Facets of Faith

Conversations about life, faith, and friendship.

Where is the Room to Play?

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Welcome to June and a fresh topic.  Join us as we look at the power of play. It’s a gift given to us by God, so we can continue to fight the good fight. Play.  Then pick up your sword and fight, sweet friend.

Sometimes, life hands us a whole lot of serious. Stress, trials, & troubles can bog us down.  Life dispenses circumstances that cause room for concern. But I am learning to hand those things over to God.  He wants us to do what we can and give the rest to Him. Pray. Trust. Be Still. And Play.

For me it’s hard to get to that place of play if I have let fear, worry, or too much of the evening news into my life.  I want to be informed, but not formed by what the world is slinging like breakfast at a greasy diner. It doesn’t always sit well in my stomach. I want the Lord and His wisdom to inform my choices. I want the Lord to provide peace when times are turbulent.

It’s a little ironic the word God gave me in January was JOY.  The year of 2020 vision, He knew what my future held.  He knew I’d need to remain centered on His joy well before I knew how much I’d need it.  During all the trials and trauma of 2020 quarantines, isolation, too much of some people, not enough of others, it has been the JOY of the Lord that truly has been my strength.

For a brief moment early on, I wrestled with darkness and depression.  It scared me.  I’ve walked through that dreary tunnel before. It feels cold and damp and alone. I hadn’t felt that feeling in a long time. In the isolation and unknown of what impact Covid-19 would have on life, I felt vulnerable. I felt the weight. I felt the worry (and I wouldn’t consider myself a worrier).

But the beautiful thing about walking with God is He helps us recognize warning signs. In the stillness, we hear His voice whisper.

“This is the way. Walk in it.”

“Come to Me, My weary one and I will give you rest.”

“Be still and know that I am God. I’ve got this. I’ve got you!”

“Trust in Me. Trust in My goodness.”

“I AM your provider.  (Of all things I might add!)”

JOY in spite of circumstances is a barometer of our faith.

When we choose joy, we show others and ourselves we believe what we say. We believe God is good. We believe God is sovereign. We believe God is who He says He is and that He will work everything (even quarantine) to the good of those who love Him.

When we choose faith over fear, play is possible.

Why is that important?  There are several reasons play is important. We’ll look at a few.

  1. Play is important for our emotional health

As I shared, early on I felt burdened and depressed. I didn’t like feeling out of control. I didn’t like everyone else making decisions on my behalf.  Some I agreed with. Some I did not.  If any of you have ever been controlled in an unhealthy way, you might have felt the same.

But God brought about a perspective shift.  He didn’t let me linger too long in that space, but I was there long enough to realize at any given moment if I disconnect from The Vine (God Himself) I could be back in that head space He delivered me from. It was a good reminder of my need for Him.  He is The Light that drives out the darkness. Always.

God led me to play through blessing others in small ways.  I was like a little child, and it brought me great joy. I actually don’t want to get into the specifics here, but leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak to you directly.

What brings you joy that might also bless others?  How can your hands and heart engage in something you truly love doing that will have the added benefit of bringing joy to someone else?

And when we play, even if it’s a little self-indulgent sometimes, that’s okay too.  When we do the things we enjoy? Our spirit is rejuvenated. We engage with others from a place where play has prepared our hearts and minds to love well. Laughter. Joy. Play. They all have a place in helping us be the best version of who God intends for us to be.  So play, sweet friend. Play!  Play for you. Play for your kids. Play for your spouse. Play for your friends. Play for your community.  They all need your best self. Play is good medicine for your emotional well-being.

  1. Play minimizes stress

Have you felt a little stress these days? God has an assignment. Go outside and play.  (Or stay inside but play.)  Remember recess?  That needs to come back. Give yourself a recess every day.  I don’t know what your recess will look like. Whatever it is, do something you enjoy.

We are worth taking time from our busy schedules, for those teaching kids at home, working from home, being the wearer of many hats these days.

We are worth taking advantage of down time if we aren’t as busy.  Play now so you will have strength later when you need it.

We all know worry doesn’t help. So why do we do it?

It’s a trap from the enemy. Don’t step into it. Step beyond the stress. Step into God’s best by playing with Him.

I needed an outlet that wasn’t work.  My job is considered an “essential” job, so I’ve been working. I have the type of personality that has to be careful not to work too much.  In my stress I could have chosen to strive, to keep on the clock day and night.  If I’m not careful, I can be my own personal slave driver.  But I know these things. God has equipped me. And He gives me tools to help fight that.

If I start to feel guilty for taking time to play, to rest, to just be, to just be me, it’s a dead give-away.  Set that stress aside and play. I do not have to feel bad about enjoying life. Neither do you.

