Rich Young Ruler

I love that there’s no “one size fits all” answer with God. I don’t believe we are instructed to turn the other cheek for everyone nor are we to call everyone a “white washed tomb” as Jesus did to the Pharisees. When I run to God and ask how to love well, sometimes He tells me to say or do something immediately. Other times I’m instructed to just listen and validate feelings. In some circumstances, God tells me it’s best for us both if I love people from a distance in a prayerful way. 

A Relational approach to life involves learning how to receive clarity from God about how we best support other people’s learning curve. Many times this looks like stepping back and allowing our loved ones to experience hurt and pain as a result of their own immature decisions and rigid beliefs so they will seek God.

Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler in Luke 18 is a good example of this principle. This ruler had worked hard to follow all the commandments since he was a young boy. The account leads us to believe he was serious about his relationship with God. He had put time, effort, and energy into following the guidelines set out by the religious establishment. But even after being a model pupil, this ruler recognized the religious system could not assure him of God’s acceptance.

The ruler heard about a new teacher named Jesus and sought him out to ask him the burning question of how to achieve eternal life. I find Jesus’ response fascinating. The first thing he did was to challenge the ruler on the issue of Jesus’ credentials. When people are not ready to hear God’s answer to their question, they go shopping. Hearing something they don’t like from one source, people often rationalize and discount the source, then go searching for another opinion. I wonder how many “good teachers” this ruler had approached with this question. Jesus immediately established the fact that only God alone is the “good teacher” and if we ask God a question, we need to be open to hearing and receiving His truthful answers.

Jesus led the ruler to the heart of the matter by exposing his flawed life strategy. The ruler had been taught to keep every single commandment, assuring him he would receive God’s approval. Jesus points out that knowing information and blindly following rules never results in knowing God or others intimately. God’s strategy for our life is based on inner heart attitude rather than outward obedience. Jesus told the ruler to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, then leave home and come travel with him as a disciple. Luke 18:23 says the ruler sadly turned away. Unlike following a straight-forward set of commandments, Jesus’ words necessitates wrestling with heartfelt sacrifice as well as external cost.

Humankind has developed a hierarchy that relies on wealth, rules, status, etc. to bestow worth and value. God tells us,

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (I Samuel 16:7 NIV)

We set up rules and systems that make it possible for people to build their own Tower of Babel and reach up to God. But we are fooling ourselves because God always talks about heart attitude, intent, motivation, and character -- and those things can never be achieved by simply obeying commandments.

The rich young ruler was saddened that the cost of being with God meant bankrupting himself financially in the present life. The life strategy he was taught caused him to ask Jesus the wrong question. Rather than seeking to know what hoops he needed to jump through to get the prize, he should have been asking how to draw closer to God’s heart. Viewing the world from God’s heart changes our perspective on everything.

I want to believe this ruler eventually sold all he had and went to follow Jesus. I hope this encounter with Jesus caused the ruler to come to the Apostle Peter’s belief that only Jesus has the words of life. Transformation of our humanistic life strategy brings us into the presence of the Almighty God, a gift that trumps all earthly treasures. But maybe all he could see was what he would give up and he learned how to shut off his disappointment so he could continue living by the rules.

I do acknowledge the rich young ruler was apparently living a very good lifestyle, making it easier to focus on the positive. That’s not the case for most of the people coming into my office. They tell me stories of hurt and heartache that has or is presently happening to them or to people they love. Everyone on this planet hopes for a quick solution that will stop pain and head them toward happiness. No matter which position you are in, the Bible is clear that the price of healing is truthfully seeking out all the self-protective ways that separate us from the love of God.

John 8:32 promises that God’s truth will set us free when we commit to a lifestyle of asking hard questions and sitting in painful feelings. Truth is not a scientific conclusion arrived at by examination of data. It cannot be separated from the person of God.

Excerpt: From the Other Side of the Couch by Judy Lair, LPCC

Eugenics Alive and Well in Democratic Party's Best Friend, Planned Parenthood

 

19 Weeks

How Can We Continue to Turn Away?

