Life Lessons Archives – Page 2 of 2

How Does God Respond to Me?

10.09.2019 by Tracy Stella //

Welcome to FACETS of Faith where we hope and pray you encounter God across these pages. It is our team’s desire that we hear God’s heart & themes for all who read the words He gives us. Any errors are always ours. The truth and love that come through? Those are God’s for His glory. He does good work in each of us. We pray these pages are part of that. Check back each week to see what God inspires the rest of our team to write.

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about you? You are very much on His mind. You are on His heart too. We all are. His awareness of us is broad and global, but specific and intimate as well. He cares about the whole world even as He cares about our unique place in it.

He loves us on our good days. He loves us on our bad ones. His desire is to meet us in both.

God knows we are good, but He also knows we are sinners in need of His saving grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). He’s not surprised by us, by who He’s getting. God meets us in the middle of our mess (and believe me, we all have a bit of mess inside us).

Last month I wrote about freedom. That’s the place God desires to bring us all to, but what He revealed to me is it’s not a destination. God showed me it’s who I am. It’s who He desires us all to be: freedom at the very core of who we are as a child of God.

With freedom in mind, how does God respond to us?

God responds to us with love.

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.─Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT

God demonstrated His love for us before we were ever born. Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

Jesus’ sacrifice was pleasing to God. His death led to the opportunity for our salvation. He was willing to die so that we wouldn’t have to be separated from God because of our sin.

Love sacrifices.

When we love someone, we want to spend time with them. God wants that with us for all eternity, so he demonstrated His love for us. Love wasn’t (and isn’t) just a feeling. Love is action demonstrated for us to see, to experience.

God responded to our sin with His sacrificial love. He still does.

God’s demonstration of love wasn’t only before we were born. It’s for now. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.─Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT

If I were to share all the ways in which I have experienced God’s love, there wouldn’t be time or space to capture its evidence. I see His love in so many ways. Answered prayer. A song with lyrics that speak to my soul. Favor with someone I wouldn’t otherwise possess. God’s Word ministering to me, jumping off the page and into my heart. Through people who follow hard after Jesus and love others well. Being entrusted by God to serve others. For the lessons He teaches and the places He leads. God’s love plays out before us, we just need to open our spiritual eyes to see. His love is too great for us to fully understand, but He is faithful to show us His love, to help us EXPERIENCE His love. I pray you do. It’s a pillar of faith we absolutely must grasp, because when we really believe God loves us, our lives are transformed forever.

We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

God responds to us with joy.

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. ─Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

God rejoices over us with joyful songs.

Think about that.

Imagine God rejoicing over you.

Imagine Him singing, singing because you were born.

Treasure that up in your heart, because it’s true.

Music is important. It creates a strong neural path to memories.

I can hear a song from younger years and be back in that moment. I know all the lyrics, even if I haven’t heard them in years. I see. I smell. I taste. I hear. I feel. I am there, wherever I most associate that music with. Song and memory stitched together in my brain. I’m sure that happens for you too.

Now think of God rejoicing over you in song. He knows the lyrics you need on any given day, the words to encourage, inspire, correct, and reveal His love. He’s stitching the memory on our hearts of His love for us through the power of a lyric.

When a song touches your heart, know that it is God’s tenderness reaching for you.

Awhile ago I incorporated listening to a worship song each morning during my quiet time. I can’t tell you how frequently the song is the exact one I needed to hear that very morning. Whether I’m celebrating, lamenting, pondering, or filled with gratitude, inevitably God plays the song that matches what is needed in the moment.

As He does, I think of Zephaniah 3:17 and know that it is Him singing over me.

He rejoices over us, and when the reality of that truth sinks into our soul, it changes us. There’s a song lyric coming to my mind even now…. “Who are we that He should be mindful of us?”

We are His children, the ones He joyously sings over.

God responds to us with peace.

The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace. ─Psalm 29:11 NLT

If you read the entirety of Psalm 29, you’ll notice a couple themes: honor and the power of God’s voice. God’s voice changes us. His instruction leads us on a transformation journey. As we grow in our ability to honor God, He blesses us with peace. Truly, it’s supernatural sometimes.

