I haven’t written anything in this series for awhile because it has been rather chilly out. So Ole Blue has been sitting alone in the garage waiting for warmer weather. What I am amazed to find is how much I find myself missing my husband during this cold. Oh, he’s still around, but that part of him I only see when we are out riding is in winter hibernation too.
I was thinking this morning how much I would love to go out with him, but then the wind howled and I remembered how much I hate being cold. Ty knows this so he’s acted like he is content to wait it out but I know it is only for my sake. One of the main reasons we haven’t gone out in this weather is largely because I am not properly outfitted and the budget has not allowed us to get me all the gear I need.
Ty did buy me a set of leather chaps, which for those of you who don’t ride is not just a fashion statement but a necessity for blocking the wind. It is a start but there are still some things, like gloves and a good jacket, which I need. And Ty is unwilling to subject his delicate little wife to such hardships.
For the first time, this morning I realized something. There are points in our walk with God when it seems like you never get to do any of the fun stuff, like you are stuck at home and you aren’t going anywhere soon. You know that he is still there, waiting to take you out on that next great adventure, but that’s all you seem to be doing – waiting. It is like God is in hibernation and you can’t wake him up. You miss him, and no matter how often you assure yourself that he hasn’t left you, that the adventures of last summer really did happen and will happen again, you know you are missing out now.
It got me to thinking that maybe the reason is he loves us. He knows that we aren’t outfitted to endure the hardship that we would have to face if we struck out now. Maybe he is waiting until we have our gloves and jacket. Maybe he is adding piece by piece the protective gear we need so that we can go where he wants to take us next. Maybe he is just as anxious to begin as we are, but he wants to protect us until we are ready and the weather is right.
Ty wants all our trips together to be an experience, a chance for us to really enjoy the journey together, and I think that my husband doesn’t want one miserable ride to influence the way I view this special time together. So he waits for the time to be right, for the conditions to be suitable. He’s never left me behind to go and enjoy the adventure alone. He stays and he waits when I know he would rather be riding. And I have told him to go and enjoy, I will be here when he gets back, but he just smiles and finds something to do around the house. Some quiet domestic duty that he handles so well, but seems odd for my biker husband to be at peace with.
Somehow, I get the impression God’s a lot like that. Piddling around the house, waiting, not wanting to spoil our experience by taking us out before we are ready. Yes, he could go out and we would be here when he got back, but he’d rather have us with him. So this mighty creator of the universe waits, working on our spiritual plumbing, replacing our hinges, and changing our spiritual oil. Out of place and oh so domestic for one so great but this is what love does to us. It doesn’t negate who we are, but it sometimes requires that we slow down so the ones we love can catch up and be truly ready to join us.
So I am praying for a warm and sunny day when Ty doesn’t have to work, and a chance to take the tags off those new chaps. It will be fun to have my husband back again, and in the mean time, I'm learning to appreciate having him piddling around the house. He’s taking care of what needs attention now. I am sure God is too.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wherein God Speaks, and Emily Gets a Clue
Many of my friends have noted that I rarely get mad. There is very little that sets me off anymore, at least on a personal level. Now, this has sometimes been seen as a bit of a flaw in me, and perhaps out of balance it is, but I remember the time when my temper ruled my world. It was so much easier to get caught up in the mayhem of emotions run amok than to deal with the cause of the emotion. Now, I didn’t just stop losing my temper because I woke up one morning and decided to be a kinder and gentler Emily. I stopped losing my temper when I learned how to be kinder and gentler to Emily.
I realized that nothing makes me angrier than failing, and so much of my life I have failed to have the appropriate emotional response to any given situation. I am the type of person who finds Christmas arduous, funerals amusing, comedic movies depressing, and dry theological tomes thrilling. None of these meet the criteria for the proper emotional response in any social circle I have inhabited. So it seemed that everything I ran up against rubbed me the wrong way, exposing my failures to the world, and the best cover for this – anger. No one questions the emotions of an angry person.
I never really set out to stop losing my temper. I considered it my divine right to spew my venom at anyone who failed to meet my standards, and my standards are just one degree removed from perfection. And can you guess who the biggest offender was?
Yep, that would be me. So I went around, mad at the world and my loved ones for failing to be who or what I thought they needed to be. All the while, I am failing miserable to be who and what I thought I needed to be, leaving me angry with me and with so much more anger to share. There was enough of this toxic emotion to power the entire east coast, but I was the one being zapped.
One day as I was driving home from work, I had a thought that must have been sponsored by God. (I just have this image of him saying, “I want to buy a thirty second spot to run a special commercial in her brain.”) I know it had to be him, because I am not this smart. The thought was, “Your response should be counter-intuitive.”
Occasionally, a cryptic remark like that makes more sense to me than the most detailed diagram but this was not one of those times. So I paused for a moment to ponder what this could possibly mean. The person sitting behind me at the light did not properly appreciate this revelatory moment, I could tell once I became aware of the honking horn and some rather expressive hand gestures. I can be perceptive like that. Fortunately, I was too intrigued by what was going on in my head to care or I might have been angry.
