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I Taught My Son About Robins
Some of the best advice we’ve received to date about parenting is to be the expert on the world to our child. To introduce topics to him intentionally, and not wait until he’s exposed elsewhere to explain it. To answer questions our child asks, and keep on answering until he runs out of questions.
The other day when the weather was nice (longing sigh), I took my son out on the front porch to get some fresh air. We’re in the thick of the 4 month sleep regression, he had been fighting a nap, and both our nervous systems were frazzled. Once seated on the porch, he was instantly taken and very interested in the motion of the tree branches in the breeze, the birds and squirrel hopping around in the grass of the neighbors yards, and the cars going down our street.
After sitting in silence a while, I realized I had an opportunity. He was interested in the goings-on around him and–in a moment of clarity– I realized that before long he’ll be asking me questions about the things he sees. More than that, I realized that I need practice in telling him about his world.
So I chose the first bird I could recognize, and I told him all the things I knew about Robins. The little unassuming birds with the ruddy orange chests, and grayish brown bodies. The ones that mean spring is close. The ones who have white patches and un-hinged looking puffs of feathers on their heads when they’re little. I left out the part where I unknowingly broke Michigan State law by raising one in captivity when I was a teenager — did you know that Robins are the Michigan State bird and it’s illegal to keep them captive? 13 year old me did not, and raised a chick to adulthood before releasing her. Kira, I hope you’re alive and chirping out there somewhere!!
But I digress.
I don’t have a big takeaway here, other than that I’ve realized I need to start now with the habits that I want to have with my son when he’s bigger. It’s not like one day a switch will flip and he will understand english perfectly – I’m sure it’ll be a gradual process. Did he understand me about Robins? Surely not. But I need the practice, and if I keep talking to him, he’ll start understanding sooner than if I don’t.
Someday soon he’ll be talking my ear off with questions about where the birds come from, why the moon is round, and other questions I probably can’t anticipate yet. But I hope by then we have built the habit of noticing and being curious about the world together, and he grows to understand that I’ll always answer his questions, no matter what they are.
– M
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Goodness
Below is a blog I wrote for my church’s women’s ministry, as part of a series on the Fruits of the Spirit. Enjoy!
I’m a definition gal. One of the first places I go in Bible study or prep-work for the
Bible study we host is to look at the meanings of words in the passage that I am
studying. So when I began my work on “goodness”, in the context of the fruit of the
spirit, I of course went to Galatians 5:22-24 and looked up the original word used for
“goodness”.
The original word the Apostle Paul used for “goodness” was the Greek word
Agathosune (pronounced ag-ath-o-soo’-nay). It means to be intrinsically good, or
inherently good.
That got me thinking – which one of us can claim to be inherently good? I don’t
know about you, but I sure can’t. I’m right there with the Apostle Paul in saying, “Nothing
good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not
the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18)
Even as regenerate believers, we can claim no goodness of our own. Any good
deed we carry out is possible only by the motivation and indwelling of the Holy Spirit,
whose fruit we carry out (when our flesh is not getting in the way). This is the truth
according to Scripture; we are not the source of goodness–the Lord alone is this
source. We need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of our sins that
was bought on the cross, because no goodness dwells in our flesh, and we sin
constantly. But praise be to God, who saw fit to save us by His Son, and use these
broken vessels for His good work!
In closing, I was moved to write a prayer, which I hope will bless you.
Lord, I confess that I am not able to carry out any good on my own. I confess that
I often feel pride and puffed up at the good deeds I do, and in doing so I corrupt them
with my flesh and its desires to be recognised. I do this more often than I do good
purely to please you.
Lord, thank you that Your Spirit is dwelling in me. Thank You that, by Your Son
and Spirit, I can stand before You redeemed, and rest in Your promises. I pray that You
continue to purify me into a vessel that carries out Your good fruit with a pure heart and
motives that are pleasing to you.
