Sometimes I just sit and wish. I wish about things that someday will come true, and other things that are just that...wishful thinking. Here are some things I have come up with:
I wish I never had to do the dishes.
I wish I could live at the beach.
I wish I was a bird.
I wish the stars were closer to Earth.
I wish I never got cold.
I wish I never said anything I would one day regret.
I wish I could get through school in a week and still have learned everything I needed to learn.
I wish I could pause time in the moments I can now only reminisce about.
I wish life unfolded before me, ready to be tackled and caged.
I wish I knew the unknown.
I wish summer lasted forever.
I wish time well spent with family was all the time.
I wish I could always smile.
I wish away headaches...forever.
These were on the top of the list. But they are really just trivial streams of consciousness. There are other wishes that I must fulfill...wishes that can mean life or death:
I wish Adam had never sinned.
I wish I always did what God has willed me to do.
I wish I could take back all the times I have ever turned my back on Christ.
I wish I could love always.
I wish my faith was always a part of who I am, not just a second thought.
I wish I was spiritually fearless.
I wish I could win all of my battles.
I wish my vices would disappear forever.
I wish I had never crucified Christ with my sins.
After I thought through each of these weighty wishes, I realized something. Most of these can be fulfilled...through Christ. He takes away all of our screw-ups. He puts peace and love back into our lives. He brings his Spirit to live within us so that others can see our faith and his glory. Through Christ we can win all of our battles, and our sins and vices no longer hold us. With Christ, these things aren't just wishful thinking...they can become reality.
2 Corinthians 5:15-21
15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
I can see myself looking through one of those overlooking binoculars. You know, the ones you pay like fifty cents to look through, just so you can magnify and see something so far away in a clearer view? I’m standing on a ledge, looking out over a crystal blue lake, trying to see a lone island, green as an emerald, standing in the middle of the vast body of water. As I put my coins in to look I focus the binoculars to the point I believe will allow me the greatest view of the island. I put my eyes to the holes and peak through, adjusting the lenses until I get it to what I feel is the perfect view.
As I’m bending over admiring this island from afar, a man approaches me and chuckles. I look up and see him staring off at the tiny spot of land I was ogling with a slight grin on his face.
“You can see it better up close,” he says.
“I know, but I have no way of getting there.” I reply, a slight tinge of annoyance in my voice as I can feel the seconds slipping away on my paid binocular time. “I can see it fine over here.”
“Yeah, sure.” He says sarcastically, chuckling again. “I know a better way.”
“You do?” I ask excitedly.
“Yes, I do! Just follow me…”
This story reminds me of how we are so enamored and focused on our views and ideas of the world that we decide to watch God’s plans from afar. We stand on the ledge called Commitment and stare off at the little piece of God’s will He has allowed us to see and say, “Wow, God! You really are amazing. I love your plans, but I can see them just as well right here.” We choose to stand on the sidelines instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of spiritual warfare.
Paul called us Christ’s ambassadors (in some versions it says “friends”), and ambassadors are people that go out into the world on behalf of someone. They don’t sit idly and watch it all unfold; they are part of the action. As Christ saves each one of us, He ferries us past the waters of sin and doubt and into a world where believing is seeing and death is merely a doorway into new life, at least that’s the way He wanted it to be.
But sometimes our vision becomes cloudy again. We can’t always see the nest step on God’s path for us, but we can at least see the path and its boundaries. But when we become complacent we lose sight of the path itself. And even more dangerous is shifting our gaze from Christ to the screw-ups other people commit. We were called out of that when we were born again. We no longer have to see other people through our eyes (the binoculars you pay for), we can see them the way Christ does, as beings created in His image, people to shower with the love Christ has so graciously poured on us.
