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What if the caffeine high is how we are really supposed to feel???

Now before you all freak out and make me go viral as the drug-pushing Jesus follower, give me a chance to elaborate.

My favorite coffee treat is a tall, mocha frappuccino with extra mocha drizzle. Whenever I get a chance to indulge I get such a lovely feeling of bliss after my first few sips. Suddenly all seems right with the world and it doesn’t even matter that a jerk just cut me off in traffic! Now this effect probably has less to do with caffeine since it is after just a couple sips, and more to do with me being happy about a treat, but this will work for my example.

In the Bible Jesus said He came to give us life to the full. The psalmist proclaimed that the joy of the Lord was his strength. Paul encouraged the Philippians to rejoice always. None of these were based on circumstances or some day, but every day.

So maybe what these authors are all saying, is that we as followers of Christ should not be experiencing only moments of joy that fizzle out like a coffee buzz. We need to be connected to our joy giving energy source, (the Holy Spirit) on a constant basis.

But what about the hard days you ask. Good question. None of the writers of the Bible or Jesus Himself were denying the suffering and hardship that are realities in our fallen world. What I believe they found and what Jesus is trying to teach me in my own life, is to stay focused on Him. When the pain comes in, I try to look to Jesus as quickly as possible. When I get to a place where I am in an emotional puddle, sometimes He has to take my face gently in His hands and redirect my gaze once again to His face.

I am being a little glib, joking about caffeine, but all that aside I know it is not easy to live in a state of joy. But that is the goal Jesus has for us even though we will not fully reach that goal this side of heaven. However, I truly believe that as we walk closer and closer with Jesus that we will live in greater and greater joy.

“But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.” Psalm 5:11

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11

The bottom line is that everyone believes something. Usually how we live reveals what we believe. If we are generous, it means that we have a belief that our own needs will be met regardless if we give something away. The opposite is true too, if we are stingy or selfish it shows a deep-seated belief that we might run out or not have enough.

However, just because I believe something does not necessarily make it true. I could believe as much as I want that I can fly, but in the end gravity would probably cure me of that mistaken belief.

Knowing what we believe is crucially important. As I said, it informs our decisions and guides us through life. Also, if I am not aware of my core beliefs I am literally held hostage by them without even knowing it. I can be stuck in the same unhealthy patterns simply by a deeply rooted belief. On the other hand if I take an honest look at my belief system and really question it, I can make some changes that will benefit me and those around me for the rest of my days.

As great as it is to know what you believe about every day types of things, it is absolutely crucial to know what you believe about spiritual things. For instance if I believe I should follow the speed limit, that will probably keep me and others safer on the road and avoid the hassle of speeding tickets, which is all fine and good while I am living. However, if I haven’t thought through what I believe will happen when I am no longer living, I am in trouble.

The best way to know what to believe is to find out the truth. I need to make sure there is not a lie hidden in the middle of my belief. The best way I have found to do this is to search the Bible. I know there are a lot of people who do not think the Bible is truth, that it has been changed or that it is inaccurate or not relevant. I would encourage you to do a little research on the history of the Bible and how accurate it still is. But more than that, I would challenge you to read it for yourself and see if it is indeed a “living book.” As I have measured my inaccurate beliefs against what it says in the Bible, God has changed my belief system and helped me to live in a much healthier way. He can do this for you too! Ask God to speak to you through His own words and show you the truth; I promise you He will.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12

Last evening one of my sons kept opening the refrigerator without taking anything out. I asked him what he was doing. He said he wanted orange juice and was hoping some would appear if he kept looking. I was puzzled to say the least, “Do you mean like magic?” I asked him, “No, like Mom eyes,” was his reply.

Now I was really intrigued. I asked him to further illuminate me. He explained that it is like when I ask him to go get a bottle of ketchup out of the pantry. He can look three times through the entire pantry and when he finally gives up and asks me for help, when I go to look, all of a sudden, there is the ketchup bottle right in the front! I had to laugh of course, although there definitely feels like some truth to his theory.

Just like my son was hoping to see things through my eyes in the refrigerator last night, there are also times when I need to borrow someone else’s eyes, or at least their point of view. If I can’t put myself in someone else’s place or imagine what it might feel like to be them, my relationships with other people are simply not going to go very well. We need a lot of empathy to have healthy relationships and also to be there for people who need our help.

There is also another set of eyes that I need to view myself and the world with and those are Jesus’ eyes. If I can use His lens to accurately look into my heart and soul and see the things I need to change, I will grow to be more like Him. If I can see myself the way He sees me, how wonderful He thinks I am and how special He made me, I will have the confidence to share my gifts with the world. If we can look around at our fellow humans with His love, empathy and grace and share the truth about Jesus, then salvation will appear in people’s hearts more surely than orange juice in the refrigerator!

“Ears that hear and eyes that see–the Lord has made them both.” Proverbs 20:12

Today being Good Friday I thought it would be a good day to examine the cross.

