Sometimes it is nice to be a little pretentious. Even better, though, is to be around a person who appreciates that side of me. This weekend has been so incredible so far. I've missed Katie so much, and I love seeing what her life is like on a daily basis. It is something so special to be able to walk in someone else's shoes. It lends invaluable new insight into their reactions, their personality, their future even. And that, in a nutshell, has been what is so special about this weekend (aside from the Katie herself!).
To give some background, Katie and I have been friends for about five years now. We met in Antique Photo, summer 2006. In the long, boring days of Antique we forged a friendship that extended beyond our first job. We've experienced so much together, and it is hard to describe our friendship without getting a little sentimental. Suffice to say, I feel like Katie understands me better than even most of my friends. We love to laugh together, have the same sense of humor, have very similar personalities, and share a bond deeper than all of those - we LOVE the TV show 'How I Met Your Mother.'
This weekend has brought an opportunity for me to visit Katie at Washington University. I hitched a ride from Joplin with a girl in my dorm, which was fantastic. It was a great four and half hours of wonderful conversation and laughter. We arrived at WashU around dinnertime, and it was so great to see Katie's apartment. Cute! After a short nap, Katie took me to a wonderful on-campus restaurant called ibby's. It is definitely a nicer place on campus, complete with fine dining options. After a very filling dinner (I had chicken and gnocchi, and Katie had steak, we shared chocolate mousse for dessert. Mmmm.) we explored the campus. It is a beautiful campus, filled with traditional architecture and practically radiating history and tradition. It was a beautiful night for a walk, and the campus was still covered by snow. Beautiful. After a tour that made me a little jealous for Ozark, we returned to Katie's apartment and start on homework. Something about being in the same room made Friday night homework less miserable. Finally I could keep my eyes open no longer, and thus Saturday morning was ushered in.
We slept in - it was glorious - and caught breakfast at the dining hall. Delicious omlettes filled us up, and we set off for Forest Park. Forest Park is so beautiful, especially with snow on the ground. The snow was fast melting, but we caught some really amazing pictures. We trekked up to the art gallery, and the view was stunning. The museum sits on a hill that looks down upon this beautiful lake with decorative white walkways and bridges. After taking some pictures, we entered the museum and saw several exhibits - European, American, Asian, Egyptian (mummies! it was super cool), and several ancient cultures. It was wonderful, especially because that is a part of my passions that is so rarely fed. Examining the paintings, searching for meaning, recognizing artists - it was all so fantastic. We went from the gallery to the mall, in order to find a suit for Katie. It proved more difficult than anticipated, and while she tried on option after option, I tried on prom dresses! It was so fun, and it helped both of us relax some, I think. Especially because we finally settled on an option. We took the metro back to campus in time to nap before dinner at ibby's again (you'd be exhausted too). We dressed up for dinner, and enjoyed a dinner of a butternut squash ravioli and a delicious hamburger, followed again by chocolate mousse. Mmmmm. A rather chilly walk brought us back to the apartment for homework, Celebrity Rehab, and HGTV. And of course, playing with Katie's hamsters. Fabulous Saturday. I feel like tomorrow will be filled with homework, but that may be alright given the amount of walking today required. It'll be good to just chill.
I am so excited to be here with Katie. It's always awesome to be with someone with whom you are completely comfortable and have no reservations. I had so much that I had to talk through with her, and I value her opinion and listening so much! I love getting to know this side of her, and I'm honestly excited to be able to go to a class with her Monday morning!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Restless
Lately I am in the mood to travel. I'd venture to guess that the weekend in New York set it off, but I feel this restlessness. I want to see the world, to experience things that are not in Missouri, or even in this hemisphere. I wish that I had unlimited means and that I could visit every place that struck my mind extensively. I'd love to live in and explore all the cities that have been painted vividly in my mind since I was young. Places like London, Paris, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and Rome all come rushing to my mind and populate a list of "someday dreams." I want to see what attracts attention - places like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre - but I most want to experience life there. To go about a day of something more than tourist-y activities.
As much as I long for this, I know that I need to be in Joplin. I loved being in the northeast again. I would move back in a heartbeat if there were somehow an OCC campus there that provided what I needed to graduate. I feel so much like I'm just in limbo right now. I want to have adventures that extend past the Bible belt. This pervasive restlessness is absolutely maddening sometimes.
As much as I long for this, I know that I need to be in Joplin. I loved being in the northeast again. I would move back in a heartbeat if there were somehow an OCC campus there that provided what I needed to graduate. I feel so much like I'm just in limbo right now. I want to have adventures that extend past the Bible belt. This pervasive restlessness is absolutely maddening sometimes.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Years.
Heal my heart and make it clean. Open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdom's cause as I walk from earth into eternity.
