What's Your Struggle

We all have struggles.  There are issues in our lives that we battle with continuously. And even if we are doing well right now, that doesn't mean that the battle is over.  It's just in a lull, sort of a cease fire or a temporary truce.

Of course there are the problems, such as addictions, that derail life completely and beg for some action.  But what I'm thinking of are those nagging issues that interfere with our quality of life.  We feel like we can handle this through force of will or maybe a little bit of good luck.  But in a lot of ways we are no more able to conquer these problems than we are able to control the weather.

We think that our particular problem is not one worthy of bothering God over.  We can take care of this one on our own.  A workaholic thinks that soon things will settle down at work, and then more time with the family.  Compulsive eaters will correct their diets right after the holidays, the compulsive gambler thinks after the one big score.  We think that the solution is in our power and right around the corner, but we've been thinking that for a long time.

What ever is in our lives that separates us from our relationships with family and more importantly God, is a problem.  We have been around a lot of corners and all we seem to find is another corner up ahead.  And let's face it, some of these problems are hard because our society celebrates much of it.  Working hard is a good thing.  We celebrate with excess rich food, put extra brown sugar on the sweet potatoes please.  We like new things and advertisers pummel us regularly.

Some problems upset life so dramatically that something has to be done, but for others, the fall is so gradual that we don't even know that we're falling.

The 12 step programs have it right.  Step 3 is turn our lives and will over to the care of God.  The solution is there.  It's not that we're that strong, He is.

Love and Heartbreak

Today I want to do something different.  No video or pictures.  I have a good friend that posted this on Facebook last night.  With his permission I am going to share it hear.  Please read this.


Ok, this one is for my kids, because I know that they read my posts, especially after my deep, sentimental story about the Christmas tree last year. Now they tease me about my random "wisdom moments" that don't always come out well when I try to talk...sometimes I'm better at writing them. So, here goes...I hope you will always have the courage to open your heart and fall in love some day. Why courage? Because courage is what you will need to get you through in case your heart gets broken, and since we're human that's bound to happen. Even if you marry your one an only first love for a lifetime, it will take courage to have your heart broken when you hold your loved for the last time as they take their final breaths. And if you are the one of you two to pass on first, you won't escape the heart break,because you'll feel the pain of seeing your grieving loved one left behind. But heartbreak is good, and is the measure of your love. How? ...the more painful the grief, the more intense the love you shared. The grief and heartbreak lets you know that you were really in love, and not just dreaming it all (though I hope you get to feel that dreamy side for a long, long time.) And it will take courage to open your heart up and love again, but it will be worth it. As you pray to God to ease the pain, I hope you also thank God for the amazing love, lessons, and memories you shared, that ultimately will prepare you for an eternity of experiencing God's love in an even more perfect way...which trust me is hard to imagine sometimes when you're in love. And bless the person that broke your heart, because in the big picture, they also put their heart on the line, and you can't learn to love without the loving heart of another.
Oh, and there is one final heartbreak, but it's totally worth it. When your heart is finally united to God's heart...it's going to explode, even if your heart was well prepared with lots of love on earth...it's going to break one last time, but then it will be healed, forever.

by Rob Patton

There. Now That's Done.

Have you ever set up a swimming pool?  We have one of those soft sided pools that we set up in the summer and put away for the winter.  Early in the summer we get it out, rake the ground, spread the liner, look for new leaks, set up the frame and fill it. Some people pay to get the fire department to fill it.  We just fill it ourselves from the hose.  It takes a few days.  Then we put in the chemicals and wait for the Sun to warm the water.  It's a big project and when it's done there is that sense of accomplishment when I say, "There.  Now that's done." But I know that I am just getting started.

Like many things, owning a pool is an ongoing project.  There  is the testing and the chemicals and the skimming and the cleaning.  Then as the summer goes on there is the inevitable battle with algae.  Finally there is take down time which is draining and cleaning and folding and storing.  Pool's are not the only thing like this, the pool happens to be on my mind now because it's fall and I am involved in the put away project.  There are many things in life that are just ongoing projects.

