Category: Finding purpose

Word made flesh

There is a great debate of ideas right now; happening online and in the ether. There is a collision of world views. I was watching a podcast I like, goes by the name of Ideas that Matter or something like that and I was struck by an idea. Not mine, but striking none the less.

We seem to believe that ideas change minds. That ideas are the catalyst for great societal shifts. This isn’t precisely true. Yes the ideas matter, but the belief in these ideas is more important. The holder of this belief shows through their actions how they see the world. It is the believer, living out their ideas, that changes the world.

Jesus was the epitome of this idea. He came to earth so we could see God. The idea of God took form. The word was made flesh. We as his followers need to do our best to know him and act like him. Our ideas need to be visible in our actions.

Believers change the world.

Matthew 7: 15 – 20 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Who are we?

My daughter is graduating this spring. We were discussing how she feels about this change. There is so much uncertainty at this point of her life. Not only are young adults deciding what they want to do, but more importantly who they want to be.

As she decides who she wants to be and what she wants to do, I asked her to remember who created her. After all, the most important thing is not how we feel about ourselves, but who God says we are. He says we are His children. What my daughter does for a living and how much she makes doesn’t matter in his eyes. He cares that we recognize him as our father and that we assume the dignity and responsibilities that go along with this.

As swiftly as the years pass I am confident my beautiful girl will face the world shoulders back and head up. Always remembering that she is a child of God.

John 14: 1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Secrets of renewal

When we are rebuilding ourselves and renewing our spirit there is no guidebook. There is no step by step or self help book that outlines a clear path. But there are a couple of secrets that will assist in our renewal efforts.

The first secret is having a target. When someone goes bowling they can’t hit consecutive strikes if they are wearing a blindfold. We need something to aim at. For healthy renewal we need to find a worthy target. In my opinion there is no better vision to keep in our sights than that of Jesus. This involves learning about him from God’s word. As you move forward keep your eyes on Jesus.

The other secret is that the key to good mental health and wellness is found outside of our own heads. If you are feeling down or depressed go do something for someone else. When we focus on the needs of others we leave God the space to work on building us up. It is actually a bit of a miracle. The less we think about our own problems (which is hard – I know this personally) the more we are capable of handling.

Now I understand there are times when this is very hard, but as you find yourself moving through the darkness and towards the light, start to look outward. Look to Jesus and look for places to do the work he puts before you.

Ephesians 2: 8 -10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Before renewal

Before we can undergo a renewal, a few things have to happen. If you want to improve an old home you can add new flooring and give it a fresh coat of paint. But have you actually improved the building or have you just “put lipstick on a pig,” as the saying goes.

If you want to improve an old house you have to inspect it and find the flaws. Maybe there is a lack of insulation (our old home would have been warmer through this cold snap if we had better insulation. Maybe it’s a crack in the foundation. The builder must inspect and find the defects. These problems should be fixed. Then, when the new paint goes on it represents the improved state of the home.

In the Old Testament, Malachi refers to the ‘refiner’s fire’ in this way; “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” (Malachi 3:3) The idea of burning off the impurities and extracting the best parts of the metal.

Hard times suck. Plain and simple. But we need to have difficulties and trials, we need to have our sins and defects burned off and allow the glory of Jesus to emerge. It’s like the old hymn that starts, “All of self and none of thee.” And through the verses it progresses to the final verse saying, “None of self and all of thee.”

The aim of renewal isn’t to emerge from the ashes as a better and stronger version of ourselves. But rather to emerge from our struggles and trials as a stronger reflection of Jesus. His glory is the aim not our own. The old saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” should actually be “What doesn’t kill you makes Jesus more visible in your life.” It is not as catchy for sure, but to me that is the ideal.

I do fall short! I know. But this is the aim.

Ephesians 4: 22 – 24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Generational faith

I have a friend who runs a lovely Facebook group. It is a space for women to discuss everything related to money and finance. It is a supportive group and she does an amazing job of moderating it. When I read comments I come across the phrase – generational wealth.

People want to build something for their children. They invest wisely and budget so they can help their kids. Whether it is through education investments, properties, or a plan to leave wealth to their children. I have no fault with this. Money drives our society and thinking of your own family is a caring and wonderful gesture.

I would just like to expand it a bit. I’d like to see families add the concept of generational faith. We wouldn’t just ask how can I best provide financially for my family, but also how best can I build faith for my family.

In the same way that there isn’t just one path to building financial success, there isn’t one way to building strong faith either.

The issue isn’t a ‘how to,’ but one of focus. If you are interested in building wealth it needs to be front and centre as you make decisions in your life. The same thing goes for faith. It needs to be a central pillar of our daily plans. It needs to be the lens through which we see the world.

So today I exhort you to contemplate generational faith.

