“Refusing
to accept God’s love because we are unworthy – of course we’re unworthy! – is
another golden calf.” (Madeleine
L’Engle)
If
you consistently fail to show up for work, or the quality of your work is poor,
do you get to keep your job? If your
test scores are low and you don’t turn in your papers on time, do you pass the
class? If you treat others badly long
enough, do they stick by you? Of course
not, as it should be. So, when it comes to
something as important as your salvation, you’d better have all your ducks in a
row. After all, God is considerably more
important and influential than your boss, your teacher, or your friend. You’ve got to be good everywhere, all the
time. Wait…not just good, but
perfect! If you’re not, then you can’t
possibly be worthy of God’s love or His saving grace.
Hmm…but
there have been countless times when you haven’t been very good, let alone
perfect. In fact, you’ve been downright
rotten at times, haven’t you? (Dont worry, you're in good company).
Your list of should haves is almost as long as your list of shouldn’t
haves. Committed a crime? Had unkind thoughts about God? Well then, case closed! As if that's bad enough, there’s nothing you
can do about it. Even if you are a
perfect person from here on out (an awfully tall order!), you can’t go back and
fix the times when you’ve messed up.
There is no way God could love you,
really love you, if you’re such an incurable screw-up, right? And there’s surely no way God would ever
consider extending His gift of grace to you, right? Why would He?
The
reason it’s so difficult to accept God’s grace can be summarized in one
word: pride. I know this all too well. I’ve frequently questioned how or why God
could possibly love and want to save a screw-up like me. And in questioning that love, I’ve actually
thought myself virtuous. (I’m acknowledging
my sinfulness and that I’m not worthy of God’s great and perfect love. How humble I am!). In reality, nothing could be more selfish, more
arrogant, or more prideful. Of course I’m
not worthy of God’s great and perfect love.
No one is. That is a given, yet somehow
I think I have the authority and the influence to negotiate the terms of God’s
love for me. Somehow the ugly and
shameful parts of my life are more significant than God’s ability to love me
despite them. What I’ve done and who I’ve
been are somehow too much for the God of all creation to handle, too far beyond His
vast reach, of greater significance than the cross of Christ. So why not continue living as
a victim? Why not continue wallowing in
my imperfection and adding to it in resignation?
Let
this sink into the depths of you, as will I:
God’s grace cannot be earned. We
cannot make God love us or want to save us.
He simply does, more than we can fathom. We can’t put qualifiers on God’s love for us. His love is utterly complete and perfectly justified
as is. God created us, and what God
creates He loves. What God loves He
wants to keep – not because of what we’ve done, but because of who we are to Him –
His children. He sacrificed His one and only perfect Son for us because He loves us so. We don’t have to
understand it, to analyze it, or to make it fit. All we can do is acknowledge it, accept it, and gratefully choose to
live in it.
Thank
you, Lord, for loving us despite ourselves!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Beauty from Ashes
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated" (Isaiah 61:1-4a)
In the arid mountain bowl of south-central Colorado lies a small town by the name of Cañon City, population just over 16,000. In addition to its close proximity to the famous Royal Gorge, Cañon City is best known as the "prison capital of the world." Within or just outside city limits are no less than nine state and four federal prisons or penitentiaries. One of the prisons, Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility, is older than the state itself and another in nearby Florence houses some of America's most infamous inmates, from mobsters to terrorists. Maybe it's because of such a unique distinction, combined with the empty, arid landscape, that Cañon City feels especially isolated, lonely and oppressed. I'm sure many of the locals would argue that it's all about perspective - after all, I live just a few miles from two prisons next door to each other between Monroe and Lebanon, and I don't have the same feeling about my surroundings.
It was with this essence of loneliness, this burdensome, tangible aura of pain and sadness emanating from within the walls of Cañon City's many prisons, that I embarked on a two-plus hour rafting trip along the rapids of nearby Arkansas River. Drifting through the beautiful walls of the stunning Royal Gorge, the thought of so many caged and lost souls easily faded into sun-soaked peacefulness. But then we passed through the steepest part of the gorge, where the famous Royal Gorge Bridge towers above the river as one of the highest suspension bridges in the world. Normally a bustling tourist destination, the bridge was eerily empty, closed due to a devastating wildfire earlier in the year that spared the bridge but destroyed most of the surrounding attractions. The small trees, shrubs and grasses growing in the walls of the gorge had been scorched, leaving blackened skeletons dotted along our river route. Thoughts of those prisoners returned, and of the ways in which my own life and the lives of those I love have at various points been imprisoned by sin and tragedy.
