(Do we want, or do we just want to want?)
At times, all of us look around and see the need in our lives or in our children's lives and recognize that things could be different. Maybe we struggle with our eating habits or our weight. We see others, healthier others, or perhaps thinner others, and we know that it’s not that it is easier for them, but that they have ordered their lives with a discipline that makes a difference. Perhaps they run daily, or monitor their intake of fats daily. Whatever it is, the only difference between their physical condition and our own is discipline.
If we have children, our desire is that they grow up to be healthy, productive adults, but do we give them the tools of discipline to do so? Furthermore, do we set examples of discipline for them to follow? If we're managers, do we set the standards of discipline that our employees need to see? Do we give them an example to follow? Do we set examples for our co-workers? Do we lead the way in demonstrating what a faithful servant/employee looks like? Or do we fall, letting the worlds standards of discipline and productivity apply to our lives?
Last summer we had two teenage boys with us for a month. Teens will be teens, but I found myself getting more frustrated and critical of their housekeeping habits with every passing day. Finally, I gave up nagging and just let the clothes pile up on the floors, mildewing in the humidity, as "I" knew they would. But my mind would not let go. As is usually the case, the root of the problem was much deeper than just letting clothes lie around.
Unfortunately it often takes a while to get to the bottom of what is bothering us. It wasn't until the situation disappeared, until the teenagers had gone back home, that I was able to step back and look at what was bothering me.
It has been said that what bothers us most often in others is a problem in our own life. "As iron sharpens iron", "The moat in our own eye", etc. When I stepped back to observe, I saw that I had begun to take the easy road myself. Not just around the house, where I had stopped fixing meals on a daily basis and where I didn’t clean with my usual regularity, but also at work, where I fluttered from one project to another, blaming my inability to accomplish anything on my boss and his lack of discipline. And, most importantly, it was in my spiritual walk that the lack of discipline was most noticeable. In the turmoil, excitement and challenges of moving halfway across the country I had neglected my daily discipline of starting the day with the Lord. My prayer and study life had crumbled and along with it, my right relationship with my Master and Creator, and as a result, my relationship with the rest of His creation.
If our spiritual life, or any aspect of our lives for that matter, is in a shambles, perhaps we should first look at the discipline in our lives. Is it there? We want the best from the Lord, but do we give him our best. The Psalmist says, "Early in the morning will I rise up to meet you." Are we rising up to meet the Lord or just expecting him to come meet us wherever we are? Do we think we can neglect our prayer and Bible study and yet the Lord will meet us, commune with us when we walk by the seashore, or climb to the mountaintops? It isn't so. It isn't so.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Thursday, April 07, 2005
"Man and Woman He Created Them"
Many times I have found myself trying to compete in a man's world, and failing miserably. I don't want to accept that it is God's plan for my life that I should be a woman, different, set apart from the men who are always in control. The end result of this is depression, anguish, frustration, because 'the world' is against me. ‘I don't want to write for just women’, I say,’ I want my life to count.’
We've been brought up with the belief that success is measured only in men’s terms. The true artists; Rembrandt, Van Gogh, DaVinci, the true writers; Shakesphere, Hemingway, the poets; Tennyson, Whitman, Emerson, and the musicians; Mozart, Handel, Chopin and I've only named a few, the list goes on and on, have all been men. Sometimes we forget that this list must also include the conquerors, rulers, the evil; Hannibal, Nero, Hitler, another list which also goes on and on.
God gave men a drive that is different from that of women. Try as we might, our desire to place our mark on this earth has always taken a back seat to our desire to nurture and care for those around us. In the middle of going out to fight our most important battle, or painting the masterpiece, or writing the greatest sonnet, we would always stop to fix a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or put a band-aid on a grazed knee, success left behind.
