What I Learned from the Movie FROZEN

So, I have a 3 year old girl who wears fairy wings and princess dresses from the moment she wakes up. This of course means that I have seen the latest Disney movie 'Frozen' countless times in theaters and at home - I live in a house filled with the sounds of "Let It Go" and "Do You Want to Build A Snowman" and find myself singing 'Frozen' songs all day... Sigh! Such is the plight of living with a princess!

But it could be worse... From the first time we viewed this movie I realized that we had a winner and a movie that seems to be cut from a completely different cloth than the typical Disney princess movie.  After seeing it SO MANY TIMES, I started really seeing some morals lessons to live by. Maybe I'm just high on princess glitter paint, but here's what I learned from this movie...

1.  Fear will destroy you and those closest to you, holding you back from your destiny. Hiding from an issue doesn't make it go away or get better - instead it will isolate you from those who love you and would stand with you through the tough times. Living in fear leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding, but facing our fears with honesty and openness leads to deeper understanding...

2.  Just because you have a rare talent that makes you different and unique doesn't give you permission to "let it go" and disregard everyone else - this often leads to disaster, hurt relationships, broken hearts, and distrust... It's wrong to use the thing that makes you different as an excuse for bad behavior. Learn how to use your gifts and talents to help others, cuz you're gonna need people and they are going to need you.

3.  A romantic relationship is not the thing that will save you - you have to do that yourself first, and then you will be ready for love. Until you get to the bottom of your issues, deal with your baggage from your past, come to terms with who you are and love yourself, you will have a hard time judging character because you are desperate to be saved, wanting a relationship with someone else to fix everything.  This makes you vulnerable to wolves in sheep's clothing (aka those rico suave Prince Hans' out there).

4.  Some people are worth melting for... some are not, do you know the difference? Sometimes we need to let go of a person who is damaging us in order to keep ourselves healthy and whole - If someone is constantly draining you emotionally, using you up, never giving back, you need to re-evaluate the relationship and possibly cut off that relationship; and yet there are times when we have to love someone enough to fight for them and hold on to them even if it costs us a bit of ourselves. People who have invested in your life, who always have been there for you when everyone else abandoned you, who point you constantly towards God and towards growth, who make you a better person... these are the ones to melt for...Can you recognize the difference? 

5. When it is time and you are ready for a romantic relationship, don't look for it... cuz you'll probably pick the wrong one!  Let him or her find you along the path you are already walking.  BE YOU, DOING YOUR THING - you will more than likely run into "the one" there, already doing alot of the stuff you are doing, along the same path. He will not be a prince. He will be your equal. He will not save you, but he will walk with you through all of life's struggles and you will encourage each other to be better people :)

Yep, I saw lots of life lessons in Disney's Frozen, and I hope that even if you didn't see all that in the movie, you still know that the 5 life truths listed above are just that: truths.  We really should spend our lives trying to master those. Of course, the biggest lesson I learned? That three year olds don't care about life lessons, they just want someone to take the time to sit with them, eat gummies, and watch the movie together..... again, and again, and again.

Joy Thieves, Part 4: Fear

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
               - Deuteronomy 31:6

Sometimes life is scary.  I think change and the unknown future are what we find the most fearful:  loosing a job, moving to a new city, starting over after a messy divorce, finding out you have an illness, adjusting to life after the kids move out on their own, the death of a dream, or stepping out to grab hold of a new dream. Yep, if you weren't scared before reading this, maybe you are now! :)

God tells us repeatedly in Scripture DO NOT BE AFRAID. Kinda sounds like a commandment or an order, but it's so hard to obey this one because it's easy to be filled with fear. We live in the moment, making judgements and decisions based on what we can see and on the facts that we know - but God often places us in situations that force us to try to hit things we can't see with a stick that seems too short (hmmm, piñata anyone?). God's joy cannot survive in a heart filled with fear because real joy thrives on impossibly possible, supernatural risk-taking, overcoming, awe-filled, WOWZAH! loving, miracle expecting, child-like FAITH.  And FAITH is all about believing in things that we can't see and trusting in God's promises despite what our circumstances tell us... fear kills faith like a swift smack kills a mosquito: quick, messy, and final.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
                  - Hebrews 11:1

Fear is paralyzing. Fear is overwhelming. Fear insists on being in control of all decisions thoughts, and actions.It causes us to give up, to turn back, to play it safe. Fear tells us that we can't trust anyone.... including God.  People who are filled with fear are the hardest to give counsel to because no matter how much I encourage them or tell them that God has everything under control, they simply cannot believe it. This is why fear is not of God and why God commands us to stop being afraid.

