Grace for the Big Stuff

The big stuff. You know what big stuff is. It’s whatever is consuming your thoughts right now and causing disturbance in your life. Big stuff can be good and cause good disturbances, but it can be bad and make a nasty splash in your otherwise calm life. Whatever your big stuff is, there is grace for it.

There is grace to help you learn how to play setter in volleyball, and there is grace to help you break free from past regrets and the grip of shameful memories. Grace is a broad concept covering everything from making margin in your life for the good little things to weeding out the very big, very bad things. This grace is not here to drag you in front of what you’ve done and shame you for it; it’s here to gently show you how much more comfortable you will be living in God’s clean, holy space. When life, temptation, sin, loneliness, depression, abuse, or, if we’re really honest, anything makes a mess you can’t clean up, it causes pain and hurt and makes the problem worse. This sound familiar to anyone? My guess is that everyone reading this understands what I’m talking about in some way or another.

Some of you will have gone through depression which takes you to such a low place you can’t do anything, no matter how hard you try. Some of you have been stuck watching porn and are hoping and praying I can’t actually read your mind right now. Some of you are battling same-sex attraction and wondering what the big deal with it is and why it’s causing such a big stink in the church anyway. Some of you are stressed or lonely and can’t figure out how to deal with it. Some of you are just wondering why Jesus feels so distant. All of you somewhere deep down inside are struggling with something, whether you know it or not. God sees it and he knows it, and, you guess it, he has plenty of grace spilling over the brim for you! The only thing you have to do to is accept it. Live in his love, and live graced.

Because we’re all completely broken and in need of grace and God knows this, he made sure to include a passage or two to help pick us up in our time of need. For the big stuff, those problems that seem insurmountable, we have a God who conquered the most insurmountable problem of all. He leapt straight over death itself

Responsibility

Two school shootings have made headlines recently, and they have sparked on more talk and interest in the whole gun debate. Before I get started, I’d like to say to anyone who has lost a loved one in gun violence that I am so, so sorry. I cannot imagine how much pain that must bring, and what a horrible thing it was that happened. Please know that my prayers are for you and I do not wish that horrible type of event on anyone. With that said I must move on, though, sadly, I could sit here and write a eulogy for hours.

For as long as I can remember paying attention to what people were saying about this debate, I have heard two basic, consistent sides of the argument: guns are ok and can even be helpful, or guns are bad and should be banned. Before I get further and waste your time, I will tell you that I am of the former view, so if you don’t like hearing other’s opinions or are easily offended, this post may not be for you. Those who wish to keep reading, thank you. At the roots of these two sides is the question of whether or not guns are bad, and, to be honest, this is a rather silly question. Guns are inanimate objects that have no sovereign will over themselves. They cannot choose whether to do this or that, they cannot choose what or when to shoot, and they certainly cannot choose who’s hands they fall into. It’s the people behind the guns that do bad things. Let’s put it like this: if a person gets sick from eating too many cookies, who’s fault is it? Is it the cookie, or the person’s? Did the flour decide it wanted to get out of the pantry, mix itself with eggs and sugar, and bake itself? Did the sinister freshly baked cookies plot to wait until the person fell asleep so they could sneakily climb into their mouth and make them sick? No! It is the person, and solely the person, who decided to make the cookies and eat too many. No cookie walked into their mouth on their own. No other person shoved it down their throat. When applying this logic to guns, it is easy to see who is responsible.

People are inclined to evil. God brought us into this world as neutral, but we, as humans, chose evil over God’s good. Humans, as part of the fallen race, choose evil. Without God we are lost and broken and choose to do wrong, hurtful things all the time. Gun violence is no different. If a gun were to be on a shelf, it would sit there not moving until it rusted and fell apart. Think of Newton’s law of motion: an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Guns do not hurt people. People hurt people, and, tragically, a common tool they use is guns.

So why don’t we just ban all guns and then all of us can live free from violence and be happy? Sounds great, huh? But, banning guns will do absolutely nothing. How many guns are out there in this world? Thousands? Millions? A lot. No one can regulate them all, and even though the government may look strong and powerful, they cannot know every little detail of every person’s life. Ever. So does that mean they could miss guns? Oh yes!! Not to mention all the guns sold on the black market…the only problem banning guns would solve is, well, it wouldn’t solve any problem, it would create one. It would take guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens rendering them with little defense against someone who has illegally bought a gun on the black market and decided to use it for evil.

What can we do about it? “Walking out” of school will do little, if not nothing beyond selfishly drawing attention to yourself. It proves nothing and changes nothing. It’s only accomplishment is raising awareness to others about gun violence–but what does mere awareness do in the long run anyway? Without a cure, we can be “aware” of cancer all we want and still have no way to save a sick patient. The only thing that will change anything in our broken world is God’s love. As I said earlier, all people are inclined to evil. Our very hearts (where every one of our thoughts and actions originate according to Proverbs 4:23) are inclined to evil (see Genesis 2-3 where it talks about the fall). Therefore, there is nothing we can do on our own to change that or to change others, but there is hope. God changes hearts with his love and mercy. He softens people and shows them the hope and life he offers, even while we live in a world of believable lies. Hurt people hurt people, but God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). So our first course of action is not to stand or walk away, but to do get down on our knees and pray. When we have supplicated to God, he will give us the Spirit’s power to change lives. Then, and only then, will our world change, and this violence and evil will decrease.