It was while my raft-mates were discussing the ravages of wildfire that I noticed it. Beneath the charred remains of trees and shrubs were tiny bright green and purple specks, almost imperceptible to the casual passer-by. Upon closer scrutiny, it became apparent that these specks were the shoots of new plants and wildflowers, struggling to poke their newborn heads through the surface. The combination of dirt and ash had provided the ideal breeding ground for new growth, brilliant in color and thriving with hope and determination. It was, as the saying goes, a God moment.
Wildfire is a part of nature's life cycle, and even if the fire is man-made, God's magnificent creation has a way of regenerating itself stronger and more vibrantly than before. And so it is with mankind. We experience the devastation of pain, struggle, tragedy and loss. Some of it is a natural part of life, and some of it is man-made, caused by our own sin or the sins of others. Like nature, we are capable of regeneration, of recovering and emerging a stronger, more vibrant instrument of God. How? By coming to the cross of Christ, by bearing witness to the suffering of the Lamb of God, by accepting Christ's victory over sin and death, and by allowing the Holy Spirit to consume us and guide our path.
Whether caged within prison walls in lonely Cañon City, Colorado, or chained by sin and sorrow in the suburbs, all is not lost. Life, healing and growth are possible no matter how harsh the circumstances. Nothing can destroy that which God has created and which lives in Him. Nothing. Beauty instead of ashes. Beauty from ashes. Praise God!
In the arid mountain bowl of south-central Colorado lies a small town by the name of Cañon City, population just over 16,000. In addition to its close proximity to the famous Royal Gorge, Cañon City is best known as the "prison capital of the world." Within or just outside city limits are no less than nine state and four federal prisons or penitentiaries. One of the prisons, Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility, is older than the state itself and another in nearby Florence houses some of America's most infamous inmates, from mobsters to terrorists. Maybe it's because of such a unique distinction, combined with the empty, arid landscape, that Cañon City feels especially isolated, lonely and oppressed. I'm sure many of the locals would argue that it's all about perspective - after all, I live just a few miles from two prisons next door to each other between Monroe and Lebanon, and I don't have the same feeling about my surroundings.
It was with this essence of loneliness, this burdensome, tangible aura of pain and sadness emanating from within the walls of Cañon City's many prisons, that I embarked on a two-plus hour rafting trip along the rapids of nearby Arkansas River. Drifting through the beautiful walls of the stunning Royal Gorge, the thought of so many caged and lost souls easily faded into sun-soaked peacefulness. But then we passed through the steepest part of the gorge, where the famous Royal Gorge Bridge towers above the river as one of the highest suspension bridges in the world. Normally a bustling tourist destination, the bridge was eerily empty, closed due to a devastating wildfire earlier in the year that spared the bridge but destroyed most of the surrounding attractions. The small trees, shrubs and grasses growing in the walls of the gorge had been scorched, leaving blackened skeletons dotted along our river route. Thoughts of those prisoners returned, and of the ways in which my own life and the lives of those I love have at various points been imprisoned by sin and tragedy.
It was while my raft-mates were discussing the ravages of wildfire that I noticed it. Beneath the charred remains of trees and shrubs were tiny bright green and purple specks, almost imperceptible to the casual passer-by. Upon closer scrutiny, it became apparent that these specks were the shoots of new plants and wildflowers, struggling to poke their newborn heads through the surface. The combination of dirt and ash had provided the ideal breeding ground for new growth, brilliant in color and thriving with hope and determination. It was, as the saying goes, a God moment.
