Why Didn't God Stop This From Happening?

Anyone who knows me knows that the events of the last week and a half have deeply touched my family. My husband has devoted his life to public service in some form or fashion. The majority of that time has been in law enforcement, and part of that time was with the Dallas Police Department. The senseless deaths of the four DPD officers and one DART officer have emotionally brought us to our knees. After a week of funerals, I thought we were at a point where we could start to move past this unexplainable tragedy. And then this morning, it happened again. Another ambush of police officers in Baton Rouge. None of this makes sense. I've heard people asking lots of questions through all of this. Why in the world would anyone deliberately murder the very people who are sworn to serve and protect them? Why would someone scream that their life matters in one moment and then murder someone because of the uniform they wear in the next moment? But, I think the question that has probably crossed everyone's mind, and is probably the hardest one to answer, is why didn't God stop this from happening?

If you grew up in church, you learned from a very young age that God can do anything. We were just teaching that very principle to our 3- and 4-year-olds in Sunday School today as they learned about Jesus walking on water. The Bible is full of examples of God's amazing power. HE created everything. HE parted the Red Sea. HE flooded the entire earth. HE healed people who were sick. HE brought people back from the dead. HE walked on water. HE calmed the wind and waves with a simple command. HE turned water into wine. I could go on and on and on. Throughout history God has done things that are FAR beyond human power and even farther beyond human explanation. God can do anything. Period.

So... Why didn't God stop this from happening? Why didn't He stop five Dallas officers from being murdered? Why didn't He stop three Baton Rouge officers from being murdered? Why didn't He just reach down with His infinite power and stop it?? I'm no Bible scholar, and I'm no expert. But, I have prayed and prayed and prayed about this. And, here is what I believe God has told me in response to those prayers. Why didn't God stop this from happening? I believe that He tried. Let me explain.

God created us to be in a relationship with Him and to love Him. For that to happen, He had to give us this thing called free will. We have the free will to make choices about our lives. We choose what we do and when we do it. We choose how we live and who we love. We choose whether or not we love God, obey God, and worship God. Sure, He could just create us all and control our every thought and action to force us into a relationship with Him. He could force us to love Him. He could force us to obey Him. He could force us to worship Him. But, if it's forced, it's actually not love at all. We would no more love God than the victim of a kidnapping loves her kidnapper simply because he binds her to a chair and forces her to stay. When we choose to love God, we can truly love Him. But, it's the only way that can happen.

Until we make the choice to give our lives to the Lord and love Him with our heart, soul, strength, and mind, He is pursuing us. He offers us undeserved, unexplainable love and grace long before we choose to follow Him. He is always there for us. But, we have to make that choice, We have to take that step. We have to open our hearts to Him and allow Him to become the Lord of our lives. He is calling out to us, reaching out to us, waiting on us to turn around and take that first step toward Him.

Sure, God could have reached down in  all of His power and stopped the shooters from shooting. He could have forced them to comply with His will. But, as soon as He does that, free will is gone. Our capacity to be in true relationship with Him is gone. Our capacity to truly love Him is gone. And, if those things are gone, so is the necessity of Jesus' sacrifice. There is no need for God to offer up His perfect, sinless Son as payment for the sins of the world if God is just going to step in and stop us from sinning. There is no need for a Savior if the world is full of mindless robots that have no say in what they do. There is no need for the Son of God to show the ultimate act of love for humankind if we lose our ability to love Him back.

I firmly believe God tried to stop all of this. He was calling out to the shooter in Dallas. He was calling out to the shooter in Baton Rouge. He so desperately wanted them to hear His call and to turn around and take that step toward Him. He so desperately wanted them to make the right choice. He wanted them to choose Him over the enemy. He wanted them to choose the Light over darkness. He wanted them to choose life over death. He wanted them to choose peace over violence.

But... They didn't.

We all have that same choice every single day. We may not be standing in a parking garage contemplating gunning down a crowd of police officers, but we still have a choice. Do we choose love or hate? Do we choose peace or violence? Do we choose forgiveness or revenge? Do we choose unity or division? Do we choose apathy or empathy?

