As the events of yesterday unfolded with the shooting at the War Memorial, I found myself glued to my computer monitoring 5 news agencies and obsessively refreshing my Twitter page to keep abreast of the situation. I found myself consumed with the details, getting the latest footage, and sharing the updates with a few people with whom I was in contact.
And I prayed. Breathless, Disjointed. Uncertain prayers.
Today, feeling saturated with all of it, I started out today avoiding Twitter and Facebook.
Then I panicked! WHAT IF! What if something happened and I wasn't online to pray about it? What if people I know are in danger and I didn't have any idea? How was God going to know what to do without my prayer..........
In that moment, I was reminded of a lesson I learned a number of years ago while I was overseas. One of my best friends told me that she lost two grandparents within the space of 2 weeks. I was BESIDE myself. I was ready to resign my contract, pack my bags and go home. Though I would lose out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience my sense of responsibility I felt required me to make that sacrifice.
And then there was a moment...
I don't often think that God has spoken directly to me but this time I'm pretty sure if you had been in the room, you would have heard His voice too. It came in the form of a question "Laura, you can't bring them back to life so what are you going to do?" In a moment of clarity, and frustration, I realized this was a convealsrsation that was going to change my life. I responded "no, I can't bring them back, but I can Hug her, minister to her and pray for her. She NEEDS me!"
Oh how wrong I was.
In that gently firm way of God, the response was "really? She NEEDS you?! Don't you trust that I knew this was going to happen? Don't you trust that I knew she would need someone to hug her, and minister to her? I have people in place for that, no need to rush home, The one thing you can do from anywhere is Pray, then trust me for the rest."
This moment broke my heart as I realized indeed I had taken on this idea (and burden) that if I didn't pray it wouldn't happen. I had experienced theological "mission creep" Somehow, the amazing belief that prayer changes things so we must engage events around us in prayer had "crept" into my heart as a responsibility for the events around me.
In this moment I realized I had become arrogant in my prayers.
In the following months I watched from afar as people I love were diagnosed with Cancer, Diabetes, almost died in childbirth, and walked through the pain of losing a child. Equally difficult has been the good times I have been unable to attend: graduations, birthdays, weddings, and school recitals,
Each of these moments reminds me that I am not in charge of the world (I need reminding of that pretty often!), and as much as I love those around me, and they love me, in those moments what they need more than anything is God, only He can truly give them what they need.
I will still pray as though my words have the power of life and death in them, but I am duly reminded that at the end of the day, it isn't about my prayers, its about God's sovereignty.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
The importance of Remembering.
Wow! It's be a long time since I posted here. But for some reason the events of the last week have needed more of an outlet than Facebook or Twitter will allow for.
We are a nation in mourning, we are a nation shaken from our beliefs that bad things happen "over there". Regardless of whether "over there" is a desert 8000 km from home or a 2 hour flight south to the US, these things don't happen to us, in our hometown.
Except they do. Over the past 24 hours since the shooting at the National War Memorial and the Parliamentary lock down, we have been reminded that these things can and do indeed happen in Canada - except we forget. Ask a 20-something to tell you about the FLQ crisis, or gas rationing, or even more recently the time a car thought to be filled with explosives was parked on Parliament Hill and you will likely be met with a confused look.
Ask these same young adults if they recall a time when the public could drive onto parliament hill and, if you were feeling lucky, might even park-risking a parking ticket- to be closer to the market. This is a generation with no living memory of things that we who are older remember fondly. We remember a time pre 9/11 when the coolest way to get from Nicholas St to Colonel By Drive was via Tunnel UNDER DND headquarters. And yet, even we who do remember, we also learned the hard way.
Every generation needs the memory of the generation before to ensure we know the whole story.
This is especially seen at Remembrance Day, When we stand side by side with those who remember things we cannot possibly remember ourselves.
This is the value of tradition and historical aspects of our instiutions.
I must admit, prior to yesterday I simply didn't know what the role Parliament's Sergeant-at-Arms held. Like many I forgot to look past the trappings the quaint robe (silently wondering who rid the role of a powdered wig) and the massive Mace (what is a Mace anyway?) and understand. We often fail to see that the pomp and circumstance is not just for fun. It all has a purpose, sure, maybe some of those purposes are outdated and no longer needed (like the two-sword's length separation between the opposition benches to avoid bloodshed in Parliament) but that doesn't mean they ought to be abandoned for the sake of modernity.
This tragic day reminds us, that we are one of the 'big kids' in global politics, that we have a sophisticated and capable response framework that keeps us safe.
I think its extraordinarily Canadian that one of the main goals of our heroic Sergeant-at-Arms is to protect unobtrusively. I suspect many Canadians were surprised at the speed and sheer volume of response to the threat simply because we don't show our might the same way others do.
