Foul Ball

Posted on August 24, 2011 by day1of1

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. – Psalm 9:9-10

 
I did something tonight that I haven’t done in a very long time: I took time to sit and watch a baseball game (okay, it was only the last three innings, but that’s significant after years of not paying much attention).  Late in the game a foul ball was hit down the left field line.  The ball boy easily fielded the ball off of the wall and immediately turned to the stands to present the ball to one of the several children standing there with their gloves (and their hopes) stretched out.  I noticed that three of the five boys at the rail already had a ball in their gloves – undoubtedly from foul balls previously handed over.  Recognizing this, the ball boy passed them by to give the ball to the next kid in line who didn’t have a ball.  I’m sure the child was delighted with the good fortune of having been given the ultimate souvenir from a major league baseball game, but I must confess that I’ll have to assume it.

 
As the boy squeezed the ball in his glove, he turned his back to the camera to show the other boys what he had been given.  What I saw was the look on the face of the other boy – the last one in line and the only one of the boys in that group yet to have gotten a ball.  I was transfixed as I watched him turn to his father with a look of disappointment and despair.  It was late in the game and he knew he was running out of opportunities.  Had nobody else gotten a ball, he probably would have been okay, but to be the last one waiting was clearly upsetting to him.  The game continued on and I must admit I didn’t give it much thought until the final out had been recorded.  Then it dawned on me: there hadn’t been another ball hit down the 3rd base line.  No opportunities for him to join in the happiness the others felt.  I can only imagine what he must have been feeling.  I don’t have to imagine the way his dad felt.

 
As the father of two, I want what’s best for my children.  I may not always get things right.  I might not give them everything I’d like, but I work as hard as I can to give my children the best of everything.  I know what it’s like to work to provide something special for my kids only to have circumstances beyond my control bring my plans and their hopes crashing down.  It is a sickeningly helpless feeling to watch your child experience hurt or pain caused by someone else or by no one in particular and to have no control over the outcome.  I’ve observed promises that have gone unkept.  I’ve watched people play significant roles in their lives only to abruptly leave without warning or explanation.  I’ve seen them look into my eyes in search of an answer, a word of consolation, or an assurance that the injustice can be undone.  Sadly, more often than not, they only find a hug and promise of something better spoken in a way that tries to mask the hollowness of words they don’t want to hear as much as I don’t want to speak them.

 
This makes me wonder what God sees when He looks at all of His children.  Many of us are living like the boy who never received the opportunity to get a ball.  We do all we can: we try to get ahead, we work, we sacrifice, we budget and establish a financial plan but nothing seems to go right.  Frustration sets in and we begin to lose our comfort and composure.  We grow frustrated and impatient, and we make silly mistakes that will create bigger problems in our lives, our homes, our churches, and our communities.  But in spite of our own short-comings, we are blessed to be able to turn to our Heavenly Father and know that we are loved and all of our needs are being met in the way that best suits us.  Like the dad at the ball game, we will have His full attention to help us.  But unlike the earthly dad, He is not limited by what He is able to do.  His response to our cries will be exactly what we need for that moment and for the rest of our lives.  We may not always see it and we certainly won’t always understand it, but through the faith built up in us by the Holy Spirit, we can trust God to give us what we need, when we need it in the right way and in the perfect amount. 

 
May we always remember to turn to Him in good times and bad, relying upon His strength to guide us through everything life has to offer.

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Soap Opera

Posted on August 15, 2011 by day1of1

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. – Genesis 50:15-21

 
I’ve never understood the appeal of daytime soap operas.  Some of these shows have been running for decades, many of which featuring the same characters experiencing some of the most amazing lives imaginable.  One would think that romantic and professional ups and downs would be enough drama for most people, but not the writers of the soaps.  Love triangles, kidnapping, amnesia, visits by aliens, plots to break up couples, identity swapping, even demon possession are all common place among the daytime shows.  How is this entertaining?  I couldn’t imagine anyone getting caught up in these shows, wishing they could trade lives with any of these people?  Is it just to make them feel better about their own lives: “I’m struggling to pay my bills, but at least my husband’s evil twin didn’t sneak into my house to steal my baby to sell it on the black market to buy a new speed boat” (If I see this show up on a plotline somewhere, I’ll expect a royalty check).

