Nov 23, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
If you will excuse me, dear reader, I would like to make an addendum to a previous post. I have been thinking a good bit about the law and grace, and the promise of God, and I am continually realising my tendency to move away from the grace of God into a desire to earn His graciousness and approval. Is anybody else in this boat? Wouldn’t you rather work for it?
In the aforementioned post, I talked about how it was a good idea to hush if you have a stinky attitude and don’t have anything nice to say, so that you don’t pass on your grumpymugginness to everyone else. But I’m not sure that’s entirely true. I do think it is a good idea to be thoughtful with your words. It’s wise to be careful about what comes out of your mouth — the things you say really are like the toothpaste that can’t go back in the tube. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be honest about where you are, what you’re experiencing, and if you’re having a hard time.
Lord, please help me to rest in your grace.
If you are anything like me, you might retreat a little bit when times are hard, and put on a happy face so that everyone will think you are fine. (It reminds me of that great Volkswagen commercial with that I’m a Great Pretender song in the background. Have you seen it? I loved it.) Anyway, I can really be a pretender sometimes.
If I’m honest, this is a hard season for me. We’ve just moved to a new country. I thought it was going to be easier than this. I forgot that I moved to Scotland with thirty other people and had an instant friendship circle and a common goal. I made friends at the university quickly and easily. And I was single, so life was flexible, and fancy-free. Things are great here. We’re in a beautiful place, and the Lord has made an amazingly smooth path for us. But still, it’s hard. I’ve traded one set of circumstances for another, completely different. And my heart feels strung out — all over the world. I’ve left so many dear friends behind in Scotland. And my family and friends in the States — I continue to miss them, now even more, as with a greater time difference it’s harder to get in touch.
The way all this ties into grace and the law for me is this: Before there was the law, there was grace, and justification by faith. Abraham simply believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Four hundred and thirty years before Moses received those legendary tablets on Mt. Sinai, God made a covenant with Abraham, a promise to bless His descendants, and that through him, all nations would be blessed. So the promise came before the law. And Christ came before I even began to stray from a godly path. Before I could earn God’s love and approval, it was freely given.
What does all that mean? I’ve been reading in Galatians 3 and 4 and here’s what I’m trying to wrap my head around. Grace is available, based on faith, and free. It justifies us by faith, and not by anything we can do. God says His grace is sufficient for us, because His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. So here I am, admittedly a sinner, and I may struggle to rejoice and find contentment in this new season, and if I’m honest, it’s just hard. But the Good News is, God’s grace is available. And while I am weak, and I feel like I’m failing to deflect the fiery darts of self-pity that would have me consumed with disappointment at another Christmas away from my family, and another week feeling like I don’t have any new friends, praise God that His grace is sufficient. It’s okay to be disappointed. It’s okay to struggle to deal with the way things are going when it’s not your way.
Even more, It is good to be honest about where you are. It is good to be honest with God about how you feel. And sometimes, even if it doesn’t look pretty and perfect, it is good to be honest with others, when life just isn’t a cup of sweet tea for you. It may be a good idea to hush, but it may be an even better idea to speak up, to say, “I’m struggling!” or “This ain’t as glamourous as it looks!” or “Help!” So that’s the addendum of the day. I hope to put on my bathing suit and dive into the sea of God’s grace today for a good long swim. Feel free to grab a cap and goggles and join me.
Nov 20, 2009 | Baby Photos, The Good Word
I was mulling over some verses in Proverbs 4 this morning, and while I’m not sure I have anything profound to say, I just thought I would share.
Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you. She will bring you honor when you embrace her. (Proverbs 4: 7 & 8 )
I like to think about what it means to look for wisdom. When I think I’ve come across something wise, like, when someone says “I think I should probably do this, or not do that” I often find myself saying “Hmm, that’s good… that sounds wise.” And afterwards wondering… did that sound like a weird thing to say? I like wisdom! I like hearing it! But seriously, there is such a huge emphasis in Scripture on the significance of seeking and desiring wisdom. And it’s interesting to me because we have more information at our fingertips than any previous generation in history…but are we any wiser for it? If I listen to the news or watch TV, I’m pretty convinced that while we’re oozing with information, I’m not sure our wisdom bucket overfloweth as a result.
