So, today is leap day! Yep, it’s February 29th. I found out some news yesterday that has me leaping for joy this morning (more to come later)! And, on the radio on my way into the office this morning, the local radio station hosts were talking about the various types of leaps that people make in their lives! Things like - a leap into a new relationship, or the unknown, or a leap in dealing with our faith, or a leap into a new class at school that you don’t feel equipped for, or a leap into a new family situation, or a leap in dealing with some sort of peer pressure.
All of this talk of leaping (and the fact that we have just entered the season of Lent), got me thinking about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness where He was encouraged to leap! In Matthew 4, we read that just after Jesus' baptism, He was driven out into the wilderness. We read about the temptation of Jesus and the 40 days he spent out in that desert. I absolutely LOVE this video account of what Jesus’ time in the wilderness could have been like …
I’ve seen (and used in youth ministry) this video hundreds of times. Every time I watch it, something new stands out to me. Today as I watched, I was particularly drawn to the joy on Jesus’ face as he chased the chickens and peered over the cliff at the baby foxes. And then the pure struggle on his face as he got stuck in the briars or was weak and crawling on the ground. It is a good reminder that Jesus gets us; that Jesus felt exactly what we feel in our best and worst moments. That helps me in my relationship with Jesus … to know that our amazing Savior struggled through rough times/feelings and also experienced pure joy during His time on this earth. He so gets me!
But, on this leap day, I am particularly drawn to the scenes from Matthew 4 where Satan tempts Jesus with a leap. Never mind the challenge to take a leap and turn the stones into bread, I think Satan tempts Jesus with a literal leap, not once but twice. First, Jesus is taken to the top of the temple and told to literally leap off and He will surely be saved by angels. Second, Jesus goes to the top of a mountain and sees the beauty of the kingdoms. All of this can be His, He is told, if he will just take a leap of faith and bow down to worship Satan.
We can identify with Jesus’ time in the wilderness and the temptations He experienced to leap! Let’s face it, there are many “leaps” we take in life. Some good, some not so good. But, what I can tell from this piece of Scripture is that knowing when TO take a leap of faith and when NOT to take a leap of faith is tremendously important in our lives.
So how do we know the difference in taking a leap or not? I’m glad you asked …. Here’s a couple of suggestions:
1.It depends on the situation! So, know your situation. Think through it and MOST importantly pray through it. Try to look at it from the outside in instead of inside out. Push yourself to think of possible outcomes if you do take this leap and possible outcomes if you don’t.
2.Uncomfortable is good! So, step out of your comfort zone and into the wilderness. Remember, the easy way isn’t always the best. Remember, the wilderness (unknown) can be a lonely, frightful, tempting place. But, it can also be a place of joy and growth.
3.Use experience! So, whose experience? Think about your own past leaps! Read about the leaps of the characters in Scripture (i.e. Peter getting out of the boat)! Ask others around you! Go through the pros and cons of a leap with your friends, a trusted adult mentor, or a parent. Sometimes those who are willing to help you in your leap, literally, become the push you need! Sometimes those persons end up leaping with you! But beware, sometimes those same folks can hold you back from taking the leap. Weigh and consider it all very carefully!
4.If you’ve taken a leap and discover it’s not the right one for you … go back and repeat steps one through three to determine your next move!
Honestly, leaping is scary. And, our tendency is to stay where it’s safe. But I encourage you, leap away, if it is the right time! After all, would Peter have walked on water if he hadn’t of leapt out of the boat? Would persons with disabilities have had a better, more world changing advocate if Helen Keller hadn’t of leapt to meet the challenge of graduating college despite her blindness and deafness? Would Eric Clapton have written such a beautiful song (“Tears in Heaven”) if he hadn’t have leapt through the pain of his son’s death? Would the legacies of Matthew Wright, Jo Brock, or Charlie Butterworth live on in rich and powerful ways if their families and those of missing them didn’t leap to mourn, remember, and honor them?
