Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. (Proverbs 4:25)
Growing up, I took ballet lessons. I instantly fell in love with the dance as a kid. I mean, I LOVED it! I was always dancing. Whether at home, at school, or in the aisles of the grocery store, no one could keep my feet from moving to the music that played inside my head. While I loved every part of dancing, one of my favorite things in ballet class was doing pirouette turns. Turn after turn after turn (grocery store aisles are perfect for these)...I always felt like a princess spinning around on my toes!
The tricky thing about pirouette turns is that you can easily become dizzy from doing them. The key to turning without becoming dizzy is, of course, to fix your eyes on one stationary spot. With each turn, your gaze must come back into focus on that one particular spot at the end of each rotation. I can remember scanning the room for my selected focal point – a picture frame, a sign, a poster, or even my own reflection in a mirror. The focal point is a must. Otherwise...you're bound to end up in a giggling heap on the floor, pink tutu and all.
The same is true with our faith.
In Hebrews 12:2 the author writes, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
If we don't keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we're bound to end up in a heap of trouble and there’s not so much giggling in that heap! We're way too easily distracted by the things that the devil throws in front of us in an effort to trip us up and cause us to doubt God's goodness and ultimate plan for our lives.
As a dancer, It wasn’t enough for me to fix my gaze on any old object. I couldn’t choose a passing car or a person walking by because, naturally, I knew that they wouldn’t be in the same place by the time my head had whipped back around. I had to choose a solid, stationary object that I could rely on to remain stationary during the amount of time it took me to complete each rotation. When I apply that lesson to faith, I see Christ as the only solid and stationary object to concentrate on. My friends and family are there for me most of the time, but as humans with their own individual set of struggles and limitations…they’re bound to disappoint me eventually. Money evaporates quicker than water. The job market can be highly volatile. Vehicles and homes are subject to accidents and fires. The only true constant in this life is my relationship with Jesus Christ. There’s a good reason the Psalmist refers to God as our Rock!
We, as children of God, are often likened to sheep in the Bible. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” While sheep in children’s books are cute and fluffy creatures, the reality is that sheep are not known for being the smartest of animals. Sheep are easily frightened and are very slow, which makes them especially vulnerable to predators. They’re high maintenance in that they need the constant care and attention of a shepherd. They are so easily influenced by their peers that they will willingly follow one another right over the edge of a cliff to their death in pursuit of a few blades of grass. Isaiah 53:6 reads, ”We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Essentially, the smartest sheep is the sheep nearest his shepherd.
Thankfully, we're not sheep without a shepherd. Christ is our Shepherd and He has come for His lost sheep (Matthew 15:24).
Last week I spent a few days studying a short passage in Proverbs (4:20-27) as part of a daily Bible study I’m doing with some friends. Looking back at the verses again after having read them for several days in a row, I finally noticed a theme emerging from the text. The theme was one of obedience and position. Our Heavenly Father is omnipotent (all-powerful) and He is in control of all things. That doesn't mean that we accept Christ into our hearts, accept his gift of salvation, and then carry on in life doing as we please because we have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus and are thereby forgiven for all of our sins (past and present). A life given to Christ is a changed life. Not a perfect life…a changed life. The change begins with obedience.
Reading over those words in Proverbs over and over again, certain phrases jumped out at me. Listen to God. Memorize Scripture. Guard your heart. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Avoid lies and gossip. They were all commands, or rather demands for obedience to the Shepherd.
We will always be sinful humans. Our call isn't to be sinless (it's just not possible), it's to be obedient and to position ourselves in such a stance that we are ready (and more importantly, willing) to be used as tools of the Lord. It’s our responsibility to be putting our bodies in a position ready for worship…to be positioning ourselves as close to the Shepherd as we possibly can…to concentrate our focus on Christ as we traverse this dizzying pirouette-twirling journey called life. We're commanded by God to go to church (Remember the Sabbath Exodus 20:8), guard our hearts, and fix our eyes on Jesus. We don't do these things because they're wonder drugs for our moments of depression or supernatural maps to lead us in moments when we’re especially lacking direction. We do them out of obedience to God, knowing fully that He will bless us for our obedience. He will surely grant us our undeserved prize.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
I might be too old for the tutu now, but I’ll never be too old to fix my eyes on my Shepherd and dance for Him.
