At times in my life, I've wondered what it is that God could possibly be doing. After all, isn't he supposed to have my best interests at heart? Shouldn't he be paying attention to the disappointments that I face? Aren't the cries of my soul supposed to be of the utmost importance to him, as my creator and king?
And then I get frustrated.
Why should I give control of my life to a being who clearly has no idea how to manage? After all... I'm not wealthy. I don't have an exorbitant amount of money with which to make all of my dreams come true. My body doesn't look the way I'd like it to, and my hair doesn't flow in silky waves like the women on the Herbal Essence commercials. God obviously loves them more than he loves me.
Then there are my relationships. I don't have powerful and well-known friends. I'm not surrounded by people attending extravagant parties, to which I'm invited. There are no red carpet events penciled into my planner like celebrities I see on television. God obviously loves them more than he loves me.
And I don't have some kind of dream job. My childhood fantasies of singing in front of millions of screaming fans never came true. I don't wore for a Fortune 500 company, and my office doesn't offer me a view of the city skyline from the luxury of my desk, like some executive. God obviously loves them more than he loves me.
I'm not particularly talented. There's nothing about me that would inherently make people stop in their tracks in awe of my raw, unadulterated being. I've never won anything extraordinary.
But some people are. Some people have. Some people will.
God obviously loves them more than he loves me.
It sounds ridiculous when you see it in black and white, really. If you read that paragraph on its own, you'd accuse me of sacrilege. And rightfully so. But aren't we guilty, in the back of our minds, of thinking this way? Allowing ourselves to blame God for our lives being less than what we expect them to be?
And THAT is our problem. We live with an expectation that's ingrained deep within our hearts fro the time we're little boys and little girls... and these expectations are not divine. They come from the selfish desires of a world that tells us that we will never accomplish enough. That we will never have enough. That we will never be enough.
And so it aches. From the core of our very beings, it aches. The need to compete. To measure up. We live in this constant and unending rat-race that spurns us toward a goal that is never meant to be accomplished. And when we inevitably fail, we blame the one to whom we claimed surrender.
I've been struck by this harsh reality recently. It's rumbled around like a storm in my heart, and as my faithful readers (haha), I am bound to speak truth to your hearts.
The reason for our unhappiness... our lack of fulfillment... is not because He is unfaithful. It is not because he has failed in anything that He's promised us, though we often believe that way.
It's because we've bought into this warped frame of thinking; a thinking that binds God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to the world's ideas of success. Of beauty. Of perfection.
Pslam 37:4 urges us: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Notice that this requires action. It does not allow for complacency.
He doesn't tell us that God will give us the desires of our heart with no effort on our part. And what is that effort? Delighting oneself in the Lord.
13-year-old Amanda McAdams interpreted this verse much differently than the woman who writes to you today. My adolescent self saw a God who would grant my wishes, should I simply enjoy the fact that He existed. Anything I wanted! If I lived my life in a way that was good and I delighted in His presence, he would grant me the things that I wanted. At the time, I believe that probably consisted of a desire for a pink razor cell phone and the attention of a particular shaggy-haired boy who shall remain unnamed.
But friend, the beauty of this verse is that it is meant to be transformative. We try to give so much attention to the second half that we lose the meaning of the first. To delight oneself in the Lord means that the very core of who you are... your heart... your mind... yes, even your DESIRES... are captivated by Him. In doing so, HIS desires become YOUR desires. In the midst of the delight, the child of the king will find his/her desires changing. Because things like success, beauty, and relationships look very different in the eyes of a king. In fact, they have little in common with the simple desires of the peasants who know nothing of the glory of a kingdom.
So in the midst of your disappointment with God.. when He has seemingly failed you once again... when, in your eyes, your prayers have yet again gone unanswered...
When you wonder why...
Remember that the Lord's delights are so vastly different from the delights that we find on earth. For this earth is but a shadow of things to come.
And my goodness... if the things we love the most on this earth are a shadow of the glory of heaven... well then; we're in for a wild ride.
Blessings on you and yours
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wandering
Some of you know that I'm in the midst of starting to write my thoughts down on a more coherent and regular basis... and putting them together in some kind of form. Anyways... this is an excerpt from the beginnings of my writings. Feel free to give me your thoughts.
The Israelites wandered in the midst of the desert for forty years, without much to indicate that they were doing the right thing besides God's provisions for their physical needs. Even so, they were consumed with complaints. Exodus 16 says, in fact, that "The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exodus 16:2-3, New Revised Standard Version).
