Because I Love You- Max Lucado

"If you leave here, you will not find the way back."

Paladin spoke softly. "You will fix the hole then?"

"No, Paladin, I created the hole because I love you so much."

"But you just said you don't want us to leave."

"I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay with me, but I did make the opening when I built the wall."

"But if you don't fix it," said Paladin, "the children might leave."

"I know, Paladin. But I want the children to stay because they want to, not because they have to."

   

     What if Eden wasn't a garden but a village? What if that village was filled with not just two, but with many? What if they were children? Adam and Eve were very much like children just as Paladin is very much like us. Max Lucado's engaging story is of a curious child surrounded with Shaddai's perfect love. Shaddai built a boundary, a barrier, a massive stone wall, rock by rock to protect his creation. Yet he left a hole. As parents we would never leave a hole in the baby gate or a door open in our moving car. Why would the Creator take such risk?

     I think it has something to do with the relationship God longs for. He wanted Adam and Eve to to be the King an Queen not the slaves. He wants us to be his children not his prisoners. Shaddai wanted Paladin to choose to stay in the village trusting his tender love. But like Adam, Eve and often us, Paladin thinks maybe Shaddai might be wrong about this one. And before he knows it his knees are pressed against hard red dirt and his eyes are peering at the light on the other side.

The fruit was sweet and crunchy in Eden- I bet.

     The forest smelled of sweet flowers. Thick fir trees blocked most of the sky. And nothing seemed scary. Until Paladin turned around. His eyes saw the most horrible thing he could imagine. The hole in the wall was filled. There was no way back.

     The spiritual death Adam and Eve experienced was as final as a solid rock wall. There was no way they could find the way back to intimacy with God.

     Before Paladin's curious feet led him to the hole, Shaddai had carved a wooden walking staff. Shaddai picked it up before Paladin was out the other side. He knew what was coming. He was prepared to save.

   

     Revelation 13:8 "The Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world."

Our Lamb, our Lion, our Savior knew he would make a way back for all his lost children. He was prepared to use a wooden cross. He knew what was coming. He was prepared to save.

 

     Max Lucado weaves another captivating story around a spiritual truth. He gives the mystery of free will a tender stage with warm characters. The conclusion of the story is left open. I'm hoping it will spur an open discussion between you and your child about free will and God's love.

   

Royal Diaper Duty

Quote for today, “My name is Princess Jessica, but you can call me Jessica because a princess is just what I am.” –Gabriela Morris, age 5

     This quote from my niece tickled me when it flashed across my Facebook. In my mind, I can picture Gabriela’s long dark hair bouncing and her princess costume swishing. My husband loves to remind her, using her own childish pronunciation, she is a “bootiful pwinthess”. And indeed she is. In fact she is so secure in her identity as a princess that she confidently allows us to drop her title!

     Colossians 1:13 tells us “He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” The Bible is full of word pictures describing us as children of the King. But after a day of changing diapers or filing papers we often feel nothing like royalty. What circumstances tilt your crown?

Struggling to pay bills?

Separating fighting children?

Feeling overwhelmed by duty and demands?

     Do you doubt your place in the kingdom, and the power, love and resources of your King? We tell our daughters they are princesses not to make them rude or demanding, but to declare their infinite worth and secure place in our hearts. We love to see the sparkle in their eyes when they put on a glittery gown and we crown them our little princesses. The beautiful thing is, at age 5, they believe us. We hope they still believe us when darkness tries to make them doubt.

Ridiculing them for looking different.
Choosing them last.

Rejecting them ruthlessly.

     Christ said, "I confer on you a kingdom just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29).”

     Christ modeled the proper behavior befitting someone of divine royal position. He tells his disciples to imitate him. Not to be like the wealthy Gentiles who exercise authority and lord it over the people."Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:27)."

     1 Peter 2:9 tells us we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. He did not tell us this to make us conceited but to celebrate God's treasured people.

    Like Gabriela in her princess finery, know your Father celebrates you. Accept his royal robe of righteousness. Believe His declaration that you truly are a child of the King. A solid identity in Christ will not make you conceited. Rather, it will make you confident enough to follow Christ's example.

     Power to love the unlovely, serve for free and forgive, only comes from God. He modeled this to his children by loving, serving, forgiving and restoring them back into His kingdom. This power is available to all his royal children.
    So at the end of the day don't try to motivate me with duty, obligation or guilt. Instead, just remind me of who I am and who my Father is. His tender love and resources make me push up the sleeves of my dress.

      Insecure people may demand we always use their title of King, Prince, Duke or Doctor, but I'm with Gabriela.

      You can call me Ashley because a princess is just what I am.

Today's Kingdom Stories- Faith

     I felt like a skydiver whose chute didn't open. Living out of suitcases with my two boys, as my mother-in-law’s guest, was a fatal impact. Our jump had been to try to move from NC to PA to follow my husband’s piloting job.
      But now he was living in an apartment in Philly with male flight attendants and I was repacking my suitcase with another freshly laundered batch of clothes in my mother-in-law's house.

