4 B's

B+BðBðB

Back in our Hutchinson Women’s Discipleship Bible studies, we always started each new study reviewing the quote:

          

In recent weeks in sermons on Romans 14 given by my pastor that quote has come to mind frequently as we have been challenged to “keep the main thing the main thing.”  Obviously, most of this is directed toward our faith walk, but some of the initial reminders came as the elections neared.  The church has devoted people whose political persuasions are completely opposite.  Pastor John urged his congregation not to let that come in the way of fellowship. 

Then as we got back into Romans after the holiday season, he introduced the  B+BðBðB (or B+B=B+B) to challenge our thinking even more when we are tempted to judge another person.  It challenges to understanding and patience.  Background and Baggage yield Beliefs which determine Behavior.  Whenever we are trying to share something of importance with another, we must realize that before they can change their beliefs they must re-frame those things which they carry from their background and baggage.

One easy example in the Christian realm is the one who came from a family in which the father was domineering or even abusive has trouble relating to God’s grace and mercy.  The one who was constantly criticized has trouble seeing their value in God’s eyes.  The implications carry into the world of school and work as well.

The call of the Romans passage is in essence to cut people some slack.  Offer grace in differences, not condemnation.  Backgrounds may be similar, but we know from looking at families that even the same household with the same parents does not afford a duplicate background for each child.  Add to that the baggage of our various experiences and we see that charity is needed at some point by all.  

Of Dandelions and Daffodils

 No color speaks the coming of spring more that bright yellow - the color of daffodils or dandelions.  A couple of weeks ago, as I stood out on the playground monitoring Teacher Directed Physical Education (recess preceded by a walk around the track), a little girl brought a bright yellow blooming dandelion up to me.  This Minnesota girl was in shock - a dandelion in winter?  That warmed my heart as much as the sunshine warmed my skin. The "miracle" was duly noted and relegated to the back burner.

However, a few days later when visiting an antebellum mansion in Roswell, we observed daffodils, in bud, in bloom, and past bloom.  Again the sunny yellow cheered the heart and soul.  Thoughts of those two flowers have been an almost daily remembrance.  "Object lessons" fluttered through my head landing and flitting away.

By most standards, the daffodil is the more beautiful flower with it's trumpet surrounded by fragile petals proclaiming the coming spring.  But it is a fragile flower.  I planted many daffodils in my flower beds in Hutchinson and only occasionally did they dance in the spring breeze.  Sometimes the leaves would poke through the soil too early, only to be frozen off or covered by a late spring snow.  Some of the bulbs became winter food for squirrels and other varmints.  Other times the leaves grew full and green, but no bud appeared.

I planted no dandelion seeds in my garden or yard, yet every year some bloomed in unwelcome locations.  In fact, it was my goal to eradicate them.  I had some success, but there was always a dandelion to be found by a granddaughter or friend.  What mom has not treasured that sweet gift of the dandelion bouquet picked especially for mom by a child, innocent of the dandelions' noxious reputation.  Few are the moms who did not take at least the first bright bouquet into the house and add it to a little jar of water.

There are lessons about life and faith in the flowers - and in those stories either the dandelion or the daffodil can be the symbol of the positive or the negative.  The daffodil springs up beautiful, but is fragile and dies quickly.  The dandelion is hardy and spreads its "love" near and far.  The dandelion is a weed and will destroy the beauty of a yard or the production of a garden.  The daffodil stands tall and shows its beauty to all who come by.

Perhaps if Jesus had been giving the Sermon on the Mount from one of the many hills that comprise this part of Georgia He would have used the dandelion or daffodil in the following verse, part of a passage encouraging us not to be concerned or worries. From Matthew 6:28-30:

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 

What is your lesson from the dandelion or the daffodil?

The Blame Game

Being in a number of different classrooms this year has reminded me of the Blame Game.  I think it is without fail, that in every class at some point during the day, a version of the following scenario played out.  The names have been changed to protect the guilty, and while the details may differ, the basic story has been heard in classrooms and day-cares and probably even in your house.

Mortimer, a small tear running down his cheek: "Teacher, teacher."  (They never remember the sub's name.)

Me: "What is it, boy with the blue shirt?" (I don't remember their names either, but after this, I know Mortimer.)

Mortimer, with a little hiccup: "She kicked me."

Me: "Tell me, what happened?  What's her name?"

Mortimer, tears coming a little more quickly with an occasional muffled sob for effect: "Matilda. She's over there. (pointing to a gaggle of girls in the corner of the room.) She just kicked me, for no reason at all. And see, look, there's a red spot where she kicked me." (pointing now to a clearly old scab that miraculously is still in place)."

Me, surveying the girl gaggle in the corner: "Matilda, please come here." (I don't know Matilda for sure, but since I have the name, I can hope she will come.)