Think about this- the very people of God who were being held in captivity- the ones who prayed for deliverance and answers to God's divine plans- they were complaining about that deliverance!
Was it not quite what they had imagined as they hammered pyramids into place?
Was it different than they'd dreamed as they put their sick children to bed at night within the shadow of an Egyptian kingdom?
Not only do the Israelites complain here about their salvation from Egyptian captivity, but they actually express longing for their former state of being! They start going so far as to wish that they had never been delivered from the hands of their Egyptian captor; that the Red Sea had never parted, and the miracles of Moses had never occcured!
From our perspectives, this seems utterly idiotic. I grew up hearing sermon and sermon about the folly and stupidity of the Israelites and their time in the desert. We look at this complaining and whiny group of people, and we shake our heads with wisdom. If only they'd known! If only they'd been aware of the beauty and perfection of the promised land that was to come! Were they truly that impatient? Were conditions really that bad? Were they so immersed in their own hardships that they were rendered incapable of seeing the bigger picture- that of redemption and the fulfillment of promises to their fathers? We are nothing like them... we, of course, would have been the great heroes of these stories. The Moseses, and Aarons, and Joshuas of the exodus story.
But then, there is us.
Us- with our full day planners and packed minivans. Us, with our dates to keep, and girlfriends to lunch, and errands to run.
Us, with our worried hearts and troubled spirits.
I know that I, for one, am guilty of the sin of being immersed in worry and anxiety. My need for control is pervasive. It invades every fiber of our beings until is consumes us. It takes hold of the very aspects of our hearts that make us women- the desire to comfort...to love.
We live in a fast-paced environment that is far from conducive to a lifestyle void of worry. In our 21st century frame of reference, we don't know how to slow down. We are unable to dissect need from want, and it causes us to be pummeled with the inevitable inadequacy of our vain attempts to be in control.
So we glorify that control. We make it our god and worship its presence. Referencing times in our lives when we have felt some perception of control, a frame of reference, we cling to it. "If I could just get back there again!," we think to ourselves.
To that stable relationship status.
To that perfect job that took away the concern for finances.
To that lack of responsibility.
Perhaps, we are not so very different from the wandering Israelites after all.
Complaining about our unhappiness with the present state of our lives... Longing for a time when things seemed more stable... Questioning the direction that we are headed.
Does any of this sound familiar?
The promised land is not far, precious friend. The wandering is not indefinite. And that hunger in your heart will not, contrary to belief, be pacified by returning to the captivity from which the Lord has set you free.
The promised land is near.
I know that you're tired of just getting by. I know that your spirit is aching for fulfillment, and your thirst seems unquenchable. I know that the direction you're headed doesn't seem to make much sense.
But the promised land is near.
Think back to the seemingly ridiculous complaints of the people of God wandering in the desert. We know that these worries and complaints were futile. We know how idiotic they sound, because WE KNOW that God fulfilled his promises in the lives of his people. We know the bounty of Canaan, and we know the beauty of promise fulfilled.
The promised land is near.
So when you're sick of manna and exhausted from wandering.. when unending desert is all that's out there, as far as the eye can see... when you're questioning where this pillar of fire is leading you in the dark of the night- Remember, dear one.
The promised land is near. And more likely that not, it will be so much better than you ever imagined.
The Israelites wandered in the midst of the desert for forty years, without much to indicate that they were doing the right thing besides God's provisions for their physical needs. Even so, they were consumed with complaints. Exodus 16 says, in fact, that "The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exodus 16:2-3, New Revised Standard Version).
Think about this- the very people of God who were being held in captivity- the ones who prayed for deliverance and answers to God's divine plans- they were complaining about that deliverance!
Was it not quite what they had imagined as they hammered pyramids into place?
Was it different than they'd dreamed as they put their sick children to bed at night within the shadow of an Egyptian kingdom?
Not only do the Israelites complain here about their salvation from Egyptian captivity, but they actually express longing for their former state of being! They start going so far as to wish that they had never been delivered from the hands of their Egyptian captor; that the Red Sea had never parted, and the miracles of Moses had never occcured!