What?, I thought with incredulous eloquence. My response to any give situation is an emotional reflex, how in the world can I make them counter intuitive? Almost immediately, the next God thought followed, “A response is not the same as a reaction.”
Now wait a minute, I thought, how could they be different? Can you distinguish one from another? I waited, but it seemed like I was on my own this time. Here’s what I came up with, a reaction is the first emotional rush brought on by any given event. It is the emotional equivalent of hitting your knee with a hammer, your knee jumps and it is neither good nor bad. It just is, accept it as part of a working design.
A response is what I give when I have put thought into how I will behave towards any given situation, and once I think about how to behave I am responsible for my actions, because it is no longer a reaction. And this means any thought, even as minute as “I am going to kill them.” I am making a conscious choice in how I am conducting myself, and that puts me in charge, not some pre-wired survival mechanism. First, I realized that this a pretty weighty responsibility, but then I realized something fabulous.
I am not responsible for my reaction. I don’t have to beat myself up any more for not having the right emotional reaction to life. I can react any way my little erratic mind reacts and it’s okay. I wasn’t a failure. I was operating as God intended me to operate, as a person who tends to be a little on the passionate side with a warped sense of humor. And I am good with that.
All of a sudden my job shifted, I could stop wasting time trying to undo my emotional reflexes and work on the stuff I really could control. I am a great thinker, and I love to do it! How awesome is it that God had already given me the tools to fix my problem! As I learned to temper my responses, I found that my reactions became calmer, more subdued, and I could offer an honest response more in keeping with the heart of my Father. When I learned to cooperate with the creation he had made in me, and stopped fighting it, I was able to live at a greater level of freedom and effectiveness than I had ever known.
I realized that nothing makes me angrier than failing, and so much of my life I have failed to have the appropriate emotional response to any given situation. I am the type of person who finds Christmas arduous, funerals amusing, comedic movies depressing, and dry theological tomes thrilling. None of these meet the criteria for the proper emotional response in any social circle I have inhabited. So it seemed that everything I ran up against rubbed me the wrong way, exposing my failures to the world, and the best cover for this – anger. No one questions the emotions of an angry person.
I never really set out to stop losing my temper. I considered it my divine right to spew my venom at anyone who failed to meet my standards, and my standards are just one degree removed from perfection. And can you guess who the biggest offender was?
Yep, that would be me. So I went around, mad at the world and my loved ones for failing to be who or what I thought they needed to be. All the while, I am failing miserable to be who and what I thought I needed to be, leaving me angry with me and with so much more anger to share. There was enough of this toxic emotion to power the entire east coast, but I was the one being zapped.
One day as I was driving home from work, I had a thought that must have been sponsored by God. (I just have this image of him saying, “I want to buy a thirty second spot to run a special commercial in her brain.”) I know it had to be him, because I am not this smart. The thought was, “Your response should be counter-intuitive.”
Occasionally, a cryptic remark like that makes more sense to me than the most detailed diagram but this was not one of those times. So I paused for a moment to ponder what this could possibly mean. The person sitting behind me at the light did not properly appreciate this revelatory moment, I could tell once I became aware of the honking horn and some rather expressive hand gestures. I can be perceptive like that. Fortunately, I was too intrigued by what was going on in my head to care or I might have been angry.
What?, I thought with incredulous eloquence. My response to any give situation is an emotional reflex, how in the world can I make them counter intuitive? Almost immediately, the next God thought followed, “A response is not the same as a reaction.”
Now wait a minute, I thought, how could they be different? Can you distinguish one from another? I waited, but it seemed like I was on my own this time. Here’s what I came up with, a reaction is the first emotional rush brought on by any given event. It is the emotional equivalent of hitting your knee with a hammer, your knee jumps and it is neither good nor bad. It just is, accept it as part of a working design.
A response is what I give when I have put thought into how I will behave towards any given situation, and once I think about how to behave I am responsible for my actions, because it is no longer a reaction. And this means any thought, even as minute as “I am going to kill them.” I am making a conscious choice in how I am conducting myself, and that puts me in charge, not some pre-wired survival mechanism. First, I realized that this a pretty weighty responsibility, but then I realized something fabulous.
I am not responsible for my reaction. I don’t have to beat myself up any more for not having the right emotional reaction to life. I can react any way my little erratic mind reacts and it’s okay. I wasn’t a failure. I was operating as God intended me to operate, as a person who tends to be a little on the passionate side with a warped sense of humor. And I am good with that.
All of a sudden my job shifted, I could stop wasting time trying to undo my emotional reflexes and work on the stuff I really could control. I am a great thinker, and I love to do it! How awesome is it that God had already given me the tools to fix my problem! As I learned to temper my responses, I found that my reactions became calmer, more subdued, and I could offer an honest response more in keeping with the heart of my Father. When I learned to cooperate with the creation he had made in me, and stopped fighting it, I was able to live at a greater level of freedom and effectiveness than I had ever known.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Temptation of Christ
I've been pondering the temptation of Christ over the last couple of weeks. It has been the sermon topic at the church my wife and I have been attending. As we have been going through this story, it never ceases to amaze me all of the things that are held in such a small place on the page. The event is recorded in the fourth chapter of Matthew taking up all of eleven verses. It's a strange passage in which we see an exchange between our Lord, and Satan. Making his appeal to Jesus to ignore the will of the Father and indulge himself, Satan tempts Jesus with incomplete ideas. Let's take a look.
