The crimson berries compliment the greenness of the leaves on the petite tree, its bark a smokey gray speckled with white. It seems strange that berries would grow only now, on branches that will soon be barren as the winter winds settle in.
For a whole year this tree has silently waited, with only all too common green leaves to adorn its limbs. As spring encourages the flowers to bloosom and the other trees proudly display them for all to see, this tree, this humble little tree, has nothing of the sort to parade. No, instead it waits. And in summer as all the hearty, stout trees find the neighborhood children scurrying up their trunks, the youthful laughter filling the air, this tree is given no portion of the attention. No, instead it waits.
And as the fall rolls in, painting the leaves a kaleidoscope of yellow, red, and orange, the leaves of this tree differ not a shade. Eventually winter cuts through and steals the natural works of art, casting them to the ground. For the little that remains, time eats away at, until the muddy brown leaves fall to the earth. Their branches are naked, no longer a source of beauty to marvel at. It is during this time, however, just as hearts begin to droop, and the winter promises to be unending, the humble tree reveals its true glory. Clusters of scarlet red berries ordain its branches, and suddenly the fog that entangled hearts is cleared, and once again we are reminded of the promise of spring. This winter will not last forever, and there is a hope yet to be fulfilled. And so, the purpose of the tree is finally understood. It was not made to bear flowers, or give shade, or even to act as a merry playground. It was made to remind us of the promise that all things will be made new again, and that during even the most distitute of seasons, there is a reason to hope. If we can just presevere, there is a beauty waiting for us to drink in and enjoy.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Logic vs. the Heart
Here are a few thoughts I had this morning on living by logic and living by our hearts.
It is not a logical issue, it is an issue of the heart. The heart is mighty. It drives men to climb Everest, conquer with displays of courage, believe the dying will be healed, and fall in love. Logic crumbles when it faces the power of the heart. There is no limit to what a man will do when his heart is involved. He will believe the unbelievable, see the unseeable, trust the unknown. A man will walk blindly if it is his heart that is leading him. Capture the heart, capture the man.
The heart is the greatest conqueror. Logic never made a man take a leap of faith, and it is the leaps of faith that make man truly be alive.
The stories that stir the soul are the ones about men who are filled with courage, who hope against the odds, who hold onto a belief they are willing to die for. Such wonders can only arise from the heart. No one wants to hear a story about a man who lived by logic.
It is not a logical issue, it is an issue of the heart. The heart is mighty. It drives men to climb Everest, conquer with displays of courage, believe the dying will be healed, and fall in love. Logic crumbles when it faces the power of the heart. There is no limit to what a man will do when his heart is involved. He will believe the unbelievable, see the unseeable, trust the unknown. A man will walk blindly if it is his heart that is leading him. Capture the heart, capture the man.
The heart is the greatest conqueror. Logic never made a man take a leap of faith, and it is the leaps of faith that make man truly be alive.
The stories that stir the soul are the ones about men who are filled with courage, who hope against the odds, who hold onto a belief they are willing to die for. Such wonders can only arise from the heart. No one wants to hear a story about a man who lived by logic.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Christianity and Paganism
There are myths that include someone born of a virgin with the powers of a god in many pagan and mythical religions (i.e. Rome's Romulus - the son of the god Mars - and pretty much any other ruler from the ancient world). It's true - there are a lot of similarities between Christianity and mythical religions. Why should this shock us? What if we allow ourselves to accept for a moment the idea that maybe non-Christian religions aren't entirely all wrong...that they may contain a grain of truth? (An idea borrowed from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity). It would make sense that there would be at least some minor truth in these other religions that would keep people following it. Otherwise people would learn it was all a lie and abandon it quite quickly. Maybe that's Satan's biggest weapon - feeding people lies with just enough truth mixed in to keep them believing.
And as for the boy born to save us with his scarifical death, why are we surprised that other religions would use this idea? Look at books, movies, videos games, etc. - isn't one of the most used storylines one with a hero who saves someone...the country...the entire world? Even Disney fairytales are filled with the Prince saving the Princess. It seems as if the idea of "needing a savior" is engrained in the human being. I can see people agreeing with this and saying, "See! Man created religion! Man wanted to believe someone would save him so he created God!" But let's take a moment to think first before we jump to this conclusion. What if this dire need of a savior didn't originate from man? What if this idea was born into us from God? It would make sense - if His plan was to send His Son into the world to die and save us from our sins (to be our Hero), then why wouldn't God create man with the innate need for a Savior? A desire that would ultimately and could only be filled by His Son? So maybe the ancient myths and religions were responding to that innate desire they had for a savior, that a savior born to save the world was the nugget of truth their religion had and compelled them to keep believing the rest of that religion. Truth is truth; it does not matter what our opinion of it is or how discomforting it might be (see my previous blog). The difference between Christianity and other religions that have saviors and other bits of truth in them is that Christianity is the only religion with all the truths. In fact, God is the source of truth, so anything not from Him is a lie ("...I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right." - Isaiah 45:19 and John 8:44 addresses the Devil as a "liar and the father of lies"). The Bible is inspired and overlooked by God, making it all truth. Jesus was God Himself (in the form of man), making Him truth personified ("The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14). I know that's a pretty bold statement to make, but the more I learn and the more I experience life in this world, the more I see it to be true.
