Spoiled

Mary and I looked at the great expanse of sky with a clear view to the snow covered mountains. “You are spoiled,” Mary said. It had been a common response during her visit. There was the gorgeous sunshine that flooded Orange County last week. She reminded me that I am spoiled as we watched the sunset over Catalina as we sat in the sand in Huntington Beach. It was her response to looking through my pictures of my trip to Rwanda. It was Mary’s reaction after spending time with my family. I was called spoiled as she met person after person I have been connected to for 10, 20, and 30 years.

 

It was always said with love. It always caused me to pause and look again at the unobstructed view of the mountains surrounding the LA Basin or the pink and purple clouds at sunset. Her comment had me reflecting on how blessed I have been with my family, community, experiences, environment, and more.

So I started to agree with her. “Yes, Mary, I am spoiled,” but yesterday I added, “The questions is ‘What am I going to do about it?” Mary had a great answer. “Pass it along to me.” It wasn’t a request. It was an acknowledgement of reality. I am spoiled and out of that, I choose to spoil others. Blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 18:18).

Luke 12:48 says, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” This can be a burdensome statement or it can be a gift. The generosity of God toward me sparks the desire to be generous toward others.

So maybe Mary is right. I have been spoiled. However, this has created a deep desire in me to share with others- my time, my family, my money, my love, whatever God has given me- so the blessing can be shared. I guess that means being spoiled might not be a bad thing after all. 

Aspect from Beyond

Last week my mom sent me this quote from Jim Elliot, “I pray for you, that all your misgivings will be melted to thanksgivings.  Remember that the shadow a thing casts often far exceeds the size of the thing itself (especially if the light be low on the horizon) and though some future fear may strut brave darkness as you approach, the thing itself will be but a speck when seen from beyond.  Oh that He would restore us often with that 'aspect from beyond,' to see a thing as He sees it, to remember that He dealeth with us as with sons".

It was a reminder I needed and I have been reflecting on over the last week. The things that weigh heavy on me in prayer are often the shadows a circumstance is casting rather than the thing itself. How I long for the perspective God can offer. The waiting, the wrestling, the journey can all heighten my misgivings. Yet God has a vastly different perspective.

Jesus said in Luke 11:9-13, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

2 Peter: 3:8-9 says, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

God is a good Father who hears our cries. He is not slow to answer. He has more important ends in mind. God is about His glory and our transformation. So I continue to pray for that “aspect from beyond” as I wait for the shadows to fade in the full light God has to offer.

The Ordinary and the Obedient

As part of the silent retreat I attended last Friday, we looked at the different journeys of people involved in the Christmas narrative. At one station we looked at Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem for the census, to Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus, and to Egypt as they fled Herod.

I thought about how Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem was unexpected, but ordinary (Luke 2:1-5). Everyone was being displaced by the census. There were tons of people traveling back to their hometowns to be counted. This is why there was no room in the inn. This call to return was not unique to Mary and Joseph, although it did bring about the fulfillment of Scripture.

When Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus, it was an act of obedience (Luke 2:21-24). They were fulfilling the Law God had given to the people through Moses. They, like so many other Jews, offered the necessary sacrifices for their firstborn son.

However, the escape to Egypt was quite extraordinary (Matthew 2:13-18). Joseph was warned in a dream. Jesus was spared from the massacre that took place in Bethlehem. God intervened in a powerful way to deliver the family.

The ordinary, the obedient, and the extraordinary. Sometimes I think the life of Jesus and those around him was lived out only in the extraordinary. It was a good reminder that much of life is lived in the ordinary and the obedient. There is ordinary life to live for all of us. There is wealth for us to live out in obedience from God’s Word. Just living in the ordinary and the obedient consumes all parts of our lives. Yet, in a rare moment, the extraordinary takes place. God steps into the story in a way only He can. So I live gratefully in the ordinary and the obedient and keep watch for the extraordinary.

Blogging

It is time to take the jump into the world of blogging. I have been cutting down on my faith reflections in my prayer emails. I am going to move those reflections to this blog. I will include the link in my weekly prayer email. This will be a space where we can dialogue; enter into God conversations. I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for this journey.