Focus on the Waves

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw the strong wind and waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

 

 

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"

 

 -- Matthew 14:29-31

 

The theme of walking in faith continues to have precedent in my life right now.  Stormy seas are terrifying - the ocean has a way of telling you, "You are not welcome here, but now that you are here, you aren't getting out".  The waves beat you over the head, they push you under, and the rip of each wave pulls you away from the shore and into the landing zone of the next wave.  During the pounding of an angry sea we realize how very small and fragile we are.  We realize that we are at the mercy of a force of nature that can swallow us without pause.

 

This last year I've been focused on the waves, and I have been afraid.  And in this fear I began to sink which increased my fear and self-centered focus.  He did not make us move to Colorado - it was our choice.  He made the move easier for us than it should have been, but at no point did He force us to step out of the safety of the known.  When we asked Him, He allowed us to step toward Him, and He made a way for us to do it.

 

As soon as we got out of our boat we began to focus on our challenges, we began to focus on the instability of our situation, we focused on the difficulties, and not on the amazing provision He was offering us all the while.

 

This year is about letting go of that fear, and trusting in the hand of the Lord.  This year is about walking in faith on the path that He allowed us to step into.  We don't know what is going to come next, and the waves have not stopped.  We are not in a place of safety and stability.  It feels like the storm has subsided some, but we know that a single wave can come and smash the calm.

 

It is not about the storm though, it is about living in the adventure He has for us.  The storm is going to come, and we cannot control that.  We can only control our response to it.  Are we going to allow our fear to paralyze us, or are we going to keep our eyes on the One who has authority over everything?

 

 

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty

This I declare about the Lord:

    He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

    he is my God, and I trust him.

                                 -- Psalm 91:1-2

 



 

Storms can be terrifying, but they are also the source of my greatest earthly joy outside of my family. 

 

 

 

Surfing is a large part about taking a healthy fear of the ocean, and stepping right onto that line to enter communion with the most powerful force on earth.  There are terrors all around, but there is indescribable joy that cannot be found on the safety of the shore.

 

Life as promised by Jesus is not about safety; it is a call to step into challenges, it is a call to step out into the unknown and walk with him through the depths that would swallow us whole.

 

Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

  -- Luke 9:23-25
 

 

 







Hanging onto my F-E-A-R

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,'  but not do what I say? ..."  - Luke 6:46

Jesus used this question to lead into the analogy of building a house on a foundation of sand or rock.  The house built on the sand was destroyed in the first storm that came along, while the house built on the solid foundation was safe when adversity came along.

It seems obvious to say that it is a good idea to build a house on the solid foundation, so why would anyone ever build their foundation on shifting sand?

In my heart the answer is F-E-A-R

 

 

Fear of the unknown, fear of discomfort, fear of sacrifice.  I cry to the Lord when I face these things, but I fear he will call me into them.  And so, I pray with an agenda - not truly seeking his will and guidance, but for him to speed me along to my goal.

 

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God,

'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'"

C.S. Lewis; The Great Divorce

 

The question that comes from this is: where does my faith actually lie? If my prayer is for my will to be done am I submitting to the one I call Lord?  The answer would seem to be "no."

 

To call him Lord and do what he says is to move into dangerous waters.  He calls us to sacrifice.  He calls us to love.  He calls us to trust completely.  He calls us to place our fears into His hands, and embrace that which our selfish nature would rather avoid.  Not for our own sake, but so His will would be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

I struggle with praying "holy" prayers.  I do not want to admit my selfish fears to the Lord, because I know that they are not where He wants my heart to be.  Today I realized that this is actually me clinging onto the protection of my fears.  I don't want to let them go; in a twisted way, they comfort me.  I have been hanging onto my anxiety over the unknown future because in my imagined future is a world shaped by my current circumstances - and that is the foundational sand that Jesus spoke about.

 

- What if He wants us to stay here?

- What if my store ruins my career plans?

- What if we never are more financially secure than we are now?

- What if, what if, what if?

 

I have worries about unknown scenarios that rely on multiple other unknown scenarios to take place before I even get to the cross-road that I worry about: I worry about not getting a promotion for a posting that does not exist.  I worry that this non-existent posting will take us to an unknown place that will be difficult for our family.

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus -- Philippians 4:6-7

 

I am praying that I will move away from my will, and working on submitting to His.  This morning I laid out my fears, and will continue to do so, until I can really let them go. 

 

I want to look for the life He has for me today.  If He calls us to be here; I want to embrace the reason behind it.  If He calls us to be financially tight and use our resources to make a home where kids in need of love can find it; I want to embrace that opportunity.  If my career plan is simply a means to get me to a place where I trust Him completely; I want to embrace that security in Him and release the anxiety over my plan.

