Redirection

Having a 3 year old means I live and breathe the parenting technique called "redirection." It's where I ask my son to do something, he does something completely different and I have to physically or verbally point him back to the task at hand. "Yes buddy, I see that toy, and we can play with him later. Sit down and eat please," is said at LEAST twice, every meal. Sometimes, I feel like a broken record, repeating the same thing over and over, but he has so many concerns: What are we doing later? Are we seeing anyone? Look at this cool thing! Can we watch tv? I sigh exasperated sometimes, "Yeah hon, I see you. I hear you. We'll talk about it later, we're eating right now." 

Do you ever experience redirection in your life? It might not be the voice of your parent asking you to please sit at the table, or not to stand on the furniture, but do you feel that pull in your heart to focus on something particular, even if you're going in a completely different direction? There's a secular concept that "life will present the same situation/test over and over again until we learn the lesson." Rather than attribute the impersonal concept of "life," I see it as the loving hands of our Father, pointing us back in the direction of our calling.

Whether or not you believe in a big P "Purpose" for your life or are more like me, who thinks life is a succession of little purposes, the Bible is absolutely clear that you have an assignment (Ephesians 2:10, John 15:16, Ephesians 4, and many examples of ordinary people like Moses, David, and Paul being called.)

Even so, at this stage in my life, I don't give a lot of thought to my calling. I just want to pee in peace or make sure I brush my hair today. For you, your focus could be the amount of work you have to get done at the office or maybe you're a student, trying to finish your studies strong. Distractions abound, and when I do feel that tug on my heart, I'm quick to point them out: "God, do you see that deadline? Do you see those bills? Do you see my schedule? I don't have time to ___." 

We deaden our heart, and silence that whisper that we were made for more. We turn away from the force trying to redirect us and even attempt to disqualify ourselves. For Moses, it was, "I'm a stutterer, I can't talk to Pharaoh. Please send someone else. (Exodus 4:10-14) For me, it's I'm not cut out to be a mom, a writer, a minister. Please don't ask this of me.

For all of my maneuvering and attempting to get away, showing God all the reasons why I can't do what He's imprinted into my very soul to accomplish, I have found one thing to be true: You cannot convince God that you are unworthy of or incapable of carrying out your calling. 

"It is not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit," says the Lord of hosts. He who has called you is faithful, He will do it. (Zech 4:6/1 Thess 5:24)

Unlike human me, who eventually either succumbs to anger and threatens to throw my kid's food away if he gets up from the table again, or gives up redirecting and just declares dinner over, God is faithful to complete the good work He began in us, and that includes not letting us wander aimlessly through life with our hands up asking, "Why am I here? What purpose do I serve beyond being a cog in the economy of this world?"

You have a choice though: You can say no, and continue to push away and do what you want, further avoiding the call from within, the same call that asked Elijah, "What are you doing here?" You can continue to grind out the existence you imagine for yourself and never really be fulfilled. It is not His desire for you to look back with regret at wasted opportunities, but He cannot, and will not, make you engage. However, don't expect Him to give up gently reminding you who you are, and what you've been appointed.

The epic story that our Father has written for us, from cover to cover, screams you were made for more. You were made to take part in bringing Heaven to Earth. Your role matters. Take heart today and say "YES" to that which you have been called. 

See and Do

Having 2 little boys, I'm constantly reminded by friends, "Remember, kids are sponges, be careful what you say/do around them," a kind warning that my kids are going to pick up and then imitate my behavior. I'm sure they're referring to my language, as I've worked in the hospitality industry for close to a decade now, and it can imitate that of a sailor if I've done long days at work. Usually I see this principle in action when my toddler points and says, "Nooo" in his cute little voice, mimicking the same motion and facial expression I use when I'm telling him he can't do something, but last week, I saw it unexpectedly and it was really cute. My kids and I were snuggling on my bed, and my 3 year old said, "Mama, blow on my tummy!" I gladly obliged and as I was starting to sit up, my 15 month old promptly lifted up my shirt and blew on mine. I could not stop laughing, and neither could they.

Those smiles are dead give-aways He's definitely my son.

