Do you have a love/hate relationship with the internet? I do. Well maybe not so much as love/hate as love/guilt! I get so exhilarated with the idea that with a few key strokes I can usually find whatever it is that I'm looking for. The guilt usually comes in because I could/should/probably should be using the time elsewhere on something else, like moving the laundry over, thinking about supper blah blah. Yesterday though I came across this skit as I was "looking".
Wow. As a stay-at-home mom of two it is so easy to get lost in that "invisible" feeling. This was such an encourgement to me to know that He is watching. I am not doing any of the things I do for a well done, atta girl and definately not for the pay check! I am building a cathedral right here and the one who matters is watching...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Bitterness...
bit·ter (btr)
adj. bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est 1. Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant. 2. Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh: enveloped in bitter cold; a bitter wind. 3. Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear: the bitter truth; bitter sorrow.4. Proceeding from or exhibiting strong animosity: a bitter struggle; bitter foes.5. Resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish, or disappointment: cried bitter tears.6. Marked by resentment or cynicism: "He was already a bitter elderly man with a gray face" (John Dos Passos).
The word in itself is prickly and by it's defination a negative and nasty thing. Why is it then that we seem to enjoy it so much? I see so many people who seem to savor it, rolling the taste around on their tongues, swallowing the dark, ugly thing in gulps. It may be sugar coated in pride and self-centreness but the coating only last a short time and you are left with the sharp, painful seed that takes root in your soul. It is a weed that strangles out anything else. It grows and poisons and begins to manifest in our lives and the lives of those around us. It feeds our natural tendancies towards anger and hurtfulness. It is a black hole that will envelope anything around. It will leave you empty and alone.
Thankfully there is an anidote for bitterness, it is grace, it is mercy.
Grace and mercy may be harder to swallow at first. It does not need any sugar coating, difficult though as it does go against our natural tendencies to reciprocate hurt for hurt, injustice for injustice. Unlike bitterness, grace and mercy soften us, it nurishes the soil of our souls to produce things of beauty and loveliness. It grows glorious trees whoes roots grow deep, whoes branches grow strong and and reach out to shelter and cover those who need protection. It grows flowers that are spectaclar in their colors and scents, drawing others to them.
I will take the antidote everytime and am thankful that there is an endless supply that is freely given.
adj. bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est 1. Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant. 2. Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh: enveloped in bitter cold; a bitter wind. 3. Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear: the bitter truth; bitter sorrow.4. Proceeding from or exhibiting strong animosity: a bitter struggle; bitter foes.5. Resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish, or disappointment: cried bitter tears.6. Marked by resentment or cynicism: "He was already a bitter elderly man with a gray face" (John Dos Passos).
The word in itself is prickly and by it's defination a negative and nasty thing. Why is it then that we seem to enjoy it so much? I see so many people who seem to savor it, rolling the taste around on their tongues, swallowing the dark, ugly thing in gulps. It may be sugar coated in pride and self-centreness but the coating only last a short time and you are left with the sharp, painful seed that takes root in your soul. It is a weed that strangles out anything else. It grows and poisons and begins to manifest in our lives and the lives of those around us. It feeds our natural tendancies towards anger and hurtfulness. It is a black hole that will envelope anything around. It will leave you empty and alone.
Thankfully there is an anidote for bitterness, it is grace, it is mercy.
Grace and mercy may be harder to swallow at first. It does not need any sugar coating, difficult though as it does go against our natural tendencies to reciprocate hurt for hurt, injustice for injustice. Unlike bitterness, grace and mercy soften us, it nurishes the soil of our souls to produce things of beauty and loveliness. It grows glorious trees whoes roots grow deep, whoes branches grow strong and and reach out to shelter and cover those who need protection. It grows flowers that are spectaclar in their colors and scents, drawing others to them.
