 at Home  Editorials for Autumn 2005
Editorial
by Anne Faidley Imagine
a gorgeous vase. Fragile. Rare. Costly. Perhaps a gift from a dear
friend. It’s the kind of treasure you’d place a huge bouquet of
roses in and display on your mantle to admire. But then one day, the
vase is shattered into a million pieces. Knocked to the ground by a
careless hand or a gust of wind from the open window. The beautiful
roses lay strewn in a puddle of water, their tender petals bruised and
crushed. And all around is broken glass. The
situation seems, well, hopeless. Who could retrieve all the pieces and
repair the broken vase? Who could restore the wet, battered flowers to
their former beauty?
You know, sometimes our lives are like that. We have everything
all planned out. Our life seems predictable and in order. Comfortable. Everything
is going just fine, until…suddenly, something happens—an illness, a
tragic accident, a family breakup. The “vase” of our life is
shattered, the beautiful “flowers” of our accomplishments and
reputation crushed. And we are left to pick up the pieces. What are we
to do? We
view our shattered dreams through teary eyes, our strength and faith
waning. In times like this, Jesus is calling us to cling to Him. On our
knees before our Lord…pouring out our hearts to the One who always
listens…totally dependent on Him who is our Refuge and Strength. This
is right where Jesus wants us. He
breaks down our plans not to destroy us. But to open our eyes to what
really matters—knowing and loving Him. Not to dishearten us. But to
bring us to the point of finding all our hope and joy and security in
Christ. Not to ruin us. But to refine us into His likeness. To make us a
pure and spotless bride for Him. “But when He has tested me, I will
come forth as gold.”1 God
uses difficulties to smash down our idols—things that stand between
Him and us. Even the respectable idols, like family and reputation and
what we’ve “done for God.” We must come to the point of saying
with Paul, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of know Christ Jesus my Lord, for who sake I have lost all
things.”2 Our
Redeemer reaches down and picks up the pieces—the remnants of our
self-centered life. And He fashions them into something more wonderful
that we can possibly imagine…a surrendered heart, a life lived for His
glory alone. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”3
We are broken to be made whole…complete in Christ. Herein lies
true inner beauty. Notes:
1Job
Editorial
by Laura Faidley At
precisely While
attending The Summit Worldview Leadership Camp in In
the chilly predawn, we set out. I was out of breath before we even
reached the trailhead and quickly fell towards the back of our large
group. Then the sign: “ A
glance at my watch revealed that time was quickly running out. In order
to avoid afternoon thunderstorms on the mountain, we were required to
make it halfway by The
views were awesome as we gazed into the valley below. Revived and
encouraged, I thought, I can do this! Only 6.8 miles to go.
Two miles later, though, I thought differently. As we approached the
timberline, lungs burning and muscles screaming, I barely managed to put
one foot in front of the other. Looking around, I realized that Katie
and Phalin, my hiking companions, were in a similar state. Then, these
words from our leader, “You’re doing great, girls. Keep going!”
“Hang in there, Laura; we’re almost to the next milepost.” The
next milepost. Trudging
along, I prayed for strength and scanned ahead for the milepost, where
we would rest. At last, we reached it, collapsing on the boulders and
thirstily gulping down our water. All too soon it was, “Alright,
girls, let’s go!” At first I resented our leader…what was she
thinking? I needed to rest. But looking back now, without her prodding
and encouragement, I would still be sitting on the side of that
mountain—looking up, looking down, but sitting still. Onward
and upward we went, one step at a time. Now well above the timberline,
we were surrounded by rock. Even the straggly trees had been left
behind. Our leader pointed up ahead. “Look! There’s the summit. Not
too much further.” Impossible! I thought. It looks like
sheer rock from here. Tired and short of breath, I again heard her
encouragement: “You’re doing great; keep going.” After an
eternity, we reached the final switchbacks, dubbed the “golden
stairway.” I heard cheers from the top. The final steps …then with
aching muscles and empty water bottles, we arrived at the summit of Oh,
the joy. The accomplishment. The 360 degree breathtaking views for miles
and miles. The snow flurries lazily filtering down. It was worth it. And
the trail…a tiny ribbon winding down, down into oblivion. Oh, I
could’ve stayed down in the valley—enjoying a leisurely breakfast
after sleeping in. Certainly, it would’ve been more comfortable. But
the view from the top was worth the climb.
The Christian life like a journey…a journey to the heart of God. Many
times trials and difficulties arise in our path like insurmountable
mountains. Often, we get to the point where, either out of
discouragement or sheer exhaustion, we can’t take one more step. This
past year, I’ve had a challenging mountain to climb, and the very
fiber of my being has been stretched. I never thought I could live
through the separation of our family without falling apart. But
amazingly, in all my struggles and pain, God has been with me. He gives
me grace and strength when I would collapse on my own. The Lord has
shown me how small my faith is and what an awesome God He is. You know,
the advice given before hiking Don’t
hike by yourself
We can’t make it on our own—only with God’s help. But God also
uses brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and build us up. They
are visible expressions of God’s love—like Jesus’ hands and feet.
True fellowship means we stop pretending we “have it all together.”
Have you ever noticed we often greet each other with, “Hi, how are
you?” And the response is nearly always the same: “fine.” Of
course, we’re all “fine,” right?! The truth is, all of us have
hidden hurts and sins we’re struggling to overcome. Openness and
honesty are keys to true community and fellowship. This means being real
and honest about our struggles. It means being there with a listening
ear and a word of encouragement when a friend is low, and pointing them
to Christ, who alone can meet our deepest needs. Be
a friend along the journey of this life—tangibly showing God’s love.
