Good Junk and Transformation

 

I was thinking about how God views us "down here" on Earth the other day while at the movies. (I still have that residual imprinted idea of  Heaven being "up" and Earth being "down here" and Hell being "way down below" left from childhood.) 

Movies have always been something that Trey and I enjoy together. Don't worry gentlemen, I am not usually the sappy, chick flick type. In fact, I really enjoy drama, suspense, mystery, and action movies. We haven't had the occasion to have a night out in a while, so the other day, Trey and I took advantage of our daughter having plans and went to watch Transformers: Age of Extinction. 

I'm not here to give my review of the movie or anything like that. I will say it was typical of the Transformers movies, with a new family and new pretty girl. The action and special effects were as good as always, so we enjoyed the movie. The funny thing is that there were several quotes in this movie as well as in the former movies that hit me with Biblical correlations. The one that just really stuck with me on this day was:

"I'm asking you to do what I do. I'm asking you to look at all the junk and see the treasure. You gotta have faith in who we can be." (Tranformers Age of Extinction 2014)

 

I just loved that wording, "look at all the junk and see the treasure." You see my Grandpa May was a collector of what he affectionately termed "good junk." He had a garage, house, barn, shed, and basement, full of anything from old fire hydrants to the original version of a hide-a-bed sofa to tools and so much more! He had rotting carcasses of his original Studebaker and a Mach 1 that were hidden by overgrowth and trees. My Grandpa saw treasure in the junk, a trait that was passed down at least three generations. 

 I have a few treasured items from the good junk piles. Grandma sent me a slaw shredder that my great grandmother brought from Germany to shred heads of cabbage on to make her coleslaw. I have a few old aprons and a bonnet and a cool tin pie pan, as well as a couple of old glass bottles. When we were cleaning things out after my Grandpa passed away, I found the title to his Studebaker and check stubs from his first teaching job of just a couple hundred dollars a month. I didn't keep all these things, but the treasure of each of them was not lost in my eyes. It was endearing to me to see things that he had kept, albeit a little overwhelming that he seemed to keep so much. I sensed the stack of junk before my eyes was a treasure of his yet to be unfolded. 

 

We live in a fallen world. We are faced daily with so much junk that sometimes, it is difficult to remember that human beings were created in the likeness of the creator. Turning on the television just this week, I am reminded of poverty and terrorism, impending war and hate crimes, crimes against children and elderly; it is overwhelming. Even more personal, on a weekly basis, I have dealt with hurt, betrayal, dishonesty, and just plain meanness. My initial craving is to respond in a way that is neither Christian nor lady-like. I am learning that these are opportunities for growth and learning. 

 

Somehow in the midst of the junk, God sees His treasure. He looks down and every heart that is His shines brighter than the junk in that person's life or the chaos that surrounds it.  Every heart that he is pursuing is a treasure untold and undiscovered. What if I had the same view of others? How would that change my worldview if I simply tried to see others as precious treasures instead of whatever it is that I am viewing them at the time?

 

The immature, annoying young lady who insists on using her body for attention would no longer irritate me, but I would see her as a treasure not yet polished. The person who lives a life that I feel is detrimental or against my beliefs would become a heart that God is chasing after and my heart would break in prayer for their rescuing instead of disdain for their entrapment. The rude, bitter woman at the checkout would become someone who needs to be shown an amazing love like my Savior's. The child whose mother was so desperate for him to have a chance at a better life, she thrust him into the hands of a stranger to take him to a destination unknown would be a treasure unfolded that God wants me to help. The homeless man who hasn't bathed in weeks would remind me of my own filth covered by the blood of Christ. The list could go on and on.

