Curate Lent

Broken for You

March 23, 2016

This is the last post of Lent 2016. This project has been such a pleasure! I hope you will join us next year and each year after, as we meet in the middle here, during Lent.

His Body was Broken for You

This is Holy Week — the time when Christians commemorate the week leading up to the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ — when He was broken for you and for me. Here at the Meet Me in the Middle Project we have been thinking of how the in-between times, the times of waiting, point to this important event.

Life is full of waiting. The Bible is full of waiting too. The people of Israel were waiting for a Messiah. Jesus was waiting to fulfill the prophecies. His disciples were waiting for His Kingdom to come in power and glory. The Pharisees and religious leaders were waiting for a chance to discredit Him and, finally, to kill Him. After His body was placed in the tomb, the women were waiting to anoint His dead body properly. And God was waiting for just the right time to demonstrate His love and power by creating the most unlikely solution to the problem of sin and death.

So often, we want to rush ahead of the waiting. We often hate “the middle.” I know I do. Right now, our family is at a crossroads. My husband will soon leave military life and enter the civilian world. In a few months, we will be leaving the home we have known for the last four years and settling in a new place. Our hearts are feeling restless to move on, but our bodies are still here. Some days, this in-between time feels excruciating.

Maybe someone you love has a difficult diagnosis? This is painful too. We don’t like having that “stuck” feeling because we want everything healed, fixed, and resolved, especially for the people we love. And when the diagnosis won’t come, or the healing is slow, or the illness isn’t ever going to resolve, we feel so helpless.

Some of you might be at home with little ones, wishing you could get past diapers and sleep schedules. Some of you might be aching just to hold your own little one, but your body won’t obey your orders or respect your wishes. Some of you might be looking for a special someone to share your life with, but you keep coming up empty. Often, where we find ourselves waiting is the last place we want to be.

How can we hold on to hope when the waiting goes long?

I know the answer and yet, at the same time, I don’t. I know the Truth, but I haven’t yet figured out how to stay there, peacefully. The Truth is a great encouragement nonetheless: all the threads of waiting are tied together, in Jesus.

The Arrival of Jesus is Always on Time

If we are packing the groceries in the car, the last thing we want to do is break an egg. Yet, as they say, we can’t have an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

There are times when brokenness is ordained.

Jesus was called to be broken for us. We are called to be broken for Him. And living in a fallen world means that brokenness here on earth is inevitable. In fact, God does His best work among the broken — that’s where He can just. plain. show. off. Because nothing is broken by chance. Nothing is broken without purpose. God is always working to fulfill His great and wonderful plan, on our behalf.

Easter reminds us that God is constantly ready to surprise us with His plans and His abilities to fulfill them. Are you feeling broken? Don’t worry, that means that you are poised and prepared to become what He intends for you to be.

I’m sharing this post at Kristin’s Three Word Wednesday:

Meeting Jesus in Marriage

March 16, 2016

I was blessed to attend the wedding of this sweet newlywed couple, my niece and nephew, Caitlyn and Jace. Theirs was one of the loveliest ceremonies that I have ever attended! The family support was evident, the pastor’s sermon was phenomenal, and the love between these two was palpable. With their commitment to Christ front and center, we really did see two become one, just as it should be, and I am grateful to have been there.

‘Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’

Rev 19:6a-9, ESV

Marriage is symbolic of our life in Christ. John the Baptist called Him “the Bridegroom” (John 3:22-30) and in Revelation 19 we hear that He is “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11). We are told to cleave to Christ, as a bride to a groom, forsaking all others for Him (Luke 14:25-33). In coming together with Jesus, we are one in the Spirit (1 Cor 6:17). And in the light of eternity, the Second Coming of Jesus is portrayed as a great marriage feast, where He returns to consummate His relationship with His Bride, the Church (Rev 19:6-10).

Jesus is not just a king; he is a betrothed King—an engaged King. And soon he will be a married King. His betrothed bride is the people of God—the people who trust him, elect from every race and nation, the church. He came the first time 2,000 years ago to die for his bride—to pay a dowry, as it were, with his own blood. And he will come a second time to marry her and take us—his church—into the gardens and the chambers of his love and joy forever.

