In 1992, a young man named Christopher McCandless started out on an escapade to "find himself." He grew up in a privileged home and had every opportunity at his feet. Shortly after graduating from Emory University, he took his $26,000 check, donated it to charity, cut up his social security card and license, and headed west. After two years of hitchhiking, hanging out with strangers and moving from state to state, Chris decided to go on an Alaskan adventure "into the wild." He felt determined not only figure out how to survive in the wilderness, but to do it by himself. People would only hinder his experience.
Upon arriving in Alaska, he found a stranded bus to camp in and tried to feed his appetite from the animals and plants around him. In the movie, Hollywood depicts Chris as arriving with complete awe and almost a sense of purpose; he is finally alone. After several weeks of attempting to survive solo, Chris reached a point where he realized that the happiness he was experiencing was only worthwhile if it was shared with other people. The drama unfolded as he packed his bags, headed back towards civilization, and was suddenly trapped by a river that was once only a stream. The weather had warmed since he last passed it, and there was no way to go across it. His only options were drowning or surviving alone in the abandoned bus, waiting for someone's arrival.
The tragedy of it all was not Chris's death that followed only weeks later; it was that he died alone. He had abandoned everyone he knew, everyone that loved him and wanted to help him. He ran scared from community and wanted to prove to himself that he didn't need people. The movie depicts him writing some last words in one of his favorite books, "Happiness is only worthwhile shared." He discovered for his need for people, but it was too late. Right before he died, he wrote on a piece of paper, "I have lived a long and happy life. God bless you all."
The past few weeks, we have been talking about the dangers of isolation, risks of being real, and the hazard of admitting everyone. Chris refused to be real with anyone, admitted no one, and isolated himself—it ultimately lead to his death. During the Holocaust, Hitler conducted terrible experiments on infants—giving them just enough food and milk to survive, but no nurture or coddling. If the baby cried, they would manage. Every infant died. Not because of physical needs, but because they had been abandoned.
The crazy reality is that no matter how much we try to deny it, we need people. We were created to live in community with each other. Without people, we can never survive, at least not the way God intended. Authenticity is challenging, gut wrenching, and even painful at times. For some reason unbeknownst to me, it does not come naturally. There have been many times in my life where I would much rather choose to be fake, ignore those that want what is best, and run towards those that will just let me be alone. Yet this is not what God intended, either.
Chris ran from home and towards those that would not offer wisdom he did not want. In our study of Saul, Jonathan, and David, we saw Saul run away from everyone and Jonathan run towards David. David was worthy of being trusted, Saul was not. Without help of those around him, Saul became a madman and ultimately strayed from his very purpose. Jonathan clung tight to his friend David, who ultimately became King and was one that truly pursued the heart of God.
Who do you run from? Are you a Christopher McCandless? Are you dying to get out and away from everyone that knows you, loves you, and wants what is best? We desperately need the love of those around us. My prayer is that you will know Him—and in that, you will let others love you. Being a Christian does not work in any other way. We must stop running and give those that truly care all access into our lives.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
One color.
It's no lie--we live in a world where everyone is defined by something. Whether that be color, financial status, age, clothing, music taste, etc., we place labels and often harsh judgments on first impressions. I know this because not only did I grow up judging others, but I myself, as the rest of you, have been victim to judgment. The unfortunate truth is that all of us have been both the victims and victimizers in this case. Whether we admit to it or not, we have all been judged and judge frequently--even if it is only in our minds.
Jesus came to bring only one color. He alone is what defines us, and yet STILL we live so much like the Pharisees and see only the outside. Christians are certainly not innocent in this matter. The irony, of course, is that according to the New Testament, the Church is supposed to be the greatest proof for love, and more importantly--Jesus. Yet, as needy people, we have fallen into a state of bondage; we are always seeking a way to place ourselves above or below... constantly walking around with a measuring tape trying to figure out where we fall.
When we love someone, we AGREEING with God that they are worth His death. Yet when we give a judgmental glare or gossip within our minds, all we are doing is saying, "God--I don't agree with You. I know You created everyone--but certainly You could not have created this person." Even the person you cannot stand, God said, "Here's their price," and died on Calvary. There are no ifs, no ands, and no buts--all people have unsurpassable worth because God created them. Period.
Blah blah blah, right?
Let me tell you about a moment in my life where I was suddenly smacked with reality. Low and behold, of all things... I was in the mall. As a high school student, I actually dreaded going to the mall. If you have ever been insecure in your life (which I'm sure you haven't), you know what I'm talking about. My biggest temptation every time I walked into a mall was to pull out my imaginary measuring tape. I asked myself constantly, "Where do I fall in this crowd?"