Christ did the hard work. We just have to plant and water his fields. He is the one who is going to harvest it all. We are called to go out in love. He has the full plan; we just have to follow it. So let’s stop looking through our binoculars; let’s stop seeing a small piece of the big picture. Instead, let’s run towards Christ to get a better view of His plan. That way, when trials come around, we won’t lose sight of Him through the storm. We will be on the same boat, ready to take on anything head on together.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
I can see myself looking through one of those overlooking binoculars. You know, the ones you pay like fifty cents to look through, just so you can magnify and see something so far away in a clearer view? I’m standing on a ledge, looking out over a crystal blue lake, trying to see a lone island, green as an emerald, standing in the middle of the vast body of water. As I put my coins in to look I focus the binoculars to the point I believe will allow me the greatest view of the island. I put my eyes to the holes and peak through, adjusting the lenses until I get it to what I feel is the perfect view.
As I’m bending over admiring this island from afar, a man approaches me and chuckles. I look up and see him staring off at the tiny spot of land I was ogling with a slight grin on his face.
“You can see it better up close,” he says.
“I know, but I have no way of getting there.” I reply, a slight tinge of annoyance in my voice as I can feel the seconds slipping away on my paid binocular time. “I can see it fine over here.”
“Yeah, sure.” He says sarcastically, chuckling again. “I know a better way.”
“You do?” I ask excitedly.
“Yes, I do! Just follow me…”
This story reminds me of how we are so enamored and focused on our views and ideas of the world that we decide to watch God’s plans from afar. We stand on the ledge called Commitment and stare off at the little piece of God’s will He has allowed us to see and say, “Wow, God! You really are amazing. I love your plans, but I can see them just as well right here.” We choose to stand on the sidelines instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of spiritual warfare.
Paul called us Christ’s ambassadors (in some versions it says “friends”), and ambassadors are people that go out into the world on behalf of someone. They don’t sit idly and watch it all unfold; they are part of the action. As Christ saves each one of us, He ferries us past the waters of sin and doubt and into a world where believing is seeing and death is merely a doorway into new life, at least that’s the way He wanted it to be.
But sometimes our vision becomes cloudy again. We can’t always see the nest step on God’s path for us, but we can at least see the path and its boundaries. But when we become complacent we lose sight of the path itself. And even more dangerous is shifting our gaze from Christ to the screw-ups other people commit. We were called out of that when we were born again. We no longer have to see other people through our eyes (the binoculars you pay for), we can see them the way Christ does, as beings created in His image, people to shower with the love Christ has so graciously poured on us.
Christ did the hard work. We just have to plant and water his fields. He is the one who is going to harvest it all. We are called to go out in love. He has the full plan; we just have to follow it. So let’s stop looking through our binoculars; let’s stop seeing a small piece of the big picture. Instead, let’s run towards Christ to get a better view of His plan. That way, when trials come around, we won’t lose sight of Him through the storm. We will be on the same boat, ready to take on anything head on together.
Sleep
1 Samuel 3:3, It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of GOD, where the Chest of God rested.
As I read this chapter during my morning quiet time, a passage I had heard on occasions before, this verse hit me. I could just as easily have skimmed right over it and thought nothing of it unless I had taken the time I did to actually read it and understand it's meaning. In my Bible, it says that Samuel was asleep near the Ark. In order to truly get the full meaning out of this verse we have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was God's throne on Earth, where His presence dwelled. It was actually the spirit of God here among us humans on Earth.
I don't know how this would sound to anyone else, but I got excited when I read this. Samuel, still a young boy, was sleeping in God's house, within God's presence. How awesome! I continually wish to be in God's will, but Samuel got to sleep in His presence. To fall asleep and be able to hear God waking you every morning must be such an amazing experience. Later in the chapter it says that Samuel grew up in the Lord and was a great prophet. I wonder how much influence Samuel's early experience with God had upon his later years, and how much the fact that Samuel lived in God's presence had to do with him being a great prophet. I guess it goes to show that the more time we spend with God (either physically or mentally) the more we live within his will.
It reminds me of our parents. As we grow up with them we begin to pick up there little nuances, their likes and dislikes, even their personalities. They have such an influence on the way we think and act that our actions sometimes directly point back to their own lives. It can be said the same way about God's influence on us. As long as we're being the stupid, rebellious children of God that comes as our default attitude, we won't pick up God's personality, likes, dislikes, or ideas. But, once we put down our foolish childish ways and pick up a more mature outlook, we begin to respect God and His hold on our lives and we pick up on His will for us. Therefore, more people can see us and say, "Oh, they are Yahweh's children...that's obvious."
