PAULA WISEMAN

Faith and life meet in a story

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Anticipation

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Hispanic girl opening Christmas giftWe are under a winter storm watch. It was 65 degrees yesterday, but the temperature is expected to drop at least forty degrees today as the frontal system moves in bringing freezing rain, sleet and snow.

Snow.

There are few things that get our household as giddy as the possibility – no matter how slight – of a snow day. What a sweet unexpected luxury of going back to bed, of pajamas, not to mention, cinnamon rolls. We will light the snow candle and I will spend the afternoon comparing weather reports, latching on to the most dire of the lot, as one to three inches, becomes three to five, becomes five to eight.

The buzz generated by a little snow in the forecast is nothing compared to the anticipation in the hearts of God’s people some two thousand years ago. They knew the words Malachi had spoken 400 years earlier. “‘But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 4:2-3) God said those words. He said He would send Elijah the prophet. Then for four hundred years, He said nothing.

Nothing.

The United States hasn’t even been a country for 400 years. We can’t comprehend not hearing from God for 400 years. But then He broke the silence. When Gabriel recited the words of Malachi back to Zacharias, he knew exactly what the messenger meant. It was time. The anticipation was giving way to reality.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus said, “Behold I am coming quickly.” There will come a day when the anticipation once again gives way to reality, and to fulfillment. The amazing promises God kept at the birth of Christ are just a glimpse. In fact, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (2 Corinthians 2:9) The best is still to come.

 

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Thanksgiving

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Autumnal harvest“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2

 

It never ceases to amaze me what wonderful, amazing people that God has allowed me to connect with just because I sat down one day and started to type a story.

Friendships have deepened. New ones have begun.

Your stories have enriched my life.

May God return your grace and kindness to you a hundredfold today and in the days to come.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Signs

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lightstock_50176_xsmall_user_527383In John chapter 4, there is a story in which Jesus performs a long-distance healing for the son of one of Herod’s officials. Jesus is on His way home from celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem. John 2:23 tells us many believed when they saw the signs He did, but Jesus knew they were only looking for the spectacular. So now, He’s made it as far as Cana, when this desperate father catches up to Him. A crowd of Galileans had gathered, ready to see what miracle ‘their’ prophet would perform, but Jesus disappointed them. He simply told the man, “Go home. Your boy lives.” Travelling back home, the father received news that his son was healed just as Jesus said, and he believed, and his household.

 

God occasionally provides signs, but they are on His terms and glorify Him. All of Jesus’ miracles were done to demonstrate His deity and authenticate His ministry.

Signs never produce faith. They strengthen what’s there. The father in the story had enough faith to come to Jesus, AND enough faith to go back home on Jesus’ word alone. Afterward, the father was absolutely sure Jesus was who he thought He was.

Jesus expects us to believe solely because of His word. He wasn’t about to feed the crowd’s lust for drama. He said the boy would live. That was good enough.

 

I’ve asked signs from God on numerous occasions, all under the guise of ‘wanting to know God’s will’, but in reality, they were faithless demands that God prove Himself. He didn’t answer me. The truth is, He is completely trustworthy and faithful. His word is more than enough. 

Dishes

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Expensive table setBut in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-1)

 

I have some dishes up in the corner of my attic, and every year, usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, I bring those dishes down and put them to use. After New Year’s, I pack them back for another year. In a sense, those dishes are sanctified, set apart for a specific purpose. If I chose, I could use those dishes in July. Or I could use them everyday. Either way, they are still set apart for a purpose, determined by the one who purchased them.

I am set apart for a purpose determined by my Lord, who purchased me.

My dishes are useful. The bowls don’t leak. The plates hold the food. They do what they were designed to do.

I was designed by my Father to function in the roles He assigns. And I’m suited for that role just like the bowl is suited for ice cream.

My dishes can be set apart and can be useful, but if they aren’t prepared- that is, clean and in the cabinet- I can’t use them. My kids have some old plastic dishes in their playhouse outside. The dishes are dirty, stained, and many are chipped and cracked. They are no longer useful. Truth is, they were no longer useful when they were relegated to the playhouse.

I need to ensure I stay prepared, by keeping clean and being available.

Now my nature is to be one of those dishes that gets used every meal, every day. But God in His wisdom knows that’s too much for me. He knows when and how to put me to work to accomplish His purposes and glorify Him.

 

One more point- what happens if one of my Christmas dishes is used for dirt in the yard? It’s still a Christmas dish that I bought and set aside for that purpose. After it’s been in the yard, I have to bring it inside and run it through the dishwasher on the super-hot “sterilize” cycle before I’d consider using it again.

If get out and get myself dirty, God may have to put me through some really hot water before He can use me again. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m His.

 

 

(This is a re-post. Thanks for understanding during NaNoWriMo.)

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From a Boy to a Man

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This past weekend, we celebrated my son’s thirteenth birthday. My husband threw him a party and gave him a commission. It was deeply meaningful and powerful, and I hope you don’t mind my sharing it. 

 

Alan birthday 022smWe begin the ceremony of commissioning Alan into manhood. Unfortunately, one of the greatest living men, my father, wasn’t able to attend. He is fulfilling a commitment that he made before God to provide for another. He embodies much of what I want you to be. As good an example as Charles Emerson Wiseman is, I ask you to follow an even higher standard, that is the standard given to you by God.

