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Consider your Ways

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The other day I was talking to my co-workers about the way my brain works. It came up because we were all in the same meeting, but our takeaways were actually quite different. What it came down to was this: we talked about several ideas as part of the conversation in clarifying our next move. When the conversation ended, I discarded all previous ideas and focused in on what was said last. To me, those previous things were no longer needed, so why even think about them? As the conversation later unfolded, it seemed that others were still lining up all parts of the conversation rather than just focusing on the end goal. I couldn’t quite understand why at the time, but in looking back now I see how each of our perspectives beautifully rolled into a full on team effort to create something pretty great.

That said, reflection does not come easy to me. I tend to be very task oriented. I set a goal, meet it and then set another goal. I’ll do a little reflecting on what I could have done better to achieve that goal, but as far as self-reflection where I have to analyze all the pieces — and especially emotions — that go into it…thank you, I’d rather not.

This is not particularly healthy. All it does is lead to a spiraling surge of emotions that eventually spill over into a chaotic version of myself and the fallout isn’t pretty.

I know this to be true, and I am working on it (I promise!).

Maybe that’s why the messages in Haggai tap into a real part of my soul and help me want to do better.

The Prophet

Haggai is another prophet that I truthfully haven’t paid a whole of attention to over the years. This book is buried deep in a list of names/titles that are hard to pronounce and intimidating especially if you have already struggled wrestled with Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Haggai’s message pairs with Ezra and Zechariah, encouraging a returned people to rebuild the temple that was destroyed when the Israelites were carted off to Babylon 60 years earlier. For those of us who don’t know the history, or simply get bogged down by it, this may seem outdated and overwhelming, but the messages of Haggai are every bit as relevant today as they were when he first preached them.

What it comes down to is 4 main ideas:

  • Consider your ways.
    • Look up.
    • Look within.
    • Look ahead.
Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

Consider your ways

Twice in the first few verses of Haggai chapter 1 we are told to consider our ways. I can understand why. We often go through the motions of living without ever taking time to really consider why we do things we do. As Tevye would answer, we do it because “it’s tradition!” or at least the way we’ve always done it. Why, you may ask? Well, Tevye has the same answer we all often do… “I don’t know, but it’s tradition!” Now there is nothing wrong with a good tradition. I’m down with that as much as the next person. However, Haggai’s main message is that no matter how hard we try at something or how much work we put into it, we will (like Hamilton) never be satisfied unless our heart posture is in the right place with God front and center.

Side note: I firmly believe that musicals can pretty much teach you any life lesson. Best teaching tool besides the Bible. Prove me wrong.

Which is why God asks us to consider our ways.

He doesn’t want us to just think about them, mediate on them or even study them. He wants us to consider them.

Consider is a heavy word, really. It includes thinking AND action.

One way to follow this command is through regular self-reflection.

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash

Self-reflection is a great practice, often neglected in our go-go-go world, but if we practice it daily, we can learn to shift our priorities to what matters and stop wasting time on what doesn’t. So, what exactly are we to consider about our ways?

Good news. Haggai breaks that down for us, too.

Look up

Often when we consider our ways, we are looking to the wrong things to guide and fulfill us. The Israelites were looking to their material wealth and social standing to complete their lives and had stopped looking to God. They spent gobs of time rebuilding their own homes, perfecting them and making them shiny and new, but they completely neglected rebuilding God’s temple.

This was a direct indicator of what they believed about their lives: Me first, God second.

We still see this mentality today with the ever popular self-care movement. And yes, we need to be careful with our own mental health, but not in the way the world would have us do by putting our needs above all else. Christians are not called to put ourselves first, or to love ourselves first. We are called to love God first and foremost. To put him above all else, including ourselves. In fact, we are called to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23), renounce all that we have (Luke 14:33), and even crucify our passions and desires (Galatians 5:24-25).

So as part of our self-reflection, when we consider our ways, are we looking up to God, or looking out for ourselves?

