There’s something absolutely, positively inspirational about Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of the Christian Scriptures. I so often enjoy moments of total quiet delight when I get into The Word as translated in contemporary language by Professor Peterson.
So there I was, expectantly and gleefully reading the book of Romans. And there, even in the first few verses, was poignant and cheering instruction. In verse thirteen of chapter one St Paul writes to the Romans: Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities.
Whoever said the Scriptural life had to be devoid of enjoyment, dull and dreary, even if devout?
Taking Pleasure in The Walk
If St. Paul was determined to get some personal enjoyment out of doing God’s work even as a leader and teacher, you’d better make sure you do the same in this very twenty-first century.
I have often joked with friends that God Himself is going to hold some of us accountable for the good times and exposure He had empowered us to enjoy (financially or geographically for instance –imagine shunning a trip to Mauritius because the hotel may be jam packed with tourists in bathing suits?) but which we omitted to take hold of in the name of religion.
Isn’t that the same reason why some can go to war in the name of religion?
I overheard someone protest the other day that there are no ‘Christian’ places to socialize and hang out in this city. And I thought to myself: “Yes, and there are no Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish places to socialize and hang out.”
Short of hibernating in an igloo or in make-believe world, interdependence is one thing that is guaranteed on Planet Earth. We’ve grown so accustomed to limiting our options of socializing (living, in fact) to only those of the same faith – as if there was a guarantee that those of the same faith would always hold dear the same Scriptural and social values as you hold dear.
Tolerance and Interdependence
St Paul buttresses this point in the same chapter verses fourteen and fifteen when he wrote: “Everyone I meet – it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple – deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation.” That spoke volumes to me – I could be as much in need of the company of my simple Christian friend, as I am of the company and friendship of a smart Jewish friend. And, I could, and should even legitimately choose to socialize with the latter.
The cry of humanity - interdependence and obligation
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Monday, 18 February 2008
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Fight The Good Fight of Faith
This was delivered to my mail box this morning from The Warrior of the Light, one of Paulo Coelho's e-journals. It spoke volumes to me so I thought to post it. All credits, copyright et al to Paulo Coelho, of course.
The good fight
“I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith,” says Paul in one of his Epistles. And it seems appropriate to remember the theme now that a new year is stretching out before us.
Men can never stop dreaming. Dreams are the food of the soul, just as food is to the body.
In our existence we often see our dreams come undone, yet it is necessary to go on dreaming, otherwise our soul dies and Agape does not penetrate it. Agape is universal love, the love which is greater and more important than “liking” someone.
Remembering Dr Martin Luther King
In his famous sermon on dreams, Martin Luther King reminds us of the fact that Jesus asked us to love our enemies, not to like them. This greater love is what drives us to go on fighting in spite of everything, to keep faith and joy, and to fight the Good Fight.
The Good Fight is the one we wage because our heart asks for it. In heroic times, when the apostles went out into the world to preach the Gospel, or in the days of the knights errant, things were easier: there was a lot of territory to travel, and a lot of things to do. Nowadays, however, the world has changed and the Good Fight has been moved from the battle fields to within us.
The Good Fight is the one we wage on behalf of our dreams. When they explode in us with all their might – in our youth – we have a great deal of courage, but we still have not learned to fight. After much effort we eventually learn to fight, and then we no longer have the same courage to fight. This makes us turn against ourselves and we start fighting and becoming our own worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, difficult to make come true, or the fruit of our ignorance of the realities of life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid of fighting the Good Fight.
The Battle Within Us
The first symptom that we are killing our dreams is lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life had time for everything. Those who did nothing were always tired and could hardly cope with the little work they had to do, always complaining that the day was too short. In fact, they were afraid of fighting the Good Fight.
The second symptom of the death of our dreams are our certainties. Because we do not want to see life as a great adventure to be lived, we begin to feel that we are wise, fair and correct in what little we ask of our existence. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day life and hear the noise of spears clashing, feel the smell of sweat and gun-powder, see the great defeats and the faces of warriors thirsty for victory. But we never perceive the joy, the immense joy in the heart of those who are fighting, because for them it does not matter who wins or loses, what matters only is to fight the Good Fight.
Finally, the third symptom of the death of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon, not asking too much of us and not asking more than what we want to give. So we feel that we are “mature”, leave aside the “fantasies of childhood” and guarantee our personal and professional success. We are surprised when someone our age says they still want this or that out of life. But deep in our heart we know that what has happened is that we gave up fighting for our dreams, fighting the Good Fight.