The scene begins forty days after Jesus' baptism. Many scholars have speculated on what happened during this time in the desert, but that is not what we are doing today. As we look at this story I think an important thing to keep in mind is, what we have recorded in the Bible is more than likely a condensed account of a much more lengthy exchange. Since we don't have the full account, we will work with what we have and hope the Lord will guide our imaginations to fill out the picture in a way that leads us to learn some of the truth He would have us learn from it. I say some of, because so much is held here that there is no way we could exhaust this passage in a single post.
The main points I want to ponder today are Satan's reason for believing in success, and the reason that we cannot live our lives existing on sound bytes.
We have to understand when we look at the text that this is not a Sunday morning drama team exchange of words. This is not the interlude between the music and the sermon. Jesus has been in the desert for forty days and nights. If you ever want a good description of what forty days without food in the desert will do to a person, please read "The Lonesome Gods" by Louis L'Amour. We often begin looking at this passage with the idea that this was done solely as an example for us to follow, that Jesus had to be tempted to prove he can identify with us. This is the same as children singing choral arrangements of folk songs saying they understand what it was like being a Union Pacific railroad working in the 1800's. Jesus did not just appear to be tempted in a dramatic scene to condescendingly show us how easy it should be to resist the devil.
So why, you ask, did Satan think that he might have succeeded in this venture? Often times when we think of Jesus we forget about his humanity. Jesus was fully God, that part I think is easy for a lot of believers, but he was also fully human. The very fact that Satan even attempts to cause Jesus to sin should be a reminder of his humanity. While pondering this idea I had the question come to mind: "If Jesus was born without sin, how could Satan tempt him into sin?" The short answer is because he has led sinless people astray before. If we remember in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve created by God without sin. I believe that this is part of where Satan's confidence comes from. He has appealed to and seduced a sinless humanity in the past, why not think that he can do it again. The fact that Jesus does not give in, is proof of his divinity. Here in eleven short verses, we are given a small glimpse of one of the greatest mysteries of God. The God made flesh, still fully God, powerful beyond measure, while subjected to frailties, and still humbly obedient to the will of the Father.
Now if look at the tactic used here, Satan appeals to the most basic of issues facing Jesus: hunger. There is a great amount of work done on how this parallels the nation of Israel walking in the desert and being delivered by God from hunger. In fact, Jesus even references the story of Deuteronomy chapter eight. What we need to understand is that Jesus is using a referencing tool that many Jewish teachers would have used. He quotes a short section of a larger passage to tell a great story of God's provision using very few words. In short he is telling Satan, and possibly reminding himself, that when God leads us into the desert, He will provide. Jesus is not letting how he feels interfere with what he knows about God's character.
When the base elements of humanity fail to ensnare Jesus, Satan tries a different approach. He quotes a few scriptures back to Jesus. He starts again by appealing to Jesus identity, and moving on to telling Jesus things he should be entitled to, offering Jesus what would seem to be a short path to glory. I think it's important to note the major differences in the way that Jesus and Satan approach the scripture. Jesus uses it as a revelation of God's love and character. Satan attempt to wield it like a lawyer pleading a case for Jesus against God.
When Satan begins using scripture to help justify actions, he begins by stating that which seems most appealing and stopping just short of the whole truth. He tells that if we behave a certain way then God is by law bound to grant us something. Imposing God's promises as a fine, God must pay for our yielding to His desires for us. For example in the Garden of Eden, Satan tells Eve that if they eat of the fruit they will be "like God knowing good and evil." This is only half of the truth. Yes, we did learn good and evil, but we were still condemned to death. Satan attacks us by limiting and distorting our imagination. Encouraging us to focus on the thing that seems most urgent, and forgetting that God is faithful. He presents something that seems simple, the thing we can provide ourselves without God's help, and uses scriptures to justify it. This is where we have to remember that God is greater than our basic ideas of how life can be.
We should always take into account all of God's promises, not just the parts that seem most appealing to us. Paul in the book of Romans says that we must note both the kindness and the severity of God. If we allow Satan to stop us with only the parts of God's word that will appeal to and appease us for a short time then we are easily trapped by our perception of what we think we need, our belief that we deserve to be treated better, and a desire to abuse God's word for personal gain. We should always keep in mind that God desires to make us Holy, through this process we can find our fulfillment in Him. Only then will we find true joy. One of the largest dangers of Satan's temptation, is his ability to stop us from waiting on the Lord.
I say all of that to say this: When we look to apply scripture to the situations we face in life, we need to keep in mind the fullness of the stories God has presented us. We need to keep in mind that the condensed sayings, or smaller pieces of the Bible that we call up quickly from memory, should always remind us of the fuller context. We should always be reminding ourselves the ways God has proven his love, and that He is faithful to do it again.
When he leads us into the wilderness, He will provide. Just look at what Jesus was talking about when he was dealing with the devil.
