Sweet Words from Maine

A Rose by Whatever Name…..

Rugosa Roses, “Beach roses, Sorrento, Maine

According to Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Juliet knew that the character of the boy she loved was more important than his family origin or the surname that he had been given. Labelling, fancy marketing, having a famous name, or presenting a pleasant affect do not guarantee quality or genuineness. Essence is not in a name or face. We know that. We live in the day of scammers!

We also know the religious world holds opportunity for insincerity. Even within a certain faith tradition, doctrines and expectations differ. There are orthodox and unorthodox, conservative and liberal, contemporary and traditional, radical and devout, practicing and nominal. In the Christian religious world, there are Catholics and Greek Orthodox, and Protestants who are fractured into denominations where religious ethics and doctrines and creeds may vary. All these traditions are observed with different degrees of religious fervor and intellectual vigor.

For the Jew, the inspired truths of the Old Testament are the gold standard that define one’s relationship with God. Faith is the important ingredient not only for the Jew but for the Christian, who believes that both the Old Testament and the New Testament Gospels and letters reveal the grace of God in Christ.

Religions exist in a petrie dish of ideas and cultural influences that will pollute them. By assimilating secular thinking, they become hybrids of cultural and religious beliefs. So, confusion reigns as to what constitutes a genuine disciple/believer. Christianity is no exception. In fact, some people claim to be “Christian” simply by default because they are not Jews or Muslims or followers of some other religion. One would think that a Christian would and should be defined by their trust in the truth of Christ, but other ideas become stirred into the Christian belief system, and sometimes Christian churches become more culture than Christian.

Attempts to maintain purity of doctrine are not new problems. Old Testament Scripture is loaded with admonitions against Jews intermixing with pagan religions and cultures. Similarly, New Testament teaching is filled with cautions about intermingling Christianity’s teachings with other religious thought or social behaviors, but Truth stands strong, unchanging, and consistent despite shifting, populist rhetoric or social standards.

Jesus told an interesting parable about a wheat field where weeds were growing. He was speaking metaphorically about the distinction between true believers in God and those that were not believers and those that seemed to be believers. The appearances of the wheat and the weeds were similar, and their roots were so entwined that they could not be distinguished from each other. Pulling the weeds would have destroyed some of the wheat! Anyone who has weeded a garden, particularly in the early growing season, knows how difficult it may be to distinguish weeds and crop, and weed pulling may disrupt the plants.

At least one of Jesus’ points was that sometimes personal faith may be superficial, just appearance. Despite confessions and professions and outward appearances, one can not fully see into the soul of another. God will make the judgment about authenticity at some future time when He will disentangle the true from the disingenuous, the counterfeits, the deluded, the mislabeled, and the disengaged.(Matthew 13:24-30) (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:1ff) He, the Lord“… sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

The core truths, the roots of Christianity, are about the person of Christ- who he is, about what he taught and did, about his redemptive and restorative work at the cross, and about the eternal hope of his resurrection. Once when speaking to those who were religious but did not believe, Jesus said, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, (John 10:25-28 (NLT2)

Because salvation is a transaction based on a trusting relationship with God and His grace and mercy to save us, believers are not left in anxious limbo about their personal safety with God. God understands our failed determinations in the face of temptations. He also knows the deep repentance and intents and desires of those who are his true sheep, those that have been changed and are changing through the miracle of the cross where he loved us and pursued us to the fullest extent possible in Christ and where he takes us in His arms, receives us as His children, and pulls us to His loving heart which beats with compassion and joy.

So, whatever nametag is applied to them, Christians are imperfect and sometimes wayward, wandering children of God and awkward disciples who are struggling with how to live amidst the weeds and not be choked out. However, as they learn about and trust their Shepherd, they will smell less like sheep, will bear the fragrance and integrity of Christ into a chaotic world and become the enduring aroma of the gracious Gospel of mercy, forgiveness, peace and a compassionate, caring love that values all people.