So let's act like Samuel and live, eat, breath, sleep in God's presence. Let's learn about our Father who has so graciously adopted us into His eternal family. Until we begin to live in a way our Dad wants, we won't be able to point others to His gracious salvation and gain more brothers and sisters in Christ...
As I read this chapter during my morning quiet time, a passage I had heard on occasions before, this verse hit me. I could just as easily have skimmed right over it and thought nothing of it unless I had taken the time I did to actually read it and understand it's meaning. In my Bible, it says that Samuel was asleep near the Ark. In order to truly get the full meaning out of this verse we have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was God's throne on Earth, where His presence dwelled. It was actually the spirit of God here among us humans on Earth.
I don't know how this would sound to anyone else, but I got excited when I read this. Samuel, still a young boy, was sleeping in God's house, within God's presence. How awesome! I continually wish to be in God's will, but Samuel got to sleep in His presence. To fall asleep and be able to hear God waking you every morning must be such an amazing experience. Later in the chapter it says that Samuel grew up in the Lord and was a great prophet. I wonder how much influence Samuel's early experience with God had upon his later years, and how much the fact that Samuel lived in God's presence had to do with him being a great prophet. I guess it goes to show that the more time we spend with God (either physically or mentally) the more we live within his will.
It reminds me of our parents. As we grow up with them we begin to pick up there little nuances, their likes and dislikes, even their personalities. They have such an influence on the way we think and act that our actions sometimes directly point back to their own lives. It can be said the same way about God's influence on us. As long as we're being the stupid, rebellious children of God that comes as our default attitude, we won't pick up God's personality, likes, dislikes, or ideas. But, once we put down our foolish childish ways and pick up a more mature outlook, we begin to respect God and His hold on our lives and we pick up on His will for us. Therefore, more people can see us and say, "Oh, they are Yahweh's children...that's obvious."
So let's act like Samuel and live, eat, breath, sleep in God's presence. Let's learn about our Father who has so graciously adopted us into His eternal family. Until we begin to live in a way our Dad wants, we won't be able to point others to His gracious salvation and gain more brothers and sisters in Christ...
Spirit Waltz, Something Like Silas
These vereses have really been speaking to me recently, and this song came on while I was listening to my music and I thought they might tie together, at least when speaking on God's love for us.
Psalm 103: 8-12
8 GOD is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
9 He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.
10 He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
11 As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
12 And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
Your cup of grace is deeper than, is deeper than the ocean
Your strong embrace is wider than, is wider than the sky.
Jesus, my heart cannot break enough for,
Your love, a well that runs deep within my soul.
Your perfect words go further than, go further than tomorrow
And when my world shakes you pull me through, you pull me through the storm.
Psalm 103: 8-12
8 GOD is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
9 He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.
10 He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
11 As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
12 And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
Your cup of grace is deeper than, is deeper than the ocean
Your strong embrace is wider than, is wider than the sky.
Jesus, my heart cannot break enough for,
Your love, a well that runs deep within my soul.
Your perfect words go further than, go further than tomorrow
And when my world shakes you pull me through, you pull me through the storm.
Portrait
I sat again in the Starbucks, which was beginning to feel like my home away from home. I had come there after a day of driving across Dallas and attending hospital orientation, hoping to get a little reprieve from the drizzle outside, but mainly trying to avoid the hustle and bustle that is school traffic. When I sat down with my computer and coffee I had a plan set that I was going to start right off by watching my lecture. But as always, the little voice in the back of my mind knew I would procrastinate, so I decided not to fight it as I put my headphones in and started my music.
I searched the Web for a bit, visiting my favorite sites, not really looking for anything in particular. As I exited one of the windows, my desktop came up and I gasped...my background was hideous! I had changed it many times before, searching for that one special picture that would wow me everytime I opened my laptop. Although I hadn't found it yet, I found a new vigor and passion; I was going to find that picture.
