Tag: Jesus

New things

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Matt Chandler has spoken of how things that are new are often accompanied by an intoxicating high.  Whether it be a new smartphone, new car, new job, and even a new blog as I am writing today, there seems to be this “buzz” that we experience with the acquisition of new things. I felt it when I registered my new domain, “Grace Breaks”.  How elated I was that this domain was available to me and how jazzed I was when I envisioned future posts that I would write under this new moniker. New found inspiration was brimming over.  On the other side, however, how depressed I often become when new things become old things. How disenfranchised I am when my 3-0 fantasy football team drops to 3-1.  How disillusioned I am when the job I work each day no longer generates the gratitude that being newly employed once brought. Instead, the same job that I was thankful for now stimulates disappointment and distress. (especially on Monday).  Instead of overflowing with gratitude, my spirit ignites complaint-fueled blame.
Interestingly, it is God who designed our souls for the excitement of new things. Imagine the racing heart of the first Adam as he was introduced to the first Eve. Contemplate the wonder and excitement they felt as they discovered a new species of plant or bestowed a new name for a newly discovered animal. God gave them a garden that would have taken centuries to fully explore and cultivate. Then imagine the adrenaline that shot through Eve’s body as she held a forbidden fruit with its sweet aroma and ripe disposition. Then imagine the dissatisfaction a few seconds into the first bite of what must have been the best tasting food God ever created! Their creator-designed intoxication led to a hangover of guilt and shame.
When our desires lead to disappointment, it’s easy to blame the objects of desire. “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” replied Adam to God’s question of how his eyes were opened. But when we blame the object of desire, aren’t we essentially blaming the God who created the object?  Isn’t that what is most repulsive about Adam’s answer? “(the woman) whom YOU GAVE ME”? When Eve was asked why she ate the fruit, she answered “the serpent deceived me.” Eve told the truth. She was deceived. but it was Adam who actually blames God for his disobedience! Adam championed the Serpent’s lie. it’s God’s fault!
Of course, the difference is, we live in an age of enticement. Our cultural environment is sexually charged, and technology driven. Instead of a single forbidden fruit in the midst of a holy garden, we lustfully pilfer through a forest of diseased trees, and we are equally infected.
As Chandler always says, the objects of desire were never meant to “terminate upon themselves”. Rather, these objects, these desires, were created for our joy in glorifying God.  Until we begin to see new things in the light of God’s glory, we will continue to experience short-term highs, forever searching for the next new thing. One day, Christ, seated on His heavenly throne, will “make all things new”. He goes on to say that He will satisfy our thirsts (desires) with the “spring of the water of life without payment.” At that future moment, HE will be THE object of desire, and new things will be forever redeemed.

God’s choice

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IMG_1403 For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. – Jesus (Matthew 5:45 ESV)

On our vacation trip, we witnessed this marvelous image somewhere in Arizona.  There is rain and sun originating from one sky.   I imagine many are scrambling to stay dry while others, miles away, are basking in the sunlight. One sky, two perspectives, on source, one God.

Then on our way home, we saw this.

IMG_2722
Rain on the right, rain on the left, smoke from a wildfire in the middle. We prayed the rainclouds would hover over the fire, but as far as we could tell, it never did.

Many questions arise regarding the sovereignty of God. He is powerful enough to create rain, enough rain to flood the entire earth, and certainly enough to douse a fire that is but a tiny candle beneath His feet.  Yet he does not. Not this time.  We believe He's powerful. We believe He's good. We know He's good because these rain clouds are healing someones parched land. We don't know what good, if any, this fire is accomplishing. So far in the distance, we are unable to know if someone is losing their home, their memories. We don't know if a farmer is losing his crop, his business. We also don't know if this fire is sweeping away an unknown pestilence which brings longer term grief. 

We're confident this fire-ravaged land was once the recipient of healing rainwater and sunlight and perhaps the rain soaked land itself once experienced flames.  In this life we may never know what God is accomplishing with this rain and fire.  For eternity, the echoes of "where were you?" might ring as an incessant salve to our souls.  But denying His supreme sovereignty on this side, without the benefit of His vision, is not an option.  Thankfully, mercifully,  I don't have to choose between his sovereignty and His love.  I don't have to choose how God's will is accomplished.  It's God's choice. His alone.

Identity

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4671-tree-water It's been 2 years since I stepped down as worship leader of our last church and I have to say it's been the absolute best thing God has done in our lives.  God has revealed the idols in my heart and needless to say is chipping them away.  It is indeed a slow and painful process because I put a lot of years of hard work in to building them.  John Calvin gets credit for one of the best observations ever made in post canon theology. He said, "The human heart is a factory of idols…Everyone of us is, from his mother's womb, expert in inventing idols."

The idols I have created are far too many to name, but I will let you in on one of them.  One of my biggest idols has been identity seeking. Before I was in ministry, I developed a pattern of moving from job to job.  I would be content for 2 or 3 years until I realized it wasn't fulfilling enough.  Instead of sticking it out and enduring the trials I was facing which usually centered around my relationships with superiors, I opted for lateral movement hoping something would click inside and I would settle down.  After being laid off from a company after 8 years of employ, I bounced around some more all the while thinking that my musical gifts had to be the ticket to escaping this volatile existence.  I thought that once I became a vocational worship leader that my heart would be filled, that my identity would be fulfilled. Many good folks along the way were enablers to maintaining the sheen of this idol.  Anytime someone complimented something I did or a song I performed, my idol was being polished. It wasn't their intent, but I was more than willing to let them.  I wish I could say my motivation behind serving in the church has always been to lead people to Christ, but mostly it has been done to lead people to myself. 

As a worship leader, I soon realized the frustration in securing my idenity through my career.  The biggest problem in finding your identity in anything other than Christ is that there is always opposition. There is no clear path to finding yourself in this world or anything in this world apart from Jesus.  You discover the opposition comes from other identity seekers like the people you work with and those you work for. The evolutionary theory almost seems plausible as the larger egos win out in a spiritual survivor of the fittest. 

I struggled mightily behind the scenes trying to reconcile my identity with the self-image I created. Thankfully the fork in the road arrived prior to the breaking point. Through wise counsel, I took the honest path which seemed to lead through the forest of uncertainty, while the disingenious path looked clear and comfortable. Now, here I am 2 years later and not where I expected to be. In fact, I would have fought this path tooth and nail 5 years ago.

Someone asked me recently if I enjoyed my job.  I told him that I don't enjoy what I do,  but I have more joy in the midst of what I'm doing if that makes any sense.  I want a life like that tree in Psalms, the one planted by the stream.  Though it's leaves wither, the tree never dies. It flourishes in all seasons. That's my desire, to not only weather the conditions of each seasonal turn, but to flourish in fruit-bearing joy. That is the identiy I long for.