Continue your work in me, O God, and let your Holy Spirit continue to sanctify me,
that I may be a more effective vessel for Your goodness and good works here on earth. -
Charlie’s Death Wasn’t Political – Here’s Why
Charlie Kirk was not shot because he was a Republican whom Democrats hated. Look essentially anywhere conservatives gather online right now, and that’s the message being spread: “those evil Democrats… this is their fault for calling us Nazis and racists for years.”
To be fair, there is certainly a level of truth to this; if you insist long enough that someone is evil and a threat to society, the logical effect is that people will eventually try to silence them, sometimes violently. Words matter. Dehumanization always bears the bitter fruit of destruction.
But in my understanding, it is one of the Devil’s greatest successes to convince humans that other humans are the enemy—when in fact, it is him.
Charlie was not killed because of partisanship. He was killed because he spoke the truth of God’s Word and of the gospel, and the Devil used a depraved human being to commit murder. To silence him and the truth he spoke.
And here’s where Christians must pause. One of the worst things conservatives could do right now is to wage war against “the other side.” Because who are they, really? They are people—men and women made in the image of God—who have not yet come to faith in Christ or been transformed by the Holy Spirit. And truthfully, there are plenty on “our side” who are also unsaved and unregenerate; we just tend to ignore them because they’re “less wrong” than people on the side we dislike more.
But our battle is not against fellow image-bearers. This is a spiritual battle.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
If you, like myself, trust the Bible to tell you the truth about everything, then you already know this: if Scripture tells us who the enemy is, it will also tell us how to fight that enemy.
Paul continues,
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:13–18).If you’ve been online since Charlie’s murder, you’ve seen the reactions: “we have to fight more than ever” or “they’ve f**ked around long enough and they’re about to find out.”
I understand the grief and anger behind these statements—but I cannot agree with their sentiment. The most important thing we can do right now is this is not to enact vengeance and start a revolution. The most important thing you can do right now is this: know your Bible more than you know the headlines. Share the gospel more than you share memes. Speak truth in a way that does not shy away from the reality of evil, but yet gives grace to those who hear.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:25-32)
Building higher walls of division will not honor Charlie’s legacy, nor will it advance the Kingdom. Jesus called evil what it was, but He also sat at the table with those on “the other side.” He didn’t mock them or write them off—He told them exactly where they stood before God in their sin, yes, but He also taught them, reasoned with them, and invited them into truth. Yes, Christ will eventually allow someone to reap the end of the path they insist on walking, but not without giving them the chance to accept life first.
This is not about “being nice” or staying silent. Christians must continue to speak truth boldly into a culture that is rapidly abandoning God. But let’s be clear: Charlie was not assassinated because of Democrats. He was assassinated because of the fallen human condition—sin—that can only be healed and redeemed through Christ.
And we must remember this: Democrats are not the enemy. Republicans are not the enemy. No political victory will fix what is broken. Only Jesus can. And our mission, even in grief, is to point people back to Him.
So what now?
We grieve. We lament. We name evil for what it is. But then—we fight the right battle, with the right weapons. We pick up the sword of the Spirit, not the sword of vengeance. We put on the armor of God, not the armor of political rage.
Let us honor Charlie and Christ, not by hardening our hearts in anger, but by softening them toward the lost. Let us respond to hatred with gospel courage, to division with gospel peace, and to despair with gospel hope.
The days ahead will not get easier. Scripture tells us plainly that evil will grow darker until Christ returns. But that is not a reason for despair—it is a summons to faithfulness. So, Church, rise up. Be watchful. Pray fervently. Speak truth boldly. Love relentlessly. Live as if Jesus really is the only answer—because He is.
The blood of the martyrs has always been the seed of the Church. May Charlie’s death not stir us to bitterness, but to deeper faithfulness. May it remind us that time is short, eternity is real, and the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation.
And may we never forget: our real enemy is already defeated.
