Yearly Archives: 2014

What do YOU do with the Disconnect?

BOOKS, LIVE IT!

More ideas for keeping a soft heart….
with notes from A Praying Life

What do you do with the disconnect between the way you’ve dreamed that life would be,  and the hard, cold, (often lonely) realities of life as it is?

Whether you’re a young adult moving into the unknown of ‘what next?’ after years of working toward the goal of finishing school…

Or an empty-nester looking back at family life, career and all that’s gone under the bridge and wondering what’s the meaning of the rest of your life…

Or a busy parent still in the thick of making your dreams a reality–in the daily-ness of family life, of kids that aren’t always sweet, of unexpected bumps and detours on the way to one big happy family.

At any stage of life inevitably the days will come when our game plan isn’t working, when even what we perceived to be God’s game plan is malfunctioning. Didn’t He promise…Didn’t He say that if we trusted him everything would be ok?

We may have started out with clear-cut formulas and child-like confidence that God would open doors, lead the way and protect us from every ill. Pictures of perfection. Idyllic dreams. They seem to be in tatters. Have we been duped? Nobody wants to be duped. So what do you do with the temptation to ‘throw in the towel’ of your faith and take up a guarded cynicism in its place?

So much of faith feels theoretical.

I am ‘seated in the heavenlies’ and yet I feel this cracked hard Adirondack chair beneath my bones.

I believe in a God who superintends in all the affairs of man and yet…nations spiral out of control…the church is sick…families are self-destructing inside and outside its walls…and me, some days I don’t even believe praying will make any difference.

With good reason Scripture is full of admonitions to pray for one another, to encourage one another, to love and care and tend to one another’s needs… We are vulnerable to a creeping unbelief that seems a safe place to lick our wounds and protect our scars and allow some calluses to grow between our souls and a hostile world. Even the church can be an unsafe place to bare our hearts and find encouragement. What then do we do?

We hold on to what God says is true and we pray: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. And sometimes we get criticized for not facing up to ‘the real world’. God’s standards of morality seem hopelessly out of date. We look naively simplistic if we expect the Word of God to be an adequate guide for life in our times. And if we haven’t lived and breathed the work-a-day world at its worst, it is questioned whether we have the competence to preach the truth?

I’m a home-maker in a practically empty nest now. Before that I was a home-schooler with a very busy nest of five. Before that, I was trained as a linguist/Bible translator and worked hard to learn an unwritten language. Once-upon-a-time I thought I might be a single woman missionary or perhaps a librarian would be about my speed… And way back when I actually had a job for a few summer months, binding Jews for Jesus tracts and working for a non-profit printer. Apart from a few months of candy-striping and a short job at a fabric store, I have theoretically never lived or worked in ‘the real world’, as it’s called. But even I battle its agenda. I still fight for faith to keep believing when the things I see don’t budge at my praying.

I grew up in the faith, went to Christian schools, met a Christian man going the same direction, and committed to being his support from the home. I’ve been protected from many things that might be considered essential initiations to life in the twenty-first century. I vowed not to drink before I was wise enough to question making vows. I was indoctrinated about smoking by “Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue” and a very gruesome photograph of its effects (And I never got offered a cigarette anyway). I married young enough to forego giving into sex beforehand. I’ve had very little trauma in life, really.  Well, none that God wasn’t there for. Yes, I suppose I’ve missed out on a lot of the ‘real world’… a lot of pain, and hurt and addictive hooks. Does that make the truth I stand on less real? Have I missed out on the really real world?

I was thinking this week as we drove along, what would it be like if everything that was not owned outright just dissolved into thin air–the cars, the boats, the houses, the contents of those houses…everything not paid for in full, everything bought on credit. In a sense, this ‘real world’ we live in is itself an illusion. We pretend to own things that are not ours. We assume we’ll have the wherewithal to pay for them in time… But we have no guarantee of time, or ability to pay.

And consider the things you do own. They are yours, paid for in full. But how long will they last? Planned obsolescence  is for real. It once meant merely “instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary.” But manufacturers now actually design things to break in a designated time or to go out of style. It’s good for the economy. It forces innovation. So nothing’s even close to permanent. How is this the ‘real world’.

