How often, when I feel offended or hurt, would I be more at peace, if I were simply more humble? That is the question that has been rolling around my head lately. When I put away the thoughts of myself, about how I think I deserve to be treated, what do I have left to be offended about? Not much.
There’s no avoiding this simple fact: to be like Jesus is to practice humility.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:5-7
How do I put away thoughts of myself when I don’t like the way I’m treated? I like how C.S. Lewis said it, in Mere Christianity,
Read more“Where the Streets Have No Name" as written by Dave Evans Paul Hewson, 1993
These hauntingly beautiful lyrics, made famous by U2, were playing on a continual loop in my head this morning. I’ve often wondered at their meaning, believing this piece of art to have many layers.
Read more“No matter how popular we might be, none of us has ever experienced deep unity or authentic union with another. Since the day that our forefather and mother were exiled in the garden of Eden, we’ve been lost, trying to get back in, trying to find oneness with each other and the Lord." Elyse Fitzpatrick, Found In Him
All of us know what it's like to feel alone, sometimes, even, when we're in a crowd of people we can feel that way. We long for true unity and union. This is why Jesus’s presence with us matters. We were made in the image of God. We were made to live in unity with God and others, but without the love and work of Jesus Christ, his grace, we are lost.
Read moreTrusting God is a process. He is patient and loving with us throughout our questioning and our pain. I’m just now, really starting to understand this. For too long, I’ve been both impatient with myself and with others when it comes to getting over pain. I pray that God will continue to work in my heart, to give me a heart of compassion, that kind that he shows towards us.
Read more"Your grace abounds in deepest waters," comes from the song, Above the Waves (Where Feet May Fail), by Hillsong. I've been using the lyrics of this beautiful song as a framework for this book/blog. The overarching theme is trusting in Jesus, and most recently, I’ve been writing about trusting God when it really hurts-in the deepest waters.
Read moreDear Loved One,
It breaks my heart to see you suffering. I want to offer you comfort and I feel helpless. I’ve tried to make you happy. I can tell you that I love you and offer you kind words. I can buy you flowers and trinkets. I can send you funny pictures that I think will make you laugh. I can take you out for a cup of coffee and listen if you want to talk. These are all good things, and I’m happy to do them. I won’t stop. But I’m learning something. I might be able to bring a smile to your day and offer you a momentary amount of happiness, but I can’t take away your pain.
Read moreThese last few posts have been about purpose. Our purpose, as God’s creation, is to glorify him. We do that through living in loving relationship with him and with his people, and by placing our whole-hearted trust in God. How that plays out in daily life is unique for each person. As Christians, we're called the body of Christ. As each part of the body serves a different purpose, that’s how we, who love God, are to see ourselves.
Read moreWe were created to glorify and worship God through a loving relationship with him. We were made to enjoy the type of loving relationship that is demonstrated in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But love isn’t love if it’s not given freely. With our free will, we chose to turn away from relationship with God, through sin, but God sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and conquer death, to pay the heavy price that we owed and could never pay, and to bring us back into the relationship that we were made for.
Read moreAs I was writing that last post, about God’s purpose being about his glory, an old thought popped into my heard, a thought that I’d stuffed away until now, because it seemed too disrespectful, too terrible. I knew it was wrong, but I hadn’t entirely worked out why it was. That thought had to do with the idea that God wanting glory seemed kind of…egotistical. Have you ever thought that same thing?
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