Blind

I love snow.

It’s beautiful.

It just invites me to slow down and curl up next to a fire with a cup of coffee and a book.

But there’s a downside to snow. It kind of gets in the way of everyday life.

A couple of years ago we got a massive amount of snow (at least for St. Louis). The meteorologists called it a “polar vortex.” I’m still not entirely sure what that means. I do know that we got a lot of snow.

Crews were sent out to clear the streets and parking lots so that people could get out.

The challenge of clearing a parking lot, though, is that there aren’t a lot of places to put the accumulated snow.

So, at the grocery store I frequent, they simply shoveled it all to the end of an aisle. They freed up parking spaces but effectively created a “no outlet” situation.

I pulled into a row of parking spaces only to find that there were none available, and the plowed snow was blocking my way. I had to do a twenty-point turn to get back out the way I came.

Another car had followed me. She couldn’t see that the road was blocked and that there was nothing to do but turn around. She was livid at how long I was taking to get out. The whole time I was trying to correct course she was flipping me off and even rolled down her window to hurl curses at me.

I rolled my window down, too, and tried to explain that there were no parking spaces and that the snow was blocking the way but to no avail. She kept yelling about how I was wasting her time and needed to learn how to drive.

But she didn’t know what I knew. She didn’t know there was a roadblock ahead.

As I pulled forward, I saw her doing the same twenty-point turn in my rearview mirror.

I wonder how often I do that. I wonder how often I criticize others simply because I can’t see what they see. I wonder how often I’m blind to what lies ahead. I wonder how often I’ve failed to pay attention to those that have gone before me and heeded their wisdom.

Let’s make sure we have all the information before we get impatient or angry.

It may be that we don’t have the whole story.

Stuck

I have a niece named Kennedy.

Kennedy is pure joy and constant motion. She loves to run and jump and dance – all the while pumping her little arms with all her might.

She also hates to be contained. When she was little, we’d have to strap her into her booster seat at dinnertime or she’d throw herself out of her chair.

When she was tired of being strapped in, she’d shout, “Stuck!”

My brother and sister-in-law would smile, shake their heads, and say, “You’re not stuck. We put you there.”

I’ve felt stuck before.

I’ve felt like I couldn’t get out of a difficult situation. I’ve felt trapped in discouragement or disappointment. I’ve felt contained and confined.

I’ve shouted, “Stuck!” to God more than once.

And more than once God has smiled and said, “You’re not stuck. I put you there.”

The times I’ve felt stuck have often turned out to be the times I’ve learned the most about trusting and depending upon Him.

If you feel stuck, look around. The way out might simply be better or different choices.

But it may be that God put you there on purpose. It may be that He wants you to learn to trust and depend upon Him.

I promise you this. God is working in and through you – wherever you are.

Trust the Guide

I’ll never forget the terror I felt as the old, repurposed school bus rumbled down a dirt road towards the Rio Grande River. I was seven-years-old and about to go white water rafting for the first time.

The guide had just finished giving us the safety instructions, warning us, basically, that if we didn’t do as he said and follow his lead, we could die.

My little mind heard a definitive, “You will die.”

I innocently thought my life was about to come to an early end. I tried to hide my tears but I failed.

My dad, seeing the panic in my eyes, put his arm around me and said, “There is nothing to be afraid of. He’s been down this river a thousand times. He knows every bend and boulder. He knows how to navigate even the strongest rapids. All you have to do is trust him enough to follow his lead. If you do, this will be the adventure of a lifetime.”

It’s been decades since that rafting trip, but I’ve often felt like I was sitting on that bus again, paralyzed by what is to come. I don’t know what lies ahead. I don’t know the bends my life will take and I don’t know where jagged rocks and crushing boulders have settled just below the surface. I don’t know how to navigate the rapids.

But I have a Guide who does.

So do you.

Jesus has gone before you. He’s been down this river, crossed this road, descended this valley, conquered this mountain.

He knows you and loves you. He protects you and guides you. You can trust Him because He knows the way. You can follow Him because He is committed to bringing you safely through.

Where do you need to trust Him right now? What are you facing that seems insurmountable?

You are never alone. You have a trustworthy Guide. So, trust Him.

If you do, I promise it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

Monsters

There was a monster under my bed.

At least, that’s what I believed as a child.

When I turned out the lights, I would quickly scramble to the center of the mattress, trying to outrun whatever was sure to emerge from the darkness. Any stray limb dangling off the side of the bed put me at risk of being nabbed. So, each night, I would wrap myself in the blankets.

After all, everybody knows a monster can’t get to you if you’re under the covers.

As I grew up, I left behind my imaginary monsters, but found that there is, in fact, a monster at large – a very real and very powerful enemy.

He lures me with temptations. He entices me with his lies. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy all that is good and all that is right.