As I asked the Lord about getting wisdom this morning, I was reminded of two things:
- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This reminds me a lot of yesterday’s post…deciding to depart from evil because we fear the Lord, and we don’t think more highly of our own wisdom than we ought to. (If the Lord blesses me with more understanding of the fear of the Lord, which I intend to study up on, hopefully I can come back to you with a series of posts about it, because I don’t think one or two is going to cover it!) And,
- I was reminded of this interesting section of Psalm 119 that used to get me really excited when I was studying at university:
Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
You, through You commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep your precepts. (Psalm 119: 97 – 100)
(Me: Wiser than my teachers? Sign me up!) It seems like the way we are instructed to get wisdom is simple: meditate on God’s Word, His Law, the testimonies of His goodness recorded in Scripture, and then do what His word says. Put into practice the things that you are learning. If you’re learning to ride a bike, someone might take the time to sit down with you and explain the reason the bicycle works…how the pedals push the gears and the gears move the wheels and the steering wheel directs and the brakes slow you down… but eventually, you’re gonna have to put that knowledge into practice to fully understand riding a bike.
In the same way, the wisdom that comes from God is best understood when we study it, think about it, and then live it out. I think that’s why just a bit later in Proverbs 4 it says, “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.” (v. 26) If we move forward thoughtfully and purposefully, considering the teaching of the Lord and His wisdom, He promises to make our paths straight. I suppose there are some questions Google is never going to answer for us. The wisdom, and knowledge and understanding that will set us on the right path come from the Lord. If wisdom’s what you’re chasing after, what you’re pondering, and what you’re doing, expect the goodness of God to meet you.
I saw a great quote on this great blog yesterday that I think might be an encouraging closing:
You learn to speak by speaking,
to study by studying,
to run by running,
to work by working;
and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves.
– Saint Francis de Sales
If you are looking for wisdom today, I hope it finds you.
Nov 19, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
Okay. So you guys might think I’ve totally lost it, but I’m going to share this story with you and do my best to explain anyway. Fire away with comments at will!
So last night, we had our mid-week weekend, where we enjoy dinner together and watch a movie and relax a little. I was working on dinner when we realised we didn’t have a movie, and Mark decided to run back out to get one. We were listening to a playlist of music on my iTunes that someone made for me ages and ages ago. A lot of the songs are fun, happy stuff and I was singing along and smiling at the Bear and he was happy. He was still in his highchair crunching crumbs while I was juggling chicken simmering on the stove, veggies roasting in the oven, couscous getting ready to soak. The Bear’s bedtime was approaching so I took him through to his room to get him into PJs and a fresh nappy.
Meanwhile, the next song on the playlist came on. It was a catchy little ditty that was really popular a few years ago, but it had some not so nice language in it, (I had been given the unedited version that wasn’t on the radio). It really wasn’t singing about very positive stuff. I felt like I should go skip the song, but, honestly, I was just kind of lazy, and also thought it was kind of catchy, and I just left it running. The evening went on and as we were enjoying our dinner another song came on, also just … dark. Honestly, I don’t know how else to explain it. It was from an album I used to listen to a lot ages ago, and the more I listened to the lyrics the more I realised how bad it was — it was clearly speaking about the crucifixion, but not in a positive light. Mark and I talked about googling the lyrics in order to figure out what the heck it was all about, but once again, I didn’t get up and change the music.
We enjoyed the rest of our evening (Mark rented Elf for me, which was a very special holiday blessing) and we had a little ice cream and headed for bed. This morning, however, I can only describe it as if the bed woke up on the wrong side of me. I was grouchy and struggling to be nice as we sorted ourselves out for the gym — I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. We came back from the gym and it just seemed like one thing after another. I discovered a hole in my new t-shirt…I accidentally dropped our camera (it’s fine, thank you Lord)…things weren’t going my way and I wasn’t handling it well at all.
Finally, I sat down to spend some time in the Word and prayer, and Proverbs 3 was where I started off. I arrived at verse 7 and could go no further:
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
This sort of stopped me in my tracks. What does being wise in your own eyes have to do with fearing the Lord and departing from evil? I thought about it for a while, and felt like the synapses in my brain were beginning to make some new connections.
What I felt like the Lord showed me was that we sometimes think we can handle evil. In our own wisdom, we don’t always think we need to depart from things that really aren’t beneficial to us. In my wisdom last night, I thought, “It’s not a big deal, I can listen to this without it really affecting me.” This might be where you think I’m starting to get crazy, but bear with me.
I am quite sure I sometimes think I have more wisdom than I do. And I don’t always understand the repercussions of my decisions. I know for sure that music that gives glory to God sends the enemy packing. I have been in conferences where there was so much praise happening — people surrounding an auditorium just worshiping and praising God — and the presence of the Lord was almost tangible. People’s lives were being changed. People were being set free from things that they’d struggled with for decades. All because of the glorious presence of God, being welcomed in — where the enemy cannot stand to be, and literally just cannot be. (Light and darkness metaphysically can’t inhabit the same space at the same time.)
