It's a matter of perspective

When I lived in Ontario I found a daily temperature of -9c dreadfully cold and worthy of much shivering and complaining.  I now find myself wearing yoga pants under my jeans, two pairs of socks, a toque and mitts daily.  Each morning I will dutifully check my phone weather ap, hoping to discover a temperature in the single digits where only one layer will be needed.  My heart soared to see a reading of -9, only to have it broken when I discovered that it was indeed -26 and I had in fact left my phone turned to the Cambridge, Ontario page the night before.  I now in true Manitoba fashion scoff the Southern Ontario people when they complain about the snow and cold.

And yet there are those in my community who scoff my complaints.  Those who have lived in Northern Manitoba or the territories, where -40 is the norm.  What?  Isn't -26 cold?  Sure feels cold to me!

I've come to the realization that cold is a matter of perspective.  God created us so ingeniously that our bodies miraculously adapt to our surroundings time and time again.  It's wonderful that my body has adapted to the point where -10 is now no big deal...and good thing since I daily have to deal with much less.  But really, does that make -10 any less painful for the person who is accustomed to nothing below zero?

This has been on my mind lately....but the concept of perspective goes so much deeper than that.  We tend to measure and judge not just the temperature outside, but our stresses, our pain tolerance, our lack of prosperity, our trauma, our hurt, our grief....the list is endless.  We have this idea in our heads that if our situation is "worse" than our neighbours, they have no right to complain.  "Oh, you think you've got it rough...well, I'm dealing with x, y and z.  You've got it easy!"  Does our neighbour feel any better by our lack of empathy?  I think not!

We will always have people in our lives who complain about what seems like the smallest thing.  Their list of issues is endless and it is difficult to have patience with them.  But perhaps their complaining is simply a symptom of a much larger issue....perhaps it is spurned by feeling insignificant and simply wanting attention....maybe they can't express the big, difficult thing in their life and they cope by grumbling about the little things.  I don't know.  

I do know that when someone is expressing hurt, it's not our job to pull out a measuring stick, compare and belittle it.  We read in Philippians 2:1-4:  

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I pray that God always keeps me mindful of the pain others are going through and sensitive to their hurt and struggle, regardless of my own!  And I'm sorry my Ontario friends....yes, -12 is cold when you live here!  

This animated short does a fantastic job of showing how empathy REALLY works:  http://blazenfluff.com/the-power-of-empathy-animated-short-explains-the-difference-between-empathy-and-sympathy/

Blessed be the name

I have had many great debate with various Christian friends about the song "Blessed Be The Name", specifically because of the Bridge portion which states:

     You give and take away

     You give and take away

     My heart will choose to say

     Lord, blessed be Your name

Those who advocate in favour tend to quote the book of Job 1:20-22:

²⁰ Then Job arose, and rent his mantle and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Others, who largely have no issue with other segments of the song feel this bridge misrepresents God; although most agree that God allows bad things to happen to us, it is not He who inflicts them.  After all, wasn't it Satan who inflicted Job?  God just let it happen.  Then could it be said that God took away His protection from Job?  Perhaps.  It's a complex confusing topic to say the least.

I have always been on the fence, but this summer has given me a slight lean.

I came to Selkirk at the start of the summer with great expectations.  In my mind I was going to champion the events of the YFC summer.  I had worked hard to get my back in good shape to conquer the long drive.  I was determined to be independent and look after myself.  And then I hurt my ankle.  This impacted me in more ways than I imagined.  

Humbly I was forced to rely on strangers for help on a daily basis.  It embarrassed me to ask friends I'd just met to take out my garbage or help me buy groceries.  I had to relinquish my plans to explore and enjoy my new home and just spend time resting.  I had to miss out on the YFC camping trips and feel at times as though I was inadequate in my job.

Finally last week - after three long months - the fractures in my ankle were pronounced healed.  AMEN!  Then today after a session of physiotherapy I was able to walk for the first time without a cast or crutches and just an ankle brace.  Oh the joy!  But even more so, the deep appreciation I felt for healing....the appreciation to everyone who helped me through this trying time.....the appreciation for the ability to do the things I was able to in spite of my limitations....the appreciation for the opportunities God granted me to feed into young people in spite of not being able to do all the activities - and sometimes because I was left behind.  I learned and grew far more this summer by having my ankle injured than I otherwise could have.  And no surprise, I've been here before when I hurt my back just a few years ago.

So, what's my point?  I don't know if we have a God who simply allowed my ankle to get hurt, or if He in fact set in motion the events that caused it to get hurt.  If it is the latter, so be it!  Because if so, He in His infinite love provided for my every need and used it for my own good.  Do we have a God that in fact "gives and takes away"?  I don't know.  But regardless, my heart will choose to say "Blessed Be Your Name"!  

Blessed Be Your Name - listen and be blessed!

