OK, so going on a Bahamas cruise in January when you call Kansas home is a beautiful thing! Although coming back to said home involves a considerable degree of anguish, it's worth the pain. We went from 75 degrees in shorts and flip flops to 29 degrees with "make you feel naked" wind...ouch. But the preview of what spring and summer have to offer was nice!
Just a couple thoughts to share. It had been cloudy all week before we left town last Friday. Not just the few puffy clouds in the sky kind of cloudy, but the "I don't even know if there is still a sun" kind of cloudy. The kind where after a few days, you start to realize that it's affecting your mood rather strongly, especially when you find yourself staring at screen savers of sunsets and the like.
So we got on the plane at 6:25 Friday morning. It's just before dawn, but darker than normal because it's still cloudy. As the plane takes off, I'm watching my 4-year-old peer out the cabin window, enjoying how he gets a kick out of how fast we're going as the trees below shrink into shrubs. It's not long before we're reaching the layer of clouds that have shrouded the Midwest like a dirty blanket all week, and within seconds we're poking out the other side. As we do, I catch the first glimpse of the sun rising in the east.
A simple moment in time, but a small voice inside said, "The sun still shines even when you can't see it." Though hidden from view, it's still there. It is faithful to rise and shine throughout every waking moment of the day (and night), regardless of my ability to see its light or feel its warmth. Too often, I allow my vantage point on earth to dictate how I think about the things I don't see, and as such, I limit myself to the visible, predictable, mediocre. God is none of those things, so why do I allow myself to think that way? Why do I let the immediate overrule the eternal?
The sun still shines even you can't see it. Change your vantage point. See beyond what you can see. Because when you decide to change, everything changes for you.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, July 20, 2009
Fragile not Forgotten
The first week of June, I took a three-day "Wild Hogs" motorcycle trip with Pastor Timmy & two other guys to celebrate Timmy's 40th birthday. Yeah, he's officially a gezer...ha! We rode through the Ozark mountains around Eureka Springs and saw a lot of beautiful scenery. A few weeks before that, I camped out with my dad, brother, and 3-year-old son for two nights at the lake. Both excursions were really fun and refreshing--but in deeper ways than I expected!
While we were out camping, I felt something behind my ear and discovered a tick crawling into my hairline. That got us talking about how amazing and disturbing it is that something so small could possibly give you a life-threatening disease like Lyme's, or like malaria from a mosquito! It reminded me of how incredibly fragile we really are. Sometimes we get so used to being the masters of the universe that our human pride whispers invincibility in our own ears, without our even realizing it. It's a subtle shift from gratitude to self-sufficiency that sets us up for confusion and disappointment. I believe it's healthy for us to remind ourselves how small we really are.
Both nights of camping were crystal clear and beautiful, and most of the motorcycle trip was beautiful too--we did get rained on once, which hurt pretty good! Especially while we were out on the bikes, though, I found myself getting lost in the sheer beauty of it all. The contour of the horizon, the colors of the sun set, the layers of vegetation, even the refreshing chill of the rain. When you really look at it, really take time to do nothing else but look at the world we live in, it's amazing! Every time I do, I can't help but insist that this didn't happen by accident; it couldn't have only been a random occurrence at some point in the past 400 million years or whatever.
Then the pieces came together for me. It was this realization (again) that we have been placed on this planet not just to survive, but to thrive, to enjoy the journey, and to bask in each of the moments we are given. We are small but not insignificant. Fragile but not forgotten. As menial as our individual existence can seem as times, it is not. We are all uniquely shaped, designed, and gifted for a specific niche. What an insight into the heart of God that is! The vastness of His ability and creativity, as well as the beauty of His love. I'm again completely baffled at the depth of His goodness, and inspired to love the life He has entrusted to me!
If you're working like a dog, good for you...just make sure you make time to play like a dog too! We were made to LIVE, baby!
