My brother upsets me more quickly than perhaps anyone else on the planet. And probably vice versa. To be honest, we've never had the kind of relationship part of me wishes we'd had. We were just too different. Yet when we needed each other, we were there for each other. He is my brother.
But he is only my blood brother...or perhaps better said, my earthly brother. The bonds that Christ has placed on all those who believe in Him are far stronger than any DNA my brother and I might be very similar in. Far stronger than our shared experiences and trials. Far stronger than all the times we've fought and reconciled. Far stronger than all the times we've been there for each other.
When you go to church, do you think of everyone there as a brother and sister? No, you probably don't even know most of them if you're in a large church. When someone cuts you off in traffic, do you remember that God loves that person every bit as much as He loves you? When you see someone in the world going home with a random person every night, do you judge them or recall that God yearns for that person to realize what they're doing to themselves and what they're missing out on? When your brother or sister in Christ sins against you, do you hold a grudge because "they should have known better than to treat me like that" or do you forgive readily? More than any family member on earth, you are blood relatives of the body of Christ.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
You Just Don't Get It, Do You?
Everyone knows her, the female friend who's hopelessly taken in by the wrong guy for her. You see he's the wrong guy. Her friends see it. Sometimes, even she sees it, but can't help it.
When I see such a woman, I wish I could perform a little brain surgery and just scoop out all the nonsense that's festering in there. I want to just say, "Don't you see what this is doing to you? Can't you see who he is? Don't you know that he's not what's best for you?"
And all this time, I'm being a hypocrite.
I'm being a hypocrite because I follow after idols. Not Baal or Zeus or anyone like that, but in my heart, I've bowed down and worshiped money, women, power, sex, popularity, and other things - essentially, I worshiped myself because all of those things I wanted for selfish reasons and I wanted them more than I wanted God.
And God is up in Heaven, wanting to perform a little heart surgery on me, wanting to ask if I see what it is doing to me, wanting to make me see that what I am chasing after is keeping me from what I really need.
In church today, there was a sermon about trusting God to provide and having our priorities in order. In Link, the young adults group we have afterward to discuss the sermon, we were told to put down our priorities in order, along with ones that should have made our list but didn't. My priorities have been so far out of order. And neither dealing with my issues (or rather, asking God to help me deal with them and praying for strength and wisdom on them since I can't do it alone) nor repairing broken relationships even made it to my list of priorities. I haven't been serious about my walk with God, about being an example of Him to others, both inside and outside the church.
What are your priorities in life right now? Be honest with yourself and with God (you can't lie to Him anyway). What have you not made a priority that you should? What have you been making a priority that really isn't that important?
Your life has a purpose. There is a glorious plan for you, no matter who you are. It may not lead to fame and fortune and glory, but it will lead you to something far better than any of those could ever be: God Himself. Whatever you have become, wherever you are at right now, you are not too far from God's plan that He can't bring you back. Set Him as your priority and listen as He guides the rest of your priorities. A purpose-driven life guided by God can accomplish more in one day than you alone could accomplish in a lifetime.
When I see such a woman, I wish I could perform a little brain surgery and just scoop out all the nonsense that's festering in there. I want to just say, "Don't you see what this is doing to you? Can't you see who he is? Don't you know that he's not what's best for you?"
And all this time, I'm being a hypocrite.
I'm being a hypocrite because I follow after idols. Not Baal or Zeus or anyone like that, but in my heart, I've bowed down and worshiped money, women, power, sex, popularity, and other things - essentially, I worshiped myself because all of those things I wanted for selfish reasons and I wanted them more than I wanted God.
And God is up in Heaven, wanting to perform a little heart surgery on me, wanting to ask if I see what it is doing to me, wanting to make me see that what I am chasing after is keeping me from what I really need.
In church today, there was a sermon about trusting God to provide and having our priorities in order. In Link, the young adults group we have afterward to discuss the sermon, we were told to put down our priorities in order, along with ones that should have made our list but didn't. My priorities have been so far out of order. And neither dealing with my issues (or rather, asking God to help me deal with them and praying for strength and wisdom on them since I can't do it alone) nor repairing broken relationships even made it to my list of priorities. I haven't been serious about my walk with God, about being an example of Him to others, both inside and outside the church.
