Because Resurrection Sunday is so important to our family, I have planned a joyous feast for my littles – special foods that take extra time and care. I purposefully use special decorations and prepare for traditions we only do this day each year.
The “Garden Tomb” (complete with russet potato tomb hollowed out with a spoon) is ready for the bright floral transformation tomorrow. Toothpick soldiers stand guard now, ready to flee or fall down by morning. The bread dough is rising, the eggs have been peeled, the créme Anglaise for the trifle is chilling. We will hide little treats and gifts (each with a color-coded piece of yarn) for a joyful hunt my children declare is their most favorite tradition of all –
And yet.
If these things do not point to the Truth – this celebration is a mere shadow of the Celebration of all celebrations we will join, this feast is to remind us of the Feast of all feasts with our risen and conquering King in the world to come – then it holds as much substance as a marshmallow chick.
In the feasting and rejoicing, the delighting of delicious food and new life and remembering our risen Lord, it is good to not just look back, but to look forward.
We celebrate to remember that we are going home someday to an incredible Celebration that will never end.
We feast to remember we will feast at our King’s table – with all the host of faithful witnesses who have gone before us and also those who now wait for him with us.
We joyously sing with our fellow sojourners in Sunday services to remember we will one day roar his praise in our native tongue in our true Homeland.
And we let our children to seek for that which is sweet and precious to try to show that our Lord was once hidden but can be found for those who search for him – and that he is most precious of all, and sweetest of all delightful things.
It is through these traditions and celebrations and joyful feastings we create a space for a deep homesickness to rise up in our heart and the hearts of those with us. (1 Peter 2:9-12)
Jesus rose from death so that we can live without fear or shame, now covered by his righteousness like royal robes, ambassadors for his Kingdom and crowned heirs of his glory. (2 Cor. 5:20)
We celebrate our King’s resurrection to remind ourselves that this day is unlike any other, and is the one thing that gives purpose and meaning to our lives. (1 Cor. 15:12-19)
Let us celebrate so fiercely, so joyously, and so weighted with the coming glory we will share, that those who are without this joy cannot help but see the fire and light in us, and ask us the reason for the hope we carry. (1 Peter 3:15)
A blessed and joyous Resurrection Sunday celebration to you and your loves.
HE IS RISEN INDEED!
Wear your crown, carry your sword. -Maria Miller
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… We are citizens of heaven, and are called to live in a manner worthy of our King and his Kingdom (Philippians 1:27).
So how do we do this?
The simple answer is far from easy: We become the People of his Book.
To consider the Holy Bible as the highest treasure of our hearts and the strongest connection to our King and our homeland is the simplest, most straight-forward way to live out our calling as Ambassadors.
The Spirit-inspired Scriptures are to be in our thoughts, words and actions – every day. We need to carefully, sincerely, and reverently read them, ponder them and pray them. We are to sing them, teach them, write them and live them.
But most of all, we are to love the Scriptures – because if we do, the rest will follow.
"And now, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good." (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
Ambassadors appointed on behalf of their nation do not lose their distinctive language, traditions, customs, philosophies or citizenship merely because they are stationed in a foreign country. On the contrary – it is because they are constantly representing their homeland and government that they remain unmistakably different from the local culture around them.
We are called to live unmistakably different lives as citizens of Heaven.
We have been given the “Protocol Guidebook” of our nation’s customs, language, history, beliefs and laws – it deserves our daily, intentional, devoted study and thought. How else will we understand our own King’s laws? Speak our country’s language? How else can we explain to others why they should want to immigrate there, or how our King vastly surpasses any other ruler in excellence? How else can we accurately disciple and mentor other younger citizens (our children or any given to us to teach) so that they can one day fill their own appointments in their own embassies?
This should be our passionate desire – to be so deeply steeped in the Book of our King that if he should come on a visit of State, we would not be ashamed by how we have been representing him, but delighted to introduce the One we have so faithfully served to those around us.
And what joy to have those people say – “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)
Wear your crown. Carry your sword. – Maria
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Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
1 Peter 3:15
I once attended a book-writing conference in another state. I had a rough manuscript of substantial length, words that I had written with deep emotion and intention – but when one of the guest speakers happened to sit at my table and ask, “So, what’s your book about?”, I completely froze. Then I stammered some muddled phrases that left him (and frankly, me) confused.
