A Little Sand Theology

I have walked sandy beaches all my life.  I practically grew up on a beach.  The Lord has always used a beach to blow away the cobwebs in my brain, and clear out the spiritual wax in my ears.  Somehow he speaks louder when I’m walking through sand and surf.  Recently, he did so again, this time as I pondered the following verse:

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for your sake...

1 Peter 1:20.

Think about what Peter is saying. God knew from Genesis 1:1, in the beginning, before the world, as we know it even existed, that there would be a Peg Forrest.  He knew, even before he created me, and planted me as a seed in my mother's uterus, that I would need a Savior-Rescuer-Redeemer-Lord. Back then, he had already begun to grieve over me.  Back then (how long ago was the beginning?), he made a plan, for Peggy's sake; and he probably grieved again, knowing what that plan would entail. I mattered, but lest you think this is just a case of spiritual narcissism, so did you.

Lest you think that this blows me up with pride, now try to wrap you mind around the following.  What began as a little beach-walk, quickly turned to a theology lesson.  As I looked at the sand, The Lord reminded me of his promise to Abraham; the promise that said, "Your descendants shall be as the sand along the seashore."  (See Genesis 22:16-18)  I am one of those descendants.  No, I'm not Jewish, but as a believer in Christ, I qualify by adoption. I'm a grain of sand.

Ever picked up just a grain of sand? It's teeny. It's hard to distinguish from any other grain of sand. As a result, it's easily lost...easily washed away...easily tossed about by the wind. It's insignificant and worthless. It's annoying (especially when it gets under your fingernail, or between your toes). Oh, and, we can't forget, it's DIRTY!  But, for the sake of a grain of sand, The Lord saw, knew by name, and LOVED...Jesus, God the Son, incarnated himself. On my behalf, he chose to give up his rights as God, humble himself, and take the nature of a servant, so he could die. Honestly, I'm bowled over by the grain-of-sand-theology.

Do you see it?  Right there, on the tip of my finger...that one little grain represents me.  You're in there, too...

What does that theology change in me?  It so makes me want to get over myself.  I'm humbled. AND, while it changes my identity from insignificant and worthless, and raises my value; it does so much more in me.  I have to quote the words from a book I just finished, because this quote GREATLY resonated in me:  "If you see the gospel only as a proposition that you believe, that reshapes your identity, you can easily slip into a kind of gospel narcissism where "Jesus for me" just makes you touchy.  (If this is so), you've never moved on from Jesus's death for you to your death for others.  Jesus is only good for your self-image, but he hasn't mastered your life. He doesn't own you."  (Paul Miller, A Loving Life)

This is the change my grain-of-sand-theology is producing in me - a greater desire to die to self, to humble myself, and to love as Jesus loved.  It'll be a process, but I know it has taken seed in the soil of my heart, and maybe, just maybe, begun to sprout.

Now, I highly recommend finding a sandy beach somewhere, taking a walk, and pondering the for your sake of Peter's words...

Jesus love changes everything!

So.Much.More!

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed (also translated, grieved) by various trials.

1 Peter 1:6

Trials.  Don't like them.  Don't want them.  I've certainly had my share of them, however.  If you have birthdays, you have, too.  Life isn't life without them.  Learning how to walk through them with joy seems to be the Apostle Peter's focus.  Something inside of me pushes against the whole concept.  When in the midst of a trial of any kind, joy is illusive, grief and distress are realistic.  Wallowing in self-pity seems to be a natural default, at least for me; but, Peter negates this default, and asks his fellow believers to rise above it.  In my words, he's telling them, "Wait, no wallowing! You were made for so much more!"

So.Much.More!  It is the So.Much.More. I want!  Really, I do.  When I find myself up against a various trial, I want to find what the Apostle Paul did when he told the Philippians that he had learned the secret of being content.  I want these men to whisper that secret in my ear!  So, for the past couple of weeks during my quiet time, I keep coming back to the first chapter of Peter's letter, and reading it CAREFULLY.  Perhaps, somewhere in between the lines, I will hear those whispers straight from the lips of the Spirit of God, Himself.  I've let too many birthdays, and too many trials pass by me without the kind of joy-in-the-midst with which Peter challenges.  

With that in mind, I have unpacked this verse word by word.  I'll spare you technical details, but can I just say that it has been intriguing?  Each word has been a mystery to be solved in itself.  The end result has been that the beginning (I'm not finished yet) of this study leaves me with truths I need to tell myself over and over again.  I'm learning that the secret to contentment is work...mental work; and, mental work can be exhausting, especially if I default to pushing back.  Yet, as I read on further in Peter's letter, he tells me in verse 13 that I have to "gird my mind for action."  Literally, that means to "prepare for action by renewing one's mind."  One usually prepares beforehand.  If I really want the So.Much.More., then I have to lean into these truths that Peter lines out while in a state of in-between.  I'm a list maker.  So, right now, while the trials of my life aren't as dark and hard, I'm going over my Truth List on a day-to-day basis.  As I study more, I'm adding to it.  Let me share some of my So.Much.More.Lessons that will, hopefully, help me rise up above distress and grief when those times hit.