A close friend of mine witnessed a miracle last year. His wife delivered a baby at 20 weeks. As I write this post, that baby is 10 months old and thriving in every way. The picture at the top of the page is of a baby born at 19 weeks. The most recent undercover video by The Center for Medical Progress shows a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the desire to fill a requisition for 120 intact babies between the ages of 18 and 22 weeks for the purpose of harvesting their organs and other tissue. Maybe you think I'm exaggerating or have the story wrong. Maybe you think her words were taken out of context. Maybe you think there was some trick editing. See for yourself, and you decide.

Is it possible that there are sane individuals in our women's health clinics who are making a profit from the harvesting of body parts from babies aborted at a stage of life when they are VIABLE?

Here is what our President had to say about the practice of dehumanizing groups of humans, killing them, and then harvesting their body parts:

President Barack Obama told a group of young African leaders on Monday that harvesting organs from humans that are killed as part of an African ritual was “craziness” and a “cruel” tradition that needed to stop. He warned of dehumanizing marginal groups of humans and of the problems that arise when “you are not able to see someone else as a human being.”

Again, listen to the question that is posed to the President, and then listen to his answer. Watch the entire video if you like, but the critical part starts at minute 48.

 You see, he gets it when it is about killing albino people in Africa and harvesting their remains for a ritual, but somehow fails to see how his words would apply to killing defenseless babies who are viable, and harvesting their parts for profit. How can someone so intelligent fail to see how crazy his words must seem when the reason for killing these babies is almost always the convenience of the mother, the pressure of parents, or the insistence of the sperm donor or others. How can he fail to see that the cruelty to a little baby is just as horrific if not more so. How can he fail to see that it is barbaric to profit from the use of these little babies body parts in any way - not in the abortion, nor in the sale of body parts.

Hillary Clinton says that the videos were "disturbing." Then she stand up and gives full support to her old friends and contributors at Planned Parenthood. And who are these heartless humans who run a butchery for human flesh. It is unsurprising that this organization is so inhumane and amoral. The founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, established the founding principles of the organization almost a century ago. Those founding principles were the same eugenic ideas that caused millions to March for the Third Reich - the desire to purify the human race of those who were not quite as perfect as the Margaret Sangers of the world thought they should be. And she would know best, just as Hitler would know best, which humans should be left out of the gene pool.

In “Pivot of Civilization,” Sanger penned her thoughts regarding immigrants, the poor, and the error of philanthropy. Sanger’s ideology of racial and social hygiene bleeds through her writings on breeding an ideal human race:

They are…human weeds, reckless breeders, spawning… human beings who never should have been born.
Organized charity itself is the symptom of a malignant social disease…Instead of decreasing and aiming to eliminate the stocks [of people] that are most detrimental to the future of the race and the world, it tends to render them to a menacing degree dominant.

 So Christians seeking to follow Jesus by helping the poor are messing up Margaret Sanger's plans. Those efforts tend to increase human populations of those most detrimental to the future of the race.

Hillary and many of her followers hold Margaret Sanger up as some kind of a leading light. Hillary received the Margaret Sanger award, and had this to say when asked about her great appreciation for Margaret Sanger:

To exert a bit and paraphrase: She admires Thomas Jefferson, even though she deplored his unrepentant slave holding. Hillary admires Margaret Sanger even though she abhors her statement about eugenics. How can this intelligent woman juxtapose those two ideas. For Margaret Sanger, the motivation for reproductive rights, the pills, and abortion, was eugenics. The closer parallel would be to say that she admired Hitler, but found it distasteful that he wanted to clear out the master race of those he deemed less admirable. Margaret Sanger and her organization and those inspired by her have killed more babies than Hitler killed Jews...many times over. Hitler made lamp shades from the body part of the Jews. Planned Parenthood buys fancy cars and homes from the body parts of babies. 