From our perspectives, this seems utterly idiotic. I grew up hearing sermon and sermon about the folly and stupidity of the Israelites and their time in the desert. We look at this complaining and whiny group of people, and we shake our heads with wisdom. If only they'd known! If only they'd been aware of the beauty and perfection of the promised land that was to come! Were they truly that impatient? Were conditions really that bad? Were they so immersed in their own hardships that they were rendered incapable of seeing the bigger picture- that of redemption and the fulfillment of promises to their fathers? We are nothing like them... we, of course, would have been the great heroes of these stories. The Moseses, and Aarons, and Joshuas of the exodus story.
But then, there is us.
Us- with our full day planners and packed minivans. Us, with our dates to keep, and girlfriends to lunch, and errands to run.
Us, with our worried hearts and troubled spirits.
I know that I, for one, am guilty of the sin of being immersed in worry and anxiety. My need for control is pervasive. It invades every fiber of our beings until is consumes us. It takes hold of the very aspects of our hearts that make us women- the desire to comfort...to love.
We live in a fast-paced environment that is far from conducive to a lifestyle void of worry. In our 21st century frame of reference, we don't know how to slow down. We are unable to dissect need from want, and it causes us to be pummeled with the inevitable inadequacy of our vain attempts to be in control.
So we glorify that control. We make it our god and worship its presence. Referencing times in our lives when we have felt some perception of control, a frame of reference, we cling to it. "If I could just get back there again!," we think to ourselves.
To that stable relationship status.
To that perfect job that took away the concern for finances.
To that lack of responsibility.
Perhaps, we are not so very different from the wandering Israelites after all.
Complaining about our unhappiness with the present state of our lives... Longing for a time when things seemed more stable... Questioning the direction that we are headed.
Does any of this sound familiar?
The promised land is not far, precious friend. The wandering is not indefinite. And that hunger in your heart will not, contrary to belief, be pacified by returning to the captivity from which the Lord has set you free.
The promised land is near.
I know that you're tired of just getting by. I know that your spirit is aching for fulfillment, and your thirst seems unquenchable. I know that the direction you're headed doesn't seem to make much sense.
But the promised land is near.
Think back to the seemingly ridiculous complaints of the people of God wandering in the desert. We know that these worries and complaints were futile. We know how idiotic they sound, because WE KNOW that God fulfilled his promises in the lives of his people. We know the bounty of Canaan, and we know the beauty of promise fulfilled.
The promised land is near.
So when you're sick of manna and exhausted from wandering.. when unending desert is all that's out there, as far as the eye can see... when you're questioning where this pillar of fire is leading you in the dark of the night- Remember, dear one.
The promised land is near. And more likely that not, it will be so much better than you ever imagined.
New Beginnings
Well hello there blogging world!
I know that most people who call themselves "bloggers" probably do a stereotypical reflective post from the year before.... and you can now add me to your ranks. Keep in mind, this will most likely be out of order. I tend to be scatterbrained. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you:
2012.
2012 was a big year for this girl. I started me second semester of grad school and really started working hard on my thesis. It was great being in Abilene, but lonely sometimes because so many of my friends had moved away... so it was GREAT seeing them at SING SONG! Siggies did a great job and I was so proud to be an alum!
Dinner at the Beehive
Seeing sweet Caroline
January and February flew by, and really all I can tell you I remember vividly from that time is thesis work.
Well... that, and seeing WICKED with my sweet friend Megan! It was our second time to see it together, and it was just as good as the first!
Finally, it came time to defend in late Spring, and my sweet friend Christine made me this precious thesis defense care package! As you can see.... I looked a bit ragged. It was stressful!
Well... that, and seeing WICKED with my sweet friend Megan! It was our second time to see it together, and it was just as good as the first!
Finally, it came time to defend in late Spring, and my sweet friend Christine made me this precious thesis defense care package! As you can see.... I looked a bit ragged. It was stressful!
As we all know now, however... I graduated with my MSSW in MAY! It was so exciting to FINALLY be done with college, and walking away with my Master's definitely made the extra year worth it! It was so fun to celebrate having finished everything!
Maggie, Me, and Abby at graduation. We practiced their Sing Song faces. (It paid off by the way.... Abby made it into Freshman sing song. Just saying...)
Me and my forever friend at graduation. It was so cool, for the first time ever, to celebrate a graduation together. Love my Missy.
The whole family came to celebrate. It was so good having Daddy and Mama there.
SO GLAD TO BE DONE!
Also, during that semester of grad school, I started dating THIS GUY!
Britt has been such a blessing to me over the course of this year. Not only has he sat through many phone calls filled with crying over thesis writing, stress, and unemployment... but he's been a constant source of encouragement and affirmation. VERY thankful that he stuck around.
