A Future and a Hope

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

- Jeremiah 29:11

I have always found today’s verse comforting but never really considered when it was written or who it was originally for until recently.

To summarize, the prophet Jeremiah was told to write this letter to the Israelites in exile during their time in Babylon. They’d been conquered and relocated, taken away from their “Promised Land.” All in all, a very bad time.

Before this verse, the letter told the Israelites to settle in and settle down, marry, have children, live out their lives, and support their new hometowns, because they’d be there for a while - seventy years, in fact.

This was probably not what the Israelites wanted to hear. No, I imagine they would have much rather had a letter that promised something like what had happened in Egypt - plagues, miracles, rescue. They would have wanted nothing more than to go back home.

And doesn’t that somehow feel familiar?

I don’t know what your life has looked like, but I am fairly certain it has probably had its fair share of traumas and difficult times. Maybe you’ve even wondered why life has to be so hard, or questioned just what, exactly, you were living for.

A brief side note: If you, like me, have ever struggled with depression or thoughts of suicide, please get help. Dial 988 to speak to someone at the Suicide Crisis Hotline, or speak to your therapist if you have one. Ask your friends and family for support. Just…don’t try to go it alone. Please.

This past weekend, Sam spoke about the kind of hope offered to believers of Christ. It’s not a hope for riches or immediate comfort (although that would be nice, no?). Rather, it’s a hope for all the universe - that one day, when as many people as possible have heard the gospel and had the opportunity to choose Christ, He will return, conquer all evil, and set up a new heaven and a new earth for us to enjoy with Him and with one another for the rest of eternity.

I believe God’s message to the Israelites through Jeremiah can apply to us as well. Settle in, settle down, marry, have children, live out your lives and pray for the wellbeing and prosperity of your hometowns/nations/countries, because if they prosper, we prosper. And look forward to the day when we get to go back home.

Wherever you are on the road of life, I hope and pray that you will be comforted with the knowledge that there is a future and a hope for you. That you will be reminded of God’s love and sacrifice for you and for your siblings in Christ. That you will take this opportunity, this lifetime, to share that love and sacrifice with everyone around you, to share that future and hope with them as well.

God bless you.

Thanksgiving in Times of Trouble

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:6-7

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week, and that you are ready for the holiday season.

Last week Sam and I went down to San Diego with his side of the family to visit his cousin and stepsister, who both live and work in the restaurant industry there. About 15 of us all gathered together to celebrate, and we had a wonderful, relaxing time.

Then this week - oh, this week. I found out on Tuesday that my application for permanent disability had been denied, and suddenly I found it very hard to stay thankful.

We’d been praying for the application to be approved because I haven’t been able to work since June of last year and we’ve drained our savings dry trying to stay afloat.

Now, it wasn’t a huge shock, since everything we’d read and heard said that fibromyalgia applicants are almost uniformly denied at first, but we’d been hopeful because I meet all the criteria to have been approved right away. But still, it was super discouraging and stressful trying to figure out how we’re going to survive financially during the appeals process, which we’ve heard can take upwards of 3 years. That’s a long, long time.

All week, today’s verse has been repeating in my head.

How were we going to pay our bills? Do not be anxious about anything.

I was having trouble sleeping at night, and was too tired to do anything during the day. In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I’ll admit, I prayed, I cried, I whined, I sulked all week. But you know, I did, and do, thank God. He’s always provided for us, and I reaffirmed my faith that He would still do so, in His time. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And God is faithful. I had two good nights of uninterrupted sleep this week. My birthday was this past Wednesday, and getting so many happy birthday messages and gifts has been so encouraging. I’m thankful for my friends, my darling husband, my family. My mother just happened to ask about the application process on Wednesday, and as soon as I let her know, she offered to cover our rent for December. I have so much to be thankful for.

Friend, what, if anything, has been causing you anxiety and stress? I invite you to join me in presenting our requests to God, with thanksgiving for all He has already done, all He is doing, and all He will do.

If you want someone to talk to and pray with, join us for our Wednesday evening prayer meetings online. Or email us. Or talk to a friend, counselor, family member. We can get through this together, by the grace of God.

Practicing the Presence of God

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

- Zephaniah 3:17

Have you ever heard of Brother Lawrence? He was a Catholic monk who lived in the seventeenth century, and his views on prayer and what it means to talk with God has changed my life in many meaningful and impactful ways.

His philosophy was this: what we call prayer is, in essence, spending time with a loved one. Think about your most precious person. What does your life look like with them in it? What would it look like without them?

If your experience is anything close to mine, then talking is only a small portion of your interactions. My husband Sam is my most precious person. I wake up early to have breakfast and coffee with him before he leaves for work. I think of him when he is gone. I am happy to see him when he returns home. We talk about our days, about current events, about whatever pops into our minds. We laugh together, cry together, play games together, watch tv together…you get the point.

