A Season of Light

“We are waiting on the promise

For the One who lights the darkness

Bending low to be among us

Bring Your glory in the highest, Jesus”

-“Hope for Everyone” Matt Maher

At the time, traveling over 1,100 feet straight down under a mountain seemed like a good idea. Then I realized the only way out was the one ancient elevator that had just deposited me into a dark maze. As I glanced around the dim, stifling cavern, I felt a little panic bubble up into my chest. Since I’d already paid for this torture, though, I continued to follow my friend, our tour group, and the guide who had the only flashlight among us. As we wound through the caverns, our end goal was Ruby Falls, a beautiful 145-foot underground waterfall. To heighten the drama though before we actually rounded a corner to view the magnificent falls, the guides turned out all the lights. I’m not sure I have ever felt such oppressive darkness. It seemed as if I could feel the weight of every ounce of the tons of earth above me pressing down on my body. And the few seconds before they turned on the multicolored spotlights felt like an eternity. I might have oohed and aahed at the big reveal. I can’t remember. What I can remember is wanting to kiss the ground when I finally made it to the surface and back out into the sunlight.

Scripture talks about people who walk in darkness that is far more oppressive than what you can find in an underground cavern. It is a spiritual darkness that separates people from God and one another. But the prophet Isaiah proclaimed there would be a cure, that “[t]he people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (9:2) This Light dawned 2,000 years ago when Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, an event marked by angel choirs and a mysterious star. In his gospel Matthew tells us, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (2:1-2) Some scholars believe the star that led the magi to Jesus was actually the Shekinah Glory, a manifestation of God’s presence like the one He used to guide Israel in the wilderness. Regardless of the true nature of the Christmas star, God used the unique celestial sign to underscore the fact that Jesus is indeed the “Light of the world.”  (John 8:12)

A Season of Hope

“Israel’s strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;” -- Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

“O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! 

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”

When life is darkest, when I am sick, lonely, afraid, sad, I still have hope. When my parents died, I had hope. When I hurt my neck, I had hope. When I’ve been out of work, I’ve had hope. When I pray for loved ones who are sick or hurting or grieving, I have hope. Christmas reveals the reason for my hope: Christmas celebrates the One who is not only my source of hope, but the One is the “hope of all the earth.”

For centuries, prophets foretold of this hope, the Messiah, the Chosen One who would one day deliver the nation of Israel that languished in exile, ruled by one oppressive kingdom after another, begging God for deliverance. The prophetic tone of the advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” recounts this truth and reveals the plan about which prophets told Israel through the ages: that God would one day send His Deliverer to them. For Christians, Jesus is this Deliverer; He is “Emmanuel,” God with Us, the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. He came that He might offer hope to all who trust in Him. My prayer is that this Christmas those without hope will come to realize they can trust the One who gave His life for them and promises to love them now and for all eternity.

Hope, Healing, and Hurricanes

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  --Romans 15:13

As Hurricane Michael set its sights on the Florida panhandle this week, I held my breath. One of my dearest friends and her family lives just 30 miles north of Panama City. Another sister-friend lives near Destin. She and her husband evacuated, but my other friend and her family stayed. The barrage of tv news reports apprised me of the danger to a litany of towns along the coast that lay in the direct path of the storm.

Mexico Beach. Port St. Joe. Seaside. Miramar Beach. The forecast listed so many places I’ve visited with these two friends through the years. Places that hold lovely memories. Places where I went for healing and found it in God’s creation and my enduring friendships.

Now that the storm has passed, it’s heartbreaking to see the devastation the area has sustained. Thankfully, my friends are safe, but I continue to pray for those who were not so fortunate. People who lost loved ones or whose homes were destroyed. People whose lives will never be the same. I hope one day the lovely memories they too have of better times spent enjoying the beautiful Florida coast will bring them at least some measure of peace and joy.

Love Like a Hurricane

“He is jealous for me,
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.”

--“How He Loves”  by David Crowder Band

“The Lord does whatever pleases him,

    in the heavens and on the earth,
    in the seas and all their depths.

