L is for Lake.
Rainy Lake, MN is where my family spent our two weeks of summer vacation every year from the time I was five until I was in high school.
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri is where my parents bought their retirement getaway and where our girls spent their summers growing up. When my folks were ready to retire the retirement getaway, Wendy and I chose to buy it and keep it in the family. It continues to be our refuge, our retreat, our place of rest.
Speaking of “buddying up” and having good companions for the sojourn: K is for Kevin. Kev and I started our chapter-a-day journey almost ten years ago, and the dude is still walking it with me. In what was one of the darkest moments of my journey to date, it was Kevin who called to say “I’ve got your back.” I’ll forever be grateful for that moment, and countless others we’ve shared on the journey together.
“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith….” Jude 1:20a (NLT)
Any boy scout or girl scout worth their cookies knows that when you go hiking in the wilderness you should never go alone. “Buddy up!” It’s a simple rule that resonates with so much wisdom for so many reasons. Even on a good and safe hike, we need companionship. There’s always opportunities to give one another a lift, challenge one another to push ourselves, and encourage one another to keep moving. If, God forbid, things go wrong we need someone who can help us, provide for us or who can go for help.
“Buddy up!” is as equally important on a spiritual journey. God said it at the very beginning: It’s not good for us to be alone. The whole thrust of Jude’s short and sweet letter is the encouragement to be careful with whom we buddy up. If we’re not careful, we can choose companions who will lead us astray, look out only for themselves, and selfishly abandon us when things get difficult in order to save their own necks. The companions we need are those who will always believe the best in us, always hope the best for us, always trust us to seek the after the right path and who always persevere with us through trials on it.
Today, I’m grateful for my friends and companions on this sojourn. Those who walked the journey with me for a season, as well as those who are companions for life. Choose wisely those with whom you walk life’s road. They influence the journey more than any of us generally realize.
But even if you soar as high as eagles
and build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the Lord.
Obadiah 1:4 (NLT)
I am a lover of the underdog. I don’t know why it is that I have taken this scourge upon myself, but I have. In baseball season I cheer for MLB’s “loveable losers” the Chicago Cubs who have been cursed to have not one a World Series since 1908. During the football season I cheer for the Minnesota Vikings whom I watched lose four Super Bowls in my childhood and have never seen them return. Even in our own collegiate, in-state rivalry here in Iowa I tend to pull for the underdog Cyclones over the more popular and historically successful Hawkeyes. People will often ask me why I just don’t switch allegiances and go with a “winner.” It takes faith to cheer for the underdog. You gotta believe that the big victory is so much sweeter when it happens.
Of course, the corollary to cheering for the rare underdog victory is the sweetness of watching the mighty fall. I have always enjoyed watching the “sure thing” fall apart. I remember as a kid when the headline on the sports page proclaimed Houston as the winner of the NCAA basketball finals before the championship game was even played. That was before NC State pulled out one of the most improbable upsets in recent sports history. I love it when the “sure thing” proves not to be so sure.
That’s exactly the theme of Obadiah’s message. The nation of ancient Edom built their homes in a network of caves high in the cliffs of the local mountain range. An invading army had no good way of assailing them successfully. And so, the Edomites felt smug and secure in their cliff top caves. Survival was a “sure thing” because no one could reach them up there. Obadiah’s message was a reminder of a constant theme throughout God’s Message: pride comes before the fall.
Today, I’m reminded to be grateful for all of my blessings. There is nothing that is a “sure thing” in this life. I pray I never get to the point of feeling a smug sense of security (at least I have both the Cubs and Vikings to remind me of that throughout the year).
J is for Jody.
Sister.
Friend.
Childhood playmate and secret keeper.
College companion.
Indomitable.
Radiant.
Joyful soul.
Spirit of Golly.
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 (NLT)
When I was young I had a mentor and teacher who would ask me all the time, “So, what is God doing in your life?” The lesson behind the question was clear: God should be an active force and presence in your life. If God isn’t doing something in you, then we have a problem we first need to address. Last night I was with a friend and he asked me in so many different words what God was doing in my life. I smiled inside as I answered the question, remembering my mentor.
Old vines bear the best fruit and make the best wine. The faith journey of a Jesus follower is a path of personal, spiritual growth and formation. It does not end in this earthly life. We should be ever growing, ever learning, continually being honed, shaped and molded into the image of the one we follow. We should bear fruit in increasing measure. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is for those who ask and seek and knock. It is both a journey and a quest.
I enjoyed sharing with my friend last night what God was doing in my life right now, at this stage of my journey. I’m excited about it, and I’m grateful for a spouse and friends and family who care enough to ask and to listen.
So, what’s God doing in your life? Maybe the fact that you’re even reading this post is part of it. If you don’t have anyone to share it with, then share it with me. I’d love to hear.
I is for Instrument.
They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 2 Peter 2:19 (NLT)
This past Saturday night, Wendy and I went to see a new play performed at Central College. Dead Man’s Curve was adapted from the book Yellow Cab by Robert Leonard. Leonard, a former professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico, shares his experiences of driving a Yellow Cab during the graveyard shift in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through the play we are introduced to a wide variety of very real people with whom Mr. Leonard rubbed shoulders. He calls them “invisible people.” It was a fascinating ride. Days later, Wendy and I find ourselves continuing to talk about the people and stories to which we were exposed.
