"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission." Hebrews 5:7
"He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:41-44
The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death and He was heard because of His reverent submission. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed until His sweat was like blood. The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus' prayer was heard, yet Jesus didn't get out of death on the cross. Jesus had His prayer answered and He was crucified.
Many of us feel that God's answers to prayer get us what we want.
While Christine and I were trying to have a baby we prayed a lot. We both prayed to the point of tears on multiple occasions. Christine prayed fervently while recounting great promises of Scripture. People would hear about our struggle and say things like "no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11)
Now Christine is pregnant and we are thrilled. But is Christine pregnant because we prayed and God answered?
In part the answer is 'yes', of course because only God can make life. It's yes because if infertility teaches us anything it's that you can do everything right and still not get pregnant. So yes, Christine is pregnant and that is an answer to our prayers. But what about others who pray and are more blameless than we are? What about Jesus? He was completely blameless and prayed so fervently that He began to sweat blood. Why didn't He get the thing He asked for? So, in part, the answer is 'no', she isn't pregnant because we asked and prayed really hard.
Prayer is a mystery. God is sovereign and has the perfect plan. He doesn't need us to ask nicely to decide to follow the perfect plan. He doesn't sit on His throne and all the sudden go, "Wow, there's 200 people praying for this, I better do it." YET, He is pleased when we pray. YET, He has ordained that our prayers be a part of His perfect execution of His perfect plan.
So, we pray and we pray hard. But we realize that sometimes our prayers are heard the way Jesus' prayer was heard. If Jesus can have His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane answered the way it was, then brace yourself for the same thing.
Let's finish what the writer of Hebrews says about Jesus' prayer:
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him." Hebrews 5:7-9
Jesus prayed for relief from the cross and didn't get it. Instead, Jesus got to be the source of all salvation. If God doesn't answer your prayer the way you think He should, realize that He's got something better in mind to do to and through you. You may never see it, but know that it's bigger and better than what you had in mind.
Pray fervently with confidence and know that God will do what's absolutely best today.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Work Hard to Rest
The book of Hebrews was written to racially Jewish Christians. So, you would expect to find a lot of Old Testament references in the book, and you'd be right. Let me share one from Hebrews chapter 4.
You may remember the story of the Exodus. Moses was leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of rest from slavery. Moses and the people approached the Promised Land and so Moses sent spies into the land (Number 13). The twelve spies went and came back with a report. They said that the Promised Land was as good as promised, however all but Joshua and Caleb thought that the people in the land were too tough for the Israelites to defeat. The people rebelled against Moses and wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt. So, because of their unbelief God made them wander in the desert for forty years until that unbelieving generation died. That unbelieving generation was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
The writer of Hebrews reminds the readers of this story to make sure that they don't repeat their own history. As George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
"Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful (*fear) that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the Gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith." Hebrews 4:1-2 (*'fear' added because practically only the NIV softens the language to 'be careful')
"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:11
The Israelites of that unbelieving generation didn't enter the rest of the Promised Land because of unbelief. Their inability to believe in God's promise kept them from enjoying God's promise. The very same people that saw the 10 Plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of fire and that ate the manna and quail from heaven failed to believe God could complete His promise. The same God that had already defeated an army of the most powerful nation on earth was by their side, yet they lacked belief.
The Israelites lacked the belief necessary to enter the Promised Land and the writer of Hebrews warns us of the same thing. Our unbelief can keep us from enjoying God's rest so we work hard to overcome unbelief in our life.
The same God who parted the Red Sea and raised Himself from the dead is by our side, yet we lack belief sometimes.
"...without faith it is impossible to please God..." Hebrews 11:6
We must work hard to maintain our faith. We must work hard to enter God's rest.
Here's the good news.
First, the rest God offers us is so much more complete than the Promised Land. The Promised Land was a prototype, if you will, for what is to come. Our Promised Land is the New Heaven and New Earth. Our Promised Land is a land of perfection where we can once again walk with God and live in eternal bliss. This land of rest is more than worth any effort we need to make.
