The Seed of Hope

Surrender

I was amazed at the amount of feedback that I received from last week’s post, Struggling. It seems that so many of us are struggling with various issues, and the many responses only served to validate my belief that life is filled with challenges, or struggles, for the majority of us.

To be honest with you, I almost felt ashamed that I was only referring to my struggles in coming up with a thought to share with you. Apparently, the very mention of the word struggling was enough to hit home with many of you.

Why do we struggle?

Why is it that we struggle with so many things, especially those things that involve our minds? We struggle with decisions in doing the right thing, in saying the right thing, in well, in making decisions.

It is this man’s humble opinion that our mental struggles are born from fear. Yes, fear.

We struggle with our decisions because we’re afraid of making the wrong ones. Many of us are so plagued by the “what ifs” in our lives that we create a neat little stack of them,  only to realize that in no time that little stack has become a mountain.

Some of us only have one fear, yet that one is enough to wreck our lives. That one fear is bigger than we realize, and it quite often comes disguised as something else….

I was having lunch with a good friend last week, and while the food was good, the conversation and fellowship was even better. (I think it’s worth mentioning here that if you don’t have a friend with which you can share what’s on your heart, especially the tough stuff, then you need to go find one!)

My friend had picked me up for lunch, and our conversation continued as he was driving me back to my business. At some point, he said, “You know, Sam, I’ve always been a good provider for my wife and for my family, and I take a lot of pride in that. But it’s also the one thing that I worry about; a LOT. So much so, that I don’t sleep that well.”

I suggested that He surrender to God.

He replied, “I do! I give it to Him every morning. I ask Him to take it off of me, because I don’t want it any more. I do it all the time.”

I looked at my friend and said, “You don’t get what I’m saying. I understand that you’re giving Him this problem. I believe that you’re really asking Him to take it, that you’re really asking for help. And that’s a good thing. What I’m suggesting is that you not only give this problem to Him, but that you give your life to Him. Surrender your life to God. All of it.”

Surrender

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word surrender? Giving up? Quitting? Losing everything? Being defeated? Freedom lost? How about humiliation?

What if I challenged you, right here and right now, to surrender your life to God? I’m gonna guess that fear of losing control would be your next thought. And then you’d think about what you’d have to give up, what you’d have to surrender to give your life to God. So would you do it? Would you give control of your life to Him? Would you surrender?

Here’s the thing. How can I best say this?

Surrendering your life to God is, in and of itself, a paradox. It just doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense that when you surrender your life to God, whatever you’re afraid of losing will pale in comparison to what you’re gonna gain. You see, when it comes to God, the moment that you truly surrender is the moment that find freedom.

I’ll say it again. In fact, I’ll shout it out loud.

When you surrender your life to God, you find freedom.

Freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from the opinions of others. Freedom from sin. Freedom.

Oh, it doesn’t come all at once. Be patient and persistent. Offer your life to God every day. Every day. Don’t lose hope. It does come. And when it does, you’re gonna find yourself walking with something else; the strength of the Holy Spirit. When that strength joins forces with your new found freedom, look out!

I was talking to a lady just the other day about this surrender issue. This poor woman had so much resentment and anger in her heart for her ex-husband. They had been divorced for years, yet her bitterness towards him was so strong that it was palpable.

I shared with her a few tidbits about my first marriage, not in casting blame, but in describing the relationship itself, which quite simply, wasn’t a very healthy one. When I finished she asked me how I felt about my ex-wife, and I simply replied that I had no hard feeling towards her, and that I in fact pray for her quite often. When she asked me how I got to that point, I simply said, “I surrendered.”

Not bothering to wait for the question that I knew was going to come next, I continued, “I don’t have any resentment on my heart for her because I won’t allow resentment to dwell in my heart. The same can be said for anger, or prejudice, or hatred, or lust, or anything that will stand between me and my relationship with God. I just won’t allow it. I refuse to harbor anything in my heart that is not of the Lord.”

“How do you get to that point?” she asked.

Prayer.

Prayers are so powerful. If, while in prayer, you ask the Lord to give you the strength and the willingness to surrender, He will answer you. Don’t you think that He wants you to be closer to Him, that He wants you to walk the way of His Son? He’ll, answer, but not before you, and your heart, are ready. Just keep asking.

Be prayerful. Be persistent. Be patient. He’ll answer.

I want to share a prayer with you. Actually, it’s more of an affirmation, and it’s taken from the Bible in Romans 6:12-14. I’ve actually “tweaked” the passage by making myself a part of the reading.

