A Lesson from Bats, Bugs and Mice

Over the last few weeks, we've battled bats, bugs, and mice.

They all come with living in the country.

You want the country-life? Then, you get to battle these things, too.

Some problems are simply part of living.  

There are fixes, however.

We've employed all of them.

Bat traps.

Sealing any holes in the exterior of our house.

Bug bombs.

Raid.

A brand new Bissel "Little Green Machine" steamer.

Mouse traps. 

Two adorable kittens named Lucy and Ethel (see below). 

A professional exterminator.

These are the things you instinctively know to do when you live in out-of-the-way-country-places...

...but, bats, bugs, and mice are extremely annoying. 

These things cause frustration. 

They stir up the soul in a not-so-good-kind-of-way. 

Believe it or not, they are a light shade of "trial and trouble." 

But, it caught me off guard this week, when I mentioned our little war to an acquaintance, and she responded, "Obviously, you have been under some little bit of spiritual attack."

Spiritual attack?

This never crossed my mind.

Of course, the enemy will use anything in any way to tempt us toward sin, bad attitudes, and dealing with things incorrectly; but, spiritual attack?

Seriously, I don't think bats, bugs, and mice are deserving of being placed under that particular weighty category.

Some things happen to us just simply because we live in a real world where bad things do happen to good people.

Other things occur because our flesh gets in the way.

Yes, the enemy will work over time to attempt to come against anything that has to do with the gospel being promoted or anything that raises itself up against the knowledge of God, but not EVERY! THING! can be attributed to spiritual attack.

We actually had this conversation at dinner last night with our present company, and our discussion resulted in the following few thoughts. 

Just as living in the country often means bats, bugs and mice, so living in this world often means trials, heartaches, and problems of various kinds. 

And, none of this, necessarily, means the devil is sending these things our way to attack us, but he will use those things to tempt us into sinful responses...so, at all times we need to be on guard. 

As with most things, we can not over-exaggerate the problem, nor minimize-responsibility. 

So, just as we employ "fixes" for bats, bugs, and mice, we must also employ ownership for what we can do on our part to problem solve the, well, the problems life carries to our doorstep...

In all of this, however, we need to continuously be praying for wisdom, discernment, and God's direct divine intervention. 

And, finally, we must rehearse to our selves over and again that ALL things work for God in His economy...one day we will see exactly how. 

In the meantime, I love listening to this newest from Jordan St. Cyr: Rescue. 

Why Are We Surprised?!

I've been reading Little Pilgrim's Progress (a children's version of John Bunyan's classic: Pilgrim's Progress), complete with pictures, via video for my six-year-old grand-daughter, Brynley Joy.

It's been fun to re-read this age-old novel, and follow little Christian's journey (as portrayed by a small bunny), observing his travels as through the eyes of a child.

Photo Credit: Little Pilgrim's Progress.  "Encouraged on the journey by others."

As Christian journeys toward the Celestial City, he encounters road blocks, enemies and difficulties, as well as joys, new friends, and better yet, blessings, all along the way.

But, over the last couple of days, I read the chapters where Christian and his good friend, Faithful, have to go through the city of Vanity Fair.

Vanity Fair has been built by the Wicked Prince, and he has servants who govern this incredible city filled with lovely items sure to distract. 

The goal, of course, is to convince one little bunny and his buddy to cease their pilgrimage to the City of the Great King and simply stay put in this worldly place.

It's all a ploy by the Wicked Prince, who wants nothing more than to persuade pilgrims to give up, preventing them from stepping closer to the Celestial City.

The thing is there is no way around the city. 

You have to go through it.

...and few remain unscathed.

Every pilgrim must pass through Vanity Fair, and, as we find out, it is not easy to stay focused...

Yet, Christian and Faithful don't give in to the whims of the evil one, and as a result they are mocked, beaten, and thrown into a cage where they suffer miserably.

