May 1 - Authenticity

Scripture focus: By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God. Hebrews 11:8-10 (The Message)

Positioned in my grown up body with some adult responsibilities completed, I find myself pausing to prepare for a new stage of development. Our youngest child turned eighteen, and for all intents and purposes, he's an adult. As clear as crystal, I study my children and realize that from the first day they made their entrance into this world their authentic self was already etched within each tiny heart. Their temperaments, love languages, and unique worldviews have held steady as their shoe sizes have grown and their tastes in clothes have changed to match the times. I wonder if my parents feel the same about me. Truth be told, it is sometimes easier for a mother to appreciate her children than it is to know herself. Soon the last school lunch will be packed (over 29,000 made) and the last games, concerts and talent shows attended. The last report card will be signed, and the final report card treat (if appropriate) will be purchased. But for all the packing and purchasing and attending and scheduling and yes, sometimes fretting, that has occurred over the years, there's one truth that stands out in my mind: before I met my children, God knew them. They had no idea where they were going, and neither did their dad and I – but God did and he still does. The only authentic life worth living is the one God dreamed about as he knit each of us together in our mother's womb. Trapped in my own body with a limited perspective, I forget that I'm a work in progress. But watching my children morph into their true God-created identity triggers a memory – before I had preconceived notions about what I could and could not do, God had big plans for me. May each of us never grow too old, too weary, too isolated, too tired, too grown up – to find our way back to God and his big dreams for each of us.

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness…

William Wordsworth

Recommended reading: John 1 - 3

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 30: Wake up and recover your life!

Scripture focus: By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God. Hebrews 11:7 (The Message)

"As a result, Noah became intimate with God."

As a result of what?

By believing in God, knowing that God cared for him, Noah took a big risk and built a big boat on dry land.

Because he believed in God, Noah was willing to rely more on vision than sight.

A by-product of believing in the character and purposes of God, Noah was willing to obey God – even when it didn't make sense and Noah suffered as he served.

As a result, his family was saved.

When we embrace big believing and behave accordingly, other people receive good gifts as a result of our belief.

Do you remember in the scriptures how a paralyzed man was healed – because of the faith of his four friends? Thwarted from getting to Jesus in conventional ways, they climbed on the roof of a house Jesus was staying in, cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down to Jesus.

When we believe, life improves for those around us. In fact, big dreams that are driven by faith always involve this element: if our dreams are achieved, others benefit.

So here's a little quiz to test your dreaming.

Are your dreams self-centered and self-serving? If so, that may be fantasy living.

How are your dreams formed – by fantasies fueled with the potential for personal gain, or a firm commitment to helping others achieve their big dreams?

When we dream like Noah, our greatest gift may be becoming more intimate with God. Does that make your heart sing, or sink? Were you hoping for a more lucrative pay off? Depending on how you answer these questions, you are either a big dream believer or one person on a quest for fame and fortune. Who are you?

Recommended reading: Proverbs 27-31

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 29: Wake up and recover your life

Scripture focus: By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. "They looked all over and couldn't find him because God had taken him." We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken "he pleased God." It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. Hebrews 11:5-6 (The Message)

"Why did this happen to me? Is this my fault? Is it his fault?" She slumped down in her chair and tried to make sense of her suddenly serious life. Unaware of undercurrents of discontent, she was caught off guard when her spouse behaved in a way that she would have said was completely out of character. It was bad behavior by anyone's standards.

This wife's solution includes redoubling her efforts at goodness. Maybe she had become sloppy in her faith and if she improves her service to God, he'll fix her circumstances. The perspective of "love God and prosper / displease God and suffer" drives many believers' behavior.

Scripture doesn't quite say that. Certainly God's word does say we reap what we sow. But that verse is talking about cause and effect.

Why did Enoch skip death? Because he pleased God.

What pleases God? Is it our flawless behaving?

According to Hebrews 11, Enoch pleased God when he:

1. Believed that God exists; and
2. Knew that God cares and responds to those who seek him.
   

This is an act of faith.

Dreaming big dreams will require faith. Faith is a firm commitment to believing in God and a relentless search to deepen our understanding of who God is and how he relates to us.

