This last weekend, I went to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the CrossFit Games Sectionals. If you’re not sure what CrossFit is, look it up. It’s intense. And hard. And takes a lot of work and sweat and sometimes, blood. It is the single greatest fitness program I have ever been involved with. I wish that I had discovered this seven years ago before the injuries starting piling up. I can only imagine where I’d be had I learned proper technique. But I digress.
So, I went to compete this last weekend. Now, I’m a competitive guy. I mean, really competitive. I hate losing, loathe it with a passion. Once upon a time, I was not a good loser either. I wasn’t gracious in the least in defeat. Nor was I very gracious in winning at times either. I tended to run my mouth entirely too much. However, this is one of the things I love about CrossFit. Just as you are feeling good about yourself, you get humbled by a soul-crushing workout and the girl in the gym with you just smokes your time. And you’re humbled.
It’s funny to me as I look back over my life and how God has begun to teach me humility. He’s not always gentle about it and uses some very strange ways to do it. For example, my knees. To tell you how bad my knees hurt sometimes is sorta laughable. I mean, hurt. But, if my knees didn’t hurt and my shoulders weren’t a little jacked up, I might not have a lot of physical limits and then I really would be full of myself, cause I’d be able to do things that I could point at. Make sense?
Anyways, back to the weekend. I got to go into that event, knowing I wasn’t going to win it but craving the competition. To test myself. See if I still had something at almost 37 years of age. And it turned out to be really, really physically challenging. Not to mention a mental exercise and emotional struggle. See, when you get that tired physically, it becomes a mental exercise. You have to push yourself to limits that you’re not really very comfortable with.
And then go beyond it.
That’s where it becomes mental. You have to be willing to push yourself beyond that physical barrier. You have to be able to keep going when your body says, ‘Dude, you’re done’. You gotta strap up mentally and refuse to surrender. If you’ve never been there, you think I’m crazy right about now and shame on you. You will never know your limits if you are unwilling to drive right through them. If you have, good for you! And this is where it begins to become emotional as well. You will be so drained, your emotions become cracked. Seriously.
I have to be honest, I don’t trust people who aren’t sold out to something. I don’t trust people who don’t live with utter abandon about something. There has to be something that fuels you, something that drives you to be more, something you are willing to go all the way for, sell out for. Maybe even die for.
Have you never been there? Have you found that thing, that cause, that person? If not, you don’t know what you’re missing. I’m very serious about this and I know some of you will think I’m a little (or a lot) nuts.
Anyway, back to the weekend. It was a blast! It was very hard. Three hard and fast workouts. I was in there competing with dudes that were, on average, ten years younger than me. And it was a riot! Several of them began to talk to me, asking me how old I was. When they found out, several of them started calling me Pops. It was great! We laughed and hung out together, sweated and screamed together doing those workouts. What a great weekend! What community!
It was wonderful to be in a group of people, a community of people who were just as dedicated as I am to something. We have all drank the kool-aid, as the saying goes. A lot of other people think enjoying that kind of pain is nuts. And maybe it is but what’s the point of being alive and healthy if we’re not going to challenge ourselves a little?
I reflect back on that and I’m kinda sad in a way. I already miss my new friends. I miss those young guys calling me Pops and laughing with me.
What I’m really sad about is that we who call ourselves Christ followers don’t share that sense of community with each other. When did we lose that? Where did we lose it? How do we get it back?
Through shared experience, life together. We have to go there with each other, be willing to take it to the limit with and for each other. I think that’s what Christ modeled with his disciples. Think about it seriously. Christ modeled community for us. He and His disciples lived, laughed, cried and, in some cases, died together. Why?
Because they all believed in something, in Someone. They all drank the kool-aid, right? They were the real crazies, willing to take it to the limit every day, even if they failed. And I dig that!
Because they believed in Someone greater than themselves. Because they took it seriously when Jesus said that you will never have greater love than to lay down your life for another.
