by Terry Blankenship
I struggled much of my life prior to my conversion to Christianity with a profound lack of purpose. I would ask myself over and over a question that couldn’t be answered ... ‘why are we alive?’ There would never be a good answer to it from anyone. I got so depressed over this question that I began going to a psychologist at age eighteen and, in the course of my treatment, began posing the question to him.
“So ... why ARE we alive?” I nervously asked him as I sat in his office.
He coughed, nervously ran a finger around the front collar of his shirt like it had suddenly become incredibly warm in his office, and replied, “Well, I think that, given another 6 months of talking this through, we might start to make some progress with that question.”
BINGO ... it was just like he had opened his wallet and showed me all the money inside and ... it was empty ... he didn’t have a clue either. It was just not professionally savvy for him to admit to me that he had no answer to my most earnest of questions.
He did however manage to label me.
“You have existential despair,” he weakly said as his eyes averted mine.
So I continued my search.
I had a very esteemed Vanderbilt philosophy professor that I felt I might as well pose the question to in class during one of his existentialism lectures ... why not? I would at least be interrupting the right topic.
“Yes, Terry, what is your question” he asked as he motioned in my direction. The cavernous hall seemed to grow ominously quiet as my fellow students leaned in to listen as a respite from their growing boredom.
“Uh ... what is the purpose of life ... you know, the meaning?”
He paused for a second. He looked perplexed. But hey, this was exactly the question that has been asked throughout the ages that gave rise to the very topic on which he was lecturing ... right? Going like a deer in headlights at this moment wouldn’t have been very fulfilling to his daily resume he strove to build with his students, would it?
“The meaning of life is ... is that you are alive. That is the meaning of life,” he stated confidently.
At that moment, in my eyes, he slid into the very same category as my psychologist ... he did not have a clue. He didn’t even have a good attempt at an answer. As a matter of fact, I determined as soon as he answered not to ask a follow-up question due to the fact that he too had just open up his wallet of wisdom and showed me his embarrassing lack of money inside.
The meaning of life is like a gothic hummingbird that flits around us all. Some of us apprehend it and are happy as a clam the rest of our lives while others are never quite able to coax it into the cage that they have built for it and therefore, are doomed to lead lives of .... well ... existential despair.
Not very happy.
Not very motivated.
As a matter of fact, just downright miserable usually.
It was Victor Frankl who stated that if one has enough of a ‘why’, one can always figure out the ‘how’. A strong enough ‘why’ can even lead one to successfully endure a Nazi concentration camp, as Frankl did.
A lack of purpose in life is endemic in our generation. There is not a strong sense of purpose among our young people, those in middle age or .... senior citizens. This elusive hummingbird knows no generational bounds. We cannot hang this one on young folks when every generation has a bad case of the ‘meaningless’ fever.
When one meets Christ, the entire purpose of life question is supposed to be settled and, in my experience, it was profoundly resolved for me in a flash. Soaked in existential despair, I went in to a house one night to hear someone speak of Christ and left with a new, durable meaning for my life. Went in sad and came out happy.
I wish I could put this in more sophisticated terms but that is exactly what occurred to me.
However ....
it is also my experience that this original purpose that infused us often tends to be diluted down by the cares of the world as we accumulate years. And then we are deposited back on the doorstep of existential despair, yet once again.
Not very happy.
Not very motivated.
As a matter of fact, just downright miserable.
First, if you are reading this and are a Christian and your ‘candle of existential purpose’ has dimmed, I challenge you to do three things:
be candid with God about this - yep, I suspect that he’s big enough to take it if you can just get around to telling him the truth about the state of your heart,
Get around Christians who are motivated with a strong purpose of life ... yes, simply get in their presence and stay connected to them if you can find them ... and they are around, trust me,
Start acting on what your gut is telling you to do ... trust your instincts, in other words ... this is not an end-run around God’s will rather this is often a run straight into God’s will ... for example, if you feel that God uses you to listen to folks who have crushing burdens, then seek someone you know is burdened and listen to them ... God does not want his hands (i.e., you and me) to be hands of remarkably good intentions but remarkably little action.
