"Show Up, God!"

When I was going through my deepest, darkest valley to date, I would often cry out to God in excruciating pain and searing anger, "Where are you, God?? I just need You to show up! JUST SHOW UP!"

That was my prayer for months. In my despair and pain and amidst my crisis of faith, I just wanted God to show me that He hadn't abandoned me. I wanted miraculous tangible proof that He was there and that He was actually Good. I seethed when the response seemed quiet and empty, despite my pleading.

In Matthew 25:34-46, Jesus tells a parable of the King who sorts the people before Him into two groups: those that helped Him when He was in need, and those who didn't. Once He had done His sorting and commended those on His right and condemned those on His left, each group was left confused. No one remembered ever seeing the King show up in their lives, much less asking them for help! How could this be??

The King responded: "...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

In reflecting on this parable recently, a question occurred to me, "Why couldn't the reverse also be true?"

While I had been demanding that my God-King SHOW UP, a flood of compassionate believers--His Children, His Body, His Dwelling, His Heart-Homes-- came knocking on my door. I had person after person after person bring me meals to nourish my body, give me hugs to soothe my suffering, and offer empathy as they listened to my pain and my anger and my confusion and wiped away my white-hot tears.

I didn't see it or understand it at the time, but God did show up. Over and over and over again. In fact, He never left. Because God doesn't just "Show Up", He abides. He dwells. He stays. And He mercifully blessed me with tangible love in the hands and arms of my brothers and sisters in Christ. God in them ministered to me. God in them.

"Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

(1 Corinthians 3:16)

Painful Truths: Grappling with Grief

The thing I hate most about grief is that it makes me selfish. I turn inward. I cradle my pain and hold it close, even though I detest it.

Pain reveals the worst parts of me. My fear. My jealousy. My anger. My bitterness.

People are quick to offer grace to me. They tell me that it’s “understandable”, but I hate that those parts of me exist. People have praised me for my honesty, but there are times where I desperately wish I had a poker face. My heart is on my sleeve because that’s where it’s been skewered— squirming helplessly out in the open, unable to hide. For better or for worse.

Sure, my compassion shows. My love. My joy. But that same heart is also incapable of hiding its anger, its hurt, its fear. The naked truth is that I end up hurting and disappointing people. And I resent myself all the more.

Pain reveals the darkest parts of me and forces me to confront it. Will I be consumed by my own darkness, or grapple with it?

My Creator is the only one who knows how to buff out those flaws and mend the broken pieces. He is the only one who knows what the perfect version of me is supposed to be. He is the only one who can restore me, because he carries the reference picture for my fully redeemed heart.

I’ve had trouble trusting and believing. Believe me, I’ve cried the same questions as the rest of humanity: “God, are you there? Do you love me like you claim to? How can you be Good and allow this to happen?”

God did not break the world. We did. God created perfection and we wanted more.

The only way God could give us the joy of experiencing Love is by giving us a dangerous gift: free will. God gave us His heart, let us hold it in our hands, and we chose to shatter it. And in His pain, God revealed His true nature: Mercy.

Since the very first day humans broke God’s heart, He has been busy making repairs-- making things right. Unlike me, He did not withdraw or lash out in His pain. He continued to pursue. He continued to love. He continued to forgive.

Blaming God for my suffering and questioning His love would be like a child shattering a precious vase and angrily blaming his parents for the fact that his fingers got sliced on the broken shards. But my Father is there. He rushes back in every time my anger subsides, and I finally let Him in close enough to bandage my wounds.

I am loved. And because I am loved, I am being transformed. This naked, broken heart will be mended. This pain is a process that has revealed my cracks and now I can let God get to work repairing them.

And someday, when this broken world slices me open again, I hope that a new truth is revealed: I am whole. I am restored. There is no more darkness in me left to reveal because God has replaced my heart with His own. And that heart only bleeds love and mercy.

Let's "Be Real" For a Minute...

"...put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." 

