In all honesty

For the past few months I have been working through a pretty big issue with my son. Unfortunately, our issue was further exacerbated by the fact that he was not being honest with me - and I knew it. So for the past 6 weeks I have been giving him opportunities to come clean, secretly begging him to tell me the truth I knew was out there just waiting to come forward. You see, I knew we could not really resolve his problem until we got all the way down to the truth and started to build from there.

My son's problem was that he didn't want to admit a mistake - so in his efforts to hide his error, he actually further complicated the whole situation and the resolution will be much more difficult and time consuming. IF HE HAD ONLY ADMITTED IT WHEN IT HAPPENED INSTEAD OF TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM ME!

What could he have been fearing? Why was he afraid to let me know? How could he have possibly thought that lying about his situation and delaying his "confession" to me could have served any good purpose?

But isn't that what we do ourselves with our own relationship with God? Don't we delay admitting to him with full disclosure what we have done and why we have done it? Isn't it easier to either pretend we have done nothing wrong - or worse yet, try to fix it ourselves? And there sits God, just waiting for us to come to our senses. And when we are finally at our last resort, when we understand we can't hide anymore, when we finally realize our problem is much bigger than ourselves, when we ultimately turn to God and admit what we have done - He is right there for us! It is not that we won't have to bear the consequences of our actions, but at least that anxiety of being revealed is no longer separating us from Him. We can finally stop hiding and get to work - moving forward with Him, not by ourselves.

Tonight, after my little tirade was over and we sat down and had honest discussion, my son and I were once again reconciled in our relationship. It is my hope that his lesson learned is that my love is so unwavering, that even when the difficult and painful truth must be dealt with - the underpinning of love will transcend all, and that maybe the next time he will feel comfortable enough to admit his mistakes before they become tragic errors.

I imagine God has the same desire for me.

Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble

God is pretty clear in his word about his opinion of pride.


Leviticus 26:19
I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.

2 Chronicles 26:16
But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Psalm 10:4
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 13:10
Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

Isaiah 2:17
The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

Pride keeps us from right relationship with God.

It is not surprising to me that the first people Jesus chose to bless in his beatitudes were the poor in spirit, because without humility, we won't approach God with fully open arms. That first step towards Him must be one of humility - because if we keep back that smidgen of pride, we will always be in competition with God, trying to prove ourselves, or gain for ourselves, or keep for ourselves, or position ourselves.

Yet - humility is not valued here in our country. We are told to "climb the corporate ladder", take care of our family, strive for the American Dream, build our fortunes. All the values of our culture require some form of pride in our character.

So, is there an acceptable level of pride in our hearts? Can we grow in relationship with God and still have some level of pride in ourselves?

Revival

To my mind, revival has always implied lots of energy, motivation, getting something to start moving. I have often pictured those difibrillators sending a surge of energy to restart the heart, bringing someone from flatline to a full beat.
Revival is a burst of energy, a "jump start" for a dead battery. It implies bringing back to life.

But these pictures I had in my mind are not fair assessments of true revival. My examples of defibrillators or jump start of a battery only require short, limited release of energy and do not require on-going connection to the source of the energy. I have to completely rethink and relearn my understanding of what true revival is.

Scripturally, God views revival as a groundbreaking beginning to growing a garden. He is intent on creating a soul that will bear fruit - and that requires much more than a quick burst of energy.

In Gods plan, revival is the breaking of the fallow land - land that had once been productive, but for one reason or another had gone to waste and become crusty, hard and full of rocks and stones. Fallow land requires lots of energy to revive. Combinations of pick-axes and shovels are needed to loosen the soil and remove any large rocks that have taken residence. This is a time-consuming process, not a quick fix.

Why is it so easy to slip into a "fallow" lifestyle - and why must it require such energy to create and maintain good productive soil?

A dent and a difference

Watch CBS Videos Online

I have not been writing for several days because I am still "camping out" in Psalm 107. As with all scripture, this particular Psalm has several layers to peel away - and I am just beginning! But as usual, when God places you in a certain part of His word it begins to infiltrate the air around you and affects your vision of the surroundings. Such was my experience this past few days, especially when I watched the above story on 60 Minutes.

Psalm 107 paints a picture of people in all manners of distress. What is similar in all their circumstances is that at some point they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivers them from their distress. Every time, in every situation, as soon as they reach their point of desperation, they CRY OUT and that is when HE ANSWERS! I have been dwelling on this for several days now and have seen this same pattern from God in my own life...

So, imagine my amazement Sunday evening, after my team THE STEELERS won their football game - which has nothing to do with this post, but they are my team and I am so excited :) -
and this story comes on 60 Minutes about a young man with Haitian roots who has been blessed by God in his earthly occupation and is using all his resources to make a difference in his home country.

