Red Bird Devotions #15

Broken

Two years ago, I fell on the ice and broke my wrist. I was rushing down a hill in our backyard that I had rushed down hundreds of times, but this time there was snow. And the snow had turned into ice as it sometimes does in our strange cold-warm-then cold again Iowa winters. I had dashed out coatless and shoeless (I was wearing slippers--maybe that is why they are called that) to feed the hungry dog.  All of a sudden, my feet slipped out from under me, and I caught myself with my left hand.  Being cold and in a hurry, I quickly jumped up, grabbed my watch, which had snapped off of my wrist, and proceeded down the hill and into the dog’s kennel.  When I got to the concrete below, I noticed that my arm was throbbing, and I looked down to see my left hand sitting atop my left arm in the place where my wrist had been (I have graciously spared you the picture.). Needless to say, all was not well.  I went ahead and fed the dog and then walked back up the hill and went inside. Then I called Brent on the phone and said, “I did something bad to my arm.  It looks really deformed.”  Within 20 minutes, he had arrived, and we were heading to the Emergency Room.  When I presented my deformation to the girl at the desk, she gagged slightly and then got me into a doctor ASAP.  When the doctor saw my misshapen limb, he proceeded to send me to X-ray.  The X-rays showed that I had broken my very first bone at age 50. 

After a few weeks in a huge cast from my armpit to my hand, my bones were not healing correctly, so surgery was scheduled.  My body wasn’t able to align my bones itself, so a surgeon--with a mask and power tools (I heard them in my twilight sleep)-- had to place a plate and some screws inside my arm to hold my wrist in the right position.

What would have happened if I refused surgery and let my bones heal on their own?  If I left the cast on, took extra vitamins and visualized it as “all better” ?  My bones actually would have healed, but incorrectly; the structure wouldn’t be the same as before and I would have probably lost some use of my wrist--maybe even my entire arm.  I couldn’t properly fix my wrist all by myself.  I needed a physician’s help. My wrist is nearly perfect now (though I can see the embedded plate move when I wiggle my fingers back and forth; ask me to demonstrate sometime)…because I sought help from without.  Relying on my own methods or practices would never have fixed the effects of my fall. 

Sometimes, I treat my feelings the way I was tempted to treat my wrist; I try to manage them on my own because giving the control of them up to “Someone else” seems too scary.  But it is only when I submit to this Someone--this God who made me, weak wrists and all--that I can truly use my emotions correctly.  You see, my emotions are also broken because of the Fall; in my natural responses to life, I want to nurse my grudges, elevate my opinions, and play the victim when things don't go my way. When I react with my default mechanism (which for me is self-pity over submission), I am unable to use my feelings the way that God designed me to do. 

 As my wrist healed from the surgery--an actual event in time--the doctor prescribed certain exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles and help them adjust to this new way of moving.  When Jesus places his Spirit within us--an actual event in time--we can practice certain disciplines to help us learn to walk in step with him.  These disciplines don’t give us salvation--only Jesus can do that--but they train our hearts and our minds to think like a child of God; we practice spiritual disciplines, like reading our Bibles, praying, and meditating on the goodness of our Father, to strengthen our spiritual “muscles.” 

It takes deliberation and practice to walk as a child of God.  And falling is inevitable.  But faith in the Great Physician strengthens our resolve and keeps us on solid ground. 

Amen and amen.

“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind; then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

I Exam

Recently, a very special family friend passed away.  This re-post of an entry from 8 years ago is my tribute to Roger:

When I was in elementary school in Clinton, Minnesota, in Mrs. DeGroet’s second grade class, I couldn’t see the blackboard.  So Mrs. D. moved me to the front row and she told my parents.
My parents then took me to an optometrist friend of theirs who lived in Montevideo, Minnesota (a town from which we had moved just a few years earlier) who told them I needed glasses.  This was no surprise.

Being the fashion aficionado that I was at 7, I chose the ultra cool rosewood colored aviator frames and I was lookin’ fine!

But, let’s back up a little;  beings’ (this a word that my father uses.  I think this is how you spell it, although he always pronounces it “beans”) this was my first experience at the eye doctor, I remember it very well.  As my little self sat in the big chair, Roger, the doctor, put this awkward looking contraption in front of my face.  It had lots of little circles of lenses surrounding each eyehole and I was supposed to look through it, so look through it I did.  Those of you with glasses know what I am talking about.

As I looked through the monster face, Roger asked me which lens looked better; 1 or 2; 3 or 4?  He did this over and over, again and again with lots of different lens combinations as I peered through at an alphabet chart on the wall.  It all seemed very strange to me.

