Remote places are where Jesus does some of His best work.
I recently read the account of Jesus feeding the 4,000 found in Mark Chapter 8. It’s a familiar story that most Christians know. But, this time, I caught a new detail. In verse two, Jesus tells the disciples that he has compassion for the crowds because they had already been with him for three days and hadn’t eaten anything. He was concerned that they would collapse from hunger if he sent them away.
The disciples asked Jesus, “Where in this remote place can anyone get enough to feed them?” Mark 8:4
They were looking at Jesus’ capabilities on a strictly human level even after all of the miracles they had already witnessed. They were in a remote place, far way from any type of assistance in the disciples’ eyes, so how could they possibly provide for these hungry people?
Of course, they couldn’t, but He could. That was the point.
In the past, I have always focused on the miracle itself, the multiplication of the fish and loaves. But this time their location caught my attention. Where they were was important. It was a remote place and that’s where Jesus wanted them. They couldn’t possibly provide for themselves.
They needed Jesus.
I think the remote places are where we too, most often find ourselves acknowledging our desperate need for Jesus. When we are in waiting rooms, or doctor’s offices, or waiting for a phone call, or lose our job, or when we hit rock bottom, or are weathering a pandemic, when we are completely incapable of providing for ourselves is when we cry out to Him.
And just as in this account, Jesus has compassion on us and He provides. He fills our souls with love, mercy, peace and hope. He redeems us and gives us a fresh start.
Jesus feeding the multitudes reminded me not to fear the remote places because that’s where Jesus does some of His best work. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Last week, I watched in complete dismay as our Capitol was overrun and overtaken, not by foreign terrorists, but by Americans. People who’s anger and sense of disenfranchisement boiled over and they felt led to take matters into their own hands. Chaos reigned for a time both in Washington DC and all over social media. The enemies of freedom all over the world cheered.
I’ve no doubt Satan danced in utter delight.
I felt a spiritual darkness deep inside my bones over the next few days. I prayed without ceasing asking for God’s guidance and for His mercy upon our land. I read the Bible and I texted some of my strongest prayer warriors asking for perspective.
On Sunday morning, as I was continuing to pray about it, I felt like I got what I had been seeking.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of the story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to speak the truth and tell them about Him and His coming judgement. Jonah ran the other way, not because he was afraid, but because he didn’t want God to forgive them. Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed.
But, as evil as the people of Nineveh were, they repented and God spared them.
We can argue all day long about whether God supports a particular political party, but in doing that, I believe we have allowed ourselves to become focused on man and not on God. Let’s be clear here: God can use whomever He chooses to use for His purposes. His hands are in no way bound by someone’s political party affiliation.
As people of God, we need to accept that we are in the middle of a spiritual war here and so our response must be spiritual. We are called to pray for both Trump and for Biden, for the Democrats and the Republicans. We are called to pray that revival will sweep through the halls and streets of Washington DC and on both sides of the aisle.
I watched an interview last week with Mike Huckabee and several other pastors. One of them pointed out that during the ninth plague in Egypt, the plague of darkness, found in Exodus 10:21-23, the darkness was so deep in the land that it could be felt. But, the Israelites, (God’s people) had light in the places where they lived.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 says: “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness.”
As children of the light, we are called to spread light not darkness, remembering that darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can.
Now more than ever, we are called to speak truth in love and to pray as never before. The people who walk in darkness don’t know anything, but darkness. We do. Every Christian is here for such a time as this. We may be surprised about what’s going on, but God is not.
We were chosen for this moment. How will we choose to respond?
A small azalea blooming in a place where it shouldn’t have been, reminded me to do the same.
I was taking a break from work a couple of weeks ago and looking out the window. Autumn leaves had just begun falling in my yard and some had landed on the azaleas. My azaleas came with our house and they are huge. They bloom a bright pink in the spring and herald in Easter, but the rest of the year, they remain green. They don’t turn brilliant colors in the fall. They aren’t barren in the winter. They are green and when the rest of the world is dark and sleeping, green is a nice contrast.
As I was looking at my steady green azaleas and thinking about being able to depend on their greenery, a tiny pink blossom caught my eye. It’s October and the entire world around those azaleas is about to turn orange, yellow and gold and yet, that little blossom boldly stood up in pink, seemingly unaware and clearly unconcerned, about the current season.
I smiled and went outside to take a picture and found it hard to capture, yet it was there. I thought about that tiny brave blossom for the rest of the day.
