The other day as I was going into one of our local stores I happened on a scene that brought tears to my eyes. A young mother and father were going in as I was getting out of my truck. The mother had a newborn she was carrying in her arms, and the father was holding the hand of his little toddler daughter. The little girl seemed happy and full of joy as she reached out for her mother. With her arms full, there was no way the mother could scoop up her daughter, at which point the little girl began to cry. The father quickly scooped up his daughter and swung her up onto his shoulders, at which I could hear her cry turn into giggles.
Tenderness, plain and simple.
The reason it brought tears to my eyes is because even in my best moments I don't remember being that tender with my own children. I'm not saying I wasn't ever tender, but it wasn't as natural as I saw with that young father.
If you look up the term 'tenderness' it means gentleness, and kindness. God's own description of His nature is that he is gentle, and compassionate. Gentleness and tenderness implies that the one showing tenderness is able or capable of being hard and callous to others. It also implies that the one being treated with tenderness is physically smaller, or weaker than the one demonstrating tenderness. God in his immense power and strength is tender, compassionate, and infinitely kind to those he created. It was and still is in His power to completely obliterate or manipulate our fragile lives. Instead he holds us tenderly and gently in his hand. When we are old enough to walk on our own He holds our hands until we reach too far or want something that could destroy us. Then He throws us onto His shoulders.
This relationship with the creator of the universe has become clearer the older I've become. Like adolescents and teenagers, we can rebel and move far away from our loving, tender, Father, but it doesn't change His love. He will always be there waiting and willing to scoop us up when we decide to come back to Him.
I know God loves me because he gives me a choice to love him back. The power of choice is His greatest gift of love to us. It is proof of His tenderness that he gives us the choices we have. He's not afraid of our choices, and at the same time He tries to help us make good ones.
I've had people try to tell me how cruel God is because He lets people die, or go through horrifying experiences. They'll throw out some terrible cruelty done by people to other people and ask me how He could allow that to happen. My question is usually; "How do you suggest He take care of it?" What would you do? We don't have the benefit of seeing time from one end to the other. We don't know who would be a monster, or who would be a saint. Yet, in His immense love, the choice is there. I don't want to be God, because I know my flaws and my nature. It would be easy to say 'kill the Hitlers of the world before they are even born. How many people would you be willing to snuff out of existence simply because they would later be monsters. Eventually, you would become as monstrous as the ones you were trying to prevent from becoming monsters. If you were God, would you tap their mind and make them 'good' people before they become 'evil?' When would you stop allowing choice? There is a tendency today to try to control how people think, what they can say, and what they can do, all in the name of safety. It is an experiment that will end in disaster. What constitutes a criminal act? We really don't know what someone is until they do an evil act. Till then we must be tenderhearted, and learn from the creator how to step back from the precipice of judgment.
Tenderness is the control of great strength, and the ability to keep your strength from hurting someone. I always love to watch big muscled men pick up a little baby. You know that these hulking strong men could crush the little life in their hands, but instead they tenderly cradle the little life in their arms. To me, this is the definition of the tenderness of God. Tenderness defines God.
Outside in my yard, fragile sparrows are beginning to do their usual morning ritual. They know a loving, tender, creator who's heart is ever concerned. Jesus said not even one sparrow can fall to the ground without the Father knowing. If He cares so much for the sparrows, how much more does He care for us. If we trust him as the sparrows do, we'll see His tenderness as we swing gleefully onto His broad shoulders. We'll feel his unfailing compassion when we are cradled in his love. Help us all to be tenderhearted toward one another.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
SOMEDAY IS HERE
There are two places I can never be, the past, and the future. Yet, these two places rule our lives. As I'm typing this, the NOW is unfolding with each keystroke, even as I attempt to frame the future of my words. My written sentences, are nothing more than my fingers trying to keep up with the future my brain is speaking. Somewhere in between the minute measurable moments, is the immeasurable NOW. Living in the moment is what God intended for us at creation. I know a lot of people point to the fairy tale idea of the Garden of Eden as being a time of naive existence without fear of death. Nothing is further from the truth. Our first recorded human conversation proves that there was already knowledge of death. Satan asks the woman; Did God say you could eat of every tree in the garden?