Suddenly, there was a microphone connected to my head. I felt like an eavesdropper and was disgusted by my mind's disease. I noticed that I had an opinion about almost everything and everyone that walked by. I had a constant commentary running through my brain. I was gossiping about people in my own brain! Then, I asked myself the question, "Why am I doing this?" And as I analyzed this, I noticed that there was a part of me that was truly enjoying this--there was this small, nasty part of my soul that was actually liking this. The gossip festival lets us think that we are a little bit above everyone else.
The root, of course, is that we want people to be like us. We might not admit it--but inside we think, "If only people did things my way," or, "If only people would look the way I did." For thousands of years, people have said this in their minds, causing destruction and even death all because we want the power to be the most important. I think God says to us, "Uh, I don't think I gave you that job description. I don't recall giving you that right... what did I tell you to do? Oh, that's right, I told you to live in love."
Unexpectedly, as I was driving home from the mall, I became conscious of my heart's biggest disease. I refused to look at people in the way God does. That day--I decided that no matter what my flesh sees, I would look past it and instead CHOOSE to see what God sees. If we surrender our lives to Christ, then we are agreeing with Him that everyone was created equally.
I don't know what your struggle is, but I know you've got one. No one is innocent of judgment--we all deal with it because we are insecure humans that constantly attempt to measure up. I have no clue who you judge, why you judge them, or what you see when you look at others. Perhaps, for you, you hate anything that has to do with popularity. You look at the kids with the "nicer" clothes, "nicer" cars, or "big" houses and judge them for being spoiled. Maybe, like we talked about on Wednesday, you deal with racist thoughts--and although you dare not admit it--down within your soul you know there are prejudices you hold onto for no reason. You may express them lightly with "playful" jokes, but you're only kidding... right? Right?
When we choose to BELIEVE what God has told us, we are agreeing with him that all people were created equal. To the people of Galatia, Paul wrote,"Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian--for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS." (Galatians 3:23-28) Paul is urging the Galatians to no longer look at the outside--and yet see that Christ had (and has) made every person ONE in Christ Jesus.
Who are you not giving worth to? Who is it that you look at, talk to, or interact with that you place below yourself? Where are your thoughts coming from? Are they coming from God, or yourself? Because, if your thoughts come from the Holy Spirit--then I can tell you FOR SURE they are not thoughts of external judgment. We know it to be true through God's Word, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b)
Judgment, no matter the kind, separates the body of Christ. We are not designed to live as a separated chaos, but rather as a unified body that sees only Jesus. We are one color in Christ.
Love to all,
Anne
Jesus came to bring only one color. He alone is what defines us, and yet STILL we live so much like the Pharisees and see only the outside. Christians are certainly not innocent in this matter. The irony, of course, is that according to the New Testament, the Church is supposed to be the greatest proof for love, and more importantly--Jesus. Yet, as needy people, we have fallen into a state of bondage; we are always seeking a way to place ourselves above or below... constantly walking around with a measuring tape trying to figure out where we fall.
When we love someone, we AGREEING with God that they are worth His death. Yet when we give a judgmental glare or gossip within our minds, all we are doing is saying, "God--I don't agree with You. I know You created everyone--but certainly You could not have created this person." Even the person you cannot stand, God said, "Here's their price," and died on Calvary. There are no ifs, no ands, and no buts--all people have unsurpassable worth because God created them. Period.
Blah blah blah, right?
Let me tell you about a moment in my life where I was suddenly smacked with reality. Low and behold, of all things... I was in the mall. As a high school student, I actually dreaded going to the mall. If you have ever been insecure in your life (which I'm sure you haven't), you know what I'm talking about. My biggest temptation every time I walked into a mall was to pull out my imaginary measuring tape. I asked myself constantly, "Where do I fall in this crowd?"
Suddenly, there was a microphone connected to my head. I felt like an eavesdropper and was disgusted by my mind's disease. I noticed that I had an opinion about almost everything and everyone that walked by. I had a constant commentary running through my brain. I was gossiping about people in my own brain! Then, I asked myself the question, "Why am I doing this?" And as I analyzed this, I noticed that there was a part of me that was truly enjoying this--there was this small, nasty part of my soul that was actually liking this. The gossip festival lets us think that we are a little bit above everyone else.
The root, of course, is that we want people to be like us. We might not admit it--but inside we think, "If only people did things my way," or, "If only people would look the way I did." For thousands of years, people have said this in their minds, causing destruction and even death all because we want the power to be the most important. I think God says to us, "Uh, I don't think I gave you that job description. I don't recall giving you that right... what did I tell you to do? Oh, that's right, I told you to live in love."
Unexpectedly, as I was driving home from the mall, I became conscious of my heart's biggest disease. I refused to look at people in the way God does. That day--I decided that no matter what my flesh sees, I would look past it and instead CHOOSE to see what God sees. If we surrender our lives to Christ, then we are agreeing with Him that everyone was created equally.
