Chickens come home to roost
If you're a listener of Christian radio, chances are you may have heard of Dr. J. Vernon McGee. While Dr. McGee went home to be with Jesus some time ago, his broadcasts still go on. I was listening to one once when I was reminded of a simple truth found in Galatians 6:7-8 expressed by Dr. McGee simply and succinctly:
CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST
Mine have.
At the beginning of January I was dating a lovely human being. By the end of January there were some things in her life that I believed were pointing me someplace else and for her own personal safety and because I cared more for her own well-being more than my own selfishness, I thought it wise to not date anymore.
Things would lead back to where they looked like and in February, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the Who not once but three times; the third time though was me taking myself out of the picture for a night and just listening to her talk about some stuff going on in her orbit. I shared some truth to her, in love, of course.
The next day, my whole world would be turned upside down again.
A week and a half later, I found myself in the great Pacific Northwest going to fetch Miss June and her tribe, to include the ex.
I've been sitting on that little nugget of truth for a while now, but the proverbial cat is out of the bag, so I can say that safely. I'm sharing my home with four kids, an old lady, a dog who has respiratory problems, and a woman who absolutely hates me.
Let me say that again: absolutely hates me.
Because this is a story which is all about God, and not about me, here's what happened: I was praying for a lot of things during a prayer challenge I took that started on February 14. I was asking God about a promise I believe He made to me several years ago. I wrote it down and circled it. But during that time I just kind of felt I needed to pray that the ex would find a job and a home to live in. Several hundred miles away, June was praying for a way to come home. In the next bed, (think hotel room) the ex was praying for a reset on a house she had.
We got this.
God does answer our prayers, but in ways which He chooses, for His own reasons, and to bring Him glory.
I have to stop here and tell you a side story. The ex found a church when she was hiding from her ex-boyfriend. She got baptized. She's a baby believer and I think that's great. What she got for that was tossed into the deep end of the pool in short order. God answered everyone's prayers and she's sharing my home for a minute until she gets on her own two feet again.
She was telling me about pastor Jack. Pastor Jack has an anointing. I'm convinced of that, and the first time I heard her stream a service from her old church, I was in literal shock. It's how I know that this is a God thing: Pastor Jack told the story of the woman who the prophet Elisha met in his travels. He promised the woman a son and then some years later the boy died. Elisha brought the boy back to life. Then some time later Elisha sends the woman away because there is a severe famine in the land. She comes back seven years later, only to find her home and land taken over by squatters.
So she goes to the king. Because it's a God thing, the king is being told stories of what Elisha had done by his servant, who was talking about the woman at the very moment she needed to see the king. Then pastor Jack chimes in about how God gives back. And he also reminded us that as much as we have a choice to change our circumstances, sometimes we also have the choice to stay in them.
At the end of the program, I was asked what I thought of Pastor Jack. I took a deep breath and said something to this effect, "I'll tell you exactly what I think of Pastor Jack. I think God cleared everybody out, gave you more than what you wanted, and gave you a choice of what to do with it."
She made that choice. It didn't go how I thought it might.
As I said, that woman hates me.
But I want you to think for a minute on the story I just told you about the Shumanite woman in the Bible. People were in her house and working her land. They had to go and the king gave the woman back her property, along with the money earned from the land by the squatters.
And think about my life in the last few months. On October 25, a few days after the Who made her choice, which also didn't go my way, I found that thing that said "It's time to let me go." So I did. I took a little detour around the holidays and got to date a really wonderful human being. I liked my life being normal, but as God reminded me, "what fun is that?"
Someplace in there Wayne and I parted company as roommates. Then for a brief minute, the Who was back in the picture and we went to dinner several times. But that only lasted a minute as well. The ex was here for a week when I figured out that she'd also made the not me choice. But I'm fascinated at the extraordinary lengths God went to to arrange for her to have that choice. Think about who had to go so there'd be just me when the ex needed a roof over her head; and think back to the story. There are a lot of similarities.
Life these days is no picnic, and as time has gone on, she's reminded me on more than one occasion that there are times when I really don't like her. God, though, reminded me that even when there's enmity between people, we have to love our enemies, so I'm trying to be kind. And the time or two I failed at that, I had to ask for forgiveness. And I'm trying to invisible. I have some weird thing going on where my ankles are swollen up and I'm eating ibuprofen like they're M&Ms so I can trick my body into functioning so I can do things like go to work. I'm not trying to change anything. Except me.
