Category: Bible

Let Your *Salt* Shine Bright

Girl smiling up at twinkly lights in an alleyFun fact: I generally enjoy scraping the remaining meat off a leftover rotisserie chicken.
I guess that’s how you can tell I’m not a vegetarian?

In any case, it feels productive. And it usually leads to a convenient batch of “homemade” chicken salad. (“Homemade” because I didn’t grow the chicken, so saying “homemade” feels a little fabricate-y.)

When making “homemade” chicken salad, one must have the proper proportion and distribution of mayonnaise and seasonings. (Go ahead and BE your fancy self and ADD those cranberries, ma’am! I just decided to keep it simple…and I don’t think we had cranberries.)

The mayo (doesn’t it feel intimate to give an inanimate condiment a nickname?) was added, and it was time to season.

I’m REALLY thankful my body lets me eat salt, because I have a friend who has to pretty strictly limit her salt intake right now, and I was thinking of her as I added my lil pink Himalayan sea salt and other seasoning mix to the salad.

Can you imagine a world with limited–or NO–salt?

I can’t. (I mean, my imagination is prettttty active and I could probably get there, but that’s not the point.)

Salt is great because it doesn’t just change the dish it’s going into; it shines a light on the flavors already in it.

When you make a bowl of oatmeal and put in your typical cinnamon, sugar, etc, adding a pinch of salt actually helps magnify the cinnamon.

When you salt something, everything benefits.

 

I think I was about 11 when I started thinking of acting as something I wanted to do for my life, and not just as a “thing” or activity.

One of the reasons I wanted to act and, Lord-willing, expand my platform, was to be a godly role model to anyone who watched me.

Now, that’s a lot of pressure, and I am quite imperfect, but that was such a beautiful opportunity in my mind, and I had a theme verse for acting that really helped illustrate that goal for me:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

I love the idea of being the person who gets to shine and point people to Jesus. SO cool!

 

Right before that verse, in Matthew 5:13, Jesus talks about salt:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Christians are “the salt of the earth”.

Most times when I read verse 13, I think, “Ok, I like cooking–so salt adds some flavor to the world and kinda makes it more colorful. Cool.”

But it’s more than that.

Because, when the salt does it’s thing and lets loose, the cinnamon gets to shine brighter, too.

But, when the salt loses its saltiness, it’s not only not seasoning the dish; it’s hampering the cinnamon, too.

 

I recently made a “Happy Graduation” video (#covidlife) for a sweet friend who just graduated high school. In the video, I felt inspired to share what God had revealed to me lately about the “light of the world” portion of Matthew 5: that it instructs/commands us to “let” our light shine.

“Let” as in “it takes effort, so you have to choose”.

I encouraged my friend to be intentional about letting his light shine. Because, for me, it can be really easy to get lazy or scared or a million other excuses and just not let my light shine. Maybe I feel like it needs to be polished first, or I feel like the room’s so dark that uncovering my light would hurt everyone’s metaphorical eyes too much.

Whatever the case, letting that light do its thing is usually prefaced by a decision on your part. And the same goes for salt. I love how Jesus is just like, “Hey, you ARE the salt and light. Like you just are. So what are you going to do about it?”

 

So? What are you going to do about it?

Mr. Cinnamon down the street is counting on you–his seasoning needs a little extra salt love.

 

“It’s better heated up!”

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If I had $5 for every time my mom has passionately interrupted my caveman-like focus on eating a cold chicken nugget after work–“It’s better warmed up” spoken with a passive-aggressive smile, through clenched teeth, as she nudges past me to the fridge–and I’ve rolled my eyes or groaned in response…

…I’d be quite rich.

giphy

 

I was thinking about that today, as I journaled about my future husband.
(If PSLs–that’s pumpkin spice lattes to non-millennials–with UGGs and scarves are the epitome of a basic white girl, then journaling about your future husband, adding in an ankle-length skirt for good measure–is the epitome of a basic Christian homeschooler girl.)

I’ve entered that season where pretty much every peer I know is either engaged or married (I’m exaggerating, but sometimes it does feel that way).

It’s great for them, and I hope their marriages are truly blessed! But it’s also like, “Hey, I’m just sitting on this bean bag chair eating peanut butter pretzels and listening to Single Ladies…just put a RING ON IT,” too.

I might feel ready. And I might see a guy who might not meet the necessary standards (for me, loving and following Jesus) but has a couple really cool qualities, and I might feel tempted to settle. But it’s like God’s standing next to me, holding open the microwave door, shaking His head at my settling-ness. He knows just how much better the man He has for me is (but not that He doesn’t love the one I might consider settling for), so watching me give little pieces of my heart away to others is just sad. (A little eye-roll-y, too, I bet.)

Every time I let my desire for marriage get to a point where I’m emotionally giving away those little heart chunks to guys who just don’t need it, that’s one less whole part of me that I’m offering to my future man.

Pause. There’s a whole message about saving yourself for your spouse in here that I’m not really going to hit on today. Just know that, as Christians, we serve a God of grace and truth, who loves us more than anyone. If you’ve done things–or things have been done to you (and there’s a world of difference there)–that you feel make you less “whole” or less worthy, just know that God doesn’t love you any less for that, and you are no less of a person. Just begin again, confessing to Him (if needed–see “world of difference” above), covered in His grace, today.

 

This floated around Facebook a while back. Think what you will about the physical depiction of Jesus…it still impacted me.

jesus-teddy-bear-675x381.jpg

I thought about how, the more I’m like, “Okay, God! Go ahead and bring that man to me now, por favor,” and then I feel my heart start to settle for someone who doesn’t hit the main future hub goal, the more I miss the better gift God has for me. And, to clarify, sometimes that “better gift” doesn’t look like something that I think I want or even need. But, news flash, God knows and loves us better than we do ourselves, and I’m incredibly thankful for that.

Also, waiting (not just romantically; in so many aspects of life) is a gift: waiting on the reply, the post-graduation job, the [insert your scenario here]. It totally doesn’t feel that way sometimes, but, hey, we’re learning to embrace and learn from it, aren’t we?

 

So, back to the metaphor-type thing from before.

Those cold chicken nuggets are edible, yes. (This metaphor is kinda eww now.)

But, when I wait 20 seconds for the microwave to heat them up, they’re loads better. (My mom is screaming in victory.)

My okay-ness with settling for the lesser nugget is laughable and not a little embarrassing. Thankfully, someone who lived a LOTTA years before me struggled with that first.

Back in Genesis 25, there were two brothers who knew a couple things about food.
One–Esau, the older–knew it would satisfy his outta-control hunger pains.
The other–Jacob, the younger–knew Esau’s hunger pains would overshadow the older’s common sense…or lack thereof? (But also, being hangry is a THING.)

The moment Esau got home from a hard day’s work, he wanted sustenance PRONTO.

And, in that moment, Jacob wanted a really big thing from Esau, but he figured he probably couldn’t get it unless he outsmarted (and majorly manipulated) his older brother.

SO, Chef Jacob made some “red stew” (sounds tempting, amiright? I’m guessing the author of Genesis 25 wasn’t a menu-writer…but I’m just spit-balling here), knowing that Esau would be SO stinkin’ hungry that he’d do anything to get that stew.

