Be a Sonflower

The days are dry.  The grasses that sway in the afternoon breezes are straw-like:  lightweight, brittle and snap at a touch.  The hills are beige, the grass is beige and the only green is sported by the grayish sage brush that grows in clumps here and there.  The skies are a hazy gray with a light touch of blue.  The sun rises an angry orange and the heat is oppressive, enveloping you when you walk outside.

Yet, despite the heat, the muted colors and the smokey skies, we are beseiged this summer...with sunflowers.  They are everywhere.

They dance in the sparsely grassed fields.

They line the roads, nodding as you drive by.

They do their best to decorate the burned trees from last year's fire.

They rejoice with the new growth that has since sprung up since that fire.

They add a much needed splash of lemon yellow to a dreary land.

They are not in a beautifully tended garden.  They are everywhere there's some soil and sunlight.

I have been enjoying the lesson I am learning from them this week.  They are an excellent example for me in my walk with Christ.  I need to dance in the joy He provides and the hope He alone can offer--where it is the most sparse is where the dance is needed the most.  I have a joy and hope that I can display to others--not for their approval of me, but to start a conversation about why I am dancing: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  (Matthew 5:16)

I need to be where others are--along the roads of life.  I must acknowledge my fellow travelers on this planet, and try to catch their eyes with a smile.  We are the most lonely in a crowd because others fail to even look at us. 

Many lives have been scorched by sin, sadness and separation.  If I can hurt with someone, pray with someone and share with someone, I will be showing how Jesus has "decorated" my life: "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2).

The love of Jesus, flowing out of me, can reach people in a way that mere words cannot: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor. 13:4-8)  


In a dreary landscape, where people's hearts and minds are burdened with so much, a splash of kindness, of love, provides much needed color. 

Finally, Jesus' love in us shouldn't only be expressed in church.  That's the easy part--God's garden is clean, neat, full of smiles and seeming simplicity.  We need to take Jesus' love outside the garden, into the dry dusty fields of this world, relying on His soil and sunshine to make a difference.

Our world is in the long dry days of summer, with fires burning out of control.  Solution?  Be a Sonflower.

The Church of One? or ONE?

     Ah, the hummingbirds at my feeder.  They are a never-ending source of faith lessons.  This summer, we have had one very insistent black-chinned hummingbird who staked out the feeder in early in the season, and would not allow any other hummingbird to drink from it.  Last summer, we had a bunch of hummies coming and going but this summer, not so much.  
     This male would sit in the Russian olive tree and guard the feeder.  He would wait and wait and as soon as any other hummie came along...SWOOSH!  He would dive-bomb that bird and then fly back into the tree and resume his guard duty.  Occasionally, a female (his mate?) would come and drink, but I noticed that even females would be driven off and after a while, no other birds would be present.
     Did he drink from the feeder?  Yes, occasionally, but the vast majority of his time was spent guarding the feeder.  It's lonely at the top.  Obviously, this bird has commandeered this feeder as his own.  Despite the fact it's a "public" feeder, his behavior speaks volumes about how he views our feeder.  Oh, excuse me...HIS feeder.
     How often do we go to church and have the mentality of this wee bird?  We walk in and wonder if we will "like" the church.  In other words, what are we going to get out of it?  We notice other folks and look at their clothes/their way of talking/their friendliness (or the lack thereof) and make a judgment.  Then it's the music (too loud?  too hymmie?  too modern? too slow?)  and then here comes the pastor.  Hawaiian shirt?  Suit?  Jeans?  Cool shoes?  Flip-flops?  Then the sermon...
     You get the idea.  We are constantly monitoring our reaction and how we see the goings-on.  If any one of the aforementioned categories are lacking or are irritating, we decide that this church isn't for us.
     But, back to our hummie.  By the time we have driven away the people, the music and the pastor, it leaves just us...we become the Church of One.  Louis XIV (a very arrogant king of France) once said, "L'etat, c'est moi" ("The state is me.")  Do we have the same idea (although unlike Mr. Satin Pants, we wouldn't parade around saying so) that "L'eglise, c'est moi"--"The church is me."  It's all about how I react to what I see.  But, after much church hopping/shopping, we find it's lonely at the top.  
     Solution?  "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  (Hebrews 10:23-25).  Why were the readers of this letter forsaking gathering together?  Perhaps they believed that Jesus would return any day now, and they thought, why bother?  Yet, the writer gives compelling reasons to meet together:  love, encouragement and hope.  
     Wow!  How are those wonderful things achievable?  By getting to know one another well enough to engage in their lives, and they in mine.  If I am flitting about from church to church, I will not get to know people well enough to really enter into fellowship with them.  "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2).  Isn't it interesting that the only "law" we are to follow is loving one another?  Our love will be the biggest witness of all about Who Jesus is: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-5).
     So, if we want the church to not be the Church of One, but the Church of ONE, what to do?  These are some compelling hallmarks of a "good" (that is, Biblical) church:
1.  The Bible is preached in its fullness:  Verses are not cherry-picked out and the emphasis is on His Word, not story-telling, psychology or personal narrative.  We are confronted with His Word, and our hearts are convicted.  God's Word, is by definition, confrontational:  "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb. 4:12).   The Word is the very foundation of His Church, for it tells of the ONE Who died to make this life in Him even possible.  The Word ultimately is sufficient:

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  

2.  Love:  Is it really offered?  Are people genuinely concerned for you?  But, equally, can you offer love and have it well received? 

     That's it.  The rest--music, Hawaiian shirts, shoes--pale in comparison to a gathering of believers who sincerely seek the Word, and walk in His love.  Our life in Him is lived in community--with Him and with each other. 

That same Russian olive tree last winter is a much better "church."  More challenging (you mean I have to get along with all of you?)  but in the end, more of what He had in mind.

We Are ALL a Work-in-Progress

     By the late summer, living in the high desert, the color options are a tad limited: we have a generous array of browns, beige, sage green, some spring greens and a dash of yellow (wild sunflowers) and a lovely spot of blue (thank you, chicory).  So to have a lazuli bunting show up to the feeder is a cause for celebration!

     They are an astonishing combination of rusty red and a lovely blue.  I had never seen such birds before I moved to Idaho--I am used to the Western blue bird.  It has the same basic color combination, but in northern California, I wasn't so eager for bright color.  Leaving near the coast, I filled my color quotient daily!  I do love Idaho, but by the end of summer, the rather sedate color scheme needs a bit of encouragement and the buntings are made to order.  The other day, one showed up that was not quite so inspiring:

     Then, it hit me:  it's a baby!  This little guy is on his way to getting his beautiful plumage, but he's not there yet.  I just assumed that buntings are always beautiful.  
     What a profound thought as we walk with our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord:  we assume that they will always be beautiful:  kind, loving, patient, reflecting Jesus.  And yes, many are on their way to getting their beautiful "plumage":  they really want to reflect the Lord's work in their lives.  But what happens when they have a bad day?  How do they act if they are tired/upset/angry/disappointed?  Then the "plumage" isn't so lovely to behold.  They are a bit raggedy as they show up to our feeder.  Are we then rather judgmental?  "Hey, you love the Lord!  You should always reflect that!"  
     But let's reverse this, and I become the bird.  I show up raggedy to the many feeders I visit, and I wouldn't want someone to look out of their kitchen window and say, "Wow!  Look at her--she isn't a beautiful blue like all Christians should be."  I would want to turn around and say, "I am having a bad day.  I would like more beautiful plumage, and I believe I am on my way there, but today is not a good day."  In other words, I would like a little mercy for my less than pleasurable shade of Christian blue.
     I believe that's what the "judge not, lest you be judged" scripture is all about.  Let's look at the passage:
    
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye"  (Matthew 7:1-5).  