So, why aren’t we pouring ourselves out for something, Someone? Get up off the couch and stop coasting through life and invest yourself in something greater than you!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Look alike
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
- Acts 4:13
You ever see those things online where it shows pets and their owners that look alike? It’s sort of funny but kinda creepy as well. Makes me glad I don’t have any pets.
For those who know my family, what I’m about to say will come as no surprise. I look just like my dad. I mean just like him. I think our noses are shaped slightly differently and I’m a bit shorter than he is. Other than that, we look just alike (well, except for the tattoos). We have a lot of similar mannerisms. And we’re both really stubborn. I might be a clone, come to think of it. Hmm…
I read this passage in Acts this morning and was moved. First and foremost, this is Peter we’re talking about. The dude who denied Jesus in the moment of truth, cursed even while he was denying Him. Not once but three times. Imagine Peter’s shame after all that smack talking about dying with Jesus if need be. The love of Jesus certainly transformed Peter and saved him from the shame. It’s a testament to the forgiving power of His love, this story.
In this story in Acts, Peter and John were taken before the council of high priests and leaders. See, Peter and John had the audacity to heal a crippled dude in the name of Jesus. Then, to add insult to injury, Peter had preached to the crowd about Jesus. I was reading through this and thought man, God was speaking through Peter cause Peter had suddenly grown a pair. You have to understand how dangerous this was, to preach Jesus uncensored like this. Peter didn’t pull any punches either. He told it like it was. Read Acts chapters three and four to see what I’m talking about.
So, Peter and John have pissed off the wrong people. Again I am dumbfounded but not surprised how the name of Jesus makes people so uncomfortable. Especially religious people. Anyway, they got locked up and taken before the council the next day. Here’s where it gets good. The Holy Spirit jumps up all over Peter and Peter preaches it! I mean, he brings it!! There was no watering down going on here. He spoke clean, hard truth.
Look at it. Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else. God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Boom! In your face! How ya like me now?!
Then, the most telling verse to me, the one that jumped off the page when I read it. Verse thirteen, especially the end of it, hit me right between the eyes. “They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
I read that verse and heard the voice of Jesus in my heart, “Do they recognize you, Scott? Can they tell you’ve been with Me?” It took my breath away. See, I can’t deny who my earthly father is, even if I wanted to. We look too much alike. The question I must face today is: Do others recognize Jesus in me, do they recognize that I’ve been with Jesus?
If we’ve been with Jesus, our lives should look different, right? We should look like our Father, right? So, now I ask you.
Who do you look like?
Do others recognize that you’ve been with Jesus?
- Acts 4:13
You ever see those things online where it shows pets and their owners that look alike? It’s sort of funny but kinda creepy as well. Makes me glad I don’t have any pets.
For those who know my family, what I’m about to say will come as no surprise. I look just like my dad. I mean just like him. I think our noses are shaped slightly differently and I’m a bit shorter than he is. Other than that, we look just alike (well, except for the tattoos). We have a lot of similar mannerisms. And we’re both really stubborn. I might be a clone, come to think of it. Hmm…
I read this passage in Acts this morning and was moved. First and foremost, this is Peter we’re talking about. The dude who denied Jesus in the moment of truth, cursed even while he was denying Him. Not once but three times. Imagine Peter’s shame after all that smack talking about dying with Jesus if need be. The love of Jesus certainly transformed Peter and saved him from the shame. It’s a testament to the forgiving power of His love, this story.
In this story in Acts, Peter and John were taken before the council of high priests and leaders. See, Peter and John had the audacity to heal a crippled dude in the name of Jesus. Then, to add insult to injury, Peter had preached to the crowd about Jesus. I was reading through this and thought man, God was speaking through Peter cause Peter had suddenly grown a pair. You have to understand how dangerous this was, to preach Jesus uncensored like this. Peter didn’t pull any punches either. He told it like it was. Read Acts chapters three and four to see what I’m talking about.
