Choose Life

You may read the title of this blog and think, "here we go again, another take on the latest decision regarding the 'right to life' decisions made across the country".  I hope you can respectfully regard this response as one that come not just from the heart but from a sound mind as well.  I know that I do not have all of the answers.  I know I do not understand nor am I able to righteously judge my neighbor.  I don't claim to be able to relate to anyone in their decision making process or how they choose one thing over another.  I am not going to join in any "hate group" mentality, or scour facebook looking for a way I can sway people to my way of thinking or even share my opinion.  This is not because I don't have one, but because I am choosing life.  There are some words I want us to consider and yes, because I am a Bible believing, Jesus freak of a mom, I am going to stand on God's Word.  BUT, for those of you who may already be rolling your eyes at the next Christian to slap some scripture on life, on a person, on a being I would like you to at least consider what power comes from life changing choices and that maybe it makes sense to reframe our thinking, words and actions.

So here's my verses...they come from Deuteronomy 30.  This is my plea, if you don't have a bible, get a bible app and look for yourselves at this proclamation.  See if any of this could possibly make sense as you chew on my perspective and more importantly the divinely inspired Word of God.  Take my perspective for what it is worth, but the words you read in the Bible, let it penetrate your mind and heart.  For every time you have wanted to blame God or Christians for a lack of compassion or hatred or judgement, stare at God.  Consider this text,

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


In life we have choices.  Although this particular passage refers to Moses and his proclamation to the Israelites, there are choices here that apply to all of us.  And this is what I want to remind us of....
I want us to look at these words, that God commanded Moses to speak.  God gives us a choice here.  He says, "choose Me, choose life". He doesn't force the Israelites to do anything against their will, although He was angry. He gives them a choice.  You know what, some of those Israelites didn't choose Him.  They walked away, and chose their own way of living.  On the other hand, some of the Israelites did choose life, they did choose to follow God and His law.  And so it went for generation upon generation, ruler after ruler, king after king.  Fast forward to Jesus' day.  Jesus came down because we, the people God created, continued in sin, walking away from Him and living lives of disobedience.  People like Zaccheus who Jesus visited in his home, was a tyrant as a tax collector. Jesus entered into his life and showed him compassion, to which Zaccheus was then converted and became a Jesus follower.   Prostitutes, murderers, adulterers are all people that Jesus showed compassion to, He loved them, He shared truth  and grace while healing them, feeding them and discipling them.  I am going to guess that anyone reading this knows the rest of the story, but if not, I ask that you seek Him yourself.  That man-God, Jesus, spent his normal everyday life, come down from heaven, around sinners, sharing life with them.  He did it for His Father, and fully knew what those same sinners would then do to Him.  Let's recognize here what Jesus did after He hung there on the cross, because the rulers and authorities and the commoner put Him there.  These words are not to hard for us to grasp in our minds, but almost too much for us common folk sinners to want to receive.  He said, "Father forgive them, because they DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING". Could it be true, dare I say, WE, Christian or Non, pro choice or pro life do not know what we are doing?  Yes, WE do have deprived minds, apart from Christ alone. To my Chritstian Brother and Sister, please remember from the height of which you have fallen.  Let's see what Paul said about himself and each of us in 1 Timothy 1:15-17 

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Oh Jesus, Thank you that when I was a young, rebellious, broken 19 year old wallowing in my own drunkeness and self-centeredness on a dorm room bathroom floor you bent down and lifted me out of a life of poor choices.  God, thank you for the patience you have with me through my many heart wrenching, sinful decisions.  I praise You for loving me enough in my sin to die for me, and even to forgive me while I continue to sin, 21 years later.  God the mercy and grace you have lavished upon me is literally too much for me to bear, and I sometimes can't comprehend a love or God so magnificent.

My message for all of us, is that yes we can chime in with our opinions, take sides and even curse each other on social media, but what good does it do?  Many would argue that politics are politics, and we are all entitled to our opinion.  I am not saying I disagree that there isn't a place for all of it, but I do want us to rationally choose life, not just by action but with our words posted through our social media "conversation".  I, more than anything want us people, image bearers of God, (whether you believe the truth or not), to love our neighbor. Social media has its purpose, but we hide behind it, voicing an opinion and taking a stand on issues that affect all of us, but rarely do we relate to one another.  I want us to think beyond ourselves and have compassion on those who surround us, who are making choices that although we may not agree with are still HUMAN.  God created us for relationship, first with Him and then with each other.  Our choice, dating back to Adam and Eve, was to disobey God and to destroy the relationship He intended for each one of us. So in the end, let's question our own choices. I believe now more than ever He wants us all to be brave, to choose Him, in spite of what others say, and then to choose to come alongside the broken, the confused, the deprived minded neighbor (including ourselves who profess faith in Christ) and choose Life. 

