The Woman doth protest too much!

If asked whom I resembled in the Bible, likely the least person I would mention would be Saul. But recently as the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me, I recognize that there is some of Saul in me. 1st Samuel 15 tells the story of God asking Saul to destroy the Amalekites. In 1^st Samuel 15:3 to go to attacks and destroy everything to that belongs to them,  do not spare them, put to death men, women, and children and cattle sheep, camels, and donkeys. However, Saul did not follow instructions; instead he captured, rather than destroyed God’s enemies. Instead of killing the terrorist king Agog, he spared his life and saved the best of the livestock to sacrifice to God.

 He believed that his ideas were somehow better than God’s. But God rebukes hi in verses 22, “Do I delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices in as much as obeying my voice. To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” I have been guilty of this kind of misguidance, to say the least. Unfortunately, I have cared more about what people have thought, put a greater impact of being a people-pleaser. Now, I have followed instructions, I have been obedient; I have done what I was told, but in my heart of hearts, I am like Saul. These people that you gave me- they wanted- that was always Saul’s excuse for not following instructions. The people, the people, the people.  And, that’s me. What do people say? What do the people think? And God is saying, I am more concerned about what I think, what I say, what I required of you.  Hmm. If I am listening to God’s voice, He has made it clear that what He has asked for is obedience. He didn’t ask for my opinion. He asked me to live beyond whatever is rooted wound in me that makes people’s opinions for more inflated and valuable than his command to simply follow instructions. See, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart, and that becomes particularly frightening because my  motivations are revealed for the crass, base things that they sometimes are- they need for man’s approval.

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 

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

 

A Big Fat Chance

Carrying extra weight is like wearing a large and extravagant, me enough to conceal a person from chin to foot.

If necessary, even the eyes may be hid. The weight of the coat provides security for its occupant even while it imprisons. But what one doesn’t see is  that  underneath that heavy object is a frail human being, one who is cowering from the blows life has dealt it.

Paralyzed by fear of repeated beatings, this step-child hides behind this fortress of fat. Chipping begins on that fortress by the Master Craftsman-part Potter and Carpenter, He begins to remove the fortress bit by bit until the person emerges.

 Imagine if you will, snipping a section of that fur coat, which really represents  pain, fear, and shame more than lust, greed, a lack of self-control. Now, you see that hidden waters begin to flow, more trust is developing.  The healing touch of Christ brings peace and wholeness. The fur collar comes off- you see the face and the whole mouth is there to view.

Then an inch or two off the hem, one can walk. The sleeves are taken away- one is free to move. Then a foot is taken from the bottom of the coat year after year, and suddenly one discovers that one is no longer wearing a coat, but a jacket. Remove the fur trim. Shave it off. It looks more like a vest but still stifle; it constrict.  Your heart is covered and that is all that matters.

Finally Jesus offers a light-weight wind breaker- it is incredibly effective against the harsh elements of life, but one can’t even wear two coats at the same time. What to do?

He is wise enough to realize that one would have never exchanged the Teflon fur-lined coat for the fragile piece of cloth, but now one is as close to bare as one will dare to be, and so He offers it  just the same.

There may be many such exchanges.  One may demand to have  the vest back but eventually, one will enjoy the freedom of Jesus’ windbreaker or one may true to add a discarded remnant of the old coat to the new assemblage, but Jesus will have no of it. He will stop you- because He loves you.

A Vest-Wearer,
Mella

 

Attention, Please

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matt. 18:1-5)

Attention: kids seem to crave it  and will do almost anything to get it: ham it up; throw a tantrum; whine, plead, or beg. Even with such theatrics,children are sometimes not listened to; they are not seen. They can easily get lost and forgotten, but sometimes, even worse than being forgotten, they fall prey to misuse and abuse, becoming the target of some one's rage or addiction.

 
Sadly, sometimes, the kind of attention children receive is unwanted and unwarranted as in the case of abuse. When God offers us the option to become a child, He offers us a different kind of attention: loving attention that meets our needs in the best way.  He knows how to stop the tears and sulking. He knows how to hold us so that He can dry those tears. Isn’t it amazing that of all the promises of heaven, the best one, is that God himself will wipe all the tears from our eyes.

 
Still God knows that He wants to spoil us as his children for His delight is in us. Even when others do not esteem us, He does. He knows the reason for every tear, so when He wipes our eyes, He knows exactly what has made us sad or happy. He knows us inside out. Sometimes, that is scary- to be known, but not for a child. A child wants you to see everything- every picture she has drawn, what she learned at school, which one is her best friend,  and she is inquisitive. Thanks goodness because the kingdom belongs to those who have inquiring minds. Jesus, said ask and keep on asking, seek and keeping on seeking. As a child I was quite curious and asked questions, sometimes, at the most inappropriate time. But a question is never ill-timed for Jesus, and He is ready with answers. We have a lot to learn from children.

Children are  not afraid of being known, of being seen, at least until they are taught otherwise. May we grow more childlike every day.

Always willing to be a child,
MJ

God's Punctuation

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

 (2 Corinthians:  3:3-4)

 GOD

God sees the whole story, and I must trust His divine perspective as He writes the epistolary novel which is my life. His additions and editions make the most of the words which are on the page: Like David, I write as my Divine Muse stirs the ink with which He writes His divine story:"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful write" (Psalm 45:1)

You have likely come across the term, selah, as you have read the Psalms. It  is a poetic term which means to pause, think, and reflect. It literally reminds me to be still and know that He alone is God (Psalm 46). The dash serves the same function; it  provides a pause, a respite, but it supplies additional information- needful information.

In between the ellipsis, the wait, the patient and impatient, He is writing our story when we can not see. During the quiet time, the long hours spend at the loved one's side, He is writing, perfecting, our story. Sometimes, I place a small letter what should be a capital. God changes what I call significant to insignificant and what I call as a capital letter- a literal new beginning.

The semicolon adds more pertinent information to that which flowed before. In the same vein, God adds layer and layer of  Christ's story in our lives. Since Christ died for us, He wants to live His life through us. Despite life's pain, we, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:32).

The boldfaced underlined unadulterated truth is that  God has to allow pain in our lives at times so that we relinquish the pen and paper into His hands. Our lives are the script that is being written. We are living epistles read by men!  Hallelujah! Each day is a blank page- an empty canvas upon which God longs to pour His words of life on the dry thirsty pages that soak up the ink of His love.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).

 

O' Lord write your story on me, in, me, and through me. You make  me a scribe to write what you are doing. I write on the hearts of my students, peers, and family Your Truth. Lord, I praise you when there is an exclamation point because it signals a day of joy! Lord, place your apostrophe behind my name because I belong to you.

When I open my mouth, may there be quotation marks around your words that flow out of me. Colons are meant to explain in greater depth what has transpired before. Lord, let me slow down for the explanation as I still my hands., heart, and feet to hear from you. God give me the grace to pause when you want to add to the story when you place a slash/ as you write the poetry of my life/ Selah.



An empty waiting page,
MJ





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