Thoughts On Water

Water is something I don’t often think about living in St. Louis, unless there’s too much of it, because I have easy access to as much water as I want.  When I traveled to Burkina Faso this summer, I learned first hand this is not the case for everyone, and God gave me a new perspective on water. We arrived early in rainy season. The first storm had come through a few days prior, filling ponds, low areas and ditches with water. Leaves were budding and popping out on trees, adding touches of green to the landscape.

Mike (missionary to Burkina Faso and director of the orphanage we visited there) commented on the green leaves on our drive from the airport to the village, and I realized it was the rain the week before that had prompted this new growth. In a flash, I saw that new life was springing forth from the dust, and that the green we were looking at was the result of the rain which had come and soaked the dry and weary land. I saw the parallel to what happens to us when living water is poured out on us. We are but dust (Ps 103:14, Gen 2:7) but when we receive Jesus, and the living water He speaks of, (John 4:14, 7:37-38) that which was dead is suddenly alive.

As it rained one morning Biba (Mike & Amy’s adopted daughter) told us that the Burkinabe love the rain and often go out in it and dance. It was a foreign concept to me, but as we watched Biba’s joyful and exuberant dance in the pouring rain, her appreciation of the life and vitality and refreshing, a new appreciation dawned on me. The rain brought life to the plants, and by extrapolation, to the people. This rain brought refreshing, cooler temperatures, and quieted the dust. Before our eyes was an example of living water bringing life, refreshing, and newness of life to a dry and weary people. Truly this rain was something to be celebrated.

Science tells us the human body is more than 60 percent water, blood is 92 percent water, the brain and muscles are 75 percent water, and bones are about 22 percent water.  A human can survive for a month or more without eating food, but only a week or so without drinking water. Possibly more than we are aware, we need water to survive, and Jesus offered living water…

At home in the US where I have easy access to running water in several rooms

of my house, I didn’t appreciate or pay attention to water. But over and over again while I was in Burkina Faso, where water means a trip to the well and hauling heavy containers, where rain only comes three months each year, it was easier for me to see and appreciate the value of water and to comprehend the things God has told us about humanity, Himself, and water. Thank you to all involved for allowing me this opportunity.

Fruit From Suffering

A few months back as the Bible study I attend was finishing up studying the books of 1 & 2 Peter and James, I was asked to speak about things I'd learned from the junk that happens in life. (ok, so that's a paraphrase, but you get the idea) I'm finally getting around to posting it... Maybe I'll actually post things a little more often than once every couple of years...

² Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.  James 1:2 AMP

I want to talk about trials from a little different perspective. Because… Sometimes….  It almost seems counter-intuitive, wrong almost, or maybe even offensive to consider trials and temptations joyful. I mean… they’re bad…. they hurt…. Right???  But God says these things that seem so hard and wrong are designed to bring good fruit. Wow.

Scripture tells us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. (Is 55:8-9) When I read in James to consider trials joyful, I’m reminded that I don’t think like God does.  I have had times of great grace, like when I was facing cancer and lung surgery. It was easy for me to tell that God was near and present. But somehow, it seems far more typical that the things I’m walking through are hard and they hurt a lot, and trials don’t prompt rejoicing in me. It seems I so easily fall into being overcome by whatever trial is pressing on me. I love how the Amplified Bible says it: “I am enveloped in” trials.

Count it all joy?? Where’s the disconnect? Clearly it’s me. So what do I do when I’m facing something and all I can see is pain or negativity or whatever thing is going wrong? Eventually, and I’m learning to do it more quickly, I focus on a few key things:

God is good. Whether it looks like it or not, whether I understand or not. I know this is absolute truth. God is good. (2 Chron 5:13, 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 86:5, 100:5, 136:1, Nahum 1:7)

God loves me. He wants the absolute best for me. This is indisputable truth. I’ve found that by settling these things in my mind, in my thinking, the dark times don’t look quite as dark.  (John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2 Thes 2:16; 1John 4:10; Jer 29:11, 31:17; Hosea 2:15)

Nothing is wasted. So many times to me, whatever struggle I face seems senseless and purposeless. I mean, really, why? Why? This? Again? And then I remember… nothing is wasted. But wait… is that even scriptural? I think so… I think it’s a loose paraphrase of verses like James 1:3 that talk about “ Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith  bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.” Is 61:3 talks about giving beauty for ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, praise instead of heaviness, and Romans 8:28 reminds me “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  His purpose… His will… not mine…. Ouch! How many times am I upset because I don’t like what is happening to ME? But HE has a better plan.

One of my favorite “go to” verses when I’m in the midst of struggle is Psalm 27:13-14 “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Sometimes I just meditate on an encouraging or relevant verse… sometimes I pray through the verse, over and over… and sometimes I put on music. I’ve collected music that speaks to areas that I’m vulnerable, and when I have those times that all I can see is pain, I put on those songs and let the music wash over me, heal and cleanse my heart.

I learned something interesting from David’s fight against Goliath. (1 Samuel 17)  In a nutshell, what happens there is Goliath railing against Saul and his army twice a day, for 40 days, talking about how weak they are and how strong he is. Israel believed the lies and accusations hurled at them, and was afraid. Then David showed up. He heard something different, and so his response was different. ²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Do you hear the difference? David recognized that the accusations, though spoken to Israel, were really challenging God. When I’m in the middle of a rough situation, what is my response? Do I listen to all the accusations, silently agreeing with them?  Do I look at all the things that are going wrong? ….

I’m beginning to learn, like I did last March when so many things were pressing on me as I prepared to close on the sale of our house, to look to God, cry out to Him, praise Him, worship Him, the One who is bigger than the circumstances. When I finally came to the place of looking to God and praising Him, suddenly, everything changed.

There’s one more thing I want to mention… emotions… sometimes I’ve felt… sad, angry, depressed, overwhelmed, hopeless or despair….  Slowly, I’m learning not to pay so much attention to how I feel. I might be overtired. Or hormonal. Or hungry. Or weary. Or sometimes, even after a “spiritual high” or good time with the Lord, I’m just exhausted and need to recharge and thoughts and emotions can go haywire… (Elijah – prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 & despairing in 1 Kings 19:1-8 – God gave him sleep and food.)

Sometimes how I feel, how I’m thinking, how the situation appears can change after a good night’s sleep or a good meal or a much needed break or pampering. I’m learning to not take some of these feelings and perceptions so seriously.  More than anything, I’ve learned that I have to pay attention to what I’m thinking. Take thoughts captive. (2 Cor 10:5) Bless the Lord O my soul. (Psalm 103) Count it all joy. (James 1:2) Pay attention to what I’m focusing on.

So in that context, I look again at James 1 … ² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Yeah, maybe God does know what He’s talking about after all J  Maybe I can do that