The Same Haunting Questions and His Abundant Provision

How are we going to make ends meet?

What will tomorrow look like?

Will the fog ever lift?

Will I ever have friends?

Are the funds going to come through?

When will the pain subside?

Will we have enough to provide for our children?

These are all questions that can haunt us at 3AM when sudden panic sets in and the mind gives in to endless wander. The questions that steal our joy as we calculate the total sum for a full tank of gas. The questions that rob of peace when the pain sets in.  The stark reality that circumstances change and we are increasingly vulnerable. It's uncomfortable. The change I mean.  The not-knowing. The pressure of it all.

It's the same set of questions that arrive when we are confronted with our inability to control the chaos that we were born into, and more so the chaos that builds from within. These questions are really nothing new. We've asked them all before. Was there not a point within the last two years when we attempted to answer them?  And needless to say, there will certainly be a time in the coming days that will tempt us to spiral when we gaze at the less-than-favorable circumstances to be our escape, our rescue.

But there is a better way.

Sure, the questions are honest questions. A reaction to the unknown. A begging of relief.  An admission, an understanding that we are painfully finite and grossly limited in our ability to control the future in any real capacity. I don't know the answers to the questions that sneak their way into the hours when shadows lurk on the walls. I may never know.  And I don't have to know because I know our peace is not conditional to our circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13; John 14:26-29). These questions need not produce a jaw-clenching paralysis; let them point us to something better...

To Someone better.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32)

Our greatest need has been met in the complete person and work of Jesus Christ. Freedom purchased for us by his very own blood: freedom from sin and freedom to live a life of joyful obedience.  We were desperately sick, dead in our sins and trespasses, already condemned to hell to be forever separated from the loving kindness of God.  But for those that believe, God has made us alive together in Christ (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:1-8).

Our greatest need has been provided for, he will continue to provide all things.

We can not save ourselves. Our circumstances expose our impotence. Our failed attempts convict us. The longings and aches in our soul stand as a scaring reminder. We are unable. But rescue has come. Christ dealt with the one thing we could never do ourself: appease the wrath of God for our every sin and in peace, be reconciled to Him. Christ took our punishment, in our place, what we deserved (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  He died in our place and then defeated the grave by rising from the dead in our place (Colossians 2:13-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Our greatest need: to be reconciled to our very good God.  And the way has been made (John 14:6; Romans 10:9). Has your greatest need been met in Christ? If not, these far lesser needs we find ourselves grasping at will cave in on us and suffocate slowly. Turn to Jesus, and find peace for your weary and worn soul (Romans 5, Matthew 11:28-30).

If God has so graciously provided for our greatest need, what is it to him to provide these far lesser needs of ours?

It is his joy as a good Father to lavish his good gifts on those who are called his, all those who have believed in him (Ephesians 1:7-9; Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34)

So when we ask those questions and are drawn to ask the question, 'Did God really say...?" Remember his past faithfulness in giving you more abundantly than what you deserve. Bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me.  Bless his holy name (Psalm103).

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Psalm 84:11

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see."

Psalm 36:7-9

Oh, and taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."

Psalm 34:10

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

Matthew 7:11

"The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hands, you satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Psalm 145:15-16

We have been given Christ. Our greatest need has been met.  God will graciously provide for all our secondary needs. You have tasted the goodness of God, remember his faithfulness. Walk in obedience. Your boast is in the Lord. We need not fear tomorrow.  The time is coming, maybe next week or next year, when you will be tempted to fix your gaze at your situation rather than your Savior.  Avert your eyes and cling to Christ. What a gift you've been given (James 1:17; John 10).

Unity in my Children

 
I look at my kids and see unity.

t o g e t h e r

They don’t always get along—after all, they have differences of interests and opinions; but, they love each other and want the best for each other. They reconcile and forgive, readily. Not hostile, pursuing one another. They put their arms around each other and laugh. And genuinely love being with and next to one another. Here they all agreed to watch baby einstein because it’s what the twins like—constantly sacrificing their desires and putting others first.

Tomorrow, they’ll still be

t o g e t h e r

because they are united in one family.

