Thank You, Lord!

 As I'm wrapping up the semester, I feel infinitively grateful to Our Lord for holding me, helping me, guiding me, sustaining me and giving me wisdom during the last 3 years I served as Chair of our department.  I can say without a doubt, that there is NO WAY I could have done this without Him going before me every step of the way.  I want to give Him ALL Praise and ALL Glory for accomplishing this duty, which I deeply doubted I could have performed at any level of acceptable quality without Him.

He knows me and He knows how inadequate I am for a job like this one, but He put me in it because He wanted me to experience His guiding hand along every turn, twist and hurdle on the road.  He wanted me to experience how total dependence in Him makes the impossible possible.  He wanted me to taste the richness of His sustaining love when I felt all alone.  He wanted me to stand by His strength when I could not go any further.  And so He did!

Three years ago at this time I was in agony, dreading what was ahead...immersed in the middle of a horrible battle with co-workers which didn't seem to have a resolution in sight...feeling the weight of a crumbling organization being placed on my shoulders to carry on my own...praying without ceasing for wisdom and guidance.  Today, I'm beginning to breathe again...and it is all because of God's Grace!

So, I just want to say, thank You, Lord for walking with me always, not just these last 3 years, but every day. Thank You for the gift of Your Presence, the Only source of true comfort and strength. I offer what is left of my life to You.  May I continue to find evidence of the reality of Your indwelling in my soul and in my heart for the rest of my days.  Amen!

The Abundant Life of Christ in Us

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10: 10

I usually do not feel led to the King James translation of Scripture, but for this verse, I prefer it because of the word "abundantly."  The NIV version uses the word "full" instead, and whereas the connotations of this term are great, indeed, the "richness" of the word "abundantly" seems more fitting to Jesus, at least in my humble opinion.  

I might be entirely wrong, but "full" gives me the sense of something very practical and material.  Full makes me think of having no room left (as in my stomach after dinner) or of something that is comprehensive and thorough.  It has a very spatial sense to me, like I can almost see it.  It is as if it is full to the measure of the space that it is filling.  "Abundant" on the other hand, seems more ethereal, more abstract.  It does not have a measure.  It transcends.  It's ample, profuse.  It is plentiful and lavish...like Jesus' love.

This life that Jesus comes to give to us is a life without limits because it is the life that we live with Him and it goes beyond the container.  And, again, in my humble opinion, Jesus is not referring here to the material aspects of life.  I believe, Jesus is pointing to the life we live when He is in us.  That is the miracle of such inexhaustible abundance: Christ in me.  That is the hope of glory like Paul tells us in Colossians 1: 27.  And glory cannot be contained in spatial parameters.  Just like Jesus whom the grave could not keep, the life lived with Him in us surpasses even us.

This abundant life is not about a richness that can be touched or even about a sense of happiness or satisfaction or stability as the world understand such concepts.  This abundant life is the one that showers us with the assurance of His Presence...because it is His Presence the element that produces the abundance that Jesus is telling us about.  No endless amount of the stuff of this world could ever give us this abundant life.  Only His Presence in us can.  

Today, as I look out the window, complaining about yet another dreary day in May...I pray that I'm reminded that even in the darkest and most depressing of times, we can hang on to Jesus' promise of abundance, because His love and His presence have no limits, and as long as we can count on Him, we can get through everything.  May the Holy Spirit give us a keen awareness of Jesus in us, the only hope of glory.  Amen!

Eye-Roll Code

 "Your eyes are going to get stuck like that!"  This was a warning I used to hear from Rosa all throughout my childhood.  Actually, she would say it to my sister way more than to me...but I can't pretend the admonition wasn't meant for me too.  

The thing is that my sister and I are major eye-rollers.  It's like our second language.  We have it coded:  One eye-roll=UGH.  Two eye-rolls + one sigh="you idiot."  Two eye-rolls + shaking the head = "your stupidity has no limits." Two eye-rolls + shaking the head + a deep sigh = "you're not dead because God is Good."  One eye-roll followed by a long, long blink + a sigh = "you've better be gone when I open my eyes or not even the Power of the Blood could save you."

