christian Not Christian

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…  The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Gospel of John 1:1-5, 9-11

The beginning of John’s gospel is so mesmerizing and deep that I can’t seem to get past the first 14 verses.  And I have been reading and contemplating them for weeks now. 

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” 

Andy Stanley does a beautiful job in his Christian series (episode 5) in explaining this and really fleshing it out. He says it’s like an artist who paints a picture. Then steps into that painting, but none of the people in the painting recognize that he is the painter. 

Enter JRR Tolkien

But I was thinking, even better, it would be like the writer of a screenplay, or a book that a movie is based on, stepping onto the production set of the movie and no one realizing who he is. Imagine this during the filming of some epic series like the Lord of the Rings:  The actors, directors, producers, lighting, sound, visual effects guys, etc. are all sitting around deeply immersed in this story, this fantasy. Really living  out the characters, imagining and tweaking  the scenery, the sound, the lighting, the dialogue…The backstory and the thought process that informs how the characters react, speak, emote. Their mannerisms, posture, movement, voice. Really, really getting into creating this whole  fantasy world.

 When who shows up, but JRR Tolkien, the writer of the original books that the movies are based on. I mean, awesome, right? There he is, the creator of this whole shebang. Responsible for all of it, and for everyone’s job, everyone involved, and  this whole project even existing…..

 And no one recognizes him. Or even believes him. They dismiss him, maybe as one of the executive producers trying to get too involved in the filmmaking process. Or maybe just some random dude with a lot of opinions and suggestions. Viggo Mortensen, one of the stars, has no idea Tolkien is uniquely responsible for writing the words he is saying, and creating the character he is embodying, or the setting, the mood…the entire fantasy he is portraying. When Tolkien tries to explain what his intentions were when he created this fantasy world, almost everyone on set  poo-poohs him. They run him off, they scoff. They ridicule and laugh.  “What does that old man know?”, they think. We know better, no one needs to tell us how to do this!

Jesus In Genesis?

 So it was with Jesus. He was there, in the beginning. At the creation of the world, the universe, the cosmos, and everything in it. It is no coincidence that John starts his Gospel with In the beginning, the same three words that start the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Through him all things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.   Read it again. This is a big statement. And what does “through him all things were made” even mean?  I don’t know, like, with his permission or guidance? Or with his direction….Or through his creative efforts or talents…Through his gifting? But would we say that the statue of David or the Sistine Chapel ceiling mural were made through Michelangelo? I think ‘made through’ connotes more than that. 
{On further thought, it seems that it may have to do with the power to create something out of nothing. No raw materials to work with}* 

Enter Jesus

Anyway, Jesus came, he saw, he taught,  he healed, he befriended sinners, he talked about loving God and loving each other,  he spoke philosophy,  spirituality and Truth. He explained repentance and salvation.

And many hated him for it.  They ran him off. Tried to kill him a number of times. Finally succeeded… When the time was right. When the time had come. Don’t be fooled. Judas wasn’t nearly as responsible for the death of Jesus as we like to think.  He played a part, sure. But God had a plan all along….In the beginning…

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for The Word, your Son Jesus. And thank you for The Word, the scriptures you give us that are all about him. So much shrouded in mystery, so much that we cannot comprehend this side of Eternity. But all part of a beautiful mystery to be revealed when we arrive. we love you and trust you, and so we believe, in faith, for the promise of salvation that you had in mind in the beginning.

 *On second further thought, after prayer walking through our woods… don’t we say we can do all things through Christ ? That means with his  power and his enabling and his inhabiting Presence in our Spirit. And isn’t it based on our trust in him? So maybe this all comes into play when we contemplate ‘through him all things were made’.
Please share your thoughts on this in the comments.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights… James 1:17

This verse has been following me around for the past week and I am so heartened by these words!

And I’m thinking every good and perfect gift…
I always thought that meant every gift from God is ‘good and perfect’ but what if it also means every good gift, and every perfect gift?

Thanking God For It All

Like,  of course as Christians, we are quick to thank God when something important and perfect happens; a healthy baby is born, a loved one comes out of a successful surgery, or survives a car accident, or we experience a financial windfall, or a dramatic rescue.  But maybe this Scripture is saying, no, not just that stuff. Not just the perfect stuff, the okay stuff too.