I was finding it hard to play with my rhythms so thrown off.  I felt led to get a guitar and spend time learning to play it.  Whether I become the next Eric Clapton isn’t really the point.  The point is to play.  The guitar is a vehicle the Lord gave me to step away from stress and striving. The guitar was God’s invitation for me to sit with Him, to laugh at all the odd noises coming from this instrument not yet making music.

There was an unexpected added benefit to an app I downloaded to help me learn the guitar.  It had vocal instruction too.  So, of course, I fiddled around with that as well.  The instruction reminded me of the importance of breathing.  With each deep breath I took during play, stress was sloughed off me.

So take a deep breath (literally) and play.

  1. Play boosts creativity and brain power

Have you ever had those times when you are trying to solve a problem or develop a creative concept and you’re stuck?  I have found sometimes my brain needs a rest.  I have to set aside the problem.  If I don’t and keep searching, pushing for the solution, it eludes me even more.  It’s as if the more I search for the answer the further away it travels.  Like jumping into water, the ripples push what I’m trying to grasp to the other side of the pool out of reach.  I made a splash but accomplished nothing.

I’ve learned this in my writing.  I can’t force it.  It has to come. I need inspiration. I need to let it simmer. I can’t grab for it.  If I do, it escapes me. I’ve learned to jot down what I have, walk away, and let the rest simmer without thinking on it too much.

I can’t snatch ideas out of God’s hand before He is ready to give them to me.  He’s growing trust in Him. He’s allowing my brain to find healthy rhythms while providing the creative brain power needed for work, writing, ministry, for life.

After all, He is Creator God and we are made in His image.  He wants us to create. Create families. Create businesses. Create goodness and generosity. Create art. Create life. Create joy. Create. Create. Create.

To be our most creative, we need to let our hair down a little and enjoy life.  Set the work aside. It will be there. God will redeem the time.  That has helped me a lot to realize I am actually far more productive when I DO take time to play.  I could sit and rack my brain for ideas for hours, days, weeks.  Or, I could do what I know to do, go play, let the ideas percolate, and then boom: God’s inspiration comes flowing like a river.

He allows me to play and gives me the remainder when I actually need it. His timing, not mine.

God did this very thing Sunday. Sam and I went for a motorcycle ride (one of my favorite forms of play). God allowed me to see something that heightened a burden in my heart. In the quiet of our ride, God gave me something to write. He entrusted it to my care. As He downloaded various ideas over the course of the day, I text them to myself so I wouldn’t forget. I wanted to write, but I knew I needed to play in order to let it all come out the way God wanted. Play helps us look at hard things without letting them overwhelm us. Impact, yes. Overwhelm, no. God inspired me to write this piece on God’s view of color.

Have you ever went for a walk and came back with a flood of ideas?  Perhaps, you fish or boat.  Time on the water refuels your soul and you come back invigorated, on fire, and so much creativity inside it’s almost bursting.  Maybe you love animals.  They teach you how to play.  They spark laughter and joy.  Their snuggles set your soul at rest and your creativity gets recharged.

Play so that you become smarter and more creative.  Give your brain a rest, will you?

My husband used to train triathletes. They’d train super hard for Ironman events. Do you want to know one of the most important elements of a successful training program to compete in a high level event like this?  A recovery period.  There are times of intense training, coupled with rest.  If athletes don’t rest, it actually negatively impacts their performance.

Same with us.

Are you willing to give your brain a rest to have a stronger performance? That “performance” could be your role in the family, your job, your contribution to the  community, your (fill in the blank).  If you want to do well in life, will you commit to play?

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.─Mark 10:15-16 NIV

We can learn a lot from children. We can learn how to enter the kingdom of God.  We can learn to play like children.  We once played well. How do we get back to that?

“I led them with cords of human kindness,

with ties of love.

To them I was like one who lifts

a little child to the cheek,

and I bent down to feed them.

─Hosea 11:4 NIV

 

The Lord was speaking to Israel about His love for them in the passage above.

He speaks to us through it as well.  He leads us with kindness and love.  He lifts us like a little child to HIS cheek.  He bends down to feed us.

What if our food is play – pure and simple play?

Pray. Trust. Be Still. And Play.

Play unto the Lord.

If you find it hard to play, watch children.  See how they interact with their toys and with one another.  Sometimes they’re in their own little world, not a care, creating a tea party, a sleepover, a castle complete with a mote, lava water that melts (aka carpet), or some other creative immersion.  Observe and learn (except the not sharing part … we probably don’t want to copy that).

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

How Do You See 2020?

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This is the not the piece I thought I’d be writing when the Facets team selected our topic. However, God knew. He is fully aware of each of our situations, and I am reminded of this as I navigate these waters, the ones I wish I weren’t swimming in.  Through it all, I know the Lord is FAITHFUL.  That is a certainty, an anchor I can cling to.  And I do.