Even ‘real estate’ and precious metal are hardly a secure place to sink your investments. Markets are fickle. And ultimately it’s all going to burn (II Pet.2:7). It’s all going to be shaken–houses and lands, possessions and position. It’s temporary, as are these fragile bodies we inhabit. Everything that can be seen is temporary except the Word of God. Even the human soul is unseen.

Just because we live in this world and we can feel it and taste it and touch it, does that make it the ‘real world’? We are shaped by it and subject to its impositions, for now. But not forever. We will outlast it with this part of us that is real–this part that has nothing to do with our beauty or brains, our abilities or authority. We will live on. This part of us is for real. How are we nurturing it, growing it strong to withstand the pressures of a very tangible world that would bombard our faith into oblivion?

John says that “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.”
I Jn.5:4,5

Believing that Jesus is the Son of the living God is its essence. If I’m going to live in a way that goes beyond mere mortal existence, I must believe and keep on believing that this living Son of God is my Savior in all the messy, disappointing, perplexing ‘now’s of life. Whatever I can do to strengthen that faith, (in myself and in others), to know God’s heart and make it known, and to live by His eternal words and teach them to others—these things are investments in the real world that lasts beyond the grave.

The ‘real world’ we see has a pretense of being all that matters, but it fails to deliver anything truly lasting.  It’s not a worthy setting for our greatest dreams.

Faith holds promise for this life and the next. By faith we engage a culture gone awry. By faith we look at things not seen and we ask God to intervene in the things that are seen. By faith we follow God’s directives and make a difference in the world. But hanging on to faith in the face of ‘the real world’ is a fight.

The Word of God is our sword, and prayer our means of combat. (Consider Ephesians 6)

I’m looking again at a book I read a few years back, called A Praying Life.
It is the most refreshing book on prayer I’ve ever seen. It spoke to me where I was at then, and it speaks to me now where I find myself heading again. It addresses the cynical heart.

See if it doesn’t speak to you too: “Few of us have…courage to articulate the quiet cynicism or spiritual weariness that develops in us when heartfelt prayer goes unanswered. We keep our doubts hidden even from ourselves because we don’t want to sound like bad Christians. No reason to add shame to our cynicism. So our hearts shut down.

The glib way people talk about prayer often reinforces our cynicism. We end our conversations with “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” We have a vocabulary of “prayer speak,” including “I’ll lift you up in prayer” and “I’ll remember you in prayer.” Many who use these phrases, including us, never get around to praying. Why? Because we don’t think prayer makes much difference.”14

The author goes on to elaborate on the actual frustrations faced in praying–the distractions, the wandering mind, the worrying it dredges up…and the confusion about what makes for a ‘good prayer’. Shouldn’t we spend some time worshiping first? When that feels contrived guilt sets in…Then we make a prayer list…this gets dull and cumbersome…

He concludes, “Praying exposes how self-preoccupied we are and uncovers our doubts. It was easier on our faith not to pray. After only a few minutes, our prayer is in shambles. Barely out of the starting gate, we collapse on the sidelines–cynical, guilty, and hopeless.”15

I can relate. That’s why I’ve picked this book back up again to set my feeble knees straight.

Last week I talked about the cynicism that portends to steel our hearts from hurt but then robs us of hope too. It paralyzes us from making any difference in a world at odds with our faith. This author gets it, he’s obviously been where I am.

Can I offer you a run-through of the ‘cures for cynicism’ he has drawn from Jesus’ life?

Be warm but wary

Be innocent as a dove but wise as a serpent. Christians aren’t called to wear rose-colored glasses that obscure the ugliness of evil. But we are called to trust that God not only sees what we see, but He sees beyond it. As Christ hung obediently on the Cross He was mocked for his childlike trust in His Father…”He trusts in God; let God deliver him.” Mt.27:43 His confidence seemed naive, foolish, useless. But like a dove he held His peace and was obedient to death. And evil did not have the last word. God delivered Him on Easter morning buying us a great redemption!