Good AND perfect;  baby takes a long nap when you need it most, you make it through all the green lights when you’re  running late, you prepare that expensive steak to the perfect degree of doneness, the boss compliments your work when you’re having a tough day…. Even the small things we think are too silly to thank God for – there he is. Making it all work out to please you, give you peace, take away your negative thoughts, change a bad day into a good one.

Whenever anything small happens that is good, all the way up to when something enormously miraculous happens that is perfect, it always  comes from above.

Putting It Into Practice

Every year as Lent begins I get a feeling of, I don’t know, insufficiency, lack of fulfillment, even agitation with the typical fasting from meat, and giving up things like chocolate or potato chips, or watching too much TV. It  seems to ring false, as the years go by, with the sameness of it all, and the lack of any real change happening.

So for Lent this year my friend and I have decided to embark on a gratitude practice. We’re going to try, to the best of our abilities, to write down three things that we are grateful for every day during Lent.

I have done something similar before and it is extremely rewarding. It’s especially fun to go back, when I’m having a bad day, and look at the different things I was grateful for. It really brings joy and peace  to my heart and mind.

Give It a Go

If you decide to try this gratitude practice, you’ll find that as  the days go by, you will likely run out of the big, important ‘perfect’ gifts to thank God for. But everything that you are grateful for doesn’t have to be some big, deep, spiritual thing. I have thanked God for hot running water and a working furnace, on occasion.

It’s okay to thank God for the practical stuff too. The stuff we sometimes take for granted; the ‘good’ stuff…  short line at the grocery store,   invigorating workout at the gym,  a delicious meal, a beautiful flower in bloom outside your window…  for all these things we can show gratitude to God.

Because ultimately, if you trace it back, God is always the source of everything good. So, on many days we could be thanking God constantly. The old me, the cynical me, would have said this is ridiculous! I can’t walk through my entire day thanking God for every tiny little thing!
But now I think …really? Can’t I?

Practicing God’s Presence

Brother Lawrence, a monk from the 1600s wrote a little booklet called Practicing the Presence of God. In it he outlines how, as a kitchen worker at his  monastery, he  practiced God’s presence thanking him and being aware of him every step of his day. Every dish that he would wash, every counter that he would clean, every plate that he would serve; he would recognize that God was in it, and he would thank him.

Mother Teresa also practiced gratitude and God’s presence every day. One anecdote I heard was that she asked for an orange. And her friend, knowing that she preferred bananas, said wouldn’t you rather have a banana? And Mother said no, with a banana I can only thank God once as I peel it. But with an orange I can thank him as I separate and eat each section.

Mother Teresa and Brother Lawrence really lived  and thought and centered their whole day and their whole life around God. I wish I could do that. I aspire to that! Not all of us are cut out for that level of devotion, but I think we can all make an effort to be more grateful. To see God in every small and big thing in our life. To thank him. To praise him. To strive to do his will. Because his will is always going to be what’s best for us, and for those around us.

Let’s Get Started!

So how will this Lenten gratitude practice work out? I don’t know. But I am hoping for more appreciation for all that God has given me. And more insight and motivation to do what God wants me to do for others, with all the good and perfect gifts he has given me.

I’m pretty sure at some point I will be thanking God for the likes of indoor plumbing and other 20th century conveniences. And that’s okay. Maybe God just wants us to remember and contemplate who is responsible for all the good things. And all the perfect things,  big and small.
Spoiler Alert: It’s Him.

Some Suggestions:

-Try thinking of three things to be grateful for when you first wake up in the morning.
-Use a dedicated notebook or journal. It will be a reminder each day.
-Mostly we want to thank God for the big things. Try including one small thing each day. Or use a formula of some sort. Like, one serious thing, one practical thing, one overlooked thing.
-Don’t repeat yourself. Make it three new things every day.
-Give yourself grace. If you miss a few days, don’t give up or try to catch up. Just keep going.

Here is one of my own entries:

–Thank you Lord for your very Presence. Your ‘ever present help in times of trouble.’ You are always there for me, anytime, anywhere, for anything.
-Thank you for abundantly available food of all varieties. And the ability to procure it.
-Thank you for melting snow…spring is just around the corner!