Look Within

When things don’t go as planned or seem to be spiraling out of control, I’ve noticed that we are quick to complain and ask God, why me? Rarely do we look to ourselves and consider what we can change to change our circumstances. I’m not saying that we can always change something, because let’s face it: we live in a sinful and broken world, and sometimes life likes to kick us in the shins without warning. BUT, often we can at the very least, change our approach and reaction to these (often quite painful) circumstances. When reading Haggai, we can extract the following plan of action:

  1. Look up to God who promises to be with us and to enable us with his spirit.
  2. Choose to face the problem(s) head on, with our eyes wide open and our hands spread out to Jesus.
  3. Make confessions, not excuses. Sometimes circumstances result from our own sin and we have to get right with Jesus before anything else can move forward.
  4. Declare your strength and courage is in God (Joshua 1:9).
  5. Lean on the promise of God’s presence rather than on the false hope that you can do it all yourself.
  6. Claim your peace, given to you by Jesus (John 14:27) and rest in it.
Photo by Aleksandr Ledogorov on Unsplash

Again, we can ask ourselves, are we looking within to the choices we can make to live out God’s purpose and plan for our lives? Or are we complaining and excusing our own behavior because the hand we’ve been dealt is just ‘not fair’?

Look Ahead

We aren’t asked to consider our ways so that we will feel bad about the choices and decisions we are making, but to look ahead to the promises God has made for those who are actively pursuing his purpose, plan and holiness. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been given a purpose and you already know what it is: Spread the good news to all nations, and do everything to bring glory and honor to him.

And here’s the deal: God always provides for the needs of what he has called you to do.

The Israelites returned to their homeland, provided with all materials they needed to do God’s work and rebuild the temple, but somehow by the time Haggai comes on the scene, the supplies had either disappeared, been misappropriated, or run dry. When we rely on earthly powers to supply our needs, there is never a guarantee, but we can trust that God’s promises will never run dry. Sometimes it may feel like God is not moving, but his promises come in His time and not ours. We can look ahead and trust God to provide for our needs every day.

I’ll confess that I’ve been hanging out too much with my nephew lately, so I’ve got Mario on the brain, but the game truly does work as a metaphor for the next part of our plan of action. Check it:

  1. Always read the instructions first. We’re tempted to skip through the rules or explanations, but there is more than just a plot line hidden in those words. The instructions help us succeed where our own intuition would lead to failure. The word of God will always be our instructions, giving us a good start, sustaining us through the challenges, and leading us to success.
  2. Choose your companions wisely. Mario and Luigi are talked about in tandem for a reason. They trust one another and help one another, lifting each other over goals and obstacles in ways they could not do on their own. We can’t do the work of God alone. Community matters. Find your tribe and hold on tight.
  3. Sometimes the challenges seem too hard and we “die” 76 times in a row looking for the way out. However, when things seem impossible, there is always a way if we keep trucking. Often it’s in what we overlooked the first time: a hidden block to jump on, a cave, a passageway… Haggai gave us the best instructions: we consider our ways by looking up, looking within, and looking ahead and we count on God to provide what we need.
  4. Mario’s motivation is never for himself. Sure, he gets to collect coins and have great adventures, but the only reason he goes in the first place is to save the princess. Our goal, to bring glory and honor to God, should always be our motivation in all that we do. And let’s face it, putting God first will guarantee us the best blessings. Does it mean it will be easy? It wasn’t for Mario, so we shouldn’t expect that either. But is it worth it in the end? You bet.
  5. The journey to save the princess would be impossible if Mario didn’t have ways to power up. He uses all the resources available to give him power and strength to complete the goal. We have similar powers (no, not magic fire flowers, though I admit that would be cool). We have the Holy Spirit and without tapping into his power and strength, none of this would be possible.

Ultimately, Haggai’s point is that we need to stop making excuses for why we can’t do what God asks us to do and start serving the Lord with selflessness and dedication. Once that becomes our priority, our actions become intentionally focused on God’s purpose and plan rather than mindlessly following a tradition.

The promise

In Haggai 2:9, the Lord promises to give greater glory in the future than they have ever seen in the past and that he will give us his peace. And he for sure fulfilled that promise through Jesus; not only did Jesus bring ultimate glory to God, but he left us with his promise of peace too. John 14:27 reads: 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

In a world where everything seems to be more chaotic and out of control with each passing day, knowing that God promises us peace should bring great comfort and joy. This peace doesn’t mean that our lives will be perfect or even calm by any means, and anyone who says it does is lying. No, this peace means that in spite of the tumults and tempests of life, we are able to respond with the assurance and calmness of Jesus who promises to be with us, which is the greatest promise of all. 

Yet now be strong...declares the Lord. Be strong...Be strong all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts....My spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. (Haggai 2: 4-5)
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Prophets & Promises

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I don’t know about you, but I haven’t spent a lot of my life studying the prophets of the Old Testament. I love God’s word and I spend a lot of time reading my Bible, but the prophets always felt kind of…depressing. Sure, there are a lot of good nuggets in there that look great on a coffee mug or wall art deco, but most of what you read is a lot of doom and gloom—or at least it feels that way. So I always kind of just glossed over them in my reading. Hello, Malachi, how are you? A cursory ‘fine’ in response was all I was looking for before I skipped on to Ruth or Esther, or James.