Second, the work of staying faithful is done with God's power not ours. We must make an effort to stay faithful to Jesus, yes. Staying faithful to Jesus is a community but it isn't something we do with our own power. God gives us the mercy and grace to stay faithful to Him. The saints will persevere but it won't be by sitting on their butts on the sideline. We will stay believing Jesus like the Israelites could have stayed believing God, by going into battle sure of victory.
And when we find ourselves struggling to believe, and we will, let do as the writer of Hebrews encourages us to do:
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16
Heaven is wonderful. Entering God's rest is transcendent. Let us work hard to enter that rest today.
You may remember the story of the Exodus. Moses was leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of rest from slavery. Moses and the people approached the Promised Land and so Moses sent spies into the land (Number 13). The twelve spies went and came back with a report. They said that the Promised Land was as good as promised, however all but Joshua and Caleb thought that the people in the land were too tough for the Israelites to defeat. The people rebelled against Moses and wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt. So, because of their unbelief God made them wander in the desert for forty years until that unbelieving generation died. That unbelieving generation was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
The writer of Hebrews reminds the readers of this story to make sure that they don't repeat their own history. As George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
"Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful (*fear) that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the Gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith." Hebrews 4:1-2 (*'fear' added because practically only the NIV softens the language to 'be careful')
"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:11
The Israelites of that unbelieving generation didn't enter the rest of the Promised Land because of unbelief. Their inability to believe in God's promise kept them from enjoying God's promise. The very same people that saw the 10 Plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of fire and that ate the manna and quail from heaven failed to believe God could complete His promise. The same God that had already defeated an army of the most powerful nation on earth was by their side, yet they lacked belief.
The Israelites lacked the belief necessary to enter the Promised Land and the writer of Hebrews warns us of the same thing. Our unbelief can keep us from enjoying God's rest so we work hard to overcome unbelief in our life.
The same God who parted the Red Sea and raised Himself from the dead is by our side, yet we lack belief sometimes.
"...without faith it is impossible to please God..." Hebrews 11:6
We must work hard to maintain our faith. We must work hard to enter God's rest.
Here's the good news.
First, the rest God offers us is so much more complete than the Promised Land. The Promised Land was a prototype, if you will, for what is to come. Our Promised Land is the New Heaven and New Earth. Our Promised Land is a land of perfection where we can once again walk with God and live in eternal bliss. This land of rest is more than worth any effort we need to make.
Second, the work of staying faithful is done with God's power not ours. We must make an effort to stay faithful to Jesus, yes. Staying faithful to Jesus is a community but it isn't something we do with our own power. God gives us the mercy and grace to stay faithful to Him. The saints will persevere but it won't be by sitting on their butts on the sideline. We will stay believing Jesus like the Israelites could have stayed believing God, by going into battle sure of victory.
And when we find ourselves struggling to believe, and we will, let do as the writer of Hebrews encourages us to do:
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16
Heaven is wonderful. Entering God's rest is transcendent. Let us work hard to enter that rest today.
Monday, October 10, 2016
HGTV Meets JCTV
Last year Christine and I bought our first house.
Having gone through the home buying process and now some of the minor home repairs that go along with being a homeowner we have found an interest in HGTV. We especially enjoy House Hunters because we can relate to what the people on the show are going through. A few years ago the idea of watching House Hunters seemed ridiculous, but now the only reason we don't watch is if we've seen that episode before.
Now, House Hunters can be annoying because of some of the silly things they say they want in a home, but we see on that show how much people care about a home that will be theirs. When the home is yours and you are spending lots of money on it you want it to be a certain way. You look at a wall and say, "We'll need to take this wall out" or you say to the kitchen, "Oh, that will have to be redone."
