Divine Intervention

I remember being in a high school composition class and writing a story where I hadn't really thought out the end from the beginning of my writing. I had my main character in an entirely unsalvageable spot--I don't remember what, probably hanging from a branch on a cliff or something of the sort. Since I had not thought out the solution ahead of time, I was stumped. My solution finally was that the character was dreaming and woke up in bed, safe and sound.
My teacher was disgusted. He said something to the effect of, "This is a writing practice that is called 'divine intervention'--a solution so unrealistic, contrived or disappointing that the reader is let down and the power of your writing is lost." It was true. I knew that the solution was very anticlimactic.
Still, it reminds me that in the reality of my life, divine intervention has been anything but disappointing and anticlimactic. God has reached down out of time and space, from the realms of glory, snatched me out of my impossible situation and set me on a rock. Divine intervention has been so amazing, so out of the expected and believable that the unbelievers around me can't object that God really has responded to me in such a way; they can't claim that I am no different than what I was before--so they either have to reject me or accept God. Unfortunately most reject me, but it is Jesus Christ who they reject ultimately.
I remember my brother-in-law giving us tickets for my birthday to see him and his singing group perform down in Lynnwood. We went, and among the songs they sang complete with smiles on their faces was one called, "It Ain't Necessarily So." This song discredited the stories of the Bible, such as Noah and the ark, and Jonah and the whale. How can an unbeliever believe such amazing stories? They're amazing because God has suspended the usual order of the universe in order to perform His will in His power. It isn't something that most people have observed, or if they have they may have explained it away rather than attribute it to God. I remember telling him that the ramifications of that song are enormous--it makes God out to be a liar; if it weren't so then nothing in the Bible is believable and all humanity is hopeless. My protests fell on deaf ears, nay, dead ears; he doesn't have any problem considering God a liar and humanity hopeless--it's his deplorable condition; he hasn't received God's grace, yet.
Until a person experiences it for himself, I can see that God's grace and mercy in a person's life falls into the same category as the miracles in the Bible. People who have never seen God act thus tend to explain the miracles away in scientific terms until there is nothing really out of the ordinary in them after all; and yet, sometimes the changed person is the best argument for God's truth that exists. How does a person change his ways? How does the addict become free, the angry, violent person become gentle, the whining complainer become joyful? God can make it happen, and He does. The unbeliever can't deny it, and so he has two choices: he either responds to God or rejects the Christian. It's his choice, but the choice is clear and the benefit is as visible as the changes he observes in the Christian.
I thank God for His intervention in my life. It is hardly disappointing, and I didn't do anything to deserve it. It was bestowed on me for reasons that I can't fully understand, out of His lovingkindness, and I would never go back to my impossible situation. His intervention is available to everyone who will accept it; there is no better option than to accept what He so willingly bestows. "Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Peace on Earth

A number of years ago, my daughter Katie and I decorated some candles as gifts. We cut out a Bethlehem scene out of tissue paper and attached it in layers around the base of some candles, adhering it with paraffin; then Katie wrote "Peace on earth" over the top, in the sky over the city. The candles were well-received by family. This favorable reception of these candles by family members who usually show an intrinsic dislike of all things Christian indicated their misunderstanding that I unfortunately had done nothing to dissipate: that they might have peace on earth, and it would be a good, biblical Christmas thought for them, and they need not attend to any lack in order to receive it.
The problem with the words "peace on earth" alone is that when the phrase is taken out of context, people seem to think that the Bible teaches that they can achieve peace on earth...no strings attached, so to speak. There is a little-noticed phrase that goes along with the verse "peace on earth" in the Bible...the entire verse, said by angels heralding the birth of Jesus Christ, is "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14). Well, what does that "men with whom He is pleased" mean? Is it important? It isn't a very long phrase, there aren't any very complicated words in it. Seems like it can't have that big an impact, considering.
Still, the matter of peace rests on that little verse. Can't we really have peace on earth just by waiting long enough, by educating everyone, teaching them to get along...is getting along something that can be learned? When will nations all agree, when will people within those nations all agree on the things that matter most? Even in these modern times, the local portion of the newspaper has regular reports of violent crimes and of legislators in conflict. You'd think with all the time we've had to educate ourselves, we would be doing better at living peacefully.
I remember my growing-up years. Three brothers and two sisters and myself. We were raised by the same two parents, and yet among the six of us existed six different ideas of what mattered most. The thing that mattered most to Vicki might be Vicki, and to Donald might be Donald, and to Allyson might be Allyson...you get the picture...and I know for certain that the things that mattered to myself were definitely matters of my self. Vicki might want her side of the room uninvaded, and Allyson might think that they could share the whole room equally...or maybe Daddy brought home some presents that differed slightly, and someone felt slighted in the receiving of theirs. Maybe one person wanted to play a Mitch Miller record, and another wanted to play Allen Sherman instead. How could they ever reconcile those many ideas of what mattered most?
Of course kids have their own way of achieving that end--whoever was the strongest, or yelled the loudest, or could get Dad or Mom to side with them won. Still, there were hard feelings. I'm not sure there was ever peace except maybe when we were all asleep and couldn't even appreciate it. So surely adults are better...you would think.
Now we all rarely gather as adults, partly because we all have our own opinions and not everyone wants to ponder those of the others. When we do get together, if there's not an argument, then someone has learned to hold their tongue. Does that mean there is peace? I don't suspect there's much peace in the hearts of our family when we all get together. Some carry baggage of unforgiven grudges from childhood, or the pattern that was developed back then is too hard to break by meeting one day every few years, and might not be much worth bothering with. So the thoughts are held silently and relationships are not revised, or healed. Maybe we aren't even really sure why we don't get along, we just don't.
If a family cannot achieve peace who all has similar blood coursing through their veins, similar genetic makeup and upbringing that a person would think might make them compatible, how in the world can whole neighborhoods, communities, cities, counties, states, countries ever hope to get along? There's not a chance for world peace in this existing system, with each person having such individual ideas and priorities!
So what could that verse in the Bible really mean? Will there be peace on earth? Yes, and there already is! But it isn't nationwide; it's certainly not worldwide. There's the occasional household that has peace, because individuals in that house have peace. Peace on earth exists in the hearts of individuals who know Jesus, because He is the Prince of Peace. Well, how is it that people who know Jesus might fit into the description "men with whom He is pleased"? Does the Bible teach that believers in Jesus are the only people who have God's favor, and are therefore acquainted with peace?
Seems like God would be pleased with anyone who doesn't murder, or hate, who gives to good charities, and who is generally nice. What more does He want? How can a person please God? Since all this has to do with the Bible concept of peace on earth, it is appropriate that we look to the Bible for how a person pleases God, and what does not please God. I think the answer would surprise most people: "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) That pretty much clarifies the only way that true peace can occur: It doesn't occur in the hearts of those who do good just because they want to be good. It occurs in the hearts of those who know that God exists and that He will reward those who seek Him--those who have faith in His Son. His Son Jesus...the Prince of Peace.