What are your priorities in life right now? Be honest with yourself and with God (you can't lie to Him anyway). What have you not made a priority that you should? What have you been making a priority that really isn't that important?
Your life has a purpose. There is a glorious plan for you, no matter who you are. It may not lead to fame and fortune and glory, but it will lead you to something far better than any of those could ever be: God Himself. Whatever you have become, wherever you are at right now, you are not too far from God's plan that He can't bring you back. Set Him as your priority and listen as He guides the rest of your priorities. A purpose-driven life guided by God can accomplish more in one day than you alone could accomplish in a lifetime.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Good Samaritan, Innkeeper, Levite, or Thief?
Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. For those who aren't, a Jew is traveling down a road and gets robbed and beaten up, then left for dead. A priest and then a Levite both come by and pass on the other side of the road. Then a Samaritan comes and binds the man's wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays the innkeeper to take care of the man until he returns.
Aside from the victim, there are four types of people in the story. First, there are the thieves, who want something for nothing. They simply take from the man and don't care about him at all.
Then there is the priest and Levite, who are essentially the same character. They want nothing for nothing. They don't hurt the man, but they don't help him, either. They gain nothing and lose nothing.
Then there is the innkeeper, who is willing to help the man, but only for something in return. He wants something for something.
Lastly, there is the Good Samaritan, who wants nothing for something. He loses money and time in helping the man and doesn't get anything in return. It's also important to note that Samaritans and Jews didn't get along. If there was anyone who should have passed by on the other side, or even rejoiced at the other man's misfortune, it was the Samaritan, but he's the only one who cares.
We all play each of these roles at times. Hopefully, we don't play the thief too often, but let's face it: sometimes our own selfish interests make us not care what happens to the other person, particularly if we believe they're wrong or somehow inferior to us or if we're hurting badly at the time.
Perhaps most often, we play the priest and Levite. We drive right past someone on the highway whose car has broken down or walk right past the homeless person. We see commercials on TV for starving children in Africa and change the channel to a football game because it's more entertaining. Or, in perhaps a more everyday context, we see that someone in our office is hurting, but don't bother to find out what's wrong.
When we do happen to do what's right, there almost always seems to be a bit of innkeeper in us. Even when we know we're not going to get paid in money, we want something, be it recognition from others, respect, some credit in our heavenly account that we can use against God, or even to get a certain someone to notice us. We're all looking for ways we can be rewarded here on earth for what we're doing.
Rarely, when God works through us, we can do something from a pure motive. Even then, it's hard to not let innkeeper thoughts in, but such thoughts can be resisted. We can be truly generous as God wants us to be.
One thing that helps me sometimes is to remember that I don't own a darn thing. Everything I have - from my car to my laptop to my socks to my next breath - all are essentially loans from God. I've been given a stewardship over them and an account will be required of me on how I've used them. If these things are not mine to begin with, it makes parting with them a little easier. It also helps me focus my trust on God when I realize that all that I have is because He has seen fit to provide it.
Let go of what you're holding on so tightly to. It was never really yours to begin with.
Aside from the victim, there are four types of people in the story. First, there are the thieves, who want something for nothing. They simply take from the man and don't care about him at all.
Then there is the priest and Levite, who are essentially the same character. They want nothing for nothing. They don't hurt the man, but they don't help him, either. They gain nothing and lose nothing.
Then there is the innkeeper, who is willing to help the man, but only for something in return. He wants something for something.
Lastly, there is the Good Samaritan, who wants nothing for something. He loses money and time in helping the man and doesn't get anything in return. It's also important to note that Samaritans and Jews didn't get along. If there was anyone who should have passed by on the other side, or even rejoiced at the other man's misfortune, it was the Samaritan, but he's the only one who cares.
We all play each of these roles at times. Hopefully, we don't play the thief too often, but let's face it: sometimes our own selfish interests make us not care what happens to the other person, particularly if we believe they're wrong or somehow inferior to us or if we're hurting badly at the time.
Perhaps most often, we play the priest and Levite. We drive right past someone on the highway whose car has broken down or walk right past the homeless person. We see commercials on TV for starving children in Africa and change the channel to a football game because it's more entertaining. Or, in perhaps a more everyday context, we see that someone in our office is hurting, but don't bother to find out what's wrong.