 Or let's get a little more personal. How about the friend who suddenly deleted me from Facebook with no reason, or the person at church that hurt me deeply and doesn't seem to care, the  family member who turned their back in my desperate time of need, the former boss who did not respect me, the kids from junior high school whose mean words still ring in my ears; they are all still treasures of God. Now, please don't misinterpret what I am saying as an insistence that all severed relationships should be restored completely. I believe that I can love others in spite of the hurt they have caused me only through God's grace and strength but that does not mean that I should disregard the common sense He gave me and allow the same relationship as before every time. Sometimes, the best thing for everyone involved is to love from afar; it is about not allowing the hurt caused to be the one thing you see when that person's name comes up in conversation. Instead you pray for God to work in their life and heart as well as your own. 

 I am personally working on learning to let God have the hurt and instead of immediately going to a place of hurt or anger when I see them, I am reminding myself that God treasures their hearts. If I want a heart like His, I must see the treasure he sees.

Matthew 6:21  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I need to rest in the awesome power of our God to change hearts, to grow people, and to love the unworthy. I mean, how much has He done all those things for me and how self-centered have I been thinking I somehow deserved it above someone else? God is endeared to us in the treasure hunt. Thank goodness, in the midst of my junk, he still sees the treasure beneath the grime and dust! I am not worthy of His gaze, much less his affection and yet I am chosen, I am loved as a princess of the most High God! If I am to understand even a smidgen of the enormity of that, then I must grasp the idea that I am not the only one! How can I disregard God's highest creation simply because of poor choices they have made; have I not made poor choices? He sees me in the midst of my chaos and finds the treasure buried by all the junk. But for the grace of God, I would be a rotting carcass lost in the weeds beneath a tree somewhere like those old cars my Grandpa had. 

God is sifting through the junk and finding the treasure that lies deep beneath the surface. I am working to be less critical of others and to let go of hurts from the past. I am eternally grateful that our God is continually working on me. 

 

Philippians 1:6

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

 Blessed More Than I Deserve,

Stephanie

When Actions Really Do Speak Louder

Recently, a friend and I were talking about our mutual frustration with certain people who seemed to lack integrity. We both have been dealing with various situations where people in positions of power have manipulated other individuals for selfish personal gain. It stirred a deep level of anger in us both, as we felt the need to protect those who were being manipulated but we were essentially helpless. All the way home, I was talking to God about the situations; voicing my frustration and my desire to treat people with dignity and love and that I might strive towards integrity. God reminded me of one of my favorite books in His word: Esther. So, tonight, while I was watching my night school students take their final exam, I reread the entire book, with the focus of how it applies to my situation.

The 10 chapter book of Esther unpacks such an interesting story, that if you have not read it, you should! Trivia side note: It is the only book in the Bible that does not ever mention God directly or any of the names that are used for God throughout the scriptures. And yet, it is included in our Bible. That should raise some interest right there. I believe it is included in the God-breathed Word to show that sometimes the actions of His followers are way more impactful than any words and those actions point to God without ever mentioning His name; that we can make a difference by doing what we are called to do and what is right even when people do not realize who has called us to integrity. 

So here is a synopsis of Esther, (but I really do think you should read it yourself). There was this King Ahasuerus (most likely the King Xerxes that you might have heard about in history) who reigned over the Persian Empire. One night after a six month party, the king became angry at the girl who was his queen because she would not prance around in front of him and all his drunken men naked (wearing only her crown) so he subsequently banished her from the kingdom. Since he didn't have a queen now, he decided to hold a special beauty pageant to find one. So all these girls from his kingdom were gathered and given all kinds of beauty treatments, etc. (remember- this is just my summary and thoughts)

Each girl had a special year to be pampered and then they were presented to the king and hopefully he would really like one of them. Now you have to understand there are some Jews in this Persian Empire that were taken when their cities were conquered, but they were not slaves, they had basically chosen to just stay in that land instead of returning to their homeland. One of these Jews was a man named Mordecai and he had a niece that he had adopted as his daughter because her parents had been killed. She was very beautiful so he entered her into the Search for a Queen Pageant; enter Esther.