Deuteronomy 8:1-20 (It’s beautiful.)
The scene begins forty days after Jesus' baptism. Many scholars have speculated on what happened during this time in the desert, but that is not what we are doing today. As we look at this story I think an important thing to keep in mind is, what we have recorded in the Bible is more than likely a condensed account of a much more lengthy exchange. Since we don't have the full account, we will work with what we have and hope the Lord will guide our imaginations to fill out the picture in a way that leads us to learn some of the truth He would have us learn from it. I say some of, because so much is held here that there is no way we could exhaust this passage in a single post.
The main points I want to ponder today are Satan's reason for believing in success, and the reason that we cannot live our lives existing on sound bytes.
We have to understand when we look at the text that this is not a Sunday morning drama team exchange of words. This is not the interlude between the music and the sermon. Jesus has been in the desert for forty days and nights. If you ever want a good description of what forty days without food in the desert will do to a person, please read "The Lonesome Gods" by Louis L'Amour. We often begin looking at this passage with the idea that this was done solely as an example for us to follow, that Jesus had to be tempted to prove he can identify with us. This is the same as children singing choral arrangements of folk songs saying they understand what it was like being a Union Pacific railroad working in the 1800's. Jesus did not just appear to be tempted in a dramatic scene to condescendingly show us how easy it should be to resist the devil.
So why, you ask, did Satan think that he might have succeeded in this venture? Often times when we think of Jesus we forget about his humanity. Jesus was fully God, that part I think is easy for a lot of believers, but he was also fully human. The very fact that Satan even attempts to cause Jesus to sin should be a reminder of his humanity. While pondering this idea I had the question come to mind: "If Jesus was born without sin, how could Satan tempt him into sin?" The short answer is because he has led sinless people astray before. If we remember in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve created by God without sin. I believe that this is part of where Satan's confidence comes from. He has appealed to and seduced a sinless humanity in the past, why not think that he can do it again. The fact that Jesus does not give in, is proof of his divinity. Here in eleven short verses, we are given a small glimpse of one of the greatest mysteries of God. The God made flesh, still fully God, powerful beyond measure, while subjected to frailties, and still humbly obedient to the will of the Father.
Now if look at the tactic used here, Satan appeals to the most basic of issues facing Jesus: hunger. There is a great amount of work done on how this parallels the nation of Israel walking in the desert and being delivered by God from hunger. In fact, Jesus even references the story of Deuteronomy chapter eight. What we need to understand is that Jesus is using a referencing tool that many Jewish teachers would have used. He quotes a short section of a larger passage to tell a great story of God's provision using very few words. In short he is telling Satan, and possibly reminding himself, that when God leads us into the desert, He will provide. Jesus is not letting how he feels interfere with what he knows about God's character.
When the base elements of humanity fail to ensnare Jesus, Satan tries a different approach. He quotes a few scriptures back to Jesus. He starts again by appealing to Jesus identity, and moving on to telling Jesus things he should be entitled to, offering Jesus what would seem to be a short path to glory. I think it's important to note the major differences in the way that Jesus and Satan approach the scripture. Jesus uses it as a revelation of God's love and character. Satan attempt to wield it like a lawyer pleading a case for Jesus against God.
When Satan begins using scripture to help justify actions, he begins by stating that which seems most appealing and stopping just short of the whole truth. He tells that if we behave a certain way then God is by law bound to grant us something. Imposing God's promises as a fine, God must pay for our yielding to His desires for us. For example in the Garden of Eden, Satan tells Eve that if they eat of the fruit they will be "like God knowing good and evil." This is only half of the truth. Yes, we did learn good and evil, but we were still condemned to death. Satan attacks us by limiting and distorting our imagination. Encouraging us to focus on the thing that seems most urgent, and forgetting that God is faithful. He presents something that seems simple, the thing we can provide ourselves without God's help, and uses scriptures to justify it. This is where we have to remember that God is greater than our basic ideas of how life can be.
We should always take into account all of God's promises, not just the parts that seem most appealing to us. Paul in the book of Romans says that we must note both the kindness and the severity of God. If we allow Satan to stop us with only the parts of God's word that will appeal to and appease us for a short time then we are easily trapped by our perception of what we think we need, our belief that we deserve to be treated better, and a desire to abuse God's word for personal gain. We should always keep in mind that God desires to make us Holy, through this process we can find our fulfillment in Him. Only then will we find true joy. One of the largest dangers of Satan's temptation, is his ability to stop us from waiting on the Lord.
I say all of that to say this: When we look to apply scripture to the situations we face in life, we need to keep in mind the fullness of the stories God has presented us. We need to keep in mind that the condensed sayings, or smaller pieces of the Bible that we call up quickly from memory, should always remind us of the fuller context. We should always be reminding ourselves the ways God has proven his love, and that He is faithful to do it again.
When he leads us into the wilderness, He will provide. Just look at what Jesus was talking about when he was dealing with the devil.
Deuteronomy 8:1-20 (It’s beautiful.)
Friday, January 21, 2011
House Keeping - New Posting Schedule
Until recently, I simply posted as I wrote, or scheduled the posts to appear approximately every three days. However, one of my good friends has stepped up to edit my ramblings. Thank God!