Yep...patience has not been a fruit easily grown neither cultivated in abundance in the garden of my soul.  It's one of those things I really struggle with.  My sinful nature and the old me conspire to keep me trapped in this stronghold, causing me to stumble over and over again.

I read Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, and I can't help but wonder: how in the world am I going to "put to death, ..., whatever belongs to my earthly nature"? (Colossians 3: 5a)

I know Paul lists things such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, and things that lead to idolatry.  But he also mentions, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language...and my behavior is bordering this territory.  My eye-rolling is a sign of my impatience, which in turn is derived from my pride, and when this one is wounded, it quickly flows into anger, rage and even malice, and all the other stuff that keep my earthly nature alive and well, rather than dead and in the grave.

The remedy is to "put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3: 10)  My problem is: I don't think I know how to do that?

When I don't know how to do something, I need to read the instructions over and over again, until a single sentence is broken down in my head into smaller portions or single steps.  In this sentence, we have that the first fragment says: put on the new self.  OK, what's that? Well, that's my earthly sinful nature which I'm supposed to have killed.  But, did I really kill it? The truth is, I would not know the first thing about killing my earthly and sinful nature.  Jesus had to do that for me.  Only by His death and resurrection this could be accomplished! So, by His wounds I have been healed! PTL, AMEN! But then, what?

Well, Jesus' also imputed His righteousness in me as a result of His sacrifice on the cross.  He took my sin and gave me His righteousness.  He put a new self in me.  Alleluia!!  So by His work and sacrifice, and by dwelling in me, He has taken care of this part because there's no way I could do it on my own.  I believe Him and I receive His grace and He cleanses me and gives me a new me.

"Which is being renewed," and here we see an action that is progressive, meaning, it is still on going.  I'm being renewed.  So, there's no need to panic, for I believe this is the work of sanctification which takes place for as long as we are still walking on this earth.

And how does that sanctification happen? I believe Paul is saying that it is accomplished by the constant seeking of the knowledge of Jesus so we can become closer and closer to being what we were meant to be since the beginning: the image of our Creator.

I don't know if I'm even close to being right, but I have to keep the hope that God's mercy includes covering me with the providence of His patience.  For when I am weak, He is strong, and when I am prideful and impatient, He is loving and compassionate...and I put my hope on that...praying that I can stop the eye-roll as a sign of obedience and that I'm am still on the road to sanctification.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, My Redeemer and Friend.  Amen!

Retail Therapy, I Think Not

I like shopping.  I can't deny it.  I enjoy all those memes about Amazon because I can relate. It's not just online shopping, though.  I don't discriminate.  Old-fashioned shopping trips/sprees give me butterflies in my tummy too.  It's terrible.  I know.  Dan keeps reminding me of this character flaw ALL.THE.TIME.

sigh...

And he is right, in a way.  If it weren't for his ability to hit the breaks on my purchasing train, we'd probably be homeless.  But boy, is it hard to pass up a sale, or what?

I mean, I have gotten way better over time.  I have become more controlled and smarter too. But still...sigh.

The big issue here, though, is that I use shopping as an escape.  When I'm stressed out and need a break, shopping is always there to lift me up. There are many things wrong with this scenario.  Worst of all is the fact that my default involves diving into the material world for comfort, when answers and true respite can only come from the spiritual realm.  My ties to this world are too tight.  I forget that I don't belong to this place.  I forget Paul's words when he tells us:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3: 1-2

It is not just Jesus who rose from the grave.  He raised me too!  He raised all of us.  He descended to the pit of filth where we were, grabbed hold of us and brought us to life! He lifted us.  He gave us a new birth.  This new life, this new us comes together with a new view of things.  We are not immersed in the darkness of a life void of righteousness anymore.  Jesus gave us His righteousness, and with that comes a perspective that looks up at things above, instead of down to what we left behind.  This new life is the life in the Spirit, the Spirit of God who guides us and leads us and comforts us and helps us find our way to Him...to Christ seating at the right hand of God.  Therefore, our minds are set on Him, not on earthly things.  But we forget...I forget...and that is why Scripture is such a divine gift, because it is through Scripture that the Holy Spirit helps us remember and leads us back.  