For that reason HGTV has a lot of remodeling shows. We love watching people take a rather unremarkable home and renovate it into something beautiful. This is why we watch shows like Fixer Uppers, Flip or Flop, Property Brothers and Love It or List It. We enjoy watching the creativity of a designer beautify a space that really needs it.
Now remember this as we look at Hebrew 3:6.
"But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." Hebrews 3:6
The writer of Hebrews calls us God's house in this metaphor. Earlier in Hebrews he/she said that we were part of God's family otherwise known as His house or household, but in this passage he/she is referring to a house like the building.
Jesus as our creator is the builder of the house and worthy of great honor because of that, but He's also entitled to repair the house.
Jesus is faithful as a Son over God's house.
When I rented a house HGTV didn't appeal to me at all, because as the renter I couldn't do any of those changes to the house that I saw on TV. However, as Son over God's house and as heir of that house, Jesus has every right to make changes to the house.
Sin has made us dilapidated and we as God's house need to be ready for renovating, cleansing, repairing and beautifying on the inside and out. Jesus will make His Father's house so much better than the best HGTV result. And Jesus will do it because we are His family's house. We are not some house to be flipped and sold to the highest bidder. No, we were bought with a price and the owner now is going to fix us up so He can take residency in us.
"Jesus, replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23
If you think the personalities and crews on HGTV are good, wait until you see what the Man on JCTV will do. The one who made the universe does amazing work in home renovation.
We together are His house so hold on to your courage and the hope of which you boast today.
Having gone through the home buying process and now some of the minor home repairs that go along with being a homeowner we have found an interest in HGTV. We especially enjoy House Hunters because we can relate to what the people on the show are going through. A few years ago the idea of watching House Hunters seemed ridiculous, but now the only reason we don't watch is if we've seen that episode before.
Now, House Hunters can be annoying because of some of the silly things they say they want in a home, but we see on that show how much people care about a home that will be theirs. When the home is yours and you are spending lots of money on it you want it to be a certain way. You look at a wall and say, "We'll need to take this wall out" or you say to the kitchen, "Oh, that will have to be redone."
For that reason HGTV has a lot of remodeling shows. We love watching people take a rather unremarkable home and renovate it into something beautiful. This is why we watch shows like Fixer Uppers, Flip or Flop, Property Brothers and Love It or List It. We enjoy watching the creativity of a designer beautify a space that really needs it.
Now remember this as we look at Hebrew 3:6.
"But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." Hebrews 3:6
The writer of Hebrews calls us God's house in this metaphor. Earlier in Hebrews he/she said that we were part of God's family otherwise known as His house or household, but in this passage he/she is referring to a house like the building.
Jesus as our creator is the builder of the house and worthy of great honor because of that, but He's also entitled to repair the house.
Jesus is faithful as a Son over God's house.
When I rented a house HGTV didn't appeal to me at all, because as the renter I couldn't do any of those changes to the house that I saw on TV. However, as Son over God's house and as heir of that house, Jesus has every right to make changes to the house.
Sin has made us dilapidated and we as God's house need to be ready for renovating, cleansing, repairing and beautifying on the inside and out. Jesus will make His Father's house so much better than the best HGTV result. And Jesus will do it because we are His family's house. We are not some house to be flipped and sold to the highest bidder. No, we were bought with a price and the owner now is going to fix us up so He can take residency in us.
"Jesus, replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23
If you think the personalities and crews on HGTV are good, wait until you see what the Man on JCTV will do. The one who made the universe does amazing work in home renovation.
We together are His house so hold on to your courage and the hope of which you boast today.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Jesus Is Our Unashamed Brother
Jesus is fully God and fully man. I'm reading through the book of Hebrews and if you were to very simply summarize Hebrews chapter one you would say, "Jesus is God." If you were to simply summarize chapter two you would say, "Jesus is a man."
Jesus being fully God and fully man has many implications but I want to focus on one in particular.
