Why I Love Turtles

Each morning that I go to the lake, I greet my turtle friends. Aloud. In Spanish. Ok, it’s eccentric, but I’ve always had an affinity for turtles, ever since I was five and screamed in the car causing my dad to slam on the brakes so he wouldn’t massacre a tiny box turtle I had spotted in the middle of the road. Needless to say, we hopped out of the car, rescued Hermie, and he became my pet.

For years I’ve wondered why I have such a kinship with turtles. Sure, as an introvert, sometimes I can duck my head inside my shell withdrawing from the world when I sense danger and then stay hidden until I think it has passed. Then I tentatively peer out of my shell, ready to retreat at a moment’s notice.  But last Tuesday as I eyed my little reptile friend placidly swimming through calm waters, I noted another of his qualities. Turtles know how to persevere. They may be slow and their wrinkled faces resemble the dried-apple dolls you make as an elementary school craft project. But despite their seeming weaknesses, they keep trudging along. I always thought they were fearful creatures, but they trek out into the middle of roads oblivious to oncoming traffic. And they keep on sticking their necks out time and time again no matter what giant speeding SUV comes barreling down on them.

Turtles remind me of the men in the parables of Matt. 13:44-46. Stay with me here. Turtles risk it all to get what they want even if that’s only traveling from point A to point B. The men in the parable risk all financially in an effort to gain the kingdom of heaven.

So what others may see as recklessness, I prefer to see as deliberate risk-taking and perseverance. And risk-taking and perseverance are two lessons God has been trying to teach me this year. When you really examine faith, it’s a risky proposition to follow a God you cannot see or touch and trust His words are true in a world saturated with lies and half-truths. Faith demands we risk it all and then persevere in our walk with God despite obstacles and opposition.  

Resisting Change

Earlier this week while I was exercising at the lake, I saw a crepe myrtle tree that seemed to be having a difficult time deciding what the current season is. Most of its spindly branches were loaded with dull round green berries, smaller russet ones, and red-tipped olive green leaves.  But there were two branches crowned with bright purple blossoms with the beginning of autumn only days away.

Observing that confused crepe myrtle made me wonder what changes still lie ahead for me in a year overflowing with changes. And it also made me reflect on how resistant I am to change. Out of all of my friends I have only one, ok maybe one and a half, who really embrace change.  How I envy them! I am like the proverbial Biblical sheep that wallows in a rut and has to be lifted out by the Shepherd’s crook.

Like the crepe myrtle, my resistance to change sometimes produces confusion. It is so important to know what season you are in for a variety of reasons. For instance, you cannot reap when it is sowing season and vice-versa.  Spiritually, it is important to know the season so you can know how to pray.  It is also important so you will know the work God has for you to do. Some seasons are fallow ones where you wait on the Lord to move or to provide wisdom and insight. Some are busier where you work on multiple projects or ministries simultaneously. But to be effective, you need to know the Shepherd’s voice and observe the signs of changing seasons.  So as summer gives way to fall, watch the changing leaves and ask the Lord to open your heart to the changes He wishes to make in your life.

Stormy Weather

Every June, officials warn us to prepare for the start of hurricane season here on the Gulf Coast. Even when no hurricane hovers on the horizon, we have to guard against daily thunderstorms like the one that fried my computer modem a month ago. But after eight months of much worse storms, a fried modem seemed quite a little thing. Annoying? Sure. But when you endure a health crisis and daily fight spiritual battles designed to steal your faith and break your heart, even a hurricane seems less daunting.

Sometimes the Lord dispels the physical and spiritual storms of life before we even have to face them. Other times, He allows us a taste of their force but blunts their destruction. Then there are storms we must endure, but during them He keeps His promise:  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Remember in Mark 4:37-41 when the disciples faced a storm in a boat on the Sea of Galilee?  “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do still have so little faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him?’”

God also spoke to Elijah in the midst of a storm after the prophet hid himself in a cave while the force of nature displayed God’s power. Then out of the storm, Elijah heard the still, small voice of God calling to him.  1 Kings 19:11-12: “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

Storms are inevitable. So the next time one threatens your dreams, your health, your financial security or any other area of your life, remember the One who can calm the wind and rain can say the word and end the storms in your life, restoring peace. The greater challenge, though, is to rely on His peace when He chooses not to calm the storm.

“My peace I leave you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not be troubled or afraid.”  John 14:27

Truth and Dare

Casting Crowns has an excellent song entitled “Love Them Like Jesus.” It encourages us how to comfort others during their trials just as Jesus would do. But do we, the Body of Christ, really understand what it means to “love people like Jesus”?  People who hate us just because we love Him? Or people who lash out at us because they trust we’ll forgive them?  Read 1 Cor. 13:4-8 where Paul says: “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

We do okay with some of it and we do very well with other parts, but then there are places where we stumble and scrape our toes on a rock of truth.  For me, it’s often: “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” We like to say we forgive others; we know it’s our Christian duty. But do we really let go of the ways in which others wrong us or do we secretly hold it in our hearts, reminding ourselves of their past transgressions every time they commit a new one?

