This Will Be a Sign To You

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

 Luke 2: 12

One of the blessings of my Christian walk is that I was taught the truth of this verse without having to “unlearn” a variety of long-held, but not accurate traditions. Being raised in a Jewish home, Christmas was only celebrated vicariously through my friends. Therefore, when I became a Christian, I didn’t have a lot of other stuff to sort through. It was all new, and I am forever grateful for the many truths I was taught right from the start.

There are common stories about Mary and Joseph being so poor that they wrapped Jesus in rags, but this is not the truth of swaddling clothes. 

There was an amazing man named Bishop KC Pillai who wrote a book about Eastern customs that are often misunderstood with our Western way of thinking. In his book, Light Through an Eastern Window (1963), Pillai shares the truth of swaddling clothes. Here is what he writes,

                The sons of kings and princes in the East today are still “salted and

            swaddled.” A tiny bit of salt is rubbed on the baby to indicate that the

            parents intend to teach the child to be truthful. The baby is then wrapped

            in swaddling clothes. These are fine linen strips about two inches wide

            which are wrapped round and round the baby’s body to straighten him 

 out: arms and legs are all made straight as a ramrod. This is a sign to

God that the parents will rear the child to be straightforward before the

Lord, and free from crookedness. The child is left in this position from

fifteen minutes to two hours, while the parents meditate and make their

vows to God concerning their sacred trust which was given them when

 they received the child (pp 42-43).

This was a common custom for babies born into royal families. Because Mary knew that her son was the Son of God, she treated him as the King he truly was.

The point of this verse, however, is a two-fold “sign.”  An angel of the Lord told the shepherds that they were to head to Bethlehem and they would know they were in the right place because they would get there in this tiny window of time when the baby would still be wrapped in swaddling clothes. The other sign would be that this baby would be laying in a manger – a feeding trough, for goodness sakes!  

I’m not exactly sure how long it would take the shepherds to leave their flocks and scoot over to this barn outside of this Bethlehem inn, but I am sure it was a bit of a hike. The “sign” then would be that they would arrive while the baby was still dressed in these swaddling clothes and laying, not in plush satin and velvet, but a feeding trough of hay.

I can only imagine the thoughts these shepherds had.

Why would the Angel of the Lord come to shepherds with this amazing news? Everyone knew that their occupation was considered to be quite lowly, just slightly above taking care of pigs. Yet, the Angel of the Lord chose these poor, lower-class, and mostly outcast folks that they would see an amazing sight. The passage continues to say that when they shared about how the glory of the Lord shone around this Angel and an entire host of heavenly beings also came and praised God so that all of them heard, Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. In other words, Mary understood the miraculous events around this birth.

Only the God of the Universe could orchestrate such an amazing arrival of His Son.

We all should be treasuring and pondering these thoughts because none of this was an accident. The sign that the shepherds were given to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was no ordinary baby is the very same sign that should ignite our hearts on fire! God’s plan for redeeming His people was being put into place, and it started with a group of lowly shepherds being the first to  pay their respects to the Son of God,  because the Angel of the Lord and a huge heavenly host joined in to praise God for His plan to reconcile all people back to our Heavenly Daddy once again.

It started with a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laying in a manger.

Pillai, B.K.C. (1963). Light through an Eastern window. New York, NY: Robert Speller & Sons Publishers.

Oh For Someone To Bring Me a Cup of Coffee

To me, one of the loudest shouts of “I love you,” comes from someone making or bringing me a cup of coffee. However, here I find myself married, now for the third time, to yet another husband who does not drink coffee. Not only that, but this one is blind, so he isn’t able to do much for me at all in the way of acts of service.

I must say, this concern actually crossed my mind before we made the decision to tie the knot.

I know, it’s kind of a silly thing to put on “the list” of what is desired in a mate, but acts of service is actually my strongest love language. I definitely thought long and hard about what it would be like to be married to someone who could not serve me in any physical capacity.

This morning as I made my pot of coffee (that only I will drink), I loved on myself for a bit, and was comforted. Grateful that I had a new coffee pot, and that I had some gourmet coffee on hand, I turned on my filtered water, and ground the beans, allowing the amazing aroma to bless my senses. I stopped for a moment to give thanks for all of the many things I have that I all too often take for granted.

I can’t remember that last time someone actually brought me a cup of coffee. It has been many years. I could feel sorry for myself that I am destined for a life of never receiving this small blessing again, but then, I just as quickly remember how God continually pours His favor on me and my family.