When I was mired down in sin, I didn’t feel peace. A good word for the emotional tumult I endured as a non-Christian is torment. Outwardly, it might not manifest, but the inner caverns of my heart lamented. The tumult might manifest for some as inner torture. For others, it might be fear or anxiety. Still others the dissatisfaction might rear its head through addictions used to mask the pain that lies within a weary soul.

But God’s powerful voice beckons like a beacon of light keeping ships safe from careening into rocky cliffs. His powerful voice guides us to safety. He helps us rest in His perfect peace as we honor Him. Obedience is one way to do that. When God directs me to change behavior, to turn away from sin, He is after peace for a woman’s weary soul. Sin encumbers. It strangles the possibilities God has for us as sons and daughters until He cuts us loose from the behaviors that hinder us from walking in the goodness and stillness of God’s peace.

As we sit in peace it can feel uncomfortable at first, foreign even. My previous rhythms used to be so accustomed to chaos I had to grow used to peace. As I began to rest in peace, I felt myself able to take a deep breath, to see God with greater clarity. And the more I see, the more I want to honor Him.

I think when one has had a particularly bumpy past, peace is recognized for the very precious gift it is.

When we walk in obedience to the LORD and honor Him, He responds to us with His bountiful peace.

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. ─Colossians 3:15 NLT

God calls us to live in peace. As a child of God, we can because His peace rules our hearts. Live in peace and be thankful you can because His promises say so. When we need help remembering, pull this scripture out and pray it. God, please help me remember that my peace comes from You. Help me to live in peace as you rule my heart. In Jesus name, amen!

God responds to us with patience.

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. ─2 Peter 3:15a NLT

It’s a really good thing that none of us is judge and jury over what mercy looks like or the timeline for another’s transformation journey. God responds to every one of us with His patience. Time and again we test Him, even those of us who truly desire to walk in His ways. We don’t always do what He wants when He wants us to, even when it’s our desire. He’s patient and persistent to save us. Salvation, yes, of course. But also as He walks along side us, helping us deal with hurts, wounds, hopes, dreams, plans & purposes.

When we’re afraid, He patiently responds.

When we’re resistant to change, He patiently responds.

When we go our own way, He waits patiently for us to return.

He’s patient in His pursuit. He’s patient in His correction. Both happen, but He is long suffering.

We can see a person’s trajectory and think, “Why do they still do that?” We want the bad behavior to stop, not tomorrow, not ten minutes from now. Today.

Not willing to wait because our society keeps teaching us to be less and less patient. Instant gratification.

Not God. God isn’t interested in instant gratification. He’s interested in the good and perfect gifts He has for us, but in His patient, loving way He gives us time and emotional space to open them.

When we don’t? He’ll keep bringing those gifts of transformation back around to us.

Remember this My sweet one? We still need to take it out of the box and look at it. Are you ready yet? It’s time. Let’s glance at it. We can take baby steps. I will be patient. But I don’t want you to miss the sweet treasure this transformation will bring to you.

That’s His patient voice encouraging us. He’s always ready to help, and He’ll help us to get there one baby step at a time if necessary.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with a tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ─Colossians 3:12 NLT

God responds to us with kindness.

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But─When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. ─Titus 3:3-5 NLT

Like a rainy day when the fog lifts, God reveals his kindness and love. When we were mired down in sinful, foolish, disobedient lives, He saw what we could be even as He washed away our sins. Because He responded to us with kindness, we could hear what He had to say. Mercy gets a sinner’s attention. Kindness creates a spiritual curiosity. Anyone can harshly judge. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. But not God.

Don’t get me wrong, He’s not a pushover and He’s not condoning our sin.

What I am saying is He understands each of our stories. He knows how we ended up on our own well-worn sinful paths. My sin might look different than yours, but we both have a path that we’ve taken that leads us away from God’s best plan for our lives. His desire is to kindly help us out of those sinful paths.

His kindness gifts us with a new birth and a new life. The Holy Spirit helps us walk not as fools, but as ones filled with God’s wisdom.

We don’t have all the answers. We don’t have all the power to walk in righteousness. But we know the God who reveals His kindness and love to us. In His kindness He no longer desires for us to be misled as slaves to the power of darkness. In Christ’s power we overcome.

