Do you remember where you were the day when...?
I believe I was twelve maybe thirteen. It was a Wednesday night, of course it was youth group was always on Wednesday night. We were walking together to youth group hand in hand. We walked through the little streets of our little town passing by homes, churches, a little quaint school house. We were "going out" with each other. Where we were going I don't know but she was my girlfriend. It was starting to rain, but we didn't care we were so...in...love! We were a block from youth group standing under a street light in the rain when I had my first kiss. WOW!!! That was good! I was on cloud nine all through youth group.
Now allow me to give a disclaimer, I'm not making a statement here on how old kids should be when they start dating or when they have their first kiss. All I'm saying is I remember where I was the day I had my first kiss. What days do you remember where you were. Were they good days, were they bad days. I also remember where I was when the towers fell on 9/11. We were having a pastors prayer breakfast at Porter Hospital in Denver, CO. Someone raced in and turned on the T.V. and we watched what looked like a bad action movie as the second plane hit the second tower. The news caster had just been reviewing what had happened to the first tower when our unbelieving eyes saw the second plane hit. Then we watched them come down. The hospital chaplain got on the phone and over the speaker system of the hospital he prayed for those who were affected by this tragedy.
Genesis Chapter 7 is too much for me to take in. I don't know what to do with it. It doesn't make sense in my mind. A world wide flood, really, 20 feet higher than the tallest mountain. It took 40 days to fill the earth with water and then 150 days of floating on that wide open, never ending ocean. I just can't wrap my mind around it. Its no wonder many consider it myth. Although I can't wrap my mind around the big band and trillions of years of evolution either so they both take faith.
But what I can understand is that Noah remembered the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 600th year of his life like no other. He can remember where he was the day when...the flood began. What a day, what a moment.
Sometimes is take world events to create a memorable event. Sometimes it just takes a kiss. But the only way that we remember it, I think, is if our heart is poured into it. If we were really present on that day and in that moment those are the days that we remember.
So many days I don't remember, time goes so fast, one day runs into the next. Do I remember what my daughter did today? Was I present and engaged when she climbed up into my lap this morning to cuddle with her daddy?
My thought today is, be present - be engaged. It is so easy to let life slip by unnoticed. It's just another staff meeting, its just another day at home, its just another kiss goodnight. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that everything is meaningless a chasing after the wind. So we must take hold of the days that we are given and find joy in each one. To be present with God, to be present with each other.
Will today be a day that you will remember where you were when...?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
They day God almost gave up
Is God still contending with you? - this is a good thing!
I was never really in a fight, not a fist fight anyway. I would have kids pick on me and every once in a while I would retaliate to end the bullying. I remember one guy who was two years ahead of me in grade school. He was an 8th grader and I was in 6th. He would take every opportunity he could to tease and pick on me, even timing how long I would use the bathroom and then mocking me for it. One day I had enough and when the teacher left the room I turned around and picked him up off the ground by the lapels till he was standing only on his tippy toes against the door. I can almost feel the triumph even now. He said in a shaking voice - Ooh I'm so afraid. And as much as he tried to add the sarcasm to his voice, it was pretty clear that he was quite afraid. And I didn't receive anymore bullying from him.
My more grown up fights have been in words and emotional battle. My wife and I have gone through a real doosey of a time these last couple years. And I am glad to say, praise God, that we are coming out of it now. YEAH!!! I remember those times in the midst of a fight that were the most dangerous. The times when I felt like just giving up. We would have an argument and then we just wouldn't talk for a couple of days. The opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. I thank God that we still loved each other enough the keep fighting until we got it figured out. I have seen the look in the eyes of a husband when he has given up.
I have felt it in simple things as well like coming to a point in a round of golf when I've played so bad that I just give up and play like a hacker the rest of the round. This can happen in a job, in a church, in life. We vote with our feet and we walk out. We have had two suicides in our community in the last year or so. Young guys, lots of life to live. These are the darkest times of depression when we just want to give up.