I want to stay on point number three for a bit. There is something about life on the planet earth that strips us of our trust in ourselves. Now, many would say this is a good thing, but I do not think it is a good thing. Rather, I think it is a tragedy because God has gifted us with wonderful minds, spirits and the like and he surely want us to learn to use these in our journeys, always in concert with his Spirit. Do not let this occur to you ... Renew your faith in your own instincts because, hey, God is in there (remember the Holy Spirit?).
These three things are not a guarantee for a persistent and strong ‘why’ in your life but if your candle is somewhat dim, doing these three things will help ensure that the dim will almost assuredly become brighter.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
God's utterly unrecognizable hand
When you end up in a deep deep hole, sometimes it is God who has made sure that this is where you wind up.
Gimme a break! Not possible!
He only wants good for his children! A deep deep hole is never his plan! Don't you listen to the tele-evangelists???
It is true that God wants only good for his children but the disguises that he puts on 'good' often make us run the other way, screaming, it seems.
So God never puts a deep, deep hole in our paths?
Tell that to Joseph, who discovered the hand of God at the bottom of the hole.
I conjecture that he did not immediately see God's purpose when his brothers threw him into the abyss. I guarantee you I would not have seen it. No way.
Joseph may not have seen it for years.
But he finally saw it.
As a matter of fact, when he at last reveals himself to his brothers in Genesis 45, he chalks up the entire experience to God's explicit plan for his life.
Hole and all!
If you live on earth, at some time in your life, you will have been thrown into a deep deep hole. It might be the result of someone else's actions or you may have willingly jumped in, happy as a clam, oblivious to what was occurring.
And you have seen this happen to others, haven't you? Maybe a brother, sister, spouse, child or friend.
It is never pretty.
But it is necessary.
What might have happened if Joseph had developed a huge resentment to his circumstances and indeed, his entire life as a result of this hole-experience? What if he walked around for years after being thrown into the hole fixated on his brothers and that unjust experience?
What if, in conversations with friends as they offered encouragement to him, Joseph always countered with, "Yeah, but you have never been thrown into a hole by your family like I was!"?
Rather, he trusted in God's control of all. He trusted in God's over-arching goodness-of-purpose animated behind the scenes in everything he experienced. He had faith that the unseen hand of the ever-present Father was painting a masterpiece in his life when everybody else saw a Rorschach test. He believed that in all of the confusion, chaos, upheaval, misery, insane anxiety, horror, disconnectedness and out-of-control feelings that he had, somewhere the hand of God was still busy and un-thwarted in constructing his life.
Do you flip out when you find yourself in a deep deep hole?
Do you curse God, shake your fist at him, and impute all sorts of perverse motivations to him? Do you constantly allude to your own misery when others attempt to coach you out of a tough spot?
Do you actually hide behind the deep deep hole that has been in your life rather than allowing God to use it for your good?
Do you become fearful and resentful of the hole in your life?
Here's the challenge ...
if you have experienced or are experiencing a cataclysmic personal situation, ask God to help you see his path in it. Ask God to open your eyes to the eventual plan that is being served by this experience. Even if you cannot see the whole thing, it helps if you can discern at least part of the lesson or purpose at work.
It helps.
If you see someone else experiencing their own deep deep hole, pray for them.
Pray that they understand, at least partially, that God's utterly unrecognizable hand is at work. Pray that they can catch a glimpse of God's hand fashioning, molding and transforming their life via the most inscrutable means possible.
Somehow, it helps.
And they, like Joseph, might find light in the darkest of places.
Gimme a break! Not possible!
He only wants good for his children! A deep deep hole is never his plan! Don't you listen to the tele-evangelists???
It is true that God wants only good for his children but the disguises that he puts on 'good' often make us run the other way, screaming, it seems.
So God never puts a deep, deep hole in our paths?
Tell that to Joseph, who discovered the hand of God at the bottom of the hole.
I conjecture that he did not immediately see God's purpose when his brothers threw him into the abyss. I guarantee you I would not have seen it. No way.
Joseph may not have seen it for years.