Think about the teacher, coach, parent, or manager who gave you healthy feedback to help you grow. Those who were kind in their delivery were probably most helpful. When a voice is harsh and critical, it’s hard to change. I think because we know we can’t please that voice. Truth be told, if it’s harsh & critical, it’s not of God. Harsh & critical words have their root in the enemy as their source. Kind words of love and correction, those are God’s. You can please His voice. You already do.

God responds to us with goodness.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. ─Psalm 23:6 NLT

God responds to us with His goodness, even when we don’t see it. His goodness is there guiding us beside still waters. His goodness renews our strength. His goodness guides us along right paths. His goodness gives us rest. His goodness causes us to walk in courage and hope, protection and comfort, honor and anointing. (See Psalm 23)

We couldn’t be good enough to deserve all of God’s goodness.

Sometimes, life’s challenges don’t feel good, I’ll admit. However, even in the midst of difficult days, God’s goodness is real, relevant, and in pursuit of us.

It can take every measure of restraint I have not to react to someone else’s sin. In my own power, I can’t. My sin would kick in and I’d likely give a piece of my mind. I’m human.

But God’s goodness also says, “I’m His.”

And because that’s true, I can abide in His goodness and He can help me embody it to others. Imperfectly, certainly. But better than I would have if His goodness stopped pursuing me.

God’s goodness pursues us all the days of our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I believe this world needs a lot more goodness in it. Wouldn’t it be great if we all could be a part of that? Good news is …. we can! As our hearts long for goodness, I’m reminded we won’t get the fullness of that until we are in heaven where sin is locked out and barred for all eternity.

Until then, we can leave wafts of God’s goodness wherever we go as we walk in His.

God responds to us with gentleness.

Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. ─Deuteronomy 32:2 NLT

When we need to learn His ways, God teaches us in His gentleness.

Have you ever been caught in a heavy downpour? The rain pummels hard against your skin like needles. The skies open and water pours out like a bursting dam.

Water is powerful. It can remove everything in its wake. Sometimes it does.

God doesn’t want to catch us in a tidal wave of teaching that causes us to become overwhelmed, where nothing sinks in.

Contrast a bursting dam with water from a watering can meant to help our plants flourish and thrive. That is the stream that God wants us to stand within, His trickles of blessing.

He is tender with us, like gentle showers on young plants. He teaches us one drop at a time when necessary. He knows He’s helping our roots to grow deep.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. ─Psalm 1:3 NLT

God responds to us with faithfulness.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” ─Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT

When we can’t or don’t see what God has for us in a moment, in a day, in years, He responds to us with His faithfulness. His mercy pursues us afresh each morning. That’s so reassuring to those of us who sometimes blow it. There’s a new day for us to respond to God’s faithfulness with our own. Out of His faithfulness, He births ours. It’s a beautiful thing.

When we grasp how truly faithful God is, we obey faster. Our response time shortens; our bold steps extend. Why? Because we can trust in a Faithful Father whose love NEVER ENDS. He’s not going to let us down.

He is merciful; His mercies never cease. In the words of Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond!”

Because He is faithful, He grows our ability to see Him more and more through eyes of faith. When we lean in a little, He pulls us close.

I think back to my early walk with the LORD when the word was alive, popping off the page, where it seemed like the verses were there just for me….to speak to my heart, resuscitating it, me, back to life. They were there faithfully waiting for me, for when the Lord knew I’d be ready. To come alive.

I think back to yesterday when the word was alive, popping off the page, breathing fresh strength into my spiritual bones.

God is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow.

What is faithfulness? I define it as when you know you can count on someone.

We can count on God. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).

He is faithful and that should define the footsteps we take. Grasp hold of His hand. He knows where He desires to lead you. Let Him.

For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.─John 1:17 NLT

The law has its purpose: to show us our need for Jesus. But it’s God’s unfailing love and faithfulness through Christ Jesus that changes the course of lives – yours and mine.

God responds to us with self-control.