Wildfire is a part of nature's life cycle, and even if the fire is man-made, God's magnificent creation has a way of regenerating itself stronger and more vibrantly than before. And so it is with mankind. We experience the devastation of pain, struggle, tragedy and loss. Some of it is a natural part of life, and some of it is man-made, caused by our own sin or the sins of others. Like nature, we are capable of regeneration, of recovering and emerging a stronger, more vibrant instrument of God. How? By coming to the cross of Christ, by bearing witness to the suffering of the Lamb of God, by accepting Christ's victory over sin and death, and by allowing the Holy Spirit to consume us and guide our path.
Whether caged within prison walls in lonely Cañon City, Colorado, or chained by sin and sorrow in the suburbs, all is not lost. Life, healing and growth are possible no matter how harsh the circumstances. Nothing can destroy that which God has created and which lives in Him. Nothing. Beauty instead of ashes. Beauty from ashes. Praise God!
Monday, July 22, 2013
He's Got This
“Look
at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)
In a recent sit-down with my Bible, it occurred to me that there are numerous books of the Bible that I tend to routinely ignore. I pour over the Gospels, Paul’s letters, and numerous gems in the Old Testament like Daniel, Isaiah, and Psalms. But when it comes to books like Habakkuk, I tend to just skim right on by. Can you relate? How easily I forget that there’s a reason all the books of the Bible exist: it’s because God thinks they have some important things to say. Point taken.
In its three short chapters, Habakkuk beautifully addresses one of the most common dilemmas of human existence: the crushing injustice in our world and our perception of God’s unwillingness or reluctance to intervene in a timely fashion. In speaking of the corruption in Babylon, Habakkuk summarizes the dilemma nicely in his dialog with God: “How long, O Lord, must I call for your help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted” (1:1-4). I don’t know about you, but I think Habakkuk and I would have been good friends. His words have flooded my heart and crossed my lips more times than I’d care to admit. Have they yours?
The book of Habakkuk is less about God exercising His perfect timing and will, although His answer to Habakkuk does address it (see the verse cited at the beginning of this post). The book is more about we the faithful resting in the knowledge that God has it under control. He absolutely does see the injustice around us, and He absolutely does have a plan to right the wrongs. It is up to us to trust that God knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t see His justice exercised before our own eyes as quickly as we’d like. It could be that the enemy is allowed to swell in power and pride so that his eventual fall will be harder and more complete than it would otherwise. In the meantime, our patience and trust in God strengthens our faith and solidifies our hope. As Habakkuk concludes, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:17-18).
All too often, our world is cruel and full of violence and corruption. True faith and abiding joy is realized when we trust God to address the injustice in His perfect way, in His perfect time. It’s a good reminder today and always.
And to think how many times I've skipped past Habakkuk…
In a recent sit-down with my Bible, it occurred to me that there are numerous books of the Bible that I tend to routinely ignore. I pour over the Gospels, Paul’s letters, and numerous gems in the Old Testament like Daniel, Isaiah, and Psalms. But when it comes to books like Habakkuk, I tend to just skim right on by. Can you relate? How easily I forget that there’s a reason all the books of the Bible exist: it’s because God thinks they have some important things to say. Point taken.
In its three short chapters, Habakkuk beautifully addresses one of the most common dilemmas of human existence: the crushing injustice in our world and our perception of God’s unwillingness or reluctance to intervene in a timely fashion. In speaking of the corruption in Babylon, Habakkuk summarizes the dilemma nicely in his dialog with God: “How long, O Lord, must I call for your help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted” (1:1-4). I don’t know about you, but I think Habakkuk and I would have been good friends. His words have flooded my heart and crossed my lips more times than I’d care to admit. Have they yours?
The book of Habakkuk is less about God exercising His perfect timing and will, although His answer to Habakkuk does address it (see the verse cited at the beginning of this post). The book is more about we the faithful resting in the knowledge that God has it under control. He absolutely does see the injustice around us, and He absolutely does have a plan to right the wrongs. It is up to us to trust that God knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t see His justice exercised before our own eyes as quickly as we’d like. It could be that the enemy is allowed to swell in power and pride so that his eventual fall will be harder and more complete than it would otherwise. In the meantime, our patience and trust in God strengthens our faith and solidifies our hope. As Habakkuk concludes, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:17-18).
All too often, our world is cruel and full of violence and corruption. True faith and abiding joy is realized when we trust God to address the injustice in His perfect way, in His perfect time. It’s a good reminder today and always.
