Dear God,
Since you know the inner-most corners of my heart, I know that you realize that when I ask, “What’s the plan here, Dude?” that I don’t mean it to sound rude. Or flippant. Or mean. Or any of that stuff…it’s just that if I don’t interject a little sarcasm here, I’m gonna fall in a heap and cry. And I realize you know that.
This has been quite the stinky week, Lord, & I just need to vent for a minute. And I love that you’ll let me. Monday was one of the hardest days of my life as we put our beloved dog, my constant companion, to sleep. I know that you felt my sadness, Lord. I felt you grieving right along with me. And we knew we had no other choice if we were to do the selfless, best thing for her. But even though I knew both of those things, it didn’t make my hurt any less.
Later in the week, after having tried my absolute best in a situation, with the purest of intentions to help someone, that person misunderstood my intent and was filled with anger at me and spoke of that anger to me fervently. I forgive her…I realize that she has had a lifetime of hurt, of not being able to trust people, of apparently having to deal with people who had ulterior motives of malice. However, that’s not me, and what an awful experience it was to be on the receiving end of that! Lord, you know my heart, and you know what I was trying to do. Please forgive me for causing that person anguish, but you know the truth in that situation even if no one else does. Thank you for remembering the details some day when I stand before you.
So maybe the week was gonna take a turn for the best…or at least it was gonna end (since it is Saturday & all)…so why did I go check email? Darn it! Why did I? Only to find that something I’ve long been praying about is seemingly turning out with the exact opposite result of my prayers!! Gotta be honest, Lord…I’m angry, frustrated, and disappointed. I am really questioning the people in charge who made this decision…and since you can see the inner-most corners of my heart, you already know that I am questioning why You let this happen, so I might as well admit it. I will try to have an open mind. I will try to believe the best. I will try. But I feel defeated and deflated.
I kinda wanna yell at someone.
I kinda wanna yell at You.
But, I won’t…
I have a lot of questions about this. For starters, “What’s the plan here, Dude”? I know there is one…and I know you’ll reveal it when you’re good & ready. I know that You are always working for the good of those who love you, but I am going on serious blind trust here, Man, cause I am NOT seein’ it!
Somehow I will search for truth in this. Somehow I will emerge from this stinkpot stuff a better, stronger, more tenacious person. Somehow my character will become more defined, my values even stronger. Somehow, even though I don’t want to, I will trust that You have a plan and that it is good, really good. Even if I have to recite the Prayer of Jabez and Jeremiah 29:11 every single day, I will somehow learn to find the good in all of this.
So…
Here I start:
Thank you, God, for teaching me so much this week about how to trust you and your plans for me. Thank you for giving me so many opportunities to lean on you and to grow as a Christian and as a person. Thank you for providing me with many insights about others through the experiences that I have endured this week. You must be preparing me for something important, and I am grateful. Thank you for softening my heart to those who are cruel to me, for they only act out of their previous experience, and I forgive them for that. And finally, thank you for allowing me to question and to be real with you (after all, you see it in me anyway!). Lord, I am yours and you refine me well.
Amen.
(See, even as I type this I am feeling better, more compassionate…and the more I read that, the more I really, really feel it in my heart!)
Ok, I’m gonna be alright, but it’s possible that curling up to an evening of HGTV followed by a little shopping tomorrow would really seal the deal…
Question: Have you ever wondered what the heck the plan was?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Our Reward Is Not On Earth
It’s almost freaky how over the last several months I’ve had this recurring conversation with people. Each exchange has been due to its own special set of circumstances, and each has involved different people, but the overall theme remains the same.
The over-riding question that has prevailed is this:
Why do things always work out for people who stink? Cheat? Lie? Steal (company time & resources)? Do the wrong thing? Take the shortcuts? Take advantage? Are lazy? Why…yet it always seems to work out so well for them…why?
Why? WHY??? And why then especially when there are those of us out there bustin’ our hineys every day, doing the right thing, working our fingers to the bone, telling the truth, playing by the rules, paying our taxes, helping others, trying to make a real difference, giving to church, going to church, living right and yet we can’t seem to catch a break?
WHY?
The flippant, easy answer is this: Life ain’t fair, sister! So suck it up and deal with it.
But I think we do ourselves, our friends and colleagues, and especially our children, a real disservice when we reduce it to that.
I think the answer lies much deeper than that…I’m willing to bet my every worldly possession that it is because our reward is not on earth. It’s not like I’ve known this or been as sure as I am today about this for my whole life. In fact, it has taken lots of reading of scripture and praying and thinking over the last 39.999999 years to fully grow into it, but I am really, really sure now.
There are plenty of instances in which to contemplate the concept:
(And I don’t mean for these examples to sound judgmental…I’m just sure we’ve all witnessed at least one of these where it wasn’t based on judgment, but on cold, hard fact that this is what was happening.)
Why does the person at work seem to get rewarded over and over even though she doesn’t play by the rules?
Why am I working so hard with such little gain, while I watch her get ahead by cheating and lying?
Why did I do the work, but she got the credit?
Why is she favored when she so blatantly lacks integrity by cheating the company?
…and of course there are the obvious ones…
Why did he die young when he was such a good person?
Why does one neighbor’s family struggle financially when they always do the right thing, but another neighbor’s family has everything they need and more, yet they are so nasty to others?
Why does she, of all people, have to suffer with cancer?
From being passed up for things I worked hard for in school all the way to a very specific instance with a co-worker a couple of weeks ago, this question has come up in my life over and over again. So maybe I write this now as much to remind myself as anyone else…
The only answer I’ve got is that our reward is not on earth. Our reward will be in Heaven. And while the here and now sometimes FEELS like an eternity, it is merely a blip on the screen. But what we do now, during that “blip”, determines where we get to live…with whom we get to live…for what really will be eternity.
I wish I had more…but these are my insights and totally my personal takes on it:
**The phrase “we reap what we sow” has eternal implications!
**Satan likes people who don’t live right, who don’t play by the “rules”, so he makes sure that he sets them up well to live the following lie: there are no negative consequences for your actions. (This helps lure more people to him.)
**God doesn’t actually promise that life will be sweet and rosy because we believe in Him. He promises that with a new life in Christ we will have eternal life and will never be without Him. He promises that eternal life with Him will be paradise and it is worth waiting for.