Seeing Jekkyl and Hyde in Dallas
Six Flags in June
So graduation happened and I moved home to Henderson... and life kind of paused. It was nice being home... I hadn't lived at home in five years! We spent some great quality family time together.... starting out with a joint graduation present for me and Abby: a family vacation to New Orleans!
We had the best time....
I probably gained about 60 lbs over the course of the week.... from beignets at Cafe du Monde to little hole-in-the-wall Crawfish restaurants... the food was spectacular.
We got to really enjoy the time together as a whole family after being separated for practically five years (since I worked at Leadership Camps most summers). From taking boat tours, walking the river, touring the French Quarter and Bourbon street, to our AIRBOAT RIDE.....
Where I held my first crocodile. Keep in mind... I hate lizards. So this was a BIG accomplishment. We had a great time.
After our trip, we came back home and settled in for the summer. It was great to spend some time at home. From family crawfish boils
in July....
To hanging out with my mom in her classroom in August... it was such a blessing to spend a season of relaxation and rest with my family.
However, I'll admit that I was antsy to find a job. After all... isn't it everyone's worst fear to graduate, having spent all this money on a degree, and not being able to use it?
And then I got my new job in the great city of.... you guessed it... ABILENE. Yes, ladies and gentlemen... I moved my little self right back to the place I left in May. However, I've loved my job so far at the Health Careers Promotion Coordinator at the Big Country Area Health Education Center. I get to travel a lot and interact with a lot of kids, which is awesome.
I also did my first professional presentations this year... In Las Vegas in the spring....
at a Technology conference...
and then at the Council of Social Work Education in Washington during November. It was really great to see all of our work come to fruition and for people to be interested. Thanks to Dr. Baldridge for bringing me on for the research....
And then there were other things.... Moved in with this gal in October when I moved back to Abilene....
Which has been such a blessing. Megan has been a great roommate and somebody to share this whole "growing up" adventure with. I'm thankful that God sent her to me at just the right time!
I had some precious friends get married....
Rachel
Megan
And spent some great holidays with family....
It's been a fantastic past 12 months. This post doesn't even begin to touch on how blessed I am to be where I'm at, and how thankful I am that God has brought me to this point in my life. I'm looking forward to seeing where 2013 leads! Blessings on you and yours!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Losing Control...
As
the Christmas season falls upon us, I think that it's common for
individuals to make an effort to reflect on the deep theological "reason
for the season," if you will; The underlying themes of Christmastime
and the inherent pitfalls of American society and commercialism in the
midst of a holiday meant to celebrate the holiness and honesty of who
Jesus was and what he came to be. While I'd like to say that I have no
desire to be a part of these self-reflecting "doc-in-a-box"es who love
to diagnose our flaws, I must admit, I will most likely be one. At least
for this blog post.
So bear with me for a few paragraphs of thoughts... Just want to get them out of my ever revolving brain.
Lately I've been struck by how selfish our lives allow us to become. As a new member of the "young adults club," I can attest to the fact that my life is structured in such a way that promotes selfishness. I think that a lot of our lives follow in this direction. We go to work to be successful, in whatever sense that success is interpreted in our minds.... more money, more responsibility, more letters to list after our names. We make a living to make a life.
And what a life it is. With media bombarding us with commands of dissatisfaction, and the inherent fallout from those messages, it's surprising that any of us spend an instant thinking about others. To be honest, most of us often don't (myself included). We become enthralled by our tv screens... the feedback on our bathroom scales.. the number of 0's in our bank accounts. All personal. All selfish. All void of compassion and service.
Then the Christmas season falls upon us. We're willing to sacrifice a few of those 0's in order to gain that feeling of satisfaction that comes from giving the perfect gift to a loved one... for another cup of hot chocolate... for a professional to save us the time by adorning our houses with lights.
Don't misunderstand me. Many individuals are much more philanthropic during the Christmas season than we give them credit for. Christmas bonuses. An extra stop on the way home to give that cup of coffee to a man who looks cold. Anonymous gifts and willing hearts are much easier to find during this time of the year... and for that, I'm truly thankful.
But I am dissatisfied. I'm dissatisfied with the resistance that my heart gives to taking risks in order to be God's hands and feet. I'm unhappy with the my head's interference with my Christian actions.... logic's interference with faith.
And I think that's where our problems truly lie. In logic. In needing to know, and be known, and have information at the ready. In the midst of our instant internet access and wikipedia-saturated minds, we lose focus.