 
Soap operas don’t often emulate real life, but sometimes the stories do compare.  Think of the Joseph and his brothers – it’s totally “soapy.”  This story provides an excellent example of God’s desire for forgiveness.  If anyone had reason to seek revenge against anyone, it would be both Jacob and Joseph against the rest of the brothers.  Joseph lost years of his life in captivity and incarceration, while Jacob needlessly carried the burden of losing a son who was still alive.  It’s the stuff of daytime soap operas and the kind of thing that the world defines as unforgiveable.  Of course, the offense doesn’t have to be this severe to get people to treat each other badly and refuse to forgive or reconcile.  It’s unfortunate too, because this simple decision turns into a reaping and sowing situation.  If you sow wheat, you harvest wheat.  If you sow forgiveness, you harvest forgiveness.  If you sow weeds, you’ll harvest weeds.  If you sow resentment and spite, you’re garden will be filled with those things.  Taking the analogy a little further – once grown, the fruit becomes the food upon which we live for a season, filling our bodies and our lives with more of the same.

 
This is certainly not God’s plan for us – an interesting thought for us to add when you consider the message sent to Joseph by his brothers.  In fact, it could have read, “Your Fathers left these instructions…”  It was Jacob’s desire that the siblings resolve their differences, but this was also God’s desire.  So with tears, Joseph submitted himself to the wills of his Fathers, demonstrating his total forgiveness in love toward his brothers.  Rivals no more, they lived out the rest of their lives as a family.  God blessed them and from this time their family developed into the great nation that He had promised Abraham generations ago.

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Archived

Posted on August 8, 2011 by day1of1

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8

 
I can’t think of anything on the World Wide Web that has become more pervasive than Facebook.  Millions of people all over the world are logging into the site every day – posting their thoughts and activities, sharing pictures, searching for information, playing games, and connecting with old friends and new.  There are lots positives. There are lots of negatives. But whether you spend hours on the site or avoid it like the plague, Facebook has impacted our lives like nothing else we’ve seen.

 
On a recent visit to the site, I decided to clean up a few of the old messages that were sitting in message box.  As I scrolled down the list of old messages, deciding which to keep and which to remove, my cursor hovered over the X in the corner of one of the boxes.  What I saw at first surprised me, then it caused me a little bit of concern.  In most programs, clicking the “X” will delete the message.  But the word that appeared was not “Delete” – it was “Archive.”  This didn’t bother me at first; after all if I’m archiving the messages, I would have access to them later and could delete them later.  But upon further investigation what I found was that the messaging feature worked exactly like a delete key in every way.  Once the messages were archived, they were gone from my view and I was unable to access them – just as if I had deleted them.  But the fact that Facebook was telling me that these messages were not deleted, only archived leads me to believe that those messages went somewhere and could be accessed by me (or somebody else) at a later time.

 
I must admit I didn’t like the thought of having my every thought and utterance posted in what I believed to be private messages saved up.  I don’t make a habit of posting inappropriate things, but I still wouldn’t want every line of every message I’ve ever sent kept and available for further review.  But then again, I shouldn’t be surprised by this; I’m sure that this is something clearly stated in the user terms of agreement that I carefully read and fully understood before checking that box when I first signed up for my Facebook account (I’m certain that you read yours too, so feel free to confirm that with me).

 
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I don’t like the idea of an entity like Facebook having that level of control over me.  But as I thought more about it I reminded myself of a simple truth – if I only post content that would be acceptable in a public setting, I would have nothing to worry about.  The only thing that could get me in trouble would be to post statements, pictures, and links that I don’t want the whole world to see.

 
This is the same message that God is speaking to each one of us when He encourages us to limit our thoughts and words to those things which are “noble, pure, etc…”  Our first reaction to that kind of message is to get offended and think that we shouldn’t be confined in our ability to express ourselves in whatever way we choose.  But where we lose sight of the bigger picture is when we take our individual right to expression and extend it out so far that it creates conflict with others or ultimately reflects poorly upon us.  These are worldly things that many people consider basic rights for which they would vehemently fight.  As I see it, they fall into the category of gifts given with a responsibility for me to use them appropriately.  God created me with a mind to process information, but what I choose to do with that information is entirely up to me.  With His help and guidance I can do just that.

