Truth in Politics and Prayers

Over two years ago we gathered to soak up every last minute with the young man who chose to serve his country and join the Navy.  In the months to come we would send him letters, Face-time at get-togethers, celebrate holidays two weeks too early just to have him be a part of it and ache as our hearts all adjusted to him being a world away.  His choice affected each and every one of us profoundly.  We view the flag a little differently and hold the sacredness of the sacrifice that so many have made a lot closer.  We stand taller and hold our heads higher when the anthem plays… because this man we all love dearly is one of them.  One of the countless men and women who have chosen to risk their lives, step away from their comforts, leave their families and fully embrace the unknown path ahead of them – so that we may be free. 

Our flag is symbolic of the heart of our country, the foundation we were founded on and the gratitude that is due to the brave men and women who have given their lives so that we may live freely.  It seems as though many citizens in this day are fueled from misguided truths that our flag may be representative of a certain person, position, or party. 

But it is not. 

The truth that waves in our flag is that we have the right to choose and within that choice we are to stand united, even when the cards are not in our own personal favor.  Because to disrespect, tear down, burn and trample the symbol of our country is to do those very acts to each and every soldier.  And not only that soldier but each person whose lives that single soldier affects: their families, their friends, the ones they’ve left behind to serve. 

We can’t change the behavior that so many have adopted in this day and age.  We can’t force them to understand the vast effects of their unruly actions.  But what we can do is our part in allowing Truth to triumph. 

As media stir up fear, failure and injustice – we will humbly, boldly allow the peace that passes all understanding to penetrate the suffocating cloud that threatens this life.

In the midst of the screaming shouts of politics – we will choose to tune our ears to the whisper of our God who is faithful to hear our prayers, honor our pleas and provide for His people. 

Flags may be trampled and torn – but the hearts that beat red, white and blue cannot be broken. 

Man’s words may be slung and abused – but we will ground ourselves in the God-breathed Word that no man can replace, refute or undo. 

Knees may be taken – but we will stand taller, prouder, and even more thankful to represent one nation under God. 

When division and hostility is barked – we will bear in mind that only in unity and reverent fear of the Lord can we find sure footing.

Whether these past days have brought a sense of victory or sorrow, one thing we must know to be true for each of us is that this world will ALWAYS prove difficult to navigate.  We weren’t created for all that we face: the mess, scandals, busyness, hopelessness, the inconsistent waves of defeat, death, disease, war and turmoil. 

It will never be convenient. 

It will never be exactly how we want it.

We are in this world but not of this world.  

So each day we must do our best to live in the Truth that has already triumphed at the Cross. 

We follow the One who has gone before us that we may find eternal hope in freedom from this world we’re passing through.

And we thank the brave souls that have gone where called so that we may live free in this temporary home until that day comes…

“In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  Matthew 5:9

He Wept

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick.  He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, 'Lord, the one you love is sick.'

When he heard this, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.'  Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days."  John 11:1-6

The promises and words of Jesus often are found in simplicity.  Upon the news of Lazarus's sickness Jesus simply says that "it will not end in death."  There was a bigger plan at stake, a more eternal perspective to suffering and it was for the glory of God.  Jesus made it clear, not in a parable as he often did, but in a direct statement that this sickness would not end in death ...yet Lazarus dies.

"So then he told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and for you sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.  But let us go to Him.'  ...On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days."   John 11:14-15, 17

Although his body lay in the tomb, wrapped in graves clothes, death was not the final say for Lazarus.  Jesus had a healing glory to show.  Upon his arrival many others had come to comfort Mary and Martha at the loss of their brother.  The first reactions from the sisters were that of deep grief, a place we so often find ourselves, in telling Christ what could have been.  They ran to him both having said that if Jesus had been there, their brother would not have died.  What we can't seem to wrap our minds around is that Jesus will do exactly what he says he will do.  Instead of trusting that Jesus will show up, and not only come to us but come on time, we allow our temporary circumstances to define the faithfulness of Christ.  So often, this habit causes us to falter on our side of the relationship, to choose disbelief over faith.  But thank God for His faithfulness to us despite our faults and failures. 

