Paid in Parables

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? 

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, 

while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered 

over to the hands of sinners, be crucified 

and on the third day be raised again.’” 

Then they remembered his words.

~Luke 24:5-8~

WAKE UP!

It's time to receive the gift! God's gift of salvation; Jesus' conquer over death. And in mulling it over, I go back to what He not only gave us with His 'death', but what he gave during His life. I'm talking about what Jesus taught us when He spoke parables.

Jesus said a lot in his time. A most famous example is His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) but He especially spoke to His followers in parables. I don't profess to all of them... many are retold and overlap across the four gospels and there's some debate over where how 'parable' is defined as opposed to (or parallel with) 'allegory'. But I know that only due to last minute research.

I care to focus on what Jesus was giving us when He spoke these:

Messages of redemption and rejoicing (Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son,      Luke 15)

Messages about kindness and compassion (Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37)

Messages about persistence (Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke 18) and humility (Parable of the    Tax Collector, also Luke 18)

And many with a message about the power of one's faith in God (Parable of the Mustard Seed and Yeast, Matthew 13:31-34 and Mark 4:30-34)

Jesus was good at telling a story; a story with a POINT! He was encompassing how He wished His children to live in the world. Jesus knew that He had only a little time with His disciples and there were many important things He wanted them to remember. And they have surely stood the test of time, nestled in our Bibles to always remind us of God's teachings. And- most importantly- that He is indeed risen!

HAPPY EASTER!

Just A Smile

I began my Good Friday with seeing snow stuck to mulch and the roof of my car. Thus, I began this day with a smile. A wide and giddy grin that wouldn't let my teeth stay hidden at the joy of spying the powdery white.

Jesus' single command at the Last Supper was 'Do this in remembrance of me...' (Luke 22:19). He was specifically speaking of the bread and wine of the covenant, but we do many things in remembrance, recognition, or reverence of Christ. I believe such a list includes a smile. God never creates something without a purpose. Scientists are finding that when someone smiles, a powerful chemical reaction occurs in the brain. It improves their mood, boosts their immune system, and lowers their stress. As 1 Corinthians 12 states 'Even so the body is not made up of one part, but of many' (verse 14). Everything is interconnected... our smile, our tears, heck even our sneezes!

What is making you smile today? Share that smile with whomever you can.

I smile for the subtle ways that families will be celebrating this Easter Sunday. We may be lacking in many things, but really a smile is all it takes- because Christ is still risen! 

'You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, 

Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, 

though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'

~Romans 5:6-8~

A Long Way Off

'"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. 

"Plans that will prosper you and not harm you. 

Plans to give you hope and a future."'

~ Jeremiah 29:11~

The human eye allows us to see up to 3 miles away toward the horizon; where the sun meets the sea, if you will.

Long-range binoculars allow us to see up to 17 miles away... past the horizon to where you can spot the shoreline. Lower the binoculars however, and you stop seeing the destination and are left to dwell on the journey. You huff and puff perhaps, agonizing over how much longer... or worrying that the hardships may never end.

But, even with no binoculars to see the shoreline, does that mean that it's not there?

Jeremiah 29:11 is a well-used verse (overused at times), but an important one nonetheless. God is ALWAYS in the know. He knew, when he sent His son to earth that pain and humiliation awaited, along with love and reverence and miracles. He knew the hard journey ahead... but He also knew the destination. Knowing the reconciliation that would take place between Him and His children (US), He endured the journey... and celebrated at the end of it, along with Jesus' disciples and followers.

'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us 

an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes 

not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, 

but what is unseen is eternal.'

~2 Corinthians 4:17-18~

This journey is unique in that the world is taking it together. It seems like such a gentle word for all the sadness and uncertainly that's circling us. But there IS an end to it. God knows it and He sees it. We just have to trust what He sees... even without binoculars.

Where's the Focus?

It's not always about you.

A common saying and theme in where a person wakes up and realizes that there is more to this life then their own needs and desires. A justifiable one, as we are very self-serving creatures! 

In the midst of this quarantine however, maybe it IS about you. Maybe this is more of a forced internal reflection rather then an outward focus on spiritual efforts.

There is certainly strength in numbers and that goes for God's people as well; helping when no one else will, prayer groups, worshiping in unison. But God looks after the individual strength as much as He does the collective. And at time that means stepping away from the crowd.... to where it's just you and Him... where you can finally hear what God's been wanting to say to you.

What is important to me? 
How do I spend my time? 
What do I put my mental energy towards?
Do I let my family and friends know that I love them?
When was the last time I sat and did... nothing?
Have I been the better version of myself?
Where do I want to be while the world's going crazy?

There are plenty renditions of 'why' going around right now. Maybe the answer lies in asking yourself other questions. Questions, ironically, about yourself. There are always parts of our personalities that need work... do, WHY not start now?

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. 

We are the clay, you are the potter; 

we are all the work of your hand.”

Isaiah 64:8