Archive for December 2011
The End From the Beginnning
Posted on: December 25, 2011
How calm an image, mother and child,
Mary, oh, so meek and mild,
Jesus, chubby infant sweet
With pudgy baby hands and feet.
A soft glow the atmosphere seems to fill,
A scene to treasure, peaceful and still.
How unwillingly our eyes are turned
To a scene where angry crowds are churned.
No more the mother’s fond embrace;
Rough wooden beams her arms replace.
No swaddling clothes, so warm and soft;
Hard nails hold His naked body aloft.
No angels singing God’s praises are there;
Rather, taunts, jeers and curses fill the air.
Once worshipped by shepherds on bended knee,
Now hailed by soldiers with mockery.
The tender infant, now grown to a man,
Takes on the role that only He can.
Yet again the scene changes, and now behold
Another part of the story is told.
No cows lowing heard, nor shouts of the crowd;
A silence profound fills the sepulcher’s shroud
In the still air, no foul stench of fear or of death;
The burial spices give their sweet-scented breath.
Once laid in a manger, now laid in a tomb,
The death of Christ brings unto Death its own doom!
The grave cannot hold Him, however it tries.
He bursts its bonds, rises, ascends to the skies!
Only one scene is left to finish the story
When Christ, the Messiah, returns in His glory.
No more the sweet Babe of the Bethlehem stall,
But this time the King of Kings, Lord over all.
The end from the very beginning was known:
The manger was but one small step toward His throne.
Susie Aasen, 2005
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!
Permission to reprint given as long as the author’s name and source are included in the transmission.
Script writing
Posted on: December 21, 2011
Most people don’t believe in fairy tales. At least, they’d certainly tell you that they don’t. But lately I’ve been thinking about how often we do, in fact, have a script planned out for how our life is supposed to turn out. Some of us get pretty detailed in building our castles in the air. God’s supposed to get me into This University, where He’s supposed to find me a wife/husband who is blond, cute, and rich, then He’ll get me this job, in this city, paying this much, and then He’ll give us the correct number and gender of children at the correct timing. We will never fight, our kids will never rebel, we’ll never get seriously ill, we’ll never have money troubles, we’ll always have a great church, and we’ll reach the end of our life looking back and just marveling at how good God was to us.
Sounds ridiculous, huh? No one would really expect that, would they? Probably not – at least, not in so many words. But I’ll bet if we were really honest, we all have far more specific expectations than we might admit to, or even be aware of. Want to know the quickest way of finding out what we do actually expect? Have something go the other way!! When we find ourselves with that “Wait a minute! That’s not how it was supposed to be!” reaction, it’s a sure bet that we just hit an unrealized expectation. Our script just got edited.
Last Sunday’s sermon happened to tangentially bring up the Matthew passage where Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” In context, He was speaking of material goods, those that may be stolen, eaten by moths or rusted, though in application we broaden the sense to non-material items of value. But hearing the passage this time, in conjunction with these other ponderings of late, I was struck anew by the reverse implications of the verse: we can tell what we treasure most by where we have most set our hearts.
We all pray “Thy will be done”, but if we look at our response to life’s events, I think we can gain insight into what we are truly treasuring. When things are going the way we want them to, of course, it can be difficult to tell if we’re treasuring God’s will being done or treasuring getting to have our way, but when things go off-script, and our dancing sugar plums explode, it becomes very clear where our heart is. If what we are actually valuing is having our own way, we are in trouble!
When God took away all the blessings He had given Job, Job’s wife told him to just go ahead and curse God and die. She must have thought that God had to be awfully mad at Job to do all those nasty things to him, and, if He was that mad, He was probably only waiting for one slight provocation more to squash him like a bug. Job cursing him? Yeah, that should do the trick! Get the suffering over with. If honoring God didn’t get Job the “right” outcome to the story, then forget the honoring God stuff! Her reaction to God’s actions prove that she saw God as capricious and vengeful, and that she had her heart set on having things her way. She didn’t understand God at all. But Job did! Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” I’m sure Job had had his own ideas of what the rest of his life was “supposed” to play out like, visions of his kids and grandkids and his growing financial empire. Yet Job acknowledged God’s right to do with and to him whatever He would. Job didn’t hold any idea that God OWED it to him to continue his future as his past had been. It wasn’t that Job wasn’t upset, or didn’t ask God about what was going on. He was, and he did. However, Job’s reaction to God’s actions prove that he saw God as infinitely Trustworthy, and that Job had his heart set on God having HIS way, whether or not he, Job, understood it. He understood God’s freedom to change the script!
