My sister is going to have a baby soon. She's due in less than twenty days, and she's getting pretty big. I am getting more and more excited as the day draws near. Soon, I will get to meet my first nephew. I'll get to see him and hold him and help take care of him. I'll get to watch him grow up and see what sort of person he turns into.
It is amazing how much effort we put into babies. Baby showers are full of brightly wrapped presents, all for the little one. Baby blankets, bath toys, diapers, onsies and other cute clothing. We pull out all the stops for babies. We go out of our way to see them, we wait with all the anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve for the new little person to arrive in our lives.
We have no judgements or preconcieved notions about who or what the baby will be. We don't know if he'll be smart, funny, sassy, moody, outgoing or introverted. We are waiting to find that all out. We don't know what he will do when he is three, five, seven or twelve, but we wait to see with hoping hearts. We want all the best for the little guy, we want things to turn out well for him and will bend over backwards to to show him he is love, to help him have a happy, fulfilling life.
It is amazing how expectant families and friends welcome a new baby into the world. Yet all we are really doing is meeting a new person. Why can't we meet grown-ups with the same anticipatin and joy? What is so magical about being a baby?
Can you imagine how good it would feel if the next person you met marveled over you like your parents or aunts and uncles marveled over you as a baby? What if they gave you the same sort of attention, watched to see who you were with the same sort of happy anticipation? I know it would make me feel great, like I was walking on top of the world.
Yet none of us can remember when we recieved the special baby treatment. We can't remember being doted on, swaddled in pink or blue blankets, every need met when we simply opened our mouths to cry. Wouldn't it be nice if we could?
Not every baby is welcomed into the world. Sometimes, a baby is a nuisance, another mouth to feed, another worry, another trouble. These babies do not know love, do not learn love, and grow up differently because of it. We know it is wrong to treat a baby this way--babies need affection and attention and care.
Grown ups aren't really different from babies, though. We still need the same things. No, we don't need diaper changes or hourly feedings, but we still need to be loved, to be cuddled, to be appreciated for who we are no matter our skills or jobs.
We treat adults so differently from babies, even though everyone has the same needs. When we meet someone new we rarely have the same mindset when encoutnering a newborn. We watch warily, to find out if it is a person we will like or not, we pile up expectations and judgements based on clothing, job and mannerisms. We build a picture of the person in our minds before we really get to know them and see who they truly are. This creates tension, disagreement, hardship and heartache.
We let a baby define who they are and who they will be, we don't expect them to live up to our expectations but let them simply be a baby. Why can't we do the same with the rest of the population? How would attitudes change, how would people change, if you met them with the same expectant smile I will give my nephew sometime next month instead of the hurried, harried frown we often use? What if we met someone with no expectations, no pre-concieved notions, just let them be themselves?
So often I feel like I have to conform to a situation. I change my behavior, my dress and my attitude to fit in with the mood and the people around me. Sometimes it would be nice simply to be a blank slate again, without twenty-six years of assorted memories and experiences that shape how people see me and how they treat me. Sometimes, I just want the freedom to be me with no restrictions and no inhibitions.
If you crave that same feeling, remember to leave room for others. Cultivate space for people to breath, to be new and fresh every time you see them. When you meet someone new, take a step back away from your initial perceptions and just enjoy the fact that this is a new person, a new bundle of life who started out as a squaling, squriming newborn just like you. Make every meeting new.
February 26, 2011
February 21, 2011
Wrong Worship
I love the prophets, they are some of my favorite books to read. It seems to me that most Christians like reading the New Testament better than the Old Testament. Things seem a bit more straight-forward and familiar in the newer stuff, I guess. But I am the complete opposite. I don't really like reading Paul's letters, but I love reading the prophets. Maybe it's because I understand the contextual history better, and so can really sink my teeth into the message.