I am a prouder Canadian today than I was yesterday- and that's saying something!
We are a nation in mourning, we are a nation shaken from our beliefs that bad things happen "over there". Regardless of whether "over there" is a desert 8000 km from home or a 2 hour flight south to the US, these things don't happen to us, in our hometown.
Except they do. Over the past 24 hours since the shooting at the National War Memorial and the Parliamentary lock down, we have been reminded that these things can and do indeed happen in Canada - except we forget. Ask a 20-something to tell you about the FLQ crisis, or gas rationing, or even more recently the time a car thought to be filled with explosives was parked on Parliament Hill and you will likely be met with a confused look.
Ask these same young adults if they recall a time when the public could drive onto parliament hill and, if you were feeling lucky, might even park-risking a parking ticket- to be closer to the market. This is a generation with no living memory of things that we who are older remember fondly. We remember a time pre 9/11 when the coolest way to get from Nicholas St to Colonel By Drive was via Tunnel UNDER DND headquarters. And yet, even we who do remember, we also learned the hard way.
Every generation needs the memory of the generation before to ensure we know the whole story.
This is especially seen at Remembrance Day, When we stand side by side with those who remember things we cannot possibly remember ourselves.
This is the value of tradition and historical aspects of our instiutions.
I must admit, prior to yesterday I simply didn't know what the role Parliament's Sergeant-at-Arms held. Like many I forgot to look past the trappings the quaint robe (silently wondering who rid the role of a powdered wig) and the massive Mace (what is a Mace anyway?) and understand. We often fail to see that the pomp and circumstance is not just for fun. It all has a purpose, sure, maybe some of those purposes are outdated and no longer needed (like the two-sword's length separation between the opposition benches to avoid bloodshed in Parliament) but that doesn't mean they ought to be abandoned for the sake of modernity.
This tragic day reminds us, that we are one of the 'big kids' in global politics, that we have a sophisticated and capable response framework that keeps us safe.
I think its extraordinarily Canadian that one of the main goals of our heroic Sergeant-at-Arms is to protect unobtrusively. I suspect many Canadians were surprised at the speed and sheer volume of response to the threat simply because we don't show our might the same way others do.
I am a prouder Canadian today than I was yesterday- and that's saying something!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Halting an Advancing Threat
I found this draft of a posting I wrote in the winter, when the Shafia family murder trials were taking place. Four years ago, I would never have been able to articulate a position beyond: that is different and scary... let's oppose it. Yet I have been in areas of the world where Sharia law is lived out, even if just behind closed doors. While I cannot claim to be an expert in the things of Justice, Law, or Culture, I see an approaching threat
Recently, the media in Canada has been focussed on the results of one criminal trial. The Canadian Justice system, has in recent times, let us down in massive ways. If you speak to almost any Canadian, they have experienced, or know someone who have experiences a massive miscarriage of justice. So, when the parents and oldest child stood accused of killing 4 female members of their family, it felt like a litmus test of one of the istitutions that we put so much faith in, whether that faith is deserved or not.
Recently, the media in Canada has been focussed on the results of one criminal trial. The Canadian Justice system, has in recent times, let us down in massive ways. If you speak to almost any Canadian, they have experienced, or know someone who have experiences a massive miscarriage of justice. So, when the parents and oldest child stood accused of killing 4 female members of their family, it felt like a litmus test of one of the istitutions that we put so much faith in, whether that faith is deserved or not.
For most Canadians, the shocking nature of the crimes being tried, this is an open and shut case. A watershed moment where we all get to stand unified against "evil" at its very core.
What made this case different however, was the additional layer of faith and a culture that is so alien to our way of life. The question of "honour killing" is one being faced all over the world. Christine Blatchford's article in the Ottawa Citizen (http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Blatchford+heart+Shafia+trial+very+notion+what+girl/6069462/story.html) addresses the new trend being seen by the UN.
As we awaited the verdict from this trial, there was much talk about what a "not guilty" would mean for the agenda of Islam. Those who wish to see Sharia law throughout the world, could have pointed to this case as a precedent and left the unintended impression that Canadians implicitly endorse the application of Sharia Law within our boarders.
As the nation held its breath, I found myself praying for those on the jury who would be making this historical decision. I knew that too short a deliberation time, could result in cries of Pre-judgement and snap decisions. Too long deliberating could be construed as proof that this topic is worth the time of instensive debate, and that perhaps the public is divided. Without a unified viewpoint, the door is left open for the proponents of Sharia Law to forward their agenda.
Happliy, the perpetrators of the horrific crimes were found guilty and for now the worldview that would say killing a woman for her conduct is "honourable" has been held at bay. In this country though, we are still vulnerable.