And as usual, she has suggested a really great idea. Now, the Pagus blog posts will appear every Wednesday and Friday at noon. This should make it easy for everyone to keep up with what is going on.
Thank you to everyone who takes time to read what we have shared. I hope that it is encouraging, edifying, and maybe even a little inspiring. And as always, please leave us a comment! We love the feed back, and if I can be a little selfish, it is an encouragement to us. Help spread the word by becoming a follower and sharing on Facebook.
Thank you so much!
Emily
***Actually, we're going to post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as of next week. It's my fault Em got confused but it's all worked out now. ~Katrina
And as usual, she has suggested a really great idea. Now, the Pagus blog posts will appear every Wednesday and Friday at noon. This should make it easy for everyone to keep up with what is going on.
Thank you to everyone who takes time to read what we have shared. I hope that it is encouraging, edifying, and maybe even a little inspiring. And as always, please leave us a comment! We love the feed back, and if I can be a little selfish, it is an encouragement to us. Help spread the word by becoming a follower and sharing on Facebook.
Thank you so much!
Emily
***Actually, we're going to post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as of next week. It's my fault Em got confused but it's all worked out now. ~Katrina
Speaking Their Language
Okay so Christmas has past, but there is this thing that keeps running through my head. It is one of the absolute coolest parts of the Christmas story, apart from God being born as a baby. Nothing trumps that, but this is pretty amazing, too.
I think I like it because I love the Bible stories about the outsiders, the people who didn’t quite belong or fit, but were included anyway. The Bible is full of them. I guess I really don’t see it as that big of a deal when someone who knows the rules does the right thing, but when someone who has never been taught is just so overcome by the splendor and holiness of our God that they instinctively do the right thing, it just blows me away. It reminds me of how far God is willing to go to reach all who have a heart to respond.
Maybe this is why my favorite people on the scene, (although technically, they arrived way past fashionably late, make that two to three years late), were the Magi. The Bible doesn’t have a whole lot to tell us about who they were, what their background and history was, and so we have built up a lot of myths and legends about their journey. We have given them names, that may or may not have been theirs, we have given them different and distinct ethnicities so they can serve as representatives for the rest of the world. (Read that Gentiles).
But as usual, the truth is so much stranger than fiction. Magi was the official title of the priests of a Babylonian god named Mithras. In their official capacity they observed the stars, foretelling the future, searching for omens, and looking for signs. Stars were the writings of the gods, revealing to man all that the gods desired for him to know, and it was a language they knew well.
Here’s the first thing that amazes me, God got their attention and he did it using their language, their area of expertise. He did not require that they learn some new culture or code of conduct before he would deign to speak to them. It’s as if he said, “Okay, you can read the stars. Allow me to write it in the medium you know.”
It makes me wonder how many times we Christians like to complicate the message for those foreign to our ways. Why does it seem so hard for us to follow God’s example and speak the language of the people we are trying to communicate with? It’s time that we recognize that God desires to reach all humanity, not just the ones who talk, look, and act like us. We need to take the time to learn how to speak their language and quit expecting them to learn ours.
The second thing that amazes me is that God accepted their gifts, even honoring them by mentioning them by name in his Word. Now, there has been a lot written about the nature of these gifts, how they were used by kings and in anointing royal bodies, but the Bible never clarifies why these particular gifts were given and most of our Christian writings are just speculation. Maybe it is our attempt to Christianize these heathen priests.
I think it honors them far more to understand the gifts in light of the Magi’s culture. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were gifts reserved for their god. It was the way they understood how to honor a deity, and just as God spoke their language to communicate with them, they now speak their language to communicate with him.
And it’s okay. It’s what they have to give to him, the highest honor they can bestow, and God says it’s enough.
Perhaps as Christians we need to value the language of foreign people a little more. Perhaps we need to be more sensitive when someone from outside our culture responds to God, and be less judgmental when it fails to meet what we deem to be correct. Maybe we need to stop placing our interpretations on their actions and let them speak for themselves. God was okay with the sincere gift of foreign men, and I can’t help but feel he has the same response to all who seek him with sincerity.
Perhaps it is time we took the value off the form and placed it on the intent of the heart, and let God decide whether it is a good and acceptable gift.
I think I like it because I love the Bible stories about the outsiders, the people who didn’t quite belong or fit, but were included anyway. The Bible is full of them. I guess I really don’t see it as that big of a deal when someone who knows the rules does the right thing, but when someone who has never been taught is just so overcome by the splendor and holiness of our God that they instinctively do the right thing, it just blows me away. It reminds me of how far God is willing to go to reach all who have a heart to respond.
Maybe this is why my favorite people on the scene, (although technically, they arrived way past fashionably late, make that two to three years late), were the Magi. The Bible doesn’t have a whole lot to tell us about who they were, what their background and history was, and so we have built up a lot of myths and legends about their journey. We have given them names, that may or may not have been theirs, we have given them different and distinct ethnicities so they can serve as representatives for the rest of the world. (Read that Gentiles).