Yet for all their differences, the Christian Old and New Testaments are sending basically the same message. You can find the same promises, same mistakes, same warnings in both. We just don't learn from our parent's mistakes. Each generation has to screw up and learn from itself.
One of the common themes I saw while reading through the minor prophets (who are anything but minor, that's just a way of saying they're books are shorter) was the subject of worship. It's a big deal in the Old and New Testatments, and both collections are sending us the SAME message.
Yeah, that's right. The things Jesus denounced the first-century Jews for were the same things Amos and Hosea and Joel were shouting about to Israel and Judah.
Think about this. Most of the time, when a prophet or apostle or Jesus yells at someone, it's not because they're ignoring God. It's not because they're not being religious and trying to step up that heavenly ladder. It's not because they aren't going to church or the temple and worshipping. Nope, not a bit.
What's the problem, then? The problem, in the Old and New Testaments, is that people are worshipping the wrong way. They haven't got it right. They're not doing it the way God wants. They're coming to church or they're offering sacrifices, but they're doing it wrong. Jesus wasn't after the people who did have religion, he was after the people who got it wrong.
And it hasn't really changed today. We continue to approach God with all the wrong attitudes and for all of the wrong reasons. God, in his mercy and grace, keeps trying to draw us back to the right way of worship, the correct response, the proper state of heart to truly connect with Him and His Kingdom.
Lots of the prophets told Isreal or Judah that their sacrifices weren't worth anything. Those people were going to the temple and following the proper rituals, offer up their sheep and goats and grain, fulfilling temple life. But since their society was rotten, since the rich trampled on the poor and everyone was looking out for number one and not each other, God didn't care one bit for their sacrifices. He didn't want just the token on the altar, he wanted their hearts.
Jesus said that many of the Pharisees were whitewashed tombs, hippocrites who said one thing and did another. Yet they were trying to fulfill the law to the very best of their ability. They were doing everything that the Torah demanded and much more. They were trying to be extra-Godly in every teeny tiny little thing they did, to be sure never to offend. Yet Jesus was offended because they were more worried about status and right behavior that people and love. Jesus wanted their hearts, not their rules.
There was a medieval tragedy called the Crusades where a whole contient got the idea that if they went off and killed people who weren't Christians and had Christian rulers of Jerusalem, that would pelase God.
What other crazy ideas do we get that we don't even recognize? How often do we miss the mark? We need to seek the correct path to God. We must worhip as he desires and not as suits us. Otherwise we corrupt the message and become corrupt ourselves.
So be careful when you open your Bible, kneel down to pray, walk through the church doors or sit down at Bible study. Just being there, just going through the motions, means nothing. It's the state of your heart and your desire to do it RIGHT that make the differences. Hundreds of thousands of people try and try and get it wrong. So do I. That's where mercy and grace come in, and the Holy Spirit to help me get it right. But we can't get it right until we realize where we've got it wrong.
So listen to the prophets, listen to Jesus. It's the same message, and just because they said it thousands of years ago doesn't mean it isn't relevant today.
Lord, help me set my heart before you, help me turn my soul to you, hold my thoughts captive to your will. Help me worship in Spirit and in Truth, and a way that pleases You.
Yet for all their differences, the Christian Old and New Testaments are sending basically the same message. You can find the same promises, same mistakes, same warnings in both. We just don't learn from our parent's mistakes. Each generation has to screw up and learn from itself.
One of the common themes I saw while reading through the minor prophets (who are anything but minor, that's just a way of saying they're books are shorter) was the subject of worship. It's a big deal in the Old and New Testatments, and both collections are sending us the SAME message.
Yeah, that's right. The things Jesus denounced the first-century Jews for were the same things Amos and Hosea and Joel were shouting about to Israel and Judah.
Think about this. Most of the time, when a prophet or apostle or Jesus yells at someone, it's not because they're ignoring God. It's not because they're not being religious and trying to step up that heavenly ladder. It's not because they aren't going to church or the temple and worshipping. Nope, not a bit.