Learn to Hope Again

God is a God of hope. Jesus always brought hope to those whose lives He touched. Happy endings aren’t just for the movies. But you’ve got to wait till the ending! Cynicism kills hope; God invites it. He will make all things new. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Rom.15:13

Cultivate a Childlike Spirit

“The cure for cynicism is to become like a little child again.” (86) Begin by simply asking for the help you need. Cry out for grace like a hungry child. When you cannot pray, cling to the Good Shepherd. Pray through Psalm 23 and look for the Shepherd in the midst of the darkness. Don’t focus on the evil that surrounds you.

Cultivate a Thankful Spirit

Cynicism’s stepchild is bitterness. Nothing undermines its power like thankfulness. “Cynicism looks reality in the face, calls it phony, and prides itself on its insight as it pulls back. Thanksgiving looks reality in the face and rejoices at God’s care. It replaces a bitter spirit with a generous one.” 90

Cultivate Repentance

“A significant source of cynicism is the fracture between my heart and my behavior. While purporting to “see through” others’ facades, cynics lack purity of heart.” 91  Repentance is the solution. Addressing my own heart issues, my own sin, with a humble heart will save me from the critical, negative stance of the cynic. Cultivating a lifestyle of repentance is my salvation.

Develop an Eye for Jesus

“Cynicism looks in the wrong direction. It looks for the cracks in Christianity instead of looking for the presence of Jesus. It is an orientation of the heart…A principal source of cynicism comes from looking up at Christian leaders who have gotten Jesus’ kingdom mixed up with their own.” 97

Instead, look lower. Humility makes people disappear. Look for these ones who quietly reflect the presence of Jesus in the small things.

“Instead of focusing on other people’s lack of integrity, on their split personalities, we need to focus on how Jesus is reshaping the church to be more like himself. We need to view the body of Christ with grace.”99

“Christians aren’t superior [to unbelievers], but our Savior is. He makes the difference. He is alive and well in his church.”99

————-

I can see I need to get into this book again. It’s easy to let my faith be overcome in the disconnect between reality and the things I’d hoped for. Then praying falters and doubt grows. I’ve been there lately.

I’d love for you to join me in reading A Praying Life. Do drop me a note and we’ll compare notes as we go!  [For a more complete description, see my original book review at: A Few Good Books http://thestackofdawn.blogspot.com/2011/08/praying-lifemiller.html]

But whether you get to read this book or not, don’t neglect to read the One that matters most–the eternal classic you can live by for eternity!

And as you read, by faith turn those words into prayer…

And keep believing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGMrU-rT5L0

I believe He is the Christ, Son of the Living God!

–LS

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, with is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel…

===============

A Praying Life–Connecting with God in a Distracting World is by Paul E. Miller, published in 2009 by NavPress.

Keeping a soft heart in a hostile world…

LIVE IT!

Image by Violeta Dabija

It’s a big bad world out there for defenseless sheep. There are wolves in the woods. (There are even wolves in the sheep pen, posing as sheep!) Bad things happen without explanation or ‘just’ cause.  Good people become jaded and use positions of influence to serve their own ends…

If you look closely enough, everyone’s got a dark side, a hidden agenda, a selfish intent. They’re all out to make a buck, manipulate you, sell you something, or gain a following…At least that’s how it seems…

How do you safely keep a soft heart in such a place? It’s so tempting to become a cynic. You’re bound to be taken advantage of, have the wool pulled over your eyes, be found following a charlatan or be crushingly disappointed at some point, if you’re going to continue being just a helpless, hapless sheep, or so it seems…

Cynicism is a natural enough reaction.  Of course it’s not seen as a reaction at all.  We’d say we are discerning, smart, ‘in the know’, informed.  We’re just being critical thinkers, right?  Cynicism has the draw of gossip: “Did you hear…”  It numbers us with those who are aware of what’s really going on.  We become the elite–those honest and authentic souls always cued for a rant to set the record straight, especially at another’s expense.  Tearing down, exposing, critiquing…to what end?  It justifies our suspicions that noone is to be trusted.  And it hardens our hearts.