I know I won't be canceling my subscription to Amazon Prime anytime soon.  But I know I'm not a slave to its lure.  I know where my help and my light comes from, and it is not from retail therapy.  It is from Him:

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 2

 

Extending Mercy

 "Please, Mom...have mercy on me.  Remember.  Jesus says to have mercy..."

Insert big eye-roll and deep sigh...

Kids are really good at manipulation.  I don't know how many times Dylan has pulled this one on me.  My students do this all the time as well. Of course they don't invoke Jesus, but they do play on the sob stories to get away with missing due dates.  I get really tired of it.  When they do this, they want to take advantage of me, and it infuriates me.  I don't give in easily.  I mean, really...the least they can do is grovel, right?

However, Dylan is right.  Jesus did say: Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6: 36)

I have to admit, though, I struggle with that.  I'm so full of pride that when I sense someone is taking advantage of me or when I feel like people think I'm an idiot, I react rather harshly.  I tend to not give others the benefit of the doubt or so I've been told...mostly by Dan.  He tells me things like: "You always assume the worst!" or "We need to extend a little bit of grace to others." He reminds me about it...constantly...ugh...

And...he is right...sigh...

We are called to extend grace and mercy to others...just as we have received it from Our Heavenly Father in abundance.  Colossians 3: 1-17 is a comprehensive explanation of how as Christians, we have been made new by Jesus, and as such, we ought to live lives that reflect the mercy of Our Lord.  We are supposed to do everything, "in word or deed" in the name of Jesus.  As His ambassadors, we need to reflect who He is, and He is Mercy!

Today has brought plenty of opportunities for me to extend grace to students...just as I was extended grace and mercy in the speedy delivery of good medical test results.  As I examine my responses to students...I am ashamed to say I haven't been as merciful and prompt in my responses as the Lord was to deliver me from my anguished wait.  Now that I look back...I better take another good look at Colossians 3: 1-17 so I allow the Holy Spirit to work these words in me all the way to the core of my soul.

May we receive the mercy of understanding so we can learn how to walk on the way of Jesus.  In His Precious Name.  Amen!

Restored

 Having arguments with loved ones is one of those things that can really put a big, dark cloud over one's head, isn't it? Unresolved disagreements can linger there forever, often becoming the proverbial "elephant in the room."  The issues don't even have to be huge or super serious to cause a break in relationships.  Now, if the issue involves a betrayal by one of the parts...well...you may as well forget it.  It would take a miracle for that relationship to be fully restored.

That's exactly what happened between Jesus and Peter.  In John 18: 15-27 we see how Peter disowns and denies Jesus 3 times just like Jesus had predicted.  I can only imagine how the human heart of Jesus must have felt when He witnessed His dearest friend, the leader among His inner circle, blatantly denying any connections.  I would dare to guess that in Jesus' humanity, knowing it would happened wasn't as devastating as seeing it happening in front of Him.  I wonder if Jesus' human logic might have held a spec of hope that Peter wouldn't do it...only to be completely crushed by the time the rooster crowed...sigh...

How does Peter ever get over that?  How does he move on from such an epic fail?  How does one ever forgive self after something this monumental?

This can only be accomplished by the power and miraculous Hand of Jesus, The One Who Makes All Things New!

After the resurrection, that morning Jesus made breakfast for the disciples, after all have gotten their fill, Jesus called Peter aside for a heart to heart.  I wonder what Peter must have felt.  Ashamed?  Afraid?  Unworthy to be sitting and eating with the Resurrected Lord he had just betrayed a few days ago?  All of the above?