I was going to bypass selecting a word for the new year (a word to live by and guide me like a compass in case you are unfamiliar with the idea).  I felt like everyone was doing it now, and I’m not one who wants to do what everyone else is doing.  I also don’t want to get into a spiritual rut, and just do something because I’ve always done it a certain way.  In my opinion, that’s how faith becomes stale and flat.  God is alive and vibrant and always up to new things.

However.

However, God began stirring my heart in late December to select a word as my compass for 2020.  I’ll spare you all the details of how we landed on the word “Joy”, because those aren’t all that important to anyone other than myself.  So, my primary word for the year is “Joy”, and I believe God gave me a secondary word “Refreshment”. He gave me a picture of a book title where there’s a primary, larger title coupled with a secondary, smaller one.  I believe refreshment is a byproduct of joy, so it makes sense to me that God would couple them together.

It might look something like this:

JOY

Refreshment

 

A generous person will prosper;

   whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.─Proverbs 11:25 NIV

I really liked this verse when God pointed it out to me.  I could wrap my brain around the idea of refreshing others.  I have learned it really IS a blessing.  In God’s goodness, He shows us how wonderful we feel when we do good unto others.  There’s so much self-absorption in the world (and I’m not immune to it myself).  But when I remember the goodness of the Lord, how truly good He has been to me, and I allow myself to be a part of His plan, it’s beautiful.  Magnificent (not because of anything I get to do) …. Please don’t mistake what I’m saying.  I’m sharing because God blesses US so much when we do.  Even in the hard moments, like this one if I’m being honest, He is blessing me.  So, my hope is that God uses me to refresh you, and in the refreshing, I too am refreshed.  Because I need it. And He knows it!

Recently, I received heart breaking news someone precious to me died of a drug overdose.  The news took my breath away.  I went into a state of shock and grief threatened to overwhelm my heart at the futility of it.  I couldn’t process what had happened to this precious one in that moment.  I had to put it in a box and place it on a shelf with the help of Jesus.  Jesus, you know I can’t engage in this right now.  Please help me to keep the emotions at bay until I can safely process them with You.

God is faithful. He answered my prayer.  Thank You, Jesus!  He gave me His grace to engage in activities I had to take care of (for hours and hours).  About 6 hours after hearing the news, I was finally able to let myself consider what happened.  I pulled over in a school parking lot, not even waiting until I arrived home.  Slowly, I turned the valve of emotion on.  Like a torrent, tears flooded.  I’d come prepared.  There was a box of tissues in my passenger seat.  I knew when I finally let myself “go there” I’d need them.

The tragedy of her death broke my heart (still does).  I consider her family, her children, and all the things she dreamed of doing.  I got the privilege and honor of walking closely alongside this precious one for the better part of a year almost every day. I heard her story, the hard bits, the things she’d had to overcome. She was brave. She was special. She learned how much the Lord loves her and received healing from the One with the most tender of touch.  She overcame much. She learned to grieve, a treasured moment too sacred to share publicly, but I got to see God at work in her life.  Powerfully.  And it was beautiful.

As I consider one of my treasured memories of her, I am reminded of the importance of grieving a loss in season.  So, I give myself permission to grieve.  It’s healthy. And then I search out Joy. Because I have to do that too.  She’d want God to do good things with it, and so I will.  I’ll fight my way through it.  I am fighting my way through it.

God gave me the word “Joy” before her death, knowing I’d need to seek Joy, to search it out, and to use it to find my way back to Him and to hope.

Joy isn’t the absence of sorrow.  It’s a choice. Especially in times like these.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.─John 14:24

This was advice Jesus gave to the disciples, preparing them for the grief they’d experience at His death and all they’d endure. I believe it is for us as well.  Part of the choosing of joy can only be sourced in the name of Jesus.  When we can’t get to that place on our own, we can turn to Him.  We ask. We receive. And our joy is complete even in our grief.

Sourcing Joy on our good days is easy.  It’s in the dark days that we need Him to hold our hand and walk us into the radiant light of His presence which will always lead us closer to Him and point us to every fruit of the spirit, including joy.  It’s part of our “DNA”. It’s in us if we are believers.  We have love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, & self-control (Gal 5:22).  Through prayer, God helps us access Joy.  Sometimes, it’s supernatural.

How do I know? He’s done it for me.  He’s DOING IT for me.

So, how DO I see 2020?

My vision blurred.  My ears rang.  Head throbbed. All my senses impacted in early 2020 with the horrible news of someone precious leaving this world far too soon, someone who had so much potential, someone who struggled (as we all do in some way or another).