What's the problem, then? The problem, in the Old and New Testaments, is that people are worshipping the wrong way. They haven't got it right. They're not doing it the way God wants. They're coming to church or they're offering sacrifices, but they're doing it wrong. Jesus wasn't after the people who did have religion, he was after the people who got it wrong.
And it hasn't really changed today. We continue to approach God with all the wrong attitudes and for all of the wrong reasons. God, in his mercy and grace, keeps trying to draw us back to the right way of worship, the correct response, the proper state of heart to truly connect with Him and His Kingdom.
Lots of the prophets told Isreal or Judah that their sacrifices weren't worth anything. Those people were going to the temple and following the proper rituals, offer up their sheep and goats and grain, fulfilling temple life. But since their society was rotten, since the rich trampled on the poor and everyone was looking out for number one and not each other, God didn't care one bit for their sacrifices. He didn't want just the token on the altar, he wanted their hearts.
Jesus said that many of the Pharisees were whitewashed tombs, hippocrites who said one thing and did another. Yet they were trying to fulfill the law to the very best of their ability. They were doing everything that the Torah demanded and much more. They were trying to be extra-Godly in every teeny tiny little thing they did, to be sure never to offend. Yet Jesus was offended because they were more worried about status and right behavior that people and love. Jesus wanted their hearts, not their rules.
There was a medieval tragedy called the Crusades where a whole contient got the idea that if they went off and killed people who weren't Christians and had Christian rulers of Jerusalem, that would pelase God.
What other crazy ideas do we get that we don't even recognize? How often do we miss the mark? We need to seek the correct path to God. We must worhip as he desires and not as suits us. Otherwise we corrupt the message and become corrupt ourselves.
So be careful when you open your Bible, kneel down to pray, walk through the church doors or sit down at Bible study. Just being there, just going through the motions, means nothing. It's the state of your heart and your desire to do it RIGHT that make the differences. Hundreds of thousands of people try and try and get it wrong. So do I. That's where mercy and grace come in, and the Holy Spirit to help me get it right. But we can't get it right until we realize where we've got it wrong.
So listen to the prophets, listen to Jesus. It's the same message, and just because they said it thousands of years ago doesn't mean it isn't relevant today.
Lord, help me set my heart before you, help me turn my soul to you, hold my thoughts captive to your will. Help me worship in Spirit and in Truth, and a way that pleases You.
February 16, 2011
Three Good Temptations
Some temptations are pretty clear. We know that pornography is bad, getting drunk or doing drugs can ruin your life, saying hateful words or being mean is unacceptable. But temptation isn’t always so clear. In fact, Satan is his trickiest when he tempts us with good things. When he uses what is right and twists it into what is wrong.
This is the kind of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert, as described in Matthew and Luke. I have often thought these stories were strange. I mean, the things Satan dangled in front of Jesus didn’t seem like they should tempt Him that much. Food? Glory? Power? These things were already under Jesus’ control.
The text can be tricky because what Satan is really asking isn’t what we see right off. When he really wants isn’t immediately visible. It’s never explicitly mentioned, but it looms in the background as soon as you’re aware of it. No, I didn’t figure it out myself, I read it in a book--a couple of books actually, that all agreed on the same point.
Satan was offering Jesus the easy out. He was offering everything that Jesus would eventually do, eventually have. Make food-not just for himself but for the hungry people of the world. Win the belief and worship of mankind. Rule the world as its rightful king. These are all part of Jesus’ plan. They are all good things, things that need to happen.
The temptation Satan offered up again and again was to jump the gun, do it early, take the easy route--avoid the cross. Yeah. Think about it.
Jesus would love to feed every hungry person on earth, make every stone into bread so that no one is in need. But then, we would miss out on the joy of helping each other, we wouldn’t learn interdependence and generosity. We’d be fat and lazy gluttons living large on Jesus’ welfare system.