A Paradox: Different but the Same!

Basically the same but superficially different, these colorful lawn chairs are reminders of both the similarities and the uniqueness of the people who occupy them from time to time. Brown, yellow, black or white, we categorize ourselves by physical characteristics, personal quirkiness, ancestry, social standing , abilities, intellect and other individual differences. However, whether living in some uncivilized aboriginal tribe or sitting at the Queen’s table, human flesh has the same amazingly complex physical properties, predictable functions, and requirements of food, water, security, and shelter for survival. Furthermore, we all stand on terra firma and have views, albeit with different perspectives, of a well ordered, magnificent, awesome, vast universe.

As spiritual beings who struggle with questions about origins, meaning, and purposes which exist beyond the immediate and the material, we intuitively know that we are more than flesh, that we transcend our cellular and chemical makeup, that we are valued but broken, bruised, and weakened spirits who hunger for security, sustaninence, nourishment, relationships, and eternity . We need to be loved, to be part of a tribe, and to have some sense of continuity.

We seek memorialization, legacies, some form of permanence, some everlastingness because “eternity has been set in the human heart.”(Ecclesiastes 3:11) We want our spirits to go to a good place when our bodies die. Most of us believe in God or gods or at least question or surmise their existence. So, we attempt to do what we can and try to be more than we can be. We fail at perfection. We know that we are not what we should be because we are imperfect in attitude and behavior. We need redemption and seek it through effort or belief or a hybrid of the two.

We flounder about to fulfill spiritual needs, to find inner peace and healing. Most often that is sought through fragile and superficial relationships, wealth and material things, worthy but fleeting vocations, religion and its rituals, and empty philosophies. These tend to distract and derail us from the fact we are meant for God.

We understand that our bodies will die, and we wonder about our spirits -that special part of us that is us. They are our core being where we feel and think and formulate and choose behaviors, where we consider ideas and make decisions which are sometimes good and joyous and sometimes flawed and awful, and where we react with emotions that are not always good either. All of us sin and fall short of God’s glory for which we were created. We want forgiveness and peace with God, not the universe.

Our choices become to either live for the present and deny an afterlife, or to struggle to be good enough and to hope for eternal bliss, or to pursue the revelations of the reality behind the complexity of our bodies and souls and the universe. Truth seeking will lead to faith which will be both intuitive and logical if based on revealed Truth.

Scripture tells us that the Reality behind our world and us is God “For (God’s) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.” (Romans1:20)

Scripture also reveals that God looks at who we are, at our souls, at our “hearts.” In compassionate understanding and mercy, He gives us grace. He loves us. He wants to do the best possible for us; that requires redemption; the whole counsel of Scripture emphasizes that God alone is adequate to save us. God invites us to Himself and gives us what our spirits require. He is our hope. “How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey/Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life/Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”(Psalm 119:103-105 (NLT2) “Taste and see that the Lord is good. … blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! …Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing…(Psalm 34:8-10)

Christ’s wonderful redemptive message is the great invitation. Just as that little children’s chorus says, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world/Brown and yellow, black, and white/All are precious in his sight/Jesus love the children of the world.”

We may be unique, but we have the same spiritual needs. Christ can meet them. “Whoever believes in me shall live even though he dies“ (John 11:25) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28)

How Many “Glad” Days are there in a Year?

“Glads” make us glad! Flowers, apart from being gifts of appreciation, tokens of love, and friendly gestures, have a beauty which can and may buoy us up. In one of his “Peanuts” cartoons, Charles Shultz has Charlie Brown hugging Snoopy and questioning, “What if today, we were just grateful for everything? Such an attitude of thankfulness would make for a kinder, more satisfied world, but is that possible? Was the Apostle Paul a bit too exuberant in his exhortation that it was the will of God to be thankful in all circumstances? (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

This week, Americans celebrate our national Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully, it will be a time to not only remember the hardships endured by the early Plymouth Pilgrims who helped establish our nation and set it on a path toward the still not fully realized ideals of equality, liberty and justice, but also to emulate their gratitude toward God for his sovereignty over their lives even in difficult times, and to appreciate all the goodness in our personal lives.

