Brokenness is Beauty

“The very thing we are afraid of, our brokenness, is the door to our Father’s heart.” Paul Miller

Broken.  When we hear this word images often come to our minds of jagged pieces forlornly scattered on the floor, bodies ravished from sickness or disease, or maybe even shattered hearts figuratively bleeding in pain.  Whatever you may think of when you hear this word, we can probably all agree that it is not usually a positive image.  But what if we’ve been viewing broken wrong all this time?  Quite honestly, we see it as a negative thing-especially in our current culture.  We want to have it all together or at least appear to-trying to hide behind our masks of put-togetherness, especially on social media-a virtual DIY façade that we fight desparately to maintain (oftentimes subconcisously).

 I recently finished reading “The Broken Way” by Ann Voskamp.  Like her other work I’ve read, her writing compels me to go deep and really ponder things.  And so the past year or so as I’ve slowly digested her book, the theme of brokenness has been on the forefront of my mind; and consequently (or should I say because of God’s perfect timing and plan to teach me in context) the theme of our life here on the mission field as well has been wrought with wave after wave of brokenness.

We often equate brokenness with pain don’t we?  Raw and exposed.  All our faults laid bare before those we trust and those we don’t.

Yet, what do we see when we look at God’s word? If we take a closer look I think we’ll  be pleasantly surprised.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

It seems to me that the Lord takes great pleasure in loving the broken-hearted.

If we look in the natural order of things we see that brokenness is the only way that can lead to growth…

“I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24

“The seed breaks to give us the wheat.  The soil breaks to give us the crop, the sky breaks to give us the rain, the wheat breaks to give us the bread.  And the bread breaks to give us the feast. There was once even an alabaster jar that broke to give Him all the glory.”  (Voskamp)

When a baby chick emerges into the world it does so by breaking through the shell of its egg that once nurtured and gave it life. But then comes the time when this same shell becomes a prison and the chick must peck through piece by piece in order to enter the world and life awaiting it there to be learned from its mother.  In fact, if the mother helps the chick break through the egg it will not survive-it must struggle through it in order to thrive.

In order for an avocado tree to bear fruit it must be broken-nails driven in or beat so that it can burst forth with life.  We have seen this firsthand on our Ugandan compound as our Karamajong friends beat our avocado tree (which hadn’t produced in 8 years) but as a result of their tough love it is now producing beautiful fruit.

“There is no growth without change, no change without surrender, no surrender without wound-no abundance without breaking. Wounds are what break open the soul to plant the seeds of deeper growth.” (Voskamp)

Then the ultimate example…to find life we must lose it. When Jesus is serving the Last Supper to his disciples, talking about the breaking of his body and the blood that will be spilt on the cross as a sacrifice for the brokenness of mankind’s sins-all of us Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve (as C.S. Lewis so simply yet eloquently puts it in His Narnia series).

Jesus’ body was broken on the cross and He suffered the most painful death in the fight to defeat sin and then broke through the chains of death through his resurrection-making atonement for our sins and providing a way for eternal life for all who believe.  This sacrificial act of brokenness is beautiful!  And if we are His disciples then this means if we are broken for Him it is a thing of beauty.

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3

It certainly seems to be a paradox to us-this brokenness that can ultimately lead to life.  But it does not always do so, does it?  So often we get caught up in the cares of this world that we lose hope and don’t move forward from our brokenness-we don’t allow our God who has power over every brokenness to offer us life and hope and perseverance. We’ve all been there and known someone who has been in this state. Maybe it’s your family member or friend whom you love dearly who just can’t seem to shake if off.  It’s such a difficult place to be at-to be so aware of the brokenness of this world, of the effects of sin that wants to wreek havoc on our lives, to be so aware of our own fraility and brokenness as human beings, is it not?  I have been there many times as of late. 

“Out of feeling lavishly loved by God, one can break and give away that lavish love-and know the complete fullness of love.  The miracle happens in the breaking.” (Voskamp)

We see this to be true in our own lives when we give of ourselves, serving others only to find peace and energy and joy in our giving!

 “Brokenness happens in a soul so the power of God can happen in a soul.  “There is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead…I do not know how deeper will this trial go-how much pain and suffering it will bring to me. This does not worry me anymore. I leave this to Him as I leave everything else…Let Him do with me whatever He wants as He wants for as long as He wants if my darkness is light to some soul.” Mother Teresa

So dear Jesus, I pray that you will show me how to find you in my brokenness and that I would allow it to grow me in Your beauty. Fill me with your peace and your assurance that shores up all my broken places and mends all the pieces of my aching heart. May I be vulnerable and courageous to show the world so that others will see your miracle working power in my own life.  Help me to follow Your Spirit each day and to live out of humility and beautiful brokenness so that my life can minister to others. To you all the glory!

Let our hearts rejoice and take great comfort from these promises in God’s word:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”- Isaiah 43:2

And provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.-Isaiah 61:3

Walking Together as THE Church

As we have just finished celebrating Thanksgiving and we enter into this joyous season of Advent, have you ever really looked into the history of Thanksgiving?  Outside of what you grew up learning about in school? As I have really begun to look into the true history it is exciting to see the incredible example of perseverance that the pilgrims exhibited centuries ago.  It inspires me in my walk with Christ today.  (Disclaimer:  I admit I still have a lot to learn about this history outside of what I learned in school and ask that you bear with me as I share a little about what I have been learning and how it speaks to me.)

