The End is Worth It:)

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Colossians 2:7

I have been thinking a lot lately about the quality of my life…physically, emotionally and spiritually. Obviously, they are intertwined. One cannot be unhealthy in one area and not affect the others. 

In the past two years, I have made some much needed changes in the quality of my life physically. Hard changes. Confrontive changes. Grit-my-teeth-and-do-it kind of changes. I try to eat a healthy diet and lost about 35-40 pounds. I began to lift weights and ride bikes. Not a day goes by that I do not have to negotiate whether I will make the right choice today. Some days I do. Some days I don't. 

Because it is summer, I ride bikes a lot. I actually would rather not do that. My thighs hurt. I want to quit pedaling and rest. It is very hot and I am uncomfortable. When I am finished with the ride, I am ecstatic! We stop and get a drink at the store and it tastes unbelievable! What motivates me to get out there and ride bikes? The finishing treat, of course. 

The same would is true spiritually in our lives. In order to let our roots go down deep and draw up nourishment, we have to allow ourselves to go through hurt and pain. In James, it says,

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow…"

Do I like the trouble when it shows up? No, the pain is not pleasant to me just as working out with weights or riding bikes are not pleasant to me.  But I like how I feel when I walk through a valley with my hand in God's hand and end up on the other side and rejoice over his faithfulness. I want to tell everyone I meet how thankful I am for his goodness. I like the end part so much and I keep my focus on that and not the pain that I am experiencing for the moment. In fact,

2 Corinthians 4:17 
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

I want to finish strong in every area of my life. I am looking forward to that treat. It keeps me going when I want to give up. 

Thoughts on Friendships

He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then he began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. Wait here and stay awake with me.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭37-38‬ ERV)

I was reading a John Piper devotional last week and he used these scriptures to talk about how Jesus dealt with depression and anxiety. I was floored by the application.

Jesus was clearly hurting. He realized what was ahead. "He began to be very sad and troubled."  Have you felt that way before? How do we deal with that?

Jesus did not need these three men to deal with his pain.  Even though he was fully human, he was fully God and could call on an angelic army to bring him comfort. But he modeled a way that I can use to deal with pain or anxiety or fear or depression.

Notice that he spoke " to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee".  He called on his core group, his pit crew, his inner most circle of friends. Gracious! Who do you call on in a time of depression or fear? Who is your small group of trusted confidants? Can you name them right now? I believe that this should be a group that is totally outside your family. I adore my family. They are the best!  Our families are indispensable but they are not always the best group to gather with in a time of crisis. They are not always objective. They may not even share your beliefs. Love and cherish your family but this is not the group that Jesus was refering to.

Maybe you can't think of a group. Pray without ceasing until you get one. Invest heavily in this group with your time and unselfish acts. Love these people unconditionally because they will disappoint you at times because they are not perfect. Hopefully, they will love you unconditionally when you disappoint them when you act less than perfect.

God has blessed Mark and I with a small group of friends that attend my church. He literally "dropped" them in my lap about 15 years ago. I do not think it was coincidence that we all served together in a ministry at church. Serving with friends in a ministry is a great way to find the type of friends that Jesus was referring to. It may be one of the best ways to find this group. Join a Bible study. Can't find one? Might be time to start one so that you can meet the quality of people that you want to call your core group. My inner circle is TOP QUALITY and I thank God for bringing them into my life.

The interesting thing about my small group is that we are so radically different. My husband and I often feel like the "weak link"  in our pit crew. There have definitely been times when I needed them more than they needed me. I am incredibly thankful that they haven't kicked me out yet:). God chose women in my group with varying gifts in the body of Christ. But they all have the gift of servanthood. They open their homes to others. They don't feel like they own their possessions. On the contrary, they are much like the church in Acts. They would give anything they own to others in need. More important, they are prayer warriors. We have seen many answers to prayer in our small group. We send out a group text if a prayer need is urgent.  They will pray right at that minute. I depend on that kind of support.

Another application from this verse...be open and honest with your friends. Don't pretend around them. I have learned not to pretend that my kids are doing okay when they are in a crisis. I have learned to swallow my pride and admit that my world is crashing in around me. Only prideful people keep their problems a secret. Jesus said "My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. " What if he had pretended that he could handle this crucification thing all by himself? Even though the disciples did not have the power to deliver him, he modeled for me to be transparent with my inner circle.

Often I don't feel like I fit into my small groups of friends. When I feel this way and share it with my friends, they usually remind me that I have been wandering off from the herd too much:). Staying close to the herd provides great protection from getting eaten by the predators. Jesus said "Wait here and stay awake with me.” He was showing me that "not wandering off" is the way this friendship thing works.

I am always falling more and more in love with Jesus for so many reasons. But this was a great reason to love him more. He showed me what to do in a crisis and how to call on your friends. Jesus absolutely did not need these weak, sinful guys in his time of crisis. But Jesus showed us that we DO need our small group of friends to call on in stormy times.

A safe place

Psalm 121:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

One of the truths about God that we find hardest to believe is the fact that he never dozes off and is never caught off guard by an event. If we were at our very best, totally rested, totally focused...we still could be unable to take care of those that we love. Our loved ones could get very sick.  Our friends could be hit by a drunk driver. We could lose our job. The truth is we can be blindsided by an event.
Because we believe that God is like us, we think that He turned his head or took a power nap. As a result, a horrific event happened and he was unable to protect us. However, in Psalms it states that he will never let your foot slip.  What? Never let me stumble? I stumble so often. Life happens even in my best effort to protect myself and my loved ones.
Then what is this saying? I believe that it means that though I stumble, he grabs my arm and pulls me to safety. He is the ultimate security guard. What a comfort to know that when we are caught off guard by tragedy, God saw the entire event and he will walk us through the dark valley. The dark days are still dark. We are humans. We are weak. But he is the powerful protector. He is the body guard on duty 24 hours a day.
In the book of Job, Job cried and complained for about 40 chapters. That makes me feel better when I can't get a smile on my face in the midst of sad times. However, Job believed that God held the trump card. Satan whispers lies to us and says that God cannot take care of us. He tells us that God was sleeping. He tells us that God can't provide for us. He doesn't have the finances. He doesn't have the wisdom.  Satan has so much to gain if you listen to his deceit. Do not give audience to him. He wants to kill, steal and destroy.
Instead, rest in the truth about our Father. He does not slumber! He is right there! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills if your foot is slipping over lack of resources. He has the strength when you don't have the inner strength. He has the answers when you don't have the answers concerning your next step. A body guard like that must cost more than I can afford. Funny thing about his fee…I can't pay for it. Jesus paid the full amount for me.