When we do happen to do what's right, there almost always seems to be a bit of innkeeper in us. Even when we know we're not going to get paid in money, we want something, be it recognition from others, respect, some credit in our heavenly account that we can use against God, or even to get a certain someone to notice us. We're all looking for ways we can be rewarded here on earth for what we're doing.
Rarely, when God works through us, we can do something from a pure motive. Even then, it's hard to not let innkeeper thoughts in, but such thoughts can be resisted. We can be truly generous as God wants us to be.
One thing that helps me sometimes is to remember that I don't own a darn thing. Everything I have - from my car to my laptop to my socks to my next breath - all are essentially loans from God. I've been given a stewardship over them and an account will be required of me on how I've used them. If these things are not mine to begin with, it makes parting with them a little easier. It also helps me focus my trust on God when I realize that all that I have is because He has seen fit to provide it.
Let go of what you're holding on so tightly to. It was never really yours to begin with.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Fragments of a Shattered Mirror
We were created in the image of God. You can say we are little action figures of Him or mirrors that are supposed to reflect Him. But our mirrors have been shattered by our sins. We were created perfect, only to destroy that perfect image. We were never gods ourselves, much like a mirror is never a person, but when the mirror is perfect, you can see what's reflecting off of it perfectly.
When it's shattered, you see fragments. You don't get the complete picture. And what you do get is corrupted. It comes back at a different angle or has those cracks in it that cover up part of the image. It's nowhere near the same as what it was meant to be.
Christians and non-Christians alike were made in God's image. Both have had their mirrors shattered, so neither portrays God like we were meant to. Yet, with a fractured mirror, you can still see some of what the mirror is reflecting. Some pieces of the mirror may be broken, some lined so heavily with those cracks that you can't make anything out in patches, but some parts are in tact enough that you can look at them and see some of what you are meant to see. It's why some non-Christians can be selfless (or nearly so) on occasions and dive on a grenade for their friends or push a stranger out of the way of a bus. It's why they can be forgiving and generous and genuinely interested in others. It's part of what they were meant to show coming through despite the cracks in their mirror.
Because Christians are supposed to be close to God, the world assumes (and with a degree of validity) that our mirrors are supposed to have fewer cracks, that we are to practice what we preach. The problems with this are two-fold:
1. Our mirrors are never crack-free on this earth. It is God working in us to restore the damage our sin has done, but we are still humans, and thus we will never be perfect mirrors for God in this lifetime. If the world holds us to this standard, they will inevitably be disappointed and jaded. Christians should do what the Bible says, but...
2. Our primary message should not be that one has to strictly adhere to the law. It wasn't Jesus' message, why do so many Christians make it theirs? Jesus message was simple: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And if you're doing the first, you'll automatically be doing the second. When non-Christians get on us for our hypocrisy, it's not just calling us out on our sins, it's calling us out on our message to them. If our message is that God loves us all and wants us to be in Him and know Him, that our ticket to Heaven is His Son and not our good works, that God loves us in spite of our failures and not because of what little good we do (which is almost always tainted with selfishness anyway), then we will help people to look beyond the cracks that are still in our mirrors and, through God's grace and help, become closer to the image of Christ that we were meant to be.
When it's shattered, you see fragments. You don't get the complete picture. And what you do get is corrupted. It comes back at a different angle or has those cracks in it that cover up part of the image. It's nowhere near the same as what it was meant to be.
Christians and non-Christians alike were made in God's image. Both have had their mirrors shattered, so neither portrays God like we were meant to. Yet, with a fractured mirror, you can still see some of what the mirror is reflecting. Some pieces of the mirror may be broken, some lined so heavily with those cracks that you can't make anything out in patches, but some parts are in tact enough that you can look at them and see some of what you are meant to see. It's why some non-Christians can be selfless (or nearly so) on occasions and dive on a grenade for their friends or push a stranger out of the way of a bus. It's why they can be forgiving and generous and genuinely interested in others. It's part of what they were meant to show coming through despite the cracks in their mirror.
