Watching and Waiting... and Trusting

looking out my parents' back door this weekend

I went to visit my family in Virginia this past weekend while I needed to leave Costa Rica for a few days in order to be able to continue to drive there.   It was wonderful to get to see them even for just a few short days. While there my mom asked me if it surprised or saddened me to see her and my dad age.  (It can seem more drastic when you are not seeing the slow progression, just like when you haven't seen someone's children for awhile and they have changed so much!)  Sometimes it is.  It's hard to see my older sister in pain or to share conversations with loved ones in a few short hours when I wish I could be there days on end to talk face to face.  One weekend is not nearly long enough.  And sometimes I want to be the hero, to fix all the problems that face my friends and family.

Last night after I got home, a dear friend in another country messaged me. Her family is going through some really tough stuff similar to what we have faced before.  Similar to what many others have faced or will face, but that doesn't make it any easier.  It's hard.  Really hard.  And because I've been there,  I want to be there for my friend to physically hug her, weep with her, pray with her, read scriptures with her,  listen to her, bring her a meal, watch her kids, and more.  But I can't.  I'm geographically too far away.

And when I really think about what I want, what I really want is to make everything better.  To ease the pain.  To wish they didn't have to go through the difficult times.  But pain happens.  It's part of life.

 And then God reminds me that I am not God, that I cannot take away all their pain and heartache.  But He is God. And He is in control. He is with them.  He doesn't promise to fix every problem or to take away all the fear, the anger, the frustration, the sickness, the pain...  But He does promise to be with us.  He even promises that the trials we go through will make us more complete.  We will see Him more clearly and know Him better through these difficulties.

Psalm 62:1- 2 says, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."  This is repeated later in the Psalm as a command: "Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken."

Ultimately, I have to choose to rest in God, even when I can't be there to protect someone or fix their problems.  I have to trust God that He is with them, that He is their fortress and their salvation.  That He (not me!) is their God, and that He can handle it!.

So I pray fervently for those I love who are far away (and those who are close by.)  Sometimes I cry, too. Then I choose to rest in God and know that He is my rock and my salvation.  And that He is the rock and salvation of my friends and family, too.

God is our rock!

Lessons from Habakkuk

Currently we are in language school learning Spanish.  Every Friday, our language teacher gives us topics that we will discuss the next week.  Our homework is to prepare to talk about whatever the topic is for the day.  Today's topic was "una descripción  de una personaje bíblico del A.T. " (that is, a description of a biblical character in the Old Testament.)   One of my favorite Old Testament people is David, but I didn't want to discuss him because I guessed someone else would also want to describe him.  ( I was right!)  I decided to talk about Habakkuk.  Several years ago I had completed a Bible study on Habakkuk, and God used the study in my life.  Over the weekend, I studied Habakkuk once again.  The book is small - only 3 chapters.  What's really cool is that God used this assignment to remind me of His power and that I can rest in Him even during the times when my circumstances are not what I want.  Here is what I wrote for class - please forgive the short, choppy sentences. (The translation is at the bottom.)

Even though someone was able to steal a few of our belongings in this garage and never got caught; I know that God is in control, and He will make things right.  

Habacuc era un propheta que vivía antes la caida de Judá a Babilonia.  Habacuc probablemente vivía en Judá porque su profecía era por Judá.  Él escribió el libro de habacuc en el Antiguo Testamento.

Habacuc era muy frustrado y desalentado porque la gente de Judá no era justa.  Había mucha violencia en la tierra.  Habacuc quería la justicia y la rectitud y él le preguntó a Dios porque Dios permitía los malvados prosperar.  Cuando Dios le dijo que estaba mandando a los caldeos para juzgar a Judá, Habacuc se enoja puesto que los caldeos eran muy malvados.

No obstante, Dios le recordaba a Habacuc que Dios es siempre, siempre, siempre todopoderoso.  Habacuc cambía.  Él aprendía a confiar en Dios.  Habacuc tomó una decisión.  Habacuc decidía descansar y esperar a Dios para juzgar a sus enemigos.

Al fin del libro, Habacuc se alegraba en Dios aunque sus circumstancias eran muy malas.

La personaje de Habacuc me recuerda que Dios es siempre, siempre, siempre todopoderoso y yo puedo descansar aún cuando mis circumstancias son muy malas.  
  Gracias a Dios!

This is our laundry - this afternoon there was a leak from this area; water was all over the floor and on some of our belongings.  Even when bad things like this happen, I can trust that God is in control.  He knows and will take care of me even though some of my circumstances aren't what I would desire.

Habakkuk was a prophet that lived before the fall of Judah in Babylon.  Habakkuk probably lived in Judah because his prophecy was for Judah.  He wrote the book of Habakuk in the Old Testament.

