Let Suffering Speak!

 I recently began a personal, inductive study through the book of Philippians. 

Chosen because it is one of the Apostle Paul's happiest letters (and, one of my favorites), Paul is writing to the church at Philippi from a less-than-desirable spot. 

Paul's in Rome (by the way...I leave for Rome next Wednesday, and, on Thursday morning I'll have just planted my feet on Italian soil. I'm excited to have an opportunity to encourage global women serving in Europe; and, I always appreciate prayers that I might be God's chosen vessel 🙏 for such a time as this).

Anyway...Paul's in prison! 

Not the depths-of-despair-Mamertime-horror-prison, but he's on house arrest and chained to a palace guard 24-7. 

Paul's circumstances are less than desirable.

He's totally dependent on others for all his provisions and personal needs (in fact, because many turned their backs on prisoners of the state, most in Paul's shoes starved to death and Rome didn't care). 

That's partly why Paul's writing to the young church (14-years-old, at best). He's thanking them for a financial gift they sent to him through their beloved Epaphroditus. 

Paul's encouraged by the Philippians' ongoing friendship, while at the same time concerned for their "progress and joy in faith.." (1:25)

He longs to be with his friends to encourage them through the suffering they are enduring from outside the church, and the unrest and divisiveness they are experiencing from inside the church.

So, he writes.

He writes about the joy that is possible in the midst of heartache and hardship; and, he can do that because he's "learned the secret of contentment" (4:11-13) 

Oh! My! Goodness! 

How we all need a Paul; someone who has been there, done that, and they "get it." 

I don't know about you, but I'm constantly looking for someone whose road map I can borrow...

There have been so many times I've needed a Paul to come alongside me, someone to nudge me and remind me, "even in this you can rejoice, and rejoice again (4:4)!"

AND...now and then, the Lord allows me to be a Paul, to use the things I've walked through, to remind others of the same; but, we can't be a Paul until we've learned his secret, and that's why I'm diving into Philippians.

I'm going to invite you to join me on a bit of my exploration of an old letter to a now by-gone church in Northern Greece, simply because we need more folks to be the hands, feet, heart, and mouth of Jesus and mimic Him, just as Paul did (1 Corinthians 11:1). 

Today's church is struggling much like the Philippian church - from outside and from within. It is undeniably so; and, there's potential for even more difficulty to come. The voices against the evangelical church are loud and getting louder. It wouldn't take much for persecution to be reality.

The church needs counter-voices that flow out of Kingdom-centered-hearts to help pass on Paul's secret of joy in the midst of affliction and trials.

(By the way, it's really no secret, since Paul unravels the mystery of contentment for us throughout Philippians. Wait for it...come back and learn it with me...)

Our voices don't have to be loud...they just need to be kind, gentle, and filled with compassion. They also need to be willing and unashamed!

Gotta tell ya, as I began Philippians, the Lord spoke to me, firm but sweet: 

_____________________

"Never fail to share the stories of the hope that is within you. Be a Paul."

______________________

I don't think those words are just for me, but for you, as well.

The Lord's gentle whisper came with a few things to I need to keep in mind and prayerfully consider before I speak. So, I "examine myself" - always and first:

 1. Have I earned the right to speak into a life? Is there credibility? Paul's ongoing, reciprocal relationship with the church at Philippi gave him the nod. Together they built a "partnership in the gospel" (1:5). 

2.  Have I checked my motives? Birthed out of "holding them in his heart with great affection (1:7)," Paul exhorted them out of a great longing for their deeper, more intimate faith (1:25). What is my reason for speaking up?

3.  Have I learned some of those secrets of joy, myself, and applied them to my own story? Sometimes I think Jesus-followers are afraid to speak up...maybe they think they have no story to tell; maybe they think they need seminary training; maybe there's an underlying fear they won't be taken seriously... 

I don't know the reasons, but if the Lord has walked with us at all in this life, we've got stories to tell of how He has brought us through: like how we've been in His Word and felt the great peace it's brought to our hearts; or, how we've sensed His dear presence, and encouragement, to put one foot in front of the other; and/or, how we've experienced Him bringing folks to cross our paths right when we've needed a hug or a Word of Truth. 

We don't need to possess great teaching skills, we simply speak our story. 

4. Have I prayed? To this question, I wanted to answer, "Duh!" 

Yet, I had to stop and ask myself, "No, REALLY, have I prayed?" 

