We do it in the cabin of an airplane. We do it in a car, in the lobby of a doctor’s office, in the line at the grocery store. We do it while engaged to be married, pregnant with a child, applying for that dream job, sitting by the phone in hopes of good news from the doctor. What is it? Waiting. We wait. We spend much of our lives waiting. Sometimes the wait is only as long as it takes for the nurse to call our name for our turn to see the doctor. Sometimes it’s a bit longer as we interview along with half a dozen other people for that job we’ve always wanted. Other times, the waiting can seem indefinite. This is what I call living in the liminal and where I’ve found myself for the past year or so.

Liminal space is that space in time hanging between where you were and where you want to be. It’s standing at the threshold of something bigger than where you’ve been. There’s no getting around it. Waiting is part of life. How we do it is what makes the difference.

…a unique spiritual position where human beings hate to be but where the biblical God is always leading them. It is when you have left the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are finally out of the way. It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer. If you are not trained in how to hold anxiety, how to live with ambiguity, how to entrust and wait, you will run…anything to flee this terrible cloud of unknowing. 
– Richard Rohr

This quote by Richard Rohr brings to mind how I envision the way many of us wait for unanswered questions. When we’re little we are taught not to interrupt our parents while they are talking to someone else. If we want their attention, we are taught to gently tap them on the arm so that they know we have something to say and then wait patiently until they are ready to respond. Well, I know few kids, myself included, that get this right regularly. Usually it looks more like this: the parent is standing there having an in-depth conversation with her friend, we tap, tap, tap and get no response. So we resort to tugging on the sleeve of her shirt, ripping out the threads, standing on our heads, making weird faces, yelling, screaming, throwing ourselves on the ground. Anything to get her attention.

Is the mother deaf and blind? Has she not heard our plea for attention or seen the antics we were willing to go to in order to get her attention? No. She saw it all and heard it all. She just wasn’t done talking, and it wasn’t time to address our issue. I do that with God sometimes. I yammer on and on at Him about my pitiful state of discontent as if He’s never heard it before. It’s not that we can’t come to Him with our needs over and over again, but if the request isn’t being answered in our time, there’s a reason. Maybe what we should be asking for is the ability to wait gracefully. We must learn to wait correctly.

Recently my daughter came home from driver’s ed and declared with unbridled confidence that I am an aggressive driver. Well…it’s true. I can be in a perfectly good mood, and the moment I get behind that wheel it all goes out the window. Thankfully, salvation is secure because if it wasn’t I would lose mine every time I get behind the wheel of a vehicle! I just want to know, how green must a light be before the person in front of me deems it prudent to accelerate and move?!

This is how I wait, with aggression. It’s ugly and usually involves the over-talking of my issue, living my life with frustration and anger, snapping at those around me and just generally not being very pleasant to be around.

Another way we wait is to just lie down and die. Give up. What’s the point? This behavior falls into the self-pity arena. When I was a kid we lived up the street from this little grocery store called Frank’s. When I say little, I mean little. It was the  convenience store on the corner. I can still hear the squeak of the old screen door as it opened and shut behind his customers. It was a very big deal to take loose change and walk the few feet down the street and buy candy. Frank stood behind his old counter wearing his white apron and hat and patiently waiting for us to make our candy choices. One day he found out he had cancer. He closed his shop, sold everything and stayed in his house and waited to die. The sad thing was, he lived that way for years missing out on so much of life. He just gave up.

Finally, we wait by taking matters into our own hands. This is what I used to do with my credit card when I got tired of waiting for things I wanted or thought I needed. I figured if God wasn’t going to provide for me, I’d provide for myself, credit card in hand headed for wreckless spending. This often involves manipulating circumstances to get what we want or simply settling for something less than what God had in mind for us.

The one thing that God has been driving home to me is that I have a choice as to how I will wait. In my next post, I will share with you what He has been teaching me about waiting correctly. In the meantime, what are you waiting for? How are you waiting? What does your liminal space look like?

Today we finish our two-part series on dressing for success based on Ephesians 6.

