One of the greatest joys of my life has been experiencing the continued blessings I received by working five summers at K2 (Kanakuk Kamps--a christian sports camp). As I’ve often looked back on these fond times, there are certain memories that seem to hold greater intrinsic value for me—leading kids to Christ, preaching the word at Backwoods, baptizing kampers, etc. Amidst all of these tender remembrances rises one memory I continue to enjoy regularly.
When I was a counselor for cabin 19, I used to stay up late at night talking to one camper in particular (sorry Trish). Literally, for long stretches of time we would have conversations like this:
Camper: Nika, someday we’re going to be in heaven.
Me: I know, isn’t that awesome.
C: No, it’s so much better than awesome.
Me: Yeah, there are no words to describe the awesomeness.
C: And, it’s going to be forever.
Me: I know, I can’t wrap my mind around that.
(Silence as we both tried to contemplate forever)
C: No, I mean forever.
Me: Yeah, forever.
(Giggles ensued as we became giddy over the thought of dwelling with God forever in Heaven)
Camper: No, but Nika, someday we’re going to be in heaven…(and then the convo cycled like this for quite some time).
There are so many reasons why I love this memory, none of the least of which is because I particularly adore this camper still to this day. However, the reason tonight I am holding this memory so dear is because it marks one of the first times I really dwelled upon the eternality of my faith and relationship with God.
I am such a finite being with such feeble finite thoughts. Naturally, this earthly perspective allows me to navigate through the necessary tasks and endeavors of life. However, it also robs me of recognizing the purpose for all of my necessary tasks and endeavors: to glorify God. So many times I press on in this life toward my humanly goals, but Paul pressed on to win the prize for which God had called him heavenward (Phil 3:14).
The more I dwell on God’s will and purpose for my life, the more I am convinced that it is absolutely necessary to bathe my actions in an eternal perspective. If not, sharing Christ becomes a burden instead of an opportunity to shape someone’s future forever. If not, reading my bible becomes a legalistic task instead of an opportunity to learn about the God I will worship for eternity. If not, the trials of this world overwhelm my spirit instead of viewing them as experiences to sanctify me before my final dwelling. If not, I fiercely seek the desires of the flesh and temporary things of this world instead of forsaking all to walk with the Lover of my Soul. Simply put, without an eternal perspective my motives and desires are in great jeopardy of pursuing my will instead of God’s.
Someday I will be with God in heaven, and more and more I desire for that day to draw near. But until that day, I do not want to live my life as if heaven is a distant destination and I am simply waiting. Rather, I want to live my life as one who constantly remembers where I’m heading and my purpose until I get there.
Camper: Nika, someday we’re going to be in heaven.
Me: I know, let’s press on in the faith so that when that day comes we can say we’ve been poured out like a drink offering and God will say well done good and faithful servants, welcome home.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
You watch your mouth when you're talking to them
This summer I overheard a young girl—maybe six or seven years of age—tell her mother a “story” about one of her friends. I kid you not, she told her mother about her friend Sam who ate a bunch of Mentos and then drank some soda and afterwards his stomach exploded. The mother, half-listening, replied, “Oh wow, that’s not good.” Understatement.
Obviously, this girl has a warped sense of truth, and I probably should be bothered by her blatant lie. However, she is just doing what every other young child does: re-telling urban legends, which have been circulating for years. The part of this story that is bothersome to me though, is when I see this same pattern occurring in the realm of spirituality. Countless times, I have heard young men and women re-telling “spiritual truths” from the mouths of pastors, mentors, counselors, etc which should be classified as urban legends at best.
Lines like “God wants me to be happy”, “God helps those who help themselves”, “If I do x I’m promised y” and others of that nature have permeated our culture. And, unlike their equally false cousins, the urban legends, these “truths” cannot be tolerated in hopes that people will eventually discover the real truth as time continues. When dealing with spiritual matters, the lessons we learn as children become ingrained in our thinking about God and consequently affect the natural outworking of our lives. Therefore, any deviation from the truth of God sends our young believers into perilous territory as life continues and they realize the promises they thought were guaranteed by God are mere fabrications of a wishful and sloppy theologian/pastor/mentor/etc. If we’re lucky, they will get angry at the theologian and will begin an honest search of God’s true covenants; unfortunately, though, most of the time the anger terminates on God—the one who was misrepresented from the beginning.
