Stained Glass Not Required

 

If you saw that picture above and thought how much you would like a grilled cheese, you are my people. More heavenly minded folks saw an image of Jesus in this sandwich. There are often reports of someone seeing the image of Jesus in a potato chip, tortilla or a cloud. I haven’t ever seen the image of Jesus in my toast but if we love God we should experience him in other ways. The question is this: Is encountering Jesus in our daily walk just for the super-religious? 

Have you ever imitated the walk of someone who you consider godly, in the hope of having a better connection to God? I have. And it doesn’t work. We shouldn’t be discouraged when we don’t experience Jesus like others do. We are individualized, unique creations. If I see the fingerprint of God in snowflakes you may see a reason to dread the cold day. Don’t assume that you are less saintly because you don’t see God’s fingerprint in the same thing as someone else does. In fact, we need to quit labeling people as holy and not so holy. Don’t assume you are too worldly to ever see him, let alone have a conversation with him. All God’s children have the capability to experience Christ walking with us through our day. But each in his own way. 

One of the great hymns, I Need Thee Every Hour, was written by 37-year-old homemaker Annie Hawks, while doing her household chores. If you listened to the link above, you know she must have been inspired by God to write those words. Stained glass and sacrifice is not required to communicate with our Savior. We don’t have to be a missionary to Africa, and we don’t have to attend church (although a good church equips us to experience him). We don’t have to change our lives to be fit for him. Jesus comes to us right where we are even if we are just a regular work-a-day Joe without visions of Christ in our cornbread. 

How do I know? The Bible tells me so. In those stories, Jesus came to folks interrupting their sin-filled daily life: Getting water at a well, climbing up in a tree, begging for money, touching Jesus’ clothes in a crowd-packed street, facing stoning by judgmental interrogators, having a bad day of work fishing, being outcast from society for leprosy, stealing money in the form of excessive taxes, and dying on a cross as a convicted thief. Each of these not only saw and spoke to Jesus, they encountered him. “But of course they saw Jesus,” we say, “they had a physical flesh and blood person walking around doing miracles and we only have a spooky Holy Ghost!”

How can I “see” Jesus when he can’t be seen with my eyes? I have to remind myself that many who saw Jesus in flesh didn’t recognize him. Consider that pride-filled rich young ruler. He was standing in front of Jesus in the flesh having a discussion and didn’t see or accept what Jesus was saying to him. So even though Jesus was physically right in front of folks, many didn’t believe their eyes. 

What was the barrier for that rich guy? I have often wondered what made some believe and follow and some walk away unchanged. For that guy, I don’t think the barrier was being rich, young or a ruler. My best guess is that it has to do with attitude of the heart. Those who encountered Christ, have one thing in common. They humbled their hearts. They saw and experienced Jesus’ compassion when they were humble and desperate enough to listen. Pride has no place in the Kingdom of God. 

Or maybe the rich young ruler was too busy to listen. Maybe he was thinking about his next business deal and thought he would impress the client if he had a conversation with Jesus. So another barrier, I think, is busyness. I don’t encounter God when my to-do list is full of plans for the next step. It is only when I make an effort for a time of no commitment or distractions and ruthlessly eliminate hurry that I most often experience God’s goodness. 

Since Jesus is not flesh and blood walking among us, we cannot rely on our sight to see him. We need to encounter him in other ways. Holiness and stained glass is not required to hear from the God of the Universe. The Father loves us dearly and he seeks us all. Not everyone has a blinding light experience like Saul/Paul. Yet even he had to be teachable to accept what God had in store for him.

Pride, Prejudice and Self-Checks

 

After listening to the news yesterday, I found myself shaking my head about folks who… And that is a problem. Not their problem; it is mine. Time for a reality check.

If I think I am not influenced by my culture, I probably am. If I think I know more than those other folks, I probably don’t. If I wonder how anyone could “fill-in-the-blank”, I could easily be a victim of the same behavior. If I ponder how folks could fall for “fill-in-the-blank”, I may be the next to fall. If I think folks in a particular other state are all clueless, I may be the clueless one. If I think my kids would never, my kids are out there “nevering” right now behind my back. If I think folks who watch that other news channel, go to that other church, vote for the other party, attend that other school, have lesser education, or are from the other generation are brainwashed, it may be me who has been indoctrinated.

Every so often I get fed up with those other folks and that is when I am most dangerous. That is when I am the problem. People may be flawed in different ways, but we are all still flawed. I have come to realize that it is when I watch the news and spend time on social media that I get most pompous about my good choices and their bad choices. It makes me feel angry, uptight and hopeless. That is my sign to step away. But not only do I need to back off of the news and social media, I need desperately to engage with folks that are living in a different walk of life than me. I need to see them eye to eye and listen to their stories. This is the only hope for my judgmental condition. This is the only way I can learn to humble myself and dig out of my prideful existence.

