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What It Means to Live By Faith
Living by faith, as a concept, is really simple. There is no mystery to the idea of it. But, we try to over-complicate this one, as if that wasn’t redundant enough as it is. We obscure the simplicity of it, primarily for two reasons. First, because we want to believe that we have complete control of our own lives, and second, because we want to justify our struggles doing what’s right because it isn’t always as easy or acceptable, and so we don’t always do it. But truly living by faith takes no effort or deep thought, it takes no unraveling of hidden secrets, and it isn’t difficult. Let me illustrate my point.
To demonstrate my point, however, I’m going to quote scripture. I understand that if you don’t accept the Bible as the word of God, I will lose you right here, but, I’m asking that you keep reading for the sake of the analogy. Look at the gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, verses 14-15. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Imagine a little child, 3 or 4-years old. A child has complete faith in the world around them. There may be moments of pain, but they are quickly and totally forgotten. Small bumps and bruises fade with the waking of every new morning. Children are always looking forward to the next adventure or fun thing to do. They love to laugh and play. They don’t worry about what they will eat or wear, because it doesn’t really matter as long as they are taken care of, and they always trust someone to have that under control. They make friends easily, overlook flaws, or never notice them in the first place, and have a curiosity and appreciation for the simple joys that they encounter each hour, each minute. They don’t have every answer, but they are unconcerned about the answers that they don’t have. They ask until they get their answers. They have what they need when they need it, and by some inexplicable trust in life, they know that to be true without even thinking about it. They are also soft-hearted which means they can be hurt easily by disappointments, showing their hope in others and in life, but the speed with which they put those disappointments behind them is blinding. They are the eternal optimists.
It’s that simple. To live by faith is to live like a child. To live by faith is to look for the best at all times, to hope for the future, to seek the common good, to anticipate joys instead of sorrows, to forgive quickly, to laugh often, and to love with abandon. That is exactly how God treats us, and it’s how He calls us to live. That is what it means to live by faith!
Stories I Cannot Tell To You
“Oh the things I could write, if only I could, to entertain or amuse the oft misunderstood. But write I cannot for time, too short, “you had to be there’s” run amuck, and ’tisn’t nice to make sport.”
Thus started my day today. I have missed my blogging. Sounds odd, doesn’t it? But, it’s true. I guess things have been a little busier than usual. So, this morning as I sat to consider things on which I could blog, and in particular recent events that impacted me or made me laugh, I realized that I cannot blog about any of them. They were too full of “I guess you had to be there” humor, or “If I write that, there’s no telling how my clever husband will get in the last word on his blog” stories. Suffice it to say that it was an odd weekend, full of funny moments that would be fun to tell, but maybe they were only funny for me and my family.
But, having said that, I have to ask – aren’t “inside jokes” part of the fiber of every family? I love that our family has quite a few. There are six of us, seven when my step-daughter is in town, so we offer a lot of material for inside jokes! One of our favorite things to do though, is to laugh together and telling these funny stories helps us to do that…
Remember the time that we had a hamster – for a little while?
Or the time that the chair broke during the card game?
Or the movie that only one of us wanted to see and “said person” slept through the opening?
Or the one about eating my salmon?
Or, “Pain – lots of pain!”
Every family should have lots of these. Write them down. Talk about them. Laugh together and retell the stories. What fun it is to have this kind of living legacy going – it builds the fiber of your family and makes it strong!
And yes, the names have been withheld to protect the…ah…er…innocent?
Video Games and Post-Modernism?
We used to have an expression when our children were younger about our car being a family think-tank, a roving theological retreat. Any time we got into the car when the kids were little, it turned into a discussion on some deeper truth or life-changing revelation. That is one thing that all of my children remember – learning about God in the car. I guess we must have made more than our share of long car trips, but it seems that our car can still be that way. We just aren’t all in the same car as often, so I guess I had forgotten this. Until yesterday.
We went to our oldest daughter’s church yesterday for the first time. It was very nice and we all enjoyed the sweet worship and the variety in the service. On the way home however, six of us in one vehicle, we found ourselves discussing the preaching style of their guest preacher and how it varied from my husband’s, also a pastor. We compared the preaching and the music and the greetings and the prayers and found along the way that my kids, now 21, 16, 14, and 11, have some strong opinions about such matters. We were in agreement with most of them, and I have to admit I was completely caught off guard that they had given these things such deep thought, but there was one area that led to the most enlightening, lively discussion we have had in some time. The subject was reaching today’s youth and a Post-Modern culture.