When I was done with this clear and cloudy game, and when Roger seemed satisfied with my answers, I got to go out to the “glasses room” and try on mom-styles, librarian-styles, Elton John-styles, and finally, my chosen aviators.  But since the whole ‘Pearl Vision Express’ idea was not a reality yet, I had to leave my adorable frames there until my lenses arrived a few weeks later.  I was crushed since I thought I looked at least 9 in my new specs and I wanted to wear them home.
When the lenses did arrive to the Optometrist's, and when they were placed into my chosen frames, Mom and Dad and I took another trip to Montevideo to pick them up. I was thrilled!
On the car ride home in my new glasses, I could see clearly! I had no idea that I had not been seeing well, so when I put these beauties on and saw individual blades of grass and trees made up of many leaves—not just a big green mass, I was totally awed!  In my excitement, I talked all the way home about all the things I was now “seeing”.  My world had totally changed and I understood it so much better.

I tell you this long drawn out story to illustrate a point:

Sometimes I think that we are so used to seeing things the way that the world sees them—the way that the Devil warps them with his lens--that we aren’t even aware that our vision is clouded.  It is only when we go to the Word of God and put on His “glasses” of Truth and Beauty that we can see the way we ought to live.  When we see our situation through Satan’s lens, circumstances at times seem hopeless and unbearable.  But when viewed through the lens of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we see hope and the opportunity of growing to be more like Him through our trials.

Sometimes, I also think that we need to do little ‘vision’ tests with ourselves to make sure our ‘prescription’ is still up to date.  We need to ask ourselves, “Which kind of music helps me think more lovely things?  1 or 2?  “Are the thoughts going through my brain right now wholesome (3) or unwholesome (4)?  Do the people I spend my time with make God look clearer or foggier?
When we spend time in the presence of the Lord, our vision becomes His vision and we begin to see things more and more clearly—things we never saw before!  The renewed mind that God promises us becomes the filter through which we see everything.  Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good and pleasing and perfect will.

And then we will really be lookin’ FINE!

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

#lavishlove

Guess what?  God loves you. And He loves you lavishly.

You need to believe this.

Why?  Because beliefs determine feelings.  It’s true.  #preachit

People throughout history have believed wrong things. These wrong beliefs, in turn, led to wrong feelings.  These wrong feelings produced dishonor, disunity, and disorder. Sincere feelings do not guarantee honorable activity:

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Think Eve. Or Hitler. Or Jim Jones.  How about Osama Bin Laden? #howboutyou

Or how about in literature?  Romeo and Juliet? Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, feels distraught and kills himself.

How about in everyday life?  Do you ever believe something that isn’t true?  Sometimes I believe my husband doesn’t care about me, so I feel like he’s not a good guy.  But that’s not true.  He is a good guy and has my best in mind.  I must believe the truth.  Because my beliefs determine my feelings. #feelingslie

It’s like that with God, you know.  You don’t feel his lavish love for you because you don’t truly believe He’s good.  You don’t fully trust He’s got your best in mind.  You can pin as many “Jesus thinks I’m a princess” memes on your Pinterest board as you want, but until you think rightly about God, you will not feel treasured.  #truth

So, what will change us?  What will help us believe what is actually true?  Choosing to use that transformed mind the Lord has so graciously given you (Romans 12:2) and making your feelings align with the powerful Truth of God.  When you say, “I have faith in you God,” you are saying, in essence, “My belief is based in what you say is true, God.”  That’s why it is so important to have a Biblically-based worldview.  Much of what you see, hear, even feel, in this world is a lie, but what you read in the Bible is truth. #allthetime

When you have solid theology, it primes your mind to think rightly.  Good books that challenge your thinking and make you have a broader view of God are belief-building.  When God gets bigger in your mind, you hunger for more of Him.  AW Tozer says “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  If you feed truth into your mind, your believing will be accurate and your feelings will follow. #itsscriptural

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Luke 6:45

That’s why God makes such a big deal about faith in the Bible.  Faith defined is complete trust and confidence in someone or something.  That’s why, when Mary and Martha believed Jesus was too late to help their now-dead brother, Lazarus, they felt grief stricken and hopeless.  But Jesus showed up, said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? (Matt 11:40)  God shows His glory to us when we surrender our wrong beliefs to Him. #hesamazing

Want to know HOW God loves you?  Read the Bible.

