Edifices Of Stone

Today I ventured into two cemeteries that were local to me. Of late I have found such a fascination and beauty in the old carved stones and statuary there. I especially love the carved angels that can be found in the older sections. The artists’ handiwork during the 1800’s was just breath taking. Today stones are laser cut and worked a small bit by hand but the older carvings that grace the rolling hillsides of the historic sections are unmatched. 

As I drove through the winding lanes it was very somber to say the least but as I continued down lane after lane I found myself compelled to take photos of the beauty of the art there. These carvings were very sizeable as well. Oh, some were two foot high but most were towering over their place and stood at least 10 feet high and more. 

It was very thought provoking to imagine a 10 foot statue being commissioned and placed to mark where someones life was laid to rest. Beautiful memorials carved out of timeless stone to mark that life and stand watch through the years over them. 

As I slowly drove on through the memorials I began to imagine what it would look like on the day Jesus returned. As quiet and sobering a place as it was today, the pictures that played in my mind of that day were a bit unsettling. 

”For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

I imagined that very moment, if I was a witness to it, to be amazing and awesome unlike anything I've  ever imagined or Hollywood has tried to portray. The dead that are in Christ will come up out of their graves and be changed.  Can you even imagine standing there to be a witness to that? Well, not for long right! Because it would just be a blink and I'd be right behind them. 

Think of it though, their spirits would meet with their new bodies and they'd be raised to perfection and glory. That moment would be one of profound worship standing there on Holy Ground. That gloomy, sad and somber place would suddenly become a glorious piece of Holy Ground where one of Gods greatest miracles will unfold. From those quiet rolling hills will come resurrected, glorified and well memorialized believers I might add, that will be snatched up and taken to their glorious reward in heaven. It was as if the edifices of stone we're poised, waiting and whispering, ”soon, soon our watch will be over”. 

The beauty of the statues, the beauty of that moment in time, the beauty of His great love for us is unmatched. 

If you get the chance, go, go stroll through those hallowed places and admire the handiwork of the carvers and makers but particularly, if you don't do anything else, make sure you'll be a heaven bound traveller when the clouds roll back and King Jesus calls us home. The beauty of that trip will far surpass a trip down the angel guarded lanes of the Memorial Gardens you can be sure of that!

Tight Fisted

The oddest memory flooded my mind today as I was doing my quiet time. It was a visual of my daughter in her high chair in my kitchen some 40 something years ago. It made me smile because I think God reminded me of it to simply illustrate what I was studying. He's good at that you know. She was in her high chair and was a bit fussy and I was preparing dinner for everyone at the same time. I was making her a bottle because it was growing close to her bedtime. I did possibly the ”unspeakable” in some mothers’ eyes. The thing was that it was simply out of desire for a little contentment and peace from the crying. So, I gave her a little jelly smeared on a crustless piece of bread until I could juggle the rest of my duties. Well, it was magic! The crying ceased, there was a happy baby and I could finish prepping her bottle. Well, once the bottle was ready and dinner put on simmer I went to take the jelly bread from her little fists and she wasn't having it! Have you ever tried prying yummy food from a tight fisted baby? Not so easy. The battle ensued the war was waged but in the end I won! Yay! 

Here's the thought. . . . If she would have just let go easily of the thing that she was holding onto, the thing that she thought was the best thing in the world, well then she could have more readily had exactly what was needed to give her peace and eventual rest. 

Today I was reading in Luke 14:26 and it read, ”If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”. What! I read on and what Jesus was saying was that you can't hold onto things, things you think are more or of most importance and still follow him fully. It also says in I John 2:15-17 ”Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

This world does hold everything that would try to seat itself ahead of God or become of more importance than He is on the throne of our hearts. And ”yes” that would include our families and even ourselves. You see that is a very very hard pill to swallow or wrestle out of our fists because we hold onto those things most tightly. It's our family that we count most dear and when push comes to shove for most, we would even take a bullet for them because they are of such importance. But what Jesus is saying to us seems to be quite the opposite doesn't it? But let me say with assuredness that what he's saying isn't hopeless at all but instead very very hope filled.  You see, he wants ALL of us and if we hold ”tight fisted” onto things or people while trying to serve God then that just doesn't work!

