Casandra Martin

We stopped at the gate. From the very beginning, our car was tagged as different. Visiting my parents, we moved over into the lane designated for guests and parked at the entrance to their neighborhood. Residents fly through the gated entrance. Visitors are required to stop and check in.

The guard came out in his official uniform, carrying his even more official looking clipboard. He wrote down our license plate number and asked why we wanted access to the streets just beyond the gate. We explained our connection to one of their residents and he gave us a tag, waving us through the entrance.

For the rest of our visit, we were required to carry a tag that boldly named us as “visitors”. Wherever we went, whatever part of the neighborhood we drove in, while we settled in at my parent’s house, everyone who passed by knew, without a doubt, that we were visitors. We didn’t belong here. We don’t live here. This isn’t our home. We are visitors.

For the neighborhood, those visitor tags are a matter of security. Looking at the tag, I sometimes wish they were required for Christians. We are visitors in this world. Guests, travelers, people passing through. This is not our home. We don’t live here. We don’t belong in this world. Peter tells us to “…live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” – I Peter 1:17. I need a ready reminder that I am just a visitor here. My home is elsewhere. I don’t need to get too comfortable, invest too much, or stake my claim in a neighborhood that is never meant to be my residence.

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that I am a visitor. This world is a wonderful place to visit, but it isn’t my home. I want to enjoy my stay, but always keep my heart hungry to go to the place I truly belong. It is okay if the world knows I am a visitor. I don’t have to fit it, follow the crowd, or abide by its standards. Sometimes I need to be reminded that I am just a visitor. I think I will keep that visitor tag in my car for a little while longer.

The world cheered as rescue workers brought the thirty-three men up. People around the globe held their breath as the capsule was lowered and one by one the miners trapped 2,300 feet below the earth were finally set free. People wept, prayed, hugged, and celebrated after sixty-nine days defined by fear.

It isn’t hard to see the hand of God in this moment. A situation that should have been defined by death and grief turns into a jubilant celebration of life. The miners become a picture of our hearts trapped by sin. There is no escape, no hope, no illusion that we can get out on our own. We need a Redeemer, a Savior, someone to come and rescue us.

The rescue was devised entirely on the outside. The equipment was put in place, a tunnel was drilled through the rock, and the plan was carefully mapped out. Before anyone could be drawn out of the mine, someone had to go into the mine. Someone had to leave the world of sunshine, making a perilous journey into darkness.

The journey was made. The sacrifice was freely given and a way into the world above was opened. As the rescued men come through the tunnel, watch the faces of the crowd around them. Pure joy. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:10.

Perhaps the neatest picture is the one off to the side. Situated near the mine is Esperanza – Camp Hope, the temporary home to the family and friends of the men trapped below. It sits as a picture of all that the church is called to be in this world.

My Jesus Resolution today is to celebrate. God is still working to rescue men trapped under the weight of sin. He sent Jesus into the darkness to show us the way into the light. Our job is to inhabit Camp Hope and show the world the power and possibilities of the cross. Our privilege is celebrating with every person who makes the journey from death into life.

One of the consequences of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden is laundry. Before Eve ate the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, she lived in a laundry-free world. Imagine it for a moment. There was no laundry detergent, no mountains of dirty clothes, no washer repairmen, and no dryer lint. She never worried about socks without mates, mysterious spots on shirts, and things moving in young boys’ pockets. But alas. With temptation came sin. With sin came fruit juice stains.

Laundry actually has a lot to teach us about God. Even in our piles of dirty clothes, God wants us to see Him at work. He wants every dirty shirt, stinky soccer uniform, and mismatched sock to remind us of His heart. So here are some lessons from the laundry.

Filthy Rags – Dirty laundry can remind me of my need for a Savior. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” We all have laundry. We all have sin that makes us unclean. All of our goodness, smarts, resources, and efforts amount to a pile of stinky laundry. We need transformation. We need Someone to step in and make us clean.

Rich Garments – Have you ever had clothes so filthy that you just threw them away? You looked at the outfit, took one good smell, and tossed it in the garbage. New clothes were the only answer. That is God’s answer as well. This is exactly the picture that unfolds in Zechariah 3:4. “The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.’” God sees how utterly stained and filthy sin has made us. He doesn’t just give them a rinse and hope the dirt comes out in the wash. He takes off the filthy rags and covers us in rich garments of grace.

