Believing is Seeing

My house is a wreck and the Christmas decorations are starting to crowd out the dust bunnies. The time has come to wrap it all away for another year. I always enjoy looking through the Christmas cards one last time. Sent from afar, each sends a touch of love and wishes for a joyful 2009. The Christmas “brag” letters get another quick scan. My college roommate Amanda included an unusual disclaimer in her letter. Like an investment prospectus that warns that “these statements are forward looking” her letter featured the following caveat:

“The editorial staff makes no comparison as to the relative “quality” of (our) year…while (we) feel truly blessed and had a great 2008, this update/newsletter/brag-sheet in no way suggests that (we) had it better than you.”

Most letters broadcast the highlights of the years travel and accomplishments. Likewise, I tried to document our year in a quick and cheerful letter. To be honest, on paper our year looked more than lousy. Unemployment curtailed our regular travel schedule and economic woes and uncertainty stole the wind from our sails. Seeing the words on paper left me feeling hollow. Although all those details I wrote were true, the facts didn’t reflect what we were feeling.

“Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.” We’ve watched so many Christmas specials this year; I can’t tell you where I heard it. Yet, this simple line resonates with me.

Because I believe, I can see beyond what is wrong in my life and see the joy, the hope and the promise. Even in our darkest moments, God’s love endures. My life has been blessed this years in ways that will never make the pages of my College Alumni magazine or even a Christmas brag letter.

Believing is looking with wonder and privilege at the opportunities of each day.

Open your eyes to find the joy that is all around you.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

CommonUnity - Common Possessions

It’s about 11am as I hear the noisy sputter as the mail truck chugs down our street. As I walk down the driveway I fantasize about a letter from Ed McMahon’s prize patrol, or a windfall check from a long lost relative, or (my wildest dream) a lucrative job offer from a stable company that offers health benefits.

Today is a typical Tuesday and Eugene the mailman has brought the usual mix: a phone bill, a few catalogues, an unemployment check, some pizza coupons, and several requests for charitable donations. The bill gets tossed onto the stack in the office. The catalogues are quickly recycled; I don’t even look at them anymore. The check and the coupons are a welcome sight. Our home now has a dedicated spot of honor for both of these items. They won’t sit there long.

One letter is disguised as “real mail.” It looks hand written and has a stamp instead of a postal meter mark. I open it hesitantly not recognizing the return address. Three girls my daughter’s age smile back at me from the card. Inside the note pleads, “there’s no reason they - or anyone else in our community - should go hungry... especially at Thanksgiving. Can we please count on your support once again?” It’s doubtful that I can repeat my gift from last year per their request, yet I can’t throw this one out. I set it aside for later.

I don’t have to guess what’s in the next envelope. World Vision, for all the good they do, will never be accused of subtlety. We may face hardships in our household, but they don’t compare to those of the child on the mailing. “Walk in my shoes,” the envelope demands. It’s hard to ignore their suggestion to step out of our own circumstances for a moment and consider those less fortunate. “Right now children are facing sickness, hardship, and death - and they don’t have medicine, decent clothing, or shoes to protect them.”

After reading about these children and the hardships they face, I see more clearly the blessings in my life. I can better appreciate the gifts I have been given. I realize that after six months of unemployment, we don’t have as much as we once did, yet we still have something to share.

Finances are tight for many of us. With 70% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, fears about the economy or job losses are very real. Reports in the news and the gyrations in the stock market have people nervous about their savings for college or retirement. Life is good, yet I remember more carefree times.

Did you notice the drop in fuel prices this week? When did $3.43 for a gallon of gas start to feel like a great deal? The reality is that I can reflect on a time when things were easier. Comparing prices and bargain hunting were once hobbies, not the necessities they are now.

It’s tempting to look “up” the socioeconomic ladder and feel envious of what others have. I could grumble about hard times and lament the bad hand we’ve been dealt. It would be easy to use the current financial crisis as an excuse to stop giving to those in need. I could simply toss those charitable requests and cut back on my past pledges for support.

Instead I choose to look with compassion at those less fortunate than us. We might not have much, but we still have something to give. Last year’s boots and coat can keep another child warm this winter. The books and DVDs that are gathering dust in my cabinet can be boxed up as Treats for Troops. Our church publishes a “Giving List” of the items most needed by local agencies. Pray that God will open your eyes and your hearts that you would see the opportunities to share.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Each year at Christmas our family run business would collect small gifts for children at a local orphanage. A large box would sit in our lobby, waiting to be filled with donations. As the drop off date neared, my father would grow impatient with the slow trickle of presents. Gathering two or three office employees, he would head out on a shopping expedition and fill a cart with toys and gifts and paper and bows. Our office overflowed with joy on those afternoons as we merrily wrapped presents we would never see opened. The joy returned far outweighed the cost of those small gifts.

As you go about your week, look for ways to share your time and your talents and your resources with others. Why wait until Christmas to share cards with loved ones? Do you have a neighbor who would enjoy a friendly visitor? Is there a relative who could use a helping hand with their grocery shopping? Perhaps you could hold the hand of a friend awaiting news at the doctor’s office?

