Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

I’m sure most people, when they read this verse, think of the spiritual gifts that we are given, like teaching, prophesying, etc. But this morning, I saw something else.

The gifts we get are not always ones we’d like to keep! Because often, they are wrapped in illness, betrayal, loss, or pain.

The word “good” in the bible actually means “the best”, or “the best you can get”. (Did you know that??)

And think back to a time when you received a gift (one you actually liked!), and you said, “this is PERFECT! It’s exactly what I needed!”

Through the tough stuff in life, He is equipping us to be more like Him, to love more like Him, to stand more like Him.

I still love the analogy of the cocoon. The butterfly HAS to struggle to get out of the cocoon, because without the struggle, it would never have the strength to fly.

So it is with us.

Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns, has kidney cancer. Now, he has already written some incredible songs! But I said to a friend last week, “I cannot WAIT to hear the songs he will write next!!! What amazing lyrics could that guy come up with through the struggle of chemo and cancer!!!!!

That kind of thing excites me, because I have seen how God can use pain as amazing gifts for us, and more importantly, THROUGH us!

Whatever you are going through, please believe it is the “perfect thing” for you, and is His very BEST!

He wasn’t passing out blessings and your name got left off of the list! He passed yours out first! In the form of something that didn’t look much like a blessing…but it is.

It is.

The BEST and PERFECT kind.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

A long time ago, I heard something on the radio that changed the way I studied the bible. A pastor was giving tips for getting the most out of our time meditating on one verse at a time. One of the best suggestions, in my opinion, was to emphasize one word or phrase in the verse and think about just how that little word effects the rest of the verse and how it applies to your life. I’m going to show you how it works, and hopefully it’s gonna encourage the socks off of you, like it does me!

BE still and know that I am God.

I think God is much more interested in who we are than in what we DO. Yes, what we do matters, but what happens when our ability to “do” goes away, for whatever reason?Sometimes, “being” is the hardest thing we’ll ever attempt in life. Personally, I’m still working on it! This verse doesn’t want us to do much of anything! Except……

BE STILL and know that I am God.

The only action He wants us to take sometimes is NO ACTION! Just stop it! Occasionally, He will force us to be still, using some kind of physical calamity. So if this you, take a look at your life and ask yourself: Am I moving too fast? Too much? Am I missing my own life? Or someone else’s? Honestly, it could actually be more of a gift than you might think.

One of the definitions for the word “still” is, “remaining in place.” I really like that! We need to remain in place, and let God take care of all the chaos that is simmering all around us, trying to knock us off balance. Remain in place and know that He is God.

Be still and KNOW that I am God.

The word “know” means “to perceive or understand clearly and with certainty.” Someone once said that “worry is doubting who is in charge.” Are we “certain” that God’s got this? I must admit I have my days where I completely trust Him, and my days where….not so much. I just want to have a flashlight on this dark road. But usually, we don’t get one. And we need to be okay with that. Because that’s faith! Certain of what we don’t or can’t see!

Be still and know that I am God.

This is simple, but powerful. HE is God! Not me!!! He is in charge of my life, and I am not even a vice president in the corporation of PAM. I might be a doorman, but that’s about it! If I could just stop the occasional battle for control of PAM, I’d be the happiest doorman ever.

Be still and know that I AM God.

The God of the Old Testament, the God of the great and amazing miracles centuries ago, just so happens to be the same God today. I love that little word, “am.” Moses had no idea what a deep concept God was throwing out there when He was burning through a bush! I don’t know about you, but I am so comforted by the thought that He has never changed since before time began! He has always been just, holy, full of grace, mercy,has always been a promise-keeper, and has ALWAYS loved his children, especially the really bad ones!

In the context of this verse, God is telling us that we can remain in place and know with certainty that He will take care of our pain, our trouble, our struggles, our heartbreaks. How do we know? Because that’s what He told Moses, and that’s what He tells us all.

“God, please get me through this horrible pain!”

His answer?

“I AM.”

“Please heal my loved one.”

“I AM.”

“Please get me through this financial crisis!”

“I AM.”

“Please remind me how much you love me.”

“I AM.”

Are you in love with this word yet???

When I look at this verse, through each word, it comes alive to me, and says so much more than it did just as a whole.