False Peace
When we give up our dreams and find peace, we enjoy a period of tranquility. But our dead dreams begin to rot inside us and infest the whole atmosphere we live in. We start acting cruel towards those around us, and eventually begin to direct this cruelty towards ourselves. Sickness and psychoses appear. What we wanted to avoid in fighting – disappointment and defeat – becomes the only legacy of our cowardice. And one fine day the dead and rotten dreams make the air difficult to breathe and then we want to die, we want death to free us from our certainties, from our worries, and from that terrible Sunday-afternoon peace.
So, to avoid all that, let’s face the rest of 2007 and the years ahead with the reverence of mystery and the joy of adventure.
The good fight
“I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith,” says Paul in one of his Epistles. And it seems appropriate to remember the theme now that a new year is stretching out before us.
Men can never stop dreaming. Dreams are the food of the soul, just as food is to the body.
In our existence we often see our dreams come undone, yet it is necessary to go on dreaming, otherwise our soul dies and Agape does not penetrate it. Agape is universal love, the love which is greater and more important than “liking” someone.
Remembering Dr Martin Luther King
In his famous sermon on dreams, Martin Luther King reminds us of the fact that Jesus asked us to love our enemies, not to like them. This greater love is what drives us to go on fighting in spite of everything, to keep faith and joy, and to fight the Good Fight.
The Good Fight is the one we wage because our heart asks for it. In heroic times, when the apostles went out into the world to preach the Gospel, or in the days of the knights errant, things were easier: there was a lot of territory to travel, and a lot of things to do. Nowadays, however, the world has changed and the Good Fight has been moved from the battle fields to within us.
The Good Fight is the one we wage on behalf of our dreams. When they explode in us with all their might – in our youth – we have a great deal of courage, but we still have not learned to fight. After much effort we eventually learn to fight, and then we no longer have the same courage to fight. This makes us turn against ourselves and we start fighting and becoming our own worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, difficult to make come true, or the fruit of our ignorance of the realities of life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid of fighting the Good Fight.
The Battle Within Us
The first symptom that we are killing our dreams is lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life had time for everything. Those who did nothing were always tired and could hardly cope with the little work they had to do, always complaining that the day was too short. In fact, they were afraid of fighting the Good Fight.
The second symptom of the death of our dreams are our certainties. Because we do not want to see life as a great adventure to be lived, we begin to feel that we are wise, fair and correct in what little we ask of our existence. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day life and hear the noise of spears clashing, feel the smell of sweat and gun-powder, see the great defeats and the faces of warriors thirsty for victory. But we never perceive the joy, the immense joy in the heart of those who are fighting, because for them it does not matter who wins or loses, what matters only is to fight the Good Fight.
Finally, the third symptom of the death of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon, not asking too much of us and not asking more than what we want to give. So we feel that we are “mature”, leave aside the “fantasies of childhood” and guarantee our personal and professional success. We are surprised when someone our age says they still want this or that out of life. But deep in our heart we know that what has happened is that we gave up fighting for our dreams, fighting the Good Fight.
False Peace
When we give up our dreams and find peace, we enjoy a period of tranquility. But our dead dreams begin to rot inside us and infest the whole atmosphere we live in. We start acting cruel towards those around us, and eventually begin to direct this cruelty towards ourselves. Sickness and psychoses appear. What we wanted to avoid in fighting – disappointment and defeat – becomes the only legacy of our cowardice. And one fine day the dead and rotten dreams make the air difficult to breathe and then we want to die, we want death to free us from our certainties, from our worries, and from that terrible Sunday-afternoon peace.
So, to avoid all that, let’s face the rest of 2007 and the years ahead with the reverence of mystery and the joy of adventure.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Resolving What Love Really Is
And I fell in love with God.
Yes, the Living God. Who devotedly breathed The Breath of Life into me. The God Who daily loads me with blessings and new day presents. The One Whose attention I am, for I am, like you, the apple of His eye. The One Who has empowered me to multiply and increase; to live well, to live blessed. The only wise God Who has given me the liberty to live, liberty to love.
When He breathed the breath of Life into me, He empowered me to increase in all that He is - love, joy, peace, health, wealth, strength. The list goes on. What a privilege to be loved by Him.
But to realise that Love, to become conscious of that Love, I am having to die sometime, many a times, to myself - my own needs, my own desires, my own wants. That’s the notion of surrender. Succumbing, yielding, so that I might live – truly live, God’s way.
Galatians 5 verses 22-23 clarifies.
‘’But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.’’
Learning Love from Father Abraham
In the book of Genesis chapter twenty two, the Bible records Abraham’s celebrated odyssey and remarkable action of total surrender. Organized and set to sacrifice his son to the living God, Abraham astonishingly determined the sacrifice and passage as an act of worship.
What became Abraham’s recompense for this great act of surrender? Deliverance from having to physically sacrifice his son, and a special return from God. Verses 9-18.
