She proclaimed words and wisdom from God to discern judgements in various civil cases thousands of years before modern suffragettes would cry out for equal rights.
She led an ancient nation faithfully for decades in the face of unnerving foreign oppression.
And when the time came for her people to overthrow the dominating enemy and her male military commander counterpart refused to believe God’s promise of victory without her auspicious presence by his side in battle, she stood at the peak of a mountain and commanded his troops to rush down that mountain and slaughter every last one of the enemy soldiers.
Then, after it was all over, she sang a beautiful song of triumph long recorded in the annals of history…a song that served as a prelude to forty years of blessed peace for her people.
The limited details of her life and person passed down to us clearly demonstrate the kind of courage that is born when hope incubates in adversity for long spans of time. But the song she sang tells us even more important things about the true meaning of courage itself.
First, true courage is most beautifully displayed and joyfully maintained when it springs from a willing, trusting heart. “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves – Praise the Lord!” (Judges 5:2 NIV)
Second, true and lasting courage springs from remembering what God has done in the past and believing that He can do other good things now, in our day. “They recite the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates.” (Judges 5:11b NIV)
Third, true courage is born out of love for what is good and right, what or who is really worth defending. “So may your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” (Judges 5:31 NIV)
Thank you, God, for reminding us of where true courage is rooted, through the example and words of Deborah, wife of Lapidoth.
Rounding out our month focused on hope: a profile about a seemingly average woman.
She was a faithful wife of many years, a loving mother of two sons, a conscientious worker in her common places of employment, and a devoted church member. She lived her whole life in or near small Kansas towns. And she led a fruitful but humble life that would never earn her wide fame.
Yet, I loved her. I looked forward to any gathering where I would see her, because to see her smile was to see sunshine kiss a face. And hearing her voice was like hearing honey slip over rose petals. It was sweet in its sound, melodic and lilting. But it was even sweeter in the words it carried, filled with hope of what was then good or what would one day be redeemed.
Even the very last time I saw her, before she flew away some years ago, her hope had not dimmed. Though she had lost most or all of her sight to macular degeneration, so that she had to see me with her hands while we talked, and she was leading a very restricted life physically, her mind and hearing were still sharp.
And her voice was still sweet. Still so full of hope. She was wasting away but still being renewed day by day. And the light that glowed from her face and echoed in her voice left me feeling completely at peace.
This was my mother’s aunt, Elizabeth Beeler Trimble.
And I know with joy that one day I will hear her sweet voice again.
I only hope that when my body eventually shuts down to finally run no more, I will still possess all of the hope and even a fraction of the grace that she did…to the very end.
A new year–and a new decade–are upon us. In that light, I want to take time to refocus on what is good, pure, true, lovely, and right.
The word “virtue” may seem antiquated and inapplicable to life in our modern culture. But perhaps that’s why we would benefit from rediscovering the true meaning of life-giving character traits, as they have been exemplified in the lives of real people both past and present.
Therefore, in 2020, I will devote one month of blogging to reflections on each of these virtues: patience, courage, gratitude, purity, sincerity, wisdom, generosity, compassion, hope, justice, diligence, and honor. Reflections will center around personal profiles.
I hope you will join me on this journey and find great encouragement in the weekly offerings ahead.
This Sunday’s advent line of blessing is a six-word phrase relatively hidden in the third verse of WhatChildisThis? The more I pondered these six words over the past week, however, the more I considered how they summarize the magnificent combination of grace and truth found in the babe-turned-man born in an obscure town.
Consider…
Beblessed. God invites us to come near, and He asks us to invite Him near as well. He will not force His way into anyone’s heart, though He certainly has the power to do so. He has chosen each of us, and He invites us to choose Him in return. Bless. We can offer that invitation to others, inviting and extending but never forcing or coercing.
Beblessed. The child was born for peasants. For those who have little wealth. For those who are just average, common people. For those who are poor in spirit. For those who are weak and downtrodden. And for those who embrace humility and simplicity. Bless. We who fully except this child and all He stands for will extend His love to all those around us, but especially to the ordinary and the hurting.
Beblessed. He was also born for kings. He is the King of kings, and yet He left the all-powerful halls of Heaven to grow in a womb and place Himself at the mercy of a paranoid monarch. Strange: no struggling peasant family would wish for another mouth to feed, and no prince should ever be born over manure-crusted dirt. Yet, there He was, born for us all…even those of us who are now, by world standards, elite and pampered. Bless. Let us remember that He came for everyone and show His love and kindness to even the “greatest” among us.
Beblessed. Which diety in any religion has every invited the worshippers of that faith to own them? Yet, here we are, being invited toownHim. It implies that we know Him completely and that He knows us completely. It implies that He comes to us and never leaves. It implies that we take a very real and fitting pride in being identified as people who have embraced Him without shame. Bless. He is the only one in the universe who can be owned by so many different hearts without being divided or diminished in any way. In fact, with each heart He enters, His power expressed and manifested in the world only grows for the good of all.
Yes, the good of all. From the greatest to the least and back again.