 

I am not there yet.  I can feel the fear creeping up from my stomach and wrapping its fingers around my lungs.  I begin to run through the well rehearsed laundry list - like a kid rubbing the corners of a well loved blanket.  My fears have been my companion, they have been a warped comfort blanket during those sleepless nights.  But my prayer is that I will let them go, and move into His peace.

 

By not praying my fears I have been holding them.  I need freedom from my fears, so the Peace of the Lord can take their place.  I need to release them, over and over again until they do not return.

 

 

 

My prayer is that He will help me to release my fears into His control.  My prayer is that His will be done in this home, that we would become a family that completely trusts in His provision, and makes our plans based on His desires.

 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

 

-- Ephesians 3:16-21



What Will Happen Tomorrow

James 4:13-15

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 

Colorado Springs.

September 21, 2013 saw us arrive in town full of confidence that we knew what we were doing.  We were going to be here for a year, we were going to fix the broken stores, we were going to get ready for my promotion, and we were going to get out of here.

We knew this would be a challenge, but we were confident that God was moving us here for a reason.  We had no idea how challenging the year would be though - probably a good thing since I don't know if we would have come had we known what was in store:

 

 - #1 Retail crime market in the United States

 - #1 Theft store in the #1 retail crime market in the United States

 - 3 dead cars

 - 1 set of Frozen Pipes

 - 1 Passive Aggressive HOA

 - Transferred from the #1 theft store to the NEW #1 theft store

 - 3 oral surgeries

 - 2 big cat sicknesses

 

These things were not part of the plan.  We were looking to go to Seattle, and the door opened here.  Our home sold in 4 hours.  We found a place to live in 6 hours.  Every crisis we encountered, every fleece we laid, was answered perfectly.  This was supposed to be easy because we were walking in faith.

 

I guess God didn't get the memo that it was supposed to be easy.

 

 

 

 

This year has been a lesson in faith, and reliance on His provision.  We have faced crisis after crisis where the solution came only from admitting that we had no answer.  We have struggled through doubt, frustration, anger, depression with wave after wave of issues.  Each time we begin to place a little bit of faith in our own strength we are humbled.  And through this frustration God has brought us into His peace.

 

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" - Philippians 3:13-14

 

With all of the difficulties we've faced, I have no doubt that this is where God wants us to be for this season.  Had we been anywhere else; we would need to live as a two income family, and this year has been a blessing for Kate and the kids.  The external theft experience I am getting here is second to none (way to go Colorado Springs - You are #1!!).  I am in the number one customer / thief traffic store in Colorado, and am diving into mentoring and coaching while facing a huge pile of obstacles.  I was put into a store that was completely broken, and God was able to use my strengths to help heal and build a sustaining culture that will see that team succeed at some point in time.  None of these blessings would have happened anywhere else.

 

Last week I was at a low regarding work: the thieves are winning, my numbers are horrible, inventory is coming and it will not be pretty.  I began to worry that I committed career suicide by coming here.  My goal was to get some experience, fix some stores, and get promoted - but now the concern is this market will bury me and in so doing; strand us here.  Then I prayed.

 

I felt a peace and whisper come over me saying; "Child, I brought you here.  I opened this window, and I have you.  My purpose may not be yours, but I will not abandon you."  And that was it.  Peace. 

 

I don't know if we will get the promotion.  I don't know if the theft of Colorado Springs will stop my career aspirations in their tracks.  I don't know what will happen tomorrow.  But I do know that God made the way, He has us, He has us.  We are here for His purpose, and it may have nothing to do with our goals, but it is for our good.

 

 

 

 

 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:13

 





Adventures in Parenting

Daddy, I'm freezing

Daddy, I'm hungry

I have to go poop

I'm tired

Help me

Get me

Give me

Give me

Give me

NOW!

 

 

Parenting.  It is not an easy job.  The hours are long, the customers are demanding, and there is always something that needs to be done.  There are times when I feel like pulling my hair out before I even have a chance to get out of bed.  But I love them - and I would not trade a single second of the time I get to spend with my two beautiful kids.  I provide for my kids (sometimes with an exaggerated eye roll), then go onto my adult day.  Sometimes this adult day begins with a prayer, that often looks something like this:

 

Father, I need money

Father, I need guidance

I'm tired

Help me

Get me

Give me

Give me

Give me

NOW!