When things in our life aren’t going according to script, we have the same choice as Job: to trust “though He slay me”, and be upheld through our trials, or to “curse God and die”, denying ourselves His fellowship and help. But we’ll only be ready to make Job’s choice if we have first set our hearts to treasure what Job did: the will of God. If our heart is set right, last-minute script changes won’t throw us for a loop, because we’ll remember that it’s HIS script, not ours, anyway.
If you must write a script, at least use a pencil, not a Sharpie! (Just remember, God’s eraser works on BOTH!)
The freedom to fail
Posted on: December 17, 2011
I’m back from our visit to our son, daughter-in-love and newest granddaughter. I’ll spare you all the panegyrics over how adorable she is; take them as read! Although our oldest daughter has had two kids, they live here in town, so although we got to see them much sooner after birth, and more frequently after, this visit was different because we spent four days in my son’s apartment. Much more intense! And boy, did it bring back memories of those first days of our own parenting adventure – the feeling of being in over our heads, in totally unfamiliar territory, with little confidence in our ability to parent this morsel of humanity. It’s been a few weeks shy of 27 years since then, and our adventure with our five kids has taken us to places we had no idea even existed. As is not uncommon, I find myself wishing I could go back and parent then with what I know now. I can’t do that, of course, but I want to share one thing that I wish I had learned a lot sooner. So here is a letter to my son and daughter-in-love, or anyone still in that journey:
Dear Phil and Brooke,
Welcome to the wonderful, crazy, scary world that is parenthood! You have no idea just what you’re in for now. Which is probably a good thing.
I have every confidence that you two are going to be great parents. You take your parenting role very seriously, giving thought to your course of action rather than simply acting on the impulse of the moment. Already you are recognizing the dying to self that good parenting requires. You are seeking the counsel of those with more experience, which is wise, but you are maintaining an independent judgment of the fitness of that counsel for your own situation, which is wiser still. Above all, you have hearts devoted to the Lord and are leaning on Him for wisdom, desiring to do what is right. Yes, you are going to be great parents.
You are also going to fail. There will be times when you put your desires above Evie’s needs. You will be impatient. You will speak in haste. You will choose the convenient over the constructive. You will ignore things you should correct and punish actions that were foolish but not disobedient. You will over-react. You will make bad decisions. In these and many other ways, you WILL fail. Welcome to parenthood!
That may not sound very encouraging, but if you can accept the inevitability of your own failures just as fully and as matter-of-factly as God does, you will have deprived the Enemy of his greatest weapons against you in the parenting venture – the fear of failure. As long as you are afraid of failure, you will be living in the Prison of Perfection – not the freedom Christ died to give you.
You see, the Enemy wants you to keep focusing on trying to be perfect. He’ll use the “if you parent ‘right’, then your kids will turn out ‘good’” lie. Sadly, even the Christian community has bought into this fallacy. You probably already read my post on the misuse of the Proverbs verse on “Train up a child”, so I won’t repeat the arguments here. I’ll just say this: There has only been ONE Perfect Parent in all of history, and HIS kids got kicked out of Eden! Trying to be the perfect parent won’t guarantee the outcome for your kids.
The Enemy says you should try to be perfect so you won’t disappoint God. But this is bogus as well. Isn’t it funny how we say that we know we’re not perfect, yet we get so upset with ourselves when confronted with the proof of it? We really do expect ourselves to be better than we are, and when our reality doesn’t meet those expectations, the result is disappointment. But God cannot be disappointed! God has no expectations other than reality. He knows even more clearly than we do just how sinful we are. Think of Jesus calmly telling Peter of the betrayal to come. There was no frostiness to His voice. No “how COULD you!” shaming tone. Jesus wasn’t shocked or disappointed at what Peter was about to do. SIN IS WHY JESUS WAS HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. It’s HIS righteousness in us that He wants to see perfected – not our own. Our own self-improvement projects are all doomed to fail. HE’s the Professional!