May we be found being like children in the body of believers; after all, we are in the same family. Help me be like this, oh Lord.

"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." - 2 Corinthians 13:11

t o g e t h e r

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:35

t o g e t h e r

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2:3

t o g e t h e r

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" - Psalm 133:1

t o g e t h e r

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." - Romans 12:16-18

t o g e t h e r

"...urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:1a-3

 

 

7 Lessons: Going Outside and the Christian Life

Here are some things that I have learned over the last year as we attempted to get 1000 HOURS OUTSIDE within 365 days. It averages out to a little less than 3 hours a day. It seems doable. Almost an afterthought. A no-brainer.  It couldn’t really be that hard of a challenge, could it? But I have learned quite a bit while reflecting on it all. Sure, all metaphors or parallels will eventually break down, but here is my attempt to reconcile going outside and the Christian life.

1. We didn’t casually arrive at 1000 hours.
There was an intentionality in spending time outside. And like holiness, we don’t just casually wake up one day looking more like Jesus. It takes “grace-driven effort” to obey, to deny ourselves and our pleasures and our desires of selfishness, comfortability, and convenience. Some days were a fight, a crawl towards the door.

“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” - DA Carson, For the Love of God

2. Our goal was visible and we supported each other in the challenge.
Our chart hung in our kitchen, which is more of a catch-all room than a place to feast. It’s where we gather and laugh and track muddy feet inside. We pass the chart to the fridge. We pass the chart to the bathroom. We pass the chart when we scrounge for a snack in the pantry. Most importantly, we couldn’t go a day without being reminded of the end goal. Tangible. In our faces. A reminder. The kids were chronic chart checkers and asked much about our progress. So much of the Christian life fails to keep the end goal in mind—to be sanctified looking more like Jesus as we obey God’s good statues and remember all that Christ has done on our behalf, as undeserving as we are. We look to our future hope in glory worshipping Jesus with a multitude of hosts and with people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. And so we remind each other, as visible presence in each others’ lives, that better days are ahead of us and to keep fighting the good fight. We support and encourage and edify each other to keep your eye on the prize of Christ.

3. Some seasons were easier and seemed to be more joyful than others.
In August, the Youngs succumbed to the 2-week illness, which seemed to drag out through the entire month. We are unlike many Americans in this regard. In the middle of summer in Virginia it also feels like you’re trapped in an oven heated to the surface of the sun with killer mosquitos the size of birds. Needless to say, our 8 hours outside seemed to be all that were realistically feasible for us tried as we might—I could render it a pathetic and useless month, especially if I were to compare it with June when the days were spent playing tag in the sprinkler and making sun castles from sun up to sundown. But they aren't comparable seasons. They both worked toward our end goal, adding hours to the sheet and allowing us to see more of the sun’s warmth. It definitely took more effort and more intentionality and more help to get outside in August. But we have seasons where spiritual disciplines seem to be lagging. Where it is all we can do to go to church, to pick up our bible, to even utter a prayer. But even those seasons are working for God’s good pleasure in our life (Philippians 2:13). We praise God that in his sovereign goodness that even these hard seasons are working for our good (Romans 8:28). We praise God that our righteousness is staked in Jesus alone, and not our works (Ephesians 2:8). We praise God that he is gracious and bears with us and sustains us when an August comes to our days (Psalm 103).

4. Remembering the springtime reminded us that the brutality of summer doesn’t last.
August caused all of us to long for the next day, to groan deeply for the next season. We knew it wouldn't last forever, but it sure felt like the season would never change. We knew from our past experience that our days were meant to be lived differently, not couped up in the house. We could remember the the sounds of spring when our joy seemed complete as we lived barefoot in bathing suits. Likewise, when the promised trials of the Christian life come into our homes (John 16:33), we can remember God’s past faithfulness. We can look to the promises he has given us through his Son—He has overcome the world (John 16:33), He will never leave us (Matthew 28:20, Psalm 55:22, Isaiah 43:2), His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), He is a present help (Hebrews 4:16), He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), all things work for the believers good and God’s glory (Romans 8:28), a better day is coming and all things will be made new (Revelation 21:5), among countless others. So we remember his past faithfulness in seasons we struggle, and patiently look forward to a better day that is coming. We chew on the reserves, the feast of God's word we consumed and stored during seasons of plenty so that in seasons of famine we can still nibble the scraps when that’s all we can manage.