Jesus wants everyone to believe in Him, to follow Him, to learn His ways and find true life. But he didn’t go jump off the temple and prove himself with a huge miracle. He sowed small seeds in people’s hearts to sprout and grow. He left sensationalism behind and abandoned clear proof for the much harder and much more rewarding faith.
Satan said, Hey, man, it doesn’t have to be so hard. There is an easy way. I’ll show you. Give bread, make them believe you, make yourself king. You don’t need to go to the cross.
Jesus said, No. I will take the way of suffering. I am not afraid of the hard path. It won’t be easy, but it will be of more profit in the end.
When we say Yes to God, we make the same choice Jesus made. We choose the hard path, the way of suffering. We can’t snap our fingers, click our heels together three times, and change the world. We build change by slow, careful work. By being with people and sharing their lives, their hardship.
How many times do you take the easy way? You write a check to this or that charity, but do you volunteer your time to do something difficult? Do you roll up your sleeves and get dirty doing the actual work? You hand out tracts and lead people on a step-by-step plan to salvation, but do you learn about their life, about their struggles? Do you make yourself available to talk a month or a year later when they have questions or struggles?
There is a book called “When Helping Hurts.” It describes how charitable efforts can actually be a bad thing. You can’t just rain down money from the sky, you can’t just send supplies or nice words of encouragement. People need to learn how to support themselves and understand their own self-worth. We need to make sure that when we help, we help people stand on their own two feet and not simply prop them up on our own. If this world is going to change we need to roll up our sleeves, like Jesus did, and get to the dirty work.
Be on the watch for "good" temptations. Ask yourself if there is anything more you could be doing, anything else you should be offering. Or, perhaps you need to give less and do more. Get involved on a personal level and learn from your mistakes. If you are doing what is easy, are you doing what is right? Anything would have been easier than the cross.
The three good temptations are a sticky, tricky business, and we’ll all probably fail to completely avoid them. But that’s why we have Jesus. He saw them for what they were and put Satan back in his place. Turn your face to Him, trust what he did, and seek the right way.
This is the kind of temptation that Jesus faced in the desert, as described in Matthew and Luke. I have often thought these stories were strange. I mean, the things Satan dangled in front of Jesus didn’t seem like they should tempt Him that much. Food? Glory? Power? These things were already under Jesus’ control.
The text can be tricky because what Satan is really asking isn’t what we see right off. When he really wants isn’t immediately visible. It’s never explicitly mentioned, but it looms in the background as soon as you’re aware of it. No, I didn’t figure it out myself, I read it in a book--a couple of books actually, that all agreed on the same point.
Satan was offering Jesus the easy out. He was offering everything that Jesus would eventually do, eventually have. Make food-not just for himself but for the hungry people of the world. Win the belief and worship of mankind. Rule the world as its rightful king. These are all part of Jesus’ plan. They are all good things, things that need to happen.
The temptation Satan offered up again and again was to jump the gun, do it early, take the easy route--avoid the cross. Yeah. Think about it.
Jesus would love to feed every hungry person on earth, make every stone into bread so that no one is in need. But then, we would miss out on the joy of helping each other, we wouldn’t learn interdependence and generosity. We’d be fat and lazy gluttons living large on Jesus’ welfare system.
Jesus wants everyone to believe in Him, to follow Him, to learn His ways and find true life. But he didn’t go jump off the temple and prove himself with a huge miracle. He sowed small seeds in people’s hearts to sprout and grow. He left sensationalism behind and abandoned clear proof for the much harder and much more rewarding faith.
Satan said, Hey, man, it doesn’t have to be so hard. There is an easy way. I’ll show you. Give bread, make them believe you, make yourself king. You don’t need to go to the cross.
Jesus said, No. I will take the way of suffering. I am not afraid of the hard path. It won’t be easy, but it will be of more profit in the end.