I will never earn the right to speak, have the correct motives, or be able to bring a word-of-life into someone's heart if I have not stopped to give thanks, to pray blessings over, and specifically make requests of the Lord on behalf of my friends (period and exclamation marks).!!!!!!

I am convicted, and take note of some tweaking that must occur within my soul; yet, I am challenged:

_______________________

Let Suffering Speak!

_______________________

Chocolate Soldiers? or Rare Pearls?

In 2022, the Lord gave me, not a "word" on which to focus, but, rather, a prefix:

"RE"

"RE" written in front of a word simply means to do something again with the intention of seeing something you haven't seen before, achieving more, or, perhaps, doing a thing better, perfecting. 

I liked this take on it: for the purpose of maturing. 

I use this as an introduction, because as a part of my "RE"-flection, I "RE"-read a number of books I'd enjoyed in the past that had soul-challenging inspiration on my life. 

This small pile of Kindle downloads included books about women in ministry, primarily women who'd served on the mission field, now gone on to Glory and to be in the presence of their Lord.

Isobel Kuhn.

Amy Carmichael.

Helen Roseveare.

Darlene Diebler Rose.

These, but a few of the women whose written words began stirring up a longing to travel deeper into intimacy with my Savior.

Each one a heroine - not as the world might gauge heroism, but definitely in the sight of their Lord.

It became quite obvious, reading their stories, they shared many commonalities, not one of which were the trials they faced in life. 

Sickness.

Immense loss.

War wounds.

Imprisonment.

Abuse.

Hardship.

Sufferings unimaginable.

Yet all lived to share their stories of great hope, internal victory, and sweet fellowship with their Savior. 

This I know is true:

One never knows what is in the heart until placed in the crucible of suffering.

CT Studd began a message that he preached sometime in the late 1800's that speaks volumes. Here is his first line:

"Heroism is the lost chord; the missing note of present-day Christianity. Every true soldier is a hero; a soldier without heroism is a chocolate soldier."

The Lord calls us all to be soldiers...

Military language is used throughout the New Testament writings, particularly Paul's letters.

Paul even challenges us in times of difficulty and distress:

"share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; remembering that no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:3-4)."

Here is what the Spirit of the Lord through His apostle, Paul, asks of fellow followers:

1. Endure hardship - being a Jesus-follower is not a cushy work; by joining forces with our Savior, we automatically enlist in a battle.

2. Avoid worldly entanglements - as one enlisted in the Lord's army, our focus is heavenward; our eyes on our general; our feet, though planted on this earth, ever marching in the place to which our commander calls us. How subtle the wiles of the enemy to attach our hearts to the things of this earth. Those things that distract, feed the flesh, bring pleasure to our hearts, and entice with comfortable living (believe me, I'm guilty of all!).

3. Remember our purpose: to bring pleasure and glory to the one who created us. Remaining steadfast as we recall the suffering of our Lord, who went before and gave His all for us, is but one way we honor Him. Another: magnify our Jesus through the holding forth of God's pure, unadulterated Word!

4. Trust that what we journey through is producing a far greater character within us...that in the end, we will not "dissolve in water and melt at the smell of fire (CT Studd)." Instead, we become rare pearls (Remember how pearls are formed? From irritating, annoying, afflicting grains of sand!)...

The choice is ours - 

Chocolate soldier?

or

Rare pearl?

I've shared this poem before from dear Amy Carmichael... Yet, again, it is the prayer of my heart, one I've memorized and pray at night as I drift off to sleep:

From prayer that asks that I might be

Sheltered from winds that beat on me

From fearing when I should aspire

From faltering when I should climb higher

From silken self, O Captain, free

Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,

From easy choices, weakening

(Not thus are spirits fortified…

Not this way went the Crucified)

From all that dims Thy Calvary

O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way

The faith that nothing can dismay

The hope no disappointments tire

The passion that will burn like fire…

Let me not sink to be a clod,

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God…

When Night Lasts for Days

I made a decision at the beginning of January to explore, and determine, my personal theology of suffering.

It's important for us all.

Right at the top of reasons why so many leave evangelical Christianity is an inability to reason through why God allows tough stuff to happen to good people. 

Others simply haven't settled it personally, but hope for the best...and struggle (remember prickly-people from last week) when hardships come. It makes them bitter, not better.