-M
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Stepping Into The Void
Let me start out by making something clear – I wasn’t someone who followed Charlie Kirk closely. I’m choosey about who I let on my press the follow button on, and he hadn’t quite made the cut yet, but I always enjoyed his videos debating when the algorithm brought him across my screen. I admired his boldness in speaking the gospel, as so few in the political sphere have the gumption to do. I admired and full-stop agreed with his stance on life and the sanctity of human life. But I also would forget he existed for days at a time until another video came up.
That didn’t stop me from needing to pull over and sob on the side of the road Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. First it was just the breaking headlines, then the videos started. Before seeing the video, I assumed he was going to be fine. I assumed this, because every attempted political assassination I’ve lived through has not been successful. Once I saw the video, I knew he was likely already dead. I’ve never gone to medical school, but I know enough about anatomy and physiology to know the wound was deadly. I prayed, for the sake of his wife and children, that the Lord would keep him here, but I knew in my spirit the answer was no.
This blog post isn’t me processing out my feelings – that’s what my four page journal entry this morning was for.
This blog post is me re-entering the discussion around our country and what’s going on inside it.
Since getting pregnant at the beginning of the year, I’ve had a shift inwardly of priorities. I’m about to be a mom and I’ve been focused on building my home. I had decided, without really thinking about it, that there were enough other people talking about politics and faith and our country to buy me being silent.
Last night I woke up about every hour, with Charlie and his family being on my mind. I had dreams about him – about the void he left and silence taking over that space. I was reminded about something he said once, and it resonated and bounced around my brain all night as I alternated sleeping and wakefulness – “When people stop talking, that’s when things get violent.”
So this morning, after prayer and thought, I’m taking up the keyboard and the microphone again to talk about the issues and rot going on in our country through a christian lense. I’m no Charlie Kirk, but I am myself. I have things to say and I have the small group of followers and influence that God has given me.
Charlie’s life has left a gaping hole here on earth, especially in the hearts of his wife and children. But It brings tears to my eyes every time I think of how he must have run into the arms of Jesus yesterday – how two men who would talk to everyone now get to sit together for eternity and talk about everything together.
In closing, I’ll post again my mission statement, both for my own reminding and to help you better understand the “why” behind what I do here.
To glorify the Creator.
To reason together.
To ask many question.
To seek the throne for answers.
The love and give grace whenever possible.
To rebuke when necessary.
To defend the Gospel of Truth.
To share truth with a sick and dying culture.
To expose the schemes of the enemy in the light of truth.
To link shields with brothers and sisters in the faith.
To wield the sword of the spirit with excellence.
To praise.
To lift hands to heaven.
To hold the line.
To help those who are stumbling.
To help the wounded soldiers home.
To glorify He who is Mighty.
-M
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Submission Isn’t About the Paycheck
A question I often hear from Christian women is: “How can I submit to my husband when I make more money than he does?”
It’s an interesting question—because it assumes submission is tied to income. I understand how we get there: traditionally, the husband is seen as the provider, and earning the paycheck can feel like the “in charge” role. But Scripture doesn’t link leadership to dollars.
Let’s look closer. Any money you or your husband earn ultimately belongs to God. He entrusts those resources to your family to steward well—for His kingdom, for generosity, and for your household’s good. Whether it’s your paycheck or his, the purpose is the same: to strengthen the family, not to establish hierarchy.
Submission isn’t about who brings home more; it’s about obedience to the role God has given you. Earning more money doesn’t erase the call to respect your husband. Flip the question around: what if your husband said he didn’t need to love or provide for you because his paycheck was big enough? We’d all remind him that his biblical call is to love and sacrifice as Christ loves the church.
Sisters, your submission is about something far greater than money—it’s about honoring God’s design. And when we walk in that design, we protect the very reputation of His Word: “Train the young women to love their husbands and children… be kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:4–5).
So take heart—your worth and position are not measured by your income, but by Christ. Whether your paycheck is large, small, or nonexistent, God sees your obedience, honors your trust in Him, and uses your submission as a powerful testimony of His wisdom and love. Keep your eyes on things above and remain faithful to Him!
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Is Donald Trump the Next King David?