And to think how many times I've skipped past Habakkuk…
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Where the Road Ends
If
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)
There are some people who get lost while driving and calmly navigate their way back to familiar territory while taking the time to enjoy the unexpected view. I’m not one of those people. I fall into the panicked, sick-to-my-stomach group of folks for whom being lost (especially while alone) is all but intolerable. Even with the benefit of GPS, all I can think about is finding familiar ground, and when I do, the sense of relief is tangible.
It’s easy to recognize when we lose our way on the road, but it’s not always so easy to recognize when we’ve lost our way in life. It tends to happen more slowly in life, one poor decision and circumstance at a time. Things snowball and before we know it, we’re miserable and we can’t seem to figure out why.
There are two women with whom I once shared a wonderful friendship, but a couple of years ago, I destroyed that friendship by choosing to engage in hateful gossip about them that had nothing to do with me, and which made a difficult situation for them much worse. I felt completely justified in my sinfulness at the time, not recognizing how lost I was. I prayed about it, and thankfully, God reminded me that my internal compass was stuck. The GPS of my soul kept saying in that disappointing, nasally voice, “recalculating route,” until I finally oriented myself in the right direction. I reached out to these two women, sincerely apologized, and showed them some long-overdue compassion. It was difficult and awkward, but it was needed. They responded more graciously than I could have hoped, and one of the women just last weekend emailed me to say she is sleeping better now that she has in years. Praise God.
When it came to my salvation and my faith in Christ, God relentlessly pursued me until I finally stopped running. And still today, He pursues me whenever I errantly choose to run circles around His love, rather than living in it. The key is in learning not to run. When someone runs from the police in crime shows on TV, it means he has something to hide. It also means he’s making life much more difficult for himself that it needs to be. The same applies to our relationship with God. If we feel the need to run from Him for any reason, then it means our compass is pointing us in the wrong direction.
There are many detours and adventures on the road of life. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing, sometimes we hit some potholes, and sometimes we choose to ignore warning signs meant to guide and protect us. No matter what road you’re on right now, just remember one thing: there are no dead-ends with God. We are never truly lost if we remember that all roads lead back to Him.
There are some people who get lost while driving and calmly navigate their way back to familiar territory while taking the time to enjoy the unexpected view. I’m not one of those people. I fall into the panicked, sick-to-my-stomach group of folks for whom being lost (especially while alone) is all but intolerable. Even with the benefit of GPS, all I can think about is finding familiar ground, and when I do, the sense of relief is tangible.
It’s easy to recognize when we lose our way on the road, but it’s not always so easy to recognize when we’ve lost our way in life. It tends to happen more slowly in life, one poor decision and circumstance at a time. Things snowball and before we know it, we’re miserable and we can’t seem to figure out why.
There are two women with whom I once shared a wonderful friendship, but a couple of years ago, I destroyed that friendship by choosing to engage in hateful gossip about them that had nothing to do with me, and which made a difficult situation for them much worse. I felt completely justified in my sinfulness at the time, not recognizing how lost I was. I prayed about it, and thankfully, God reminded me that my internal compass was stuck. The GPS of my soul kept saying in that disappointing, nasally voice, “recalculating route,” until I finally oriented myself in the right direction. I reached out to these two women, sincerely apologized, and showed them some long-overdue compassion. It was difficult and awkward, but it was needed. They responded more graciously than I could have hoped, and one of the women just last weekend emailed me to say she is sleeping better now that she has in years. Praise God.
When it came to my salvation and my faith in Christ, God relentlessly pursued me until I finally stopped running. And still today, He pursues me whenever I errantly choose to run circles around His love, rather than living in it. The key is in learning not to run. When someone runs from the police in crime shows on TV, it means he has something to hide. It also means he’s making life much more difficult for himself that it needs to be. The same applies to our relationship with God. If we feel the need to run from Him for any reason, then it means our compass is pointing us in the wrong direction.