     I apply the Golden Rule to this, and by reversing it, I think we get to the heart of the matter.  We like to judge:  we look out our kitchen windows and notice how blue or not blue others are, and in doing so, we feel superior.  The focus shifts from our inadequacies to those of others and for a moment, we can feel our blue is best.  So, while we do the judging, we want JUSTICE.
     Now, by reversing it, we are the ones being judged.  We are well aware of our inadequacies and someone pointing them out to us is not a surprise to us.  We are very aware of the specks in our eyes.  They itch and burn and keep us from clear vision about ourselves.  So, when we are being judged, we want MERCY.  We want people to understand us and our needs and hope that they can find some leniency in their hearts.  In other words, we hope that they find some compassion for us and our raggedy blue.
    But, if the standard is not me by which I judge, but Jesus, suddenly all of our blues need time to reach their fullest beauty.  We are humbled by Jesus' brilliant blue, and so my blue is not better than my brother's or sister's.  
     We are all a work in progress:  Paul could confidently say about his fellow believers that he was "confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6).  So, next time someone less than blue shows up (or maybe it's you that less than blue!) remember:  we are all under the skillful training of Christ and it takes time.  It's little wonder that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit:  we so need it for ourselves and others!

HEY! Who Moved My Feeder?

     In a word, "wow."  This has been quite the busy last few weeks.  Once again, the hummingbirds have provided a good parallel to what I have gone through.  Let's start with them.

     Originally, my hummingbird feeder was attached to my kitchen window.  The benefits were many:  I could get an up close and personal view of the hummies as they fed; I could take good pictures of them; and it is always a treat to watch their amazing wings finally fold--if only for a few seconds--as they lower their beaks into the feeder.  They look around with sweet but anxious faces and their little feet cling to the feeder and then WHOOSH, they are gone.  Hummies are like a shooting star--if you're not looking carefully, you will miss them.

     So my feeder allowed me to watch my "shooting stars."  But there is one problem.  The high winds we have up on our hill means the feeder may blow off and hit the ground, or all of the sugar-water splashes out, leaving a sticky mess on the window.  

    So, after the last storm, I moved the feeder to the raised bed.  Oh my, did I cause a ruckus in the hummies'world.  One particular male--a black-chinned hummingbird--was especially irked.  He flew several times up to the kitchen window, hovering and looking in.  He had the "HEY!  Where's my feeder?" look in his wee birdie eyes.  He kept flying around and was joined by a few equally confused? irked? female hummies.  I was waiting for a phone call from their lawyer--a loud humming sound over the phone would be a dead giveaway.  Yet, the feeder isn't that far from its original site--I moved it only about ten feet.  It is still full of yummy sugar-water.  Nothing has really changed in my mind--same feeder, same water, just a different spot.  But to the hummies?  Everything has changed.
     And so onto my world.  My husband, for the last few years, has had occasional shortness of breath.  His doctor attributed it to the cold dry air.  He was getting increasingly tired.  We attributed that to getting older.  Then, last month, he was afflicted with a kidney stone, whose pain sent him into the ER and into a procedure to blast it away.  It was 7 millimeters, so he wasn't going to pass it for love nor money.  In the course of all the tests being run in the ER to determine what was wrong, the nurses noticed his heart sounded funny.  So, after the procedure for the stone, we now switched gears to understand why his heart sounded odd.
     Long blog short:  his aortic valve needed replacing.  My husband is only 56, so we were a bit shocked.  It is either a congenital defect or the result of a high fever he suffered as a young child.  Either way, the doctor said that surgery was the only option.  Wow.
     Thankfully, it was not the open-heart kind of surgery--the doctor would put in the valve via an incision.  So, one week ago, my husband went in and had the valve replaced, and is slowly but surely, recovering.  We really had our feeder moved:  one minute we are enjoying the summer and then WHOOSH:  kidney stone, angiogram, and then heart surgery.  
     I flew up to my Lord's kitchen window and looked in.  I wasn't angry--just perplexed.  But I am thankful, for without the kidney stone and the resulting tests, Clayton may have found out about his wonky heart in more of an emergency situation.  I am thankful I have my Lord's kitchen window available to fly up to; I cannot imagine facing those long hours in the corridors and waiting rooms of the hospital alone.  Our family and friend have been lovely--prayers, emails, cards and lots of love have come our way.  But having your feeder moved is never easy.
     What have I learned?  A few things:
1.  Feeders get moved:  Sometimes we are privy to why, but most often we are faced with a challenge with no easy answers.  And yet, Jesus is standing there, moment by moment.
2.  Jesus uses people to speak to us--a stranger, a loved one, a distant friend.  Allow Jesus to use those around you to be His hands and feet.
3.  Trust that a moved feeder is not an absent feeder:  Jesus is still Lord, He still loves us and is still bringing beauty from ashes: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28).  Notice something here:  not everything is good that happens, but God can transform the negative into the good.  Only He can do that and trust Him to do so.
4.  God is speaking, whenever you and feeder are.  He is never absent:  "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6).
     Feeders move, but "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb. 13:8).
     God is good.

