Beneficiaries and Action-Bearers

Yes.

God cares about the hungry,
God cares about the poor,
God is concerned with the problems of this world.

Yet instead of sending food
or clothing
or fixing all that was wrong,
God sent Jesus

To show us how to live in this broken world.

 

You see,

God was more concerned about the humanity’s separation from the

True nature and character of God

Than He was about a quick fix to the wrongs, injustices, and inadequacies of this world.

(Because)

A right relationship with God through Jesus--
Forgiveness and redemption from sin

That allows us to take part in God’s infinite
Goodness, mercy, and grace--
Will compel us all to

Feed the hungry (and)
Clothe the poor (and)
Work together
To alleviate the wrongs, injustices, and inadequacies of this world.

 

You see,

Through God’s miraculous and mysterious ways,

We are the living, breathing

Hands and feet of

The Christ-child

Born, living, and breathing,

Two thousand years ago.

 

We are the continued beneficiaries and action-bearers of the

Greatest Gift ever given:

A life of perfection,

Fully God, fully Man,

Fully Divine, fully Human,

Fully showing us

How to live, breathe, and walk

In Love.

 

 

Amen.

F vs. T

 

I'm an F. Relationships are the most important thing in my life. All of my decisions are filtered through the lens of relationship.

 

I have a friend who is a T.  Raw facts and logic are what drive her. All of her decisions are based on the black and white of a situation. 

 

Being an F is not better than being a T. Being a T is not better than being an F. They are just fundamentally different ways of making decisions.

 

For some of us, our F or our T is our dominant function. It develops in us before anything else. It is what we naturally do. It is what we are best at. 

 

The catch is this: For every dominant function, there is an equally inferior function. Therefore, if the F or T is the dominant function, then the other is the inferior function--what develops last, what we don't naturally do, what we are worst at. 

 

My inferior function is my T. I am not good at making decisions based on raw facts and logic. I do not see things in black and white. I have trouble making decisions without taking relationships into account first.  

 

My friend's inferior function is her F. She is not good at making decisions based on how they will affect the people in her life. As such, she sometimes comes across as harsh or brash. She's not necessarily trying to be. She's just making decisions based on impersonal data.  

 

As we get older, if we are truly on a journey toward growth and maturity, then our inferior function will strengthen. We will gain more command of it and learn how to better use it. If, however, we are not on a journey toward growth and maturity, then our inferior function will remain the same and we will remain stagnant in our ability to make decisions.  

 

As I've gotten older, I've learned more of how to make decisions using raw facts and logic. It takes time. It takes effort. It is very often uncomfortable--especially when I know that my decision may not be popular. It is not easy for me.  But I can do it. And I must do it if I am to make difficult decisions. 

 

As my friend has gotten older, she has learned how to make decisions based on how they will affect relationships. It takes time. It takes effort. It is very often uncomfortable for her--especially when she makes a decision that goes against logic. It is not easy for her. But she can do it. And she must do it if she is not to burn all bridges in her life.  

 

Dear Friends...I don't know what you are, an F or a T. But I know this: I hope that you now have a better understanding of the difference between the two and that you can now see the fundamental dichotomy that they present. When someone says or does something you don't understand, take a minute to ask: Could they be filtering their decision through a lens that I don't naturally filter my decisions through? If so, can I try to understand where they are coming from? Can I try to be a picture of the grace that God so freely extends me? 

 

Don't get me wrong. Being a T isn't an excuse for being a jerk, just as being an F isn't an excuse for always being a people pleaser. But maybe, just maybe, even in our differences and shortcomings, we can start the journey toward being our best selves, dominant and inferior functions alike. 

Helpless

 

The first time she swerved into the other lane, I thought it was an accident. 

 

The first time she served off the road and into the grass, I thought she had just over-corrected from swerving into the other lane. 

 

But then it happened again. And again. And again. And I knew that something was wrong. I had no idea what to do. I wasn't sure if calling 911 would do any good before disaster struck. So I simply kept my distance and prayed that I wouldn't witness a horrific head-on collision.  