May your biggest dreams be informed and guided by a deep and abiding commitment to knowing God.

Recommended reading: Proverbs 24-26

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 28: Wake up and recover your life!

Scripture focus: By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice. Hebrews 11:4 (The Message)

Have you noticed anything else about the Cain and Abel story?

In a world where most of our movies have happy endings, it startles our senses when we realize that Abel, the guy who was the big believer with the better sacrifice, was murdered by Cain.

Shouldn't big believing result in celestial saving?

Wouldn't it be logical to think that God would put big believers in a kind of spiritual witness protection program?

Evidently, big believing doesn't exempt us from suffering.

Over the course of history, people seem stubbornly resistant to accepting the fact that suffering isn't necessarily a sign of punishment for disobedience. Remember Job's counselors? They couldn't handle the fact that a righteous man might suffer. Therefore, Job had to be at fault in some way.

It will require an act of faith to handle our suffering in a way that doesn't hinder our recovery. Some suffering is the result of wrong-doing – and we'll need to learn how to handle that circumstance. But that's not the only kind of suffering.

I wonder if it would be helpful to pause to prepare before judging the suffering of ourselves and others. May God give you fresh insights into suffering, so that we will be more prepared to carry each other’s burdens in the midst of suffering.

Recommended reading: Proverbs 21-23

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 27: Wake up and recover your life!

Scripture focus: By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see. Hebrews 11:3

At our house, March Madness is more important than most national holidays and religious events. We believe that filling out our brackets is more important than homework. Competition for being the best picker of the winners in the NCAA tournament is fierce.

When I choose my picks, I generally have three criteria: conference affiliation, team uniform colors and uniform style. There are some exceptions. I generally pull for the ACC teams, unless a particular team beat my beloved Virginia Cavaliers in an embarrassing manner during the regular season. I will never pick a team that combines purple and yellow on their uniform. That's practically a sin. Burgundy is a tricky red tone, and can lead to early disqualification if not designed with care. If the uniform is too busy, with doodads and whatnots on the sleeves or warm ups, they're out of contention in the first round.

The rest of my family considers the unseen, or at least in my mind, that which is not obvious to the untrained eye. They consider past tournament successes or failures, styles of play, weaknesses and strengths of both offense and defense. They take all these factors and actually compare them to the opposing team's style, strengths and weaknesses. My husband has some sort of elaborate program that he created to help with the analysis. It involves math, statistics, and probability. It required some computer programming. I personally think checking out the uniforms is a lot easier.

But here's the thing, and there's really no getting around it. It's hard to measure the heart. And sometimes that's exactly what tips the balance for a team. If we want to recover our life, we're going to have to develop a more sensitive eye. We will need to look beyond the obvious, and delve deeper into the unseen world.

May our hearts grow big as we find our way back to God, and grow in our appreciation of things not seen.

Recommended reading: Proverbs 18 - 20

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 26: Wake up and recover your life!

Scripture focus: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. Hebrews 11:1-2 (The Message)

What do you think makes life worth living?

Think about that, maybe take some notes.

I pray that today your mind and heart will be sharpened into greater awareness of what's truly valuable in this life.

Recommended reading: Proverbs 15 - 17

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

Day 25: Wake up and recover your life!

Scripture focus: It won't be long now, he's on the way; he'll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won't be very happy. But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive,
trusting all the way. Hebrews 10:39 (The Message)

The recovered life requires that we put our trust in the right person.

I am not trustworthy enough to carry a piece of eternity in my heart (see Eccl. 3:8) and see that God's purposes are realized.

The people I love can't be trusted to make me happy, bolster my self-esteem, meet my needs, and satisfy my longings. I can't make them happy, bolster their self-esteem, meet their needs or satisfy their longings either. As much as we might want to provide these things to those we love – we simply aren't equipped.

But here's the thing. God is and he will.

Our job is to trust that he will accomplish what he purposes. He will use us as he sees fit. When everyone and everything disappoints, we can't be quitters who lose out. We must stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

May we thrive in the rarified atmosphere that envelopes us as we loyally trust God in all things.

Recommended reading: Proverbs 12-14

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Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community