I hope you take this extra day in our leap year to take a leap of faith and accomplish the extraordinary. I’m leaping right beside you!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
"No!"
So, recently, I’ve really been praying that two particular and specific things would happen, one for a friend and one to me. Every day, I pray for it. EVERY DAY! I’ve been waiting and hoping (it seems like forever) for a little good news concerning these desires of mine. But, for now, the answer I’m getting from God is a resounding – NOPE! I don’t want this answer from God and I certainly don’t like it. Mainly, I don’t understand why it has to be a “No.” What I want is what I want and I want them now … selfish, but true. Funny, I feel a little like the little girl in Willy Wonka as I type that. You know the spoiled brat girl in the scene with the chicken/eggs … hope I don’t end up down a tube!
Most of us don’t like the answer – “NO!” It’s human nature, right? Think about it! Even when we are toddlers and our mom/dad tells us we can’t have or do something … what happens? We cry and get upset.
As the parent of a six year old, the repercussions of my telling Blaine, “No,” are all too fresh! Take last night, for example! We were all watching the Super Bowl and around 8:00pm, I told Blaine it was time to go to bed. He asked if he could continue to watch and I said, “No.” He then proceeded to stomp up every SINGLE stair towards his bedroom, fling himself on the floor at the top of the stairs, and scream at the top of his lungs “It’s not fair,” as tears streamed down his face. His world was crashing in around him … all because of two little letters – N.O.
And, I remember being a teenager and having my mom tell me “No.” “No, you can’t do anything until you complete your weekly chores.” “No, you can’t go to that movie with your friends; it’s rated R.” “No staying out past your curfew will not be okay; not even just this once.” “No, you’re not away at college this week to do whatever you please and we have rules while you are staying under my roof.” My mom (and sister) can attest, I got really good at slamming my bedroom door to express my displeasure at the word “No.”
Right now, I just want to stomp up every one of God’s stairs and fling myself on the ground in front of God and scream at the top of my lungs, tears streaming. It’s not fair. I just know it would make me feel better. And surely it would entice God to give me my way ... (yeah right).
And then I remember – there’s a reason the answer is no.
When a toddler, six year old, or even a teenager is told “No” by a parent, there is usually a reason why it needs to be so. Continuing the example of Blaine and the Super Bowl temper tantrum … I had to tell him he couldn’t watch anymore because it was time for bed. The repercussions of him not going to sleep would have impacted many people and our week in so many ways! First of all, we have a very busy week and he’s already potentially going to miss his 8:00pm bedtime call two nights this week; plus his cousins, aunt, and grandmother are coming for a visit this weekend. This means we need find a way to get him a little extra sleep earlier in the week. We have learned that Blaine thrives best when he gets a solid 9.5 to 10 hours of sleep a night. You see, Blaine gets very grumpy when he lacks sleep and, additionally, he doesn’t listen very well. This would mean he would be more prone to have issues at school with teachers or friends, at church on Wednesday night during John E., and at home (to name a few). Getting through the week would be a struggle that could have been avoided, somewhat. But, Blaine doesn’t understand any of this and can’t think forward in that way. On the other hand, it was the best decision for him; and I, as his parent, had a responsibility to enable him to have as successful a week as possible.
I would never pretend to understand the mind of God, but, surely this must be how God feels at my temper tantrum of give me what I want and do it now and it’s not fair if you don’t! While it would be very helpful to me if Jesus would take me by the hand and show me the reason why the answer needs to be “No,” that doesn’t always happen. But I am confident that “No” is the answer because God always intends the best results.
A final note: I don’t believe any of this makes dealing with the answer “No” any easier. I am still upset and downright mad that the answer has to be “No” (especially for my friend). But all this does give me confidence that one day I will understand. And, thankfully, I am reminded through the struggle that God is in control and this is exactly why I don’t need to be. After all, I don’t think God enjoys saying “No”; God loves me way too much for that. It’s just that God has a full understanding of the repercussions to saying “Yes.”
