Category: Devotionals

When people come to see me for counsel, regardless of the reason, there is one question that almost always comes up at some point: “What should I do?”. When we have been rejected by a friend or family member, we want to know what we must do to earn their acceptance again. When we are struggling with a habit that is leading to problems for us, we want to know what we can do to rid ourselves of that behavior. When things are just not going our way, we want to know what to do to make things go our way! When facing anything that causes pain and suffering of any kind, we simply want to know what to do to change it.

The focus on self-effort was around long before self-help books even existed.

We are not the first people in this world to seek what we should be doing in order to get what we want and rid ourselves of our nagging problems.

²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29, ESV)

The people in this passage had been following Jesus around for a while. They were becoming very much infatuated with the miracles they had witnessed (making a big meal of fish and bread, healing the sick, etc.). Then they asked the big question. It sounded very godly, the way they worded it. “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” However, what they truly meant was more like this: “What can we do to achieve more things, like the miracles we’ve seen you do?” Jesus’ response likely baffled them. Instead of telling them what things they should be doing, He simply stated that the work they should be focused on was trusting Him. Jesus highlighted “faith” as the important thing to focus on, not behaviors they should change or new things they should add into their routine.

We love things to do.

As a whole, those of us in church settings love to be busy. We routinely have many committees set up and activities planned. These things are not inherently bad. In fact, many of these things are important in reaching out to others, connecting, meeting needs, and allowing people to enjoy getting involved and using their God-given talents in a fulfilling way. However, many times we overdo it. Having something to do gives us a false sense of control. We wind up initiating far more than is necessary, busying ourselves with many to-do lists. We eventually lose the joy in doing those things we plan, and it all becomes a chore. We find ourselves tired, hurt, and even angry. Then, we might even feel guilty for feeling those ways!

What we need is less about doing, and more about trusting.

“What should I do?” is not the most helpful first question to ask, even in the pit of despair. Much better questions to ask are, “How can I trust God in the midst of this?” or “What might God be doing in this situation?”. Both of these questions focus on what Jesus was stressing to His followers in John 6. He wanted them to realize the need to rely on trusting Him, while forsaking the reliance on self-effort (things they could do). Of course, action is important. The Book of James stresses the need for action, but it is always in response to faith. When we ask the question of what to do without first relying on trusting Him, we bypass the only thing that can set us free.

Actions based on trust are much more fulfilling than actions based on…well, anything else.

Since faith is what truly pleases our Father (Hebrews 11:6), we are free from trying to please Him by striving to do more. And because faith is what truly sets us free in Christ, we can find freedom from anything in this world that threatens to bind us up in feelings of anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness. Something that sounds so simple is not always so easy to live out. While a focus on doing makes us feel like we are in control, faith requires us to surrender control. That loss of control can be very scary. However, it is much more productive to struggle with trusting Him than to struggle with trying to identify and carry out plans of action that never seem to measure up.

This past weekend I experienced one of the coolest moments in my life. Late Saturday morning, I stood at the finish line of the North Carolina 2A Mid East Regional Cross Country Championship. I was looking for my son to round the final curve. The first few guys ran by. Then I noticed another coming around the curve. It appeared that he had on a black jersey. “That’s not him,” I said because his high school colors are blue and white. I was not surprised, as I knew the course was a tough one. I began looking for the next runner. However, as he came out of the shade and the sunlight hit him, the jersey was not black. It shown bright blue. “It’s him!” I cannot explain the emotions that came over me at that moment. He completed the 5K (3.1 miles) with a time that even he was astonished with.

