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The Right Thing

January 23, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

Once you make up your mind never to stand waiting and
hesitating when your conscience tells you what you ought to
do, and you have got the key to every blessing that a sinner
can reasonably hope for.
… John Keble (1792-1866)

So often we struggle with where life takes us. We wonder if the decisions we are making are going to turn out for good or bad. When the road forks in many directions, we hope that somewhere we can find a spoon, or a knife, or something that will make choosing a little easier. Even choosing nothing, is choosing something. And so we take a step forward, hopeful that if its not the optimal option we’ll have the opportunity to make up for it somewhere along the line.

When we’re faced with this situation. it’s an amoral decision we must make. There isn’t a right or wrong – only a multitude of choices. This type of question is of the essay variety, not the true/false kind. When we are faced with a decision that demands a moral response, knowing the right thing to do may be easier, but actually doing it can still contain a great amount of difficulty. Moral certitude can be a weak propellant. Maybe because doing the right thing in a difficult situation is rarely the easy thing. It extracts a price and we wait to count the cost before taking the step.

But waiting isn’t the antidote to what ails us. This is one of the few situations where quicker is better. The right course of action doesn’t change and acting on our convictions only grows more difficult with each passing second. The good news – the more we act on our convictions, the more we’ll be witnesses to God’s faithfulness, and maybe that we’ll help us do the right thing a little quicker next time.


Deck the Halls

January 21, 2007 in Being Content, Growth with 0 Comments

If you were to visit my house, there would be little indication that Christmas is rapidly approaching. Besides the pile of gifts that are ungraciously stacked in my living room, evidence of the impending holidays is minimal. I’ve been blaming this on the fact that I’ve been having major electrical work done and efforts to decorate would be stymied by the workmen. But this is in reality just a convenient excuse. Even without the “scheduled” repair work, the chances of finding boughs of holly around my place are minimal. I’m just not that in to Christmas. (Although I do wonder . . .now that I have a roommate who’s name is Holly – I’m pretty much situated for Christmas all year round, right?)

I’m not a complete Scrooge. I like Christmas music – although not when the radio stations play it before Thanksgiving. And I love looking at Christmas lights. I could even get into Christmas caroling as long as there’s the promise of hot chocolate awaiting my return. But all the glitz and glitter; the decorations extrarodinaire; and the holiday themed clothing are just not my cup of tea. For me it takes everything that’s sacred about Christmas and trivializes it. Its like its making a mockery out of the celebration.

I realize that for many this isn’t the case. I come from a family who LOVES Christmas (almost as much as my friend, Alex, loves the Dallas Cowboys). For them, the hoopla of Christmas is part of what makes it special. The go to extremes because its a way to acknowledge the elaborate gift of our Savior’s birth. In many ways, I wish I could be like them. For me though, I can’t get into all the extravagance. I know that I’ll lose myself in the trappings and forget the meaning. I’ll worry so much about what seems obligatory that I won’t be compelled to worship. And I’ll focus so much on the holiday that I’ll forget the Savior.

So my house remains undecorated. Christmas-themed clothes are not to be found in my newly organized closet. And the gifts, while wrapped, are not done so in a way that would cause anyone to envy. It’s my way of not losing myself in the celebration and remembering the sacrifice.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to do both. But until then I hope that at the very least, my halls are decked with love.

Fa La La La La, La La La La.


Surrounded

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

The angel of the LORD encamps around
those who fear him, and delivers them.
– Psalm 34:7 (ESV)

Being surrounded is usually thought of as a bad thing. It describes what happens when someone is trapped; when they have no where else to turn, and when their options are limited. Most of the time its used to demonstrate how enemy combatants win wars – they surround the opposition and attack.

But being surrounded can be a good thing. We can be surrounded by love, although few of us are. We can be surrounded by blessings, which we probably are even if we don’t acknowledge it. Or we can be surrounded by God and His angels – who protect, defend and deliver us from our affliction. This is the opposite of the surrounding that happens by our enemy; they’re surrounding us for our good.