Part of striving for perfection means that when we fail, we have to wear guilt like a hair shirt until we are rubbed raw and bleeding. The truth is that there’s no guilt TO wear, because Jesus already wore it. “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.” No condemnation. Period. If God does not condemn us, how dare we condemn ourselves? We need to confess our sin to restore fellowship, but the forgiveness is already granted. Every action has its consequence, and so will our failures – but our failures don’t take God out of the equation. When Jesus told Peter, “You’re going to betray me”, He also told him, “…and when you turn back, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus was already looking beyond the failure to what use He was going to make out of it. When the Word promises that “in all things God works for the good of those that love Him” – “all things” includes our failures. Don’t ever give yourselves credit for being able to force Him into Eternal Plan B, as if you can somehow fail badly enough to screw up eternity. You can’t.
I don’t mean to sound like I think it doesn’t matter what you do as parents. Obviously, I want you to be the best and wisest and all that that you can be, and provide as little fodder for the therapists as possible. These are my grandkids we’re talking about you raising, after all. It is, however, especially for their sake that I hope it is the LORD you will take seriously, not yourselves. My grandkids don’t need your perfection; they won’t be perfect themselves. They need to see the God Who is bigger than their failures, and they’ll see Him best by seeing Him through you. Immerse yourselves in His mercy, grab onto His grace, frolic in His forgiveness, rest in His resourcefulness!
You’re going to be great parents, and you’re going to fail. And neither is what matters. You’re free to fail because HE NEVER WILL.
Back next week
Posted on: December 6, 2011
Just a note that I won’t be posting for about at least a week. We’re off to visit our son, daughter-in-love, and newest granddaughter. I’ll try to think of something good for when I get back!
Timber-r-r-r-r-r
Posted on: December 5, 2011
The Pacific NW has been one of the timber capitals of the world since white settlers first came here. Harvest now is far below what it was in its heyday, but logging trucks still roam the freeways, lumber mills are on the endangered list but not extinct, and the ports still ship forests of poles overseas. Around these parts, when you say “log”, it creates a clear picture. Which is why Jesus’ words about “specks” in our brother’s eye and “logs” in our own evokes quite the visual image.
So, I have this friend named Moe. (OK, that’s not really his name, but in this kind of literature, it’s ok to pretend and make up names so readers won’t know who you’re talking about. At least, most of them won’t. Some may guess, I suppose, but I can’t help that, because I have to tell HIS story or the rest of what I say won’t make sense.) anyway… Moe has a job where he interfaces with the public a lot. I enjoy listening to him talk about some of the interesting encounters God has arranged for him. Moe actually prays before work and ASKS God to set up these things, and he talks about feelings of purpose in his being there for them. But when Moe talks about his boss, or his work schedule… that’s another story. Then he’s pretty much just any other employee griping about work.
So, the other day I was thinking about Moe and his attitudes. With the “wisdom” we’re always ‘blessed’ with when it comes to passing judgment on others, I was thinking that maybe I should just have a quiet word with him and point out how much more effective his witness might be if he took a more godly attitude. Yes, sir, I was in feeling very upright and spiritual. Gonna help set my brother straight, you bet. For his own good, absolutely. Well…
God sighed, chuckled, shook His head, and started up a little conversation. “So, my beloved child… you think Moe’s got a problem, do you?’
“Oh, yeah. You’ve shown it to me quite clearly.”
“Oh… I have, have I? Hmm. Be that as it may… Tell me what you think the issue is.”
“Well, you see, from the way Moe complains about his boss, it seems pretty obvious that he isn’t praying for him. After all, You told us to pray for our enemies, for those who persecute us, or do us harm, and to do good to those who do us evil, didn’t you?”
“You’re certainly right. I did.”
“Moe runs his boss down pretty freely when he’s with our group. I know all kinds of details about they guy – none to his credit. I don’t think that’s very respectful.”
“Quite possibly not. I’m glad you’ve noticed this. Now I have a question for you.”
“Umm… ok.” I always get nervous when God asks me questions.
“Your husband has a job, doesn’t he?”
Oh, good – an easy one to answer. “Yes, he does, and you know how thankful I am that he has one with all the uncertainties of these times!”
“And what’s the management like there?”
“Lord, YOU know – they’re awful. I mean, really, really awful. If there’s a bad decision to make, they’ll make it. If there’s a way to shaft the employees, they’ll…”
“You’re right. I DO know. So I have another question for you. How long since you prayed for them?”
Boy, He never hesitates with getting up close and personal, does He? “Um… well… er…. ah… recently? Sometime? Yes, that’s it. I’m sure I’ve prayed for them sometime!”
