"I feel like Job"

Have you ever been in a season of life where you feel like the Bible person you most relate to is Job? Like everything that can possibly go wrong is...and there's no relenting to the trials? As I sat talking with a friend yesterday about the most recent trials her family is facing, my heart ached.  In recent months this family has lost their family business in a fire, faced false accusations concerning the fire, faced financial stress, and my friend has had some health issues that are leading her to her an MRI soon.  And the most recent trial they face? Their 1 year-old son is facing a possible diagnosis of epilepsy.

As we talked, she looked at me and said, "Sometimes I feel like Job."  It's a statement I couldn't help but agree with for her.  This has been a season of trials for my friend and her family.  But her next statement had such a great impact on me.  "But I know God is with me.  I'm His child and He'll always take care of me."  Her expression of her faith was such a blessing to me.  It's so easy to say words like that when times are smooth.  Or when we're talking to a friend going through a season of trials.  But to live them out? That's when you find out what your faith is made of.

In this last year, my household has been tremendously blessed.  While we've faced a few trials, we've not seen a "Job season".  But in my immediate family, there have been "Job seasons".  In close friend's lives, there have been "Job seasons" and in extended friendships there have been "Job seasons".  The majority of these family & friends have demonstrated faith that is beyond words.  They have faced their "Job seasons" with strength that is beyond normal and can only be from God.  And they have used what God has allowed in their path to bring glory to Him.  For some, the trials have ended and the testimony of God's faithfulness is being all but shouted from roof tops.  For others, the trials continue...and the testimony of God's strength, provision, peace and faithfulness are being shared through the trial.  For all, the faith that is shared is inspiring.

Are you facing a "Job season"? Are you in a season of trials that seemingly won't relent? Hold on!  God is faithful.  He has a plan and a purpose.  I'll leave you with words from Steven Furtick: "Last year's pressure has a purpose - to produce an anointing for the new year that will make the devil wish he had never bothered you."  Hold fast!  Your anointing is coming!

Give Me Your Eyes

I've always been most moved by music.  A song, a simple song, can heal me, move me, convict me, make me cry, make me laugh, make me dance.  Sometimes one time is all it takes for a song to "get" me.  And then other times I'll hear a hundred times before I listen for the first time.  There's a Brandon Heath song, "Give me Your Eyes", that I really listened to for the first time recently.  And it hit me.  With a punch in the gut and an ache in my heart, it hit me.

I get so busy with life.  So busy with my world and all that's going on in it.  So busy that I almost can't see beyond the end of my own nose.  I get so busy that I don't see the hurt in the cashier's eyes as she rings up my items.  I get so busy that I don't notice the pain on that other parent's face as we sit at the same sports practice.  I get so busy that I don't notice the despair behind the "happy" words in the conversation with a friend.  Or worse yet, I do notice those things, but I'm too busy to take the time to stop.  Stop and see what's on the inside, sometimes even on the outside.

And then I hear a song.  Give me YOUR eyes so I can see.  And not just hear it, but listen to it.  Give me YOUR eyes to see everything I keep missing.  Give me YOUR love for humanity.  Give me YOUR love for the broken hearted, those that are far beyond my reach.

And my heart aches for those that I've overlooked in my busyness.  How many have I been too busy to see? How many times have I failed to see what God wants me to see? How many times have been the person that needed someone to see me? And God sent someone? Too many to count.  What if God were as consumed by busyness as I've become?

Lord, give me YOUR eyes to see the hurt, the pain, the loneliness, the grief, the worry in the faces of those you place in my path.  Help me to not be so consumed with my own busyness that I miss what really matters.  Help me to have your love and your compassion for others.  Help me to see others in daily life the way you see me.  And allow me to be the person you use to make a difference.

Tinkerbell's My Teacher

Have you ever watched a movie that, in no way, is meant to convey a spiritual message, but God hits you over the head with one anyway? That happened to me yesterday.

My 3 year old wanted to watch her Tinkerbell movie yesterday morning while I did laundry, so to occupy her, I popped the DVD in.  As I went about the business of laundry, Tinkerbell played in the background.  As I stopped for a break, something about this movie caught my attention.  See, as a new fairy comes to be, he or she attends a ceremony where their specific fairy gifting is revealed to them.  There are water fairies, wind fairies, animal fairies and more.  In this ceremony, the young fairy stands in a circle surrounded by the symbol of each of the fairy giftings.  The young fairy, Bell, stands and surveys all of the symbols around her.  After a time, a magical mallet finds its way to Bell as she discovers her gifting as a Tinker fairy, hence the name Tinkerbell.

But Tinkerbell quickly loses focus of her gifting, her purpose.  She's caught up in all of the "great" things the other fairies are gifted with and what they get to do.  So much so that she tries to change her fairy gifting to no avail.  After much frustration and many mistakes, Tinkerbell begrudgingly works within her gifting.

This past month or so at church, our series has been "Who Are You?".  Because when you know who you are, you know what to do.  As I watched Tinkerbell, I couldn't help but think she had it easier than a lot of us.  She was told early in life what her calling was, so doing it should have come naturally.  But she struggled with it like so many of us do.

Tinkerbell was so wrapped up envying what everyone else could do, that she completely lost focus of the special, unique and necessary gift that she had.  How often do we do that? We see that person that sings, that person that plays an instrument, that person that speaks or teaches, that person that counsels...the list goes on and on...and we focus more on what we can't do than what God made us to do.  We struggle to "fit" in areas that God didn't make us for, then find ourselves frustrated when we aren't successful.  We wonder why we don't feel fulfilled, yet try to fill places that aren't meant for us.  And maybe we finally, begrudgingly fall into a place that utilizes our gift.

And then it happens.  In the midst of our poor attitudes and unwillingness to embrace who we are, God allows something to happen that causes us to realize our purpose.  Tinkerbell had that moment.  Everything was falling apart.  Spring was not going to come, but Tinkerbell was determined that she could use her unique and necessary gift to save Spring.  And she did.  And she loved it.

When we not only realize our purpose, but fully embrace it, God can use us greatly.  When we realize that our gift, while maybe not the one in the spotlight most often, is unique and necessary, our hearts serve without reservation.  When each of us individually embraces who we are and acts on that, we can change our church.  We can change our community.  We can change the world.

Tinkerbell got to save spring.  We get to save souls.  Know who you are, so you know what to do.  Then DO it.