Suffering, trials, persecution, difficulty, desert places, dark nights of the soul...these things happen just because, well, LiFe hApPeNs.

James, the younger brother of Jesus, made it clear through the Spirit's inspired words:

"Count it all joy...WHEN you meet trials of various kinds..." (James 1:2)

It's all about the word "when/whenever."

It means just that.

James didn't write "if."

He didn't say "just in case."

There is no "possibly" involved.

We will all experience one-or-another, or any combination, of the list above. 

Knowing what we believe and why we believe it, as Jesus-followers, is crucial. 

I've shared this story before, so forgive me if you recognize it and, simply, skip ahead.

After arriving in Kenya, where we were going to be serving as missionaries, our first night lasted days.

Jet lag hit hard.

Our kids were young, and no matter how hard we tried to keep them awake during their first day on the continent, they just couldn't make it, and promptly fell asleep.

So, when it came time to go to sleep...they just couldn't.

I could.

I certainly wanted to... 

But...Mandy, especially, heard every noise and each little creak of our new home, which left her afraid and wide-eyed-and-bushy-tailed (at 5 years old).

I gave up trying to stay in our bed, and joined her in the little twin bed our hosts had borrowed and set up for her.

I tried everything I could think of to help her fall into dream-land: songs, stories, questions and answers, listing a few of her favorite things (thank you, Sound of Music)...nothing worked.

Truly, that night was darker, longer, and more frightening for my sweet babe than I ever could have guessed.

By 6:00 AM as the sun began to peak over the horizon and light started to brighten her room, I noticed her eyes growing heavy, and just as she began to slip into a deep slumber, she briefly opened them and softly said, "Mommy, you know what's not so scary about Kenya?"

"No, baby...what's not so scary about Kenya?"

"Morning!"

...and with that, sleep finally descended.

The psalmist agrees with Mandy.

I take great consolation in both verse and story. 

Nights come and go.

There is always a morning to follow.

Some nights are darker and longer than others; but, even where Polar Night occurs for 24 hours straight, morning still comes....eventually.

(Characteristic polar night blue twighlight, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway located at 78 degrees north!)

This truth is a hope to which we cling, when night seems to last for days; when every creak and loud noise causes our hearts to quake:

Morning always comes...and with it...joy!

Hard seasons end.

Desert paths and prickly things can still turn green and flower.

Seasons change...after winter comes spring...every year!

Better yet - it's not for naught.

Something also comes with these temporary trials, and, it's generally preparation for something we can't even imagine (more next week)! 

There is a work being done within that in the midst of the difficulty, we can't see now; but, there is no question we'll see it later.

All God does in the midst of our desert places works for our transformation to be more like Him...

Even though night seems to last forever, Paul says this about our afflictions: in light of eternity, they are simply "momentary." 

Compared to the work they perform within us: they are "light." 

In a trial right now? Hang on - morning's coming!

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Desert Roads

 Yesterday, I went for a walk in the desert, following some 4-wheel-drive/ATV path. 

We’re staying with our daughter and son-in-law in Casa Grande for a few days, while we finish up our annual board meeting, here in AZ where the temps are warmer than most places. 

I’ve always enjoyed the desert, this time of year…

The rattlers are sleeping.

The things that bite you, eat you, or sting you are scarce. 

The sun is warm, but not excruciatingly desert-hot. 

However, my attitude definitely shifts in regards to the desert places, come about May…

The desert turns miserable…in EVERY(!) WAY (!).

I’m also intrigued at what thrives in desert terrains —— it’s all prickly stuff. 

Only “prickly” stuff seems to survive in the desert. 

Pictorial-point in case:

This got me thinking. 

Sometimes, it’s only prickly people who seem to survive the desert places (metaphorically speaking), as well.

Right?

We’ve all heard, or muttered the term, at one time or another:  

Hurt people, hurt people.

Meaning: Those who’ve gone through the hard of the desert places in life tend to become “prickly,” and do what they do best - prick anyone else who gets too close to them. 

That…or, they isolate… 

…or, in recent years, they “deconstruct” their long held belief systems (thinking they’ll find a better path than the one they’re walking)…

All these things obtain the same results.

These are protective mechanisms; we all know it; they know it; but, the fear of getting too close to something that might sting or “put the squeeze on” (definition of a “trial” in life), or result in suffering is VERY REAL. 

I know, though, this doesn’t have to be the case. 

You know it, too.