Now apparently her uncle had told Esther to keep her ethnicity and religion a secret, so Esther was very careful not to let on that she was actually Jewish and not from one of the provinces of Persia. When it came Esther's turn before the king, she found favor in his sight and he decided to make her his queen. I am leaving out a lot of interesting stuff, but he thought she was beautiful. She had also won the favor of trusted advisors to the king for being a woman of integrity and honor; she was not only the beauty Queen, she was Miss congeniality too.

Then we have part of the story where Mordecai overhears some of the King's men plotting to kill the King himself. Mordecai tells Esther and she tells the King and all is restored to order. At this point, we also see a new, less than integrous character, Haman. This man is a guy who is high up in the ranks of the King's men and he is power hungry. Haman is a lot like the power-hungry people we deal with in life who do not mind manipulating the innocent or stepping over someone they deem "beneath" them to get ahead in the world. What is interesting is that Haman held this position of power for quite a while, probably years, earning higher and higher ranks in the kingdom despite his lack of integrity. At one point he became so self-absorbed and focused on power that he wanted everyone else in the kingdom to bow down to him.

Now if you caught onto much, you should have noticed that Mordecai was not an outspoken Jew or one that most would recognize as Jewish; he was able to hide his heritage well. However, when Haman came by, Mordecai refused to bow to him and that refusal infuriated Haman. Haman was the one in power; Mordecai was the one doing what was right. There could and would be dire consequences for such a refusal.

By this time, Haman was like the Prime Minister of Persia and he demanded respect. Mordecai explained his religious views and why he would not bow down to Haman, but that did not appease him in the least. So Haman went to the King and requested that he be allowed to create a national "holiday" of sorts on which every Jew - man, woman and child- would be slaughtered in every province of Persia and the king agreed. Not only that, but Haman built a gigantic gallow in front of his house so he could specifically hang Mordecai there on public display.

So often we are faced with dealing with people who are so self-absorbed that if we do not "bow" to their wishes, they will build a "gallow" on which to hang us! Do we stand steadfast and do what we know is right? Especially when we are a nobody in the "kingdom" or so it seems and this person is like the Prime Minister? I think if we are honest, we find ourselves in this kind of position quite often. Sometimes it is in work, sometimes with friend groups where one is the leader and sometimes even within our families. We are in a fallen world dealing with fallen people. Unfortunately, sometimes we may even be the one guilty of being Haman.  

And then what? Do we crater to the pressure of that person who is intimidating and in a position of authority over us even though we know God has called us to respond differently? Do we even consider how God has called us to respond in the first place? Do we allow fear or faith to dictate our reactions? 
Do we justify our "bowing" with the thoughts of: "I need this job to survive." or " They have been my best friend for so long; what if they get angry and walk away?" and " But they are an authority figure that I must follow." or " I can't bring religion into this." 

And if we do, what does that say about our faith? Do we believe God when His word says He will supply our every need? Do we truly understand that we are more precious to our Lord than any other creation? Do we hold to the promise that God will uphold those who are righteous and who follow His Word?  I think often these times are in our life to test us to see if we truly do put God first, or if we have an idol somewhere that we do not even realize. If we are clinging tightly to a job or a position, or a relationship instead of holding steadfast to Him and His Word. 

So how did Mordecai and Esther handle the situation? The Jews, their family and their people, were about to be slaughtered because of Haman and his position. Mordecai went to Esther and instructed her to go to the King and ask him to save her people. This isn't like just asking your husband for help with something, back then, if the King did not call for you, no matter who you were, you could be instantly killed for daring to approach the throne. Esther's only hope was for the King to motion that she was allowed to come to him. She was terrified and said as much to her uncle and her lies one of my favorite verses in the Bible: 

" For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" 

Esther 4:14

You see, Esther could choose to remain silent and not risk her life for her people; play it safe so to speak. She likely would not have been killed as she was the Queen and very few people knew she was Jewish (including the King). However, Mordecai points out, 'deliverance will arise from another place...' He knew that God would deliver the Jews from this terrible fate. He knew that he and Esther were called to act, despite the risk. He also knew that even if they chose to not follow the call of God, someone else would. God's deliverance of the Jews would still happen, but they would perish in the process. (this could be a physical death or a spiritual death) So after days of fasting and prayer, Esther took a deep breath and did what she knew was right. She let faith lead and conquer her fear. This was the pivotal moment for Esther's faithwalk and became the instance that changed her future, Mordecai's future and the future of so many others. All because she did the right thing; the God thing. 

