Tie a yellow ribbon

The masses have spoken, and I, people pleaser that I am, have heard your cries and I'm here.  For you.

Now, let's see if I can remember how to do this blog thing. It's been nearly two months and I'm feeling a little rusty, not to mention a little bit of pressure, because, after two months, surely there's something worthy to be said that I need to enter into blogdom. 

Of that I'm not so sure.  And I'm not so sure you will even care for this post. But that's okay, because when I sat down to blog today I told myself (I do that often) that I would simply write what is on my heart.  And there is this one thing that I am feeling rather passionate about these days... So here goes.

A few weeks ago Robert (with me tagging along) began to counsel a couple in our church body that is in marriage crisis.  Things have not progressed very well, and in fact, it seems to me that the marriage is worse off than it was before.  In fact, much of this situation seems so familiar after a similar occurrence in our church body about 6 months ago that sadly ended in divorce.

As Robert and I talked about it one night this past weekend, I realized that the one thing these two couples / four individuals all had in common was that even though they were part of the church body, their faith was not strong.  They were at that period in their lives that most of us who have been believers for a long time often, sadly, find themselves in - where you're going through the motions, withdrawing from fellowship and accountability to some degree, and not pursuing God through His Word.

There is no judgment there, because as I've said, I've been there, too.  I can relate, and I completely understand.  However, here's where the epiphany comes in.  (Are you ready?  I know you're on the edges of your seats!)

When we are going through the motions and not truly taking care of ourselves spiritually, we are at far greater risk of not withstanding attacks by the enemy.

(I know - you're all thinking duh, Beth! and I know, too, that sometimes I'm a little slow.)

But the key there is that although we are all at risk of being attacked by the enemy, we are far better able to withstand the enemy's attacks when we are rooted and grounded in Christ.  In the same way that we are more prone to physical problems, injuries, and illnesses when we don't take care of our physical selves, we open ourselves up to see Satan victorious when we aren't taking care of ourselves spiritually. 

Now, the whole reason God sent Christ to earth was to reconcile us to Him.  God is all about reconciliation - that's the heart of the gospel - and that reconciliation doesn't just stop there, with Him.  God's business of reconciliation involves healing hearts, marriages, and families.  And have you noticed that Satan is hard at work undermining that mission by working hard to destroy marriages and families?  Our culture is falling apart in these areas!

So the enemy looks around and spies a marriage that already has weaks spots because of many of the normal stresses that we all anticipate.  He starts to dig.  He starts to look at his target for areas of vulnerability, and what does he find?  First, there's tension in the money department.  And there's a lack of unity on how we discipline the kids.  Oh, and what's that?  They've stopped going to church consistently?  There's dust on their Bibles?  Their prayer life consists of saying grace before meals?  Prime target - and wham-o.

So growing up in the AV we're no strangers to wind, and a familiar sight in the spring and summer is strong winds blowing tumbleweeds across deserts, streets, yards, etc.  Satan comes in like that wind, gathers that tumbleweed up without very much effort, and it takes off in tumble of chaos.

Driving home yesterday I passed by this housing tract with a big ol' oak tree on the corner:  not the biggest I've ever seen, but with branches reaching high into the air, a thick trunk, and, simply put, majestic grace.  It reminded me of a phrase from Isaiah, how the Lord will call us "oaks of righteousness" when we establish ourselves in Him.  And what happens to that oak tree when the wind blows?  It stands firm; yes, the branches will sway and in a strong enough wind they could even break.  But generally that old oak tree can withstand pretty substantial winds, especially compared to the tumbleweed.

So how do we become oaks of righteousness, as opposed to tumbleweeds?  Psalm 1 says that the man whose "delight is in the law of the Lord," who "meditates day and night" upon it, "is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither."  Pursuing God through His Word results in a rooted life, a fruitful life, a strong and secure life.  In contrast, the man who doesn't "is like chaff" (or tumbleweeds!) "that the wind blows away."

So when (not if) the wind blows, when Satan attacks (because he will), we must be prepared by being rooted firmly in God's Word, or we will be tossed about like nothing by his path of destruction.

Is your life better compared to a tumbleweed, or an oak tree?  And if it's like a tumbleweed, what are you going to do about it?  If it's like an oak tree, how can you help it to grow even stronger and more fruitful?