     Planning to leave family was hard. Saying goodbye was harder. But the hardest thing yet was driving back to my mother-in-law’s house to live indefinitely. We did everything we thought we were to do and it fell through. Now we were forced to live apart for months.

     We expressed our bewilderment to our pastor Alan Wright, “We thought we heard from God. Nothing worked out. Have you ever heard of such a disaster happening in the lives of people who are really following the Lord?”

     The next Sunday Pastor spoke of an unpredictable Jesus. Mary and Martha thought he would rush to heal Lazarus. He did not. His disciples thought he refused to go to avoid the violence of Judea. He did not. As readers we think he would immediately resurrect Lazarus. Nope. He didn’t apologize for his delay or quickly pacify their pain. First, he wept with the mourners and acknowledged that death was horrible, hurting him too. The people thought He wouldn’t want the tomb opened. But he did.

          Pastor said, “This story leads us along with the mourners to one surprise after the other, from the beginning when we had a hope that Jesus would heal Lazarus, but Lazarus died, to the expectation that Jesus would at least give the mourners some good grief counseling. Instead, He gave them a resurrection. God is building in us a greater faith that does not cave in when the confusing predicaments of life are not answered in the way that we want them to be answered.”

     My story wasn't finished yet but, feeling abandoned, I had stopped trusting God. When the answer came  it felt anti climatic. Because I had stopped trusting God I couldn't celebrate with Him when I saw His miracle. I just mumbled, “Well, of course He answered. How foolish not to expect His solution.” He proved He saw my need and was bringing the answer when I despaired the most.

      Two months after I doubted God a couple from our church discovered that their renter of five years was leaving their rental house in Ephrata, PA. The owners were willing to rent to us even with a foreclosure freshly on our credit. They told us point blank that this house was God’s provision.

    I moved having never laid eyes on the house or the town. It was safe with a huge playground, park, skate park, pool, library, doctors and schools in walking distance. Rolling farmland and Amish buggies surrounded us. New Life Fellowship came out on moving day and emptied our truck in about two hours. I was speechless. It was truly more than I could ever ask for or imagine.

     Of course nothing is perfect. More challenges were coming my way even in this picturesque setting. Like Mary, I realized that if God doesn’t do what I expect him to do, when I expect him to do it, he is still God. He cries with me when I hurt, always has a plan and offers his peace. It looks hopeless when our Lazarus dies but God’s purpose is to restore. I’m learning to focus on God and keep looking for His soft spot to land. I guess that’s faith.

     “Your faith is in no way in your own ability to be good, but your faith is in the magnificent awareness of what Jesus has done for you.” 
Alan Wright

Poems- Secret Plan

Hungry beggar on the street,

Homeless girl with calloused feet,

They were made for grace so sweet,

They are Royalty

Super mom drives her van,

Loves her kids, loves her man,

Yet, she doesn’t understand,

She is Royalty

Born in wealth or deepest need,

Worth is there if just a seed,

It calls us to our destiny,

We are Royalty

We are born for more than this-

Victims, death and hopelessness,

Yet still there’s love and tenderness,

Reserved for Royalty

Creator King of ages past,

Breathed life in man then woman last,

Loved them deeply, held them fast,

Treasured his Royalty

Deceptive Serpent whispered lies,

“You’re not enough you’re still not wise,

God’s not good it’s just a guise.

I’ll make you Royalty”

Prince and princess noble birth,

Greatest minds in all the earth,

Tricked to doubt their very worth,

Fell Royally

Now Prince of Darkness rules the air,

Sin gives dominion to his lair,

By rights our throne his evil chair,

Stolen Royalty

We are made for more than pain,

To talk with God and rule and reign,

Search for ways we might regain,

Our place as Royalty

Live a pure and perfect life?

Discipline and sacrifice?

Tricked by sin, must it be twice?

Can we earn Royalty?

Distracted by cold grip of sin,

forgot our enemy is him,

Helpless to fight against his whim,

Lord, rescue your Royalty

Perfect God yet fully man,

Christ finishes the secret plan,

Where Satan ruled now Christ does stand,

He is Royalty

Christ defeated death and grave,

Sin cannot stand in the way,

Still Satan lies, hear him say,

“You were never Royalty”

Purest love sparks memory,

Kind, just, patient and holy,

God woos us back so we can see,

His passion for his Royalty

Adam and Eve first were blessed,

Out of that came their fruitfulness,

Lavished with love regally dressed,

Unmerited Royalty

Now once again God's blessings rain,

Extravagant love dispels our shame,

In spite of us his love remains,

Flourishing Royalty

Prince of Peace extends his hand,

Loves his fallen, lost children,

Rescues, redeems, proclaims his plan,

-Restore Royalty-

 in a 

Foreign Land

Colossians 1:13

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the

 Kingdom of the Son he loves.