So when I ran across a study on minor prophets, I kind of dragged my feet on starting it, but it just kept haunting me (thanks Holy Spirit) and I gave in. Eventually.

I don’t regret it.

Over the past few months I have come to appreciate all that I’ve uncovered in these hard to pronounce, but kind of amazing little books. The history alone is mindboggling, but when you really dig in, these books really speak to my current struggles, and, I’d hazard to guess, yours too.

So in this new series I’m starting (finally; I know it’s been like a year since I’ve posted anything. Life. You dig?), I’m going to dig into some of the prophets and promises of God, what I’m learning, and how it might teach you a little something too.

Investing in Prophets

This word can be a bit scary. Prophets. It feels kind of funny on the tongue, foreign and funky. Most people hear it and think it’s synonymous with ‘fortune teller’ or ‘psychic’. Prophets do sometimes talk about the future. I won’t deny that, but they do so in a much different way than what mainstream media tells us. They don’t gaze into crystal balls or look to anything human or mystical. No, a prophet is inspired by one thing and one thing alone: God. Whether it’s through His word or through constant meditation and prayer, prophets speak revelations. The sovereign will of God, which (as it happens) can apply to the future, but interestingly just as often focuses on the present and past. They rely on spiritual discipline, not on whims of unknown spirits.

I’ve been learning a lot about that concept of discipline lately, too. I used to think I was pretty good on that front, that I had a lot of discipline. And in some ways that is correct, but in other ways I have a long way to go and a whole lot to learn. Building spiritual discipline is arduous and often heartbreaking, but in a way that allows the Lord to move in and redesign your motivation and focus.

And sometimes it hurts.

The OT prophets would be the first to tell you that discipline is hard and painful, yet they’d also be the first (most of them) to tell you that it is 100% worth it to walk that closely with the Lord and to rely on His word and will for your every move.

Building Spiritual discipline is arduous and often heartbreaking, but in a way that allows the Lord to move in and redesign your motivation and focus.

Spiritual Discipline for the 21st Century

If we are honest with ourselves, we’d admit that our society lacks any kind of discipline, spiritual or otherwise. We rely on instant gratification to fulfill our needs and get angry and impatient when we have to wait in line or our computer runs slower than we’d like. So how do we build spiritual discipline in a world that thrives on a me-first mentality? Believe it or not, we build these disciplines in the same manner as the prophets. Sure, it looks a little different for us (we’re unlikely to clothe ourselves in sackcloth when we are grieving over our troubles), but the problems and trials we face have no different roots than what we see in the Bible and so the examples and words of wisdom and warning still apply to us today. Humans are humans, sinful and ugly in all their me-first glory.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Elisabeth Elliot wrote a fantastic book on this very subject called Discipline: the Glad Surrender. The book gets to the heart of spiritual discipline in the 21st century starting with the title itself: glad surrender. We don’t like to surrender and we certainly aren’t happy about it by nature. Especially in the US. It connotes weakness and humility that our society puffed up on pride and self-sufficiency can hardly stomach let alone pursue. But we’d be wise to at least try, especially if we are wanting community with God, which inevitably will lead to amazing growth opportunities we would never find otherwise.

Discipline is the wholehearted yes to the call of God.

Elisabeth Elliot Discipline

So what are these disciplines we are to surrender to? This is not an all inclusive list by any means, but in this series these are the ones I’ll comment on most frequently:

  • Solitude & Silence
  • Fasting
  • Sabbath & Rest
  • Submission
  • Humility
  • Reading the Word
  • Worship
  • Prayer & Vision
  • Faith
  • Community: Family, Friends, & Neighbors
  • Service
  • Reflection & Discernment
  • Evangelism
  • Contentment

Promises of God

The whole point of becoming more disciplined really comes down to the promises of God. When we start living by the promises of God rather than explanations (or lack thereof), we see true transformation in our minds, hearts and souls, but we can’t live by His promises if we don’t even know what His promises are. And that begins by spending time with Him in his Word, in solitude and community, to build and strengthen our spiritual muscles that focuses on something far greater than ourselves.

We can’t live by His promises if we don’t even know what his promises are.

The prophets managed to do this without indoor plumbing, sliced bread, or penicillin, so I figure we can too if we are willing to surrender a bit of ourselves for a lot more of Jesus.

Photo by Julia Weihe on Unsplash
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Permission to Create

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I love my job.

