Tabula Rasa: For Rough Mornings and Rainy Days...

Welcome...to a new week...to a new day...


How are you?


Me? My morning began as a whirlwind. Woke up late. Snapped at my dog for whimpering about wanting to go out because it was interfering with the sheer concentration and focus that doing my hair requires. Seriously misjudged the weather - walked outside expecting spring, but apparently it's still winter. Stop. Turn around. Change Clothes. Angry Mumbling. Forgot my tea. Sarcastic comment. Standstill traffic. Utter frustration and impatience.


Sigh. It already feels like I've failed for today.


Far too often, we awake with a jolt, already worrying or brooding or dreading what will be. We think about yesterday. We think about later. And in our dismissal of the present, we miss the gift that is a fresh, new morning. We fail to breathe in the crisp morning air over a Bible and hot, steaming cup of coffee, and exhale out a praise to the One who makes it all possible, Whose grace is what opens our eyes each day. We get distracted with the hustle of alarms, coffee machine, burnt toast and traffic reports, of bad hair days, or ironing and rinsing and twirling and racing through our homes and lives, rushing to get out on the dead-locked highway, where we rage at the slow pace and the inconvenience of it all.


And meanwhile...the still small voice calls us to remember...that this is not the purpose or the pace He has set for our lives. He has given us one more day for a reason. A new chance to reach out, a day to draw near, an opportunity to bring healing and joy to the world in our own unique way, to trust that our steps will be ordered by Him and that we were meant to be exactly where we found ourselves this morning...they were not meant to be spent in this frazzled, frustrated, frantic state into which we find ourselves daily sinking.


So this morning, in need of a tabula rasa, a clean slate, I write for those of us who need just that. A mulligan for the day. Just a moment to take control - to pause, to meditate on a few simple truths He's brought to my mind that take us to the place of surrender - to thank Him and ask what He would have us do with these precious and fleeting gifts, these moments of time, which He has granted - that He set the pace for our lives and not the things or circumstances in it.

A Daily Offering

The pages of my devotional Bible study recently fell to Leviticus, the book which I have found reveals the heart of God and how He desires to be worshipped in such a profound way. In the opening chapters, God unveils five offerings for the people of Israel. I've learned something about these as I've studied them - for one thing, they were at no point offered to obtain salvation or forgive sin. Instead they were a voluntary way to express repentance, to acknowledge wrongdoing, showing the recognition that there is a cost for it - for the self and others. But, if we look at even the first five chapters of Leviticus, we see that not all the offerings are even sin related. Take, for example, the Olah offering.


The Olah offering is the first one listed, in chapter one. Your Bible may translate that as Burnt Offering, because that's what was done to the animal - it's completely burned up on the altar. But that's not what the actual word means. Olah means to "bring near." Let's read a little bit of the passage:


Read Leviticus 1:1-9.


From this verse we pick up on some things:

• It's a voluntary offering (verse 2)
• It is to be from the flock and not a wild animal (verse 2)
• The animal represents the offerer (verse 4)
• The offerer is the one who must make the sacrifice and take the life (verse 5)
• The inward parts of the animal are arranged and washed by the priest, and then burned up on the altar (verses 8-10)


Now, surely you are wondering, what in the world does that have to do with my mornings be started off right? Lots, actually! This, sweet friends, was the sacrifice that made fellowship possible with God. More than atoning for sin, it was a gesture of devotion to God. To begin a day well, that is where we must start.


Every morning, whether your a radiant and joyful morning person - or like me, spending your first hours in a state of "thawing out," as my husband calls it - we have an opportunity to rise to the day with intentionality. To bring and become that offering of devotion to the Lord. We don't have to do it, it is our choice.


When we decide to offer ourselves to the Lord, we have to do it His way, or it's no good. We can't do it with a willful and wild nature - we must do it recognizing we are His lambs, that we belong to Him. We must give ourselves completely over to His purposes. Everything else has to fall in line behind that.