I was mortified. I had even tried to prepare for this question beforehand – but I realized too late the problem: the stated purpose of my book was not clear or short enough to remember well. Under stress it became incoherent.
The valuable lesson I learned that day: Be ready to clearly state the ‘so what’. And make it snappy, sister. Because if no one gets what you’re trying to offer – if it’s not clear and easily shareable – you’re not going to make a lot of impact.
So what’s YOUR “So what”? If someone who didn’t know you very well asked you “So what’s your story?” Or “So what do you do?” (or a similar question – and answering with your job description seems so trivial), do you know what you would say in a sentence or two? Does this question make you squirm with sudden discomfort? (I feel you.)
Good news! You get to make a “So what” statement for yourself! I can help.
Creating a “So what” statement (commonly known as a personal mission statement) for yourself does two things:
Tells others what your main purpose – and why it matters
Leads you to do what matters most
A “So What” statement helps you chisel down to the core of what you’re about for others. It also gives you a guideline to help you make the best decisions for where you want to spend your valuable time and energy – and ultimately your precious God-given life.
This can also be a source of freedom in liberating you to say no to things that don’t fall inside the lines of your main purpose.
As an Ambassador of Christ, the ‘so what’ should be something we all work to define for our lives – whether we herd goats, lay carpet, raise little humans, or do brain surgery.
While ultimately our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (Westminster Catechism, answer to “What is the chief purpose of man?”), we must work this out on a personal level to understand what and where our greatest impact is in this season.
(If you are unable to agree truthfully with the big picture purpose of glorifying and enjoying God, perhaps you should start with “Why don’t I?”. I recommend John Piper’s “Desiring God”, “When I Don’t Desire God”, “A Hunger for God”, or “The Pleasures of God” as great resources.)
So how do we come up with that juicy yet clear “So what” answer? One simple format to follow is to fill in the blanks in this sentence:
“I [action] by [ability/skill] for [people you reach] to [desired result].”
And rearrange the sentence as you need. For example: a fiction author might say: “I create stories that inform, entertain, and inspire people around the world.”
Or a homeschool mom: “I train and educate my children to become compassionate, godly and hard-working members of society and disciples of Christ.”
Is there a lot more to this? Yes! But this is a great starting place.
Why does it matter whether or not you articulate a personal “So What” statement? Because a simple, clear description of your “So what” gives your purpose power.
It helps you simplify what is most important to you – and what you can let go of to prioritize your precious time. This gives you clarity to live purposefully the precious life God has given you.
Go strongly, friend.
Wear Your Crown, Carry Your Sword. – Maria Miller
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Around 10:30 a.m. on the morning of August 7, 1998, trucks heavily loaded with explosives parked outside the United States embassy in both cities of Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The trucks almost simultaneously detonated. In what was discovered to be a terrorist attack from a then little-known group called Al-Queda, over 200 people died, with over 4,500 injured people – mostly civilians of Kenya and Tanzania.
This tragedy took lives, property, and a sense of security from thousands. Billions of dollars of damage and years of rebuilding were required in the aftermath. Lives were changed forever.
Yet.
These attacks, while ostensibly creating the panic, chaos, pain, and loss they sought, did not result in the toppling the United States. Not the government, not the people, and not even the work of the embassies. This is because an embassy of any country, while being a physical property, is actually more of a symbol for the government of the nation it represents.
The actual embassy is the group of people entrusted with a mission to a sovereign or government, especially in reference to an ambassador and his/her staff.
Because of this, any place in which an ambassador dwells and works from can in fact be an embassy. So long as there is a ruling sovereign or government to represent, an ambassador and any other diplomatic officials appointed can still carry out their work.
In the same way, we who follow Christ have been given a mission: We too are called to represent Him and His Kingdom to the people and places we find ourselves stationed. We too are tasked with the diplomatic job of declaring the glories and policies of our King, creating connections and relationships that cause others to become familiar with our “Homeland,” our Ruler, and His important message.
Because we are the ambassadors, an embassy of the Kingdom of God is anywhere we live and work.
Each day we must be actively communicating with and listening to our King’s communiqués, training ourselves in the ways of our Sovereign, and seeking to most accurately and winsomely reflect and represent Him to others.
Each of us have been given a unique place to operate in and represent the Kingdom of God. We have also been gifted with certain abilities and strengths that were deliberately chosen for the mission we have been given.
