Monthly Archives: May 2014

Receiving Gracefully

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For Memorial Day I took my soldier cupcakes.  Garrett still enjoys a little mothering sometimes and home baked goodies usually hit the spot.  We chatted a bit about Memorial Day and all that it means to the military community.  In the course of our conversation, he commented on how many people offer him meals when he is in uniform.  It often makes him feel uncomfortable to accept these gifts. Recently he was out with 7 of his National Guard buddies at a fast food restaurant and a lady offered to buy all of their meals. He turned her down because he thought it was too much to pay for all  8 of them.  The others were a little upset that Garrett didn’t accept her offer but he didn’t feel right about it.

It’s often difficult to accept a gift when you are generally the giver.  A soldier is by nature a servant. He or she would not volunteer for this duty if they didn’t have a servant heart. Much is said in the Bible about giving. ” Be a cheerful giver!”  “Give and it will be given to you!” We are encouraged to give sacrificially. But what about when you are the receiver? How best is it to respond in a situation like Garrett’s?

Jesus is a great example of what it means to be a gracious receiver.  Let’s be honest. Jesus doesn’t really “need” anything from us but it gives him great joy to receive the gifts we offer Him.  When he was dining at the home of Simon, a teacher of the law, a woman of ill repute crashed the party and began to anoint Jesus’ feet with a jar of expensive perfume.  The others in the room couldn’t believe that He didn’t scold her and send her away. In contrast, He praised her actions as she honored Him with her gift.  Jesus said that she would be remembered for all time for what she did for Him that day.  By accepting her gift, Jesus accepted her.  At that moment, she must have felt truly loved.

Another example of graceful receiving, is the apostle Paul, as he offered appreciation for the gifts given him by the Philippian church while he was in a Roman prison.  He wrote, “…not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.  Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.  They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.  And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”  Paul was not demanding of gifts from the church but he accepted their gifts whole heartedly as their offerings to God.  These sacrifices were credited to their account in Heaven.

These examples show us that it is just as important to be a good receiver as it is to be a generous giver.  When we accept a gift, we are accepting the person giving the gift. We are validating their care and concern for us.  We allow them to experience the joy of giving and the credit given to them in heaven for their gift.  The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet just wanted to thank him, in the only way she knew how, for the greatest gift anyone could ever give her:  Eternal Life.  The woman in the fast food restaurant just wanted to thank Garrett and the other soldiers for the gift of freedom that is ensured by their willingness to serve, in the only way she knew how, by paying for their meals.

So the next time Garrett is offered a meal as thanks for serving in the military, I encouraged him to accept it.  By accepting the gift, he validates the person’s motive for giving and allows them to experience the joy that follows.  He should never take advantage of his position or act as if he is deserving of more, but humbly acknowledge the gift and the giver.  Sometimes being the receiver can be the most difficult thing we ever have to do. Our culture encourages us to see ourselves as independent, in control and not in need.  The greatest gift ever given was paid for on a cross yet most people never accept it for this very reason.  Ultimately, humbly receiving that gift is the most important thing we will ever do.

 

May Peace Prevail

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A sign post stands outside of the chapel in Oakwood Park on Lake Wawasee boldly proclaiming, “May Peace Prevail on the Earth.”  On each of its four sides, it is written in a different language. As a teen, I came to this site and to Epworth Forest just south of here, for church retreats with my youth group.  How often did we voice this sentiment as we sang a familiar tune saying  “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”? In our idealism, we really believed that we could make this happen.  Time and age have jaded our youthful faith in humanity.  We see too much in our 24/7 nonstop news of violence everywhere in our world.  We’ve seen a huge increase in murders in the city of Indianapolis since the beginning of this year. Recently over two hundred young girls were kidnapped by terrorist in Nigeria to be sold in the ever increasing human trafficking market.  I have read that there is more slavery now in the world than at the height of the slave trade in the 1800’s.  In 2014, peace is more elusive than it has ever been.

What then can we do given the magnitude of the problem? We could choose to ignore it. The violence hasn’t really touched us individually. Our lives are peaceful. Are they not? The answer to that question depends on how you define peace.  Peace is not just the absence of violence.  Peace is a state of mind.  When anxiety and worry invade our lives, then there is no peace.  When we worry about a burglar robbing our home, then we have been robbed of our peace.  When we are anxious that we might lose our job, then we have lost our peace.  Peace of mind can be as elusive as world peace.