Yet.

Yet there is victory.  Her story isn’t over.  God is using hers to help write others’ stories too.  I know He won’t waste what happened to her.  I’ve asked Him to wring every ounce of good He possibly can from the tragedy of her death.  Somehow, some way, He will use it for good (even though her death is not good, not at all).

Maybe you are reading this and you struggle with addiction. Get help! You have so much more to do and you CAN have victory with Christ’s help.  Don’t struggle alone.  It’s a dangerous place to live.  Surround yourself with God’s love, healthy people who have traveled the same path and are standing on the other side (NA, AA, Celebrate Recovery – whatever works best for you), and find people to encourage you on your recovery journey.  Fight!  Because your life MATTERS!  People will MISS YOU if you aren’t here.  FIGHT!  You have it in you!  Don’t give up on yourself or your future.  You are too important to this world. Whatever healing you need to do, let God do it with you.  There’s a reason for addiction. No one chooses it. No one.  Whatever the hurt is beneath, don’t bury it. Look at it in 2020 and let God give you a clearer vision of what He has for you.  Bring it into the light of God’s love and let Him heal it. If you need professional help, seek it. Don’t ever be ashamed. We all need help sometimes.  All.  It’s what we’re supposed to do.  God calls us to love one another.  Helping each other …. Well, that’s part of God’s plan.  If you feel alone, know that you NEVER are.  God is closer than a breath. He won’t let you down.  His love will meet you right where you are.  He’s been in bars, strip clubs, prisons, hotel rooms, and in a house that feels lonely because you’re the only one in it.  His presence isn’t just for church.  His church is everywhere, not confined to a building.  Remember that.

So, how DO I see 2020?

How Do You See 2020? (Tracy)The fog clears and lifts. It doesn’t stay cloudy forever when we fight back with Joy.  So, I CHOOSE to see 2020 through eyes of Joy. It’s what God has called me to. He calls us all to Joy.  (And this joyful photo was taken before Christmas, before I knew I needed a smile.)

Why is Joy so important?  I believe God placed a few ideas on my heart as I navigate these waters. He wants me to know this, but I believe He wants you to know these things too.

Joy is our Comfort

God doesn’t want us mired down in our grief, whatever the loss. It could be the death of someone precious, it could be the loss of a job, the loss of a dream, etc.  There are a lot of things that feel as if they are snatched away too soon.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.─Matthew 5:5 NIV

God’s word says we are blessed as we mourn. Why? Because God comforts us in our loss.  He sees our heartbreak. He sees our brokenness, and He gives us the gift of His presence in special ways.  I always feel closest to Him when I need Him most.  I see Him more easily because I’m seeking Him more earnestly. Where are You in this, God? I need to see You.  I need to know You are near.  Show me evidence of You. I need You to minister to me.

 And He does.

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.─Psalm 126:5 NKJV (emphasis mine)

We reap a harvest of joy as we allow God to comfort us.  Joy is one of the tools He uses to effectively minister to our hearts, helping us to hold our head up and keep going.  So, when you find yourself wondering, Why are you so downcast, oh my soul? (Psalm 43:5)  Pray that God ministers to you through His ministry of joy which brings comfort beyond our comprehension.

Joy is our Peace

When we look at the fruit of the spirit, we see peace positioned directly after joy.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!─Galatians 5:22-23 NLT (emphasis mine)

I don’t believe anything is accidental in Scripture, including the proximity of joy to peace.  Perhaps peace is best possible out of the overflow of joy.  The good news is that if you look closely at the verse, God is the One producing it.  When we ask for His help, He’ll help us access it.  Some days we just won’t naturally have Joy in our hearts. It’s especially in those times we should seek His Joy so we can walk in peace.

The enemy has an all-out war waged against our peace.  He’s trying to render us ineffective.  We can fight back with Joy.  Need more assurance this “Joy thing” isn’t all on you?  Let’s see what this scripture has to say.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.─Romans 15:13 NIV (emphasis mine)

Our God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace.  Our part? Trust in Him.

Okay, God.  We don’t always understand, but we will trust You.  Please fill us with all joy and peace.  Let us walk in joy and the peace of knowing You are never caught off guard by our circumstances.  We find peace in Your presence.  It’s also where we find fullness of joy.  Forevermore.  (Psalm 16:11)

Joy is our Calling

Pray that I may be kept safe…so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will and in your company be refreshed.─Romans 15-31-32 NIV (emphasis mine)

The Apostle Paul prayed he would be kept safe so he could carry out His assignment.  Paul’s desire was to come to others WITH JOY BY GOD’S WILL.  God has assignments for each of us to complete.  In part, that is our calling.  But we are also called to do it with joy by God’s will.  How we do what God has set before us is just as important as what He sets before us.  When we spend time with others on mission, we help one another.  When one falls down, the other lifts him or her up.  That’s by God’s design.  I have been refreshed by others in my moments of weakness, even knowing they are praying for me helps beyond measure.