In listening to a podcast by FamilyLife today called “Remembering the Pilgrims” I was brought to tears by the historian’s words in relation to us today.  He said, “American Christians today, largely, are stranded in the present.  We really don’t think of ourselves as being part of a church that not only transcends cultures, tribes, and nations, but transcends generations and ages.  When we gather around the throne, at future time, we’ll be seeing a church that spans centuries as well as cultures.” 

The pilgrims should be counted among our great cloud of witnesses that go before us in the faith; in our greater body of Christ. 

As I learn more about the pilgrims, I realize they were very much like me and you.  Ordinary people who served an extraordinary God.  I am not seeking to put them up on a pedestal or even to say that everything they did was right. (In actuality, it was never just believers who came as pilgrims-you also had a lot of unbelievers-coming to the colonies for reasons as varied as adventure seekers to escaping their criminal past across the ocean.) The pilgrims who were believers had many great flaws and sins (as we all do) and yet possessed a love for God that compelled them to look at every aspect of their lives in light of their walk with Christ.  Yet during a very turbulent time of church history, we see the pilgrims being courageous in standing up with conviction against what they believe is not of God.  This action could ultimately lead to persecution-at the very least fines, prison, or their very lives.  

And I am not only talking about persecution from within the church but also the cost many of them paid in the colonies-during the journey in tight quarters within the ship, and then the hardships that came as they arrived in a new land-the cold winter, very difficult country than what they expected, struggling to adapt and make shelter and find food in the midst of sicknesses and diseases.  The statistics say a lot about this-of the 102 passengers who arrived on the Mayflower in the fall, only 50 were still living by the following spring.  Of the 18 married couples on the ship 1 or both members had died in 15 of the 18 families. Yet they still stopped and gave thanks.  What can we learn from their example centuries ago?  Resilience and steadfastness.

William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth, wrote in his letters that this church body had made a covenant with one another.  “They would walk together in all God’s ways made known, or to be made known to them, according to their best endeavors, whatever it should cost them.”  

That last part really resonates with me, “whatever it should cost them”.  It stirs my heart with many questions as I look now at some of the history that is known about the pilgrims.  Could they have really know what that meant?  If they had, would they have gone?  I think about my own life.  Your life.  When we step forward in obedience-when we say “yes” to God in one area, do we ever really understand what it will ultimately cost us?  

I think not.  So why do we continue to step forward in faith. Or do we?  How many times have I been scared of the unknown and tried to understand all parts of my coming story-to weigh the good and the bad and the possible what ifs?  And in doing so in my own limited human mind, I have greatly missed out on the incredible power of our Almighty God in whom ALL things are POSSIBLE?  The same God of the believers in Hebrews 11, these great members of the hall of faith “who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, and put armies to flight….some were tortured, not accepting release, others mocked and scourged, put in bonds, imprisoned, stones, sawed in two, died by the sword, others wandered about in sheep and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.  The world was not worthy of them.  They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.” 

These great heroes of the faith are a part of THE church of our Savior that transcends the ages!   They are a part of MY church.  YOUR church.  OUR church.  Will you allow their walks of faith to speak to your current life?  To help you transcend this current time and place and the every day things that make up your life.  To help you gain a kingdom, eternal perspective.  Every day people like you and me-like my beautiful Karamajong friends here striving to follow Christ in an animistic culture, like the sweet, old man who is the door greeter at your church, the single woman with 5 kids who goes to your kid’s school, the African believer striving to plant churches in the largest refugee camp in the world here in Uganda…..WE are the church now and let us encourage one another.  Let us not forget those who went before us and fought the good fight of faith-made up of every tribe and nation and tongue…..let us endeavor to make a covenant with one another, as the pilgrims did, to WALK TOGETHER in ALL God’s ways, WHATEVER IT SHOULD COST US….until we STAND TOGETHER before the throne of God.  Let us truly walk together as THE Church.

Lamentations Stretch Our Souls

“My eyes are worn out from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief because of the destruction of my dear people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. They cry out to their mothers: Where is the grain and wine? as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers.”(Lamentations 2:11-12)

The day has come that I have dreaded and it has filled my soul with anguish and trepidation.  For this season, the Lord has called us out of South Sudan.  It has come for various reasons-many I understand and accept; others I cannot.  I am in the midst of a season of grief and mourning for the goodbyes that we have painstakingly wrought. My heart breaks for the people of South Sudan and the tremendous suffering they are enduring-while much of it may be seem self-inflicted by corrupt government officials and decades of worshipping pagan gods-much of it seems to be out of their control-famine and war.  I have been crying out to God with so many questions, holding onto the promise that He is the beginning and the end and the God of all the stuff in between (as Abby and Ella sang in a recently learned kids’ song).  

During this time I don’t want to just rush through this process or sweep my emotions under the rug as I jump into this new season and ministry God has for our family and team with another people group.  We are now beginning to settle in with the Karamajong people in the bush of Uganda and while I am hopeful and excited about our future here, I want to embrace healthy emotionally spirituality and properly mourn and reflect and wait for the Lord to speak to me.  As a team we’ve been reading through “The Emotionally Healthy Church”  by Peter Scazzero and the Lord has used this book to teach me so much. He says, “Stuffed down and denied, losses gather in our souls like heavy stones that weigh us down…loss is loss.  It is the norm of life, not the exception….What is universal is that we all experience sorrows and are invited to grieve and grow through them.”  

