Journey Deeper

So this blog is the second in a blog series I’ve titled #lovethesinnerexperiment.  After being rather embarrassed at the way Christians reacted to a fellow Christian openly expressing love and her genuine openness for the LBGT community, I thought I would try to magnify the vast amount of sin we all have in our lives and how just because the bible says someone’s actions are sin, does not mean we are justified to separate them out or separate them from God’s love.   So I am going to do my best to humble all of us and shed light on God’s love for each of us…despite sin.   (To see more about this experiment, read the blog titled “An Experiment:  Call All Sinners…yes, that means you! posted on April 27, 2016.  Then Read “Liar, Liar Pants on Fire” posted on 05/04/16.  These blogs are really meant to be read as a series.)
 
The next sin up applies to approximately 40-50% of Americans.  And it also applies to 40-50% of Christians.  The sin is the big “D” (and I don’t mean Dallas…sorry, I just couldn't resist.  If you don't know the reference, you are missing out on a country music classic.). I’m talking Divorce. 
 
Divorce can be a bit confusing in the bible.  Not confusing in the fact that it is not what God intended for us but confusing because there’s reference in the Old Testament to divorce more or less being accepted ('accepted' might be a strong word).  I’m going to do my best to simplify the situation for us using New Testament scripture, that references the Old Testament.  But again, my ongoing disclaimer is that I am not a bible scholar.  I’m just a less than average Christian doing my best to study God’s word and share what God puts on my heart.
 
Matthew 19:3-10
Some Pharisees came to him to test him (to test Jesus).  They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”  “Haven’t you read,”  (this is Jesus speaking now!) “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  “Why then,” they asked “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”.  Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wifes because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, expect for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”  (Italics are mine to clarify who is speaking.)
 
Now, if you are feeling like divorce isn’t a big deal these days or the thought that "divorce is wrong" is outdated, I apologize for being blunt.  But it is a sin.  I don’t make the rules.  It is spelled out in the bible.  Divorce is not the way God intended for us.  If you don’t believe the bible, that’s an entirely different conversation.  There’s quite a bit of evidence proving its contents true.
 
Much like the LBGT community, in some circumstances is being shut out of society and is the political 'hot topic' right now, there was a time in society, where the 'hot topic' was actually divorce.  People going through a divorce were separated out; divorce was only permitted if there was someone “at fault” like if someone had an affair.  I can imagine in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when divorce was being “legalized” that church goers had something to say about it.  Maybe at the very least a divorce person was looked down upon.  And honestly, before I actually went through a divorce myself, I did always have a “you didn’t try hard enough” or “I don’t believe in divorce” attitude.  And if I’m completely transparent, I definitely had a hint of judgement in my heart towards people who were divorced (just being honest!).  And then I went through it.  And it was horrible and painful and awful.  And the ONLY thing that got me through it was my relationship with Christ.  I cannot imagine how lost and alone I would have felt if I was separated from God’s love during that time.  Or if I had been separated from my church. 
 
John 3:17-21
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  This is the verdict:  Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
 
I’m so thankful that my closest friends didn’t leave me in the dark, “divorce” category and separate me from the love and support I so very much needed.  You need the light (Jesus) so you can work your way out of the darkness.  If we turn our back on people going through darkness, what hope do they have of rescue?  What hope do they have of ever knowing Jesus?
 
And I’m so incredibly grateful God never abandon me in my darkness.  That’s the beauty (and mystery!) of our salvation.  No matter where you are.  No matter your struggle.  No matter if you going through a divorce or been happily married for 60 years, we are all on equal playing field.   And we are ALL invited to trust and love Jesus.  Exactly how we are. 
 
You don’t have to clean up your life to be accepted by Jesus.  In fact, it is actually impossible to clean up your life in order to meet God’s standards.   In the case of my divorce, it is really impossible because it is not something I can undo!  I have asked for forgiveness and am starting over in marriage.  And thankfully Jesus still accepts me because He accepts us regardless of our sins (yes, all of your sins) and His loves transforms you.  (I'll be blogging about this transformation after this series is over.  It is an important part of the story.)
 