In Genesis 6 we get a picture of when it seems God just wanted to give up on humanity. He was done with us. His heart was grieved and he said that his spirit would no longer contend with the hearts of men. Every thought and desire of man was evil and he numbered their days to 120 years. This would be the end of humanity. But God is a God of love and not indifference. He finds one man, just one. Noah finds favor in the eyes of the LORD. God's love is so infinite that just one man out of the whole of humanity was enough for God not to give up on us.
I have had people tell me that they think they might have committed the unpardonable sin mentioned by Jesus. They think they might have grieved the Holy spirit. But I am glad to tell them that if they are asking that question then the answer is no. Because they still have a desire for God. They are still contending with him and he is still contending with them and for them against their own evil desires and the powers of spiritual darkness around them. He is the author and finisher of our faith and he will keep this up until the day that Jesus returns when the change will be complete.
I praise God today that I am still a contender.
I was never really in a fight, not a fist fight anyway. I would have kids pick on me and every once in a while I would retaliate to end the bullying. I remember one guy who was two years ahead of me in grade school. He was an 8th grader and I was in 6th. He would take every opportunity he could to tease and pick on me, even timing how long I would use the bathroom and then mocking me for it. One day I had enough and when the teacher left the room I turned around and picked him up off the ground by the lapels till he was standing only on his tippy toes against the door. I can almost feel the triumph even now. He said in a shaking voice - Ooh I'm so afraid. And as much as he tried to add the sarcasm to his voice, it was pretty clear that he was quite afraid. And I didn't receive anymore bullying from him.
My more grown up fights have been in words and emotional battle. My wife and I have gone through a real doosey of a time these last couple years. And I am glad to say, praise God, that we are coming out of it now. YEAH!!! I remember those times in the midst of a fight that were the most dangerous. The times when I felt like just giving up. We would have an argument and then we just wouldn't talk for a couple of days. The opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. I thank God that we still loved each other enough the keep fighting until we got it figured out. I have seen the look in the eyes of a husband when he has given up.
I have felt it in simple things as well like coming to a point in a round of golf when I've played so bad that I just give up and play like a hacker the rest of the round. This can happen in a job, in a church, in life. We vote with our feet and we walk out. We have had two suicides in our community in the last year or so. Young guys, lots of life to live. These are the darkest times of depression when we just want to give up.
In Genesis 6 we get a picture of when it seems God just wanted to give up on humanity. He was done with us. His heart was grieved and he said that his spirit would no longer contend with the hearts of men. Every thought and desire of man was evil and he numbered their days to 120 years. This would be the end of humanity. But God is a God of love and not indifference. He finds one man, just one. Noah finds favor in the eyes of the LORD. God's love is so infinite that just one man out of the whole of humanity was enough for God not to give up on us.
I have had people tell me that they think they might have committed the unpardonable sin mentioned by Jesus. They think they might have grieved the Holy spirit. But I am glad to tell them that if they are asking that question then the answer is no. Because they still have a desire for God. They are still contending with him and he is still contending with them and for them against their own evil desires and the powers of spiritual darkness around them. He is the author and finisher of our faith and he will keep this up until the day that Jesus returns when the change will be complete.
I praise God today that I am still a contender.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
In our image - in God's image?
Have you even made anything in your image?
When I was 10 or so my mom gave me a little square piece of metal with little prongs on it. She told me it was a potholder maker. It came with these little stretchy bands. As you weave them together you end up with a potholder. I really got into this and made it quite the little business. I would make these potholders and sell them to church members for $.25 a piece. They really weren't that great, but apparently I was cute enough that people bought them anyway.
I have made many things in my life; paintings, salads, enchiladas, potholders. But nothing was really made in my image or really like me until we had Lorelai. Every time someone sees us together especially when she was little they would look at her and then look at me and say, "well, there is no way you could deny she is your daughter. She looks just like you." I always felt a little ticked about that. When would I ever want to deny my own daughter!!! But it was true that she does look a lot like me. And she looks even more like her grandmother, my mom. But she doesn't only look like my mother she also acts like her. She is a bundle on energy just like her grandmother. My mom would climb out of her crib and catch flies of the window. Lorelai has been climbing and catching bugs her whole life.