The woman replies; No, we can't eat of the one I'm looking at right now. If I do, I will die. (David's paraphrase) Satan didn't inform her of death (the future) and she understood what God had said, (the past). The past is remembered for a purpose, to inform the now, and to shape the future. Without the past, (our memories) we can't safely negotiate the now. Someday (the future) beckons us forward, while at the same time, the past shapes our path to someday. Because our days are numbered and our opportunities to affect change are limited by time, we often spend that time trying to live in the two places we can't be.
Why am I saying all of this? Because of the conflict I wrote about in my last blog. As I go through this process, I'm trying to discover how to live in the now. The situation I'm in was not of my creation. I simply stepped into the echoes of the past. That past, not of my own creation, holds the power to affect my future in a powerful way. God placed that past in my hands, and inexorably the lives and loves of a great deal of people. That past threatens the future of many of those I love. Finding the key to binding up the power of the past has been my struggle over the past few months. Every day I ask God to help the people affected by this situation to find peace and enjoy love. I stand outside the situation, but at the same time I'm like a little boat in the eye of a hurricane. I can see the possibility of devastation, but seem to be in this place where all is calm. Notice I didn't say I'm at peace. The peace of God, is a place I have to stand in regardless of the storms around me. I have to be like the writer of the song; "It is well." Even though the waves are rolling and my little ship is being tossed, I can look out over the scene of my life and say; It is well. At the same time, that little word IF is trying to control my future in a way I can't discern. So, I choose to live in the now. That place of peace where even though I can see the storm around me, it doesn't cause me to fear.
The future is filled with 'if' and the past is filled with the residue of past choices, as well as the collisions with other people's choices. I heard a person preach a sermon about consequences, and the power of our choices. The tone of the message was entirely judgmental, and unforgiving. Our choices, good or bad, do have consequences, but some bad choices can also lead to good things. (I know that sounds almost heretical.) Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers planned to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. (Bad choice.) They lied to their father and said Joseph was killed by an animal. (Bad choice.) Through many trials and a lot of Godly intervention, Joseph eventually became the salvation of Egypt, and his brothers. His statement to them is one of my favorite passages. 'What was meant for evil has been for good.'
The past doesn't always inform the future. That is the secret of God's redemption and forgiveness. What I've learned this week, that is different from my last blog, is that I was given this moment, this NOW, to live in regardless of the past, and without fear of the future. What I am responsible for is doing the right thing, the good thing, even if it appears bad to others. There are moments when doing the right thing will injure others, or cause them pain. That is why God didn't want us to know the knowledge of good and evil. We've made His laws and commandments about us, when the truth is the complete opposite. The knowledge of good and evil is how we treat one another, and how we view the past and future. That is where GRACE comes in. Grace is the doorway to peace. Paul would often open or close his letters to the churches with the salutation of 'grace and peace be with you.' Notice that grace had to come before peace. God's grace, the ability to overcome in any situation, is sufficient for me. Live RIGHT now, and neither the past nor the future can bind you.
The woman replies; No, we can't eat of the one I'm looking at right now. If I do, I will die. (David's paraphrase) Satan didn't inform her of death (the future) and she understood what God had said, (the past). The past is remembered for a purpose, to inform the now, and to shape the future. Without the past, (our memories) we can't safely negotiate the now. Someday (the future) beckons us forward, while at the same time, the past shapes our path to someday. Because our days are numbered and our opportunities to affect change are limited by time, we often spend that time trying to live in the two places we can't be.