Honestly, this story is so dramatic. But, like I said, hangry-ness is real. You thought that was a 21st century term. Oh, no–it’s pretty much biblical.

What happen next? Jacob asks Esau for the thing–Esau’s birthright–and Esau (did I mention drama?) says, “Look, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?”

So Esau gives Jacob his birthright in exchange for the ole stew.

 

Once again, this is kind of an “Ew” metaphor, but my thing is, I’ve been convicted to put a better guard on my heart for my future dude. Those chicken nuggets just shouldn’t be the satisfier of my hunger when I’m seconds away from making them exponentially more tasty. (Still ew, I know.)

 

I’m not sure how to end this, so I’ll just do so in the very most cheesiest way, just for funsies.

Wait for your nugget. He’s better warm.

 

(I’m dying)
laughing

 

 

Some good nuggets (oh, nuggets of truth *cringe*):

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:2-4

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

 

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
-Ephesians 3:20-21

 

 

Happy waiting!

*Cue simultaneous playing of “We’re All in this Together” and “Single Ladies”*

 

Alive on Purpose

Little girl walking expressively

This can go two ways.

 

The first way:

If you’re breathing today, you’re alive on purpose. Not of your own accord, but because of the Creator of the world who’s put breath in y-o-u.

V. cool.

His timing is perfect, He loves you, and you’re not a mistake. Trust the God who made you.
(In all seriousness, that’s much easier said than done most of the time, and I’m not trying to belittle tough circumstances. Just sharing reminders of truth in the midst.)

 

The second way:

My relationship with Ecclesiastes (relationship’s a strong word for a book I read ~once/a few times a year) is…interesting. There are some parts, like the one below, where I’m like, “Yes yes yes yes.”

There are other parts where an eye roll doesn’t quite do it.

In heaven, if people are recognizable, Solomon (author o’ Ecclesiastes) may not be the first author whose book signing line I’m in.

Gif of Gene Wilder

BUT. Read the below verse, and then we’ll chat.

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15

This may not be the greatest pre-game inspirational speech by any means.

But, when I’m feeling defeated about “not doing enough,” or I’m nearing graduation and if I get asked one more, “So what do you want to do with your life,” I’ll possibly sneeze viciously on them (what?), verse 15 kind of throws a strong hand out in front of me, guarding me from running through life too fast or too stressed.

 

When was the last time you ate and drank with someone, no phone in arm’s reach, no “Only five more minutes until this is overrrrr“?

 

For me, the answer would be, not nearly enough.

 

However, there was a recent night where a few very dear friends and I took a low-quality pic of a fun and food-filled evening that was so, so needed.

It was us simply meeting up, shopping for food that we’re blessed to be able to splurge on for spontaneous occasions like this, and rejoicing in quality time with quality food.
(Food–specifically food that I can eat–is one of my love languages, I’ve decided.)

Friends posing with food

I’m thankful to have friends that go on spontaneous Sprouts runs for an exorbitant amount of “healthy” junk food with me. I think that’s a gift from our good Giver of perfect gifts. (James 1:17)

 

 

If we’re alive on purpose, then let’s live on purpose.

Joy is too precious a gift to miss, to not fully embrace.

 

I need this reminder. If you do, too, then yay! If not, share it with someone who does. Life is too sacred not to.

 

Go live! Jesus loves us!

Honestly Mourning

Mourning

I used to think Mourning Doves were “Morning” Doves.

They seemed super cute and happy.

Aww, they come out in the morning to introduce everybody to a new day! Adorbs. Sunshine and rainbow sprinkles.

 

But…”mourning”? That like goes opposite on the “Yay” scale.

 

And that, in somewhat-dramatized essence, has been my approach to sadness from the beginning of my life until (and occasionally including) fairly recently.

 

Tbh, watching Inside Out definitely helped. Such a great movie.

 

But, so did reading John 11 today.

 

We’ve talked about Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She’s one of my favorite people in the Bible. Her purity and divine see-through-it-ness has captivated me for a while.

 

In John 11, her brother dies.

Keep in mind, this happens after Mary has used expensive perfume to anoint Jesus, prophetically hinting at His upcoming death.

 

So, it *almost* goes without saying that Mary knew a thing or two about Jesus. I feel like she’d been given a good glimpse of the vastness and unmatchability of His story and power. I bet there were a lot of God-whispers in her life that she fully heard, embraced, and obediently followed.

 

So, when Lazarus was sick and the sisters sent word to Jesus about it, I bet you Mary knew full well that Jesus, somehow, could totally heal her brother.

 

But Jesus didn’t come.

 

And Lazarus died.

 

And Mary mourned.

 

Mary didn’t shy away from expressing her sorrow at her brother’s death. No, a ton of family/friends actually came and mourned with the girls.

And, when Martha had finished greeting Jesus, who’d finally arrived 4 days after Lazarus had been laying, dead, in a tomb, Martha went back to Mary and told her that Jesus was asking for her.

 

And John 11 says that Mary “got up quickly and went to Him”.

 

Isn’t the inclusion of that adverb (that’s the “ly”-thing, for all of us who’ve been out of English I for a few years) interesting?

It becomes even more “Oh!”-esque when we continue reading in the next verse, which talks about how the people who’d been mourning with her thought she must’ve been going to the tomb to mourn there, since she got up so quickly.

So quickly.

 

My emphasis comes from a place of admiring Mary’s faith and her resolve to embrace the mourning, but also to embrace the truth of who Jesus was/is.

 

 

We will all go through/have gone through times of mourning. It might look different for each of us.

You could be mourning the loss of a person, a sin you’re embarrassed to have committed, a friendship no longer strong, a part of yourself you feel is no longer there because of the actions someone else took…the list goes on. Point is, mourning doesn’t just mean someone died and you’re crying about it.

 

When I’m mourning, say, a sin I extra-wish I hadn’t committed, am I really going quickly to Jesus to make things right?

 

And, am I rushing to Jesus when a very dear person in my life is not there anymore?

 

Sometimes the devil tries to step in and throw shame/guilt/confusion/hopelessness our way.
The one Person that we receive unequaled healing/grace/peace from is the One that the devil tries to steer us away from…

 

You don’t deserve it. When we stood guilty and undeserving of grace, Jesus died for us. He says we’re worth it.

 

You can’t be helped. Tell that to my God who raises people from the dead. (Oops, spoiler-alert)

 

…Don’t let him.

 

 

So, what does Mary do next?

 

She reaches Jesus, falls at His feet, and says (I bet she was actually cry-shouting),
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 

No shame, no filter.

 

Just a broken, young one saying it how she knows it is.

 

And Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”

 

Mary knew He could do it. But she was still broken, eyes and nose sore from crying, and she told Him what she felt.

Mary was just really real with Jesus. And He didn’t yell at her for that. He saw her precious heart, and He met her where she was, in her faith and trauma and all the nasty, sad stuff.
Actually, her honesty nudged Jesus to tears. Literally, Jesus wept. (According to the shortest verse of the Bible. #Bibletrivia)

 

Thankfully, Mary’s story doesn’t end there.