But my heart hurts sometimes. It's tough for me to have who I was thrown in my face. I have to live with the consequences of my actions back when I was that guy, something the Lord told me a long time ago when He told me I wasn't going to be able to run away from them anymore. I thought he meant the Who. Apparently there were bigger chickens to come back to roost. It hurts because I'm so not that guy anymore. Except to one person and when the past comes up, I try and remind her that that guy doesn't live here anymore.
She doesn't believe it.
The tough place for her is that I'm still here. She'd be OK if God would have given her the house back but not me. As I said, she hates me. She's not been shy about sharing just how much. I've learned to keep my mouth shut and opinions to myself.
Which isn't easy.
I know too that hurt people hurt people. I try my hardest not to do that which took me a lot of learning the hard way. And it's been kind of a tough week of thinking about the people in my life that were here for a short season and gone. That's probably not a good thing, so the Facebook strike is on again. It's better if I just don't right now. The "uber" of my mind doesn't need to go to memory lane.
So, I'm just accepting, and wondering what's going to happen next. I could live without the swollen ankles and itchy feet. Feet are gross. Mine look like they have chicken pox right now. Maybe I ought to get that shingles shot. Just in case.
Life's not all bad though. I got to finally replace the nasty carpet in what used to be my bedroom. Other parts of the house are being repaired. In a couple of months there will be a new roof, and when my feet work again, there is plenty to keep me busy and out of her hair. And, as I mentioned, I did get to see the ocean. Not how/where/when I wanted, but God gave me a day by the sea. I needed that. And I'm grateful.
God is good. All the time, and for my part, I know this is from him. Why is for another day. Being able to tell this part of my story helps too. It's a way for me to understand that even though I don't understand WHY, that I do understand it's from Him, and that ultimately things will work out the way He'd planned all along.
Nobody ever said being a Christian is easy, and for most, who don't have my sinful past and track record of poor choices, their walks are probably a lot less eventful. But I got to experience God in my life in a grand way this past month. So I can't wait to see what happens next.
Well, that's what's happening around here.
Prayers, please!
CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST
Mine have.
At the beginning of January I was dating a lovely human being. By the end of January there were some things in her life that I believed were pointing me someplace else and for her own personal safety and because I cared more for her own well-being more than my own selfishness, I thought it wise to not date anymore.
Things would lead back to where they looked like and in February, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the Who not once but three times; the third time though was me taking myself out of the picture for a night and just listening to her talk about some stuff going on in her orbit. I shared some truth to her, in love, of course.
The next day, my whole world would be turned upside down again.
A week and a half later, I found myself in the great Pacific Northwest going to fetch Miss June and her tribe, to include the ex.
I've been sitting on that little nugget of truth for a while now, but the proverbial cat is out of the bag, so I can say that safely. I'm sharing my home with four kids, an old lady, a dog who has respiratory problems, and a woman who absolutely hates me.
Let me say that again: absolutely hates me.
Because this is a story which is all about God, and not about me, here's what happened: I was praying for a lot of things during a prayer challenge I took that started on February 14. I was asking God about a promise I believe He made to me several years ago. I wrote it down and circled it. But during that time I just kind of felt I needed to pray that the ex would find a job and a home to live in. Several hundred miles away, June was praying for a way to come home. In the next bed, (think hotel room) the ex was praying for a reset on a house she had.
We got this.
God does answer our prayers, but in ways which He chooses, for His own reasons, and to bring Him glory.
I have to stop here and tell you a side story. The ex found a church when she was hiding from her ex-boyfriend. She got baptized. She's a baby believer and I think that's great. What she got for that was tossed into the deep end of the pool in short order. God answered everyone's prayers and she's sharing my home for a minute until she gets on her own two feet again.
She was telling me about pastor Jack. Pastor Jack has an anointing. I'm convinced of that, and the first time I heard her stream a service from her old church, I was in literal shock. It's how I know that this is a God thing: Pastor Jack told the story of the woman who the prophet Elisha met in his travels. He promised the woman a son and then some years later the boy died. Elisha brought the boy back to life. Then some time later Elisha sends the woman away because there is a severe famine in the land. She comes back seven years later, only to find her home and land taken over by squatters.
