Dormancy or There IS rest for the weary!

July 23, 2012

Maria Uncategorized Leave a comment

At the beginning of my 11 weeks of summer vacation, I kind of freaked.  Feared I was wasting my time, that the days were slipping through my fingers with little to show for them.  I was surprised by the emotional wallop of this reaction, for I’ve been dealing with seasonal change for over 20 years as a teacher.

I eventually settled into a routine and kind of gave myself permission to just BE. But I still FELT time fleeting fast.   The culprit for this ennuie? –  probably Guilt for having the time off while the rest of the grown-up world works through the summer.

The highlight of my summer was a hiking trip with my husband.  We drove down to the mountains of Western North Carolina earlier this month, stopping off in Winston-Salem to catch up with my cousin and her husband.  While there, Darby gave me a book about the Sabbath. I love to mark up books and have taken to pulling out one or two main points and making note of them via Evernote.

If for nothing else, the book was worth reading for this one thought:  the value of dormancy. Wayne Muller writes, “If certain plant species do not lie dormant for winter, they will not bear fruit in the spring….. A lack of dormancy produces confusion and erosion in the life force.”

Wow!  All of a sudden, I realized that the summer months are valuable just for REST.  And that the best activities are NO activities.  I started thinking how I jeopardize my natural creativity for the future school year when I force activity.  That without that restful period of noodling around the house, I’m just a mechanical teacher.

Muller also writes – “ (like crops) We, too, must have periods when we lie fallow and restore our souls.  Rest is an essential enzyme of life, as necessary as air.  Without rest, we cannot sustain the energy needed to have life.”

Of course, his book argues for the weekly Sabbath – taking a day off to slow down and appreciate nature and the rhythms of life.  He talks about being hard-wired for rest.  And how we cannot wait for our work to be done, for our work is NEVER done.

This idea was just what I needed.  I think I might have missed the significance had I not blundered through those first few weeks of vacation.  Of course, nothing is by accident.  The gift of this book from my cousin followed by a week nurturing our souls in an isolated cabin with my husband in the midst of the Carolina Smokies was therapeutic.  We hiked, slept, ate, read, talked and dreamed again.  You can’t dream if you’re pushing through life.

As you know, I experimented with a Sabbath this past spring. What a surprise to me that I could get enough essential school and house work done to carve out a Sabbath Sunday.  I looked forward to it each week.

This school year, I want to continue that blessed practice and also add 30 minutes to my week-day sleep schedule.  Life doesn’t have to be lived at warp-speed.  War-time urgency is not the rule.  No need to rush, if I believe that God is sovereign over EVERY detail, including the delays.

As Ann Voskamp writes in One Thousand Gifts, if Christians have the gift of life eternal, then we have all the time in the world.  She quotes Evelyn Underhill who labels those who rush and hurry as “amateurs”.

We ought to question the supposed American virtue of being busy.  Author Wayne Muller shocks his readers with this thought:  Apparently the Chinese pictograph for ‘busy’ is composed of 2 characters:  HEART and KILLING

Remember Jesus came so that we would have Life and Life Abundant.  Rest is on the par of other moral commands like refraining from murder, theft, lying and greed.

**

Is 30:15 –   For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and REST you shall be saved….”, but you were not willing

Is 28:12 –   He who said to them, “Here is REST, give REST to the weary,” and, “Here is REPOSE,” but they would not listen…….vs 13…so they will go and stumble backward.…

Hmmm, is the cost of continual busy-ness worth it?

 

 

 

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Not thinking about myself – what a relief

June 26, 2012

Maria Grace , , , , Leave a comment

I was listening to Tullian this morning.  His sermons are balm for my battered soul. Do you know that critical über-nanny who has perfected the knack for getting one to feel bad? Her thinks she lives in me – her name is ‘old slave-driver SELF’. I forget to keep kicking her out, now that the Holy Spirit lives in me.  Apparently the HS is such a gentleman that He waits for ME to act as a proper hostess should and show the ‘no-longer-welcome previous resident’ the door.

Anyway, Pastor Tchividjian loves to talk about Grace and I love to hear podcast sermons about Grace.  I can’t get enough of this topic.  I feel like a perpetually starving man whenever I am fed Gospel Grace.  I think it’s because I have lived so long in the Land of Law: “ Do this! Do that!” to be an okay Christian.

But what I heard this morning set me free…..for a spell.  Tullian was talking about how fruit is produced.  You don’t exhort a small apple tree seedling, “Grow some apples!”  Instead you water and fertilized the roots.  Likewise (per Tullian’s analogy), we shouldn’t command…..manipulate…… guilt……or browbeat ourselves OR other Christians into producing fruit (good works of joy, love, service…..).

