Life By The Way

Is It Any Wonder?

A baby changes everything. How many times have you heard that phrase? And if you are a parent, you know it’s true. The most significant and life changing days are when babies are born. Few are the women for whom motherhood does not cause a seismic shift in priorities and understanding. The birth of a child changes dads also, to be sure, but the mother is the one whose body has been linked with this new little person for nine months, creating a bond that can never really be broken. Extended family and friends help to welcome babies into the world as well, all celebrating the joy that has come.

New life. New hope. New promise. Is it any wonder that God chose to come into the world this way? He can do anything he wants, any way He wants – He can rearrange molecules and reach into time and space and touch the smallest of things. He could have come into the world in some other way, or to a family of prominence or wealth. But He came as a small vulnerable baby to the humble, to show us how to be humble. He came in the lowliest of places, among hay and cattle, the Bread of Life, to be laid in a feeding trough. The symbolism is rich – “This is my body, given for you.”

When new life comes and we hear a baby’s first cry, there’s relief and joy. But the cry that split the darkness that Holy night was like no other.

God, yet man.

The human and the divine, somehow, miraculously,

mysteriously intertwined in this one tiny baby.

Is it any wonder he chose to come in this way?

It is the wonder of wonders.

Prepare Him Room

I’ve heard it said, “Home is where your mother is,” and I do think it’s true. People usually refer to the place their parents are as “home.” When you don’t have your parents anymore and you are essentially an orphan, you can feel somewhat unmoored, like some stability that you had is gone, and it can feel a bit lonely.

But we have to remember God is our ultimate “home.” Jesus says in John 14:18 that he will “not leave us as orphans.” Beautifully, we have a home with him, and he makes his home with us.

So the reality is more accurately, “Home is where your Father is.”

In John 14:3, Jesus tells us that he is going to prepare a place for us. The meaning of this statement would have been understood in that day, as a groom typically prepared a room for his bride, often built onto his father’s house. Jesus is preparing rooms for his Bride, the Church.

We have the promise of a home with him, but he also wants to make a home with us. In verse 23 Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.”

But would he feel at home in every room? Is he welcome? There are some physical rooms in my house I would not want people to go into, because they are disorganized and full of clutter that should have been tossed out years ago.

Are there spaces in our lives where God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could not enter? Are our hearts open, uncluttered?

This season, have we prepared the rooms of our hearts just as we take care to prepare our homes, and the gifts, and the food?

Maybe it’s time to take out the trash, clean up the clutter, dust the crevices that may not have had attention in a while, and prepare him room.

Come Lord Jesus. We are ready.

Do Not Fear, Only Believe

“Do not fear, only believe.” Jesus said these words after He heard that the little girl He was on the way to heal, had died. I wonder if in that statement, He was reiterating the words of the Psalm that said, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” – The psalm that talks about God being our Shepherd, being with us even when we are in the deep dark valley, even in death.

On the way, Jesus had already been interrupted by a woman also in need of healing. It might have appeared that the delay had prevented him from getting to Jairus’s daughter in time. “Why trouble the Teacher any further?” the one delivering the news asked.

But Jesus went into the home where the mourners were already gathered, wailing loudly because death had come. He told them the girl was not dead but merely sleeping. When they laughed, He put them out of the house and turned His attention to the girl.

The Scripture says He took her by the hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Most versions say, “little girl,” but the Aramaic phrase, “Talitha Cumi,” is a term of endearment that can actually mean “little lamb.” This has even richer meaning when we consider that He is the Good Shepherd. We are His sheep, and we know His voice (John 10).

The Good Shepherd called her from death by calling her “little lamb.” She knew His voice and “got up and began walking.”

Restored. Whole.

Still today, He calls us from death to life and saves all who call upon Him.

He restores our souls.

He leads us beside still waters and gives us rest.

He is the Good Shepherd.

Do not fear.

~Michelle Dowdy

Evidence of You

We live in a universe of order. From human bodies to heavenly bodies, things don’t just arrange themselves. When you move toward increased complexity, things are not more random but more ordered. If we threw the letters of the alphabet up in the air and let them fall, they would not likely come down in any order that made sense – I doubt they would even form one word as they scattered on the floor. But if those same letters are arranged purposely by an author, a designer, they are formed into something beautiful and complex. We then have something meaningful – like Shakespeare, or a poem, or lyrics to a song, which would never be created from the thrown and scattered letters.