I don't know what your struggle is, but I know you've got one. No one is innocent of judgment--we all deal with it because we are insecure humans that constantly attempt to measure up. I have no clue who you judge, why you judge them, or what you see when you look at others. Perhaps, for you, you hate anything that has to do with popularity. You look at the kids with the "nicer" clothes, "nicer" cars, or "big" houses and judge them for being spoiled. Maybe, like we talked about on Wednesday, you deal with racist thoughts--and although you dare not admit it--down within your soul you know there are prejudices you hold onto for no reason. You may express them lightly with "playful" jokes, but you're only kidding... right? Right?
When we choose to BELIEVE what God has told us, we are agreeing with him that all people were created equal. To the people of Galatia, Paul wrote,"Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian--for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS." (Galatians 3:23-28) Paul is urging the Galatians to no longer look at the outside--and yet see that Christ had (and has) made every person ONE in Christ Jesus.
Who are you not giving worth to? Who is it that you look at, talk to, or interact with that you place below yourself? Where are your thoughts coming from? Are they coming from God, or yourself? Because, if your thoughts come from the Holy Spirit--then I can tell you FOR SURE they are not thoughts of external judgment. We know it to be true through God's Word, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b)
Judgment, no matter the kind, separates the body of Christ. We are not designed to live as a separated chaos, but rather as a unified body that sees only Jesus. We are one color in Christ.
Love to all,
Anne
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Dear Church...Cheer Up
After hearing Jon's message this past Sunday night during Evensong I got to thinking, is this something that I actually take note of a lot? In my daily routines at work, school, church, etc., I'm often caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to get things done and learn what I need to and I forget about what Jesus tells us through his letters to us in Revelation. I was just sitting there listening to all the things that go on in people's lives and i was thinking, "gosh, life can really suck..." It was in this thinking mentality that it hit me, "Whoa, these situations.......MY situations.......MY LIFE.....this is me....this IS REAL." Now that I can look back and reflect on all of this, there is a Psalm that comes straight to mind, one that really is descriptive of my whole life situation.
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
4 They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have troubles like other people;
they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
and clothe themselves with cruelty.
7 These fat cats have everything
their hearts could ever wish for!
8 They scoff and speak only evil;
in their pride they seek to crush others.
9 They boast against the very heavens,
and their words strut throughout the earth.
10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
drinking in all their words.
11 “What does God know?” they ask.
“Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
12 Look at these wicked people—
enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.
15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
I would have been a traitor to your people.
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
When I read this I split this down into three parts. The first part (verses 1-14) the Psalmist is basically journalling about what he is feeling. And it is so fitting that he feel the way he does because don't we feel this same way sometimes? I mean, just read those verses again. I can definitely speak from my own experiences that I have been distracted by the successes of wicked and those who aren't believers/followers of Christ. Then I read the verse where he talks about almost slipping away......(I can see a direct correlation to my life). But in the midst of all of this there is hope....In the next verses (15-20) I read about just how lucky I am. Those people may be successful now, but it won't last. My hope is in Christ and He never fails! The third part (21-28) flows right from this, being that once this hope is realized, we should be filled with the joy that Christ brings and share it with those who aren't as privileged as us to feel that joy. Psalm 73 is the Psalm of my life......is it yours as well?
So after all of that, I just want to encourage you.....cheer up.....things might seem unbearable now, but they don't last....I want to leave you with these last few verses that has always helped me through those tough times....
1 Peter 5:8-10 (New International Version)
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
4 They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have troubles like other people;
they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
and clothe themselves with cruelty.
7 These fat cats have everything
their hearts could ever wish for!
8 They scoff and speak only evil;
in their pride they seek to crush others.
9 They boast against the very heavens,
and their words strut throughout the earth.
10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
drinking in all their words.
11 “What does God know?” they ask.
“Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
12 Look at these wicked people—
enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.
15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
I would have been a traitor to your people.
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
When I read this I split this down into three parts. The first part (verses 1-14) the Psalmist is basically journalling about what he is feeling. And it is so fitting that he feel the way he does because don't we feel this same way sometimes? I mean, just read those verses again. I can definitely speak from my own experiences that I have been distracted by the successes of wicked and those who aren't believers/followers of Christ. Then I read the verse where he talks about almost slipping away......(I can see a direct correlation to my life). But in the midst of all of this there is hope....In the next verses (15-20) I read about just how lucky I am. Those people may be successful now, but it won't last. My hope is in Christ and He never fails! The third part (21-28) flows right from this, being that once this hope is realized, we should be filled with the joy that Christ brings and share it with those who aren't as privileged as us to feel that joy. Psalm 73 is the Psalm of my life......is it yours as well?
So after all of that, I just want to encourage you.....cheer up.....things might seem unbearable now, but they don't last....I want to leave you with these last few verses that has always helped me through those tough times....
1 Peter 5:8-10 (New International Version)
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
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