I did a little reading on shields, and what I found was interesting. Depending on the culture, time frame and material they were made from, a shield did little more than absorb a blow by the enemy. But in Ephesians, we read that our shield, our faith, is not meant to merely absorb Satan’s attacks against us. It is meant to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (v.16, NIV). There’s a big difference between absorbing and extinguishing. One implies protecting what you can and dealing with the blow you’ve been dealt. The other implies snuffing out the fire altogether with the weapons you’ve been given.

In my search for significance through materialistic means, my shield did nothing more than absorb the blows of Satan. The constant mental berating from the enemy that I was nothing because I didn’t look a certain way and didn’t have an account full of retirement money ready to support a lifestyle in Florida weakened me to the point of becoming a warrior completely exposed to Satan’s attacks.

In ancient times a shield was the mark of a warrior. Our shields are only as strong as our faith. There’s a reason the New Testament is full of verses that talk about the need to grow in our faith, stand firm in our faith, live by faith. It’s not a suggestion. The stronger our faith grows, the easier it is to ignore the lies of Satan and live in victory.

Last summer was a particularly difficult time for my daughter spiritually. I spent weeks watching her battle the lies of Satan in her head, a fear so crippling she became been physically sick. I watched as she, for a time, allowed herself to succumb to the enemy’s devastating claims on her.

We are made up of body, soul and spirit. It’s in the soul part of us, our minds, that battles are won and lost. Just like a motorcyclist has a much better chance of surviving a crash if his head is protected with a helmet, so too will we as Christians be better able to withstand Satan’s attacks if our head is covered with the helmet of salvation.

What I’ve come to realize is that the helmet of salvation is more than knowing where we will go when we die. As God’s saved, chosen people there are certain promises that come with that salvation; the promise that if we resist Satan, he will flee (James 4:7); the promise that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (I John 4:4); the promise that “He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast” (Is. 26:3); the promise that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, NIV). The promises are endless, and they belong to us. With sonship comes the benefits of being a child of a King, The King. God has reminded me that He doesn’t just save me and leave me to figure it out until I finally reach heaven. With salvation comes protection, strength, and power.

“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (I Thes. 5:8, NIV, italics mine).

As my pastor put it: Whom will you believe? God or Satan? Put on the helmet, girl. You don’t have to listen to the junk.

The last weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is our only defensive weapon. In battle, the warrior protected vital organs with his belt, helmet, breastplate, shield and with his feet ready for battle. None of those things were weapons meant for attack. They were for protection only. The sword on the other hand, now that was a weapon.

Instead of reminding Satan that God supplies all my needs, I will still, at times, recoil in fear in the form of worry and stress. If I were dressed for battle, I could come back at Satan with countless verses about God’s love for me, His provision for all my needs, His plan to prosper me.

It didn’t take long for my daughter to learn this lesson last summer. After a few days of Satan’s nonsense, she started fighting back. For weeks she walked around with a Bible always in her hands. She slept with it opened on a pillow next to her. I could hear her reciting verse after verse while she walked around the house and went about her life. None of this was done out of a superstitious belief that somehow an open Bible would ward off Satan’s blows. Instead, she was gaining an understanding of the tool God has given us in His Word. She wasn’t going down without a fight, and she did eventually win.

This life is a battlefield, and to live it successfully, there are certain wardrobe essentials we must have on.

We wouldn’t leave our house without a pair of shoes or pants. So why would we even think of going into a spiritual battle half-dressed? What piece of armor do you regularly forget to “put on”?

You must travel with your swords always drawn, and you may as well throw away the scabbard, for you will never want it.”

Charles Spurgeon

“Our Life, Our Work, Our Charge” August 4, 1867

 Dress for Success

It’s cheesy, I know, but I love to watch the Golden Globes and the Oscars. I can’t help myself. All of those beautiful gowns and beautiful shoes draped on those beautiful people dripping with blinding bling. It’s like candy for the eyes! It’s not that I want to be one of them. I don’t. It’s not that I’ve seen the movies they’re touting. I haven’t. It’s not even that I approve. I don’t. But for us materialistic fashionistas it’s hard to resist. At one point in my life I could look at a designer gown and with stunning accuracy tell you who the designer was, not because I’d worn the clothes, but because I had studied fashion magazines like my life depended on it and followed every major designer I could through books, the internet and TV.