The stumbling block to the tangible manifestation of our Christian faith is the need to be informed.The need to be knowledgeable. The very thing that plagued us as human beings in the Garden of Eden is still in play today: Control. And goodness... it is prevalent.
This issue of control plagues us. It dictates every move we make in faith. It leaves us broken, and creates a gap between our actions and our intentions. And this plays out in our faith works.
So sure we'll give money to nonprofit organizations... but only if we know exactly what it's going to... where it's being spent.
Sure we'll give to those in need on the side of the road... but solely if we know for a fact that they're not on drugs, drinking alcohol, or spending "our money" on something "inappropriate."
Of course we'll give of our time volunteering. But only at places that are clean, sanitary, and void of anything or anyone who makes us uncomfortable... or whose lifestyles disagree with our morals and ethics.
Don't consider this a scolding, or even something that I expect every individual to live by. But this is my personal struggle. The struggle between my human-instilled logic and my divinely implanted compassion. My worldly desire and my heavenly innocence.
I think that Jesus calls us to be like little children for many reasons- but this is one of them. There is strength in compassion. There is holiness in innocence. And the presence of caution when it comes to faith does not develop wisdom. It develops apathy. Complacence. Unwillingness.
So in the midst of this season- the time of the year in which we, as Christians, celebrate not only the existence of a savior, but the very sacrifice that it took to leave the majesty of heaven to come and live in a broken and angry world- I urge you to be introspective. Because at the end of the day, it's not OUR money to dictate its use. It's not OUR time to sacrifice. Through the very goodness of God, we are blessed to live in the midst of an extremely blessed nation, regardless of political climate. We are given the honor, on a regular basis, to be the hands and feet of a divine creator here on earth. Who are we to dictate where they go and who they serve?
Jesus' ministry was void of stipulation. I want mine to be as well, in whatever capacity he decides.
Be goodness. Be innocence. Be taken advantage of if need be, and rejoice in the beauty of losing the perception of control to a God who is so far above it. Because love is transformative; and if every individual who encounters you encounters the love of Christ in turn... wow. What a difference we could make.
Blessings on you and yours during the holidays.
Amanda Christine
So bear with me for a few paragraphs of thoughts... Just want to get them out of my ever revolving brain.
Lately I've been struck by how selfish our lives allow us to become. As a new member of the "young adults club," I can attest to the fact that my life is structured in such a way that promotes selfishness. I think that a lot of our lives follow in this direction. We go to work to be successful, in whatever sense that success is interpreted in our minds.... more money, more responsibility, more letters to list after our names. We make a living to make a life.
And what a life it is. With media bombarding us with commands of dissatisfaction, and the inherent fallout from those messages, it's surprising that any of us spend an instant thinking about others. To be honest, most of us often don't (myself included). We become enthralled by our tv screens... the feedback on our bathroom scales.. the number of 0's in our bank accounts. All personal. All selfish. All void of compassion and service.
Then the Christmas season falls upon us. We're willing to sacrifice a few of those 0's in order to gain that feeling of satisfaction that comes from giving the perfect gift to a loved one... for another cup of hot chocolate... for a professional to save us the time by adorning our houses with lights.
Don't misunderstand me. Many individuals are much more philanthropic during the Christmas season than we give them credit for. Christmas bonuses. An extra stop on the way home to give that cup of coffee to a man who looks cold. Anonymous gifts and willing hearts are much easier to find during this time of the year... and for that, I'm truly thankful.
But I am dissatisfied. I'm dissatisfied with the resistance that my heart gives to taking risks in order to be God's hands and feet. I'm unhappy with the my head's interference with my Christian actions.... logic's interference with faith.
And I think that's where our problems truly lie. In logic. In needing to know, and be known, and have information at the ready. In the midst of our instant internet access and wikipedia-saturated minds, we lose focus.
The stumbling block to the tangible manifestation of our Christian faith is the need to be informed.The need to be knowledgeable. The very thing that plagued us as human beings in the Garden of Eden is still in play today: Control. And goodness... it is prevalent.
This issue of control plagues us. It dictates every move we make in faith. It leaves us broken, and creates a gap between our actions and our intentions. And this plays out in our faith works.
So sure we'll give money to nonprofit organizations... but only if we know exactly what it's going to... where it's being spent.