My hubby and I recently took a road trip with my parents through the beautiful mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and I had gotten it into my head that I needed to see waterfalls - and I mean I wanted to SEE them, be right up against the frothy, white-watered bottoms, at the foot of some really mammoth, sky-high waterfalls... And most of the hiking trail maps we found promised a beautiful water fall less than a mile down... that's a piece of cake right?  Hmmmmmm.

Because they apparently love me more than reason and sound judgement, Warren and Dad decided to help my dream come true, and so we headed down a path to our first waterfall.

The muddy, rocky ground that rose up before us - otherwise known as "the trail" - was crowded on one side by the mountain and completely open to a rugged, sharp drop-off on the other (I like to call that side the "cliff of death"). The fantasy I had of enjoying the sites and sounds of nature as I leisurely picked my way along the stone path, evaporated in puffs of labored breathing as I hauled myself up, not daring to look up from my feet for fear of slipping off a rock or tripping on one of the many tree roots that just so happened to raise up right in the middle of the path.  Instead of being amazed at the wonder of God, my head filled with the most disturbing images of my broken body crumpled at the bottom of the ravine. I gotta tell you, I was scared!

I had two choices: head back the way I had come or press on. At the very same moment that I decided to turn around, I heard the pounding rush of water.... there is no sound like it. Almost as deafening as a jet engine, it was a sound that I could feel beneath my feet, humming through my chest, like the ground and the air around me were alive with the flow of a powerful force.

And that's why I couldn't turn away.  My face set towards that sound, I growled and grunted my way up and over a fallen tree trunk, slipping and sliding along as I gripped the roots that hung along the mountain side to pull myself forward. Suddenly,  the sheltering arms of the woods that had engulfed me opened to a clearing dappled in bright sunlight, a fine mist hit my face almost instantly as I walked out onto a broad surface of dark, wet stone; and there some fifty feet ahead, rising like a bride on her wedding day, were the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. A series of white capped falls spilled grandly out of a sheer rock face more than halfway up the mountain and over each turret it picked up more speed and spread out farther, falling in a sheet more than 30 feet wide into a crystal clear pool at the bottom. The pool emptied into several rapid-filled rivers that hurried past us and out of site.

I joined my guys as they stood by the great pool of water at the base of the falls, drinking in the site.
 Dad looked at me and his face beamed with the biggest smile. That's when I realized I was smiling like silly, too, my face almost aching with the force of it. We had done it and every misstep and calculated risk was worth it.

Fear keeps us from experiencing those crazy, awesome "at the foot of the waterfall" moments in our lives. I have a feeling that many of us over the years have turned back or given up right before the sound of the waterfall could reach us because of fear.... I know there have been times I probably have.

There are dreams we have thought were out of reach, that we have insisted God has held back from us, but it in reality it is the hand of fear, worn like a glove over our own, that has paralyzed our fingers against reaching out for it.  If we allow fear to control us, we cannot blame God or others, but only our own hesitant, doubting heart.

Overcoming fear is as simple as coming to Jesus - no more excuses, no more defensiveness, just placing all of the energy it takes to resist Him where it belongs - back in His arms. Then, fill your mind with the Word of God - His Word is alive and cuts out the sin and fear in our lives. Then, ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit, because His Spirit casts out fear.  Put your faith into action by taking a risk today - make plans to take steps towards that college degree or that ministry or that move.  Pull yourself ever closer to the sound of rushing water, press on, and don't turn back.

Joy Thieves, Part 3: Anger

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
                         - James 1:19-20

"I can't fake it - I have to be true to myself and let these feelings out! What this person has done is so horrible, so bad, so hurtful, that there is no way anyone could expect me to act like nothing happened because that would be a lie!"

Have you ever felt that way? I have a feeling that you have. In fact, I firmly believe that all of us have felt this way at one point or more in our life.

Whether it's caused by someone unleashing their anger on you or by someone's actions igniting anger in yourself, there is something in our human spirit that impulsively rises up to defend oneself or lash out to hurt the person that has hurt us. The problem with anger is actually in that impulsiveness.

