In The Garden Of His Presence

(by Lorie Codispoti)

We may be in the middle of winter, but the Spirit of the living God is more than willing to transport our hearts, no matter the season. Day or night, He invites us to come to the place where His presence dwells.

“I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.”

When Mary Magdalene came to the garden tomb that day, she was alone and broken. A veil of downcast sorrow enveloped her, and hopelessness settled heavy on her heart.

Like Mary, we may come to the garden alone and filled with anxiety. But we do not walk through the garden alone.

“And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own…”

After the disciples had come and gone, Mary stood outside the empty tomb, weeping. What had brought her to the tomb had now escalated into full blown hopelessness. She didn't know that something exciting was about to happen.

Neither the appearance nor the voices of the two angels that appeared in the tomb could sooth Mary’s heavy heart. But then she heard another voice. At first, she thought He was the gardener. But when she heard her risen Savior call her name it changed everything. She lifted her head and the veil fell off.

“He speaks and the sound of His voice,

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that he gave to me,

Within my heart is ringing.”

She entered the garden carrying an unbearable weight, but she left with a melody that carried her through the trials that awaited outside the gate.

“And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known!”

As we meander through our Father's garden, and drink in the grandeur of His presence, our senses pick up on things that a bleak midwinter camouflages. We are awakened to the sight and sound of unveiled Beauty. Anxiety melts away and carries our burdens with it. Conversing with our Father becomes an uninterrupted flow of clear refreshment, as if it were an endless stream, uninhibited as it cascades softly over the jagged rocks in our heart. The more time we spend, the smoother the rocks become.

Your circumstances may not change when you leave the garden of His presence, but when you hear Him speak your name something deeply intimate and transformative happens. As with Mary, His voice will flood your soul with a waterfall of Hope. This Hope embodies us and follows us outside the gate, where we have the opportunity to share what we’ve experienced and guide others to the garden of His Presence. 

(Note: This piece is the result of pondering John 20, and reading the story of how it inspired C. Austin Miles to write the hymn titled In The Garden.)

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Humble Cookies

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Note: The following story/poem packs a humble punch. It's a great example for the point I hope to make below.

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The Cookie Thief (by Valerie Cox)

A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. . .

grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too, when only one was left, she wondered what he would do.

With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other, she snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother.

This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude, why he didn’t even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled, and sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, then she sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise, there was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair, the others were his, and he tried to share.

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

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Humble Cookies

Things are not always as they seem, are they? How often have you been absolutely convinced of something, only to find out you were mistaken?

You may never see “humble pie” (or cookies, in this case) on the menu at your favorite restaurant, but God makes sure that each of His children are aware of the option. It may not be the tastiest choice, but it is a vital virtue for those who desire to walk in spiritual health and wellness.

We live in a world that links greatness to things like prosperity and popularity. Nothing new. History records plenty of examples for us not to follow. And, If we’re honest with ourselves, we will see that each one of us embodies the propensity to chase after this illusively destructive attribute.

The Bible warns us of the dangers of thinking too highly of ourselves. Three of the four Gospels record the story of Jesus’ disciples arguing about which of them would be the greatest in His kingdom (Mtt.18, Mk.9, Lk.9). Each records Jesus using a child as an example of greatness. He said, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever HUMBLES (emphasis mine) himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In that day, children ranked among the nobodies, so for Jesus to use this radical example was both countercultural and unnatural. It still is.

We’re not told how the disciples responded, but if embracing humility gives us a lower, more accurite view of ourselves, then I think it’s safe to assume that they got the message and adjusted their perspective accordingly.

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mtt.23:12)

Humility is not only a menu item to choose as we feed on the truth of God’s word and grow in our spiritual maturity, but it is also a consequence for those who refuse the option and chose to chase after the greatness defined by culture.

I'm thinking of the example of King Nebuchadnezzar, who exhalted himself and conquered Judah and Jerusalem, sending the Jews into Babylonian exile. According to Daniel 4, he refused to repent and acknowledge the one true God. As a result he was humbled to the point of going mad, losing his royal status, and found wandering among wild animals and eating grass.

Hmm, grass or cookies? I’m thinking cookies.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Ready Or Not

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I never feel ready. For anything. Ever.

Looking back, I didn’t feel ready for motherhood, teaching, or for my children to leave home. Presently, I never feel like my house is ready to receive guests. My suitcase rarely feels ready for a trip (no matter how full it is), and this article won’t feel ready for publication (regardless of edits) when it's due. And, should tomorrow come, I’m pretty sure I won’t feel ready for my grandchildren to be grown and another season of life to pass.

Like a monkey who refuses to get off my back, there always seems to be one more thing I need to do to feel ready.

I wonder if the Apostle Paul felt ready for the trials he faced after surrendering his life to Christ? What about the disciples? Hardship was a way of life for first century Christians, but were they ready for the suffering they would endure after being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Can we really be ready for something, especially when we can’t predict the details of future events? The answer is yes, we can.

Once upon a day, way back in the 1970’s, there was a song titled I Wish We’d All Been Ready (by Larry Norman). It was the sobering lament of a person who realized he had been left behind when Jesus returned, and his biggest regret was that he wasn’t ready.

I’m reminded of the two stories Jesus told about being prepared for future events. The first one contrasts two sets of women who are awaiting the arrival of their groom (Mtt.25). They knew he was coming, but they didn’t know when. The other story is about two men who build waterfront homes. One was careful to build on a proper foundation and the other thought he was fine without one (Lk.6). Both stories point out the wisdom of being prepared.

I think it’s important to distinguish the difference between feeling ready (emphasis on “feeling”) for something and being prepared for it. A surgeon may be fully prepared for a complicated surgery, yet not feel ready for the unexpected things that may arise during the operation.

Being ready is more of an emotional state that has everything to do with confidence. The wise women were the only ones prepared with oil for their lamps, but neither they or the unwise women were ready. Their confidence waned when the bridegroom was delayed, so they went to bed. They were ALL asleep when he arrived. None of them were ready. Likewise, neither of the two builders were ready for a category five hurricane. How could they be; they didn’t know when it would happen. But, one of them was prepared for the inevitable storms that come with having an ocean view.

None of us feel ready for an accident, a sudden death, disease, or a catastrophic event. We may not FEEL ready, but we can BE ready.

One writer notes, “Ready is the outcome of deep knowing.”

Readiness aligns itself with knowing God and having our confidence rooted in Him. I can be ready for the unknown because of the One I know. I’m sure there were times when Paul and the disciples felt like the were not ready for the things they had to endure. But God had prepared each of them for their assignments, and as they pressed on in knowing the God who sustained them their confidence in Him grew. For 100 years Noah worked on building that ark. He had no way of knowing when the rain would start, but he was ready when it started sprinkling and God shut the door.

When I look back now, I realize that while I didn’t feel ready for some of what life brought, God had prepared me.

My house is not perfect, but I’m ready if you’d like to come over for tea. I may discover something missing from my suitcase when we get to our destination, but I’m ready for a trip. My confidence in Him is what gives me the courage to be ready, whether I feel it or not. I don’t need to FEEL ready to BE ready.

Do you hear that, monkey? You’ve been given your marching orders to get off my back and return to the trees where you belong. No more free rides for you!

Don’t be like the man in the song, who discovered too late that he should have been ready.

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” 

Be prepared and you will be ready. Build your faith on the solid Rock and keep your eyes open for the day our Groom comes to take us to the home He has prepared for His bride.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com