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“I Need a Do Over! Please!”

01.10.2017 by Jennifer Howe //

Last week Tracy kicked off January’s topic with her post on the do over. I have the honor of carrying the baton this week. Look for Kim’s thoughts next week and our “secret guest” wrapping it up the fourth week. I hope this series is an encouragement to you.

Do You Need a Do Over?

Kids in the neighborhood gathered in the empty lot across the street on hot summer evenings after dinner. An idea for a game slowly formed with eight or ten of us milling around. Teams were picked, and we played until the indigo evening sky chased away the red-gold sunset—or until moms started calling kids in for the night. Football, softball, frisbee, tag—any game we played—all had one thing in common. At some point someone made a mistake, and no one could agree on what to do about it, so the always-awesome “do over” was given. Another play, one more swing, another throw—alive just a little longer.

The do over. You’ve got to love it!

My whole life now is based on my desperate need for a do over at one point. (Can you relate?) If you know my story, you know difficult relationships, pain, and heartache wore on me. Irreversible choices were made. Long term consequences from snap decisions were agonizing for awhile. Eventually something like a heavy judgment gavel landed hard in delicate, emotional circumstances. The reality of my mistakes became overwhelming. And the more I talked to people, it seemed no one agreed on what to do about it. In the end I had no idea what to do, and I hoped for a reprieve. But what I desperately wanted was a do over.

I knew one thing even then: there are things that are just wrong. The average, sane person guides their behavior by the Rule of Law in the region they live. The law of the United States where I live maintains a few threads of an immutable law. Some of us know the Ten Commandments from the book of Exodus in the Bible, but in any case, portions of that text are still recognized as reasonable laws for all people at all times in all places. Murder, adultery, stealing, and lying are still acknowledged and enforced in our legal system, for example. The God lover and Jesus follower should be aware of the whole passage (Exodus 20:1-17).

This is the very thing that overwhelmed me in a fresh way more than 20 years ago. Suddenly, I saw where I had broken that law because my infraction was so glaringly obvious. A simple little sentence kick started the whole thing: “For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of [breaking it] all” (James 2:10 CSB).

Ouch! I’d never read the whole of the Old Testament, but I knew “The Big Ten.”

The “five finger discount” at the store? The not-so-little-or-white lie? I couldn’t write these off anymore. Suddenly, it didn’t fit so comfortably in the “everybody does it” category. Guilty? Just one time was enough? Yes.

If only it had been nothing more than the little infractions! (Honestly, I think that’s why I never worried about it.) Compared to the worst in history…or my friends…or the mugshots in the Post Offices…. No one else’s choices mattered in that nanosecond. Just mine. My heart broke when I realized I was in way over my head. My choices broke the law I hadn’t understood and thought about.

Have you had moments like that? Suddenly you realize you’ve wronged someone, and you feel terrible. The consequences of our actions are sometimes only seen when we understand the impact it has on others. For me, it was the cost another paid for my preference for convenience and comfort. One of the few times the ugly cry left a nearly indelible mark on my heart. Actually, I hope I will always remember that one for the bittersweet tears.

But God. (Two of my favorite words in the Bible anywhere it shows up!)

God, the Holy One who gave that law for our good (to reveal our sin against Him and our need for forgiveness), speaks sweet words to us when we are desperate.

“Come, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 CSB

I’m not sure there are sweeter words that can be whispered to our souls. How precious that we can see a light at the end of our dark tunnel! The Lord never ignores reality: we’ve really offended Him with our sin. When I’m in that hamster wheel of regret, or when I am reminded of a past I wish I’d never walked, this verse is a reminder of the truth, love, and power of my God. It’s easy to see painful choices as something like a scarlet letter sewn to our clothing, but there is a love that transcends those decisions and actually replaces that red stain with a brilliant-white righteousness from Jesus.

Ah, that’s the beautiful offer of a do over, friend. The difference is that the neighborhood kids don’t judge the situation and agree to grant it. You don’t get to award it to yourself either. It is, however, free for the asking. If you need a do over, it’s as simple as going to the One who wants to lavish one on anyone who wants it.

Do you need a do over? Do you want one?

Sometimes we ask for the first time ever. Sometimes we need to ask for the hundredth time in a day. I’ve been in both places, and I’d love to tell you I’ve reached the point of asking less often for the do over, but I find my sensibilities and sensitivities mature. I know I will hurt others and Jesus with my decisions. There are times I’m not aware even still, but I hope God will continue to sharpen my perception and strengthen my resolve to choose differently.

