Mary Musings of a Martha

MENTORING// Joshua and Moses: Renamed

2011-12-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

Taken from Numbers 13:6

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

This famous question posed by Juliet in Shakespeare's classic play has been echoed in my mind several times throughout my life. The topic of 'names' seems to fascinate nearly everyone. There's everything from name books to name websites to name generators. I mean, more than half of the girls I know already have an entire list of names for their future children. But why do names even matter? Why should people care?

Well whenever I have no idea where to start, my best friend tells me, "Just start at the beginning!" So that's what I'm going to do.

At the beginning of time...

No. I'm not joking. I really am starting there. At the beginning of time, God spoke everything into being. By naming it, He caused it to exist. By naming it, He created the identity that would define it from that moment on.

In Genesis 1:2, the earth is described as being formless and empty. And then all of a sudden, BAM, we're hit with verse 3 that says,

"And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light."

How cool is that? God didn't have to take out His magic tool box or even use His hands. In fact, He didn't even have to describe light to make it. No, He boiled all of the descriptive words He could have possibly used and simply named it. And it was.

But check this out: in Genesis 2:19-20, God gave man the ability and the authority to name. To us, God bestowed a creative power that is reflective of His very nature. We are able to define, redefine, and characterize things, animals, and even people. The names we give not only shape our own perception but the way the object of our naming functions and is perceived by others. But let me ask you this question:

Who are you?

When confronted by this question, our first instinctive response is to say something like, "My name is..."

Why? Your name is your identity. Every word that could be used to describe you is boiled down to one: your name. When you introduce yourself, you are letting people know with one word exactly who you are. Therefore, it's probably pretty important to know what your name entails.

Have you ever looked your name up on one of those "name defining" websites? I have. According to Behind the Name, the name "Reina" is defined in both Spanish and Yiddish. In Spanish, it means "queen" and in Yiddish it means "clean" or "pure".

Not a bad definition, if I do say so myself. However, as a child I desperately wanted to change my name. I was almost at the point of convincing my parents to legally change it.

"To what?" you might ask. Well, I wanted to be named "Rachel" if only to rub it in my sister's face that her name is "Leah" (Yes, I really was that terrible youngest sibling). Looking back now, that probably wasn't one of the best ideas for obvious reasons. One of them being that the name "Rachel" is Hebrew for "ewe". And if you don't know what a "ewe" is, it's a female sheep... Good thing I stuck with "Reina". Otherwise, every time someone would talk to me they would really be saying, "Hey 'female sheep'!" instead of, "Hey 'queen'!"

But what does it really mean to be "renamed". It's more than just a change of title. It is the taking on of a new identity. Every single time there is a name change in the bible, it is the result of a specific and intentional redirection of the life and calling of he who was renamed. (See Genesis 7:5 and 35:10 for examples)

Moses actually gave Joshua his name. Originally, Joshua was called "Hoshea" which meant "salvation" in Hebrew. Not a bad definition at all. It could imply and be interpreted as meaning a variety of good things. However, the name "Joshua" is far more specific.

Joshua means "God is salvation".

That means that every time someone spoke to Joshua, they would have to acknowledge and speak two things into his life: The first is the acknowledgement of the existence of God. The second is the pronouncement that God is salvation. This is what would define Joshua as a person, as a leader, and as a servant to the Lord for the rest of his life. This is what defines him even as we study him today.

Notice that every action of Joshua was in line with the very definition of his name. When he returned victorious from battle, it was because "God is salvation". When he crossed the Jordan River, it was because "God is salvation". When Jericho fell, it was because "God is salvation". When he claimed the Promise Land, it was because "God is salvation".

This is what Joshua is known as. What name defines you?

Now like me, a lot of you did not have a choice in what your name would be. Some of you even might have a generic name that you feel everyone else on the entire planet has. Who knows, your name might even be "Rachel". But take comfort in these three things:

First, if you are saved it is your name that is written in the Lambs Book of Life. Who's name? Yours. There are no mistakes. There are no mix ups. No one is getting in with your name other than you.

Second, to reiterate slightly, God knows you by name. He knew your name before it was ever decided or thought of just as He knew you before you were ever formed. Isaiah 49:1 says,

"Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name."

Your name is known by the living God and He calls you by it.

Finally, in the end your name doesn't even matter! Nope not at all. But don't get me wrong, this is a good thing! In the end, the only name that really matters is God's name. That is where all the power lies. In fact, Deuteronomy 28:9-10 says,

The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you."