And that saving that Jesus came to do (see John 3:17), it extends so far and wide.  When I finally came to terms with the fact I was getting a divorce, a really cool thing happened.  I prayed God would use my experience to bless others.  And I cannot tell you how many people He has blessed through my experience.  My faithfulness and commitment to Him has been a blessing to my life and the lives of others.  And looking back, God used the experience to put me in a way better place all around.  And for that, I am very thankful.
 
Don’t misunderstand me.  I condemn divorce, even having gone through it.  It is wrong and I know I will have to stand accountable for my wrongs before God someday.  Thankfully I know Jesus will be standing right there with me.  However, I will always show love toward someone going through a divorce, especially a woman going through a divorce. There's just a special place in my heart for a woman going through that pain.  And anyhow, we are to love each other, sin and all.  Just as Jesus has done for us.
 
Mark 12: 29-31
Jesus replied, “The most important is this:  ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the only and only LORD.  And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  The second is equally important:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  No other command is greater than these.”
 
Divorces, sinners and a Savior,

Ashley Lucille
 
 
Just for those interested in the description of what Jesus refereed to regarding hard hearts during Moses's time…I read a little deeper to figure out what was going on in the Old Testament that would permit such a thing as divorce.  I found Deuteronomy 24 interesting.  I’m not going to get too long winded here, but feel free to check it out. 
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So this blog kicks off my #lovethesinnerexperiment.  After being rather embarrassed at the way Christians reacted to a fellow Christian openly expressing love and her genuine openness for the LBGT community, I thought I would try to magnify the vast amount of sin we all have in our lives and how just because the bible says someone’s actions are sin, does not mean we are justified to separate them out or separate them from God’s love.  So for the next several days, I am going to do my best to humble all of us and shed light on God’s love for each of us…despite sin.   (To see more about this experiment, read the blog titled “An Experiment:  Call All Sinners…yes, that means you!" posted on April 27, 2016.)
 
I figured I would kick off this experiment with a sin I’m quite familiar with because I inadvertently committed this sin in my blog post on April 27, 2016; the sin is LYING.  I planned on starting the blog series this past Monday and as you can see, it is Wednesday and this is our kickoff.  When I planned on starting the blog, I knew I had quite a bit of work (and prayer) to do before I wrote this series and I knew I was going out of town and had a busy weekend.  So despite best intentions, I didn’t actually kick this off Monday.  So indeed, I am a liar. 
 
And the Bible is pretty clear-cut on the definition of lying as a sin.  The third chapter of Colossians describes in detail the new life we gain through Christ and specifically instructs us to turn from sin in our old life (life before we accept Jesus is our Savior).  It specifically highlights lying in the following:
Colossians 3:9
Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
 
See it’s pretty clear, lying is of an evil nature.  And the Bible spells out lying as a sin way back in the Old Testament as one of the 10 Commandments given to Moses by God.
Exodus 20:16
Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.  (testify falsely = lie)
 
Now, if you are feeling like lying isn’t a big deal, I apologize for being blunt.  But lying is a sin.  I don’t make the rules.  It is spelled out in the bible.  If you don’t believe the bible, that’s an entirely different conversation.  There’s quite a bit of evidence proving its contents true.
 
And I’m fairly confident every single one of my readers has told a lie.  Some lies are intentional and some are accidental (like my lie about starting this blog series on Monday).  Some lies are deep and dark (like the book I’m reading where the author’s parents lied to her about not being adopted when she really was) and some are lighter and less damaging (like when I told my niece she couldn’t climb a tree because it was illegal).  However, all lies are the same in God’s eyes.  Sin. 
 
From my perspective, lying is a rather easy sin to fall into.  If there were a scale, and there is not, lying would probably fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from let’s say a sin like murder.  And I think that makes it easier for Christians to be less judgmental (and dare I say less hateful) towards people that lie versus people who commit murder. 
 