Because Christians are supposed to be close to God, the world assumes (and with a degree of validity) that our mirrors are supposed to have fewer cracks, that we are to practice what we preach. The problems with this are two-fold:
1. Our mirrors are never crack-free on this earth. It is God working in us to restore the damage our sin has done, but we are still humans, and thus we will never be perfect mirrors for God in this lifetime. If the world holds us to this standard, they will inevitably be disappointed and jaded. Christians should do what the Bible says, but...
2. Our primary message should not be that one has to strictly adhere to the law. It wasn't Jesus' message, why do so many Christians make it theirs? Jesus message was simple: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And if you're doing the first, you'll automatically be doing the second. When non-Christians get on us for our hypocrisy, it's not just calling us out on our sins, it's calling us out on our message to them. If our message is that God loves us all and wants us to be in Him and know Him, that our ticket to Heaven is His Son and not our good works, that God loves us in spite of our failures and not because of what little good we do (which is almost always tainted with selfishness anyway), then we will help people to look beyond the cracks that are still in our mirrors and, through God's grace and help, become closer to the image of Christ that we were meant to be.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What Does Being Good Mean?
Alexandre Dumas once wrote, "We are not truly generous and good save from the moment when the eye has become hardened and the heart remains tender."
But we can't do that on our own, can we? Someone hurts us, and we hold a grudge, and even when we forgive, we don't trust them again, and sometimes not even ourselves. We see the evil around us and wonder at how people can be the way they are...before we go off and do things that make them wonder the same about us.
I don't believe that people are inherently malicious, just inherently selfish. Our malice comes from our pain, and our pain comes from the clash between other people's greed and our own.
I know how hypocritical I am, getting angry with others for what they've done to me. Some of my anger would be justified, according to the world's system, for they have wronged me when I've been good, or at least neutral, to them. But I'm hypocritical because I know that I've offended others, caused others to lose trust in me and, by extension, lose a little of the trust they have in mankind.
And it's precisely because we're so far from perfect and have so little trust in mankind that our trust should be elsewhere. We spend so much time and energy worrying about what others think of us and trying to earn their acceptance, and so much more time and energy judging those who are not like us. So little time seeking God and asking Him to soften our hearts.
God, please help me through my hurts. I know this world has pain in it, but I also know that You are strong enough to see me through anything You allow to happen to me. Please help me realize in my heart that You are bigger than those who have offended me, that You are in control of everything and not them, and that even I can't mess up my life so badly that You can't fix it. And, Lord, help me to not cause pain to others or make them distrust people. Help me to be a sign post that points the way to you. Help me to understand why they do what they do and want to help them no matter what they do to me. My eyes are becoming hardened, God, please keep my heart tender.
But we can't do that on our own, can we? Someone hurts us, and we hold a grudge, and even when we forgive, we don't trust them again, and sometimes not even ourselves. We see the evil around us and wonder at how people can be the way they are...before we go off and do things that make them wonder the same about us.
I don't believe that people are inherently malicious, just inherently selfish. Our malice comes from our pain, and our pain comes from the clash between other people's greed and our own.
I know how hypocritical I am, getting angry with others for what they've done to me. Some of my anger would be justified, according to the world's system, for they have wronged me when I've been good, or at least neutral, to them. But I'm hypocritical because I know that I've offended others, caused others to lose trust in me and, by extension, lose a little of the trust they have in mankind.
And it's precisely because we're so far from perfect and have so little trust in mankind that our trust should be elsewhere. We spend so much time and energy worrying about what others think of us and trying to earn their acceptance, and so much more time and energy judging those who are not like us. So little time seeking God and asking Him to soften our hearts.
God, please help me through my hurts. I know this world has pain in it, but I also know that You are strong enough to see me through anything You allow to happen to me. Please help me realize in my heart that You are bigger than those who have offended me, that You are in control of everything and not them, and that even I can't mess up my life so badly that You can't fix it. And, Lord, help me to not cause pain to others or make them distrust people. Help me to be a sign post that points the way to you. Help me to understand why they do what they do and want to help them no matter what they do to me. My eyes are becoming hardened, God, please keep my heart tender.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Need for Encouragement
I've been in a bad mood the last couple of days. I don't really even know why, honestly. I've had my paternal grandfather die (though I haven't seen him or anyone else on that side of the family in over 12 years, save for one time with my older brother about 9 years ago), gotten my brother furious with me over not attending the funeral (which is today), and seemed to have lost all support of someone who had been a close friend. The weird thing is that I'm not particularly thinking about any of these things.
