Years ago our good friend Greg taught a beginner's Aikido class for self defense. Aikido is great for self defense, he explained. It uses the enemy's size, strength, and energy against them, so even a smaller, weaker opponent can defend against a larger attacker. It's such a fond memory, and it gave me a mental hook for lessons the Lord has been teaching me.
The Aikido Master
Worry is one of my biggest problems. I can worry myself sick about almost anything. I know this demonstrates a profound lack of trust, but so far I am very far from overcoming it. One recurring worry deals with leaving the house with the stove on, especially if both Anthony and I are leaving together. All the way in to town I have a running conversation with myself. Am I sure the stove is off? (You silly, we had yogurt for breakfast.) Wait a minute, I made Caleb tea! What if I left the burner on? (That was two hours ago. You would have heard the kettle or smelled something.) Am I sure I checked the stove? (You checked three times. Should have taken a picture of the cold, turned off stove as proof.) By the time we get in to town I am picturing the stove melting down like the reactor at Chernobyl and fully expect to return to a pile of ash instead of a house.
Last week as we headed in to service my worry routine was in full swing. Fortunately, my heavenly Father saw it coming a mile away.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Psalm 127:1-2
Ahhh! Thank you Lord! Thank you for watching my house! All my worrying and checking the stove is worthless! I can have rest knowing that you are the watchman. You have it all under control! I almost heard Him chuckle. “I am the Master. Did you see what you did there? The Enemy's great power is fear and worry. You turned his attack against him by praising Me. I work all things together for good.” I was so in awe of His mastery of the situation, how skillfully He deflected the enemy's strikes. How He could even use my worry for His glory. How He was teaching me to do the same.
Knowing Not How
As a mom with young children, Psalm 127:1-2 has many applications for me! Not only do I know the Lord is watching my house and children, He is building it up. And the best part? He gives to His Beloved in their sleep. Which is great, because I can use all the sleep I can get;)
There is a parallel in the gospel of Mark that recently jumped out at me. Jesus is, again, telling a parable about seeds:
And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.
Mark 4:26-27
Once we say yes to the Kingdom of God, a mysterious process is at work. Sourdough bread rising, seeds sprouting and growing in to plants, and our lives being transformed as we turn to the One who made all things. Even as we sleep, in a way we can't understand, we are becoming more like Him, as citizens of His kingdom.
Bread of the Week: Nan-e Barbari
I decided to make Persian food last week in honor of Purim, so we could imagine what Queen Esther might have eaten. Nan-e Barbari is a thick Persian flat bread, topped with sesame and nigella seeds. For me, trying food from different countries gives me a little glimpse of the place and people. Also an inspiration to pray. Persia is modern day Iran, a country that is, in theory, closed to the good news of salvation. Pray for the underground church there, pray for dreams and visions of Jesus among the people. Remember how God protected His people long ago, and how Haman's “wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head.” Esther 9:25
God has always been in the business of using the enemy's plans against him. Back in the days of Esther, to our own day, and till all things become new. Hallelujah.
Till next time,
Emily