**God is hoping to see that we’ll hang in there, that we’ll stick with Him, that we’ll believe His promises, no matter what. He wants to see if we are easily dissuaded or if our words (claiming we follow Him) and our actions (actually following Him) match. He wants to see how easily we give up and throw in the towel.
**God is testing our integrity and our worldliness…testing us to see if we’ll “sell out” to instant gratification at some point.
**Adversity can, if we choose to let it, cause us to become better, stronger people. God also hopes we’ll use what we learn from our experiences to help others, especially our children who are looking to us to see why they should remain on the straight and narrow.
**God will reward us greatly in eternity when time after time he sees us choosing the right actions and the right attitudes when we know there is no earthly gain.
**He is keeping a record, a “report card” of sorts, and He will have a student-teacher conference with us about it someday. On that day all justice will be served for the many things we did right…and the many times we fell short of His glory.
**Every single thing…yes, every last little thing, no matter how small it may seem…that you do in His name is adding to YOUR cache of treasure in Heaven.
**God sees all of the works that you do, the true intent behind each one, and the depth of the core of your belief in Him and love for Him.
Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in
heaven.”
Matthew 16:27 “He will reward each according to his works.”
Matthew 19:21 “You will have treasure in heaven.”
Luke 14:14 “You will be blessed…for you shall be repaid at the resurrection.”
I can often be found saying the following two statements aloud to myself (apparently I need a lot of reminders):
1. The high road is a lonely road, but it is the one I choose to take.
2. My reward is not on earth.
That’s all I’ve got…no other answers…but I’m really sure that I’m right. And I’m really sure that it’ll be worth it.
If you only read one more book in your lifetime, read A Life God Rewards by Bruce Wilkinson. One of the most poignant things he says (and there are many) is this, “Our eternal destination is the consequence of what we believe on earth. Our eternal compensation is the consequence of how we behave on earth.”
Personally, I’d rather “suck it up and deal with it” even though “life ain’t fair”, trusting in God’s every move, choosing the lonely high road over and over again, believing in a wonderful loving Savior, so that I can secure my rightful place at the Feet of the Throne.
Of course when I get there, one of my very first questions to Jesus will be, “Remember X at work (can’t type the names or the situation here…)? What the heck was up with that? Cause, man, did I get the short end of the stick on that one!!”
I sincerely hope He’ll explain and follow up with, “Hey, girl…how you handled that…well done, my good and faithful servant! I knew your heart then and I remember it now, and it contributed to your storehouse of treasure.”
My prayer for all of us:
Dear God, help us stay on the straight and narrow even when it seems like the tougher path. Help us hold fast to Biblical truths, and help us find strength in Christian friends who will encourage us to keep running toward you even when that’s not the easiest or most convenient thing. Give us the stamina we need to cling to you instead of being wooed by the instant gratification of this world. Help us to be patient now so that we may spend a beautiful eternity with you in Heaven. And most importantly, give us the insight and the honesty to use our life experiences to teach our children to do the same. Amen.
Question: Do you believe your reward is in Heaven…I mean really believe?
The over-riding question that has prevailed is this:
Why do things always work out for people who stink? Cheat? Lie? Steal (company time & resources)? Do the wrong thing? Take the shortcuts? Take advantage? Are lazy? Why…yet it always seems to work out so well for them…why?
Why? WHY??? And why then especially when there are those of us out there bustin’ our hineys every day, doing the right thing, working our fingers to the bone, telling the truth, playing by the rules, paying our taxes, helping others, trying to make a real difference, giving to church, going to church, living right and yet we can’t seem to catch a break?
WHY?
The flippant, easy answer is this: Life ain’t fair, sister! So suck it up and deal with it.
But I think we do ourselves, our friends and colleagues, and especially our children, a real disservice when we reduce it to that.
I think the answer lies much deeper than that…I’m willing to bet my every worldly possession that it is because our reward is not on earth. It’s not like I’ve known this or been as sure as I am today about this for my whole life. In fact, it has taken lots of reading of scripture and praying and thinking over the last 39.999999 years to fully grow into it, but I am really, really sure now.
There are plenty of instances in which to contemplate the concept:
(And I don’t mean for these examples to sound judgmental…I’m just sure we’ve all witnessed at least one of these where it wasn’t based on judgment, but on cold, hard fact that this is what was happening.)
Why does the person at work seem to get rewarded over and over even though she doesn’t play by the rules?
Why am I working so hard with such little gain, while I watch her get ahead by cheating and lying?
Why did I do the work, but she got the credit?
Why is she favored when she so blatantly lacks integrity by cheating the company?
…and of course there are the obvious ones…
Why did he die young when he was such a good person?
Why does one neighbor’s family struggle financially when they always do the right thing, but another neighbor’s family has everything they need and more, yet they are so nasty to others?
Why does she, of all people, have to suffer with cancer?
From being passed up for things I worked hard for in school all the way to a very specific instance with a co-worker a couple of weeks ago, this question has come up in my life over and over again. So maybe I write this now as much to remind myself as anyone else…
The only answer I’ve got is that our reward is not on earth. Our reward will be in Heaven. And while the here and now sometimes FEELS like an eternity, it is merely a blip on the screen. But what we do now, during that “blip”, determines where we get to live…with whom we get to live…for what really will be eternity.
I wish I had more…but these are my insights and totally my personal takes on it:
**The phrase “we reap what we sow” has eternal implications!
**Satan likes people who don’t live right, who don’t play by the “rules”, so he makes sure that he sets them up well to live the following lie: there are no negative consequences for your actions. (This helps lure more people to him.)
**God doesn’t actually promise that life will be sweet and rosy because we believe in Him. He promises that with a new life in Christ we will have eternal life and will never be without Him. He promises that eternal life with Him will be paradise and it is worth waiting for.
**God is hoping to see that we’ll hang in there, that we’ll stick with Him, that we’ll believe His promises, no matter what. He wants to see if we are easily dissuaded or if our words (claiming we follow Him) and our actions (actually following Him) match. He wants to see how easily we give up and throw in the towel.
**God is testing our integrity and our worldliness…testing us to see if we’ll “sell out” to instant gratification at some point.
**Adversity can, if we choose to let it, cause us to become better, stronger people. God also hopes we’ll use what we learn from our experiences to help others, especially our children who are looking to us to see why they should remain on the straight and narrow.
**God will reward us greatly in eternity when time after time he sees us choosing the right actions and the right attitudes when we know there is no earthly gain.