I must periodically remind myself that God made us all. We live all over a big globe. We are raised in so many different cultures. There is not a culture that has the inside track on wisdom. Only our Creator has the inside track on wisdom. He is our source. And this can only happen if we will humble ourselves, give up our stiff-necked ways and bow before Him.

Humility Redefined

We don't have the English word we need to describe what the Beatitudes called meekness. However, I saw an example of humility or biblical meekness the other night while listening to a a rock/country singer-songwriter, Jelly Roll. He obviously didn’t live a privileged life like mine but found his way to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry singing a song called “I Need a Favor”. The line from this song that caught my attention goes like this:

I only talk to God when I need a favor
And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer
So tell me, who the hell am I to expect a Savior
When I only talk to God if I need a favor?

These words contain honesty, transparency, relationship and not a hint of entitlement. In the act of making this statement there is freedom and strength. This expresses a level of humility that Christ would have us aspire to learn.

I find it fascinating that the Bible, a collection of books penned by so many different people across so much time, has unifying themes that run from Genesis to Revelation. The theme that has caught my attention lately is humility, also called meekness. It is pointed out over and over as a quality that God wants in us. But I feel like our culture has no clue what this important virtue is and has filed it under “niceties that no one cares about”. Yet it is held in high esteem in the narratives in the Bible.

Mother Theresa and Fred Rogers are examples of those who lived a life of humility. I have heard it said that if a person is truly humble, no one around them is aware of it during their lifetime. If you Google examples of humble people it will give you examples of famous people who fly economy class or had small private weddings rather than big extravaganzas. We all know humility is so much more. It is such an important concept and sadly, we don’t even know the correct definition of it. So how can we ever aspire to something about which we know so little?

The Webster definition of humility is freedom from pride or arrogance. I think Mr. Webster nailed it. I really like the “freedom” part of that definition. In humility there is great freedom! It is humble transparency that leads us to this freedom. Transparency is not being secretive or ashamed but being open about who you are and what is in your past. If you are transparent you don’t hide information that you feel would cast you in a bad light. Humble people don’t worry about what others think about them because they aren’t focusing on themselves. So humility knows its flaws and deeply regrets them and doesn’t try to hide them. If we daily accept the forgiveness Jesus offered us, we find such freedom! So I believe humility goes hand in hand with transparency and in this, there is definitely freedom.

Because its ego is not puffed up, the humble are not easily deflated. And because they do not focus on themselves, they are not easily deflated like those who are seeing only themselves and what they lack compared to others. Because of this, they are not fragile like the rest of us. The best kept secret of meekness is that there is great strength in it.

I have noticed the humble are secure, selfless and unhurried. Picture Mr. Rogers singing and slowly putting on his sweater. Humility doesn’t watch a clock because its focus is on others and not on a schedule. Humility believes it is owed nothing in this life and lives gratefully. It is delighted with any good thing that comes its way and sees blessings all around them. The humble are joyful. As created beings, this is the only stance we should take. We had nothing to do with our creation but we were amazingly designed. We cannot get puffed up about it but we can’t curse it either. We are totally dependent on our Creator. In this, there is honesty and no entitlement.

One Right Decision

I have been rescued. And I am rescued on a daily basis. No, I was not a drug addict. No, I didn’t suffer from alcoholism. My demons are covert, they are many and I am under the delusion that I hide them well. They vary and come at me from every angle. They resemble self-pity, anger, bitterness, selfishness, self-righteousness and a plethora of other chains all of which stem from pride. Any one thing on this list can destroy faster than a heroin addiction and I am inflicted with these demons on a daily basis. But God…

Yes, I have been rescued today. And I was rescued yesterday and I will be rescued tomorrow if I choose. All I have to do is make one right decision. I have to let go and give it to God. It is a choice. It is the one right decision. To let Jesus take the wheel even though I grab at that wheel during the stressful moments of a day. But making this choice consistently and daily over the last seven years has brought me peace and joy that has rooted and grown. Most of my days I am not aware of this change since it isn’t one of those bolt-of-lightning type changes. But sometimes I am given a glimpse of someone who is like me who hasn’t made that decision and my eyes see the miracle that God has produced in me and I want this so badly for them too. He is cutting my chains off one by one, replacing each with his peace, love and understanding and I am so grateful. 

I am beginning to understand this verse from the Apostle Paul. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Along for the Ride

 My Lessons in Living in Humility

People who know me probably got a good laugh that I would write about humility because that is one thing I know little about. Pride, humility’s opposite, has been my jam my entire life. In elementary school, I believed I was smarter than my teachers and scoffed at anything they tried to teach me. In high school, pride kept me from following the pack because I thought I knew better.(So in this case it was handy.) In college, I didn't listen to the voices of wisdom around me and that led to a painful seven years of regret. In my arrogance I  always thought I was the smartest one in the room. 

You can’t believe how much it hurt me to type that introductory paragraph. That is my pride rearing its ugly head. So because the first step to getting better is to admit you have a problem, I suppose I am in the process of learning humility. And in case you may have a bit of a pride issue too, I am going to reveal a couple of life-lessons in my baby steps of this recovery process.