-Ephesians 4:22b-24

 I am often at war with myself--- with my thoughts, my emotions, my actions. I'm very open about this ongoing battle (hence this blog dedicated to my many "Stumblings"...), but sometimes I worry that I'm trapping myself in this identity and excusing myself from growing---that I'm confusing my sinful attitudes with my core identity. 

My generation glorifies "realness." We scrunch up our noses in contempt of those we deem "fake." While this attitude is rooted in a healthy desire to break down the walls of hypocrisy, sometimes I fear that it inadvertently encourages perpetual immaturity. We cry out for acceptance, but refuse to grow. We have a "take it or leave it" approach to our relationships and expect others to silently put up with us as we are or get out of our lives---with no room for humbly accepting rebuke or challenge--which results in us surrounding ourselves with like-minded "comfortable" individuals who enable us to remain as we are.

In its healthy and true form, being "real" involves confessing our shortcomings/sins and repenting of them. What does that mean? That means we acknowledge our unhealthy attitudes and we commit to change and growth. We hand them over to God and pursue Him instead. We become more like Jesus in accordance to our identity as children of God. The outcome: a more selfless and loving attitude. 

In its unhealthy and debilitating form, being "real" stops short of repentance. We have no problem confessing our shortcomings, but we neglect any responsibility for them.We use "I am" statements to fuse our attitudinal shortcomings with our core identity in an attempt to exempt ourselves from growing or changing. "I am anti-social/introverted", therefore I don't have to try to reach out and love others (they should come to me!). "I am passionate" therefore I should be excused for acting angrily or rudely (people should agree with me anyway!). "I am smart" therefore I am right (and I have nothing to learn from others!). Most of us have our core list of "I ams"--- the attitudes we hold so closely and so tightly that we get defensive or fearful if anyone even comes close to suggesting we change or grow in those areas. We shrug and declare "it's just who I am." The outcome: a more selfish and isolating attitude. 

We always have a responsibility to our actions. We can choose to be joyful, loving, patient, and gracious even when we don't feel like it. Choosing an outward action that doesn't necessarily match our inward feelings is not "being fake/hypocritical", it's maturity. Choosing an outward action that doesn't match what we say we believe is hypocrisy. And perhaps many of us "real" people are bigger hypocrites than we care to admit, because we fail to discern the difference between our feelings and our beliefs. 

A hard truth I've come to grapple with is the fact that if I'm feeling defensive (which I often do), I'm acting out of fear and pride, and not the selfless love I've been called to. There is absolutely nothing for a child of God to feel defensive about.  We are either being accused of something untrue and, by the grace of God, our lives can stand in testament to that and He will justify us, or we are being confronted with truth and have an opportunity to humbly repent and grow. Either way, there is no place for defensiveness among God's children.  As we have been instructed to "...do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." (Philippians 2:14-16a--- the whole chapter of Philippians 2 is actually a great reminder...)

When we boil it all down, there is actually very little we can fuse so tightly to our identities that we can honestly say "This is just who I am, there's no changing that!": I am a child of God. He has given me unique gifts to lovingly and selflessly share with this world for His glory. That's it. Even the "gifts" can change! My giftings are not my identity. My position as a child of God is who I am. Made in His image and being transformed to match the character of Christ Jesus. That is  my core "I am", my identity. All my other "labels" hang on that central identity. I am a woman, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife, a professional, a Canadian, a (fill in the blank)-- but I am a Christ-follower, a Christian first. A Christian woman. A Christian wife. A Christian Canadian. And that core should radically affect all other areas, not the other way around. 

Jesus may have met people where they were at, but that doesn't mean he let them stay where they were at. An encounter with Jesus was as challenging as it was amazing. It was life-altering. It required a commitment to growth and maturation. And while no one who encountered Jesus was instantly perfected, they were instantly transformed.

God, 

Give me the strength and courage to let go of the broken pieces of my sin and insecurities and exchange them for the wholeness of my identity in Christ. Transform me, Father. Bolster my faith so that I can be bold in my true identity as your daughter. 

