Thoughts of 2006

I find myself reminiscing on the events of the past year and the feelings attached to them. In walking down memory lane, I read through some of the archives and decided to list my favorite posts, the ones I feel are most "me". If you have the inclination or time, I'd love to get your feedback on what you related to most.

WBS

Missing It

A Bump in My Road

True Love

What was His Answer?

Beaten Up, but not Giving Up

I pray the next year brings us all more lessons, more revelation from our Holy God and a new sense of His presence. May He continue to show us more of Himself. Thanks for walking this journey with me.

Much love,
Tami

How much do I give?

I finished reading In His Steps by Charles Sheldon today. Little did I know how appropriate reading this book would be as I look ahead to a new year. At the end of the novel, the main character issues a sobering challenge. Though it was written over a hundred years ago, I thought the ideas expressed were timeless and something we should all consider. See what you think.

"How much is the Christianity of the age suffering for Him? Is it denying itself at the cost of ease, comfort, luxury, elegance of living? What does the age need more than personal sacrifice? Does the church do its duty in following Jesus when it gives a little money to establish missions or relieve extreme cases of want? Is it any sacrifice for a man who is worth ten million dollars simply to give ten thousand dollars for some benevolent work? Is he not giving something that cost him practically nothing so far as any personal suffering goes? Is it true that the Christian disciples to-day in most of our churches are living soft, easy, selfish lives, very far from any sacrifice that can be called sacrifice? What would Jesus do?

"It is the personal element that Christian discipleship needs to emphasize. 'The gift without the giver is bare.' The Christianity that attempts to suffer by proxy is not the Christianity of Christ. Each individual Christian business man, citizen, needs to follow in His steps along the path of personal sacrifice to Him. There is not a different path to-day from that of Jesus' own times. It is the same path. The call of this dying century and of the new one soon to be, is a call for a new discipleship, a new following of Jesus, more like the early, simple, apostolic Christianity, when the disciples left all and literally followed the Master. Nothing but a discipleship of this kind can face the destructive selfishness of the age with any hope of overcoming it. There is a great quantity of nominal Christianity to-day. There is need of more of the real kind. We need revival of the Christianity of Christ. We have, unconsciously, lazily, selfishly, formally grown into a discipleship that Jesus himself would not acknowledge. He would say to many of us when we cry, "Lord, Lord,' 'I never knew you!' Are we ready to take up the cross? Is it possible for this church to sing with exact truth,

'Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee?'

"If we can sing that truly, then we may claim discipleship. But if our definition of being a Christian is simply to enjoy privileges of worship, be generous at no expense to ourselves, have a good, easy time surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things, live respectably and at the same time avoid the world's great stress of sin and trouble because it is too much pain to bear it--if this is our definition of Christianity, surely we are a long way from following the steps of Him who trod the way with groans and tears and sobs of anguish for a lost humanity; who sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, who cried out on the unreared cross, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'

"Are we ready to make and live a new discipleship? Are we ready to reconsider our definition of a Christian? What is it to be a Christian? It is to imitate Jesus. It is to do as He would do. It is to walk in His steps."

What do you think? Do you suffer for Christ? What is suffering? How much is enough for God? There are no easy answers. We can only discover what God requires of us personally by falling on our faces before our Lord, listening hard and long and doing what He tells us.

May your new year be one of revitalized devotion to Jesus and renewed sense of your purpose in Him.

(Photo courtesy of blue ridge laughing at Flickr).

Lost in Space?

I ran across a sentence in the classic book, In His Steps that has been on my mind for days.

"She was never absent-minded, but often thought herself into a condition that left her alone in the midst of a crowd."

I'm guessing those of you who are part of the blogging community find yourself in this "condition" often. Am I right? Aren't blogs an outlet for the mess of thoughts running through our little brains? Don't you blog to get it out and give yourself permission to stop thinking about it? Rest assured you are not alone, my blogging friends. For myself, I consider this thinking "condition" both comforting and disheartening, a gift and a curse.


It is a curse when I find myself thinking over things too much, giving them too much importance in my mind, making a small problem bigger than necessary. Getting lost in my head prevents me from seeing what is before me. It imagines conflicts that aren't there. It can isolate me from others and make me assume too much. At times it can be down right debilitating when, in my deep thinking, I don't get much else done.

But there are times I find the ability to get lost in my head very soothing. I can be in line at the post office and talk with Jesus as easily as chatting with a friend on the phone. I can wonder about His plans for me and where He's taking me while grocery shopping. In a church service, surrounded by people, I can worship Him without reservation because in my mind, He picks me out and knows my love. Watching a movie can be an intense experience as my wheels spin the whole time, searching for spiritual truth in relation to the human condition. In the midst of a deep conversation, I can flip through my mental lists of Truth and find answers I've been searching for. Being able to be alone in my own mind means I can enter the sanctuary of God at any time and soak in His presence. It is a tremendous gift if used properly.

And there is the problem. My mind is not always thinking right. It is just as easy to be irritated that the lady in front of you at the post office did not address her packages at home, as it is to have a conversation with Jesus. I am distracted by a roomful of people as I try to sing worship songs. I am more likely to go over my mental to do lists while grocery shopping (and bemoan my many tasks) than to focus on God.

