Sunday, September 19, 2010

Sunday Afternoon Tea

 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...
Isaiah 61:1

I have found it quite amazing that for years now, I arrive at Friday or Saturday thinking this will be the week I have nothing for Sunday Afternoon Tea... no ponderings, no insights... nothing.  Then I find a word or a phrase floating around my mind, waiting for me to reach out and grasp it before it floats away.

This week I was rather tired and cranky, not at all in the mood to be thankful or grateful for good things which came my way in the midst of real life.  I needed wisdom personally, much less to share.  Then... I found a phrase continually coming back to my thinking, realizing it was the Creator of All speaking His Words... He is the Lord of the brokenhearted.

This was a week I was weary of living in a fallen world in which it seemed all things were far from perfect.  As I told Stephanie again (perhaps for the millionth time)... our hearts long for Eden.   My soul within ached for a world with no lack, no disease, no trouble in interpersonal relationships, no distance between me and the one I want to hug, no fear, and no bad news.

The Word talks about "not growing weary in well doing".  I think that is where I was this past week as it was not one huge challenge or disappointment which came my way but many little foxes.  I have found them to be more insidious than the big guys as they can nip away at my ankles and before I know it... I am weary and cranky and ready to throw it all in and hide under the covers with a pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

The big challenges almost immediately send me to my knees and to the Cross.  I found the following quote on Josh Harris' blog and found it to be so true...

C.H. Spurgeon on suffering: 
"I have learned to kiss the wave that strikes me 
against the Rock of Ages."

The big stuff are the waves that bring us crashing against the Rock.  Such have been the days and months and years when all I could do was hold on, feeling much like Frodo as he tried to keep from falling into the fires of Mount Doom... feeling the heat of the enemy all around me and wondering if the Rock will fail and I'll fall so far I won't come back this time.

But I do and I did.

I was sitting with my husband and son this week at the University, enjoying potluck tailgating food (bratwurst, potato salad, mac & cheese, etc.) before the guys were to walk to the football game and I would watch it on television.  (We were given two tickets and I was happy for them to attend together as I enjoy it just as much on TV.)

Christopher lives in a fabulous Cooperative (similar to a fraternity but not in the Greek system and the guys do all of their cooking and cleaning so it is much less expensive).  In this case, since it is a Christian house... no alcohol allowed!  :-)

My thoughts went back to the time (about six and a half years ago) I was in intensive care after fainting due to out-of-control blood sugar.  My prayer was that God would let me live to homeschool through high school. Here we now were, well into the college years and God had more than answered prayer... although at the time I could not see past that week.

Not all our heartbreaking crisis are life threatening.  Most are not.  But small or large... they feel threatening.

No one gets a Get Out of Jail pass in real life as we do in Monopoly.  We all know days when we think we won't make it until the next.  People we love disappoint us.  Circumstances such as job loss or illness come out of nowhere.  If we look just to this day and this moment... we grow weary and we are ready to give up.  But remember... it isn't over, yet.

Whether the trial is large or made up of many little foxes... He came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captive free (read all of that section of Isaiah, it is glorious).

He sees you where you are right now and He sees the end of the story... hold on.   :)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Brenda. I really needed this today.

Have a Blessed day!

Valerie

Vee said...

Wonderful words today, Brenda. That quote from Spurgeon...wow. A lot of what we experience and the intensity of it comes directly from our own emotion surrounding whatever the situation is. I am learning to tame those emotions and set my sights not so much on how I feel about whatever is going on, but on Him. He is more than able to get me out of any difficulty. I know that He has more for us than we can even imagine in our wildest dreams. I still think you're supposed to be writing a book.

GrammaGrits said...

Blessings on you for sharing your heart. . .things we often feel!

Donnie said...

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” (Song of Songs 2:15) I often get caught up in the distress of the little foxes that I don't see the bigger issues. You are such a talented writer. Very gentle.

BusyBee said...

Dearest Brenfren, What you were perhaps feeling was the extra pull of the High Holy Days of Yom Kippur which ended Saturday evening. Long before I began following the Feast of God outlined as His way of connecting to him, I would find my spirit stirred at these appointed times even though I didn't know why. I would be especially moved to self-examination during the early fall - corresponding with the month of Elul (for returning to God and repentance) just prior to the Day of Atonements on Yom Kippur
Just a thought to add to your contemplations.

On a personal note - we are all flying to Utah on Tuesday to spend two wonder-filled weeks with Fonya and the gang. We haven't seen them since they moved last November. The boys have grown so tall, just like mighty oaks! LOL Will take lots of pictures of course and if all goes well, maybe some shots of the trees turning from a hot air balloon ride! As always you are in my heart and prayers,
BeBe

Ann said...

Wonderful inspiration ... and it hits home during these troubled times.

Peggy Lorenz said...

Thank you, Brenda! I have been trying to "hang on" for some time now, as my daughters and I are dealing with my husband who has several addictions, and we have had some issues with domestic violence, as well. I am clinging to the Rock! Your words are always an encouragement to me.

Peggy

Anita said...

Amen, Sister, Amen!

Anonymous said...

I am rereading again Margaret Jensen's book Lena. That book can make you remember who is in charge and help you realize we have the power to lift any doubting spirits for sure. Next to the Bible that is. We too are going throuogh another tiral but keep remembering the many many times we saw no end in sight. Yet there was a way out and He saw that we got there. Sarah

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Such a good post...so encouraging Brenda.

I cling to the knowledge that God knows the whole picture...I can trust Him.

Anonymous said...

You always seem to have the message my heart so needs to hear. Whether you know it or not Brenda, you are being used mightly of God. Thank you. May your week be blessed.

Laura

Anonymous said...

So true and well expressed, Brenda! The call of my REAL HOME in the KINGDOM grows stronger with time. This past week was no more difficult than any other, but as time goes along, it seems we find ourselves longing more and more to be in that place where for the first time in our lives, we WILL TRULY BELONG!!!

Fellow sojourner and wayfarer,
Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

Brenda, BeBe DOES have an interesting perspective on physical oppressions, and I believe that spiritual activity always manifests in the physical, too. Next time, we need to look for spiritual revelations to our unknown physical maladies. Might just find our answer(s).
I have a friend that does this - for instance, if she has a backache (which she normally does NOT have), she'll search (in prayer) for the reason she's experiencing it. Sometimes, she says, it's God's way of telling her to intercede for someone or pray about an issue. Interesting, huh?
Good post.

Anonymous said...

I was three days behind in my blog reading so just read this one. It was exactly what I needed for today. Spurgeon is one of my favorites.

Friend Debra