What now?

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. -Deuteronomy 31:8 

As I sit here on this rainy graduation day, I sit and wonder what’s next. It’s a question we all have to ask. Whether just out of high school wondering which career to choose, or just getting married and wondering where to live or maybe all the kids have moved out and you wonder “What now?”

I think the thing that haunts us all the most during these times is fear. We don’t know what will happen. Even if we have every step planned out to the last little detail, we still don’t know.

And that’s scary.

But there is someone who does. There is someone who goes before you. And He knows. He will take care of you.

In Matthew 6 (v.25-34), Jesus tells us to not be anxious about our lives. He explains that the birds “neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns” but God still feeds them. He still cares for them. Then he speaks the truth that is sometimes hard for us to believe: “Are you not of more value than they?”

Hard for me to believe? Of course I’m more valuable than a bird. True, it’s easy to think and say that we are of more value than a bird, but if an outsider were to look at you and how fearful and anxious you are about the future, would they believe that about you?

I think the biggest thing for us to understand here is the cross. Now you’re thinking, what does this have to do with the cross? Well, it has everything to do with the cross. Just like it always does.

When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the battle was won. We have nothing to fear anymore. If we are a true follower of Christ then when God looks at us He sees his perfect Son. God’s holy and just wrath that was due us was poured out onto Christ that day. And when you look at all the things of this world that we think we need to fear, and compare it to God’s wrath…well what would you be more afraid of?

So it is with this knowledge on graduation day that I fearlessly say: I have NO idea what to do next. And I’m okay with that. Because God knows. So what have I to fear?

P.S. I tried, but Chris Tomlin explains it so much better here. 

Gifts From the King

When you get a new toy, whether it is an action figure, a new phone or a television, your first instinct is to protect it and keep it looking shiny and new. Do you leave it in the rain? Do you drop it on the ground? Drag it through the mud? No, that would do nothing but batter and bruise it.

So why then, do we do that with our lives? The lives we are living are all new and wonderful gifts from God. Yet we drench our minds with bad shows. We drop bad music into our brains. We drag this gift through the world, this imperfect, unholy, scary world. We are battered and bruised, some of us beyond recognition.

God gives us this life to live for him. It’s his life, his gift that has been given to us, that we may use it properly, to bring people to know him. How am I supposed to do that when I am immersing myself in this world, this evil? I pray that God will show me (and you) what he wants me (us) to do with his perfect gift that we so easily ruin.

However, no matter how much we attempt to destroy this perfect gift, it never ends. Now, this is where it gets confusing. This doesn’t mean we won’t die, of course we will. But beyond the gift of life, God has given us another; this gift God has given us is the gift of eternal life. And though we lie, cheat, steal and hurt others, God still loves us. We are never crushed, abandoned or ultimately, destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

No matter how hard we try, our new toy always gets worn, beaten and in the end, destroyed. Much like our lives. No matter how much we do to work against it, the world tarnishes, scratches and bruises this gift. But unlike our new toy, our lives don’t get destroyed. Yes, there are many sad cases of lives being destroyed, people dying without knowing the Lord. But there are many that will hear of this great gift we’ve been given, and will begin to repair it, working towards the end goal: eternal life.

Though the world presses down on us, trying to cause us to destroy our gift, God is always there protecting us, reminding us of the wonderful life He has given us, and how much He has in store for us if we simply hold on.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”   2 Corinthians 4:8-9  

And the funny thing is, it's okay

**Listen to this first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cJQMU9Q-U

I'm frustrated.

Because I want to say something.

But I have nothing to say. That happens sometimes (shocking, I know).

And that's okay.

So instead of talking, I'm going to listen.

Listening is better than talking. 

Listening to other people. To the sounds of nature. To a child talking. 

To a song that perfectly captures what you are trying to say, without you even knowing you were trying to say it.  

But especially to God. It's good to listen to Him. He says good stuff. 

Radical

You’ve heard the story before. Man caught up in drugs turns his life around fully after hearing about God’s love. Woman stuck in prostitution changes her life for the better after someone tells her that God still loves her. Teenager gives their heart to God at life-changing youth retreat. And those are all amazing stories. Those are all examples of lives radically changing, turning from a sinful past to follow God. These are people who have experienced God’s grace in a radical way. Don’t get me wrong, these are all amazing stories, and I am so glad people come to Christ this way, especially considering their dark past.

But me, I don’t have a radical story to tell you.

I grew up in a Christian home, always hearing the bible stories, always hearing of God’s love, always knowing about the sacrifice of Christ. So after a while it got kind of redundant. The fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection became redundant and less meaningful to me. Less radical. I knew that Christ had died for my sins, I knew I was forgiven and I knew I was a child of God. But my life didn’t show it. My life showed that I didn’t really care. I didn’t read my bible often, I never took opportunities to share Christ’s love with anyone; I didn’t focus on God.

Due to this, I got caught up. I was in the world and of the world – exactly the opposite of what God wants from His children. 

But now, I have finally experienced God in a way that I now know that He loves me, that Christ died for me, and that I have been forgiven. Romans 8:1 says “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ.”  I am in Christ, I have been forgiven, and I will not be condemned, and nothing can separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

My life changed. I realized I am a sinner, and I have accepted God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice for myself. It wasn’t radical, it was simple. I kept going to church, kept listening to sermons, kept learning. I was never a drug addict or a prostitute. I never murdered or stole. But I am still a sinner – held to the same level as all others – and I am forgiven. 

I still don’t really have a radical story. But God is calling me to a journey, a life living for and with Him, and it’s about to get radical.

