Last time we talked about the experience with the dodgeball to the face, and how it's like being questioned about our faith. I addressed how we should answer those questions, but I didn't focus on the other part of that scenario: the pain itself.
When we are questioned about our faith, many time these questions hurt because we don't readily have an answer. We live inn the age of instant gratification, so when we can't produce an answer, all of a sudden we clam up, and it's like we feel completely numb to the Holy Spirit for a brief time. All of a sudden, we feel as if we're non-believers all over again. We feel empty. We even go as far as to ask God, "Hey, what is the answer to their question? Do You even know?"
Whoa!! What just happened?! One minute we're on mission for Christ, the next we're questioning God like we understand everything. Not cool. We've officially gone too far, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be mentioning this if we didn't do it. I've hit rough patches before where I questioned God. It was a time where I just had to ask, "Am I missing something? Why does there seem to be a contradiction here? I know You're real, and I know Your Word's real, but help me understand this." I couldn't figure out how certain parts of the Bible fit with what we know today. I was having trouble finding a timeline for when this stuff happened in the Bible. I even had to ask if we were doing the right thing, or if we were just the crazy brand of Jews.
I know, I just unloaded a whole mess of personal stuff on you. My bad. Back to the point. That feeling hurts, but it's the calm you feel later that's evidence of God. It's when you're an emotional wreck at night not knowing what eternity has in store for you that you hear that still small voice say, "Why don't you just calm down for a while? Are you alright? I'm listening. Lay your burdens down at my feet." No, this isn't the voice of a concerned parent... Well, on second thought it is. It's the Father saying He cares.
Next time this happens to you, remember why you even believe what the Bible says. You believe it because God has shown Himself to you, and He's shown you the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Just remember that when you get stuck in a rut.
Your Brother in Christ,
Phillip
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dodgeball to the Face
Nothing hurts quite like a dodgeball to the face.
Once when I was in fifth grade, we were out playing at recess at San Mateo. Back then, there was a large opening covered by old trees where people played kickball. Well, one day we had an extra ball, which meant that anyone could have it and start some other game. Since we were on the swings, we decided to make a new kind of kickball. One person would throw the balk to someone who was swinging. The person in the swing had to kick it while in mid-swing to send it really high. Other people were waiting to catch this ball farther away.
When it was time for me to kick the ball, I was swinging really high and getting prepared. One kid grabbed the ball and threw it at me really fast. It went straight past my feet while I was at the bottom of the swing's motion and it hit me in the face. OUCH!!
Remember how I said earlier that nothing hurts quite like a dodgeball to the face? I may need to add a little note...
Nothing hurts quite like a dodgeball to the face while swinging and then falling out of the swing as it reaches the tallest point of motion.
Tis was one of the worst feelings I ever had. I'm laying on the ground, trying not to cry in front of all of my friends, but it's hard since the ball pretty much nailed my tear ducts (yeah, something like that.) How could even get by with crying? Then I knew what I had to do.
I laid there until someone came beside me and asked if I was alright. I looked up with a blank stare and said, "I can't see." Then, someone else rushed over to see what was up. At this point, I just started yelling "I can't see!! I can't see!!" I was doing everything I could to make it appear as though I had went blind, since there were tears. This didn't last long, because someone threw a ball at me and I ducked to avoid it, and apparently no one believed that I heard the air rushing toward me. Oh well.
This feeling of pain and embarrassment is something I can only compare to when we are questioned about our faith. And I don't me the warm, fuzzy, "How must I be saved?" Sunday School material questioning. I mean the rigorous kind that makes you feel like the loser of a very important debate. This happens almost daily for some of us, and for others it's something we just want to avoid all together.
The Bible commands that we need to be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) Uh-oh. Now we're laying on the ground, stunned by what they just hit us with, trying to think up some excuse for not being able to respond. Do we respond by yelling and shutting them down? No. The same verse says to "do it with gentleness and respect." We are supposed to show the people who wrong us love, not try to make them feel bad for their misdeeds. In my example, me pretending to be blind to make them feel bad was awful, just like it would be awful if, when asked about particular beliefs we hold, we respond with a response that might as well be calling the person a filthy sinner.
This answer we're supposed to provide doesn't have to win, and many times it does not. After all, the Bible passage doesn't go on to say that once you win, you must be nice. It says when you're slandered, you respond with gentleness and respect to shame the opposer. It's not like you're trying to win a debate!! You just wanna share the love of God with that person. You end up "winning" if you are truly following Jesus, but if you're truly following Jesus, you probably realize that you're "losing" if you focus more on some sort of nonexistent battle than on leading a lost soul to Christ. Just think of this the next time the world hits you in the face with a dodgeball.
Your Brother in Christ,
Phillip
Once when I was in fifth grade, we were out playing at recess at San Mateo. Back then, there was a large opening covered by old trees where people played kickball. Well, one day we had an extra ball, which meant that anyone could have it and start some other game. Since we were on the swings, we decided to make a new kind of kickball. One person would throw the balk to someone who was swinging. The person in the swing had to kick it while in mid-swing to send it really high. Other people were waiting to catch this ball farther away.
When it was time for me to kick the ball, I was swinging really high and getting prepared. One kid grabbed the ball and threw it at me really fast. It went straight past my feet while I was at the bottom of the swing's motion and it hit me in the face. OUCH!!