We all know folks who have gone through suffering, trials, persecution, hardship…walked desert roads…and come out on the other side more loving, more compassionate, more understanding, kind, and helpful. 

Their pain concluded with purpose, and the Lord, indeed, worked it all for some “good.” 

I was reminded, while out walking in the desert yesterday, of the Casting Crowns song (“Healer” album), which showed up on the CCM scene in 2022: Desert Road. 

Here’s a YouTube Link.

Here are a portion of the lyrics: 

“I don’t wanna write this song

I don’t want this pain to be my story

I don’t want this desert road

Are You sure this is the plan that You have for me?

Out here in the dust and clay

God, if there’s a bigger picture

It’s gettin’ hard to see today

But I know that You won’t leave me here

I don’t know where this is goin’

But I know who holds my hand

It’s not the path I would’ve chosen

But I’ll follow You to the end

Lord, as long as I am breathin’

I will make Your glory known

Even if it means I’m walking’ on this desert road…

It’s obvious, the writer of this song’s lyrics, understands desert roads. 

He doesn’t like it…questions if it’s supposed to be this way…would love for it to change…

(Does a great job of lamenting!)

BUT…

Here’s the difference…

Instead of staying in the complaint, this child-of-God has determined to REMEMBER…

REMEMBER the Lord. who is on the road with him.

REMEMBER why the Lord created Him…for His glory (even on a desert road). 

Desert roads are a part of life.

We can allow them to make us prickly…

Or, we can allow them to transform us into better servants, using the hard-stuff for good-reasons. 

As I type this, I have a dear friend walking a desert road.

It’s had twists and turns, ups and downs, bright days and, lately, some pretty discouraging ones.

Her path put her in a wheel chair not too long ago…

…and, this desert road (we already know) leads her the rest of the way over Jordan. 

But, she’s teaching all of us what it looks like to die well. 

She’s clinging to the Hope of Heaven who is holding tightly to her hand.

With every difficult breath, she’s making God’s glory known.

And with her best hand, she’s raising it in a “hallelujah”…for she REMEMBERS that amidst all the prickly stuff in the desert, the Lord has been a GOOD GOOD FATHER! 

For years I’ve been saying, Jesus-followers need a good theology of suffering.

We need to know what we know we believe, especially in these current days.

I don’t want to be prickly when I’m asked to walk a desert road… 

I prefer to live pleasantly…

So, if I say I need a theology of suffering (even though I think I have one nailed down), I probably ought to do a little studying and settling my mind and heart on exactly what I believe. 

We’ll see where this all leads…these posts are pretty random thoughts, after all. 

So, here's to knowing what I believe and why I believe it!

Embrace Pain for the Purpose of Exciting Tomorrows - a How-To.

As I ended last week, I promised to finish the conversation I began (albeit, it was a one-sided conversation that I imagined having with you on the other side). 

That's what I want to do today.

I also finished this conversation with my Tuesday morning community, and we wrapped the Bible study up in a nice package, covered in pretty paper, and topped with a glistening bow. 

Yay!

Last week, I handed you a blank timeline and offered a few categories to examine where you are on the journey of entering a new season...

Every new season needs good closure from the previous.

That's why mile markers, like New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are important. They give closure to one thing and an open, welcoming hand to a new.

Embracing that open posture of welcome isn't always easy.

Hence, the need for identifying the grief, the losses, the transition.

So, here's my filled in timeline that shows the "movement" (here's a link to print the actual page via dropbox) I saw through the lens of Visio Divina using Michelangelo's, La Pieta.

It's a great way to process our way through closure and into 2023.

Box 1: What are you leaving behind in the past year? What specific things will you need to grieve? List them, and as you do, learn the art of lament. Here's a link that leads to a lamenting worksheet. 

Lamenting is healthy and it's biblical, especially when you work it all the way through.

In lamenting, we are led to Remembrance - not just the things that have been difficult, but the many ways the Lord has provided for us, fought for us, guided and helped us along the journey of life. As we Remember Him...we enter a place of GRATITUDE, which helps us gain Acceptance (even, believe it or not, with JOY)... Box 2.

And, yet...we want more than just a spirit of resignation... Scripture suggests (and I see this especially in the case of Queen Esther) that we make friends with the hard things of the past, we work toward RECONCILIATION of our circumstances. For in reconciliation, we find HOPE!

