Pouring water on a rock

I've been struck with a thought:  a lot of what I do feels like I'm pouring myself out on endeavors that are fruitless.  The visual picture I have is pouring water on a rock, and I think about that and wonder "Am I spinning my wheels with this??  Does anybody SEE what I'm doing?? Does any of this MATTER??"

In August we will move our daughter into a dorm at James Madison University, and my nest will be EMPTY.  What will that BE like?? I am reflecting on my years as a stay-at-home mom who has been involved in about everything you can possibly be involved in as it concerns my children.  I've purposely backed off in the past few years because I've seen the pitfalls of "helicopter parenting" so I've tried to teach my kids to navigate certain paths themselves, all the while doing my job as a parent.  It's a fine line to walk, and I know I haven't done it perfectly but I've done it with the best intentions and with a heart full of love.  So I hope that counts for something!!

And I know it DOES, but I'm still wondering what my life is going to look like in the fall.  For years we've had a cheerleader on the sidelines, and now we won't.  There are a lot of things that were once there, but now are not.  It makes me sad and also makes me reevaluate what I'm doing NOW.

I posted this thought on Facebook and within minutes I had numerous "thumbs up" and the statement was just something that had been rolling through my brain for the last couple of days:

"Ever feel like the things you do are taken for granted and unappreciated? Like you're pouring water on a ROCK? Well, you're NOT. It's being noticed by the One Who sees you and loves you like no other  'Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men...' Col 3:23 (ESV)"

I think it strikes a nerve because we ALL have "things" - jobs, relationships, tasks, etc - that we pour ourselves into and don't see any visible results.  We may do these things for YEARS but never see that our efforts have made a difference.  But does that mean we should give up?

Of course it depends on the "thing" because if it's something that isn't good or right, then of course we should stop!  But if it's something good and right, like parenting a challenging child, working on a difficult relationship, caring for a sick loved one, showing love to the unlovable, giving grace to the ungracious, working for peace in the midst of conflict, being patient with the irritable and kind to the rude...  keep this in mind, my favorite James Dobson quote EVER:

You are not responsible for the outcome, only the input.

The first lesson you'll ever learn in counseling is that you CAN'T change anyone but yourself, and I think that's an important thing to keep in mind every day.  Do you're called to do with a full & grateful heart, and then leave the results to God.  We never know when our efforts (and attitude) will be the proverbial "straw that breaks the camel's back" so keep parenting those children, keep working on that relationship, keep caring for those entrusted to you, keep bearing good fruit REGARDLESS of the situation because as we do all of those things we show the love of Christ.

And that's NOT spinning your wheels because HE sees you and He's the One who matters most.

So That Scripture Would Be Fulfilled (Mark 14-16)

This week concludes our study of Mark's gospel and it's come at a really great time for me.  In 10 days I will take my second trip to Israel.  I went last year and had a wonderful time, but all that trip really did was make me want to go AGAIN!  It was great to see the sights for the first time and have a better context and mental image of things, so this year I'll return with a little more familiarity and a LOT more appreciation and awareness.

Something I've been aware of recently is how much bad stuff is happening in the world.  The earthquake in Haiti and now an even stronger one in Chile has left hundreds homeless and many injured or killed.  As the evaluation and cleanup begins, you can't help but look at those who have lost all their earthly possessions and think, "That's not fair!"  And it ISN'T fair, but then again LIFE isn't fair and it's NEVER been fair.  There's no better example of that than Jesus' last day, and we find succinctly recorded in Mark 14-16.

Jesus had been arrested in the garden, his friends had abandoned Him, and He began the loneliest hours of His life.  During those hours He faced SIX trials:  three religious trials (Annas, Caiaphas, Sanhedrin) where He was found guilty of blasphemy, then the charge was twisted to treason so He could be sent before the civil courts and be put to death.  There were three civil trials also (Pilate, Herod, Pilate) and He wasn't found guilty, but Pilate went into self-preservation mode and handed Him over to be crucified just to appease the rioters.

In studying the trials, there was nothing fair or legal about any of them.  A few of the many problems include a nighttime arrest, the accusations of a "friend," the nighttime trial, the conduct of the trial, the deliberation period and process, the verdicts... it was a true "kangaroo court" but Jesus calmly endured the entire thing.  The lies, the mocking, the beatings, the injustice... it was all a part of the cup of suffering that was His, the cup of suffering He accepted on our behalf.

Jesus never retaliated or even defended Himself, and He never refuted any of the bogus charges.  Regardless of what anyone did or said, He stood there and took it.  ALL.  All of it was undeserved and unfair, but He remained self-controlled and focused.  Why?  Because of His unfathomable love for us certainly, but I also love the apostle John's words, "so that Scripture would be fulfilled."  In fact, as He was being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus remarked, "the scriptures must be fulfilled."

Everything that happened to Jesus had been foretold in Scripture, and John mentions this on several occasions: when Jesus talked about His death, when the soldiers cast lots for His clothes, when He said He was thirsty, that none of His bones were broken.  And these are just a scant handful of Scriptures that were fulfilled, but it reminds us of something extremely important - Scripture is ALWAYS fulfilled.  ALWAYS.  Whether we like or not, whether we believe it or not, whether we recognize it or not - it is always fulfilled.

Jesus not only foretold His own suffering, but the suffering of His followers.  He repeatedly warned the disciples of some of the troubles they would face, and through His Word we find warnings of the some of the troubles WE will face: "all men will hate you because of Me..." (Mark 13:13, NIV).

But His message wasn't all gloom and doom, He also gave us HOPE.  In the upper room Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid," (John 14:27, NIV) and also, "I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NIV) His disciples echoed this in their writings. One of my favorites is 1 Peter 5:5-10 (NIV), and I see it as a perfect reflection of Christ's attitude and actions:
"Humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself make you strong, firm and steadfast."

We find that to be a recurring theme throughout the New Testament:  we'll suffer for a time, but we'll rejoice for eternity.  We shouldn't be surprised when suffering comes upon us because suffering turns our gaze from ourselves to our Lord, and those light and momentary afflictions are producing for us an eternal value in Heaven that we can't imagine (2 Cor 4:16-18), and one day we'll look back at it and see God's hand in it and be able to rejoice!

Allow me a quick personal aside:  one of my favorite parts of the account of His resurrection is when Jesus (now raised from the dead) met the disciples in Galilee.  By this time they had come out of hiding and returned to work, and were back out fishing on the boats.  After a long night of fishing but no catching, they looked on the shore and were probably dumbfounded to see -- JESUS!!  Standing there waiting for them!!  And the part that I love - Jesus asked them if they had anything to eat, and then had breakfast with them!!  That's just one more evidence that when we get to Heaven, we'll get to EAT!!  (Close your eyes and listen to the cheer that's going up on behalf of the Rineharts!!)

My love of food aside, His bodily resurrection means WE TOO will have a bodily resurrection!  Paul writes fairly extensively about this in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, but verse 49 captures the gist: "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the Man from Heaven."  And we will share in His victory over death!

Jesus faced the worst kind of injustice imaginable, but He was ultimately victorious.  So when life isn't fair and you're faced with unfair and seemingly impossible situations, STAND FIRM.  Remember Jesus' calm composure and steely resolve, and ponder the promises of scripture:
He sees us (Gen 16:13),
He loves us (John 3:16),
He will never leave us (Deut 31:8),
He bring us forth as gold (Job 23:10), and
We will spend eternity with Him (1 Thess 4:13-18).

And scripture is ALWAYS fulfilled!