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A Beautiful Mess

Posted on July 25, 2011 by day1of1

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.  Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. – Psalm 25:16-18

A beautiful mess – a contradiction used to show just how messed up our lives can sometimes get.  Everyone who walks the path of life will find themselves dealing with troubles and difficulties.  Many of us even experience times where our life feels more like a three-ring circus.  And while these words might ring true to those people who venture off course every now and again, my heart, and this post, goes out to people who today, find themselves in places where they never dreamt they’d be.

So what does it take to create a beautiful mess?  In human terms a beautiful mess is one that has become so large, so powerful, so devastating that you can’t help but see the artistry in how it was constructed.  Meteorologists and storm-chasers are often fascinated by the power and fury of a dangerous storm.  Tornadoes and hurricanes are photographed, recorded, studied and somewhat celebrated for their beauty.  I always found that a bit strange considering the devastation, property damage, and loss of life which storms of this magnitude can produce.  But yet to some there is a beauty found in the clouds that drives them, in spite of the danger, to continue to pursue the storms.

The same can be said of our lives.  Some messes are small; easy to stop and a breeze to clean.  Other messes start small but build over time, reaching a point where they become too big to contain.  We quickly see ourselves losing control – unable to go back and change the decisions we’ve made or to avoid the consequences to follow.  And it seems that once we reach the place where we feel we’ve come through the worst of it, the mess returns once again; larger and more difficult to contain than ever before.  It’s at these moments when we recognize just how complete the mess has become in our lives, and we are left with a critical decision on how we should proceed.

Our messes are one of the very few things in life that we can claim to be our own.  You would think this commonality would help us put our issues into perspective, but sadly it does not.  Despite our certain knowledge that every life has a certain level of ick, we work diligently to keep our own messes hidden from view.  This is why so many people choose to face their troubles by retreating – grabbing hold of the things around us that will give us the comfort and strength to cope with the mess.  The choices are as varied as the people making them – family, work, volunteering, drinking, relationships, hobbies, etc…  Each of these things can bring a level of relief, but they are temporary at best.  Because the problem is not being faced head on, it is not being solved – merely deferred.

To truly rid ourselves of the messes we create, we must turn to Christ.  In Him, we find the strength needed to rid ourselves of the mess once and for all.  Through the forgiveness Christ won for us on the cross we not only break free from the sin but from the cycle of guilt and fear that the enemy uses to try to keep us burdened by dirt long washed away.  With forgiveness in place and the Spirit guiding the way, we move to a new paradigm – a place where through daily renewal He removes the mess of our sin, revealing the beauty of a creation made in the very image of God – a beautiful mess indeed!

You call yourself a beautiful mess, and that is what you are.
The plans you made began to fade; you only see them from afar.
But do not fear; your Savior’s here. His power will suffice.
You’re free from sin, find strength within the outstretched arms of Christ.

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Swimming

Posted on July 17, 2011 by day1of1

Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. – Psalm 4:4-5

Ever lie in bed – your head swimming with the thoughts that are filling your life?  Frustrations over situations that you have little to no control over?  Anger problems and issues that seem to return, to grow and never go away?  Pain from wounds that seem as though they might never heal?  There are some days where you see the world that lies in front of you and you simply don’t know what you need to do.  There are others where you know exactly what you need to do but finding the strength to overcome those feelings to get to what needs to be done seems more difficult than the problem itself.  And of course, there are days when Satan may choose to bless you with more issues, causing the waters you’re swimming to grow even deeper.

It seems that David clearly knew this feeling when he wrote Psalm 4.  His was a life filled with any number of problems that made him feel frustrated, beaten down, and scared: the way we sometimes feel when we lie in bed, alone with only our thoughts.  Of course, David realized what we often times forget:  we can’t ever be completely alone with our thoughts. God’s promises clearly refute this.  “Lo and I am with you always.”  “Never will I leave you nor will I forsake you.”  These aren’t just happy reminders for us when we’re five years old and fearing the monsters under the bed.  These promises are for all of us; young and old who carry burdens, who feel weighed down, struggling to break free from the bonds of frustration, anger, and pain that Satan uses to consume us.