In the letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul encouraged his readers to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You might think that given what Paul was saying that everything was great for the Philippians, but it wasn’t. Violence was all around them.  Believers in the early church were being persecuted and killed on a regular basis.  How were they to be thankful in their prayers when their circumstances were so bleak?

Paul went on to tell them, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.” Paul had learned to see beauty in the small things. He was content with where he was and what he had, no matter what.  His advice was sound.  We cannot ignore the violence all around us but we can choose to not focus on it and to not let it overwhelm us.  We can choose to see the good all around us as we continue to pray to God for deliverance from the bad.  Then and only then, a supernatural peace will envelop our heart and our mind as a gift from God.

If we allow worry and anxiety to hold us captive and we focus only on our troubles, we are worthless to the furtherance of world peace.  Unless we have peace in our own heart and mind, we have nothing to offer anyone else.  Peace, real peace, starts from within.

So Lord, let your peace begin with me.  Everyday I pray to be released from my worries. I know that trouble is with me now and will be with me all the days of my life in one form or another.  I cannot ignore it.  But I also know that each and every day, there will be joy, beauty and something for which I can be thankful.  Help me focus on the latter.   Let your perfect peace invade my heart and mind so that I can pass this peace on to all I meet.  May peace prevail on the earth, one person at a time.

Leaving Room in My Garden

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One of the things I love best about spring is the opportunity to eat breakfast out in my back flower garden.  It’s still cool early in the morning before my day starts but the days are longer so the sun is up.  The birds are back and their singing is music to my ears . They love this time of day!

My garden is wild and rambling.  It’s often difficult to keep it under control. I have wildflowers planted within the same beds as the perennials. Many of the plants I have would like to takeover and push out the others. I have one big leafed plant given to me by my uncle Richard that I believe is hyssop.  I fight with it constantly. Every year now I cut the tops off before these plants bloom to prevent them from spreading further. The roots are too deep to dig out completely.

Anymore, I find that rather than pulling out weeds, I am thinning out these  invasive perennials. Some like the Hyssop, I wish I had never allowed in my garden in the first place. If left alone, this one plant would dominate my whole flower bed and I would have nothing else to enjoy. This would be very boring indeed.  So I pull out what some would call “good” so I can have a beautiful, varied garden that has different blooming plants all summer. It’s a constant job but well worth the effort.

I could apply this same principle to my life. Often I’m pulling up what appears to be “good” to have “better.”  What does it take to not let one good thing invade my whole being?  It takes partially uprooting my old life to move on to better.

On May 1st it was the one year anniversary of my new job with IU Health and it’s been a satisfying year.  I was literally pushed out of my old job by an intolerable situation and extreme stress.  The harder I worked to make it right, the worse it became.  God opened a door, giving me the opportunity to leave for a position still practicing medicine but for fewer hours and at a much more relaxed pace.

A year ago, I walked through that door and had to decide what to do with the extra time I suddenly had before me.  I had been so overwhelmed with medical work that I literally had to force other activities into my schedule. I was exhausted all the time and not worth much to myself or others.  It was painful to leave my old patients since many of them had become like family to me. I know they must have felt the loss as much as I did.  But I had come to a time that it was necessary to pull up the good to have a better life. Nothing was inherently bad about what I was doing previously. I don’t regret my past work but it became too much of the same thing. It crowded out other parts of me that needed to bloom.

Since that time, I have been able to read more and develop my passion for writing.  I’ve had more time to spend with others and deepen those relationships.  I have space to add activities that would have been impossible to fit in before. I can be tempted to fill in this extra space with one activity after another and end up in the same place I was a year ago. If I say yes to everything, then I will be on the go all the time and not have space for quiet.

Everyone needs quiet space away from the noise and busyness of everyday life.  Even Jesus did.  He often retreated to a quiet place to pray.  My garden is that quiet place.  But even here, it can be difficult to quiet the mind.  I need to just listen for a while without thinking of everything else that needs to be done.  I need to leave space for Jesus. He desires a relationship much more than works.  I can go, go , go, doing and saying the right things but it I don’t spend time building a relationship with Jesus then I have missed the whole point.