A side note: As I was writing this blog, I did a little research (ok it was VERY little so don’t bother asking me any questions later) on the behavior and nature of sheep. One thing that I found pretty interesting was that while sheep have excellent peripheral vision, they unfortunately have very poor depth perception. Dips in the terrain ahead of them, and sometimes even just shadows, will cause them to stop in their tracks or even retreat. As a result, sheep have a natural tendency to want to move out of darkness and into well-lit areas.
The same applies to us as the sheep of God’s pasture. Like sheep, our peripheral vision is 20/20. We are easily distracted, and consequently entangled, by the things that encompass us in this world. Our depth perception seems to be terrible in that we are always slipping and tripping and having to fall to our knees to ask forgiveness. I truly believe that there is something inside of us that causes us to naturally desire to move out of the darkness of sin and enter into the Light of God’s Truth.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
doing the chocolate dance
Wisdom is not gained by passive absorption. It must be consumed and savored. It must become the focal point of our thinking. -- Chris Tiegreen, The One Year Walk With God
I love the mental picture that comes to my mind when I read Proverbs 4:20-21. "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them."
When I read those verses, I envision this little boy chasing after his Father and leaping into the air to grasp his words as they float, swirling and twirling on every fleeting breeze like snowflakes, from his lips. The little boy is excited with this game he and his Father are playing. He giggles and squeals with delight as he anticipates his daddy's every word and the chase that ensues.
One night last year, my friend took me with him to spend the evening at an art museum in town. At that time, there was one exhibit at the museum which centered entirely around chocolate. Within the exhibit were all these different booths set up sampling chocolate and displaying things made out of chocolate. One booth was particularly amusing to us. The "vendors" had in their station something that was similar to a plastic phone booth and there were hundreds of chocolate wrappers lying on the ground inside. One by one, museum patrons would zip themselves inside the plastic booth. Once secured inside the plastic lining, the patron would meet with a great gust of wind coming from the floor of the booth which would send the wrappers swirling around his or her face and body. The object, of course, was to grab as many chocolate bar wrappers from the air as possible in the short amount of time allotted. The end result: a whole chocolate bar in exchange for every wrapper.
We watched person after person go inside the booth because it was so amusing to watch them do their "chocolate dance" amid the blizzard of wrappers. They would look so frantic and desperate as they grappled in the air for promises of chocolate. Eventually, we ran into another friend of ours at the exhibit and the friend I was with conned him into entering the plastic booth under the false pretense that we would then do it as well. Our friend did pretty well at collecting a nice handful of wrappers and he graciously shared his chocolate winnings with us despite our trickery.
Do we ever look like that? Do we ever resemble a child scrambling to catch his Heavenly Father's every word? Do we ever look like the patron in the plastic booth, hungrily stuffing wrappers into our pockets in eager anticipation of the rewards they represent? Or are we merely spectators in this life of faith - spectators who hope to benefit from someone else's chocolate prizes? Are we content to let the words fill our ears and sink into the abyss of our mind, hopeful that their final resting place will benefit us in some way or cause us to supernaturally grow with little or no effort?
I have to think that faith without ensuing action isn't really faith at all. If a life touched by the blood of Christ (or by the words of Christ) isn't a changed life, then it is not a life worth living.
As a child, I soaked in all the Bible stories and Scripture memory verses I could get my hands on. In addition to my Barbie dolls and the traditional doll house, I had Bible action figures and a Jerusalem "doll house" that my dad built for me. I would spend hours in play with Ruth, Esther, and David, moving their plastic legs through my cardboard city. I would line up my stuffed animals and babydolls to tell them stories from my makeshift pulpit (an upturned wooden footstool). I sang along to Psalty's Scripture memory songs that bellowed from my favorite red, plastic cassette player. Wow, I was such a freak.
Then somewhere in my adolescence, my passion died down for awhile. I grew complacent sitting in church on Sunday and grew satisfied with simply letting the words fill my brain. In a way, I expected that to be enough. For awhile, I was satisfied with the passive absorption Tiegreen was talking about.
