A Question of Holiness
Holiness. More often than not that word does not stir up pleasant feelings. The meaning of the word is obscure, but it carries with it a weightiness. Before I became a follower of Christ, I would have cringed at that word. Something about it left a bad taste in my mouth. Holiness was not a virtue to be exalted, let alone embraced. Something about it seemed so serious, so heavy, so alienating. The very mention of the word seemed to inspire feelings of guilt.
What I knew of holiness was associated with the term "holier-than-thou." To be holy meant to be pious, uptight, and, well...snobbish. Holy people didn't have fun. In fact, holy people were too serious to enjoy life's pleasures. Holy people had so many rules to obey that they were not free to do whatever they wanted - how could that be fun? When I pictured holiness, I pictured people in long, flowy white robes walking around shaking their heads at "sinners" as they went about their religious activities. There was something so dull about it - like a lonely grave, holiness carried with it the stench of lifelessness.
My One Dimensional God
I can't think of a subject more misunderstood than the Holiness of God. If discussing politics and religion is taboo, then Holiness, especially as it pertains to the wrath and judgment of God, might be the most taboo topic of all. Until recent years, I tended to focused on the other attributes of God - you know, the ones that inspired more pleasant feelings, like love, joy, peace, grace, etc. How can Christians believe in a God who is loving and gracious yet has wrath and judgment? Aren’t the two a contradiction? Don’t you have to believe in one or the other? For me, if there’s a question that comes up in conversations about Christianity more than any other, it’s this one.
To be honest, it’s a question that haunted me for years, one I contented myself not to really think about because I just didn’t have an answer. It just seemed like one of those “mysteries” of God I would never be able to understand. But inevitably the question would resurface with a vengeance whenever I heard about hell, heard stories from the Old Testament, or read passages of scripture where God’s dealt harshly with people. These things made me afraid, and not in a “I love scary movies” kind of way.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Saturday, December 9, 2017
God of the Old Testament: Bully or Benevolent Pt 1: The Sacrifice of Isaac
If you're a Christian whose read the Bible or grown up in the church, you know the story of Abraham and Isaac. You've been taught it in Sunday School or heard a sermon preached with illustrations. For many, it's one of the more troubling passages of scripture. This passage understandably can be hard for many to reconcile with their view of a loving God.
Genesis 22: 1 - 14
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
On one hand, you have a God who condemns sacrifice, especially child sacrifice, on multiple accounts throughout the Old Testament, most notably to the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land: "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire...Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (Deut 18:9-12).
God condemns human and child sacrifice in the strongest terms: They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind." When the Israelites did engage in it in later texts, they faced capital punishment or divine judgment from God, even being driven from the promise land.
But then, you read the passage on Abraham and Isaac and it seems to run totally contrary to all the other passages where God condemns human sacrifice. How can God even ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his own child? And Abraham's own obedience to this can seem more shocking - what kind of parent would even think of sacrificing their child? Isn't this a contradiction of the Bible? Certainly, most societies would not sacrifice their own children, although exceptions exist. But in terms of absolute good versus evil, it's wrong - morally, ethically, and absolutely.
At this point, Abraham has already had to give up Ishmael. Now God's asking him to give up the only child he has left? His one and only son? The question that resonates within everyone's mind is this: what kind of God would ask such a thing?
Genesis 22: 1 - 14
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
On one hand, you have a God who condemns sacrifice, especially child sacrifice, on multiple accounts throughout the Old Testament, most notably to the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land: "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire...Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (Deut 18:9-12).
God condemns human and child sacrifice in the strongest terms: They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind." When the Israelites did engage in it in later texts, they faced capital punishment or divine judgment from God, even being driven from the promise land.
But then, you read the passage on Abraham and Isaac and it seems to run totally contrary to all the other passages where God condemns human sacrifice. How can God even ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his own child? And Abraham's own obedience to this can seem more shocking - what kind of parent would even think of sacrificing their child? Isn't this a contradiction of the Bible? Certainly, most societies would not sacrifice their own children, although exceptions exist. But in terms of absolute good versus evil, it's wrong - morally, ethically, and absolutely.
At this point, Abraham has already had to give up Ishmael. Now God's asking him to give up the only child he has left? His one and only son? The question that resonates within everyone's mind is this: what kind of God would ask such a thing?
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Unity
Unity is one of the most powerful weapons of mankind – for good or evil. Perhaps there is no greater illustration of this than the infamous Tower of Babel.
In Genesis 11, mankind unites to build a great city and exalt themselves over all the earth. We might expect God to ignore their futility and claim they are powerless without Him. But God doesn’t deny the power of their unity. Instead, He laments their abuse of it:
“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Gen 11:6, 7).
To this day, we live under the curse of Disunity – confusion, wars, and oppression.
But I have hope for our Unity. In the above story, we see a wrathful God who punished mankind by confusing their language. But what we forget is this: if man was capable of such evil together, the opposite also holds true.
Only together can we see the fullest expression of the Holy Spirit. And the Enemy of our souls knows this, fighting against it every chance he gets.
When we unite as One to build a city for God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will do things this world has never seen and may yet never see again. God separated us for a time for our own goodness and salvation, but in the end, we will all be reunited again as we were meant to be. And out of this unity in the Spirit will be birthed the full expression of God’s glory and goodness on earth: justice for the oppressed, freedom from darkness, and mercy for the forgotten.
Though the fight against evil and exploitation feels hopeless at times, if God is for us and we are united in Him, who could stand against us? Is there anything that would be impossible?
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Finding Jesus in the Passover Seder
Some of you may remember, but about a year ago I was studying the Passover. So in honor of holy week I thought I'd share some of the insights of what I learned from that time, and hopefully, you, like me, will find a new appreciation of the beauty and symbolism behind this tradition as you find the Messiah in the Passover.
As some of you may remember, I shared with you all how each of the celebrated holidays of Judaism unfold the story of salvation in order. Jesus would have died on the day of atonement, risen on the feast of first fruits (he is first among the harvest), and ascended to heaven during the feast of weeks.