How do we get to reconciliation? We remember not just the works of the Lord, but His PROMISES! As we lean into God's promises, hope is always the immediate posture. Box 3.

As Scripture says, "Hope does not disappoint." 

Hope allows us to extend our posture to an open, willing hand ready to receive and surrender to all the Lord has in the "what next" of our lives... Box 4.

If you recall, what I saw as I studied La Pieta was the gospel story laying in Mary's lap. Yes, it was a metaphor...Jesus' body incorporates the entirety of the gospel of love, mercy, grace, hope, peace, eternal life and more! 

That's the best part of this process! 

All the work of grieving our losses and embracing transitions leads us to a new concept of “Pain with a Purpose!”

It's all consummates in a mission and a ministry that God has for us in our new season, our new year, our new beginnings. 

We're not even half way through the first month of 2023.

There's still time to take the steps above, so we don't get stuck in the middle of our muddling-through.

I'm excited for us all to step into this new year with purposeful intent...allowing the pain of the past to lead us into the hope of an incredibly EXCITING tomorrow.

As We Enter a New Year, What's Your Perspective?

This past Tuesday, I led an online Bible Study for women serving globally.

Birthed out of an opportunity that arose during our pandemic "shift" in ministry, this early morning time grew to host what became a close knit community of gals.

I look forward to the input, the discussions, the sharing of lives that come with such a community - 

Because we all have similarities of living overseas in our backgrounds, there is safety that grew quickly and intimately.

So, Tuesday, I led a Visio Divina exercise, asking the question: As we look at La Pieta, sculpted by Michelangelo in 1498, and read the Scriptures on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that come out of Luke 1-2, what can we learn from Mary as she holds her "baby" boy (after all, as mom's, our babies are our babies all of their lives, right?)...

But, I asked my group of gals to also identify what "posture" (meaning attitude with which they will approach a new season of life) they see in Mary that they might adopt for 2023?

We each took about 20 minutes of solitude to focus on the sculpture, to look deeply at the specific Scriptures in the two chapters regarding Mary, and jot down what we felt the Lord was speaking to us.

As we meditated, we each asked specific questions that are standard for Visio Divina (Diving Seeing) - link provided here. 

At the close of the 20-minutes, we stopped and shared what we had received thus far from the Lord.

We bounced around a wide variety of thoughts and processing...

While I didn't have any real expectations for how I hoped the morning would play out, I think I did desire that each individual would receive some particular focus from the Lord as they transition into this New Year.

However, come the close of the morning, while I loved our discussion, I left the Zoom meeting feeling "empty." 

Upon more consideration, I recognized we didn't close well, or wrap things up with a nicely wrapped package with a beautiful bow on top (my personal desire for teaching times).

Good thing we have next week to do just this... ☝

So after a nice long walk along a very cold river-walk-path downtown, I wrestled through what I could glean from the morning. 

Hopefully, this will be a simple illustration for your quiet pondering as we still are settling into our new season of a new year. 

La Pieta (which I hope to see in person when I speak in Rome this coming February) speaks to the process of grief/loss/transitions. It speaks to where we are in the experience right at this moment... It speaks to perspective.

There is movement in the Sculpture - as we look, we examine Mary's face first...then our eyes travel in the direction of her eyes to the body of her son just removed from the cross and placed in her lap... From there, we follow the movement of Jesus' body, to Mary's open left hand. 

What each of us saw as we dialogued were different aspects of the sculpture: some saw a posture of resignation, some saw hope, others saw an act of surrender, whereas others saw the sculpture as a mother in the midst of lament and sorrow...and, I...I saw a metaphor. I saw: The mother of the Savior of the World, holding the body of her son - the Lamb of God, come to take a way the sins of the world... I saw the body of Jesus as the gospel story...and, Mary's open hand as her welcoming willingness to take that story into the "what next" of her life. I saw a "posture of purpose." 

This is the illustration I expectantly, and hopefully, want you to see. We're all on a different time line of processing 2022. Some of us are grieving losses. Some are in the midst of transitions. Some have lamented and moved forward and are ready to turn all that life taught us into the "what next." 

Where are you in the journey of saying good-bye to the past, lamenting what's gone...accepting with openness what is true about the present...and, looking at tomorrow with fresh eyes of purpose and hope? 

Wherever you are...don't get stuck or lost in the middle of the mess. 

Take the necessary steps to move forward. 

Not sure what those are? 

Let's talk about that next week....