Lift Up Your Heads!

My California poppies are a brilliant profusion of yellow-orange blossoms – so beautiful! I’ve been noticing as they lift their heads to the day-long sunshine and bow their heads at the darkening evening. Need I say more? Such a simple analogy as to what we, as Christians, do, or should be doing.

Each day is such a gift from God – a new beginning, a new chance to live life doing His will. As my poppies do and as Christians, we lift up our heads to praise God as the sun rises; bow our heads in prayer in the evening. But are we looking upwards to our heavenly Father all the day long – the day that He gives us? Or do we lag somewhere past noon; drag our heads downward by grumbling about our work loads, our finances, our aches and pains?

Lifting our heads up, can we make another’s day brighter by a helpful act of kindness, a simple smile, or caring concern? Can we witness our faith and help to turn another’s face upward in worship and salvation? How about erasing those frown lines between the eyebrows, making a conscious effort to replace them with laugh lines around the mouth instead? So much more attractive!

Many wonders of nature lift their heads to the sky above. Have you never noticed? Notice now. Trees, grass, flowers, even weeds! Birds trill their songs with their throats stretched, heads up. Lizards raise their heads as they sun themselves. Aren’t we “perkier” when the sun shines as opposed to a gloomy, cloudy day? How have we missed this lesson demonstrated daily before our very eyes? Maybe that’s why God placed our heads on top of our bodies – so we could lift them up to Him! He plans our days, He plans our lives. How can we not look upward to discern what that plan is for us daily and throughout our lives?

When evening comes, we rightfully bow our heads in prayer, giving thanks to our Father – for daily bread, for health, for children, for forgiveness, for a life to come with Him in heaven. We ask His guidance for the coming day when we can once again lift up our heads in praise to our heavenly Father. My poppies are so wise. They not only give me immeasurable pleasure by their beauty. Observing their raised heads throughout the day, their bowed heads at eventide, my Savior speaks a lesson to me. Will you also learn from my poppies?

“Lift up your heads, you mighty gates!
Behold the King of glory waits,
The King of kings is drawing near
The Savior of the world is here.
He brings salvation down to earth
Greet him with shouts of holy mirth
Our highest praise we bring,
Our God, Creator, King.”

Who Are We?

Recently, I was moved to tears as I drove home from work. KLove played one of my favorite songs, sung by MercyMe, “Emmanuel, God with Us.” Although the words to the whole song are magnificent, two lines especially touched my heart:

“Who are we, that You would be mindful of us?
What do You see, that's worth looking our way?”

With Easter fast approaching, these words must hit you in your heart of hearts as it did me. Who are we that Christ would be mindful of us? What does he see, that’s worth looking our way? It is incomprehensible to think his love for us is so great that he would accept Judas’ kiss; that he would walk, without protest, alongside the soldiers out of the Garden of Gethsemane. Who are we that He would suffer this indignity for us?

When accused by the chief priests and the elders, Jesus gave no answer, no reply, not to a single charge. What did he see, looking our way, that was worth no defense of himself, assuring his certain death? When he was stripped, a crown of thorns placed on his head, beaten again and again, what did he see? He was mindful of us; he was looking our way.

As he hung on the cross, suffering so horribly, what did he see? He saw your face; he saw mine. He saw his children’s sinful nature, but he also saw his children’s hearts. Jesus’ Father’s will was for his death, so that you and I, as his children, might forever live. That’s what he saw. Simple, yet unimaginable.

And on Easter Sunday, emerging from a borrowed tomb, Jesus claimed power over death, giving His disciples and all believers the gift of the Holy Spirit. Who are we that he would do that? We are his beloved children whom He died for. What does he see as he looks our way? He sees his beloved children – he sees you and he sees me.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1a