In Genesis 5 scripture reiterates that man was made in the image and likeness of God and then tells us that Adam had a son in his image and likeness in Seth. It would seem that not only was there son like father but son like grandfather, as in God. I don't know how much if any physical likeness there is, although we must allow for this. But as long as Adam raised Seth to know God the character likeness would for sure be there. This would seem to be true sense it was through Seth that Noah came along, which with the long lives of men there maybe Noah actually knew Seth, I haven't added up the years. Noah was the one on the earth found righteous so it seems that son was like father and great...grandfather God.
Unfortunately there were many who were not like God and when we get to the flood we find that Noah was about the only one left. Lorelai also learns things that aren't so great for her reflection of God from her daddy. I wish it weren't so, but I do my best. And there is a better chance of her reflecting God if she is with a father and mother that know him. I definitely need to continue to seek after God myself. I would like the one who is made in my image to also be in the image of God.
In case you don't have this opportunity with a child of your own I would like to encourage you to get involved in the life of a child. As a youth pastor I would first in courage you to do this through your church family. I also just came across a great program that is going on in Portland, founded by Donald Miller the author of "Blue like Jazz." It is about to go national this fall for those who don't live in Portland. Check it out at www.thementoringproject.org I would be great for these fatherless children to made more into the image of their heavenly father, of course that would depend on if we are allowing ourselves to be made into the same.
When I was 10 or so my mom gave me a little square piece of metal with little prongs on it. She told me it was a potholder maker. It came with these little stretchy bands. As you weave them together you end up with a potholder. I really got into this and made it quite the little business. I would make these potholders and sell them to church members for $.25 a piece. They really weren't that great, but apparently I was cute enough that people bought them anyway.
I have made many things in my life; paintings, salads, enchiladas, potholders. But nothing was really made in my image or really like me until we had Lorelai. Every time someone sees us together especially when she was little they would look at her and then look at me and say, "well, there is no way you could deny she is your daughter. She looks just like you." I always felt a little ticked about that. When would I ever want to deny my own daughter!!! But it was true that she does look a lot like me. And she looks even more like her grandmother, my mom. But she doesn't only look like my mother she also acts like her. She is a bundle on energy just like her grandmother. My mom would climb out of her crib and catch flies of the window. Lorelai has been climbing and catching bugs her whole life.
In Genesis 5 scripture reiterates that man was made in the image and likeness of God and then tells us that Adam had a son in his image and likeness in Seth. It would seem that not only was there son like father but son like grandfather, as in God. I don't know how much if any physical likeness there is, although we must allow for this. But as long as Adam raised Seth to know God the character likeness would for sure be there. This would seem to be true sense it was through Seth that Noah came along, which with the long lives of men there maybe Noah actually knew Seth, I haven't added up the years. Noah was the one on the earth found righteous so it seems that son was like father and great...grandfather God.
Unfortunately there were many who were not like God and when we get to the flood we find that Noah was about the only one left. Lorelai also learns things that aren't so great for her reflection of God from her daddy. I wish it weren't so, but I do my best. And there is a better chance of her reflecting God if she is with a father and mother that know him. I definitely need to continue to seek after God myself. I would like the one who is made in my image to also be in the image of God.
In case you don't have this opportunity with a child of your own I would like to encourage you to get involved in the life of a child. As a youth pastor I would first in courage you to do this through your church family. I also just came across a great program that is going on in Portland, founded by Donald Miller the author of "Blue like Jazz." It is about to go national this fall for those who don't live in Portland. Check it out at www.thementoringproject.org I would be great for these fatherless children to made more into the image of their heavenly father, of course that would depend on if we are allowing ourselves to be made into the same.
Friday, August 20, 2010
The mark of mercy
Did you know that the mark of Cain was a good thing?