Why am I saying all of this? Because of the conflict I wrote about in my last blog. As I go through this process, I'm trying to discover how to live in the now. The situation I'm in was not of my creation. I simply stepped into the echoes of the past. That past, not of my own creation, holds the power to affect my future in a powerful way. God placed that past in my hands, and inexorably the lives and loves of a great deal of people. That past threatens the future of many of those I love. Finding the key to binding up the power of the past has been my struggle over the past few months. Every day I ask God to help the people affected by this situation to find peace and enjoy love. I stand outside the situation, but at the same time I'm like a little boat in the eye of a hurricane. I can see the possibility of devastation, but seem to be in this place where all is calm. Notice I didn't say I'm at peace. The peace of God, is a place I have to stand in regardless of the storms around me. I have to be like the writer of the song; "It is well." Even though the waves are rolling and my little ship is being tossed, I can look out over the scene of my life and say; It is well. At the same time, that little word IF is trying to control my future in a way I can't discern. So, I choose to live in the now. That place of peace where even though I can see the storm around me, it doesn't cause me to fear.
The future is filled with 'if' and the past is filled with the residue of past choices, as well as the collisions with other people's choices. I heard a person preach a sermon about consequences, and the power of our choices. The tone of the message was entirely judgmental, and unforgiving. Our choices, good or bad, do have consequences, but some bad choices can also lead to good things. (I know that sounds almost heretical.) Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers planned to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. (Bad choice.) They lied to their father and said Joseph was killed by an animal. (Bad choice.) Through many trials and a lot of Godly intervention, Joseph eventually became the salvation of Egypt, and his brothers. His statement to them is one of my favorite passages. 'What was meant for evil has been for good.'
The past doesn't always inform the future. That is the secret of God's redemption and forgiveness. What I've learned this week, that is different from my last blog, is that I was given this moment, this NOW, to live in regardless of the past, and without fear of the future. What I am responsible for is doing the right thing, the good thing, even if it appears bad to others. There are moments when doing the right thing will injure others, or cause them pain. That is why God didn't want us to know the knowledge of good and evil. We've made His laws and commandments about us, when the truth is the complete opposite. The knowledge of good and evil is how we treat one another, and how we view the past and future. That is where GRACE comes in. Grace is the doorway to peace. Paul would often open or close his letters to the churches with the salutation of 'grace and peace be with you.' Notice that grace had to come before peace. God's grace, the ability to overcome in any situation, is sufficient for me. Live RIGHT now, and neither the past nor the future can bind you.
Monday, October 1, 2018
FINDING lOVE
This is a first for me. I cut my index finger and can't type, so I'm using my speech to text function and I'm surprised at how well it's going. When I write, I'm a stream of consciousness style of writer, but I discovered that most speech to text editors don't like my breaks in thought. Admit it, we very rarely talk like we write.
It's important that I put down into words how I'm feeling right now, because I want to express my heart in the midst of the battle. Often times we find ourselves looking back at a situation and putting a positive spin on what we went through. We often forget how we felt in the midst of it. I've been going through a situation in my life that I don't have a lot of spiritual guidance in. When I've asked spiritual people for input, I rarely get an answer that jives with my heart and spirit. At the same time I don't have a path to follow, I just know that when others give me a direction it doesn't feel right. I know what I want to do, but then I also know it has the potential to destroy lives I care deeply about. On the other hand, there are others who will be equally destroyed and left empty if I go the other way in defense of those I love. There isn't an easy answer. Right now, I envy the little sparrows bouncing up and down in the dew covered grass as they look for bugs.
In the midst of this situation, I can tell you, love isn't always easy. I feel as if I'm in a lifeboat with a handful of people and I have to decide who to throw overboard in order to stay afloat. I can't save everyone, but I want to. Truths I've been taught all my life don't seem to apply. People who taught me everything I believe aren't behaving as they taught me, and there is no moral absolute. There isn't an easy answer. Oh I think I've already said that.
For someone who values peace, I am in turmoil over what to do. You would think that at my age I would have run up against this situation sometime in my past. I haven't. I can't even share the specifics in this blog because it would cause so much damage. Yet, it came about by accident, actually just in a desire to know something fun and good.
So, like I said, I'm in a quandary.
One thing I've learned though, is that you can't always protect the people you love. You can't always protect love. There are times you look at a situation and there isn't a path of least resistance. There may not be a happy ever after. Goodness is on the other side of a huge mountain of unknowns.