I see within Canada especially an identity crisis in the area of gender. We have, to quote a good friend, thrown out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to gender rights and equality. In the midst of the debate and push for what we all believe is right (equality) we have forgotten about gender distinctives. That we are different, and our difference are meant to be complimentary to one another and celebrated. Instead, we have lost in some ways, the freedom to even have an opinion. So it leaves us vulnerable. If Canadians won't define our gender identities, others may come in, and through vociforous debate, lobbying or other means, create a situation where decisions must be made and if we don't have a strong position to vocalize, we may lose our place at the table where the decisions are made.
Part of my grand adventure took me to Nepal. One of the obeservations that we made when we were there was the ease with which men and women interacted with one another. There are such well defined gender roles that it removes much of the angst between the genders. While I don't necessarily agree with their definitions of the genders, I see the value in a common understanding.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Grand Adventures
Life is a Grand Adventure! Everyday we wake up with new mercies and a clean slate. Sometimes, in the midst of our messy lives, those clean slates don't feel so clean, we don't see the opportunity, we hold onto what we recall was written yesterday, last year, or in our youth. Sometimes, to embrace the daily clean slate of following Christ, we must physically change our location, we must go so that we can return.
I have been on a Grand Adventure. Like any good adventure there was drama, some danger, uncertainty. There were times of fear, and those moments where you look at your fellow travellers breathless and think "how did we come out of that unscathed?" There were heroes, villains, damsels in distress and sidekicks, and I have been each of those in different measure at different moments. There are stories to tell, stories that cannot be shared, and stories that mustn't be told especially with my mother in the room. Some experiences are easy to relate, others difficult and more than a few cannot be communicate with words, they have taken up residence in my soul and have changed me forever. There has been joy, laughter, tears, heartache and love. And I am thankful!
For the last four years I have been experiencing things in life that I never thought possible. more airports that I can count, more cities I ever imagined, more people from more places doing amazing (and not so amazing) things. My life has been enriched and changed and challenged.
It has not been without cost. I have missed more birthdays, special moments, quiet times and firsts than my heart will let me contemplate. I have had to watch from afar as friends and family suffered loss, heartache and even joy without me. I am not as naive about the world as I was, with more information comes deeper burdens. I care about things and causes and situations more than I ever did. I have lost much of my innocence. I have seen the twisting of details in news stories and the mis-representation of facts to serve an agenda. I have missed countless moments of meeting needs and coming through for. But in there too there has been a lesson.
I needed to learn that I am not the giver of support and life, (God and I had an argument where He ended up asking... can you do brain surgery? That is the only thing that is needed right now.... no? OK stay put, I've got this!) the people who don't stick around, they didn't love you anyway, and maybe, just maybe there are some you didn't understand the depth of their love for you until you go away, and they stay. I learned not to be responsible for others' responses or reactions. And I learned that when you do cool stuff with your life, people make all sorts of assumptions, they fill in details with things that they have long been dreaming about!
The biggest cost to my Grand Adventure (apart from the 100's of hours stuck in airports all over the world that look alike) has been the fragmentation which has occurred. With four years of not knowing what 3 months from any moment will hold, it makes it hard to commit, invest or serve.
It seems I am home for the summer, and already I can see that I am home in more ways than just physically present. I have signed up for commitments at church, almost joined a softball league (am going to go to all the games and cheer them on-playing when they are shorthanded) and for the first time in four years, I am going to work here in my home city! So much has changed in me, and in the world around me. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but now, like any good adventure that comes to and end, it is time to unpack, sort through the souvenirs, and check to see what the mailman has dropped off while I was away!
I will endeavour to blog regularly through the summer, and as I 'unpack' I will share with you as much as I can about what I have brought home with me from my adventures.
Its good to be home!
I have been on a Grand Adventure. Like any good adventure there was drama, some danger, uncertainty. There were times of fear, and those moments where you look at your fellow travellers breathless and think "how did we come out of that unscathed?" There were heroes, villains, damsels in distress and sidekicks, and I have been each of those in different measure at different moments. There are stories to tell, stories that cannot be shared, and stories that mustn't be told especially with my mother in the room. Some experiences are easy to relate, others difficult and more than a few cannot be communicate with words, they have taken up residence in my soul and have changed me forever. There has been joy, laughter, tears, heartache and love. And I am thankful!
For the last four years I have been experiencing things in life that I never thought possible. more airports that I can count, more cities I ever imagined, more people from more places doing amazing (and not so amazing) things. My life has been enriched and changed and challenged.
 |
| These boats ferry worshippers out to an island temple -Pokura, Nepal |
I needed to learn that I am not the giver of support and life, (God and I had an argument where He ended up asking... can you do brain surgery? That is the only thing that is needed right now.... no? OK stay put, I've got this!) the people who don't stick around, they didn't love you anyway, and maybe, just maybe there are some you didn't understand the depth of their love for you until you go away, and they stay. I learned not to be responsible for others' responses or reactions. And I learned that when you do cool stuff with your life, people make all sorts of assumptions, they fill in details with things that they have long been dreaming about!