It is David’s reminder for us to remain calm within our anger.  It mustn’t lead us into a rage but into a focus that allows us to more clearly see the hand of God – to hear His voice and to follow His calling.  Our heads may be swimming, but God has given us the lifeguards we need.  Through Christ we are saved, redeemed in the precious blood He shed for us and restored by His resurrection.  And by the work of the Holy Spirit we know God, build our relationship with Him, and find the strength we need to not only keep afloat but to successfully navigate ourselves from the perils of a life filled with discouragement until we reach that place where God sets us back on solid ground.

“Put your trust in the Lord.”

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Weeds

Posted on July 14, 2011 by day1of1

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

 
This summer, I have spent more time working on flowers in my yard than ever before.  In years gone by, my attempts at landscaping were feeble at best.  I have a set of perennials in my back yard for a reason – they come back every year and I don’t have too much work to do with them.  Maybe if I was feeling botanic, I might be convinced to plant a few annuals around a light post in the yard, but that’s it.  But like many others who take this approach to gardening, I have discovered a simple truth.  Just because the plants come back year after year doesn’t mean that they are totally care-free.  The plants need pruning, watering, fertilizing, and sometimes transplanting in order to keep growing healthily.  Insects and pests discover plants and use them for homes and for food.  And finally, the weeds tend to find a way to return no matter how many methods you use to control them.  None of this comes as a surprise to those people who dislike gardening – instead it serves as a catalyst for astro-turfing the entire yard.  But to be fair, this doesn’t surprise a green-thumb either.  Ask them and they’ll tell you that keeping your plants looking beautiful requires a solid memory of what’s worked and failed in the past and a level of diligence in keeping up on the daily needs of the garden.

 
Some of you seeing the connection to the passage from Philippians 3 may already see a contradiction coming here.  You’ve recognized the connection between pruning and weeding our sins from the past but you’re wondering about the memory.  How can we truly forget the past if our pasts can give us good information about what may come in the future?  My feelings on this are simple and equally contradictory…

 
Do both.

 
Forgetting what is behind is a dangerous thing when done irresponsibly.  Many Christians will live lives where they simply overlook bad decisions and the consequences of those decisions in the name of forgetting what had been.  It’s easy to say: “Wow, that wasn’t what I wanted.  It wasn’t good for me.  Clearly God didn’t want this (job, person, opportunity, event, responsibility) in my life so the best course of action for me is to just cut it loose and never think about it again.  If you’re pulling a weed (sin) or controlling a pest (bad influences) then that is the way to go.  But what if you’re pruning back the plant (brothers and sisters in Christ)?  It’s good to cut back the plant to stimulate new growth, but cutting too much can lead to damage that will take years to heal, or make the plant more susceptible to attack.  I’m not proposing that we live our lives with our eyes locked behind us, but we cannot use God’s grace as a free pass for bad behavior or to justify dealing with the consequences of the decisions we’ve made in life.  So you see, we aren’t required to keep the weeds and feed the bunnies with our gardens, but when God shows us places to weed and prune, we must do the work based on what’s best for everyone involved, not to just do what makes us feel better at the time.

 
When facing past weeds in the garden, seek first the help and guidance of the Lord.  As the creator of all things, He knows you, your situation, and what you will need to restore the garden of your life.  His directions may sound odd.  They may even force you to do things that are difficult or unpleasant.  But ultimately, He knows what is best and through the blood of Christ and the strength of the Spirit, He will restore you lead you in the way that you need to go – past, present, and into our eternal future.

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The Gift

Posted on July 9, 2011 by day1of1

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. – Isaiah 64:4

God has blessed us with so many great gifts.  We see them, receive and appreciate them every day.  But when we consider that God is blessing us with even greater gifts than these – gifts that we may not have seen or appreciated, then we can begin to see the greatness of God’s love for us.