“Uh-huh. And how long since you badmouthed them to someone?”
“Can I plead the fifth?”
“No. That’s not in My constitution.”
“Oh, all right then. A couple of days ago when my cousin was here.”
“And before that?”
“At the grocery store. … Bible study. … Church. … On the chat loop. … In a letter. …. Can I stop now? I get the point.”
“OK. Let’s talk about what you think Moe’s other issue is. You were thinking of telling him he should think of his work differently?”
Whew. A chance to redeem myself! “Yeah. He gripes and complains about his work schedule as if You had nothing to do with it. Surely he understands that You are in charge of that, too. And no matter how grueling it is, he can trust that You’ll get him through it – or get him through the consequences of NOT getting through it!”
“Sounds reasonable. Now back to Rob’s job.”
Uh-oh. Turning it back on me again! Red alert! “What about it?”
“I hear they’re running the department pretty badly.”
Oh, good. I was on solid ground here. (I’m pretty slow sometimes!) “Boy, howdy, are they! It’s terrible! The workers are expected to keep up with all the new technologies and systems without any training. They’re cutting personnel and pay and increasing our benefit costs and there’s this ridiculous new building they have to work in that …”
He went for the jugular.
“Yeah, you know, I went on vacation to Bermuda for a few years and just got back and was horrified at what they’d done while I was gone! I mean, if I’d been around, I never would have let those kinds of things happen. It’s not as if I could ever have any purpose in those kinds of trials and frustrations, using them to conform Rob to the image of my Son or anything like that.”
Oh, boy. I walked right into that one, didn’t I? “Wait a minute! That’s not what I meant.”
“But that’s JUST what you’re accusing Joe of! Come on, doesn’t your complaining about all these things sound like you are accusing me of being asleep at the wheel?”
By now, I’m sure my face was blushing fire-engine red. “Well, now that you put it that way…. sure.”
“And am I the only one you’ve shared these complaints with?
“Ummmmm….. no.”
“No is right, kiddo! You’ve been as free in those complaints as in talking about the management. How long has it been since you read I Thess. 5:18? ‘Give thanks in all circumstances.'”
“Yesterday, actually. I was thinking …. of …. Moe.”
“But when you think of yourself, where did you find a footnote that said, ‘unless you don’t LIKE the circumstances’?”
“Um…. Hezekiah 3:11b?”
“Har har. There isn’t one and you know it. I said ALL and I mean ALL.”
“Well, like I said before, I’ve always been thankful that Rob has a job! Isn’t that enough?”
“Nope. Being thankful for A job isn’t the same as being thankful for THIS job. Don’t you believe that if I’d wanted him someplace else I could have arranged to move him any time I wanted??”
“Well…. yeah.”
“So, you’ve prayed for me to move him, and I’ve said ‘no’. What does that tell you?”
“That he’s where you want him to be?”
“You got it! And if he’s where I want him to be, is that something to complain about?”
Sigh. “No. … But …. well …. can’t I even talk about them at all? After all, they are hard things to deal with.”
“Sure you can talk about them. You just can’t complain about them. You can ask for prayer about them for you to have a godly response. You can even ask for Me to change them, as long as you’re ready to accept whatever answer I give. But I think you’ll find that the more you do what I’ve told you to do – praying for ‘enemies’ like the nefarious management and thanking Me in all circumstances – the less you’ll feel the need to even talk about them. …. Now, about Moe?”
By now, of course, I was feeling pretty low – lower than a snake’s bellybutton in a wagon rut, as the old saying goes. Moe’s issue? Ha! A speck of dust floating on the breeze. Mine? One big, ugly, so-big-you-coud-drive-a-bus-through, old-growth California redwood! Oh, yeah, it was definitely log harvesting time. “Wow, Lord, I’ve been really blind, huh?”
“Not the first time, dearheart. That’s why you need a Saviour, you know.”
“I’m sorry! Thank you for forgiving me for my own wrong attitudes, and for being self-righteous about Moe’s. And thanks for keeping me from having that talk with Moe! It would have been a sin against him to do it…. Not to mention making an even bigger slice of humble pie to eat.”
“Seeing better without that log in your eye?”
“Oh, yeah. But I have a feeling this isn’t the last of these logs you need to harvest.”
“It’s not, but we’ll deal with them as you’re ready. This is part of conforming YOU, you know. I’m happy to do it!”
So… anyone need some firewood?
the susie solution 