I will not let sin control the way I live; I will not give in to its lustful desires. I will not let any part of my body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, I give myself completely to God since I have been given a new life. I will use my whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin in no longer my master, for I am no longer subject to the law, which enslaves me to sin. Instead, I am freed by God’s grace. Amen.

It’s not so much the prayer that’s important here, as is the fact that I can say it with conviction, with the knowing that I believe every word of it. It represents a facet of who I am, and the way I choose to try live my life.

It is freedom, and it’s the direct result of surrender.

Making a Case for God

Last Wednesday morning I was in my prayer chair in our kitchen spending time with God. At some point I remember saying something to Him about putting people in front of me that needed to know more about Him. You see, I’m always looking for opportunities to share the news of what God has done in my life, and in doing so planting a seed about God, and hope, and the real promise of living a better life with Him in it. I’ve come to believe that the very reason for my existence and for all the trials that I’ve been through is to share what’s in my heart and in my mind about Him. So I asked Him to send me someone, to give me another opportunity.

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-25

I can’t begin to tell you how many times that I’ve been warned by my wife Jackie and other friends to “Be careful what you ask for; you may get it.” Well, I’m gonna tell you here and now that I believe, without a doubt, both the verse from scripture and the adage that I’ve heard so often! I asked, and God provided.

Wednesday proved to be a very challenging day for me in The Seed of Hope room, the prayer room that Jackie and I put in our salon a few months ago...

I’d been on crutches for several days because of a bone spur on my heel, so the plan was for me to hang out in the prayer room and write last week’s post. Well, that was my plan for the day. Apparently, it was God’s plan to answer the prayer that I offered to Him that morning.

Anonymity

Before I continue, there’s something that I really need to share with you…

I know that I’ve said this before, and I really don’t mean to be repetitive, but there’s something about this room that I’m sitting in, this prayer room. People feel comfortable in this room, comfortable enough to unburden themselves of pains, fears, hurts, and frustrations that they’ve been carrying in their minds and hearts for weeks, months, and even years. My role in all of this is to share whatever God puts on my heart for them, and of course, to offer to pray with them.

People just open up when they sit in this room. The first few times it happened, I was left dumbfounded! Why would someone feel comfortable enough to share their deepest thoughts with me? It didn’t take me long to figure out that it’s God’s presence in this room that allows for the healing to take place, which, for me, validates my belief that God is not, and will not, be confined to a church building. He’s in us, wherever we are. So for me, when someone is sharing their heart with me, or when I’m sharing mine with them, or when we’re in prayer, this room is sacred; not for any reason other than His presence.

It is because of that sacredness that I will never reveal the identity, or betray the trust of anyone that sits in this room. Ever.

Situations

That being said, I feel that there are situations or events that occur in this prayer room that I’m supposed to share with you. Perhaps it’s for your benefit. Perhaps it’s for mine. I really don’t know. I do know that I write about whatever God puts on my heart, and today He’s laid it on my heart to share what happened last Wednesday in the prayer room.

The morning began innocently enough with some good conversation between me and a young woman that’s a stylist in our salon. We were swapping Christmas stories from the previous weekend, and sharing our walk in faith with one another.

I’m gonna fast forward through the next three visitors, not because they weren’t important, but because their “issues” aren’t at the heart of today’s message. Well, that and that fact that going into detail on all of them would call for you to take more of your time reading this than you probably want to spend doing so. Let’s just say that with each subsequent visitor, the problems became bigger, the hurt ran deeper, and words of understanding or comfort became harder for me to find. And I found myself turning more and more to prayer for each of these individuals.  

By mid-afternoon I was pretty much spent. My foot was killing me, I had an enormous headache, and my mind was still filtering through the day’s previous visitors. I downed a couple of Tylenol, propped my foot up, and cued up some worship music. My plan was to spend an hour decompressing from the events of the day while I was waiting for Jackie to finish her last guest.

That was my plan.

As is so often the case, my plans didn’t coincide with God’s plans. He had one more visitor in store for me, one that really caught me off guard. I’d no more sat back in my chair when there was a soft knock on the door. Not really wanting to stand up, I just shouted “Come in!”

In walked a young man (let’s say his name is Billy) that I’ve known for years, but hadn’t seen in quite a while. I offered him a seat, and we spent the next few minutes getting caught up.

Our conversation came to a bit of a standstill, when I just said, “So what’s up?” Sensing that there was something on this guy’s mind, I just kind of threw the question out there, and waited for a response. (I’ve learned that some people need to be prompted to share what’s on their heart.)