My study tips are free of charge. 😉

 

When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed.
James 1:2-4 (Phillips)

Maybe this translation leaves an icky taste in your mouth. Blech. Yuck.

Personally, I LOVE it!

Welcome my problems as FRIENDS??? That idea sounds so foreign to most of us, just as the original wording, “count it all joy”, does as well.

Think about the truest of friends. They NEVER LEAVE. Often, neither do our deepest pains or losses. My stroke will always be with me, effecting me in one way or another, like such a good buddy (said with the slightest hint of sarcasm).

The best, most ideal of friends, also have so much to teach us. We can all agree that if we are willing to listen, our pain is ALWAYS ABLE TO TEACH us something. MANY THINGS.

I just had the most amazing privilege of watching a movie called 1000 To 1: The Cory Weissman Story. It is the true story of a young man who had a stroke in college, and his comeback to continue to play college basketball and conquer all the other obstacles stroke threw his way.

Let me tell you.

There is nothing like watching something happen to someone after it happened to you, and watch them go through the grieving process. I cried, smiled, and laughed knowingly all at the same time. ( Yes, I was thinking bi-polar, too!)

But as I watched this movie, I realized just how HUGELY GRATEFUL I was for the stroke! For what it taught me, for the “new me” I am still becoming, for how I see God working ALL OVER MY LIFE EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am so thankful for this friend of mine! God could have left me just the way I was: book smart, selfish, insecure, blind to other people’s pain. But He didn’t! He DRAMATICALLY changed everything!

Could the loss of a spouse or a child one day be a friend of sorts in your life? Could you welcome the loss of job for the opportunities it could one day open up for you? Could you ever welcome long-term illness for the compassion with which it could flood your soul, making eternal imprints in the lives of many?

Let’s take a quick look at another phrase in the verse above. Don’t resent your troubles as intruders!

You see, you can choose resentment for your pain, or you can choose to strive to WELCOME it!

Welcome what it can do!

What it can bring.

Who you can become because of the One who so very carefully and painstakingly allowed that pain to come into your life in the first place.

 

When I was pregnant with Micah , I kind of intended on going back to work for financial reasons. Then the stroke stepped in and changed my mind! 🙂

Well, ever since I have had seasons where I struggled, seeking to find some sense of usefulness. Yes, I am still a mom. But early on, I realized I couldn’t safely do that on my own, so they went to daycare. That SO didn’t help with my needing to feel useful!

Anyway, I recently had another time of not knowing what in the heck I was I supposed to be doing here.

I sought people out, asking if I could help them with anything, I prayed at length for God to reveal my purpose…

Nothing.

“Reveal my purpose.”

Cheesy, cheesy words!

And the light bulb finally flickered, and turned on!

Does God really “reveal our purpose” to us like that? “You. You will be a doctor. That’s it. When you can’t do that anymore, well, you can golf.”

I kinda don’t think so.

You see, if God loves our obedience, then I think part of our purpose is to, umm, obey.

Every day.

Each moment.

If we do the next right thing all the time, we will always be in His perfect will, which means we will be exactly where He wants us to be. And that IS the greatest purpose ever! We will be super useful!

We simply can’t go wrong when we seek to do the next right thing.

I think about high school students getting ready to go to college, and moms whose kids are leaving the nest, and all kinds of people in between. They need direction. They want a plan, a purpose, a goal. The best, surest plan is truly daily obedience.

But Pam, that’s not a plan! Seriously, stop yelling at me. It’s rude. 😉

It’s not a plan we like. Me either, people. But it does the one thing God LOVES to do. It stretches our faith. We can’t see past a day, but HE can! We like to see what we’re working towards. We have to learn to trust Him.

If we do that , we will be blown away by how our faith will grow, obeying day by day. And we will be blown away by how little we will care anymore about needing to feel useful!

I inherited Your book on living; it’s mine forever- what a gift! And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what You say!

Psalm 119:111-112 Msg

The other day while in the hospital, I was watching some talk show at 2 in the morning. FYI: The very best in quality television does NOT occur at that time of night!

Anyway, an actress was being interviewed regarding all of her recent nominations for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and Academy Awards. She said something kind of interesting.