Traveling through Vanity Fair can also be quite dangerous, even unto death. 

It helped that the boys had been warned about Vanity Fair by Evangelist, and they had entered the city mentally, spiritually and emotionally prepared.

Photo credit: Little Pilgrim's Progress. "Christian with Evangelist"

Plus they had each other's encouragement.

The two boys are taken before the governor, where they are given another chance to change their minds.

Photo credit: Little Pilgrim's Progress. "Before the governor."

However, the little pilgrims remain steadfast in their desire to go forward to the Celestial City, no matter how difficult the journey.

While in the Governor's Court (and standing before a jury of twelve) small Faithful asks to speak and is granted permission. 

Although a timid boy, he affirms his desire to go on to the King he loves dearly, and assures the governor that he will never obey anyone else. 

As little Christian hears all Faithful declares, he wonders when he became so brave... 

...and, as the jury sentences Faithful to death in the marketplace, Christian sees him look skyward and his face turn radiant with a beautiful light.

Christian, too, looks up and sees a band of angels with their wings outspread, waiting to carry the soul of Faithful directly to the Celestial City. 

Such is our journey Heavenward to be with our Forever-King. 

The world is constantly trying to distract us with pretty baubles and bangles that get our attention off the journey we are traveling.

Those who remain unpersuaded and loyal to the High-King are mocked, teased, and treated brutally.

Persecution follows...

...sometimes death.

Many will suffer for their faithfulness and obedience to the King they have never seen, but love with all their hearts - those who love Him because He first loved them, removed their worldly burdens of sin at the cross, and secured their future for eternity. 

Photo Credit: Little Pilgrim's Progress. "Losing his burden at the cross."

These speak openly about the King's Book, which record His words and bring comfort.

These remain undistracted by the temptations to turn aside.

The problem is as fellow sojourners, we all find ourselves in the "city of the Wicked Prince."

We all have to go through it.

Few will get past unscathed.

Some will die for their faithfulness.

The questions remain the same for us all - 

How great is our understanding of the King's Love for us? 

How focused are our hearts on heavenly matters?

How well do we grasp the words our King has recorded for us?

And, what difference will this all make when the Wicked Prince and his cronies attempt to persuade us to transgress off of The Way? 

The one thing I am remembering from Pilgrim's Progress is the need to be AWARE of what is ahead, and remain intentional about our preparation for the dangers and distractions, which could be ahead.

The Lord sends others who warn us all, plus we have His Book; so, we shouldn't be caught off guard - but lean into the help He offers for "such a time as this."

What kind of help? 

Courage we didn't even know we possessed.

Comfort in Truth...and THE COMFORTER, God's Holy Spirit inside of us.

Consolation in community.

Compassion from our own Suffering Savior.

And...maybe even a band of unseen angels waiting to welcome us.

Just a few thoughts worth pondering today.

Photo credit: Ruth Chou Simons, "Pilgrim"

Sorrow and Suffering: What We Don't See, Part 3

From my house to yours, we pray you enjoyed your Fourth of July and reflected on all the reasons we set this holiday aside each year...

For Bay and I, we enmeshed ourselves in family-doings, and had an opportunity to enjoy a celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary (such a sweet and meaningful evening). 

It never escapes me that the reason we are given these days off around the 4th have come to us at a high price. 

In fact, our freedoms, like many things we consider "free," are not free.

The cost was paid years ago through the sorrow and suffering of many who walked a road not one of us would wish to walk, but who saw the necessity of giving their all, that we would not have to do the same.

For their sorrow and suffering on my behalf, I am so very grateful!

XXXXX

A few weeks ago, I mentioned two impactful incidences that occurred while we served in Kenya that began a journey for me of processing through my own theology of suffering.

The things I didn't see amidst the experiences are what started to shape my theology the very most, and I mentioned two: 

1. The Lord uses EVERYTHING to point others to His Son, Jesus. We all need a Savior, and sometimes, hardships makes this need clearly evident, so that we might turn to Him for salvation. 