The God Who ever lives to make us whole
One of the things that really blows my mind about God is that He ever lives to make us whole. He is absolutely and totally committed to our well-being, our healing, and our prosperity. That’s love with a capital L.
‘”Hardly,” I hear you say, “He never saved my marriage. He didn’t prevent that rape. He didn’t prevent that bankruptcy.” Very well, God may not have prevented those terrible events from happening, but He is so totally and absolutely committed to you being emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically healed from them so that you can know the blessed life that He has promised.
Sometimes in life we come into contact with tragedy because of the decisions we either made or did not make. Likewise, we also come into contact with incredible joy because of the decisions we did make. Sadly, we can often encounter tragedy through no fault of our own – the sexual abuse you suffered as a child which drew you into confused adulthood; the untimely death of a parent which saw you growing up at the mercy (or lack) of dreadful relatives; that stepmother who controlled your father and saw to it that only her own children, not you and your blood siblings, were sent to school. Where is The Love in all of this? Where is the God that is committed to making me whole and why is He has allowed this great pain in spite of His Love?
But this is where the paradox lies.
It is in the famine of our emotions, the dearth of our financial wealth, the incapacity of our human intellect to repair the gaping holes in our lives that we realise that we ourselves do not always have the answers, solutions and remedies for life’s pressing challenges. But there is a Living God Who provides freedom and liberty even in amongst the mess. His invitation was and remains “come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest.”
When God sent Christ from the majesty of heaven to planet Earth, He gave us, in Love, a Saviour. When the Saviour momentarily died, God felt yet more pain for His Son – imagine that separation. However, His pain was relieved by the great exchanged that took place at The Resurrection. Through that rebirth, God could have His Son back with Him in heaven, and He could also have us reconciled with Him.
But how does that translate into our every day living?
What can we learn from this and how do we cultivate the art of living from this insight? Perhaps we might try these: expressing love to family and friends through consistent acts of kindness; being available to listen, to advise, to laugh, to play. Choosing to appreciate their hope, their pain, their joy, their commission.
Being ready to forgive, to make that phone call, to send that email, to make that visit. It’s the notion of sacrifice again. It means being true to each of our calling to serve others in love – whether that is our calling as a friend, sibling, spouse, or parent. It’s hard, believe me I know, but I tell myself I must try, and try, and try again.
I Corinthians 13
One of the deeply celebrated chapters in the Bible is the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. The last verse of that chapter directs us to “Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” Love extravagantly. Galatians 5 verses 13-15 expands: “it is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.”
Selah.
Yes, the Living God. Who devotedly breathed The Breath of Life into me. The God Who daily loads me with blessings and new day presents. The One Whose attention I am, for I am, like you, the apple of His eye. The One Who has empowered me to multiply and increase; to live well, to live blessed. The only wise God Who has given me the liberty to live, liberty to love.
When He breathed the breath of Life into me, He empowered me to increase in all that He is - love, joy, peace, health, wealth, strength. The list goes on. What a privilege to be loved by Him.
But to realise that Love, to become conscious of that Love, I am having to die sometime, many a times, to myself - my own needs, my own desires, my own wants. That’s the notion of surrender. Succumbing, yielding, so that I might live – truly live, God’s way.
Galatians 5 verses 22-23 clarifies.
‘’But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.’’
Learning Love from Father Abraham
In the book of Genesis chapter twenty two, the Bible records Abraham’s celebrated odyssey and remarkable action of total surrender. Organized and set to sacrifice his son to the living God, Abraham astonishingly determined the sacrifice and passage as an act of worship.
What became Abraham’s recompense for this great act of surrender? Deliverance from having to physically sacrifice his son, and a special return from God. Verses 9-18.
The God Who ever lives to make us whole
One of the things that really blows my mind about God is that He ever lives to make us whole. He is absolutely and totally committed to our well-being, our healing, and our prosperity. That’s love with a capital L.
‘”Hardly,” I hear you say, “He never saved my marriage. He didn’t prevent that rape. He didn’t prevent that bankruptcy.” Very well, God may not have prevented those terrible events from happening, but He is so totally and absolutely committed to you being emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically healed from them so that you can know the blessed life that He has promised.
Sometimes in life we come into contact with tragedy because of the decisions we either made or did not make. Likewise, we also come into contact with incredible joy because of the decisions we did make. Sadly, we can often encounter tragedy through no fault of our own – the sexual abuse you suffered as a child which drew you into confused adulthood; the untimely death of a parent which saw you growing up at the mercy (or lack) of dreadful relatives; that stepmother who controlled your father and saw to it that only her own children, not you and your blood siblings, were sent to school. Where is The Love in all of this? Where is the God that is committed to making me whole and why is He has allowed this great pain in spite of His Love?