Let’s be that refreshment for one another.  Let’s come to one another with Joy by God’s will in what we do each day.  None of us knows what another person is going through.  God does.  When He calls us to a person, there is always purpose in it─for them, for us.  Let’s refresh one another with Joy. The world is weary. We are called to be different.

You may be wondering how we can fulfill this calling of Joy when, sometimes, it’s incredibly hard.  Keep reading. =)

Joy is our Strength

How do we do “the hard thing” and exhibit joy when, if it were left to us, that wouldn’t be our disposition based on circumstances?

Well, we don’t have to be strong enough.  We just need to know the One who is.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.─2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV (emphasis mine)

Well, we don’t have to be strong enough.  We just have to know the One who is.  And when we do, He’ll move mountains to show us we are far stronger than we think.  Neither Hercules nor the Hulk have anything on the power of the Holy Spirit who guides us into His power to do immeasurably more than we think or imagine.

Joy isn’t some silly, slap happy notion.  God wants us to fight for our Joy because it is our strength.

This day is holy to the Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.─Nehemiah 8:10b NIV (emphasis mine)

I suppose, in part, that is why God has called me to notice and document something that brings me joy each and every day this year.  Noticing things big and small that bring me joy will strengthen me for the journey He has ahead.  I’ve already noticed a sunrise, my silly dog bringing me his toys (incessantly), a smile from my sister, a scented candle burning in my office, a song that comes on at the perfect time that ministers to my heart, and that’s just what I’ve seen so far.

What we look for is what we will see.  So, I’m on a mission to see Joy.  Even when it’s hard.  Especially when it’s hard.

Joy is our Witness

Joy is at the heart of God’s plan for human beings. The reason for this is worth pondering awhile: Joy is at the heart of God himself.  We will never understand the significance of joy in human life until we understand its importance to God.  I suspect that most of us seriously underestimate God’s capacity for joy.(1)

When I read this in John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted, Spiritual Disciplines For Ordinary People, it made me pause to consider God’s capacity for joy.  Have you ever thought about it?  I really hadn’t until that moment.

People who don’t know God often are afraid of Him. They gauge Him as this dour judge handing out sentences of misery and thou shalt nots.  If only they truly knew the desires of His heart, they would weep.  There is SO MUCH GOODNESS in God we can’t fathom. The world can’t contain it. Heck, if I only look at MY LIFE and see His goodness in it and how much joy He has brought my way, its abundance wouldn’t be contained.  And that doesn’t mean I’ve lived some sheltered, perfect life. What it does mean is that He has implanted great joy in my life, even in the midst of hard things.

Some people close to me think God is angry at them (or could be).  Again, if they only knew His capacity for joy (and love, mercy, grace, and every other good thing we can think of) they’d sit under a broom tree, throw dust on their heads, and grieve all the time they’d lost with the Lord, of knowing Him and His capacity to bring them great joy.

Well, what if we are the way for them to see that?  We are, don’t you know?  When people observe us accessing the joy of the Lord in a difficult season, it says something. It says something about our Lord.  People know different when they see it.  Don’t we want to look different?

I want someone to know Jesus because they knew me and saw His power pulsating through my life.  Because Joy in times of trial is supernatural.  Only God generates that.  Our light shines brightest in the dark.

As products of God’s creation, creatures made in his image, we are to reflect God’s fierce joy in life.  (1)

Joy is our Weapon

If you ask me, there’s a reason the enemy comes so hard after our Joy.  It’s related to the above.  He is fully aware how fragrant our Joy smells to the world, to those who don’t know it.  They may know happiness, but Joy, that’s something altogether different.

The enemy doesn’t want us to be Ambassadors for Christ, so he’ll present situations that feel unbearable sometimes.  But that’s a lie. With God all things are possible. We are never alone, and we are most visibly God’s WARRIORS when we wield Joy like a weapon that slashes through the darkness.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”─John 16:33 NLT (emphasis mine)

God has already overcome the world.  It’s done.  The enemy has been defeated.  And when we remember that, it’s a much quicker journey to Joy.

He’ll try to steal it. Let’s not let him!

Instead, let’s use the Joy of the Lord as a weapon for kingdom advancement.  Let’s take back some territory from the darkness.  Let’s make the loss of precious ones like I just lost be the motivation to say, “No more.”  Let’s show the world our brilliant lights for Christ, because they NEED to know Him.  I can’t imagine trying to process this without His love, comfort and grace that points me to His joy even in the darkest moments.  Don’t we want the world to know that too?  We have been given a gift, the presence of God to meet us in our moments of need.  Let’s help others see why walking with Jesus is different, why it matters, and why they might want to consider it for themselves.