Each of us will need insight, discernment, and an incredible amount of wisdom in correct protocol and interactions with others. Each of us are representing something and Someone much greater than ourselves – and we are strangely odd choices for the honor of these positions, with our brokenness, faults, and failings.
Yet in our dustiness and flaws, in our weakness, we have been given this incredible gift: we get to represent the most magnificent, powerful, and supreme Ruler in this and any universe. We get the astounding privilege of declaring the glorious, joyful assurance that our King has not only created a way for anyone who wishes to become a full citizen of His beautiful Kingdom, but that He wants to make every person who joins an heir-apparent, with the full rights and privileges of His own sons and daughters.
We have been chosen for this work, so that we might display our Sovereign’s beauty and love in a jaw-dropping way to the rest of the world (Ephesians 3:10-11).
And even when enemies come, even if my embassy is shaken or broken by attacks, pain, fear, and loss, even if I should lose my own life – I know my King and His Kingdom still stand, unshaken and perfect, for eternity.
This is our confidence. Our hope unshakeable.
My work, then, and yours – is to stay as closely connected to Him as possible, that we might represent Him the most accurately during the course of our sojourn here. And then – the mission’s end will be sweet, when we finally get to return to our real home, the one for which we have been homesick all our lives.
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
(2 Corinthians 5:18-20, NLT)
Your Excellency, your assignment awaits.
– Maria
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What is it about transformation stories that draw us in and get us so excited?
One of my favorite movies is the 1964 musical romance film “My Fair Lady“, an Academy Award winner. It tells the story of a conceited phonetics expert, Professor Higgins (played by Rex Harrison), who accepts a bet that he can change an ignorant Cockney working-class girl into a cultured lady who can pass for a member of high society. Audrey Hepburn played the initially grimy and raucous Eliza Doolittle, who by the end of her tutorship becomes transformed into an elegant, lovely woman mistaken for royalty.
After undergoing 6 months of rigorous training and tutoring, Eliza not only manages to charm and delight members of aristocracy, she also attracts the attentions of a handsome, high-bred suitor!
Trying to understand where she truly belongs, she returns to the surroundings where she lived before her transformation. But she discovers that she no longer fits in there. In fact, she has become unrecognizable to her former friends and acquaintances! Her change has become too complete – she is like an entirely new person and must learn to live with the life her metamorphosis now requires.
Isn’t this just like what our lives shouldresemble?
For anyone who chooses to follow Christ as Lord and Savior, the old ways of speaking, thinking, behaving, and presenting ourselves should be so deliberately given up to the “new management” of the Spirit of God that we become entirely changed.
No area of our lives should be withheld – we are called to represent Christ as His ambassadors, and as such need to allow His guidance, correction, and teaching to shape and mold us to what will most reflect His brilliance and wisdom.
Eliza’s natural intelligence, perseverance, and the strengths of her character were not diminished or overshadowed by her rigorous training – it actually allowed them to shine more clearly and winsomely. By the end of the film, she has become an indispensable part the household, and to Professor Higgins in particular as he confesses, “I’ve grown accustomed to her face.”
The same should be true for us. When we submit humbly to the (sometimes) grueling, repetitive tutoring and teaching that we agree to as servants and disciples of Christ, we are allowing Him to polish off the rough edges and pieces that detract from who we were made to be. We only become more of who we really are – in a beautiful, attractive, and appealing way – so as to show off our Master’s glorious skill. We become trusted, valuable members of His household, familiar with His ways and more at ease with our new role and expectations of behavior.
“…Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NLT
We shouldn’t be able to return to the ‘old’ lives or comfortable with the old selves we were before coming to Christ. We should be so changed that we can only live lives that are in harmony with our transformation.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT
Like Eliza, I want to be a stunning transformation. I want to show a humble, diligent, and eagerly teachable heart, becoming a person who brings honor and acclaim to my exceptional Teacher. There is no greater joy than to fully trust in our “Professor”, allowing Him to shape and mold us to who He created us to be, throwing off the old with its abrasive, grimy, and crass behavior and walking in the new with grace, poise, loveliness, and beauty.
I’m so grateful for this glorious purpose and His promise to faithfully bring this transformation to completion (Phil 1:6), aren’t you?
The elegant, beautiful “Miss Eliza Doolittle” at the Embassy Ball, where she is mistaken for foreign royalty due to her impeccable speech and manners.