—John Piper

Meeting Jesus in Marriage

God gave marriage as a sign to point to relationship with Christ (Eph 5:22-32). But earthly marriages? Some give an amazing witness to the faithfulness of God and the love of Christ. But many don’t reflect accurately the relationship we are to have with Christ. Marriage can be a reminder of the brokenness of this world. Like trying to peer into a cracked mirror, relationships here on earth can distort the view of Jesus. When we look for Jesus in marriage, sometimes He is hard to see.

What does it mean when your marriage isn’t the perfect picture of relationship with Christ? How can we meet Jesus in the middle of a mess?

It’s easy to get discouraged when conflict with another person brings out the worst in you or when they let you down. But the Lord is so amazing — in every circumstance, He is always at work. So, we can see Him reflected in wonderful marriages, but if we look closely, we can see Him reflected in difficult marriages, too. Here’s how:

Difficult relationships humble us, which makes us more like Jesus, who was humble (Phil 2:1-11).
Sometimes those closest to us can try our patience, and in doing so they provide excellent opportunity for growth (James 1:1-4).
Feeling at our wits end over a spouse? This reminds us to rely on the strength of Christ, rather than our own (Phil 4:13).

The Lord is always at work, redeeming and refining. If times are hard, it can also be hard to see Jesus working, but He is. Some people meet Jesus in their singleness. And others fulfill God’s plan by meeting Jesus in marriage.

The truth is that all of our relationships are a gift from the Lord, even the tough ones (James 1:17). And God does not hand out one-size-fits-all gifts — He gives us exactly what we need, so we can be grateful to the Father for every gift/person (spouse, child, sibling, parent, friend, co-worker) that He brings into our lives (1 Thess 5:18).

As a footnote, thank you to Caitlyn and Jace for sharing their pictures with us. It was wonderful to be in attendance at the wedding of this young couple. The love and joy that Jace expressed toward Caitlyn reminded me of the way that Jesus loves and enjoys us.

I’m sharing this post at Kristin’s Three Word Wednesday:

God Wrote Your Story

February 24, 2016

My friend Jodi is a scrapbooker, a diligent keeper of stories. She treasures the special moments, takes the pictures, and keeps the photos all organized till she can find a few minutes for herself. She saves up these memories in neat little boxes, collects just the right stickers and papers, and buys special tape and fancy scissors. And she bides her time. When she finds a few hours to craft, she lovingly arranges the pictures so that they retell those memories. She curates her family’s story.

God Wrote Your Story

The Lord is the best keeper of stories. He is the Author of all life. He plans our special moments before we are born. His scrapbook is full of stories about us, His children. He knows us so well. He sees all the messes that we are going to make, before we make them, and He loves us anyway. In fact, He sent Jesus Christ to make sure that all of our stories, even the hard ones, have a happy ending: “We have been made right in God’s sight by faith. We have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1, NLT).

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Psalm 139:16, NLT

Did you ever think about how God wrote your story? Next time you take pictures to post on Facebook — pictures of your family on vacation, or dinner with friends, or your new haircut — remember that all of your story was written before you were born. God has left nothing to chance. He is always at work to fulfill His plans for you. He makes it so you can grow in wisdom and love and peace. He wants you to walk closely with Him everyday. He will stop at nothing to meet you in the middle.

My good friend Kristin has a link-up called 3 Word Wednesday. She is joining us on this project, so we are joining her too!

Taught by God

February 16, 2016

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children (Isaiah 54:13, ESV).

My husband was deployed when my youngest was born. Then, during the next year, we had so many difficulties: we were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, he deployed again, I sold our house, and I moved to a strange city, alone, with the kids. When he returned from overseas, the adjustment was hard. Since then we’ve endured chronic illnesses, separation from family, marriage troubles and more…and I’ve been grieved that, for so long, we’ve been stretched so thin.

It has grieved me that we haven’t always shown our children
a clear picture of their Heavenly Father.

Parents are supposed to demonstrate the Father’s character, in part so their children will know what He is like. We tried. We gave them God’s Word and told them about the sacrifice of Jesus and the love of God. But, as for showing them God’s Word by living a life of sacrifice and love, we have fallen short. Here’s what I wish we could imitate better:

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.