**He is keeping a record, a “report card” of sorts, and He will have a student-teacher conference with us about it someday. On that day all justice will be served for the many things we did right…and the many times we fell short of His glory.
**Every single thing…yes, every last little thing, no matter how small it may seem…that you do in His name is adding to YOUR cache of treasure in Heaven.
**God sees all of the works that you do, the true intent behind each one, and the depth of the core of your belief in Him and love for Him.
Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in
heaven.”
Matthew 16:27 “He will reward each according to his works.”
Matthew 19:21 “You will have treasure in heaven.”
Luke 14:14 “You will be blessed…for you shall be repaid at the resurrection.”
I can often be found saying the following two statements aloud to myself (apparently I need a lot of reminders):
1. The high road is a lonely road, but it is the one I choose to take.
2. My reward is not on earth.
That’s all I’ve got…no other answers…but I’m really sure that I’m right. And I’m really sure that it’ll be worth it.
If you only read one more book in your lifetime, read A Life God Rewards by Bruce Wilkinson. One of the most poignant things he says (and there are many) is this, “Our eternal destination is the consequence of what we believe on earth. Our eternal compensation is the consequence of how we behave on earth.”
Personally, I’d rather “suck it up and deal with it” even though “life ain’t fair”, trusting in God’s every move, choosing the lonely high road over and over again, believing in a wonderful loving Savior, so that I can secure my rightful place at the Feet of the Throne.
Of course when I get there, one of my very first questions to Jesus will be, “Remember X at work (can’t type the names or the situation here…)? What the heck was up with that? Cause, man, did I get the short end of the stick on that one!!”
I sincerely hope He’ll explain and follow up with, “Hey, girl…how you handled that…well done, my good and faithful servant! I knew your heart then and I remember it now, and it contributed to your storehouse of treasure.”
My prayer for all of us:
Dear God, help us stay on the straight and narrow even when it seems like the tougher path. Help us hold fast to Biblical truths, and help us find strength in Christian friends who will encourage us to keep running toward you even when that’s not the easiest or most convenient thing. Give us the stamina we need to cling to you instead of being wooed by the instant gratification of this world. Help us to be patient now so that we may spend a beautiful eternity with you in Heaven. And most importantly, give us the insight and the honesty to use our life experiences to teach our children to do the same. Amen.
Question: Do you believe your reward is in Heaven…I mean really believe?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Alyssa’s Guide to Summer Success
The following is Alyssa’s list of 15 rules for living a non-embarrassing (yes, I know that’s not a word!) summer so that you still have family who loves you, friends that want to be with you…and yes, your dignity, when it’s over and fall rolls around again!
1. Don't light your grill if you think a raccoon has made it his winter home and is still in there...I'm just sayin'....
2. If your heels look like crumbling concrete, you owe it to society to get a pedicure. Do not wear sandals until you do!
3. Self-tanner can be a delicate thing, so proceed with extreme caution! If your legs come out the color of an orange Crayola, that is the signal that you've gone too far!
4. When choosing between Off and Channel No.5, one must go with the latter.
5. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! It is the cheapest, easiest, and most effective key to being a hot chick in the nursing home instead of looking like that lady in There's Something About Mary. Seriously.
6. If you've birthed twins, a one-piece might be a better option than a bikini... (I, of all people, can say this!)
7. Nair doesn’t actually work that well.
8. We no longer call “flip-flops” “thongs”. If you’re not sure why, you’ll have to call me. Not printing it here! Just promise me you won't refer to them that way...
9. When attending a summer soiree, it’s best to sip the umbrella-clad drink slowly and to avoid the potato salad unless it has been on ice.
10. I beg of thee not to wear flesh-colored hose with shorts. N.o.t. g.o.o.d.!!!
11. If you have giant tattoos of past boyfriends’ names, you may want to think twice before wearing that cute little dress with spaghetti straps from Loft!
12. Really only Daisy Duke was born to wear “Daisy Dukes”! (Help me out here, people…)
13. It’s time to get outside and get active when the Lifetime Television movie schedule is cycling back through for a second run.
14. Pluck early and often! Whether they’re jet black or shiny white, chin hairs show up plain as day in the glistening sunlight of baseball games or girlfriend time around the pool!
15. To the list of “Things to Shave”, please do add “the big toes”. Come on now, someone has to say it!
Happy Summer, Friends!
Question: What other rules can YOU think of? Please feel free to leave them as comments!
1. Don't light your grill if you think a raccoon has made it his winter home and is still in there...I'm just sayin'....
2. If your heels look like crumbling concrete, you owe it to society to get a pedicure. Do not wear sandals until you do!
3. Self-tanner can be a delicate thing, so proceed with extreme caution! If your legs come out the color of an orange Crayola, that is the signal that you've gone too far!
4. When choosing between Off and Channel No.5, one must go with the latter.
5. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! It is the cheapest, easiest, and most effective key to being a hot chick in the nursing home instead of looking like that lady in There's Something About Mary. Seriously.
6. If you've birthed twins, a one-piece might be a better option than a bikini... (I, of all people, can say this!)
7. Nair doesn’t actually work that well.
8. We no longer call “flip-flops” “thongs”. If you’re not sure why, you’ll have to call me. Not printing it here! Just promise me you won't refer to them that way...
9. When attending a summer soiree, it’s best to sip the umbrella-clad drink slowly and to avoid the potato salad unless it has been on ice.
10. I beg of thee not to wear flesh-colored hose with shorts. N.o.t. g.o.o.d.!!!
11. If you have giant tattoos of past boyfriends’ names, you may want to think twice before wearing that cute little dress with spaghetti straps from Loft!
12. Really only Daisy Duke was born to wear “Daisy Dukes”! (Help me out here, people…)
13. It’s time to get outside and get active when the Lifetime Television movie schedule is cycling back through for a second run.
14. Pluck early and often! Whether they’re jet black or shiny white, chin hairs show up plain as day in the glistening sunlight of baseball games or girlfriend time around the pool!
15. To the list of “Things to Shave”, please do add “the big toes”. Come on now, someone has to say it!
Happy Summer, Friends!
Question: What other rules can YOU think of? Please feel free to leave them as comments!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Reminders of Hope and Promise
I've been fascinated by rainbows my whole life… From Kermit the Frog singing about the Rainbow Connection, which, I might add, I did a stunning rendition of (OK, maybe not so much!) in the Jefferson School Elementary talent show as a duet with Angie Overdorf & Dee Stahly on keyboard, to my love of Mork’s suspenders. My love of color runs deep.
