Distractions come easy, especially this time of year. The joy of picking and giving gifts. The beauty of houses extravagantly lit. The comfort of getting with family so often scattered in needed pursuit of separate lives. Congenial gatherings with friends and coworkers. All so focused on the fun of Christmas that I, at least, sometimes miss deeper truths. Not about the birth of Jesus, the wise men, the shepherds, and all. They get ample attention. But this year, another Christmas thought captivates me...
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image by airphotona.com
Born to be Wild, Living Mild
Every choice changes our direction. We examine our options, weigh the cost/benefit ratio, and decide. Yet confidence in the benefit doesn’t eliminate regrets over the cost. A major part of spiritual formation flows from accepting that tension, and not allowing regrets to eat at our soul. Some of my best decisions have had the highest costs, but I don’t want to reset my life. Well, a little. But not enough.
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Image by waysideweb.org
Transcendence--In All The Wrong Places
One of my closest lifetime friendships was forged in high school and college. Ken and I then both followed Jesus, both left, only I returned. Now living in Paris, Ken has trekked the world. His innate curiosity and hunger for knowledge has led him to many worship events, in many faiths. During one of our conversations on his yearly trip back to the states, he offered, “Worship is funny. I visit my parents’ evangelical Christian worship, or that of my Muslim friends, and they all look the same.”
I’ve pondered that a lot, and believe Ken both saw something significant, an outer similarity, but missed on ...
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photo by fisheater
Sex, Lies, and Thieves
Basically, the parameters of my faith were: no sex outside marriage, no lies, no stealing. If I did a decent job on those, I felt fairly successful and had a bit of spiritual pride. OK, a lot. Notice though, I only had three. God had ten primary ones, a much more difficult job, so I created my own Reader’s Digest version. Please don’t try this at home. I made sure they were do-able and I could keep them in mind. You may have your own shortened list, and it may vary from mine. That’s OK, we’re really doing the same thing.
Then I came across ...
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Masks
Revealing that a favorite song comes from the 60s doesn’t necessarily date me as ancient. One of my high school students also loves “I am a Rock” by Simon and Garfunkel--his parents play it all the time. But for years, my theme was the line, “and a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries.”
The safety of being a rock came from my fear of being known, of being rejected or judged, of being hurt or disappointed. So, I played it safe and let few inside. That verged on sliding into hypocrisy—knowingly and intentionally portraying a person I knew I wasn’t. By the way, that’s why many reject following Jesus. Not that we aren’t perfect, but we pretend to be.
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soulation.org
Surrender?
Before we began
I wondered
could you fill
the voids in my life
change the traits I could not?
I yielded
You did it all
which leads me to believe...
Read MoreExulting in Guilt
At times
I exult
in the pleasures of sin
blanking out the wrong
enjoying the illicit
caught in the moment
imagining that is all that is
But as pleasure fades...
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Zumwalt Tree, from www.americansouthwest.net
Lost Battles, Shattered Dreams
Tall
twisted
gnarled
red cedar
on the side of a hill
What have you seen in your long years?
What can you teach me?
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