A Season

This time of year is a time of celebration and reflection.  Maybe because I have kids or maybe because I was an educator for so long, my ‘year’ is not a fiscal one or even one defined by the 12month calendar. My years are defined by the school calendar.  So…every year in May I take note of all that has happened and what God has done for the past “season.” 

This year, my thoughts go to what we will remember from this year…

The ups and downs, the things we learned, how we succeeded and how we failed, the little moments as well as the big ones, the times we laughed and the times we cried.

I still remember my Kindergarten class like it was yesterday -and not over 40 years ago.  I remember my teacher, the games we played, the songs we sung, the naps we had to take (which I didn’t like one bit).  I even remember the snack we were served every single day.  I remember it so well that it is still my favorite “comfort” snack, and will always remind me of a time of great joy.  (It’s graham crackers and orange juice in case you’re wondering).

I can remember a moment, an event, even things said to me for every year of my life.  (If an elephant never forgets, then just call me Dumbo)

So…why am I telling you this?  Because I believe that I’m not the exception when it comes to remembering the times when we grew and changed the most. 

If you’ve invested your time and energy into discipling someone, I have no doubt that the one you discipled- no matter the age- will remember.  They may one day forget your name, but they will not forget the impact you had on them.  They may not remember the exact words you used, but they will remember the Truth you told them.  One day they will “pull out” – from the deepest parts of their hearts- a seed of truth that you helped plant.  They may forget when exactly it was planted, but they will remember it was lovingly put there by someone who cared. 

I’m sure you all know chapter three of Ecclesiastes.  It starts:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…”

…and then lists many “a time to” examples.

 My two favorite parts of Ecclesiastes -

3:11- “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

3:14- “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.  God does it so that men will revere him.”

You’ve each had a “season” with someone in your life.  That season can never be duplicated.  This specific time, the other people in your life, you…none of it will be exactly the same ever again.

The season is over, but He made it all beautiful- in its time.  It wouldn’t be His plan to duplicate it because it was beautiful for the specific time and place He chose.  

This  season is coming to a close, but don’t you find it comforting and exciting to know that everything God does will endure forever-nothing to be added, and nothing to be taken away. 

All those you discipled will remember a beautiful time when they learned and grew, laughed and played, worshiped and prayed; a time that will endure forever- in their hearts.

Happy Mother's Day

We passed another important milestone at my house this week.  Matthew turned 15 and got his driver’s permit.  I joked that Atlanta better watch out because there will soon be another Harrison boy on the road.  In reality it was an exciting albeit slightly sad milestone.  Only for a parent can a child’s birthday be both a celebration and a time of melancholy reflection.

With every birthday our kids celebrate, we realize just how close they are getting to not needing us as much.  Every year brings a little more independence.  Every year means they’re getting bigger, smarter, and hopefully a little more mature.  This should give us comfort- to know that we’ve raised them to take care of themselves, but somehow it’s just not that simple. 

I thought about this phenomena in light of the title we all hold- a child of God.  God- our Father- sees each year pass for us too. 

If we’re doing it right, He watches us grow- more like Him, He delights in our growing wisdom, and He beams with pride as we become more mature in our faith. 

We-like any kid who gets a year older- are developing- again, if we’re doing it right. 

The big difference is that doing it right also means we never become independent.  We have to cling to our Father no matter our age or our perceived maturity.  I believe that one of God’s greatest joys is to see us mature enough to not need Him, but be so mature that we know we still do. 

And…now that I think about it…our kids will one day – if we’ve done it right- remember the same thing.  Not only will they know that they need their heavenly Father, they will realize that they still need us too. 

So, this Mother’s Day- let your mom know that she did it right and that even in your “maturity” you love and still need her.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms- biological and Spiritual!

The More Things Change...

Have you ever noticed that nothing ever stays the same?  Here is what two people- smarter than I- say about change:

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” - Alphonse Karr

“Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.”- Hugh Prather

For me the second quote rings very true.  Transition has been a constant theme in my life over the last 6 ½  years.  Sometimes the transitions have been good, other times very hard.  The transitions have ranged from ones caused by a specific calling from the Lord to ones that were the result of decisions made by other people.  Transitions can be easy or they can be hard.  They can be positive or negative. Transitions can take on many forms, but the bottom line is they mean change. 