It may seem that our choices only affect us. But, make no mistake, our choices affect way more than that. Our culture, our society, our country, our very way of life all depend on the choices that we make. If we want this to stop, we have to answer God's call. If we want this to stop, we have to love like Jesus loves. If we want this to stop, we can't keep sitting around waiting for someone else to make a difference. God was shouting to the shooters to not shoot. What is He shouting to you? What is He shouting to me? What has He shouted to us before that we either didn't hear or just didn't want to listen to?

I don't know about you, but I am DONE with violence. I am DONE with the loss of life. I am DONE with hate. I am DONE with division. I want to know MY role in healing this nation. I want to know MY role in bringing people together. I want to know MY role in ending the hate between people.

Because, ultimately, MY role is the only one I can control.

I can listen for God's call.
I can hear God's call.
I can act on God's call.

What a different world it would be if we all did that.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ~Revelation 3:20

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God. ~John 1:12-13

 

Top 6 SCOTUS Ruling Scriptures

By now, everyone has heard about the landmark SCOTUS decision handed down on Friday regarding same-sex marriage. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone has heard WAY more than they ever wanted to hear about this decision. Everywhere I've turned since Friday I've seen or heard something about it. Everyone has an opinion, and many are very passionate about theirs. Emotions regarding this issue run the complete spectrum with each end being about as extreme as you can get. I have seen extreme love, extreme hate, and complete indifference. I've seen people removing others from their social media because of posts they've made. I've even seen people deactivating their own social media accounts because they are tired of all the drama. Me? I've just been taking it all in up to this point. I've listened to and read all the different opinions and viewpoints. But ultimately, like I do with everything, I turned to Scripture to help me digest it all. While there are countless Scriptures that have been thrown around in relation to this issue, I've come up with my own personal list of Scriptures that I am using for direction in all of this. (All Scriptures quoted are from the Common English version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.)

#1
He replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself." ~Matthew 22:37-39 

This is where it all starts for me. According to Jesus, these are the two most important commandments, and every other law from the Old Testament hangs on them. He spent a lot of time talking about loving others, and that is what we should be focused on. The political stage is just that, a stage. And, nothing that could ever happen on that stage will ever change God's agenda of love. So, my agenda stays the same , too. Love God with everything I have and love the people around me.

#2
Don't judge, so that you won't be judged. You'll receive the same judgement you give. Whatever you deal out will be dealt to you. Why do you see the splinter that's in your brother's or sister's eye, but don't notice the log in your own eye? ~Matthew 7:1-3

One of the big debates surrounding this issue seems to be whether or not homosexuality is a sin. I have my opinion on that. But, to be quite frank, my opinion doesn't matter because I am not the judge. My opinion matters for me, and that's it. Using the definition of sin that I've derived from my time with God and reading the Bible to judge what other people are doing is not OK. Jesus didn't win people's hearts by telling them what horrible sinners they were. I know He didn't win my heart that way. He won (and still wins) people's hearts by loving them to the point of death on a cross in spite of the fact that they are sinners. That's the kind of person I want to be: the kind who loves people no matter what their sins might be. My role as a disciple of Christ is to share the amazing story of the Gospel with people, not to tell them the 827 reasons why they're going to hell if they don't listen to it. Besides, the good Lord knows that I've got a big enough job just dealing with the log in my own eye. Once I have eliminated sin from life and am perfect (which will never happen) is when I can start pointing out the splinters in other people's eyes.

#3
Don't be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7

So many people are getting so worked up over what this SCOTUS decision is going to mean for them or for this country. But, I see no need to worry about it at all. Ultimately, God is in control. If we spend our time worrying about this, or any other issue, we are trying to take that control away from Him. To me, it makes much more sense to pray for our government and the decisions they make, for the people of this country who are so wrapped up in emotion and turmoil right now, and for the people whose lives are directly affected by this decision. It makes more sense to take these requests to God, and at the same time thank Him that I am allowed to live in this great nation where I am free to pray to Him whenever and wherever I please. This is how I will be able to stay at peace when this battle is going on all around me.