Amen

 

 



 

 

I have to admit, my prayers are often very much like the cries from my children.  I usually close my eyes and give god my wish list.  I remind God of those things that I've already told him I want and have not yet received, add a few other items to the list, then when everything is out I say amen, and go back to my world of selfish ambition.  My prayer time is not about cultivating relationship with my Father, it is about getting what is mine and moving on.  It is about voicing my fears, my wishes, and (what I perceive to be) my needs.

 

God loves us exactly where we are, but he also desires that we learn and grow - just like I want my children to mature and develop from immaturity into maturity.  I love the phases my kids are in, but I celebrate each baby step toward adulthood.  I look forward to the day when we can sit at a table as equals, and have a real substantial conversation.  And, I think that's a tiny glimpse of God's desire for us - will we ever be equals?  No, but we do not have to be perpetually stuck in toddlerhood.

 

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

    - 1 Corinthians 13:11

 

What does maturity in God look like?  I believe it is a picture of love.  When we move into maturity we are less concerned with ourselves, and more concerned with loving others.  We put our needs aside, and make others our priority.  We begin to be a reflection of the love that God offers us.  We accept people for who they are, and we love them without agenda - just like God loves us.

 

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails ...

   - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 

I have been working on moving away from acting like a child.  That I would move away from focusing on my desires, and into true relationship with this Love that is mine.

 

My prayer is that each of us would have the courage to move deeper into relationship with him.  There is risk involved in this because love is not easy, but it is good.  My kids will have to take risks to grow up - they will have their hearts broken, and they will earn their scars, but these growing pains are just part of the maturing process.  In the same way the spiritual life will result in pains and hurts, but they are necessary for maturity.  People will always let us down, and the more we make ourselves available to them, the more we open ourselves up to their hurts.  But, if we focus only on ourselves we cannot love others, if we do not make ourselves vulnerable we can never show God's love because he made himself ultimately vulnerable through Jesus.  Jesus loved us perfectly.  Think about what this looked like ... chew on it and let his example soak in.  This is what we are called to do - to love the world with all of our hearts, minds, and souls.  We cannot do this when we think as toddlers, so we must be willing to go through the maturing process in order to truly enter into the fullness of life that He has for us.



The Daily Walk

A few years back, our pastor Curt Brunk, introduced us to the practice of SOAP journaling.  The practice is pretty simple, and gives a great format for Bible study.  SOAP is an acronym for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.  Start with a scripture, then look at what is being said, next ask how does that apply to my life, finally write a prayer based on what the verse is saying to you.

I've decided to put some of my entries out on the web.  My hope is that it will inspire someone else to begin taking the time to begin journaling, and will maybe give someone the structure that they need.  I love journaling my walk.  If I read a verse and don't write my thoughts out it passes through me like a dream, but when I write it down it becomes more solid in my daily walk.  I think it is the act of involving reading, writing, and speaking (prayer) that writes the verse into my heart - the more active you can be, the deeper the impression.

These entries are pulled directly from my latest study journal (my old one is still back in Wenatchee), so they are pictures into where my walk was at that date, and what God shared with my soul.  My idea is to just put somewhere around 5 entries online at a time, so here goes:

Date: 12-11-12
S: Mark 14:36: "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will."

O: Jesus knew what was coming.  He prayed that God would spare him the pain, but he did not waiver in his obedience.

A: What is in it for me?  Far too often that is where my thoughts go.  I place up my hand and choose to tell God, "That's far enough."  God does not promise earthly comforts or wealth.  By placing my own interests first I place myself first - I am the sinner.

P: Father, I am selfish - I am short sighted - I am the sinner.  Please forgive me - please use me for your Plan.  I place my hope and trust in the Lord God Almighty.  Who was, and is, and is to come.  May your kingdom reign and your will be done.  - Amen
- - - - - - - - -

Date: 12-12-12
S: Mark 14:64-65: "You have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of death.  Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him.

O: And so begins the greatest act of Love.

A: I am those fists.  I am those hateful shouts.  Nothing I can ever do can take that away.  Yet, because of this incomprehensible love I am forgiven.  The weight of grace is fare too light in my life.  My actions do not reflect the cost paid for me to be a son.

P: Lord, I pray that my life, my energy, and my legacy would reflect the price paid.  My life was not free, and for me to hold that it was freely bought is another slap to your son's face.  Let my heart turn to you.  May my body be yours.  I ask you to move in me and transform me as you will. - Amen
- - - - - - - -

Date: 12-13-12
S: Mark 14:71: He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you are talking about."

O: Despite his oaths and confidence, Peter turned on his lord when fear overtook him.  But Jesus and God did not falter in their Love for Peter.

A: I constantly fail - and I try to fix it.  God knows me better than I know myself (because I lie to myself constantly).  He does not expect me to come to Him perfected.  He has me flawed and He will make me perfect in His perfect way.