The beauty of this passage is found in Mary's physical reaction to Jesus.  Yes, she was filled with sorrow and grief, and her heart ached at the wonder of why Jesus didn't come sooner, why he didn't answer in the way she expected him to, but when she heard of his arrival, she rand and "she fell at his feet."  There at the feet of Jesus, Mary wept and wept, physically surrendering her hurt, her sorrow, her questions and fears.  There is a sacredness at the feet of Jesus that draws the hurting, healed and praising people.  We must realize the strength it took for Mary to run and fall there. 

How many of us would have closed the door and turned away?

How many of us would have been so overtaken by our sorrow that we wouldn't have even lifted our heads?

Would we have stayed in the company of our friends and used their comforts as a temporary ease?

When sorrow, fear, doubt and disbelief threaten to take our hearts out, the greatest courage we can have comes in falling on our knees and surrendering to Jesus.

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled...

                                                               Jesus wept...

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb."  John 11:33, 35, 38

Have you ever considered the immense love of Christ?

I mean, really stopped and allowed it to sink deep?

Mary's beloved brother had died, days had passed and I'm sure by then the reality of his death began setting in.  Imagine the questions that ran through her mind: why it was him that became sick, why the sickness took his life, where was Jesus and why hadn't he come?  And now she is fallen before Jesus, weeping at his feet, the kind of weeping that comes from the very depths of our being.  A weeping that forces its way to the surface and that can't be held back, one that causes us to winder if we can survive that which we face.  A weeping that unleashed a flood from every eye in the crowd.

Then Jesus wept.

He is not far from our grief, he is not a passive King, but rather One who comes close and weeps along with us.  His heart is heavy with concern for those who He loves, His compassions never fail.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. 

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each on in your book."

Psalm 56:8 NLT

From there Jesus asked to be led to the tomb where the body of Lazarus was laid.  The two of these images together encompass the glorious dynamic of our Savior - one who is perfectly gentle, come close and weeping as we weep; all while perfectly strong in coming close to death itself, facing it as it is, confident in His ability to overcome.  Standing at the grave of one we love is no easy task, it brings a reality to our grief that seems to unearth a new layer.  Yet there, in from of the tomb, he issues one command: to believe.

"'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?' 

So they took away the stone.  Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father I thank you that you have heard me....'Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'"  John 11: 40-41, 43-44

At the grave of his treasured friend, Jesus gave thanks to the Father.  He chose to have gratitude despite the sorrow, the weeping, and the seemingly impossible.  He chose an act of thanksgiving right there at the grave, the he commanded Lazarus out of the tomb.  When Lazarus walks out, Jesus has them strip him of his grave clothes.  We can find ourselves in similar circumstances, life deals us a hard hand and we shut down our hearts, we die a small death in order to survive.  But this is not the life we are meant to live - half-hearted, numb to the world, shutdown and buried in feelings of defeat, anxiety and fear.  We remain in these self-made "tombs" and wrap ourselves in grave clothes of bondage, depression, and despair.  But because of Christ, we have hope.  Our gratitude abolishes the sting of death-like circumstances every time.  Jesus called Lazarus our and "the dead man came out."  As well, he calls us out of our self-made tombs and gives us the strength and the breath we need to put one foot in front of the other and walk toward His voice.  He removes the grave clothes and adorns us with beauty and a brilliance that radiates from His light within us. 

"Can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, I

n those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift,

this grand setting-everything-right, that one man Jesus Christ provides?" 

Romans 5:17 MSG

Our hearts desperately need to know that we are not "too far gone," we have not "done too much," and when all that is within us screams for us to give up, that God is too late, that we are forgotten:  God is for us, He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6).  He is near us every moment of every day.  His commanding whisper shouts louder than any death, any impossibility, and any circumstance that we have or will ever face.  But we must tune our spiritual ears to listen for Him.  We must come out, out of darkness, out of hiding and into His Presence.  Because it is in His Presence that our chains are broken by the authority of Jesus' Name, the Only Name.  It is there we have been given life and we have been set free.

Come, follow His voice, find your way out, and believe.  It is time to remove the grave clothes and put on a new wardrobe.  Your story does not need to end in death, for Christ came that you may have eternal, everlasting life! 

Lord, thank you for calling to me.  For not requiring anything from me but my heart in the very condition it is in - be it a devastated mess or filled and overflowing.  You give me strength when I am at the end of myself.  Rid me of this heart of stone that has been kept hidden in shame and give me one of flesh - beating with, living for, and tender toward you!  Shatter my pride and teach me to worship the beauty of your creation, even within my own self.  Purge me of all darkness, dispel it with your Light that you may create a pure heart within me. 

