Tag Archives: God

Foggy Mirror

foggy mirror

Every morning after I take a shower, my bathroom mirror is fogged up. I can see the general shape of my head, but no specific details. I often find myself combing my hair, brushing my teeth and shaving my face with my mirror still fogged up. It is not until the mirror clears up that I discover how my hair, teeth and face are actually looking that day.

The same is true for us on this side of heaven, as Scripture tells us:

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Now it is like we are seeing God through a fog. We know who he is to some degree, but we are not able to see or understand everything about him. Only in heaven will we be able to see and understand God completely.

I have come to accept the reality of not knowing everything now, and I have been quick to say when there is a question I don’t know the answer to, “That’s something we’ll have to ask God in heaven.” The comfort to me is that there will come a time when all is revealed and everything is known. We will not live in the fog forever. We just need to be patient.

Candle Making

candles

I recently visited a living history farmstead that showed what life was like in Colonial days in America. One of the common household chores at the time was dipping candles. It was a laborious task that required dipping a cotton wick into a kettle of melted wax and hot water approximately 25 times to make one candle. Why go through all this work? Because candles were an absolute necessity at the time and the primary way to light a home at night.

Today we take light at night in our homes for granted, but imagine if you had worked all day making candles so you could have light at night. You would appreciate the flickering light of a candle in the darkness much more. You would be more careful with your candle use and make sure you got the most out of your time by candlelight.

God has created us to be lights in this dark world. So what should we be doing as the lights God has made? The Bible gives us some hints: We shouldn’t put our lights “under a basket” or out of sight in any way, but “on a stand,” where the light can extend to the farthest corners of the room (Matthew 5:15). Our lights should be used to help others: illuminating the words of Scripture to someone who has not read the Bible before, for instance, or guiding someone to a decision, and brightening the life of a person who is sad or lonely.

So savor your light. Use it wisely. Consider the work of the Creator. Then shine!

Groanings

praying hard

The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Sometimes all we can muster up from within us when we pray is a sigh, a breath, a groan. But the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit can take these sounds and make them into groanings to God that capture everything we mean to say to God the Father through them. You see, we never need to have just the right word or phrase. We don’t need to recite familiar prayers from our childhood verbatim. We should never be afraid to just come to God and moan a little over everything that is happening to us and around us. Our every utterance to God, intelligible to the world around us or not, is a prayer. And it is those deep and longing noises from within us that often say the most to God about what is going on in our lives and where we really need some critical help.

I am reminded a little in all of this of Jacob wrestling with God in the Old Testament (See Genesis 32:24.). Our moans and groans are a kind of wrestling with God over issues that are not easily resolved or very clear cut. But God does not mind wrestling with us; in fact, he wants us to be real and honest with him about how we are feeling. So let out your sorrow, your pain, your anger, your frustration in prayer. Don’t hold back. God can take it. The Spirit will express it to him fully. We will be heard and understood by God, even if it feels like no one else is getting the reason or reasons for our wrangling.

No matter how intense it gets, when we walk away from prayer, we will have the assurance from God that he is with us always and he is in the struggle with us. Christ’s moans and groans from the cross on our behalf prove that to us.

Old Locks

old locks
The remains of an old lock along what used to be the Ohio and Erie Canal.

I recently found myself in an area where there used to be a canal that was built in 1825. But now all that is left of the canal are the remains of the locks that balanced the water in such a way that the boats could pass through from one level to another (as I understand it).

Though these locks had served a vital purpose in their time, they no longer were needed, and I found what was left of them rather beautiful. They had done what they were designed to do, and now they stood as an example of good workmanship and a tribute to water transportation.

I find myself thinking about what might remain of anything I have worked on 200 years from now. Will an article I wrote resurface or will this very blog post pop up on a monitor somewhere? Probably not, but who’s to say?

The one thing I must remember are these beautiful words from Scripture: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). God has a plan and a purpose for us that is beyond what we might have in mind for ourselves, and he will use us as he sees fit to bring good things to pass through Christ Jesus.

Riding into Water

water path
Bike path to South Hero Island, north of Burlington, VT

On my trip to Vermont this summer, I went on a bike trail just north of Burlington. As I rode along, I suddenly realized that the trail was taking me straight into Lake Champlain. I kept pedaling and the trail on dry land kept going. With water on both sides, I became a little frightened and made a concerted effort to keep the wheels of my bike rolling near the certain of the path. There was no room for error. If I somehow left the path on either side, I would be veering into water. Eventually the trail ended midway through the bay, where a railroad bridge once spanned the water the rest of the way to South Hero Island. I carefully returned on the path on came in on, feeling stronger in my legs and more sure of my balance on the bike as I again negotiated toward the center of the path to a wide expanse of land on shore.

The experience, while thrilling, made me think for a moment about the trepidation the Children of Israel must have felt as they traversed along dry land with the water of the Red Sea being held back by God on both sides. They must have focused on their feet, making sure they were walking a straight line toward shore, not accidentally stepping into the churning waters that could have swept them away. After a while though, their steps must have gotten easier; they found themselves more sure-footed as they neared the end of their trek. We are reminded of how they celebrated with song and tambourine when everyone had safely crossed and they had escaped their Egyptian captors.

God provides us with ways out of dangerous situations that often take some courage on our part. We need to stay focused, pay attention and keep the goal of relief in mind each time we step foot into paths marked out for us that can be tricky to navigate, but in the end are for our benefit. I think of recovery after surgery, getting out of a difficult relationship or searching for new employment.