Passover itself is celebrated through a ritual ceremony known as the Seder to commemorate the Lord's deliverance of his people from the Egyptians when the angel of death passed over homes painted with the blood of a perfect lamb. While there are some variations, the Seder has generally been celebrated the same for thousands of years without major change:
Chametz: The ceremony opens with the Father sweeping bread crumbs off the shelf, symbolizing the removal of yeast from the house (yeast in scripture is used to represent sin) the mother in turn lights the Passover candles and pronounces a blessing over the family
The Passover plate: each item on the plate represents a part of the deliverance story
The cup of Wine: the cup of wine is sipped from four different times, each sip with its own significance and meaning.
The First Cup - Cup of Sanctification: this is the first sip from the cup, symbolizing it is God who sanctifies us and sets us apart for special use. The father speaks a blessing, " Blessed are you O Lord our God, the King of the universe, the Maker of the fruit of the vine"
Urchatz: This is the ceremonial hand-washing to symbolize cleansing and purification. Jesus chose this part of the ceremony to wash his disciple's feet, demonstrating that true leadership not only serves but washes us in the word
Parsley/karpas: the parsley represents the hyssop used to paint the blood the lamb over the doorposts on the night of Passover. This parsley is dipped in salt water, symbolizing the tears and sorrows of their years spent in slavery, which in turn sweetens the parsley.
The First question: The children ask four different questions throughout the ceremony. The first is this: "Why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread?" The adult answers: Because our ancestors left Egypt in haste and did not have time to let the bread rise, and the unleavened bread was easier to carry for the journey.
The Matzah covering: In the covering are placed three pieces of unleavened bread. Some believe these represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the bread more likely symbolizes the oneness of God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Only the middle Matzah, the one marked by stripes, is removed from the covering and pierced. This pierced bread is then broken. One piece is wrapped in linen and hidden to be found at a later time and brought back to the father. The other piece is returned to the covering. Before consuming the bread, a blessing is pronounced: Blessed are you O Lord our God, who bring forth bread from the earth. "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.." (Jn 19:1). "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isa 53:5).
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Day I Died
In The Beginning
Since the beginning, stories have been central to human existence. It is from stories that we learn the most about a person. If you want to know why someone is the way they are – ask them about their life journey. Each of us has our own journey, so our stories are as unique as their tellers. If we were having coffee right now, I would sit across from you and ask you about your life. What your own personal story is and how it has defined you. How all of it – the good and the bad - has built up until this very moment, making you the person you are today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. But today.
Everyone has their story. And this is mine. I am humbled when I consider the fact that my story is merely a blip on the screen in a long line of stories, beginning ages ago. My life is only one life in the billions of living souls out there. My story is not even the most important story out there. But nevertheless, it is my story. My watershed occurred ten years ago this very day. This day, ten years ago, my whole world changed. In a very real way the Christina I once knew died. But it wasn’t a sad kind of death. It’s the kind of death that precedes a glorious metamorphosis. The way winter gives way to spring or a seed becomes a tree. It’s the kind of death that leads to life. The ‘me’ I knew died, and a new Christina awakened in her place. But of course, my journey didn’t start ten years ago. It started long before that.
Everyone has their own demons to face down. And entering into high school, I certainly had mine. I was very much a loner; I had my reasons. What I knew of life up until that point was far from a typical, sheltered childhood. While my childhood was wonderful in many ways it was in this season of life that I experienced many of my deepest wounds. I was fortunate enough to have both a mother and father who loved me and expressed that love. But I had very few friends as a child. What I frequently experienced from other children was exclusion and ridicule. At a very young age I also experienced abuse from someone I knew and trusted, but I did not tell my parents about the abuse out of fear. Instead, I opted to pretend like nothing had ever happened. And at age eight, as a result of having no friends at school, my mother withdrew me from school and placed me in home-schooling. My life took another dramatic turn when my family was burned by our church; they had been like close family to us. But the church was torn down the middle when some of the leaders began to abuse their power in the church, my family on the receiving end. My parents left the church taking me and my brother with them. But the impression it left on me of Christians was not a good one.
Entering into adolescence, I was pretty disillusioned with the world. But I found ways cope. I turned to solitary activities to keep myself preoccupied, becoming consumed with the television, video games, the internet, and fantasies. I became numb and detached from reality. I would spend an average of nine to nine and half hours watching television (can you say high school anime club?). These fixations were my escape. I didn’t “need” anything or anyone. Instead, I looked out for myself. I was fine on my own. Or so I thought.
My first year of high school my parents put me back into public school. To be honest, I hated their decision. My first two years back in public school were not different from my previous experience. I didn’t fit in and I certainly didn’t try to. While all the others kids were worried about being popular and winning a date, I could have cared less. I was the reserved, quiet kid who didn’t talk much and kept mostly to myself. I dressed different, acted different, and was into different things. So I was labeled as an outcast, looked down on and ridiculed for being different. But that was fine by me. I wasn’t interested in following the crowd. As far as I was concerned, I was better than all of them.
Since the beginning, stories have been central to human existence. It is from stories that we learn the most about a person. If you want to know why someone is the way they are – ask them about their life journey. Each of us has our own journey, so our stories are as unique as their tellers. If we were having coffee right now, I would sit across from you and ask you about your life. What your own personal story is and how it has defined you. How all of it – the good and the bad - has built up until this very moment, making you the person you are today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. But today.
Everyone has their story. And this is mine. I am humbled when I consider the fact that my story is merely a blip on the screen in a long line of stories, beginning ages ago. My life is only one life in the billions of living souls out there. My story is not even the most important story out there. But nevertheless, it is my story. My watershed occurred ten years ago this very day. This day, ten years ago, my whole world changed. In a very real way the Christina I once knew died. But it wasn’t a sad kind of death. It’s the kind of death that precedes a glorious metamorphosis. The way winter gives way to spring or a seed becomes a tree. It’s the kind of death that leads to life. The ‘me’ I knew died, and a new Christina awakened in her place. But of course, my journey didn’t start ten years ago. It started long before that.
