There is a famous quote from Albert Einstein that says, "God does not play dice with the universe." And while I don't believe Einstein was intending to make a theological statement...and certainly not a statement about my life in particular, I'm nonetheless finding some profound Truth in what he said. Another, probably more appropriate, source for this wisdom is St. Therese of Lisieux. She has a prayer attributed to her that includes the following line, "May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be."
I'm realizing the very powerful, and very comforting, reality in that Truth. I am exactly where God wants me to be. Whatever is happening, whatever is going on, this is what God wants for me and my life right now. And for that very reason, I can take comfort in knowing that this moment...whatever pain or struggle or joy or challenge it contains...passed through Him first. And if I connect this to the promise that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28), then I can know that not only is this moment not some cosmic accident or some kind of luck (good or bad), but that it was a specifically created moment for me...for my good. And let me tell you...sometimes...especially those times when the moment is hard or uncomfortable or painful...being able to trust and believe that whatever it is will ultimately be for my good can make all the difference.
But there is actually another area in my life where this comes into play. You see, despite how it probably looks to everyone around me, I really am striving to be the person God intended me to be each and every moment of each and every day. (OK...I'm probably not always striving as hard in some moments as in others.) And for me, that means I am constantly trying to figure out what God wants me to do. What is His will? I do this even down to seemingly silly things like do I get on the HOV lanes or not, or do I have this for lunch or not. I'm sure that seems crazy...maybe ridiculous...and I don't literally go down to that level all the time. But the point is that because of my sometimes desperate desire to want to please God and do the right thing...I worry that every little thing is a sign telling me what I should do. I worry about missing the signals God is sending me. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I miss out on something He is trying to do for me.
But you see, there is the Truth again. I am exactly where I am meant to be. If God wants me someplace else (a different job, a different friendship, a different service at Church), He'll make it happen. Of course He doesn't take our free will. But He is also not going to play some hide-and-seek game with His will for my life. I believe that if God has a place for me to be or He has something He wants me to hear, He's going to make sure I get the message. You see because God doesn't play dice. He doesn't play games with our lives. He is not going to leave us to our own devices trying to pick up some subtle clue or hint or premonition and then just say too bad when we miss it. God loves us too much for that.
So the next time I'm frustrated or in pain or suffering in some way, I'm going to try to remind myself that this is God allowing a situation to draw me closer to Him. This is God working good in my life...even if I can't see it. And when I worry about missing an opportunity or find myself longing for something bigger or better in my life...I'm going to repeat my new mantra over and over again: I am exactly where I am meant to be. God allowed this moment in my life...on purpose...deliberately...and with His perfect sovereignty. So whether joy or pain, I take comfort in knowing this is where I need to be.
In His Peace...
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
For Want of a King
On this election day, I'm reminded of the story about Israel demanding that God put a king over them. Up until that point they had been ruled by "judges" who were unofficial leaders in their communities with an internally recognized hierarchy, but no official centralized authority. These judges usually emerged in times of crisis, but were looked to for leadership even during peace time. Together with the spiritual leaders of Israel (priests and prophets), Israel maintained order...and even prospered (much of the time anyway). But as one of the most respected judges grew older, Samuel, and the newly appointed judges proved of questionable moral fiber (Samuel's sons), the people began demand that a king be set over them. Even after they were warned by God that a king would ultimately bring pain and suffering, they persisted.
But there were good kings too (David...mostly...and Solomon...mostly). Honest kings...noble kings. They followed God...obeyed God...and in return their kingdom was blessed. So it is not that leaders can't help. They can...but by themselves, they are not the answer.
So here we are in the United States...in this land of democracy and freedom...and I can't help put feel we have started sounding like the Israelites. We too, it seems, have a tendency to look for leaders rather than solutions...myself included. We see the huge challenges facing our country (or our own lives), and we think that the solutions have to be huge as well....like government. And of course we aren't wrong that the answer is big...we're just wrong to think that it is manmade. The truth is...the answer is God made...the answer is us.
Leaders, be it kings or presidents, will bring prosperity and decay. They will build up...and tear down. They are not 100% bad...nor 100% good. They are men and women just like us...and they have lives to live...choices to make. Just like we do. And just like our kings and presidents, we can make a difference.
We have the ability to bring prosperity to someone...maybe to a few people. We have the power to build up...to support...to help up. We have good that we can do. We just have to recognize it...and accept it.
Now of course we need leaders. And of course we should all exercise the freedom so many have died to preserve and vote today...and every election. But I pray that this election day leads us all to pause and consider the possibility that maybe presidents and senators and mayors are just a small part of the solutions we seek. The biggest part...the most critical piece...I believe...is ourselves.