Faith is an individual journey for each of us.  We can be people pointing to reasons to pursue Christ, or we can be a reason not to.

I know God wants us to illuminate the world.  Let’s plug into His joy and make some advancements.  Let’s look a little different. For Him.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”─John 8:12 NLT (emphasis mine)

Let’s follow Him and walk out of darkness. While we do, let’s help someone else into the light as well.

Joy is our Worship

Joy is worship.  When we feel otherwise, yet still choose to exhibit joy God sees our sacrifice.  Choosing joy doesn’t mean denying what happened or our associated feelings; we must deal with those with God’s help. It is healthy to process our wounds with the Lord.  But while we are dealing with those feelings and allowing the Lord to point us to the hope, healing, & abundance of life He has for us, He asks us to do so with Joy.  In that, He sees our sacrifice.  It’s an offering precious and beautiful unto Him.

One of the most beautiful ways to exhibit joy is through a worship song.  The psalmist points us to just that point.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

            it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

            make music with the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song;

            play skillfully, and shout for joy.─Psalm 33:1-3 NIV (emphasis mine)

 

Sometimes when I’m at a loss for what to do, I sing. I surrender to the song and let God show me His sweetness.  It never fails that He plays the perfect soundtrack to HELP ME play skillfully and shout for joy.  The soundtrack He has played over the last several days has too many songs to note, but they all pointed me to Him, to healing, to hope, all while acknowledging my humanness and the grief such a loss of life can hit us with.

Sometimes we just need to sing in faith. He does the rest.  Praise Jesus!

Here’s a song God had on my playlist these last few days. I Raise A Hallelujah by Bethel Music, Jonathon & Melissa Helser.

Maybe you need to hear it too.  And don’t forget to “sing a little louder”; I’d say that counts as shouting for joy.

Joy is our Salvation

What saved me from utter despair about the tragedy of the precious one’s loss of life is this:  I know she was saved.  I went back and watched her baptism video.  Here’s a transcript.

This precious one was asked, Do you love Jesus with all your heart?

Precious one shook her head affirmatively, Yes

This precious one was asked, Do you accept Jesus as the leader of your life, your Lord?

Precious one nodded again, Yes!

This precious one was asked, Do you accept Jesus as the Savior, your Savior?

Precious one shook her head so that her ponytail bobbed up and down in agreement, Yes!

 And then it was proclaimed, We baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as she was dipped into the baptismal and was brought up a Child of God with full access to His kingdom inheritance.

 There was a great group of witnesses who broke out in jubilant celebration here on earth and in heaven that day.  And I know she was greeted at the gates of heaven by more celebration once she went on to be with the Lord just a few days ago.

As I watched her baptism video and paused it at the moment she first came up out of the water, I am reminded of what Joy looks like.  It’s written all over her face!  It’s beautiful!

It gives me great comfort to know that she is not dead; this is not good-bye. I know how much she loved Jesus. I heard her heart in that many times. God has reassured me she is snuggled safely in His arms where she has no more tears, no more sorrows. She is finally at peace.

Thank you for that gift, Lord. It gives me the greatest Joy of all to know she was saved and that she gets to spend all of eternity with You!

Until I see you again, precious one, celebrate with Joy your time with Jesus.  We’ll have a party in heaven together with all the other saints who love and miss you already!

So, how DO I see 2020?

This morning, God gifted me with a beautiful sunrise. I looked and saw glorious hues of pink and purple on the horizon.

 

 

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. ─Psalm 118:24

 

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Signature Image: Tracy Stella

1“The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People.” The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People, by John Ortberg et al., Zondervan, 2015, pp. 61–63.

What Helps you Sing in April’s Showers?

by //

Welcome to Facets of Faith!  We invite you to linger and let God’s love and leading speak to your heart. This month we talk about, What Helps you Sing in April’s Showers?  What would God have us do in the midst of a storm? Stay awhile and read what He put on my (Tracy’s) heart and check back over the coming weeks to see what Jennifer & Kim have to say on this topic.

Let’s be singers in the rain as we explore God’s heart for us.

What helps you sing in April showers? (Tracy Stella)I’m sitting in a coffee shop on a rainy day listening to a conversation I’m trying not to hear. Damp. Grey. Language as angry as the clouds outside threatening storms.

Have you ever been there?

You intend to do your thing, but as you sit, minding your own business, the words, vocabulary, circumstances connect to your story. No longer just white noise to create atmosphere, you can’t help but tune in. The words too close to your story. Maybe one you wouldn’t write, but we don’t always get to choose the words written and the way our life will go.