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But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
-Job 23:10, NIV
My Dear Lovebugs:
A couple months ago I had a really hard morning. Toddlers coloring with markers on their clothes and body (then wailing loudly because they demanded a bath to wash the brilliant blue off their skin), dirty diapers and kids with hacking coughs, siblings bickering, speaking nastily, and fighting over the best way to cut Valentine’s hearts (seriously!), and a kitchen full of dirty dishes, half-prepared lasagna pans, leftover breakfast mess, and a stove top splattered with tomato sauce. Then I found out that afternoon that a few of you had been sneaking and broke family rules while I was out running errands the day before, playing a video game by yourselves that was reserved for playing with Daddy only. In a word, discouraging. Not so much that you did it, but that only one of you was tender-hearted and conscience-stricken enough to confess to me that day, although all of you wept and apologized most sincerely after it was discovered.
But here’s the thing, chickies. It comes as no surprise to me that this world (and everyone in it, including you, my dearest punks) is tainted with sin. Life here on Earth is often a mess. People do the wrong thing and make hurtful choices, even when they don’t actually want to sometimes (Romans 7:14-25), because they aren’t perfect. (Shocker, I know.) The only perfect Being is our Father God, something you’ve heard so many times that you’re in danger of tuning out when you hear it again. But pay attention, because this is important: He is in the process of perfecting us, too, so you mustn’t lose hope or trust in Him, even when you let yourself down horribly. In fact, in Philippians we are assured that we can be confident in this very thing, that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to continue His work until the day Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6). He is the faithful, true God of the Bible and He is the faithful, true God of you today.
God’s fulfillment of His covenant promise to Abraham about bringing the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and to their home in the Promised Land was not just to set them free from oppression and give them the freedom to thrive and prosper in their outer, physical lives. He intentionally promised Abraham specifically regarding their inner, spiritual lives as well, mentioned in Zechariah’s prayer-prophecy-song: “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant – the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.” (Luke 1: 72-75, NLT, emphasis mine) We are promised holiness and righteousness in this life! We have been cleansed from our sin and guilt, created new in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for each of us (Ephesians 2:10). He created us in Christ Jesus to do good works – so that is now our purpose! What an encouragement to think about, especially when we stumble and blunder and disappoint others and ourselves.
It’s as if we were filthy, bedraggled, lice-and-disease-ridden, abused and cowering slaves of a cruel overlord. Not only could we not escape on our own, even if we did, we would have no idea of how to behave or survive without returning to the same broken mentality, because we knew nothing else and had no medicine for our diseases. By putting your faith in Jesus Christ, He paid the purchase price in full, hacked off the chains and ropes that bound you, and then took you to a healing spa where you were completely washed, exfoliated, cleansed, and doctored.
But He didn’t leave you there afterward, clean and naked, shivering and purposeless. He gave you some of His own shimmering, pure white clothes, smooth on your scarred skin and cooling on your bruises. And then He handed you an incredible job opportunity! A unique assignment, designed specifically for you, because as crazy as it may seem, the Creator-Emperor of the Universe decided to fulfill his purposes on Earth by collaborating with former slaves, choosing us to fill roles of great responsibility and worth. We are now ambassadors of His Kingdom, speaking on His behalf and behaving as his representatives on Earth! (2 Corinthians 5:20)
But how are we supposed to go about this astounding assignment? With the perfect, unceasing help from our untiring and faultless Counselor and Guide, the Holy Spirit, who is there with us, available for guidance, inspiration, and communication 24/7. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26, NLT) He is there, available to us, but we must choose to draw on and applywhatever He teaches us. He is faithful, loving, truthful and tender, and cares too deeply about us to leave us as we once were. But again, it is our choice to pursue and implement the wisdom and leading that He gives!
Choosing to ignore or deliberately disobey His voice begins to muffle and hinder our recipience of His speech to us, like freezing a river’s flow or flinging sodden branches on a small fire. Water may still be trickling beneath the river’s icy surface, but with drastically decreased power and energy. The fire may still be flickering, but smoke and vapor decrease its visibility, warmth, and light.
We must unceasingly seek His guidance with humility and persistence, listening carefully and attentively. Each of you can trust that He walks with you on the unique path designed for you and the ambassadorship calling you alone have been given. Through this delightful partnership, He will bring the most glory to Himself and the most joy and fulfillment to you.