So she goes to the king. Because it's a God thing, the king is being told stories of what Elisha had done by his servant, who was talking about the woman at the very moment she needed to see the king. Then pastor Jack chimes in about how God gives back. And he also reminded us that as much as we have a choice to change our circumstances, sometimes we also have the choice to stay in them.
At the end of the program, I was asked what I thought of Pastor Jack. I took a deep breath and said something to this effect, "I'll tell you exactly what I think of Pastor Jack. I think God cleared everybody out, gave you more than what you wanted, and gave you a choice of what to do with it."
She made that choice. It didn't go how I thought it might.
As I said, that woman hates me.
But I want you to think for a minute on the story I just told you about the Shumanite woman in the Bible. People were in her house and working her land. They had to go and the king gave the woman back her property, along with the money earned from the land by the squatters.
And think about my life in the last few months. On October 25, a few days after the Who made her choice, which also didn't go my way, I found that thing that said "It's time to let me go." So I did. I took a little detour around the holidays and got to date a really wonderful human being. I liked my life being normal, but as God reminded me, "what fun is that?"
Someplace in there Wayne and I parted company as roommates. Then for a brief minute, the Who was back in the picture and we went to dinner several times. But that only lasted a minute as well. The ex was here for a week when I figured out that she'd also made the not me choice. But I'm fascinated at the extraordinary lengths God went to to arrange for her to have that choice. Think about who had to go so there'd be just me when the ex needed a roof over her head; and think back to the story. There are a lot of similarities.
Life these days is no picnic, and as time has gone on, she's reminded me on more than one occasion that there are times when I really don't like her. God, though, reminded me that even when there's enmity between people, we have to love our enemies, so I'm trying to be kind. And the time or two I failed at that, I had to ask for forgiveness. And I'm trying to invisible. I have some weird thing going on where my ankles are swollen up and I'm eating ibuprofen like they're M&Ms so I can trick my body into functioning so I can do things like go to work. I'm not trying to change anything. Except me.
But my heart hurts sometimes. It's tough for me to have who I was thrown in my face. I have to live with the consequences of my actions back when I was that guy, something the Lord told me a long time ago when He told me I wasn't going to be able to run away from them anymore. I thought he meant the Who. Apparently there were bigger chickens to come back to roost. It hurts because I'm so not that guy anymore. Except to one person and when the past comes up, I try and remind her that that guy doesn't live here anymore.
She doesn't believe it.
The tough place for her is that I'm still here. She'd be OK if God would have given her the house back but not me. As I said, she hates me. She's not been shy about sharing just how much. I've learned to keep my mouth shut and opinions to myself.
Which isn't easy.
I know too that hurt people hurt people. I try my hardest not to do that which took me a lot of learning the hard way. And it's been kind of a tough week of thinking about the people in my life that were here for a short season and gone. That's probably not a good thing, so the Facebook strike is on again. It's better if I just don't right now. The "uber" of my mind doesn't need to go to memory lane.
So, I'm just accepting, and wondering what's going to happen next. I could live without the swollen ankles and itchy feet. Feet are gross. Mine look like they have chicken pox right now. Maybe I ought to get that shingles shot. Just in case.
Life's not all bad though. I got to finally replace the nasty carpet in what used to be my bedroom. Other parts of the house are being repaired. In a couple of months there will be a new roof, and when my feet work again, there is plenty to keep me busy and out of her hair. And, as I mentioned, I did get to see the ocean. Not how/where/when I wanted, but God gave me a day by the sea. I needed that. And I'm grateful.
God is good. All the time, and for my part, I know this is from him. Why is for another day. Being able to tell this part of my story helps too. It's a way for me to understand that even though I don't understand WHY, that I do understand it's from Him, and that ultimately things will work out the way He'd planned all along.
Nobody ever said being a Christian is easy, and for most, who don't have my sinful past and track record of poor choices, their walks are probably a lot less eventful. But I got to experience God in my life in a grand way this past month. So I can't wait to see what happens next.
Well, that's what's happening around here.
Prayers, please!
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