A Stumbler's Walk | ADDENDUM

I hope you read HOPE, my last post. If my hope is unfounded, and you did not read HOPE, I hope you will receive my encouragement to read HOPE now. HOPE is found here... (not that all hope is found in the post, but the post HOPE is found here: 

https://davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-stumblers-walk-set-hope.html. Anyway, this post is an addendum, so I hope you'll read HOPE for context. 

Sorry about that, but onward - and I'm going to keep it short...

So now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13

Faith can move mountains. Hope gets us through the pitch-blackest of dark nights. But love trumps all. I don't think Paul is comparing the three. And it is possible my point here is not his point. But I have a thought. 

Love is not dependent on the object of love. My faith is in a faithful God. But the strength and depth of my faith is dependent on me. My hope is in a God of hope. But my hope is dependent on my ability to hope. (I don't mean to diminish the Spirit's internal, empowering role - He makes all of this potential possible.)  But faith and hope muscles are built through years of spiritually bench-pressing trials, struggles, joys, fears, etc. 

My love is for a God of love. But there is a distinction here. You and I are objects of God's love (maybe subjects is better). And here is the point: God's love for us is in no way dependent on our reciprocation. He loves. He is love. We are loved.

No. Matter. What. Period. 

We love because he first loved us. 

- John 4:19

My love for God, or my children, or a puppy, stems from the love of God. My loving response is based on God's love that pervades everything - my being, nature around us, the Milky Way Galaxy, etc., etc., etc. (Have you every wondered why there are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies in the world? Pardon my naivete, but I think creation is a function of love. And God just can't help himself but to creatively love.) 

Back on point: whether I choose to love God (back), in no way diminishes his love. I can love... because God is love. I can love God... because God loves me. 

Faith requires response and action. 

Hope requires response and action. 

Love requires nothing. (Re-read that. I know I need to.)

But love propels us in all things. 

We love because he first loved us.

Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

God, thank you for loving me.

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | SET HOPE

On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 

- 2 Corinthians 1:10

HOPE...

... It is a powerful word. It is an even more powerful presence. 

Definitions of the word fall short. Dictionaries rob hope of it's depth and capacity; of its ability to sustain, to empower.

The hope I am trying to convey is more than a whim or emotional attachment. "I hope the Chiefs win today." (Which I do... and they will...) The hope of faith - biblical hope - is more.

So now these three remain: faith, hope and love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13

The hope of the Bible is a forever hope. It is an overcoming hope. It is these, because this hope is focused hope. Completely independently of my reading in 1 Corinthians this morning, a four year old blog post of mine entitled FOCUS popped up in Facebook.

In difficult times, our focus makes all the difference. And it is our choice. Will we focus on ourselves? Our circumstances? Or will we choose to focus on the One who is at work in the midst of every circumstance to produce in us what he desires? The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, "…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We need to know a few things: (And not just "know" with our heads; but unshakably hold in our hearts.)

1) God is at work in our lives:

Paul writes "…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…" (Philippians 1:6). God does not grow tired. His patience is incredible. He is invested in us. (Just look at a cross - that invested).

2) God always fulfills his promises:

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him…" (Deuteronomy 7:9).

3) God's timing and our timing are based on different perspectives:

In short, he sees all. He knows all. We don't. He is infinite. We are not. Through the prophet Isaiah God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts," (Isaiah 55:8-9).

(Back to the present)

We have heard it said, "God will never give us more than we can handle." Well, that's crap. Paul states: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength... (1 Cor 1:8). We don't have to hope when we know we can handle it. We don't have to rely. He goes on to write: But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us... and he will deliver us again. (vv.9-10)

There it is! There is HOPE! God saw me through the valley of the shadow... And he will do it again! I was weak. He was strong. I AM weak. He IS strong. And he will deliver me. 

On that... on HIM 

I CAN HOPE!

Paul goes on to write that when we hope, and are stretched; when we almost break, and yet persevere - by leaning, by relying, something happens within us. We find comfort. We find faith. We become conduits of hope for others. 

(back to the old post)

In the midst of trial, God is at work.

When the promise seems so long ago and so hopeless, God hasn't forgotten.

When the circumstances are overwhelming, the One who calmed the storm can do the same IN you.

God has not forgotten us. His word has never failed. He is intimately at work, forming our hearts to be more like Jesus.

Easy? No. Comfortable? Nope.

But good!

HOPE!

God, My hope is built on nothing less... than You.

For now...

D

NO MORE "IF ONLY'S"

(Note: This post is a redo follow up on A PERSONAL NOTE TO A NEW YEAR. Though written a couple NYE's ago... well, if the shoe fits. A final thought on the whiteboard that is 2020.)

Regrets, I've had a few... 

- My Way, by Frank Sinatra

It will soon be 11:59:59 p.m. December 31, 20__ (pick one). A whisper of the second hand will lift the curtain on a new year. 

