Musings on the HER-oic Life

Jul 26, 2005 at 19:17 o\clock

A Shaky Foundation

by: HERoes

I will preface the comments in this entry in my blog with a disclaimer.  It is not my intention to offend any happy city dwellers.  I made a solemn vow to my sister-in-law that when we moved I would not become an “L.A. Basher” so understand dear readers, that I may consider the theme song to Green Acres my own, but I understand this is not the case for everyone (and a good thing or we would all be living in the same place!)

 

I moved from L.A. and left so much of my stress behind.  The ramped up city lifestyle was wearing on me.  Road rage, traffic jams, smog, crime, graffiti, earthquakes.  I had had enough.  The city held no joy for me and I was longing to return to a more rural lifestyle.  A life that offered the richness of afternoon walks, nearby fishing streams and wildlife in abundance.

 

Living is this pastoral beauty surrounded by mountains and tall trees, seeing deer graze behind my fence (and we live in town), traveling down the main street to my house with a maximum posted speed limit of 25mph was all good to me.  I began to unwind.  I began to feel safe.  I began to feel rested and revived.  I began to walk that slippery slope that said, “I am renewed in this place.  I am safe in this place.  This place brings me peace.” 

 

All of those feelings became like the powdery dust of shattered glass at about 9:20pm last night.  I was relaxing in the living room when I began to hear a quiet roar.  The sound was somewhat familiar but I could not place it.  Then I began to feel the floor softly rolling and soon I heard the “tinkle, tinkle” of the crystal drops in the dining room chandelier as the slight swaying back and forth caused them to touch.  Then the house began to shake.  EARTHQUAKE!  I was in complete shock as my mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening.  I live in the Northwest.  There ARE NO EARTHQUAKES!   How could this be?  I left L.A. to get away from this!   By the time those questions ran through my mind, the quake was gone.  My fear was not. 

 

My safety barrier had been violated.  I was exposed; I was no longer in that place of calm.  What was I going to do now??????

 

For the past few months the Lord has been dealing with my issues of disappointment and hurt through the things others have said and done.  I was finally getting it….people really will fail me just as I will fail others.  I need to go to GOD, not to others for comfort.  This truth was sinking in; I was moving along with the concept and making real progress.

 

When the enemy couldn’t get in that door anymore, he slipped in through the side and began to work on my issues of trusting a place for peace and comfort instead of God.  So God literally shook me out of my fog and reminded me that it isn't only people I should not put my trust and hope in but things and places as well.  I can be thankful to Him for bringing me to this beautiful place, I can rejoice in the loveliness and the richness of life here but I cannot ever forget that that it’s not a woodland meadow or a tree in my back yard that is my refuge, it is God and God alone. 

 

How thankful I am for that little shake up I had last night.  How wonderful to know that my God is my protector and my strength. What a relief to know that He is my refuge and that my true peace and joy does not depend on my address.

 

"Lord, since I have been understanding the concept lately of seeing with the eyes of my heart I am beginning to see what a battlefield I live in.  I am also rejoicing in the fact that, through You, I hold all the power over the enemy.  He has been trying so hard to shake my foundation, hurt my ministry , my life, my heart and push me off this path you have set my feet on so firmly.  Thank you for yet another victory over him and thank You for the many more to come.  Thank you for your love and protection that never changes and is not dependant on where I live or what I do.”

 

    The LORD is my shepherd;
       I have everything I need.
    He lets me rest in green meadows;
       he leads me beside peaceful streams.    
He renews my strength.
    He guides me along right paths,
       bringing honor to his name.
Psalm 23: 1-3 (NLT)

 

 

Jul 22, 2005 at 00:48 o\clock

Stepping Out In Faith - Do We Really Understand What That Means?

by: HERoes

I read an article today about three Christian women in Indonesia who are being tried for violating the “child protection” laws because they are leading  Sunday School classes in their local church.  As reported by the Christian Wire Service, “a mob of radical Islamists arrived by the truckload at the court where the proceedings continued. The mob gathered just outside the courthouse; and as the three women arrived for their trial, police forces had to hold back the assembled mob from attacking the women, as they shouted "Allahu akbar! (God is great!) Dr. Rebekah is evil, hang them...Shoot her!"  (Click here) to read the article.