What are we to do? Will we continue to watch our sitcoms and football games while this new breed of Sangerites attempt to rid the world of those who aren't as good as them? Will we continue to elect Presidents and Senators and Congressmen who use your tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood? In the face of the horror of these undercover videos, only two Democratic Senators voted to stop sending your money to this baby butcher. EVEN THOUGH the half billion dollars we now send to Planned Parenthood would have been used to fund other women's reproductive health facilities.

Thousands will protest on August 22, 2015. You could join me on that day in front of a clinic near you. The information about where the protests will occur is here: http://protestpp.com/protests/
Or you could at least add your comments below, Tweet out the passages that hit your heart, put this blog on Facebook, Linkedin, or other social media where you are active.

You could write your Senator or Congressman, send money to those who support life, including ACLJ.org. Talk about the issue with your friends. Take some action, large or small. Tell me in the comments what you have done or are going to do. This will help to motivate others into action. Please indicate in the comments the places where folks can go to help.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER, Part 2

Welcome Back to Middle-Earth for the Summer!

As a summer break for me and, I hope, a fun treat for you, I'm going to spend some time here excerpting from my last book, Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World of Middle-earth.

Helping someone else to the top.

Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World

by Jill Richardson

CHAPTER THREE

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER 

(GANDALF) Part 2

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

“What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them.

“Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them,“You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20.20-28).

What does James’ and John’s mom want? Why do you think she wants it? Do James and John agree with this request? How do you know? 

Why are the other disciples mad when they hear about this? 

How does Jesus say people in power usually act? Why do you think they act like this? 

Are you ever tempted to let people “see” that you’re a leader? Do you ever want to show off some position you have? Why? How does it make you feel? 

How do servants and slaves act? What is their job? What do you suppose they typically do in a day? 

Church people have created a name for the kind of leader Jesus is talking about here: a servant leader. What exactly is that? Well, it’s what He says: someone “in charge” who chooses not to act like an overbearing jerk but instead asks other people, “How can I help you?” “How can I make your job better?” “How can I make sure you get credit for a job well done?”

That’s the opposite of how we think. We think we have to make ourselves look good. We think if we don’t make it clear who’s in charge, no one will give us the credit we deserve. We think like the other ten disciples: “Hey! Who do James and John think they are to try to get top spot?”

Letting someone else shine brighter.

Do you know that Jesus, who, let’s face it, clearly has that top spot by a landslide, told His disciples they would do greater things than He did? He didn’t even try to keep all the glory to himself. He wanted it shared around. He wanted those who He taught to be able to shine brighter than He did. Why? Because the “big picture” mattered a lot more to Him than who got the credit. The point was to make sure as many people as possible heard about being saved and living for God. Jesus didn’t care who got the credit for that happening!

Gandalf knows that the big picture matters more than anything. Yes, the smaller picture of returning the Lonely Mountain to its rightful owners has to happen first. The reason, though, is that it’s part of the giant picture of returning all of Middle Earth to its rightful goodness. The dwarves’ adventure is part of the story, but it’s not the story. Individual glory has to take second place. (Thorin and Boromir never quite grasped that... and they died. A lesson to be learned there, I think.)

The best way to make any “big picture” plan happen, as both Gandalf and Jesus know, is to equip and encourage as many people as possible to do the job well, not to boss people around and always be in charge. Sometimes, we need to step out of the way and let other people do it. That might even mean being happy when someone else becomes the hero in the end.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

If you were in charge of a group, what would you do to act like a servant? How do you think it would work?

Write down a place where you are a leader, whether it’s in an official position of leadership or as a role model to someone. List some things you can do to become more like Jesus tells us to be and less like everyone expects us to be.

_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 

Bonus Question: What do you think it would look like if world leaders tried this radical idea?

Words to remember

“. . . not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” 

(1 Peter 5:3)

________________________________

Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World is a devotional using twenty J.R.R. Tolkien characters. It looks at what makes those characters who they are, where Scripture talks about the same kinds of people, and what it all means to a young person today. Interactive application and fun side additions included!  

