Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Rock

Have you ever thought about the word rock and its meaning in your life? For some of you it might be connected to a person or thing. For others it could be related to how you think or feel - how bright you are, how much you make, what you have, or how successful you are. Does your life depend upon that rock? Does it give you security? And how would life change for you if your rock was removed?

In my high school religion classes, we often discussed the meaning of the latest pop music in relationship to biblical truths. Simon and Garfunkel at that time, had come out with the song called, I am a Rock. We listened to it in our class, and I don’t remember the specifics of our discussion, but I do recall how thought provoking those lyrics have always been to me. So here they are, and click here if you would like to hear the song. See how they touch you:

A winter’s day, in a deep and dark December,
I am alone, gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow
I am a rock, I am an island

I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock, I am an island.

Don't talk of love, well I've heard the words before;
It's sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died
If I never loved I never would have cried
I am a rock, I am an island

I have my books and my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor, hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock, I am an island

And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries

It doesn’t take very long to recognize that the feelings of pain, loss, loneliness, and isolation are being clearly conveyed through the poetic words of this song.

When I teach about the twelve guidelines that lessen the clutter in our lives, I use a rock as one of the symbols to represent the guideline that tells me to embrace change and set goals patiently. Just like the paper piles that can build up, so can the emotions of pain, loss, loneliness and isolation. Ultimately, our hearts can become hard, just like rock, unless we are willing to embrace those feelings. But how do you embrace pain, loss, loneliness, and isolation with open acceptance and the arms that loving and endearingly hug those emotions? I know of only one way, and it is by my embracing the rock that is referred to throughout the Bible. I love how David sung about that rock in Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” David sung these words as he was being hunted down by his enemies and betrayed by King Saul, the man whom he had loved. David’s song is quite different from the one that was sung by Simon and Garfunkel.

There was a time when the rock in my life was not the rock that David described. I equated my rock with what gave me security. I found security in my career, having a certain amount of money, having a husband to care for me and our children, and living in a beautiful home. But when all of that security was taken away, all I could see was me and a faint glimmer of God. I felt like the rock that no longer knew how to feel, and I felt like the island that stood on its own. Like the song, I am a Rock, I was all messed up with so many cluttered thoughts and emotions. Truth be told, I was still feeling something, even if it didn’t feel good! Deep down inside of me, I knew those emotions would not serve me; they would only keep me enslaved. And those feelings did change over time, but with patience, as I made the decision to embrace a new way of thinking. I was renewed and changed because I opened my heart to the loving arms of Jesus. He taught me that ultimately He is the only One who can be my true security and my solid strong Rock.

So, as you take time to reflect on the rock in your own life, I hope you will be renewed and changed as you consider embracing your situation with The Rock who will make a way for you out of your pain, loss, loneliness and isolation. God did it for me and He wants to do it for you!

The following song is used in my teaching as I help people to lessen the clutter in their own lives by embracing change and setting goals patiently. I hope you will find yourself embracing The Rock as you patiently listen.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Renewed

This past Sunday I woke up thinking, “What in the world is the word for this week’s posting?” It had been so clear and obvious to me towards the middle of last week. So why couldn't I remember what the word was? My brain had obviously put it on the back burner because there were other things that needed my attention and priority. But as I got up out of bed, I picked up the Bible that once belonged to my grandmother. It had been lying open, and immediately I saw and read these words from Psalm 90:5-6, “Thou doest sweep men away; they are like a dream, like grass which is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” It was one of those moments when you are in awe of God proving that He and His Word are alive and present! God was saying, “Colleen, It’s ok if you don’t remember the word because I do remember. The word that I put on your heart is right here on this open page!” This is such a great example of the personal relationship that goes on between me and God and the relationship that He wants with each and every one of us! The memory lapse did not even last 5 minutes, and it was because I had chosen to go to God’s Word first before doing anything else. And did you notice that the word renewed was reinforced twice in just one sentence? God is the God of simplicity.