The Lord's Bathtub

This is not the usual place to find a frog:

     Yup.  It's a frog in my bathtub.  I wonder if his fellow frogs could see him, what would they say...
     "If you can get water to come out of that thing, you'd live like a king!"
     "Nice digs, but where are the plants?"
     "I like the minimalist architecture, but a rock here or there would be nice."
     "Kinda Zen.  But...How'd you get in?"
     "What are you thinking!  They have a CAT!"

     And yet, the frog seems content with his rather simple landscape.  He has one key advantage:  he has ME.  I will keep the cat from him; I will make sure he is secure while he is in my house.  Eventually, I will place him back into a more secure environment.  I will be careful in handling him, knowing that frogs cannot be handled roughly.  Finally, I care about him.  
     (Note:  this is not an informal resume for a position at the Humane Society.  With all the creatures that I come in contact with living in the mountains, each one has its place.  I want to make sure that I do my best to assist in keeping that order.  So, I just don't kill an "intruder"--I do my best to put it back where it belongs.  Though, lest I sound too self-righteous, I just killed an enormous wolf spider...he was outside even, but the horror of his size made me grab the bug spray.)
     Do you feel out of place?  Do people around you think you are nuts for following Christ?  Are you a frog in the "Lord's bathtub?"  Yes, it more "normal" to be part of the world around you, yet the Bible is all too clear about our new place in the world, once we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord: " You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4).
    Whoa--those are strong words. We focus on being followers of Jesus and He even calls us friends: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15). He calls us His children: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him" (1 John 3:1)  
     But...an enemy of God?  And why does James use the word "adulterous"?
     Think about it:  if you love someone other than the one you are married to, that is adultery.  If we are lusting for something we cannot have and denigrate the one we are with, we are trying to serve two masters, and eventually the more worldly one (the one that best fulfills our fleshly desires) will prevail, if we are not careful.
     Of course, we are out of place here in this world.  Christ died for us, brought us into a place of safely and love, and if we expect the world to applaud that, we are mistaken.  Jesus says quite simply:   "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18).  In fact, the hatred others bore Him led them to conspire for His death.
     We want to get along with the world so we can witness to Who Jesus is in our lives.  Paul himself says,
    "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings" (1 Cor. 9:19-23).  
     But, that "outta place feeling" is a consequence of our loyalty to Christ.
     Think of what following Him really means:  We have JESUS.  He watches over us.  He will make a way for us in an insecure environment. He knows we are fragile, and handles us gently. He cares for us, and someday, we will reside with Him in heaven.
     The "Lord's bathtub" is not where all the frogs hang out--as for me, it's the best place to be:  "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
     Now, I must go and make sure that wee frog is all right.

The Days of Dry Rain

     This picture was taken in the spring.  These are called triteleias or triplet lilies. 

     Here's that same location:

     Quite a difference, huh?  Is it the sunlight and then the lack thereof?  No, Idaho has many days of sunlight, and even though it was a bit cloudy when I took the second picture, the sun had been shining all day. 
     In a word:  water. Water is a precious commodity in the high desert, and nothing illustrates that more than when we leave the rain of spring and enter into heat of summer.  Then we get something called "dry rain."  I had no idea what that was, and an elderly gentleman referred to it while we were talking one day, not long after I moved to Boise.  I asked, "What's that?" and he looked a bit surprised that I didn't know.  He explained that it's rain that falls from the sky but never hits the earth, due to the heat. 
     Those are exactly the conditions we have now:

     You can see the rain curtain but it is not hitting the earth.  We hit 100 degrees today and with that hot air rising, the rain doesn't stand a chance.  Compare that to just a few weeks ago, when we had a cool mass of air move in and the glorious rain fell:

     The massive amount of water in the air took the sunlight and rendered it as a rainbow.  The air was cool and the rain refreshed the earth.  The days of dry rain are upon us.  We get thunder and  lightning--all the trapping of a storm, but without that crucial element:  water. 