Things in random order do not tend toward increasing organization but increasing disorder. An example of this is computer code. A computer needs a “coder” to write a comprehensible program. When Charles Darwin published his book in 1859, he had no idea about DNA, and the complex codes that give rise to human beings and animals. Since the human genome has been mapped, we understand how the arrangement of DNA is like computer coding in many ways.

Darwin always acknowledged there were weaknesses and gaps in his theory, and that is now more evident than ever. Time itself was always the hero of Darwin’s story, as I have heard Stephen Meyer say, however recent data suggest that there has simply not been enough time for the evolutionary changes he supposed, to take place to form all the various species on the earth.

But it seems the atheists and those who hold a certain worldview they feel they must defend, continue to cling to Darwin’s theory like a piece of driftwood in an ocean of evidence to the contrary. The complexity in living things, the systems that must work together and the enzymes that must be present to catalyze chemical reactions within the body all cry out that there must be a Designer behind it all.

It seems to me the atheists and doubters need one miracle to be true – the beginning just happened – without a Creator. However, the Christian worldview explains creation, explains it all. It not only explains how life came to be, but how we can have peace. Peace with God, peace with each other, and peace eternally.

Science, with all its helpfulness, can never explain everything about the world, and is not meant to. It can’t measure love, can’t define meaning, can’t define truth, and can’t bring peace to the world. A “double-blind study with a control group” cannot answer life’s deepest questions.

True science is always changing, always evaluating the evidence and coming to conclusions based on that current evidence. It’s ironic to me when someone says, “I trust the science,” when to be true to itself, “science” must admit that it might be wrong and must be open to further investigation! Think for a moment about how many times scientists have been wrong about things and told us things were not harmful when they actually were. Too many times to name here. What they tell us with such conviction today, might not be “true” 5 years from now, as more evidence comes to light.

As for me, I’ll trust in the Word of God, the foundation that has sustained so many for thousands of years, the foundation that has answers for life’s deepest questions, and the foundation that cannot fail. I’ll trust in the Kingdom that is unshakable and the One who rules it all.

How about you?

All the Credit: A Grandmother’s Legacy

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She passed away in 2007, but her memory is cherished, and her impact is felt to this day. The last entry in my book, Life By The Way, gives a snapshot of her life of humility, service, and love for her family. She raised six children almost single-handedly, as her husband was ill for much of his life. These six children all grew up to embrace the faith she imparted to them, and live lives of purpose.

After I had children of my own and was marveling at her life, I remember expressing my admiration to her one day. In her quiet way, she said, “Well, I give God all the credit.” It was her way of saying she gave all the glory to God for anything she had accomplished.

In Galatians 1, the Apostle Paul recounts how he was called by God, and how he was now serving the Church he once persecuted. He was preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. All because of an encounter with Jesus. The last line of that chapter says, “And they glorified God because of me.”

What about your story? Could you say, “They glorified God because of me?” Are you giving Him all the “credit” as my MaMa would have said, acknowledging that all your talents, abilities, and possessions come from His hand?

May we bring Him glory, with everything in us.

All I Have Is Yours

Lord all I have is yours today
Use me as you will
Each thought, each word
Each deed that’s done
Be with your Spirit filled

Lord all I have is yours today
May those who know me see
Your light, Your love
Your kindness shown
In grace and charity

And when I have surrendered all
Your visage I shall see
May that glimpse
Of glory bring
More of You and less of me

~Michelle Dowdy

Easy and Light

Have you ever seen a yoke used for plowing? There are two holes for two animals. Typically, an experienced animal will be paired with a less experienced one, and the two must work together.

Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We have work to do and burdens to bear in this life, but He is with us, working with us, to gently guide us through all of life’s challenges.

He does not force us to be under the yoke with Him, but if we choose that yoke, it will be “easy and light,” just as He promised.

Lord, let us be under that yoke with You. Let us be joined to You. Bind our wandering hearts to Your Heart and lead us and guide us along Your path and in Your ways.

Transaction or Interaction?

I was ready for the day. I had done all the various things to be “presentable” – hair, makeup, clothing. I had quite a few perfunctory errands to run and was about to head out the door. The thought occurred to me that I had taken a lot of care in the “getting ready,” but I had not given a single thought to the people I might encounter throughout the day.

Standing there looking at my now ready reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What if I put as much effort into the interactions I would have that day as I did to carefully applying my makeup?”

What if I saw every exchange with others, not as a “transaction” of some kind, but an “interaction” – an opportunity to look someone in the eye, to demonstrate some caring beyond just the business at hand? Even if we are generally friendly, sometimes we can be guilty of just going through the motions. I know I am.

