share the stories

I've heard it said many times in different ways, if we don't learn from the past we're bound to repeat it. We keep repeating the same mistakes in new ways. And we forget the good things that happened that we can learn from too.

It makes we wonder about how disconnected we are from our past in the church today. I remember when I was growing up, every time my church anniversary rolled around we took the time to celebrate and remember both the good and hard. Pictures of the churches past were brought out and stories were shared. I don't remember the last time that happened. I was still a child when it did.

There is so much we have to learn from that history. But with each year fewer people know it. I wonder if we're losing the stories of God's faithfulness and provision in the past. The stories of  how that part of God's family followed God and made decisions.

We have our current stories. We have the memories that we make each year. And those are all great. But we can't forget the times before that. The current stories are built on top of the older ones to record the God-filled history of our church.

We need to hear the good stories, the exciting ones. We also need to hear the stories of the struggles and God's faithfulness in the midst of them. These stories give us courage and renew our resolve in the midst of current struggles. We need to understand where we came from and why things were done the way they were. Knowing them makes us stronger going forward.

When we know the stories of our past, we learn from the good and bad of them. It helps us make decisions going forward. It encourages us to keep going.

If we refuse to learn from the past of our church we're making a huge mistake. The stories must be shared. They are what make us who we are today.

invisible

It was time for church again. Parking in my usual spot, I headed for the doors. I was early. Typical for me. A few people were already there. A grabbed a bulletin as I headed to my seat.

My seat. Isn’t it strange how we get possessive over a place to sit on a bench? The place where we always sit at church. We feel lost if someone is there when we walk in.

I watch the people coming in as I wait for the service to begin. Families. Couples. Singles. Some come together. Some come alone.

The ones who come alone, they seem to stay alone. No one comes to sit with them. Others don’t seem to see them there. They are invisible.

It’s how I often feel. Invisible. As I sit alone. No conversations. No hugs. No handshakes. Just me alone. Invisible in the crowd.

The service is over. I linger a few moments, then gather my purse and Bible to leave. I smile and maybe say a quick hello as I walk past the families gathered around.

Longing to be noticed. Hoping to be seen. I take my time at the coffee bar, seeking familiar faces. A chance to have a conversation. Still I feel invisible as others pass me by. I am still invisible.

Finally, I leave. Crying as I sit in my car. I wonder if the day will come when I’m no longer invisible.

A week goes by. It’s time for church again. Do I really want to go? No one will notice if I don’t. I am invisible. I think I’ll skip this week.

Monday comes. My phone rings.

“Missed you at church. Is everything alright?” the voice on the other end asks.

“Yes. Just had a busy week.” is my reply.

I can hardly say the words. Tears are forming in my eyes. A lump in my throat. I’m not invisible. Someone noticed. Someone cared.

I guess I’ll keep going. Maybe I’ll even be bolder in my attempts to talk to others. They may feel invisible. I need to let them know they’re not. I notice. I care. Like someone did for me.

Psalm 130:7-8

Today I'll finish with my thoughts in Psalm 130, by talking a bit about verses 7 & 8:
Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
     for with the LORD is unfailing love
     and with Him is full redemption.
He will redeem Israel
     from all their sins.

The psalmist is pretty clear about where our hope should be and why it should be there. God is where we should place our hope. He is worth placing our hope in. The kind of hope we place in God is placing all our expectations in Him.

The psalmist also give reasons why we should place our hope in God. He says that we can put our hope in God because God's love is unfailing. God's love will never fail us - He will never betray us, or hurt us, or turn His back on us when we need Him.

The psalmist also tells us that we can put our hope in God because He redeems us. God purchases back everything that the enemy has stolen from us or that we've allowed the enemy to take from us. God will redeem all those things in our lives because it is to His glory to do so.

Where have you placed your hope?
Do you trust God's unfailing love for you?
What areas of your life do you need God to redeem from your enemy?
Ask God to do that as you place your hope in Him.