Maybe you’ve got forgiveness down pat and you never throw up to someone their past mistakes. How about this one: “Love is not selfish.” The KJV says: “Love does not seek its own.” Somehow that translation resonates with me more. Maybe it’s because saying “seek its own” sounds like the phrase should be followed by the word will or way. That hits closer to home to me to hear those words because they remind me of Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer: “Not My will, but Yours.” It’s hard not to demand our rights, not to insist people treat us a certain way simply because we’re a person created in the image of God. But don’t forget:  Jesus set the example as He “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7).

So today, I dare you to live out the love of 1 Cor. 13. But before you take that dare, you better know the truth.  Loving like Jesus is a difficult thing to ask of us limited creatures, who were formed of dust.  And frankly, it’s risky. If you love like Jesus, you will get hurt, sometimes deeply.  Look where His love got Him…tortured, slandered, nailed to a cross. Now look where His love got us… because of His death and resurrection, we get to spend eternity with Him and the Father in heaven.  So ask yourself, are you willing to swallow your pride, are you willing to let your heart be torn, and are you willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to “love them like Jesus”?

Remembering Momma

Special: adj. unique, prized, valued, treasured. (Lovvorn’s Modern English Dictionary)

On Aug. 15, 2008, Momma went home to be with the Lord. I am filled with sadness each year as the anniversary approaches. But on the actual day, I try to celebrate Mom’s life; it’s what she would’ve wanted. Momma’s motto came from the movie Mame: “Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” Flamboyant? Sure. But that was Momma and they were not just words she espoused. They were words she lived by, right up until the time the Lord called her home.

Momma was larger than life. I tell people she was a force of nature. How else could she have survived 15 years of serious illnesses and multiple near-death experiences? Well, that and God’s infinite grace. Momma would want Him to receive credit for she always taught us that God said, “I’ll share my glory with no other.”  (Isaiah 42:8)

There were lots and lots of things Momma taught. She was a natural-born teacher, but one of the most important lessons I learned was simply by observing her. Momma had this extraordinary ability to make everyone she met feel special. Whether she was speaking with a renowned French physician or a movie star whose son she was treating or a critically ill pediatric patient she was caring for or the lady cleaning her room when she was a patient, Momma had the ability to make each one feel as though he or she was the most important person in the world and there was nothing Momma would rather be doing at that moment than talking to him or her.

Momma was known for talking and she could go on and on with lengthy explanations. But what people who really spent time with her learned was she was also a very good listener with a contemplative mind, a deep faith, and heart full of sympathy. I try hard to live out this lesson- how to be a good listener and how to make people feel special. I hope I’m successful and that Momma is proud of me for striving to follow in her footsteps.

Armed and Dangerous

One friend recently shared this anecdote:

           

            A grandmother traveled to Chicago with her middle-aged daughter and when they arrived at the hotel, the elderly woman pulled out her Bible and a pistol.

            “Mama, why’d you bring that?” the daughter was shocked that her mother came packing heat.

            “I figured if one doesn’t work, the other one will.”

            While I greatly admire her spunk, for spiritual battles you can’t bring a gun to a swordfight. You can only bring a sword and the one God has provided is His word. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul calls Scripture the “sword of the spirit.” In Hebrews 4:12, he tells us it is “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

            But like all swords, ours can become rusty with disuse so it’s very important to keep your sword sharp and in good repair. How do you do it? “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)  The more Scripture you know and understand, the sharper your sword. It’s a good idea to take a Bible with you often and to even keep cards or notes with verses on them in your car and purse or wallet. But ultimately, you need Scripture written in a place where it can’t be lost or destroyed—you need it written on your heart.

            “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33

            “I’ve hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

            When you hide God’s word in your heart, it can’t be taken from you and the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind at just the time you need it. Don’t be discouraged, though, if it’s been a while since you’ve picked up your sword and it’s sitting in a corner rusty and dusty. You can start today to sharpen your sword, even if you simply go back to basics to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” There’s really no better place to start.

The Invisible War

Jesus’ admonition “Pray for your enemies” sounds appropriate for a rag-tag group of believers facing persecution as they built the fledgling church.  But ask Christians today if they have enemies and many will respond with a blank stare.  Yet Paul tells us with certainty we have an unseen enemy.  And this is an enemy you cannot pray for, but must pray against.  The enemy to which Paul refers is Satan and his army of fallen angels.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12)  Fortunately, Paul then tells us how God has equipped us for these battles.  He describes the armor God has supplied, beginning with the belt of truth which helps us rightly discern what battle we are facing. 

Next is the breastplate of righteousness which covers our sinful heart with the righteousness of Christ.  Our feet are “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” because the Great Commission tells us to go into all the world and share The Good News.  Hold up the shield of faith because it is our steadfast faith in the goodness of God that helps us overcome the enemy.  Finally, Paul tells us to take the helmet of salvation- bought by the blood of Christ that covers our mind- with the sword of the Spirit which divides between marrow and bone, soul and spirit. 

In any war, there comes a point where things stall. You seem to gain no ground and you are tired. Paul says having done all of this-- putting on the armor and praying-- to simply stand. I think of those scenes in movies where someone stands still and you see blurred images pass by at light-speed on either side. Psalm 91: 5-8 tells us: “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.” Remember that promise of protection the next time you fight the invisible war and remember, too, that with His death and resurrection, Jesus has already won the victory for us.