Lessons for Life (Through an Old Man at the Airport)

Tom and I are spending a few days in South Carolina.  Last night, we were privileged to see Brennan and Breezy, along with many of our "adopted" kids in an outstanding play on the life of Joseph of Aramathea.  It was fantastic!  We'll be remaining in town, taking a mini-vacation as we await Brennan's graduation on Tuesday evening.  Meanwhile, I'm repeating a former post or two...this one is an all-time favorite, shared first nearly two years ago. 

For those of you familiar with Beth Moore, this is possibly a story you've heard before. Personally, this has been one of the most impacting illustrations on humility and obedience I have ever heard. I've read it countless times over the years and it never fails to challenge me. I know it is rather long, but I promise, well worth the read.

Taken from the book, Further Still by Beth Moore

At the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man. 

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me.

All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?"

I repeated, "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that." 

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks.

Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? I thought...of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and sadly, we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" 

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way, all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me. 

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Uncompromising Abandonment

You've heard me say before, Jon Walker is one of my favorite devotional writers. Today's message brought to mind the days of sitting across the kitchen table from my Dad when I had disobeyed. I was a pleaser by nature, but upon a few occassions I decided own way (in direct contrast to that of my parents) was a better option. I vividly remember one particular kitchen discussion. My Dad asked "Do you love your Mom and I?" "Yes." "I mean really love us?" "Of course, I do, Dad." His response, "I don't think you do." I felt my eyes grow wide in surprise. "If you loved us, really loved us, you would have obeyed our wishes out of respect." Gulp. Then on a sheet of paper, he wrote

"Love + Respect = Obedience."

He looked at me and said, "it's that simple" and then he got up from the table and walked away. One of the most powerful (and lasting) things he ever taught me.

So how does this relate to Jon Walker's message? It's based on John 14:15 "If you love me" (really love me), "you will obey what I command."

*** *** *** ***
When Jesus speaks of love, he allows no room for sentimental fantasy or momentary emotion. He sees love through the eyes of the Father, who models love by being Love. God-Love is bold, strong, and sacrificial. God is not afraid to wade into the mess of things to rescue those in need of holy love.

God plants this love inside us, but it grows healthy in the soil of abandonment. We abandon our rights, our judgments, our opinions, and our schemes. Jesus is uncompromising in his abandonment, saying he says and does only what the Father tells him to do (John 14:10). Then, he carried uncompromising abandonment on his back up the hill called Golgotha.

In order to grow Jesus-Ones, we, too, need to abandon anything that sets us in rebellion to the Father. The Jesus-life requires that our thoughts and plans become so close to the Father’s that we appear as one with him, just as a married couple, deeply abandoned to each other, appear to live as one.

Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15, NIV) Walk around that statement and open you eyes to this: Jesus isn’t reducing love to dutiful acts of obedience; he’s saying your love for him should compel you to agree with his plans and to carry out his purposes, not your own.

Abandonment is possible because you have Jesus within (Christ-in-you), helping you to love and obey. Let him lead you to that place where you heart begins to beat so closely with God’s that it’s difficult to distinguish between the two. Love God, and in the intimacy of that love, do what pleases him – that is, obey his heart.

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Breaking Free and Something to Think About

Tomorrow our office Bible study group begins Breaking Free. I've heard such great things about this one...I cannot wait! This is the 8th study my co-workers and I have done together! I praise God for the wonderfully diverse group of women He’s brought together from all stages of life – singles, young Moms, Moms with older kids and Grandmothers. There are new believers and those who have walked with the Lord for many years. Some are Catholic, some Lutheran and some Baptist, but one thing binds us all…a desire to draw closer to God. This time, I’m excited to welcome two new women! Because my church graciously allows us to use Videos/DVDs of any previously offered Bible studies, we’ve been privileged to study those written by Beth Moore, Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Priscilla Shirer. Our only cost is for workbooks. In addition, our church's Director of Women’s Ministries has been an a wonderful support, through prayer and words of encouragement.

I can’t help but wonder if any of you have felt God urging you to start a Bible study, maybe in your office, or in your neighborhood? Can I encourage you by saying I am truly the last person who ever expected to be used by God in this capacity. If I had known a number of years ago this was part of His plan for me, I would have likely RUN the other way fast! Instead, it began with just one co-worker and I desiring to know God better and starting a Bible study together. Ever so slowly, co-workers were hearing about our study (in sometimes very unconventional ways) and wanting to know more. As the Lord would bring them, we’d welcome them in.