While we were out camping, I felt something behind my ear and discovered a tick crawling into my hairline. That got us talking about how amazing and disturbing it is that something so small could possibly give you a life-threatening disease like Lyme's, or like malaria from a mosquito! It reminded me of how incredibly fragile we really are. Sometimes we get so used to being the masters of the universe that our human pride whispers invincibility in our own ears, without our even realizing it. It's a subtle shift from gratitude to self-sufficiency that sets us up for confusion and disappointment. I believe it's healthy for us to remind ourselves how small we really are.
Both nights of camping were crystal clear and beautiful, and most of the motorcycle trip was beautiful too--we did get rained on once, which hurt pretty good! Especially while we were out on the bikes, though, I found myself getting lost in the sheer beauty of it all. The contour of the horizon, the colors of the sun set, the layers of vegetation, even the refreshing chill of the rain. When you really look at it, really take time to do nothing else but look at the world we live in, it's amazing! Every time I do, I can't help but insist that this didn't happen by accident; it couldn't have only been a random occurrence at some point in the past 400 million years or whatever.
Then the pieces came together for me. It was this realization (again) that we have been placed on this planet not just to survive, but to thrive, to enjoy the journey, and to bask in each of the moments we are given. We are small but not insignificant. Fragile but not forgotten. As menial as our individual existence can seem as times, it is not. We are all uniquely shaped, designed, and gifted for a specific niche. What an insight into the heart of God that is! The vastness of His ability and creativity, as well as the beauty of His love. I'm again completely baffled at the depth of His goodness, and inspired to love the life He has entrusted to me!
If you're working like a dog, good for you...just make sure you make time to play like a dog too! We were made to LIVE, baby!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Faith Pendulum
It's amazing how therapeutic good conversation can be (especially when good food is involved too :-) Doing the lunch thing at On the Border the other day, I found myself confessing to one of my good friends how my own heart seems to lead me astray from time to time. One day, I'm resting in the hands of God, and the next, I'm not sure if God is even real. What's up with that!?!
Why is it that one moment, I'm able to live in a state of confident assurance and peaceful resolve that God is with me, sees my problems, and is ultimately in control...but then the smallest little issue can seemingly derail my entire world!? I find myself asking questions like, "Why does this have to happen to me right now?" and thinking things like, "Man! Every time I really get it together, it seems like some crap has to go wrong! If only (blah blah blah), I could really stay on the right track..."
I read something recently that shot me in the heart (or the butt...maybe both). It was along these lines: When something bad/wrong happens to me, I've learned to stop blaming the event, or asking God why. Instead, I take inventory of what that event stirs inside of me--what emotions I feel, what fingers I want to point, what thoughts I think. Because the truth is, that event did not crawl inside of me and plant those things there...they were already there! They were simply brought to the surface by my circumstance.
As much as I hate to admit that some of those God-blaming, doubt-spewing, self-absorbed tendencies are in me, they are. And I don't like it! I find great solace in the fact, though, that although my faith sometimes swings from extreme confidence to extreme doubt, God continues to be uber-gracious, all-forgiving, and ever-able. It again fills me with hope and awe, and boggles my mind that he can use such a "tool" as me!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb 13:8) I know I can count on Him...my prayer is that He can count on me too!
Why is it that one moment, I'm able to live in a state of confident assurance and peaceful resolve that God is with me, sees my problems, and is ultimately in control...but then the smallest little issue can seemingly derail my entire world!? I find myself asking questions like, "Why does this have to happen to me right now?" and thinking things like, "Man! Every time I really get it together, it seems like some crap has to go wrong! If only (blah blah blah), I could really stay on the right track..."
I read something recently that shot me in the heart (or the butt...maybe both). It was along these lines: When something bad/wrong happens to me, I've learned to stop blaming the event, or asking God why. Instead, I take inventory of what that event stirs inside of me--what emotions I feel, what fingers I want to point, what thoughts I think. Because the truth is, that event did not crawl inside of me and plant those things there...they were already there! They were simply brought to the surface by my circumstance.