Some things we have control of.  Others we do not. Mostly we do not.

The conversation consists of things you are curious to learn more about. You silently listen, absorb, and process from a safe distance.  They are not close to you, even as you are connected as human beings. But they are not your people, so you can listen from life’s sidelines. Listen and learn. (And weep a little inside.)

Your heart breaks for them and their struggle even as it breaks for yourself and those you love, who are in the midst of a similar storm of struggle and emotion.

This person’s story connects to mine. Indirectly. But still. I hear when I want to write. I guess that’s God’s plan.  To write about this. I’ve never visited this coffee shop. Felt led to come this way, rather than that, so I know God’s intention was for me to hear it. Even when sometimes I just want to stop up my ears, to not hear.

When it hurts, and we know it, don’t we all want to turn the channel and listen to something else? A little more up tempo please. Change the channel from the angry metal or the melancholy blues. Something more like, Don’t Worry Be Happy.  (Sorry if you whistle the tune for the rest of the day.)

I can’t unhear. I can’t disconnect. I can process my emotions. I can seek to understand. I can always love. Always. Because that’s what Jesus would do, and I want to be like Him, to love as He does.

The hardest times for me to love others well is when loving them seats itself right next to my own woundedness. A nerve touched, still at the surface. Maybe it should be gone. But it’s not.  Some things take time. In my opinion too much, but God says, “Take the time you need.” Because He is good like that. So good to give us the time we need.

Some things fade but may never disappear. Fully.

Do you have those things too? Those subterranean wounds you’d rather leave well enough alone. You’ve dealt with them, mostly.

Honestly, I’m not sure my inner struggle will ever disappear. It’s there. Like Paul’s thorn that wounds, but also serves as a reminder he needs God’s grace and strength to see him through.  I need those too. Strength and grace. Because sometimes when you bump into the thorn it penetrates. It reminds you the wound is still there, in need of God’s strength and grace. His mercy. His love. Desperate for it. We all are, whether we know it or not.

Avoiding pain is something we all do at times. Me? Sometimes, it’s my defense. I am not deaf to pain or fear or the noise our broken nature makes inside each of us. It makes a ruckus sometimes, reminding us we are alive, reminding us we need Jesus. Every day.

I just don’t always want to stare it down. I can’t even always bring myself to pray about and through it. Sometimes, I grow weary in the rainy season.  It can get muddy and messy (and ruin all my favorite shoes)!  I need to remember to grab my galoshes and splash through life’s seasons.

What helps me sing in April’s showers?

What, indeed?

What helps me sing in April’s showers?

Sometimes, I need to remind myself.  Life can be hard sometimes. There can be seasons that feel harsh and dry, like a desert. Parched. Cracked. Almost dead. I’ve experienced those where it felt like I was on the brink and God brought me back. To Him. To Life. To the possibility of love and hope and joy.

Jubilant!  The stuff that cause you to sing in the rain. Splash in the puddles. Have joy in spite of circumstances.

Christ’s death on the cross helps us to do just that.

I really think we have a choice. We get to make a conscious choice to sing even during April’s showers.

One effective strategy to help us sing in April’s showers is to choose joy.

When thunderous clouds threaten to overtake our world, we can let them.  Or we can choose otherwise.  We can choose to lament, or we can choose joy.  We can break open fresh gifts of grace that give us access to God’s joy.

Joy is a weapon that helps me sing.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la….

Joy sitting in the midst of a storm? We all can do it, in Christ’s power.  In our own strength joy is sometimes downright impossible. Let’s face it. Life can be overwhelming.

We can choose to sit in the overwhelm or we can choose joy.

Joy is the best choice. It’s the choice that lets us live life instead of succumbing to what the enemy would want for us─languishing.  The enemy would rather we lay like the person in need of healing for 38 years, when all we need to do is crawl to the healing pond of Christ’s love and joy.

Choosing joy takes energy. We have to move toward it.

You want to know what’s pretty amazing?

Even if we only have enough energy to lean a little toward it, God’s grace pulls us closer into His joy. Just lean, sweet ones. Lean in.

Another effective strategy to help us sing in April’s showers is to choose prayer in the middle of an anxious, angry storm.

It’s not about Don’t Worry Be Happy, it’s about be anxious about nothing and through prayer and petition let God’s peace consume us. God’s peace as a guard for our hearts and minds.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.─Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

Let your requests be made known to God.

Even as I sit here (still listening) I seek God. I could let the circumstances of this scene overwhelm me with anxiety or I can pray. I can pray some more. And pray some more.

