Parable of the Knee, Glimpse #2

Well, I had a week off and now I'm a couple of days late this week. What does that say about my reliability? It says that I'm not perfect. Isn't that a wonderful thing to recognize. Being less than perfect means that I'm not capable of satisfying God's requirement for the blood of a perfect lamb to be shed for the forgiveness of sin. Hebrews 9:22 There's no sense forcing myself through hoops in an attempt to accomplish that task because I'm simply not able to meet the standard. What a relief!

And yet the price must be paid for my sin before I can come into the presence of the One True and Holy God. Thank you, Father, for having that problem solved way before I ever saw the need. Christ, God's only Son, gave Himself as the sacrificial Lamb whose perfect blood atones for the sin of the world. The Messiah's willingness to yield to the Father's plan of reconciliation on a day and time in history resulted in redemption for my soul. What a glorious truth to embrace!

This week's Glimpse is about what God is showing me as I look back on the eight - 8 - VIII - count them XXXXXXXX - months I limped and struggled along before seeking medical attention for my injured knee. Yes, my mobility was seriously impaired and there was a fair amount of pain involved, but my condition was up and down. I kept going because I thought (read that word 'hoped') the knee was getting better. After all, the body heals itself if you give it a rest, right? Okay, so limping but carrying on a busy schedule isn't exactly resting, but at least I was moving more slowly. It was pretty bad the week of our family retreat, but it didn't hurt at all when I was skiing. :-)

As I look back I realize that even though I was going about my normal routine, my performance wasn't up to par. Frankly, I was off-balance everywhere I went and in every aspect of my life. I couldn't move with confidence because I was never sure if the knee would give out or if the pain would become too severe to continue. I couldn't trust the knee, my mobility, so I was never sure that I might not collapse. Yes, it took an emotional toll as well.

The comparison with my spiritual life is obvious. When I'm off-balance, not centered on God and His plan for my day, I can't move with confidence. When I rely on myself alone, I can't be sure if my own abilities will give out or the burden and stress will become too severe to continue. I can't trust my imperfect strengths, my abilities, so I can never be sure that I might not collapse. Yes, it took an emotional toll as well.

I did go about serving the Lord in this off-balanced way, but inconsistency and insecurity opened the door wide for, shall we say, unpleasant surprises. I know that my patience with myself suffered, so I have to assume that my treatment of others wasn't so good either. Looking back I am thankful that I know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him. Romans 8:28 I just wish I didn't contribute quite so many low performance days to the mix. As I look out over the lake and consider the changes I want to make, I've come to some conclusions:

• I'm neither comfortable nor content living off-balance, especially spiritually.
• I need/want my life to be built on who God is.
• The more I learn about God from God, the more secure I am in God.
• Though things happen that I may be unaware of or unprepared for, when I rest in God I walk into and through them with confidence. John 15
• My heavenly Father's arms are wide and inviting, loving and all-sufficient.

Thank you, God, that though I am imperfect You appointed the Perfect Lamb to make the way for me to be with You today and for all eternity. John 3:16
Amen. Emmanuel

Parable of the Knee, Glimpse #1

It's been a busy and trying week, but here I am writing the post for my blog. That means I'm three for three so far. Hallelujah!

This time of reflecting is a grand opportunity to remember who God is and who I am before Him. I'm actually very thankful for the assignment. Sitting on the deck looking out, I'm tempted to think of myself as having matured past the stage of being a 2X4 Christian. You know, the kind of believer that God needs to hit with a 2X4 stick of wood to get their attention. I'm being convinced through this knee experience that I've only progressed to the 2X2 level. :-)

Don't get me wrong, I know that trials are one way that God uses to get our attention. That's why I took inventory before Him early in this saga and He seemed to be telling me to carry on. You see, one of the first things folks started saying when they noticed my limp was, "God must be telling you to slow down." The funny thing was that, although I know I need to watch my tendency toward activity, God didn't seem to be communicating that message to me. Rather, what He seemed to be telling me at the outset was that there were specific lessons for me to learn, but that quitting and sitting at home was not the way to learn them.

