December 2017

The new year is upon us. For some, it is a time to drink a whole bottle of champagne. For others, it is a time to start yet another gym membership. For me, it is a time to reflect on the goodness of God.

God has indeed been good this past year, pouring unexpected blessings into my life and sheltering me in some massive storms. Psalm 115:1 says: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory because of Your love and Your faithfulness.” He has used these twelve months to make me both stronger and more dependent…more compassionate.

One way He did it was through circumstances. Multiple walls have quickly come up in my path and I’ve had to grit my teeth and pray, “With my God’s help, I can scale a wall.” In the face or aftermath of each challenge, I had to choose whether I would be angry, bitter, and prideful or I would be quiet, empathetic, and respectful. It was not always easy to choose the latter, but by His grace I had the strength to do so, even if I had to doubt and wrestle a bit before I could.

Another way He did it was through people. Earlier in the year, I decided to sponsor my fourth child through Compassion International. Meet Gloria (pictured above), a sweet teenager from Bolivia. Though I’ve known and supported her for a relatively short time, I am already a better person for it. God uses each interaction with every one of my children to humble me and make me more grateful, more understanding, more patient. (If you’re looking for a new way to give and bless in the new year, I highly recommend child sponsorship!) And Gloria is just one of several wonderful people God has brought into my life since last Christmas – people who have each blessed me in unexpected, raw, and beautiful ways.

So as I reflect today and set some goals for the next year, my biggest prayer is: “God, use whatever lies ahead in 2018 to make me a more compassionate person, a person filled with Your love and faithfulness for Your glory. And I pray the same for you, dear reader. Let us each become stronger through brokenness and kinder through the revealed tenderness of God poured into our hearts every day of our lives.

I’ll close with a quotation I love: “And I said to the One who stood at that gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And He replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.'” – Minnie Haskins (check out some great history behind this quotation on the following page: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2013/12/10/the-gate-of-the-year-minnie-louise-haskins-1875-1957/)

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Christmas is right around the corner – and I have been meditating on a number of topics in addition to the usual, beautiful elements of the original story. Within these meditations, my thoughts have honed in on two converse Bible passages and part of an ancient song. And the word that comes to mind time and time again is: desire.

Desire can have a negative connotation. Why? Because it can be twisted and used toward ends that are ultimately selfish, harmful, short-sighted, or cold. And so the Bible teaches:

“…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 (NIV)

Yet, it was not always like that. In the original plan designed by the Architect of the universe, each human was to fulfill his or her God-given desires with God-given things in God-given ways and in a God-given time frame. And it was very good.

Thus, when perfection was crushed by wrong-doing, God knew He had to do something to fix the problem. Not just a patch or a quick solution – but an answer to every one of life’s dilemmas that meet in the core of our broken hearts. His ultimate desire was what we would all come to desire too…though some of us will bravely and humbly choose to see and embrace His solution and others never will. Therefore, a verse from the ancient song translated into English says:

“O come, desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of peace”

The baby sleeping in the manger one night long ago was the answer to the riddle in the heart of every human in every nation from the dawn of time until this moment. And only by desiring Him will each human ever know true fulfillment, goodness, and the ability to seek peace and pursue it.

So I asked myself in my musings, “If I had a two-way mirror that could reflect out to either end of a spectrum to show the extremes of fallen desires and redeemed desires in their most basic forms in each aspect of the human experience, what would I see?” This is what I came up with:

Lust and Brokenness……………….Physical……………………………Beauty and Sweetness

   Jealousy or Envy…………………..Emotional………………..Enjoyment and Contentment

     Obsession and Anxiety………….Mental……………………………Peace and Gratitude

    Empty-hearted Idols……………Spiritual…………………God’s Goodness and Glory

That’s what it all boils down to: you and I were created to do the will of God for His glory. Only a path in that direction can redeem, feed, and fulfill our desires in a supremely good way. And through His gift to us this Christmas – and every moment of our lives – we can begin to receive and achieve it day by blessed day. As King David, an ancestor of Jesus, prayed long before the holy birth:

“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

Amen. May we rejoice in the desires He gives us as we learn to use them for the good of all.