By Your Side

Have you ever been laying on your bed late at night lost in a river of thought and realized you really missed someone in that moment? Sometimes, it’s a person you saw recently, maybe even earlier that day, but despite how long it’s been since you saw that person, you still miss them terribly. That happens to me quite often. I’ll realize I haven’t seen an old friend in years, or think about how, even though I go to school with my best friend, we barely said anything more than a few greetings and had a short casual conversation. I start to realize I miss those people and want to see them now. In that moment, the people you miss seem so far away, even if they only live two minutes down the street.

Often, I fit God into this same category of friend. I tend to think about him like a person who I have to get up and go see or give them a call and invite them over. It seems like I have to wait for both of our schedules to be clear at the same moment to talk and spend time with him, but here’s what I forget: God is everywhere in everything. Stick with me now, because this is a really strange concept. When God says he’s “with you wherever you go” in Joshua 1:9, he means it literally. Are you going to the store to get some groceries? God’s coming too. Are you sitting at home reading your favorite book again…for the fifth time? God is right there next to you just waiting for you to flip the page and cry when your favorite character dies. Just because we cannot see him does not mean he’s not there. It’s like Harry Potter and his awesome invisibility cloak…except a thousand times cooler! Jesus is the greatest friend you can ever have because he’ll always be there for you. When my friends say they’ll always be there for me, they really mean that they’ll be there whenever they can because they can’t physically be there all the time. When Jesus says he’ll always be there for you, he means it! He’s always ready to comfort you when something goes wrong and to celebrate when something goes perfectly right. Everyone needs a friend who’s always ready to protect them, comfort them, give them strength and encouragement, give them a nudge in the right direction, and lift them up when they’re down. Jesus is that friend.

Even in times where it feels nobody is with you, you can trust God to be there. We all go through hard times, though they look different for every one of us, and in those times it can feel like nobody–nobody can possibly see or understand or help. It can look like nobody is even there for you when you need them, but that’s not quite right. The truth is that most of the billions of people on this planet are not going to be there for you. Sometimes, not even one will be there because either they don’t see or don’t care about what’s going on. Other times, people can see you’re hurting, but they don’t know how deep or bad your situation is, so once they you smile for a minute, they thinks everything’s alright and dandy and ok to move on, but that’s not always true, is it? One person you can rely on, though, is Jesus, and he’s not necessarily limited to our small world. He’s everywhere at once, but he’s also right there beside you. The best part is He knows exactly what’s wrong and exactly how to help and comfort you. Psalm 139 says God has searched us and known us. He knows when you sit down and rise up, and he knows every one of your thoughts. He searches out your paths and knows every way you go, habit you have, and thing you do. Jesus even knows the words you are going to speak before you say them and the “days that were written for you” before we were even born. Come to think of it, he sounds a little like Sant Claus…but maybe less stalker-like XD.

Jesus cares so much about you that he takes the time to not only learn about you, but he also takes time to personally know you. He’s not like those Facebook “friends” who seem to think they know everything about you based on what they see on your profile page. Jesus is a genuine friend who wants to talk to you and know your thoughts and feelings. That sounds a little contradictory when I just said he already knows your thoughts and feelings, but it’s true that he already knows them and wants you to tell them to him. With my friends, I can tell when they’re having a rough day or really excited something. I already know why sometimes, but I still ask them to tell me about it anyway. Why? Because it gives them a chance to express their feelings, talk about them, and get another person involved with their life. I might get super excited or cry with my friend because of what she just told me. Jesus is like that. He already knows every single detail (that’s more than what any of us know), and he still wants you to tell him about your day, or how you’re feeling, or even what’s going on tomorrow. No matter what’s happening, he’s right there with you. If you’re feeling ashamed or guilty about something, he understands and will forgive you, then help you recover. If you’re really frustrated, tired, angry, hurting, sad, worn down, or upset, he’s right there ready to comfort and help. If you’re happy, excited, amazed, or joyful, he’s with you then, too. The Bible says there’s nowhere you can go where God isn’t (see Psalm 139), so you can always count on one friend being there for you in every moment of every day of every week of every…ok, you get the point. Even though it may not always feel like it, remember God is with you wherever you go.

