Dare the Roller Coaster!

When my son was small, he was not adventurous in any way. Instead, he liked what was safe and known, avoiding anything new or risky. Although we enjoyed an annual excursion to Six Flags when my sister’s family came to visit, my son stubbornly refused to join us on the roller coaster, not even setting foot in the tunnel to the ride. It just looked too scary!

As we enter a new year, we may be too afraid to risk the downs ahead to even aim to go up. Thus, we don’t attempt anything new or different, settling for what is safe rather than following God into the unknown.

I think of Abraham, whose courageous faith following God to a foreign land resulted in a nation and a descendant to bring love and redemption to all mankind. It all happened because he took the risk of faith. If we want to impact our world for God’s kingdom, we must overcome our fears. What a ride we will enjoy if we dare to obey God and risk the ups and downs that are ahead!

This last year was scary as I left a known ministry position and set out for opportunities that only God can see. Although I am still in limbo in many ways,

Rocks of Remembrance for 2010

Often I forget what God has done for me. When things don’t seem to be turning out as I request in prayer, I wonder if God is listening, overlooking the many times he has intervened with his faithful answers to prayer (frequently solutions that differ from mine). When facing a trial I lose hope and begin to worry, failing to focus on the grace and mercy that God has poured out in my life during previous tough times. God suggests a memory aid--rocks! 

Brown Paper Gifts

I appreciate having beautifully decorated Christmas presents. However, I remember a year when my son wrapped his gifts to us in brown package paper, sealed them with duct tape, and wrote our names in marker on the outside. What was inside was great, but I didn’t want him to put the wrapped presents under the tree. (He so enjoyed upsetting traditions and his mom!)

Two thousand years ago God gave the gift of Jesus, but he too came wrapped in brown paper. The Jews expected him to come as their King dressed in royal robes, restoring the Jewish kingdom. Instead, they received a baby born in a shelter for animals, a poor itinerant preacher who died at the hands of the Roman oppressors. They missed the gift, not looking beyond its plain packaging.

 

Sometimes God’s best presents come wrapped in brown paper, but we often prefer those that look good—

The Waiting Room

We have all experienced waiting rooms—in offices, emergency rooms, or airports. Often our stay is extended well beyond our expectations, and we become angry, impatient, and sometimes fearful in the face of uncertainty and delay.

Similarly, answered prayers do not always come as quickly as we hope, and we wonder if God has forgotten us or is simply too busy with others to note our needs. We may struggle to believe that God is listening, loving us and bringing an answer at the ideal time. Surely, now is the perfect time!

This week as I thought about my unanswered prayers, I realized that God himself waits.

Lessons from the Manger

We all know the story in Luke 2. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for Caesar’s census and found the inn full. However, someone mercifully allowed them to stay in a stable. Jesus was born there with only an unsanitary feeding trough available as his bed.

Because this story is so familiar, I easily overlook its significance. Instead of consuming and digesting God’s word so that it becomes real and personal, my tendency is to do just what James warns about—look in God’s mirror and turn away without change (Jam. 1:23-25).

So what is God showing me from the story of the manger today?

Confessions of a Christmas Perfectionist

Even as a little girl I obsessed over our Christmas decorations. I clearly remember my annual annoyance at my sister’s work on the tree. I wanted the silver icicles perfectly hung, but she basically threw them on the branches.  Because my efforts to force her to do it my way failed, I resorted to rehanging them myself when everyone was out of the room.

That began years of desiring everything perfect during the holidays—decorations, food, gifts, house, and family. Although I wanted to have guests over, I refused to do so unless all was exactly as it should be. And who determined what that was? What I saw at the stores gave me a false perception of what “everyone else” had. Then, there were the Christmas parties we attended (usually church-related), which were held in the largest homes so there would be room for all. Although I knew such showplaces weren’t really representative, they were the standard I experienced. The comparison made me reluctant to invite anyone over at all.

This presents a problem since God calls His children to be hospitable (1 Pet. 4:9; Heb. 13:2).