The Seed of Hope

A Miracle From The Inside Out

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “miracle”?

Do your thoughts immediately turn to Jesus, recalling one of the miracles that He performed while He was here with us? Maybe His first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana? Raising Lazarus from the dead? Making the crippled man walk? Restoring the blind man’s sight? How about feeding the five-thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread?

I want to “set the table” for this post by asking you to try something for me; a warm-up, if you will. I’d like for you to recall the first of Christ’s miracles that you just recalled; the very first one that came to your mind. It doesn’t matter which one it was; there’s no right or wrong selection. You may have even thought of one other than those that I mentioned. Got yours? Are you ready to try this?

Let go.

The first thing that I’d like for you to do is to close your eyes and ask God to give you an open mind, clearing your thoughts of all of the day’s clutter. Take a few deep breaths, and as you do, let go of all of your worries. Okay, for some of us, letting go of everything is a tall order! Just do the best that you can. I want you to allow yourself to step outside of the mental “box” that confines many of us. Allow your feelings to overrule your thoughts.

Now, I want you to think of the miracle that you have in mind, and put yourself in it. I’m not talking about envisioning yourself you reading about it in the Bible, or watching it in a movie. I want you to see, in your mind’s eye, that you are there, clothed in the garb of the day. You’re at the wedding feast, having a great time with your family and friends. You’re one of thousands sitting on a beautiful hillside watching a glorious sunset as the end of the day draws near. You’re in a crowded room as a man is lowered on a stretcher through a hole in the ceiling by his friends.

Jesus is there…

wherever you are; at the wedding…on the hillside…in the crowded room. You can see Him. You can hear Him. You feel His presence. You are with Him…the Son of God…the Word become flesh. You stand in awe, overwhelmed by what you are witnessing…Jesus performing a miracle!  Amazing, isn’t it? Hold onto that feeling because…

Jesus is here. Now.

And He’s still working miracles. We see them every day.

Some we take for granted, like the human body. Have you ever stopped to wonder how your heart beats? I mean, what is it that makes it work? There’s no battery, or fuel source…it just starts when we enter this world, and stops when our time here is done. How about the gift of sight? Or hearing? Or our amazing minds? All God’s handiwork.

Other miracles are more obvious, and we associate them with, well, with miraculous events! A young child being spared in a passing tornado…people walking away from horrific traffic accidents…a tumor that has seemingly “vanished” just prior to surgery for its removal.

There’s one more miracle

that I’d like to share with you. I don’t know that this miracle is unique. In fact, I imagine that this miracle has unfolded countless times. I just don’t know for sure, and I don’t really know who to ask…

The miracle that I’d want to tell you about is the one that God performed in me. No He didn’t make a tumor vanish, or let me walk away from a horrible crash, or bring me back from the dead. In other words, my miracle is nothing that you would find in the news…

When you open your heart to the world, you shed the shackles of fear, resentment, doubt, and loneliness. In doing so you open your arms to embrace all that God and His magnificent universe has to offer you, and you realize that it had been there all along, but you were blind to it. A closed heart is accompanied by eyes that do not see.                          

The miracle that God gave me was that He allowed me to open my heart the day I got my tattoo in August of 2006. Look, I know I’ve told you about my tattoo, so I’m not gonna do that again today.

I will, however, reiterate once again that my life hasn’t been the same since that day. Perhaps this is because I haven’t been the same since that day. The moment that I gave my life to Christ my perspective on life changed. The change wasn’t immediate; it was a gradual process, one that continues even today. And I believe that with each additional sunrise that I see, that change will continue.

Look, a fifty-three year old man doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to change not only the way he lived his life, but the very essence of who he was…and then do it! He needed help. I needed help. And God gave it to me.

Perhaps it was part of His plan for me all along. Perhaps He was just waiting for me to ask for help. Perhaps I just had to reach that particular point in time when I was ready to receive Him. Fully.

Everything.

Every facet of my life changed…the way I saw other people…the way that I dealt with life…the way that I reacted to certain situations…the manner in which we ran our business…the priorities in my life…the way in which I looked at myself. Everything changed.

