Romans 8 | At Water’s Edge

Horizon Vision

Let’s talk about hope today as we finish our look at Romans 8.

Romans 8 (New International Version)

²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hope is no small matter in the Bible. The word itself appears more than 160 times, in dozens of contexts. Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). What God offers to us is a living hope — a renewable spiritual resource that is “living” because it connects us to a living Savior. Faith means learning to live toward a horizon we cannot fully see yet. God invites us to have a horizon vision.

Let me ask the obvious question: Do you have hope? Do you need hope? What difference would it make in your life to move from despair to hope? Having horizon vision is an act of hope. When we look up from our troubles and focus on the glory to come, that’s hope.

When our college-age daughter was undergoing chemo for 9 months, we created a hope ceremony that the whole family participated in together. We made a chain of paper rings and strung them in her bedroom, with one paper ring for each chemo session that was scheduled. Every time she completed a chemo treatment, we took the chain down and had our dog Annie break one circle with her paw. It gave us all hope to see that chain grow smaller and smaller each week until there were none left. Focusing on the hope chain gave Sarah horizon vision beyond her pain and nausea every day.

On a practical level, having the hope that comes from horizon vision gives us an eternal perspective can make a difference in the real decisions we make each day. We don’t need to be focused on getting ahead in this life because this life is not all there is! We don’t need to be consumed by shopping the latest trend, for this life is not all there is! We don’t need to spin in anger every time we watch the news, plot revenge against our ex, bad mouth our annoying neighbor, sabotage our coworker for a better position … for this life is not all there is!

So maybe we can choose to respond with gentleness when we’re really annoyed. We can support the marginalized, the disenfranchised and stop cutting people off on the highway. In these and many other ways, having an eternal perspective can help shape the life we lead every day.

This final verse of Romans 8 is my favorite in all the Bible. When I was an Associate Pastor at the Peachtree City United Methodist Church in Georgia, we had a huge building campaign to purchase 63 acres of land located 3 miles from our existing building, which we had completely outgrown. A massive multi-building plan was conceived, beginning with erecting a 1,000 seat sanctuary. When the floor was laid and the ceiling was finalized, we invited the congregation to come one evening and write their favorite Scripture in black sharpie markers on the cement floor before the carpet was laid down. I wrote this: ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In all things. In the bad things. In the good things. In the moments of deep trouble and the times of great joy. In the births and the deaths, in despair and in hope. God works in all of it for our good. That’s what we mean when we talk about having an eternal perspective. That’s what having horizon vision means. As you go about your day, keep your head held high and your eyes focused on the endless horizon of God’s promises.

And may the Holy Spirit fill your heart with hope.

Horizon Vision

Groaning

Posted on 3 Days Ago by Betsy

Romans 8:18-27 (NIV)

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Did you notice that Paul mentioned groaning three times in this short passage? Creation groans in labor pains, we groan in suffering, and the Spirit groans wordlessly within us. There is more groaning here than a teenager being told to go clean his room! But Paul is acknowledging the truth of our reality.

All of creation groans in a state of declining decay as it waits for the time when Jesus returns and ushers in the New Eden. We weren’t meant for this temporal life. We were designed for fellowship with God in the garden. But after the fall, all of that changed and it has been God’s long range plan, through Jesus, to return us to an Edenlike place of dwelling with him; a place we refer to as heaven. We see Paul looking at this hope.

I love the fact that Paul said that creation is groaning not in the last throes of death, but in childbirth. Labor pains mean life. Labor pains are a short-term suffering that ends in the beauty of a new creation. This new creation that God will bring will be void of pollution, catastrophic storms, and extreme temperatures. It will be a place where the lion lays down with the lamb, as God intended from the beginning. All creatures great and small will live together in harmony. When we join Paul in his vision, we, too can look past our current pain and suffering of this present earth and anticipate a time when Eden will be restored.

The groaning that occurs through humanity is how we express our exasperation over having to wait for our final “adoption” as children of God who look toward a future redemption of mind, spirit, and body. And see, you thought all your groaning was due to knees that ache, back twinges, and not being able to get off the floor anymore! But really, it’s your soul just groaning for that soon-to-come resurrection body.

So when Paul used the language of “adoption” to describe the startling, new relationship enjoyed by followers of Jesus, he was speaking to an educated audience. First-century Romans, Jews and Gentiles knew what were the privileges and perks that came with the status of being legally “adopted.” Proclaiming Jesus’ disciples to be true “children of God,” and including them into the scheme of God’s salvation by virtue of a “spirit of adoption,” had real legal realities for Paul’s audience, especially the Gentiles who were previously excluded.