But this is where the paradox lies.
It is in the famine of our emotions, the dearth of our financial wealth, the incapacity of our human intellect to repair the gaping holes in our lives that we realise that we ourselves do not always have the answers, solutions and remedies for life’s pressing challenges. But there is a Living God Who provides freedom and liberty even in amongst the mess. His invitation was and remains “come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest.”
When God sent Christ from the majesty of heaven to planet Earth, He gave us, in Love, a Saviour. When the Saviour momentarily died, God felt yet more pain for His Son – imagine that separation. However, His pain was relieved by the great exchanged that took place at The Resurrection. Through that rebirth, God could have His Son back with Him in heaven, and He could also have us reconciled with Him.
But how does that translate into our every day living?
What can we learn from this and how do we cultivate the art of living from this insight? Perhaps we might try these: expressing love to family and friends through consistent acts of kindness; being available to listen, to advise, to laugh, to play. Choosing to appreciate their hope, their pain, their joy, their commission.
Being ready to forgive, to make that phone call, to send that email, to make that visit. It’s the notion of sacrifice again. It means being true to each of our calling to serve others in love – whether that is our calling as a friend, sibling, spouse, or parent. It’s hard, believe me I know, but I tell myself I must try, and try, and try again.
I Corinthians 13
One of the deeply celebrated chapters in the Bible is the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. The last verse of that chapter directs us to “Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” Love extravagantly. Galatians 5 verses 13-15 expands: “it is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.”
Selah.
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Gathering the Courage to Take Risks
I wrote this almost a year ago now. It spoke volumes to me:
Risk, risk, and yet more risk
Working for a global accounting firm, I am accustomed to being reminded every hour of every day on the importance of managing risks; and the Bible is full of examples of every day people who took risks. Every day people who dared to believe God, who dared to be moved by Godly counsel or who dared to honour God (at times hesitantly) through an act of obedience to the quiet voice within: the eleven disciples, Esther and Abraham are but a few examples.
Risk taking is an intrinsic part of every day life, and the decision, the choice, as to whether to take a risk or not unambiguously demonstrates the resolve, values and faith level of the one who is doing the decision making.
Beauty queen turned liberator
Esther’s story is a significant illustration of the necessity and the value of gathering the courage to take risks. Hers was a particularly noteworthy risk taking venture; fuelled by reverence, great spiritual resolve, and respect for her mentor Mordecai. Having made it to the palace as queen, Esther’s cousin and mentor Mordecai sends a message to her with instructions to go to the king and plead with him to annul the decree to massacre the Jews in all the king’s provinces (the Book of Esther, chapter 4).
Esther’s response is honest, yet painstaking: ‘’Everyone who works for the king here, and even the people out in the provinces, knows that there is a single fate for every man or woman who approaches the king without being invited: death. The one exception is if the king extends his gold sceptre; then he or she may live. And it’s been thirty days now since I’ve been invited to come to the king.’’
Go get a mentor
Her cousin’s response demonstrates the importance of having mentors to guide and counsel you during times of difficulty, during seasons which require risk-taking. ‘’Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you are the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.’’
Two points shout out at me in that response: realising that God wants to use you but if you don’t avail yourself to be used He has other alternatives, and the fact that to everything there is a season, a right time for everything under the sun. This was Esther’s season; her opportunity to choose to impact her generation. Fuelled by this counsel, Esther reverently declares a three-day fasting and praying period and works through a plan to approach the king, uninvited: ‘’I will go to the king, even though it is forbidden. If I die, I die.’’ That is risk taking to the core.
The dignity of reverence
A testimony to the power of prayer and fasting, the dignity of reverence for God and the reward of gathering the courage to take risks, the Bible records that Esther, uninvited, approaches the king and he, uncharacteristically, welcomes her and hears her out. In a dramatic turnaround, the plot - to massacre all the exiled Jews who lived in the expanse of fifth century BC Persia – fails.
And then none get killed
It turns out that no God-representing men and women get killed in this story.
I am convinced that God-honouring and God-worshipping people do not get killed, do not die, do not get totally cut off, in anyone of our life stories - whether that be spiritually, emotionally, financially or whichever the case may be. The Bible says weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. It also records the words of Christ Jesus which warn that in this world we will have many troubles, but also enlightens us that for us, Christ has overcome them all.
Learning to lose ourselves in faith, hope and love
Victory is assured because of the decisions you make, the risks you take and the sacrifices that you make in reverence to the Word, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Blood shed for each one of us at Mount Calvary. Matthew 28 reads: ‘’Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him, they worshipped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.’’ Noting the presence of his disciples, and in reverence to His Father, Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and told them exactly what He had in mind to tell them, regardless of the doubting Thomas’ who did not want to risk themselves totally. He gave them this charge: ‘’Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.’’