Regardless of the difficulties and restrictions experienced in various stages of civilization by limited knowledge and technology, natural disasters, and the evilness of men, there have always been those who have sensed God’s involvement in the affairs of men, have understood that all good things come from Him, and have experienced a spiritual joy exceeding that of thankfulness for good circumstances, material things, and human relationships.

That kind of joy is a gift. When the “Mosaic Law” was rediscovered after their Babylonian captivity, the Israelites realized they had betrayed God and wept tears of grief and repentance. Nehemiah comforted them: “…do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”(Nehemiah 8:10) Knowing that, they celebrated with “great rejoicing.” The “joy of the Lord” is bestowed. It is relational in nature. Muslims, Jews and Christians believe hat God is the Creator of mankind and has revealed Himself to humanity, but to the Jew and Christian He is more than a master. He is the loving Heavenly Father of His people. Through unconditional love and extreme grace, He offers forgiveness even in the face of rebellion, rejection, and grave dishonoring. As such, His joy is embedded in, manifested by, and conveyed through encouragement, support, discipline, security, and protection for His children. When received, His joy induces a healthy, loving reciprocation from those who trust the Father’s good purposes, who desire to be their best selves, and who follow the Father’s principles for living.

This sweet mutual commitment, loyalty, and dedication between God and His children is spoken of throughout Scripture. The prophet Zephaniah spoke of God’s joy, of His rejoicing “with gladness” and exulting with “loud singing” over the salvation He provided His people. (Zephaniah 3:17) The Psalmist’s song affirmed the happiness found in redemption: “…in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Psalm 28:7) Jesus’s life’s example and teachings continued the refrain and meld the joy of heaven with that on earth. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

The Gospel is the story of bestowing. God’s merciful grace gives the blessedness of forgiveness and reconciliation with “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Jesus’ parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son reveal the great earthly and heavenly joy over those who discover or return to the faith, over those who respond to God’s active pursuit and for whom He patiently waits to return. (Luke 15) The Apostle Paul continues this stream of thought in his letter to the Colossian Church. He speaks of “giving thanks to the Father, who …has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14)

Could it be that Charlie Brown was on to something? Every day can be a glad day, a day of Thanksgiving, because joy is relational and derived from God not circumstances. There is the joy of trusting God and praying “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” because He always has redemptive interests of his children in mind. The Psalmist held that keen confidence in God. “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (Psalm 94:19) “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:1)

Of Kings and Aunts and Country Singers…

Old and weathered, Maine houses hide their stories but are reminders of ours. When young, optimistic, enthusiastic and busy, we take little notice of the imperceptibly slow but progressive changes occurring in our bodies. Regardless of physical conditioning, body habitus, or huge amounts of denial, they creep up and surprise us. We wrinkle, sag, shuffle, hobble and become gray and lose our hair. Our grandchildren look at old photos and ask, Who is that?” Fair enough! We don’t recognize ourselves in the mirror! At some point, we realize that we don’t have too many more runs around the sun, and the run seems shorter every year!

Tennessee Ernie Ford, a mid-century popular country singer and probably best known for singing “16 Tons,” sang Stuart Hamblen’s “This Old House,” a song which lamented the relational and physical losses of advancing age-how life wears away and becomes diminished as time runs out. “This ole house once knew his children/This ole house once knew his wife/ This ole house was home and comfort/As they fought the storms of life .” But laughter and joy and family are replaced by weakness and fretfulness and the reality that death can’t be avoided and is imminent.. “Ain’t a-gonna need this house no longer/Ain’t a-gonna need this house no more/ Ain’t got time to fix the shingles/Ain’t got time to fix the floor/ Ain’t got time to oil the hinges/Nor to mend the window pane/Ain’t a-gonna need this house no longer/He’s a-gettin’ ready to meet the saints.”