On the way to school this morning I saw a gorgeous rainbow. Close to my house I could see the left side of it, but as I drove it disappeared for a few minutes. Once I was closer to school, I could see the arch and right side of it. Beautiful! It made me smile and gave me an enormous sense of peace.
Oh, I get the science behind it, and though that's not the point, I love that God thought up that when the sun's rays are refracted through raindrops the white light is separated into Roy G. Biv. How God delights me when He places that little gift in the sky!
And I also love that hundreds and hundreds of years later, God still sends us reminders of His covenant with us through that same way He did Noah:
Genesis 9:16 “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
This morning as I drove (trying to keep my eyes on the road instead of in the sky) I wondered how many people missed it. I'm sure the people heading east couldn't see it. Older guy getting his Indy Star surely missed it...the line of pine trees by his mailbox blocked his view, but would he have seen it even if they hadn't? When I got to school I wondered how many people had grabbed their bags and their lattes and had not even looked up. How many people hurried on their way without looking? How many people were too engrossed in their own stuff to see the reminder?
Kind of a metaphor for life in a few ways, I guess:
1.) God wants us to be positive about life and to see all of the beauty in it! So stop looking down all the time. Keep your chin up, literally and figuratively and look around...it'll be worth it!
2.) There is plenty of evidence that God is alive and working in this world if we will open our eyes and look for Him. He can only do so much to show us...we have to meet Him half way by looking and accepting what He gives as that evidence, but the evidence is everywhere.
3.) Sometimes life feels hard, like trudging through mud, but God had not forgotten us. The politics of the world are scary, but God is watching and holding us close. Cancer, death, divorce…plenty of heavy things happen to people we know and love, but God is there to pick up the pieces. You are not forgotten.
My prayer for all of us: Dear God, help us see the multiple ways you show us evidence of your existence and your power each and every day. Let that evidence stamp out even the smallest doubts that you are working on our behalf. Amen.
When it feels like your own life is the modern-day version of exactly what happened in Genesis 8, “For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth” and “the waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days” I encourage you to look up. When you feel like your “rain” will never end, know that it will. Just hang on a little longer.
God keeps his promises. Will you believe that He does whether or not you see the reminder?
Question: Do you believe that God keeps His promises? Do you believe that rainbows are still a relevant reminder of God’s covenant?
On the way to school this morning I saw a gorgeous rainbow. Close to my house I could see the left side of it, but as I drove it disappeared for a few minutes. Once I was closer to school, I could see the arch and right side of it. Beautiful! It made me smile and gave me an enormous sense of peace.
Oh, I get the science behind it, and though that's not the point, I love that God thought up that when the sun's rays are refracted through raindrops the white light is separated into Roy G. Biv. How God delights me when He places that little gift in the sky!
And I also love that hundreds and hundreds of years later, God still sends us reminders of His covenant with us through that same way He did Noah:
Genesis 9:16 “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
This morning as I drove (trying to keep my eyes on the road instead of in the sky) I wondered how many people missed it. I'm sure the people heading east couldn't see it. Older guy getting his Indy Star surely missed it...the line of pine trees by his mailbox blocked his view, but would he have seen it even if they hadn't? When I got to school I wondered how many people had grabbed their bags and their lattes and had not even looked up. How many people hurried on their way without looking? How many people were too engrossed in their own stuff to see the reminder?
Kind of a metaphor for life in a few ways, I guess:
1.) God wants us to be positive about life and to see all of the beauty in it! So stop looking down all the time. Keep your chin up, literally and figuratively and look around...it'll be worth it!
2.) There is plenty of evidence that God is alive and working in this world if we will open our eyes and look for Him. He can only do so much to show us...we have to meet Him half way by looking and accepting what He gives as that evidence, but the evidence is everywhere.
3.) Sometimes life feels hard, like trudging through mud, but God had not forgotten us. The politics of the world are scary, but God is watching and holding us close. Cancer, death, divorce…plenty of heavy things happen to people we know and love, but God is there to pick up the pieces. You are not forgotten.
My prayer for all of us: Dear God, help us see the multiple ways you show us evidence of your existence and your power each and every day. Let that evidence stamp out even the smallest doubts that you are working on our behalf. Amen.
When it feels like your own life is the modern-day version of exactly what happened in Genesis 8, “For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth” and “the waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days” I encourage you to look up. When you feel like your “rain” will never end, know that it will. Just hang on a little longer.
God keeps his promises. Will you believe that He does whether or not you see the reminder?
Question: Do you believe that God keeps His promises? Do you believe that rainbows are still a relevant reminder of God’s covenant?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Are We There Yet?
"Are we there yet?", "Are we there yet?"
It surprised me that the question kept coming despite the fact that my twins are 11 and knew full well that while driving through Alabama on our way home from Florida, we were still states, and hours, away. We had been vacationing in the Florida pan handle, and had gotten to experience that wonderful, white, sugary sand, and sunsets even more beautiful than I remember seeing in Maui.
Living in Indiana, I'm reminded often of how life-giving the crops are that farmers grow here, how we produce materials such as limestone and coal. But living in the non-coastal, flat Midwest, I forget the power of the tide, the roar of the waves, the pull of the undercurrent, how spooky-yet-soothing it sounds at night. Every last bit of it is so gorgeous, so awe-inspiring and it all reminds me of the sheer force of nature.
Some call it Mother Nature.
I call it God, revealing himself through nature.
It’s a tangible way that God makes himself visible and available to us.
It’s a tangible way that He gives us some of His beauty, His creativity, His love for us, His force, His tenacity, His brilliance, if even just a glimpse.
While making the drive home to Indiana, we experienced some severe weather: wind, rain, lightning, hail. We listened anxiously to the radio as we approached the area just south of Nashville and the announcer told of tornadoes having touched down around Murfreesboro, TN. Those tornadoes were the cause of at least three deaths and multiple injuries ranging from minor to severe.
But when we drove through Murfreesboro, just about 2 hours after those tornadoes hit, everything was calm, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining.
It seemed so sad to me that people had just died a little while earlier due to the dramatic power of nature, their families maybe just all being notified by now and certainly still feeling that initial shock and pain, but nature had "moved on" to something so calm and beautiful having left them in its wake.