As proud as I am of him for coming in at 6th place with the kind of course and competition he was facing, my excitement over this is not exclusively tied to where he finished in the line-up. I have watched my son struggle before and during this Cross Country season. Growing and maturing as a high school senior, he has been faced with things that have challenged him on several different levels. He has made good and not-so-good decisions along the way. However, he has faced the consequences, no matter what. He has been afraid at times, but he has pushed himself beyond his fears. I know he will most likely have more difficult times to face as he moves forward in life, but I am thoroughly thankful that he has had a glimpse of who he really is deep inside. He’s tough, passionate, strong, and courageous. Although he struggles and is afraid at times, he does not have to allow fear to dictate what he will do. Sports can be a good or bad thing for us. In this case, it was a very good experience.

Some people appear to struggle more than others, but life, for all of us, is difficult. We are faced with fears every single day. We repeatedly face rejection, failure, and all other kinds of pain and hurt. It’s easy to forget there is a purpose to all of this.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, ESV)

Paul used the illustration of a race to describe how we can approach life. A race requires preparation. There will be things along the way that discourage us from practicing and from pushing forward in our training. Even though they are not enjoyable, we learn from obstacles and even our failures. We will be tempted to lose sight of the ultimate goal of finishing strong in the race. We will be tempted to believe we are not good enough. We will be tempted to forget the fact that challenges along the way only prepare and strengthen us so that we CAN finish strong. We will be tempted to give up many times, taking the easy way out. Sometimes, we will make bad decisions. We will be tempted to compare ourselves to someone in the lane next to us, instead of looking ahead to deal with what is directly in front of us. It all is a part of the race.

We must stay confident, but to do this, we need to know and believe the truth about our coach. Is He fair? Is He supportive? Is He training us properly? Has He given us all the tools we need to finish the race well? The answers to these questions are “yes”. God has not set us up for failure. He has a plan for us that will be carried out successfully. Paul makes mention of not running aimlessly. Faith keeps us focused. Trusting God every step of the way is like a runner following his daily schedule of running, cross-training, eating a healthy diet, and getting plenty of rest in preparation for the big race. And like my son, we may very well be astonished at how strong we finish. And then we will hear the words we’ve either knowingly or unknowingly been waiting to hear from our Father for a long time: “I’m proud of you son/daughter!”.

Over the past several years, I have discovered a tendency that can rob me of any joy whatsoever in interacting with others. It’s called “people-pleasing”. I honestly never thought I would find myself in the position to write this post from personal experience. As self-centered as I have been at times in my life, one might would think making everyone happy is the least of my worries. Being in the helping profession opened up many things in life. Along with exercising a desire to help others, apparently a door was also opened for this people-pleasing temptation. This post is specifically for people that share in this struggle to make others happy.

Pleasing others is an impossible goal.

The first twisted thing about people-pleasing is that is impossible. The best we can hope for is that others decide to be pleased with our efforts. At any time, they can decide not to be pleased. Even if we are doing what has seemed to work in the past, they may react differently. It’s always up in the air how others will respond to our efforts. Bosses, husbands, wives, friends, parents, children…they all can be the target of our desire to make someone happy. And when people-pleasing is our focus, they all have the power to crush us at any time.

Pleasing others is a self-destructive goal.

We will blame ourselves. It’s inevitable. When we have taken it upon ourselves to make others happy, we have essentially put all the responsibility for another’s happiness on our shoulders. So, when it doesn’t work out, we beat ourselves up. We may get angry. We may store up that anger, not wanting others to see it. We may eventually blow up in a fit of fury, surprising everyone around us that is used to us trying to make them happy all the time.

Pleasing others is a control issue.

That’s right. Unbelievable, I know. We people pleasers are actually struggling with control issues. In attempting to please others, we have fallen into attempts to “make others happy”. Notice the word “make”. It implies we think we have control over another person’s emotional state. Again, others can choose to be happy or sad in response to our efforts to please. We cannot “make” anyone happy. Period. That is the hard truth we must swallow. We can do things that we know another person “can” enjoy and be happy about. We can be responsible TO others in what we do, but not responsible FOR their responses.

Pleasing others is idol worship.

