Monthly Archives: July 2021

What Comes of a Good Word

I love great sermons! Great sermons give me inspiration for writing like nothing else does. A good word from The Good Word produces some great writing. The powerful words of the Lord Himself coming from the mouth of another giving further words to yet another. The Holy Spirit moving from undeserving Spirit-filled to undeserving Spirit-filled. More than a production of words, it is a miracle.

As I write, I return from hearing one such sermon. A sermon that I really needed! I needed it for essential personal growth. I also needed it because my writing has been going through a dry patch as of late. What I heard and what I learned through conviction has given me plenty to write about. It was just the spark I required to get my thoughts flowing again. And it has lit a brand new fire in me! I’m excited to present the ideas that came from it!

Amongst the body of Christ this is how proper spiritual inspiration and motivation is often born. Obedience to the call of the Lord, whatever it may be, propelling other brothers and sisters to do the same. Each individual expression of the fulfilling of the Kingdom of God spurs faithful followers on to new expressions. As we draw from the reservoir of living water that is Jesus Christ, not only are our rivers of living water replenished, but so are the rivers of fellow believers. Praise the Lord for the way His community works!

“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” – 1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20-21‬

“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” – John‬ ‭20:21-22‬

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:” – 1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:4-7‬

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water… Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”” – John‬ ‭4:10, 13-14‬

“Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”” – John‬ ‭7:37-38‬

Lessons In Hiding

As I previously wrote, you know that the principle of “Community through Confession” proves that exposure in fact brings us closer. It is for this reason that I am so honest in my writing. As I have grown older I have developed a policy of complete transparency. Extreme honesty is a most sincere aim of mine. This has not always been the case though. I have actually spent quite a bit of my life hiding parts of myself from the light. So I am making an effort to detail my personal lessons in hiding.

Simply put, for the longest time I hid what I deemed to be the ugliest parts of me. Parts of me I refused to admit to others existed. I was all too aware that they were there, but was too self-serving to care to reveal them. I did not mind sustaining an image that didn’t quite match with reality.

So, what is it that I had been so ashamed of that I figured it was better off hidden? It was (and still is when I’m being particularly prideful) largely my physical inadequacies and their impending implications. The obvious insufficiencies were clearly seen, so it became my goal to draw as much attention as possible away from the effects that require a little more thought to recognize. (Ironically my efforts often did the opposite.) Hiding things like heading to the restroom, because if it was noticed it would draw attention to my need for assistance.

And that was just the beginning. The hiding made its way into my avoidance of certain social interactions, the manner in which I dressed, and even the way I presented myself. I can find no words to properly detail these things in a way that would make more sense to you. That’s how irrational it truly was.

To elicit an appearance of complete normalcy required me to play quite the part. A part I didn’t actually need to play. People couldn’t care less about my differences, at least not really. And if they did that was a problem of their own.

Nonetheless, I simply didn’t trust others would even remotely understand my experiences and resulting perspective. In fact, at many points I still don’t. And why should I? I’ve been disappointed before. The selfishness that runs rampant through humanity informed my way and proved my point. But the sinful tendencies of others should’ve never dictated my behavior. My decisions to do so actually exposed my own selfishness found in my extreme self-occupation.

As I’ve said in the past, the trial of Duchenne has been an amplifier of sin. Both for me and my closest loved ones. Imagine multiple people, with differing personalities, and very different momentary priorities in mind, directly relying on each other for the simplest of daily tasks. It’s a sure recipe for nearly endless frustrated eruptions.

This emotional and relational chaos was another thing I hid. Pretending all was well in Shannonland, when we would often be holding on by a thread. What purpose would it serve if others knew? Their picture of perfect Christian perseverance would be torn in two. I wouldn’t be what I want the world to see. I wouldn’t be what they’d already assumed they’d seen in me. As you can see, I had to learn to stop taking myself so seriously.

In the end, my quest to hide my physical inadequacies revealed to me my spiritual atrocities. Covering up the outward was an extension of trying to cover up the inward. The extremity of DMD forced me to see the treachery of humanity in the depths of me. Precious wisdom has been earned in the awareness of this evil that lurks within.

