Visualize This

C'mon, admit it. If you've stared into a creche or been to Sunday school more than once in your life, you've tried to imagine what it was like to have lived in Bible times. Maybe you've wondered if you would have had enough courage to step out there and fight Goliath. Maybe you've been curious what fish and barley bread taste like fresh out of a knapsack and split five thousand+ ways. I think visualizing is important. I think it's important to consider what your reaction might have been if you'd been there. I think it helps us evaluate our understanding of the events and evaluate our own spiritual character.

Take, for instance, two of the groups frequently mentioned in the Gospels -- Pharisees and disciples. Have you ever asked yourself which group you might have been in? Let me just refresh your memory. The Pharisees were fairly strict adherents to the Law of Moses, in addition to the traditions handed down through the years. They gave both equal value which, in essence, added to the Word of God, something God strictly prohibits. (Would you want some unauthorized source adding stuff to your autobiography?) The Pharisees were probably middle class, which would account for their level of influence with religious governing bodies as well as their influence over the people. Jesus called them out in Matthew 23, pronouncing woe upon them (never a good thing) and calling them hypocrites. Their biggest blunder, however, was rejecting Christ.

The disciples. I'm using a little "d" here because, though we usually think of the Twelve, there were many disciples, many followers of Christ. The Twelve were Jesus' constant companions, but so many others learned at His feet. They witnessed miracles and were sent out to tell others. There were women who supported Jesus financially and those who offered Jesus and the Twelve meals and lodging. All but one of the Twelve saw Jesus after His resurrection, and hundreds more after them. Two of the Twelve were known as "Sons of Thunder." Tell me they weren't guys no one wanted to mess with. Some disciples, like Matthew and Zaccheus were thieves, others were ill, outcast, adulterers, and liars. For all of their other failures and shortcomings in life -- or maybe because of their shortcomings and failures -- disciples recognized Jesus as their one and only Hope, the Son of God, Truth, the promised Messiah, and their Redeemer. Can you see yourself as someone like that?

I would have been a Pharisee. Originally. I lived that way for years. Only by God's grace have I become a disciple. Seeing myself through the lens of God's Word, I came to know that following procedures with an empty heart, a heart void of love for God and others was not what a true disciple was looked like. Seeing myself as not a disciple but a self-righteous Pharisee left me begging for mercy before the Throne of grace, and by God's grace and the work of His Holy Spirit, I have been changed from one informed of the truth to one being formed in Truth. I am no longer a rule follower, but a Ruler follower. I seek not simply what is right, but One who is righteous. And, praise God, He promises to complete that which He has begun. 

No matter your role today, no matter who you might have been, the transformative work of Jesus can give you a brand new identity for the future. Now that's something to visualize!

Faith Over Fair

Mom always rooted for the underdog. She taught me to do the same. I was a social justice warrior before I was out of elementary school. If Damon took Sal's lunch, I couldn't sleep at night. If Desiree said something awful about Tanya, I was right in the middle of it. And when a teacher graded in a manner I thought was unfair, there was Mom, betraying me: "Life isn't fair. That's just the way it is." What?! 

I've learned that life isn't fair. And I'm trying to remember that's okay. I'll be honest with you, I seem to do better with the "big" things. The big things are, well, big. Nothing you can do about the heater that dies except put on a sweater and trust God for a new heater. Nothing you can do about a layoff except stock up on Ramen and trust God for another job. These are the things that are out of our control. Yes, there may be grief; yes, there may be moments of fear and uncertainty, but sooner or later, there's nothing to do but get it together, remember God is in control, and sit back to watch Him do what He does. 

