Because People Matter

All people matter. All people are important. If you think you are not important or if you think someone else is not important, please think again. People matter.

Due to recent horrific events I felt I could not stay silent.

I’m tired of people hating people. And I’m tired of people hating people who hate people. And I’m tired of people hating people who hate people who hate people.

Maybe you are too. If you’re ready to change the world, then change your heart. Love is what will change the world.

“For God so loved the world…” Notice it does not say God loved only the goody-goodies or the God-seekers. Nor does it say God loved the world except these people and these people. God loved and still loves everyone. God sees every life as precious. He made each and every person. He created them to the smallest detail. How could He not mourn the loss of His creation that He deemed “very good.”  In Ezekiel 18 verses 23 and 32 God makes it clear He does not rejoice over anyone’s death, and then in Ezekiel 33:11 it says God does not delight in the death of even the wicked. If God holds every life precious so should we.
(*And yes we should view the lives of even the “wicked” precious. After all, we are all in that category! Rom 3:10-12*)

Arrogance is what causes people to think they are better than other people, more important than other people. It is what causes people to think they can judge others and condemn them. It is what makes someone think they have the right to look down on others, to exclude others, to distance others. Arrogance can lead to people hating others who are different or do not meet certain qualities. It is arrogance that can cause people to think their needs are more important than anyone else’s and should be met first, should be met regardless of the cost to others. It is arrogance that leads to the belief that someone has the right to take another’s life.

Arrogance can have dangerous and deadly consequences, and yet it is often ignored or misguidedly encouraged as a form of confidence.

The opposite of arrogance is not insecurity (confidence is the opposite of insecurity), neither is the opposite shame (honor is the opposite of shame). The opposite of arrogance is humility.

Humility is what causes people to recognize their faults and apologize. Humility is what causes people to forgive people even when they are not sorry. Humility allows someone to put others’ needs first.

Too often it is easy to tear others apart and look at their faults while ignoring our own. Humility is acknowledging our own faults and letting others hold us accountable.

Now for anyone ready and willing to work on putting other people first, there are many people who want to be loved. Here are some simple ways to love others. (Try making your own list and challenge yourself to complete it : ) I choose to work on 1, 6, 10 and 14.
*write a note of encouragement to someone
*take someone out for coffee or lunch and focus on him/her
*remember people’s birthdays (even if you’re not close) and send them a sincere message
*offer to cook dinner for a family and bring it their home
*smile at people you interact with today and take time to ask how their day is going and why it is good/bad
*find a cause or organization you would like to support and get involved
*offer to run an errand or help clean something
*visit someone in the hospital or nursing home
*take food to a food pantry
*be willing to stop and help if you see someone having a hard time
*volunteer at a homeless shelter
*start a blanket drive for the homeless
*visit or volunteer at a youth center or children’s home
*speak up and defend those who are oppressed (stay humble and kind while being honest)
*shop stores that support a cause (I personally like sevenly and puravida)

Why Do I Have to be Here? - making the most of the time in the desert

“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, no grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” – Numbers 20:5

God is my Good Shepherd. I can trust Him to lead me. These words are what we want to say, but we do not always believe. It is hard sometimes because we may find that we have to go into the desert.

There is a time for everything, even time in the desert. In the Israelites’ case, they were there because they doubted God. They doubted His ability to bring them into the Promised Land and the unbelieving generation had to die before anyone could enter the Promised Land.

Maybe in your own life you are headed to a desert or are already there and you wonder why. There is a reason God brings people to the desert. It may be because of disobedience. It may be He has something to teach them. It may be to humble them or it may be that people need to give up something and refocus on God. It may be to grow them and strengthen their character and faith. It may be to draw them closer to the King of kings. 

God always has the best in mind. It requires trust on our part because we cannot read His mind. But He knows ours. He knows what we need before we even know. He knows what is best in the long run. Like a father that does not let his child eat cake for every meal because he knows what his child needs even if it contradicts what the child wants, so God knows what is best. This is where trust must be. Without trust, there is anger and confusion because we think we know exactly what is best.