#4
Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." ~Mark 12:17

OK, I know that in this verse Jesus was answering a question about paying taxes. But, I think the same principle applies here. What the government does belongs to the government, and what God does belongs to God. The government made a legal decision. They did not change the Bible. They did not change God's law. The simply made a decision about what unions the government is going to recognize. You can agree with it. You can disagree with it. But, at the end of the day, we still have man's law and God's law. They are separate from each other and do not have to agree. In fact, there are a lot of things that are legal in this country that the Bible classifies as sin. Just because it's legal doesn't mean you have to do it if you believe it is a sin. I know what I believe to be right and wrong, and nothing about this SCOTUS decision has changed my ability live according to those beliefs.

#5
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. ~Psalm 103:19

It's been four days since this decision came down, and guess what? God is still on the throne. No matter what our government, our citizens, or our enemies might do, God will still be on the throne. SCOTUS is not my Lord. God is my Lord. This great planet belongs to Him, and I have to trust that His plan for it and for me are going to prevail no matter what.

#6
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. ~Joshua 24:15 (NIV) 

When everything else is said and done, this is what I have control over. In my house, we will continue to serve God. You don't have to. You have that choice. I can't make anyone, nor would God want me to. He wants us to come to him because we choose to. And, in my house, we choose to. Nothing is going to change that.

So, I guess it's safe to say that my reaction to this is no different than anything else that may be going on in my life or in the world around me. Here's the sort version:

• Love others.
• Don't judge.
• Pray.
• Government is government. God is God.
• God is, was, and always will be Lord.
• My family chooses to serve God.

It seems so simple. I just don't understand everyone has to make it so difficult.

Slow It Down, AT&T!

This is number 2 in my AT&T series of posts. In my first post, I talked about AT&T giving us the message that bigger is better. This time, I'm moving on to their message that faster is better. I'll give them credit... The commercial is super cute. But, no matter how cute it is, I still think it is sending the wrong message, especially to the kids who are automatically drawn to the commercial simply because it has kids in it. Here's the commercial that tells us that faster is better:

In some cases, I would agree that faster is better. But, the commercial doesn't specify any circumstances. It just lays out the assertion that faster is better. Period. Here's my problem with that... We are constantly inundated with the message that we need to do more, more, more. At work, we have to be more productive. At home, we have to do more with our kids. At school, every moment has to be jam packed with learning. The only way to do more is to be faster. We are constantly pushed to go, go, go.

We try to dress it up just to make it sound better. Kids need to be involved in more activities so that they are more well-rounded. Technology makes us more efficient so that we can accomplish more in the same amount of time. Multitasking  is an art that only the most fortunate are able to perfect. People who are constantly working and driving themselves and their kids to do more are go-getters. They are driven. They are motivated. They are striving for success. We are supposed to model our own lives after them.

All of that leads to the results of living in the fast lane, filling every moment with an attempt to do more, to be more, to accomplish more. If you don't fill every millisecond of your life with something, then you are lazy, unmotivated, and your kids are missing out.

Personally, I think that this is one major area where we get it all wrong. And, I say "we" because I'm just as guilty as the next guy. My whole life I have said that I'm not happy unless I'm going 90 to nothing. But, lately I have been making conscious efforts to change that.

The first change I made a while back was to spend time every with God. For a long time, I've had a Bible app on my phone that gives me a daily verse. I would read it most days, but that was it. Now, that's just my starting point. I read the verse, but then I read the whole chapter that the verse is in. After I've read it a couple times, I read it again with the notes that go with it in my study Bible. I really try to listen for the message God wants me to get out of it. Finally, I spend some time praying, but more importantly, listening to God. It's amazing what a difference it makes when I slow down and start my day off with this devotional time! I am more patient, less frazzled, and just in a better mood overall. When I just jump out of bed and hit the ground running, I'm a frantic mess all day!