Think of those times in your life when you have given somebody a gift.  When it comes to gift giving, most of us are not seeking an overblown response or are trying to draw attention to ourselves, but there are still certain norms and behaviors that are expected when giving and receiving a gift.  The recipient should acknowledge the gift to the giver.  The giver should take care to wrap the gift beautifully and present it appropriately.  The recipient should thank the giver at the time and perhaps later with a card.  Seems a lot of work for a gift, but it is socially appropriate and considered taboo if not followed.

Now consider gifts given anonymously.  They break all of the aforementioned rules.  The giver receives no credit for the gift and the recipient has no opportunity to thank the giver.  Even if the recipient knows the giver, their desire to give the gift privately is important to acknowledge and appreciate.  God’s gifts are similar to those given anonymously.  For the faithful, there is little doubt from whom the gift came, but to the majority of the world, the gift goes unappreciated or even inaccurately categorized as a right or something to which they are entitled.

 

Ultimately, I believe that some of the gifts that God gives us are so great we couldn’t really understand them, so He just provides them without pomp and fanfare.   Others are an extension of His amazing love for us that are given simply because of who He is.  For example, someone who is a parent can appreciate that concept.  Children are thankful for their parents – for who they are and for what they do for them.  However, even the most conscientious child will not thank you for every single thing you do because he is simply not aware of all of the sacrifices you make and the seeds you are sowing into him.  It’s not lack of appreciation, just a decision on your part to give the gift more anonymously.

 

And now allow me to finally swing back to the original point.  God knows what is coming, what your needs will be, and how He plans to make provision for every need and desire of your heart.  It is His promise to you and you can live with confidence in the certainty of His love – just stay strong in your faith and continue to live in Him.  By doing so we allow ourselves to receive the greatest gifts that God has in store for us – forgiveness, salvation, and an eternal relationship with Him.

Not a bad gift – no matter how you wrap it!

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The Courage to Follow Your Heart

Posted on June 26, 2011 by day1of1

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15

 
“Your heart is free.  Have the courage to follow it.”  These are the words spoken by Malcolm Wallace to his young son William in a dream.  Malcolm and his oldest son had been killed in a battle against the English, leaving the boy orphaned and bound to set off for parts unknown with his uncle.  The dream shows William approaching a table on which his wounded Father was laid.  As he draws closer to the table, Malcolm’s body comes to life and he turns to William to deliver his final message to his son.  The message is a powerful one – perhaps a bit strange for a common farmer to leave as an epitaph but inspiring nonetheless.

 
Your heart is free.  This is easier said than done.  Modern life is filled with responsibilities that seem to make many of our decisions for us.  Our jobs, bosses, spouses, children, parents, families, friends, neighbors, churches, community organizations, and governments all play a major role in what we can and cannot do.  The repair man comes to fix an appliance between 1-5, leaving you home all day with nothing to do but wait.  Your boss complains that all of the work isn’t getting done and you’re working overtime.  Your children play on a travel soccer team so your weekends are suddenly filled with driving, cheering, and staying warm and dry.  You buy a new smartphone with wireless Internet access designed to make your life simpler only to find that keeping connected further eliminates the opportunity to unwind and pursue the things in life that truly bring you joy.  It can be hard to comprehend living in a society that is founded on the fundamental elements of freedom when you stop to think about just how locked in place our lives have actually become.  It takes some doing, but it is possible to change that paradigm and return back to a place where your heart is really free, but to do so will require work, perseverance, and above all courage.

 
Have the courage to follow it.  Having painted the picture of a free heart as being so difficult to achieve, it may come as a bit of a surprise to realize that the more difficult aspect of this admonition is to step up and follow it.  To some, this may seem to be a gross over-simplification.  Courage is the sort of thing you see on a battlefield or in a decision made by a world leader.  Many of us don’t see any of the decisions we make on a day to day basis as being terribly important, let alone courageous.  But then again, maybe it is that very lack of recognition which leaves so many of us trapped within the lives we currently are living, unwilling to take the necessary risks to receive the maximized benefits.  Courage is respected in every situation – including those circumstances that will never earn a medal or save a life.  A free heart can fill your mind with thoughts, but it takes courage to make those thoughts a reality.  A free heart can inspire you to pursue something you desire, but without courage you are more likely to give up hope at the first signs of struggle or resistance.  How many ideas have gone undeveloped?  How many relationships have not been pursued?  How many dreams have been left on the pillow because we did not step forward in boldness to pursue what God had left for us to have because we simply lacked the courage to fulfill it?