I'm thankful for the folks who care about me and ask how I'm doing. My favorite friends are those who ask what they can do to lighten my load or help me get something done and off my plate. The truth is that although I do have things that only I can accomplish, there are lots of ways other people could support me with my To Do List. I'm only too happy to offer suggestions when asked, however, what I've noticed is that those who offer "spiritual" advice often speak more quickly than those who offer practical assistance.

While pondering this interesting dynamic, a few thoughts come to mind.

• God knows me perfectly, inside and out. Psalm 139
  
• God has a wonderful plan for my life. Jeremiah 29:11
  
• God's love for me is perfect and He will lead me rightly. I need to trust God with my whole heart, even more than myself. Proverbs 3:5,6
  
• God doesn't just have an idea of what I need. God knows for sure and He wants me to have it.
  
• God will take me wherever I need to go to get my needs met, according to His riches in glory. That's where I want to be so I need to be listening closely to His counsel.

Along this line, I had an amazing conversation with a friend's mother today. She said she and her husband had been praying about their daughter being baptized. She's a believer and they felt it was the next logical step, but they didn't want to pressure her into such an important step. They know that it's a personal decision and want her to make it for the right reasons. So they turned to the best possible strategy. They prayed! James 5:16b

The mom told me that she wanted to bring it up several times over the last couple of weeks, but she sensed the Holy Spirit telling her to be quiet. Hah, the Lord worked in my friend's heart and she spoke to the pastor herself. With prayers and not a single word, the Holy Spirit met the desire or her parents' hearts and moved this young lady in paths of obedience. My friend will be baptized tomorrow!

I've come to some conclusions for Glimpse #1:

If you have someone you're concerned about for any reason, pray for them and tell them how you feel.

Offer whatever you have at your disposal to help them meet the challenges they face.

If they give you suggestions about how you can help, undertake them with energy and enthusiasm.

If they decline your offer of assistance, let them know you'll be there if they change their mind.

Continue to pray, trusting God to care for them and lead them by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Amen. Emmanuel

Parable of the Knee, Introduction

God is an awesome God. He displays His infinite attributes all around us. We enjoy tastes of His majesty and creativity through the sunsets He delivers across our lake. Each one is an opportunity to rest, rejoice, and be overwhelmed by our Father God. These magnificent images never cease to draw me in this direction, yet God is also found in the more mundane details of life.

Jesus the Christ used the common things of this world to teach great truths about His and our Father. His parables are some of the most well-remembered and oft-repeated portions of the New Testament. When the Holy Spirit adds heavenly wisdom to simple objects, powerful lessons and divine insights pour forth. It is this type of in-depth view of God through the world around me that I want to pursue. I don't want to miss a single expression of my Father's love for me.

God is faithful and shows Himself to me in the big and little things of life. Sometimes He teaches me things in the oddest ways. Who would ever believe that a knee could speak volumes to a seeking soul? I would have scoffed at anyone who made such a statement as recently as six months ago. Now I know better. You see, last October while on vacation I twisted my knee while walking on a cobblestone street.

It wasn't such a bad sprain as sprains go. I could still get around and if nobody was looking let the grimaces show. By the time we got home I was able to move without any one being any the wiser - at least at first. Slowly I started to lose ground. The pain increased as did periods when I had to stay off my feet all together. By January I was in serious discomfort most of the time. Little did I know even then all that God would teach me through the intricate part of the body called the knee.

Over time I began to realize that the Holy Spirit was using the condition with my knee to draw my attention away from the activity around me - important as most of it was. As weeks and months have been unfolding, so have the lessons and insights He's been showing me. It's amazing what is often hiding just below the surface of what we see around us. Thankfully I've been making notes along the way.

My plan is to share my lessons with you at the rate of one a week, deo volente. I trust that those of you who are interested in my educational journey will ask the Lord to keep me faithful to that commitment. I look forward to spending some time with you opening up the awesomeness of God together. May He bless you richly!