With Friends Like Job's

Many of us have lost someone very close to us. However, I would venture to say that most people have only lost someone of the "knowing" variety - we knew them, but their passing did not affect our everyday lives. It was sad to see them go, but our lives almost seamlessly rolled on without them. I was of the latter category until a few months ago.

Like most people who have only lost someone they can really live without, we offer condolences to people as if their whole lives haven't been totally turned upside down. Because we can live without someone and have moved on, somehow we think that the feelings of someone else are the same and that their grief will be short lived, or rather we just forget that they are still hurting because we are no longer hurting.

Furthermore, we as Christians tend to offer condolences that are trite and perhaps have less heart than someone with no bearing in the Word of God would give. We think that spouting off a scripture from the Bible or giving the all too familiar "he/she is in a better place" speech is somehow all that is necessary. Granted, I know that offering condolences is a difficult task, especially for someone like myself who is better at writing notes than seeing someone face to face and offering off-the-cuff sympathies. Inevitably we reach into our trick box of sympathies, greetings, and small talk to get out of the face to face moment as quickly as possible. Somehow we have turned the living Word into a stale placating catch-all. We can't relate to the hurt, so our sympathies are minimized to mere words with little heart or just little understanding.

Beyond the material possessions and his own health, Job lost the things most precious to him in his life. His friends came to him with an air of pity but what they offered to him was instead accusation and trite religious rhetoric. In Job's time of grief, their lack of insight into his struggle threatened to sink him lower than he already was.

This life is full of sorrow and pain, and at some point in all our lives we experience something that strikes us at the very core of our being. However, we shouldn't have to come to the point of our deepest hurts before we are able to understand the hurts in other people's lives. Just because we haven't been through what someone else has been through doesn't mean we shouldn't be able to empathize with them and offer sincere comfort.

When Lazarus passed, Jesus did offer words of life to Mary and Martha and those that were present there, but more than that - Jesus mourned with them. Even though He knew there was hope - even though He knew that Lazarus was in a better place - even though He knew Lazarus was no longer in pain - even though He knew that He was going to raise him from the dead - even though! Jesus STILL wept and grieved with those who were grieving!

Yes, I know that my brother is in a better place. He is in the place that we all long to be. He is in the presence of the Lord. He is no longer in pain, no longer struggling and suffering. Yes, I know. But still I grieve. I grieve the loss. I grieve the life missed. I grieve the personality and the wisdom that has gone on. I grieve what was, and I grieve what could have been.

After the funeral, the world moves on, and loved ones are expected to slap on a happy face and continue with life status quo. Meanwhile, their hearts are wrenched.

Mercy is a gift from the Holy Spirit, but it should not be limited to the few. Mercy should be practiced by us all. Compassion is a part of love that is required of us all as followers of Christ.

By and large through the week of my brother's passing, Christians came up beside us and held us up in prayer and love. And many still continue to do so. I have been impressed especially with a church that my sister-in-law now attends that has truly been the heart of Christ extended to her and Ryan. But it saddened me, and more truthfully angered me, that some people who should truly know a better way, as they profess themselves followers of Christ, instead offered almost heartless sentiments that were more so biting than comforting or encouraging.

God created us with emotions. And while they are fallible, they are not to be ignored, hurried along, or treated as inconsequential. God cares about our feelings and will correct us when we are off mark. He does understand our grieving, and he does allow for the healing process to take place in our lives. Let us not be a people who offer empty words and sentiments, (even I have been subject to doing this when I'm not sure what else to do), but let us grieve with those who grieve, cry with them, and listen to them. Usually an ear and a hug are more valuable than any word spoken in indifference.

We must care about what God cares about, and God cares about His people who are hurting. Remember those who have lost someone, because they hurt long after we have moved on.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

 James 1:27

Heaven - Lost in Translation

Pearly gates. Streets of gold. Mansions. St. Peter playing bouncer at the gates. White, fluffy clouds. Chubby cherubs playing harps. These are a few of the images that our minds conjure when we think of heaven. Some are accurate; some are perpetuations of pop culture. But if you're like me, most of these images of heaven make me think - Whoopty-freakin-doo.

