Circumstances

“Count your blessings.” Isn’t that what we are told when we are down? A close cousin to that statement is, “Consider those less fortunate than you.” Both of these are intended as encouragements, reminders that, if things could be worse, then the current circumstances aren’t as bad as we think.

In Christian circles we hear something similar: “Remember all the good things that God has done for you.” This is sometimes meant to imply that He will do them again; just hang in there.

The problem with these fine-sounding words of comfort is that they tacitly agree that our happiness is found in our circumstances. They all essentially say, “Don’t worry, things will get better – and then you will be happy.”

God wants us to be happy and He would love it if our circumstances were always reasons to smile. And there is no question that that is His goal. But the path to that goal winds through a life of being perfected, refined by fire, and one in which every person with whom we come in contact has free will (as much as we might wish they didn’t).

God is the only source of our happiness and peace. And not because of what He has done or what He will do. And not even because God is good. In fact, that oft-repeated characterization of God is part of our problem. To say that God is “good” implies that He is better than something else. Perhaps we mean that He is better than everything, that He is the best. All these statements about God, while true, are not complete. You see, God is Goodness. He defines it. Apart from God, there is no good. Nada. Zilch.

So, while God cares very much about our circumstances and wishes to redeem them, our happiness cannot depend on remembering what God has done and being hopeful for what He will do. What God has done and will to tomorrow is no different than what He is doing right now, in the midst of our troubles.

He is Good and circumstances can’t change that one iota.

What is Not the Foot’s Job?

In the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians we are told that all believers are members of one body, Christ. It is further explained that, just as a physical body has many different parts each performing their own function, so too the Body of Christ consists of many people each with different gifts. No person need seek to copy or envy another because of that other person’s gifts – any more than the hand need envy the foot or the eye. Each person has their gifts which, when exercised, benefit the whole body.

It occurred to me today that there is more to this than an admonition to do what God has given us, to be content and to not envy or attempt to be just like those around us. When a person needs to walk, his feet are called upon to fulfill their function. Walking is what they are made for and when movement from one place to another is required, the feet are fully engaged in the process. However, when that same person is called upon to write a paper, the feet are not needed. The feet can and should rest. It is completely useless for the feet to be concerned about how well the paper is being written. That is the purview of the brain and the hands. The feet cannot positively impact the quality of the writing one iota. It would be silly for them to think they can. If anything, they can only hinder the process if, by failing to rest and be quiet, they create a distraction for the brain.

I need to learn that, when there is something in my life that is beyond my control, it is not my job to worry about it. To do so would be as silly as if my feet were concerned about how to write this post. My worry can only hinder the process that Christ, the head of the Body, has under control.

As God says elsewhere, I need only be still.

Explaining It Away

I had dinner in Disney World a few nights ago. For those of you who know me, your first reaction is probably, “Wow! That's pretty cool. How unusual!” After all, I have a full-time job, four kids and I live in New York. Quick hops down to the Magic Kingdom are definitely out of the ordinary for me.

If you're like me, your second reaction follows pretty closely on the heels of the first: “How did that happen? In other words, tell me the sequence of explainable events that resulted in your trip to Florida.”

But maybe instead we should try to remember – and even maintain – the amazement and wonder that we feel that first nanosecond after hearing some great news. Refuse to take a step back. Because no matter the explanation, it is an amazing thing God did, taking me out of the same ol', same ol' and plunking me down in a restaurant in Orlando (where the food was incredible).

I think we have a tendency to water down the awesome works of God. We hear that He parted the Red Sea – and then we seek to explain it in terms we are familiar with: they crossed at a very shallow point during the dry season, a wind lowered the water level sufficiently to expose an underwater ridge, etc. And if we can't fit a rational explanation to His miracles, we discount them as mere stories or metaphors.

Why not take the handiwork of God at face value? Does it really matter how He orchestrated my trip? The fact remains that He did. God chose something well outside of my experience and even outside my imagination and decided to bless me with it. He did it because He loves me and knew I would really enjoy His gift.

And that's all I need to know.

God’s Recipe

I was making chocolate chip cookies the other day and the recipe called for an egg. How strange and wonderful, I thought, that a concoction of basically flour and sugar requires an egg. A chicken egg. How weird and unconnected is that? I mean, what does the egg of a chicken have to do with sweets, chocolate and finely ground wheat? If I was designing the world and if something as purely enjoyable as cookies even crossed my mind, would I have thought to make chickens so as to ensure the quality of those cookies? I doubt it.

But God did. And He works far stranger and seemingly disconnected things together with us in mind. That’s us. As in you and me. He was thinking of you when He put the stars in the heavens and placed the moon in orbit. You were uppermost on His mind when flowers were invented, birds were taught to sing and the mountains were topped off with snow. He even made you the centerpiece of His sweep of History as He set the times and places for kings and emperors, inventions and discoveries, poems and songs.

