Rejoicing When It's Hard

“Rejoice with those who rejoice.” –Romans 12:15a

Rejoicing with others is sometimes really hard, especially when they are getting what you desperately want. I have been convicted lately that I put people in categories: those who are easy to rejoice with and those who are more difficult. In the second category it can be much harder to rejoice with them. Maybe you want to be married and your friend (who always seems to have a guy hanging around her) just recently got engaged. Maybe you are hoping for a certain job and the person who cuts corners gets the promotion or the opportunity. Maybe you want a particular scholarship and you are looked over, again. Or maybe you have been trying to get pregnant for a while and every time you check Facebook one more person is expecting a little bundle of joy.

It’s hard, isn’t it?

But the biblical command doesn’t include an exception clause. We are not given a pass at rejoicing when it’s harder for us, or when someone hasn’t walked our road with us. The command is there because it is hard and counter-intuitive. Our natural self would rather not rejoice with someone when they have something we want. We would much rather wallow in self-pity and sadness. But the redeemed person, who Paul is talking to, has a new heart and a new perspective. It’s not all about me and my world anymore. The Bible says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). And it also says that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). We have no more control over the outcome of our own life as we do over those around us. God is the provider of it all.

The fact that we can’t rejoice over another person’s blessing is just plain old fashioned jealousy, if we are truly honest. We have made what we desire (and what they have) into an idol. If we can’t have it we sure don’t want that person to have it instead. Or maybe you don’t go to that extreme, but you might feel like you deserve this gift. If they have it, why can’t you have it too? These heart attitudes are all hindrances to our ability to rejoice. They strip us of our joy for others, and ultimately our joy in God because he is the one who supplies every good thing we have.

Thankfully, Christ has come to redeem all of that. This verse is in there because it is hard. It is not mere willpower. If we were honest, every feeble attempt to rejoice in our own strength without a changed heart falls miserably short of the goal. Just like Romans 12 starts out, in view of God’s mercy this is how we are supposed to live. In light of the Spirit’s work in our life, this is how we love and serve the Body. The only way to rejoice with those who rejoice, even when your heart is breaking, is to trust the One who deserved more good gifts than all of us but gave up everything for us all. He makes us servant-hearted. He makes us rejoice. He has paid for all that jealousy and envy that threatens to destroy us. And he gives us a reason to rejoice even through tears.

God is in the Heat

"It is incredibly encouraging to realize that the Bible addresses the world as we know it. God makes it very clear that he understands the Heat we face every day. It isn't always pleasant to read the honest stories of Scripture, but it is comforting. We realize that we will never face an experience, no matter how dark or difficult, that would be a shock to our God. The hope and help God offers his children reflect his knowledge of the full range of human experience..."

"Life on earth is a wilderness. Each day we face unexpected difficulties, and even blessings knock us off our path! In it all, God works to expose, change, and mature us. He has not forgotten you or the promises he made to you. He has not left you to the limits of your power and wisdom. In ways that are glorious, yet often hard to understand, God is in your Heat. He calls you to turn from questioning him to examine yourself. Where do you question his goodness, grace, and love? Where do you toy with the idea of going back to "Egypt"? When do you neglect daily Bible study and worship? Where do you struggle with anger, envy, disappointment, and blame.?"

-How People Change, Paul David Tripp and Tim Lane

One of the most helpful things I've learned in the past few years is this concept of Heat and Thorns/Fruit. We all face Heat in a variety of ways. While the Heat can be difficult, it does not dictate our response to it. It only reveals what is already inside. Heat has a way of doing that. But what has been even more encouraging to me is that God is in my Heat. He has ordained my Heat. He has promised to sanctify me in my Heat. And he will bring me through it. I am not left to myself and my own sinful responses. I have a God who is there and who will never leave me or forsake me. If you are struggling with lasting, biblical change in your life (like me), this book is so helpful in identifying sin and providing hope for change. It was an encouragement to my soul.