"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." Hebrews 2:10-11
God the Father sent Jesus to bring many sons to glory. This means that we who are Christians are sons and daughters of God Himself! This is amazing. If I am a son of God the Father that means that I am in line to receive everything from the Father that a son would expect to receive. This is incredible. God did so much more than save me from death. God did so much more than save me from slavery to sin and what Hebrews calls "slavery by their fear of death." God didn't just save me, He adopted me.
But wait, there's more.
Jesus is our brother... and He's not ashamed of us.
"Both the one who makes men holy (Jesus) and those who are made holy (us) are of the same family." *Parenthesis added.
Jesus and I are in the same family. This is incredible. This means that the same love that the Father has for Jesus He has for me. This means the same thanksgiving feast the Father is preparing for Jesus is for me, too.
"So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers."
Jesus is not only my brother but He's cool with that. He's not ashamed to have a weak punk like me for a brother. And He's not ashamed to have you as a brother/sister either.
This begs the question: why am I ashamed of Jesus?
If Jesus isn't ashamed to be my brother, why am I ashamed of Him sometimes? Jesus has every reason to be ashamed of being my brother; I mean, He had to die to cover for me. But I have never and will never have a legitimate reason to be ashamed of brother Jesus. Jesus has never and will never be anything other than awesome, yet I am at times ashamed. I've worried that others will think less of me because of my love for my brother Jesus and that is shameful. If Jesus can be unashamed to be my brother then I should be ecstatic to be His brother, especially since He died to enable the Father to adopt me.
The Gospel invites us into a privileged family. As the old song says, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God." I'm blessed to have God as my Father, Jesus as my big brother and every Christian from every race, tribe and tongue as my brothers and sisters.
Thank God that Jesus is our unashamed brother today.
Jesus being fully God and fully man has many implications but I want to focus on one in particular.
"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." Hebrews 2:10-11
God the Father sent Jesus to bring many sons to glory. This means that we who are Christians are sons and daughters of God Himself! This is amazing. If I am a son of God the Father that means that I am in line to receive everything from the Father that a son would expect to receive. This is incredible. God did so much more than save me from death. God did so much more than save me from slavery to sin and what Hebrews calls "slavery by their fear of death." God didn't just save me, He adopted me.
But wait, there's more.
Jesus is our brother... and He's not ashamed of us.
"Both the one who makes men holy (Jesus) and those who are made holy (us) are of the same family." *Parenthesis added.
Jesus and I are in the same family. This is incredible. This means that the same love that the Father has for Jesus He has for me. This means the same thanksgiving feast the Father is preparing for Jesus is for me, too.
"So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers."
Jesus is not only my brother but He's cool with that. He's not ashamed to have a weak punk like me for a brother. And He's not ashamed to have you as a brother/sister either.
This begs the question: why am I ashamed of Jesus?
If Jesus isn't ashamed to be my brother, why am I ashamed of Him sometimes? Jesus has every reason to be ashamed of being my brother; I mean, He had to die to cover for me. But I have never and will never have a legitimate reason to be ashamed of brother Jesus. Jesus has never and will never be anything other than awesome, yet I am at times ashamed. I've worried that others will think less of me because of my love for my brother Jesus and that is shameful. If Jesus can be unashamed to be my brother then I should be ecstatic to be His brother, especially since He died to enable the Father to adopt me.
The Gospel invites us into a privileged family. As the old song says, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God." I'm blessed to have God as my Father, Jesus as my big brother and every Christian from every race, tribe and tongue as my brothers and sisters.
Thank God that Jesus is our unashamed brother today.
Monday, September 26, 2016
We Must Be Christocentric
In our culture today you won't get much backlash if you talk about God.
Some of you are thinking, "Yeah, right" But stay with me. Our culture has little problem with God, if fact, our culture accepts much talk about God. However, bring Jesus into the conversation and you get a different reaction.
