hope

During the season of Easter we often stop to reflect, at least in some way, what it means. It comes every year. Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Easter. Then we keep on trudging on. Or do we? Does anything change? Do we grow in some way each time it comes around? Do we catch a new glimpse of God’s glory and His truth? This year I don’t want to be the same. Our family might not have a Pinterest perfect Easter, with amazing crafts to display and a fabulous 5-course dinner to feast on, but if we walk into the Monday after Easter changed in some way by the love of our Savior then I consider that a victory.

Three things I’ve been thinking about that are changing me in this season. Maybe they will resonate with you too. Christ’s presence, His power, and His love.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

The infamous passage from Matthew 28 deemed the Great Commission ends with this amazing promise. Jesus didn’t just command that we go into all the world to make disciples, teaching & sharing with those around us about the great truth of the gospel. He promised to be with us. This comforts me so much right now because God is revealing a lot of opportunities that I may not have seen a few years ago. Opportunities that I may have run from or ignored. But now I see that He wants me to run to them. There is no way I can do that on my own. Whether in our own home or with a crowd of people I’ve never met, nothing I do or say can truly have an impact for Christ unless He is with me. And with all the hard things in life, I could not survive without knowing He will never leave me. He is the constant. He is ever present.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20

His power. I am counting on His power. In the past few years it has hit me more and more how powerful God is. I tell my kids often, “God raised Jesus from the dead…that’s the most miraculous, amazing power you could ever imagine! And that power lives inside of us as believers!” Do I always live like that is true? No. Do I always walk in that hope? Not always. But oh, how I want to! There are many situations I am praying about right now that I just can’t see much hope in with my human eyes. But God’s power is real. It is Resurrection power. He can do anything. He is able. His will be done.

“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” 1 Cor. 10:24

Last, but definitely not least, is His love. Love is what motivates everything God does. The greatest command He calls us to is to love Him–because He first loved us–and to love our neighbor. When he went to the cross, Jesus did not seek his own good. He did not command legions of angels to save him, but he could have. Instead he humbled himself completely. Because of love, He sacrificed everything. He loved, and loves, though we do not love in return. This Good Friday I am reminded again of the depravity of my own heart. I tend toward sin & selfishness. I am so prone to wander. Christ did not die on the cross to give me a happy, comfortable life, but to save me from the pit of hell, which I know might sound harsh but that’s the reality of where I’d be headed if I were to go my own way. And if He forgives me that completely, shouldn’t I seek to forgive others and put their good above my own? I fail daily, but I come back to His presence and power, because there’s not a chance I can love well on my own. He is love.

Lord, have mercy. Allow us to see your Resurrection power this Easter, your constant presence with us, and your amazing Love that saves and surrounds. Praise the Lord. He died for me, and for you. And He is Risen!

A few years ago, one of our sons used to sleep with a small backpack, full of some of his favorite treasures and things he deemed necessary, near his ladder to his bunk bed. When I asked him what the packed bag was for, he said it was “in case there was a fire and I need to get out quickly.” Fire is scary. Fire is powerful. Fire usually shows up quickly and unannounced. In those days, our son was obviously feeling anxious that there could be a fire in our house. We have witnessed one huge house fire, and seen the aftermath of another, just on the small street we live on here in the States.

Last week there was a fire at Tenwek. We heard about it within hours of it having started. We prayed. We saw a picture of the flames soaring high above a building. I got chills and felt sick about what was happening. We had walked in and out of that building many times last year. I sat in a social work office there with baby Melanie. Two of our sons attended a Sunday school class in the dining room area of the building. Multiple times Tom went there to buy a soda and a mandazi. We walked by patients from the wound ward in the bottom of the building, who were often laying on the grassy areas surrounding the building when the weather was nice. And the building is used heavily by kids doing Bible Quizzing during the spring months each year.

Amidst this scary time, though, we learned there were so many things God was doing, miracles He was working. First of all, NO life was lost! In this huge fire, with no true fire station or firefighting equipment nearby, there were no casualties. That is amazing in itself. God’s protection and provision was in the timing of the fire and every other detail. We’ve heard also (and are not surprised) that the community of missionary families & staff at Tenwek stepped up and everyone was helping. They went into “go” mode and everyone worked together beautifully. There were surgeries going on, babies being born and critically ill patients who were being cared for during the fire. God provided. And the fire did not spread! Our church there was only a few steps from the door of the burning building (as seen in the picture below), but it did not get burned at all. So many miracles.

I was sad this week to think of the mess that our friends are dealing with at Tenwek, and the big job it will be to recover and rebuild after this devastating fire. I am reminded, though, of God’s amazing faithfulness. We don’t understand his ways, but he is God. He is loving and good and kind and just. And so much more. I struggle to believe this sometimes, but it is true.

We don’t know why this fire happened in the grand scheme of his plan, just like we don’t know why any tragedy happens. But we know that who God is will never change. There are always his miracles to be found. And that gives me great hope. Praise be to Jesus who cares for us in such tangible ways. He doesn’t have to, but he does. All the time. Great is his faithfulness.