When we say Yes to God, we make the same choice Jesus made. We choose the hard path, the way of suffering. We can’t snap our fingers, click our heels together three times, and change the world. We build change by slow, careful work. By being with people and sharing their lives, their hardship.
How many times do you take the easy way? You write a check to this or that charity, but do you volunteer your time to do something difficult? Do you roll up your sleeves and get dirty doing the actual work? You hand out tracts and lead people on a step-by-step plan to salvation, but do you learn about their life, about their struggles? Do you make yourself available to talk a month or a year later when they have questions or struggles?
There is a book called “When Helping Hurts.” It describes how charitable efforts can actually be a bad thing. You can’t just rain down money from the sky, you can’t just send supplies or nice words of encouragement. People need to learn how to support themselves and understand their own self-worth. We need to make sure that when we help, we help people stand on their own two feet and not simply prop them up on our own. If this world is going to change we need to roll up our sleeves, like Jesus did, and get to the dirty work.
Be on the watch for "good" temptations. Ask yourself if there is anything more you could be doing, anything else you should be offering. Or, perhaps you need to give less and do more. Get involved on a personal level and learn from your mistakes. If you are doing what is easy, are you doing what is right? Anything would have been easier than the cross.
The three good temptations are a sticky, tricky business, and we’ll all probably fail to completely avoid them. But that’s why we have Jesus. He saw them for what they were and put Satan back in his place. Turn your face to Him, trust what he did, and seek the right way.
February 9, 2011
What if you can't pray?
I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I am a complete slave to my mood. I don't know why, and I haven't figured out a way to combat it yet. It just happens, and all I can do is wait for it to go away. Anger or grumpiness or deep saddness or all three at once take over. They own me for two or three days at a time, and I don't know why it starts. I just know I can't make it stop.
That's crazy, you say. You can control your mood. Think positive. Act nice. Pray for help from the Holy Spirit.
I try, I really really do. I force the corners of my mouth up. I say polite words and hope they will turn to kind thoughts. I think of other things. I go through the motions of a day that means nothing.
My mind pulls me the other way. I think of doing the craziest, meanest, most spiteful things. These thoughts rarely result in action but still...I cannot make the bad images go away. I can't be nice because I can't think of anything nice.
I say words to God, but they always sound hollow. I feel disconnected and out of joint. I feel no return from the Father or from myself. The mood remains, and I am its slave. I can't pray. My mood won't let me reach up, won't let me reach out. I am an island, alone with my spiteful thoughts, with no way out of the pit.
And then, suddenly, the switch turns off. I am fine. I feel good. I can smile and mean it again. The mean thoughts and hurtful ideas hide away in some locked compartment of my mind, as if they never existed. My doorway to heaven re-opens. But not because I was praying. Not because I was being cheerful. It just happens for no reason I can discern.
What do you do if you can't pray? What help can you have if your spirit can't reach up to God? These dark moods are the worst struggles of my life, and I am sorry to anyone who gets the worst of me during those times. Something bad invades my mind, and what is inside affects what we do and who we are.
So when I can't pray, pray for me. Pray for joy and light to enter life again. Pray that my heart will re-awaken and banish these blues. Be my strength, and lend me understanding, show me grace when I am hurtful to you and say the wrong things.
I am stuck in the desert, searching for streams of water that do no appear. But when you are in the desert, when you can't pray and nothing seems well, the trick is not to stop. Keep moving, keep plunging forward, never give in to the mirage. Wait until you reach green lands again, because it will come. Even when you can't see the horizon. Even if you just can't pray.
That's crazy, you say. You can control your mood. Think positive. Act nice. Pray for help from the Holy Spirit.
I try, I really really do. I force the corners of my mouth up. I say polite words and hope they will turn to kind thoughts. I think of other things. I go through the motions of a day that means nothing.
My mind pulls me the other way. I think of doing the craziest, meanest, most spiteful things. These thoughts rarely result in action but still...I cannot make the bad images go away. I can't be nice because I can't think of anything nice.