Jesus divides people.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'" Matthew 10:34-36
This does not mean that Jesus did not come to bring people from every race, tribe and tongue; but it does mean that the person of Jesus will divide people.
The church today must be Christocentric rather than Theocentric (Christ centered rather than God the Father centric). Not because the person of the Son is more important than the other two persons of the Trinity, but because Jesus is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word..." Hebrews 1: 1-3a
Jesus is God. He is the EXACT representation of His being. He IS the radiance of God's glory.
When we speak of God many will find common ground, or so they think, because "we all worship the same God." But when we speak of Jesus we say that only a God who is Jesus is God. All other gods are false. This is highly offensive to the world, but absolutely essential to Christianity. So, if someone says they worship the same God as you, ask them if Jesus is God. If they say "No" then you are not worshipping the same God/god; they are worshipping a false god.
The book of Hebrews invites us to make Jesus supreme (because He is). It invites us to hold fast to all that Jesus is. We Christians must take up this call. We must be Christocentric.
Take time to read Hebrews chapter one. And as you speak of your faith speak of Jesus today.
Some of you are thinking, "Yeah, right" But stay with me. Our culture has little problem with God, if fact, our culture accepts much talk about God. However, bring Jesus into the conversation and you get a different reaction.
Jesus divides people.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'" Matthew 10:34-36
This does not mean that Jesus did not come to bring people from every race, tribe and tongue; but it does mean that the person of Jesus will divide people.
The church today must be Christocentric rather than Theocentric (Christ centered rather than God the Father centric). Not because the person of the Son is more important than the other two persons of the Trinity, but because Jesus is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word..." Hebrews 1: 1-3a
Jesus is God. He is the EXACT representation of His being. He IS the radiance of God's glory.
When we speak of God many will find common ground, or so they think, because "we all worship the same God." But when we speak of Jesus we say that only a God who is Jesus is God. All other gods are false. This is highly offensive to the world, but absolutely essential to Christianity. So, if someone says they worship the same God as you, ask them if Jesus is God. If they say "No" then you are not worshipping the same God/god; they are worshipping a false god.
The book of Hebrews invites us to make Jesus supreme (because He is). It invites us to hold fast to all that Jesus is. We Christians must take up this call. We must be Christocentric.
Take time to read Hebrews chapter one. And as you speak of your faith speak of Jesus today.
Monday, September 12, 2016
The Glory of Infertility
Yesterday in church my pastor said something that landed on me like a ton of bricks. My pastor is dealing with Crohn's Disease and he had a bad week. Toward the end of his sermon on Matthew 5:11-16 he said, "I don't want to waste Crohn's."
That line was like an arrow to my heart.
My wife Christine and I have been trying since December of 2014 to have a baby. Both of us are sick of waiting. We've done multiple tests, taken drugs and done procedures, some of which she's written about before. But here we are approaching two years later and nothing has changed. And this situation is why what my pastor said bothered me in such a great way.
I don't want to waste infertility.
I don't want to waste infertility. This MUST shine and glorify God. If He is the light of the world and we are the light of the world then He must shine in us through infertility. If everything works for my good and His glory then infertility must, too.
I don't want to waste infertility.
I can't let my experience be only grumbling. Will we grumble to God about this? Absolutely. Where else can we go with our trouble? But I refuse to only grumble about this. Is infertility in and of itself a good thing? I don't think so, but I know that God is up to something grand.
There must be glory in infertility.
I don't know how but I trust that when I look back on this it will be like flipping a cross stitch over from back to front. I trust that God not only knows what He's doing but that what He's doing will be glorious.
I trust that if and when Christine gets pregnant it will be with OUR child planned for us from before creation. I trust that when we adopt we will adopt OUR child planned for us from eternity before eternity.
I trust that God sees our tears, hears our groans and feels our pain YET loves us enough to give us only the best. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I know this and hold on to this.
