The Stand-In

I am someone who thrives on writing lists. I've been like that ever since I was a little girl. I would take my pen and paper, and carefully list everything I had to do, or clean, and to the left of each item I'd make a little square that with diligence would eventually be checked off. CONFESSION: sometimes, if I really needed a morale booster, I'd purposely write something down that I had already done before making the list, make a little square and check it off. Boy, that felt good. There's nothing that feels better than seeing a list full of check marks.

A lot of us are like that in life. It's so much easier to have little boxes to check so we know what to do. Want a clean house? Here's 10 easy steps. Want a better kid by Friday? Here's 10 easy steps. Want to land that dream job? Here's 10 easy steps. Whether we have long legs or short legs, each journey we take is taken one step at a time. One square to be checked off at a time (whether you've already done it, or have yet to do it. PS- if you've already done it and just want to check it off, go ahead. I won't judge) ;)

It's really hard to not want to take that mentality into my relationship with God. There are many days that I make a mental check list:

•  Don't lose my temper with the kids
•  Make sure to read the Bible and pray 
•  Don't emotionally eat today
• Give my dear Mr Martin extra snuggles
• Get the house in order

On and on it goes. In the past I reasoned, "Maybe, just maybe if I can get all this stuff checked off, I'll be good enough. I'll garner brownie points with God. He'll be extra proud of me." You know where that mindset got me? I would say nowhere, but that isn't true. It got me depressed. It got me frustrated. It got me hopelessly exhausted. I could see where I wanted to go in the horizon, but it was impossible for me to get there because the pavement that I thought was underneath my feet was really a treadmill. A hamster wheel of striving that although kept me busy, got me absolutely no where. Do you ever feel like that? That you have to do times infinity to earn a smile from God? As long as you keep the Ten Commandments, give to the poor, say grace at every meal, follow the golden rule, go to church, be nice to people, and never mess up maybe you'll earn a thumbs up from Heaven. Just keep trying and trying and trying. No one can live up to that. God's standard of how to get a place in heaven is impossible for anyone to follow. That's why He showed us what His standard is through His word; so that He could show us that we can't meet the standard on our own. There might even be some who see the standard and think, "Why bother? Why even try? It's impossible! I'll just be over here doing my thing. Striving is for the birds." And yet I love what Lecrae says in one of His songs:

"Born a sinner just like any man standing
Couldn't keep the standard so God sent a stand-in"

A Stand-In. Yes, there are a list of rules. Yes, it's all laid out. But our broken nature keeps us tripping. Even if we tried our hardest to be good, it wouldn't ever be good enough to earn us a place in heaven. There's only one who's perfect enough to keep all the rules. He saw that we couldn't do it. He saw that for every box we checked in our quest to earn heaven there would be a hundred more things added. That our very best was not good enough. So Love saw our value. Love took the greatest demotion of all time. Love stepped down from Heaven. Love was born in the dirt. Love lived a perfect life, checking all of those checks, one by one. But it wasn't off His own list; it was off of ours. Love took on our punishment. Love took on our shame. Love came between us and the wrath of God and absorbed the weight of our every felony and misdemeanor. Love died. Love was buried. But it didn't end there. In the darkness of the earth, in the cold space that was the final stop of the greatest injustice of all mankind, our Stand-In stood up. He who was put to death breathed new life. In that final act, Jesus took the endless list and checked off each box. One by one, and once and for all. So that you could have a place in Heaven. So that you could wear His righteousness. So that you could have hope and freedom. So that you could inherit everything He has. Our Stand-In Savior did it all so that we wouldn't have to. We can take those tired feet off the treadmill of striving and walk the path that He already walked; except this time, we are walking it out with Him.

Can I give you hope today? Easter means that what was dead can be raised to life again. Easter means that defeated territory can be a place of victory. Easter means that you don't have to earn God's grace. No one can. Just receive it. Easter means that those stripped of everything can dream again. Those bound in chains can run free again. Easter means that because He lives, you can live for Him. Easter means that because the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, He can give you the power to do the impossible. Easter means that by trading your "good enough" for "the best that ever could be", you can look down at your list, see that everything has been checked off by Jesus, and bow in gratitude. In bold letters written across that standard, you can read the last words that Jesus spoke on the cross- the one thing He wants you to know about your list:

IT IS FINISHED.

What's In Your Lunch?

