Contemplate the Greatest Gift of All (written originally 12-22-13)

Once upon a time,

In a city far away.

A baby laid all swaddled,

The only comfort…hay.

In humblest beginnings,

The Savior came to save.

Born of a virgin, Mary,

This was God’s chosen way.

He could have dropped out of Heaven,

He could rule by gavel or sword,

But instead He came as a baby,

This infant is also our Lord.

How gracious our loving Savior,

Who took on our flesh to live. 

For my sin earns a punishment I cannot pay,

But by His blood, He can forgive.

So in this Christmas season,

With every gift you get,

Contemplate the greatest gift of all,

Jesus humble birth and sin-crushing death.

-Joy Lynn

Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Have you receive this gift by faith and trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior?  If not, I hope you receive it today.  Merry Christmas y’all!

Remember Who is in Control

So I mentioned that I was a perfectionist in my last note and today I’ll also admit that I can tend to be a bit of a control freak.  Now we all know, there is very little in this world that we can actually control, but believe you me, I try to control as much as I possibly can.  I think through all the possibilities, try to see potential pot holes ahead, and fix problems before they blow up, because I don’t do well at dealing with life post-explosion.  Sometimes it’s the struggles and pains of my friends that have me worried.  I want to help or fix the problem but there is often absolutely nothing I can do.  I become rather rattled and start falling apart at the seams.   Can anyone else relate?

Well, my good friend King Jehoshaphat spoke into my life once again with how he dealt with terrifying news.  In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat is delivered the news that many other surrounding nations have gotten together and are coming for Judah and King Jehoshaphat’s kingdom.  When he hears this, “Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord” (2 Chron. 20:3). That’s all one sentence.  He was, indeed, afraid but His first reaction was to seek God through not only His prayers but the prayers of all the people of Judah. Step one:  In the face of fear, seek God.

Jehoshaphat goes on to pray a tremendous prayer in the midst of his people, which you can read in 2 Chron. 20: 5-12.  In it, Jehoshaphat acknowledges God’s power and control over the situation, he names specific times in history that God has delivered His people and then he expresses faith that God will again deliver His people from their enemies.  They collectively acknowledged they had no control and no chance of winning on their own but that they would keep their eyes on Him (20:12). Step two:  Remember who God is. 

When God speaks into the situation in 2 Chronicles 20:15-17, God reminds King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah, that “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15).  Step three: Remember, whatever we are facing, it is God who fights for us and brings His purposes to pass. 

Finally King Jehoshaphat leads his army to confront the oncoming attack and he sends the choir out first, ahead of the armed men, singing praises to God.  Step four: Praise Him for what He is about to do, even if you don’t know how He’ll see you through.

As Judah’s army approached the battle field, they found that all the opposing armies had been defeated by God as they turned the swords on each other and none were left to fight Judah. The army of Judah then collected the spoils of war and remembered to praise God continually for the victory for which only He could do.  They could take no credit for what God did but they gained many riches from it anyway. We do nothing to deserve it but He lavishes us with blessing anyway. 

Final results for following steps one through four:  2 Chronicles 20: 29-30 says “And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.  So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.”

Because King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah committed their way entirely to the Lord and let God fight the battle for them, they came out of the situation with a tremendous story to tell the nations.  The testimony they established in this chapter was clear for all to see.  The God of King Jehoshaphat was mighty, powerful and to be revered.  There is no need for us to fear with God on our side.  Even if we can’t see how it will turn out, He will make a way so we must stay near to Him and keep our eyes fixed.  The results will blow your mind and the story will clearly point to Him. 

I hope to commit these steps to memory and begin to applying them as life continues to throw its curve balls.  Instead of losing composure when bad news arrives, I want to seek God first, remembering Who He is and what He has done in the past and know that what He will do with this situation will be His best and my reaction and action concerning this news can be used as a mighty testimony for His work in my life and in the lives of others.  I've been blessed in my life to know several people who have walked through crazy storms and their lives tell the story of a God who loves, heals and restores.  All in all, I want my inability to control to be overcome with the knowledge that He is in control.  

