Changes

Another day of therapy and I’m thinking how exhausting it is to search the brain to do things on demand that are normally natural…kind of like trying not to kick when the doctor hits your knee with his little hammer. And as I sit in wonder at how God made “spare parts” so doctors can fix our broken bodies, I strain to retrain a finger tendon to work in its new position in my thumb.

Then I think of the spiritual application of what my body is going through. And I have a whole new level of patience and understanding for some of the people I know who are trying to break bad habits and physical addictions. So often as Christians we talk about “transformation” and turning things over to God. But this isn’t how God chooses to work in everyone every time.

I find it frustrating to have to concentrate so hard to make my thumb do things independently. I watch in wonder as my thumb moves with a mind of its own when the finger that the tendon came from is moved. And it’s with some level of frustration and a lot of work that I begin to make minute progress…every other hour all day long. That means I need to watch the clock all day to get the right number of “practice” sessions in for the day. That means stopping what I would normally do and taking the time to exercise. That means being able to notice almost unnoticeable progress so I don’t get discouraged.

Shame on me for not being a better encouragement to someone struggling with sin in their life. They need to focus on changing their behavior. They struggle with resisting. They become discouraged because we make it look so easy and it’s not easy for them. They slip up and want to give up because of it, instead of trying again. And like the patience of the therapist, Christians need to be there to encourage, remind of small progress, and show them the right way to do the new “exercise (lifestyle).”

More often I see Christians talking that the new believer should just be “transformed” like a caterpillar into a butterfly…like it’s this overnight change. But how long does that worm take to spin its cocoon and then sit in there as a chrysalis while the actual transformation takes place? And how much of the insect’s lifespan in spent in transformation?

Butterflies and moths are a wonderful example of Christianity. You see, they are born from an egg as a caterpillar of some sort, and then transform into a winged creature…a second birth (John 3.) Depending on where and when the egg is laid, the average lifespan is 4 to 11 months, though some live only days. Most of that life is spent growing. And it’s only as adults they reproduce…a short window of their life. Few eggs and larva make it to adulthood. (Matt. 7:14 But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.)

Lord, give me patience helping others transform…make me fertile in reproducing my faith (Your love) in others!

I Met God in the Morning

"I met God in the morning"

I met God in the morning

when the day was at its best,

And His Presence came like sunrise,

Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered,

All day long He stayed with me,

And we sailed in perfect calmness

O'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,

Other ships were sore distressed,

But the winds that seemed to drive them,

Brought to me a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,

With a keen remorse of mind,

When I too had loosed the moorings,

With the presence left behind.

So, I think I know the secret,

Learned from many a troubled way:

You must seek Him in the morning

If you want Him through the day!

By Bishop Ralph Cushman

Dancing

I was watching a movie where a very emancipated high school girl was learning ballroom dancing. She was infuriated that her male partner was designated to “lead.” The wise instructor pointed out that the “power” was in the female partner’s willingness to follow that lead.

I thought this was a good picture of faith. So often 'religion' is seen as all about rules, when God is really all about our willingness to follow His lead.

Olympics

It’s Olympic time again. In a recent conversation I was reminded that I know a fair bit about the Olympics because I knew an Olympian…Casey FitzRandolph, 2002 gold medalist in the 500 meter speed skating. I got to know Casey and his family during his first Olympics, when he didn’t win a medal. (I can’t bring myself to saying anyone loses at the Olympics, because to even make it there is an accomplishment most of us never even dream of.) Casey was a hometown boy in the community I was working in then.

Casey’s story isn’t so different from the other athletes. He was inspired by someone at a young age. He devoted literally decades of his life to the sport. His family sacrificed beyond what many could even begin to think of sacrificing. But he reached his dream...an Olympic gold medal.

As I reflect on his perseverance, I think about my own life over the past year. What I thought was maybe a time of patience testing, turned into one of perseverance training. From character attacks to life and death situations in the family to physical trauma to financial concerns, there were times it seemed non-stop. There were times I wanted to change my life-course rather than persevere through the storm. Yet something nagged at me to stand firm.

Here’s a definition I found for perseverance: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Maybe the “testing” will end, when I learn to disregard the discouraging times. Maybe testing never ends until our lives do. The question then becomes, do I change when circumstances do, or do I remain firm where I’m at? The answer is in knowing when to do which.

Casey could have quit after his first Olympics…but he persevered another four years and won. The television is filled with similar stories of Olympians…and always the same theme…they persevered. Do we know what direction to go? Are we willing to do what it takes to get there?

The Horse & Buggy

I was recently talking to a friend and made a comment about how the saddle and buggy makers probably weren't too happy when the industrial revolution hit. How many of us are resisting the technology revolution the same way? I saw a video from a recent study done on 8-18 year olds...woke me up as to how far behind the times I might really be.