And then there are our inward parts. These, by the way, represent our instincts, our motivations, our selfish desires, our emotions, our fears - everything that is animistic about us. We must allow our High Priest, Jesus Christ, to rearrange us on that altar of that morning devotion, to change those into holy pursuits. We must be flexible, teachable, washed clean from the inside out. And then we must allow ourselves to be consumed by His holy refining fire. The Israelites saw this as a way of sending that life up to God Himself. And when we bring ourselves as an Olah offering, we are saying, "Father, my soul resides with you. Arrange me any way you like. What is left of me here on earth belongs to Jesus. Shape and use me as you will."


Friends, whether we struggle with purposelessness, grumpiness or lack of focus, this is the answer. We were created for good words in Christ Jesus, and without coming before the throne daily, offering ourselves up to Him, we cannot find our purpose or the plan. Don't let your day happen to you - Let God take control, acknowledge Him and He will direct the path and calm your spirit. That's the only way to face your day with real confidence.

A Continual Sacrifice

I'll confess that there are lots of days when I feel like I've really earned a gold star in the "giving it over to God" department. I'll have had a fantastic devotion, feel so spiritually fed and full, have lots of grace and perspective...and then, just the next day, tempted by a new challenge or commitment, I find myself trying to ride on the proverbial coattails of the previous day's devotion. The Bible addresses this, and if we flip over now to Leviticus 6, we find such a powerful illustration from the sacrificial system.


Read Leviticus 6:8-13.


Notice that we're still talking about that same burnt offering - the Olah. And take note of the emphasis on keeping the fire burning - it's mentioned three times just in this small passage. Friends, we are commanded to keep the fire of the Spirit burning in our hearts and lives every day too. We're not really supposed to have extreme highs and lows in our walk - steadfastness, dependability and faithfulness are traits God wants to develop in us.


But what, here, seems to be getting in the way of the fire burning? It's not neglect. It's yesterday's ashes. God loves our sacrifice. This is why in verse 10 we see that great care and respect are given to the ashes. But how often have we let yesterday's stuff - whether bad or good - get in the way of today's sacrifice?


Beloved, we have to get yesterday's ashes out of the way. We must come, continually, regularly, before our God in whole devotion and adoration. Proverbs tells us, "Let your eyes look directly ahead," there is no room for yesterday in today any longer. Don't let it put out your fire. Whether it was an argument, a day you feel you failed, or an exceptionally good day, don't let it keep you from wholly offering yourself today, in this day. We're on a forward journey. The old hymn plays in my head and resounds in a new way today, "I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." To keep the fire burning in our hearts, we must let go of the past, and be in the present.
Let's always be willing to begin again.


So for all the days that began like mine did this morning, I say, forget about all the today's we didn't get it right. Move the ashes. Ready the sacrifice. Let's start with today. Welcome...to a new day...

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

 

 

Blessings!

STOP...in the name of LOVE!

On a day I felt particularly beat up, I sat in my office, my eyes brimming with tears. In a moment that I so wanted to call someone to ‘vent,’ I decided instead to go to the Word. I begged God to encourage me, to calm me down.

It had been one of those days when I felt that despite my efforts to lead well, to help, to pour in, to encourage, to include - that none of those things were being thrown back my way. I was hurt. I was discouraged. I was deflated and I felt the urge to say, what about me? Why am I doing all this? God, you called me to lead, but I’m not sure that I want to lead these people. They don’t even seem to notice what I do, and they certainly don’t return the sentiment. I thought being called to ministry and leadership would be more rewarding.

It’s so easy, in the midst of obstacles – whether real or perceived, as mine tend to be - to let your heart begin to believe that retreat, that giving up and running away, is the answer. I know that day I did.

We have days where we feel left out, that we’re not embraced by the people we lead, that no one sees us, that we’re under-appreciated, that people are rude when we are nice to them, that we’re giving every bit of ourselves and no one seems to notice or care or even give us a little affirmation. We don’t do it for others, of course, but some gratitude for our time sure would be nice. Right?

This was my posture that morning.

And as I sat with my head in my hands, I prayed, “God, show me what to do."

Then I picked up my Bible.

What I read came from Exodus 33. I was absolutely stunned by what I read, because I didn’t pick the passage out intentionally. The backdrop of the passage is the time of Israel's passage from Egypt to the promised land. Moses had just successfully extracted thousands from bondage and triumphantly received the 10 commandments at Sinai...only to come down the mountain to a people who had abandoned obedience and had forgotten about him, and were now celebrating a feast to a molten calf.