But he finally saw it.
As a matter of fact, when he at last reveals himself to his brothers in Genesis 45, he chalks up the entire experience to God's explicit plan for his life.
Hole and all!
If you live on earth, at some time in your life, you will have been thrown into a deep deep hole. It might be the result of someone else's actions or you may have willingly jumped in, happy as a clam, oblivious to what was occurring.
And you have seen this happen to others, haven't you? Maybe a brother, sister, spouse, child or friend.
It is never pretty.
But it is necessary.
What might have happened if Joseph had developed a huge resentment to his circumstances and indeed, his entire life as a result of this hole-experience? What if he walked around for years after being thrown into the hole fixated on his brothers and that unjust experience?
What if, in conversations with friends as they offered encouragement to him, Joseph always countered with, "Yeah, but you have never been thrown into a hole by your family like I was!"?
Rather, he trusted in God's control of all. He trusted in God's over-arching goodness-of-purpose animated behind the scenes in everything he experienced. He had faith that the unseen hand of the ever-present Father was painting a masterpiece in his life when everybody else saw a Rorschach test. He believed that in all of the confusion, chaos, upheaval, misery, insane anxiety, horror, disconnectedness and out-of-control feelings that he had, somewhere the hand of God was still busy and un-thwarted in constructing his life.
Do you flip out when you find yourself in a deep deep hole?
Do you curse God, shake your fist at him, and impute all sorts of perverse motivations to him? Do you constantly allude to your own misery when others attempt to coach you out of a tough spot?
Do you actually hide behind the deep deep hole that has been in your life rather than allowing God to use it for your good?
Do you become fearful and resentful of the hole in your life?
Here's the challenge ...
if you have experienced or are experiencing a cataclysmic personal situation, ask God to help you see his path in it. Ask God to open your eyes to the eventual plan that is being served by this experience. Even if you cannot see the whole thing, it helps if you can discern at least part of the lesson or purpose at work.
It helps.
If you see someone else experiencing their own deep deep hole, pray for them.
Pray that they understand, at least partially, that God's utterly unrecognizable hand is at work. Pray that they can catch a glimpse of God's hand fashioning, molding and transforming their life via the most inscrutable means possible.
Somehow, it helps.
And they, like Joseph, might find light in the darkest of places.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Fear and the vapor lion
I love David Letterman's top ten lists.
If I had to list the top ten things that in the past presented obstacles in my life, fear would probably be number one. No, not probably ... it would be number one.
Let's talk about fear.
It has cold hands and can penetrate to the very core of our souls.
Nickelodeon created the concept of being slimed quite a few years ago. Green, goopy liquid would be dumped on an unsuspecting show member, much to the delight of the audience.
It temporarily immobilized the show member, stunning them, paralyzing them, disorienting them as the slime drenched them.
Fear is much like this.
Fear is like getting slimed.
Which brings me to my next point ... God is anti-slime, anti-fear.
If I understand the Scriptures correctly, God does not want fear to play a part in our lives. Because fear brings all sorts of bad things into our lives, all sorts of counter-productive things into our lives. It imports into our souls the anti-matter of all things good.
It is the devil's slime.
But wait, there's more!
Fear will throw you into a psychological prison where no Christian belongs. Fear will bring out the handcuffs that reach way beyond your wrists all the way into your spirit. Fear will wrap you with steel linen and introduce death where life had previously been, turning you into a mummy, only not of the Egyptian sort.
There is a proverb that states, "There is a man who flees when no lion is pursuing."
Think about this: fear has this man running with all his might away from a chasing lion yet there is no lion. Only a vapor lion that fear has constructed in the man's mind.
Fear is like this. Even when there is nothing to fear, absolutely nothing, it constructs a vapor lion that rears up on its hind legs and roars loudly and ferociously. Fear creates scenarios that paralyze us and off we go running - paralyzed to do anything other than run.
The metaphor of running is very instructive here - when one runs, you really can't do much else simultaneously other than run. You cannot, for example, mow the yard, watch football, attend church, or meet a friend at Starbucks while simultaneously engaged in running - running consumes all your focus and energy.