Want to know WHY God loves you?  Read the Bible. (Spoiler: It’s not because you’re so great)

God has no needs.  He doesn’t love us out of need.  People have needs.  People love out of need.  People have trouble loving other people when those people don’t meet their needs.  God is not a person. #hallelujah

Here’s the scoop guys; God is able to meet ALL your needs according to his riches in glory (Phil 4:9).  But, you don’t believe that do you?  You think someone with skin  here on the earth will be able to meet all of your needs. That is wrong thinking, and it is leading to wrong feeling.  If you believe rightly that God is your need-meeter, feelings of contentedness will follow.  Spiritual laws are no different than natural ones.  If something is true (gravity always pulls me downward), it is always true. It doesn’t matter if you believe it. #trusthim

What can you do to feel loved by God? 

1. Believe that God loves you #hediedinyourplace

2. Stop trying to prove your worth by what you do #youwillneverbegoodenough

3. Believe that you are saved by His grace #freegift

4.  Trust Him enough to give up control #yourlifeisnotyourown

5.  Surrender your identity. Your worth is not in what you do, but in what He has already done #itisfinished

Believe Him!  Enjoy Him!  Let Him Love you Lavishly!

#andlovehimback

#withallyourheartmindandsoul

 And I pray, that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

Confessions of a Reformed Feeler: Part 4

In my posts over the last few weeks, I have shared with you the struggles of being a feeler.  I did this so you thinking folk might have some insight to our worlds.  But now, for my final feeler post, I want to tell you why the world needs feelers and why I’m glad God made me one.  Here goes:

It really goes back to Genesis 2, where God created Adam; Adam had just finished naming all the animals that God had created, but found no suitable helper for himself.  Then God created another person—this time, Eve. Eve was perfect for Adam; she was his perfect complement.

       com·ple·ment        

noun   ˈkämpləmənt/

a thing that completes or brings to perfection.

As his complement, Eve completed Adam and made him a more proper reflection of the Father.  God is a multifaceted being and we reflect Him most accurately when we live in community with others in a harmonious way.  As feelers, then, we show a part of the Father that cannot be reflected by our thinking friends.  And when we live with them in understanding and unity, we show humanity a fuller picture of God Himself. 

In a world of thinkers alone, processes would be efficient and logical, but much of the flavor and beauty of life would be missing.  Feelers add color and depth.  Their perspective on God helps us to see Him as Fatherly, compassionate, and approachable.  Many passages in the Bible that show us how God feels.  His great sadness is shown in Hosea 11 when the people He formed reject Him: 

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

But the more they were called,

the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals

and they burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize

it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,

with ties of love.

To them I was like one who lifts

a little child to the cheek,

and I bent down to feed them.”

God cries when he must punish His people and He says through Jeremiah (14:17):

"Speak this word to them: "'Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people, has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow.

We know that God demonstrates joy because we are told in Nehemiah 8:10 that  

“The joy of the Lord is [our] strength.”

God is a feeler too.  We can see him feeling and thinking throughout the entire Bible. 

We feelers reflect Him most accurately when we:

·      Feel loved by the beauty of a sunset or the remembrance of God’s faithfulness

·      Write a card or say a prayer for a friend because we truly feel their pain

·      Cry when we sense injustice or oppression

·      Love our children powerfully and understand God’s love for us because of this

·      Have joy bubble up in our souls for simple things like fireflies and snowflakes and flannel sheets

·      Have faith in God because we trust Him and we don’t need everything to make sense

·      Feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit and step out of our comfort zone

·      Call our Father “Abba” because we feel His abiding love for us

·      Commit to others, deeply and from the heart, and serve them because we love them.

·      Enjoy relationships and harmony over isolation and productivity

·      Despise conflict and desire peace

·      Include others when we notice them feeling left out

·      Use our idealism to serve God and others despite popular opinion

·      Bring great passion to relationships, projects and performance

·      Use warmth and sweetness to draw others to ourselves and God.

As feelers, we are able to experience some of the deep sadness that God expresses in the Bible.   We can also embrace the palpable joy spoken of so often in the Psalms (although we must be careful not to make OUR joy our only goal).  God has made us just as He wanted—a perfect complement for His thinking children.  When we use these powerful emotions to show what is Good about God and not what is evil about ourselves, we are operating within His original design.  Anytime we do things the way that God wants them done, there is rest—not restlessness—and contentment.

So…feeler rejoice!  God has rescued you from yourself!  And when you give Him all of yourself, He can make you into what He has always intended you to be—completely beautiful—inside and out.  He did this because He loves you.  And you are precious to Him.

Choose Him;

FEEL rightly;

God will be glorified.

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43:1-7