The Puzzles & the Friend

I had this dream last night. I was on the floor and spread out before me were puzzles – 100 piece puzzles, many of them, the pieces all mixed together. If you have ever worked these kinds of puzzles, you know they are relatively easy to work; they just take time. Even with the pieces mixed together, it’s relatively easy to figure out which piece belongs to which puzzle and how the pieces fit together. A friend was there in the floor with me, helping me to put together the pieces. We were rushing to get them done. The task before us was urgent. The work had to get done, but we had it under control. We were making significant progress.

Then, I turned around and noticed unbeknownst to me, on this other side of the floor were more puzzles, this time 1000 piece puzzles. If you have ever worked these puzzles, you know they present a much greater challenge. It is no longer obvious what the bigger picture is or how the pieces fit together. Now, it is work to seek out the right pieces and to make progress. We didn’t get extra time. In fact, we didn’t know how much time we had. We just knew they had to get done. The task was the same –but the progress was much slower, the challenge was much greater. The challenge seemed impossible to me. I was overwhelmed. I’m going to need more time. The rules changed. No answer came. But my friend urged me on, urged us on, as we set to work all the puzzles, as we set out to confront the new challenge. It was slow, but piece by piece we started making progress. It was slow and frustrating, but as we continued to work, the bigger picture started to emerge. I realized my friend was right. We could do this, we were doing this. And so we kept pressing on, working faithfully at the tasks before us.

Have you ever had one of those game-changing moments? Have you ever felt you had it under control, doing the work, going about your business, with purpose and intentionality, and yes, even with confidence – knowing that you were fully ready for the task at hand, that you knew what had to be done and was working to accomplish it? Then, as you are working on it, as you are getting it done, suddenly the rules change, without your knowledge or consent. The challenge that seemed so manageable becomes harder, your confidence is shot, and it seems overwhelming. Have you ever felt that?

I have. That has been my reality for the last few months, as I have transitioned to a new position, full with new challenges and with different pieces that I don’t know how they fit together. It has been overwhelming at times. It has also been exciting at times, to catch glimpses of the bigger picture. The truth is I am good at working 100 piece puzzles. There are certain tasks that I have mastered and have under control. I know how to get things done. But now, I also have 1000 piece puzzles – ones that I haven’t mastered and struggle to make work, ones that I don’t know what they are supposed to look like or what the end result is going to be.

BUT my friend does. My friend has seen the box lids. My friend was there when the design was created. My friend is there guiding me, showing me how some pieces connect, correcting my missteps along the way – you know, the times you so much want a piece to fit only to try to force it or convince yourself it is the right fit. My friend knows when it is the wrong piece. He knows the right pieces. He holds them in His hands, waiting for me to take them from Him. He urges me on, encourages me to keep working, to be faithful with the task at hand.

The prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) is popular in Christian circles. It becomes in some sense a call for greater responsibility and greater blessings in our lives. In this prayer, “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request” (NIV, 1984). Sometimes, though, when God enlarges our territory, it can feel like being moved from a working a 100 piece puzzle to a 1000 piece puzzle. Even the answer to our prayer, more responsibility, better opportunities, can seem overwhelming. But God’s hand is with us. In my dream, my friend was with me. I wasn’t left alone. I am not left alone. You are not left alone. God is with us. When He calls, He equips. He “equip[s] us with everything good for doing His will and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ...” (Hebrews 13:21)

Here are some promises that have encouraged me in the challenges that lie ahead:

• In times of preparation – “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13-14)
• In times of weakness & failure – “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
• In times of discouragement – “And the God of all grace who has called you into eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)
• In times of correction – “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• In times of doubt – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
• In times of lonliness – “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

I’m working the puzzle. I don’t know how all the pieces fit together. But my friend is with me. I plan to be faithful, even when it seems daunting. I plan to trust Him and take the pieces from His hand. He knows what is best. And I’m excited to see the pictures start to emerge, to see the masterpieces He has created.