Sure we'll give to those in need on the side of the road... but solely if we know for a fact that they're not on drugs, drinking alcohol, or spending "our money" on something "inappropriate."
Of course we'll give of our time volunteering. But only at places that are clean, sanitary, and void of anything or anyone who makes us uncomfortable... or whose lifestyles disagree with our morals and ethics.
Don't consider this a scolding, or even something that I expect every individual to live by. But this is my personal struggle. The struggle between my human-instilled logic and my divinely implanted compassion. My worldly desire and my heavenly innocence.
I think that Jesus calls us to be like little children for many reasons- but this is one of them. There is strength in compassion. There is holiness in innocence. And the presence of caution when it comes to faith does not develop wisdom. It develops apathy. Complacence. Unwillingness.
So in the midst of this season- the time of the year in which we, as Christians, celebrate not only the existence of a savior, but the very sacrifice that it took to leave the majesty of heaven to come and live in a broken and angry world- I urge you to be introspective. Because at the end of the day, it's not OUR money to dictate its use. It's not OUR time to sacrifice. Through the very goodness of God, we are blessed to live in the midst of an extremely blessed nation, regardless of political climate. We are given the honor, on a regular basis, to be the hands and feet of a divine creator here on earth. Who are we to dictate where they go and who they serve?
Jesus' ministry was void of stipulation. I want mine to be as well, in whatever capacity he decides.
Be goodness. Be innocence. Be taken advantage of if need be, and rejoice in the beauty of losing the perception of control to a God who is so far above it. Because love is transformative; and if every individual who encounters you encounters the love of Christ in turn... wow. What a difference we could make.
Blessings on you and yours during the holidays.
Amanda Christine
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Best Friend-aversary!
It began early. Since our parents were friends before we were even born, Missy and I were blessed to come into this world knowing one another. Granted, I had to wait a whole 4 months for her to get here... Let me tell you, from what I remember of it, it was a rough time. ;) But as many of you who know Missy are aware of... I've pretty much spent my life waiting on her to get ready! :)
It's a unique blessing to have a lifelong best friend. We began with the early days of performing "Jesus loves me" on the fireplace for our attentive and captive audience (yes mom, dad, Mr. Chuck, and Mrs. Lisa, that means you!) and going to our very first Acapella concerts together... Gumbo and salad with our families and dressing up to pretend we were characters in Beauty and the Beast (Sorry I was so bossy and always made you be Gaston). Birthday parties and Sunday mornings were never complete without my best friend Missy.
Now, as we grow older, things inevitably get more difficult. No longer am I able to see my precious best friend every morning. Our days of shared schools, houses, and clubs have come and gone. People will come into our lives who will impact us... We'll both start families, and develop great loves for some inevitably wonderful, good lookin', intelligent husbands. :)
I miss being able to see her every day. I miss being able to whisper secrets at night and go shopping for special occasions. But through it all, there is one thing I'm certain of:
I met my soul mate when I was four months old; and I am so thankful for it.
Love you,
Roonie
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Scandalous Grace
I've blogged before about having been brought up in the church. I learned at an early age how to stay quiet during a sermon... I know the Songs of Faith and Praise hymnal by heart... and my pint-sized first bible still sits on my shelf at home, its pages pristine between pink shiny binding.
So obviously, I heard about God and the gift of Jesus from an early age. I learned the parables and the Gospel on felt boards in Sunday school. In doing so, I became a fan of the idea of grace early in my life. I sang the song lyrics that good Church of Christ girls sing...
"Oh to Grace, how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be...."
"Grace, Grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within..."
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...."
I loved it. This idea of unrelenting forgiveness... of reckless pardon. Who wouldn't love that, after all?
In my ten-year-old frame of thinking, of course, it looked much different than it does today. Back when my need for grace solely extended to disrespecting my parents, or fighting with my sisters. Back when those "taboo" sins seemed so far removed from my radar. Of course grace looked good... but I didn't need it as much as "other people" did!
And in truth, I didn't. As a child, grace isn't called to atone for many of the wrongs that you commit, I suppose. There aren't as many.
But then I grew older. Those "taboo" sins were not so far removed from my pristine heart anymore, and I felt, for the first time, the panicked need for grace. Does that make sense, the idea of a panicked need? Maybe you've felt it. Perhaps it was the first time you really comprehended the fullness of what Jesus had done... maybe it was even years after that. But at some point, I think that we all feel a panicked need for grace. The realization that, as much as we might try, grace is the only thing separating us from the brokenness that we inherently feel, as strangers and aliens in this world.