One year ago this week, I became an “angel.” (I joined a group that encourages service members who are stationed around the world.) And it just so happens that my first anniversary of angeling lands on Thanksgiving Day itself.
I am indeed thankful, for I can see that lifting the hearts of those brave men and women (and their families too, by extension) has become one of the most rewarding and beautiful parts of my life.
We angels often say that we are blessed a dozen times over (or more) for every letter, card, package, or email we send to our troops. To me, it is a practical picture of the New Testament teaching on generosity: that when we give, it will come back to us–and not just in an equal measure but as an overflowing flood of blessing.
That has been true…even yesterday. Somehow, one of my adoptees had gotten his hands on a Thanksgiving card and he sent it my way, hoping it would reach me in time. When I opened it, my heart filled up and overflowed with happiness when reading the kind words he’d written.
With the most meaningful service, we do not serve and give only because of the blessings we feel and receive in return. But such return blessings do help us feel motivated to keep serving and giving out of far more than just a sense of duty and obligation.
This Thursday, I will pause to be thankful for and pray for my adoptees who are far from their loved ones, in places where they cannot enjoy even that simple pleasure of gazing at marvelously brilliant autumn foliage.
And as I pause to focus very deeply on all the ways I have been blessed, I will ask God to keep showing me where to pour out the renewed blessings in my heart, to shine light in the hard spots and the dark and shadowy places of the world.
NOTE: For more information about how to become an angel of encouragement to deployed troops or how to receive free encouragement as a deployed troop or for a deployed loved one, please visit: www.soldiersangels.org
Over the past few days, I have had one person each day (most of whom I had never met in person before) look me in the eye and say, “Bless you, child.”
(This is not a common experience for me.)
My reply each time, after a moment of surprise, was, “I thank you and receive the blessing.”
Though I look younger than my age, I am no longer mistaken by anyone as a child. But when I received each of those blessings, I was not offended by the wording. Whether I am 40 or 60 or 80 years old, may I always be a child of God, and never too old to notice and receive His blessings!
Noticing the blessings is a lot easier when we hear the words said directly to us. Yet, even if such words are not said directly to us, blessings are spoken all around us every day, if one’s heart will have ears to hear.
So see the genuine smile on a neighbor’s face reflecting goodness…
And feel the wind slip over your skin, reminding you of the gift of life in your lungs…
And hear the sound of a child squealing with laughter where she sits nearby…
And look up to view sunlight in a hundred finely-graded hues, whipped across the sky in glory…
In all these things and more, hear the words in your heart: “Bless you, child.”
“You are the light of the world… Therefore, let your light shine before all men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Jesus (Mt. 5:13-14)
I was invited to shine. But it was not specified at exactly what intensity.
That’s good. Because this little light is not equal to the same type of shining every day.
And that’s okay. Because the people around me, both known and new, may need different types of light.
In that light, here is a prayer for all followers of Him.
Lord Jesus,
You call us to shine. Let us choose to do so from a willing heart.
When another’s heart is bathed in sorrow, let us be a quiet lantern hung by their side, silently and warmly present for them.
When another is searching, weary, doubting, or weak, let us be a candle burning in a window, welcoming and patiently waiting.
When another is trying to rise above troubles and trials, let us be the gentle evening sunlight that works its way through thick clouds after an afternoon thunderstorm, cheering them on until they see Your rainbow.
And when another is overjoyed, let us be brilliant sunshine echoing their praise and delighting in the gift of goodness.
In all these things, let us be more than simply nice, far more than thoughtful. May we be eclipsed in the light of You so You are the One who blesses because it was really You who was shining all along.
I love this picture I found through a free wallpaper phone app. Not only does it display an impressive presentation; it also reflects what I want to explore more fully in the next two months.
Before we can effectively and lastingly shine in this old world, we must first be illuminated by Light apart from ourselves.
This is a fundamental, seemingly-elementary thought. Yet, I imagine I am not the only one who needs to ponder it…and come back to be reminded of it time and time again.
There’s a beauty in the heat and vibrant light of the sun, the stars, a candle’s flame, or a campfire. Yet, all of those things will (eventually) burn out.
But there’s also a beauty in the soft glow of the moon, a piece of cold rock which is warmed by and reflects the sun. And, I suppose, something that isn’t on fire of its own making can never be in danger of burning out.
These ponderings remind me of a song I have long loved. I hope that listening to it today will help us consider whether we are more prone to voraciously shine our own light or quietly reflect a Light shining on us.
Already this month, I have posted about our need to be heard and God’s need to be heard.
But what about Jesus? Does He need to be heard?
Just as much as ever (as in each previous generation and century), His words and teachings need to be heard, understood, and applied. His teachings are true and timeless.
But how He’s heard… Well, that’s another matter.
When we are being heard by another person, I think there are three basic levels on which that can happen.
There is the level at which they are next to us or staring at us but apparently not really focused on anything we are saying.
Then there is the level where they are hearing us out, listening out of polite respect or with cloaked disdain or apathy, or adamantly opposed to our point of view but letting us speak our peace.