Everyone has their own demons to face down. And entering into high school, I certainly had mine. I was very much a loner; I had my reasons. What I knew of life up until that point was far from a typical, sheltered childhood. While my childhood was wonderful in many ways it was in this season of life that I experienced many of my deepest wounds. I was fortunate enough to have both a mother and father who loved me and expressed that love. But I had very few friends as a child. What I frequently experienced from other children was exclusion and ridicule. At a very young age I also experienced abuse from someone I knew and trusted, but I did not tell my parents about the abuse out of fear. Instead, I opted to pretend like nothing had ever happened. And at age eight, as a result of having no friends at school, my mother withdrew me from school and placed me in home-schooling. My life took another dramatic turn when my family was burned by our church; they had been like close family to us. But the church was torn down the middle when some of the leaders began to abuse their power in the church, my family on the receiving end. My parents left the church taking me and my brother with them. But the impression it left on me of Christians was not a good one.
Entering into adolescence, I was pretty disillusioned with the world. But I found ways cope. I turned to solitary activities to keep myself preoccupied, becoming consumed with the television, video games, the internet, and fantasies. I became numb and detached from reality. I would spend an average of nine to nine and half hours watching television (can you say high school anime club?). These fixations were my escape. I didn’t “need” anything or anyone. Instead, I looked out for myself. I was fine on my own. Or so I thought.
My first year of high school my parents put me back into public school. To be honest, I hated their decision. My first two years back in public school were not different from my previous experience. I didn’t fit in and I certainly didn’t try to. While all the others kids were worried about being popular and winning a date, I could have cared less. I was the reserved, quiet kid who didn’t talk much and kept mostly to myself. I dressed different, acted different, and was into different things. So I was labeled as an outcast, looked down on and ridiculed for being different. But that was fine by me. I wasn’t interested in following the crowd. As far as I was concerned, I was better than all of them.
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Spirit of Christmas
It's that time again. The Christmas season. Depending on your family situation, that sentence might inspire feelings of warmth or feelings of dread. Three Christmases ago, I wrote a blog titled The Two Sides of Christmas. I wrote about the mixed feelings Christmas brings. There is something more to Christmas than simply getting everything on our list. The holiday touches on something that resonates deep within each of our souls: love. Christmas is really about Love. Love's a funny thing though, isn't it? I mean what does it mean to love someone exactly? It might seem so easy to define until you think about it. Sometimes, love can mean so many things. We love our family, our friends, our significant other. We also love pizza, music, and movies. Yet none of these loves are even remotely the same.
"All You Need is Love"
I can't think of a subject more talked about, more written about, or more sung about than love. The longing for love is so deeply rooted in the human heart. I have met people from many different walks of life, but I've never met someone who didn't desire unfailing love. It is the one common thread weaving through all of humanity. Our love is what separates us from the rest of nature. Love is incompatible with self-preservation or survival of the fittest. We're not animals simply trying to survive, we're human beings with a deep desire to connect with others on a soul level. We search, we chase, we dream. And that's not so surprising when you think about it. After all, if we are made with a soul in the image of our God, wouldn't it make sense that we have such a capacity and desire for love?
We do crazy things in our pursuit for love. Sometimes we walk away winners, other times we walk away broken in pieces. It's a graveyard of hearts, this world in which we live. Some give up and deaden their hearts to this longing for love in an effort to avoid further pain; others pick up the pieces and press on in their search, hoping to one day find a love that won't let go.
But Christmas is not only about the human search for love. Christmas is really a story about Love. The human story is marked by our own exhaustive pursuit of love. But Christmas tells the story of Love's relentless pursuit of us. "For love is as strong as death, it's jealousy as unyielding as the grave" (Song 8:6). Love came down to earth in human form to give us hope, joy, and peace. You see, I've come to realize that it's not the longing for love that is the enemy. You could deaden your heart in an effort to stop the bleeding, but all that does is numb you. You might not feel any pain, but then again, you won't feel anything at all. This drive for love is in us for a reason. The desire for love is not the problem, it's simply a question of where you look for it.
"All You Need is Love"
I can't think of a subject more talked about, more written about, or more sung about than love. The longing for love is so deeply rooted in the human heart. I have met people from many different walks of life, but I've never met someone who didn't desire unfailing love. It is the one common thread weaving through all of humanity. Our love is what separates us from the rest of nature. Love is incompatible with self-preservation or survival of the fittest. We're not animals simply trying to survive, we're human beings with a deep desire to connect with others on a soul level. We search, we chase, we dream. And that's not so surprising when you think about it. After all, if we are made with a soul in the image of our God, wouldn't it make sense that we have such a capacity and desire for love?
We do crazy things in our pursuit for love. Sometimes we walk away winners, other times we walk away broken in pieces. It's a graveyard of hearts, this world in which we live. Some give up and deaden their hearts to this longing for love in an effort to avoid further pain; others pick up the pieces and press on in their search, hoping to one day find a love that won't let go.
But Christmas is not only about the human search for love. Christmas is really a story about Love. The human story is marked by our own exhaustive pursuit of love. But Christmas tells the story of Love's relentless pursuit of us. "For love is as strong as death, it's jealousy as unyielding as the grave" (Song 8:6). Love came down to earth in human form to give us hope, joy, and peace. You see, I've come to realize that it's not the longing for love that is the enemy. You could deaden your heart in an effort to stop the bleeding, but all that does is numb you. You might not feel any pain, but then again, you won't feel anything at all. This drive for love is in us for a reason. The desire for love is not the problem, it's simply a question of where you look for it.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
In Jars of Clay
It's no secret that Christians have a vocabulary of their own. Hang around Christians long enough, and you will pick up on some of the interesting (and perhaps peculiar) jargon Christians often use. We have a host of sayings/cliches we often employ in every day conversation that may make perfect sense to us but may not make much sense to others. As demonstrated in Rebecca Pippert's story, while we may mean well, we can take for granted the meaning behind the jargon we so casually employ:
"When I worked with college students, I gave many evangelistic dorm talks. I remember one in which a skeptical but seeking student asked me, "What does it mean to be a Christian?" A Christian student who really desired the other student to understand replied, "It means you have to be washed in the blood of the lamb." The first student paled and looked confused. The Christian continued, "That way you will be sanctified and redeemed." Another student, seeking to help his Christian brother said, "And the fellowship is so neat. Praise the Lord! You really get into the Word and get such a blessing." By the end of the evening, it was clear from the skeptic student's face that he felt Christians came from another planet." (Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World)
I can't say I blame him. I often wander if we even know what half the stuff we say means. Redeemed. Sanctified. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Try explaining the gospel to someone without using Christianese and in plain language - it's harder than you think. I am in no way saying Christian jargon is bad; jargon is normal to any tight-knit group of people, much like inside jokes. Nor am I saying we should pessimistically question everything out of some sense of hyper-skepticism. It's easy to focus on everything the church has done/is doing wrong and bitterly stew over it's many flaws - I've been there and it only serves to encourage a my own sense of self-righteousness. But what would happen if we stepped back and examined the meaning behind some of the things we say?