Today Donald Trump will be sworn in as our 47th president. I am thankful that Donald Trump is being sworn in instead of Kamala Harris. I, along with millions of others, breathe a sigh of relief that we are not swearing in a President with an aggressive abortion and woke transgender ideology agenda. I agree with many that Donald Trump is a lesser of two evils in this scenario.
However, this does not mean that he is a good option. Less evil, unfortunately, still means evil.
In recent years, really since the 2020 kerfuffle about the election supposedly being stolen, certain circles have given rise to the idea that Donald Trump is this generation’s “King David”. That he is somehow anointed and a powerful force for the Lord. That God is using Trump in big ways, and Trump is being a warrior for God’s causes in the nation. That he is an amazing Christian who maybe just has some behavior we don’t like, as long as we don’t look too hard. To assert that Donald Trump is an equivalent to David is a statement that we should take seriously, as David was called by God, a man after His own heart. So, to elevate Trump to this level is a serious claim.
To this assertion about Trumps character, salvation, and morals, I have one main rebuttal to offer, in the form of a question.
When has Donald Trump made a public confession of faith?
By this, I do not mean the numerous times he has said “Thank God” after a victory, or quoted a scripture, or allowed someone to pray for him.
I have a dear friend who is a practicing pagan, and she does these very same things. She allows me to pray for her, may reference a scripture, and slips in a “Thank god” here and there. This does not make her a Christian, and she would be the first to admit that, with zeal!
By confession of faith, I mean, Trump confessing publicly that Jesus Christ is Lord, came to die for his sins, and that he believes in and follows Him with his whole heart now.
In fact, after the attempt on his life earlier this year, Donald Trump said this when asked about his faith. “If I’m good, I’m going to heaven. If I’m bad, I’m going to someplace else like…over there, right? But it [faith] gives you…there’s something so good, like, for a country.”
Prior to this, when asked if he ever asked God for forgiveness, Trump said this with much laughter and light heartedness: “I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”
Further, when given the option to share his faith or even his favorite Bible verse, Trump routinely backs away slowly, claiming it is too personal or not something that is a big part of his life. On the rare occasions he has quoted a scripture, his eyes are glued to the script and his quotations have often been incorrect. This is not behavior of a man who is passionate or knowledgable about the word of God.
He has said things like, “This country needs a savior, and that’s not me, that’s someone much higher than me.”
At best, these types of beliefs are christian-adjacent. Remember, even the demons acknowledge that God exists and believe in Him. These statements show that Trump has a fundamental mis-understanding of the Gospel and what Jesus Christ came to do. Specifically, on the issue of being “good enough”, I wonder if he is familiar with any New Testament writings regarding how we “get to heaven”. Here are a few that come to mind.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“None is righteous, no not one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10)
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)
One cannot be “good enough” to get into heaven. Righteousness and propitiation for our sins comes only through believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His death, and His resurrection for our sins. Our salvation comes only by His blood over us to cleans us from all unrighteousness, as we believe in Him.
Donald Trump’s professed beliefs do not resemble Kind David, who shouted his faith with zeal any time he was given the opportunity. We could draw the similarity that they’ve both dealt with infidelity, scandal, and public shame. This is a justified similarity. David was not the faithful husband of one wife, purposefully murdered and lied to cover an affair, and there are multiple areas of God’s law that he broke.
However.
David, when faced with the reality of his sin with Bathsheba (or any other sin) while initially trying to hide it, very quickly broke down and confessed. He repented publicly and directly, and did what was in his power to make the situation right. David in every way sought the Lord’s heart, and acknowledged him publicly and without shame in everything he did. David’s life is marked by humility and penitence before the Lord. What made David and man after God’s own heart was the fact that he always returned to God, and praised the Lord’s power in his life.
Trump is not King David in any sense of the word. Rather, (from all apparent evidence that Trump provides) Trump’s beliefs and morals actually more resemble those of Benjamin Franklin, who thought that Christianity was good for a people, but not necessary for individual moral growth.