“I’m not sure that I believe in God anymore. I’ve been really struggling with this. I just don’t know…” Billy said, as his voice just trailed off into nothingness.

I sat there for a moment in a state of shock, my mind reeling from what this young man had just told me. I’m not sure of why it hit me so hard. Perhaps it was because I’d known Billy for so many years. Perhaps it was just the matter-of-factness in his delivery. He didn’t know if he believed in God. I talk to people all the time who are struggling with their faith, people who need encouragement and prayer. But Billy was struggling with more than his faith; he was questioning his very belief in God.

I quickly offered a prayer, not for this young man, but for myself, that God would give me the right words for him. I have to tell you that despite writing this blog each week, and boldly sharing my faith, and reading the Word each morning, and preparing myself daily to be a soldier of Christ that I felt woefully unequipped to deal with this situation. I felt that I was “way in over my head” and started to panic!

Then a small voice (I’d like to think that it was God’s) in the back of my mind said, “Calm down. This young man is in your presence for a reason. Just listen to what’s on his heart, and tell him what’s on yours.”

For the next forty-five minutes or so, that’s exactly what we did. We talked about God, life, and faith, in no particular order. I shared with Billy some of the miracles that God has worked in my life, and the many ways that my life has changed since my “awakening” four years ago. During our conversation I realized that there were two primary causes for Billy questioning his faith, and I shared both with him.

Religion

Billy was a victim of religion. I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on this issue, because I’ve addressed it many times before, most recently in a post two weeks ago titled “So, what are you?” I’ll just say that many of us are so concerned with our church being the right church, or being the only ticket into heaven, that we lose sight of the fact that there is only one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that HE, and He alone, is the ticket into heaven.

Works

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  James 2:20 NKJV  

I’m gonna take the liberty of twisting this verse from scripture and have it read:

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that works without faith is dead?

Somewhere along the way, Billy had come to believe that the way to God was through his actions. A few years ago, in an attempt to get closer to God, or perhaps even to win God’s favor, Billy had become very active in his church. Sadly, he’d actually become disillusioned because he felt that God was more distant than before. It just wasn’t working.

I told Billy that I felt he was taking the wrong approach to establishing a relationship with God. I asked Billy to first invite God into his heart and into his life. Seek His face. Get to know Him. Ask for His presence and His help. A product of a relationship with God is the desire to serve Him through the way we live our lives and serve others. Works follows faith, and not the other way around. Again, I told Billy that the first and most important step in establishing a relationship with God was, quite simply, inviting Him in.

In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, Jackie was ready to go home, so Billy and I wrapped up our talk. I couldn’t really get a feel for what was on Billy’s heart. I could only hope and pray that I’d reached him, that I’d given him something to think about. I asked him to stay in touch. As he walked out, I remember thinking how inadequate I had felt in making a case for God.

A week later…

I received a call from Billy this Tuesday morning. I apologized for having to cut our conversation short, and I actually confided in him about the feelings of inadequacy that I’d had when talking to him.

Billy’s reply was better than any gift that I received for Christmas.

“If it makes you feel any better, I want you to know that I’ve started inviting God in every day.”

Amen!

"So, what are you?"

I am a Christian.

One definition of Christian that Merriam-Webster offers is:

                a: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ 

I’m okay with that definition, but I in my humble opinion, it skirts the real meaning of a Christian.

You see, from where I’m standing, it seems that being a Christian is more than just believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ. It’s believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He has been here, and that it was through His death on the cross that we received God’s grace and that our salvation was made possible only through His death.

I feel like I’m falling woefully short in offering my definition of being a Christian. I’m reminded of what my good friend Daniel told me during our very first conversation a few months ago. Daniel said, “Sam, you just make God so simple. Either you believe in Him or you don’t.” Seems kind of shallow, but Daniel’s assessment is spot on. You believe in God, or you don’t.

Well, incorporating Daniel’s simplistic terms, defining a Christian is just as simple. Either you believe in and accept Jesus, or you don’t.

So why do we have to make it so complicated?

“So, what are you?”  

When it comes to being Christians, why can’t we get past all of the “religious differences” that separate us, and embrace the one thing that we have in common? Why is it that many times my reply of “I am a Christian” isn’t the right answer to the question? You see, in my mind, it’s the right answer, or at least it’s the only one that really matters. But it seems that in the minds of many, where I practice my faith is more important than my faith itself.

