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Head in the Sand

August 14, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Luke 9:45
“But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.”

I often accuse my son of putting his head in the sand. He has responsibilities and chores and tasks that should be accomplished, but he procrastinates. Whatever is happening in the moment trumps these more mundane concerns. But, as the mother, these are important matters. They are small but they add up, everything from taking out the trash, feeding the animals, or washing his clothes to getting his driver’s license and paying his bills. He still doesn’t seem to “get it.”

The disciples, apparently, weren’t doing much better. Jesus told them he was going to be betrayed and they didn’t understand. I cannot help but wonder why. This was not the first time Jesus had mentioned it.

Granted, some things were purposefully hidden from the disciples as well as the crowds, but they could have pursued this train of thought. They chose not to and basically, I think they “didn’t want to know.” This is the essence of putting our heads in the sand. We don’t want to know or hear the truth.

Am I really that much different from them … or my kids? It’s just different sand.

As parents, we are often saying to our teens, “don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.” Somehow, we fear that the knowing will bring painful responsibility or will place huge demands upon us. If we “know,” then we may have to act, we may have to choose, we may have to confront ourselves and those around us. We may have to do something we don’t want to do.

Why do we assume that the truth of a situation will always be a bad thing? It’s equally possible that by procrastinating or ignoring a situation, we are missing the good stuff too.

I want to be present today. I’m taking my own head out of the sand and taking a good look around. It’s time. It’s time to start asking questions, to clarify, to understand. It’s time to see what’s really happening.

As Julian of Norwich said, “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.”

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Exposing Gentleness

August 13, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Philippians 4:5a
“Let your gentleness be evident to all….” [Paul]

Exposing gentleness has always sounded dangerous to me. That’s why most people perceive me as having a “strong,” maybe even tough exterior. It’s a type of shield for my heart. I’m sure, even my dearest friends, wouldn’t choose “gentle” to describe me. But it is there.

I only expose my gentle self when I judge the circumstances are safe. For instance, I’m sure my pets would call me gentle most of the time, particularly one on one. Or is it that they gentle me? In any event, I respond to their unconditional love. But the heart cannot count on unconditional love from others. The gentle heart must give it.

One key to exposing the gentle heart is not responding like for like. I get sucked in emotionally to the flames of others when I want to be cool water.

Another key is trusting God to protect my heart. I think the revelation for me today is that a heart protected by God is like a “tempurpedic mattress” – it returns to its shape naturally. It’s not that the heart won’t be pushed or compressed, but it will bounce back.

In truth, the gentle heart is resilient and very strong. The gentle heart accepts people right were they are. The gentle heart places no expectations on others. The gentle heart is patient. The gentle heart is brave.

Oh, gentle heart, be brave today.

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Am I Still an Orphan?

August 12, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 14:18
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

I suppose, since my husband and I adopted our three children and we are engaged with the orphan care ministries in our church (where the body supports at least two orphanages in Africa and more than 70 families have adopted children both domestically and internationally), I am particularly sensitized to the term ‘orphan’ whenever it appears in scripture.

In James 1:27, he emphasizes the importance of caring for orphans and widows. They are a special lot who require our attention and care. In ancient times, orphans and widows were classless since they were totally dependent on the “kindness of strangers” or extended family. And really, have things changed so very much?

Orphaned children continue to be a tragedy in our culture today. In some parts of the world, the numbers are staggering. In Sub-Saharan Africa where community and the family are the norm, children are not just orphaned by parents, but also by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The adults in their lives are dying every day.

Jesus promises his disciples (and ultimately us) that He will not leave us as orphans: it is a huge promise. He is promising a relationship that will meet our needs… physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Either he lied or He’s doing that today.

But we’re missing it. The orphans of our world have not been able to depend on us. As a result, they learn to “fend for themselves.” They learn it is not safe to trust those around them. They learn to manipulate the system.

On some days, I can see myself in this self-sustaining orphan attitude. I have judged my adoptive parent, Jesus, as lacking somehow, not giving me what I want or when I want it. Forgive me.

I will rest today in the arms of my “family,” adopted, not just be Jesus, but the community of Jesus.

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Truth is a Counselor

August 10, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 14:16
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth…”

Why do we seek counsel? Isn’t it usually to determine some truth in a matter?

There are lots of opinions about truth and it gets particularly dicey when we add adjectives to the word. For instance: absolute truth, subjective truth, universal truth, relative truth, or objective truth (just to name the big ones). I have even seen truth parlayed with just an article or a preposition, like “the” truth, or “a” truth, or “some” truth.