Please join me in this Lenten Gratitude journey and let me know in the comments what you are grateful for, whether it is big or small.

For more on gratitude check out this post.

Back in the last century there was a missionary named Mary Geegh. She was from Holland, Michigan and she served in India for nearly 40 years from the 1920s-1960s.

Mary wrote a wonderful little booklet called God Guides. It is a collection of short accounts of the goings-on in the village she was living, teaching and serving in.

Most importantly, she shares anecdotal accounts of relationships and changes in the people of the village as they begin to employ what Mary calls ‘listening prayer’. She learned this technique from D.L. Scudder, a missionary who traveled through her area and made remarkable headway helping the people of the village solve conflict and make life changing decisions.

One Small Step

Mary begins by telling the story of a fellow teacher at her school whom she doesn’t get along with. The woman has 10 children and is always taking time off work due to illness. Mary is resentful she is not carrying her weight.

So, she prays using this special listening prayer method. Which consists of taking your problem to God in prayer, waiting…being still, as long as it takes…then listening to what God has to say about it…Usually with a thought in your mind or a feeling or prompting in your heart about what to do. 

Then, most importantly, you are to obey what God is prompting you to do. Mary prefaces the story with her prayer to God that she will begin to employ this listening prayer, and promising him to obey whatever it is He puts in her mind and heart to do, to fix the problem.

A Chicken’s Sign

So one morning she asks for God to guide her in how to dissolve the critical feeling she has towards her colleague. She has an immediate thought come to her mind: “Take her a fresh egg.” 

Well, she is taken aback. She knows this is not a thought of her own, clearly. Then Mary wonders who in the world would give her that kind of idea?!  Like… maybe bringing her a dozen eggs would seem somewhat normal, but one egg?? I’ll just look crazy, she thinks. So, she blows it off and goes to work.

Now, the missionaries that serve her village all live in small homes that are completely open and accessible to the public. So, when she comes home for lunch, she is a little surprised, but not entirely shocked, to see a chicken in her armchair! As it flies down off the chair, clucking,  Mary notices a freshly laid egg in the chair! Oh no, she thinks. This has never happened  before (or since).

So of course she harkens back to God’s guidance to her that morning “Take her a fresh egg.” In her heart she says to God ‘She’ll laugh at me’. She feels his response ‘Results are not your business. You promised to be obedient.’

So she takes the egg to her colleague’s house and luckily, a young son is outside, so she gives it to him and says ‘Please take this to your mother.’ She hightails it out of there.

Later that day the colleague comes to Mary’s home and says ‘why did you bring me that egg? It was so fresh and delicious.’ Mary tells her it was God’s guidance. And she replies, ‘That is just like God! He knows I had nothing to eat all day; there wasn’t enough food today so I went without. I felt so nourished and strengthened after eating the egg. Thank you!

And from that one encounter, Mary’s bitterness dissolved toward her co-worker and she began a true friendship with her and her family. The entire family adopted the listening prayer method.

The Ripple Effect

After this, there’s a truly miraculous story about that same family’s  two-month-old son who gets pneumonia. You really have to read it.

And what ensues really changes the the entire family, especially the father and the teenage son. The son goes on into ministry changing many, many lives in the area and the father puts together a group of men who rely on listening prayer and who go from village to village repairing broken relationships and dissolving  conflict by uniting warring factions. All from this one small act of obedience by Mary Geegh. The fresh egg.

It was in the submitting to, and the trusting and obeying God and the doing of the small seemingly silly thing. The ‘why-on-Earth-would-you-want-me-to-do-that?” thing. If  you trust God and if you believe he has what’s best for you in mind, then when you sense that he’s asking you to do something…. you do it.

Where might one small step of obedience lead?

Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point church in Atlanta, Georgia likes to say ‘It’s the doing that makes the difference.’ I relate to this because I can say I trust God and believe and have faith, but the real test is…will I Do what God is asking? Or is my faith all just lip service?

A Fresh Egg Experience

I find myself asking God, what is my ‘fresh egg?’ Is there something you need me to do that seems small or weird or insignificant, that will expand and ripple out to actually make a difference in someone’s life?

