Unsung Hero - Naaman

Doubt - it's a confusing feeling.  Think about the last time you doubted a situation, doubted a person, doubted intentions.  The insecurity and loss of self assurance is profound.  As much as I hate to admit it, there have been many times in my life when I have doubted.  I have doubted one's love for me.  I have doubted the work that I have done.  I have doubted my level of faith.  And yes, I have doubted my Lord.  I am not proud of those moments of doubt, but they are a part of my sinful nature.

Today, we read about Naaman.  Naaman was a soldier servant to a king.  Naaman had leprosy and was told by his servant girl that he should go to a prophet of the Lord for healing.  With permission of his king, he went.  Naaman's expectation was that the prophet would come out of his house and with "a magic wand" sort of event, he would be healed.  That is not what Elisha (the prophet) did.  Elisha told Naaman to go to the Jordan and dip himself in the water seven times - and by those actions he would be healed.  Naaman was disappointed with the words of Elisha and headed back home, not dipping himself.  Naaman doubted what Elisha told him.

Naaman's servants convinced him that he had "nothing to lose" by going to the Jordan.  So Naaman went, and as you would expect, was healed.  With humility, Naaman went back to Elisha said said the words that are stated above, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel."  Naaman teaches us much in this small story.

As I've shared, there are times when we doubt things in our lives.  When those times arise, just like Naaman, I tend to figure out how I can take things into my own hands.  When the doubt involves lack of recognition (whether in emotion or work), I can fall into self-pity.   When the doubt settles into prayers that are unanswered, I can fall into a lack of praying and focus on what "I" need to do to fix things.  As you can imagine, my ways are never the right ways.  

What Naaman teaches us is to never doubt what God can give us - for His intentions are always right and true.  It may not happen in the way "I" intend it to happen, but it happens in God's correct and right way.  If we should doubt, let us come back to our God with humility and thankfulness.  How grateful we are that God forgives our sinful nature of doubt and brings us back to His righteousness.  Lift your doubt to God - He will bring you healing!

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of Naaman.  As I see how doubt can be rooted in may different situations, help me to always turn to you, God.  By your strength, by your direction, and by your love, lift my doubt and bring me to eternal healing in you.  In your gracious name I pray, Amen!"

Unsung Hero - Andrew

"The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is Christ)."  John 1:41 (NIV)

The white tombstones.  The red, white and blue flags.  All lined up in a row.  There is something about the picture above that has always brought the words Unsung Heroes to my mind.  Each Memorial Day, it is hard not to be grateful for the thousands of men and women who have unselfishly given their lives to let us have the freedoms we have in the United States.  Yes, I agree, every day should be Memorial Day.  Yet, this last Monday of May has always brought reflection, and thanks, to the many who have died so we could have the freedoms we enjoy.

It made me think about the unsung heroes in the Bible.  There are so many who have given unselfishly of themselves in honor of God.  I thought it would be fun to explore some of these unsung heroes during the next 4-5 weeks.  I am certain that there are hundreds, but let's take a look into a few.

Today, I would like to focus on Andrew.  We don't hear a lot about him.  Yes, we know he was a disciple, but Andrew tended to take a backseat to his brother, Peter.  We read much about Peter and know at times he was a pivotal disciple.  Yet, Peter would have never have known Jesus if it wasn't for Andrew.  As our Bible verse shares, the FIRST thing that Andrew did was tell his brother, Simon Peter, that Jesus was there.  

Andrew was known as the one who brought people to Jesus.  He brought Simon Peter.  He brought the little boy who had the bread and fish to Jesus to feed the thousands.  Many times throughout the Bible he is referred to as Peter's brother, typically not referred to as just Andrew.  It seems as if Peter got the "limelight" and Andrew was in the background.  Yet, he brought many to Jesus and was more interested in saving lives than the notoriety.  

Remember, when we believe that we don't have what it takes to bring people to Jesus, let us be like Andrew.  He stood out in faith and just told people.  He shared the good news and brought the necessary people to Jesus to do outstanding things.  Yes, Peter may have been a primary figure in Christianity, but he never would have been without Andrew.  We all have Andrew moments - when we can bring those to Jesus.  We never know what those good people will do.  On this Memorial Day, please remember the unsung heroes of our military.  Also, remember Andrew - an unsung hero of the Bible.