The definition of transition: a process or period in which something undergoes a change and passes from one state, stage, form, or activity to another

Synonyms for transition: change, evolution, conversion, alteration, modification

The inclination for all of us (I think) is to see transition as a negative – or at least an inconvenient- part of life.  The reality is it’s just a part of life.  If we can look at transition in light of its other meanings, and not just the change part, I think we can find a more positive spin on it.

For instance:  

Evolution means that we’ve developed (or grown) from our earlier form.  One thing is true in any major transition we undergo- we evolve and grow.  Our faith will grow deeper in transition.

Conversion- nothing could be more important.  Think of Saul and his conversion from a hater of Jesus to being not only a follower but one of the most important evangelists for the Christian faith. 

Alteration means that a difference is made in something.  I like to think that with every external transition I’ve experienced, God has used it to make something different in me.

Modification is my favorite in the list.  Modification means to change something for the sake of improving it.

So…my external transitions have ranged from good to bad, easy to hard, led by the Lord to those far from God’s plan.

But, if all those changes have helped me evolve, grow, and somehow -in even some small way- look more like Jesus, then they’ve all been worth it. 

As my life goes through even more transitions- moving, sending one son off to college (just to name two on the list of many!), I will see them as an opportunity for God to do a work in me.  The work may not be comfortable for me, but it will most certainly be good.

As a side note, I take great comfort in knowing that no matter what changes for me, the Lord will be the same. 

MALACHAI 3:6- “I the Lord do not change.”

HEBREWS 13:8- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

I will take liberties with the quote from Alphonse Karr above and say this instead, “The more things change, the more HE stays the same.”

Transitions will happen, but thankfully He won’t. 

Who Are You?

The question “who are you?” many times turns to “what do you do?”  or even “how do you feel?”

"Who are you"- for me- sounds something like this…

I’m a mom

I’m tired

I’m a teacher/pastor

I’m busy

I’m old

I’m tired…oh, I’m repeating myself

You get the point…

As Christians- and especially as disciple makers- we know in our heads that none of those kinds of things tell who we really are.  They are just external descriptions or internal feelings.  But, we still do it to ourselves, don’t we?  We define who we are with answers that don’t really answer the question.  I do it often, and so many times I find myself having to repeat something I’ve told the kids- “Only the Creator can name His creation.”  So with that in mind, who does God say I am…who does God say you are?

He says,

You are loved, accepted, an heir, never alone, chosen, holy, blameless, a new creation, His workmanship, loved.  I’m repeating myself again, but that last one is worth repeating…

We are loved.  You are loved.  I am loved.  We are loved. 

In the midst of being a mom, being tired, and getting older…I am loved by my Creator.  He doesn’t see me for what I do or how I feel about myself.  He sees me the way He created me- as HIS.

No matter how you’re defining yourself today, just remember the most important definition comes from the One who matters most. 

So…just for today (or maybe through this week), whenever we think about who we are, or how we’re feeling, maybe we should answer ourselves with one word- HIS. 

What Next?!

The thought “what next?!” has been ringing in my head all week.  Ever have those days, weeks, months, or years when you just keep asking yourself that question… “What next?!”

As I have been asking myself that question, a thought occurred to me…

All of Jesus’ followers- especially His disciples- must’ve had this same question after the crucifixion.  They had followed Jesus, they knew who He was, they knew full well that He was their promised Messiah…but then He’s gone.  He dies a horrible death right in front of them. The finality of His ministry on earth is unmistakable.  So they ask…”What next?... “What do we do now?”… “Where do we go from here?”

The true reality, we know, was that Jesus wasn’t finished.  Yes, His ministry on earth was over- at least in the physical sense-but He wasn’t done.  The ‘what next’ was His resurrection, His return to see His closest followers, and then His ascension into heaven.  The ‘what next’ was a promise that although He wouldn’t be with them physically, He would never leave them.

So, when we ask the question, “what next?!” maybe the immediate response should be – we don’t know, but God does.  We can’t see the end, but He can.  The exclamation mark (said with frustration, fear, or angst) can be erased because we have the promise that Jesus is near.  He promised to never leave us, so that means that whatever is next will be fine because He will be there. 

And if- for even a moment- we can erase that exclamation of frustration, maybe the ‘what next’ question can be said with a tone of anticipation.  Maybe “what next?” becomes- “what do You have in store for me, God?”