Although bemoaned in music and literature and pondered and expounded upon in medical journals, health magazines, and promotional ads promising the fountain of youth, the surprises, disabilities, and eventualities of aging can not to be avoided among the living. So, old people learn to laugh at their complaints as they brave physical and mental frailties and visit their geriatricians. They “get it! It is part of the process. ”Slightly misquoting Bette Davis, my wife’s Aunt, who died a few days short of being 101 years old, frequently said, “Aging ain’t for sissies.”

Israel’s King Solomon, who had an amazing life, would have agreed. An intellectual with a wide range of interests and pursuits, he shared a fascinating account of his very long, adventuresome, and priviledged life of wealth and power. In his closing thoughts in Ecclesiastes, his vivid prose painted a picture of advancing age and its disabilities and declared that all the pursuits of life are meaningless. They are but “vanity.” “Everything is meaningless,…completely meaningless,” he said. But that statement was just a segue to a very wise, hope filled, and somewhat unsuspected conclusion about the meaning and purpose of human existence. He proceeded to exhort youth to always keep the end of life in mind because in those surprising but unavoidable, confining years of decline, all of one’s life will come into focus, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” However, he finished with a positive message, the encouraging thought that life is not limited to the material, it is spiritual. It is connected with God, in whom lies ultimate and lasting meaning. “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1-14)

Both Tennessee Ernie Ford’s singing lyrics and King Solomon’s poetry and prose point us not only to eventualities and finalities but also to a living hope. The time will come when “This old house” will return to the earth, but “the spirit returns to God, who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7) More importantly, Jesus also taught the urgency of “seeking first” the eternal values of God’s Kingdom. (Matt 6:33) There are many worthy, worldly pursuits, but the most valuable life long priority is seeking a relationship with God, who is not far from us. He gives us all the treasures of His Kingdom through faith in His redemptive work on our behalf. For that purpose Christ appeared on the human scene: ” to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

These cautionary words from Tennessee Ernie, King Solomon and Jesus remind us how limited our material world is and that our deepest needs are spiritual, that our spirits are reality, and that we were created for God, who lavishes his love on us through Christ. The Westminster Catechism sums it succinctly and well : “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

“Missed Things” That Shift the Narrative…

While reveling in the beauty of this tiny, mist surrounded island and its reflection in the bay, the distant, tiny image of an eagle scanning the water for its lunch had been missed. However, that significant detail changed the photo’s narrative into something rawer and less ethereal.

Somewhat similarly, our stressed and harried routines are so filled with demands and the needs of the moment that we frequently don’t contemplate life’s finer details, the missed opportunities, the significance of people who could change the complexion of our stories, or even of who we really are.

Three of the Gospels record Jesus’ interaction with a very rich, prestigious, young, religious, ruler who claimed to have kept the Mosaic Law since childhood. He appeared to have every possible human advantage for entering God’s Kingdom, but he still lacked assurance and wanted to know how to leverage his way into heaven. He had a question for Jesus, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to “inherit eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16-24) ( Mark 10:17-23) (Luke 18:16-27) With laser accuracy in one startling statement, Jesus addressed his false perceptions about God and the incorrect idea that eternal life is merited by rule keeping, moral integrity, and good works: “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me,” he said.

Jesus’ answer was shocking. Seemingly radical and harsh, his ideas were neither. He simply pointed out that the young man’s view of God was incomplete, lopsided. God’s grace is startling, surprising, unexpected! Even though it exposes our need for redemption and identifies previously unrecognized sins of pride and idolatry, calls out our depravity, and clarifies personal inadequacy to save oneself, God’s grace is actually about hope. It mercifully buoys us up, redeems us, and clothes us in the dignity and righteousness of Christ! We can do nothing to make God love us more than he already does! Attaining eternal life is a matter of faith. It is not about what one can do or must not do to attain it.

