Throughout today, I have been reflecting on the things that make my life so worthwhile - the things that I am grateful for. As we prepared and sat down to the meal of the year, the list grew and grew. I was astounded at the things that I often take for granted, the things that spring to mind the one day of the year that forces recall. So here is a list of things, both trivial and the opposite, that I am especially grateful for (in no particular order).
1. I love my bedroom. I think it is absolutely fantastic, from the furniture set that fulfills all of my little girl fantasies (it includes a vanity) to the handmade blanket and chair/table coverings to the photos hanging on the wall of my favorite place on earth. I wish I could spend more time here.
2. My family is fantastic. I have been blessed with Godly parents who are so concerned about my well-being and provision, a brother and sisters who are smart and witty and fun to be with, that I can depend on and trust, and a beautiful black lab that lives to make his owners happy. In addition to this, I have the most wonderful extended family - grandparents that love and care for me, who encourage me to grow and always support me, aunts and uncles who have watched me grow up and continue to be interested and encouraging in my life, cousins who are just absolutely fabulous, and in-laws that make life interesting.
3. Christmas movies are the bomb. Right now we are watching Miracle on 34th Street. How fantastic. I'm hoping to convince my sisters to watch Muppet Christmas Carol next.
4. Books are quite important to me. I am crazy in love with reading, a love affair that begun when I learned to read. From Little Women and The Chronicles of Narnia to Blue Like Jazz and a little Virgina Woolf, I just love them all. Oh, and Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew books are especially incredible.
5. Education. Oh my goodness, how I treasure this blessing. So much of our lives revolve around literacy and our ability to grasp concepts that education is absolutely a must. Add to that the opportunity to study at an institution so devoted to the heart of God and I am hooked.
6. Fantastic friends are essential. I have the most amazing friends in the world and I am grateful for them daily. I am just absolutely, absolutely, absolutely lost without their support and encouragement and all of the wonderful memories that we share. This year has brought so many new faces into this group, and I am so thankful for that.
7. West Central Christian Service Camp will always have a place especially close to my heart. This camp has meant so much to me, and so much of my growth occurred there. It is a place that prepares my heart to encounter God in a way that no other place has quite captured. I love the camp managers and the nurse and the campers and the faculty, even on the bad days.
8. I am so thankful for our security in Christ Jesus. I am grateful that God created us, that He treasures us, that He redeemed us, that Christ endured the cross, that the Holy Spirit continues to work in us, that the Spirit and Christ are interceding for us, and that there is nothing that can separate us from all that. Especially as I have been studying Romans 8:26-39, I am increasingly impressed by that fact. I marvel daily at all of this, and I praise God that I can't ever quite wrap my head around this, yet it doesn't change any of that.
9. Uh, technology. Holy cow is it amazing. From the laptop that I am typing this on to the lighting system that consumed most of my break, it is astonishing what we are able to do these days - especially skype!
10. Good food, especially around the Holiday season, makes my heart sing. I love mashed potatoes, turkey, bread, stuffed peppers, sweet potato souffle, green bean casserole, ice cream, pie, cake...and I could go on and on. I love the food that we can enjoy and prepare family-style, and I love learning to make all of this.
11. All of the ways that God has grown me in the past few years and His continued work in my life makes me so excited for the future.
12. Prayer is so great. I love having a means with which to communicate with my God.
13. I love me some real great music. From John Mayer to the Veggietales Christmas album, from Hillsong to Frank Sintra, what a blessing music is!
14.I am so excited to meet my new baby nephew in January, whose name I found out just days ago!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thankfulness and Christmas
One week from today, Americans across all 50 states will sit down to a meal that is looked forward to all year long. Turkeys that are cooked to perfection will grace tables already overflowing with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Families will be reunited and the meal will conclude in front of the TV - watching football - or in a room close by - playing board games.
All of these traditions are near and dear to my heart. Even describing them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. These are things I'm grateful for, even though I rarely articulate it. I think that we, as Americans, feel that we are blessed. We know that we have much to enjoy and be thankful for, but we often fall into the trap of taking these things for granted. Sometimes I feel like it is impossible to choose one thing to be grateful for on 'Thankful Thursdays' (a tradition in our cafeteria - Thursday at lunch, before the employee swipes your card you have to list one thing you are thankful for). I find myself caught off guard and suddenly overwhelmed by all that I could say, to the point that I draw a blank. I don't think it's just me that feels this way.