I'm so grateful that God has brought me out of that stagnant state and has re-ignited my passion for His Word and has shown me firsthand how vital His Truth is to my daily life! I'm so thrilled to be doing the chocolate dance for God's words of wisdom. I just hope it doesn't end when my time runs out in the booth. And I hope I don't hoard all of the "chocolatey" wisdom for myself, but that I share it instead with everyone around me.
For me, the chocolate dance comes as a result of spending time reading my Bible every day. It comes about after applying Godly principles to my life that my pastor preached about on Sunday. It's a result of the discussions I have with my home group each week as we dissect Scripture passages. The chocolate dance comes in the form of Christ-like conversations with family and friends and Godly reactions to circumstances and situations. The chocolate dance is recognition of God's hand in a beautiful, blue sky or a breathtaking sunset. The chocolate dance is giggling until there are tears running down your cheeks as you share your heart and open your arms to your girlfriends who are going through this life journey alongside of you.
The bottom line: God's wisdom is dark, chocolatey goodness for the soul.
I love the mental picture that comes to my mind when I read Proverbs 4:20-21. "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them."
When I read those verses, I envision this little boy chasing after his Father and leaping into the air to grasp his words as they float, swirling and twirling on every fleeting breeze like snowflakes, from his lips. The little boy is excited with this game he and his Father are playing. He giggles and squeals with delight as he anticipates his daddy's every word and the chase that ensues.
One night last year, my friend took me with him to spend the evening at an art museum in town. At that time, there was one exhibit at the museum which centered entirely around chocolate. Within the exhibit were all these different booths set up sampling chocolate and displaying things made out of chocolate. One booth was particularly amusing to us. The "vendors" had in their station something that was similar to a plastic phone booth and there were hundreds of chocolate wrappers lying on the ground inside. One by one, museum patrons would zip themselves inside the plastic booth. Once secured inside the plastic lining, the patron would meet with a great gust of wind coming from the floor of the booth which would send the wrappers swirling around his or her face and body. The object, of course, was to grab as many chocolate bar wrappers from the air as possible in the short amount of time allotted. The end result: a whole chocolate bar in exchange for every wrapper.
We watched person after person go inside the booth because it was so amusing to watch them do their "chocolate dance" amid the blizzard of wrappers. They would look so frantic and desperate as they grappled in the air for promises of chocolate. Eventually, we ran into another friend of ours at the exhibit and the friend I was with conned him into entering the plastic booth under the false pretense that we would then do it as well. Our friend did pretty well at collecting a nice handful of wrappers and he graciously shared his chocolate winnings with us despite our trickery.
Do we ever look like that? Do we ever resemble a child scrambling to catch his Heavenly Father's every word? Do we ever look like the patron in the plastic booth, hungrily stuffing wrappers into our pockets in eager anticipation of the rewards they represent? Or are we merely spectators in this life of faith - spectators who hope to benefit from someone else's chocolate prizes? Are we content to let the words fill our ears and sink into the abyss of our mind, hopeful that their final resting place will benefit us in some way or cause us to supernaturally grow with little or no effort?
I have to think that faith without ensuing action isn't really faith at all. If a life touched by the blood of Christ (or by the words of Christ) isn't a changed life, then it is not a life worth living.
As a child, I soaked in all the Bible stories and Scripture memory verses I could get my hands on. In addition to my Barbie dolls and the traditional doll house, I had Bible action figures and a Jerusalem "doll house" that my dad built for me. I would spend hours in play with Ruth, Esther, and David, moving their plastic legs through my cardboard city. I would line up my stuffed animals and babydolls to tell them stories from my makeshift pulpit (an upturned wooden footstool). I sang along to Psalty's Scripture memory songs that bellowed from my favorite red, plastic cassette player. Wow, I was such a freak.
Then somewhere in my adolescence, my passion died down for awhile. I grew complacent sitting in church on Sunday and grew satisfied with simply letting the words fill my brain. In a way, I expected that to be enough. For awhile, I was satisfied with the passive absorption Tiegreen was talking about.
