Hansel and Gretel, She Can’t Devour You, But She'll Try.

Welcome to Trace’s Space.  The world is scary, and our enemies are on the warpath ready to steal, kill and destroy, we seem to be spinning out of control, consumed by violence and non-willingness  to stand for what is right... whether it is spiritual or not, we need to get over our daily offenses and stand strong and be courageous.
So Hansel and Gretel.  You all know the story, they were disobedient, and decided to go where they were warned not to go.  They went into the woods, left their crumbs for guidance and ended up captive at the home of someone who offered them sweets! You know the stuff that not only looks appealing but tastes good too.  This place was soooooooo inviting.  Captivated by the beauty of gumdrops and lollipops and the aroma of freshly baked bread.  They were so hungry.
As quickly as the entered into what they believed to be pure joy, it was even quicker that they realized they were in really big trouble.  This beautiful place was dangerous.  The host was evil.  Evil had found what they needed, food, and that was the only invitation they needed.
When I was a kid, I don’t remember being warned too much about where not to go.  We went out early and played until well after dark.  My mother had two rules, don’t play in the creek, and when I yell you better get your backside home.  She knew where we were most of the time, we tended to feel guilty if we played in the creek because she told us not to... consequences of playing in the creek, my older brother got a whooping, my younger brother ended up with leeches, I don’t know which was worse.
I remember the neighborhood  kids were allowed in the water so we would sneak and swim.  On one occasion I went alone, oh how stupid was I?  Well I encountered a very large snake, needless to say I believe my creek adventures ended there... but think about the danger, the water and the current was not my fear, the snake! I could have drowned and no one would have known.  I could have been abducted, raped, murdered, but those were different times, we had no fear.  Not that those things didn’t happen, we just didn’t hear about it.
When raising my kids I was a nut job! I worried about where they were what they were doing, who they were with, don’t hide in the clothes rack, heart attack at 30!!!!  I was always afraid that someone would take my kids.  Dear Lord, that maternal instinct was in overload.   I had to be told by my loving husband to just breathe for crying outloud!
But our job as parents is to protect our kids, to keep them safe.  The world today is a really hard place to do that.
After 9/11, the idea of our children leaving home and not returning seemed to intensify for me.  With every act of violence in neutral places seemed to somehow add an extra awareness that no matter where we go, we are vulnerable to violence.  Churches and schools should be the safest places ever, but they are a constant target.  Any place where folks gather is a target, yes we live in a scary world, and while we aren’t throwing crumbs to mark our path, we are sure looking at the beauty of the outside and falling for the smell of fresh bread.  We are aware of the danger but ignore it because it hasn’t directly effected us.
The evil in this world is constantly looking for the most vulnerable and attacking.
What I forgot to tell you was, Hansel and Gretel were starving.  Their father had went out to look for food.  Their intentions were good, I figure they believed if they could find a good meal their father would forgive them for not listening.  The father knew the danger that awaited them and tried to protect them, but they made a choice.
Have we become so desensitized to danger and violence that we have decided to accept it?
We aren’t suppose to.
First and foremost we need to get on our knees and pray!  Lord forgive me for whatever I have done to contribute to the state of this world today.  Lord lead me in Your ways, equip me with wisdom, give me vision and strategically place me so that I can help in a positive way! It has to begin personally.  We have to first get right with God in order to effectively pray that others do the same.
We need to lose that because I am a child of God attitude of entitlement.  I am no better than anyone else, my sin is sin in the eyes of the Father.  Jesus walked amongst the sinners of His day.  Just because you minister to this messed up world doesn’t mean you aren’t messed up too.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
When Hansel and Gretel’s father returned home and found them missing I don’t think he panicked, he knew exactly where they were.  He went looking and found them after a couple of days!  Those kids had enough wisdom once caged to not get fat! They also had the faith in their father, they knew he’d come looking for them.  They knew he could over take evil because of Who He Is!
We are like them you know! Kind of my point!
Our Rescuer  is always present looking for us.  Even when we disobey.  He is willing to take on evil on our behalf.  His only desire is that we seek, find Him then follow! To proclaim He is Lord of all.  To repent, turn and sin no more.
Yes our world is a scary place, but we have a God that is way bigger than any of it!
God So Loved the World that He Gave His Son so that we shall have EVERLASTING life!
See you next time!

Ruth! Where did Orpah go?

