by Elizabeth | Oct 6, 2010 | Learning Story
A post from the past…this one is two part — continued from yesterday
It all began about 4 years ago when some poor volunteer from the City Rec department called me, begging me to coach our youngest son’s U-8 soccer team. I knew very little about soccer, having played only one bad inaugural season as a senior in high school. But my boy really wanted me too, and by this point I had attended 8 years worth of my three older kids’ soccer practices and games so I thought I could manage a U-8 team. We were a ragtag bunch, with only nine players, 4 of them being precious little girls, and we excelled in the goals I had for them – to get exercise, have fun, be good sports, and learn a few soccer skills. If our goal had been to win, one could not say we exactly excelled.
One cold and wintry day near the end of the season, I had only seven players show up. It was going to be a rough day, with only one sub. Then I saw our opponents, 12 sturdy and obviously athletic boys, completing passes in warmup, something our team attempted but never quite accomplished. Everyone knew them – they had played together since they were four, and they always won. The hulking, deep-voiced man, my enemy neighbor, was the coach, barking orders at his team. I sighed and readied myself for a rough game. Our kids fumbled the kickoff and the big guys captured the ball, made one pass, and scored from midfield. By the second half, their strategy was apparent, and it was working – one guy would kick the ball way downfield to where a forward was waiting (there was no offsides rule at this age in this league), and he would kick it into the goal, undefended, except by our goalie, who performed valiantly, then begged to be replaced. I was furious at the way they were bullying and humiliating our kids. I fumed and fussed, and finally after their eighth goal was scored (we still had none), I looked over at the coach, threw up my hands and said, “How many do you want?” He smiled at me and said, “Oh, I just want every boy on my team to get to score.”
So, I asked God, indignant, “You want me to dwell in peace with this wolf who hurt those little lambs??” The Spirit spoke, very plainly, it seemed, “Who said you are the lamb?” It then occurred to me, I am the wolf in this scenario who would like to hurt and destroy. I know it is right to be angry against injustices, and there are many far worse than humiliating young soccer players, but I also know that God is the one who has defeated unrighteousness by humbling Himself to send His own Son to endure the Cross, despising the shame, for sinners like me.
Because I have been reconciled to God, I am called to long for reconciliation with my enemies. It would not be wrong to kindly speak to my neighbor and encourage him to be considerate of the feelings of the other players, but it is wrong to think slanderous thoughts of him. So I long for the day when I will no longer be a wolf, when I will no longer ‘hurt’ and ‘destroy,’ and I look for it to begin happening now.
by Elizabeth | Oct 5, 2010 | Learning Story
The wonders of the internet — posting while under anesthesia…stay tuned for the “rest of the story” tomorrow:)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and theleopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Isaiah 11:6-9
I was out for my endorphin high, walking in the next neighborhood, thinking of this most difficult passage I had just read. No, it’s not difficult to understand – these words about the peace that will preside in these last days is pretty plain – it’s difficult because I know we are commanded by Christ to live into this passage about reconciliation even now. That’s the hard part!
So I was praying – asking God – what does it mean for me to love my neighbors and my enemies, how can I possibly do this. I remembered I should pray for my enemies, particularly the sin that hardens my own heart. I tried to imagine the possibility of sitting in the same room with certain ones without a single murderous thought crossing my mind…
Maybe it was because I was having difficulty imagining this that God placed an object lesson in my path – a neighbor who was an enemy of sort. He was moving slowly down the driveway to fetch his paper, looking slovenly (yes, that is the first murderous thought that crossed my mind – do you see how difficult this is for me?) unshaved, wearing his boxers and a big Notre Dame t-shirt…and I looked away – I figured he didn’t want anyone to see him like this and it was only 6:20 in the morning.
“Come on, God, I said – you know what he did! Don’t I have a right to bear a grudge?” I complained. I’ll tell you what he did and you can decide, though whatever you judge, the Judge of the Universe had his own opinion which He made clear to me…
by Elizabeth | Oct 4, 2010 | Learning Story
“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter trials of various kinds, for the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so you will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1
“There is no university for a Christian, like that of sorrow and trial.” CH Spurgeon
“There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health except it is sickness, and that has often been a greater mercy to me than health.” CH Spurgeon
Tomorrow I will have my third shoulder surgery, my first on my left shoulder. I’ve had two previous surgeries on my right shoulder. It was in these long matriculations at the university of shoulder suffering I learned much of the bounty of God’s overflowing mercy.
While everything about the brokenness of my left shoulder (only a rotator cuff tear and some bicep tendenosis☺) suggests that this surgery and recovery will be nothing like the first, I am deeply encouraged by the memory of some of the mercy lessons I learned in earlier courses. As with many studies, these are studies that bear repeating over and over.
1. God is so so near in pain. Shoulder surgery brought with it some of the most intense physical pain of my life. I learned to close my eyes and whisper, simply, “Be near me Lord Jesus.” He spread his nearness into my body like a warm drink on a brutal winter’s night.
2. I need God. For everything. Breathing. Getting up. Walking. Eating. How did I ever go through so many minutes of life thinking these things were automatic and that I could do them all by myself?
3. I need people. The heavenly Potter has to throw this lump on the wheel over and over to get my stubborn self-reliance molded out of me. People ask me, “Why do you have to have so many shoulder surgeries?” I truly don’t know, but my best guess: “Because I haven’t learned well how to help other people carry things with/for me.” (Okay, not to mention an active life-style that has included tennis, windsurfing, aerobics teaching, and child-carrying:)!”