Habakkuk was very frustrated and disappointed because the people of Judah were not just.  There was a lot of violence in the land.  Habakkuk wanted justice and righteousness and he asked God why God permitted the evil to prosper.  When God said that He was sending the Chaldeans to judge Judah, Habakkuk was angry since the Chaldeans were very bad.  

Nevertheless, God reminded Habakkuk that He is always, always, always almighty (omnipotent.)  Habakkuk changed!  He learned to trust in God.  Habakkuk made a decision.  Habakkuk decided to rest and trust in God to judge his enemies.

At the end  of the book, Habakkuk rejoiced in God even though his circumstances were very bad.

The character of Habakkuk reminds me that God is always, always, always almighty and I can rest even when my circumstances are very bad.

Thanks to God!!!

Just like Micah can sleep peacefully here in the hammock knowing I won't let him fall,
I can rest in God knowing that He will make things right
even if at the present time it seems that life's not fair.

Be strong!

Have you ever felt tired and worn out?  I have!  I'm even feeling a bit that way now as I face starting school in just a week with a busy end of this week ahead of me.  (I'm not ready for school to start!)  And yet this morning as I was reading in 2 Timothy, the first verse I read said, "Now then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."  There are times I think, how can I be strong?  I'm so weak and tired!  And yet, if I only look at those two words, be strong, then I have missed a big part of the point.

First, Paul says to be strong just after he has told Timothy that everyone in Asia except for one man has deserted him.  So I suppose Paul knows that Timothy, like Paul, will face times when people turn away or desert him.  I've had times when I've felt deserted, too! So Paul is exhorting Timothy to be strong in the face of those difficult times.  And yet to be strong on my own power would be futile.  I'm just not that strong.  (I used to think I was, but the older I get, the more I recognize my own limitations and weaknesses.)  That's where the rest of the verse comes in.  Paul doesn't stop with Be strong.  He continues by saying in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  I must admit that I got stuck here.

What does it look like to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus?  What does that mean practically?  As I pondered this, I realized that Paul gets it.  He knows that we can't be strong on our own.  It's impossible.  He is telling Timothy (and God is telling all of us) to rely on Christ and the grace we receive from Him.  I've known what grace is because of receiving Christ.  We talk about how grace is a free gift  - something we don't deserve.  It's easy to think of receiving that free gift in reference to our salvation. God saved us not based on our own merit or what we do but on the free gift of Jesus.  But here He is talking about the free gift of God giving us the ability to be strong.  Grace is God's free gift to me, not just in salvation (in saving me from being eternally separated from Him), but also in helping me to be strong in ministry: in being able to live victoriously in my day to day life.

Paul was dying.  Almost everyone in Asia had deserted him.  And here he was telling Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  God is telling us how to be strong:  in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  What does that look like practically?  What it's not:  it's not trying to do things in my own strength... not just trying harder, gritting my teeth, rolling up my sleeves and just pushing through.  What it is:  relying on God to give me the strength each day to do what He has for me that day.  Instead of worrying about the future and how I'm going to get everything done, I can give Him all those concerns and just do today what He has called me to do today.  It means depending on Him and relying on Him.  It means spending time with Him each day, allowing Him to give me the strength I need.

What does it look like for you to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus?

Giving Thanks

After David was established as king of Israel, he had the ark of God brought to Jerusalem.  Then he gave a psalm (song) of thanks to the Lord.  Towards the end of the song he said, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever."  (1 Chronicles 16:34) It is so good that we have a national holiday where we can stop and give thanks to the Lord!

Yesterday on Thanksgiving day, Sean, the kids, and I sat around the living room and named things for which we are thankful.  Here is the list (of course there are many more, but this is what was said yesterday as we went around the room several times:)

• food, specifically Coca-Cola salad
• family
• my wife
• cars (toy ones)
• my husband
• being able to play the piano
• toys
• my friends 
• mi casa (my house)
• Jesus
• nuts
• hard things that make me depend on Jesus
• the trees
• hot water
• my schools
• animals
• health
• Mater's Tall Tales (a movie)
• laughter
• the Bible 
• a swing set
• art
• DSi's and 3DS's
• in-laws
• cousins
• the opportunity to learn about and talk about Jesus with others
• computers
• fresh water
• the ability to sing
• the opportunity to travel
• scissors
• music
• Colorado every other summer and the friendships we have there
• sleep
• sports
• soccer and basketball
• life
• candy
• books
• forgiveness
• paint ball
• smelly markers
• hugs and kisses
• marshmallows
• nature
• God's mercies are new every morning
• Mommy and Daddy
• this chair
• having a nice bed
• our van and our car
• dry erase markers
• the beach
• bike rides and hikes
• my brain
• little sheep
• dessert
• my job
• Eagles and Hokies
• Mexico and Australia
• Senegal and Botswana
• pie 
• freckles
• everything!

For what are you thankful this year?