2.  The Lord is always present with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us; and, His faithful presence sustains us, even when we think we "can't," He CAN (& WILL)...

There is one more unseen lesson that surprised me...

As I have journeyed through different seasons of trial and come to the other side, what I began to notice occurred inside me.

Slowly and subtly, I changed. 

Not on the outside - nope! my appearance never changed; but, the transformation of character inside definitely shifted. 

After my friend's murder under the cover of darkness, on the side of a lonely road, in the midst of a country governed by the Kenyan shilling, I turned to the Lord and His Word for belief, comfort, peace, understanding, perspective, hope and joy.

Digging deep and leaning hard into both the Word and the Lord, I began to claw my way out of a dark pit of fear and onto the solid Rock bathed in Son-Light.

It wasn't two months later, when tragedy struck our campus again, this time at the home of another dear friend right on our campus.

As we awoke to another desperate phone call for help in the middle of the night, I saw a shift in me - - - just as before, I began to REACT in fear, then REMEMBERED the previous lessons the Lord had taught me through His Word, and, instead of REACTING, I RESPONDED differently.

Fear, unbelief, confusion got kicked out of the driver's seat, and peace, trust, and truth took over. 

Sometimes, what we don't see is how the Lord uses our suffering, sorrow, hardship, hurt, difficulty, despair, trials and tragedies to CHANGE US for GOOD (multiple meanings apply), and that brings Him glory. 

As I look back, while there have been many struggles I've gone through I would NEVER want to go through again, what I've learned is invaluable. 

These lessons are also the result of God's faithfulness to not leave me as I am, but to better me.

There have been truths imbedded in my soul that transform me more and more, little by little, into something I couldn't be, wouldn't be, shouldn't be unless the Lord used them to mold me more into His image. 

That's what I desire above all - to end my life looking more and more like my Savior...and, one day, when I reach heaven's gates, the old me looks a lot more like Jesus. 

#lifegoal

Sorrow and Suffering: What We Don't See, Part 2

 

This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking up in Maine at Living Waters Bible Camp.

Believe me, the setting was magical...

...the women eager to hear from the Lord...

...the worship incredible...

...the weather perfect...

...and, I spent most of my "free" time in bed.

Somehow, a stomach virus found me as I passed through airports, visited rental car companies, and one hotel on my way Northeast. 

I was totally fine on Thursday (travel day), Friday (driving north from Portland, and for the first speaking session), but woke up Saturday with this BUG and a slight fever (chills). 

I looked again at the schedule, praying it changed during the night, but, nope, three different speaking sessions graced the day ahead: 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 2:00 PM. 

I wondered how in the world I'd run this marathon with energy, passion, enthusiasm, and clarity?

No way, but oNe WaY: The sustaining power of the Spirit of the Lord.

While this sickness can't be put into the category of intense suffering and sorrow, it became a reminder to me of what we don't see, but need to remember in the midst of these seasons of difficulty.

The Lord is aLwAyS WITH us.

Had it not been for His amazing power, His infused strength, and His ability to speak through weak, dependent, totally empty (believe me - empty in EVERY WAY) vessels, my trip to Maine might have been a disaster.

Instead, it became a vibrant reminder that while we don't always see Him in the midst, He is vividly at work and with us. 

Bay sent out messages.

People around me prayed.

My prayer warriors around the world prayed.

My family prayed.

And, God answered - I finished all three sessions with clarity and with a "degree" of energy, AND as an added bonus the Lord met each one of us there in that little chapel at our point of need. 

Today's message is short.

Yet, sometimes in the midst of our trials, it's a message we forget.

GOD IS WITH US.

In fact, I showed the ladies this little diagram as a reminder to tuck in their pockets - it is not rocket science, but it has the power to help us endure and not quit in the midst of suffering seasons.

There I am... As a Jesus Follower...

