Free to Be the Me God Wants
Part IV Anger Can Lead to Positive Change
In all innocence, John picked the offensive goop off the floor. “Oh, it’s a squashed Cherrio,” he said. Like a two-by-four from nowhere, the torrent of accusations unleashed. For the next five minutes, his beautiful bride railed about John’s insensitivity. She had worked hard all day, cooking and cleaning, running the children here and there, meeting the project deadline at her job. Then he comes home and the first words out of his mouth were perceived as condemnation. Hubby bristles at the attack. And so the stage is set for five hours of ping-ponging blame. And all because of a wayward Cherrio.
Anger can be an insidious emotion. One that lies buried, simmering and waiting for that explosive trigger to send it spewing unchecked like exploding lava. We read the headlines of unspeakable acts perpetrated as a result of unbridled anger. The escalation of violence in our colleges and schools, restaurants and malls and our highways and city streets. “Why has the world become so angry?” we ask.
Unrighteous anger, anger that leads to distress, stems from many sources. Poverty, injustice, jealousy, and inequality among the most common triggers. But if we go deeper, we see the fuse is not necessarily the external factor, but the inward rationale. A sense that hostility toward another is justified because wrong had first been done to us. A false sense that we somehow deserve better than we received.
Perhaps that unholy, selfish view associated with anger is the reason Christians deny its existence. I used to think that the Christian had no business being angry. And so I pushed my rage inward with unhealthy consequences. One day, I realized that anger is an attribute of God. And, we who are made in God’s image, are designed with His attributes. The problem is not the emotion, part of human equation, but our unholy reaction to our anger—the poor choices anger elicits because our hearts are far from God.
Just as we physically react to fear, our bodies go through physiological changes when we are angry. The red corpuscles fill up giving us that red glow. Increased adrenaline gives some people superhuman strength. And like fear, continued unresolved anger is the cause of diseases such as high-blood pressure and gastrointestinal disorders.
Psychologists recommend a process called reframing when we feel ourselves becoming angry. Not to deny the anger, but to understand the anger and redirect it toward positive resolution. If we are angry over a social injustice, we could join a proactive group to affect positive change. If a friend has hurt our feelings, we can let the friend know, affirming how much that friendship is valued.
Festered resentment is certain to give rise to hostility sooner or later. Psychologists also recommend what God has favored from the beginning of time: to forgive and forget. Forgiving lowers blood pressure and eases tension, producing a feeling of good will and relaxation. Perhaps the best advice in handling anger is from the Great Physician:
“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (Psalm 4:4 NIV).
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Free to Be the Me God Wants Part III
Courage is Not the Absence of Fear
I have always been afraid of bridges.
More than a few years ago, in pre-Internet days when airline tickets were bought from travel agents, I had to pick up our boarding passes in Ottawa, requiring I cross the Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge. My heart raced before I even got into the car. Remembering that perfect love casts out fear, I met the challenge with God’s help. I couldn’t let my recently widowed mother-in-law spend Christmas alone. With all the determination of a Ruth, I sang Jesus Savior Pilot Me, took shallow breaths over the water, and shouted a hearty Hallelujah when the car rolled past the last span.
Psychologists say that fear produces the “fight or flight” autonomic response. Respiration increases causing an auditory gasp. Blood vessels constrict, and we hear our hearts pound. We either engage the obstacle or run from it. Staying put only intensifies our physiological reaction.
A wise man penned, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the action we take in spite of being afraid.” Courage is when the adrenaline of purpose oils down paralyzing dread and slides us through the ordeal.
The source of fear is often external, forcing us to decide between two undesirable choices. Like the children of Israel, the soldiers advance from the rear and the Red Sea looms ahead. However, fear can also be internal, those demons of our past that make our present so terrifying.
Sometimes circumstances that create a sense of fear are because of our poor choices, like the college student who sweats his mid-term because he failed to study.
Sometimes experienced trauma makes us cautious when like circumstances arise. Caution is not necessarily a negative emotion. As the adage says, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Yellow lights exist for a reason. Gauging the waters temperatures before we take the plunge can prevent hypothermia. However, there comes a point when we drown in our caution, too fearful to take that first stroke toward victory.
