un-fet-tered

Last week while driving down the road, my favorite radio personality said a word that grabbed me: "unfettered."  Being an odd gal who loves words, I pulled over and wrote the word down so that I wouldn’t forget it and so that I could ponder its meaning.

The adjective unfettered describes something or someone uninhibited and unrestrained.

Not bound by chains or shackles.

At church yesterday my newly embraced word unwittingly became the theme for service as Pastor played a video regarding prison ministry.  Different women shared their testimonies throughout the video; some women had been released from prison and some women were still donning yellow jumpsuits, confined as inmates within the facility.

I found the women dressed in yellow to be beautiful beyond words.  We  witnessed transformations of radiant women released from the chains of captivity by the One who has the power to “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners.” (Isaiah 61:1)

Though held within the walls of a prison, these women were unfettered in their souls.  By giving God permission to embrace them, some women were able to acknowledge their true identities for the first time.  His glory shined through the eyes of unfettered inmates.

As I looked around at my fellow sojourners in the church, I wondered how many of us were masking our own yellow jumpsuits.  Free, yet not unfettered.  Our cries echoing David when he cried, “Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.” (Ps.142:7)

The Word of God portrays men and women who understood how to live not bound by chains or shackles, even whilst being literally chained and shackled.  Joseph served God from the confines of an unfair imprisonment.  The Apostle Paul persisted in his call to share the Gospel of Christ in spite of his shackles and imprisonment.

Here’s the truth: no one can unfetter his or her own soul.  True unfettering happens in the secret places where we go to meet with our Father alone.  As we pour out our hearts to Him, confessing sins that are hooked deep within our hearts--He releases the hooks that hold us captive.

We hold out empty hands, welcoming the Holy Spirit to fill us with Him, and we are changed.  Instead of prisoners to sin, we become prisoners of Christ Jesus.  Our identity no longer tied to yellow jumpsuits; we become unfettered.

Unfettered freedom is contagious.

If you are living your life in bondage and long to be set free; He is only a whisper away.  If you are too weary to call on the name of Jesus, borrow the faith of a fellow-believer and ask someone you trust to climb into the foxhole with you to wage battle for your soul.

It is for freedom that we have been set free.

Unrestricted. Unlimited. Unhindered. Unfettered Freedom.

Stay the Course...

Sheila

White Picket Fences

As a little girl, I dreamed of growing up and living in an old country house with a wrap- around porch and a white picket fence. 

I don’t know why. 

Maybe I saw one in a movie once upon a time; the scene triggering some warm fuzzy nostalgia.  Or maybe every little girl dreams of a safe place where life is simple and summertime entertainment includes catching fire flies in canning jars.

We grow up as little girls and boys not really knowing what we want, so we watch the world through eyes of wonder.  We remain full of anticipation while waiting for our prince or princess to swoop by on a white horse, sweeping us away to a place called Happily Ever After.

However, as time goes by, we come to realize that Happily Ever After lies somewhere just beyond our reach.  We long for more than a happy ending.  It’s difficult to pin down the mysterious internal restlessness within.  I believe the restlessness whispers to our hungry souls; to the untamed parts which understand we were never created to be kept safe within the confines of a white picket fence.
 
Mystery, adventure, and a healthy fear of the unknown – for these things we were created.  Should we listen to the restless voice within, it may take us to faraway places where the water is unsafe, food is scarce and people’s skin is as colorful as an array of wildflowers.  Stepping outside of our picket fences may take us to inner cities where the homeless lie forgotten under bridges.  The restlessness persists, and we are forced to choose between surrender or safety.

Our spiritual hunger causes us to press into God with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength, trusting Him with all that lies ahead as we keep our gaze heavenward.  It is no wonder the commitment required when Paul speaks of pressing on toward the goal, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13)

If we ignore the inner groaning and go about living our predictable lives, existing quietly in the safe domain of our picket fences, eventually the groaning will fade.   We may convince ourselves that this is as good as it gets as we settle on the porch swing, cup of iced tea in hand,  swinging to the rhythm of the second hand, safely waiting for death to find us.

Although this type of resignation is a possibility, here’s the good news.  It’s never too late to step outside of the familiar fences that keep us from living wild and free.  The mysterious restlessness within is silenced only when we accept the adventure, embrace the mystery, and run hard after the One who created us to live fully alive for Him, with no inhibitions.

