I've just flown across the lower half of the continuous 48 states for the first time: Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California. For a girl who's only been as far west as Dallas, this is a pretty big deal. (And nerd that I am, yes, I took pictures out of the plane window.) My flight today has lead me straight to Genesis chapter 1 and the account of God's handiwork. Not only did he create the earth, he created it to be incredibly diverse. Over my 6 hours in the air today, I saw "mountains", mountains and MOUNTAINS (there are, in fact, varying degrees of mountainous topography), I saw forests, plains and deserts (and I have to admit, the deserts held my attention more than just about anything else I saw). I can't even count the number of times the word "wow" fell out of my mouth today.
And then I landed, and the diversity and creativity of our Creator became even more obvious. Having spent my entire life on the east coast, I thought I knew every kind of tree out there. Boy was I wrong. There are trees out here that I've never seen before, and the ones I'm familiar with are missing. I knew I had a narrow view of the world, but I had no idea how narrow!
I'm in awe of the beauty of where I live and have thousands of pictures to prove it, but it's nothing compared with what else is out there. Life is like that, isn't it? From time to time, God will do something amazing for us that makes us whisper "wow". For a while, we bask in the beauty of that moment or that act and we think that it just can't get any better. But God is creative and loves to give us gifts, and His next amazing act brings us right back to that whispered "wow" all over again. Maybe it's an answer to prayer. Maybe it's the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen. Maybe it's the view from the top of the hill you've just climbed. Maybe it's a verse or a hymn that catches you completely off guard. Whatever your "wow" moment is, it is a gift to you and you alone from a God who loves you enough to take joy in your joy.
So open your eyes and look around. God is doing amazing things every day, and perhaps, today is your day for a wow moment. And if it's not, and you're having a hard time, think back to the last time you couldn't keep a smile off your face as you saw or experienced a gift from God, and let that sustain you and encourage you as you walk through the current darkness. When the sun comes up again, I bet you'll be in awe at what you see!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
On Working and Playing Well With Others
I kind of miss the days of Kindergarten. Back then, we were graded on things like eye-hand coordination, our ability to sit and listen to a story, how high we could count, and how well we played with our classmates. Life was so simple then. Now we're graded on other things - how much money we make, how we look, how successful we are and how well we get along with others. Oh wait, that one hasn't gone away, has it? Figures it's the tough things we still have to do. Not too many people care if I use scissors correctly anymore, but everyone around me cares how well I relate to them.
Today's verses lay out the grading scale on that "playing well with others" thing: I Peter 3:8-12 tells us to live in harmony with those around us, to be sympathetic, compassionate, humble, to be a blessing to those around us instead of making their lives harder. Verse 11 says about the person who wants a long and happy life, "He must seek peace and pursue it". We aren't just to look for peace and hope it shows up. The Greek word for pursue, "dioko", means to run after, or to chase with the intent of catching someone or something. That's a pretty active verb right there. (On an interesting side note, that same word is also the word used for "persecute". Give that one some thought, huh?)
Now I don't know about you, but when I'm not getting along with someone as well as I should, I'm not at all interested in running after anything. More often than not, I'm intent on running away from that person and any contact I may have with him or her. Perhaps I feel guilty because I've done something to them that I shouldn't have. Perhaps I'm feeling put out about something he or she has done to me. Either way, my modus operandi is to just avoid the person and either wait out the storm, or stew for a while. But neither of those options qualifies as "living in harmony" (harmony is a synonym for peace, even in Greek).
Don't think for a moment though, that seeking out peace means that there will never be conflict, or that it means pretending everything's fine all of the time. True peace between individuals comes from a commitment and willingness to communicate honestly (Ephesians 4:15), and a humble, self-sacrificing attitude (Philippians 2:3). What better time to exhibit these qualities than when a conflict arises? Conflict is our opportunity to prove how much we've learned about being more Christ-like. Each experience with conflict, if we're really paying attention, could also teach us to see it coming and cut it off before it gets out of hand. Proactive peace is always better than reactive making up.
No, we may not always get our way. We may have to occasionally give up some comfort. But in the end, if we commit to being peace-pursuers, we may just find that the number of conflicts in which we find ourselves declines. And for that, our Teacher would give us an A. (It really is too bad that no one is grading us on how well we nap anymore, right?)