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;

    he sends lightning with the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” – Psalm 135:5-7

In the verses above, the psalmist affirms that God controls all of nature. When I read those words, I can clearly imagine God’s awesome power manifested as one of the thunderous storms with which I am all too familiar. But what about His love? Is it really, as the song says, like a hurricane? Last night I thought about all this as I watched towering trees behind my house bend while tropical storm Gordon’s winds whipped through their branches. In the blustery onslaught, the trees had two options: they could break or they could bend. Those are the same choices I have when confronted by God’s overwhelming power and love. I can stubbornly try to stand tall as life’s hurricane winds blow against me and wind up battered and bruised, spiritually if nothing else. Or I can bend beneath God’s will, knowing His love is the force that motivates all of His actions, even the creation of storms. Once I humbly surrender and focus on God’s unfailing love, my trials disappear, “eclipsed by glory” and the knowledge of “how great [His] affections are for me.”

Remedial Classes

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” -James 1:2-4

Growing up, I used to read the dictionary for fun. Besides that tome, I read stacks of books each week. I loved learning and I loved school and I excelled at it. But in my spiritual life, I sometimes feel I find myself in the remedial class going over lessons again and again. Even after I think I’ve mastered them, God reveals how much more I have to learn. One of those lessons is perseverance and at times this year, the challenges designed to produce it within me have stretched my faith muscles beyond what I would’ve said I could endure.

Still, I’ve been here many times before. As I run these spiritual marathons, the Enemy of my soul throws every obstacle at me he can. Fatigue. Depression. Worry. Discouragement. Conflict. His hurdles may cause me to stumble as I continue to run the course, and they may even cause me to fall. But they will not force me to quit. No matter how much instruction I continue to need in order to persevere, I will listen. I will learn. I will grow. And one day I will reach the finish line. My prayer is that I then hear the words every follower of Jesus longs for Him to speak to them: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt. 25:23)

WWDS? (What Would Dad Say?)

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” -Ephesians 6:4

When I was growing up, Daddy had some interesting sayings. If one of us was a little too sassy or bull-headed, he responded, “If you’re feeling froggy, go ahead and jump.” When he approved of something we did, he’d say, “You done good, kid.”  His response to a pout was: “You can kiss that mad spot and get glad.” And when he had a handful of bad cards during a rummy game, he’d laugh and exclaim, “Trash! Trash, and more trash!” But there’s one expression from his repertoire I’ve discovered I unwittingly repeat often: “That is correct information.”

This revelation came when my seven-year-old niece said it to me one day. I asked her, “Where did you hear that?” She responded, “You. You say it all the time.” When I finished laughing at myself, I explained to her that my dad used to say it to us when we were kids and had asked for confirmation of something. But more significant than all of Dad’s humorous expressions are the words he said most often : “I love you.” 

He freely gave those words every time we talked and I knew he meant them. Often along with them he would offer a word of encouragement or affirmation and sometimes a Bible verse. But always, always, he told me he loved me and was proud of me. I am grateful to have had such a kind and generous and wise father whose unfailing love pointed me to my heavenly Father and established a firm foundation for my life.

A Promise is a Promise

“. . . I will never leave you nor forsake you” –Hebrews 13:5

Mom and Dad believed strongly in the importance of keeping your word, and the lessons they taught me and my sister started with deliberate decision-making. When one of us would ask them permission for something or ask them to do something for us, if they couldn’t 100% commit at the time we asked, they would tell us “maybe.” They never used the word as a cop-out, but as a placeholder to give them time to ponder and perhaps gather information about the people involved or the activity or the resources needed to make our wish come true. It was an important lesson for me about avoiding hasty decisions. 

Along with the “maybe,” my parents reinforced the idea that promises are sacred and should always be kept unless there is a legitimate reason to break them. The inspiration for this value came from God Himself who clearly takes our words seriously. In fact, early in my life they taught me the words of Ecclesiastes 5:4-5: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.” Because of my parents’ solid instruction, I learned that God is a God of His word. It is a truth that sustains me even when my feelings or circumstances try to tell me something different. So, when life’s challenges overwhelm me, I turn to God’s word and find a promise to reassure me. This week, God reminded me that no matter what, He will never leave me nor forsake me. No matter how awful my attitude. No matter how weak my faith. No matter how many mistakes I make or sins I commit. He is still faithful because He honors His promises.