Welcome to Trace’s Space. This morning I was thinking about being prepared for life and expectations, how unprepared we really are for the things life hands us and God got me thinking about Orpah.
Orpah was Ruth’s sister who was married to her husbands brother, Naomi’s son, both of which who died along with Naomi’s husband.  She is a brief part of the story in the book of Ruth and Ruths journey from becoming a widow to becoming part of the liniage of Jesus.
For those unfamiliar, after the death of their husbands Naomi decides to return to Israel to Bethlehem to her folks because her husband and sons have died.  She was technically alone.  She urges her daughters in law to return to their people, Orpah goes but Ruth refuses because she loves this woman who is  now her family.
That’s where the story seems to ends for Orpah... what happened to her? You won’t believe it!  According to the Bible she went home... Historians indicate this woman from the moment she received the kiss goodbye from Ruth, then entered into a life of utter chaos.  She was rejected by her people, so inturn she ended up amongst the Philistines. She gave birth to six sons, six different fathers, six Giants... one being Goliath!
Years later there would be a encounter with Ruth’s great grandson David and this giant! According to the Talmud (a collection of Jewish writings) not only did Goliath die at the hands of David but so did Orpah her death brought on by defending her surviving son who constantly went after Israel, so she was killed by a General in David’s army... this woman spun out of control....
Sad thing is she was a bargaining tool, sold off to a King as a political pawn, then used by men for what ever! Her life, awful!
One sister  Ruth, represents good... the other sister Orpah, represents evil.
I imagine Orpah wanted revenge, even though she chose to return home.  Her idea of redemption was killing off what I imagine she thought should have been her inheritance.
I don’t imagine that Ruth ever thought that her sister would come at her family in such evil ways! I figure as we see the example of her ability to love, she thought her sister loved her as much as she loved Orpah. How incredibly sad!
The day those girls married brothers, they were happy and could have never imagined where life would lead them...two starting on the same basic path, but life handing them a crappy deal.   I don’t think that Ruth thought her sisters life would be a living hell, and it probably was because she was in relationships with men who did not value her, the worst part, Orpah was fully aware of Ruth’s blessings.  Ruth’s family was royalty, full of honor... Oprah’s family was royalty as well, but they were bullies!
What tragedy!
Families... the good, the bad, the ugly.  So back to what initially brought me to Ruth and Orpah.  I was thinking about a local news story, a teenager that went into a school and stabbed a bunch of people, and a interview that was done with this kids parents.  It was incredibly sad, at first they were mortified, they thought perhaps he was a victim, little did they know he was the perpetrator.  They talked about a neighbor who called them and told them they needed to check their kitchen for missing knives, their son was the one trying to kill his school mates. Never in their lives did they expect this.
Stories like this happen every day.
We never expect life to hand us a crap storm.  But sometimes it does, and our choice to follow good or evil is completely up to us.
We need to pray daily that God guides us and protects us.  He keeps us in check and bitterness far away.  It is so easy to get caught up in bitterness, it’s like cancer, it grows until it kills you! That is precisely what happened to Orpah!
Lord,
I pray today for families.  No matter what situations come our way we rely on you to get us through! Kept our Hart’s from getting hard and cold! Protect us from the cruelness of this world.  Amen.

Will We Know By and By?

Welcome to Trace’s Space... Often I have heard folks say,”when I get to Heaven I am going to ask God, why, where or how.”  To clarify before I go further, I really do not think that when we enter Heaven we are going to care much about our questions, the awesomeness of God will take those earthly questions away.  We will be so engaged in worship, on our face before Him, it won’t matter why there was never world peace or how many licks it took to get to the center of a tootsie pop.
But seriously, I have been thinking a lot lately about where God stands on our need to know, what answers He supplies, and the context of those answers... How much understanding does He really want us to have, especially in the areas that are really tough.
We have all had those events in our life that were really difficult, times when we have questioned the faithfulness of God, and even questioned if there is a God, where is the love, where is the healing, why did He allow my mother to die or my child to struggle... why is my husband sick?  All of those things the world looks at as issues that lack the intervention of a deity that I as a Christian have chosen to trust fully in.  But on the flip side of that, how do people survive the awful of this world without God?
Just yesterday I had a conversation with our daughter Rachael, we were discussing a terrible thing that had recently happened to someone we know... we were talking about the pain and suffering, and as the conversation went on, I shared with her what I believe God wants us to get about reasoning, understanding...Why He allows bad things to happen to good people.  This is my kind of God driven explanation... knowing His nature and His desire to protect His children... I believe we will never know His reason for allowing tragedies to strike, because if He allowed us to know, we would never be able to bare it.  In is omnipotent wisdom, He protects us from “us” and our need to get it.  We do not need to know.. in the earthly view, it’s not fair, but in the God view we have to trust in knowing His ways aren’t ours. This whole life journey is about Trust!
Oh how hard is that?
When my mother died I tried to figure out Gods justification in taking her! She was good, kind, a woman of God! I had words with God a lot over it, ocassionally still do... why could God take her and leave not nice folks... I think I have shared the screaming match I had with God one morning on my way to work! But I’m going to share it again... I was angry with someone, and so I was actively discussing my total dislike for this person with God... I was letting Him know how mean this person was, you know because someone needed to tell Him.  So I was so mad I was bawling, I said, “ God, how could you take my mother who was kind, who was good and leave me———?” As quick as I said it, He replied... “ She was ready”... nothing more... now to some you would think that was the by and by moment, but no... The picture was not completed, what We considered a great sadness could result in joy... Our flesh can’t handle that.  We are selfish by nature...we can’t look beyond our grief and God knows it...
Job lost it all... Yet, he overcame because He knew and trusted God!
Israel had to wonder in the Wilderness...
Jesus went to the cross...
All for the bigger picture..
So today I pray.., Lord even though it hurts, I know Your ways aren’t mine! Lord help us to accept Your silence, but most of all Your wisdom...amen
See you next time