Category Archives: Submitting to God

I stand amazed.

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IMG_3834Emerald still has a fascination with bubbles. Every day she asks if we can blow them, and each time it’s as if she’s never seen them before. She “stands amazed,” which for her means an open mouth and a wildly-waving right hand. As bubbles swirl around her, joy bubbles out of her.

Once in a while, though, a stray bubble pops in the wrong place – not on her nose or forehead (which she loves) but in her eye. She crumples to the ground in tears, rubbing her face and hollering at high decibel. “The bubble hurt Emerald! The bubble hurt Emerald!”

IMG_3850Might there be a spiritual parallel to this soap-in-the-eye dilemma? We all say we love the Lord. We trust he’s telling the truth when he says he’s always working for our good.

So we pray and ask for things he’s encouraged us to ask for – protection from evil, strength to endure temptation, life-guidance through prayer. We have confidence in his amazing power and expect him to act on our behalf. Then suddenly a situation arises that makes us raise our eyebrows at him. We might be left unprotected and become injured; maybe we fail at resisting temptation and give in; or he might seem silent when we desperately need his help making a decision.

And suddenly our bubble of amazement pops – bringing a hurtful sting. Our faith crumples, and we cry, “Lord, you hurt me! You hurt me!” Who would stand in awe of that?

There’s a wonderful old hymn that includes these lyrics: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean.”

It continues: “How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be! How marvelous, how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me!”

It’s easy to smile as we sing those words, nodding affirmation and feeling his love. But when life goes awry or gets really hard, our raised eyebrows quickly form a frown, and we feel like wagging a finger at God. Instead of amazement, we want to lay blame.

The truth is, we don’t understand why the Lord does what he does any more than Emerald understands why soapy water creates her beloved bubbles.

Bubble-ologyAnd maybe that’s exactly what’s at the heart of her amazement. Because she doesn’t understand it, she’s in awe of it. And though a bubble in the eye is a set-back, her fascination doesn’t diminish, and the expectancy of joy quickly returns.

Even as the sting lingers, she jumps to her feet. “More bubbles? More?” Her mouth drops open, her right hand starts waving, and once again she stands amazed.

Can we say the same about God?

They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything [Jesus] does is wonderful.” (Mark 7:37)

Royal Purple

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The other day I was making a PBJ (peanut butter & jelly) sandwich for Emerald while she watched. As I spread the grape jelly she said, “MeeMee, the J is so glamorous. It’s purple!”

Princess Snow WhiteI’d never thought of jelly as glamorous, but I understood. Unlike the drab-beige of the PB, the J really had it – rich color and sparkling shine.

Emerald loves glamour. Princess dresses, sparkling crowns, glittering fingernails. But maybe she’s not the only one.

In thinking about what attracts our attention, it’s often the most glamorous things that grab us – the brightly colored, the shiny, the sparkling. It’s the fanciest cars. The flashiest vacations. The showiest homes. The biggest jewels. The designer clothes.

This might even be true when it comes to people. Are we enamored with glamour? Do we name-drop in our conversations? “I spotted that celebrity at a supermarket once and actually talked to her.” Or, “I got that famous person’s signature in my copy of his book.”

We might spend time reading about the rich and famous, secretly wishing we could be like them. Or maybe we complain that we don’t have all the “stuff” we need or enough money to buy it. So how do we keep ourselves in check?

One way is to view these things as God does – especially when it comes to sizing-up people. He definitely sees individuals differently than we see each other. His Word says, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

This is a quote directly from Jesus, and when he said it, he was trying to teach his disciples the difference between the world’s version of greatness and his. They didn’t understand it at the time, but that didn’t bother Jesus. He stuck with his statement.

Bottom line? The most “glamorous” on earth might not be as sparkly in heaven.

IMG_1060That’s even true of sandwiches. After all, the drab-looking PB actually wins in a contest of nutrition, but the oh-so-glamorous J?

Last place.

“Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:30)

A Proper Passion

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Most young children make no secret of their passions. Whether it’s puzzles, trains, dolls, or coloring books, once they settle on something, it’s what they want to do ‘round the clock.

Emerald, for whom I’m a nanny here in Hawaii, has been consistent in her passion for several things. Bubbles have fascinated her since she was a baby, and we’ve enjoyed blowing them every day of her life. Then, for at least a year, Disney princesses have been added – 14 of them — and she knows which gown belongs on who and which crown.

IMG_0611A third, long-term passion has been fish. A trip to Chicago’s Aquarium was a dream adventure, and Emerald never tires of studying a fish’s movements. “Did you see that? What’s he doin’ over there?” Louisa and Teddy are caring for her betta fish, Jason, while she’s in Hawaii.

We adults have passions, too, and often they’re consistent through our lives. When we look into the Bible and study the life of Jesus, we see he had a passion that never varied – start to finish. It was to do whatever his Father told him to do.

In John 14:31 he summarized his passion. “I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” Most of us would say we love the Father, too, but can we say we do “exactly what he commands?” If we do some of the things he commands, does that qualify as a passion?

Watching Emerald pursue her passions has challenged me to be more passionate about pursuing the Lord. Over the weekend, a group of us visited a fancy shopping mall here in Kona and were treated to an object lesson of what passion-in-action looks like.

IMG_1759We took Emerald to a fish pond full of Japanese koi fish. The minute she saw them, her right hand flew up and down with enthusiasm, and her face became bright with joy. Her mouth opened in awe, and she never tired of interacting with them – throwing ice chips into the water to get them to move, exclaiming over their colors, commenting about their movements, guessing at what they were thinking. She only turned away when we insisted it was time.

How does Emerald’s passion for fish compare with my desire for more of the Lord? Am I enthusiastic about connecting with him whenever I can? Is my joy evident when I talk about him? Am I in awe of what he’s done and will do? Do I love him so much I never tire of him?

The real question is, can I even call my relationship with him a passion? And if not, what’s holding me back?

Jesus said, “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John 8:28)