The Bible has so many places where we see grief and sorrow vividly displayed-raw....ugly....riveting pain that cannot help but render depths of emotion from our very own souls as we relate-from books like Lamentations to Job in his immense suffering to Psalm after Psalm where David poured out his heart before the Lord in wide open, holding nothing back emotion. Then we get to the New Testament where we see Jesus in his earthly ministry moved by emotions.  One that especially stands out to me is when Jesus is praying to His Father, the night before his brutal crucifixion and when his tears flow like blood in his agony of the expected hell-shattering suffering to come. I am learning there is a purpose for lamentations-they grow our souls-stretching us to experience Jesus in a more personal way.  Our Savior King who was moved to compassion to leave heaven and come rescue us.

As I take time to rest in the Lord and embrace my grief He is enabling me to become more like Him, my Jesus who is also called a “Man of Sorrows”.  Jesus, fully God and fully man who wept when Lazarus died, taking time to mourn with some of his closest friends, although He knew He was going to fix it and raise Him from the dead!  And the beautiful thing about mourning is that we truly learn how to relate to others in their grief.  For me right now, this means knowing how to better pray for the Sudanese as their country and daily lives are split open by war, famine, tribal wars and the threat of genocide to their people. As thousands of refugees flee the country by the day, oftentimes separated from their families, watching them be shot and killed before their very eyes, wearing nothing but the clothes on their backs. 

As I look back and search my heart for some measure of closure, I sift through hundreds of pictures of what life looked like for us in South Sudan.  Countless shared cups of chai and meals with Dinka friends, many shared Bible stories, our kids chasing goats across friends’ immaculately (African trademark) swept dirt yards, pounding out hundreds of hours of language learning with increasingly more and more humility, being the church as a team and living Jesus (by His grace)-making our Savior meet able among a people who had never seen this before.  Yes, it is indeed a heavy calling and it has been a humbling servanthood endeavor where I have never leaned on Jesus more.  And I wouldn’t trade one minute for that life; it has been an honor and despite some of the hardest days of my life I have been filled with His everlasting joy and peace.

Yet even as this future is uncertain I am clinging to my God who is not.  He is not shaken by any thing that happens in this world-He is STEADY. SURE. STEADFAST.  UNCHANGING. And by His grace, I can lean on His strength.  He has especially given me the song “Take Courage” by Lindy Conant and the Circuit Riders during this time to breath life and hope into my soul.

My King has conquered every mountaintop

With scars that prove that He cannot be stopped

And history was changed upon the cross

With victory You rescue all that’s lost

And silence will be broken with our lives

As we live out the love of Jesus Christ

What our eyes have seen our hearts cannot ignore

We’ll lead this generation to the glory of the Lord

Take Courage

The harvest is ripe

And lift up Your voice 

Because Jesus is Alive

There’s no heart too hard for Jesus,

There’s no people too far gone

He’s already won the war

There’s a yes in our hearts

And it carries through eternity

Simple obedience 

It changes history

So it is to my King that I cling to.  He has conquered every mountaintop.  He cannot be stopped!  I will take courage and praise my Jesus.  Nothing is impossible with Him.  He’s already won this war.  I pray these words of Lamentations 3:21-26, 31-33 over my life and the lives of our fellow believers scattered throughout South Sudan right now.

“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope.

Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish,

for His mercies never end.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

I say: The LORD is my portion,

Therefore I will put my hope in Him.

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

to the person who seeks Him.

It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD.

For the Lord will not reject us forever.

Even if He causes suffering, 

He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love.

For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or

suffering on mankind.”

To My Dear Missionary Daughter,

I watched you hug your extended family goodbye one last time-dark rain clouds of grief poured down your normally sunshiny face.  I saw your sweet little frame clinging to your loved ones.  You finally tore yourself away and as you pulled your suitcase, walking beside me, tears streaming down your face you said, “Mama, I don’t want to say goodbye.  I don’t want to leave our family.” ALL. THE. WAY. THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY.  Tears dripped from my eyes and I felt as if my heart was torn in two. I struggled to keep from completely losing it and breaking down right there in the airport.  I wanted to just stop, gather you in my arms, hold you and cry with you then and there.  But as we made our way through, I tried to comfort you as best as I could until we could finally talk at the gate.

As I write this now, the back of my throat burns, my heart aches, and tears fall unchecked from my eyes.  You are flesh of my flesh and my precious daughter.  When you hurt I hurt.  And our Father, HE SEES.  I give you the timeless words of His never-changing book of life.  We have his precious promise of Psalm 56:8  “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”  He knows when we are sad and HE CARES.  

How thankful we must be for the sweet time with our extended family.  And how difficult it is to say goodbye for a while.  But rest in this truth that will never change-HE LOVES YOU.

On some of our hardest days such as this, let us cling to Him.  Because JESUS, He is ALWAYS. WORTH. IT.  Let us remember the hope to which we are called.  Our SAVIOR, who brought us out of darkness into His great light.  Making His name known to the nations.  Through His great POWER and MIGHT, He is using you even now to build bridges to Himself.  Through your sweet, hospitable 6 year old mentality who loves adventure but also needs to know the plan.  Who is learning to be flexible when plans change and making our hearts swell with pride when you say “it’s ok, no problem, I understand”.  Who isn’t afraid to tell us how you feel yet is also so emphatic towards others.  Our Jesus, whom you trusted with your life just last year, He is not mad when you pour out your heart with all its different emotions as you adjust to life back here in Africa, He comforts you.  It is ok to tell him exactly how you feel.  Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I give you these words from Matthew:  “Blessed our those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Our Father sees you and HE HOLDS YOU NEAR in HIS GREAT LOVE.  