I'm so grateful that God has brought me out of that stagnant state and has re-ignited my passion for His Word and has shown me firsthand how vital His Truth is to my daily life! I'm so thrilled to be doing the chocolate dance for God's words of wisdom. I just hope it doesn't end when my time runs out in the booth. And I hope I don't hoard all of the "chocolatey" wisdom for myself, but that I share it instead with everyone around me.
For me, the chocolate dance comes as a result of spending time reading my Bible every day. It comes about after applying Godly principles to my life that my pastor preached about on Sunday. It's a result of the discussions I have with my home group each week as we dissect Scripture passages. The chocolate dance comes in the form of Christ-like conversations with family and friends and Godly reactions to circumstances and situations. The chocolate dance is recognition of God's hand in a beautiful, blue sky or a breathtaking sunset. The chocolate dance is giggling until there are tears running down your cheeks as you share your heart and open your arms to your girlfriends who are going through this life journey alongside of you.
The bottom line: God's wisdom is dark, chocolatey goodness for the soul.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
when i grow up, i want to be a lion
I am woman. Hear me roar!
I think women are often likened to cats or lions because of our "catty" tendencies with one another. That's probably the number one quality in women that causes me to seek male friendships and be extra picky about the women I surround myself with on a daily basis. I hate pettiness and I cringe at cat-like women who manipulate and gossip and bicker and tear one another down. But interestingly enough, Proverbs links the lion to boldness and righteousness. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
Ruth Boorstin, an American writer and poet, once said "Be bold in what you stand for and careful what you fall for."
Lately I've been thinking more and more about being bold for the sake of Christ.
I used to be the only Christian in my workplace and in order for me to maintain a lifestyle pleasing to God in that environment, boldness was almost required of me. My lifestyle begged questions about what made me so different from everyone else. Why wasn't I getting drunk or going out for drinks with everyone else after work? Why wouldn't I date so-and-so or sleep with my so-and-so? Why didn't I gossip and backstab like others did? Why didn't curse words come out of my mouth?
Now I work at a Christian company and everyone in my office is pretty like-minded on the moral issues. And my family is Christian. And nearly all of my friends are Christians. Suddenly I'm not so different on the outside from anybody else around me and I have to ask myself...am I still bold? If not, where and when and how can I be?
I was driving home from church last Sunday and as I sat at a red light on a major six-lane highway, I noticed a man walking along the sidewalk. He was dressed in nothing but sneakers and a pair of jogging shorts. On his back was strapped a backpack. There's nothing unusual about any of that. What made him stick out like a sore thumb was the giant white cross he carried on his shoulder. And by giant, I mean probably about ten to twelve feet long. It had wheels at the bottom where it touched the pavement. I saw him walking with the cross upon his shoulder and my jaw dropped. It took a second for it to register in my brain what was going on. A car passed him and honked a short toot of support, as if the driver were saying "Amen!" or "I'm with you, brother!" The light turned green and I had to drive away, but there was a part of me that so badly wanted to make a U-turn and ask him all kinds of questions. Where are you taking that cross? How often do you do this? What church do you go to? Where did you get this idea? What is your testimony? I immediately admired him for making such a bold statement of his faith.
Last week one night I was in the car with a friend and we were driving along a toll road. We came to a stop at the toll booth and readied our money for the booth operator. As he gave us our change, he leaned over and said "Jesus loves you!" It took us by surprise completely. I sputtered out a quick "Thank you" and I think my friend replied with a "You too!" We drove away asking ourselves, "Did that really just happen?" I wondered aloud if he could lose his job for saying Jesus' name at a toll booth like that. I wanted to go back and tell him how cool I thought it was that he was doing that! It would have been well worth the extra $1.50 I would have had to spend.
Now I have to ask myself, am I bold enough for Christ? I read a devotional last night about lying. The text placed an emphasis on not merely refraining from telling lies, but on speaking the truth when the truth was called for. In essence, it was a devotional about being bold enough to tell the truth. As I reflected on the study, I had to ask myself why I choose to omit the truth or why I shy away from having to speak the truth on occasion. Why do I stay silent when I know I should speak up? The answer was simply my failure to be bold. Each occasion where I had struggled or possibly even failed to speak truth in an uncomfortable situation, it was because I was more afraid of the potential repercussions of my words than I was confident that God would bless me for being truthful. In the instances where I not only struggled but gave in and refused to speak up, I traded boldness for safety. I sold out. I lost an opportunity to be bold for Christ and grow in my faith.
