Appreciation

Picture by Caprice Miller

Art - "Standing Ovation" by Anitra Blayton

“Come, everyone! Clap your hands!  Shout to God with joyful praise!” – Psalm 41:1

I really appreciate a good performance.  I also appreciate the beauty of the world around me in nature and art.  And I appreciate desserts too – chocolate especially.  There are a lot of other things I appreciate also, but we’ll stop at these categories.  I have to admit though; I probably don’t show my appreciation for the things I appreciate in a way that lets others know just how much I appreciate these things.   Instead, I tend to take things for granted more often than not.  I just trust that people know that they did a good job in their performance, their display of art or creating something delicious.  I would also admit that there are times that I actually envy those skills and spend a lot of time trying to do something similar or better. I soon find myself frustrated at my attempt and just quit the whole project.  In the midst of it all I’m left wondering how those people make it look so easy and how my attempt could be such a flop?

The sculpture featured above can be found in Terminal D of the DFW airport.  Caprice actually looked up the story behind the piece.  Basically the artist wanted to give a reminder that we should more quickly applaud those around us who are doing good things.  There are so many around us each and every day who share their gifts and talents with us.  However, we may have become so use to it that we take it for granted and don’t think of it as special any longer.  I dare say that many don’t even consider their own gifts and talents as special at all.  That’s sort of the secret of understanding if it is a gift or talent…it may come easy to you, but to someone else, they wonder how in the world you do that thing you do. 

 These skills are truly God-given.  Within each of His creation God has woven unique abilities that help to set us apart from each other.  These are also the very things that give us joy as we do them.  And in turn, they give joy to those around us also.  It is important to remember that gifts and talents are not limited to musical, artistic or culinary skills.  Many times we overlook the gifts and talents of those who make life simpler because of their gift of hospitality or administration or encouragement or organization or wisdom and a whole list of other “out-of-the-spotlight” skills.  The bottom line is that we ALL have gifts and talents.  God wired us with these gifts and talents to use and share and to appreciate in ourselves and others also. 

It is interesting though that many times we don’t appreciate these gifts within us because they do come so easy to us.  We feel that “surely anyone can do what I do because it’s easy.”  Not so.  You are made with unique gifts and talents for a unique purpose in life.  Do not be distracted by the enemy who would like for you to believe otherwise.  Don’t envy what you don’t have.  Instead, appreciate and applaud the gifts and talents of others and recognize and appreciate what you have been given yourself.  As you do, show appreciation to God and thank Him for what He has given. 

Ask God to guide you in just how He would like for you to use what He has given you for His purposes – the purpose you were created for.   By pursuing His purpose for your life and utilizing your God-given gifts and talents you will find that you applaud others for doing the same instead of envying their gifts and talents.  Soon you may even lead others in what the verse above says as you show your appreciation:   “Come, everyone! Clap your hands!  Shout to God with joyful praise!”

Building or Beacon?

Picture by Caprice Miller

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matthew 16:18

Old, beautiful buildings like the one pictured above make me wonder about the history surrounding it.  When was it built?  Who designed it?  What’s happened there?  What’s inside?   I can imagine on the other side of those big, heavy doors there is an interior that would be just as dramatic and beautiful on the inside.  I love the idea that this place would be busy with activities all the time.  People coming to this place find encouragement, others to celebrate with and experience life together.  Those that come in find “The Church”.

The verse above is one of those “red letter verses” that was spoken directly from the lips of Jesus to Peter’s ears.  I’m sure at the time Peter could not fully grasp the meaning of this declaration from the Messiah.  He may have had the thought that this “church” spoken of was a physical building.  But what we know is that the church is not just a building.  The church really consists of the people who come together in the building and worship Jesus Christ and praise His name.  It is really a world- wide phenomenon.  From the beginning of “The Church” in the book of Acts, we see that this was the case.  Due to persecution, the people who made up the church realized they had to move from where they were or die.  As a result, the church expanded beyond the borders of Jerusalem and continues to expand today.  God is amazing at taking what the enemy would use to destroy and turning it around for His glory.