This is the toughest part to see sometimes. I admit, I chose a strict title to this section of the post in order to grab our attention as people-pleasers. I did not do this to encourage us to wallow in guilt, so please avoid going down that path, if at all possible. I promise, it will not help. Guilt is a common weapon used against people-pleasers. It’s a weakness for most of us. It drags us down and encourages more people-pleasing efforts. But, at the risk of some guilt slipping in, we do need to acknowledge a fact here. When we make our goal to make others happy, we have chosen a master. We have chosen the one(s) we will look to for our needs to be met. And the ones we choose are people, NOT the One who can actually meet our needs. In other words, when we attempt to make others happy, we are trusting in them to make us happy. We are not happy unless they are! And, remember, they can choose not to be happy anytime they want, making us unhappy right along with them!

The cure for pleasing others is simple, but hard to do.

Surrendering the effort to control others through people-pleasing is like jumping out of a plane for us. We must know, without a doubt, that our parachute will open up at the right time, landing us safely on the ground below. Trusting in the parachute to do what it is built to do is like trusting God to be who He says He is. He makes huge claims about taking care of us. He promises to meet all of our needs. He states that He is pleased with us in Christ. He says that He loves us no matter what others think or say. His acceptance of us is not based on whether or not we do enough for Him. It may not be easy for us, but God-pleasing is much simpler than people-pleasing. It is based on one thing: faith. He is pleased with us when we trust Him (Hebrews 11:6). That’s it. Nothing more. That’s His desire. That is the foundation of everything else, including doing things that can be pleasing for others…when they choose to receive it. When we rest in the fact that He is pleased with us, the desperate need to please others fades away.

Have you ever noticed how stories change as they are passed down from person to person? Even in the little game many of us played as children in which you sit in a circle and pass a story around, by the time the story gets to the last person, it is often completely different than what the original person said. Sometimes it has to do with our human mind being unable to remember all the details. Therefore, we fill in the gaps, often unintentionally. However, there are those times we just cannot help but to embellish a story so that it is more dramatic, drawing more attention.

An element of truth is tainted or lost altogether when we do not go to the source of what we are looking for.

Take social media as an example. I cannot count how many times I have read an update about an event, only to find out later the details were…well, just a bit off. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have their place in social networking. However, they just are not the best source for truth. The fact is, it is rare to get the whole truth when a story has been passed down. Regardless of what we are reading or talking about, to get solid truth we must go to the source: someone who experienced the story first-hand.

If we have trouble remembering and communicating truths about everyday events, then we have trouble with truth regarding God as well.

If we can admit that we often fail to properly disperse truth about events, people, and other things, it’s important to acknowledge it must also be happening with our image of God. We are very capable of verbally communicating untruths about Him (purposely or unintentionally), and we can also do it with our behavior. For instance, after we have been rejected by people enough times (and yes, this means in church circles, too), it’s really hard not to get the message that God must be rejecting us, too. Although Scripture clearly states He is not like us, we tend to believe He is just as distant, smothering, controlling, unfriendly, demanding, hateful, aloof, angry, critical, and unforgiving as the people we encounter routinely in this world, including ourselves!

It is of massive importance that we seek truth for ourselves.

Second-hand testimony is a great thing, but it cannot sustain us forever. As powerful as it can be, the effects are often short-lived. And the last thing we need is to feed on a steady stream of gossip about God, through words OR behavior. We need the truth in a deeply personal way, and we need to experience it for ourselves so that we are inclined to believe it for the long term. This not only affects how we view Him, but how we view others and ourselves. Distorted images of Him lead to things like anxiety, depression, and grudges. Truth about who He is leads to things like peace, joy, and loving others.

What we believe about God affects every aspect of our life.

