest friend, is found in God himself.   The verses above promise that those who choose their companions wisely will find compounded dividends in the areas of security, labor, and companionship. So, again, I ask you, with whom and to what have you lashed your anchor? Will that anchor hold in a storm? Even God worked in team to create Eden; Elohenu Ehad, the Multiple One, always chose a team. Be mindful of who you invite to scale the mountain of life with you and make sure your partner can hold both your weight and his own.

Roped to Christ,
MJ 

A Dream Deferred



Hope deferred makes the heart sick; But desire fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)

What happens to a dream deferred? These famous lines come from a Langston Hughes poem. However, they have their origin in the Bible. A dream deferred might dry up; it might explode with anger. When I met Vanessa, she was sitting in the gutter waiting for someone to buy her for an hour. In her, I saw a picture of what my might girls might become, if not for intervention. No job; no education; forced to sell themselves simply for something to eat.

But, I am assured that Vanessa did not wake up one morning and decide: I will simply prostitute myself for anything that anyone will give me. I will give up my youthful beauty. I will destroy my health for no better reason than simply I want to do so. No, I believe like every young girl, Vanessa, (and so many of the women in South Africa and most of the world who feel that they have few or any options), had a different dream, a different aspiration, a different hope for their lives. 

But somehow, those dreams got deferred. I believe that God's plan for a hope and future, which He promises all of us in Jeremiah 29:11, is what He fully intends for us to experience. But lack of education, lack of  a good home, lack of parental care, all of things come into destroy the dream that God has.
And so it gets deferred. Poverty defers the dream. A lack of a quality education defers that dream and hope slowly begins to dry up until one is left simply existing, merely taking up space in the universe. Not living out one's God-given potential- not achieving the goals, the end, the future hope that God had originally planned.

So what do we do when we see a dream being deferred? Do we simply shake our heads and say that's rather tragic?  Or do we intervene; do we actually push the pause button on our own dreams, on our own hopes, to help someone get out the gutter and begin to walk into the future and plan God has for them?

Jesus did that for us. He left heaven, its purity, perfection, and glory and came intervened in our hopeless situation. He pushed the pause button for thirty-three years and walked among us. As Emmanuel, He touched our broken places and felt our wounds (Isaiah 9 and 53). In fact, He took our transgressions and infirmities, so that we might have life. He proclaimed in Isaiah 60, that the Spirit of the Sovereign was upon to Him to set at liberty the captives, recover sight to blind, and declare the acceptable year of the Lord. If Jesus pushed the button for more than thirty years, maybe I can push it for a few minutes each day and help a captive walk free.

Pushing the Pause Button,
MJ

Master Repairman

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

God sets out to repair us. He does not merely tinker. I have firsthand knowledge of the work that goes into repairing an instrument. You see my friend of thirty- two years needed a major overhaul.  I could tell that Clarissa wasn’t her normal self; she squeaked and squawked like she had a bad cold.  At first, she had to have her cork refitted, but it soon became apparent that after a more serious investigation, thorough repairs were necessary. So, I decided to have her overhauled when I returned home to the States.

I first tried an Internet company, but when she was returned to me she was worse than before I shipped her. So, I sought a local remedy- a real pro and thus my lesson began. This search led me to the home of a master repairman.

The master repairmen took off the keys and polished them one by one. Cleaned inside the holes. This was done meticulously. He examined each wire and tightened it precisely, and after an hour, played on her perfectly. I was direly afraid she would never sound as she had the first time my eleven-year old fingers caressed her ebony wood, but there it was, as a brilliant as the day the craftsman pieced her together, a clarion crisp sound.

I am a lot like my clarinet. I need a real specialist to examine every nook and cranny, to find out what is out of alignment and fix it completely and properly. Sure, I can go on the Internet, some self-help, or dating game show, but only a master repairman can put things to right. God, our maker, is that master repairman.

It may seem scary and crazy to allow someone to get that close, that all up into your business, looking at the scarred and broken pieces of your life, barely held together by a worn piece of cork, but let the repairman touch and feel those places, play those notes that are brooding in your heart. Otherwise,  you will never be quite right, something will always be off- the lower octave does not sound as resonant as it should, something is not quite right in the upper register. Hum. Best let a pro examine it.

