More To This Life

It is early in the morning on a Saturday morning and I am here just thinking to myself about the message that I just spoke to the youth last night.  Retrospective is always a dangerous thing!

My life hasn't exactly gone the way that I thought it would have turned out.  I imagined when I was younger that I would have been married, in a good job with kids with a nice house, a couple of cars and maybe a toy vehicle of some sort in the driveway.  But life doesn't do that.  It doesn't always go the way we think it should.  Quite often, it does just the opposite.

I have a friend from high school whose husband committed suicide this week.  I'm sure she must be thinking right now as she is trying to explain to their two children, this is not the way that I planned my life.  However, this is something that she will have to deal with and unfortunately, there is really nothing she can do about it except make the best out of a really horrific situation.  My heart breaks for her, but I know that she'll be okay.  She has a great support group and people that will surround her in this time of difficulty.

When I look back at the situations that I went through, I was surrounded by people that helped me through.  There were people praying for me.  There were people checking in on me.  There were people just genuinely caring for me and the needs that I had.  Even now, there are people that are caring for me and looking out for my best interest.  I am very blessed.

I guess the grander thought though is as we have come through this Easter season and remembering what Christ did for us on the cross, we have to consider that God was looking out for us with the sacrifice of His Son on that day.  It wasn't a temporary fix, but a permanent fix.  He paid the price once and for all for a debt that we could not pay.

So looking back on tonight, I remember that even though we don't get things right; even though we don't always see the big picture; even though we don't know what curve balls life is going to throw at us, we have a God in heaven that is with us each step of the way and guiding us through and taking care of us.  All we have to do is let Him love us.  There really is more to this life.

Humbly Yours

I have been feeling really challenged as of late to really understand more about myself. I guess I really never thought much about "Who am I?" or anything like that because I just had a sense of "I already know", but truth be told, I've had my eyes opened quite a bit.
The other day, I was driving to work and I had one of the moments where God just LOUDLY whispered into my ear, "Dean ... you have too much pride!" I was appalled! I was shocked! I was in denial because how could I possibly have too much pride? Really! Me? But my very response confirmed exactly what God was saying to me. I knew immediately that there was a sense of pride there. I had allowed myself to become my own worst enemy.
In Numbers 12:3, the bible states, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."(NIV). Normally, I wouldn't take up any grievances with the bible, but in this case you have to realize that Moses WROTE this statement. He was claiming that he himself was the humblest guy on the face of the earth. Not bad. I wish I could say the same, but obviously by the Spirit's conviction in my life I cannot.
So what's the deal with humility then? Is it really anything important?
Well, I'm learning that humility is what really moves God into action. I like how Andrew Murray puts it in his book entitled "Humility":

What is the incarnation but His heavenly humility, His emptying Himself and becoming man? What is His life on earth but humility; His taking the form of a servant? And what is His atonement but humility? "He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death." And what is His ascension and His glory, but humility exalted to the throne and crowned with glory? "He humbled Himself, therefore God highly exalted Him." In heaven, where He was with the Father, in His birth, in His life, in His death, in His sitting on the throne, it is all, it is nothing but humility. Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us. As the love and condescension of God makes Him the benefactor and helper and servant of all, so Jesus of necessity was the Incarnate Humility. And so He is still in the midst of the throne, the meek and lowly Lamb of God.

I think I have a lot to learn on the subject and how to live it out, but as I try to work through it, I pray that eventually I can get to the point where I can paraphrase the words of Moses and say that "Now Dean was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth".

Humbly Yours,
Dean