While my arsenal of design knowledge increased, my knowledge of Christ, His Word, and the power that is mine through the Holy Spirit, tanked. I became wrapped up in who I was externally completely ignoring who and what God had called me to be as His child. Though I looked completely put together on the outside when I left my house everyday, on the inside I couldn’t have been more ill prepared for whatever the day had for me. Countless books have been written on the armor of God. I’m not sure I could tell you anything new on the subject so instead I will show you how doing the opposite affected my life so negatively. This is the first in a two-part series on the armor of God taken from Ephesians 6.

If the truth sets us free, as Jesus says in John 8:32, then the opposite holds us captive. Instead of the belt of truth wrapped around my waist, I had bought into the lies of Satan that I was only as good as my reflection in the mirror and the number in my bank account. In my teenage years I spent precious gray matter obsessing over the cover models on magazines, wishing and working to be something that I found out later didn’t even exist. Airbrushing. I will admit as I get older a little bit of the magic of airbrushing would go a long way in compensating for my serious lack of being photogenic.

Financially speaking, over the years I’ve had plenty of money at times and none at all at other times. In both instances the desire for it quietly and seductively slithered to the throne of my life making promises it could never fulfill. If I had more of it I’d be happy. If I had it invested correctly I would be safe financially. The truth is, my financial security comes from God.

In the Easy-to-read version of Ephesians 6, verse 14 refers to the breastplate of righteousness as the breastplate of right living. Right living means many different things. In my life it meant reigning in the spending and chasing that which is deeper than skin. Instead, I spent money like the prodigal. When I finally ran out, I had nothing to offer God but my repentance and the begging for mercy.

In verse 15 it says “and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”. Practically speaking, my feet spent more time walking through stores than they did carrying the gospel to my neighbors. I realize that a good pair of shoes can transform an outfit, but feet that bring the good news of Jesus can transform a life.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7, NIV).

“Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:5,6 The Message, Italics mine).

In the movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, the main character is among hundreds of women standing outside a huge department store waiting to get in for the sample sale. The doors open, and madness ensues as they push and prod their way to the racks hoping to score the deal of the century on some designer threads.

Sometimes I feel like that’s how I go through life, spinning my wheels, rushing around at breakneck speed. For what? Not only do I find myself at times with my breastplate of right living dangling loosely from its intended spot, my feet aren’t carrying the gospel with nearly the amount of urgency they do when pursuing selfish ambitions.

In the next post we will finish our study on the wardrobe essentials needed to live this life successfully. In the meantime, some food for thought: the breastplate of righteousness belongs securely fastened across the chest, covering the vital organs it protects, the heart and lungs. Where’s yours? Is it securely fastened in place? And what about your feet? What are they pursuing, selfish ambitions or lost souls?

“The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires” (Prov. 11:6, NIV).

I have a confession to make (hence, the title of this blog). It’s a little-known fact that I have a strange preoccupation with a certain “thing.” I don’t know when it started, but I remember my family feeding this by buying me products related to it. I would pour over books and magazines written about it. Curious? Okay, don’t be disappointed. I am borderline OBSESSED with the Jewish people and their culture.

It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Israel, to study everything I can about its history (the only time history means anything to me), to be with them. I know it’s strange. So strange, in fact, that there is a woman on YouTube who does videos on hair, makeup and skincare, and the only reason I watch her is because she’s Jewish. I have no idea most of the time what she’s saying because I’m only half listening. Besides I’m way too old for the makeup advice she dishes out, but I watch her anyway because she’s Jewish. I like to look at her face.

Before you get creeped out that I’m some kind of crazy stalker chick, know that this started at a young age, and I can only attribute it to God. I’m fascinated by His love for them that He extends to me. I learn so much about Him through His interaction with them. When I was a kid I really wanted to be Jewish because I wanted to have the same blood flowing through me that flowed through Christ. How amazing to have the Son of God born out of your own bloodline! It hurts my brain to think about it.