Now, imagine yourself as one of the first Christians.  If you had been threatened with persecution would the Good News of Jesus stop with you?  Or would it continue because of your determination to share the difference He has made in your life?  Many times we think because it is a “personal thing” we just need to keep it to ourselves.  Don’t ruffle any feathers.  What if the first Christians had kept it to themselves?  That isn’t what Jesus suffered, died and conquered death for.  Yes, He did it for you, but He did it for me too and the rest of the world.  It says so in John 3:16.  Some may find it difficult to share this message on your own.   But we are not meant to take this journey alone.   That is why we are told to come together in Hebrew 12:24-25  -

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

So, while a church building may just be a building, it should stand as a beacon of light and hope.  It is a place where fellow Christians – “The Church”- can come together to corporately praise God.   It is a place where there should be so much excitement about what God is doing in the lives of those there and that excitement can’t be contained. It is a place where those searching for that “missing piece” in their lives feel welcomed and at home.  A place where they will be encouraged also as they begin their journey in being part of “The Church”.   If you don’t already have one, find a local beacon today so that you can be a part of “The Church” where encouragement and worship happen when you come together.

Get Clean

Picture by Caprice Miller

“The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”  So the people came streaming from the village to see him.” – John 4:28-30

Machines such as this front loading washing machine sometimes make me ponder the past.  Before this invention, clothes would be painstakingly scrubbed on a washboard, rinsed and then hung on a clothesline to dry.  That must have taken forever.  No wonder there was a designated day in each home called “wash day” – it would literally take all day – so I've been told.  Today, we can usually just throw a load of clothes in the washer, carry on with something else, then throw them in the dryer, carry on with something else, then fold and put away.  Sure, the “washing, drying and putting away clothes task” can be time consuming and a real chore.  But when we compare it to what it used to be, it’s not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.  In the end, you are thankful it is done and it didn’t take longer than it did.   We usually end up asking ourselves, about any chore in life, “Why did I wait so long to do that?  I could have had this feeling of accomplishment so long ago.”

It’s funny to think of, but I’ve heard something similar from people who have made the decision to follow Jesus Christ.  And, even though I accepted Christ as a young child, I didn’t always do things His way.  When I finally began to actually follow His lead, I too asked, “Why did I wait so long to do that?”  I was like the woman at the well running to tell everyone what I had discovered. It wasn't even a “chore” to do so.  The real chore was living outside of His path for me.    I wonder why so many wait or just ignore the message of Christ – The Gospel?  I know there are some that just believe if they are a “good enough” person, they will be just fine.  God will give them a pass.  But then we have to ask ourselves “What defines ‘good enough’?”  We all have different versions of that.  We all mess up in some way.  The Bible even tells us in Romans 3:23 –“ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  So being “good enough” can’t be right.  We all have dirt and stains to be dealt with.

There are also those who don’t even try the “good enough” path, they just convince themselves that because of whatever they have done in the past God could never forgive them anyway.  There’s no use in trying.  In other words, the past has been allowed to define them.  However, the Bible says this about that: “ For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” – Romans 10:13.  Jesus himself even assures us - “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:17.  So even if you bring the most stained things of your life to Him, He can handle it.

There are many who don’t understand what it could mean to be “washed clean”.  There are many who don’t understand their own need to experience this in the first place.  But that’s all right.  Most of us don’t understand how a washing machine operates in order to get our clothes clean either.  Yet we still put our clothes in with the detergent trusting that it will come out as it supposed to – clean.  The irony in this scenario is interesting though.  It is through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – the shedding of His blood – that we have the opportunity to be made clean.  However, the process of His death, burial and resurrection was very dirty and cruel.  He was sinless – clean.  But he was betrayed, spat upon, beaten, nailed to a cross and died.  His blood was shed, but not without cause.  That blood could be said to be the detergent that makes us clean.  He was the sacrifice for the world so that we could have the opportunity to spend our eternity in Heaven with Him.  God is in the cleaning business.  Allow Him to clean the dirt and stains in your life.  You may end up like the woman at the well as you run to tell everyone what you have discovered.

No Fear

Picture by Caprice Miller

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” – Psalm 27:1 (NLT)

Holy Cow!  Who would have thought that an overhead light and sunglasses pocket of a car could look like it wants to eat you? That is not a face I want to have stuck in my head.  So much for peaceful dreams as that image pops up!

