Introducing: Juliet

For the last two and a half months I have had the privilege of spending 45 hours of my week with the sweetest baby I have ever known. Her name is Juliet Rose and we have become fast friends.

As Juliet has only recently completed her 5th month of life, learning from loving, caring for and playing with her has only just begun, but I feel confident that the next few months of development will show a dramatic increase in life applications from our daily interactions.

The first realization I had came in the first few days. Though I am not nearly her mother, caring for her has shed new light on a Biblical truth that I have known for years.

In Isaiah 49:15 God says, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you."

Until August, I had only seen one aspect of this statement: the Lord is faithful to His people. Truth.

But as I fed Juliet on one of our first days together, I realized how much she NEEDS to be remembered. It is not just compassion from the heart of the caregiver that is astounding, but her survival is utterly dependent on the attentiveness of someone else.

She cannot eat if I do not remember to feed her.

She cannot be clean if I do not remember to change her diaper.

She cannot move or enjoy her world if I do not position her appropriately.

She cannot live.

Period.

Without the intervention of someone altogether more mature and capable, her existence would fail.

Horribly. Tragically. Rapidly.

Now she certainly would not exist at all if not for the actions of other individuals, but the life application is in her daily needs as a reflection of mine.

The only action step that Juliet may take toward having her needs met is to express her recognition of them. She can cry when she is hungry, wet or bored. After that, she is at the mercy of whoever hears her cry.

Juliet is capable only of expressing need. She does absolutely nothing else to enable me to provide for her. She does not mix her formula or make sure the bottles are clean. She does not restock the wipes or even leave her legs still to be changed. She does not turn her attention to a different interest that is also plainly in front of her.

Please do not misunderstand. These are by no means complaints about our relationship. They are merely observations, the realities of her current existence. And it is my joy to love on her by serving her in these ways.

But just as the baby is helpless apart from his mother's memory, I am hopeless apart from the Lord's. All my own efforts amount to screaming and writhing when what I need is to be washed, to be fed, to be loved. I must recognize and express my need for redemption, but I am utterly helpless in achieving it.

I cannot live rightly.

I cannot pay the penalty of my sins.

I cannot sacrifice an acceptable offering.

I cannot inherit the Spirit of God.

I cannot restore myself to the image of Christ.

I cannot live.

Period.

The Lord initiates my salvation from start to finish. He has given me no responsibilities. I am not capable of bearing a single one. He remembers me, and I live.

My mind reels as the implications multiply. How rich is the Word of God.

And as I consider the needs I meet that Juliet does not realize, I am humbled still. She knows she is hungry, but what does she know of bottled water and formula? She knows she is dirty, but what does she know of Pampers and wipes? She knows she is uncomfortable, but what does she know of laundry and pillows?

What would I know of Love?

What would I know of Joy?

What would I know of Peace?

God of Love.

Joyful King.

Prince of Peace.

Remembers me.

my heart belongs to the Holiday Inn Express

I recently booked a night at the Holiday Inn Express for an event a few months from now.

We spent one night at the HI Express on our way to family vacation this summer. The stay was pleasant. So when I looked for a place to stay for an upcoming event, I checked out the options. Upon finding a discount and availability, I reserved a room for myself and a few other guests at the HI Express near our event.

Last weekend I drove from Atlanta to Winston-Salem to visit a friend. All along the way I looked for the Holiday Inn Express. Every such establishment I passed looked wonderful. I was ecstatic and rejoiced at every encounter.

Part of my interest was that I have never actually seen the hotel where I will be staying in a few months. I was hoping the general consensus along I-85N would indicate that the HI Express is a promising reservation in any location. My expectations were exceeded.

But on my drive home as I continued to spot and celebrate every Holiday Inn Express, I wondered why, with so much enthusiasm, I scoped out every “Lodging” sign along the interstate hoping to find a Holiday Inn to be proud of. Why was I suddenly so interested in each of these hotels that I will likely never stay in?

And then it hit me.

Because my money has been given to this establishment.

Wow.

All of a sudden what would never have earned a second glance became the landmark of my fancy, and all because $100 left my bank account to reserve a room.

One transaction.

One night.

One minor detail in a weekend that will have much more eternal consequences than two queen beds and a free breakfast.

That was all it took.

If anyone had been reading my thoughts on my road trip, they would have thought I had bought thousands of dollars in stock. No. Just one night’s stay.

And I am floored by the Truth of Jesus.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Truth bomb.

I am not legitimately obsessed with the Holiday Inn Express. But I praise God for such a vivid reminder that my heart undeniably follows my money. I pray His Kingdom will always be the primary beneficiary of the income the Lord allows me to steward.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

drenched

Philippians 2:1-16 [and how my heart should read and respond]

So if there is any encouragement in Christ [I want to encourage others in You—use me],

any comfort from love [I need You to love genuinely through me],

any participation in the Spirit [I forfeit the opportunity for walking in the Spirit in community when my life is about me],

any affection and sympathy [only one source for genuine—Jesus Christ’s example],

complete my joy by being of the same mind [we all need to live in Your mindset, Lord Jesus],

having the same love [You made us to love this way],

being in full accord and of one mind [true harmony].

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit [let my service be genuine acts of love, never a competition or to prove I am better],

but in humility count others more significant than yourselves [humility, choosing to rank myself, my needs and desires, below those of the people around me; genuine and deep interest in my friends and family].

