Perspective

I am one who has always loved my uninterruputed sleep but over the past 7 months of being pregnant, I'm coming to grips with the fact that I might not see one of those uninterrupted nights for at least a decade...so I'm trying to make the best of these quiet moments. Although I wish I could say that I have spent the time in prayer and meditation (which has happened), I have also learned that the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" runs nightly from 2-4 am and Oprah's re-runs air from 1-2 am. But what I want to blog about is a time late last week when I was reading my Bible and God showed me such a powerful life lesson that it has stuck with me throughout the week. It's the simple story of David and Goliath. A story I often just skim over because I know the story inside and out. Yet this time, I really read it. I'll pick up the story in 1 Samuel 17:22 - David has just entered the Israelites camp and has heard Goliath mocking the army. For 40 days, Goliath had been doing the same thing. David saw the Israelites run in "great fear" of this man. He also heard them say "Do you see how this man keeps comning out? He comes out to defy Israel....". David responds to them (I believe in disgust and amazement of their lack of faith) by saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" What God showed me in this passage is Perspective is everything. The army had been dealing with Goliath for 40 days. Goliath had basically sucked the life out of the Israelites and they were living in fear. They also began having "group think" - they all began thinking alike. David on the other hand, just entered the situation and saw things completely different. He was outraged that someone would speak out against His God, the Living God and I think he was ashamed at his brothers and the Israelites that noone would stand up to this mocking fool. He had no fear of him. How often do we end up in a "groupthink" pattern of life?? We have been beaten down by the realities of life and we allow others words to penetrate our hearts. Instead of believing the truths of God, we begin believing in the words of man and in what we see. Not only do we need to fight against these kinds of habits personally but we also must have people who we allow speak into our lives that have that fresh perspective-- a God truth perspective!! We cannot grow in our faith without the kind of perspective David had...

The Season of Change

I look out my office window and see several trees in the yard. The biggest one has a bunch of empty branches spreading out to the east and west. But here and there are some dead leaves on the branches, hanging on for dear life, blowing in the wind, refusing to let go. It's as if they are in denial about the fact that they are dead, that they don't have a chance, that their future is doomed.

Looking at those doomed leaves reminds me of an illustration I read by R.A. Torrey. He was writing about the difficulty we as Christians sometimes have as we are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. Sometimes we have old habits, behaviors, or thoughts that we just can't seem to get rid of. We try everything to get rid of that part of our old life - we pray, we read the Bible, we fast, we ask someone else to help us. And some days we have victory. Some days it feels like we have finally been made free, and we are certain that we will never struggle with that part of our old selves again.

And then the next day comes, and we fall again, and now we feel worse than before. So we work even harder at conquering the "old man" that refuses to leave. We may continue with that pattern for years, having times of victory and freedom, only to experience the disappointment and shame of falling again. R.A. Torrey said those old habits and behaviors and thoughts are like those leaves on the otherwise empty branches. They don't know they're dead, they don't know that there's no hope. They are still hanging on for dear life.

But then the seasons change. It's March and time for winter to leave and spring to come, in all its glory. It's time for change, a time for NEW LIFE. The life-giving flow begins to emerge from the roots of the trees, up the trunk, the whole way to the tips of the branches. And before we know it, evidence of that new life becomes apparent. Those old dead leaves that were so brave and strong and persistent are no match for the new buds that are on their way! They have no choice but to make way for those new buds. They, in their deadness, must bow and surrender to the new leaves, so full of life and vitatity.

Even though all of the bending and swaying those branches did all winter long may have resulted in most of that old life being cast down and thrown away, nothing that tree did could make some of those stubborn dead leaves give in and let go. But when the time is right, when the tree just allows that life giving flow to touch the ends of those branches, that's when the rest of the old leaves lose their grip.

It's not wrong to pray and read the Bible and fast and be accountable to others as we allow God to change us and make us in the image of His Son. But it's the life-giving Spirit that is really doing the work. It's not in our power to change some of the "old man" that just won't give up. But it IS possible through the life-giving power of the Spirit. Take heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. Wait for the spring to come. It's a season of change, a season of life. And it's on its way!