Like Trump, Benjamin Franklin made many illusions to scripture in his writings and speeches, acknowledged that the Church was good for a society, and even went so far as to write articles supporting the existence of God. However, he did not claim Christianity, nor Christ as his personal Lord and savior. Franklin was a Diest. He believed that there was an infinite creator of the world, but that there was no need for he himself to have a personal, saving relationship with Him. He didn’t think he needed saving.
Remember what Trump said about not needing to bring God into his mistakes?
We can actually see a fair amount of parallels between the lives of Franklin and Trump. While Franklin was a founding father and profoundly instrumental in the formation of our country, his personal life was one of scandal and infidelity. He never formally/legally married his wife, as there were complications with her former marriage that made this impossible. While “married”, he spent much time abroad, living out numerous elicit affairs and was known for his flirtations, even while married.
Franklin did huge things politically, but that does not equate being a saved and regenerated Christian.
So what’s my point here? Despite what about 50% of readers are likely thinking right now, no I do not have Trump Derangement Syndrome, and I’m not intending to just dump all Trump’s trash out. He’s done that well enough on his own and the evidence of his life is plainly laid out for anyone to see.
I am hoping this post will offer a gentle but needed check to the dangers of elevating Donald Trump to the level of one who God called “after his own heart.”
“But,” people will say, “God is using Trump in so many big ways!”. This is true! God mercifully allowed Trumps surpreme court picks to be confirmed which led to the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade, and there have been plenty of other policies that he was able to pass that aligned closer with a Christian moral ethic.
And, had Kamala Harris gotten into office, God would be using her to carry out His will just as perfectly as He will use Trump anyone else.
The fact that God is using someone does not mean they are saved or righteous. The fact that someone does objectively good things does not mean they are saved or righteous. We attain righteousness through Christ alone, by Grace alone, through Faith alone.
In scripture, God used evil kings, false prophets, and a talking donkey to fulfill his will for the people. That does not mean that those people were ordained by God.
To begin to put the bow on my point here, I pray that Donald Trump will receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I pray this because there is no evidence that he is living in relationship with Jesus, and much evidence to the contrary. I hope that everyone reading this will join me in that prayer. Because ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much “good” Trump or anyone else does for the country or themselves, if they don’t know Jesus. All good works are useless and void of eternal value if not empowered and motivated by the Holy Spirit.
So, I’m thankful that Trump is being sworn in instead of Harris, but whatever good the Lord might use Trump to accomplish in the next four years will be a fleeting shadow worth nothing if he spends eternity separated from God when he inevitably dies.
Pray with me for the salvation of our new President.
He who is Mighty has done a great thing!
-M-
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Praise and Prayer
Lately, I’ve been thinking about having spiritual habits. By this, I mean having habits of saying, praying, and doing things in obedience to Scripture that point me toward Christ, remind me of truth, and verbally or physically puts myself in places of submission. I do not mean that we can be saved or attain approval by “doing the right things.”, or checking boxes of certain behavior.
When I was younger, we took my grand parents to their Catholic church most Sundays, and hated the services. To my childhood self, the chanting, standing up and sitting down repeatedly, incense that made me cough, and readings that I couldn’t understand all added up to a categorical dislike of anything structured within religion. It seemed like a formality that I was obligated to show up for, when I’d rather be home reading a book or drawing.
As an adult now attending a Baptist church, I sometimes struggle to read aloud with congregational scripture readings, because I got into the habit of disliking the practice and have an internal tick of rebellion toward anything being expected of me. I internally feel as if structured worship is wrong. This is a stellar example that our feelings aren’t always right.
But habits that remain contained in Sunday morning are not what I’m talking about.
Here’s an example. I work in a ministry. We start out every shift with prayer, covering needs of the day, prayer for our donors, and any specific requests we have from staff. When I first started working there, I would pray for whatever was on my heart as well as whatever prayer card I had been assigned. After a few months, I closed a prayer one day with this sentence; “Lord, please help us to be encouraging and edifying to everyone we come into contact with, and glorifying to you, Amen.”