We have so much, and I know there are those who may never know what it is to turn on a faucet and have clean water. Or those who would never be able to buy gourmet coffee beans. Or even afford a coffee maker.

I do not ever want to take for granted the small blessings, and I will continually decide that making my own coffee is a daily reminder of the greatest act of service ever given. To think that Jesus would allow Himself to be beaten beyond recognition so that I could have a genuine relationship with Papa is truly beyond my scope of reasoning. He allowed the soldiers to drive nails into his hands and feet, and hung in agony until he could no longer breathe, just so the chasm could be crossed once again.

Indeed, a lifetime of making my own coffee each morning is a minuscule blip in the cosmic plan.

I am glad that whenever I am feeling sad about the lack of acts of service to speak my love language, I can have this reminder each morning to look to the King of Service, and be grateful.

Vicarious Loving

Utter joy again today! I got to stand at the front door to the school that houses all of our district’s Kindergarten and First Graders. With the weather being cold and snowy, the children wait inside the building rather than play on the playground. Of course the doors are all locked for security, so I stationed myself there to open the door as each arrived.

I think this is one of my favorite jobs as a substitute principal.

While doing door-duty, I get to watch a host of parents and grandparents walk their children up the sidewalk, some carrying the child’s bookbag, and most holding hands until the farewell hug.  

Where else do you get to watch loving relationships in action, one after the other for an entire half-hour?

 I think I got to hear at least forty parents tell their children they were loved.  I got to hear at least that many again being given an encouraging word and a reminder to be their best.

Love in action is contagious. Watching others share their love with each other creates run-off for the onlooker as well.

If you want to do your heart good, come stand and greet littles as they enter their school.

It is such a sweet moment in time, and even just as a spectator, the love-energy truly fills the heart

Triangle Toast and Perspective

            This morning, I was fixing my usual breakfast of eggs and Ezekiel bread toast. I put honey and cinnamon on my toast as I always do, but this morning, I cut the toast diagonally. I felt an amazing sense of delight as I was about to eat “triangle toast” this morning. I was so excited, and couldn’t wait to begin. Now, I normally read my devotional or some scripture while I eat, and I got so engrossed in comparing the Message version of 2Corinthians 4:2 with the NIV, that I didn’t even think about the breakfast going into my mouth (it really is a cool passage, btw).  Before I knew it, the triangle toast was eaten, and I had forgotten to even notice the difference.

            Now, this may seem like a very trivial thing to most, but I really felt the Holy  Spirit teaching me about reframing situations.  See, I was planning on experiencing my everyday breakfast with new eyes, and that actually made me feel very happy. I have been learning to rejoice in the smallest of things, and okay, I do admit this one is rather miniscule. But, my plans to see the same breakfast with a different lens was easily forgotten when I lost my focus. And, if we aren't intentional, we can lose our focus doing really good things!

            This is an important lesson to remember.

            As we renew our minds to view things through Jesus-eyes, we can’t forget to stay abiding in the vine. The second we take our focus off of Him, we quickly go right back to the same, ole-same ole.  I don’t know about you, but that is definitely a place I do not want to be!

            Renewing our minds is a fully intentional act that must be completely embraced. We can’t say we are renewing our minds while keeping a foot back into the way it always was.

            I am so grateful that my sin-nature was nailed to the cross. Yet, when we do not intentionally choose to view things in the Spirit, that old-man nature creeps right back into our thoughts once again. We must continually remind ourselves who we are. When we take our sight off of the prize of the high calling, the enemy stirs up the old us, making us think we are still there. 

            That’s a lie from the father of lies.

            We aren’t still there. We are already seated in the Heavenlies with Jesus at the right hand of God. We are the image-bearer of our Creator.  We should delight in the Presence throughout our day, but if we forget to notice, well then, triangle toast is just toast afterall.

Do Not Grow Weary

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time, we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”  Galatians 6:9

The dictionary definition of “lose heart” is: “to begin to feel that one cannot do something that one has been trying to do: to become discouraged”^1; or, “to stop believing that you can succeed”.²    The Microsoft dictionary chooses these synonyms for “lose heart”: “become despondent, become demoralized, give up, give in, lose motivation, and falter.”

This is certainly, I am quite sure, something all of us have experienced at one time or another.

The word “weary” means: “exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness.”³

It is easy to see how losing heart is the beginning of growing weary, and how they go hand in hand.

Hebrews 12:3 tells us, For consider Him (Jesus) who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. 

But I love the Message version of Hebrews 12:3 even better: When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

It is so easy for us to want to throw in the towel, yet we are reminded to think about the endurance Jesus had when he was beaten beyond recognition for no reason other than loving and healing people.