Should I stay or should I go?
I woke up this morning with my head full of a risk-taking choice which I have to decide on. Faced with an offer of relocation to a position in which I’d enjoy a significant salary increase, in a country of my birth and where I would be with my elderly mother, my siblings - plus the prospect of notably more challenging and exciting work - I still find myself wanting. Age thirty-five and alone in a third country which has become my home over the past three years, I ponder what I would lose if I took the risk and accepted the offer before me.
And what about my networks?
What I know for sure is that the one thing I would lose is the intimacy with God in the community of believers I have come to know and cherish through the local church I have been attending over the past three years; and the treasured, life-impacting friendships I have come to develop among a few people that work and play has brought me in contact with. What a delight and comfort some of these have been.
On being faithful to what you know you've been called to do
In my local church, I serve as a steward in various leadership capacities. Through that same local church I have also come into contact with a handful of like-minded people and made some friendships which have led to the formation of a number of exciting outreach projects. And I don’t want to give these up. I don’t want to start all over again. I know that intimacy with God is something that you carry with you, that there are a thousand and one other Word-based and life impacting churches in the city in which I am being offered this promotion, and that God can make me a home in this new city and put me into contact with a new family of believers – but I don’t want to go. And I am not sure if I am being short-sighted.
On trusting in Him
My heart says no; that there is work also to do here. The singular and distinct feature which attracts me to the offer is the prospect of yet more challenging and exciting work. But my heart is telling me that if I take the risk of believing God and remaining in my seemingly ‘desert land’, He will make the rough places smooth and that I will drink water from rocks. And like Esther, I want to talk this over with my mentor.
As I embarked on quiet time this morning, I flicked through my Bible and came across a decisive note I had written alongside Matthew 28 verses 16-20 almost a year ago. It reads as such: ‘’Don’t be unsure about risking your life totally in worship of God. It is in totally risking your life in worship, total worship of God, that you regain your life – that you regain hope, joy, prosperity, you regain back lost dreams. Therefore do not be afraid – and give your life totally to God, in Christ Jesus. 13 July 2005, Nairobi, Serena Hotel.’’
Risk, risk, and yet more risk
Working for a global accounting firm, I am accustomed to being reminded every hour of every day on the importance of managing risks; and the Bible is full of examples of every day people who took risks. Every day people who dared to believe God, who dared to be moved by Godly counsel or who dared to honour God (at times hesitantly) through an act of obedience to the quiet voice within: the eleven disciples, Esther and Abraham are but a few examples.
Risk taking is an intrinsic part of every day life, and the decision, the choice, as to whether to take a risk or not unambiguously demonstrates the resolve, values and faith level of the one who is doing the decision making.
Beauty queen turned liberator
Esther’s story is a significant illustration of the necessity and the value of gathering the courage to take risks. Hers was a particularly noteworthy risk taking venture; fuelled by reverence, great spiritual resolve, and respect for her mentor Mordecai. Having made it to the palace as queen, Esther’s cousin and mentor Mordecai sends a message to her with instructions to go to the king and plead with him to annul the decree to massacre the Jews in all the king’s provinces (the Book of Esther, chapter 4).
Esther’s response is honest, yet painstaking: ‘’Everyone who works for the king here, and even the people out in the provinces, knows that there is a single fate for every man or woman who approaches the king without being invited: death. The one exception is if the king extends his gold sceptre; then he or she may live. And it’s been thirty days now since I’ve been invited to come to the king.’’
Go get a mentor
Her cousin’s response demonstrates the importance of having mentors to guide and counsel you during times of difficulty, during seasons which require risk-taking. ‘’Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you are the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.’’
Two points shout out at me in that response: realising that God wants to use you but if you don’t avail yourself to be used He has other alternatives, and the fact that to everything there is a season, a right time for everything under the sun. This was Esther’s season; her opportunity to choose to impact her generation. Fuelled by this counsel, Esther reverently declares a three-day fasting and praying period and works through a plan to approach the king, uninvited: ‘’I will go to the king, even though it is forbidden. If I die, I die.’’ That is risk taking to the core.
The dignity of reverence
A testimony to the power of prayer and fasting, the dignity of reverence for God and the reward of gathering the courage to take risks, the Bible records that Esther, uninvited, approaches the king and he, uncharacteristically, welcomes her and hears her out. In a dramatic turnaround, the plot - to massacre all the exiled Jews who lived in the expanse of fifth century BC Persia – fails.
And then none get killed
It turns out that no God-representing men and women get killed in this story.
I am convinced that God-honouring and God-worshipping people do not get killed, do not die, do not get totally cut off, in anyone of our life stories - whether that be spiritually, emotionally, financially or whichever the case may be. The Bible says weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. It also records the words of Christ Jesus which warn that in this world we will have many troubles, but also enlightens us that for us, Christ has overcome them all.
