God

Moment of peace

Right now I am curled up in bed without any blankets on because it is so warm and Springish out. I am about to read a bit and then go to sleep. I almost didn’t blog tonite because I was tired and just not feeling up to it. But as I lay here, it kind of hit me that I had something I wanted to write. Something I wanted to remember.

And that is this feeling of peace that I have right now.

Koski is back in her crate for the first night in a week (Seriously, as much as I love my puppy, I don’t get how people let their animals sleep in bed with them. Koski got to sleep in my bed for about a week because it was less disturbance to my sleep than having her tremble and pant in her crate all night while wearing the cone of shame. We are SO done with that now. No more paws digging into my back in the middle of the night, or waking up because she’s having some wicked dream that causes her to twitch and growl or waking up drenched in sweat because she’s a freakin’ blast furnace of a dog! Ok. Enough of that rant.)

Today is finished and tomorrow is on the horizon. But between the two is this time for rest. I don’t always feel at peace when I lie down to sleep, and I guess that is why I want to remember this.

Sometimes the day has been filled with too many cares which I find hard to let go of. Sometimes tomorrow’s problems loom larger than its promise. Sometimes I just worry bout too many things. But not tonite. Tonite my heart is quiet and I am thankful for it.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philipi, he wished them the peace of God which transcends all understanding. I wish the same to you, and to myself.

Child of God…

Tonite I spent the evening with two wonderful women who are my colleagues in ministry and who have begun the WeightWatchers journey. It was wonderful to gather at the table and share laughter and faith and food.

Sometimes, I am so blessed by the people that God brings into my life, it is ridiculous. Who am I to deserve such good gifts?

Most of the time I am selfish, cranky, short sighted, lazy, judgmental, and fear-filled. I react in anger more quickly than in love. I doubt easier than I believe. I struggle more than I live in thanks.

So who am I to deserve such good gifts?

I am a child of God.

And somehow – through his grace and mercy and unfailing love – God sees that as enough of a reason to give me such unbelievably good gifts.

And I am thankful.

Another glance at the “Our Father”…

The Lord’s prayer is among the best-known passages in the Bible. Sometimes it is the only thing people know to recite when it comes to prayer. But I often worry that we have some wrong ideas/bad theology that is formed out of how we understand this prayer.

For example – the prayer starts “Our Father, which art in Heaven”…. Do we think this means that God is far removed – that God dwells afar in a distant place called Heaven? Because I don’t think that is the God that Jesus knew, and it’s not the God I know. The God I know is close, involved even in the seemingly mundane or silly parts of my life.

Dallas Willard took a crack at re-writing or re-imagining this prayer as part of his book, The Divine Conspiracy. And I find his translation so very helpful. So here it is. I hope it will bless you as it has me:

Dear Father always near us,
may your name be treasured and loved,
may your rule be completed in us-
may your will be done here on earth in
just the way it is done in heaven.
Give us today the things we need today,
and forgive us our sins and impositions on you
as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.
Please don’t put us through trials,
but deliver us from everything bad.
Because you are the one is charge,
and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours-forever-
which is just the way we want it!
Amen (or Willard would be thrilled if you went “Whoopee!”)

 

 

Logically, or emotionally?

Today Koski went to get spayed by the Vet. On the one hand, this is a perfectly routine procedure and tonnes of dogs have gone through it before without a hitch. On the other hand, THIS dog is MINE. And that seems to make all the difference. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I cried when I drove away from the vet’s office this morning.

Logically, I understand that the risks were low and the likelihood that she’d be home with me by the end of the day was high. Emotionally, I was a bit of a wreck (not a terrible wreck, but it was stressful).

And that’s the reality of life, isn’t it? At least for my personality type, it is. I say this all the time: logically I know that….but emotionally I worry/fear/feel that…

One of my colleagues pointed out to me this week, that the fear and worry is a monster that is always hungry. And worrying about an issue just feeds the monster and makes him bigger and hungrier. I asked her what the solution was, then. Because the “just don’t worry” theory doesn’t really work.

And she said the wisest thing. She said, “Find a scripture that brings you great comfort, repeat it to yourself whenever you feel yourself beginning to worry.” So simple. So wise. The word of God chases away our fear and discomfort. The monster cannot survive when we don’t feed it.

So I have chosen a couple of scriptures to help me starve the monster:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
Isaiah 41:10 MSG

If you make the LORD your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
Psalm 91:9-11 NLT

You may choose different ‘starve the monster’ scriptures. But if you are one who finds it easy to worry, easy to feed the monster, I urge you to choose some and to memorize them and meditate upon them. Starve that monster. It’s a better way to live.

Words of comfort…

Tonite during the video part of our weekly study, The Divine Conspiracy, John Ortberg told a story about his daughter. When she was upset he or his wife would say to her “Honey, honey, honey, I know, I know, I know.” When she grew up enough to start speaking, they would hear on the baby monitor that she would self-comfort. She’d wake up from a scary dream and say to herself, “Honey, honey, honey, I know, I know, I know.” These had become words of comfort and of love for her.

So one of our discussion questions had to do with what sort of words from God would be the equivalent to our own “Honey, honey, honey, I know, I know, I know.”

When I was a kid, my Dad would say to me, when I was afraid, “It’s ok, it’s going to be fine. I wouldn’t tell you that if it wasn’t true.” My Dad’s voice saying “I wouldn’t tell you that if it wasn’t true,” is one of the most comforting sounds in the entire world to me. And I think the equivalent would be all the times in the Bible that God says “Do not fear, I am with you.”

There is something so comforting in just knowing that our Heavenly Father is with us. He does not leave us, he does not forsake us. I wish I could share the peace I find in that that thought with everyone I meet. I wish I could go around handing out that certainty and comfort to all those in need of it.

Counting more blessings…

I have a couple of different ideas for a blog rolling around in my brain pan right now, but I also have a headache rolling around in there. So I thought I’d do a short post tonite and give gratitude to God for some good things in my life (I believe this is a good way to deal with pain, whether physical, spiritual or emotional).

Today I am thankful for:

-having spent some time with my buddy Luke (we ate, talked, walked and watched all 3 extended edition Lord of the Rings movies). Luke has been an excellent friend for a lotta years, and I am blessed to get to spend time with him.

-good food. I picked up some oranges (for cheap!) at Sobey’s on Saturday and I am just burning my way through them. Also on the menu the last couple of days: awesome butternut squash soup, potato turkey saute, steak, eggplant and pineapple on the BBQ. Yummy.

-my health/my body. I was on the stability ball today, and I realised how able my body is (and becoming more so all the time), and how good my health is…and I couldn’t have said that this time last year. It’s good to stop and be thankful for that even as I continue to transform.

-a holiday Monday. Say what you will about family day, I am always glad for a break. And today’s break from the normal routine has been greatly appreciated.

-a good place to work, live and sleep. (They are not all the same place!) I love my church and the work I get to do with them. I love the house, the neighborhood and the city in which I live. This is a great thing – and since ministers go where ever the call leads them, it’s not always the case. I love my bedroom. I just gave it a major cleaning and did some decluttering, and that has reminded me once again how much I love it.

-companionship. Between friends, family, chosen family and the animals in my life, I have a lot to be thankful for – and that’s before you count the constant companionship of the triune God of the Universe.

These are some ‘big’ or maybe ‘general’ blessings…I think I will have to think about and come up with some random little things for which I can thank God this week.