As adoptees, we can anticipate an inheritance as “the glory about to be revealed to us” and “the redemption of our bodies”. Paul writes about our inheritance of the kingdom of God in many of his letters. So yes, we groan through days of disappointment and despair that we experience in the here and now, but our groaning is really toward something yet to come that we can’t even see yet.

Now, let me ask you a question: Have you ever been so distraught and overcome that you didn’t even know how to pray? I have. I have sometime only been able to muster “Help me, help me” as I sigh and groan in my angst. So when Paul wrote “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” we can feel the immediate release of our stress and tension, knowing that the Spirit has taken over our need and our petition. We can come out from the confusion that blots everything out and see clearly that God has a plan.

And God does have a plan.

Are you groaning today? Remember God’s goodness is everlasting, and he has designed a better life for us at the end.

Waiting Patiently by Kathy Schumacher

Too Soon

Posted on 22 Days Ago by Betsy

I was disturbed this week by a headline that fairly jumped off the page in an advertisement from my denomination’s publisher. It came unwanted and unbidden on a sunny day in August. You can probably already guess what they were selling: Christmas resources. It read: “Do you feel the anticipation coming?”

Yes, it is time to order Advent materials. No, I don’t feel the anticipation beginning.

You see, I live on the Outer Banks. I anticipate September. September is a magical month where the weather is gorgeous, the beaches are less crowded, the air is cooler, the restaurants are still in full swing, and you can actually navigate the by-pass without getting stopped at all nine stoplights between Colington and Kitty Hawk, which is only a four-mile trek. (Seriously, the by-pass traffic is a thing. I once wrote a song called “The By-Pass Blues,” and made my entire congregation sing it.)

Ahhh, September!

Perhaps that should read, “Ahhhhh, (hopefully hurricane-free) September!” When we get through the early fall unscathed by tropical depressions that turn into storms that turn into hurricane-force winds that turn into Cat 5s, we have had a good fall indeed.

Now that’s something to anticipate!

Simeon was one of the best anticipators in the Bible. I offer this with an apology: it was not my intention to bring you a Christmas scripture in the late summer, but here it is. Apparently I should work for Cokesbury. Oh, wait! I do work for Cokesbury.

Luke 2 (NIV)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Wow, so much to unpack here, but let’s stay focused on Simeon the Anticipator. He was waiting for the Lord’s Messiah, and was empowered in his waiting by the Holy Spirit. He had been assured by God that the Messiah would actually come in his lifetime and he believed that so much, he went to the temple that day led by the Holy Spirit, anticipating that he would see Jesus.

Let that soak in.

What are you anticipating today? Are you waiting with full assurance that you will encounter Jesus? Are you making your way toward his saving grace with confidence that you will be delivered?

Anticipation tells us that whatever we do, wherever we are, whatever sin we have committed, whatever burden of grief we bear, no matter what, Jesus is ready. He is ready to heal, to direct, to rebuke, to fight for you … Jesus is ready.

Simeon teaches us to anticipate with hope. We are invited to stand firm on the promises of God in our lives and expect to be delivered. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Jesus:

Romans 8 (NLT)

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” God always delivers on his promises. Simeon saw Jesus, and we can too.

Anticipate that, my friends!

Waiting for September

Relentless Love

Posted on February 25 by Betsy

The word relentless conjures up so many images. The helpful salesman at the car dealership. Athletes preparing for the Olympics. Perfume-sample people at the mall. Wrestlers. A two-year-old. The pace of the music in Hamilton.

To be relentless is to “show no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace: To be unrelenting.” Relentless people have a stick-to-itiveness that others lack. Relentless people get the job done. I often think that if I had been relentless in my piano practicing, I might actually play the piano today. I do not. Somewhere along the way, other things crowded in and I lost my momentum. Has that ever happened to you?

One thing that is completely relentless is God’s love for you.

Romans 8 (The Message)

^31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger?

The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing…

…None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve gone backwards.

It doesn’t matter how deep your sin is, how high your disobedience gets, how wide your lies are, or how narrow your hope is.

It doesn’t matter.

God’s love for you and his relentless forgiveness will follow you to the depths of hell and bring you back. Nothing can get between you and God’s relentless love because of the way that Jesus has embraced you.

So the next time you fall flat on your face and can’t get up, remember that God put his life on the line for you, and nothing … not trouble, not hatred, not hard times, or hunger … nothing can separate you from the great love of God through Jesus Christ, our relentless savior.