That’s what’s wrong with cynicism.  While it may keep you from being taken advantage of (you’ll have seen it coming), from being disappointed (you weren’t expecting much), and from being mistaken for a naïve optimist (no chance) cynicism has fierce side-effects.  The first hint of these is in the word’s derivation. The Greek means: “having the qualities of a surly dog; snarling; currish; austere.”  Our modern definition seems more noble: believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.

This doesn’t sound like such a bad idea; after all, man is basically sinful by nature.  But the problem with a cynical heart is that it doesn’t stop at being doubtful of human goodness.  It doubts God’s goodness, His active presence in the world, and His ability to transform evil into good.  Evil looms larger than God.

We may safely doubt the motives of a man or a movement,  but when we doubt God’s good purposes  and His power to achieve them, we strike at the foundations of our faith. God is still looking for child-like faith. Not ignorance or gullibility.  Not belief in everything and everyone.  But a faith that is ready to believe HIM.  This is what pleases Him.  Trusting in God’s goodness is at the heart of a child-like faith that looks to its loving Father to do what is best, in every circumstance, for all eternity. This is the essence of a soft heart.

The trade-off for averting nasty surprises by fixating on what’s wrong in the world, is the loss of wonder and of joy. The cynic, claiming to live realistically, sees evil behind every bush (and pulpit) while being blinded to the goodness of God.

Trust and hope become luxuries he cannot afford, so why pray?

Without prayer, God seems distant, making evil appear even more prominent and powerful.

How do we escape the spiraling whirlpool of cynicism and maintain a soft and trusting heart?

“Men ought always to pray and not to faint” Lk.18:1  I know this, but when I’m fainting, what then?  How do you keep praying when evil seems stifling, when your prayers seem to go unheard, and when life drags on in a ‘same old’ way with so little encouragement, so little evidence of God’s loving hand…What then?

How do I keep a soft and trusting heart and keep cynicism at bay when it slinks in and tempts me not to bother with praying?

I ask these questions not from mere theoretical curiosity. I’ve seen the inroads of cynicism, the damage it can do.  And I’ve felt its pull on my own heart lately.  It’s a temptation that grows with age and life experience. I have the one, my children are gaining the other. But I’m convinced this temptation to doubt and cynicism is one we’ve got to fight at any age.
But how?

“Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

I’ve given this so much thought lately that I will have to save some fodder for next time.  But for now some basic starting points that have helped me keep my footing, so far…

A critical starting point in our fight against the lure of cynicism is to remember who we are, where we live and why!

Who we are…

Ultimately, (assuming we belong to Jesus), we are sheep, absolutely dependent on the Shepherd to direct and protect our paths, and to provide for us all that we will need to live for Him in a wolf-infested world among whom we appear as bait! (read Paul on this point! and see the Hebrews 11 crowd trotting about in sheepskins…Rom.8:36; Ps.44:22; Heb.11:38)We are the sheep of God’s pasture; it’s not all up to us to protect ourselves from hurt.

Where we live…

We live in enemy territory, in a region influenced heavily by the Evil One.  (That explains a lot!)  “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” I Jn.5:19

Just look around. Life gets very very messy lived outside of God’s design.  When man does what seems right in his own eyes, we’ve all seen (or lived out) the results. The brokenness that results in people’s lives is overwhelming to contemplate.  It can drag us down just looking on. It can make our hearts grow cold and hard. It all seems so hopeless. This was the way that seemed right short years ago.  Now behold the mess.

What to expect—Why are we here?

We’re not guaranteed a carefree passage through this world, unscathed by sin and suffering.  Though our aim is to live a life worthy of our Shepherd, reflecting His goodness as we traipse down the trail, we will sometimes fail.  So will those around us.  Offenses will come. Expect it.  But don’t let them take your eyes off the Shepherd.

Sin and evil are no match for His goodness and grace. They only serve to magnify it!

Consider this.. Does all the wreckage in our lives not prove that only God’s ways are perfect?  God is always right.  He can and should be trusted with our life plan.

