We said goodbye to our dog of eleven years back in June. These last two months two friends shared their grief at saying goodbye to a beloved canine. In the back of my mind I've had this thought that mourning a dog was excessive. "Just a dog, after all." But recently the thought came to me that people who mourn for their dogs are echoing the love of God. God loves us, gets emotional about us, and no angel dare say: "Why such a big deal. Just a human!"
I have another dog memory -- before Happy (2001 to 2013) we had Didi in the 90's. Didi was very affectionate, sometimes annoyingly so. We could never teach her not to jump up on us when we came home from the office. We'd come home, she'd bound forward to meet us, and jump on us with her eyes gleaming with happiness that we were home, and we'd say "No, no, down, Didi." Day after day. But I saw that her jumping was her expression of affection for us, that our coming home was the high point of her day. And my annoyance at being jumped on again would fade.
I was patient with Didi because I focused on her love for me, not on her failing to learn how I wanted to be loved. Much greater is the Father's love -- patient with us in our imperfections, loving us even when we do not love him.
The Happy Middle
A while back I wrote about my dislike evangelical stories with trite happy endings. Stories where the protagonist doesn't know God or has walked away from God, goes through crisis after crisis until they come or come back to faith, then all their life comes together smoothly, better than ever before. I don't like these stories because I don't think they're true.
But there is a paradox. How can a story about the Gospel not have a happy ending? The Gospel is the mother of all happy endings. We were dead in our sins, now in Christ we are alive.
But most often in this life, we have to wait for the fulfillment of all God has promised us. For now, uncertainties and personal messes continue. We have only the promise that it will get better, while our present is still messy, complicated and awkward.
Most stories in this life have a happy middle. People cry out to
God in pain or difficulty, God doesn’t remove the pain or difficulty, but the
people find hope in his promises. The seeming contradiction between the
promises and their circumstances drives them to prayer, and out of prayer comes
calmness and peace. I call it a middle, because one looks forward to God
fulfilling the promises in a greater way. But it is happy, because in that way
beyond human understanding, knowing the promise brings assurance, even when it
is not yet fulfilled. Blogger Addie Zierman calls it the "hard, beautiful middle of faith."
Actually I've felt the happy middle concept for years, without
putting a name to it. My two favorite novels, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s First Circle and Cancer Ward both featured a happy middle. In the first, Gleb
Nerzhin leaves the almost paradise of the special camp for an ordinary camp,
but is at peace because he feels he has done the right thing. In the second,
Oleg Kostoglotov leaves the hospital, his cancer largely cured, but not
necessarily totally; but he still has exile and gives up hope in either of his
two love interests from the hospital, but he too is at peace with himself.
Philosophy and Scripture
Philosophy strikes me as thinking like a detective in a mystery --or maybe more like a geologist. You see a complex, intricate structure. How did it come to be? You figure out how impersonal forces could have acted to produce it.
But Scripture assumes another kind of mystery. A great powerful and loving being that we cannot see, hear or feel (except in rare moments) follows an intricate plan. He has shown us the overall character of this plan, but He doesn't show us the details. And our task is to hold onto what He tells us about His nature and the goodness of the plan, when we cannot figure it out and are tempted to believe there is no plan, only chaos.
But Scripture assumes another kind of mystery. A great powerful and loving being that we cannot see, hear or feel (except in rare moments) follows an intricate plan. He has shown us the overall character of this plan, but He doesn't show us the details. And our task is to hold onto what He tells us about His nature and the goodness of the plan, when we cannot figure it out and are tempted to believe there is no plan, only chaos.
What Will Jesus Do?
A colleague shared this week a new riff on the popular 90's slogan, What Would Jesus Do. He says he doesn't ask "What would Jesus do in this situation," but instead "What will Jesus do?" I like this.
I realize I have long felt discomfort with the slogan "What Would Jesus Do?" Yes, in part because I don't want to become a radical disciple, like the slogan might suggest. But also I don't like the impression I see in the slogan that Jesus is simply a model for how we ought to live, a standard of behavior. Jesus did what he did to change us, to renew us. We cannot just will to do what Jesus did. We need Jesus to come into our lives and make us the people that will do what He did. I believe we still need that day by day even after years of being in the church.
I realize I have long felt discomfort with the slogan "What Would Jesus Do?" Yes, in part because I don't want to become a radical disciple, like the slogan might suggest. But also I don't like the impression I see in the slogan that Jesus is simply a model for how we ought to live, a standard of behavior. Jesus did what he did to change us, to renew us. We cannot just will to do what Jesus did. We need Jesus to come into our lives and make us the people that will do what He did. I believe we still need that day by day even after years of being in the church.
In my Father's house
We often encourage ourselves with Jesus words in John 14. "In my Father's house are many rooms," (John 14:2). "Think of all those rooms," we say, "think of all the time the Father has taken to prepare a place for us. Won't it be grand?"
I think it will be grand, but I suspect looking forward to the architecture misses the main point. The other day I thought of John's words: "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." I more often anticipate who I'll meet in heaven rather than what the houses might be like. But surely, of all the people I might meet, the most fascinating, most awe inspiring one is God himself -- the one who has done and said so many things that the earth could not contain the books. And who continues to do awesome and wonderful things.
I went walking one evening, and felt caught up in wonder. I'm going to meet God. Surely that is the great and awesome thing to look forward to. The thing that will make the struggles and messes and confusion of this life pale in comparison. Yes, remember the promises. Remember the good news. God is with us and abides with us.