As I saw that word renewed in my grandmother’s Bible, it caused my memory to suddenly be renewed as well, and I was able to recall the incidence that took place last week that brought this word renewed to my spirit. It had been a phone conversation with my daughter, who had been under attack by her all too familiar enemy called anxiety. Her son’s reflux had significantly improved over the past 2 months, but now there was an increased incidence. Lauren was battling the anxious thoughts that were related to her son’s history of extreme reflux; 40-60 spit ups a day that ranged from small to massive explosions, continual wiping and scrubbing of people, their clothing, carpets, flooring, and miscellaneous items, three to four changes of clothing for her baby and the person who could be holding him, and ultimately three to four loads of laundry! Just writing about it can send you into a tailspin. Fortunately, Lauren had the discernment to know that the enemy’s first line of attack was on the battlefield of her mind. How did she know this? She knew what she had read over and over in God’s Word in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This version of the Scripture is from the NIV (New International Version). The NLT (New Living Translation) reads like this, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” To renew is to change.

So how did this Scripture help Lauren to battle the anxiety? First of all, it was her acknowledging that she did not want to handle this anxiety the way the world would tell her to handle it, which is to numb or escape the feeling with food, drink, drugs, shopping, or whatever the “fix” might be. So often we behave as though these are the cure alls but they aren't. They are simply temporary fixes. The cure all comes in asking God to change our thinking so that God’s thoughts actually become our thoughts, which directly influence our emotions so that they too can be renewed. Lauren also had to ask God to help her not dwell on the past, but to speak truth to what she knew right now, that she and her son are in God’s hands, and He is the Healer who heals his reflux and her anxiety now. It sounds too simple, but that is the simplicity of God when He is in charge of your thought life. Anxiety certainly is not simple, in fact, it is very complex and it will bring you down. Having the mind set of God lifts you up!

I am thankful that God used Psalm 90:5-6 to help me see that the word for this posting was renewed. But I also have to ask myself this question: What was this specific Scripture telling me in light of this word renewed? It tells me man can be compared to the dreams that we dream, or the sleep that we long for, they both will vanish. Like the grass that grows under our feet but withers and dies, so shall we. Our life spans are short, but there are also opportunities for renewal. When I looked up the definition of renew it means to make new, fresh, or strong again. Our life time on this earth is short, and to live it with anxiety is to shorten it even more. If you have a tendency to become anxious, then know that I am interceding on your behalf. I am asking God to help you in this battle by renewing your thinking. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then I am asking God to renew your thoughts about who He is so you can see how your life will be forever renewed through Him!

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - First

As I contemplated on this being the first month of a New Year, I was amused by the word first as I thought about it from a personal perspective. I am the first of four children. Therefore, I was the first one to attempt new skills and achieve developmental milestones. It explains why I have always had a drive to be first. And because I was the first born, there was an expectation to be the example, the leader, the one to look up to. Consequently, I think it is why I still find myself wanting to be the first at things, like waiting in a line for example. Or I like being the first one to be waited on in a restaurant. I would like to sit in a first class seat on an airplane so I could be treated to the first class service they get up there, but, it is not in my budget. It’s hard to learn humility when you have gotten used to the idea of being first! And even when I get out of bed in the morning and make my way downstairs to the kitchen, it is pretty apparent about what comes first in my life. All I have to do is to look around at the activity that I have been engaged in, and that tells me what I choose to make first.

Who would I say is first in my life? Hands down it would be God. But do I always begin the first part of my day acknowledging Him with my quiet time? To be honest, not always. There are times when my attention is first given to a family member before I give it to God. I can be more concerned about first answering the call to paperwork before I answer the call from God. And despite my weakened moments to not put God first, God continues to put me first. This is so evident in the Scripture found in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest.” How awesome it is to know that God proved He was God by being the First to resurrect Himself from the dead. And just as He raised Himself, you and I are also going to be raised from the dead if we choose to make Him first in our lives.

God is the epitome and the ultimate example of being First. Unlike me who has associated being first with what I expect or am deserving of, God’s perspective has quite a different slant. “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.” Isaiah 48: 12. God is not demanding. He is simply saying “Listen, you are my family, I chose you. You are on this earth because of my love for you. I am the One who created you! I want you to know that everything in your life begins and ends with Me. There is no other God but Me.” God knows everything because He is the First and the Last, the Past and the Future.

In this New Year, it is my prayer that we all have a deeper desire to put God first. God loves relationship and that is why He wants us to be in relationship with him! One of my favorite songs is called “On Eagle’s Wings.” It is based on Psalm 91 and it is such a great depiction of just how much God truly loves us and wants to care for us.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - One

Three kings were lead by one star, to see one “poor” baby and to worship Him as the One True King! What simplicity and yet power when I ponder on just this one thought. I think of the drive and determination that these kings had to have to travel all that way to have just one encounter with the living baby Jesus. Their one visit, unknown to any of them at the time, would be the one provision, the “money,” that Mary and Joseph would need to make their flight to Egypt. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the three wise men would be the finances they needed to escape King Herod’s edict to kill their first born son.