"Dearest Jesus, please be with all the families that have lost loved ones who died in service to our country.  Those men and women fought for our freedoms, that we might be able to say your name proudly today.  We also want to thank you for the great examples we have of unsung heroes in the Bible.  Let us be like Andrew, bringing people to Jesus so that they can do mighty things.  In your name we pray.  Amen!"

Solar Faith

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  John 1:1 (NIV)

Everywhere I look these days, I see solar panels.  They may be on a house or on a company building, but they seem to be everywhere I look.  I went to Home Depot yesterday and there was a company selling them.  I thought about these panels, what they are meant to do, and how they service us today.

As you are probably aware, they help to generate energy.  The panels attract the light and they store it in batteries until you need to use the energy.  Actually, it's a pretty neat idea.  It's unbelievable what the sun can do for us, but better yet, that there is a way to store the energy from the sun to a time and place when your family or company needs the energy.

It made me think about God's word.  No really, stay with me on this one.  I thought about how the intent of these panels was to collect the sun's energy every day and store it until it is needed.  Let's think about the incredible power and energy of God's word.  When I read God's word, there is an energy that fills me up - it helps me to see things differently and provides me the energy to do what needs to get done.  It may be rising up from a difficult situation, gaining strength when I am weak, or putting love back into a broken heart.  Whatever is on my plate or in my heart, God's word gives me the energy to get things done.

If we steep ourselves into God's word, read it every day, we are doing what the solar panels are doing. We are storing up the energy that comes from God's word so it is available when we need it.  There have been days when my morning time with God can't happen.  Yet, when I'm driving to work, I remember something that I read from that great book or how it impacted my life and a smile passes over my lips and warmth drips into my heart.  Our Dear Lord is good, so good, each and every day.  When we read His word, and let it fill our hearts, we KNOW He will be there for us.  Simple Faith. 

It can be hard to find time to open our Bibles every day.  Yet, when we do, see it as Solar Faith, Simple Faith.  Get filled up with His Word, tuck those words away like stored energy, and bring it out and use it when your energy is low.  The words of God have been selected just for us.  For you, for me, and even for those who have yet to experience the love of Jesus.  Those words are for our hearts.  I pray that you find solar faith, simple faith.

"Heavenly Father, we thank you for The Word you have given to us.  We know the power that those words have in our lives.  Help us to continue to steep ourselves in your word, knowing that there will be days when we will need to call upon those words for energy in our lives.  Also, please guide actions in our days so that we might be able to share your word with others.  In your name we graciously pray.  Amen."

Silent Friendship

"Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights.  No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was."  Job 2:13 (NIV)

Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there!  This Mother's Day, I am in Chicago preparing for a workshop I will be attending.  It was a bit odd not being able to see my mom and children this day, but that certainly didn't take my thoughts away from the day at hand.

As always, I have a story to share.  The other day, I was speaking to someone about what she could do for a friend of hers that was battling cancer.  I thought back on those days with many differing opinions.  There is a part of me that is very grateful for all the wonderful ways God blessed me through friends and family during that time.  Yet, I thought about a different way that was just as impactful, "Silent Friendship".  At first the person looked at me with an odd expression - of course I asked to explain.  

Sometimes, when the trials and tribulations of the day come knocking upon our door, many around us want to provide advice and counsel.  Nobody does this with malicious intent.  People like to help, and I can certainly relate.  Yet, some of the most profound times when I have needed help have come with someone just sitting by my side.  It's okay not to have words to say - many times we aren't supposed to say anything - especially when things are at their lowest.  Reflect above.  Job had absolutely nothing left in his life - NOTHING.  Yet, his friends came by and sat next to him - just "being".  They did that for SEVEN days - just sitting and letting Job know they were there for him.

The same happens today.  When trials hit us, many times as friends, we just don't know what to say.  Yes, even I struggle with the right words.  Yet, I don't think that's what God wants us to give each other all the time.  He just wants us to be there for each other - just like He is always there for us.  He knows our thoughts, he understands - yes he even gives us hugs and holds our hands - as our friends do for us.  Silent Friendship can be golden.

On this note, I have many wonderful people who have done this for me over the years - just were "being" with me.  One has been my mom.  When I was sick and days were tough - she just came over and was there for me.  That was EXACTLY what I needed.  Maybe she made a silent cup of tea.  Maybe she just sat and read her book - and just let me read mine.  Much was said in those days of no conversation.  The beautiful flowers in the picture are roses my mom gave me for Mother's Day.  Here's to you, Mom - and our silent friendship.