Today's verses lay out the grading scale on that "playing well with others" thing: I Peter 3:8-12 tells us to live in harmony with those around us, to be sympathetic, compassionate, humble, to be a blessing to those around us instead of making their lives harder. Verse 11 says about the person who wants a long and happy life, "He must seek peace and pursue it". We aren't just to look for peace and hope it shows up. The Greek word for pursue, "dioko", means to run after, or to chase with the intent of catching someone or something. That's a pretty active verb right there. (On an interesting side note, that same word is also the word used for "persecute". Give that one some thought, huh?)
Now I don't know about you, but when I'm not getting along with someone as well as I should, I'm not at all interested in running after anything. More often than not, I'm intent on running away from that person and any contact I may have with him or her. Perhaps I feel guilty because I've done something to them that I shouldn't have. Perhaps I'm feeling put out about something he or she has done to me. Either way, my modus operandi is to just avoid the person and either wait out the storm, or stew for a while. But neither of those options qualifies as "living in harmony" (harmony is a synonym for peace, even in Greek).
Don't think for a moment though, that seeking out peace means that there will never be conflict, or that it means pretending everything's fine all of the time. True peace between individuals comes from a commitment and willingness to communicate honestly (Ephesians 4:15), and a humble, self-sacrificing attitude (Philippians 2:3). What better time to exhibit these qualities than when a conflict arises? Conflict is our opportunity to prove how much we've learned about being more Christ-like. Each experience with conflict, if we're really paying attention, could also teach us to see it coming and cut it off before it gets out of hand. Proactive peace is always better than reactive making up.
No, we may not always get our way. We may have to occasionally give up some comfort. But in the end, if we commit to being peace-pursuers, we may just find that the number of conflicts in which we find ourselves declines. And for that, our Teacher would give us an A. (It really is too bad that no one is grading us on how well we nap anymore, right?)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
On Preventing Heartache
"See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious." Lamentations 1:20
How often have I cried out to God that I am distressed, in torment and disturbed? I can't even count the times. But how many times have I claimed responsibility for my own distress? The speaker of these words from Lamentations got right to the heart of the issue - our rebellion against God will always lead to our own sorrow.
So often we blame our problems on other people, and perhaps, even more often, we blame our distress on our circumstances. Yes, sometimes, it really is someone else's fault that we're suffering, or it really is our circumstances that are leading us to feel sad, angry and hopeless. Jesus gives us advice on how to deal with people who we feel are just in our lives to make us miserable: Love them. Plain and simple, no arguments or excuses. Just love them the way He loves you. (Matthew 5:44) And when it's our circumstances that are getting us down? Admit that God is in control of them and cling to Him while you wait to see what He's up to (1 Peter 5:7). Perhaps He's got something to teach you. Perhaps He's got better circumstances waiting on the other side of this present struggle. We never know until we can look back, but our future is His present.
But what happens if we choose not to love our enemies? What happens if we take our circumstances into our own hands and refuse to trust the One who knows the beginning from the end? Well, then we are "most rebellious" and deserve the distress and torment that enters our hearts.
What's the alternative? The answer is simple: obedience through faith. Do what God tells you to do. Whether He tells you to act or to sit quietly while He acts, do it. It won't make all of your problems go away, but it will certainly eliminate the ones that are preventable. Life is hard enough. Do we really want to make it harder for ourselves? I know I don't!
How often have I cried out to God that I am distressed, in torment and disturbed? I can't even count the times. But how many times have I claimed responsibility for my own distress? The speaker of these words from Lamentations got right to the heart of the issue - our rebellion against God will always lead to our own sorrow.
So often we blame our problems on other people, and perhaps, even more often, we blame our distress on our circumstances. Yes, sometimes, it really is someone else's fault that we're suffering, or it really is our circumstances that are leading us to feel sad, angry and hopeless. Jesus gives us advice on how to deal with people who we feel are just in our lives to make us miserable: Love them. Plain and simple, no arguments or excuses. Just love them the way He loves you. (Matthew 5:44) And when it's our circumstances that are getting us down? Admit that God is in control of them and cling to Him while you wait to see what He's up to (1 Peter 5:7). Perhaps He's got something to teach you. Perhaps He's got better circumstances waiting on the other side of this present struggle. We never know until we can look back, but our future is His present.
But what happens if we choose not to love our enemies? What happens if we take our circumstances into our own hands and refuse to trust the One who knows the beginning from the end? Well, then we are "most rebellious" and deserve the distress and torment that enters our hearts.
What's the alternative? The answer is simple: obedience through faith. Do what God tells you to do. Whether He tells you to act or to sit quietly while He acts, do it. It won't make all of your problems go away, but it will certainly eliminate the ones that are preventable. Life is hard enough. Do we really want to make it harder for ourselves? I know I don't!
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