When I find myself feeling like I want to give up, I am reminded of Ezekiel. God has not ever asked me to lie on my left side for 390 days, eating bread made over dung, and then another 40 days on my right side as well (Ezekiel 4:4-16). I can’t even begin to picture this kind of endurance. If I am asked to be patient for one day, I find myself starting to lose heart. I try and imagine myself as Ezekiel, and then, almost like magic, the right perspective kicks in. I am then easily able to reframe my thoughts and feelings accordingly.

Some days, I feel more like Esau, trading away all that I am for a bowl of stew. The Message version of Hebrews 12:16 says, Watch out for the Esau syndrome, trading away God’s life-long gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite.  You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act, and wanted God’s blessing – but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

So, how do we keep ourselves from losing heart?

There are some amazing scriptures on which to meditate when we find ourselves growing weary.  Here are a few to get you started:

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.  Proverbs 15: 30

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.  Proverbs 17:22

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he even makes his

enemies live at peace with him.  Proverbs 16:7

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.  Proverbs 17:1

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?  Proverbs 18:14

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.  Proverbs 21:31

Do your best, prepare for the worst – then trust God to bring victory.  Proverbs 21:31 (Message)

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.  Proverbs 22:25

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  Proverbs 27:17

O Lord, how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me!  Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him.  But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.  To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers me from His holy hill.  I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.  I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.  Psalm 3:1-6

Many are asking, who can show us any good?  Let the light of your face shine upons us, O Lord.  You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.  I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:6-8

Why is everyone hungry for more?  More, more they say.  More, more.  I have God’s more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.  At day’s end, I’m ready for sound sleep, for you God have put my life back together. Psalm 4:6-8 (Message)

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?  When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.  Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.  One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.   For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.  Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;   I will sing and make music to the LORD.  Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.  My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.  Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.  Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.  Psalm 27

Psalm 30:5 – For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.  Psalm 119:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

Ephesians 6:11-14a – Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand, Stand firm then...

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:29-31

Jeremiah 31:25 – I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

Of course, there are many more, but what else can we do when the angst seems to overpower the truth?

Breathe in the promises. Connect with the Holy Spirit to show you what areas of stress need your attention.

The greatest gift you can give yourself, however, is to stop creating expectations as to what you think should be the outcome. Instead, allow the Spirit of the Living God to minister to your soul, and to bring in the perfect peace of Jesus.

If you are having trouble with this, please seek Godly counsel, because this is NOT God’s plan for your life. Do not let the enemy steal any more from you.

You can also contact me, and I would love to pray with you to see the deliverance that is waiting for you!

www.lindaslocke.com

lockel@woh.rr.com

¹ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lose%20heart

² https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/lose-heart

³ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weary

Stuck or Learning to Trust?

I am feeling still very stuck. I know in my heart of hearts that I have the mind of Christ. I know that I am able to bring every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ. I know that I am dead to sin and that my life has already been crucified with Jesus. I know that I carry with me the almighty God. I know that I am His precious princess warrior. I know that He loves me beyond what all of my years of education could ever help me to even possibly understand.

Yet, here I sit amidst the muck of feelings that I can’t seem to shake.

I have much to be grateful for. I am blessed more than words can express. I see how Papa has poured His favor on me so many times that I can’t even recall all of them.

Then why the blues? Why am I feeling impatient and angsty? Why am I feeling like I am stagnant and not doing enough?

I know how to replace my wrong thoughts with gratitude. I know how to choose to think according to God’s Word. I know how to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

So why am I stuck and feeling like I am somehow doing something wrong.

I am beginning to more fully understand how the enemy has established a larger foothold with the little stuff.

This is why, in Matthew 6:19 it says, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rest destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

See, it’s the little stuff. A moth is a tiny creature that is barely noticed. Rust appears slowly and takes time to corrode.  The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But he is clever and we are not to be ignorant of his devices.

When big things come, it is second nature to jump into Papa’s arms and to stay there through the storm. But the little stuff insidiously creeps up—without notice.

Just as it takes time for a tiny moth to ruin a sweater or some rust to eat away a car panel, tiny droplets of forgetting who I am add up to a giant mud puddle of old-man nature without me even noticing.

It is time to reclaim my inheritance. I no longer have that nature. It was nailed to the cross. I have no desire to take it back.

I will not allow the small stuff to suck away the promises that Christ accomplished. Otherwise, He died in vain.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for teaching me how to see through the eyes of Jesus. I am learning each day just exactly what it means to trust.