Tuning In

While I have been reading Katie’s story, Kisses from Katie, I have also been reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. Although vastly different, the books are strangely complementary to each other. The latter one, more a theological look at what it means to pursue God, and the other, a tangible testimony of a young woman doing just that in Uganda.

One of Tozer’s points is that God wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to seek after Him and to walk with Him in intimate relationship. Although we may not always be manifestly aware of His presence, He is always there with us. As Christians, we must develop and cultivate our spiritual receptors and awareness. In other words, we must tune in to God. He writes, “Let any man [or woman] turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days” (41).

I think about Katie, and I see a young woman doing that, stepping out in trust and obedience, humbling serving the children in Uganda. I see her sincere desire to help and to leave the world she knew behind to choose God. I question her methods at times, just because I know my own pride and my own shortcomings and how easy it is for me to get off track. But what I find refreshing and reassuring is that we don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to have all the right answers or do all the right things. We need to seek God and trust Him, stepping out, even imperfectly, with obedience and trusting that He will honor that. And even more, He will use it to teach us and to grow us. He’ll reveal Himself in fresh ways as we tune in to His voice, as we cultivate those gifts of receptivity, as we become more and more aware of His presence on a daily basis.

Katie suggests in the book that it is easier for her to do that in Uganda, in a place free from much of the materialism and distractions of the States. It’s easier for her to trust in God when He is the clear source of daily provision and protection, the One who so clearly holds life & death in His hands. Is God the same in Uganda as here? Absolutely. But there, free from some of the distractions and “white noise”, she can perhaps see Him and hear Him with more clarity.

I had a similar experience when I went to Nicaragua. Something about being in a different culture and stepping outside my own comfort zone, I was more aware of His presence. I was more “tuned in” to what He had to show me. I’ve also sensed Him here, as I visit El Camino, a bilingual church plant serving the Hispanic community, or even at my own church in Sunday school or during quality prayer time. God is always nearby. He is here. He craves that intimacy and fellowship. As we seek Him, we tune into His presence, we “come to know Him more intimately and with deeper understanding, that the barriers of thought and feeling between the two are disappearing, and that father and [child] are becoming more closely united in mind and heart” (38). To me, that’s a beautiful picture of walking with God and seeking Him.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been caught up some “white noise,” feeling disconnected and even frustrated at times. I’ve been futilely going through the motions and yet craving that fresh revelation. Over the last couple of weeks, though, I have found myself earnestly seeking Him, stepping out in some small ways, but trusting Him anew. And each step I take, I become more and more aware of His presence. I find myself more and more drawn to Him in prayer and Bible study, more in tune with His heart and His will for my life. It’s a process. I love that Tozer points that out. This isn’t a once and done event, rather it is the journey of walking with God over time, of developing that trust and cultivating that intimacy, of learning from our mistakes and our missteps, of returning and renewing that faith, of stepping out once again in obedience.

I would love to hear your thoughts. How have you experienced God’s manifest presence? What is some of the “white noise” that keeps you from tuning in to Him? And what are some of your success stories, blocking out the noise to tune in and experience God in fresh and exciting ways?

Tozer, A.W. (reprinted 2009). The Pursuit of God. W_L_C. pp 36-41.

Choosing God, Recklessly

I was a little harsh on Katie, from Kisses on Katie, in my post the other day, perhaps a little unmerited. I don’t mean to disparage her efforts or what God is doing in her life and the lives of the children. How much better our world would be if each of us would take the call to get involved and love our neighbors in such real and practical ways!

I do like her, and as I mentioned, she reminds me somewhat of myself. I still have a lot of maturing to do when it comes to walking alongside others and not trying to do it all myself. And I certainly didn’t have those answers at 19.

What I am learning from her story is the beauty of a reckless abandon to God’s call, a willingness to not just step outside her comfort zone, but to give up one way of life to wholeheartedly pursue another. I appreciate that. I have moved several times. Even when I have found myself in unfamiliar places or new cities, it has still been relatively easy to integrate my life into my new surroundings. I don’t have to rethink who I am or what I am doing. I have ways to connect, to interact, to live my life, albeit with some adjustments, but still live my life the way I have always known it.

