An unexpected journey to the grocery store

As a Florida resident, I have personal experience with preparing for hurricanes. We stock up on canned food, bottled water, essential meds, paper products. We expect to see the anxious looks on people’s faces as they jostle in grocery stores or home supply stores. We hear regular updates on TV about “models” and governmental proclamations.

But I was not prepared for this.

My first visit to our local grocery store soon after the outbreak of the coronavirus in our country was, in a word, bizarre.

A day after the president’s declaration of a national emergency, I went shopping for a couple grocery basics at 8.00 AM on Saturday. When the concerns about this virus began to ramp up earlier this month, we had stocked up on many of our basic needs, so we had prepped. But, on that Saturday morning, I had a short list of important items, and I thought I’d get a head start on the day.

As I walked through the store, I saw empty shelves, empty displays, and long lines. At 8.00 AM on a Saturday! All the items on my short list were missing. No milk. No chicken. No bacon. No bread.

I was stunned. I felt a shot of adrenaline, and real fear.  I had never seen anything like this before, not even during the days prior to Hurricane Irma back in 2017.

The store clerks didn’t know when new supplies would come. As soon as the shelves are stocked, they said, people load up their carts (hoarding food, more to the point), and check out.

And for the first time in my life, I felt fear that we might not have all the food we need – not a voluntary worrying, but a natural, knee-jerk reaction type of fear – a fear of wont.

The anxious energy in that store was thick. So many shelves were barren. Many questions hung in my mind like a mobile, spinning around. The normal routine of life had suddenly been taken away. My reliable American food chain did not seem that reliable.

Then something that Jesus said came to mind: “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat ..."

Wow. That’s real. 

Back in my car, on the way home, more of Jesus’ words came: For the nations seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6.25,31-33)

I knew it was time to work this out.  And it is hard work trusting God in the midst of these unprecedented crises. But this is a time when his Kingdom can be expressed in unprecedented ways!

And we get to be part of that!  What an unexpected journey this is!

Can we see this crisis from Jesus’ perspective?

When Christ is the center of your heart

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4.4-5)

Paul wrote these words while he was alone and separated from his loved ones, unable to visit or be visited. He was in jail. But his incarceration was unfair and unjust – he didn’t deserve this isolation.  Yet… he was able to rejoice and trust that God was near, even in his dark and fearful experience.

Many of us can relate to Paul in our current experience: isolated, separated, unable to visit or be visited… but not as a result of our actions or offenses.

Self-isolation and self-quarantine are essential community behaviors that can save lives and protect our communities in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

But that doesn’t make us feel any better about it, right? Many of us are feeling frustrated, fearful, and anxious.

When I am anxious or fearful, and I allow that anxiousness to dwell in my heart, it will direct my reactions to people. I am not gentle with others, but impatient and aloof; there is no evidence in my words or behavior that the Lord is in near – or that he is here in our midst.

But when I bring my anxiousness and my fears to Jesus, I can turn them into prayers and requests, and he replaces that turmoil with peace.

⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4.6-7)

His gentleness becomes evident, because the Lord is near – he is in our midst.

And that can bring encouragement and comfort to others. Just like when Jesus calmed the storm – he calms the storms in our hearts and minds.

Today, and in the days and weeks ahead, we can learn to bring to Jesus our fears and frustrations – and turn them into prayers. We can thank him – for all he is, and all he has done.  We can look to him, even when our hearts or minds are rattled with anxiousness.

Jesus can work into our hearts and minds a peace that the world cannot give us, but a peace that only he can give.

Here is a wonderful version of Philippians 4.6-9 from the Message Bible. Perhaps this is worth memorizing!

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Invite Jesus into each place of your heart, and ask him to dwell there.

He is called the “Prince of Peace” and he wants to share that peace in our hearts.

Moreover, he can give us that peace – all you need to do is “let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.”

Is today the day when you can take a new step in trusting God? What is preventing you from reaching out to him, in your heart, and asking Jesus to come and dwell in you? 

Can you ask him to be the center of your life today?

If you want to chat about this personally, please PM me or email me so we can connect.

"God, I remember you"

At times, over these past several weeks, I have woken up around 4.00 AM with troubled thoughts and anxieties – all stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak and the financial crisis developing.

In the normal course of everyday life, I can mull over problems, and turn that mulling into worrying.

But these moments of early morning wakefulness feel more like an involuntary fearfulness welling up. What are my fears?

That I will not be able to find food for my family members with special dietary needs (the shelves of our local grocery stores are more and more limited, and I’m not referring to toilet paper! Hah)  Or that our vulnerable family members could catch this virus. Or that the financial downturn will take away our savings. 

