Love can not be defined
Nor limited
Any more than God can,
For it is not a quantity
Nor an emotion
But a set of actions
Resulting in positive balance.
Love can not be described
Nor explained
Any more than God can
For it is not the same
Nor of logic
But in every situation
Expressed uniquely.
Love is not a lot of things,
Nor is it simply
Avoiding all conflict
For the sake of giving in,
Nor allowing abuse,
But keeping peace
By speaking truth in grace.
Love is not a feeling
Nor a term endeared
Any more than God is
Just a name,
Nor is it confined
To the natural
But supersedes the senses.
Love is not instant
Nor fleeting
Any more than God is
For the generations
Who misunderstand Him,
But is the product
Of time and effort empowered.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Better
I have this child,
She is me but different;
Confident, strong,
Full of laughter and life,
She is better and I am glad.
I have this child,
She is me but different;
Physical, forthcoming,
Speaks what she feels,
She is better and I am glad.
I have this child,
She is me but different;
Feminine, fancy,
Determined and beautiful,
She is better and I am glad.
I have been bettered
But I should be;
They are the future,
In His image they grow
Into all I imagine and more.
She is me but different;
Confident, strong,
Full of laughter and life,
She is better and I am glad.
I have this child,
She is me but different;
Physical, forthcoming,
Speaks what she feels,
She is better and I am glad.
I have this child,
She is me but different;
Feminine, fancy,
Determined and beautiful,
She is better and I am glad.
I have been bettered
But I should be;
They are the future,
In His image they grow
Into all I imagine and more.
Monday, July 20, 2009
CUKES
Ever noticed how God tends to bless you abundantly with one particular thing in a given season of your life? It's like there are themes to life, and they last a while - until you've learned what you are supposed to learn from them; or perhaps you've enjoyed them long enough; or perhaps until you've overcome them.
My theme this summer is cucumbers. The garden is brimming with them, and at least twice each week I install another "fence" of sorts - something for them to climb on besides my peppers and tomatoes. The bright yellow flowers are sublime. They are so happy, so abundant, so prophetic, so prolific. I think to myself, "what am I going to do with all the coming cucumbers"? Make pickles, that's what. Lots of pickles.
Pickling is a lost art. It is something my great-grandmother did, and my grandmother did, and my mom learned, and now I carry on doing. It connects one with the most basic elements of life - food, preservative, and cleanliness. "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven". I will always remember summer as a time for pickling. We are putting away food for winter, for long storage, for the future, for sharing. Pickling is a way of reaping the harvest and saving it, sharing it, storing it, and experiencing it anew much later in time.
Did I mention that the pickles taste divine? They are NOTHING like the dyed-yellow, chloride-infested noodley things on the grocery store shelf. They are crisp, and crunchy, and tast of fresh dill and garlic and GARDEN. They are a reminder of days past, and days present, and days future. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."
When I was a girl, we used to visit these friends of my parents. It was the kind of relationship in which I called my mother's friend my Aunt. Well, my Aunt Mae made the best dill pickles I had ever tasted. When we went over to her house, I would secretly hope and pray that she'd pull out one of those precious jars and open it, offering her homemade pickles for us to enjoy. The jar was soon empty, and a smile grew in my heart. I needed nothing more than those pickles to have a simply wonderful time at Aunt Mae's house. They were tasty, and crunchy, and reminiscent, and timeless, and special. Now I am making them, and watching my kids' faces as they bite into the real deal. It's a generational thing. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Thank you, God, for the cucumbers. I'll do my best to share and preserve them wisely. They are special, and wondrous, and delicious, and abundant - just like the rest of your blessings.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Lie of Reward
I have recently witnessed a common attitude in two families close to me; and one that disturbs my heart. This misguided form of spiritual pride occurs when people are materially blessed - AND then assume that the blessing is a reward for their behavior. I believe this is closely related to the "prosperity teaching" in some churches. The assumption is that if I'm living in a Godly manner, doing everything right, and therefore deserve it, then God will bless me abundantly. Logically, if I have already been blessed abundantly (in a material sense) then I must be doing everything right!