As much as I hate to admit that some of those God-blaming, doubt-spewing, self-absorbed tendencies are in me, they are. And I don't like it! I find great solace in the fact, though, that although my faith sometimes swings from extreme confidence to extreme doubt, God continues to be uber-gracious, all-forgiving, and ever-able. It again fills me with hope and awe, and boggles my mind that he can use such a "tool" as me!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb 13:8) I know I can count on Him...my prayer is that He can count on me too!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Ebenezer
For all those who grew up singing hymns in church, you might recall this word from one of the all-time greats. No, it's not the crotchety old man from A Christmas Carol that I'm referring to here (that's who I thought of first too!). It's from the song "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and we just sang it for the first time a month or so ago at Mercy Church (the first time ever for me).
Anyhow, there's a line in there that says, "Here I raise my ebenezer, here by Thy great help I've come." I suddenly had a vision of lifting a little Scrooge bobble head toward heaven as I sang those lyrics, and decided at that moment that I had to discover the meaning or else I would burst into laughter when we sang it on Sunday.
So check it out...this is cool. In I Samuel 7, the Israelites are returning to God after serving idols and foreign gods. They go to a place and humble themselves before God with fasting and prayer. Then their arch enemy, the Philistines, decides to come and attack them while they are vulnerable. They cry out to God all the more, and He answers their prayers by "thundering with loud thunder," throwing the Philistines into such a panic that they are defeated by the Israelites. Then the prophet Samuel sets a stone in that place, and names it Ebenezer, meaning "stone of help." Samuel says, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
I thought that was awesome, mainly because now I could sing the song without laughing! (ha) But I found it very meaningful. I found myself reflecting on all that God has brought me through in my life. Times that I cannot deny His divine assistance in getting through a hard time, providing the means to pay bills that I had no money for, speaking words of comfort when my heart was gripped with fear.
It's those times that I too often forget about when I'm facing a new crisis. Suddenly I'm not quite sure if God's gonna show up and help me get through this, and I start freakin' out 'cause I'm gonna have to go it alone and figure this out for myself! Then I'm more tired and drained than I ought to be, my sleep is not restful, my food doesn't satisfy, and my mind doesn't stop!!
If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because this summer has been an Ebenezer for me. I'll look back on this summer as a point in my life and in my family where I can say, "Thus far God has helped us." And when we come face to face with the next mountain, I will remember this summer (and all the other times in my life where God was undeniably involved), and I won't allow myself to freak out (hopefully); I won't try to do it on my own. Because I know God is for me, and God is with me.
What are your Ebenezers?
Anyhow, there's a line in there that says, "Here I raise my ebenezer, here by Thy great help I've come." I suddenly had a vision of lifting a little Scrooge bobble head toward heaven as I sang those lyrics, and decided at that moment that I had to discover the meaning or else I would burst into laughter when we sang it on Sunday.
So check it out...this is cool. In I Samuel 7, the Israelites are returning to God after serving idols and foreign gods. They go to a place and humble themselves before God with fasting and prayer. Then their arch enemy, the Philistines, decides to come and attack them while they are vulnerable. They cry out to God all the more, and He answers their prayers by "thundering with loud thunder," throwing the Philistines into such a panic that they are defeated by the Israelites. Then the prophet Samuel sets a stone in that place, and names it Ebenezer, meaning "stone of help." Samuel says, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
I thought that was awesome, mainly because now I could sing the song without laughing! (ha) But I found it very meaningful. I found myself reflecting on all that God has brought me through in my life. Times that I cannot deny His divine assistance in getting through a hard time, providing the means to pay bills that I had no money for, speaking words of comfort when my heart was gripped with fear.
It's those times that I too often forget about when I'm facing a new crisis. Suddenly I'm not quite sure if God's gonna show up and help me get through this, and I start freakin' out 'cause I'm gonna have to go it alone and figure this out for myself! Then I'm more tired and drained than I ought to be, my sleep is not restful, my food doesn't satisfy, and my mind doesn't stop!!
If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because this summer has been an Ebenezer for me. I'll look back on this summer as a point in my life and in my family where I can say, "Thus far God has helped us." And when we come face to face with the next mountain, I will remember this summer (and all the other times in my life where God was undeniably involved), and I won't allow myself to freak out (hopefully); I won't try to do it on my own. Because I know God is for me, and God is with me.
What are your Ebenezers?
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