A Net in Time

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Christian living

Confident, I Stand

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Miss Kate provides us with a one word prompt challenge every Thursday night at 10 p.m.  I find these really fun to do.  This week the word is confident.  I hope you will come join us. 

Confident, confidence, 

 late 16th century: from French confident(e ), from Italian confidente, from Latin confident- ‘having full trust’, from the verb confidere, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fidere ‘trust’.

In the course of one week, confident/confidence means different things.

Confident

Confidence in Skillset

Confident I type, assuring a gal that yes, when breeding a rabbit only two fall-offs are necessary and NO, you don’t need to introduce the buck to the doe four hours later.  One breeding time is sufficient to have, 31 days later, a healthy litter of kits.  This assumes that the doe is fertile, not overweight, and doesn’t have a scare during her pregnancy, and of course, that the buck is fertile.   I have been breeding rabbits for more than 15 years and have mentored many people into the craft that is bunny raising.   Confidence is not a skill I lack in this regard.

Confident

Confidence in Choices

Confidently, trusting my lad, on a snow day, after a recent long chat, I give him carte blanche in choosing his learning activities for the day.  True to my trust, my lad happily comes to me with a plan for the afternoon.   Taking apart a clock radio, sewing on shoulder flashes on his uniform, and building a stand for his crossbow.  Good learning in all that, so on a day when our student has the day off school, I have a mild headache, the lad is still learning well. 

Confident

Confident, I Stand

Not quite as confident, and actually falling into a pit of despair was the start of my week.  I’m still shaky from that day… but Tuesday when I still coming out of that pit, a timely reminder was given.

Faith comes from hearing the word, faith comes from knowing the truth and believing it in.  Faith is not based on emotion.  So when my emotions are completely out of whack, feeling lost and alone in the world, my faith is not in question.   What I mean is that, though I may not feel like I have faith at the moment, doesn’t mean that my faith is non-existent.  It just means my emotions are all crazy and that Satan is doing an excellent job of hitting me where it hurts the most.   But faith is not based in emotions.  God promises that those who seek him find him.  He doesn’t say, the emotionally always stable who seeks him find him.  He doesn’t say “they find him and then he leaves them when things are hard.”  The bible is clear.  If you seek for God you WILL find him.  That is a fact.  Real, true knowledge.  The truth of that statement hit me like a ton of bricks a year or so ago. And that truth remains with me still.  

My confidence (emotionally) is starting to come back, but until it does completely, the truth of who God is remains.   His steadfastness, his surety, his known providence and care remain the rocks that I stand upon when things are hard.   Upon him… I am confident. 

Made for the Journey

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Made for the Journey: One Missionary’s First Year in the Jungles of Ecuador is unexpected look into the life of missionary service.   Why unexpected?  I knew the book would be about her experiences in the Jungle but I wasn’t expecting the raw honesty.   Elisabeth Elliot unabashedly speaks to the truths of God at work in the shock of first-year missionary work.

From the Publisher

In this deeply personal account of her first year as a missionary, Elisabeth Elliot shares the challenges she faced as she worked in the jungles of Ecuador to bring the Word of God to a people virtually untouched by the outside world.  With fascinating detail, she captures the stark realities of life in the jungle, the difficulties she encountered while developing a written language for the tribe, and her confusion when God didn’t “cooperate” with her efforts to accomplish what she believed was His will. 

What You Get:

19 chapters that walked you through Elisabeth first journey to the jungle and her day to day life during her first year there.  

She introduces us to the people she is there to serve, rivals in mission work, the joys and challenges, the totally unexpected and the heartbreak.

The fun of a lad wanting to fit in.

Along with the struggles of working with (or against) other missions.

The laughter in retrospect after a really difficult journey.

And joy in laughter.   It’s a lovely thing.

A book of memories without being preachy.  It’s like sitting down with your favourite missionary, over a cup of tea and hearing the real stories.   The hard truths and the real struggles, and the moments when you shake your head, hold your heart and wonder WHY.