I am in Jesus, my Savior and Lord...

He is in God the Father, the Sovereign King of the Universe...

...and the Spirit of God is within me to teach, to empower, to enlighten, to guide, to comfort... 

I am NEVER ALONE. 

You are NEVER ALONE.

His presence goes with you wherever you are. 

With this, I close with the following quote. I've used it before many times, but it is a perfect reminder as we close.

There is nothing…no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can ever touch me, until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. BUT as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him, and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret. For I shall rest in the joy of who my God is!!!

---------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy your Fourth of July! There will be no blog next week, as I intend to enjoy the whole week with my family being in town. 

Join me in celebration of our freedom.

Sorrow and Suffering: What We Don't See, Part 1

While we were on the mission field in Kenya, news arrived on our doorstep of several Christians martyred for their faith just north of us in Yemen. 

For me, this was the first time I really had to sit with and process through the concept of personal persecution...

Of course, I'd read of others who were martyred for faith in Jesus, but the reality of living in a foreign country where opposition to the gospel presented itself on all sides, caused me to dig a little bit deeper into the "what ifs" that might come my way. 

As news reports and letters with information began to reach our mission station, one thing stood out to me above all others. 

"Those who died did not have their lives taken, their lives were freely given."

(as reported by the IMB of Southern Baptists)

The reports reminisced each missionary's call to the field, their sending service at their home churches, the messages of each victim as they reminded their churches that as the call came and they answered, they knew the risks, they counted the costs.

Each spoke of going to serve whole-heartedly with lives on the altars - declaring fervently that the Lord could do with their lives as He chose in order to advance the gospel and see souls enter the Kingdom.

AND...this is exactly what happened at that hospital in Yemen. As locals came to receive help and medical treatment, the gospel was dispensed along with the much needed medication and surgeries provided. 

Because of these who'd freely offered their lives on the altar to serve, the response to the gospel, even in a Muslim country, far exceeded expectation. 

I realized that what I did not know outweighed what I did know. 

God sees the unseeable future and He knows the lasting outcomes that we will only know about in eternity. 

What I did not truly know or comprehend: 

God uses everything, even tragedy (which breaks His heart) to see the gospel proclaimed and kingdom followers multiplied. 

(Because of Christ, our suffering is not useless. It is part of the total plan of God, who has chosen to redeem the world through the pathway of suffering. RC Sproul)

Then, months later, one of my dear friends was murdered a mile away from our home during a robbery gone wrong. 

She and her husband also served the Lord in a strong Muslim based city in south Kenya. 

As the thieves determined she'd seen too much, they began viciously beating her alongside the road, out of greed, anger, fear, and ignorance.

As a car coming down the highway, scared them off, and her nearly unconscious husband, crawled to her side to cradle her, my friend's final words were:

"They just need Jesus." 

Oh, the heart harbored within her that beat passionately for the lost! 

What truth...they just need Jesus.

My friend lived and died that others, who needed what she possessed, might have their emptiness filled. 

At her celebration of life in that Muslim community, where the folks dearly loved her, we received reports of over 500 men and women who gave their lives to Jesus. 

Sometimes, what we don't see, know or understand, in our sorrow and suffering is how Jesus redeems tragedy by bringing the lost into the fold. 

Sometimes, what we don't see goes deeper than what is obvious on the surface. 

We may sow with tears, but reap with great joy later. 

Sometimes, what we don't see is that the price we pay in sorrow and suffering might be worth the cost for what is reaped on the other side. 

"They just need Jesus." 

So many do!

How do we, then, live in our suffering that others might see Him and find their way to the cross?

Jesus endured His suffering in order to redeem His people. But those He redeemed are not thereby delivered from all pain and misery. Indeed, as we shall see, we His people are called to participate in His suffering.”
― R.C. Sproul

Naming Your Pain

I've continued to reflect on that week we spent in Boone, NC back in 2014 (if you didn't read last week's blog, stop now and do so for a bit of context). Link here. 