Personally, it’s hard to remember this and trust God all the time. I can’t always seem to understand that he’s been in the exact same spot as me before, so he knows what I’m feeling. I’m not always willing to trust Him because I cannot see him, but slowly, every day, He gives me more and and more reason to trust him. Over time, I’ve crept closer and closer to believing that trusting the unseen One is far better than trusting anything I can see or touch. And every day he shows me how much I really can see him: in the beautiful sunrise, in the care and love from my family and friends, in lovely, delicate flowers and leaves, and most of all, in the person he’s made me to be. Maybe I’m not physically setting my eyes on God, but I can certainly “see” him through all he’s made. It’s like seeing a painting and knowing there was a painter who was probably happy because of all the bright colors he/she used. The more I “see” God, the more I know about him; and the more I know about him, the more I know I can trust him. If you’re having trouble seeing God, try praying and reading the Bible. I like to go to a pretty little park in my neighborhood and have a chat with God over a little snack. You can pray anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Talk to him like you would a best friend, and it will become less awkward every time you do it. Over time, you’ll find yourself trusting God more and more and coming to him first whenever you need help or have something good to share. The Bible can be a little more difficult to read than it is to pray, though, and can look boring at first, but I have found so many great devotions and not boring stories in the Bible you might enjoy. I’ll post about those another day, so keep you eye out ;). Don’t ever forget how much God loves you and cares for you, and that he’s always with you wherever and whenever you need him!

A bit of encouragement :)

Hey guys! Looks like it’s been since a while since my last post. I just thought I’d drop in with a bit of encouragement.

Earlier this year I memorized Psalm 23 not knowing how much it would come to mean to me. Every time since then I had a bad day it was going through a rough time, I could whisper this Psalm to myself and feel God’s comfort come over me. Today, I challenge you to memorize your favorite verses in scripture. Whenever you feel down, remind yourself of that verse and take comfort in the fact that God is always with you! Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!

Sweet 16

So here it goes…the big number “16”. This past Tuesday was my birthday, and I turned sixteen. I cannot believe it. All day I was telling myself, “you’re sixteen…you’re actually sixteen.”, because I just couldn’t get my mind wrapped around the notion. I had a really good day; my best birthday so far. It wasn’t huge or super me-centered, but so refreshing. I walked into school that day and my friend had brought me a little bouquet of my favorite flowers: white daisies and carnations. Throughout the day many people wished me a happy birthday, and my principal/teacher, Mrs. Smith, gave me a hug. I went through the day thinking about so many things and trying to wrap my mind around them all.

Along with the flowers, my best friend wrote me a letter. She claims she has no prowess with the art of writing, but she can sure make a girl cry when she’s putting her thoughts on paper. Basically, it took her two pages (ha! I would have taken twenty cuz I can be so wordy;) ) to say she didn’t really know what to do for me for my birthday because no gift could really show how much she cares. It was so sweet. (If you’re reading this…Thanks twin!) That got me thinking…(we’ll come back to this thought in a moment). Before Tuesday I had told her I didn’t really want anything for my birthday except to spend the day with the people I loved. Truly, deep down in me I knew I didn’t want anything, and still don’t. God has taught me to be content. So when she said she had no idea what to do, but wanted to do something amazing, I told her I didn’t really need anything like that. Sure the flowers were beautiful and much appreciated, but didn’t she care about me before the flowers? She didn’t care because she bought flowers; she bought flowers because she cares. Back to my thinking: isn’t this how our worship is to God? I spent the entire day pondering this on and off.

Of course I know my best friend cares about me, and the only way I know how much she cares about me is because I care so much about her. Now, this goes for my other friends and family too, but I’ll stick with her as the example because she was what started me on this train of thought. She was a bit down because she felt like nothing she could ever do—even if she had all the time and money in the world—could ever show me how much I mean to her. This is completely true. It goes the same for me: nothing I have done, can do, or will do can plainly spell out her value to me. The reason is because she is priceless. This is how our relationship with God is. He cares about each and every one of us so much that he himself gives each breath and heartbeat to us. He ensures that we get the food we need and are taken care of, and never abandons us when the deep waters get rough. God created everything, so nothing we can do will ever amount to any kind of gift that shows our love back to God. Like the little child proudly giving you gifts from your own jewelry box would be us giving gifts to our God. My five year old sister saw me open a couple presents and wanted to give to me too. She took one of the bags, walked into her room, and filled it with little stuffed animals, many of which were mine when I was younger. She was so proud of her gift and had no idea it was of so little physical worth. To me, though, her gifts were priceless. She choose, out of her love for me, to bring me the best gifts she had. My best friend realized she could never give me a gift that would show how much she cares, but she still got the best one she could find.

This, I thought, should be our attitude in worship. I have such a hard time with this myself, especially when it comes to singing and music. I’m not completely confident in my voice, and sometimes don’t like to lift it above the crowd to God because of the people around me. Though songs are a beautiful way to worship, they are not always my preferred method. I’d much rather sit with a brush in my hand and use the talent God gave me for watercolor and create something for his glory. Even though I’m pretty much just giving his little stuffed animals right back to him like my sister to me, I am offering all I can with what I do best.

Worship is offering your best to God because of what he has done for you. Jesus has saved you from all your sin, and rescued you from a life of, well, torture that separation from Him brings. Even though we have to give only what he already owns, we must take our very best and give it as a gift to God in worship. Our gifts, when given fully from our hearts, are priceless to Him. So next time you’re in church or listening to Hollyn on the radio, raise your voice. We’ll do it together. Next time you have an opportunity to use a gift for the glory of God, use it. If you are a teacher, teach truth; if you are a leader, lead with zeal; if you encourage, do so with abundant patience. Let God have your very best, and he shall give you his very best in return. God’s best is better than the best best you can imagine. Try it and see!

2 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.