Do you have questions about the first-time-ever do over? Let any one of the Facets know. We would love to talk about that!

Signature, Jennifer Howe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for joining us at Facets of Faith. Comment below or check out our Facebook Page to start conversation threads there. Share the posts you love with your friends and family because that’s an excellent way to begin conversations in your personal circle!

Categories // Jennifer Howe's Perspective, Life, The Do Over Tags // Facets of Faith, Faith, Isaiah 1:18, Jennifer J Howe, Righteousness, sin

Freedom: What I Wouldn’t Give…

09.13.2016 by Jennifer Howe //

2Freedom. Is it a heavy chain around my (Jennifer’s) wrists loosening and falling away? Maybe it’s the prison door rattling just before it swings wide and I step out with a sigh of relief. Or, in my mind’s eye, I see a fiery autumn scene, the ground blanketed in red-gold—a dark-haired girl twirls and leaps in smooth rhythm near a shimmering stream, captivated by the joy in her reflection.

In real life, it may look completely different. Freedom can be moving through my daily relational obstacle course differently. A stressful time or sensitive trigger is changed. I experience the hard moment, but peacefully and infused with a breath of fresh air. One thing I know—when I feel free, there is often an internal joy, lightness, and peace, or sometimes a thrill. That internal freedom becomes transparent if I feel safe to be authentically me. You probably know the feeling. I’m sure I’m not unique.

The precious experience of freedom can only mean one thing: there are times when I’m not free. I’m held captive by a painful wound, a habit of thought or behavior, or some past experience. These things come from what I or others have chosen. Some are in the moment. Others seem frozen in time.

I want freedom!

What I wouldn’t give for freedom!

The question is—what will I have to give? My bull-in-a-China-shop way of life. There is a cost to remain free. I’ll have to place my heart’s desires, busy mind, and strong will in God’s hands. The One who created me and loved me to the point of giving everything for me, including his life, deserves nothing less than a humble, grateful response.

So, if I’m willing to surrender the old way of life, what would my new lifestyle look like?

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  Galatians 5:13 CSB

Authentic freedom comes from God. In our culture, there’s license to do whatever we want, and then there’s genuine liberty. What really counts is freedom from the things that separate us from our Father God eternally.

The struggle to be free will be unique to each of us. I battle my pride. Sometimes I don’t embrace the heart, mind, or ways of God. I mistakenly believe I know better or I’ve got things under control. (You, too?) I have to make the hard choices every day. Some days I don’t make the right ones. But, I want to be free.

King David wrote in Psalm 119

How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life. May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.  I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them.  I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees. Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.  My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.  vv.40-50

David was wise. He knew his life was only preserved by wholeheartedly embracing the ways of God in response to the heart of God. The way we should live is clearly expressed in Scripture (laws, precepts, commands, and promises that flow from a heart of love). If I take the time to read, I know the heart and mind of God in a beautiful, consistent Old and New Testament blend. I have the law and prophecy, and the fulfillment of both in the birth, life, and death of Jesus.

God loved us through the gift of Jesus and the covenant made at Calvary.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1

The sacrifice at the cross was our purchase price. Jesus set us free by addressing the entire list of offenses against Holy God, and how should we respond (Colossians 2:14)? Should we choose a haphazard, self-consumed lifestyle?

We have to take a gut-level honest look at ourselves: thoughts, words, and actions. Thoughts are private. Words and actions will tell on us. If we are willing to take a close look, we might be surprised at the inconsistencies. Our words and actions show what we really believe or embrace. This sort of self-examination reveals the real condition of our heart and the evidence of genuine transformation.

When it comes to life transformation, we’re not left to our own devices (often, the root of pride). For each one of us, the relationship to God is sealed through the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this world we wait for our Father’s promises to be fulfilled. We will be made perfect one day, and temptation will be completely removed—but not in this life. Some righteousness will be evident this side of eternity in our victories, but we’re only perfected at the face-to-face meeting yet to come.

Right now, I count on the goodness of God, “by grace through faith in Jesus,” for the good choices I can make that will keep me free. When I remember Jesus’ love for me—and because the Holy Spirit has given me the strength to do it—I consciously choose to love God and people by embracing and acting according the ways of God. I know I won’t get it all right all the time (friends and family would agree). And I know this:

the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

The amazing God of the universe, my Daddy-God, has lavished love on me (and all of us!). My freedom was bought and paid for on a hill outside Jerusalem. On the daily journey toward eternity, my freedom is guarded by the presence of God in me. I’m thankful, so I want to make choices that honor the sacrifice at the cross and keep me from getting all bound up in chains again.

