Called to Be Different...Part 1

Some personalities are very comfortable standing out in a crowd. I think about being in a large mall several years ago and walking past a gal with short, spiky hair who had fluorescent pink highlights. I could barely keep my eyes from trailing her all the while I was thinking, "Doesn't she realize how ridiculous she looks?"

Obviously, that girl did not mind being different from the hundreds of people shopping that day. She may have even loved being the center of attention.

That is not my personality. I don't always enjoy being different than most people around me, and I know a thing or two about that. Growing up as a polio survivor who needed braces and crutches to get around, set me apart from everyone around me. So I have felt the sting of being different, of being whispered about, and even being shunned. However, I decided early on that I would embrace being different and not let it be a huge hang-up for me. So, I framed answers for those inevitable questions that were asked - mostly by children who had the courage to let their curiosity speak up. And I grew tougher skin for the times when people - mostly adults - didn't quite know how to act around me.

For fifty-odd years, I have been different and, yet, have lived a normal life in this crazy world of ours. I learned what my boundaries were - what I could do and not do, and adjusted to them. All of us have experienced that isolating feeling of being different in some way at one time or another. For you, it may not have been as dramatic as my personal example, but you know that feeling. Perhaps your skin color was different than most people around you, or you were one of the only ones in your class whose Mom and Dad didn't live together, or you were overweight and made fun of, or you enjoyed playing with trucks and guns while the other girls played with Barbi and Ken (that's me again!), or you were not athletic like the other boys.This list could on and on, but the point is that everyone has faced times when they did not feel normal. In fact, when we stop and think about it, normal is relative, and most of us have adjusted to our normal.

Why, then, is it so difficult for us to embrace a new normal when it comes to our spiritual life? Some will argue that being a believer in Christ doesn't mean that we should be different than the world around us. They will say that Christians should not be seen as separate or activists for their beliefs because that would be offensive - and if we offend the world, how will we ever win the world for Jesus?

To those believers who shy away from standing out because of their faith, I want you to be encouraged and to gain strength from His Word.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are different - This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT This new life is on the inside, regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or re-educated - we are re-created and living in unison with the Spirit.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we called to be different - So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord...God saved us and called us to live a holy life... 2 Tim. 1:8-9 NLT The new life He has saved us to is a holy one - one that is set apart to be different from the world.

As people, we are unable to live a holy life, but as believers in Jesus Christ, we are empowered - I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Phil. 4:13 NAS Through His power we can grow into the spiritual men and women that He has purposed us to be.

Over the next two or three posts, we will be delving deeper into what holiness means and how holiness should set a believer in Christ apart from the rest of the world. My prayer is for us to grow in knowledge of and in desire to become more Chirst-like in our attitudes and behaviors.

That should set us on a path to a new normal - one that will cause children and adults alike to stop us and ask, "What happened to you?"

Oh, to be different - for Jesus....

Just Call Me Martha....

I don't always like it when God sends me a wake-up call. It usually becomes a time of introspection that ends with me saying, "Oh Father, I've messed up again! Please forgive me and help me get back to the center of Your will."

Well, that call came in last week. Actually, it had been ringing for several weeks, but I kept sending back a busy single. You see, I finished a ladies' Bible study in mid-July on various remarkable women of the Bible. That last week, we studied Mary and Martha, sisters of Jesus' close friend Lazarus. I prepared and facilitated that lesson a month ago, but it has been on my mind ever since. I kept thinking I would write a post about it, but I never "got around" to it. Then that call came last week.

I was very busy last week - busy doing several "good" things. As part of our Women's Ministry Team, I was the lead planner for a leadership training event scheduled for the end of that week. Our fall kick-off is also coming up, and I'm trying to finish lining up all of our fall Bible studies and get materials ordered and rooms booked.We are also in the early stages of preparing to host a giant women's conference in the winter. I've also been keeping one of my grandsons a couple of days a week.

All of those are good things to be doing. All of those are things that needed to be done. But when I answered that call, I had to admit my likeness to Martha.