There are many detours and adventures on the road of life. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing, sometimes we hit some potholes, and sometimes we choose to ignore warning signs meant to guide and protect us. No matter what road you’re on right now, just remember one thing: there are no dead-ends with God. We are never truly lost if we remember that all roads lead back to Him.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
(In)Dependence
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. (Representatives of the United States of America, July 4, 1776)
This week, we will celebrate the ultimate of American holidays, Independence Day. Flags will wave with pride, fireworks will burst with brilliant color, and friends and relatives will gather for good food, pool parties, and laughs. It's good to be free, to live in a nation that believes in and fights for democracy and individual freedom. The Declaration of Independence is a magnificent document outlining all the reasons why the American colonists should officially break free from the oppressive Kingdom of England. Not only is the document logical and concise, but the language is stunningly eloquent. I can only imagine the electricity in the air when the Declaration was being crafted and ultimately signed.
Long before our Founding Fathers declared us a free nation, God provided us with a clear path to ultimate freedom - no matter our country of residence. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ provides us a freedom unlike anything any nation could declare, fight for, or secure. What makes God's freedom unique is that it is not based on independence, but rather dependence - on Him. We've been granted free will to embrace or to deny the truth of Jesus Christ. Those who deny the truth of Christ believe themselves to be fiercly independent, to be the masters of their own lives and everything in them. Those who embrace the truth of Christ, however, find freedom in being totally and completely dependent upon God. By surrendering every aspect of our lives to Christ, we realize an unparalleled freedom.
Life, Liberty, and Happiness. Those words were capitalized by the Founding Fathers when they wrote the Declaration, and I'm certain it was not by accident. All of life comes from the Creator, true liberty comes from surrender to Christ, and happiness comes from the realization that in Christ, we find complete fulfillment. It is in being a servant of God that we find true freedom.
As the saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility. We do not choose to be servants of God because it's a cool, get out of jail free, feel-good way of life. On the contrary, we choose to be servants of God because He is the Way, the Truth and Life. He created us to serve Him, which undeniably exposes us to danger and to persecution. We serve Him because it is our greatest honor and privilege to glorify God with our whole lives. It is dependence on Him that we strive for in our quest for freedom.
We are one nation under God. This Independence Day, as we pledge allegiance to the flag, let us also renew our allegiance to the Creator. Let us make a Declaration of Dependence on our Lord and Savior July 4th and always. Life, Liberty, and Happiness are ours to enjoy in Christ.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. (Representatives of the United States of America, July 4, 1776)
This week, we will celebrate the ultimate of American holidays, Independence Day. Flags will wave with pride, fireworks will burst with brilliant color, and friends and relatives will gather for good food, pool parties, and laughs. It's good to be free, to live in a nation that believes in and fights for democracy and individual freedom. The Declaration of Independence is a magnificent document outlining all the reasons why the American colonists should officially break free from the oppressive Kingdom of England. Not only is the document logical and concise, but the language is stunningly eloquent. I can only imagine the electricity in the air when the Declaration was being crafted and ultimately signed.
Long before our Founding Fathers declared us a free nation, God provided us with a clear path to ultimate freedom - no matter our country of residence. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ provides us a freedom unlike anything any nation could declare, fight for, or secure. What makes God's freedom unique is that it is not based on independence, but rather dependence - on Him. We've been granted free will to embrace or to deny the truth of Jesus Christ. Those who deny the truth of Christ believe themselves to be fiercly independent, to be the masters of their own lives and everything in them. Those who embrace the truth of Christ, however, find freedom in being totally and completely dependent upon God. By surrendering every aspect of our lives to Christ, we realize an unparalleled freedom.
Life, Liberty, and Happiness. Those words were capitalized by the Founding Fathers when they wrote the Declaration, and I'm certain it was not by accident. All of life comes from the Creator, true liberty comes from surrender to Christ, and happiness comes from the realization that in Christ, we find complete fulfillment. It is in being a servant of God that we find true freedom.
As the saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility. We do not choose to be servants of God because it's a cool, get out of jail free, feel-good way of life. On the contrary, we choose to be servants of God because He is the Way, the Truth and Life. He created us to serve Him, which undeniably exposes us to danger and to persecution. We serve Him because it is our greatest honor and privilege to glorify God with our whole lives. It is dependence on Him that we strive for in our quest for freedom.
