"I Will Not Forget You" (#fmfparty)

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.” Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

How perfect this verse is during those moments when you need your family to surround you and uplift you as you go through life-changing events and no one is there either because of distance, relationship, or choice. This week, I’ve been reminded more than once that we are never alone! We are never forgotten! It’s impossible to forget something that is engraved in the palm of your hands for it is a part of you. It also is part of the hand that can either be the most exposed or the most hidden and protected.

John 10:28-29 says, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I am My Father are one.”

When I was a teenager, many days were spent sitting alone and wondering if I was forgotten. But I’d write my name on one palm and God’s name on the other palm and wonder what it must be like to have my name inscribed in His hand. I would open and close my fingers over my palm trying to soak in the analogy of being remembered, of being wanted and deeply connected to someone, and of being secure. I’d close my eyes and envision what it’d be like to be covered and protected by God’s hand as my name was sitting there in my palm surrounded and protected by my strong fingers. I found great security in John 10 knowing that no one can snatch us out of God’s hands so He is keenly aware of what/who is in His hands and what's happening to them. 

When we are engraved in God’s hands, there is no possible way that we can ever be forgotten…we are forever a part of a compassionate God who will never let us go! That knowledge comforts us when our hearts yearn for comfort and security in the midst of great change. That knowledge compels us to sit in the presence of God until we surrender to the comfort of His hands around us so He can hold us through the chaos and uncertainty. And that knowledge allows us to listen for God's tender and reassuring whispers of "I will never forget you."

* Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "FORGET".

Why I Am a (Baptist)

Before today, I have never been asked to explain why I’m a Baptist. This question caught me off guard and my immediate thoughts went to the fact that I’ve always been a Baptist because it’s just how I grew up. But yet, I’ve lived long enough to have experienced different types of Baptists and varying viewpoints that “being Baptist” can mean nearly anything. I’ve also seen where different “types” of Baptists fight and judge amongst each other over what Baptist means and who is doing “Baptist” right.

I grew up under Jerry Falwell, Senior (founder of Liberty University) and broke the mold and received my undergrad from Bob Jones University. Both are distinctly Baptist institutions yet they both hold many differing Christian viewpoints. When I was at BJU, everything I grew up thinking that was true was questioned and challenged. Here was one Baptist group saying the other Baptist group was extreme, even heretical, leaving me very confused because I knew Dr. Falwell and knew how I was brought up, and it was not wrong or sinful. By my senior year of college, I was so tired of all the dogmatic religiosity warring against the God I kept reading about in the Bible because I couldn’t make them reconcile with each other. I no longer cared about which Baptist way was right or debating big, long theological words or being shamed for enjoying praise and worship. I just wanted to know who God was when religion was stripped away and discovered that God is simply too big to be confined by a man-made religious label. 

So being Baptist doesn’t guarantee salvation nor does it mean you always have the right way to go to heaven or that you’re always following God’s Word…it depends on the person or group who is claiming to be Baptist. I am a Believer in Christ first and then a Baptist second. The first is my belief, the second is the group in which I choose to carry out my beliefs. There are many things about the Baptist way that truly represent Christ and remind us of who He is and His desire for the body of Christ. There is comfort and familiarity in some of our “traditions” and there is cohesion and movement when Baptists come together for the Kingdom whether it’s in making disciples, sending missionaries, or standing in solidarity against culture.

Being Baptist means we believe that our God is the One True God who created the world, who sent His son via a virgin birth, to live, minister, and die for our sins out of a pure love for us. It means believing that God had a distinct plan to redeem His world and give us a future with Him. Being Baptist means we believe the Bible is inspired by God and that it is living and powerful as it changes lives and leads us into a relationship with God. Being Baptist means we practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper as acts of obedience and testimony of our desire to follow Christ as outlined in scripture, not as the means of salvation. 

Being Baptist means we share a common identity in Christ so we meet together in our Baptist churches for a like-minded community where we learn about God and where we grow and serve Him together. And the latter imparts a great responsibility to make sure that we are giving out the one true God and His Word, not a man-made version of God that we’ve watered down (or built up) with our preferences. It’s giving God over a religion and its traditions. And it’s making sure we remain true to the core doctrines and values of God’s Word while living out of the grace and love that Christ has given to us. So to me, saying I’m Baptist is nearly synonymous with saying I’m Christian. However, I don’t want to reach a point where a certain religion and its rules dictate and/or determine my faith in God. While my faith is founded in God alone, God often uses my Baptist church to help guide me in His ways through the instruction and fellowship of those who seek Him.

A God of the Present (#fmfparty)

In 2015, I discovered the value of the present. So much of my life has been spent overcoming the past and worrying about the future that I often forgot to see what was right in front of me. With the death of my grandma and the death of my close friend/mom/mentor, the present became ever so real. Once the present is gone, we can't get it back.

These deaths revealed areas where I was living everywhere but the present. These deaths combined with the growing pressures of owning a business also revealed God to me in new ways as I saw just how much He was the God of the present. He is always breaking into our lives in many different ways and wanting us to see Him, receive Him, and live with Him. It's not about what we are doing for God or where we are in our growth process or where we want to be with Him, it's about coming to Him in our humility knowing we can't do life on our own and we desperately need Him in this very moment. We need Him to sustain us whether it's physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially for we ultimately cannot sustain ourselves.

When we start seeing the value of the present, we begin to live in the present. And when we live in the present and experience God in the present, we find ourselves in the midst of joy and blessings that can't be contained nor explained, even in the hard times. Our focus shifts because it's no longer resting on ourselves and trying to figure our lives out. Our focus is on God which changes the source of our reliance as we take each step forward. And suddenly, we find ourselves in step with Him and surrounded by peace, confidence, reassurance, comfort, joy, and contentment--things that once seemed elusive. Because we know who is holding us, we find ourselves set free to be who we are, free to dream, and free to hope because we are sure that God sees us and has a plan for our lives. 

And when we are free, we are able to run unhindered in the present because we are no longer afraid to run--we know who is holding us! God used death to reveal the present to me so that I can remember who He is. Through remembering Him, He reaffirmed the dreams that He planted in my heart 5, 10, and 15 years ago and gave me the courage to dream once again. Not only did He give me the courage to dream, but He showed me through His continual provision when provision seemed humanly impossible that He can provide for my dreams, too.

Yesterday, I found out that I got accepted at a seminary that I've been wanting to go to for years. I rarely spoke of it and never pursued it because I thought I wasn't worth my dream, but God kept beckoning me to dream this dream until I could let go of myself long enough to see Him. As I discovered God continually breaking into the present, I began to understand that He does have me in His hand. He is God--He makes happen what He wants to happen! All I have to do is trust Him!

And when trust happens, God captures my present in such a way that brings all the praise back to Him for I know the secret battles that took place for surrender (plus I also had a husband who had to write an essay as part of my application--lol) and I know that it is ALL from God and because of Him. Therefore, it makes Psalm 34:8 such a verse of the present--"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Today, I cannot contain my excitement because I have tasted and have seen that the Lord is good--not just because I got in this seminary program, but because He is my provision, my sustainer, and my Father at this present moment and every moment yet to come! It's pretty awesome! 

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:1-8

* Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "PRESENT".