I have been teaching for 12 years now, and while one some levels that is unbelievable, on others it feels almost as natural as breathing to me. I know that sounds really silly and maybe a bit cliche, but I was born to teach—in the classroom or in life, I can’t seem to help myself; if there is a lesson to be learned, I will try to teach it to you.

Whether you want me to or not.

So when I found out I would be teaching creative writing at my school this year, it was like being handed a beautiful gift. One that I treasured every single day since January.

Now don’t get me wrong, like all classes we had our ups and we had our downs, but giving students permission to be creative, unique and innovative in a world where standardization just about beats it out of them was refreshing for both me and my students.

Because the truth is, when we are kids we feel like creativity is our right, but as we get older it is almost as if we have to apologize for thinking outside that box.

That’s sad.

But when we are given permission to create, to think with our own minds, and to really explore what makes us passionate and excited…that’s when magic happens.

And magic happened this year, my friends.

At the end of the course…

  1. Students fell in love with writing
  2. Students found confidence in their own minds
  3. Students learned to give and receive feedback
  4. Students collaborated and encouraged one another
  5. Students became authors, and published a 250 page anthology of original works.
  6. Students became dreamers and learned to both build up AND compete with one another (well…this is a lesson we are still learning. It’s high school, after all).
  7. Audience, purpose, and tone became real as students understood for whom they were writing actually mattered in how they were going to market and sell their products.
  8. Students became teachers, and took me along for a pretty wild ride.

I have published two books myself now, and I am incredibly proud to have accomplished that goal, but I’m not sure that matches the feeling of having put together the amazing anthology for my students and watching them become excited about this journey we took together.

And that’s how I know I don’t just teach, I am a teacher.

So, I give you permission to create. Sculpt something, draw something, sing something, write something.

Because I believe in magic.

Do you?

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AUTHENTIC: MARTHA

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How did I get into this mess?

I’m sure this questions has wandered through your mind on more than one occasion, depending on your situation what preceded it could have been anything—after all one of our specialties as humans is getting in over our heads and trying to back out only to find ourselves sinking faster and farther.

For me, these are the words I utter when all the things I have said yes to come raining down on my head all at once and threaten to drown me in a sea of responsibilities. Because once I commit to something…I commit to it. Sometimes too much. The curse of perfectionism (yeah, I know it’s not healthy and somewhat sinful…that’s why I called it a curse) is the constant struggle of trying to do everything and trying to do everything right.

I like to be busy, but the downside to that is sometimes I get too busy and forget the things that really should matter.

Can you relate? Even if you don’t overextend yourself as much as I do, I feel as though we can all allow our busy-ness to get in the way of our healthy-ness.

Martha sure can.

Photo by Sander Dalhuisen on Unsplash

She was the epitome of allowing all that she was doing get in the way of her being. Because God isn’t a God of doing. He is a God of being. That’s why his name is I Am not I Do.

Family Responsibilities

We are first introduced to Martha in Luke 10. She lives in a little town of Bethany (about 2 miles from Jerusalem) with her sister, Mary, and her brother, Lazarus. This trio is, if not inseparable, at least incredibly close. Never is any mention of any other family made, so I can’t help but wonder, did Martha have a husband? If not, why? The text, Luke 10:38 tells us that Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. Does this house belong only to her, or is simply a reference to her hospitality? I don’t know. I like to think that she was a strong, single woman, but I know how unlikely that would be given the cultural context, but what I do know is that husband her not, she is recognized as an important part of Jesus’ story.

The whole account is recorded in Luke 10:38-42, and aside from the family relationships, we are told two things 1) Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and 2) she was distracted with much serving.

Because God isn’t a God of doing. He is a God of being. That’s why his name is I AM not I DO

Whoa.

I don’t know about you, but if Jesus came to my house in the flesh, I’d be a little distracted too! Not only would I worry about the smells and cleanliness, but I’d be super busy trying to keep him—and his entourage—fed and happy! Because let’s face it, Jesus didn’t travel alone and any time he went anywhere a crowd was sure to follow. Not only was she responsible for the comfort of 13 men (Jesus +disciples) I am certain others kept showing up. It is her home! As a southern woman, I can relate to the pressure she must have felt to make sure everyone was feeling comfortable and served.

But then, there is Mary.

Martha is working herself to a frenzy…and where is her sister? Sitting! Sitting and listening!

In Martha’s mind, she sees her sister sitting at the feet of Jesus and is burned up with anger. How dare her sister come into her home and act so selfishly?