You see, if my daughter had not given up the jelly sandwich in her little fists then she couldn't have held the bottle of warm milk which had everything she needed to sustain her and bring her to that place of peace and rest. We’ve all probably heard the term ”Let Go And Let God” but never truly saw the depth of it. It says also in Philippians 3:8,  ”Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”. Paul spoke truth here in saying that it's all rubbish (the things we hold on to). Nothing, I repeat nothing can have place in our lives higher than God. You see, those family members, those things, those possessions they all being to Him anyway and he cares for them. We must let go of holding so tightly to them because we are afraid of losing them or think that we are the only proper caretakers of them. Who's a better caregiver than the one who cares for all? It is put to us then, choose to hold onto our jelly sandwiches and be tight fisted or let go and open our hands so that he can add things back to us that are good and nourishing and hold all we need to sustain us and bring us peace and life! Deuteronomy 30 says, ”See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”  So, open those hands and choose life!

Chosen To Wait

Have you ever been part of a large crowd in a banquet hall or possibly a wedding and the table numbers were being called in an order so that you could get your food. Ok, so then maybe you know that feeling of being the last table called as your stomach rumbles and your patience level plummets. Or maybe it's sitting in the DMV and your number seems to be ”305” and they're calling out ”99”. Your ability to be patient and hold on is tested beyond belief. Whatever the situation I think we all have moments when we have had to learn to wait. So, what if you are supposed to wait? What if you aren't first? What if the plan calls for you to be number ”305” in the plan of the day? And here's a really funny scenario for you. . . . . what if you were number ”5,000”’who sat on the far away hill on the day Jesus and his disciples fed the 5,000? Hmmmmm, What would you have looked like that day? 

Would there be a dry patch of earth at your feet from all the impatient pacing around while you waited?  Would you have fallen asleep and missed the message and the meal because of weariness in waiting? I'd like to believe I would have sat and listened and hung on Jesus’ every word until the bonus of lunch came my way but truthfully, probably not. Do you ever wonder if there was grumbling In the crowd on that far away hill as they all waited for the meal? Would there have been people saying ”when are we going to eat?” like the people in the banquet hall waiting for their table to be called? 

But here's a thought for you, ”What if you were ’chosen to wait’ ”?That's right, ’chosen’! Ridiculous thought right! Maybe not. 

Here’s another, maybe impatience has put us in the same place as the person on the far away hill, the person that was there because they actually had a need for something that they weren't readily recognizing. They didn't see that what they.needed was healing. Maybe they were ”chosen to wait”! You know Jesus himself said, ”many are called but few are chosen!” (sorry my pinach for the ridiculous gets in the way sometimes ) 

Well, what if we were chosen to wait because Jesus needed to perfect something in us that was lacking? Here's the really beautiful part though. It's 2 fold! In II Corinthians Jesus said, ” my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness”. So, while Jesus is perfecting something in us, He is being glorified and it's because of our weaknesses that his power is made perfect and he is glorified. Just chew on that for a minute! It either tastes good and nourishes you or you still need to wait for the revelation of that. Whatever it looks like,  I believe that there is a time that it will come to you and maybe the longer the wait the greater the revelation. 

The greatest and deepest need that you and I have in our weakness should not necessarily come in the form of quick relief or a quick fix. It's not necessarily being given number ”99” by some kind soul when number ”98” is being called. Perhaps the greatest and deepest need is for us to be number ”305” or that person on the far away hill. It's doing something in us! It's producing something beautiful that will not only bring healing to us but power and glory to Him. 

So, if your frustration in the waiting is causing you to squirm, grumble or exhibit tendencies of a entitled princess just know this. . . . know that when the things that we need that give us sustenance (bread & fish) are being passed out, that Jesus can see you in your far away place and He knows all too well what you have need of. You were most likely chosen to be number 5,000 on that far away hill for a reason. You were most likely ’chosen to wait’!

Insight insert: Calling on those of you out there who may be encouragers. Before you run headlong into situations that call for your encouraging heart to rush in and rescue, take a moment. Ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance on how to proceed. We encouragers tend to lead with our hearts at times which can prove a bit reckless if temperance isn't applied. Pray and ask the Lord if the situation calls for ”waiting” because God is trying to do a work in that persons heart. In the waiting we can also learn to be better listeners and glorifying God all the more. 😊

Scripture:  Romans 5:3-5

”More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”