In a similar manner that’s what can happen when the stresses of life get to us. They become “scary monster faces” that keep us awake at night as we wonder when and how they will attack us.    We become that child again that is convinced there is a monster under the bed AND in the closet.  We become so convinced of their presence that we have our parents come look in those places for us to scare them away.  It was always a comfort to realize that our parents had some sort of “super hero mojo” that made the monsters go away.  Those monsters were no match for them.  If only we could have the same “mojo” for ourselves as adults.  Oh, but we can!

The verse above is a great reminder that our God is our protector.  I love the questions it asks – “…so why should I be afraid?”  “….so why should I tremble?”  Many times we allow even the possibility or thought of the presence of monsters in our life to overwhelm us.  Our minds spin with “What if” questions.  These are questions that keep us distracted and draw our focus away from God, our protector.  As a result of this mind game, we mentally, and sometimes physically, curl up in the fetal position waving a white flag of surrender.  In these times we forget about the power of the God we claim to know and love.  The enemy, with his mind games, causes us to be ineffective for God’s purposes.  We don’t have the courage to step out and do what God created you to do.  We don’t even have the courage to lift our voice and call on Him to take us out of the spin cycle of fear that the “what if” game creates.  God is bigger than that.  We should not be afraid or tremble because we are His.

But then there are other times when the monsters in our lives are actually very real.  They come in the form of illness, violence, debt, addiction, loss and a host of other things that can go under each of these categories.  When we are faced with these real life monsters our lives can quickly be turned upside down.  It is at this point that we come to the proverbial fork in the road of our life journey.  One road will be full of overwhelming fear, pain, and grief that the monster of the circumstance can cause.  If will consume us and cause more destruction.

The other road will have its share of fear, pain and grief also.  However, this fork in the road will have rest stops for us to pull in to.  Not the seedy, questionable rest stops.  No, these rest stops are truly refreshing for our souls.  They are full of light and reminders of how God is working on our behalf even though we may not be able to see it at the time.  These rest stops help us to take a moment to refocus and regain our strength to stand strong under the weight of the circumstance.  There can even be people at these rest stops that are there to encourage us and pray for us.  The choice seems pretty easy of which road to take.  But due to the size of the monster that may be in our life, we can become confused and a bit disoriented and end up taking the wrong path.

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”   See?  We aren't alone in our struggle.  #thestruggleisreal.  Confusion is a part of all of us and apparently has been for a really long time.  When we allow fear and doubt to overtake us we tend to take the wrong paths in an attempt to control the circumstances in our lives.  There is a way truly regain control of our lives though - by giving up control.  Sure it sounds counter to what we think will help us.  But this is what the verse is talking about.  When we give control of our circumstances to God, we make the choice of taking the right path where we can experience rest, encouragement, comfort and rejuvenation. We force ourselves to be still and turn our focus to Him.  (Psalm 46:10)  When we do, we are reminded of His power and strength in our lives.  We are reminded that He is God and we are not.  We are reminded of His command over and over again to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9. It’s like asking your Heavenly Father to look under our beds and in the closets of our lives to make sure the monsters are gone.  We are then able to rest and think more clearly in order to determine what path God wants us to take.

Do not allow the fear of monsters – perceived or real – overwhelm you.  Ask God to clear away those monsters in your life and take control.  Ask Him for clarity in order to see the path He is guiding you to.  Ask Him to give you that strength and courage that only He can to step out onto that path and become that person He created you to be with no fear.

Just A Squirrel Tryin To Get A Nut

Picture by Caprice Miller

 

“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”   Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.” – Luke 19:5-6

As I looked at this picture I was so taken by the contrast of the grays and browns of the tree against the bright blue sky that I almost missed the furry little guy in the middle.  I’m the kind of person that enjoys watching squirrels scamper around.  I watch how they interact with each other and I laugh at how they seem to enjoy tormenting the dogs at times.  Looking at him I’m reminded of lyrics in a song – “It’s your world and I just a squirrel tryin to get a nut.”  (Everybody Dance by Bob Sinclair)  This little guy also reminds me of a guy mentioned in the book of Luke – Zacchaeus.  In a way you could say he could probably have related to those song lyrics too.  He may have thought of himself as “just a squirrel tryin to get a nut” although his means were not very honest. 