Learning to lose ourselves in faith, hope and love
Victory is assured because of the decisions you make, the risks you take and the sacrifices that you make in reverence to the Word, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Blood shed for each one of us at Mount Calvary. Matthew 28 reads: ‘’Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him, they worshipped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.’’ Noting the presence of his disciples, and in reverence to His Father, Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and told them exactly what He had in mind to tell them, regardless of the doubting Thomas’ who did not want to risk themselves totally. He gave them this charge: ‘’Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.’’
Should I stay or should I go?
I woke up this morning with my head full of a risk-taking choice which I have to decide on. Faced with an offer of relocation to a position in which I’d enjoy a significant salary increase, in a country of my birth and where I would be with my elderly mother, my siblings - plus the prospect of notably more challenging and exciting work - I still find myself wanting. Age thirty-five and alone in a third country which has become my home over the past three years, I ponder what I would lose if I took the risk and accepted the offer before me.
And what about my networks?
What I know for sure is that the one thing I would lose is the intimacy with God in the community of believers I have come to know and cherish through the local church I have been attending over the past three years; and the treasured, life-impacting friendships I have come to develop among a few people that work and play has brought me in contact with. What a delight and comfort some of these have been.
On being faithful to what you know you've been called to do
In my local church, I serve as a steward in various leadership capacities. Through that same local church I have also come into contact with a handful of like-minded people and made some friendships which have led to the formation of a number of exciting outreach projects. And I don’t want to give these up. I don’t want to start all over again. I know that intimacy with God is something that you carry with you, that there are a thousand and one other Word-based and life impacting churches in the city in which I am being offered this promotion, and that God can make me a home in this new city and put me into contact with a new family of believers – but I don’t want to go. And I am not sure if I am being short-sighted.
On trusting in Him
My heart says no; that there is work also to do here. The singular and distinct feature which attracts me to the offer is the prospect of yet more challenging and exciting work. But my heart is telling me that if I take the risk of believing God and remaining in my seemingly ‘desert land’, He will make the rough places smooth and that I will drink water from rocks. And like Esther, I want to talk this over with my mentor.
As I embarked on quiet time this morning, I flicked through my Bible and came across a decisive note I had written alongside Matthew 28 verses 16-20 almost a year ago. It reads as such: ‘’Don’t be unsure about risking your life totally in worship of God. It is in totally risking your life in worship, total worship of God, that you regain your life – that you regain hope, joy, prosperity, you regain back lost dreams. Therefore do not be afraid – and give your life totally to God, in Christ Jesus. 13 July 2005, Nairobi, Serena Hotel.’’
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
When Hope is Deferred
A longing unfulfilled?
One of the scriptures which always shouts out to me in the magnitude of its truth is ‘hope deferred makes the heart grow weary, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.’ Proverbs 13 verse 12. But I certainly find that more often than I want, I do find that my heart does grow weary and I am downcast.
It’s usually those times when I have been pondering on when the things I am hoping for will come to pass and when those things that I am trusting God for will be established. This is particularly heightened when I feel that I have done all that I know to do, but yet I am not experiencing the results (what am I saying results, a result would be fine thing) that I want or expect.
These are usually dark hours (at the best of times) and days (at the worst) of quietness, and, at the worst of times, pure strop. I usually then come to my right mind try and work things out in my own head (write things out on the PC as I am doing now), and ask myself hard questions as to why I might be feeling what I am feeling. I call it being in touch with my emotions.
Being in touch with my emotions and, well, minor road rage
What I do find during these moments is that I come face to face with the harsh reality of my situation, and attempt to deal with the issues which I might have to change, and address how I might have to change them. But what I am finding, what I am realising more so these days is that I am naively unrealistic about the magnitude of the many variables which are at force in bringing about the result that I want in any situation, and I am realising, crucially, that I am quite honestly, somewhat impatient – and that’s putting it lightly. A trivial case in point. I often start each day thinking and saying to myself, ‘I am not going to overtake another vehicle on the road today. I am not going to overtake another vehicle. I am not…,’ - only to find myself doing exactly that as soon as I hit the road. God help me.
Tender evaluation committees et al
Let’s deal with the first issue - the magnitude of the variables which are at force in bringing about the results that I want. I’ll use a work example.
Say I am part of a team that submits a significant tender, we’ve all worked tirelessly hard, we’ve competed with the best companies globally in our field, and we’ve prayed. But months on, we don’t hear anything back from the client. ‘The evaluation committee has not concluded the evaluation process yet.’’ As a Christian, I must hold on in expectation, in faith and in hope. And as I do, I regret to say, I do find that I do so fret. But I am sure I am not alone in that habit. I fret because I think I did the best that I could, I prayed and worked long, hard hours. Surely that’s enough to bring in the results that I want? And we are talking about a possible sizeable contract.