So why am I telling you this? You don’t have to read too many blog posts from me to know that much of what goes on in this culture ruffles my feathers a bit. I freak out when I watch the news and the treasonous way in which the media portrays world events. I writhe in anger over the falsehoods so easily spouted by our leaders. And as I wrote two blog posts ago, the injustices aimed at innocent people is enough to make me crazy!

I get angry over a lot of things, most of which I won’t go to war over. As much as I love the Constitution and will be eternally indebted to those who wrote it and those who fought to keep it, I will not worship it. It is not my god. However, the things that have to do with the innocent and the lost, that’s where my passion turns to action. What I’m talking about is anti-Semitism. That insidious disease snaking through our world at rocket speed. I can’t take it. My heart races with anxiety. It’s on our college campuses, Jewish students afraid to wear their yarmulkes for fear of being ridiculed, a tragic reality. College cafeterias refusing to sell hummus because it’s made in Israel. And “at the UN, forces are aligned against Israel and erroneously regard the Jewish state as an oppressive, apartheid regime” (Israel My Glory magazine, p. 10, May/June 2013). In some places around the world, the Jews are compared to Nazi Germany, a concept that defies all logic.

In the world of business, despite Israel’s small size and limited resources, the people are savvy entrepreneurs. Of course, they meet obstacles on this front as well. The BDS, or Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was started by a group of Palestinians urging the boycott of any products made in Israel. Well, two can play that game.

So what can we do about it? It’s really quite simple. I will do what I do best: shop. Don’t freak! I’m not going in to debt over this, nor am I buying unnecessary products. What I will do, however, is buy honey, olive oil, preserves and other products from http://www.gitfood.com. I use it anyway so why not support our Jewish friends in the process?

G.I.T. USA Inc. is an extension of Galilee International Trade Company which sells and distributes food products here in the US for small businesses in Israel. If you live around Wegman’s, Whole Foods Markets, Zabar’s, and Foodtown, you can find their products on the store shelf. If not, you will have to beg the local stores in your town to start selling their products and/or order online which means shipping costs and the BLESSED internet sales tax our illustrious leaders have inflicted upon us! But it’s for a good cause so I will get over this last frustration.

You’ve heard of SodaStream, right? That magical machine that turns water into carbonated water. My kids really wanted one of those to which I quickly retorted with “What on earth for?” until I learned that this company is an Israeli company. It actually employs more Arabs than Jews. Despite this fact, many of the stores selling it have been under pressure to cease and desist by the BDS. All of a sudden, I really want a SodaStream. Who wouldn’t?

Seriously, I may not be in a position to use my body as a human shield for one of my Jewish friends (God help us if it comes to that). I can’t really change policy at the U.N. What I can do is, first and foremost, pray for the Jewish people, those who’ve come to Jesus as their Messiah and those who have yet to. I can pray that God will frustrate the plans of the wicked. Honestly, do these people really know Who they’re up against? And finally, I can do the one thing that in the past has gotten me into so much trouble: shop. It’s just like God to take shopping (of all things!) and redeem it for a higher purpose. One of the many reasons I love Him so much!

So let’s do something to help our Jewish friends.  Get shopping people!

P.S. You should know I get no kickbacks from any of these companies or resources I mention. These people have no idea that I or my little blog even exist!

So here we are at the end of our series on raising world-changers. This last instruction, if you will, spans three verses.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (vs. 10-12).

It is fitting that these verses would tie up the passage that started with “blessed are the poor in spirit,” those who have come to the realization that they are nothing apart from God. To go from that to rejoicing in persecution is quite the journey.

If Matthew 5:3-12 was piece of classical music, it would be Handel’s Messiah without a doubt. Every year as a college student I would go to my school’s performance of this great masterpiece and listen. At times, different parts of it would become arduous, and in my mind, not terribly melodic (not a fan of the Baroque style!). But then the Hallelujah chorus would start, the crowd would rise, and the three hours of listening to music I didn’t really relate to, suddenly became completely worth it.