Presbyterian theologian Charles Hodge once said, “The ultimate ground of faith and knowledge is confidence in God.” I want to be confident enough to be bold for Christ. As bold as a lion. Today and always.
I am Christ-like. Hear me roar!
"When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth." Psalm 138:3-4
"They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." Acts 4:28-30
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:16-17
"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:7-9
I think women are often likened to cats or lions because of our "catty" tendencies with one another. That's probably the number one quality in women that causes me to seek male friendships and be extra picky about the women I surround myself with on a daily basis. I hate pettiness and I cringe at cat-like women who manipulate and gossip and bicker and tear one another down. But interestingly enough, Proverbs links the lion to boldness and righteousness. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
Ruth Boorstin, an American writer and poet, once said "Be bold in what you stand for and careful what you fall for."
Lately I've been thinking more and more about being bold for the sake of Christ.
I used to be the only Christian in my workplace and in order for me to maintain a lifestyle pleasing to God in that environment, boldness was almost required of me. My lifestyle begged questions about what made me so different from everyone else. Why wasn't I getting drunk or going out for drinks with everyone else after work? Why wouldn't I date so-and-so or sleep with my so-and-so? Why didn't I gossip and backstab like others did? Why didn't curse words come out of my mouth?
Now I work at a Christian company and everyone in my office is pretty like-minded on the moral issues. And my family is Christian. And nearly all of my friends are Christians. Suddenly I'm not so different on the outside from anybody else around me and I have to ask myself...am I still bold? If not, where and when and how can I be?
I was driving home from church last Sunday and as I sat at a red light on a major six-lane highway, I noticed a man walking along the sidewalk. He was dressed in nothing but sneakers and a pair of jogging shorts. On his back was strapped a backpack. There's nothing unusual about any of that. What made him stick out like a sore thumb was the giant white cross he carried on his shoulder. And by giant, I mean probably about ten to twelve feet long. It had wheels at the bottom where it touched the pavement. I saw him walking with the cross upon his shoulder and my jaw dropped. It took a second for it to register in my brain what was going on. A car passed him and honked a short toot of support, as if the driver were saying "Amen!" or "I'm with you, brother!" The light turned green and I had to drive away, but there was a part of me that so badly wanted to make a U-turn and ask him all kinds of questions. Where are you taking that cross? How often do you do this? What church do you go to? Where did you get this idea? What is your testimony? I immediately admired him for making such a bold statement of his faith.
Last week one night I was in the car with a friend and we were driving along a toll road. We came to a stop at the toll booth and readied our money for the booth operator. As he gave us our change, he leaned over and said "Jesus loves you!" It took us by surprise completely. I sputtered out a quick "Thank you" and I think my friend replied with a "You too!" We drove away asking ourselves, "Did that really just happen?" I wondered aloud if he could lose his job for saying Jesus' name at a toll booth like that. I wanted to go back and tell him how cool I thought it was that he was doing that! It would have been well worth the extra $1.50 I would have had to spend.
Now I have to ask myself, am I bold enough for Christ? I read a devotional last night about lying. The text placed an emphasis on not merely refraining from telling lies, but on speaking the truth when the truth was called for. In essence, it was a devotional about being bold enough to tell the truth. As I reflected on the study, I had to ask myself why I choose to omit the truth or why I shy away from having to speak the truth on occasion. Why do I stay silent when I know I should speak up? The answer was simply my failure to be bold. Each occasion where I had struggled or possibly even failed to speak truth in an uncomfortable situation, it was because I was more afraid of the potential repercussions of my words than I was confident that God would bless me for being truthful. In the instances where I not only struggled but gave in and refused to speak up, I traded boldness for safety. I sold out. I lost an opportunity to be bold for Christ and grow in my faith.
Presbyterian theologian Charles Hodge once said, “The ultimate ground of faith and knowledge is confidence in God.” I want to be confident enough to be bold for Christ. As bold as a lion. Today and always.
I am Christ-like. Hear me roar!
"When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth." Psalm 138:3-4
"They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." Acts 4:28-30
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:16-17
"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:7-9
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