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Starr Ayers

The Empty Chair

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“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

Luke 24:30–31, NIV
9326689187_83a6e4ccb9_z.jpg“Hey! That’s my chair!”

Silly as it is, I imagine at some point you’ve gotten upset when someone took your seat—or someone has gotten upset with you for taking theirs. If not, perhaps you played musical chairs as a child. How did you feel when there wasn’t a chair left for you? Did you push and shove to claim the remaining chair? Did you walk away upset because you lost the last seat?

Regardless of what we lose, we’re prone to get upset when someone takes something we believe is rightfully ours— even if there is music playing in the background.

No one likes to feel cheated, but what about when we cheat ourselves? Who do we argue with then?  Do we even know we’re cheating ourselves—or care?

The heartbreak is that we regularly cheat and steal from ourselves, but we seldom bat an eye about it. Then, to add insult to injury, we repeat the behavior.

We cheat ourselves out of quality time with those we love, fritter away hard-earned money, and squander our days. We choose the path of least resistance, make harmful food choices, and give television sitcoms priority over reading God’s Word. The Word is where I want to sit for a moment, so pull up a chair (your own, please) and let’s talk.

There are plenty of chairs at the Lord’s table. There’s one reserved for each of us, so we never have to worry about someone stealing our seat. The question is: do we want it? I ask this because there are often empty chairs at his table. Sometimes the empty chair is mine. Do you allow misplaced priorities to rob you of time in God’s presence too?

A few days after Christ’s resurrection, the Emmaus disciples failed to recognize Jesus. Not until they invited him into their house and received the Bread of Life from his nail-scarred hands did their eyes open to his identity.

Do you wonder where Jesus is in your circumstances? Wonder if he cares? If so, refuse to substitute fare from the world’s table for the Bread of Life that comes through reading God’s Word. God paid the ultimate price for our reservation at his table—the blood of his only Son, Jesus. To know that we’re cheating ourselves out of a relationship with Jesus Christ and do nothing about it is foolish.

If we could pull back the curtain of eternity and see what is to come, there would be no empty chairs at the King’s table. Push away from the world’s table and claim your seat. There’s a chair reserved for you.

Blessings,

Starr

A Not-So-False Alarm

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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

John 10:10, NIV

DSC01468My husband and I simultaneously rocketed from flat on our backs with combined one-half twists and landed on our feet (minus the front somersaults, thank God) like two synchronized gymnasts.

“Burglary! Burglary! You have violated a protected area! Leave the premises immediately!”

As our security system’s 120-decibel scream split the tranquil night air, my eyes darted toward the clock: 1:48 a.m.―uh . . . far too early for visitors. My husband snatched his gun from its resting place and tried to shake off his grogginess. Bleary-eyed, I flipped on the outside flood lights and peered into the night’s shadowy stillness. Our security system indicated the garage motion detector. My husband checked it out as I answered the 911 dispatcher’s routine call.

“What’s your password?

I answered.

“Do you need assistance?”

“Not sure.”

Shortly, my husband returned from the garage and shrugged. “Nothing.”

“It’s a false alarm,” I told the dispatcher. “Thank you. All seems fine.”

Thirty minutes later, my husband and I lay in bed wide-eyed and still staring at the ceiling, adrenaline pumping. It would be so unlike my God not to take advantage of this opportunity to speak. Consequently, he did―of a not-so-false alarm: Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Spiritually, the thief will come . . . and he never drops in for a casual chat. Satan’s unwelcome visits always have a hidden agenda: to annihilate the children of God. Are we armed and ready for his covert entry? Do we set our alarms before we fall asleep?

The Holy Spirit has armed believers with weapons for spiritual warfare. But, like those who fall asleep, we often neglect to employ them. Subsequently, when our borders are violated there is no alarm to demand the intruder leave the premises. So he lingers. He rummages through the hidden crevices of our hearts and minds. He plants destructive doubt and fear. He steals all that is valuable. All may seem well on the exterior, but within . . . the thief secretly robs us of our comfort, hope, and peace.

Keeping our spiritual security system set assures us that when the enemy attempts to break in, our alarms will sound, the dispatcher will call, and when asked our password, we will confidently reply: “Jesus!”

Starr

Knowing Perfection

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10, NIV

019The large, burly instructor ripped the nose from the face of my clay sculpture and threw it across the room while shouting words of disapproval. At the time, I was too frightened for them to register, but his disparaging remarks left a lasting impression deep within my spirit. The mere remembrance of that dreadful day causes me to shudder.

The setting for this traumatic experience: a big-city art school in the South. The perpetrator: a ruthless sculpture professor who enjoyed intimidating freshmen. His target: the clay head I painstakingly labored over. His casualty: me.

I was proud of my creation. And the nose―well, it was just about perfect, at least in my eyes. I had no clue someone would view my creation with less pride. Nor did I realize how my view of myself and my ability was about to change.

Words―emit power! Their tentacles probe deep into our souls, unearthing emotions we are unaware exist. Words have the capacity to change how we think, feel and act. They have the power to uplift or to destroy.

Regardless of the power of the words that he spoke, it was neither my instructor’s words nor his actions that wielded the deathblow to my spirit. It was the negative self-talk I continued to feed my soul. My destructive internal words wore away at my confidence, not only in my individual creativity but in who I believed I was as a person. I second-guessed myself and my abilities. My God-given potential slipped from view. I only saw my failures.

God, our Creator, looked on all He had made and said it was good. We are His masterpiece―the pinnacle of His creation. It saddens Him when we view ourselves with disdain. We are created to do good works through our relationship with Him in Christ. It grieves Him when we minimize our assignments and dismiss our roles in His divine plan.

God envisioned the work first. Then He envisioned us. He created us for His specific purpose and enabled us to complete it. It isn’t about us at all. It’s about knowing our Creator and realizing His desire for us to join Him in His work.

The enemy is out to destroy our God-given tasks. He is out to destroy us.  It is essential that we resist the destructive words of the enemy and follow the detailed plans of our Instructor.

We are a team.  And as we work in tandem, we will truly know God’s perfection.

Blessings,

Starr