Our walk with God is a bit like the pool.  There is the initial set up, we learn about Jesus and accept salvation.  We get the sense of "There, that's done." We feel renewed and sharp.  But like the pool, it is only the beginning.  We need to keep cleaning and accept Grace every day.

Just like the pool, when we start walking with God everything feels fresh and clean.  Without the daily cleaning with Grace out lives become funky.  We can't think of Grace as a one time fix, but rather it is an ongoing project.  We all need a good Grace cleaning every day.

Bloom Where You"re Planted

If, only if.

Only if things were different, then I would do great things.  If my bills were paid off, if I wasn't so busy. after I lose 10 pounds (or 20?), then just look out.  If things were different, but they aren't.  Many of us are waiting to get started.  Started on what ever we think is next.  When I was in college I worked for a while in a warehouse.  There was an older man working there with me.  He was biding his time, waiting for retirement.  He would talk of the plans that he and his wife had for retirement.  They were taking the camper and heading west.  You can probably see where this story is going.  She got cancer.  Plans change.

So what are you doing right now?  We have today and there are no guarantees about tomorrow.  If things were different I could do X, maybe I even would do X, but that's not the life that I have.  The trick is making the most out of this life, not some life that doesn't exist. We can join Walter Mitty and Don Quixote or we can decide to bloom right now, right here, in these circumstances.  

God blesses us every day, and we need to make the most of it.  In the bible and throughout history there is story after story of people who rose up and had a significant impact in spite of their circumstances.  Joan of Arc was a peasant woman who rose to lead the French Army in the 1400s.  The idea that French soldiers in this era would follow either a woman or a peasant is really ridiculous.  It all happened as she followed the will of God.  And that's just one story.

God calls for us to make the most of what we are given today.  He gave the Israelites Manna from the sky, but only enough for today.  It's not like planning for tomorrow is bad thing.  We still need to plant the crops, sow the grain and put up stores for the winter.  But while we are doing that, are we living in God's blessings or waiting for different blessings? 

It's a Gift

At Christmas time we have the traditional exchanging of gifts.  People give us gifts and we in turn give them one with a value that is about the same.  Some groups put rules on gift giving at the holidays in the name of dollar limits or exchanging names.  Everyone who brought a gift can participate in the gift exchange.  In these situations, we are giving as much as we get.  We say thank you, but come on, they got something nice too.

But sometimes it happens.  You get that gift and you didn't know it was coming and you have nothing to give back.  Or maybe you are given a gift that is significantly more extravagant than one that you can give.  We aren't very good at accepting gifts in this way.  We feel beholden and uneasy. Most of us would rather not get a gift n this way.  

They say that it's the thought that counts.  And it sure is.  I think the problem with getting a gift when you have nothing to give back is the realization that this person thinks of me differently than I think of them.

Our salvation is like this.  It's a gift.  It's that simple.  There is nothing to earn.  You can't reciprocate with something equivalent.  God gives the gift.  We accept it and say thank you.  And the amazing thing is that because it is like this, we can't boast.  We can't think of ourselves as being superior because we didn't do anything to earn it in the first place. And when we realize the enormity of the gift, we are faced with the enormity of God's love.  We have to conclude that he loves us more than we are capable of loving Him or anyone else,

It's like being prideful when you are driving someone else's car or taking credit for someone else's score.  It is a gift so that none may boast.  

How Do They Do It

Some people really put up with a lot.  They go through amazing struggles and trials and conflicts.  And yet they get through it.  I think of Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans.  People trapped on roof tops.  People at the Super Dome with no power, food or water.  The scale of disaster was enormous.  And yet somehow people got through it.

Of course, not everyone got through it.  And some people didn't get through it well.  But then there are those people who rise above it all.  Who get through things with grace and class.  Like the situation doesn't touch them.