I'm sure he was frustrated, drained, tired, emotional – maybe he felt the people in his charge were ungrateful and obstinate. He might have felt hurt and forgotten, totally left out of what was going on. Betrayed. And there in that moment, instead of wanting to quit, Moses did something very interesting:

Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”

And He did.

Moses left that conversation victorious. But the victory did not yield people that were easier to manage, or ideal circumstances from there on out. Moses understood that thre is only one thing that could keep him truly effective as a leader – being filled by an intimate knowledge of God!

At the end of the chapter we find that after Moses' intimate conversations with the Lord, his face radiated. This glowing was evidence of their time together, proof that God had chosen and ordained him. And that glow commanded attention - and so they listened to him and regarded what he said.

 Friends, whatever God has called you to, whatever circumstance or sphere of influence - whether you're a mom, a colleague, a friend - there is position and title there. Maybe you chose it, and maybe you didn't. But God gave it to you, and the circumstances are just where you need to be. And though there are absolutely days when we just get fed up, when we just want to retreat, when we want to quit, we must remember what Moses modeled for us.

 Here's what he did not do:

• He didn’t go to friends to vent, commiserate or create drama.

• He didn’t complain about his circumstances or give up hope.

• He didn't panic or feel that he had to bear the burden of 'fixing things.'

Instead, he simply threw the burden off and said, “God, these people are YOUR people - I just want to know you better and please you.” He stopped all that he was doing in his own power, and got with God.

I used to love these Magic Eye posters when I was a kid. I remember others agonizing over them, trying to figure them out. And the victorious cry would come when we realized what the hidden image really was.

Life is kind of like these optical illusions at times. If we allow the stress and the burdens to take over, we miss that Jesus is always there, in the center of it all. If we start to try to do it in our own strength, we miss opportunities and inspiration for ministry. This is what happened to Mary Magdalene in John 20. Let’s look at her story:

Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." ...as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be a gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher.

Notice that Mary's first response is to go tell everyone. To vent. To cause a stir. But when that yields no comfort or result, she just seems to throw her hands up and give up hope. Not even angels really get her attention, so she must have been in a real state. She was so busy trying to do things in her own strength, so busy doing - panicking, mostly - and she couldn't see Jesus when he was right in front of her!

Isn’t that how we get sometimes? We’re so overwhelmed with all we have to do, with the burden and stress of it all, feeling like we just have to fix things and it's so hard, that somewhere Jesus gets lost in it.

Thankfully, because he boldly spoke her name, she found Him again. And after that moment of recognition of Jesus in the midst of the crisis, she found the right words. She found the peace. She became effective again.

Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Wow. When she just stopped worrying and trying to figure out what to do to remedy what was happening and tuned in to Jesus, she got to do some very meaningful Kingdom work - she was the herald of the resurrection of the Lord!

Oh, sweet friends, when we get so caught up in the tasks at hand and begin to feel like it’s our job to fix it, we immobilize ourselves. When we start to feel discouraged, unnoticed, deflated and panicked, it's a barometer that we're trying to do it on our own. But, like Mary, when we recenter and refocus on Jesus, we become REFRESHED and a POWERFUL source of ministry and encouragement to others. All that other stuff just fades away to our legacy.

God has a message for each of us to share, just like Mary, just like Moses. And He will give us the words, attitudes and actions we need for the journey. We just have to remember, our spheres of influence are HIS people. Our only duty is to know him, and to witness to what He’s doing in our lives.

Here's an interesting little fact: In the days of the temple, when sacrifices were offered, making communication with God possible, the insides of the animal were offered up and completely burned up, completely consumed and sent up to God. What was leftover was the hide of the animal – which now belonged to the priest.

That hide was then cured, tanned, treated, scraped – and in many cases, was turned into the very pages of the Torah scrolls that have been discovered and are precious artifacts - the very sources from which your Bible and mine come! So...the shell of the animal is what the Word of God was written on.