If you’re familiar with the ending of that piece you know that the story goes that King George II was so moved by the Hallelujah chorus that he stood and required everyone else to do so also. Matthew 5 reminds me of this in that we live in this world, hopefully at some point recognizing our need for Christ, continue on our journey becoming more like Him the more we take on his character, as outlined in the text. Finally, the crescendo of the passage and of our relationship to Him culminates in the one thing we are all afraid will happen but that God sees as the ultimate test of our commitment: persecution.

I don’t relish the idea of persecution. My kids and I talk about it frequently. We talk about what’s happening to Christians in our military and around the world. We talk about the strength of our faith as compared to the fervor of a jihadist who will give his/her life for something they believe in hoping that what they are dying for delivers on the promises they’ve bought into. I wonder sometimes if I have the faith of a jihadist. Would I send my 7-year-old to the training grounds of this faith knowing that once trained they would give their life for a cause?

How much more willing and submitted to the idea we should be given that we know the truth and the Truth-teller. Not only do we know this Person we’ve submitted to, we have a relationship with Him. We’ve talked to Him, daily, hopefully. Christianity, is the only “religion” whose followers have an intimate relationship with the One whom they serve. I just find it interesting that people all over the world will give their lives for so much less with no guarantees. Striking, isn’t it?

The verses immediately following could have started with after all. We have a list of guidelines that we are to follow if we are to be different than the rest of the world with the goal of offering hope. Following are the verses that explain, after all, we are the light of the world, we are the salt of the earth. We lose our saltiness by letting our faith grow stale. We hide our light to avoid standing out from the crowd because of what that could mean. Yet, we want people to come to Christ. Why would they when we look no different than anyone else?

This is a tricky concept to teach teenagers who want nothing more than to be included, accepted and able to fit in. When I tell them we are not here to fit in because this is not our final destination, they understand it, but I don’t know if they buy it. Don’t get me wrong. I have great kids in whom I do see a spark of defiance aimed at the world’s system, but then there are other times when the choices aren’t as good. The same could be said about me. Some days I’m all in. Some days I struggle.

I’ve decided that none of the commands of Scripture are attainable apart from the help of the Holy Spirit and having the mind of Christ, that is, an eternal perspective. So what I’ve learned from this study as I attempt to maneuver two teens through a broken culture is if I teach them nothing else, I want them to learn from me that an eternal perspective is what gives life. If we could grasp the concept of delayed gratification and apply it to what we’re saving up for eternally, I think the cost would make more sense. Not only that, but to have the King stand and say “well done” would be worth the sometimes difficult task of living here on earth.

How about you? What have you learned about parenting in light of Matthew 5? I’d love to hear from you.

Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.”

I had intended on having this post up days ago, but I honestly didn’t know how to write about being a peacemaker when the only emotion I was feeling was anger; anger at the depravity of those who committed the Boston bombings, anger at the lack of journalistic integrity in reporting the facts, anger at those in authority who refuse to answer questions they don’t want to deal with. Frankly, instead of acting as an agent of peace, my initial response is to raise a ruckus with my words. I’ll be honest. I want to tell people off, shout from the mountaintop all the injustices I see in both the Christian and non-Christian world. And while I’m at it, I want to make sure God knows that I’m not happy and not having fun. And as long as I’m being so bold, I need Him to know that I’m mad at Him.

As is usually the case, the disciple I relate to the most is Peter, and not the part of Peter that Christ built His church on. Oh no. I’m talking about the Peter who spoke first and asked questions later, who acted on impulse without thinking. The one who cut off the ear of the soldier as he was about to take Jesus away. I would have done the same thing. Imagine Peter’s frustration. Even though he’d been told that this moment would come, that following Christ would be difficult and often unfair, that because of his sin and the sins of the whole world this soldier would drag him off ushering in the beginnings of what would be a long several hours, it still frustrated him to the degree that he took action and not the right kind. I’m sure the flurry of emotion and activity got to him, and he snapped.