These lessons were hiding in plain sight. But in order for me to see them my prideful blinders needed to be removed. It was only the pain of my circumstance that could do the trick. God alone knew this. In His sovereign purpose and love for me, He allowed just that to be. He does know what’s best for me! Especially when I get so good at hiding that myself can’t even see.

It takes a mighty shake to make the sinner wake. Praise the King of kings that He did this for me! A game changer that set me free from my inability to see.

You too can allow your pain to change your game. To elevate your ways from self-advancement to Christ’s pronouncement. Move toward glorification of the King that created, lived among, and even died for you and me. Are you ready to truly see? You’ll have to let Him shake you free!

Exposure Brings Us Closer

Exposure brings us closer. Closer to God that is. And this isn’t something clever that I made up, it’s simply the truth. The Son of God Himself, you know, The Way, The Truth, The Life and The Light (John 1; John 14:6) says it to be so. In John 3:20-21 Jesus makes the following statement: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Do you get it? The one who willingly practices evil actually does everything he can to avoid exposure. He chooses to keep his ill-behaviors as far away from the light as possible. This deliberate approach to life is the proof of his wickedness as well as the trap that will ensure he never escapes his wickedness. Though none of us are free from committing deeds of an evil nature due to our sinful flesh, we each have an option to be honest about our shortcomings. May the man described in verse 20 be a warning to us of the consequences of avoiding the light!

On the contrary, we have the man described in verse 21. The type of man who walks in the paths of truth. He is not perfect, nor does the verse say he is. He has certainly done his fair share of wrong. The difference is, in spite of his failures, he willingly brings his every action to light. The good and the bad. Though not every deed he has done has been godly, because he has made himself clearly and fully seen, he is given credit as having done all in God. He is considered close to the Lord by and through his honest pursuit of His ways! Abundant grace is found in exposing our spiritual selves. May we dive on in by revealing our actions!

Exposure brings us closer to others as well. In being honest with our family, friends, and to whomever it may be appropriate, we develop immense trust and incredible camaraderie between each other. Not everyone is capable of loving you when you are fully known, but to find such a friend is a great reward! In James 5:16 we are actually encouraged to confess our sins to one another as a means of building and uplifting the community of Christ. What I call, “Community through Confession”. We cannot truly grow unless we are willing to grow together. Transparency and prayer for one another benefits the whole.

It is even appropriate to say that exposure brings God closer to us. Making ourselves known has a positive pull in both directions. Us to Him, and He to us. If we are getting closer to Him, He is inevitably getting closer to us. Let me give you some scriptural support for this concept. Psalm 34:18 says this, “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” In other passages we learn that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5)

What do these verses have to do with God getting closer to the transparent? Well, the one with a broken heart is not hiding his feelings of despair, he is baring all, for all to see. And having a contrite spirit speaks of repentance; Without openly admitting your sins there can be no true repentance. This man, the one of the broken heart and contrite spirit, the one who is open and honest, is whom the Lord draws near to. This man who has come to the light is humble and receives the grace he is given. On the other hand, the prideful man experiences resistance from God because he covers and/or denies his personal flaws. It is extremely difficult for this man to be transparent and he is a great hindrance to community because of it.

So, there you have it, exposure serves as a great catalyst for community. For fellowship and communion with both God and man. When we avail ourselves to each other, to know fully and to be fully known, real unity is formed. Then nothing can separate us from the Father and nothing can come between the body of Christ, the Church. If we make complete transparency our goal, the only way we can grow is closer. Sounds like creation at its perfection to me. The effect of the Gospel bringing us back to the Garden.

And, by the way, all things will eventually be exposed by God anyways. So might as well make ‘em known now while great grace is still available. That way you’ll be ready as the imminent return of the Lord grows nearer. In this way, exposure brings us closer to eternity.

“For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” – Luke‬ ‭8:17‬

“For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.” – Mark‬ ‭4:22‬

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” – 1 Corinthians ‭4:5‬