I quickly got back on the internet, knowing exactly where I was going, a database of photographs from around the world, each beautiful in its own way. But I was looking for just one, and I would know it when I found it. I imagined a picture that would transform my desktop into a frame, or a window, looking out into a beautiful portrait of creation. I just didn't know the specifics. It could've been a moonlit night on the shores of a Mediterranean beach, with lavender waves gently crashing onto a golden shore with the majestic moon controlling the continuous ebb and flow. It could've been a winding, gravel road deep within a southern wood, the green leaves creating an earthy glow, where one could just imagine the humidity of the air sticking to one's body. Or could it have been an ancient city, ruins and more modern buildings mixed together into mosaic of lost times, red rooves and chipping plaster creating a wise, regal look?
I had no idea. All the options flooded my mind and saturated my thoughts. But, after a few minutes of searching, it was no use. I just couldn't find that portrait that stuck out so much that I would know I had to have it. And then suddenly, when I was nearly to the end of my rope, I pulled up the next page and my eyes went wide. There it was: my picture.
It was so beautiful I sat there for a moment, staring at, searching the many colors and textures that made up the landscape. It looked like the sun was just beginning to rise, barely over the horizon, not really circular, but more like a spirit shining sporadically through the clouds. It was heralding in a new day over a rolling meadow, the green and gold of grass and grains dotted the ground as far as the eye could see. Two rounded hills, almost moundish, were jutting out of the land on the horizon. The sky was dotted with white, fluffy clouds. The part of the sky that hadn't been hit by the sun's rays was a deep blue, almost purple, still looking sleepily toward the rising ball of fire. And right in the forefront, with the sun creating its silhouette, was a purple flower. Other flowers surrounded the floral stranger, but this one seemed like it was the leader, standing above the rest, straight and beautiful.
This was my dream of beauty; my dream of Heaven. There were no flaws, no blemishes, just a portrait of God's creation reflecting His glory to a fallen earth. I thought about how little we deserved God to paint us a picture like this everyday, and then I realized something. Every sunrise, every sunset; every star, every cloud; every wave, every waterfall; every flower, every tree; every animal, every human has been created by a loving, powerful, majestic, perfect God who has given us a grace so undeserved that it is unfathomable. Everything in nature points back to God and how much He is in control. As I sipped my coffee, holding back tears, I heard God whisper something in my ear...
David, he said, you are my son. And you are a portrait of perfection...
I searched the Web for a bit, visiting my favorite sites, not really looking for anything in particular. As I exited one of the windows, my desktop came up and I gasped...my background was hideous! I had changed it many times before, searching for that one special picture that would wow me everytime I opened my laptop. Although I hadn't found it yet, I found a new vigor and passion; I was going to find that picture.
I quickly got back on the internet, knowing exactly where I was going, a database of photographs from around the world, each beautiful in its own way. But I was looking for just one, and I would know it when I found it. I imagined a picture that would transform my desktop into a frame, or a window, looking out into a beautiful portrait of creation. I just didn't know the specifics. It could've been a moonlit night on the shores of a Mediterranean beach, with lavender waves gently crashing onto a golden shore with the majestic moon controlling the continuous ebb and flow. It could've been a winding, gravel road deep within a southern wood, the green leaves creating an earthy glow, where one could just imagine the humidity of the air sticking to one's body. Or could it have been an ancient city, ruins and more modern buildings mixed together into mosaic of lost times, red rooves and chipping plaster creating a wise, regal look?
I had no idea. All the options flooded my mind and saturated my thoughts. But, after a few minutes of searching, it was no use. I just couldn't find that portrait that stuck out so much that I would know I had to have it. And then suddenly, when I was nearly to the end of my rope, I pulled up the next page and my eyes went wide. There it was: my picture.
It was so beautiful I sat there for a moment, staring at, searching the many colors and textures that made up the landscape. It looked like the sun was just beginning to rise, barely over the horizon, not really circular, but more like a spirit shining sporadically through the clouds. It was heralding in a new day over a rolling meadow, the green and gold of grass and grains dotted the ground as far as the eye could see. Two rounded hills, almost moundish, were jutting out of the land on the horizon. The sky was dotted with white, fluffy clouds. The part of the sky that hadn't been hit by the sun's rays was a deep blue, almost purple, still looking sleepily toward the rising ball of fire. And right in the forefront, with the sun creating its silhouette, was a purple flower. Other flowers surrounded the floral stranger, but this one seemed like it was the leader, standing above the rest, straight and beautiful.