Amen. 

Spiritual Consumerism: What's in it for Me?

Consumerism is what drives the success of our Western society. It is the very foundation of our economic structure. Everything hinges on the buying and selling of goods and services. Advertisers spend millions upon millions of dollars in an effort to convince you that their product is something you want--- no need! We are urged, manipulated, and coerced into thinking that particular products will set us apart from the crowd and make us feel better about ourselves. We are courted and seduced by the beckoning flattery that consumerism promises. We are told that it is all about us, our pleasure, our reputation, our attractiveness, our happiness. We are told that we can be made whole by satisfying our desires and feeding our egos-- we deserve it.

And it’s all a lie.

At its core, capitalistic consumerism is benign. Any society depends on the trade of goods & services to be successful and healthy. However, this benign industrial innovation has mutated over time to become a malignant attitudinal cancer in our world. It’s infected our hearts and minds. It has carefully groomed and nurtured a dark part of our souls that has been there since the Fall of Creation: It’s convinced us that how we feel at any given moment is the utmost priority.

My biggest struggle in life is this: to get over my desperate, overwhelming, all-consuming desire to be… comfortable. I want to be emotionally, physically, relationally, financially, psychologically, and spiritually comfortable. I’ve bought into the lie that I deserve to be comfortable. I deserve to live a life that is safe, pleasant, and relatively easy. I deserve … happiness. The serpent coils around this ripe fruit and invites me to take and eat, because this is how I’ll be made whole.

I’ve bought into the lie time and time again.  

It is surprising how prevalent this attitude is among believers, isn’t it? We have the very Word of God set before us--- the Word that blatantly contradicts everything that has to do with any sort of entitlement--- and yet, we continue to believe the lie… that “we deserve”…

Entitlement grasped for forbidden fruit, because we deserved to be like God.

Entitlement raised up the stone that murdered Abel, because Cain deserved to have his sacrifice accepted.

Entitlement jeered at the Son of God--it beat and whipped him, it demanded his death-- because we deserved a Saviour that fit our expectations. We deserved Someone better than a humble carpenter! We deserved to feel like good people and not have to come face-to-face with our sinfulness!

(Oh, thank God He chose not to give us what we actually “deserve!”)

Entitlement culture continues to pervade our daily lives, including the church! How often have we criticized a worship service because we just didn’t “feel” into it? We’re entitled to have an emotional experience! We’re entitled to hear music we like!

Or perhaps we’ve jumped from church to church because we weren’t “getting anything” out of the service? Because we deserve to be spiritually fed? (Or is that "spoon-fed"?)

We’ve turned our backs on serving others because it doesn’t “feel” right. We’ve refused to give because it was difficult. We didn’t speak the Truth in Love because we were afraid of damaging our reputation or losing friends. We live a double life of going through the “Good Christian” motions on Sunday, while living a life of hedonistic selfishness the rest of the week--- because we deserve to have fun! We deserve to be happy! We deserve pleasure and comfort and appreciation and respect and excitement and entertainment… right?

“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people…
I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.
You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (2 Tim 3:1-5, 4:1-5, MSG)

 

Hmm. Looks like God saw this coming...

The default approach to life for our selfish, sinful hearts is to ask, “What’s in it for me?” It takes incredible effort to continually shift our perspective back to, “What’s in it for God-- and how can I help?” We feel apathetic, uninterested, stressed out, burnt out, and cynical because we’re looking at the world through self-focused lenses--- “how are we feeling about this?” We are loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, selfless, kind, generous, gracious, and faith-filled when we are looking at the world through God-focused lenses---”how is He feeling about this?”