Psalm 103:8, 11, 13-14, NLT

I know about sowing and reaping. We should reap a harvest that matches what we have sown. We want to sow seeds of love, but too often, we have planted selfishness, fear, unforgiveness, unkindness. Yet, our children are pretty happy, mostly polite, genuinely kind, very forgiving, and they really love the Lord. Huh? I am so thankful for God’s grace—that we don’t always get what we deserve. Thank you Lord, for instructing their hearts, where we have failed.

When I think of all the years and all the difficulties between these two pictures, I am astonished. This is truly the work of the Holy Spirit. Because of the work of Jesus, our Great High Priest, this is true:

I will put my laws in their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
nor will they need to teach their relatives,
saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
will know me already.
And I will forgive their wickedness,
and I will never again remember their sins.

(Hebrews 8:10-12, NLT).

It is good to remember that “successful parenting” is done best by Our Heavenly Father. Isn’t is wonderful that Jesus bridges our shortcomings and meets us in the middle?

Welcome to Ash Wednesday, 2016

February 9, 2016

Ash Wednesday Marks a Beginning

There’s so much I want to say about #MeetMeintheMiddleProj and Ash Wednesday and Lent. Sometimes, when there’s too much to say, there’s no way to say it. You have to SEE it instead. But in pictures, we’re limited too. A photograph captures a single moment in time.

Life is a journey, not a postcard.

But something amazing occurs as we look at pictures—our imagination is ignited. Sometimes we remember being there when an event happened. Sometimes we see the story that’s behind the image. With a Before & After collage, we can mark change that has occurred between the pictures. It’s as if we can imagine what happened in the middle.

Stuff happens in the middle. Still, we want to plow through the middle and get to the end. We crave resolution and peace. We want closure. We want the happy ending. But living and growing happen in the process, not in the ending. In fact, every ending is just a new beginning and more change is always bound to come.

For many of us, time spent in middle places can grieve us. Our comfort must be that God is right there with us, in the middle. He rolls up His sleeves. He’s always at work. He’s not distracted. He doesn’t nap, or take a vacation, or call in sick. He is steady.

It’s easy to miss seeing God at work. When we struggle, we often feel lost, forgotten, and overlooked. We might wonder, Where He is in all this mess? He’s there, at work in the middle:

Between Christmas and the Cross, Jesus worked miracles, and signs, and wonders. He worked to fulfill God’s promises. He worked in the hearts of His followers.
Between the Cross and the Resurrection of Easter, Jesus worked powerfully to defeat Sin and Death. His work broke the Curse. He raised Himself from the dead. His work continues in us.
Between your wounds and your new life, Jesus is the healer. Between newborn babies and young adults leaving the nest, Jesus works in their hearts through you, and in spite of you. Between your sin and your reconciliation, Jesus purifies your heart.

Jesus rocks the middle, y’all. So, why shouldn’t we? We were created to be like Him. We have the same Father. We’re being nurtured and pruned by the Holy Spirit to be more and more like Him everyday.

We need to start recognizing and celebrating what happens in the middle. We need to see how the work that we do in the middle, imitates Him. To model ourselves after God is to glorify Him.

Before & After – Making Peace

The Before & After collages below (for Pinterest and Instagram) come from my dear friend, Cati. They remind me that Jesus came to make peace. As we put our homes in order, we participate in making peace from disorder. We sort, discard and prioritize. We clean and wash, renewing and refreshing bed linens, dishes, clothes and floors. In the same way, over time, Jesus rearranges our priorities, discards wrong thinking and behaviors. He makes us clean. Jesus is faithful to bring order where there was chaos.

If you get discouraged when you see a mess, remember that bringing order and peace honors the Lord. Just as you can do this in a bedroom, so you can do this in a relationship or within your own heart, by imitating Jesus.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9, ESV

FOR PINTEREST

FOR INSTAGRAM

Meet Me in the Middle Project is a creative way to share the truth of the gospel (during Lent) on blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram, through Before&After collages. Post a collage, tell the story, explain how it demonstrates the gospel. Simple!

If you have a blog, you can grab our button in the sidebar and join right in! Otherwise, Please use #MeetMeintheMiddleProj on social media.