Through words and through the Word
Over the last couple of years, God has been speaking to my heart with fresh perspective. My eyes have been opened to a new awareness and my weary body has been reenergized. I’m so grateful for this! And now, it’s time to share this experience with my community, those I know well and those I am just getting to know. Through words and through the Word, I pray the Holy Spirit will speak to you as I share what I am learning.
Perspective
The arguing had to stop and a decision had to be made. A family situation with my father’s health had put my sister and I at odds. In many ways this wasn’t new. We’ve been arguing with each other about different things since we were little girls. At least this is the way I saw it.
I’ve never liked conflict and yet the more I tried to avoid it, the more it found me. My sister, on the other hand, seemed to thrive on it. I’ve always watched her dive into situations with a fierceness that sent me running the other way. But my father’s dementia and the new perspective that God was showing me made me appreciate my sister’s personality in an entirely new way.
That word, perspective, is exactly what I needed. I looked it up in the dictionary recently. The meaning jumped out at me. “The capacity to view things in their new relations or relative importance.”
I needed to pause and consider my view and my sister’s. We saw things differently and I needed to take time to consider her viewpoint and try to communicate mine to her. How many times have you found yourself in a similar situation? The Bible is full of stories about humankind not seeing the full picture or assuming things were one way and finding out later that they had misinterpreted the situation. The enemy loves to twist words and perspectives so that we will believe something that isn’t true. This can certainly lead us into situations we never intended or should not have been.
We find such a story in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were manipulated by the enemy to have a different perspective regarding God’s warning.
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:2-5
It didn’t take much for Eve to hear the serpent’s words and believe that version over God’s. He placed just enough doubt in her mind for her to go her own way.
Every day, we are presented with opportunities just like this to make choices. Sometimes it is our own limited perspective that make choices. Sometimes it is our own limited perspective that gets in our way. At other times, it may be someone else’s perspective that is clouding our judgement. God gives us the right perspective in Colossians 3:2 where we are told to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In the midst of family situation, I prayed. God help me to see the right way, your way and help my sister and I come to an understanding that we both can accept.
God answered that prayer. We were able to calmly discuss and determine our next steps knowing that God was clearly helping us. In fact, my sister became my hero in the midst of our family trauma. She navigated a very difficult situation with the fierceness that was necessary in that moment. She utilized the beautiful super powers that we needed and I used mine. Praise God that we lived into the exact design for which he created us.
Expectation
The first time I walked through the house, all I saw were the orange counter tops. It felt like I had stepped back in time. Disappointment radiated through my spirit. I knew this was going to be hard but I fooled myself into thinking God would give me a shiny new house that looked just as I had imagined it. After all, I was forfeiting a lot to follow God’s call.
My husband and I had given up our dream house with years earlier so that he could go to seminary and become an ordained pastor. Now, we were moving into our first parsonage and I had expected something different. I’ve heard it said that expectations are resentments waiting to happen and that was certainly how I was feeling in that moment.
The meaning of the word expectation means to consider something reasonable or probable, even certain. The thing is while it may be reasonable to expect something, that does not make it true. That is exactly why having expectations can lead us to disappointment, frustration and resentment. We often find ourselves in that place of expecting something, being sure that God is going to answer us in the way we want.
A familiar passage that many of us read is Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV),
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
We read this passage and automatically expect it to mean that we will get what we want, right?
On closer inspection, we can realize that this passage does not say you’ll get what you want when you want it. In context, the Lord gave these words to Jeremiah for the Israelites who had been exiled to Babylon. In the verses right before this, God told them to get comfortable in this new place. God lets them know they are going to be there awhile. In fact, through Jeremiah God told them they are to be there for 70 years! That’s a pretty long time to be put in exile and I’m sure that is not what they were expecting. And that is why this verse is so important. God wanted them to know that while they were going to be there for a time, it would not be forever and that they could have hope and trust in God’s plan for them.
As I walked through the house that day, I knew that I would be there for at least a short while. Yes, I was initially disappointed but God quickly reminded me that the plans for our future were good, and I could trust in that.
I have needed that reminder over and over.
