All the Sudden a Tear or Two

Last night, I decided to have Owen read a story out loud to me. After a few pages his brother, Alex, had finished reading his book. I invited him to come sit with us and listen as well. There we sat, three of us, stretched out upon the sofa, reading The Tale of Three Trees. 

About the middle of the story, I decided that I would take over the reading. Almost immediately I thought, "Perhaps this was a mistake." By the end of the page I was unable to speak except in tiny fragments which were noticeably quieter due to the fact I was attempting to hold back tears. The gravity of what I had been seeing with my eyes, feeling with my heart, and saying with my voice rested on my chest. Inhale, exhale, I reminded myself to breathe. In just a few short pages the weight of sin transcended through paper, time, and space and settled in my heart. It surely was too heavy for me to bear, as I could not hold it in. Stumbling through the remaining pages was my best. Stopping at each word. Releasing the burden with every remembrance that Jesus was the one who came and took it all away from me, from you, from any one that would say, "I can't handle this myself!"

And so in a few moments I had finished the story (It's not a long book,) but I felt impressed to go back to where I had begun to fight back the tears. Then I flipped back several pages and explained the reason that I was sobbing.

"But one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box.

I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered.

The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. 'This manger is beautiful,' she said.

And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world."1

That last sentence. It got me right there (I'm pointing at my heart.) Each of the three trees had their own plans settled on for their lives. Eventually their dreams began to fade as they saw that it wasn't going to pan out the way they'd hoped. The first tree had hopes of holding valuable treasure and was at first disappointed at being made into a feeding box for barnyard animals. He didn't know he'd hold priceless treasure far exceeding the value of precious stones and gold! 

Through dripping, warm tears I repeated to my boys once again that Jesus chose to come down from heaven. He left the perfect environment with streets and paths and walls made of the precious metals and jewels the tree-now-box wanted to embrace. He made a decision to be born a baby, a son to a humble, poor young woman and a man who would choose to call him his own. All of this for the glory of His Father.

The second tree wanted to be a strong sailing ship fit for a king. But he was cut down and formed into a small fishing boat. So much for being used greatly. And the story continues. 

"The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, 'Peace.' The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. 

 And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth."2

 Here is the record of Jesus' great power being displayed. In the midst of chaos and confusion, the Lord showed his faithfulness. And I've learned along the way that as long as I invite him into my situation, there is nothing he won't bring me through. Wanting to be loved, he loves me; wanting to be noticed, he notices me; wanting to be remembered, he remembers me; wanting to be thought of, he thinks of me; wanting to be pursued, he pursues me; wanted to be rescued, he rescued me; wanting him present, he is always with me. Still, he takes me through places that would normally cause significant anxiety, but when I keep him near, I am not fearful. He has consistently proven his faithfulness. There is nothing that will or can keep his love from reaching out for me. 


Now to tell of the destiny of the third tree. After thinking that she had been forgotten for all those years, one Friday morning she was picked out of a stack of lumber for a purpose not yet known. People were angry. People were shaking their fists. As the man's hands were nailed to her, the feeling of shame came upon her.

"But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything.

 It had made the first tree beautiful. It had made the second tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.

That was better than being the tallest tree in the world."

I hope nothing more than through this tale that we all walk away with a renewed sense of purpose in the body of Christ. Sometimes it will be that we're not used the way we expect to be because of our pride. The Lord has his plans for us, and they are always for our best and to demonstrate his glory. It is imperative that we take the focus off of us and put it on him. He is our leader, the one we are not fit to follow if we are unwilling to humble ourselves.

Father, I am using this as an invitation to accept you and respond with a resounding Yes! I have great expectations that there would be many who are touched in such a way that their hearts would return to you. I humbly send this out to all, those who will and those who won't. I lift them all up to you.  In His Precious Name. Amen.

The Dreaming Gentile, The Revealing Jew

Week Two of the Beth Moore Bible study on Daniel:

The lessons always begin with prayer, and usually they are specific to God revealing deep secrets within his own words. What makes this particularly special is that the mystery is planted in the mind of a king. It arises from the dust of his mind during the night, and creates for him a circumstance beyond his control. So heavy does this weigh on him that he is unable to return to his sweet slumber. The king's dream is recorded in Daniel 2.

I've had dreams like this before, and it seems the Lord wants to keep me up at night so that I can see his plans, confer with him, and sometimes jot it down. I am blessed by this immensely and never want it to stop because God always gives me the time back in some way, in his time. And it is good! Matthew 13:11-12 recalls Christ telling his disciples that, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not [to the masses]. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance." Perhaps one could classify me as a Daniel, or a Jeremiah, closer to a Jonah? I see things...I tell people, they shoo me away...I decide they should face harsh punishment...


Anyway, Daniel (a young Jew of royalty who was captured and now serving the Gentile king) was a man of The Word. He knew it. And it knew him. And Daniel was very shrewd- like a serpent (only not evil...can you tell I don't like snakes?) I believe to a certain extent that "King Neb," as Beth so jubilantly calls him,  was shrewd as well. He wasn't about to allow the astrologers and sorcerers to take what was his dream and turn it into an ear tickling festival. Nope! He told them that if they were unable to tell him his dream and interpret it that he would have them pulled apart like monkey bread. What did they do? Plead for their lives! The astrologers and sorcerers admitted that they couldn't even begin to guess what his dream was because the "gods" hold knowledge to the things of that nature. And death was upon them.


You got that right! Except, it isn't "the gods" who hold this knowledge, it's The God. The Living God, Creator God, Almighty God. Age to age, He's still the same. He gives the dreams and he gives the meaning of the dreams. 

Enter Daniel, the hero with the hook-up. The saying is absolutely true that it is all about WHO you know. This boy simply astounds me. I mean, he's got chutzpah! How much confidence in your God do you have when you're willing to speak up to the man who came to kill you about something that could be considered none of your concern? Daniel, just a boy, really, had faith in his God and an excellent understanding of how to approach someone of tremendous power. What a gift! There is no "foot-in-mouth disease" here. And so by stepping up and trusting God, Daniel found favor with the king. 


Finding favor with my king, the King of kings, starts with me approaching him. He whispers in my ear and plants dreams like trees of hope that are life-giving, but sometimes disturbing. Even so, I know he can and will provide nutrients and water to grow...it happens frequently. Let me tell you, he doesn't dispense on merit, otherwise I wouldn't make the cut. True story. Since it happens ALL THE TIME, you can make an inference that I approach His throne constantly (it may be appropriate to refer to me as Our Lady of Perpetual Discombobulation.) So be it. In the New Testament, James, the brother of Jesus Christ- who once thought his divine sibling insane, does a little backtracking and gives us a bit of sage advice: to ask God when we need wisdom because he's willing and able to give it...and he won't call you a schlub for doing it!


Father, you say, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." You had David write in the Psalms, "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." His son, Solomon, was given your words, "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Let us seek you out to find your wisdom. May it be that your enduring love spares us of foolishness, but if we are fools, we are fools for you! Thank you that as the giver of dreams, you also have the meaning, and you are waiting for us to call on you to give that too! You are a good God!