Over one half of the worlds population is women and while we may not have the power, the prestige, the jobs, we are in control of something more. We are the nurturers, the reconciliators of God's creation. We're worthy of addressing, worthy of God's revelation. It may not be in man's terms, they have a tendency to address things more in terms of violence, (war, sports, etc.), But God reveals himself to us also, he reveals himself to us as he revealed himself to Sarai, to Elizabeth, to Mary. He revealed himself as a loving God, who cared for their concerns, their wellbeing, and even their mark on this earth.
Those that sought after him, found that his direction was crucial, that his faithfulness was everlasting. It's time that we recognize that we are separate, different. That we have different emotions, drives, and that it is ok.
We've been brought up with the belief that success is measured only in men’s terms. The true artists; Rembrandt, Van Gogh, DaVinci, the true writers; Shakesphere, Hemingway, the poets; Tennyson, Whitman, Emerson, and the musicians; Mozart, Handel, Chopin and I've only named a few, the list goes on and on, have all been men. Sometimes we forget that this list must also include the conquerors, rulers, the evil; Hannibal, Nero, Hitler, another list which also goes on and on.
God gave men a drive that is different from that of women. Try as we might, our desire to place our mark on this earth has always taken a back seat to our desire to nurture and care for those around us. In the middle of going out to fight our most important battle, or painting the masterpiece, or writing the greatest sonnet, we would always stop to fix a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or put a band-aid on a grazed knee, success left behind.
Over one half of the worlds population is women and while we may not have the power, the prestige, the jobs, we are in control of something more. We are the nurturers, the reconciliators of God's creation. We're worthy of addressing, worthy of God's revelation. It may not be in man's terms, they have a tendency to address things more in terms of violence, (war, sports, etc.), But God reveals himself to us also, he reveals himself to us as he revealed himself to Sarai, to Elizabeth, to Mary. He revealed himself as a loving God, who cared for their concerns, their wellbeing, and even their mark on this earth.
Those that sought after him, found that his direction was crucial, that his faithfulness was everlasting. It's time that we recognize that we are separate, different. That we have different emotions, drives, and that it is ok.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Wild Beauty
Beauty runs wild in my garden and, while it's beautiful to me, to some it appears to be a wild harem of yellow, gold and fuchsia, sprawling all over itself in incoherent profusion. The only consolation to the gardener is that weeds are so intimated by the mess that they don't even attempt to grow.
I sometimes wonder if that isn't what life should look like in God's kingdom. Shouldn't our lives be a massive profusion of love that manifests itself in the form of all sizes and shapes in our lives? A love that gives permission to ourselves and others to be what the Master has created us to be? A love that runs all over itself, spilling out all over the place, even where it doesn't belong? Something that can't be packaged in a small tidy box.
In Matt. 6:28 Jesus says "consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
The most frequent interpretation of this scripture is that we are not to be concerned over what we wear. I believe this is true, but isn't this also an admonition to us to see all of our brothers and sisters as beautiful, all contributing to the beauty and the harmony of God's garden. Our love should spread to all, not just to our close friends, or the ones who look beautiful to us, but to all of God's creation, all of those who live in the sunshine of His love. God gives us more than enough love to throw around. There's plenty of sun and water. He supplies us with everything we need, all we need to do is pass it on.
So often we think that before we can be beautiful, or before someone else can be beautiful to God, they must be neatly pruned and trimmed, perfect little potted plants all sitting in a row--the reds and the whites all neatly organized and each in their place. I think that God, on the other hand, takes great delight in setting the wild among the tame or vice versa, the tame among the wild.
There is an herb garden in one corner of our yard. Years ago I gave up on trying to keep the mint, catnip and lemon balm contained. They battle against each other every spring for possession of the land in a sprawling jungle warfare and I just let them fight it out.
Somehow in the midst of this warfare for possession of the land, a surprise lily managed to plant itself. I certainly wouldn't try to plant anything there, I'm too intimidated by the battle being waged. But, there it has been for the last few years. As a result, I'm always surprised in the spring when I see the slim tapered leaves shoot up through the vigorous new growth of the herbs. Then in mid-summer, without fail, a delicate pink flower pushes its head up out of the confused tangle of arms and legs that the herbs have become as if to say, "See, all is not lost. In spite of the confusion, there's still room for beauty here."