As I finished praying, I kept thinking about that phrase, and how much I liked it. In a way, that prayer sums up the basics of what I, as a Christian, want my daily life to be about. I want to encourage and edify those around me, regardless of whether they are believers or not, and glorify the Lord in how I move about my day. The next day, I found myself wanting to close my prayer in the same way. I didn’t, because, well, that would be too structured! In my mind, structure or repeated phrases equalled an inauthentic prayer.
I felt nagged by the Holy Spirit all week about that one simple sentence. The day came when I closed prayer that away again, then again. Another day I use that ending while praying with my husband before we parted ways in the morning. It soon became a regular part of my prayer life, even if I didn’t quite admit it to myself yet.
Then I started thinking about hand-raising. Yep, I’m one of those people who raises hands, claps, and says “amen!” more times than I can count on a given Sunday. My body gets involved in worship in these ways, because I can’t fly around the room in heavenly raptures like I my spirit wants to.
One day, as I raised my hands, I was wresting with a certain area of life that the song we sang described. As tears fell down my face, I upturned my palms; a physical reflection that I was handing over the issue to the Lord.
This then became a habit. When I raise my hands in worship, I often lower my head and lift my palms to heaven, as I remind myself that I am submitted to God and that His grace is the only thing in which I can boast.
The point I’m circling the drain on here is that I’ve been starting to challenge my own internal opposition to structure and spiritual habits, and I think it’s an area worth thinking about.
Our bodies (flesh) often don’t want to submit to God. We are disposed to not submit, with our built in sinful nature. While our first and foremost work to combat this sinful nature and rebellious tendency must be through prayer and meditation on the word of God, our physical bodies are involved in this process as well.
What we do with our bodies matters. How we use our bodies to interact with others matters. The way we conduct our bodies matters. The words we speak and the prayers we pray matter, because they have real affect on our brains, our thoughts, and our souls.
Either we use our bodies and voices to worship, submit, and serve, or they stagnate and turn toward selfishness.
How can you use your body to worship and serve?
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
He who is Mighty has done a great thing!
-M-
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Mission Statement
This blog has transformed a lot since I started in 2020. From being a personal journal of sorts, to the place I processed coming out of legalism, to losing access to it entirely in 2023, it’s been a whirlwind for sure.
As I’ve been taking my online presence more seriously, and striving to be a little “slower to speak”, I have become convicted that I needed to write down the “why”.
Why am I blogging? Why do I spend hours studying and writing a blog or podcast episode? Who am I doing this for?
I became convicted that this was important, if for no other reason than to prevent “mission drift”. I want this page to have purpose.
So here we are. Without further ado, this is the mission statement of this blog, the podcast…of my life, really.
To glorify the Creator.
To reason together.
To ask many question.
To seek the throne for answers.
The love and give grace whenever possible.
To rebuke when necessary.
To defend the Gospel of Truth.
To share truth with a sick and dying culture.
To expose the schemes of the enemy in the light of truth.
To link shields with brothers and sisters in the faith.
To wield the sword of the spirit with excellence.
To praise.
To lift hands to heaven.
To hold the line.
To help those who are stumbling.
To help the wounded soldiers home.
To glorify He who is Mighty.
He who is Mighty has done a great thing!
-M-
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On Seeking Lonely Places
Ask any introvert (ahem, yours truly) and we’ll tell you; being alone rocks! Give me my office, a Ludovico Eunaudi playlist, a good latte, my laptop, and I’m good to go! Could stay there for hours being “lonely” and come away smiling, with a sad sigh that I’m once again being forced to enter society.
I was recently reading a book that eluded to how Jesus sought out lonely places.
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” Luke 5:16
This is only one reference, but numerous other verses in the gospels use almost the exact words “lonely places” when referring to Jesus withdrawing alone.