Most of us can definitely say we find ourselves in a season where we have never before been. From the Covid pandemic, to the social unrest, to the constant negativity in our political climate. Goodness and decency seems under assault and I often find myself wondering what has happened to our manners? What would our grandparents say if they were to watch a current newscast?
As Christians, what is our role in the current mess we find ourselves in?
Maybe we should take a lesson from that tiny, out of place, out of season, azalea blossom and bloom, even if we don’t fit in with anything around us.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
Maybe that means taking a walk and admiring God’s handiwork in nature. Maybe that means snuggling a puppy or having a conversation with a young child. Maybe that means reading the Bible or an uplifting story. Maybe that means calling your mama. Maybe that means sharing something beautiful on social media or maybe that means unplugging altogether.
After consciously filling our souls with the good stuff, we are then able and called to to bloom in our own unique way and share that good stuff with those around us. We can do that in person, through the mail, over text or in cyberspace. Our call to love God and love others doesn’t change with the turbulence of the seasons. We just have to make sure that we remain equipped to bloom.
A wayward azalea reminded me that as people of faith, our call to bloom is not dependent on the state of affairs of our world. We are after all, in this world, not of it. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
In times like these, we have to be especially vigilant about what we allow into our hearts.
I was recently working in my iris beds. They had been overtaken by weeds. It’s been a hot summer and I have needed to work on them for quite some time, but the heat and my busy schedule have given me every excuse to let them go. Plus, I rationalized that they won’t bloom again until the spring, so there’s plenty of time.
But, the weather finally cooled off and fall is the time to divide them, a task I could never do if they were covered in weeds. I put on some good shoes and gloves and went to work. Unfortunately, they were everywhere in every single bed I had, but as I got busy, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to pull up. Their roots were so shallow. I removed them by the handful and the beds showed improvement very quickly.
I marveled at the difference and I was little annoyed with myself for letting the weeds get so out of control to begin with when it required such a small effort on my part, to remove them. I congratulated myself on my progress, when I encountered a briar. Briars are an entirely different kind of weed. They aren’t just ugly and annoying. They climb and wind themselves around the things we plant. When you try to pull them, they have tiny thorns that will tear your skin. Furthermore, when you pull hard, they break off, leaving the root in tact, just biding its time to return.
As I looked at my cleaned up beds, I was reminded of how easy it is to let things enter into our hearts that cause clutter like those weeds, things like doubt, fear, despair and hoplessness can rob us of our joy and the beauty our lives can hold. We need to be vigilant about keeping our eyes focused on Jesus so He can remind us to be at peace and trust in Him and His plan. We can do this through prayer and and reading the Bible where we find countless stories to remind us. When we walk with Jesus, He can help us sweep those things away on a regular basis.
But, there are other things that we can allow to take root like anger and hate that are like briars. They have the power to wrap around our hearts and cause serious damage. Ephesians 4:26-17 says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
There seems to be a lot of anger these days. Just watch a newscast or scroll your social media feed. The venom spewing from peoples’ mouths shows the poor condition of their hearts. Many have allowed anger to get a foothold and hate and chaos have resulted.
As God’s people, we are called to first love God and then one another. If we harbor hate, can we love one another? Can we truly love God with a heart that harbors hate?
As a very important election draws near, perhaps now more than ever before, people of faith are called to stop scrolling and start asking God to root out the hate in our own hearts as well as the hate in our neighbor’s. Maybe then, we can with pure hearts, pray for healing, peace and reconciliation and He will hear our cry and heal our land.
Some overgrown iris beds reminded me to be vigilant with what we allow into our hearts. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
If we didn’t know the truth about seasons, the trees in winter, might lead us to despair.
Late last spring, my daughter and I, went to a local nursery to get some brightly colored annuals for the deck. Since Covid-19 had our entire family home for the majority of the time, I really wanted some brightly colored flowers to brighten our space. I wasn’t able to find exactly what I was looking for, but my daughter found a brightly colored purplish petunia hybrid and we decided to give it a try.
Her choice did not disappoint. Those flowers rapidly grew and spilled out of the boxes that I planted them in. I delighted in looking at them all summer long as I drank my morning coffee or did the dishes. I commented to her more than once, that I was so glad that we went with her suggestion.
But, now as October rolled in, what had been gorgeous in its season, looked scraggly. There were some blooms that were stubbornly hanging on, but what been beautiful in May, seemed out of place in October. I went on a hunt for some pansies to brighten those planters.