I remember as a child going to Good Friday services at church. They were always a little frightening to me as the drama would be reenacted and the crowds would shout, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

The truth is that Good Friday was frightening. At the time, Good Friday started off looking like a very bad day. For a little while it appeared that evil had won and that Jesus had been defeated. Even from our vantage point now, that thought sends a shudder through us.

However, we know the end of the story. That cross designed as an instrument of torture, became an instrument that sang out God’s redemption and love. That cross meant to break the dearest and best instead made Him broken bread to nourish our souls. Jesus’ victory over sin and death on the cross turned it into a symbol of triumph that we wear around our necks and hang on our walls.

We are encouraged as followers of Christ to sit at His feet and learn from Him. But to sit at His feet while He is on the cross is a whole different experience. If we allow ourselves to meditate on what Jesus actually did there we will be overcome by emotion. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to sanitize the cross in my head. However, imagining Jesus as He is depicted in all of the beautiful art and on crucifixes does not tell the full story. The Bible records that He was not even recognizable as a human by the time He died, something that is difficult to think about. I know that the best part of Jesus’ death is His triumph over it in His resurrection, but I think we need to spend some time contemplating the cross. If we just skim over His death, we will not truly capture the awe of His empty tomb.

There will never be an end to all we can write, sing or say about what happened at the crucifixion and then the resurrection. Even if we were to deeply examine the cross every day, we would still discover more depth to God’s loving work there. So I would encourage you to ask God what He wants to show you about the cross today on this very Good Friday.

“When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God.'” Matthew 27:50-54

I have a great opportunity I want to tell you about! It will be life-changing. This will help you in all areas of your life: your health, finances, friendships, marriage, work and recreation time. And get this, it is NOT a limited-time offer! This opportunity does require the rest of your life, but when you find out what the pay-off is, I promise you are going to want to sign up.

I am talking about the original pyramid scheme, which come to think of it includes some actual pyramids in its history. From the very beginning God had a plan. It is hard for us to comprehend He knew that we as humans were going to fall but He chose to create us anyway. However, that is exactly when His plan went into effect.

His plan to save us works like a multi-level marketing company. He picks one person: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jesus and multiplies from there. Just like your friends may laugh when you tell them you are selling knives, Noah’s friends laughed when he said he was building an ark. Abraham’s son was literally named, “he laughs,” because his wife Sarah thought God’s plan was so outrageous. Joseph’s brothers made fun of him. Moses ran out of town and Jesus was killed. However, none of that stopped God’s plan from working.

And it is still working. Today it goes something like this: someone told you about the amazing saving grace of Jesus, you got so excited that you received the good news and told someone else, who told someone else, who told someone…And unlike the negative pyramid schemes we are familiar with, this one actually does change lives for the better.

It goes further than that though, God’s plan even provides future security. Jesus came, died and rose from the dead so everyone who received Him could live forever with God. I don’t know about you, but I think that beats any retirement package I have ever heard of!

So what do you think? Are you ready to sign up for God’s plan today?

“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth…And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.” Acts 13:47&49

Doesn’t that sound so nice and cheery? Fuzzy bumblebees and friendly, blooming daffodils. However, the day I noticed them was anything but nice and cheery.

I have written before about a practice I started years ago after reading Ann Voskamp’s book “One Thousand Gifts.” Every day I try to write down at least one thing I am grateful for. Believe me, some days are easier than others to find things I am thankful for.

Isn’t it interesting how our circumstances can cloud our vision? On good days when things are going how I like them too, I can easily see God’s gifts to me and all the many blessings I have. But on the days when things are not going how I would like, my vision narrows and so does my gratitude.

So back to the bumblebees and daffodils. On that day I had deliberately put my giant list of to-dos aside and gone outside for a minute just to prune back my mint plant. My mind was still occupied with stress and worry though, even as the sun warmed my shoulders. Then I heard a humming and saw a fuzzy, round bumblebee land on the brightly blooming daffodils for a drink.

Just that simple moment brought my attention away from the stress and allowed gratitude to well up. Jesus was so good to design beautiful things for us to enjoy in nature, to replenish our souls when we are weary. I was able to go back to my tasks feeling lighter.

A friend of mine was talking about journals she had found of her mother’s that sounded a lot like my grateful lists. At first my friend could not understand why sometimes her mother would write something so simple as, “flowers,” but then as she herself went through some difficult times in her own life she began to understand. Sometimes life can be so hard that just to find one simple thing to be thankful for can feel almost impossible. But as the sign I saw in the craft store says, there is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

None of this is meant to produce guilt. God has designed the practice of gratitude for our good, not as a way to earn salvation or for us to be falsely cheerful. He knows that when we do take the time to be deliberately grateful, it expands our soul. It turns our eyes from our problems or difficulties to the One who holds all of it in His hands.

So I would encourage you today to find something you can be thankful for, even if it’s as simple as a bumblebee. You might be surprised to find that that one little step has the power to turn your whole day around.

“Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.” Psalm 54:6