Thinking back through our “How Could a Good God…” series thus far, we talked about the vanity and futility of life in a world corrupted by sin and suffering under God’s judgments of the curse. This one event is the root cause of our struggle with death, and the rampant sin and injustice which fills our lives on this earth.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon takes us through an honest appraisal of his own attempts to create meaning in this world wracked with futility under the curse.

•First he tackles the problem of life in this world by trying to increase his wisdom (which was already great) in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.

His conclusion – “What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted… I realized that this also is striving after wind. Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” (1:15, 17b-18)

Attempt one: fail. In fact, increased wisdom brought more pain.

•Next he tries to ignore the futility by immersing himself in pleasure in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

His conclusion – “…behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (2:11)

Attempt two: fail.

•He continues to attempt to escape the futility of life in a sin-cursed world and create meaning.

He attempts to use work, power, wealth, and self-righteousness – all yield the same result:

“This too is futility.“

Our world is irreparably (from our perspective) broken. No matter how wise we are, no matter how many pleasures we pursue, no matter how hard we work, no matter how powerful we are, no matter how wealthy we become, no matter how self-righteous we may be… we are still sinful people stuck in a sinful and broken world.

We cannot create lasting meaning in this life apart from Him.

Praise the Lord, through Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf we can find meaning!

But you know what? Even as a follower of Jesus, life is still immensely difficult and frustrating. People I love get sick and die. Sin and injustice surround me and at times threaten to overwhelm me. My sinful human nature fights against my redeemed spirit, and like Paul, I find that the good I want to do I do not do, and what I do not want to do, I do!

We are caught between two worlds.

Those of us who follow Christ have been redeemed spiritually, but the physical world is still broken and groaning under the curse. [See Romans 8:22-23]

God is redeeming His creation in the order in which it fell.

Remember, spiritual rebellion in the garden happened first and the physical curse mirrored it. As redeemed believers in Jesus, we are redeemed humans living in a world that is still cursed and broken. Our best efforts, our best living, making all the right choices – nothing will change the fact that our world is still broken. Life is often unfair. Death still looms. But there is hope.

God WILL redeem the rest of His creation – in His time.

When struggling with the realities of life in a broken world, nothing soothes my heart like remembering the end of the story! Take a minute to read Revelation 21:1-6 and 22:1-5.

Revelation 21:3-4
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:3-4
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

One day, all this broken futility will be washed away.

One day, death will no longer loom about us. Pain will be a distant memory. Our work will be productive, meaningful, and fulfilling. We will see Him, we will serve Him, life will be restored to what should have been.

One day we will no longer be caught between two worlds.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. And until that day…

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4

All the posts in this series are indexed here.



Image from freefoto.com

This weekend I had one of those shining moments in parenting that fill me with joy and reassurance that all those tiny moments of imparting Truth to my kids are indeed adding up to something.

AG had picked out a Blue’s Clues DVD at the library entitled “Blue’s first holiday.” Among the stories of waking up on a “holiday morning,” there was a segment with four children telling about their own holiday traditions. The first discussed lighting the candles and playing games for Hanukkah, the second shared about fasting at Ramadan, the third talked about lighting candles at Kwanzaa, and the last child discussed making cookies and decorating a tree for Christmas.

We were driving in the car that evening and I brought up the subject of the different holidays in her movie and what the holidays were for. I said, “AG, did you know that most people think that it doesn’t matter what god you follow? Many people say you can worship any god you want and celebrate any holiday you want. Is that true?”

AG looked at me very seriously and said, “No.” I asked her how she knew that wasn’t true, and she said slowly and carefully, “because of the 10 commandments.” I asked her which commandment she was referring to and she said, “the first commandment – there is only one True God.” [You can read about teaching the 10 commandments here.] Oh, the joy in this mother’s heart!!

This simple, yet profound, conversation has been on my mind frequently this weekend. It is amazing to me that this Truth that seems so impossible for many to grasp is plain and clear to my 3 year old. It also has caused me to think even more about what or whom we are worshiping this time of year.

Every year around this time, “happy holidays” becomes the most acceptable greeting to use. Every year a bunch of Christians get all upset about it.

Want to know a little secret? I don’t really care if my Home Depot checker says “happy holidays” to me.

The fact of the matter is that there are several holidays that different people celebrate this time of year. My Home Depot checker does not know by looking at me what holiday I prefer to celebrate. And guess what? Even if I say “Merry Christmas” in return, I hardly think I have earned another “jewel in my crown” for bravely sharing the Gospel.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am most certainly not downplaying the importance of Christ’s incarnation, the miracle of the virgin birth, the fulfillment of thousands of years of anticipation and prophecy, the reality of God with us. The birth of Christ is tremendously important and carries eternal implications that we surely cannot fully comprehend.

I also think that Satan has tried his best for hundreds and thousands of years to distract us from the reality and implications of the birth of Christ as well as the death and resurrection of Christ. Satan DOES want to take Christ out of Christmas, and he has deceived us into following a lot of false gods in His place, many of whom are very evident this time of year – even in a Blue’s clues dvd.

Billions of people follow false religions.
Millions of people have refused to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
Millions of people have clung to tradition and rejected Truth.

