"I Think We Have A Mutual Friend..."

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7


You know, I have always struggled with the thought that everyone gets the chance to hear about God, no matter how far in the jungle, desert or remote part of the earth.  I do believe God is all-powerful and that He can do anything, but counting on us to get to every person on earth seemed a little tougher than we as humans who enjoy the "easy" way and the dependency on Google Maps could handle.  Then I read this verse for the 100th time and I think I may finally understand...


God is not depending on us to find those people...they will come looking for Him.  This does not mean I will cut back on my donations to the mission program, but our mission teams may be getting some help before they ever arrive.


If by loving one another we are demonstrating God's most important gift, and therefore showing our attachment to God, whether we know it or not, we know God.  Mind-blowing!  Simply put, even the most despicable person you can think of, at one point loved someone.  Mother, Father, brother, sister, friend...someone touched that person's heart.  There was a commitment, no matter how long it lasted, or what the end result was, there was love.  As a child, we love unconditionally.  Good parents, bad parents, it is of no concern to the child, however the unconditional love can be affected by the poor example from bad parents.  If it is true that boys will try to emulate their father in order to meet a woman like their mother and vice-versa for girls, then the effect of poor demonstrations of love can certainly affect the future demonstration of true love from those children.  The interesting point here for me, is the fact that God places a child in your life that energizes the love God has so graciously given.  I do not care how "hardened" a person has become in their life, a child, pure with God's love, can touch that part of you that God wants to set free. 


Is it not amazing that in prison the most hardened criminal will not accept the abuse of a child and will punish the person who committed the crime against a child harsher than our own justice system?  Like I said, a child can touch the most significant part of who we are created to be...loving, caring people demonstrating the love of God.


Back to those remote missions...I am fairly certain God has blessed remote communities with children, families and love.  Perhaps the mission of our missionaries is not just to spread the Good News, but to demonstrate the love people already have inside and cannot understand where it is coming from.  To feel love so strong you would sacrifice your life to save another is a very strong emotion, and is difficult to wrap your head around when you don't know where that internal strength and commitment comes from.  Our biggest task in life is to encourage that love and magnify where it comes from.  It is from God, and those who love are born of God and know God.  


They just don't know it yet...

Thanksgiving 2010

Since early 1989 I have been blessed with reason to be thankful every day of my life.  Never did I realize at that time there would be more blessings to follow, that would give me so much joy.

Growing up, my family life was less than pleasant and while that is not something I want to spend/waste time reviewing, I do remember the feeling of fear in expressing and discovering who I wanted to be...never smart enough, quick enough or in the right place at the right time.  Parenting is not easy and I will not pretend it is harder now than it was when I was a kid.  When I look back over the past 18 plus years, I realize that parenting is not about being right or "getting it right" all of the time.  In fact, sometimes the best we can do for our kids is demonstrate that life does not always go the way we want.

I am blessed with two boys, sorry, young men. (harder to say because it makes me old and a little less useful) Each of them is blessed with a strong sense of who they are and what they want from life.  Just for the record, neither is perfect.  They make mistakes, they have been known to use bad language, get angry, not tell the truth, forgotten to take out the trash, clean their rooms, call their Grandmother, scoop poop, etc.  They are not perfect, but they are normal, healthy good young men.  They are confident, loving, considerate and I have seen them step up for others and protecting the value of those who are challenged or different. Still, this is not the biggest reason I am thankful for my sons...

My joy comes from the simple fact that even when I was a grump, tired from excessive hours, travel and generally not in the mood for any form of silliness, they were silly.  They kept me from taking anything too serious, or more serious than my family.  With the help of their Mother, my tirades about the aforementioned trash, poop and dirty rooms, became material for the "Dad is crazy" comedy festival.  Don't get me wrong, they have always been respectful, just not afraid.  Believe it, or not, I am not always a sensitive "touchy-feely" person.  My career was based upon a very firm belief that feelings cannot be present to be successful.  The boys have not fallen for that, ever.  Whether I am being wrestled to the ground being told "Someone need's a hug!", or being run into the ground trying to keep up during a "simple" workout, or simply being abused for my personal "ticks" developed over years to intimidate the fiercest adversary, my boys have given me the most special gift I could ever ask for...they kept me from becoming my Dad.

That is what I am thankful for this year...among all of the blessings I am certainly thankful for, this stands out the most as I see my boys grow into fine young men.

What Do We Really Want?

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.


It's a tough call on what we really want...sure we talk about "want vs. need", but what do we really want?  Are we that different from the child walking down a toy isle during Christmas?  "That is soooooo cool, I want that!", "That is sooooo cool, I want that!", "That is sooooo cool, I want that!".  This search for satisfaction will continue until the realization that "having it all" is not an option, and then the real pain begins.  We want it all and cannot always commit to the one thing/goal/person, etc.  Our need to be totally in control, puts us in the unfavorable position of being in control of everything...see the dilemma?  With our children, there is no way we purchase every toy they want because we know the consequences that entails.  Toys everywhere, some broken, and the inevitable feeling that "I don't have any good toys!", even though the child received everything they wanted.  (which, by the way, leads to frustration for Mom and Dad too!)


When we shop during the holidays or birthdays, we tell our children to think about what they really want.  Will it last?  Why do you want it...to be cool, to fit in, to express yourself?  What is the real cost?  Nothing costs what's on the price tag.  Anyone with a "free" puppy can tell you that!  Some of us tell our kids to make a list and rank the items from most important to least important.  Some even have them do research on the items, finding out the details on what it's really like to own that item.  Finally, there has to be a decision, commitment to what we all believe is the best decision.  Certainly, as parents we give our direction based upon experience and even though we know what the probable outcome will be, we let the child make the call. When we let our kids decide, it allows for a "softer" discussion if things go awry with the most awesome toy in the world once the package is opened and it is not.  We do not say, "I told you so!", we say, "This was your decision, and now we make the best of it".  As parents, we feel the pain of a poor outcome and want to make it better.  No one wants to see disappointment in the eyes of their child, even if you did tell them "awesome" is just a word on the side of the box.  We want to immediately move towards a new opportunity to make a decision, so our children can learn from their experience.  It can be as simple as getting ice cream and letting them choose what they want, no questions asked.  They should never be afraid to try.  Hopefully, they will ask a few more questions the next time.  Maybe base their decision on more than a flashy ad campaign and even, listen to the guidance from someone (not always Mom and Dad) who knows and can counsel.  As parents, we pray that our children learn to be brave, ask questions and be thankful for the ability to make decisions, even when the outcome is not what they expected.


We parents are very smart when it comes to our children...are we really any different than those we try to direct?  How often do we take the anxiety of decision making to God?  How often do we research and ask questions?  How thankful are we when the "toy" we want is coated with lead-based paint and we cannot have it?  Can we be half as mature as we expect our children to be?


Jesus said, "Bring unto me the children...",  I believe that meant all of us, not just the youthful.  In the verse that started this post, I believe we are being coached on practicing what we preach as parents.  God let's us decide, but I am sure He is just like us with our children...hoping they ask for guidance and direction, hoping they will actually act on that direction and then be thankful with the results, even if they don't understand why it did not work out exactly as they planned.   Just like we are with our children, God provides unconditional love whether our decisions work out perfectly, or fail miserably.  What's interesting, is if we follow our own advice as the verse above directs, we will find the the outcomes are typically positive and better than expected far more often than miserable failures.  


Isn't it amazing how much what we need is what we really want? :)