Psalm 22

Reading Psalm 22 this Saturday between the bookends of Good Friday and Easter Sunday I am struck by the realization that God's plan is so far beyond me, was intricately designed and is so beautifully and heartbreakingly perfect. And that puts my soul at rest this morning. Because, if God did not spare His own Son from the pains of life (the deepest of which he experienced) in bringing about His glory, peace, joy and hope, then I rejoice that He does not spare us from those pains either.

Jesus came down to this earth knowing that his final destination -- the pinnacle of His journey -- was to be the cross and all of the shame, abuse and mocking that came with it. And He went forward without batting an eye because He knew that His people were worth it. And He knew that from it all -- after the pain and sorrow had come and gone -- would come unending joy. And this morning I rest in that.

This life promises struggles and sufferings, and when I think back to my personal encounters with the cross I remember the hurt and the moments of hopelessness I have experienced. I remember times filled with seemingly unending darkness, and I wouldn't want God to spare me from one moment of that. I rejoice in every struggle because through those times of weakness God was able to prove His strength, to refine my faith and character, and to move me one step further on the perfect path He has set before me. Now, don't get me wrong. When I'm going through those times of loss, they hurt. Bad. So badly that in the moment, I have absolutely cried out to God, asking Him why and how he could do this to me. But, once I finished my journey through those dark tunnels, I was able to marvel in the joy of the light of day all the more.

Jesus' journey was no accident. And Psalm 22 reminds me that each detail of His passion was perfectly orchestrated far before any of them came to be. And, today, I rejoice knowing that our God is a God of details and love. May your Easter weekend be abundantly blessed knowing what was done out of unending love for you. 

Wise Words from a Wise Woman

At some point in college I watched the documentary "Beyond the Gates of Splendor," and amid the hundreds and hundreds of films I watched in my film classes at USC (fight on), I remember this one vividly. If you have not seen it, I would highly recommend that you remedy that as soon as possible. It tells of the incredible story of five missionaries in a remote part of Ecuador in the 1950's. They were killed by the natives of the area, and took the lashings without fighting back, knowing that their own deaths would lead them to the gates of heaven, while their aggressors had not yet heard the good news of Jesus and therefore might not have had such a hope after this life. One of those missionaries was Jim Elliot, and his wife, Elisabeth, is an incredible woman. She returned to Ecuador to minister to the very people who killed her husband a few years earlier, and lived among them for two years. She has experienced suffering and has displayed courage beyond that which I can begin to comprehend, and I feel blessed to be able to glean so much from what the Lord has taught her through her life's experiences.

I was searching for a particular quote of hers for a bible study I led last night, and I came across some profound, some simple, and some profoundly simple things she said that I wanted to share. I am especially blessed by them knowing that her story is one that included times of devastating, earthly pain, suffering and uncertainty.

"I have one desire now -- to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it."

"God never witholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful -- severe mercies at times, but mercies all the same. God never denies us our heart's desire except to give us something better."

"This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God's way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness."

"Let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is."

"Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God's story never ends with 'ashes'."

"Our vision is so limited that we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. That was the proof of his love -- that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary's cross, though 'legions of angels' might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us -- not from anything that it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."

"Because God wills me joy, I will trust Him with my tragedies."