Replacing Gifts with Entitlement

Life is a gift. It is the first gift our Father gives us. And like he said, it is good.

We're so used to being gifted that we often begin to see gifts as rights and we gain a sense of entitlement that we were never meant to have (even with God's original plan). I'm entitled to people being kind towards me, entitled to a home, to food, to whatever else. Well, that's what I want to think anyway. But the truth is, I'm not. In a perfect world I could expect those things at every turn but this is a world filled with sin and is no longer perfect. As soon as Adam and Eve left the garden they had to work for food, clothing, shelter. Outside the garden there was murder, sexual sin, etc. Inside the garden was only perfection. Gifts were nonstop and were the only thing one could expect because they were the only thing one could know! What was once expected was no longer such after sin entered the world. Paradise and perfection still can't be expected because sin still infests the universe. We're not entitled to anything but holy justice. Even then, we're shown mercy in Christ! To expect anything seems ungrateful of what God gave us, gives us, and promises to give us in the future. It ignores what we've done and what we continue to do as sinful people.

Homes, friends, health, comforts; These are mercies. These are gifts from a good and righteous Father to sinful and undeserving children. Now I'm not saying sinful people deserve rape, murder, homelessness, or anything like that. After all, we are supposed to treat one another well. However, those terrible happenings are results of sinful people. Of course babies don't deserve to be raped, but they also don't deserve to be born into a world of sin. Yet they are. And every child ever born has been born into a sinful world and every future born child will be because every human being (outside of Christ) has sinned and created a world which destroys the opportunity for continually expecting good. What we deserve because of sin is an eternal matter. What we get right now because of sin is consequences and unfortunately they aren't always fair. It's not fair that innocent children are harmed but that's the result of having sinful people living in the world before the birth of that child! We've created a world that was not intended exist. It's not right but it's also not what God wanted. If it is good, it is a gift. If it is bad, it's a result of sin (either by men or angels).

We should provide food and safety for those entering the world and those wandering in it. We should do all we can to be like Eden even though we can't make that happen on our own efforts. We must accept the tension of the already-but-not-yet-kingdom found in Christ Jesus. We know things SHOULD be one way (good and fair) but we also ought to know we don't deserve things to be that way and thus we can't expect things to be that way. We can expect things to be bad and unfair. We can expect to get what is wrong according to what God planned and created. It sucks but that's how it is. Things are supposed to be good but that doesn't mean we deserve things to be good or that we even ought to expect them to be good. However, we can hope for good. Even with this outlook we can rejoice in the good and be disappointed with the bad. We recognize the way things ought to be and feel the pain of when things don't meet that ideal. We rejoice greatly when things do meet that ideal though! In all of this, there is hope. Even if we have negative expectations we can have positive hopes.

Thank God for his mercy. He gives us so much more than we deserve. He helps us move towards what he intended for us. He works within and among us to bring about restoration so that someday we can expect good things at every turn. It's in Christ we find that hope. Praise God (from whom all blessings flow)!

How to Be Thankful

As people who often are more focused on rights than gifts we forget how to be thankful. There are many things we can do to increase an attitude of thankfulness within us.

1. Giving - Seeing thankfulness in others will propel us toward giving thanks. When we give we also acknowledge, by our action, that we have more than we need. That is, we have been blessed with abundance. We should be thankful having anything. We should be more thankful for having more than something.
2. Remembering/Recalling - When we remember or recall how we have been blessed it is near impossible to not give thanks. When we recall we often are reminded of blessings we've overlooked or forgotten. This happens more when we remember and recall the past together as a group of people. Some of us remember what others do not and we then share thanks.

I Don't Support Soldiers?

A Christian sister on twitter (who I am familiar with through blogging) accused me of not supporting soldiers and implied that I'm part of the reason so many war veterans attempt suicide. Earlier in the day she had called me anti-American.

Now, I'm use to slander; I get called all sorts of things for not supporting war, violence, or hate. I've been called anti-American, a communist, pussy, coward, god-hater, you name it. I rarely fight these sorts of labels because I've learned that it is a waste of my time. My actions and words are evidence of who I am and nobody who knows me would honestly call me any of those things (as far as I know). However, this accusation is one that I feel I should address since it is an easy claim to make.

It's true that I do not support the violence of the U.S. military and the "wars" that the U.S. have started or engaged in. I won't deny that. One reason for my rebuke of such violence is because I deeply value human life. I believe all people are created in the image of the Creator God and that I am to love those people. I believe part of loving someone is looking out for their well being (mentally, physically, emotionally) and bringing them as close to God as possible.

By standing against the violence of the U.S. wars I support the soldiers of the U.S. and the nation's enemy soldiers because I am expressing my desire for no one to be injured or killed. It is partially for the sake of the soldiers that I fight against war. Not only can soldiers be killed (and their families hurt as a result) but soldiers can sustain many terrible injuries that affect their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. I support these men and women warriors by supporting them not merely as citizens of a particular nation or members of a certain profession but on a deeper level of human beings. It is for this same reason I denounce abortion, the death penalty, and torture. Again, I value human life.

I deeply respect people for doing what they believe is right, even if I think it is wrong. All anyone can do is take the information they have been given and do their best with it. I respect people who do. Many of those people are soldiers. I also respect people who want to stand up for what they believe in, protect others, risk their lives for the sake of others, and take the hard road. Soldiers do those things and I highly value them for it.

