An Ebenezer for the Modern Age

"Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means 'the stone of help'), for he said, 'Up to this point the Lord has helped us!'" 

~ 1 Samuel 7:12, NLT

This moment takes place just after God defeats the Philistines. Israel had gotten off track-they were worshiping other gods-but they turned their backs on those gods and sought help from the one true God. He blessed them and brought them a great victory. Samuel recognizes that help by setting a stone, a memorial. This stone, this Ebenezer, would be a permanent physical reminder of what God accomplished on that day. From that day, Israel would be able to see that stone and remember... and remembering is a huge part of faith! When we remember what God has already done, it will help us to trust Him to come through again.

This story was the inspiration for item #10 on my "30 Before 30" list: get my tattoo. Actually, this has been much more than just an item on a list that I want to check off before I turn 30. I've spent the last 3 years thinking about getting a tattoo as an Ebenezer to recognize the work of God in my life. The question was: what would it look like? I thought about broken chains to represent how He had set me free from addiction, but that didn't really speak to my heart. 

A few months ago, I realized that it needed to be a butterfly. Butterflies have great significance in my life. The image of a caterpillar going through the process of becoming what it was created to be has been a metaphor for my own life. God has faithfully led me through the metamorphosis and allowed me to struggle to break free of the chrysalis so I could fly as he meant me to. I'm not perfect, but I'm free to be me. When I started looking at butterfly tattoo images, I came across a few that had words written in the wings. I decided to add the words 'beauty' and 'freedom' to mine: these are the two best things that God has restored in my life as I have turned from my "small 'g' gods" to the only One who loves me and has the power to prove it.

My prayer is that this tattoo will be like that stone Samuel set up so long ago: every time I see it, I will remember what God has done and believe He will do even more. Even better than that, every time others see it and ask about it, I get the opportunity to tell them about my God and His love.

Breaking the Silence

I've always found it interesting that a recovery program that's all about groups and sponsors would have the word "anonymous" in its name.  It's not very anonymous to stand in front of a group of people, announce your name, and then admit to being addicted to alcohol.  But I wonder if some of the power of the program comes from the fact that anonymity isn't really an option.  The message seems to be: You think you're alone in this, that no one sees or understands your situation, but that's not the case; there are others who have struggled and found freedom, and they want to help you.

Sometimes I wish church services were more like AA meetings...  People could stand and share their struggles without fear of judgment.  Everyone else would respond with understanding nods as they think of their own struggles.  Once you shared your story, you would be paired with someone who would be your mentor.  This person would tell you their own story of finding freedom from addiction, how they're still learning to walk in the grace of God.  They wouldn't be a mentor because they had it all together.  They would be a mentor because they would know how far they had come and Who had brought them that far, they would know that walking in the truth of freedom is a daily process.

I guess what I really wish is that it would be easier for people to be real and honest about what's going on in their lives.  How many people go through life missing out on what God has to offer them because they're stuck in sin and pain and lies?  How many are stuck because they don't want anyone else to know what's really going on, because they fear that judgment and disappointment will be the reaction?  How many spend every Sunday morning sitting next to someone who is going through or has gone through the exact same thing?

There is power in the humility required to share your reality with others: the power to set you free and even the power to set others free.  When you choose to talk about it, you can ask for help and find the accountability you need to make freedom a reality.  When you choose to talk about it, you can help others to know they're not alone and that there is hope for freedom.

Of course, the reality is that this sort of honesty can't really happen in the context of a Sunday morning church service.  The trust needed for that sort of intimacy doesn't come from sitting and listening to the pastor on a weekly basis.  There's some work required.  You have to be willing to get to know people, to spend time with them, to begin sharing some of the small things before you move into the bigger stuff.  It requires community.  And it requires courage.  Someone has to have the courage to start sharing.  Someone else has to have the courage to listen with grace and not judgment.

So do you have the courage?  Whether you're just stepping out in the search for freedom or you've been walking in freedom for some time, do you have the courage to break the silence and share your story?

"Hi, my name is Katie, and I was addicted to pornography; as of today, I have been walking in freedom for 1 year, 7 months, and 21 days..."

True Identity

How many mirrors do you have in your house?  How often do you look in them?  How often do you walk away and forget what you look like?  I find it interesting that James uses that illustration in talking about listening to the Word of God but not doing what it says (James 1:23-24).  My first thought is of looking in the mirror, noticing I only have make up on one eye, and then walking away without doing anything about it.  But I'm not sure that's really the point James was trying to make.

I'm currently doing Beth Moore's new study on James, and she wrote one sentence that seemed to unlock the meaning of this passage for me: "What James will teach us is the difference between talking about living in victory over things like self-centeredness, addiction, seduction, and temptation and actually doing it."  So what makes the difference? Identity!  Where are you finding your identity?  In the mirror?  Or in the Word of God?

In her study, Moore focuses in on verse 23, where James talks about "glancing at your face in a mirror" (NLT).  The King James Version translates it "natural face", and the Greek word used there is genesis.  Hearing that takes me back to the book of Genesis where we're told all about our identity: We are created in God's image. And perhaps as we look in the mirror, we see more than just the elements that make up our faces.  Perhaps we glimpse what we were created to be... but, as James says, we all too often walk away and promptly forget who we really are.  We let the world around us, our successes and failures, our past, or even the mirror define our identity.  And this is how we become trapped in self-centeredness, addiction, seduction, temptation, etc.

So how do we get free?  "If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:25 NLT)  In other words, spend time in Scripture, letting the truth of it define your identity.  Let God's Word be the mirror you stare into to figure out who you are.  Let the law (which Jesus sums up in the commands to love God and to love others) become the guide for your actions, helping you to live out your true identity.  That's why James emphasizes the importance of not only hearing the Word, but also doing what it says.  We can find freedom in every area of life when we allow God to change us through the power and truth of His Word.

Note: For more on letting God define your identity, check out the messages in the Hijacked series from Daybreak Church.