Thank you for giving me life - redeemed, forgiven, full and free.  Great are you, Lord, mighty in power and filled with a love for us that is unfailing. 

Amen.

*This post is chapter 19 HE WEPT from my book, "SHE BLED" available here: SHE BLED by Afton Burkholder

The Root of Mercy

I was tangled in dirt and roots. 
Yet you called, because you saw something more.
I brought you my bouquet, tattered and torn and much less than you deserved. 
My heart longed to please you, to offer you more than all I could give.

Through the darkness you whispered,
                 “Am I not a merciful Father?”
You reached through the roots that tangled and found this heart calling to you. 
You met me at my worst and never flinched at the sight of my humanness.
My mother’s tears hit the ground as you called me Home, but hope has been found in the root of mercy.

The One who has bore the weight of our sin, so that we could be freed from slavery.

The One who broke the chains that bound, so that we would no longer be prisoners. 

The One who has gone before us and conquered the grave, so that we would live.

The One whose love is anchored in the promise of the cross, so that even facing death we may find life without end. 

The testimony of His faithfulness.
The assurance of His love.
The knowing that He weeps as we weep.
The rejoicing of a life made whole, rescued, redeemed…
No longer tangled in the mess of this world,

                            But forever rooted by mercy.

Heather Mighells

September 20, 1979 - August 1, 2016

http://www.maukandyates.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1835205

The Roots that Tangle

Our littlest fella recently got a new “big boy” bike and has anxiously been waiting for a trail ride.  The plan was to go to the bike trail so the kids could all ride and we could enjoy a walk together. 

But when you’re a parent, plans never go as planned. 

Once we started, the little guy spent more time jumping off and back on his bike than he did riding it.  This sweet boy always picks his mama flowers and a trail lined with wildflowers of all colors and kinds was perfect pickings that he couldn’t resist.  He would pedal so far, hit his brakes, jump off, pick a flower and bring it to mama, then hop back on and pedal some more, repeating the process for the entire ride.  Nearing the end of the ride, he was grinning ear to ear with a handful of daisies, dragging behind all of their roots and the dirt to go along. He proudly held out the bouquet to me and I gently pulled each delicate white flower away from the tangled roots.  When we got home I placed these beautiful little gifts in a vase on our windowsill. 

How thankful I am for our Father’s goodness and grace toward us.  We tend to be such a mess of a people, tangled up in the dirt and shallow roots of unrighteousness.  Those things that make us feel less-than beautiful, less-than worthy, stuck in the snare of shame and doubt.  Tangled roots of our past, our failures, and our sins.  Dirt that wants to keep us grounded on the sidelines and away from displaying the glory of God which we were created to do. 

We judge one another, we cast stones and look past planks of our own.  We cast off the beautiful when it’s the most in need of a Savior.  We disregard what could be, and magnify the mess of another. 

But thank God for His Loving ways… 

                                                who graciously receives His children when they return.  

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”  Psalm 51:1-2

A Father who doesn’t flinch at the sight of our tangled roots, but gently removes them from our identity. 

One who takes what is and makes it a beautiful display for the glory of His Name. 

Most of all, a Father who never returns to what was left behind, who doesn’t look back or return us to those dirt bound places. 

“But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a change in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace.  When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down.  All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it.   Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life – a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.”  Romans 5:20-21 MSG

The Ending

Rainy afternoons always call for movie time when you’re a kid, even if you’ve already watched the same one several times in a row. 

I folded laundry as the kids watched Zootopia for about the fifth time that week.  In the movie the animals live in a town but soon some of them begin going “savage” and Judy (a bunny-cop) is trying to get to the bottom of it.  There are some parts that are suspenseful but just as can be expected, it has a good ending.  Judy solves the case, the bad guys are caught, and they all live happily ever after. 

“I’m scared!  I’m scared!  I don’t like this part, it scares me!”  Jayden dramatically announced as she has every time certain scenes play. 

“But you know how it ends.  Why are you scared?”

“I know I do!  It’s creepy and it scares me!  I’m scared!”

“You know what’s going to happen, you know the ending.  There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

As I continued folding laundry, this exchange replayed in my head.  But this time it wasn’t my daughter announcing fear over a movie – it was our country, our world, announcing fear over the condition it is in and our Father stating the Truth, reminding us of the outcome.