But as usual, the truth is so much stranger than fiction. Magi was the official title of the priests of a Babylonian god named Mithras. In their official capacity they observed the stars, foretelling the future, searching for omens, and looking for signs. Stars were the writings of the gods, revealing to man all that the gods desired for him to know, and it was a language they knew well.
Here’s the first thing that amazes me, God got their attention and he did it using their language, their area of expertise. He did not require that they learn some new culture or code of conduct before he would deign to speak to them. It’s as if he said, “Okay, you can read the stars. Allow me to write it in the medium you know.”
It makes me wonder how many times we Christians like to complicate the message for those foreign to our ways. Why does it seem so hard for us to follow God’s example and speak the language of the people we are trying to communicate with? It’s time that we recognize that God desires to reach all humanity, not just the ones who talk, look, and act like us. We need to take the time to learn how to speak their language and quit expecting them to learn ours.
The second thing that amazes me is that God accepted their gifts, even honoring them by mentioning them by name in his Word. Now, there has been a lot written about the nature of these gifts, how they were used by kings and in anointing royal bodies, but the Bible never clarifies why these particular gifts were given and most of our Christian writings are just speculation. Maybe it is our attempt to Christianize these heathen priests.
I think it honors them far more to understand the gifts in light of the Magi’s culture. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were gifts reserved for their god. It was the way they understood how to honor a deity, and just as God spoke their language to communicate with them, they now speak their language to communicate with him.
And it’s okay. It’s what they have to give to him, the highest honor they can bestow, and God says it’s enough.
Perhaps as Christians we need to value the language of foreign people a little more. Perhaps we need to be more sensitive when someone from outside our culture responds to God, and be less judgmental when it fails to meet what we deem to be correct. Maybe we need to stop placing our interpretations on their actions and let them speak for themselves. God was okay with the sincere gift of foreign men, and I can’t help but feel he has the same response to all who seek him with sincerity.
Perhaps it is time we took the value off the form and placed it on the intent of the heart, and let God decide whether it is a good and acceptable gift.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Just One of Those Days
Well, it has been one of those mornings. The kids have decided their teacher is a cruel taskmaster doling out far too many assignments and not enough grace. And since yelling at the teacher is forbidden, yelling at each other will have to do. Lydia called Lauren a name that I can’t record here. Lauren screamed at Lydia for not doing something right, in all honesty I am not for sure what it is because my ears don’t register screams or whining. It’s a survival skill I picked up years ago and one that drives my girls insane.
I wish I could say that all the drama is pointless and squash it dead in its tracks, but since I haven’t figured out a way to stop it, I look for ways to redeem it. I have learned that when I look at my girls I can see myself, and each day they show me something new in them, I find that that same quality is within me. They just have the guts to let it out.
I realized this morning, as they yelled at each other from across the house, that I am like that. They really aren’t mad at each other, and would probably find a way to entertain themselves, if I had not dared to interfere in their lives. You see, they are really mad at me. Ultimately, at least in this small sphere, I set the terms, control the circumstance, and I have the authority to compel the other one into submission. And since life is being so devastatingly unfair and they cannot persuade me to make it otherwise, they have to spew at something and who better than a sibling?
I wonder if God ever has the urge to lock himself in the bedroom and sneak a cigarette when I behave this way? You know, the days when I could entertain myself just fine but he chooses to make other plans on my behalf, or more specifically, he has something to teach me. The days when I know he is just not being fair and I truly believe my life would be just great if he would make that other person behave.
Because I know that even though my children can throw a fit, my fits are far more dramatic and possess a distinctive flair that they have yet to develop. I have far more ammunition – I mean justification, for seeing myself as the victim. After all, I have been put upon, oppressed, mistreated, and abused. I have witnessed a world full of evil and I know that it is out to get me. I have to stand up for myself, demand that my rights be observed, and fight to make my voice heard. My hurts, my needs, my disappointments, and frustrations need to be vindicated. Evil must be punished, and I . . . uh, I mean, good must prevail.
Wow, that felt good. Too bad it’s all a load of garbage.
The hard truth is I have no rights. Not at the deepest level. No one owes me anything, least of all God. Every bit of goodness, peace, and joy I experience comes as a gracious gift from his love for me. I can’t earn a gift, and I can’t perform well enough to merit his love. It is something I accept with joy and hopefully, at least sometimes, with the proper humility. Any importance or significance I have is found in the fact that he created me in his image and he loves me.
But sometimes, I forget. I look around and the world is not as I would have it and I grow impatient. I see people screwing it up, making mistakes from ignorance or laziness. I can never do what I want to do when I want to do it because there is always someone there making demands, wanting my attention or my time. I get frustrated and I want to scream at them to all go away, leave me alone so that I can just love my God and put on my pretty Christian face. It’s their fault I get ugly. It’s their fault I lose my temper and have to yell, stomp my feet, and make a spectacle of myself.
But deep down in my heart, I know they aren’t the ones I am mad at. They are just people, in the same boat I am in. They don’t control their fate any more than I control mine. We all have to deal with the fact that other people have their own agendas, get in our way, and just generally annoy us. But we all know there is another one who is in control who can change the circumstance, fix the terms, and has the authority to compel everyone into submission. He’s the one I am really mad at, because after all he needs to make things work out for me. And though I may be yelling at the rest of the world, I am also yelling loud enough so I know he will hear.