 The Bible tells us that Zacchaeus was the head tax collector in the region of Jericho.  He was basically working for the Romans and taking money from his own people, the Israelites.  And to add insult to injury, he was known to be very dishonest about it and took much more than he should.  Needless to say, he was not a favorite person among the people of Jericho.  But in spite of his transgressions, there was something in him that obviously stirred when he heard Jesus was passing through the town.  It was such a stirring that it caused him to run ahead of the crowd and climb a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus for himself.  For a man of his position this was an extremely undignified thing to do.  You know that it must have been REALLY important to him to see Jesus if he went to such undignified means to do so.  Perhaps this undignified activity is what drew the attention of Jesus to him.  In the verse above we see that Jesus stopped, looked up in the tree, called him by name and then proceeded to invite himself over to the guy’s house for dinner. 

It’s important as your read the Bible to slow down sometimes and really consider what is being said.  As I slow down here I have to ask,

·         How did Jesus know his name?  He just came into town. 

      ·        And if he knew his name, wouldn’t He also know that he was not an honest man? 
      ·         Why wouldn’t Jesus choose the house of a nice, hospitable person to go to? 
      ·         After all, what would people think?

What I then realize is that this is Jesus.  Why wouldn’t he know the name of Zacchaeus?    He knows all.  And yes, He knew the little guy was a notoriously dishonest man.  And yes, He could have gone to the house of any nice, hospitable person.  And of course, he knew this choice would not be popular among the gossipers – the Pharisees. (Those that thought themselves to be more appropriate host of the “nice and hospitable” nature probably) This was not the first time Jesus encountered this reaction.  We see in Matthew 9 another occasion He decided to befriend a tax collector – his future disciple, Matthew.  Jesus response to the Pharisees who asked the disciples, “…Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” – Matthew 9:11 was this:

 “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” ¹³ Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” – Matthew 9:12-13

 We are all sick in some way, shape or form.  But too many times we don’t recognize our illness.   Zacchaeus knew he was sick and that he was doing wrong.  When we sin, when we are wrong, we instinctively know it too.  There are times when we would like to ignore it and pretend it’s not there, but the reality is that we know what is wrong and we also know that God knows.    If we allow ourselves to pause we also realize that Jesus is passing by in our own lives.  We know we want to get a glimpse of Him, but that transgression in our lives seems to get in the way.  We even convince ourselves that we are too sick or too messed up to see Him anyway.  But if can choose to climb above that sin, that transgression, that wrong in our lives we can discover that Jesus already knows all that.  He also knows our name and He still wants to come into our house and spend time with you. 

As you continue to read in Luke 19 you see that because of his encounter with Jesus Zacchaeus became a changed man.  He determined to correct his wrongs and give back four times as much as what he had taken.    That’s what happens when we humble ourselves enough to recognize the sickness in our lives and choose to spend time with Jesus.  We can experience healing and restoration of that relationship with Him that leads to amazing life change.   And really, you don’t even have to climb a tree – Jesus sees you already and knows your name. That’s how truly special you are to Him.  

True Freedom

Picture by Caprice Miller

 ^“For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.  He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.  This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” – 1 Timothy 2:5-6

Lady Liberty….well, a replica anyway.  But no matter how small she may be in this picture, what she represents is still very significant.  As we know, the real Lady Liberty stands tall in the middle of Ellis Island.  For so many years this statue has been a beacon of hope to those seeking an opportunity for a better way of life in this “Land of Freedom” called America.  For those of us who are blessed to be a part of this land, we can take for granted the freedoms we have and ability to pursue our dreams that it offers.  We can also take for granted that this freedom we have was not free.  Many have sacrificed their very lives so that we can continue to have hope and pursue those dreams.  We forget that this freedom that has been fought so hard and valiantly for is something that others in the world want to steal, kill and destroy.  Why would anyone want to take away freedom?

