DEEP WATERS and DARK, DULL THREADS

God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.

Aughey

I just finished reading a book called the Grand Weaver, by Ravi Zacharias, that tells the story of how our lives are like tapestries or fine fabrics (in the book he opens with a story about the weaving of wedding saris in the north of India).

Sometimes God uses the dark and dull – black, grey and brown – threads as a part of an overall picture, to provide contrast and the right backdrop for the brilliant threads that make up the design that He has for our lives. At times, we can only see the knots and the chaos on the back of the tapestry and lament at our lack of control over the weaving process. He sees the brilliantly colored threads that are just waiting, out of our field of vision, to be woven into our tapestry.

I firmly believe the story told in Psalm 139 which says that there is a grand plan for our lives, where each segment includes a beginning, various steps along the way (dark, dull as well as brilliant) and an end. Each segment is also a huge learning process and sometimes failure or loss in a particular segment of our lives is the grand teacher, allowing us time to reflect and learn from each step along the way, both good and bad.

As we try to understand a God that can see the beginning, the middle and the end, including all of our choices and the choices of others along the way that impact us, truly caring about the outcome, I'd like to share an analogy someone recently shared with me of watching a marathon.

In the marathon analogy, your perspective is different as a runner and as a spectator. An experienced runner trains, generally gains an earlier start near the front and if they don't run across any external obstacles, they expect an outcome that puts them at or near the head of the pack at the finish line. In fact, really successful runners will tell you that they start off by envisioning themselves being the first to cross the finish line. If we are a spectator, we are either at the starting line, watching the enthusiasm of the experienced and novice runners alike as they begin the race, or we are somewhere along the way, seeing people get discouraged, trip over something, fall or quit from exhaustion or heat and if we are positioned at the end of the race, we see the victors, hose that are angry because they didn't win and those that persevere to the finish line and those that celebrate finishing last, just because they were able to get to the finish line.

God's perspective is that of the person in the helicopter that can see the beginning, the middle and the end of the race and that can zoom in on any circumstance along the way and who has long enough arms to reach down and comfort those who fall and cheer on those that perservere.

When we feel out of control of the weaving of our lives or the running of the race, it is easy to get angry, bitter, frustrated, to lay blame and to live in regret of choices made and what might have been. "If only", "Why didn't I", "Why did he/she" are all refrains of the same sad tune that leads to a very dark place if we follow that line of thinking and don't see God's larger perspective on our lives.

I also read another book this past week by John Maxwell, called the "Difference Maker" that talked about the role that attitude plays in our lives. The one thing that really stood out about the book for me was John's analogy about the elevator of our life and our attitude and that we are in control of that.

Living a life of regret and blame for the past, and worse, talking to everyone who will listen about the injustices that we perceive that we have suffered at the hands of others is like getting into an elevator and choosing to press the down button.

My parents were eternal optimists and always believed the best about people. They choose in their conversations to always press the "up" button in the elevator, leaving their friends, colleagues and even acquaintances in awe as to the peace that they could have amidst the chaos that often surrounded them as pastors of a church. In their lives, unconditional love was the driver of all that they did. I was fortunate to grow up with that as a key "ideal" and a model for my own behavior. I wish I could say that I was always victorious against fighting the "down button" battle, but I do know the long term benefits of choosing "up" versus "down".

When Michael and I got married, his uncle George, who married us, said in our ceremony that love is a choice that you make every day, it is not a feeling. He reminded us that some days we wouldn't like each other very much, but that didn't change the choice to love.

I have realized this week that I won't always like the situations that I find myself in. But like love, personal peace is a choice, not a feeling. It is getting in on the 3rd floor of a 20 story building and deciding to rise to the penthouse, rather than sink to the basement, taking all those around you with you on that same journey.

Over the course of the past number of months that I have been facing extreme challenges in my business life. Fortunately, God has been doing some deep surgery on my soul and is helping me understand the purpose of the deep, dark water, to use Aughey's analogy, to spur growth and stability and even to cleanse out some bad behaviors that have been holding me back in my personal and professional growth.

I have seen a miracle occur in my husband and in our marriage as a result of being able to jointly have a level of peace and clarity of direction amidst the chaos. Some of the events of the past few months have brought me literally home, working out of the house, so I now spend more time with my children and my husband, traveling less. So where I saw a detour in my path, God meant it for good.

Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

The clarity of direction that comes when you choose to trust the Grand Weaver to guide your steps provides the peace that truly passes all understanding, even when there is no illumination to show the full path ahead.

And finally, Philippians 4:8 says "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anyting is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.

My paraphrase: Choose the up button in your thoughts and in your conversations and in your dreams, and you will be choosing peace in your soul.

Be encouraged, be cleansed, be reconciled with the deep waters and the dark threads that have been plaguing you or those around you.

Chicke Fitzgerald

I

Tangible Faith


Matthew 17 20:21 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I have a daughter that is 8 1/2 and a son that is 6 1/2. When they pray, they know that God will answer. The faith that a child is able to have is unconstrained by life experiences and disappointment and most of all, it is unconstrained by self.

Yesterday, in the midst of a particularly difficult trial in my life, one of my friends from church admonished me to "Stand back and let God be God". It occurred to me that as long as I continue to look for solutions, that I continue to get in his way.