"When I worked with college students, I gave many evangelistic dorm talks. I remember one in which a skeptical but seeking student asked me, "What does it mean to be a Christian?" A Christian student who really desired the other student to understand replied, "It means you have to be washed in the blood of the lamb." The first student paled and looked confused. The Christian continued, "That way you will be sanctified and redeemed." Another student, seeking to help his Christian brother said, "And the fellowship is so neat. Praise the Lord! You really get into the Word and get such a blessing." By the end of the evening, it was clear from the skeptic student's face that he felt Christians came from another planet." (Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World)
I can't say I blame him. I often wander if we even know what half the stuff we say means. Redeemed. Sanctified. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Try explaining the gospel to someone without using Christianese and in plain language - it's harder than you think. I am in no way saying Christian jargon is bad; jargon is normal to any tight-knit group of people, much like inside jokes. Nor am I saying we should pessimistically question everything out of some sense of hyper-skepticism. It's easy to focus on everything the church has done/is doing wrong and bitterly stew over it's many flaws - I've been there and it only serves to encourage a my own sense of self-righteousness. But what would happen if we stepped back and examined the meaning behind some of the things we say?
Monday, November 26, 2012
A New Way of Thinking: Finding Self-Esteem and Self-worth in a Post-Modern World (Pt. 3)
Learning
to Think Differently
So how can we change our thinking to encourage a healthy self-esteem? In answering this question, many self-help enthusiasts would advocate self-affirmation as the cure to low self-esteem. The problem is self-affirmation holds closely to the ‘power of positive thinking’ theory, which rejects all forms of negativity. This makes self-affirmation often lead to overly positive self-assessments. In practice, this looks like pretending negative qualities do not exist or simply minimizing them, some enthusiasts literally going so far as to say, “You are perfect just the way you.” But statements such as these are a lot like overcorrecting your steering wheel when your car goes off the road – it may be tempting to swerve in the other direction, but overcompensation is not your friend. While it’s meant to empower the individual and increase self-esteem, statements like the one above tend to encourage an idealized self-perception, one that does not conform to reality.
Remember that self-esteem is simply how you esteem and value yourself. So while low self-esteem is certainly problematic, an overly high self-esteem is not healthy either - in other words, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. If we esteem ourselves too highly and do not value others as highly as ourselves, we become focused on ourselves and our high self-esteem gives way to haughtiness and selfishness. A healthy self-esteem is neither too high nor too low – it has both dignity and confidence without being centered on ourselves.
So how can we change our thinking to encourage a healthy self-esteem? In answering this question, many self-help enthusiasts would advocate self-affirmation as the cure to low self-esteem. The problem is self-affirmation holds closely to the ‘power of positive thinking’ theory, which rejects all forms of negativity. This makes self-affirmation often lead to overly positive self-assessments. In practice, this looks like pretending negative qualities do not exist or simply minimizing them, some enthusiasts literally going so far as to say, “You are perfect just the way you.” But statements such as these are a lot like overcorrecting your steering wheel when your car goes off the road – it may be tempting to swerve in the other direction, but overcompensation is not your friend. While it’s meant to empower the individual and increase self-esteem, statements like the one above tend to encourage an idealized self-perception, one that does not conform to reality.
Remember that self-esteem is simply how you esteem and value yourself. So while low self-esteem is certainly problematic, an overly high self-esteem is not healthy either - in other words, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. If we esteem ourselves too highly and do not value others as highly as ourselves, we become focused on ourselves and our high self-esteem gives way to haughtiness and selfishness. A healthy self-esteem is neither too high nor too low – it has both dignity and confidence without being centered on ourselves.
Self-perception: Finding Self-Esteem and Self-Worth in a Post Modern World (Pt. 2)
What Do You See?
So what exactly is self-esteem? What does a healthy self-esteem look like? Is it even an attainable goal? Self esteem is simply how you value and esteem yourself – what you judge yourself to be worth. When it comes to defining healthy self-esteem, we could easily come up with many different definitions. But when I hear people talk about wanting to have a better self-esteem, what I hear is this: People want to feel good about themselves. Taken in this way, a low self-esteem is feeling bad about yourself - who you are at your core.
While inferiority and low self-esteem are feelings, feelings are based on thoughts and perceptions. In this regard, I agree with many self-help enthusiasts. Why are feelings based on thoughts and perceptions? Think about it. Say you've made plans to meet up with a friend for coffee, and you've been waiting a while for them to show. As the time drags on and you wait alone, you might start to feel angry and resentful, wandering if you’ve been stood up. But the second your friend calls you and tells you that they’ve been in an accident, your feelings would change instantly from anger and resentment to relief and concern. Why? Because your perception of the situation changed.
Therefore, how we think about ourselves affects how we feel about ourselves. The way you evaluate yourself affects how you feel and behave. But self-evaluation can go to either extreme. An overly positive (inflated) evaluation of ourselves breeds pride and haughtiness, affecting how we act toward others. An overly negative (deflated) evaluation of ourselves breeds self-condemnation and self-hatred. In other words, low self-esteem is you judging yourself to be inferior based on the criteria you use to critique yourself, i.e. if I were prettier, if I were more extroverted, if I were more successful, if I were more ____ then I’d be _____. We make negative evaluations of ourselves resulting in feelings of low self-esteem and inferiority. But our evaluations of ourselves are not simply based on our own thoughts and opinions; our negative evaluations can also be the result of believing what others think about us (spoken or implied) and accepting those evaluations and judgments as truth.