It is an interesting thing to ask God for – a fresh egg experience. A little scary too. It might take me out of my comfort zone. I have heard it said that you don’t need to be talented or experienced to be used by God. God is not looking for ability, he is looking for availabilty.

It is also put this way: ‘God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called’.  He will equip you if you are willing to do the doing part. God knows what needs to be done, but he is not here on earth anymore to do it. So he put us here, his followers, to do the hands-on part.

Be willing to do the small things that may not seem to make sense, and leave the supervising, the planning,  the orchestrating to God. He is much better at it than we are.

Give It a Go!

I encourage you to give listening prayer a try. You can put your own spin on it, but here are some suggestions:

-start with prayers of gratitude and praise.
-take some time to be still and quiet. 
-tell God your problem, or ask your question.
-be still…wait…listen.
-write down whatever ideas, thoughts or promptings come to your mind or heart.
-do your best to be obedient to what you feel God is saying to you.

Then just do it!

This takes practice. Prayer should always be a two way street, but we are often not used to listening when we pray.  Don’t be discouraged if you’re not sure if you received God’s guidance the first few times you try this. 

Ask God to help you hear his voice.

I have a couple of Mary Geegh’s booklets. If you would like me to send you one, please feel free to message me.

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

Many Christians know this very comforting verse. It’s wonderful to meditate on; to think that we can have a stillness, and a peace, when we acknowledge the vastness of God’s power. And we acknowledge that He is God, and we are not. 

But recently I read Psalm 46 more thoroughly and found the surrounding verses so illuminating;

He lifts his voice, the Earth melts….
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; 
He burns the shield with fire.
He says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth.
The Lord Almighty is with us.
The God of Jacob is our fortress. 
-Psalm 46:6, 9-11

He lifts his voice, the Earth melts…He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
I just can’t get these phrases out of my head. 

Peaceful and Powerful

He lifts his voice, the Earth melts…?  Do we realize the power God has? If  I believe in God,  do I believe he is all-powerful…?
Then this phrase should not be a surprise. 

After all, God spoke worlds into existence. If he truly is an all powerful God, then of course, if he wants to, he can lift his voice and melt the Earth whether literally or figuratively.

This Psalm is often distilled down to Be still and know that I am God. And it is such a comfort to meditate on these words! For me, it has always been a beautiful, soft, quiet phrase that means we can take some deep breaths and focus on God and just relax and  know that he is with us.

And that is one way to look at it. We can be still and meditate on him, and in  his presence. We can enjoy that he is God and we are not, we can be at peace and leave everything up to him.

Now – after reading the surrounding verses – this well-loved verse takes on an even deeper meaning. And though it can be a statement of comfort and peace and solace,  we see that it is also a statement of power. The overwhelming, unbelievable, omnipotent nature of our God. It is no wonder that in the Bible when someone is in God’s presence they are awestruck, even frightened. Because the power that he wields is overwhelming. We can’t even imagine it.

Good and Great

But the beauty of our God is that even though he is great and all-powerful, he is also good. And this is why we are instructed to call him Father. He is like a good father to us. And that includes power that can be awe-inspiring or even frightening at times, along with an overwhelming sense of love and protection and care and concern for us. 

The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. 

God uses his infinite power not to frighten or punish us into submission, but to guide us, protect us and carry us when we are at our lowest point. Just as a good earthly father would. He is always with us.
It is good  that our God is Great. But it is even better that he is Good. Our Good Father holds nothing back.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Most of us are familiar with this verse from weddings. It’s biblical instruction on how we are to approach our marriage – all our relationships, really. It’s the goal anyway. I have heard it said we are to try putting our own name in there…Sherry is patient, Sherry is kind, etc., and see if any of it rings even close to the truth.  That would be to  see if, to others, we are viewed as patient, kind and all the rest. Another way, even a little more close to home and frightening to think about, is to just replace “Love” with the pronoun ‘I’.  

I am patient, I am kind….I am not easily angered, I keep no records of wrongs….
Go ahead, try it. Try saying it out loud. It brings this damningly close to home. I’d like to think  that other people think I am some of these things; kind, trusting, hopeful… but it’s another thing entirely to think, deep down, it is actually true; and to pronounce it out loud about myself.