In fact, I actually wrote the first part of this post several days ago! And then got "busy" again...with those "good" things. He continued to ring my number!

Here's what I know. Martha and her sister Mary were close friends with Jesus. We know that He stopped by their home in Bethany several times during His ministry. We also know that Jesus was very close to their brother Lazarus. So Jesus knew this family intimately. We also know that the sisters were complete opposites - Mary being quiet and contemplative, and Martha a stero-typical Type A personality always tending to the details of a situation.

Let's review an account in the Scripture that gives us insight into their personalities and their relationships with Jesus.

In Luke 10:38-42, we see the account of Jesus stopping by their home on one of His travels through the countryside. Martha welcomed Him into their home and began preparations for a nice meal. She was busy in the kitchen, wanting everything to be just perfect, while Mary sat down in the living room right at Jesus' feet, listening to all He had to say.

Now, put yourself in Martha's shoes. That'll be easy for all of you Type A folks. If you are not a Type A, try to think like one for a few moments! Jesus, whom she loved and respected and in whom she was looking for the long awaited Messiah, was visiting in HER home! She wanted Him to feel comfortable and be well-taken care of according to their societal customs. That meant, among other things, preparing a wonderful meal for Him and those who traveled with Him. And she found herself in the kitchen without any help - especially from her sister, Mary!

Verse 40 says, "But Martha was distracted with all her preparations, and she came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' "

 Oh my goodness!!! At first reading, I want to say, "Oh, Martha, just hush up!" Then  I read on...

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." vv. 21-42

As I read it over and over, I realized that there is a great lesson there, and Jesus took that teachable moment to instruct all of us.

Let's look at what distracted Martha...It was serving the Lord! Serving the Lord is a GOOD thing! Desiring to honor Him with our very best is what is asked of us. Because of Martha's personality and her love for Jesus, we know she wanted that supper to be the very best - from the food served to the tiniest of details.

I, like many others, are so like Martha! I remember when Garry's parents were coming to our home for dinner for the first time after we married. I wanted everything to be just right! I cleaned, vaccumed, and dusted the entire house. The bathroom was spotless. And I toiled over preparing the food because I wanted it to be perfect! These were my new inlaws...I didn't want them thinking their son had made a huge mistake!

So I can emphathize with Martha. I feel her stress at wanting things to be a certain way. I can also understand her thinking Mary ought to be in the kitchen helping her out! She was a bit ticked with her sister.

But I don't know that I would have walked up to Jesus and tattled on her! I've always looked at Martha's action as being a bit arrogant, but perhaps it wasn't arrogance but a level of comfort.

Usually, I will only be very frank with someone I feel extremely comfortable with, and I am usually the most comfortable around people with whom I have a good relationship. Thus, I believe Martha was so comfortable with Jesus and knew Him so well, that she felt she could pour out her feelings to Him - even if those feelings were those of frustration. Wow!

Am I that comfortable with Jesus?

From this brief glimpse into the living room of this family, we learn two important truths.

1. We can get so busy doing good things, including serving the Lord through ministry, that we get distracted from listening to Him. That's what Jesus meant when He said Mary had chosen the "good part." Mary had stopped her "doing" in order to listen to Him. "Marthas" can do and do and do all night long, but they will eventually run out of spiritual energy. There are people all around us who do so much without refilling themselves that they "burn out" or end up frustrated or angry. Fertile ground for Satan to plant seeds of discontent. We need to take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and be fed.
2. We need to be so comfortable with Jesus, that we can share our heart feelings with Him. That's how I see Martha's relationship with Jesus. That relationship was played out again in John 11:21 when she ran out to meet Jesus and told Him that if He had come when she called, Lazarus would not have died! She knew Him so well that she could share her heart. But she also loved Him so much that she always listened to His answer. They had that kind of interpersonal communication.

I guess you have surmised by now that I am "preaching to the choir!" It has taken me almost a month and a half to write this one post because I've been so busy "doing" and not spending enough time "sitting." All those things have been good things, but they would have better honored Him if I had spent more time sitting at His feet before I got so busy.