How different it must be to pick up and leave everything to live a completely different life, to go from the relative abundance of middle class life in America to a poverty-stricken area in Uganda, to be in a place where running water is a luxury and starvation is too much of a reality. How do you adjust to a life like that?

In the book, which I recommend if you haven’t read it, Katie talks about the poverty there and the healthcare needs. She also talks about returning to the States and what that adjustment was like, the juxtaposition of her two worlds and the internal struggle that resulted from that reality, how hard it was for her to reconcile the materialism of America and the need in Uganda. What she realized is that she had to choose where she belonged. She couldn’t keep a foot in each place; she couldn’t make both places her home.

I think God often places us in places where we have to choose. Katie references Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the one and love the other or love the one and hate the other.” I think, too, of when God tested Abraham – forced him to choose God or his son (Genesis 22). Abraham chose to obey God. Katie chose to obey God and return permanently to Uganda. Do I choose God? Would I choose God if He called me to give up everything I had or to go across the world? Would I choose God over a spouse, a job, family? Would I choose God if, like Job, I lost everything (Job 1-2)?

What do you think? Do you think God calls us to give up “good things” for Him? Is this reckless abandon to God or just reckless? How do you make sense of God calling some to give it all up and others seemingly called to live a content and comfortable life?

Course Corrections

Most of the time I have a fairly good sense of direction, which is one reason I scoff at the idea of a GPS. Who needs satellite positioning and step by step directions when you have a map? Who needs “Sari” or any number of available GPS voices to walk you through the step by step process, when you know where you are going and a vague sense of how to get there? I am usually fairly confident that I can figure things out on my own. Sometimes, that confidence works out well, and sometimes, well let’s say I can hear the voice in my head saying “recalculating.” Sometimes, I have to admit, I do find myself on entirely the wrong road, or the right road heading in the opposite direction from where I need to be.

Am I alone here? Or can many of us sometime think we are on the right course, even when we are confidently heading in the wrong direction? Even when we don’t like to admit it, we sometimes need a “Sari” or someone to intervene and get our attention. We need someone to alert us that we are headed on the wrong path. We need someone to correct our course and to get us back on the right path to our destination.

The Tower of Babel is the story of God intervening and correcting the course of mankind. He needed to get their attention. God had instructed mankind from the very beginning, Genesis 1:28, to “Be fruitful and increase in number: fill the whole earth and subdue it.” Yet, in the story of Babel, the people have forgotten those words. Their goal is to isolate themselves, to build a wall around the city, to keep to themselves, to keep from being scattered all across the earth. God wanted them to fill the earth, and they wanted to keep from filling the earth and stay in their nice comfort zone with each other. You can almost hear them asking, Why do we need anyone else? Why do we need to go anywhere else? We have everything we need right here. Let’s stay here forever.

But that was never God’s design. God called Abram out of his country, Genesis 12; He sent Paul to the Gentiles throughout Asia, (Acts). He calls us to take His love to the nations, to go into Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). He calls us to follow Him, wherever He leads, whether here at home or far abroad, across town serving or across the world.

And in the story of Babel, when ALL the people unanimously decided they didn’t need to follow, that they needed to stay and make for themselves a name and a tower, they were heading in the wrong direction, directly away from what God had commanded. Stephen Covey says leaders make sure the ladders they are climbing are leaning against the right walls. And here, no one was leading, no one was asking if they were doing the right thing. No one was speaking up reminding them of God’s greater purpose and His will.

So, God intervened and got their attention. He sent them a much-needed course correction, to re-orient the whole group of them to His will. He scattered them across the earth. He put them exactly where He wanted them to be all along, all over the earth. I can imagine His voice, saying “recalculating.”
It’s similar to the story of Jonah. God called Jonah to go and preach to the city of Ninevah. Jonah didn’t want to go, so he headed in the opposite direction. But God is sovereign and He issues course corrections, as needed. He got Jonah’s attention and redirected his path. God used a whale and some fishermen to accomplish His will. And He put Jonah back on the path to Ninevah, where He wanted Jonah all along.