Our Creativity Tells a Story

We are all familiar with Psalm 19:1, which says “The heavens declare the glory of God.” In this psalm David is saying that every inch of the created world—from clouds to vegetation, human beings to animals—screams the greatness of our amazing Creator. The uniqueness in each person’s face, the rain that falls on parched vegetation, the creation of a little life in the womb of a mother—every tiny detail reflects the glory of our great God.

As human beings, we are created in the image of our Creator. Yet only one part of his creation is given the responsibility of bearing his image. One of the ways we image him to a watching world is through our ability to create and make things. We are given the gift of creativity and personal handiwork. And it comes in all shapes, sizes, and skills.

This is no small matter. When we create we are doing so as image bearers. The fact that I craft a sentence or an article, or even create a new recipe in the kitchen, tells a story about the God who made me. My creative capacities are not merely for my own benefit, but are meant to draw me, and those who are watching, back to the Creator. Like the heavens above me, every gift I possess is designed to declare the glory of God.

But unlike God, my creative capabilities are limited by my personhood. I cannot create a prosthetic arm for an engineering project, or design a new building, or fix an anesthesia machine, or even make a gourmet-style cupcake. Even with the most adequate training I would still fall short of the goal. Why? That is not my gifting. God simply did not create me with the attention to detail needed to do such things.  

And that is the great leveler when it comes to looking at our gifts. Every way we create, design, work, and labor is meant to point away from ourselves and direct our gaze to the God who gave us these gifts. We should take our cue from the skies above us. As beautiful as a bright and sunny day is, the sky derives its value from God. The splendor of the sky is meant to make us glorify the One who made it. The same is true for our gifts. Every capability we have to create something new, beautiful, or innovative is a different facet of being created as image bearers. All of our creative capacities are meant to point us back to the Creator—the giver of all good gifts.

This understanding of our gifts transforms a jealous heart also. Within the family of God there is no room for jealousy. We are all given gifts, talents, and capabilities that are designed to serve his people and make much of him. But we are all limited in what we can do, too. If we could do it all we would be God, and we would be prone to boasting in our own strength. When we see another person possessing a creative quality that we lack, rather than wallowing in jealousy and self-pity, we should use it as an opportunity to worship God for the gift he has given that person. That’s all it is—a gift.

God possesses all of the creative capabilities we have individually in the core of his deity. He is everything in one. He is artistic, good with words, intricate, detail-oriented, attentive, innovative, and so much more. In his kindness he made us image bearers so we could, like the skies, declare his glory in this world.

Jesus is Not Your Boyfriend

Daniel and I have just finished a much needed vacation, hence the silence on the blog this past week! But I have been writing. This morning, Her.meneutics (the Christianity Today blog for women) posted something I wrote on a popular trend in Christendom--single women calling Jesus/God their boyfriend. I'm sure at some point you have heard someone say something along these lines, "until God brings me a husband, I am content to just have him as my boyfriend." Some have even gone so far as calling God their lover, as so many popular songs often do.

While a personal relationship with our Savior is crucial, it is not a personal romantic relationship. In fact, when we use earthly relationships to describe our relationship with Jesus we miss something really important, namely the fact that our earthly relationships (i.e. marriage) is meant to image his relationship with his Bride (the church). We are a collective bride, not an individual one.

In the post I say this:

Just as self-marriage misses the mark for what God designed marriage to point to, “marriage” to Jesus misses what his work accomplished. Marriage to Jesus while waiting for a husband can often trivialize our Savior in a way that makes him more like a sweet boyfriend who takes us out on dates, rather than the God-man who paid for our sin on the cross. Jesus did not accomplish redemption to marry us individually. He died for the church corporate, of which we are apart. His death accomplished something much greater than simply meeting our deep-seated desires for a significant other. That is what Paul is getting at in Ephesians 5:22–33 when speaks of the mystery of marriage.

Read the rest of the post here.

No Condemnation

If you are anything like me, you regularly (sometimes daily) come back to the truth of Romans 8:1, which says “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And if you have ever taken a bible interpretation class or listened to your pastor explain the context of a specific passage you know that whenever we see a “therefore” we must always ask what it is there for. Clever, I know. But it’s catchy and helpful isn’t it? So what is this “therefore” talking about in Romans 8:1?