Friends encourage, understand, and build each another up, just like my
leader did. We need each other…none of us can travel this journey
alone. We need to be honest with each other, even when it hurts. We need
to pray for each other. Let’s not pretend; let’s be real. That we
can actually be used by the God of the universe to make a difference in
another’s life is truly amazing. Drink
lots of water and breathe deeply Just
as water and air are essential to life, so the Living Water—God
Himself—is vital to our lives. And when we’re climbing those
spiritual mountains, we need Him all the more! In the end, knowing Jesus
in a personal, intimate way is all that really matters. Without my
relationship with God, I would have fallen apart this summer. But, you
know, the Lord gives strength and grace for one day at a time. Through
Him, we can do the impossible. We all have crutches—things we hang on
to for stability and security. But God desires us to be completely
dependent on Him. One of the ways the Lord has worked in my life over
these months is by knocking out all those supports, and bringing me to
my knees. In that place, all you have is Christ alone. And He is more
than enough. Trials
will come. Jesus’ truth brings not peace, but a sword—as some
choose to follow Christ and others don’t.1 He
promised that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”2 That’s
the big picture! “The one who is in you is greater than the one who
is in the world.”3 Knowing
Christ is what matters for eternity—not religion, going to church, or
doing good things. “I never knew you,” Jesus will say to many on
Judgment Day, even those who did good works and seemed like moral
people. Keep
looking up The
only things we can truly rest in are the goodness and sovereignty of our
Lord. God orchestrates every detail in our lives—He’s got the
script, the master plan—and no one can thwart His will. All we see now
is little pieces—the heartache, the broken lives, the pain. But one
day, in eternity, we will look back on our life here on earth and thank
Jesus for these trials. “Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I am fully known.”4 Redemption
and hope are at the very heart of the gospel. God not only forgives
sins, He redeems them. God stares our evil in the face and flips it
around for His purpose and our good. If you are surrendered to Jesus,
your very worst experiences in life can be used by God in tremendous
ways. Later in life, you will look back and say, “I don’t know where
I’d be today without that happening.” The end will be better than
the beginning! Things
are not at all what they seem. “For what is seen is temporary, but
what is unseen is eternal.”5 It’s
very easy to get bogged down in here and now, but we must remember to
keep the big picture. The truth is that what we cannot see is the most
real of all—the spiritual realm. Our physical bodies will decay and
eventually the universe will be destroyed, but our souls will endure
forever—in heaven or in hell. Imagine
a dot in space. Now imagine a line beginning at that dot, extending into
infinity. Our life on earth is only that tiny dot. And eternity is that
infinitely-long line. Our short life here on earth is preparing us for
eternity. It is just the dress rehearsal. So we must keep an eternal
perspective, setting our hearts and minds on things above. Worship helps
us keep this focus—and I’m not just referring to Sunday morning
church service. Worshipping God should be a continuous thing we do
throughout each day. When, in the midst of our difficulties, we take our
focus off our problems and instead remember who God is and what he has
done, it revolutionizes our way of thinking. Our insurmountable
mountains look more like molehills when we give them over to the control
of our all-powerful, all-loving, all-wise God. Press
on—don’t stop. Each of us has to come to the point of reckless obedience and dependence on Christ. Where He becomes our all in all, not just a part of our life. We must embrace Christ, no matter what the cost. Yes, people will hate you. Friends will mock you and say bad things about you. But all that really matters is God’s opinion of you. One thing the Lord has been teaching me is to do what I know is right no matter what others think Christ
is the only place we can stand. Difficulties will come—trials that
blow our life out of the water and cause us to ask, “why, God?” It
is so freeing to realize that if Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and I am
surrendered to Him, nothing can to me without going through Him first.
Christ is our shield and stronghold—a metaphor often used by David and
other writers of the Psalms. “The Lord is the strength of my
life—of whom shall I be afraid?”5 We
must fear and worship God, not man. Trials give us an opportunity…a
choice: To turn to God or away from God. To build good character or bad
character. To be transformed into Christ’s likeness or to become
bitter and angry. Jesus is waiting with outstretched arms. He suffers
with us. He feels our pain. He understands. And He cares. “No one
whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame.”6 I’m
learning to hang onto that truth, to believe God is who He says He
is—all wise and all good. The words of the hymn In Christ Alone
have been a great encouragement to me. Truly, Christ truly is the only
sure foundation—the only one we can stand in and trust with our all. In
Christ alone my hope is found He
is my light, my strength, my song This
Cornerstone, this solid ground Firm
through the fiercest drought and storm What
heights of love, what depths of peace When
fears are stilled, when strivings cease My
Comforter, my All in All Here
in the love of Christ I stand No
guilt in life, no fear in death This
is the power of Christ in me From
life’s first cry to final breath Jesus
commands my destiny No
power of hell, no scheme of man Can
ever pluck me from His hand ‘Till
He returns or calls me home Here
in the power of Christ I’ll stand 7 Stand!
Keep climbing! Through the power and love of Christ, you can conquer
even the biggest mountain. And don’t forget the big picture—the view
from the top. The end will be better than the beginning. It will be
worth it all when we see Jesus! Notes:
1Matt.
10:31. 2John
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