How to Gain Heaven

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.'"

Whenever I picture those who should regally and righteously inherit the Kingdom of heaven the image my mind conjures is just that: people who seem regal and righteous. Learned sages, faithful elders, stately saints, those who have dedicated their lives to the work of the Kingdom.

But in this sweet passage our Savior says that's not the right picture. We must be like children.

Uh, Lord? Have you seen my kids? Father, I promise I am diligently training them to be strong men that live for You, but most of the time they're a little needy, a little self-centered, a little immature, and sometimes, quite frankly, they're smelly. They're childish, Lord. And you want me to emulate them?

What Jesus says is exactly what He means. On this you can always rely. So what is it about a child that makes them so Kingdom worthy? I mean, as I'm watching my children in this very moment they're covered in chocolate ice cream watching Spongebob. One of them has discarded all of his clothes and is eating Gummies in the nude. I'm trying here, Lord.

Let's observe our children closer, friends:

Children have so many questions. But they simply come to you, admit their confusion. They ask questions and faithfully expect answers.

Children accept love. They receive acts of love without any condition. They don't question it or try to determine their worthiness of it. They don't look for ulterior motives. They just take it. And they let it fill their hearts. And they thrive because of it.

Children need help. All. The. Time. But they're not afraid to admit it. They're not afraid to ask for it.

Children admit fear. In nightmares, loud noises, uncertain situations. What they feel, they say. And when they admit fear, they usually find comfort.

Children are messy. Come to my house. You will see.

Children are wholeheartedly devoted. When you give love, they'll return it. There is no hug like the hug from a child. They love with excitement and joy and hope.

Children believe. They know promises are meant to be kept. They believe good always wins.

Most of these attributes are not particularly impressive, In fact, even those good qualities listed above could be seen as being naive. But children...they don't care. They're unashamed in being flawed and not jaded by the world. They own their human-ness. Their sweet humanity. They wear their beautiful childishness with humility.

I have so many questions, but sometimes I don't trust God to give me the answer.

I want to accept love, but sometimes my past hardens my heart.

I need help, but most of the time I don't look for it, accepting that my burdens aren't big enough to give to Jesus.

I'm scared. About a lot of things. Spiritual things, political things, world events. But I don't always tell my Sovereign Almighty God about it.

I'm messy. My outsides my not look it, but boy my brain can be a big ole cluttered space.

I want to be wholeheartedly devoted to God, but I still keep pieces for myself. Like that television show that's not good for my mind or my heart. I don't give that piece to Him.

I believe. God knows my heart. He knows I believe. But do I always trust that He'll provide, that he'll see me through?

We struggle to have it all figured out, but Jesus said, Don't. In fact, He said, Come to Me with nothing: no wisdom, no righteousness, no courage, no perfection. The man who struggles to gain his own salvation does not inherit the Kingdom. But the know-nothing child who simply trusts gets it all.

We've heard "The meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)." But what does this mean exactly? Well, the Message version of the Bible says it this way:

You're blessed when you're content with just 

who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment 

you find yourselves proud owners of everything

that can't be bought.

You don't need to be impressive, stately, or saintly to gain heaven, dear friend. You just need to bring yourself, childlike as you are: a little scared, a little confused, a little jaded, and maybe even a little smelly, and give your humble, tender heart to Him. This, my friends, is how you gain heaven.

Father, create in us a childlike heart. 

In It to Win It

During the school year I will often ask my class, "Who's in it to win it today?!" And when one of them participates, answers questions, and works hard I will yell out, "Yeah! T.J. (or whoever) is in it to win it!"

They love this.

After I make this exclamation about T.J. (or whoever) you will see hands shooting up left and right because, by golly, everyone wants to be in it to win it!

I love this.

As an adult, I like to think I'm "in it to win it." I strive for success in my career, in my writing, in motherhood and as a wife. I cannot falter in any of these areas because they are of critical importance. I mean, I can't fail as a teacher - that's my profession! I can't fail as a mother - yeesh. Who wants to mess up their kids?!

But am I in it to win it when it comes to Jesus?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, The Message version says this:

24-25 You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

Do I live out my faith like I'm in it to win it? Do I see heaven as a prize that is worthy of a strong run? Do I see an eternity with Jesus worth a marathon that will require training, injury, and pushing myself to the limits?