So what exactly is self-esteem? What does a healthy self-esteem look like? Is it even an attainable goal? Self esteem is simply how you value and esteem yourself – what you judge yourself to be worth. When it comes to defining healthy self-esteem, we could easily come up with many different definitions. But when I hear people talk about wanting to have a better self-esteem, what I hear is this: People want to feel good about themselves. Taken in this way, a low self-esteem is feeling bad about yourself - who you are at your core.
While inferiority and low self-esteem are feelings, feelings are based on thoughts and perceptions. In this regard, I agree with many self-help enthusiasts. Why are feelings based on thoughts and perceptions? Think about it. Say you've made plans to meet up with a friend for coffee, and you've been waiting a while for them to show. As the time drags on and you wait alone, you might start to feel angry and resentful, wandering if you’ve been stood up. But the second your friend calls you and tells you that they’ve been in an accident, your feelings would change instantly from anger and resentment to relief and concern. Why? Because your perception of the situation changed.
Therefore, how we think about ourselves affects how we feel about ourselves. The way you evaluate yourself affects how you feel and behave. But self-evaluation can go to either extreme. An overly positive (inflated) evaluation of ourselves breeds pride and haughtiness, affecting how we act toward others. An overly negative (deflated) evaluation of ourselves breeds self-condemnation and self-hatred. In other words, low self-esteem is you judging yourself to be inferior based on the criteria you use to critique yourself, i.e. if I were prettier, if I were more extroverted, if I were more successful, if I were more ____ then I’d be _____. We make negative evaluations of ourselves resulting in feelings of low self-esteem and inferiority. But our evaluations of ourselves are not simply based on our own thoughts and opinions; our negative evaluations can also be the result of believing what others think about us (spoken or implied) and accepting those evaluations and judgments as truth.
Friday, November 9, 2012
An Apologetical Entry: The Sacrifice of Jephthah
I have decided to occasionally post
apologetical (simply meaning, a study of Christian theology concerned with the
defense or proof of Christianity) thoughts and findings in relation to
understanding God and the Bible. This not only stems from my personal enjoyment
of apologetics, but because of my own personal struggles. I have often
struggled with many Old Testament passages of Scripture - things that have made
God seem very harsh, cruel, and far from the loving God often preached to me.
There was even a point in my life where I honestly didn't want much to do with
God because of what I read in the Bible. For this reason, apologetics has been
a powerful tool in my life. I learned to never give up searching for answers.
And even though the answers were often not immediate, I have found that if I
wait patiently, God often meets me where I am in my doubts and struggles.
I have many unanswered questions still, but I also have more questions answered today than five years ago. As I have said before, however, it's rarely been immediate. The process has been long, but persistence is a virtue. You must never give up, even when things don't make sense. You must continually seek, ask, and knock until the door is opened (Matt 7:7). Persistence comes from determination. When you want something bad enough - you find a way to get it, no matter what.
I have many unanswered questions still, but I also have more questions answered today than five years ago. As I have said before, however, it's rarely been immediate. The process has been long, but persistence is a virtue. You must never give up, even when things don't make sense. You must continually seek, ask, and knock until the door is opened (Matt 7:7). Persistence comes from determination. When you want something bad enough - you find a way to get it, no matter what.
The passage I have struggled with
the most recently comes from Judges. And rather than writing out the whole
story, I think I will simply paste the passage of Scripture below and then follow
it up with a summary. Quite honestly though, the story spans several passages
of Scripture and while it's best to start from the beginning, it's too much for
me to paste. So I will focus on a central part of the story in question:
Judges
11: 29-3929 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight
the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty
towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus
Israel subdued Ammon.
34 When Jephthah returned to his
home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to
the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son
nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my
daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to
the Lord that I cannot break.”
36 “My father,” she replied, “you
have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord
has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one
request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my
friends, because I will never marry.”
38 “You may go,” he said. And he let
her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because
she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and
he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
This is a hard passage to digest. Jephthah, an unlikely hero, sets out to defend Israel against the Ammonites. And because of Jephthah's personal background, it's safe to say he has a lot hanging on the line, defeat is simply not an option. So in a moment of rashness, Jephthah utters a vow to the Lord - something that is not only highly serious, but impossible to go back on. In an effort to make a quick bargain for what he wants, Jephthah does not stop to consider the possible consequences of his actions. In the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes:
Be very careful when you go to
worship God. It is better to listen to God than to give sacrifices like fools.
Fools often do bad things, and they don’t even know it. Be
careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to him.
Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you
are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to him. This saying is
true: “Bad
dreams come from too many worries, and too many words come from the mouth of a
fool.” If you make a promise to God, keep your
promise. Don’t be slow to do what you promised. God is not happy with fools.
Give God what you promised to give him. It is better to
promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it. So don’t let your words cause you to sin. Don’t say to the
priest, “I didn’t mean what I said.”
Ecc 5:1-6Jephthah's rash vow ended up costing him dearly. Many who read this story, believers and non-believers alike, are horrified at the idea of Jephthah sacrificing his daughter to God. It's an unspeakable cruel act for anyone to commit, let alone a parent. It's particularly perplexing because why would God want Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter just to fulfill a vow? Why would God ever sanction a human sacrifice? More importantly, why would a loving God ever saction a human sacrifice in any situation?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Inferiority Complex: Finding Self-Esteem and Self-Worth in a Post Modern World (Pt. 1)
Self-esteem in a Post Modern World
In a world where affirmation can be found in so many places, it seems surprising that self-esteem and self-worth would still be a struggle for most people. Maybe not all of us, but many of us were told as a child by parents, teachers, and disney that we could achieve anything we put our mind to and we could be anything we wanted to be. And if you didn't hear it from them, you most certainly heard it from other cultural influences.
As an adult, these affirmations can be found in other sources - sexuality, love, work, sports, you name it. And despite it all, we still seem to be a people plagued by problems of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. As more psychological problems surface, many embark in search for a cure. The rise of self-help books and pop psychology seems to say as much. And most of the time, the cure ends up sounding something like this: You need to love yourself and have confidence in who you are - only you can make yourself happy. Given our individualistic culture, a culture that values independence and self-sufficiency above dependence on others, this idea does not come as a surpise. And in some ways, the idea makes sense. If the problem is an internal one, it would seem logical to look within yourself to fix it. But for so many reasons, I feel that this is actually the wrong place to look.
