We probably all received the same advice when beginning a new school or new job: “Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” It sounds so easy, and on the surface it should be the easiest thing for us to do. How hard can it be to be ourselves? E.E. Cummings wrote, “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” It is not easy to be ourselves. Some people no longer know the truth of who they are because they have spent so much time being who other’s want them to be. And even if we know who are, we may lack the courage to reveal our true selves for fear we will be rejected by others.
The great irony is that the journey to know ourselves is one we cannot travel alone. We need God’s help to sort through the competing voices of who we should be. And we need the grace of a community that supports us in expressing who we are. Faith is not just about discovering God. It is about discovering ourselves.
Posted by westend_admin, Friday, July 8, 2011
I am still pondering the verse from Tuesday’s blog: “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free” (Romans 8:2). The key question is this: how can we experience freedom in our lives? In many ways, I think the Twelve Step Program has helped give shape to this experience. To flesh out what this means for all of us spiritually, I have reworded the first three steps in a more general manner. As you read them, consider if they represent the freedom that faith offers. And if they do, is there a step you need to take on your journey to freedom? Step one: I admit I am powerless to become fully who God created me to be and my life has become unmanageable. Step two: I believe God can empower me to live into who I am created to be. Step three: therefore, I turn my will and my life over to the care of God.
Posted by westend_admin, Thursday, July 7, 2011
This week’s Old Testament lesson (Genesis 25:19-34) is about a very dysfunctional biblical family. First there is Isaac. He had seven brothers but unfortunately his father had disinherited them. Isaac married Rebekah, and after a long period of infertility, she gave birth to twins. From the beginning it was clear the twins, Jacob and Esau, would be in conflict with each other. To make matters worse, the parents played favorites. Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob. This favoritism resulted in Rebekah scheming with Jacob to trick his father into giving him the blessing that Isaac intended to give to Esau. I could go on, but I think you get the point. They are not a model family!
What I find truly remarkable is that this story has become part of our sacred Scripture. And it poignantly demonstrates how God was working through family dysfunction and deceit, even if it did not seem evident at the time. We all need this story. When we are in the midst of a messy situation, it can be hard to see God’s presence. Sometimes it is only in hindsight that it becomes clear God was mysteriously at work.
Posted by westend_admin, Wednesday, July 6, 2011
One of the toughest questions I have faced in an interview situation was a mere three words: “Who are you?” I tried to answer by describing what I am like and what I like to do, but that did not answer the question. The person wanted to know what lies in my soul and in my spirit. In the end, I stumbled and stammered my way through the answer without much grace. I think what made this question so difficult is that I knew I would need to ask myself another tough question: “Who should I become?”
I believe these questions summarize our life’s quest, even if we never put words to them. We are in a constant state of striving “to be” and “to become,” and what makes it so difficult is that we feel there are things holding us back. Family baggage, bad breaks, or a fragile state become weights that never allow us to be who we know we should be. Breaking loose is not easy, nor can it be done on our own. This is where the power of faith helps us. Somehow our faith in God restores our faith in ourselves so that we are able to break free and become the person we yearn to be. As it says in Romans, “the Spirit of life in Christ has set you free” (8:2). Faith helps us see ourselves differently so we are free “to be and become” in ways we never thought possible.
Posted by westend_admin, Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Summer travel officially begins today, and many of us will be testing our patience as we fight crowds on the highways and at airports. As we make our way to our holiday destinations, I offer the blessing found in Colossians 1:11: “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience.” Have a wonderful holiday and Happy 4th of July.