Which of the lies buried within the previous statements should we debunk first? I hardly know where to begin... but here's an attempt.
(1) God does not operate under a system of rewards - He gave us the greatest reward there has ever been, i.e. His very self, while we were still sinners. He did not wait until we were "perfect" in order to reward us with salvation. We never could have earned it, nor can we now. There never will be another reward from God, because none is necessary.
(2) If God gave us what we deserved, we'd all be condemned to hell forever.
(3) If number (2) made you think, "Not me", then you are more deceived than the rest of us.
(4) God sees us all, every single person, exaclty the same. Consider your own children, and attempt to answer the question, "which one do I love most?" He is not able to favor one over another, but loves each of us the same. There is no way to "earn" greater love or blessing from God than He already has for you. However, you can learn to receive it better, in truth.
(5) You will never be doing everything right. Forget that line of reasoning, it's a lie.
(6) When you experience a crisis in the midst of your prosperity (not if, but when) - then what will you say about God? The converse of the above logical statement is that God is punishing you. What if you've done nothing to be punished for? What then? God just stopped loving you? He ran out of rewards? Job was, in the words of God himself, a righteous man - and very wealthy. He lost everything.
(7) God's definition of "blessing" is very different from ours - and likely has nothing to do with material possessions or comforts. Does God want you to be happy? Sure He does! Is he going to give you a lot of stuff to accomplish that wish? Probably not. To Him, blessing you means putting people in your life who love you for who you are, giving you ample opportunities to bless others, healing your relationships with friends and family, and giving you internal peace and contentment. The size of your house, the amount in your bank account, or the model of your car is not nearly as important to him as the state of your heart.
These are some difficult truths. In our human-ness, we want to believe that we can earn good things with good works. That is just how we are - but that is the human system, not the God-system. He is all about grace, compassion, love, mercy, and peace. The immaterial is His substance, and it is with these qualtities that He reaches into our lives and blesses us beyond measure.
Which of the lies buried within the previous statements should we debunk first? I hardly know where to begin... but here's an attempt.
(1) God does not operate under a system of rewards - He gave us the greatest reward there has ever been, i.e. His very self, while we were still sinners. He did not wait until we were "perfect" in order to reward us with salvation. We never could have earned it, nor can we now. There never will be another reward from God, because none is necessary.
(2) If God gave us what we deserved, we'd all be condemned to hell forever.
(3) If number (2) made you think, "Not me", then you are more deceived than the rest of us.
(4) God sees us all, every single person, exaclty the same. Consider your own children, and attempt to answer the question, "which one do I love most?" He is not able to favor one over another, but loves each of us the same. There is no way to "earn" greater love or blessing from God than He already has for you. However, you can learn to receive it better, in truth.
(5) You will never be doing everything right. Forget that line of reasoning, it's a lie.
(6) When you experience a crisis in the midst of your prosperity (not if, but when) - then what will you say about God? The converse of the above logical statement is that God is punishing you. What if you've done nothing to be punished for? What then? God just stopped loving you? He ran out of rewards? Job was, in the words of God himself, a righteous man - and very wealthy. He lost everything.
(7) God's definition of "blessing" is very different from ours - and likely has nothing to do with material possessions or comforts. Does God want you to be happy? Sure He does! Is he going to give you a lot of stuff to accomplish that wish? Probably not. To Him, blessing you means putting people in your life who love you for who you are, giving you ample opportunities to bless others, healing your relationships with friends and family, and giving you internal peace and contentment. The size of your house, the amount in your bank account, or the model of your car is not nearly as important to him as the state of your heart.
These are some difficult truths. In our human-ness, we want to believe that we can earn good things with good works. That is just how we are - but that is the human system, not the God-system. He is all about grace, compassion, love, mercy, and peace. The immaterial is His substance, and it is with these qualtities that He reaches into our lives and blesses us beyond measure.
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