Because Esther had the courage to conquer her fear with faith in her Lord, she was used by God to do an amazing thing! He was glorified not only by her actions, but by the outcome and a King's heart was softened towards the Jews, God's Chosen People. The King allowed her to approach him and in the process of a few days, Esther was able to convince the king to counteract Haman's directive, thus saving the Jews. In the process, Mordecai was celebrated and brought into the palace and Haman was hung on his own gallows. How is that for a dynamic ending? (You really should read it for yourself! I am leaving out some very interesting details for the sake of time.)

Not to long ago, someone I love deeply was struggling with what God was asking them to do and an intense feeling of inadequacy. They were talking through it all with me and listing all the ways they did not "measure up" and the reasons that they were not the right person for the job, so to speak. I remember looking at them and out of my mouth came these words (completely from God, not from me): "You know, God can do more even with your failure if you try than He can ever do if you don't try at all." That was all I said. Trust me, it was God speaking, and it was not easy for this person to hear. 

I think that is kind of what Mordecai was saying to Esther when he said , "...who knows, but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" He didn't say it, but even if she had failed, God could have turned that around. I think the point is that we should have faith that God THROUGH us will not fail! Usually our biggest fear is of failure or messing it all up. We need a paradigm shift in our thinking! The real failure is not in being imperfect, but in not being willing and obedient. We can't control being imperfect; we are all imperfect. We do however have complete control over being obedient and willing to do what God asks of us. It is a choice; ours alone to decide to conquer our fear of imperfection with our faith in the Perfect One.

What is God asking you to do that you have been putting off? Or maybe you flat out refused? Do you feel inadequate? GOOD! God uses the inadequate!! If we were capable on our own, how would that bring Him glory? Why would we need Him? It is the willing and equipped, yet inadequate and ordinary that He wants to use for the most extraordinary and amazing things to further His Kingdom! I don't know about you, but I want to be used by God! I don't want to miss out on that opportunity! Because if I say no to Him, have no doubt-He will accomplish His goals without me and I will be left without that blessing and growth and the consequences of my rejection. 

So whether it is standing in the face of power and still doing what you know God wants you to do despite your fears of rejection or retaliation OR if it is stepping out in faith doing something that you feel completely inadequate to do, be an Esther! Go all in! Pray and fast first if you are that nervous and unsure, but have faith that your God, the same God as in this story, is not a god of failure, but a glorious God who wants to use you for His kingdom. Let your actions point towards Him in such a way that you don't even have to mention His name; people just know. 


Blessed More Than I Deserve,

Stephanie

But I Trust in You....

I have always been a sucker for a great quote. I have several quotes that I post around my classroom and have even had a quote of the day for several years while teaching. Yesterday, while catching up on one of my favorite shows that I record and watch later, one of the characters said a line that made me stop for a moment and say a mental "wow." In that one line, God began to speak this next blog post.

" Your gratitude is nice, but what I want is your trust." (Auggie, Covert Affairs) 

Now before you think I am one of those people who can find a connection to God in anything, let me say that I don't really mean to do so; I think it is more like God finds me. It isn't like I watch a show and think, "I wonder what God is going to say to me through Law and Order today." Or go to the movies with the mindset that Denzel's next line is going to be a Spiritual awakening in my heart. What happens is much more subtle than that. Something more akin to a whisper of God, " Did you see/hear that? Don't you see how that is just like me?" or "Did you see what I did there?" So when Auggie said, "Your gratitude is nice, but what I want is your trust." God said, "Just like my relationship with my children; why is it so hard to trust me? " Whoa - that was unexpected. I watched the rest of the show and went about my day in normal fashion, but the lingering thought kept coming to me, "Your gratitude is nice, but what I want is your trust."