The shift in our lives happens when we recognize the truth of what we really, truly, “deserve” in this life--- nothing. In fact, worse than nothing! We deserved to be “scrapped” as the defective, ungrateful, broken creation we chose to become! But God looks upon his foolish, naive, entitled creatures and extends His hand with an offer to restore us, redeem us, and transform us into His precious children! When we can begin to comprehend that--- even some small fraction of what that means-- our outlook is transformed! What joy! What privilege! What amazing love!

Suddenly church ceases to be about what we “get out of it”, and becomes a place to worship and to practice selfless living. Suddenly people cease to be obstacles/annoyances and begin to be precious image-bearers of God. Suddenly life’s hardships become a spiritual fitness bootcamp where we can exercise our faith “muscles” and grow stronger. Suddenly life’s goodness ceases to be taken for granted as what we “deserved” all along, and becomes precious blessings and gifts from a Good Father.

"Whoever loves the life they have now will lose it. But whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life." 

(John 12:25 ERV)

God, my Father,

Help me to see the world through your eyes. Help me to see where you’re working and how I can help. Please forgive me for my warped attitude and for placing my own comfort ahead of my love for You. Help me to grow. Help me to become more like Christ. Refine my heart, so that I can live for you instead of for me. Keep me encouraged in Your work, rather than consumed by mine.

God, Grace, and Good-Deeds

I don't know about you, dear Stumblers, but I often find it difficult to strike a balance between a works-based faith and a grace-only faith. Obviously the extremes (tinged with selfishness) aren't healthy, with a works-based faith that teaches that we need to do good things to make God happy, and a grace-only faith that teaches God forgives all and we don't have to do anything special to make him happy. 

Essentially, the downfall on either side is when people try to separate their lives from God's power. A works-based person may become anxiety-driven as they try to attain perfection on their own. A grace-based person may become apathetic or cavalier in their relationship with God, figuring they can continue in their sinful ways and not need to change because "God forgives all." 

I've always been a perfectionist. My relationship with God has been riddled with anxiety as I try so hard to be good and do good things, but never feel like I'm doing enough. I feel guilty and shameful. I feel distant from God. I wonder why God doesn't seem to care about me when I'm trying so very hard! 

My pastor recently shared a very interesting cycle of faith. He defined what true grace-based faith is and what it was supposed to look like. Take a look:

("Cycle of Grace" credit to Trevor Hudson & Jerry Haas)

A healthy faith starts with "Acceptance". It starts with knowing that God loves and forgives us and accepts us through Christ. We didn't deserve it. We didn't earn it. But God freely gave it. This knowledge strengthens and sustains us in our faith. Once we gain confidence in the knowledge that God freely accepts us to be his children, we find meaning and significance. Our purpose becomes known as we learn what it means to be a child of God (or, more specifically, to be like Christ) and, in that purpose, we find a place to take action, so good works and improvement are a natural result. Our achievements, given freely, out of love for our Father, remind us once again of his love and free acceptance of us---and so the cycle continues. 

A works-based faith is backwards. It begins with "Achievements." It works (or rather, doesn't work) on the basis that we need to do good things in order to gain significance in God's eyes. Once we do enough good things and find our meaning through our own good works, we attempt to gain strength from our own accomplishments. We find ourselves believing we will gain God's acceptance only if we do something impressive! When we don't find acceptance, we feel guilty and inadequate, so we try to do more good things---and so the cycle continues. 

You'll notice that the backwards, works-first cycle is exhausting and self-defeating! We've already been told that "...it is by grace (we) have been saved, through faith...not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9), but for some reason we have a difficult time actually believing that! In this world where everyone has to prove themselves and everyone has something to prove, being freely accepted just doesn't seem to compute! 

Some well-meaning people once asked Jesus: "'What must we do to do the works God requires?' (and) Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'” (John 6:28-29). That's it. The only "work" God requires us to take is to believe in Christ. After that, he expects us to hand over the reigns and let him work through us and in us. 