So often we think that we are the pen. We think its our job to write truth on hearts and affect change in the lives around us. We think we’re the priest! But the fact is, we are not the pen - we are the scroll. Jesus is the priest, and we are the sacrifice - we have offered our hearts, souls and spirits - our insides - to Him, and it is our flesh - our physical body - that remains in this world - and it belongs to Him. This physical body we have is the very canvas on which He writes his teaching, His word. We need only allow this process to take place in our lives, and be read by the world around us, in order to glorify and testify about Him!

So my prayer for us is that we just shine! He’s going to take care of us and those around us. He’s going to use you to impart change and make a difference in your obedience and submission to him. Don’t allow circumstances to be a discouragement. When the words don’t come, when the kindness just isn’t there, when you feel empty….stop what you’re doing. Stop in the name of Love – and get with Love, get with Jesus.

Blessings and Happy Happy Valentine's Day!

Making Peace with Imperfection

Ok, I admit it. I want a perfect world. I find myself secretly battling my expectation for the world to adhere to 'life according to Amanda's values and preferences.' 'I wouldn't have done it like that,' and 'this is great except..." are statements I hear reverberating in my mind...far...too...often. But this morning I was hit right between the eyes with this...

"Whenever we are attached to having something a certain way, better than it already is, we are, almost by definition, engaged in a losing battle. Rather than being content and grateful for what we have, we are focused on what's wrong with something and need to fix it. When we are zeroed in on what's wrong, it implies that we are dissatisfied, discontent."

This morning, I am desperate to begin the journey toward making peace with imperfection. To choose content and satisfied over irritated and negative. To intentionally see the beauty in the way things already are, to relish every blessing, to notice every good thing, to experience a life that is more full of joy because it is not concerned with always diagnosing the problem.

Even as I write these words, I'm reminded of my own imperfections, my own limitations, and all the ways that, to those around me, I don't and never will measure up...and I find myself so thankful that I serve a God who embraces me anyway, who bears with me through them, and who uses them for His glory.

 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 

2 Corinthians 9-11

My prayer today is that we would have the courage and the self control to make peace with imperfections...the ones that we see around us as well as those we feel within us. Oh God, help us to grant the world the grace you have extended...and to be content with who we are - just perfect in our grace-covered imperfections.

Blessings!

Putting DOWN our Dukes: Exodus' Compelling Argument for Why Believers Should Stop Retaliating

I must admit something to you: I don't like being taken advantage of, or abused, or used. I know, you're thinking, 'Who does?' The confession is that one of my biggest challenges as a believer, a representative of our Great God, is maintaining self-control in the face of what I perceive as attack of this sort. It's so easy to succumb to that feeling of emotional charge, defensiveness, and to let it compel us to do something reckless, and sinful - like completely unleashing verbal abuse on someone or slanderous, poisonous gossip and the like.


We think we create these defense mechanisms to protect our hearts, our egos, and our reputations. When someone throws a punch - be it a snarky remark, a dig at our professional reputations or whatever it may be - the biggest temptation is to don those sparring gloves and give it right back to the opponent. It seems like the most justified and rational response at that moment. Right? However, in studying the opening chapters of Exodus this week, I noticed something that made me look at this response a little differently.

Retaliate or Repair?

In Chapter 7 of Exodus, YHWH (God's formal name in Hebrew) begins to exact - via Moses - a number of plagues on the unbelieving, unrelenting Egyptian Pharaoh, who is ruthlessly enslaving the Israelite people. In response to the first sign given to him (Exodus 7:10-11) Pharaoh calls together his counsel of wise men and sorcerers and magicians, who are able to replicate it with seeming ease.


This pattern continues. Egypt's primary and precious water source, the Nile, is made like blood, having to be filtered out in order to be drinkable (Exodus 7:20-24). In response to this terrifying act, "the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts" (Exodus 7:22). Again when frogs begin to swarm the land, "the magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs com up on the land of Egypt" (Exodus 8:7). These problems were really serious. Drinking water attacked; frogs filling up every home and road and public place. And their response is to copy it. Call me crazy, but it seems like this is an irrational response. Certainly it is self-serving. There is a nation of terrified, suffering people. As far as Egypt knew, they had the skill set to potentially improve or resolve these issues, to help their people, to heal their land. But instead, they chose the road of retaliation.