And there you have it!
Our reaction to fear can crowd everything else out. Our response to fear can render us virtually useless for anything else. Fear can taser us and down we go. The vapor lion can maul us and maul us some more.
But it gets even better!
Fear that is unchecked can force us into a corner and cause us to make poor choices that can have hideous consequences on our lives in the present but especially in the future. Unconfronted fear can cause us to avoid life altogether. Unaddressed fear can cause us to pedal our bicycle with all our might trying to outrun the vapor lion, exhausting us and rendering us ineffective for anything wothwhile.
Finally, fear draws a box around any hope we have, then slowly, ever so slowly, shrinks the box, effectively extinguishing our hope. And when hope is gone, our bridge to anything productive in our lives simply collapses and falls into the river.
Are you someone who runs when no lion is actually chasing?
Have fear and dread hobbled you deep in your spirit?
Has fear become the prison in which you are serving a life sentence?
Here's what I did to banish the vapor lion.
I started by taking deep into my spirit 2 Timothy 1:7 which states that 'God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.'
I meditated on it. I read and re-read and re-read it. I pondered it.
I decided that I needed to believe it. So I began saying it out loud. You will never know how much this simple act helps (until you read a book like Brain Rules that gives a neurosurgeon's view of it).
I determined that fear would not continuously invent vapor lions that kept me running, with all the resultant issues popping up in my life that I have outlined above. My faith in 2 Timothy 1:7 was my vapor lion terminator.
Next, I talked about my struggle with fear with folks that I trusted. That simple act really slammed the cage door on the vapor lion.
Why?
Well, God has so designed our souls and spirits that simply speaking of our struggles with a trusted one is therapeutic to a degree that counseling communities have long acknowledged. Simply speaking of it. Not speaking of it and receiving advice but simply disclosing verbally the inner reality.
Long before Freud developed his psychiatric theories, he was astonished to find that when his patients in his Austrian hospital simply spoke to him of their problems, they got better. He usually only listened. And they got better. Simply by speaking of their issues.
There is a divine magic and power in this simple act.
Do you know someone who struggles with simple everyday fear, panic attacks, dread or phobias? Pray for them in faith and let them read this.
Do you struggle with the same? Do you find yourself fleeing when no lion chases?
Reflect on my thoughts above then take action.
Being slimed with fear will soon cease.
That vapor lion that chases you will be sent back to the circus from which he escaped.
And you can enjoy peace.
If I had to list the top ten things that in the past presented obstacles in my life, fear would probably be number one. No, not probably ... it would be number one.
Let's talk about fear.
It has cold hands and can penetrate to the very core of our souls.
Nickelodeon created the concept of being slimed quite a few years ago. Green, goopy liquid would be dumped on an unsuspecting show member, much to the delight of the audience.
It temporarily immobilized the show member, stunning them, paralyzing them, disorienting them as the slime drenched them.
Fear is much like this.
Fear is like getting slimed.
Which brings me to my next point ... God is anti-slime, anti-fear.
If I understand the Scriptures correctly, God does not want fear to play a part in our lives. Because fear brings all sorts of bad things into our lives, all sorts of counter-productive things into our lives. It imports into our souls the anti-matter of all things good.
It is the devil's slime.
But wait, there's more!
Fear will throw you into a psychological prison where no Christian belongs. Fear will bring out the handcuffs that reach way beyond your wrists all the way into your spirit. Fear will wrap you with steel linen and introduce death where life had previously been, turning you into a mummy, only not of the Egyptian sort.
There is a proverb that states, "There is a man who flees when no lion is pursuing."
Think about this: fear has this man running with all his might away from a chasing lion yet there is no lion. Only a vapor lion that fear has constructed in the man's mind.
Fear is like this. Even when there is nothing to fear, absolutely nothing, it constructs a vapor lion that rears up on its hind legs and roars loudly and ferociously. Fear creates scenarios that paralyze us and off we go running - paralyzed to do anything other than run.
