The Precipice

There she stood, 

just a short distance from the edge, 

the gentle breeze dancing through her hair

as she breathed deep 

and let the smell of the salty ocean fill her lungs.

She could see the vast horizon stretched out before her, 

the seagulls playing games on the wind.

She thought of all the time it had taken her to get to this point. 

Each step and every stumble that had made up the road that brought her to this place.

A few more steps and she would reach the precipice

and be standing at the edge: 

ahead of her the vastness of the ocean 

and the endlessness of the sky.

Then there will be no more questions or choices;

she has only one thing left to do, 

the outcome the only uncertainty.  

She imaged that when she leaped 

she would submerge gracefully into the cool waters below;

feeling the freshness of it as the current gently guided her. 

But there was a chance, 

however small, 

that she would hit upon the rocks. 

That it would all have been for naught.

There she stood, 

those few small steps from the cliff edge, 

and she knew that the outcome no longer mattered. 

Every step and misstep will have been worth it

if only for those few brief moments after stepping off the edge

The moments she’ll feel like she is flying.

  

My end, not my means.

Sometimes I lose sight of who God is. I make Him smaller in my mind. Too often I am guilty of using God as a means to an end, rather than seeing Him as my ultimate goal.

This past Sunday, the sermon reminded me of how often we take everything that God has to offer but leave Him standing alone. The passage we read was from Acts 8:18-23. In this passage Simon asks Peter if he can buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter answers Simon saying that he has “no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

It is so wrong for us to pursue God solely for the gifts that He so lovingly gives us. And this goes beyond physical gifts and prosperity. If you pursue God just to get that lovey-dovey feeling you are equally guilty of using God as a means to an end.

I have often heard it said that the Bible is God’s love letter written to us. While this may be true, the danger of looking at the Bible that way is that we make it all about ourselves. If it’s a love letter to me it should make me feel good and should always apply to what I’m feeling and going through. That is the wrong way to look at the Bible. We should be reading the Bible as a form of worship. Reading it to come closer to our God and Creator. Reading it to know Him more deeply and intimately.

I want to finish this post with some of the notes I took during the sermon on Sunday, and to remind you that I am not trying to condemn anyone: I am equally, if not more, guilty of using God for my own personal gain rather than for the pure joy of knowing Him and being in His presence.

Notes:

"If you come to Jesus for what He can give and not for Him, you are not a true Christian. Don’t treat God like your witch doctor to get what you really want. HE should be your heart’s greatest treasure."

Judgey McJudgerson

This video has been receiving quite a lot of views over the past few weeks and it’s not surprising why.  One of the women in the clip, Katie, is going on about why she judges children based on their names. Everyone else in the room is quite simply shocked and astounded (might I say disgusted?!) by her conviction that this is a reasonable thing to do. How could you possibly find it reasonable to judge children based on their names?!

What I find interesting is that, while in this situation people are so against judging others because of their names, and by extension their class in society, there are still so many people who find it perfectly acceptable to judge people based on their skin color, religion, sexual orientation, etc.  

The poll taken in the clip shows that only 9% of the viewers agree with Katie and think you should judge a person by their name. And while, thankfully, 9% is a low number, it is still 1 in 10 people judging people based on their names. That's too many for a debate as straightforward as this! What if the question was: “Is it alright to judge someone based on their Ethnicity? Or Religion? Or Sexual Orientation?” What would the results look like? It’s a bit worrying.

I’m not really sure what I’m trying to say with this blog. I think I’m just shocked that there are even people like this out there who so firmly hold to their beliefs about judging people they don’t even know for arbitrary things. If you look through the comments it’s clear that people are not too pleased with Katie and her stance. I guess the Bible verse rings true: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matt 7:1). 

Foie Gras

I don’t agree with foie gras. It is goose or duck liver that has been “specially fattened” by forcing mass amounts of food down the bird’s throat in order for its liver to grow to an abnormal size. I just don’t like the idea of having things shoved down your throat for any reason.

Sometimes when I feel really passionate about something I will really hammer it home. I’ll go on and on about why what I think is right and why others should agree with me. It’s a terrible habit and one that I’m sure we have all been guilty of at one time or another. We become similar to the farmers who shove so much down the poor bird’s throat that it causes the bird incredible discomfort.

It can be really hard to not go overboard when you feel strongly about something, especially if that something has brought you great joy and has changed your life for the better. But you have to be considerate of the other person’s feelings. Yes, what you have to say might be true and it might even be helpful to the other person, but you have to present it in the right way.

I am certain that if the same food was laid out in front of the geese and ducks they would gladly nibble away at it. It is good food, and their bodies need the nutrients.  The change to their bodies might not come as quickly as it would through force, but the change will come, in a better and healthier way. They are hungry for it, but you have to let them come to it on their own terms.

As Christians we are told to spread the gospel. The good news. However, sometimes we get so excited about sharing this good news that we forget to take into consideration the feelings of those we are sharing the news with. You can’t force it on people. It doesn’t work that way. I think one of the best ways to share the good news is simply by being an example of Christ to people. By loving them for who they are, where they are. And when people start to get hungry for what you have, then you can start to share your faith with them in portions that they can handle and digest.

I don’t agree with foie gras. I do agree with loving people.

An excerpt.

"Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?"

"Well, that is a plan. I am perfectly ready to consider it. Of course I should require some assurances... I should want a guarantee that you are taking me to a place where I shall find a wider sphere of usefulness - and scope for the talents that God has given me - and an atmosphere of free inquiry - in short, all that one means by civilisation and - er - the spiritual life."

"No," said the other. "I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness: you are not needed there at all. No scope for your talents: only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquire, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God."

-The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis

Blue Collar

I admire those who work hard every day.

Those whose hands are strong and stained with dirt.

Those who commit their entire lives to their trade.

Those who take the time to hone their craft and skill.

There is something almost romantic about the life of a farmer or butcher.

The life of a carpenter or baker.

Of a fisherman or railroad worker.

I suppose the lives of these individuals remind me of a simpler time, a more honest time.

A time in which people were proud of their craft and it wasn’t all about the money.

It was about being passionate about what you do and giving it your all.

It’s been said that people underestimate the benefits of good old manual labor. 

Some of the happiest people in the world, go home smelling to high heaven at the end of the day. 

I believe that’s true. 

Perhaps someday I will experience it for myself. 

But not yet. I still have too much of the world to see...