Another Year Draws to a Close

I just searched my old documents and read a devotional I wrote about the end of 2009. Really? Is that so far in the past? It seems like yesterday, and yet here we are again -- at the end of another year --- two years later. Wow, the old adage about time passing quickly has never felt more true than it feels today.

2011 has been quite a year, one like no other in my life. I started this year differently, choosing to give God the "first fruits" of my calendar year. I took time away from church "work" in January to focus just on God and my commitment to Him. I took time every day to sit in God's presence and seek His face. I took time to start my year by giving God my days and my heart, and in a million ways, I have been blessed. I couldn't possibly have known the dynamic storms that were ahead for our family in 2011, but God knew. He used January to prepare me for February - December; without that preparation time, this year would have felt like a disaster, but with God . . . with God . . . disasters feel like victories and valleys always have a way out. It was a year that should have felt hard, and yet, until I started to look back, I didn't even realize how hard it was. That's when I was reminded once again that God was with me every single step of the way.

During this year alone, our lives changed dramatically. Our precious son-in-law, weary of being laid off at work, made a decision to join the Army, and he leaves in just a few short weeks. Our hard-working son saw the economy drop its final wrecking ball on his business and end a dream. He closed the doors in exhaustion and relief. Both of these life-altering decisions were based on economic pressures, and Satan wants me to resent the world, but the truth is that my God is bigger than a failing economy, and somehow, He keeps providing for us, just as He will in 2012. Our oldest daughter had a second child after suffering miscarriages and not being sure she would ever have another baby. Addelyn was born in June, and God is so good. Our middle daughter faced kidney stones, but she is healthy today. She also lost her grandfather this year. Our youngest daughter's whole life has changed for the better. She has the family she always wanted but didn't think she would have, and we have gained another son. God is really good. Our youngest son continues to study at CCU, and he moves closer and closer to being a classroom teacher.

And these are just some of the changes we faced in the past calendar year. So what have I realized by looking back? God was always here, and true to His Word, He never left us or removed His mighty hand from our lives. The other thing I can see from this side of the valley is that God had a plan for every single step we took this year. Last January, when we were fighting some ugly demons, it was hard to see where this would lead, but today I have the joy of seeing some of the strands of God's tapestry woven together . . . I'm finally seeing a picture come into focus, not just loose strings but a masterpiece of God's goodness and grace. So as I enter 2012, there are a couple of messages I need to share with you.

God never leaves you, and no matter what you have faced or are facing in 2012, God is here. Emmanuel -- God with us.

God always has a plan that we can't see, at least not fully. And as surely as we try to know where He's headed, He takes us by surprise, and then we get to be amazed!

God desires to bless us all. We are His children and heirs to His kingdom, and He wants to bless us with His goodness and grace. We just need to seek Him, love Him, and in the words of scripture, "delight in Him," and He will give us the desires of our hearts. And actually, what I've realized is that He changes my heart to make my desires match His, and then the impossible begins to become possible.

Finally, give God the "first fruits" of your new year. Start the year by giving Him more of you. And watch what happens in 2012 . . . I'm sure it's going to be the year of the Lord's favor. Happy New Year!

Mixed Messages

"Love yourself just as you are," but "Try to look like a supermodel." "All you can eat buffet!" paired with "Overeating is bad for your health." "You are loved," sadly teamed up with abuse from those that should be trusted most. The world is screaming mixed messages at us every single day. We can thank the media for much of the confusion; their propaganda is constantly trying to sell us something that is superficial or damaging to us. Might they even be selling us a lie or two? I teach my students to evaluate every single message in the media: what are they selling? How are they trying to mislead you? What red herring are they using to distract you from the real truth of their messages? I want my students to be savvy -- to know to look for propaganda and bias, and so I've learned to do the same. But what I've found recently that has caused me some serious heartburn is that many of the mixed messages in my life come from people close to me . . . people I'm supposed to be able to trust. And that's a horse of a different color.

I can't tell you how many times recently I've been asked to do something, and after I've spent time accomplishing the task, the task has changed. Wasted time and energy because someone else changed the message midstream and failed to let me in on the secret. Scenario number two: you are my friend, and I love you . . . but it's only words. The last time I checked the dictionary of my heart, "love" is not just a noun; it's a verb -- an action verb. Real love has action attached . . action that calls, visits, gives up time to show love. I teach students to "show, not tell" in their writing, and it's the way we should love, but it just doesn't always happen that way. And one more example-- just to bring the point home -- we go to church and learn about God's forgiveness and how He demands that we forgive so that we might be forgiven, and yet, I hear Christians way too often who claim that they can't forgive. Or maybe they say they have forgiven, but the next words out of their mouths are critical and judgmental. Mixed messages. It would be very easy to live confused, hurt, and frustrated in this convoluted world of ours, but there's hope: God's messages are clear, powerful, and constant -- the antithesis of what the world offers us.

I can't possibly tell you all of God's wonderful, consistent messages today, but I want to share just a few that might help to refocus your mind and heart in this mixed-up world in which we live. Number one: God sent His only Son because He loves us and wanted to save us. Simple and powerful. He sent His Son to earth to suffer in our place. And so we celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Savior. The world will tell you it's all about having the most expensive gifts, but the unwavering truth is that the best gift has already been given: God's Son. Number two: There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or love us less. His love for us is an act of grace, and no matter where we stray into the far country, He still loves us and desires for us to come back home -- home into a relationship with Him -- which brings me to number three: God wants a personal, living, breathing relationship with each and every one of us. He does not desire for us to love religion and structure; He wants us to spend time every day seeking Him, talking to Him, and loving Him. He wants us to have the relationship with Him that we so desperately seek with others: a bond of complete trust and love. Number four: We can never sin more than God can love. Now let me be clear: this does not give us permission to chase sin and count on God to fix things. But it does mean that there is nothing we can do -- no matter how bad -- that is bigger than God's amazing grace. He is the great Pardoner! And finally, number five: God expects us to give, but we can't possibly out-give God. We are to give our firstfruits to Him -- our time, our money, our hearts -- He wants the first part and the best part. This is our privilege: to give back to God out of the love in our hearts -- love for Him and love for others. And the most wondrous thing is that when we give, God always gives us more. Just like an earthly parent desires to bless a child, God is anxious to bless our lives, and his blessings, according to scripture, are always exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask or think. All we have to do is love Him, seek Him, and delight in Him.

So at Christmas and as you begin a new year, if you have already been loving God for a long time but the world's mixed messages have discouraged you like they have tried to discourage me, refocus your heart on God. Give Him your best and trust His clear, timeless messages. And if you've strayed away from God and need to return to Him, or if you have never known Him, run to Him now. It's never too late! Let the God of the universe love you and help you see yourself and your life with new eyes -- His eyes. He will always tell you the truth -- it's found in His Word -- and His truth is constant and rock solid. No mixed messages here! Merry Christmas!