So, Peter and John have pissed off the wrong people. Again I am dumbfounded but not surprised how the name of Jesus makes people so uncomfortable. Especially religious people. Anyway, they got locked up and taken before the council the next day. Here’s where it gets good. The Holy Spirit jumps up all over Peter and Peter preaches it! I mean, he brings it!! There was no watering down going on here. He spoke clean, hard truth.
Look at it. Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else. God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Boom! In your face! How ya like me now?!
Then, the most telling verse to me, the one that jumped off the page when I read it. Verse thirteen, especially the end of it, hit me right between the eyes. “They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
I read that verse and heard the voice of Jesus in my heart, “Do they recognize you, Scott? Can they tell you’ve been with Me?” It took my breath away. See, I can’t deny who my earthly father is, even if I wanted to. We look too much alike. The question I must face today is: Do others recognize Jesus in me, do they recognize that I’ve been with Jesus?
If we’ve been with Jesus, our lives should look different, right? We should look like our Father, right? So, now I ask you.
Who do you look like?
Do others recognize that you’ve been with Jesus?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Do as I say!
It continually blows my mind how He speaks to me. I’m cruising along doing something and BAM! Sometimes, it’s like a smack upside my head. Other times, it’s a soft, small voice in my heart. Either way, I am learning to recognize His voice. This is really cool for me because I haven’t always been able to recognize His voice. I haven’t always been able to hear Him and I have often not done what He says to do. The other day, I was sitting in my office at home, reading the Bible, praying…just spending some time with Him. I was reading in Luke chapter 6. Then, it hit me. The words jumped off the page at me. I could hear His voice in my heart speaking.
Luke 6:46, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”
I visibly flinched. It stopped me in my proverbial tracks. I just sat back in my chair and started shaking my head, mostly to try to shake away the tears that had just started and were now flowing down my cheeks. I could hear the love in His voice, the disappointment in His question. “Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say, Scott?” I remember just putting my head in my hands and crying, saying “I’m sorry, Jesus. I’m sorry I’ve failed you. I’m sorry that I’m a hypocrite. I’m so sorry.”
Then, He began to love on me. He began to dry my tears. “Stop condemning yourself! That is not your place anymore. I don’t condemn you and I’m not angry at you. I know you can’t do this alone, I’m not asking you to. Let me help you. Stop trying to do this on your own. All I want you to do is love me, follow me. I will show you the rest when you’re ready. For now, just follow.”
I could hear the fire of His passion for me in the sound of His voice, His presence pushing into my heart, His embrace that would not let go of me. Then, He began to speak to me of His word. “This is how you will know. This is how you live. This is how you do what I say. You must know Me to follow Me. You cannot know My heart for you without this book. All the answers to all your questions are found here. You already know that. Now you have to follow. You have to choose holiness. You have to choose submission. Choose Me.”
And I was again overwhelmed by His love for me, His holiness, His perfection. I realized that I’m not taking this idea of following Him seriously enough. Jesus wasn’t kidding around when He came here to save us. He wasn’t kidding around when He said ‘Be perfect’. He wasn’t joking when He said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength.’ He wasn’t kidding.
I am deeply convicted of my lack of effort in this area of my life. Holiness is not an option. If we claim the name of Christ, holiness is not an option. See, it’s my responsibility to seek, ask and knock. He’s not going to break my door down. I must pursue Him, His heart, His holiness as much as He pursues me. I have failed Him miserably and I know that there will continue to be times that I will fail.
But, I also know that He will pick me up when I fall, dust me off and get me back in the fight. There is effort, discipline required on my part. He’s not going to do it for me but He will be there to help me, show me, walk with me!
One of the reasons I think that the lost of the world doesn’t want anything to do with our faith, with Jesus is because we have trivialized holiness. We have reduced Jesus to a slogan, a t-shirt, a ‘be good’ mantra. The message of Jesus is so much more and goes so much deeper. The message of Jesus goes after the heart and how we live our lives.