I want to be a Martha in the sense that I have a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, and I want to be a Mary in the sense that I take time to sit at His feet and listen to what He wants to say to me. All of that to conclude that I need to have a "Mary" heart in a "Martha" world. I need to "sit" before I "do."


 

Lord, I Need To Know What To Do...Esther, Part 3

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 NLT

Wisdom...who doesn't need wisdom...and lots of it! Obviously, we all do. But when we talk about "wisdom," what do we really mean? Knowledge, intelligence? A person can have tons of knowledge about something, but not be wise, and a person can have a very high intelligence level, and not have wisdom. 

Wisdom - knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action (dictionary.com)

Wisdom is so much more than knowledge; it is discernment, good judgement, or, as my granny would say, "horse sense."

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've asked the Lord for wisdom when it comes to my children - from needing to know when to let them cry themselves to sleep as babies to guiding them through those difficult teen years and beyond.

I also can't count the number of times I've been faced with a situation and a sense of panic began creeping upward from my stomach - because I didn't ask for wisdom. I just acted on my own, out of my flesh. Sometimes, that doesn't work out too well!

The point is - God is the source of wisdom, and we are instructed in His word to ask Him for it, and we are promised in His word that He will give it. WOW! That seems so simple....

Queen Esther was faced with a dire situation in which she desperately needed God's wisdom. (To catch up on Esther's story, read Part 1 and Part 2) The king's Prime Minister, Haman, had connived a way to destroy the entire Jewish population and the king had unknowingly given his approval. Mordecai had alerted Queen Esther and implored her to go before the king and plead for her people. But remember:

• Anyone, including the queen, who approached the king without being summoned could be put to death and
• The king was unaware that Esther was a Jew.

We've already discussed how God displayed His Power and Presence through Esther's courage. However, another quality that showed up in Esther's actions was wisdom. Courage is best coupled with wisdom. In fact, wisdom keeps courage from becoming fool hearted.

As Queen Esther dealt with the knowledge given her about the plot against the Jews, we can see seven steps of wisdom that she took.

1. She STOPPED - Esther did not rush headlong into or away from the problem! Before doing anything, she paused and caught her breath - so to speak. It's always wise to take a few minutes or even a few days, if possible, before acting on a rash emotion. There is a difference between "action" and "reaction," and "reaction" usually leads to more problems.
2. She WAITED - Instead of acting on impulse, Esther sent a servant to talk to Mordecai to find out what was really going on (4:5). She wanted the facts before she acted. Patience is a virtue.
3. She CONSULTED - Esther sought advice and counsel from her cousin Mordecai (4:12-14), who had proven his wisdom to her throughout her life. Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is not guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory." Seeking godly advice is also a virtue.
4. She PRAYED - After hearing from Mordecai and his plea for her to go before the king, she called for prayer and fasting. She knew her ultimate counselor was God, Himself. This wasn't just a wing and a prayer, either. Esther called for a three day fast for herself, her maids, Mordecai, and all the Jews in the city. She wanted to hear from the Lord. Phil. 4:6-7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace that surpasses all human understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
5. She DECIDED - Time, counsel, and prayer led Esther to a decision that gave her the kind of peace described in Philippians. She was so at peace with her decision that she said, "...I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish." (4:17) That was God's kind of peace!
6. She ACTED - Esther put feet to her faith in 5:1-2 and went in to the inner court to the king's throne room praying that he would extend his scepter to her, which he did. What if she had known what God wanted her to do, but never acted on it? Knowing God's will doesn't mean much if we don't DO God's will. He gave her the plan, and she carried it out with boldness.
7. She ADJUSTED - Part of wisdom is discernment, and Esther discerned that it would be better to explain her plea at a second meeting with the king and Haman. So she invited them to a another banquet on the following evening. Because she listened with her heart, God's timing played out perfectly. The king learned that Mordecai had thwarted an earlier plot to kill the king but had never been rewarded. And Haman's pride led him to build a gallows on which he planned to hang Mordecai. However, Haman, himself, was hanged on that very spot after the king learned of his deceit. (Esther 6-7) 

God's Power and Presence in Esther's life allowed her to call on His wisdom in that difficult circumstance. And because she did something with that wisdom, the Jews were not annihilated. His wisdom and His will is perfect. She put herself completely in His hands and felt that peace that cannot be explained.