My sweet friend, Sumer, is a runner and she wrote about her training several days ago:

So many people don't understand running, why people want to run, or when it gets "easier." I have only been running for a little over a year now, so I still have a lot to learn, but I do know that every day is different. A run today can feel completely different as the exact same mileage and pace tomorrow.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to run in the mornings now, but today was brutal. It's hot. It's unbearably humid. My body is sore from Pilates and yoga this week. I'm attempting some new running techniques that don't feel normal yet. Whatever the reason... Today was not a good run. I am usually pretty good at pushing myself on a run, but today I had nothing left to give. I can't remember the last time I've wanted to stop and walk as badly as I did today. But I didn't. I kept going, even when I thought I couldn't go any further. I only went six miles, but I know that tomorrow is a new day. I will lace up again to prove to myself that today will not define me. I will continue to push and I will continue to surprise myself... Through the good and the bad runs. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that runners never quit. 

The same can be said for our race as Christians, right? Some days are easy, the conditions are just right. We sail through the day with happiness in our hearts and birds chirping. We're like Snow White in sneakers. We love Jesus!

But then...there are other days. It hot, it's unbearably humid. We're sore from the stress of work and kids and problems. And we don't run as well that day. We don't even want to lace up our shoes and feel like being just another runner somewhere in the back of the pack. 

What Sumer says about these kinds of physical-running days should be encouragement for these kind of spiritual-running days: "I kept going, even when I thought I couldn't go any further....Runners never quit."

Runners, in their race for heaven, can't quit. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, 

"Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

This Jesus-follower thing can be hard. Society calls us bigots, hypocrites, and delusional. Am I running every day to prove them wrong? Am I running to bring glory to His Precious Name? To serve as a witness to a world that is dying and in need of Him? Do I give Him my best even when I'm sore and out of breath?

Today I will go forward, running at a steady pace in order to claim my prize: Him. I am running for Jesus. I will fix my eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Knowing He is worthy of a well run race. Hoping He will one day look at me and say, "Beloved! Well done, runner...

You were in it to win it."

Lord, may it be so.

The Top of My List

Let's face it. We're busy people. From sunrise to three hours past sunset our day is filled with items on a To Do List:

Wake up, get ready, kids ready, kids breakfast, commute, school, work, errands, dinner, homework, laundry, housework, bills paid, trash out. Fall into bed. Exhausted.

Your list may or may not resemble this one, but either way you have a list so long that it is never truly completed. It is copied and replicated many times over as each day passes.

Such is life. If you're like me you don't mind your list so much. I mean, your list is your life. I love my job. Love cooking for my family. Love shushing my boys to sleep. Busy-ness does not always equal unhappiness.

But sometimes my list is so busy that I misplace my priorities and don't have time for the one thing that should always be first on my list:

Time with God.

I haven't always been a Christian who devotes daily time to the Lord. In fact, there was a time when I thought I didn't need intentional time with God in prayer and in the Bible. I mean, I grew up in church. I'd read the Bible. Well, I'd read most of it...parts of it. I knew right and wrong. (Did I?)

But friends, daily time with God is so much more than an item I check off my list.

It's sustenance for my soul.
Expansion of my mind.
Awareness of things unseen.
Inhaling the sweetness of glory.
Finding who I am in Jesus.
Communing with my Creator.

See, if we are of Jesus we are not of this world. And, for lack of a better term, my time with the Lord is like a phone call from my home planet. From heaven.

It's my E.T. Phone Home. Without it I am weaker, duller, and out of touch with who I am. I cannot be all that Christ has called me to be without communion with Him.

So this past week, a busy week, full of long work days, grocery store runs (the folks at Bi-Lo and I are on a first name basis), and playing in the yard with my kids I let Him fall off of my list -

a list that He should consume.

And I felt it. In my relationships, routines, and running errands. There was a dullness, a missing joy.

In order for me to experience the fullness of life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10, I need to be first filled with Him.  Because in consuming my list, He consumes my life. 

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Daily I want to draw near to Him through prayer, praise, and reading His Word. Whether it's ten minutes or sixty. A verse, a chapter, or an entire book. I need to spend time with my Jesus. Daily.

Because I'm an alien here. And I need my connection with Him to hold strong and fast. Like we sing in "Come Thou Fount":

Let they goodness
Like a tether
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Oh, because Jesus...my Jesus. I cannot be fully myself if I am not filled with Him.

My Jesus,

Gently draw me toward time spent with you. Remind me that you hold all that is true and good and best for me. When I come to the Rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2) bless me for it. Show me that time spent with You is not just another box on my list, but is the means through which I have the strength and joy to complete all the rest.

Lord, may it be so.

