Nothing Hurts

Like he’d done for the past several decades, John turned off his alarm clock and rolled over to kiss his wife Sally good morning.   He was usually greeted with a “Good morning!” but this day was different.  Instead she said, “don’t touch me!  I’m dead!”  Puzzled, John said, “What are you talking about?  You’re fine.  We’re both lying next to each other.  You’re not dead!”  She insisted that this was still the case. 

Her explanation?  “I woke up this morning and nothing hurts... so I must be dead!”

Do you experience daily pain?  I’m not talking about creaking bones or muscles... but a whole other type of discomfort....

Do you wake up feeling guilty?  Burdened?  Alone?  Troubled by your past actions, your current thoughts, or your mistakes?  These aren’t the kinds of aches that just go away... they linger and fester inside your mind and heart until they become nearly unbearable. 

But they can be healed.    All it takes is a little rest. 

Matthew 11:28 (NLT) “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

Jesus says that if we want to stop the pain and heal... we need to bring those things to Him.  We should confess them through our prayers and tell Him in our times of quiet reflection.  So many of us say that we’ve done this but few actually have.  Sure, we say we have “given it all to God” but then are quick to rush back to the foot of the cross and pick up our trouble again just in case God needs help taking care of it.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

He is the Alpha and Omega.

He is the beginning and the end.

He spoke the world into existence and is stronger than any storm.

He is the miracle maker and ultimate problem solver.

He doesn’t need our help being God.

His timing is perfect.

His power is infinite.

His commitment to us is unflinching and His shoulders are wide enough for the heaviest of troubles.

It’s time to wake up. 

Not roll over in pain and wonder how we’re going to limp through another day.

Not writhe our hands in worry and doubt we have the strength to go on.

It’s time to remember that He WANTS to carry our burdens.

He WANTS to give us strength when we’re weary. 

He WANTS us to live at peace knowing that He’s always on the job... working behind the scenes in ways we don’t realize.

Matthew 11:28 (NLT) “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

Need some rest today?

Give up trying to fix things your own way and give them to God.

Leave them there.

Trust. 

I’ll be praying for you as you do.   

Jesus Take the Wheel?

On a dark Friday evening, Prionda Hill made a choice.  She decided that she was going to release the wheel of her car and let God steer.  Literally.  She completely removed her hands from ten and two and told God to guide her vehicle through traffic.  The outcome was less than ideal.   A motorcyclist by the name of Anthony Oliveri was the unfortunate victim of Prionda’s decision.  He later told police that when he saw the car coming directly toward him, the only thing he thought was  “This is the day I die.”   Fortunately, he didn’t.  While his injuries were serious, Anthony survived that crash… and Prionda is now facing several serious charges.  

Is that how God operates?  Does He tell us to completely remove our hands from the wheels of our lives?  Is He apt to recommend that we just “let it go?”  Many would say yes.  We say “Jesus… you do it!”  or “God… he/she’s all yours…”  But is that Biblical?  Does God tell us to release total control and let Him do it?  Is “Let Go and Let God” legit?  

No.  In fact the Bible says just the opposite.   2 Timothy 2:3 tells us to “Endure hardship…”  Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand…” Finally, 1 Peter 1:7 says that our trials reveal our level of faith.   

Our challenges strengthen us.  They burn away what doesn’t belong and reveal our toughness.  What we see as pain… God is using for our eventual good.  We read many times in scripture that Jesus promises to never leave us in our struggles… that He wants us to persevere through them… and why?  Because they are the very things that will cause us to build faith muscle that we will need later in life.  So the next time you feel like just letting God do it… don’t. Keep both hands on the wheel… and God will put His nail-scarred hands on top of yours… and help guide you through the traffic to your destination.

The Ring

Mary Grams found her engagement ring.  Normally that isn’t news but the way she got it back was extraordinary.  She lost it while out gardening.  Refusing to give up, she scanned the overturned earth for hours but it never appeared.

Fast forward thirteen years. 

Her daughter-in-law was out in that same garden bringing in a harvest of carrots and noticed one was irregular.  Normally she fed the misshaped vegetables to the dogs but didn’t do so with this strange one.  It’s a good thing she didn’t because on further inspection, she noticed that the oddly shaped carrot was that way because the carrot had grown right through the middle of the engagement ring!  It was her mother-in-law’s that had dropped into the soil over a decade before... now wrapped around this orange vegetable just waiting to be found. 

God does incredible things.

God cares.

He reveals long-lost rings...

And He will be there for you.  Look at this verse from the book of Matthew:

“Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Mat. 6:26 NLT). 

You matter to God... and you have value far beyond what you realize.  It brings our Heavenly Father great delight to take care of you.  He provides for your needs and knows exactly what you require before you need it.  His timing and provision may not always be what we expect... but we know we can count on Him to come through if and when it’s His will to do so.    

Take some time today and thank God for the miracles in your life.  The found items you thought were gone forever.  The breakthroughs that have happened that you didn’t expect.  The good health that you have or the stable relationships that you enjoy.  And those things you are worried about?  Give them to God for good.  Miracles are his specialty...

God isn’t a genie that jumps on command... He’s a loving Father that gives willingly to those He loves.

And that’s you. 