Where does that leave us? Hopefully, we are left remembering that when we are faced with a stressful situation, we should call upon the Power and Presence of our Lord to give us His wisdom. We should never panic and react but pray and act, putting our faith into action, and let God take care of the rest.

God may not need you to save an entire people group, but He does want you to be His hands and feet in the world around you. That includes your family, friends, work place, social circles - wherever life takes you. He has a plan and purpose for your life, and when you are smack dab in the middle of it, you, too, will have that peace that we cannot understand.

For Such A Time As This...Esther, Part 2

All of us, at some time or other, have probably looked around at our circumstances and wondered, "How?" "Why?" "For how long?"

It's only human nature to question, especially when our circumstances are not what we want or are the result of something out of our control. Delving into those questions can be a good thing - as long as we seek the answers from the One who knows all.

Queen Esther is one of those who probably spent much time pondering those questions. If I had been in her sandals, history may have turned out quite differently. Let's look again at Queen Esther's life and glean God's truths for us. (Reading my last post, When Things Are Not What They Seem...Esther, Part 1, will catch you up on Esther's life.)

Esther's life story resonates with two P's - Power and Presence - God's Power and God's Presence. And those two P's are as available to each one of us today as it was to Esther hundreds of years ago.

When I have a decision to make, I often wish I could see what the end result would be if I do this or if I do that. Several years ago, I agonized over leaving my long-time teaching career in order to have less physical stress on my Post-Polio body and, thus, have better quality of life long term. That doesn't seem like a difficult choice; however, it was tremendously difficult for me to make. I loved teaching, I loved interacting with the students, I loved the other teachers I worked with, and I had just finished a graduate degree in instruction. I wondered why He had allowed me to attain that degree and then not be able to use it, but the toughest part was losing a big part of our income. Even though I knew it was God's will for me to leave teaching, I wanted to see the "end" of the story, so to speak. I wanted to "see" how God was going to provide for us and what He had in store for me. But God usually doesn't preview the outcome of our circumstances. We learn to walk that path in faith.

Esther, a beautiful young virgin who had been conscripted into the harem from which the king would choose a new queen, would probably liked to have known the final outcome of her situation. But again, God rarely shows His people the end of the story before we live it out.

No doubt, God's Power and Presence were with Esther throughout her life, but especially during her years at the palace. Those two P's helped hone her into one of the most important figures in Jewish history. God's Power and Presence enabled her to live out His purpose for her life by giving her three distinct qualities.

God's Power and Presence emboldened Esther with Courage. Mordecai, Esther's cousin who had raised her as a daughter, would not bow to Haman who had been promoted to the equivalent of Prime Minister. Mordecai and Esther had both kept their race and religion to themselves, but this was where Mordecai drew the line in the sand. He was a closet Jew who did not adhere to all of the laws of his faith. But when it came to bowing down to someone as to elevate that person as a virtual god in that pagan culture, Mordecai would not cross that line.

Mordecai's defiance so angered Haman that he talked the king into signing a proclamation  that would destroy every Jew in the Persian empire. Esther 1:1 says that King ruled over all from India to Ethiopia - meaning that would take out all of the Israelites - even those who had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

God's plan for Mordecai and Esther was becoming clear. He wanted to use them to save His people and His plan for the coming Messiah. Mordecai got word to Esther and even showed her a copy of the proclamation. Then he told her what she must do.

• ...he (Mordecai) sent word to Esther that she should go in to king to implore his favor and plead with him for her people...4:8

That was easier said than done. Anyone who went in to the king without being summoned could be put to death - even the queen. One just didn't go knocking on Xeres' door! And she reminded Mordecai of that. She also related that she had not seen the king for thirty days (4:11), and she might have even fallen out of his favor; she didn't know.