The biggest cost to my Grand Adventure (apart from the 100's of hours stuck in airports all over the world that look alike) has been the fragmentation which has occurred. With four years of not knowing what 3 months from any moment will hold, it makes it hard to commit, invest or serve.
It seems I am home for the summer, and already I can see that I am home in more ways than just physically present. I have signed up for commitments at church, almost joined a softball league (am going to go to all the games and cheer them on-playing when they are shorthanded) and for the first time in four years, I am going to work here in my home city! So much has changed in me, and in the world around me. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but now, like any good adventure that comes to and end, it is time to unpack, sort through the souvenirs, and check to see what the mailman has dropped off while I was away!
I will endeavour to blog regularly through the summer, and as I 'unpack' I will share with you as much as I can about what I have brought home with me from my adventures.
Its good to be home!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
How to change a life with $12
Have you ever seen a life changed by $12? I have.
There is a trend in our world these days where major international corporations are spending more and more of their advertising on “social” issues. This Christmas we saw as a major drink retailer told us that we should buy THEIR product because they are going to spend more money than you or I will see in our lifetimes to help the Polar Bears of the Arctic. The commercials show the mama bear’s struggle to survive among the melting ice cap.
It isn’t made clear exactly HOW sending our money to them will reverse the global warming responsible for those 2 little cubs struggle, But, we get a warm fuzzy feeling, and the big drink company gets to look like heroes. Last year, I would have thought, “oh that is nice”, and proceeded to buy that drink because it is what I usually buy, but feel just a little better knowing I was making a ‘difference’. I mean, who is Laura, and how can my $12.00 make a difference to anyone? So if by buying my usual product, I can contribute to the greater good… heck why not? Right?
That was the old me…this year, the new me has to resist the urge to scream at the movie screen “that is great for the polar bears, but what about all the children starving right this moment”. You see, in November I spent some time in Nepal, and we came face to face with people in dire straits- Poverty unlike anything we would ever encounter here in North America. We walked streets of a city where for the price of a beautiful meal in Canada, a pastor can feed his family for a month. In some senses, it is wonderful to know that just a little contribution from my pocket can make an exponentially larger impact than the same amount here. And yet, no matter how much you give, there will never be enough. You could drop suitcases full of Rupees from the sky, and somehow, this sin-sick world we live in would find a way to still destroy lives. Addiction, pain, poverty, corruption, caste systems and a bad economy always seem to win out.
During our travels, I was able to keep somewhat objective about what we were seeing. In an attempt to not become crippled by it, I held myself at arm’s length, keeping my heart safe from a burden that seemed too big. We discussed the theological response to poverty and pain, we debated different ways to assist, and whether the things that we did do were beneficial long-term or not. In all this though, I was untouched in the deepest places of my heart. Don’t misunderstand, I yearned to do more, to have more to give, mostly though, I wanted to see my brothers and sisters in Christ be able to navigate through what they were seeing. I wasn’t all that concerned about my lack of brokenness, I chalked it up to “its not my gifting”. I see that others have a deep and abiding passion to reach into the lives of the poor, the broken, and the orphaned and bring love, food and prayer to their garbage strewn alleyways.
I thought it wasn’t my gifting……And then Bikash stole my heart. One little boy, looking wistfully into the window of a café stole away all sense that this was someone else’s responsibility. Right there before me was “the least of these”. I wouldn’t have been able to identify that in the moment, I just knew I had to act. I got him something to eat out of that café, and began to talk to him. I learned that he is one of the “lucky” ones. He and his brother work at night picking up trash to sell. They have parents who love them, and a home, and they get to go to school during the day. More than some, there is hope for these little boys. Life is brutally hard, but there is hope. God did a work in me that night, on the streets of Kathmandu. I gave him some money so that he didn’t have to work that night ($5.00), prayed for him, and sent him on his way hopefully to spend a warm safe night at home.
Bikash received about $12.00 worth of food and cash that night, and I walked away a different person.
In the moment, I felt like I had done the right thing, I felt as though God had been glorified, and that was our goal. What I couldn’t know was that something fundamental had changed in me.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe that God ‘sees the little sparrow fall’ and cares about its wounds. I know that the plight of the Polar Bear and what we are doing to this creation that He has entrusted us with likely breaks his heart. I am glad that more and more companies are doing responsible things… and yet how much credit do we need to give the company who ‘sacrifices’ less than .02% of their ADVERTISING budget (not even revenues) to help creatures in the north?