Yet, for those that belong to Jesus, for those that have received His victory, there is nothing to fear. Ours is a strong but defeated enemy.

Jesus invites us to take cover in Him, to wrap ourselves up in His strength, in His power.

After all, the monster – the enemy – can’t get to you if you’re under the cover of Christ.

Rich and Generous

Alexander the Great is regarded as one of the most powerful rulers in history.

Legend holds that one of Alexander’s beloved generals had a daughter engaged to be married. Because Alexander so valued his general, he offered to pay for the entire wedding.

When the general sent Alexander the total, it was astronomical. He had booked the most expensive venue available and withheld no expense. The messenger delivering the bill feared that Alexander would be so angry at the extravagance that he would take his life for even bringing him such news.

When Alexander received the bill, however, he laughed and said, “Pay it!”

The messenger, surprised and greatly relieved, inquired as to the unexpected response.

“Don’t you see,” said Alexander, “by asking me for such an enormous sum he does me great honor. He shows that he believes I am both rich and generous.”

I think that’s how God feels when we come to Him.

He doesn’t care how big the “tab” is.

When we come to Him audaciously in prayer we do Him great honor, for we show that we believe He is both rich in love and generous in lavishing it upon us.

He delights in demonstrating His extravagant love.

He doesn’t always say yes to our requests. But when He withholds it’s for our best.

I wonder, though, how often He withholds simply because we didn’t ask – simply because we didn’t believe Him to be rich and generous in love.

He is, you know.

So ask Him.

He may say no – and if He does you can be confident it’s for your good.

But He might just say yes.

Resting in Green Meadows

As a young boy, David tended his father’s sheep in the desert. As a young man, he was a fugitive hiding in the desert from Saul, the king of Israel, who wanted him dead.

David himself became king after Saul died but fled to the desert again when his son Absalom tried to overthrow him.

David wrote often about his time in the desert, but he is best known for Psalm 23.

You might know that poem.

The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need. (Psalm 23:1, NLT)

David was always confident that he had all that he would need because the Lord was his trustworthy shepherd.

A shepherd’s role is to provide for and protect the sheep.

David had all that he needed because he was a sheep who is following the shepherd.

And God was – and is – a good shepherd.

How, though, does God care for His sheep? David told us.

He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams. (Psalm 23:2, NLT)

I’m from the Midwest. When I think of “green meadows,” I think of the lush farmland that blankets the region. Israel – David’s homeland – wasn’t like that.

Shepherds in the Bible tended their flocks in the desert. The lush farmland was for, well, farmers. And farmers would not have been thrilled with flocks of sheep grazing in their fields.

When David speaks of “green meadows,” he’s not talking about an all-you-can-eat buffet.

He’s talking about the little tufts of grass that pepper the desert landscape. He’s talking about the next mouthful.

God’s promise in the desert is not that we’ll have everything we want.

His promise is that we’ll have everything we need.

He promises the next mouthful.

The desert teaches us dependence. It teaches us trust in our Shepherd. It teaches us to follow Him with faith and in confidence. It teaches us to rest in who God is and what He has done.

Are you following the Shepherd through the desert? Are you trusting Him – depending on Him – to give you all that you need?

With Jesus in the Desert

I don’t remember if it happened on my first or second trip to Israel, but I will never forget the day – or the lesson.

Our bus driver navigated the winding road through the Negev desert. There was nothing but miles of rocks and dirt.

Then, without warning, he pulled off to the side of the road.

Our teacher got off and began walking into the desert.

We gathered our packs, grabbed our Bibles, and hurried after him.

Within minutes we could no longer see the bus or the road. Sweat was trickling down our backs and our clothing was coated in dust kicked up by a welcome breeze.

Our teacher kept walking. In silence. For an hour.

He finally stopped and waited for his students to gather around.

“Why did you follow me out here?” he asked us. “You have no idea where you are right now. You don’t know the way out. What makes you think I do?”

We stood in silence, unsure where he was going with this.

“You followed me out here because you trust me. You trust I know where we’re going. You trust I’ve been this way before. I know how long your water will last. Even though you don’t know what’s up ahead, even though you don’t know what’s around the next turn, I do.”

He paused.

“That’s what it means to follow Jesus.”

Some of us are in our own deserts these days.

It’s barren and dry and you’re not really sure how long your water will last. You don’t know where you’re going or what’s up ahead.

You might feel lost or disoriented or just scared.

If that’s where you are, you’re in good company. The Bible is filled with people who spent time in the desert. In the coming weeks, we’ll look at their stories and discover what they can teach us about navigating our deserts.

For now, remember that you’re not alone.

You have a caravan of people hiking right beside you.

And you have a Leader. 

Trust your Leader.

He’s been this way before.