In a world where affirmation can be found in so many places, it seems surprising that self-esteem and self-worth would still be a struggle for most people. Maybe not all of us, but many of us were told as a child by parents, teachers, and disney that we could achieve anything we put our mind to and we could be anything we wanted to be. And if you didn't hear it from them, you most certainly heard it from other cultural influences.
As an adult, these affirmations can be found in other sources - sexuality, love, work, sports, you name it. And despite it all, we still seem to be a people plagued by problems of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. As more psychological problems surface, many embark in search for a cure. The rise of self-help books and pop psychology seems to say as much. And most of the time, the cure ends up sounding something like this: You need to love yourself and have confidence in who you are - only you can make yourself happy. Given our individualistic culture, a culture that values independence and self-sufficiency above dependence on others, this idea does not come as a surpise. And in some ways, the idea makes sense. If the problem is an internal one, it would seem logical to look within yourself to fix it. But for so many reasons, I feel that this is actually the wrong place to look.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
A Place Among Them
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Heb 12:1
Stories of great men and women are always inspiring, especially ones that are no mere legends. The more true the story, the more inspiring. Such stories show how real men and women can do extraordinary things. Of course, greatness as it may be defined, is a matter of perspective. The most inspiring lives are the ones that speak of incredible faith, love, and hope. Maybe such lives don’t seem at all great in the eyes of the world, but such lives mark greatness as it is defined by the kingdom of heaven. Trials proved genuine the faith they possessed. Their lives bared witness to and gave evidence of a divine power that enabled them in all things.
Inspired by His nature, they sought to emulate Him in their ways. They are truly an uncommon find, a rare breed. They were willing to go where no man or woman had gone before or at least where few were willing to go. And it is this unique trait that makes their lives so inspiring - their willingness to let go of what few others are willing to give up. In this way, their very lives became like a sweet fragrance, an aroma to inhale - they are redolent of something so good, so other-worldly that one cannot help but taste Heaven. Lives such as those of George Muller, James H. Taylor, Gladys Alyward, Amy Carmichael, the Stams, and William Carey - who all left the common path to live for something greater than themselves. Each one carried a torch with them in their race to the finish line, only to give it away to the next person. And that is the legacy they left us - that someone else would come after them, pick up the torch and carry on where they left off.
Stories of great men and women are always inspiring, especially ones that are no mere legends. The more true the story, the more inspiring. Such stories show how real men and women can do extraordinary things. Of course, greatness as it may be defined, is a matter of perspective. The most inspiring lives are the ones that speak of incredible faith, love, and hope. Maybe such lives don’t seem at all great in the eyes of the world, but such lives mark greatness as it is defined by the kingdom of heaven. Trials proved genuine the faith they possessed. Their lives bared witness to and gave evidence of a divine power that enabled them in all things.
Inspired by His nature, they sought to emulate Him in their ways. They are truly an uncommon find, a rare breed. They were willing to go where no man or woman had gone before or at least where few were willing to go. And it is this unique trait that makes their lives so inspiring - their willingness to let go of what few others are willing to give up. In this way, their very lives became like a sweet fragrance, an aroma to inhale - they are redolent of something so good, so other-worldly that one cannot help but taste Heaven. Lives such as those of George Muller, James H. Taylor, Gladys Alyward, Amy Carmichael, the Stams, and William Carey - who all left the common path to live for something greater than themselves. Each one carried a torch with them in their race to the finish line, only to give it away to the next person. And that is the legacy they left us - that someone else would come after them, pick up the torch and carry on where they left off.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Crossroads
Down this windy, dusty road
Awaits a path through which most go
The path is bearable, easy and wide
The name of the path is a Wasted Life
Promising easy trials and avoidance of pain
The path offers much for its pilgrims to gain
But off this beaten path another trail lies
It's small, narrow, stark, and untried
This Road Less Travelled will lead you where you want to go
Though where that is, no one knows
The path awards its travellers meaning, significance, adventure, and life
But it comes at a high price-
The price of a lonely life
Yes, pain and sorrow flow mingled down
Along this trying path to some untold crown
And though starting down this path may be easy enough
The real question is will the price be too much?
Though faint whispers of pioneers past
Urge you on to this uncertain path
Will the trials be too much for the soul to take?
Will the burden to press on be too great?
Yes, down this Road Less Travelled you must sojourn alone
But perhaps at the end you will find home
And though the trials and loneliness were indeed great
Perhaps you will feel no regret over the price you paid
Down the Road Less Travelled you will go
Though where it leads, no one knows
Awaits a path through which most go
The path is bearable, easy and wide
The name of the path is a Wasted Life
Promising easy trials and avoidance of pain
The path offers much for its pilgrims to gain
But off this beaten path another trail lies
It's small, narrow, stark, and untried
This Road Less Travelled will lead you where you want to go
Though where that is, no one knows
The path awards its travellers meaning, significance, adventure, and life
But it comes at a high price-
The price of a lonely life
Yes, pain and sorrow flow mingled down
Along this trying path to some untold crown
And though starting down this path may be easy enough
The real question is will the price be too much?
Though faint whispers of pioneers past
Urge you on to this uncertain path
Will the trials be too much for the soul to take?
Will the burden to press on be too great?
Yes, down this Road Less Travelled you must sojourn alone
But perhaps at the end you will find home
And though the trials and loneliness were indeed great
Perhaps you will feel no regret over the price you paid
Down the Road Less Travelled you will go
Though where it leads, no one knows
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Jesus and Religion
Come, follow me,” Jesus said. Matt 4:19
“How does your religion get you to heaven?” It wasn’t the question that stunned me, it was the response. “Actually, my religion doesn’t get you to heaven.” What? The host presiding over the inter-faith dialogues asked him to explain. “Sure, I’ve just never seen a religion save anyone. All religions are great at laying out some basic rules – dos and don’ts – that are good for our lives, but they don’t really provide hope or any kind of eternal security. It seems religions end up causing more trouble than solving any.” Wait – I thought this dude was a Christian! What was he saying?! “So then, how do you get to heaven?” the host asked him confused. “Well, it’s Jesus. He didn’t start a new religion; he came to provide us a model for life and a way to God. Believing in him and following him is the way. He takes us to heaven, not a religion.”