Thankfully, I now know the other side of that equation. I know he doesn’t take away all the obstacles because he is teaching me something that I will one day appreciate. I know he lets the other person get in my way because he loves them as much as he loves me. He doesn’t always bust my butt when I deserve it, and his ears will hear me again when I can learn to stop screaming. And sometimes, us kids just need to work it out amongst ourselves. He loves me enough to do all this for us simply because we are his children.
I wish I could say that all the drama is pointless and squash it dead in its tracks, but since I haven’t figured out a way to stop it, I look for ways to redeem it. I have learned that when I look at my girls I can see myself, and each day they show me something new in them, I find that that same quality is within me. They just have the guts to let it out.
I realized this morning, as they yelled at each other from across the house, that I am like that. They really aren’t mad at each other, and would probably find a way to entertain themselves, if I had not dared to interfere in their lives. You see, they are really mad at me. Ultimately, at least in this small sphere, I set the terms, control the circumstance, and I have the authority to compel the other one into submission. And since life is being so devastatingly unfair and they cannot persuade me to make it otherwise, they have to spew at something and who better than a sibling?
I wonder if God ever has the urge to lock himself in the bedroom and sneak a cigarette when I behave this way? You know, the days when I could entertain myself just fine but he chooses to make other plans on my behalf, or more specifically, he has something to teach me. The days when I know he is just not being fair and I truly believe my life would be just great if he would make that other person behave.
Because I know that even though my children can throw a fit, my fits are far more dramatic and possess a distinctive flair that they have yet to develop. I have far more ammunition – I mean justification, for seeing myself as the victim. After all, I have been put upon, oppressed, mistreated, and abused. I have witnessed a world full of evil and I know that it is out to get me. I have to stand up for myself, demand that my rights be observed, and fight to make my voice heard. My hurts, my needs, my disappointments, and frustrations need to be vindicated. Evil must be punished, and I . . . uh, I mean, good must prevail.
Wow, that felt good. Too bad it’s all a load of garbage.
The hard truth is I have no rights. Not at the deepest level. No one owes me anything, least of all God. Every bit of goodness, peace, and joy I experience comes as a gracious gift from his love for me. I can’t earn a gift, and I can’t perform well enough to merit his love. It is something I accept with joy and hopefully, at least sometimes, with the proper humility. Any importance or significance I have is found in the fact that he created me in his image and he loves me.
But sometimes, I forget. I look around and the world is not as I would have it and I grow impatient. I see people screwing it up, making mistakes from ignorance or laziness. I can never do what I want to do when I want to do it because there is always someone there making demands, wanting my attention or my time. I get frustrated and I want to scream at them to all go away, leave me alone so that I can just love my God and put on my pretty Christian face. It’s their fault I get ugly. It’s their fault I lose my temper and have to yell, stomp my feet, and make a spectacle of myself.
But deep down in my heart, I know they aren’t the ones I am mad at. They are just people, in the same boat I am in. They don’t control their fate any more than I control mine. We all have to deal with the fact that other people have their own agendas, get in our way, and just generally annoy us. But we all know there is another one who is in control who can change the circumstance, fix the terms, and has the authority to compel everyone into submission. He’s the one I am really mad at, because after all he needs to make things work out for me. And though I may be yelling at the rest of the world, I am also yelling loud enough so I know he will hear.
Thankfully, I now know the other side of that equation. I know he doesn’t take away all the obstacles because he is teaching me something that I will one day appreciate. I know he lets the other person get in my way because he loves them as much as he loves me. He doesn’t always bust my butt when I deserve it, and his ears will hear me again when I can learn to stop screaming. And sometimes, us kids just need to work it out amongst ourselves. He loves me enough to do all this for us simply because we are his children.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Dear Jesus, you are cordially invited . . .
I have never been one of those girls who got all mushy over weddings, but there are two weddings that are particularly noteworthy to me: my own and the one at Cana. Call me, if you want to hear more than you could possible want to know or ever will need to know about my and Ty's wedding. As for the wedding in Cana, if you don’t know the story, dig out your Bible and look up John 2:1-12. Go on, we’ll wait, because the rest of this is going to make a lot more sense, if you know the story.
Now, I don’t know how many favorite Bible stories a person is allowed to have, but put this one on my list, too. First of all, it happens at a party. You have to love that, the creator of the universe at a party! That alone gives me hope for a heaven that is way more exciting than any of my Sunday school teachers made it sound. We know that it couldn’t have been too solemn an affair because they drank up all the wine.
This is a major problem, and there are a ton of writings out there about the expected protocols and proper hospitality so I will spare you those details. Let’s just say, this was a major embarrassment to the host, and Mary tries to handle it discreetly by asking Jesus to help. Again, gallons of ink have been spilled over the significance of their conversation, and there are some good things to learn from it but let’s get to the part that makes this so cool for me – the jars.