What I often omit to think about is the other side of the coin. The other side of the coin is that there may be some rent seeking issues going in within the tender committee; another company may have submitted a better more comprehensive tender; someone from the competing team may have treated the prospective client to a lavish lunch at that impressive and grossly expensive restaurant in town, or quite frankly, our tender, despite my best efforts, may just inadequately address the client’s needs.
And I think I must more often than not think of the other side of the coin. These are powerful forces at play. Their presence does not in anyway diminish my effort or determine my value, all it means is that I must be alert to the various dynamics at play and I must settle down to the realities of these dynamics. I must not put undue pressure on myself and I certainly must not evaluate myself and my efforts on the results of dynamics which are quite frankly warped and outside of my control.
The G-Factor
But I think the reason I do fret is because of the G-factor –the God factor. Like David, I am asking God, ‘why this?’ I am asking Him, since He is the creator of the universe, ‘can He not ensure that I get this want met?’ Well, He may the creator of the universe, but, hello, He does not have to do what I ask Him to do when I ask Him –He will move for me when He wants to.
Yes, I may have paid my tithes, given offerings, served in church and done all of those good and wonderful things we are taught to do in the Bible and in church. Yes, I have done them, but the timing of the release of my joy is up to the Creator of the universe and the sooner we all realise that fact the less sleepless (and for my sisters reading this, cry less) nights we’ll have.
This one is for my sisters - keeping it real
Let’s go to a raw issue. Relationships. I tear my hair out for the million and one things I have to do week in and week out – demanding work schedule, MBA lectures and assignments, travel to the other side of the continent, church stewardship activities, the gym, me needing ‘me time.’ The list is endless. And then, at the end of the day, I also want him to be there when I want him to be there - wherever 'there' is - and that can be anywhere depending on the time of the month. But, hmm, hello, can somebody remember that there is another side of the coin? Can somebody remember that he has a million and one thousand and one other things to do just like I do? Can somebody remember that he has a life outside of me? No.
It’s called the microwave mentality. I want it and I want it in a few seconds – forget a few minutes. Aren’t we supposed to be into each other? Isn’t that what it’s all about? Well, yes we are. But I think we are also meant to respect each other’s needs and commission in life. If one factor overbearingly outweighs the other, then we might have a problem. Dealing with that is not a topic for today.
Constantly praying the Serenity Prayer
I am learning that the 21st century living is challenging living. We need more patience, more understanding, more insight and more wisdom. God says in the book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 3 that He has ‘filled us with His Spirit and given us skills, abilities and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.’ That will take some working. Working your land, tilling your abilities, tilling your knowledge and those skills in all kinds of crafts so that you can become, so that you can be in the fullness of the abilities He has called us into. That the God who gave David such wisdom even as his heart was sick from deferred hope also give us divine wisdom to do as is written in the Serenity Prayer:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next."
And the congregation said Amen.
Accepting the things we may not like
The ability to accept things that we may not like, gather courage and exercise wisdom are three qualities that build our character. The serenity prayer expresses the truth that life can be a challenge. What am I saying life can be a challenge? Life can be a struggle - full stop. The Serenity prayer seeks God's help with life’s many struggles, one day at a time. We need to pray for God to manifest these qualities in us, specifically asking for clarity and wisdom for those situations where we need to determine whether we should accept or change our approach to the challenge.
Our pastor gave a definition of faith at service this morning. Here goes. Faith is the ability to wait for God to bring about the fullness of what He (my emphasis) wants to do you in your life.
That keeps it real for me. Hello, somebody?
One of the scriptures which always shouts out to me in the magnitude of its truth is ‘hope deferred makes the heart grow weary, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.’ Proverbs 13 verse 12. But I certainly find that more often than I want, I do find that my heart does grow weary and I am downcast.
It’s usually those times when I have been pondering on when the things I am hoping for will come to pass and when those things that I am trusting God for will be established. This is particularly heightened when I feel that I have done all that I know to do, but yet I am not experiencing the results (what am I saying results, a result would be fine thing) that I want or expect.
These are usually dark hours (at the best of times) and days (at the worst) of quietness, and, at the worst of times, pure strop. I usually then come to my right mind try and work things out in my own head (write things out on the PC as I am doing now), and ask myself hard questions as to why I might be feeling what I am feeling. I call it being in touch with my emotions.