Christians have a secret weapon that can get them through the trials.  If you are a Christian, things can only get so bad.   I mean what's the worse that can happen?  If you die, you go to heaven, and that's not so bad.  This should give Christians the ability to approach problems with a grace and confidence,

Paid in Full

Debt is really something in this country.  The national debt is knocking on $18 trillion.  That is an unfathomable amount of money.  They say that it comes down to over $55,000 per US citizen.  I think the real amazing part is that it wasn't all that long ago that we had it paid off.  In the 90s the US economy was going gang busters.  The debt seemed to magically disappear and the politicians were arguing over what to do with the surplus.

Well that didn't last long.  A couple of wars coupled with tax cuts, expansion of medicare, adding a new department to the government, more tax cuts, a few bail outs, a few surges.  As they say in Washington, you spend a billion here and billion there, soon it turns into real money.

Now this really isn't a political rant.  Both parties share in the problem of the country living beyond its means.  I want to focus on when the debt was paid.  I remember in the late 80s and early 90s the nation debt seemed insurmountable then too.  And just like now the conversations were about cuts and taxes.  

When the debt got paid off the entire conversation changed to one of investments and opportunities.  Should the money be returned to the citizens or invested in the future?  These conversations are a lot more fun to have then the ones about which services are getting cut.  

My point is this.  Debt is bondage and solvency is freedom.  Freedom to invest, to plan, to explore.  And the debts do not have to be financial.  When we owe debts they burden us and restrict what we are able to plan for the future.  

In some versions of the Lord's Prayer it says, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."  Our sins create a debt on our soul.  And that debt holds us back.

God can release us from our debts if only we ask.  Our past piles up after a while.  And just like the national debt, it can seem like more than can be overcome.  But God says that freedom is available.  And just like the US economy in the 90s, your conversation can change from regrets about the past to plans for the future.

Hard to Forget

Memories are funny things.  Somethings are hard to remember and some things are hard to forget.

Personally, I am pretty good at trivia games.  Quickly remembering facts is pretty easy.  But what about the car keys?  Or remembering to pick up milk.  What about people's names.  Now there would be something handy to remember.  There are days that I would trade being good at tivia if I could only remember why I came into this room.

I do remember asking my wife to marry me.  Trying to come up with the perfect place, finally getting up the nerve when we were on a bike ride on Mackinac Island, stopping in the middle of the street and asking her then and there. I remember holding my son on the day he was born and feeding him in the hospital nursery.

Some things are hard to forget, no matter how hard we try.  Like everyone else I remember the horror of 9/11 and being both stunned by the destruction and trying to wrap my head around it all.  It was a day that changed every thing.

Some of the hardest things to forget are memories from times that we were really hurt.  Sometimes we hold a grudge, even when we want to let it go.  Even when we want to forgive, we can's forget.

God's forgiveness is different than man's.  When God forgives, He does it with the perfect love that also forgets.

In 1 Corinthians Paul writes that Love keeps no record of wrongs.  In our humanity that is hard to do.  God however is able to do it perfectly,

Another Second Chance

The Permanent Record.  We hear about it at school.  Those things that are going in  there become a little more important.  At least it seems that way.  The permanent record is often told as a bit of a joke.  "You know this is going on your permanent record."  It's funny how they never tell you that something good is going on that record, only the bad.

Keeping score, holding a grudge, remembering the record.  We like to keep track of the wins and the losses.  It feels good to think that we are a little ahead.  The Egyptians believed that when we died there was a great weighing of our souls.  If all you your transgressions cause your soul weigh less than a feather, then you are in.  I'm not sure what happens when it is too heavy, but I assume something bad.  

One of the benefits of having a relationship with God is His short memory of out transgressions.  Redemption is a clean slate.  He doesn't keep the record of wrongs.  When we mess up, we want a second chance at doing right.  But a second chance can only happen the first time that we mess up.  After that it is a third, fourth, fifth or sixth chance.  With God, it is always another second chance.  The other mess ups are gone, let's focus on this one.  You repent and are forgiven.  Here is the second chance.  Now sin no more.

I am grateful that God gives me extra chances.  There are things that I struggle with and things that seem no trouble to resist.  But for issues that I struggle with, they are ongoing and relentless.  Many chances are needed.