What we truly believe about God determines our view of everything. When we are fed untrue stories about God, it can lead to false images of Him that distort everything else. If key people in my life have been aloof with me, then I might see my Heavenly Father that way. If God is aloof, then I believe I must not be important. If I learn, incorrectly, that He is critical, I learn to work endlessly to please Him, or just give up in a state of hopelessness when I believe I cannot. If He is unforgiving, I must not be good enough (and no one else may be in my eyes either). The list of possible effects goes on infinitely. The Good News is we can find the truth about Him for ourselves. Scripture has a wealth of knowledge about Him. Jesus reveals to us His true nature. The Gospel Message tells a story that clearly reveals His true attitude towards His children. And He even reveals Himself to us through experience as we walk with Him. He pursues us with a passion unlike anything else we can experience. It is nice to pass our stories around, but it is essential that we get first-hand knowledge so that we can experience and remember our own stories regarding Him.

While walking one day, two men encountered a man begging for money. This man had been unable to walk his entire life and, actually, had to be carried to and left at places that others might see him and be inclined to offer financial help. These two men did not have what he was looking for. They had no money at all.

We often do not have what others say they need from us.

We often feel pressure when others approach us for help. Some have lost a loved one and are grieving. Some are seeking advice regarding a big decision. Others are like the man mentioned previously, looking for something tangible like money to pay an overdue bill or food to eat. Sometimes when we find ourselves face-to-face with someone genuinely in need, we quickly realize we have exactly what they are asking for. However, there are many times in which we simply do not. In these cases, what is the best action to take? We can bluff our way through, but that does not seem best. It’s definitely not helpful to offer ill-advised solutions to problems, advice on things in which we have little knowledge, or money to someone who we are almost certain will use it irresponsibly.

Giving people what they ask for is often not the best thing to do.

The fact is, we all have a tendency to ask for things we do not really need, all the while believing strongly it is EXACTLY what we need. Sometimes we want confirmation from someone that what we are doing is right, when it really is not. Other times we want someone to give us something, when we really have not earned it. Often we want someone to make us feel better in the moment, even though it will not provide lasting help for us. In these types of  situations, what is asked for is not a need at all. Most of the time, it is not even in the best interest of the person asking for it that it be given to them. In light of the truth of the situation, it becomes obvious that it is okay not to give the person what they ask for.

More times than not, it is better for a person to receive what is available rather than what they seek.

Let’s go back to the original story. The two traveling men noticed the lame man and heard his request for money. One of the men, named Peter, looked at the lame man and said, “…I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6, ESV). At this point, the man received not what he asked for, but what Peter had available. Peter had been granted the ability to heal others, so he gave the man this gift instead. I am quite sure this was far beyond what any money could have provided for him.

It takes a tremendous step of faith to exchange what we have with each other when its not exactly what we wanted.

When we are in Peter’s position, or the person looking for help, it is good to remember one thing: that moment is a special, planned moment in time. God has ordained that moment, providing exactly what is needed. We may not have the gift of healing, as Peter did, but each of us have something special to offer others, even if it does not seem special to us. What is available should not be frowned upon as unimportant or “not what we had hoped for”. From my experience, we rarely have exactly what others seek from us, and others rarely have what we seek from them. Whether we have the inclination to sit and listen to someone share their story of hurt, the time to provide a meal, the knowledge to build a wheelchair ramp, the patience to accept someone who is typically rejected for their behavior, the courage to speak the truth in love, or just a smile and a nod, it is good to give those things away because it is what God has provided you with in that special moment. What God provides through us and others is far greater than what we think is needed.

Years ago, I consistently lived life with what may seem to be a strange motto: “I don’t care”. The pressures of life were increasing at the time. Fears I had not experienced before were popping up all over the place. I was faced with decisions that would affect people and things in my life in a big way. The increasing number of everyday challenges increased the threat of personal failure. I felt an overwhelming urge to run.

Sometimes we can escape without physically running away.