What we think is best is a life without pain and suffering, a life free of heartache, a life without any deserts. What if God thinks differently? What if God knows there is something better? What if God in all His wisdom and love for His children knows that the desert is necessary for something greater?

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"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:6-9

The result of the testing? Faith. Trust in God. Trust that pleases God. Trust that God keeps His promises. Trust that God is good. Trust that God gives Salvation.
It is in trials that one knows what hope is.
It is not until reaching the other side that the importance of testing is seen.


In recounting what God has done, Psalm 66:5-12 tells of the good and the bad 
and the ultimate result of one of the Israelites' times of testing.

"For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,
    but you brought us to a place of abundance." (v 10-12)

Another passage about testing is found in Isaiah. Isaiah 48 is about Israel being rebellious and God's warning to straighten them out. In verse 10 it says,

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”


This is the desert of purification. The purpose of the desert is to cleanse. God does not lead us to a desert because He enjoys suffering. He leads us to the desert because the outcome is far more important than our comfort, far greater in the long run, far better than we can imagine at the moment.

Read again the end of verse 12 in Psalm 66.

“…we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.”

God tested the Israelites and they came out to a place of abundance.
What was this abundance? The promised land. What is our promised land? God has made us many promises. The most important being salvation -the Ultimate rest from striving and sin. This is the beginning of our abundance.

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"(John 10:10).

Jesus never promised a life without hardship or pain, but He did promise us a life of abundant living. That means no matter what hardship we face God will get us through it!


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When you find yourself in a desert you can either complain because it is not where you want to be and not what you want to feel, or you can choose to trust God. Trust that He is not making a mistake in taking you to the desert, and trust that He can provide for your needs and satisfy your thirst, even in a difficult situation. He is merciful and will not forsake you even in your time in the desert. While the Israelites were in the desert, God provided them with manna (Ps 78:15 Ex16:35) and kept their clothes from wearing out (Deut. 8:4),

and if you look back at Isaiah 48 it says in verse 21

They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and the water gushed forth.

Even though God led His precious children to the desert, He did not leave them. 

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I don’t know if you’re in a place or circumstance you do not want to be in. I know I have been. Asking why didn’t change anything. My attitude needed to change from complaining to trusting God and asking Him to provide while I was in the desert and asking also what needed to be done during the time in the desert. No matter how long it is, I want to please God and be yielded to what He wants to accomplish in my life.

I cannot tell you why you are where you are. I do know that if you ask God you can find out what He wants you to do while you are there. I also know that He is more than capable of providing for you and getting you through the desert to the place of abundance.

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If the focus of life is happiness then the desert will not make sense, but if the focus is something greater, something more valuable, then the desert of purification makes sense.  


"If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."
-C.S. Lewis

Ultimately God is more interested in building our character during our time here than our momentary happiness. We are promised an eternity of happiness, but right now character should take precedence. There are so many blessings we will experience both now and later when we live trusting in God.

For anyone who is struggling with something

If you're reading this, you're probably going through a hard time or you know someone who is going through a hard time. 

Maybe you haven’t told anyone what you’re going through or maybe you have and no one seems to understand. This song is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB9kGC927VA

Maybe no one else knows, but there is One who does.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.” – Isaiah 53:3

This is The Savior. 

First comes death but then comes life! This is the cycle found all throughout scripture. That is where hope comes from. It comes from the promises that happen after death. You can’t have life until death occurs. (If you have time, click on the references and read the entirety of the verses below)

2 Tim 2:11  "... For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him."
Mark 8:34-35   "...whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it."
Gal 5:24  "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Gal 2:20  "... it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..."
1 Pet 2:24  "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
Col 3:3-7  "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God..."
Rom 6:11  "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Jn 12:24  "Truly, truly, 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."
Rom 6:5-7  "... for he who has died is freed from sin."

What you’re going through is a process. It has a purpose, although it may not feel like that at the moment.