In 1 Timothy2:5 I am told, “For there is only one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Jesus Christ.” When I looked up the one word “reconcile”; it meant to reestablish a close relationship between. It then went on to say; to settle or resolve and to bring oneself to accept. As I think about the three kings, I find it intriguing that they have also been referred to as the three wise men. Obviously they paid attention to the signs of the times, as indicated by their following of that one star, but I wonder…. Did they also have an inherent knowledge about God’s Word and the wisdom that comes from that understanding? I ask this question in light of the studying I have done where I found out that the three wise men or magi, most likely came from a priestly cast. So it makes me wonder if they had an innate discernment to humbly recognize that the one king above all kings was Jesus! And I ask it as I reflect on Job 32:8-9, “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged, who understand what is right.”

As I think about the three kings coming into the presence of Baby Jesus, I am reminded of that one moment when I too had a personal encounter with the living Jesus. Unlike the three wise men, I did not come into the King’s presence bearing gifts, but I did come with this one attitude – a readiness to surrender my life to Him and to be reconciled or accepted by Him! My personal and heartfelt relationship with God was and is dependent upon my acknowledgement of God the Father’s One and only Son, Jesus Christ!

As we begin the first of a new year, I would ask you to think about this one question. How would your life be forever changed if you decided to come into the presence of Jesus by asking Him to birth Himself inside of you? And if you have already made that one decision to ask Him into your life then I ask you to consider how you are growing by believing that He meets your every need – not one, but all!

May this New Year bless you with a fresh and new understanding to living in the presence of the One and Only Divine King!

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Unseen

Over the past few weeks I have been pondering on what the word unseen has meant to me. I have routinely found myself asking this question, “What do I accept as existing even though it remains unseen?” I think it would be fun to see how each of us would respond to this question. So I would like to ask you to take a moment to slow down and reflect on how you would answer this question with just one word, and then give a brief explanation.

The one word that comes to me as I write this post is “camera.” My mother and daughter, Lauren, are the picture takers in our family. And unfortunately, Mom misplaced her camera on Christmas Eve. If you have ever misplaced anything of importance, you know how frustrating it can become when you can not find or see what you have lost. What is most disturbing to my Mom is that the camera was loaded with hundreds of undeveloped pictures from a very recent trip to the South Pacific. So Lauren has been providing coverage for all the family photo shoots as we have pulled together in our continued search of the unseen camera. Mom remembers telling herself, “Put the camera up out of reach of the kids!” So even though we have looked in the high up places and now even the down low places as well, including all of the disgusting trash, the camera remains unseen and out of reach, at least for now. But I am hopeful that it will be seen when least expected.

The one word that came to me last week after seeing my doctor was “attack”. It had been one of those good news bad news scenarios. The good news was that the cancer called Waldenstrom’s had greatly diminished. The concerning news, was that there could be another type of cancer showing up. Upon hearing this update, I immediately thought about the supernatural world that is unseen. From a physical standpoint I was seeing the information that had been obtained from a variety of testing, but from a spiritual perspective I was also very aware of the unseen world that was influencing my report.

This got affirmed for me the next morning when I got a phone call from a relative who knew nothing about my doctor’s appointment. Here was the message, “Colleen, I woke up this morning and could hear in my spirit that you have been under attack. I saw an army of angels on white horses and they were fighting for you. It was like a civil war between the angels and the demons! And this was the Scripture that had been put on my heart for you, ‘Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ Ephesians 6:11.” I had spoken these same words to my daughter just an hour earlier in regards to some things she has been fighting and battling through!

Here is what I could see. The good news from my doctor was God answering all those prayers for medical wisdom and healing of the cancer. Even though God and His Holy Spirit are unseen, I can still see the evidence of His power. And because Satan exists in that unseen world as well, I could also see the evidence of how he wanted to steal, kill and destroy me as God’s Word tells me in John 10:10. Satan wanted to take any good news and overshadow it with the bad news! But here is the bottom line. God continues to tell me in John 10:10 that He came so that I could have life and have it to the fullest. My healing is not yet complete, but it is in the process of being COMPLETE and FULL, even though it is unseen.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal."

