Changes

Changes… I remember choosing that name for the salon. Now, I often think about the impact of a name, and marvel at how many changes have come to pass…

Oh, we’ve changed a lot of hair styles and hair colors. We joke that we all need to change up our hair every now and again. But the changes in the lives of those of us who spend our days there…and the changes that happen in the clients we become so close to…those are the changes that matter.

I am so far from perfect. So very far. But I testify that I am changed. I still struggle against my flesh and against the lies and traps of our enemy. I still make wrong choices, behave in wrong ways. But when I do, I want to feel the prick of The Holy Spirit and hear His reprimand…and I want to respond in obedience. He is always right. Always.

Everything changes. A look in the mirror will confirm that fact. Things droop and slide, grow in strange formations, bulging here and there…hair thins and looses it’s color. (that is job security for me..) All of the physical changes. Often not for the better.

But what about the other part of us? As the wrinkles form on our faces, do we have corresponding wrinkles of soul? Or do we find that spiritual place within us becoming smoother, more at peace, and wiser? God forbid that our spirits should wither like our bodies do !

I sell services that fight against the signs of our aging. My trade involves hiding and camouflaging the evidence of age. But my mission and ministry is to make people aware of the cure for our disease, the remedy for the slow death that we are all experiencing. (..for the moment life was conceived, the process of death is inevitable…)

I want to look as good as I can look, and I want that for you too. But far beyond that, I want you to know the assurance that I know… ‘Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…’ (1 Cor. 15:51)

You can be the cutest, most beautiful or most handsome person around. But ‘ I declare to you, brothers, (and sisters), that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.’ (1 Cor. 15:50)

Changing your hair won’t fix what is wrong with all of us. Changing the natural is just a temporary fix. But God can make changes that are permanent. Permanently permanent. And He wants to. But you get to choose. He give you that right and will not take it from you.

“In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your Hands. They will perish, but You remain…Your years will never end. The children of Your servants will live in Your Presence…”(Ps. 102:25-28)


He is the only thing that does not change.

Work

Work… Warning !! Grouchy alert….

It is raining as I sit here this morning for my quiet time. How I’d love to just stay here today…read and listen to it.

My sweet husband and I were wishing for rain yesterday as he helped me put out petunias in my flowerbeds. Our garden needed some fresh moisture too. This morning, the Lord has granted us rain.

We work in this family. My husband works his job, then comes home and works till dark on chores here at home. I work a job, then come home and prepare meals, though now only for the two of us. Our sons work. Then they do other activities. One will fish every spare moment. One will play a guitar with every free second he has.

Where did the notion come from that people are not required to provide for themselves?

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Gen. 3:19)

I love the street language of The Message…
“ Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately--no excuses, no arguments--and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty. If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don’t let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he’ll think twice.” (2 Thes.10-14 The Message)
I do have compassion on those who are in need. I know there are situations where people are unable to work. Yet so often, people who are ‘unable’ to work, are ‘able’ to do a lot of other things ! And simply choosing to be idle is choosing to have an idle mind…and a mind not employed in good, will likely be doing evil. ( ever hear that old saying, idleness is the devil’s workshop?…)

Sigh… Lord, help my grouchiness and unforgiving spirit. I thank You Father that I am able to work. Thank You that I do have a job and a great workplace. Thank You that You have provided for all my needs, given in abundance, not just bare necessities… and thank You that you have even empowered me to help others.
And thank You for the rain.

Blessing

Blessed… Are you? How do you know? What gives it away that you are, or are not? Can you measure it ? How? ….

I thought of what we call ‘The Beatitudes’ this morning when I wished a friend a happy birthday. I’ve heard those verses preached so many times…heard the word ‘happy’ substituted for ‘blessed’.

Defining it in the negative…. ‘not miserable’, ‘not wretched’, ‘not deficient’ …or ‘not lacking anything’

I’ve heard people respond to ‘How are you?’, with a simple statement… ‘Blessed’.

What does that mean exactly? Do we all have the same criteria for defining what it is to be blessed?

‘Makarios’ = blessed in the original language of The Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It has to do with having the favor of God. It has little to do with luck or favorable circumstances. (I’m afraid I tend to categorize things as being blessings by the favorable circumstances involved. )

I do know from my experiences with God that He can, He desires to, and He will bring blessing out of even the most difficult of circumstances, if I but place the entire thing into His Hand, trust Him with it completely, and wait. (waiting is really hard for me..)

I believe the only thing that truly defines a state of blessedness is the Presence of God within the heart. When His Spirit is within, it doesn’t matter the circumstances without. The blessedness manifests itself even in the worst of circumstances.

“When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26) The state of my right standing before God, because of the death and resurrected Life of Jesus Christ, is my greatest blessing.

He entered into our situation to change it. And because He did, I can be ‘happy’ even in
mourning (vs.4), in persecution (vs.10), or any number of situations….because He ‘will never leave me, never will He forsake me.” (Heb. 13:5)

So for any one who feels wretched or miserable…for those who feel like they have some deficiency, some facet of their life lacking somehow…my Savior has just what you need.

Don’t fall for the enemy’s lie…don’t expect blessing to look a certain way. Don’t miss it because it seems to contradict. God’s way usually does contradict the world’s way…

Don’t court a shadow, follow Jesus Christ. You’ll be counting your blessings !

