Would you rather there be no suffering?

Imagine a world that didn’t have any pain; a world that didn’t have any violence, where children didn’t die of leukemia, where genocides never happened. Imagine a world where we never endured suffering, whether for good or bad. Nobody ever dies in this world so that we would never have to experience the pain of loss, the sorrow of bereavement. People wouldn’t lose their houses to a fire, nor would any family be displaced as a refugee’s. Homelessness would be unthinkable, and starvation unfathomable.

What kind of a world would that be?

It would be a world devoid of compassion, for how could you show compassion to a person who has no need of it? We wouldn’t learn how to be patient or how to endure. We would never know what joy, love and peace is. How could we? In a world without suffering we would have no contrast. Without cold, would we know heat? Without dark, would we know light?

How would we be obedient to God?

“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation…” Hebrews 5:8-9

Obedience is a tricky thing. To do what we want to do isn’t necessarily obedience even when it lines up with what another wants us to do. To be obedient is to submissively do a task even when, especially when, we don’t really want to do it. Jesus did pray that the cup would pass from Him in the garden, but He was obedient to His Father in doing His will no matter what.

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-17

We join in the suffering of Christ to be glorified with Him. We endure the hardships and trials with joy knowing the outcome. We consider the trials here as temporary compared to the eternal weight of glory. Suffering is miserable in the moment, and who wants to endure it? But Christ did, and so shall we.

Let’s suffer with Christ.

Picking the time and place.

I’m sitting an uncomfortable chair. It’s also in an uncomfortable place. The position is all wrong so it makes it awkward to type. It’s annoying. I also can’t seem to think of anything to write really. Strange that the title to this post popped into my head.

Picking the time and place.

Picking the time and place for what?

The time I should write? Where I should do this writing? Is that what this is all about?

I honestly haven’t a clue.

I hold off writing so many times because of so many of the same excuses. I can’t think. I’m not comfortable. There’s too much on my mind. Yada yada yada. The excuses for inactivity are endless, aren’t they?

What holds us in the place of inaction?

What is it that keeps us from stepping out and doing what we know in our hearts to be the right thing to do? Is it simply laziness or is it deeper? Are we afraid to step out on faith? Are we afraid of change?

I’ll change tomorrow. I’ll start writing again tomorrow. I’ll put my trust in God tomorrow.

You know what they say about someday. Someday never comes. Only today, and then, Lord willing, the next day. Waiting till tomorrow to do what we know needs to be done today only prevents us from having change in our lives. We can’t live in tomorrow. We can’t live yesterday.

Today is the time. Today is the place. We live in the now.

Analogy loaded post

“But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” Philippians 2:17-18

I keep thinking to myself “Man, I need to get back into the writing groove.” As I look back at my blog over the months and years I see a familiar pattern. I’ll write consistently up to three posts a week for a month or two and then steadily trickle down to one post a week at best. There was even the better part of a year I didn’t write much at all. I keep thinking I need to work on being more consistent, but I’m not sure that’s true at all.

I

 believe that nearly everything in creation works in an up down, trough-peak cycle. What I mean is, when the cycle goes up it generally goes down almost as far as it went up. Nearly everything does this: people’s emotional psyches, the stock market, forest growth patterns, and me. I was going to say my writing habits, but the reality is, my whole existence is on a cycle. I go up and I go down. I wax and wane. The more I become aware of this fact the more it levels out, but I doubt it will completely go away.

When I’m writing the least I tend to be in a process of learning a lot of new information. It’s not that I don’t have things to write about, but the thoughts haven’t been completely assimilated into my mind. I’m still chewing the meat off the bone. I’m still filling the cup.

I like the cup analogy the best.

Imagine I’m a cup. I’m either being filled up or being drained; rarely is there a stand still. When I’m being poured out is when I’m giving of myself. I’m pouring myself into the words I write, the actions I take, and the people I love. This is really a good thing, but at a certain point I need to fill back up. I start taking more time to seek solitude and meditation. I read more books, and study more thoroughly. I seek out the living water to drink deeply.

I let God fill me back up, and then when I get to the brim and start to run over I begin the process of emptying anew.

There’s something right about making an effort to fill oneself back up (by seeking God, not doing it on my own), but there’s more to it than that. I was looking at some verses that have to do with being poured out and then I got to thinking about the living water that Christ speaks about. Check this out:

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  John 7:37-39

There’s two major thought’s here that blew my mind. One, if I am thirsty I can come to Christ to drink. This is what I was talking about as far as the cup being filled. Two, and this is huge, because I believe in Christ and have the Holy Spirit within me I have that living water flowing from my innermost being. So if we cling to our faith in Christ and seek Him we won’t be thirsty, and if we follow the Holy Spirit where He guides us our cup will continue to fill.

Do you see yourself in a cycle of ups and downs?

Is this a good or bad thing, or have I missed the mark all together?

Listening

One of the most healing and therapeutic remedies I’ve found is being able to talk to someone who really listens. Just getting to sit down and share whatever is on my mind, whether deep or simple, and having someone actively listening to what I’m saying. Not contradicting or tearing down. Not offering opinions and advice not sought for. Just giving me the great gift of undivided attention.

I know that I’m not the only one who has found this to be true. Think about the people you trust the most or share the most of your inner thoughts with; what do they have in common? Are they all well-educated? Do they seem to have it all together? What’s the common characteristic? I’m sure there’s more than one thing (like humility, for example), but I would be willing to hazard a guess and say they are relatively good listeners.