Update: Our pastor preached on this passage yesterday. He says the common understanding of this verse as promising each of us our own mansion in heaven is a misunderstanding of the text. The image from the culture of Jesus' day is a large extended family all living in the same dwelling -- when a son or daughter gets married, they get a larger room in the big house for their growing family. It is one house, the Father's house, and Jesus prepares a room in it for each of us. So the focus in the text is on our relationship with God, coming home to the big house where we have our room..
I think it will be grand, but I suspect looking forward to the architecture misses the main point. The other day I thought of John's words: "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." I more often anticipate who I'll meet in heaven rather than what the houses might be like. But surely, of all the people I might meet, the most fascinating, most awe inspiring one is God himself -- the one who has done and said so many things that the earth could not contain the books. And who continues to do awesome and wonderful things.
I went walking one evening, and felt caught up in wonder. I'm going to meet God. Surely that is the great and awesome thing to look forward to. The thing that will make the struggles and messes and confusion of this life pale in comparison. Yes, remember the promises. Remember the good news. God is with us and abides with us.
Update: Our pastor preached on this passage yesterday. He says the common understanding of this verse as promising each of us our own mansion in heaven is a misunderstanding of the text. The image from the culture of Jesus' day is a large extended family all living in the same dwelling -- when a son or daughter gets married, they get a larger room in the big house for their growing family. It is one house, the Father's house, and Jesus prepares a room in it for each of us. So the focus in the text is on our relationship with God, coming home to the big house where we have our room..
The Power of Grace: Can God really use that guy?
These days I've felt blah. I've been tempted to doubt God's promises. If God really wants to make me new, write the law on my heart, why am I still so mediocre? I woke up this morning with thoughts like this, and reminded myself I need to keep believing in the covenant making and covenant keeping God.
Then I go browse my Feedly list. And there's a blog post called The Power of Grace. Oddly, it's from that guy I've been thinking I could drop from my feed. First, his links are almost all videos. I like blog posts that are texts. Dare I say I like my blog posts the old fashioned way, ones I can read not listen to? Second, and more seriously, the guy is the local scandal of this week.
I'm curious so I click on the link. I'm pleased it isn't a link to a video, and I start reading.
I read Steven Furtick's blog post again. Grace is the power to change. Grace is looking into the reality of my life, and not being dismayed when the forces of evil and the forces of mediocrity look like giants. Not being dismayed because I often don't really want to change. But God promises change. And I should believe his promises.
And I'm reminded to pray for Steven Furtick. The 1.8 million dollar house still feels suspect to me, but I think he is serving the Lord and speaking the truth. May his ministry continue. May God's wisdom speak to his heart and lead him to change his mind if building that house isn't the best use of his income.
Brother Furtick, if you read this, I do want to bless you. You've blessed me with your blog posts. Not just yesterday's blog post, you've had other good ones over the years. This one and this one are the main reasons I added you to my Google Reader some years back. I pray that God continues to bless you, and Elevation. May He keep using you to speak of grace and truth, and may He keep guiding you in your private and public life to model that grace and truth.
May we all keep on believing in God's grace, the power to get us off the hook and into the zone of transformation.
Then I go browse my Feedly list. And there's a blog post called The Power of Grace. Oddly, it's from that guy I've been thinking I could drop from my feed. First, his links are almost all videos. I like blog posts that are texts. Dare I say I like my blog posts the old fashioned way, ones I can read not listen to? Second, and more seriously, the guy is the local scandal of this week.
I'm curious so I click on the link. I'm pleased it isn't a link to a video, and I start reading.
When it comes to grace, people usually go wrong in one of two ways. We either think that we’re too far gone for it and dismiss it.It felt like God speaking through the page to say "Yes, do keep trusting in me. I can change you." And I respond, "But God. Why are you using the guy building himself a 1.8 million dollar house to tell me this?" In my mind's eye I see a knowing look from God, and I answer my own question. "Right. You use imperfect people. I'm supposed to know that. Thanks for the reminder. I really am glad you do."
Or we take it for granted and abuse it.
...
They both view grace as weakness.
...
Grace is power. It is power to save and to transform. To cover all of our sins and remove them from our lives. To get you off the hook and to get you into the zone of transformation.
...
Grace isn’t just a cheap perfume you splash on to cover the stench of your sins. It’s the power to change your life from the inside out.
I read Steven Furtick's blog post again. Grace is the power to change. Grace is looking into the reality of my life, and not being dismayed when the forces of evil and the forces of mediocrity look like giants. Not being dismayed because I often don't really want to change. But God promises change. And I should believe his promises.
And I'm reminded to pray for Steven Furtick. The 1.8 million dollar house still feels suspect to me, but I think he is serving the Lord and speaking the truth. May his ministry continue. May God's wisdom speak to his heart and lead him to change his mind if building that house isn't the best use of his income.
Brother Furtick, if you read this, I do want to bless you. You've blessed me with your blog posts. Not just yesterday's blog post, you've had other good ones over the years. This one and this one are the main reasons I added you to my Google Reader some years back. I pray that God continues to bless you, and Elevation. May He keep using you to speak of grace and truth, and may He keep guiding you in your private and public life to model that grace and truth.
May we all keep on believing in God's grace, the power to get us off the hook and into the zone of transformation.
Reasons why we don't pray more about our problems
- We're not sure God's really there. Or if he is there, is he close enough to care?
- We don't want to change.
- We think we should have changed already, so we're on our own until we "catch up."
- The issue facing us feels too big for God to handle.
- The issue facing us feels too small for God to care about.
- The issue is not our fault. It's "those people" who should do differently.
- Since God hasn't fixed this already, we think he does not want to do anything about it.
Which one comes up in your thoughts?
For me, it is probably #7. But Jesus reminded us that we need to be persistent in prayer.
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."
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