I am just a mom at heart. I can use big words, but often I don’t (and surprisingly, that is what started part of this discussion). I don’t “dumb down” my message, but I try to use words that fit my audience; I use words that are more conversational because I believe that our lives are ongoing conversations, whether in word or action, with those around us, and that’s how I relate to others. I was labeled a post-modernist for this. Okay, maybe not for this alone, but for the fact that while I believe there are absolute truths when it comes to God’s Word, I often use words that evoke thought and reflection to bring God’s truth to light, not commands. My husband on the other hand, stated that his challenge as a pastor was how to convey God’s truths in a one-hour typical church setting in a way that carried enough conviction to carry church members through the week without being commanding. To him, preaching requires the statements of those absolutes in a voice of confidence and assurance. So where’s the answer according to my children? For no other reason than this seems most clear, here is a list of some of the points that we could all agree on. I am sure that others have said this more profoundly, but I share this here for my own reflection, as much as anything else:
- To connect with the youth of today, teachers and pastors must admit that we are speaking to those who don’t want to be told what to think.
- The analogy is this, according to my son: It’s like a treasure map. To speak to today’s youth, we have to show them where the treasure is (the absolutes), but we have to let them follow the dotted lines for themselves.
- The youth of today DO believe those absolutes exist.
- The youth of today DO have strong opinions about worship and preaching.
- To help them find the absolutes on their own, the youth of today must be given examples in meaningful ways that are personal and authentic, not just platitudes.
- While we might be right or have more wisdom as we “older” ones speak or give instruction, we have to allow the youth of today to have a voice in the conversation.
- And, to connect with today’s youth, we have to get out and do what they are doing.
That last one was for me alone, perhaps. It was suggested that if I want to be more approachable by today’s teens and young adults, I might need to play a few more video games. I don’t think they had the Wii Fit in mind when my kids suggested this, although I could start there, but I get the point. Start small, my son said. Start with video games. I mention this because if you see me hanging out at the local Best Buy in the Games section, I don’t want you to miss the point. I’m connecting with my youth, and working on my high score at the same time.
Prayer Breakfast
‘Twas the morning before Christmas and everyone slept.
The kids, being lazy, at snoozing, they’re adept.
My honey and I stole out for a bite,
The restaurant “a buzz” with folks of all type.
Travelers and locals, the young and the old,
Bundled for Christmas, the wind blowing cold.
We giggled at children too wired to contain
All the hopes and visions of gifts they would gain.
But in the midst of it all, we had to ponder,
Of the items they fancied and what might be fonder…
Is it the toys or the games,
Or the food or the treats?
But are they missing the plans
For the Sweetest of sweets?
God coming down in the form of a child
To shatter the hopelessness of the wild;
To redeem each of us, all sinners alike,
So immensely superior to a train or a bike.
And as we left the place, from the corner of our eyes,
We saw a family praying, hand holding, to our surprise,
And they smiled as they finished and then said, “Amen.”
And from the next table, we could not help but join in.
–May the gift of Jesus be the greatest gift you ever know, and may you know Him more fully each day!
On Graham Crackers, Graduations, and Grownups
I loved my kids when they were little. I really did. They smelled like new skin and graham crackers all the time. They let me play with their hair and rub their backs. They were amazed at my wisdom. They were so happy to wake up every morning. What fun it was to be a mom to little ones. It was such a gift.
But as I reflect upon those times, as full of wonder and laughter as they were, I like being the mom of older kids even more. They don’t always smell so good – especially teenage boys. They don’t let me scratch their backs or play with their hair, unless I am looking at the handiwork of the haircut that I just paid for. And they do not always appreciate my wisdom. In fact, they often like to point out what they have learned that I might not know or might have forgotten.
I just laugh. The biggest difference, however, is the way in which we interact. I love how they think. I love how they want to discuss or debate a point. I love that some of them have the same sense of sarcasm that I do. I just love seeing them become adults in front of my eyes. I will not always think that they made the right decision, but I will understand that they had a method of some sort. I want to understand their logic, and as young adults and teenagers, what an incredibly intriguing puzzle to play with. Much more entertaining than Barbie dolls or Lego’s.
The other night, as happens sometimes, we got out a family game. But this time two neighborhood boys joined us. One is in college and the other in high school. They just showed up and joined in. At one point, I sat back on the couch and was mesmerized at the “level playing field” of people in our living room, aged 11 through 53, interacting, laughing, debating our points, defending our game strategies…It was a wonderful evening.
I watched my oldest daughter walk across the stage today at her college graduation. She was so happy, so young, so full of what is yet to be. But what a thrill to know that I don’t have to “raise” her any more as she faces those things. I can just enjoy being her friend in a unique way. I will always be her mother. I will always have an opinion and plenty of advice to offer, but whether it is my own daughter or the young man home from college hanging out with my family just because we included him, I will continue to have their minds to engage me and their ideas to challenge me. Their dreams will continue to inspire me, and their companionship, now a two-way relationship, will continue to bless me.
I just smile.
“Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.” (Psalm 144:12)
