Hey, Goofball, Listen Up!

  “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to Him.” Mark 9:7b

   What is it about slapstick comedy that intrigues us so much? Whether it was Laurel tripping Hardy; Larry slapping Mo; or Jethro Gibs popping Tony Denozo on the back of the head, we get a kick out of it. Under normal circumstances their actions wouldn’t be socially acceptable yet we’ll pay good money or make sure we DVR NCIS for the opportunity to watch their outlandish antics. Now, I’m not a huge fan of this genre of comedy, but as I read Mark 9: 1-10, my imagination ran away with a slap stick scenario that I’ve got to share with you – even at the risk of being called sacrilegious.

     Can’t you imagine the disciples got up every morning wondering what Jesus was going to do next? Every day brought something more spectacular than before. One day they watched as He healed a leper and made a blind man see. The next He cast out demons, walked on the water, and raised someone from the dead. Their reactions were not always what we would expect from 12 men who dropped everything at a moment’s notice to follow a man they had never met, but let’s cut them a little slack. There wasn’t really any precedent for how one reacts to seeing an actual person walk on the water. Red Sea part, yes – Noah’s ark, yes - walk on the water – no. They were definitely learning all about faith up close and personal!

     And then just about the time they thought they had seen everything, Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain so they could be alone. The next thing they knew Jesus was glowing, wearing a dazzling, white robe and talking to Elijah and Moses. Elijah and Moses!? Ok, these guys disappeared from the scene hundreds of years before Peter, James and John entered the picture! You got to love Peter. He really didn’t know what to say or how to react, but can’t you almost feel his desire to do the right thing here? Jesus had been teaching them lesson after lesson, and I’m sure Peter wanted to make sure he handled this situation right. He was terrified and felt the need to DO something so, true to his nature, he reacted impulsively. He suggested they build a memorial to all three of these great men right there. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that suggestion – except for one thing. This was Peter’s idea, not God’s. It had nothing to do with why they were there. Peter was focused in the wrong place. This dark cloud all of a sudden overshadows them and a voice speaks to them from the cloud.

“This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to Him.” Mark 9:7b

     Now here is where my imagination kicked into overdrive. I get this mental image of this huge hand reaching down and slapping Peter on the back of the head, and the voice saying,

“Hey, goofball, listen up! This is my Son!”

     Now we know that God doesn’t reach down and pop us on the back of the head to get our attention. That is not my point. (Though the mental image is kind of funny, you have to admit. But I digress….) My point is I can learn a lot from Peter here. First, I need to listen. If I am too busy shooting off my mouth with the first thing that comes to mind, I miss God’s message. Second, even a good deed may not be the right one. I have to listen to God’s direction and do what fits into His plan for my life. Otherwise I am going to lose focus and get way off task. Third, Jesus is God’s Son. There are so many voices in the world today vying for my attention, but the only one I need to listen to is His. “Listen up!” God said. “This is my Son!”

    

Lord, sometimes I think things might be easier if you would just pop me in the back of the head when I lose focus or start to make a bad decision. But, alas, there is no hand. You have done something even better. You have given me Your Holy Spirit to live with me always and guide my every move, my every decision. Help me learn from Peter. Help me remember there are times it is important that I just stop and listen. When the time for action comes, give me the discernment to know and help me act wisely and boldly in a way that brings you honor and glory.

I've Got The Best "Job" Ever - On His Behalf!!!

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.  But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea. 
                                                      Matthew 18:5-6