How in the world are we suppose act peacefully in a violent world? How do we get our kids to buy into this idea of being someone who seeks peace, despite the situation, rather than succumbing to antagonistic tendencies? The only answer I can come up with is based on a conversation I had with a dear friend and one backed up by Scripture. There is no way to deal with injustices, frustrations, hurt feelings, anything negative without trusting God with all of it; trusting that He knows about whatever it is that’s got our knickers in a stitch, trusting Him to take care of it His way, trusting Him when He says that someday everything will be made right. Really, some days all we have to fall back on is simple trust, and for me that remains one of the most challenging things. But God doesn’t ask something of us He can’t provide, and He doesn’t expect us to give something we don’t have.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27, NIV).

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:4-7, NIV).

I’ve always thought that the saying “the joy is in the journey” was a bunch of bunk. Just get me to the destination, already! But if we would allow ourselves to rest in the sovereignty of God, the journey would be much smoother, and we would be better agents of peace. Not only that, but peacemakers are called children of God. It’s another chance to make God famous in the chaos. Everything around us is falling apart, but if God’s children aren’t it would speak volumes to the world. Not everyone would listen and respond positively, but some would. Some would take a second look and wonder where we got our peaceful outlook, not a Pollyanna happiness that everything is alright, but a genuine belief that everything will be alright, and that Someone’s got it all under control.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (I Peter 3:15a, NIV).

Lord,

Thank you that you see everything. Nothing is a surprise to you. Thank you that you do not ask of us what you will not provide. Help us to be peacemakers, to seek it above everything else, to die to our entitlements so that peace can not only live in us but also flourish spilling out to those around us. And please comfort the people of Boston, Lord we pray.

Amen

Matthew 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (NIV).

Why is a pure heart such a big deal to God?

I was listening to the most fascinating conversation this morning taking place on the radio between a secular talk show host and a rabbi. The rabbi stated that we shouldn’t judge people based on their beliefs but instead on their actions. He gave the example of two different neighbors. On the one side of you lives a guy who believes you’re the best thing since sliced bread. Despite his belief about you, he poisons your cat, yells at your kids, and shoots out the tires on your car because it’s parked in front of his house. On the other side of you is a guy who really can’t stand you and makes sure you know it. He won’t speak or wave and is just plain rude for no reason. But your kids are alone at night, and there’s trouble in the neighborhood so he goes over to check on them to ensure they are safe until you get home. The rabbi asked the host if he had to choose between the two, whom would he rather live next to? The radio host emphatically chose the guy who couldn’t stand him because his actions were good thereby, proving the rabbi’s statement: we can’t judge one another based on their beliefs but on what they do.

This philosophy, though completely understandable in a culture desperate to rid itself of mass shootings and suicide bombings, doesn’t hold water in the Kingdom of God. Good works and belief in truth are not mutually exclusive.

“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34b, NIV).

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the well-spring of life” (Prov. 4:23, NIV).

When it comes to good works I think of some friends of my husband and mine. This couple holds to the belief that good works will get you to heaven. We have often said that if that were true, they would get there long before we would because they are such good people in every way.  No question

Here’s what God says about our good works:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6a, NIV).

I once heard a pastor say that when Scripture talks about our good deeds being like filthy rags that it was likening these rags to that which a woman used back in the Old Testament during her menstrual cycle. Not a pretty picture.

Every once in awhile when I am studying the Bible I will go to the original Greek or Hebrew and see if I can get down to the bare bones of what Scripture is saying. It often times lends deeper meaning to the passage or verse making it come alive. In this particular verse it doesn’t seem necessary because the verse is so straightforward. Upon studying it, however, I found the following quotes absolutely fascinating.

Kardia-heart; “’the affective center of our being’ and the capacity of moral preference” (see P. Hughs, 2 Cor, 354, Helps Word-studies);

“’desire-producer that makes us tick’” (G. Archer), “i.e. our ‘desire-decisions’ that establish who we really are” (Helps Word-studies).

The capacity of moral preference.  We see this everyday in our culture. That which takes resident in the soul of a person meets the rest of the world head-on by one single decision.