4. Receiving care is tough. Related to number 3 above…People arrive emotionally, spiritually, and physically with all sorts of care – prayers, cards, concern, driving, meals, and carrying things☺. Through two shoulder surgeries, the Lord who brought compassion to this earth showed me that the body functions on this giving and RECEIVING principle.
5. Correllary to 1-4 above. My heart is so thankful for God’s mercy in the university of trials, sorrow, and suffering.
Thank you, Lord, that I’m not throwing up.
Thank you, Lord, for the pain because it shows me how near you are.
Thank you, Lord, for all of these good people who care so deeply.
A prayer for all of us:
Thank you, Lord, for your great mercy in sickness and in health. I am so aware in writing this that many are suffering with struggles much harder than a “routine” shoulder surgery. We implore you, Lord, to reveal your kindness, mercy, compassion, and love in each and every person’s heart today. Be so near to those who need your mercy, which is all of us. You are good, all the time, and we thank you for your love, mercy, and compassion.
by Elizabeth | Oct 2, 2010 | Learning Story
Notes from my outline for Wellspring Community Church Women’s Retreat coming in November:
The question is, “How do we grow in faith and hope?” Many theologians would say something like “through the transforming power of the gospel.” And I absolutely agree. But I want to know the nuts and bolts of that. And right now I’m really excited because I have been reviewing the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and I’m seeing afresh some practical answers to this question.
I’m pretty sure the answer to the question is a “what” and a “who.” The what is the core narrative of the history of redemption. The “who” is the triune God and His people.
Faith and hope grow in the context of community. Christianity was NEVER meant to be an individual religion. God called a people, not a person.
Look at what happens in Mary’s story. She is renowned for her God-given faith and submission and courage in the first major chapter of her story: “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
What formed the basis of that answer? The clue is in her song. Read it (Luke 1: 46-55). Note all the ways she talks about the rescue and redemption of the Lord. It is her knowledge of her core narrative that strengthens her faith.
But wait. There’s something else. To whom did she sing this song? Check it out. Luke 1:45-46. Of course, to Elizabeth, her impossibly pregnant cousin to whom Gabriel had pointed her. There’s so much more to say about this, and say it we will at the retreat, but for now I’ll settle for saying, “We desperately need one another to remind us, to draw out of us, the truth about our stories. With other believers who have seen the unseen, who have lived the unimaginable, we are called to remember the redemption of God which is the essence of our faith, hope, and love.”
by Elizabeth | Oct 1, 2010 | Learning Story
some of the creational havoc wreaked by Hurricane Erin
“Well, we just stayed inside and thought happy thoughts.” I will never forget what one woman told me after one of the more famous hurricanes hit Pensacola back in 1995. After repenting of my condescension, I just felt sad. She didn’t know about a God who promises that glory and redemption will come even as part of every trial and temptation. She did not know about asking God that “his name be hallowed” or “his will be done.” Thinking happy thoughts was her form of hope, and in fact, it was a pretty darned hopeful thing to do when I thought about it.
I thought of the great gift of Christian prayer as I read John Stott’s introduction to the Lord’s prayer:
“Do not be like them [the pagans], for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8
“The reason why Christians are not to pray like pagans is that we believe in the living and true God. We are not to do as they do because we are not to think as they think. On the contrary, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” He is neither ignorant of our needs nor hesitant to meet them. Why, then, should we pray? What is the point of prayer? Let Calvin answer our questions with his customary clarity:
“Believers do not pray with the view to informing God about things unknown to him, or of exciting him to do his duty, or of urging him as though he were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on his promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into his bosom; in a word that they may declare that from him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves, and others, good things.” From John Stott’s Through the Bible through the Year
Something to try:
Pray the Lord’s prayer, slowly, aloud. Or try writing it out. Think about each sentence you are saying and connect it to the cosmos, your community, and your own life. Reflect on God and who He is and what He’s doing in this world. I’d love to hear some of your discoveries in the comments section.
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever. Amen
by Elizabeth | Sep 30, 2010 | Learning Story
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” James 1:5-8 The Message
Continuing our theme of prayer, I think praying for parking spaces as a way to indicate our utter reliance on the Lord is okay, but I know for sure that praying for wisdom is an absolute essential of the Christian life. How many situations will confront you today with the opportunity to make a choice? How many circumstance changes will force you into a position of either despairing or resting? We need wisdom every moment of our day. Listen to what Eugene Peterson says in his introduction to James:
“…Christian churches are not, as a rule, model communities of good behavior. They are, rather, places where human misbehavior is brought out in the open, faced, and dealt with.
The letter of James shows one of the church’s early pastors skillfully going about his work of confronting, diagnosing, and dealing with areas of misbelief and misbehavior that had turned up in congregations committed to his care. Deep and living wisdom is on display here, wisdom both rare and essential. Wisdom is not primarily knowing the truth, although it certainly includes that; it is skill in living. For, what good is a truth if we don’t know how to live it? What good is an intention if we can’t sustain it?
According to church tradition, James carried the nickname “Old Camel Knees” because of thick calluses built up on his knees from many years of determined prayer. The prayer is foundational to the wisdom. Prayer is always foundational to wisdom.” Eugene Peterson, Conversations
