Works In Progress

Tricia, my funny and wise sister-in-law who is more like a sister, never mind the law, shares an insight that many can relate to and understand as we remember that we are each called to be prepared to give an account for the hope that lives within us (1 Peter 3:15).

I sat in my Christian speakers class feeling a sense of dread and resignation grow inside me. Not because I feared getting up and speaking. I actually love that now. But I had to give my testimony next.

Over the years I’d noticed that the “gutter to glory” story was the testimony preferred in most churches. The problem was this caused the average person to feel as if their Christian life did not count or have much value. It seemed the only way a life story was effective was for the former life to have been riddled with sexual immorality, addictions and abuse.

But that was not my story. By the world’s (and probably the church’s) standard I was a goody-two-shoe. Yet if the verse in the Bible that says, “every person has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) was true, that would mean I had a story to tell. One where Jesus washed the dirt of my sins away and set me back on my feet after I asked Him to take charge of my life. My feet were often covered with the dirt of un-forgiveness and resentment of others who had hurt me or done things their way instead of God’s, yet prospered. I coveted other people’s good marriages or finances instead of thanking God for His provisions and plans for my life. Most people in the church, I suspect, have a testimony like mine. So why does no one want to hear our stories? In finding the answer to that I discovered a danger lurking in our “sensationalist seeking” mindset.

One of Satan’s lies to us is that we are too awful and wicked to ever be forgiven or used by God. God’s truth says, “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” (Romans 3:22 NLT) So I believe the “gutter to glory” life has great value and should be told. God is glorified in those freed and restored lives.

The second lie Satan feeds us is that we are so good we do not need Jesus, at least not in the practical day to day things. Perhaps not even for salvation. Jesus said, many will say they did things for God and in Jesus’ name, but He will say He does not know them. Being religious and doing good things misleads some people into feeling as if they are right with God. The danger lurking here is great. We can have a false sense of righteousness and safety, as well as creating a judgmental attitude inside of us. Jesus teaches that our thoughts matter as much as our actions.

Though I didn’t do drugs and wasn’t sexually immoral, my life had been filled with fear and insecurity. That caused me to be a wallflower, allowing others to walk all over me. I was not a “victim” of shyness and insignificance; I had sinned by agreeing with a false view of myself instead of God’s. I had actively allowed this to continue in my life. God says I am His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10) Romans 3:23 applied to me as well.

Like everyone in the church, my testimony is an ongoing one. As I recognize the areas in my life that are out of line with God and His word; I gladly tell God I have sinned and ask for His forgiveness. There is no feeling of condemnation in this, just agreeing with God and being released of the hold that sin held on my life. I choose to let God free me then turn and walk with Him into His plan. And this shy woman is teaching Bible study and speaking publically because my old self has been made new and bold in Christ Jesus. From God’s perspective we are all sensational “gutter to glory” stories needing to be told.

An up and coming, gifted writer, April Moyer shares her thoughts on darkness…and light.

One night, at three or four in the morning, the electricity failed, and I awoke to listen to the varied and lively sounds of night. I always sleep with a fan. Sleep without a hum is tedious at best and nonexistent at worst. How had my ancestors slept through an orchestra of crickets? Perhaps noisemakers were only invented when cars became widespread. Nobody goes to the Indy 500 to sleep.

Every time I turned in bed, the blankets sounded like waves on the seashore. It was not long, naturally, until my five year old sister woke up. She instructed me to turn on the light. I informed her wearily that it was not possible to do any such thing. She panicked and cried, “Why not?”

When I said there was no electricity, she demanded, “What’s that?” My mind struggled to assemble a lesson on how electricity and light bulbs work. I’ll spare you the details (too vague to be called detailed!) She accepted my explanation–maybe she was too confused to ask another question. I was too confused to elaborate.

As I lay in the darkness without the noisy, colorful distractions of daytime, I realized that I could teach my sister a lesson about God. She couldn’t see me, but she could hear my voice. We can’t see God, but we can hear His voice through the Bible. She listened with patience, and we snuggled together.

Soon the electricity returned, and the fan’s hum banished the night back outside the windows. The glow of the nightlight reassured my sister. The lesson on electricity didn’t matter anymore–neither one of us had understood it anyway! The absence of light and sound is often unwelcome, but what if the void points us to God? If it is darkness and silence that make us pay attention to God, then let’s have more of them!

RD Laird reminds us that even though others may subtly pressure us to do the wrong thing, and we’re sometimes tempted to accommodate them, if we do the right thing, the Lord will protect us. Do the Right Thing

After the monthly Metrics meeting, I suspected that the percentage shown in several reports wasn’t consistent with the Director’s expectations. As I looked over the notes at my desk, Tina [1] appeared at my cubicle.

“Thanks, Dana, for not saying anything. It would take time to rework any wrong months, and I guarantee nobody will notice the difference.” She walked off. Maybe they wouldn’t notice, I thought. But why chance it? When I found the calculation of the average percentage, I opened the Excel file to review the previous two month’s data.

It was just as I thought. All six regions reported an outage for two hours each and had missed the monthly target of providing acceptable service to their customers. The average percentage for all regions combined was incorrect. Should I make a fuss since the difference was slight?

Normally, I would say no. But my pastor has stressed that we are to honor the Lord at our jobs and be truthful. I wondered over my course of action when Tina left for the day.

I hate confrontation. I needed to get along with Tina. But I felt in my heart that ignoring this discrepancy would haunt us later if we didn’t address it now. I went home and thought of little else.

After supper, I searched God’s Word for wisdom and read this Scripture:
“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord.”[2]

“Lord Jesus,” I prayed, “I know I shouldn’t let this slide. When should I confront Tina? Lord, help me to know.”

I expected an answer then but none came that evening. I had no response when I drove to work the next morning.

I wanted to get it done when Tina came in. When Psalm 27:14 came to mind, I waited.

Before lunch, I felt at peace in talking with her. When I rose from my desk, I felt no hesitation.

I walked around to her cubicle. I told Tina I felt we should tell our boss about the discrepancy and let him decide if any rework needed to be done.

Tina looked disappointed but said do what I felt was right.

As it turned out, our boss felt the rework was not needed since the correct percentage was not much different that the reported percentage. However, I did need to document this in my daily log in case it was needed later. His response cheered me. I learned a valuable lesson that day.

The Lord doesn’t always respond when I expect it. He wants me to wait for His direction. God strengthened my heart that day since I felt courage when the time came for action. I often refer to Psalm 27:14 whenever I face a difficult situation in my life. I know I won’t regret it if I do.