Deuteronomy 6: 4 – 9 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Seek truth

This weekend I got a text from my brother. He was asking for clarification on a question on which I was the expert. He was having a debate with our mother, and he wanted to know who was right. I gave him the answer. He responded, “Oh, so that means mom is right. Can I tell her what I said?” I laughed and told him to do what he needed to do.

This silly anecdote reminded me of another more serious issue that I have been pondering. There is wide gulf between looking to be right and looking for truth.

The difference amounts to a posture of humility. If I am searching the scriptures for a verse to prove a belief I already have, then I am looking to prove myself right. This is how we end up with bad interpretations of scripture. Let alone bad relationships caused by our desire to be ‘right.’ The issue is not in our search for information, nor is it in our desire to seek the right answer. But rather the problem lies in a posture that aims to justify ourselves.

If we seek answers for our questions with a spirit of humility, with the knowledge that we might be wrong, we are looking for truth. This is easier in our relationships too, as we approach discussions and debates with the possibility that we might be incorrect. This posture of seeking truth allows space for us to be wrong and ensures we are more gracious when we are correct.

The irony is that as we pursue truth we are also pursuing the righteousness of God.

Matthew 7: 7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Knock at the door

I listened to a podcast the other day. A lawyer was explaining how he got involved in a certain case. He said how a group of women followed him around and continued to badger him until they took their information seriously. I laughed because it was exactly what Jesus described in Luke.

T​he issue these women were carrying was greater than their concern for their reputation. Most times when someone brushes a person off, they retreat and give up. These women had a passion for what they were doing and they weren’t going to be brushed off. Their need outstripped all other concerns.

W​e see this as being about persistence. But it’s about more than mere persistence. It is about being so convicted in what you are asking for that you continue to knock, driven by your need for a result. If only we recognized our own need for God in this way. If only we pursued Him the way we pursue wealth or comfort. After all, we need salvation more than anything else.

L​uke 11: 5-10 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Be first

I was listening to a therapist discuss his new book earlier today. He talked about our need to reclaim community among other things. He discussed his concept of radical generosity, deciding to give more than you receive. And then he said the key to building community was to “be first.” Invite the neighbor over first. Start a conversation with that kid in your class first. Just jump in and be first.

I​ loved hearing this. In a way it’s a retelling of the golden rule. If we approach others as we would like to be approached, then we are quick to see their need and not our own. We have less pride and are willing to put ourselves forward. Not everyone will respond the way we’d like and not all plans will work out. But still be first.

I​ remember my grandma counseling a young woman who came to her with a burden of loneliness and despair. She told her to reach out to others, to find people to serve. There was a profoundness in this advice that I didn’t realize at the time. If we want to cure our own heart, we do it best by looking after others.

S​o today I am determined to ‘be first.’

L​uke 6: 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I am a battleship

(a metaphor)

I am a battleship.

When I was young, I used to wonder what I would be. I wondered what job my creator was preparing me to do.

I thought maybe, I was to be a cruise ship. A vessel destined for fun and pleasure. Traveling to strange and wondrous places. Or maybe a merchant ship. A huge powerful machine working tirelessly; making the world work. Crossing the seas and oceans carrying goods and enabling the lives of others to move forward.

But no. He had something else in mind. I am a battleship.

Every wave I encounter is either on my way to the next battle or in retreat. Around the edge of every harbour is danger. I no longer wonder what lays ahead of me at the edge of the horizon. I know. A fight. It’s always a fight.

My creator trimmed me out well. I have resources and armaments. I have guns and even a white surrender flag. I may be terrifying to look at. But I am prepared.

At some point in each foray, I wonder if this is the war that does me in. Always expecting my hull to take on water and sink to the bottom never to return. It isn’t fear anymore. It’s resignation.

As I limp my way back to safe harbour, hoping for a small respite to repair my broken pieces and ensure my frame can sustain another fight, I see the looks I receive. I see the shock and dismay. I see the judgment. The other ships wondering why I don’t take better care of myself.

But they don’t see me during the battle. They don’t see my guns firing and my willingness to go into the middle of the fray. They see me after. They can judge. They can sneer. They can even despise me. I don’t have time for that. I can’t care.

I have another battle to fight. I guarantee that.

Because, … I am a battleship!

Please God

We struggle with defining success. The usual markers are; money, stuff, friends, popularity, prestige… the list goes on.

We judge ourselves by what we don’t have and what we can’t do. But God doesn’t use the same metrics to judge that humanity does. He sees the emancipator of a nation off hiding in a foreign land. He sees the ruler of nation tucked away in the fields with his sheep. He sees the greatest prophet waiting by the river being fed by ravens. He sees the messenger heralding the arrival of the messiah in the wilderness eating locust and honey. He sees the foundation of his church in a simple fisherman.

He sees us. He sees the heart. He knows the struggle we face and the wounds we incur as we journey.

Don’t let the world badger you with its values and criticism, rather worry about pleasing God.

Matthew 20: 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”