1. I have a Heavenly Father who has saved me (past), continues to save me (present), and will one day save me (future) and take me to a grand inheritance, where Jesus himself holds me, heals me, and renews me.  This is to be my FOCUS of GRACE at all times.  

2.  Trials come by divine appointment for an express purpose (this is the literal translation of the word, necessary).  The Lord IS USING all things to work good for those who love him, and are called according to HIS PURPOSE.  That purpose will be to conform me to the image of His Son, Jesus.

3.  The Lord loves me too much to let me stay the same...He no longer wants for me to live, and respond as I always have (hence trials)!

4.  Trials are always for a SEASON.  In scope of eternity, they are for just a little while (this is a must to tell myself when trials seem to drag on, and sometimes do, for years)...

5.  The trials that come are many colored and multi-faceted (the translation of the word various).  They are like the paint swatches at a hardware store...from light to dark, and every trial wears many different faces.

6.  Further study reveals that God's grace is also described with the same word various.  This reminds me that for every shade and color of trial I go through, God covers me with the same equal shade of grace!

7.  As I fix my eyes on Jesus and His grace, as I remember all that he has done, is doing, and will do because of His grace, I can find joy in the midst of sorrow, because in His presence is fulness of joy.  

In the middle of a trial, there will be distress and grief, I am not to minimize the sorrow.  Yet, there is a So.Much.More. available if I put these things into practice by remembering, girding up my mind, and preparing for whatever shade of trial is to come next.  Again, it seems, the Lord has affirmed what I am studying through the words of song. I had already written this when I heard this brand new anthem from Casting Crowns.  Let me leave you with this link, which says what I am saying, so much better!  We were made for so much more than ordinary lives.  It's time to more than just survive; we were made to THRIVE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M

Did you catch the result?  Joy unspeakable; Faith unsinkable, Love unstoppable...anything is possible!  Yep, I was made for So.Much.More!

Heaven is a Wonderful Place

In this you greatly rejoice...

1 Peter 1:6a (emphasis mine)

I just can't get over the word, this.  To be able to rejoice the way the word is really defined, there has to be a full understanding of the this. You can't get around it; you can't jump over it...you just have to study it and hope that it's reality is driven deep enough into your mind and heart, that the right response is a given.

In order to know what-in-the-world Peter is referring to, I have gone back over and over his introductory remarks.  I know that he's writing to a group of exiled, displaced, lonely, and terribly persecuted believers.  I know he's reminded them of their incredible chosen-ness and the immensity of God's mercy and grace.  There's more, though, and I think this is what he's trying to get across to them in the midst of all the messiness of their lives - in light of the inheritance you will obtain (the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away), in comparison to eternity, and in regards to your protection until that day, there is a reason to rejoice that is almost unfathomable.  That reason, the what-in-the-world Peter is referring to, is heaven. The challenge is for them to keep the out-of-this-world in view while they navigate the stormy waters of life as they know it.

That's our challenge, as well.  So, we need Bible words about heaven to help us.  All my Christian life, I've tucked away snippets of truth about heaven, and it being a wonderful place.  I've been reminded that we'll be in the presence of Jesus, that the streets are like gold, and that the myriad of colorful jewels that surround the throne reflect the glory of God.  I tell myself often that it is a place of great healing, and comfort, of joy, and NO FEAR!  These things leave me wishful, and longing for the day, but I don't yet rejoice the way Peter describes.

This weekend, we went to see Heaven is for Real.  The experiences of a little four year old, who was privileged to glimpse heaven, left my eyes wet, and my heart tender.  My take away was the reminder of the people-gone-before that I would get to see again and KNOW!  The other piece that struck me was the one where Jesus holds us, and wipes away all tears.  That was the part of the incomplete puzzle that started to stir my soul.  Not the wipe-away-all-tears part, but the idea of Jesus taking me in his arms, and holding me close.  To be embraced in the arms of my Savior, and to return that embrace, in love and gratitude began to get my heart thumping and leaping.

Sunday's worship resulted in an even further stirring of joy deep inside.  The team led in a Hillsong chorus, I had not heard, but, wouldn't you know it, focused on heaven (what else, right?).  What did the chorus emphasize?  Being held by Jesus.  For some reason, I had never let that possibility be a part of the images of heaven I've gathered over the years.  That Jesus would be present, of course!  That in his presence would be fulness of joy, absolutely!  However, Jesus and me, up close, and personal, not so much.  Unworthiness always blocked that image, I guess.  However, as The Lord is giving me another possibility, I am understanding the fulness-of-joy part a little deeper.  It might be coming soon...the part about being able to greatly rejoice in this...no matter the messiness of life and the circumstances thrown my way!