5. Excuses are easy to give and readily available. There will be no lack of distractions
If there was an excuse, we could give it. They are always on the tip of our tongue. 

“I’m tired.”

“I want to watch TV.”

“I want to sleep.”

“It’s too cold.”

“I don’t want to get wet.”

“It’s too hot.”

“There are too many bugs.”

“It’s too dark.”

“The sun is too bright.”

“My socks feel weird.”

“I have a splinter.”

“The hawks will eat me.”

“I don’t have anyone to play with.”

“The bees scare me.”

“I am hungry.”

“The flowers are dead and it makes me sad.”

“I want to draw.”

And the best (or I guess worst?) and most notable excuse of all… 

“I just don’t want to go outside.”

All the excuses taking up valuable time spent outside and causing our hearts to grow bitter in response. How many times do we use these excuses as believers? And like I said, some seasons really are more challenging than others: pregnant with twins, bouts of anxiety, new job in a new city, sickness and physical inability, personal turmoil, the list continues; but 9 times out of 10 I find that my own disobedience boils down to my own self-reliance and the excuse, “God, I just don’t want to.” We never admit that though, it often can be cloaked in self-righteous busyness and playing the victim. The better way is to look to Jesus. Confess to our own inadequacies, weakness, excuses, and tendencies to sin. The better way then is to walk in obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit in the grace that Christ has given. We will make excuses. But they mostly fall flat every time resulting in a more bitter heart.

6. No matter the weather, we plodded forward
There were days that rendered us unable to step outside: high winds, tornados, snow storms, hail stones, frigid temperatures, heat advisories; not to mention an overall need for rest, sicknesses, disciplinary consequences, or injuries. But when I look back at our chart, what I see is not all the days or hours that we missed outside. What I see is a progression forward. Marks on a page that nudge us and motivate us further along in our ultimate goal of 1000 hours. A positive trend of continuing in the face of the certain uncertainty in our days. Similarly, in the certain uncertainty of much of our days as a Christian, we go back to the Bible and find that God's marks on the page nudge us closer to Christ and his commands. We can see looking back how our lives that were once defined by sin are now lived as a saint. We can see where we have conquered a habitual sin by God’s grace and no longer make sinning our practice (1 John 3:4-10). We see a trend towards holiness, a likeness of Christ, and look to the day when we are no longer tempted towards sin and rebellion against Him. And when God looks at us, he sees only the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Galatians 2:20).

7. Our time outside wasn’t reserved to a single location

Most of our time was spent outside in our backyard. We have spent hours and money to transform this space into a welcoming oasis, a retreat from chaos. It is my great joy to do so, and I find so very much pleasure in this. But the time on our sheet wasn’t marked by only the hours spent in our own backyard. It was spent at zoos, the lake, in Texas and Mississippi and Tennessee, in gardens, in friends’ yards, on playgrounds, and on walks. Any time and all time outside counted. For Christians, there is no distinction. You are a Christian and your identity is in Christ, who for His great name' sake and His own pleasure and at His own expense, saved you (John 15:15, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2, Philippians 3:20, Colossians 3:4). There is no compartmentalization of it—at work, at school, at home, at church, in the grocery store, on the ball field, at the movies, in the morning, in the evening, at a concert, at the mall. Any time and all of your time is lived as a redeemed, adopted, chosen, reconciled, beloved son of God.

        

    

So we got the 1000 hours in a year. That was the goal. We made it. Our next 1000 hour chart is already printed and ready to be filled in. I am currently typing outside while the blondes are all barefoot swinging in the hammock. I will mark 6 hours for the day; spring is almost here. And though analogies always fall short in some capacity with our Christian walk, I found great comfort in reflecting over the past year knowing that there’s grace in hard seasons, there’s better days ahead for the believer, and that sometimes obedience really is just a matter of opening the door and walking outside.