Having it All Together

Last week, during my voice lesson, my teacher and I chit-chatted a bit, as we tend to do. We always enjoy each other's company and the interesting stories the other has about the previous week's events. On that particular day, students in her voice studio seemed to have been particularly stressed out or absent-minded. She told me that one freshman ended up in tears during her lesson, and a few didn't even bother to show up for their lessons, including the students before and after mine. Neither of them let her know ahead of time.

Well, she started leading me in a vocalizing exercise, but stopped suddenly and asked me, "Why is it that you seem to always have it all together? You never seem stressed out. Is it because you're an adult?" (Note: I am a grad student at a mostly undergrad school)

Ordinarily, when presented with such a question, I may have just casually agreed with that assessment. Sure, I'm an adult. I've been a student before, I know how it works. But truthfully, I'm burdened with just as much, if not more, schoolwork as these other students, and I definitely feel the pressure of deadlines, tests, etc. just as much. So the answer was of course, no, being an adult has nothing to do with why I "have it all together."

The spring of living water that is the Spirit of God and Jesus Christ must have been overflowing from me that day, because without hesitation, I answered her: "I think it's because I'm a Christian."

Initially, she somewhat shrugged off my response, and added, "Well, probably because you're an adult too," and we continued our vocalizing. But a bit later in the lesson, she unexpectedly remarked out of context, "I think you're right, by the way."

I was caught a little off-guard, not certain to what she was referring, as enough time had passed after that conversation that we were on to other topics. So I asked, "About what?"

"You know..." she said with a wink. And I did know.

I do not know for certain if my voice teacher is also a believer, though I have suspected she might be, with her glowing smile, zest for life, and especially after that comment. But I do know it is difficult in most higher education settings to tell people that you're a believer without some sort of negative response, even if it's just a shrug of the shoulders. And while I don't necessarily have it "all together" (I procrastinate and get somewhat stressed too), whenever I do feel a little stressed, I never let that feeling overtake me, because I can always turn to God, for His "yoke is easy," and His "burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

If you feel weighed down by the stresses of life, I would encourage you to pray and seek God, and I promise you, if you are genuine in your prayer, he will give you rest. And your soul will never thirst for that elusive meaning of life when you love and serve the Lord our God.

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37-38)

What is Good, and What is Evil?

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." - Isaiah 5:20.

It is amazing how creative sinners can be in rationalizing sin when each wants to justify his or her own way. The path taken by such rationalization is one of self-aggrandizement.

Calling evil good and good evil define a depraved mind. In our day of moral relativism, tolerance becomes the absolute good, and under this standard, prohibition of immorality becomes intolerance and therefore evil. We must ask ourselves where we are compromising God's definition of good and evil in order to be acceptable in the eyes of the unbelieving world.

~Bible Study Fellowship 2010

Giving Up Control

I am always wary the first time I take a ride in anyone else's car. When I drive, I am in control and know exactly what to expect; when someone else drives, there's no telling what will happen. It takes a great deal of faith to trust that this person, who at any moment might speed around sharp corners at 70 MPH and ignore the "NO TURN ON RED" signs, will get us safely to our destination.

Driving can be stressful, however; though I enjoy the independence of being able to drive wherever I want, I often prefer to be the passenger... if I trust the driver.

Assuming I don't have to worry about the driver slamming on the breaks at the last minute and getting hopelessly lost, being a passenger is a relaxing way to travel. Because my attention isn't focused on controlling the vehicle, I am free to unwind, take in the scenery, take a nap, or just have some quiet time to think. Even when the situation is stressful--I have to rush to the hospital or I'm headed to school for a scary exam--there's a measure of comfort in knowing that someone else is making my struggle easier by taking away the pressure of driving.

In the same way, I like to have control over my own life. I feel much more comfortable when I'm making my own plans and plotting out my own future. The only trouble is that I've reached a point in my life where I'm driving through a thick fog on unfamiliar roads. The pedals aren't responding the way they used to, and the instruments on my dashboard don't make sense to me anymore. I no longer trust myself to drive.

Some time ago in church I received a printed prayer that has ended up being incredibly valuable in this challenging time. I do not know the author of the prayer, but its message is one that has truly resonated with me. After several months of praying this prayer on a regular basis, it continues to refresh me, and I continue to find new meaning in it. Allow me to share this prayer with you:

Abba, I surrender my will and my life to you today,
without reservation and with humble confidence,
for you are my loving Father.

Set me free from self-consciousness,
from anxiety about tomorrow,
and from the tyranny of the approval and disapproval of others,
that I may find joy and delight simply and solely in pleasing you.

May my inner freedom be a compelling sign of your presence,
your peace, your power, and your love.

Let your plan for my life gracefully unfold one day at a time.

I love you with all my heart, and I place all my confidence in you, for you are my Abba. Jesus, I trust you.