Until next time,

In Christ,

Joy Lynn

P.S.  I must admit that the original idea for this post came from Lysa Ter Keurst who is the author of “Unglued”.  She used 2nd Chronicles to come up with a battle plan for facing the fear of the unknown as well as battles that rage on in our lives. I did my own read of the Scripture and came up with this list personal to me but it was largely inspired by her so proper credit goes to the forerunners. 

Failing ≠ Failure

My personality strongly borders perfectionism.  I am my own biggest critic and my own worst enemy.  I try my best to stay on the right path and when I skew, it is usually I that is the most unforgiving of myself.  Not only do I run high on perfectionism but I also run high on self-destructive reactions to my short comings.  When I fall, I fall hard and it can sometimes take a long time for me to shake off the depression that my failure brings.  I often fear in my failure, that I’ve completely ruined my testimony and that my whole life has been a sham.  Extreme-much, eh?  If you aren’t super close to me, perhaps you don’t know that side and that may be for your best interest but today I stumbled upon a story that really spoke to my self-defeating nature.

The story is part of the life of King Jehoshaphat, who was the king of Judah.  The Bible speaks highly of King Jehoshaphat for his commitment to the Lord and not letting other kinds of worship enter into his kingdom.  2 Chronicles 17:3-4 says that “..the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David: he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments…”  King Jehoshaphat was not only trying to honor God but he also was honored by surrounding peoples and nations because he was a well respected leader.

But even the most respectable of people make mistakes.  King Jehoshaphat ended up making an alliance with the King of Israel, the evil King Ahab (1 Kings 16:30 & 21:25).  King Ahab wanted King Jehoshaphat to join him in a conquest of Ramoth Gilead against the Arameans.  Ahab’s prophets, seeking the kings favor only, said go to war because God is with you.  Jehoshaphat wasn’t buying it, so Micaiah, a follower of God was called to inquire of God’s will.  Micaiah warned Jehoshaphat that Ahab’s goons were lying and that Jehoshaphat should return to Judah in peace and not fight.

Long story short, Micaiah was thrown into prison by Ahab (2 Chron. 18:26) and Jehoshaphat went to war anyway.    Ahab even tried throwing Jehoshaphat under the bus in a set up to escape with his life (18:29-30), but as it would happen, Ahab was killed in battle (18: 33-34) and Jehoshaphat was delivered by God even though he was surrounded by the enemy (18:31-32). 

Jehoshaphat made it back home safely only to be confronted by Jehu who said “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.  Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God.”  (2 Chronicles 19: 2-3).

This is the part of the story that blew me away.  Talk about Truth spoken in love.  Essentially, Jehu said Jehoshaphat...you really blew it on that one. Epic fail. You went against God even though He warned you, and you will indeed face consequences…no getting around that.  But Jehoshaphat...you failed this time, but that doesn't make you or your life a failure. You've done good in the past and you'll do good in the future if you seek to be obedient to Him. He's been faithful to you, so be faithful to Him.

Imagine if I took hold of that truth and the grace encapsulated in that statement and showed a bit of that to myself and to those around me.  To say, yeah, we mess up and just because we say sorry doesn’t mean the consequences will vanish but just because we fail does not make us void of use either.  My life story is more than one chapter and my failings can be used for both great growth as well as a continual reminder that I need His guidance and strength to get me through and not rely on my own.

So maybe you are like me and fail often enough to want to hide under a rock.  Take heart, God’s not done.  You are not a mistake.  Don’t let the lies win.  Good is found in you when you are found in Him.  Keep seeking, running, praying and getting back up with each fall along the way.  He’s faithful to forgive, to grow you, and to use each and every part of the fabric that makes you, you. 

Remember, you may fail but you are not a failure.
But more importantly, remember that He will never fail you.

Until next time,

In Christ,

Joy Lynn 

Help Me, Please

Don’t get too close,

I’m not what you see,

What’s lurking inside,

Is insecurity.

I search to find love,

Joy and acceptance,

But why would you be friends,

With someone so reckless?

Why would they?

How could they?

Won’t they see?

These flaws in me…

So I wrestle with trust,

And constant testing

To see what’s real,

And check if you’ve left yet.

