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Posts Tagged ‘choice’

Everything is Permissable BUT . . .

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

If anyone thinks that Christianity is not about freedom, he/she is sadly mistaken. Even old Paul says it outright: everything is permitted. Well, all right, there is a proviso, the dogged “but” that does present constraints. And yet, the constraints are upon us to choose.

I Corinthians 6:12
Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power. [Amplified]

I am reminded of that silly Jim Carrey movie, “Bruce Almighty,” in which he is given the power to do anything and everything. At first, he is like a child with paybacks, self-interests, and casual decisions. But eventually, he gets it: his choices affect others. He, too, had to limit his power on purpose. In the end, he was content to give that power back to God.

I can constrain myself each day by choice. I can use my intelligence to determine what is good, expedient, or even logical. I can use my feelings and sensitivity to discern the needs of others. I can use my will to avoid becoming a slave to anything. But truthfully, I’m not very good at it.

Instead, I can put my trust in Christ who can and will navigate all of this for me, if I allow it. I’m not very good at that yet either.

The “let go, let God” cliche is based on this principle of trusting God with the constraints as well as the freedoms. If I could really “get this,” like the Bruce Nelson character, I would know true contentment.

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Loving Choices

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Today I am being asked to choose, consciously, to adapt my behavior for the sake of another. And that, not for just any “other,” but for a “sister/brother,” someone who shares my faith walk, who is in koinonia (community) with me. Hmmmm.

Romans 14:14b-15a
. . . But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat [by what you are doing], you are no longer acting in love. . . .

This challenges me because I have been working on authenticity so much lately. Historically, I have not believed I could “be my true self” around some my church friends. I perceive myself as slightly different from them, a little off-beat. I know I enjoy activities that some would consider inappropriate in their eyes (certain books & movies for instance). I have political points of view that may very well be quite different from their own.

I have resented this “duality” and I have wanted to “come out” (and no, I’m not saying I’m gay), to my church family. I just want to be real… authentic and transparent.

So, what do these passages from Romans tell me to consider?

Here’s what I think it has to be about for me: it’s a difference in attitude. The “hiding” of my true self before was based on assumptions. And yet, I don’t really know if what I do, think, or read is a stumbling block for someone else. I have rarely opened myself up to that degree. And so, I still think I need to continue this path of onion peeling. However, if my choices cause someone else distress, then I can consciously choose not to participate in these activities or conversations for the sake of the other.

Again, the difference is in the conscious choice for the sake of the other.

I need to think about this more. But for today, I just want to be more mindful of the reasons behind my behaviors, the roots. Assumptions are dangerous for everyone involved. But loving choices can be healing.

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Resist Evil

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , on March 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I used to think that “resisting evil” was a matter of putting up strong walls, keeping my sword sharpened, and looking into corners for ambushes. Evil was clever so I had to be even more clever and watchful. But here is a different way: do good.

Romans 12:17a, 21
Do not repay anyone evil for evil . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Note to myself: it’s not about “being” good (which is next to impossible anyway), but doing . . . overcoming . . . practicing good. And in this activity, evil gets the shaft. Novel idea eh?

How could I have missed this? It’s the same tactic when dealing with anxiety or fear: fill up with the positive thoughts along with love and the result is less room for the other crap.

We underestimate the power of good.

OK, so the next question is, “What is good?” In the same way that God’s laws are written on the heart of man [and woman, of course] (II Cor 3:2-3; Ps 40:7-8), so is the capacity for good. There is a choosing process, an agreement within, an acceptance of what we know to be good or right. Can we choose otherwise? Of course. That is, until evil takes over the heart, then more supernatural stuff has to happen to make the better choices.

But, just regular day to day folks can draw from this well of good, particularly if the Holy Spirit is present. This is the whole point. First we must choose to embrace the good and then we can act on it. And each time we choose good and then act, the power of good becomes stronger, more natural and more effective.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. . . .
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. [Psalm 34:8, 14]

Keep me mindful today of this truth, dear God. Keep me drawing from the well of good. Selah.