I believe the confusion arises from the fact that the bible also says "faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:26). This is where the push comes in. This is where the apathetic grace-reliant Christians get a kick in the butt. You see, the cycle does not stop at "Sustaining Strength" or "Significance." To stop there is to stop the cycle and to stunt spiritual growth. We are not to simply bask in God's acceptance of us--to nonchalantly continue our business without any regard for what our Significance truly is in relation to that grace. Faith without deeds is dead, because the cycle has obviously stalled! If we know who we are as a result of our acceptance, we will become more like Christ... and someone who is Christlike will not pass up an opportunity to show love to others or to shut down sin in their own life! 

The key difference here is that the good deeds and works are a result of a spiritual transformation. They are the result of us allowing God to reign in our life and take control. They are not the result of a personal drive for perfection. They are not attempts to gain recognition from God, rather they are God's attempts to make us like Him. They are acts of obedience to spiritual leading, not acts of personal ambition. 

This is why we are called to be in close relationship with God at all times. To pray with out ceasing. To study his Word. We need to make sure we don't grind the cycle into reverse by changing our focus from loving God for His acceptance, to trying to impress God with our own actions. We also need to make sure we don't stall a healthy cycle by pausing too long to merely "bask" --to take God's acceptance for granted. We are called to understand God, love him, and grow. 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

-Matthew 22:37-40

Evangelist-- Bringer of Good News?

What do you think of when you hear the word “Evangelist” or “Evangelism”? I don’t know about you, but I used to have a pretty skewed understanding of what those words meant. I’m not sure if my misunderstanding was just my limited life experience, but those words used to conjure up images of bible-thumping “fire-and-brimstone” preachers. Even my own attempts at “evangelism” as a teenager were actually more like an insurance sales pitch: We’re bad people. Jesus died so that God will let us into Heaven when we die. We just need to say the “magic words” and try to follow the rules and then we have a ticket to eternal bliss after we leave this sorry planet, instead of going to hell.

All of this is a far cry from the “messenger of Good News”, that an “Evangelist” is supposed to be. We need to decide what the “good news” actually is. Is the “good news” that life on this planet is depressing and meaningless, and that death is even more painful if we don’t get our ticket stamped? Or is the Good News that Heaven came to earth. That God became human. That God wants an actual relationship with each and every one of us?

Jesus is the good news. Jesus didn’t just come to stamp admission tickets into heaven. Jesus came to give us the opportunity to have a personal and intimate relationship with God himself. Jesus gives us the gift of forgiveness. The gift of redemption. He gives us the gift of friendship and love. He gives us the gifts of Heaven now. Being a Christian doesn’t mean enduring a meaningless life in hopes of getting into Heaven someday. Being a Christian means befriending Christ and pursuing a loving relationship with God so that he can establish the Kingdom of Heaven through us.

Evangelism isn’t some kind of religious sales pitch. Evangelists are children of God that are so in love with their Savior that they just can’t help but bubble over with excitement when they talk to others about this amazing relationship. This isn’t some cosmic numbers game with God and the Devil competing for souls! This is a loving God who refuses to force himself on anyone, but freely offers choice. This is a God who humbled himself and became human so that he could pursue us and relate to us.

And THIS is GOOD NEWS!  

BOLD

Today's message is brought to you by: 

Acts 4

This passage immediately brought me back to a favourite camp song that I sang many times in my youth. You can check out this video, or just read the lyrics below: 

Be bold, be strong

For the Lord your God is with you.

Be bold, be strong,

For the Lord your God is with you.

I am not afraid,

I am not dismayed,

Because I'm walking in faith and victory,

Come on and walk in faith and victory,

For the Lord your God is with you.

I often find that songs that seem to be the simplest, actually have some profound truths hidden behind a catchy tune. Those lyrics have power! Our Lord God is with us! We do not have to be afraid, or timid, or embarrassed, or ashamed, or doubtful. We are walking in FAITH and VICTORY! Our God, our Jesus, is with us! The greatest battles have already been won! We have truth on our side! We have life on our side!