Since my brother died a couple of weeks ago, my family and I have comforted ourselves with the fact that Mark is no longer in pain, no longer struggling; he is in a better place. What a blessing to know that he had a relationship with the Lord on this earth and now gets to spend eternity in heaven. However, when I find myself in tears it's over thoughts of how short 36 years is - it is a blink in eternity - and what he's missing here on earth. But why should I care what he's missing on earth if he's in a better place?

Heaven is our hope. Heaven far surpasses what's here on earth. And yet, my brain can't even come up with a comparable image to match the supposed glory of heaven. In fact, my imaginations of heaven are quite bland and dull. Therefore, I'm left grieving for my brother, while in all actuality he's probably in heaven saying, "What are you crying about, Laura? It couldn't get any better than this!" 

I think the problem lies in the fact that our understanding of heaven comes from earthly words and earthly minds. There is no amount of description in earthly words that could convey heaven in such a way that our earthly minds can capture the magnitude of its greatness. In the same way, some people have trouble believing in God because their earthly minds can't understand a being so holy, loving, and gracious. A lot of people are afraid of dying because they can't imagine anything better than this earth, because this earth is all they know. Even in the Bible, the prophets saw things in visions that earthly words couldn't convey what they were seeing. 

But by His Spirit living in us, we can get a taste of heaven, for our spirits know what we are missing in heaven and they long to be there. 

However, as it is written:“What no eye has seen,    what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived”—    the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

Someday I will see the wonders of heaven for myself, but until then I will have to continue to trust that Mark is in a better place. And if he's lucky, there is a McDonalds there like he hoped, since he missed out on eating so much food the last ten years of his life!

Keep Dreaming

Keep your dreams alive.
They are the color on your canvas.
Once they die, your canvas slips into grays.
Not black and white, clear and defined,
But the grays of mediocrity.

Your dreams push you forward.
They lift you.
They make you who you are,
and take you further.

My canvas has become gray,
because I've settled for less than I should.
I've convinced myself that they weren't worth attaining.
But lies are the devil's handiwork,
and his dreams are our destruction.

Dreams don't have to be extreme;
They just have to make each day,
each week,
each month,
each year worth seeing.

Fasting from Talking

In the last 10 minutes, after  brief research to see how biblically-based it is, I have decided to fast from speaking. My mouth gets me into a lot of trouble - I think less with other people and more with myself and God.

Over the past few years, I've become more brazen about what I tell other people. I have always been extremely reserved about what I say to others - and really, I still am. I have never been one to tell my business to other people, nor share my opinions. I save my opinions for a select few. Typically, my opinions are critical and negative, versus constructive and positive. In other words, my opinions are rants, whines, and complaints. Those are most definitely against the Word of God.

I think the older I've gotten, the more certain I've become in thinking that being an adult entitles me to a critical opinion of everything. But I think that instead of showing my maturity, it rather shows an immaturity. Is it possible that the older I get, the more immature I'm becoming?

While I am very discerning of people and situations and while I am very knowledgeable about the Word of God, I think I am more voicing my own mind than I am actually relying on God's opinion. Way to go, me! You think you know more than God! Top notch work, me!

In reality, if what I say and think was truly based on what God says and thinks, then I would feel better about it than I end up feeling. If it was truly based on His leadings, then other people would be built up and encouraged.

So, starting now I'm going to attempt to keep my mouth shut. I don't know for how long, but at least long enough that I feel like I can once again speak with a filter. Reining in your words is really a reining in of your thoughts first.

Here's to me shutting up!!

