Fishing for what?

Well, I'm back.  I have found myself in a strange state of mind this last year.  Avoiding writing like the plague!  The only thing I seem to enjoy is looking up anything I can find on Facebook & Pinterest...  It's as if I am afraid of what is buried deep inside me.  You know, the things that creativity could bring to the surface. 

There have been times when I fell back into the safety of surface living, but my heart tells me that the Lord isn't pleased with it.  Do you ever have those moments when emotions seem too difficult to allow sway?  I find myself wondering if God is working deep in me or have I just stepped back from Him.  Do we have to be open for Him to work? 

Several years ago, I was worshipping God with my church's youth group and it was an amazing time.  I wondered why my own worship didn't seem to have the results that this service was bringing.  Suddenly, I saw myself so clearly and I saw something that frightened me.  It was as if I was standing in a room and God was in the middle.  But up to that point, I had been standing with my back to Him.  My back to Him, but I still expected an intimate conversation.  That intimate moment could not happen until I turned to face Him.  When my back is turned to anyone, I cannot have any kind of communication, much less an intimate one!

Is this what I have been doing?  Backing off?  Distancing myself from anything that would infringe on my 'space'.  Oh, I know God can still work in me.  He is God, after all.  But have I done what the disciples did after Jesus' death?  They had lived with, watched, and ministered with the very Son of God.  They should have had everything they needed to begin their own ministries.  But what did they do?  They went to what they knew.  Fishing.  And not fishing for souls.  No fishing for fish, just what they had been doing before Jesus even came into their lives. 

Is this what I've been doing?  And if it is, then why?  Wouldn't His work in me go much easier and faster if I actually took part in it?  And am I willing to turn around, put the phone down, log off of the social pages and step forward?  What will be the cost?  What will be the reward?

On this day, the world was still dark. On this day, loneliness took on an entirely new meaning. On this day, it appeared that evil had won. On this day, followers were in hiding. On this day, the future was unsecure for believers and unbelievers. On this day, hope was still lost. On this day, the tomb still held the Body of the Beloved. On this day, the stone was still. On this day, guards stood unchallenged. The earth still mourned its Creator. The curtain was still torn.

Do you ever wonder what was going through the minds of Pilot, the religious leaders and Barrabas? We spend so much time remembering the followers of Christ, but where were the minds of those instrumental in His execution? Were they holding their breaths, waiting for the third day? Or were they resting easier as each hour passed? My imagination has Pilate's wife in torment. She knew that her husband had crossed the line. But what about everyone else? I picture the earth as being on 'pause', just waiting for the Creator's reaction.

It's so easy, from 2000 years later to judge them. We know what happens next. We know that the stone is tossed away by the power of the Holy Spirit. The hidden followers become the great leaders of the Church. The curtain was torn and the presence of God was never held from man again. Hope was NOT lost. Evil had been defeated. Dawn was merely hours away.

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Promises, promises

"Nothing compares to the promise I have in You."

Along with the rest of the world, I discovered this song several years ago. It is one that touches my heart, deeply. I find myself closing my eyes and singing with complete abandonment when I do sing it. I'm ashamed to say that after about two years of singing this, I found myself asking, "What is the promise?" Now, I was raised my two Godly parents who had also been raised by Godly parents, so why did I have to ask? I think I wanted to specify so that I could honestly believe that there is nothing on this earth or in the heavens that could begin to compare to His promise. So, what is that promise?

Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises from God. Promises for a long life when we obey His commands. Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Promises to the enemies of His people. Promises to the mighty men of Adam, Noah and Joseph. The beautiful and wondrous promise of the Messiah. The promise to cleanse our sins and carry our burdens. The promise of a living, breathing relationship with the Holy Spirit. The promise of His return and our eternal home. I mean, take your pick, people! His promises to us are numerous! To my, sometimes, literal mind I wanted something different. I wanted to know which specific promise was incomparable.

So, like Winnie the Pooh, I 'thunk'. I thunk and I thunk and I thunk. Why do we 'thunk' instead of just asking Him? Finally, I felt the gentle reminder of the Holy Spirit. He reminded me that I am never alone. That even to the ends of the earth and the ends of time, He is with me. He will NEVER leave me. He will NEVER forsake me. And that, my friends, is a promise that is beyond compare.

Forgive? Are you kidding?

Can we truly ever understand forgiveness? Think about it. Have you forgiven the person who cut you off in traffic this morning? If we can't do that, how are we supposed to forgive those who hurt us the most? The friend that turned their back when we needed them most? The hand that reached out in hate, not love? The lie that turned others against us? What about our leaders? The ones who seem to disappoint just when we start to trust?

Scriptures tell us, no command us to forgive. But surely He didn't mean those circumstances I just listed! Doesn't God know what that person did to us? Maybe if I tell Him about it, He will see my point. Maybe if I complain and whine long enough, He will take my side. I would be willing to bet that's what the disciples meant when they asked Jesus how often we should forgive.

He surprised them, of course. He requires us to forgive. And before His crucifixion, the disciples could have said that He couldn't understand. But then there was that execution. Was there ever a more violent, despicable execution? If he, hanging on that cross, could express forgiveness how can we not? He understands your worst. He understands the worst that has been done to you. He chooses to forgive you. And somehow He understands the one who did the worst to you. He is there to forgive them. Like it or not, He is forgiveness at His core. And if we are to be like Him, this is something we must learn. Because I believe that forgiveness is not at our core, He has to teach us. So, let's learn.

September?!?!? Are you serious?!?!? I haven't posted since September?!?! Well, no, I haven't died, quit writing or decided to close out this blog. I am just a victim of time flying, as well as being lost in my own procrastination. I would like to blame the Christmas drama, but there were many times I sat in front of my computer playing games & reading other blogs, so that won't hold any weight. So, I'm back. I'm tempted to promise to write more frequently. And I probably would... for a little while. Then I would drop off the blog world again. Wish I could tell you differently, but since I'm in my forties, I don't think I'm going to change that much.

I hope you felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Cross of Christ this past Holiday season. I hope that the January "blah's" are keeping their distance. I've got several post ideas brewing and I promise to write them down before they go the way of snow in the Deep South! Happy New Year!