 If you would like to find the book for yourself or a teen/young adult you love, you can purchase it here:

Paper Copy

Kindle

Whenever I'm Afraid

The alternative to living in fear.

When signing a copy of my novel, I include this under my name:

Ps 32:7. It represents a line of code my transhuman protagonist utilizes to protect himself. He soon discovers it’s something more—a verse from the Psalms. One Psalm leads to another, and a hidden computer program emerges.

                                                       

Of course, programming a transhuman was not God’s plan when He inspired the writers of the Psalms. But it provides an interesting plot twist. My character, Chase Sterling, needs a word from God after the dramatic reboot of his life leaves him in the clutches of hopeless fear. Though at first he doesn’t fully understand it, the verse speaks to him.

 You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of  deliverance.  Psalm 32:7

It speaks to me as well. David wrote this Psalm when he experienced true repentance. He perceived the evil inside him and confessed it before God. He accepted forgiveness and rejoiced in God’s mercy. God was his hiding place, the One who protected and delivered him. David wasn’t only set free from guilt and shame, he was established under God’s defense. The same mercy covers me and all who are redeemed.

 The Bible has much to offer on the subject of fear—the good kind and the bad. Good fear isn’t necessarily the kind that teaches a child not to touch a flame. That’s healthy fear. It’s what keeps us from walking into traffic. From standing too close to the edge of a cliff. From playing with fire—literally and figuratively. But from a Biblical view, good fear means fearing God. It can be categorized as awe, respect, and reverence. While these responses to God’s character are appropriate, there’s something about the nature of God I find terrifying. I realize His great power. He can do with me as He pleases, as His wrath demands. Since I’ve come under the protection of His grace, I no longer fear His wrath. However, as His child I do consider His discipline. Not that I’m paralyzed by thoughts of what He might to do to me. He’s a loving Father. But a note of warning to those who deny the message of the Gospel—be very afraid.

 But I shall show you whom you should fear; fear Him, who after He has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear Him! Luke 12:5

The bad kind of fear, whether suffered by the believer or the person giving no thought to God, is a stronghold of Satan. In its grip, there appears to be no hope. Sometimes my overactive imagination causes all kinds of fear to override my grounded-in-Christ stability. It’s the same terror filling the hearts and minds of everybody. We’re not so different in this. I worry like any wife, mother, daughter, or friend. I fear stupid things. Unrealistic things. Real things I can’t control. But then God reminds me I’m not lost to fear. And He comes  for me, bringing hope and promise.

 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

Many verses addressing fear seem to give a direct command: Fear not. But how can a fearful person just stop being afraid? Somebody has to come up with a better alternative. The simple words of Jesus offer such an option.

Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36

No, it’s not that easy. It can only happen by the power of the greatly feared, perfectly loving God.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear… I John 4:18

In my second novel, the story of the transhuman with a code from the Psalms in his techno-brain continues. Chase struggles to let go of his fear. He finds a verse inscribed in an odd place, ponders it, and believes it. And so I’ll sign the next book with this under my name: Ps 56:3. It’s not a code—just an assurance that while fear may torment us, it doesn’t have to define us.

                   Whenever I’m afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3

Marching As To War, With The Cross Of Jesus

Last week, in "Onward Christian Soldiers," I posted some reflections on the role of Christians in the armed forces. Here are a few more reflections.

Can a senior military officer truly follow Jesus and still be an efficient and effective soldier? An emphatic “yes” is the answer from Major General Tim Cross of the British Army, addressing a conference of the Association of Military Christian Fellowships in Warsaw some years ago.

He lays down five guiding principles for the officer seeking to follow Jesus. And he gives an answer to the question: in war, whose side is God on?

It’s a fascinating address. At this time of conflict and confrontation it deserves a wider audience (though, sadly, no longer appears to be online).

The five principles:

1. God didn’t send a committee. He sent a human leader, who had a team of twelve, one of whom was a failure. So it’s crucial that someone be in charge, with authority and responsibility. “You can’t lead by committee – the buck stops with you, the leader.”