And then there is hearing us with their heart. To be heard out is sometimes necessary but if it never moves further, and we are never heard with the heart, something is left wanting in us.
And we must be heard with another’s heart to say that we “have been truly heard.”
Back to Jesus… There are four basic ways in which people generally respond to Him. There are those who never hear about Him, either because they have no chance or they don’t pay attention to religion-related matters.
Then, there are those who are exposed to the thought of Him or a few of His ideas, but those thoughts/ideas go in one ear and out the other.
Then, there are the people who, to some degree, hear Jesus out; He is heard by them but only in so much as they can stand to hear. Or they really like a few things that He has to say, so when He is heard by them, they pick and choose which of His words they want to hold on to.
And then there are people who hear Him with their heart.
But whenever we have our own goals and agendas, I think it is easier to just hear His words outwithouthearing Him with our hearts.
This may mean we’ve only heard part of what He said and tuned out the rest. Or, more commonly, it may mean we’ve heard His words in full but have run them through our interpretive filters to twist the meaning for the sake of protesting against Him or lording it over or otherwise harming our fellow humans.
Take, for example, a famous story from Luke, about two sisters named Martha and Mary. Martha was busy fixing dinner for all the guests, while Mary was sitting with the rest of the guests, listening to Jesus teach and finding great joy in simply being near Him.
I have heard of people use this story to illustrate how doing nothing or just being is more worshipful than working, or how Martha is a symbol of workaholics and people who try to earn their way to heaven. I’ve also heard people use the story to suggest that Jesus didn’t really listen to and value women while he walked the earth, nor did He appreciate all the work they do to help make home and family a meaningful place. Some have said that Mary is the better of the two sisters, period. Others have said that Martha should have been ashamed for speaking so directly to Jesus, and how dare she interrupt to complain to him? Clearly we are all to only be like trusting, restful Mary and completely avoid Martha’s behaviors!
But when I read the story again and invited Jesus to be heard with my heart, this is where I landed. We can imagine and gather that Jesus loved both women equally well and was pleased with both aspects of their faith: the devoted listening and the passionate service. There is a need for the traits of each of these women in all of our lives, spiritually speaking. If we really allow Jesus to be heard, we hear Him saying that it is great at times to be still and to be near Him in quietness, but also to be near Him in all things, no matter what type of service we may be doing for Him.
These thoughts may be simple, but today they are powerful reminders for me. Because I was always under the impression that I had to be one or the other: Martha or Mary. I couldn’t be both. But as I allow Jesus to be heard, I see clearly that I am both. And both aspects of me in my relationship with Him are good. The key just seems to be that I allow Him to be heard in every day and every aspect of my life, no matter what I am doing or ceasing to do, serving as He gives me purpose and embracing stillness when that would be the better choice.
I wonder what the world would be like if those of us who would hear Jesus would not just hear Him out, but if we allowed Him to be heard rightly with our hearts more often?
God speaks, but how often do we allow His voice to be heard? What drowns out His voice in our lives? Is it busyness, or fear, or selective hearing, or disbelief?
A few passages come to mind.
In Exodus 4, God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush. When Moses hears God’s command, he protests. And God asks him, “Who gave man his mouth? Isn’t it Me? So don’t tell Me you can’t talk because I’m the one who gave you that ability, and I will tell you what to say if you will listen.” Funny, how when God says that, He’s not angry with Moses… He doesn’t get angry with Moses until Moses ignores His words and keeps protesting.
In Job 38, after God has a listened to Job and his friends debating for chapters on end, God decides to speak for Himself, and He says to Job, “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer Me.” Then, God goes on for a few chapters, letting them all have it, so to speak. At that point, we can imagine God’s voice crashing like a combination of deep thunder and cymbals and giant ocean waves.
In Colossians 1, Paul says, “For God the Father has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Through this writing, God is clearly speaking. He is not angry or cynical, and He is extending love and mercy, forgiveness and adoption.
So which is it? Does God speak out of anger, or does He speak out of love? He speaks our of both and in the best tone as the situation warrants it. But it seems that what warrants it is both particular circumstances and also the heart of the person or the people who are listening… IF they are listening.
(Back to Job, chapter 33, Job’s young acquaintance says, “Why do you complain to God that He answers none of man’s words? For God does speak: now one way, now another, though man may not perceive it…” And he goes on to give examples of some of those ways that God speaks.)
That’s the thing. We all long to be heard. How much more must God long to be heard? And how much more joy must He receive when we are willing to listen to Him? For God certainly could speak to us in anger, especially if our hearts are proud or stubborn. But far more often, through the beauty of what He creates and the revelation of His word, the things He wants to tell us are good and are softly spoken. They are not always happy, because sometimes His good promises mean our admonishment or correction. But they are always good because His promises are always for our good. And many of them will bring us happiness, if we will allow Him to be heard and we will listen to what He says.
Are we worried? Let us focus on the good promises of God. Are we confused? Let us listen for the wisdom of God. Are we sad? Let us hear the whisper of God. Are we stuck? Let us be prodded by the passion of God.
But, above all, let us have ears, hearts, and souls that invite God to be heard.