Boy can I relate to that—Most of the time I love the busy life. I love serving. I love making sure that jobs get done that other people find unpleasant.

But every once in a while, I see someone else sitting…and typically it’s someone who hasn’t seemed to do anything at all to be helpful with whatever it is I am working on.

And there they are, sitting and chatting while I am running around doing, doing, doing.

I can imagine what was going through Martha’s mind—no servant’s heart, but anger and jealousy as she watches her sister do nothing. I know, because I have experienced the same—what started out as a selfless act turned into a need for recognition.

Becoming so distracted with serving that you literally forget why and who you are serving in the first place.

Well finally Martha has had enough and she orders Jesus to send her sister in to help. Yep, you heard that right, she gives Jesus an order.

I actually see this scene in my mind quite clearly as Jesus cocks his head to one side and studies Martha. He hasn’t even touched the plate she sat in front of him—because he’s been talking and teaching the whole time. He looks around the room and sees all the faces—these humans who are so hungry for him they also haven’t touched any of the food. In this moment of quiet they might nibble something, but most of them are eagerly leaning forward to see what he might say—after all it is this moment that might define the gender roles forever—are men the only ones who can enjoy and benefit from teaching while the women serve? Are women subservient? Second class?

And then he responds.

Stop doing so much, Martha. Stop all those action verbs—serving, working, troubling—stop doing and be with me more.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Listen then Serve, Not Serve then Listen

Jesus didn’t tell her that serving was bad. He just told her that she was worrying too much about things that don’t matter! That she needed to recenter her focus—less on what she was doing and more on who she was with!

In all her serving she had forgotten that she stood in the presence of Jesus.

She was so busy she almost missed it.

It doesn’t tell us how Martha responded. But given her actions the next time we meet up with her, I like to think she went a little slack jawed, then looked around the room and saw what Jesus saw.

And then she stopped to listen.

Why do I think this? Because Martha was also the sister who lost her brother, Lazarus. She sent for Jesus to come heal him, because she knew that he could, and then she waited. And watched. And nursed. And witnessed her brother die.

I have a sister. And a brother. I feel Martha’s struggles. I feel her pain. And while I don’t know if she is the oldest, I want to believe she is the middle kid given all her striving for perfection and acceptance. But it’s hard to say. Regardless, I feel this story on a deep and spiritual level. Watching someone you are close to—your brother—die and not being able to fix it is something akin to falling into a deep, deep well.

Down, down, down…

And then..

SMACK.

Photo by Valentin Lacoste on Unsplash

From that well, you hear Jesus. And you call out to him, as Martha did in John 11: 20-21, Lord, if only. If only you had come sooner! I know your power. I know your love. If only.

And then she could have stopped, but her next words are why I think she listened in her own home early—why I think she listened.

Even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. John 11:22

Hope. Even at the bottom of that dark well, Martha found hope, not anger and righteous indignation we saw earlier in the story. She found light. The light. And she reached for it, and professed her faith loudly, firmly and with conviction of one who listened.

Yes, Lord; I believe that your re the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world. John 11:27

We don’t hear that profession of faith from a lot of people in the Bible, but Martha is one of them who states it firmly and without hesitation and it is recorded for all to hear and remember throughout history.

Yes, Martha listened, but her practical nature can never be denied (um, Jesus, she says when he wants to open the tomb, he’s been in there a while…it’s gonna, you know, smell pretty bad…)…and honestly, I find a lot of comfort in that. Jesus changes our hearts and our motivations, but each of us is unique and he doesn’t want to change that about us. He accepts our unique qualities and even encourages it.

It is, after all, Martha’s home Jesus returns to 6 days before the Passover, where she serves him—only days before he is to die. Jesus seeks those who seek to serve and honor him. Even if he does have to correct them from time to time. We are, after all, just humans.

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Authentic

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I’ve decided to start a new series of posts based on the Bible studies I’ve been writing for the young women at our church. This series is called authentic. Did you know authentic by definition means real, genuine, not copied or false–but my favorite part of the definition is the last made to be or look just like an original. 

Genesis 1:26-28 says:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own  image, in the mage of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

(ESV, emphasis mine)

That means God literally created us to be authentic–just like the original (himself)–with power, authority and ownership over the things of this earth. 

Stock photo from www.pexels.com

His word is filled with examples of God drawing his people back into their true authentic purpose. It is not a collection of fairy tales or outdated history. It is alive and can teach us about our lives and our own God-given purpose. These stories teach us to be authentic and remind us who the real protagonist of the Bible is. Not us, but God.

Stay tuned for the first installment (published 8/12/18)