God wants so much to give you life, but to have the life He wants to give there must be death on your part. This is not a physical death but a death that is spiritual, a death that occurs in your heart. It is a death of your plans, your selfish desires, your pleasure, your everything. In exchange God will give you new plans, new desires, new pleasures, new everything, all leading to new life. A life that is sanctified [holy, set apart, one-of-a-kind, blessed] and pleasing to God. But this newness of life can only come after death. And that death is often very painful. Sometimes extremely painful. It requires giving up something. But for everything you give up, God will exchange it for something better, something that is life!

Mark10:28-30 ²⁸ Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, ³⁰ but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

The greatest life we could ever hope to gain is eternal life. That life is possible and only is possible because of death. Jesus died so there could be life for all who believe in Him. The greatest life was purchased by the greatest death. Whatever death you are facing, remember that in Jesus death becomes life!

Hang in there. He is faithful.

Worship in Times of Despair

I was looking through some old writings of mine and found the one below from March 29, 2012. I remember that being a difficult year for me, but I can't remember why I was writing this the day before my birthday. Thinking back to that time of my life I can say by God's grace I made it through that year, and all that was trying to overcome me was conquered by Him, and I can look back at that year and what God brought me through with joy. So if you're going through times of despair, hold on. There is hope. Praise God for that.

Here's what I wrote:

I don’t think worship can be any more passionate, or beautiful, or sincere, or intimate than when you’re completely destitute and broken. Because it is at that moment that you worship God not because He is able to save you, but because you realize God is still God and God is still good and worshiping Him is just natural because of who He is. I have never felt closer to God than when I am broken and reduced  to nothing. It is then I look to God and see how He does not change, and I worship Him because He remains God and in control, and it overwhelms me because I am aware of His character. I seek Him and there He is. He looks at me and listens to me, and in my pain He is there. I worship Him because He is God and then I worship Him because He is Savior.

 Indeed, He is able to save. He does not allow me to face anything that is too great for me to bear. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I cry out to God and say, “It is too much for me to bear.” And God reminds me that is not too much when I rely on His strength. Yes, it is true. It is not too much for Him, therefore it is not too much for me. Though I may be shaken or oppressed or discouraged or harassed, though I may be burdened or afflicted or emotionally distraught, I am not overcome. I am not. I feel His peace inside me. It is not loud or great at the moment, but it is there. And it will keep me from giving in to despair. His joy is also inside me. That is why I can still rejoice. I am not defeated, not ever. Jesus has defeated all, and He is greater than the one in the world that tries to destroy me. The enemy whispers lies to convince me I am a failure and all hope is lost in an effort to entice me to give up. This is when Truth needs to be pervading  my life, my soul. Not flowing by my soul in a trickle but submerging my soul in an ocean.  You need to know Truth. His name is Jesus, the Word of God. He is the One that saves.

Heartbeat of Peace

When I go through crazy or difficult times in my life, sometimes I feel like giving up. When it comes to peace, I see it like a rope you hold while dangling over a cliff. Sometimes the rope feels solid and thick, and other times it feels like it's barely a thread. But the fact is no matter how it feels, it's always there. I wrote the following poem to try and illustrate what God has taught me about His peace during those times.

I have been given life and a new heart. Alive in Christ. I have the heartbeat of peace. The constant, steadfast sound. The sounds around may be loud and chaotic, but that steady heart of peace keeps beating. Peace is still there. The sounds around may be quiet and still, but the steady heart of peace keeps beating. 

Peace does not cease for those who are in Christ. At times it is hard to hear, like when distractions are near. Sometimes subtle and faint, but it keeps beating on, beating on, beating on. This is the heartbeat: the gift of life for those who abide in Christ. For He has said, “Peace I leave you.” 

The Spirit inside keeps the peace beating. Never does it leave. So do not let go. Though some may not hear it now, the children of God have this promise assured: Peace is left to stay. The more you fix your eyes on the Savior, the louder the heartbeat will grow.

Isaiah 26:3, 4

You will keep in perfect peace

The one whose mind is steadfast

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever

For the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.