I don’t know why you’d stay

After all my pushing away

Why be friends with a jerk like me,

When you could otherwise be free?

I wish I knew how to stop the cycle,

Let you love me even if I’m psycho,

Not question motives and make you pass test,

But give you full trust by always assuming the best.

Lord, search me and find,

The brokenness inside of me,

Help me to know that despite the past,

I can trust in Thee.

And because I can trust You,

Help me to see,

That these friends of mine,

Are the real thing.

Help me to stop the madness and confusion,

Help me to love without restitution.

Help me to stop the banter and lies,

The lies that warp and take over my mind.

Open my eyes,

And help me to see,

That even if they did choose to leave,

I still have Your unending love and that’s free.

Joy Lynn

A Call To Silence

A Call to Silence

Silence

Time to think

Free to hear

Not to speak

Listen

Hear Me clear

You may feel alone

But I am near

Rest here

Stay awhile

Take your eyes

Off the to-do pile

Take heart

I’m not through

You feel broken

I make things new

Joy Lynn

Broken Glasses

I woke up this morning,

Reaching out into the dark,

My wandering hand fumbles,

Finally, my fingers find there mark.

I put on my glasses and turn on the lights,

Why does the world still seem dark and not bright?

My eyes open and shut, but still all I see,

Is blurred visions of this image of me.

I shake off the confusion,

Determined to muscle through the day.

I’m consumed with my own thoughts,

Can’t seem to look away.

By noontime, I’ve had enough,

What’s with this sour mood?

Yes, life is hard but if God is good,

Why do I feel so misunderstood?

Over coffee I find an ear to hear,

I share how I want my vision to clear.

I take off my glasses and then my friend sees,

“I think the problem is with these.”

She handles my glasses, gently at first,

I brace myself, waiting to hear the worst.

“Here is the problem….. you can’t see…

Anything but yourself in mirrors like these.”

As she turns over the glasses, I see a reflection of me,

No wonder I can’t see, I’ve been deceived,

Thinking that if I watch out for my own interest,

I somehow would never be grieved.

But with all eyes on me,

I lost sight of God,

Trusting only in myself,

My confidence was flawed.

My friend broke my glasses, and handed me His Word,

“These self-centered glasses need to be nixed.

As you walk through your day,

It’s on God whom you should keep your eyes fixed.”

Here on my knees,

I find my vision restored,

In the good and in the bad,

There is peace when my eyes are on You, Lord.

Joy Lynn 

Always There

Just the other day, I had a vivid flashback to eighth grade.  I was sitting on a chair in the gym floor listening to Mr. Lott, the principal at the time speak.  I was probably one of like 50 students there, invited for an awards assembly of some sort.  As I sat there, I scanned the crowd and saw that though there was a small group of parents in attendance, my mom was sitting on the bottom bleacher.  I can’t remember what award I received that day, but I remember my proudest moment of that assembly.

I can’t remember if it was before the students received their awards or after, but Mr. Lott invited my mother to the podium and was commended by him, in front of everyone in attendance, for being one of the most dedicated supporters of her child’s education and educational programs at large.  Just that week, my mom and I had run into Mr. Lott at both the VMS choir and band concerts….and I didn’t participate in either.  I loved to go to those sort of things and I’m sure mom loved those things too, but I secretly think she also just really liked to go places with me….because I know without a doubt the reverse is the same.  So back to the memory…my proudest moment, was when my mother was being recognized for the amazing woman she was in public, by someone that had nothing to gain from his affirmation.

In short, the quality I will always always always remember about my mother was that she was there.  She was there at nearly all of my sporting events, open house, awards assemblies, concerts…you name it…if I was in it, she was at it.  But she also was a support of others and tried to make it to every event she could to show her support and care for those involved.  I don’t think there was much question of her loyalty or love to those blessed enough to call her family/friend.

So what I take away from this trip down memory lane, is that I want that legacy too.  I want my family, my friends, and my students to be able to say that I was there.  That I showed up, cheered on, and stayed around for the ride, whatever that looked like, through good and bad.  I may not be the most excitable person…may not always have the right words to say….but I was there to show I care.

