A Few Sobering Thoughts

     

It is important to take on life with an open mind and willingness to learn.  It can be easy to place ourselves in a different box than others because we understand our own lives and perspectives more than we do those around us.  The following are just a few sobering thoughts to remind us all of how related we all truly are and highlight the beauty of not always needing to have every answer.  Enjoy:

1)      God will move through your life despite all of your wrong theologies:

Take it as a relief or a disappointment, but God is not fixated and nit-picky about making sure that your ideas of who He is are in perfect order.  (41,000 Christian denominations will prove this point pretty fast.)  It can be a humbling realization when we discover that some ‘fact’ or concept we believed is not (entirely) true.  But do not become so worked up about the little things, as if the reason for our existence was to always be ‘right’.  Live with the open mind of a child, God is far too big for us to ever run short on new discoveries, and so why should we allow our stubbornness to blind our eyes and tie our feet?

God is far bigger and better than we have ever imagined.

2)      Every face came at the same inconceivable price:

In these blogs I focus a lot of my writings on the perspectives that we have regarding other people.  It is not about how ‘right’ you do against how ‘wrong’ someone else does.  We are not here to raise or lower the price tag on something that has already been purchased.  When Christ died for your freedom, Heaven proved your and all of humanity’s equal worth through the price that it paid to attain us.

3)      Jesus did not come to give the world a “right religion”:

Let’s give God the credit of having a little more creativity here.  Since the beginning of time, mankind has come up with countless systems, prices and steps that they instruct themselves and others to follow in an attempt to appease or discover God.  Jesus did not come to add his own arguments to the table; he came to finish the dispute altogether by paying the single price needed for reconciliation.  All humanity has left to do is realize (a.k.a believe) the friendship that has already been established.  And trust me, that realization changes everything for those that discover it.

4)      Your experiences do not determine or alter truth:

Truth should be expected to bear fruit in our experiences, but when they do not align as we expected, it is not a reason to say "all is wrong" and make an about-face and beeline the other way.  One of the most common reasons that I hear regarding God’s “unwillingness” to physically heal someone, is their own experience in not seeing a loved one, or even their own selves healed.  But thankfully, our experiences do not have to determine what we believe, and when we read, "lay hands on the sick and they will recover," we can feel comfortable leaving it at just that; without trying to explain our potentials away by something that we did or did not see.   It is the same with forgiveness.  Your mental ability to not feel forgiven in every moment does not justify the reasoning that your sins have not been completely wiped clean.  It is the same reasoning that exists in a child when he covers his eyes: his failure to see you is not equated to him being alone.  

I Hear Voices

Every year I become increasingly amazed at the specific details that God will speak to us as we listen.  Since my return from 60 Days Walking, I have been very particular about the next steps that I take in life; trying not to jump too hastily into just any job that comes my way.  But the cost of patience in such careful decision making often calls for some amount of trust.  Several weeks ago, I found myself asking God where I was to receive money for my living expenses, as my unemployed state was quickly depleting my bank account.  Immediately, an old co-worker that I had not seen or spoken to in over six months came to mind.  “Joyce is going to call you with a painting job,” God spoke clearly to my heart.  And of course, the next day I received that very phone call.  My mind was blown, but somehow I had expected it to happen that way, because after all, He is my Father; why wouldn’t He speak to me?

It was only about four years ago that I discovered God’s love for speaking to his children, but not just about the ‘important stuff’.  Many would consider it obvious that God speaks to us about decisions and direction, but I am convinced that he is equally interested in the day to day occurrences that even we don’t care that much about.  Why? Because God is intimate.  When speaking ‘religiously’ most might assume God has little care or interest in grocery shopping, watching television, or cleaning the house; but I would beg to differ.  On several occasions, God has even told me the names of characters in movies before they were introduced.  And many might wonder or ask, “Why would God tell someone things like that?” or “What importance or purpose was behind those things? What did you learn?” And honestly, I believe many of the words that God speaks are meant to be nothing more than a reminder of his closeness and a fruit of simply being involved in our lives. 

I understand that this can seem extreme, bizarre, and some may even assume that one needs to be some sort of “highly favored” or “special Christian” to hear God’s voice this way, but everything in me prays that you tear down the superhero mentalities that come with these sorts of testimonies.  The same Spirit that is in me, the same spirit that was in Paul, and the same spirit that was in Jesus, is alive and filled with an equal potential inside of you! God lives in you by His own choice!  There is no superhero status (beyond the idea that we have ALL become super humans through Christ, that is).  Yes there are differing gifts, and yes, people have their own passions and focuses, but God’s voice is here for the hearing, no matter your self-perceived status.  We serve a savior that calls himself “The Word”; I think that makes it safe to conclude that he might be a bit of a “talker”. 