As Chad drove, I looked at every detail, noticing the signs of the dichotomy we were witnessing. I asked him out loud, "Don't you think it seems ironic, strange, that people just died, died, as a tornado literally tore through here just a little while ago, tore dreams and lives apart, but what we see now is just all of this gorgeous new spring life?" I was pointing to all of the blooms and blossoms.
Chad answered in the poignant way he always does, "I guess it's because life and death are so closely related."
You are so very right, my dear...so very right.
The power of God, displayed in those examples we were seeing in the force of nature, is just a mere drop in the bucket of what God can do. And it struck me as we heard about the lives that ended, that we also saw new life: fresh spring-green grass, new green leaves, calm spa-blue sky with wispy white clouds, gorgeous purple buds on trees ~ all of this beautiful new spring life that we are barely beginning to see farther north in Indiana.
For those of us who believe in Christ Jesus, death is not the end.
Luke 24:The Resurrection
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Life and death are so closely related. From death springs forth new and abundant life.
We can experience, while being alive in flesh and soul, the death of our old lives, old habits, old ways, old sins, and be born into a new, fresh, free way of existing in close relationship with Jesus here on earth.
And at some point we will die a physical death through old age, disease, an accident… yet our souls will await new bodies, perfected, made whole again, and we will have the joy of living forever on an earth made new with our Lord when He comes again.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
Luke 20:36: And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.
Revelation 21:4: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Romans 6:2-11: We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1 John 5:13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
2 Corinthians 4: 13-18: It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
This is what God offers us in His amazing power displayed in the birth, death, resurrection, and ascent of Christ.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our death...yours and mine...is so very closely related to life.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our own personal winter will turn to eternal spring paradise.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our ultimate destination is to dwell with our Lord. It's just that we'll need to wait a little longer till we get the answer to the question, "Are we there yet?"
Just rest in the assurance that one day we will be.
And for all of eternity.
It surprised me that the question kept coming despite the fact that my twins are 11 and knew full well that while driving through Alabama on our way home from Florida, we were still states, and hours, away. We had been vacationing in the Florida pan handle, and had gotten to experience that wonderful, white, sugary sand, and sunsets even more beautiful than I remember seeing in Maui.
Living in Indiana, I'm reminded often of how life-giving the crops are that farmers grow here, how we produce materials such as limestone and coal. But living in the non-coastal, flat Midwest, I forget the power of the tide, the roar of the waves, the pull of the undercurrent, how spooky-yet-soothing it sounds at night. Every last bit of it is so gorgeous, so awe-inspiring and it all reminds me of the sheer force of nature.
Some call it Mother Nature.
I call it God, revealing himself through nature.
It’s a tangible way that God makes himself visible and available to us.
It’s a tangible way that He gives us some of His beauty, His creativity, His love for us, His force, His tenacity, His brilliance, if even just a glimpse.
While making the drive home to Indiana, we experienced some severe weather: wind, rain, lightning, hail. We listened anxiously to the radio as we approached the area just south of Nashville and the announcer told of tornadoes having touched down around Murfreesboro, TN. Those tornadoes were the cause of at least three deaths and multiple injuries ranging from minor to severe.
But when we drove through Murfreesboro, just about 2 hours after those tornadoes hit, everything was calm, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining.
It seemed so sad to me that people had just died a little while earlier due to the dramatic power of nature, their families maybe just all being notified by now and certainly still feeling that initial shock and pain, but nature had "moved on" to something so calm and beautiful having left them in its wake.
As Chad drove, I looked at every detail, noticing the signs of the dichotomy we were witnessing. I asked him out loud, "Don't you think it seems ironic, strange, that people just died, died, as a tornado literally tore through here just a little while ago, tore dreams and lives apart, but what we see now is just all of this gorgeous new spring life?" I was pointing to all of the blooms and blossoms.
Chad answered in the poignant way he always does, "I guess it's because life and death are so closely related."
You are so very right, my dear...so very right.
The power of God, displayed in those examples we were seeing in the force of nature, is just a mere drop in the bucket of what God can do. And it struck me as we heard about the lives that ended, that we also saw new life: fresh spring-green grass, new green leaves, calm spa-blue sky with wispy white clouds, gorgeous purple buds on trees ~ all of this beautiful new spring life that we are barely beginning to see farther north in Indiana.
For those of us who believe in Christ Jesus, death is not the end.
Luke 24:The Resurrection
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Life and death are so closely related. From death springs forth new and abundant life.
We can experience, while being alive in flesh and soul, the death of our old lives, old habits, old ways, old sins, and be born into a new, fresh, free way of existing in close relationship with Jesus here on earth.
And at some point we will die a physical death through old age, disease, an accident… yet our souls will await new bodies, perfected, made whole again, and we will have the joy of living forever on an earth made new with our Lord when He comes again.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
Luke 20:36: And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.
Revelation 21:4: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Romans 6:2-11: We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1 John 5:13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
2 Corinthians 4: 13-18: It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
This is what God offers us in His amazing power displayed in the birth, death, resurrection, and ascent of Christ.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our death...yours and mine...is so very closely related to life.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our own personal winter will turn to eternal spring paradise.
Because of Christ's resurrection, our ultimate destination is to dwell with our Lord. It's just that we'll need to wait a little longer till we get the answer to the question, "Are we there yet?"
Just rest in the assurance that one day we will be.
And for all of eternity.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Signals & Signs
Today while driving on a street near my house, the driver in the car coming toward me was motioning wildly at me. He seemed to be yelling at me when I was doing nothing but minding my own business, enjoying the drive home and singing at the top of my lungs as I am often found doing in the car.
I was taken aback by his actions…almost offended…
Why? I’m not sure.
Maybe it made me think of all of the times that drivers are nasty to each other. And I’ll admit that I’m probably the least like Jesus when driving. Other people’s driving always bothers me. They never do it right. And it tends to bring out the not-so-pleasant side of me. They go too fast, too slow, don’t know the rules for certain situations (not that I do it perfectly, but being a rule-follower, I do know those).
I tell my very spunky, young-acting (and looking) 67 year-old mother that she drives like an old lady (of course, that is simply the truth and sometimes the truth hurts, people!). I tell my beloved and nearly-perfect husband how to drive, and even though I try to keep my mouth shut, I simply can’t (please pray for him!). In fact, we agree that the older we get, the more I’ll need to drive most places that we go together. I think that little arrangement will be the key to keeping our great marriage intact for the long-haul. Sometimes I get so mad when driving that I do talk out loud to other drivers…maybe even yell...just a little... And, yes, I am fully aware of my control-freak tendencies!
