Lion and Lambs

“Yes, God has given me the strength I prayed for.”

This quote from the movie, The Nativity Story has given me much encouragement and focus in the last few days. It was spoken by Mary(Keisha Castle-Hughes /Whale Rider), after she give birth to Jesus, and was in response to Joseph (Oscar Isaac) asking her if she was alright.

Two days ago I had an appointment with my neurologist, mostly as an update on my migraine stuff. He also ran me through the battery of neurological tests. He found that I had neurological changes and deficits, which are more pronounced on my right side. That was not encouraging.

Then that night I saw the movie and was captured by the above quote. I know the Lord will answer my prayers for strength, He always does, it is His promise. That is encouraging.

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. -Phil 4:13

Then I remembered a line from one of my favorite Christmas songs and it fits here so well:

“But I offer all I am, for the mercy of your plan. Help me be strong.” -Breathe of Heaven

Last night I was blessed to see a preview of The Nativity Story. First let me say how excited I am that this story is being shown on the big screen all across the nation, and secondly how excited I am that it was done so well. The set, the props, the actors, all looked very authentic. They were even careful to include the culture and traditions of the times. The storyline was very close to the bible, which of course pleased me because I was afraid it would get “Hollywoodized.” The few changes I did notice left me wondering what was their purpose, as it didn’t add anything to the flow of the movie.

There was an exchange in the movie that really set me to contemplation. Joseph and Mary are on their way to Bethlehem and they pass through an area with shepherds. One shepherd who invited them to share his fire, said to Mary that we each recieve a gift, her’s was what she was carrying inside her. She asked him what his gift was and he replied that he didn’t have one, only the HOPE of a gift. Of course that was Jesus. I speak of hope here so often that naturally it caught my attention. Our hope of salvation was fulfilled before we were even created, and now what we have is the hope of eternal life, in heaven, with Jesus. That leaves us with a reason to hope everyday, even when things like disease, death, finances, etc. try to rob us of it.

The director, Catherine Hardwicke, is quoted on the Nativity website saying, “…I hope audiences can relate to the film on a personal level and find some inspiration to get through their challenges and difficulties.” My inspiration was in the reality of how Mary was carrying the Son of God in her womb and yet things were not at all easy for her, or for her people. God could have done anything to make life simple for the mother of the King of Kings, and yet he allowed them to endure hardship so that we could relate and find our hope and encourgement in Him. No room for “yeah, but” in His story.

Yes, God can change any of our circumstances, make our life easy, but would that profit us or others within an eternal perspective? It is in the challenges that we have the opportunity to become more like Him.

Endurance is what pushes the athlete to achieve the next level. It’s what keeps the explorer trudging upward over the next mountain range. And endurance is what enables those who are suffering to face another setback, to take one more painful step forward, and to do so without losing heart.

-Dave Dravecky

Today is a definite setback day, a migraine in the making, and yes even walking is a problem, but my goal is to endure with hope. So for today, I will leave you with this quote, and I will reach up for the LORD to carry me through.

I am really being inspired/moved by reading Dave Dravecky’s newsletter. He follows his main article with “Keys to ” mini articles. The first Key to Endurance I read is Travel Light. He starts with this scripture:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. -Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Dave describes how marathon runners wear the absolute least possible to be covered, and even shave their heads sometimes, understanding that to get to the finish line requires endurance, and endurance simplicity. In explaining the need to throw off hindrances, like not trying to run our race in hiking boots, he showed me that although migraine disease is a burden, I don’t need to buckle under it’s weight. He states that in traveling lighter, we should “consider all our responsibilities and decide which ones were absolutely necessary and which ones could be eliminated. The problem was not in the merit or value of the responsibility, it was in who was carrying it.” Then as he continues to describe this woman in his example, he says how that “act made her uncomfortable because she didn’t like feeling inadequate or incapable of taking care of everyday normal tasks.” Underline, underline, underline.