God responded to the people who nailed Him to the cross with great self-control. Our sin is part of that equation. We aren’t innocent, but neither are we condemned because Christ died for the forgiveness of our sin. His death and resurrection sealed our fate. When we say “yes” to Him, we are His for all eternity. His self-control saved us. His self-control saved the world.

In the words of the commentator,

(Christ’s death on the cross) is a sublime example of patience. It rebukes our softness and intolerance of pain. How easily we are made to cry out; how peevish and ill-tempered we become under slight annoyances! A headache, a toothache, a cold, or some other slight affair, is supposed to be a sufficient justification for losing all self-control and making a whole household uncomfortable. Suffering does not always sanctify. It sours some tempers and makes them selfish and exacting. This is the besetting sin of invalids – to become absorbed in their own miseries and to make all about them the slaves….But there is another lesson besides patience in this word of Christ. He only uttered one word of physical pain; but He did utter one. His self-control was not proud or sullen. … Jesus was surrounded by those who had wantonly wronged Him; not only had they inflicted pain, but they had laughed and mocked at His sufferings. …Shamefully as He had been treated by those to whom He had to appeal, He believed that there might still be some remains of goodness at the bottom of their hearts. All His life He had been wont to discover more good in the worst than others believed to exist, and to the last He remained true to His own faith. The maxim of the world is to take all men for rogues till the reverse has been proved. Especially when people have enemies, they believe the own very worst of them and paint their characters without a single streak of any colour but black. To those from whom we differ in opinion we attribute the basest motives and refuse to hear any good of them. But this is not the way of Christ: He believed there were some drops of the milk of human kindness even in the hard-hearted Roman soldiers; and He was not disappointed.1

Let that sink in for a moment. We all need to absorb those words. But this is not the way of Christ. He sees the drops of milk of human kindness in the hard-hearted you and me, and yet He’s not disappointed.

He exhibits great self-control. If not, He would have judged the world already. Instead, His mercy waits. He waits for each one of us.

And then there is us, often impatient wondering, “When God when?”

Under pressure and persecution we ask, “Why God why?

God’s desire is to teach us through the trials of our lives. He may not always be the Author of the setbacks and situations we’d rather not have to endure. Satan does come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), but God will always use the trials of this life to shape us to look more like Christ.

God will take what was meant for our harm and work it for our good (Romans 8:28).

I’ve had to stand in the face of false accusations and harsh criticisms. It’s not easy. But sometimes that’s exactly what God asks of us. That’s hard, but the sometimes harder thing is to not view that person as an enemy. They’re not. Satan is our enemy. God wants us to see each person, all of humanity, through His eyes of love.

Sometimes I’ve done this well. Other times I’ve flopped. That’s one of the reasons why the good news is so good. His mercies are fresh and new each day to help us try again.

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ─1 Peter 4:13 NLT

Does that sound hard to you? I know! Right? But here’s the thing: God doesn’t leave us on our own. In His response to us, He shows us how to embody the characteristics of God. Not only does He show us how, His Holy Spirit helps us produce these traits.

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! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ─Galatians 5:22-24 NLT

For those of us who belong to Christ, envision the cross. Imagine Christ’s self-control. Let the Holy Spirit help us produce the good fruit God has placed within each of us. When we choose to act with self-control, we can respond to others as Christ responds to us: with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.

Let our response to others grow to look more like Christ’s each day.

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

1The Fifth Word from the Cross, biblehub.com/library/stalker/the_trial_and_death_of_jesus_christ/chapter_xviii_the_fifth_word.htm#1.

Life Lessons: The Presence of God in Turmoil

09.25.2018 by Terry Bliler //

Friends, I (Jennifer) have the privilege of introducing you to one of our precious friends, Terry. Our team is honored she accepted our invitation to share with you. Take time to lean in and mine the life lessons woven into her story. They are bedrock faith truths we all need—now or in the future—as we face the most difficult trials. I just want to get out of the way and let you meet her. Terry has so much to share. Honestly, life is hard, and some of us hope to move through it with God’s strength.