-Brooke Fraser, "Hosanna"
-Brooke Fraser, "Hosanna"
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Little Women
Tomorrow I loose a great ally for a short time. For the next few days, I shall have to suffer through what has become perhaps my greatest character struggle this year. I have enjoyed her well-timed encouragement and the displeased looks that motivate me to change my attitude, but this weekend brings a challenge to survive alone. She has been a great blessing to me, and I hope that I have likewise provided some encouragement to her.
Perhaps I am a little sentimental; I just finished reading "Little Women" last night for the first time in several years. It was wonderful to stay up late and read, just like I used to during every break we had before college. When my eyes finally moved from the last sentence of the book, it was approximately 3:30 AM, much later than I intended. Watching Amy and Jo and Meg struggle through their childhood years seemed to me to indicate that I am greatly lacking in so many areas. Despite the fictional story (though based on Alcott's life, if I remember correctly) and the romanticism of the characters (it is undeniable), there was still a great moral theme running throughout the book that made me ashamed of my own.
Lately I have been very dissatisfied with my own character, and it seems that whenever I open my mouth, the worst seems to come out. I am a chatterer, a gossip, and I don't use my words to edify nearly enough. Reflecting back on all that I say and do brings a blush to my face, and I am easily frustrated. I have seen God change me so much this year, and it seems that the labor is an ever-growing task. As I type this, I can't help but remember the relevance of the sermon on Sunday to my own life. My dad made the point that a Godly discontent with your character and a desire to grow is healthy. I suppose I agree, but I wish my flaws did not show themselves quite so frequently! I wish that I had a kinder disposition, a more agreeable one. I am so quick to speak and so anxious to appear witty or smart that I often do the opposite. Perhaps that is why I sympathize so well with Jo March, one of the heroines of "Little Women." So many of the things she did or said are things that I myself wish I could express. Somehow she learned to tame her tongue, and I am determined that I shall succeed also.
Perhaps I am a little sentimental; I just finished reading "Little Women" last night for the first time in several years. It was wonderful to stay up late and read, just like I used to during every break we had before college. When my eyes finally moved from the last sentence of the book, it was approximately 3:30 AM, much later than I intended. Watching Amy and Jo and Meg struggle through their childhood years seemed to me to indicate that I am greatly lacking in so many areas. Despite the fictional story (though based on Alcott's life, if I remember correctly) and the romanticism of the characters (it is undeniable), there was still a great moral theme running throughout the book that made me ashamed of my own.
Lately I have been very dissatisfied with my own character, and it seems that whenever I open my mouth, the worst seems to come out. I am a chatterer, a gossip, and I don't use my words to edify nearly enough. Reflecting back on all that I say and do brings a blush to my face, and I am easily frustrated. I have seen God change me so much this year, and it seems that the labor is an ever-growing task. As I type this, I can't help but remember the relevance of the sermon on Sunday to my own life. My dad made the point that a Godly discontent with your character and a desire to grow is healthy. I suppose I agree, but I wish my flaws did not show themselves quite so frequently! I wish that I had a kinder disposition, a more agreeable one. I am so quick to speak and so anxious to appear witty or smart that I often do the opposite. Perhaps that is why I sympathize so well with Jo March, one of the heroines of "Little Women." So many of the things she did or said are things that I myself wish I could express. Somehow she learned to tame her tongue, and I am determined that I shall succeed also.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Ramblings
There is a song that has become rather popular with which I take particular issue. While I am not one to immediately condemn any music that does not talk about the redeeming blood of the Lamb or sacrificial atonement, much of the philosophy espoused by today's musical head-liners challenges me. Many of these songs I enjoy finding different themes and perspectives and viewing them in light of what I know to be truth; this song, however, grates on every one of my nerves. Perhaps this is because as a young generation of Christians we fall prey to the idea that no one can tell us how to live our lives.
In the post-modern, relativistic world that we live in, it is no wonder that we have dismissed so much of the strict separation theology of the past, the theology which so strictly dictated how we lived out our lives of faith. This is not a completely bad thing, but we are left sorely lacking in the realm of boundary-making. Too often we declare ourselves the "stronger-brother" that Paul speaks of in Romans 14, when we are in fact the weaker. I am guilty of slipping into this as much as anyone else. I find myself accepting the culture, and then my relationship with God suffering because I have accepted too much of the culture and forgotten my holiness and set apartness.
However, I digress. The song which I have alluded to is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR7-AUmiNcA.
The lyrics with which I take most issue are when the artist declares
"And who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?
All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy
While I just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide"
While I am not sure to whom this song was written, or the situation, thousands of teenagers across America are ripping this song out of context to apply to any voice of authority in their life. And I think that too many Christians are falling into this trend. Our generation has grown up with such a sense of entitlement and independence that we devalue the wisdom and opinions of others to a degree that guarantees our failure. If we cannot look to mentors and teachers - even those we disagree with - we are destined to be narrow-minded fools.
