Encouragement 4 The Day: "There but for the Grace of God go I"

So I haven’t written in a while but there are times when you come across information so profound that you either must share it or risk suffering an aneurysm from the information overload. I tried hard to suppress the urge to write this (laziness) but I just couldn’t.

Such a moment occurred this evening as I was watching the show on Hulu “Secrets of Your Mind” and in this episode they examined the brains of killers in an effort to answer the question “Why?” Towards the end of the segment, they interviewed Dr. James Fallon who for years studied the brain of serial killers and due to the prompting of his mother, not only discovered a direct paternal lineage of serial killers, but also discovered that his brain and genetic wiring reflected that of a killer. The only explanation that he could offer as to why he had not killed or even physically harmed anyone was this-He grew up in a loving and supportive family!

I had to hit the pause button because I really needed to digest this information. Here was a neuroscientist whose brain (and they showed the scans) indicated that he really should have been a serial killer but to his friends and family he was a ‘gentle soul’.

Two profound lessons:

1.       When we are tempted to judge others or to state “I would never do that” OR “Well, I was abused too and I never turned out that way” remember “There but for the grace of God go I!”

See, we truly do not know what we are capable of until we find ourselves in certain situations. So, it behooves us not to judge as only God knows the hearts of men and when we do not understand-PRAY.

2.      “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8.

A lot of “Christians” are quick to criticize ministers who preach a love message often stating that in doing so, they are condoning sin. I will stand behind my belief that:

Love will convict the heart faster than any message of hellfire and damnation.

Too often, Christians try to do the convicting work of the Holy Spirit while neglecting their duties of extending love to their fellow man. If this story is not the ultimate example of that then I don’t know what is.

Is it easy? No it isn’t, but when tempted to judge I try to remember:

                                                                 “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Encouragement 4 The Day: "Dare God to Show Up!"

“Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord…”

Why are we so afraid of talking to God when we hurt? I mean truly talking to Him. I’ve heard statements like: “Oh He has more to think about than my little troubles” or “He is the God of the universe, how dare a mere mortal question Him?” Yet in our hearts, the questions and the pain whirl around like clothes in an unbalanced washing machine and we totter around with a smile on our faces barely keeping balanced.

·         God made us with a mind to think and the ability to reason-questions are inevitable.

·         He is not a God who likes lip service-He enjoys action and interaction

·         Yes indeed He keeps the entire universe in its place, but in making man He didn’t speak him into existence, He took the time to form him in His image. You are important.

·         He knows your heart already, so if you’re in church praising Him and in your heart you’re angry with Him-you still get no brownie points. “…for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Just be real with God! If you’re angry tell Him. If you’re disappointed or hurt- tell Him.

Job did…he challenged God and God showed up! I could only imagine that Job didn’t care as much with what God said- than with the fact that God cared enough to show up.

Jacob wrestled with God and at sunrise God struck his hip and put it out of joint asking Jacob to let Him go. Jacob responded: “Not until you bless me!” God then changed his name to Israel because he dared to wrestle with God and would not give up.

Moses had a temper and killed a man yet God would have no other lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. And when Moses’ temper got the best of him and as a result he was denied entrance into the Promised Land, God instead allowed him entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

Peter (bless his heart) was as impetuous and hot tempered as they come but he was a beloved disciple of Jesus.

Paul when he was Saul slaughtered thousands of Christians until He met up with God and God turned that passion for killing into a passion for saving souls.

Passion!  

Bring to God the good, the bad and the ugly. Engage Him in your life and dare Him to show up!

Encouragement 4 The Day :“Strong At the Broken Places”

In reading an article by Martha Beck I came across a quote by Hemingway “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Oh I love the power and the lyrical beauty of a well spoken thought!

In going through struggles and in fighting depression, we tend to adopt an almost a fatalist point of view. We literally cannot see the forest for the trees but remember: NOTHING lasts forever!

I’m also learning to put things in perspective (one of my favorite words). When I consider the fact that one day this world will end a weird thing happens. It then makes no sense for me to get upset about bills, failures, and disappointments…you think I’m joking but it really works. Try it when you’re late for an appointment or you’re embarrassed about a mistake. Remind yourself that this world is only temporary and see what happens. Trivial things no longer become inflated disasters.

I don’t care what it is that you’re going through- at some point, it will end and if you endure, you will discover that you are indeed stronger at those broken places.

Encouragement 4 The Day: "Christianity and the Heart of God"

So I’m reading another book by Philip Yancey “The Bible Jesus Read” and in there was a passage which read:

“God has it out with loud complainers like Job, Jeremiah and Jonah. He engages Abraham and Moses in lengthy arguments- and sometimes lets them win! In his wrestling match with Jacob, God waits until daybreak to inflict the wound; till then, Jacob holds his own. Quite obviously, God prefers honest disagreement to dishonest submission.”