So here’s the question. Is the adverse also true? Am I welcoming in the enemy, am I giving place to him, when I listen to music that is clearly not pleasing to God? I’m not speaking about Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes — I mean music that is definitely, clearly against the things of God. Am I telling the enemy to come on over and hang out at my place when I listen to music that gives glory to selfishness, adultery, unfaithfulness, and bad relationships? At this point you’re going to have to work pretty hard to convince me otherwise.
The reason I think the two statements are together is this: the Lord constantly warns us to depart from evil. Flee from temptation. Run, you ninnymuggins, run! And I think part of the reason is that we think we can handle sin sinlessly. But who are we kidding? We know there is a spiritual realm, we know our battle is not against flesh and blood — but we don’t know everything that’s going on around us. We don’t know what we’re inviting in. So today, if for no other reason than because the Lord says so, I’m going to be doing some spring cleaning in my iTunes collection. (It is actually springtime, heading toward summer in the southern hemisphere.)
This is the promise that follows:
It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.
I’d like to sign up for health in my flesh and strength in my bones! So instead of being “wise” or trying to carefully navigate life on the edge of faith, with one foot in the world for the sake of “relevance,” I’m going to fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Praise the Lord who is so much wiser than I am. Please Lord, direct my steps, teach me to fear You, and to walk in your ways!
Nov 18, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
I have been reading through Exodus lately. I’m in the section where the initial instructions are given for the Tabernacle, where the Lord will dwell among the Israelites while they are in the wilderness. You’ll know if you’ve read it — the instructions are incredibly specific — this item is to be gold, this one bronze, this one silver. This thing should be this length, that one that length, there should be rings to hold gold bars in order to carry this and that. The amount of workmanship and craftsmanship required to make this happen — it’s really incredible.
As you get into the intricacies of the Tabernacle, even the types of fabric to be used for the priests clothing or the curtains, there are lessons one after another. It is amazing how significant badger skin can be! But this morning I was reminded of what I think is one of the biggest lessons of all: A Wonderful, Holy God desires to dwell among us. He desires to be a part of our lives. And He wants us to build a space where He can dwell. Fortunately, you don’t need to get out your hammer, your badger skins, or your sewing machine for this. Because Christ came into the world, we have boldness and confident access to enter into the presence of God, and to welcome Him into our lives — not by our own works, as if we had the skills or talents or intrinsic goodness to make it possible — but simply because we’ve been forgiven, and we are acceptable, thanks to the work of Christ on the cross.
I asked the question, I suppose of myself and the Lord: What does it look like to build a space for the Lord? And time was my thought before any other. One of the most significant spaces you can build for just about anyone is a space of time in your life. You can write a cheque, you can do some good deed, but there is nothing like giving people time. At 15 months old, I can already see that my son would rather have my time — me playing with him or reading to him — than new toys.
We can build a space of time for the Lord in our days, where we read His word and seek His face. We can build a space for the Lord in our words — seizing opportunities for Him to speak to others through our mouths. We can build space for Him in our families, when we take the time to teach our children His ways, and when we pray and worship Him together.
In the goodness of God, He saw it fit to give us life — and we have the awesome privilege of opening up our lives to Him, and allowing Him into every space and sphere: our words and deeds, our work and relationships, our minds and hearts…the list goes on and on. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the Tabernacle that is your life, each day, and to open it up for the Lord to fill it will His presence. Take a moment to consider a new space He could fill — and then enjoy the privilege of inviting Him in and watch how He inhabits your life in a new way. Expect it to be glorious! Christ in you is the hope of glory!
Nov 7, 2009 | South Africa, Stories
After moving into our new place, we had a couple of minor issues that needed the attention of an electrician and a handyman. Fortunately, our letting agency sent over a nice gentleman who is both. He sorted out a broken light socket in the kitchen, and the next week was sent over again to work on the issue that the doors onto our balcony might be blown in at any moment. The southeaster, she was a blowin’.
We discovered in conversation that this gentleman is not just a handyman of note, he is also a Christian. On top of that lovely discovery, he shared about the way the Lord radically changed his life when he repented and came to faith, and his excellent story includes starting a church in a township nearby. Bonus! He was planning to visit the church in the township the following Sunday and we asked if we could come along. Or we may have been invited, I can’t remember.
At any rate.