God has called us by His name, establishing us as part of His family, His bloodline, and His identity. When we choose to be called by the name of the Lord, our very character, function, future, and perception is intertwined with His all because of His name. This is why we are called "Christians". Because we choose to connect our identity with that of Christ Jesus.

So tell me, who are you?

LIFENOTE// I am a Martha

2011-11-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

LIFENOTE: a side note in this blog that addresses an issue I am personally struggling with my life at the moment

I am a Martha. If worrying was an Olympic sport, I would be the winner of the all around gold medal title. It is not a common occurrence for optimism and I to skip down the yellow brick road hand in hand.

As a college freshmen, I often find myself sinking lower and lower to new depths of pessimism. It is so easy to be overrun and overwhelmed by all the stress and expectations people have for me. Worries range from failing a test, losing my scholarship, not being able to pay for college, not making it to this or that event that people expect me to be at, and letting people down. Failure of some kind seems to hang over my head as my inevitable fate.

But as my mind proceeds to mentally shout all the reasons that I should be having a mental breakdown, I hear the quiet whisper of these words:

"Cast your cares on me." (Psalm 55:22 paraphrased)

I can't help but think back to the words that Jesus said to Martha when she was overcome with worry:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

What are you choosing to listen to: the voice of your worries or the voice of your God? Far too often, I listen to my doubts and concerns trying desperately to stay in control. But the thing is, I'm not in control. I never was. I wasn't made to be in control. So why take on a burden that was never mine to carry?

Who cares if I end up failing a test? Who cares if I end up losing my scholarship? Who cares if I can't go to college anymore? Who cares if people are disappointed in me? In the grand scheme of God's plan, does it even matter?

I wasn't questioning my own control of the situation, but God's control of the situation. If all of those failures occurred, would it be outside of God's plan? Would God be blind sighted by it? Would it truly be a failure or would it simply be God redirecting me to a place where I can better fulfill His plan? Sometimes we just have to accept that we're not in control and that it's okay that we are not in control.

I am not suggesting that you disregard your responsibilities or ignore your commitments. But when you have done everything you could possibly do to the best of your ability, are you able to trust that God will do the rest? Are you able to let go and yourself sit at the feet of the master?

What are we placing our faith and hope in: God or ourselves? Are we basing our opinion of success and failure upon an earthly standard or on a God standard?

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

The earthly mortal things of this world will someday pass away. They weren't made to last forever. Someday they will be gone. Someday they simply wont matter. But what about the things that will remain? What about the things that will still matter? What about the eternal things?

The things that are based on the mortal world will soon die just as its foundation will one day pass away. However, the things that are based on the immortal will remain forever just as its foundation will stand firm through the ages.

God will never change. He has been the same yesterday, today, and forever. Cast your worries and cares on Him. He is and always will be in control of every situation.

MENTORING// Joshua and Moses: Fighting the Battle

2011-10-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Taken from Exodus 17:8-15

You would think that when someone is faced with their first battle, their mentor would be right there to fight along side them and encourage them the entire way through. At least, that's what I thought was supposed to happen. Isn't that what mentorship is all about? Training and support? But that doesn't seem to be the case at all with Joshua. Here, Moses tells Joshua to gather up some friends. Then, after Joshua's grabbed a few of his buddies, Moses sends him right into a battle to fight the Amalekites on his own.

Wait. Moses wasn't going to be there to give Joshua guidance or pointers on how to fight? Moses wasn't going to demonstrate how be a good leader in battle? Moses wasn't going to watch Joshua's back? No. Joshua was just kind of tossed into the deep end and told, "Okay! Now swim!"

But surely it was because Moses had more important things to do. Surely he must have been orchestrating an insanely complicated master plan. Surely he was secretly preparing his own team to surprise the enemy from the other side. Surely he was planning on how they would box the Amalekites in and secure the victory. Surely he wasn't just going to stand there and do nothing...

Wait... What? He did stand there? On a mountain? With his hands raised? And that was it? No explanations? No advice? No calling out orders or commands from his perch? He didn't even throw Joshua a few hand signals while he was at it? Nope. He just kind of stood there with his hands raised. The entire day. Okay, to give the man some credit, he did sit down on a rock part way through because he got tired. But still. All he did was raise his hands. That was it. Or was it?