But, especially as Christian, I have so much to be thankful for. Even though it is cliche, my number one thing is the death - the resurrection - of Christ. I have just finished a project examining Romans 8:26-39 and one of the sources that I consulted emphasized that the death of Christ is God's greatest gift to us. In the passage, it talks about how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us so that we can pray for the things that we ought to, and how God promises that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Without getting too caught up in the exegesis, I'd like to point out a couple things. First, those who love God is the qualifier for the "good," which is the end glorification of God and restoration to perfection. It is bigger than the one Christian, although God promises elsewhere things that do apply to the individual Christian's life. Second, those who love God and are called according to His purpose are those that serve Him and have been invited to share in the purpose - His glorification and the restoration of all things. The passage goes on to say that we have been chosen, that God knew before time who would choose to serve Him, and that we have been justified - made right with God through Christ - and will be conformed to the Image of Christ and glorified with Him.
The next part is what I have been turning over in my head, though. It talks about how no one can accuse the one that God has justified, and that the believer can be assured that there is no condemnation because, if God allowed Christ to suffer the full extent of His wrath (which has been discussed in the preceding chapters) and that He did not spare Him (which would have lessened His victory) we are secure in His love. Paul goes on to elaborate that there is absolutely nothing that can change that - the love of God in Christ Jesus conquers all things, and no force can overcome it.
In light of all this, this year's holiday season has me thinking about the marvelous gift of God - not that He called us, or that He loves us, or that He will glorify us, or that He works all things together for our good. The marvelous gift is that He did not spare any of His wrath from Jesus, that Jesus endured it, and that He rose from the dead. That is where we find salvation and security! So in light of this marvelous gift, which what I am most thankful for, I have to ask what my response should be.
One form that this pondering has taken lately stems from a question my Dad asked in some Christmas service in the past couple of years. He proposed the question: What would you give Jesus for Christmas? As I toss around this question in my mind, I cannot hit on the thing that I would like to do for Christ - not because I want to deserve the gift He gave me, but out of response to it. I've asked several people and I am not yet satisfied. In my mind, there are no restrictions on this gift, except that it must be broad (good for all people, not just one group), and it cannot be for the salvation of others - it is purely hypothetical. Some of the responses my Dad proposed were:
- a concentrated effort by the North American church to end world hunger
- increased Biblical literacy
- a great revival and increased evangelism
- an election that focused on real issues
- an end to the war in the middle east
- an end to the idolizing of self-ish and spoiled young ladies
Those are all great goals. They are all remedies for things that pain God. But I wonder what the most effective change would be. I keep coming back to Jesus. I feel like few people -few Christians - know the real Jesus and are serving Him. Too many people have been hurt by "Christians" and too much mud has been slung on the Christian name. Perhaps if Christians lived as they ought, it'd be a different story? Perhaps if they knew the God they were serving, it would change. For some reason I still am unsettled. Although hypothetical, I can't shake this question.
So I guess my proposition is this: If you could give Jesus any present this Christmas - not just material, but anything at all (minus the salvation of others), what would you give Him, in light of His sacrifice?
All of these traditions are near and dear to my heart. Even describing them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. These are things I'm grateful for, even though I rarely articulate it. I think that we, as Americans, feel that we are blessed. We know that we have much to enjoy and be thankful for, but we often fall into the trap of taking these things for granted. Sometimes I feel like it is impossible to choose one thing to be grateful for on 'Thankful Thursdays' (a tradition in our cafeteria - Thursday at lunch, before the employee swipes your card you have to list one thing you are thankful for). I find myself caught off guard and suddenly overwhelmed by all that I could say, to the point that I draw a blank. I don't think it's just me that feels this way.