Retrospectives have begun; countdowns of the top songs, movies, and news stories of the past year. This week The meaning of Auld Lang Syne will be googled a hundred thousand times. Fittingly, the direct translation is Old Long Ago, or more loosely, Times Gone By. 

That is, after all, what time does. It goes by. Time passes. It can be reflected upon and reminisced. It can be memorialized. Good times gone by will be celebrated. There is, however, a dark side to Auld Lang Syne. It can be a song of regret. It can be a mournful tune of -  IF ONLY...

Regrets fall into three primary categories:

1) Those things we did, but wish we hadn't.

2) Those things we never did, but wish we had.

3) The weight of wasted time. 

Those things we did, but wish we hadn't

I vividly recall pulling into our garage after a family outing years ago. My son, somewhere around eight years old at the time, bolted from the left rear door the moment the car stopped. He raced around the back of the SUV and up the passenger side. His goal was to get to the television before his sisters, so he could start the Star Wars DVD where he had paused it. My daughter, unaware of the approaching blond Flash, opened her door just in time for his head to meet its sharp edge at full speed. The resulting head wound was impressive to say the least. An ER visit and many stitches later, all was well. He has the scar to this day - a memento of a painful experience. 

We all carry mementos of pain. However, experts tell us that it is usually not these we most regret. The scars, the wounds, they are part of who we are. And though we would not want to repeat many of the experiences; and may regret some, these are not our greatest IF ONLYs...

The major IF ONLYs of our lives are of the second and third types. 

Those things we never did, but wish we had.

Much has been written on the regrets of the aged or the dying. The greatest of these can be distilled to missed opportunities: opportunities for relationships, opportunities to risk, opportunities to step outside of comfort and attempt something greater. Opportunities to answer the question, WHAT IF...? (But I'm ahead of myself. That question is for the next post.) 

These regrets are formed in statements like:

If only... I had followed my passion instead of taking the easy path...

If only... I had told her how I really felt...

If only... I had been more present when my kids were young...

If only... I had been more generous...

If only... I had cared less what others though of me...

If only... I had believed in myself more...

If only has to be one of the saddest word combinations imaginable. It is the lament of opportunities not grasped; of potential unrealized. 

The weight of wasted time. 

This regret closely mirrors that above. It is the regret of passivity when passion was needed... complacency where action was called for... apathy when love could have made all the difference.

Jim Croce's Time in a Bottle is both beautiful and haunting. It is a love song, and in some ways a song of regret. Croce begins, If I could save time in a bottle..., and finally concludes, but there never seems to be enough time...  (I am fully aware that I have lost all readers over the age of 45 to a reminiscent humming of the melody. Come on back for just a few more moments.) The question Croce ponders is one that we all ask from time to time. It is birthed from wasted time. From regret. And in reflection we exclaim, IF ONLY...  

These last two categories are descriptive of the POTENTIAL LIFE - that life that could be. But just like a piece of chalk sitting on a desk, it is moving nowhere (see part 1). Our goal instead, is to live a KINETIC LIFE - the life that IS; that IS moving, that IS trying. The life that IS attempting and failing and succeeding. The life that IS living. 

What if... you had another chance? 

Well, that is for the next post. But I can't help but say: You do have another chance! It is a gift, a present. It is THE present. It is now! And you have the opportunity to dream the possibilities... What if...?

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk to Christmas | THE RULES

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad... because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him.

- Luke 23:8

Christmas violates all the rules. 

God is not supposed to step into flesh. Or, if he does, he certainly could do better than a backwater town, no-name parents and a subjected people. 

If God were to step into flesh, he certainly would do so in a way that forced all (as in everyone throughout all time) to acknowledge him, to recognize his god-ness, to uncontrollably bend the knee. To bow. Wouldn't he?

If God were to step into flesh, he would certainly exert his power, reward his followers and trample his rejecters. Wouldn't he? 

But Christmas violates all the rules. Angels aren't supposed to give impromptu concerts on hillsides. Low-life run-of-the-mill shepherds shouldn't be the first to hear the greatest story. A stable can't house a universe king. Stars don't suddenly burst to life in an X marks the spot sort of way. Right?

Christmas violates all the rules. But then again, incarnation isn't a natural thing. God-in-flesh-in-a-baby-in-a-manger is a supernatural thing. And the Creator isn't interested in our rules. 

Nor does Jesus jump through hoops held up by arrogant men. Ask Herod. Herod thought Jesus a novelty. He hoped to be entertained. He wanted to see Jesus do something cool and memorable. A card trick maybe? Walk across a bath tub? Herod wanted Jesus to do something that made him feel better about himself, without having to deal with the depth of his own brokenness and depravity. Warm fuzzies are no substitute for humble open hearts. 

It is interesting and sad that Herod stood face to face with Jesus and missed Heaven's Kingdom by a mile. Herod's rules didn't allow him the need for grace... as Grace stood bleeding before him. 

Christmas violates all the rules.  Because Emmanuel (God with us) doesn't seem to make sense. Christmas songs make sense. Nativity scenes and sleigh-rides make sense. LEDs on evergreen trees make sense. They are all sentimental, and part of the story. But only part. 

