I Now Realize

 In Acts 10:9-48, we read the story of how Peter came to realize that no group was to be excluded from God’s Kingdom. Through a series of visions from God, Peter comes to understand this new reality. 

Here are a couple of key verses from that story:

Acts 10:27-28 NIV

While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

Acts 10:34-35 NIV

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

“I now realize” is a pivotal phrase from Peter in the book of Acts. He had been a believer for years. He had witnessed miracles and performed them through the power of the Holy Spirit, yet he still carried a cultural hang-up about Gentiles.

God suddenly challenged a mindset that had been shaped by Peter’s upbringing as a Jewish boy. He had been taught what to eat and with whom to associate. Peter could not fathom a Christ follower who ate pork and wasn’t Jewish. It wasn’t that Peter was a bad man. His upbringing had simply taught him otherwise.

Peter had a lifetime of cultural conditioning. Because of his religious tradition and its interpretation of Scripture, he viewed some people groups as beyond the reach of God’s love. 

We read this story and wonder, How could Peter think any group of people were beyond God’s love after all he had experienced as an apostle of Jesus?

Flashlight Holders

Like the meme implies, if you've ever been a flashlight holder, you know it is not a job for the faint of heart. Nothing in life teaches humility quite like holding a flashlight while someone else does the actual work. And the lessons can be harsh.

Of course, flashlight holders are not always standing beside their dad while he fixes the car. Anyone who has ever been an assistant, helper, or support person has held a flashlight. And it is much harder than it sounds.

Some of us spend a lifetime in the position of helper. Not only do you have to support the doer, but you have to be in the right place at the right time. You have to listen carefully and keep your mouth shut when you're tempted to offer unnecessary advice. You have to know when to speak and how to do it without offending the director of operations. You need enough knowledge to anticipate the next move before it happens. Sometimes you have to offer encouragement while dodging accusations and blame. And if you're anything like me, you also have to keep your itchy fingers from taking over the project yourself.

Chances are, your role is more support than leadership. It takes many people to support a mission, but only a few are called to lead it. There is only one surgeon performing the operation, yet an entire team is working alongside him or her. Though much of their work happens behind the scenes, their contribution is essential.

The challenge is that when the job is done well, the spotlight rarely falls on the flashlight holder. The accolades go elsewhere. At best, you might receive a quick thank-you before everyone moves on.

So who are history's famous flashlight holders?

Most of us couldn't name them.

Do you know the names of Thomas Edison's assistants? How about the people who influenced Isaac Newton? Who helped refine the assembly line or supported the Wright brothers as they pursued flight? History remembers the leaders and innovators, but countless unnamed people made their success possible.

The truth is that there is very little glory in being support staff, but nothing significant gets accomplished without them.

So where do we learn how to be a great flashlight holder?

The Bible is filled with them.

Mordecai stood behind Esther and helped guide her during a critical moment in history. Jonathan supported David even when it cost him personally. Pilate's wife tried to warn her husband about Jesus’ innocence, though he ignored her counsel.

But my favorite biblical flashlight holder is Mary Magdalene.

While the disciples hid behind locked doors, Mary went to the tomb. She was among the first to discover that it was empty and among the first to proclaim that Jesus was alive. God entrusted one of the greatest announcements in human history to someone who would never hold an official position of leadership.

Without Mary and other women, Jesus may have had to ‘Gibbs-slap’ the other disciples before they figured it out. Sometimes the flashlight holder sees the truth before everyone else.

So the next time you find yourself working in the shadows while someone else receives the recognition, remember this: progress stops without knowledgeable, dependable, and supportive flashlight holders.

The light may not be shining on you, but it is shining because of you. 

Salt and Light

 Her alarm rings. It is Tuesday morning.

She drags herself into the kitchen for a cup of “awake.”

She is tired. Last night she worried about some of her students. But she finds her way to that familiar spot of refuge with the steaming cup, Bible, and journal.

As she prays, she asks God to forgive her for the lack of enthusiasm and the failure to remember those words of Scripture beyond a brief minute. Is she just going through the motions? Why didn’t God send her to be a missionary to China—or at least let her teach a Sunday School class? She wonders, when will she actually be used by God for His Kingdom work?

The caffeinated time with God is over, and it is on.

So much to do.

On the way out the door she grabs an extra sandwich and that sweater she found for Angela. Angela is going through a rough time at home and came to school without a sweater or lunch twice last week.

When she gets to school, there is a substitute in the room next door, so she sticks her head in and helps her find what she needs to do her job today.

The bell rings.

Fifth graders fill the hallway—some loud, some sullen, some excited, some just going through the motions. She notices the attitude of each student as she greets them with a smile, even the ones who, for whatever reason, really wish they were in the more popular teacher’s class today. She realizes that thought was from the enemy and shakes it off.