The One Who Loves You More

To be perfectly honest, I'm a take-it or leave-it kind of gal when it comes to Valentine's Day.  Now I certainly love celebrating love, but I am not a big fan of hype.  And Valentine's Day never quite lives up to what is anticipated as things with much hype tend to do.  (I'm serious.  Think about this past New Year's Eve.  Expectation:  glitter, champagne, fancy clothes.  Reality:  Cheetos, Ryan Seacrest, and your footie pajamas.  Bed by 9:30.)

While I may not put much stock in Valentine's Day, I do put much value in being loved.  Don't you feel it in your chest, in that space above your heart? The desire to be loved?  Not just respected or admired (although these things are of the utmost importance, too), but to be loved?

I'm not just talking about romantic love.  Love comes in many forms - from parents, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, and spouses.  When you feel someone love you with pure, unapologetic abandon - this is a beautiful thing that answers a need in your soul.

There's a reason love makes us feel so good.  Genesis 2:18 tells us that God made Eve for Adam because it "wasn't good for man to be alone."  Jesus commanded us in John 15:12 that we are to "love one another" as He loved us. And, my goodness, let's not forget I John 4:8:  "God is love."  Simple - you feel love, you feel God Himself.

The love humankind has for each other is God come down to dwell with us, in us.  My dear grandmother, who will be 97 this month, lives the most authentic relationship with Jesus I have ever seen or may ever see in my life.  A few years ago she dreamed she was in heaven.  While there in her dream she said, "I felt love flowing through my veins."

Love, my friends, is the language of heaven.

And God speaks this language to us now every time our heart thumps with emotion at those He has sweetly placed in our lives.  This is something to be treasured.  But if we think this serves as our fill of love we are sorely mistaken and missing another, more valuable treasure.

My mother tells a story of the day my second son was born.  She still had not arrived at the hospital when I was being wheeled into the OR for a c-section. She recalls crying in the car and whispering to God, "But she's my baby.  I should be there.  I'm her mother."

Jesus tenderly whispered back, "But I'm her Savior.  I love her more."

I think of my husband.  He woke up three times with our crying two-year-old last night.  Why?  Because he wanted me to be able to sleep.  That's love.

But there is One who loves more.

Can you picture your mother?  She packed your lunches and probably still calls you every day.  She prayed over you with tears during your most trying times. That's love.

But there is One who loves more.

How about your dad?  My father-in-law once drove an hour and fifteen minutes to help my sister-in-law hang a shower curtain rod in her new apartment. That's love.

But there is One who loves more.

Think about your dearest friends.  My friend Jennifer will ask me if I need help for an upcoming event before I can even think to ask.  That's love.

But there is One who loves more.

And what about our precious children?  Whether they share our last name or are only ours during school hours or Sunday school time.  A hug from a peanut butter and jelly covered five-year-old?  That's love.

But there is One who loves more.

These precious people God has placed in our lives are just the ultimate, aren't they?  Joy-inducing, heart-bursting, honest-to-goodness gifts.

But none of them left a heavenly throne, suffered at the hands of evil, and overcame death for you.

See, Jesus loves you more.

Revelation 19:11 tells us the story of "the Rider on the white horse."  He is dressed in white and leads the armies of heaven.  He comes to earth to vanquish evil and wipe away the tears of His people.  He is called King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Maybe you've been fortunate enough to receive the love of spouses, mothers, fathers, friends, and children.  Praise God for those blessings!

But maybe you've been hurt by lack of love.  Suffered the loss of a mother or a child.  Never knew your father.  Were betrayed by your best friend.

Friend, if that latter category is familiar, boy do I have good news.

You see, that Rider on the white horse?  Our precious Jesus?  Revelation also gives Him another name:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, 

whose rider is called Faithful and True.     

(emphasis mine)

And there He is, the One who loves you most.  And He is not confined to things we humans are:  to death, abandonment, loneliness, loss, betrayal.  Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38).  Nothing.  Because His love is limitless and carries no trace of human weakness.  His law?  It's pure love (2 John 1:6).  

In His perfection He has committed Himself to you.  He has named Himself for you - "Faithful and True to (insert-your-name-here)".  

And your name?  My friend, it's engraved on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16).  

So let's celebrate the people whom God has placed in our lives.  Let's love them and appreciate them.  But in a place of honor, held high in our hearts, let's celebrate Jesus. 

Because He loves you more.

Oh, Faithful and True:

Let us remember that Your love is Perfect.  Let us remember that You will never leave us nor forsake us.  Why?  Because it is against Your very nature.  It is impossible for You to let go of what You have claimed.  Let us return Your love in the best ways we can:  by recognizing it and showing obedience to Your Law.  The Law that just happens to be love, too.

Lord, may it be so.