Key Largo Sunset

One Thing

Posted on January 21 by Betsy

If you had one thing you could ask of God, what would it be? Now mind you, this question comes with the same constraints as the genie in the bottle, so you can’t ask for more wishes to be granted. Some of us would ask for financial relief and wealth, so that money would no longer be an issue. Some of us would ask for a miracle cure for ourselves or a loved one who was dealing with a terminal illness. Some of us might ask for an impossible reconciliation to be granted with an estranged loved one. Some might ask for material things.

David asked to be allowed to enter God’s home.

In our psalm today, David made it clear that the only thing he wants, needs, and seeks is to live with God for the rest of his life. It is a good ask, when you think about it. In God’s house, all riches are ours and economic insecurity does not exist. All illnesses vanish and we are made whole. Every relationship is restored in heaven, so there is no estrangement. And all material needs are met daily, so we never go without. It is a good ask!

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)

    I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
⁵Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

David was always in some kind of trouble, and while we don’t know the exact dating of this psalm, we can intuit that he was under siege once again from an enemy and longed for the protection of God’s shelter. Do you ever feel that way in troubled times? I feel that way every day when I wake up and read the news. Our present generation has never lived in such troubled times and I, for one, long for the shelter of God’s secret place. Deliver us, Lord!

⁶Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
    and I will offer sacrifices in God’s tent—
        sacrifices with shouts of joy!
    I will sing and praise the Lord.

⁷Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—
    have mercy on me and answer me!
⁸Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.
    Lord, I do seek your face!
⁹Please don’t hide it from me!
    Don’t push your servant aside angrily—
        you have been my help!
    God who saves me,
        don’t neglect me!
        Don’t leave me all alone!

Here is the good news. There is never a situation or circumstance that would cause God to not hear you when you cry out. There is never a time or reason why God would hide God’s face from you. There is nothing you can possibly do that would cause God to neglect you or leave you alone. Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8:

Romans 8 (Common English Bible)

³¹So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?

³³Who will bring a charge against God’s elect people? It is God who acquits them. ³⁴Who is going to convict them? It is Christ Jesus who died, even more, who was raised, and who also is at God’s right side. It is Christ Jesus who also pleads our case for us.

³⁵Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Will we be separated by trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

We are being put to death all day long for your sake.
We are treated like sheep for slaughter.

³⁷But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. ³⁸I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers ³⁹or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Amen.

The Secret Place by Kathy Schumacher

Big Daddy

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Betsy

I have just returned from a wonderful family weekend where we celebrated my father-in-law’s 94th birthday. That is not a typo, folks! 94 years of life on this earth, working, loving, laughing, and providing for his family as a Naval officer for over 30 years. Our time together was kind of a replay of the life my husband’s family lived. There were jokes, stories told again, joy, mayhem, and a feeling of connectedness that was bred into them by their parents. Everyone came together with a helping hand and a happy heart. Even Muffin the cat had a great time getting extra ear rubs.

We often use familial language when referencing our relationships with our church and the larger body of Christ. We call one another brothers and sisters and refer to God as our Abba, a beautiful Aramaic word that best translates as “Daddy.” This word signifies the close and intimate relationship of love and trust between father and child. You may remember that Jesus called God his Abba Father. In Mark 14:36, Jesus called out to his Abba in a moment of agony and asked if perhaps the cup of suffering (the impending crucifixion) might be taken from him if it was Abba’s will. This alone should give us permission to cry out to our Abba Father in any moment of hurt, confusion, and deep distress. Both Paul and Jesus related to God as their big Daddy who will rush to their aid, fix any problem, and never leave their side.

Romans 8 (Common English Bible)

¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness. ¹³If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live. ¹⁴All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters.

¹⁵You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.”¹⁶The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. ¹⁷But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.

Paul wrote Romans while in Corinth as he wintered there during his third missionary journey. He had been a preacher of the Good News of Jesus Christ for 20 years. Romans is a sophisticated and well-articulated theological statement of faith that is incredibly timeless. If you have time today, read the whole book. Unlike his other letters where he addressed issues that were being faced by each church, Romans focuses on God’s plan for salvation.

This beautiful father-child relationship that Paul described in this passage comes with an obligation to live by the Spirit. The Spirit of God leads us in all paths of righteousness and away from the selfishness of being led by the flesh/body. Fear has no place here: We are children of God and have nothing to fear, even suffering. The cup that our Lord took on our behalf ensures that we need not fear death, for his death brought us life. As Paul said, we can “also be glorified with him” (verse 17). So even in our suffering, we are assured that there are better days ahead.

