Relay for Life

Today: Isaiah 36-41

It's almost midnight and I just got home after a wonderful graduation celebration. On my way home, I drove past a high school that was still lit up with hundreds of lights. It wasn't a football game or a concert--it was something called Relay for Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The grandstand was lit up with hundreds of bags that had candles placed in them--together, the bags spelled out "Hope" and "Cure." Glowing bags (called luminaries) lined the track around the football field--each one representing someone who had cancer or is currently fighting the disease.

Tonight there were people still walking around the track around midnight, working together in teams to complete a relay for a cause they care about deeply. I've attended Relay for Life before and remembered seeing cancer patients and survivors among the participants...walking or running around the track. How do they find the strength?

When I saw the Relay for Life tonight, it reminded me of this excerpt from today's passage:

God doesn't come and go.

God lasts.

He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.

He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.

And he knows everything, inside and out.

He energizes those who get tired,

gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out,

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don't get tired,

they walk and don't lag behind.

You and I may not be participating in the Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society...but we are in another kind of Relay for Life. We are running a race, living our everyday lives on this planet. We have picked up batons from others--our parents, mentors and/or spiritual "family." And someday, we will pass along those batons to our children or to people we mentor throughout our life-long relay.

Do we get tired--physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually? YES! But God is always there to help. He's our stable friend, encouraging coach and energizing cheerleader along the way. He recharges us and fills us up--with strength, wisdom, love and endurance to get through.

Tomorrow: Isaiah 42-44

Doormats, humility and justice

Today: Proverbs 27-29

While I was reading today's passage, this proverb struck me:

If you let people treat you like a doormat,

you'll be quite forgotten in the end.

Interesting, right?

When I initially read this, I thought it was a bit strange--namely because it could be interpreted as contradictory to other passages or the actions of other Biblical figures. For example, Jesus talked about "turning the other cheek" and personally allowed Himself to be beaten and killed. He was humble...but Jesus was no doormat.

There's a difference between humility and being a doormat. What is it? And why is this proverb so prescriptive in its encouragement to not be forgotten doormats?

To answer the first question, I think it's important to look to examples of humble strength in the Bible. For example, Jesus wasn't a doormat when He overturned merchants' tables in the Temple or when He stood up to men about ready to stone an adulterous woman. With humble strength, He defended honest worship and a human life endangered by judgmental hypocrites.

Other examples of humble strength?

• David chasing the giant Goliath with some stones: He put his life on the line to take a stand for God and his people.
  
• Esther defending the Jews before her husband the king: She stopped a brutal massacre through a combination of submission and courage (which may sound contradictory, but check it out again if you didn't read the book of Esther with me earlier).
  
• Daniel's refusal to pray to a false god: He honored a higher authority (the real God) and through his lions' den experience, showed a king and a nation the power of God's faithful protection.

Arguably, Christ's death wasn't a "doormat" situation at all, but another example of humble strength. Jesus died knowing that His death was for a greater purpose. He submitted to the will of His Father...and simultaneously, revealed His omnipotent power to conquer sin and death for all mankind. There's nothing "doormat" about that!

What's the danger of allowing ourselves to be treated like doormats? At its worst, tolerating this kind of abuse shows a lack of love for ourselves and ultimately, for humanity--God's creation. If we willingly allow our own minds, bodies or spirits to be terrorized for no greater cause, it's a poor example to other people.

The second part of this verse--"you'll be quite forgotten in the end"--is also eye-opening. I don't believe that the Bible teaches us to seek fame or notoriety for our own sake. However, I do believe that sometimes God calls us to be courageous, to walk in the confidence of humble strength. Why? At its best, humble strength brings attention, fame and notoriety to God Himself. Contrary to pride, this kind of courage is not selfish--it rises to take a stand for justice and to help other people, sometimes at great risk to your own safety or ego.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 30-31

For such a time as this

Today: Esther 1-5

Can I just say that God has impeccable timing?

It's definitely a theme found in today's passage, but the fact that I'm reading this passage today and at this point in my life is crazy amazing. I really love the book of Esther and today's passage always serves as an incredible reminder to me of God's all-knowing power at work in our everyday lives. Let's review this section where Mordecai tries to connect with Esther after the proclamation that the Jews will be executed:

Mordecai sent her this message:

"Don't think that just because you live in the king's house

you're the one Jew

who will get out of this alive.

If you persist in staying silent

at a time like this,

help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews

from someplace else;

but you and your family will be wiped out.

Who knows?

Maybe you were made queen

for just such a time as this."

Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai:

"Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together.

Fast for me.

Don't eat or drink for three days, either day or night.

I and my maids will fast with you.

If you will do this, I'll go to the king,

even though it's forbidden.

If I die, I die."

Wow! I love Mordecai's tell-it-like-it-is boldness and Esther's courage. This passage reminds me that I may not always know why I end up some places, but God always has a purpose in mind. His purpose will be fulfilled one way or another, but (like Esther) I'd rather be part of it than miss out and live with regrets.

Tomorrow: Esther 6-10

The not-so-desperate housewives

Today: Judges 3-5

Sometimes God uses the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things. In today's passage, he used two women I'm referring to as the not-so-desperate housewives. Their names were Deborah and Jael. One ruled a nation and the other killed a mighty warrior, to be exact.

