STAMPED!

As I was continuing to study a portion of scripture in 2 Corinthians chapter one this morning, I came across a particular version of the Bible that arrested my forward progress and almost immediately sent me backwards down a string of personal memories that happened in the years around 1976.

Lots of special things happened during those days that began in the second year of Piper’s and my marriage.  I had left my job as a salesman in the hardware department at Sears sometime in late 1976 as Piper and I had both thought that it would be a good time to pursue my photography aspirations.  She was working as a teacher at a large Christian preschool and we had recently been asked to take over as on-site managers of the apartments where we lived.  With that position we had free rent and would get paid for any maintenance that I did around the buildings.  I was also receiving a small monthly stipend as the Youth minister at our church.

When word began to spread that I had a photography business, I booked a few weddings and outdoor family portraits.  Then, through a friend of my mom’s, I was able to procure a position as the local photographer covering events for the Catholic Diocese’s newspaper.  That was a fun position that took me all over the county, to all kinds of interesting Catholic facilities and events.  It was all black and white photography that I would shoot and then process in my own darkroom, which assured me of complete quality control from start to finish!

In 2 Corinthians 1:20, The Apostle Paul tells his readers, according to The Message Bible, that “whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.”  And it was this idea of getting STAMPED that sent me down memory lane.

One of the first things that I did after completing all the legal paperwork for starting my own business, was to have a custom STAMP made with the name and phone number of our business on it.  I had done some (what I thought was) creative design with my business cards and had them look in size, shape and design to resemble a strip of 35mm film.  I had also designed a unique look for the stamp, with an over-sized rectangle and the name of company as the outer border flowing around the whole card with the contact information in the middle.

I was never quite sure where my photographs for the Catholic paper would end up as I worked with a local Deacon from St Rose Church in Santa Rosa, who would send all the copy information to the Dioceses headquarters in San Francisco to be printed.  I wanted anyone who saw my work to know where it came from, so I would STAMP my business information on the back of each 8X10 print using a dark red ink… Which actually worked, as I got some other jobs through the years from individuals whose hands my work went through.

It was also during that time that I realized, while driving home from an all-day shoot at a Catholic retreat center in the mountains near the Sonoma County coast, that the heavy duty, foam-lined, metal, completely filled and organized photography equipment case that I had strapped to the trunk rack on the back of my 1966 dark blue MGB… was worth more than the car I was driving!  As I came around a twisty curve, I had the nervous thought that one slip of the bungee cord and all my fancy equipment could be lost!

So, that thought began a process where Piper and I sought the Lord’s directions, took a detailed look at our finances and after a while, felt the okay to stretch our faith and make the first big purchase of our marriage!  With both of us being auto enthusiasts, the choice of cars was not too difficult.  A few weeks later we were the proud owners of a brand new, 1977 Pacific Blue with a white leather interior, mags and shade kit on the back lift window, Datsun 280 Z roadster.  With that car, I could put all my photo equipment inside, on the back deck with easy access from the lift window.  I could also use it as a platform at some of the outdoor venues I was at.

I could tell you of many fun experiences we enjoyed with that car… but back to the point of this post!  The STAMP on the back of my black and white pictures signified that those prints were my original work and that I owned the negatives if reprints were needed.  And that is the significance that I took from our scripture above.  As Christians we are entitled to believe for the promises in the Bible that Jesus has provided for us through His death, burial, resurrection and assentation to the right hand of God.

And here’s the exciting part… According to 2 Corinthians 1:20, when we step out in faith and make a request of God… Jesus STAMPS His Yes on that request and at that point it becomes His ownership… His responsibility… His task to fulfill!  The Bible in Basic English says that “He (Jesus) is the yes to all the UNDERTAKINGS of God…”  Dictionary.com defines “UNDERTAKES” as “The act of a person who undertakes a task or responsibility.”

That to me, makes it pretty clear, that once we make our request, it becomes STAMPED with the seal of His ownership… just as my photography STAMP marked the prints as mine.  Therefore, after our request is made, the responsibility to complete it belongs to God and NOT to us!  Our job is to keep believing in faith that we have received it (see Mark 11:24) and then let God do His thing!  Sometimes the answers to requests take time as many people, places and/or things have to line up, while at other times the fulfillment can come quickly.  But that’s NOT our job.  Our job is to EXPECT His fulfillment because Jesus has STAMPED our request with His YES!

Okay… Okay… This post has gotten pretty long… but I think you can catch my drift here!  Making requests of God is a two-way operation!  It takes both of us… each doing our own jobs and responsibilities in order to see them fulfilled!  So, the next time you make a request of God and begin to entertain doubt… just flip over the request and see WHOSE contact information is STAMPED on the back!  Then trust in Him to meet that need and/or request!

Have a terrific rest of the week, and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s best for you!