Sacred Mundane: The Blog

My mind swam and the tears I held back stung my eyes. Why this struggle? It was one off-handed comment; why did it throw me into such a tailspin? In a matter of minutes I had mentally crafted a defense and counter-attack. But, checked by the gracious Holy Spirit, I stopped. No, I won’t go there.  Instead, knowing the safest place to go, I crept to my dark room, and bowed low.

On our face is the only place from which we can never fall. And however you want to credit it, as clear as a voice one word filled the room.

“Lose.”

The tears fell now, now happy, now release. Of course. The ball inside instantly unwound. Now there was peace. The storm was stilled.One word from Him does just that.

Of course. The call to following Jesus can be summed up in just one word.

Lose.

The call to joy, the call to peace, the call to hope and everlasting life. Of course, hadn’t Christ already said it and continues to say it today?!

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 10:39)

Whoever loses his life, will find life. The way to be rich is to give. The way to glory is humility. The way to be exalted is to bend low. And we cannot trick God or short-cut His process. Pretending to lose our life won’t yield the rich results.

Only when we actually lose will we actually find.

The finding is only real if the losing is as well. 

How, then do we lose? In every situation Christ can translate that one word into the perfect application. He can show you exactly what it means to lose and find true life. Perhaps,

• Choose to lose the competition.
• Choose to lose money.
• Choose to lose comfort.
• Choose to lose control of others.
• Choose to lose entitlement.
• Choose to lose the argument.
• Choose to lose the American Dream.

It is real. The life we find when the loss is real. Yes, there are eternal rewards in heaven, but there are indescribable benefits right here too. Why?

Because losing is freeing.  

Because losing is finding.

{May you find joy overflowing this week as you LOSE and find life. Thanks for reading.}

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Isaiah 57:14

A mile-long hill loomed ahead. I heard His voice:

Keep running. 

It was the last of my 3 legs in the Hood-to-Coast 200-mile relay race last year. I’d been awake for 35 hours. My quads were burning and the sun was beating.

Ahead of me everyone was walking. 

Keep running.

I knew the route. After one more mile of hill I knew there were almost 3 miles of downhill. I just had to get up that hill and then it’d be easier. I kept running.

After rounding a corner I saw a man ahead, running. He was a tall young man, his legs cut and muscular. I stared at his legs. He looked like a runner.

I looked like a 30-something mommy with flabby legs, sucking wind. 

And then he stopped. And walked. 

What? If he can’t run up this there’s no way I can!

Keep running. 

God, have you seen this guy’s legs? Yeah. Super strong. Have you seen my legs? Yeah. Super flabby.

Keep running. 

Excuse me, God? I’m tired and if this guy is walking there’s no way I can run it. I mean, look at how strong his legs are!

His voice so clear:

It doesn’t matter how strong you are; it’s how much you want it. 

Did I want it? Was it worth it? And I don’t mean just running to the top of the hill, I mean all of it. Obeying God and trusting Him and doing whatever HE says because He is God and I am His daughter. All of it: walking by faith and putting one foot in front of the other and obeying God because He is God.

Did I want it?

Do I want it?

Do I want to run this race of faith? Do I want to trust Him and believe Him and just do whatever He says to do? Do I really want to fear Him and obey Him and wait on Him?

Because that’s what He really wants from me. That’s what brings Him joy.

His voice on that mile-long hill was an echo of something He’d said long ago:

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness. (Psalm 147:10-11)

Every single day the enemy reminds me that Jeff and I are nothing special. Every day He reminds me that there is a mountain ahead of us and we are 30-something housewives with flabby legs sucking wind and there are bulging-muscle marathoners out there and Who are we to think that we can run up this hill?

I must respond: We are those who want it. We want to fear Him and wait for His lovingkindness.

That’s what delights Him. 

Not buff legs.