A Sin-Ectomy

I have a gall bladder.  I know several people who have had theirs removed, but I still have mine.  It seems like an infected gal bladder can cause all kinds of problems.  I know a person who was having back problems that turned out to be related to gal bladder, another had intestinal problems.  Getting that out of there seems to fix the problem.

Some things aren't so clearly solved.  Some medical problems are more systemic or are not connected to a single removable problem.  How many people with diabetes or heart disease wish that they could go in for a procedure and fix it all.  Those conditions need to be managed.  Diet, exercise, life style, maybe some medication, all go together to manage an ongoing problem.

Some problems are not medical but spiritual.  They arise from a moral problem that plague us.  These are conflicts between what we think, what we feel and what we do.  Sometimes we find ourselves full of hate, bitterness or anger.  We wish it was gone but there it is.  For these problems there is so little that the medical profession can do.  It's too bad that there isn't a hate-ectomy that doctors could perform.  

Christians refer to these moral dilemmas as sin.  Sin isn't just what we do, but what is in our hearts.  It is the difference between coveting and theft.  Coveting is desire, jealousy and resentment all wrapped up in one.  You want what they have and you are none too happy about it.  Coveting can consume you and make you miserable even if you never act inappropriately.  But removing sin is God's specialty.

I find it interesting that so much attention is placed on the healing that Jesus did.  In many ways, physical ailments are easier to manage or at least understand.  For example in this story from the book of Mark

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Forgiving sins is God's business.  Get your sin-ectomy today.

The Benefit Package

During World War II so many men had gone to war that there was a labor shortage back at home.  The government was afraid that there would be massive inflation as employers competed for a shrinking number of employees so it instituted a national wage freeze.  This caused employers to come up with other ways to attract employees (The law of supply and demand will not be stopped.) such as offering health insurance.  And so the employee benefit package was born.

Benefits can be a major incentive for a job.  What do you get out of it?  There can be pay, vacation time, insurance, pension, or 401k.  Google famously provides benefits in terms of its working conditions.  Free gourmet meals,  Foosball tables, health clubs, you name it.  They say that the benefits lead to a more relaxed and dedicated work force. 

Some benefits are more internal.  Pride, a sense of fulfillment or the chance to be part of something important, to make a difference.  God's benefit package is one step beyond internal, it is eternal.  God provides benefits that can impact both this life and beyond.

Peace of mind, forgiveness, purpose..... It has to be worth at least as much as a Foosball table.

I Love This Plan

On a baseball team nine players need to take the field and cover all of the positions.  Sometimes players are out in a position that they don't want to play.  They are out in right field, but they would rather being playing the infield.  The thing is that SOMEONE has to play right field.  You can try to tell the coach that you don't want to play that position.  He will likely find you another place that you can be, such as sitting on the bench.

If you want to get in the game, you have to be willing to play where the team needs you, not only where it is your favorite.  In most situations we can decide to wallow in the misfortune or celebrate the opportunity.  A lot of it comes down to attitude.  

It's easy when the job that needs doing is one that you want to do anyway. Life only has a limited number of these that come along.  Most things fall into the category of "not that bad" and how much fulfillment it brings to us depends on the attitude that we bring to it.

And so it is with our walk with God.

Have you ever noticed that no one ever says that they are feeling the call of God and He wants me to stay home tonight with my feet up and watch some TV.  Maybe He's calling me to have some blueberry pie along with it.  No, nobody ever seems to get that call.  Probably because God doesn't need to call anyone to that task.  It is well covered.

Our attitude with God affects our relationship with God.  We need to be willing to serve where He wants us to serve.

If we want to have a relationship with God, we need to be willing to get in the game at whatever position we are called.  It's either that or sit on the bench.

Work in Progress

So the job is not quite done.  There is still a bit more to do but don't worry about it.  We will get right on it.  Just make the best of it until then.

Have you ever been waiting on someone to complete a project, and it never seems to get done.  It can be really frustrating.  Either you are in a holding pattern waiting on them, or you continue on, but your part is that much more difficult.  We have all been there. Actually, most of us have been on both sides of this problem.  We have been the one waiting on someone else and the one causing someone else to wait.  For some reason, it seems more inconvenient when I am the one waiting.