The metaphor of running is very instructive here - when one runs, you really can't do much else simultaneously other than run. You cannot, for example, mow the yard, watch football, attend church, or meet a friend at Starbucks while simultaneously engaged in running - running consumes all your focus and energy.
And there you have it!
Our reaction to fear can crowd everything else out. Our response to fear can render us virtually useless for anything else. Fear can taser us and down we go. The vapor lion can maul us and maul us some more.
But it gets even better!
Fear that is unchecked can force us into a corner and cause us to make poor choices that can have hideous consequences on our lives in the present but especially in the future. Unconfronted fear can cause us to avoid life altogether. Unaddressed fear can cause us to pedal our bicycle with all our might trying to outrun the vapor lion, exhausting us and rendering us ineffective for anything wothwhile.
Finally, fear draws a box around any hope we have, then slowly, ever so slowly, shrinks the box, effectively extinguishing our hope. And when hope is gone, our bridge to anything productive in our lives simply collapses and falls into the river.
Are you someone who runs when no lion is actually chasing?
Have fear and dread hobbled you deep in your spirit?
Has fear become the prison in which you are serving a life sentence?
Here's what I did to banish the vapor lion.
I started by taking deep into my spirit 2 Timothy 1:7 which states that 'God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.'
I meditated on it. I read and re-read and re-read it. I pondered it.
I decided that I needed to believe it. So I began saying it out loud. You will never know how much this simple act helps (until you read a book like Brain Rules that gives a neurosurgeon's view of it).
I determined that fear would not continuously invent vapor lions that kept me running, with all the resultant issues popping up in my life that I have outlined above. My faith in 2 Timothy 1:7 was my vapor lion terminator.
Next, I talked about my struggle with fear with folks that I trusted. That simple act really slammed the cage door on the vapor lion.
Why?
Well, God has so designed our souls and spirits that simply speaking of our struggles with a trusted one is therapeutic to a degree that counseling communities have long acknowledged. Simply speaking of it. Not speaking of it and receiving advice but simply disclosing verbally the inner reality.
Long before Freud developed his psychiatric theories, he was astonished to find that when his patients in his Austrian hospital simply spoke to him of their problems, they got better. He usually only listened. And they got better. Simply by speaking of their issues.
There is a divine magic and power in this simple act.
Do you know someone who struggles with simple everyday fear, panic attacks, dread or phobias? Pray for them in faith and let them read this.
Do you struggle with the same? Do you find yourself fleeing when no lion chases?
Reflect on my thoughts above then take action.
Being slimed with fear will soon cease.
That vapor lion that chases you will be sent back to the circus from which he escaped.
And you can enjoy peace.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Clouds, Financial Panic and Sunburns
My father was a pilot.
He many times had a ruddy red face, even in the middle of winter when sunshine was scarce. It is important to know that this was not his regular complexion. He only had it when he was flying. At those times, he often looked sunburned.
I asked him about this once and he looked at me and said, "Well, if you think about it, I fly above the clouds where it is always sunny. I can fly around the thunderheads and above the rest of it so I am always in the sunshine."
My father used quite a few aviation examples, like, at the end of his life, when he found out his lung cancer was inoperable. He looked at my brother Charles and me and said, "When a pilot knows he is going to crash, the best thing he can do is make sure it is a controlled crash. And that is what I am going to have to do."
And he died in a very dignified, 'controlled crash', surrounded by prayer and his family.
But back to his flying above the clouds example.
Lately, we as a nation have had quite a few financial storms ... economic tornadoes and massive financial hurricane have affected our economy enormously. It is very easy for the Christian to become fearful and consumed with anxiety. It is very easy for the Christian to throw faith overboard and become paralyzed with worry and dread about the future.
Time to fly around these thunderheads. Time to fly above these troublesome clouds.
Hebrews 12:2 comes in handy here: 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.'
In the Greek, perhaps a better rendering is: 'Let us look away from all that distracts us and focus on Jesus ...'
Learning to look past the fear-provoking events of this life and keep our faith focused on Christ while the waves of this world crash around us, is a key to 'flying above the clouds'. Learning to make Christ our center of attention while the tornadoes of life reek havoc all around us, is a surefire way to find that rock in the midst of life's quicksand.