Pouring

 A water bearer had two large water pots which he carried on either end of a pole slung across his shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it, so every day as he carried water to his master’s house he arrived with one full pot and one only half full. This went on for two years. One pot was very proud of its accomplishments, while the imperfect pot was embarrassed at its failure. Its distress at being able only to accomplish half of what it had been made to do, resulted in its speaking one day to the water carrier.

"I am so ashamed," the pot said. "Why?" asked the carrier. "Because water leaks out all the way to your master’s house and because of my crack I’ve been only able to deliver half of the load." The water carrier looked kindly at the cracked pot and said, "As we return to my master’s house today, I want you to look at the beautiful flowers along the path."

The pot was a little cheered by the beauty he saw along the way. "Did you notice that the flowers were only on your side of the path?" the water carrier said.  “If your water hadn’t poured out, this beauty would not have occurred.  What you saw as deficiency, the flowers saw as provision.”

Pouring into others matters.  The Bible says it this way...

“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”  -  Ephesians 4:29b

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” - Hebrews 10:24

   God has called us to do many things while we are here on planet Earth.  One of our primary opportunities is to partner together with others on their journey to reach their God-potential.  You have people in your life right now that need you.  You are their encouragement... your presence brings them comfort... and they are counting on your friendship to help them bloom.   Make every effort to pour into them... be there for them in their times of trouble... and give them the reassurance that somebody really does care.  

Maybe you feel like the pot in today’s story.... broken... unusable...  You aren’t.  God has given you the ability to cheer someone up, carry someone’s burdens, brighten someone’s day, or to let them know that Jesus Christ...the true Living Water... can put flowers where there was once dry land.  When we remember this, and really do it.... we get the blessing and God gets the glory.  

Two Dogs

I read a story of a young boy who was being terrorized by a dog.  Not a German Shepherd or Pit Bull… but a Chihuahua.  The dog’s name?  Godzilla.

He would run around the house and the dog would follow him.  The boy played and the dog stared.  In this little boy’s mind, Godzilla was stalking him…waiting for his moment to pounce.  While we know the dog just wanted to play… to this boy… the fear was real and unrelenting.  He was convinced that he was being hunted by a beast that wanted to hurt him.  

Guilt is a lot like that dog.  

Something we’ve done, said, or thought is sitting in wait.   But our guilt is no tiny chihuahua... it’s bark is much larger... and more menacing...  It’s pinned us in a corner and made us doubt the size of our God.  It has chased us through counseling, good advice, and numerous readings of scripture.  It torments our dreams and drops in every now and then throughout our day to remind us that we shouldn’t feel good about ourselves. 

You know what you did.

You know who you were.

You can’t overcome it.  You won’t change.  

And just when it seems like we get away... it sniffs us out again.  The chase continues.  

We’re tired of running.  

So how do we handle that overwhelming feeling of guilt?  We invite another big dog into the hunt... worry.  Guilt and worry... both crushing emotions in their own right.  Together they’re simply terrifying.  They’ve been known to cause sleepless nights, hopelessness, and an overwhelming dependence on our own strength.  

So why do we do it?  Why do we allow what we did to define what we’re becoming?  Why is guilt so powerful?  

We don’t believe this verse.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”  Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

If you are in relationship with Jesus... and He is your Lord and Savior... there is nobody holding your past over your head except you.  Scripture tells us that when we confess our sin... when we tell God what we’ve done... He sends it away forever.  Forgotten and over.  That is so hard for our minds to comprehend... that something that once defined us is now voided?  Something that once paralyzed us with worry and fear was one confession away from the feeling of freedom?

We don’t have to fully understand it for it to be true.  God’s thoughts are different than our own (Isaiah 55:8).  He loves us unconditionally, wholly, and without reservation.  When we ask for freedom from the chains on our thought life, Jesus gives us the keys of confession to unlock them.  Today’s the day to breathe without burden... shed the shackles of the past... and leave the guilt where it belongs... with the old you.    

Those dogs... guilt and worry... they’ll stop chasing you with one simple command.  

“Be still...”

God said it to your heart in Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God!”

Today can be the day you stop running and be still.  Guilt-free.  Burden-lifted.  Heart deep in love with God again.

I came across a paragraph by an 85 year old woman that I think sums it up best. She wrote, 

"If you live to be 75 years old you will live over 657,000 hours. Did you know that? That’s almost 2/3rds of a million hours that you’re going to live. That’s too much to be anxious about all the time. So don’t worry.  God, if I had my life to live over, I would relax & ramble around and be sillier than I had been on this trip. I would take fewer things so seriously and I would take more chances. I would take more trips and I would climb more mountains & swim more rivers.

"I would eat more ice cream and less prunes.  I would perhaps have some actual troubles but I’m sure I would have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I’m one of those people who have lived sensibly & safely, hour after hour, day after day.  Oh, I have had my moments. And if I had it all to do over again I would have more of them. Just moments one after another instead of living so many years in a big chair, acting like all those persons who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, or a parachute.

If I had it to do over again I would worry less. I would laugh more, & I would pick a lot more daisies."

Good insight from a burdened life.   Your life can be different.  The last paragraph of your story doesn’t have to say.... “If I had my life to live over...”   Shedding the guilt and worry, you will have lived it to it’s fullest without the weight of “what if.”

Make today the day that you begin to release your guilt and worry through confession... start enjoying freedom... and live the long and purposeful life you were created to.  I’ll be praying for you as you do.