Doctor Zhivago said, "Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us." Why then am I often so busy trying to figure everything out? I analyze and analyze until my head is aching. Often I figure things out, more often, I think I figure things out.
I have to admit when I let go, stop thinking and just let life happen, I am so often pleasantly surprised. I have a Father who loves me, who lavishes me with love and who has plans to prosper me; why would I try to figure out what He is going to do, when I could just step back and let Him spoil me?
I love to be surprised - it brings a huge smile to my face, melts my heart and fills me with joy. I want to learn how to let life take me by surprise more often.
"There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved: It is God's finger on man's shoulder" Charles Morgan. And how much more beautiful is this surprise when you thought that life was nothing but pain and sorrow, when you have gotten so used to desert that you didn't know if paradise really existed? Then you step out of the desert, towards paradise and you look around, discovering that love is all around you. Oh how the heart swells!
Do you know what it is like to be loved and cared for? If we truly look around we can see that God's expressions of love are all around us. Sometimes we just have to look a little harder. Does this surprise you?
"God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 It was not after we made ourselves good enough, not after we got our act together, and not after we cleaned up our lives, that He loved us. It was while we were yet sinners. What a glorious and beautiful surprise!
Now that's what I call a gift!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
How Bizarre
And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? Every day I was with you in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures." Mark 14:48-49
The Jewish police force came out to arrest Jesus, but there was a band of Roman soldiers there, too. The Greek word is speira. This word has 3 meanings: a Roman cohort, if it was a cohort of auxiliary soldiers, speira had 1,000 men, 240 cavalary and 760 infantry; a cohort of 600 men; and more rarely: the detachment of men called a maniple of 200 men.
Lets just suppose that the word speira in this context is referring to the lesser used, smallest force: a maniple. That is an awful heck of a lot of men to send out just to arrest one man, whom is alone in a garden, with his disciples, praying.
I would say that they were afraid of His power, because He is the Son of God, only they claimed He was a fraud and a phony: not the Son of God. Why then were they afraid?
Do you think they started to wonder what Caiaphas was thinking having them all get suited up, in formation and ready for a battle, just to arrest one man. One man who at the slightest sign of his 'army' using their sword to cause harm, reached down and healed the ear that was just slain.
I wonder how many of them thought "You've got to be kidding me. What a waste of my time. Seriously, has Caiaphas lost his mind." Was he out of his mind? Had Caiaphas battled with paranoia or was he a little schizophrenic?
I think that deep down his subconscious knew that this man truly was the Son of God, that He is all powerful and He has the power to do anything He wants. Unfortunately for him (and all the soldiers who had been summonsed), his subconscious was not aware that this all powerful man had every intention of laying down His life. For you, for me and for every single man standing there that day.
The Jewish police force came out to arrest Jesus, but there was a band of Roman soldiers there, too. The Greek word is speira. This word has 3 meanings: a Roman cohort, if it was a cohort of auxiliary soldiers, speira had 1,000 men, 240 cavalary and 760 infantry; a cohort of 600 men; and more rarely: the detachment of men called a maniple of 200 men.
Lets just suppose that the word speira in this context is referring to the lesser used, smallest force: a maniple. That is an awful heck of a lot of men to send out just to arrest one man, whom is alone in a garden, with his disciples, praying.
I would say that they were afraid of His power, because He is the Son of God, only they claimed He was a fraud and a phony: not the Son of God. Why then were they afraid?
Do you think they started to wonder what Caiaphas was thinking having them all get suited up, in formation and ready for a battle, just to arrest one man. One man who at the slightest sign of his 'army' using their sword to cause harm, reached down and healed the ear that was just slain.
I wonder how many of them thought "You've got to be kidding me. What a waste of my time. Seriously, has Caiaphas lost his mind." Was he out of his mind? Had Caiaphas battled with paranoia or was he a little schizophrenic?
I think that deep down his subconscious knew that this man truly was the Son of God, that He is all powerful and He has the power to do anything He wants. Unfortunately for him (and all the soldiers who had been summonsed), his subconscious was not aware that this all powerful man had every intention of laying down His life. For you, for me and for every single man standing there that day.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Home Sweet Home
Ahh, home at last. How sweet it is! I just arrived here in Colorado last Friday evening. It's everything I hoped for, as well as a few surprises. The first surprise was at how angry I was to be leaving Africa. I had worked so hard to get to Africa that a part of me was angry to be leaving. I have so many wonderful friends, a church I truly love: all the people i know are truly beautiful. I already miss them so much and was angry to be leaving.
Sad I expected, angry took me by surprise. Talking to my friend David on Sunday, I was told that he still feels this way every time he leaves Jordan to come back, even after 7 years. Where you now live becomes home and everything you want and need is already there, yet you desire to be around family and friends back in the states and you get angry that you have to leave one to be with the other.
You discover that what you looked to as going home is really leaving home. You are now a tourist in a place that was once home. There is a familiarity about it and as you stand there soaking it in you start to remember what once it was like.
You also know that you are not on vacation, that there are things expected of you and you have to spend a lot of time talking about everything that you wish you were back home doing.