     I reflect on how this so corresponds to our walk with Jesus. We can feel His sunlight and warmth in our lives--we have accepted Him as Savior and know that He has forgiven our sins. With sins paid for, we are free to come to His Father.  Now, there are no walls, only open doors: "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir" (Galatians 4:4-7).  So, we are now part of God's family and we can bask in the light of His mercy and grace.

    But once our place in Him is secured by the work of His Son, we need to be walking every day in His Presence.  We need water every day--you can last maybe three days without it.  We need Him everyday.  We cannot walk abundantly without Him.  Our lives can start to slowly but surely shrivel up.

     Water is equally important to the Jewish people, due to the desert conditions that they faced throughout their history.  So, water in the Bible can mean judgment.  Look how God used an overabundance of rain to wipe sin from the earth; it is a judgment, but also a cleansing.  Perhaps another way to look at the flood is it was a global baptism, meant to wash away the sin of mankind, and the new life come forth from the ark.            

     Water was also used in a judging and cleansing way when the Red Sea parted for the Israelites, but then closed over and drowned Pharoah's army.  The water removed or cleansed away, as it were, the Egyptians' control from the lives of the people.

    Water was used to demonstrate God's provision. Moses struck a rock to bring forth water for the people as they wandered in the desert. Paul says ultimately that this rock was Christ: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:3-4). 

     Christ was struck for our sins.  The water that comes from Him is His Spirit.  We are filled and with that abundance and we are able to reach out and touch others:  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:37-8).

     The "heat" of our sin, our attitudes and our disobedience will keep His refreshing rain at a distance.  Solution?  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).  

     Water is potent in a dry land.  His water is potent in a dry soul. We need His Spirit to be raining upon us. We, in turn, must be obedient. The dry rain in our lives needs the Living Water of Christ. Christ as Savior in my life is only the first step. I must walk daily with Him as He seeks to be Lord of my life. 

     Good news:  just as I was writing this, the dry rain actually fell to earth in a glorious shower.  I went outside and sat on my porch, reveling in the refreshing, cool air.  We all need to spend time on His porch, reveling in His refreshing, cooling Presence.  The heat will come, the land will dry up, but Christ is faithful:  "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).

Look Into Jesus’ Mirror, and See How He Sees You!

 He sees you…as a person of value!  So, when He calls you, sing!

      Luke 1:46-55:  When the angel tells Mary of the Baby to be born to her, she sings!    She sings of how God remembers the humble, how blessed she truly is, how the lowly are lifted up, and how He remembers to be merciful to His people.  Praise is our way of acknowledging not only the Lord's goodness, but by verbalizing our gratitude, we are doubly blessed.

     Matthew 18:24:  Mary is, upon this news, faced with a devastating consequence:  her husband wants to quietly put her away.  The angel then comforts Joseph, knowing his heart, and his need to be reassured.  I am sure the song in Joseph's heart recovered, even though he still had a hard road to follow. 

     John 19:25-7:  When Jesus is dying on the cross, He directs the apostle John’s attention to Mary--she is now to be his mother--and Mary’s attention to John--he is now to be her son.  Jesus does not abandon us, and even at the darkest moments of our lives, He is still making provision for us.

He sees you as beautiful, even when the world sees only ashes…

     Luke 7:36-50:  This woman’s love for Jesus and her tears have never been forgotten.  The people around her disdained her…but Jesus commended her, and held her up as a woman of faith.  The sweet fragrance of the oil forever imprinted her in the hearts of the people who witnessed her kindness.  Every time they smelled that fragrance, they could reflect on Jesus' kind words, His sacrificial death and her kindness, even in the midst of scorn.

He sees your deepest needs, even if others have failed you!