God paid the ultimate love sacrifice when He sent His only son to provide a ransom for a dying world, to provide a way to eternity for those who trust and turn to Him.  Now He sends us as His messengers to share His love with an aching world.  JESUS IS ALWAYS WORTH IT.

How deep the Father’s love for us
How fast beyond all measure
That He would give His only son
To make the wretch his treasure.

When 2 Elephants Fight

Thunder begins to rumble.  White hot lightning sears the darkness, burning up the Sudanese sky in its brilliance.  Wind vehemently shudders the trees outside and seems to shake the room where I’m crouched on the bed inside.  In a matter of minutes, the storm shrieks in.  Hard and fast and intense the rain crescendos in a violent rhythm as it drums the metal roof.  The storm surrounds me entirely-I can hear nothing else-it envelopes me.  A chill runs up my spine.

I feel like storms in Sudan mirror the unrest here.  Things from the outside may at first glance appear calm and then all hell can break loose without a moment’s notice. 

South Sudan has had decades of conflict and war.  The people courageously fought and finally won independence in 2011.  Yet, after only a mere 2 years of independence it was ravaged by war once again. This time from within.  There are 2 big (in African terms this means influential and wealthy) men in South Sudan who are fighting for power-the current President Salva Kiir (who is from the Dinka tribe, South Sudan’s largest tribe) and former Vice President Riek Machar (who is Nuer, the second largest SS tribe).  

There is an African proverb that says “When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that gets trampled.” I see this come to pass here as thousands of innocent Sudanese people have lost their lives, millions their homes and their families because of the actions of government officials.

Isaiah 18: 1, 7 says “Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, there is a land where the sound of wings is heard.  A time is coming when the Lord Almighty will receive offerings from this land divided by rivers, this strong and powerful nation, this tall and smooth-skinned people, who are feared all over the world.  They will come to Mount Zion, where the Lord Almighty is worshipped.” (Good News Translation)

These verses are referring to the Sudanese people.  Our Ugandan and Kenyan friends tell frightening stories of these people-even today they are seen and feared.  Yet, my God’s perfect timing, it is AMAZING to live and work among the SS people in this country that this prophecy foretells of. To see how God has been at work the past few years in drawing some people to Himself-of giving them a hunger for His Word.  I see it in the big smile stretching across my Dinka friend Vivianna’s face as she translates a Bible story she had never heard before to the other listening women.  She is giving the Lord offerings of service as she translates God’s Word.  

I hear it in the heart wrenching stories of Pastor Moses’, a former SPLA leader as he miraculously survived gruesome battles during the war.  He gives glory to God for saving his life and then goes on to plant 6 churches.  He is giving offerings to God of evangelism.  

These tall and smooth-skinned people:  God is calling them to Himself.  It is a story that only God can write-a story of redemption and hope against all the odds.  And I’m so thankful to be a part of it.  I am humbled to be a part of the work God is doing here.  It fills me with joy from my head to my toes, it floods my heart with peace that passes all understanding at the greatness of our God.  

I don’t know what is in store in the future for the people of South Sudan.  I only know that God is in control.  Although a storm of continued fighting and death may be coming, as a flood may rush in and leave devastation in it’s wake, there can also be hope and peace for the people of South Sudan.  For the ones who choose Jesus Christ, although this life may be extremely difficult, there is the hope of heaven and eternity with God that they may set their eyes on.  And no one or nothing can EVER take that away from them!  

The Surprising Freedom of Submission

Of all the spiritual disciplines none has been more abused than the discipline of submission. For some reason we have taken this amazing discipline and turned  it into something that is seen as bad-weak and demeaning. But in reality every discipline has its corresponding freedom once we learn how to consistently make them a part of our daily lives as Christ-followers.  We must be careful not to become legalistic as we learn these disciplines because the moment we make the discipline our central focus, we turn it into law, and therefore lose the corresponding freedom.

The disciplines are for the purpose of realizing a greater good. In and of themselves they are of no value whatever. They have value only as a means of setting us before God so that He can give us liberation we seek. The liberation, the freedom is the end, and the disciplines are merely the means.  They are not the answer, they only lead us to the answer:  Jesus, Jesus, more of Jesus.  Less of me and more of Him. Abundant life in God!  We must clearly understand the limitation of the disciplines if we are to avoid bondage. Let us forever center on Christ and view the spiritual disciplines as a way of drawing us closer to His heart.

So then….what freedom corresponds to submission? The ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way. The obsession to demand that things go the way we want them to go is one of the greatest bondages in human society today.  WHAT?!  Talk about gut-wrenching conviction.  So this is why I struggle so much with submission. When all other things are stripped away and I get down to the heart of the matter-I don’t want to submit to my husband, to my leaders, to my team because I really just want to do things my way.

In the discipline of submission we are released to drop the matter and forget about it. Frankly, most things in life are not nearly as important  as we think they are. Our lives will not come to an end if that or that does not happen.  I find myself struggling with this on a daily basis-when I find myself upset because the plans I made for the day are not going the way I had hoped.