Instead we should feed the roots of faith with the truth of the Gospel – the account and details of what Jesus has already done.

Tullian said that the more we examine ourselves to see if we are growing, we actually DON’T grow.  Christian growth happens when we take our eyes OFF of us and put them on Him!

All of a sudden I FELT the lightness of relief.  I actually HATE thinking about myself.  I get SICK of thinking about myself.  I spiral down DEPRESSED thinking about myself.

Then it occurred to me:  Maria – you don’t HAVE to think about yourself.  In fact it’s biblical NOT to.  Paul says we are to think about things that are “TNR PLA EP” (I actually say out loud – ‘tenor play, extended play’ to remind myself to think of topics that are True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent and Praise-worthy)

Recalling those attributes of topics worthy of meditation, I immediately responded, “Well, I’m certainly not Pure – only Jesus is – that’s a no-brainer!”

Then I realized, “then I don’t even QUALIFY to be on the hot topics list– whew!”

The last category of items to ponder is praise-worthy.  That fits well with the book I am slowly savoring, “one thousand gifts” by Ann Voskamp (read the book!)   Filtering my thoughts to allow only what is praise-worthy eliminates criticism and complaining and sets my eyes to look for beauty, blessings and miracles.

And what about problems, people and events about which I’m concerned and obviously have no control?  Paul has that covered.  We’re to cast them in our Father’s lap, thankful and confident that He can take care of all of them. We delegate them to God and look for His guidance and direction for action steps we are to take today.  If we are unsure, we talk to Him as we make the wisest choice for the moment, confident that He IS directing us to take the proper actions necessary for right now.

It’s far simpler than I make it out to be.  Here are some Gospel facts I want to swim in:

  • Keeping my eyes on Jesus, the blessed controller of all things
  • Christ in me, the hope of Glory
  • Forgetting all that is past….since there is now no condemnation
  • Walking and following the author and perfector of my faith
  • Setting my mind on things above where Christ is
  • Washed clean, no more robes of SELF, in my new birthday suit, clothed comfortably with HIS robes of righteousness, held in place with the belt of truth. (any lingering layers of self-righteousness just make the belt TIGHT)
  • Boasting only in Christ
  • Overflowing with thanks for having been chosen from before the creation of time
  • Qualified before time to be an inheritor of the eternal, imperishable treasure

What do you find praise-worthy?

 

 

2-way Grace – a distinction

June 19, 2012

Maria Grace, Philippians, Psalm 116, Psalm 131 , Leave a comment

I’ve heard it said that Grace is God’s one-way love.  I don’t intend to take away from that truth. Let’s just call it, “making a distinction.”

I love distinctions.  They help me sort out what I’m thinking; they give me an understanding of a concept.  Then it is mine.

Take the word ‘reasonable’.  It used to be a very good word.  But I didn’t know that until 2 years ago.  I grew up with the newer definition.  For example – if I asked to borrow 2 eggs from you and mentioned that I was going to the store the next day and would pay you back – that was a ‘reasonable’ request.  I wasn’t asking TOO MUCH from you – not like: “I need to borrow your one and only car for 3 days. May I please have the keys?”   Definitely UN-reasonable.

But reasonable doesn’t mean that at all!  Saying “yes” to Michael when he asked me to marry him after five weeks of dating happened to be a very REASONable decision.  He was both a philosopher and a good cook; we enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors together; we liked reading & travel; we worked in the same profession and he was cute!!  There you have it- 5 excellent REASONS and I haven’t even gotten warmed up!  That was a REASONABLE decision. (That ‘reasoning’ process took place 33 years ago, come September.)

Do you see why distinctions matter?

So it is with grace. God showers us with individual gifts called grace.  When we stop and notice them, SEE them and drink them in richly and then thank Him, not only are we pleasing our Father, we are enhancing our enjoyment of the gifts.

I saw this most closely yesterday as I was reading Phil 4: 6-7 in French.  That’s the exhortation not to worry about anything but to take every concern to God in prayer, with thanksgiving.  See if you can figure out what the verse means – there are lots of cognates. “…exposez vos requêtes à Dieu par la prière et la supplication avec des actions de grâces ;…. » Look at how the French translate ‘thanksgiving’ – actions de grâce !!!!!