Impulsive behaviors of any sort are never good because they happen like faulty sticks of dynamite, BOOM! Out of nowhere, quick, unstable, unpredictable, they go off without notice or warning - Impulsive words and emotional outbursts are said without reason, thought, planning, judgement, or self-control.

Notice the importance of the words slow and quick in James 1:19-20 - we are to be slow with our words and with our anger, but quick to be silent and to listen. WOW! God is commanding us to go against our nature! Hold on, does this mean God is asking us to fake it? To hold our true feelings in?

YES.  Because these impulsive words and actions, our anger, destroy us.  Our anger lies to us, and is a reflection of our sinful, selfish old flesh that doesn't look like Jesus at all. Even when we truly are being mistreated, that doesn't change the fact that the source of our desire to retaliate is motivated by self. When Jesus was being beaten, bruised, mocked, and spit at, he practiced this ability to be silent: He said not a thing.

There is only one reason Jesus held back any anger or defense: He loved them that beat him, and He loves us.  Now, Jesus calls us to do the same, 

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.…"
                             - Matthew 5:43-45

When we are mistreated, when we have been done wrong and believe we may have a right to be angry or justified in spitting out hateful, vengeful words at those who have mistreated us or made us feel angry, Jesus tells us in His own words to love them, to pray for them... and it is implied that THIS is an important key to being His children.  WOW!

The power of the Gospel is that there are no victims - only quiet conquerors. By holding our tongue in the face of hurtful words, evil actions, betrayal, and anger, we allow the Jesus in us to triumph. For the moment it may feel as though we are frustrated, powerless, and down-trodden, but in the long term we are vindicated, defended by grace, and rewarded with peace, joy, strength, and wisdom.




 

Joy Thieves, Part 2: Gossip

Gossip feels good in the moment doesn't it? - to both the speaker and the listener, but after the deed is done and the two part ways, both parties have been robbed of Joy.

 I love how this Proverbs 26:22 defines gossip:

"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."

 Delicious morsels... I don't know what the Weight Watcher points for this would be, but anything that earns the title "delicious morsel" is probably super tiny and will take up all my WW points for the entire day! Another word, it packs quite a punch, tastes amazing.... and I will regret it later!

The latest gossip tastes good when we hear it because our sinful heart loves to hear about the tragedy and failings of others in order to puff it's self up and feel better. When we listen to gossip, we are actually feeding our sinful flesh. It reminds me of something my father has told people for years: "What you feed will grow, what you starve will die."  If we listen to gossip, we are nurturing and growing the part of our selves that wants to destroy us - the part of us that wars against Christ in us - and we are starving that part of us that worships and recognizes the power of God in our lives. 

Notice that the second part of that verse says that the gossip goes "down into the inner parts of the body."  Very similar to how hard it is to loose that after-Christmas weight, it is much easier to listen to gossip then it is to purge our minds of it afterward.  When listening to gossip, we may tell ourselves that we are simply being a good friend, that it doesn't matter that we have heard this unsubstantiated story, that at least we have only listened, it's not like we have said anything bad...we just listened, right?  Now, substitute the word listened with the word ate.... see the problem?  We are eating poison...taking those poisoned words deep into our heart, like pushing a thorn deeper into our skin. 

I truly believe that none of us wake up in the morning and think to ourselves "I want to destroy my friendships, tell lies about others, and really mess up someone's life today! I want to be alone and have no joy!" Of course not, that would be insane! But our weakness for telling and listening to the wrong kind of story can lead us down a path that leads to exactly that unless we live intentionally, trying every day to be less like our old sinful self and more like Jesus.

But there is hope for all who have failed in this area - there is a way to get that joy back! Here's what Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-18:

"My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness."

Simply put: empty your spiritual pantry of all the junk stories and poison words and fill it with the good, healthy food of God's Spirit!  Selfishness cannot live in the same place as the free spirit of God's presence - so if you are filled with God's presence, the other stuff will begin to move out.  