I've had a few moments over the past week, including today, where I've had to fight sinking back into my old thought patterns and beliefs about myself, but even that seems to be only part of the reason I am in the restless and melancholy state I find myself in.
In reality, my situation is not bad. I still have a fair bit saved up, still have my health, have become productive again in writing, and am being entrusted with a position of leadership in the young adults group I attend.
The purpose of this is not to complain. It's to ask for a bit of prayer from whoever reads this. Prayer that I figure out what's going on inside my head, prayer for strength to get through it, and prayer for some sort of encouragement in my life. Thanks.
I've had a few moments over the past week, including today, where I've had to fight sinking back into my old thought patterns and beliefs about myself, but even that seems to be only part of the reason I am in the restless and melancholy state I find myself in.
In reality, my situation is not bad. I still have a fair bit saved up, still have my health, have become productive again in writing, and am being entrusted with a position of leadership in the young adults group I attend.
The purpose of this is not to complain. It's to ask for a bit of prayer from whoever reads this. Prayer that I figure out what's going on inside my head, prayer for strength to get through it, and prayer for some sort of encouragement in my life. Thanks.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Well, It's About Time
There are areas in my life where I am a very patient person. I have been waiting for a particular stock I own to recover for about two years now. I have been patient, sometimes to the point of laziness, in getting my writing published. And in other areas, I am a very impatient person. It irks me when a person in front of me takes a right-hand turn more slowly when they need to or is too busy talking on their cell phone to notice that the light has turned green. I get impatient with people when they talk about the same old thing over and over again or if they're over-explaining something to me.
And why do I feel upset about this? Because I feel my rights impinged upon. What rights? The right to spend my day as I see fit. The right to get where I want to go without someone impeding my progress. In short, I feel I should control my time.
The absurdity of this notion is that every day I am alive is a gift from God, meant so that I could draw closer to Him and help others do the same in some way. There are pleasures meant to be enjoyed along the way, painful things to be experienced, help to be given and received, forgiveness to ask and be asked for (and granted), teaching to be done and lessons to be learned, shoulder-slapping laughter and using (or being used as a) shoulder to cry on - in short, there is life to be lived. Each day is given to us, not just that we might find our purpose on this earth, but that we find the purpose for the day God has given us.
And here I am getting mad because someone isn't moving quite fast enough for my liking and causing me to lose three seconds - three whole seconds! - of my day.
"my day"? As though I own it or have any right to it. As though God couldn't end it at any time in any way He chose. As though He doesn't have the right to tell me what to do with every last second of it.
If God came to you and told you that He demanded you to patiently listen to an old woman drone on about her sons and daughters for an hour and the rest of the day could be spent as you saw fit, would you not think that an easy request? If that served His purpose somehow, would it not be worth it?
I think part of the reason we get so impatient is not just that we feel unjustly that we own our days, but that we can't see the purpose behind anything that tries to derail them. We don't stop to think that these things could be little trials sent to test us or teach us patience. We don't consider that by listening to someone, they may feel that someone actually cares for them or that we may really be brightening their day. And we never know when someone will ask a question that makes us stop and think seriously about our own lives. Even if we don't see the purpose, we have to trust in God that there is a purpose behind His letting it have happened.
And even if there wasn't, it would still be His day, not yours, to decide what to do with.
And why do I feel upset about this? Because I feel my rights impinged upon. What rights? The right to spend my day as I see fit. The right to get where I want to go without someone impeding my progress. In short, I feel I should control my time.
The absurdity of this notion is that every day I am alive is a gift from God, meant so that I could draw closer to Him and help others do the same in some way. There are pleasures meant to be enjoyed along the way, painful things to be experienced, help to be given and received, forgiveness to ask and be asked for (and granted), teaching to be done and lessons to be learned, shoulder-slapping laughter and using (or being used as a) shoulder to cry on - in short, there is life to be lived. Each day is given to us, not just that we might find our purpose on this earth, but that we find the purpose for the day God has given us.