This doesn't mean we'll stop trying. This doesn't mean each month's cruel negative announcement doesn't deeply hurt. But this does mean that I don't want to look back at this period of infertility and realize I wasted it. I, by the grace of God, will live, either in this life or the next, to experience the glory of our infertility.
I don't want to waste infertility. Please pray that Christine and I won't waste it today.
That line was like an arrow to my heart.
My wife Christine and I have been trying since December of 2014 to have a baby. Both of us are sick of waiting. We've done multiple tests, taken drugs and done procedures, some of which she's written about before. But here we are approaching two years later and nothing has changed. And this situation is why what my pastor said bothered me in such a great way.
I don't want to waste infertility.
I don't want to waste infertility. This MUST shine and glorify God. If He is the light of the world and we are the light of the world then He must shine in us through infertility. If everything works for my good and His glory then infertility must, too.
I don't want to waste infertility.
I can't let my experience be only grumbling. Will we grumble to God about this? Absolutely. Where else can we go with our trouble? But I refuse to only grumble about this. Is infertility in and of itself a good thing? I don't think so, but I know that God is up to something grand.
There must be glory in infertility.
I don't know how but I trust that when I look back on this it will be like flipping a cross stitch over from back to front. I trust that God not only knows what He's doing but that what He's doing will be glorious.
I trust that if and when Christine gets pregnant it will be with OUR child planned for us from before creation. I trust that when we adopt we will adopt OUR child planned for us from eternity before eternity.
I trust that God sees our tears, hears our groans and feels our pain YET loves us enough to give us only the best. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I know this and hold on to this.
This doesn't mean we'll stop trying. This doesn't mean each month's cruel negative announcement doesn't deeply hurt. But this does mean that I don't want to look back at this period of infertility and realize I wasted it. I, by the grace of God, will live, either in this life or the next, to experience the glory of our infertility.
I don't want to waste infertility. Please pray that Christine and I won't waste it today.
* We feel no ill will toward you who are pregnant. Please celebrate if you are.
* If you are dealing with infertility, know you aren't alone. It's not something talked much about but 1 in 8 couples deal with it.
* If you're experiencing infertility and can't find the ability to trust God in it most days, welcome to the club. This post was written on one of my good days.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Going to Work With Dad- A Repost
Here's a post from four years ago.
Going to Work with Dad
A short story:
Today Tommy woke up excited. Today he didn't have to go to school.
But that wasn't why he was excited.
Today Tommy woke up excited because he got to go to work with his dad.
Tommy's dad called the school secretary on Monday to tell her that Tommy would not be in class with Mrs. Meiers on Friday. And today is Friday and Tommy is excited.
Tommy woke up excited and sprang out of bed. Without his mother's nagging he shot up and went straight to the bathroom to shower. After showering he brushed his teeth, without being begged to do it. After brushing his teeth, Tommy put on his work clothes including the jeans with the carpenter's hook for his hammer. Tommy was ready and excited to go to work.
When Tommy's dad got to the front door to leave he didn't have to yell for Tommy because Tommy was there with his shoes on and half a Pop Tart in his hand and the other half in his mouth. Tommy was ready and excited to go to work.
So, Tommy and his dad walked out to the driveway where Tommy's dad's big F-250 truck awaited. Tommy climbed into the passenger side which was no easy task for a young guy Tommy's size. Tommy then quickly put on his seat belt and sat ready and excited to go work.
As Tommy and his dad drove to the worksite, Tommy looked out his window down at the little Prius and Civic next to them at the red light stop. Tommy felt like a big man on his way to work.
Once they reached the worksite Tommy and his dad got out of the truck. Tommy was ready and excited to work. They went straight to work and Tommy's dad handed him a hammer, which Tommy promptly slid into the carpenter's hook in his jeans. It was finally time for Tommy to do some real carpentry work.
Tommy's dad started several nails into the board and said, "Alright, I need you to finish hammering these nails into the board. This is a very important job."