If I were Joshua, I probably would have thought so. I probably would have been saying, "Moses, you led these people out of Egypt. You walked them through the middle of the Red Sea. These people would follow you anywhere! Why aren't you the one leading them into this battle? This is what leaders are supposed to do. Why can't I be the one watching with my hands raised? I don't know what I'm doing. I mean, you've done some pretty crazy stuff before and it has worked out. But there were direct instructions from God all of those other times! Why aren't you coming with me?"

The thing is, when it comes time for battles in our lives, our mentors cannot fight them for us. As much as we'd like to fully rely upon other people that we look up to, we can't. They cannot live our lives for us. They cannot baby us and walk with us every step of the way. We cannot be dependent on any human being. We must be fully reliant upon God and no one else. Moses was not only teaching Joshua this lesson by sending him out on his own, he was also teaching Joshua this lesson by example.

You see, we are in our most powerful state when our hands are completely raised.

What does that mean? Well, let's think about it. What is signified by raised hands? Now, I'm not talking about the one hand raised "live long and prosper" Startrek move. I'm talking about the stretched-out, open-handed, "go grab that piece of sky" type of hand raising. But when do we normally see this? Well, when a person gets arrested, the first thing an officer will usually demand (after the whole "drop the gun" bit) is that the person raise their hands above their head. But, why is that?

It is because, we are in our most vulnerable state when our hands are completely raised.

I know, you're probably going, "Hold up. You just said that we are most powerful when our hands are raised. Did you just change your mind? Am I going crazy? Because you definitely just said the opposite. What's going on here?" Allow me to explain.

When your hands are fully raised you become incapable of doing two things: you cannot hide anything and you cannot do anything. When a person raises their hands, they become visible to all. They stick out. There is nothing to block or shield them from another person's view. There is no avoiding scrutiny. The more someone raises their hands, the more people see. Likewise, the more someone raises their hands, the more restricted their actions become. When a person is without the use of their hands, they cannot interact with their surroundings. The higher a person's hands are raised, the longer it takes to bring them back down again and the harder it becomes to defend one's self against an incoming attack. This position leaves one wide open and fully exposed. This is why the position of having ones hands fully raised is known as a position of surrender.

"But wait. How can you win a battle by surrendering? Was Moses giving up already?"

Yes and no. Yes, Moses was surrendering. But the difference between the position of Moses and the position of a car thief being arrested, is in the person that they are each surrendering to. A car thief is surrendering to the opposition. By becoming completely vulnerable, the car thief admits that he is incapable of defeating the enemy. By becoming completely vulnerable, the car thief gives himself over to defeat. By surrendering, the car thief declares that he cannot be the winner. In that one move, the car thief hands that title over to the police officer.

However, Moses is not surrendering to the Amalekites. He is not surrendering to the opposition. He is surrendering to a third party. He is surrendering to God. By becoming completely vulnerable, Moses admits that he is incapable of defeating the enemy. By becoming completely vulnerable, Moses gives himself over to defeat. By surrendering, Moses declares that he cannot be the winner. But that does not mean he hands that title over to the enemy. No, in that one move, Moses hands the winner's title over to God.

That is where the power lies.

Raising our hands is an admission that we are not in control of anything. It is a open concession that we are incapable of succeeding on our own. It is the ultimate surrender saying, "God, my hands can do nothing. From you, I can hide nothing. But if you see me with all of my faults and failures and you still want to use me in spite of them, I am yours."

This is why every time Moses's hands were raised Joshua would be winning. This is why every time Moses dropped his hands Joshua would be loosing. Because the truest and greatest power is not found in us. It is found in Him who chooses to work through us. And only when we give our hands over to being tools in His do we become capable of winning the battle.

Moses was teaching Joshua to fight his battles with his hands raised in full surrender to God. In Exodus 17:14, it says,

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”"

God made sure that both Moses and Joshua would remember why they won the battle. Raised hands are a sign of surrender, power, and victory. Where are you placing yours?

MENTORING// Ruth and Naomi: Never Give Up

2011-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your mentor looses his or her faith? What do you do when your mentor gives up on God?

My intention in starting this study was to analyze the mentor/student relationships within the bible so that I would be prepared to interact with my own mentor when he or she eventually comes into my life. Of course, when I think of my mentor, I automatically think of someone who will teach me and guide me in the path that I needed to walk in order to grow closer to God. Thus, when God lead me to start with the relationship of Ruth and Naomi, I hit a bit of a road block.