 
Very little of what I have said here should come as much of a surprise to us.  Courage is difficult to summon when we know exactly what to do.  It becomes even harder to find when we are still searching for the right path to travel or the best choice to make.  How wonderful it is to know that the solution to overcoming our fear can be found in the powerful arms of our loving God.  According to William Wallace’s father, true courage comes from following a heart that is free.  In real life, our Heavenly Father shows us in His word that this is also true, but in order for this to happen, we must follow God’s plan.  Through Christ, our hearts have been redeemed and by the Spirit we are given the courage necessary to step out where we must in order to fully become who God created us to be.

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Paralysis by Analysis

Posted on June 3, 2011 by day1of1

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love hepredestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. – Ephesians 1:3-6

 
Ever spend too much time standing in the closet trying to decide what to wear?  Ever stand in the aisle of a store comparing two or three similar items, unable to decide which one you should purchase?  Ever sit down at your desk at work to begin a busy day and find yourself unable to decide which of the dozens of tasks you should do first?  Or my personal favorite, ever have someone tell you they’re so hungry that they could eat anything but they don’t care what restaurant they go to, but then not offer any options while declining your suggestions?  (If you know someone like this and are thinking of showing them this blog post, please understand that I take no responsibility in what happens to you).

 
“Paralysis by Analysis” or whatever cute and clever name you wish to call it can really be a detriment to someone trying to reach a goal.  We often complain when we are not given options to choose but yet once we have options we struggle make the choice.  Now when it comes to restaurants, earrings, and neckties this can be a bit frustrating but not life altering.  However, this same difficulty can create major difficulties when applied to the most important areas of our lives.

 
I have found that indecision is particularly damaging when it comes to love and relationships.  People who waffle, who hesitate, or who struggle with clearly establishing the choice they have made to love through their daily lives will have more difficulty establishing, developing, and ultimately enjoying a their relationships.  Indecision needlessly complicates life and suffocates love.  To illustrate this, I will once again turn to one of the greatest love stories of all-time: Forrest Gump (I know, just humor me once again).

 
When you compare Forrest and Jenny, you see how their approaches to decision making impacted their lives.  Forrest progressed from one thing to the next; never getting too high or too low.  He made a choice, stuck to it, and moved forward with a sense of purpose and security in that choice.  Jenny was more free-flowing in her choices and often found herself having to deal with the consequences of a previous decision.  Her life was filled with ups and downs and the instability took its toll.  This is most evident in the love they “shared.”  Established through friendship at an early age, Forrest developed a love for Jenny that was lifelong, simple, solid, and for the most part, unrequited.  Some might look at Forrest’s love for Jenny and say that more than anything else proves just how stupid he really was.  Why put up with this?  Why hold on to a love that has lasted for so long without any return or any assurance that one will ever come?  The answer is as simple as the character: that was his choice.  Forrest made up his mind that he loved Jenny; that she was his girl, end of story.  Nothing could ever change that.  It didn’t matter where they were, what they did, how much they saw each other or how deeply she hurt him, he never lost focus on the love he had for her.  This is best demonstrated in this exchange near the end of the film:

 
Jenny Curran: Were you scared in Vietnam?
Forrest Gump: Yes. Well, I-I don’t know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out… and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There was always a million sparkles on the water… like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It’s so beautiful.
Jenny Curran: I wish I could’ve been there with you.
Forrest Gump: You were.

 
Jenny and Forrest have married.  For her, the marriage was another decision: Forrest was the biological father of her son and the best person to raise him now that she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness.  For him, it was the culmination of a decision to love Jenny made decades earlier.  What makes this all the more touching is that his choice to love Jenny not only comes to manifestation in his life, but she too is finally able to receive the benefits from his diligence in holding on to the choice he made because the next thing she says and the last thing she says in the movie is the one thing Forrest has waited a lifetime to hear, “I love you, Forrest.”