The biblical teaching of submission focuses primarily on the spirit with which we view other people. Scripture does not attempt to set forth a series of hierarchical relationships but to communicate to an inner attitude of mutual subordination.  Peter, for example, called upon the slave of his day to live in submission to their masters (1 Peter 2:18). This advice seems unnecessary until we realize that it is quite possible for servants to obey their masters without living in a spirit of submission over them. Outwardly  we can do what people  ask and inwardly be in rebellion against them. This concern for a spirit of consideration towards others is seen in the entire New Testament. 

The old covenant commands us that we must not murder (10 commandments). Jesus, however, stressed that the real issue was the inner spirit of murder with which we view people. In a matter of submission the same is true; the real issue is the spirit of consideration and respect we have for each other. 

In submission we are at last free to value other people. Their dreams, their plans become important to us. We have entered into a new, wonderful, glorious freedom. The freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others. For the first time we can love people unconditionally. We have given up the right to demand that they return our love.  No longer do we feel we have to be treated a certain way. We rejoice in their successes. We feel genuine sorrow in their failures. It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed. We discover that it is far better to serve others, than to have our own way. This inner attitude of submission reflects the servant attitude we see in Philippians 2 describing Jesus.

Do you know the liberation that comes from giving up your rights? It means you are set free from the seething anger and bitterness you feel when someone does not act towards you in the way you think they should. Foster says, “It means that at last you are able to break the vicious law of commerce that says “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back; you  bloody my nose, I’ll bloody your nose.” It means you are free to obey Jesus’ command, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5.44). It means that for the first time you understand how it is possible to surrender the right to retaliate; “if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:39).

The Cornerstone: 

We have been looking at the discipline for submission through the back door. Because I began with explaining what it does to you before even defining this discipline. I did this because most of us have been exposed to such a bad form of submission that we have either embraced this deformity or we have rejected this discipline as a whole. 

The cornerstone for the biblical understanding of submission is in Jesus’ astonishing words “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Almost instinctively we draw back from these words. We are much more comfortable with words like “self-fulfillment” or “self-actualization” than we are with the thought of self-denial. (In reality, Jesus’ teaching on self-denial is the only thing that will bring us genuine self-fulfillment and self-actualization.) 

Self-denial probably conjures up a number of weird images about self-hatred, we might imagine that it most certainly means the rejection of our individuality and identity as a person. 

But the exact opposite of that image is true, Jesus called us to self-denial without self-hatred. Self-denial is simply a way of coming to understand that we do not have to have our own way. Our happiness is not dependent upon getting what we want. 

Let’s take a minute to look at a few “self” terms and view them through the Biblical lens of the Word:

Self Denial Vs. Identity

Self-denial does not meant the loss of our identity. Without identity we could not even be subject to each other. Foster says, “Did Jesus lose his identity when he set his face toward Golgotha? Did Peter lose his identity when he responded to Jesus’ cross-bearing command, “Follow me” (John 21:19)? Did Paul lose his identity when he committed himself to the One who had said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16)? Of course  NOT. We know the opposite is true. They found their identity in the act of self-denial. 

Self Denial Vs. Self Contempt

Self-Denial is not the same thing as self-contempt. Self-contempt claims that we have no worth, and even if we do have worth, we should reject it. Self-Denial declares that we are of infinite worth and shows us how to realize it. 

Self-contempt denies the goodness of God’s creation. Self-Denial affirms that God’s creation is indeed good. Jesus made the ability to love ourselves the prerequisite for our reaching out to others. (Matt. 22:39)

Self-Denial And Self-love

Self-love and Self-denial are not in conflict. More than once Jesus made it quite clear that self-denial is the only sure way to love ourselves. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt. 10:39) 

Again, we must understand that self-denial means the freedom to give way to others. This means to hold the interests of others above our interests.  In this way self-denial releases us from self pity.  When we live outside of self-denial, we demand that things go our way. When they do not, we revert to self pity. Self-denial is the foundation and the cornerstone for submission.  It saves us from all kinds of self indulgence.  

The most radical social teaching of Jesus was his total reversal of the contemporary notion of greatness. Leadership is found in becoming a servant to all. Power is discovered in submission. The foremost symbol of this radical servanthood is the cross.  (Foster) “He (Jesus) humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). But note this: Christ not only died a “cross-death” he lived a cross-life. The way of the cross, the way of a suffering servant was essential to his ministry.  Jesus lived a cross-life in submission to all human beings. He was the servant of all. He flatly rejected the cultural giving of positions and power when he said “You are not to be called rabbi…Neither be called masters…”(Matt. 23:8-10).   

Jesus shattered the customs of his day when he lived out the cross-life by talking to women seriously and being willing to meet with children. These were entirely counter cultural in his day and age.  Jesus lived the cross-life when he took a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. This Jesus who easily could have called down a legion of angels to his aid chose instead the cross-death on Calvary. Jesus’ life was the cross-life of submission and service. (Foster)

Jesus called his followers to live the cross-life. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34). He flatly told his disciples, “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Foster says, When Jesus immortalized the principle of the cross-life by washing the disciples feet, he added, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15). The cross- life is the life of voluntary submission. The cross-life is the life of freely accepted servanthood. 