I thought about some of those people this morning as I read the chapter and particularly the verse above. Indeed, despite the promise of freedom, we are all slaves to those things which control us. It’s too easy to draw a dotted line from this truth to the common addictions of sex, drugs and alcohol. The more insidious truth I’ve come to believe is that there are far more people enslaved each day by socially acceptable appetites out of control like pride, hunger, control, greed, materialism, and even religiosity. Legalistic religiosity is simply the gluttonous indulgence of the human appetite for power and control. It is just the point Peter was trying to make in today’s chapter. That which promises freedom only creates a different version of slavery.
As we watched the play I was struck by the number of times drivers, who each had their own set of troubles and issues, acted out of love and compassion both for the needy and the foolish humans who happened into the backseat of their cab. Modern day Samaritans providing random acts of grace and kindness, often to those who didn’t really deserve it. Those acts of love are examples of the very essence of Jesus’ entire message. Freedom does not flow out of a license to do whatever we want, nor out of religious adherence to lists of rules meant to keep us away from doing what we shouldn’t. Freedom, Jesus said, flows out of the truth embodied when we obey the law of love He taught: To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; To love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NLT)
Wendy made a comment to me last week that I’ve been chewing on ever since. She said, “I don’t think most people live an introspective life.” That is to say, most people wander through life not giving much thought to who they are, where they are going and why they do the things they do.
When I was a student in college studying theatre, my favorite classes were the acting classes. In acting our professor taught that being a great actor meant having a thorough understanding of the person you are portraying. My classmates and I learned how to methodically study character, how to analyze a person’s words and actions, and how to figure out what made people tick. The better you understand the character, the more authentic your portrayal on stage.
The process character study led to introspection. The questions I asked about my character in a play became the questions I asked myself. What makes me tick? What do my words and actions say about me? What motivates me? Why do I do the things I do? Today, it is virtually impossible for me not to be introspective. I’m constantly giving thought to my own desires, thoughts, words, and actions. I’ve come to agree with Soctrates: “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
There is a reason that I refer ceaselessly to the journey in my posts. The metaphor is apt, not only with regard to our journey through this earthly existence but also to our spiritual journey as old things pass away and new things come. These above verses from Peter’s letter to fellow followers of Jesus make it clear that there is a progressive process to spiritual formation and maturity. Being a believer in Jesus is not the same as being a follower of Jesus. Faith is not a momentary mental acquiescence to a set of teachings but a life-long spiritual quest leading us to live out those teachings and become more like the One we follow. That does not happen without introspection and diligent, conscious effort.
As I write this post it is Monday morning. The beginning of a new week. What a great time for introspection. It’s the perfect moment to give a little thought to my week. Who am I going to be this week? How can I make a positive change in my own life starting today? What do I spiritually need to leave behind, and for what should I be reaching? What am I specifically going to do and say to be more like Jesus and more exemplary of His teaching?
Without honest introspection our spirit will either wandering aimlessly, sit idly by the side of the road, or become captivated by that which leads the wrong direction.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
The other night we were visiting with friends at their house. One of their children was angry over a host of childish issues and, while we were there, he decided to run away from home in anger. Wendy and I love this child and have watched him grow up. He’s like a member of our own family. It was interesting for us to watch him stew in his own misery convinced that nobody cared for the injustice of his life. We commended his parents later for not overreacting to his very public act of packing in front of guests. I especially appreciated when his mother lovingly reminded him to grab his pillow and a sleeping bag because he’d probably need it sleeping out in the cold that night.
I love 1 Peter 5:7 for it’s direct simplicity. I have leaned on this verse countless times, reminding myself of it over and over and over again as I’ve gone through particularly difficult stretches of life’s journey. There are so many times in life when we feel alone and isolated in whatever situation we find ourselves. “Life is unfair. Life is unjust. God doesn’t care. In fact, maybe there’s no God at all if this is the way life is!”
1 Peter 5:7 is an antidote for moments of personal crisis. I have found two distinct encouragements in the verse. First, I need to act to cast my cares and worries on God. This requires me not to keep my destructive thoughts and emotions to myself but to take them to God. I have talked to God, I have screamed at God, I have whispered desperate prayers, and I have wept before God like a baby. The act of physically and audibly getting your cares out is cathartic and healing.
The unburdening of soul through conversation with God makes room for the second part of 1 Peter 5:7, which is the important reminder that God cares. I believe this to be true, though there have been very specific moments along the journey that I’ve seriously questioned it. A petulant child even in an adult body, I have more than once fussed at Father God about His injustice and uncaring attitude as I spiritually packed my bag to run away.
After giving his parents and guests a good dose of teen-aged attitude coupled with the silent treatment while having a snack for the road, our young friend must have thought better of his decision to run away. Without saying a word he headed to bed rather than the front door. Someday he will look back and realize how silly it was allowing a momentary feeling of injustice to let him feel so uncared for when the larger truth of the matter was he was raised in a loving home with two parents who care for him more deeply than he could imagine.
And so this runaway has found the same to be true with Father God. Once I unburden my soul and get out my anger, fear, anxiety and pain I am ready for a dose of truth; God loved me so much that He sacrificed His Son for me. He cares for me and loves me more deeply than I can possibly imagine despite my refusal to see it in the moment.
Today, as I write this post, I am able to see it clearly and am grateful for all the times Father God has smiled quietly to Himself as He lovingly reminded me not to forget my pillow and my sleeping bag