How often, though, do we forget that this protection is there? In the moments of trial, we have warriors who have already taken up the battle on our behalf. And not just one warrior who is swooping down from his previous post to rescue us, but warriors who are stationed around our lives; soldiers who are fighting for us before we know that the battle is going on.

There’s a verse in the Bible that cautions us to be careful – we may be entertaining angels unaware. Maybe we should also be grateful – those that surround us may come to our aid even when we don’t know it.


Wait & Hope

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

Recently I wrote about Jesus’ instruction to watch and pray. When we don’t know what to do, when we are faced with circumstances that are unfamiliar and when unnamed enemies surround us, this is should be our response. Watch and pray. Pray that God’s will would be shown to us; watch that we don’t fall into temptation.

Sometimes however the circumstances aren’t unclear, they’re just bad. Sometimes we know exactly what we should do, we just don’t want to do it. And sometimes the enemies have names* and faces that justify our temerity.

When this is the situation we find ourselves in, there is another posture that we should take – wait and hope. In the familiar Isaiah 40 passage in which the prophet exhorts the chosen people in a time of trial, he reminds them that although God sometimes doesn’t change our circumstances, He is always aware of them, and He provides what we need to overcome. Additionally, the prophet encourages the people, to “wait” (NKJ) or “hope” (NIV) in the Lord so that He may grant them renewed strength (vs. 31). Although taken from the same Hebrew word, I think that each of these constructs are illustrative of what our response should be. We should be waiting – not acting to change our circumstances when God has given us a path to travel, but patiently anticipating His action in our lives. And hoping – knowing that God is the only source of change and trusting His promise to achieve His glory. Hope is what makes the waiting bearable. Waiting is what causes our hope to grow.

There’s a popular license plate frame that says “Always late, but worth the wait”. God is never late, but He is always worth the wait. And that’s enough reason to hope for all of us.

*Sometimes the name of our enemy is cancer. This deplorable disease has struck a good friend. If you feel so led, please pray for her. Cynthia’s healing will come as a result of the prayers of God’s people.


I Love This Song

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

It’s a common refrain that’s heard as I walk into the art department. It’s almost always immediately followed by a sing-along and if, the art department is lucky, an impromptu dance performance. I love music. I always have. And whether it’s a rocking song from the 90′s, aflashback to the 80′s, or my work-day theme song, it requires a lot of restraint for me not to belt out the words along with the radio. I can certainly relate to the guy I observed in Blockbuster who joined in on the Rascal Flatts videoplaying throughout the store. Music speaks to my soul and my soul wants to respond.

My affinity for music is probably why I like worship songs* so much. They express thoughts about God that just can’t be conveyed with the spoken word. I haven’t decided if it’s because the lyrics blended with the melody bring a greater depth to the relationship, or if it’s simply easier to capture and relate to thoughts expressed in rhyme, but either way, I know that my greatest moments of worship are often accompanied by music.

And this has been that way through the ages. Miriam sang as the Israelites escaped Egypt. Mary sang upon receiving her angelic greeting. And the most famous lyricist of them all, David, sang and danced at every occasion imaginable.

Maybe it’s because music allows us to engage with our Maker in a manner that’s reflective of His being. After all, God is essentially an artist; the greatest design in the world is reflected in creation. And especially for those non-artistic types like myself, music provides me one avenue of engaging with God in a manner that expresses His heart. So much of life and my relationship with God is based on who I am; music is expressive of Him.

The art department can look forward to many more random performances. And if they’re fortune, they may even experience another dance-off. (If you weren’t there – that’s a story for another time). But none of these performances will compare with the ultimate show – when we’re standing at our Maker’s feet, singing along to His song.

*A quick sidebar to state a pet peeve – please note I said worship songs. Worship isn’t exclusively about music. When preachers say, “And now that we’ve finished worship. . “, I want to scream, “So what are we doing for the rest of the church service – being entertained?”


