Love in Action = Faith in Action

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:9-12

There's that word again, one that I'm sure everyone has heard of, has longed for, and has definitely experienced through God -LOVE-. I'm sure that I am not the only one with romantic notions when it comes to love and such things but what the Bible has to say about what love really looks like is very humbling! First of all the sincerity part, wow...it may seem obvious but I am sure that Satan uses our longing for love as a temptation to idolize it. Then there is the whole idea of having that 'significant other' who makes you feel special, pays attention to your needs, etc. all wonderful things but unless they are being done out of sincere love, which means 'honoring one another above yourselves', they mean nothing.

The verses that follow show that love is not separate from faith, "NEVER be lacking in zeal but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord...". I remember a verse I learned in elementary school from Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." This verse echoes what was going through my mind as I read the initial passage about love from Romans 12... The infamous 'love passage' in the Bible begins by saying that no matter what you have or what you do if you do not have love it means nothing.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."   and later in the same chapter... "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Could Contentment be Contagious?

^"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles." Philippians 4:12-14

There was a time not too long ago that I considered myself to have understood this passage. God provided me with an amazing family and blessings galore but I was able to travel to many different countries and see people who were in desperate need; somehow I felt that by going on mission trips my empathy counted as experiencing the needs of the people I worked with. Then I came to Dordt which is a wonderful place but I had to leave everything and everyone I knew behind. Yup...I had the whole contentment thing going on alright, but then God did what He does best and threw a new struggle into the picture. I felt like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof saying to God "Sometimes I think, when it gets too quiet up there, You say to Yourself, "What kind of mischief can I play on My friend Tevye?" But then again, as I thought back to Paul's struggles with a 'thorn in the flesh' and remembered God's answer when he asked to have it removed "My Grace is sufficient for you."   

...NOW .....

Somewhere, somehow I saw a small sign like this...

And I realized that I was wrong...Pollyana quoted her father as saying "When you look for the bad you will surely find it"and that's how the 'glad game' came about. Instead of searching for negatives and complaining why not count blessings? Ok, so back to the Bible passage...Paul continues saying "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" It is not me who does it but it is also not God doing it for me, He gives me the strength! That verse is popular but the next one is not so much, not only does God give strength but other people encourage and help by 'sharing' in Paul's troubles.    Bouncing back to me personally I realized that because of my struggles I have met some truly amazing people, just like Paul, people who 'share' in my struggles and pray about it with me. All this said, I do feel content now.  

SO, in answer to the title question 'could contentment be contagious' I say yes! God made us relational people and he gives us the strength to be content, and to encourage others. One of the ways God gives us strength is through other people. When one person is content others can see as well and they wish for the same....so PASS IT ON

Reflection on an Earlier Poem

Over a year ago I wrote a poem entitled Solitary Sleep, I just stumbled upon it and it got me thinking...

"She sits alone

in dark and cold

tired, sad, broken.

The sickness that

consumes her, leaves

her with nothing.

Nothing would be better

than to simply live again.

Her mind is filled with nothingness

as she sleeps for hours on end.

She tries to wake her foggy mind:

no, her eyelids are too heavy

and so, all friends abandoned her...

said, "Come back when you're ready".

Slowly, slowly her eyes fall open

but pounding pain disturbs her brain...

a teardrop rolls slowly down her cheek

followed by many more, and sobs that have her weak.

The solitude of her painful existence

leaves her wishing to again feel nothing...

so off she drifts; alone again...

no longer remembered by even one man

to lonely, empty, sleep."

(*this poem is not meant to be analyzed...it's meant to stir emotion)  ...Ok, I made that rule and now I am going to break it...I accidentally analyzed it comparing myself to the subject of the poem. Perhaps it is because I have been sick lately, I have felt like doing nothing but sleep and this is how the subject in the poem feels as well. That dark, numb, tired feeling is one I know all too well these days yet I am so unlike to character in the poem. Instead of having my friends abandon me they rallied close and have been nothing but kind and caring, even letting me nap in their beds when I am falling asleep :) I can only thank God for the wonderful people He has put in my life, and trust Him to know what is best for me. I guess the difference between myself and the girl in the poem is the friends we have...hers left, mine stayed close ...and one verse comes to mind

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Proverbs 18:24

Stillness, Struggles, and Strength

College has been interesting, to say the least. By now it has gotten past the excitement of living away from home and constantly meeting new people...it has become somewhat repetitious. Each week I go to my classes, complete my assignments, go to work, and run into many of the same people in the cafeteria. Then comes the glorious week-end with friends, fellowship, and the best day of all SUNDAY. It is on this day that I must be careful to keep it a day of sabbath rest and not too full of visiting people or running back and forth from nursing home singing to game night to worship to volunteering for different things....yup busy-ness is not hard to come by on a "day of rest".