It must take an unbelievable amount of strength and courage for God NOT to intervene in free will situations. But that is just it; that is how much God loves us. God loves us so much that (like me as a parent to Blaine) God is STRONG and BOLD enough to say “No” even when it is not fair. Can you imagine having to do that every single day in every single way? I don’t think I could, especially in a life or death type of plea.
I think this JJ Heller song (“Your Hands”) sums this all up well:
Most of us don’t like the answer – “NO!” It’s human nature, right? Think about it! Even when we are toddlers and our mom/dad tells us we can’t have or do something … what happens? We cry and get upset.
As the parent of a six year old, the repercussions of my telling Blaine, “No,” are all too fresh! Take last night, for example! We were all watching the Super Bowl and around 8:00pm, I told Blaine it was time to go to bed. He asked if he could continue to watch and I said, “No.” He then proceeded to stomp up every SINGLE stair towards his bedroom, fling himself on the floor at the top of the stairs, and scream at the top of his lungs “It’s not fair,” as tears streamed down his face. His world was crashing in around him … all because of two little letters – N.O.
And, I remember being a teenager and having my mom tell me “No.” “No, you can’t do anything until you complete your weekly chores.” “No, you can’t go to that movie with your friends; it’s rated R.” “No staying out past your curfew will not be okay; not even just this once.” “No, you’re not away at college this week to do whatever you please and we have rules while you are staying under my roof.” My mom (and sister) can attest, I got really good at slamming my bedroom door to express my displeasure at the word “No.”
Right now, I just want to stomp up every one of God’s stairs and fling myself on the ground in front of God and scream at the top of my lungs, tears streaming. It’s not fair. I just know it would make me feel better. And surely it would entice God to give me my way ... (yeah right).
And then I remember – there’s a reason the answer is no.
When a toddler, six year old, or even a teenager is told “No” by a parent, there is usually a reason why it needs to be so. Continuing the example of Blaine and the Super Bowl temper tantrum … I had to tell him he couldn’t watch anymore because it was time for bed. The repercussions of him not going to sleep would have impacted many people and our week in so many ways! First of all, we have a very busy week and he’s already potentially going to miss his 8:00pm bedtime call two nights this week; plus his cousins, aunt, and grandmother are coming for a visit this weekend. This means we need find a way to get him a little extra sleep earlier in the week. We have learned that Blaine thrives best when he gets a solid 9.5 to 10 hours of sleep a night. You see, Blaine gets very grumpy when he lacks sleep and, additionally, he doesn’t listen very well. This would mean he would be more prone to have issues at school with teachers or friends, at church on Wednesday night during John E., and at home (to name a few). Getting through the week would be a struggle that could have been avoided, somewhat. But, Blaine doesn’t understand any of this and can’t think forward in that way. On the other hand, it was the best decision for him; and I, as his parent, had a responsibility to enable him to have as successful a week as possible.
I would never pretend to understand the mind of God, but, surely this must be how God feels at my temper tantrum of give me what I want and do it now and it’s not fair if you don’t! While it would be very helpful to me if Jesus would take me by the hand and show me the reason why the answer needs to be “No,” that doesn’t always happen. But I am confident that “No” is the answer because God always intends the best results.
A final note: I don’t believe any of this makes dealing with the answer “No” any easier. I am still upset and downright mad that the answer has to be “No” (especially for my friend). But all this does give me confidence that one day I will understand. And, thankfully, I am reminded through the struggle that God is in control and this is exactly why I don’t need to be. After all, I don’t think God enjoys saying “No”; God loves me way too much for that. It’s just that God has a full understanding of the repercussions to saying “Yes.”
It must take an unbelievable amount of strength and courage for God NOT to intervene in free will situations. But that is just it; that is how much God loves us. God loves us so much that (like me as a parent to Blaine) God is STRONG and BOLD enough to say “No” even when it is not fair. Can you imagine having to do that every single day in every single way? I don’t think I could, especially in a life or death type of plea.
I think this JJ Heller song (“Your Hands”) sums this all up well:
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