MY BLOG POSTS

In my day, it was called “boy crazy”. Today, teens use the word “thirsty” to describe a girl who is seeking the attention of the opposite sex.

I think it’s normal and natural that teenage girls are “thirsty”. God has given girls (and all of us, really) a desire to be known, loved, and appreciated. But that thirst CANNOT be quenched by a boy. Not even a really, really cute boy!

When girls seek to quench their “thirst” by getting the attention of a young man, they often find themselves, when that attention has played out, even less satisfied than they were when they started out. So they keep searching, keep “drinking”. They sacrifice what is precious, and they remain discontent.

But there is a solution! Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt. 5:6)

There is a blessing in being thirsty – when we are thirsty for what is right. God wants us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Later in the gospels, Jesus tells the woman at the well He came to offer Living Water: the gift of salvation that forever quenches the thirst we all have.

God made us “thirsty” so we would seek Him. Don’t miss out on the Living Water by seeking what is “dead”. Thirst for Jesus – His is the love you are longing for. Don’t settle for anything less.

I was on a search committee at church a few years ago. A group of us were tasked with finding a young man who could work with both the worship ministry and with youth – the list of his responsibilities were pretty long. We prayed before every meeting, asking God to direct us to His choice for this position.

Early on in the process, the supervising pastor told us, “We need to make sure the man we choose has been ‘broken’.” It sounded a bit harsh, but we knew what he was saying: Brokenness in ministry is inevitable. Recovering from that brokenness marks the difference between a mature believer and a baby.

I was reminded of that this morning as I studied the book of Job. Job was broken in every way possible – spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally…In a few short verses, he went from being an incredibly wealthy father of ten to a man bereft of everything he held dear – children killed, livestock and home destroyed, body devastated.

Yet, the scripture tells us in all this Job did not sin. He did not curse God (even though his wife encouraged him to do just that!). In fact, in his brokenness, Job worshiped God.

I thought, then, of the many people I have known and encountered and heard about, who experienced difficulties in this life and did not respond the way Job responded. People who did curse God. Some turned from the one true God to other “gods” who promise a more comfortable life, or away from God entirely because they “tried” God and He didn’t “work” for them.

Far too often, we choose to believe in a God we have crafted in our own minds – a God who makes life easy for us, who constantly blesses us, who protects us from everything bad, everything negative. And when that God doesn’t behave in the way we believe He should behave, we walk away.

We need to be reminded of the lesson Job learned. After three dozen chapters of Job’s friends trying to explain God and make sense of Job’s situation, God shows up. He rebukes those well-meaning (?) friends and responds to Job’s longing for an answer to the “why”?

In the final chapters of the book of Job, God explains that He is God. He doesn’t offer Job a “reason” for his difficulties, He doesn’t apologize for Job’s trial, He doesn’t promise to make everything better. He doesn’t have to!

He is GOD. We are not. Period.

That is the lesson Job learns in his brokenness. And he worships the holy, perfect God, repenting for daring to ask that this almighty, sovereign Creator God “defend” Himself to His creation.

Brokenness in the Christian life leads to strength and peace and joy. When we understand God is not a genie, not a “Santa”, not a Divine Butler who gives us what we want when we want it, when we fall to our knees and recognize God is God, worthy of our complete devotion and obedience and worship, we are set free.

If you’ve never heard comedian Michael Jr.’s testimony – watch this. It’s funny and inspiring and so God-honoring. In it, he explains how some difficulties in his past really worked out to be blessings. God used struggles to mold him into the man he was meant to be.

But Micheal Jr isn’t alone. God works in all of our lives, bringing beauty from ashes and making sense of the senseless. We don’t get to see the “why” all the time. But God often gives us what a former pastor called “glimpses of the Kingdom” – insight into how God is working to fulfill His purposes through His people.

I can see these Kingdom glimpses most clearly in our moves. Every move (EVERY move) was tough. I hate moving! But every move (EVERY move) was good. God taught me lessons I wouldn’t have learned had I stayed where I was. He gave me friends I never would have had otherwise. He gave me opportunities to minister to people I never would have met had I gotten what I wanted and just stayed in one place forever.

You never know what God is going to use – circumstances that are difficult or confusing can be just the ones that bring you where you need to go or prepare you for how He wants to use you. He is the Redeemer. And He is in control of everything. 

By the end of this week, we will have been in California for three months.

Crazy.

You regulars know that this move was major for our family. When I first blogged about it, I was still somewhat in shock….California?? Wha…?? But as we began packing and saying painful goodbyes, the shock turned to sadness, tinged with confusion. Why, God? Why move us all the way across the country, where we know NO ONE?

La Jolla Beach

But we kept packing, we said those painful goodbyes, we loaded up the Penske truck and our old van, and we started driving — away from the familiar into – as the old Steven Curtis Chapman song goes – the Great Unknown.

The first month was a little rough – though we were warmly and graciously received by our new administrators, we struggled to get settled in: everything is different in CA!!

Calvary Christian Academy Varsity Volleyball team

School started July 21. As all beginnings are, it was awkward. The kids weren’t sure they’d fit in; Dave and I weren’t sure we’d fit in. So. Much. New.

Let me fast forward through those first awkward weeks, though…we are at the end of the first quarter, and we’re thriving. God has given each of my kids great friends. And, to the delight of this mother’s heart – my girls have many of the same friends. Most are fellow volleyball players (CCA Lady Knights are 4-0, thank you very much!). They are a fun group and, to be around them, you’d think they’d known each other for years.

Earthquake Drills — something we never had in Florida!

Thomas is enjoying school, as well – when he’s not getting Demerits for talking (those of you who know him are not at all surprised at that!), he’s playing his ukulele and singing in the middle school worship team, and playing flag football with his new buddies.

God has given Dave and me amazing coworkers who have treated us like family. We are so blessed. I feel like we see confirmation, weekly, that this is exactly where God wants us.

Of course, we still miss “home”, we miss our friends, we miss rain! But we are adjusting well, and we are experiencing the blessings of obedience. We still sometimes wonder “why”? But we trust in a God who is far wiser than we could ever be. He knows what is best for us – even when it seems crazy, scary, and confusing.

God is good. ALL the time.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jer. 29:11