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In class this past week, a student mentioned one of her former English teachers. That instructor, it seems, had a propensity to leave paper drafts dripping in red ink and had a few favorite editorial marks including the marginal note of “awk” (which means awkward). My student was put off by this as she reflected. Why didn’t the instructor just correct her grammar and be done with it, the student wondered. I pointed out that an awkward sentence is often still grammatically correct; however, it may not flow well because of strange phrasing order, choice of words, use of tone or voice, or placement within the rest of a paragraph. And sometimes we don’t know why a sentence is awkward when we read it…but we know it is.

I was reminded that a good instructor will meet his/her students at their awkward communication points and do more than just point out the awkwardness. A really good instructor will help students explore the reasons behind the awkwardness and help them become more graceful communicators.

In personal writing revision this past week, I was looking over some old feedback on my novel manuscript. There were points where beta readers and editor friends could give me specific feedback (this statement is trite and unbelievable, you misspelled the name of that place, etc.). But there were other points where all they could say was, “That just doesn’t sound right to me,” or “Your tone in this dialog is choppy and canned,” or “I don’t know what needs to happen here – but change something!” I accepted and reviewed every bit of feedback, but those general and vague comments simply pointing to the awkwardness of something, something they could not put their finger on, that got me. I had to review each spot critically and wrestle with what – if any – changes I would make.

I was reminded that a good writer doesn’t give up when the reader tells him/her some part of the writing is hampered, even though they can’t say exactly why. A really good writer will evaluate it calmly and not take it personally, looking for a way to make the end product better and more edifying to the prospective audience – because he/she believes that the edification of the reader is paramount.

In personal communication this past week, I felt moved in my heart to say and write some words that were not easy. And the results of following my conscience were painful on all sides. I still feel I did the right thing. But sometimes honesty reveals brokenness, fear, dissatisfaction, pride, frustration, or tension. And all of these things can open a chasm of awkwardness between two or more people who are trying to communicate. This led me to think of all the times in my past when physical, emotional, and even spiritual awkwardness caused rifts in my relationships that were never completely mended. And it made me weep.

Yet, I was reminded that a good God doesn’t give up on us when we make mistakes, when we do what we know we should do but find the response leaves us out in the cold, and when our whole lives feel like one big, knotted, clumsy mess of the regretful, the unloveable, the awkward. A really good God, in fact, steps down into the mess and meets us in our awkwardness, redeeming it all in some miraculous way to still use us for His glory.

He is never awkward. And so, it is His face alone that we must seek to heal and grow in gracefulness.

 

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Back again for one more round of lines from songs that have been beautifully or powerfully written and have produced joy, comfort, or other positive results. The following list contains such lines from songs specifically connected to the Christmas season – some of them old/ancient and some of them recent/modern.

On this first Sunday of the 2017 Advent Season, I love pausing to reflect on these lines again. I hope as you read them, your heart will also receive benefits and blessings.

 

Son of God and Son of Man // There before the world began // Born to suffer, born to shame // Born to raise us from the grave // Christ the everlasting Lord // He shall reign forevermore Noel by Lauren Diagle and Chris Tomlin

O that birth forever blessed // When the virgin full of grace // By the Holy Ghost conceiving // Bore the Savior of our race // And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer // First revealed His sacred face // Evermore and evermoreOf the Father’s Love Begotten (Latin Hymn written in the 4th century)

Fragile finger sent to heal us // Tender brow prepared for scorn // Tiny heart whose blood will save us // Unto us is born // So wrap our injured flesh around you // Breathe our air and walk our sod // Rob our sin and make us holy // Perfect Son of GodWelcome to Our World by Chris Rice

The hopes and fears of all the years // Are met in thee tonightO Little Town of Bethlehem

You’ve heard it told, you think it’s odd // The whole thing fraught with complications // The play begins with a baby God // And all His blessed implications It’s True by Sara Groves

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King // Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring // By Thy own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone // By Thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throneCome Thou Long Expected Jesus

 

In the comments section below, feel free to share one of your own favorite Christmas song lyric lines or share about how one of the above lines has been meaningful to you. Thanks and Happy Advent!

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