Now in the time of Ruth and Naomi, girls were married off at an extremely young age. Some would be married as early as thirteen, although, sixteen was a more common average. Thus, Ruth entered Naomi's household at an impressionable age. I remember myself at thirteen. It was around that time that I began to question everything. Suddenly, I wasn't a naive little girl anymore with shuttered eyes and lenses. I didn't just want to swallow information. I wanted to understand it. I questioned all that I was taught, all that I believed to be true, and all that I knew about myself. I didn't know who I was. I was still trying to figure that out. Even when I was sixteen, I still had questions. Even at sixteen I still needed guidance and support.

When Ruth married Naomi's son, her eyes were opened to a culture she had never before experienced. She had grown up as a Moabite in a Moabite household with Moabite friends among the Moabite people. But when she got married, she was suddenly surrounded by people who loved, served, and honored a god she might have never heard of before, or at least never intimately encountered. I can only imagine her confusion and the numerous questions she must have had.

This is where Naomi must have stepped in. As women of the same family, Naomi and her daughters in law would have worked and lived together. She likely trained and taught Ruth and Orpah the practicalities of running a household and about God. Who better to go to with questions than Naomi, their new mother figure? While Americans may balk at the thought of in-laws coexisting peacefully, family was and is a very important part of the culture. Naomi would have taken the girls under her wing, loving and mentoring them as her own daughters. And that is what she did for ten years after her husband died. However, after ten years, disaster struck again.

The death of Naomi's children marked the death of Naomi's faith in God. Naomi sunk into bitterness and anger towards God. In her eyes He had taken everything she had loved from her. So she set off to return to Bethlehem. However, she told Ruth and Orpah not to go with her. Instead, she said, they should return to their families and start anew.

This shows exactly how much faith Naomi had lost. Naomi was convinced that God would not and could not offer her or her daughters any more joy or fulfillment. In fact, by sending them back to their Moabite families, Naomi was telling them that they they had a better chance at happiness without her God in their lives than if they continued to follow after Him. She was convinced that they would be better off returning to their old gods and their sinful ways than following her to the land of her God. Naomi had lost all faith.

I had a bit of a difficulty reading this. When I think of a mentor I think of someone to be my pillar of strength when I question or struggle with God. But how do you handle your mentor becoming disillusioned with their own faith? Ruth had been following God for less than ten years. Her husband had just died. She must have been crying the same questions as Naomi: "How could you do this to me God? Why would you let them die?" But her rock, her pillar of strength had given up on God. The woman of God she looked up to had given into bitterness. It must have been so tempting to do the same.

There comes a point where the question becomes, "Is your faith based on people or on the never changing characteristics of the one true God?"

You see, if Ruth's faith in God was based upon Naomi and what Naomi believed, she would have returned with Orpah to her family in Moab. If your faith is based on people, your faith will fail you. Why? Because people change. However, when your faith is based on the unchanging God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, your faith will be able to withstand the trials and difficulties of life.

Ruth knew that God still had more to offer her. This is what makes her promise to Naomi in Ruth 1:16-17 even more significant:

"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Not only did she refuse to give up on God, but she refused to give up on Naomi. Ruth knew that both still had more to offer her. There was still more she had to learn. Ruth had no idea about the Israelite traditions or culture. Naomi was the one who eventually showed her the way to approach Boaz in accordance to Israeli tradition. God still had a husband and a child to give to Ruth. God was preparing to make Naomi a part of the lineage of the Messiah.

There will come a time where your mentor will face a trial of their own. There will come a time when your mentor will doubt. The are human. The also fail. But how will you react when faced with this? Will you give up on God? Will you give up on them?

Relationships, even those of a mentor and student are give and take. As much as I would like to believe that the student is the only one who gains from mentorship, that is not true. At some point, the student will have to carry their mentor. There will come a point where what you were taught must be put into action.

Never give up on God. Never abandon the people of God. Have faith that His plans are greater and more infinite than ours. He isn't finished yet.

MENTORING// Ruth and Naomi: Life out of Death

2011-10-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever believed that God was leading you to do or enter into something, only to have it crumble at your feet? I've been there.

A few weeks ago, my first boyfriend broke up with me. We had met over the summer at a Christian youth camp. Upon arriving at camp, I was on fire for God. I wasn't looking for anyone, searching for anything to fulfill me but Him. God was my only focus. And then, in walks this boy into my life.

For once, I was the one being pursued. He was sweet, loved God, and would make me smile and laugh. I remember asking God if it was His will for me to be in a relationship with this person. I wanted more than anything to do what God wanted, even if it meant giving up what I had with this boy. Honestly, I wanted God to tell me to let it go. I didn't want to end up with a broken heart. But over and over God kept reassuring me that I needed to trust him, to stop doubting and believe.