When we’re done staring numbly at the mess, God is there, a strong Redeemer, ready and willing to pick up pieces, restore wasted years, and turn all for good. He waits only for us to turn to Him conceding ‘You are right. I was wrong. I want to do it your way’.  This is repentance.  This is the way to life.  This is the way of the soft heart. We can be more than conquerors because He has loved us (Rom.8:37) Sin need not have the final word.  It’s real. Evil’s rampant. Yet we can walk in this world, neither oblivious to it nor consumed by it–‘Wise as serpents, but innocent as doves’. Mt.10:16  And in so doing we begin to overcome it by reflecting how Good is our God’s design.

Another essential in the fight

To keep our hearts soft and believing beyond what we see, we must hold on to an absolute standard of truth.  Perhaps it goes without saying that we’ve got to hang onto God’s Word as our Guide in everything. But the world has long since jettisoned this anchor and the church is increasingly doubting its relevance for our times.  Human judgment inevitably takes its place and even writes out church policy that seems right for our times but will not take us where we mean to go.

“It seems to me” is not enough!

We must do war on “It seems to me”. Even our best judgments can be wrong.  Without God’s authoritative Word we are little lost sheep following our noses.   We do not see the cliff’s edge hidden in the hedge of hay.

People who’ve become disillusioned with evangelicalism, for instance, will tend to write off Scripture as an authoritative guide to right and wrong. It is nonsense to hold to The Bible as an inerrant and absolute standard, they protest.  We cannot know with certainty what God wants of us (or anything else!).  Black and white are read as  gray. And all that’s left is to resort to their own best judgment—“It seems to me”.  This is a slippery slope to endless deception.  It is the cynic’s playground. Not only are things not always as they seem, but most of life is actually unseen. Only God sees the end from the beginning, transcending all cultures and all times.  And He’s written the play book.  We must trust His Word. It’s the only reliable guide to live by. “It seems to me”  is not enough.

What does this look like in practical terms?

For me it means steeping my heart in the Bible from front to back, daily.  I’m still thriving on this year’s new reading plan of six or seven chapters a day, not as a rigid rule but as an incredible opportunity to see God’s heart from Genesis to Revelation, every day.

Some days I don’t read.  I begin to lose perspective. Then  I come back to the Word and continue with David’s story of waiting on God to fulfill His good promises and crown him as king.  Running through years of fear and trouble in the mean time, but learning to encourage himself in the Lord. (I Sam.30:6)

I read the psalmists floundering in hope: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God” (Ps.42:5)

I see the prophets pleading with people to turn back and experience God’s goodness or follow their hearts to death’s door.

I listen to Jesus—Come to me that you may have life.  I see his disciples sticking with their master when everyone is offended at his teaching. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn.6:68)

And I’m admonished by Paul to  hold fast to the word of life; it makes us stand out in a crooked and twisted generation. (Phil. 2:15)

All this scope of God’s Words I see in a day, while I’m washing the dishes, or brushing my teeth, or catching some still moments, and I’m encouraged. It doesn’t take long, maybe half an hour.  It’s as easy as tapping a smart phone and pressing play.  Or finding my reading glasses and sitting down for a minute!

If you haven’t got a plan to read, start now.  My own plan is here; or scroll to the top of this post up and check out the Just Read It tab for other ideas. It’s always the right time to begin.  And do check out the audio bible option at esvbible.org.  [It couldn’t be simpler. Tap the Bible icon. Choose your chapter. Tap the play button.  And voila, it’s read to you, on your computer, your phone or your pad!]

The Word is our life line to hope and perspective.  It will grow your faith and shield you from the cynic’s mindset.  It is life! My heart may be quavering, things may look bad, but God is good, no matter what the cynics say, and His Word will stand.

When we live in it and walk in its truth we need not fear the Big Bad Wolf. Like the one wise pig in the tale of the three-some, we are secure in this house.  The Big Bad Wolf can huff and he can puff but he shan’t blow our house down. We have run to the right place!

–LS

‘Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord: in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.’ Eph.2:19-22

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith…Eph.6:16

“For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called…For the Lord has called you…’with great compassion I will gather you…with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord, your Redeemer.” Is.54:5-8

Things to Remember…Things to Forget

LIVE IT!