As you slow down to consider what exists in your own life that is unseen, I hope you will help me to "see" the "unseen" thoughts that you have by sharing them in the comments section of this posting in regards to that one word I asked you to reflect on earlier, and it's explanation. I also ask that you intercede on my mother’s behalf and ask for God’s guidance in helping Mom to remember where she placed her camera. Yes, God cares about all of the details of our lives, even those that involve an unseen camera, and I know there is a story that is connected to it being found!

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Forgive Continued

Confession time: As I have studied, pondered, and written about this idea to forgive, it has been a very heavy and hard subject for me to address, especially in light of what our family is going through. For that reason, I decided to devote my thoughts and feelings to two postings rather than one.

To forgive means that there is a giving up or a letting go of any resentment, or the desire to punish. It is about pardoning, overlooking an offense, or cancelling a debt. Forgiveness is rooted in God. And it is God (not man) who tells me that the only way I can be forgiven is through my acceptance of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is not about being worthy; especially when I look at it in light of all the wrong and hurt that I have imposed. Forgiveness is about God’s love for me. I may think that I deserve to be resented, punished, condemned, persecuted, and indebted, or put to death. But, no! God tells me that forgiveness is His gift of grace to me, His unmerited favor. There is nothing I can do to earn forgiveness. It is freely offered as a gift that I accept or reject through Jesus Christ. To put it simply; with forgiveness there is acceptance and peace, and without forgiveness there is separation and punishment. Once again, if we go back to the cross, we see this exact scenario being played out with the two criminals who were also being hung along with Jesus, one on each side of Him. Both criminals were dying just like Jesus, but one scoffs at Jesus and the other one proclaims victory through the Savior’s forgiveness. It is powerfully told in Luke 23:12 - 43.

Forgiveness has and always will be about God. God came into this world as a newborn baby boy. His divine purpose was to grow into the man who would die on a cross for all of humanity. He is the Only One who has ever carried my burden of sin in order to forgive me. He stepped into my life and took my place on that cross. He became the object of my resentment, the One who was punished, the One who would not be pardoned. He was treated as though He was the One who had committed all of my offenses and with a debt that could not be cancelled!

Because God is also the God of order, there is order to God’s plan of forgiveness. God’s first step to forgiveness required Jesus going to the cross for me. The second step requires me to admit to my sinful nature and ask Jesus to grant me the forgiveness that He has provided for me through His crucifixion. Jesus paid the penalty for all of my sins, but it is up to me to decide if I want to receive forgiveness. Forgiveness brings me into a relationship with God through Jesus. Through that relationship, God then teaches me how to forgive my self and others. God can never force me to do anything. It is why He gave me a free will. He wants me to choose. Without free will I would be a robot. If I choose to not ask Jesus to forgive me, that is my prerogative. It’s me saying that I like and accept the sin I am living in and where I am at with it. But here is the bottom line; there will never be victory or peace in that kind of thinking.

When I did a word study on “forgive,” I had no idea that I would be revisiting Joseph. You may recall that we talked about Joseph and his many victories a few weeks ago. I was pretty overwhelmed with emotion as I realized that the hand of the Holy Spirit was guiding me back to him. You see, when I originally looked up forgive in the glossary of my Bible and then in my concordance, I had anticipated that the first reference to forgive would be back in the Garden of Eden, following the Fall. Certainly, that is where the act of God’s forgiveness was originally introduced to us, but it is not where the word “forgive” is recorded for the first time in the Bible. It’s actually in the last chapter of Genesis. It reads like this in Genesis 50: 16-17, “So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you, ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you - for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” So, as I meet up with Joseph and his family once again, here are some things that I have gleaned about forgiveness as I have thought about my own family.

My family has been facing the after math of what has been a huge volcanic eruption of emotions. There have been similar eruptions in the past, but none of this magnitude. And when emotions are not talked about but acted out, like they were with Joseph’s brothers, those pent up emotions eventually spill over into anger, bitterness, and condemnation.

The aftermath from a real volcanic eruption has given me insight into how our family can most effectively respond with forgiveness to this explosive emotional volcano that we have encountered.