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Windows of Opportunity

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

The passage I read today from Romans is not a particular favorite. Talk of cutting off and God’s sternness and unbelief is always difficult. As I contemplated these unpleasant attributes of God, I considered the importance of timing.

Romans 11:23
And if they [Israelites] do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Each of us has windows of opportunity to experience or meet God. I can certainly look back and see some of those windows that opened and closed. They were crossroads I didn’t recognize at the time because I took the other way. As a child, I can remember going to Vacation Bible School and although I enjoyed the activities and “something to do” in the summer, I didn’t meet God there. And later in high school, one of my closest friends was a PK (preacher’s kid) and I adored her family but it never occurred to me to embrace their God. In college, I was in a sorority where many of the girls were active in Campus Crusade, but I didn’t even consider attending a meeting. There must have been more of these “close calls from Christ” in my young adult years, but I don’t remember them.

God reached out to me and for that season of time, I could have looked through and believed. Who would I have become? No telling.

I am grateful there were many windows.

If there were many windows for me, then there are many windows for others. Christians get so hung up thinking about someone who hasn’t “accepted Christ” and “oh, they will be lost forever.” But there is always another opportunity. There is always another moment in time. We just can’t see it now.

My mother was against all things religious for years and years. By the time she reached her nineties and was living with us, I assumed she would never experience God in any kind of real way. Then, as dementia set in, the likelihood seemed even more remote. But one night, while I was sitting by her bed, chatting quietly until she fell asleep, she said, “Oh, look, it’s Jesus,” and then, “Oh, he’s reaching out to me with an invitation (this was all in Latvian, so the word was specific to a card or written invitation),” and then, after some moments she said, “I think I’ll take it. Yes, I’m going to take it.” And then after some silence, she opened her eyes and told me how beautiful it all was. I was mesmerized. I thought she might die in that moment and just go on to be with the Christ. It was an amazing experience to watch her face, her countenance and to hear the quality of her voice. It was a different woman, totally coherent, and totally enraptured. She died a few weeks later.

My mother had missed ninety years of open windows, but there was still another window ready to open again.

God can be stern and even close windows for a season, but in the end, there is still that grace and mercy and kindness. God will reach in. Today or tomorrow. It doesn’t matter to God who exists outside of human time. Holy, holy, holy.

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Pick me! Pick Me!

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

Can’t even begin to say how uncomfortable I am with the phrase “chosen by God.” I think it’s supposed to be a comforting thought, instead I feel traitorous to all the “rejected” ones. After all, I grew up the last one picked for kickball, I know what it means to be left out.

Romans 11:5
So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

Sometimes I’m glad I’m not Jewish and have to contend with the idea of an entire people group being “chosen.” No thanks. This chosen thing carries a lot of responsibility. It’s like being a perpetual PK (preacher’s kid). Every mistake is amplified. Every wrong word is noted. Every outfit is scrutinized. On a national level, it’s the policies, wars, peace treaties, etc. It’s being under a microscope.

Nonetheless, God is in the choosing business, whether I am comfortable with the idea or not. Some people die, some live, some people win the lottery, some lose their loved ones, some people struggle with illness while others struggle with poverty or stigmas. There are lots and lots of things that are out of our control. How we respond to our circumstances is our responsibility. That is where we choose.

Being chosen for a 4th grade kickball team was usually based on my ability (or lack thereof) to kick and catch a ball. The few times I wasn’t a default choice, but chosen at the beginning, I felt the pressure of performing. But of course, whether I was chosen first or last, I still couldn’t kick worth a toot or catch. And so the cycle would continue.

But God’s choosing parameters are outside anything we can possibly understand. Our “goodness” or “abilities” do not put us on God’s team. This is the grace part.

When I chose to follow God through Christ, I was fulfilling my small part of the equation, but truthfully, God had already done an awful lot of reaching out to me first. Am I unique because I’m a follower of Christ? Don’t think so. Am I part of some remnant? Doubt it.