Fear and timidity are the by-products of doubt. We’ve all been there. Or at least I know I have. We need to remember that we worship a LIVING God! That our Savior rose from the dead and is WITH US! We are called to BE BOLD for our God! Be STRONG in times of difficulty so that doubt doesn’t get its icy grip on our hearts.

Jesus died and ROSE AGAIN. He died and then defeated death by rising once more, forevermore.  Our Jesus did not abandon us to fight the despair and evil of this world on our own. He lives in us and walks with us daily. When you have the spirit of the LIVING GOD actually dwelling within your very being, how can we not be BOLD and STRONG?? 

Fill us to the brim, Holy Spirit, so we can be BOLD! So that we can exude God’s power and Christ's love! 

An Extraordinary Ordinary

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God...”-Acts 2:46-47

Photo credit: Static.Guim

This may seem obvious to some, but I often find myself forgetting that the Bible is a highlights reel, not an exhaustive historical account spanning millennia. I have, on more than one occasion, found myself a little depressed at how “ordinary” my faith life is and has been. I often feel like God isn’t doing a whole lot in my life or through me, because I’m just “going with the flow” of daily routine.

Occasionally the Bible gives snippets of “ordinary”, such as the early believers hanging out and eating together, and I find myself wishing for more of these glimpses into the ordinary life of Bible heroes. Like, what did Jesus do on his days off? He was in ministry for three years--that’s almost 1100 days---but the Bible only recounts a few sermons and miracles. While John says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, ...even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."  I still think that Jesus had to have had some “ordinary” days in his ministry. Quiet days with his disciples, or days of journeying from point A to point B.

Even if Jesus didn’t take a single day off in his 3 years of ministry, what about his 30 years of life prior to ministry?? This is an area that definitely has me curious. What was Jesus like as a child, teenager, and young man? What was his day-to-day life like? I would wager a guess that his pre-ministry life was pretty ordinary and routine. However, I’m sure we can all agree that his life and faith was still anything but ordinary.

Jesus was in active miraculous ministry for approximately 10% of his life on earth (and within that 10% we don’t know how much time was spent doing something extraordinary---take out time sleeping, eating, and “off” days and that number probably drops to 5%). His pre-ministry years were a blessing. Comfortable routine and uneventful ordinary are the times of preparation. We learn skills and grow into faithful people who can be effective when we are called by God for those extraordinary moments of miraculous wonder.

These are the things I have to try to remember when I am antsy to do “big things” for God and when I feel like “ordinary” life isn't enough. I fall into the trap of thinking that my day-to-day life is a waste of time and that I’m not doing anything worthwhile if I’m not out there actively preaching or some other extraordinary reflection of faith. I forget that ordinary days are necessary to prepare for extraordinary days, because extraordinary days are also extremely difficult days. Just look at the sacrifices the heroes of the Bible had to make in order to be considered extraordinary in their faith: Abraham had to be willing to kill his only son (that he had waited nearly 100 years for!). Noah had to be willing to spend an incredible amount of time and money looking crazy to his peers. David had to be willing to die facing a giant. Jesus and his disciples had to be willing to give all their time, energy, and--eventually--their lives. Extraordinary faith requires painful sacrifice.

We live in an age of celebrity. An age where doing something amazing gets you fame and fortune. Perhaps my desire for the extraordinary is really a naive and selfish desire for recognition--by God and by others. Instead of trying to be extraordinary, I should be looking for the everyday “extraordinary ordinary” that God has made possible. The extraordinary facts that follow me daily are:

-I am an adopted child of God!

-I have had all my impossible sin-debts paid for because God’s only Son died for me

-Death has been conquered by that Son who rose again---I will never die! I do not have to fear death!

-I have the honour and opportunity to have a personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with the God of the Universe. Yep, that’s right… I can talk directly to him anytime I want. We can have a conversation.

-I have the very Spirit of God living in me. This means that God can transform me and direct me and maybe---just maybe---do extraordinary things through me.