In the battle for young minds, our only hope of victory rests in God alone. Thus, the absolute necessity to introduce him honestly and accurately cannot be stressed enough. Be the generator of young people re-telling phrases like, “In God alone I place my trust”, “God does not promise me wealth, popularity, success, or fame, but he has promised me eternal life and a life-long relationship with him through the blood of Christ”, and “my salvation cannot be bought or earned, it is a gift from God.”
I Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
Obviously, this girl has a warped sense of truth, and I probably should be bothered by her blatant lie. However, she is just doing what every other young child does: re-telling urban legends, which have been circulating for years. The part of this story that is bothersome to me though, is when I see this same pattern occurring in the realm of spirituality. Countless times, I have heard young men and women re-telling “spiritual truths” from the mouths of pastors, mentors, counselors, etc which should be classified as urban legends at best.
Lines like “God wants me to be happy”, “God helps those who help themselves”, “If I do x I’m promised y” and others of that nature have permeated our culture. And, unlike their equally false cousins, the urban legends, these “truths” cannot be tolerated in hopes that people will eventually discover the real truth as time continues. When dealing with spiritual matters, the lessons we learn as children become ingrained in our thinking about God and consequently affect the natural outworking of our lives. Therefore, any deviation from the truth of God sends our young believers into perilous territory as life continues and they realize the promises they thought were guaranteed by God are mere fabrications of a wishful and sloppy theologian/pastor/mentor/etc. If we’re lucky, they will get angry at the theologian and will begin an honest search of God’s true covenants; unfortunately, though, most of the time the anger terminates on God—the one who was misrepresented from the beginning.
In the battle for young minds, our only hope of victory rests in God alone. Thus, the absolute necessity to introduce him honestly and accurately cannot be stressed enough. Be the generator of young people re-telling phrases like, “In God alone I place my trust”, “God does not promise me wealth, popularity, success, or fame, but he has promised me eternal life and a life-long relationship with him through the blood of Christ”, and “my salvation cannot be bought or earned, it is a gift from God.”
I Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
Friday, September 3, 2010
Sovereignty
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made.
This summer I enjoyed three incredible opportunities to spend time hiking in some of the most stunning places in America. I visited the Grand Canyon, a slot canyon in Zion National Forest, and spent seven days hiking through the High Sierras of Northern California. Whenever I go to these beautiful places, I inevitably engage in conversations with others about God. It seems there is something about creation’s majesty that points humanity towards the supernatural. After these exchanges, I typically dwell on Romans 1:20, secretly enjoying the fact that God’s word is true.
The conversations I have with others are filled with allusions to God’s attributes: His Greatness, His Beauty, His Expansiveness, etc. However, this particular summer one attribute of God, which I witnessed from His work, plagued my thoughts: His Sovereignty. This might seem odd at first, but allow me to explain. During these hikes I often encountered very dangerous elements. Some of the edges of the Grand Canyon were so steep, one small misstep would unavoidably end my life. Furthermore, throughout the slot canyon I had to climb down steep cliffs and even use ropes at times to avoid injuries. Just two weeks prior to my Sierra trip, a couple was unexplainably mauled to death by a bear despite their precautions to remove all of their scented items (food, deodorant, etc).
Throughout my long hikes, I would consider these perils, and would thank God for His Sovereignty knowing that my life and my safety lay in His hands. Consequently, hiking was a wonderful time of worship; however, after meditating more on this attribute of God I began to realize the strange dichotomy in my life. When it comes to trusting God to provide for me in the wild and keep me safe, I am unwavering; yet, sadly, when it comes to God to provide for me during the school year in the pressing needs of life, I waver like a reed in the wind.
How sad when I think that I would trust God to protect me on a cliff, but I struggle to trust God to provide me with enough money for my monthly budget. Yet, somehow I think I’m not alone in this struggle. In moments of strength we find the faith to trust God to provide us with safe travel to and from work, but in the next moment we manipulate another because we do not trust God to provide us with love. One moment we trust God will provide us with clarity of thought when making a decision, but in the next moment we falter in patience when we fail to trust God will bring us a spouse. One moment we trust God will give us our daily bread, but in the next we doubt he will forgive us our sins.
My hope is that after reading this blog, you will realize your own tendency for double-mindedness. Then, I hope you will ask God to strengthen you to trust his Sovereignty in all the moments of your day. If you can believe God is completely in control of one area of your life, then you can believe He’s in control of them all.
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