My Thoughts:

I read this book over the course of three days, when I started it I kept thinking that my mom and mom-in-law would thoroughly enjoy this read.  As I kept reading though I thought… I needed to read this.  I needed to understand the hardship that missionaries sometimes have to go through, and how much new missionaries have to learn in the field.  I needed to see that God sometimes doesn’t do things the way you thought he would, because honestly, sometimes I forget that.

In the end… A timely read about God’s goodness .. even in ways unexpected.  Would my moms enjoy this book?  YES, they would, but you know what… so will you.   God’s mercies run through the pages in this deeply personal memoir that is so well written. 

Go read it.  See God at work.

Click on image for amazon listing.
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Four Ways to Remember the Reason for the Season

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4 Ways to Remember the Reason for the Season

Tis the season to be jolly fa la la la la la la la la.

It is the season to be jolly, it’s great time of the year, this time of hope that we are in.  There is so much to see, do and be involved in.  But think.. What’s the real reason?  It’s the hope of the Saviour… not coming as a baby, as important as that is, but as the Saviour of the world. We so need to remember and to contemplate what that really means,.  🙂

It’s hard not to get caught up in the busyness of the seasons.  In this post I will talk about some of my joys of the season, as well as some ways to remember the reason for the season. 

My Joys:

In the baking of cookies.  Papernauten anyone?

In the putting up of a Christmas village.. I do have to admit this year, I’ve reduced my Christmas village.  We are trying to light our load abit and I’ve needed to cut my village.  A hard decision but it all needs to fit into ONE bin.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember, to focus on the fact that Christ came to earth FOR US.  And not just for a generic us but for a specific ME.

Four ways to Remember the Reason For the Season

So the question arises.   Just how does one remember what truly is the reason for the season?

These are things that help me
1. Doing a daily advent activity.   Often we have used a Lego Advent Calendar.  🙂    What can I say… it’s fun to put together Lego as one thinks about the events of Christmas.  But lately we just have those dollar store chocolate Advent Calendars and read scripture daily.  Different passages that speak to the true meaning of Christmas, and the story of Jesus’ birth. 

2. Spending time alone.   YES.. alone… in fact sometimes I will squirrel myself away like a little spider, getting away from the noise and bustle of the world and just stay within my own cozy home.  Reading a book, going out for a walk when no one is around, getting lost in the world of colouring and a Christmas movie.   Just stuff for me alone.  🙂

3. Christmas music and books!  In the past I read lots of books (like Alabaster’s song).  Now I play Christmas music as I bake cookies, pumpkin spice muffins, and meals) and even while I’m sweeping the floor or doing laundry.  Bring music that I like into the house.  🙂

4. Spend time with the Lord in church services, readings from the bible and Christmas poetry that reminds me of the season.      There are some you might want to check out here and here.

We all have ways that help us to remember what is important about the Christmas season.  

So tell me then, what’s important to you?   How do you focus on that importance?  How do you remember the reason for Christmas?

Faith’s Submissiveness

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As I have been going through the book of John, a recurring theme is Jesus saying he does the will of the one who sent him.   He doesn’t talk or do anything outside of the will of God the Father.  He trusts God completely. You might argue that he is indeed God, so why shouldn’t he trust God the Father completely, but the fact remains is Jesus was human. 

He is God the SON not God the Father, and it was hard for him sometimes.  He agonized over his upcoming death, he struggled with the disciples, and he suffered in his temptation in the desert.  It’s not sinful to do so.  Yet he always stayed true to what God wanted of him.  Not in a proud “I am God way” but in a faithful, I am his son way. He taught and lived out what God would have him teach and live out.

Faith's Submissiveness, a matter of relationship

Then tonight I was browsing facebook and there was a fellow on there talking about how we often believe lies about ourselves. Lies that we tell ourselves.  If we would actually just stop and treat ourselves like we are someone we love, we would be happier people. 