Do you remember the scene from the lion king when Simba is getting his pouncing lesson. Mufasa instructs Zazu the little Toucan to turn his back to the young cub for the coming pouncing lesson. So Zazu turns around and is anticipating with fear the pounce once he realizes what is coming. He turns back around to protest and realizes that he can't see either father or cub anywhere. Suddenly all he sees is paws and fur coming strait for him as he is pummeled to the ground.
I was reminded of this scene when reading through Gen 4 today. Cain and able bring their offerings. Abel's is accepted Cain's is rejected and Cain is downcast. I think downcast here means more brooding then it does sad, because the LORD gives him this warning. Cain, do what is right because sin lies crouched at the door ready to suck you in.
There are times in my life that I feel like sin is hovering over the house these days rather than just crouched at the door. Its not just waiting for us its seems to already have us. The dark oppression that has over whelmed our lives. Have you ever felt this? I think Cain was there. He doesn't even pay attention to God's warning. The next thing that he does is invite Abel out into a field where he attacks and kills his brother. He has opened the door and been sucked into the abyss that is sin.
Sin really is more that just a concept or wrongs acts that we do. Sin is a power an all consuming power. 1Peter says that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour and I don't think its the fur and paws of a cub either. I can think of dark days in my life dark brooding days when I have let it consume me. It doesn't even seem like I can even think about doing something right.
Cain is there and found by God there. "Where is you brother?" asks God. "Am I my brother's keeper?" replies Cain. God goes on to tell cain that abels blood is crying out to him from the earth on which it was spilled. Cain is caught, there is no way around it so now he turns to thinking of his own neck. "God if people see me they will kill me, I will be a wanderer as you said and they will kill me." Here is where God's amazing mercy comes in. He gives Cain a mark, a seal of protection. So that if anyone sees Cain and his mark and kills him they will be cursed seven times more that Cain was.
God's crazy love, his undeserved mercy. The first murderer in human history and he gives him the mark of protection. And I feel blessed, I feel blessed. Because God promises us the same thing. He finds us lost in sin, completely sucked in becasue we have have opened the door to the crouching lion. But he offers us his son a very costly gift for our forgiveness and then he seal us. He puts his mark on us - his holy spirit so that we will be protected from the destruction reserved to the devil. No lake of fire for us even though we have been completely pummeled by sin.
We are protected! We are forgiven! And we are marked for Salvation!!!
Do you remember the scene from the lion king when Simba is getting his pouncing lesson. Mufasa instructs Zazu the little Toucan to turn his back to the young cub for the coming pouncing lesson. So Zazu turns around and is anticipating with fear the pounce once he realizes what is coming. He turns back around to protest and realizes that he can't see either father or cub anywhere. Suddenly all he sees is paws and fur coming strait for him as he is pummeled to the ground.
I was reminded of this scene when reading through Gen 4 today. Cain and able bring their offerings. Abel's is accepted Cain's is rejected and Cain is downcast. I think downcast here means more brooding then it does sad, because the LORD gives him this warning. Cain, do what is right because sin lies crouched at the door ready to suck you in.
There are times in my life that I feel like sin is hovering over the house these days rather than just crouched at the door. Its not just waiting for us its seems to already have us. The dark oppression that has over whelmed our lives. Have you ever felt this? I think Cain was there. He doesn't even pay attention to God's warning. The next thing that he does is invite Abel out into a field where he attacks and kills his brother. He has opened the door and been sucked into the abyss that is sin.
Sin really is more that just a concept or wrongs acts that we do. Sin is a power an all consuming power. 1Peter says that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour and I don't think its the fur and paws of a cub either. I can think of dark days in my life dark brooding days when I have let it consume me. It doesn't even seem like I can even think about doing something right.
Cain is there and found by God there. "Where is you brother?" asks God. "Am I my brother's keeper?" replies Cain. God goes on to tell cain that abels blood is crying out to him from the earth on which it was spilled. Cain is caught, there is no way around it so now he turns to thinking of his own neck. "God if people see me they will kill me, I will be a wanderer as you said and they will kill me." Here is where God's amazing mercy comes in. He gives Cain a mark, a seal of protection. So that if anyone sees Cain and his mark and kills him they will be cursed seven times more that Cain was.