Our generation is one ridden with fear.  Some crouched in a corner afraid to make a stand, and others standing with fear as their personal platform for protest.  At the root of it all is FEAR.   

Most Christians are frozen with their jaws on the ground, shaking their heads, caught up in disbelief.  We are letting the enemy further his ground as we let fear take grip on our hearts.  Out of fear we remain silent, keep our light hidden under a bushel of worries and reasonings.  Even better for the enemy is when we do just the opposite and we speak up out of fear.  Doing this, we tear down one person after another as we point out sins and position ourselves as judge.  We are quick to give our opinion on how God feels, what He’s doing, what He’s about to do as though our minds can grasp such things.  Sure there are signs, there are things as Christ-followers we need to be watching for, but not out of fear and shock – we are to be alert with a heart that fully trusts a Father who already took care of the outcome. 

The morning before the exchange with my girl, I was reading in Genesis and happened to be reading about Sodom and Gomorrah. 

“The two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.  When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.  ‘My lords,’ he said, ‘please turn aside to your servant’s house.  You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning….

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old- surrounded the house.  They called out to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight?  Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.’… They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.” Genesis 19:1-11

When I read this, I stopped and re-read it to make sure I had read it correctly.  Every man, young and old, came to have sex with the men… “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.”  Jude 7

We are faced with a generation of issues: politics, homosexuality, wars, protests, killing, lawlessness….

Is this exclusive to our generation?  No.  It’s been going on since the fall of man, it’s where the human heart wanders when it isn’t grounded in its Maker.  It may be new to us in our lifetime, but it’s not new to the Creator and All-Knowing God. 

He calls those who follow Him to not stand with a fear-ridden heart, but to stand in the strength of a rock-solid trust in having knowledge of how it ends! 

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Tim 1:7

This isn’t to say that the headlines won’t at times leave us shocked and leave our hearts weeping, but they must not leave us paralyzed or puffed up.  When we struggle to understand, we must find our peace in knowing the One who does understand.  We must know that above all he calls us to LOVE.  To love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, to extend grace to those we don’t consider deserving, to be merciful to the sinner but not soft on sin. 

 “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  Hebrews 9:28

When the enemy plagues fear on a nation, we need to rise as an army of people who know the outcome, who find strength and comfort and peace in the victory already received.  When our hearts are tempted to cry out that we are afraid, we need to hear the Father’s voice telling us

“You know what’s going to happen, you know the ending.  There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Above the Storm

It was a weekend we had planned and anticipated for weeks.  We made the several hour drive out of populated towns, into the unaltered mountains with the river bending through and as we did, everything seemed to slow down. The change in physical pace was a much needed reminder to slow down our spiritual pace. 

The weather was beautiful the day we arrived and although rain was in the forecast, we continued forward and hoped for the best.  Each of us set up our tents, unpacked our belongings and settled in for the weekend.  We greeted old friends and were introduced to new ones. As a new day came, so did the rain.  Not just a light shower but a downpour, then a break followed by yet another downpour.  Rain never does stop kids so we all followed suit and although the ground was wet, we all stayed.  Some of us danced, some played, others fished, and took walks.  The rain allowed us time to talk and catch up, to learn new things and grow.  That evening, in perfect time, the sky cleared and we all sat under a shower of fireworks and soon after sent off lanterns.  Lanterns that slowly floated through the valley along the clear path of the river lighting the dark. 

The last day came with weather much the same.  We had just finished packing up our belongings when the farthest place in the valley became black.  Those of us who were packed and ready to go could have set off for home, but we stayed.  As the storm crept closer we pitched together to help our friends get their belongings away.  We all got soaked, but we wouldn’t leave and didn’t leave, until we could all leave. 

As we drove home that day and reflected on our weekend, our hearts were full.  There was something more to that weekend that couldn’t be explained, a nudging on our hearts that success wasn’t being defined by the crowd or the weather.  Instead it was being defined as something far greater, far more meaningful, far more church-like and Kingdom sought.

We don’t always wake up to bright, clear days.   It most often happens to be the times in our lives that we expect the best of days, when clouds roll through and the sky opens up and pours down.  All our well-though-out plans don’t stand against the eternal plans of the Unchangeable, Unshakeable, and Sovereign God.  Life happens, hurt happens, heartache, and loss happen.  Yet something within us needs to resolve that come what may – it will be well with our soul.  