I even spoke out loud yesterday as if to answer the guy driving the other car, “What, dude? WHAT? Why are you yelling at me? I’m not doing anything wrong! There is nothing wrong with my car! I didn’t do anything wrong!” And as I remembered that yesterday in that exact same spot on that exact same road another guy did the same thing to me, I said it even louder and with a huge sigh, “WHAT?!?!?!?”
Then a huge smile started to creep across my face.
A warm feeling started to penetrate my heart.
And a little prayer of forgiveness was raised as I told God I was sorry for acting like a fool.
It dawned on me at that moment what was going on:
The driver yesterday and the driver today were both trying to warn me. To warn me. To signal me. To save me. To help me avoid something ahead.
Both days a police car was lurking in a very wooded driveway on that road…waiting to catch someone speeding.
What a nice gesture! How kind! While I wasn’t speeding, being the rule-follower that I am I was glad for the heads-up so that I could be “extra good” at the moment I passed that driveway. (Not that we should try to dodge the police when we are doing something that’s not quite the right thing and are rightfully caught.) It was interesting to me that 2 people, only 24 hours apart in my meeting them on the road, both signaled to me. They didn’t have to do that…if they thought I was going too fast, they might have thought I was about to get my due, but both really wanted to get the message across, to get my attention.
When seeing those gestures, those signals, that communication, I had jumped to the wrong conclusion both times, only later realizing their true intent. What’s even worse is that jumping to conclusions is not my natural tendency. They were trying to help, but I “read” them wrong…
How many times do we do that to God?
How many times does He try in earnest to get our attention, communicate with us, speak to us, yet we misinterpreted it? How often do we jump to the wrong conclusion?
How often do we miss His voice altogether?
There are plenty of Biblical references to asking God for a sign. Gideon, King Ahaz, The servant of Abraham, King Hezekiah, and even Satan ask God for signs. But asking for signs is an act of unbelief that shows God our lack of faith.
I’ll admit that especially in trying to make the bigger life decisions, it’s tempting to ask God to show us a sign that boldly announces which way to go. It’s something that I have to remind myself not to do sometimes, too, as it’s easy to want that reassurance ahead of time.
But here’s the thing: God wants us to step out into faith and TRUST that He will meet us there. The sign that we’ve done the right thing will be His undeniable stamp of approval after we’ve demonstrated that we believe in our heart of hearts that He is real and that we are His. And because we’ve demonstrated it.
He will show us the signs, but not because in a faithless plea we begged Him to. He will show us because with everything that is in us we knew that He would. We don’t need to ask God for signs because when we believe in Him wholly, he will just give them to us as gifts.
He will, just like the drivers I passed, motion wildly if we are on the wrong path. He will speak to us…He HAS spoken to us. It’s just that sometimes we misinterpret it by twisting it into what we want it to be. Sometimes we miss it because we have an attitude. Sometimes we miss it due to something as simple as just not listening, not paying attention.
As much as we might want to ask for a sign, God calls us to walk by faith, not by sight.
And I promise you this: God will show up, and He’ll show up big, if and when we believe that He will.
Question: Are you walking by faith or are you waiting for signs?
I was taken aback by his actions…almost offended…
Why? I’m not sure.
Maybe it made me think of all of the times that drivers are nasty to each other. And I’ll admit that I’m probably the least like Jesus when driving. Other people’s driving always bothers me. They never do it right. And it tends to bring out the not-so-pleasant side of me. They go too fast, too slow, don’t know the rules for certain situations (not that I do it perfectly, but being a rule-follower, I do know those).
I tell my very spunky, young-acting (and looking) 67 year-old mother that she drives like an old lady (of course, that is simply the truth and sometimes the truth hurts, people!). I tell my beloved and nearly-perfect husband how to drive, and even though I try to keep my mouth shut, I simply can’t (please pray for him!). In fact, we agree that the older we get, the more I’ll need to drive most places that we go together. I think that little arrangement will be the key to keeping our great marriage intact for the long-haul. Sometimes I get so mad when driving that I do talk out loud to other drivers…maybe even yell...just a little... And, yes, I am fully aware of my control-freak tendencies!
I even spoke out loud yesterday as if to answer the guy driving the other car, “What, dude? WHAT? Why are you yelling at me? I’m not doing anything wrong! There is nothing wrong with my car! I didn’t do anything wrong!” And as I remembered that yesterday in that exact same spot on that exact same road another guy did the same thing to me, I said it even louder and with a huge sigh, “WHAT?!?!?!?”
Then a huge smile started to creep across my face.
A warm feeling started to penetrate my heart.
And a little prayer of forgiveness was raised as I told God I was sorry for acting like a fool.
It dawned on me at that moment what was going on:
The driver yesterday and the driver today were both trying to warn me. To warn me. To signal me. To save me. To help me avoid something ahead.
Both days a police car was lurking in a very wooded driveway on that road…waiting to catch someone speeding.
What a nice gesture! How kind! While I wasn’t speeding, being the rule-follower that I am I was glad for the heads-up so that I could be “extra good” at the moment I passed that driveway. (Not that we should try to dodge the police when we are doing something that’s not quite the right thing and are rightfully caught.) It was interesting to me that 2 people, only 24 hours apart in my meeting them on the road, both signaled to me. They didn’t have to do that…if they thought I was going too fast, they might have thought I was about to get my due, but both really wanted to get the message across, to get my attention.
When seeing those gestures, those signals, that communication, I had jumped to the wrong conclusion both times, only later realizing their true intent. What’s even worse is that jumping to conclusions is not my natural tendency. They were trying to help, but I “read” them wrong…
How many times do we do that to God?
How many times does He try in earnest to get our attention, communicate with us, speak to us, yet we misinterpreted it? How often do we jump to the wrong conclusion?
How often do we miss His voice altogether?
There are plenty of Biblical references to asking God for a sign. Gideon, King Ahaz, The servant of Abraham, King Hezekiah, and even Satan ask God for signs. But asking for signs is an act of unbelief that shows God our lack of faith.
I’ll admit that especially in trying to make the bigger life decisions, it’s tempting to ask God to show us a sign that boldly announces which way to go. It’s something that I have to remind myself not to do sometimes, too, as it’s easy to want that reassurance ahead of time.