Why do we remember the things we should forget and forget the things we should remember? We can coddle offenses, abrasive remarks, slights, and snubs…remembering their perpetrators for decades…while we forget the innumerable transgressions we ourselves have been forgiven?

Maybe you don’t; I do.

When you grow up in church, there are things you tend to take for granted–like the love of God. I cannot remember a time when I felt alone in the universe, unloved and unwanted, without God in the world. [Well, ok, there have been emotional upheavals of temporary insanity where I ‘felt’ unloved and unwanted…] I have always known, at least in theory, that I am loved.

The catch is when we take God’s love for granted, we miss its deeply heart-transforming effects, especially when it comes to loving and forgiving others.

Having grown up among a ‘faithful few’ who considered themselves rather holier than the common lot, I assumed it rather natural that God would love us. Being so ‘good’ at keeping rules made us just the loveable sort, right? This rather flew in the face of reality. Truth is, there are few things more repugnant than the ‘holier-than-thou’ when they are busy being ‘good’. But sin is deceitful and pride is deceptive and it’s one of the last things we recognize in ourselves… So God has to keep bringing it to my attention.

He has a way of putting His finger on things to expose the contrast between my heart and His. It seems that the things He would choose to forgive and forget, I remember. The things He calls me to remember, I forget.

This week we had a trip down memory lane… back to Junior High. I was insecure, shy except with closest friends, good at grades but poor at relationships. I will not speak for ‘her’, only that she, for whatever reason, whether knowingly or obliviously, trampled on my insecurities and caused me pain and embarrassment that has stuck with me. My wounded pride callused over with resentment that still simmers at the memories. Her personality was to me ‘overbearing’ and down through the years I have met others like her, with similar reaction. If these sorts are unavoidable, I quietly resent them and am quick to keep account of their wrongs. These slights are of course trivial in comparison to the forgiveness I’ve been shown, yet I remember the offense and forget the forgiveness. Why is that?

Why would I rather inventory my scars than remember the scars that bought my forgiveness?

Is it really so unpardonable that a person should be unappreciative of my finer qualities and insensitive to my vulnerabilities? Is God’s love so inadequate that I’m left dependent on human substitutes?

I clearly haven’t grasped the significance of this love I say I know. It’s obvious in the things I choose to remember and those I casually forget. I am a poor lover, too often living in an illusion that I am somehow more deserving of love than are the people who overlook or offend me. Forgetting what I’ve been forgiven, I am quick to remember their sin, and to keep remembering…

It appears that in my grateful tallying of God’s multitudinous daily love gifts (home, family, garden, eyesight, flowers, and such) I have overlooked the primary evidence of His Love–His forgiveness of my innumerable offenses against Him. When I miss this, I am in turn a poor lover, keeping long accounts of others’ faults and no account of my own. Yet “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom.5:8 This clearly wasn’t a case of my being just irresistibly loveable! Yet he overlooked my offensiveness and invited me to live forgiven, as a testimony to His Glorious Love.

Whose glory am I living for when I take offense at being slighted?

He chose to destroy the record of my wrongs and never hold them against me.

Who am I to keep a record of wrongs?

Jesus’ words came through loud and clear in Sunday’s sermon from Matthew 5. This is the passage where He elaborates on what true righteousness looks like–you know, the one that redefines murder. While we plead innocent as long as we haven’t actually killed anyone, God cross-examines: But have you been angry? Have you insulted? Have you called your sister a ‘Fool!’ (Matthew 5:21ff) My disdain for those God loves immensely (as much as He loves me) is not lightly excused. It’s not the way His Kingdom works. I have been forgiven much. If I grasp this, I will love much. And love holds no record of wrongs…

Why then do I cling to offenses and perceived snubs as though my life depended on it? Are they scapegoats that excuse my faults and justify my weaknesses and so explain ‘the way I am’… (Do I really want to stay this way?)

Must I find fault with you so that my faults don’t look so offensive? Is that it? If this is so, I have not understood forgiveness or valued this unconditional love in which I live and move and have my being!