Think about your relationship with God. Do you experience God as Abba, Father, or as a harsh judge? Do you know him as your trusted Daddy, or do you fear his wrath? God desires to sit at our family birthday parties and share the joy.

Won’t you let him in?

Heirs by Michelle Robertson

Being Adopted

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Betsy

Did you know that you are adopted?

True statement. Certainly, there is a percentage of readers who were adopted into their families, but in a spiritual sense, every one of us is adopted by God. This language of a familial relationship that carries a certain legal and permanent change of status speaks volumes about the love that God feels for each of us, his children.

In 1st Century Rome, adoption was a very serious matter. In adoption, a son (always a son) would be deliberately chosen to perpetuate the father’s name and his estate. Adoption provided that the son gained all new rights in the new family and all of his old life and debts were canceled. Prominent families who only had daughters could adopt a male so that their line and lineage would continue. This was necessitated by the (ridiculous) law that prevented female children from inheriting anything.

So when Paul uses adoption language in Romans, he is referencing the legal and binding relationship between Father/God and son/children:

Romans 8 (Common English Bible)

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness. 13 If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.

Paul was always quick to point out that living for the flesh (“selfishness” … understood to mean sinful rebellion to God) would result in death. He goes on to remind us that we aren’t just saved by the works of the spirit, but we must also walk by the Spirit.

14 All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. 15 You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children.

With joyful confidence, we can proclaim God as Abba, Father, just like Jesus did. We understand Abba to be comparable to the word “Daddy.” What does it mean to you to think of God as Daddy?

17 But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.

Being an heir means all of your past has been wiped out. Being an heir means all of your debts are forgiven. Being an heir means that you have a Daddy who loves you and will never leave you. Your inheritance includes the key to the very gates of heaven itself. As God’s heir apparent, how will you live out your life? In faithfulness and duty, or in rejection and denial?

God invites us to live as the children of God. May our words and choices reflect our position.

Fountain of Blessings

Waiting for Consolation

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Betsy

Our passage from Luke today includes a beautiful phrase: “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.” This phrase comes from Isaiah 12:1, where God brings consolation and comfort to those who wait. I have sat with many people as they waited for consolation. This is what happens in hospital waiting rooms. This is what happens as the hospice nurse is on the way. This is what happens when the horrible divorce is almost at an end. This is what happens when we receive news of an accident, tragedy, or any other life-altering event. We wait to be consoled in the way only the Holy Spirit can console us.

Indeed, today Israel is waiting for consolation and the end of war with Hamas and the return of their captured citizens. Gaza waits for the consolation of the end of the siege. People all over the world are waiting for the end of terror and strife.

Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, which he know would only come with the Lord’s Messiah. His belief was so strong, he waited in faith and he anticipated Jesus’ arrival:

Luke 2 (NIV)

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

Wow, so much to unpack here, but let’s stay focused on Simeon. He was waiting for the Lord’s Messiah and was empowered in his waiting by the Holy Spirit. He had been assured by God that the Messiah would actually come in his lifetime, and he believed that so much, he went to the temple every day. He was there that day, led by the Holy Spirit, anticipating that he would see Jesus.

Let that soak in.

What are you waiting for today? Do you wait with enough faith that you are anticipating God’s resolution to happen? Are you waiting with full assurance that you will encounter Jesus? Are you making your way toward his saving grace with confidence that you will be delivered?

Anticipation tells us that whatever we do, wherever we are, whatever sin we have committed, whatever burden of grief we bear, no matter WHAT, Jesus is ready. He is ready to heal, to direct, to rebuke, to fight for you … Jesus is ready.

Simeon teaches us to anticipate with hope. We are invited to stand firm on the promises of God in our lives and EXPECT to be delivered. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Jesus:

Romans 8 (NLT)

“Neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” God always delivers on his promises.

Simeon waited until he saw Jesus, and we can too. Go to the Temple! He is there.

Anticipate the Day by Michelle Robertson

Separation

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Betsy

If you live far away from your family, you know the pain that separation can bring. Missing out on daily joys and activities is hard. Thank goodness for technology like FaceTime that allows us to see and hear each other, but nothing can replace a warm hug and the feeling of a three-year-old holding your hand.