When you pray, listen as much as you speak.  Ask God about the specifics of each day, each decision and even about the lives of people around you.  I promise that God is not shy, and I know that a God as willing to give as much as he has for you will want to talk to you just as powerfully. 

You are His child. 

You are His love. 

What is He saying to you today? 

Shower Revelations

I write a lot about God’s closeness, his love, and his involvement in our lives.  If someone were to sum this all up into one word, perhaps God’s ‘intimacy’ would be most fitting.  But why focus on such things? Why direct so much of one’s attention to the theme of love when so many other important topics exist?

My answer: dominoes.  (And no, I don’t mean pizza).

I had a revelation several years ago while taking a shower.  I began thinking about many of the common attributes that give life to friendships, such as always talking with one another, not being ashamed or afraid to express one’s self or how one truly feels; there are many incredible factors that play in.  But in my pondering, I came to an inspiring and tear-filled discovery.  I realized that through our many talks, fun discussions, and my sheer enjoyment for spending time with Him, God had become my best friend. 

An incredible aspect to a friendship with God is that He so obviously highlights the gems and beautiful attributes that are within us.  As you take on life together, you not only discover more and more about whom He is, but He constantly reminds and teaches you about your own identity.  You were made in His image, after all.    

You may have noticed in your close friendships that the more time you spend around one another, the more your jokes, lifestyles, and even the way each of you think becomes increasingly similar.  Chances are that you did not befriend one another with these results in mind, but like dominoes, all it took was the initial flick and the repercussions expressed themselves through every other area of your life.  This gives reason to my ample exuberance towards God’s love and our intimacy with Him.  I am not here to guilt-trip you into living, looking, and walking more like Jesus; but rather, to draw you so closely into your Father’s arms, that the only plausible result will be a life transformed by a friendship with the Divine.       

We Are Children

After being lost by the equally unhelpful travel issues of our own directional ignorance and the three varying and incorrect directions that we received from locals for nearly an hour – James, Joey and I finally stumbled upon the local orphanage.

Joey and I had been introduced to this Christian orphanage during our last trip to El Salvador, and so seeing the beautiful faces of these children again was an opportunity that none of us were willing to pass up.  As we stepped in, the children’s affection was immediately shown through their hugs and the little hands that escorted us into the manager’s office.  Marie, the orphanage’s manager, invited us to help the children in carrying cement mix and bricks to the current construction project on the property.     

The strength of the children to carry bricks and heavy buckets impressed us all, and we made sure to compliment and affirm the children as we laughed and served side by side.  As lunch came along, we placed bowls of chicken soup at each table and then sat with the youngest of the children and spoon fed them their meals.  I created a game by asking each little girl that sat around me for their name; I would then include the name they gave in a one line Spanish song about how beautiful each child was.  Their bashful smiles and adorable giggles proved that they cared very little at my inability to sing in key.      

Being amongst the children caused my mind to wander to many inspiring places, as God was so obviously in the eyes and hearts of each child that we served.  Perhaps the most consistent thought that I pondered was in the relation between God and mankind.  We were all living as orphans once.  Children destitute and seeking the love and affection of The One who gave us life.  In the same way that a parentless child can lose sight of their identity, those that have not experienced the love of their Father never fully realize how important they are, and the full extent of who it is they were created to be.

These thoughts have rarely been far from my heart, as my sister Emma was adopted from China by my parents when she was only ten months old.  About a year ago, my father and I were at lunch and he began to tell me a side to Emma’s adoption story that I had never heard before.  “When Emma first saw us at the orphanage, while still in the hands of her caregivers, she was terrified of your mother and me because she had never seen anyone with our color of skin and hair.  But that night, we took her to our hotel and loved on her, played with her and hugged and kissed her all over! It didn’t take her long to warm up to us after that.  The next day, when we returned to the orphanage for the last of our paperwork, Emma’s previous caregivers offered to hold her while your mother and I took turns signing the large stacks of paper in front of us.  But as Emma was about to be placed into the arms of the people she had been raised by, she let out a scream I can only describe as petrified! I quickly pulled her back to myself.  I would never let my child experience that fear ever again! And so for the entirety of the paperwork, Heather and I passed Emma back and forth.”

This story confirmed a belief that I had carried for several years about our Father, God: that once we have encountered a love that is real, the thought of living in any other place than the heart of our Father no longer stands as an option.  It is in His affection that we recognize we were not made to be sustained by a system and grown in a world of living from need to need – we were born to be loved and fathered by a God who is abundant in giving and constantly enthralled by His children.