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!

Gifts

My children love to give me gifts. The younger they are, the more enthusiastic the giving and the more frequent the gifts. And the younger they are, the less recognizable the gift (think of a picture drawn by a two-year-old: what, exactly, is it a picture of?) and the less likely it is something I really need. That doesn't make the gift less appreciated nor does it reduce my enjoyment of it. The gift is from the heart and it always receives a prominent place on my refrigerator or somewhere else in the house.

In Genesis 18:1-8 God appears to Abraham together with two angels. Like a young child with a heart set to please, Abraham hurries to prepare a feast for them. I'm sure that neither God Himself nor the angels had any need of food. But that didn't even cross Abraham's mind. He just wanted to bless his guests so he gave what would have been happy to receive. And just as you and I are with our children, God was delighted to accept Abraham's heart-felt gift. God didn't point out that He had no need for it or chastise Abraham for not knowing Him better. God just enjoyed it.

We have opportunities every day to bless God with our gifts. They can be meals we make, jokes we tell, cleaning we do, even the job we perform (and get paid for!). The gifts we give God can be anything and everything. We needn't wonder if God needs them or if they are something He specifically calls for in the Bible. If we are excited to give them to God, He is delighted to receive them.

God may not need food but I'm thinking He has a big refrigerator that He’d love to decorate :).

Not Always My Favorite Passage

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus tells Peter that “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” As we read the rest of Jesus’ statement it is clear that Satan’s request has been granted. Oh, boy. Poor Peter. Things are about to get rough.

But like everything else in the Bible, there’s a personal application. You see, the “you” is plural. I’m pretty sure Satan has asked to take a run at all believers. And God, in His good wisdom and loving desire to see us perfected and purified, has granted that request. So just as much as Peter was about to be severely tested and even hit rock bottom (see verse 62), we also should not be surprised at the testing of our faith. A severe, hitting-rock-bottom, where-else-shall-I-go kind of trial – where nothing remains but the gold of our relationship with Jesus (see John 6:68).

Just remember that, as He did for Peter, Jesus prays for us so that when we turn back we will be available to strengthen our Christian brothers and sisters who are going through their own similar but different trials. God Himself allowed (even authored) the trial and is keenly aware of it. He is intimately involved every step of the way, catching every tear that falls from our eyes. If our hearts feel broken, His is more so. But He sees the end, knows the end, even if we don’t.

And as He promised Peter, God Himself will get us there.

To the Glory of God

Is it possible for someone who does not know God to honor Him? Is it necessary to have the intent to honor to be able to give glory to God?

There are those who say that Christians should not listen to non-Christian musical groups (for example, The Beatles) because the musicians do not acknowledge Christ and, further, often sing songs with un-Biblical lyrics.

Many would say that Donald Trump or someone like Ted Turner who is openly hostile to Christianity do not bring any glory to God.

I have to respectfully disagree. God made all of us. He gives us each incredible gifts and talents and He does so, not when we came to know Him, but when He creates us.

When I hear the Beatles, I think, “Wow, what talent God gave them. How good of Him to create music for us to enjoy and musicians who are creative in such a beautiful way.” Same with Donald Trump with his talents in finance. Ditto with so many other people who may never know Jesus but who have been blessed by Him nonetheless.

To take another example, I don’t believe comedians have to be Christian for God to receive glory. While too many are undeniably foul and blasphemous, does God not get a chuckle and enjoyment out of his wonderful creation, Bill Cosby? How about a self-proclaimed atheist such as Paula Poundstone? Even if the comedian doesn’t acknowledge that her gift is God-given, can we not still see it as so and marvel at God’s handiwork?

And it’s not just people that honor God. Have you ever looked at an airplane? God made the mind of man that could invent such a seeming miracle! And God had us in mind when He created the atmosphere with the proper density and the earth with the correct gravity – both to allow flight to be even possible!

Yes, there are those who dishonor God and those who do so intentionally. But I suspect that all creation sings of the Glory of God – whether it wants to or not.

Excitement II

Have you ever lain awake at night, unable to sleep, in joyful anticipation of some long-hoped-for event? Perhaps it was the imminent return of a long-absent family member, the start of an exciting vacation, or the youthful anticipation of Christmas morning. I’m sure you have; we all have.

Why do we have this wonderful emotion? From where does it come? The simple answer is that we were made this way. But there is something much more. We are made in the image and likeness of God Himself. Therefore, we can learn something of Him by looking at ourselves. In other words, we have the emotion of joyful anticipation because He has it. (Yes, we also have some very un-Godlike emotions but those can, in every case, be traced back to Godly emotions that have been corrupted by sin.)

So we can know that God gets excited about the future – He gets excited about what He plans in the lives of His children and gets even more excited when He sees those plans about to come true. Just think about it: God has plans and dreams for you, He works tirelessly to bring them about, and can scarcely contain His excitement when all the planning is about to pay off. How do we know this? Because that’s how we feel about our hopes and plans and dreams.

So just think, right now God has something huge and wonderful planned for your life and is doing everything He can (which is quite a lot!) – without forcing you into anything you absolutely refuse to do – to make those plans come true. If God needed sleep, I bet He’d have trouble sleeping tonight!