But this is the thing.  There isn’t a spectrum.  Sin is sin.  We are all equal in God’s eyes.  That’s the beauty (and mystery!) of our salvation.  No matter where you are.  No matter your struggle.  No matter if you tell lies all the time or you’ve told just a lie or two in your life, we are all on equal playing field.   And we are all invited to trust and love Jesus.  Exactly how we are. 
 
You don’t have to clean up your life to be accepted by Jesus.  In fact, it is actually impossible to clean up your life in order to meet God’s standards.  Jesus accepts you regardless of your sins (yes, all of your sins) and His loves transforms you.  That transformation gives you the motivation, the will and the ability to try to resist sin.  Will you resist sin all the time?  Heck no!  But each time you fail, you get to go to Jesus and be wrapped in forgiveness.  He picks you up and you get to try again.  And again.  And again.  Because you will fail again and again and again.
 
Now I’ve never seen anyone bat an eye at a liar walking into church.  So I’m not sure why some Christians feel we should create a spectrum and turn a blind eye to some sin while openly condemning others.  Don’t misunderstand me.  I condemn lying.  However, God has made it clear I am to love liars.  Because liars are sinners.  And sinners are people.  And His commandment on loving each other is clear.
 
Mark 12: 29-31
Jesus replied, “The most important is this:  ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the only and only LORD.  And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  The second is equally important:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  No other command is greater than these.”

So I'm calling all liars.  You won't find me judging you.  I'll leave that to God.  I will do my part to accept you, fellowship with you, support you, share God's truths with you and love you.  Because I am you.  We are all in this sin thing together.  Thankfully we can also all have Jesus.

Liars, sinners and a Savior,

Ashley Lucille

#lovethesinnerexperiment

When you fall in love with a fighter jet pilot, naturally you fall in love with prayer.  The adventure this man seeks in his life is both thrilling and nerve-wrecking at the same time.  There have been many times when I've thought, “How did his mother survive his adventurous spirit?  Poor Rosie”. 
 
I remember when we were first dating, talking to a friend about him and saying,  “Yeah, he rides motorcycles.  I’m not sure I want to date someone who rides motorcycles.”  To which my friend responded, “Motorcycles?  Do you actually know what a Harrier jet is?  Motorcycles are the least of your worries”.  I really had no idea.  When Chris told me he was a pilot and he flew this airplane called the Harrier (I’ve since learned, it’s not an airplane…it’s a jet.  And apparently there’s a difference), I was basically like, “That’s nice.”  That was the extent of my consideration into what he did for a living.  After thinking about the motorcycle, and with prompting from my friends, I actually looked up this Harrier “airplane” and realized I was in trouble.  Like I said, falling in love with him was committing my life to daily, continuous prayer for his safety.    (Just to be clear, I prayed before I met him.  I pray all the time, for many things.  Now I just pray specifically for his safety…every single moment of the day.)
 
I used to be rather boring (not very adventurous) so the fact I’ve ended up with this adventurous man is just comical.  Thankfully he brings out the wild, relaxed side of me;  I mean, I’ve even been on the motorcycle several times!  I even OWN my own helmet and gear.  I know, I know….I’m living on the edge.  Today I was thinking about this wild man, as he started a cross-America motorcycle journey where he is riding coast-to-coast, I thought about what it is to “live on the edge.”  And  I thought…the edge of what?
 
I worry about his safety more when he is flying or riding his motorcycle but shame on me thinking he is any more or less in danger than any other moment of the day.  He is in God’s hands.  And this week I was reminded, every moment is according to God’s timing.  A childhood friend lost his sister this week.  She was 19.  She went out for a jog and a vehicle jumped a curb and killed her.  I think of all the miles I run each week and never once have I really been worried about a car spinning out of control and crashing into me.  Again…God is in control of every single moment.  No moment is more or less threatening to my (or his) safety than any other moment.  Every moment is equal.  Every boring moment and every adventurous moment.  God owns every moment. 

Matthew 6: 25 - 34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
 
So as my love sets out on his cross-country adventure, I put every moment of his life, of my life and the lives of my loved ones in God's hands. 
 
Harriers, motorcycles and a wild side,

Ashley Lucille