2. Jesus was a leader who served:

Don’t cling to positions of authority, title, status or shoulder power; rather live with and live through the lives of your people. In doing so, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with the British officers in the Falklands who arrived in Port Stanley cold, dirty and tired, having fought alongside their men, and not with the Argentinean officers who set themselves apart, and surrendered clean, well fed and rested: and you will stand alongside those British officers and non-commissioned officers who, without any orders, appeared at all times of the day and night to help the refugees in Blace and Brazde in Northern Macedonia, giving their time, food and energy unselfishly.

3. Jesus was a leader who developed the gifts of others. He built up self-belief in all He came into contact with.

4. Don’t stand aloof from your people. Communicate with them. Listen and consult. Jesus didn’t operate from an office.

5. Confront evil and sin, and do so head on. Evil is ever-present. So condemn the sin, but not the sinner:

This fifth principle, best summed up perhaps in the word “love,” applies to our enemies too. “Love your enemies” is not a pacifist message, but it does lie at the very heart of the Geneva Convention.

If you can do this, then you will stand alongside those who achieved such great things in the Falklands but also then made the decisions not to shell the retreating Argentineans around Port Stanley; with those who achieved so much in the Gulf War, but then ensured that British vehicles, food and water were made available to the captured Iraqi prisoners of war; with those who today ensure equality of treatment in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and in Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and East Timor. 

And you will stand separate from those who were in My Lai in Vietnam, or slaughtered women and children and wounded soldiers in the Far East and Europe in World War II, or ethnically cleansed the villages and towns throughout Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. This is what separates out the true Christian leader. Difficult? Yes, of course it is, but in following the example of Jesus Christ you can be inspired to stand firm against evil and achieve great things.

We should applaud the fact that we have such leaders in our military, and praise God that we have such a Servant King who inspires them.

Finally, in warfare, whose side is God on?

In the words of Major General Cross:

Too often we expect God to be on our side. But that is not the real issue. It is not a matter of whose side God is on in warfare, or any other aspect of life. The real question is not, “Whose side is God on?” but, “Are we on God’s side?” 

BE CAREFUL WHICH EXIT YOU TAKE

Everybody in this world is on a journey  

I was on the highway the other day, going home from a doctor’s visit. The exit off the highway that will take me home was further divided into two. This meant, off the highway, I had to make a choice. Which way should I go? I could go either to the left or to the right. Of course these two sub-exits lead to different destinations, and only one would lead me home. I went right; the driver behind me went left. What if the driver who went left really wanted to go to my house or to my neighborhood, would that left exit get him to that intended destination? No!

Everybody in this world is on a journey, going somewhere. There are at least three groups of people on this journey, and there are two destinations to choose from. 

The people in the first group know where they are going, and know how to get there. They are sure they are on the right road, and are going in the right direction, and even know what to expect at their destination.

The people in the second group have no idea where they are going or where they’d like to go, and so how they get there does not seem to be a concern; they seem to be saying, “Any destination is good enough.” The truth is, these people will be very surprised, terrified, and disappointed when they arrive at their unplanned destination. The destination at the end of their journey will not be anything they’d like to identify with. But unfortunately, they’ll not be able to turn around, or go in a different direction. That destination will be their home forever.

Those in the third group on the other hand, know where they want to go, but don’t know how to get there. Yet they assume and claim that they are already on the right path. The people in this group need to be redirected. Desiring to arrive at a particular destination will not get you there if you take the wrong road or wrong exit. The destination at the end of the road you are on is where you’ll end up, whether or not it was your intended destination. Some of the people in this group will accept re-direction, but the others won’t.  