Harvest

Harvest…. I’m looking forward to it already. The tiny little plants are promising…

There are a few blooms on some of the plants…yet another promise. The ground was properly prepared, tilled and rid of clumps of grass. Rain came at a perfect time, releasing the fertilizer into the soil and providing the moisture necessary for germination. Seeds were planted and have pushed up thru the soil with amazing speed.

Life. The process is amazing.

There will be a harvest. I want to be prepared and ready. Pea sheller…check. Jars and lids…check. Freezer space…check Freezer bags…woops…Even though there is a lot yet to happen before that time, I want to be ready. (better buy more freezer bags ! )

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2) What is your role in that? Do you realize you are in the middle of His field? There may be soil ready for a seed to be planted. It may be time to pluck out a weed that threatens to choke out the life of a seedling. There may be a need for watering.

There IS a plentiful harvest, whether you think so or not…whether you see it with your eyes or not. Take the time element out, God is not limited by time…the harvest is there. He sees beginning to end, it is you and I that think within time limits.

It’s not time to pick peas. But I have, and expect to again.

I may not witness a changed life today. But I have…. Praise God !!… and expect to again.

I dedicate my skills and abilities to Him, (parable of the talents, Mat.25).
I am dependant on His ‘equipping me for every good work’ (2Tim.3:17)
I am sent. ( Luke 10:3, Mark 16:15)

Now…if I can just find the right row…..

Necessity

Necessity… Coffee in the morning. Chocolate. A good pillow. Books. Reading glasses. Phone.

What would you put on the list?…

My husband fusses because I take a bag of books everywhere we go. But I never know when I might have an opportunity to drag one out and read a while. It really depends on the circumstances…but we all have those necessary things, things we think we can’t do without.

I can’t do without books. Especially my Bible.

I don’t do well without my morning coffee.

My friends know I have to have at least a bite of chocolate after I’ve eaten.

I can’t read anymore without help from reading glasses.

Like most of us these days, my phone is almost always close by.

But are any of these things really as necessary as I tend to think? I doubt it…

What is necessary? Really ? Food. Water. Air. Is there anything else that is really necessary?

Jesus said there was one thing. “ One thing only is essential…” (Luke 10: 42 The Message)


Let’s not miss the one necessary thing. Sit at His Feet today.

Complicated

Complicated… When asked about relationship status, I often see or hear people say ‘it’s complicated’….

All relationships are complicated. Some more so than others I suppose. It seems to me that the relationships we have that are so very complicated have gotten that way from our own poor choices.

This morning I read the story of Abram and his childless wife. (Gen.16)

There was a promise of God. There would be a son. God said so. Yet, it hadn’t come to pass yet and Sarai thought perhaps she needed to help God out a bit. So, according to the custom of the day, she sent one of her female servants to her husband. (I can’t fathom that…but I read that it was common in the culture of that day.) A child born to this servant would be considered the child of the servant’s master….Sarai would finally get what she longed for.

Then it began to get complicated. (An understatement, I’m sure !!)

Jealousy. Resentment. Mistrust. Blame. Regret.

I’m prone to think Abram could have nipped this problem in the bud. But he didn’t, and after the relationship with the servant girl was established, it could not be un-done. The literal history of the world was changed. Ishmael was born. The Arabs are his descendants.

Complicated ? Indeed so. But God is not hindered by our complications. He IS hindered by our refusal to deal with the consequences of our own choices. It is never wise to manipulate circumstances. But when we have done so, the best thing we can do is run TO God, not away from Him.

Facing our complications face to face with the God of the universe is the best way to unravel any complicated situation. He has the most amazing way of cutting right through all the complicated messes we make. But we have to make that decision, be brave enough to look at it honestly, with ourselves and with Him….and trust Him enough to act on what He says.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be fun. But it will always be harder and more painful when we refuse to do so.

There is absolutely nothing that is too complicated for God. And the amazing thing is….when we obediently place all of it in His Hands, He brings blessings out of those awful messes !

He is so good.

Aroma

Aroma… just a scent, a smell….a little whiff of a fragrance. Can stir all sorts of sensations up can’t it? I walked into a store yesterday and smelled strawberries…

Can you guess what I had for breakfast? The power of smell is amazing to me. An aroma can’t be seen but it can sure invoke some power!! Make me hungry…make me ill. Make me sleepy….or refresh and awaken. Soothing or invigorating.

What smells good to me might not smell nice to you. I can’t fathom that anyone would not love strawberries…but some people don’t.

“We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:15)

I want to be the aroma of Christ, don’t you? But we need to know that that won’t smell good to everybody. To those who are perishing, it may have a stench.

The message of Christ is life. But to those who refuse it, it is death…. ‘for the wages of sin is death…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23)

“To the one, we are the smell of death: to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity..like men sent from God.” (2 Cor. 6:16-17)

The message of Christ is the sweetest of any aroma. I can’t fathom that anyone would not be drawn to it. But some are not.

That does not negate my role…I am to BE the aroma of Christ…in whatever place I am…whatever role I play.

It is not what I do..but what He may do through me…not on what I am capable of, but what He is capable of accomplishing through me, in spite of my weaknesses. I can do nothing out of my own merit….but ‘I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength’ (Phil. 4:13)

I want to smell like Him. And I pray that that scent will be pleasant to everyone around me…. and make them want Jesus.

He is so good.