Distraction

There once was a time I thought going to Sunday School and church Sunday mornings was all the training, growing, and informing I needed as a Christian.  Then about eight years or so ago I realized that, no, I should have a personal, private relationship with Christ, after all, He is my personal savior and friend.  Since then I have attempted to establish a structured, nearly daily Bible/prayer time.  My more successful spurts have ranged anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.  However, I find myself fading away from these times of study, contemplation, and simply resting in the Lord's presence until weeks (or months) have passed since I have opened my Bible for any reason other than Sunday morning Bible class or had anything much of a prayer life.  When I realize this, I am then overwhelmed with a hunger and urge to immerse myself in Scripture.  I set out with the best intentions.  I sit down with my huge NKJV Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, take a deep breath, look down at the cover of the tome in my lap, and am stumped.  Now what?  There are a lot of things I want to know, but where do I start?  What is right for today?  Should I read in the Old Testament or New?  A reading from the Gospels?  Or should I read something historical?  Or from a book by one of the prophets?  Or should I go to the epistles?  Maybe I should get a Bible study program so I know what to follow.  Bible in a year?  No, I've tried that.  Character study?  Maybe.  Beth Moore?  I heard her David one is really good.  Psalm and Proverb of the day?  There are more books in the Bible, though.  Hmm...I guess I'll just open to a random page and start halfheartedly reading... (which can actually be a really good strategy, I've discovered.  Well, not the halfhearted part, of course).

My wanting a program to follow in almost all areas of my life is problematic.  I want to be able to measure my "progress."  Did I read enough today?  Do I comprehend or at least remember something from what I read?  Am I dedicated enough?  I know no program can measure my spiritual growth.  I know it doesn't matter if I read Psalm 21 on the 25th (Wait! If I had been following that program, I could have been blessed by this four days sooner!).  Also, a program makes it far easier for me to not have to do the dreaded thing of making a decision about what to read.  Someone else has already decided for you!  Because I know these things about myself, I've decided not to follow a program at this time. There are some I am really interested in doing at some point, but I need to take charge of my own growth for a little while.  The program I am going to follow is to read about something on my heart. It sounds simple enough.  I think I can master that.  It is not as though I am going to run out of thoughts!  But, if I do, I know I can turn to a Psalm, a Proverb, or an account about Jesus and go from there.  

I pray to be spiritually full, but always hungry for more.

Breaking the Label (or should I say "Judgement") Machine

Recently I had this realization: I often find myself writing people off as damaged goods.  I look at their imperfections and surmise they will never "fit" in the Christian realm as anything more than a pew warmer and that I should remember them in prayer.  It is almost as though I write them off and do not encourage/challenge them to improve.  Even if God has helped a person leave his sins in the past, I tend to retain that "label" for him and discount any God-given abilities.  Quite frankly, I am limiting God's ability to save people from their sins and restore them to the lives He intended for them.  If I do not believe they are, or can be, a new creation, I really wonder why I bother praying for people with recurring sins in the first place!  If I exclude someone from an activity or do not offer him an activity simply because he is labelled "sinner," I have a lot more editing to do.  In fact, if the credentials are that of a non-sinner, no one would stand!  Christ redeems people and wipes away our sins when we repent and trust in Him.  So, if someone has truly repented, those sins no longer exist, and I certainly shouldn't limit or eliminate what God had done with my skewed perception.

Bottom Line:
God didn't intend for people to be flawed.  He did not create adulterers, liars, thieves, etc.  Sin corrupted.  Satan took his hold on God's perfect creation.

God created gifted people.  In Christ, our sins are absolved and our souls perfected.  We need to see people as God intended them to be and help direct and encourage them in fulfilling that purpose.  Not write them off as being "defective" because they have, or have had, "problems."

I am praying God will continue opening my eyes to situations in which I am doing this and that He will help me see people as He intended them to be seen.

(Oh, and from this post onward, I am going to restart being politically incorrect and use male pronouns when referring to a person of the human race unless he is already identified as female. Obviously I will not later refer to "Sue" as a "he" unless, of course, Johnny Cash is singing.)

Unto the Lord

‘Then it happened, as [Moses and Elijah] were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. ³⁵And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ³⁶ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.’  