Under all of the pressure, I lost my sense of control. This is where we all are tempted to devise a mask to hide behind. In my desperate search for a solution, I found the only way I could continue to have some control over things. I began telling myself and others, “I don’t care”. If I failed a test, I said, “Oh, who cares?”. If I did something that hurt someone I loved, I said, “Whatever, I don’t care”. If someone hurt me…again, I said, “I don’t care”. If I suspected I might fail at something, before I even got started I would assert my “don’t care” attitude. This way, if I failed, I could say it was due to not trying in the first place. Basically, instead of truly facing fears and responsibilities, I ran away with my motto, “I don’t care”. I avoided and stuffed negative feelings associated with irresponsibility, failure, rejection, and hurting others.

We often wind up buying into the lies we tell others.

After at least two years of living behind this mask, it all came crashing down. All of a sudden, these things I said I didn’t care about caught up with me. Anxiety, depression, and sheer panic replaced the care-free attitude I had run off with. It was as if I actually DID care about the things I said I did not care about. Actually, that was it exactly! However, I had stuffed it all inside with my mask until there was an explosion (or implosion would be more accurate). I had been lying not only to others, but to myself as well. I had bought into my own lie.

Facing the truth, especially after living a lie for a long time, will turn your world upside down.

Now I was faced with a seemingly horrific truth. I actually did care about the ones I hurt, my grades in school, finding a career I enjoyed and could do well in, being accepted, and whether or not some of the things I was doing to myself would have lasting consequences. All of those avoided feelings came rushing over me. No wonder I was panicking. I had created a world that did not exist. I had created a person that did not exist! Now the real me was exposed to the real world, a world in which I cared!

It is good to give away control over the things we care about most. 

With my mask of “not caring” powerless to give me what I want, God worked endlessly on setting me free from it. There is a twist to the truth with which I was presented. I can both care about something AND let go of trying to control it. However, that option seems frightening. Why?

We must first KNOW God to TRUST God with ourselves, others, and other things we care about.

The fact is, we tend not to trust God due to the fact that we have a false image of Him. Our earthly experiences have taught us lies about Him that affect our ability to surrender control. By constantly pondering the question “Who is God?” while reading the truth provided to us in the Bible, the answers we encounter make Him more appealing to us. Instead of looking for what He can do for us, it is much more helpful to look purely for HIM. Instead of a spiteful God, sitting up on a cloud waiting for us to mess up so He can smash us, we discover that He loves us unconditionally like a father is meant to love his child. Instead of forcing His way into our lives, we discover He gently calls to us and “woos” us into a relationship through His love, like a husband is meant to love his wife. Instead of an aloof God who has too much going on to be involved, we discover a Father who wants intimate involvement 100% of the time. This is not a Father who belittles us and points out everything we do wrong. This is a Father that values us and considers us righteous. When we truly believe someone views and loves us like that, we can trust that person with things most important to us. We can take off whatever mask we have constructed. If we have run away, like I did, we can finally return home.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22, ESV)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV, emphasis added)

Being in the counseling ministry now for seven years, one of the stigmas I have found attached to counseling is that it includes a therapist in a nice, comfortable chair and a “patient” on a couch. The therapist often is eating a sandwich, repeatedly saying “hmmm” and “oh, how did that make you feel?”. Although there are counseling techniques, biblical truth, and professional responsibility involved in the process of Christian Counseling…in reality, the experience for me has included building a relationship with those I am blessed to meet along the way. In fact, it is a necessary, central part of it.

Small talk doesn’t heal.

Talking about the weather, asking about someone’s weekend, and even asking the proverbial question “how are you doing?” are all a part of this thing we call “small talk”. It is a part of everyday interaction with others. As long as it is treated as a crack in the door for building deeper relationships, it is a healthy thing. However, endless small talk is not healthy. It requires nothing of the ones engaged in it. We can hide our hurts, struggles, and even act like someone we are not. Excessive small talk in the absence of any deeper conversation has no healing power because neither party actually gets to know the other.

A relationship based on trust is necessary in order to be deeply beneficial. 