Are you fearful, worried and anxious right now? It doesn't matter if the event that is weighing you down is a financial meltdown, a failing marriage or simply trying to find your path in life. All of these are thunderheads, where I come from.
Center yourself anew on Christ and give him that problem that is pushing your face underwater. Consciously ask him to take care of you. And believe that he will.
Like my father, your faith will soon have a ruddy complexion as it propels you above the clouds, into the sunshine that never grows dark.
He many times had a ruddy red face, even in the middle of winter when sunshine was scarce. It is important to know that this was not his regular complexion. He only had it when he was flying. At those times, he often looked sunburned.
I asked him about this once and he looked at me and said, "Well, if you think about it, I fly above the clouds where it is always sunny. I can fly around the thunderheads and above the rest of it so I am always in the sunshine."
My father used quite a few aviation examples, like, at the end of his life, when he found out his lung cancer was inoperable. He looked at my brother Charles and me and said, "When a pilot knows he is going to crash, the best thing he can do is make sure it is a controlled crash. And that is what I am going to have to do."
And he died in a very dignified, 'controlled crash', surrounded by prayer and his family.
But back to his flying above the clouds example.
Lately, we as a nation have had quite a few financial storms ... economic tornadoes and massive financial hurricane have affected our economy enormously. It is very easy for the Christian to become fearful and consumed with anxiety. It is very easy for the Christian to throw faith overboard and become paralyzed with worry and dread about the future.
Time to fly around these thunderheads. Time to fly above these troublesome clouds.
Hebrews 12:2 comes in handy here: 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.'
In the Greek, perhaps a better rendering is: 'Let us look away from all that distracts us and focus on Jesus ...'
Learning to look past the fear-provoking events of this life and keep our faith focused on Christ while the waves of this world crash around us, is a key to 'flying above the clouds'. Learning to make Christ our center of attention while the tornadoes of life reek havoc all around us, is a surefire way to find that rock in the midst of life's quicksand.
Are you fearful, worried and anxious right now? It doesn't matter if the event that is weighing you down is a financial meltdown, a failing marriage or simply trying to find your path in life. All of these are thunderheads, where I come from.
Center yourself anew on Christ and give him that problem that is pushing your face underwater. Consciously ask him to take care of you. And believe that he will.
Like my father, your faith will soon have a ruddy complexion as it propels you above the clouds, into the sunshine that never grows dark.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
What a great thing this financial meltdown is!!!
The newspaper headlines are grim. The online media headlines are dire.
The TV news portrays the current events with all the horror of an economic Freddie-Krueger event.
It's almost like we live in a fallen world, isn't it?
As a matter of fact, it is high time that we Christians remind ourselves that this world is indeed not yet in the kingdom of God. All sorts of perverse, horrible, deadly, unfair and downright annoying things not only might occur, they will certainly occur.
Even global credit meltdowns. Even Great Depressions. Even 9/11 events.
Again, it's almost like we live in a fallen world, isn't it?
Yet this current period of time offers rare opportunities for those of us who love Jesus Christ.
I have studied a bit the behavior of Christians during the Great Depression.
Three common themes emerged:
1) there was economic suffering for Christians ... homes lost, fortunes lost, days and nights of hunger,
2) yet Christians continued to trust God and they eventually came through, and
3) God's work continued forward during this desperate time.
Actually, during times of huge reversals on national / international scales, there are great opportunities for Christians to move the kingdom forward. Fear is often widespread and that can lead to openings for Christians to 'say a word' of comfort to either struggling fellow-Christians or those who do not know Christ.
God can use the fear many feel to open a window in their spirits to his grace. God can use the panic many feel to finally open the door to his love that so many have nailed shut for so many years.
God can use frozen IRAs, worthess stocks and foreclosed homes to re-acquaint Christians with the 'fleeting nature of riches'. The true riches, Jesus said, are not to be found on Wall Street but in his kingdom.
See how the current economic crisis can re-orient us back to true riches?