Christians may feel very discomforted to admit that other religions may contain bits of truth. This isn't to say that all religions are true about everything, and therefore validate the "New Age" religious view that combines all religions. The Christian Bible is very clear when it says that there is only one God (Exodus 20:2-3) and that Jesus is the only way to God ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6). How then can someone take a part of Christianity with a part of another religion? To do so would no longer have it be Christianity and all the promises attached to Christianity would no longer apply to the new religion's followers. It's the same with a cow; you can't have just its leg and still call it a cow. It's only part of a cow, not an actual cow anymore. And the functions (promises) of a cow would not - could not - be carried out in only its leg. What the followers of these "New Age" religions are actually doing is creating their own religion and god/gods. And if the creator is a person, it will never go farther than that person's own strength and doings. It's useless to believe in any deity of higher power because they would be a product of that person's mind and therefore have no more power than the mind they originate from. Essentially, they are putting their faith in themselves or a made up entity. Look at Christianity though. The commands given by God and His Son in the Bible are not easy ones to follow and, in fact, are usually the exact opposite of what most people would want to do ("But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." - Matthew 5:44 just for an example). Christianity never had its origins in the will of man (that, surprisingly, is from the Bible - 2 Peter 1:20-21). If it did, then I'm sure the Bible would look quite differently; we would be instructed to do whatever we wanted and made us feel good, whenever we wanted to. But it's not like that. It's far better. Every command in the Bible is one that ultimately produces goodness. They may not be easy to follow or at times what we want to do, but they are good and produce more good. And what exactly is the goodness that is produced? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All good comes from God, because God is good ("This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning scarifice for our sins... God is love." - 1 John 4:9-10 & 16).
I know that many of my claims I supported by verses from the Bible, and that all of what I said can be argued as bias... and it is - I'm biased for the God of the universe who has revealed to me all that I know. I'm biased to the Supreme Power who loves me enough - me that was made from "the dust of the ground" (Gen 2:7) - to humble Himself into the form of a man and die a humilating, unimaginably painful death, with the weight and burden of all my sins (that I deserve to be held responsible for) so that I may be reconciled to Him. Not only am I reconciled to Him, but I am able to enjoy having unity with Him. From Him flows freely love and joy, worthiness and sense of belonging, and -most important in my life - fullness and satisfication. Yes, to Him I am biased. I'd be crazy if I wasn't.
Additional Note: If someone sees fault in anything I have written or my reasoning, I'd love to have it pointed out. This is my understanding of what I have learned so far. I don't pretend to be a theological expert, nor am I trying to speak for all Christians. Again, this is all from my understanding.
And as for the boy born to save us with his scarifical death, why are we surprised that other religions would use this idea? Look at books, movies, videos games, etc. - isn't one of the most used storylines one with a hero who saves someone...the country...the entire world? Even Disney fairytales are filled with the Prince saving the Princess. It seems as if the idea of "needing a savior" is engrained in the human being. I can see people agreeing with this and saying, "See! Man created religion! Man wanted to believe someone would save him so he created God!" But let's take a moment to think first before we jump to this conclusion. What if this dire need of a savior didn't originate from man? What if this idea was born into us from God? It would make sense - if His plan was to send His Son into the world to die and save us from our sins (to be our Hero), then why wouldn't God create man with the innate need for a Savior? A desire that would ultimately and could only be filled by His Son? So maybe the ancient myths and religions were responding to that innate desire they had for a savior, that a savior born to save the world was the nugget of truth their religion had and compelled them to keep believing the rest of that religion. Truth is truth; it does not matter what our opinion of it is or how discomforting it might be (see my previous blog). The difference between Christianity and other religions that have saviors and other bits of truth in them is that Christianity is the only religion with all the truths. In fact, God is the source of truth, so anything not from Him is a lie ("...I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right." - Isaiah 45:19 and John 8:44 addresses the Devil as a "liar and the father of lies"). The Bible is inspired and overlooked by God, making it all truth. Jesus was God Himself (in the form of man), making Him truth personified ("The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14). I know that's a pretty bold statement to make, but the more I learn and the more I experience life in this world, the more I see it to be true.
Christians may feel very discomforted to admit that other religions may contain bits of truth. This isn't to say that all religions are true about everything, and therefore validate the "New Age" religious view that combines all religions. The Christian Bible is very clear when it says that there is only one God (Exodus 20:2-3) and that Jesus is the only way to God ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6). How then can someone take a part of Christianity with a part of another religion? To do so would no longer have it be Christianity and all the promises attached to Christianity would no longer apply to the new religion's followers. It's the same with a cow; you can't have just its leg and still call it a cow. It's only part of a cow, not an actual cow anymore. And the functions (promises) of a cow would not - could not - be carried out in only its leg. What the followers of these "New Age" religions are actually doing is creating their own religion and god/gods. And if the creator is a person, it will never go farther than that person's own strength and doings. It's useless to believe in any deity of higher power because they would be a product of that person's mind and therefore have no more power than the mind they originate from. Essentially, they are putting their faith in themselves or a made up entity. Look at Christianity though. The commands given by God and His Son in the Bible are not easy ones to follow and, in fact, are usually the exact opposite of what most people would want to do ("But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." - Matthew 5:44 just for an example). Christianity never had its origins in the will of man (that, surprisingly, is from the Bible - 2 Peter 1:20-21). If it did, then I'm sure the Bible would look quite differently; we would be instructed to do whatever we wanted and made us feel good, whenever we wanted to. But it's not like that. It's far better. Every command in the Bible is one that ultimately produces goodness. They may not be easy to follow or at times what we want to do, but they are good and produce more good. And what exactly is the goodness that is produced? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All good comes from God, because God is good ("This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning scarifice for our sins... God is love." - 1 John 4:9-10 & 16).