The Limits of Submission:

Sometimes the limits of submission are easy to determine. For example:  A wife is asked to punish her child unreasonably. A child is asked to help an adult in an unlawful practice. A citizen is asked to violate the dictates of Scripture and conscience for the sake of the state. In each case the discipline refuses, not arrogantly, but in a spirit of meekness and submission. 

Often the limit of submission are extremely has to define. What about a teacher who unjustly grades a student? Does the student resist or submit? What about the employer who promotes his employees on the basis of favoritism and vested interests? What does the deprived employee do, especially if the raise is needed for the good of his or her family?

These are extremely complicated questions simply because human relationships are complicated. They are questions that do not yield a simplistic answer. There is no such thing as a law of submission that will cover every situation. We must actually be highly skeptical of all laws that claim to cover all and every circumstances. 

It is in these situations and circumstances when we are in desperate need for the guidance and deep dependence upon the Holy Spirit. After all, if we had a book of rules to cover every situation and circumstance in life, we would not need dependence. The Spirit is an accurate discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, both yours and mine. He will be to us an every present teacher instructing us in what to do in every situation. 

Practical Acts of Submission:

There has to be a practical way of practicing these disciplines, because if we just talk about it and do not give any practical ways to doing it, then we just forget about it. The spiritual disciplines are practices that we do. We must never lose sight of this fact.

1.  The first act of submission is to the Triune God: We yield our body, mind and spirit  for his purposes. We have to submit ourselves first and foremost to God and to let him do whatever he wants with our lives.  We start off the day by surrendering to him and we end the day with surrendering to him and to his will and purpose. Our minds, body and spirit- all of it. 

2. The second act of submission is to the Scripture: As we submit ourselves to the Word of God living (Jesus), so we submit ourselves to the Word of God Written (Scripture). We yield ourselves to first hear the Word of God,  then receive the Word of God and thirdly, obey the Word of God. We look to the Spirit who inspired the Scriptures to interpret and apply them to our condition and life. 

3. The third act of submission is to our family: The cornerstone of this submission is Phil 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others” . Freely and graciously the members of the family are to make allowance for each other.  When one of your family members hurts you-forgive them and seek reconciliation- do not allow bitterness to take root and cause estrangement from one another. Wives, despite what popular culture says, we are called by God, in His Word to submit to our husbands and their leadership.  The primary deed of submission is a commitment to listen to other family members. It is willingness to share-our time, hearts, burdens, possessions- which itself is a work of submission. 

4. The fourth act of submission is to our friends and our neighbors: Those we meet and interact with in the course of our daily lives. The life of simple goodness lived before them. If they are in need, we help them.  If someone is sick, we bring them a meal or spend some time watching a movie with them.  If someone is in the hospital we visit them, pray for them, be available.  We intentionally look for practical ways to be of service to others, sacrificing time in our busy lives-mowing their  lawn, baby-sitting, sharing things. No task is too small to be taken as an opportunity to live in submission to one another.

5. The Fifth act of submission is to the believing community, the body of Christ: If there are jobs to be done or tasks to be accomplished, you look at them and see where you can help and serve-help lead a small group or Sunday school class, spend some time visiting with the elderly, disciple a teenager, babysit for a single parent.  Of course you cannot do everything, but you can always do something. 

6. The sixth act of submission is to the broken and despised: In our culture here and all over the world there are orphans and widows: those are the helpless and the undefended according to James 1:27. It is our responsibility to take care of them. This can mean a variety of things-becoming a foster parent, adopting a child, taking care of the widows or widowers in your neighborhood or wherever they are in your sphere of influence. We live the cross-life for them. We sacrifice, we give, we do whatever it takes to be in submission so the cross-life can be exemplified in their lives. 

7. The seventh act of submission is to the world: We live in an interdependent, international community. We cannot live in isolation. Every day, the world is coming to our doorstep-in almost every community you can find international citizens desperately in need of friends and community and most importantly JESUS!  Our environmental responsibility, or lack of it, affects not only us but the people around the world. Starving children should affect us, AIDS/HIV should affect us, people dying because of the lack of clean water should affect us, terrorism and civil wars ravishing people, growing ISIS…..Our act of submission is to pray, provide, send or go to the ends of the world as God has commanded us to do in submission to him. Become educated about the international citizens living near you-reach out to them and get to know them-often they are very lonely and feel very isolated from their culture and family back in their native country.  Doing something as seemingly simple as inviting them over for dinner and cooking a meal from their country speaks volumes!  Go on a short-term mission trip and see how God is at work around the world.  Once you begin intentionally looking, there are countless ways to serve the world for our great God!  I assure that if you only ask for wisdom, the Holy Spirit will be faithful to show you how to do this.

By Laurel Jeremiadoss

***If you are interested in studying the spiritual disciplines further, most of our teaching comes from Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, Spiritual Disciplines by Donald Whitney and E.M. Bounds’ Weapons of Prayer.

The Art of Simplicity

Our next spiritual discipline to look at is simplicity.  While the other disciplines we looked at so far-prayer, meditation, and study are inward disciplines (focusing on allowing God to change us from the inside), the discipline of simplicity marks the beginning of the outward disciplines (when we are changed from the inside it is evident from how we outwardly transform in the way we treat others). We deceive ourselves if we believe we can possess the inward reality without its having a profound effect on how we live. An attempt to arrange an outward life style of simplicity without the inward reality leads to deadly legalism. (Foster)

Simplicity is freedom.  Simplicity brings joy and balance. The preacher of Ecclesiastes said this: “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising” (Eccles. 7:30).  Whew!  How true these words are when I think about how often I needlessly complicate my own life.