Posted by westend_admin, Friday, July 1, 2011
The demands of adulthood dictate that we find relational and vocational focus—the pressure of which we all experienced while growing up. How many times were we asked if we were in a relationship or what job we aspired to? The pressure stems from good intentions that simply want us to experience the joy of sharing life with another person and a career in which we experience fulfillment. And these have become social norms that call upon us to narrow our options so that we are focused on the right person and right career. We carry over this same propensity in our journey of faith. Once we find a spiritual routine with which we are comfortable, we tend to write off other options as being unable to mediate God’s presence in our lives. The upside is that we are grounded in our faith through this routine. The downside is that we may lose our sense of divine discovery. We should never limit the ways God’s Spirit may move us, for when we do, spiritual stagnation is soon to follow. This brings me back to this week’s verse, when Jesus said, “God has hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” Those who perceive themselves as “wise and intelligent” may be so overly focused on a few things that they are not willing to try anything new. However, children are little masses of exploration on a quest to discover anything and everything new. Which one have we become in our spiritual journey?
Posted by westend_admin, Thursday, June 30, 2011
I’ve been mulling over Jesus’ words, “God has hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” What troubles me is the idea that God hides things from us. This seems down right capricious. Why would God hide the very things that we need? Then it dawned on me that there are two kinds of hidden. We can intentionally hide things from people, hoping that they never discover it. This is a capricious act, especially when it is something vital to others. But there are things that remain hidden to us because either we are not looking or looking in the wrong places. I experienced this when renting a car recently. I was told the keys were in the car. When I sat in the car I could find no keys—not even a spot to use a key! All I found was a key fob lying on the console. I hate to admit how long I spent looking for the key. Finally I gave up and went back to the desk, only to be told that the key fob is the key. And further, you do not insert it anywhere. You can keep it your pocket or place it on the console. As long as the key fob is near the car, all you have to do is push the start button. Everything I needed was in front of me but I just didn’t know what to look for. When it comes to faith, it is a good reminder that the journey of faith is not just about seeking. It is also knowing what we seek. Otherwise it may be in front of us all along, yet seem hidden.
Posted by westend_admin, Wednesday, June 29, 2011
When I was growing up, going to church meant putting on our “Sunday best.” My best included everything from leisure suits to clip-on ties! Sometimes I feel like we put on our Sunday best with our lives as well. We try to look like we have it all together and do our best to hide any brokenness we may be experiencing. An article by Daniel Clendenin has me thinking about this. In talking about failure-tolerant Christians, he tells of his fascination with the desert monastics. These are the people who over fifteen hundred years ago fled the corruption of the city and church to live in monasteries in which they could devote their lives to God. What he finds interesting is the degree to which they admitted their struggles. They were “not ashamed or embarrassed to acknowledge and embrace one's brokenness, wounds, darkness, and inner demons. For them, intense struggle is a necessary component of Christian maturity.” As I think about it, the question is not whether we are able to avoid pain and brokenness—we’re all imperfect. The question is whether we will learn and grow from it. We can only learn from that which we are willing to face.
Posted by westend_admin, Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Toddlers can be inspiring and exasperating. They’re inspiring because they are interested in everything, and they are exasperating because they get into everything! Personally, I love a toddler’s sense of wonder, curiosity, and desire to explore. I think it is these qualities that lead Jesus to say, “you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants” (Matthew 11:25). Those that deem themselves wise and intelligent may stop seeking more knowledge, but those that see themselves as mere infants know they have much to learn. In our spirituality, it is good to be infantile. Then we are ever curious about what we don’t know rather than proud of what we already know.
Posted by westend_admin, Monday, June 27, 2011
I would be remiss if I focused on sacred music and did not mention Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach said that “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” I want to focus on Bach’s use of glory. In contemporary understanding, we would probably interpret this as our need to “give glory to God.” This implies that our words must attribute something positive to the nature of God. Yet the meaning of glory is broader than this. Glory can also mean “consideration,” and in Scripture it is used to describe the very presence of God. Building on these uses, when Bach says that “music should be none other than the glory of God,” it can also mean that it should provoke consideration of God and draw us into God’s presence. I don’t know about you, but to me music is more a way of engaging God than singing about God.
Posted by westend_admin, Friday, June 24, 2011