As I reluctantly pulled up those petunias, I was reminded how some things are only bloom for a season. Even the vibrant color that had brought me so much pleasure, seemed somehow out of place in the early fall.
Nothing ever stays the same on this side of eternity and when God set up creation, He set it up for constant change. From seeds, to blooms, to fruits, to harvest, creation stays in constant motion. What we plant either grows or dies, but it never remains the same.
Our walk with God has seasons as well. Sometimes we feel completely in sync with Him; blessings are raining down and we are blooming and producing fruit. These are the spring and summer seasons. But, other seasons can be hard. We can feel like the trees in winter, like we have lost all of our leaves and our souls are completely bare like those branches.
For many of us, this pandemic has been one of those seasons. If we focus on what has been lost, it’s easy to despair. If you looked at the trees in winter and didn’t know any better, you would think they were dead. You would think all was lost. But, we know that winter is not the end for the trees. We know that unseen work is being done in preparation for the spring.
Those of us who are Christ followers know that this pandemic season of despair and loss isn’t the final word for us either. We know that God has the final word, that He is at work and that He has a plan. For those of us who know that truth, now is the time to share it, maybe now more than any other time in our lives, because we were all made, knit together in our mother’s womb for such a time as this.
Some petunias and pansies reminded me that there is a season for everything. The Bible tells us so. If the season that you find yourself in is particularly hard, take heart; change is coming. You can count on it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
A couple of weeks ago, I took a walk in my neighborhood and I ran into a a friend who I hadn’t seen in quite some time. We worshiped at the same church for many years, attended the same Sunday school class, even attended a ladies group where we prayed for each other at one point. It was good to see her and we took a few minutes to catch up on each other’s lives.
She shared like everyone else, that she was concerned about Covid-19, concerned about the safety of her family and the safety of her grandkids who are back in school and concerned about her own safety. We talked about what a mess our world is at the moment. I reminded her like those of us who share faith are called to, that God has a plan, that even thought we can see nothing but chaos, He has a plan and He loves us and in the end, it’s all going to be okay. She knew it, but she seemed pleased to have the reminder.
I relayed the story to my hubby later and we talked about how we are always amazed at how God puts people in our paths at a certain time for a reason. I thought about our encounter for the rest of the day.
Later that evening, my son called to tell me what was going on with his class schedule. He transferred colleges this year and almost all of his classes at his new school have gone online. It’s difficult to meet new people when most of your classes are online. He said his roommate told him that he picked the worst year ever to transfer. I told him I was sorry, but who could have planned for a worldwide pandemic?
Then he said, “there’s a plan.” I fought back tears as I agreed with him. My hubby and I have shared our faith with him since he was a baby. It was so comforting to hear him acknowledge his faith when he’s going through such a difficult time. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear him questioning his faith, but he was amazingly matter-of-fact and I held his words close to my heart.
When I was driving home from work with a migraine the next day day, from working in an office with too much light and reflection due to plexiglass, installed for safety, I was in tears. Out of the blue, my son’s words popped back into my head followed by the conversation with my neighbor.
God used both of those conversations to remind me and bring me comfort. God has a plan. It may not look like it. I’m sure it didn’t look like it to the Israelites who roamed in the desert. I’m sure it didn’t look like it to Jonah when he was in the belly of the fish or to Daniel when he was in the lion’s den. The Bible is full of stories teaching us about God’s sovereighnty in the darkest of times.
Those of us of faith can rest assured, God has a plan and He loves us. A conversation with my neighbor, a phone call with my son and a migraine reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding, perhaps you do too.
When we focus on what we’ve been given, it’s usually more than enough.
I haven’t had many hummingbirds this year. I have no idea why. I hung my feeder in the spring like I always do and I patiently waited. I was so excited when the first one arrived and then the second, but I never got over three or four. Normally, I hang two feeders to keep them all fed, but this year, I only needed one and I kept it half full so the sugar water wouldn’t go bad before they could drink it.
But, about a week ago, traffic began to pick up. I had more visitors and I filled the feeder back up to the top. One morning last week, I watched two of the little birds viciously fight each other at the feeder. It was filled completely to the top. There were plenty of perches and plenty of food, yet instead of partaking of what had been freely given to them, they fought over who would get to feed there.
When I commented to my hubbby about how foolish they were acting and how much time they were wasting focusing on each other instead of what was in front of them, he commented, “Aren’t we all like that?”
I thought about those hummingbirds and his words for the rest of the day. He was right; we do tend to act like those foolish birds perhaps now more than ever. We have been slogging our way through a pandemic for six months now with no end in sight and we are weary. There has been a lot of sickness and death and yet there has been amazing provision as well.