      Luke 8:42-8:  The woman, because of her issuance of blood for  twelve years, was “ceremonially unclean”--meaning not only had the doctors failed her, the society disdained her.  But Jesus wanted to her to know, and those around her as well, that her act of faith healed her…physically, to be sure, but spiritually as well!  He commends her faith, for her simple act of reaching out and touching Him meant she knew Who He was and she acted accordingly.  Why do we acknowledge who He is, and then not act on it?

He wants us to focus on Him, even if it means questioning Him…

He will gently instruct us!

      Luke 10: 38-42:  Jesus wanted Martha to focus on Him, while He was at her home, so that she could learn this important lesson.  She didn't know it at the time, but keeping her eyes on Jesus would carry her and her sister, Mary, through a terrible time: the upcoming death of their brother Lazarus.

     John 11:17-44:  Lazarus then does indeed die.  Mary, the very one who had earlier sat at Jesus’ feet in adoration, now questions Jesus.  Even if we are in strong fellowship with Him, we still question Him.  Not only did He answer her, He showed her Who He was:  the very One Who will return Lazarus from the dead but then He Himself will rise. 

    Sometimes we need an explanation from God…but mostly, we need a revelation of WHO He is:  the Way, the Truth, the Life!  When you are hurting, don't ask "Why?"  Even if you receive the answer, the loss and the pain are still there.  Ask for God to show you the "How":  How to endure and keep praising Him, even in the midst of your pain.

He knows you even if it’s in a lonely spot, and you feel like an outcast…

He’s waiting for you!

      John 4:7-30:  This woman went to the well, in the heat of the day, by herself…and Who was there to help her discover who she was?  Jesus let her know that her sin was not just causing her to be rejected by society (going to get water in the heat of the day and being alone was a sure sign of her rejection) but her sin was keeping her from entering into fellowship with God.  He offered her water for her soul--her desire for intimacy had driven her from the very One Who could truly meet her need.

  

He sees our world--even if it is small--and He gives us significance!

      Luke 21:1-4:  The widow, giving all she had,  did not go unnoticed by Jesus.  He celebrated her generosity and faith, even if no on else did.  God sees those moments of love and sacrifice, and cherishes them. 

He greatly desires to calm those accusing voices, and to restore us to follow Him!

      Luke 8:1-3:  Mary Magdalene was a woman out of whom seven demons were driven… and she was one of His supporters and followers.  He replaced the voice of accusation with the Voice of affirmation.  Who are you listening to?   Ask Him to silence those voices that would drown out His voice that tells us of His love for us.

He is willing to give us more than we ask for…when we ask for crumbs,

He is willing to give Himself--the true Bread of life!

     Matthew 15:21-8:  This woman knew that she was not one of the chosen ones, yet she showed a humble but persistent faith by asking Jesus.  He meet her at her true need:  showing her that a faith in Him was what she desired.  She was willing to accept crumbs...but Jesus gives all of Himself to satisfy our hunger.  How then can we believe the lie that we are worthless?

He is there, even when no one is there for us--whether in our deepest pain, or in our greatest joy--and He is always seeking to roll away the stone!

      Luke 24:1-12:  Jesus emerged from the womb to be held by a woman, and He emerged from the tomb to be beheld by women--the “the least of these” in His culture.  This was a culture that demanded that the testimony of two women was equal to that of one man.  Notice that God in His infinite attention to detail made sure that there were multiple women going to the tomb that day.  He showed Himself to these women, and He stills shows Himself to us…for in Him, there is “neither male nor female…” (Gal. 3:28)  

     He are His children and He wants all of us to seek and find Him.  The stone is rolled away from the tomb...are we willing to look inside and trust what we see?

He is still answering prayer, and yes, sometimes we are surrounded by those who are dismissive of us, but…just keep listening to Jesus…

 Acts 12:5 & 12-17:  While prayer was being lifted for Peter’s release, guess who answered the door when a knock was heard?  Who gave the report of his release?  A young woman.  Who was then snubbed by the report?  The very same.  Yet…who was blessed by trusting what she had heard?  

   He doesn't dismiss us and even if we feel that we are "the least of these," He is there, wanting our hearts to hide in Him.  The old hymn puts it well:  "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

                                     Even through the clouds, His light comes through.