The word “religion” comes from a word that means “to tie up, to bind,” in the sense of obligation. Many people don’t want to become a Christian because they think Christianity is a religion. They are not looking to become burdened or tied up under a bunch of rules – they want to be free. But being part of the Christian religion and following Jesus are not one in the same.
Religion lays heavy burdens on the backs of men, under which they struggle. To the religious leaders of His day Jesus said, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Luke 11:45-47). Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion and lay more heavy burdens on the backs of men; he came to show us a new way entirely – believing in and following Him.
“How does your religion get you to heaven?” It wasn’t the question that stunned me, it was the response. “Actually, my religion doesn’t get you to heaven.” What? The host presiding over the inter-faith dialogues asked him to explain. “Sure, I’ve just never seen a religion save anyone. All religions are great at laying out some basic rules – dos and don’ts – that are good for our lives, but they don’t really provide hope or any kind of eternal security. It seems religions end up causing more trouble than solving any.” Wait – I thought this dude was a Christian! What was he saying?! “So then, how do you get to heaven?” the host asked him confused. “Well, it’s Jesus. He didn’t start a new religion; he came to provide us a model for life and a way to God. Believing in him and following him is the way. He takes us to heaven, not a religion.”
The word “religion” comes from a word that means “to tie up, to bind,” in the sense of obligation. Many people don’t want to become a Christian because they think Christianity is a religion. They are not looking to become burdened or tied up under a bunch of rules – they want to be free. But being part of the Christian religion and following Jesus are not one in the same.
Religion lays heavy burdens on the backs of men, under which they struggle. To the religious leaders of His day Jesus said, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Luke 11:45-47). Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion and lay more heavy burdens on the backs of men; he came to show us a new way entirely – believing in and following Him.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Iron Fist
Lesson number three: Authority is not a bad thing, it’s how you use it…
Authority - can’t live with it, can’t live without it. No one in their right mind would advocate anarchy as the way to go. We all know that if there were no law and nobody enforcing that law, mass chaos would ensue - crime and violence would go unchecked, running their full course. We need the order, protection, and stability that authority brings us. But while we admit authority is necessary, we also often feel it is a necessary evil. Bottom line: you can’t trust authority.
Our recognition of the need for authority is matched by our disdain for it and a ‘don’t tell me what to do’ attitude. Authority is all fine and dandy until it comes knocking on your front door or, perhaps more accurately, on your card window. We disdain authority because to us it limits our freedom and autonomy. Our origins and values as a country lend itself to this perception of authority.
As a camp counselor, having authority and enforcing it was not easy, particularly with the older kids. They don’t want you telling them what to do; authority in their minds is synonymous with control. Why do we have authority over children? Is it because we are better than them? Is it because we are less sinful than they are? No. I came to see that we are given authority to discharge a trust from God, and authority is needed to discharge that trust effectively.
Authority - can’t live with it, can’t live without it. No one in their right mind would advocate anarchy as the way to go. We all know that if there were no law and nobody enforcing that law, mass chaos would ensue - crime and violence would go unchecked, running their full course. We need the order, protection, and stability that authority brings us. But while we admit authority is necessary, we also often feel it is a necessary evil. Bottom line: you can’t trust authority.
Our recognition of the need for authority is matched by our disdain for it and a ‘don’t tell me what to do’ attitude. Authority is all fine and dandy until it comes knocking on your front door or, perhaps more accurately, on your card window. We disdain authority because to us it limits our freedom and autonomy. Our origins and values as a country lend itself to this perception of authority.
As a camp counselor, having authority and enforcing it was not easy, particularly with the older kids. They don’t want you telling them what to do; authority in their minds is synonymous with control. Why do we have authority over children? Is it because we are better than them? Is it because we are less sinful than they are? No. I came to see that we are given authority to discharge a trust from God, and authority is needed to discharge that trust effectively.
Love and Discipline
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Rev 3:19
Lesson number two: discipline should not be punitive or done in anger…
Admittedly, this was the one I struggled with the most this summer. Have you ever found yourself thinking that love and discipline are two separate things? I have. I know many parents would say they struggle to find a balance between loving their child and disciplining them. But, without realizing it, we are implying that love is only warm and fuzzy while discipline is cold and harsh.
Perhaps we define it this way because that has been our own experience. But the discipline of the Lord is very different from human discipline. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?…Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it…” (Heb 12:5-7,9).
I think we need to redefine the word discipline. The word ‘discipline’ comes from the word ‘disciple.’ Children are disciples - little pupils, if you will. Little pupils of what exactly? Well, of those raising them. When we raise a child, we are ultimately instructing them in the ways of life, or more particularly, our ways of life - our standards, our beliefs, and our way of doing things. We show them how life should be lived. In an interesting way, they are little disciples of, well…us.
Lesson number two: discipline should not be punitive or done in anger…
Admittedly, this was the one I struggled with the most this summer. Have you ever found yourself thinking that love and discipline are two separate things? I have. I know many parents would say they struggle to find a balance between loving their child and disciplining them. But, without realizing it, we are implying that love is only warm and fuzzy while discipline is cold and harsh.
Perhaps we define it this way because that has been our own experience. But the discipline of the Lord is very different from human discipline. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?…Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it…” (Heb 12:5-7,9).
I think we need to redefine the word discipline. The word ‘discipline’ comes from the word ‘disciple.’ Children are disciples - little pupils, if you will. Little pupils of what exactly? Well, of those raising them. When we raise a child, we are ultimately instructing them in the ways of life, or more particularly, our ways of life - our standards, our beliefs, and our way of doing things. We show them how life should be lived. In an interesting way, they are little disciples of, well…us.
Discipline
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you (Deut 8:5)
My summer has been a marvelous journey of ups and downs. I spent my summer working as a camp counselor with a local children’s ministry at a nearby church. I have worked with this ministry as a camp counselor several times before, and I always walk away learning something new. This time, I intend to chronicle what I learned. But a brief disclaimer, even as I share my learnings I can’t really claim sainthood. I don’t have it all together in these areas; if anything, this summer I came to see how I fall short of the ideal. As a camp counselor I came face-to-face with my own impatience. Coming into the summer I felt like such a gentle and patient person. Well, I was wrong. My patience and gentleness hit their limits, limits that I didn’t know were there. Children are a sanctifying fire of their own, trust me. But I am sure the Lord will continue to work on such things in me.