I am convinced that given the choice of working on behalf of the Polar Bears, or fighting for the good of humanity, people should get my $12.00…every time!
There is a trend in our world these days where major international corporations are spending more and more of their advertising on “social” issues. This Christmas we saw as a major drink retailer told us that we should buy THEIR product because they are going to spend more money than you or I will see in our lifetimes to help the Polar Bears of the Arctic. The commercials show the mama bear’s struggle to survive among the melting ice cap.
It isn’t made clear exactly HOW sending our money to them will reverse the global warming responsible for those 2 little cubs struggle, But, we get a warm fuzzy feeling, and the big drink company gets to look like heroes. Last year, I would have thought, “oh that is nice”, and proceeded to buy that drink because it is what I usually buy, but feel just a little better knowing I was making a ‘difference’. I mean, who is Laura, and how can my $12.00 make a difference to anyone? So if by buying my usual product, I can contribute to the greater good… heck why not? Right?
That was the old me…this year, the new me has to resist the urge to scream at the movie screen “that is great for the polar bears, but what about all the children starving right this moment”. You see, in November I spent some time in Nepal, and we came face to face with people in dire straits- Poverty unlike anything we would ever encounter here in North America. We walked streets of a city where for the price of a beautiful meal in Canada, a pastor can feed his family for a month. In some senses, it is wonderful to know that just a little contribution from my pocket can make an exponentially larger impact than the same amount here. And yet, no matter how much you give, there will never be enough. You could drop suitcases full of Rupees from the sky, and somehow, this sin-sick world we live in would find a way to still destroy lives. Addiction, pain, poverty, corruption, caste systems and a bad economy always seem to win out.
During our travels, I was able to keep somewhat objective about what we were seeing. In an attempt to not become crippled by it, I held myself at arm’s length, keeping my heart safe from a burden that seemed too big. We discussed the theological response to poverty and pain, we debated different ways to assist, and whether the things that we did do were beneficial long-term or not. In all this though, I was untouched in the deepest places of my heart. Don’t misunderstand, I yearned to do more, to have more to give, mostly though, I wanted to see my brothers and sisters in Christ be able to navigate through what they were seeing. I wasn’t all that concerned about my lack of brokenness, I chalked it up to “its not my gifting”. I see that others have a deep and abiding passion to reach into the lives of the poor, the broken, and the orphaned and bring love, food and prayer to their garbage strewn alleyways.
I thought it wasn’t my gifting……And then Bikash stole my heart. One little boy, looking wistfully into the window of a café stole away all sense that this was someone else’s responsibility. Right there before me was “the least of these”. I wouldn’t have been able to identify that in the moment, I just knew I had to act. I got him something to eat out of that café, and began to talk to him. I learned that he is one of the “lucky” ones. He and his brother work at night picking up trash to sell. They have parents who love them, and a home, and they get to go to school during the day. More than some, there is hope for these little boys. Life is brutally hard, but there is hope. God did a work in me that night, on the streets of Kathmandu. I gave him some money so that he didn’t have to work that night ($5.00), prayed for him, and sent him on his way hopefully to spend a warm safe night at home.
Bikash received about $12.00 worth of food and cash that night, and I walked away a different person.
In the moment, I felt like I had done the right thing, I felt as though God had been glorified, and that was our goal. What I couldn’t know was that something fundamental had changed in me.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe that God ‘sees the little sparrow fall’ and cares about its wounds. I know that the plight of the Polar Bear and what we are doing to this creation that He has entrusted us with likely breaks his heart. I am glad that more and more companies are doing responsible things… and yet how much credit do we need to give the company who ‘sacrifices’ less than .02% of their ADVERTISING budget (not even revenues) to help creatures in the north?
I am convinced that given the choice of working on behalf of the Polar Bears, or fighting for the good of humanity, people should get my $12.00…every time!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Weakness & Mercy
No one likes Monday... I don’t really either, and yet it is wonderful!
I LOVE anything that gives me a fresh opportunity. A new school year, a new house, a new daytimer with nothing written in it yet. It represents to me freshness and opportunities. I tend to be a sweeping changes type person. When I get…. I will…. Each time I looked ahead to my leave from overseas, I would imagine a wonderful time in which I would get up every morning early, do devotions and then run… come home to a healthy breakfast and a new outlook. Inevitably, my craving for greasy pizza would take over and I was done! Then again, toward the end of my vacation, the same thing… I will change my life by changing my circumstances etc.
Lamentations 3:21
This I recall to my mind therefore have I hope.