• Mordecai's reply - Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. AND WHO KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED ROYALTY FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?" 4:13-14

Mordecai had sensed God's purpose and plan and Esther was beginning to see it as well. But to go in to the king unsummoned would take the kind of courage that can only come from God. After three days and nights of prayer and fasting from Esther and the Jewish population of the city, God's Power and Presence empowered her with courage and with the peace that surpasses human understanding (Phil. 4:7). She sent word to Mordecai:

• ...I will go in to the king, and if I perish, I perish...4:16

Those words and that attitude is similar to what we see expressed by Paul in Philippians 1:21:  For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Well, Esther did go in to the king, and he reached out his royal scepter to her and allowed her come in and speak. After preparing two banquet feasts for him and Haman, she pleaded for her people, exposing Haman's scheme to annihilate the Jews. The king recalled his proclamation, had Haman hanged, and elevated Mordecai to Haman's old position.

Esther's courageous step of Faith saved the children of Israel and allowed God's plan for His people to continue and, paved the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Only God's Power and Presence could supply the courage to approach the king unsummoned.
Only God's Power and Presence could supply the courage to reveal her race and faith to the king.
Only God's Power and Presence could have put her in the palace for such a time as this...

My friend, where are you today? You may be in a place that is not of your choosing, that is not comfortable or easy. You may be faced with a valley so dry you don't think you can make it through to the other side. You may be faced with a mountain so steep, you don't think you can climb over it.

The truth is you can't make it through the dry valley or over the steep mountain without the Power and Presence of the Lord in your life and the courage that He provides.

• And my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19

As for me, these past 12 years since I left the classroom have been some of the richest of my life! God has provided part-time work in curriculum and instruction, where I did get to use my degree - see how God knew the plan before I did? I've also had the opportunity to occasionally teach English at our local Christian university, which I wouldn't have been able to do without that extra degree. Those things have helped replace my lost income. But what's even sweeter is the time I had to spend with my two girls before they graduated and married, the time I've had to teach Bible study, the time I've been able to give to ministries the Lord has guided me to.

God has taught me through Esther's life experiences and my own, that whatever the circumstances, I should be aware of God's purposes (even though I won't always understand or even see them), and be eager to be filled with His Power and Presence. Then I, too, can say along with Mordecai, who knows but that I am where I am for such a time as this!

• Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

We will look at Esther's other two qualities next time.

When Things Are Not What They Seem...Esther, Part 1

Most of us have become real pro's at pretending.

• We pretend that everything in our lives is going well - even when we may be on the brink of disaster - physically, emotionally, or financially.
• We pretend that our marriages are "wonderful" when, in reality, we ache on the inside - not remembering the last time a kind word was said. 
• We pretend that our children are great and growing in the Lord, when, in reality, they are dealing with the ills of our society - drugs, alcohol, running with the wrong crowd, divorce.

Remember the old saying, "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors."?

Yes, most of us have become pro's at living behind the facade of "Everything is great!" And for most of us, that is exactly what it is, a facade.

Hadassah, better known as Queen Esther, knew what it was to live a life that looked good on the outside, but was very trying on the inside.

If you haven't read through the book of Esther in a while, I urge you to do so before or while you are reading these ponderings on her life. That book is rich in lessons that can open up recesses of our own lives that we may not realize even exist.

Esther was good at pretending; she had to be; at times, her life depended on it.

A casual look at the life of Hadassah, who became Esther, Queen of Persia, looks like a fairy tale.

• a beautiful young, orphaned Jewess, adopted and raised by her cousin Mordecai
• chosen to be included in the harem from which the king would choose a new queen
• and ultimately chosen by the king to be his queen.

Wow! What a story...what a life! Don't you think?

A closer look behind the closed doors of her life suggest a different story.

Just having both parents die when one was very young would immediately start closing protective doors around most children. Being "adopted" in that cultural was not the same as being "born" into a nuclear family. It is obvious from reading the scriptures that Mordecai loved Hadassah - but he was still a cousin - not her father. No doubt she longed for her mother's touch and her father's sweet embrace. But she put that behind her door.