“Peace is not the absence of turmoil, it’s the Presence of God” – unknown

One night while I was praying, I had the sense that the Holy Spirit was telling me to specifically pray that my husband, Scott, and I would praise Him until our last breath. I was taken aback for a moment because I knew that was a loaded prayer. But I also know faith is an act of the will, so I obediently prayed even though it was scary. And I prayed it the next night, and the next…

I never mentioned it to Scott because, honestly, it didn’t occur to me during the day. It was at night, when all was quiet, that I’d hear Him whispering to me to pray that we would praise Him until our last breath. Oh, how I would need His strength to face the upcoming chapters of our lives.

In 2 ½ years I lost my daughter (June 2015: died in her sleep), husband (February 2017: cancer), and mother (January 2018: an extremely rare case of Cystic Fibrosis). Praying, “Lord, let us praise You until our last breath” is a “dangerous” prayer…

Jessica: February 28, 1987 – June 18, 2015
Jessica (our only child) died in her sleep at 28 years old of complications from her auto-immune illnesses. Her passing took us by total surprise. We did not realize the impact her illnesses had taken on her heart.

Jess contracted a severe case of mono when she was 16. The mono wiped out her immune system and was the trigger for several autoimmune illnesses (Raynaud’s Phenomenon, Sjorgren’s Syndrome), plus Narcolepsy, high blood pressure, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We pursued medical, holistic, and chiropractic treatments for 12 years with only minor improvements. She was only able to leave the house for short periods of time because of exhaustion and unrelenting pain.

Besides the Lord, her greatest joy was when she was with her nieces and nephews. (Technically they’re second cousins, but it would have been dangerous to your health if you pointed that out. Seriously.) She also loved playing sports, and it grieved her that she could no longer participate. Jessica was bitter that she “didn’t have a life.” She was homebound most of the time. And when she did have plans, she usually had to cancel at the last minute. She was very lonely, although we were very close. I also have multiple autoimmune illness and was often home as well. We did everything together, including seeing the same doctors. Our rheumatologist called us “The Twins.” We had the same odd sense of humor and made each other laugh hysterically.

At 2:30am on the morning of June 18, 2015, Jess woke me because of a severe headache (she had chronic migraines) and terrible nausea. She complained she was cold and asked for the down comforter. Jess and I were rarely cold, even in Chicago winters, so this was odd. I found the comforter and gave her nausea and pain meds.

I prayed over her for healing that night while she slept. And she was healed, but not how I had expected.

Later that morning (11:45am) I went to wake Jess. It was obvious she had passed away. No words can describe the feeling of seeing your child in rigor and being cold to the touch. I called 911 and explained the situation. I was as calm as you can be in the situation. The operator insisted I might be mistaken about her being dead, though I reiterated she was deathly pale and in rigor. He repeated that I should immediately get her on the floor and begin CPR. Suddenly, I thought he might be right! Maybe I was wrong! Then I lost it, as they say. I straddled her and began CPR, which was difficult because she was on her side. I began shaking her and screaming her name.

The police, ambulance, and coroner arrived. I was immediately escorted out of her room by the police. The coroner went in her room and closed the door.

My husband was teaching summer school, and the switchboard shut down at noon. I called his cell phone over and over, but he didn’t pick up his silenced phone. He called back ten minutes later, but the officer would not let me speak to him. He told Scott that he needed to get home right away. (Scott said later that driving home from school every day after was traumatic. He didn’t know which one of us was in trouble, and he relived the feelings every day coming home from school.)

Image: Jess a week before she died. — *Picture taken at the rheumatologist’s office a week before Jess died.*

“Until Jesus is enough, nothing or no one will ever be enough…”

I wrote this on a post-it note on Jessica’s door…then I was called to live it.

The next few weeks are a blur, but we had a sense of peace that was—and still is—hard to understand. I am not saying it was easy. When someone asked how I was doing, I quoted Psalm 119:92, “If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my sorrow.” And that is the truth.

We didn’t have a service right away. Our family, friends, church family, lavished us with love and did everything possible to make the situation a little less painful. We held a Celebration of Life a few weeks after Jess passed. It was a joyous and beautiful service. ONLY GOD can give you the strength and peace to praise Him when what’s most precious to you is taken.

IMAGE: Shelter of His Wings, Birds — *In the shelter of His wings, we found rest.*

“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.”