Receiving God’s grace through faith had always been God’s redemptive plan. The young man had missed that concept in his religious training. But among others, it had been true for Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, King David, and Nicodemus and would be for the Apostle Paul, the Philippian jailor, and all who would “call upon the Name of the Lord.” Paul would write Titus: “It is not by works of righteousness that we have done but by God’s mercy that He saves us.” (Titus 3:5) (Genesis 15:6) , (Ps 119:9), (Psalm 118:19:23), (John3), (Acts 2:21; 16:30-31)(Hebrews 11)

Jesus’s solution wasn’t that the redistribution of wealth or a vow of poverty would grant this fellow eternal life. Belief and repentance were the answers. This young man was not who he believed himself to be. Confused about his Law keeping, he was in violation of the two most important commandments. He neither loved God or his neighbor as he should and had raised his wealth, status, and reliance on religious creeds and personal morality to an idolatrous level. Although there was no eternal benefit in what he treasured, he valued and trusted them more than God. Turning from his materialism, casting aside pride, and trusting and following humble Jesus to the cross of self-denial were essential ingredients to a successful treasure hunt. To change the narrative, contrition, not a good deed, was required. Laying claim to an eternal inheritance meant identifying as a child of God, not as a self made man.

The answer to questions about eternal life has been sought and explored throughout the centuries but has been easily overlooked like the eagle in the photo because we live and ponder and seek in a context of muddled thoughts, theories, conjectures and deductions. As pointed out by Christ, the reality is that eternal life is attained by God’s grace through faith. It is available to any and all who seek it.

If one heeds Christ’s specific invitation to follow him, we will not miss that most important treasure. Believe and live!

Blowing in the Wind…

In a series of frustrated, rhetorical queries, Bob Dylan’s 1960’s “protest “song, “Blowing in the Wind,” identifies both personal and national moral conundrums. He poses stirring questions about how many roads or years we must take or live before we comprehend our common humanity. He laments our inability to listen to and to show compassion for each other. He bewails humanity’s inhumanity.

His lyrics are poetic and touching and worth listening to as he drills down to our core problem, our selfish, broken natures which consciously ignore the suffering and pain of others. They ask questions. Why is there no peace, no love? Why is freedom scarce? Why does oppression, discrimination, racism, or war exist? Why do we insist on destroying each other? How long can we continue on without eroding away our foundations? Wherein lies the reason for our moral failures? Are we overwhelmed with the enormity of our problems and feel helpless? Is it ignorance or passivity?

Dylan’s concerns predate him by centuries. They have plagued mankind since our beginnings! Although his song identifies our flaws, arouses emotions and perturbs us, he doesn’t identify solutions. There is no apparent healing. “The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.”

Whether or not he knew it, Dylan desired what God has always desired for humanity. The prophet Micah reminded Judah that God had told them, “O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:6-8)

Our oppositional arrogance is the problem. We don’t walk with God. All our preceding generations have traveled many pothole strewn roads in an attempt to change the narrative: education, philosophy, psychology, religion, criminal justice, and governmental oversight of society. Yet, we remain puzzled and frustrated with our lack of transformation. Regardless of the strategy, whether diversity training, preaching tolerance, revising history, promoting exchange programs, attempting eugenics, giving generously, talking about love, or outright opposing injustices, we don’t change because our hearts don’t change. To have happiness and stability, we must live within societal and moral guidelines without which we fall into the morass of ungrace! The wonky thinking that we are free moral agents and can do what we wish without consequences has been proven wrong time and again.

In His moral Law, God has laid out specifically how to live and to have optimum results of happiness and fulfillment. People of faith will always battle personal flaws, but justice and love will thrive when and where they humbly recognize God’s authority. The Scriptures and the teachings and sacrifice of Christ light the way.