Whiter Than Snow – The thing about laundry is that it is never done. Even as I finish up the last load, the pile starts to take dimension again. God knows that we need continual cleansing and He makes provision for our need. The blood of the Lamb cascades over and over us, washing away the sins, stains, and stubbornness of the day. Isaiah 1:18 paints a beautiful picture of how the blood of Jesus works in our lives. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

My Jesus Resolution today is to look at my laundry differently. God has lessons to teach me amidst the dirty clothes, smelly socks, and stubborn stains. In the simple act of doing my family’s laundry, I can see the transformation process God wants to work in my life. He is willing to step in and handle the messes I make, the stains I create, and the stinky aromas that stubbornly cling to me. He longs to make me new, clean, fresh, and bright. Romans 13:14 tells us to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ…” In other words, God does my laundry so I can look like Jesus.

I saw it on a tag. I thought it said, “National Dream Day” and got really excited. It didn’t. I misread it, but it sparked my thinking. What a neat idea! What if there really was a National Dream Day? A day set aside to dream about the future, let hope expand, and allow our imaginations to take flight? What would you dream about?

In days filled with deadlines, obligations, appointments, and laundry, dreaming often moves into the realm of wishful thinking. If we had time, we would… When there is more money, we will…  If only…

Dreaming, however, is essential to the abundant life. God created us to dream – big! He wants us to stretch our hearts and imagine a world vibrant with His presence. He longs for us to plunge into the depths of His love and soak in all the possibilities He has in store for us. He dreams of a kingdom filled with people transformed to look like His beloved Son.

When we dream, we lift our eyes from the boundaries of our present reality to the face of God. In our dreams, we are not limited by the here and now, by the naysayers who tell us it can’t be done, or the limited resources that so often define who we are. When we dream, we can imagine a world touched by grace, infused with goodness, and bound together by love.

God has bigger dreams in mind for us than we can possibly imagine. He has plans for us that can only be fueled by His power and ignited by His mercy. Abraham dreamed of a family. God used him to bless all nations. David dreamed of building a temple. God raised up a house for the coming Messiah. Peter dreamed of catching fish. Jesus transformed Him into a fisher of men.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26

My Jesus Resolution today is to take time to dream. I am not going to be afraid to dream impossible dreams or pray for big things. I am going to let my dreams lift my eyes to His face. I am going to embrace the dreams I know God is already working out in my life. I am going to imagine how life might look if the power of God was fully unleashed in my life. I am going to let that dream stretch my soul and fuel my surrender. I declare today to be National Dream Day. I dare you to dream a God-sized dream.

Do you have a photo album? There is something fascinating about flipping through old pictures, trying to recognize blurry faces, laughing about hairstyles and hemlines, and remembering the days that shaped our lives. Those special books connect us to our past, provide depth and richness to today, and give us an anchor to steady us as we move into the future. Each turn of the page reminds us of who we are, where we came from, and who has stood beside us every step of the way.

I have been thinking this week about special people in my life and God keeps bringing me back to the neatest verse in Psalm 139:16 – “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Your life has a special place in God’s book. Before you were ever born, He made a photo album of your days. There are pictures of the day you were born, your third birthday party, the day you skinned your knee, lost your first tooth, and brought home a handful of dandelions. The pictures mark more than the events of your life – they lay out the plan He has in mind for your heart. There are pictures of the people who made His love real in your life, the events that made you notice His presence, and the times that you spent on your knees in prayer.

Every one of those days is filled with God’s purpose for you. Not one of them is empty. God planned each day carefully so that you could experience the full measure of His goodness, soak in the deep richness of His grace, and delight in the immensity of His love. Whether your life is long or short, each day was counted out by God and written down in His book.

If you look carefully at each of the pictures of your life, you will find something else truly amazing. The fashions may change. The people standing around you may vary. The scenery may differ, but God is always there. He is in every picture of every day of your entire life.