Again, He asks me and He asks you, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”
Luke 6:46, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”
I visibly flinched. It stopped me in my proverbial tracks. I just sat back in my chair and started shaking my head, mostly to try to shake away the tears that had just started and were now flowing down my cheeks. I could hear the love in His voice, the disappointment in His question. “Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say, Scott?” I remember just putting my head in my hands and crying, saying “I’m sorry, Jesus. I’m sorry I’ve failed you. I’m sorry that I’m a hypocrite. I’m so sorry.”
Then, He began to love on me. He began to dry my tears. “Stop condemning yourself! That is not your place anymore. I don’t condemn you and I’m not angry at you. I know you can’t do this alone, I’m not asking you to. Let me help you. Stop trying to do this on your own. All I want you to do is love me, follow me. I will show you the rest when you’re ready. For now, just follow.”
I could hear the fire of His passion for me in the sound of His voice, His presence pushing into my heart, His embrace that would not let go of me. Then, He began to speak to me of His word. “This is how you will know. This is how you live. This is how you do what I say. You must know Me to follow Me. You cannot know My heart for you without this book. All the answers to all your questions are found here. You already know that. Now you have to follow. You have to choose holiness. You have to choose submission. Choose Me.”
And I was again overwhelmed by His love for me, His holiness, His perfection. I realized that I’m not taking this idea of following Him seriously enough. Jesus wasn’t kidding around when He came here to save us. He wasn’t kidding around when He said ‘Be perfect’. He wasn’t joking when He said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength.’ He wasn’t kidding.
I am deeply convicted of my lack of effort in this area of my life. Holiness is not an option. If we claim the name of Christ, holiness is not an option. See, it’s my responsibility to seek, ask and knock. He’s not going to break my door down. I must pursue Him, His heart, His holiness as much as He pursues me. I have failed Him miserably and I know that there will continue to be times that I will fail.
But, I also know that He will pick me up when I fall, dust me off and get me back in the fight. There is effort, discipline required on my part. He’s not going to do it for me but He will be there to help me, show me, walk with me!
One of the reasons I think that the lost of the world doesn’t want anything to do with our faith, with Jesus is because we have trivialized holiness. We have reduced Jesus to a slogan, a t-shirt, a ‘be good’ mantra. The message of Jesus is so much more and goes so much deeper. The message of Jesus goes after the heart and how we live our lives.
Again, He asks me and He asks you, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What's that smell?
But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
- Paul, 2 Cor. 2:14-16 (NLT)
Any coffee drinkers out there? Better question: how many don’t drink coffee? I’ve heard people say they love the smell of coffee but don’t like the taste. I personally don’t get that and think those people are probably from some other planet. But I recognize the smell of coffee, love the smell and taste of it.
Ever notice how the truth smells? Ever notice how Jesus makes people squirm?
Why is that, I wonder? I love this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” I love how he puts that. That begs the obvious question. What does my life smell like, what does your life smell like?
If we call ourselves followers of Christ, shouldn’t there be something different about us? Shouldn’t we live, walk, talk, smell differently? Part of our problem is that we’ve become so much like everybody else that no one notices us. There is nothing different about our lives. We fit in, we blend. I mean, I know we’re in the world and that’s cool, we kinda have to be. But, there should be something different about us if we follow Christ. I’m not sure we’re taking this very seriously.
Paul says that to those who are “perishing”, those who are of the world, we are a smell of death. Why is that? Because our lives should point them to Christ. And when the darkness of the sin in our lives is held up to the light of Christ, all those dingy spots have a way of showing up.
We who claim to follow Christ don’t get off the hook here either. The truth is, this passage makes me squirm a little. See, when I get hit smack in the face with truth, it hurts sometimes. When I hold my darkness up into the light of Jesus, it causes me to flinch away. The truth is that very few of us are living a life of holiness, letting His light shine in us.