Jesus, still probably pretty emotional, goes to Lazarus’ tomb and loudly proclaims, “Lazarus, come out!” And, sure enough, out walks a previously-dead man, still wrapped in his grave clothes.

 

And a dead man is no longer dead, because of Jesus.

 

As a result, many Jews believed in Jesus. Because, um, he just brought a dead person back to life.

If Lazarus had been sick and Jesus had hurried back to Mary and Martha’s house to whip out a quick Hello Kitty bandaid and kiss his bloody knee (*slight* misinterpretation of “sick” here), would the people have believed? Maybe some. But, as many as believed after he did something they’d surely never seen before? I think not.

 

 

 

So, whatever reason you’re mourning for, whether it’s something you did or not (those are very different, p.s., and I don’t say that lightly), let’s both learn from Mary and embrace the mourning, be honest with the Dead-Raiser, and keep the faith that He is who He says He is.

 

The mourning won’t last.

 

Go to Jesus in prayer. Quickly. I don’t know what He’s going to do about it, but He knows about it. And He’s got this. (His actions literally defied death on multiple occasions…you’re in the right Hands: the Hands that shaped the universe and the people who live in it.)

No Matter What

Here’s a story you prolly don’t hear everyday.

(That’s a sure-fire way to begin a blog post, innit?)

What is this…language? So much happening in so few words.

 

Today, we’re diving into the story of two men who were imprisoned and then, suddenly, divinely set free.

Open your heart and your minds, friends. This is a good one.

 

Setting the scene:

Timing: Not long after Jesus died

Location: Philippi (Greece)

Picture a little girl. She’s enslaved to human masters, but she’s also enslaved to a demon that allows her to predict the future.

One day, several guys who believed in Jesus, two of whom were Paul and Silas, were walking to the place of prayer. The little girl started following them, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

At this point, the Bible does a little time hop and jumps immediately to several days later, when our little possessed gal is still proclaiming this truth about our boys.

The Bible (Acts 16) says Paul “became so troubled” that he, in Jesus’ all-powerful Name, commanded the demon to leave the girl.

“In the Name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!”
At that moment the spirit left her.
Acts 16:18

That’s a pretty awesome work of God, right?

And that’s not even the part we’re going to really focus on today–that’s just for context.

 

So, apparently this girl’s demonic power was a big selling point for her (can you even imagine? That sentence was so awful to even write.)
Important enough for her “owners” to get super ticked off at Paul and Silas for taking away her “power”.

So much compassion, amiright? #causallydemonfree

 

Long story short, our disciples end up…

getting thrown into prison.

in an inner cell.

with their feet fastened in the stocks.

 

And, when Cinderella was about to be turned into a pumpkin in some other dimension (translation: “Around midnight”), Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

(Can I just say I really like the details included in Acts 16? K, thanks.)

Our S&P boys (S + P = Silas and Paul…keep up, yo) were letting their bright, inner lights shine for all around them to see.

Regardless of their probably still-bleeding skin (see Acts 16:22-23), these men chose, no matter what, to remember God. And to take advantage of their situation by ministering to the people around them while praising God.

 

Love it.

 

A super cool thing happens next:

 

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
Acts 16:26

 

I know I continue to keep you in suspense for “the part” or “the moment”…

Well, get ready, because here it comes!

The prison has, miraculously, just fallen apart.
Literally, all the prisoners were as free to go as…dementors.

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(That was cheap, I know. But you know I had to fit Prison Mike in here somewhere.)

 

What do our praising-God boys do?

Well, the camera actually shifts to the jailer—-the man who was “commanded to guard them carefully.” (Acts 16:23)
This is a great day for the prisoners.

Not so much for the jailer. Right?

I mean, his job is literally to keep people in jail.

Granted, the prison breaking open was out of Mr. Jailer’s control.

But who’s about to get blamed for it?

giphy-2
Yep, that’s right:
Mr. Jailer.

(Also, S/O to me for fitting in two *not-super-well-placed* The Office gifs. That’s a new record.)
(*cue “Celebrate” song*)

 

K, time to take the *attempted* humor down a notch. This next part warrants our serious attention.

 

The jailer knows he’ll have to take the fall for the jail break. For him, that probably means death. And his pride tells him it’d be better to end his life before his boss does.

He’s about to do just that when he hears a voice.

He squints through the probable dust and sees the two biggest culprits to whom he was assigned.

They’re still there.

Yes, their doors are open. They most definitely could’ve left.

But they’re still there.

The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

Acts 16:27-34

 

Paul and Silas were still there.

Because, no matter what, the thing Jesus had planned for them was more important than their own agenda. Even if their own agenda looked pretty unselfishly like leaving a dirty jail to go tend to their wounds.

But that’s not what God had planned.

The jailer’s life was more important to God.

And Paul and Silas chose to honor that.

 

God sees you. Whether you feel more like Paul or more like Mr. Jailer, your life is insaaaaaanely important to Him.

Why?

Well, for tofu’s sake, He invented you! You didn’t exist before He drew you up on His perfect sketch pad.

Believers are His masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10)

You were even created in His image. (Genesis 1:27)

Did you know that both Paul and the jailer were equally loved by God?

 

 

Let’s jump back to the story and see what Paul and Silas do.

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Acts 16:35-40

Did you catch that ending? Paul and Silas (is it worth ADHD-ly mentioning that basically every time I write “Paul and” I end up writing “Paula”? #themoreyouknow) were Roman citizens, which means they were entitled to a fair trial, not just jail time.

However, Paul and Silas went to jail.

Maybe because they knew it’d be an epic opportunity to praise God, and to see God at work in a little, grimy jail with a lost jailer.

 

Reminds me a little of the lost sheep parable Jesus tells in Matthew 18. One sheep in the one hundred total sheep was so.important. that the shepherd went to find it.

We are the one.

God is our shepherd.

You are loved. And I am, too.

Rest in that today, friend.

 

When have you felt God go “out of His way” to search for you? #mysearchandrescue

 

 

 

 

He’s Still There

Plane window

We’ve talked about me + turbulence, right?

For the sake of reminders…

I’m a conditionally good flyer. Meaning, I love flying when you can see cool things beneath and around the outside of the plane.

My “aww, flying’s the best”-ness stops when we hit a rough patch in the air (isn’t that a weird concept? The air has…bumps? #science) and I can’t see what’s happening outside.

Hence the “conditionally”.

Turbulence & flying in a giant cloud = me not in my most peaceful state

In October of 2017, my parents and a dear friend and I went on a trip to NYC. It was such a blessing! We got to eat some delicious food, see a couple of beautiful Broadway shows, and just enjoy that crazy city. Mega shoutout to my parents for making that happen. ❤

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On the flight back, we hit some rough air.

 

Rough to the extent that I think the pilot instructed the flight attendants to stop serving snacks.

Not my fav announcement.

My friend and I were both a little nervous as we looked out the window.

The next part is a little blurry in my and my friend’s memory, but here’s the basics of what happened next:

We watched through the window as our plane approached the dark clouds that were threatening our ride’s peacefulness. They were just looming near where our plane was headed, like bullies in a school hallway, intentionally blocking the door to our next class. (I do have confidence that the metaphors will eventually get better. #maybenexttime)

Then, all of a sudden, we saw a rainbow.