Someone once told me that negativity is thrown around like a little invisible ball of energy. Once someone throws it at you, it eats at you unless you throw it back out at someone else - that it's the only thing that can relieve you. But I would argue that this short-lived 'relief' leaves an awful lot of collateral damage. Rather than resolving the ultimate issues, we are only creating a larger wake - more tension, more stress, more negativity. When you think about how unproductive the labor of these magicians really was - and think about how similar it is to our reactions to altercations in life - it really does shine some light on how fruitless and irrational it all really is. Let's be different than these guys. Because as we'll see - you can't win 'em all with this method.

You Can't Win 'Em All

By plague number three, the magicians come up against a plague they simply can't replicate: lice (Exodus 8:18). Two plagues had passed and they still hadn't learned that this method was not helping anyone! And now they were faced with a challenge they couldn't overcome. Guess what? Maybe you've succeeded in putting people in their place in your family or in friendships. Perhaps your quick wit and retaliation skills have served you well with most people. But eventually, you will encounter someone that will outmatch you. Maybe it will be someone in authority, maybe it will be a large entity that is unaffected by your angry response.


Today I read a letter posted online from a man who had been issued a 'cease and desist' letter for the use of one of their drink names on his menu. The name was honestly merely similar and not exact; it was a small business that could never have really done any real damage to the business of Starbucks - he wasn't even selling a coffee drink! Instead of just simply changing the name, though, he responded with a punchy letter and a $6 check, paying sarcastically the entity for the profit he'd made on the name. In the end, he still had to remove the drink name from his menu. And Starbucks didn't much care that he had sent that letter. In fact, they probably totally disregarded it. What good did that do? While many applauded this man for 'giving it to them,' I thought it was quite sad - his actions were, in truth, insignificant - a waste of time. People applauded sarcasm and slandered Starbucks. But nothing changed for the better. Eventually, if this is your modus operandi, you will find that it doesn't always work, and it certainly doesn't always make you feel better and that no real good ever comes from it. It's like Solomon says, "striving against he wind."

The Great Divide

Another detail that must be a consideration in this whole episode between the Egyptians and the Israelites and their powerful God (who is ours too!) is the reason they were being targeted in the first place. In Exodus 7:5 God makes is pretty clear what he is up to: "The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." He could have just removed the Israelites from Egypt at any time - but He wanted to do more than that - He wanted to reveal Himself to them, and show them the distinction and privilege of being a people who love Him.


By plague number four we see that the Lord begins to specifically target Egyptian homes and not those of the Hebrews living in Egypt:


I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians, will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. I will put a division between My people and your people. (Exodus 8:21-23)


Beloved, when the Lord God enters into covenant with us through our belief in Jesus Christ, we go from one corner - that of the bondage and self-sufficiency represented by Egypt - to God's side - one that includes provision, protection, and promise. God once told Israel that there was nothing special about them that warranted His redeeming them. He did it that the world would know what He could do and provide, that He might be glorified. We certainly don't deserve God's protection, His redemption. There is nothing, really, that separates us from those we perceive as most sinful - EXCEPT God's sweet grace poured out at Calvary. Let that be a reminder to us to be grateful every day for the privilege of being one of His chosen - to remember that instead of chaos and confusion, we enjoy peace. Instead of an unsecured future, we have sturdy foundation, a future, and a hope. Knowing all that should cause us to live to bring glory to His name, to sing His praises, to tell His story, to live by His principles. And that means, as hard as it is sometimes, not resorting to the methods of the losing team, and instead, being patient, kind and resilient in the face of ugliness - and remembering just Who's "got your six."

Who's Side are You On? 

Let me share with you one final bit of information I discovered in Exodus about God's team. In chapter 6, there is a genealogy inserted that, at first glance, seems to have little significance to us. But when the book you're reading is titled Names (that's what Sh'mot, the Hebrew name for Exodus means) then you can bet that the names in that book are of particular relevance.