As I was trying to sleep that night and knew that I would be writing this, my mind raced. I thought about all the things we so readily give our trust to every single day, but somehow handing our trust over to the Creator of the World causes such internal turmoil and resistance. I mean honestly think about all the people and things we put our trust in today. Have you ever had your car parked by a valet? I know some of you adore (possibly idolize) that car, but you trust some random stranger in khakis to park your car for you without a scratch. We trust that the rest of the general public will follow at least enough driving rules daily that when we get out on the roads in our vehicle, we will return safely; this despite the inordinate number of accidents that happen in a 24 hour time period. We trust our bank with our hard-earned money. We trust our well-educated doctor to treat our ailments accurately. We trust people we barely know to watch our children while we work or even while we work out! We even trust random strangers to cook our meals for us on a regular basis! We trust pilots to fly us to our destination.  We trust our friends, our coworkers, our family, our ministers. We put our trust in the most fallible creature on the planet every day and rarely think twice about it. But when God asks us to trust him often He is greeted by whining, and wailing and whys. Whoa.

Proverbs 3:5-6Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

5 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding;

6 

think about Him in all your ways,

and He will guide you on the right paths.

"Your gratitude is nice, but what I want is your trust." 

We give our gratitude freely. I mean, that should be enough right? So, I searched the words, "trust in the Lord" in a Bible app I like to use and it gave me 56 different scripture references that all say that exact phrase. I looked up just the word, "gratitude" and received two different scriptures and only one of them was in reference to the Lord. Now I am sure you are thinking that the word "thanks"( and is basically the same as gratitude) is listed throughout scripture and you would be correct. But I want you to consider that having gratitude and giving thanks are two different, albeit connected, ideas. Gratitude is a state of the heart; a way of feeling. Whereas giving thanks is an act spurred on by gratitude. Gratitude is a way we feel after God does something, trust on the other hand is required prior to God's work.

 We are never really commanded to have gratitude in our hearts, but we are commanded to trust with all our heart. The Psalms are filled with verses about trusting in the Lord, and what that means. Many of the scriptures that talk about trusting him also give us the promises that go along with that trust. I think trust is an act of the heart, something that combines both the state of the heart and an accompanying action.

Psalm 28:7New International Version (NIV)

7 

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

    and with my song I praise him.

I've thought that maybe we have a difficult time trusting the Lord because we don't really know him. But then I am reminded again of all the people we do not know, or barely know, that we trust daily. Sometimes that trust is even ruined by a person and yet we turn around and place the same trust in another random stranger. For instance, my husband once contracted food poisoning from a meal eaten at a particular restaurant. It was terrible and landed us in the emergency room at our local hospital. Granted, we have not gone back to that particular restaurant, but we have eaten in numerous restaurants since then. Most, if not all, with people cooking our food that we do not know. I know people who have had a terrible haircut experience, but that has not stopped them from getting their hair done by someone. Or a misdiagnosis from a doctor, or a bad manicure, or misinformation passed on from a friend, or gossip spread by a coworker. The list could go on for miles. Some of them we even chalk up to human error and continue to trust that same person; I mean everyone has an off day, right?

So why then is it so hard to trust the One who never has an off day? The One who knit us together in our mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) The One whose promises are lavished upon us over and over in His love-letter to our hearts; promises that only can come from the Creator himself. Promises that the good works He has started in us, He will finish. (Philippians 1:6) Promises that He can use anything in our life for a good purpose.(Romans 8:28) Promises that He sees the whole plan and it is for us to prosper. (Jeremiah 29:11) Promises that we will be blessed just by trusting Him. (Psalm 40:4, 84, 12, Proverbs 16:20, Jeremiah 17:7) Promises that He has our best interest at heart and wants us to live abundantly. (John 10:10) Promises of peace and direction and hope. (Romans 15:13, 16:20, I Corinthians 14:33, Philippians 4:7) And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface! He has promised joy from mourning, and beauty from ashes; He has promised help and justice, and joy!