Luke 9:33-36

   Friday at Ab Initio, Beth Bentley taught us a Bible study method using Luke 9:28-36 and having us work along with her.  Since then, I have been thinking about the portion of this passage when Peter speaks, particularly the portion after “Master, it is good for us to be here.”  I have gone through several interpretations of what “not knowing what he said” might mean, but one idea has remained prominent in my mind.  Peter seemed to focus upon earthly needs instead of seeing the heavenly things happening around him.   He focused on wanting to provide shelter for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah instead of hearing the discussion of Jesus’ death and the salvation that would entail. 

  
   I think this stuck with me because I know I am frequently guilty of the same thing.  I often format my work to please whoever my immediate earthly authority is instead of looking at the bigger picture.  Even while doing this practice exercise on Friday, I kept stopping my thoughts because I wanted to make sure I was getting the type of answers Beth would want.  Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to please people, but I definitely should have been willing to share the answers I felt God was providing rather than thinking, “Oh, this cannot be what she wants.”  Once I realized I was doing this instead of focusing on what God was trying to reveal, I resolved to apply this interpretation immediately.  I’m working to be more aware of realizing who the real authority in a situation is.  Learning to focus on the heavenly will also help with having a better attitude.   If I look to see what the long-term is and look to see what God is doing, the difficult or annoying situations won’t be as frustrating. 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” 

Colossians 3:23

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” 

Psalm 118:8   

Will Look to Help

I saw something thought-provoking on my way to lunch.  On one corner of the driveway, a crude sign proclaiming, "Homeless: Will Work for Food." On the other side, a Salvation Army Christmas kettle.  I began to wonder.  To whom are more people going to give?  Would they give directly to the unfortunate? Or would they give to the organization that gives to the unfortunate?

I'm inclined to think people would be more willing to give to the organization.  Perhaps they fear the holder of the sign could be scamming or would use the money to support unseemly habits.  Perhaps they think the little cash they have with them would not be enough to assist the sign holder and feel guilty about not being able to do more.  Or, perhaps, donating to an organization makes it less personal--makes it so they do not have to see those suffering from the problem.  Maybe we are helping the unseen people, trying to defeat the unseen enemy of poverty instead of reaching out to help people on our own.

Now, there is nothing wrong with donating to The Salvation Army (or other organizations).  For the most part, they (and many other groups) seem worthy.  However, this scenario challenged me to open my eyes and see ways to help those around me directly instead of only delegating assistance to other people or organizations.  I ought to be more active in assisting people in addition to placing some change in the red kettle--whether it is helping someone pick up the papers he or she dropped on the floor, offering a sympathetic ear, or considering giving food or money to someone who needs it.

Obviously!

I caught myself having this thought process while watching a segment of Focus on the Family's Truth Project.  The group of people "from the street" who have been asked questions were discussing their histories, and I felt myself rationalizing their situations in an almost judgmental way.  I was convicted, so I began a journal entry which ended up turning into an essay of sorts to share here.

Obviously!

Analyzing away the Effects

One can analyze a situation and rationalize it away.  However, this doesn’t change the fact people were and are emotionally affected by it.

Too often I find myself doing this.  Saying “Well, of course that happened!  What did you/he/she/they expect?!”  I decide the effect—result—of this scenario is something those involved should have anticipated.  Obviously this would happen!  Most people, however, do not go into situations expecting a bad result, and any number of clichéd phrases could be said in reprimand of my incredulity: “you don’t know their circumstances,” “Hindsight is 20/20,” etc.  But, these statements, however applicable, do not really address the point: these people are feeling, suffering, affected by their situation. 

The same applies to an “Oh, I never would have guessed that! You mean to say…” regard for the reasons a person is the way he or she is—that these effects had a cause.  Unfortunately, my sarcasm about an apparently obvious realization of events does not help the facts.  A person is suffering.  He needs help, not dismissal for being “obvious.”  The obvious nature of a situation doesn’t change the reality.  I need to keep a godly perspective of those around me.  I need to see people as a heart and soul, not some physical machine in a natural world.

However obvious the situation seems, the person(s) involved ultimately need understanding, sympathy, and love.  Do some of them need to have the error of their ways made known to them?  Yes.  Do I need to be the one to point this out to them?  Perhaps, but it definitely does not follow that such a revelation ought to be made in a harsh, judgmental way.  My ultimate responsibility is not to judge—it is never to judge—but rather to be available to address the needs of a person.

Rationalization or a sarcastic “no, really” response doesn’t eliminate the affect on those involved in a situation.  No matter how analytical or rational a situation seems, people still feel emotional ramifications.  When people are hurt, they need to receive sympathy, not ridicule.