Have you hung your hat on the temporal riches of this world inordinately? Do you understand how it can all be gone in the blink of an eye, no matter how prudent your financial moves have been? Have you comprehended that there is only one bank that will never fail and it is not found on earth? Are you laying up riches in this bank today?
If not, why not?
Ponder these thoughts, reflect on your attitudes and receive the gift of new commitment to eternal riches that God is willing to give you as you move through this difficult period of time.
What a great thing this financial meltdown is!!!
The TV news portrays the current events with all the horror of an economic Freddie-Krueger event.
It's almost like we live in a fallen world, isn't it?
As a matter of fact, it is high time that we Christians remind ourselves that this world is indeed not yet in the kingdom of God. All sorts of perverse, horrible, deadly, unfair and downright annoying things not only might occur, they will certainly occur.
Even global credit meltdowns. Even Great Depressions. Even 9/11 events.
Again, it's almost like we live in a fallen world, isn't it?
Yet this current period of time offers rare opportunities for those of us who love Jesus Christ.
I have studied a bit the behavior of Christians during the Great Depression.
Three common themes emerged:
1) there was economic suffering for Christians ... homes lost, fortunes lost, days and nights of hunger,
2) yet Christians continued to trust God and they eventually came through, and
3) God's work continued forward during this desperate time.
Actually, during times of huge reversals on national / international scales, there are great opportunities for Christians to move the kingdom forward. Fear is often widespread and that can lead to openings for Christians to 'say a word' of comfort to either struggling fellow-Christians or those who do not know Christ.
God can use the fear many feel to open a window in their spirits to his grace. God can use the panic many feel to finally open the door to his love that so many have nailed shut for so many years.
God can use frozen IRAs, worthess stocks and foreclosed homes to re-acquaint Christians with the 'fleeting nature of riches'. The true riches, Jesus said, are not to be found on Wall Street but in his kingdom.
See how the current economic crisis can re-orient us back to true riches?
Have you hung your hat on the temporal riches of this world inordinately? Do you understand how it can all be gone in the blink of an eye, no matter how prudent your financial moves have been? Have you comprehended that there is only one bank that will never fail and it is not found on earth? Are you laying up riches in this bank today?
If not, why not?
Ponder these thoughts, reflect on your attitudes and receive the gift of new commitment to eternal riches that God is willing to give you as you move through this difficult period of time.
What a great thing this financial meltdown is!!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Repentance is the dullest word imaginable
There is a story about a little boy who had a mind of his own. His mother had asked him repeatedly to sit down at the dinner table but he refused. Finally, after threatening a grounding, the little boy relented and sat down but said defiantly as he sat, "I'm sitting down but on the inside I am standing up!"
This is a really wild world in which we live. Up is often down and south often turns out to be north. Good looks like evil and the devil is transformed into an angel of light.
Yet what I am writing below has really helped me.
I may be in a season of refreshing with my Christianity ... but something has really come home to me in the past 2 weeks ... how freeing it is to repent each day, preferably in the morning before you have dug yourself a hole.
It is easy to do and should look something like this:
1) confess a fault or sin you have committed
2) ask God to forgive you of it through Jesus Christ
3) ask God to change your heart through His Spirit so that the sin or fault is less likely to occur again
4) go back to # 1 until you are finished
But wait! there's more!
One further step.
Ask God to shine His light on your heart to expose your motives. Ask God to shine His light on the darkest places of your heart.
This assures that your repentance is genuine and that you are not 'standing up on the inside' while sitting down, like the little boy.
Having completed the action above, you are through with your repentance.
Why is it so freeing?
My theory: our spirits get off-center as we go through this world on a daily basis. We are subject to trials and temptations and sometimes give in when we should be standing strong. You know this is true.
We need a daily cleansing of this and repentance is a fantastic way to do it.
I feel stronger each day when I do this ... stronger in my spirit, less apt to fall into discouragement and fear, more apt to walk in His way. I feel less critical of others. I feel less self-centered and more 'on the verge of' praise.
So, don't be like the little boy whose actions did not line up with his heart. Come before God every morning and do what I have outlined above and see the difference it makes.