The end of this situation doesn't look good for me, or anyone. Someone is going to walk away broken hearted, and I'll be the bad guy no matter what I do.
With all of that said, and everyone knowing how I am feeling in the midst of this situation, let me declare what my heart believes: People want, and need love, and sometimes it runs away from us just as fast as we can chase it. Good people can do bad things for good reasons, bad people can do good things. The past should never be our prison, and fear be the warden. Like I said in my last blog, truth will set you free, but you have to be able to tell it in such a way as to gain forgiveness for your mistakes.
Forgiveness is the crux of the situation I'm in. The truth can cut the people I know and love to the heart, forgiveness can change the situation from potential disaster to amazing joy. This is why I'm glad God didn't give us the ability to read minds. That is why God is extraordinary. He created us knowing full well what we would do to Him even before He uttered a word at the dawn of time. Yet, he loved us. You can't love, or be love as in 'God is love' without being forgiving. It's impossible. Truly impossible. That doesn't mean everyone I love and those that say they love Christ can be forgiving. I know, I wrestled with unforgiveness for most of my life.
You see, I believed in Jesus, and in God, but I didn't find their love for me until I found their forgiveness. Finding love, means giving forgiveness. I can only hope that those I love can have forgiveness.
It's important that I put down into words how I'm feeling right now, because I want to express my heart in the midst of the battle. Often times we find ourselves looking back at a situation and putting a positive spin on what we went through. We often forget how we felt in the midst of it. I've been going through a situation in my life that I don't have a lot of spiritual guidance in. When I've asked spiritual people for input, I rarely get an answer that jives with my heart and spirit. At the same time I don't have a path to follow, I just know that when others give me a direction it doesn't feel right. I know what I want to do, but then I also know it has the potential to destroy lives I care deeply about. On the other hand, there are others who will be equally destroyed and left empty if I go the other way in defense of those I love. There isn't an easy answer. Right now, I envy the little sparrows bouncing up and down in the dew covered grass as they look for bugs.
In the midst of this situation, I can tell you, love isn't always easy. I feel as if I'm in a lifeboat with a handful of people and I have to decide who to throw overboard in order to stay afloat. I can't save everyone, but I want to. Truths I've been taught all my life don't seem to apply. People who taught me everything I believe aren't behaving as they taught me, and there is no moral absolute. There isn't an easy answer. Oh I think I've already said that.
For someone who values peace, I am in turmoil over what to do. You would think that at my age I would have run up against this situation sometime in my past. I haven't. I can't even share the specifics in this blog because it would cause so much damage. Yet, it came about by accident, actually just in a desire to know something fun and good.
So, like I said, I'm in a quandary.
One thing I've learned though, is that you can't always protect the people you love. You can't always protect love. There are times you look at a situation and there isn't a path of least resistance. There may not be a happy ever after. Goodness is on the other side of a huge mountain of unknowns.
The end of this situation doesn't look good for me, or anyone. Someone is going to walk away broken hearted, and I'll be the bad guy no matter what I do.
With all of that said, and everyone knowing how I am feeling in the midst of this situation, let me declare what my heart believes: People want, and need love, and sometimes it runs away from us just as fast as we can chase it. Good people can do bad things for good reasons, bad people can do good things. The past should never be our prison, and fear be the warden. Like I said in my last blog, truth will set you free, but you have to be able to tell it in such a way as to gain forgiveness for your mistakes.
Forgiveness is the crux of the situation I'm in. The truth can cut the people I know and love to the heart, forgiveness can change the situation from potential disaster to amazing joy. This is why I'm glad God didn't give us the ability to read minds. That is why God is extraordinary. He created us knowing full well what we would do to Him even before He uttered a word at the dawn of time. Yet, he loved us. You can't love, or be love as in 'God is love' without being forgiving. It's impossible. Truly impossible. That doesn't mean everyone I love and those that say they love Christ can be forgiving. I know, I wrestled with unforgiveness for most of my life.
You see, I believed in Jesus, and in God, but I didn't find their love for me until I found their forgiveness. Finding love, means giving forgiveness. I can only hope that those I love can have forgiveness.
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