I will take the antidote everytime and am thankful that there is an endless supply that is freely given.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Mercy, a blessing
And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6 7-9
I am currently working through a book by one of my favourite authors, Angela Thomas. The book is “A Beautiful Offering”. The chapter I just finished spoke about the blessing of Mercy. When I think about Mercy it often causes me to reflect on the Mercy Christ has shown me. I am amazed by it and transformed by it, though I didn’t often contemplate on it as being a blessing that I can extend through Christ to those around me. Through the past few years I come to understand a lot more about God’s Grace and Mercy, although I know I won’t ever fully comprehend it, through this I have learned to see the world with more “color” and not so “black and white”. It was always easy to categorize things into right or wrong than to show mercy, to draw clear lines to define good and bad. I could identify with the disciples who were shocked at the woman who poured her whole bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. It was easier, simpler to judge and keep things those things or those people at arms length, or so I thought. Here is how Angela summarized this so perfectly that I just had to share it with you!
From: Angela Thomas’ “A Beautiful Offering”
“One warning: This blessing probably won’t work if you want to hold on to your legalism or if you value rules more than souls. Mercy might make you uncomfortable and blow away the box that you’ve drawn around God. If you begin to give out mercy, things are going to change. You are going to begin to look into the eyes of people and hurt for their pain. You are going to hear yourself offer light into their darkness. You will start to love the unlovely.
I am currently working through a book by one of my favourite authors, Angela Thomas. The book is “A Beautiful Offering”. The chapter I just finished spoke about the blessing of Mercy. When I think about Mercy it often causes me to reflect on the Mercy Christ has shown me. I am amazed by it and transformed by it, though I didn’t often contemplate on it as being a blessing that I can extend through Christ to those around me. Through the past few years I come to understand a lot more about God’s Grace and Mercy, although I know I won’t ever fully comprehend it, through this I have learned to see the world with more “color” and not so “black and white”. It was always easy to categorize things into right or wrong than to show mercy, to draw clear lines to define good and bad. I could identify with the disciples who were shocked at the woman who poured her whole bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. It was easier, simpler to judge and keep things those things or those people at arms length, or so I thought. Here is how Angela summarized this so perfectly that I just had to share it with you!
From: Angela Thomas’ “A Beautiful Offering”
“One warning: This blessing probably won’t work if you want to hold on to your legalism or if you value rules more than souls. Mercy might make you uncomfortable and blow away the box that you’ve drawn around God. If you begin to give out mercy, things are going to change. You are going to begin to look into the eyes of people and hurt for their pain. You are going to hear yourself offer light into their darkness. You will start to love the unlovely.
Say sorry!
We teach our kids (well hopefully most of us do) from an early age how to say "Sorry". There is all the proper etiquette involved such as ensuring that the word is not mumbled, that you are looking at the person you are apologizing too and that even though we sometimes meant the thing we did (hit your little friend with a tonka truck because he was trying to take it away) that we must say "Sorry" anyway. The funny thing is, is that usually after the dramatic apology the kids let it go and continue playing and all is well again. If we as adults think it is so important to have our kids learn the art of apologizing why then do we end up have such trouble with it as we grow up. Certainly our hurts are larger and the effects greater I'm not about to act as thought they are inconequential, though they may be relative, but when did saying "Sorry" become so hard?
Perspective
Perspectives. Tricky thing, perspectives, you are never quite looking at something the same way someone else is and it really isn’t possible to see something exactly the same way as someone else does. Our perspectives are shaped and moulded by all the things we’ve felt and experienced in our lives. No two people will probably ever share the same perspective. I think that trying to see something the same as someone else takes an enormous effort, the desire to even try. I don’t think most of us even care to step out of ourselves to even attempt it. I believe this inability, to even want to try, to see someone else’s view is one of the huge reasons why relationships can be so hard. It’s like it’s link to our survival instinct, to admit that maybe our perspective may be distorted or skewed, is like admitting that were are weak or something, and it must be protected at all costs. Will stepping out of ourselves to by chance gain an understanding of why someone has made certain decision or had a certain response cost us anything. Why is it so hard to think that maybe, just maybe, you would gain something? Human nature is so inherently selfish and to behave otherwise goes so much against our grain makes empathy or understanding hard. What is it that can be strong enough to motivate us to try to see from a different perspective? Is it love, is it faith? What would make you try to see someone or something differently?
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