God's crazy love, his undeserved mercy. The first murderer in human history and he gives him the mark of protection. And I feel blessed, I feel blessed. Because God promises us the same thing. He finds us lost in sin, completely sucked in becasue we have have opened the door to the crouching lion. But he offers us his son a very costly gift for our forgiveness and then he seal us. He puts his mark on us - his holy spirit so that we will be protected from the destruction reserved to the devil. No lake of fire for us even though we have been completely pummeled by sin.
We are protected! We are forgiven! And we are marked for Salvation!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hiding from the answers
Why is it that we hide from the very one who can answer our questions?
I went to the beach the other day with my family. We are a family of three; myself, my wife, and our daughter who is 4. We have a good time together just the three of us, but we decided to take along a playmate for lorelai. It is a wonderful thing to be able to actually have a conversation with my wife while the children entertain each other. The playmate that went along with us is in the question asking phase. He is hilarious. The questions range from an accusing why, when he wants to know the reason for something he's not sure he likes to the questions of the thousand umms. Its kind of like a teenager who, like, you know, like, uses, like a thousand, like, likes to say, like, you know, like anything. Its interesting how different personalities handle the different questions that come our way. I have no problem with the accusing whys, but the thousand umms drive me crazy - just say it already. My wife on the other hand thinks the umms are hilarious and has complete patience with them, but the whys are just to controlling for her.
I was reading through Genesis 3 this morning and when I got to the end of this third chapter I found myself asking more questions then I could answer for example: How could Adam have meet all the animals in one day? Why did it take sin for Adam and Eve to notice that they were naked? Why did it take a fruit from the tree of life to sustain eternity in man? Etc.
Sometimes when I have these questions I find them turning into doubts and I noticed that doubts start to make me withdraw from God. Even as I was praying in my journal I stepped back from calling him father to just calling him God as I was wrestling with these doubts.
Then I realized that I was doing the very same thing that Adam and Eve had done. When they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they realized they were naked. First they hid from each other by sowing together fig leaves to cover themselves and then they hid from God when they heard him coming.
Hiding from God is really rather pointless. First of all he knows where we are and second he is the one who can take care of our need anyway. When he finds Adam and Eve he is the one who clothes them with skins instead of fig leaves. Even though they do have to face the consequences of their sin even in the midst of the curse the promise for redemption is in the same breathe. Gen 3:15 one of the seed of Eve, the messiah, with crush the head of the serpent, the devil. So even at the entrance of sin and its curse the promise of redemption is provided.
The same is true of my questions. Instead of letting them becomes doubts and disbelief driving me into the darkness of hiding from God, I can bring them to God and find the answers that he has for me. I didn't get the answers to all of my questions this morning, there are still things I don't understand. But I'm not going to get them if I hide from the only one who can answer them whether it is now, later, or in eternity.
When Lorelai's little playmate had his questions he didn't run away down the beach he ran to us...the ones who had the best chance of giving him an answer. I'm glad that he did, umms included. I believe that God, our heavenly father, will be glad we come to him with our questions as well.
I went to the beach the other day with my family. We are a family of three; myself, my wife, and our daughter who is 4. We have a good time together just the three of us, but we decided to take along a playmate for lorelai. It is a wonderful thing to be able to actually have a conversation with my wife while the children entertain each other. The playmate that went along with us is in the question asking phase. He is hilarious. The questions range from an accusing why, when he wants to know the reason for something he's not sure he likes to the questions of the thousand umms. Its kind of like a teenager who, like, you know, like, uses, like a thousand, like, likes to say, like, you know, like anything. Its interesting how different personalities handle the different questions that come our way. I have no problem with the accusing whys, but the thousand umms drive me crazy - just say it already. My wife on the other hand thinks the umms are hilarious and has complete patience with them, but the whys are just to controlling for her.