Yes, I believe their willingness to kill is unloving towards enemies and a direct disobedience to the commands of Christ but that does not mean I do not support them as human beings. I simply don't support certain actions and attitudes they've seized. I've written a blog about how nonviolent folks can admire military persons and I'm an advocate for reform in the way of conscientious objection so that people may engage in international and political conflict resolution with less damage. In fact, it is my advocacy for reform that inspired the slanders.

I'm also an advocate for the Church being a community of people who provide healing for veterans. I desire to see people return from battle and be able to return to society as healthy citizens. There are too many stories of soldiers coming home only to kill others or themselves. The Church is the best resource for these war-torn men and women. If war is hell and the Church has the kingdom of God then it only makes sense for Christians to lay hold of these warriors and love them into healthy living (should they need it). Here is a prayer I recently came across thanks to Project29 I really enjoyed.

Lord, surround those with trauma from wars past and present with your abiding love and peace. Give new vision to those who only see the blood and destruction of war every time they close their eyes. Give understanding and patience to those who love those who have partaken in war who remain traumatized by all they were witness to. And give your hope for a new day to those who want it all to end today. Amen.

I have a friend named Marshall. We went to college (Mid-America Christian University) together and he's one of my closest brothers. I love him deeply. He joined the U.S. Marines this year. He and I both know that there is tension between us because of his pursuit. But we also both know we deeply love one another. There is no question in his mind of my support for him. He calls me and e-mails me often to talk about his marriage and his military experience. We have fantastic conversations in which we challenge and encourage one another.

He knows that even if he returns from war with 100 kills under his belt I'll love him and support him and seek to build him up. He knows I won't ever be proud of his killings or thank him for them but he knows I won't dehumanize him or condemn him. I don't treat Marshall any differently than any other soldier I meet. I also respect and love my Father and Grandfather who both fought for the U.S. in past wars. I'm glad they did what they believed to be the best thing. I'm not incredibly wise but I'm wise enough to think that I can support human beings even if I do not support all the things they do.

TSA Is Funny

"What do you want to do, get blown up by a goddamn Arab at 30,000 feet or we get to see your private parts? It's up to you, the ball's in your park," head of the TSA's scanning department, Rodney Schroeder, told CNN. (source)

For some reason I don't think those are my only choices.

A Common Prayer & Calendar

A lot of Christians that I know neglect the blessings known as the Book of Common Prayer and Christian calendar. Noticing this, a few well-known folks associated with the "new monastic" movement have come together and formed a book and website for the average [evangelical] Christian. The website provides prayer material for every day of the year.

Each day's material consists of responsive prayer, scripture, song, quotes from historic siblings of faith, and personal prayers. I've been accessing this site daily as of late and it has been a real blessing. The site also provides prayers for different times of the day. One feature of the website that I like is the 12 month Christian calendar. Catholics know about the Christian calendar but many protestants don't. It's a shame.

I'm sad to say that I've yet to be a part of a congregation that embraces a unique Christian calendar that intentionally (because they all celebrate the major Christian holidays) works on a timeline based off scripture and Christian tradition instead of the land they live in. I've yet to be a part of a church that celebrates the days attributed to certain martyrs/saints (though no congregation has ignored the witnesses of the past).

Along with that, I've yet to be a part of a church that uses a calendar that incorporates their personal victories that are unique to the congregation. I've also never been a part of a congregation that has developed their own book of common prayer/worship that includes songs, prayers, and quotes written or collected by the members of the congregation.

I have been lazier than I'd like. I want to be a part of developing a book of worship/prayer for a congregation as well as a calendar. I see amazing potential for these types of tools, especially in the way of unity.

The Comparison Game

We play a lot of games. One of them is the Comparison Game. Unfortunately, it is not difficult for this game to be played without notice. Too often I find myself playing it. Even more unfortunate is the fact that this game hurts ourselves and those around us. So how does the game work?

The rules are easy. Compare yourself to others. That's it. That's the game. Easy right? Right. Maybe too easy. Think about how often you hear people comparing and contrasting themselves to others. "I work harder than all my coworkers! I do this task but they never do." "I'll never be as attractive as that guy on TV." However it is phrased it is easy to see that people compare and contrast themselves to others in ways that either build them up or tear them down. Usually the instances that build the narrator up tend to tear others down and when they build others up they tend to tear the narrator down. Neither of these are healthy.

Instead of looking at others and comparing yourself to them or comparing them to you try to meditate on the truth that everyone doesn't have to be the same and can not be the same. Admire those people who impress you. Feel free to take notes and begin the journey to self-improvement. Figure out who you are and let the inspiration you find in others propel you forward instead of hold you back. Encourage those who don't impress you. Build them up and come alongside them humbly (and perhaps subversively) to help them become better versions of themselves (and not versions of you). We're all different from each other. It's important that we embrace that and realize those differences are good and for the benefit of the whole community.

What does God want of you? Who has he told you to be? What basic guidelines do we find in scripture to answer this? While we all should arrive at similar/same places in many ways there are always going to be ways in which we can not be similar. We have to learn how to discern between the two. Having diverse people around us who are aware of these truths and an encourage us will be a great help. May you and I learn to stop comparing ourselves to others when we shouldn't and learn to imitate Christ* and seek to become the men and women of God that we can best become. May we have grace for ourselves as our Father has grace for us. May we do what we can and be joyful abut where we are as we continue to strive towards being better versions of ourselves.

*Imitation/reflection does not require comparison. It requires discernment, striving, and grace.