It's My Birthday Too

“You say it’s your birthday  

It's my birthday too, yeah

I'm glad it's your birthday

Happy Birthday to you"

-The Beatles                          

“In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.” -1 Timothy 3:11

 “A gracious, generous woman will be honored with a splendid reputation . . . ”

Proverbs 11:16 (TPT)

Today is my grandmother’s 92^nd birthday. It’s also the birthday of my dear friend Gena, whom I often call “Big Sis.” And it’s my birthday too. Through the years it’s been a lot of fun sharing my birthday with these two special ladies. For my tenth birthday I remember my grandmother taking me to my favorite pizza restaurant—just the two of us—even though she didn’t even really care for pizza. Feeling adventurous, she ordered a Hawaiian pizza for herself (mine was cheese only), and then shared with me how she would love to travel to Hawaii someday. She never made it there, but when she was in her 70s, my dad’s intrepid mother went on a mission trip to Guatemala.

Like Grandmother, my friend Gena also has a spirit of adventure as well as a heart for service. One of my favorite birthday memories with her was two years ago when our mutual friend flew from Texas to Florida where Big Sis lives. They surprised me with a phone call asking me to meet them for lunch. I drove over and the three of us had a wonderful day celebrating together.

I have so many memories I treasure of times spent with grandmother and with Gena. But one of the most important aspects of my relationships with each of them is our spiritual connection. They have prayed with me during ordinary times, as well as during crises. They have shared Bible verses with me to encourage and strengthen and guide me. And they have even used scripture to gently rebuke me when I needed it. They consistently cheer me on in all of my endeavors, but most of all, in my walk with the Lord. And I am thankful to share a birthday with two such godly women.   

 

Lessons from Christmas 2021

It’s hard for me to believe as I write this post, another Christmas is over and a new year is beginning. Each year, I eagerly anticipate the Christmas season, and each year I try to place the decorations just so, write personalized cards to friends and family, and buy the perfect gifts for loved ones. I grew up internalizing the idea that Christmas needed to be perfect to be enjoyed. But after I had a colossal meltdown last year—due to the chaos Christmas decorating generated in my home and life—I decided I’d better rethink some things. So, this year I relaxed and aimed for beauty, peace, and joy rather than perfection. In the process, I learned a few things…

Lesson 1: The holidays don’t have to be perfect. (And they won’t be). My house doesn’t have to be Insta-worthy, even in December.

Lesson 2: You can keep decorating up to the last minute. I don’t have to have everything in place by the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In response to this epiphany, I kept decorating until a few days before Christmas. Not because I wanted perfection, but because I wanted beauty and there were some decorations, like the giant wreath on my gate, that had been left behind.

Lesson 3: Jesus really is the reason for the season. All through Advent I continually tried to re-focus on the entire reason we even celebrate Christmas. Focusing on the miracle of Christmas and the amazing Love it signifies, helped re-prioritize my activities and my energy. And brought me the peace and joy the angels proclaimed to the Bethlehem shepherds 2000 years ago.

Ultimately, Christmas 2021 helped me realize the only perfection involved in the holiday is the Christ Himself. And in His light, everything else pales anyway.

My Testimony is His Faithfulness

 Psalm 119:90: “Your faithfulness continues through all generations…”

“Time and time again, You’ve proven You’ll do just what you said. Great is Your faithfulness to me.” –Maverick City Music “Promises”

The other day I was listening to “Promises” by Maverick City Music and told my friend, “That’s my testimony. God is faithful.” Of course, there’s a lot of complexity, depth and breadth to my spiritual journey and my relationship with the Lord. But ultimately, if I had to sum up my beliefs, my experience, and my relationship to the Lord in one sentence, that’s it: “Great is Your faithfulness to me.”

Both Old Testament and New Testament passages in the Bible extol the enduring faithfulness of God in general terms which apply to all believers. And I believe those statements to be true. But my testimony, my witness to His truth, is that He is personally faithful to me. The lyrics of “Promises” proclaim that “Your faithfulness, it never runs out. I put my faith in Jesus, my anchor to the ground, my hope and firm foundation, He’ll never let me down.”

And He hasn’t. He protected me when I nearly drowned, when I fell headfirst out of a car, when I swerved on a busy interstate and spun-out into the median. He’s provided work when I had none. He’s stretched my finances so that I have never missed a bill. He’s brought me prayer partners to encourage, comfort, and strengthen me. He’s comforted me when I’ve lost loved ones. He’s given me strength and courage when I’ve faced all sorts of challenges. I may not always understand His will or His ways, but I can always trust His faithfulness.

Checked Off and Checked Out

 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”  -Colossians 3:23

I’m not really sure when I began making to-do lists. Junior high? High school? Birth? Order has always been paramount to me and making lists helps me organize my time, my life, my goals. I get a sense of satisfaction when I draw a line through an item or put a check mark, sometimes with a flourish, in front of a task. But I recently discovered there’s a dark side to all this list making and marking.