It seems “the answer” isn’t somewhere blowing in the wind. It lies deep within our souls where raw and untamed desires rise up and need transformation. Through the humility of repentance and faith and obedience, God changes human spirits into lives with meaning and purpose and hope. Christ promises that transformation through his renewing and redeeming power in believing hearts who will follow the path he walked for us–one of love, sacrifice, mercy and grace.

Are Raindrops Falling on Your Head?

Gerber Daisies and Rain Falling on the Window Pane

There is an old saying that “when it rains, it pours.” That has happened to us in Maine this fall. We all enjoy a warm, gentle, refreshing rain shower but not those torrential downpours which relentlessly toss about their windy havoc, flood our cellars, and leave us powerless. Sometimes, life is like that. Behind one bad situation lurks another. We become caught in a vortex of troubles and spiral into anxiety or anger and depression, or a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, and the thought that God has abandoned us.

Bert Bacharach’s Oscar winning theme song for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.” It expresses a somewhat cavalier, whimsical approach to life as depicted by the those two loveable, happy-go-lucky bank robbers! Despite the mishaps that kept occurring, their attitudes inspired the lines, “But there’s one thing I know…It won’t be long ‘til happiness steps up to meet me.”

That kind of optimism isn’t always our attitude. In Psalms 42 and 43, the Psalmist expressed those negative feelings while facing adversaries and injustices. He vented and lamented his distress but not to his friends. He gave his concerns to God. As he contemplated his relationship with God, his attitude changed. He and God had a history. Despite his pain, he remembered God’s powerful blessings of the past. God was his Rock. He knew that God is good and trustworthy and would redeem his suffering. He refocused his emotional responses to his suffering by centering his thought on God’s goodness and love and steadfast faithfulness. He repeatedly asked himself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Then he turned his thoughts outward and upward: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.”(42:5,11; 43:5)

The Psalmist shows us the road to Biblical optimism by providing a great model to follow when we are distressed. He “thirsts” for God “as a deer pants for flowing streams.”₍₁₎ He looks for God in his situations and learns to be patient ₍₂₎and is encouraged as he remembers prior blessings in his life. ₍₃₎ He knows that God loves him, ₍₄₎and he prays to God₍₅₎ while searching and relying upon the light of God’s word to lead him.₍₆₎ He trusts and submits to God ₍₇₎and places his hope in God,₍₈₎ in whom he finds safety, comfort and healing.₍₉₎

We may have severe trials to lament, but turning our thoughts to God and His merciful nature and remembering the extent of His redemptive love and grace shown us in the sufferings of Christ help us rise above our self-centeredness to spiritual renewal and confidence that God’s timing and resolution are perfect. In the midst of terrible spiritual agony, Christ prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

When our self-talk speaks from a place of faith, self-pity will not overwhelm us. Storms may pour down their rain, but confidence in God’s goodness will sustain us.

_{1 (42:1-2)}_{; 2 (42:2-5)}_{; 3 (42:4,6,8);}_{4 (42:8); 5 (these Psalms are prayers); 6(43:3)}_{; 7 (43:4); 8 (42:5,11; 43:5); 9 (42:10)}

The Potter

Kneading and shaping and reshaping the clay on his potter’s wheel, the potter transforms earth into something distinct and unique, useful, beautiful, and desirable. In a small way, His creative acts mirror God’s. The prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah make that analogy. God, who not only gave beauty to creation and made us from the dust of the earth, works to bring beauty into our spirits.

But now, O Lord, You are our Father/We are the clay, and You our potter/And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Becoming beautiful under God’s hand isn’t always easy because it takes time and requires character shaping, an acceptance of His Sovereignty and authority, and a trusting faith that He is working good in all our situations, whether happy or desperate.