How much are we like this?  The project that never quite gets done.  We all know areas for which we need to improve.  Physically, emotionally, spiritually, probably in every area there is a part that needs more refinement.  I remember once reading a quote from Mother Teresa (I could not find the actual quote, so I paraphrase.) She said that she knew her own heart and it was black as night.  

This has always struck me.  If a person who forsakes worldly goods and devotes her life to helping the poorest of the poor sees herself this way, my heart must need industrial strength cleaning.

So what issues are you facing?  What work do you need to do?  As Christians we ask the Holy Spirit in to our hearts.  And once in, the Holy spirit doesn't just put its feet up and celebrate a job complete.  No, the Holy Spirit, once inside says, "This place is a mess.  Let's get to work." 

I imagine that God gets frustrated with us.  Not because we are an unfinished work, because we all know that it will not be completed in this lifetime.  No, I think God would be frustrated with our spectacular lack of progress in some areas.  

Well, it's labor day weekend.  Time to pick an area and get to work. 

Did You Say Something?

When I first moved out of my parent's home, I had a little apartment out of town, near the river.  It was nice and quiet, but a bit too quiet.  I grew up with three sisters and it seemed like there was always something going on around the house.  I would often turn the television on just so that it sounded like someone was talking.

We live in a world where silence is distracting and clutter is the norm.  We hear so much about multi-tasking that I think that people have lost the art of mono-tasking.  No one seems to be able to have an actual conversation one on one with a live person while neither is engaged in doing something else.

There is a lot to be said for focusing on a single objective.  When a predator is chasing down prey it will pick a single individual and chase it down.  Animals instinctively know that constantly changing the objective, the target, the goal makes achievement much harder.  Why do we find that concept so puzzling?

It can be difficult to pick out one voice in a sea of noise, even if that one voice is the voice of God.  God is still speaking today, we have a world that can make it hard to hear.  Hearing through the clutter requires focus.  The lower the amount of clutter, the easier it is to hear.

If God is speaking to you today, would you even hear it?

Random Acts of Kindness

The world is falling apart.  You have to look out for yourself.  Everyone is trying to get into your pocket.  What is wrong with people and why don't they raise their kids better?

Naaaah.

Most people out there actually treat each other pretty well I think.  One time when my son, we were in Marquette.  In one park along Lake Superior people were jumping off the tall rocks and into the water.  He was too and we were watching him.  At one point he asked me, "If I got hurt in the jump, would you come in and save me?" I said, "Of course I would.  But you know what, all of these other people here would too.  If they saw you in trouble, they would save you too, even though they don't know you.  That's how people are." 

Sometimes there's that little extra help when you need it.  Watch this video about a boy who passes on a little kindness to a soldier.

A small act of kindness that means a lot.

Have you ever been in the situation where a potential disaster is averted at the last minute.  Someone is all of a sudden there to help.  We all have them but they end up being not very memorable because the day turns out pretty normal, and not a disaster,  We sometimes think, "What would I have done if they weren't there?"

But they were there.

And sometime were called to be that person that is there for someone.  Have you ever gotten the inkling, the feeling, the nudge that you really should do something for someone?  One time I remember getting this feeling that I needed to call this old friend.  I hadn't spoken to him in a while. but I was busy and I kept putting it off.  Finally in the afternoon I give him a call.  He was moving.  Things were not going well.  He had to leave his apartment and there were a lot of issues with it.  We talked for a while.  I think that it helped.  Now this was pre cell phones so if I would have waited he would have been gone and I would not have had any way to contact him.  Sometimes we need to listen to those nudges.

God often uses us to be a blessing to others.  We need to listen to the call and respond to the prompting.  What is He calling you to do today?

If You Need a Reason

In 1917, Teddy Roosevelt wrote in Ladies Home Journal on his reasons to go to church.  He lists ten practical benefits to going to church each Sunday.  One of them is this...

Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator and dedicate oneself to good living in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in one’s own house, just as well as in church. But I also know as a matter of cold fact the average man does not thus worship or thus dedicate himself. If he stays away from church he does not spend his time in good works or in lofty meditation. He looks over the colored supplement of the newspaper.

I think this is a valid point.  God is everywhere.  He CAN be worshiped anywhere, but how many people DO worship him everywhere?  

At a craft show once a booth had several handy products made out of every day items.  I found myself thinking why would I buy that, I could make it easy enough.  Then I saw a sign hanging up that said, "Yes, you could make it, but will you?" 

Worshiping God is like that.  We can do it anywhere, but will we?  Going to church sets an environment that is predisposed for worship.  The stage is set, music plays, prayers are said, scripture is read, all you need to do is engage.

God wants a relationship with us.  Building that relationship takes time and attention and while church attendance alone provides neither salvation nor a relationship, it is a good start.

One last thought from Teddy Roosevelt on going to church.

The man who does not in some way, active or not, connect himself with some active, working church misses many opportunities for helping his neighbors, and therefore, incidentally, for helping himself.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

We have all had that moment.  Thing go south in a hurry and we are left with that uncomfortable feeling of "What was I thinking?" And the sad part is there is no excuse. There was no way that you were going to pull this off.  Clearly it was a plan fraught with peril.  Disaster was predictable.  Sometimes we are only left with the consolation that it seemed like a good idea at the time.

But what about the decisions that aren't disasters, but also not quite as good as they could be.  You make the purchase and it's fine, but you later find out that you could have had a better model at a lower price.  Just missed out on an opportunity.  You should have been there.  There is nothing wrong with what's going on here, but man let me tell you.

We live in a world full of abundance.  Life is usually not a question of good choices and bad choices but rather good choices and better choices.  Discerning the difference is a function of wisdom.  CS Lewis said, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are." And of course God is the ultimate circle of wisdom.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. - 1 Corinthians 1:25

The difference between a Good Idea and a God Idea is what Pastor Mike called the difference between the world's good and God's best/  It is the difference between "Everything's fine." and "Excellence".

Which do you want for your life?

First Things First

When we were little, my Dad would read to us and his favorite book was Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hatches an Egg".  We heard that story so often that mt sisters and I could recite long passages from memory.  If you have never read it, it is a story of an elephant that sits in a tree and hatches an egg.  Early on in the story, Horton is preparing to climb up into the tree and the line in the story goes, "The first thing to do muttered Horton lets see.  The first thing to do is to prop up this tree." Horton need to make the tree stronger to support his weight.  Without a strong foundation, it would never work.

First things first.  What is the priority?  What one thing will affect the success of everything else?  It is remarkably easy to lose track of this.  John Lennon famously said that "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." We can get so caught up in the details of life that we lose sight of the priorities and what I do ends up being counter productive.  

This idea is never more true than it is with our relationship with God.  Christianity ultimately isn't about a religion, it's about a relationship.  Relationships take time and attention.  But talk about the one underlying foundation that will affect everything else.  

At the end of Horton Hatched the Egg, the egg hatches and what comes out is part elephant and part bird.  The ideal is that Horton's love and faithfulness is reflected.  The same is true for us in our relationship with God.  As we develop our relationship, His characteristics will be reflected in us.

Filling Your Own Mold

I once went to an art exhibit in Grand Rapids that featured work from the sculpture Rodin.  All I knew about him at the time was that he had sculpted. "The Thinker", a large bronze stature sitting in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts.  When we got there they said that there were several original Rodins, but many of them were this same statue.  Most were smaller.  Some much smaller.  It didn't make sense.  How could they all be originals?

It seems that the sculptor makes the original image from clay.  Then it is encased in plaster, so a mold is made.  The mold is removed and used to cast multiple versions of the statue, all of which are considered original.  This is true even if it is done years later, even if the original artist is dead.   So if there would only be one casting from the mold, only one original, when the artist got done, they broke the mold.  Hence the expression.

