to those who just don’t get it.

Life rattles us. It leaves us breathless and confused.

Everyone likes to say that everything happens for a reason, so we can comfort ourselves in the midst of feeling utterly dumbfounded. Maybe if we feed ourselves clichés, the blows will not impact us as badly. However, it doesn’t soothe my perplexed soul. Hoping for better days doesn’t necessarily remedy the ache now.

We are a people who yearns, who demands understanding. If you ever doubt that, let’s just talk about Google. Or even before that, AskJeeves. We don’t sit well in waiting to see how things unfold, in not knowing the outcome, in not knowing the motivation behind the decision, the statement, the crime.

Yet, we are forced to wait. We are forced to throw our hands up and declare that we just don’t get it, that it just doesn’t add up. Finally, we can just throw in the towel and feel defeated. And maybe in that defeat, that’s where we find some relief. Maybe in finally admitting we just don’t get it, we start to consider we’re not the first ones to feel this way. We also start to see that we are not made to understand everything.

To those who don’t get it, you’re not alone.

Searching for answers that are to not be found leaves you weary and frustrated, but you are in good company.

Abraham surely didn’t get it when he and his wife were childless. What a humiliation that was in that ancient culture. He didn’t hear from the Lord until he was in his seventies; any dream of a child was long gone. Yet, the Lord was at work even in the young days of Abraham, even in the tears that were wept. And that’s only the beginning of Abraham’s story and his state of confusion.

The people of Israel surely didn’t get it when the Pharaoh commanded all the baby boys to be killed. Moses’ mom surely didn’t get it as she hid her son for three months and finally sent him down the Nile. Yet, the Lord was at work, and that’s only the beginning of Moses and how the Lord rescued His people from slavery.

Joseph surely didn’t get it when his brothers sold him into slavery, when he was accused of a crime he did not commit. Yet, the Lord was at work not only redeeming Joseph, not only reconciling Joseph to his family, but preparing the people for a great famine. The Lord was using what was meant for evil for his good.

Oh, Job. No one could explain what was happening, In fact, his friends and his wife gave him wrong counsel; they tried to set the Lord against his soul. And friends, in the dark night of the soul, we’ve been there. Everything seems dark. Yet, the Lord was at work in Job’s life showing him the Lord’s purpose just cannot be thwarted, that even in the midst of everything being taken, the One who calms the seas is to be trusted.

Fast forward to Jesus. He is crucified. Can you imagine the disciples that night? Can you imagine those prayers, those cries? They just did not get it. They saw their Savior die a gruesome death. They saw evil win. They were told promises from Jesus, but grief must have been felt in the depth of their bones.

Yet, the Lord was at work. All of what was perceived wasn’t so. Evil didn’t win. The disciples surely cried out in those three days; his mother surely cried and cried, felt an ache so strong that it couldn’t be articulated. Yet, the Lord was at work. He didn’t forsake His people; in fact in the midst of their crying, of their questioning, He was saving them by the death and three days later, resurrection of His Son.

So, maybe you just don’t get it. Well, you’re in good company.

The Lord is certainly at work in the “ugh, what is going on?”. He’s at work; He is being true to His character and has shown Himself completely trustworthy even in just the handful of examples. He’s at work displaying his goodness, his faithfulness even when we can’t see, even when all we perceive seems incredibly confusing and hopeless. He is a God who redeems even the most hopeless situations, so may the ache of not knowing, the ache of suffering be dulled tonight as you consider that the dawn will always beat the night, because we have a God who is for us.

Dearest Germany, Pt. 1

Dearest Germany,

A month ago today, I departed Dallas with sixteen other individuals mostly acquaintances to spend eight days on your soil. Our plan was to engage all we met with the Gospel; our mission trip was evangelically focused. During outreaches in Cologne and Berlin, we would start off as a flash mob by dancing to Cupid Shuffle and then performing a drama that illustrates the Gospel by showing the life of someone searching for satisfaction in everything that fails. As the drama continued, the person found true joy and satisfaction through the grace and love of Jesus.  After the drama, we would pair up and have conversations with people from the crowd that gathered. We would explain the drama and hear what people believed about God, which sometimes was difficult to hear what people believed being a Christian who believes the Bible is true.

Our team in front of the Berlin Wall.

 

Germany, being in your city centers, going to the refugee center, riding your trains, buses and subways, praying with a ministry in your red light district, and seeing glimpses of your history, you taught me a great deal about boldness, compassion and kindness. While I am still processing and wrestling with all I heard, saw and experienced, here are just a handful of takeaways for you, Germany.

Germany, as you know, it was a struggle for me to talk about Jesus when we first started. I did not know what to say to all we met. However, throughout the week, by the grace and strength of God, I was able to boldly and gently engage with people from the nations. Real talk – talking about your beliefs is so terrifying; what if I upset someone or make someone feel uncomfortable? However, if I fully believe that what the Bible say is true and believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that he came to save sinners, all of us, by his life, death, and resurrection, then I must proclaim and declare the mighty, saving works of Jesus.

After talking to many, many people from all over the world with all sorts of beliefs and talking with my team, I believe that we must be bold and that our biggest desire is to make the name of Jesus known. The conversations did not end in conversions, but they did end in prayer over each conversation that God would do a mighty work in hearts and lives of all we met. We will probably never know the outcome of any of those conversations, but I do know that the Lord is faithful and that His works were declared.

Germany, know that every person that we talked to was done so in truth and love not in a ‘my way is better than your way, let me shame you into believing this’ manner. If anything, my compassion for people and my desire for each person to know the steadfast love of the Lord were multiplied through every conversation. I left your border wanting people to know the mercy I knew, to know the steadfast, sure hope of the Lord as I do, to know that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ because of who God is not who we are.

Kindness was another take away from the outreaches in your city centers. Overall, people were so kind to give time to hear our hearts and talk with us. Yes, there were some who did not engage with us kindly, but the overwhelmingly majority gave their time, which is such a precious commodity. Although most people did not agree with what we said, they listened attentively and gave up their time and let us share with them. A lot of people let us pray with them and encourage them. The kindness of the Germans and of people from all the nations was overwhelming. Thank you, dear people, for meeting us with kindness.

((Pictures of Cologne, Germany))

Germany, thank you for sharing some of your sights with us. Thank you for showing us your rich history and letting us embrace your culture if delicious food and warm, welcoming people. Thank you for the experiences we had with the local Christians who participated in outreaches with us. Thank you for showing me the beauty of boldness, compassion and kindness. Germany, I will continue to process and share what I learned while I breathed your smoky Berlin air and walked your beautiful streets.

Love you longtime, Germany.

Our Team’s Drama