But here’s the thing: God wants us to step out into faith and TRUST that He will meet us there. The sign that we’ve done the right thing will be His undeniable stamp of approval after we’ve demonstrated that we believe in our heart of hearts that He is real and that we are His. And because we’ve demonstrated it.
He will show us the signs, but not because in a faithless plea we begged Him to. He will show us because with everything that is in us we knew that He would. We don’t need to ask God for signs because when we believe in Him wholly, he will just give them to us as gifts.
He will, just like the drivers I passed, motion wildly if we are on the wrong path. He will speak to us…He HAS spoken to us. It’s just that sometimes we misinterpret it by twisting it into what we want it to be. Sometimes we miss it because we have an attitude. Sometimes we miss it due to something as simple as just not listening, not paying attention.
As much as we might want to ask for a sign, God calls us to walk by faith, not by sight.
And I promise you this: God will show up, and He’ll show up big, if and when we believe that He will.
Question: Are you walking by faith or are you waiting for signs?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
That Way for a Reason
Below is one of my favorite quotes ever:
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight ~ but never stop fighting!" -e.e. cummings
I’ve always felt like I march to the beat of a different drummer…
…I’m a contrarian.
I like to do my own thing, I don’t like to be told what to do (though I’ve never ever been rebellious), I’m certainly my own person, I don’t like to follow the crowd, and I don’t like to be copied.
I’ve always been like that. Always.
Yet I feel that the world is constantly trying to mold me and craft me into what it wants me to be.
You know those hard middle school years…when you feel like a huge dork 100% of the time? I tried just a little bit to fit in then… But trying to fit in was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole, and I quickly realized that it couldn’t be done.
I had to learn to love the things that made me different, even if those things seem strange (or however they seem) to others.
And through learning to love those things about myself over all of these years, I think I’ve also learned to really appreciate the differences in others.
As a society we are quick to want to focus on how we are all alike, and that’s not a bad thing to focus on if that’s what it takes for us to get beyond the small stuff and get to know the heart of someone. But is that really the only way we can embrace each other as humans?
In fact, the world even wants everyone to be alike. Why is that? Why do we try to conform and to get others to as well? Why is peer pressure such a problem? Why do we seek other’s approval so much? Why do we try to impress? Why don’t we passionately, but respectfully argue more? Why don’t we challenge each other to think for ourselves a little more? And when someone blindly states something as truth, why don’t we kindly ask them to back it up with facts? Why don’t I kindly ask them to?
I don’t want to live in a world where we all look the same, act the same, talk the same, think the same.
As a society, why can’t we acknowledge that we are all different, yet “wonderfully made”?
Embrace the differences.
Celebrate the differences.
Enjoy the differences.
Find the good in the differences.
And talk openly and honestly about the differences.
I get the whole “finding the common ground” thing, I guess…
…OK, I guess I don’t get it!!!!
We are supposed to love others just because they are created in the image of God, not because they are like us.
While I’ll admit that is it more fun to be close friends with people who like to do the same things as I do and, those details shouldn’t matter when it comes to treating others well, showing respect, and appreciating them as people who are made by God.
Have you ever felt “not like yourself”? I absolutely adore singing in our church’s worship choir. It is an awesome, God-filled experience every time our voices join together. Oh, how I love it! We have to wear all black when we sing, and I couldn’t agree more with the reasoning behind it. It’s just that in doing so, I feel completely unlike me: colorful, LOTS of jewelry, a little on the eccentric side…yet there I have to blend in, which is something I’m not good at nor like to do.
And in choir I have to totally reign in the whole shoe thing. (Nothing is better than a great, sassy pair of shoes to make that black dress pop! But the plain black is required.)
Maybe you’re a sporty girl (which I have trouble even identifying with), and you live in tennis shoes and adidas pants. When you have to wear a dress and heels, if you even own any, you feel totally unlike yourself and can’t wait to change clothes!
Maybe you’re a little bit country (Marie) and someone else in your life is a little bit rock n’ roll (Donny) and they keep making you listen to their music…and it’s just not you.
You get the idea…
But I want to challenge you to start thinking about it in a new way:
Every cell in my body aches for me to be 100% of who I am…to be true to myself…regardless of how different that is from the next person.
And I believe that God made me like that for a reason.
He made you like you are for a reason, too.
I believe with my whole heart that each of us is put on this earth for a specific purpose. That particular purpose can only be lived out, that very legacy left, if we embrace what makes us uniquely us. We’re not supposed to be like anyone else. We’re supposed to reject conformity and cookie-cutter-ness!
If we try to be something we’re not, aren’t true to ourselves, or ignore what ignites our passion, we are defying God and the very reason he created us.
Song of Solomon 6:9: …my perfect one is unique…
It is our job and responsibility to embrace and develop who we are. To use our God-given talents. To work on ourselves so that we are continually improving. To speak about our obstacles. To go where our heart is truly leading us…for that feeling in our hearts that we can’t ignore is God speaking the calling upon our lives.
And I think it is our job and responsibility to realize that about other people, too.
This week a friend and I talked & emailed about her son, his ADD, and a less than helpful parent-teacher conference. It got me thinking about this very subject. All of us, with all of our hang-ups, all of our quirks, idiosyncrasies, baggage, and experiences are made the way we are for a reason.
It’s what we do with all of it that matters.
What I so badly want is for her son’s teacher to understand that while his ADD is a part of who he is, it is not WHO he is. He is wonderfully made, ADD and all, through a perfect formulation of skills and talents and passions and maybe even some quirks, so that one day he might fulfill the purpose for his life. The very one for which God created him. The one that no one else in the universe can fulfill but him. Her son is the way that he is for a reason. And he needs to be embraced at home, at school, and in society for that perfect combination, whether or not it includes ADD.
I want her son’s teacher to find every wonderful thing in that boy and let my friend know that while there may be some things to work through, she loves him for all of who he is. That is our job as teachers: to value every cell that knits that child together and then to take him as far emotionally, socially, and academically as he can go.
And as a parent, I know from experience what it feels like to have someone (even lots of people) make you feel like the only thing about your child is that “one thing”. What about my kid’s creativity, his problem solving ability, his insightfulness that is way beyond his years, his very dry and sarcastic humor, his leadership ability? Those are the things that really set him apart, that make him march to the beat of his own drummer. Those things matter so much more. And, my kid apparently needs that “one thing” to not only make him authentically who he is, but to live out the whole reason God created him in the first place. He’s that way for a reason.