I know that many of my claims I supported by verses from the Bible, and that all of what I said can be argued as bias... and it is - I'm biased for the God of the universe who has revealed to me all that I know. I'm biased to the Supreme Power who loves me enough - me that was made from "the dust of the ground" (Gen 2:7) - to humble Himself into the form of a man and die a humilating, unimaginably painful death, with the weight and burden of all my sins (that I deserve to be held responsible for) so that I may be reconciled to Him. Not only am I reconciled to Him, but I am able to enjoy having unity with Him. From Him flows freely love and joy, worthiness and sense of belonging, and -most important in my life - fullness and satisfication. Yes, to Him I am biased. I'd be crazy if I wasn't.
Additional Note: If someone sees fault in anything I have written or my reasoning, I'd love to have it pointed out. This is my understanding of what I have learned so far. I don't pretend to be a theological expert, nor am I trying to speak for all Christians. Again, this is all from my understanding.
Monday, May 3, 2010
"...my ways are higher than your ways and my thought than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
God is like calculus and we are like first graders learning simple mathematics. How can we expect to understand the ways of God when we cannot even add 2 and 2 together? But just because we cannot fathom Him or His ways does not make Him any less real. The derivative of lnx is 1/x whether I agree with it or not. Truth exists outside the confines of man, so how then can a person reject something as not being true just because they do not understand it? That is why reason is an insufficient thing for a person to place their trust. Reason can only go so far as the person who owns it has already been. As beautifully penned by Andy Andrews in his book, "The Traveler's Gift":
"Reason never makes room for miracles; faith releases miracles. And in final comparison, faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith has no limits. The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today".
God has plans for me (Jer. 29:11). It is not my responsibility to understand them, only to obey them. Such obedience takes faith. Elton Trueblood states, "Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation." Trust in God is the expression of knowing He is good. It also demonstrates an imitate relationship with the Maker, that can only come from a geniune love with Him. I want to be crazy, dangerously in love with Him, where I place no bounds on what He can do with me and through me.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
God on Speed Dial
I really wish God had a cell phone. He would definately need unlimited minutes (so all my calls wouldn't charge Him extra fees) and unlimited text messaging wouldn't be a bad idea either...for those times when talking is prohibited of course (i.e. class...movie theatres...CLASS). Can you imagine hearing your phone ring and see "Incoming call: GOD"? A tiny picture of God smiling in all His glory would light up the screen of your cellular device, sending a surge of excitement through your body because it means that the Creator wants to talk to YOU. It makes me wonder though...how many times would I miss His call? Perhaps I couldn't find my phone in time or I didn't hear it, or maybe I was on the other line with someone else. How sickening that would be to see a missed call from God. How would it make Him feel to go to voicemail? It would say to Him that He wasn't a priority to me...that something else was more important than talking to Him, or that I didn't care enough to make sure I always had access to my phone.
How often do we do this in everyday life? How many times have I chosen to wake up in the morning watching television rather than spending it in prayer? What about all the times I decided to listen to the radio while driving instead of seizing the opportunity to shower Him with thank yous? How many more times will I use the excuse of "I'm too tired to read the Bible"? It makes me wonder how many calls I've already missed from God. Sometimes I even get so caught up in trying to live a godly life that I forget to spend time with God! (crazy right?!) Nothing can go right in life if God isn't first. He's our guide, our navigator, so we need to listen to Him for direction. Not only that, but He's dying to fulfill our every need if we just ask Him and trust that He will.
God is too amazing to put on hold or ignore. I know He always answers on the first ring when I call...I hope to be able to do the same for Him.
~L Marie
How often do we do this in everyday life? How many times have I chosen to wake up in the morning watching television rather than spending it in prayer? What about all the times I decided to listen to the radio while driving instead of seizing the opportunity to shower Him with thank yous? How many more times will I use the excuse of "I'm too tired to read the Bible"? It makes me wonder how many calls I've already missed from God. Sometimes I even get so caught up in trying to live a godly life that I forget to spend time with God! (crazy right?!) Nothing can go right in life if God isn't first. He's our guide, our navigator, so we need to listen to Him for direction. Not only that, but He's dying to fulfill our every need if we just ask Him and trust that He will.
God is too amazing to put on hold or ignore. I know He always answers on the first ring when I call...I hope to be able to do the same for Him.
~L Marie
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