All that to say, my loving Sam has transformed my entire life. I can’t imagine my life without him, and most of the decisions I make, be they small or large, are made with him in mind in one way or another. When I interact with other people, it’s either with him by my side or on my mind. I’m not ashamed to say that I tend to gush about him when he’s not around.

Brother Lawrence believed that prayer amounts to pretty much the same thing, and I’d have to agree. Prayer is more than bowing your head, clasping your hands, and talking to the ether with your eyes closed. Prayer is spending time with your most precious person, with someone who is everywhere, who knows everything, who is the ultimate authority, and who loves you so much They would die for you (and has. And then brushed it off and went on living because that’s just how powerful and amazing They are).

What would prayer look like for you if you adopted Brother Lawrence’s mindset? For me, praying has become more than a chore, or something to measure in minutes or hours or days. Prayer is waking up in the morning and being grateful for fresh air and functioning lungs. Prayer is loving my husband and being able to sacrifice for him because I know God is there to do the same for me. Prayer is looking at the people around me and being reminded they are precious to God, and therefore precious to me. Prayer is thoughts of God floating around in my head as I go about my day, influencing my decisions and my actions. It is my acknowledgment that God is always with me, and my gratitude for His presence.

Prayer is living life with God.

My friend, I hope and pray that you will begin (or continue) practicing the presence of God in your life. May your days and weeks, months and years, be filled with joy and peace even in the midst of every trouble and tribulation. May the Holy Spirit remind you of Their presence and the all-encompassing, never-changing love of God. May your life be overflowing with love.

Fighting the Fight, Running the Race...Keeping the Faith

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

- 2 Timothy 4:7

I started running cross country in middle school thanks to the encouragement of one of my teachers. It was difficult and painful and exhausting, but I loved it. Once you get past the pain, you start to feel that “runner’s high,” and feel light on your feet for near half an hour after you’ve finished your run.

In high school I didn’t have time to join the cross country or track teams, but I still kept up with running all the way through my early twenties. Running 5-6 miles a day was a great and healthy way to destress, find some quiet time to myself, as well as build my endurance.

Not that I didn’t invite my friends to join me. I distinctly remember two friends and their wildly different responses to my invitation. One joined me regularly, and we grew closer as we trained together. The other…well, let’s just say that she didn’t like exercising. To the point of getting angry at me for even suggesting it.

She did, eventually, start exercising after getting engaged. She wanted that perfect wedding and the perfect body to go with it. I remember watching as she would slather vaseline over her stomach and wrap it with saran wrap before heading to the gym in sweatpants and sweatshirt. 0/10 wouldn’t recommend.

But you know what? She looked gorgeous on her wedding day.

I think exercising your faith can be similar. Some people learn and grow best under the encouragement of a leader/mentor. Others need someone to come alongside them, a friend who walks or jogs - or runs - along with them. And still others need a visible and tangible end goal in order to take their health - physical and mental and spiritual - seriously. It can be difficult and painful and exhausting, but you know what? The end result is so worth it. And the more often you exercise that faith, the more endurance you build and the healthier you will be.

Which type of person do you think you are? What do you need to help you fight the good fight, to finish the race?

How can we help one another keep the faith?

Worship: Extravagant Love, Extreme Submission

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

- Mark 12:30

Have you ever been in love?

Before I met Sam, I thought I knew what love felt like. But (and sorry if this is corny), Sam was the first person I met who I fell deeper in love with the more and more I got to know him. With everyone else, the shine on our relationship faded as time went on. But with Sam, the past thirteen years of marriage have only made my feelings for him stronger. I avoid doing things I know will hurt him, and I spend a lot of time thinking of ways I can make him happy or make his life easier. I am happiest when we are together, and I miss him immensely when we are apart.

Worship is a lot like being in love.

The first thing to come to mind when I hear “worship” is like the image above: being gathered together, singing along as a band sings praise and worship songs. It’s easy to forget that worship is more than just singing, or music, or raising our hands to the heavens.

Worship is intrinsically tied to the greatest commandment. Loving with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength is the definition of worship, isn’t it? But what does that look like in real life?

Let’s break today’s verse down, shall we?

Heart:

Contrary to current opinion, ancient cultures thought that the heart was the seat of intellect - emotions, thoughts, intelligence. This is where your deepest beliefs, motivations, intentions, sit.

Soul:

The very core of what makes us human, the part of us that will remain even after our bodies and flesh are gone.

Mind:

Higher thinking: understanding, feeling, desiring…the mind is the place where knowledge is collated and connected to expand understanding.

Strength:

Force, power, ability. Our will and our action.

All in all, it seems clear that what God wants - and what He deserves - is for our everything to be focused on Him. Our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, our very existence…this is a lot more than just once-a-week meetings to sing songs and listen to someone speaking for an hour.

No, this sounds more like being in love…with someone who truly deserves it.

I encourage you to get to know God more. I guarantee that the more you get to know Him, the more time you spend with Him, the more in love with Him you will be and the easier true worship will become.