I ran into a friend yesterday at a meeting and it got me thinking about a book I read years ago. It's called The Hidden Smile of God. I love John Piper's idea in the book about God's way often being the way we'd least expect and the way, in our humanity, we'd least wish for. He pours over the lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper and David Brainerd- three soldiers of the faith that stood through the hardest points any Christian could face. He traces their amazing journeys to show that God's will is often lived out directly in the muck and mire, in the absolutely worst situations and conditions, in the moments of certain defeat and helplessness because, as Amy Carmichael says, "just in those packed places lies the opportunity." I wrote her words on my sophomore dorm room wall and still think of them today. Both authors mean that in those exact moments we'd least like to be in, those moments we see our plan crumbling, are the very moments that God often makes things happen.
I was thinking about that book as I went about the rest of my day and I realized that while Piper makes an excellent point about the Hidden smile of God, I see daily the visible smile. I walked in to the meeting yesterday late, as usual, signed in and took a seat. As I sat down I realized, as I usually do, too late that I had not picked up the handout. Well, you see, I climbed over someone to sit down so getting back up would have caused a stir. But wouldn't you know, the guy I climbed over had already anticipated my need and had walked over and picked up a handout for me.
As I left the meeting I walked out with a gentleman who does similar work to me. We chatted about this and that and then I got into my car. I then realized he had walked the opposite direction of his car to kindly continue our conversation and let me get to my car safely.
I think there are so many ways to express Jesus' love to others but my favorites are the ways that the unobservant person may not notice but still are genuine act of kindness. Those moments that you've made someone's life a little easier, a little more worth living. Those moments that even for a brief period the tension ceases and you experience a moment of harmony. In my moments today these two people showed me Jesus much more than any other means. I am grateful to them as I am to thousands of others who have shown a person like me a great deal of grace and love. And I wonder what I've done today to take a few steps out of my way to lighten someone else's load and be Jesus to them, even if just for a moment.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Elementary Principles
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority" Colossians 2:8-10.
I love the small point inside of the larger point that Paul makes here. He's talking about not letting our academic lives affect our intimacy with God. I've found often that I can let lots of things take me captive, whether intentionally or not, that lead me astray. I resonate deeply with that song on Christian radio that says, "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white they turn to gray." I've been attempting to refocus my life recently as I've seen the gray prevailing in most instances instead of the black and white that God calls us to live in. I'm being taken captive by media, social norms and overall culture.
Have you ever realized that our society is a very me-centered place? (Our maybe I'm just giving you a glimpse of my world, welcome.) I walk into rooms where my self-preservation meter goes off instinctively and I'm prone to wonder why people aren't accomodating me better, loving me more, seeing me as important as I am. We value others, sure, but mainly when they value us. I read this quote a few days ago in this great book called The Way We're Working Isn't Working and I think it sums my plight up nicely:
"When we try to build our value at the expense of otherse, through greed or envy, they typically respond as if their own survival is at stake. It's akin to two drowing people trying to save themselves by pushing the other one down. Nobody wins. Likewise, the attempt to prove our superiority over others ends up separating us from the intimate connections we so crave. Our well-being depends not just on building our own value, but also on actively valuing others."
I love this idea, and if we've been filled in Him like Paul says then it's so incredibly true. It's true regardless I guess, but it's a capacity we're able to reach to genuinely value others if we're first rooted in Jesus. There's so much empty deceit and human tradition out there commending our self-preservation and self-centeredness. But then we catch a glimpse in this passage of Paul putting the ways of the world in their correct place- he says the elementray principles of the world. The rules and regulations that govern society (not the laws we're taught to obey but the social norms are what we're talking about) are elementary- beneath the living standard Christ calls us to as a follower. We've got to strip them off and learn to live, through his power, outside of them and apart from their grip. And in reality, that power they so easily exhert over us isn't real because Christ is the head of all rule and authority. Don't underestimate the difficulty you will have to do this, I haven't figured it out myself. But then again, as believers we're supposed to struggle with all of HIS energy, not ours, so I think we'll be able to do it if we continually turns ourselves back to God and believe that He can and He will give us the courage and strength to live out these lives He's blessed us with. And we can start being rooted in His authority and seeking out and applauding the value we see in others.
I love the small point inside of the larger point that Paul makes here. He's talking about not letting our academic lives affect our intimacy with God. I've found often that I can let lots of things take me captive, whether intentionally or not, that lead me astray. I resonate deeply with that song on Christian radio that says, "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white they turn to gray." I've been attempting to refocus my life recently as I've seen the gray prevailing in most instances instead of the black and white that God calls us to live in. I'm being taken captive by media, social norms and overall culture.
Have you ever realized that our society is a very me-centered place? (Our maybe I'm just giving you a glimpse of my world, welcome.) I walk into rooms where my self-preservation meter goes off instinctively and I'm prone to wonder why people aren't accomodating me better, loving me more, seeing me as important as I am. We value others, sure, but mainly when they value us. I read this quote a few days ago in this great book called The Way We're Working Isn't Working and I think it sums my plight up nicely:
"When we try to build our value at the expense of otherse, through greed or envy, they typically respond as if their own survival is at stake. It's akin to two drowing people trying to save themselves by pushing the other one down. Nobody wins. Likewise, the attempt to prove our superiority over others ends up separating us from the intimate connections we so crave. Our well-being depends not just on building our own value, but also on actively valuing others."
I love this idea, and if we've been filled in Him like Paul says then it's so incredibly true. It's true regardless I guess, but it's a capacity we're able to reach to genuinely value others if we're first rooted in Jesus. There's so much empty deceit and human tradition out there commending our self-preservation and self-centeredness. But then we catch a glimpse in this passage of Paul putting the ways of the world in their correct place- he says the elementray principles of the world. The rules and regulations that govern society (not the laws we're taught to obey but the social norms are what we're talking about) are elementary- beneath the living standard Christ calls us to as a follower. We've got to strip them off and learn to live, through his power, outside of them and apart from their grip. And in reality, that power they so easily exhert over us isn't real because Christ is the head of all rule and authority. Don't underestimate the difficulty you will have to do this, I haven't figured it out myself. But then again, as believers we're supposed to struggle with all of HIS energy, not ours, so I think we'll be able to do it if we continually turns ourselves back to God and believe that He can and He will give us the courage and strength to live out these lives He's blessed us with. And we can start being rooted in His authority and seeking out and applauding the value we see in others.
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