As Christians, not only do we often make the mistake of trying to pluck out anyone from among ourselves that doesn't look just like us, that isn't a carbon copy of ourselves, but we also tend to think that we have to be just like everyone else in God's kingdom, that we have to blend into the landscape.
This is most dangerous when we think we have to blend into the world in order to survive. It's as if we don't think that God's gospel is tenacious enough to grow on it's own. It must be packaged just like the rest of the world's gospel in order for it to be accepted.
We must not lose sight of our individual and corporate uniqueness and beauty as Christians. What we have the world cannot produce on it's own. We should not be afraid to grow anywhere, even where we look out of place.
"...Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
I sometimes wonder if that isn't what life should look like in God's kingdom. Shouldn't our lives be a massive profusion of love that manifests itself in the form of all sizes and shapes in our lives? A love that gives permission to ourselves and others to be what the Master has created us to be? A love that runs all over itself, spilling out all over the place, even where it doesn't belong? Something that can't be packaged in a small tidy box.
In Matt. 6:28 Jesus says "consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
The most frequent interpretation of this scripture is that we are not to be concerned over what we wear. I believe this is true, but isn't this also an admonition to us to see all of our brothers and sisters as beautiful, all contributing to the beauty and the harmony of God's garden. Our love should spread to all, not just to our close friends, or the ones who look beautiful to us, but to all of God's creation, all of those who live in the sunshine of His love. God gives us more than enough love to throw around. There's plenty of sun and water. He supplies us with everything we need, all we need to do is pass it on.
So often we think that before we can be beautiful, or before someone else can be beautiful to God, they must be neatly pruned and trimmed, perfect little potted plants all sitting in a row--the reds and the whites all neatly organized and each in their place. I think that God, on the other hand, takes great delight in setting the wild among the tame or vice versa, the tame among the wild.
There is an herb garden in one corner of our yard. Years ago I gave up on trying to keep the mint, catnip and lemon balm contained. They battle against each other every spring for possession of the land in a sprawling jungle warfare and I just let them fight it out.
Somehow in the midst of this warfare for possession of the land, a surprise lily managed to plant itself. I certainly wouldn't try to plant anything there, I'm too intimidated by the battle being waged. But, there it has been for the last few years. As a result, I'm always surprised in the spring when I see the slim tapered leaves shoot up through the vigorous new growth of the herbs. Then in mid-summer, without fail, a delicate pink flower pushes its head up out of the confused tangle of arms and legs that the herbs have become as if to say, "See, all is not lost. In spite of the confusion, there's still room for beauty here."
As Christians, not only do we often make the mistake of trying to pluck out anyone from among ourselves that doesn't look just like us, that isn't a carbon copy of ourselves, but we also tend to think that we have to be just like everyone else in God's kingdom, that we have to blend into the landscape.
This is most dangerous when we think we have to blend into the world in order to survive. It's as if we don't think that God's gospel is tenacious enough to grow on it's own. It must be packaged just like the rest of the world's gospel in order for it to be accepted.
We must not lose sight of our individual and corporate uniqueness and beauty as Christians. What we have the world cannot produce on it's own. We should not be afraid to grow anywhere, even where we look out of place.
"...Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
The High Places
The following is a piece I wrote several years ago...long before 9/11 and the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The high places have always held a fascination for us. In our recreation, we pursue the high places, climbing mountains, hiking high forest trails, ballooning, hang gliding. Even young children love to climb to the top of the jungle gym or swing as high as they can.
We try to establish our dwellings in high places also. We choose home sites on the sides of mountains. We build mansions on top of the highest hills. If there are no high hills, we build high towers instead. I read recently about the new skyscraper that is planned to be built in Chicago. At 199 stories, it will be a third taller than any building that now exists. I laughingly told my husband that I would hate to be around when that building fell down, but maybe it isn't so funny.