What choices are we going to make when we see someone in need? What are we going to do when we encounter someone who needs help? When its the money in our pocket that can make a difference or its our free time that is needed...what will we choice then? Together the needs and challenges facing the country are overwhelming. How many million people need food...need shelter...or just need someone to listen? But at the local level...at our level...the scale is a bit different. We can do a lot...if we just love those that God brings into our lives. He knows how much we can do...He knows how much we can handle. And so whatever need we face, whatever problem we encounter, He'll provide the solution. In fact He already did...we just might not have known it.
"No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." Samuel 8:1-22The Israelites were convinced that an answer to their problems would be found in a king...in a leader. They wanted someone else to "fight our battles." And in the end, that is what God gave them...he gave them King Saul. But also in the end, as God warned, Saul was shallow and morally weak and brought war and death to Israel. And sadly he wasn't the only king of Israel for who that can be said.
But there were good kings too (David...mostly...and Solomon...mostly). Honest kings...noble kings. They followed God...obeyed God...and in return their kingdom was blessed. So it is not that leaders can't help. They can...but by themselves, they are not the answer.
So here we are in the United States...in this land of democracy and freedom...and I can't help put feel we have started sounding like the Israelites. We too, it seems, have a tendency to look for leaders rather than solutions...myself included. We see the huge challenges facing our country (or our own lives), and we think that the solutions have to be huge as well....like government. And of course we aren't wrong that the answer is big...we're just wrong to think that it is manmade. The truth is...the answer is God made...the answer is us.
Leaders, be it kings or presidents, will bring prosperity and decay. They will build up...and tear down. They are not 100% bad...nor 100% good. They are men and women just like us...and they have lives to live...choices to make. Just like we do. And just like our kings and presidents, we can make a difference.
We have the ability to bring prosperity to someone...maybe to a few people. We have the power to build up...to support...to help up. We have good that we can do. We just have to recognize it...and accept it.
Now of course we need leaders. And of course we should all exercise the freedom so many have died to preserve and vote today...and every election. But I pray that this election day leads us all to pause and consider the possibility that maybe presidents and senators and mayors are just a small part of the solutions we seek. The biggest part...the most critical piece...I believe...is ourselves.
What choices are we going to make when we see someone in need? What are we going to do when we encounter someone who needs help? When its the money in our pocket that can make a difference or its our free time that is needed...what will we choice then? Together the needs and challenges facing the country are overwhelming. How many million people need food...need shelter...or just need someone to listen? But at the local level...at our level...the scale is a bit different. We can do a lot...if we just love those that God brings into our lives. He knows how much we can do...He knows how much we can handle. And so whatever need we face, whatever problem we encounter, He'll provide the solution. In fact He already did...we just might not have known it.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Inside Out
So I'm on my way home from the gym, doing a little mental assessment of my workout, and I think the Holy Spirit decided this was a good time to open my eyes a little bit about us humans. Maybe part of the reason we are such a sexual culture...a culture of outward appearance...a culture of physically based attraction...is that we're lazy. Now I realize that probably sounds ironic...or maybe just wrong. But I think there is something to it.
Of course going to the gym, working out, eating healthy, etc. requires work and effort. And of course most of the people identified as incredibly fit (physically speaking) are not what we deem lazy. But I think it all depends on the scale we are using.
If we use a physical, outward based scale where one end is the proverbial "couch potato" and other end is fitness freak/gym rat, then certainly those people devoting time and energy to getting their bodies in peak shape are certainly not lazy. BUT if we use a different scale, one that maybe goes from "complacent about the person I am" to "striving to be the best person I can", then I think we may find a whole lot of us on the "lazy" end of that scale.
I'm being a little too broad here I know, because physical health is important. Eating right and taking care of your physical body are important and good and godly. What I am getting at here is the prioritization of this very visible aspect of ourselves versus the equally visible (though we don't think about it too often), but less visually apparent, inner part of ourselves.
It seems to me that improving the inside part of ourselves...our character flaws, our weaknesses, our sinful tendencies...is much, much harder than making ourselves lift a weight or run on the treadmill. It's not as fun, the benefits are not always as immediate and not always as easy to see, and in the current culture, it often seems less valuable. But it wasn't always that way, and I don't think it is that way every where today...and with everyone. In fact I know that it is not.
Still, there is no denying that we live in a world that is preoccupied with the outside. And let's face it, the outside is easier to work on. I mean I know dragging yourself to the gym can be a real challenge. And I know denying yourself that slice of cake takes real effort. But compared to holding our tongue when all we can think to say is something bitter or spiteful, or compared to forgiving the person who maybe even deliberately hurt us, or compared to carving out 15 minutes of our day to spend in prayer...compared to those things...I think the physical stuff is comparatively easy for most people...at least I know it is for me.