I’m not talking about moving to the woods, growing a beard and carrying signs around that read ‘Repent’. I’m talking about a difference in the way we live, the way we speak, our priorities. I’m talking about love. Our lives should live out Christ’s love. I didn’t say it was going to be easy and, for the record, we can’t do it without Him. But, in case anyone has forgotten, Jesus didn’t say, ‘Do the best you can’. He said, “You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)
Here’s the good news. He knows we can’t do it alone, nor does He expect us to. That’s why He brings others into our lives to walk with us. That’s why He gave us Jesus. That’s why He gave us the Spirit. That’s why He gave us His word.
Ever notice how uncomfortable people get when you use Jesus’ name? Ever notice how someone who’s in love with Jesus looks different, walks differently, talks differently? Ever notice the difference in your own life?
- Paul, 2 Cor. 2:14-16 (NLT)
Any coffee drinkers out there? Better question: how many don’t drink coffee? I’ve heard people say they love the smell of coffee but don’t like the taste. I personally don’t get that and think those people are probably from some other planet. But I recognize the smell of coffee, love the smell and taste of it.
Ever notice how the truth smells? Ever notice how Jesus makes people squirm?
Why is that, I wonder? I love this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” I love how he puts that. That begs the obvious question. What does my life smell like, what does your life smell like?
If we call ourselves followers of Christ, shouldn’t there be something different about us? Shouldn’t we live, walk, talk, smell differently? Part of our problem is that we’ve become so much like everybody else that no one notices us. There is nothing different about our lives. We fit in, we blend. I mean, I know we’re in the world and that’s cool, we kinda have to be. But, there should be something different about us if we follow Christ. I’m not sure we’re taking this very seriously.
Paul says that to those who are “perishing”, those who are of the world, we are a smell of death. Why is that? Because our lives should point them to Christ. And when the darkness of the sin in our lives is held up to the light of Christ, all those dingy spots have a way of showing up.
We who claim to follow Christ don’t get off the hook here either. The truth is, this passage makes me squirm a little. See, when I get hit smack in the face with truth, it hurts sometimes. When I hold my darkness up into the light of Jesus, it causes me to flinch away. The truth is that very few of us are living a life of holiness, letting His light shine in us.
I’m not talking about moving to the woods, growing a beard and carrying signs around that read ‘Repent’. I’m talking about a difference in the way we live, the way we speak, our priorities. I’m talking about love. Our lives should live out Christ’s love. I didn’t say it was going to be easy and, for the record, we can’t do it without Him. But, in case anyone has forgotten, Jesus didn’t say, ‘Do the best you can’. He said, “You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)
Here’s the good news. He knows we can’t do it alone, nor does He expect us to. That’s why He brings others into our lives to walk with us. That’s why He gave us Jesus. That’s why He gave us the Spirit. That’s why He gave us His word.
Ever notice how uncomfortable people get when you use Jesus’ name? Ever notice how someone who’s in love with Jesus looks different, walks differently, talks differently? Ever notice the difference in your own life?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My prayer today
You never cease to amaze me, Father. And yet the pain of becoming, the pain of submission never ceases. You are in a constant process of chipping away what is me, burning off the me to get to more of You. Reading Luke 6 today - Wow!
Why do I call you Lord and do not the things you say? Why do I pray to You and not submit to You? Why do I pick up again the burdens I have already laid down?
Because I am broken, a hollow man. Without You, I have nothing and I am lost in myself. I don't want to be the guy who builds his house on nothing, on myself. Rather, I will build my house, my life on You. Forgive me, Jesus, for not taking up my cross to follow. Forgive me for forgetting who I am. Thank You for the love You shower on me, the grace You give and the pain of life You allow. Only in the fire of Your love can I be forged into Your son, Your brother, Your ally, Your soldier. And so, today I submit to You. Take my heart, Father, I am Yours. Take my will, Jesus, I will follow!