Truth be told, even after studying with many of these same women for the past 6 years, it still makes me nervous. Every.single.week. But you know what I’ve learned over all these years? If you are willing, God is able. Simple, yes...but true. Over the years, I’ve come to Him repeatedly, feeling ill-equipped saying things like…

Lord, you know I’m willing, but I am scared to death!
What if I misinterpret your Word?
What if they ask me a question I can’t answer?
What if they tell me they’re unsure of their salvation…what do I tell them?
Lord, I’m so bad at this…it feels so awkward…someone else could do this so much better, etc…

He inevitably brings this scripture to mind -

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) ~ But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Loosely translated...Don't you see? That's precisely the point! Those are the very things that keep you on your knees, relying on Me!
God doesn’t want people who believe they can do great things for Him! Instead, He wants yielded, trusting, humble and even timid hearts so that when His will is accomplished, there will be no doubt it was all Him, because of Him and through Him.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NIV) ~ But God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before Him.

The first time someone asked a question I was unsure of, I simply said…"You know…that’s a good question. I’m not really sure of the answer. Let me do a little research and get back to you." And I did. I’d come home that evening where I would read, research & pray. If I felt I was hitting a wall, I’d call the Director of Women’s Ministries and she would walk me through. I’d follow up with that person and share my findings. Without fail, God used those opportunities to strengthen our bonds of trust and friendship.

Please hear my heart…I can’t encourage you strongly enough if God if prompting you in this way…don’t let fear stop you, sweet one! If you’re willing, and know you’re a sinner saved by grace, that’s the only qualification you need.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NIV) ~ The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

Pray about it, talk to a mentor or feel free to e-mail me via my profile. I’m praying for you!

Are You Broken?

As I read the devotion for yesterday in Streams in the Desert, it spoke so deeply to my heart, I wanted to share a portion of it with you today…

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalm 51:17 NLT)

Those people God uses most to bring glory to Himself are those who are completely broken…

… It was once the poor widow broke the seal on her only remaining jar of oil and began to pour it that God miraculously multiplied it to pay her debts and thereby supplied her means of support. (2 Kings 4:1-7)

It was not until Esther risked her life and broke through the strict laws of a heathen king’s court that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death (Esther 4:16)

It was once Jesus took “the five loaves…and broke them” (Luke 9:16) that the bread was multiplied to feed the five thousand. Through the very process of the loaves being broken, the miracle occurred. It was when Mary broke her beautiful “alabaster jar of very expensive perfume” (Matthew 26:7), destroying its future usefulness and value, that the wonderful fragrance filled the house. And it was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken by thorns, nails, and a spear that His inner life was poured out like an ocean of crystal-clear water, for thirsty sinners to drink and then live.

It is not until a beautiful kernel of corn is buried and broken in the earth by DEATH that its inner heart sprouts, producing hundreds of other seeds or kernels.

Those who have been gripped by the power of the Holy Spirit and are used for God’s glory are those who have been broken in their finances, in their self-will, in their ambitions, in their lofty ideals, in their worldly reputation, in their desires, and often in their health. Yes, He uses those who are despised by the world and who seem totally hopeless and helpless, just as Isaiah said: “even the lame will carry off plunder.” (Isaiah 33:23 NIV)

# # # #

Gracious Father, how deeply I need to embrace brokenness. So often Lord, I hold tightly to the very thing that could free your Holy Spirit to do its greatest work in my life. Help me Lord, to relinquish any fear of being broken for Your glory. May I remember your faithfulness to me in times past, and may I trust you with a fearless, humble and repentant heart, available for the breaking that will most reveal Your glory. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Lessons for Life (Through an Old Man at the Airport)

For those of you familiar with Beth Moore, this is possibly a story you've heard before. Personally, this has been one of the most impacting illustrations on humility and obedience I have ever heard. I've read it countless times over the years and it never fails to challenge me. I know it is rather long, but I promise, well worth the read.

Taken from the book, Further Still by Beth Moore (shared with permission)

At the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me.

All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?"

I repeated, "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks.

Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? I thought...of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and sadly, we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way, all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.


John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."