Our lives and our communities grow richer as we give to and share with others.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.” (Psalm 37:3).

http://www.hcl.org/generosity/giving-list/the-giving-list.html

Commonunity - Common Problems

Five years ago, a friend invited me to her house. She and her husband welcomed me graciously into their home. We were not alone. As the kids ran off to play, we descended into the basement to join the other couples, seated in neat rows in front of the T.V.

I had joined a small group. I agreed to join before I really knew what it meant. I stood, clutching my standard, church issued, blue bible. Would it shield me from harm or danger? These people would seem harmless enough if encountered in ones or twos, but assembled as they were, as a pack, I was intimidated. "Don’t be fooled by their easy smiles and the punch and cookies," I cautioned myself. What did I have in common with these people? How could they understand my life and its problems?

We took turns introducing ourselves. With each story, I felt more out of place. I was new to church, still teetering in my faith, just a toddler in my faith-walk. Surrounding me was a room filled with bible-study veterans. My head started to spin. It seemed that everyone there was born and raised in a faith-filled environment and had never strayed from the path. Not me. I had a past. I had enough skeletons in my closet for a Halloween parade. How long would it take for them to run me out of the house with pitchforks and torches?

We started the video. I felt safe with the lights out. Rick Warren’s voice was comforting and the message was inspiring. I longed for comfort and encouragement. I came seeking a purpose for my life.

After the lights came on, we began to share. Although I felt my history, my understanding, and my experiences were unique, it turned out, we had so much in common. As I looked past their fancy Bibles with gold leaf edges, indexed tabs and custom carry cases, I realized we were not that different. We were all broken and hurting. We had all made mistakes. Deep down, our problems were all the same. We came before God seeking direction and answers. We joined as a group seeking comfort and compassion.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).

As you go about your busy life and your busy week, be on the lookout. All of us struggle with loneliness, endure fears, seek purpose, and search for connections in a disconnected world. Look for those who need your help. We can provide a way out and a way through for those in need. We can borrow the strength and compassion of God and serve those in our community. Like strands of thread that grow strong when joined together as rope, we must stand together and share our common problems.

Our small group came together. Saving, helping, keeping and loving each other, together we grew stronger. No one cared about my plain blue bible. They cared about me.

“Carry each other’s burdens. Let us do good to all people.” (Galatians 6:2,10).

Common Grounds - Every Child Needs a Laptop

"All children need a laptop. Not a computer, but a human laptop. Moms, Dads, Grannies and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles - someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experience, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations of them, their hopes , and their dreams." General Colin Powell

I love Colin Powell’s quote. It prompts me to find a small child to plant on my lap. There is immense power in a laptop - a most intimate seating - to convey knowledge, experience, and great expectations.

My own youth was blessed with warm embraces and laptop chats. I was bathed in the love of my parents. From them I learned how to love and how to serve. The hours spent at my mother’s side in the kitchen introduced me to the touches that turn an ordinary meal into a loving occasion. Mom opened my eyes to the importance of details. Meanwhile, my Dad encouraged me to think big. We worked together for years and I learned about perseverance, quick wit and how to sell the sizzle not the steak.

I spent ample time on my parents’ laptops. I was held, read to, and lovingly taught. My mother’s soft caress invited me to linger. She read to my brother and me each night as we explored the amazing fantasy world of novels. My father’s work caused him to travel extensively. Each faraway trip was an opportunity for a private laptop reunion. My parents were clear they had big expectations of me, hopes for a successful career and marriage and future. So what was missing?

Read James 3:17 and you’ll discover the missing ingredient. "...Wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." Although our family life was filled with love, we forgot to include God’s lessons. The rich teachings I received were far from complete, for how can you learn of love and omit the most famous teacher? As Paul advised in Colossians 3:12-14, "...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together is perfect unity."

I’m grateful to God for sending other teachers and other "laptops". Aunt Rosie reminded me not to be too busy to pray. A neighbor, Mrs. Brown, modeled authenticity and encouraged purity. Their teachings often fell on the deaf ears of a 12 or 17 or 24-year-old. Sometimes messages were lost or unappreciated. They didn’t give up on me and for that I am blessed.

I wonder, were they apprehensive sharing these values with me? Did they ever waver and wonder, "should I or shouldn’t I?"

Looking at Paul in Acts 17:16-23, I am humbled by his courage. He was ever brave and sure. If he had doubts about speaking the truth of God’s mercy through Jesus, there is no proof of it in his actions in Athens.

I look to my own children and wonder what message am I sending them? What lessons will they carry in their hearts? Not just the lessons from daily prayers or mealtime thanksgivings or evening devotions, what will they learn from our common everyday life?

As my parents grow old in years, I face the prospects of the tables being turned; someday I’ll be their caregiver. When my turn comes to hold them in my arms and wipe away their tears and calm their fears, will I have shared all they need to know?

I pray for the courage to share the Gospel with all those I love. I need courage. To be completely honest, I fear ridicule and rejection from those I love. Will they react as the philosophers did to Paul in Athens saying, "What is this babbler trying to say?" What if I never even try to share God’s promise? What then? My deeper fear is that I would miss my opportunity to spend eternity with them.

I pray that, like Paul, I will press forward in finding some common grounds to build upon. Rather than focusing on the difference between us, we can start with all we have in common. We want to be together to share love, laughter and a good meal.