We are one nation under God. This Independence Day, as we pledge allegiance to the flag, let us also renew our allegiance to the Creator. Let us make a Declaration of Dependence on our Lord and Savior July 4th and always. Life, Liberty, and Happiness are ours to enjoy in Christ.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Remembering
"Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you." (Revelation 3:3)
This weekend, we will attend parades, services, and family gatherings to both remember and celebrate. We remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms, and we celebrate that freedom. As the saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility, and one of those responsibilities should be remembering.
Most of us understand that the freedoms we enjoy in this country are due to countless sacrifices throughout history that continue today. Those who died in battle, those who were injured, those who kept the homefront afloat, and those who lost spouses, parents, children and siblings along the way... It seems they have all been swept into nice, neat, typewritten summaries in textbooks collecting dust on shelves. Too easily lost and forgotten are the intimate details of those lives, the circumstances of those sacrifices, and the many ways (both subtle and profound) that life and human history have been forever changed by them. It doesn't seem quite respectful or patriotic enough to simply recognize that. We should dare to expose ourselves to those stories, to allow their collective weight to soak into our bones.
Not only is it important to seek and to appreciate the full story of our history as a nation, it is also important to learn from that history. If our past is an important part of how and why we've arrived at where we are, then so too is it an important part of where we go from here. It is one of the best ways we can honor those who gave their lives for us.
The same holds true for the sacrifice God made for our ultimate freedom. Over 200 verses in the Bible contain the word "remember." Some of those verses call on us to remember God's sacrifice of His Son on the cross, but many of them call on us to remember the plight of mankind throughout human history - what happened to folks when they chose to remember and keep God's commands, and what happened to folks when they chose to forget or deny God. There's a very good reason that all those stories are included in the Bible. It's so that we can better understand our ultimate purpose in life - to love and to serve the Lord, to remember Him. Nothing could be more important.
All of the Bible is about our Lord Jesus. As we are all part of God's creation, all of our lives, our stories, and our choices are ultimately about Him. Amid all the festivities this Memorial Day weekend, let us remember to...remember that.
This weekend, we will attend parades, services, and family gatherings to both remember and celebrate. We remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms, and we celebrate that freedom. As the saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility, and one of those responsibilities should be remembering.
Most of us understand that the freedoms we enjoy in this country are due to countless sacrifices throughout history that continue today. Those who died in battle, those who were injured, those who kept the homefront afloat, and those who lost spouses, parents, children and siblings along the way... It seems they have all been swept into nice, neat, typewritten summaries in textbooks collecting dust on shelves. Too easily lost and forgotten are the intimate details of those lives, the circumstances of those sacrifices, and the many ways (both subtle and profound) that life and human history have been forever changed by them. It doesn't seem quite respectful or patriotic enough to simply recognize that. We should dare to expose ourselves to those stories, to allow their collective weight to soak into our bones.
Not only is it important to seek and to appreciate the full story of our history as a nation, it is also important to learn from that history. If our past is an important part of how and why we've arrived at where we are, then so too is it an important part of where we go from here. It is one of the best ways we can honor those who gave their lives for us.
The same holds true for the sacrifice God made for our ultimate freedom. Over 200 verses in the Bible contain the word "remember." Some of those verses call on us to remember God's sacrifice of His Son on the cross, but many of them call on us to remember the plight of mankind throughout human history - what happened to folks when they chose to remember and keep God's commands, and what happened to folks when they chose to forget or deny God. There's a very good reason that all those stories are included in the Bible. It's so that we can better understand our ultimate purpose in life - to love and to serve the Lord, to remember Him. Nothing could be more important.
All of the Bible is about our Lord Jesus. As we are all part of God's creation, all of our lives, our stories, and our choices are ultimately about Him. Amid all the festivities this Memorial Day weekend, let us remember to...remember that.
To all of you reading this who have served our country and have sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy, my sincerest thanks to you. God bless you.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Like the Wind
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)
Within the dense woods rounding out my parents' three-acre property stands a stunning sycamore tree that I long ago claimed as "my tree." It stands nearly twice as tall as any other tree surrounding it. It reflects the first of the sun's rays at dawn and the last of its rays at dusk. But the quality I most admire about this tree is that its leaves respond harmoniously to the slightest breeze. I like to say that the leaves twinkle, since the sunlight often bounces off them in glorious patterns, much like the ripples of a lake or river do. When a storm comes, the long limbs of the tree bend until it seems they will break, but they never do. When the storm is over, the gentle twinkling of the leaves continues, curiously brighter than before.