There are so many times in life that we expect one thing and get something else, and that something else, is often far better than we could ever imagine or hope for.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21
Perception
Why was this so hard? I simply needed to pick a color, but I was stuck. There were so many different shades to choose from. I just knew it couldn’t be orange anymore. It seemed silly that I was making such a big deal out of it. My friends and family had only clouded my thoughts as well. Each having a different opinion and offering their perception of what would look right.
How often do we find ourselves in a similar situation with much more at stake than the simple color we put on our walls? The viewpoints of others can cloud our decisions or create more chaos where it was meant to bring clarity. Our perceptions of the world can all be so very different, just like the multitude of colors of paint.
The word perceive means to attain awareness or understanding of or to become aware of through the senses. Each of us has a different perception, understanding or observation, of the world around us. We see things from entirely different lenses. This is true of so many things. Our perception can alter the way we react to someone else’s behavior or words. For instance, I’ve noticed recently that my husband and I have found ourselves arguing and miscommunication simply because what we were saying to each other had been misunderstood through our own perception of the situation or the words we were using.
Our understanding or perception of God can create doubt and conflict too. If we read scripture only from our own context or view of things, we may misunderstand or interpret the words incorrectly. We will miss the real point and be blinded to the bigger meaning. Through the words of Isaiah, God clearly lets us know that the Lord’s ways are different than our own,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55: 8-9 (NIV)
Id we really want to have a clear picture of who God is and also, understand what it means to love God and love others, we need to pause and consider all the vast array of viewpoints that exist around us. We need to understand that while our viewpoints differ, it does not make one right and one front.
One of the stories in scripture that has brought me a great deal of clarity is found in John 8. The Pharisees have brought a woman who was caught in adultery before Jesus. They wanted to see what he would do. Would he follow the law and have her stoned? I love Jesus’ response.
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
Being aware of our own perception is the first step to understanding others with more clarity. It is the way we become more compassionate towards each other. The way we learn not to throw stones but to love each other as Jesus has loved us.
Longing
My parents were gone. This was my chance. I went to the cupboard and found what I was looking for and began to eat it. It was a can of powder Kool-Aid. The kind that had the sugar already in it. As a kid, I loved it but, of course, my parents did not want me to eat it straight out of the can. Honestly, I think I like it more because it was something they told me I wasn’t supposed to have. I really only thought about it when I knew they were gone and I could sneak it. It was like the only reason I longed for it was because they didn’t want me to want it.
Oh, aren’t we humans like this about so many things. Ever since Adam and Eve first became aware of their nakedness of vulnerability (Genesis 3:7) we have lived in the tension of longing for the very thing we hide from or run towards.
We are born into this world not being fully aware of our own vulnerability and our need for others to take care of us. As babies, we don’t consciously realize we have needs. It sure doesn’t take us very long though before we start realizing we need something. Babies cry for food, to have their diapers changed, to be held, and to sleep. We instinctively know we need something and let others know we have those needs.
The definition of longing is a strong desire especially for something unattainable, craving. I certainly was craving that Kool-Aid. Our most sincere desires come from three distinct areas of longing:
- Power & Control
- Security & Safety
- Worth & Value
Throughout our life, we set out to meet these cravings in a variety of ways. And depending on our own personality, one of these may become both the source of our greatest longing and our greatest weakness. For instance, my spirit longs to be at peace. I’ve mentioned before that I do not like conflict. I try to control my inner world and my outer world to keep it peaceful. In some ways, there is nothing really wrong with desiring peace but it’s the longing for control of it that usually leads me directly into the path of conflict. I also long for my presence to make a difference in this world but how can I make a difference in this world if I”m staying at home all the time in order to avoid the drama and conflict I may experience when I’m in the presence of other people. Can you see the dilemma?
The good news though is that we do have a way for our greatest longings to be attained and find freedom from the very thing we fear. Simply, Jesus is the answer. God gives us the longings of our heart and God answers the longings of our heart.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1
Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and lives again, just so our relationship with God could be restored and our longings would be answered. All we desire-Power, security, worth-come from God through the Son, and through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:20-24 tells us,
"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy."
This is a reminder to us, that when we feel we need control, are feeling insecure, or needing to know that we matter or someone, that we need to remind ourselves that we are not alone and that each of our needs are being met by Jehovah Jireh, our wonderful provider, God.
Contact Us: Info@rubberbandcreations.com