A friend recently told me this thought from the book One Thousand Gifts:  As we get older, we sometimes say we’re running out of time, when in reality we’re running toward time because we’re running to eternity.

“What next?” just became a whole lot sweeter…

Holy Week- Reprise

Indulge me for a moment and think back on your week.  What happened…what did you do…more importantly, what did God do? 

Without giving you a full run-down and schedule- my week looked something like this…

Work (and all that it entails)

Helping with school projects

Laundry

Various meals with friends

Getting a window repaired

Haircut

Running carpool

Cooking and cleaning

Trips to the bank, the post office, the dry cleaner, and the grocery store

My week was eventful, but not necessarily full. 

As I wrote this week’s lessons I thought a great deal about the week between Palm Sunday and Easter.  It was only a week, but so much happened.  It was certainly eventful AND full.  In the scope of God’s plan- which we know began at Creation- it amazes me that the full definition of our faith seems to have happened all in the course of just seven days…or did it?  Yes- the Holy Week that we celebrate ends with our Savior’s death, burial, and resurrection. This is the sum total of why we have the hope of eternal life with the One and Only- with the Living God. 

But…God is by no means “spontaneous” (for lack of a better word) in His plans.  He didn’t decide suddenly one Sunday (Palm Sunday)- “this will be the week.”

His plans had been laid out in advance.  He knew the time, the place, the weather, the witnesses who would be present…everything in advance.  That week in history was part of His bigger story all along. 

So, knowing that, one has to wonder…if every week leading up to that one was intentional and part of His glorious plan, then hasn’t every week after that been the same?  Jesus came once, but He will come again (Hallelujah!).  If every hour, day, week, month, and year that led up to His first coming were laid out for a specific purpose, then we have to assume that every bit of time until His second coming is just as important. 

Now I’m left wondering… if my week – which I’m the first to admit is nothing special- really is…well, special.  For this season in time while I (and you) walk on this earth, God is just as much at work.  Palm Sunday begins Holy Week.  But…if we live in the reality that every week is laid out by our Creator to get us one step closer to either seeing Jesus return or meeting Him in heaven, then we can accept that every week is a holy one. 

I pray that the awe we experience during Holy Week will carry over into the other 51 weeks of our year.  He lives and works every week- even the ones that don’t seem that “full” to us. 

Still Running

I am never more encouraged than when I see someone I know living out what God has put in them. 

In the last week I’ve had the great blessing of witnessing some such events…

- A friend truly giving up “control” of her own life so that God can do what He does best- take care of everything, and hold all things together.  She has felt free for the first time in a while, and the pure joy I’ve seen in her as the weight of worry was replaced with hope is nothing less than a testimony to God’s goodness.

- A child living through disappointment of great magnitude (not just of kid proportion, but in anyone’s book), and still trusting the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness.  Words like- “I’ve prayed and I trust that God knows best” were not just “Bible-eze” for this kid.  They were true to his reaction to and actions following the disappointment.

- The Body of Christ supporting, loving, and encouraging those among them who were hurting.  This was evident as people prayed for the sick in our body, as people spoke truth to their friends-and their enemies, as people became (maybe for the first time) transparent about their needs, and as people chose not to judge, but to love. 

These things encouraged me, and yet…

My week-like many of yours- has not been a cake walk.  I am reminded day by day that this is a long distance race, and although I’m not an athlete, I have great running partners.  The kind of partners that will give me a drink when I need it, will stop and rest with me when I can’t go on, and when the time is right, will then pull me back up to my feet and kindly say- “it’s time to get moving again.” 

And just to make sure I never give up, I have standing at the finish line a Savior.  A Savior that reminds me in His Word that my hope is in Him.

To that, I share with you a prayer that someone shared with me…

“A person with hope does not get tangled up with concerns for how his wishes will be fulfilled.  So, too, his prayer is not directed toward the gift, but toward the one who gives it.  His prayer might still contain just as many desires, but ultimately it is not a question of having a wish come true but of expressing an unlimited faith in the giver of all good things…For the prayer of hope it is essential that there are no guarantees asked, no conditions posed, and no proofs demanded, only that you expect everything from the other without binding him.  Hope is based on the premise that the other gives only what is good.   Hope includes an openness by which you wait for the other to make his loving promise come true, even though you never know when, where or how this might happen.”

Amen!