I know; I know; all that poking and prodding is so darn uncomfortable and intrusive, but someone has to get down to the nitty-gritty of our hearts. Why not the one who made it in the first place?

Being Fine-tuned, MJ

 

Sitting Pretty

Watching the cat lazily rest on its haunches gave me a picture of complete serenity: no cares, worries, or anxieties, nothing to fret about. The cat simply was. I want to be like the cat, blissfully unaware of problems, people, and situations that seek to threaten my peace of mind, push into my quiet place, and disturb my rest.
Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). The word shalom in Hebrew means completeness and wholeness spirit, soul, and body. In fact, shalom is the same word for maturity or perfection. God calls us to rest on Him. He invites us to even rests between His shoulders. He offers to carry us when we can't walk: “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders”  (Deuteronomy 33:12). When I watch an African lady carry her baby, she bundles the baby with clothes to her back and tightly in front of her chest, and the baby sleeps safely and peacefully in the cradle made of her flesh and bones. I want to rest in God's presence, for in His presence is the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) in the same way, lulled to the drowsy rest of a baby.

 Jesus invites us to cast "the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully" (I Peter 5:7). To be free of are and anxiety requires that I trust in Someone bigger and stronger than myself to take care of me. The cat doesn't worry when she will eat, whether she will be cold, or where she will sleep. She simply trusts that her master will care for every need, and thus she can relax and be at rest. Jesus knows that we will have troubles and trials in this world, so He promises that after we "have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you" (I Peter 5:10). That is what I see when I see the cat: at peace no matter the turmoil and confusion surrounding her.

On the day I took that photo, there were half a dozen people in the room, but the cat continued to doze contentedly.When we are settled in who we are and whose we are, we can rest no matter what.

I can focus on what is making me crazy or I can rest in who God is: my safe place.

Resting,

MJ

 

 
 
 
 
 

New Year's Resolution: Spiritual And Emotional Balance

  I realized there are two components to true healing. If you lack one, serious consequences and repercussions will be the result. The two kinds of healing are emotional and spiritual maturity. What are the differences? Someone may spend hours in counseling, addressing the past, the wounds, and received managing and coping strategies, but still be afraid. That is from where the spiritual component comes. One can see a problem, but not have the power to forgive, release, and be a whole confident individual, free of fear. One lives behind walls in order to protect one's self. The fear has bound the person.  He knows that Jesus said that He came that he might have life, and life more abundant. But, he experiences none of it. He knows that perfect love casts out fear, but he still leaves bound, trying to protect himself.

Then there is the spiritual person. That individual knows the Word of God. He is acquainted with prayer and fasting. To be sure that discipline, if added to seeking healing, would be the perfect combination, but they often are not. These spiritual disciplines are often practiced in isolation. This individual is one likely to dismiss any brokenness and claim the blood of Jesus has washed all pain away though he has spent no time hearing God’s voice directly on that issue.

Now, put the two together. For instance, this same person is quietly seeking God’s face, and God reveals that there is an issue: for instance, a person he needs to forgive, and perhaps, the key to the forgiveness is he also receiving healing for the event. The order typically happens in this way: Jesus walks the individual back to the event so that He relives the feelings (this reliving of the pain is the number  one reason why individuals don’t want to go back; it is easier to say the blood of Jesus covered it instead of walking back into the situation and facing the pain). So, the individual and Jesus spend time in the Secret Place; they talk frankly and candidly about what occurred. Now, the individual knows exactly what he is forgiving; the price that has to be paid for the pain that was inflicted or perhaps, he learns that he has misconstrued the event all together and been in pain needlessly.

No matter. The individual experiences the honest emotions of grief and anger. He wants to know who will pay this debt. Then, Jesus reveals his scarred hands, ands says that He already his paid it. This truth allows the individual to forgive the offender; thus, closing the cycle. The spiritual and emotional are no longer disconnected. He no longer tries to smother, push down what he considers are negative emotions- emotions which are not negative at all, but God’s attempt to get his attention that something is broken and needs to be addressed.

I pray that God will bring a greater sense of peace through His love and healing in our lives this year. For there is no fear in love. But, perfect love drives out fear. (I John 4:18).
Progressing, though Imperfectly,
MJ

A Pioneer's Christmas: Fill up your wagon with joy!

The most important and the most precious thing the pioneer had was his wagon. The wagon was his home.  He slept in the wagon. It was the parlor or living room where he might read, pray, or play checkers.