One of my favorite Christian artists, the late Rich Mullins, once said:
"We are not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved. Never forget what Jesus did for you."
I think that this, in a nutshell, is the problem that we face today: We've forgotten what Jesus did for us.
"But Amanda!," many might argue, "We haven't forgotten! Look- we wear our cross necklaces! We listen to our Christian music! We go to church when the doors are open, and we know all the songs! How can you say we've forgotten what Jesus did for us? We are, after all, religious people."
And I would agree. All of those things are good. They are important. They are holy and pure and true.
But I would change one important thing about Rich's statement in order to wholly get my point across.
We are not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved. Never forget what Jesus did for you. Or for your brothers and sisters. Or for the homeless man on your street corner. Or for strangers thousands of miles away. For believers and nonbelievers. For the rich and for the poor. For the orphan who sits in a foster home, and for the pregnant teenager who is scared and confused. For the drug addict in the midst of temptation, and for the businessman who takes advantage of the needy. For the stay-at-home mom, and for the single dad. For every man, woman, and child to come into existence, and for their descendants. And for you. For even you.
I think that we know about Jesus. We know the logistics of His sacrifice. We know about the cross, and the abolishment of the law. We know about the whips, and the thorns, and the tomb reopening. But I think that, in part, many of us have forgotten the gospel message. That Jesus came to seek and to save the LOST. Not solely the ones who "have it all together" or who have keys to the church building. His grace is reckless and limitless.... it's scandalous. It's transformative, and creative, and good, and kind. And we are so unable to fully comprehend what it means, because we are so afraid! We are afraid of goodness, and we are terrified of kindness. After all, isn't it weakness in our society to forgive those who spit in your face?
We do not understand a scandalous grace because we are so intent on avoiding scandal! We seek to blend into a world that we were created to stand out in! But even more so, we do not understand a scandalous grace because we fail to extend it to the same people who He dared extend it to. We turn our noses up at the broken, though we are the worst. We close our doors to the addicted. We turn our backs on the helpless. How utterly unbiblical.
If He could forgive those whom we consider the "worst".... why can't we? Are we so afraid? Are we so discontent? Are we so focused building walls... walls of nationality, of religion, of ethnicity, of race, of political party... that we forget the unifying purpose of grace?
Let's create a scandal. Let's be different, and united in purpose... let's not forget what Jesus did, but rather, let's transform lives by its message! That, regardless of who you are or what you've done, the same grace is there. The same gift. The same grace.
Blessings on you and yours.
Amanda
So obviously, I heard about God and the gift of Jesus from an early age. I learned the parables and the Gospel on felt boards in Sunday school. In doing so, I became a fan of the idea of grace early in my life. I sang the song lyrics that good Church of Christ girls sing...
"Oh to Grace, how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be...."
"Grace, Grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within..."
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...."
I loved it. This idea of unrelenting forgiveness... of reckless pardon. Who wouldn't love that, after all?
In my ten-year-old frame of thinking, of course, it looked much different than it does today. Back when my need for grace solely extended to disrespecting my parents, or fighting with my sisters. Back when those "taboo" sins seemed so far removed from my radar. Of course grace looked good... but I didn't need it as much as "other people" did!
And in truth, I didn't. As a child, grace isn't called to atone for many of the wrongs that you commit, I suppose. There aren't as many.
But then I grew older. Those "taboo" sins were not so far removed from my pristine heart anymore, and I felt, for the first time, the panicked need for grace. Does that make sense, the idea of a panicked need? Maybe you've felt it. Perhaps it was the first time you really comprehended the fullness of what Jesus had done... maybe it was even years after that. But at some point, I think that we all feel a panicked need for grace. The realization that, as much as we might try, grace is the only thing separating us from the brokenness that we inherently feel, as strangers and aliens in this world.
One of my favorite Christian artists, the late Rich Mullins, once said:
"We are not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved. Never forget what Jesus did for you."
I think that this, in a nutshell, is the problem that we face today: We've forgotten what Jesus did for us.
"But Amanda!," many might argue, "We haven't forgotten! Look- we wear our cross necklaces! We listen to our Christian music! We go to church when the doors are open, and we know all the songs! How can you say we've forgotten what Jesus did for us? We are, after all, religious people."
And I would agree. All of those things are good. They are important. They are holy and pure and true.
But I would change one important thing about Rich's statement in order to wholly get my point across.
