Learning from History

 In history, when have waves of people invaded the land and changed the ways of the people that were there? Give up? Recently I read a novel that was written from the point of view of the Native Americans when waves of emigrants were traveling west through their land. While reading it, I had an ah-ha moment. I saw a parallel to our present day issues.

In the novel there were two points of view represented. One was the chief who fought with all his might to keep the emigrants out or deter their progress through violence, mistrust and anger. He villainized them to his people and they responded with violence. The other point of view was a chief who saw the big picture. He saw that if one emigrant was killed, ten more would come and take their place. So his choice was to work with the emigrants and get the best deal to preserve his people and their way of life. Consequently, his tribe still has valuable land rights and his ancestors live on while the former tribe was exterminated.

So the parallel is to the pending changes that I see in the US today. We can choose to villainize the immigrants on our Southern border, use our tax dollars to put up razor wire, build walls and inspire further hostility or we can think outside of the box. We can try to understand their needs and push to create an expedited protocol for them to assimilate and help us with our needs. We can remember that we are a nation of immigrants who came here for the freedom of worshipping God. We can remember that we are all foreigners in this land. We can take a path of love and its inspiration of creative problem solving or we can villainize and turn to hate and exclusion.

I realize that this is an oversimplification of all the issues. I realize that the obstacles are complex, numerous and scary. However, I believe that if our over-arching attitude will change to offense rather than defense, we can use our American ingenuity to create innovative solutions. Innovation doesn’t happen in an atmosphere of fear, hatred and resistance.

We, as Americans, have a choice to act on the love of Christ, think of ways to make this inevitable future work for our children and grand children or go the path of hatred and resistance and its destruction. We need to get off of that bandwagon of fear and support those who propose changes for the better. We are better than this.

Trivial Little Prayers

 Because I am a cynic, I have made fun of people(occasionally out loud) who pray about every little thing. Lord, what should I wear? Should I go to the store? Should I make my bed? Should I call or text? I think, “they are so needy; so co-dependent.” But isn’t becoming dependent on God the goal of any Christ follower? Faith and belief are indeed close cousins to dependence. Could this practice be a big step toward God?

So I am giving it a whirl. It is my new experiment in the pursuit of Christ-likeness. I am trying to make my prayers less about curing cancer and more about the daily trivia that so often holds my mind at ransom, remembering that faith is the goal. Hoping that by coming to Him with all things, I will create a habit of dependence. And because the fears of yesterday are forgotten by new anxiety of today, I thought I would record my trivial requests. That way I can go back the next day and see how God has answered and thank Him for how he provided. Because I know God is good, I know this will be a win-win by creating both faith and gratitude.

I love trying experiments. Who says a there can’t be a scientific approach to following Christ?

Philippians 4:6-7 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Photo by Richard Jaimes

The Influence of One Decision

 This is not my story to tell. Or maybe it is, because it needs to be shared.

This story was heard while listening to Pastor Caesar preach. As I understand it, Caesar was born to underprivileged non-hearing parents. He struggled in school and was considered special needs. I don’t know the details but later in his difficult childhood, Caesar was mentored/adopted by a dentist named Dr. Luckett who took him under his wing.

Dr. Luckett was a Christian man so he took Caesar to his church where he was told Caesar was not welcomed because he was black. Dr. Luckett could have left Caesar at home, he could have dropped Caesar off at a black church, or he could have quit going to church because they were hypocrites. But what he did changed lives forever. He left that church and found one that would accept Caesar. Under Dr. Luckett’s guidance, Caesar played college and pro football, graduated from college and gave his life to spreading the gospel. He is currently a chaplain at Methodist Hospital in Dallas and an associate pastor in charge of the Celebrate Recovery program at our church. The lives he has touched all can be traced back to one decision by one man who made the right choice.

Unexpectedly at any moment we could have to make a life changing decision like that. Or maybe we make them all day long. We choose our words, our likes and interactions on social media and our actions in real life. Which one will be a pivotal point in the life of someone else? I don’t think we will know until we get to Glory. Most of these decisions will be forgotten and not even mentioned at our funeral. Yet each decision we make, no matter how insignificant, makes ripples that go out to affect those around us. We are woven into the fabric of humanity and any action can change hundreds of decisions made around us.

I believe what determines my choices is my preparation. I didn’t know Dr. Luckett but he probably was not blindsided with a desire to do the right thing in a life of chasing his own selfish pursuits. He probably had developed a habit of listening and responding to God throughout his life. So if I am prepared, when the small or large decisions happen, my response will be what God would have it be. This is like when the soil is prepared for a crop. The farmer cannot control the weather but he can weed and till the soil and plant the seeds. My part is to prepare it for the best yield.

Did I pursue Christ that day? Was I grateful to God? Did I humble myself before him in prayer? Did I listen and look for God’s intervention in my day? This is simple stuff, not rocket science. And that is Good News. There is so much that I can’t control and I am often tempted to wring my hands obsessing over this lack of control. But I must remember that God’s powerful hands control the results of my decisions.

Like the decision of Dr. Luckett, in God’s hands, our tiny ripples can become a tsunami. It is a story of a small decision that made a world of difference. I believe we as Christians need to be reminded of our mission and how important it is that we make the decisions which may go against the flow of those around us, yet are the right thing to do. Decisions that we make can be forgotten in an instant but the ripples that go out from it will continue on in ways we cannot fathom.