Because Jesus Says So

I am not a victim of sexual abuse. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, it just means I am not a victim. And I'm not a non-victim because I say so, because I have some amazing inner strength or deep resolve that grits its teeth and clenches its fists and says to itself, "You will not be a victim today!" I'm a non-victim because Jesus says so. Jesus knows what someone else chose to do, how someone else's brokenness broke me too. But, He loves me and wants me to be made new in Him. If I choose to identify myself by what I did in the past, or what others did to me, or what others did years and years before I was ever thought of, I will never go any further than the past. There are those days when I want to be a victim, when I am afraid, or I want to do the lazy, useless, easy thing of wrapping myself up in pity and flopping onto the sofa and withdrawing. But, I have to choose, and I choose to believe Jesus.

In Genesis 3, we read how Adam and Eve sinned. God knew they would; it didn't catch Him off guard. He had a plan. Look at verse 15:

"And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."

Notice the capital "S" in the word Seed. This is God talking about Jesus. Jesus is the Seed who will crush the serpent's head. God is the God of the past, the present, and the future. God did not want any of His creatures to remain in hopelessness and bondage. God planned a way out before we ever got ourselves in. In Christ, we are not victims, but victors. We were given a way of escape. 

Choosing to live as a victim of abuse led me to addiction and unhealthy relationships. I was in an abusive marriage and, once again, my victim mentality told me I was "trapped." That's the word I used. If I stayed, how could I protect my son from learning to treat his wife that way, or my daughter from learning it was okay for her to be treated that way? If I left, how would I protect them from homelessness? Trapped. But I wasn't; it was a lie. I had to do what was right and I had to do what was hard, but I could trust Jesus to take care of the rest. And He did. Jesus was my way out; the door had been open all along, opened at the cross before I was ever born. I could only be a victim, I could only be trapped if I chose to remain that way. 

After the curse had been given, Genesis 3:20 says, "And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." Mother. Eve had not delivered a child. In fact, the only mention of children was with regard to the curse of pain during labor (v. 16). In faith, Adam named her Eve, mother of all living. Adam saw the hope, even in the curse. God delivered hope, even in the curse. And Adam acted accordingly.

What do you need to be delivered from today? Who is keeping you there? If you have given your life to Jesus, you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You might have lost your spouse, but your spirit has been filled with joy and peace. You might be terminally ill, but your spirit has been made well. You might be wrestling with addiction, but your spirit has been made free. There are things we might need to do in the natural -- counseling, financial aid, medication -- but your spirit was delivered long ago and in Christ, your tomb is empty. You are not trapped, you are not a victim of the ravages of sin and death. In Christ, we are made new and the past is just that. Because Jesus says so.

An Exciting Conclusion

During worship this past Sunday, the "theme," shall we say, turned to salvation and the salvation stories of those willing to share them. One was from someone who I've never heard speak in front of our church, and what a privilege to have heard the account of his transformation! Another was so simple, so basic, but taught a valuable lesson. If you have a "rescue story" it's probably unlike any other, but we've all come to the same conclusion: we were in bondage to sin and destined to reap the consequences; someone told us (maybe more than once) how God had made a way, through Jesus, to turn us around and spare us from the road we were on; by God's grace, our eyes were opened and we have taken Him at His word ever since. 

So, how did I get here? Well, it all started with my parents' affair. My dad was married, not to my mother, and I was the product of that sin. I start with that, not because I'm looking to dish dirt, but because it shows the hand of God in my life even before I was born. He didn't stop the sin; He didn't stop the pregnancy. God took that sin and He made me. My mother had options. My dad had options. But God put them together to raise my brother and me. It was no fairytale love story, mind you, their marriage was pretty awful, but God had a plan. My dad grew up learning about God; I don't think he knew any differently, so we didn't either. Church every Sunday, Christian school, grace at meals, and prayers before bed. It wasn't a Christian home -- more religious than anything, but God had a plan. My dad was also abusive. He pummeled my brother, belittled my mother, and stole from me. My mother defended him. God never prevented their sin but, He was there, working His plan.

When I got older, I turned my back on it all -- religion, my family, those hypocritical "church people" (who I also blamed for never coming to our defense). Living the "Christian life" hadn't worked out so well for me, all of those altar calls and "I Surrender All" moments hadn't changed my world a bit, and I opted to do things my way. I met a great guy and burnt our marriage to the ground. By the time I had proof my second husband was cheating on me, I had two children. In March of 1995, I was out of answers and asked God to take it all. By April, I'd taken it back again, but something was definitely different; the Hound of Heaven was coming for what was His. I was going to church and taking notes. I was trying to read the Bible and understand it. I was associating with people who were teaching me God's truth and listening to pastors on the radio. I was fumbling and inconsistent, but not quite ten years later I was His. Divorcing again, struggling to pay bills and lawyers, raising two children, working the night shift, trying to be there for my mother (now alone), but completely at peace. I felt God's everlasting love. I began to know His grace. I realized many of the ways He'd preserved me. I saw what could have been and what could have destroyed me versus what was and how He had preserved me. I saw portions of His plan, the "why" behind some of the things that had to be. And I continue to see those things today. 

I got here not because of the perfections of others, or because I did so well on my own; I got here because of the perfect grace of an infinitely loving God who mercifully brought me to a conclusion: I was in bondage to sin and destined to reap the consequences; someone told me, more than once, how God had made a way, through Jesus, to turn me around and spare me from the road I was on; by God's grace, my eyes were opened and I have taken Him at His word ever since. Praise God for His infinite mercy and grace!

I've Got Good News!