But, especially as Christian, I have so much to be thankful for. Even though it is cliche, my number one thing is the death - the resurrection - of Christ. I have just finished a project examining Romans 8:26-39 and one of the sources that I consulted emphasized that the death of Christ is God's greatest gift to us. In the passage, it talks about how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us so that we can pray for the things that we ought to, and how God promises that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Without getting too caught up in the exegesis, I'd like to point out a couple things. First, those who love God is the qualifier for the "good," which is the end glorification of God and restoration to perfection. It is bigger than the one Christian, although God promises elsewhere things that do apply to the individual Christian's life. Second, those who love God and are called according to His purpose are those that serve Him and have been invited to share in the purpose - His glorification and the restoration of all things. The passage goes on to say that we have been chosen, that God knew before time who would choose to serve Him, and that we have been justified - made right with God through Christ - and will be conformed to the Image of Christ and glorified with Him.
The next part is what I have been turning over in my head, though. It talks about how no one can accuse the one that God has justified, and that the believer can be assured that there is no condemnation because, if God allowed Christ to suffer the full extent of His wrath (which has been discussed in the preceding chapters) and that He did not spare Him (which would have lessened His victory) we are secure in His love. Paul goes on to elaborate that there is absolutely nothing that can change that - the love of God in Christ Jesus conquers all things, and no force can overcome it.
In light of all this, this year's holiday season has me thinking about the marvelous gift of God - not that He called us, or that He loves us, or that He will glorify us, or that He works all things together for our good. The marvelous gift is that He did not spare any of His wrath from Jesus, that Jesus endured it, and that He rose from the dead. That is where we find salvation and security! So in light of this marvelous gift, which what I am most thankful for, I have to ask what my response should be.
One form that this pondering has taken lately stems from a question my Dad asked in some Christmas service in the past couple of years. He proposed the question: What would you give Jesus for Christmas? As I toss around this question in my mind, I cannot hit on the thing that I would like to do for Christ - not because I want to deserve the gift He gave me, but out of response to it. I've asked several people and I am not yet satisfied. In my mind, there are no restrictions on this gift, except that it must be broad (good for all people, not just one group), and it cannot be for the salvation of others - it is purely hypothetical. Some of the responses my Dad proposed were:
- a concentrated effort by the North American church to end world hunger
- increased Biblical literacy
- a great revival and increased evangelism
- an election that focused on real issues
- an end to the war in the middle east
- an end to the idolizing of self-ish and spoiled young ladies
Those are all great goals. They are all remedies for things that pain God. But I wonder what the most effective change would be. I keep coming back to Jesus. I feel like few people -few Christians - know the real Jesus and are serving Him. Too many people have been hurt by "Christians" and too much mud has been slung on the Christian name. Perhaps if Christians lived as they ought, it'd be a different story? Perhaps if they knew the God they were serving, it would change. For some reason I still am unsettled. Although hypothetical, I can't shake this question.
So I guess my proposition is this: If you could give Jesus any present this Christmas - not just material, but anything at all (minus the salvation of others), what would you give Him, in light of His sacrifice?
Monday, November 8, 2010
On Doubt
I've felt like I have been running non-stop for the past few days, weeks, months. I look at my calender and see no end in sight, yet I can't remember the beginning of this busy season either. Honestly, I hate it. I just keep reminding myself that this is a season, that it will pass, that I am where I need to be. And it actually does help. Especially because God is CONSTANTLY affirming all of these things. It just sucks some days.
When I was younger, I assumed that I thrived on a busy schedule. After all, I enjoyed being involved, committed, essential. But the older I get, the more that I notice that it is Sabbath that brings me the greatest joy. I love to have time to reflect, to rest, to revitalize. To some extent, I try to do that nightly. But I always end up falling asleep. So tonight I thought that I would try something new.
I feel like Christ has done so much in me. I am in a place where I am constantly learning and being challenged - I love it. I find myself becoming more open to things that made me uncomfortable, more steadfast in my view of God, and more impressed by the character of the Trinity. I find myself sifting through sin and evaluating the doctrines that I've been taught, all in light of Scripture. I even find myself seeing more and more hurt in the world, more that makes me want to scream, "THIS ISN'T HOW IT SHOULD BE!"
Tonight I worked at New York and Co for the first time in about a week. Every time I go in, a part of me in made uncomfortable by the amount of money women who come in end up dropping. On one level, it is justifiable. The clothes are good and necessary. But some customers go all out, to extremes that seem ridiculous and laughable. I mean, honestly I want to say to some ladies, do you really need a $55 blazer? Or a $30 shirt? They're just clothes. But when I get to talk to people, I always find myself wanting to help and love more. I talked to a lady tonight who had faced a real tough season in the past few years. I almost cried listening to her. These encounters make the job worth it. I watched as the pain etched itself across her face, drawing pools of water from her bright blue eyes, and listened to her tale of health failure, job loss, debt, and death. It reminded me of when Katie and I met the woman in walmart last year.