My chickadees, do you know what alchemy is? Alchemy was an ancient branch of natural philosophy, an extra-early scientific tradition practiced in many countries. While many people today understand it to be a form of pseudo-science that solely attempted to turn base metals into gold and was essentially a deceptive practice, alchemy was actually far more broad and less fraudulent in its aims.
Alchemists were trying to purify and perfect certain materials, creating something of greater worth from more base elements. Alchemy was based on the idea that there was an elemental substance within certain things that, if refined and reduced to its most essential state, would be so exquisitely pure and perfect it would be capable of transforming certain elements into something of highest value (in that era, gold). But most importantly, they believed that an ultra-purified substance like this (also known as a philosopher’s stone) would also be able to give rejuvenation and immortality to man – an elixir of life.
Fascinating as this may be to you, why am I referencing archaic and obsolete proto-scientific philosophies? Because, my darlings, I find alchemy to be a beautiful analogy for the work that the Holy Spirit is embarked on when He comes into our lives and hearts and begins to transform us into the likeness of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49, Romans 8:29)!
Our glorious King is like a Great Alchemist – He is taking us, creatures of earth, each uniquely formed and each of us with our own special element that He placed in us from the first, and He works in us to bring the best outcome (Philippians 2:13). We are carefully, lovingly, painstakingly and unceasingly purified and cleansed. We are heated, cooled, and processed how He knows will refine us best and bring out that which is our most perfect and exquisite essence. Each of us reflects His beauty and glory in a different way – like a radiant jewel with flashing facets, each reflecting a different spark of light, each person in His Kingdom reflecting Him uniquely, wondrously.
As we allow this glorious work, as we surrender to this refining, uncomfortable, and often painful process, we can trust Him knowing that His expertise is irreproachable and perfect. Unlike the faulty and flawed human endeavors in alchemy, His work is fully a brilliant success. As Job declared in the midst of his suffering, “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.” (Job 23:10, NLT) Our choice is to agree with His work and yield to His superior understanding. You can be certain He is always guided by His deep love for us, and He will be faithful to bring to perfection what He began in you when you first asked Him to be your God and King (Philippians 1:16).
Surrendering to the flame, the crushing, and the suffering in the refinement process sometimes feels as though we are losing ourselves. My lovelies, please believe me when I tell you that when we willingly give up all of ourselves to Him, what remains after the refining process is only more intrinsically ourselves – what we lose is often the external crust, the dross, and the more fleshly parts of self that were obscuring His glory reflected in us. He is not trying to make you lose yourself – He is helping you become yourself, your true self as He initially intended for you to be from when He designed you from before the Creation of the world. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” (Ephesians 1:4) You are most true to yourself when you are holding tightly to His Truth.
He loves and delights in each of you as the glorious, wholly unique and adorable person He made you, with your own quirks and personality, appearance, preferences, and mental processes. As you allow it, He is refining in each of you the unspeakably valuable essence you already hold – that which makes you most you is most beautiful and precious when it is in the context of His purity and purpose.
This is why each person is precious. This is why life is so valuable. Because each life, each person, is an irreplaceable, unrepeatable, uniquely beautiful opportunity to reveal another facet of God’s beauty and glory to each other. This is why those who believe in Christ should be so surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit personally that as we interact corporately, we are overcome with the light and glory we see in each other. The intrinsic beauty of each person’s God-formed essence should create a deep delight in us, both toward each other, and then upward toward our Father. And that should only inspire us to worship. “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6, NLT)
How I long for the day when I will know myself as the truest, most glorious version of me, when I am free from this body of dusty flesh and this broken world. The best is yet to come. We who love God and remain faithful shall come forth, like Job, as gold, and the whole of Creation waits in eager expectation of the glorious revealing of the sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:18-21).
In the meantime, in the days I have left here in this Earth, I shall not turn from the flame, nor from the slow process and the pain. I want to become what my Great Alchemist sees that I am. As the Living Water (John 4:13), He is my Elixir of Life, and as the Cornerstone of the Kingdom (Luke 20: 17-18), He is the ultimate philosopher’s stone. His Holy Spirit gives my soul immortality, His loving hand turns my dust to gold.
My most precious children, I pray that you will fiercely pursue our God with hearts of deep love and faith, no matter what circumstances come. “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT).
