Just thinkin'....

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.”


Stuart Chase

I would imagine this quote would cause most people to think of religious beliefs. It was the first thing I thought of when I read it.  And, I think it is true in regard to religious beliefs. But, then it got me thinking....

I think that concept is true no matter what we might believe in.  Whether we believe in a person, a thought, a feeling, a value, a relationship, etc.....

As human beings, we tend to find reasons to believe what we want to believe.  We tend to look for the "proof" to back up what we want.  And, if we believe in something or someone strongly enough, we not only don't need "proof", we may even choose to overlook "proof" that would oppose our belief.

Many people make many life altering choices this way.  In reality, they are making the choices based on what they want, rather than any real "proof".

The same things hold true for when we don't want to believe something. 

Have you ever noticed that when talking to someone who has "dug in their heels" on an issue, no "proof" or logical argument will sway them?  Why is that?  You could make the most convincing argument on the face of the earth and it will make no difference. 

It is our human will.  We want what we want. If we don't want to believe in something, or someone, we just won't do it.  All the "proof" in the world won't matter.

The bottom line is that we have choices about these things.

I think we just need to be honest about our human will, longings, desires, and "wants".  If we make choices based on those things, we may be overlooking important factors we don't want to see.  That can be hard to face.

But, then again....most things that seem really important in life are usually hard.  But worth it.

"You are Safe"

What does the voice of fear


whisper to you?


Fear speaks to you


in logic and reason.


It assumes the language


of love itself.


Fear tells you,


"I want to make you safe."


Love says,


"You are safe."



Emmanuel from his book: Emmanuel's Book II

How rare and precious it is if we are blessed enough to find love in which we are truly safe.  That is true love.  And love to be treasured and protected.

I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

"Addiction is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity's desire for God," says Gerald May in Addiction and Grace.

Addiction.  Most people think of this in terms of alcohol and drugs.  Those are powerful addictions many people battle.  But, there are so many forms of addiction that are equally powerful and hold people in equally destructive bondage.

People become addicted to their own selfish desires.  People become addicted to a chemical "rush" in their brain when they are pursuing those desires.  People become addicted to "ideas" of what they think will fix them, make them happy, create some kind of magical solution to the struggles they face.  Once that addiction takes hold, there is no logic or reason that will convince them otherwise.

Just as a person addicted to alcohol or drugs needs to abstain completely from these substances in order to be able to free themselves from the psychological, emotional, physical, and biochemical nature of the addiction, so does a person addicted to their own selfish desires.  Without completely giving oneself adequate time to be in total abstinence from these things, that person will do almost anything, including destroying themselves and others, in order to get that next "hit".

And, this, the pursuing of oneself above all else, takes that person further and further from God, from the Creator.  Placing oneself first is the opposite of what most forms of spirituality teach.  There is a reason for that.  It is spiritually unhealthy to do so.  And, it tends to lead us into self destructive choices. It ultimately destroys the desire for God, the desire to honour a power greater than oneself.

Sadly, there is no greater bondage than that.

It is my prayer today that those bound by such addictions can have the strength and support they need to remove themselves from those situations.  May we all find the courage to examine ourselves in this area and set our priorities in line with what our Creator would have us do.  Amen.

Strength

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

                                                                   Mahatma Gandhi

The Love of God

Romans 8:35-39 -" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."



These words, from God Himself to us brings me such comfort.

I choose to see myself as God sees me.


No, I am not perfect and yes, I make mistakes.


I am learning from those mistakes and growing every day.


But, His love for me is so strong, so constant, and so tender... it brings tears to my eyes.


That love is so powerful and so strong that He does not allow ANY circumstances in our lives to get in the way of it.


And, it is that love that makes us "more than conquerors" to life's challenges. Have you thought about what that means? It is one thing to be a "conqueror". That, in and of itself is pretty cool! A conqueror has victory and overcomes. So, what does it mean to be MORE than that?

It means that we not only have victory and overcome, but that we do so with the God of the universe pouring his love out to us every single minute of every day, healing our wounded hearts and feeding our hungry souls. He is giving us the grace to fully and completely overcome and to move forward in His grace into what He has next for us in our lives.

I am choosing to see myself today as more than a conqueror! I am His child and am loved beyond measure by the King of Kings. He is with me every step of the way, and I am blessed.

The Human Spirit

A quote from a good friend of mine:

"I believe in the indomitable human spirit and the Lord Jesus who is there to lead it."

How true.

We as human beings are capable of , and do, overcome unbelievable obstacles in this journey we call life.  I see it over and over again in my work, and in my personal life.

I am so awed by the strength I see in people.

I am awed at the strength I see in myself.

A strength I know comes from Him.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalms 18:2 NKJV)

Thursday, July 08, 2010

"When we were young, most of us loved adventure. There is something about the unknown that draws us, which is why we like stories so much. But I like to leave the theater at the end of the play, knowing that the dilemma of evil has been resolved by the characters on the stage or screen. Like Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund, to find ourselves not as spectators but as central characters in the play itself is somewhat daunting. The stakes are truly high, sometimes literally life or death, and God rarely if ever yells, "Cut!" just as the dangerous or painful scene descends upon us. No stunt doubles come onto the set to take our places. Many of us feel that we have been playing these kinds of scenes ever since we were children. We wonder if the hero will ever show up to rescue us.

We would like to picture goodness as being synonymous with safety. When we think of God being good, we perhaps picture someone like Al on the popular TV program Home Improvement. He is someone who carefully plans out each task ahead of time and has all the proper tools and safety equipment in place; someone who has thought out every possible danger ahead of time and made allowances to ensure our safety as his workmate; someone who goes to bed early, gets plenty of rest, and wears flannel shirts as a mark of his reliability.

Being in partnership with God, though, often feels much more like being Mel Gibson's sidekick in the movie Lethal Weapon. In his determination to deal with the bad guy, he leaps from seventh-story balconies into swimming pools, surprised that we would have any hesitation in following after him. Like Indiana Jones's love interests in the movies, we find ourselves caught up in an adventure of heroic proportions with a God who both seduces us with his boldness and energy and repels us with his willingness to place us in mortal danger, suspended over pits of snakes. "

(John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance , 56-57)

How very true this is in my own walk with God.  It is not safe at times and I have felt "suspended over pits of snakes" more often than I would like to recount.  But, no matter what has happened to me in my life, and what continues to happen, my heart is always drawn back to Him.  He is still my Hero and still my Rescuer and Deliverer.  My life is His.  And I am grateful.