So what is it? Why do we have to fight with everything we have to trust Him? I think it is partly because we are fighting a Spiritual battle against a very determined devil who wants to "kill, steal and destroy" our testimony! (John 10:10) Unfortunately, Satan is well-versed in the ways of our sinful hearts; he knows exactly what recording to play in our mind to get us off track and focused on our selfish desires. The one I think he caters to when it comes to trusting God, is our innate desire to control things. You see when we trust people in the world, we still have a semblance of control. Sometimes it is just a perceived control, but we live in a society that makes it seem as if we have the right to control everything in our lives. We do trust someone we have never met to cook our meal, but we control what the food is going to be and how we want it cooked and I've seen people exert their desire for control to the point that I am embarrassed for them when the meal fell short of their expectations. I have seen people walk out of a hair salon in tears and refused to pay when the stylist did not manage to make them look like Jennifer Aniston when "clearly that was the picture of the hairstyle they presented." I know there are people who will threaten lawsuits for every manner of thing that they put their trust in and the reality fell short of expectation. That is the kind of world we live in.

God's reality is much different. He demands unconditional trust and the very idea that we want to hold back a little tiny niblet of control completely negates that trust. For Him it is all or nothing, no options, no
pre-ordering for desired results, no sending back the plate for another try, no fit throwing or foot stomping. If any of that happens on our part, then it is apparent that the trust was not a heart trust like He truly wants. You see, He is preparing a feast for you and you don't even get to pick out the appetizer. He is a pilot of a plane that you do not know the destination. You do know it will be good, and for your benefit and the benefit of the Kingdom of God. Sometimes it may not be the feast we thought we ordered, but if we are trusting Him, it will be the one we accept with the gratitude that He provided a feast. Sometimes it is not one that we find appetizing at all at first, but God uses it to teach and grow and stretch us to a place that by the time we get to the dessert round, we might even order another plate! There are even sometimes that I feel like I am eating someone else's plate, if you know what I mean. I have to fight the urge to whine about it not being fair. If only I had a heart for others more than for myself, I would gladly take that plate served to impact the heart of another. I am convicted many times over for my lack of love for the very ones Christ is leaving me here to reach. I only hope that as He works in my life and heart that I will become more and more like Him daily.

The only other reason I can think of that causes us to not trust the Lord, Creator of Heavens and Earth, is that we don't really believe He is. Ouch. In my opinion, if we believe the scripture to be the Holy, God-breathed word of truth, then trusting should be the natural next step. We will not put our trust into something we don't believe in. If I walked into my hair salon and there was a "stylist" dressed in a chef's smock and hat with a set of knives and kitchen shears on the counter, I am not sure I would believe she was a hairdresser and most likely would not allow her to touch my hair! If we do not believe the Word of God as truth, then trust would be a ridiculous expectation. Maybe it is just a matter of being in the Word more, but I think it is a heart condition. If you have never truly put your belief into the Savior for eternal life and all that entails, then trusting Him for everything else is just silly and missing the point!

Psalm 9:10

Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh.

John 3:15-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

15 so that everyone who believes in Him will[a] have eternal life.

16 “For God loved the world in this way:[b] He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

"Your gratitude is nice, but what I want is your trust." will now be the resounding statement in my mind ever single time I thank God for something. Did I trust Him through this situation before the gratitude was placed in my heart for the outcome? Am I trusting Him 100%; no whining, wailing or whys? Do I trust Him unconditionally- without pre-ordering the outcome? If not, why not? In a world where trusting yourself and being in control is the primary theme, I challenge that unconditional trust in our Savior is the key to our fulfillment of His calling, the only way to grow Spiritually and a command to every child of God.

Psalm 31:14

But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Blessed more than I deserve,
Stephanie
srieper89@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/heartiscrossed