Chapter 2:7 tells us that Hadassah was very beautiful in form and face. In other words, she was a "looker" with a figure to die for! How many of us have wished for those very gifts? She probably had all the young men swooning over her! That in itself can present a problem...but most of us would love to have to work through that kind of problem! However, for her, beauty brought circumstances beyond her control. She was conscripted into the king's harem from which he would choose a new queen. (2:8) Keep in mind that conscripted means she did not have a choice in the matter; she was virtually a captive.

An outsider looking in might think, "What a deal!" Esther (her Greek name) is going to live at the palace, have spa treatments for six months, and learn queenly etiquette for another six months. She will have ten attendants, the best foods, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the country's power-brokers! (2:9)

What the outsider doesn't see behind those closed doors are the trials and stresses of being in the king's harem. First, she was there against her will; she did not choose to join this elite club of queen-wanna-be's. Esther was cut off from her friends, family, and her dear cousin Mordecai. He faithfully walked back and forth in front of the court gate everyday just to get a word about how she was fairing. Eventually, she was able to communicate with him, but only through other people. (2:11)

I remember going to a two-week camp in the Hill Country of Texas when I was 12 or 13 years old. At the time, I felt conscripted to attend this camp 300 miles from my home in North Texas. My parents thought "it would be good for me" to participate in such a great opportunity. Even though I was surrounded by other campers and tons of adventuresome activities, I have never felt so alone in all my life! In fact, I have spent weeks and even months in a hospital six hours from home and family more than once and have never felt as lonesome and empty as I did for those two weeks of camp.

I think that was how Esther felt. She was surrounded by all the best life could offer, but she was not feeling the love! Not only did she have to deal with her homesickness, just think about being the MOST beautiful living among other young women who were vying for the opportunity to be queen! Talk about cat-fights and hair-pulling! I'd rather go back to that camp!

Eventually, Esther was chosen by the king to be his queen (2:17) - the fairy tale ending, right? Look again. Esther went for weeks at a time without even seeing the king! (4:11) And when they had banquets and welcomed the heads of all the other provinces, it was a "men only" club. Esther was left to entertain the wives in a different banquet hall. Their paths only crossed when King Xeres wanted Esther for his sexual pleasure. The rest of the time, she was left alone in her chamber with her maids. Talk about feeling used and alone! Not the fairty tale ending most of us think about.

Even though I've painted a pretty dire picture of Esther's circumstances, I want to put her life in perspective. The outsider looking in would probably not see what I've described and, thus, would think she had it made. But Esther, the insider, did see all that and lived the truth of her circumstances. She understood that her life was not what it seemed to others. But she also knew the rest of the truth.

• Esther knew she had a family, especially a father-figure who loved her dearly. So much so that he spent everyday walking in front of the court gate to hear a word about her. I feel confident that they were bonded together through their faith and their prayers.
• And then, there's her faith. Even though God is not directly mentioned in the book of Esther, His presence and guidance oozes off its pages. Yes, Esther was alone if referring to her family and friends. However, Esther was never ALONE. God was with her every step of that journey. As we deleve deeper into her story, I think you will agree with me that she felt His presence and depended on Him to keep her company and to guide her steps.

"No one knows what goes on behind closed doors" is really NOT a true statement. God knows. He knew Esther's loneliness, her desire to be living a "normal" life, and most importantly, He knew her heart.

That's one of many lessons from Esther's life. Fron the outside looking in, she had it all - she was Queen Esther of Persia. The outsiders didn't see her loneliness and her longing to be free. But Esther knew that she was never alone - not in the harem and not in the queen's chamber. God was beside her, taking every step with her, carrying her when she could walk no longer.

All of us live behind closed doors, trying to pretend that life is great, trying make life look wonderful. Sometimes pretending to the point that we collapse behind those closed doors. If you are there, my friend, please remember that God knows. He sees behind your doors everyday - the good, the bad, and the ugly. And He loves you and desires a loving, fatherly relationship with you. He will carry you when you can no longer walk. You just have to open the door...

We'll talk more about Esther next time.