This is all a mystery to me. But I do know God is a God of love and mercy and grace. This I truly know. And I believe anyone can cry out to God: Pick me! Pick me! And God will choose by grace.

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Raised for a Purpose

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2010| 2 Comments »

It’s difficult to see something with new eyes or get new understanding when our memories abound with old movie images and Sunday School bible stories. Who can forget Yul Brynner’s angry, jealous, heart-hardened Pharaoh who would not let Mose’s people go?

Romans 9:17
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

I used to believe that people who were marked for despicable acts by God were literally “born and bred” for those moments. I limited my definition to the word, “raised” to be “reared” as in a child who is reared by his parents. But there are over 31 meanings for the word including “setting in motion” or “to cause” something to happen. That means someone could be “raised up” in a single moment, a single choice.

We will never know much about the childhood of Rameses or what challenges he faced as he was being trained for leadership. Perhaps he had always struggled with making decisions and his tutors put heavy constraints on him to “stick to his guns.” In any event, he came to a point in his life, when he was confronted by Moses and said, “No.” And with each “No” he uttered, the future of a people was set into motion.

I cannot assume that Rameses was particularly evil or cruel as a child, teen, or even young man. In fact, a quick trip over to Wikipedia shows that he was actually known as “Rameses the Great” and ruled for nearly 66 years. Or was it Rameses I (even that is unclear historically)?

Whichever Pharoah oppressed the Israelites and then later tried to block their “exodus,” his “raised up” moment could have happened in a heartbeat and God used that encounter to birth a nation.

I don’t believe I’ll ever be comfortable with the idea that a child is born with an evil future. Depending on the scenarios and the choices made along the way, there will be always be turning points that can bring a person to an evil day and time (or not). Does God know how a life will go? Sure, as I have written before, God is outside of linear time. And yet, a life still has more to it than a signature event or time period. Men and women who are remembered for evil may have kissed a child, planted a tree, loved a mate, or created something of a beauty as well.

If I love someone today, anyone, that moment could turn the tide the other way, for me as well as for the “other.” It is why the power is in the now. We can all be change agents for God through touch, compassion, friendship, love: koinonia.

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Dump the Cargo

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , on January 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

I’m still holding on to my cargo, I know it: the stuff… all the stuff that keeps dragging me backward. Some of it is beloved, but how does that compare with the more important things in life?

Acts 27:18
We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.

I am embarrassed to say how much stuff I really have. I go through periods of organization and as a result, I’ve gotten pretty good at hiding it (neatly labeled and tucked away). But there are boxes and boxes of books in my basement (above and beyond the bookshelves that are maxed out as well) and boxes of memorabilia and boxes of costumes. Some boxes are filled with my mother’s books; I keep them from a type of sentimentality. And yet, most of them aren’t even in English for heaven’s sake.

God is patient though. I know this for a fact. God will wait and nudge and teach and guide, hoping I will choose, on my own, to start dumping my cargo. I don’t believe God wants me to go through a brutal storm where personal safety trumps the stuff. But, if I persist in holding too tightly to these things, that could happen next.

The nudges I have been getting are about living more simply. We are living in terrible economic times. Our family is not so different from others, credit cards loaded with debt and we’re trudging along from one paycheck to the next. We are fortunate that we still have jobs, but there are no longer guarantees. A great storm could hit any day.

This month I have decided to start shedding pounds… I think that’s just one place for the dieting must begin. It’s time to let go of the “things” … the unused knick-knacks, the “collection” of salt and pepper shakers, the boxes of coffee cups, the books that don’t fit on my shelves (I have 15-20 shelf units), the boxes of old papers (yes, I still have my graduate school papers), the old suitcases, the unstarted crafts, the bowls I never use, the cookbooks I never open, the sheets that don’t fit any of our beds… the list goes on.

And these “things” are symbolic of the spiritual baggage I’ve been carrying around as well: the unforgiven actions of others, the disappointments, the condemnation, the discontent, just to name a few.

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