Six Words Is All It Takes

I read an article in today's Daily Press about a recent trend of writing one's memoirs in exactly six words. (See www.smithmag.net)

I remember participating in this exercise in college (my first time around).

Although I had forgotten the exercise, I never forgot Strunk & White's command to "Omit needless words!"

I'm constantly proofing my papers to narrow things down and make them less wordy.

I've been playing with this exercise in my head.

My first thought? Life is hard. God is good.

There are things that we hear about happening to other people and think to ourselves, I could never go through that...  while inwardly begging God not to ask us to.

Then it happens.

And we survive.

And we add it to our list of "done that".

And the fear of it loses its power over us because we faced it and came out standing on the other side.

And we learn that we can walk through anything God asks us to because He doesn't ask us to walk alone.

And we are no longer afraid.

After beginning my life wrought with fear, I can quite honestly and humbly say that there is very little I am afraid of anymore. I have a better understanding of how big God is and what He can do.

I have no reason to be afraid.

Treasures in Dark Places

The other day, my eyes landed on Isaiah 45:3-4
"I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord, am God..."

I'm having a hard time putting to words what went through my head when I saw that. It wasn't thought... it was sight. I saw it differently.

God was giving me a deeper perspective.... when it's dark, not to despair, but to look for the treasures.

I saw movie the other day about a treasure hunt, and that came to mind.
The treasure isn't out in the open... it's always hidden in some dark place no one would ever think to look.

I'm going through some rough waters... sometimes it feels so dark I feel like I'm drowning. I felt the Lord telling me not to focus on the dark and miss the hidden treasure.

Then He took it a step further.
I was reading a devotional, and in today's prayer it said, "Find scattered, terrified lambs where no one thought to look before."
They are "treasures of darkness" and "hidden riches"!

When we're in the light all of the time, how can we find these hidden treasures?
It's only when we venture into the dark places that we can find the true treasures... it's in the dark places that we find the lost lambs and it's in the dark places that we usually seek the treasure of His face.

The enemy puts up DANGER , WARNING, SCARY DARK PLACES signs to psych us out.
"I don't wanna go in there...no way!"
But God says we don't need to fear the dark! The enemy is bluffing!
Because he knows what's hidden in the dark... treasures.

Human treasures that he wants to keep there.
Experiences that drive us into the Lord's arms.

My fav Lamentations verse says... "IT DOES NOT CONSUME US!"
Why? Because His mercies DO NOT FAIL.
Anywhere.
Even in the dark.

Scars

Today I was in a situation where I was tempted to hide my scars.  I don’t like feeling vulnerable, and when things are going on at the rate they have been lately, my natural inclination is to put on my happy face and be “fine”. I know I’m not unique.

But God quickly reminded me of a couple of things I know, but needed a refresher in.

Jesus didn’t hide his scars.

In fact, it was his scars that made the difference for Thomas and others like him who just couldn’t wrap their minds around what was taking place. What would have happened to Thomas if Jesus would have said, “Gee… I can’t show you those. If you don’t know Who I am after all this time, then you’re out of luck.”  Jesus understood Thomas’ human need and wasn’t offended by it.

Jesus’ scars validated His experience.

And so do mine.

When I am willing to show my scars, it opens doors to speak into the lives of others in a manner I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to.  When someone says, “You don’t understand…” I can pull back my heart’s sleeve and say, “Oh, yes I do.”  When I am willing to be vulnerable it gets me one step closer to that person’s heart – and hopefully helps them feel safe enough to share and be ministered to.

The other part of that is when life isn’t going the way the Christian how-to’s say it ought to.  Again, my inclination is to keep the details to myself. I’m hurting enough thankyouverymuch, and I don’t need another well-intentioned brother or sister to tell me that if I just prayed harder or read this book or studied scripture more, then I wouldn’t be having such a hard time.

I want to scream.

These folks have no idea the devastation and hurt they leave in their wake… and it’s tempting to draw into my shell so they can’t hurt me any more.

But…

When things got really rough, Jesus didn’t hide. 

He prayed and relied on the Father – out in the open, in the garden where they could find him.  His agony was paraded through the street for everyone to see. And he experienced mocking on a level I will probably never be called to endure.

So I have a choice… I can guard my hurt and allow the scab of bitterness to creep in. Or I can stand secure in who I am in Him and be honest about the uglies of my life and my circumstance while trusting Him.

As a result, I am learning how to do it better. From this experience I have had to repent for the times I was clueless to others’ real needs, and I pray that I will use this time to continue learning how not to behave when my brothers and sisters need me the most.