When Our Dark Times are only a Dark Room

I was reflecting yesterday over some notes in my journal.  When I am reading a good non-fiction or listening to a great sermon, I am learning to keep my journal nearby.  That way, when a concept hits me that I had never considered before, I can write it down and think it over later.

While Robert Morris was talking about how the breaking of the bread turns not enough into more than enough, he also mentioned that some times our dark times are only a dark room.  When a photographer is developing film the old fashioned way (not the Walgreen's photo way),  he doesn't stand in a well lit room full of sunshine and light.  He goes into a dark room.  If the person developing the film isn't completely in the dark, the film gets a little foggy.  In order for the image to be burned in just right, the film has to remain in the dark.  Robert Morris went on to say that sometimes God has to take us to the dark room in order for HIS image to be burned into us just right.

When I heard this, I thought back to the seasons of darkness in my life.  I think about how almost every time I come out of one of those seasons, I can more clearly see God's will for me.  Sometimes those dark seasons come when God has asked me to do really hard things like forgive my Dad.  The emotions of it all became too much, but while I was in the darkness, God was burning in His image of Father in my heart.  Sometimes those dark seasons come when God needs to teach me something.  He knows me, He knows that I draw nearer to Him in the darkness.  He knows that I will scream in the darkness, "LORD, SHOW ME WHAT I SHOULD BE LEARNING HERE BECAUSE I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE."  I come out on the other side of the darkness with a much clearer picture of who God wants me to be.  I've found that often I have had to enter a season of darkness before I could clearly see any glimpse of the purpose behind God asking me to do a hard thing. Look back on the times you've felt like you were in the dark.  Did you come out with a clearer image?

If you are walking through darkness at the moment, let me encourage you.  A photo has no worth if it stays in the dark forever.  There will come a day when the developer pulls you out of the darkness and shows the world the beautiful image that was created in the process.

Breaking Bread

While I was back home in Kansas City, I had the opportunity to attend several weeks of bible study at my old church.  If you live in KC and are free on Thursday mornings, you should really get yourself to this bible study.  Shoot me a message if you need more details :)

The last week I was there, we were talking about the period of time right after Jesus' resurrection when the two disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus.  Jesus was walking with them but they were blinded and couldn't see that it was Jesus.  The disciples urged this "stranger" to stay with them for the evening.  While Jesus was at the table with them, he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  As soon as the bread was broken, their eyes were opened and they recognized that it was Jesus who had been walking with them all along.  My friend Debi pointed out that we are much the same way.  When the "breaking" happens, we tend to see Jesus a little more clearly.  Perhaps we seek Him out more in the hard times.  We want to draw near to Him because we know Jesus is our only hope.  You know...only she said it much better than that :).

This concept of breaking bread reminded me of a sermon I had heard from Robert Morris.  He was talking about the famous story of the five loaves and the two fishes.  He pointed out that when Jesus was handed those five loaves, He gave thanks and broke the loaves.  It was in the breaking that not enough became more than enough.  When I first heard this sermon, I was just getting ready for my spine surgery.  I had been notified that I wouldn't have a job when I returned from surgery.  We had recently made the decision to put our dog to sleep.  I wrote in my journal, "What in the world is our mighty God going to do with all of the breaking that is happening in my life?  Just like the little boy who gave up his lunch, I want to willingly offer the little I have so that God can break it and multiply it for the good of His people."

In John 6:12, Jesus said,  "...Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."  That has been my focus.  God will not allow one thing that I have gone through to be wasted.  He will use every ounce of it, as long as I surrender it to Him.  I can't hold on to the broken pieces and refuse to give them back.  I can't hold on to that little piece of bitterness, or those many crumbs of anger that I felt during the breaking.  I can't hold on to the big chunks of would've, could've, should've beens.  I have to hand every single bit of it back to the one who allowed the breaking.  If I don't give it back to Him, it was wasted.

I know quite a few people in my life who are experiencing some "breaking" in their lives.  Allow that breaking to open your eyes to the fact that Jesus has been walking beside you all along..and He still is..and He always will.  Allow God to use the breaking to turn not enough, into more than enough. Surrender the broken pieces.  Let nothing that you are going through be wasted.

And since I'm me, and ya'll know how I am, a song keeps coming to mind.  "Nothing is Wasted" by Jason Gray.  You can listen to it here.  While I'm at it, he has a new Album that just came out called "Where The Light Gets In".  There are no words for how much I love this album including the title track, "The Wound Is Where the Light Gets In".  Good Good stuff!!