The Fall to Grace

I have an entertaining and silly book in my bathroom entitled These Aren't My Pants. In this book are a few hundred true stories about dumb criminals who get caught in the act because of something stupid they say or do (besides committing a crime in the first place). The title of the book, for those whose curiosity is just itching, comes from the common response dumb criminals make when an officer pats them down, finds illegal substances or a weapon, and asks why the items were found in their pants.

What in the world could this secular book have to do with the God and the title of this entry: The Fall to Grace? Well, let me share with you the story I read last night by the same title:

Sgt. Johnny Cooley was running radar on the interstate outside Birmingham, Alabama, one night when he witnessed a bona fide traffic miracle.

The street was slick from a rain that had just ended, and the pace of the traffic was again picking up. an eighteen-wheeler came barreling around a curve, when a car suddenly switched lanes directly into the truck's path. The truck driver hit the brakes and began to hydroplane across the lanes, out of control. The cab of the truck hit the railing at full speed and the trailer followed, disappearing over the edge of an overpass.

Cooley knew there was a basketball court below, and chances were real good that a pickup game was in progress. Cooley quickly radioed in for paramedics and backup. When he got to the twisted, crushed semi, his worst fears surfaced, although it appeared that the basketball players had escaped: they were all busy looting the trailer of its beer and wine haul. When they saw Cooley, they made a fast break toward the shadows.

Sergeant Cooley sighed as he stepped out of his cruiser for the worst part of his job--visually confirming the traffic fatality. He stepped up on what was left of the cab's running board and peered into a small opening that used to be the driver's side window. He gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. But when he looked in, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a woman lying comfortably stretched out on the seat, reading a book.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?"

The woman calmly closed her book and smiled, "Oh, I'm fine, thank you."

Cooley could not believe that she had survived the crash, much less the sixty-five-foot drop.

"Were you driving the rig, ma'am?"

She smiled again, "Yes, sir, but I had some help."

"Help? You mean another driver? Where is he? The paramedics are here."

"My copilot's right here," she said, holding up the Bible she had been reading. "God."

Granted, the only dummies in this story were the free-loading basketballers, but it's a story that just had to be told.

Quite an unbelievable story, if you don't believe in the miracles God still performs today. :-)

Mourning Into Dancing

Mourning Into Dancing

More art by Stacy Lee and a lesson of how God will lift you up when you are down if you have faith in him. I especially like the last few sentences in the last paragraph: "God won't bless us with our calling or next stage in life until we are ready for it. We'll stay in the valley as long as it takes to build up the necessary faith. But once we are ready, God will swiftly bring us out of the dark as He speaks light over our lives. Glory be to God!"

God's Way of Shuting a Door

Stacy Lee's beautiful artwork combined with an excellent lesson of how to deal with rejection.

God's Way of Shutting a Door

Be Spiritually Greedy

What is your American dream today? Is it to work hard during the week so you can party harder over the weekend? Is it to work your way up the ladder enough to get a high-paying executive job so you can order underlings around? Or is it simply to accumulate enough wealth so that you're comfortable and don't have to worry about living from paycheck to paycheck?



All of these could be considered forms of greed. Our society today, though it doesn't put an emphasis on greed per se, definitely puts an emphasis on ambition. While that in itself is not a sin, it can easily become greed if used inappropriately. A powerful example of this is found in the book of Numbers chapter 16, after the Israelites had escaped Egypt and were on their way to Canaan, wandering in the desert as punishment for their idolatry. A man named Korah, who had gained influence over important people in the Israelite community, was ambitious enough to try and take Moses' brother Aaron's place as high priest of the people. The whole story can be found here. God knew Korah's heart was filled with greed disguised as ambition, and He quickly punished Korah and his followers for their sin. He opened up the earth and swallowed Korah, his men, their households, and all their possessions, and fire consumed the men who were making an offering out of greed on Korah's behalf (Numbers 16:31-35).



Greed cost Korah and his followers their lives. For Israel's King Rehoboam in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 10, his greed left the kingdom of Israel divided and broken. The Israelites had requested that the new king lighten their harsh labor and heavy yoke that his father, King Solomon, had placed on them. But instead of listening to them and the elders who had served Solomon, he elected to take the advice of his peers and seek greater control over the Israelites. He told them that he would lay an even heavier hand on them. The Israelites rebelled and killed Adoniram, the man who was in charge of forced labor, and King Rehoboam had to flee. Fortunately, once the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam with God's message that he would allow Rohoboam to be conquered, the king and his followers humbled themselves before God, and God gave them deliverance.

These two Old Testament stories are there to teach us the dangers of earthly greed. But I think a true Christian should be extremely greedy. A good kind of greed, if you will. A spiritual greed. Jesus told us of this type of greed in the Gospel according to Matthew when he said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) If we choose to be greedy about where we spend eternity, we can overcome the need for temporary, earthly treasures. If we choose to obey God, we are storing up our own treasures in heaven! He will give us a mansion in heaven if we follow His Word! Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I hope you can join me in making your desire to be rich in heaven far greater than your earthly desires. Praise be to God for his wonderful promises!