The story that starlight and angels proclaimed is the story of Emmanuel. God of grace. God of intimacy. God the Son humbly born and horrifically dying; a sacrifice on my behalf and yours (and Herod's). It is the story of glorious resurrection and restoration. Christmas is the story of a grace offer to you and to me. A grace so powerful that it violates the rules. Grace that shatters even the bonds of the grave. 

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel...

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk to Christmas | UNCOMFORTABLE

"Are you the Son of God then?

"You say that I am."

Luke 22:70

I realize Christmas should be about comfort. Comfort foods. Comfort fires. Comfort family. Comfort songs. Comfort sentiments. Comfort.

As I read through Luke's account I am struck by the fact that our Walk to Christmas is Jesus' walk to the cross. And though I am warmed by accounts of healed beggars and returning prodigal sons, I can't fight off a sense of discomfort.

My discomfort comes from Jesus himself.

Jesus spoke in parables at times. At others his words were apocalyptic. And then there were the words that just seem harsh. His message centered on the Kingdom of God - both it's nearness (it's here-ness, if you will) and it's coming then-ness. He speaks of Temples crumbling, cities collapsing and the Glory of Heaven descending. He talks of betrayal and sacrifice; of resurrection and renewal.

And none of this is comfortable.

Remember in the next few days that babies in mangers are sentimental. Saviors on crosses alter history and hearts.

The God of all comfort is anything but comfortable. A comfortable Jesus is - if you'll allow - a tame Jesus. And the Jesus whose words I've been reading is not tame. He is not warm-hug status quo.

This week the world celebrates a baby's birth that caused stars to explode into being, wise men to journey and shepherds to freak out as angels, with full light show, cleared their throats to sing choruses in the sky.

On his last night Jesus shared his heart with those closest to him; and they argued about who among them was greatest. Then the God who glued molecules together to make the tongues of men, was mocked by mouths he could effortlessly close. He chose to be the Lamb led to slaughter. His accusers and tormentors didn't realize he was actually the Lion King wrapped in humility... for their sake (and ours).

Yes, he is a comforting Savior. But he is not comfortable.

God, you are the God of all comfort, but you are far too holy, glorious, and challenging for me to be comfortably self-righteous. Please continue to comfort me with grace as you reveal how uncomfortably awesome you are. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk to Christmas | LOST(NESS)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

- Luke 19:10

Chapter 15: A lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son.

Chapter 18: A wealthy and powerful, yet lost young man ("ruler").

Chapter 19: A crooked and conniving and lost little man. Three parables and two very real people, each of which is lost.

None of us likes to admit he or she is lost. Thanks to GPS and Google Maps men no longer have admit to it; at least in the geographical sense. (God wired the inability to ask directions into our - men's - DNA ). 

The lostness Jesus speaks of is much deeper. It is the lostness of the soul when separated from the God who created and loves. 

It is because of this lostness that Jesus came. Jesus entered the world with a mission: To seek and save the lost. Lost beggars, lost tax-collectors, lost you and lost me.

Max Lucado wrote: 

If our greatest need had been information, 

God would have sent an educator. 

If our greatest need had been technology, 

God would have sent us a scientist. 

If our greatest need had been money, 

God would have sent us an economist. 

But since our greatest need was forgiveness, 

God sent us a Savior.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

None of us likes to admit lostness - the dark incompleteness that nags down deep. But it is only in admitting lostness that foundness becomes possible. 

"Amazing Grace... I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."

God, thank you for your amazing grace that turns my lostness into foundness. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk to Christmas | WHAT DO YOU WANT?

What do you want me to do for you?

- Luke 18:41

A blind beggar with no status, no means and no hope screams for Jesus' attention. He won't shut up, even though some who think they have the right, try to shut him up. 

He is making everyone uncomfortable. Everyone, that is, except Jesus.

Now the blind man stands before Jesus, and is asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" It seems obvious, doesn't it? (Paraphrasing now) "I want to see!" Jesus: "OK… see."

What if God asked you the question; "What do you want me to do for you?" How would you answer? Not genie-in-the-bottle stuff. Not lotteries and looks. What are your deep needs? What is your deepest need… hurt… desire?

Jesus again, "… your faith has made you well." We get a warped sense of faith from some celebrity preachers. The blind man's belief THAT he could see didn't give him sight. He could believe all day that he possessed sight; and still be blind. Biblical faith is not just belief. It is belief IN. Belief in a person. His name is Jesus.

Notice that the (formerly) blind man, when hearing Jesus was approaching, "…cried out…," and then, "… cried out all the more..." (vv38,39) When deep need mixes with faith it cries out all the more. 

Chapter 18 begins, "And he (Jesus) told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." In other words, mix need and faith and cry out all the more.

It's getting late, so let me just ask: What if God IS asking you this question? Right now! "What do you want me to do for you?" What will be your answer?

Maybe our biggest failure of faith is that we simply fail to ask. 

God, I'm blind, I want to see!

For now...

D