22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. -KJV
The good news is that a fresh week or day or year or month DOES hold unlimited opportunities. Yes, there are realities of past experiences, there are circumstances that we cannot just turn the calendar and have them disappear. And yet, we serve a God whose mercy is NEW EVERY MORNING. That means… each day God has put aside all that went before it. The mistakes and sins are as if it never happened in the eyes of God. Each day I have the opportunity to make a completely Fresh Start. It is us who tie ourselves to our past.
PSALM 103: 9-14
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbour his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
HE REMEBERS that we are dust. How freeing is that? We have these expectations of ourselves to meet the expectations of those around us. Yes, the calling is HIGH. And yet, the one who called us is well aware of our weakness.
The Cross was the answer for our weakness. God knew that in our “dustiness” that we would never be able to live up to the standard.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So we turn to God, not in our strength, but in our weakness. It is then, that God says “OK… my dusty child… lets work on this. In MY strength. You don’t have to do it alone. “
Our world has a MASSIVE aversion to weakness. We have become a society obsessed with not showing weakness. We are all walking around hoping to hide our weaknesses from one another, and in doing so, when we see weaknesses in each other, our reactions are so strong because if I can see your weakness, perhaps you can see mine. So, like wounded animals, we attack each other in our weakest moments.; gossip, judgment and almost every reality TV show is about exposing one another’s weakness.
I think that God loves to expose our weaknesses. Not to leave us vulnerable to attack, but in order to show us where He is standing and fighting on our behalf.
Recently I travelled with some amazing friends. Two weeks in exotic, challenging situations. Inevitably, weaknesses were exposed. One of our friends- who is about as tough as they come- inadvertently revealed a ‘concern for the safety’ of suspension bridges. His words spoke of his “concern for the safety of….” but his face, demeanour and reluctance told us another story. He was fearful. It was a chink in his armour that was so incongruent with the rest of him, that it was almost comical. As his friends we had a choice to make. With some good-natured ribbing we ventured across leaving him on the other side to face his’ concern’. We didn’t make a big deal about it. We simply carried on our way, knowing that he would get across the bridge safely – he just needed some space. Throughout the trip we were faced with more than a few opportunities to see each other’s weaknesses. And I came to a discovery…
IT IS AN HONOUR TO COVER ONE ANOTHER’S WEAKNESS!
When you love someone as much as we love each other, and are seeking the best for one another, it is not a problem to cover each other. From motion sickness, to financial weakness, to language challenges in a foreign nation, we each had weaknesses that surfaced and in response the group brought its unique gifting to each situation, covered the weakness, and all were better for it. How much more… God?
Matthew 12:12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!
Luke 11:13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 12:24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Luke 12:28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
Romans 5:9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Romans 5:10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
I want to entrust God with my weaknesses. I want to be someone who takes God at His word, that His mercies are new every morning. I want to move through my day each day knowing that God has removed my transgressions from me. I want to live in the shadow of the cross moment by moment, by moment.
So next time you turn the page in your daytimer and see the freshness, and remeber that He remembers we are DUST! And embrace Monday!
I LOVE anything that gives me a fresh opportunity. A new school year, a new house, a new daytimer with nothing written in it yet. It represents to me freshness and opportunities. I tend to be a sweeping changes type person. When I get…. I will…. Each time I looked ahead to my leave from overseas, I would imagine a wonderful time in which I would get up every morning early, do devotions and then run… come home to a healthy breakfast and a new outlook. Inevitably, my craving for greasy pizza would take over and I was done! Then again, toward the end of my vacation, the same thing… I will change my life by changing my circumstances etc.
Lamentations 3:21
This I recall to my mind therefore have I hope.
22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. -KJV
The good news is that a fresh week or day or year or month DOES hold unlimited opportunities. Yes, there are realities of past experiences, there are circumstances that we cannot just turn the calendar and have them disappear. And yet, we serve a God whose mercy is NEW EVERY MORNING. That means… each day God has put aside all that went before it. The mistakes and sins are as if it never happened in the eyes of God. Each day I have the opportunity to make a completely Fresh Start. It is us who tie ourselves to our past.
PSALM 103: 9-14
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbour his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
HE REMEBERS that we are dust. How freeing is that? We have these expectations of ourselves to meet the expectations of those around us. Yes, the calling is HIGH. And yet, the one who called us is well aware of our weakness.
The Cross was the answer for our weakness. God knew that in our “dustiness” that we would never be able to live up to the standard.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So we turn to God, not in our strength, but in our weakness. It is then, that God says “OK… my dusty child… lets work on this. In MY strength. You don’t have to do it alone. “
Our world has a MASSIVE aversion to weakness. We have become a society obsessed with not showing weakness. We are all walking around hoping to hide our weaknesses from one another, and in doing so, when we see weaknesses in each other, our reactions are so strong because if I can see your weakness, perhaps you can see mine. So, like wounded animals, we attack each other in our weakest moments.; gossip, judgment and almost every reality TV show is about exposing one another’s weakness.