Think about it.

Do you enjoy talking to people who don’t listen? People who seem to be constantly checking their text’s while half-heartedly listening out of one ear, or who answer every phone call they receive in the middle of a conversation. They don’t tend to engage you while you’re speaking to them. They may be good, caring people who aren’t aware that they do this. We can forgive them and extend them grace like anyone.

But what’s the thing about being listened to? What makes it so good? Why is it so therapeutic?

For starters, nothing says that you care about a person and think they are important more than when you give yourself totally to them. It’s a powerful statement to give a person your undivided attention, especially in this world of competing distractions. It’s even more powerful when you hold their delicate words, thought’s, and emotions in your hand without crushing them with unsolicited advice and unwarranted comments.

We want to be heard. We want to know that someone will listen to us and validate, not only our thoughts and emotions, but our very existence. We want someone, anyone, to care that we live and breathe. And is that wrong to desire such things? No.

No it’s not wrong, and here’s why.

We live under the power and glory of God. The God who created the entire universe far and wide. Who nurtured life on this little rock. Who created man in His own image. Who sent His one and only Son to die a brutal death so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Who rose His Son in power from the grave so that we too might walk in newness of life and be called sons and daughters of God; adopted into a vast and wonderful family.

And this same God want to hear us.

He wants us to bring our requests, our anxieties, our dreams to Him in prayer. He wants us to talk to Him. And we know without a doubt that He is listening. He is listening intently to everything we say. Not condemning us for speaking. Not telling us to shut up because He’s too busy. He is giving us His full and undivided attention at all times throughout the day. Why?

Because He actually cares.

God loves us with such an overwhelming love that it’s truly indescribable. And the fact that He is listening so well, so perfectly, just shows that He loves us still more. Like little children, let’s come to our Father and make our needs known. Let’s share everything that’s on our heart with the assurance that He is listening.

Questions that need answers.

I suppose if I were to have a hobby it would be thinking. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about life, God, people, scenarios, and, especially, questions. I ask a lot of questions to myself. I ask why a lot. I hear things that I’ve never heard and start to ask questions to learn more about them. I hear things I’ve heard all my life and ask questions to discover what those things really mean. I’m going to give you some questions to think about.

For starters, why should we believe in God?

This may be the most important question that you and I have to answer in this life. Not just “Does He exist?” but why should we believe in Him? It’s especially important because from here we must ask so many more questions, and how we answer this question determines how we answer the others.

If God does exist, what does that mean for my life?

 If we answered the first question with our conviction that God is very real and given our reason for this belief it means that we have to look at life differently. When you wake up what you believe will determine how you live during the day. If you believe in God, you will do things with God in mind. If you don’t believe in God you will follow whatever belief system you have.

Believing in God raises so many questions that really need to be answered. If He is all knowing, why should we pray? If He is all powerful and all loving, why do bad things happen in the world? It’s easy to take a pass on these questions, but faith requires us to think about these things. These truly aren’t easy questions, but we can all find answers too them. We may even come to different conclusions, but that’s okay.

Let’s not lose heart while we search for answers. Let’s step out on faith and trust that God will guide us into His truth. Let’s challenge ourselves, even if it takes a few years of wandering in the desert, and trust that God is leading us.

What are your thoughts on these questions? What answers have you found?

What's God's take on fasting and helping the needy?

Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:6-11

Are we willing to let God work? Part 1

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:8-11

Are we willing to trust that God is God? Are we willing to trust that He has higher ways and higher thoughts than we can imagine? Or are we going to put God into a neat little box and reject that He has power indescribable and glorious?

His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways.

Do you know what makes me truly weary? There’s one thing above all else that makes me tired right down to the soul. It’s not working for the Kingdom of God and enduring trials. It’s not dealing with difficult or unresponsive people. The one thing that makes me the most tired is the attitude that so many people seem to have about what is or isn’t important. It’s an attitude that takes power from God and attempts to give it to man.

Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

I do hospice work for a couple hours a week. That means, for me at least, that I go and spend time with two woman who are near death and completely mentally gone from dementia. All I can do is show up and either help them eat or just spend time with them. All I can do is love them. And it brings me a great deal of joy doing just that.

Do you know I’ve had people question me as to why I would do that? Not just why I do it, but why do it at all if I can’t do a Bible study with them. I’m less of a missionary in some people’s eyes for choosing to spend valuable time visiting them. But they are so much more valuable. These are my widows that God has given me too love. I recall James saying something about pure and undefiled religion being along those lines.

People I work with have asked me why I would volunteer to visit them.

I’ve developed relationships with people at the care facility as well as the volunteer coordinator and I have had many conversations about what compels me to visit them. I get to talk about God and His love pretty frequently. I’m even set to write an article for the Hospice company-wide newsletter next month on that very topic.

Does God have the power to work in every situation? Or do we limit His power to what we think He can do based on a set list of rules for how to do things?

Do you think that in order to help a person you also need to be proselyting or are you willing to help people and let God do His thing?

These are questions that we need to answer. And then we need to examine the answer to see if maybe we are putting God in a box or not. Be thinking about these questions and the power of God for the next couple days. In my next post I’m going to expound on these some more.

One last question: Are we willing to believe that God can do more that we ask or imagine?

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21