“Follow me”
Luke 5:27
To be Christlike strikes me with an expanded meaning today, much different from my thoughts on this that I had in my early twenties. . Christ suffered periods of indecision and doubt. Life was not perfect for Him; He had to take his time in the desert to replenish his confidence in Himself and His mission. Too often we think of “Godlike” when we use the term “Christlike.” I think that the term “Christlike” lets us get a sense of how we can gradually develop. The humanness of Jesus should give us comfort. The goal of being Christlike then becomes more meaningful and attainable. We need to be like Jesus, alive so that we can meet God with him in death. We need to travel through our time in the desert every once in awhile in order to replenish ourselves. The desert to us will be anywhere that we can go that is away from other people, away from our jobs and families, a place where we can pray and let God come onto us. Our faith needs to be dwelt on at times. It can not continue without this regeneration periodically
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
God is Today
“When I finish this project, I will work on my relationship with God”
Most of us.
Our relationship with God is today. It is now. It is not tomorrow, not yesterday. We must keep in mind that we think in terms of time, in terms of a journey of Faith. But God doesn’t need time; He is existing with us all of our time. It is wrong to think that we can plan on a relationship with God being something that is important for tomorrow. He might terminate our life or allow it to be terminated today. He wants us to accept Him now. I feel more advanced in my relationship with God that I did as a teenager. But I don’t think that my relationship with God today is basically different than my relationship with Him 40 years ago when I was a high school senior. It was important to me then and it is important to me now. I wouldn’t think that I am any more in love with Him now that I was then; and I certainly believe that He loved me as much then as now. I feel different and I sure look different, and I know that my relationship with God is different. My relationship with God always exits in today, not yesterday or next month.
Most of us.
Our relationship with God is today. It is now. It is not tomorrow, not yesterday. We must keep in mind that we think in terms of time, in terms of a journey of Faith. But God doesn’t need time; He is existing with us all of our time. It is wrong to think that we can plan on a relationship with God being something that is important for tomorrow. He might terminate our life or allow it to be terminated today. He wants us to accept Him now. I feel more advanced in my relationship with God that I did as a teenager. But I don’t think that my relationship with God today is basically different than my relationship with Him 40 years ago when I was a high school senior. It was important to me then and it is important to me now. I wouldn’t think that I am any more in love with Him now that I was then; and I certainly believe that He loved me as much then as now. I feel different and I sure look different, and I know that my relationship with God is different. My relationship with God always exits in today, not yesterday or next month.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Doubting Thomas
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25
I was thinking about good old “Doubting Thomas” the other day. Thankfully, God gave us him as one of our role models in life. He, Thomas, didn’t believe anything that anyone else told him. Literally, he had to put his hands in the wounds and touch the risen Jesus before he bought into the Resurrection. How much like both you and I was this guy? I know that I have the tendency not to believe others carte blanche. I know that I have to figure things out for myself. I have to have a proof to my liking before I will believe something. And quite possibly that could be the point that God was trying to make when He let us hear of Doubting Thomas. Each of us has to make our faith decision individually. The whole group can not make it for us. Some of us will figure it out one way and some of us will figure it out another way. Each of us should stop and take the time to put our hands into the wounds of Jesus in order to believe. We must try to really experience Him, not just say that we believe in him. Some of us will be more stubborn than others. That is okay. I feel much better knowing that St. Thomas was a doubter. God will bring us through the rough spots in our faith lives, those times that we have doubts and questions.
John 20:25
I was thinking about good old “Doubting Thomas” the other day. Thankfully, God gave us him as one of our role models in life. He, Thomas, didn’t believe anything that anyone else told him. Literally, he had to put his hands in the wounds and touch the risen Jesus before he bought into the Resurrection. How much like both you and I was this guy? I know that I have the tendency not to believe others carte blanche. I know that I have to figure things out for myself. I have to have a proof to my liking before I will believe something. And quite possibly that could be the point that God was trying to make when He let us hear of Doubting Thomas. Each of us has to make our faith decision individually. The whole group can not make it for us. Some of us will figure it out one way and some of us will figure it out another way. Each of us should stop and take the time to put our hands into the wounds of Jesus in order to believe. We must try to really experience Him, not just say that we believe in him. Some of us will be more stubborn than others. That is okay. I feel much better knowing that St. Thomas was a doubter. God will bring us through the rough spots in our faith lives, those times that we have doubts and questions.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Harden not your Hearts
“Harden not your hearts”
Hebrews 3:8
I am finding the phrase “harden not your hearts” to be a very moving meditation phrase. A heart is a soft vibrating organ. If it hardens, it can not function. I also think that the hardening of your heart is a gradual thing. I find this to be a process that we must mediate on. We can harden our hearts in many ways. Over the course of my life I have found at times a hardening of my heart towards mediative prayer. I would find myself making it through the day on a couple of Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or two. I would not want to turn my heart towards God. It is a process that would take several days or weeks, but then one day I would realize that I had become hardened and was not able to meditate. I needed to gradually exercise my heart to get it vibrating and back in the spirit of meditation. I have found my heart to have hardened in my relationships with friends, relatives or others. Over time you realize that you are spending less and less time in a particular relationship. You have hastened the hardening process by negative thoughts about a person. Before you are aware of it, you are not spending any time on the relationship. Your heart has become petrified in this area. Luckily, God has given us the ability to reverse this process at any time. I believe that you can actually feel that hardening of the heart when it takes place. You realize that you are not first and foremost a loving person. You have become blah or selfish or just slovenly lazy. It is a gradual process but one day it comes to you. You have hardened your heart and it is your fault. Your heart is love. Exercise it.