Some practical ways to stock your pantry with good stuff:

• Re-evaluate your closest relationships and avoid friendships with people who are constantly talking negatively about others
• If possible, remove yourself entirely from situations, people, and places that are filled with gossip
• Ask the Lord to forgive you for any gossip you may be guilty of and ask Him to give you the opportunity to make it right
• When you are in a situation and someone begins to talk negatively about someone, change the subject or say "Why don't we go talk to them about it together?"
• Ask the Lord to make you an encourager and look for every opportunity to speak something positive into the lives of those around you
• Get involved in your local church and experience the fulfillment of being a part of a community that serves each other - outreach programs, events, serve as an usher or greeter, spend an hour a week assisting in a children's worship program, ask your leadership if there's any painting or cleaning or office work that needs to be done
• If someone hurts you, go directly to them about it first, don't go to anyone else.  If this doesn't resolve the problem, go to your pastoral leadership for counsel
• Read God's Word consistently and talk to Jesus (prayer) often

Joy Thieves, Part 1: Comparison

Every day I tell my kids that they are beautiful, that they are smart, that they have been called to great things. I tell them this because I know that within each of us there is another voice that tells us otherwise, and I refuse to leave that voice unchallenged. I insist on drowning it out with truth. 

I recently visited a Christian Bookstore looking for a gift Bible for a friend and I was shocked to see that the "Self Improvement" book section has grown larger than the Bible area - in fact, the only section bigger was the Christian Romance & Fiction area. So many of us struggle with accepting who we are, longing to be more, to be better, to be like someone else. 

Why do we believe the voice within that tells us we are not "enough" and where does that voice come from?  There is definitely a truth that I believe all of us can agree on: That negative voice is not from God... and yet, so many of us choose that voice over God's when it comes to how we see ourselves.

Two things I have observed that happen when we don't speak truth against that negative voice: 

1.  We begin to live a life of constantly comparing ourselves to others
We place ourselves on a chart and everyone in our world is either above us or below us on it.  We give ourselves points if we can befriend people whom we consider "above us" on the chart and find ourselves resentful of the ones we can't get buddy-buddy with. We earn extra credit in our own eyes if we reach out to people whom we consider "below us" on the scale and pat ourselves on the back for lowering ourselves to someone else's level to befriend them. This is not pleasing to God.
  When we compare ourselves to others there are two sins being committed: one against ourselves and one against those who are unknowingly being sized up by our judgement.  God didn't make some of us more special and some of us not-so-special. He doesn't desire for us to look at others and decide how important and worthy they are - just as He doesn't desire for us to look at ourselves and determine our own value. But of course God knew we would do just that - which is why Jesus repeatedly tells us that the least will be considered the greatest in His kingdom, that our chart system will not be considered. In fact, He asks us to be like little children, who just wanna play and have fun together, they don't look at color or status or rank - they just want to play. That is what God desires.

2.  Comparison invites greater sins to come in and rule our lives.
Awhile back, a woman sat in my office and cried in my arms at the loss of a deep and meaningful friendship due to her extreme jealousy of her friend's seemingly charmed life - in her opinion, everything her friend did succeeded, she was more beautiful, her husband was more faithful, her children were more loved, and she had more money... and as much as this
truly grieving woman yearned to go back and mend this friendship, she could not let go of her bitterness and jealousy... Comparison had grown into insecurity; insecurity into jealousy; and jealousy had grown into hatred, destroying the relationship.
  Just like all sins, insecurities grow and fester and turn into huge thieves. They burglarize our heart and spirit, ripping out our joy and confidence in Christ. They take out our love and acceptance of others and put in their place some really nasty roommates:  Jealousy, Bitterness, Hatred. Once these take root it can be quite a job getting to the bottom of the problem and pulling them out. The main reason it's so hard to remove them is that these sins cloud our judgement and reasoning ability - we see everyone through an unforgiving, unloving and self-preserving haze, and before we know it, we find ourselves rationalizing our resentment and anger towards others who have done nothing to earn it.

How Can We Overcome This Sin?

1.  We must ask God to show us how He sees us
  Each of us have different gifts, talents, skills, personalities, handicaps, financial resources, challenges - all of these are tools that God has given us to do and to be exactly what God has made us to do and be. What you may see as a flaw or a drawback, God may have purposefully allowed or given to you in order to accomplish something great through you.
  Live long enough and you will face failure, disappointment, grief, financial crisis or physical illness at some point down the road.  But if you know who you are in Christ, you will never look at the good fortune of others as a slam against your struggle, but instead you will be able to rejoice in the goodness of God no matter who it is poured out on and no matter what season of life your are in at the moment.

