VIP

“Your life is a privilege, a rare opportunity given to you...live like it.”

Loren Thornburg

I recently got to go to a concert as VIP. Those three initials, Very Important Person, represent a position of status and privilege because of someone’s importance.

When I drove up to the concert and walked up to will call I would not have been recognized as VIP, but once I was given that badge of access that changed. I noticed something different in wearing the badge. I walked different because I felt privileged to have this rare opportunity; to not have to wait in the long line, to enter the arena before the masses and to sit up close directly facing the performers. I took note of the way that I identified with being VIP in a way that changed things and wondered how could I “wear the badge” when I wasn’t wearing the badge. How might things change if I realized that in life outside of the concert arena I have been given privilege and a rare opportunity to live my life? It is a story unlike anyone else ever has or ever will live and it is important. So often I think I need a badge to make me important and so I walk around as NVI, Not Very Important. Yet, who we are is a rare opportunity. Even when badge-less my life is VIP. Knowing that I can appreciate the VIP-ness in others too.

“Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.””

Psalm 87:5-6 NIV

The Lord Himself establishes you. He gives you a badge that says, “Son or Daughter of the King.” As He established Zion so He establishes you, as one who is privileged. We have been given access to His power, His authority and to God Himself. Now if that’s not a privilege I don’t know what is. It’s not anything we have to do, but He sees us right as we are and sets us on a firm and permanent foundation as His kid’s, His own. He looks at us, who trust in Him and says, “That one is Mine” and that means something. It means everything. It means I am taken care of, my identity has been settled and I no longer have to try to settle it. I don’t have to look for things and ways to prove that I am important. It has already been determined by the Most High Himself.

Small Things

“It’s dailyness as much as greatness that demands courage today.”

Loren Thornburg

Life is full of small things. The routine of each day can feel monotonous and boring. Yet meals on the table, cleaning clothes, cleaning dishes, going to work, and so on is all a part of life. Often we long for something of greatness, something bigger than these small things that we do every day. We admire and revere those doing “big things” deeming them as the courageous ones...and they are. However it takes much courage to do the small things too. Many great things have been accomplished by small things. A child raised to maturity is a great thing and that which our work produces day after day can be a great thing. But, the greatest of all may be the great thing that happens in us in our willingness to do the small things. What if we saw our courage and that which is happening in dailyness? Then, we might even find joy and greatness in our small things.

“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things?”

Zechariah 4:9-10

The temple rebuilding has been a long process and with no signs of finishing in sight. It seems hopeless. Then enters the encouragement that what seems small is not as small as it appears now. God is a finisher and a resourceful God. He is using the small things to further His purpose and His plans. Powerful things have taken place in us, as God’s people, in seasons of small things. Even more, they have been essential in preparation. So they are not days to despise but days to enjoy knowing they are important to the Lord. That which looks small to us is significant in God’s eyes. What if we saw today as God sees it? May we find courage to see our small things as God does...days of purpose.

More than this Moment

“It’s about more than right now, it’s about more than today.

This season is shaping you and preparing the way.”

Loren Thornburg

Recently I have seen how the things of before have prepared me for today, which means the things of today are preparing me for what’s next. There are some things that naturally make sense as preparation for the next. High school prepares you for college, college prepares you for a job and a job prepares you for the next. There is a natural sequence to those things. Yet, there are other things that are preparing us in ways less obvious. When I look at my life I can see how seasons of brokenness have prepared me to relate with others and how times of things going well have given me strength to walk through times that don’t go well. It’s the things I learned in my last season that I am using to walk through this season in ways I don’t always see. Sometimes I get glimpses of those things and those glimpses encourage me for right now. For I know that right now is not just about right now, but it is preparing me for what comes next. So know that this moment is bigger than this moment...it’s preparing you for the moments to come.

“...I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Philippians 3:13 NLT

God is never finished with us. He is always making and molding us to be more like Him. He doesn’t look at our past and disqualify us for opportunities to come, but instead He takes our past and redeems it as part of preparation for the plans He has for us. He is using this season He has you in right now. It’s not just about this struggle or this celebration, but it’s about trusting Him with it now because He is also using it for what lies ahead. He is not done with you. He has more. Part of the more includes what is happening today. No matter how small the things of today seem they are bigger than they might first appear because they are preparing the way for the next step on the journey He has for you. God is never not using this moment to prepare you for more.

Party through the Process

“Change is a constant so let us constantly enjoy.”

Loren Thornburg

Moving is a process. For me it has become a 6 month and still going process with no signs of completion any time soon. In the midst of packing boxes and wondering when I would ever be done “transitioning” I realized I never will. I don’t mean I will be moving for the rest of my life, although at times it can feel that way. I mean throughout all of our lives we are constantly transitioning. We are always in the middle of some sort of process. Whether it’s new classes, new friends, new schools, new job, new responsibilities, new relationships, or the loss of any of those things and more. Life is constantly changing. Seeing this in the midst of my move I was reminded of something more profound than the fact that things are always changing...I can enjoy them “while” they are changing. I don’t have to wait until things are settled to be settled and enjoy where I am. Even more, when we invite others to join us in our process and join them in theirs we can even party through the process. Now parts of moving are hard and parts of change are hard, but there are also parts to celebrate and parts to enjoy. So when it’s time you don’t have to wait you can party now, though the process remains.