“ You know, we finished filming this movie over four years ago. And most days, I can barely remember the whole process. But backstage, when you showed the clips from the movie, I was reminded, and I was like, ‘Wow, that was me! That was crazy hard!’

This woman, and scads of others, have been getting dressed up for the past few weeks, getting celebrated for their accomplishments, and celebrating others. They have been taking that famous “walk on the red carpet”, all decked out in somebody else’s duds, greeting legends from long ago, secretly getting a little starstruck themselves.

And all I can think of is heaven.

All of this muss and fuss will one day be a memory galaxies away. All this present pain, worry, and stress just won’t matter even a little bit! All of the struggles will instead only serve to make you smile, remembering all those times God whispered to you that it would someday be SO WORTH IT!

There are some major differences between these award ceremonies and our future ones.

These actors are getting rewarded for the hard work they did to pull off a gripping performance.

WE will get rewarded for giving up, and hopefully allowing God to do all the dirty work, and to step into the spotlight of our very life, to take ALL the credit!

There won’t be different awards in heaven either. Like, there’s not gonna be one for best power point operator. Sorry, people.

The only reward will be this.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Being faithful is not about achieving much, or even really so specifically about obedience, although it is so important!

It is, I think, about choosing a glorious weakness instead of a cheap sort of strength. It is about continuing to sing, even through your tears. It’s about being brave enough to be your honest self, in front of whoever’s looking. Being faithful is all about remembering each and every day that GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL, AND MAKING THAT OUR LIFELINE TO GET THROUGH ALL THESE MANY DAYS. Isn’t it funny? The way we show ourselves to be faithful is to demonstrate how faithful HE is! Just another one of those great mysteries!

You know what else will be super cool about that day? That day when we walk the red carpet? The literal sea of faces of history, of the world’s, and of ours. Our friends and family who have gone before, celebrating right along with you, congratulating you with hugs and kisses. Just the thought of that makes me cry as I’m writing this.

But the absolute best part is when you’re seated inside.

And then….

He calls your name.

I think I will run up.

Then He says those amazing words that keep me going on days when it would be so much easier to just curl up into a ball.

“Well done,

Good and faithful servant.”

To hear those words from the Ultimate Faithful One is pretty much all I could ever dream of.

It will make all of these struggles we face seem as “momentary” as scripture promises.

Because sooner than we think, we will be taking our walk on the “red carpet”, and I can hardly wait!

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

1 Peter 5:4

II Samuel 9

One of the greatest stories in the Bible about mercy, compassion, grace, and great love is the story of King David and Mephibosheth.

Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan, King Saul’s son and David’s best friend. On the day his father and grandfather were both killed in battle, Mephibosheth and his nurse or caretaker were escaping the violence and were running to the hills. In their haste, the nurse dropped little Mephibosheth. The damage must have been severe, because he was lame in both feet and could no longer walk on his own.

Flip the page, and we see David, longing to fulfill his vow to his friend, that he would take care of any known relatives of Jonathan.

Stop right there!

In those days it was common, and even expected, that the new king would seek out and destroy any known relatives of the former king, so that there would be no one seeking to steal the throne.

So, here we have David, doing something no one expected, searching high and low to find anyone who was a part of his best friend’s family in order to show them mercy. And we have Mephibosheth, hiding in exile, no doubt expecting to be hunted down, and totally unable to protect himself from any vengeance coming his way. He lived in a place called Lo Debar, which means “without pasture”, or “without God”.

Think about that. Mephibosheth lived in a place where there was no green grass, essentially no life! Forgotten, kicked out, and paralyzed.

Then, along comes David, and asks to meet with him. I imagine someone probably had to carry him in to the throne room. David tells him all of his father’s possessions, even that of his grandfather’s, would now belong to Mephibosheth! And tops it all off by promising that he would now eat at the King’s table for THE REST OF HIS LIFE!!

But listen to this man’s response! “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” Mephibosheth believed that his disability made him completely undesirable, coupled with the fact that his grandfather was David’s enemy, and any other king would have immediately executed him.

Calling yourself a dead dog seems a bit extreme, but we are all “dead dogs” in our sin, compared to the perfection of the holy God!

But here’s what I really want to say about this story: When Mephibosheth sat down at the table with the King, his feet were not visable to anyone dining with them, and certainly not to the King!