The Cost of Freedom...

As we celebrate the independence of this great nation, we are always encouraged to reflect on the cost of the freedoms that we enjoy today.So, let's reflect for a bit.

I'm sure I've read in history books (or perhaps those are the chapters I

"skimmed"?), but until I did some research today, I didn't realize that over 13,000,000 Americans served in our armed forces during WW II. Of that number, approximately 350,000 died in their service, and over 670,000 more were wounded.

That's just a four and a half year period of our history! Eighty years before that war, we were a country divided who fought each other. Over 620,000 Americans died across five Aprils from 1861-1865. One hundred and ten years before the Civil War, Americans took up arms to fight for indendpence from the British Monarchy. Countless thousands died and were wounded in that effort, which birthed our freedom and framed our constitutional rights and the democratic type of govenrment that has served our land for nearly 250 years.

Fast forward to my lifetime, and approximately 100,000 more Americans have given their lives for our freedom from the jungles of Viet Nam to desserts of Iraq and Afganistan and places in between.

The cost of our freedom has been extreme; the currents of blood that have been shed has been extreme. I'm an English teacher, so I'll leave the math to those who can deal with numbers. However, I can tell that the number of lives sacrificed or forever changed so that I can speak my mind, write what I want, worship as I please, is very high. I can't even imagine being the family of one of those lost in war.



Charles Milburn
One of the Greatest Generation



I can imagine being the family of one who served honorably and was discharged without any obvious injury.

I have previously written about my dad and his service to our country during WW II (see March 17, 2011). I'll try not to repeat all of the same information about my dad, but I do want to tell you about him again.

He was 22 and married for six weeks when he left for boot camp in February of 1942. He returned in August of 1945, a different person, but having been part of the Greatest Generation that had saved our democracy from the two major forces of evil in the world at that time.

Daddy did not return to my mom with a Purple Heart, but for the last 65 years of his life, he did live with the emotional and physical toll of those three years. He suffered recurring bouts of malaria for many years and dealt with the sometimes debilitating issues associated with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome until the day he met Jesus face to face.

Despite his unseen wounds, he perservered and made a wonderful life for himself, my mom, and my siblings and me. But in talking with him and my mom over the years, I could sense the stress that the war brought to them - individually and as a couple. The personal cost to them was very high, but they managed to adjust.

My folks, like so many others, sacrificed their youth, the "honeymoon" years of their life together, and, in my dad's case, his health, so that I and my generation could grow up in freedom.

However, even the United States of America cannot offer me or anyone else real freedom. The millions of dead and wounded of our wars have not bought me or anyone else true freedom. Okay, I know that sounds radical! But hear me out...

Every human being is created in the image of the Lord God, which makes each one a spiritual being.

• The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2
• And then God said, "Let Us make man in our own image, according to our likeness..." Genesis 1:26

But because we are created in His likeness, we are created with the freedom to make our own personal choices. And our fleshly, human nature naturally enslaves us to sin. In other words, we create our own spiritual bondage.

• "For I [Peter] see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin." Acts 8:23 NLT
• But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Romans 7:23 NLT

Unfortunately, our choice to live in our fleshly nature has eternal consequences.

• For the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God in heaven, to live out eternity in hell. Romans 6:23 paraphrase

But the Lord God paid the ultimate price so that we can live in spiritual freedom!

• But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

And we can choose to accept and live in that spiritual freedom.

• For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NLT

We are so blessed here in the good 'ole USA - so blessed that we take our freedom for granted. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have sacrificed so that we might live in a free society during our short time on this earth. And I thank them, their families, and our Lord for that. And when we look upon our national flag, we reflect on the blood that was shed for that freedom.

But being a citizen of the most free nation on earth does not give any person eternal freedom. Only when we believe in and accept Jesus Christ and enter into a personal relationship with Him can we experience the spiritual freedom that His death and resurrection bought. He paid the ultimate price for our eternal freedom! And I thank Him and praise Him for that. And when we think about the cross, we should reflect on His blood that was shed on our behalf for the cost of that spiritual freedom.