Stay the Course...

Sheila

Today's Prayer: "Father, I pray today that You would open the eyes of my heart.  You created me in Your image, for Your glory.  I need You to show me how to live each day fully surrendered to You.  It's so easy to forget that my life is not my own.  It's difficult to understand that the plans You have for me are so much better than any plans I have laid out for myself.  Please teach my heart to trust You with the simple moments of each day; I truly long to live for You.  Break the chains of fear that confine my spirit and set me free to live in the beauty of who You created me to be.  In Jesus name I pray, amen."

The Other Side of Popular

(There are thousands of disciples of Christ who can relate to the following blog. The last place we expect to be hurt is within the four walls of the church.  If this blog describes you, it is time to come out of the shadows and live fully for Jesus--He is madly in love with you!  There are several books regarding this subject matter that I would recommend: Wounded by God’s People by Anne Graham Lotz, Toxic Faith by Arteburn & Felton, and The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse by Johnson & Van Vonderen)


There are things in life some of us aspire to that are not things at all.  Although not your typical open conversation, being popular may be something that you deem important.  I will confess that at one time, so did I.

Being popular puts one’s beliefs about him or herself in a place of hierarchy based on what those in the popular group have determined acceptable.  I do not speak as one unlearned on the topic of popularity. 

Almost before we learn to walk, we are subconsciously aware that there are two types of people in the world: popular or unpopular.  The definition of both groups is clearly understood by all, yet the white elephant in the room is seldom addressed.

I spent many years of my life tucked within what I perceived to be the safety of the popular crowd.  All was well in my world when I played by the unspoken rules of loyalty and when I respected what lines I could and could not cross in order to maintain my popular status.

However, when the Spirit within me was not in agreement with the vote of the popular crowd, when I rocked the boat, provoking the controller of the helm to anger at my inability to trust the words of a person over the words of my Maker; I was cast into the hungry waves of the ocean faster than Jonah.

Instead of death, I washed up on the shore on the other side of popular.  What felt like the punishment of betrayal became the gift of mercy from the One who walked on the other side of popular thousands of years before me. 

On the other side of popular, I lost everything that had once defined me.  Everything.  In  place of all that was lost, I was given the gifts of the Spirit-- which can be taken away by no one.  In the darkness of the Valley of Loss, salve was given to restore my sight.  Sorrow and Sadness were given to allow me to feel the grief of dying to myself so as to have the ability to feel the joy of living to please One.  My true identity was found somewhere on the ocean floor of forgotten and discarded.

My appetite for success and popularity were replaced with an appetite to know God more and to stay the course no matter the cost.  Being on the other side of popular has become my greatest accomplishment.  By the grace of my Lord and Savior, my greatest ambition to live a life that brings Him honor and glory, to love Him with an undying love, to leave a legacy of unshakeable faith for my children and my grandchildren--all this I pray to accomplish as I worship the One who will never cast me aside.

I care only about who He says I am. 

The other side of popular has brought freedom to my spirit and healing to my heart.
 
True to His unchanging nature; who He says I am does not change based on the opinions of those who believe themselves to be in the popular crowd.

If you are on the other side of popular, do not try to find a way of escape from the pain you are feeling.  Allow your Father to comfort you and to answer the deepest desires of your heart. 

Rest in your new identity.

The One who holds you is ever faithful to complete the great work which He began in you.  Nothing and no one can thwart the plans He has for you.

You are deeply loved.

Stay the Course...

Sheila

The Fastest Mile

Have you ever wondered if there are limits to what you can do? 

I was thinking about that this morning as I was contemplating what it would look like to go deeper with God; and if there are limits to that possibility.

As I pondered that thought, God brought to my memory the story about the fastest mile.

During World War II, racing was curtailed in combatant countries.  However, after the war, two rivals, John Landy of Australia and Roger Bannister from Britain vied to be the first person to break what was considered to be the fabled four-minute mile barrier.

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke the barrier and John Landy followed suit 46 days later.

It’s amazing to consider the determination of these two men to do something that had never before been done; something no one thought was possible.