Being in touch with my emotions and, well, minor road rage
What I do find during these moments is that I come face to face with the harsh reality of my situation, and attempt to deal with the issues which I might have to change, and address how I might have to change them. But what I am finding, what I am realising more so these days is that I am naively unrealistic about the magnitude of the many variables which are at force in bringing about the result that I want in any situation, and I am realising, crucially, that I am quite honestly, somewhat impatient – and that’s putting it lightly. A trivial case in point. I often start each day thinking and saying to myself, ‘I am not going to overtake another vehicle on the road today. I am not going to overtake another vehicle. I am not…,’ - only to find myself doing exactly that as soon as I hit the road. God help me.
Tender evaluation committees et al
Let’s deal with the first issue - the magnitude of the variables which are at force in bringing about the results that I want. I’ll use a work example.
Say I am part of a team that submits a significant tender, we’ve all worked tirelessly hard, we’ve competed with the best companies globally in our field, and we’ve prayed. But months on, we don’t hear anything back from the client. ‘The evaluation committee has not concluded the evaluation process yet.’’ As a Christian, I must hold on in expectation, in faith and in hope. And as I do, I regret to say, I do find that I do so fret. But I am sure I am not alone in that habit. I fret because I think I did the best that I could, I prayed and worked long, hard hours. Surely that’s enough to bring in the results that I want? And we are talking about a possible sizeable contract.
What I often omit to think about is the other side of the coin. The other side of the coin is that there may be some rent seeking issues going in within the tender committee; another company may have submitted a better more comprehensive tender; someone from the competing team may have treated the prospective client to a lavish lunch at that impressive and grossly expensive restaurant in town, or quite frankly, our tender, despite my best efforts, may just inadequately address the client’s needs.
And I think I must more often than not think of the other side of the coin. These are powerful forces at play. Their presence does not in anyway diminish my effort or determine my value, all it means is that I must be alert to the various dynamics at play and I must settle down to the realities of these dynamics. I must not put undue pressure on myself and I certainly must not evaluate myself and my efforts on the results of dynamics which are quite frankly warped and outside of my control.
The G-Factor
But I think the reason I do fret is because of the G-factor –the God factor. Like David, I am asking God, ‘why this?’ I am asking Him, since He is the creator of the universe, ‘can He not ensure that I get this want met?’ Well, He may the creator of the universe, but, hello, He does not have to do what I ask Him to do when I ask Him –He will move for me when He wants to.
Yes, I may have paid my tithes, given offerings, served in church and done all of those good and wonderful things we are taught to do in the Bible and in church. Yes, I have done them, but the timing of the release of my joy is up to the Creator of the universe and the sooner we all realise that fact the less sleepless (and for my sisters reading this, cry less) nights we’ll have.
This one is for my sisters - keeping it real
Let’s go to a raw issue. Relationships. I tear my hair out for the million and one things I have to do week in and week out – demanding work schedule, MBA lectures and assignments, travel to the other side of the continent, church stewardship activities, the gym, me needing ‘me time.’ The list is endless. And then, at the end of the day, I also want him to be there when I want him to be there - wherever 'there' is - and that can be anywhere depending on the time of the month. But, hmm, hello, can somebody remember that there is another side of the coin? Can somebody remember that he has a million and one thousand and one other things to do just like I do? Can somebody remember that he has a life outside of me? No.
It’s called the microwave mentality. I want it and I want it in a few seconds – forget a few minutes. Aren’t we supposed to be into each other? Isn’t that what it’s all about? Well, yes we are. But I think we are also meant to respect each other’s needs and commission in life. If one factor overbearingly outweighs the other, then we might have a problem. Dealing with that is not a topic for today.
Constantly praying the Serenity Prayer
I am learning that the 21st century living is challenging living. We need more patience, more understanding, more insight and more wisdom. God says in the book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 3 that He has ‘filled us with His Spirit and given us skills, abilities and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.’ That will take some working. Working your land, tilling your abilities, tilling your knowledge and those skills in all kinds of crafts so that you can become, so that you can be in the fullness of the abilities He has called us into. That the God who gave David such wisdom even as his heart was sick from deferred hope also give us divine wisdom to do as is written in the Serenity Prayer:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next."
And the congregation said Amen.
Accepting the things we may not like
The ability to accept things that we may not like, gather courage and exercise wisdom are three qualities that build our character. The serenity prayer expresses the truth that life can be a challenge. What am I saying life can be a challenge? Life can be a struggle - full stop. The Serenity prayer seeks God's help with life’s many struggles, one day at a time. We need to pray for God to manifest these qualities in us, specifically asking for clarity and wisdom for those situations where we need to determine whether we should accept or change our approach to the challenge.
Our pastor gave a definition of faith at service this morning. Here goes. Faith is the ability to wait for God to bring about the fullness of what He (my emphasis) wants to do you in your life.
That keeps it real for me. Hello, somebody?
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