Sometimes, our fear stems from our feelings of insufficiency. We tend to see our lack rather than our abundance and consequently feel trapped in our perceived need. Much like the widow who sought Elisha’s help (2 Kings: 4). She feared losing her sons to slavery, a fate far worse than starvation. In spite of her fear, she opted to trust the man of God and did as he told her and placed her empty vases before her only measure of hope. God multiplied her current resources until the creditors’ demands were met and she lived on what remained.
For the believer, raging streams of fear are eased, not as much by opening the dam, but from the simple reassurance of God’s presence. He not only stands on our right side, but He is on our left. Like a cloud, he surrounds us, above and below, with His mercy and goodness. He calls us to confidence in His perfect love that casts out fear.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).
I have always been afraid of bridges.
More than a few years ago, in pre-Internet days when airline tickets were bought from travel agents, I had to pick up our boarding passes in Ottawa, requiring I cross the Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge. My heart raced before I even got into the car. Remembering that perfect love casts out fear, I met the challenge with God’s help. I couldn’t let my recently widowed mother-in-law spend Christmas alone. With all the determination of a Ruth, I sang Jesus Savior Pilot Me, took shallow breaths over the water, and shouted a hearty Hallelujah when the car rolled past the last span.
Psychologists say that fear produces the “fight or flight” autonomic response. Respiration increases causing an auditory gasp. Blood vessels constrict, and we hear our hearts pound. We either engage the obstacle or run from it. Staying put only intensifies our physiological reaction.
A wise man penned, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the action we take in spite of being afraid.” Courage is when the adrenaline of purpose oils down paralyzing dread and slides us through the ordeal.
The source of fear is often external, forcing us to decide between two undesirable choices. Like the children of Israel, the soldiers advance from the rear and the Red Sea looms ahead. However, fear can also be internal, those demons of our past that make our present so terrifying.
Sometimes circumstances that create a sense of fear are because of our poor choices, like the college student who sweats his mid-term because he failed to study.
Sometimes experienced trauma makes us cautious when like circumstances arise. Caution is not necessarily a negative emotion. As the adage says, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Yellow lights exist for a reason. Gauging the waters temperatures before we take the plunge can prevent hypothermia. However, there comes a point when we drown in our caution, too fearful to take that first stroke toward victory.
Sometimes, our fear stems from our feelings of insufficiency. We tend to see our lack rather than our abundance and consequently feel trapped in our perceived need. Much like the widow who sought Elisha’s help (2 Kings: 4). She feared losing her sons to slavery, a fate far worse than starvation. In spite of her fear, she opted to trust the man of God and did as he told her and placed her empty vases before her only measure of hope. God multiplied her current resources until the creditors’ demands were met and she lived on what remained.
For the believer, raging streams of fear are eased, not as much by opening the dam, but from the simple reassurance of God’s presence. He not only stands on our right side, but He is on our left. Like a cloud, he surrounds us, above and below, with His mercy and goodness. He calls us to confidence in His perfect love that casts out fear.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Bridge of Loneliness
Breaking Free
Part II
Loneliness
When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the contents of his pockets were stored in a box and later opened during a much talked about PBS broadcast. One resource them as follows: an embroidered handkerchief, a country boy’s pen knife, a spectacles case, a purse containing Confederate currency, and old newspaper clippings. Oddly, the clippings contained accolades regarding the President’s good deeds, heralding him as “one of the greatest men of all times.” Why would a man noted for his humility carry words of self-adulation? Although the reporter’s praises have proven to be true, at the time, Lincoln suffered from personal isolation and self doubt as a result of harsh and brutal criticism.
Loneliness is defined as “an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation.” All of us are vulnerable, from the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest, from the most privileged to the most destitute. Loneliness knows no social classification. Even Christ felt the pang of loneliness on the cross when he cried, “My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company. Indeed, many report feeling lonely in the middle of a crowd. Alarmingly, loneliness is one of the key challenges facing college students. Loneliness is a feeling of being cut off, disconnected and alienated from other people.
Recent studies have classified loneliness as the cause of many illnesses, certainly an enhancer of heart disease including high blood pressure. Weight gain, sleeplessness, and premature aging are only some of the resulting physical impacts of prolonged loneliness. People who are lonely are also vulnerable to depression with accompanying feelings of uselessness and hopelessness.