Millions of people are consumed with religion, tradition, materialism, and themselves – and unfortunately this is also true among those who celebrate Christmas. Christmas as a traditional holiday and Christmas as a season of worship of the one True God are two very different things.

My Home Depot checker doesn’t know me, and I don’t expect her to know that I am a follower of Jesus Christ, the Son of God born of a virgin in order to live a sinless life and take the punishment for sin in my place on the cross. Her generic holiday greeting does not offend me, and I see no reason for it to cause offense. However, the bigger question to me is whether my worship of Jesus Christ is clearly evident to those around me who do know me, especially my own children.

If our kids were interviewed about Christmas traditions, what would they say? Would they talk about baking cookies and decorating a tree? Would they beam as they discussed opening presents and having their pictures taken with Santa? What do they see us worshiping?

Are we clearly communicating through our words and our celebrations the wonder of Emmanuel – God with us? Or are we devoting ourselves to false gods of tradition, religion, or materialism just like the billions around us?

I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
Isaiah 42:8

Image from freefoto.com

Hope you’ve been having a marvelous weekend!! Here’s what I’ve been reading and enjoying this week!

The Relevant conference has been big news among my twitter pals this week – a brand new Christian bloggers conference scheduled for October 21-24 of 2010. Have you bookmarked the new website? Can’t wait, can’t wait!!

Speaking of blogging, here are some of my favorite posts I’ve read recently:

•I LOVED this “top ten differences between boys and girls” post from OhAmanda – so much like my kids it made me laugh out loud!

•For more laughing out loud, my new blog friend Lori is hilarious, and I agree that we should be able to wear uniforms!

•Brooke wrote a beautiful post about obeying God in humility – it has hung with me…

•Teri Lynne shared a great illustration of hypocrisy – feeling moldy today?

•Amber has a great idea for adding more meaning to our Christmas celebrations – LOVE this.

•Molly Piper wrote an amazing account of her in-person meeting with their Compassion child – beautiful.

•I love this quote about marriage that my blog friend Sandra shared from Elisabeth Elliot.

You know I love freebies…

•On this site, you can order your very own photo canvas for FREE – great Christmas idea!

•I’ve looked for this book (The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus) for years in print form, and here it is free as an ebook! Hooray!!

How blogging makes me craftier…

•I LOVE this craft/activity idea – DIY velcro catch game!

•These ruffled pants are making me want to get into some sewing craftiness!

•This fall leaf craft is a fun twist on the norm- we’re going to do this this week with our remaining leaves!

Oh, AND…

•These apple cider doughnuts look amazing.

Wow – it has been a long time since I did a Saturday blogger spotlight!

Today I’d like to introduce you to a dear blog friend that I wish I knew in real life! Sandra and I have been following each other’s blogs for quite a while, and I have always thought we had a LOT in common. Enjoy our chat and then check out one ore more of her three blogs!!

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1. Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less!
I am a pastor’s wife and mom to two sweet and active boys! We are southern transplants now living and ministering in Pennsylvania. I love finding things to celebrate and learn every day!

2. Flashback: you’re a senior in high school and you’re wearing your favorite outfit today. Describe your “look.”
Oversized flannel shirt tucked into my jeans, brown belt, and comfortable shoes. My overall look would probably be described as comfortable. It was just school after all, nothing to get too excited about!

3. What is your favorite “fun” thing to do?
Read! My goal this year is to read 52 books and I’m at 39! Right now I’m reading Jesus and the Feminists: Who Do They Say That He Is? by one of my seminary professors, Dr. Kostenberger.

4. What is your most dreaded household task and why?
Laundry. Didn’t even have to think twice about that answer! I don’t think it should be considered just one task though. You have to carry to the laundry room sort, wash, dry, carry out of the laundry room, hang, fold, and put away. That’s why it takes me days to finish! Kristi and I have lamented many times on Twitter about having to tackle “laundry mountain!”

5. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids?
Read books, followed closely by play outside. It’s fascinating to me what two boys can find to get into outside!

6. You have babysitting for the whole day on a Saturday – what will you and your husband do?
Probably go somewhere around here we’ve never been before. Maybe down to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to walk around, shop, and eat somewhere great! We love to eat out!

7. What are three other blogs that you enjoy reading, and why?
Oh that’s a tough one- for preschool/homeschool ideas, Homeschool Creations is my favorite. I also love True Woman by Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. And for commentary on politics, culture, and similar topics, I like Rod Dreher- Crunchy Con.

8. How long have you been blogging, and what motivated you to start blogging?
I started blogging after my first son was born, Oct. 2005. That blog no longer exists, but I started our family blog after my second son was born, Oct. 2007. It has evolved from just being a way to keep the grandparents up to date to a way for me to organize our preschool activities and projects around the house. My ministry site, Heart for Him, gives me a way to use that M. Div I worked so hard to get! Then I added Today’s Housewife, a blog I do with friends based on Prov. 14:1, the idea that the wise woman builds her house. We discuss a topic each week related to marriage, parenting, ministry, or homemaking!

9. What five words would you use to describe your blog?
I hope my ministry blog is encouraging, educational, honest, helpful and honoring to God!

10. Freebie: anything about yourself or your blog that you want to share!
I have two blog goals- encourage women to grow in godliness and strengthen your church’s women’s ministry! I’d love for you to stop by and click around. You can also follow me on Twitter @HeartforHim!