Today my heart is sad. You see...I didn't get my way yesterday. And I often have a hard time with not getting my way. But I prayed - and hard, too. Maybe I didn't pray hard enough, or long enough, or loud enough. I was convinced with all my heart that what I was praying for would be the best thing for the world that I know - Hickory and the state of NC. And I even did research so that I would make a wise and well-informed decision. So with research in my back pocket and prayers being sent forth, I awaited the outcome. Ugh. Not the answer I was hoping for. Now what?
So I take the focus off of myself, and turn it to the One who is greater than "the given categories of our experience and is capable of opening our eyes to see a new world not constrained by our prejudices and agendas" (Anthony B. Robinson, Changing the Conversation: A Third Way For Congregations (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008), 67.)
Agendas. Yes, even mine. Obviously yesterday my prayers included my agenda, because I was convinced I was right. Just like everyone who thought I was wrong, but who got their way. In a nutshell, what I'm saying is this: whether I get my way or not, it will never change the fact that God is both a loving and a living God. It means that God loves through the difficult situations in which we might find ourselves. It also means that God is living through the difficult situations in which we might find ourselves.
So if I focus upon the One who is bigger than all of us and seek God's love and presence, it means that I can still hold on to hope. It means that I can still offer that hope. It means that I can still be part of that hope.
And if I focus upon the One who is bigger than all of us, it means that I won't always 'get my way.' It means I will be disappointed. It means that my heart will hurt. It means that my family and friends will be hurt at times. It means that there will be times I must come to the throne of grace and cry out in anguish, "I don't understand!" It means that I can cry out at the throne of grace and be comforted...and challenged...and called...and forgiven...just like all of us are.
God calls us to abandon our old thoughts, our old ways, and embrace the radical love of Jesus Christ. No matter what side we stand on, we are God's and God is a loving and living God in all of us. This is hard to understand when we don't all believe the same things, when our right and wrongs don't always align, and when we break each others' hearts.
But God is above our experiences, labels, thoughts, etc. And yet, God is in them. Let us all search for the loving and living God that is in the midst of Creation, whether we understand or even agree.
If your heart hurts too, may you suffer in dignity...like Christ.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
What Can I Do to Make a Difference?
Sometimes I find myself questioning whether I am making a difference in this world or not. But, just so you can know me a little better, I tend to either 'overthink' situations, or I think that making a difference equals bigger, louder, more smoke and lights, fill Wembley stadium, walk on water, and so on. But the longer I live, and the more I listen to my wife (2 very good things), I understand that making a difference in peoples' lives can be as simple as showing up. In the pastoral world, we call it a ministry of presence. I also like to call it a ministry of companionship. But what does this mean? I'm glad you asked.
See...when I get caught up in my rock star dreams, where I think that the only way I can make a difference in this world is to have thousands of people at a time listening to me speak or preach or perform musically, all I'm really doing is pointing to myself. And I'm limiting what I think God can do. And, if I think about the way God usually gets the job done, it's usually in a low-key, up close and personal way. I realize there are some larger-than-life situations where God is at work, but for the most part, I think God is in the small stuff. So, I want to be in the small stuff.
And being in the small stuff means that (to borrow someone else's verbiage) average gets the job done. What?!?!? Average?!?!? That's boring, right? Well...it all depends on perspective and attitude. If I take a rock star approach to making a difference, then yes, average is boring. And if I take a rock star approach to making a difference, chances are I'll never really make a difference because chances are I'll never attain rock star status. Sad, but true.
Enter average. Yes, average. Taking an average approach doesn't mean that I'll do things half-heartedly or not care about what I do. An average approach means that I am content with where I am. In other words...where I am is where I am supposed to be. Average means that I'll take the time to read a book to folks who are in an assisted living home. Average means I'll make an effort to get to know the person who sits next to me in church (or in school, or at work, or on the bus...you get the idea). Average means that I'll believe in the ideas God plants in my soul. Average means that I can change the world, one belief at a time. Average means that I'll stand up for those who are being oppressed and hated. Average means I'll do what's right even if it's not popular. Average means I'll love and accept everyone, even if they don't love and accept me. Average means I'll show up and offer companionship even if I have no words. Come to think of it, I should offer companionship before words, and oftentimes, in place of words.
I guess what I'm saying is that if I live in the average world, I'm living! I am living a full life, completely awake. Average = full and awake. Now this might sound contradictory or paradoxical, but I believe that God wants us to experience peace and contentment. This doesn't mean that we won't fight to correct injustices. It means that within the fight to correct the imbalances, we can experience divine peace and contentment that surpasses our human understanding. It means that whatever we are going through we can experience divine peace and contentment. It's not always easy, but it can be done.
The things we do in the course of a day might seem small and insignificant to us. But to others, our interaction might just be the saving grace they have been praying for. And we might not ever fully know how deeply we touched someone, and we might not ever see the outcome, but if we're content with where we are, we'll remember that God can do greater things than we can imagine.
Here's to enjoying average!
See...when I get caught up in my rock star dreams, where I think that the only way I can make a difference in this world is to have thousands of people at a time listening to me speak or preach or perform musically, all I'm really doing is pointing to myself. And I'm limiting what I think God can do. And, if I think about the way God usually gets the job done, it's usually in a low-key, up close and personal way. I realize there are some larger-than-life situations where God is at work, but for the most part, I think God is in the small stuff. So, I want to be in the small stuff.
And being in the small stuff means that (to borrow someone else's verbiage) average gets the job done. What?!?!? Average?!?!? That's boring, right? Well...it all depends on perspective and attitude. If I take a rock star approach to making a difference, then yes, average is boring. And if I take a rock star approach to making a difference, chances are I'll never really make a difference because chances are I'll never attain rock star status. Sad, but true.
Enter average. Yes, average. Taking an average approach doesn't mean that I'll do things half-heartedly or not care about what I do. An average approach means that I am content with where I am. In other words...where I am is where I am supposed to be. Average means that I'll take the time to read a book to folks who are in an assisted living home. Average means I'll make an effort to get to know the person who sits next to me in church (or in school, or at work, or on the bus...you get the idea). Average means that I'll believe in the ideas God plants in my soul. Average means that I can change the world, one belief at a time. Average means that I'll stand up for those who are being oppressed and hated. Average means I'll do what's right even if it's not popular. Average means I'll love and accept everyone, even if they don't love and accept me. Average means I'll show up and offer companionship even if I have no words. Come to think of it, I should offer companionship before words, and oftentimes, in place of words.
I guess what I'm saying is that if I live in the average world, I'm living! I am living a full life, completely awake. Average = full and awake. Now this might sound contradictory or paradoxical, but I believe that God wants us to experience peace and contentment. This doesn't mean that we won't fight to correct injustices. It means that within the fight to correct the imbalances, we can experience divine peace and contentment that surpasses our human understanding. It means that whatever we are going through we can experience divine peace and contentment. It's not always easy, but it can be done.
The things we do in the course of a day might seem small and insignificant to us. But to others, our interaction might just be the saving grace they have been praying for. And we might not ever fully know how deeply we touched someone, and we might not ever see the outcome, but if we're content with where we are, we'll remember that God can do greater things than we can imagine.
Here's to enjoying average!
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