While washing dishes in the middle of these ponderings, just above the sink I read these words:

In Him we have redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses,

according to the riches of His grace,

which he LAVISHED on us—

All this is part of God’s ultimate plan to unite everything and everyone in Christ, to the praise of His Glory! (Eph.1:7-10)

Here’s the perspective I need to remember when strolls down memory lane evoke negative emotions. Remember this. You’ve been salvaged, forgiven, and lavishly graced with unfathomable love, all for God’s great glory. How then can I view somebody else’s petty faults as unpardonable?

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Rom.14:4

I took Sunday’s sermon home with me and looked again at Matthew 5… There I was happily journaling away trying to get to the bottom of my hurts and soothe my psyche…when, WHAT’S THIS? I found these instructions following the bit about calling your brother a fool: “SO, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there REMEMBER that your brother has something AGAINST YOU, leave your gift there… and go be reconciled to your brother first, then come and offer your gift!”(Mt.5:23,24)

Here I’ve been all wrapped up in who owes me some apology for their existence, and God’s saying to remember whom I have offended!

Now that’s a turn-around! Why isn’t this the first thing on my mind to resolve? My offensiveness! Who’s keeping tabs on that?

God has loved me in spite of my sins against Him. He invites me to abide in this love–to know it and to show it in the self-forgetful way I love and forgive.

Sure, we all want people to care about us, to encourage us, to be keen on our interests and sensitive to our vulnerabilities. But when they don’t we find out how well we’re abiding in God’s love. Can we forego being made much of in order to make much of the One who loves us inexhaustibly? When we choose to love and to forgive rather than be consumed with our hurts, we show what God is like.

And I expect that as we do, we’ll begin to appreciate more fully His unfathomable love, for us AND for ‘them’. Then maybe we’ll begin to forget the things He forgets, and to remember the things He remembers. And our strolls down memory lane will become opportunities to stand in awe of all we’ve been forgiven, and how very well we are loved!

 

Remembering…

  • This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me… Lk.22:19
  • Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Rom.15:7

Forgetting…

  • Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Mt.6:12
  • Owe no one anything, except to love each other. Rom.13:8
  • Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Col.3:12-13

–LS

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil.3:12-14

What we proclaim…[Why do I blog anyway?!]

LIVE IT!

“What we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ.”  Paul said this,
a long time ago.

Times have changed.  Now there’s Facebook and Google+.  There are endless blogs and social twitter to sustain the soul’s endless craving for  attention.  We all want to matter, to someone.  And now all the world can know what I am doing, what I am thinking, and what I look like—at any given moment!  Never has there been such potential to proclaim ourselves!—or, to feel the sagging weight of going unnoticed.

I am not pointing any fingers. (I’m only too aware that any time you point a finger at somebody else, three are pointing back at yourself. Try it and see.)   I blog. I use Facebook, and I am even trying out Google+.  What for? I like to think it’s because I want to stay connected, to keep up with friends and family and to share my life with people I don’t often see. I do mean for my writing to make Jesus look great.  But maybe I post (sometimes?) just  to be seen, thought of, admired, and praised?

After all, has something really happened if it’s not documented with a  picture or status update on Facebook!   Like what’s the value of a tandem ride that’s not recorded on STRAVA to see the stats—the mileage, the calories burned, the altitude climbed, the hours elapsed and HOW I MEASURE UP to fellow-cyclists!  The burning question rises: Am I significant without Comments or Kudos?

Is a wildflower beautiful if it’s never been seen by anyone?  Is a tree grand if it stands on a mountain top unseen by human eyes?  Does its falling make a noise if no one is there to hear it?

So I write these Dawn Ponderings, putting in print what I am learning from the Word and from life walked out with the Spirit (and from the trips and falls)…hoping these words will not fall to the ground unseen, daring to believe that they will have some impact for good somewhere…or make at least a flashing blink of a difference in that moment they traverse your brain waves, before they are lost in the sea of words and media in which we float on the Internet…

But I’ve faltered; I’ve taken a sabbatical.  It started out as a week’s travel break, which led to nearly three months of break, and a chance to consider—Why do I blog anyway?  Is it just to be thought clever / spiritual / wise? Or am I writing for a bigger purpose that goes beyond seeking comments and kudos?