Remember how I said earlier that nothing hurts quite like a dodgeball to the face? I may need to add a little note...
Nothing hurts quite like a dodgeball to the face while swinging and then falling out of the swing as it reaches the tallest point of motion.
Tis was one of the worst feelings I ever had. I'm laying on the ground, trying not to cry in front of all of my friends, but it's hard since the ball pretty much nailed my tear ducts (yeah, something like that.) How could even get by with crying? Then I knew what I had to do.
I laid there until someone came beside me and asked if I was alright. I looked up with a blank stare and said, "I can't see." Then, someone else rushed over to see what was up. At this point, I just started yelling "I can't see!! I can't see!!" I was doing everything I could to make it appear as though I had went blind, since there were tears. This didn't last long, because someone threw a ball at me and I ducked to avoid it, and apparently no one believed that I heard the air rushing toward me. Oh well.
This feeling of pain and embarrassment is something I can only compare to when we are questioned about our faith. And I don't me the warm, fuzzy, "How must I be saved?" Sunday School material questioning. I mean the rigorous kind that makes you feel like the loser of a very important debate. This happens almost daily for some of us, and for others it's something we just want to avoid all together.
The Bible commands that we need to be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) Uh-oh. Now we're laying on the ground, stunned by what they just hit us with, trying to think up some excuse for not being able to respond. Do we respond by yelling and shutting them down? No. The same verse says to "do it with gentleness and respect." We are supposed to show the people who wrong us love, not try to make them feel bad for their misdeeds. In my example, me pretending to be blind to make them feel bad was awful, just like it would be awful if, when asked about particular beliefs we hold, we respond with a response that might as well be calling the person a filthy sinner.
This answer we're supposed to provide doesn't have to win, and many times it does not. After all, the Bible passage doesn't go on to say that once you win, you must be nice. It says when you're slandered, you respond with gentleness and respect to shame the opposer. It's not like you're trying to win a debate!! You just wanna share the love of God with that person. You end up "winning" if you are truly following Jesus, but if you're truly following Jesus, you probably realize that you're "losing" if you focus more on some sort of nonexistent battle than on leading a lost soul to Christ. Just think of this the next time the world hits you in the face with a dodgeball.
Your Brother in Christ,
Phillip
Monday, September 19, 2011
New Shoes
New Blog Post
It's Not Easy Being Clean
Nothing is more obvious than when your shoes are new.
This probably sounds really stupid right now, but I'll explain. So, whenever someone gets a new pair of shoes, it's really obvious because there aren't any holes, or large scuff marks, or discolorations, or even foul odors. They become very adamant about keeping clean. I mean super adamant, to the point where if you get too close they've already swung at you, but thankfully you moved quick enough. It's true. You never wanna get 'em wet or scuff 'em or anything like that, because if you do they don't have that brand new feeling anymore. Am I the only one who ever felt this way or observed this?
Well, part of the reason we like the shoes is because they're squeaky clean. We just got them, so we haven't had time to mess them up. It's kinda like when God gives us a new heart. When we're first radically changed by God, it's amazing. Talk about squeaky clean. He tells us in Isaiah 1 that He'll wash us white as snow, which is true. But what happens a year or so down the road...
All of a sudden, that new heart's worn out, just like those new shoes. All of a sudden, our heart's have gotten dirty again, and it's time for a change. Only God doesn't have to give us a new heart this time. He just reaches out to clean it up. Maybe that's what you need from God. I know I have for a while. He doesn't just clean it though. You have to ask Him to clean it. You have to repent. Otherwise, he's looking at your shoes with a rag and a bottle of 409, waiting for you to admit that they're dirty.
I guess the question is just this: does your heart need to be clean? I'll admit mine does, now you must admit to the Lord that you are in need of a clean heart, or a new one if you have not been born again.
It's Not Easy Being Clean
Nothing is more obvious than when your shoes are new.
This probably sounds really stupid right now, but I'll explain. So, whenever someone gets a new pair of shoes, it's really obvious because there aren't any holes, or large scuff marks, or discolorations, or even foul odors. They become very adamant about keeping clean. I mean super adamant, to the point where if you get too close they've already swung at you, but thankfully you moved quick enough. It's true. You never wanna get 'em wet or scuff 'em or anything like that, because if you do they don't have that brand new feeling anymore. Am I the only one who ever felt this way or observed this?
Well, part of the reason we like the shoes is because they're squeaky clean. We just got them, so we haven't had time to mess them up. It's kinda like when God gives us a new heart. When we're first radically changed by God, it's amazing. Talk about squeaky clean. He tells us in Isaiah 1 that He'll wash us white as snow, which is true. But what happens a year or so down the road...
All of a sudden, that new heart's worn out, just like those new shoes. All of a sudden, our heart's have gotten dirty again, and it's time for a change. Only God doesn't have to give us a new heart this time. He just reaches out to clean it up. Maybe that's what you need from God. I know I have for a while. He doesn't just clean it though. You have to ask Him to clean it. You have to repent. Otherwise, he's looking at your shoes with a rag and a bottle of 409, waiting for you to admit that they're dirty.
I guess the question is just this: does your heart need to be clean? I'll admit mine does, now you must admit to the Lord that you are in need of a clean heart, or a new one if you have not been born again.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)