The Haitian people are in darkness, they are held hostage by the conditions of their country, and Hope is not evident. They are the people of Psalm 107:10-16

10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,

prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 for they had rebelled against the words of God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom

and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze

and cuts through bars of iron.

So here are the Haitians, a people of no hope, held in bondage by the conditions of their country, stumbling around seeing no one to help. And the Lord sends Wyclef Jean to bring them from darkness to light. And here is where I get goose bumps...the name of his organization is "Yele Haiti" which is Haitian for CRY OUT LOUD. They are crying out to the LORD in their trouble and he is delivering them from their distress !!!

If I can tap into just a small teaspoon of the vision and hope of Wyclef Jean, I know I could make a difference here in my own community. I absolutely love his statement that in the midst of what may appear to be a hopeless, dangerous, "too big to solve" condition - Wyclef Jean keeps moving forward. He knows that "past the danger is opportunity". He is not afraid. He knows that God is on his side. He doesn't plan to solve all the problems of Haiti, but as the bearer of HOPE, he can unite the people to move forward with him. His final statement in this clip inspires me and gives me guidance in my own life
-

"What I plan to do is I'm gonna make a serious dent, and I'm hoping that after I make this dent, those kids behind me could help break those walls."

All I need to do to make a difference is make a dent...I don't have to solve the world's problems or be intimidated or overwhelmed by their vastness. I just need to make a dent - a dent I can handle!

Water Water Everywhere...

This will be a rambling post today - so be prepared for lots of detours ;-)

It all began for me last Sunday, when for some strange reason I was directed to Psalm 107 during my quiet time. I love this Psalm, and had not really dwelled on it before. The repeating phrase "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress" is still sitting in my heart, waiting for me to examine more deeply (note to self- future blog entry...). But what I have actually been working on this week comes from a different part of the psalm (v33-37):

He turned rivers into a desert,

flowing springs into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into a salt waste,

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
He turned the desert into pools of water

and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live,

and they founded a city where they could settle.
They sowed fields and planted vineyards

that yielded a fruitful harvest;

Sunday morning - the same morning I had just contemplated this psalm - our worship time reflected on two questions... What have been the valleys of this year? and What were the mountaintop experiences? We were reminded that the valleys of earth are where the streams of water flow and this thought began percolating in my brain all day. Needless to say, I have been trying to quench my thirst all week around the importance of water. I will share some of what I have learned -

Water facts:

• 60% of the human body is water
• 70% of the human brain is water
• 90% of human lungs are water
• Each day humans must replace 2.4 litres of water
• Water is called the "universal solvent" because it dissolves more substance than any other liquid
• Wherever water goes, whether through our bodies or the ground, it takes along valuable chemicals, minerals and nutrients
• Water is the ONLY natural substance found in all three states - liquid, gas and solid
• 70% of earths surface is water
• Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in
• The thirst mechanism signals the body to drink water when it is dry

So - water is pretty important to us humans, and also pretty darn important to all other aspects of life on earth!

Then I started to reflect on how we see water in the Word. I had some very interesting revelations as I searched the scriptures. For example, see if any of these resonate with you...

I have always known the very beginning of our story from Genesis 1:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

and the earth was without form and void;

But now that I am looking at this scripture with new eyes, I realize that in the beginning God began with water...

and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

So God begins His word with water...and guess what...He ends His word with water too!

Revelation 22:1, 17

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,

clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb...

The Spirit and the bride say,

"Come!" And let those who hear say

"Come!" Let those who are thirsty come;

and let all who wish to take the free gift

of the water of life

Now I feel again like I am sitting on the crest of some greater understanding. I have been carefully working through the scriptures to see that many great words and revelations are delivered near the water. Here are just a few examples I discovered this week:

Isaiah 43:18-21 - God tells us that He is providing water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland to give drink to His people

Nehemiah 8:2-3 - Ezra the priest re-introduced the law to the people of Jerusalem when standing at the WATER GATE.

Psalm 23: The shepherd leads his sheep beside still water...

Jesus began and ended his earthly ministry with water:

John 2:7 - Jesus changed the water into wine (and it was rated the BEST tasting by the master)

John 19:28 - Jesus last words were "I am thirsty" (and he was given vinegar which is considered the wine unfit to serve as drink)

John 3:5 - Jesus answered "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit"

John 3:14 - but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

On this pilgrimage of mine, I search for the Living Water - the essential nutrient for survival. It will satisfy my thirst, and will allow me eternal life. To prevent dehydration I must take in more Living Water each day. I am a vessel of the water, and my goal is to continue to become filled to the brim, not running on empty :0)

Irony is not lost on me that the Living Water is found in the valleys of our life. God brings us down to the valley from our mountaintops so that we may remember who He is - and that we may look up to Him!

As I enter this New Year and continue to map my path and check my GPS, it will be good for me to remember that my canteen must be full of this essential water to satisfy my thirst on my journey...