Lesson number one: you are never too old for discipline…
I would like to thank junior camp (the 4-6 year olds) for teaching me this lesson. I believe God made this age cute to help keep us from giving full vent to our anger. Their blatant rebellion and open disobedience would warrant greater punitive measures if it wasn’t for their darn cuteness. How can I be angry with you when your cheeks always look like a never-ending game of chubby bunny and your eyes are so googly? Still, they know what they are doing.
As my junior campers and I were walking to the classroom one kid decided to throw his lunch box across the ground, resulting in me announcing a new rule: no more throwing your lunch box across the ground. Of course, even if the urge to throw their lunchbox had never come across their mind, suddenly the desire appeared simply because you said not to. It was like a light when off in this one kid’s head: she said not, so now I want to. That’s when junior decided to test me…he threw his lunch box. And I stopped and stared at him incredulously.
My summer has been a marvelous journey of ups and downs. I spent my summer working as a camp counselor with a local children’s ministry at a nearby church. I have worked with this ministry as a camp counselor several times before, and I always walk away learning something new. This time, I intend to chronicle what I learned. But a brief disclaimer, even as I share my learnings I can’t really claim sainthood. I don’t have it all together in these areas; if anything, this summer I came to see how I fall short of the ideal. As a camp counselor I came face-to-face with my own impatience. Coming into the summer I felt like such a gentle and patient person. Well, I was wrong. My patience and gentleness hit their limits, limits that I didn’t know were there. Children are a sanctifying fire of their own, trust me. But I am sure the Lord will continue to work on such things in me.
Lesson number one: you are never too old for discipline…
I would like to thank junior camp (the 4-6 year olds) for teaching me this lesson. I believe God made this age cute to help keep us from giving full vent to our anger. Their blatant rebellion and open disobedience would warrant greater punitive measures if it wasn’t for their darn cuteness. How can I be angry with you when your cheeks always look like a never-ending game of chubby bunny and your eyes are so googly? Still, they know what they are doing.
As my junior campers and I were walking to the classroom one kid decided to throw his lunch box across the ground, resulting in me announcing a new rule: no more throwing your lunch box across the ground. Of course, even if the urge to throw their lunchbox had never come across their mind, suddenly the desire appeared simply because you said not to. It was like a light when off in this one kid’s head: she said not, so now I want to. That’s when junior decided to test me…he threw his lunch box. And I stopped and stared at him incredulously.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Beauty of Obedience
Moses asked of the Lord, “Let me know Your ways that I may know You” (Exo 33:13).
You cannot know God apart from His ways or His commands. Obedience unlocks understanding. If we say we love Him and know Him, yet we do not obey Him, how can we be speaking the truth? Surely, when you love someone you demonstrate your love doing what you know pleases them, not what you know displeases them. Through His commands we can come to know God in a deeper way. Through His commands He will reveal Himself as pure, just, holy, loving, righteous, merciful, and gracious. But without obedience, such knowledge of God will remain intellectual, rather than experiential.
You cannot know God apart from His ways or His commands. Obedience unlocks understanding. If we say we love Him and know Him, yet we do not obey Him, how can we be speaking the truth? Surely, when you love someone you demonstrate your love doing what you know pleases them, not what you know displeases them. Through His commands we can come to know God in a deeper way. Through His commands He will reveal Himself as pure, just, holy, loving, righteous, merciful, and gracious. But without obedience, such knowledge of God will remain intellectual, rather than experiential.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Passion and Desires
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25
When it comes to our passions and desires nothing seems cut and dry. It’s like trying to navigate mirky waters - just what exactly is what? But the profound truth remains - everything starts with a desire, whether its doing good or doing evil. Given the tricky nature of desires, I suppose it’s no wonder the Bible notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). Of all unruly things in existence, who has mastered the heart? Who has tamed it? For the heart is the seat of a man’s will and desires.
“The greater the potential for good, the greater the potential for evil,” Elisabeth Elliot, wife of martyr Jim Elliot, wrote in speaking on the struggle she and Jim endured as they waited to be united together in marriage. “A good and perfect gift, these natural desires. But so much more necessary that they be restrained, controlled, corrected, even crucified, that they might be reborn in power and purity for God.”
At the crux of every trial and temptation is a struggle between the self and God; we wrestle with God over who will be in charge: us or Him. We struggle between choosing His will or our own. The more valuable the prize, the greater the struggle. Deep down we want to be captain of our destinies, we want to be seated on the throne of our hearts. We are willing to obey, but only if it means we get what we want. We say, “I will surrender to the will of the Lord, but only if He gives me (fill in the blank) in return.” We want to know what’s in it for us should we choose to surrender.
When it comes to our passions and desires nothing seems cut and dry. It’s like trying to navigate mirky waters - just what exactly is what? But the profound truth remains - everything starts with a desire, whether its doing good or doing evil. Given the tricky nature of desires, I suppose it’s no wonder the Bible notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). Of all unruly things in existence, who has mastered the heart? Who has tamed it? For the heart is the seat of a man’s will and desires.
“The greater the potential for good, the greater the potential for evil,” Elisabeth Elliot, wife of martyr Jim Elliot, wrote in speaking on the struggle she and Jim endured as they waited to be united together in marriage. “A good and perfect gift, these natural desires. But so much more necessary that they be restrained, controlled, corrected, even crucified, that they might be reborn in power and purity for God.”
At the crux of every trial and temptation is a struggle between the self and God; we wrestle with God over who will be in charge: us or Him. We struggle between choosing His will or our own. The more valuable the prize, the greater the struggle. Deep down we want to be captain of our destinies, we want to be seated on the throne of our hearts. We are willing to obey, but only if it means we get what we want. We say, “I will surrender to the will of the Lord, but only if He gives me (fill in the blank) in return.” We want to know what’s in it for us should we choose to surrender.
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