It happened a few weeks ago as I multi-tasked my way through the end of the day, and silently tossed up a prayer in response to a friend’s request. While still heartfelt, the communication felt a little perfunctory. It happened a few other times with prayers and also with exercise which I normally really enjoy. I realized I was just going through the motions, completely disengaged from some important things in my life. Somehow life had been reduced into a series of tasks to be accomplished and I was mindlessly attempting to finish them in order to move on to the “next thing.”

I wish I could say that since that epiphany I have changed and am now intentional about each of my prayers and all of my words and actions. That would just be a lie. Sometimes I am still checked out as I check off my lists. But I am trying daily to be more present in my own life, more aware of the inner narrative that is subtly and profoundly impacting my life and the lives of those I care about. And I’m drawing close again to the One who made me, understands me, and loves me whether I mark off all the tasks on my list or not.

Sparrows

The January morning started out cold and drizzly and bleak. But to me, it was a beautiful day. It was just days before my birthday, a time which brings up all sorts of wonderful memories—many of which occurred on similarly bleak winter days. On this particular frigid Monday, I was in the middle of praying when God prompted me to look out the window at a cluster of leafless trees, diamond-like raindrops clinging to their spikey gray branches. A sudden quick movement among the bare limbs caught my eye, and I realized there was a tiny gray and brown bird flitting around in the treetop. I don’t really know what species the bird belonged to, but I imagined it was a sparrow. And I was filled with peace as I watched it dart from one branch to another, scrounging for food. The bird was simply being a bird, oblivious to the cold and rain and the pandemic that has bound us all in fear for nearly a year.

I smiled, thinking of the Bible verses about sparrows. Matthew 10: 29-31 says: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The moment was a culmination of weeks of God bringing to mind sparrows. A friend had sent me a link to a video of Audrey Assad’s song “Sparrows” which is based on the classic gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Cory Asbury’s “Sparrows” was another song God had been using to direct my focus to the deep love and concern expressed in the verses in Matthew. The chorus of his song says:

“You take good care of me.

You know what I need before I even ask a thing.

You hold me in Your hands with a kindness that never ends.

I’m carried in Your love no matter what the future brings.”

I’m grateful not only for these songs which have encouraged me, but especially for the little bird God sent as a tangible reminder of His presence and His provision. I will never cease to be amazed at a love the depths of which I will never truly comprehend.

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

For so many people, 2020 has been a bleak year filled with fear and despair. Life was also bleak for many who lived in Judea 2000 years ago. The humble carpenter Joseph faced the difficult decision of whether to marry his betrothed or expose her pregnancy with a child he did not father, and risk his community stoning her. Mary faced the overwhelming choice of whether to submit to God’s will and become the mother of His Son. Even once they chose to obey God, life and Rome handed them another challenge when Caesar called for everyone to return to their hometowns for a census.

For a poor couple in a desert land long before cars were invented, this was an arduous trip, made even more difficult by the fact that it was just about time for Mary to give birth. Once they arrived in Bethlehem, they found there was “no room in the inn.” So, they spent the night in a stable, (which scholars say was most likely a cave), filled with animals. For Mary and Joseph, the night was probably filled with fear, uncertainty, pain, and disappointment. Until Jesus was born, and they held a miracle in their arms.

In his Christmas carol “Silent Night,” Joseph Mohr described the night this way: “Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright, ‘round yon virgin mother and Child.” His words evoke the peace and hope that only Jesus can provide. Even now when life seems unstable, chaotic, uncertain, Jesus’ presence can inspire us to still proclaim that all is calm and all is indeed bright in the midst of the Light of the world.

Dwell in Hope

“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 

“Therefore, my heart rejoiceth . . .  my flesh moreover shall dwell in hope.”

–Psalm 16:9 Darby Translation Bible

Last week in a phone conversation, my dear friend described an experience she had a couple of years ago as “being on the sharp edge of hopelessness.” As she comforted and encouraged me, I told myself I was not in that place. Discouraged. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. Weary. Unfortunately, that sounds dangerously close to hopelessness to me. Perhaps that’s why for months now God has encouraged me to focus on the word hope. It became a theme in my hand-lettering art and one day while looking for inspiration, I stumbled upon Psalm 16:9, which in the Darby translation ends “my flesh moreover shall dwell in hope.”

As the pandemic continues unabated and violent riots have swept the country like a scourge, I have continued to meditate on the verse. Strong’s Concordance says the word for “dwell” in Psalm 16:9 comes from the Hebrew yis-kon which is used to mean “to settle down, abide, to dwell.” It’s a strong word with the connotation not only of really living and being very present within a place, but it also speaks of contentment and peace.

The words “in hope” are lā-ḇe-ṭaḥ which Strong’s defines as “securely.” In the Bible, hope often is connected to faith which stems from our choice to trust God. Therefore, we can have hope and rest secure when we trust in God’s perfect, unchanging character and His eternal, unfailing love. As Savior, Redeemer, and Healer, Jesus is the very embodiment of hope so choosing to “remain, abide, and settle down” in His presence is choosing to dwell in the only secure source of living, lasting hope.