The next time you find yourself wanting to DO something or SAY something to a friend, contemplate that the greatest you may give them is just you "being".  God fills in for the conversation that isn't said.  Let him do what he does best - and may we do what we do best.  For all the mothers out there, I pray that you were blessed with a special day.  Let's face it, as moms, every day is a special one.

"Heavenly Father, help us to know that sometimes silent friendship can be the greatest give we can give to each other.  Just "being" can lead us to feel you, God, among us.  And there is NO greater person to have among friends that YOU.  Please bless all those who need some silent friendship today."

The Art of God

"Yet you, Lord are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."  Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

I received a rare blessing today.  I am travelling on business to Charlotte, North Carolina.  I've never been here before and since I got in a few hours early, I thought I would select one "tourist" spot to visit.  There were many to chose from, but today I headed to the Mint Museum (pictured above).  I'm not sure why the GPS had this address plugged in.  I'm not a huge museum person.   I can't remember the last time I was in a museum.

I will walk through a museum, but I've rarely been able to truly appreciate the art.  I admire those individuals who can look at art and it inspires them - I've never been drawn to art that way.  Yet, today for some reason, my heart took me to the Mint Museum.  My experience was dramatically different.  I truly believe God wanted me to see something I hadn't seen before.

As I viewed the beautiful sculptures and paintings, the craft and design work, my eyes were drawn to the stories printed beside the art.  I read about these artists.  Some artists were from the 1800's.  Some were more recent.  Yet, each artist had a story - a reason to capture the world as they saw it.  All of the sudden, the art had meaning.  I found a new beauty in the art that I had not seen before.  As I walked through the rooms, so silent and quiet, it brought my heart to my Lord and the wonderful passage for today.

Just as the artists I read about today had a story to tell with their art, so our Lord has a story to tell through us.  He is the artist, we are His canvas.  He created us with His hands to be able to tell a story - HIS story.  Through our lives, He has worked us, through the joys and tribulations, to create a masterpiece - HIS masterpiece.  Imagine - being God's masterpiece.  The more I thought about this, the greater my heart was drawn to God.  I owe it to God to be the best piece of art I can be. 

If my life tells His story, then I want to ensure it is a great story.  I want to be the best piece of art I can be - so that He, the artist, is glorified.  That means making good choices, living in God's light - the artist's light.  It means reflecting His greatness to those who view me.  It means I need to work on becoming His masterpiece.  That may seem like a tall order.  Yet, there is GREAT news with this tall order - He will be there with us, to guide us, to help us, and to encourage us.  There is no better artist than our Lord.  Will you join me in becoming a great masterpiece?  

"Dearest God, I ask your help as I try to be the masterpiece that you have created.  As the artist, you have a vision of what I should be to the world.  I ask your help in making that possible.  Help me to reflect the art that you want the world to see.  May your grace and mercy help me to achieve this.  In your artist's name I pray, Amen."

False Expectations

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."  Luke 6:35 (NIV)

You've waited all week.  You have saved calories, ate that salad and drank that water - all in great anticipation of going out for dinner on Saturday night and having that slice of chocolate cake.  You get through dinner and order the cake, envisioning how wonderful it will taste.  You put your fork into it and savor it in your mouth and, BAM, it's not as great as you had expected.  All that work for something that didn't meet your expectations.  All that work for nothing!  Just for the reality check - "I" would ensure that cake was still gone!!

Maybe it is a different expectation.  Maybe your expectation is with a new job - wanting to get into a company that you had great expectations for - only to be let down by poor management and less than challenging opportunities.  Maybe your expectation is with a new appliance -  and learning that great new oven really DOESN'T have a self-cleaning feature.  Although all of these things can disappoint us, we can do something about the disappointment - look for a new job, purchase a different appliance, or, yes even go to a great bakery for a chocolate cake.

Yet, when it comes to our expectations in relationships, these disappointments can be more difficult to navigate.  We may enter a new dating relationship with high hopes of romance and chemistry.  As time moves on, the expectations you may have had that were initially being met seem to be drifting away.  We may have expectations of our parents or children, expecting that they will react in a certain fashion, only to be looking for a response that never comes.  The greatest disappointment may come from when we do something great for someone, and nothing comes back in return.  Whether that "good deed" has come through your time, energy, or material items (like money), when we have gone out of our way to do something and don't receive back a response, our expectations are shattered and we are disappointed (and yes, there have even been times when the disappointment can run into anger and rage).  Have you been there?  I have and the degree of hurt and disappointment can be overwhelming.