She was always there…and though she’s no longer here, in my heart she’s always near.  I pray I turn out to be even a fraction of the godly woman that gave birth to me. 

Joy

Give Thanks In All (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Give thanks in all, but what does that mean?

Sit back and pretend everything is serene?

I take in the view; don’t like what I see,

Show me You’re in this, I humbly plea,

For the world has gone crazy and people are lazy,

The outlook for the future, is at best, hazy.

So show me Your glory, that You’re in on this story,

Though the devil’s at work now, he’ll soon be sorry. (Said like a Canadian to keep with the rhyme scheme)

So with hands to the plow, keep my eyes fixed now,

Though I can’t see the end to this, in surrender I bow;

Knowing that You hold tomorrow, worry's not something to borrow,

I can trust You with today, in both joy and in sorrow.

So I praise You in this storm like it’s the norm,

Because it’s through grace like rain that You transform.

Joy Lynn

Thought Jot: Discipleship

This morning, I was listening to a Ladies Retreat and the speakers stated that they believed the difference between mentorship and discipleship was one of time/season.  Mentoring could last a season or even a few seasons but discipleship was a life commitment to taking or coming under one’s wing for a lifetime.  I found that to be very interesting and I’m not sure I’d be so distinct on the verbage but it did make me think about both the mentors and the disciplers (by their definition) in my life. 

First off, I think the hardest part about this concept is I don’t think anyone can actually truly know, going into a relationship with a person, how long it will last.  Relations with people are pretty dynamic and unlike buying flowers from a store, I don’t think we can always know ahead of time which friends will be seasonal and which will be perennial (and in clarifying, seasonal friends can still be lifetime friends...just their major/consistent involvement may only last a season).  For me, I keep my close circle pretty tight (not a lot of people in there) but I’m an all-in friend once you are allowed in.  But me being all-in doesn’t mean they always choose to stay or that the friendship stays looking the same. 

So how does it all fit together?  I can make a lifelong commitment to someone and say, I want to walk you through life for life, but I very well may fail in that commitment and they very well may find a new “discipler”….and that’s ok.  I think at the end of my thoughts, I’ve come to realize, that in both my relating to those I would say have mentored and discipled me through the years as well as those that I hope I have a mentor/discipleship role in their lives, that my true lifetime commitment needs not to be to these people exclusively but to my God….. trusting that He is weaving both my story as well as theirs, and will bring me in and out of lives for a moment or a day or a year or a decade but in that, trusting He’ll use each of those moments of deep connection to deepen my/their relationship with Him and strengthen the bonds of love. 

I am thankful for the disciplers and mentors I have and have had over the years.  Thank you for consistently pointing me to God even when I am in my lowest and especially when you are in your lowest.  Thank you for stepping into these chapters of my life and seeing me through to the next one.  Thank you for your distinct piece of thread, that God in his marvelous handiwork, has used to continue on the tapestry He is creating of my life.  Thank you for what you have poured in and I pray I am equally poured out through His Spirit and work in my life.  And thank You, dear Heavenly Father, for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Discipler to whom I desire to follow each step of my life. 

In His Steps,

Joy Lynn

lies vs. Truth

What I see in the mirror,

Is not who I want to be,

Sometimes I don’t understand,

Why anyone befriends me.
Every day is a battle,

And some days I lose,

I believe all the lies,

My heart is easy to confuse.

Because it takes in all the negativity,

And gives it weight in reality,

While pushing away positivity,

Often with fierce brutality.

But when I look at His face,

Seek to bask in His grace,

Let the walls crumble down,

And rest in His embrace…

That’s when I finally see,

That the mirror is a liar,

Need to throw it in the fryer

For Your ways are higher.

When You look me in the eye,

You don’t see my sin and cry,

But instead You see Your Son,

Whose blood has drawn me nigh.

So when I am tempted to feed,

On the self hate and lies,

Remind me that

It’s never about how hard someone tries…

I can’t be perfect,

I may not be adored,

But there is beauty in these ashes,

And a heart You seek to be restored.

For my only worth is found in You,

And by You I was designed,

So may I run to the Truth,

And may Your peace I find.

Joy Lynn