King David searched the land, looking for someone to shower with grace and compassion, just like another King I know of.

God has been searching the whole world over, just looking for YOU!!! And He doesn’t care about whatever weaknesses you “bring to the table.” We came from a line of sinners, just like Mephibosheth. And we are just as cursed as he was. BUT, we are also loved and redeemed, as he was! What a beautiful story. A man who came from a place of “no life” finally finds one. And it is at the King’s table!

And this is my story, too. I am weak, full of pride, worry, and every other bad and horrible thing. YET, He loves me, and wants me to sit with His family at the table.

He loves this dead dog, and I am so glad He does!!!

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Job 1:21

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Well, folks, Christmas is over. Soon, Valentine’s Day will lovingly demand that we take down the tree and decorations. Yes, I have stretched it out that long before! 🙂

But overall, it was a beautiful day. Even the gift opening was pleasant this year! I say it like that because I am aware that one day soon my kids will show their ugly side on Christmas morning, when they frown or complain about getting clothes instead of the coolest game out there. But my kids’ faces lit up with EVERYTHING they opened, and seemed genuinely thankful! I know an occasion like that is like spotting a blue whale in the ocean…pretty darn rare.

It got me thinking about my attitude regarding all of the many gifts I’ve received in my life:

      1.The gift of praising God through music. It all COMES from Him, and really should always be given BACK to Him.

2.  My kids and husband. I will be 100% transparent and admit I am not ALWAYS thankful for them in the way that I should be. Like I was on the day all three of them came into my life. Those were days of fall-on-my-face gratitude to God for entrusting them to me! Where did that go?

3.  Some tougher things, but still gifts. Betrayal of loved ones. On those days when my heart was broken over words that a friend said, or DIDN’T SAY, or actions of someone who claims to love me, betrayal felt like a curse and NEVER a gift! But it produced amazing grace and remarkable forgiveness!

4.  Loss of loved ones. This is never easy for anybody. But imagine your world without ever having known this person. Surely the loss is heavy and hard, but what a gift it was to have known them! To have loved them!

5.  Illnesses and Disablility. I honestly and truly believe that God meant for my stroke to be a GREAT gift! Not just to me, but to everyone I try to love. It is a door that people more easily walk through to get empathy and compassion from me. I know I can’t understand every type of pain, and that often doesn’t really matter to people. Because they know that I at least am on a first-name basis with pain, and sometimes that’s comfort enough.  It has also taught me how to depend on Him to literally get me through each and every day, and how to be truly grateful for the air I get to breathe.

The things He gives and the things He takes away from us are always meant to be great gifts. Roads that will help to lead us to at least part of our purpose here on earth.

One thing that has stayed with me is the idea of never wasting pain. Let it do what God meant for it to do! Don’t hide it in the closet or shove it under a rug, because you will have wasted the entire experience and will reap nothing for all the hurt! And I want it to all MATTER. It is ALL a gift from God, the greatest Giver!

And I am so thankful.

What are some of the “gifts” you’ve received, but never really viewed them as genuine gifts from God? Take a minute with me and thank Him for all He’s done with all those “gifts”, and all the things He WILL do with them….and you.

Over three years ago, my life was changed forever. My massive stroke was huge! In size, I mean. The blood clot went from the base of my neck to the very top of my brain on the right side. The damage was so severe that I shouldn’t even be alive, let alone walk and talk.

There was a comment I’ve gotten a lot since then, and continuing throughout all of my other challenges since.

“You are a real fighter.”

It’s actually a pretty humorous thing to say to me, and I’ll tell you why. I was basically in a drug-induced coma, because they mistakenly gave me my very own morphine button! (Boy, do I miss having one of those!) So, I have no recollection of most of my days in the hospital. I couldn’t even think, so how could I fight??? And what would I have done if I was clear-headed? Ordered my brain cells to recreate themselves? Healed my brain all by myself??

Even if you meant I was “emotionally” a fighter, that simply isn’t true! I’ve wanted to give up more days than I can count. I don’t know HOW I’m still here.

What I DO know….someone WAS fighting for me that day, and every day since! Most days I wonder how I will get through another one, and yet I do, time and time again!

But I can CLEARLY see that it is only through God’s grace and amazing mercy that I woke up today! That I WILL get through this day again and again, and again.