This past week, I was speaking to a co-worker about people's expectations - what they expect at work, in relationships and in life.  What we came to realize is that when we put ourselves out there, whether it is for people we know or don't know, we can have false expectations - expectations that are unrealistic.  It is one thing to have expectations on a great piece of cake or an awesome new job.  Yet, it is different to place outlandish expectations on others. 

As Jesus says in our verse today, our goal in life should be to do good - to those we know and those we do not know - and not to expect anything in return.  Do good and move on.  This is hard - at least I find it hard.  There have been occasions when I have done something for someone, and maybe all I was expecting was a thank you.  The thank you may never have come.  Have you been there?  Yet, if I were to have approached the situation with a "Jesus heart", there would have been no disappointment and only a happy soul.  Others have no need to reward us - but God will!  God gives us great reward for doing good - without our false expectations.  Living our lives the way God has instructed provides such greater blessing than anything we can expect in return.   

Jesus teaches us so much about who we are and who we can be.  I am sure I will continue to have expectations of things, people, and situations.  What I pray for is a heart that turns my reflection inward and not outward, to see the false expectations I may have set up.  When that happens, I also pray that a smile comes to my face and that a voice inside says, "Susan - you did it again."  May the love that Jesus has for me overcome all of my faults - and false expectations.

"Dearest Jesus, how many times I have entered situations with false expectations!  As I look to your word, I see very clearly that my mission should always be to do good - with only ONE expectation - knowing that at that moment, I am more closely aligned with YOUR expectations than anything else.  Help me to see, Jesus, that the one expectation I can always count on is your love.  In your gracious name I pray, Amen."

Simple Faith

"Though you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."  1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)

I know, not a very original title.  That's okay, because this week, as I write about the anniversary of this blog, it brings me to the very reason God has sent each of us on a path for him.  As I reflected upon the last four years and all that I have learned about others and myself through this journey, the picture above seems to sum it all up, the rainbow.  This picture was taken on our vacation to Costa Rica earlier this year.  When I looked out onto the horizon, I truly couldn't believe my eyes.  It was a perfect day with a perfect ending.  I looked at that rainbow and realized, just at that moment, that faith in so many things had gotten me to that point.

Before my story is presented, let's look at all the wonderful examples we have in the Bible of simple faith.  These are people who didn't complicate faith, but truly took our Dear God for all that He is - mighty and merciful.  It starts as early as Abraham, who walked up that mountain with his son, prepared to sacrifice him.  Talk about a simple faith.  He didn't complicate it - God asked him to do something and he was going to do it.  I certainly don't believe I could have done what Abraham did, but I also believe that Abraham had the faith that God was going to be there for him - regardless of the results.  

We move to Moses, who had no idea how he was going to rescue the Israelites.  Here was a man that had thousands of lives in his hands.  Yet, he walked up to Pharaoh and with the faith that only God can provide, walked his fellow Israelites to the Promised Land.  Talk about a simple faith - let's focus on Mary, Jesus' mother.  If there was someone who had incredible faith that God would take care of her and her baby, it was Mary.  At a very young age, she became a mother.  Not just any mother, but the mother of our Savior.  What a level of faith she had to have, knowing her journey from God was greater than any journey before.  

I never thought when I began this journey that it would take me to the place it has today.  I did have faith that whatever it was that God wanted for my life, I would listen (that certainly wasn't always the case).  This weekend, that journey took me to a wonderful group of women who were willing to listen to my story - the story that God gave me.  What a blessing was given to me that morning.  I met new friends, living out Jesus' love in their lives.  They inspired me to have continued faith in the journey God has set me on.  I ask that you spend time reflecting and believing.  Have faith that God has put a journey in front of you that will reap inexpressible and glorious joy!!  That is what He wants for all of us who have simple faith!

"Dearest Jesus, help us to have a simple faith.  Take the complications out of believing and set us on a journey where the simple faith we have in you and the salvation you gave to us can be lived out in our daily lives.  In your gracious name we pray.  Amen."