Swimmin upstream

It's been a very long time since I blogged, and looking at all that God has revealed to me in the past year, it saddens me that I haven't made record of it.  But seeing as how the mystery of time travel has thus far eluded me, we shall move forward and press on :)

Which leads me to confession time.  When I envisioned my life as a YFC missionary, I thought it would be so steeped in spiritual matters and ministry that pursuing a relationship with Christ on a personal level would just occur naturally.  I even had a friend who worked on the mission field once tell me that he need not put effort into his faith walk since each and every day was focused on ministry.  HAHAHA!  Nice little lie you've planted there Satan!  Whether you're doing full-time ministry and working in a music store, a relationship with God takes work.  Saying that doing ministry relieves of actively pursuing Christ is like saying that you don't need to work on your marriage because you see each other every day.  I'm quite confident any successfully married couple will agree that you need to focus on your relationship if you want it to be successful.

The truth of the matter is, society will continuously pull us away from living a fully Christ-centred life.  We are constantly being bombarded with messages that tell us exactly what is lacking in our life and how we can pursue true happiness through financial gain, diet, clothing, makeup, relationships, sex...the list is endless.  And with enough subjection to these influences we lose our focus, our strength, our meaning and our value.  While God is speaking in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12), the world is screaming its message at us through a high-def-technicolour-200 watt boss stereo system.  Pursuing God in today's western culture is like trying to walk uphill on a downward directional escalator....or to put it in terms that my new friends would understand here in the catfish capital of the world, it's like a catfish swimming upstream; if you don't consistently put in effort, you will continually be pulled further and further away.

And in my traditional blog-fashion, here's a little song to remind to keep your focus :) Running by Hillsong

Faith dehydration

You lay awake, tossing and turning. Watching your favourite TV show did nothing to distract you from your current situation. You tried reading but after your eyes scanned the same page 3 times but absorbed nothing you gave up. Even the softly playing sermon by your favourite pastor on your iPod hasn't worked it's normal magic of helping you drift off. The situation just keeps playing over and over in your mind. When you aren't remembering what happened yesterday, you're projecting what will happen tomorrow. You've mentally worked out a response to each and every possible scenario. If he says "this", you're prepared to say "that". You're ready for whatever may happen and these responses are playing over and over in your head like a bad Vanilla Ice LP that keeps skipping on the turn-table in a horrible 80's movie. And you just can't shut them out.

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Where is your faith? You've prayed about the situation. You've prayed a lot! You've asked God to guide you and protect you and be there with you. As it suggests in Philippians 4:6-7, you've let your requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication and with thanksgiving, at least to the best of your current ability. So where's that peace that surpasses all understanding? Why isn't your heart and mind guarded now that you really need it to be? How can it be that it's 3am and you're laying awake with your heart going 90 miles per hour???

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

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The problem is, faith is not something you can just put on at a moment's notice. Faith is something that builds up as you daily spend time with God, meditating on His word, worshipping Him in gladness and speaking to Him through prayer. When someone is dehydrated, they didn't get that way from skipping one glass of water. And it will take them more than one glass of water to rehydrate them. In Psalm 1:2 we are called to meditate on God's word day and night. Psalm 34:1 suggests that we bless the Lord at all times. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 calls us to pray without ceasing.

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Are you laying awake and lacking peace? Do your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears? Take heart my friend, for God hears you. However if it is peace you're looking for - that peace that surpasses understanding - a closer walk with daily doses of Bible reading, constant praise and unceasing prayer may be in order. God's grace and peace is readily available in abundance for all who seek it; drink it up!

Sugar cube igloo

When I was in grade 6 we were challenged with building some kind of miniature structure to reflect dwelling places of our Canadian ancestors. While most of the class used twigs or Popsicle sticks and fabric or paper to create miniature tepees, I came up with the brilliant idea of making a sugar cube igloo. I painstakingly filed each and every cube down to precise angles to make a perfect circle, then eventually a dome. But I faced two challenges; the slightest jiggle and a "brick" would come loose, making a wall collapse. And as I got to the top, unless the cubes were tightly compressed the roof would cave in. After much fooling around (and eating about half a box of sugar cubes) I realized that I could glue the cubes to make a tighter structure and make it stay together better. And a wad of paper in the centre supported the top so that some of the weight was relieved and it stopped caving in. I'm pleased to say that my teacher was thoroughly impressed and gave me an A+. My mom was not so happy about all the sugar that ended up all over the table and the floor ;-)
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My little igloo (before the bottle of Elmer's was brought into play) reminds me of my church, each family or member forming one of the blocks. Life is continually rattling us - as life tends to - and people seem to slip out of their intended position before you know it. Some of those people are foundational and when they leave you end up with a little (or sometimes big) domino effect of others falling out. Right now I think our roof is sagging a bit too....there's a lot of weight pressing in on those who are overseeing everything and they aren't being properly supported.
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So...what's the glue that's meant to hold these church-going cubes together? In my eyes, its relationships. It's taking the time out to care for one another, spend time together and see to each others needs. The book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 42-47 provides an awesome example of how the new church of Jesus Christ was to interact with one another:
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They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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When was the last time you invited someone from the church over for a meal in your home....someone other than one of the 3 or 4 that you hang out with all the time? What is it that stops us from reaching out time and time again? Are we afraid that we won't have enough for ourselves if we share? Are we concerned about being judged for what we do or don't own? Or do we think that nobody likes us well enough to even accept an invite? Friends, each and every one of these reasons are a lie from Satan himself! If we reach out to one another in love, while we may not have the desired response each and every time, I promise you that more often than not, we will be thrilled with the outcome. And if we aren't, we will soon know that our church is not the House of God that we wish it to be and it is destined to fall apart eventually. Personally, I think it's worth the effort of putting a little glue into my neighbouring blocks....don't you?
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And what about the wad of paper that served so support my little igloo? That of course is no less than God. For if a church is not built with God at its core, it's useless.