Not a full-blown, double rainbow that looks extraordinary in pictures.

But it was there.

And it was our rainbow.

I believe God put it there for us. Maybe for others, but definitely for us.

Because, when the flight got bumpy and our hearts started beating a little more wildly, that rainbow showed up.

And the coolest part?

When those bully clouds grew in size and looked like they were about to chew up our lil’ plane,

the rainbow grew, too.

 

*applause break for God*

My friend’s thoughts:

It was like this moment of “I’m not in control of this situation right now, but God is and I can put my faith in Him and know He is with us always and His promises are true.”

In the midst of the scary, and the darkness, and that creepy feeling that something bad’s about to go down…

God was with us. Hebrews 13:5.

The darkness couldn’t hide the light. John 1:5.

Because the light came for us and stayed right by our side.

 

. . .

 

Let’s dig into this rainbow dealio real fast.

In 2019, the year I’m writing this, rainbows have a few meanings.

In this blog, here’s what they mean:

In Genesis 9:16, God used a rainbow (fun fact: I think it was the first recorded rainbow. #knowledge) to symbolize a promise He made to never again flood the earth like He did in Noah’s time. Remember that whole Noah’s Ark story?

It really happened.

But, the rainbow symbolized that it’ll never happen again.

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

Genesis 9:16

In other words…

The Rainbow: A physical sign of God’s faithfulness.

 

. . .

 

I haven’t been in many dark seasons. Thankfully.

But the darkest season I’ve been in was, honestly, terrible.

I’m not comparing it to anyone else’s “valley” season. Your story and your seasons are your own; I’m just coming from where I was, and maybe you can meet me there from where you are/were.

The point is, the season was, for me, dark indeed.

But right when I was at the point of truly needing something from God to pull me through, God showed up.

He reminded me of His grace,

His perfect love and provision,

and His purpose for me and my life.

He shined in the darkness, meeting me where I was, loving me too much to leave me there.

He provided the rainbow: Metaphorically, in challenging life seasons, and literally, on the plane.

He was with me. And the same faithful God who was with me is with you, too. If you don’t know Him as your Lord and Savior, I pray that you will.

There’s nothing better than knowing the One who knows you better than you know yourself.

 

Look for the rainbow:

The sign of hope and the reminder of God’s presence in your life.

 

 

Whatever season you’re in right now, I hope you see God’s rainbow for you today.

And, if you feel like you’re at your darkest and you’ve searched for your rainbow to no avail,

remember, sometimes you can’t quite see it until you’re at your darkness.

For example…

  1. Go in a small, enclosed room.
  2. Turn the light on.
  3. Turn on your phone’s flashlight.
  4. Now turn the room’s light off.
  5. Shut the door.

Big difference, right?

(S/O to whoever came up with that illustrative activity! It ’twasn’t me.)

 

The light shines in the darkness.

 

God is with us through every season, whether we feel it or not.

If you feel…

abandoned

scared

sad

confused

lost

empty

weak

…look for the rainbow

God’s still there.

 

Do you have a rainbow story of God being with you in the darkness?

 

 

 

 

21 Days of Praying for Your Spouse/SOG & You

Lads & Lasses building sign

A few years ago I discovered a website that had 31 days of prayers for your future husband. I’ve been using the site as a guide on-and-off since then.

Often while praying for my future dude, I’d become convicted by the Holy Spirit.

“Help him be devoted to Your Word and accountable before You,” I’d pray.

“What about you?” the Holy Spirit replied.

“Mmmm. Touche.”

Recently the site went inactive *insert sad face*, so I thought God and I could just write our own, one that combines prayers for our future husband with prayers for ourselves. If that sounds selfish, just remember that, when you’re praying for your future husband to be humble, you’re praying for yourself to be humble, too. So, kinda more the opposite of selfish.

 

Alrighty, let’s get starte–Wait, Quinnterested, what’s the story behind “SOG” in the title?

I’m glad you asked. 

A couple of dear friends and I have long called our future husbands***(see bottom of page) by the nickname/codename “SOG,” which stands for Sam of God.

“So, there’s a *special* Sam in your life?” you might ask.

Uh, no. Not at the moment, anyway.

Here’s the origin: You might’ve heard of MOG, which stands for Man of God. 

But…SOG? 

Here’s the dealio:

I was *slightly* obsessed with the character Samwise Gamgee (from The Lord of the Rings) when we came up with this nickname ~circa 2009. In that hobbit-lovin’ season of my life, Samwise seemed like the ultimate man (well, hobbit) for me (maybe minus the height difference and weird feet, tbh.)

And, really, not a ton has changed.

So, SOG stuck. (<– not a bad tongue twister, eh?)

Back to our SOG prayer challenge.

 

Will you join me in lifting these (and other) prayers up to our gracious Father for the next three weeks?

 

As we begin, I want to encourage you to keep this verse at the center of your mind:

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16b

By God’s grace, these prayers could mean more to your potential future spouse than you might ever know. So let’s do it, shall we?

 

21 Days of Praying for Your SOG, and YOU

 

Important note: With each prayer, pray it once for your SOG and again for yourself

 

Day 1: Pray for your SOG to know Jesus, if he doesn’t already. 

Thoughts: If Jesus ain’t *cringes from bad grammar* our base, ain’t nothin’ gonna be better than that. (Q, first, that didn’t make sense. Second, why? Just…at least try to be cool. #butcoolisoverrated)

 

 

 

Day 2: Pray for your SOG to trust and follow Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

 

 

 

Day 3: Pray for your SOG to embrace Jesus’s love for him.

 

 

 

Day 4: Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring fruit from your SOG’s relationship with Jesus.

 

 

 

Day 5: Pray for your SOG to love his/your family well.

Thoughts: Challenge yourself to love in action and in truth today, for God’s glory.

 

 

 

Day 6: Pray for your SOG to embrace humility and to be open to wise council.

Thoughts: Challenge yourself to put God and others first today, and to give credit where credit is due.

 

 

 

Day 7: Pray for your SOG to love and know truth.

Thoughts: Dig into the Word today–study the hard topics and find your source of truth from the Bible first, and then from other reliable sources.

 

 

 

Day 8: Pray for your SOG to lead you/your family well.

Thoughts: Focus on getting to know God better and wanting to obey Him more. Your SOG obviously isn’t your god, but learning to submit to those who are worthy of your respect, love, and trust is important.

 

 

 

Day 9: Pray for your SOG to stand up for what is right and true.

Thoughts: Study truth, and then be ready to stand up for what you know to be true.

 

 

 

Day 10: Pray for your SOG to feel loved right now, in this very moment, and to embrace the plans God has for him.

Thoughts: Right now, embrace how loved you are too, sister.

 

 

 

Day 11: Pray for your SOG to experience constant growth in his personal relationship with Jesus.

Thoughts: Knowing and lovin’ Jesus ain’t a one-time thing. (Again with the Southern-ness? Why?) Like any other “human” relationship, your relationship with Jesus is something to be nurtured and explored.

 

 

 

Day 12: Pray for your SOG to care more about what God thinks than what others think.