 
Forrest’s love is a simple and imperfect example of what it must be like when God looks at us.  He loves us by His own choice and certainly not for anything we might have done to deserve it.  His choice was made long ago and it has not changed, nor will it.  He has done everything necessary for us to be able to live in love with Him.  Of course, like Jenny we complicate things.  We try to make things bigger and more difficult than they need to be and as a result we face consequences for our bad choices and our indecision.  But even then, God has given us forgiveness through Christ and renewal by the Holy Spirit so that we too may come to benefit by the decision He made on our behalf. 

 
May the love of God live and grow in your heart so that His perfect work may be made complete in our lives and in the decision we make through Him.

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True Colors

Posted on May 23, 2011 by day1of1

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalm 139:14

 
Spring is the season when the colors come out, and not just in the many buds and blossoms that fill the gardens and trees which have lain dormant for months.  I noticed this a few weeks ago while participating with my colleagues in commencement ceremonies at Concordia University – Ann Arbor.  As the faculty gathered, I was surrounded by an assortment of colors on the robes and hoods of the professors.  Some of the color schemes are attractive, some are bizarre, but all of them tell a story. 

 
Colors on the hood signify the academic area in which the degree was earned as well as the university from which it was earned.  The university’s colors are easy to detect.  As Concordia is also my alma mater, my hood features the school’s red and white colors.  But the real fun comes from the colors that represent the content areas.  I am not too displeased with the light blue that identifies my degree in education, especially when I consider what colors I might have been given to wear.   Were my degree in music, I would be processing in pink – not the most manly of colors.  Some colors don’t seem to match the content area to which they were aligned.  Take fine arts for example.  Artists do amazing things with vibrant colors, so why are their hoods a basic brown?  Or consider business majors.  Why would a group of people who spend their lives making green hood themselves in drab?  Is that even a color?  Guess I’d better ask someone wearing brown)   To be fair, some of the hood colors make perfect sense.  A degree in criminal justice will not only get you fitted for a midnight blue uniform, but a hood to match.  And I was not surprised to learn that those people who strut around with degrees in government and public service would sport peacock colored hoods.

 
While I poke fun at the color of the hoods, I must be careful to remain respectful of one thing – the work that went into earning that degree.  I may not be a fan of the colors of every hood, but I recognize the accomplishment that it represents.  The person wearing these colors has worked, sacrificed, and disciplined themselves to earn a level of academic achievement that roughly 10% of Americans will reach.  So while these colors may not be flattering or our personal favorite, they identify us as special within our discipline, setting us apart as uniquely accomplished within our academic areas.

 
This same concept can be applied to the lives that many Christians live.  God knows us – has created us with gifts and abilities that are uniquely us.  Our lives are a testimony to what He has done for us and our thoughts, words and deeds demonstrate these things as proudly and as prominently as a graduate degree’s hood.  In His great love for us, God has equipped us for everything we will encounter.  God comes to our aid by revealing himself to us, creating a relationship with us, saving us through the death and resurrection of His Son, and allowing us to preach and teach this gospel message by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 
Unfortunately, many people try to downplay who they are in one way or another.  We pursue things that have no bearing on the world and little importance even in our own lives.  Sometimes our decisions can be confusing, destructive, or contrary to the will of God in our lives.  In these cases we do a tremendous disservice to ourselves, to those around us who have sown into us along the way, and of course to our God.  It was Shakespeare who once wrote “To thine own self be true,” an admonition to be yourself in all things – especially when dealing with yourself.  You’d think this would be easy, but how often do we try to convince ourselves that we are something we are not?  We look in the mirror and see our color and decide it’s the wrong shade, or that it’s really yellow instead of red, or that we’d look better wearing somebody else’s color.  It’s easy to fall into this trap, to seek shades that don’t belong to us all the while wishing our true colors would change or go away.

 
At the risk of being a bit too simple, when it comes down to it we have been made by God with colors He chose.  As our creator, He had a vision of who we were and what we could be, so He used the correct colors to ensure that His masterpiece would be complete.  Instead of being frustrated about what we lack, we should be thankful for the colors He provided.  May we continually thank and praise the Artist who so marvelously crafted us, seeking His guidance to find just the right mix of our colors to create the most vibrant and beautiful shade of “us” we can make.

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