You are the light, Jesus! Shine through me in this darkness. You are the way, Jesus! Use me as You will to show others Your path. You are the truth, Jesus! Help me to stay grounded in You so that my life may speak Your truth!
Thank You!
Why do I call you Lord and do not the things you say? Why do I pray to You and not submit to You? Why do I pick up again the burdens I have already laid down?
Because I am broken, a hollow man. Without You, I have nothing and I am lost in myself. I don't want to be the guy who builds his house on nothing, on myself. Rather, I will build my house, my life on You. Forgive me, Jesus, for not taking up my cross to follow. Forgive me for forgetting who I am. Thank You for the love You shower on me, the grace You give and the pain of life You allow. Only in the fire of Your love can I be forged into Your son, Your brother, Your ally, Your soldier. And so, today I submit to You. Take my heart, Father, I am Yours. Take my will, Jesus, I will follow!
You are the light, Jesus! Shine through me in this darkness. You are the way, Jesus! Use me as You will to show others Your path. You are the truth, Jesus! Help me to stay grounded in You so that my life may speak Your truth!
Thank You!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Trouble
I’m having to learn a rather painful lesson right now. And, just for the record, it sucks. I’ve heard people say before that they don’t believe God tests his people. I completely disagree. Did not God test Job? Did He not test Moses? Gideon? Jonathan…even Jesus was tested. I think perhaps we need to redefine what we mean by testing and the idea of God testing us. I know some are going to push back on me a bit here and that’s cool. This is, after all, my opinion.
Perhaps I should rephrase what I mean here; God is allowing me to go through some things so that I may be tested. See, I believe that He comes to us, takes us through things so that we may grow. We need to go through fire to grow closer to Him, to realize our need for Him. We need delayed gratification on things so that we may learn dependence. Our problem is that we seem to think this is all about us. How far from the truth could we possibly be? We are so ego-centric!
James 1:2-8. Check this out. “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” (The Message)
The first time I read this I was like ‘what?!’. In the New Living Translation, verse 2 says when troubles come our way to “consider it an opportunity for great joy.” The more I thought about this and talked to God about it, the more I realized this is about attitude. It takes a complete shift in our thinking to find joy in troubles, opportunities in suffering. I love the way The Message puts it by saying “your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” Maybe that’s the real problem. Our true character gets forced into the open when we go through problems. Then, the real you comes out.
Ouch.
I was in the grocery store this weekend. As I was walking down an aisle, I saw a mother and her children coming toward me. One of the children was clearly unhappy about something. Apparently, from hearing what he was whining about, he wasn’t getting what he wanted. I just sort of stood there and watched while this child threw himself on the floor and pitched a fit, thrashing around and screaming because he wasn’t getting his way. Needless to say, it was obviously embarrassing for the mother and I wanted to wring the little brat’s neck.
How often do we do the same thing with God? Seriously. We whine and gripe and moan because something doesn’t go our way. We find ourselves stuck in a situation that is, more likely than not, of our own making. Then we ask for Him to save us from it. And He doesn’t. Or He says ‘wait awhile’ or tells us something else we don’t want to hear. So, what do we do? We throw ourselves on the floor and pitch a fit. Are we to take only the “good” from Him and not the “bad” also? Why can’t we just accept the fact that we are being shaped, molded? Why can’t we just allow the situation to play itself out so that our character is molded to be more like Him?
I am chief among those like this. I have found myself in a work situation that I was unhappy about for some time now. I begged God to get me out of this situation, to change my surroundings. He told me to wait. I pitched several fits. Lucky for me, He is patient.
Here’s the point, I think, of all this blabbering I’m doing. He kept me here to shape my character. He kept me here to show me how much I need Him because, without Him, I cannot do this. I am learning, albeit very slowly, that I need Him every day, in every situation. There are no compartments to life. There is only life with Him or without Him. This I can promise you: if we will hold on to Him, consult Him and listen to Him in every situation of life, He will show you what must be done. It might not be on your timetable or the way you think it should be handled. Then again, who are we to question the Creator of all?