The word lonely grabbed me there, and maybe it grabbed you too. Why? Because I think we as a culture associate being lonely solely as a negative thing. For myself, when I think of the word lonely, I picture a friendless person who is sad, or a bullied child who is sad, or a homeless person who is sad. Are you seeing what I’m getting at? I think we add an additional frame of sadness over the act of being alone/lonely. We picture it solely as a negative thing that must be overcome. If someone is alone for too long or out of society, people begin to worry. If we see a person sitting alone, we may feel compelled to go see if they are okay. If someone says they need time to themselves, we assume something is wrong and offer to bring over a casserole.
The word “Lonely” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “Sad because one has no friends or company.”
However, the word “lonely” used in the scripture reference above, and in any other reference to Jesus and “lonely places” that I could find, has a different meaning. The word used in the original text is the word “eremos”, which means solitary. Here’s some verbiage on the word provided by biblehub.com, and the Strong’s Greek Concordance.
“properly, an uncultivated, unpopulated place; a desolate (deserted) area; (figuratively) a barren, solitary place that also provides needed quiet (freedom from disturbance)”
That lends Jesus’ withdrawals a slightly different light, doesn’t it? The meaning of that word makes me question the mental image I had before; of Jesus trudging off to sit on a cliff edge somewhere and cry. (Definitely something I’ve never done, ahem). On the contrary! This word, in the context of what we know about Jesus’ ministry makes great sense.
Jesus was constantly being poured out; constantly either being disturbed, or causing a necessary disturbance. At any given time there were people around him who needed teaching, healing, rebuking, or comfort. He was constantly giving of Himself, without ever being refilled by others in ways we would consider refilling. Jesus lead a life of disturbance.
Which brings me back to eremos. Jesus “often withdrew to uncultivated, unpopulated places that provided needed quiet and freedom from disturbance.”
Again, addressing the introverts in the room; doesn’t this sound like the best day ever?? Me? In a solitary place with quiet and freedom from disturbance?? Please and thank you.
Now, I don’t think scripture mentions this just to show us that Jesus needed a break. While his withdrawals point to his humanness and need for a time of refilling, this recounting also gives us license to do the same. Jesus was fully man and fully God. He lived a perfect life, so it follows that everything He did was perfect.
Including leaving behind all the people that needed Him when He needed to be refilled. Jesus, the creator of the universe, left behind everyone who needed him when He needed to rest and pray. This included the cripples, the sick, the poor, and those in need of spiritual saving.
Even Jesus, in His humanness, had limits and acknowledged that by taking breaks.
I’m repeating myself in several different forms here because I think it is so important to get this, especially in light of how our culture tends to do things.
We pour ourselves out to others over and over, even while our spiritual tanks are well past empty. We only take time to ourselves if/when everyone else is taken care of, or when we feel like we’ve accomplished enough. But that’s not the example Jesus set here.
Jesus often withdrew.
I don’t want to assume things of scripture that it doesn’t tell us, but it is my own speculation that he did this on a somewhat planned basis. The text says often, inferring that this was at least common.
What I’m getting at here is that I think it would do us all well if we if followed Jesus’ example in this area. Our current culture either idolizes the need for loneliness, taking the form of isolation to the extreme and full fledged adults who can’t answer a phone call, or shoves it entirely to the side for the sake of productivity and hustle culture.
We’re never done with our lists, our hobbies, our families. There’s always someone we need to call, a podcast episode to listen to, or an event to get gussied up for.
Newsflash: Jesus had people that needed him constantly too. Jesus had no shortage of events he could go to. Jesus had no shortage of people who wanted to catch up with him.
Yet, He made time for what was important. Time alone, away from distractions, with the Father.
How could you follow his example? How could you slow down your life, or carve out time to be away from all the things that distract you and keep you going at a million mile per hour pace?
I have a few suggestions.
- Try scheduling a spiritual retreat day ahead of time. Look a month or two ahead; whatever timeframe works for you. Schedule a day or even just a morning to go be “lonely” somewhere with your bible and a notebook. Leave the headphones, turn off social media on your phone, and don’t talk to a friend in the car on your way there. Allow yourself time and space to be lonely with the Lord.