The answer is simple in theory. For me, the only way to fight off the tyranny of my mind is through scripture. It is paramount. When wrong thinking or dwelling hits me, I have to meditate on some truth from the Word. What do you do? Is it possible for a community of like-minded strangers to help each other out with this? Can we encourage one another to think rightly? How do you fight off the over analyzing thoughts and the temptation to shut everyone else out? How do you make your thought life pure? How can you be sure you are not merely lost in space?

The Spirit of Christmas

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
~ Calvin Coolidge ~
Former President of the United States

I'm not sure why, but I've always had an aversion to the warm fuzzies of Christmas. It seems odd to me that suddenly come December, people are supposed to get more generous and touchy feely. It's a little offensive to me. Why wait until Christmas to tell people how you feel about them or show your appreciation? As Christians, shouldn't we be expressing this love and goodwill EVERY DAY? And why cloak it in "the spirit of Christmas?" Why not call it what it is--Christianity, following the lead of our Savior, Jesus Christ?

Maybe my irritation comes from the Christmas season being so busy it nearly distracts from what we are celebrating. Not only are we supposed to get all the shopping, baking, decorating, extra activities and visiting in on top of our already jam-packed schedules, but we're supposed to be extra grateful doing it. All the commotion crowds out the quiet stillness I crave. It makes me push away the gnawing within me that says I'm missing something. There must be a better way to adore the Christ child. I want to be a sheep who lays quietly next to the manger, with nothing to do except watch the baby and wonder at God's plan. I want to be like Mary, pondering all these things in her heart. The "real spirit of Christmas" is this thoughtful consideration of the work of our Lord. It is being amazed and hopeful and expectant. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him.

My prayer for us all is that we would have a small bit of time to sit in wonder this Christmas season. Personally, I like to sit in the dark with only the Christmas lights on and think on Jesus, both as a baby and as Lord of my life. In the peacefulness I ponder what is to come. And in my heart, I soak in His serenity. May you find time for this stillness as well, friend. Merry Christmas!

Some Things Never Change

I saw "The Nativity Story" this week. I admit I usually shut down whenever I see Biblical robes and garb. It is so foreign, I have a hard time relating to the time period and culture and lifestyle. And of course, I already knew the story, so I didn't go in with high expectations, but a curiosity about how it would be presented. Yet, watching real people illustrate the greatest story ever told made the wheels in my head start spinning, reminding me some things never change.

God asks His people to do really hard things. I think I suffer for God at times, but I have nothing on these people. Not only were their living conditions harsh compared to ours, but can you imagine being doubted in your very character, from people who have known you your whole life? It makes me wonder what God was thinking. Why destroy the reputation of your "highly favored" servant? Can you imagine being asked to do something no one would understand? And what about the overwhelming burden of raising the Son of God? Their road was NOT an easy one. They sacrificed so much. I was greatly humbled.

At one point in the movie, certain that Mary has fallen asleep, Joseph looks into the heavens and sincerely pleads, "Give me a sign I am doing Your will." How many of YOU have asked for that very thing? I know I have!! Keep in mind he has already received his vision in the dream telling him Mary is telling the truth. I wondered how many times I have done the same, asking for more confirmation from God when He has already given me what I need for the task. Doubts must be part of the human condition. For some reason God requires us to follow Him through our apprehensions. It must have something to do with faith. I wonder if we honor Him more when we press on in our uncertainties than when we feel sure-footed.

I found an unexpected similarity in the expectations of the Jews then and Christians today. The Jews lived a very hard life under the rule of King Herod. He imposed heavy taxes on them and when they weren't able to pay, he took whatever he wanted, including their children.
When they prayed and hoped for the Messiah, they expected deliverance from Herod's heavy hand in their lifetime. Yet, the Messiah came and some didn't even know it. Their lives did not change. They weren't rescued from Herod's tyranny. In fact, things got worse as he killed all their baby boys in an effort to kill the new King. I am not surprised they didn't recognize Jesus and were skeptical of Him. He didn't provide the relief they were looking for. None of them saw the big picture, just as we don't. Their deliverance, and ours, does not come in relief from hardships here on earth, it comes in eternal rescue from damnation. Jesus, the Messiah, made it possible for us to find comfort that lasts forever in heaven. That is the real Good News of the Messiah.

I am left feeling very stupid and very small, yet very thankful. How dare I feel disappointed when God does not intervene as I expected. He has wrapped up eternity for me, for you. He only asks us to wait for it a little while and trust His judgment. Deliverance is coming, people! Hang on in that hope! Merry Christmas!

Beaten Up, but not Giving Up

Lessons Learned from a Hard-fought Spiritual Battle

1. God may never reveal to us the results of our hard work. We don't see the big picture.

2. All we can do is what God asks of us, which may take us to the limit of our capabilities and beyond what we think we can do. Sometimes it does not seem worth it. We are in training. It isn't going to feel good all the time.

3. If we love God, we have no choice but to suffer through and persevere, trusting that His purposes will prevail.

4. Even when it seems He has abandoned us, He is there, working out His divine plan. He doesn't need our approval or opinion.

5. He is God. Period. He may humor our questions, but He doesn't have to answer them.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

"I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams and that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things."--Mark Harris