And here’s the funny thing: when all of this was going on, I thought that it was the world that was changing! There was beauty in nature that wasn’t there before, a calm during storms that I’d never felt before, and a uniqueness and special quality in every person (even my perceived enemies) that I’d never noticed before. Lack was replaced by overflowing abundance.

Well, I realize that it was me that was changing, not the world. Again, I don’t know that it was or a conscious decision that I made, or the work of God, but I was allowed to dump all the garbage that had accumulated in my mind for years. In doing so I was opening my heart to the world, and more importantly, to God.

"…just fill me from the inside out, Lord."

That’s a snippet from a song that we sing at Church of The Highlands from time to time. And I’ve gotta tell you, every time we do I realize that God has done exactly that in me. I opened my heart to Jesus and He has absolutely filled me from the inside out.

People who have known me for years have marveled at the amount of change that has taken place in me. If they could only see and feel and know the amount of change that has occurred. If they could, if only for a moment, take a look from the inside out… 

See you next week!

One Wednesday in October

Have you ever wondered what God sounds like…I mean, as in tonal quality, inflection, and pronunciation? Would he speak to someone from the South with a draaawl? How about a follower from Boston Haaabah? Longiiisland? Minnesooota? Come on…you gonna tell me that you’ve never even thought about it? I bet you will now! J

All joking aside, I believe that God talks to us, or sends us messages all the time. Sometimes it’s to answer questions that we have for Him, and sometimes it’s to guide us through life. And it’s up to us to recognize His “voice” when He speaks.

I want to tell you what happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Actually, it was Wednesday, October 28, 2009. We had just returned the day before from a weekend in Florida where we had attended a salon industry event with several members of our team. If you’ve ever owned a business, or been in a management position, you know that there’s a price to pay for taking time off! After arriving back in Birmingham on Tuesday morning, I spent most of the day “catching up”; payroll, bank deposits, placing orders, paying bills, etc. In other words, Tuesday had been a long, long, day.

There’s something that bears mentioning; that Monday’s post had been about Satan (The Enemy Within). If you had the opportunity to read it, you know that the devil was messin’ with my mind while I was writing it and after it had been completed. Wrestling with Satan can take the wind out of your sails and derail you; it certainly had with me.

Disconnected

Have you ever had the feeling that you were disconnected from God? I mean, you knew that God was with you, but you didn’t feel His presence? That’s exactly how I felt when I got up on Wednesday morning; disconnected. I was tired, both mentally and physically. To make matters worse, doubts about me, my abilities, and my purpose in life were beginning to plant themselves in my subconscious. I was questioning if I was making a difference in the world at all.

I made my way to my prayer chair in our kitchen, turned on Church of The Highlands Arise music on my iPod, and settled in for prayer and meditation. Fifteen minutes later…nothing…nada…zilch. It had been a long week and I was desperate to feel God…to be with Him. And I was getting nowhere. And I was getting frustrated.

Then I did something that I’d never done before…I picked up my Bible, held it in my hands, and asked God to reveal Himself to me through His Word. I decided to just open the Bible and start reading. I believed that God would indeed give me a message, and I asked Him to give me spiritual eyes to see it, an open mind to receive it, and an open heart to feel it.

The Book of Daniel

That’s where I opened the Book…to the first page of Daniel. I fervently began reading, looking for my “message.” First page…kings and people with hard to pronounce names…like reading a history book. I was a little disappointed, but still filled with anticipation. Second page…more of the same…more of Daniel’s story. I began to think that I had opened the Bible in the wrong place, that I had been wrong…more doubt.

I decided to read more of Daniel. There, at the bottom of the third page…

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in the darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of a king.”    DANIEL 2:20-23 (NIV)

Wisdom…knowledge…reveals…light. I was beginning to feel better. If nothing else, the anxious feeling that had been my companion for several days was going away. That was a start! Thank you God.

An e-mail

When I had finished with my prayers I decided to see if I had received any e-mails or comments through The Seed of Hope. This too, is one of my morning rituals…it’s always a blessing for me to hear from you guys!

