Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
R-E-S-P-E-C-T and T-R-U-T-H
If you've been watching our culture these days, there seems to be more and more people being disrespectful to each other in order to earn respect for themselves. On the tails of the political season with hours of negative ads tainting the media for months at a time, people felt they had the right to disclose every feeling or impression they have about someone else. Yes, people should know the truth, but sadly when the truth is not reported as much as opinions and biases are called facts, it's hard to sort it all out.
So, what does God say about respect? What does God say about the truth? What does God say about integrity? There are 224 passages that use the word "truth" in the Bible. If even Pontius Pilate asks Jesus "What is truth?" as He stood before his court confessing the truth that He is the King (John 18: 37-38). Obviously, even when the TRUTH is standing right in front of us, we'll deny it.
I am feeling sad today that the Biblical understanding of the TRUTH and RESPECT are lost in our culture. We become defensive and aggressive when we offer our opinions as truth and disrespect each other because of our differences.
In John 5:19-23, Jesus gives us this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. (NIV)
So, Jesus is the Truth, and all honor and respect is ultimately from the Father. Now that is settled, can we get back to honoring and respecting God?
So, what does God say about respect? What does God say about the truth? What does God say about integrity? There are 224 passages that use the word "truth" in the Bible. If even Pontius Pilate asks Jesus "What is truth?" as He stood before his court confessing the truth that He is the King (John 18: 37-38). Obviously, even when the TRUTH is standing right in front of us, we'll deny it.
I am feeling sad today that the Biblical understanding of the TRUTH and RESPECT are lost in our culture. We become defensive and aggressive when we offer our opinions as truth and disrespect each other because of our differences.
In John 5:19-23, Jesus gives us this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. (NIV)
So, Jesus is the Truth, and all honor and respect is ultimately from the Father. Now that is settled, can we get back to honoring and respecting God?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Open a Box of Childhood
I have a small yearning that overwhelms me every Fall. Okay, it can get to be a pretty big yearning for me. Now, just so you know, I'm not one to spend a lot of time in the malls or shopping for clothes. Personally, I'd rather spend an afternoon in the hardware store, checking out the latest hardware gadgets that make a house more up-to-date without spending a lot of money. But my yearning does involve shopping.
When the last few weeks of summer start up, I start stock piling the object of my yearning: school supplies. It's a sickness really. I can lose at least an hour sorting through all the different kinds of pens available every school year. And, I used to buy packets and packets of loose leaf paper, just because Fall was the cheapest time of year to buy them. As much as my children hated all those handwritten exercises and homework, I loved to see my well preserved school supply box get used. For years, it seemed that I spent almost as much on pens, folders, binders, highlighters, crayons, markers and scissors as I did on back to school clothes for both my boys. They may have needed new jeans, but I always made sure they had enough items in the school supply box to get their homework done.
When my sons were both in high school, I was forced to redirect my school supply spending to more important things - like track shoes and activity passes. They didn't need my loose leaf packets of paper anymore. They were, however, going through lots of copier paper and inkjet cartridges. Times were changing, their needs were changing, and my school supply box sat dormant, with hardening crayolas and drying markers.
This year was the saddest Fall of all for me. I had nothing to buy for my school supply box. Although one son is in college still, and the other one is in the military, neither of them needed me to provide their school supplies. They were old enough to take care of their needs themselves.
I peered into the overcrowded back-to-school aisle at Walmart, watching mothers and children gather long lists of supplies for the start of the school year. I had no reason to fight them for my space in the aisle so I could make the perfect pen selection for the season. I mourned the loss of my overflowing shopping cart. Today, I just needed some shampoo, trash bags, and light bulbs. I didn't need any school supplies - for anyone.
It was then I decided to start a new box.
I haven't spent enough time lately remembering what beautiful and special children God gave me. I work full time now. My stay-at-home mom days are over. They are grown men now. But, they were such adorable boys. I called them my sunshines, and sang to them every morning and read to them nearly every night. We had designated positions for cuddling on the sofa while we watched TV and we threw the baseball mitts on the top shelf of the front closet for those quick games of catch we'd play after school.
So, instead of filling a box of school supplies that get used up or dry out, I've started both of my boys boxes of something different: my memories of their childhood.
And, yes, I have a few pages of their handwritten homework - on loose leaf paper, of course.
When the last few weeks of summer start up, I start stock piling the object of my yearning: school supplies. It's a sickness really. I can lose at least an hour sorting through all the different kinds of pens available every school year. And, I used to buy packets and packets of loose leaf paper, just because Fall was the cheapest time of year to buy them. As much as my children hated all those handwritten exercises and homework, I loved to see my well preserved school supply box get used. For years, it seemed that I spent almost as much on pens, folders, binders, highlighters, crayons, markers and scissors as I did on back to school clothes for both my boys. They may have needed new jeans, but I always made sure they had enough items in the school supply box to get their homework done.
When my sons were both in high school, I was forced to redirect my school supply spending to more important things - like track shoes and activity passes. They didn't need my loose leaf packets of paper anymore. They were, however, going through lots of copier paper and inkjet cartridges. Times were changing, their needs were changing, and my school supply box sat dormant, with hardening crayolas and drying markers.
This year was the saddest Fall of all for me. I had nothing to buy for my school supply box. Although one son is in college still, and the other one is in the military, neither of them needed me to provide their school supplies. They were old enough to take care of their needs themselves.
I peered into the overcrowded back-to-school aisle at Walmart, watching mothers and children gather long lists of supplies for the start of the school year. I had no reason to fight them for my space in the aisle so I could make the perfect pen selection for the season. I mourned the loss of my overflowing shopping cart. Today, I just needed some shampoo, trash bags, and light bulbs. I didn't need any school supplies - for anyone.
It was then I decided to start a new box.
I haven't spent enough time lately remembering what beautiful and special children God gave me. I work full time now. My stay-at-home mom days are over. They are grown men now. But, they were such adorable boys. I called them my sunshines, and sang to them every morning and read to them nearly every night. We had designated positions for cuddling on the sofa while we watched TV and we threw the baseball mitts on the top shelf of the front closet for those quick games of catch we'd play after school.
So, instead of filling a box of school supplies that get used up or dry out, I've started both of my boys boxes of something different: my memories of their childhood.
And, yes, I have a few pages of their handwritten homework - on loose leaf paper, of course.
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