He could have been writing about me! As a matter of fact, I read it to my mother and she said, “Wow, who does that sound like?” I get so frustrated with not being the person I used to be, or being able to do the things I used to do. I do feel so inadequate when people have to do things that I SHOULD be doing, or have to do things for me that normally would be so simple. And when I want to help with a service project or something and can’t….aaargh! Reflecting on Dave’s words though made me realize it is like saying, “No God, I’ve got this one, I can handle this,” when He has put people in place to help me along my road. That is simply pride, and after I say that enough times, I will find myself being crushed by my own independence. By handing it over to Him, God may or may not change the circumstances, but He will for sure change me.

I love the prayer He ends with, and have made it my own:

…Show me any areas of sin that entangle me and cause even greater pain than I’m already experiencing. Give me Your strength to carry what I must and Your grace to help me do it in a way that honors You. Amen

From the book Victorious Christian Living, by Alan Redpath:

“There is nothing–no circumstance, no trouble, no testing–that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment; but as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift my eyes up to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret, for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is.”

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving!

-W.T. Purkiser

Through a rough and depressed day, through many tears, God gave me a revelation for my difficult path, the one that migraine disease has caused me to follow.

First, listening to Casting Crowns singing the words from their song The Prodigal, “Daddy here I am again,” my heart was broken and I saw that my hands have been tightly clenched once again on the control of this disease. I hear Dad ask me to give Him my television watching, to let go of my hold on the TV as a symbolic gesture of letting go of my hold on the imagined control of the illness He has brought into my life.

Then I read Dave Dravecky’s newsletter, The Encourager, the edition on Endurance. After underlining most of the article, as it was really speaking to me, I stopped and reflected on the final sentence, “When we choose to fix our eyes on Him and trust Him for the strength to move forward, we are able to endure.” God was asking me to fix my eyes on Him and not on the TV.

So today I give Him my TV which is exceptionally hard because first of all, I like TV, but even more I LOVE Christmas specials. I even signed up to get digital cable just to get the maximum Christmas specials this season. Now I have canceled it. As one Christmas song says, “I won’t give Him anything that costs me nothing.” This gift will cost a lot, but I can never give Him more than He has and still does give me. I’ve given Him my television before, but always after Christmas. (He would understand you know)

Today I also give Him my illness. I give it to Him to do with as He wishes. Do I expect that since I am giving Him a costly gift He will heal me? Maybe not physically, I may even get worse, as migraine disease is a progressive disorder, but spiritually I know there will be healing – I will receive the strength to endure. If He chooses to heal me physically that will be an added blessing I don’t deserve.

In the words of Casting Crowns, “I’m letting go and holding out my hand.”

Okay, this is from another commercial, but it was very thought provoking, and it got me to blog again. This one said, “LIFE is full of IF.” Truthfully, how many times do we say this in a day? “What if?” “If only?” “If…”

The answer on the commercial was that we simplIFy our lives. I agree and in that we need to rest our minds, to focus on the LORD; surrender our lives, to the LORD; and stop all the anxiety, worry, and asking. We need to allow Jesus to live His life through us, and trust whatever happens is supposed to.

For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does. Psalm 33:4

Then I received an e-mail devotional from my church yesterday that fit right into this train of thought. In it the pastor says, “It’s hard work to rest! It’s something you’ve got to determine to do because it’s God’s will for you. It’s interesting that the word for rest is “Sabbath”. Look at who is in the middle of spiritual rest: “sABBAth”!” We can and need to climb into ABBA’s (Daddy’s) arms and rest.

So what if we stop spending so much time getting hung up in the IF of life, and spend more time getting hung up in the ABBA of Sabbath?

One day past Halloween and it happened. I saw my first commercial for Christmas. I wonder if it will ever happen the day after Independence Day . That would bring a whole new meaning to Christmas in July!!

The good news? It means its time for Christmas music!! …well, almost. But this could be a hint for one of my favorite people to get the Christmas Radio Blog ready!!