The Lightbulb Moments

Humility always sounded so feeble and in no way was it appealing to me. You don’t have to look long on social media to see a meme declaring the cool factor of being a sassy, independent, scrappy, don’t-mess-with-me kind of person. Who would want to be humble when you can be such a cool bad-ass? I gravitate toward these messages of self reliance. I love to read a book or watch a movie about an aggressive, combative, fierce hero. This is our culture. This is pride. How can I possibly give up this attitude for humility? And why would I want to? 

My first ‘a-ha’ moment of seeing the truth about pride came from a poem written by Beth Moore about pride. I keep a copy and read it often to remind me of why I need to give up my arrogant attitude. 

My Name is Pride ~by Beth Moore

My name is Pride! I am a cheater I cheat you of your God-given destiny…because you demand your own way. I cheat you of contentment…because you “deserve better than this.”  I cheat you of knowledge… because you already know it all.  I cheat you of healing…because you’re too full of me to forgive.  I cheat you of holiness…because you refuse to admit when you’re wrong. I cheat you of vision…because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window. I cheat you of genuine friendship…because nobody’s going to know the real you. I cheat you of love…because real romance demands sacrifice. I cheat you of greatness in heaven…because you refuse to wash another’s feet on Earth. I cheat you of God’s glory…because I convince you to seek your own. My name is Pride. I am a cheater. You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you. Untrue. I’m looking to make a fool of you. God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…If you stick with me, You’ll never know.

Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

C.S. Lewis 

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Baby Steps in the Right Direction

Pride has been said to be the root of all sin and I do believe that to be true. Pride is a liar and a cheat. It cheated me out of true friendship repeatedly by not allowing me to  come down off of my pedestal. 

So do I need to be a wimp to give up my pride and become humble? Jesus modeled humility all the way to the cross yet he was far from milquetoast wimpy. He was a warrior! He was always about his Father’s business and nothing got in the way of that. Not his parents and not the rules of the Pharisees. He defied the rules of polite society and kept company with the lost and rejected. 

In my mind, Jesus words from the cross were not expressed in defeat. I think Jesus expressed “It is finished” triumphantly! I picture those final words of Jesus voiced more like when Braveheart voiced “Freedom!” at the end of that movie. Jesus life is our model for humility. He didn’t care what people thought. He only cared what the Heavenly Father thought. He wasn’t in it for himself. He was in it to save us. And that is an important note about humility. It starts with our focus on something bigger, something outside of ourselves. It gives up self-promotion and promotes the bigger cause tirelessly. 

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Micah 6:8 NIV
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

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So after my confession of pride, I next need to focus on something outside of myself, something worthy of my sacrifice. I can’t think of anything more worthy than the God of the universe, the Creator, my Savior, the beginning and the end. And so I begin this two-steps-forward, one-step-back process of fixing my eyes on Him. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will learn to walk humbly with my God. Like the picture of the dog happily riding in a car, I am just along for the ride.

Footnotes, Makeup and Pantyhose

I am pretty sure that footnotes, makeup and pantyhose were invented by Satan himself.
As a student, nothing struck fear in my heart more than footnotes.  As you can see, English was not my favorite subject and the reason boils down to footnotes.  Please understand that I never wanted to steal someone else's idea and take credit for it.  However, as a student who was forced to write about a topics in which I had no interest or thoughts, everything would be a footnote!  And don't even get me started on MLA, APA, and Chicago.  What a nightmare! Why couldn't I just say, so-and-so said such-and-such in this book, and be done with it? 

Today's blog is not so much my thoughts as compiled thoughts of others that I would like to share.  I want to talk about the biggest stumbling block of all time and I hope to correctly give credit to those who gave me this input, however, it will not be done in a lovely MLA footnote.  If I wasn't so paranoid about it, I would look each up and give them a perfect footnote.  However, all they will get is a shout out. 

My issue with pride first came to light when attending a bible study of Beth Moore's.  She shared the following poem that she wrote and I have kept it in my bible for years.  It describes the battle perfectly.

My Name is Pride

by Beth Moore

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny...

because you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...

because you "deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all.

I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness...

because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you of vision...

because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of genuine friendship...

because nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love...

because real romance demands sacrifice.  

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...

because you refuse to wash another's feet on Earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...

because I convince you to seek your own.

My name is Pride.  I am a cheater.  

You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you. 

Untrue.

I'm looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...

If you stick with me, 

You'll never know.

This poem brought the effects of pride into the spotlight.  This week, it was while listening to a sermon on the radio about demons, the pastor (I think it was Robert Jeffress) said that Satan was once an angel and his downfall happened due to his pride.  This made me realize the very sobering thought that I have something in common with Satan himself.  Pride is a constant battleground in my life.  I believe it is C.S. Lewis who said, "Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind".

Lord help me become sensitive to the presence of pride in my life so that I can bring it to you and lay it down.

Footnote...Thank you to all those who speak truth into my life.