James 1:19-20 — Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 10:19 – When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Just this week a coworker was telling me of a friend of his that took a mission trip to Africa. While the man was in Africa, he and his group spent time with a tribe - though I can't remember what the name of this particular tribe was. The men of this tribe had a rite of passage, which they actually performed when they were about 11 years old. Each man of the tribe had to go out and cut the tail off of a lion. Now move past the thoughts of that as quickly as you can; in our modern world it is hard to understand chopping off the tail of an animal, but their world is different. Not only must this be a difficult task, but it also gains them much respect - not just among their tribe, but also among the lions! Believe it or not, when the lions of the area see members of this tribe they will actually get up and move away from them. So you think to yourself, "They must be scared of humans in general." No, they only move away when they see members of this particular tribe not of any other tribe. The lions know the difference!


1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." So the question I pose is do you belong to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Do you belong to the tribe that invokes fear in the heart of the enemy? Do you belong to the tribe that the gates of hell cannot prevail against? Does your life send the enemy on the run? 


Or do you belong to another tribe? Perhaps you're of a tribe that the enemy does not even recognize; perhaps the enemy even thinks that he can encroach upon you and intimidate you.


We must live our lives in such a way that it is evident who we belong to, in such a way that it causes the enemy to flee from us. We may not lop off his tail, but we may at least gain ground that was once considered his territory.

My Whole Life

Many are familiar with the story of the adulterous Samaritan woman that Jesus revealed Himself to at the well. After racing back to the town to tell of meeting the Messiah, she proclaimed, ""Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29). Now I have heard some laugh at this seemingly exaggerated statement she made. The argument is that all Jesus really told her is that she had had many husbands and that the man she lived with at the time was not her husband. So, did Jesus really tell her "everything" she ever did? To some the answer to this question is "No, she was just carried away with emotion."


 When we belong to the Lord or are questioning our lives in light of eternity, the sins in our lives are ever before us. It is the grace of God that exposes our sins to us, so that we can then in turn surrender them and our lives back to Him. When you are a Christian who truly loves the Lord, it will grieve your spirit to have sin in your life, and until you've confessed it, it will be ever before you. Likewise, if you do not know the Lord, but the Holy Spirit begins to deal with you, the sins in your life will be burdensome until you know that you can confess them  and by the cross they will be crucified. So to the Samaritan woman indeed Jesus told her everything she ever did!

Repair Your Heritage

A few weeks ago I was in that strange phase between waking and sleeping when your thoughts slip into a weird dream-like state even though you're still awake. Then you hit that moment when you realize, "What on earth am I thinking about? This doesn't even make sense." Well this time my weird thoughts seemed to have a point to them.

I was standing on the steps in downtown Huntsville that go down into Big Spring Park. I started thinking how awesome it would be to suddenly yell something and have everyone pay attention to what I was saying and find it important. So out of nowhere I yelled, "Repair your heritage!" I seemed to be referring to the buildings or something at that point (you know how these weird thought/dreams go), and that seemed to strike a chord with everyone.

I regained consciousness with "Repair Your Heritage" resounding in my mind. How can you repair something that has already been established. Your heritage is something that is innately a part of who you are. You cannot change the family you were born into, your genetics, your bloodline... but there it is Your Bloodline.

When we identify ourselves with Christ and are adopted into His family, we are drawn into His bloodline. There are all of the members of Christ's bloodline that are recounted to us in the first chapter of Matthew, from Adam to Joseph, then Jesus. Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we are able to step into that bloodline right behind him. We are covered by His blood. It is not a privilege merely reserved for Israel; we are adopted in and considered a part of this Chosen Bloodline.

At birth, we inherit the defects of physical genetics, but we also inherit defects of personality which give birth to the generational sin that makes its lovely appearance in the progression of our lives. It seems to be a hopeless situation - how do you even begin to change the effects of DNA? How do you change the circumstances of birth and living?

Repair your heritage. Submit the circumstances of who you are to the Creator. He created the complexities of  the universe; he knew you before you were in your mother's womb - I think he can handle the make-up of your life. Not only is He the Master Physician who can heal your physical problems, but He is also the one who can take an ax to the root of generational sin in your life and stop it from being passed on to your posterity. With His Word, you can continue your transformation by the renewing of your mind.

Repair your heritage by knowing the Creator and the Word that set the creation in motion.