That can seem kind of harsh, if we just look at the surface. God is sovereign and He is going to accomplish His will regardless. But if we look at His will, we see it’s not harsh at all. It’s because of His great love for us that He guides us and corrects us. As a loving Father, He wants the best for us, even if that means disciplining us. He works all things out for good in our lives and like a good Father, He has good things in store. Sometimes that means keeping us from the danger of ourselves, and sometimes that means getting our attention when we are heading in the wrong direction. God had great plans for Jonah’s life – to use him to ignite a large revival and bring a whole people group back to God. God used Babel for good by placing people all over the earth. From the very beginning God’s design was for all the nations and all the earth to know Him, His truth and His great love. A message that we are never to forget (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and one that Jesus would again command us to fulfill (Matthew 28:19-20).

God’s discipline is unpleasant at times, but I’m so glad that He is a loving Father that doesn’t allow us to continue down the wrong roads. I’m thankful for the course corrections in my life. They are proofs of a Father’s love and His master plan.

“Our Fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12: 10-11). Read another blog post on these verses here.

When has God corrected your course? In what ways has God’s discipline in your life brought a harvest of righteousness? Please share your comments and stories.

Destination: GOD'S WILL

For the new year, I am not beginning a new journey, but rather continuing an old one. I am once again in search of God’s Will for my life…

Sometimes I picture arriving at my destination as arriving to a new town – perhaps, God’s Will, South Carolina, population 828. I occasionally pass a couple of signs that say God’s Will, stay right, or Expressway to God’s Purposes, 25 miles ahead. I have run into some construction zones– new character development in progress, detour 2 years, or passageway to Humility (a necessary rest stop) temporarily blocked by pride. Sometimes I have chosen to take the path of Forgiveness or Love and it brings me closer; other times I opt to bypass Patience (rumored to be a long but direct route) and end up further away. A path called Prayer seems to illuminate the often dark roads, helping me to see the next steps; even more clarity comes from travelling the way of the Word.

Sometimes, though, the destination seems illusive, just a little out of reach. Maybe I’m close, maybe I’m already there, maybe I still have a ways to travel. I can’t really tell. Each step in Faith, though, encourages me to continue the journey. And then as I keep asking, searching, and waiting, I realize what my Guide has been trying to tell me all along – God’s Will does not have a zip code. There is no X marking the spot on my treasure map. Rather, God’s Will is found in trusting my Guide, obeying His clear direction even when I can’t see the path ahead. Sometimes there is a clear right direction that He wants to lead me in. Other times He wants me to just stay with Him, to walk with Him, wherever the path leads - through good times or bad, through understanding or confusion, through joy or pain.

I realize that part of God’s Will is relationship and fellowship, being instead of doing, following instead of leading. That’s a rather new journey for me, one that is a little different from my past attempts to get to God’s Will by deciphering the map myself. In some ways, it is harder because I have to realize I don’t have the map. My Guide does. That journey is much newer to me, handing over control to Him, trusting Him every step of the way.

As I ponder the route to God’s Will, I found the following passages helpful. Perhaps they will help you as well:

• Knowing in part – I Corinthians 13:12
• Pre-requisite – Romans 12:1-2
• Clear direction – 1 Thessalonians 4:3
• Straight paths – Proverbs 3:5-6
• Praying for God’s Will – Colossians 1:9-10
• Praying for God’s Will – Matthew 6:10
• God’s Purpose – Philippians 2:13
• Understanding – Ephesians 5:17
• Desire to do God’s Will – Psalm 40:8
• Training required – Psalm 143:10
• My Guide – Psalm 25:4-5
• My Guide – Psalm 73:23-24
• Clear Direction – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18