Well, I was blessed x 3 that morning! One of the e-mails was from a lady that had read a post (“BUT” August 16, 2009) that had been printed in a local publication here in Birmingham. She graciously informed me that reading the article had “blessed me so”, and was wondering if I might send her a copy so that she may forward it to some of her friends. Of course, I immediately did exactly that, thanking her for sharing the message with others.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that this lady’s name was Faith. On a day when I’m plagued by questions and doubt, I receive a beautiful message from a complete stranger; a stranger named Faith. Thank you God.

That night…

Despite being tired from both the previous weekend and work that day, my wife Jackie and I made a last minute decision to attend church that night. Though I always want and need to go to church, there are days when I really need to be in church…I felt that this was one of them. As it turned out, I’m thankful that we went…

Church of The Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges’ message that night was all about the existence of Satan and spiritual warfare! Jackie turned to me with this knowing look on her face the moment she realized that the Pastor’s topic was exactly what my post had been about on Monday. I sat there in stunned silence with tears in my eyes. Why?

Look, I’ve told you before that I am nothing more than a regular guy with a message. I am an authority on nothing, and I never profess to be more than that. I just write about what God puts on my heart and in my mind. Walking into a church, my church, and hearing not just any Pastor, but my Pastor give a message on a very touchy subject, just two days after I had done the same, and citing the same verse from the Bible in doing so, just blew me away. Thank you God.

Later that night…

When we returned home after church, I decided to check my e-mails one last time. I was excited to see that I had received a new weekly Verse and Message from my good friend, fellow blogger, and awesome Christian lady Susie McCullum! (Susie’s blog page is http://susiemc.wordpress.com . You need to check it out!)

Here’s an excerpt from Susie’s blog:

“BUT, the devil wants to condemn us as Christians. He wants to declare that we are guilty, causing us shame for our wrongdoing. In fact, one of his main objectives is to blur our perspective in a way that causes us to see ourselves as we were before Christ redeemed us, with a dark cloud over our heads. The devil’s plight is to manipulate us into becoming miserable Christians that will be ineffective for God’s Kingdom.”

Reading Susie’s message made me realize that Satan had still been messin’ with me. I got in the bed and covered myself and Jackie in prayer as I drifted off to sleep. Thank you Susie. Thank you God.

One Wednesday in October,

God knew that I was struggling. I was doubting, not Him, but myself. I was in one of those dark tunnels that we find ourselves in from time to time. He heard my prayers, asking Him for clarity, light, and assurance. So He decided to send me a message not once, or twice, but four times. I asked…He answered.

How great is our God!

See you next week.

It Ain't Easy

I want to lay out a scenario for you. It could be the theme for a movie, or perhaps a book…

There’s this middle aged guy. Oh, he’d done well for himself, according to most standards. Great wife and family. Good health. Nice home, automobiles, a business, some money in the bank. He had God in his life. And while there seemed to be a lack of inner-peace, he was for the most part, happy. Still, something wasn’t quite right…something was missing…always had been.

It turns out that this guy had spent all of his life “lost”, in a spiritual sense. Seems that he knew who God was, but that he didn’t really know God. He really didn’t know the first thing about Jesus, other than what he’d been taught in school and read in books. And he didn’t know anything about having a relationship with Christ. He was clueless. You couldn’t really fault the guy, because he just didn’t know these things. You see, none of the people in his life that had the most influence on him had ever told him about what he didn’t know; perhaps this was because they didn’t know…

Not long after this guy’s fifty-third birthday, he had an epiphany…the light bulb turned on…the clouds separated…he finally got it!  He was born again of the spirit, turned his life over to God, and made a commitment to live the rest of his life walking with Christ.

Guy lives happily ever after. End of story.

Or is it?

Okay, if you haven’t figured it out already, the scenario that I just posed for you is a thumb-nail picture of my life. I know that it’s a simple plot, but when you get right down to it, it’s an accurate description of my world…before God, and after God…when I didn’t know Him, and when I did…a world without His light, and one filled by His brilliance.