 

I knew that things weren't going to be good when we got to town. The chances of her making it through town without causing a wreck were slim to none. And sure enough, at the very first stop light, she stopped for a moment, but then decided to run the light. As she did, she caught the front drivers' side of a young lady turning left. The young lady stopped her damaged-but-drivable car in the middle of the road, obviously angry. The erratic driver swerved to the right, off the road, and just missed a telephone pole. Her car steamed from its injuries. 

 

Thankfully, everyone was okay. It was early on a Sunday morning, so there wasn't a lot of traffic. The incident didn't cause further incident, and the woman, high as a kite, was stopped without fatality.

 

But still, I felt helpless.

 

I suppose that's why I've dreamed of being helpless for the past two nights. Helpless is one of of the worst feelings in the world to me. Seeing someone swerving all over the road in real life. Watching your loved ones fall into a chasm and not being able to rescue them in your dream. Helpless. Helpless. Helpless.

 

What about you? What are the feelings that are the worst in the world to you? What are the feelings that you just can't shake for awhile after having them?

 

Oh God. When we are helpless, or experiencing any other feelings of angst, You still Are. Even when we don't understand. Even when we struggle to believe. You still Are. Thank you. Amen.   

Human Blankets

 

I was lying in bed thinking about Myers Briggs Personality Type last night (specifically the difference between the thinking and feeling functions), when I suddenly had a revelation about something completely different: It's not the blanket that keeps you warm, it's your own body heat that keeps you warm.

 

Go ahead. Roll your eyes at me or hit your forehead with your palm. Maybe I should have realized this sooner. But I really, truly just made the connection that it's not the blanket or the clothes or anything else that keeps you warm. It's you, yourself, that keeps you warm. The other stuff just helps the heat not escape.

 

Friends: The human body is an amazing thing. And the human spirit is, too. There are days when we feel like we can't make it. There are times when we feel like life's stress, angst, darkness, and/or uncertainty is going to overwhelm us. But when we look deep inside, we realize that we have everything we need to make it through. Sure, we may only have enough courage to mutter for help. We may need a human blanket to help our strength not escape. But even then, the strength is inside us to push through. Even then, we are the ones doing the work by the strength that God has embedded within the human spirit. 

 

Oh God, Creator of Strength and Courage, Creator of Warmth and Heat...Thank you for the systems that you put into place to give us all that we need to make it through this life. You are the source of it all. And all we can do is say Thanks. Amen. And Amen.

Pill Box Collection

 

I don’t know if it’s a real memory or if it’s one that I’ve made up, but I have this memory of my mom always having a pill box in her purse. The memory is so strong that, at one point in my life, I believed that everyone had a pill box in her purse. 

 

Naturally, then, when my Grandmother Deaton died and we found a pill box in her stuff, I decided that it was a good time to start my own pill box collection. In the fifteen years since that beginning, my collection has grown to over 45.  

 

I have all of my pill boxes in a curio cabinet and catalogued on a spreadsheet. It’s neat to look at their descriptions and see who gave me what and when. One of my favorites is a box that G-mama gave me during a time when we both took the same blood pressure medicine. She gave me the box and included one blood pressure pill with the gift! The pill is still in the box 😊. Another of my favorites is an orange fish box that one of my choir members gave me when I was music minister at Antioch. Who knew that someone could find something that combined both of my collections so beautifully!...

 

Each year at Christmastime, my school hosts Secret Santa. As part of Secret Santa, we fill out a form with our likes and dislikes. While some of my likes change from year to year, I always list that I collect orange fish and pill boxes. Thanks to Nemo, I’ve received many orange fish over the years, but I’d never received a pill box…until this year!  

 

Tuesday was sparkle and shine day. I figured that I’d get a shiny ornament for the day, but instead I received two shiny pill boxes! I was elated! I immediately showed off my new boxes to my coworkers and then almost as immediately added the new acquisitions to my spreadsheet! Two more boxes for my collection!