I say words to God, but they always sound hollow. I feel disconnected and out of joint. I feel no return from the Father or from myself. The mood remains, and I am its slave. I can't pray. My mood won't let me reach up, won't let me reach out. I am an island, alone with my spiteful thoughts, with no way out of the pit.
And then, suddenly, the switch turns off. I am fine. I feel good. I can smile and mean it again. The mean thoughts and hurtful ideas hide away in some locked compartment of my mind, as if they never existed. My doorway to heaven re-opens. But not because I was praying. Not because I was being cheerful. It just happens for no reason I can discern.
What do you do if you can't pray? What help can you have if your spirit can't reach up to God? These dark moods are the worst struggles of my life, and I am sorry to anyone who gets the worst of me during those times. Something bad invades my mind, and what is inside affects what we do and who we are.
So when I can't pray, pray for me. Pray for joy and light to enter life again. Pray that my heart will re-awaken and banish these blues. Be my strength, and lend me understanding, show me grace when I am hurtful to you and say the wrong things.
I am stuck in the desert, searching for streams of water that do no appear. But when you are in the desert, when you can't pray and nothing seems well, the trick is not to stop. Keep moving, keep plunging forward, never give in to the mirage. Wait until you reach green lands again, because it will come. Even when you can't see the horizon. Even if you just can't pray.
February 7, 2011
Poisoned Peceptions or Dangerous Gossip
Remember that song, "Bare careful little eyes what you see, Be careful little ears what you hear?" We hide deep truths in children's songs, and this is one of them. What you hear and what you see can have a profound affect on you, they can affect your mood, your attitude, your thoughts and your interaction with other people. They creep into your mind and your actions and make you into a different person.
The power of words hit home with two separate but similar instances last month. No names here, but there is a person who I see on a regular basis, who I spend time with, and who I get along with quite well. I had nothing much bad to say about this person, and was usually happy to be in their company.
Then someone else started talking about that person. They listed bad qualities, they said how that person was different, weird, frustrating. They talked about how others dind't get along with this person.
I had never thought of such things before! But those words stuck in my ears and settled in my thoughts. The nex time I saw the person in question I was grumpy, unhappy, watching for all of those bad qualities I had heard about. The person hadn't done a thing differently. It was all in my mind, all because I had let myself listen to bad talk.
Then, it happened again. Different persons, similar situation. We got along fine, I didn't think anything was wrong. Then I hear stories, and suddenly my perception changes. Not based on the person's actions, but based on what I let my ears hear and how I processed it.
Both times I had to take a step back, shake my head, and tell myself to stop. I had to re-organize my head and remember the person that I knew, not the person I had heard about.
Be careful what you hear. Other people's opinions, little words and small complaints can turn into a huge problem if we are not careul. I never would have thought that talking about someone could be so dangerous. But there you have it. Gossip is bad, and this is why. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Seriously. How many times have you allowed your perceptions to be poisoned by another person's point of view? Sometimes, a warning about a dishonest person is necessary. But idle complaints, unkind mutterings, these are dangerous. Listen to the words you hear and take charge of them. Don't give your perceptions over blindly to another. More importantly, keep your own mouth clean. Every time your tongue moves, it will have an affect. What are you doing with the words you say? Do they really need to be voiced, or would it be better to just shut up?
We have a profound affect on each other as human beings. Social interaction is essential for our lives. Babies cannot survive without it. So take charge of who you are and the affect you will have on others.
Be careful, little tongue, what you say.
The power of words hit home with two separate but similar instances last month. No names here, but there is a person who I see on a regular basis, who I spend time with, and who I get along with quite well. I had nothing much bad to say about this person, and was usually happy to be in their company.
Then someone else started talking about that person. They listed bad qualities, they said how that person was different, weird, frustrating. They talked about how others dind't get along with this person.