It’s much like the situation of Mary and Martha in the Bible.  Both of them were deeply loved by Jesus and they each loved Him too.  But Martha was caught up in “doing.”  Mary knew how to just “be” with Jesus. She chose the better thing.  I need to cultivate “being” with Him in my garden. My life is much more conducive to quiet time now.  But I have to learn how to shut off my mind from having a constant banter of thoughts.  I pray for Jesus to help me learn the art of quietness of spirit so I can know Him intimately as He desires to be known.

 

Love Never Fails

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We recently returned from a fun-filled, busy week-end celebration of the marriage of my daughter, Rozie and her husband, Marcus in Las Vegas. The actual ceremony was held in the historic Graceland Chapel in the old section of town and included an appearance by “Elvis.”  Amongst the laughter and fun, I was thankful that the minister officiating the vows discussed the seriousness of making the choice to love day in and day out and included a reading from 1st Corinthians 13: The Love Chapter.  From personal experience, I know that it is difficult to keep love alive over the long haul. But if God is placed at the forefront of a marriage right from the beginning, the marriage will be stronger and have a better chance of survival. King Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes that a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken.  When God is intertwined in the relationship of 2 people, their love becomes a mighty cord that will stand the test of time. I pray for Rozie and Marcus, as they move forward together in their lives, that they recognize the Holy in their midst and depend on Him to guide them every day. I know my prayers will be joined with those of other family members and friends to lift them up daily to the Lord.

Las Vegas was quite a backdrop for the events of the week-end behind me.  I am struck by the contrasts in this city of glitter.  The sparkling lights can be intoxicating.  Everything in Vegas is “over the top.”  I loved the beauty of the botanical gardens and the fountains at the Belaggio.  The beaming light from the pyramid at the Luxor is claimed to be able to be seen up in space! The grace of the nimble acrobats of Cirque de Soleil was a sight to see.  Wow!

I met so many wonderful people during our stay. People have settled in Vegas from all over the world, serving those that come here to vacation. Our photographer was from Poland.  Her energy and enthusiasm were amazing. The sweet lady at the front desk of our hotel had lived in Kokomo Indiana at one time when her dad was based at Grissom Air Force Base. I was thankful for the sense of welcome they gave to each one of us.

But it’s sad to see the shear number of people trying their luck in the casinos in every hotel. You can’t go anywhere without passing through them. There are even slot machines at the airport. A group of young men on our plane played cards the whole flight to Vegas practicing their skills for the tables. It doesn’t take much insight to realize that the house wins the great majority of the time or Las Vegas would not exist. Hopefully they did not lose more than they could afford but unfortunately many people do.

My heart went out to the middle aged Latino women handing out cards on the street for “escort” services to whomever would take one. I wondered if they even were aware of what the cards said. Were they that desperate for money to promote prostitution in this way or were they forced into this lifestyle by circumstances beyond their control? Interspersed with them on the sidewalks were costumed characters vying for customers to take their pictures for cash. Darth Vader, Wonder Woman and numerous Minions worked the crowds giving the streets a carnival like atmosphere.

On a busy street corner, a man with a megaphone shouted out warnings of judgement to anyone who would listen as people rushed by.  Yes, Jesus did come to save us from our sin but I have yet to see someone respond to this Good News by words of condemnation. Where are the acts of kindness? Where is love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things? This is the love of Jesus that never fails. I have heard it said before that Christians are the best case for and against Christianity. We often are the noisy megaphone that everyone ignores because we don’t live out His unfailing love in our day to day lives. But I admit, I don’t know this man’s life. I hope with all my heart that he witnesses with a life of love, not just his megaphone.

I can speak of love with my newlyweds but If I don’t live it then I too am nothing but worthless noise. The best encouragement I can give to Rozie and Marcus is to be loving to them and to everyone around me. I can’t talk to them about marriage unless I am an example of compassion and forgiveness myself. Respecting my husband and cherishing him as my very best friend and companion, is the best wedding gift I can present to them this day and all the rest of my life. A strong strand of 3 cords in a marriage is an everlasting witness of the Grace and power of Jesus now and forever.

In Las Vegas, all that glitters is not gold. What appears beautiful, can sometimes be ugly inside. What words would I offer to the people of Las Vegas if I was handed a megaphone?  I would tell them that our God is a God of second chances. First and foremost, He loves and forgives us. Yet, there is sin and it touches us all.  But Jesus offers us a life with Him where there is no more sin, no more tears and no more death.  Human love is imperfect and will disappoint us always but Jesus gives us love that never fails.