Half Mast

 

  Yesterday I was taking the kids to the park.  While in the car, Corban, who is 6, asked, “Mom, what’s going on with that flag?”  I looked out the passenger window and noticed a huge United States flag flying half mast.  I thought to myself- how am I going to explain this to him?  He is a very inquisitive little boy and a simple answer will not suffice.  So I replied, “When something bad happens in the world, people will fly their flags half way down the pole, which is called half-mast, to show respect and that they are thinking about what happened.”  

   Was he satisfied with that answer?  No.  “Mom, what happened in the world that was bad?”  Being very careful with my words, I said, “In a city really far away from here, across the ocean, some bad guys shot a bunch of people.”  Thinking I said too much for his little innocent heart to comprehend, he responds:

Corban- so there’s bad guys in the world

Me- yes

Corban- but there’s good guys too.  And when the bad guys started shooting, the good guys started shooting.  Then the bad guys started shooting some more.  But the good guys shot them and won.  

Me- you’re right Corban.  Good always wins.

   Seeing he was satisfied with his answer, I turned the radio up.  The first line we hear on the song from Blanca ‘greater is He, living in me, than he that is in the world’.  I said, “Did yall hear that?  In the bible there’s a scripture that says ‘greater is God in us, than the evil and fear that is in the world.’ (Paraphrased for their comprehension) There are bad people in this world.  But because God is inside of us, we don’t have to be afraid.  Because why?”

My older kids join in unison “because good ALWAYS wins”

   It’s extremely sad to me that I have to have these conversations with my first grader.  I’m pretty sure my mom never had to explain world tragedies to me at that age.  Which, I’m sure there were some pretty bad things that occurred during that time. I’m not here to bash social media.  It’s a great tool we have to keep in touch, but we do hear about such tragedies a lot fast than before.  Not only that, everyone we know has an opinion, me included, on the situation at hand. 

   Anyways, I want to encourage parents to not be afraid to tell your kids about world events.  Keep in mind their age and their innocence.  Their pure hearts can only handle so much. But, when your child does get older, share with them.  Ask them to share their feelings on it.  Let this be an opportunity to search the scriptures together, or as a family.  Build up their faith in God.  Let them know He is greater.  He has overcome the world (John 16:33). God always wins.  Teach them to still be bold in their faith and to share the love of Jesus with everyone.

Lonely season

Last night I was able to share with our church’s young married’s group.  Wes and I actually took over leadership of the group back in June of this year.  We have loved every minute of it and more so, love everyone involved.  We are truly blessed by our church family!  

Anyways, I figured I would share with the world what I shared last night….or tried to.  I always feel like I never really cover what I want to.  I guess we all feel like that at some point.  I left thinking- man, I forgot to say this, add that!  Lol!  

For the past couple of years I’ve been in a lonely/wilderness season.  What I mean by that is I’ve felt like certain situations seemed hopeless and bleak.  I’ve more often felt discouraged than encouraged.  The ironic thing to me being in the middle of a “lonely” season is 1) I have an amazing support system.  I have some pretty incredible friends in my life, 2) my husband comes home to me every night (there was a season for many years that I only saw him on the weekends), and 3) I have four kids.  I’m really never physically alone!  So why am I going through this?  Did I do something?  Not do something?  I honestly don’t know the answers to those questions of mine.  I don’t.  I’m not going to pretend that I do.  However, like all the seasons we walk through, God is there wanting to teach us.  Everything is meant for His glory, so I began to ask him what he wanted to show me during this time.  

About a year and a half ago, the Holy Spirit led me to Hosea 2:14-15; and over the course of this time, I have been studying and digesting what He’s been showing me.  I want to share with you what I’ve learned.  

Hosea 2:14-15

Therefore I am now going to ALLURE her;

I will LEAD her into the DESERT

And SPEAK TENDERLY to her.

There I will give her back her VINEYARDS, 

And will make the VALLEY of ACHOR a DOOR of HOPE.

Notice several words in this passage are capitalized.  These are words I looked up in the Strong’s concordance to find their original meaning.  Our bibles were translated into English for our use.  However the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew so I wanted to see what the passage originally meant.

So let’s break this down.

Allure: to open

Lead: take away, go on a journey

Desert: to answer, destroy, declare, to commune and to teach

Speak tenderly: answer from the heart

Vineyards: to increase 

Valley: depression

Achor: trouble, a confused state

Door: opening

I’m going to rewrite the scripture using the translated words:

Therefore I am now going TO OPEN her up

I will TAKE HER AWAY ON A JOURNEY into the place of COMMUNION, a place to TEACH, a place to DESTROY, a place to ANSWER FROM THE HEART.

There I will give her back what she needs to INCREASE

And will make the DEPRESSION of TROUBLE an OPENING for hope.

I realize that the scripture is written in a feminine form.  It was shared with Israel who God saw as His bride.  We are now His bride, those who have accepted Jesus as Lord.  That means, you guys out there are his bride too.    

I find it interesting that God is telling His people this Valley of Achor, this place of trouble and confusion, will be a place that will usher them into hope.  If they stay on this path through the lonely/wilderness season, He will supply a door of hope for them.  The passage starts with opening ourselves up.  That’s what allure meant; to open up.  That’s a place of vulnerability with the Holy Spirit.  To expose some areas in our life so that while on the journey to becoming more like His son, we can increase in fruit.  In Jeremiah 4:26 it reads “I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert.”  Just as the passage begins by us becoming open, it also ends with God creating an opening.  When we respond first in our covenant with God by opening ourselves up, he then responds by giving us an opening through that season.  

The very place where God calls an area to destroy is also the same place Jeremiah was referring to as a place of much fruit.  I believe God will call us into this particular season, to bring us into a state to declare the word of the Lord over our lives, to destroy or prune away at ungodly characteristics so that we can become more fruitful.  (I looked and the fruitful land was a desert.)  There can be good that comes out of trouble.  There can be fruit that comes out of places that are meant to destroy us.  Believe it or not, sometimes the hard seasons are the best places to be.  God’s word tells us in Isaiah 65:10 “…Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.”  

We all will go through the “desert” experience at some point in our lives.  But what we do in it determines the outcome.  It says it’s a resting place for God’s people who seek him.  Are we seeking God and His will for our life?  Are we surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts to bear more fruit?  And also, do we have joy for the journey?  It says the joy of the Lord is our strength.  It’s His joy that will keep us going.  It’s His strength we need for the journey He’s called us on.  Makes sense to me.  We need HIS strength to go on a journey HE intended for us.  

At the end of Hosea the Lord says “…make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.”  What’s hope?  Better yet.  Who is hope?  Jesus!  He is our hope of glory.  It’s Jesus that gets us through.  His name is higher than “trouble”.  It’s higher than “confusion”.  

That’s what I wanted to share.  It may not make it necessarily easier, but sometimes all we need is a little encouragement to keep going.  One more step!  I hope it minister to you as it did me.  It gave me great courage to keep going.  I would love to hear your thoughts or experiences in this particular season.