Start tomorrow morning, ok?
This is a really wild world in which we live. Up is often down and south often turns out to be north. Good looks like evil and the devil is transformed into an angel of light.
Yet what I am writing below has really helped me.
I may be in a season of refreshing with my Christianity ... but something has really come home to me in the past 2 weeks ... how freeing it is to repent each day, preferably in the morning before you have dug yourself a hole.
It is easy to do and should look something like this:
1) confess a fault or sin you have committed
2) ask God to forgive you of it through Jesus Christ
3) ask God to change your heart through His Spirit so that the sin or fault is less likely to occur again
4) go back to # 1 until you are finished
But wait! there's more!
One further step.
Ask God to shine His light on your heart to expose your motives. Ask God to shine His light on the darkest places of your heart.
This assures that your repentance is genuine and that you are not 'standing up on the inside' while sitting down, like the little boy.
Having completed the action above, you are through with your repentance.
Why is it so freeing?
My theory: our spirits get off-center as we go through this world on a daily basis. We are subject to trials and temptations and sometimes give in when we should be standing strong. You know this is true.
We need a daily cleansing of this and repentance is a fantastic way to do it.
I feel stronger each day when I do this ... stronger in my spirit, less apt to fall into discouragement and fear, more apt to walk in His way. I feel less critical of others. I feel less self-centered and more 'on the verge of' praise.
So, don't be like the little boy whose actions did not line up with his heart. Come before God every morning and do what I have outlined above and see the difference it makes.
Start tomorrow morning, ok?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Chicken Little, meet Jesus Christ
The financial world has been in a free-fall for the past several days. Credit markets have resembled a car's engine that has run out of oil ... in other words, the pistons have become welded to the cylinders. There have been runs on banks. Unprecedented things have occurred. On a global basis.
Sounds like we live in an imperfect world where anything can happen, doesn't it?
If we agree with the previous sentence, then why are we surprised when calamity rings the doorbell?
Fortunately, for the Christian, there is peace of mind.
It all begins when we approach God and put our fears and worries in his hands. We put our IRAs, our jobs, our 401ks and the like, in his hands. We put our visions of no gas, no food, no money, etc in his hands. We place our anxieties about our loved ones, macroeconomics, and everything else that weighs us down into his hands.
One of my favorite scriptures is found in 1Peter 5:7 - 'Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.'
All of this is done in prayer, of course.
And that means that CNN needs to be turned off, the book needs to be put down, the video games needs to be turned off, Internet surfing needs to cease (for a little bit anyway) so that you can actually pray.
Which leads me to my next question: do you actually pray?
Or do you think about praying but don't actually ever get around to doing it?
When you finish reading this post and leave a glowing comment, I challenge you to take 5 minutes to get away and pray about those things that actually bother or frighten you. I challenge you to pray about those things that keep you up at night. I challenge you to place all your fears and anxieties in God's hands.
Chicken Little, meet Jesus Christ.
Sounds like we live in an imperfect world where anything can happen, doesn't it?
If we agree with the previous sentence, then why are we surprised when calamity rings the doorbell?
Fortunately, for the Christian, there is peace of mind.
It all begins when we approach God and put our fears and worries in his hands. We put our IRAs, our jobs, our 401ks and the like, in his hands. We put our visions of no gas, no food, no money, etc in his hands. We place our anxieties about our loved ones, macroeconomics, and everything else that weighs us down into his hands.
One of my favorite scriptures is found in 1Peter 5:7 - 'Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.'
because he cares for you.'All of this is done in prayer, of course.
And that means that CNN needs to be turned off, the book needs to be put down, the video games needs to be turned off, Internet surfing needs to cease (for a little bit anyway) so that you can actually pray.
Which leads me to my next question: do you actually pray?
Or do you think about praying but don't actually ever get around to doing it?
When you finish reading this post and leave a glowing comment, I challenge you to take 5 minutes to get away and pray about those things that actually bother or frighten you. I challenge you to pray about those things that keep you up at night. I challenge you to place all your fears and anxieties in God's hands.
Chicken Little, meet Jesus Christ.
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