Perhaps I should rephrase what I mean here; God is allowing me to go through some things so that I may be tested. See, I believe that He comes to us, takes us through things so that we may grow. We need to go through fire to grow closer to Him, to realize our need for Him. We need delayed gratification on things so that we may learn dependence. Our problem is that we seem to think this is all about us. How far from the truth could we possibly be? We are so ego-centric!
James 1:2-8. Check this out. “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” (The Message)
The first time I read this I was like ‘what?!’. In the New Living Translation, verse 2 says when troubles come our way to “consider it an opportunity for great joy.” The more I thought about this and talked to God about it, the more I realized this is about attitude. It takes a complete shift in our thinking to find joy in troubles, opportunities in suffering. I love the way The Message puts it by saying “your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” Maybe that’s the real problem. Our true character gets forced into the open when we go through problems. Then, the real you comes out.
Ouch.
I was in the grocery store this weekend. As I was walking down an aisle, I saw a mother and her children coming toward me. One of the children was clearly unhappy about something. Apparently, from hearing what he was whining about, he wasn’t getting what he wanted. I just sort of stood there and watched while this child threw himself on the floor and pitched a fit, thrashing around and screaming because he wasn’t getting his way. Needless to say, it was obviously embarrassing for the mother and I wanted to wring the little brat’s neck.
How often do we do the same thing with God? Seriously. We whine and gripe and moan because something doesn’t go our way. We find ourselves stuck in a situation that is, more likely than not, of our own making. Then we ask for Him to save us from it. And He doesn’t. Or He says ‘wait awhile’ or tells us something else we don’t want to hear. So, what do we do? We throw ourselves on the floor and pitch a fit. Are we to take only the “good” from Him and not the “bad” also? Why can’t we just accept the fact that we are being shaped, molded? Why can’t we just allow the situation to play itself out so that our character is molded to be more like Him?
I am chief among those like this. I have found myself in a work situation that I was unhappy about for some time now. I begged God to get me out of this situation, to change my surroundings. He told me to wait. I pitched several fits. Lucky for me, He is patient.
Here’s the point, I think, of all this blabbering I’m doing. He kept me here to shape my character. He kept me here to show me how much I need Him because, without Him, I cannot do this. I am learning, albeit very slowly, that I need Him every day, in every situation. There are no compartments to life. There is only life with Him or without Him. This I can promise you: if we will hold on to Him, consult Him and listen to Him in every situation of life, He will show you what must be done. It might not be on your timetable or the way you think it should be handled. Then again, who are we to question the Creator of all?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Whisper
Cold...
Your touch burns,
scarring my soul
in its passing.
'Come to Me,'
the whisper in my heart,
'rest, Peace,
true meaning you will find.'
You never told me it would hurt,
tear my heart,
shred my soul.
Raging at the pain,
questioning my surrender,
baring teeth,
shaking fists,
weeping for the death of me,
i flail and scream!
Then, Your hand touches mine,
Your arms hold me close.
Love pours over me,
filling wounds self-inflicted,
weeping with the gratitude
of anguish taken.
'I love you,'
the whisper shouts in my heart,
'Let Me show you how...'
Your touch burns,
scarring my soul
in its passing.
'Come to Me,'
the whisper in my heart,
'rest, Peace,
true meaning you will find.'
You never told me it would hurt,
tear my heart,
shred my soul.
Raging at the pain,
questioning my surrender,
baring teeth,
shaking fists,
weeping for the death of me,
i flail and scream!
Then, Your hand touches mine,
Your arms hold me close.
Love pours over me,
filling wounds self-inflicted,
weeping with the gratitude
of anguish taken.
'I love you,'
the whisper shouts in my heart,
'Let Me show you how...'
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