I got to thinking that in some small human-sized way, I can give grace back to God by thanking Him for what He has given to me – in this case, access to Him for supernatural help!  My thanking Him pleases Him; He grants me more than I can ask or imagine according to His will; I see His hand all around me; I rest in His care; I tell Him how much I love His gifts; I feel close to Him; when something else comes up, it’s only natural that I turn to Him since I’ve been talking to Him.  It’s an X-stroke engine that once purring, it is easy to keep running. (why X?  – I don’t know – just seemed like X would indicate more than a limited number like 2 – besides, I don’t know cars!!!)

This is actually borne out by other scripture:  consider Psalm 116: 17 – to Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving AND call (try substituting: by calling) upon the name of the Lord (i.e. praying!!! – asking for more help)

Some dear folks mistakenly and pridefully reason, “God has too much to do running the universe to take an interest in my problems…besides doesn’t God help those who help themselves?”

No!  But that’s a topic for another distinction..and another blog – what part God does..and what part do we do.  For now let us be like the psalmist in Psalm 131, verse 2 – Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.

Dear Father, help me to see You and to cling to your Goodness like that trusting toddler.  Encourage me to ask for your help when I am in pain, anxiety and confusion.  Cause me to remember to thank you moment by moment.  In sync, in union, in step, in rhythm with your Grace.

Painful start to summer vacation

June 10, 2012

Maria Idols, Sin , , , , , Leave a comment

Thank God for Christian girlfriends and a Godly husband who have been holding me up recently.

School is out and I have frittered away 2 of my 11 weeks with not much to show for them.  I have been anxious and depressed.  (Does this come from too much time on my hands?)  Or am I being confronted with one of my many idols?

– My worth consists in my productivity.  Here is what I did today!  Just call me superwoman.

My other idol that has me bowing and scraping as a willing slave is a fit body.  As a recovering bulimic I think constantly about food and exercise and how my body feels and looks.

“Time for the training wheels to go, Maria!”  Suddenly, I have been confronted with the hollowness of my props.  But not alone.

In divine preparation, one friend gave me a book that has had me meditating on living in the present moment. I’m learning to construct a new reflex of gratitude, while trying to remember that all I do and think should glorify God.  That I can thank God FOR the previous moment that brought me HERE and live in that particular HERE, dependent on Him honors Him. That sacramental attentiveness in lieu of my customary rushed oblivion actually slows down T-I-M-E because it makes me aware of how the eternal I AM (Yahweh) is the God of the present moment.

Last Saturday in one of my rare ‘Ecclesiastes’ moments, I couldn’t think straight.  I kept saying over and over, “J’ai perdu mes repères!!! – I’ve lost my bearings.  I don’t know where I am and where I’m going.  I don’t how to frame my life!”  I finally thought, ‘I should share with my husband, after all, he needs to know what is going on and be a priest to me.’  I was in the bathroom cleaning the floor when he came up to change clothes to mow the lawn.  We sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed.  I told him what I was feeling (same ole, same ole).  As I teared up, he held my hand, listening to me.  When I didn’t know what else to add, I glanced up at him, embarrassed and spent with my emotion.  I saw that he was silently crying, entering into my pain.  Then he prayed for me.  Didn’t offer any advice.  Just sat WITH me and LOVED me.  Never have I felt so tenderly understood and accepted.

A few days later over coffee, another friend opened up about her anxiety in a way that gave me freedom to share my pain about being a slave to fitness. Then and now via email she has been listening to me and my customary thoughts (kept private up until NOW) and reflecting back to me how irrational they are.  (Anything that doesn’t align with God’s Truth needs to be ditched!)

Thursday,  I picnicked with another dear friend who is a classics expert and Godly woman as well.  I got up the courage to share with her what was going on with me and how these first 2 weeks of summer vacation have been painful, fleeting and have felt wasted.  (She teaches at my school and is on the same schedule.  One of the differences between us is that she knows how to rest without guilt.)

She reminded me that we live in wartime.  She pointed me to Revelation 12 where I read how the Accuser pursues us.  Sensing his time is short and driven in his Satanic Smear Campaign he boldly marches right up to the very throne of God bringing stinging condemnation.  Not bothering to address him, the Holy Father just points to the Son sitting next to Him, as if to say, ‘Why bother, these children of mine are clothed in my Son’s purifying blood, you can’t smear them!’ But Satan doesn’t give up:

17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring —those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

So dressing in gospel armor with my helmet of Salvation is a daily necessity!  (There is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ)

Finally yesterday, I was catching up with one of my favorite young friends who inherited ME when she married our son.  She shared what she was learning about anxiety – that it is fear about the future.  As such, it is SIN.  And God has provided us with the gift of repentance.  We can experience FREEDOM from guilt, as much as need. Her anxiety is not a condition that God has given her and that He will remove if she prays fervently enough.  In hearing how she is processing anxiety, I was drawn to applying how I live with condemnation which drives me to live by law.  But that TOO is SIN.  And I can repent and move back into the realm of Grace where I am welcome.