As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them. God has seen fit to give us three arrows so far.

An arrow is made of three parts, the tip, the shaft and the feathers. The tip is the business end. It is hard, sharp and dangerous. You will have to be hard sometimes. You will have to do what is right in spite of adversity. You will have to endure many trials without help from anyone you can see. Enduring trials is difficult, but you never have to endure your trials alone. I will not always be with you, just as my Dad won’t always be with me. These other men will not always be with you, the spouse that God provides you will not always be with you, but Jesus will NEVER leave you or forsake you. Trust in Him. Lean on Him.

You will need to be sharp. It is much easier to cut with a sharp knife. If the knife is dull, the labor is increased. You are being sharpened by your mother, but you are becoming responsible for keeping your blade sharp. Study. Study to show yourself approved before God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Be as wise as a serpent, but as harmless as a dove.  Walk circumspectly, looking around you, because the days are evil.

Being sharp is useful and dangerous. Every man here has cut his finger with a sharp knife. Understand that you have the power of destruction within you. Be careful. You must understand that your activities and your words must be tempered with love or you will destroy or at least harm others.

The arrow has a shaft. If the shaft is not straight, the arrow will not fly true. Guard your heart. Make a covenant with your eyes. Confess freely. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean toward your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.  I will pray for you as long as I live, but this begins a time in your life when I won’t always be around. I encourage you to keep yourself from evil.

Lastly, the arrow has feathers. Feathers slow down the arrow and keep it flying true. Running full bore into some situations will not be wise. Be patient and wait on the Lord. He will not always act in the timeframe that you want Him to act in. He is God, you are not. Trust His timing and not your own. Emotions are a wonderful gift from God. God Himself is emotional, laughing, regretting, rejoicing. But I encourage you to act on Truth, not emotion. Our hearts are deceitful. Our anger does not work out God’s righteousness. I am not saying be emotionless, that would be an awful existence. I am saying be patient, don’t act on your emotions or you may do something you later regret. Remember, you have the power of destruction within you.

An arrow is like a book. Both are useless if not put into service. I am proud to have you in my quiver, but I have raised you to accomplish God’s purpose for and in your life. You have been mine, but you will always be His. We have come to a day, where I must say, Son, my son, it is time to start being a man. This is a process. This has to be a process because I need time as much as you do. I want to commit to you to give you room, room to succeed on your own and room to fail.

A few words on being a man. Men are not perfect. Ask any woman. We love to get things done. We break things, but because we are men, we fix them. Other people break things, but because we are men we fix those things, too. We don’t just want the bandage; we want to go to the heart of what is wrong and make it right. We thrive on clarity, facts, truth, justice and black and white.

We sometimes act before we think. We have to fight laziness. We commit before we consider. We are fragile, sometimes doing things because our heart aches and doing is the thing we know best for therapy. We have egos that we seek to have propped up and that can lead us to bad decisions.

We have to learn that sometimes the woman in our life doesn’t want things fixed. She wants something that is hard for us, to give our undivided attention and listen. As you develop into a mature man, do not neglect your heart. Sometimes it is easy for us to go through the fire, but hard for us to be still and know the He is God and we are not. You will have a struggle or maybe struggles as your relationship with God develops. You will have done everything you know to do and the problem is still there. At these points, all you can do is fully rely on God and let him guide you.

Alan birthday 026smBe wise, be aware, be loving, and be strong.

I almost fear to use David’s advice to Solomon. Not because David’s advice was poor, but because Solomon’s obedience was. I trust that you will be wiser than Solomon, so that I can give you the same advice, and you will excel far above Solomon.

Someday I will go the way of all the earth. You be strong and be a man. Obey the Lord your God’s charge to you, walk in His ways, keep His statutes and judgments and testimonies so that you might prosper in His service. (1 Kings 2:4, KJV)

Now you, my son Alan, know the God of your fathers and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of your thoughts: if you seek him, you will find Him, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off. Listen now, for the LORD has chosen you for a special work. Be strong and do it.

 

Things ended with the men in attendance gathered around praying blessings over my son, then his father presented him with a signet ring to mark the occasion.

 

 

 

Rules

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know the rulesLast week I promised one more Downton Abbey post from the season three finale. In a quick scene, tucked in amid the high drama, Mrs. Hughes says a final goodbye to a house maid who had just been fired. Mrs. Hughes explains, “There are rules to this way of life. And if you’re not prepared to live by them, then it’s not the right life for you.”

 

Rules.

We bristle at the idea of having rules to follow as Christians. It smacks of legalism and everything that was wrong with the Mosiac law. Rules force us to serve out of obligation rather than love, and they pull us into trying to achieve God’s favor through merit rather than grace.

 But there are rules to this way of life.

Jesus was very frank about the rules when it came to following Him. He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) The rules are simple. Self-denial, surrender and sacrifice. Not very appealing, especially to a crowd who supposed that following Jesus meant bread and healing and other miracles. Not any more appealing to a crowd who thinks following Jesus means having all our problems solved and our wishes fulfilled.

 

He doesn’t make us follow. It’s strictly voluntary. He issues an open invitation to anyone who wants to come. Just understand there are rules. If we aren’t following the rules, we may not be following Jesus.