I got to thinking about that.  Then he mentioned that he wears a bracelet that says WWJD… I stopped the video the lad and I were watching and we talked for a bit.  I said “Imagine what it would be like if we all just knew ourselves the way Jesus knew himself and his mission.   He knew himself so well that it helped him give grace to others, it allowed him to stay true to himself when he was angry, it allowed him to be sad over what was to come and yet reach out to those important to him.   Imagine what the world would be like if we truly lived like Jesus.”

Thoughts Prepared

I have all this in my thoughts as I opened this chapter in the Faith Shaped Life, and read about Faith’s Submissiveness. Jesus submitted himself to the will of his heavenly Father.   It’s how he lived out his life. So what would happen if we, knowing ourselves, which if we follow Jesus’ example means knowing God to the fullest extent possible, what would that do to your trust in God?  If you trusted him full well would it matter what happened to you in your life?

If you were Samuel Rutherford, who lost two of his children, trusting God you would write something like this “I was in your condition; I had but two children, and both are dead…The good husbandman may pluck His roses, and gather in His lilies at mid-summer, and for aught I dare say, in the beginning…“. (p.106, Faith Shaped Life, Ian Hamilton).   Do you see the trust Mr. Rutherford had, calling God the good husbandman?  It’s a horrible thing to lose a child, much less lose two!   And here he is, trusting God even in this terribly hard time. His heart breaks and yet, he submits himself humbly to God.  

Do you see it?

There’s relationship there, do you see it?

That’s what does it you know.  That having relationship.   If you don’t have a good relationship, you can’t humbly submit. Submission can happen but is it humble?

Being humble in your submission shows your trust and belief in the one you are submitting to. Jesus going about his daily business of showing God the Father to the world around him.  It’s Jesus not complaining when people treated him poorly.   Jesus calling out to God “not my will, but yours be done”.    It’s Jesus showing us the way all the time.   

Jesus Brings us Along

And through Jesus we are brought into relationship with God. The humbleness we have in our submission is a reflection of our of faith and trust in God the Father shown us in the Son. The Son’s obedience in all things to his Father, shows us that God didn’t even spare his own son when it came to us.  That is the depth of concern that God has for us. 

That’s worth something isn’t it?  It’s worth us getting to know him all the more and having a relationship with him. That relationship, oh…that relationship helps us to put all things into perspective. I find him helping me to catch my breath once in a while and grabbing for a different perspective on life.  The more I learn of him, the more surprised and hopeful I become.  It amazes me all the time.  And how all these different pieces fit together…. like it is totally all God’s planning.  He builds my faith in him and the more that happens, the more I willingly accept all that he gives me. It’s weird in many ways, but it all comes down to this … Relationship.

 

Tenderness of Faith

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Do you remember what happened when Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus was buried?  Jesus, who had delayed coming because the faith of his disciples was very important.   You remember what he did when he came to the tomb.   He wept.  Jesus wasn’t stoic or unfeeling.  He didn’t immediately set about strengthening the faith of the disciples.  Jesus stood and he wept.

Tenderness of Faith, Jesus shows us how to be tender

First off:

Lazarus was a friend, and now his friend was dead.  It’s not small wonder that Jesus wept is it?  Not only was his friend dead, but his friend’s sisters were heartbroken as well.   Jesus was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.   You know what this means for us right?   It’s not a sign of lack of faith when we are heart broken, or if we are moved to tears, or if we troubled in our spirits.  Jesus went through this, why should we be surprised if we also have moments like this as well.  No one can question Jesus’ faith eh?  So if Jesus can take a moment (or three) for sadness, heart break and tears… SO CAN WE.

Next:

Not only that, do you see that part of Jesus’ sorrow was the heart break he felt at his friends’ sorrow.  Mary and Martha were sad and full of tears.  They wept.  Jesus wept.  This tells us that when we weep, Jesus weeps with us.  Oh, isn’t that a lovely thing?  That tenderness that he shows us in our vulnerable moments?   

