Rejoice in the Lord. Always.

 “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:3)

In the spring and summer months, in the early morning hours and while all else is still quiet in the house, I can hear the sounds of birds chirping outside. They, too, are waking up and preparing for the new day. I think birds must be “morning people.” It warms the heart to hear the birds greet the day with cheerful songs. 

I am not an avid bird watcher, and so I can’t really tell most birds by their sounds. Though I can tell you when a hawk is in the area, and I recognize the cawing of the blue jay, and the frenetic cheeping of the wren, and the chirping of the cardinal, and the rotation of songs sung by the mockingbird, …and the cooing of the dove as it prepares to poop on the cars below. I can usually tell the difference between a bird’s song of joy and the noises it makes when it is being aggressive or when it is under stress.

The morning sounds from the birds are happy sounds. Joyful sounds. I enjoy listening to the birds in the morning. The birds just sing – that’s what they do. They can’t help but sing, because it’s their nature. I’m glad they don’t hold their songs in, but sing them with all the gusto they can muster. The birds help me start the day in a good mood. There’s something contagious about their joy. I suspect there’s a reason why we have the term, “the bluebird of happiness.”

I want to be like the birds. Don’t worry, I’m not going to burst into song – you don’t want to hear that! But I do want to be someone who exudes joy and gladness throughout the day. I want to be someone who doesn’t hold the joy of the Lord inside me, but who lets it flow steadily from my heart.

Joy is not meant to stay in our heart. Its nature is to find expression in our voice, in our demeanor, in the sparkle in our eyes. I love the word, “exude.” The dictionary defines “exude” in this way: “to project or display conspicuously or abundantly; radiate.”

Joy is meant to be exuded.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again -- Rejoice!"

Philippians  4:4 

God has put a song in our heart. We’re supposed to sing it.

Something wonderful happens when we let joy find expression in our lives: Joy has a way of becoming contagious. As it flows out of our hearts, it spills into the lives of everyone we encounter. Our joy makes the lives of others better, happier, blessed. 

In the cacophony of noises that we hear in our world – accusatory, bitter, angry voices that stir up fear and division – what would it be like of we focused more on making a joyful noise?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all a little bit more like the morning birds?

Rejoice in the Lord. Always. Rejoice.

For This Day, I Give Thanks, Part 1

From the rising of the sun, to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.(Psalm 113:3)

For This Day I Give Thanks

I have awakened, O God.

The sun will soon rise.

The day will soon begin.

Thank you.

For the gift of life for another day,

  for the new opportunity to glorify you,

    for the beauty I will encounter,

      for the people you will bring into my life,

I give thanks.

I don't know what this day will hold for me,

but I do know you will be with me,

and I know you have a purpose for me.

Thank you.

For the assurance of your presence,

  for the guidance of your Spirit,

    for the promise of your forgiveness,

      for the experience of your grace,

I give thanks.

The sun is rising.

Your glory is shining.

You promise that goodness and mercy

    shall follow me all the day long.

For this day that is still ahead of me,

I give thanks.

A Prayer for Monday

 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139:23-24) 

Here am I; Send me! 

(Isaiah 6:8)

Kelvingrove Art Museum, Glasgow

A Prayer for Monday

Dear God,

I'm not a fan of Mondays. The weekend has been relaxing. I've enjoyed the down time. The sabbath rest was good. But now the week begins again. Back to work. I'm not a fan of Mondays.

But you know that. You know me through and through. You know I'm not a fan of Mondays.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Renew in my heart today the commitment to live into my great purpose in life – to glorify you, and to enjoy you forever. Send me into the world as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, faithfully administering the ministry of reconciliation. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may offer myself as a living sacrifice to you.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

I'm not a fan of Mondays. But I do love you, and I want to be faithful to you today. And so I will make this day one in which I live a life worthy of the calling I have received.

I'm not a fan of Mondays. But, still, here I am. Send me.

Amen.

Kelvingrove Art Museum, Glasgow

Abundant Living

“I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me.” 

Philippians 4:13

I love to take pictures of flowers. Fields of wildflowers, gardens of carefully cultivated flowers, big and bold flowers, simple and plain flowers – wherever I find them, I love to take pictures of flowers.

Most of the time I find flowers where one would expect them to be: in the garden, or in a pot, or in a field, or in the forest. But every once in a while I come across flowers in the most peculiar places. I’ve found flowers growing in the cracks in sidewalks; I’ve found flowers growing in the rain gutters along our roof; I’ve found flowers growing where there is very little oxygen, high up in the alpine tundra.

When Carol and I traveled to Scotland, I saw flowers growing in the rock walls on the side of the roads. People had not planted the flowers; the seeds had just blown (or maybe they were “deposited” by the birds) into the cracks and crevasses of the centuries-old walls. Somehow, though, the flowers grew – flourished, even.

Similarly, when we were hiking in Colorado, I looked off to my left and noticed a bed of flowers growing right on top of a boulder. There were only a few inches of forest compost to serve as soil, but it was enough for the flowers to grow – to flourish, even.

I mention these peculiar places where I have discovered flowers because I know that many times we might find ourselves in less-than-ideal situations or circumstances in our lives. Circumstances that wouldn’t ordinarily be suitable for flourishing. Situations you don’t normally think of when you hear the term, “abundant life.”

And yet.

And yet, abundant life is precisely what we discover with Jesus. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10. I’ll let you in on a secret: the “they” in that verse refers to you and me!)

I don’t want to pretend to promise that everything is rosy (excuse the pun) with Jesus. We still will experience some of those challenging times in our lives. We will experience difficulties and trials. But when we experience the trials and difficulties with the assurance of Christ’s love and kindness and presence, then I am convinced that the quality of life is different for us. Even in the midst of struggles and challenges, we can thrive, not simply survive.

I have seen different people confronted by the same traumatic experience; and at times I have seen totally different outcomes. Some may come out on the other side embittered by their struggles, ready to give up. Others may come out filled with hope and peace, and even made stronger as a result. Those who come out stronger and more hope-filled invariably owe their strength and hope and peace to their relationship with the Lord. As they have struggled and grieved and cried out, they have found One who comes to them and nourishes them with his love, his grace, his peace.

I am aware that what I am claiming here may be an over-simplification. That is one of the downfalls of trying to address profound truths in brief blog entries. I am fully aware that the struggles many people face are more dire than I will ever know. And I am aware that conditions like depression or anxiety can’t simply be alleviated by saying, “You just need Jesus, and it will all be better.”

I know that it’s not that simple.

But I also know that, no matter the situation in which we find ourselves, we can experience abundant life. Because, Jesus. Because Jesus offers us strength, and courage. Because Jesus introduces hope, and gives us his peace. Because Jesus shines light into our darkness, to dispel and overcome the darkness.

The apostle Paul wasn’t speaking empty, pithy words when he said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” In fact, he was writing those words from a prison cell into which he had been unjustly sent. He had seen success in his ministry, but he had also experienced rejection and persecution, even bodily harm. But the trials and the difficulties he faced were different when he viewed them from the perspective of Christ’s presence and grace.

He knew that abundance wasn’t so much a matter of circumstance, as it was a matter of Who was with him in the midst of the circumstances. That’s why he said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

If flowers can grow – flourish, even – between a rock and a hard place, don’t you think it’s possible for you and me to do the same?