Limits

            A friend just ended up with two little girls whose mother passed away. Being the only family available, she and her husband opened their heart and home to these darling cherubs. Their own children are mostly grown with the youngest finishing high school and the oldest in college, so of course she has none of the baby things needed when littles are around. It is touching to see how people have been responding with clothes and toys and food.

            I was praying about how I could be of help, and I knew right away that I was to pay for daycare for a few months. Knowing this would be rather costly was not even a concern as I am currently stepping into how to be a financial blessing to people, even though my own cash flow is not as I would like it. I figured the problem wasn’t mine to worry about where the funds would come from. I messaged her and her husband to let them know that their daycare expenses would be taken care of for two months. Of course they were thankful, but also shocked.

            The next day, my friend was posting on Facebook about how worried she was about paying for daycare. I immediately began to private message her about my promise that I’d already made to pay the cost for two months or until she got the assistance for which the girls would most likely be eligible. She said, “It’s too much to ask.”

            My response to her was that she didn’t ask. I also quoted to them something I recently heard, “God’s will is God’s bill.”

I have still been troubled by this all day. She sought prayer over social media, yet when prayers were answered, limits were added. I am sad, and rather surprised about the fact that it is often so hard for people to allow God’s love and blessings to flow without adding our own boundaries. Ephesians tells us that He will do “exceeding, abundantly above all that [we] can ask or think,” and yet here was my friend already deciding an amount within her comfort level in receiving from a gift that was definitely well-below what God wanted for her situation.

How many times do we do that? We ask for God’s divine intervention, and when He wants to lavish His amazing grace and favor, we say, “Oh, no! That’s too much!” I’m sure He is laughing at us every time we do that, but I also am sure He is hoping we will learn to ask, expectantly, with arms open-wide to receive all that He wants to pour into us.

I will continue to lift my friend in prayer as she and her family learn to receive God’s blessings. It certainly is a good lesson for me as well!

Accident

I was the first to arrive on an accident scene yesterday. There were several lessons I have learned through this emergency.

First, I am still surprised at how long it took me to realize that what I was seeing was an accident. Arriving just after, I did not see or hear the impact at all. The other oddity was that the damage to both vehicles was completely hidden from my perspective. The only thing that finally dawned on me that this was indeed an accident was that one of the cars had a deployed airbag. But having never actually seen one before might be why it took even a few more seconds to register what was really going on.

I immediately tried to use my Bluetooth in my car to call 911. When I directed Siri to dial 911, she asked me which number I wanted to text, and provided a long list of strange numbers. Grabbing my phone, I tried to manually make the call, but of course with a touch screen, there are several hoops to jump through. Turn on the phone, push in the verification code; find the phone icon; find the keypad; then dial. Hard to do when hands are shaking! Finally, after what appeared to be many minutes, I finally reached the 9-1-1 call center. I was giving information and somehow we became disconnected. I attempted to call back multiple times, in between checking on the two ladies involved in the accident. It seemed that each time I tried to call, my phone locked up. Needless to say, by this time, I was feeling rather inept at getting help.

Afterwards, a friend told me to put 9-1-1 in as a contact named Emergency. Now I know!

The lady in the middle of the intersection did get out of her car. She was crying, and seemed disoriented. When she looked at her car, she burst into tears again. Together, we went to the car with the deployed airbag. The lady in that car seemed to be okay, but was also disoriented. The first lady said, “you ran that stop sign!” The second lady apologized, and attempted to get out of her car. I noticed that her hand was bleeding. I asked her if she was all right. She said that her chest was hurting. I tried once again to call 9-1-1 to no avail, and then they called me back. I told the dispatcher that this lady was complaining of chest pains. They said a squad was on the way. 

As the three of us stood in the middle of the road, I asked them if I could pray. Both of them grabbed me and held me very tightly. Not knowing if I was going to hear disinterest or contempt, it was in this moment that I knew I was in the right place for a reason. As both of these ladies held me with all of their strength, I felt nothing but pure gratitude. Here we were, for just a minute, to think only about the One who was with these precious souls. The One who protected them and kept them from more serious injury. I prayed not only for their well-being, but I thanked God for sparing them, and for walking with them through all of the stuff that lay ahead (insurance claims, car replacement, etc.).

A police officer arrived and again told me that a squad was on the way. After a few more minutes, I decided that my car was now a potential problem and it was best to get out of everyone’s way. I left, thinking what a blessing it was to be able to pray with two very distraught ladies.

Bringing peace into a chaotic situation is so fulfilling, and today, I am grateful to be used once more.