The host had six stone jars which John explains are for Jewish purification rituals. These things were big, each one holding twenty to thirty gallons. And Jesus has the servants fill them up, to the brim. Now as modern readers, we think no big deal, the guy had stone jars to hold some water, but these jars are important.
A major part of the Jewish religion was purification. We call this washing up. The Torah records the significance of this act, and how God himself commands that his people purify themselves with water before and after certain activities. (See Leviticus and Deuteronomy for more details). We now know that the homes of the wealthy included private mikvahs, or tubs used to wash in, and pools surrounded the Temple so those who were entering could immerse themselves before doing so. Like I said, it was pretty important, but evidently this guy couldn’t afford a mikvah, so he did the best he could. He provided his family and guests with jars of fresh water so they could do what was right and proper before the Lord.
On this auspicious day something amazing happens.
I think we all get that if Jesus had not been there, there would have been no miracle. And Jesus’ very presence tells us something else about the wedding host, he desired to have relationship with Jesus. He wanted Jesus there for this joyful family event. How many times do we take time to consciously invite our Lord to the party? We are pretty good at sending up the bat signal when we are in trouble, but I think that sometimes he would like to have some fun. You know be in a relationship where he wasn’t just being used.
And when this host's desire for relationship collides with the his obedience, he receives a miracle. Because without his obedience, there would have been no stone jars, no place to put the water, and no means for the miracle. Jesus took what this man offered, a willing spirit and an invitation into another’s life and turned it into something amazing.
It was more than just wine. Jesus saved this man from humiliation and disgrace. He to care of the need before the host even realized he had one, and his obedience brought him greater honor than he could provide for himself. And I am learning that with God, our good enough is never enough for him. He always desires to do and give us more than we could imagine possible.
I think it is fitting that Jesus’ first miracle was one of almost whimsy, something that in the light of the rest of his life seems almost inconsequential. But it is such a bold declaration of who he is and what he desires to bring to our lives. He gives them wine, a symbol of God’s presence, his abundant provision, and his desire to bless us with joy through knowing him. In celebrating his nearness this tiny little act becomes so full of promise.
So my prayer for you today is that you honor the Lord with your obedience, you remember to invite him to the party, and when the wine runs out he will be there to bless you with the joy of his presence and provision.
Now, I don’t know how many favorite Bible stories a person is allowed to have, but put this one on my list, too. First of all, it happens at a party. You have to love that, the creator of the universe at a party! That alone gives me hope for a heaven that is way more exciting than any of my Sunday school teachers made it sound. We know that it couldn’t have been too solemn an affair because they drank up all the wine.
This is a major problem, and there are a ton of writings out there about the expected protocols and proper hospitality so I will spare you those details. Let’s just say, this was a major embarrassment to the host, and Mary tries to handle it discreetly by asking Jesus to help. Again, gallons of ink have been spilled over the significance of their conversation, and there are some good things to learn from it but let’s get to the part that makes this so cool for me – the jars.
The host had six stone jars which John explains are for Jewish purification rituals. These things were big, each one holding twenty to thirty gallons. And Jesus has the servants fill them up, to the brim. Now as modern readers, we think no big deal, the guy had stone jars to hold some water, but these jars are important.
A major part of the Jewish religion was purification. We call this washing up. The Torah records the significance of this act, and how God himself commands that his people purify themselves with water before and after certain activities. (See Leviticus and Deuteronomy for more details). We now know that the homes of the wealthy included private mikvahs, or tubs used to wash in, and pools surrounded the Temple so those who were entering could immerse themselves before doing so. Like I said, it was pretty important, but evidently this guy couldn’t afford a mikvah, so he did the best he could. He provided his family and guests with jars of fresh water so they could do what was right and proper before the Lord.
On this auspicious day something amazing happens.
I think we all get that if Jesus had not been there, there would have been no miracle. And Jesus’ very presence tells us something else about the wedding host, he desired to have relationship with Jesus. He wanted Jesus there for this joyful family event. How many times do we take time to consciously invite our Lord to the party? We are pretty good at sending up the bat signal when we are in trouble, but I think that sometimes he would like to have some fun. You know be in a relationship where he wasn’t just being used.
And when this host's desire for relationship collides with the his obedience, he receives a miracle. Because without his obedience, there would have been no stone jars, no place to put the water, and no means for the miracle. Jesus took what this man offered, a willing spirit and an invitation into another’s life and turned it into something amazing.
It was more than just wine. Jesus saved this man from humiliation and disgrace. He to care of the need before the host even realized he had one, and his obedience brought him greater honor than he could provide for himself. And I am learning that with God, our good enough is never enough for him. He always desires to do and give us more than we could imagine possible.
I think it is fitting that Jesus’ first miracle was one of almost whimsy, something that in the light of the rest of his life seems almost inconsequential. But it is such a bold declaration of who he is and what he desires to bring to our lives. He gives them wine, a symbol of God’s presence, his abundant provision, and his desire to bless us with joy through knowing him. In celebrating his nearness this tiny little act becomes so full of promise.
So my prayer for you today is that you honor the Lord with your obedience, you remember to invite him to the party, and when the wine runs out he will be there to bless you with the joy of his presence and provision.
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