If you want to read more about truth, just check out Wikipedia for an extensive list of “theories” about truth, written by an equally long list of philosophers.

I don’t think I can compete with any of these definitions or understandings. I am neither a theologian nor a philosopher. I just like the idea that truth is a counselor. When I am confused or conflicted, I am being promised here that truth will be help me sort things out. And according to Jesus, Truth lives with me and within me.

Truth asks the hard questions. Truth guides my thoughts. Truth is my mirror. Truth listens. Truth is playful. Truth is orderly. Truth accepts where I am today but hopes for a better tomorrow. Truth knows the worst of me and never turns away. Truth is in the revelation business and the “Aha!” moment: like now.

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Symbiosis

August 9, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 14:11a
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;…”

Here’s the definition of symbiosis: any interdependent or mutually beneficial relationship between two persons, groups, etc. Here are some synonyms: cooperation, collaboration, synergy, union, combined effort, alliance, harmony, unity.

This is one way of describing the relationship that Jesus had with the Father while He was on earth. This is the relationship that we can have as well.

What is preventing us from having this symbiotic experience? Probably it’s sin: control, self-motivation, personal preferences, personal power, self-interest, fear, distrust.

What does it take to experience symbiosis: trust, faith, risk, courage, confidence, love.

How many of us have “asked Jesus into our hearts,” or “asked Jesus to be the Lord of our lives” … [pick any one of these cliches]… and then we ask Jesus, the very Son of God who is in direct symbiosis with God the Father, we ask him to sit in a corner and wait until we really need him to ask him into the fray.

In a symbiotic relationship, both parties are working for a common purpose. They are still individual, but they are something new together as well. This is the “new creation.”

This is my mantra today: I am in Jesus and Jesus is in me. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. I am in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is in me.

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I Am Showing You

August 8, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 14:8
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Poor Philip, he still doesn’t get it. Poor us… we don’t get it either.

I can just imagine the look on Jesus’s face when Philip made this statement. It would be like one of my kids saying, “show me a mother, and then I’ll understand what a mother is.” How can I show something I am. Each and every day, I am. Every action, every word, everything good, bad, wrong or right, is part of showing a mother.

The same is for love. How often do young lovers say, “show me you love me.” But this too is impossible. Either one loves or does not. What those young lovers are asking for is proof on their own terms. It’s a type of manipulation.

Philip could not, at that point, believe that “Father God” could be embodied in this man, Jesus. Philip had a different mental model of the Father. He assumed there was more to it. God couldn’t be a poor guy who walked around the countryside hanging out with anyone who was willing to listen and learn. Where was the blazing light that led the Israelites out of Eqypt? Where was the consuming fire? Where was the King?

If we claim to be in the way of Jesus, then, in all of our own frailties, we are actually ‘showing” Jesus to others. We don’t arrive at some perfect destination and then become presentable. We are in the way of Jesus now.

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You Know the Way

August 7, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 14:6, 8a
“…You know the way to the place where I am going…. I am the way and the truth and the life…”

For many years, whenever I thought of Jesus as the way, I always assumed it meant “accepting Jesus as Lord of my life.” I thought of Jesus leading the way, beckoning me to follow Him along a very narrow path. He was, then, more of a guide, than anything else. He was the leader.

And I think He is all of these things. But I think there is more. The way of Jesus is a process. We are not just to follow Jesus but to be like Jesus. We are to interact with the world the way he interacted. We are to see, feel, and touch others, the way He did. It’s the same kind of understanding that Paul had as he wrote in Philippians 1:21, “…to live is Christ…” The way of Jesus is a lifestyle.

But the challenge today is that so many people, particularly Christians, have already determined what the “Jesus lifestyle” is, often due to many long held traditions as well interpretations of the scriptures themselves. Every denomination is a description of the way of Jesus. Every Christian book is a description of the way of Jesus.

Woe to the young believer who is trying to find his/her way.

And yet, Jesus told the disciples that they knew the way. They did not and would not necessarily know the destination. They had to trust that Jesus would have that part covered. They just had to operate in the way. This is a paradox for western culture. We are told over and over and over again that we must have a goal, a vision, a result. How else will we know we have achieved or arrived?

But apparently, this is not the way of Jesus. Every day, every moment that we are in the way of Jesus, we have arrived at our destination. It’s now. We can choose today to act, to react, to speak, to touch, to love, to accept, to bless… and we are in the way of Jesus. The way is moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day. Today, we can know the way and live it.

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