Sweet resurrection. The moment when life is returned where it was once lost, sucked dry, or abandoned. An impossible reversal, humanly speaking. In fact, the very concept of resurrection brings with it ideas of transition, so it seemed timely to process it here in light of the most cherished celebration of our Conquering King. The sheer volume of change I have encountered in my life is staggering, and I'm sure you could say the same.The other night I wrote out the number of times I've physically relocated in the course of my life and it came to 13 (I think), and that's not even counting the times where I've switched jobs or churches, or the times a relationship of any kind has undergone a season of difficulty looking different on the other side. This begs the question, "Why so MUCH, Lord?" Yes, it is to make us rely and depend on You, to deepen our relationship (THANK YOU for loving us that much!), but what if it is also intended to remind us of the Victory that is synonymous with Your Name? What if every time it is to remind us of his PAST SALVATION that we might gain hope for the IMMINENT DELIVERANCE of our present circumstance? How would transition look different if our thoughts went to His Resurrection every time and STAYED. FIRMLY. FIXED. THERE? My Lord and my God always know when to appear, when to prove that my faith in Him is worth its weight. One of the coolest things about this facet of His person is that even before He reveals Himself, he encourages faithful perseverance by His Spirit. Even today, I witnessed His divine orchestration and knew His Spirit was affirming His presence in one way, that I might be encouraged to persevere across all the other proverbial boards in my life. What kind of God does that? The kind Whose Power can bring Himself back to life because death has no hold on Him. Look at the uplifting words he utters TO US, His followers: "'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed'" (John 20:29). Did you see that? BLESSING (literally meaning, well off, experience the highest form of good!) is in NOT seeing yet believing anyway. That's right. Big news. And maybe something no one has told you before. Because of the faith required in transition, it is RANK with blessing. When that attitude shifts to seeing change as blessing, it becomes the deodorant to our often foul mistrust, making us the once again pleasing aroma to our God. God's domain is in the seen and in the unseen and probably whatever third, fourth and fifth dimensions of which we are unaware. He is THAT thorough with His authority and dominion. He is our Guide when we are being led in a way that we don't presently know, nor have known before. He is our Light in the darkness of change, our Road Roller for the uneven places in the asphalt of our lives, never once forsaking us or keeping things hidden any longer than absolutely necessary (Isaiah 42:16). So, if all of this is true, why would we want to forfeit our own "highest good," the blessing His grace longs to bestow by ignoring, sleeping through or trying to rush what our Perfect, Timely and Never-Wasting God is out to accomplish? I don't know that we would--I don't know that I would--want to vainly attempt to thwart His activity. Oh, may He open our blind eyes to see all that is eternal! "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11
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Dense morning fog forces slower driving. The gas pedal is more your enemy than your friend, and your hunched posture and squinting eyes are a natural consequence of intense focus on the road, though it is barely visible 50 feet ahead. There's no where to go but forward, despite the countless temptations to turn back. So, with a renewed clench on the wheel, you press on.
That has been where I have found myself lately, surrounded by this mist, perhaps a metaphor for my very life which "appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14). You see, I once again was faced with what felt like an uppercut to my heart, another devastating disappointment. It had all seemed perfect, divine really, so naturally my grip on it rather than my God grew tighter. The facade of an answer gave birth to false hope for my desperate circumstances. So, when He revealed that He was saying "Yes" to something better, many adjustments had to be made to a heart that had gotten out of whack. That thief was certainly sneaky this time; all he had to do was let me start piling my hope in heaps on what I thought could save me, forgetting Who is the One who Alone is my Deliverer. Guilty of trying to saddle up my own war horse, who is a "false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue" (Psalm 33:17), I confess that my eyes had shifted from their True Prize. And when my horse collapsed, so did I. I was struggling to face Him, my Best Friend. The depth of my hurt was great due to temporal and finite view on life; so He intervened and had to remind me of His Big Attributes: His Supremacy, Sovereignty, Omnipotence, Wisdom, Foreknowledge, and Immutability. I don't think this can be said enough in the midst of grieving a disappointment: when you feel as though your love toward Him has grown cold, and you have forgotten that His love toward you has not changed, focus on giving Him the respect and acknowledgement that He deserves. Regardless of whether He answers according to YOUR will, He is always answering according to HIS, which is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). I do not have His High and Holy vista; the Panoramic Plan is lost on me, but never on its Originator. As anyone who has ever gone through a transition knows, waiting can be painful. But it can also be life-giving if it is rightly handled, and there is only One Way to do so. It takes SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH, and there is only One Power able to give it to sustain you in the meanwhile. During Waiting Season, you are, in fact, the sitting duck you feel like, and only One Protector can shield you from being dinner for the Devil Dog. We must, then, take cover in the One Refuge who is our Shield, Jesus Christ. No, I'm not driving. I never was. When I try to yank on that wheel, I will certainly cause an accident in this thick haze, so it's a good thing, my Driver knows where He's taking me and will keep me safe every step of the way. Oh, sweet salvation! "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles...When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them all...The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned." Psalm 34:6,17-19,22 Are you familiar with the Land of In-Between? I've been traveling there recently, and I thought I would try and describe it to you, friend. You find yourself upright yet oddly suspended mid-air. It isn't that you can't move, but each gesture or shifting is more nuanced than fluid, making all movements impossibly unhurried and prolonged. You aren't fearful necessarily, but it does seem to require a new mindset to adjust to your new normal. While practically there appear to be obstacles, your mind remains at warp speed, at least the contrast is great between the capabilities of the internal software and the external hardware. Despite this realization, you make every effort to will your body to move, but all striving is indeed in vain. In the Land of The-Before, you had done your part; you had been faithful to do what He asked, but this new place is one of stillness and waiting, when it dawns on you that your mind is not the friend you thought it might be. You cannot be trusted because your Road Runner mind has already entered the Land of The-After where the transition is complete which does nothing to help your present circumstances. So how do you survive this strange environment? Is firm footing even possible in In-Between? Yes, of this God has convinced me so. The secret is not in looking ahead, it is in looking beyond to the Land of Soon. There you will find certainty. The Land of The-After cannot offer me any kind of specific answers, but the glorious Land of Soon? Oh, I know all kinds of things about that place. I know what I'll be doing: serving, glorifying, praising, following, and loving the King. I know when I'll be there: when He says so in accordance with His perfect plan. I know how I'll be there: by the blood of Jesus Christ ALONE. I know what my attitude will be there: inexpressibly joyful and at peace, for finally I will be complete. And the best part about it all is that I know WHO I'll be with: my Majestic Friend, Emmanuel, who has been with me in whatever Land my foot has trod! Oh praise His Faithful Name! So, while I am so tempted to sprint to the Land of The-After, forgetting that I am completely inept to manipulate time and space, my mind must remain in the Land of Soon if I have any hope of surviving the Land of In-Between. The gravitational effect of Truth then has its way with me, and stability is restored. |
Brittany Van RynWorking out thoughts with HIM. Archives
February 2017
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