P: Lord, I have denied you more times than I can count.  Yet you love me.  You have not denied me.  I pray for strength to stand firm on your rock.  I thank you for grace incomprehensible. - Amen
- - - - - - -

Date: 12-16-12
S: Mark 15-15: Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.  He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

O: Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but he gave into the Jewish leaders to pacify them.

A: I have chosen to do what I know to be wrong in order to satisfy others. I have given into pressures and perceived pressures instead of acting in a way that I know to be right.  Being a coward is often easier than being brave.

P: Father, I am the sinner.  I have pushed your voice down so I could do wrong.  I pray for your forgiveness and thank you for the grace you offer.  I am truly not worthy - yet you love me.  I pray for transformation from a being of fear to one of light and courage - shaped in your likeness.  - Amen
- - - - - - -

Date: 12-23-12
S: 1 Corinthians 3:21-23: So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, and you are of Christ, an Christ is of God.

O: Paul urged the Corinthians to remove all items that caused division.  The world, life, death, present or future - all are unknowns that we use to put others down, and build ourselves up.  Paul says that we are all level in Christ, as we are all children with God's inheritance.

A: As God's child I need to worry less about my situation, and worry more about my brothers and sisters.  The God of all has called me to Him! That is all I should ever boast of.

P: Father, forgive me for the pride and division that come so easily.  Help me to see with new eyes - to hear with open ears.  To pour my energies out instead of in.  Your love, your plan, is more than I could ever hope for.  Please do not let me forget. - Amen

Date: 12-26-12
S: 1 Cor: 4:4: My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.  It is the Lord who judges me.

O: Paul tells us that though he is forgiven he is not innocent before the Lord.  He also reminds us that our opinion of ourselves is not relevant - only God is the judge of all.

A: My sins are forgiven only by grace.  I cannot "good" them away.  I must remember that I am not a judge and I don't get to say a thing about eternal affairs because I am not qualified to run my own life.  Humility needs to be a constant focus.

P: Father, I praise you for grace undeserved.  Thank you for forgiveness.  Please help me to remember that I am free because of you.  Because you chose to take my place.  I am only alive when I die into you.  Please help me to chose your life every day.  - Amen

Savoring Victory

     "It means," said Aslan, "that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know.  Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of Time.  But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation.  She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.  And now -"

     "Oh yes. Now?" said Lucy jumping up and clapping her hands.

     "Oh children," said the Lion, "I feel my strength coming back to me.  Oh, children, catch me if you can!"

      -- C.S. Lewis; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

 

 

 

 

 

This morning I was reading John 19 and 20.  This is where Jesus is turned over to the Romans, beaten, killed, and has risen again.  Christians know this story better than nearly any other in the Bible, and rightly we should since everything hinges on this event.  Today I was blindsided by a section that I've read over many times, but today the intimacy of the moment struck my heart in a way that has left me off balance all day.

 

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.  Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb.  He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head.  The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.  Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.  He saw and believed (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

        -- John 20:3-9

 

The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen .... holy cow.

 

I started to imagine what it was like for Jesus when he woke up.  What were those moments like when he opened his eyes, and felt his body again?  His last words were, "It is finished," and when he woke up it was finished.  He did not have to defeat death and sin anymore, it was done.  He had been given the most difficult job to do, and he saw it through to the most bitter end.  All of the fear, anxiety, pain, and betrayal was behind him - he had won the ultimate victory.  And then he woke up alone, wrapped, in the dark of a cave.

 

I imagine this was the most peaceful moment of His life.  I imagine that he let his body come back to him slowly starting at his fingers and toes then moving inward.  He took the time to fold the cloth that was covering his face.  He did not throw it off, he folded it and set it aside. 





 

 

 

 

I don't have any big spiritual insights in this.  I am just blown away by the peacefulness of the folded cloth.  It is such a simple act, but to me it speaks of a very introspective moment.  In my past, when I've moved onto a new adventure, I've been more intentional about saying goodbye.  I savor sights, smells, feelings so as to imprint them forever in my heart.  That is what the folding of the cloth speaks to me.  Jesus spent an unknowable time in that dark cave, savoring the feeling of a job perfectly completed to the glory of his Father.

 

Our God is amazing.





Who do you serve?

 It has been a long time since I last posted anything on my blog.  I felt like I was getting preachy and I didn't want to do that, so I stopped.  Just recently Kate suggested that I start writing again, and shortly after that I stumbled into the below during one of my morning devotionals.  My prayer is that this serves to strengthen my walk, and maybe challenge some of the ways in which we as Christians approach the world around us.