It is like the camera-operator that lacks an artistic eye, but always feels the need to attempt artistic things. He zooms in with abrupt, distracting movements when he shouldn't move his shot or spins his camera quickly when it should be still. The recording director pleads desperately for him to stop because the director sees the big picture and knows how terrible and distracting this is. Yet, the camera-operator, with only one perspective before him, cannot be dissuaded and continues his lack-luster job.
Perhaps this is a confusing metaphor. The point is this. As twenty year olds, we live lives that have zero perspective. When we close our eyes and ears to the wisdom of those that have seen our situations play out before, we lose something great.
But let me be clear. I do not propose taking the advice of any Joe-shmo across the street - or Joe the Plumber. Though we despise when others tell us how to live or who to be, we have an incredible desire to impose our opinions - which are always right-on others. There are people who offer their opinion in unwarranted situations or try to play a part in your life which has not been given to them, and that is frustrating. I think that there is a healthy element of balance which must come, but how to achieve it I cannot articulate clearly at this point.
This is what I do know:
1. There are people in my life whose word I would take at face-value and whose instructions I would follow because I know they care for my best interest.
2. These same people would not be angry with me if I choose another path. They are accepting and, if I can articulate clearly why I didn't take their advice, they are okay with it. They do not try to argue me into their side, only to illuminate other issues.
3. There are people who do attempt to control my life. They become angry and hurt when I choose another path and attempt to argue me into seeing their point. Most of the time, these are shallow friendships with demanding and controlling people. While I don't dismiss their advice to their face and call them morons, I am not afraid to make them angry or disappointed because they are more concerned with being right than my well-being.
I think the most important thing is to keep a Scriptural mindset. Humility, grace, patience, and love are so important, and I struggle daily with keeping those greater than my pride or self-interest, which often get the best of me in these situations.
In the post-modern, relativistic world that we live in, it is no wonder that we have dismissed so much of the strict separation theology of the past, the theology which so strictly dictated how we lived out our lives of faith. This is not a completely bad thing, but we are left sorely lacking in the realm of boundary-making. Too often we declare ourselves the "stronger-brother" that Paul speaks of in Romans 14, when we are in fact the weaker. I am guilty of slipping into this as much as anyone else. I find myself accepting the culture, and then my relationship with God suffering because I have accepted too much of the culture and forgotten my holiness and set apartness.
However, I digress. The song which I have alluded to is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR7-AUmiNcA.
The lyrics with which I take most issue are when the artist declares
"And who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?
All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy
While I just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide"
While I am not sure to whom this song was written, or the situation, thousands of teenagers across America are ripping this song out of context to apply to any voice of authority in their life. And I think that too many Christians are falling into this trend. Our generation has grown up with such a sense of entitlement and independence that we devalue the wisdom and opinions of others to a degree that guarantees our failure. If we cannot look to mentors and teachers - even those we disagree with - we are destined to be narrow-minded fools.
It is like the camera-operator that lacks an artistic eye, but always feels the need to attempt artistic things. He zooms in with abrupt, distracting movements when he shouldn't move his shot or spins his camera quickly when it should be still. The recording director pleads desperately for him to stop because the director sees the big picture and knows how terrible and distracting this is. Yet, the camera-operator, with only one perspective before him, cannot be dissuaded and continues his lack-luster job.
Perhaps this is a confusing metaphor. The point is this. As twenty year olds, we live lives that have zero perspective. When we close our eyes and ears to the wisdom of those that have seen our situations play out before, we lose something great.
But let me be clear. I do not propose taking the advice of any Joe-shmo across the street - or Joe the Plumber. Though we despise when others tell us how to live or who to be, we have an incredible desire to impose our opinions - which are always right-on others. There are people who offer their opinion in unwarranted situations or try to play a part in your life which has not been given to them, and that is frustrating. I think that there is a healthy element of balance which must come, but how to achieve it I cannot articulate clearly at this point.
This is what I do know:
1. There are people in my life whose word I would take at face-value and whose instructions I would follow because I know they care for my best interest.
2. These same people would not be angry with me if I choose another path. They are accepting and, if I can articulate clearly why I didn't take their advice, they are okay with it. They do not try to argue me into their side, only to illuminate other issues.
3. There are people who do attempt to control my life. They become angry and hurt when I choose another path and attempt to argue me into seeing their point. Most of the time, these are shallow friendships with demanding and controlling people. While I don't dismiss their advice to their face and call them morons, I am not afraid to make them angry or disappointed because they are more concerned with being right than my well-being.
I think the most important thing is to keep a Scriptural mindset. Humility, grace, patience, and love are so important, and I struggle daily with keeping those greater than my pride or self-interest, which often get the best of me in these situations.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Giving Thanks
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!
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 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?
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