Just as loneliness is manifested in physical and mental illness, that sense of disconnectedness is at the core of our spiritual deprivation. Sin cuts us off from the love God wants to lavish on us.
But even the most devout of believers experiences feelings of isolation. Troubles found in the hailstorms of life can obliterate our usual bridges. We find ourselves in an emotional, physical, social and sometimes spiritual wasteland.
Dog Hammershold, Swedish Statesman (1905-1961) once remarked, “Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.”
Loneliness, like many of life’s discomforting experiences, can provide opportunity. Anna, widowed after only seven years of marriage, found herself cut off from the life she expected. During her long widowhood, she never left the temple, but found purpose in prayer. And because of this passion in her life, at the age of 84, she was present when Simeon officiated over Christ’s circumcision. And she, along with Simeon, prophesied to “all who looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
To be human is to be lonely. Pearl S. Buck stated, “Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up.” Anna, in her loneliness, drew closer to God. In turn, generations have been blessed by her story. Loneliness is sometimes viewed as a wall, a barrier to success or fulfillment. But with God’s enlightenment, that wall falls down and becomes a bridge to untold blessings.
“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).
Part II
Loneliness
When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the contents of his pockets were stored in a box and later opened during a much talked about PBS broadcast. One resource them as follows: an embroidered handkerchief, a country boy’s pen knife, a spectacles case, a purse containing Confederate currency, and old newspaper clippings. Oddly, the clippings contained accolades regarding the President’s good deeds, heralding him as “one of the greatest men of all times.” Why would a man noted for his humility carry words of self-adulation? Although the reporter’s praises have proven to be true, at the time, Lincoln suffered from personal isolation and self doubt as a result of harsh and brutal criticism.
Loneliness is defined as “an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation.” All of us are vulnerable, from the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest, from the most privileged to the most destitute. Loneliness knows no social classification. Even Christ felt the pang of loneliness on the cross when he cried, “My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company. Indeed, many report feeling lonely in the middle of a crowd. Alarmingly, loneliness is one of the key challenges facing college students. Loneliness is a feeling of being cut off, disconnected and alienated from other people.
Recent studies have classified loneliness as the cause of many illnesses, certainly an enhancer of heart disease including high blood pressure. Weight gain, sleeplessness, and premature aging are only some of the resulting physical impacts of prolonged loneliness. People who are lonely are also vulnerable to depression with accompanying feelings of uselessness and hopelessness.
Just as loneliness is manifested in physical and mental illness, that sense of disconnectedness is at the core of our spiritual deprivation. Sin cuts us off from the love God wants to lavish on us.
But even the most devout of believers experiences feelings of isolation. Troubles found in the hailstorms of life can obliterate our usual bridges. We find ourselves in an emotional, physical, social and sometimes spiritual wasteland.
Dog Hammershold, Swedish Statesman (1905-1961) once remarked, “Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.”
Loneliness, like many of life’s discomforting experiences, can provide opportunity. Anna, widowed after only seven years of marriage, found herself cut off from the life she expected. During her long widowhood, she never left the temple, but found purpose in prayer. And because of this passion in her life, at the age of 84, she was present when Simeon officiated over Christ’s circumcision. And she, along with Simeon, prophesied to “all who looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
To be human is to be lonely. Pearl S. Buck stated, “Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up.” Anna, in her loneliness, drew closer to God. In turn, generations have been blessed by her story. Loneliness is sometimes viewed as a wall, a barrier to success or fulfillment. But with God’s enlightenment, that wall falls down and becomes a bridge to untold blessings.
“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Free to Be the Me God Wants Part I
“Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).
REDIRECTING DISAPPOINTMENT
“That’s not what I imagined in my mind,” I say. Then I wished I had spent the extra four dollars to have the package professionally gift-wrapped. I can barely make a bow with my shoelaces.
What is it about our visions and reality that sets them as far apart as night and day?
I watched the Olympian turn sorrowful eyes toward his teammate. The gold had been but a breath away. But like that instant between sleep and wakefulness, someone snatched victory from his grasp. Someone else reaped the glory while he would forever remain someone who also swam. Like a raised scar, a scathing loss never leaves us. And the pain is real. Often times, though, the sting of disappointment is eased through God’s redirection in our lives.