This was my dream of beauty; my dream of Heaven. There were no flaws, no blemishes, just a portrait of God's creation reflecting His glory to a fallen earth. I thought about how little we deserved God to paint us a picture like this everyday, and then I realized something. Every sunrise, every sunset; every star, every cloud; every wave, every waterfall; every flower, every tree; every animal, every human has been created by a loving, powerful, majestic, perfect God who has given us a grace so undeserved that it is unfathomable. Everything in nature points back to God and how much He is in control. As I sipped my coffee, holding back tears, I heard God whisper something in my ear...
David, he said, you are my son. And you are a portrait of perfection...
His Favorite Christmas Story, Capital Lights
He met her up in Delaware in 1937
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when he finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
It was the night before Christmas, it was love at first sight
The carolers sang as they danced through the night
She was a small town girl, he was a traveling guy
He never caught her name before they said their goodbyes
A couple years later he was out on the road
Having Christmas dinner in a diner alone
When he saw a young waitress with a gleam in her eye
Her favorite day of the year she showed her spirits were high
She said sir can you shed a little holiday cheer
A simple Christmas story was all she wanted to hear
He looked prepared with a smile as he started to say
Here's my favorite Christmas story about a girl with no name
He said I met her up in Delaware in 1937
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
Every holiday season as he traveled he'd tell about his Christmas dance partner that he never knew well
He'd share his favorite story with the locals he met
He was called the Christmas story telling traveling man
By age 53 he had done settled down
All the neighborhood kids liked to gather around
Just to listen to his stories about his life on the road
All he had now were these children he told
And every Christmas eve they showed up before dark
He'd tell them all the story but they knew it by heart
They could quote it word for word, he always told it the same
It was his favorite Christmas story called the girl with no name
He said I met her up in Delaware in 1937
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
Twenty years later as he took his last breath
It was on a cold Christmas morning on a hospital bed
The children were grown, he had nobody left
Except the little old nurse who was holding his hand
He said Ma'am can you share a little holiday cheer
A simple Christmas story was all he wanted to hear
But his eyes filled with tears at the words that she spoke
Because his favorite Christmas story was the one that she told
She said I met him up in Delaware in 1937
Though I never caught his name he was a traveling man
December 24th at a quarter till eleven
I'm so glad he got the courage to ask me to dance
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when he finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
It was the night before Christmas, it was love at first sight
The carolers sang as they danced through the night
She was a small town girl, he was a traveling guy
He never caught her name before they said their goodbyes
A couple years later he was out on the road
Having Christmas dinner in a diner alone
When he saw a young waitress with a gleam in her eye
Her favorite day of the year she showed her spirits were high
She said sir can you shed a little holiday cheer
A simple Christmas story was all she wanted to hear
He looked prepared with a smile as he started to say
Here's my favorite Christmas story about a girl with no name
He said I met her up in Delaware in 1937
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
Every holiday season as he traveled he'd tell about his Christmas dance partner that he never knew well
He'd share his favorite story with the locals he met
He was called the Christmas story telling traveling man
By age 53 he had done settled down
All the neighborhood kids liked to gather around
Just to listen to his stories about his life on the road
All he had now were these children he told
And every Christmas eve they showed up before dark
He'd tell them all the story but they knew it by heart
They could quote it word for word, he always told it the same
It was his favorite Christmas story called the girl with no name
He said I met her up in Delaware in 1937
She was wearing red lipstick to match her pretty dress
December 24th at a quarter till eleven is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance
Twenty years later as he took his last breath
It was on a cold Christmas morning on a hospital bed
The children were grown, he had nobody left
Except the little old nurse who was holding his hand
He said Ma'am can you share a little holiday cheer
A simple Christmas story was all he wanted to hear
But his eyes filled with tears at the words that she spoke
Because his favorite Christmas story was the one that she told
She said I met him up in Delaware in 1937
Though I never caught his name he was a traveling man
December 24th at a quarter till eleven
I'm so glad he got the courage to ask me to dance
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