Five Minute Friday: Perspective

I have not participated in Five Minute Friday since before Stafford was born! It is time for me to join the writing crew again! Every Friday, writers gather together to all write on the same writing prompt for just 5 minutes. It is quick and easy blogging! This week the word is: Perspective.

Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. 

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
excerpt from Morning and Evening Devotions, Evening, November 11

Many of us currently find ourselves in situations we would not choose if were it up to us. We would not choose to be sick, to lose our jobs, or to have a global pandemic. We would not choose to have nurses and doctors and medical professionals in such danger. We would not choose to have loved ones die. We would not choose to lose the ability to safely gather in groups at our schools, churches, and in our communities. We would not choose many of the trials we find ourselves in right now as a result of COVID-19.

We live in a world that is under a curse, so we face suffering and pandemics in this life. From our perspective, our circumstances may not seem best. But we serve a God who is sovereign and powerful and who works all things for our good, even in the midst of suffering. We can be certain that He is working the circumstances of this pandemic for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The trials we are facing right now have have been chosen for us by a wise and loving God. He has a perspective that we do not have, and we can trust that He has placed us in the right circumstances for us right now.

Keep on keeping on, dear soldier of Christ. God has a purpose for you in this pandemic. He has a way He wants to use you. He has a way He wants to grow you. God has chosen to have you live in this time and place in history. Divine love has put you here.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Jesus is Risen! Today is a day for celebration and worship.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:3-28

His Heart Beats

Andrew Peterson

(If you are reading this in an email, please click over to the blog to listen to the song.)

His heart beats
His blood begins to flow
Waking up what was dead a moment ago
And His heart beats, now everything is changed
'Cause the blood that brought us peace with God
Is racing through His veins
And His heart beats
His heart beats 

He breathes in
His living lungs expand
The heavy air surrounding death turns to breath again
He breathes out
He is word and flesh once more
The Lamb of God slain for us is a Lion ready to roar
And His heart beats 

So crown Him the Lord of Life
Crown Him the Lord of Love
Crown Him the Lord of All 

He took one breath
And put death to death
Where is your sting, O grave?
How grave is your defeat
I know, I know His heart beats 

He rises, glorified in flesh
Clothed in immortality, the firstborn from the dead
He rises, and His work's already done
So He's resting as He rises to reclaim the Bride He won
And His heart beats 

So crown Him the Lord of Life
Crown Him the Lord of Love
Crown Him the Lord of All 

He took one breath
And put death to death
Where is your sting, O grave?
How grave is your defeat
I know, I know His heart beats 

The last enemy to be destroyed is death
The last enemy to be destroyed is death
He must reign until no enemy is left
The last enemy to be destroyed, to be destroyed is death 

His heart beats, He will never die again
I know that death no longer has dominion over Him
So my heart beats with the rhythm of the saints
As I look for the seeds the King has down
To burst up from their graves 

I know, I know
He took one breath
And put death to death
Where is your sting, O grave?
How grave is your defeat
I know, I know
He took one breath
And put death to death
Where is your sting, O grave?
How grave is your defeat
How great, how great is His victory
I know, I know His heart beats
I know, I know His heart beats
His heart beats

Trust In Jesus and Do the Next Right Thing

Life has changed a great deal across the United States in the past month as COVID-19 has been spreading. Even before a stay-at-home order was issued in our state, my family began a self-quarantine at home. We have been taking the need for social distancing seriously, both to protect our own health and to protect others. We have been staying in our home unless we must leave for something important like a doctor's appointment or groceries. But if we can avoid going out for those things, we do! Will doesn’t even go to the office for work anymore; he works from our basement.

The quarantine life started for us on March 16. William and Adelaide came home from school at noon, and we began a two week break from school. The kids and I kicked it off with a movie afternoon! We popped popcorn, made hot chocolate, and watched Frozen 2. This was my first time watching Frozen 2, and I loved it! There was a message in it that I found to be very timely as COVID-19 spreads across the world.

I am probably one of the few people who had never seen Frozen 2, so perhaps you already know the basic storyline. The kingdom of Arendelle was in danger, and the townspeople had to flee for safety. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven set out to find the answers they needed to save the kingdom from certain destruction. The situation was overwhelming and scary, and everything felt out of control. The wise old troll told them that "all one can do is the next right thing." These words were repeated several times throughout the film. In fact, Anna even sang a song about doing the next right thing!

The words, "do the next right thing," stood out to me because they were very similar to something Elisabeth Elliot used to say in her writing and speaking. I read these words from her last summer in the book, Suffering Is Never for Nothing:

There's an old legend, I'm told, inscribed in a parsonage in England somewhere on the sea coast, a Saxon legend that said, "Do the next thing." I don't know any simpler formula for peace, for relief from stress and anxiety than that very practical, very down-to-earth word of wisdom. Do the next thing. That has gotten me through more agonies than anything else I could recommend.

Elisabeth Elliot was a missionary in Ecuador in the 1950s with her husband, Jim Elliot, and they had a baby girl, named Valarie. They had been married for less than 3 years when Jim and 4 other missionary men were speared to death. After Jim died, Elisabeth chose to stay in Ecuador with Valarie and continue the mission work. In the midst of her grief, she focused on doing the next thing. And in the years to follow, she would often encourage others with that simple phrase: “do the next thing.”

As I watched Frozen 2 with my kids, it was fun to hear words that were so close to Elisabeth Elliott's. It was also a good reminder to simply do the next right thing when life is hard and scary. And it all seemed very timely due to the global pandemic that is happening currently!

There is much that is unknown right now. We don’t know what the schools will be doing in a month. We don’t know who will catch the virus or when. We don’t know when we will be able to safely leave our homes. We don't know what exactly is going to happen with the economy. We don't know what is going to happen to people in third world countries who lack adequate food, shelter, clean water, and medical care. It is easy to look at the COVID-19 pandemic and become paralyzed with fear. What can we even do?

We can trust in Jesus. And we can do the next right thing.

What is the next right thing for you? Maybe it is snuggling with your children and reading books. Maybe it is calling an elderly neighbor to see if you can pick up groceries for them. Maybe it is taking a nap. Maybe it is making a conscious decision to rest in the sovereignty of God. Maybe it is spending time in prayer. Maybe it is making supper. Maybe it is giving your baby a bath. Maybe it is supporting Mercy House or another nonprofit that serves people in third world countries.

There is something for you to do. Do that thing. And then do the next thing.

Our God is still sovereign. None of this has come to us apart from His knowledge or power. He is in control. He is loving and faithful and good. If you love God and are called according to His purpose, then He will work this out for your good! Trust in Him when everything seems scary and out of control.

We don't need to know how long the Coronavirus pandemic will last. We don't need to know how it will all turn out. But we do need to trust in Jesus and do the next right thing.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

And in case you haven't seen it, here is Anna singing The Next Right Thing in Frozen 2.

What is the next right thing for you today?