Matilda, slowly disengages from the group and inches toward me, glaring at Mortimer.  Clearly, something has happened. She breaks her glare and turns to me.

Me: "Did you kick Mortimer?"

Matilda: "Um, well sort of, but he ....  me first."

You can fill in the blanks from your own repertoire.  Rarely does a classroom or sibling tattle represent the beginning of the interchange, and more often than not, finding the actual precipitating event is next to impossible.

This ploy is as old as humanity.  The Bible relates the first recorded conversation of this sort in Genesis 3. 

 ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of        the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Sadly, it is not just Adam and Eve or children in the classroom, but honesty reminds me, I too, play the blame game.  When I mess up, I look for a scapegoat, someone else who might share the blame or provide me with a reasonable excuse.  Just last Thursday at high traffic time, as I avoided the spot where my accideny happened, the scene started replaying and once again, the argument in my head started saying that the damage of the two cars was inconsistent with it being totally my fault. I had to simply admit my car hit her car from behind.  It doesn't even matter, it is over and done and you will pay the higher insurance premium (consequences) for a period of time. "You are at fault and it matters not whether the other driver was or was not at fault.  Give it up!!"  

For many years I have been working on this and as you can see, I have not yet achieved perfection or anything even close to it, but I am learning.  One of the most powerful lessons I am starting to learn is that it's even OK to take blame that doesn't belong to you to preserve a relationship or friendship.

Oh, isn't that what Jesus did on the cross?  

Good Friday is coming.

Can I eat chocolate?

Can I eat chocolate?  Some people give that up as their Lenten fast.  For many who do it is a real sacrifice.

The concept of fasting is clearly scriptural.  It was done in the both the Old and New Testaments.  Jesus fasted in the the wilderness for 40 days and Paul fasted after his sight was restored on the road to Damascus.  Fasting is considered a spiritual discipline, but it was not something that was clear to me within the traditions of my growing up years.

In Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at college, the idea was introduced and explained.  My understanding was that is was a period of abstinence from food for the purpose of spending that time honoring God.  It could be for personal reflection and cleansing or as a part of a prayer journey for a specific request.  Subsequently, fasting has been presented as a call to personal discipline and to enhance spiritual growth in individuals or in the body of Christ. Youth groups across denominations participate in the 30 Hour Famine to raise money to feed starving children around the world.

The original understanding of a fast was that it was the denial or significant reduction in the food intake for a period of time. The idea was to use the time not spent eating and preparing food as a prayer time or devotional time.  In recent years, a broader scope of fasting has emerged suggesting that fasting could be giving up anything held as value.  Others give up time spent in one thing to do service for others. Any time the food or activity is missed or remembered is a prompt to seek the Lord.

Lent prompts discussion of the topic as several Christian traditions observe some kind of fast during the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Sadly, it has often produced derision as people "gave up" things they didn't like anyway.  Others gave up or fasted from something that they really enjoyed, but spent their days bemoaning what they could not have. I'm not sure either of those are scriptural fasts. Many sites and treatises online discuss fasting and deserve a look if you are thinking of fasting for the season of for some other purpose.

However, this morning I was challenged with a different view of fasting in this season.  Following is the poem that was posted on an online prayer chain.  If doesn't matter what Christian tradition you come from, I think at least one of the phrases will give us something to ponder in our own Christian journey.

Suggestions for a Holy Lent

by William Arthur Ward (adapted)

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ dwelling in them.

Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of Christ’s light.

Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on hope.

Fast from worry; feast on divine providence.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm and zeal.

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that strengthens.

Fast from worry; feast on divine providence.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

Me and God

Me and God

I know that’s bad grammar but at the beginning of this Lenten season that calls us to think about sacrifice – The Lord’s sacrifice for my, our sin – I was pondering again my own relationship with and understanding of God.  The morning devotional that I read focused on “the fall”, so that led me to thinking about sin, the falling away from God’s standard.  My thoughts have been tumbling over each other as I considered the meaning of sin and its impact on our world and on me. 

Adam and Eve’s sin was not in what they ate, but in their desire to be like God, to be equal with God, to know as God knows.  In one sense, they got their wish.  The couple could see and recognize sin in themselves, and they tried to cover it.  Whether you believe this is literal or figurative, the message is clear – human kind who are honest with themselves recognize that sin and evil exist within their kind and within themselves.

My mind called up an early memory verse, Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Years of preaching and teaching crowded for brain space, but what happened was that I started thinking about the glory, majesty, holiness, perfection, beauty, love and yes, the grace of God.  And I was reminded again that neither I nor anyone can achieve one of those as that characteristic is possessed of God.  I, we fall short.  We miss the mark, fail to achieve the standard, especially when we define the standard as Jesus did – loving our enemies, doing good to those who despise us, forgiving those who owe us without grudging…the list goes on.  Were it not for His grace, I would be lost. That is the beginning of the focus on Lent.  The focus in the end will be those events that secure my hope for a way to be acquitted since my best efforts will continue to fall short of God’s standard.  