1. Take time to clear out and clean up what has been affected by the fallen ash. Joseph took much needed time for doing this, and for him it started out by being in a pit. Our family also needs to take time to consider what needs to be cleared out and cleaned in how we relate to one another. We need to ask ourselves if we are committed to relationships that are safe, healthy, and edifying.


2. Keep a safe distance while things cool down. Joseph did not reunite with his family for years! There may have to be distancing in our family in order for healing to take place.


3. When revisiting a volcano, knowledge is your most important protection. In Joseph’s family, God used a famine to bring the family together. I pray that our family allow God to show us His protective timing (not ours) and use it as the barometer for our being reunited.


4. Consult Authorities. Joseph knew all about authority. He knew God and he knew Pharaoh. Joseph became Pharaoh’s right hand man! I pray that our family will be open to the counsel of God’s Holy Spirit and the Godly wisdom of our trusted family and friends.


5. Examine our history. Our past experience helps us to decide what has worked and what as not worked. Joseph met one obstacle after another with an attitude of forgiveness, and that consistently brought him victory, because he knew his boundaries. My family is one of the most forgiving families I have ever met. But this time we need to reexamine our boundaries and/or our lack of them and come up with new ones that will ultimately bring harmony.

Here is the one question that each person will ultimately have to answer for himself: Do I accept God, His love, and His forgiveness, or do I reject God, His love, and His forgiveness?

• To forgive is a personal choice. It can never be earned. It is freely given. It brings freedom, and it cleanses.


• Unforgiveness wants to fight, and it brews fear, guilt, and shame. It does not permit a loving relationship to take place.


• Forgiveness frees me from the bondage of constantly reminding my self of how I was abused.


• Unforgiveness keeps me in bondage.


• Forgiveness changes me but not necessarily you.
  Joseph’s father and brothers were filled with fear and guilt over their wrongs and
  this kept them from seeing Joseph’s actions of forgiveness. Therefore, my
  forgiving actions can be misinterpreted by other family members.


• Forgiveness does not mean that I am to spend time with someone who is not safe, healthy, or edifying.
  
  In this season of Christmas may we all learn how to forgive through Jesus Christ.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Forgive

As my family goes through a very challenging and emotional time, the word forgive is constantly resonating in my spirit. In fact, when I look back over the past 17 years, I can say that forgiveness has been a pretty dominant theme for me. There have been numerous times when I have really wrestled with knowing how to walk out my decision to forgive another. In my head, I have known that I am to excuse another’s fault or offense against me. But, how does my heart convey love without feeling anger or resentment? How do I respond rather than react, especially when the offensive behavior remains a constant in my life? How do I demonstrate love?

The only way I have ever been able to grasp any kind of answer to these questions is to look to the cross for my Example. Jesus is the epitome of what it means to love and forgive in the midst of every kind of evil. I can not begin to comprehend or truly appreciate the agonizing and passionate position that Jesus assumed for all of mankind, but that is the kind of love that God has for each and every one of us. In the heat of the moment, and in the presence of my worst enemy, I do not feel like I want to forgive. But… it is the crucifixion that empowers me to do so!

God tells us in Romans 3:10 that we are all born as sinners. All of us have deeply hurt and offended God, and in turn, we have offended and hurt ourselves and each other. Not one of us is better than another. And despite all of our unloving actions, Jesus never stops loving us. He demonstrated that love by becoming the sacrificial lamb that always forgives you and me!

When I need to forgive, I know that I have to go to that cross. It is at the cross that I can hear Jesus saying these dying words to His Father, “Father, forgive these people because they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:24). And then, like a mantra, I play those words over and over in my head so that I too can think more like Jesus, so that I can say, “Father, help me to forgive my offenders who do not know what they are doing.” When I think and speak those words I am being humbled. And I am reminded of when I did not know what I was doing. By taking on the mind-set of Jesus and believing in His Word, I am better prepared to avoid those feelings of hurt and anger. I can then put the burden of a relationship into God’s hands and depend on Him to show me how to think and love His way.

When I need to forgive, I also depend upon The Lord’s Prayer to guide me. It is the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples so that they would know how to pray. When I say The Lord’s Prayer, it reinforces my need to forgive as Jesus directs me to do in Mark 6:12, “and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” In my desire to be forgiven I must be willing to extend that forgiveness to another.

Please forgive me, you are going to be getting the rest of this Forgiveness Post next week!