I wonder if John Landy, although thrilled with his ability to break the four-minute mile, was disappointed in himself for not digging deep enough to go for it 46 days earlier.  It was AFTER Roger Bannister broke the record that John Landy realized his own potential.

I drove through the mountains for a long time this morning weighing all of this out in my own mind.  After all, as we have learned from both Landy and Bannister, the will to exceed possibility begins in the mind. 

In what was known as the “Race of the Century,” Landy ran his second sub-4 minute mile at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in British Columbia.  Landy raced against Bannister. The race was heard over the radio by 100 million people and seen on television by millions more.  On the final turn of the last lap, Landy looked over his left shoulder as Bannister passed him on the right to beat him. 

Even so, two years later at the 1956 Australian National Championships, during the Olympic Trials, Landy surprised everyone when he doubled back to check on a fellow runner whom he had clipped in the heel causing him to fall early in the third lap of the race.  The runner got back up to finish the race and somehow Landy was able to make up the deficit to win the race.

Although most of us may not break records and make history; we can certainly push through the boundaries of our own mind.

Can we trust God and break through the ceilings of what we have believed to be possible? Are we willing to risk safety to visit places of freedom that lie just beyond the borders of comfort?

I guess we could wait for someone else to go first; but our personal journey’s are not contingent upon nor competing with another’s journey. 

If you sense that God is calling you to step into something that no one, including yourself,  may have ever thought was possible-- go for it!

And  don’t break stride by looking over your shoulder.

I think John Landy would agree.

Stay the Course...

Sheila

Comes the Dawn

I awaken each morning to witness the first gleam of dawn break over the beautiful Alaskan mountains. 

With the first gleam of dawn also rises hopes and dreams spoken in the dark of night from places unable to be acknowledged in the full light of day.

Just as our view of the breaking of dawn varies depending on our geography, we are all also at different junctures in this journey called life.  Whether sitting in the dark of night feeling forgotten and alone, basking in the sunshine displayed in the fullness of the day, or somewhere in the middle, we are all sojourners.

God’s Word breathes encouragement for those dark moments, “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man…a righteous man will be remembered forever.” (Psalm 112:4&6)

If you have surrendered your life to and for Jesus, you have been made righteous.  And here’s a picture of how our story unfolds: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt.13:43)

Many of us have experienced extended seasons of darkness; sometimes lasting days, months or even years.  Yet, even in the deepest darkness of night, God longs to be sought just as we long to be sought after.  He relentlessly pursues us, even when our heart’s and minds are far from Him.

As I am slowly breaking through my own lengthy journey through the Valley of Despair, my eyes are beginning to see the beauty God has planted within me while in the darkness.  Months have turned into years as I have persistently sought after Him. 

In the darkness I have learned to embrace that which is in front of me; to live in the beauty of each moment.  I have learned that there is joy in darkness.  I have learned that God is not just an important part of my life--He is my life.

I have wept, prayed, screamed, said nothing, and shaken my fists at my Father.  I have regretfully spoken words in anger, spewed from hurt places in my heart.  Always, as I have reached the end of myself, He has been at my side, never letting me go.  I have been a rebellious mess; He has been as faithful as the first gleam of dawn.

Just as the pain of night often felt like more than I could bear; I am beginning to catch glimpses of sunlight that bring my heart deeper joy than I have ever known.

Today, my prayer is encouragement to those sitting in the Valley of Despair. 

As the darkness attempts to swallow you in its icy blanket, when you feel you have nothing more to live for, when you wonder if you will survive another moment; in your darkest hour-- cast your gaze upward. 

At the perfect time, filled with freedom and joy--comes the dawn.

Stay the Course...

Sheila

Hold on Tight to Your Crown

Revelation 3:11 (NIV) “I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

We read fairy tales and watch movies that tell of kings and queens wearing royal crowns.  A crown is typically referred to when speaking of royalty, so why does the Apostle John, in speaking to each one of us, warn us to not let anyone take our crown?  Could it be truth and not fairy tale that places a spiritual crown upon our royal heads?

We are instructed in God’s Word to guard our hearts, to keep ourselves from idols, to keep a tight rein on our tongues, to give to the needy, look after orphans and widows…and to guard our crowns?  What must one do to receive a crown, and why is it so important to guard it?

