NOT A ROSE GARDEN...

As I write this, some really challenging things are happening among those I care about, keeping me prayer-aware throughout the day. The other day as I prayed, a surprising thought came via recalling a country singer's pop-song, “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” Released as a “single” in 1970, it soon became a "hit."

This rose, surrounded by "lifted-up" blooms
to come, reminded me of Jesus' prediction of His
 death, being "lifted up" upon a cross.

Though the pop song's title and snatches of its tune came to mind, those were soon replaced my trying to imagine Jesus' last night in the Garden of Gethsemane. It wasn't a lovely rose-garden stroll, but a thorny and anguishing prayer-time with His Father, knowing He would face horrific abuse and death. Hardly an hour before, sharing the memorial supper for the Passover with His disciples, He'd said:

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33 NIV)

Yes, I have a rose garden at my home. When I tend it, snipping off dead blooms and watching for aphids, I think of the analogy of “trouble”--although my rose-care analogy doesn't begin to revere the spiritual agony that Gethsemane poured out on Jesus. Sometimes I recall the liturgical church of my childhood, built in the traditional “cross” layout with visual emphasis on the altar and a cross hung above it. The sanctuary cross was artfully built, sanded, painted--not splintered wood and blood-stained, as were those of Jesus' time, used as an execution method. But the ancient, stark symbol of death was there amid the church's flowers, pews, pulpits, and musical instruments.

Decades later, attending a friend's funeral, I entered a huge sanctuary of a church that has another long liturgical history. As I started down the aisle, I paused briefly as I saw a behind-the-altar, life-size sculpture representing Jesus. It wasn't “just Jesus” with His hands outstretched, like I envision Him welcoming the children to Himself. Instead, this image was a mortally wounded man, cross-impaled, head bent down, thorn-crowned, with red paint for blood coming from the wounds in his head, hands, feet, and side. You can be sure I didn't think of the country singer's “rose garden.” Instead, it was Isaac Watts' 1707 hymn, “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed” https://hymnary.org/media/fetch/137189.

My briefly-blooming roses also remind me of another flower called “Rose-of-Sharon.” Contrary to its name, it's not a traditional rose, but a member of the hibiscus family. One of its features is its ability to produce big, colorful flowers in late summer, when the heat has exhausted most other garden plants. There's a message here, too, I think, out of the apostle Paul's prayer-wrestling with his disability (“thorn in the flesh"), which some scholars surmise might have included poor vision. Whatever it was, it made his strenuous, often dangerous ministry hard. God's answer to Paul was this: “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

I don't know about you...but I needed that message. To stay strong. To keep blooming for HIM, who shed His blood for me.

MORNING'S GLORY

It's all through my front lawn, the invasive weed called “Morning Glory.” Yes, “buddies” with the dandelions. And no matter how hard I try to keep up, these “natural invaders” hang around. I'm not chained to the ideal of a weed-free lawn, nor of the perfect life. This side of Heaven, there will be imperfection. Trouble. Financial challenges. Grief and mourning. Unwanted relational weeds. But Jesus put perspective on it: “I have told you these things : “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

When did He say that? Right before His arrest, hours before His crucifixion! Did His disciples remember those words in the midst of that commotion? Not very well at that time, as they scattered in the surprise visit of an arresting posse. But John never forgot the promise, including it in his account of Jesus' life and teachings.

Sadly, it was the next morning (after a sleepless night being pushed around to a farce of an alleged criminal court), that Jesus writhed in dying agony on an execution cross usually reserved for the worst of the worst among criminals.

Then came Easter morning, at the tomb where He was hastily interred, and the melodious voice of an angel (I wonder what it sounded like!): He is not here. He is risen, just as He said! I'm grateful that breathtaking announcement was included in all four Gospels. The nightmare of the night turned into the glory of the morning!

Even before Easter gave special celebration to the time-frame called morning, those whose inspired writings became our Bible gave special attention to morning.

*As a way to start the day with prayer and trust: “In the morning, LORD, you will hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly' (Psalm 5:3).

*As a reminder of God's mercy, and joy after hardship: “Weeping may last for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

*To celebrate God's never-failing compassion: “Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

What more can I say? Except: “Glory!”

GRUMPY GRUMP....

My son's cat, "Rosebud," my grumpy model

If you have cruised through life without a grumpy moment, well, what planet did you come from? In my current “Gramma” role I am reminded that the grumpies are a common childhood malady (known to persist in adulthood). Aha, there's a verse for that. Actually, lots of verses. Exodus is riddled with rumbles and grumbles. (What, you're tired of manna? Only thing on the menu. You want to arrive at the Promised Land tomorrow? Sorry, won't happen.) Grr, grr, grr, grr, grr..... And a few hundred years later, after Jesus came and lived out the grumble-free life, one of His disciples repeated the lesson: “Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged” (James 5:9). The word translated “grumble” is from a Hebrew word for “groan.”