In the context of the Judeo-Christian faith, trials serve as refining fires. Many centuries prior to the Apostle Peter, Job had confessed that “… (God) knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.” (Job 23:10) Peter, who withstood much persecution for his faith, reaffirmed that: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world”. (1 Peter 1:7 (NLT2)

How we choose to respond to struggles will determine outcomes. Sometimes trials drive us to God, sometimes away from God because we feel that we deserve better than pain and suffering and don’t understand how a loving God allows injustices to happen. Difficulties may strengthen and mature us or weaken and defeat us. Thankfully, God is not a condemning God. He is good. Everything that is good originates from Him. (James 1:17) He is for us. He is all about redeeming, restoring, giving peace and purpose to life, leading our souls to green pastures and still waters, and gifting us the heavenly blessings of forgiveness, wholeness, and His presence. Even in the brokenness of this world and in the dark night of suffering, an enduring confidence in God’s love creates beautiful, desirable vessels with characters that mirror His.

He knows the fragileness of our lives and wants to journey with us on that road of human pain and suffering which he has walked and understands. He knows our need for comfort and power to endure. There is an old Gospel song that puts this into the Christian perspective: “But in every situation God gave blessed consolation/That my trials come to only make me strong/Through it all, through it all/I’ve learned to trust in Jesus/I’ve learned to trust in God/Through it all, through it all/I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.” (written by Andrae Crouch)

“Through it all,” God is faithfully developing strong, trusting, courageous, understanding hearts of mercy and grace, compassion and love, peace and joy, and kindness.

The Potter

But now, O Lord, You are our Father/We are the clay, and You our potter/And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

“Through it all,” God is faithfully developing strong, trusting, courageous, understanding hearts of mercy and grace, compassion and love, peace and joy, and kindness.

Some Thoughts and A Question…

“The proposal and the Rejection”
Moose at Sandy Stream Pond, Baxter State Park, Maine

We enjoy observing and analyzing the animal “kingdom.” Their world intrigues us. We are both amused by critter antics and appalled by the brute “law of the jungle”. Yet, we have an intuitive sense that we fit somewhere in this picture. Some would say that humans are part of a created order; others say we are the result of an evolutionary process. Some theories attempt to combine the two ideas into a single creative, evolutionary process.

Scripture considers man to have been blessed with the image of God, to be God’s supreme creative act, and to be creation’s caretaker. Science classifies humans as part of the animal family which is divided into categories and subcategories by similar and different characteristics. Humans rise to top tier of this classification system for several reasons including their cognitive abilities, their higher levels of intelligence and logical decision making, and the ability to contemplate and to question the what and why of existence. That ability and those questions about origins lead to one of two antithical ways of viewing reality. One includes God, the other does not. Which view we espouse is important for our sense of purpose, our ethics, and thus our behaviors and out attitudes. Scripture also teaches that mankind is morally broken and needs redemption. If Creator God and His moral authority do not exist we are the products of our DNA, our environment, and good or bad luck, and there is no absolute standard of right or wrong. If that is true, we are free to determine our own morality and act on self interest regardless of what might be perceived as “common good”. We become subject to the most powerful among us, to those who hold control, to those who might choose to do good or evil to us. (the jungle law) If we can condemn them, there must be some standard to make that judgment, some standard that exceeds social acceptability or civil law.

Deep within our spirits, we know when we have breached the boundary defined by something more than civility, social acceptability, rules, or civil law because regret and self disappointment, guilt, shame and self loathing step in. When the darkness of the heart (e.g. envy, jealousy, malice, pride, lust) creeps in and produces its fruit, we realize we need redemption by Someone who can restore us to wholeness and make us righteous.

The exclusivity of these two contrasting world views challenges each of us to investigate and follow all the facts, not just the ones with which we are familiar or have been taught. Truth isn’t always comfortable. We may turn to multiple sources for valuable information but are most inclined to sources that support our beliefs.

Whatever our beliefs might be, Christ claimed that the purpose of his incarnate life was to show us “truth” (John 16:36-38) and actually stated that he was “the Truth”. (John 14:6) If and when one does seek truth, the story of Christ’s powerful life as a moral leader, his remarkable teachings and claims, and his astonishing death and resurrection must be considered. Is he or is he not who he said he was? Is he God’s Truth?