It really isn’t a surprise that there are those who want to steal something they don’t understand and have never experienced.  Having a relationship with Jesus Christ can be met with the same disdain by those who don’t know Him and have never experienced Him.  They don’t realize that He told us what the enemy was doing then and what he continues to do in our world today.  Jesus also told us what His purpose in our lives is.  He said:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

Those who haven’t experienced Him look from the outside and assume that being a Christian is all about a list of “don’ts and can’ts” and if you cross the line on any of those rules and regulations, you’re doomed.  The reality is that we have ALL missed the mark – sinned.  The enemy would like for us to live a life full of hopelessness, shame and despair that the realization of our mistakes – sin brings.  Sin has created a gap…a chasm between God and humanity.  It has robbed us of our freedom and damaged the relationship that God so desires to have with us.  Jesus bridges that gap to enable that relationship to happen. Jesus came to this world, died a sacrificial death and then defeated death through His resurrection so that we could have freedom from that sin and the hopelessness, shame and despair it brings.  This freedom allows us to have a relationship with God Himself!   He provides us the opportunity to live in the freedom and peace that His forgiveness and grace brings.  Jesus is the path to true freedom and destroying the enemy’s attempts to kill, steal and destroy the freedom and peace only Jesus can provide. 

The world we live in today is full of people being used by the enemy to carry out his mission of killing, stealing and destroying.  There is a lot of fear that can come with this - fear that will rob us of our freedom. Know that your freedom in Christ is so much stronger than whatever the enemy can sling.  Grab on to the peace He provides and determine today to live a life NOT of fear, but one of abundant love and joy in freedom. 

If you haven’t accepted the free gift of freedom Jesus provides, here’s how you can do that right now:

“Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and that I have messed up from time to time. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that God raised Him from the dead. I choose to follow You, Jesus, and I confess that You are my savior. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and giving me freedom. I love You. Amen.” 

Now, tell somebody so they can celebrate with you and get involved in a local church so you can be encouraged by others.

Run Your Race

Picture by Caprice Miller

 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1

 

I don’t know about you, but when I see advertisements about races such as the one above my first thought is usually NOT “Hey, I want to do that!”  Typically it’s more like “Note to self, avoid that area on that day.”  But then I see pictures of the participants and the crowds cheering them on as I watch the news and I feel a little tug inside that seems to say “Aaawww, they look like they had fun.  I could have done that.”  But alas, I’ve missed the opportunity and continue on with my normal, everyday routine.  Although, now I have a twinge of inspiration that has been lit inside so in the back of my mind I make another note – “Note to self, find out when the next one will be.”   Who knows if I will actually sign up.  But I’m encouraged by Caprice’s comments of her own experience:

“In the 5K ... well... I didn't come in last.” – Caprice Miller

But at least she was IN the race.  Way to go, Caprice!  So many times we don’t even attempt these types of challenges because of the thought that if we can’t win, then why try?  We forget that it isn’t about the win, it’s about the journey and the experience of being a part of it.  The ability to declare, “I was there!  I ran that race and I’m here to tell you about it!” 

This is the same declaration we can have as we run the race in the verse mentioned above.  God has given us this life for a reason.  Many of us search endlessly for what that reason is.  Much of that search though consists of comparing ourselves to everyone else and what they are doing. There is a race that each of us has been designed to run.   But we sometimes get stuck in the comparison game and tell ourselves that if we can’t run the race like someone else, then we just won’t run at all.  As a result, we never get off the couch of life so that we can step in to that race God has marked out for us.  We miss the cheers of the crowd encouraging us and giving us inspiration as we run our race.  We also miss the opportunity to witness life change as we influence others to begin the race God has for them.

The excuses for not being in the race are endless.  We don’t like to talk about our race – it’s private.  We think we aren’t needed – there are already others doing it.  We think we might do it wrong.  In other words, we let fear stop us before we even get on the track.  Could this be the day that we stop comparing ourselves to others and stop allowing fear to dictate our lives?  This is what the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”   Could this be the day that we get off the couch we’ve molded ourselves into and begin the race designed for us?   God has provided us with exactly what we need to run that race.  He has also provided that crowd to cheer us on and encourage us.  They are already running the race or have even completed their race in life.  And as we run our race for Him, it will be the inspiration someone else needs to begin their race. 

That’s really what this race is all about.  Letting others know what God has done for us and about the relationship we have with Him.  Letting them know that they can experience that relationship too and begin their own race.  The life change we will experience in our own lives and witness in the lives of others will be just the adrenalin rush we need to continue on in our race.   And when you look back on it all you too can declare, “I was there!  I ran that race and I’m here to tell you about it!”