Photo credit: Eaglewings Ministries

A day in Christ is never ordinary. We live a life that, through faith, is an extraordinary ordinary. Our purpose isn’t to try and make our lives/faith extraordinary for God. Our job is to be on the lookout for the extraordinary things God is doing everyday and join Him there, in whatever way He enables us. This means we might be in the cheering crowd simply praising God for what He’s doing, or it might mean we’re thrown into the middle of the game as a key player that God is going to use to score a touchdown. Running onto the field to try and make ourselves extraordinary is not only unhelpful, we’re in for a serious reality check and a lesson in humility when the Coach kicks us off to the sidelines and tells us to get out His way.

We have an extraordinary God and He is the only one who can do amazing things. He has told us outright, “If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). Our job is simple: remain in Him, follow His direction and amazing things will happen. Try to do it on our own and we’ll end up worse than ordinary---we’ll end up a nuisance.

Photo Credit: Deanna Shrodes

God,

I’m ready to stop trying so hard. It was really exhausting anyway. Open my eyes and help me to see the extraordinary things that you are doing all around me every day, and allow me to join You in whatever way You see fit. I can be a cheering fan in the stands, a janitor cleaning up after others, or a key player in the game, it’s up to You. Help me to see the importance and honour in each of these roles and to resist the temptation to force myself into a role that I’m not ready for and You don’t intend for me.

Thank you, Father, for the “highlight reel” You’ve already created in my own life. Don’t let me forget those highlights in my ordinary or low times.

Praying in and through Christ,

Amen.

Consumed

Today's Passage: Hebrews 13:1-6

Photo credit: Radiofreethinker

 This past week in my Social Studies 9 class, I was discussing “Consumerism” with my students. I showed them the textbook chapter of how our economy depends on people buying and selling goods and services, and how consuming goods affects people’s identity and quality of life. But then I also went outside of the textbook and had them look at the disadvantages of a consumerist society.

 In this world, especially in our North American society, our worth as individuals and as citizens hinges on what and how much we buy. We cram our driveways with motorized toys. We pack our closets with clothes to fit every event, style, and mood. We pile the debt high in hopes of finding happiness and fulfillment at the top of that mountain… only to realize we’ve become slaves to our money, rather than masters of it. We are shamed into piling that mountain ever higher in the quest for the latest and greatest--to fit in.

I can throw the same facts to you as I had my students consider: life satisfaction survey statistics show that happiness levels have been steadily dropping since the consumerist shift in the 1950s, 6 months after making our purchases we use less than 1% of the products we've bought, and we work more hours as a society now than we have since the age of feudalism (no doubt to pay for all those purchases that end up forgotten or trashed within 6 months).

Photo credit: akingslife.com

What has our love of “stuff” cost us? Beyond money, it’s cost us relationships. It has cost us time.  We’ve given up the increasing joy of loving God and loving others in exchange for the ever decreasing joy of junk.

Now, I’m not saying owning nice things is sinful or bad. God has never said that having money or spending money is wrong… but he has repeatedly warned us against the love of money, the love of material things, and has told us to be disciplined with what we dedicate our time and resources to. Anyone can fall into the trap of loving of money… you don’t have to be rich to have the insatiable desire for more!

 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you,  never will I forsake you.”

 -Hebrews 13:5

We can be content with what we have because we have something that renders everything else negligible. Big or small, rich or poor, plentiful or scant—we have God who has promised a close relationship with us that he will never walk away from. That is truly priceless.

Jesus’ sacrifice was so that we could have an intimate relationship with the God of the Universe who, for whatever reason, has chosen to fall madly in love with us. In return we have been asked to do two things: Love Him back and Love Others. If anything is getting in the way of that--- siphoning our love, time, energy, or resources--- we need to reflect on our priorities.

Jesus chose to build a kingdom of love. A kingdom of relationships and of selfless sacrifice. He could have built a kingdom of towering walls, jewels, and riches. But he chose love.

May we follow his example and choose the same.