Thoughts: Speaking as an in-recovery people-pleaser, the kingdom of God needs less people-pleasers and more God-seekers. 

 

 

 

Day 13: Pray for your SOG to be bold (and humble) in sharing his faith with others.

Thoughts: What are your intentions? How do you define love?

 

 

 

Day 14: Pray for your SOG to desire to always be learning more about Jesus.

 

 

 

Day 15: Pray for your SOG to desire to (and actually take initiative to) spend quality time with Jesus on a regular basis.

 

 

 

Day 16: Pray for your SOG to sharpen you, in love and humility.

Thoughts: Proverbs 27:17. 

 

 

 

Day 17: Pray for your SOG to have friends who will be godly influences on his life and will encourage and sharpen him in the Lord.

 

 

 

Day 18: Pray for your SOG to align with you on the most important values of your faith.

Thoughts: Major/Salvation issues are vital to agree on—decide early on what those are for you/your SOG by studying the Word together and knowing what God thinks/what the Bible says on various topics.

 

 

 

Day 19: Pray for your SOG to be intentional about building and nurturing important relationships.

 

 

 

Day 20: Pray for your SOG to be honest with you—about everything.

 

 

 

Day 21: Pray for your SOG to hunger & thirst for God’s Word.

Thoughts: 1 Peter 2:2.

 

 

BONUS Day: Pray for your SOG to find and live in a healthy balance of work and play.

 

 

Congratulations on completing your 3 weeks of intentional prayer! May God richly bless you, as well as any future spouse He may have in store for you.

You are loved!

 

***I realize that not all of us will get married. As much as I kind of don’t want to admit that possibility, it exists all the same. But not because some black void is deciding my future. Nor because my future exists solely in my bad-at-flirting hands. Thankfully, God, our loving Father and Creator, knows exactly what we need, so if He wants you to get married, then it’s for your own good. If not, (still maybe hard to swallow–as a currently-single person, I know) at least we know that His will is for our good and His glory. In a podcast I listened to the morning I started writing this, a pastor reminded listeners that, as created beings, we are ultimately not here to get married or to be single. Instead, we are here to serve God. So let’s move forward in that beautiful truth.

 

Note: I actually found another resource for a 31 day prayer guide! Check it out!

 

 

 

Our Biblical Yearbook: Meet Mary, Martha’s Sister

Photo of Woman Sitting Down on Floor

Reverence.

That’s the best way to describe our newest friend.

She’s just quietly sitting over there, but there’s something deeply wise behind those sweet, naive eyes.

. . .

Today, we’re talking about Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

She has a special place in my heart, and I’m thankful to “know” her.

You can find Mary mentioned in John 11 & 12 (Death of Lazarus and Dining), Luke 10 (Sitting at Jesus’ feet), and possibly in Matthew 26 and Luke 7 (her name isn’t mentioned, and a descriptor makes it sound like it’s not Martha’s sister, but what the woman does in these chapters is similar to what our Mary does in John 12, so I included these just in case).

. . .

Mary is full of a most precious reverence for what’s important in life, and I hope we can all learn from her story today.

 

Background:

(…the Bible doesn’t give us much)

Mary is sister to Martha and Lazarus. Parents aren’t mentioned, so I assume that the siblings live together, sans-parents.

In John 11, we find out Lazarus died. We also see Jesus raise him from the grave. It’s awesome!

In Luke 10 & John 12, we see a really cool characteristic of Mary: She doesn’t care what people think. She knows what she feels led to do, and she just does it.

…sound familiar to our sista-from-anotha-mista: Esther (AKA Haddie)?

I love how these Bible peeps were broken humans like us, and yet they still offer a beautiful example of faith, courage, and obedience.

 

Back to Mary.

 

We’re going to focus on what we learn about/from Mary from Luke 10. Feel free to follow along, starting in verse 38 (or see below).

 

Setting the Scene:

Fair warning: Since our background info on Mary is fairly limited, we’re going to elaborate (in context) a little.

It’s late afternoon. Mary just got back from the market, lugging with her a basket of the items Martha requested.

Mary walks through the door. The scene is a little chaotic. Martha rummages around the kitchen, looking for her favorite spoon while two pots boil over the fire.

Mary walks in, sets down the groceries, and takes a step back—just in time, since Martha stands up from her spoon search and almost runs into her sister.

“Sorry. Where’s the fish?”

“I put it on the counter, sis,” Mary replies peacefully.

“Right,” a distracted Martha says. “Thanks. Alright, so Jesus is coming in a little over an hour, and we still have SO much to do. I made you a list. Before you say anything–yes, I know it looks like a lot, but–”

Mary’s eyes light up. “Was that a knock?” Mary asks.

Before Martha has a chance to respond, Mary rushes to the door, not even trying to contain her excitement for seeing her favorite person.

Their eyes meet as Jesus walks in the door. Jesus grins at Mary’s beaming face, and Mary waves excitedly to Jesus as Lazarus lets Him in.

No one makes Mary feel as known and wholly loved as her big brother’s friend Jesus does.

As the evening goes on, Mary feels a nudge inside her grow. Something calls to her soul and tells her to stay right where she is: on the ground, a few feet away from Jesus, hopefully hanging onto His every wise, thoughtful word.

Also as the evening goes on, Martha continues to faithfully prepare the house for their special guest.

Both sisters are serving Jesus to the best of their abilities, yet in completely different ways.

 

While Martha’s version of welcoming Jesus looks like making the house and meal perfect for Him,

Mary’s version is simply sitting in His presence. 

 

Both wish to make Him feel like a King.

But only one got it quite right.

 

Here’s where we get a straight-from-the-Bible script of the event:

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

Mary, by sitting at Jesus’ feet, chose what was better.

A few thoughts…

  1. The author specifically chose to include where Mary sat: At Jesus’ feet. It’s humbling to put yourself below someone. I think Mary knew her place–not necessarily as a Bible-times woman, but as a human unequal to the King she believed Jesus was.
  2. Mary wasn’t trying to be disrespectful to her sister. She simply knew what she should do, so she did so, no questions asked. I think she sensed the temporary-ness of Jesus’ physical presence in their lives and desired to soak up every moment she had with Him.
  3. Martha sounds like the oldest child. Maybe not. But, personality-wise, she was the oldest. I bet Martha had loads of responsibility, and I bet she knew that hosting Jesus was a big deal–and she didn’t want to mess that up. She just didn’t realize that a gift for Jesus greater than her preparations for Him would be her ears and her heart, but she was too distracted to realize this like Mary did.

Something in Mary sensed that the most important thing was for her to be with Jesus, no distractions allowed.

 

. . .

 

See what I mean?

There’s just this humble knowingness about her.

And it makes me want to be more like her.

I think she’ll be a great influence on our school this year.

 

. . .

 

What distracts you from spending quality time with Jesus?

Choose to sit at His feet today.

 

Special S/O to Min An from Pexels for that beautiful photo!

Our Biblical Yearbook: Meet Esther

Chess

There’s something about that new girl…

What is it?

Dude, I think you’re right! 

It’s the way people are drawn to her without her being a “cool” kid. Like, she’s cool. But not in that way? Ya know? #middleschoolstuff

. . .

 

Everyone, meet Esther.