And then... I got my heart broken. It had been a long distance relationship, but I had honestly believed we were doing fine. I apparently was wrong. I got no explanation other than, "We both know that long distance relationships never work out." He still wanted to be friends. But how could I be friends with him when I was still in love with him?

I remember writing in my journal shortly after it happened:

"God where is the good to come out of this? Why am I hurting? I didn't ask for his presence in my life. God, I wasn't looking for him, for anyone. I was relying, chasing, devoted solely and completely to you... Why God? I don't understand."

Looking back now, I can't help but wonder if Ruth felt the same way when her husband died. By entering into a marriage with him, Ruth was exposed to the one true God. She lived among people who were following after him and who encouraged her to chase after Him as well. Life seemed to be going the right direction, under God's direction. And then, her father in law dies. Then her husband and her brother in law died. And then her mother in law, the only person left of the family she had lived together with for the past ten years, was leaving and telling her to stay. I wonder if she too cried, "Why God? I don't understand."

A few days after that first journal entry, I wrote:

"Forgive me of my sins Lord. Forgive me for my doubts for they are many. Be patient with me God. Sooth my bitterness. It springs from my own ignorance and my hurt of betrayal. You have given me so much God. You have blessed me with so much. Yet my heart still cries out asking, 'Why?' Why would you lead me down that path? Do I chalk it up to experience? Another lesson learned? God did you take me there or did I take myself to that unhealthy point? Was it good? Was it what you wanted? Or was it me who misheard you or mistook your call? I don't know God. I don't know."

Did Naomi feel the same way? Did she question her coming to Moab? Did she wonder if God was really leading her and her family? How could she believe that when death was the result? No wonder she was bitter. No wonder in Ruth 1:20-21 she said,

"Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."

Yes, it's terrible but in a way I blamed God too. I had trusted Him just as Naomi had. I had believed that he would lead me to the place that He needed me to be. Yet it seemed at that moment that He had betrayed and forsaken me. But had He really?

If Naomi and her family had never gone to Moab, Ruth would never have entered their lives. If their husbands had never died, Ruth and Naomi would have never returned to Bethlehem. If Ruth and Naomi had never returned to Bethlehem, Ruth would have never met Boaz. And if Ruth had never met Boaz and acted under the guidance of Naomi, there wouldn't have existed in God's word a compelling story of acceptance and love in the marriage of Ruth and Boaz that mirrors that of Christ and and the world. If there had never been the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, there would be a key link missing in the ancestry of King David and in the line of Jesus.

Could God be using tragedies to get us to the places that we need to be in order to accomplish His work?

Last night, my long time best friend said this to me:

"I don't think Jesus is really concerned with us being happy."

Talk about a wake up call.

How quickly I had forgotten that my happiness is not at all God's concern or even one of His top priorities. As painful as it is to admit, God is more concerned with the completion of His will and His own glory than my personal happiness. Now, God's work and plan will eventually result in my greatest happiness and my complete fulfillment. However, He had never promised that there wouldn't be trials and pains on the way there.

Christianity is not a me centered religion. It is a God centered lifestyle. And somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that.

Everything worked out in the end for Ruth and Naomi. God did not leave them alone and abandoned. Instead He used their trials and pains to create a beautiful story that has taught and touched the many generations that followed. What if that is what God is trying to do in my life and in yours?

The God who delivered Ruth and Naomi is the same God who will deliver us. We may not see or understand now but we can have faith that God is still working for our good and for His glory.

Ruth was not abandoned.

Naomi was not forsaken.

God is not finished working in you.

MENTORING// An Introduction

2011-10-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, the topic of "mentoring" has come up in my life. Mentoring isn't a topic that I really ever hear about in the church, though it's displayed in many relationships throughout the bible. There are many cases where biblical characters do not have one specific mentor in their life or are a mentor to a specific person. I do not believe that having or being a mentor is a requirement for salvation or is essential to Christianity. However, I do believe that God places certain people in the position to teach and mentor others in their faith. In order to learn more about that, I will be studying the following relationships:

Ruth and Naomi

Moses and Joshua

Paul and Timothy

Elija and Elisha

Mordecai and Esther.

I don't claim to be a biblical expert. I will be merely searching for what lessons God wishes to reveal to me through the lives of these people. Hopefully I can learn something about how to relate to others and God through it.