- If you can’t carve that much time out of your schedule, I have questions about your schedule, but that’s another blog post. But if that is the case, try driving to work in silence; no radio, no podcast, no phone calls. Be silent, or quote scripture, or pray.
- Get up an hour or half an hour earlier than you usually do, don’t take your phone with you, and go sit in a corner with your bible.
- Go on a walk after work in a (safe) secluded area where you aren’t likely to run into people. Make this a habit one or two days a week if possible. If that’s not possible, try once or twice a month.
Whatever your strategy, I believe that this practice (whatever that looks like for you) is a very beneficial one for us as human beings. We are created beings, created with limits and needs. Jesus had those same human limits as he lived on this earth, and He exampled tending to those limits.
How can you seek out lonely places?
He who is mighty has done a great thing!
-M-
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Was The United Healthcare Shooter Justified?
If you’ve been online at all recently, you’ve likely seen the posts. Posts glorifying, praising, or in general fan-girling out over how handsome a murderer is.
This young man has been charged with the pre-meditated murder of Bryan Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, an insurance company. He did this by either creating or purchasing a 3D printed gun, traveling to an event that Bryan Thompson was going to be at, and camping out for him. He shot him multiple times in the back and lower extremities, which lead to his death.
The shooter then escaped and his identity was unknown for a time, until he was caught a few days later at a McDonalds, after an employee and patron recoginised his face from the news.
It came out shortly afterward that he had at some point in the past suffered a severe lumbar spine injury. Initially, it was thought that he had committed this crime after insurance failed to cover his medical care, but it has since come to light that United Health was not and never had been his insurer.
The reaction from media, public figures, and the human race as a whole since his capture has been staggering to say the least. I have seen countless videos and photos posted by women, describing how they will be going to see him in jail for a conjugal visit, how he’ll be the father of their children, etc. Based on the appeal of him being a “sexy vigilante”, people are writing him off as an innocent and holding him up to be a Robin Hood kind of figure. People say that the CEO was complicit in thousands of death due to insurance issues, so the shooter did the world a favor. Many people think that he should not face any criminal charges at all.
*Sigh*
Sufficed to say, I have very strong opinions on this topic.
First of all, I believe it is categorically wrong to give murderers or mass-shooters so much publicity. You have notice I have not used his name in this article. The mere act of posting the identity and name of shooters immortalizes them and incentivizes others to follow in their steps. If someone knows they can shoot an innocent civilian based off a perceived wrong, and their cause get viral attention through their actions, they are incentivized to do so.
Secondly, on the issue of if this murder was justified, let’s look at the facts. Bryan Thompson did not himself murder a single person. We can argue the ethical and moral greivances of insurance companies not covering all care, but at the end of the day, all that can be said is that they may be potentially culpable. Now let’s look at Bryan’s supposed guilt.
People say that Bryan deserved to die because of his supposed culpability in the death of others. So…if he deserved to die because he supposedly had a part in withholding care from others…wouldn’t it follow that the man who shot him absolutely deserves to die because he directly murdered someone?
The only acceptable answer to that question is a resounding yes.
The shooter was 100% un-justified in the murder of Bryan Thompson. Let’s assume we know nothing about if Bryan is innocent or not. The shooter took the life of another human being who was not actively endangering anyone. The shooter shot a man in the back like a coward. The shooter took matters into his own hands, while acknowledging in his manifesto that he didn’t actually know how insurance worked, and wasn’t an authority on the topic at all. The shooter deprived a wife of her husband, children of their father, and parents of their son for the rest of their lives.
Again, a man who had nothing to do with the care that the shooter did or did not receive due to insurance issues.
Assuming that this man is proven guilty, I must say and encourage you to agree that, no, the United Healthcare Shooter was not justified in his willful and pre-meditated murder of an innocent man, Bryan Thompson.
-M-
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MaryLyn Writes 