 

Unlike Joe from last week, Esther actually has her own book of the Bible. Buuurn.

So pop open Esther 1, and lmk when you’re ready for a true story of a normal girl that God used to move a magnificent piece of His divine puzzle.

 

Esther’s story actually opens with some background info on King Xerxes. (He was a big time guy who ruled over a LOT of land.)

Chapter 1’s a little cringy. Queen lady gets dumped because she doesn’t participate in drunk King guy’s party. That’s, what, Cringe Level 7…or 8?

giphy

Long story short, a new queen must be found.

Time to introduce today’s hero: Esther. Also known as Hadassah. (Short for Haddie, if you ask me. Which pairs SO nicely with “Rey”–i.e.: “Haddie Rey.” Is that not the cutest name?? Future hub, where art thou? What thinkest thou of that na–I digress.)

This Queen search had a soldiers-needed-during-wartime vibe. So, any gal who fit the “beautiful, young virgin” bill was sent to pack and get ready for a road trip to beauty school.

 

Pause. Get ready to time-travel.

We’re headed for Esther’s house.

 

Go ahead and knock–Esther should still be home.

Hey, Mor! Good to see you. 

Friends, meet Mordecai, Esther’s guardian and cousin. I think you’ll like him. He’s an amazing father-figure to Esther, and he’s pretty selfless–he’s raised Esther since her parents passed away.

Hey girl! So glad we got to see you before you left!

Shalom, Haddie and Mor. See y’all soon!

Play.

 

Esther just got recruited in the Queen search.

Let’s review what we know about her so far:

She’s…

-beautiful

-a virgin

-an orphan

-now in-training to be Queen

-Oh, and she’s also a Jew (of the Tribe of Benjamin)

…and that’s ’bout it.

 

Actually, here’s one more tidbit that’s interesting to think about:

She’s…

-obedient

Mmm, context, please.

Good point.

Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

Esther 2:10-11

 

Esther was under Mor’s authority, and she faithfully obeyed him, even while she was in this strange new place.

Wait–“strange new place”…doesn’t that sound familiar?

Mmm, it does.

To me, at least. If it doesn’t to you, check out last week’s post about Joseph.

As we move into the palace with Esther, let’s set Joe’s story next to hers and compare.

Time to put on your detective cap. It’s investigatin’ time.

giphy-1

Investigation #1: What similarities do you find in the following verses?

Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

Esther 2:8-9

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Genesis 39:2-6

 

Here’s what I found, Watson:

Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

Esther 2:8-9

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Genesis 39:2-6

 

Thoughts: God’s up to something. Remember the Wizard of Oz-like curtain behind which God was working? He’s back behind it, and I’m feeling like we’re about to see some of what He’s got going on back there. Maybe because I know how the stories end, sure, but also because He’s a God of order, and He’s following a sort of pattern here, isn’t He? And we know how Joseph’s story ended, so, hey, let’s hope Esther experiences a similar anointing over her life. I guess you’ll have to keep reading to find out.

 

Investigation #2: What similarities do you find in these verses?

This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

Esther 2:7

 

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome…

Genesis 39:6

Watson, I think we’ll have similar answers here. Did you see a they’re-both-physically-attractive theme? Me, too.

 

The similarities in Joseph’s and Esther’s stories are fascinating to me.

-They’re both kids (Yes, kids. Both were around their teen years at the beginning of their Biblical stories.) 

-They’re both nice-looking/well-built

-They’re both taken (at least somewhat against their will) to a strange new place

-In this new place, God was with them. And not only was He with them, but He was blessing them and giving them metaphorical manna of sorts: little and big reminders of His presence and power.

-Amidst the challenges they face, both kids are given — spoiler alert — roles of authority, all the while trusting and obeying God.

Also, canIjustsay that Haddie and Joe should get married, because “they would make the most beautiful super baby. It would rule us all.” (S/O to ma man Andy Dwyer for that fab quote.) Actually like wow. WHAT?! Oh my word. This needs to happen. Might be a little late, though. Hmm.

Anywho.

 

Here are two ordinary kids.

They’re living life, and, all of the sudden, God disrupts their normalcy and puts them in a whole new role.

And they choose to be obedient. They embrace this new role, however unfamiliar and uncomfortable it might be.

I think it’s fair to assume that both Haddie and Joe were both wise beyond their years.  Whether or not they knew God was up to something, I think they knew the character of God well enough to trust Him with their lives.

Can you say role models?! (You can? Good job! So proud of you and your English skills, bud.)

 

Back to Esther. 

 

Our gal’s in a 12-month beauty treatment program, probably completely out of her element. Yet God shows that He’s with her by giving Esther favor. And Esther perseveres through it all, giving Mor updates on how it’s going each night. (See Esther 2:11)

Fast-forward approx. 1 year: Esther has finally finished her intense, 12-month beauty regimen, and it’s time for her to go to the King.

Once again, Esther is humbly obedient to her authoritative peeps. (See Esther 2:15)

And, what happens?

And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

Esther 2:15b

What happens next? Well, as Esther 2 so romantically puts it, the King set a crown on her head. (Romance, amIright?)

In other words, our girl’s a QUEEN now!

 

So there’s a celebration and lotsa fancy stuff, and then we’re reminded of what seems to be a pretty important character trait to Esther’s author: her obedience to Mor. (We’ll find out why in a min.)

But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

Esther 2:20

 

Let’s fast-forward again, this time to a sticky situation.

Long story short, the King’s right-hand man (S/O to all the left-handed people for being forgotten, or something, in this long-standing expression) does not like Mordecai. Mordecai’s being his faithful, humble self, and Haman (that’s the righty) is not about that life. (#millennialism)

I’m gonna take a leap and say that Haman has some anger issues.

Why?

Because he has a little disagreement with Mor, and he decides the solution is to…

apologize

agree to disagree

passive-agressively roll his eyes and not talk about it

 

…Nope.

Haman’s solution? Kill all the Jews in the King’s 127 provinces.

Needless to say (then why say it?), Haman’s not a subtle guy.

The King, annoyingly, is like, “K, fine.”

So the word about the mass destruction of this people group gets out, and here’s what Esther’s author says about the people’s reaction. It’s powerful.

The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

Esther 3:15

Mordecai probably isn’t feeling so hot right now. He didn’t do anything wrong. But, because of his choice to act upon his beliefs, Haman was motivated to kill all of Mor’s people.

So Mor goes out and mourns, and Esther’s peeps tell her about it.

Esther asks for more info, and so her peeps come back with instructions and documented proof about the edict from Mor.

Esther’s flipping through everything, astonished and hurt for her people, and then she gets to the last sentence of Mor’s instructions.

“…go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her [Esther’s] people.” (Esther 4:8)

Oof. 

Why? Why “oof”?

Hey, it’s time for history class, so hurry up! Seriously, one more tardy and we’ll get expelled!

We’re studying ancient sociology today, so that’ll help explain.

Basically, in Esther’s time, if you weren’t summoned by the King, then you weren’t going to see him. You’re left to his whims.

So, if you go to Mr. King Man to be like, “Hey, want some pizza?” he could kill you.

Dude, it’s just pizza. Calm down. 