But a smile, a compliment, a genuine expression of concern – these are all more rare than they used to be, and still needed, still appreciated. There may be people who you interact with weekly – maybe it is the teller at the bank, or the clerk at the checkout counter, or the pharmacist, or a server at a restaurant. Ask their name if you don’t know it; strike up a conversation; connect. It doesn’t cost a single thing.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:9-10

I pray we will.

Be Prepared

Be prepared. It’s the Boy Scout motto. So much of life is about the preparation. It is often the difference between success and failure.

Even in something as simple as preparing a meal – the organizing, buying ingredients, cutting, chopping, peeling, mixing – all done before you get to the actual cooking.

In a career- the education, the thousand little things you have to do, “turn in,” and the knowledge you must acquire. In my case, it was the reiteration of anatomy and physiology over and over throughout my years of schooling, enabling me to understand function in the human body, in order to understand dysfunction and be able to help people.

I think about the time it takes to gestate a baby. Nine months are spent preparing that little body and preparing our hearts and minds for the wonder and responsibility of caring for a new life.

In preparing for a wedding – so many hours of planning go into the moment of the bride walking down the aisle and for the ceremony, which usually takes about 30 minutes or less.

Jesus tells us over and over not to be concerned with temporal things but to focus on the eternal, and to prepare ourselves for that reality.

He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

One of the things we are all called to do as His followers is to “make disciples.” What does that look in your life? What is your sphere of influence, and what are you making disciples to?

I would suggest that we are all making disciples to something. We could really believe in a product and be devoted to something we are selling, or to an activity or hobby that may be fun but really has no eternal value.

If we see the world as our mission field, though, these things are just a means to an end. For example, former UGA Coach Mark Richt saw football as a character builder. He was more focused on building young men than necessarily winning games, although winning games came as a result of building character. It was in the DNA at that time. I believe he saw the Football Program as a way to prepare young men to make a difference in the world, to make disciples.

Think with me for a moment about how God might have been preparing you for something. How has He orchestrated your circumstances to get you to this very moment? Can you see it?

What is that thing, in this season, that might be the culmination of preparation?

Are you open to what He might be calling you to?

“Go therefore and make disciples.”

Be prepared.

Jesus Is Our Amen

Jesus Is Our Amen

“All the promises of God find their yes in Him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Jesus is the one who fulfills all the promises of God. In Revelation 3:14, when giving instructions for writing to the church at Laodicea, Jesus says of Himself, “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”

The word “amen” literally means “truly” or “so be it.” Most of the time we end our prayers with the word “amen.” In this verse, Jesus is saying he is the true Word, the one in whom all the promises are fulfilled, and the one who was there at the beginning with God.

He is the final word; the authority; the end of the prayer.

“All authority in heaven, and on earth has been given to me,” Jesus says in Matthew 28:18. Because he has the authority, he then gives us our instructions, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (v.19) Then he leaves us with a promise, “And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (v.20)

He is our Amen

He is Manna in the wilderness

He is the Bread of Life

He is the Lamb of God

He is the Good Shepherd

He is the Prince of Peace

He is Redeemer

He is King

He is Alpha and Omega

He is Lord

Amen

The More You Know

The more you know His Word, the more you know His Will. That phrase came to me recently as I was pondering some decisions about the future.

All of us who follow Christ have probably prayed for specific direction about a big decision we needed to make. Maybe we have operated with the assumption that there is a perfect, detailed plan and place somewhere out there that God might reveal to us. We want specifics, we want it written in the sky, but maybe He is just saying something like, “Go West.”

As Eugene Peterson said, the Christian life is a “long obedience in the same direction.” But we need to make sure we are headed in the right direction. The more we know His Word, the closer we will move toward Him, and the less likely we will be to move toward things that would cause us to head in the wrong direction.

2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Are you thankful? Are you prayerful? Are you joyful? This is His will for you. It doesn’t involve a detailed plan of action, but a plan for how we should “be.”

The more you know His Word, the richer your prayer life will be. As you start to pray and worship, you speak God’s promises, His attributes, and His character back to Him. You affirm the truth over and over, like the saints and angels around the throne who cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come.” You are reminding yourself of His promises as you pray His words of Truth and Life back to Him.

The more you know His Word, the more love you show. When you take Jesus at his word, your desire will be to live out the greatest commandment – to love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

This is His Will for you.

Maybe it’s just that simple.

The more you know His Word, the more you know His Will.

Written by: Michelle Dowdy