Psalm 139:13-15 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Let’s help each other see our differences. Let’s appreciate them, acknowledge them, learn from them.
Let’s prosper and succeed, not in spite of them, but because of them.
Let’s realize that using the ways we are different is the only way we can glorify God in fulfilling His will for our lives.
After all, He’s made each of us unique for a reason and I love knowing that I’m the only me there is!
Question: What makes you YOU? What do you think God’s purpose was in creating you with the exact combination of characteristics that you have?
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight ~ but never stop fighting!" -e.e. cummings
I’ve always felt like I march to the beat of a different drummer…
…I’m a contrarian.
I like to do my own thing, I don’t like to be told what to do (though I’ve never ever been rebellious), I’m certainly my own person, I don’t like to follow the crowd, and I don’t like to be copied.
I’ve always been like that. Always.
Yet I feel that the world is constantly trying to mold me and craft me into what it wants me to be.
You know those hard middle school years…when you feel like a huge dork 100% of the time? I tried just a little bit to fit in then… But trying to fit in was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole, and I quickly realized that it couldn’t be done.
I had to learn to love the things that made me different, even if those things seem strange (or however they seem) to others.
And through learning to love those things about myself over all of these years, I think I’ve also learned to really appreciate the differences in others.
As a society we are quick to want to focus on how we are all alike, and that’s not a bad thing to focus on if that’s what it takes for us to get beyond the small stuff and get to know the heart of someone. But is that really the only way we can embrace each other as humans?
In fact, the world even wants everyone to be alike. Why is that? Why do we try to conform and to get others to as well? Why is peer pressure such a problem? Why do we seek other’s approval so much? Why do we try to impress? Why don’t we passionately, but respectfully argue more? Why don’t we challenge each other to think for ourselves a little more? And when someone blindly states something as truth, why don’t we kindly ask them to back it up with facts? Why don’t I kindly ask them to?
I don’t want to live in a world where we all look the same, act the same, talk the same, think the same.
As a society, why can’t we acknowledge that we are all different, yet “wonderfully made”?
Embrace the differences.
Celebrate the differences.
Enjoy the differences.
Find the good in the differences.
And talk openly and honestly about the differences.
I get the whole “finding the common ground” thing, I guess…
…OK, I guess I don’t get it!!!!
We are supposed to love others just because they are created in the image of God, not because they are like us.
While I’ll admit that is it more fun to be close friends with people who like to do the same things as I do and, those details shouldn’t matter when it comes to treating others well, showing respect, and appreciating them as people who are made by God.
Have you ever felt “not like yourself”? I absolutely adore singing in our church’s worship choir. It is an awesome, God-filled experience every time our voices join together. Oh, how I love it! We have to wear all black when we sing, and I couldn’t agree more with the reasoning behind it. It’s just that in doing so, I feel completely unlike me: colorful, LOTS of jewelry, a little on the eccentric side…yet there I have to blend in, which is something I’m not good at nor like to do.
And in choir I have to totally reign in the whole shoe thing. (Nothing is better than a great, sassy pair of shoes to make that black dress pop! But the plain black is required.)
Maybe you’re a sporty girl (which I have trouble even identifying with), and you live in tennis shoes and adidas pants. When you have to wear a dress and heels, if you even own any, you feel totally unlike yourself and can’t wait to change clothes!
Maybe you’re a little bit country (Marie) and someone else in your life is a little bit rock n’ roll (Donny) and they keep making you listen to their music…and it’s just not you.
You get the idea…
But I want to challenge you to start thinking about it in a new way:
Every cell in my body aches for me to be 100% of who I am…to be true to myself…regardless of how different that is from the next person.
And I believe that God made me like that for a reason.
He made you like you are for a reason, too.
I believe with my whole heart that each of us is put on this earth for a specific purpose. That particular purpose can only be lived out, that very legacy left, if we embrace what makes us uniquely us. We’re not supposed to be like anyone else. We’re supposed to reject conformity and cookie-cutter-ness!
If we try to be something we’re not, aren’t true to ourselves, or ignore what ignites our passion, we are defying God and the very reason he created us.
Song of Solomon 6:9: …my perfect one is unique…
It is our job and responsibility to embrace and develop who we are. To use our God-given talents. To work on ourselves so that we are continually improving. To speak about our obstacles. To go where our heart is truly leading us…for that feeling in our hearts that we can’t ignore is God speaking the calling upon our lives.
And I think it is our job and responsibility to realize that about other people, too.
This week a friend and I talked & emailed about her son, his ADD, and a less than helpful parent-teacher conference. It got me thinking about this very subject. All of us, with all of our hang-ups, all of our quirks, idiosyncrasies, baggage, and experiences are made the way we are for a reason.
It’s what we do with all of it that matters.
What I so badly want is for her son’s teacher to understand that while his ADD is a part of who he is, it is not WHO he is. He is wonderfully made, ADD and all, through a perfect formulation of skills and talents and passions and maybe even some quirks, so that one day he might fulfill the purpose for his life. The very one for which God created him. The one that no one else in the universe can fulfill but him. Her son is the way that he is for a reason. And he needs to be embraced at home, at school, and in society for that perfect combination, whether or not it includes ADD.
I want her son’s teacher to find every wonderful thing in that boy and let my friend know that while there may be some things to work through, she loves him for all of who he is. That is our job as teachers: to value every cell that knits that child together and then to take him as far emotionally, socially, and academically as he can go.
And as a parent, I know from experience what it feels like to have someone (even lots of people) make you feel like the only thing about your child is that “one thing”. What about my kid’s creativity, his problem solving ability, his insightfulness that is way beyond his years, his very dry and sarcastic humor, his leadership ability? Those are the things that really set him apart, that make him march to the beat of his own drummer. Those things matter so much more. And, my kid apparently needs that “one thing” to not only make him authentically who he is, but to live out the whole reason God created him in the first place. He’s that way for a reason.
Psalm 139:13-15 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Let’s help each other see our differences. Let’s appreciate them, acknowledge them, learn from them.
Let’s prosper and succeed, not in spite of them, but because of them.
Let’s realize that using the ways we are different is the only way we can glorify God in fulfilling His will for our lives.
After all, He’s made each of us unique for a reason and I love knowing that I’m the only me there is!
Question: What makes you YOU? What do you think God’s purpose was in creating you with the exact combination of characteristics that you have?
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