Like my little ones take joy mimicking me, Jesus also mimicked His Father's behavior, as illustrated in John 5, when an explanation given for His miraculous works was, "My Father is always working, and I too am working... I only do what I see the Father doing." (John 5:17,19-20) Who knew the principle of "monkey see, monkey do" was a universal one? Later, Jesus ups the ante of this principle when He says anyone who believes in Him will do the same, and even greater works than these. (John 14:12) Most of us would respond, "Wait, what?" Where does this expectation come from?

Children take the actions of the adults in their lives as license. Explicit permission, if not a map, to how one should act, speak, and live. When Jesus confidently states that we will do the same work He's doing, He equates us as sons and daughters of God, just like Him, and supposing that as we have imitated our Earthly mothers and fathers, we will also imitate our Heavenly Father.

So why does replicating the works of Jesus seem so outlandish?

First, we don't understand what Jesus meant when he told us to address God as "our Father." We don't understand what Paul was talking about when he discusses the spirit of adoption through which we were brought close to God and calls us co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8) Because we miss these, we don't see that the same permission that was given to Jesus has now been given to us. If you struggle with this, check out You're The Best where I talk about how to root ourselves in the identity the Word says we have.

Secondly, we have heard from our parents and many other adults, "Do as I say, not as I do." We are met with active disapproval in regards to imitating them and given excuses that their behaviors are "adult." By copying them, we find ourselves in trouble. In that sense, it's no wonder why we see even things we think ourselves gifted in put on the shelf for later, when we're more "mature," or "wise." We wouldn't want to do something considered "out of our league."

Both of these are meant to strip us of our identity and our effectiveness, rendering us powerless and stealing the glory of God before it even gets a chance to be displayed. 

It's in our nature to copy our caregivers, and if we're to take what Jesus said seriously, anything you have seen the Father do, you are free to imitate. That means if grace has been poured out in your life, you have been given license to practice and teach grace in other's lives. If you have experienced healing, you have been given license to anoint and pray for the sick. If you have had provision fall out of the sky on your behalf, you have license to intercede for and bless others with the same favor you have received. If you have been set free from sin or addiction, you have been given license to proclaim freedom to captives. And the list goes on...

If you have been waiting for an invitation, a word, a sign, to become more involved in the work of the Kingdom, consider this it. You don't need to be an accredited minister to be a catalyst for the good work of our Father. God does not show you things just so that you would be amazed, but in hopes that the principle of seeing and doing would create a curiosity in your heart to mimic your Father, and see what comes of it. John, in chapter 21, said that the works of Jesus were so numerous that if written down, all the libraries of the world would be filled just by their accounts. He only imitated the Father, who now encourages you to do the same.

The Heart of Worship

My 3 year old and I don't have a lot of moments just us anymore, so when he woke up the other morning and my 15 month old was still asleep, we were both excited to spend some time one on one. He started by crawling into my bed and snuggling with me, and after a few minutes, we sat up and he sat on my lap. For the longest time, just stared at my face, the way I have stared at his so many times while counting his eyelashes or memorizing the curl in his lips. He put his still little hands on my cheeks and gazed long into my eyes, perfectly silent and before I knew it, he started kissing my cheeks, then nuzzling his face into mine. I was first tempted to check on my emails or work schedule on my phone behind his back, but I was so overwhelmed by his love, all I could do is put the phone face down and embrace him with all that I had. We remained intertwined in our cycle of affection for what felt like an hour. It was a holy, worshipful moment.

When we consider what worship is, we tend to think of icons, whether it be a cross or statues or even the picture of Jesus we have in our own mind, and the act of bowing down in reverence or raising our hands in exaltation. Even so, considering what David said in Psalm 27, there is no doubt in my mind worship is exactly what my son was practicing.

An older picture, but I will never tire of the way he looks at me <3

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (vs 4)

There are many aspects of God we might consider beautiful: His power and might, His creative ability, His character and nature, but it's the beauty of His love that provokes adoration leading to worship and causes us to gaze longingly into His eyes the way my son did mine.

This love is outlined in Psalm 139, where David recounts being knit together purposefully in his mother's womb, God's eyes seeing his unformed body, and ordaining all the days of his life before one had come to pass, and being marveled at all the thoughts the Father has toward him. (vs 13-18)

As a Mama, I have lived this very picture, of developing my little ones, holding them, counting the very hairs on their heads, and dreaming of what their futures will look like. In those moments, I yearn for them to grow up feeling as considered and cherished as David describes in the passage. There's an elation present in my spirit, as I know my feelings for my child are but a reflection of the affection the Father has for me.