My Jesus Resolution today comes from Psalm 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” God holds all of my days. He has them written down in His book. I want Him to teach me to number my days aright, to learn how to live each day to its fullest, to gain the deepest experience of Him that I can squeeze out of each moment. I spend so much time wishing time would move faster or slower. Today I am going to enjoy today. Remember to smile. You never know when God might be taking your picture.

I once heard someone say, “Starting is easy; finishing well is hard.” I am not sure that starting is always easy. In fact, it is essential because you can’t finish what you don’t begin. But starting is easier than finishing. It is easy to get excited about a new idea, new project, new relationship, or new desire. We dive in, make plans, dream big dreams, and set sail on a sea of enthusiasm and high expectations.

Then we hit a bump in the road. The going gets tough, our schedules get busy, or the task is more daunting than we originally imagined. People complain, resources get stretched, and the finish line looks farther away than it did when we started. So we give up, quit, or set it to the side to be tackled later.

Sometimes our forward movement gets stuck in “good enough” mode. We have done well, stuck with it, and are close enough to the end to see movement and celebrate the journey. So we slow down, becoming satisfied with where we are rather than pushing toward the finish line.

In the end, it doesn’t matter too much if the guest room doesn’t get painted or you don’t finish the novel you started on vacation. However, when it comes to looking like Jesus, finishing well is everything. Paul put it this way – “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my heart on finishing well. I am going to commit to crossing the finish line. I want the full image of Jesus to take shape in my life. Even if I have given up, slowed down, or gotten distracted, I want to renew my desire to finish well in Him. I am going to pick up my Bible and read today. I am going to spend time in prayer and praise. I am going to call a friend and share something God has been doing in my life. I am going to open my heart to the fullness of the transformation He wants to work in me. I am going to remember that God is holding on to me. Finishing well means always holding on to Him.

Patience is a virtue. I am not really sure that our society has a good grasp on the meaning and importance of virtues any more. We know they are supposed to be good things, but seem a bit dusty and antiquated.

According to the dictionary, a virtue is “the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness.” When we let God define our virtues, it is a snapshot of what it means to look like Jesus.

Patience is one of those virtues that helps frame the presence of Christ in our lives. I struggle with being patient. It requires waiting, slowing down, and putting my desires to the side while making room for God to work. Instead of being patient, I often complain about how slow people are moving, question why answers don’t unfold in my timing, and wonder aloud about when things are going to align according to my perfect plan.

Recently, I was talking about patience (and my lack thereof) with a group of friends and they shared a definition that stopped me in my tracks. Patience, they explained, is waiting without whining.

Light bulbs started popping all over the place. Patience is more than suffering through the moment in order to get what I want. Patience is waiting, trusting, and depending on the goodness of God. Patience is best framed in a heart that can worship, instead of whine, while it is waiting. It declares the faithfulness, righteousness, and mercy of the Lord even before it sees answers or experiences resolution. A patient heart finds joy in the act of waiting, experiencing the presence of God in moments where I tend to whine about wasted time.

My Jesus Resolution today is to wait without whining. I am going to practice patience (and it will take practice!). I am going to see moments of waiting today as opportunities to praise Him, rather than tapping my foot and complaining. If I view those times that require patience with the expectation that God is going to do something good, I might be surprised at how God infuses those moments with His grace.

They say our world is getting smaller. Technology allows us to see and interact with places in the world that only a few years ago were out of reach. But we still deal with big things. Our struggles pile up until all we see are shadows. Sorrow, heartache, pain, and exhaustion make us feel small and insignificant. Sometimes we can’t say that it will all be okay. We can’t promise the direction of the outcomes, the timing of solutions, or a resolution that will ease our breaking hearts. Sometimes all we can do is rest in the truth that our God is bigger.

God is bigger than…

            – sin, addiction, bad habits, and poor choices

            – doubts, worries, and heartaches

            – loneliness and longing

            – family struggles

            – work problems

            – political instability

            – financial concerns

            – physical pain

            – unrealized dreams

            – death

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,”           – Ephesians 3:17b-18.