Let each of you look not only to his own interests [but boy, that comes naturally—my food, my news, my bedtime, my exercise],

but look also to the interests of others [their jobs, relationships, schedules, hopes, fears, joys, frustrations, pains].

Have this mind among yourselves [a command—help me obey, help me choose this mindset, help me know Truth so that this mindset is mine],

which is yours in Christ Jesus [a promise—help me know You more so I may claim it],

who, though He was in the form of God [form = very nature—let this sink in somehow, Father—the demotion even to leave heaven’s glory],

did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped [count? consider, esteem, regard—whatever His evaluation looked like, He did not act on His merited status but rather gave it to us; still He is God, Jesus released all the honor and privilege that was due Him—He did not hold onto His position to enjoy exclusively for Himself, He gave it to us, the only hope we had was in His ability and desire to sacrifice—my soul was worth more to Him than comfort and the joy of heaven],

but made Himself nothing [intentionally, did it to Himself, left all glory behind, to be considered, counted as lowly by men],

taking [because it was not His inherent nature]

the form [the very essence]

of a servant [bondservant—compelled to remain in service by love for master],

being born [BORN—God left all pomp and prestige, entered the world the messy, bloody, chaotic way, like every other man since Adam]

in the likeness of men [He took the likeness of men because we are no longer the likeness of God—He had to take on our likeness to restore it to its created glory].

And [as if that were not enough]

being found in human form [He made Himself available, findable],

He humbled Himself [SOME MORE]

by becoming obedient [being fully man, He did have a choice, but He obeyed, unlike us]

to the point of death [love required that distance of obedience—my own is so short-lived—He could have turned back, forsaken us all, but He obeyed even though it cost Him what little He had left, namely the presence of His Father and breath],

even death on a cross [as He entered like every other man, He left the world the messy, bloody, chaotic way that every man and woman deserves to die, in the place of and to save the souls of every other man since Adam--the most painful, degrading and obscene means of execution known to man at the time, killed cruelly as a display of what happens to transgressors, except that He was not one—the Romans crucified criminals so that everyone knew the consequences of mutiny—Jesus Christ was crucified because every one of us has mutinied against the Kingdom of God—only His cross, His substitution on my cross, opens wide the gate and stands as a sign of freedom from wrath for all who rejoin the Father by Him].

Therefore [because He so clearly earned and deserves it]

God has highly exalted Him [Him, Jesus Christ, no one else, not even me]

and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name [far above my name],

so that at the name of Jesus [speak Your name over me ceaselessly]

every knee should bow [acknowledging worth, honor, allegiance, deference],

in heaven and on earth [that’s me]

and under the earth, and every tongue confess [so that hearts and lives truly reveal]

that Jesus Christ is Lord [the Bondservant is my Master],

to the glory of God the Father [my reason for living].

Therefore [action item because all of this is true],

my beloved, as you have always obeyed [I wish I always had, but I want to—desperately],

so now, not only as in my presence [not so other people can see]

but much more in my absence [Lord, You know my inner heart],

work out your own salvation [living the life of Christ]

with fear and trembling [on purpose, recognizing the price He paid and the calling He’s made],

for it is God who works in you [praise Him! I am not trying in vain!],

both to will [You give desire for holiness, You inform my heart and my pursuits, You spur me on]

and to work [I make myself available, but You are the Refiner, the Craftsman, the Artist]

for His good pleasure [what You do in my heart and life is to bring You greater joy, love and glory—no other end result is as sweet, as worthwhile, as You].

Do [actually do]

all things [yes, all things]

without [lacking]

grumbling [complaining, getting huffy, having an attitude, feeling demoted or disrespected]

or questioning [be submissive, reliable, trusting that in all these things my Father is still working for His good pleasure],

that [for the following reason]

you may be [because He is interested in who I am becoming more than in what I am doing]

blameless [without fault]

and innocent [if I have been serving out of the love and example of Christ],

children of God [for that is my identity]

without blemish [above reproach]

in the midst [right alongside, surrounded by, despite my surroundings and even in contrast to]

of a crooked and twisted generation [who will take shortcuts, laugh at halfhearted work as a joke and sneer at faithfulness as a mockery, declare what is wrong to be right and what is right to be wrong, and use every opportunity to build “self” at the expense of others],

among whom [do not avoid them, be among but distinct from]

you shine [in purity and love]

as lights in the world [because Jesus, the Light of the world, lives in and through me],

holding fast [because I have to grasp something]

to the word of life [rather than power and prestige, hold Jesus, the One of greatest power and supreme prestige because He showed the greatest, humblest love],

so that [there is an ultimate goal]

in the day of Christ [however distant that rewarding day may be, when all Truth is revealed]

I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain [everything is meaningless and empty if I do not strive after Christ, all for naught if I have not revealed Him to an otherwise hopeless world by pursuing His humble love as an overflow from my heart to draw all men and women to Him].

october!

New Testament. 1.

Weekend Visit with Lauren Baggett. 2-4.

Aunt Beth’s Birthday. 3.

“Beauty and the Beast” on DVD. 5.

Smelley and Rene’s 24^th Birthday. 8.

“Flags” by Brooke Fraser. 12.

Kimberly’s 23^rd Birthday. 15.

Stephen Graduates at Fort Knox. 15.

Two Half Days in One Week. 20, 22.

Becca’s Bachelorette. 22.

Week Off of Work. 25-29.

Becca and Josh’s Wedding. 30.