It's exhausting (even thinking and preparing for it) and this makes you angry. So then, how does one deal with this? I don't know, but I intend to find out since this will be something that happens quite often. I intend to find a way to leave the anger behind and just be grateful that I am finally where I longed to come back. I get to be with my family and with my friends. I get to do so many cool things.
I have already been spoiled far beyond my imagination and it has only been a few days. I have numerous road trips planned and know that this will be such fun. I have already received about a thousand hugs and kisses from my niece, who has permanently glued herself to my hip (at least when her mom lets her - she would sleep with me if she was allowed).
To be honest, being able to hug, kiss and spend time with my neice is the one thing I longed for more than anything else here back home. I had times that I had a dream about her and I would wake up crying. I intend to soak up every moment I get with her, even the constant "Emily, Emily do this, Emily look at this, Emily help me, Emily, Emily, Emily..." For I know that not long from now I will once again miss this.
Sad I expected, angry took me by surprise. Talking to my friend David on Sunday, I was told that he still feels this way every time he leaves Jordan to come back, even after 7 years. Where you now live becomes home and everything you want and need is already there, yet you desire to be around family and friends back in the states and you get angry that you have to leave one to be with the other.
You discover that what you looked to as going home is really leaving home. You are now a tourist in a place that was once home. There is a familiarity about it and as you stand there soaking it in you start to remember what once it was like.
You also know that you are not on vacation, that there are things expected of you and you have to spend a lot of time talking about everything that you wish you were back home doing.
It's exhausting (even thinking and preparing for it) and this makes you angry. So then, how does one deal with this? I don't know, but I intend to find out since this will be something that happens quite often. I intend to find a way to leave the anger behind and just be grateful that I am finally where I longed to come back. I get to be with my family and with my friends. I get to do so many cool things.
I have already been spoiled far beyond my imagination and it has only been a few days. I have numerous road trips planned and know that this will be such fun. I have already received about a thousand hugs and kisses from my niece, who has permanently glued herself to my hip (at least when her mom lets her - she would sleep with me if she was allowed).
To be honest, being able to hug, kiss and spend time with my neice is the one thing I longed for more than anything else here back home. I had times that I had a dream about her and I would wake up crying. I intend to soak up every moment I get with her, even the constant "Emily, Emily do this, Emily look at this, Emily help me, Emily, Emily, Emily..." For I know that not long from now I will once again miss this.
Who's Plan is It?
Jesus said "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?"
Matthew 26-52-54
And here Caiaphas thought that he was the one to orchastrate the arrest of Jesus; Malchus thought that it was Caiaphas he was following orders from. Ends up it was really God who orchastrated the whole thing and gave the orders.
How often do we think that we are the ones orchastrating everything just to find out that we are really not the ones in control at all? So often I put a whole LOT of energy into trying to make things happen, just for it to not really happen or worse, for me to mess up what would have happened sooner and better had I left it alone. Sometimes I even make it so that what was going to happen doesn't end up happening at all, due to trying too hard to force things and people having the power of choice.
Caiaphas thought he was a big dog and that he finally would be the one to get this Messiah that so many were hoping to put a stop to. He thought he had it all figured out. Oh how blind pride can make us. He thought he was so cool. He thought he was making the impossible happen. Yet what was 'impossible' wasn't so impossible after all since it was the will of God. Had he not followed through, God would have chosen someone else to do it. It had to happen since it was the will of God.
So you see, we're really not that cool at all. It is not us that make things happen (whether we believe in God or not, we are still subject to His will. We just choose which side of the team we will be on.) It is not us that help or save others, for alone we can do nothing.
It is because of Him; He is the awesome and powerful One who put everything into place even before time began. It is by His power that we are able to make a difference. We are just blessed enough to be able to join in His plan.
Matthew 26-52-54
And here Caiaphas thought that he was the one to orchastrate the arrest of Jesus; Malchus thought that it was Caiaphas he was following orders from. Ends up it was really God who orchastrated the whole thing and gave the orders.
How often do we think that we are the ones orchastrating everything just to find out that we are really not the ones in control at all? So often I put a whole LOT of energy into trying to make things happen, just for it to not really happen or worse, for me to mess up what would have happened sooner and better had I left it alone. Sometimes I even make it so that what was going to happen doesn't end up happening at all, due to trying too hard to force things and people having the power of choice.
Caiaphas thought he was a big dog and that he finally would be the one to get this Messiah that so many were hoping to put a stop to. He thought he had it all figured out. Oh how blind pride can make us. He thought he was so cool. He thought he was making the impossible happen. Yet what was 'impossible' wasn't so impossible after all since it was the will of God. Had he not followed through, God would have chosen someone else to do it. It had to happen since it was the will of God.
So you see, we're really not that cool at all. It is not us that make things happen (whether we believe in God or not, we are still subject to His will. We just choose which side of the team we will be on.) It is not us that help or save others, for alone we can do nothing.
It is because of Him; He is the awesome and powerful One who put everything into place even before time began. It is by His power that we are able to make a difference. We are just blessed enough to be able to join in His plan.
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