Like the Children of Israel, we have a God who will deliver us. All we need to do is put one foot in front of the other and trust him to take us to where he wants us to be.

Even Now

Mary, Martha and Jesus

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” —John 11:21-22

The two words “even now” were brought to light to me in a recent sermon. They are spoken by Martha in the midst of what must have been one of the most trying times of her life. Her brother whom she loved dearly had died, and Jesus, whom she knew to be the Messiah, had not come in time to help him. But even in the the midst of this upheaval in her life, she was able, in faith, to say that even now she knew Jesus could be anything. And, amazingly, he did. He raised Lazaras!

Fast-forward to today. Even now, in the midst of wars around the world. Even now, with political unrest in our nation. Even now, with mass shootings and violence. Even now, with those we love sick or dying. Even now, with our own physical or mental struggles, we can still say with certainty by faith, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” And he will.

Inspiration

Robert Frost Trail
Scene along the Robert Frost Trail in Green Mountain National Forest

The famous American poet Robert Frost got inspiration for his poetry from the nature he witnessed around him on his walks through the woods near Green Mountain in the state of Vermont. I had an opportunity to take the path that Frost took through the woods of Vermont and witness for myself the trees, the meadows, the roads diverging in a yellow wood that elicited such a creative response.

What inspires you in this world? More specifically, what does the Holy Spirit inspire you to notice to help you learn more about our God? For many, it is indeed nature that inspires us to draw closer to the God who created all things. For others, inspiration comes from books, articles and podcasts that open our minds to the meaning behind the works and words of God. Often, it is music, and many times, it is simply a word, phrase or response from a friend that strikes us in a way that makes God come alive for us.

Inspiration is the primary work of the Holy Spirit. That is why it is important for us to stop and recognize that we are being inspired by something or someone. It is the Spirit of God speaking to us and telling us to pay attention. So be open to inspiration and do something with it when it comes you…like write a poem.

Transplanted

plant
My transplanted plant next to its cracked (and much smaller) original pot.

We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
2 Thessalonians 1:3

A plant I have at my office window was growing out of its original pot so much that the pot itself was cracking. So I made the move to transplant the plant into a larger pot with new potting soil. The experience ended well with the plant successfully transferred to its new bigger location for it to thrive and expand. But getting there was a little messy. I had to cut the plastic housing inside the original pot to release the roots from their confinement. Then when I put the new potting soil in the larger pot, a lot of the dirt ended up on my office floor carpeting, and the gardening gloves I bought specifically for this task immediately developed a hole in one of the fingers. Fortunately, I did find a broom and a dustpan to brush away the excess dirt, and the gloves did keep the dirt off my hands, even with the hole.

Now as I look at the newly transplanted plant, I am amazed that such a large plant had once lived in such a small space when it clearly needed more room to flourish and become the plant it was meant to be. There are many Christian metaphors that come to mind as I contemplate this experience. First, we as Christian plantings of the Lord are not meant to remain static, but to grow and develop in our faith. But that spiritual growth and that transplanting to a new mission for God can be painful and difficult before it gets good. There are literally growing pains that happen as we adjust to new challenges, new people, new tasks that are not initially easy for us. We might feel a little broken when we abandon where we have been, and we may have some weak spots that nag us along the way. But in the end the growth is good for us and expands our relationship with God and with one another in a way that deepens our roots into even richer soil of spiritual development. In the end, we need never be afraid to be transplanted by our God to a new town, a new job, a new relationship, a new role in our congregation. He will make sure that we become more and more the people he wants us to be.

Your All in All

all your love

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

We have all heard the phrase “give it your all,” right? Well, that sentiment is never more clear than in the words of Jesus in Mark 12:30. Jesus does not tell us to just love God. He tells us to love him with our all.

all our heart: We are to love deeply, sincerely, compassionately.

all our soul: We are to love from our spiritual core, from the center of our faith, through the will of the Holy Spirit.

all our mind: We are to love with understanding and a clear conscience without any ill intent.

all our strength: We are to love with the power God has given us and the confidence we have in Jesus.

Think of these components every time you hear the word love in any context, and consider ways in which you can incorporate all of them in your expressions of love to God, especially in worship, prayer, Bible study and devotions. He truly is your all in all.

A Lazy Boy?

recliner

I have a recliner in my living room, and it is the first chair I head to at the end of a hard day of work. I pull the lever to lift up the foot rest and lean back toward the wall, breathing out a heavy sigh.

I find it funny that the company that made my recliner is called La-Z-Boy. Am I a “lazy boy” for using a chair like this? I really don’t think so. I am using the chair as a reward for my hard work. It might be better for me to call a chair like mine a Relaxing Boy or a Comforting Boy.

I am not in the habit of using my chair to avoid work, but to rest from my labor. It is a good thing to rest now and then, of course. God built in a day of rest after creating the whole world after all, and he included a commandment about resting on the Sabbath. Rest is important but should not be done to excess. We as God’s people were not created to just lay around in comfy chairs all day long. We were specially designed to move.

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news,” Jesus told his disciples (Mark 16:15). “Run with perseverance the race that is set before us,” St. Paul tells us (Hebrews 12:1). “Walk in love, as Christ loved us” Paul advises the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:2). But after going with good news, running with perseverance and walking in love, there is a time for rest. Rest in the comfort that only God can bring through prayer and through peace that passes all understanding. No recliner can ever match reclining in God’s arms.