Tom and Jane waited anxiously for the word on their loan request. The home seemed perfect. They were fast outgrowing their tiny apartment. How desperately they wanted a yard for the children to play in. When the bank turned down their request for a seemingly stupid reason, they were devastated. Two weeks later, Tom learned his company was transferring him. The house would have been a stumbling block to the move that also brought a promotion. God sometimes disrupts our plans because he has other plans, better plans than we could have ever thought possible.
The adage, “God doesn’t close a door without opening a window,” simply means that disappointment won’t leave us dead in our tracks. In a popular Christian song, “Day Star Shine Down On Me,” the writer asks God to make him a reflection of God’s light. In the chorus, the songster remarks, “You can take what’s wrong and make it right.” Redirection from disappointment brings blessings that would otherwise never be experienced. The way we confront our disappointment might also bless another in turn.
Sometimes, like Jacob, our disappointment is not of our doing but is the result of another’s thoughtlessness or greed Jacob approached his wedding night with great hopes. Finally, after working for seven years. His beloved Rachel would be his. How surprised he must have been to look behind the veil and find his beloved’s sister had become his wife instead. Although, he did finally obtain his heart’s desire, God allowed the disappointment to redirect Jacob’s life. In so doing, he became the third in a prestigious line of Patriarchs, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
When disappointment comes, we do a have choice. We can wallow in despair. Cry, “Foul! Unfair!” We can vent our anger and seek revenge upon the one who wronged us. When we fail to meet our own expectations, we can flail ourselves with emotional insults. Or we can seek God’s council in the face of disappointment. We can allow him to shower us with the grace to forgive, even ourselves. We can trust his redirection.
REDIRECTING DISAPPOINTMENT
“That’s not what I imagined in my mind,” I say. Then I wished I had spent the extra four dollars to have the package professionally gift-wrapped. I can barely make a bow with my shoelaces.
What is it about our visions and reality that sets them as far apart as night and day?
I watched the Olympian turn sorrowful eyes toward his teammate. The gold had been but a breath away. But like that instant between sleep and wakefulness, someone snatched victory from his grasp. Someone else reaped the glory while he would forever remain someone who also swam. Like a raised scar, a scathing loss never leaves us. And the pain is real. Often times, though, the sting of disappointment is eased through God’s redirection in our lives.
Tom and Jane waited anxiously for the word on their loan request. The home seemed perfect. They were fast outgrowing their tiny apartment. How desperately they wanted a yard for the children to play in. When the bank turned down their request for a seemingly stupid reason, they were devastated. Two weeks later, Tom learned his company was transferring him. The house would have been a stumbling block to the move that also brought a promotion. God sometimes disrupts our plans because he has other plans, better plans than we could have ever thought possible.
The adage, “God doesn’t close a door without opening a window,” simply means that disappointment won’t leave us dead in our tracks. In a popular Christian song, “Day Star Shine Down On Me,” the writer asks God to make him a reflection of God’s light. In the chorus, the songster remarks, “You can take what’s wrong and make it right.” Redirection from disappointment brings blessings that would otherwise never be experienced. The way we confront our disappointment might also bless another in turn.
Sometimes, like Jacob, our disappointment is not of our doing but is the result of another’s thoughtlessness or greed Jacob approached his wedding night with great hopes. Finally, after working for seven years. His beloved Rachel would be his. How surprised he must have been to look behind the veil and find his beloved’s sister had become his wife instead. Although, he did finally obtain his heart’s desire, God allowed the disappointment to redirect Jacob’s life. In so doing, he became the third in a prestigious line of Patriarchs, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
When disappointment comes, we do a have choice. We can wallow in despair. Cry, “Foul! Unfair!” We can vent our anger and seek revenge upon the one who wronged us. When we fail to meet our own expectations, we can flail ourselves with emotional insults. Or we can seek God’s council in the face of disappointment. We can allow him to shower us with the grace to forgive, even ourselves. We can trust his redirection.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
HONOR IS AS HONOR DOES
Picture a small cottage at the edge of a green forest. Add a bored, angelic youngster. “Mama, may I go outdoors and pick flowers?”