I had never thought of such things before! But those words stuck in my ears and settled in my thoughts. The nex time I saw the person in question I was grumpy, unhappy, watching for all of those bad qualities I had heard about. The person hadn't done a thing differently. It was all in my mind, all because I had let myself listen to bad talk.
Then, it happened again. Different persons, similar situation. We got along fine, I didn't think anything was wrong. Then I hear stories, and suddenly my perception changes. Not based on the person's actions, but based on what I let my ears hear and how I processed it.
Both times I had to take a step back, shake my head, and tell myself to stop. I had to re-organize my head and remember the person that I knew, not the person I had heard about.
Be careful what you hear. Other people's opinions, little words and small complaints can turn into a huge problem if we are not careul. I never would have thought that talking about someone could be so dangerous. But there you have it. Gossip is bad, and this is why. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Seriously. How many times have you allowed your perceptions to be poisoned by another person's point of view? Sometimes, a warning about a dishonest person is necessary. But idle complaints, unkind mutterings, these are dangerous. Listen to the words you hear and take charge of them. Don't give your perceptions over blindly to another. More importantly, keep your own mouth clean. Every time your tongue moves, it will have an affect. What are you doing with the words you say? Do they really need to be voiced, or would it be better to just shut up?
We have a profound affect on each other as human beings. Social interaction is essential for our lives. Babies cannot survive without it. So take charge of who you are and the affect you will have on others.
Be careful, little tongue, what you say.
February 3, 2011
Christian Fairy Tale
I have heard God referred to as “The big sky pixie” by a very staunch atheist. He’s not the only one to hold this point of view. Most people don’t think that God is anything more than a nice thought, a good idea, a fairy tale that is about as real as pumpkin coaches and fairy godmothers. They think faith, this religion stuff, this hope is all in our minds, something that we have created and hold onto in order to better cope with the every day horrors of living.
How many times have you ever wished that fairy tales were real? Did you set out cookies and lie in wait for Santa? Did you put your tooth under your pillow and wake up to a shiny new coin? When things were bad, did you close your eyes and wish your fairy godmother might appear and make it all better?
It’s true that we need faith, need hope, need to believe in God to cope with this world. Magic and the mystical experiences are part of human nature, and we crave a power stronger than our own to right all wrongs. Yet many fairy tales, many legends, hold within them a kernel of truth. Fairy godmother’s aren’t real, but lovely old women who happily share help and advice are very real.
God is the greatest fairy godmother ever, and the good news that Jesus brought is the real fairy tale, the one that is true.
Sacrilege! You say, drawing back in horror. How dare you compare the great message of the Bible to trivial little stories? I reply, because they contain the same basic truth.
Well, take a look and you’ll see. Who are the main characters in fairy tales? The Bad Guy (kinda like Satan), the Poor Person Who Needs Help But Can’t Do It Alone (kinda like us), the Hero (aka Jesus), and the Supernatural Helper/Fairy Godmother/Genie (you know, like God, only not quite as powerful).
Let’s look at the pattern, the message, the basic plot. All is well in the happy kingdom, things are good and real estate prices are high. Then, somebody bad comes along and messes stuff up, throwing the formerly happy protagonist into a lot of trouble. The protagonist works hard, tries their best, looks for a solution, but just can’t do it alone. In comes the fairy godmother to give some help and advice, or the hero to save the day by doing daring deeds, or some combination of both. Things are happy again. The prince and princess get married, and they all live happily ever after.
Sound like the Bible yet? There was this garden God made where everything was great, and then it got messed up. Satan played a trick, people made mistakes. Now it’s all messed up, there’s pain and suffering and such. We try to make our lives better, run after all sorts of things to make us happy, fulfill our lives, get back to the way things were in the garden. God gives some Israelites a blueprint for the journey, some guidelines for setting things right again. But they just can’t get it quite right. So God sends Jesus to show us how to get it right and then the Holy Spirit to help us along. Our lives get better, we learn how to get closer to the garden. Jesus breaks open the gates of death and invites anyone who will follow him to escape the curse and come back to the garden. We haven’t reached the end yet, but when it comes everything will be great again. We’ll all live happily ever after.