Have I enjoyed my first two weeks of summer vacation?  NO!  But I think this is a gift whose time has come.  It’s time for me to unwrap the present and learn the lesson.

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of pain that is preceded by and accompanied with Godly friends and family.

‘How blessed, blissful, to be envied – i.e. ASHER, is the woman (having her sins covered because SHE repented) who now trusts and relies on the unfailing love of the Lord’  Psalm 32: 1 & 10

 

Getting Dressed – Psalm 32

June 5, 2012

Maria Gospel , Leave a comment

Currently Psalm 32 is my favorite scripture to recite.  I crave daily the truths it blazes. Unconfessed sins weigh me down.  I bend over to cover them up.  My belt of truth grows tight from this cover up and shameful cower.

Finally I break free and lift my head & hands to God and release the burden of my sin.  The belt is loosened. I’m weightless.  Light warms my face and body – no more guilt TODAY to darken my soul and weigh me down.

In this position, God exhorts and encourages: “Let everyone who has tasted this ‘chesed’ – this loving kindness pray to me”.   When we do pray, we are promised three things:

  • Protection while in the midst of danger with eventual musical rescue
  • Guidance and instruction about where to go, with on-going care as we journey through life
  • Joy as we remember our upright position when freed from sin

The Bible calls the man or woman who knows these truths, ‘asher’.  Asher means blessed….enviable….happy…..joyful.

*

After this daily confession, with my belt of truth comfortably reminding me that I’m secure in the light, I continue to put on my Gospel armor. I slip on my Peace-with-God sandals:  no need to fear that my access to His throne will be blocked.  My stance and confidence in my standing are firm.

I’m covered by Christ’s righteousness…no need to fake being something I’m not. I’m free to confess sin as it occurs; I don’t have to pretend a righteousness that is not mine.  Jesus’ righteousness is comfortable and comforting. I need that secure breastplate over my heart.

I consciously don my head covering marked, “SAVED by GRACE”.  Recalling that I have already been rescued helps me to reject:

  • the fear thoughts of ‘what if?’
  • the depressing thoughts of:  I’m-not-good-enough
  • the lack thoughts: God might not come through TOMORROW!
  • the superior & judgmental thoughts: At least I’m not….

Now I raise my shield of faith and cover not only myself, but the Church that is around me, those Christian brothers and sisters I encounter throughout my day.  I offer them protection by reminding THEM of gospel truth.  And when the going gets tough because the enemy is attacking me or a brother or sister, I pull out my short dagger and yell, “It is written: _____________!”  The demons scatter, horrified and wounded by the power of God’s Word.  ‘We better leave this Daughter of the King alone for now,’ they reason.

Gospel armor: fashion that NEVER goes out of style.  And I haven’t even mentioned the snacks I bring with me to nibble on throughout the day for energy.  We’ll talk about that another day.  But who doesn’t eat at least 3 times a day!

 

How the story goes

May 28, 2012

Maria Uncategorized Leave a comment

The whole story in a nutshell

In the beginning was God.  Genesis tells us that the time-less, transcendent God actually created time and the universe and declared it all ‘good!’  Then God as a plural three-in-one immaterial being chose to create humans in his image.  We actually see evidence of the 3 persons/ 1 essence God in Genesis.  God planned and through Jesus called forth the universe.  The Holy Spirit brooded over/ brought it forth step by step with divine power.  Moreover Jesus in his role as ‘incarnational’ God appeared to Abraham, Lot and Jacob as a material being.  Here was ‘a man-God’ who talked, ate, pleaded, slew and rescued.

Why did God create man?  God was perfectly happy as a community of 3.   But you know as well as I how much our joy is enhanced when we share it with others.  The triune God chose to bring man into being in order to create a community of image-bearers who would enjoy and glorify God forever.  A mutual, joy-enhancing community was planned.

However, once created man became more intrigued with creation, rather than the creator.  Our greatest tragedy and temporary woe is that we turned away from God, for whom we were designed.  We lost our way as we rebelled against our Father.

Thus the worst sin that we daily commit is turning our back on God and preferring lesser things.

But God planned for this.  He chose a particular group of people at a particular point in time and covenanted with them, setting up a system of law to protect them and teach them. He instituted a way to get right with God, each time his image-bearers stray.  Thus the Jewish sacrificial system was born.  Not a permanent fix, but a pointer to an ultimate once-and-for-all sacrifice at a future time.