But Jesus, in His infinite love, took Peter for a walk, not to incriminate him, recriminate him, accuse him, belittle him...no, of course not.  Jesus in a display of compassion and patience didn't even bring the subject up directly.  That was not the point.  Jesus knew He didn't have to do that because Peter was already carrying that thorn in his heart without any help from anyone.  Jesus' intention was to remove that thorn and restore His friend so he could do the kingdom work laid out for him.

In John 21: 15-25 three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him more than "these"...one for each time Peter denied Him.  Each time, Peter says yes.  With embarrassment and with a convicted heart, Peter knows what this is about...but neither of them says it.  "Feed my lambs," "take care of my sheep," "feed my sheep" and "follow me,"  those are Jesus' instructions for Peter.  Those are the words of his installation as the leader of what's to come.  Those are the words of restauration for a bleeding heart seeking to be healed by His wounds.

That is the miracle of redemption:  The restoring power of The Word who makes us whole again.

May we remember this as we continue to walk on this valley of tears.  The Hope of the redeeming power of Christ lives regardless of our infidelities.  When we are weak, He is strong. When we are deceitful, He is faithful.  When we walk away from Him, He calls us back.  When we are lost, He finds us.  When we deny Him, He redeems us.  Praise the Lord, Alleluia! Amen!

Lunch with Friends

 Going out to lunch with friends is one of the joys of life for me.  Gathering together around a meal I didn't have to prepare at a fun place that perhaps I've never been to before, or haven't been to in a while, to chat to our hearts content with a friend is a special use of time.  It's a precious investment of time, really.  In this world when everything and everyone is just running around trying to keep our heads above water, setting aside time for our loved ones should be a priority.  And friends should be a priority.  I believe good friends are God's gift to us so we can continue our walk on this valley of shadows and darkness.  So, it is only fitting that we would dedicate time regularly to be in each other's company to strengthen one another and refuel...to pause from our daily struggles, catch our breathe and just chill a moment...a precious moment.  Hence, lunch dates with good friends!

Jesus knew the importance of gathering together with friends over meals.  He did it all the time during His ministry while He walked on this earth.  And He did it after His resurrection.  One instance that comes to mind was that early morning breakfast meeting by the sea of Galilee (John 21: 1-14).  That was the time when Peter and some of the other disciples went fishing to find some comfort in the familiar activity after the surreal events that had just happened, but they couldn't catch any fish.  It was then that they saw the Lord making breakfast by the shore.  

It was just the most perfect thing Jesus could do for them, to bring them comfort and renewal: to share a meal with them.  And the apostles reacted on cue: they jumped out of the boat.  They didn't think about it.  Peter himself, the one who had been afraid to get out of the boat on an earlier occasion, rolled up his outer garments, and jumped.  He wasn't going to pass up the opportunity this time around, no way.  Neither did the others.  What a tender moment of fraternal love!

It is curious to me how Jesus had food already prepared there, waiting for the others, but He said:  “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” John 21: 10  Why?  I can't help but wonder that this was to signal the importance of our contributions to the work of God.  Jesus was the One who provided the miracle of the giant catch, but He wants us to bring part of it as an offering back to Him...as a symbol of our gratitude and in humility for all the undeserved blessings.  He didn't need the extra fish.  He already had breakfast ready...but it was for us...to remember to bring the offering out of our first fruits.  

Peter went back to the boat and dragged the net to shore. The net broke.  I can only imagine the mayhem with all those fish jumping back into the water, or at least trying as they flapped around.  Peter probably became flustered, trying to not lose the catch, when Jesus says:  "Come and have breakfast." John 21: 12  It's almost possible to hear the, "it's OK, leave it be and come over here.  Sit down and eat."  What a moment...what a precious moment.  A moment to drop the burdens and just chill with the Lord...WOW!

As we continue to celebrate Easter in our hearts, let's remember to take the time to pause and hang out with our good friends, especially our friends from Scripture, mainly with our most important Friend, Jesus, so we can drop the burden, bring our offering and enjoy the comfort of His presence, like the comfort of the presence of our dearest Friends.  In His Precious Name.  Amen!