I have a friend who is given to profound one-liners on occasion. About once a month we catch up by phone, updating one another and sharing our challenges. Somewhere in the conversation he will inevitably say, "What will it matter in a hundred years?" We both wind up laughing and I say, "Not even a hundred!" It puts things into perspective for both of us, and we realize the the concerns that occupy us today won't even be a memory in the not-to-distant future.
He has another one-liner that always brings peace to me. If you're like me at all, I frequently bemoan that I'm not "further along" than I am. I "should" myself to distraction. Then my friend gently reminds me, "At any given moment, you are right where you're supposed to be." I let that sink in and I feel the "shoulds" fall away and contentment seeps in. This simple statement acknowledges that God really is in control, and there is nothing outside of His oversight. It recognizes that my life is safely in His hands and that He truly does work the ALL things together for good, especially the "all things" that make me squirm. It lifts the responsibility to perfectly navigate my life on my own.
I've thought about contentment quite a bit, but what is it really? The Apostle Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever condition he was in. I know that he faced some pretty difficult circumstances with beatings and imprisonments and persecutions. My circumstances aren't nearly as dramatic, but I need to find contentment in my "whatevers." Contentment doesn't mean that you enjoy your circumstances, or that you don't try to change them if you can. Contentment, in my view, is trusting God with your life, clinging to Him no matter what comes, knowing that He will work all things out for your good and His glory. Simple to say, not so simple to do. Some days I do better than others. I remind myself that progress requires the passage of time, and usually far more than I think it should! The bottom line is that all of my "whatevers" make complete sense in the light of His governance. Thank You Papa!!
So, for today, I will be content, trusting Him, depending upon Him and surrendering to the "whatever" that happens today.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Knowledge Puffs Up
I love to learn. There is so much to discover, so much to ponder. What I enjoy most is learning to know my Heavenly Father. There is no end to the wealth I find in progressively getting to know Him and His ways better and better.
I've come to understand that He always builds us up, and never tears us down. He never embarrasses us or chides us for not knowing or remembering. He is the essence of patience and is a gentle teacher. There is no "pass/fail" with God - He just keeps working with us until we "get it." He never tells us to study harder because "knowing" isn't about struggling to memorize, as in a list of spelling words. His "knowing" is really a "becoming." He changes the way we think, not just what we think. He teaches by changing us so that we no longer think the way we used to. His yoke truly is easy and His burden light. He yokes together with each one of us - where we go, He goes and where He goes, we go. That gives me comfort.
In contrast, I just recently experienced being on the receiving end of what I would call a "knowledge puffs up" moment. You know that moment, don't you? Someone more well-educated or well-informed than you are demonstrates their intellectual superiority over you. It's even more fun when they do it in front of an audience! Just kidding - it's no fun at all! Before you feel sorry for me, let me say that I have done the very same thing to others. It's true that strength isn't in conquering, it's in serving. I understand a little better what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "I choose to know nothing among you except Christ crucified." Knowledge puffs up, love builds up. In I Corinthians 13, the scripture says that knowledge will someday cease. So will hope and faith. The only thing left will be love. Amen! Let it be!
I've come to understand that He always builds us up, and never tears us down. He never embarrasses us or chides us for not knowing or remembering. He is the essence of patience and is a gentle teacher. There is no "pass/fail" with God - He just keeps working with us until we "get it." He never tells us to study harder because "knowing" isn't about struggling to memorize, as in a list of spelling words. His "knowing" is really a "becoming." He changes the way we think, not just what we think. He teaches by changing us so that we no longer think the way we used to. His yoke truly is easy and His burden light. He yokes together with each one of us - where we go, He goes and where He goes, we go. That gives me comfort.
In contrast, I just recently experienced being on the receiving end of what I would call a "knowledge puffs up" moment. You know that moment, don't you? Someone more well-educated or well-informed than you are demonstrates their intellectual superiority over you. It's even more fun when they do it in front of an audience! Just kidding - it's no fun at all! Before you feel sorry for me, let me say that I have done the very same thing to others. It's true that strength isn't in conquering, it's in serving. I understand a little better what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "I choose to know nothing among you except Christ crucified." Knowledge puffs up, love builds up. In I Corinthians 13, the scripture says that knowledge will someday cease. So will hope and faith. The only thing left will be love. Amen! Let it be!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Preparing To Let Go
I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my friends is moving to North Carolina. While it's not immediate, it is soon. We talk on the phone about the complex process of detangling yourself from your existing life in order to plant your roots in a new life. On some level, it's just a matter of details, the logistics of packing up and transporting your home goods, calling utilities, notifying friends and family, etc.
On a far deeper level, however, it's a leaving home, leaving familiarity, leaving family and friends. While I'm listening to and trying to support my friend, I hear the beginnings of detachment in her voice, the rationalization that everyone is just a phone call away. "It's no big deal," I hear, "people can come and visit," and "I'll be back to visit on a regular basis." My friend has never lived anywhere else and doesn't really understand that the ones she leaves behind are becoming a part of her past, and not a part of her future day-to-day life. She doesn't realize yet, that the relationships left behind will begin to change. Some may disappear all together, and the ones that remain will be purged of ongoing shared experiences.
I have also begun to realize what her move means to me. She is leaving me behind. I have to accept that, in some real way, I will be a part of her past. Yes, we will talk on the phone, and she will probably visit at least once a year or so. It won't be the same. I won't be able to see her when I want or make plans to be together. She will make new friends, as she should. She will have a new life and become a part of her new community of support. In a sense, I am detangling too. I'm preparing to let go. In my mind, she will become a long-distance friend. It will just happen naturally, subtly, finally.
Ultimately, I'm happy for my friend. She is so thrilled to be moving to a new place, somewhere with warmer winters and a job for her husband. And, I do know that she will be fine, and so will I. Changes really are just a part of life and God can be trusted with them. Over time we will both adjust and the new normal will feel just like the current normal. I think I'll have to get a webcam!
On a far deeper level, however, it's a leaving home, leaving familiarity, leaving family and friends. While I'm listening to and trying to support my friend, I hear the beginnings of detachment in her voice, the rationalization that everyone is just a phone call away. "It's no big deal," I hear, "people can come and visit," and "I'll be back to visit on a regular basis." My friend has never lived anywhere else and doesn't really understand that the ones she leaves behind are becoming a part of her past, and not a part of her future day-to-day life. She doesn't realize yet, that the relationships left behind will begin to change. Some may disappear all together, and the ones that remain will be purged of ongoing shared experiences.
I have also begun to realize what her move means to me. She is leaving me behind. I have to accept that, in some real way, I will be a part of her past. Yes, we will talk on the phone, and she will probably visit at least once a year or so. It won't be the same. I won't be able to see her when I want or make plans to be together. She will make new friends, as she should. She will have a new life and become a part of her new community of support. In a sense, I am detangling too. I'm preparing to let go. In my mind, she will become a long-distance friend. It will just happen naturally, subtly, finally.
Ultimately, I'm happy for my friend. She is so thrilled to be moving to a new place, somewhere with warmer winters and a job for her husband. And, I do know that she will be fine, and so will I. Changes really are just a part of life and God can be trusted with them. Over time we will both adjust and the new normal will feel just like the current normal. I think I'll have to get a webcam!
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