Not only does working out our inner self require a lot of effort....it's ugly. We have to confront the fact that at our core we really are not very nice people. Most of us are inherently (it seems) selfish. We are easily offended. We carry grudges. We judge others to make ourselves feel better. We do all kinds of things that make us not very attractive. So can we really be blamed for focusing our effort somewhere else? I mean rather than confront that ugliness and the self-doubt and fear that comes along with a good look at ourselves, it seems perfectly natural that we turn to something we can more easily control...our outside appearance. Ultimately, we want to be loved. Ultimately, we want to be wanted. And whether we admit it or not, most of us are terrified of being unlovable.
I think we all have a sense of this deep down. We know somehow, that left to ourselves, we fall short. We know the ugliness inside us...even if we never look at it. And so we feel like we are unlovable from the get-go. We feel unworthy of love. BUT...we need it. We long for it. In fact we were created for it. So we have a choice. We either work on who we are and try to clean up the ugly parts of ourselves...or maybe...since that is really hard and real slow going sometimes...maybe instead we can pretend to be better than we are...and then we can distract people with the stuff on the outside. I think too often that is the road we take...not really because we are lazy....but because we are afraid.
But the good news is that regardless of how unloveable we feel...we are loved. And we are loved by the greatest of all lovers...our Creator. And even more, the truth is that when He created us...He created a good person. So this means that at our core....we are good. Did you get that...we are already good. And so while it may take work to get to where we are more often kind than not, or to where our default is to think of others more than ourselves, or to where we enter every situation looking for how we can best share God's love...the good news is that we can get there...because that is who we were made to be. Rather than changing something from what it really is....we are really just scraping off all the crud to let what is already there shine through. And THAT is pretty good news.
Of course going to the gym, working out, eating healthy, etc. requires work and effort. And of course most of the people identified as incredibly fit (physically speaking) are not what we deem lazy. But I think it all depends on the scale we are using.
If we use a physical, outward based scale where one end is the proverbial "couch potato" and other end is fitness freak/gym rat, then certainly those people devoting time and energy to getting their bodies in peak shape are certainly not lazy. BUT if we use a different scale, one that maybe goes from "complacent about the person I am" to "striving to be the best person I can", then I think we may find a whole lot of us on the "lazy" end of that scale.
I'm being a little too broad here I know, because physical health is important. Eating right and taking care of your physical body are important and good and godly. What I am getting at here is the prioritization of this very visible aspect of ourselves versus the equally visible (though we don't think about it too often), but less visually apparent, inner part of ourselves.
It seems to me that improving the inside part of ourselves...our character flaws, our weaknesses, our sinful tendencies...is much, much harder than making ourselves lift a weight or run on the treadmill. It's not as fun, the benefits are not always as immediate and not always as easy to see, and in the current culture, it often seems less valuable. But it wasn't always that way, and I don't think it is that way every where today...and with everyone. In fact I know that it is not.
Still, there is no denying that we live in a world that is preoccupied with the outside. And let's face it, the outside is easier to work on. I mean I know dragging yourself to the gym can be a real challenge. And I know denying yourself that slice of cake takes real effort. But compared to holding our tongue when all we can think to say is something bitter or spiteful, or compared to forgiving the person who maybe even deliberately hurt us, or compared to carving out 15 minutes of our day to spend in prayer...compared to those things...I think the physical stuff is comparatively easy for most people...at least I know it is for me.
Not only does working out our inner self require a lot of effort....it's ugly. We have to confront the fact that at our core we really are not very nice people. Most of us are inherently (it seems) selfish. We are easily offended. We carry grudges. We judge others to make ourselves feel better. We do all kinds of things that make us not very attractive. So can we really be blamed for focusing our effort somewhere else? I mean rather than confront that ugliness and the self-doubt and fear that comes along with a good look at ourselves, it seems perfectly natural that we turn to something we can more easily control...our outside appearance. Ultimately, we want to be loved. Ultimately, we want to be wanted. And whether we admit it or not, most of us are terrified of being unlovable.
I think we all have a sense of this deep down. We know somehow, that left to ourselves, we fall short. We know the ugliness inside us...even if we never look at it. And so we feel like we are unlovable from the get-go. We feel unworthy of love. BUT...we need it. We long for it. In fact we were created for it. So we have a choice. We either work on who we are and try to clean up the ugly parts of ourselves...or maybe...since that is really hard and real slow going sometimes...maybe instead we can pretend to be better than we are...and then we can distract people with the stuff on the outside. I think too often that is the road we take...not really because we are lazy....but because we are afraid.
But the good news is that regardless of how unloveable we feel...we are loved. And we are loved by the greatest of all lovers...our Creator. And even more, the truth is that when He created us...He created a good person. So this means that at our core....we are good. Did you get that...we are already good. And so while it may take work to get to where we are more often kind than not, or to where our default is to think of others more than ourselves, or to where we enter every situation looking for how we can best share God's love...the good news is that we can get there...because that is who we were made to be. Rather than changing something from what it really is....we are really just scraping off all the crud to let what is already there shine through. And THAT is pretty good news.
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