“I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

John 16:33 MSG

Jesus knew about change and transitions. He was a man on the move and on a mission. He is also a God fully aware of process. Step by step He was moving towards His destiny for our eternity. He lived a process that conquered the world so that now in our processes we really can “take heart” and be confident, assured and unshaken while we walk through things that shake us. He offers us peace not because we won’t have any difficulties but peace that will sustain us as we are in the middle of them. It starts with trusting Him. Yes, in trusting Him is how we can live deeply at peace when life isn’t peaceful. In trusting Him is how we can be settled though everything is unsettled. In trusting Him we can party through the process.

This is My Journey

“Each step tells a story, of the journey that’s yours.”

Loren Thornburg

Each of our lives is so different. They each bring a uniqueness of personality and experiences. No person can ever fully know what it is like for another person. Each of us is on a journey unlike any other person. We may journey together and the stories of our lives may intervene, yet still no matter how much time we spend together, we still have a different story than any other person. Your journey is special. Yet, often we miss the mystery and the wonder of our story wishing we were on another story. We look around and see this person or that person whose story looks to be more like what we wish our own looked like and thus we miss our journey. We forget that each story comes with it’s good days and bad days. Every story has different conflicts and battles along the way that you may not see. So dream, yes; desire, yes; be inspired by the stories and lives of others, absolutely; but don’t miss the beauty of the story of your life.

“The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

Job 1:21 NLT

The Lord is writing a story with our lives as part of His bigger story. The journey is ours but our lives are His. Thus, we are not entitled to anything. Job recognized this in the midst of his blessings being taken away. Often in the midst of loss and struggle I forget that God doesn’t owe me anything. This life, this journey, is a gift. With a gift our best response is thanks and praise for what we have been given, rather than resentment for what we don’t have. Whether in plenty or in need we can still say, ‘Praise the name of the Lord.’ And, we can keep saying it until we have learned to truly believe it. Receive this gift of life He has given knowing He is with you in the midst of it and He is using it to write His story. Wherever you are at in your journey you can choose to say, ‘Praise the name of the Lord.’

Takes a Little Time

“Keep waiting, Keep hoping, Keep trusting, Keep going. You’ll be glad you did.”

Loren Thornburg

Patience is not an easy thing. To be able to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious is not easily attained. I get impatient waiting at a stop light, which is less than a few minutes, so I can understand how hard it can be when we are waiting weeks, months, years to see something change. We all have things that we have been waiting and hoping for a long time. It can be hard to continue to wish and hope and desire for something to look differently when we see it look the same. However it takes time. Like a fruit that is ripening you have to give it time until it is ready. If you pick it too early you will wish you had waited longer to fully enjoy it. I don’t want to give up or miss out on the joy available to me if I had only given it a little time and waited a little longer. “It takes a little time sometimes”...so as Amy Grant sings,“give it time”...we will be glad we did.

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God...Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.”

Romans 12: 1,12 AMP

Paul has just spent 11 chapters speaking of doctrine and here in 12 he begins to encourage readers, and to encourage us with what this doctring looks like in the daily outworking. It means continuing when it’s hard, but not just continuing but continuing with joy and hope by prayer. It is waiting, it is remaining, it is continuing, it is persevering; but it is not without reason. For as Paul begins this chapter he says to do so in view of the mercies of God. We don’t wait or endure without reason. We have hope. It is by this hope we can rejoice. By this hope we can remain steadfast and keep waiting in patience through suffering and tribulation. By hope we can pray constantly. Yes, when keeping in mind His mercies we can hope, even still, even now, nevertheless. Hope remains, therefore we can continue to remain hopeful as we wait.

Until

“The time between, the time until, it’s time to live not time to kill.”

Loren Thornburg

Hope is a good thing. It is the believing expectation that something good will happen. More of life is found in between those things we are hoping for than in them. So much of our lives occur in that time between, that time “until” that which we are hoping for. The way to keep that hope alive is to make the most of the time “until” you see your hope happen. We often use the phrase time to kill which means passing time in a meaningless way. That is often what we do in life is kill time “until” the next big thing that gets our excitement. Yet if we live this way we miss most of life. For most of life is small stuff in our dailyness. Now this doesn’t mean you always have to be doing something for even rest is meaningful, but what it does mean is this moment matters. There is much life in the little stuff in the time until that thing you’re hoping for...don’t miss it.

“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ right up to the time of His return, developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”

Phil 1:6 AMP

There is always HOPE when we know Jesus. That is one of His great provisions in our lives. Even in the waiting, in the time until, there is hope. For the change in you that you’ve been praying for and waiting for there is hope. At times it seems it will never happen, yet we have this promise that we can take right to where we are knowing that He is working even now, even here, developing and perfecting you. And He won’t stop “until” it is to full completion. So as you wonder what is going on in this place that seems like killing time, know that God is not killing time He is at work in You now and until His return. Knowing this we too can continue until...our hope is seen.