     
     I didn’t grow up going to church and learning Bible stories, but I do remember looking through our big Family Bible when I was a little girl and studying all the detailed pictures. This was before children’s picture Bibles were popular, and without knowing the stories behind them, some of these pictures were puzzling to me and others were down right disturbing. Of course, there was a very detailed picture of Jesus hanging on the cross that scared me because I didn’t really understand it, but there was one particular picture that I loved to return to over and over again. It was the picture of Jesus holding a small child on His lap while several kids gathered around Him. He was smiling at them and obviously liked having them there. This picture evoked very mixed emotions for me. First, it made me feel warm because He looked kind, and l gained comfort in the fact that He obviously loved children. Second, it confused me a great deal because my baby sister died when I was 5 and all my little mind could really understood about it was that Jesus had taken her to be with Him. And that didn’t seem right to me. It certainly looked like He had enough children already by looking at that picture. Why did He need another one? Where were all these toys people kept telling me He had for her to play with? I can remember staring at that picture at length while questions like these tumbled through my little brain. There is one question I don’t remember asking, though, even though I was extremely sad – and sometimes downright mad - my baby sister was gone: “Is Jesus even real?”
     I share this with you because I have been struck this week by this little phrase from Matthew, “become like little children” and others like Matthew 19 where He says, “The kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these little children” and again in Matthew 21 where the children were singing His praises in the temple as He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Maybe it is because children are especially dear to my heart. Weeks like this make me want to hole up in my classroom with my students and shut out the “world”. As my kindergarteners entered my classroom yesterday, I felt I understood how Jesus felt in Matthew 19 when the children ran to meet Him. These little ones always enter my room trying to see who can get to me first for a hug. Now, we are told as educators to be wary of this type of contact for legal reasons, but there is no way I could push them away. They are so very hungry for love. They seem to NEED that attention. One of my little boys didn’t want to let go, though, and he climbed up in my lap. I gave him an extra tight squeeze and said, “Sweetie, come sit right here next to me and let’s get started with class,” but he didn’t move. If anything he burrowed in further and looked up at me with his eyes sparkling and his dimples shining.
     “I lub jou, Miz Keeley!” he announced, and as my heart melted and all the mess of the day faded into the background, I had a glimpse of that picture I used to study so closely when I was a little girl of Jesus blessing all the little children. Sure, it feels great when you are surrounded by a group of kids who all want your attention, but I also had a huge reality check.  What an enormous responsibility!  “Anyone who welcomes a little child on my behalf is welcoming me,” He said in Matthew. It reminded me of why I do what I do where I do it. I don’t have a job. I don’t have a career. I have a ministry. I have a calling. I guess you could say my focus got adjusted back in the right place – again. But I was struck by the weight of responsibility God’s calling brings. Yes, the world nips at my feet and vies for my attention. There are always too many things to do in a day that can ever possibly get accomplished, but the utmost important thing I do every day is listen to His voice, accept His call and touch the lives of each one of the people He puts in my path. What if a child just needs me to make eye contact and smile and I’m too caught up with paperwork to notice? What if a child just needs a hug or a word of encouragement, and I am too busy worrying about something over which I have no control? I must keep my focus and see these children through His eyes, hear His Spirit guiding me, bringing glory to Him. It’s not about me. None of it is. It is about my kids. It is about God’s plan. It is about glorifying Him.

What about you? What does God have planned for you today? How is Satan working to distract and change your focus? At the end of the day, where is your heart, your eyes, your ears going to be focused? Will the needs of the people around you be met? Will God be glorified?


Lord, I lost focus again. Thank you for clearing it up for me again. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful and exciting ministry. I love my children. Help me to meet your expectations and not have any of my own. Help me hear your voice directing me in the way I should go, the actions I should take, the words I should say. Let no one person – young or old – leave my presence before I have fulfilled your will for our encounter. Help me be bold. Help me be loving. Help me emulate You in every way. I praise you, Lord. I thank you, Lord. I place every part of my life at Your feet, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen

But, Lord, I Just Don't Understand!

Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.” Daniel 10:12


     The question was posed in Life Connection not long ago about experiences we have had where we just had to trust God because we simply couldn’t understand why things were happening the way they were. (Life Connection is our church’s name for Sunday School, by the way.)
     Now, I have to admit the first thought in my mind was a wry chuckle and, “Are you kidding? Do you want to narrow that down to a particular decade?” I wasn’t trying to be flippant. I was just overwhelmed with all the examples flashing through my mind. Where would I start? With the long, slow, painful illness and death of my brother at a young age. But there is one in particular that I have been to – at least in part – see come full cycle so I can appreciate some of the blessings along with the pain.
     It was December, 1996, and Stephen and I went in for a routine doctor’s appointment during the sixth month of my second pregnancy. He was going to hear the heartbeat for the first time – only there wasn’t a heartbeat. On December 7, 1996 our Sara Elisabeth Kelley was stillborn. And, no, I didn’t – and don’t – understand why. And, yes, I cried and questioned and asked Him, “Why!?” especially when we found out we had lost a girl. There aren’t many girls in Stephen’s side of the family so we had expected to have a house full of boys. I had a daughter, but I wasn’t going to get to hold her or hear her laugh or raise her. I serve a loving God, but that just seemed too cruel to comprehend.
     God and I had some pretty intense conversations in the months after this. I pounded His chest in exasperation, and He held me while I cried. I ranted and raved, and He soothed me with words of comfort. I mourned until I fell exhausted and worn at His feet, so audacious I asked Him to give me twin daughters. Nothing would replace the one I had lost, and I accepted that He knew what was best, but my desire for more children – especially a daughter – was that strong. God didn’t have to honor such a request, but on December 10, 1987 Kandice Paige and Kourtney Donne were born hearty and healthy. AND then again on April 26, 1990 He blessed us with another daughter, Kayla Noel. God not only answered my heart’s cry, He blessed us above and beyond anything I imagined.
     When this question was posed in Life Connection, we were studying Daniel. He was certainly put in many situations he didn’t understand, but his actions indicate that he stayed focused on God and not his circumstances. He continued to follow God’s teachings and directions. He continued to turn to God in his confusion and frustration – even when he was in physical danger.
     There is so much going on in the world around us today that makes us feel insecure and vulnerable. Sometimes we feel we are in danger – some of us actually are! No matter what the circumstances, however, God is in complete control. He knows what is happening right now AND what is going to happen tomorrow and the day after that and next week and next year on into eternity. Even though we can’t see it, He knows how it all fits together. He loves us. He loves you. He loves me. He will never abandon us or leave us for the lions to devour. So, even though I cannot see the answers or the future, I can see Jesus. “I lift my eyes….my help comes from you.”

