Solomon tells us that “a happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing” (Proverbs 17:22, AMP ). God undoubtedly has a sense of humor; we need only look at some of the animals He created (it’s hard not to smile at the sight of a hippo, a monkey, or a puppy). Or think of some of the married couples you know: don’t you think God was smiling at the wedding as He looked ahead to the interaction of the wildly different personalities that will be living together?Archive for July 2006
swallowed up by life
I’ve been in a rather negative frame of mind for the past week, which is one reason why I haven’t posted much; I couldn’t think of anything good to say. This morning, I started off writing about making excuses, but I quickly realized that I couldn’t think of a way to bring life to the subject, and I stopped.
Then I remembered verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 5, which I noticed when I was reading the entire chapter for yesterday’s post. Here’s what it says: “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”…
we regard no one…
Over at kendallball.net, Greg has taken John Donne’s “No man is an island” concept and pushed the issue of self- and group definition to consider how the Christian sees himself in relation to the rest of humanity:
In Jesus we are called to be new creations, and perhaps part of this new creation is the cultivation (through certain practices) of the idea that I am a part of the continent of humanity… Maybe then we will shift our focus from ourselves and become builders of peace, seekers of justice, and lovers of all mankind. Those sorts of things just don’t seem possible as long as we’re deriving our self-identity from a source other than our status as children of God and followers of Christ.
I think the Apostle Paul’s teaching about new creation is worth considering here…
selah, or I need a break
I’ve been having a hard time deciding what to write for the past couple of days, and I thought that perhaps it was from lack of thought or stimulation, but this morning I’ve concluded that it’s the opposite: too much thinking and too much stimulation. Beside my chair I’ve got Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster; Swear to God by Scott Hahn; Poems and Prose by Gerard Manley Hopkins; Crafted Prayer and another book by Graham Cooke; Bread in the Wilderness by Thomas Merton; two books by Creflo Dollar — and these are just the ones I can see (there are at least 5 more in the basket underneath). When I sit in my recliner, looking at my shelves, I can see a host of books I have yet to read: Andrew Murray, Joyce Meyer, Bill Johnson, C.S. Lewis, a biography of Pope John Paul II, and the list goes on….
written on His hands
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
Isaiah records for us an amazing promise: God will not forget us. The Amplified says that He has “tattooed a picture” on His hand, and other translations say that He has “written your name.”
My dad used to write notes to himself on his hands; this isn’t like that. Those notes, even if they were written with a Sharpie, wash off. It’s a temporary thing. I like the word engraved that the NIV uses, and also that the translators used you rather than name. God isn’t saying, “I’ve made a mental note about your need; I’ll get back to you.” No, He’s telling us that we are ever before Him and on His mind. People get tattoos on many parts of the body; if I tattooed Teddie’s name on my bicep, I could kind of see it, but not that easily — I would have to make an effort to turn my head and raise my arm. But not so with my hands: our hands are always in front of us, easy to see, inescapable.
And notice, too, that here God speaks for Himself. Sometimes the prophets tell us, “The Lord said that…” But here, God speaks directly: “I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” He wants us to hear His voice saying, “You are important to me.”
Father, thank You for this promise, this affirmation of Your enduring, unfailing love. Help me to hear Your voice and not the voice of the enemy that would say You have forgotten me. This is not so. I am engraved on the palm of Your hand, and I can rest in the assurance of Your love and care.
it’s time to engage!
In response to Alan Creech’s thoughts on Merton (see yesterday’s post), Aimee Milburn wrote an extended comment that she also posted on her own blog. In “Life, Love, and Canon Law,” Aimee offers a thoughtful explanation of the value of liturgy. She writes,
The problem is not the liturgy itself, that we must throw it out and start over. The problem is we don’t know what the liturgy is. The liturgy is, first of all and primarily, interior. It is a deep focusing on Christ… When we stand, we stand in His presence. Kneeling, we kneel before Him on His high throne in heaven, adoring Him. Singing and praying, we sing and pray to Him with all our hearts… The better we know the liturgy, the more it frees us to deepen our interior concentration.
It’s not much of a leap to apply this to other styles and forms of worship…
free to love
Alan Creech posted a beautiful, insightful, provocative passage from Thomas Merton, in which Merton asserts that love is the defining attribute of Christianity. That’s something Christians know, at least in theory. How many of us have stood in a circle, holding hands singing, “Love, love, love, love / the gospel in a word is a love / love your neighbor as your brother / love, love, love”?
What intrigues me about Merton’s thoughts is where he goes next. He writes, “the free decision of men to love one another in Christ” allows us to manifest God to the world. He continues…
help with anger
This article is targeted toward mothers, but the tips and perspective it offers work equally well for fathers:
- Be accountable to someone
- Evaluate your parenting goals
- Evaluate your expectations of your child
- Evaluate your expectations of yourself
- Raise your level of resistance
I especially appreciate the author’s focus on prayer and Scripture:
As I continued reaching out to God, he showed me the seriousness of my sin. After confessing it, I began devouring the Scriptures. I clung to God’s promise in Philippians 1:6 that he always works to perfect us. God’s unconditional, gracious love held me up and moved me forward.
I frequently prayed through Psalm 139:23, 24, asking God to show me any “offensive way” in my life. I clung to the promise in Psalm 46:1 that God is ever-present in trouble. I claimed the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that no temptation is too big for me to be victorious over. I saturated my mind with God’s Word. As I read and prayed, God showed me things about myself that needed to change. And he led me to new solutions and steps to take with my child.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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