(Here's the link to the Hillsong chorus:  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EzatshDdhhg)

Home.

Whoever said you can't ever go back home is right. I spent the last few days in the little coastal town in Oregon, where I grew up. All going back does is serve to remind me that home just simply isn't, not anymore. I find myself visiting all the places where I left so many fond memories. I'm always ultra-nostalgic, extremely reflective. I'm restless when I come back...it's like I keep looking for something...

I finally realized what it was I was looking for on one particularly rare and sunny afternoon, as I walked along the beach in front of our motel. It seemed every where I went, I collected memories, almost like the smooth white stones I was picking up that had been tossed ashore by the waves. Obviously, the common denominator of all my memories is me. They are all about me, the child, Peg. That's when it struck me...I was looking for me! Of course, while I can replay old mental videos of my life, I will never find what I was after...and that made me sad...

About as sad as I felt the morning I drove past the house where I grew up.  I don't know who owns it now, but they sure don't put the TLC into it that my parents did.  My dad was an amazing landscaper. His yards were always immaculate. Mom was a tedious, spotless house keeper.  If you ever drove past that little house on the corner of 4th & Ocean Drive, you knew  it was reflective of hard-working, responsible, caring people. Not so, now.  If a house could be embarrassed, this one wishes a sink hole would open up and swallow it (and, it might). It's falling apart; it's unkempt; and the poor thing is perishing...(not to mention someone painted it bright blue and accented it with hot pink trim). Nope, you really can't ever go back home...

But, Jesus...  Following Easter, I started reading 1 Peter.  No reason, other than it had been a while since I'd gone through Peter's letters. God ordained it...knowing what I needed, and where I'd be. After taking some time on the first couple of verses, I landed on Chapter 1, verses three and four:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...

Here in this little town, all the memories of my life crescendoed at one particular moment: my salvation.  At that moment, I was born again to a living hope, which was settled and secured that first Easter morning, when Jesus rose from the dead.  With it, I was granted an inheritance.  A new home.  A place, that my resurrected Lord is preparing for me, reserving it in heaven, until that day in which it will be revealed to me.  But, do you see it?  It's a home that never fades, is never corrupted by life, or what man might do, or not do, to it.  Never, ever, will it perish.  One day, home will be a place I will always be able to go back to, and always, always, find me - the completed me (as made perfect in Christ).  One day I'll see the dots connected between each and every memory and the me I became, because Jesus ordained it all... It's not surprising that Peter's next words are:  In this you greatly rejoice...  In this, your hope of a heavenly home, you have jump-up-and-down, skip-and-leap, overflowing joy!

Yes, I do... It never ceases to amaze me how God can speak to my sorrow and turn it into such great joy! He's just like that, though, isn't he?

The house I grew up in...

A daily view...

Jesus Met Me!

Matthew 28:9

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “ Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

As I sat in church yesterday, reading the story of the Resurrection of Jesus, once again, I was struck by this verse.  It's sandwiched in the middle of the women's heart-weary, worn, and grief stricken arrival at the tomb, and their joy-filled, overwhelmed, and ecstatic return to the disciples with the news that Jesus was ALIVE!  I love those three words:  Jesus met them.  The women had come to lovingly give to him, to sacrifice for him, even in his death.  They had come to honor him, as they anointed his body with spices; and, in turn, he honored them.  He met them!  Reflect on that incredible picture for one moment.  The verse, those three words, hardly captures all that incapsulates that scene.  The only key we have to the intensity of that instant when Jesus greeted them is the action that followed.  They fell to the grouond, and worshipped at his nail scarred feet.

When I started this Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, it was with a little bit of a flippant attitude and a whisper of a prayer.  Flippant attitude: "I'm giving up giving-up for Lent."  Whispered prayer:  "As I add this prayer of examen, and spend forty days in soul-searching, will you bring me to Good Friday seeing myself as I really am?  Will you show me, anew, my need for Calvary that the Victorious Resurrection be an incredible celebration?"

