by wendy | Feb 27, 2020 | Encouragement For Your Heart, Focus on God
When I was in my 20s, I asked a woman I knew about her conversion from one religion to another. She explained that she converted to her husband’s faith when she married. It hadn’t been difficult, she explained. “The only real difference is Jesus and he was never important to me anyway.”
I was so stunned by that comment that I was unable to respond. I was young and it was one of the first times I experienced someone who knew about Jesus but made a conscious choice to reject him. That conversation haunts me to this day – and it makes me ask myself, “Who do I say Jesus is, and who is He to me?”
When I am introducing a friend, I normally interject a story or two of how she has impacted my life. It helps to convey the depth and length of relationship and gives the other party a chance to connect on a deeper level. Because I have a relationship with Jesus – I don’t just know about Him but I know Him – I should be able to present Him to others in the same way as I would introduce my friends. When I share specific ways that Jesus has impacted my life, I am opening the door for others to experience Jesus themselves.
One of my favorite hymns, In The Garden – written by C. Austin Miles, speaks of the friendship between Jesus and one of His own. Whenever I sing these lines, I cannot help but smile because it reminds me of my own relationship with Him.
“And He walks with me and He talks with me
And he tells me I am his own”
Who do I say Jesus is? He is my savior and my friend, my hope and my joy. He has opened the door for me to have relationship with God and He advocates for me with the Father. Jesus is the reason I can face difficult days and deal with difficult relationships. He teaches me forgiveness, faithfulness, and trust. Above all, He loves me in a way that frees me to love others.
Who do you say Jesus is? Who is Jesus to you?
by wendy | Feb 10, 2020 | Encouragement For Your Heart, Focus on God
I was recently told, by a person who has been exposed to the Word their whole life, that Scripture just doesn’t hold their attention. I can understand that – especially if it is perceived as an assigned reading that “should be done.” I can remember trying desperately to comprehend my high school history book, but no matter how many times my eyes moved over the words, my brain simply refused to enter the information. It just was not interesting to me – it seemed to have no bearing on my life.
I have, at times, felt the same way about the Bible. Rote reading that didn’t make sense and certainly didn’t seem to apply. Once I began to understand though, that Scripture is a book of stories – accounts of the lives of real people like me who struggled – reading it became a lifeline instead of a chore. Suddenly, reading the Bible illuminated the darkness of my crazy life, helped me make sense of the chaos, called me to focus on the important things, and gave me courage to keep going. Scripture not only holds my attention – it compels me!
Yesterday, I was studying our Youth Sunday School lesson. We are using The Gospel Project curriculum and it is taking us consecutively through the Bible. The current unit carries us through the Exodus and wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness. Because we have been traveling through Scripture in the order that it happened, we are invested – familiar with the whole story. We have just experienced the awesomeness of God’s power as He orchestrated the release of the Israelites from Egyptian captivity and brought them through the impossible obstacle of the Red Sea. His people have been led and protected every step of the way, but as soon as they felt some discomfort, they fell to doubt, fear, and complaining. Under the commentary in my lesson, I wrote the following message: “When we focus on the challenge, we shake in fear. When we focus on God, we are encouraged.”
That lesson resonated with me. It seemed like a phrase I might need some day to encourage someone. I closed my book and continued on with my plan for the day – a busy one full of appointments with new shops and processing orders. By the evening, I was feeling overwhelmed by the growth of my business and the increase in my responsibilities. The things I had prayed for were happening – and it was scary!
As I crawled into bed, feeling anything but relaxed, I texted with my mom. “This is stressful.”
“Just focus and trust the Lord,” she replied. Those specific words were like a flashback!
I left my bed and pulled out my notes from earlier in the day.
“When we focus on the challenge, we shake in fear. When we focus on God, we are encouraged.” I had been right – I would need those words to encourage someone – that someone was me! The lessons learned by the Israelites wandering in the wilderness were a blueprint for my own wandering. As I read their story, I am reminded about the amazing show of power, provision, and protection God has showered upon my own life. When I read about their doubt and fear, I recognize my doubt and fear. When I see the kindness and grace that God showed them over and over – the patience He displays in their hard-hearted and hard-headed struggle to move forward – well, let’s just say that I can relate.
This world can seem like a meaningless, chaotic, mess – there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t need to be encouraged. I’m thankful that we have been given a guide – not a dry, academic manual of instructions – but a narrative of grace and a reminder that the God of the Universe is alive and active and cares about me!
“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:13-14