Too busy?

Life sometimes gets away from us, especially during the Christmas season. Some of us - especially those in the retail world - find the demand to work extra hours increasingly difficult to turn away. Then there's shopping to be done, parties to be attended, and snow to be shovelled on random days, setting us into a frenzied panic as we try to meet all of our obligations. So when a casual aquaintance asks to spend time with us in December we struggle to make time for them and often fail to find a feasible rendez-vous.

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Have you ever found yourself in this situation and given your friend a detailed laundry list, explaining all the items you have stuffed into your schedule over the next three weeks to account for your inability to accomodate time with them? Friends, forgive me for I recognize I too am guilty of doing exactly this. It wasn't until it happened to me when I was struck by how this impacts the listener. Because when you do this you are in effect saying, "I've booked these 30 other things into my schedule and they take priority over you at the moment". WOW! Pretty harsh when you look at it this way.

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And now I'm going to take it a step further: How many times have we said this exact same thing to God? "God, I know you're the one who's given me my life and all the time that I have; you're the creator of time! But work, parties, gifts....these are all more important than you right now. So forgive me for skipping devotions/prayer/church this week; I just can't make the time for you right now". OUCH!

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Moses knew the value of time management and wrote about it in Psalm 90:10-12: Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away....Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

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Moses reminds us that our days on this earth are numbered; when we get to the end we won't regret a missed paycheck, but we will regret a lost friend. How much more will we regret if we lose our relationship with Christ! I implore you, the next time a friend wants a few moments of your time that you can't seem to spare, don't give them your laundry list of chores and engagements; cancel something in the next 3 weeks and make a commitment. And do the same for Christ; He gave His son for you; surely you can find a few moments each day for Him!

Staying afloat

Growing up I was blessed to have an awesome 8' deep octagon shaped pool in my backyard. I spent countless summer hours with my brothers having canon-ball contests and splashing around in its depths. However that first summer I did not know how to swim! Someone had bought for me this Styrofoam floater devise to help me learn. In the shape of a tadpole it was meant to be strapped to your back and would keep you afloat while you learn the basic operations of how to maneuver your arms and kick your legs. However, I didn't like to use it in the way it was intended. You see, it scared me to be forced into such a horizontal position, my face so close to the water. So instead I would forgo the straps, cling to it on my belly and simply float around the pool.
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My dad didn't go into the pool often; he claimed that he had a "bone in his leg" and that the "water was too wet" for him. But on one occasion he was there and saw me misusing my little floating tadpole. Against my complaints he strapped it to my back and watched me flail about, fighting to keep my head up and my body vertical. I recall him grabbing hold of my arms, pressing them to my sides and saying "just take a deep breath and KICK!!!" I did as he asked (there was no arguing with dad) and found myself sailing across the pool in record time, my little legs acting as efficient little propellers. Thrilled with the results and anxious to improve them I soon was scooping my arms AND kicking my legs, mimicking the front crawl motion that I'd so often seen my brothers do. In the safety of the tadpole's harness I was swimming, and I was swimming FAST!

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The past couple of days I've been feeling completely overwhelmed...by school, by work, by my sinuses, by life in general. I felt like there was so much on my plate I couldn't possibly stay afloat through it all. I couldn't figure out how I was going to do all that I needed to do. But I came to a sudden realization that I had absolutely no need to worry and was reminded of what is written in Isaiah 40:28-31:

The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
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As long as we hope in the Lord, we need not worry about staying afloat. He's like my Styrofoam tadpole and will keep us afloat while we go about doing what we need to do. Putting your full trust in God is scary at first; He may put you in directions you weren't expecting; He may take you out of your comfort zone; your face just might get a little wet. But when you read these verses you know that it's worth taking the risk. And unlike my tadpole, God is not going to chip away and fall apart after a few years of use! He is an everlasting God who will not grow tired and weary. That means He won't grow tired and weary keeping me afloat....I just need to take a deep breath and KICK!

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You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my ever present help in time of need! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McItEpwJofM&feature=fvst - listen and be blessed!