Does anything good happen anymore? When I homeschooled, I talked to my children about God's plan for humanity and how we prideful humans messed it up, opening the door to sin and death. From a biblical worldview, I stressed that anything good that happens is evidence of God. No one is good but God. He is the Giver of good gifts. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from Him. So, I gave an assignment: Write a newscast bearing in mind, bad news is no news at all; bad news is what we, as sinners in a sinful and cursed world can expect. I wanted to impress the point that good news is an anomaly, good events are truly newsworthy; the bad is just another day in the life of a world broken. As inhabitants of Earth, we should be awed by good news like kindness and healing and fairness, not sickness or death or corruption. So, why do you think news outlets peddle bad news like it's going out of style? I have two ideas and I'd like to share them with you so that you can approach current events with caution. We are the gatekeepers to our minds. Information must be checked at the door by the One who is Himself, Truth. Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” Things that "sound right" or are loaded with emotion can be the most dangerous of all. 

First of all, bad news gives birth to more bad news. It is far more difficult for someone to break a pattern of self-pity or unforgiveness than it is to develop it in the first place. When we hear words like "an unarmed black man," or "three black youths in hoodies," those words are provocative and incendiary. Feelings of past hurt or fear can well up where you never even knew they existed, and form strongholds that affect our relationships. It's like the elderly woman who clutches more tightly to her purse when she sees a group of teens. She knows she's vulnerable. She's heard (on the news) what "they" are capable of. "They" are angered by her stereotypical, bigoted response and their body language demonstrates that, re-enforcing the elderly woman's beliefs. On and on down the rabbit hole we go, and any possibility of understanding one another or coming together is a wash. Divide us and conquer us. If you hate your neighbor enough to keep quiet when someone damages their car, you've just created the same opportunity for your neighbor to remain quiet when someone comes to rob your house. And when there's a crime spree or a race riot your friendly neighborhood news team will be right there to capture the story and jack up their ratings. (Besides, the devil just loves him some conflict.)

Secondly, bad news makes us feel pretty good about ourselves as a group. Bad news gives us a chance to sit around with other "good people" tsk-tsking the condition of the world. We can look at the degenerates in other states or neighborhoods, even on the other side of the world, and think to ourselves, "What kind of person would do that?" And we can go on about our day feeling satisfied we are still civilized or godly. The firefighter that charges selflessly into a burning building to rescue a child might make us feel warm and fuzzy for a moment, but when Satan gets to whispering, "How does your life stack up?" we shut that down. Let's face it, we don't want to hear how good everyone else is. We have a natural inclination to want others to fail; it is through their failures, we can deceive ourselves into believing we have succeeded. News outlets are in it for the profits, they understand human nature and know bad news sells better than good news. (And once again, the devil loves haters.)

Before we get too caught up in who is doing what and at what "increasing rate," and how our nation, our world is going to hell in a handbasket (whatever that means), take a moment. Place the things you are hearing and seeing, the things that are going on, in the hands of the God who is good, the God who makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on all. Trust that God is sovereign and mighty. Don't fixate on the events themselves, but lift everything up in prayer. And take a walk. There's a whole world full of people who need others, just like you. They won't tell you that on the news.

Eagerly Anticipating?

Have you thought about the Second Coming lately? Sorry, did I just come out of left field with that one? Well, I guess that would be appropriate. My point, however, is Scripture reminds us, again and again, to eagerly await Christ's coming, to look for the blessed hope. Peter says we should be "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God." But, I have a problem, and I certainly don't mean I have a problem with God or His Word; I have trouble getting excited about "the end." Or, a new beginning, depending upon your view. I have a problem because I know many will perish. 

Years ago, I sat next to a friend in church. The pastor was talking about the depravity that exists in this world. I don't remember the specifics. Was he making a point about Christ's work at the cross or the timing of Christ's return? I can't say for sure, but I do know my friend responded aloud, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come." I, in my heart, was responding at exactly the same moment, "Lord, please wait. These people need You." 

When I read Bible passages that tell of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, I admit, I gloss over the "anxiously await" parts. I struggle with that. I have this image of Liam Neeson in black and white. Have you ever seen Schindler's List? In one of the final scenes, Neeson, as Oskar Schindler, looks at the faces of those who were rescued from the gas chambers because of his efforts and realizes he could have done more. "I threw away so much money," he says. "There will be generations because of what you did," a Jewish man responds. But, Oskar goes on, "I didn't do enough," and he begins to inventory his possessions, seeing them in terms of people he could have saved rather than by their worth to him personally. "This car...ten people right there...This pin...this is gold. Two more people."

I don't think anyone should look at a perishing world and think, "I need to watch more TV." How much time do I waste doing things I don't need to do? How much money do I waste buying things I don't need to buy? Am I looking at my time and my money as though those things were souls? How often do I simply see right through the people around me? The cashier, the garbage collector, the crossing guard, the politician, the pastor, my next-door neighbor, my family... I see them as human beings; perhaps, human beings who aren't courteous or truthful or friendly or grateful. And I do nothing, nothing of eternal value, anyway. Do I see them as dearly loved and in need of a Savior? How many times have I remained silent in self-preservation instead of opening my mouth in evangelization? Do I see my silence as the failure to bring a life, maybe more than one, to know Jesus Christ? Or am I just "minding my own business"? If I am Christ's, my business is to make disciples.

I want to know that when I face my Jesus I have done all that I could, that I have given my all as He gave His. I want to look toward that moment eagerly. But this desire to do more... What to do about it? Perhaps, ask the Holy Spirit to change me and give me the selflessness I need until the very end. And commit to praying more and speaking more boldly about Jesus Christ. And commit to surrendering more of my assets to ministries. And then, stick to my commitment as though lives depended upon it.