Through the years my religious heritage has moved away from not even considering Lent except as something strange that others observed, to a greater understanding of the value of reflection prior to the highest holy time – when God Himself paid the price He demanded for our sin. 

Several years ago, a church I was part of asked people to volunteer to write a devotional for Lent, and that  was my first experience with actually observing Lent in any way.  In privacy the last few years I have given up something during Lent with the purpose of understanding in some miniscule way, what Jesus did not only on the cross, but as He prepared for ministry spending 40 days in the wilderness.  Each year it has been something God was convicting me of, but no conviction came this year until I was challenged to blog about my thoughts today.  

I attended an Ash Wednesday service last night with my daughter and her family.  The Pastor spoke of the sacrifice of giving up and the sacrifice of giving or doing something.  This morning as I wrote this, I realized what I am to do, for myself, and for those of you who might choose to read what I write, my Lenten devotional is this: to reflect each day, a little or a lot, on the thoughts that tumbled through my mind this morning and the meaning of this most treasured of Christian seasons.

Where is God?

The initiator of an online prayer group of which I am a part reflected that there are many who would ask, "Where is God?" when looking at some of the events that have captured the headlines in recent day s and months.  She challenged us to answer that question.  This is my answer for today.

Where was God?

It is so easy to ask that question when something horrible or evil happens.  It’s especially hard when we believe in an omnipotent God.  The conundrum created by what God could have done and did do gives us pause, and if faith in His ultimate goodness doesn’t undergird our walk, we can be in despair or worse, turn away from God.  We do that when we apply earthly standards to Almighty God.  A walk through the Holy Scriptures reveals that these are not new concerns.  I do not know what theology or epistemology can truly answer the questions to our satisfaction .  Thus I have to look at my own experience and a passage that tells me to let God be God.  Isaiah 55:8-9 defines my place: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God is God and I am not, but I know where He is.  He is in my heart and in the hearts of all who truly  believe in His Son, God Incarnate.  In a way only God can, He walks beside us, behind us and goes before us, while holding us under His wing or in the palm of His hand.  I will fear no evil doesn’t mean there won’t be evil, but that I need not fear because He is with me, and when I am hurting He will comfort me. 

God has not abandoned His creation, even when we have abandoned Him as a society, a culture, and as individuals.  He still loves us, but He also lets us bear the consequences of the fallen world.  We have often chosen the temporary pleasures of evil over the opportunity to delight in the Lord.

Where was God?  He took my friend’s hand as her heart stopped beating at the end of December.  She valiantly fought lymphoma several times and their Christmas letter said she was cancer free.  But, the very treatment that eradicated the cancer destroyed her heart and lungs.  She leaves behind a husband and three wonderful sons through whom in a way she still lives.  But, as my daughter put it, today as friends and relatives celebrate her life, those of us who can’t be there will be listening for a new voice in the angel choir.

Every day He is with me, even on days when I don’t spend much time thinking about Whose I am.  He is always there, in people like my friend Judy, or my prayer warrior friends, using them as His hands and feet.  He is in the simple faith of a child and in the childlike faith of those who receive Him.  And, really who knows what we have escaped because of God’s restraining hand?

I do not and cannot know – because He is God and I am not.

Gratitude or Grabitude

I volunteered to write a little devotional for an online prayer group that I've been part of for over three years.  I would like to get back into my blogging, but it's been a little crazy, so I thought I would jump in again by sharing what I wrote for the devotional.

Thanksgiving is done.  The malls along “over the river and through the woods” were already crowded with cars and shoppers as we traveled across two state lines.  Facebook posts warned friends of places not to go as fights broke out in lines at some store.  How quickly we can shift from gratitude to grabitude. 

This Thanksgiving, the verse that stood out to me as I made my mental lists of things for which I was thankful was Habakkuk 3: 17-19. 

     Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines, 

the produce of the olive fail 

and  fields yield no food, 

the flock be cut off the fold 

and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord; 

I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 

God, the Lord, is my strength; 

he makes my feet like the deer's;  

he makes me tread on my high places. 

When we recognize whom we thank, we realize that we truly can give thanks in all things. 

As Henri J.M. Nouwen said,  “Gratitude ... goes beyond the "mine" and "thine" and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

On this day of frenzied shopping and commercialism run rampant, let’s stop and extend our season of gratitude, celebrating all God’s gifts to us – the ones we easily see and the ones for which we must discipline ourselves to say thanks.