Honest disagreement to dishonest submission…how absolutely profound and contradictory to what’s being taught in many churches today. Questioning God is still taboo. Being a witness in the midst of struggles is paramount to sainthood. Please don’t misunderstand me here. I agree that God is all powerful and for His brilliance alone, He deserves our respect. Maintaining a cheerful demeanor in the midst of trials is certainly a means of witnessing and of being an inspiration to others.

Here’s my divide: Where do you place Christians who desire to love God but in the midst of pain find it hard to do so? Should they keep up the cheerful façade or honestly take their issues up with God?

My conclusion:

·         I agree with Yancey-God knows the heart anyway so the smile on your face, the song on your lips and the anger in your heart does not fool Him.

·         As with a lover, a relationship only lasts when you can truly believe in the other person’s heart.

·         Ergo, if you find yourself struggling with God, you’re having an issue with His heart and quite frankly, it’s pointless and fake going through the motions just because it’s expected of you.

·         Wrestle with God-it fosters an engaging rather than a passive Christian experience. Wrestle with Him until you can grab hold of His heart.

·         It is only then when in the midst of the storm will you TRULY be able to say and feel the words: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him…” Job 13:15

No one can do this for you just as no one can love someone else for you. Your church, your pastor, those praying sisters cannot latch on to the heart of God for you. And so, each person’s journey, each person’s relationship, each person’s faith will be different.

Find God for yourself…

Encouragement 4 The Day: "Perspective"

I am fascinated by how perspective alters the mind and can subsequently change the course of a life. How it is, that in looking at a glass as being half empty, results in different emotions than when you look at the same glass as being half full-Perspective.

I am prone to melancholic tendencies and therefore I’ll admit it- I do hold on to a rather jaded view of this life and the world in which we exist. However, I recently came across the question:

“If this world were perfect, would we long for heaven?” WOW

We were not meant to get comfortable on this sin cursed earth and in the same token-how would we know joy without experiencing pain?

Words are powerful! That simple question positively altered my mindset.

May we always strive to encourage, educate and uplift our fellow men by our words.

Encouragement 4 The Day: "Keen Observers but Poor Interpreters"

I read a post the other day that referenced the saying: “Children are keen observers but poor interpreters.” Isn’t it amazing how simple phrases cast a bright beam of light on life’s complex issues? As I pondered this truth and the importance of how we conduct ourselves around children, I was struck with the thought that this applies to Christians and God.

As children of God there is so much in this world which we keenly observe but do not understand. How then does God bridge the divide? It’s funny how the mind forges a path from the unknown to the known (or is it being guided).

Have you ever tried to answer a child’s questions and even as you speak you know that they won’t understand? They won’t understand because their minds haven’t developed to the point of comprehension.

Is that how it is sometimes when we question God and don’t receive answers to the questions or, don’t understand the answers given? We are after all “spiritual babes” devoid of the brilliance which God possesses. Sin has also (in my opinion) greatly diminished our spiritual sensibilities and there are some things which as a result, we will never understand until we’ve been restored.

For now…this helps to ease my troubled mind.

Encouragement 4 The Day: "God's Heart"

This is an issue that I truly struggle with…I believe in God’s brilliance when I consider the world and all that He’s created but human suffering often makes me question His heart. Yes, I’ve heard the argument that God does not cause bad things to happen and that sin holds the primary responsibility for all the pain in the world however, the question then often pops into my head: “Who then in more responsible, the entity which causes the pain or the entity which has the power to prevent it?” OR is it that they share equal responsibilities?

I am afraid that yes indeed, I am a doubting Thomas as I cannot just believe or have faith without having some form of logical reconciliation to my questions. Like Thomas I need to feel the imprints of those wounds. As I struggle this is what I am realizing (i.e. my light bulb moment):

“I will never understand why suffering is allowed in many instances and not prevented by an all powerful God. I will not understand at this present moment because I cannot see the beginning from the end nor am I able to see into the hearts of man. Therefore, trying to understand a complex issue with limited vision is senseless. It’s like trying to solve a math equation with half of the problem.”

Then What? Now I understand the purpose of faith.

If I believe in God’s brilliance and I acknowledge that I cannot see what He sees then I choose to believe in His goodness whether the visible outcome is good or bad. That’s the clincher for me-that faith is not just some arbitrary form of reasoning. It’s a conscious decision to trust in an all powerful Being who obviously trumps my intellect.

I can hear the some of the mature Christians probably saying: “Duh.” Oh well (smile). We all have to EXPERIENCE God for ourselves…that’s how we build a firm foundation.  I am not one who believes in not questioning God but that’s a topic for another day.