Hebrews 3:8
I am finding the phrase “harden not your hearts” to be a very moving meditation phrase. A heart is a soft vibrating organ. If it hardens, it can not function. I also think that the hardening of your heart is a gradual thing. I find this to be a process that we must mediate on. We can harden our hearts in many ways. Over the course of my life I have found at times a hardening of my heart towards mediative prayer. I would find myself making it through the day on a couple of Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or two. I would not want to turn my heart towards God. It is a process that would take several days or weeks, but then one day I would realize that I had become hardened and was not able to meditate. I needed to gradually exercise my heart to get it vibrating and back in the spirit of meditation. I have found my heart to have hardened in my relationships with friends, relatives or others. Over time you realize that you are spending less and less time in a particular relationship. You have hastened the hardening process by negative thoughts about a person. Before you are aware of it, you are not spending any time on the relationship. Your heart has become petrified in this area. Luckily, God has given us the ability to reverse this process at any time. I believe that you can actually feel that hardening of the heart when it takes place. You realize that you are not first and foremost a loving person. You have become blah or selfish or just slovenly lazy. It is a gradual process but one day it comes to you. You have hardened your heart and it is your fault. Your heart is love. Exercise it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Humor in Faith
“Humor is the prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer”
Reinhold Niebur
At first glance that quote might seem like a slight aside or a quick attempt at a joke, but the more that I think on it, the more I can find meaning in it. Humor many times comes from a person making light of himself, making fun of his human condition. Humor is relaxing and lets the teller and the listener escape the mental anguish or mental preoccupations of the day. As we might have learned in our life, in order to get ourselves ready for prayer, we have to first shut out the rest of our day to day life so that we can be in a mood to communicate with God. Humor is a device that can start the relaxation process and laugher is the emotional release that puts us in a different frame of mind. I ask you just think back to how you feel after a good belly laugh. After you have
had that outburst of emotion that wipes clean whatever you were concentrating on prior to humor entering the picture, you are relaxed and your mind is open. It has made the transition from focusing on the day to day parts of life to openness for something different. Laughter can be that emotional preparation for prayer. These thoughts are not meant to say that prayer is humor or a joke. These comments are about preparation. But don’t forget that God created us in His image and likeness, so a bit of humor isn’t always inappropriate. In my family life, humor in prayer rights its ugly head sometimes in the grace before meals. We have had a few good chuckles with what one or the other of us had said. But I most often feel that God is having a good chuckle with us.
Reinhold Niebur
At first glance that quote might seem like a slight aside or a quick attempt at a joke, but the more that I think on it, the more I can find meaning in it. Humor many times comes from a person making light of himself, making fun of his human condition. Humor is relaxing and lets the teller and the listener escape the mental anguish or mental preoccupations of the day. As we might have learned in our life, in order to get ourselves ready for prayer, we have to first shut out the rest of our day to day life so that we can be in a mood to communicate with God. Humor is a device that can start the relaxation process and laugher is the emotional release that puts us in a different frame of mind. I ask you just think back to how you feel after a good belly laugh. After you have
had that outburst of emotion that wipes clean whatever you were concentrating on prior to humor entering the picture, you are relaxed and your mind is open. It has made the transition from focusing on the day to day parts of life to openness for something different. Laughter can be that emotional preparation for prayer. These thoughts are not meant to say that prayer is humor or a joke. These comments are about preparation. But don’t forget that God created us in His image and likeness, so a bit of humor isn’t always inappropriate. In my family life, humor in prayer rights its ugly head sometimes in the grace before meals. We have had a few good chuckles with what one or the other of us had said. But I most often feel that God is having a good chuckle with us.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
God will find a way
“Nature will find a way.”
Jurassic Park
One of my recent meditations focused around God’s love for us and I was reminded of a line from the movie “Jurassic Park.” I convoluted the line and stated it this way: “God will find a way to love you.” I found that thought refreshing as I worked through some Lenten meditations. As one would imagine Lenten meditations can oftentimes focus on how you have shut yourself off from God. But it seems that no matter whatever you do, somehow or someway God finds a way to kick the door of your heart open and show his love for you. My reaction, when this happens is a bit of a sense of guilt that I have shut door to Him, but then there is a feeling of great joy when I realize that He is forcing himself back into my life. As anyone, I can have a tendency to get down on myself, but I have to keep remembering that God created all men and He created all men good. In my times of self reflection, I realize that I am operating from the base of being created a good person. I still, in my heart, believe that I am a good person with a tendency towards transgressions and lapses of love. The unbelievable thing is that our relationship with God is always there for us. His love is constantly searching us out and forgiving us.
Jurassic Park
One of my recent meditations focused around God’s love for us and I was reminded of a line from the movie “Jurassic Park.” I convoluted the line and stated it this way: “God will find a way to love you.” I found that thought refreshing as I worked through some Lenten meditations. As one would imagine Lenten meditations can oftentimes focus on how you have shut yourself off from God. But it seems that no matter whatever you do, somehow or someway God finds a way to kick the door of your heart open and show his love for you. My reaction, when this happens is a bit of a sense of guilt that I have shut door to Him, but then there is a feeling of great joy when I realize that He is forcing himself back into my life. As anyone, I can have a tendency to get down on myself, but I have to keep remembering that God created all men and He created all men good. In my times of self reflection, I realize that I am operating from the base of being created a good person. I still, in my heart, believe that I am a good person with a tendency towards transgressions and lapses of love. The unbelievable thing is that our relationship with God is always there for us. His love is constantly searching us out and forgiving us.
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