After I ran to the top of that hill, even though I was all alone I threw my arms up in the air and cheered, Woohoo!! Thank you, Jesus! And then I cruised down the hill, came around the corner, and spotted a girl up ahead. She ran with a limp. As I got closer my eyes filled with tears:

She only had one leg.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I passed her, turning to look in her face and shout, “You are awesome! You are my hero! You’re doing great and we’re almost there! Hang in there, sister!!”

Her face shown with such joy, such glow, she must have known this truth:

Whether you have buff legs, flabby legs, or one leg, you need to know: It isn’t your legs that matter. God delights in those who fear Him. Who trust Him. Who wait on Him. When the hill is long and Satan’s accusations are loud, remind yourself again:

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness. (Psalm 147:10-11)

I so needed this today! Clinging to this and waiting for Him, with you. I pray this gives you hope this week. Thanks for reading.

Now, as several years have passed and I can see this story in the rearview mirror of my mind, it makes sense. The surrender and the beauty of God’s fulfillment and timing. God DID resurrect His dream in our hearts and made it all come to pass. It’s so crystal clear now. But then it was cloudy. Confusing. I believe this is for someone today who has heard from God about a dream but now it seems to be dying. Read. Enjoy. Take courage, friend. Take courage.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” ~Jesus

I understood that my dreams had to die.

Had I misread the story all these years? 

Isaac was God’s idea. God’s promise. Sure, Abraham dreamed of having children, but Isaac, the child of promise — this all originated with God.

It was His idea in the first place. 

Even though the dream was God’s it still had to die.

I often think of the story of Abraham and Isaac, in Genesis 22, as a story of a man laying his own love, his own hopes and dreams and desires onto the altar, willing to slay them out of sacrifice for God.

But that really isn’t the story. It was laying even the gift of God on the altar.

To die.

It was believing God to take care of His own dream. To resurrect Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19).

Is there anything not subject to His summons to surrender?

Do we believe that even God-dreams can be resurrected from the dead?

Must be?

Just over a year ago God gave us a dream. Nothing earth-shattering, but a simple dream to sell and downsize our home, give half of our income, pay off our mortgage, and invest more of our hearts in God’s work around the world. (where your treasure is there your heart will be…).This was not an obligation, this was a joy. What began as mere obedience has become an holy obsession. The verse is right — we aim our pocketbooks and our hearts aren’t far behind.

But this year has also been one of frustration.

Why, God? You gave us this dream. We put our house on the market, have stretched ourselves as far as we can until it sells. All the houses around us have sold for more than we’re asking. Why have you allowed it to show 80+ times without a single offer? This year feels like a big waste of time. Can you see God that there are children starving and I WANT to give to them but I have this millstone-sized mortgage tied around my neck.  And yes, there is a principle — we sow what we reap. I prayed for this house and this house I have. No complaints, simply lying in the bed I’ve made.

Then this week it finally clicked, as I gave up. Decided it was over. Came to terms with the fact that it just ain’t happening right now. God is certainly on the move and I am enthralled by His amazing work, but it is not His time to sell our house and that’s ok. 

Then while I’m hauling five yards of bark dust, preparing for our final Open House before we take it off the market, as I’m raking the hillside in 92-degrees, feeling the strange euphoria of having just let something go, the thought rests on my heart:

Even the dreams God gives must die. 

Of course. The dying thing.

I had understood that my dreams had to die.

But I had missed the whole story. Abraham lays God’s dreams on the altar, because God is able to take care of His own dreams.

Why hasn’t it sold? I don’t pretend to know. Perhaps we did entirely miss God’s will. Or, perhaps, He just wants that dream to die.

And as we prepare to take it off the market for now — to give ourselves a break and catch our breath before trying again next year — I know one thing for sure: God is more than able to resurrect all that He lets die. 

Even the dreams He gives. 

–

{Are there any God-dreams that may need to die today? The tough thing about dying is that it’s just so much like … dying. Praying grace for you today. Thanks for reading.}

Speaking of a God-dream, we have an awesome opportunity to witness one of these God-dreams and BE PART of its fulfillment! Dear reader Lacey Maloney and her family are in the process of adoption and are sharing their story here. Watch, pray, give. Thank you.