What if lives were changed by a decision to be loving, to lavish grace and mercy and patience on each other and that ultimately led those who don't believe to the cross of Jesus Christ and those of us who do believe even closer to Him who set the example? What if we prayed for our neighbor, instead of making them our enemies.  I implore you to enter into face to face relationship with the hurting.  That is what God did.  It is there that real life is found.  It's in dying to ourselves, our opinions our thoughts, our agendas that living happens.  Not one of us is worthy or worth it.  That is why God offers unconditional love.  This all becomes real when we are faced with the choosing.  I look at my own life, the generations past and the generations to come.  I wonder who my grandma loved and prayed for more of her two alcoholic sons...the one who is a pastor in a local church or the one who literally drank himself to death?  I wonder who God loves more my sister and brother in law who chose to have their baby at age 18 and 19 or my friend who decided she wasn't fit to be a teen mother and ended the life of her baby, only now being haunted by that decision. What choices will my own children make that will marginalize them? Does God love me more, the American living the American dream or the young lady in Nepal that is tormented by demons my missionary friends wrote about and are praying for?   

Let's not forget who we are.  Let's not forget the price that was paid for us.  Let's not forget that behind every screen, and every door, and in every human heart eternity was placed.  Let's not forget that we were meant for relationship. Let's remember He chose us.  Let's remember that we can choose Him.  Let's remember that the choices we make lead to life and death, either figuratively or personally, directly or indirectly.  

Yes, life is full of choices.  I am compelled to ask, does God love me because of the choices I have made and will make or in spite of them?...Go ahead and sit with that for awhile, let it humble you.  And then, for as much as it is within your power to do so, choose life, that you may live. 

The Red Table Cloth

The red table cloth

We. are. snowed. in....right here in our little corner of the world.  Gives me lots of time to reflect and remind myself of the beauty of "down time".  I am not undertaking any major decluttering projects, though I thought about it. That thought was about to come to life, because I spotted the red table cloth as I walked through the downstairs.
The red table cloth.  I have had it for a few years.  It dons the table around the holidays and brings delight to my children, as it really has a festive beauty to it.  I picked it up from its resting spot just a bit ago. After being laundered it made it as far as the entry to the closet which contains "the all things Christmas" tub, which is tucked under the stairs, where no one dares go! I started to fold it again, and thought of bravely returning it to its home, but then I didn't.  Instead, I stopped and thought of the purpose that red cloth has. Its a pretty simple, no need for explanation, down to earth purpose.  All it does is cover my table...  Have you seen my table?  I think those of you who have come into my house have seen the table, well maybe.  Usually it is piled high with homeschool books, old dishes and a layer of leftover crumbs.  Underneath all that is a table well endowed with a plethora of fork dings, scratches, finger nail polish and dents. It's worn and needs to be polished, if not refinished.  I told Ryan when we bought this table after the tornado that we would never get rid of it.  I had just enough foresight that we would do our best to take care of it, but being a realist I also understood the value of a good table being used.  The days turned into years and more children found their space around it and family, young and old, gathered to it. We have dined, laughed, played, cried and lounged there. It's used and it's loved.  As the saying goes, "if these walls could talk", I refer to my table in the same way.  In fact, I look at it and not just smile at the moments spent around it, but also liken it to my life. I have a few scratches, been a little worn out, maybe even have a few dings.  But as time goes on I hope all those imperfections are turning into something beautiful.
So why do I keep the red table cloth around?  Isn't it ok to show that my table and I are not perfect? Absolutely! Here's what you need to know about the red table cloth and why it is also a treasure though.  For a short time, just a season, it covers up my table, so others are not drawn to the flaws. In reality, I want others to see my real table and the real me, but I never want them to be drawn to the blemishes, I want the covering to be breath taking.  I want them to say, "oh my, she has flaws, look at them, but have you seen the Beauty that covers her?" Jesus Christ came into the world to save seriously sinful people like me.  He not only covers all my sin, but He has paid the price for it. Today and for all eternity.  God had the foresight, the all knowingness, to understand that I would never be worthy on my own, apart from Him.  I needed Him for eternity and He had it covered long before I ever knew it.
Oh the goodness found in a red table cloth, on this snowed in January day!
So you may come to my house in the winter months and see that red table cloth adorning a worn and tattered table, but you and I both can visualize what is underneath.  You may very well come to my home, on any given day, and see a few people in the same condition. But boy do I hope that what you really see is a Love so big that it covers much more than what a red cloth draped over a table can.  I hope it leads you to the One that delights in you, the One who enters into the mess with you, says, "that one, she's mine". I want you to consider letting Him cover you, taking away the pain, perhaps shame or guilt, the brokenness that has weathered your weary, wanton soul. I want you to know that  He not only covers it but can make it beautiful. Maybe on the outside, like my table, then you may still look a little "used", but oh how breath taking it is to be renewed!  I am not trading my table in for a new one, but my life can and is redeemable through Him.  And this is my hope, on a dreary, frigid winter day, in our little turn in the road of rural Iowa, that you would be reminded or understand maybe for the first time, that no matter where you are, what you have done or what has been done to you, God is there and will meet you right where you are at, scars and all.  It's my desire that when you sit at my table, which you are always welcome at, that you will not study the flaws and be disappointed by them.  But maybe you will think of them, pondering your own life, and be drawn to Beauty.  May it be so.