It’s talking about Romans 7. We all know Romans 7, right? It is the passage where Paul recounts the tension of the new man versus the old man. Sin still plagues him. He knows what he should do and yet he still does the opposite. Romans 7 is a reminder to us that sin is a vicious, life-sucking enemy that doesn’t know when to let go.

Who can relate to the tension and struggle of Romans 7? Let me be the first to raise my hand to say “I can.” How many times have I lashed out at my husband in anger, cussed at a driver who got in my way or cut me off (bad, I know), gossiped about a person I didn’t like, or harbored bitterness in my heart against someone who has wronged me? Deep down in my heart I know these are sinful responses. But sometimes I do them anyway. The good I want to do I don’t do, and the bad just keeps hanging on. Romans 7 is filled with tension and struggle with sin and then Paul delivers the hammer of gospel hope for all believers—if you are in Christ those sins do not condemn you.

And that is why Romans 8:1 is so refreshing and encouraging. Yes, I sin. Yes, I still have lingering issues that don’t seem to go away. Yes, I hurt people with my tongue and my actions. But because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on my behalf those sins do not secure my fate in hell. Instead, I am resting on the fate of another—Jesus Christ.

Romans 7 left to itself can be a startling reality. Enter Romans 8 and we have the hope that Jesus paid it all for us. You might feel overwhelmed by your sin and the battle in your soul today, but you can bank on this truth—Christ has won that battle for and you are not condemned. You may feel convicted and remorseful, and rightfully so. But you are not condemned. Preach this amazing truth to yourself when you feel the water of condemnation rising up around your weary head.

“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

A Quiet Father's Day

Our little apartment is pretty quiet this morning. There is no fanfare, no breakfast in bed, and no presents waiting on the table. At first glance, we are just another married couple getting ready for church on a Sunday morning. But we are more than that. There is a father here, just not according to the world’s definition of fatherhood.

You see, my sweet husband was only a father for six and a half short weeks nearly two years ago. But that little pea-sized baby made him the happiest father around for that short time. He loved that baby. He prayed for that baby. And he even rearranged his life in preparation for that baby.

There should be a nearly fourteen month old running around our living room rather than the painful silence that reminds us of what could have been. But we wait and pray, still begging God to be pleased to give us another on this side of heaven.

In the days surrounding Mother’s Day we talk a lot in evangelical circles about how to mourn with the hurting and be sensitive to the infertile on an otherwise joyous day. Bereaved fathers, wannabe fathers, and infertile fathers are sometimes overlooked. But they are there. And many are hurting just as much as their wives are; they just deal with it differently sometimes. For some, few times exacerbate their painful longings like a day devoted to the one thing they desperately want but can’t seem to have. Remember them. Pray for them. Honor them for their trust in God in spite of uncertain circumstances. It will mean a lot to them.

So we will celebrate my husband today. Not in the way we would have if we had a bubbly toddler in our home, but we will celebrate nonetheless. He is a father, and a good one. And he will be a good father to every subsequent child the Lord sees fit to give us. We long for that day. Until then, we give thanks that God gave us that little one two years ago and long for the day when we see him again.

Friday is for Food: Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe is an adaptation of another enchilada recipe I really like. Daniel's brother and sister-in-law came to stay with us last weekend, and since my sister-in-law is a vegetarian I wanted to make something that we would all enjoy. Since I was making the beef enchiladas, I decided to try the same thing with the black beans, and it worked! I LOVE black beans, so I will definitely be trying this again.

What you need:

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (I use the organic ones from Kroger)
1 can of diced green chile's
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
Salsa (I almost always have this salsa on hand)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
Italian dressing
8 corn tortillas

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375

Heat black beans, onion, green peppers, green chile's, and 1/2 cup of salsa (or enough to moisten the beans) in a large skillet. Once the vegetables are softened add 1 cup of cheese. Once the cheese is melted remove from heat.

Brush the corn tortillas with a little Italian dressing, cover with wax paper, and microwave for 30 seconds. Scoop the bean mixture into the tortilla and roll in a 9x13 baking dish. Complete the tortillas. Top with enough salsa to cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 2-3 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!