This is our Jesus, the one who shows us the tenderness of faith.  Showing us how to care for the sad and tearful among us.  That ability to weep with those who weep.  The ability to sit with those who mourn. To talk memories and hope.  To shake together through fear and remember promises.  This example Christ gave us, we do well to emulate it yes? .

Our Heart’s Longing

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I had to think about this chapter for a while.   Pondering how to talk about the thoughts it inspired in my heart and mind.  This chapter started talking about how people always seek for happiness, but perhaps what people are doing is not really seeking for happiness but for something deeper.   Eventually we headed over to Romans 1 were we can read: 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Our Heart's Longing

The thought is this.  God put a spark of knowing him within all of us.   BUT we fight that knowing to the point that some of us suppress that truth.   We deny it, calling it something else, like “I’ll be happy when I have a family”, “I’ll be happy with the right job”, “I’ll be happy when _____________”.  Some of the ideas we come up with may seem more lofty than others, but in the end all we are doing, if we aren’t pursuing God, is denying that spark that has been put within us. 

And God… God takes us seriously.  If we continually pawn him off, exchanging him for other things, he’ll let us do that.  Which results in people searching and searching, wanting to fill that emptiness within.   All the emptiness, and God gives them over to their empty searches. 

What do we do with that as believers?

That’s the question isn’t it?  If as believers we know that God has made it possible for us to know him, that everyone can recognize him for who he is by looking at creation, and looking deep within themselves, what does it mean for us?   

It means truly that if we seek for him we will find him.  There’s no doubt about it is there?  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

If we are believers, there is no excuse for us not to know the Lord God.  To be able to find him and learn of him and everything because we have not only the creation to reveal God to us, but we have his written word!  Actual information, actual words from his Son to help us understand what we see around us.   It’s HUGE if you stop and think about it. 

I urge you (and when I say you I also mean me)… follow your heart’s longing.  Follow it.  Feed the spark that is within.  Be amazed at God in the creation around us. 

Remembering his-story

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All this week I’ve been cleaning and tidying what I call the book room.  It’s where the predominance of our books are kept, it is now also my husbands office.  It’s taken a lot of work to get it to be serviceable but it’s pretty good right now.  🙂  Anyways, that’s not the point of this post eh?   As I was cleaning and rearranging books I kept running into biographies of people.  I was reminded of my lad’s current reading project.  He’s reading through the stories of peope who have gone on before. Folks of faith like Amy Carmichael, Gladys (oh her last name is escaping me), and William Carey.   He is enjoying these books so I was glad to find a few more he’ll be able to dig into.   (as long as I remember where I put them!). 

statue, antique. Text: remembering his-story

Today’s devotional from the Faith-Shaped Life has Mr. Hamilton reminding us of God’s call upon us to remember our history.  To remember the things that God has done.   We need to be about remembering his-story.

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We need to remember those who have gone on before, faithful men and women who have given up their lives in order to stay true to God and his word.

Mr. Hamilton raises the question, but what do those deaths, those martyrdoms have to do with us today?   We live in a society where we aren’t going to be killed for our faith.  The question arises though… what does our faith call us to give up? When Christian bakers lose their livelihoods because they hold to the gospel, when businesses are threatened because of their faith stance, and so forth.  Do we go with the post-modern times we live in, or … do we remember those who have gone on before and stand true to the word of God?  THIS is where remembering our history and how God upholds his people matters.   It helps us also to stand firm.

This ability to stand firm is what helps turn the hearts of non-believers to the Lord. When they see our faith in action, it helps them to think through what they are doing, and just maybe, to turn to the Lord.   Weak-willed Christians won’t do that.  Faith-filled ones will.

Action Point

Take time to know your history, study the lives of missionaries, learn the stories of faith from your own family, tell and retell the stories of when you have seen God at work.  The cause of the gospel is not forwarded by the faint of heart.  It is forwarded by those who know they serve of God of action.  See that action, be aware of it throughout the passage of time, and keep spreading it forward.

Let us then “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”   I Corthinthians 15:58