The Misnamed Trio

And suddenly, in a flash, I could relate to the three men in the fiery furnace. 

You probably know them as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, though their mother's refer to them as Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, but almost nobody knows that now. 

Here is what I used to think: King Nebuchadnezzar--let's call him Rupert--crafted an idol of himself and demanded everyone bow down to worship it.  The Misnamed Trio refused, because they only bow down to God. Rupert threw them into a furnace that burned so hot, the guards who threw them in died (my Sunday school teacher's always emphasized that).  But suddenly, Rupert saw FOUR people in the furnace, and one was super shiny.  He told the men to exit the furnace and realized they served the real God because even their eyebrows were still in tact.

If you have ever run the propane too long before starting the barbecue, you know how easy it is to lose your eyebrows.

I always thought this meant I should never bow down to a big golden statue.  And if someone tried to throw me into a furnace, God wouldn't let me die.

Then - something changed.  Like a crack of lightening (in the middle of a prayer meeting) I related to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 

These were three guys who loved Jesus.  Then Rupert, the most powerful worldly force around, (Daniel 2:26-40) tells them to worship his statue.  They refuse.  They are persecuted.  God shows up.  Amazing.

I ask myself; what is Rupert telling me to worship above all else?  What does the world say I should dedicate the majority of my time and attention to?  

Myself.  

And I do.

I am a proud person.  I was afraid of praying for humility for a long time because God would probably make me look like a fool.  I couldn't risk what the lover of my soul might do to me if I became vulnerable like that.

Then I talked to Pastor Bonnie, who is so wise.  Humility, she said, is realizing it is not all about you.

Game changer. 

I can absolutely live a life that is not all about me.  I think.

I reject Rupert's plans for my time and attention.  I'm going to mess up.  Now you know and that could be good or bad.  Though since it isn't all about me, you may not even consider it once the post is over.

It is going to be rough, but God will show up.  And I will come out of this with my eyebrows fully intact.

Please Jesus, let me keep my eyebrows.

Paintings and Plastic Castles

Here I am, looking for God's plan for my life.  I ask yet again, what should I do?  What skills should I focus on and where should I apply them?  In which position will I most benefit the Lord?  

What relationships should I have?  Who should I really invest in?  How can I love people better?  When am I going to fall in love?  

How can I engage the world around me in a way that increases the divine mission on this earth?  

I feel somewhat like a chess piece.  An object waiting to be directed by the only one who can see the whole board. It sounds ideal, but who wants to be a piece of plastic, stuck moving in predefined patterns until we are put back on the shelf in the linen closet, or chewed up by the puppy who found us laying in the living room behind the couch.

Today, God showed me a new perspective.

We, the people in the world, are not little plastic pieces on a grid.

We are canvases of color specifically arranged in the grandest museum of all.

I am a spectacular canvas specifically created to be just as it is.  The Artist has used a masterful hand to create me.  Sometimes I grab my own paint brush and splatter on the canvas.  My unskilled self dabs and dots, scribbles and smears and makes a horribly botched mess of the whole thing.  Then, when I notice the storm clouds I have painted on Starry Night, I drop the brush and hang my head in shame.  

God, with loving, gentle hands, picks up the brush and fixes it.  My mistakes are still there, but he covers it with his grace and makes me beautiful once more.  He never mentions them again.

I hang in the grand museum of heaven, featuring billions of canvases specifically placed on certain walls in ideal proximity of each other.  Currently, I rest on the wall of my college years, surrounded by college friends, as well as my family.  In a few weeks, I'll be moved to the Haiti wall, participating in a missions trip down there.   This summer, I shall decorate a France wall, surrounded by people somewhat like me who also want to study abroad.  Each time I am moved, it is done with great care and consideration, always in a way to exemplify my own beauty, as well as the beauty of the museum.

Someday, perhaps in the not so distant future, my canvas will be permanently affixed to another canvas with God glue.  Together, the two canvases will become one, and God will move us around the museum as is best suited for who we are and what we can do.  

Yes, the Artist, the Museum Curator, he decides who we are and what we do.  But like any artist with their work, it is done with the greatest care imaginable. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank you so much.  I so very prefer to be a piece of art than a plastic castle.  Holy Spirit help me remember what a treasure I am, and how thoughtfully my place in this world has been and will be decided.  I look forward to seeing where you move me next, my loving Daddy-God.

I love you,

Amen.

Faith, Trust, and...Pixie Dust?

Trust.

It seems to be a problem of mine, or else Jesus wouldn't bring it up so often.

"As the scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" Romans 10:11

I'm terrified to say everything is going to be all right.  I believe Jesus told me so, but what if I say it and it doesn't actually happen?  Does that mean my faith is smaller than a mustard seed, because I'm facing a mountain and it doesn't seem to be moving so much?

How big is faith like a mustard seed anyway?

They say that if you have enough faith to ask some one if they need prayer, you have faith at least as big as a mustard seed.  The mountain you pray for will be moved.

I have faith to pray for this situation. 

God said it will happen, but it hasn't yet.  Now I have to trust. 

The bible says to trust with "all your heart."  How do I trust with all my heart when my heart is aching because the very thing that I'm praying for is ripping it apart?

I simply need to remember I wont be put to shame.  I wont be embarrassed, or teased, laughed at or ridiculed.  I just need to trust.

Wouldn't it be easier if everyone I know with tough stuff going on could fly away from these situations and take a break from all the crap that makes our lives suck on a daily basis?

Sadly, there is no such thing as pixie dust. 

Back to plan A; I need to learn to trust.