From…..

  • the humble beginnings of their pagan ancestor Abraham,
  • through the historical and dramatic out-of-Egypt rescue by Moses,
  • on to the eventual entry into a promised land,
  • to the heights of a golden era of glory under Kings David and Solomon……….. marched the Jewish people
  • ……… into eventual but intentional rebellion.

Because of hardships orchestrated by God as punishment, they have looked longingly toward a future restoration when an anointed savior, the Messiah, would restore the golden age and they would again be on top of their game.

This hope for a messiah is based on prophetic promises, but their longing for restored glory has blinded the Jews to what the prophets actually taught.

God, through the prophets, has indeed assured us that His plan for a community/ family drawn from the world is still on track.  But it will require a once-for-all CEASEFIRE among rebel man.  The promises and sacrificial system were given to the Hebrews to point to this eventual need AND fulfillment.

There WILL BE an eventual righting of wrongs.  But it will be the righting of wrongs WE, God’s creation, have done to Him – the God, Father and Creator of all things.   God did first entrust to the Jews the scriptures and covenants for the training up and example to those who will be in his forever-family.  Furthermore, God through the prophets, also predicted a suffering servant who would absorb the payment for the continual sins of rebellion long after the temple was destroyed.

Jews, today, often explain that this suffering servant (see Isaiah 53) refers to the people called Israel and not to a single person.  But that doesn’t fit with the fact that ALL of us (Jews and Gentiles) are rebels against God. We all have gone astray and deserve death.  We all have failed to keep the covenant whether we are explicitly aware of it or not. We are in desperate need of saving.   

The animal sacrifices demanded by the Mosaic Covenant point to the horror of our rebellion.  Traitors to God, we deserve execution.  Animals dying for us are a concrete, child-like picture designed to be easily grasped, to teach us how wicked we are.

Just at the point of hopeless gloom and silence (no more prophetic announcements after Malachi in 420 BC until John the Baptist’s ministry around 32 AD) the good news to this ‘No Exit’ way of life appeared in the form of Jesus aka ‘God’.

Again, the Holy Trinity all along planned for this dénouement.  At a particular point in created time, God entered the world of men as a man himself.  In 3 hours on the cross, he paid for all sins ever committed past, present and future by being cut off from the perfect, holy God.  Our cosmic record was wiped clean.  But that’s not all!  For those invited into the family of God, we also have been given a perfect record of righteousness.  With our rebellion justly punished and without having to earn or achieve perfection, we ARE able to join the Holy Trinity as full family members.

In the beginning of time, God was.  God still is.  And this current earth is the stage where God’s family is being created.  This period of time is just the prologue to what will be a time-less (aka ‘eternal’) experience of mutual joy.  The best is yet to be.  Let us rejoice and be glad and share this true story with all we meet who will give us ear.

 

One size fits all –the Belt of Truth

May 14, 2012

Maria Ephesians , , Leave a comment

As I get dressed each morning with my Gospel armor (Eph 6: 11-17), I’ve been trying to translate the different items of clothing into words that calm my anxious soul.  Since the first item God calls us to put on is the Belt of Truth, I’ve been examining how I feel about belts in general.

Belts make me feel fat. I hardly ever wear a belt.

But I don’t think God has chosen this protection to point out a flaw in my natural self. (Thank you, Pop, for passing on not only your bone structure but your appetite for food!)

Au contraire, if the cinching up of His Heavenly belt causes any discomfort, it’s because I have needless layers covering my naked body.

What might some of those coverings be?  I’ll show you my 2 closets.  Closet A offers the good things I’ve done.   Closet B holds all the bad things I’ve done or the bad thoughts that dominate my thinking.

A stuff:

  • I weighed under 125 this morning; I’m on my way back to 122!
  • My students responded enthusiastically yesterday to my well-delivered instruction
  • I knocked out a good number of items on my To-Do list
  • I did something yesterday to qualify as a ‘good’ wife, daughter-in-law, mom, grandmother, friend, neighbor
  • I served at Church this week

B stuff:

  • I’m up a pound and I am probably never going to get back down to 122
  • Those ‘good chores’ I should do in various relationships are hanging over me
  • I was a boring teacher yesterday and it’s all my fault
  • I’m not doing enough at Church
  • I should be out sharing the Gospel with neighbors on my street.  And I should ask Ann over for dinner.  What kind of caring Christian am I that I ignore the widow 2 doors down??!!!
  • I should be doing stuff to fix up my house
  • I’m just a selfish person whose idol and chief passion is MY COMFORT and MY TIME
  • I wish I didn’t have to go to work today and could stay home and putter around on the computer and read.
  • I’m not earning enough money, thereby putting pressure on my husband to stay in a job he hates

This is just a sample of how I dress each morning.  No wonder God’s belt of truth is tight!