You know the word, and the attitude. “It's all about ME: my agenda, my preference, my vision for MY happiness, I shouldn't have emotional pain. Everybody should cater to me.” Sorry, but that attitude isn't God-endorsed.

The answer, I think, was expressed well by author-speaker Nancy Leigh Wolgemuth in her book Choosing Forgiveness (Moody, 2006). It's a tough-love book to challenge folks who want the world to revolve around them. Her discussion starts with this reality about pain being an inevitable part of life:

Everyone will get hurt.

Jesus' take on it: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

Paul's re-take on it (to Timothy): “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Everybody, she observed, endures some sort of life-pain, some worse than others. “We will all encounter situations,” she said, “that provide fertile ground for resentment and unforgiveness to take root and bloom in our hearts.” But don't stop at that; instead, embrace this principle:

The outcome of our lives is not determined by what happens to us but by how we respond to what happens to us. (Choosing Forgiveness, p. 41)

Take note of three key words: how we respond. Those who blame their unhappiness on life's unwanted circumstances or difficult relationships will slog through their years as unhappy “victims,” a mindset that will never allow them to know real, Christ-based hope or freedom.

Grumpy-grump? Or, “Thank you, Jesus,” “I trust You, Jesus,” “Help me, Jesus”? Authentically partnering with Him, and seeking His transformation of our character, will help win the war against the Grumps.

Making 'Psense' of Psalms--Psalm 119:57-112: Ruts and Bumps

Another picture of "tracks" or trodden ruts,
taken at an Idaho tree preserve

“See those lines in our lane?” my friend said, pointing to parallel ruts in the asphalt of a rural country road. “Those were worn down by the wheels of Amish buggies.” In this section of Psalm 119 comes a similar picture of “ruts” and “road” from the meanings of the original Hebrew.
I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes (v. 59)
The word “ways” comes from Hebrew for a “trodden road.”  A related Hebrew word is used earlier in the psalm, in this famous line:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word (v. 8)
“Way” means track or rut, like made by a cart or chariot’s wheels. When we choose God’s “tracks,” we’re headed the right way, even when “the way” seems like a detour. Hebrews 12:10 explains it better: “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”

Afflictions—ruts and bumps—seem to run through the second third of Psalm 119. Some highlight verses:

8. Heth (57-64): You are my portion, O LORD. I have promised to obey your words (v. 57). This verse seems to echo Psalm 16:5: “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.” Both share “portion” (heleq), which refers to lands inherited after the Israelite tribes conquered Canaan. All the tribes except the Levites got expanses of land, but because the Levites were priests to be scattered throughout all tribal areas for spiritual service, they had a special heleq: “The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance” (Joshua 13:33). Their special gifts from God would be better than pastures and croplands. Perhaps the use of “portion” here is a reminder that God’s gifts aren’t always what the world sees as “success,” like wealth or influence. Rather, having Him is the greatest gift of all.

9. Teth (65-72): Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word…It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. (vv. 67, 71).

For more than a decade, as a victim of a drinking driver, I have addressed convicted drunk drivers in a court-ordered “educational session,” urging them to choose life (theirs and others) over alcohol- or drug-impairment on the highways. Afterwards, a few sometimes tell me they’re convicted and ready to make changes. On a bigger scale of life, when troubles resulting from our poor choices come our way, we can kick at them, or be grateful God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-13).

10. Yodh (73-80): May they who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word (v. 74). If you’re part of the human race, there are probably people in your life who drag you down. You weary of spending spend time with them because they’re not interested in God’s solutions for their issues or problems. Yet seeing them through Christ’s eyes means coming alongside and nudging them closer to God. “Carry each other’s burdens,” Paul wrote the Galatians (6:2), “and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  How much better the opposite, when others can rejoice in spiritual progress.

11. Kaph (81-88): They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts (v. 87). The psalmist is “down, but not out.” Jesus reminded us of that truth in some of His last teaching words to His disciples: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

12. Lamedh (89-96): If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction (v. 92). Sometimes, in talking with believing friends about difficult situations, we agree on this tried-but-true conclusion: “What would we do without the Lord?” Paul reminded us of the same principle: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

13. Mem (97-104): Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long (v. 97). Posting scripture around the house is one way to do this. Memorization is another. But more important that being able to repeat words is this: “Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). The second half of that verse describes a song service! Indeed, what encouragement singing scriptural truths can bring!

14. Nun (105-112): Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (v. 105). When I was new in the faith, someone explained verse 105 to me this way: “God gives us just enough light for where we are now. We couldn’t bear to see the whole way.” Peter encouraged believers to pay attention to what had already been revealed in scripture, “as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (1 Peter 1:19).

God offers just enough light to navigate the bumps and ruts, and His hand to hold us steady!

Next: stanzas 15-22