Have you ever seen someone using their gifts and think, "Man, I wish I could do that!"? Like your friend who is an amazing cook or baker, or super athletic, or can organize like nobody's business? You see them in action and it moves you.  Inspires you. Makes you want to dig in deeper and be a better version of you; yeah, that kind of person. I am inspired by lots of those people too. However, there's a little guy in the Bible that inspires the daylights out of me. And I don't even know his name.

There's a story in the gospels about a certain crowd that is estimated to be in the tens of thousands who is hungry. I'm married with four kids, and I can attest to being intimidated by 5 hungry people. But if the 5 were tens of thousands looking to me to feed them? I might be tempted to toss a fistful of glitter in the air, squeak out a nervous "See ya!" and high tail it out of there. The funny thing is that Jesus wasn't flustered at all. His friends however, were.

This, my friends, this is where a big problem becomes the beginning of a miracle. Because in the crowd is a little boy who happens to have a small lunch with him (his Mom was probably a type A, but I digress) that consists of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Enough for a little guy- but not even a drop in the bucket for the sea of humanity surrounding him. Later on though, Jesus says this about the loaves and fishes..."Bring them here." I feel that same invitation is one that He gives us today.

What's in your "lunch"? In other words, what have you been gifted with? Now you might be thinking, "OK, I do have this little gift, but it's nothing like Johnny P's or Susie Q's." And I would agree; it's nothing like his or hers. Because it's YOURS. It's the only "you version" of that gift in this entire world, and that's what makes it special. Which may lead to you thinking, "True, but what difference can I make?" And I might agree on that count too- because you're only one person. But my dear one, there's the God factor.

That little boy's lunch was proportionate to his size, but not even close to the size of the crowd. However, when the God factor entered into the picture, when the boy was willing to give it, and when Jesus took it and blessed it and divided it, the bread kept coming. The fish kept coming. That little boy's eyes must have grown like saucers when he saw his lunch that once fit into a little basket be multiplied to fill a boat load of baskets, all because he was willing, and there was a God who was all powerful. If you choose to offer up your hospitality, or your influence, or your administration abilities to God, the ideas will keep coming. The opportunities will keep coming. The resources will keep coming.

If God could create something out of nothing, He can certainly create something out of something, no matter how small. In your hands, your talents have a limited potential. In God's hands, they have a limitless potential. 

There is no talent too small that it can't be multiplied in the hands of a miraculous God. The only variable there is will be what you decide to do when Jesus says to you, "Bring it here." 

So what's in your lunch? You've been given a gift from God. There are ingredients in your lunch that are unlike any in the world. No matter how raw, or small in your estimation, you have something to give, and it was given to you by God. Choose to see your gifts through God's eyes.  Choose to listen to His call when He says, "Bring it here." And may your eyes grow like saucers when you watch your lunch for one feed multitudes. The crowds are hungry. The Savior is waiting. It's your cue.

The Doctor Is In

This past week, strep throat invited itself over to the Martin house. The last time it did, it was the spring time, and I was reminded how awful it is! My oldest was the first to catch it, and my youngest and I were beginning to show signs of strep too. We headed over to the doctor's office to find out the truth.

The sweet woman at the reception desk asked me to update my info, and when I told her why we were visiting, her facial expression immediately changed into an apologizing type of countenance. "I'm sorry," she said, "You're going to have to wear these masks in the waiting room."With a blank stare, I said, "OK," and took the masks she offered. 

I sat down with my little girl, and I placed the mask over her mouth and nose. Then I did the same for myself. I can't describe the feeling I had as I sat there across from the magazines, the TV, and the Christmas tree that was still up. Wearing that little mask, I felt humiliation, rejection, and yes, even shame. Who knew a little fabric with elastics on the sides could make me feel like that? The story ends well enough; my daughter ended up testing positive and was quickly treated with antibiotics, and I had somehow dodged the strep bullet. But I never forgot how I felt in that mask.

We all have things in our lives that act like that mask, don't we? Maybe 2014 was the year that you were served divorce papers, or the year you were caught doing something less than noble. Maybe 2014 was the year your family cut you off, or perhaps you experienced a betrayal. What is that thing that makes you feel shame? What is that scarlet letter that has been stitched onto your heart that weighs you down? Because the "ick" that you feel leads surprisingly to hope. Yes, in 2015, hope is dawning for all of us who wear humiliation, rejection and shame.