And when things seem are tough, tragic and desperate, remember that the One who long ago made a chicken so you could enjoy chocolate chip cookies is the One who holds you in the palm of His hand, who is not surprised, perplexed or at a loss at a turn of events, who has only your very best in mind and who sees fit to order the entire universe for that purpose.

Reality

A friend of mine recently shared how she avoids watching too many romantic movies. She doesn’t want to fall into the trap of expecting romance when that may not be what life has in store. Unrealistic expectations might blind her to real life and real relationships.

There is much wisdom in my friend’s attitude. After all, some people become so caught up in looking for a fairy tale that they refuse to settle for anything less and miss out on the good that life holds. Furthermore, Proverbs 4:23 warns us to guard our hearts – and I’m sure that includes not losing our hearts to a dream that, by the very nature of a fantasy, cannot truly satisfy.

Despite the obvious value of my friend’s attitude, I felt compelled to consider the contrary view. Could there be value in seeking after what most would call unrealistic?

At the end of season six of The Office, two of the principal characters, Jim and Pam, get married. Their wedding was one of the most romantic sequences I’ve ever seen. Would it be wrong to not only seek such an experience but to expect it from one’s own life? I think most people would view such an expectation as unrealistic since they probably have never experienced anything like that in their own lives, nor have they known anyone who has.

But the writers of The Office were, at the very least, able to imagine such a thing. If the mind of man, made by God and in His image, is able to envision such romance, certainly God can. And if something has crosses God’s mind, is it not possible?

         No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
                  and no mind has imagined
         what God has prepared
                  for those who love him. (1 Cor.2:9)

My friend’s approach is certainly wise. It can be destructive to live one’s life divorced from reality. But let’s not let the limits of our experience cause us to shorten God’s hand. Why not ask for – even expect – the best that God as in mind? We have not because we ask not – not because something is beyond the imagination or ability of God.

And that is a reality that I can live with.

Consequences

Sometime back in the nineties, a man named Jack Ryan gave reign to his darker impulses and started visiting sex clubs. That he involved his wife – at least some of the time – didn't make his actions any less sordid. But his were victim-less sins – if they were sins at all – right?

Wrong. In 2004 he would run for a Senate seat from Illinois. He would win the Republican primary and have a very good shot at winning the general election. Unfortunately, his wife had divorced him and his sex club shenanigans had found there way into the divorce court proceedings. As a result, Mr. Ryan was forced to withdraw his candidacy and the Republican party fielded a last-minute, less than formidable candidate who didn't even live in Illinois. Still, who did Mr. Ryan harm beside himself, his wife and, perhaps, his kids? No one, right?

Wrong. The damage to the image of the Republican party and the weakness of its nominee opened the door for a local politician from the opposing party to overwhelmingly win the election with a whopping 73 percent of the vote. His name? Barack Obama. His convincing win was a key factor in the meteoric rise that would result in his ascendancy to the Presidency of the United States four years later.

Today, as a result of Mr. Ryan's so-called victim-less sin, many, many more unborn babies are killed than would have been if we had a different President (see our Mexico City Policy). As a result of Mr. Ryan's seemingly private indiscretion, the lives of thousands of American soldiers and their families as well as of countless Iraqis and Afghanis have been changed forever. As a result of what many would think of as a matter between Mr. Ryan and God, the life of almost every person on the planet has been altered by the economic policies chosen by our current President.

When will I learn that my private sins are not so private? When will I realize that my children are affected by my choices? When will I learn to step carefully, listen closely and obey God completely – knowing that my choices can affect the entire world?

Laughter

Names are very important in the Bible (and, I suspect, in everyday life – but that’s a subject for another day). God uses the meanings of names (of places, of people, everything) to teach us important spiritual truths or to confirm and support what He is saying in the text.

God does this when setting up the Patriarchs of the Bible – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At the start we have Abraham, the Father of All Who Believe (Romans 4:11), whose name means “Father of Nations”. His grandson has two names that embody the path of the sinner coming to saving faith: he was born Jacob – “cheater”, one of dubious ethics – but God changes his name to Israel which means “God prevails”. The names of both Abraham and Jacob point to the seriousness of God, our King, and of the very serious transformation that must take place in the heart of an individual if he is to be part of God’s Kingdom.

But sandwiched in the middle, an indispensable link between Abraham and his grandson, is Abraham's son, Isaac. Isaac’s name means “he laughs”! I suspect that God is telling us that laughter is more than just good medicine (Prov. 17:22) – it is part of His nature. That while no one can see God without faith (Abraham) and no one can come be saved without submitting his sinful nature to God (Jacob), a life without laughter is one that has also missed God’s plan and even His heart.

God created laughter. He created and gifted the comedian. He gave each of us the ability to appreciate the funny, the ironic and the just plain silly. So when you see the craziness around you today, look for the humor in it. When you have the opportunity to enjoy something that is meant to be funny, do so. And when you look around at God's creation, laugh for the sheer enjoyment of it all!