This morning, as I sit to write this blog, I know why this verse stood out.  It meant something to me.  The whisper of my prayer, in spite of my flippant attitude, was answered.  Jesus met me.  In a sense, even with a cavalier spirit, he saw the intention of my heart really was to honor him with true celebration.  When we honor Jesus, he honors us...always!  I don't know why that still surprises me.  He always has, and he always will, because of his faithfulness.  All along my Lenten journey, I saw the need of my heart for the crucifixion.  When Friday came, it arrived with such gratitude, I was overwhelmed.  However, as I sat in church, yesterday, the sense of Jesus' ALIVENESS, over-shadowed the events of Friday, and I was filled with celebration, unlike I'd ever felt at Easter.  Jesus met me.  He had been walking with me all along this road, in a unique, and very personal way; but, when I read Matthew 28:9, I realized how much so, and it humbled me.  He had honored me, by meeting me on this journey!  All I could do, all any one of us could do, is take hold of his feet, and worship him.  What a day of Resurrection!  

Easter: It's a BIG DEAL!

REJOICE!  He's ALIVE!

Several weeks ago, I had a conversation with my little grandson, Ethan.  We'd spent the weekend together, and as I was driving him home, I was curious how much he understood the "Holyday" that was coming up soon.  Here was the conversation:

Me:  Ethan, do you know what holiday comes after your spring break?

E:  I don’t know!

Me:  Easter!

E:  Oh, Easter…yay!  We get to go hunt Easter eggs and look for money!

Me:  Yeah, you do!  That’s so fun.  But, E, why do we celebrate Easter?

E:  I don’t know…

Me:  We celebrate Easter, because Jesus died on a cross and three days later, on Sunday morning, he came back to life.  He died and came back to life again.  It’s a big deal, E!  (Pause) So, why do we celebrate Easter?

E (shouting loudly):  Because it’s a BIG DEAL!

He’s right.  If that’s all we remember, it’s enough.  Easter is a BIG DEAL!  It changes everything for those of us, who recognize we are separated from God the Father by a huge gulf of sin, and we need a Savior – someone who can bridge the gulf, by taking our sins.  ONLY JESUS could do that…  So, he died & was buried and paid the price for our sins, covering them with his blood; and he came back to life (we call that resurrection) to give us a victorious way to live…

Easter is a BIG DEAL!  I pray none of us ever forget it…and that we loudly shout it as often as we can!

Jesus Needed Saturday For Our Sunday

It's Saturday.  I'm trying to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples and those who had followed and deeply loved Jesus.  It's hard.  I know about Sunday.  They didn't.  For them, it had to have been a lonely day.  They must have felt the heaviness of grief, but more!  They were afraid for their lives, and spent the day hidden...afraid of the slightest noises.  Who knew if they might be taken next?  It's why after the encounter in the Garden, when the soldiers came to take Jesus away, the Scriptures tell us, they all ran away! Every last one of them! (Matthew 26:56) Peter made it to the so-called-trial, but only to the courtyard. Then, he denied even knowing Jesus - not once, but three times, just as Jesus had predicted.  Yes, there was those emotions, but there must have been more than even grief, and fear.  These hard-core followers were confused (in spite of Jesus' words, for days, even weeks, about his death and his predicted return); they were, perhaps, a bit angry, too (we gave up our lives for three years for....what?), and certainly, hopeless.  Hopeless!  Maybe they even found themselves, quoting the mockers at the crucifixion, "He had saved others, why didn't he even try to save himself?" (Matthew 26:42) I probably would have had those mocking voices in my head.  Why didn't he fight - at least for my sake?  Of course, they'll understand it more, after Sunday comes. They'll know, and it will be life transforming, and empowering, because everything Jesus did was for their sake, my sake, your sake...  Saturday was quiet.  Probably, too quiet; and, you, and I, know what quiet days are like.  They go on and on and on and on and on...forever.  Would life ever be normal again?  What comes next?

However, Saturday was anything but quiet for Jesus.  He was busy.  Busy preparing for the new normal of Christianity.  Busy planning for the what next.  Jesus was busy in a world that no one else could see.  We don't know exactly what happened, but we get snippets in Ephesians 4:7, Colossians 2:15, and 2 Peter 3:15-18.  What we do know is Jesus descended into a place, which we know nothing about, and proclaimed TRUTH to those who were being held captive there. What we do know is that he made a public display of the enemy he had triumphed over through his death.  For some reason, Jesus needed Saturday in order to prepare for Sunday's grand event... So while the disciples spent Saturday greatly distressed, Jesus spent it busily preparing for their new life to come following his GLORIOUS RESURRECTION.  Come Sunday morning, their fear would be replaced with courage, their sadness and grief would be replaced with joy.  The confusion would be cleared up, and they would be given a mission of their own to proclaim.  The lesson of Saturday, for me, is this:  No matter what life's are issues in the Saturday's of our lives, there will always be a Sunday.  Jesus is always at work preparing for it, in a place we can't see, and the result? JOY!  Joy always, always, comes in the morning! (Ps. 30:5).  Our mourning will always be turned to dancing (Jeremiah 31:13)!

Sunday is coming!