One of the things that heaven promises is that when we get there, we will never be separated again:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39, NIV 1984)

God’s perspective of death is that death is not the end. It is not final, nor is it forever. God’s perspective is that by the power of the resurrection there is a death of death, as believers receive eternal life upon their death. And so, the good news is that nothing can separate us permanently from God or our families … not even death.

This means that this time of painful separation is only temporary. While the rest of your life will be spent without the one you love, the rest of your life is but a blink of an eye in the scope of eternity. Just as those highly anticipated moments in our lives seem forever to get here, like kids who wait for Christmas or brides who wait for their wedding day, those events are but a blink of an eye in the scope of an eternal lifetime. If you have older children, think back about their toddler and elementary years. How often do we say, “I can’t believe how fast it went”? And yet each pregnancy was its own lifetime!

The problem with grieving is that it slooowwws down time. We become suspended in an artificial reality that is all too real. Days are long and nights are longer because we are stuck in the moment of our crisis like a fly caught in tree sap. Our movements and our thoughts are sluggish. It takes forever to get simple things done, to make sentences come together, to remember why we have walked into a particular room. It is not uncommon to forget even names of friends and acquaintances after the shock of a death. Grief can make us feel as though we are swimming in tar, trying to reach a distant shore that keeps moving farther away and the swim is taking forever. Embracing God’s perspective that death and mourning are only temporary states can begin to help us shake off our sluggishness and get on with what is the rest of our short existence here. Hear these words of Psalm 90 that offer us a perspective of how God measures time:

A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4, NIV 1984)

So, if you are grieving right now, take heart. This separation won’t last forever, and you are not alone in your sorrow. Jesus himself walks with you today, and while you can’t feel him holding your hand, you can know for certain that he holds your heart.

This based on an excerpt from my book, Mourning Break, available at Amazon.

Bless People Who Harass You

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Betsy

Yes, this phase is actually in the Bible. “Bless people who harass you” is straight out of Romans, chapter 12. Darn you, Paul! Here I was, thinking I am righteous in my indignation over people who harass me. I like to envision myself as a modern-day Jesus, overturning the money lenders’ tables at the Temple when I get royally aggravated at someone. Jesus got angry, why can’t I??

Well, to begin with, I am not the Messiah, and neither are you. An affront to the incarnate God on the steps of the Holy of Holies constituted something that was actually sacrilegious. My offenders are annoying, but they are not committing heresies against the divine. In short, there are many situations where we just need to get over ourselves.

A reader whom I offended confronted me about my “tone.” And as confrontations usually go, I was then offended by HIS “tone.” But we are two people who love each other and listen closely to the leading of the Holy Spirit, even in the midst of difficult conversations. We were able to hear each other out and, by the grace of God, we’ve held on to what is good in our relationship. I think Paul would have been pleased with our exchange.

Romans 12 (Common English Bible)

⁹Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. ¹⁰Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. ¹¹Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! ¹²Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer.¹³Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.

¹⁴Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.

Where is God calling you to bless someone you would rather curse? Do you have a list? Most of us do. But Paul challenges us to love without pretending, and show honor to each other. This can only be done when you talk and listen to those whom you’d rather curse.

And don’t miss the part about devoting yourselves to prayer! Contending with harassers and enemies has got to come after time has been spent in prayer. It may take years.

Early in my ministry I was attacked by a matriarch of the church. She had no appreciation for what I brought to the table. She complained about my children’s sermons, said that my recruitment efforts to set up team-teaching in Sunday School had failed because nobody liked me, etc. She took those concerns to our Staff Parish committee (basically a Human Resources committee) and they called me in to talk about it. I was DEVASTATED. The committee discussed it further after I went back to my office, where I began to collect boxes to pack my things. About an hour later my assigned committee-advocate found me. He told me that the committee felt the matter was over that night and no action would be taken. But the deep pain I felt left a mark.

My advocate was much older and wiser than I, and advised me to follow the scripture that commands us to “pray for our enemies.” I took his advice. Lo and behold, many years later this woman came to me on a big church workday and called me down from a ladder to tearfully apologize for what she had said. She was sorry for the trouble she had caused all those years earlier. She had been working things out in her personal life at the time, and some of it spilled over and splashed on me. We reconciled in that moment and have maintained a friendly relationship ever since. Later on, when her child came into a time of trouble, she sought out my counsel, further solidifying our relationship. I easily love this woman without pretending.

¹⁵Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. ¹⁶Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.

That last line is so accurate. When we feel offended by someone, we might just be missing an important lesson about our OWN behavior that needs some attention. Paul reminds us that God can do so much more with a humble and contrite spirit than a self-righteous one.

Where is God calling you to change?

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