2. We must love others as we love ourselves
 I like the way a little toddler told me once: "We are all God's favorite. He loves all of us the most!" God truly does love the homeless lady at the bus stop as much as He loves the man driving the bus parked there. He loves you just as much as He loves the business exec in the penthouse suite of the fanciest building downtown. He loves the stay at home mom just as much as He loves the teenager skate boarding past her window.  He loves them all, they are each His favorite, and so are you.  When we take the time to look around us and intentionally think to ourselves as we watch the people around us "God loves that person"  we will realize a very important secret:  The secret to loving others is in not looking at ourselves at all, but instead, striving to genuinely look at the other person and see the gift of God there.

3. We must ask the Lord to reveal these Joy thieves to us and kill them
Lastly, it's important to honestly ask the Lord "Help me to be satisfied with the gifts, talents, and situation that you have blessed me with. Help me to be glad and rejoice in the gifts, talents, and situation of others and to genuinely love each person in my life. Reveal to me the harmful attitudes that I may have and with your guidance, help me to remove them from my heart."  The amazing thing about talking to an all powerful, loving God is that He cannot ignore a prayer like that! He most definitely will give you guidance and answer that prayer.

Left Behind...Should I Be Scared?

Sooooooo.... usually I talk to you guys about stuff like how to make it through tough times, encouraging, funny stories from my life experiences, and as of yesterday, monkey poop.

But today I have something very serious on my mind and because I love you, my blog family, I just had to share it with you. 

One day soon, Jesus is going to come back to earth, in the flesh, to take all of us who love Him to heaven. Not in a figurative sense, not in a "after we die" kind of way, but in a very literal, very real, very soon kind of way. In fact Jesus tells us in Matthew 24

Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole...

 Also, and here is a nice surprise for all of us who have loved ones in heaven already: every person that loved Jesus and has died will be coming back with Him to get us:

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NRSV)

You may be thinking, 'Rachel, why are you bringing this up? This is freaking me out!' 

Well, it should! Often as Christians we forget that there is a heaven that we should be longing for and a hell that we should be running from. In our church culture today, we can find many churches and pastors that preach on prosperity, self-confidence, encouraging us to be better people... but it is becoming more and more rare that we hear the message of the importance of being prepared for Christ's return and the very real possibility of being left behind or going to hell if we are not prepared for His return. 

There will be people who think that they are good people, maybe even call themselves Christians, that will be left behind. Jesus tells us more about this as we look deeper into Matthew 24: 

The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

This tells us that those left behind were the ones not prepared for Jesus' return. No true followers of Christ will be left - if you truly love Jesus and have a relationship with Him, there is nothing to fear. This will be the happiest day of our lives! We will be re-united with our loved ones that have died, we will see our awesome, precious Savior face to face, we will touch Him and talk with Him, we will be one big happy family!

But this is also sobering - and that is a good thing. So, should we live in constant fear of missing the return of Christ? No, but we should always be awake and alert, making sure that our hearts and minds are in right standing with Our Savior. 

How Can I Know That I Won't Be Left Behind?

1. Allow the Holy Spirit to Convict You of Sin
Another false teaching of our culture today is that if something makes us feel bad, then that thing is bad and we shouldn't be made to feel bad... that is not true. The Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us, warning us of the consequences of our sin... and sometimes, that makes us feel bad - or a better word for it is "convicted." Convicted means found guilty of an offense or crime. So, the Holy Spirit lets us know when we have sinned, helping us to know how to have a right relationship with Jesus.

2. Ask Jesus Often to Forgive You of Sin 
It's amazing how many people believe that God doesn't care about our sins, that we can sin all we want and God will automatically forgive us, even if we are not sorry about it and even if we are consciously making the decision to stay in our sins. The Bible tells us many things that convince us that our sins will keep us from having a right relationship with Christ and that we must ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins on an ongoing basis, but here are three examples:   

Romans 6:22-23 - "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Psalm 51:17 - "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

 These verses tell us that sin in our lives does indeed mean death - aka, not in right relationship with God - but that if we bow our hearts and allow ourselves to recognize our sin and we come to Him broken and contrite, admitting our sin, He will not only forgive us, but He will wipe our slates clean, making us completely pure and righteous. 

3. Run Away from Sin and Run Toward Christ Every Day
A moving body of water is alive, a sitting pool of water is stagnant and dead - and both types of water will be filled with something. Moving water is clear and refreshing, filled with living fish, frogs, oxygen, plantlife. Stagnant water is dark and murky, filled with slimy, gooey, nasty bacteria and decomposition, suffocating anything that happens to fall into it. The same can be said of our minds and hearts - we must always we moving towards Jesus, striving to be more like Him and the more we do that, the more alive we and those around us will be. But if we say a prayer and ask Jesus to come into our heart, then sit in our sins, continue in the same habits and choices and relationships as before we came to Christ, we will become darker and more lost than before we knew about Jesus.