The grocery stores are stocked once again. Toilet paper has made a comeback. Our hospitals are not overwhelmed and treatments are getting better, but instead of focusing on provision, we focus on each other. Who is wearing a mask? Who isn’t? Who is right? Who is wrong? Which school district is going back in person? Which is going virtual and why each is wrong or right? Even when parents can choose virtual or in person, it’s still a fight.
And of course, there’s all of the politics.
At closer inspection, we have a lot in common with those hummingbirds. What would happen if we were to prayerfully focus on the gifts we have been given at this moment, and if we are honest, it’s way more than we acknowledge, and stop concerning ourselves with what everyone else is doing? It may help if we begin with a large dose of humility admitting that none of us are in charge. None of us really know what we are doing and most everyone is doing the best that they can.
As I was writing, a verse popped into my mind. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
It seems to fit the times we are in, funny how the Bible works that way.
Some hummingbirds reminded me to focus on what we have and what we have been called to do. What everyone else is doing is between them and God. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
On June 17, 2015, I was participating in a Salkehatchie mission camp in South Carolina. That ministry is run by the South Carolina UMC. There are 46 camps and over 2,000 campers who participate throughout the summer all over the state. Salkehatchie is faith in action. Youth and adult volunteers head out to rural, low-income communities to repair their homes, build new relationships and become the hands and feet of Christ.
That year, my camp was working on two houses, one was owned by a white couple and one was owned by a black man. Everyone on both of our teams was white. I don’t think race ever occurred to any of us. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors and we were trying to do that. In the evenings we were fed dinner by different local churches, some predominately white and some predominately black, and we all fellowshipped, worshipped and prayed together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
It was a wonderful feeling, building bridges between groups of people where so many vast canyons have existed.
But, to our horror, on the evening of June 17th, an evil man went into a Bible study being held at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and shot nine people in cold blood in hopes of starting a race war.
As the entire country reeled in shock, the family members of the victim did the unthinkable. They forgave him. There were prayer vigils and fundraisers and on June 21st, there was a rally in Charleston and tens of thousands of people of all ethnicities, crossed Ravenel Bridge together.
Satan gave it his best shot, but he lost that round.
When I looked at twenty different versions of Genesis 1:27, they all say about the same thing. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Not one single version mentions skin color. That means we are ALL created in His image and are to be respected and treated equally.
I used to ask the middle schoolers in my Sunday school class if they believed God made mistakes. They would all readily answer no. I challenged them to remember that when they were at school away from church, interacting with people who were different than they were in some way.
The events of this past week and the cold blooded killing of both George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery have left our country in turmoil. It has become painfully clear that America has a race issue, but I have to wonder if the root of the problem runs much deeper. Do we have a soul issue?
People who walk closely with Jesus have two great commands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
It is not possible to obey Jesus, walk in faith and to hate people because of their skin color. When Jesus willingly died on the cross, He created the perfect bridge. The cross is our bridge from life here on earth to eternity.
If as Christians we truly believe that God created all people, then we have to believe that He loves all people and that we are called to love all people. We too, should be in the bridge building business. Make no mistake, we are against a powerful destructive force. Satan will attempt to shatter any attempts for God’s people to unify as one. Love, forgiveness and hope have never been on his agenda.
As I write this today, I am heartbroken like all other people of faith. I’ve cried tears and said prayers for the victims and their families, and for the good people in law enforcement, and for my Black friends, and for people who have been injured and lost their livelihoods in the aftermath. I’ve prayed for healing and restoration. I’ve prayed that God will break my heart for what breaks His and that He will help me search my own heart for any poison that should be removed.
I don’t know where we go from here. But, I do know, if we hope to win this spiritual war, we have to start on our knees. We have to remember that God is in the bridge building business. Jesus is the proof. Perhaps we all need reminding.
Marshall reminds me that Christians are not called to live in fear.
My daughter has a new rescue pup named Marshall. We aren’t exactly sure how old he is, but he’s not a year old yet and he has spent most of his life in and animal shelter in a fairly small stall. Needless to say, he has never been on a leash, but my daughter bought him the most adorable harness and leash, and she couldn’t wait to help him explore the world. She reasoned, that he would be thrilled with new wide open spaces and the freedom to walk around.