And yet, that’s how it worked back then.

 

So Esther’s mourning this insanely awful edict when, all of a sudden, the tone shifts.

Suddenly the saving of her people rests on her.

And the only way she can save them is by going to the King.

And the King hasn’t summoned her.

Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

Esther 4:10-11

Mordecai’s response:

(Read carefully)

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:13-14

Sorry, I gotta pause just for a sec. Verse 14b (the end of the verse) is one of my most favorite verses of all time.

I could talk for approximately 97.3 years about why I love that verse, because of the purpose it brings to each of our lives (because of our intentional Creator), but we may not have time for all that.

Instead, I humbly suggest that you have a minute of communion between you and the Holy Spirit, meditating on Esther 4:14.

 

A couple thoughts on that verse…

–Mordecai didn’t sugar-coat the truth. He was bold in his words to Esther, however taboo or scary they were. (Remember, Mor loves Haddie like his own child. He would NEVER want her to die. But he sees the importance, maybe a little of the behind-the-Wizard’s-curtian element of this story, and he speaks truth to her all the same. Because he loves her.)

–Look at the difference in casualties! Yes, the risk here seems silly from an outsider’s perspective. I mean, hmm, one life or the lives of people in 127 provinces? The answer’s easy, right?

But what if that one life is yours?

There’s a lot riding on young Esther here. Haddie’s possible scenarios:

She…

–Doesn’t go to the King (Esther: Life; Jews: Death)

–Does go to the King (Esther: Death; Jews: Death)

–Does go to the King (Esther: Life; Jews: Death)

–Does go to the King (Esther: Life; Jews: Life)

I’m not a math major, but if those odds were about my own life or the lives of people I cared about, I’d be nervous, too.

 

Esther responds with the courage and grace of a true Queen:

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:16

 

Storytelling Time:

*I wasn’t there when the following happened (wait–you’re not over a thousand years old?), and the Bible doesn’t super-clearly illustrate this part, so I can’t tell you that this is exactly how this looked.
Thus, this is for illustrative, let’s-get-in-her-shoes purposes.

 

Esther’s moment has come.

She’s standing outside the doors to the King’s room. She’s shaking.

Her heart’s beating so loudly that she barely feels a bead of sweat drop from her back to the cold floor.

Everything in her body is telling her to turn around.

And then, just maybe, something changes.

The shaking doesn’t, but the feeling motivating it does.

Esther is overcome with a divine sense of purpose.

She’s here for her people, and ultimately for the glory of God, so whatever happens will happen. It doesn’t matter, because God’s got her, and He’s big enough to take care of His people.

He’s also big enough to take care of Esther. He’s already proven that to her, giving her favor and the role of Queen and all.

What did Mordecai say? 

“Such a time as this…”

I believe that. 

Here we go…

Our girl bravely pushes open the doors and looks at what will be perhaps the most important 50 or so steps of her life, to the front of the King’s throne.

This is the moment.

This is what Jews in 127 provinces have fasted and prayed over.

This is where Jews in 127 provinces either die or live.

And their fate is in the hands of God, which are hovering over the courage of a young little Jewish girl who just risked her life for her people, some of whom she’s never met.

When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand.

Esther 5:2

If you could read all of Esther’s chapter 8 right now, that’d be perfect.

 

. . .

 

Go say hi! Trust me, she’s super nice. Hey, we should invite her to our slumber party! I bet she’s a really good storyteller for our classic 2 AM storytime, too.

 

. . .

 

I’m so glad I got to introduce you to one of my role models. Thanks for journeying to her world with me. It means a lot.

I hope you see God’s hand over your life like it was on Esther’s.

The same God who anointed Esther with favor and protection is the same God who knitted you together in your mom’s body. (Psalm 139:13)

And He loves you and has SUPER plans for your life.

 

Finish the story. See how God used a simple little girl to save almost countless people.

No one would’ve predicted it. And yet, God chose Haddie.

 

Be blessed, friends!

Our Biblical Yearbook: Meet Joseph

Hear that? It’s the school bell ringing. Grab your backpack and get ready to shake some hands, because we have some new classmates to meet.

See the cute new guy over there in the fancy coat? Yeah, that’s Joseph.

Girl, I see you smirking. Relax, I’ll introduce y’all today.

As for the rest of our new classmates, we’ll meet them soon.

. . .

Time for a new, non-food series? Yes? K, cool.

I’m excited for this one! Bible people are so cool, especially the more you look at them in a human light and not just a “Oh, they existed? I thought they were just some person in the Bible”-way.

Ya know?

So we’re gonna dive into the stories of a bunch of cool Biblical people, adding them to our lil’ Bible yearbook along the way.

Today’s gent is a hero in my book. Maybe he’ll be in yours, too.

 

Friends, meet Joseph.

 

Who’s Joe? Check out Genesis 37.

For a Quinnterested (and hopefully God-inspired) summary, put on your reading goggles, because here we go:

Joe was one of the youngest of a bunch of Jacob’s kiddos. And he got special treatment because he was a son of Jacob’s fav wife. #familydrama

(Honestly, doesn’t that kind of sound like a Bible-times reality show? Mmm it does. And I’m not sure how I feel about that.)

Joseph’s probably best known by modern peeps for his dreams. Or his dreamcoat. I guess they go hand-in-hand, in a way, like two lil’ tykes, walking down the sidewalk, who are planning their wedding at 7 years old. (AGAIN with the analogies, Q. I thought we’d covered this??)

The dreams: Joe started having these prophetic dreams from God. He told his bros about them, and they got angry, because the dreams made it sound like Joseph was better than the rest of them (See: “We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it” in Genesis 37:7)

The dreamcoat: A fancy robe Joseph’s dad gave him to show his favor for Joseph. (Can you see the steam rising from Joe’s brothers’ heads? It’s palpable. #coolword)

What happens when bros be jealous? Well, in Joseph’s case, the bros turn to murder.

Yikes. 

Long story short, Reuben, Joe’s eldest brother, manages to turn his trigger-happy brothers to a slightly more reasonable solution: Sell Joseph as a slave.

Seems like a good solution, right?

Not to be too critical of the brothers, but, no, not the best solution, me thinks.

Nevertheless… (yay for words that look like a hashtag minus the ‘#’)

…sold Joseph gets.

(A little Yoda never hurt nobody.)

What happens next? It’s probably a bit of a blur for Joe, but, basically, the people who initially bought him sell him on to Pharaoh’s captain of the guard: Potiphar. Pretty big deal.

Not that being a slave is ever a good thing, but, as far as being a slave goes, this wasn’t the worst of options for now-enslaved Joseph.

Happy days are here again?

Not yet.

Handsome lil’ Joe innocently gets roped into a sticky situation with Potiphar’s horribly scheme-y wife. She’s super into him (Yo, you’re married, bruh), and Joseph’s like, “No way.” (YAY Joseph!)

 

Let’s “pause” this ever-expanding reality show.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present Exhibit A of why Joseph is hero-material: This probably attractive Potiphar’s wife lady is arguably tempting to Joseph, but he says “No.” In fact, he says, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (See Genesis 39:8-10)

LOTS of non-sarcastic respect for Joseph and the man God made him to be right there.