This is how I imagine the Holy Spirit living and working in us. We are like the tree, stunning members of God's glorious creation, standing tall as one of His children. The love of Christ is like the sun, providing the light and life we require for health, contentment and salvation. The Holy Spirit is like the breeze, moving us in glorious patterns to reflect the light of God's love like a beacon for all among us. And the storm is like the tests and trials we face in life, from which we discover in our faithfulness our inner strength, emerging cleansed and inspired to reflect God's love more brightly and completely than before.
The wind has a considerable impact on human life, from providing cooling comfort on a hot day to harming people and property during gales. The wind storm this area endured in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008 was proof of just how quickly and easily the wind can change our paths and alter our perspectives. All of this is quite amazing, considering that we cannot see the wind, only the effects of the wind. The same holds true of the Holy Spirit. One cannot see it, but one can certainly feel it and experience the effect of its movement. It cannot be controlled; rather, it does the controlling. Like the trees, we who are filled with the Holy Spirit bend, move, reflect and act in obediance and faithfulness. Much as the heart sees to it that blood flows throughout the body, the Holy Spirit sees to it that we have the power required to act according to God's will.
I cannot imagine my parents' property without my favorite sycamore tree, nor can I imagine my life without the Holy Spirit living within me and directing my path. With the power of the Holy Spirit moving us from within, we have the capacity (and the responsibility) to impact the world around us through our obediance to that power. Exactly how that unfolds for each of our lives is something only God fully knows. At the very least, we know that we can daily choose to reflect God's love and be a cooling breeze for someone suffering from the many ills and discomforts of this life.
Twinkle on, friends.
Within the dense woods rounding out my parents' three-acre property stands a stunning sycamore tree that I long ago claimed as "my tree." It stands nearly twice as tall as any other tree surrounding it. It reflects the first of the sun's rays at dawn and the last of its rays at dusk. But the quality I most admire about this tree is that its leaves respond harmoniously to the slightest breeze. I like to say that the leaves twinkle, since the sunlight often bounces off them in glorious patterns, much like the ripples of a lake or river do. When a storm comes, the long limbs of the tree bend until it seems they will break, but they never do. When the storm is over, the gentle twinkling of the leaves continues, curiously brighter than before.
This is how I imagine the Holy Spirit living and working in us. We are like the tree, stunning members of God's glorious creation, standing tall as one of His children. The love of Christ is like the sun, providing the light and life we require for health, contentment and salvation. The Holy Spirit is like the breeze, moving us in glorious patterns to reflect the light of God's love like a beacon for all among us. And the storm is like the tests and trials we face in life, from which we discover in our faithfulness our inner strength, emerging cleansed and inspired to reflect God's love more brightly and completely than before.
The wind has a considerable impact on human life, from providing cooling comfort on a hot day to harming people and property during gales. The wind storm this area endured in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008 was proof of just how quickly and easily the wind can change our paths and alter our perspectives. All of this is quite amazing, considering that we cannot see the wind, only the effects of the wind. The same holds true of the Holy Spirit. One cannot see it, but one can certainly feel it and experience the effect of its movement. It cannot be controlled; rather, it does the controlling. Like the trees, we who are filled with the Holy Spirit bend, move, reflect and act in obediance and faithfulness. Much as the heart sees to it that blood flows throughout the body, the Holy Spirit sees to it that we have the power required to act according to God's will.
I cannot imagine my parents' property without my favorite sycamore tree, nor can I imagine my life without the Holy Spirit living within me and directing my path. With the power of the Holy Spirit moving us from within, we have the capacity (and the responsibility) to impact the world around us through our obediance to that power. Exactly how that unfolds for each of our lives is something only God fully knows. At the very least, we know that we can daily choose to reflect God's love and be a cooling breeze for someone suffering from the many ills and discomforts of this life.
Twinkle on, friends.
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