A couple of months ago I received a letter from a gentleman here in Birmingham who had read an article that I’d written titled A God of Fear? This man, who I’ll call Bob, was concerned that I’d left a religious denomination of which I’d been a member for over fifty years. He had also been gracious enough to include a book that had been written to give insight and understanding to others who may have been struggling with that particular denomination. I guess I should mention that Bob is still a practicing member in the church that I left. In closing his letter, Bob invited me to contact him if I’d like to talk, or if I felt that he could help me in any way.

Which is exactly what I did!

One week and several e-mails later I had an appointment to meet Bob at a local Starbucks for coffee and conversation. As I was driving to my destination, I realized that I had no idea why I was going to meet Bob in the first place! I think that, more than anything else, I wanted to hear his thoughts on “helping me.” And I think too, that I just wanted him to hear what was on my heart, about God, about Jesus, and about religion.

After an awkward moment of introductions and small talk, the conversation turned to the topic of the day, which was how I went from being this to that. And I have to tell you, we had a really good talk. I didn’t feel that either of was trying to win a debate, or shoving our convictions down the others throat. It was just a healthy exchange between two Christian men, discussing “God-matters-of-the-heart.”

There was one point in the conversation that disturbed me, or perhaps I should say “startled” me, and it was that particular moment during my time with Bob that birthed the idea for today’s post…

Lost?

Bob was sharing a thought with me, when I just flat-out interrupted him and matter-of-factly asked, “Bob, are you implying that I’ve lost my salvation because I go to a different church?”

Bob was apparently a bit stunned by the boldness of my question. I could sense that he was searching for what would be an answer that contained the truth, but would mask what he was really thinking. Several seconds passed, and I patiently waited for a response.

“No, I don’t think that you’ve lost your salvation. It’s just that I’m concerned and I want what’s best for you.” Bob replied.

Time Out.

Yep, I’m calling a time out. No, I’m not going anywhere. But I’ll be right up front in telling you that this is really a sensitive subject for me. That being said, if I seem to be standing on a soap box, it’s because I am. And I’m telling you now, with as much humility as I can muster up, that I’m not apologizing for it, either.

“What’s best for me?”  

Incredulous is the best term that I can come up with in describing my reaction to Bob’s statement. This time, it was my turn to be stunned. “BEST for me?” was wanted I wanted to shout at Bob! Of course I didn’t, because I knew that it would serve no purpose. At that precise moment I knew that in the end, when our conversation was over and we had emptied our respective hearts, that Bob and I would be united in our belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet miles apart in how to best carry out our beliefs. And I have to tell you that as I sat there looking at Bob, I felt sorry for him. You see, I felt that somewhere along the way, it was religion, and not God, that had become the path to Bob’s salvation.

Heads up…I’m gonna go on a rant here…

What’s best for me is God. Period. What’s best is that He doesn’t dwell in any building, but in our hearts and minds. What’s best is that He doesn’t care if I’m a Baptist, or Methodist, or Catholic, or Protestant, or any other Christian denomination that I may have omitted. He wants to be my Father, and He wants me to be His son. Any and all rules for living the life that He wants me to live are found in the Ten Commandments that He gave us, and not in any other rules written by men, for men. What’s best for me isn’t found in a religion book, or in a religious tradition, or the traditional trappings of what you typically find in a “church.” What’s best for me is a real relationship, with a real God; a God that I can pray to, and cry with, and laugh with, and share my life with. What’s best for me is the unconditional and unwavering Father’s love that I know God has for me because of that relationship with Him.

What’s best for me are the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives me every day; gifts that include wisdom, and understanding, and faith. These gifts are available to me each day only for the asking, and I’m always asking.

What’s best for me is that I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. I believe that He is my Lord and Savior. I believe that He died for me so that I may one day be in heaven; He gave His life so that I may have eternal life. I believe that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life, and I believe that the only way to God is through Him.

Yes, Daniel, you’re absolutely right. You believe in Jesus or you don’t. It’s just that simple.

Sorry. The rant is over. Thanks for indulging me.

If you’re reading this, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you’re a Christian. If I’m correct in my assumptions, then you’re aware that in two more days we’ll be celebrating the day of Jesus’ birth. We’ll be celebrating Christmas, as Christians, as those who not only, according to Merriam-Webster, “believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ”, but more importantly, believe in Him.

Believing in Jesus and being a Christian.  It’s what sets us apart from Muslims, and Jews, and Buddhists, and Atheists.

“So, what are you?”

I am a Christian. That’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

Happy Birthday Jesus!