I am patient, I am kind…hmmm, am I?  I do not envy, I do not boast…really, do I not? It is a self examination that makes you take a hard look at whether you are anywhere near the goals that are set for us in our relationships.

The Source of All Love

But on further consideration, I was prompted to replace “love” with, not myself, but with God. Because this is the truth of things.

We think of love as this almost magical, ethereal, esoteric  feeling that comes over us. And sometimes it comes and goes, we ‘fall’ in and out  of love, or sometimes we just stop loving someone.  But in reality God. Is love.  And all love IS God. God equals love.

 In other words, all love comes from God. He invented it, He is it, He owns it.  There is no separating the two. 

I heard it put this way… all the love you have ever experienced – given, received, felt, or observed – is all simply God himself.  God expressing and showing himself.  It is a hauntingly beautiful thought. When you feel love, that is God. When you see a new mother with her baby, that is God. When you sacrifice and give of yourself to someone you care about, that is God. When you forgive, that is God.

 So we can say: 

God is patient, God is kind…..God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs.
God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
God(’s love) never fails.  

Following His Example

And we can still strive to mimic God in these ways, strive to achieve the level of love that God has exemplified.  A daunting task, for sure.  But what better goal for a life?
A life here on earth, a mere 80-100 years… in the big scheme of things, a drop in the bucket of infinite time.

There Is something else after this life. 
If you think that’s even possible, and if anything Jesus said ever made any sense to you at all, it’s worth considering attempting to spend some time these mere years on earth preparing for whatever is next.  I can’t think of a better or more fulfilling way to do that, than to live in the love that God gave and God is. And the love that Jesus modeled while he was here on earth.

An afterthought: I was thinking of God AS love, and picturing a huge reservoir or ocean of love, and God as the total and only source and supply of all that love. And, that all love in the world is actually God; His Presence and His very Being. Expressed in So many ways. And that is why we can say “God is with us” or “God is everywhere”.  Because everywhere there is an opportunity to feel or show or give or experience or observe love, there God is. Because He is the sole provider, He invented it. God IS Love. And He never leaves us, but he leaves us with a choice, and the ability, in every circumstance to respond in love.

When you have a minute, take a listen to this beautiful reflection on Christian love.

Just thinking about how some of us wake up everyday in some kind of pain. Maybe it’s physical pain or perhaps it’s the pain of disappointment, anxiety, regret, or grief. Whether it’s emotional, physical or spiritual, pain is pain. And when it lingers day after day, it becomes a monstrous drag.  Then the thought occurred to me: what if we just didn’t? 

 What if, instead of waking up in pain every day, I woke up instead in Christ? What exactly does this mean? Being in Christ is being secure in the knowledge of who Christ is, and in everything he offers to you.  We can choose to wake up in his comfort and his peace. How about deciding to wake up in hope, in trust, in healing? 

Focus on Gratitude

Am I saying we can just wish away physical pain, fear, grief, or loneliness? No. Certainly not. Circumstances are what they are, and we are sometimes powerless to change them. But perhaps attempting to shift our focus can lift the burden a tiny bit. Maybe zeroing in on something good, can give us a brief respite from our troubles and help us to see that there could be  – maybe – a tiny flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. A remote possibility that things could get better; finding a way out, perhaps. 

Where could this day go if I woke up in optimistic faith, belief and acceptance… of God’s good plan for this moment, and for my life? What would change…? I can focus on all the good things that I have been given – apart from my current difficulty, but maybe, even, in some ways because of it… Finding blessings in the adversity.

Now, I am big on gratitude, and so very thankful for all that I have. But do I focus on being thankful all day? Am I letting God’s blessings in my life be the predominant motivation for my daily thoughts, words, actions, attitude? I think I could use some work in this area. 

Switching Gears

Maybe you are waking up in fear because of your finances, or in anxiety over a loved one’s health. Maybe you are waking up in physical or emotional pain, or in guilt or shame over something you’ve done. Perhaps you are waking up in confusion over some big decision you need to make. Maybe it is sadness or grief you are waking up in, from a loss of some sort – a job… a relationship…. a loved one… your confidence… maybe it is a complete loss of hope.