A Shooting Star

My dog is a very particular dog sometimes. Most nights, when we are getting ready to go to bed, we let him out so he doesn’t wake us up early to get outside. At night when we let him out, he doesn’t like to do this alone (maybe he’s afraid of a vacuum hiding in the darkness near the bushes?) Being summertime, I don’t mind following him out the door and insisting he actually goes down the stairs. In this time, I get to sit outside where there is little light, and close to no noise.

Tonight, as I was waiting a particularly long time for him, I looked up to notice a perfectly clear sky. We don’t get those very often in Grimsby, between cloudy nights or pollution converging from Hamilton and St. Catharines. As I was looking towards the Niagara Escarpment, I saw a shooting star, from start, right to disappearing forever. And I couldn’t help but feel the warmth and love of Christ as I stood there knowing that the star was just for me (I know, a bit pretentious, but for the sake of this post, let’s just go with it).

I love nature. I enjoy sitting at my desk with my curtains wide open. I love going for walks, especially into forests or on the beach. My family and I went camping a few weeks ago and I was able to really see the beauty in creation. It is always amazing to be able to be away from home, in parks or camping areas, where the location is chosen specifically for its beautiful surroundings.

But why can’t we find this joy at home? Why do we always have to be deep in a forest, far away on a beach in Mexico, or even gazing at a picture on the computer? God’s beautiful creation is all around us, no matter where you are. The small blades of grass that together make up a wonderfully green lawn.  The lines in a leaf. The colours of the trees along the Escarpment in the fall. A shooting star.

There’s no huge life lesson here, and I didn’t just discover the answer to life, the universe and everything. I was just outside with my dog when God sent me a simple reminder to enjoy and cherish the beautiful creation He has blessed us with that is all around us no matter where we are. Through all of these simple little things, we are all granted a small taste of heaven, and God’s beauty as our Wonderful Creator.

So next time you step outside, take a moment to notice creation, and thank our perfect Father for revealing his beauty in a fallen world.

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. -Nehemiah 9:6

The Hiding Place

You are my hiding place and my shield. Psalm 119:114

You know those days that just won’t end? The ones where we just want to get home and sit and do nothing? Or that last week before vacation that drags on and on? We all need rest. We need time off, time to ourselves. Introverts prefer and enjoy time alone, but ALL of us, even loud, bubbly extroverts, need time alone. Someone once told me that other people are like my battery. I seem quiet and shy but once there are more people around, I light up and get involved. But even I love the time in my room with just me. We all get exhausted. We all drain out eventually. And a lot of us feel better after some time hiding away in our rooms, at a coffee shop or at our favourite park. Heck, maybe even in a tree. But wherever it is, it’s your place. Your hiding place.

This time alone helps us to feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to face another day. But what this time should really help us do is get closer to God.  

When it comes to our relationship with God, a 2 minute prayer in the morning while brushing our teeth just doesn’t cut it. Just like when we pray in bed each night but instead of saying Amen we start snoring: it’s just not enough. We need time with God. We need time away from the distractions of this world to really focus on and connect with God. We need to meet with God. To talk to Him. To praise Him. To know Him.

Even Jesus needed this time alone with God. Matthew 14:23 says “…he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” Jesus took the time to not only find a secluded place to spend time with God, but he went by himself. In Mark 1:35, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Desolate meaning alone, once again he prays. In this instance, it’s “very early in the morning, while it was still dark.” If that was the only time he had, Jesus wasn’t going to let sleep get in the way of his time alone with God. In Mark 6:45, after having just performed a miracle of feeding five thousand, and knowing that the intention of the crowds (and the disciples) were to make him king, he dismissed everyone, disciples included and “went up on the mountain to pray.” The intentions of the crowds were tempting. But Jesus immediately went up to be alone with God. Went to find refuge and strength in his Father.

So if Jesus, our perfect Saviour and Redeemer, needing time alone with God doesn’t prove just how desperately we, as sinful human beings, need time alone with God, I don’t know what will.

In Mark 6:31 Jesus says to his disciples “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” After having modeled this to them himself, Jesus encourages his disciples to have some time away, resting in God. Jesus has modeled this for us as well, and also encourages us to do the same. We are such hopelessly pitiful creatures that depend on God for even our next breath. So in this, shouldn’t we be taking time away, in our hiding place, spending time with God? Learning about our creator. Seeing his beauty, His grace, His love for us. Beginning to understand Christ’s sacrifice, and what it means for me, for you. All of this comes by hiding away with God and giving him all your attention.

Now this won’t come easily, I know. In our culture, we have so much going on around us, so much to do, so many demands. Don’t worry, even Jesus encountered this. In Luke 4:42 Jesus was in his hiding place with God “and the people sought him and came to him.” There are people all around us. Some of us work very demanding jobs. Some of us have families to take care of and children to nurture and love. But Jesus modeled a life of dependence on God which included going out to desolate places to pray. In some instances (Luke 4:42) he didn’t get his time away. But most other times, even when Judas was coming with the crowds from the chief priests and elders to arrest him (Mark 14:32-34), Jesus still put time aside to pray, because he knew how important it was.

Yes, there will be distractions and there will be times when you just don’t feel like it. But what we need to understand is that it is always more important to spend time with God. More important than your crafts, your favourite t.v. shows and yes, more important even than those work emails or that phone call to your sister.

Having said all of this, I named this blog “The Hiding Place” because that’s what it will be for me. This will be my hiding place for spending time with God, for getting to know Jesus and become more and more like him. Everyone’s hiding place will be different. Some will be very secretive and quiet about it, and others will be obvious. I chose to name this “The Hiding Place” instead of “My Hiding Place” because I want this to be a place anyone can use. As I spend my time hiding away with God, I will contemplate, learn, get confused, get frustrated, read a book, sing some worship songs, and more. But ultimately I will grow closer and closer to my Saviour every time. And I will share some of it here. And hopefully what I share can help you to also learn, love, sing and know God in your personal hiding place.