I think that God loves to expose our weaknesses. Not to leave us vulnerable to attack, but in order to show us where He is standing and fighting on our behalf.
Recently I travelled with some amazing friends. Two weeks in exotic, challenging situations. Inevitably, weaknesses were exposed. One of our friends- who is about as tough as they come- inadvertently revealed a ‘concern for the safety’ of suspension bridges. His words spoke of his “concern for the safety of….” but his face, demeanour and reluctance told us another story. He was fearful. It was a chink in his armour that was so incongruent with the rest of him, that it was almost comical. As his friends we had a choice to make. With some good-natured ribbing we ventured across leaving him on the other side to face his’ concern’. We didn’t make a big deal about it. We simply carried on our way, knowing that he would get across the bridge safely – he just needed some space. Throughout the trip we were faced with more than a few opportunities to see each other’s weaknesses. And I came to a discovery…
IT IS AN HONOUR TO COVER ONE ANOTHER’S WEAKNESS!
When you love someone as much as we love each other, and are seeking the best for one another, it is not a problem to cover each other. From motion sickness, to financial weakness, to language challenges in a foreign nation, we each had weaknesses that surfaced and in response the group brought its unique gifting to each situation, covered the weakness, and all were better for it. How much more… God?
Matthew 12:12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!
Luke 11:13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 12:24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Luke 12:28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
Romans 5:9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Romans 5:10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
I want to entrust God with my weaknesses. I want to be someone who takes God at His word, that His mercies are new every morning. I want to move through my day each day knowing that God has removed my transgressions from me. I want to live in the shadow of the cross moment by moment, by moment.
So next time you turn the page in your daytimer and see the freshness, and remeber that He remembers we are DUST! And embrace Monday!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Will I answer the call??
Each time I watch a movie like Schindler's List, or Hotel Rwanda, I come face to face with a bit of myself. I ALWAYS wonder... would I be one who would risk my family and my life to help others? Would I be willing to flaunt the law to protect those who are being persecuted? Or would I close my eyes and rationalize away my own protectionism? Would I have the eyes to see the bigger evils at stake? The Germans in WWII didn't flip a switch and start murdering Jews, there was an insidious campaign that took time to reveal it's true intent.
Would I see it? Would I stand with those who DO see it and help them, or would I lock my doors and huddle in my living room watching it all on CNN?
My brave self says Yes! I would be like them! I would fling open the doors, face the rebels and protect the victims with the strength of my beliefs. And yet... too often when someone is dying in front of me, I turn away. I don't give them the help they desperately need. When some one's life is clearly under attack by an enemy I can easily identify, but choose to say nothing, they cannot protect themselves.
I am not talking about the physical world, I doubt very many of us would actually turn away. I am talking about the spiritual world. The people all around us are dying, they are under attack. They are busy living their lives not realizing what is coming their way, or worse, they are resigned to their fate.
Isn't that what we as Christians believe? That everyone who has not received Christ is destined for a holocaust?
And yet, SO many times, as Christians we have been taught (rightly in some ways) to keep our lives unsullied by the things of the world.... yet in doing that, are we closing our doors to the refugees? To those who need shelter? "the least of these?".
If this world truly is NOT our home as the Bible teaches, (The IF comes not from the truth of the Bible, but the IF is about our beliefs) then don't we have a privilege of obligation to open up our doors, and risk that which isn't even ours for the good of those around us?
How would our lives and conduct change if we could actually see the enemy as in 1 Peter 5:8?
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him,firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
My prayer is that when I encounter people who don't know God, whose lives are under attack, that I would have the courage, and the willingness to open the door to my heart, and stand alongside them in the battle and shelter them from those who would see to destroy them.
This dirty, gritty walk flows counter to the pretty self-esteem building message that so many of us are fed in our North American churches. Let's not forget, Jesus' message was dangerous, it was heavy and it called people to risk their lives for its sake. When was the last time you (I say to myself) risked anything but your 'pride' to reach out to those who are dying?
Would I see it? Would I stand with those who DO see it and help them, or would I lock my doors and huddle in my living room watching it all on CNN?
My brave self says Yes! I would be like them! I would fling open the doors, face the rebels and protect the victims with the strength of my beliefs. And yet... too often when someone is dying in front of me, I turn away. I don't give them the help they desperately need. When some one's life is clearly under attack by an enemy I can easily identify, but choose to say nothing, they cannot protect themselves.
I am not talking about the physical world, I doubt very many of us would actually turn away. I am talking about the spiritual world. The people all around us are dying, they are under attack. They are busy living their lives not realizing what is coming their way, or worse, they are resigned to their fate.