He fights for those who love Him. AND He fights for those who don’t, according to His mercy and grace.

Most of you have heard people say or have even said yourself, “I don’t know how a person who doesn’t believe in God could get through this tragedy.”

If you don’t believe in God, do NOT for even a SECOND, think you fought your way through life’s battles all by yourself! He was fighting FOR you! Your child was laid up in the hospital and nearly lost his battle. But he “somehow” made it. You go home, and your friends say you are a fighter! Or you attribute your ability to getting through this day by receiving an encouraging call from a friend.

It isn’t true!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOD is fighting for you, whether you give Him any credit or not, He will fight for you and me until He comes again to get those who BELIEVE!

Whatever you are going through today, please know that you can “will” yourself to paste a smile on your face, but you CANNOT “will” yourself to have joy. Or peace. Or any other beautiful thing that makes life on this earth worth it. Those things are GIVEN TO YOU.

I am so grateful to have a Father who fights for me!

I just wasn’t built for fighting.

But my Daddy is!

 

The Lord you God, who goes before you, He will fight for you.

Deuteronomy 1:30

By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry .

Genesis 8:13

I’m not going to take any credit for this post. My friend and pastor preached about the story of Noah yesterday. But this verse kinda did it for me, you know? It opened up like a flower in front of my mind and spirit.

The bible mentions only one window being made in the ark. The thing that makes this window different from most other windows is that it was in the ceiling, or roof.

It wasn’t on the side of the ark, so that people or animals could look out and see the damage that was being done to their world, the only world they’d ever known. Noah and his family were protected from seeing others who had refused to believe regretfully float by their view. Watching the world being destroyed would have been, I imagine, an EXTREMELY terrifying thing to behold! And God protected them from that awful vision by putting a window on the roof, instead of on the wall.

Noah and clan also couldn’t rely on their own conjecture to determine when would be a good time to get off that stinky barge, because they had no vision at all of the flood! They had to rely on God’s very specific instruction in order to determine just the right moment to disembark. All this was because they had no view of what was going on around them.

The only view they had was….

UP!!

They couldn’t look around at their circumstances, but only at the heavens above.

I kind of wish I didn’t have any windows on the sides of my life, either. I wish I could just focus on what God desires of me, and not get so distracted by what others want, or by what others DO. And I wish I didn’t have to see all of the pain around me all the time.

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!

Psalm 105:4

He may not have taken my “side windows” away, but there will always be a window to heaven for me, too!

When I look to Him, I find hope.

When I look to Him, there is peace.

There is even a whole bunch of joy!

As long as I’m looking through that window in the ceiling. 🙂

 

Dear Nineveh,

I know we don’t know each other very well, but I have a few things I’d like to say to you, if that would be okay. Yes? Alright then.

I’m sorry for neglecting you all these years. We are always referring to it as “Jonah’s Story”, when it’s really just as much your tale as it is his.

I mean, you were the POINT of “Jonah’s Story”! You were the reason there was anything to say at all!

God asked one of His most trusted servants to deliver a message to you. One that would bring great conviction, and then BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION! But he wasn’t feeling it. He didn’t want to go because he didn’t think you deserved it.

I’m sorry for that. That he couldn’t see the beauty that could come out of you one day. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner, because my eyes were looking in the other direction.

I’m also sorry to all the Ninevehs in our lives. The people we don’t want to waste our time on. The ones we believe are too far gone to ever DESERVE a place at His table.

We forget so so easily. That we were once Ninevehs, too. WE were not worthy, not acceptable, not redeemable.

I’m sorry for every time I thought, “Good for them. You’re getting what you deserve.” And I am so thankful that God never ever said those words to me! And Nineveh, He didn’t say them to you, either.

I’m sorry Jonah couldn’t see that he was just like you. Swamped in a different kind of sin, but still…VERY swamped. Nineveh, I pray I never wag my finger in your face, shaming you, when I’ve been spared my shame because He saved me. Just like He saved you.

I will remember you when my brother stumbles, as we all do. I will remember what would have happened had Jonah NOT delivered God’s words, however reluctantly they were given. I will be THANKFUL for you, that you were saved from all of it!

But most of all….

When I look at you, I will see ME.

Sincerely,

Me

I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.

Isaiah 44:22