Thinking about what the Bible means, however, has been a blessing.  The truth is, God’s belt will fit comfortably and actually console and bless me if I let myself be unadorned, exposed in front of God.

There is no need to hide our true self, since He actually bids us to come ‘au naturel’:

  • Just as we are
  • Naked and unashamed (He knows all about us, anyway!)
  • Transparent and unafraid
  • Trusting Him to dress us with Christ’s righteousness

The belt of truth is actually the ideal size for each one of us.  But it only fits comfortably; it only blesses us, if we have the courage to drop the cover-ups of accomplishments as well as the scarlet layers of supposed guilty consciences.

Think of the time saved in the morning, if we dress only in God’s clothing!

PS:  there is actually another layer that I must shed if the belt of truth is to fit easily…the extra baggage of unconfessed sin.  This belt is, after all, God’s belt of TRUTH!  Why cling to my fig leaf when I can be free!  And He adds a little pressure for our own good.  In the end, facing Him honestly, coming clean and being released from the weighty sentence of guilt liberates us   If we don’t… that belt gets harder to wear.

Psalm 32: 3-5  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Not for the faint of heart – thoughts on Hell

May 7, 2012

Maria Uncategorized , 1 Comment

A question no one can answer:

The polite version – “Why does God create humans He knows will not repent and join His family?”

The more direct version – “Why does He create people destined for Hell?”

The coarse version – “Why does God create throw-away people?”

This is the most disturbing of questions I can formulate.  And no one can give an answer.  At best we can say that God must have a good reason, and that we simply must trust Him.   After all, if we have spent any time learning about God, we know Him to be just, loving and merciful.

Yet the existence of Hell is not inconsistent with God’s loveliness.  As much as I DO empathize with how horrid the reality of Hell is (who would wish this on even his worst enemy!), I believe it is at least as defensible as the logic we employ ourselves.  Let me explain.

*

If you think about it, we live with a double standard.  Every day we make questionable decisions that we justify.  And we have no problem even considering ourselves ‘good’ people.   Consider the following, cast in a justifying light:

  • We break our society’s laws by speeding when we have good cause – ‘my wife is having a baby and I have to get her to the hospital’
  • We kill other human beings – ‘we’re at war with this country and I’m a soldier called to fight’
  • We abort babies – ‘it’s legal and the baby had Down’s syndrome’
  • We lie – ‘the truth was too painful and she doesn’t need to know’

My point is that we make decisions that might seem evil or wrong to some. Nonetheless, we find reasons that are consistent with our pre-suppositions.  If WE humans reason and act thus AND consider ourselves good, then we should be consistent and allow that God must have good reasons for doing even the unimaginable and ultimate consigning of people to Hell.

Even though I don’t like the idea of an eternal conscious hell for those people who never receive God’s grace, I have to admit that it is fair.  After all, God created us and as the creator, He has the perfect right to do with us as He sees fit.  This is how Paul argues in Romans 9: 21 – Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?  God has a right to do what He wants with us because we belong to Him.  Somewhat akin to the artist who crumples up a first attempt, God uses His creation as He sees fit. (I’m not implying that some people are ‘do-overs’ or that He makes mistakes).  Simply put, the Creator is under no obligation to let His creation in on His reasons.

I know that we all want to know the WHYs of life, yet knowing that I deserve Hell as a daughter of the rebellious first couple, and am being spared that fate makes me super joyful.  Someone may argue, “I didn’t choose to rebel against God.  Why should I inherit Adam’s sin nature?  That’s not FAIR!!!!”  You’re right!  But again, that’s not a point worth arguing.  We belong to God; therefore, He has the right.  And the fact that He offers salvation to some is equally beyond fair. Why are we not arguing against the injustice of a perfectly innocent Jesus dying on the cross for us?

At bottom is this: there’s nothing fair about grace.  Imagine griping about an inheritance of 30 million dollars?   The nature of gifts is that they are gratuitous and undeserved.

So if you ARE a chosen beloved child of God, revel in that grace.  Then go out and share the good news of grace with others.  There will be one of two reactions.  By the power of the Holy Spirit operating through God’s word, those appointed for eternal fellowship with God the Father will respond.  Those not appointed will be indifferent or infuriated.  Since God is good, then we can trust Him to judge and deal fairly.  Those who ignore or hate God will get exactly what they deserve, given their rebellion toward their maker.  And we who are spared just have to trust the plans of Our Father.  To quote our current president, some things are ‘beyond our pay grade’.