Lord, help me when I don’t understand. Your ways are not my ways and Your thoughts are not my thoughts. I may think I have all the answers, but I would make such a mess of everything if we did things the way I feel is best. Help me keep that in mind when life seems to be so confusing and frustrating. Help me when the world seems to be crashing down around me. Help me keep my eyes on You and not on my circumstances, fear and pain. Help me adjust my expectations to align with Your plan and not my own. Thank you for being there to put your loving arms around me, pick me up and carry me through the storms. Thank you for loving me.

You Can't Handle the Truth!

     I’ve been taking a little assessment of all I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks as I’ve been reading Matthew. God has been telling me to focus loud and clear. Focus my thoughts, my worship, my prayers, my emotions – every fiber of my being – on Him and Him alone – no matter what. He has spoken to me about focusing my mind and eyes on Him. Today, He addressed another area – my hearing.
     You see, chapter 17 has that troubling phrase again, “Don’t tell anyone.” To me this still insinuates that someone has done something they're ashamed of, but that is certainly not the case here. We know Jesus never sinned so what could He possibly have to hide? Nothing. The problem wasn’t with Him, of course. It was with the disciples for one. They had seen something pretty amazing in Chapter 17, and I'm sure they were trying to figure out how they were going to explain it to everybody else, but Jesus told them to keep it under their hat because they weren’t ready to share it yet. Ouch!  They didn’t totally understand it. Just between you and me, under the same situation, I'm afraid I would be thinking, "No joke, Jesus.  And no one is going to believe me anyway!  Are you going to explain this one?"  God did have a plan for them pertaining to this incident, though, when the time was right!  They needed to wait until He had finished preparing them. It is not always easy to hear Him say, “Wait” but it is so important that I wait on His timing and look for the plan He has for me right now. And if I’m not focused on Him, I’ll miss out on that preparation and won’t be equipped when He calls. How embarrassing!  That is not acceptable at all.  I must stay focused and listen!
     Second, the people around them weren’t ready to hear the message yet. How humbling! I’ve simply never thought about the possibility that God had a message for me, but I might not be ready to hear it. I guess I've just taken it for granted that the Word is there when I'm good and ready for it - on MY timing.  Silly, self-centered, childish me.  No wonder He says there are some things I am just not ready for!  That invokes so many emotions I don’t even know where to begin! Oh, Lord, may it never be! The people at that time were looking for a Savior, but they were looking for a Messiah who would come in as a military leader and take over the world. They were focused on their own expectations instead of what Jesus had to tell them. They were not willing to accept the truth over what they wanted to be true. No matter what is going on in the world around me, I must listen to His direction – listen to His word – and not listen to the world – not listen to my own fears or desires.  God and God alone knows the truth.  God and God alone knows the future.  God and God alone knows what is good, and perfect, and right.  He alone has all power.  Why would I ever want to lean on My own puny little understanding?  I'll let me down every time.  He never does!
    
Lord, I give you my ears. May they always hear your voice above the hustle and bustle around me. Lord, may I have the patience to sit at your feet as you prepare me for the future. May I stay humble and focused on You that I may be ready to hear your message.  Teach me what I need to know right now, right here for the situations I will deal with today and the people I will encounter today.  Teach me what I need to prepare me for tomorrow that I will be ready when the time comes to answer your call.  Help me to never take You, Your message, or Your plan for granted.  Give me wisdom to discern your words from the lies the world promotes. Thank you, Lord, for your love and provision. Thank you for your word.  

Lord, when your message is wait, open my ears to listen to You.  When your message is "Go", make my feet swift and my actions bold.