So let’s break it down this way. The people in the first group are people who hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and understand that Jesus died in their place. They confess their sins to God, and accept His forgiveness through Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for their sins. This group is walking by faith in Jesus, and using the Bible as their road-map to get to their destination out of this world – heaven. At their destination, they know without a doubt that they will see Jesus face to face and live with Him forever. I thank God I am a member of this group. His promises to us include: mansions, good health (no sickness), and eternal life (no death). Humanly speaking, heaven is an indescribable place (See 2 Corinthians 12:2-4). This is how the Bible describes it, “Now the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

The people in the second group don’t think God exists. They think when they die, it is over; there is nothing after death. Wrong! They argue about the concept that there is life after death, therefore, they live to please themselves, they are a law unto themselves, and they like to keep it that way. According to the Bible though, their conscience tells them differently, because God’s law is written in their hearts (see Romans 2:15).

The people in the third group believe God exists, they believe there is life after death, and they’d like to go to heaven. So far so good, but which route are they on; which exit are they taking? This group is travelling in the wrong direction; I’m sure you’re wondering, “How so?” Well, their beliefs are inconsistent with biblical teachings. For instance, some of them believe there are other ways to get to heaven, which there are not, according to the Bible. Others in this group believe Jesus is not the only way to heaven, they cite other deities. However, the bible clearly says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV84). Jesus himself told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 Niv84). Furthermore, they also believe they are good people doing good deeds, and that should qualify them to get into heaven. The Bible addresses that position as well, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV84).

Which of these groups do you identify with? Which road are you on, and which exit are you taking? Do you need to be redirected? The Bible is the Word of God, and God does not lie. If whatever you believe or think does not line up with what the Bible says, you need to rethink your stand and position. Get on the right path and go in the right direction, by placing your faith in Jesus, the Son of God who died in your place.

Jesus is your only hope for eternal life! Arguing about your position isn’t going to change God’s mind. The Bible says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life…There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18 NLT2013). Place your faith in Jesus today and be saved! 

From Disconnection to Congruency

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mohandes Gandhi

Music moves hearts and brings people together. I hummed and babbled before I could form words. Heaven’s music has always resided in my soul. Thanksgiving and praises rise to God for the food I eat, pillow to sleep on, and the unshakeable knowledge of being loved as an amazing creation. 

God gifted me with an ear for harmony. The intricacies of maneuvering around the melody in a beautiful dance captures hearts, bringing all who hear to the author of love. God has created a unique song for each one of us—the soundtrack to our transformation journey from disconnection to congruency.

Sanctification is the process of allowing God to show us the areas of our life that need to be confessed, grieved, changed, and healed. The goal of sanctification is to divest ourselves of anything which keeps us from living out who God created us to be. Only then will we be able to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, strength and to truly love our neighbor.

Focusing on the wrong goal results in a larger gap between our talk and our walk. The harder I tried on my own to match my head, heart, tongue, feet, and hands, the more I failed. I was trying to change my behavior when God wanted to change my heart.

A transformative heart change comes about when we see ourselves through God’s eyes. He sees us as beautiful, valuable, desirable—his masterpiece. Seeing myself through this lens ignited my passion to live such qualities out in the flesh. Instead of struggling to do, think, and say everything I thought God expected, I was now excited to share me as God’s beautiful creation with the world. That vision gave strength and courage to press into the sanctification process. For me, that process has been learning how to listen and live out the tune in my heart which fits in perfect harmony with God’s loving melody.

The Masterpiece of Life

Stumbling fingers, like tumbling words.

Searching for just the right note.

Eyes on the music, hands on the keys.

Playing melodies that someone else wrote.

Hesitant steps, like tentative rhythms.

Unsure of the path I should tread.

Defeated by doubt and shackled by shame,

Simply following the footsteps ahead.

Yet today as I played, a tune did emerge.

It’s melodious strain fresh and new.

Although it was simple in comparison to most,

My heart soared for each note rang out true.

If able I am to pen a new song,

Is it possible to blaze a new trail?

To shed habits of old, what a difficult chore!

But God’s intended creation would be unveiled.

A musical masterpiece in a day is not written,

So I guess neither is a new life so made.

Playing one note at a time,

Living each day on its own.

The framework for my new symphony is laid.

Photo used by permission from Creative Commons (Informationaction.com)