What makes them extraordinary?

Think about it. Even in 2010, how many women are leaders of their countries? Not many. Think back through history to a time well before Jesus walked the planet. I'm sure it was very, very, very rare. Most of the time, women were treated as second-class citizens. However, Deborah was a leader--a judge governing Israel. To top it off, she was also a spiritual leader, a prophet. I'm guessing that she was a pretty incredible chick because she was very well respected by a guy named Barak. Barak was a military leader (a pretty strong guy in his own right!). But when Deborah told Barak that God wanted him go into battle, Barak said:

"If you go with me, I'll go.

But if you don't go with me, I won't go."

Honestly, I don't know if Barak's words indicate more about his lack of confidence in himself (or even God?) or if they are more indicative of his great respect for Deborah. It's probably a combination of all three factors. One thing's for sure: Deborah was extraordinary. God talked to her and through her--and events transpired just as she said:

She said, "Of course I'll go with you.

But understand that with an attitude like that,

there'll be no glory in it for you.

God will use a woman's hand to take care of Sisera (the enemy)."

Enter Jael. She was a housewife--an incredibly smart woman who used her power and her kindness to capture and kill an evil warrior. She invited him into her home, gave him milk and a place to lay down his head--and then proceeded to nail a tent peg through it while he slept! Wow! To be honest, it sounds like a scene from the show "24" (one of my favorites). It would be equivalent to an American housewife wooing Osama bin Laden with hospitality--and then killing him in his sleep. Can you imagine?!? Jael had courage and guts. She used what she had to help God's people.

I've dubbed these women the not-so-desperate housewives because they were confident--in God and in the smarts He gave them. Unlike military leader Barak, they didn't downplay their strengths or God's.

I pray that I can have even a fraction of that confidence. If we all walked in that kind of courage, what extraordinary things could God do with our lives? And what could be the impact on the people around us?

Tomorrow: Judges 6-7

Be strong

Today: Joshua 1-4

(Love, love, love God's message to Joshua in today's passage. So instead of my comments, I thought it would best to focus on these words...and hopefully they'll encourage you like they encouraged me today.)

In the same way I was with Moses,

I'll be with you.

I won't give up on you; I won't leave you.

Strength! Courage!

You are going to lead

this people to inherit the land that

I promised

to give their ancestors.

Give it everything you have, heart and soul.

Make sure you carry out

The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it.

Don't get off track, either left or right,

so as to make sure you get to where you're going.

And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind.

Ponder and meditate on it day and night,

making sure you practice everything written in it.

Then you'll get where you're going;

then you'll succeed.

Haven't I commanded you?

Strength! Courage!

Don't be timid; don't get discouraged.

God, your God, is with you every step you take."

Tomorrow: Joshua 5-8

Signs and the wonder...of a stubborn heart

Today: Exodus 7-9

"There is a stubbornness about me

that cannot bear to be frightened by the will of others,

my courage rises with every attempt to intimidate me."
- Elizabeth Bennett, Pride and Prejudice

Stubbornness is an interesting characteristic--it's one that can be used for good or evil. Some stubborn people have this determination to beat the odds, fight for causes they believe in and stand up for themselves and others. That's admirable.

My sister has that kind of stubborn in her, I think. She has this compassionate nature and desire for justice that often puts her in a place of saying things like, "That's just not right!" The good kind of stubborn can be developed into courage, like what is described in the quote from Elizabeth Bennett above.

But stubbornness can also be problematic.

My parents tell this story about disciplining one of my sisters and I when we were little. When I misbehaved as a preschooler, all they had to do was put a frowny-faced sticker on the fridge. I would burst into tears--absolutely devastated--and admit my wrongdoing. When I was older, it morphed into conversations where words like "I'm really disappointed in you..." would do the trick (one of the worst possible things anyone could ever say to me!).

But my sister was different. Mom and Dad could threaten to spank her or ground her for life and she would look at them with sarcastic determination as if to say, "Is that all you've got?!?" When she was older, the girl debated and stood her ground...even when she was totally wrong. Luckily, as she's matured, the bad stubborn traits have dissipated (and on the flip side, I've developed more of the good kind of stubbornness, too).

In today's passage, we read about a guy with a seriously stubborn heart (in the worst possible way!)--Pharaoh. What's amazing to me is that even when the miraculous signs and wonders of God are right in front of his face, Pharaoh's heart remained stubborn. It was almost as if he was like an obnoxious little kid in the back of a minivan on a long road trip, covering his ears and shouting in an annoying, sing-song voice, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Ugh.

But in all fairness, how many people are like Pharaoh? I think most of us have had moments where we've messed up--and instead of admitting we were wrong or asking for forgiveness (from God or people), we are like that obnoxious kid. We'd rather continue on in our own stupidity than listen to reason from wise people or the Word of God. Instead of opening our eyes to see the facts or even miraculous signs from God Himself, we pretend to be content in our blindness.

Many times, our stubbornness turns us into obnoxious children or cold, hard-hearted people like Pharaoh. Instead, let's be stubborn in a different way--by courageously choosing to live in child-like wonder of wisdom and miracles.

Tomorrow: Exodus 10-12