We can easily settle down after surviving our own storm and find comfort on the other side.  We can see the storm coming and tuck tail and run the other way.  But there are times when others need us to walk alongside of them and help them find shelter in the storm.  The same shelter we once found, a refuge for the weak, and comfort for the broken.  Times when we need to learn to dance in the rain and open our arms wide to receive what we never expected, but needed the most.  Moments when the black storm is rolling in, when others may fear and panic, but need us to stand firm and face the storm knowing confidently that we know personally the One above the storm.

There will be times when those we are in relationship with need us to be strong and believe for them until they can find strength to believe for themselves.  Because once we’ve been through the storm, we can’t walk away and let others get lost within it.  They need His light to help break through their darkness and lead them straight out. 

In this life, storms will come, rain will pour and the ground beneath us will be soaked.  But there is hope in troubled times, when the bottom drops out and the carefully crafted walls cave in.   There is One who can redeem, reclaim and rebuild the storm-tossed land of our hearts.  

…and it is a beautiful thing!

“O afflicted one, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires.”  Isaiah 54:11

“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.”  Psalm 32:6-7

The Parade of Grief

It was colder than cold and we were in line readying our float for the parade.  We were filling candy bags, straightening decorations and covering the kids with blankets on the hay bales. 

And freezing. 

I took a call and something deep within my heart resonated and I knew. 

My dear uncle was in the hospital and not due to lack of hope, but more so to be what I believe my loving Father preparing me, I knew he wasn’t going to make it back home. 

This time he would be going Home. 

I hung up the phone and buried myself into my husband’s embrace.  The parade had begun and it was our turn in line, so I quickly dried my tears and had taken my place alongside our float - smiling, greeting the crowd, handing out candy, and walking forward as inside my heart was breaking. 

God would graciously provide us with time to say goodbye, precious moments full of His grace that I cherish before he would go Home a few short days later.  The day he passed my heart was prepared, as prepared as a heart can be to lose someone so foundational in your life, I was at peace with saying goodbye and thankful for the closure I was afforded.  Completely unlike the morning of that parade where I was shocked, where I didn’t feel ready or prepared.  Therefore, that particular day has since served as a marker of my uncle’s death more so than the one of his passing, it’s one that feels as cold emotionally as it did physically that day two years ago. 

I was checking our calendar for a few dates when I realized that this year the day that he went Home and the parade fall on the same day.  It seems such a silly thing to get upset over but I just don’t like it.  It’s a portion of my grief that is more difficult to navigate: bitter cold, an unexplained feeling deep within my being of a certain end drawing near, having to pick up and push forward too soon. 

It brought a flood of emotions, maybe all the ones I locked inside that day as I forced myself to smile and put one foot in front of the other.  I am grateful for the days and moments that followed that parade, when I was able to grieve and to witness love, to find joy through the sorrow and abiding peace through the wrenching ache.  Those were the moments that I trusted God with my heart through the hurt, as I allowed His provision and strength to carry me through.  From the still, quiet moments in the hospital room, to honoring his life at the funeral, and later visiting his graveside.  

I wept over my calendar as the flood of feelings overwhelmed me, then I fell to my knees and thanked a God who carried my heart and One who graciously supplies us with hope even through the most sorrowful of days.  That cold walk on Main Street was one where I smiled, waved, and pretend to be okay.  Our God does not require us to live in such a way, even though I’m certain His heart aches at how often we do.  The days when we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and pretend to be everything we are not.  When we force a smile and turn a blind eye to our reality that we find too difficult to face.   The days that we live as though we are walking down Main Street, parading a version of ourselves we deem as fit to be shared.  But God has not created us to live this way.  He has formed our hearts to need relationship, to bear one another’s burdens and to seek His heart beyond the disappointments we face in this world. 

He is a God who opens His arms wide to the hurting and those in need of rescue.  He promises to comfort all who mourn and He is not far from the broken hearted.  Those times we feel we might not make it through, yet find strength enough to let ourselves be carried, He is faithful to hide us in the shadow of his wings.  He loves us just as we are and understands the waves of our grieving when our hearts seem to catch us off guard. 

He simply asks us to come. 

To trust.

To let go of all that we grasp and trust in His everlasting promises.

To be one who remains at the Saviors side as the parade carries on. 

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness… The Lord is good to those who hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:42

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock and salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my might rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:5-8