At the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC there is a bronze casting of Thomas Jefferson.  It is another celebrated piece of art.  What if we tried to force the Jefferson statue into Rodin's mold for the Thinker?  It wouldn't fit,  No matter how hard we tried it wouldn't work.  They are both works of art, but different.  We are like that.

Society has a certain mold or expectation that it tries to squeeze each of us into.  But it never quite fits.  

I guess now that I think about it, society doesn't really have a mold for us, but a caricature.  An exaggerated view of who we are and what we do.  They see us one way, but there is a lot more inside waiting to come out.  If you are a teacher, you must be like this.  If you are a builder you must be like this, if you are an accountant you must be like this.  If you are a Christian you must be like this.  Fill in the blank.

   

The trick is being true to the image and the purpose that God has for us.  We can't try to fit the mold or fulfill the caricature that the world has set for us.  It never works. 

Welcome to the Freak Show

Several years ago I saw a skit on Saturday Night Live that was about two VERY normal people on a first date.  Both dressed in beige, drove their brown Chevy Novas to a mid range restaurant, ordered their meat medium with ranch dressing on their salad.  Listening to lite rock they cranked their volume up to 5.  You get the picture.  So there we have an extreme picture of normal and it feels pretty boring.

   

We all have our things.  It's what makes us unique.  Some of these things we share, others we keep private.  Of course some people let their uniqueness run amok.  Some people like this others do not.  How about a t-shit that reads, "I don't like Unique People.  I'm different that way."  That could be a million dollar idea.

We are all freaks in one way or another.  It's just that some people don't let their freakishness show. 

God Uses Freaks.  Our freakishness, our individuality, our uniqueness is what sets us apart.  For each of us God has a purpose.  It is a unique purpose for you and you alone.  If each of us were the same, then anyone could take your place.  Someone can fill in and take your spot, but it will never be the same.  

When King David was fleeing from Saul he gathered the other outcasts and from them formed an army.

There were outcasts in the desert.  David said you have a place with me.  In the same way God tells all of us that in our uniqueness, in our freakishness, we have a place and a purpose.

Facing the Opposition

So you've got a plan, an inspiration, a mission.  Who is the opposition.  Every plan, activity or program has opposition. Someone is invested in the status quo, or it wouldn't exist in the first place. The opposition may be there due to financial constraints.  It may be there due to tradition. It may be just apathy. But there is always some opposition.

One form of opposition is inertia.  Newton's first law states that objects resist changes in their state of motion.  Objects at rest stay at rest and objects in motion stay in motion.  Inertia is not good or bad, it just is.  Inertia keeps a car sliding on the ice when the breaks want it to stop, but inertia also keeps the Earth moving forward when the Sun's gravity would pull it in.  

Organizations have institutional inertia.  A group of people are used to doing things one way and now it's different.  I went to vote this past week and the township hall was arranged differently than it has been in the last 16 years I've been voting there.  I made some comment about it and joked about not liking change and went on to vote.  While I was there I heard at least three other people comment on the new arrangement.  I imagine those ladies heard about it all day.

Organizational inertia is also not good or bad.  It just is.   We don't want to resist changing to make it better.  But if we spend all of our time changing, then we don't have time for doing.  Opportunity cost is another form of opposition.

So every plan has opposition.  The real problem is facing the opposition and getting past it.  Now maybe the opposition has a point and we need to redirect our efforts.  But if the plan, the task, the mission is a calling from God, then there is no choice but to face it and get through.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4

Every thing new has opposition.  When was the last time that there was a proposal on a ballot that was unanimously approved.  For some things the opposition is active and for others it's passive, but it's always there.  But if the plan is God's will, He will be there to see you through it.

Unlikely Warriors

History is full of people who rose up and succeeded where no one thought that they could.  Those are the compelling stories.  After all if we here about a child that grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth, was dynamic, loved, good looking and then went on to do great things..... where's the story.  We like to root for the under dog.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one such leader.  Here is how he was described in time magazine in 1964...