Solid

Consider with me for a moment this term.  What comes to your mind when you think of something being solid or a solid? Brick, metal, rock perhaps some of us, like those of us who live in and around Iowa may think of ice, as it is January after all.  What are the properties of an object that are solid? I often think of solid as being only that which is tangible- something I can see, taste, touch and feel.  In reality, I am not looking to testify to the nature of a solid, but what I know in my own life to be solid.  You see, in recent times, once again my family has faced uncertainty. I can't really speak for all of us, but I am also fairly certain that many of you have also faced uncertainty, seek answers, or pose questions about life. I am fully aware that there are people out there that like to run the course of life spontaneously, on the edge and with little regard to normalcy. 
But here is the real me... I like life to be neat and tidy generally. I want to be positively comfortable, certain and secure. I admittedly lack patience for unpredictability.  It messes with my happy, may cause me to squirm or even have a level of distrust if left unchecked.
Interestingly enough my life hasn't really fit the mold of certainty!  Has yours? So what is it I have learned, am learning, and will continue to learn?  Life is uncertain.  Not new news. I know that.  But it's not every day that I feel as if I face uncertainty, so sometimes it seems as if it sneaks up on me.  So what I do with uncertain times? I go to the Lord.  He is my Rock and my Refuge my ever present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1.  Times of trouble yes, but also at ALL times.  You cannot get much more certain, more reliable, more solid than that. 
Notice where that verse comes from.  The Bible.  I am very thankful, and humbled when asked where to look to for guidance, strength, answers, peace, power, purpose, faith, wisdom, security.  I most passionately pursue a prompt response to those types of questions with "God and His Word".  We live in a generation that literally has the world at its finger tips. We can google, text, email, vacation, ipay, visit a doctor online and listen to virtually any famed speaker on any frequency.  We can talk to Siri and order life on Amazon.  We know how to breach continents with the click of a finger on a device.  There is little we are forced to wait for let alone to wait upon. Life appears secure, until one piece of our tightly wound, ordered and packaged up life becomes uncertain.  And the only One then we can be certain of is the One.  The Alpha and the Omega.  He is and holds the beginning and the end. You can choose to disagree, but it doesn't make it any less true.  So if we think of life, the certainty is that it is uncertain.  Who will be your Source?  Where does your confidence lie?  My forever answer I humbly cling to is, God. Yes, all I hold dear is wrapped up in that One being and the Word that He spoke that remains forever. Isaiah 40:8. I trust Him to hold that uncertainty, to love me and be the One I am certain of and hope in.  He is My Source, My Song, My Joy, My Strength...He can be yours to, I am certain of it. Life may take me by surprise, through hills and valleys, and I may not be allowed to see what happens next, but I am beyond thankful that I can trust God.  I am deeply grateful for "just today" approach to life God has granted me.  It is my humble prayer that you and I remain faithful to Him throughout all our days. The beauty is that even when life is uncertain, I can lay my doubt, ambiguity, and fears before Him and his unchangeable character remains faithful to me. He says He will never leave me nor forsake me. This is where I stand, on solid Truth, grounded in Him and His Word.