Death threats for teaching children the word of God in Sunday school?  I was brought out of my safe little Christian world immediately after reading this article. How ridiculous I am for feeling satisfied when I stand up for Christ in a social setting.  How small and insignificant I am when I “step out in faith” and tell a stranger in my safe little community about the Lord. 

 

Our Pastors exhort us week after week to go out and tell the world about the love and salvation of Christ and we let opportunity after opportunity slip by because we don’t want to make waves at church, don’t want to mess with the separation of church and state, don’t feel that “religion” is a good topic of dinner conversation, don’t want him/her to think we are some kind of weird “Jesus Freak”…yadda, yadda, yadda.

 

I suggest we all take a moment to reflect on how obedient and brave we have truly been in bringing the Gospel message to others and then repent of our disobedience.  Then let’s get down on our knees and pray for these women and all the other people who know that “living their faith out loud” may mean dying for their faith.  Oh, to have such passion.

 

“Father forgive me for every time I did not speak of Your love and salvation to someone.  Help me to never miss an opportunity again and Lord, I pray for Your protection and strength for all of those who are so brave and faithful to do in dangerous circumstances, what I fear to do in complete safety.

  "When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? `A servant is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you! The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don't know God who sent me.
John 15:18-21 (NLT)

Jul 18, 2005 at 20:31 o\clock

A Mess or a Blessing?

by: HERoes

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see--how good GOD is.  Blessed are you who run to him.”   Psalm 34:8 (The Message)

My summer women’s Bible study group is doing John Eldredge’s book Waking The Dead.  The recurring theme of the book is seeing with the eyes of your heart, being aware of the battle the enemy wages all around you and learning to live in the full power and glory of a Christ follower.  I have been uncovering nuggets of truth and revelation all summer and have felt a bit pleased with myself that I am really “getting” the message of this book.  Ah smugness, what a fleeting thing!
 
After returning home a few weeks ago from a 10-day trip to Southern California to visit family, I was anxious to be home in our little slice of heaven in the Northwest.  I was chomping at the bit to get home, give the “fab four” (our feline family members) a big hug and then don my stunning gardening ensemble and tend to the front and back yard.

 

Arriving home I did just that, working through the mental list of tasks, watering flowers, refilling bird and squirrel feeders and pulling an errant weed or two.  I finished with a great sense of accomplishment, until I rounded the side of the house where I noticed a bunch of “junk" in the splash pad under the downspout by our dining room window.  What a mess!

 

Tangled dried grass, red pods from a tree behind our back fence and other items I could not immediately identify, all soggy from the previous day’s shower.  Yuck!  I quickly got to work, cleaning up that unsightly pile that was a blot on my beautiful landscape!  I dumped the soggy mess in the trash thinking, “Good riddance to that rubbish!”

 

Later that day as I walked down the driveway, my next-door neighbor greeted me and welcomed me home. He looked up and toward the side of our house, and said, “Looks like you’ve got a nice nest there.”   “Huh?” I replied.  “Yeah, he said, “my wife and I watched her struggling to build it while you were gone.  No need to worry about where she built it, the nest is fine there and won't damage the gutter."

 

I followed his gaze and sure enough, a little mother robin was ensconced in a tightly woven and lovely nest that rested in the crook of the gutter by our dining room window.  That mess I had been so annoyed about was a large part of her nest that hadn’t made it through the final stages of her building project.

 

What a life lesson for me!  Evidently my summer Bible study had not made as much of an impact on my spirit as it should have.  Instead of looking up and seeing (and being thankful for) all of God’s glory and enjoying the bird and her nest,  I walked with my eyes to the ground, only seeing what was right in front of my nose and making assumptions about what I saw.  In a magical instant, the “mess” I had grumbled about had become a beautiful part of God’s creation, something to enjoy and marvel at.

 

“Dear Lord, let every little bird that wings its way past me, remind me of that nest and the glory in Your creation.  Allow me to always see with the eyes of my heart the beauty and miracles that surround me every day.  Help me to keep my head high, my eyes upward and my life a reflection of the beauty that You allow me to see.”