Isn't that what we as Christians believe? That everyone who has not received Christ is destined for a holocaust?
And yet, SO many times, as Christians we have been taught (rightly in some ways) to keep our lives unsullied by the things of the world.... yet in doing that, are we closing our doors to the refugees? To those who need shelter? "the least of these?".
If this world truly is NOT our home as the Bible teaches, (The IF comes not from the truth of the Bible, but the IF is about our beliefs) then don't we have a privilege of obligation to open up our doors, and risk that which isn't even ours for the good of those around us?
How would our lives and conduct change if we could actually see the enemy as in 1 Peter 5:8?
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him,firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
My prayer is that when I encounter people who don't know God, whose lives are under attack, that I would have the courage, and the willingness to open the door to my heart, and stand alongside them in the battle and shelter them from those who would see to destroy them.
This dirty, gritty walk flows counter to the pretty self-esteem building message that so many of us are fed in our North American churches. Let's not forget, Jesus' message was dangerous, it was heavy and it called people to risk their lives for its sake. When was the last time you (I say to myself) risked anything but your 'pride' to reach out to those who are dying?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Smells like Smoke
I wish... I REALLY wish sometimes that when God decides to turn up the heat to burn off more of the copious dross in my life, that there would be a quick heads up... maybe a brief whiff of smoke that would grab my attention. I have many memories as a kid of my parents when they thought they smelled smoke. ANY whiff of smoke and they were on HIGH ALERT. Every nook and cranny would be searched and every door opened looking for the danger, looking for any sign of the possible fire. With one notable instance, their scrutiny never netted any drama.
If I choose to take God at His word, then I know that HE is constantly moving me in the direction of deeper obedience and passion for Him.
I have a deep seated belief that given a moment like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that I would be happy to walk into the fiery furnace. When the challenge is obviously ahead of me. You can see the flame, feel the heat, and take a moment to trust in God... easy, right?
God doesn't usually do this in my life (or I am not attuned to the smokey precursor of the furnace). I find myself in the midst of a circumstance of mild discomfort.... I handle it. It seems that only when the walls of my life are crashing around me, do I think to look around and see if I am already in the midst of the furnace.
(I am well aware that I mixed the metaphor here with the purifying heat of God's love, and the fiery furnace... its my blog... get your own! )
My beliefs support the idea of "HE who started a good work will be faithful to complete it Contrast this with the idea that EVERYTHING is God testing us and trying us. Although I am still working out the theology, I realize by removing the idea that EVERYTHING is God testing us, can result in being less situationally aware. It leaves my sense of smell dulled- I am not actively looking for a test or pitfall and sometimes I miss the signs.
Sure there is peace in knowing that the smoke detectors will go off and so I can sleep at night without worry, but it isn't good when your first realization of a problem is that the kitchen is full of smoke and the mice who live under the sink have already abandoned ship!
My heart's desire is to know when God is at work. I want to be better at seeing the purifying circumstances sooner in the timeline of challenge. I want to be so in tune with God that I don't have to wait to feel the heat- but that I hear the whisper from the Father to the Son "OK, turn up the heat JUST a bit, there is much I want to do in Laura".
If I choose to take God at His word, then I know that HE is constantly moving me in the direction of deeper obedience and passion for Him.
I have a deep seated belief that given a moment like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that I would be happy to walk into the fiery furnace. When the challenge is obviously ahead of me. You can see the flame, feel the heat, and take a moment to trust in God... easy, right?
God doesn't usually do this in my life (or I am not attuned to the smokey precursor of the furnace). I find myself in the midst of a circumstance of mild discomfort.... I handle it. It seems that only when the walls of my life are crashing around me, do I think to look around and see if I am already in the midst of the furnace.
(I am well aware that I mixed the metaphor here with the purifying heat of God's love, and the fiery furnace... its my blog... get your own! )
My beliefs support the idea of "HE who started a good work will be faithful to complete it Contrast this with the idea that EVERYTHING is God testing us and trying us. Although I am still working out the theology, I realize by removing the idea that EVERYTHING is God testing us, can result in being less situationally aware. It leaves my sense of smell dulled- I am not actively looking for a test or pitfall and sometimes I miss the signs.
Sure there is peace in knowing that the smoke detectors will go off and so I can sleep at night without worry, but it isn't good when your first realization of a problem is that the kitchen is full of smoke and the mice who live under the sink have already abandoned ship!
My heart's desire is to know when God is at work. I want to be better at seeing the purifying circumstances sooner in the timeline of challenge. I want to be so in tune with God that I don't have to wait to feel the heat- but that I hear the whisper from the Father to the Son "OK, turn up the heat JUST a bit, there is much I want to do in Laura".
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