These thoughts can shake me out of an early morning sleep. But, then what?

I choose to remember how God has provided in my life over the past years. 

I try to follow the example of the psalmist in Psalm 63.6-7:

On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.

So, I choose to remember how God was my help and covering in years past.

For instance: How God provided opportunities for me after college in Ohio, even though I had wasted a couple years in school in reckless living; How God provided a job for me when I moved to Virginia at the depths of the 1980 recession; How God provided work and support for us here in Jacksonville over these many years of mission and ministry.

I recall these times, specifically, one by one. And then I turn them into a prayer.  

Such as, “Lord, just as you provided for me in Ohio…in Virginia…in Jacksonville…so you can provide for me now. I will not allow myself to stay in an anxious place, but I thank you for being my provider, then and now. You chose me, and you love me. And I will rest on You.”

Or to quote the psalmist:  “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

There are many other scriptures that help us look to God for his grace and mercy, such as…

Psalm 143.4-6

So my spirit grows faint within me;
    my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago;
    I meditate on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land.

Isaiah 46.9

“Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.”

Why would I say that God cares about me, and that I can bring him my fears and needs? Because he made me his own, through Christ – I belong to him, and he will care for me – and he offers you the same opportunity today.

Please PM me or email me if you want to chat more about what this would mean for you. At such a time as this, we all can reach out to God afresh, for he made a way through Christ to know his love and his care.

"Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

There seems to be a pandemic of anxiety and fear. The spread of the COVID-19 virus is causing people to seek quarantine and isolation for protection. Global financial markets continue to plummet, largely spurred by the fear of economic damages from the effects of COVID-19. And now, a new international oil price war is creating more economic havoc. (And ... we can’t forget to mention the ongoing rancor and drama in this current American Presidential election year, which is not really a new thing, if you think about it – but it can add more stress and anxiety to an already fearful environment.)  Whew! Just typing this paragraph is wearying!

Anxious and fearful times are nothing new. We read Jesus’ words to his anxious disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” (Luke 12.22) If the disciples weren’t worried about their welfare or protection, Jesus wouldn’t have issued this specific command. Although the disciples’ fears were rooted in a different context, the question expressed in fear or anxiety is the same for us: “Will I be OK in this unsafe world?”

Jesus’ answer is not simply a quick “yes, of course.” But he digs deeper (as he always does!) and draws our attention to our hearts’ affections: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12.34)

In other words, what you treasure expresses what you trust.

And trust is a heart-issue.

God is a realist. He knows our needs. Which is why Jesus says, “For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.” (Luke 12.30) That is meant to reassure us. God knows your personal, private needs. We are known, personally, by the eternal God Most High. And he cares for us.

So because of Jesus, we have a different and better response to anxiety or fear: “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (Luke 12.31)

To “seek” is another heart-issue. It means to intentionally turn our attention and affections toward God – to his rule and reign, his presence and power in us.

Getting slapped in the face

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”  (Matthew 5.38-39)

There are many billboards in my city that advertise the services of law firms, each with their own slogan. One in particular always stands out to me: “Don’t settle for less than you deserve.” I want to believe that this firm has helped many people find justice in our legal system, but their slogan expresses to me one of our most base human desires – to get what is mine by rights.

This makes sense in the realm of our culture. We do live in a society that values the biggest, the strongest, and the richest. In this realm, our safety and security needs to be defended from bigger and stronger and richer threats. Defending rights and privileges therefore makes sense.

But in Christ, God has transferred us to a different realm – to the “kingdom of God.” (Colossians 3.15)  In this system, the rules of behavior are different, because our source of safety and security are different. We don’t have to be our own defender or advocate – the Lord is our advocate; God is our ultimate defender and provider. This looks “upside down” to the way our world lives.

My late father-in-law, Les, exemplified this heart attitude.  After years of hard work and commitment, he had built his own engineering consulting business with two other partners. But, at the height of his career, his partners were able to restructure the business, essentially cutting Les out. He was basically robbed of his business and livelihood. Remarkably, he did not fight back or bring legal action. His reason was simple, as he expressed to his family: the Word of God tells us to turn the other cheek, and God will provide for us. In the years that followed, Les was able to start a new business that eventually was successful. And through this, God provided for Les and his wife in their final years. After he sold his business upon retirement, they were able to move into a specialized senior health center to care for growing health challenges. God indeed was faithful to his Word.

Paul asks, “Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6.7)  Because we live in God’s different realm, and we can trust his power to provide.