Scott: April 18,1959 – February 7, 2017
Nine months after Jessica’s passing, we learned Scott had Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma. What a dermatologist diagnosed as a “pimple” turned out to be a cancerous tumor that had spread to his lungs.

The cancer was aggressive and continued to spread despite treatment. Each doctor’s appointment brought news of what organs the cancer had spread to next. Despite the chemo treatments, Scott continued to push himself to work. He didn’t want to let his students down and didn’t want them to know he was fighting cancer, lest they worry and not focus on their work. Scott soldiered on, not complaining nor wanting special treatment. He trusted the Lord, no matter the outcome.

I, however, was very overwhelmed. Whenever I would express my fear of losing him, Scott would remind me that, “God is good.” And it really grated my nerves. I agreed that God is good, but cancer is not. Scott never wavered that his precious Lord and Savior was good…all the time.

My beloved husband of almost 32 years died 11 months after the diagnosis. He praised the Lord until his final breath.

Once again, our friends, family, and church family rallied around me. Scott’s Celebration of Life was a true celebration of his life and love for the Lord, family, friends, and students.

And, once again, I have total peace but my heart is forever broken.

And, once again, I can say that the only way to survive the losses is with the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Mom: March 10,1939 – January 28, 2018
My mother, Laverne May, was a cross between Dolly Parton and Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies. Quite a character. She was truly one of the most generous people I have ever met. I don’t think she ever met a critter, save snakes, that she didn’t love. Mom was not without her flaws—as all of us are not—but she was wise. My little brother died in 1977 at the age of 11 years old, of Cystic Fibrosis. It was because of John’s illness that my parents came to know the Lord.

When Jessica passed, my mom gently reminded me that Jess “was never yours to begin with.” Had anyone else said that to me, it would not have been pretty. But having buried a child and two grandchildren, she had earned the right to speak that truth to me.

My mother had been healthy until the last ten years of her life. She contracted pneumonia over and over and this once-entertaining and spirited woman became increasingly somber. We thought the doctor had lost his mind when he suggested Mom had CF. Cystic Fibrosis is a cruel disease and takes away life early. She didn’t fit the typical description, but DNA tests confirmed she had a very rare case. The doctors theorized that the disease lay dormant until the stress of a number of significant losses (her brother, father, husband, grandson in six years) set the illness in motion.

We were blessed her suffering was not prolonged. She went to bed in early December and couldn’t get back up. She passed less than two months later. The world is a little less kind with her passing. I miss her greatly.

What shall I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me? Psalm 116:12

My brother-in-law, a very godly man, passed years ago in his forties, leaving behind a wife and three daughters. Someone expressed to my sister-in-law, Jamie, that “she didn’t deserve” to have her husband taken from her and her daughters. She replied that she didn’t “deserve” to have such a kind and godly man as a husband and father to her girls. Her statement impacted me greatly.

It’s tempting to focus on the losses and not on the blessings of having a daughter, husband, and mother that adored me, and I them. It’s a rare gift, indeed. And, like Jamie, I can never repay the Lord for His goodness to me.

My prayer continues to be that “I would praise Him until my final breath.”

Life Lessons: The Truth is…

09.11.2018 by Jennifer Howe //

This month FACETS is thinking about life lessons—the sharp chisels, gritty sandpaper, and beautiful gems in our lives. Life lessons speak to where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going in life. I (Jennifer) am thankful for truth-filled lessons, but I rarely find them “easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.”

I’m a wife and mom, and I probably wear ten other “hats” interchangeably. Sometimes I imagine the hats are real accessories. The “wifey” one is shimmering white with a 21-diamond-studded, tungsten carbide band. My blue mommy hat dangles mini mementos from a wide brim: diapers, pacifiers, bottles, homemade baby food, Tonka trucks, Matchbox cars, Legos, dirt clumps, critters, frisbees, footballs, sweaty clothes, smelly shoes, an empty refrigerator, happy tears, sad tears, and a few fear tears. My teacher hat is decorated with green, orange, purple, and red pens; lesson plans; books, books, and more books. Antique typewriter keys spell out AUTHOR & EDITOR on the writer hat’s band. A pink friend hat is covered in rhinestones, dark chocolates, mugs, coffee beans, and tea bags (D’uh!). The athlete hat sports softballs, belts from several martial arts, fried eggs, smoothies, dumbbells, and running shoes. Graphite images wrap around the bright-white paper artist hat.