I was reading through Genesis 3 this morning and when I got to the end of this third chapter I found myself asking more questions then I could answer for example: How could Adam have meet all the animals in one day? Why did it take sin for Adam and Eve to notice that they were naked? Why did it take a fruit from the tree of life to sustain eternity in man? Etc.
Sometimes when I have these questions I find them turning into doubts and I noticed that doubts start to make me withdraw from God. Even as I was praying in my journal I stepped back from calling him father to just calling him God as I was wrestling with these doubts.
Then I realized that I was doing the very same thing that Adam and Eve had done. When they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they realized they were naked. First they hid from each other by sowing together fig leaves to cover themselves and then they hid from God when they heard him coming.
Hiding from God is really rather pointless. First of all he knows where we are and second he is the one who can take care of our need anyway. When he finds Adam and Eve he is the one who clothes them with skins instead of fig leaves. Even though they do have to face the consequences of their sin even in the midst of the curse the promise for redemption is in the same breathe. Gen 3:15 one of the seed of Eve, the messiah, with crush the head of the serpent, the devil. So even at the entrance of sin and its curse the promise of redemption is provided.
The same is true of my questions. Instead of letting them becomes doubts and disbelief driving me into the darkness of hiding from God, I can bring them to God and find the answers that he has for me. I didn't get the answers to all of my questions this morning, there are still things I don't understand. But I'm not going to get them if I hide from the only one who can answer them whether it is now, later, or in eternity.
When Lorelai's little playmate had his questions he didn't run away down the beach he ran to us...the ones who had the best chance of giving him an answer. I'm glad that he did, umms included. I believe that God, our heavenly father, will be glad we come to him with our questions as well.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Discovering the need
When i was in college I was pretty sure that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was studying psychology and feeling good about it. Even after I spent a year on the road doing youth ministry events I was still set to continue my study to be a christian counselor. I prayed about it and I asked God to direct me to the best school for me to pursue my education. I found a program in Denver that I was really interested in and proceeded to register and moved my belongings to colorado. I loved the campus, the teachers, classes, the worships were amazing. I was living in a town house instead of a dorm room, and I have never had to much trouble with roommates. The problem was I just couldn't get settled emotionally. I began to have what I could only think of a panic attacks. I began to cry when i got up in the morning and it would stop until I left the house, then until I got to class. And this is all happening within the first week.
I though that I was maybe just missing my girlfriend at the time, now my wife. As I thought through just moving to be closer to her that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe God has different plans for my life. And sure enough as I prayed through a vocational change it became clear that he had intentions for me to change from psychology to theology.
I found my self wondering though. God why did you bring me all the way to colorado? Why not tell me before I came here so I could have skipped this whole thing. I didn't need to move enroll in school for a week and then move again. But it turns out that I did need to do those things. God had in mind for me what I needed, but he had to put me through this process so that I would know that I needed as well.
I was reading Genesis 2 this morning. It describes the creation of Adam in more detail. He was formed from the dust out side of the garden just as all the other animals and birds were. But God knew it was not good for man to be alone. So he placed him in the garden and had him meet and name all of the animals. Can you imaging how long that took to meet and name all the animals? However long it took, at the end of meeting all the animals it was clear that no suitable partner had been found. God knew this all along. But Adam didn't. Adam needed to know his need.
Once Adam recognized his need then God created Eve from his rib and when she was presented to him, he responds with, "this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. For this reason a man with leave his father and mother and a woman leave her home and the two shall be joined together as one flesh." For this reason? For what reason? Because he saw all the other options, all the other animals and none were right. So of course for this reason woman will be the one that he is united with. No other would work. God knew this from the beginning, but Adam needed to learn it.
It took me a while to figure out what God already had in mind for my life. I needed a detour through Colorado to get to michigan, through psychology to get to theology and it turned out to be the shortest line between two points. Weird huh?
Maybe next time you can't seem to figure out why in the world you are where you are when you thought God lead you there, you just might be discovering your need. The need you didn't even know you had.
I though that I was maybe just missing my girlfriend at the time, now my wife. As I thought through just moving to be closer to her that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe God has different plans for my life. And sure enough as I prayed through a vocational change it became clear that he had intentions for me to change from psychology to theology.