 

Here is the setup: Jesus had just healed a blind man by placing mud in the man's eyes and telling him to go wash the mud in a specific well.  The man did not know who had healed him, and the Pharisees (religious authority of the day) were questioning him.  I'm going to jump in mid-story.  If this is the first time you've read this, or like me, you've read this multiple times; focus in on what the Pharisees say and how they say it - then look at what Jesus says at the very end of the conversation ...

 

     A second time they summoned the man who had been blind, "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man (Jesus) is a sinner."

    He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

    Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

    He answered them, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

    Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

    The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does his will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God he could do nothing."

    To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth, how dare you lecture us!"  And they threw him out.

    Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

    "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

    Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

    Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

    Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

    Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

    Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

    -- John 9:24-41 NIV

 

 



 I have read this story more times than I know, but during a recent devotional I think I really paid attention for the first time.  I was blown away by the venom of the Pharisees and the depth and power of Jesus words at the close of the conversation.  I want to tackle both aspects in this post.

 

First off, the poison of the Pharisees.

 

You are steeped in sin, how dare you lecture us?  The Pharisees were talking with a man who was born blind, and could suddenly see.  Instead of approaching this situation with awe they saw it as an affront to their authority.  They refused to feel any wonder, and instead sought a way to manipulate the man to fit into their preconceived views.  When the man refused the Pharisees grew offended and cast the man out.

 

How easy is it to imagine those words to come from the pews of a church?  How dare you lecture us?  We know what is right. You are blind, and we can see - be gone from us!!  We place our fears, prejudices, cultural norms and traditions, and build those attributes into our vision of God.  We know that we are right because God is on our side.  We cast people out in his name, we draw lines and require that people conform to be like us before they are allowed to cross into the holy zone.  We take verses out of the Bible to justify our actions. 

 

If God calls it a sin it is a sin, and we cannot allow it to be in our midst.  So, if you will just admit that you are wrong and change you are welcome, but if you don't change you need to leave.

 

Think about this .... Jesus spent his time with sinners right? That's what we are taught.  But it was never Jesus who called these people sinners - it was the religious authority who defined the people as sinners.  It was the religious authority that separated "us" from "them".  The Pharisees were the ones picking up the stones, they were the ones looking for someone to step out of line.  They were the ugliness that the church shows the world to this day. 

 

Jesus just spent time with people.  Jesus treated people as special - not because they were sinners, but because they were.  He did not approach people as projects in need of fixing, he treated them as valuable because they had value.  The change he brought; people chose freely because of the love Christ gave them.  He offered love and grace to any who would accept it.  It seems that the people who claimed to be holy, who claimed to have sight were the ones who most often refused to see the grace offered them.

 

What exactly does it mean when he says, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin..."?  It is one of those statements that does not seem to mesh with the teaching of the church.  The church often teaches that if a person does not accept Christ they are doomed, but that isn't what Jesus says here.  He seems to be saying that if a person does not know that they are blind they will not be held accountable for this - only those who claim to know the truth will be judged accordingly.

 

 

 

While this seems to clash with the teachings of men, it does seem to be in line with the spirit of God.  God tells us that He is a God of love, a God of grace, a God of mercy.  Condemnation does not seem to be an attribute that God would hold.  Yet, condemnation is what the church offers while it speaks of the love of God.

I think C.S. Lewis gave a beautiful illustration of God's spirit in the face of blindness in The Last Battle.  At this point in the story the known world has ended, and all that is left is the world beyond the worlds.  The children have encountered a youth by the name of Tisroc, who was a member of the peoples who had worked to destroy Narnia.  Tisroc was picked up by his god, Tash and carried into the world beyond the worlds.  If this makes no sense to you please read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series - it is a beautiful set of books.

... Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all of my days and not him.  Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him.  But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome.  But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of Thine but the servant of Tash.  He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.  Then by reason of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one?  The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false.  Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him.  Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him.  And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted ...

God does not judge us by the name that we claim - he judges us by who we actually serve.

My prayer is that any ugliness that I do would be revealed to me. Any attitudes of superiority or divisiveness would be stripped bare.  I want to love people not because of what I think they can do for me (or what I can do for them), but because they are special.  I want people to discover the amazing love that is offered to them from a God of endless love.  I want to reflect the love of the God I claim.

God is good.  God is love.  God loves every person as they are.  He does not require that we change to be loved, but he will change us if we accept that love.  It is another one of those things that is hard to understand, but that does not make it any less true.  He has perfection for us, and if we let him, he will take us there.  I don't know what that looks like - my guess is that it looks different for each of us, but I have faith that he is working on my heart for His glory.  Amen