Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Luke 18:17
I just returned from helping clean up a friend's aunt's house in Phil Campbell. It was destroyed by the tornado and a group of nearly 30 UNA students went to clean up for the day. It was so sad to see the horrible damage of the houses and lives of those people, but the thing that was the most sad was when I saw children playing in it.
There was a little boy at the house we were cleaning up, and he had no clue how terrible things were. I'm sure that that is a good thing. He just played around as he normally would. I brought him back a stuffed dog that I found in a pile of stuffed animals scattered on the road because they had been ripped out of their houses. He was so delighted to see it and play with it.
As we drove out of Phil Campbell, I also saw two girls playing frisbee outside of a completely demolished house. There was no roof, no walls, nothing inside, just a foundation. It was such a surreal mental picture. Everything else had crumbled away, yet here were these girls living their lives on like it was a normal day.
I kept thinking, how is this even possible? Do they not see the rubble? Are they not worried about their house being totally gone? Then I realized: these children have parents who love them and take care of them. Their parents protect them and and have their best interest in mind. The children trust that despite the storms and devastation, that everything is going to be ok.
Oh, God, may I have this kind of faith! I so often want to be the "adult" and worry about every detail of my future. I want to plan ahead so I can figure it all out. When devastation happens, I look up and wonder why these things happen, and fear wht the next step is. Forgive me for trying to do this without the faith of a child. You are my Father, and You have my best interest in mind. Let me trust in You to provide and protect me. That You have my best interest in mind. Help us not to be so caught up in the Whys that we forget the Who, which is You. You are in charge, and You have a bigger plan for us. Thank You for loving us enough to be our DAD.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Jars of Clay
20But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Romans 9:20-21
Tonight I had the privilege to watch my friend on the potter's wheel. It looks so simple and easy when we watch it in movies (It Takes Two anyone :)But this is such a complex subject. She kept trying to get one spot to be straight, but it would not give in. Finally she had to just cut part of the top of it off so that it would be even.
This is so much how we are in our lives! We are sitting on the potter's wheel of the world with the ultimate Creator wanting to mold and shape us. Yet we don't want to give into places where it hurts or where it's difficult. Finally He has to let the pain happen so that we can be smooth and good vessels. It may hurt and we may not understand, but who are we to question what the potter does to us? His plans are bigger to make a beautiful masterpiece!
Tonight I had the privilege to watch my friend on the potter's wheel. It looks so simple and easy when we watch it in movies (It Takes Two anyone :)But this is such a complex subject. She kept trying to get one spot to be straight, but it would not give in. Finally she had to just cut part of the top of it off so that it would be even.
This is so much how we are in our lives! We are sitting on the potter's wheel of the world with the ultimate Creator wanting to mold and shape us. Yet we don't want to give into places where it hurts or where it's difficult. Finally He has to let the pain happen so that we can be smooth and good vessels. It may hurt and we may not understand, but who are we to question what the potter does to us? His plans are bigger to make a beautiful masterpiece!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
God in a Cloak of Humanity
"But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:26
There is so much I have been learning and journaling about, yet have not had the chance to write it all down. I've really been thinking about what we learned at the Campus Outreach meeting last night. The topic was "Racial Reconciliation" and how we have achieved racial "equality" but not as much racial "integration" in our world today. Yet the blood of Christ runs deeper than race or ethnicity. He is the ultimate example of reconciliation despite the barriers that we put up between him and us.
Yesterday I could not stop thinking about everything Jesus has never experienced and had to face when he stepped down from heaven onto this earth. Can you imagine? He came from a place that had no skin color, no racism, no discrimination, no fearing for your life, no hunger or thirst, no gossip, no rape, no slavery, no disease, no locks for your doors, no insecurity, no hatred to a place that was the opposite. It was not strange that he talked with Samaritan women or touched outcast lepers. He showed that they could approach Him despite what the world told them. What love He must have for us!
He dove from the stars into ugly humanity because He loved us well. He's the only one who deserved glory, yet He died once for all. May I realize this and bring glory to my Savior who was the perfect example to us.
There is so much I have been learning and journaling about, yet have not had the chance to write it all down. I've really been thinking about what we learned at the Campus Outreach meeting last night. The topic was "Racial Reconciliation" and how we have achieved racial "equality" but not as much racial "integration" in our world today. Yet the blood of Christ runs deeper than race or ethnicity. He is the ultimate example of reconciliation despite the barriers that we put up between him and us.
Yesterday I could not stop thinking about everything Jesus has never experienced and had to face when he stepped down from heaven onto this earth. Can you imagine? He came from a place that had no skin color, no racism, no discrimination, no fearing for your life, no hunger or thirst, no gossip, no rape, no slavery, no disease, no locks for your doors, no insecurity, no hatred to a place that was the opposite. It was not strange that he talked with Samaritan women or touched outcast lepers. He showed that they could approach Him despite what the world told them. What love He must have for us!
He dove from the stars into ugly humanity because He loved us well. He's the only one who deserved glory, yet He died once for all. May I realize this and bring glory to my Savior who was the perfect example to us.
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