What does this have to do with raising a world-changer? It’s hard to do the right thing in a situation that practically begs for bad behavior. For instance, if my kid hasn’t studied for a test and then becomes tempted to cheat off of his neighbor but doesn’t, does it matter why he didn’t? What drives him to refrain from giving into that temptation? An intellectual belief that cheating is wrong may work a couple of times, but not every time. After awhile if a few other kids are doing it and getting away with it, he’s probably going to cave and just go for it. Why? Because his actions are based on a heart attitude. He needs to be driven by a heart that belongs to God. So no matter how unprepared he is for his test, he wouldn’t dream of disobeying God in this way.

An intellectual belief isn’t enough to change behavior. The demons know and believe that God exist, and it hasn’t changed their behavior!

Back to my question of why a pure heart is so important. Because it is the essence of who we are, and from it flows everything we do. If our hearts aren’t right with God, pure in motive, our good deeds are completely worthless. In an effort to know where my kids’ hearts are I’ve started asking them questions like why it’s important to treat others with respect, why we shouldn’t steal, why do they believe church is important, etc. The conversations have been enlightening to say the least.

How about you? Do you know where your kids stand on the important issues? Do you know why they believe what they believe?

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

It’s no secret that mercy defines itself in the life of Christ. Mercifully, He doesn’t give us what our sin deserves and the Father’s holiness demands.

“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4,5, NIV).

Because of this character quality in Him, He demands it in us. The life of a Christ-follower will be defined by the mercy he/she shows another.

When I was in college a girl on my floor ended up in the infirmary after having her wisdom teeth pulled. She was a mutual friend to both me and my roommate, and she was in excruciating pain. I don’t remember the details. I do remember hearing about how my roommate spent the next 24 hours with her changing the packing in her mouth and sitting with our friend and getting no sleep. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I heard about it because that has always been my roommate’s personality. She breathes mercy on everyone she meets, one of the kindest, most thoughtful people you will ever meet.

Mercy has been shown to me countless times in my life. There is a reason I don’t go to the library very often. Though it is a frugal way to read books, if you’re me every book checked out represents a late fee! One time I owed the library $20 for a couple of books that I had forgotten about. They even started sending me “reminders” in the mail that I had something of theirs. Frustrated with myself for my lack of responsibility, I marched into that library ready to pay. I had made my peace with the fact that my forgetfulness had consequences. Instead, the lady behind the desk, pulled up my account, looked at the amount, looked at me and said, “Oh, we’ll just waive that fee. Have a nice day.” I couldn’t believe it!

Like all of the other character traits in Matthew 5 that Jesus wants us to display, mercy is a heart issue, but for me I find it a little easier to explain this one to my kids. Mercy, like meekness, is how we behave when no one is looking. As parents we put so much emphasis on sports and academic pursuits. We want our kids to be the best they can be, possibly carving out a spot on the scholarship list and making a name for themselves. I admit I have fallen into this thinking of wanting my kids to stand out in whatever it is they are pursuing. There’s nothing wrong with doing your best at whatever you are doing. In fact, anything less is wrong. However, the older I get and the older my kids get, I find I am less interested in their sports abilities and anything else and far more interested in their character.

Before every baseball game I tell my son to play well but to be an encourager and a leader to his teammates. I don’t know how those words play out on the bench, but my message to him is always the same: I couldn’t care less about his baseball abilities. What matters is how he acts towards his teammates. What does he say when a teammate strikes out or misses an easy catch?

I’ll never forget a fifth grade soccer game my son played in. It was the last one of the season. The game was tied, last quarter, and my son made the winning goal…for the other team. Devastation is putting it mildly, and we both could have crawled in a hole. While most of the boys were fussing at him, one teammate came up to him, patted him on the back, and told him it was no big deal. Don’t worry about it.

Mercy. The only thing standing between my son and total self-loathing. Mercy is the one thing that can take a person already aware of their depravity and lift them up to human status. We have the power to make or break the way a person feels about themselves and their circumstances by whether or not we show them mercy. Not only that, but the Bible makes it clear that what goes around comes around. To those who are merciful, mercy will be shown to them. Simple.