 Can we choose instead to wake up and remain in Christ? In his comfort, his guidance, his protection, his wisdom? I know, I know – easier said than done. But, maybe it’s worth a try. It may sound idealistic,  like okay I’m just supposed to pretend I don’t have problems? Just ‘will away’ the loss, confusion, depression, anxiety…? Well, no. Not exactly. But if you are a Christ follower, you have  someone on your side. And that goes a long way towards overcoming the difficult times in our lives.

When Jesus said Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest… he meant it.  This is not just a cool Bible verse to quote. It’s a fundamental truth.

Accept His Invitation

If you truly and sincerely trust God and give your burdens over into his care, you will be amazed at the results. There is a flooding of peace in your heart that is a relief like no other. I am feeling it as I write these words and I know it to be true. True for All who come to him with an open heart and mind. 

Things to Try:

• Begin and end your day with gratitude. For something. 
• Read the book of Philippians, especially 4:4-13
• Check out Galatians 5:22 about the Fruits of the Spirit, these are traits that, as believers, we possess the ability to develop.
• Pray. Ask. Trust. Let God share your burden, and give you the ability to change how you view your circumstance.

What are you waking up in? And if it’s not what God would want for you, are you tired of it yet?

Might be time for a change.

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28 & 30

Christmas Week Musings….

…Praying this morning in the wee hours – Lord, I have a big day of preparation ahead, how can I live today for you and still get everything done?  I want to focus on the meaning of this upcoming Holy Day, but also accomplish what needs doing for this celebration. The words that came to my mind were ‘Give it to God, honor Him with everything.’

I think the point is to prayerfully honor God and live from Him, through Him, with Him and for Him; in everything we do. 

…….I thought this year would be the year we could focus more on the real meaning of Christmas. And it is, in some ways. Without as many guests expected, paring things down a bit, I have had more time for reflection. But the last minute press of chaos is here, we are in the home stretch. How can we return our focus to the whole point of Christmas when there are so many details to attend to? 

Lord …how to do this? I don’t think God wants us to stop participating in the events of life and just  focus on Him, but there is a balance and there is a Grace for including and integrating God into all we do. It’s easy to forget, but God is with us in the huge events and in the tiny moments. The holy and the mundane. 

We sense him more in our pinnacle moments; Graduation Day, going on a retreat, climbing Mount Everest, the birth of a child, our Wedding Day… But he is no less present when you are sweeping the floor, shoveling the snow, planning your Christmas menu, studying for a test, changing yet another diaper. 

The holy and the mundane – they are often one and the same. To God, every moment is holy and really if you think about it, every moment is mundane too. Compared to the glory that awaits us. 

….The arrival of a baby is never mundane. It’s always a miracle. But it is an everyday occurrence. Hundreds of thousands of times a day, all over the planet, this everyday miracle takes place. But just like so many other things that we get used to, we sometimes take it for granted, maybe don’t see it as the miracle it is. 

Just as the Israelites did 2000 years ago. They needed saving and expected a Messiah to ride in on a white horse with a commanding presence, with power, strength and authority. Little did they know, their Savior would come in the tiny, miraculous package of an infant. No one expected our Lord to come into this world in the usual, ordinary way. 

No one saw Jesus coming. He came as a baby; a startling, vulnerable, inauspicious entry into this world for the King of kings. Who would have ever guessed…?

This Christmas, as we celebrate with  abbreviated, truncated versions of our parties and families, I hope we can all slow down the pace of things; Savor the small moments – which are really what the memories we cherish are made of. And I hope, in doing so, we can experience a little bit more fully the love and the joy and the hope that 2000 years ago, a little baby came to bring us.

Merry Christmas!

I am looking at my absentee ballot with indecision and not a small amount of  nausea. I am one of the very few undecideds at this late point. I guess it’s because I don’t see a clear path to unity with either of these candidates.  I don’t see a good or peaceful outcome no matter which way this goes. It is no longer about trying to figure out who the  “better” candidate is, for me. I don’t have a lot of faith that  either can unify us. It’s not even about picking the “better” party, which is usually a good voting strategy.

It’s about who can stop the hate and the violence, the social unrest and the out of control news media, and the social media….. all spewing anger and negativity. It’s about who can stop the hate from  the politicians, the pundits, the media, the populace.