Every time I see the AT&T commercial about faster being better, all I can think is, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse can be found in Psalm 46:10, and I catch myself reciting it multiple times every day. It is such a good reminder of what God wants for us! Of course we have to work. Of course we need to spend time with our kids. Of course we have to cook and clean and do laundry. But, I think it's really important to find balance. We need to balance the fast and the slow. We need to give ourselves permission to put on the brakes and really enjoy life. We need to make sure we don't take on so much that it becomes impossible to do so. We need to make sure that time with God is a priority, not an option that becomes the first thing we skip over because everything else dominates our time.

In some cases, AT&T is right: Faster is better. But, in life... I just don't think so. Slow it down, keep your priorities in check, and enjoy all the ways God blesses you every day! Our kids are watching us and learning how to live life from what they see us do. What are you teaching???

It's Not Complicated, AT&T

OK, I know I planned on doing this a LONG time ago, but the day of my last post, my life took a 90 degree turn and got much busier than I had planned. Not that I am complaining, because I definitely am not! I just haven't had (or made) time to write as much as I'd like.

Anyway... Here's my first set of opinions on the series of commercials AT&T has been running for the last several months. It's the "It's Not Complicated" series of commercials. I have no idea what their first commercial in this series was, but the first one I remember ended with the message, "Bigger is better." Here's the commercial:

At first glance, it's a group of really cute kids saying really cute things. It makes everyone smile and laugh, and people really like to watch these commercials. But, have you really listened to what's being said? The man in the commercial asks the kids questions to lead them to the point AT&T is trying to make... Bigger is better. Unfortunately, in the US, bigger is better. Bigger houses, bigger bank accounts, bigger wardrobes... It never ends. The Golden Rule is no longer, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is now, "The one with the gold makes the rules," and it's been that way for a long time. In general, people are judged and valued for what they have, not who they are.

And, the really sad part of this to me is the kids. If you ask just about any kid in this country what's better, bigger or smaller? They will say that bigger is better. We ingrain it in them every single day. The boy in the commercial doesn't want a small tree house because it wouldn't hold a big screen TV. Kids dream of being rich when they grow up, so they can have a big house and fancy cars and every possession they desire. This is definitely NOT how I want my kids to view their lives. Unfortunately, I was just as caught up in this mentality as everyone else for the majority of my life. If you ask my 9-year-old about his life plan, he'll tell you he's going to be in the NFL Hall of Fame and marry a rich supermodel. It just makes me shake my head and ask myself what in the world I've been doing all these years???

Whether we realize it or not, we are teaching our kids that "stuff" is what makes you happy. If you just made a little bit more money, you'd be happy. If you just got a bigger house, you'd be happy. If you just had a bigger and better wardrobe, you'd be happy. We chase material possessions like they are some kind of magic potion that will somehow make us feel validated and worthwhile. But, the reality is that the more you try to satisfy these empty feelings you have with "stuff," the emptier you feel. Bigger is definitely NOT better when it comes to satisfying your soul and feeling fulfilled in life.

I was reminded of this in church yesterday. We had a guest band come to perform during our worship service. They are called Remedy Drive, and I had no idea that I knew some of their songs very well until they played them. The one that really drives this point home is called, "All Along." I know it by heart, and I absolutely love the message it conveys! Here's the song on YouTube. The video isn't exciting, but I wanted one that shows the words. Take a listen...

The only thing that can really fill us is God. Everything else is just our superficial way of trying to do it ourselves. But, it never works. No matter how much "stuff" you have, you always feel like you just need a little bit more to make life easier and make you happy. But, God doesn't work that way. He fills us in such a different way. His love isn't based on what we have. His grace isn't conditional. He loves us no matter what we do or don't do. He loves us no matter what we have or don't have. He doesn't care what people think of us, how many friends we have, or how many followers we have on Facebook or Twitter. And, He doesn't want us to care about those things either. For me personally, the day that I truly started identifying myself as a child of God and basing my value on that was the day that I really started feeling happy and satisfied.

So, AT&T... You're right: It's not complicated. Bigger isn't better in the way you are putting it out there. Bigger is better if you are talking about a God who is bigger than any problem I could ever face. Bigger is better if you're talking about the love we get from a God who will never leave us. Bigger is better if you're talking about the grace that God gives us every single day of our lives. So, I guess the real truth here is that God is better!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13

Trying Something New!