Tommy pulled his hammer out of his carpenter's hook in his jeans and approached the first nail.
"Clap" "Whack" "Clunk" "Whack" "Clap" "Dunk" "Dunk" "Dunk" "Whack" "Dink" "Whack"
Tommy's hammer hit the board just as many times as it hit the head of the nail and when it did hit the nail the nail bent to the side and Tommy had to straighten it and whack it again. The board had little hammer halos surrounding the nail Tommy had just driven into it.
"Good work, buddy!" said Tommy's dad as he continued to keep a close eye on Tommy.
Tommy beamed. He was ready and excited to keep working with dad. And guess what? Tommy's dad let him work with him all day. And even as Tommy worked he was ready and excited to work with his dad again on another day.
Could Tommy's dad have gotten the work done faster without Tommy? Did he need Tommy's help to get the job done?
We all know the answers to those questions, but to Tommy it doesn't matter because he got to go to work with his dad.
It's the same way with us and God. He allows us to go to work with Him even though He could do it faster and better and even though He doesn't need us to get the job done. The question is, are you ready and excited to go to work with Dad?
Be ready and excited to go to work with Dad today.
Today Tommy woke up excited. Today he didn't have to go to school.
But that wasn't why he was excited.
Today Tommy woke up excited because he got to go to work with his dad.
Tommy's dad called the school secretary on Monday to tell her that Tommy would not be in class with Mrs. Meiers on Friday. And today is Friday and Tommy is excited.
Tommy woke up excited and sprang out of bed. Without his mother's nagging he shot up and went straight to the bathroom to shower. After showering he brushed his teeth, without being begged to do it. After brushing his teeth, Tommy put on his work clothes including the jeans with the carpenter's hook for his hammer. Tommy was ready and excited to go to work.
When Tommy's dad got to the front door to leave he didn't have to yell for Tommy because Tommy was there with his shoes on and half a Pop Tart in his hand and the other half in his mouth. Tommy was ready and excited to go to work.
So, Tommy and his dad walked out to the driveway where Tommy's dad's big F-250 truck awaited. Tommy climbed into the passenger side which was no easy task for a young guy Tommy's size. Tommy then quickly put on his seat belt and sat ready and excited to go work.
As Tommy and his dad drove to the worksite, Tommy looked out his window down at the little Prius and Civic next to them at the red light stop. Tommy felt like a big man on his way to work.
Once they reached the worksite Tommy and his dad got out of the truck. Tommy was ready and excited to work. They went straight to work and Tommy's dad handed him a hammer, which Tommy promptly slid into the carpenter's hook in his jeans. It was finally time for Tommy to do some real carpentry work.
Tommy's dad started several nails into the board and said, "Alright, I need you to finish hammering these nails into the board. This is a very important job."
Tommy pulled his hammer out of his carpenter's hook in his jeans and approached the first nail.
"Clap" "Whack" "Clunk" "Whack" "Clap" "Dunk" "Dunk" "Dunk" "Whack" "Dink" "Whack"
Tommy's hammer hit the board just as many times as it hit the head of the nail and when it did hit the nail the nail bent to the side and Tommy had to straighten it and whack it again. The board had little hammer halos surrounding the nail Tommy had just driven into it.
"Good work, buddy!" said Tommy's dad as he continued to keep a close eye on Tommy.
Tommy beamed. He was ready and excited to keep working with dad. And guess what? Tommy's dad let him work with him all day. And even as Tommy worked he was ready and excited to work with his dad again on another day.
Could Tommy's dad have gotten the work done faster without Tommy? Did he need Tommy's help to get the job done?
We all know the answers to those questions, but to Tommy it doesn't matter because he got to go to work with his dad.
It's the same way with us and God. He allows us to go to work with Him even though He could do it faster and better and even though He doesn't need us to get the job done. The question is, are you ready and excited to go to work with Dad?
Be ready and excited to go to work with Dad today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)