At the root of our quest for the high places is something inherently good, something formed in us from the beginning of time, a desire to be close to our creator. But along with our desire to be close to God, there is something else which gets sidetracked and begins worshipping the high places instead. The children of Israel built themselves high places. Listen to what it says in II King 17.
"And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built themselves high places in all their cities from the tower of the watchman to the fenced city: And they set them up images and groves in every high hill and under every green tree and there they burnt incense in all the high places as did the heathen..."
We have always worshiped and erected temples to the god of the high place. Once the highest building in any city was the cathedral. In many small towns in our country it was the church with it's steeple.
When the focus shifted to the god of government, city halls, court houses and state capitols became the highest places in our cities.
And, now we worship the god of commerce. We build buildings that are great monuments to the business transacted within. The highest buildings in our land are all dedicated to the gods we worship.
God says he will tear down our high places and that means that someday even the best engineered building will probably fall. But before we start worrying needlessly about the skyscrapers falling down, we need to look at the high places we have erected in our own lives. Perhaps it is our beautiful home, or our career, or even our family. What do we lift up and exalt? What are the towers that we have built around us?
God wants to be our only fortress, our only high place. To truly be His people we must tear down all of our other high places: the people or positions we idolize, the things we run after, even those things we think will provide our security, and run after Him.
The children of Israel weren't all so different from us today. They didn't start following other gods because they were wicked. Instead, they had the same fears for their security that we have today, so they began to worship the harvest god so that they would have a guarantee of food and then the fertility god so that they would be blessed with children. Simple desires, simple gods, but they suddenly took their eyes off of their true provider. Soon the other gods became prominent and the God of Israel was relegated to the background.
God, the God of Israel, demands our total devotion. "Get thee up into the high mountains,” it says in Isaiah 40, "lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!"
Those of us who work in those high places dedicated to other gods; in government, in business, even in churches, should be proclaiming to those around us that the Lord, he is God. We should not look to the high places for what they can provide for us, but should look to the one true God and his ever faithful provision.
The high places are not for us to worship, they are for us to climb, to climb and proclaim to the world. "Behold your God!"
The high places have always held a fascination for us. In our recreation, we pursue the high places, climbing mountains, hiking high forest trails, ballooning, hang gliding. Even young children love to climb to the top of the jungle gym or swing as high as they can.
We try to establish our dwellings in high places also. We choose home sites on the sides of mountains. We build mansions on top of the highest hills. If there are no high hills, we build high towers instead. I read recently about the new skyscraper that is planned to be built in Chicago. At 199 stories, it will be a third taller than any building that now exists. I laughingly told my husband that I would hate to be around when that building fell down, but maybe it isn't so funny.
At the root of our quest for the high places is something inherently good, something formed in us from the beginning of time, a desire to be close to our creator. But along with our desire to be close to God, there is something else which gets sidetracked and begins worshipping the high places instead. The children of Israel built themselves high places. Listen to what it says in II King 17.
"And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built themselves high places in all their cities from the tower of the watchman to the fenced city: And they set them up images and groves in every high hill and under every green tree and there they burnt incense in all the high places as did the heathen..."
We have always worshiped and erected temples to the god of the high place. Once the highest building in any city was the cathedral. In many small towns in our country it was the church with it's steeple.
When the focus shifted to the god of government, city halls, court houses and state capitols became the highest places in our cities.
And, now we worship the god of commerce. We build buildings that are great monuments to the business transacted within. The highest buildings in our land are all dedicated to the gods we worship.
God says he will tear down our high places and that means that someday even the best engineered building will probably fall. But before we start worrying needlessly about the skyscrapers falling down, we need to look at the high places we have erected in our own lives. Perhaps it is our beautiful home, or our career, or even our family. What do we lift up and exalt? What are the towers that we have built around us?