Unasked Questions

January 21, 2007 in Growth, Relationships with 0 Comments

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. – Joshua 9:14

I am terrible at expressing myself. Or maybe that’s not exactly true. I’m pretty good at expressing my opinion on things, but I’m not very good at expressing anything that might be self-revelatory. It’s why my co-workers instigated “Share Time with Natalie”. I am so bad at talking about myself that they figured if they interrogated me every Monday morning, I would become a little more proficient. It’s worked on some levels – and I’m forever grateful to them for that.

One of the main reason I’m so reluctant to express my feelings is because I figure that if someone acts they realize they ramifications of those actions including the potential to hurt my feelings. There seems little reason to mention something that seems so obvious to me, so instead of questioning what happened, I swallow my feelings and say it doesn’t matter. It happened just today and despite the therapeutic nature of this blog, I still can’t bring myself to ask the person if they realize what they did.

And I think it’s the same for a lot of what happens in the world. We make so many assumptions about the cause of things based on our own experiences and perceptions. Rarely does this single-handedness take into account all the factors pertaining to a given circumstance. We do the same with God. We assume that when things happen, it must be the work of His hand, and so we make decisions based on that perception.

Sometimes, however, things happen that are contrary to God’s plan for our lives. We perceive presence as acknowledgment of an open door, but it could be the exact opposite. And instead of stopping and ask God for His wisdom, we proceed on our own ignorance, and suffer the consequences as a result.

My feelings would probably be saved a lot of heartache if I was more willing to pause in a situation and talk with someone about what’s happening. Going along like it doesn’t matter has never turned out well for me. When the Israelites acted like God’s opinion didn’t matter, it didn’t turn out well for them either. There’s probably a lesson in that for all of us.


$57

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

Fifty-seven dollars. That’s how much a seat costs at my church. Before you start questioning the theology of my church and wondering whether we sell tickets like church is a sporting event, $57 is the cost of the new chairs that we just purchased. Our pastor has been encouraging us to “buy our chair” – to help donate in order to defray some of the expense. It’s a good idea and probably one that has a lot of merit. (However, as a side note, my dad thinks it really should be $28.50 since they use the chairs for two services. I think the congregation should wait until we go to three services – that’s when it will be a really good investment). J

Now, talking about money at church is always a tough subject, and I happen to believe our pastor handles it better than most. But even with his dexterity, I had a hard time with the request for $57. Not because I don’t believe that the church shouldn’t be self-supported – I do. But it seemed like such a tragedy that the request was even made

I live in Orange County, CA – a place where the magnitude of material wealth is staggering. I don’t know the statistics, but I would guess that if Orange County would fall off into the ocean, we’d still have a larger economy than a lot of developed nations. And the church I go to is filled with people who are benefactors of this wealth. They have been blessed materially in ways that many can’t imagine. I would guess that many of them probably spend more than $57 on their Saturday night meal – so donating it to the church for the chair shouldn’t be a problem. And yet, it often is.

I think the root of the problem lays in the fact that we think of the money we have as ours instead of God’s. Somehow, we feel like we are doing Him a favor when we give it away – even to His church. We like to think it’s our decision how we spend it – and if we choose to spend it on His work – well, then kudos for us.

But not really. Because the fact that we give anything to God isn’t what’s significant. The truly amazing part is that God even gives us the opportunity to participate in His work. He could have chosen otherwise. He could have chosen to accomplish His purposes here on Earth through His own volition. But instead, He allows us to join with Him – if we want to.

How often do we choose otherwise so that we can spend our resources on something else?


Martha’s Bad Rap

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

For Sunday School graduates, the name Martha is associated with the woman who was so busy preparing dinner that she didn’t realize that she was in the presence of her Savior. Martha is chided for being so worried about worldly things, that she wasn’t concerned with things of heaven. Her sister, Mary, however is revered for her demonstration of worship at Jesus’ feet.

Surely this wasn’t the first time in history that one sister has been praised, while another was derided, and it certainly won’t be the last. However, this portrayal is incomplete. While this might be the story that is most often associated with Martha, it’s not the only time that she is mentioned in the Bible. At her brother’s Lazurus’ death she also plays a central role. This time however, she’s the one who should be commended.