Some of today’s lessons go well, and some fall short. She makes a mental note of each student’s understanding and how to improve it tomorrow. New ideas and tried-and-true techniques mingle in her mind while she notices student interactions and heads off issues before they surface.

She dries tears, fixes wardrobe malfunctions, redirects the mean-girl group before they can go on the attack, and attends ARD meetings for her students with special needs. She also finds a moment to discreetly give Angela the sweater and sandwich.

Then she remembers—Tuesday means lunch duty. Sigh.

She helps open Capri Sun boxes, locates a missing lunch ticket, and strikes up a conversation with Sam, the lonely new boy. She quietly nudges one of her kindest students to include him.

The bell rings, and the afternoon continues.

It rings again. The class day is done. Next is bus duty. She smiles and waves at impatient parents in the long line of cars, stopping to tell Jesse’s mom what a great friend he was to the new boy today.

Finally, the workday is over. Blessed peace. She checks on the substitute again and thanks her for helping a coworker on baby leave.

Time to gather her things, stop at the store, and head home. She remembers she needs to cook extra tonight so she can send a meal to her sick mother-in-law. And she needs to check the spare bedroom—family is passing through tomorrow and will need a place to stay.

Dinner is finished. Dishes are done. She grades a few papers in front of the TV, puts them in her bag for tomorrow, and falls into bed for a well-deserved night’s sleep.

⸻

The alarm rings. It is Wednesday morning.

She drags herself into the kitchen for a cup of “awake.”

She is tired. But she finds her way to that familiar spot of refuge with the steaming cup, Bible, and journal.

As she prays, she asks God to forgive her for the lack of enthusiasm and the failure to remember His Word beyond a brief minute. She talks to God about Angela and Sam. She asks again why He didn’t send her to be a missionary—or at least let her teach in a Christian school where she could share Bible stories and quote Scripture.

She wonders, When will I actually be used by God for His Kingdom work?

And somewhere between the prayer for Angela…

and the concern for Sam…

and the quiet obedience of showing up again…

the answer has already been given.

She is.

⸻

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”

—Matthew 5:13–14

Recalibrating

My guilty pleasure is watching Survivor. To win that show, everyone must lie. And those being lied to must become lie detectors. Sometimes the lies are so interwoven that I cannot imagine how the contestants sort out the truth. I watch as each person clings to what they believe is truth—only to be blindsided and voted off the island.

Lately, I’ve begun to see Survivor played out in real life. When I get focused on the issues at hand, I can become frustrated, frantic, worried, or even angry. Living in this world is hard. We act atrociously and believe lies. We pick “our truth” out of the pile and cling to it as if we are the only ones wise enough to see it. Then we draw lines in the sand and throw rocks at those who believe differently. So…who gets voted off the island?

While reading Isaiah 40, it occurred to me that redirecting my focus to God gives me a handle on those indiscernible lies—and on my own destructive thoughts. How long has it been since I stopped my negative thought process just to look at God? And what is the point of it?

I know He is unfathomably big, all-powerful, and all-knowing. I understand that. But have I stopped to consider just how big?

How does that benefit me?

Ah…that’s the thing. It wasn’t written merely for my instruction—it was written for my state of mind. It points me in the right direction. It is praise. And praise helps me visualize truth. Praise changes me.

So let’s take a moment in the middle of a busy day to step into the room next to God. Let’s peek around that golden curtain.

In the Bible, many passages try to describe Him. Maybe it’s time to stop and wonder at what they say. And by wonder, I mean imagine. Imagine the sights and sounds of His majesty.

____________________

From Isaiah 40

12-15,17-18,21-26 NIV

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? 

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. 

With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 

He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.  

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

________________

Now how do you feel?

Do you feel a little less important?

Do those shouting different “truths” still matter as much?

Did some of that multitude of worries melt away?

This resets my hard drive.

My challenge:

Pick a passage that speaks of the greatness of God and place it somewhere you’ll see it throughout your day. Then maybe—just maybe—it will become part of you…a way to settle your mind when you feel lost in this world of lies, fear, anger, or frustration.

The Sanctity of ALL Life

Sympathy for children in the womb is warranted. Unlike all of us who have been born, they have not faced challenges they failed. They are blameless.

They have never had to choose whether to run from those who would hurt them or submit and hope for the lesser of two evils.

They have never had to choose which child gets food today.

They have never been picked on for being different.

They have never had to find a job and a place to live with a felony on their record.

They have never had to get an education in a school that is underfunded. 

They have never had to live in foster care, waiting for someone to step up and love them.

They have never run for their lives from mercenaries in a hostile country.

They have never suffered from a preventable disease.

They have never struggled to walk, talk, or achieve like others their age.

They have never been captured and sold as a slave.

They have never suffered from Alzheimer’s.