Secondly, the wagon provided shelter from the elements; it kept out the wind, sleet, and sun. What lessons can we learn from the wagon? Don’t overload your home with unnecessary burdens. A marriage and family can only sustain so much. Don’t forget the provisions of love, kindness, gentleness, perseverance, humility. These are the knives and other implements that hung inside the wagon’s interior. Pioneers always had a can of grease at the ready to oil and moisten the axles and wheels of the wagon. Forgiveness is your oil in your family wagon.

The most important part of the wagon was the tongue.  If the tongue broke, the wagon would be useless. The oxen would have nothing to pull. Similarly, our tongues set the course of our lives. It directs where we will end. The power of life and death are in the tongue.  James tells us that "the tongue is set on fire by hell. With it we praise God and curse our brother made in His image. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself" (James 3:6).

We have all seen movies were the pioneers circled their wagons and fought the natives. A wagon became an instantaneous fort, a corral for the animals as well. The pioneers preferred oxen over mules or horses. The oxen were strong, but even so, a wagon could not carry more than 2000 pounds. Similar to the wagon, your family can only take so much stress. Your family needs more than just provisions, gifts; they require love, time, and listening. Be sure to protect your family from predators: overstimulation, lack of commitment, and too little quality time. The tongue stuck out a quite a bit in the front and onto it, the oxen were attached. Without the tongue, the wagon was useless, a dead heavy weight. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"  (I John 4:20).

May we always use our words to build up and not tear down. Your words of affirmation and love protect the hearts of those whom you hold dear. It protects the hearts of your family from predators which would seek their destruction. Unconditional love and words of comfort keep the home fires burning. Circle your wagon so to speak and corral the lost ones inside the warmth of your heart. Pull them close this season and use every implement you can find to protect what you value most.

 

 

What is a Pioneer?

A pioneer is one who leaves all behind in hope of a better life ahead. Nations streamed to what was known as the New World. They came from Africa, Europe, and Asia to escape drudgery, persecution, and some against their own will, but they came all the same. They took Paul’s words of Philippians 3:13-14 truly:  one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

In order to embrace the destiny and new life which lay ahead they had to forget their country and people. Like Ruth, the quintessential pioneer, they needed to forget their people, their land, and their god to find the new life before them: "Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. (Ruth 1:16).

Being a pioneer meant being prepared. One had to anticipate the dilemmas and problems one might encounter on the trail.  Life is a similar kind of journey, which at times, with its twists and turns, requires us to anticipate the challenges which may lie ahead. "But don't begin until you count the cost," Jesus warned; "for who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish? (Luke 14:28).

The pioneer needed to bring barrels to collect water and simple cooking supplies such as cornmeal, yeast, bacon, rice, and beans. All of the pioneers traveled with supplies such as needles, pins, leather, scissors, and all the necessary sundries to sew and make clothes. In essence, they took as much and as many supplies as possible on the journey.

They would have been destined for failure if they had not had the foresight to carry dried meat, potatoes, crackers, and yeast for baking. The family cow made the trip as well for it provided the necessary milk for growing children and nursing babes who were still suckling. Even a tin of chocolate might be taken for special occasions. A hen or two would provide the eggs that would serve as a good source of protein and a necessary ingredient in cooking.

No malls were nearby so leather was brought to fix worn-down shoes. They also made their own repairs to wagon wheels and such, so they brought nails, hammers, saws, knives, and the utilitarian string. When they set off toward their destination, they did not know exactly what awaited them, but they attempted to anticipate and prepare to meet their most basic needs.

Yet, we seem to little resemble the pioneer as we carelessly get into our wagons so to speak and head out on the trial of life. We give little thought to the gear that we will need to mend the broken parts of our hearts. Like a pair of broken worn shoes whose tread is gone, our hearts keep on trudging on the miles but are never restored, never mended.

We fail to sharpen our skills and intellect. No pioneer worth his or her salt would go on the trail without a good set of knives and the ability to sharpen them, but many people spend little time investing in sharpening people skills, relationship building, and cognitive growth.

 

The story of the pioneer provides a worthy allegory to life, and for next few installments, I will examine the tried and true virtues exhibited by the pioneer.

A Bourgeoning Pioneer,
MJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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