But, when she took him out for his first walk, he was terrified. People scared him. Barking dogs scared him. Every sound made him tuck his little tail and lock down and refuse to walk. She gave him treats and tried to coax him to walk, but he wanted no part of it.
He didn’t trust her to keep him safe. He had only known her a few days. He had no reason to.
He got a little better over the next few days, and went a little bit further each day, but there was one particular house that always had a dog out front. He had an underground fence and he couldn’t get to Marshall even if he tried, but he didn’t even try. He just stared at him. Marshall didn’t know he was safe and he refused to walk by the house.
After about a week, my daughter decided to pick Marshall up when she walked by the house and put him back down to see if he would continue his walk. It worked like a charm. Not, only did he continue his walk, but they made it all the way to the end of the subdivision.
My daughter and I have had lots of discussions about Marshall’s limited experience with the world outside his little stall and his lack of understanding and trust. We often discuss the importance of patience in building our relationship with him.
Quite honestly, Marshall’s lack of trust reminds me very much of how we tend to view God, especially these days. There seems to be so much to fear, from the pandemic, to politics, to riots and conspiracy theories. Is God listening? Will He protect us? Is He still in control? Like sweet little Marshall, we sometimes want to tuck our tails and lock down, paralyzed with fear of what lies ahead.
God tells His people hundreds of times in the Bible not to live in fear. Why would He do that? He wants us to trust that He is in control and that He has a plan no matter how dark the times may be and even though we like to believe that our current situation is the darkest ever, our Bible tells a different story. There have been plagues, pestilence, famine and unrest since Adam and Eve left the garden. These things will always be present in some form or fashion on this side of eternity.
Yet, we are called to remember that we are travelers here and as travelers, we need to move one step at a time in the direction our Shepherd takes us until He calls us home. We need to remember like Marshall is learning, not to fear, because the Bible tells us not to.
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
A few weeks ago, I started a new job. Interestingly, it happened to be at my college alma mater. I had prayed about the next chapter in my life for a long time. I sensed that when my nest became empty, I was called to do something else, something more challenging, something that would make better use of my talents, something that would stretch me.
If I’m honest, I prayed with hesitancy. I really don’t like change and I had become quite comfortable where I was. I loved the people I worked with at a small elementary school, so much so, they had become like family. I loved the children I got to see everyday. I loved their parents.
I had prayed about returning to work full time, for over a year when my last position came open. When I first started that job, our school nurse, who became a dear friend, had just been diagnosed with ALS. I prayed with her every morning as I watched her slowly die with each passing day. She taught me so much. It was the hardest year of my life and it bonded me with my coworkers in ways I could never explain to people who weren’t there. She passed away at the beginning of the next school year.
If given a choice, I would have never chosen to live through that season, but God clearly wanted me there, like Esther in the Bible, God put me there at that moment in time for a reason. When the sun came out again, coworkers had become family.
So, when I obediently started sending out resumes and got rejections, it was okay with me. I had decided to put it in God’s hands. I wasn’t worried. I knew there was a plan and I was okay if it was to stay put.
But, when I got called in for an interview, I met eight of the most upbeat positive people I had ever met. We laughed a lot and they seemed to really enjoy their jobs. They were doing work that I would be proud to be a part of, using skills that I had longed to use for years.
When I got the offer, I knew it was meant to be, so I put in my notice. My coworkers were super supportive, but it was very bittersweet. My last day was difficult to say the least. My desk was decorated. I received flowers and treats all day from staff, parents and kiddos. My team provided lunch. After hugging my office mate goodbye, I sobbed all the way home.
Monday called for rain, but as I drove in, I witnessed a gorgeous sunrise. A student bus was at a stop light and I smiled as I remembered riding that route myself, but I laughed out loud as the message, “Have a Nice Day,” scrolled across. I knew it was a God wink. When I arrived, my new coworkers were so kind and welcoming. I knew I was in the right place. On my drive home, I saw a hawk sitting on a fence, another God wink, another reminder that I was where I was supposed to be.
Now, as I find myself working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, along with my hubby and two college kids, asked by government officials not to leave unless we absolutely have to, I once again find myself in a place I wouldn’t have chosen to be. I see so many Facebook posts about the death toll rising, jobs lost, weddings postponed, and senior years cut short. There’s a lot of fear, sadness and negativity out there and it’s all legitimate.
Maybe now more than ever, like Esther, we need to remember that we are all here, “for such a time as this.” The God who knit us together in our mother’s womb, is in control. He has a plan. If we trust Him, He will use us to glorify Him, even if it’s scary and sad for us at the moment.
