I bought fancy, self-molding ear plugs for target shooting.
They come in a package with two small packets of separate ingredients. Both were sticky and slimy.
The directions instructed me to mix them thoroughly before shaping them into the actual ear plugs. They would form-fit in my ears and then dry into that shape.
The writers admonished me at least three times to mix BOTH ingredients.
"Do not use separately"
"Product will not work if not mixed according to instructions"
"Unsatisfactory results if not used together."
I got the idea.
On the one hand, it was humorous. On the other, experience must have shown them that buyers would either not pay attention, or not understand without very clear directions.
We're seeing this same confusion over spiritual matters in our culture.
People go to church without claiming, or perhaps wanting to claim, Jesus' redemptive role in forgiveness and salvation.
Secular folks refer to select bible morals while refusing to acknowledge an encompassing, God-originated plan.
Do not use separately. Unsatisfactory results if not mixed together.
At times it seems almost humorous. Convoluted spirituality claiming Jesus as a "good man, if he existed" and the bible as "inspirational, though generally flawed." But the humor has taken an ugly turn as governments and public institutions encourage intolerance uniquely targeted at Christians (i.e. leave your faith at home or lose your job in the USA. Leave the country or die in the middle east.)
We need to more clearly and candidly help people through the process of getting to know God's love with all the ingredients. The bible called this discipleship.
Coming into a relationship with God through Jesus does not make someone a one-size-fits-all robot. Like my high tech ear plugs, there are basic Christian foundations that can't be ignored or it doesn't work -- at the same time, they allow the unique form and fit of the user. That's why it is called a personal relationship with Jesus. God loves the unique and spirited heart of every believer.
Like the clever ear plug manufacturer, God went to a lot of trouble to put simple, clear instructions into our hands via the Holy Scripture. Supreme and sovereign wisdom must have led Him to understand that people would need a user manual...
We need both, a spiritual connection to God through Jesus, mixed with the readable and actionable encouragement of His plan.
Do not use separately. Unsatisfactory results if not mixed together.
What do you believe?
Friday, September 02, 2016
Grab my hand!
"Grab my hand!"
I had a jumble of feelings coursing through me.
Fear, panic, frustration, embarrassment...
Embarrassment? How did that fit this picture?
"Grab my hand!"
I was balanced precariously on the rock face of a cliff in Ontario, Canada.
Everything had been fine during the boulder scramble from our beached canoe's to the cliff base. Then things grew progressively worse as the wall pitched nearer to vertical. Easy hand and footholds gave way to polished granite and slippery sand.
The embarrassing part was that my friends had already navigated this section and were looking down from a slim ledge beyond this chute. One had come back to talk me through.
I didn't think I could reverse course. I had already stretched past a tiny outcrop that now looked much smaller below my feet. My current hold was tenuous and slippery. This next move up was paralyzing me - if I couldn't get past it, I would truly be in a very, very dangerous spot.
"Grab my hand!"
I heard my friend, but it had not yet occurred to me to trust him.
He was right there. He had a solid purchase and was bigger than me. He had already gotten through.
But this was a new spot to be in. I was used to being the leader, confident of next steps, able to see my way through. How could I know that this hand up would truly save me from this miserable situation. From my own fear and panic? And what, I thought miserably, if it only got worse?
I grabbed his hand.
He pulled me through. We all made the rest of the way up together. Helping each other and growing closer as a result. And not one of these guys every chided me for my fear. Not then, not ever.
Everybody is afraid of something at some point. Something that paralyzes our ability to move forward. Often there is a hand held out right in front of us.
It's a friend, somebody we know, saying, "Grab my hand!"
And we ignore it, looking below, looking to the right and left.
How can they possibly have the answer that I haven't already thought of myself.
I experience this more and more as the years go by and I watch family and friends struggle. They have gotten to a juncture in life that frightens them. Below or behind them are broken relationships, muddled careers, maybe an unexpected health challenge. Here they are, holding precariously to a philosophy or spirituality that they've associated or credited with their forward progress to this point.
But its not giving them the courage or hope or confidence to keep going.
"Grab my hand!"
We tell people about Jesus. Saving Grace. Peace with God. The comfort of fellowship and support.
No accusers. No ridicule. Other people who had fears and misgivings.
Forgiveness, healing.
"Grab my hand!"
I can see many people - even friends, family - look right past me.
How can this guy know something that they haven't already thought of?
Some are even embarrassed to admit it. They're confident, self motivated. Independent.
And I see myself thinking the same thing on that cliff in Ontario - looking right past my friend and his hand.
But then I reached out - not yet knowing for sure the outcome, but fully understanding the consequences of doing nothing - and he saved my life that day.
That's what Jesus will do.
What do you believe?
I had a jumble of feelings coursing through me.
Fear, panic, frustration, embarrassment...
Embarrassment? How did that fit this picture?
"Grab my hand!"
I was balanced precariously on the rock face of a cliff in Ontario, Canada.
Everything had been fine during the boulder scramble from our beached canoe's to the cliff base. Then things grew progressively worse as the wall pitched nearer to vertical. Easy hand and footholds gave way to polished granite and slippery sand.
The embarrassing part was that my friends had already navigated this section and were looking down from a slim ledge beyond this chute. One had come back to talk me through.
I didn't think I could reverse course. I had already stretched past a tiny outcrop that now looked much smaller below my feet. My current hold was tenuous and slippery. This next move up was paralyzing me - if I couldn't get past it, I would truly be in a very, very dangerous spot.
"Grab my hand!"
I heard my friend, but it had not yet occurred to me to trust him.
He was right there. He had a solid purchase and was bigger than me. He had already gotten through.
But this was a new spot to be in. I was used to being the leader, confident of next steps, able to see my way through. How could I know that this hand up would truly save me from this miserable situation. From my own fear and panic? And what, I thought miserably, if it only got worse?
I grabbed his hand.
He pulled me through. We all made the rest of the way up together. Helping each other and growing closer as a result. And not one of these guys every chided me for my fear. Not then, not ever.
Everybody is afraid of something at some point. Something that paralyzes our ability to move forward. Often there is a hand held out right in front of us.
It's a friend, somebody we know, saying, "Grab my hand!"
And we ignore it, looking below, looking to the right and left.
How can they possibly have the answer that I haven't already thought of myself.
I experience this more and more as the years go by and I watch family and friends struggle. They have gotten to a juncture in life that frightens them. Below or behind them are broken relationships, muddled careers, maybe an unexpected health challenge. Here they are, holding precariously to a philosophy or spirituality that they've associated or credited with their forward progress to this point.
But its not giving them the courage or hope or confidence to keep going.
"Grab my hand!"
We tell people about Jesus. Saving Grace. Peace with God. The comfort of fellowship and support.
No accusers. No ridicule. Other people who had fears and misgivings.
Forgiveness, healing.
"Grab my hand!"
I can see many people - even friends, family - look right past me.
How can this guy know something that they haven't already thought of?
Some are even embarrassed to admit it. They're confident, self motivated. Independent.
And I see myself thinking the same thing on that cliff in Ontario - looking right past my friend and his hand.
But then I reached out - not yet knowing for sure the outcome, but fully understanding the consequences of doing nothing - and he saved my life that day.
That's what Jesus will do.
What do you believe?
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