Spirit & Heart

I saw that the bottom was about to fall out, but I couldn’t do a thing. 

The speeding car zoomed past my driveway, a mere one hundred feet from a stop sign. The driver would soon cross a major highway. I quickly looked up and down the highway to see if the driver could avoid an accident. He couldn’t. A lone car meandered down the highway and was soon t-boned by the speeding car that ran the stop sign. The driver who ran the stop sign wasn’t seriously injured, but the lady in the other vehicle had to be flown to a nearby hospital and undergo several surgeries. She never knew her bottom was about to fall out.

Nor did those Peter preached to on the Day of Pentecost. Imagine their surprise when he used references from the Old Testament to prove that Jesus was God’s Messiah sent to save the world. Then the convicting blow when he informed them they were responsible for his crucifixion. Their bottom was about to fall out unless they acted.

How the bottom looks varies between individuals and even within the same individual. Bottoms can include financial hardships, divorces, deaths, arrests, addictions, unemployment, rebellion, unfaithfulness, etc. Our reaction to the bottoms that fall out is more important than what the bottom actually is.

The least desirable reaction would be turning our backs on God. God never allows or sends trials hoping this will happen. While He rarely clues us in on why something happened, He never intends for us to walk away from Him. He wanted those listening to Peter to turn to Him, not away.

If we let them, the bottoms will always increase our patience. Trials try. It’s their nature. God’s purpose in allowing or bringing them is to enhance our patience with ourselves, others, and Him. Patience should be a sought-after virtue. Those who learn it fare better throughout life’s circumstances.

Bottoms will also increase our faith. God rewarded those who responded to Peter’s sermon by placing their faith in Jesus with forgiveness and eternal life. Trials stretch our faith in God’s goodness, protection, and guidance. As our faith in Him grows, we’ll trust Him more and gain more spiritual victories over sin and unpleasant circumstances.

Think of how you typically respond when your bottom falls out.

Partial surrender doesn’t exist. We are not genuinely surrendered unless we are fully surrendered. Very few are truly surrendered, but God gives victory to those who are.

The word surrender is not in the KJV Bible. Instead, this translation uses “submit” and “consecrate.” Surrender means the war is over and the fighting has ended. It means a cessation of resistance and rebellion and the usurping of our own power and will to do the victor’s will. It also means peace on the terms of the victor.

Believers are holy and sanctified because we stand in Christ and His righteousness. But we are further encouraged to be consecrated to the Lord and to be holy or sanctified daily. This process is called progressive sanctification.

God does not force this surrender on us but encourages us to do it for His glory. This is a surrender of our will to do the Father’s will. Surrender or consecration to God entails complete and entire separation from the world and sin and complete devotion to Christ.

We become surrendered or consecrated to God when, like Paul, we adopt a new value system and lightly esteem the things of the world but highly esteem the things of Christ. This also happens when we seek those things above rather than the things of the earth.

Think of some life areas that you need to surrender.

I tasted salt in every phrase as I sang.

Moving day wasn’t a joyous occasion for me. We were leaving a place where I’d found friendships, a good church, and enjoyed being geographically close to my family. But moving was necessary for my husband’s change of employment, and despite the heartache, I was determined to sing a song of praise as I drove our pick-up truck down the road.

Tears dripped down my cheeks and into my mouth. My voice broke, and the tune wavered. The hymns may not have sounded melodic at that moment, but to God, they were better than listening to the best Broadway soundtrack.

Sometimes, singing praises to God is a sacrifice when we’re going through difficulties. When I don’t feel like doing it, but do it anyway, I lay my emotions, desires, and wants on the altar before Him. As my lips form the words and breath passes my vocal cords, God reminds me of the most important thing: He has saved me. When I acknowledge His salvation, the assurance comes that He delights in my praise, and I am comforted.

That day of departure became the beginning of a new adventure. When you face a hardship, bring a sacrifice of praise to God. 

Rain relieves dry flowerpots, brown yards, and the air of a parched summer day. This relief is a visual all its own, with the added scent of freshness.

When we thirst emotionally, finding what sustains us through the seasons of life can be a struggle. Intense loneliness can make the heart feel parched. Like David hiding in the desert of Judah, we all thirst for something, someone. Even in a crowd, sometimes, we can feel lonely. We try to drown it out with the noise and busyness of life.

I tend to isolate myself when I am dealing with something emotional that causes loneliness that is difficult to shake. Being raised to hide my feelings, I find it easier to keep it all to myself. But easy isn’t always the best. I am learning that opening myself to others places me in that bigger picture of real living.

Connection is so important. Many find it on social media. Contentment can be confused with possessions and titles. For me, true contentment has come with living more in the present and the life God has always had for me, knowing He walks beside me every step of the way.

Make sure that what quenches your thirst is refreshing and lasting. Don’t substitute other things for God.

What’s a puffin eat? 

A young child pondered the word she heard on the day we celebrate the wise men’s arrival to see the baby Jesus. Of course, we talked about puffins and what they eat, then addressed pronunciation. In the South, our pronunciations are often a little sloppy. My simple explanation: a new discovery or a surprising idea, something we didn’t know before.

I remember an article in the Weekly Reader about a pilot who saw the shape of a boat in the ice on Mount Ararat in Turkey. I was seven and thrilled when I realized Noah’s Ark was real, not just a fun story in the Bible. This epiphany changed the way a little girl viewed the Bible.

In the case of Jesus, His birth was an epiphany because the circumstances contrasted with the entrance imagined for centuries by Hebrews. The song “How Should a King Come?” by Jimmy and Carol Owens illustrates this beautifully.

But the Messiah didn’t come as expected. He came through an otherwise ordinary girl in a grungy dwelling for farm animals. Surprise!

The second epiphany was the wise men from the East. They studied the stars and knew Daniel’s prophecies. They saw the amazing star over Bethlehem and visited Jesus. This was a clear sign that Christ was available to Gentiles. God sent His Son through the Hebrew people for all people. Who knows if anyone realized this truth then? Later, Jesus made sure they knew.

Jesus still brings epiphany. Anyone who reads or hears the gospel and is moved to understand why Jesus came has an epiphany, a discovery never dreamed of. The epiphanies continue as we study the Word and live out God’s teachings. Epiphany. He came for you too.

Do you want epiphanies in your life? Ask. God sends His Word to reveal them.