One thing I love about sitting down with others who are seeking counsel is that the probability of authenticity (being real) increases greatly in such an environment. Confidentiality creates a safe environment for the one seeking help. There is small talk, for sure, especially in the beginning. Again, it is a natural part of building the relationship. However, both people involved typically have the goal of it going further. At some point, risks are taken to take off the every day masks, and a deeper relationship is formed. The environment of acceptance, wanting to understand, and willingness to listen encourages and invites realness and openness. This healthy, trusting, and safe relationship becomes a hospital for hurt people. That includes the counselor, by the way!

Relationships can promote healing.

God works through relationships. Without a doubt, knowing Scripture and knowing techniques is important, but without the relationship, those things are rarely used in a way that is helpful. Until we know we are accepted, loved, and safe, there is little chance anything coming from the other will get through to us, let alone promote healing in us. Think about how we seek advice. When we truly want advice (not just seeking for someone to tell us what we want to hear), we seek out someone we know loves us…someone who provides an environment of grace. Even if they do not know the answer we are seeking, we know whatever input they have is valuable because it comes from someone who truly cares for us. A person with “all the right answers” has little to offer if they have not taken the time to get to know us.

We all need deep, meaningful relationships.

Deep, meaningful relationships are not based on fear, distrust, and small talk. We all have a need for a place where we can be ourselves, the good and the bad…a place where we are accepted for who we are…a place where we are safe to tell the truth…a place where we not only do not have to hide, but we actually want to come out of hiding…a place where we do not have to be fixing something constantly to feel okay…a place where we are genuinely loved. These Grace-filled places exist because God has fought hard to establish them. Through the work of Christ, we have that kind of relationship with the Father, even when we have trouble finding them with people. But because others have found it with the Father, as well, we can find and enjoy them along the way. They will not be perfect, but it’s worth the risk.

Things to remember while seeking deeper relationships…

First and foremost, if we are not trusting God and receiving His Grace ourselves, we cannot provide it for others, and we fail to see it available through others. When we trust Him, we receive and offer His Grace. We can know we are receiving and offering that Grace when we talk less, listen more, trust more, risk more, seek to understand, give and receive love, and find ourselves enjoying the process. Oh, and do not forget, do not worry that you may not have any groundbreaking advice for someone who approaches you for it. Also, do not worry when you cannot find someone with the answers you seek. What we all really need is someone who loves us to listen and, maybe, just maybe, provide some input based on that love. God works through that kind of relationship. The pressure is not on us. He can handle it.

 

 

 

Rejection is a difficult thing. Even for those of us who claim “I don’t need anybody anyway!”, deep down, it hurts really bad when we find out others have left us out, said negative things about us behind our backs, or even just pulled away discreetly without saying much. The anger and tears at those times are both indicators of how bad it hurts.

Rejection is not necessarily evidence that we are somehow deserving of it.

Often we feel guilt and shame when we are rejected, believing that we must be unacceptable somehow. We may believe we must have done something to deserve others deciding to reject us. Rejection is not an indicator that something is wrong with us inherently, although it may feel that way, especially after repeated bouts with it. And although all rejection hurts, it is not necessarily an indicator that we have done something wrong, either.

Rejection is a choice.

Rejection is something others decide to do to us, and it is something we decide to do to others. In other words, no one has ever MADE someone reject them. No one has ever been so “bad” or “messed up” that others had no choice but to pull away. It is a decision that is made, based on the rejecter’s views, understandings, and beliefs. Many times, these are faulty.

Rejection can be evidence that you are doing something right.

One of the most common types of rejection occurs in dysfunctional families. One family member often winds up attempting to pull away from the dysfunction and be healthy. That person is commonly labeled “the bad guy”, and the other family members team up and attempt to guilt, shame, or scare the healthier person back into the dysfunctional way of life. Those family members still caught in dysfunction would rather hold onto something they know than risk trying something different. In this case, the brave family member attempting to find a healthier way to live is rejected…for trying to be healthy! And this type of rejection is not restricted to families. This happens in groups of friends, classrooms, offices, churches, and any other environment in which people are grouped together.