These are the heads of their fathers' households. The sons of Reuben, Israel's first-born: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. Exodus 6:14


This verse alone tells us a great deal about ourselves, when we look at the meanings of these Hebrew names:

"Reuben" --> Behold! A son! (the first born of Jacob, later renamed Israel)

"Hanoch" --> Dedicated

"Pallu" --> Distinguished

"Hezron" --> Surrounded by a wall (fortified)

"Karmi" --> My Vineyard

If I put these names together, they tell us just who Israel - and you and I - are to God. From God's firstborn son, who is Jesus Christ, come a people - they are dedicated to His cause, they are distinguished, set apart, holy. They are fortified by God because they are His special vineyard, created to bear, acts, according to that holiness.

Sweet friends, this must be our agenda, our identity. We must remember who's corner we are in. Ultimately, the fight in Exodus was not between Israel and Egypt. It was between God and Egypt. When we encounter tough interpersonal situations, let's remember that the battle isn't really ours either. But the choice is. We can choose to resort to futile and fruitless enemy tactics, or we can remember who we are, remember our call, and choose a better response, instead of a careless, sinful reaction. We can love, we can be patient, we can forgive - and create a win for Christ.

Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but give a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 

1 Peter 3:9

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 3:35

Praying blessings over you in this New Year - Make it count, stay in the battle - with open hands full of mercy and praise for our remarkable God, not fists full of anger.


See you in 2014!

Vantage Points

This past week I had the delight and privilege of performing in one of our church's Children's Ministry productions that retells the Christmas story through hilarious videos, a huge cast of puppets and amazingly talented young dancers who serve as our children's worship team. In the midst of memorizing lines and late night rehearsals followed by an onslaught of seven performances in addition to my already very hectic holiday season and work load, I was struck with a thought.

The character I played in the show was discovering, at a rather remedial pace, the story of Christ's birth. In the apex of the show, she finally pieces together all the elements - Mary was told she would conceive a son, shepherds saw angels who proclaimed the birth of the Messiah, a star led wise men to the newborn King of Kings. Often, it is in moments that I'm in the middle of teaching that unbeknownst to the listener God is actually teaching me. This was one of those occasions. I stood in the spotlight recounting the details before the crowd and suddenly realized something: not one of the parties involved on that fateful night in our salvation history had the luxury of the full picture of the events!

Maybe that seems rather obvious, but think about it: The wise men only knew they needed to follow a star, the shepherds only heard the angels proclaiming Messiah, Mary stored up the beautiful prophecies pronounced about her son in amazement. Each had his or her own compartmentalized role, knowing nothing of the many and miraculous others. It was not until much later that all of those parties came together in a linear story for us to enjoy and recount.

So often in life, we want the whole scoop from God regarding our own circumstances, don't we? We want to know what He's doing and every move He's making on our behalf. We get so frustrated because we can't see everything that's going on and so we often mistake that limited vision for inactivity on our Lord's part. We throw up our hands in impatience and frustration because we feel entitled to have the knowlege of the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, and even the camel if it can make us feel like we're somewhat in control! All the while, the Lord longs to remind us that, far from the main point of the story, it's simply not all about us. We tend to look to ourselves as the heros and heroines of the plot, while truthfully, our role is to use our vantage point to draw near and command attention to something - or rather Someone - else.

What a beautiful reminder the story of our Savior's birth is, that we don't have to have all the details, we don't have to be burdened by those things - that our imperfection and poor timing don't keep us from God's best for us. Our Father can orchestrate the story perfectly with each of us right where he or she is, and we need only a faith-filled and willing heart, not the inside track. Notice, despite all they didn't know, all those men and women of the Nativity ended up right where they were supposed to in that story: on their knees before the Savior. And that is where you and I are being called as well, sweet friends.

During this season of remembrance, can we let our hearts be humbled? Let's allow this time of celebration to remind us that we need only keep our focus on Yeshua, Jesus. We don't have to keep the story of our lives going. God is moving, He is working, He has not forgotten about the tiniest of details, and His timing is just right. I pray that as you wait, as you dream, as you walk, as you live out your faith, that this small reminder brings the sweet blessing of releasing your grip and instead raising your hands in praise. After all, God is with us!

Blessings to you and yours from the Tadlocks!

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6