So I’m curious. How do you explain mercy in your family? What are some practical ways you are teaching your kids to show mercy in the everyday? I’d love to hear about in the comments section below.

I have two teenagers. One is about done growing. The other, my son, could go another four or five years. When he is in one of his growth spurt patterns, his boundless appetite becomes the axis on which the rest of his life spins. He and the fridge become one, and the rest of us try to not get in the way. How is it possible that one can put away an entire steak dinner with all the sides only to be ravenous an hour later? I am not the first mother to ask this, nor will I be the last. Nonetheless, it defies all reason so I have to say it.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NIV).

Just like the human body has a natural appetite for food, so too does the soul have an appetite for God, that elusive “something more” that R.C. Sproul talks about in his book The Soul’s Quest for God. 

“Nothing can be in the heart that is not first in the mind. Our hearts cannot be inflamed about something we know not of. Unless we know God deeply, we cannot love him deeply. A faint understanding of God is enough to begin the heart to stir. Emotions my be kindled by the slightest acquaintance with the majesty of Christ. But for that spark to rise into a consuming and lasting fire, our knowledge of him must increase. To know him is to love him.”

How I want my kids to be inflamed with a passion for God and all that a life with Him encompasses. But again I ask, how can I make this happen? Like everything else, I believe the answer lies first with me. Am I preoccupied with God and the knowledge of Him? If so, do my kids see that in me? Do I present Him as worthy of their time and energy? Is the pursuit of righteousness perceived as drudgery to them, a set of rules and restrictions? As usual, I have more questions than answers, more conviction than clarification.

A couple of thoughts come to mind. First, promoting an environment conducive to desiring God is a good place to start. I read an article recently in an online Christian publication arguing for the need to take back our time at home with our kids and spouses by turning off the television and unplugging for a few hours. I couldn’t agree more, but what a challenge. There is very little on television that promotes morals and nothing that champions righteousness.

Second, we’re all slaves to something. We will spend our time doing something. Why is it when a friend calls and asks us to go out for coffee that we jump at the idea without thought, but when God asks for just a few minutes of our time each day the excuses as to why we can’t possibly give Him that just pour out without effort? Paul talks about this very thing in Romans 6. 

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:16-18, NIV).

I have to ask myself, what am I a slave to?

Third, Jesus promises that a hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. There is nothing more frustrating than being thirsty to the point of being parched and the only thing to drink is hot coffee! What I have found is that when I am in a place spiritually where I am hungering and thirsting for God and His righteousness, the fulfillment He brings is beyond explanation.

When my teenager is looking to fill the hole in his stomach, sugary snacks are only going to take him so far. What he really needs are vegetables and protein. A diet of substance will carry him much farther and help him avoid the inevitable crash of a diet consisting of nothing but junk.

Everywhere I look I see people demanding rights that they are convinced will complete them and bring wholeness to their lives. What I wish for them and for my kids is for the ability to see and understand that no one will ever love them more than Jesus, and no one can bring the lasting fulfillment that only He was meant to bring. A pursuit of God to the dying of everything that threatens that is the only way to live. It’s our job to model this concept to our kids. They see the world’s way of searching for fulfillment. Someone has to show them God’s way.

Just a quick note to explain my M.I.A. status. I have just returned from a week in Oklahoma with a stellar group of 8th graders doing mission work among the Choctaw Indians as well as work projects at Native American Bible Academy.

When I left for this trip I fully intended on posting about three times while there. However, all WiFi is not created equally. It took two days to get the last post up, and I barely made it before the whole thing shut down again. I figured I was fortunate to have one post up for the week and left it at that.

As it turns out, meekness seemed to be the theme of the week. I saw it in our kids in situations I didn’t expect them to have to deal with from people older than they who should have known better. I was so proud of them, but I was struggling to find that elusive quality in my own heart and attitude. Once again I have come  to the conclusion that the study of the Beattitudes is as much for me as it is for my kids. We can’t teach what we don’t know.

Now, I’m laying here with a fever, a cough rivaling that of a seal and lungs that are searing in pain. So once I get myself together we will barrel through the rest of the Beattitudes. Thanks for your patience.