A crown was referred to in the Old Testament as an actual headdress worn by royalty or other persons of high merit or honor.  David’s golden crown was a prize of battle (II Sam. 12:30) and was worn as a sign of authority on his throne or when leading his forces in combat.  “Crown” is also used figuratively in the Old Testament when referring to gray hair as a crown of splendor (Prov. 16:31), a virtuous wife being her husband’s crown (Prov. 12:4), and God’s crown of blessing on mankind (Ps. 8:5).

In the New Testament, Paul refers to a crown several times.   Just as we honor our Olympians with crowns, or wreaths, Roman athletic games were a very big deal, with a laurel wreath given to each winner.   Any athlete entering into the games was required to go into ten months of strict training. If an athlete neglected training, he or she was eliminated from the races.  The wreath, symbolizing triumph and honor, was a very coveted prize in ancient Rome.   Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (I Cor. 9:24&25)

The incorruptible crown Paul speaks of is one obtained from a life of faithful obedience and self discipline as we train ourselves to study God’s Word, walk in step with the Spirit and pray; running toward our heavenly reward. 

At the end of his life, in his last letter of final instructions and encouragement, Paul writes, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (II Tim. 4:8)

It is through  trials and sufferings that we are prepared for the crown of life God has in store for us, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (Jas. 1:12)

The incorruptible crown, the crown of righteousness and the crown of life are God’s promise to all who live for Him and love Him with an undying love. 

Our King bore upon His head a crown of thorns so that we might be given the crown of life.  Although we may bear the cross for awhile in this present life; one day we will wear the crown to eternity. 

And our King graciously reminds us, “I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Rev. 3:11)


Stay the Course...


Sheila

Today’s Prayer:  “Lord, there are no words to thank You for the sacrifice You were willing to make when You suffered and died, wearing a crown of thorns upon Your head, for me.  It is because of Your obedience and love that I am able to love You and live my life for You.  I have been saved by Your grace, not of my own merit.  I will not sit in the Grandstands watching the races; I will be disciplined and focused as I choose to live each day as an athlete in strict training, running my race in such a way as to  bring You glory, not losing sight of the prize.   Please help me to see that trials are necessary as they develop within me perseverance, so that I will be strong when I cross the finish line to receive the Crown of Life.  Lord, You are all I am living for.  I will finish the race and keep the faith.  I love You with an undying love.  In Jesus name, amen.”

Spirit Mountain

To most, the mountain is known as Lazy Mountain; but I call it Spirit Mountain.

As the months slip by, somewhere between the base and the summit of the mountain, I continue to seek answers to deep questions lurking beneath the simple exterior of my being. 

The faces of others who frequent Spirit Mountain have become as familiar to me as the trail itself as we continue to pass one another; each person seeking answers to his or her own hidden questions.

Victory or defeat, joy or gloom, a gift or a chore--each person’s spirit or lack thereof  reflected in eyes, hope or despair dripping down red, sweaty faces.

No respecter of persons, Spirit Mountain demands a deep look into the true fabric of one’s spirit.  Bend upon ruthless bend lends opportunity to accept defeat or to dig deep into the recesses of the spirit and keep moving forward and upward.

Encouraging each other is helpful; but in the end it is only the grit of each individual hiker which will determine the outcome of his or her Spirit Mountain experience.

Far beyond the benefit of physical strength and endurance, the mountain calls me to the internal challenges evident only to myself and to my Maker.  Many times I am humbled as the truth of who I really am leaks out from places that cannot be hidden in the laborious tension of the moment.

There is no room for judgment on the trail.  Locked behind the eyes of each fellow hiker are sins and regrets that are accountable to only One.  Heads nod in mutual respect of one another as we carry on our individual paths.

Bonds are deep as our spirits both salute and celebrate those who answer to the call of the mountain. 

Sometimes I wonder if others return to the mountain for the same reasons that I do.  I cannot be certain, but I sense that I am not alone in my search for more.

In my own spirit, I secretly pray that my body will remain loyal to my desire to continue the quest for answers not yet found.

One day, when my body is no longer able to make the climb, I pray that joy and peace will replace fear and inhibition.  And always, I will continue to cheer for those whose  spirits, much like my own,  are set free, somewhere along the trail on Spirit Mountain.

Stay the Course...

Sheila