“Why yes. But, don’t go into the forest. There are pretty daffodils in the meadow over the hill. The forest is much too dangerous for a little girl.”
“Okay.”
Goldilocks disobeys, goes into the woods, stumbles on a cute little house, explores much too freely and winds up staring into the faces of three not so happy bears. She jumps out of bed and runs home never to venture into the woods again, so we are led to believe.
I’m thinking the sequel will read, “Goldilocks and the Case of the Stolen Cookies.” For the moment, Mama’s tested instructions proved to be true.
Many children, especially today, don’t trust grown ups. In some cases, those children may have very good reasons not to. For you see, respect is earned. God is perfect, but we humans fall far short of His perfection. Our children will be the first to recognize just how far from perfect we are. How then, do we imperfect beings generate respect from our critical relatives? By being imitators of Christ and being the first to offer respect.
Paul’s formula for a happy home is based on all members holding one another in high regard. Husbands and wives are commanded to respect one another. Why? Because children learn from example. Simple as that.
Interestingly, Paul addresses the parents first. Then he instructs the children to honor their parents, “in all things.” The Greek word here denotes “value.” And when we value something, we don’t discard it. We hold the object near and dear to our hearts. Paul also expects this honor to be given unconditionally. That is, the respect offered is not patterned on the other’s position or ability to reciprocate.
When we read Paul’s admonitions, many of us tremble when we count our mistakes. Shirley visited her daughter in the early stages of her first pregnancy. She peeked at her daughter’s book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Within a few minutes, she tossed the book aside. “I did it all wrong,” she said. “I had a playpen with bars. I placed my babies on their tummies to help eliminate gas. I told them never to go outside with wet hair because they would catch cold. Now I find out that, too, was a lie.”
Her daughter laughed. “You did the best you could with what you knew. But when it comes to love, you had it all right.”
Loving our family members as Christ loved us is what counts. No matter what our home situation is, the opportunity to display that love abounds. Whether single or married, whether childless or having a quiver full. No matter how old or young we are—no matter how poor or wealthy—no matter how powerful or lowly of station, each and every one of us has the opportunity to demonstrate that same unconditional love that Christ freely extends to us.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
(Ephesians 5:1 NIV).
“Why yes. But, don’t go into the forest. There are pretty daffodils in the meadow over the hill. The forest is much too dangerous for a little girl.”
“Okay.”
Goldilocks disobeys, goes into the woods, stumbles on a cute little house, explores much too freely and winds up staring into the faces of three not so happy bears. She jumps out of bed and runs home never to venture into the woods again, so we are led to believe.
I’m thinking the sequel will read, “Goldilocks and the Case of the Stolen Cookies.” For the moment, Mama’s tested instructions proved to be true.
Many children, especially today, don’t trust grown ups. In some cases, those children may have very good reasons not to. For you see, respect is earned. God is perfect, but we humans fall far short of His perfection. Our children will be the first to recognize just how far from perfect we are. How then, do we imperfect beings generate respect from our critical relatives? By being imitators of Christ and being the first to offer respect.
Paul’s formula for a happy home is based on all members holding one another in high regard. Husbands and wives are commanded to respect one another. Why? Because children learn from example. Simple as that.
Interestingly, Paul addresses the parents first. Then he instructs the children to honor their parents, “in all things.” The Greek word here denotes “value.” And when we value something, we don’t discard it. We hold the object near and dear to our hearts. Paul also expects this honor to be given unconditionally. That is, the respect offered is not patterned on the other’s position or ability to reciprocate.
When we read Paul’s admonitions, many of us tremble when we count our mistakes. Shirley visited her daughter in the early stages of her first pregnancy. She peeked at her daughter’s book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Within a few minutes, she tossed the book aside. “I did it all wrong,” she said. “I had a playpen with bars. I placed my babies on their tummies to help eliminate gas. I told them never to go outside with wet hair because they would catch cold. Now I find out that, too, was a lie.”
Her daughter laughed. “You did the best you could with what you knew. But when it comes to love, you had it all right.”