The spiritual discipline of simplicity provides the needed perspective of our possessions. Simplicity sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not our own to keep and that can therefore be freely shared with others. 

Because we live in a very material world, we often crave things we neither need nor enjoy.  Yet we continually buy things we do not want to impress people we do not even like.  Talk about complicating!

The Bible and Simplicity:

The biblical injunctions against the exploitation of the poor and the accumulation of wealth are very clear and straightforward. The Bible challenges nearly every economic value of our contemporary society.  Constantly the Bible deals decisively with the inner spirit of slavery that an idolatrous attachment to wealth brings.  “If riches increase, set not your heart on them,” Psalm 62:10.  Jesus declared war on the materialism of his day and I believe more than ever it applies to our world today as well.

 The Aramaic term for wealth is “Mammon” and Jesus condemns it as a rival God. Luke 16:13- ¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus speaks frequently and unambiguously on economic issues. He says “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God” and “Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation” (Luke 6:20, 24). Do not read these words and assume they do not apply to you.  If you live in America you are among 80% of the world’s wealthiest people.

He graphically depicts the difficulty of the wealth entering the Kingdom of God to be like a camel walking through the eye of the needle. Jesus clearly understood the difficulty of being wealthy and all the trappings this entails. He was talking about the grip that the wealth can have on a person. He knew that “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” which is precisely why he commanded his followers “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matt. 6:21,19).  Treasures like huge savings accounts, closets and closets full of clothes and shoes, or a house piled high with stacks of things you never use.  He is not saying that the heart should or should not be where the treasure is. He is stating the plan fact that wherever you find the treasure, you will find your heart. (Foster)

Jesus addresses the idea of money and treasure in numerous ways.
Matthew 19:16-21 – He exhorted the rich young ruler not just to have an inner attitude of detachment from his possession, but literally to get rid of his possessions if he wanted to enter the Kingdom of God. 

Luke 12:15 –¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 

Luke 12:33-³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

Luke 12: 16-21-He told the parable of the rich farmer whose life centered in hoarding-we would call him prudent; Jesus called him a fool.

Matthew 13:45, 46 -⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Luke 6:30-⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

Jesus speaks to the question of economics more than any other single social issue. If, in a comparative simple society our Lord places such strong emphasis upon the spiritual dangers of wealth, how much more should we who live in a higher affluent culture take seriously the economic question? (Foster)  I pray we would take heed to His words!

From others in the Bible:

The epistles reflect the same concern. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9“⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” A bishop is not to be a “lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:3). 

Paul calls covetousness idolatry and commands stern discipline against anyone guilty of greed (Eph. 5:5, 1 Cor. 5:11). Paul lists greed alongside adultery and thievery and declares that those who live in such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul advises the wealthy not to trust in their wealth but in God, and to share generously with others

A deacon is not to be “greedy of gain” (1 Tim. 3:8). The writer of Hebrews advises,  “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you””(Heb. 13:5). 

James blames killing and war on the lust for possessions.  “you desire and do not have, so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war” (James. 4:1,2). 

Having said all this, I must be very fast to add that God intends that we should have adequate material provision. There is misery today from a simple lack of provision just as there is misery when people try to make a life out of provision. I want to caution you that forced poverty is evil. I want to caution you about an extreme practice called asceticism.  Asceticism is the doctrine that says through the renunciation of worldly pleasures it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or intellectual state.  This is an unbiblical practice that results in an unbalanced life.  Scripture declares consistently and forcefully that creation is good and to be enjoyed (in its proper balance).  

Here is the radical difference between these two: 

Asceticism: Renounces possessions, but, simplicity: Sets possessions in the proper perspective

Asceticism: Finds no place for a “land flowing with milk and honey”, but, simplicity: Rejoices in the gracious provisions from the hand of God.

Asceticism: Finds contentment only when it is abased, but, simplicity: Knows contentment in both abasement and abounding (Phil. 4:12)

Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. Without simplicity we will either capitulate to the “mammon” spirit of this present evil age, or we will fall into the un-Christian legalistic asceticism. Both lead to idolatry. Both are spiritually lethal. (Foster)

Simplicity defined: 

The spiritual discipline of simplicity provides the needed perspective. Simplicity sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not our own to keep and can be freely shared with others. We need to recognize that the Bible denounces the materialists and the ascetic with equal vigor. (Foster)

The majority of Christians have never seriously wrestled with the problem of simplicity, conveniently ignoring Jesus’ many words on the subject.  The reason is simple: this discipline directly challenges our vested interests in an affluent life-style. But those who take the biblical teaching on simplicity seriously are faced with the severe temptations towards legalism.  Matthew 6:25-33 is great passage to study in reference to finding a proper balance in simplicity:  

 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

   ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (emphasis added)

The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of His kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in its proper order. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Jesus’ insight at this point. Everything hinges upon maintaining the “first” thing at first. Nothing must come before the kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple lifestyle. This is the reason, the focus upon the kingdom produces the inward reality, and without the inward reality we will degenerate into legalism. Nothing else can be central. Seeking first God’s kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social, of the kingdom is the only thing that can be central in the spiritual discipline of simplicity. (Foster) I want to challenge you to really mediate upon and study this passage in Matthew and let the Holy Spirit truly transform your life.