Ok, I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I'm going to to try something new on here. I'm going to do a series of blog entries. Usually I write about one thing, then move on to something different. But, this particular series has been in the back of my head for awhile now. So... What is it? It's called, "What is Better?"

In this set of posts, I'm going to to talk about the string of AT&T commercials that have been released over the last few months. They all feature a man sitting with a group of kids that are probably 5 or 6 years old. In each one, they are talking about what is better: fast or slow, bigger or smaller, more or less, doing one thing or doing more than one thing.

I know that the commercials are cute. I know that they are funny. I know that technically they are trying to grab the attention of the adults that AT&T wants to have as customers. But, I think the audience they actually speak to is much younger. The kids in the commercials get kids not just watching them, but also quoting them. Kids aren't going to run out and buy a cell phone or a plan with AT&T, but they are listening to those commercials, and I just don't like what the commercials are teaching them. I think our kids are getting a set of completely wrong ideas and values from these commercials. And, I think a lot of adults don't really take the time to see past the cute kids with the witty answers to the real message that's being conveyed.

So, I guess you could say that I'm about to get on a small soapbox for a few posts. But, I do think it's worth writing! And, I definitely think it's worth reading! Look for the first one early next week!

In the meantime, I am SO thankful for all this glorious rain we're getting! We need it SO badly! But, it is making it hard for me to get out from under this blanket and off my couch...

Steal My Show!

I used to have the hardest time accepting compliments. No matter what the compliment was, I would very quickly respond with some reason why it was wrong. If someone said my hair looked nice, I would point out the part that was out of place. If someone said my outfit was cute, I would point out that I had nothing to wear and it was all I could find. But, the compliments about things I had done were the ones I would discount more than anything else. Anytime someone said, "You did such a good job on (fill in the blank)," I would very quickly make sure they knew the mistakes I made while doing it, the parts that didn't work, or why I just didn't really do a good job in general.

Why in the world did I do this? Who knows! Maybe I was just fishing for more compliments, especially since that's what usually followed my negative responses. Maybe I really didn't believe the compliments, and I was really, honestly discounting them. Maybe I just didn't believe that I was deserving of the compliment. I could probably spend three days psychoanalyzing all the reasons why, but that's not really the important thing here! So, I'll spare you the details on that one!

The good thing is, I'm not that way anymore. Now, when someone gives me a compliment, I'm able to accept it. It might be a simple, "Thank you." I might thank the person and take it a step farther by agreeing with them. Or, sometimes I even go so far as to point out things that I see as being really good! My responses are just completely different now! But, that's not even the important thing here. The important thing is WHY I respond differently!

 

There's actually a song by TobyMac that explains this really well. (If you been with me for any length of time, it's no surprise to you that there's a music connection here!) The song is called "Steal My Show." It's all about how he's about to go on stage for a concert, and he's asking God to steal his show and use him to say what He wants to say to the people in the crowd. I love the song, but there's one part of it that really makes it apply to anyone:
No matter who we are,
No matter what we do,
Every day we can choose to say
If You wanna steal my show,
I'll sit back and watch you go.
If You've got something to say,
Go on and take it away.
 This is the difference: Every time I'm doing anything, this song pops into my head, and very quickly turns into a prayer. I can be writing a Sunday school lesson, getting ready for a meeting, writing a blog entry, making a wreath, or planning a major event, my prayer is still the same. "God, this is Yours. Use me to make this great!" And, you know... He usually does!

Giving God control of things also gives Him control of the outcome. I've been able to do things I never thought I could do, better than I thought I could do them, simply because I constantly ask God to take them over while I'm doing them. And this is what makes it so easy to accept compliments so graciously. When I ask God to steal my show, I know the show is going to be good! It's NOT me that's doing it!! It's all Him!! So, of course compliments will come! I get excited when I get complimented, because I know it's not really me that's being complimented. It's the work God did through me. And, I love to be able to point out to people that whatever it is that I've done was actually a "God thing!"

So, what show can you let God steal?