There’s a reason fairy tales and legends stick around, why we retell them and reshape them to fit our modern culture. The core of the story is the same basic truth we live and breath every day, the story of God’s good then broken world and Jesus who came to set things right.
I love fairy tales, knights in shining armor and stranded princesses. I love Jesus even more. Sometimes, it can be hard to see the difference between fact and fable. After all, we’ve convinced ourselves that the stuff of fairy tales is just that; fiction, something that can never happen. But we still tell the story over and over, we still wish for it to come true.
So what is the Gospel truth, the Good News?
The fairy tale of our lives is true. It has come true, it is coming true right now, and it will come true soon. It’s happening all around us. We’re all living in the biggest, best, most real fairy tale ever.
How many times have you ever wished that fairy tales were real? Did you set out cookies and lie in wait for Santa? Did you put your tooth under your pillow and wake up to a shiny new coin? When things were bad, did you close your eyes and wish your fairy godmother might appear and make it all better?
It’s true that we need faith, need hope, need to believe in God to cope with this world. Magic and the mystical experiences are part of human nature, and we crave a power stronger than our own to right all wrongs. Yet many fairy tales, many legends, hold within them a kernel of truth. Fairy godmother’s aren’t real, but lovely old women who happily share help and advice are very real.
God is the greatest fairy godmother ever, and the good news that Jesus brought is the real fairy tale, the one that is true.
Sacrilege! You say, drawing back in horror. How dare you compare the great message of the Bible to trivial little stories? I reply, because they contain the same basic truth.
Well, take a look and you’ll see. Who are the main characters in fairy tales? The Bad Guy (kinda like Satan), the Poor Person Who Needs Help But Can’t Do It Alone (kinda like us), the Hero (aka Jesus), and the Supernatural Helper/Fairy Godmother/Genie (you know, like God, only not quite as powerful).
Let’s look at the pattern, the message, the basic plot. All is well in the happy kingdom, things are good and real estate prices are high. Then, somebody bad comes along and messes stuff up, throwing the formerly happy protagonist into a lot of trouble. The protagonist works hard, tries their best, looks for a solution, but just can’t do it alone. In comes the fairy godmother to give some help and advice, or the hero to save the day by doing daring deeds, or some combination of both. Things are happy again. The prince and princess get married, and they all live happily ever after.
Sound like the Bible yet? There was this garden God made where everything was great, and then it got messed up. Satan played a trick, people made mistakes. Now it’s all messed up, there’s pain and suffering and such. We try to make our lives better, run after all sorts of things to make us happy, fulfill our lives, get back to the way things were in the garden. God gives some Israelites a blueprint for the journey, some guidelines for setting things right again. But they just can’t get it quite right. So God sends Jesus to show us how to get it right and then the Holy Spirit to help us along. Our lives get better, we learn how to get closer to the garden. Jesus breaks open the gates of death and invites anyone who will follow him to escape the curse and come back to the garden. We haven’t reached the end yet, but when it comes everything will be great again. We’ll all live happily ever after.
There’s a reason fairy tales and legends stick around, why we retell them and reshape them to fit our modern culture. The core of the story is the same basic truth we live and breath every day, the story of God’s good then broken world and Jesus who came to set things right.
I love fairy tales, knights in shining armor and stranded princesses. I love Jesus even more. Sometimes, it can be hard to see the difference between fact and fable. After all, we’ve convinced ourselves that the stuff of fairy tales is just that; fiction, something that can never happen. But we still tell the story over and over, we still wish for it to come true.
So what is the Gospel truth, the Good News?
The fairy tale of our lives is true. It has come true, it is coming true right now, and it will come true soon. It’s happening all around us. We’re all living in the biggest, best, most real fairy tale ever.
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