Lazurus had died and the sisters were grieving. When Jesus, their friend, finally came, it was Martha who ran out and greeted him. It was Martha who first acknowledged that had Jesus wanted to, He could have prevented Lazurus’ death. It was Martha who testified that God would give Jesus whatever He asked. Finally, it was Martha who first made a profession of faith; she was the one who stated that Jesus was the Christ.

I’d like to think that maybe Mary learned the truth about worship from this experience. With Lazurus dead, she stayed at the house, while her sister Martha ran to the Lord’s presence. Maybe it was her sister’s example of real-life faith that caused her to realize the importance of learning who Christ was. Maybe her lifestyle of worship was the direct result of her sister’s proclamation.

I don’t know if this is the case, and this side of heaven I doubt I ever will. But maybe Martha’s a model to follow after all.


The Price of A Prayer

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

How much would you pay for a prayer? Not how much would you pray to know that your prayer would be answered, but what is someone else’s outpouring to God worth to you? What is the cost of knowing the inner despair of another’s soul?

Soon we’ll know the answer to that question. Yahoo News recently reported that a man found a bunch of prayer letters washed up on the beach. Addressed to a now-deceased pastor, the prayers ranged from humorous requests to win the lottery to serious requests for assistance. Most of them were never opened until they appeared on the sand.

In a society where it seems like even people’s souls have a price tag, the man is auctioning the letters on E-bay. It’s just another example of the sacred becoming secular, of profaning for profit. Even the unspoken prayers of a soul in anguish are no longer protected. They’re just another means of exposure and intrigue.

Imagine if you were one of those people whose letters were being sold; if a stranger could now read about the abuse you suffered or the grief you experienced. What would you do if your prayers were put on public display so that another could make a buck?

Thankfully, while there may be some embarrassment and unresolved issues, the people who wrote the letters have little need of real worry. Although the letters remained unopened, their Father in heaven heard their prayers long ago. And He’s already paid the greatest price.


Watch & Pray

January 21, 2007 in Growth with 0 Comments

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap . . . Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” – Luke 21: 34, 36

I used to tell people that I was a world-class worrier. (When I said it, it sounded like a world-class warrior – which I am definitely not).I am the only person I know who got stress headaches in fourth grade. What I had to worry about back then, I have no idea, but I created something and whatever it was, I figured that if I thought about it enough, I’d be able to change the situation.

My skills at worrying only improved with time. Being an introspective person I thought about the world’s problems as well as my own. Somehow, I figured that it was my responsibility to do everything I could to right all wrongs. And if there was nothing, the least I could do was think. What I couldn’t control, I could try to solve.

I realized a few years ago how unproductive this was. Not only was it compromising my health, but I realized that worrying never changed the situation. I faced what many people consider the ultimate concern – what would happen when I die – and I realized I knew the end of the story. If the finale was taken care of, there was no need to worry about the intermission. The ending was going to be the same regardless, and even if I didn’t know when or how, I knew what my destination was going to be.

What I hadn’t considered until recently was how quickly I forget. Having dealt with the ultimate concern, I still get stressed over some little things in life. Not as often as I used to, and with a lot more humor, but I still worry. It’s silly and pointless and I know that, but I let life’s burdens get me down. And my burdens aren’t even that great to bear.

The Gospel of Luke provides the remedy. Watch and Pray. Watch – be aware of what is around, the temptation to doubt, and what difficulties there may be. Pray – to walk with wisdom, resist when necessary, and overcome defeat. With these two armaments, we can avoid life’s anxieties and rest in Christ’s peace.

Worrying never accomplished much for me; I doubt it did for anyone else. When I follow Christ’s instructions my thoughts are on Him and I’m mindful of all that’s under His command. I am no longer consumed with my thoughts but I’m focused on all He is. And if that’s not a cure for worrying, I don’t know what is.


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