The question is, are my hats the reality and totality of Jennifer? Are yours the sum of you? Is it who we’ve been, are, and ever will be? When I answer those questions, I lean into truth lessons I’ve learned.

Truth: I am not what I do.
The life lessons I’ve encountered speak to something crucial: I am not what I do. See, when a hat defines me, I’m probably wearing it, loud and proud, on the treadmill of life. At least, that’s my experience. When I’m defined by what I do, what happens when marriage is hard, children grow up, jobs change, friends relocate, or the brain writes “athletic checks” the body can’t cash? Some hats can inform me of important details in my life. The hats can’t define me or you because we’ll be crushed under the weight of performance, good or bad, and permanence or absence. Lesson (being) learned.

Truth: Truth is hard.
If I listed identity words connected with my life, it’d be a mixed bag. There would be a childhood description, a young adult one, and something after that (technically, until yesterday). Good, bad, and ugly would swirl in the mix. Words reflect I’m a survivor…saved…but also selfish…and I battle anger, shame, and sadness over many things. That’s where I’ve been, honestly, even up to a second ago in some of it. I’ve seen the good, bad, and ugly in a hard but honest way: I’m oh-so-flawed!

Truth is hard, but one big truth can’t be ignored. As true as the description up there may be, reflecting my flaws and struggles, there is something truer (if that’s a “thing”).

Truth: Nobody’s perfect.
We hear that all the time, and it’s true, but the truth is imperfection causes problems deeper than just “not quite getting it right” and follow-up apologies. The cycle of wounding God, ourselves, and others has to be broken, and it will never be a behavior mod kind of thing. I was desperate to deal with the rotten “stuff” of life—mine and others’ dished my direction—and the road I took led me to biblical truth: this world (everyone and everything in it) is pretty messed up.

Truth: Jesus is the answer to imperfection.
When I think about who I am today, I’m thankful to rest in the truer truth: I’m a daughter of a king. Actually, the King. And that was brought about by a lesson: Father-God is real, He speaks true and loving words, and He demonstrated love in Jesus.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18 CSB

That’s one of all the places in the Bible where we meet truth head-on. The reality is, truth has to be met; it can’t be ignored. Our imperfection (sin) flies in the face of Holy God and must be addressed. (If you’re unsure about God, the Bible, Jesus, and truth; maybe it’s time to have a conversation with a trusted Christian friend or pastor. I wrestled hard—and contentiously—with exactly those things. I encourage you because I care.)

Truth: God is real, and He loves me.
And that life lesson in truth up there—that God is real and holy, loves deeply, and has provided a way to be free from overwhelming power of sin and death—that’s what informs my identity and my future.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 CSB

Then I learn how valuable I am and have no doubt where I’m going simply because…well, Jesus. I once had images of clouds and harps juxtaposed with fire and pitchforks. The Bible gives detailed descriptions, and I don’t see our culture’s caricature of the afterlife in there. What I love is that this intricately created universe truthfully reveals the fingerprints of the Designer who made it. And when He comments on truth and the only way to His eternal life, we should listen.

Truth: There is a reality I can’t see, but I will…
Somewhere between all ready and not yet. Where I’m going is all about a reality I can’t see—yet!

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Hebrews 11:1 ESV

[F]or we walk by faith, not by sight 2 Corinthians 5:7

Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life, to which you were called and have made a good confession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12

I once had a false impression of where I was going; now it’s clearer. While I won’t have a perfect image until I see it with my own eyes, I can walk more confidently in truth now about the future. (I’m learning to walk that out every day.) I don’t really wonder where I’m going. I do wonder what it will be like to see and embrace the perfect presence of God with a newly-created mind and body. (Can I be a little taller, please? *giggle*) And my spirit longs for that in some way every day! You, too?

When you think about your future, what feelings do you have? What about the future do you long for most? Comment below or at the FACETS Facebook page. I’d love to hear from you.

If you haven’t, take a peek at Tracy’s thoughts from last week, too!