I strongly beleive that helping out and doing good things is great but sometimes we take on more than we can handle. We may be surrounded by 'Christian' events and opportunities yet we don't have time to pray on our own or just to sit still for awhile...this isn't right! No matter what you should always have time to 'chill with God'. And then there is that other struggle of PRIORITIES...rather than grabbing a Bible and getting on our knees we get excited for "me time" and take a nap or pop in a movie...sure God is there but often we ignore Him. We need to remember that God is always there for us, but sadly we often do not give Him the time of day. We would rather spend countless hours on facebook or youtube than talking with God and reading His word. So here's a challenge I'm doing until December ...giving up my 'precious' facebook...no checking it, no status updates, no peeking even! I would challenge you to do the same, a number of my friends have done it before me so I didn't make this up but I realize that this is something I need to do right now. This November I want to "Be still and know" that God is who He says!

Hmmm...that covers the stillness but not the struggles or the strength...but I am tired, very tired in fact so I will write as fast as possible to 'finish' according to the title. I already said I am tired, due to what I will deem my current struggle...health issues which so far no doctor has figured out completely. This is tough, especially because I have very little energy but I have amazing friends here who are helping me through it. Thank you so much to those who have talked me through the pain, taken me to doctor appointments, helped me up when I was passed out, held my hand, given me hugs,  supported me as I walked, and driven me to the hospital late at night! God has obviously placed some very caring people in my life and I can't thank Him enough for that! It is truly amazing how I have so many dreams and plans yet they get held back so easily because of some stupid pain. And yet I know there are millions of people worse off than me, so kudos to them for dealing with life! At any rate that struggle is part of teh reason I feel I need to just be still and know who God is...which finally leads to the next part...my strength:

I know, and am still learning or coming to realize each day that God is the source of all my strength. I can do nothing without Him! No matter how much weight I can benchpress, no matter how far I can throw something, no matter how much I think I can be strong and deal with my own problems the truth is that it is only with God!

Knowing You, God

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Ephesians 1:17

Oh Father. Each night I talk with you, a good long talk where I just empty my heart of everything that has happened over the day. You know what is best for me, and I know that I just have to trust you but it's hard to sometimes! I've struggled a lot with the questions of what I should do with my life, where I should go to college, and how you are going to use me --I thought I had it all figured out but then you throw something new into the mix. Ever since I arrived on Dordt's Campus I've heard the foundational questions 'Who are you?' 'What is God's plan for your life?' 'How are you serving God NOW?' I truly have to keep thinking...This is my life---is this who I want to be?

And then there is the people thing I was so worried about before I left home...I came to this place with no church, no family, and no friends and WOW You provided me with a church that is truly a blessing full of people who care and a Pastor who preaches from Your word connecting it to my life. You brought people from all over the world here together to be friends and to be an encouragement. You even provided people to help me with technology so I can communicate with my family back home! What can I say but THANK YOU! I realize that you give me the strength to start each day with a huge smile...and it makes me so happy to see other people join in!

At times I feel overwhelmed with all the work and assignments and scheduling things that come up. At times I feel overwhelmed with all the kind people and gifts you provide for me. At times I feel overwhelmed with how to be a shining light for you--how to be authentic and encourage others to do the same. But at this particular moment in time I feel overwhelmed with that JOY unspeakable. You have blessed me immensely, now help me to stay close to you and share the gospel with everyone I meet! AMEN.

College Freedom

I have officially started college, well not classes but living the life. So far my favorite day has been Sunday, a day jam-packed with worship. I attend the URC and in the evening attended the all- campus Praise & Worship where the whole auditorium was full of people, all unique, all different, yet with one thread in common : we serve the LORD. We sang together, we knelt in prayer together, we embraced and got to kow eachother a bit better. It seems all my insecurities that popped into my head as we drove up were washed away and replaced with joy and peace, and a desire to stay living in this way. It's amazing how for a long time I was excited about the freedom that College would bring -life on my own, no parental supervision, etc. And then the Pastor at Church put it into perspective for me quoting
           "Freedom is best when the boundaries are well-defined"

He then went on the give an illutration of a fish in a tank wanting freedom from the walls around him, but when he got out he died; 'freedom' killed him. It is the same way with us, when we try to free ourselves from God's rules we die to sin and lose our true liberty.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

A Graduation Poem

In just a few short days I will be graduating, and decided to write a poem. See, people ask all the time about how excited I am, what my plans are, etc. But this is one of those times when I don't know what to expect...it may be liberating to graduate but it may also be a leap out of my comfort zone, and all I have ever known. I will be going to university more than a thousand kilometres away from home and my emotions flip-flop from being excited to live on my own and make my own decisions to anxiety about not having friends and family (who have given my so much encouragement and support) close by. Recently my Admissions Counsellor sent me an encouraging e-mail...and I was reminded of  Joshua when he was called to go far away...(see verses after poem)...

At Any rate....here is the poem I wrote :)

The end, marked by a date...
many people cannot wait,
I know not yet what to think
of the past that flew by in a wink
of the future that eagerly awaits
or the master plan that God holds safe.

Someday I can look back
and remember with a laugh
the many trials I thought mattered
that now have faded and shown
that God knows what is best
and His plan always has success

For now I am uncertain
of what lies behind the curtain
of the future; but I have faith
that God will be there always
no matter where I go

Joshua 1:7-9
 ⁷ "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”