As Jesus makes clear in this passage, freedom from anxiety is one of the inward evidences of seeking first the kingdom of God. The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions.

What is this inward reality of simplicity? 

This freedom from anxiety is characterized by 3 inner attitudes:

If what we have we receive as a gift

If what we have is to be cared for by God

If what we have is available to others…….

Then we will possess freedom from anxiety. Simplicity.

What we have we receive as a gift:

Yes we work hard but we must realize that it is not our work that gives us what we have. We live by grace even when it comes to “daily bread”. We are dependent upon God for the simplest elements of life: air, water, sun. What we have is NOT the result of our labor but of the gracious care of God.  It is He alone who sustains us and He must be seen as the Giver.

What we have is to be cared for by God:

To know that it is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have is the second inner attitude of simplicity. God is able to protect what we posses. We can trust him. Does that mean we should never take the keys out of our cars, lock the door, or take care of our children well? Of course not. But, we know that the lock on the door is not what protects the house. It is only common sense to take normal precautions but if we believe that the precautions itself protect us,  then we will have the problem of dealing with anxiety. In studying this discipline I have found myself very convicted of this fact-especially when it comes to my family.  I often find myself trusting in the lock on the door  or in safe parenting practices we have set in place rather than God who loves my children more than I could ever possibly!

What we have is available to others: 

If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods. The reason we find such an idea so difficult is our fear of the future. We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow. But if we truly believe that God is who Jesus says he is, then we do not need to be afraid.  This means that we share what we have with others with a joyful heart.  This can obviously include material things such as possessions or food or even our time.  I realized to my chagrin, that I often cling to my time and what I selfishly want to do with it rather than freely giving of myself and making myself available to others.  The Lord wants me to be available to help encourage others, to help share their burdens, to laugh with them, to cry, to rejoice or to mourn.  

When we are seeking first the kingdom of God, these three attitudes will truly characterize our lives. Taken together they define what Jesus means by “do not be anxious”- they comprise the inner reality of Christian simplicity. And we can be certain that when we live this way then “all these things” that are necessary to carry on human life adequately will be ours as well. 

The Outward Expression of Simplicity: 

To describe simplicity only as an inner reality is to say something this is untrue. The inner reality is not a reality until there is an outward expression of it. To experience the liberating spirit of simplicity will affect how we live. 

Warning: Every attempt to give specific application to simplicity runs the risk of deterioration into legalism. (Foster) It is a risk, however, that we must take to give you practical ways to implement this discipline. 

So here it is – 6 practical ways to live simply: 

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than for their status.

Example: Consider your clothes. Most people have no need for more clothes. They buy more not because they need clothes, but because they want more or to keep up with the latest fashions. Wear your clothes until they are worn out. Or, get rid of your excess of clothes, shoes, whatever, while they are still nice.  Clean out your pantry and give away foods you haven’t used within a month and buy less next time (even if things are on sale).  Give them away to people who could really use them!  Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and start impressing them with your life. (I am still working on this discipline, this is a hard one after living a life of excess.  One thing our family does is every few months we go through all our stuff-clothes, toys, food, etc. and give them away to friends we know or people in our community.) 

2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in your life.

Example: Eliminate or cut down the use of addictive, non-nutritional drinks: Coke, tea, coffee, and so on… Chocolate has become a serious addiction for many people.  Or, maybe you have become addicted to fast food, a tv series, to your cell phone, video games, disc golf, face book, magazines, movies, if money has grip on your heart give some away and feel the inner release. You know!  Ask God to truly search your heart and reveal to you any idols you have placed above Him.  Simplicity is freedom, NOT slavery. Refuse to be a slave to anything but God.  

3. Develop a habit of giving things away. If you find that you are becoming attached to some possession, consider giving it to someone who needs it! This could also be giving of your time, rather than sleeping or sacrificing your free time to be there for someone. Freely and sacrificially give of your talents and your gifts for the glory of God. 

4. Develop a deeper appreciation for creation. Get close to the earth. Walk whenever you can. Listen to the birds. Enjoy the texture of grass and leaves. Smell the flowers. Marvel at the colors all around you. Simplicity means to discover once again what the psalmist talks about in Ps 24:1 “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  It is amazing to me how simple my life seems and how quickly my perspective is righted when I spend some time outside-intentionally praising God for His handiwork!

       5. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.  Matthew 5:37 says “All you nee to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”  Foster says “If you consent to do a task, do it.  Avoid flattery and half-truths.  Make honesty and integrity the distinguishing characteristics of your speech.  Avoid talking badly about others.  Stay away from crude and unwholesome words.  Encourage others every opportunity you get.    

6.   Stay away from anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God. It is so easy to lose focus on our pursuit of God’s kingdom, even in legitimate, good things. Jobs, school, status, position, family, and friends - these and many more can all too quickly become the center of attention.  Continually seek the Holy Spirit’s convicting power to keep you focused.

May God give you and me-the courage, the wisdom, and the strength always to hold the kingdom of God as the number one priority in our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity.  

By Laurel Jeremiadoss

***If you are interested in studying the spiritual disciplines further, most of our teaching comes from Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, Spiritual Disciplines by Donald Whitney and E.M. Bounds’ Weapons of Prayer.