Loving our family members as Christ loved us is what counts. No matter what our home situation is, the opportunity to display that love abounds. Whether single or married, whether childless or having a quiver full. No matter how old or young we are—no matter how poor or wealthy—no matter how powerful or lowly of station, each and every one of us has the opportunity to demonstrate that same unconditional love that Christ freely extends to us.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
(Ephesians 5:1 NIV).
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Burnt Toast and Whispering Breezes
I couldn't understand it. I had mimicked her stance to perfection. Her drives rarely missed the fairway. I reasoned that if I did everything exactly as she did, then I should be as good a golfer. Committed to my false assumptions, I struggled the entire season with poor results. Then on a hot and sunny day, when our shadows stretched across the fairway, the reason for my failed swing became clear.
All a matter of height. I stood half a foot taller than my mentor. She had developed her perfect swing to fit her five-foot-two frame. The truth hit me like a fast flung nine-iron or if Tiger Woods himself had uttered the maxim. No golf technique is designed as universally applicable.
On the off-season, I studied golf magazines especially for women and watched more women’s tournaments. I discovered even among the greats, a swing was personal. The end desire might be the same—longer fairway drives and putts that sink—but everything else about the swing seemed catered to that golfer.
Some players used visualization techniques. Seeing the ball in action before they hit. Others used approach techniques that were one of a kind. From left-hand players, tall players, and overweight players, the whole approach to the game varied according to their individual tastes and practices.
As I thought about the variant aspects to golf, I realized the implications applied to my spiritual life as well. “I prayed the exact words Elijah prayed, Lord? Why didn’t the fire come down for me?”
It took awhile, but I finally realized why. First of all, Elijah’s actual prayer had been uttered in a language I didn’t understand then translated for my benefit. Secondly, his prayer was used in a specific way for a specific need.
Likewise, when we witness to others, we insist on using Golden Arches in our testimony. We fail to realize that God has a swing for everyone and for every situation. Paul mentions his desire to be adaptable so that more men would come to know God. For the jailer, he would forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest-tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God. He reminded the Hebrews of their heritage.
Through the might of His great love, God has designed a unique package for every sinner He woos. He will do whatever He must to bring us to enlightenment. He may present himself in the whisper of a breeze or the thunderous trail of a tornado. He may reveal himself through the cry of a newborn infant or through burnt toast. He may rein us in or give us slack. The method He chooses has been designed specifically for the recipient of His love.
He is "all things to all people" that some may choose to believe. “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Corinthians 9:22b NIV).
All a matter of height. I stood half a foot taller than my mentor. She had developed her perfect swing to fit her five-foot-two frame. The truth hit me like a fast flung nine-iron or if Tiger Woods himself had uttered the maxim. No golf technique is designed as universally applicable.
On the off-season, I studied golf magazines especially for women and watched more women’s tournaments. I discovered even among the greats, a swing was personal. The end desire might be the same—longer fairway drives and putts that sink—but everything else about the swing seemed catered to that golfer.
Some players used visualization techniques. Seeing the ball in action before they hit. Others used approach techniques that were one of a kind. From left-hand players, tall players, and overweight players, the whole approach to the game varied according to their individual tastes and practices.
As I thought about the variant aspects to golf, I realized the implications applied to my spiritual life as well. “I prayed the exact words Elijah prayed, Lord? Why didn’t the fire come down for me?”
It took awhile, but I finally realized why. First of all, Elijah’s actual prayer had been uttered in a language I didn’t understand then translated for my benefit. Secondly, his prayer was used in a specific way for a specific need.
Likewise, when we witness to others, we insist on using Golden Arches in our testimony. We fail to realize that God has a swing for everyone and for every situation. Paul mentions his desire to be adaptable so that more men would come to know God. For the jailer, he would forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest-tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God. He reminded the Hebrews of their heritage.
Through the might of His great love, God has designed a unique package for every sinner He woos. He will do whatever He must to bring us to enlightenment. He may present himself in the whisper of a breeze or the thunderous trail of a tornado. He may reveal himself through the cry of a newborn infant or through burnt toast. He may rein us in or give us slack. The method He chooses has been designed specifically for the recipient of His love.
He is "all things to all people" that some may choose to believe. “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Corinthians 9:22b NIV).