We are not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved. Never forget what Jesus did for you. Or for your brothers and sisters. Or for the homeless man on your street corner. Or for strangers thousands of miles away. For believers and nonbelievers. For the rich and for the poor. For the orphan who sits in a foster home, and for the pregnant teenager who is scared and confused. For the drug addict in the midst of temptation, and for the businessman who takes advantage of the needy. For the stay-at-home mom, and for the single dad. For every man, woman, and child to come into existence, and for their descendants. And for you. For even you.
I think that we know about Jesus. We know the logistics of His sacrifice. We know about the cross, and the abolishment of the law. We know about the whips, and the thorns, and the tomb reopening. But I think that, in part, many of us have forgotten the gospel message. That Jesus came to seek and to save the LOST. Not solely the ones who "have it all together" or who have keys to the church building. His grace is reckless and limitless.... it's scandalous. It's transformative, and creative, and good, and kind. And we are so unable to fully comprehend what it means, because we are so afraid! We are afraid of goodness, and we are terrified of kindness. After all, isn't it weakness in our society to forgive those who spit in your face?
We do not understand a scandalous grace because we are so intent on avoiding scandal! We seek to blend into a world that we were created to stand out in! But even more so, we do not understand a scandalous grace because we fail to extend it to the same people who He dared extend it to. We turn our noses up at the broken, though we are the worst. We close our doors to the addicted. We turn our backs on the helpless. How utterly unbiblical.
If He could forgive those whom we consider the "worst".... why can't we? Are we so afraid? Are we so discontent? Are we so focused building walls... walls of nationality, of religion, of ethnicity, of race, of political party... that we forget the unifying purpose of grace?
Let's create a scandal. Let's be different, and united in purpose... let's not forget what Jesus did, but rather, let's transform lives by its message! That, regardless of who you are or what you've done, the same grace is there. The same gift. The same grace.
Blessings on you and yours.
Amanda
Friday, July 6, 2012
The Jelly Chronicles part 3: Four Score and Seven Flip Flops ago...
Every once in a while, I like to give an update detailing how my "aMANdaS best friend" is doing. Since most of my blog posts have been centered on a serious note lately, I thought I'd give you all reprieve from my heartfelt ramblings, and just give you some good ole fashioned Jelly love. So here we go.
Those of you who have spent time reading previous tales of the Jelly Chronicles already know Jelly's heartfelt love of destruction. After all, she's like a toddler in a teenager's body. The girl is clumsy, just like any 14 year old; and just like any 14 year old, Jelly LOVES to eat. It doesnt matter what's put in front of her, Jellly Belly will chow down on whatever she's given. Which brings us to her favorite snack of choice: SHOES.
Jelly Elizabeth loves her shoes. Flip flops, dress shoes, heels, and loafers. The chewier the better. I can't quite figure out if it's a strange fixation on feet, the feel of plastic and foam between her teeth, or the subsequent screams that accompany each newfound Jelly shoe creation, but my labrador just can't get enough footwear. Any tips on handling this issue would be welcome. After all.... winter is coming and we can't go barefoot.
In addition, Jelly has continued her habit of dragging random objects into the backyard. The television show "Hoarders" would have a field day with my sweet puppy. Regardless of said object, whether it be trash, remote control, or person (ok, just kidding on the person part), Jelly loves adding ot her backyard collection. While I love her attempts at being prudent (after all, she might need that empty pepsi bottle someday!), her hoarde of stolen goods continues to grow at a rapid pace, despite our best efforts. So go ahead and add "hoarder" and "theif" to your long list of Jelly descriptions.
As I contine the tedious process of looking for a big kid job, Jelly continues to be at the forefront of my mind. If finding a future apartment wasn't stressful enough, the idea of introducing Jelly to new carpets, new fire hydrants, and new best canine companions induces a teensy bit of apprehension. However... I must say that this whole "growing up" thing is much scarier than I even anticipated. As such, it's nice to know that I have a best friend to take with me, regardless of where I go. Granted, she's not much of a guard dog... Like I said, throw her a flip flop, and she'll be distracted for at least an hour... But her sweet puppy love and playful puppy face always seem to make me feel better.
So here's to you, Miss Jelly McAdams. To your shoe-chewing, trash-hoarding, nighttime-barking, round-the-house-running, late-night-cuddling, face-licking, dog-food-breath self. Thanks for the loving.
Blessings on you and yours :)
Amanda Christine
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