Whining, Waffles and Whispers~The Way to Our New Identity

          "NOOOOOOOOOO . . . "  I had been hearing it all week out of my 4 year old's mouth.  Was it just a rebellious streak he was on?  Was it because it was the last week of preschool and his sadness over the end of the school year was coming out in anger against me?  Was he just testing me?  His magnet on his "Obedience Race Track" hadn't budged in at least 7 days.  We were at a standstill, like an old western film show down, Daniel on one side of the ghost town and me at the other, waiting for the other one to give up in surrender.  Well what does any good parent do in a time like this?

    Take 'em out for waffles of course.

     That wasn't all I did.  But, I felt the need to connect in a deeper way with my son hoping to find some clue as to why he was acting out.  I wanted to let him know my love and enjoyment of him hadn't changed, even though his behavior had.  We had a great time, laughing together.   We talked about what it meant that God was our Abba,  Our Daddy. He loves and even adores us even in our maddest, worst, most rebellious place.  His love doesn't shift like our behavior can.  I felt like this was the ticket.   And if it wasn't the ticket, maybe at least it was the turning point.

    But after school, the behavior continued.  Finally, at one point after the 5th or 6th time out, I remembered what we had discussed that morning.  I looked straight into the angry, distorted face of my preschooler and said, "Daniel we really, really love you.  Abba really loves you RIGHT NOW.  We know you have what it takes to obey fast.  We know you can do it."


    And something clicked.  The light turned on.  Something broke.  Life was spoken right in the midst of discipline.  Confidence was imparted.  Budding righteousness was affirmed.  New identity was received.  And Daniel's out ward behavior shifted because he received his inner identity.

     "Yes Dad."
     "Sure, Mom."
     "Okay, I will do it."

     And right there, God revealed something very important.

     It is the same with us.  It's only after we receive our inner identity that our outward behavior  can really change.  Just like Daniel, we need to know we are enjoyed and loved right where we are.  God's love for us never moves or shifts, even in the midst of discipline or testing.  Daniel's behavior wasn't accepted, but He was still held tight in the Father's grip.  And it's the same with us.   His wasn't the identity of disobedience, even though that was how he was acting.  His was the identity of a beloved Son.  And so is ours.


      "God calls the things that are not as though they are." Romans 4:17


     In the place of testing, discipline, and disobedience is where we need to tune our ear the most.  Its here that we need to learn to hear the voice of our Abba, and shut out the voice of the condemnation.   We need to hear The Father tell us of His unwavering affection and love that beckons us to get back up when we fall.   We need to let him fan into flame the smoldering embers residing on the inside whispering to us that we are indeed "more than over comers" (Romans 8:37).



   

Passed-Over: The anecdote for the feeling of being forgotten

       Today marks the beginning of the very important Jewish holiday of Passover.  It's a time for Jews (and Christians) to consider the miracle He performed in Egypt to those who obeyed and covered their doorposts in lamb's blood.  Those that heeded God's instructions would not receive the blow of waking up to the loss of their children.  The blood was a sign to The Spirit to passover those homes, while those who went bare of blood were struck with sickness that killed their precious first born children.  (Exodus 11:4-8, 12:29)

        For Christians, this was also a foretelling to the coming Lamb of God, Jesus,  whose blood was spilled so they would not receive the wrath of God.  It falls near the celebration of The Resurrection on Christian calendars to emphasize the powerful parallel between the Old Testament and New Testament stories.

         But, today I am speaking of another type of passover.  What do I mean?  I am talking about the feeling of being passed over by God or others.  I am talking about the feeling of going unnoticed or giftings going unwanted.  I am talking about the feeling of being forgotten or the thought that others seem to be chosen over us.  Grown men still wrestle with this and mature women still fall under its grip.

    Ever been there?  I have. The ducks are in a row.  Your expectations are detailed in how you believe things will play out.  Your plans and dreams for success are budding with hope.  You can see how its all going to work out.  The vision is clear.  It's all within your grasp.


    And then, wham!  No one sees your potential.  Or the one person or people you thought would see it don't get it at all.  Your dreams and plans are thrown under the bus.  No one sees the dream in your heart.  You start thinking maybe you are crazy and not hearing from God at all.


    Perhaps though the focus is in the wrong place?  Perhaps somewhere along the road, we started crafting our plans a little too carefully, instead of leaving them in God's hands?  Perhaps we started looking to that  someone or group of people that we thought would promote us?

           David knew he would be King someday.  Joseph (maybe) understood he would be a leader of some sort, based on his dreams.  But I bet they never dreamed of the road they would have to travel on to get there.  I bet they never knew ahead of time what dream-crushing process God would bring them through.


         And in this place-  the dream-dashing, character-shaping, heartbreaking season- is where many of us give up too soon.   We get our eyes on "our oppressor" (or those who don't "get us").  We start to believe they actually have the power to take away the promises God has spoken.  Because, really, it seems like they do.  We shift our focus onto our circumstances and decide they are even stronger than the Almighty who whispered those dreams to our heart in the first place.  We can wrestle with un forgiveness against those who (we think) won't promote us.  We might even be tempted to slander them, so we look more powerful than we really are. 

      But our focus is in the wrong place.  And all the while the enemy is laughing.  Because he is selling us a lie.  And the wound goes deeper and deeper.

     God has not left us.  He is actually passionately pursuing us in this season.  He is after our heart and shaping our character.  He is emphasizing the truth that He isn't after our productiveness, but still enjoys us in our hidden-ness. He is removing the self-effort from our dream, so that only He gets the glory.  He is testing our focus.  Are our eyes still fixed on Him?  Or have we digested the lie that others control our destiny?  Are we surrendering our expectations and plans, letting God shape our road to success?

In the wilderness

       As John Bevere says in "Bait of Satan", "No one can take away our destiny but us."

            Forgive those who you think are passing you over.  Embrace God's route to your promise and let go of your own.  Fix your eyes on the Promise Keeper, the only one who can actually promote you. Embrace the character-shaping and humility-making that God is doing in you.  LET GO OF THE LIE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PASSED OVER.  You are actually experiencing God's favor  and are right in the middle of His plan.  You are actually on the road to your destiny.  And no matter what cave, wilderness or dungeon you find yourself in, God is still able to pull you out AT THE RIGHT TIME and fulfill His promise.  Only He can promote you.

                      

"cave" 

Daniel locked in an old jail cell

Olivia in an old jail cell

    Repeat the words of David who continually put His trust in the Lord, no matter the circumstance.  Cling to the attitude of Our Savior, who by His blood saved the world from God's wrath.  He trusted Himself to God, and thereby saved God's children.

              "My times are in your hands" Psalm 31:15