And despite the fact that I should be studying, that conversation replies itself over and over again in my head. I remember few of the exact words or phrases mentioned, it is the look, the hurt, the desire for God that sticks with me. What can I do? My heart aches, but I don't know her name. I pray that God eases her pain, that he continue to work in her life to show her reason. But how can I answer for him and his timing? I pray that she find peace and rest in his divine wisdom, but she seemed to be under the impression that any sort of questioning him was a big no-no.
I think the church has for too long espoused the narrow-minded and faulty doctrine that doubt=unbelief. Doubt is natural. It is healthy. We were created with minds so that we could use them, and at times this world hardly looks like the work of a loving, sovereign God. We hurt. We experience stuff that we weren't made to experience. There is wickedness and evil. A doubt is not going to force God into a box. We have to stop being afraid to express them, and start embracing them. To stop shoving them in the back of the closet until the force their way out, and start combating them. Finding satisfactory answers. Otherwise faith ends up being lost, being rejected.
Admittedly, not every doubt has its precise answers. We have a faith of beautiful mystery. There are things of which we cannot know. However most of the time we can learn enough to reasonably believe. After all, if there were an answer to everything, that would not be faith. It'd be fact.
When I was younger, I assumed that I thrived on a busy schedule. After all, I enjoyed being involved, committed, essential. But the older I get, the more that I notice that it is Sabbath that brings me the greatest joy. I love to have time to reflect, to rest, to revitalize. To some extent, I try to do that nightly. But I always end up falling asleep. So tonight I thought that I would try something new.
I feel like Christ has done so much in me. I am in a place where I am constantly learning and being challenged - I love it. I find myself becoming more open to things that made me uncomfortable, more steadfast in my view of God, and more impressed by the character of the Trinity. I find myself sifting through sin and evaluating the doctrines that I've been taught, all in light of Scripture. I even find myself seeing more and more hurt in the world, more that makes me want to scream, "THIS ISN'T HOW IT SHOULD BE!"
Tonight I worked at New York and Co for the first time in about a week. Every time I go in, a part of me in made uncomfortable by the amount of money women who come in end up dropping. On one level, it is justifiable. The clothes are good and necessary. But some customers go all out, to extremes that seem ridiculous and laughable. I mean, honestly I want to say to some ladies, do you really need a $55 blazer? Or a $30 shirt? They're just clothes. But when I get to talk to people, I always find myself wanting to help and love more. I talked to a lady tonight who had faced a real tough season in the past few years. I almost cried listening to her. These encounters make the job worth it. I watched as the pain etched itself across her face, drawing pools of water from her bright blue eyes, and listened to her tale of health failure, job loss, debt, and death. It reminded me of when Katie and I met the woman in walmart last year.
And despite the fact that I should be studying, that conversation replies itself over and over again in my head. I remember few of the exact words or phrases mentioned, it is the look, the hurt, the desire for God that sticks with me. What can I do? My heart aches, but I don't know her name. I pray that God eases her pain, that he continue to work in her life to show her reason. But how can I answer for him and his timing? I pray that she find peace and rest in his divine wisdom, but she seemed to be under the impression that any sort of questioning him was a big no-no.
I think the church has for too long espoused the narrow-minded and faulty doctrine that doubt=unbelief. Doubt is natural. It is healthy. We were created with minds so that we could use them, and at times this world hardly looks like the work of a loving, sovereign God. We hurt. We experience stuff that we weren't made to experience. There is wickedness and evil. A doubt is not going to force God into a box. We have to stop being afraid to express them, and start embracing them. To stop shoving them in the back of the closet until the force their way out, and start combating them. Finding satisfactory answers. Otherwise faith ends up being lost, being rejected.
Admittedly, not every doubt has its precise answers. We have a faith of beautiful mystery. There are things of which we cannot know. However most of the time we can learn enough to reasonably believe. After all, if there were an answer to everything, that would not be faith. It'd be fact.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)