All things are from Him and through Him and for Him. May the glory be to Him forever. Amen. ~Romans 11:36

So, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, you should do it all for God's glory. ~1 Corinthians 10:31

It's MY Church!!!

Well... We started the week off with another hospital stay. This one was only one night, and the doctors finally explained to us that, because Matt is on blood thinners, he will be admitted any time he has blood in his vomit. (Sorry to be so gross!) But, it's strictly a precaution. They have to run tests to make sure he's not bleeding internally, and the tests can't really be done in his doctor's office. So, that took my panic level down about ten notches! As soon as he said the word "hospital," my mind instantly started racing back to December of 2011 when we were there for 21 days. It was such a relief to know that it wasn't a big deal! But, I'm also not excited about the fact that we may have many more of these short little stays in our future.

Anyway... Once again, I had a lot of time sitting in my beloved chair-bed next to him while we were there. During that time, I was overwhelmed with texts, calls, emails, and Facebook messages from friends of ours who were asking how we were doing and if we needed anything. This really got me thinking about the amazing group of people we are now so closely intertwined with at church. And, it made me really upset about the bad name that "church" seems to have these days.

Churches, in general, have come under a lot of fire lately. And, as much as I hate to admit it, a lot of the criticism is warranted. Churches have become more of a country club and less of a place where the hands and feet of Christ are truly moving. Now wait... Before you lynch me for saying that... Think about your own church. Maybe the one you attend right now, maybe ones you have attended in the past. I would bet that the majority of the people who attend are VERY similar in race, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, etc. There are lots of groups (dare I call them cliques?) that have sprung out of small groups, Sunday school classes, committees, organizations, etc. So, everyone has their little group of people they gravitate toward when they are there. None of these things in isolation are necessarily bad. But, if you are that person, walking in as a visitor, who doesn't happen to "fit the mold," you feel like an outsider from the get go. A diverse congregation is much more comfortable to a visitor walking in for the first time, but most churches just are not diverse.

So, right now you're probably wondering why this bad rap upsets me if I believe it is, at least in part, warranted. Well... The answer to that is simple: It's because of MY church!

Yes, I go to one of those very non-diverse churches. And it has, on occasion, been referred to as a country club. But, that's based on what you see from a distance. Once you get inside our four walls (or however many walls we actually have!), what you experience is completely different. At least what we experienced was completely different! We are surrounded by people who truly understand how to share the love of Christ with others!

In 2011, we had only visited New World UMC a handful of times when Matt got sick and went into the hospital. The minute the church got word that he was there, the help and support came pouring out like I've never seen before! We were visited multiple times by the pastor and associate pastor. Meals were brought to my house for my mom and kids for three weeks straight! They raked our leave after our trees all dumped...43 bags worth! And, they put Christmas lights on our house since we didn't even know if Matt would be home by Christmas. But, most importantly, they prayed for us constantly! And we were STRANGERS to them! Most of the people helping us were people we had never even met!

And THAT is why I get upset about the bad rap that churches have right now. The people who are saying all those negative things don't know MY church!

See, church isn't about what denomination you are, or which service you go to on Sunday morning. It's not even about going on Sunday morning! It's about sharing Christ with others whenever you can. The "church" just gives us an opportunity to unite with other people who have that same goal. We get to worship together, study the Bible together, and hang out together. And, that's all great. Those are the things that keep the church going! They are a vital part of the experience! But, to me, church is SO much more than that! The amazing people in MY church cared for my family when I couldn't do it myself, without even knowing me. I wish everyone could come experience what these people have to offer!

So, here's my challenge to you, if you don't already do this! Shift how you think about church. Church is not a place. It's not a worship service. It's not a meeting or a committee. Church is what we do! It's who we are! It is a part of every word we say and every step we take! We are called to be the church in everything we do! So, the next time you see a visitor walk in the door of your church, or the next time you're at the grocery store, or the next time you have a chance to get involved in a mission of any kind, just stop and think, "Do I go to church? Or AM I THE CHURCH?" And then proceed accordingly!

You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. ~1 Corinthians 12:27

He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature..." ~Mark 16:15