Good guys are so cool.

Okay, “play.”

 

Joseph (he’s so cool, you guys) doesn’t do anything shady with this lady. This lady’s arguably (sorry for the repetition, but *shrug*) a little kooky in the head and definitely hungry for attention, so she blurts out that Joseph did a thing that we know he did NOT. She says he did, though.

Do the important people believe Joseph?

They sure don’t.

Or, if they do, they don’t act like it, because Joe gets sent to prison. Specifically a prison where the king’s officials are sent. (You’ll see the importance of the “king” detail later.)

 

It’s v important to note that, through all of this, we don’t hear any despair (or even mild complaining) from Joseph.

To illustrate the amazing-ness of this point, let’s recap real fast:

Joseph:

He was…

-born

-the fav son

-hated on by his brothers

-sold (by said bros)

-taken from home by strangers and sold to other strangers

-(wrongly) accused of adultery

-thrown into prison

…Did I mention he didn’t complain?

To be fair, not everything that happened in life was recorded in the Bible. Yay for obvious facts, I know, but I’m just diplomatically saying that it’s not like we have any conclusive evidence that Joseph definitely did not complain. No Joe-body-cam action goin’ on.

But here’s what we do know: We know Joseph’s character by his actions (and, occasionally, his recorded words.)

He seems to have a pretty black-and-white sense of what’s right and wrong, and he seems to faithfully follow-through on those convictions.

Here’s another thing we know:

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered…” (Genesis 39:2)

“…the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did…” (Genesis 39:3)

“…the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.” (Genesis 39:5)

“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” (Genesis 39:21)

“…the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:23)

Um, this is SO cool.

One more thing before we move on:

The prison warden loved Joseph, just like basically everyone else did, so he gave Joseph lots of responsibility. That might sound weird, since you’re like, “Aww, thankssomuch, but how ’bout we get outta prison?” Right, I know. But our Divine Connector-of-the-Dots God was planning out Joseph’s amazing legacy in prison. And before then, too. But particularly in prison, because God was doing stuff. Behind-the-scenes preparation. And one of those preparation elements was the leadership training Joseph received. In humble circumstances, yes. But…maybe that’s part of leadership training? Mmm, yes, God. Love it.

Anyway, point is that God was miraculously NOT wasting any of Joseph’s time, very a-la-God-style. (If you could read and comprehend that Quinnterested-lang sentence, I’m impressed.)

Something happens in prison that changes Joseph’s life. It’s not the leadership training, though that contributes to it. Like I said, it’s a connecting-the-dots type thing.

Remember when I said that detail about “king” and the prison thing would be important? Here’s where we start to see its relevance.

Joseph’s not the only one in prison. Two of the king’s peeps are in there, too. And, guess what?

They both have dreams that need interpretation.

 

We’re all given spiritual gifts (for a great, relevant read, see 1 Corinthians 12).

One of Joseph’s was the gift of interpreting dreams. Remember his childhood dreams that loaded the gun for his jealous bros? Another time of preparations (with major, seemingly negative results).

 

Back to prison.

 

The king’s people need interpretations, and Joseph (via God’s divine knowledge) gives it to them.

 

“Pause” #2.

Ladies and gents of the jury, I present Exhibit B of why Joseph is hero-material. Joseph clearly had gifts. Can we all agree on that? If we can’t yet, skip ahead several chapters and see how those dream interpretations work out. But do it on your own time–no spoilers here.

It’s obvious Joseph was gifted. What’s SUPER cool is that he knew it, too, but not in a prideful way. Sound impossible? I kind of grew up thinking that, too. How can you not be prideful while freely stating that you’re gifted?

Here’s how: By believing that the God of the Universe, your Creator, hand-crafted each human on this planet creatively and intentionally, giving each one gifts for a reason.

You can believe that and give glory to God by believing that. In fact, not believing that is kind of an insult to your Creator, right? (S/O to my sweet little sister-in-Christ for sharing that concept with me! So good.)

The line not to cross is when you take God out of the equation. Always remember that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” (See James 1:17) We don’t give ourselves these gifts. It’s our free-will duty to use and hone them, totally. (See “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25) But God gave them to us, to use for His glory. So let’s do that.

Comment if you have questions about this, and we can keep thinking about it and referencing the Bible together for answers. It’s a tricky idea for some people, at least for me!

 

Back to the jury.

Joseph had a gift that he wasn’t afraid to use. He was confident in his gift, 100% because God gave it to him, and Joseph trusted God to use the gift for His glory. Heroes don’t have to applaud themselves. They should be worthy of applause. Partly because of their insistence of applauding God and not themselves.

“Play” in 3…2…1!

 

The king’s prisoners who dreamed said dreams are eventually released from prison. Both Joseph’s interpretations come true. (Unfortunately for the one who Joseph predicted would die…)

When Joseph shared the interpretations, he asked the receiver of the positive interpretation (whose title was “Chief Cupbearer”) to remember him (Joseph) when he (Chief Cupbearer) was released, and to help him (Joseph) also get out. (Pronouns can be confusing…)

Long story short, CC (our chief dude) didn’t.

Fast-forward to 2 years later. Joe’s still in prison. Pharaoh has a dream. And CC suddenly remembers Joseph.

*Praise hands*

Guess what? Pharaoh needs a dream interpretation, and nobody else is able to give it to him. So CC comes through after all, suggesting Joseph to be the man for the job.

 

Make way for God.

*Not for Joseph, for God.*

 

You know what’s coming. God gives Joseph the divine knowledge he needs to give an accurate interpretation, and Joseph does so with humble aplomb.

 

Here’s when this story goes to a whole new level, and God lets us peek a little behind His wizard-like curtain.

Here’s the scene that follows Joseph’s correct interpretation:

So Pharaoh asked them [his officials], “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

At this point, do you kinda feel like God is lovingly, and maybe slightly meloncholy-ly, with a smidge of sneaky, but cool, cleverness, winking at you?

Like, He knew this would happen all along.

But don’t think for a second that He was winking and smiling while a teenage Joseph was shaking in fear while his new owners brought him to a new land. I’m sure that broke God’s heart.

But He saw that from the perspective of knowing what Joseph didn’t know in that moment.

Goosebumps? Just now?

Me, too.

 

There’s more to the story–way more. But I feel like this is a really sweet spot. So let’s settle here, and you can pick up the Bible and read the rest on your own. (Also, shameless plug for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat musical–besides basically completely omitting God and His MAJOR involvement in the story, it’s a pretty accurate depiction of Joseph’s story…maybe minus an Elvis-like Pharaoh. And brothers that change accents like four times. It’s fun, y’all.)

. . .

Girl, stop shaking his hand. You’ve been shaking it this whole.time, and it’s getting weird. I think Joseph has to go…

Glad y’all got to meet! Looks like y’all are already becoming friends.

 

I’m very excited to introduce you to another of my very favorite Bible heroes, Esther, next week. There’s a really interesting similarity between Esther and Joseph: the Lord gave them both overwhelming favor with their peers. Fascinating. Really cool stuff.

 

Praying you feel God’s hand on your life like it was on Joseph’s (and is on yours.)

You are loved ❤