Photo by Randy OHC @ flickr
We thought we might be able to organise a shoe distribution with the help of this church, perhaps in the not-too-distant future. And hey, we’re looking for a church to call home, why not explore all the possibilities? This was obviously the beginning of a bit of adventure for a small town gal from Washington, North Carolina.
I am not sure I can accurately describe my experience of briefly passing through the township to attend church there. It is like life is just unceasingly happening — you never know what you’re going to see next, and you might be surprised to find that the people who live there are just surprised as you. As Mr. Potato Head grumbled along through the dusty streets, we saw sights we expected: Mamas with their babies strapped to their backs with bath towels or blankets, people carrying heavy things on their heads, lots of children everywhere. We also saw the unexpected: seven or eight men had picked an entire shack up over their heads, and were moving it casually down a hill to whoknowswhere. Things were so crowded I wondered where they would find a place to set it down. I also wondered if this was an everyday occurrence, but when I saw other people watching and pointing with bewildered laughs and stares, I decided I was fortunate enough to witness something very special. People were dressed up for church and heading in the opposite direction so I wondered if we’d chosen the right church to visit! We kept following our handyman friend in the bakkie (truck) in front of us.
A few moments later, we found ourselves inside a small church building, cinder block, tin roof and plastic chairs. Most of the men sat on one side and women on the other, but we’d already been seated before we noticed. (Not that we would’ve moved.) The pastor was still sharing the Sunday School Teaching, about fasting, and in my ignorance for a moment I marveled at the encouragement that people who might not have a lot to eat should fast. We’d sat near the back where there were plenty of chairs, and we took up lots of space, four adults and the Bear. As the church filled up and filled up we gradually scooted together and were cozy and hot by the end of our time there.
The very enthusiastic worship was in a language I didn’t know. Most of the congregation are immigrants from Zimbabwe, so we’ve concluded it may have been Shona. (Unfortunately I didn’t have the words on a screen to try my best with this time!) These folks moved to South Africa in hopes of opportunities for a better life. I don’t know whether they feel like they’ve found what they’re looking for. They faced severe brutality recently during the xenophobia attacks that swept across SA. Our handyman friend provided refuge for dozens of people — they slept in his home and shed and garage during the crisis. Many of them now no longer stay in this township, since they left when things were dangerous, but they return for church week after week.
The enthusiasm the people showed for the things of God was inspiring. Sometimes people have different ways of doing things and it is hard for an outsider to look on without being critical. Pledges for the building fund were being shouted out, and people were clapping for those making their pledges. I found myself walking the tightrope of trying to stay above being critical during this bit…but I remembered some lessons from my international studies classes, and the conclusion I often came to, that it is really difficult for anyone who is not a part of a culture to accurately perceive it, because we are all wearing our own cultural lenses. And I suppose when churches back in the States have building fundraisers, those who give a lot often receive praise in one way or another.
The church had had an all-night prayer meeting the night before, and had gone home for an hour or two of sleep, to get something to eat, and then return for Sunday school. I wasn’t sure I could convince the Bear to behave long enough for us to stay through the service…and I admired the stamina of these folks, who didn’t look at all tired to me as they danced and sang and worshiped the Lord. I think I could learn a lot if I stuck around for a while.
Our handyman friend encouraged us to head out after we’d shared about our work with Samaritan’s Feet and Mark brought a word of encouragement to the church. I stood on stage beside him with the Bear and was embarrassed at how wiggly and wild he was being. If your kid’s used to a schedule… As we stood outside and said a few goodbyes before following our handyman friend out, one little girl came over for a hug. I picked her up and gave her a hug and a kiss, and my heart just pined with compassion that I am not sure how to channel.
As I reflect on the time I’ve spent with ‘the poor,’ in Zambia, in Mexico, and here in South Africa, I am constantly amazed at the joy and contentedness I see in so many faces. Obviously I am not speaking about those in abject poverty, or trying to ‘romanticise’ it — but those living in ways that ‘Westerners’ might consider ‘poor’ often have a remarkable joy. Perhaps it is because a lot of the ‘poor’ I’ve spent time with are Christians. It challenged me to remember something I heard recently: if you have more than 5 shirts in your closet, you are probably better off than 90% of the world’s population. (I can’t confirm this and am not sure I’m remembering it correctly!) But the point is — if you have clothes to wear, food to eat, and a place to live, you have a lot to be thankful for.
We drove out of the township and got some lunch at a nearby shopping mall, which kind of made my head spin. From poverty to wealth in 3 miles flat. There is so much more to say, that is difficult to put into words. Mother Teresa once said,
“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.â€
The opportunities to do small things with great love are where I am, and where you are. Even if it’s just for one person, I look forward to making a difference.
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