There's a part of the story that I left out. The only person who I took my mask off for was the Doctor. He asked me to take off my mask so he could perform a throat culture to diagnose my sickness. He knew just what he was doing, and there was no way he could tell if I was sick or not without me removing the mask. And friends, one of Jesus' names in the Bible is the Great Physician. He knows just what's ailing us, and came as the antidote to the sin-sickness we face here on earth. Listen to the words of Jesus:

"Healthy people don't need a doctor- sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Mark 2:17b NLT

Our Great Physician is calling all mask wearers; He is longing to heal our sin-sick hearts, and when He wore our sin and shame on the cross, it meant one thing: we don't have to anymore. We don't have to be afraid to limp into His presence. Unlike that Doctor who treated me, Jesus doesn't need to perform tests to figure me out. He knows me inside and out. And He knows you too. We don't experience humiliation with Jesus: only healing. We are never rejected by Jesus: only accepted. We are never shamed by Jesus: only honored. Lift your fingers- don't worry if they're shaking- and pull the mask off your face. Jesus is waiting to remove that which has stripped you of your dignity; and in its place, He will give you complete and utter acceptance. He's the only Doctor who paid the highest price for the health of your soul.

So as we begin the year, I pray that your heart be made new again. As you sit at your smart phone, or your computer reading this,  I pray that you become tired of the old shame, and yearn to be given back your dignity. I pray that what the enemy meant for evil, that God will use for good. And I pray that you would feel courage rising in your spirit to drop your mask for your Maker, be healed, and live life to the full. Because my dear friend, that is JUST what the Doctor ordered.

Be healed and whole in His presence,

Charisa

In Celebration of Anna

Thank you, Disney, for adding much needed excitement to cold and snow.

It was a year ago that my children and I first saw Disney's Frozen. It didn't take long for us all to be sucked into the snowflake littered vortex of the story line. Two deceased monarchs. A mysterious Queen. Adorable trolls. I leaned back with the somehow in tact Jr Mints I had smuggled into my Mary Poppins purse, and mused, "I bet there are going to be a WHOLE lot of Queen Elsa's at Halloween." I am now certain I wasn't the first one to think that.

What was it about Queen Elsa that was so alluring? The fact that she was not a Disney Princess- she was a QUEEN? The insane powers (ice castle? no problem!) that coursed through her veins? Or of course, the amazing set of pipes she possessed?

I drove home after the movie, and tried processing what I saw. Sure it was funny, and clever, and the musical score was epic. But I searched the stony heap of the storyline for the one jewel I could polish and keep. Embedded into the tapestry of film, was a crimson thread of love. Tucked into the heart of the film was the constant theme of sacrifice. And it was her love for her sister that melted her own frozen heart. In this film, Anna was the real hero.

Although Elsa had incredible powers, she was kept prisoner by fear. The fear growing in her heart made it impossible to let others in. It thrived in her growing powers and built walls, icy spears, and even a castle to keep others away. She could deceive herself into thinking she was free, thinking all she had to do was "let it go" to find peace, but peace eluded her.

In stark contrast, Anna had everything to lose. She desperately wanted a relationship with her sister- and endured a lifetime of rejection as a reward. Unlike others who saw Elsa's powers as repulsive, Anna was drawn to her sister all the more fervently. She pursued, she traveled, she fought, and she even employed the help of a burly, odorous ice cutter to win her sister back.

Some would view Queen Elsa as the one in power, and in fact, they would be right. After all, it was her voice echoing across the mountain on that wintery night that "the cold doesn't bother [her] anyway". But Anna's power came in the form of lips pursed through a keyhole saying, "do you wanna build a snowman?" or a determined fist knocking on a frigid door or trekking up the side of a punishing mountain just to see her sister's face.

There is something so vulnerable about loving. True love risks being hurt. True love risks being misunderstood. True love risks being rejected. But the following is also true of love: "Perfect love drives away all fear." 1 Jn 4:18 Pure love thaws; true love heals. Love didn't seek it's own way; it sought to serve and protect. Love didn't shrink back in fear; instead, it pursued. Love didn't run away at its weakest point, but with its last free motion, put up a hand in between a sword's blow and a crushed sister. That reminds me of Christ's love on the cross. With one of His last breaths, Jesus cried, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Love sees beyond the here and now, and forgives those who wound out of their own short sightedness.

There may not have been a plethora of little Anna's this past Halloween, but one thing is true; Anna's love is to be celebrated. Her love is to be emulated. Courage is not found in those who run and hide; courage is found in those who choose to love. Let's dare to be brave in our relationships, and in this world, and love with the same fervor as Anna...but more than her, Jesus. Will we come out on top? There are no guarantees. But we will win.