Since last I wrote here there have been travels, and family visits, and grandkid pictures by the score, and hours in the garden, and more hours    spent reading in the summer sun.  Lots and lots of words have been ingested—good words, God’s Words,  and a few poured out in ink.  And every week as Friday has neared I’ve thought of what I could write about, but hesitated to plunge back in to weekly posts.

I have plenty of excuses for not writing—most having to do with protecting my pride.   I have nothing clever to say, and likely nothing original—at least compared to other choice blogs I read…There are plenty of other writers doing it better and more compellingly than I can. What difference will it make if I drop out? (What does a middle toe have to offer anyway?)

I’m a slow writer.  It takes me time to churn out what is really in my heart and mind. Is it worth the effort?

And always there are the ‘gremlins’ on my shoulder, those doubts every would-be-writer knows–you can’t keep this up. Who do you think you are?  You’re a hypocrite. You don’t live out what you write about…

Wow.  Well that last accusation could silence me forever.  Who practices perfectly what they know to be true? We are, after all, only clay pots. Does that invalidate the message? Paul had it right.  He knew that his message had little to do with himself, except as servant, and everything to do with Jesus, as Lord, and worthy of all the kudos!

His words arrested my mullings over why I write: “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”  (II Cor.4:5) Enough of my reasons, my excuses, my self!   I am but the medium, the clay pot through which the message shines.  It’s not about me.  If it were, it would be as short-lived as most social twitter, like the blink of a firefly on a hot summer’s night. There, then gone.

But if it’s God’s Word and character and power and kingdom and wonderfulness that I exist to make known… well that’s an everlastingly worthwhile vocation!  And the pressure is off for me to be news-worthy, clever or brilliant!  Clay pots generally aren’t.

So here I am commencing again, my eyes set on my role– to live through all the ordinary, crazy, and humbling moments of my life believing God is great and God is good and God is with me in the midst of it all…then to write from that God-confidence, not to make much of me but of the One who

grants the faith

and supplies the grace

and gives the ability to be a steady middle toe (that feels compelled to write!)

If you see the doubts, fears, and shortcomings that will inevitably (and repeatedly) surface, may they only serve to highlight how amazing God is to entrust His message to clay pots!

Life assaults us all.  Paul knew hardships I will never dream of (Consider II Cor. 4:8,9;   6:4ff;  11:23ff) but he kept believing in the unseen glory that transcended all these trials.  And from that position of faith he spoke.  He joined the ranks of all the faithful gone before him when he asserted:

‘we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.’ (II Cor. 4:14)

  • He knew that faith expressed is mutually encouraging. (Rom.1:12)
  • He gloried in his weaknesses, knowing they would make the power of Christ all the more visible (II Cor.12:9,10)
  • And he refused to rely on people feedback for his approval.  He wasn’t dependent on ‘likes’ and comments and kudos.  He chose to be a trustworthy steward answerable to God. (I Cor.4:3-4)

I am stirred, encouraged and challenged to take these things to heart and to continue writing, for the strengthening of my own faith,  and by His grace, of yours too(?)

I have missed writing here.  I find I need the exercise of distilling brainwaves into print.  It is for me a way of taking thoughts captive and making them align with the Word.  And I need the written reminders of things that are true, the record of what God has impressed on my heart.

And I welcome your company; feel free to read over my shoulder.  I trust we’ll be mutually encouraged to look always beyond the seen things to the Unseen.  That is where the ‘well-done, good and faithful servant’ lies.  That’s what we’re living for.

–LS

So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day…as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (II Cor.4:16ff)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Cor.12:9)

 

 

Until further notice…

Jots and Tittles

My ponderings are on hold.  Travel does this to me.  I’m happily home from a visit with my sister and her family. My head’s chock-full of happy memories but void of ponderings to share.

So for now, I invite you to peruse the archives… or better yet, open the Word and ponder direct!

Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll be back, Lord willing, when I’ve caught my breath and found something to say.

–LS

P1130169