I learned a lot about caring for people in trauma, as well as tucked away a few stones in my pocket for when the same begins to stomp into my territory like some taunting giant. 

Today's blog centers on one of the first hurdles that needed jumping as I flew Eastward from Colorado.

For some reason, they appointed me to kick off the first night of speaking in chapel to these battle-worn-and-weary-soldiers, desperately needing a retreat body, soul, and mind. 

I knew I'd be sharing (they gave me plenty of notice); but, I wrestled with what I, simple and ordinary, could share that might give them a boost, a little oxygen to the heart, nourishment to the soul. 

What did I know of suffering? 

Never in my life had I experienced "Ebola-hard."

Could I even relate to these warriors who'd sacrificed so much to beat back a visible, and an invisible, enemy?

Did I understand sorrow and suffering in comparison? 

The night before we were to fly out, I woke up unable to sleep, these questions racing through me.

So, as is typical (when this occurs), I crawled out of the warmth of my bed, landed on the couch in the family room, where I have my quiet time each morning.

With this struggle to find the right words at the right time for my friends fresh in my mind, I picked up where I left off in my daily Bible reading.

That happened to be in Psalm 18, aptly titled "The Lord is My Rock and My Fortress!"

The title alone boosted my spirit...My God would hide me within Himself, and strengthen me with the words to speak.

There are some great verses in Psalm 18, but this is the verse (29) that leapt off the pages into my soul (random, I know):

Indeed, with [God's] help, I can charge against an enemy; 

by my God's power, I can jump over a wall.

While the enemy lurking at my front door, tried to discourage and dissuade me from that which my God had asked of me, I had a  powerful ally the enemy could not defeat. 

His name is Jehovah Gibbor Milchama (David's name for The Lord Mighty in Battle).

My Lord would enable me to run at that old foe (the one who made it his business to question my abilities) with victory already won...and He, my Lord, would even help me jump the hurdles that stood in the way.

With that the Lord reminded me that sorrow and suffering is no respecter of persons. 

It hits us all...and we cannot compare our sorrow and suffering to someone else's, because they are SO VERY VERY PERSONAL! 

We, also, can't significantly declare that anyone's problems enter their lives at a lesser degree than someone else's: the situations are just DIFFERENT. 

Suffering is still suffering no matter what its name; and, we have to name it before we can move forward. 

Once, we agree that what we are experiencing is a HARD THING IN OUR LIVES RIGHT NOW, we are able to begin the journey toward healing. 

One friend wrote me at the beginning of this series, and said this (it's so important):

"Once, when I was going through a season of suffering, I was reluctant to label it as such. I didn't want to call it suffering because that's what was happening to Christians in China, the Sudan, Iran, North Korea, and I certainly didn't have it that bad! But when I stopped comparing my suffering to that of others, and named it for what it was, it opened up to me all those promises of God from the Scriptures, as well as the ability to receive the comfort of God (and the dispensing of it to others)...and, THAT'S WHEN I GOT UNSTUCK, and began to see GOD WITH ME IN THE SUFFERING." (Mary Wilhelm)

Ponder that...

Before I can enter into healing, I have to see my struggles for what they are... 

I MUST name them as such.

Then make a plan for moving forward biblically.

THIS WAS THE KEY for determining what I would be sharing with my dear friends, just having walked through Ebola-hard. 

I named my season of suffering.

It looked different than theirs, but it was still a hardship unimaginable for me.

It was a "hard" unexpected that nearly unraveled my faith...

...but, I was able to share that story and how the Lord entered in, redeemed my sorrow and suffering, and taught me invaluable lessons in it, that I could now share with them and others.

Yes, in all hardship, God wastes nothing. 

He will use it to help us enter into someone else's pain and become a comfort-dispenser as a result.

First - we have to identify and claim it for what it truly is...