Hope Purpose

Starts with Goodbye

I’ll often tell people that I hate goodbyes. The reason I say this is because its true. I do hate goodbyes. There are probably several reasons for this, many of which have been explored elsewhere on this blog. From the feeling that something is ending to the loss of control, goodbyes are not my strong suit.

I know that I’m not alone in my distaste. Goodbyes have caused pain since the beginning of time. In fact, in a sense, God’s punishment for man’s sin was a goodbye – an eternal separation from God’s presence. It’s why we talk about Jesus providing a way back to God – we were separated from something we once knew and our relationship needed to be restored. Goodbyes are often associated with bad things and we rarely look forward to them with anticipation.

But goodbyes are also necessary things. As Carrie Underwood sings, “sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye”. You can’t take hold of what’s next until you let go of what you have. It’s like the third grader who tries to grab the next run on the monkey bars without ever picking up her hand. It’s impossible to do. The moment of faith and despair that lingers as the hand moves from one bar to the next is necessary for forward progress. It’s a step that must be taken and letting go of what she already posses is required. So it is with us, we must step out in faith to move forward.

Just like the girl on the monkey bars, there’s that moment where we’re holding on to nothing. As our hand swings from one bar to the next, there’s a huge chance we might fall. In fact, in no other time in our journey does excitement and fear mingle so closely together. But the progress that’s made makes embracing the fear worth the effort. And the excitement of what’s next propels us onward.

The thing to remember is that sometimes we have to let go of good things to move on to even better. Letting go is not an acknowledgment that we don’t care. It is, however, an acknowledgment that the time has come for something else. And whatever that something is, God has ordained it for a particular time and place in our lives. To miss it, would be missing out on His blessings. To eschew it, would be denying His will for our lives.

This doesn’t mean that I’ll start liking goodbyes, but it does mean that I can approach them with a heavenly perspective, recognizing that even in the sadness of losing something, God is preparing something that is good.

Continue Reading

Growth

Assorted Thoughts On Life

It’s amazing what you can learn from junior high students. I tell people that if you want a lesson in perspective hang out with some middle school students for a few hours each week. You learn a lot about what’s important and what’s not, and you laugh – A LOT.

Tonight, as I attempted to teach several seventh grade girls how God responds to deeds done in faith by crediting it to us as righteousness I received a lesson on the difference between temptation and testing. We’re studying the book of James, and in chapter one the writer shares that 1) Trials should be counted as joy 2) Joy comes from knowing that testing helps develop us into the people that God wants us to be and that 3) Temptation comes from the devil, not from God. Although our plan for tonight was to finish the 2nd chapter it did not stop us from going back and revisiting the lessons from the early verse. And of course these verses beg the question – how do you know the difference between testing and temptation? Often times they can feel the same and both are definitely difficult, so how can we differentiate the two. Although, I am by no means a Biblical scholar, this is what I shared:

1) Testing never has to do with a moral truth, because when God has clearly articulated what’s right and wrong, He’ll never encourage us to do something that’s against His commands

2) Testing is for our good; God uses it to bring us closer to Him. Temptation is for our detriment; the Devil uses it to pull us away from God.

3) Testing is for a finite time; temptation can be a lifelong struggle.

4) God always provides a way to pass the test; however there are no short-cuts we must go through the trial. Temptation is not a requirement; it’s a lousy bi-product of living in a fallen world.

5) Temptations require resistance, testing requires acceptance.

Coincidentally (or maybe not) upon coming home, I returned to a message from my friend depicting a difficult time that she is going through. She asked if stretching always occurred when one tries to grow. My edited response follows:

I think stretching occurs when God is trying to grow you. It’s like the growing pains that occur before growths spurts. Your bones are preparing to take on the additional height and weight that your body knows is coming. It seems counterintuitive that they would hurt before the actual growth occurs, but they often do. It’s a sign that our bodies are going through a change. It’s a natural process and something that must occur for our betterment, but it’s painful just the same.

The important thing to remember when you’re stuck between a rock and hard place is that it was while Elijah was crammed in a crevice that God decided to show him His glory. The rock and the hard place provided a barrier that prevents us from moving forward until God has shown us what He wants. Being there is no fun, but in the long run, it’s worth it.

If you’re going through a trial and feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, look for how God wants to demonstrate His glory. It’s why we go through testing to begin with.

Continue Reading