4. Tell Everyone You Know About Jesus
This is so important - if the boat you were on was sinking and you knew where to find all the life jackets, wouldn't you tell everyone where they were? Look around you today - most of the people you see are sinking and they don't know it... the Holy Spirit is dealing with their hearts, but they need someone to reach out to them, love them, and tell them about the Life Jacket: Jesus.

So, there is no need to fear Jesus' return, but there is reason to be sober, alert, and prepared. I don't want to miss the greatest party in the universe!  I want a VIP, backstage pass! - and that's exactly what Jesus offers us! When Jesus returns, I want to see you there - hugging the loved ones that you miss so much, standing with me as we worship Him, walk and talk with Him, eat together and meet all of the great, epic heroes from the Bible - David, Moses, Peter, Paul, and more. It's going to be the best day ever, when Jesus takes us home.
  

Gold Mines and Coffee Beans

"And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”  -Zechariah 13:9


It occurs to me that things and people who endure hard times and tough situations increase in their value, both in reality and in perception... but while going through the storm, it's often hard to see the value that is building within us, isn't it?

A good friend of mine is a breast cancer survivor, and after a complete mastectomy and several rounds of chemo, she not only survived but she found that she now has more resolve and strength to take calculated risks, to step out and do some things that she never would have before that battle... and it's not just me that notices the amazing, unstoppable person she has become. 

I have quite a few life-sisters who are what our culture has named "single moms" - you know who you are, and so do I.. you work full time, long hours, you are both mom and dad, many with no help from anyone, having to fight and struggle for your child to get what he/she needs, putting your needs aside.... You show a strength and a zeal that reminds me of epic prize fighters like Rocky Balboa!! ..and I am not the only one that sees your true greatness.

The list of people I have encountered that have grown stronger and wiser and closer to Jesus through adversity goes on and on - many friends and acquaintances have lost homes, jobs, marriages - or experienced the deaths of spouses and children - some are living with constant pain, cancer, or terminal illness... 

I call heroes like these Gold Mines - because as trials and hard times come at them, instead of ripping them apart and destroying them, every explosive blast unearths treasure - painfully wrought, heart-breakingly rich treasure.

I recently read about the most expensive coffee in the world, Koi Luwak, and as a major coffee lover I had to find out more about it.  I found that it is in very short supply - just 500 lbs of it is harvested a year, with retail prices reaching US$700 per kilogram. It is rare and precious because it is harvested from the poop of a monkey that eats only the most ripe coffee beans and something about the beans going through the monkey's digestive system make the beans super delicious and aromatic and therefore extremely valuable.
  
Now, I like to think of myself as modern and hip... but really?? REALLY??

All kidding aside, it's pretty interesting that a regular, old coffee bean that just happened to be laying around on the jungle floor like all the other coffee beans can go from Dunkin Donuts to Nordstrom's by going through.. well,.... poop. Those coffee beans are Gold Mines!

I am so grateful that our God is not as fickle and trendsetting as today's coffee drinkers, but He does seem to have a similar affection for people who have gone through ugly, soul shattering tragedy and upheaval. Psalm 56:8 gives us a little insight into this:

"You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book." 

God sees your pain, the trial that you are going through, and He is keeping a record - another words, He will never, ever forget the battles that you have endured. Taking it a step further, Psalm 34:15-18 reveals that God puts His love and affection into action, also:

"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles. 

 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

 Though it is clear that in this life, God will allow us to go through immense suffering at times, it is also clear that our God sees us, hears us, delivers us, is close to us, and ultimately, He saves us.

Today, you may be going through the worst pain of your life - or maybe someone you love is... I can't tell you that God is going to stop your pain; there is no magic prayer that will send prosperity and miracles raining down from heaven to make all the sorrow go away. But I can tell you that this too shall pass, that He is holding you in His hand, and He will indeed hold you together - you will not be destroyed by this, if you will hold on to the One that is holding on to you.

In fact, each explosive hurt, every stab of pain, will reveal a Gold Mine, a treasure... a strength that is more than you ever thought possible, because Jesus is carrying you through.