Have you ever had a child try to help you cook? You know what you are trying to accomplish and they have their own way of thinking and doing and they just keep getting in the way and in fact, sometimes they downright mess things up, both figuratively and literally. So as a parent, you patiently wait for them to finish, you gently redo that which they messed up and you clean up the mess left behind. Sometimes you may get frustrated and just say "stand back and let the chef be the chef". You get the picture.

God IS God. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has the recipe and truly, it will turn out better if we just stand back and let God be God.

He can move mountains. We only need to ask and believe that He is capable. He feeds the birds, how much more will He take care of His children.

Today I speak to the mountain in my life. And I thank God that it is in the process of being moved. I eagerly await the outcome of His plan. It is tangible and it is good.


Chicke Fitzgerald

Proverbs 6 The Six Things that God Hates

In Proverbs 6 Solomon outlines many things - laziness, hanging around with riffraff and rascals and once again adultery, but the most important in my estimation are in verses 16-19:

16-19 Here are six things God hates,
and one more that he loathes with a passion:
eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
a troublemaker in the family.

Lord, may my eyes be humble, my tongue filled with your truths, may my hands do good not evil, may my heart only seek after you, may my feet do your will, may my mouth sing your praises and may I bring peace to my family. Be with them while I travel - keep them safe and keep them healthy.


Chicke Fitzgera
Chicke Fitzgerald ld

John 16-20 The Word is our Speed Monitor

Today I was driving into our subdivision and they had put a speed monitor on the main boulevard as you drive in. The immediate effect of the speed monitor is to show you your speed in relation to the speed limit, which invariably is too high. So.... when you see the monitor, you slow down.

It occurred to me that the Word is like the speed monitor. There are warnings about how we should behave and an outline of what is good and right. It is the Holy Spirit's role to keep us focused on God's Word and to remind us what Jesus was teaching when He walked the earth.

John 16:8-11"When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

In John 16, Jesus is trying to help the disciples understand what is about to happen when he is crucified. He talked them in parables and they struggled to understand. When he finally spoke plainly, they ultimately grasped what he was trying to say.

John 16:32-33 I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."

This verse is at the heart of my faith. I am so thankful for his gift to me and my ability to be unshakable and assured - DEEPLY AT PEACE. Even in the midst of difficulties, I can remember that He conquered the world, so I don't have to!

In Gethsemane the night before he was crucified, Jesus prayed for the disciples, and he also prayed for us. His prayer was simple:

John 17:21 The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you.

I know that you know what it feels like to be at odds with others, perhaps even with your spouse or best friend. There is nothing worse --- and nothing better when you reconcile and become one heart and mind. That is what He wants for us.

In John 18, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and delivered to Pontias Pilate. Pilate handed him back to the Jews and offered a pardon, but he was betrayed a second time when they asked that Barabbas, a freedom fighter be pardoned instead. In John 19, Pilate knows that Jesus is in fact the son of God and he is afraid and tries again to pardon him. But in the end, he is more afraid of the people than he is of Jesus, so he gives in and orders him crucified.

John 19: 16-19 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified. They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:

jesus the nazarene
the king of the jews.

20-21Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. "Don't write," they said to Pilate, "'The King of the Jews.' Make it, 'This man said, "I am the King of the Jews."'"

22Pilate said, "What I've written, I've written."

Who are we to deny Jesus, when in His presence, the highest law of the land knew Him to be the Son of God?

Throughout the balance of chapter 19 and the account of His death, over and over, the old testament scriptures were confirmed. The account even contains a statement of its accuracy and the words that "it was told so that you would hear and believe".

John 20 - Resurrection! 1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance.

John 20 is the story of Jesus being raised from the dead. Resurrection. Life in exchange for death. This is the culmination of our faith -- the promise that He has for us. We no longer have to live in sin, in separation from God, in the mundane and the lack of purpose. We live because He lives! The chapter ends with Thomas, known forever as doubting Thomas, questioning the resurrection unless he sees Jesus with his own eyes and touches the hole in His side.

John 20:29 Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

I pray that in revisiting this familar story, you will be convinced in your heart that He is not only Messiah, the Son of God, but that if you never have said out loud that you believe, that you will now do so and that you will know real and eternal life, the way he personally revealed it. And that you too will be unshakable and assured - DEEPLY AT PEACE. Even in the midst of difficulties, you too can remember that He conquered the world, so you don't have to!

And, the next time you see a speed monitor, you will be reminded of the importance of staying in the Word and listening to the Holy Spirit who is here to remind us to love, so that we can be loved.

AMEN!

Chicke Fitzgerald

John 14 - I go to My Father's House

In John 14 Jesus talks of His Father's house and how there are many rooms there and that He was going to prepare their rooms, and would be back for them.

It is amazing to me that the disciples didn't figure out that speaking of natural things was His way of helping them to more easily understand the spiritual world. They continued to try to interpret him literally. They wanted to know where the road was that would take them there.

In verses 6-7 Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!"

8 Philip said, "Master, show us the Father; then we'll be content."

9-10 "You've been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don't understand? To see me is to see the Father.

This chapter is chocked full of very practical instruction - about loving, about prayer, about the Holy Spirit who He said He would leave behind to take care of us. The Holy Spirit's job is to make everything plain to us.

Lord - open our eyes to your Word. Teach us to listen and hear and understand. Teach us to love like you love us. Give us your peace.

Chicke Fitzgerald