The Sacrifice of Waiting

April 30, 2012

Maria Anxiety, Colossians, Hope, James, Matthew, Trust, Waiting , , , Leave a comment

Melissa is a friend of mine who is now on the other side of a longer-than-expected answer from God.  She and her husband prayerfully navigated the red tape and bureaucratic hoops to qualify to be adoptive parents. Shaped by tender hearts for unwanted children and already blessed with a son of their own, Melissa and Daniel had come to the strategic decision to adopt the rest of their children.  Here was a ‘good’ prayer, not a ‘self-serving’ prayer, a prayer in line with God’s will as James tells us:

James 1:27 NIV

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Once qualified by the adoption agency, Melissa and Daniel projected dates of baby # 2’s arrival. In August of 2010, they told us, “Most likely by Christmas, we’ll have our baby and Lucas will be 2 1/ 4 years old, a good age spread.”

But Christmas came and went. Several sets of their friends got pregnant with ‘Baby # 2’.  Melissa started to blog about the wait.  Said friends delivered ‘babies # 2’.  Other families on the waiting list were selected ahead of Melissa & Dan.  Our church prayed.  Melissa set a good example:  transparently sharing her disappointment but keeping on in the faith.  She set physical goals such as weight loss and running races.  Spiritual goals nurtured her wait; read through the Bible in 3 months – twice!!  “Okay, God, now I see why you have delayed our baby’s arrival, but the calendar is clear, now would be a good time!”

Not only did Melissa and Daniel have to deal with the surprising wait, they suffered disappointments too.  I don’t know how many ‘heads up’ calls or emails they received about different babies whose birth parents were considering them.  The emotional roller-coaster took its toll, almost hardening Melissa to want to not let her hopes be dashed again.

Then God surprised them with 2 sudden and newsworthy events: #1 – a call about a baby who had already been born and was to be assigned to them and  # 2 –  the news that they themselves were going to be birth parents again!  Not a scenario they would EVER have imagined!  But isn’t that just like our God!!

I’m sure Melissa has learned a lot about ‘The God of Continual Surprises’ – would that be ‘Jehovah-Hafta’ah’? (Looking up the Hebrew word I read that one yells out “hafta’ah” at a surprise party) 

What I have come to realize more profoundly praying and waiting with her and her husband is that “Waiting is a form of Worship”.  I first heard this concept at a weekend retreat about 4 years ago.  The speaker was still waiting for a grown daughter to be rescued from the Kingdom of Homosexual Darkness. During her talks she chronicled many of the lessons she had learned so far.

Not all waiting is worship-ful.  Obviously there is the anxious, nail-biting sort that the world has perfected.  This is actually more the norm than we might realize.  ‘First-world’ countries like ours and others in the West have perfected the cult of ‘now-ism’. We expect life (other people, weather and technology) to perform according to our expectations and meet our schedules.

Obviously God knew that anxiety would be a temptation.  Jesus commands us in Matthew 6:25 – “Do not worry…….”  Since this is more than a suggestion from God, we can’t ignore the sinful nature of worry and anxiety, qualities that stain much of our restless waiting.

So what transforms waiting into a worshipful gift to God?  Obviously our attitude makes the difference. I love to dig around language roots.  I’ve found that both the Hebrew and the Spanish translations of the word ‘to wait’ have the built-in meaning ‘to hope’.

As Christians, we know that God’s definition of ‘to hope’ means to know for a fact.  Our faith is not wishful thinking as in, ‘I hope it won’t rain tomorrow for the picnic’.  No, our faith is based on the assurance, the pledge and promise of a sure outcome. Remember then……. ‘Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we don’t yet see’ (Hebrews 11:1)

We don’t wait in a vacuum, unattached to reality.  We’re pinning all our hopes (NOT on the circumstances working out according to our plan and desires, but) on God’s promises which are based on his character.  God CANNOT lie, or else he wouldn’t be God.  So if He says something, it’s as good as money in the bank.  And when we take him at his word and actually lean into, relax, rest on that promise of future grace, we show not only the world of other believers and non-believers, we are broadcasting to the spirit-world as well.