 

What about you? What do you collect? Or what did you used to collect before you started cleaning things out in an effort to simplify? Collections may not always have a definite beginning but they almost always have a definite significance and meaning. I'd love to hear about yours this Holiday Season.  

Not A Terrible Year

 

I'm going to say something that might not be very popular, but...

 

2020 hasn't been a terrible year for me. 

 

It's been challenging. It's been very different than any other year. I will remember the year that we experienced a world-wide pandemic. But it's not been a terrible year that I'm desperate to see end. 

 

Crazy, I know. But it's true.

 

I've actually enjoyed being forced to slow down and examine what is truly essential in life. I've enjoyed making meals at home with my mom and dad. I've enjoyed getting some things cleaned out of the house. I've enjoyed catching up with a few friends in person and many friends via text and Facebook. I've enjoyed having counseling via telehealth rather than having to drive to Raleigh and get stuck in Raleigh traffic every other week. I've enjoyed going to the grocery store to buy groceries every week. I've enjoyed lying in my hammock. I've enjoyed not feeling obligated to be in ten places at once. I've enjoyed officiating tiny weddings. I've even sort of enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how to teach in new ways (but not completely--because it's been really hard). 

 

Yet I find myself feeling guilty for saying that I've enjoyed anything during a year where so many people have enjoyed nothing.  It brings to light the fact that I am a person of privilege—privileged to have a steady job, reliable transportation, safe housing, a loving family, solid friends, and decent health. Not everyone can say the same.  

 

Truthfully, my heart breaks because of this. For inequality and injustice. And for the numerous people carrying the weights of grief and loss. Just yesterday, I spent the day moving a friend out of her house, feeling the tension of divorce. I am exhausted today. The weight of it all hurts deeply--physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The year hasn't been kind to so many people. I feel the ramifications of this reality. And yet, I must confess, through it all, I am okay.

 

What about you? Through it all, are you okay?

 

There are have many bad things in 2020. Sorrow, tragedy, heartache, disappointment. But there have also been many good things this year. Elation, new life, healing, hope.

 

Where do you fall in your judgment of this weird time? What will you remember about your year?

Not My Day

 

I was deep in thought this morning when it came time to roll out of my classroom and into the building. 

 

After running into the door with my cart, I made it to my first class just in time, only to realize that I was maskless. It was like I was living a bad dream. 

 

Feeling completely naked, I started class, vowing to stay really far away from all students. I was planning to run back to my classroom after class until I realized that I could send an SOS to the school nurse. I did. And she brought me a mask. Problem solved!

 

Half way through class, though, I went to consult my lesson plans. They weren't on my cart. I had left them on my desk.  

 

Then, three-fourths of the way through class, I got a notification that my computer battery was low. I went to plug in my computer only to realize that I'd left the charger in the room, too.  

 

After class, I haul-tailed it back to my classroom to get my mask, my lesson plans, and my computer charger. I made it to my next class just in time to get my computer plugged in and set up before it died. I went to consult my lesson plans, though, and...I'd left them in my room again! Unbelievable! But...at least I was masked with power!

 

I got my lesson plans after my second class and finally had everything I needed for the day. But when I went to eat my sandwich at lunch, I noticed that I'd made my sandwich with the bread not turned the same way. And after lunch, when I needed the internet to work back in my classroom, the internet refused to connect so I had to scramble back into the building before my next class started. In my haste, I just grabbed my computer, charger, and lesson plans, not thinking about the fact that I needed the menorah, kinara, and nativity scene on my cart. By that point, I just laughed. It's a Thursday Monday.

 

In the last wedding that I officiated, I told the bride and groom: Some days will be joyful, others will be sad.  Some days will be easy, others will be challenging. Some days you will get things right, other days you will get them miserably wrong. But through it all, let love be your guide.

 

I can safely say that today has been a challenging day when I have gotten things miserably wrong! But that's okay.  Because my spirit has remained guided by love. And I've been able to laugh at myself and show myself grace. And tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another chance to get things right.