FAITH BY DISH SOAP:

SOME OF GOD'S UNIQUE TEACHING METHODS FOR THE BROKENHEARTED

Isaiah 61:1:  "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the meek, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound..."

Philippians 4:12:  "I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." 

Sometimes faith is like a soaring, majestic mountain.  Sometimes faith is like a dark, dense valley, unseen and unnoticed. To exercise one's faith means to utilize the unseen in every situation of life, both high and low. When you repent of sin and simply ask God to help you and to partner with Him and His Son Jesus Christ, this creates an incredible bond that is not understandable by the "intellect" alone.  As I will share below, God is an incredible Teacher of the primal nuts and bolts of ordinary life.

As I write often on the subjects of God's great love for the brokenhearted of the world, including the suffering poor, I often take refuge in both of the verses of Scripture above. This includes dear Isaiah 61:1 about the Messiah coming to "bind up the brokenhearted", among many other gifts He would bring and also the words of Apostle Paul speaking of how he knows how to abase and to abound, to be satisfied with what he has at any given time, whether in plenty or lack. 

What do I have tonight?  I am not hungry and I had a nice dinner. I have a decent and quiet roof over my head. I have a comfortable bed. I have clothes to wear. I have a simple, even if old, car to get me to my few places I need to go. I have all my senses, a a good intelligence and a gift from God of words and writing.  I have good health at age 71. I have some basic funds to help me. 

The culture of the West strongly teaches on manifesting lots of influence, money and "stuff", including the frequent status symbols of big houses, luxury cars, expensive garments and jewels, etc. I am absolutely not against achieving wealth, as money can certainly offer help to the world and a cushion for the wealthy and those they love.  The challenge is the crushing of the poor, as the Bible calls it "the oppression of the poor." Psalm 12:5 speaks of that very subject, how God arises to help the groaning of the oppressed. As one who has no earthly status whatsoever except as a skilled survivor, I can thoroughly relate to being on the receiving end of "oppression." This means “pressure, pressure and more pressure.”

Defending the poor does not mean refusing to ask them to make at least some effort on their  own behalf. This also means not allowing a poor person to demand that they  be supported by others the rest of their life. I have been a member of the working poor for more than 40 years and have experienced all of this. Born in 1952, I worked until I was 69 years old and I understand, even if not wealthy, some honorable effort is required in life. I have never sought “stuff” but a core of the basics and I have managed to manifest that, even by fingertips at times.

I believe God has given gifts to people, gifts to be used to help and stabilize ourselves but to also be a conduit for the love and goodness of God to others. Tithing and giving as guided by Holy Spirit, are very good things that develop trust and genuine help. I do both. 

The thing with "stuff" is that it needs care, maintenance, repair, replacement, etc. I remember the brilliant George Carlin's sketch long ago on "stuff" and a wise sketch it was!  I also had a dear friend long ago, as I was dreaming through some old Architectural Digests given to me by a work client I had, as she was throwing them away, “You can’t keep up with a small studio apartment! How would you take care of a mansion??” Point well-taken and rather true!  Living very simply is the road I have lived on for more than 40 years. Since I have no earthly "status", I have learned to be very resourceful in my survival. Living in big cities for much of that 40 years, I became observant, street-smart, a silent warrior who saw opportunity hidden in plain view. Amazing amounts of "stuff" were casually thrown away and wasted by those who had "disposable income."  I certainly found and made use of many of such items in a perfectly usable state. I was never too proud to refuse the help I found in unexpected places!  As long as the item did not have a "bad vibe" or filth, I accepted it and made use of it. 

When I finally came back to my roots in God and His Son, broken, impoverished and battered emotionally, I retained my survivor's edge. However, now, with the One Who created me as my Advocate and essential life coach, I am learning to gently, gradually loosen my fearful grip.

God is also an incredible Teacher, who uses very intriguing teaching methods tailored to individuals at any given place in their walk of faith. One of God's unique teaching methods for me, almost seems to me like the wonderful "story problems" we used to have in "arithmetic" in elementary school: the clues, the journey of characters in the short mode, the difficulties they solved in bite-size pieces. Even though I am not good in math, I was always drawn to story problems as they activated my detective temperament. 

In my ongoing seeking of opportunity to add small supplements to my vast "retirement" income, one thing God showed me was the simple daily action of making lists of the things I needed from Him, as this functions as a simple focusing tool. To some who are not in financial distress, this might seem stupid, but for those of us in need and dealing with the stress that comes from attempting to stretch an already stretched budget, the simple act of making a daily list and BRINGING IT BEFORE THE FATHER in a partnership, really helps a profound amount.  It reminds me I do not travel alone and that God actually cares for me.  This included things like the rock bottom basics of simple food and household and personal supplies such as dish soap, bath soap, kitchen sponges, paper towels, face and bathroom tissues, toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo. The little bits of daily life and the needs for certain things to keep a basic structure of even a humble household together, this simple action of bringing your needs directly to God somehow eases the awful stress and reminds you that God created you, He gave you gifts unique to yourself and He actually CARES for you. Making the little daily lists has acted for me like a story problem, like this item is needed for this element and it therefore focused my brain. When you are struggling and in emotional distress,  it can be very difficult to keep a mental focus and the lists brought before God daily, have been a genuine and calming help to me. For "accomplished" people, perhaps this seems stupid or with no use. 

For ones who are recovering brokenhearted people, this is not a useless activity. It draws our wounded hearts into the loving arms of God and His Son, helping you in whatever state you are in at any time, to simply hear His voice and to put one foot in front of the other and trust Him to provide. God does not scold, shake His finger at you, castigate you for yet another "failure".  He knows where our "state" is and what we are going through. Even if we have fallen into the same ditch too many times before, if you sincerely cry out, repent quickly, ASK for help, He comes immediately, offers you a hand up and out, brushes you off, gives you a hug and sits with you to regroup and gather yourself for the next small step. Almost always this is tiny daily steps, not huge and impressive mighty leaps. 

Strangely enough, it actually works. For a terrible worry-wort like me, this is huge and a major accomplishment. It is actually, slowly prying me loose from fear. 

Hence, my love for the brokenhearted poor, who feel so crushed by the demands of the material realm and my sincere attempt here on Substack, to  write of extremely humble things and to remind the brokenhearted that they have a Savior and His Papa, who created them, Who gave them gifts that only they have in all the history of the earth and Who stand ready to help you, ONE DAY AT A TIME, into Eternity with Them! 

Wendy Elizabeth Williams   January 26, 2024