I found my self wondering though. God why did you bring me all the way to colorado? Why not tell me before I came here so I could have skipped this whole thing. I didn't need to move enroll in school for a week and then move again. But it turns out that I did need to do those things. God had in mind for me what I needed, but he had to put me through this process so that I would know that I needed as well.
I was reading Genesis 2 this morning. It describes the creation of Adam in more detail. He was formed from the dust out side of the garden just as all the other animals and birds were. But God knew it was not good for man to be alone. So he placed him in the garden and had him meet and name all of the animals. Can you imaging how long that took to meet and name all the animals? However long it took, at the end of meeting all the animals it was clear that no suitable partner had been found. God knew this all along. But Adam didn't. Adam needed to know his need.
Once Adam recognized his need then God created Eve from his rib and when she was presented to him, he responds with, "this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. For this reason a man with leave his father and mother and a woman leave her home and the two shall be joined together as one flesh." For this reason? For what reason? Because he saw all the other options, all the other animals and none were right. So of course for this reason woman will be the one that he is united with. No other would work. God knew this from the beginning, but Adam needed to learn it.
It took me a while to figure out what God already had in mind for my life. I needed a detour through Colorado to get to michigan, through psychology to get to theology and it turned out to be the shortest line between two points. Weird huh?
Maybe next time you can't seem to figure out why in the world you are where you are when you thought God lead you there, you just might be discovering your need. The need you didn't even know you had.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Stay
I was thinking about the day that our daughter was born. Now I don't know that any of the mothers who read this will agree that the husband puts in any work what's so ever, but little as it may be I know that I felt the sense of accomplishment when our little girl was born. I don't know if it was the hour at which I took Laura to the hospital 3am, the fact that I didn't sleep at all from that time on, the worrying about the pain that laura was feeling, or holding more than Laura's hand as she delivered. Whatever it was, when Lorelai was born I remember feeling, "look what we have done." It was amazing as the nurse placed our new baby in the little side cart thing and Lorelai reached out with one hand grabbing the side of the cart and pulling her self onto her side. A brand new baby with strength enough to pull herself over. WOW!
All I could do in that moment was sit there in the rocking chair beside Laura and marvel at this little life. Resting in that moment of reflection, splendor, and exhaustion. I didn't leave to go take a shower or go take a nap. I stayed there, I rested in that moment. I took pictures and marveled at my little girl.
I just read through Genesis 1 this morning and the first couple verses of chapter 2. The act of creation was an amazing act of power and strength and probably pain free joy for God. When he got to the end of this effort. He didn't go on to the next accomplishment. He stayed there in that moment. He rested. He made a holy day out of it. I think he just wanted to be there, to experience to new life, to take pictures, to revel in what he had made. To enjoy us and the rest of this beautiful world.
Perhaps this is the reason that sabbath continues even to this day. God is still in the business of recreating us. He doesn't want to just move onto the next thing. He wants to stay, rest, and enjoy what he has done, he wants to enjoy us.
It makes me want to stay and enjoy him too.
All I could do in that moment was sit there in the rocking chair beside Laura and marvel at this little life. Resting in that moment of reflection, splendor, and exhaustion. I didn't leave to go take a shower or go take a nap. I stayed there, I rested in that moment. I took pictures and marveled at my little girl.
I just read through Genesis 1 this morning and the first couple verses of chapter 2. The act of creation was an amazing act of power and strength and probably pain free joy for God. When he got to the end of this effort. He didn't go on to the next accomplishment. He stayed there in that moment. He rested. He made a holy day out of it. I think he just wanted to be there, to experience to new life, to take pictures, to revel in what he had made. To enjoy us and the rest of this beautiful world.
Perhaps this is the reason that sabbath continues even to this day. God is still in the business of recreating us. He doesn't want to just move onto the next thing. He wants to stay, rest, and enjoy what he has done, he wants to enjoy us.
It makes me want to stay and enjoy him too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)