And here I am getting mad because someone isn't moving quite fast enough for my liking and causing me to lose three seconds - three whole seconds! - of my day.
"my day"? As though I own it or have any right to it. As though God couldn't end it at any time in any way He chose. As though He doesn't have the right to tell me what to do with every last second of it.
If God came to you and told you that He demanded you to patiently listen to an old woman drone on about her sons and daughters for an hour and the rest of the day could be spent as you saw fit, would you not think that an easy request? If that served His purpose somehow, would it not be worth it?
I think part of the reason we get so impatient is not just that we feel unjustly that we own our days, but that we can't see the purpose behind anything that tries to derail them. We don't stop to think that these things could be little trials sent to test us or teach us patience. We don't consider that by listening to someone, they may feel that someone actually cares for them or that we may really be brightening their day. And we never know when someone will ask a question that makes us stop and think seriously about our own lives. Even if we don't see the purpose, we have to trust in God that there is a purpose behind His letting it have happened.
And even if there wasn't, it would still be His day, not yours, to decide what to do with.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Ultimate Truth
A friend from where I used to work does not believe in ultimate truth, either in the form of God or in any other form. It's not only unfortunate, but false and dangerous. It's false because there are constants, such as mathematics, where 2+2 has always and will always equal 4. It's dangerous because the logical end of the argument is that if I think driving drunk, murdering others, and mugging others is morally acceptable, I should be allowed to get away with it. Even if you counter with saying I ought to be allowed to think those things but not do them because it infringes on others' rights, you have countered with what you believe is an ultimate truth, that everyone has a certain set of rights and that I have no right myself to impinge on them.
Everybody, if they are perfectly honest with themselves, believes in a certain universal truth, a truth that applies to everybody in every situation. Most of them just won't admit it. Why not? For one, it makes some of them hypocrites if they've said they don't believe in a universal truth. Second, the admission of a universal truth begs the question of where the truth came from. If it applies to all of us, it stands to reason that it is above all of us; but if you believe we are nothing more than the current epitome of a random sequence of events called evolution, than how can there be a universal truth?
In essence, the denial of a universal truth is a denial of God, be it for a lack of trust in His goodness, a lack of faith, a rejection of how some Christians unfortunately behave (not realizing that all humans are, to an extent, hypocrites and fools), not being able to understand enough of Him, or any other reason.
Essentially, all reasons boil down to a fear of it not working. There's no logical reason someone would reject an eternal afterlife in paradise and help in this life when they're given freely and all that is expected is some honest gratitude, but if there is no belief that it is real, it makes little sense to accept it. Part of the blame for the perception that it is not real lies with Christians ourselves, since we not only are often others' judges, but also worriers and hypocrites, too.
If they world sees Christianity not making a significant impact in our lives, how will they believe in it to change theirs? Why should they? How can you convince someone of the ultimate truth when that truth is not something even you appear to really believe in?
Everybody, if they are perfectly honest with themselves, believes in a certain universal truth, a truth that applies to everybody in every situation. Most of them just won't admit it. Why not? For one, it makes some of them hypocrites if they've said they don't believe in a universal truth. Second, the admission of a universal truth begs the question of where the truth came from. If it applies to all of us, it stands to reason that it is above all of us; but if you believe we are nothing more than the current epitome of a random sequence of events called evolution, than how can there be a universal truth?
In essence, the denial of a universal truth is a denial of God, be it for a lack of trust in His goodness, a lack of faith, a rejection of how some Christians unfortunately behave (not realizing that all humans are, to an extent, hypocrites and fools), not being able to understand enough of Him, or any other reason.
Essentially, all reasons boil down to a fear of it not working. There's no logical reason someone would reject an eternal afterlife in paradise and help in this life when they're given freely and all that is expected is some honest gratitude, but if there is no belief that it is real, it makes little sense to accept it. Part of the blame for the perception that it is not real lies with Christians ourselves, since we not only are often others' judges, but also worriers and hypocrites, too.
If they world sees Christianity not making a significant impact in our lives, how will they believe in it to change theirs? Why should they? How can you convince someone of the ultimate truth when that truth is not something even you appear to really believe in?
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