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
From Royality to Writer
For more info on Nana's Bible Stories:http://www.nanasbiblestories.com
Guest Author Roberta Simpson tells why we are never too old to be used of God:
Your personal story is one of obedience. You didn’t plan to become an author. Tell us about some of the challenges you faced from family, friends, etc. on your journey.
Answer: Challenges do come, and they come often. Some years ago, I did a writing seminar, here in Barbados. I remember being so excited, as I did want to write, but up until then, I had only written articles for the newspaper, and a few plays for church.
The gentleman who read and corrected all that I had written scribbled all over them with a nasty little red pen. On the bottom he wrote, “You can’t write!” I shrugged and thought, “I have five kids to raise and I have lots to do, so never mind!” He was a very influential man in Barbados – in fact, he was a well known Pastor! Lesson to be learned in this? When God says you can do it, even a well known Pastor cannot get in the way with his negative comments!
Years later, when I knew God spoke to me about writing, I felt excited and flew home (I mean drove!) and started to write. I believe what was important at that time, was obeying God, and not listening to man!
Friends and especially family have totally encouraged me on my adventure, and this is really special!
The seven stories featured in Nana’s Bible Stories are biblically correct – but, you have a unique style of storytelling. You have created stories within stories. Would you please explain why you used this style?
Answer: When reading the Bible, I tend to stop and meditate on what I have read, and often, especially looking at characters in the Bible, I wonder how they felt, where they lived, etc. My heart always went out to the leper who Jesus healed. For instance, did he have a family? His heart must have been broken at having to leave home. I believe other people—including children—might wonder the same things…so I thought it would be interesting to develop stories around the stories.
I do a lot of research and I insist on maintaining the actual story from the Bible. I do not remove the tiniest meaning from the Word!
I had a wonderful time writing “A Father’s Miracle.” Here is a little boy, who I invented, who just loved his Abba – Daddy. His dad gets sick and has to move away from his home, and all he loves. I wanted kids to be able to identify with this child. It could have been them, and many kids face this sad experience – maybe not leprosy, but sickness and death!
I believe kids will be encouraged and inspired, like the little boy, and pray for loved ones who are sick, and have faith that they will be healed by Jesus, who is the same today as He was yesterday!
Your family has a rich history…tell us a little about your parents and grandparents.
Answer: My life was very interesting with the parents and grandparents that I had. A lot of it was wonderful, but there were difficult times as well. I loved my life as a little girl. My father was a big band leader in England, and we had two pianos in our house. A grand piano in the living room, and a small piano in his music room. Music was such a huge part of my life, and I remember performing in front of his friends, singing and dancing! I even went to a few of his performances, which was a great treat, especially when I went up on the stage with him.
My mother was very beautiful and made a few movies with my father. My grandfather and grandmother were the last Rajah and Ranee of Sarawak. My grandmother, who was JM Barrie’s inspiration for “Wendy” in Peter Pan, was quite a character—she was an artist and an author as well. She took me to many interesting places, many of which she should not have taken me, like scary movies!
When I was around 9 years old, my parents got divorced and I thought it was the end of the world. She remarried to an American Colonel, who for a while was my hero, as he could get unlimited candy, coca cola, and chewing gum! Unfortunately, he was not a hero and that marriage also ended in divorce.
We learn difficult lessons in life, and I can relate to many people because of the things I had to face, including World War II, and being hated and singled out for being Jewish. Through all of the pain and heartache, I loved my family very much.
Some of your royalties from Nana’s Bible Stories will be going to children’s charities. Please explain.
Answer: While we were working with Jane Seymour on her narration, we learned about all the wonderful work that she was doing on behalf of various children’s charities. It was touching to see first hand the work that is being done and actually meeting some of the young people who are benefiting from her charity work. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of my book will go to these charities, including City Hearts in Los Angeles.
I am also involved the Children’s Trust in Barbados. They do a marvelous job of helping, sick, and underprivileged children on this island.
It is a great joy to be writing, knowing that the Lord is blessing children both spiritually and financially through Nana’s Bible Stories.
Do you think we ever become too old for God to use us?
Answer: Absolutely not, not, not! As long as we have breath we can be used. As long as our heart is ticking, we can move out of our comfort zone! Even if bad health or accidents get in our way, we can pray, pray, pray!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