Look, I’m aware that I’m not the only person that this has happened to. Thousands of people find Christ every day; perhaps you’re one of them. If you are, you know that having God in your life is as simple as before and after, or darkness and light. It’s just that simple…but it’s not.

You see, the end of the story is actually the beginning. At least is was for me…

I want to retract everything that I’ve ever said about not being comfortable with the term “born again.” It’s always been my contention that a person who’s always known God couldn’t be born again in knowing Him…I was wrong.

When we come into this world we don’t know anything, other than perhaps the sound of our parent’s voices. From that point on we spend years learning the ways of the world, either from others or from self-discovery. It’s a never ending process; the longer we live, the more we know…and the more we grow. At least that’s the way it has been for me.

I realize now that when I was born again in 2006, I didn’t even recognize my Father’s voice…and that who and what I believed God to be had been carried over from what I had learned about Him as a child…and that the fact that I was a Christian had nothing to do with being a Christian!

How many?

I wonder how many of us have been born again…ready to give our lives to Christ…ready to “walk the walk”…ready to change the way we live…ready to walk away from our not-so-Christ-like-habits…ready to be happy-ever-after…only to find out that being a Christian “ain’t easy”.

I don’t know exactly where I’m going with this, but I’m gonna keep plowing ahead…

Look, it’s easy for me to tell you that I’m a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in the flesh and died on the cross so that we may receive God’s grace and be given the opportunity to spend eternity with God.

I realize that I may have over-simplified the definition of a Christian…the point that I’m trying to make is that in declaring myself to be a Christian I am setting myself apart from others who only believe in God. Again, that part is easy.

Being a Christian…walking the walk…trying to be Christ-like every day is hard. As a Christian, I hold myself accountable for every thought, word, and deed…every minute of every day. There are no days off, no vacations, and no weekend “get-a-ways” from being a Christian. Every day counts.

Having my ticket punched as being a Christian doesn’t entitle me to any free rides. There are challenges at work…financial pressures…relationship issues…health problems…all the “stuff” that we have to put up with on a daily basis. I remember my life before being born again…I’d gripe and lie and curse and moan and groan and do whatever I had to do to get through the situation I was in…what a miserable life I lived. That was then.

So, I wonder how many of us have been born again, filled with the presence of Christ, ready to commit our lives to God, only to give up when we find out that life is still hard (if not harder) as a Christian. We give up…we don’t stay the course…we don’t hang in there long enough…we don’t completely surrender ourselves to God…we don’t give Him time to reveal Himself to us…we don’t let go and let God…we don’t come to know Him.

The key…

So being a Christian is hard. Trying to live like Christ, and to walk in His footsteps, is tough. For me it has proven to be impossible. I have taken a left when I should have taken a right, or said yes when I should have said no, or been critical of someone when I should have been compassionate, or insisted on doing the driving instead of letting God take the wheel. I keep falling down.

BUT, I keep getting back up. And I’ll continue to get back up, no matter how many times I stumble. I’m never gonna stop trying to live the life of Christ. Ever.

I believe that the key to happiness…for me, for you, for all of us, is in trying to live the life of the Son that we find a complete relationship with the Father!

You want to know God’s love? His wisdom? His compassion? His goodness? His strength? Walk in the way of His Son. Never give up. Never.

You will come to know that with Him, and in Him, and through Him, all things are possible. And your life will become so much easier.

I want to leave you with a prayer that I came across in a one year devotional a couple of days ago. The author, or perhaps I should say the original supplicant of this prayer remains anonymous.

          “My Lord, You have mercifully exchanged Jesus for me. I now walk in His identity, His power, His will, His resurrection and life. May I live worthy of that calling, praying His prayers, seeking His possessions, desiring His desires, dreaming His dreams, doing His work. I’m a fellow heir to Your Kingdom, and I don’t want to waste the privilege. Please give me Your wisdom. Please plant Your desires deep within me. Let me see Jesus’ miracles, His power, His compassion. Yes I know I will also feel His cross. But I gladly will, if I can only experience His life. Please let me live as Jesus in this world. Please. Amen.”

May you always walk in His way!

See you next week!