Then almost immediately, I feel the pangs of those damaged parts of my heart, where I've felt forgotten by or cast aside by the Father.  The dull places that are either indifferent to or diametrically opposed to God's beauty and the concept of worship. The ache of such varied emotions reveals this world's alignment with the lie that we're on our own in terms of navigating life; the brokenness that says, "If God loves me, then why _____?"

When my 15 month old was just a wee babe

I have a number of friends who struggle with worship, and it stems from that place of questioning the love the Father has for them.  My mentor says that this is because you cannot love a God you think wants to punish you, but instead took His aggression out on Jesus. A God who is worshiped out of fear of repercussion does not produce a desire to gaze upon their beauty but to hide, to be as small and quiet and good as possible so as not to provoke their wrath. 

Thankfully, we do not worship Zeus or any other god who sits up high, waiting for us to screw up so that he can "teach us a lesson." We worship a servant King, a good Shepherd, who did not come into this world to condemn the world, but to save it, and understands in order for the end to be love, the means must be love.

Growing up, I remember singing a song called, "Heart of Worship," and honestly, I didn't think it was a great song, but the sentiment of going back to the basics of faith is a valuable one. The heart of worship is to gaze long into the eyes of a Father who has loved you to lengths you'll never know and pour out your affection, devotion and adoration as a response. He will return even more love, and you will sit entwined in glory, that magnificent beauty you were made to reflect, reveal and revel in.

Taste and See (What's in your mouth, part III)

I had a friend in college who every day, her husband ate 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast. His rational: "The act of eating is inefficient, so I get it out of the way all at once. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, 3 sandwiches, 20 minutes. Leaves me to not have to worry about it the rest of the day." As someone who's always loved the pageantry of a dinner party, the experience of a multi-coursed meal, I didn't get it. As a mom with kids who love food as much as I do, I understand it even less. Often, my 3 year old spends so much time enjoying something like ice cream, it turns to soup, and even then, he drinks it like a milkshake. "It's soooo good!" he'll often exclaim. The comparison struck me suddenly this week as my friend Crystal was giving me feedback on my last 2 posts.

"I am always in such a hurry to realize God's plan instead of enjoying the journey and it's timing," she confessed. It really bothered her, as we mused over the placement of our faith and the power of our words, that she has the right language, and total faith in His plan, but she wants the end result now!

Don't we all? We want to get to the healed part of the healing, the forgiven part of repentance, the other side of the valley of the shadow of death and begin our ascent up the mountain of blessing. Our microwave culture has us accustomed to instant results, and if God's perspective is reality, there's an even greater expectation that as we implement His principles, and follow His leading, our lives will immediately produce the desired results.

It can be so discouraging, then, to put into practice speaking life, put in the effort of eliminating speaking death and curses over our lives and have weeks, maybe months or a year or two go by, and not see all the fruit we'd hoped for, if we see any at all.

In those moments, it's easy to feel like our faith isn't good enough and the enemy starts pointing out all the places we're still "waiting on God." Soon, we stop enjoying the Word, and start efficiently fitting it into 5 minute devotionals, recognizing it's necessity in our lives, but not really expecting more than a feel good pep talk to get us through the day.

I wonder if this is why David admonished, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." (Psalm 34:18) Taste here means so much more than just consuming out of compulsion. It is savoring, taking time to extract every bit of goodness the Bread of Life offers. 

What does that look like?

It starts with recognizing glory. John Piper says, "The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. To see it, to savor it, and to show it- that is why we exist." (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, pg 14) He quotes Isaiah 43:6-7 which says, "I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

You were created to encounter, revel in and reflect glory through relationship with the Father. It is difficult to find that resplendent beauty in a tight window which is easily encroached on by a late alarm, a blowout diaper or needing to get gas on the way to work. Make time to connect, really attach, to that longing as it will drive you to seek out opportunities to acknowledge and admire the Father's hand in everyday life.


