Category Archives: Sin

Less is much more.

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Whenever I visit the homes of my grandchildren, I encourage each mom to line up projects for when my extra pair of hands might help facilitate. Last week while I was in Florida, Linnea was ready with her list. As she worked her way through it, I got to play with my grands.

Autumn with toysOne job that’s impossible to do with children around is to organize their toys, which means tossing out broken ones and those with missing parts. Since new toys come in with each birthday and Christmas, Linnea also looks forward to gathering bunches of still-nice toys for Good Will.

As she was getting ready to tackle the project this time, we reached under each bed, behind closet doors, and in every dark corner where we found stray cars, plastic princesses, and building blocks. When she finally went to work, the living room floor was piled high with colorful playthings, along with a variety of plastic bins with lids.

By the end of the day, the toy stash had been forced into submission and most of it put away for only occasional use. And the children would never miss all that had been removed.

MicahEvery so often it’s a good idea to do the same thing with our spiritual lives. Taking inventory of where we stand with the Lord motivates us to trim away anything that gets between us and him. We can also rearrange our priorities so the main thing becomes the main thing again.

Once in a while we have to look in those hidden places of our thinking for the clutter we’ve allowed to accumulate there, just as we had to hunt in all the hidden places for toys. Without making a close inspection now and then, our lives can become disheveled.

But we often shy away from this introspective process because it can be painful. Just like children resist parting with broken toys, we have trouble letting go of certain things too, like bad habits we’ve become comfortable with. Rather than route them out, it’s easier to make excuses for them much like children try to justify keeping bits and pieces of incomplete toys.

But once we’ve done the hard work of taking stock and putting our internal houses back in order, gains will always outweigh losses. That’s because the process has made room for the Lord to give us “new” and “better.”

In orderAs for my grandchildren, playing with a manageable amount of toys (all of which work right and are complete) makes play time less frustrating and lots more fun.

Less turns out to be much, much more.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)

Taught by a Sister

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IMG_1421All my life I’ve followed after my sister Mary. Though she was born 20 months before me, in many ways she’s always been decades ahead of me, at least in the lessons-learned department. Whether she’s been aware of it or not, she’s been my teacher all the way along. And now she’s showing me (and many others) how to respond when her faith is tested.

Some might say, “What do you mean by faith being tested?”

Receiving a terminal diagnosis has the power to shake us to the core and forces us to think about things we never thought about before. In the process, virtually everything changes.

It’s natural to ask, “Why was I singled out for such a horrible reality? Why not someone else?” Although there are no satisfying answers, that doesn’t stop us from asking.

But Mary’s response to the words “pancreatic cancer” has never been to ask why. As she absorbed the harsh truth that first day, she was coping in a way that pleased God. She didn’t have a clear understanding, but her mentality was one of acceptance. She said, “God knows best.” And that equates to an A+ in a test of faith.

But something else was going on, too, in her initial response. Mary wasn’t asking why or feeling singled out, because she had already fully accepted that death was part of life… not just for her but for all of us.

Yesterday a blog reader made an astute observation that got me thinking. In response to Mary’s blog she wrote:

I am in the same boat with you, Mary. I, too, have a terminal illness. And if Jesus doesn’t come first, there’s a 100% chance I’ll die from it. It’s genetic– both my parents have it, and sadly, both my precious little daughters have inherited this disease from me. Oh, and my dear husband has it too. But thankfully, there’s a cure; it’s Jesus. I realize how foolish I am to live like I don’t have the “cancer” of sin. Cancer or not, I need to be living exactly like you… making the absolute most of every moment, leaning on Jesus for wisdom to make every decision, and being content to live a “normal” life for as long as I can, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Reading her comment was an “ah-ha” moment for me. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of cancer in that way before, since we all have sin-cancer. Not one of us is without a terminal diagnosis.

M&MIf we’ve truly internalized this biblical truth, receiving bad news like Mary did becomes less of a crisis. And I hope when my time comes, whether the test involves physical cancer, sin-cancer, or both, I hope I remember everything Mary taught me.

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 3:23)

A Word from Nelson

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Mom asked me to fill in for her on the blog tonight, because she’s busy editing her next book; a book of prayers. I hope you can get something out of it.

God bless, Nelson

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HumilitySo, I’ve been reading this book called, Humility, (Andrew Murray) and a pretty good suggestion is offered as to the meaning of something I’ve wondered for quite a while. There is the verse that says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10 – NRSV) I think when teaching others, we tell them this is in the same vein as the one where Jesus says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” (Luke 16:10)

Taught to a child or a young adult, we use this as a lesson about telling the truth and stewardship. Take care of the little money you have and you’ll get more. You’ll show God you can be trusted with more. Along the same lines, we could think that humbling ourselves means God will exalt us. But what do “much” and “exalt” really mean? In human terms, they mean money and power. But, as offered in the book, Murray says that being exalted before God means,

“The highest glory of the creature is in being only a vessel, to receive and enjoy and show forth the glory of God.”

It’s my belief that God knows we are, by nature, selfish and do things mostly to minimize pain and maximize pleasure. Even offering a kind gesture gives us a good feeling and therein lies some of the payoff. But as we continue down the road to REAL humility, the “more” and the “exalt” are less about me and more about God and others. But do I really believe that letting go of myself and my agenda for everyone else will bring the highest level of fulfillment? Hmm.

BloggerWell, I just turned 42, and a question a friend asked a few weeks back still haunts me.

“Are you growing or just growing older?”

Ouch!

But I think humility, and the “growth” he asked about happens when I change my viewpoint and see pain and adversity as opportunities to make God look good. Could this be the “more” Jesus is talking about? What if his answer to my prayer for relief is this?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Or am I still stuck on the “more” meaning material pleasures and the “being exalted” meaning power and success?

The Weight of Glory“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

― C.S. Lewis