King is in many ways the unlikely leader of an unlikely organization -- the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a loose alliance of 100 or so church-oriented groups. King has neither the quiet brilliance nor the sharp administrative capabilities of the N.A.A.C.P.'s Roy Wilkins. He has none of the sophistication of the National Urban League's Whitney Young Jr., lacks Young's experience in dealing with high echelons of the U.S. business community. He has neither the inventiveness of CORE's James Farmer nor the raw militancy of SNICK's John Lewis nor the bristling wit of Author James Baldwin. He did not make his mark in the entertainment field, where talented Negroes have long been prominent, or in the sciences and professions where Negroes have, almost unnoticed, been coming into their own. He earns no more money than some plumbers ($10,000 a year), and possesses little in the way of material things.

He presents an unimposing figure: he is 5 ft. 7 in., weighs a heavy-chested 173 lbs., dresses with funereal conservatism (five of six suits are black, as are most of his neckties). He has very little sense of humor. He never heard of Y.A. Tittle or George Shearing, but he can discourse by the hour about Thoreau, Hegel, Kant and Gandhi.

God raises up unlikely people at the right time.  We can't say that the civil rights movement was lucky to have Dr. King.  We can say that Dr. King had God's anointing and that made the difference.

The story of David and Goliath is so well known that it's almost cliche.  David is the ultimate example of an unlikely warrior.  A boy that couldn't fit in the armor and couldn't lift a sword became the champion of a nation.  How could a boy beat a great warrior?  The answer is he can't.  It's impossible.  And that's where God comes in.

So what battles are you fighting?  In life there are many trials that seem insurmountable.  But God equips us to fight the battles that we are called to face.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. - Ephesians 6:10-18

How We Are Seen

Who are you?  There is always a difference between perception and reality.  A while back a series of pictures/posters were on facebook with captions like, what the public thinks I do and so forth.  They played on the different perceptions seen inside and outside of a profession.

The problem comes when we start defining ourselves based on the perceptions that others have of us.  We aren't smart enough or rich enough, or tall enough or popular enough.   Society is quick to put us into molds and define us based on what they think we are or what we can be.  God has another view of us.

This goes a step further than being true to yourself.  Sure, we want to resist the pigeon holes that society places on us.  We want to set our own course and do what is in out hearts.  But God offers us more.

Who we truely are and do is good.  But seeing ourselves through God's eyes, not for what we are but for what we can become, is not the world's good.  It's God's best.

Somebody Should Do Something

Do you know what's wrong with this world today?

OK, you probably do know.  If for some reason you have no opinion on this issue than stop by any restaurant in small America and ask that group of guys sitting around that big table.  They will fill you in.  Identifying problems is never a problem.

Actually finding solutions to the problems isn't hard either.  Ask that same group of guys.  They will tell you how it should be.  Now there are reasons why some problems are hard to fix.  Money, materials, politics.  But sometimes the problem is motivation.  No one has the drive to make it different. No one steps up and says, "I will fix it."

This is the way that we often treat God.  We pray that God should fix a problem, and that is a start.  But as we pray the prayer needs to change from God, You should fix this to God, please help me fix this.  Its seems like a small change, but it's huge.  Prayers change things starting with us.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. - James 2:14-17

You Think You Have Problems?

So what's your problem?  Everybody has on.  At least one.  Have you ever had one of those conversations where everybody is trying to out do each other on how bad they've got it.  Is it misery loving company?  I'm not sure.

So we can get caught up in our own misfortune.  I think that we suffer from the delusion that if we have it worse than everyone else, than we have the justification to do nothing about it.  But there is another side to facing a problem, it is your capacity to overcome it.  If I get sick, that's a problem.  Here in the US I can go to a doctor or hospital and I may be able to be treated.   This same illness is a much bigger deal in an undeveloped country that does not have the same access to health care.

Fortunately, Christians have access to the ultimate capacity for problem solving.  No matter what problem we are facing it is not bigger than God.  The Holy Spirit works through us and through those around us to create opportunities where only problems exist.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God -Philippians 4:6

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” - Mark 11:22-25

So we all have problems.  After a while we just get used to them.  Managing them becomes part of us and what we do.  However God can give us victory over these problems and the other ones we haven't noticed yet.