When we are rejected, we need a tremendous amount of acceptance in order to heal.

Rejection is quite powerful. Positive thinking, finding new friends, and things like that are nice and may be somewhat helpful, but they are not a cure. Rejection screams something is wrong with us. It convincingly states that we should feel guilty, not good enough, or stupid. It tells us to “just give up!” or “try harder!”. To overcome such a hurtful act, the only real help is to be fully accepted. To be lasting and helpful, this acceptance cannot be from the same place we received the rejection. Acceptance from people just won’t do because it is never enough. This acceptance must not have any conditions. It must be fully aware of all of our imperfections, and be okay with them!

Perfect, healing acceptance comes from our Father.

Our Heavenly Father is the only One capable of this kind of acceptance. Often, this is only head knowledge and not reality for us. Instead of allowing His acceptance to define us, we allow what other people think to be a stronger influence in our lives. For each of us, the steps of faith out of this mindset is a bit different. We each have unique lies that the Enemy has planted in us that contradict the truth of who we truly are. Rejection is one tool used to perpetuate the lies. Pursuing our true identity, according to God’s Truth, is necessary in order to begin noticing the difference between what is true and what is not about who He is and who we are. According to Scripture, He freely accepts and loves His children unconditionally, never rejecting those who trust in His Grace through Jesus. He chose, is choosing, and will continue choosing to offer His Grace to us. He delights in us. He made us new creatures in Christ, fully acceptable to Him. And one beautiful side effect of living in His acceptance is that it compels us to offer this same Grace to others, instead of consistently allowing rejection to haunt our relationships.

My mother-in-law recently discovered a hobby she thoroughly enjoys: finding and collecting sea glass. She takes short or, sometimes, long walks down the beach, scanning the sand for these little treasures that are hidden amongst all the shells, rocks, and other things you typically find on a beach. Sea glass is regular broken glass that has been weathered by the ocean to form smooth edges and a frosted look. Of course, different colors of sea glass can be found, depending on the color of the original bottle, tableware, or even glass from a shipwreck. I found out this past weekend that green sea glass is rarer than other colors, or at least it is at this particular beach. To be honest, I found myself not so interested in this hobby of hers. Do not get me wrong, I was happy to see her enjoying it the way she does. It just did not seem like something I would be interested in. However, that changed a bit this past weekend when I was walking towards the water to cool off.

We can make anything stressful.

Typically, when at the beach, I like to sit, talk, read, or listen to music. I walk down the beach, some, as well. It is very hard for me to slow down and enjoy time like this. I find myself wanting to be busy with something…searching for something to accomplish. It may be “reading so many pages of this book”, or “listening to a certain podcast”, or “having a certain conversation about something”. As relaxing as any of these things can be, I can find a way to make it stressful.

Strenuous self-effort wears us out and often gets us no where.

On this particular day, as I walked towards the water, something shiny and green caught my attention. It was directly in my line of sight, in the path that I was walking. I bent down and picked up a pretty piece of green sea glass. For whatever reason, this spurred my interest in finding more. So, I was off down the beach, scanning everywhere for another piece, but I could not find one. I decided to give up and turn back. Not many steps later, there was another piece, white this time, directly in my path. The thing was right there. I could not have missed it. It was like my eyes found it without all the effort I was putting into it before.

We often find the treasure we are looking for when we quit looking so hard for it.

This went on several more times. I would dig down, scanning the ground like a madman, critically sorting through all of the debris on the beach with my eyes, not wanting to miss one thing. Only when I would let down my guard and allow myself to enjoy the walk while casually remaining aware of what was right in front of me would I find shards of sea glass. I think I wound up finding five, and all five were found in this way. Not one piece of this treasure was found through anxious, borderline obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD).