What do you think about that? Have you experienced a measure of freedom? Did it come with a cost?

Thanks for reading along. Share your thoughts on freedom in the comments below or on our Facebook page. Let’s get a conversation started!

Signature, Jennifer Howe

Categories // Faith, Freedom, Jennifer Howe's Perspective Tags // 2 Corinthians 3:17, Faith, Freedom, God's love, Grace, Righteousness

How Is My Life Different Because Of My Faith?

03.01.2016 by Tracy Stella //

If there is one thing I (Tracy) have learned about my faith it’s this: God’s faithfulness helped grow it. He took me from a place of despair and called me to believe—to believe in Him. He asked me to trust Him, a difficult task in the beginning. Others had broken my trust. Would God too?

Much later I would learn and agree with George Mueller’s words:  “I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”¹

2Difficult circumstances led me to seek the Lord. My life added up to one miserable equation.  Home sweet home demolished by a bomb that set off a chain reaction. I didn’t think I could withstand it. I wanted to throw in the towel and proclaim, “Game over”!

But God threw me a lifeline instead.

“For I know the  plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

One of my first big acts of faith was this: to believe there was something to hope for in my future. Circumstances said give up. God wanted me to keep going. Would I believe God and His Word when hope felt beyond my reach?

Hope feels brave when there’s no basis to believe it.

It is much more difficult to walk in faith those first early steps. I didn’t yet have years of God’s faithfulness to reflect upon.

Those first steps toward my hopeful future felt like they were taking me to the edge of a cliff. No parachute to help me glide to safety. What if faith stretched me so far out of my comfort zone I landed somewhere I didn’t want to be? Then what?

The “X” which marked the safe drop zone seemed far off. I couldn’t see it.

Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The providence of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail.¹

My life is much different because of faith. Somehow, seemingly impossible, here I sit enthroned with a crown of righteousness. The mere belief of righteousness in the face of my own sin an act of faith as well.

But that’s where faith gains traction. When we know we have right standing with God … that’s a game changer!

Right standing with God gives liberty to live our lives as God intended. We’re able to toss off all that hinders and stand with our head held high where once our eyes averted. If our eyes aren’t focused on what God sees, we’re focusing on the wrong image.

God shows me what He sees in me in a tender, merciful fashion.  Faith has taught me that.

I have courage where I once held cowardice.

Because God is who He says He is, I can be brave enough to look my sin square in the face and deal with it. Before faith was forged in me, I’d never done that.  Now I know if He asks me to peer into my sinful nature, it’s for my own good, and faith says, “Trust God. He is gentle in His reprimand when we are genuine in our repentance.”

I couldn’t change what I was unwilling to look at. Once I did (and do), I received deliverance. Sin no longer hidden brings freedom from what hinders.

Faith has given me courage to dream again. I have a beautiful life. It’s not without its difficulties, but God has shown me faith floods our lives with blessings too. He carries me from one adventure to another, and it’s so much fun. Contrary to what some in the world might think, faith is not boring. It is adrenalin filled when we are full of possibilities in Christ.

There are times in my life when I wonder What on earth am I doing and how did I get here? Walking by faith can lead us to some amazing places.  It requires obedience to get to that spot God marks out for us. “X. Right here, My daughter.” Obedience isn’t always easy (even if it should be), but it gets easier the longer we walk in faith.

Beyond all those benefits of faith (and I know there are many I haven’t mentioned) God has shown me He was so very faithful to His promise from Jeremiah 29:11.  He has given me a future far beyond anything I could have imagined.

Faith has helped me take bold action based on God’s wisdom. His power encourages me to do more with what He’s given. Not striving. In His strength, I carry out my calling.

Gone is the cowardly woman who often roared because of pain in her depths. In her place sits a lioness rising into her calling more each day.  Today, I find myself stepping into a mission to penetrate the darkness.

Faith has brought me to a place where I will be fighting for God’s daughters against the oppression of human trafficking. I would never have thought I would be sent on that mission. But then again, that’s what faith can do.

Join the conversation. How has God asked you to step out in faith? How is God asking you to respond to His call to faith today? How will your life be different when you do?

Signature Block - Tracy

¹Mueller, George, and A. Sims. George Mueller: Man of Faith. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2005.

Categories // Faith, Tracy Stella's Perspective Tags // Courage, Dream, Faith, hope, Human Trafficking, Jeremiah 29:11, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Trials, Trust, Wisdom

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