But, it's those pesky little things, the things that make more work for me, the mistakes other people make or shortcuts other people take, the things that are simple and should go smoothly, that seem to raise my Irish and send me into the latest rendition of "It's not fa-a-air." Just this week we were overbilled for a service, received what were clearly the wrong parts, purchased a program we are as yet unable to access, and received a bill for something we returned in January. Leg work. Lots and lots of leg work, and it's not fair. SPOILER ALERT: The same God that's in charge of the big things is in charge of all these little things as well. I only have but to wake up each day with my list in front of me, pray for His direction and begin. If I get each and every "to-do" checked off but I've snapped at Mom, kicked the dog, taken Scott's head off, and made enemies in every customer service department across the United States, what have I accomplished from an eternal perspective? And isn't that why I'm here? I'm not really here to make sure every dime is accounted for. I'm not really here to worry about what color hinges we install. I am here to be salt and light to a perishing world. I am here to bring glory to God by being an ambassador of His Son. And while I may not get treated "fairly" in the process, it's not about me. It is, however, about my Father who, loves the underdog as well. It is in the unfairness of life He does some of His greatest work. It is in the unfairness of life He dishes out some of His greatest blessings. 

It's time to embrace the unfair, big and small. It's time to walk in faith over fair. And watch God do what He does.

Is It Glorious or Glorifying?

Mom woke up in a mood this morning. She has those days. Don't we all? 

"Good morning, Mom," I called out. No reply. I began moving my things to the opposite end of the table to give her some room. She began waving and muttering about "this stuff;" her face twisted in annoyance. "Give me a second, Mom. I'm getting them." 

"I want that," she said, pointing to my tea and biscotti. I ignored it, as I quickly let the dog out a second time and headed to the other side of the kitchen to get Mom's breakfast. "Wssh, wssh, wssh," she whistled. "Hey!" As my head snapped around, she was pointing, once again, to my tea and biscotti. "Mom, please wait," I whined. Maybe I was the one on the mood.

I let the dog in and handed Mom her tea, a cookie, and a small bowl of cereal to tide her over until sausage and eggs were ready. Yes, she really eats all that for breakfast. She took a few bites of cereal, and began shaking off her spoon. I knew that move -- she was preparing to lay the spoon on the table while she took a few bites of her cookie. "Mom, leave the spoon in the bowl, please." The spoon hovered over the table, still dripping milk. "Mom, leave the spoon in the bowl, please." The dog barked to be let out again, and the spoon splashed down into the puddle of milk (She would later put her sleeve in it). That did it! "Mom! Put the spoon in the bowl!" I snapped. She looked at the crazy, irrational woman who had just snapped at her for no reason whatsoever, rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. The dog slunk away; she had just used the doormat as her bathroom. 

I stood there reminding myself that, only twenty-four hours prior, my husband and I were sequestered in a luxurious hotel room in a sleepy little town on a rainy Sunday morning. It had been glorious! But this? There was nothing glorious about messes, or demands, or being followed from room to room all day, or repeating instructions like it's the first time every time. Nothing glorious at all. 

But there, for all my self-pity, the Holy Spirit spoke-- not to my ear, but to my heart --"The 'glorious' is not in what you are given, but in whether you use it to glorify God." The difference between glorious and glorifying. So much of the "glorious" depends on the unexpected, undeserved nature of it all. Think of your birthday. Would you rather have someone fill a list to your specifications? Or would you rather someone know you so intimately and care about you so deeply, they give you something you never even realized you needed? That is glorious. Would you rather plan your own party, working and spending to do exactly what you want, where you decide, when you intend? Or would you prefer to be surrounded by gracious, generous people who selflessly give of their time, talent, finances, and passion to show you how they feel about you? That is glorious. 

I don't think the greatest kind of glorious can be scheduled or demanded; but I do think the greatest kind of glorious can be received when we seek to bring glory to our God, the One who has continued to be gracious to us when we are undeserving; the One who is sovereign over all, working when we cannot see it, in ways we cannot understand. We can know the truly glorious when we seek to glorify our Lord. A soft answer, a gentle spirit, selfless service of others -- all bring glory to the Lord, the One through whom we can find great satisfaction and glorious blessing in seeking to glorify Him. A weekend away can be a glorious blessing, but the return to work and regular life, seeking to glorify God in the everyday and the mundane, need not be any less glorious.