Ben Franklin said…This Republic is yours if you can keep it. And sadly, I’m not sure either of these candidate can help us do that.

 Because it is not either of their fault,  it is not in their control to fix. 

Let’s Do Our Part

It is ours to fix. Our decision to embrace civility and respect for each other. Our decision to listen, to love, to hear one another. To not always be on the attack. And not always be on the defense, either. Sometimes, we just have to be okay with disagreeing. It is not the end of the world. But for many, it is the end of a friendship or familial relationship. 

It’s our decision not to take as fact  every word  the media spits out with their bottom line always the impetus. 

We listen to the crazy or unsubstantiated things said on TV or the internet  or wherever we get our ‘news’ and we think these things are true, never considering the motivation for saying them. It’s easy to forget that each media outlet is a business, and so the primary motivation is always going to be the bottom line.
And conflict sells.

Let’s face it, it’s fun to watch people you agree with talk about current events and politics and root for the side you are on. It’s actually more like entertainment, though, not  true, factual, unslanted news. We get our daily doses of this ‘infotainment’  in all its forms…newspapers, websites, TV news, podcasts, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest, then we walk around all day with our heads filled with combative words and unsettling thoughts and we wonder why we feel agitated, hopeless, depressed.

This is the first time I was actually considering not voting. It seems so pointless, when we know there will be an uproar no matter what the results are.  I don’t want to be a part of all the ugliness. I can’t imagine things getting better. No matter who wins.

Our Civic and Spiritual Duty

But, my conscience insists I must vote. Hold my nose and vote for one of two extremely flawed candidates? Vote 3rd party?  Write in? I’ll do one of the above, I guess. But it will not be a vote of confidence. I heard one man say “I’m not a Republican or a Democrat I’m a Christ-ocrat. He is the one in charge.”  I love that! Sure wish He was on the ballot. I think hearing that  gives me some direction, though. It occurred to me recently, that just like everything else we do, we can vote prayerfully. We can consult God and our conscience, which is informed by the Holy Spirit if you are a Christian.

My husband also pointed out, if you are a Christian, then you don’t need to worry. We will be okay either way if our trust is in Him.

This is a comfort for sure. We are in the throes of yet another election year, and it’s easy to get caught up in all the nuttiness. But it is a little like playing a game of chess with a chess master. You can make all these clever little moves, pawn here, rook there, protect your queen….but, ultimately, the master is probably going to win. He can counteract any move you make because he is trained to think 4,5 or 6 moves ahead.

Not unlike God with our world. He is already on the other side of this election. He is working hundreds of moves ahead of us. He is ultimately, like the chess master, in control of the game. We definitely need to play our part, make wise decisions, tend to our civic responsibilities and follow God’s lead.

It’s All About Perspective

We can make things much easier on ourselves if we listen and obey Him. And we are definitely responsible for doing the right thing. Which in this case is…voting. Prayerfully, considering all factors; intelligently…making an informed, not an emotional decision. If you are a Christian and still undecided, put it before God. This is what I plan to do.

Respect the process, respect the results, respect the office of the presidency, no matter who gets in. 

And honestly…zoom out. If you look at the big picture, the Really Big Picture, this election is very small potatoes. On a grand and eternal perspective. For the time that you have left on this earth, which is no more than about 50-60  years for anyone reading this, this election is a blip on the radar, and we really need to be focusing on bigger and more important things.

Like what? Like honoring God’s greatest commandments; Love God and love one another… by treating each other well, helping those in need, using our strengths and talents to make the world a better place for someone else. For more thoughts on this click here Out of the Shallows – Love One Another and here What’s Your Covid-19 Story.

Christian, Are You Up For the Challenge?

So, what happens November 4th? Well, it’s up to us.

Three suggestions from the pages of Scripture:
1) As Christians we are called to not worry about anything, but to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6).
2) We are called to make every effort to live in peace with others ( Romans 12:18).
3) We are called to listen more than we talk, and to be slow to anger (James 1:19).

We have our work cut out for us, to be sure. But think of the benefits to society if every follower of Jesus tried to do these three things. A worthy goal.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
-Paul, in Romans 12:18