I have a theory about the frustrating exhortation in Matthew 5 about letting our light shine (vs 16) – “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Super George the pagan (i.e. non-believer) lives next door to us.  As an excellent neighbor, George is often doing for others.  But no one thinks to glorify and bless God for George’s kindnesses.  We admire George!  So the verse can’t refer to helping others, plenty of non-Christians do those compassionate works.  Here’s what I think:  if we go back to Jesus’ answer to the frustrated Jewish crowd in John – Chapter 6 (‘But what must we DO to be doing the work of the Lord’), Jesus responds by telling the people that the work they are to do is to BELIEVE GOD.  Can’t you just hear them responding incredulously, “That’s it?  There’s got to be more than that!!!”

Sounds so simple, but it’s countercultural. And here is how Melissa and Dan lived out that countercultural message for the past two years.

Melissa’s response to the unreasonable and painful wait for Levi, her now-2-month-old baby boy, was to continue to trust God, even when she did not understand the reason for it.  Her example has demonstrated for us a lovely way we can honor God and create opportunities to tell others about God’s promises.

When we don’t angst, fret, stew, manipulate, throw a tantrum, demand our way, we show the world that whereas we don’t LIKE the circumstances, we are trusting God’s promise to:

-work out all things for our good (Romans 8:28)

-withhold no good thing (Ps 37)

-be our shepherd and provide all we need so we won’t want for anything (Ps 23)

-faithfully tend to us with new mercies and compassions while we wait (Lam 3)

Our calm response in the waiting will definitely glorify our Father in heaven, because we will be demonstrating without language that God IS real, personal and all-satisfying.  And when we calmly wait, faces turned toward God, we reflect His light, like the moon reflecting the sun.  This then is ‘letting your light shine before men’ in a way that points to God.

Finally, how can we pray for each other in future periods of waiting that inevitably will come?  More than just beseeching God to grant the ‘whatever’ to our friends, how about praying Colossians 1:11 – that they be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience…. ultimately glorifying God.

Grace and Mephibosheth

April 22, 2012

Maria 2 Samuel, Uncategorized Leave a comment

2 Samuel 9:6-8 – And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”  And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

I am addicted to the Gospel of Grace.  I can’t get enough of this good news.  But until last year, I had never heard of it. In January of 2011 our son Graham attended an Acts 29 Network Conference in Orlando and heard Tullian Tchividjian’s talk and story about Grace.  Tullian who is a pastor and grandson of Billy Graham came to grace the hard way.  First a prodigal and unrepentant Jonah (running away from God) and then a legalistic Christian, he eventually embraced the freedom of grace. Now he is committed to living on the basis of grace and teaching it wherever he goes.  Mike and I caught a new lilt in Graham’s voice as he, too, shared a new vision of God.  We quickly downloaded Tullian’s talk and have been reading and listening to Grace messages from him and others since then.

So what is Grace according to the Bible?  Grace is a gift you receive because the giver wants to give it to you.  It is not based on anything you do to deserve it or earn it.  It is very un-American what with our ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ philosophy.  Apparently Mephibosheth, like us, had a problem wrapping his mind around this ‘unnatural’ way of responding.

Mephibosheth was the crippled son of King David’s best friend, Jonathan.  When David found out that this young son had survived the Philistine war, David sent for him, out of his love for his dead friend Jonathan.  The young boy was terrorized, certain that he would be slain by his dead grandfather’s supposed rival (with his grandfather King Saul dead, as well as his own dad, Mephibosheth was next in line if he was the only survivor in the royal family.) 

But David has the crippled boy carried to his table and treats him as his own son, not for anything the useless young man could or ever would do.  It was out of love for Jonathan that David treats him both tenderly and royally.

We are Mephibosheth.  We, too, are handicapped, having nothing to offer or exchange with God.  Like the young Hebrew, we have to be carried in to the banquet hall, almost against our will, not having arranged this transfer.  Our first thought is ‘what does he want with ME, in my state!  (-Given my sin and unworthiness).  What ‘Mephib’ and we have to keep reminding ourselves of is the radical thought that it is out of love of the King for someone else that we are so blessed. That is GREAT news.  Because what we receive from God (forgiveness for our sins and Jesus’ perfect righteousness credited to our account) has nothing to do with what we do or don’t do.  The daily gifts I receive and the future inheritance are all based on God the Father’s love for Jesus and what Jesus did for us!  I don’t have to do anything!!!!  And that is why it is called grace.  The amazing corollary is that I can’t risk losing my position either, because again, it’s not based on ME.

So what are we supposed to DO!!!!

-enjoy the banquet

-tell others that there is plenty of room and food at the Table

-when someone reaches for a French fry from your plate, give him your hamburger, too.  Don’t begrudge someone’s bigger portion of ice cream.  There’s plenty for all.  And the supply won’t run out.  Relax

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