God wants to be our only fortress, our only high place. To truly be His people we must tear down all of our other high places: the people or positions we idolize, the things we run after, even those things we think will provide our security, and run after Him.
The children of Israel weren't all so different from us today. They didn't start following other gods because they were wicked. Instead, they had the same fears for their security that we have today, so they began to worship the harvest god so that they would have a guarantee of food and then the fertility god so that they would be blessed with children. Simple desires, simple gods, but they suddenly took their eyes off of their true provider. Soon the other gods became prominent and the God of Israel was relegated to the background.
God, the God of Israel, demands our total devotion. "Get thee up into the high mountains,” it says in Isaiah 40, "lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!"
Those of us who work in those high places dedicated to other gods; in government, in business, even in churches, should be proclaiming to those around us that the Lord, he is God. We should not look to the high places for what they can provide for us, but should look to the one true God and his ever faithful provision.
The high places are not for us to worship, they are for us to climb, to climb and proclaim to the world. "Behold your God!"
Friday, April 01, 2005
Approaching God
In the midst of devotions this morning, one of the cats, Emma Lee jumped in my lap.
We have two female cats, Emma and Mia that come from similar backgrounds. We found Emma one fall day a few years agoduring one of our walks around the nearby university campus. She was scratching and dragging her way along the sidewalk. Her pelvis was shattered, her leg broken and her kidney's had been crushed. After several weeks of being nursed back to health at the vets, she pulled through.
Mia appeared on our porch last summer. We took her in when it became obvious she was going to have kittens. After the kittens were born and homes found for all, it was discovered that she has kidney failure. The vet said she might only have weeks or months to live, but she's loving, and we're enjoying whatever time we have with her.
Both of these cats remind me of how God takes us in; when we are broken and unable to care for ourselves, he finds us and heals us. Despite that similarity, Emma and Mia also remind me of our different approaches to God. Emma likes to sit on my lap, but only on her terms. She has to position herself in a certain way and if I move the wrong way, or there is the slightest distraction, she immediately jumps down and goes about her business. I know she loves me, if cats are capable of love, but she doesn't want to be 'that' close.
Mia on the other hand, would sit with us for hours. If we move, she moves with us and adjusts accordingly. More than that, she loves to be involved in whatever we're doing. If she hears a conversation, she will immediately leave her cat nap to situate herself in the middle. And, if there is work going on, even better. She wants to be a part of whatever we're doing.
I watch these two cats and wonder about my relationship with God. Does it have to be on my own terms, or am I willing and eager to be part of whatever he is doing?
We have two female cats, Emma and Mia that come from similar backgrounds. We found Emma one fall day a few years agoduring one of our walks around the nearby university campus. She was scratching and dragging her way along the sidewalk. Her pelvis was shattered, her leg broken and her kidney's had been crushed. After several weeks of being nursed back to health at the vets, she pulled through.
Mia appeared on our porch last summer. We took her in when it became obvious she was going to have kittens. After the kittens were born and homes found for all, it was discovered that she has kidney failure. The vet said she might only have weeks or months to live, but she's loving, and we're enjoying whatever time we have with her.
Both of these cats remind me of how God takes us in; when we are broken and unable to care for ourselves, he finds us and heals us. Despite that similarity, Emma and Mia also remind me of our different approaches to God. Emma likes to sit on my lap, but only on her terms. She has to position herself in a certain way and if I move the wrong way, or there is the slightest distraction, she immediately jumps down and goes about her business. I know she loves me, if cats are capable of love, but she doesn't want to be 'that' close.
Mia on the other hand, would sit with us for hours. If we move, she moves with us and adjusts accordingly. More than that, she loves to be involved in whatever we're doing. If she hears a conversation, she will immediately leave her cat nap to situate herself in the middle. And, if there is work going on, even better. She wants to be a part of whatever we're doing.
I watch these two cats and wonder about my relationship with God. Does it have to be on my own terms, or am I willing and eager to be part of whatever he is doing?
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