Any “normal” person would feel anxiety at an overwhelming circumstance that hits a little too close to home.  I wonder, “Why am I here? What does God have for me in this? What does God have for the ones He has me in the midst of hearing right now?”

This isn’t just about me. It never is just about us.  We’re included, for sure.  But especially if we are His children, this is always about others as well.   The light within us He wants to reach out to others, even if it makes us a little anxious.

I felt the anxiety as I got up to go to the bathroom.  Quietly, in my head, “God, how do You want me to respond in this?”

In effect, what do you want me to do with this? There IS a reason I am here. Right now. Listening. Lamenting. Choosing joy. Trying to focus on the written word as I hash this out.

I can feel my adrenaline kick in. What to do? What to do?

Choosing love. But what does that look like in this situation?

I have NO IDEA!

Guess what? I pray some more to let my adrenaline slow so I can hear God. Anxiety clouds our thinking more than just about anything else. And we definitely need clear heads to make wise decisions, especially in an emotional storm.

Another effective strategy to help us sing in April’s showers is to choose courage in the middle of a tsunami.

I reflect on Pastor Scott’s sermon about adventure as a believer and whom Jesus dined with. He didn’t sit with all the prim and proper. He sat with those who needed Him most and were most receptive to Him and His love, because the depths of their need for Him was great.

Let’s face it. None of us is really all that prim and proper. We are works in progress each and every one of us.  We all need His love. None of us has it fully together. Aren’t we all just figuring it out as we go?

I know I am!

So I mustered up the courage to approach their table, the wounded broken ones who were courageous enough to speak of these things aloud.  (Tears now, because once you push through the anxiety and pray, relief floods.)

I walked up to these two who need Jesus’ love just like I do. I briefly shared how I connect with their story, handed my business card (the only thing I had handy), with handwritten scribbles “The Chapel, Grayslake”. An invitation to come and see.

Someone gave me that once, an invitation. And look at how my life has changed for the good. So grateful! So blessed! Even as my life isn’t perfect, I recognize it as good.

Sometimes we have to face down our own personal fear and anxiety so someone else can know God’s goodness. Today, I’m feeling brave.   And my prayer is that someone else will grow to know God’s goodness because God drew me here.

As Pastor Scott reminded us in his sermon, we ARE God’s plan. I’m grateful for his reminder. It gave me the gumption to step into my own personal scary place, to push past my personal fear, and to invite them into God’s peace and love.

And now I can exhale.

THEY are why I came here. He sent me. He had me search my reservoir of emotions. He knew I would be sensitive to their story because it bumped up against mine.  It was hard, a spiritual hurdle, because their brokenness brushes up against mine.

The enemy would want shame and fear, but Christ’s plan for us is courage and life. Every ounce of good we give to the world helps evil shrink. Darkness recedes because it cannot coexist with light and love.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.─Philippians 1:20-21 NIV

I eagerly expect. Isn’t that great?

We can eagerly expect Christ to show up with courage and bring life to us and others.  I was dying a bit inside with the angst of this situation, of what I was hearing. Of what their story was stirring up in mine. But God. But God gave me an eager expectation and hope that He has a plan. For me. For those precious two He sent me to hear, for them to feel seen and heard (literally), and receive an invitation and hug from God through my arms.

This was for me too. I know that full well. Another level of freedom. No shame. Only love. And waves of grace.

Maybe not fully free, but a little freer today for having faced down fear. Courage sufficient for this day to help me sing in the rain.

Another effective strategy to help us sing in April’s showers is to remember facing our storms with strength and joy reveal God’s glory.

This life is not our own. We are God’s children left here for a reason. People see and know God, in part, when they see and know God through us, through our story, through the way we receive them, through the way we love. We are so flawed and imperfect, yet God dwells within us as believers.  He guides our steps.  He uses us to impact others.

He shows Himself real, manifesting ever-so-powerfully when we walk through a storm well. Never alone. Like Peter when He calls us out of the boat, God helps us walk on water.  We may freak out and start to sink, but all we need to do is look up and let Him lift us as He speaks to the storm and calms it.

When you find yourself holding your breath, as I often do when I feel stressed, breathe Christ in. Breathe deeply. Slowly. Let Him calm your nerves and guide your steps.

He tells us the way to go. And we are never alone in the going.

For all the gods of the nations are idols,

   but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

   strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,

   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

─1 Chronicles 16:26-28 NIV

When we do the brave thing and take courage? God’s glory is revealed.

And in that a rainbow of promise, because color emerges bright and vibrant after a grey storm recedes.

How is God speaking to you in this? What song does He wish for you to sing?

Sing to the LORD a new song;

   sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise his name;

   proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

   his marvelous deeds among the peoples.

─Psalm 96:1-3 NIV

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Signature Image: Tracy Stella