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that I serve a big God. He is working right now to clear away anything that blocks my way to His heart. He is big enough to break down the walls of sin, fill in the ditches and ruts left by my bad habits, and walk with me through the consequences of my poor choices. He is bigger than the people who rock the peace of my heart. He is bigger than the forces that seem unstoppable in our society. God is bigger than anything I will face today. He is bigger than my greatest joy. He is bigger than my deepest sorrow. Today I am going to let the words of a children’s song paint their way across my day – “My God is so BIG, so strong and so mighty. There’s nothing my God cannot do!”

I found myself humming this morning as I was walking and praying. The words to Don Moen’s beautiful song, “God Will Make a Way” seemed to overflow as an answer to the concerns and requests pouring out of my heart. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way, He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.”

I love that thought. How many times does God make a way when all we see are obstacles, barriers, and defeat? God has a track record of opening unexpected doors, creating unanticipated paths, and working through less than obvious people. He opened a way for Abraham and Sarah. Well into their Medicare years, there seemed to be no way that God’s promise of a child could be answered in their lives. Then came Isaac. God’s way for Joseph led him through the bottom of wells, prison cells, and Egypt’s throne rooms. Israel must have rubbed their eyes in wonder as they walked through a canyon made of sea water. Joshua faced big walls and big enemies, but God’s way marched him around a city to victory. God’s way for David proved that faith was a greater weapon than a sword. He opened a way for Daniel by closing the lions’ mouths. He made a way for all of us to come to His heart by declaring “It is finished” on a cross and then opening a tomb.

I have seen it over and over in my own life. The path I never would have chosen becomes a road of great blessing. The hardship I thought would undo me became the way God unleashed His presence in my heart. The friendship I cried for but never would have found on my own. The provision He makes when all I see is the mountain. God is not limited by my vision, understanding, or resources. He will always make a way – it may not be the easy way, the fastest way, or the smoothest way – but it will be the best way. The way that leads me deeper into His love.

My Jesus Resolution today is to trust that God will make a way for me. I am going to stop fretting and start looking for the ways that He is at work around me. His answer may already be in front of me or I may have to wait to see it unfold. The way He opens may not be the one I am looking for. I need to keep my eyes open. I must stop trying to work out my own solutions and rely on the One who has proven He can handle giants, oceans, lions, and even death. God will make a way because He is the Way.

We hiked to the stream. Actually, it wasn’t much of a hike and it wasn’t much of a stream. Still, we had walked through the mud to a creek outside of Seattle to see the salmon running. We ambled along the curves of the stream looking for the salmon intent on making their way against the current. Finally, we found a place where the water was rushing over a fallen tree. There in the shallows of the stream, we found the salmon.

I guess that I had expected the picture to be a little more dramatic. A raging river, perhaps, with rocky boulders creating overwhelming obstacles. That is what you see in the movies anyway. Our little stream was quiet. It wasn’t the kind of place where news cameras swarm or poets search for inspiration. It was ordinary, and in the ordinary, I saw God’s genius.

The salmon in our little stream gathered around one particular curve. Here the current was moving around a fallen tree, pushing the water forward. The salmon worked hard to hold their place. They had to maneuver to stand against the tide. You could almost see them gathering their resolve to make the push forward. One would surge ahead, only to get knocked back, sometimes several feet downstream. They didn’t give up. Slowly but surely, they allowed the instinct God gave them to move them back upstream.

One fish seemed particularly determined. Holding its place in the water, the salmon seemed to ignite its energy by moving its tail back and forth. Then it plunged ahead. It made a few inches progress and then worked on maintaining its new place in the stream. I cheered, and saw myself.

God calls us to be a people who swim upstream. We may not move through dramatic waters, but He calls us to be His in the ordinary places in our lives. As His children, we are never meant to go with the flow, be swept along by the world, or take the easiest path. God calls us, like He calls the salmon, to move in a direction that brings us to His great purpose in our lives. A salmon can’t fulfill its purpose if it doesn’t make the journey upstream. Neither can we.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my eyes on swimming upstream. I am not going to let the world define my direction or set my path. I am going to go where God calls me, even if it means moving in the opposite direction of those around me. I might get knocked back. I might expend energy just holding my place in the current. But nobody hikes through the mud to see fish swimming downstream. Maybe by swimming in my ordinary part of the stream today, I can point somebody to Jesus.