Then, instead of rotely going through the motions, when engaged in spiritual disciplines, apply all your senses. I know a woman who starts every morning with scripture and taking communion. It's her way of awakening not just her eyes, but every sense to the presence of God.  Maybe for you, it's a specific candle you burn while journaling, or really taking in the smell of the air on your prayer walk. For me, it's dancing with flags during worship, where I focus not only on moving my arms, but my breath, my steps, and sometimes, the tears falling down my cheeks.

By creating a full body experience of worship, which the liturgical church has long practiced, we are forced to slow down, and that act alone, in many aspects of life, creates space to not only soak up more from our environment, but enjoy the time we spend there.

Finally, find or create a community centered on sharing God moments and faith lessons. Think of it as a divine potluck, everyone bringing what they've been feasting on. By sharing these revelations, we give ourselves and others the opportunity to consider that which we may have never been exposed to.

I am not Catholic, but last year, I started compiling prayers that saints wrote while alive. A favorite is that of St. Claude de la Columbierie, where he says, "If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer, let me not offend you even more by thinking You are not kind enough to pardon me." For someone who deals with a lot of shame and guilt, it struck me in such a way that it knocked off the idea that I cannot forgive myself for my greatest sins and I was able to share that liberation with others.

In order to reap the harvest of our faith and experience the life that grows through the power of our words, we are to journey, ponder, experience life with God, and in that savoring, He will show Himself good, fulfilling in every way.

What's in your mouth, part II

When my 3 year old was a baby, he ate almost everything and it was awesome knowing I could throw a big bunch of kale into some applesauce and it would be met with just as much joy as a wedge of watermelon. Nowadays, it feels like whole food groups he once loved have been eliminated, with near battles going down to get him to eat one fork of rice, or try ANY vegetable besides avocado.

So when  I set his plate down in front of him for dinner on Wednesday, it didn't take long for him to pick up his jacketed sweet potato and ask, "Mama, what's this?" I helped him scoop out the potato, leaving the skin in another compartment. "This is really good for you buddy, but you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." Imagine my surprise when he did eat it, and then asked for more! I gave him a high five, and told him that I thought it was really cool that he tried this new thing. His bravery in taking the first bite made him realize how good it was, and how much he wanted more.

Breakfast is a good time in my house

Last week, I talked about examining what's typically in our mouths, and getting out the gross stuff that we speak over our lives. Often, this first step is a brave one because it opens us up for disappointment, embarrassment, and requires us to let go of our default responses to the trials that come up in life and try something new and likely different than we've had before.

So now that our mouths are empty, what do we fill them with?

God's truth.  Specifically, as Patricia King puts in her book Decree, "Powerful decrees from scripture which put the Word of God to work in your life."  

Now again, I want to reiterate that this isn't the same thing as a "name it and claim it" theology or power of positive thinking, but we are beginning with the assertion that what God says about Himself, about you and I, and about our reality is truth, and we speak those things over and into ourselves, understanding that our words have power to create life or death.


As opposed to the previous example of guarding my faithless, destructive language and creating/fostering darkness in my life, when I boldly declare God as unchangeable, myself as deeply rooted and firmly established, unshakable and that my reality is that I am blessed and highly favored in the midst of uncertain and unstable circumstances, not only is my hope unleashed, allowing me to wait with expectancy for the hand of my Father to move, but I also foster peace, joy, self control within my soul and it becomes a potent system where my properly fed soul contributes to the renewing of my mind, and my new perspective reinforces what I've put into my soul. 

Then, there's the very real Kingdom principle of mustard seed faith and the effect it has on the mountains in our lives, not to mention all the ways scripture says God honors the faith of the righteous.

I'll be leaving links below so you can easily access who the Father says He is in scripture so that you can declare His identity over your personal circumstances, life giving promises from scripture that you can confidently proclaim in the face of adversity, and encouraging scripture affirming who you are in Christ.

It may not feel natural at first, especially if you are, as I've been, accustomed to defeatist language, but speaking life becomes as addicting as speaking death was comfortable. While the results may not be immediate, they are rewarding, satisfying to the depths of our being and to the very fringes of our lives.

THIS life, the one you're living right now, was meant to be lived victoriously, and we can begin to cultivate that through the power of our words and the placement of our faith.

Resources:
Who is God and who am I: https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/ogiwa.cfm 

Promises from the word for everyday life:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/gods-promises-verses-in-the-bible/