Let's Make Him Relevant

When I was a hot broken mess trying to survive life on this earth, a lot of well meaning Christians tried to share the gospel with me.  The one common thread among all that approached me was this question, "Don't you want to live forever?"  They would go on to tell me about how Jesus is the answer to eternal life.  As I mentioned in a previous post, they would tell me that if I walked away from my sinful life, I would have everlasting life.  I think that is a lovely thought.  I think that it might even work to draw some people to Jesus.  In the corporate world, or really all of my worlds, I have heard the phrase, "know your audience."  The same can be said for how we share the hope of Jesus.

The message of eternal life may only be relevant to those who are afraid of dying.  We need to make Jesus more relevant than just eternal life.  Jesus is relevant today.  The relationship that He wants to have with us TODAY is relevant.  He is relevant in ALL things.  We need to make sure that we aren't just making Him relevant in death.

People who are hurting or broken need to understand that Jesus loves them. Right Now!  Today!  They need to know that He is the healer.  He wants nothing more than to fill up the hole that is in their life.  They one they have been trying to fill up with everything but Jesus and can't figure out why it isn't working.  When I was the one hurting and broken, trying everything but Jesus, the thought of eternal life made me want to cry.  I barely had the will to get through next day.  The last thing I wanted to think about was having to deal with my life FOREVER.  I didn't understand that the forever life they were talking about was one full of love, hope, faith, and a Father who loved me unconditionally.    

Let us make sure that we are sharing how Jesus is working in our lives today.  Let's make Him relevant.

Pray For Real Upon Your Knees - Until They Blister

So my friend Mandy shared a song with me the other day and it wrecked me. It was so convicting and spoke to so many things that God was already putting on my heart.  It was so good,  that I thought I would write a blog post about it.  The song is called "Clear The Stage" by Jimmy Needham.  You can listen to it by clicking here.

There is a verse in the song that reads:

Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper
Beg him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.

I think about the things that God is putting on my heart.  I have been praying and seeking direction from Him on what the next steps in my career/life look like.  I talk to Him in the morning while I'm drinking my coffee and playing Hay Day.  I talk to Him while I'm driving in my car.  I talk to Him while I'm watching TV.  I talk to Him while I'm scrolling through Facebook. I know the power of prayer. I know that we should pray without ceasing.  I have been so frustrated because I feel like I'm not hearing Him.  He is giving me little bits and pieces but I desperately want clarity and confirmation.

God spoke to my heart today and asked me when the last time was, that I made room in my life for only Him.  No distractions!!  No TV, radio, computer, dogs, people...just HIM.  When was the last time I prayed for real upon my knees??  I want so desperately to hear Him but I refuse to stop and listen.  Why??  Am I afraid of what He might ask of me?  Am I afraid that this next thing might be harder than the last thing?  The last time He gave me the clarity that I so desperately seek, wasn't easy.  Picking up everything I owned, and leaving those that I love most for a job that was soul-crushing wasn't what I had in mind when He said go.  What if next time, He asks me to do something even harder?

What if He doesn't?

What if the hard times that He has had me walking through, for what seems like forever, has all been preparing me for such a time as this?  What if His plans are to give me the desires of my heart? There is another line in the song that says, "Anything that I put, before my God, is an idol."  The FEAR that I am allowing in my life and putting above hearing from Him is an idol.  So I am putting it out in the open...and letting His light shine on it.  Now, I'm off to pray, for real, upon my knees.

He Can Never Love Me More

I  heard numerous times in my life that nothing I could ever do could make Jesus love me less.  It took me a long time to receive that truth in my heart.  I was always striving to be all that I believed God wanted me to be and more.  Since I was the one doing the striving, instead of letting God shape and mold me into who He wanted me to be, I often got it completely wrong.  God has had to correct my path on more than one occasion.

So, the lesson is to quit trying to do things under your own power, even if they look like something God would want you to be doing.  Ask Him what He would have you do and then take a step in that direction.

Having said that, I wanted to share something I read recently.  I don't remember which book, as I've had a lot of down time to read, but it was so good that I've been mulling it over for quite some time.  If there is nothing I could do that would make God love me less, wouldn't it also be true that there is nothing that I could do that would make Him love me more?  That is such a freeing thought to have.

I seek God's will in my life and pray for His guidance and direction.  When I feel like I've heard Him, I will start taking steps in the direction He has guided me.  Then, fear sets in.  I will start doubting that I am doing "it" right or doubting that the actions I am taking even matter.  I want so desperately to please God with my actions that I let the fear of screwing it up get in the way of doing it.  If I can remember that God won't love me any more if I get it right, I release myself from the fear of getting it wrong.  I don't have to try so hard.  I don't have worry if I am enough.  I simply get to rest in His love for me and trust in His promises. That doesn't mean that I don't have to keep seeking, and praying, and moving, and stretching, and growing.  I just don't have to strive for more of His love.

May we be those who are obedient to do what God has asked of us because we love Him, not so He will love us more.