Slowing down and chilling out often requires us to face our fears.

God really spoke to me clearly through this experience. He knows how I am. I find something I want, and I go after it like a crazy person. I often fail to wait for his lead. I also miss important things I would enjoy that are right in front of me because my eyes are darting all over the place, looking for the very thing I am stepping right over. But it is scary to slow down, to move forward instead of retracing my steps looking for things I may have missed, and to trust that what’s right in front of me is enough. This fear drives the anxiety, the busyness, the OCD-like behavior, and the thought that I will be missing something if I am not in a constant state of alertness and busyness. I often do it with my job, my hobbies, and my relationships (as a father, husband, or friend). But I cannot get around this without dealing with the fears. The list of possible suspects goes on and on: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of looking stupid, fear of being a disappointment, fear of hurting someone, fear of being a bad parent, etc.

The true treasures in life are found and experienced through Faith.

There is no fear in love. When I trust (have faith in) God’s love for me in Christ, fear is immediately dissolved. In His love for me, He meets my needs. Trusting Him to provide what I need, on the path that I am currently on, is hard. I am tempted to look elsewhere for the treasures I seek, and when I succumb to those temptations, I miss the experience of treasures He has laid out in front of me like a piece of sea glass on the beach. Who would have thought you would find sea glass by Faith? Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but in the bigger picture of life, those pieces of “sea glass” are right there for us as we take steps of faith along the way. God has blessed us, is blessing us, and will bless us in ways that we cannot fully grasp. I do not make it happen, which would be ridiculous because 99% of the time I do not even know what I truly need. But He does, and He does not withhold anything from me, even when I do not understand it at the time. For example, who would have thought I would have gotten so much from a piece of sea glass that I had absolutely no interest in before this past weekend?

 

A discussion with a friend through email the other day led to tears for me. Of course, thankfully, this was easy to hide from a friend on the other side of cyberspace. It started with a question, a theological one that was concerning her. It was a good question, and I had a lot to say in response. I had quoted to her from Matthew 19:13-15. Okay, maybe I paraphrased it…I’m not always the best at quoting word for word. Readers of my blog get the benefit of me being able to look these things up beforehand.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13-15, ESV)

The part that stirred my emotions was how Jesus said to everyone around him, “Let the little children come to me”. Remembering this story, and reciting it to a friend literally brought tears to my eyes. I noticed that I was fighting back tears, so I told my wife. I read what I had typed in the email to her, trying to figure out what was going on, and had even greater difficulty hiding the emotion the second time I revisited the act of Jesus insisting the children be allowed to come to Him.

I began pondering the whole thing, searching for answers. I thought about why the disciples were shooing the kids away from Jesus. Maybe the disciples thought the kids would be a bother, disturbing Jesus and others who were there. Maybe they thought the kids were not serious and disciplined enough to be in His presence. Maybe they thought it was a waste of time for Jesus to lay hands on and pray for little ones who might be too young to understand what was going on. Perhaps they thought the kids were not knowledgeable enough or mature enough to really get anything from hearing Jesus. Regardless, Jesus interrupted and insisted the children be allowed to come to Him.

Was I connecting with those kids and how the disciples might have viewed them? I know I have felt like a bother, more times than I can count. I know I lack discipline in many ways. I can be very serious, but sometimes I avoid serious situations and hide behind jokes and fake smiles. I often feel like I do not know nearly enough to be taken seriously. I worked my way down all the ways those kids might have been viewed, and in spite of it all, Jesus wanted them with Him. This truth was so freeing to me, it caused me to let down my guard and cry.

God reminded me through this special moment that my worth is not based on knowledge, discipline, being serious and reverent, or even being pleasant to be around. God wants to be around me when I think no one does or even should. His Grace is sufficient. The relationship He has established with me in Christ is not unstable at all. It’s actually quite secure.