Forgiveness, Forgetfulness is a Good Thing--or Rather, a "God Thing"

I got to give my testimony tonight...though when I started I could feel a bit of blushing rising up my face, once I got into it, I really enjoyed the privilege. It isn't only for the benefit of those who hear, but a good reminder of where I was and what God has done for me.
My biggest sin issue I recall being aware of and needing to overcome was bitterness, grudges, unforgiveness. I was bitter at many people, at some for their sheer mean treatment, and at some for perceived unfairness. There was one about whom I recall thinking I could have written a book, a large book, cataloguing the many crimes against me that she had committed. To think I would have thought anyone would want to read it! That boggles my mind now.
My biggest offender was the wife of a pastor. (Not a believing pastor or a believing wife--but I didn't know that at the time.) So one of my first responses was to look in the Bible, of which I knew nothing, to find a justification for how I felt about her--that would have been the ultimate, I thought. I believe that was my first real impetus to read the Bible, and I don't think I had accepted that Jesus could save me at that point. Pretty unholy, but there it was. And I have to say, I found nothing in the Bible to help me in that goal.
Once I came to accept the salvation offered by Christ, I slowly realized that those bitternesses were a huge and awful burden. They weren't a burden to those against whom I had grudges; they were my burden, and I carried them everywhere. I'd take those burdens into my lap and look at them, mulling them over, reminding myself of their every detail. I'd mutter and ponder and think what clever things I should have said, and how they might have responded then. It took way too much mental energy; it drained me, and I realized after a while how these burdens ate away at me, at my mental health, probably at my physical health; I don't know how much I realized they were horrible for my spiritual health. After a while I wanted to be rid of them, I wanted to forget them. But how?
How does a person forgive another who has wronged them? How about when the wrongs have been very cruel, and many, and long-persisting? How can a person go on and forgive? It was a puzzle for me at first, when I first realized I had to have some release from the prison full of nastiness. How could I think to forgive?
After I accepted Christ, I wanted to read the Bible--this time to know Him, to know everything I could take in. I read it for hours every day for a long time, and though my housework was suffering in the process, I was learning and growing, and coming to realize the vast cosmic offenses that I had committed against Jesus Christ, who loved me all the time that I was acting in pure selfishness. I realized He had forgiven me, died to do so, though it seemed there was no gain in it for Him. How or why He chose to do this still isn't fully clear to me, except that His love is a whole lot bigger than mine!
After a while I was able to contrast His forgiveness with my lack of forgiveness; my big sins against His holiness with her sins against my selfishness. There became less and less justification to keep track of all she had committed against me. Still, I struggled with the idea that I could forgive while I still remembered so many things. They'd come back to mind, and I'd have to deal with them all over again. That was one of the first things I learned about forgiveness--sometimes you have to do it over and over and over again for the same incident.
It seems almost comical, and it is very telling to me, that I could think of writing a huge book regarding anyone's sins against me. God is gracious. I remember back then, telling my brother that thanks to God's help I could forgive, but unlike Him, I couldn't forget. God could forgive sins, but He could also forget them, and I thought of that as an unchangeable contrast between Him and me.
Over time, the wonderful thing that I have discovered is that God has helped me to forget. Not only forget the woman's sins, but the grudges I was harboring against so many! I honestly don't remember enough to write out a small article enumerating them. Once in a while a few specific things might come to mind because of some specific reminder (and they are so trivial now as to be comical!), but by and large the memories are lost. Lost and good riddance to bad rubbish! In the extreme. Hallelujah! God is good. But of course, we knew that!

We're all a Mess...

We're all a mess. I'm beginning to conclude, we're all a mess. Wonder of wonders--I knew it, but am knowing it more. Of course, we're all sinners in need of a Savior. We're all very little people trying to grasp hold of a very big Truth, and none of us have a perfect handle on it. Luther, that hallmark of the Reformation, had his flaws, his odd character traits. Yet people accept his stand for truth, and brush his flaws aside. As I blogged earlier, Bonhoeffer had his flaws, his inconsistencies, but he's promoted because of what he had right. There are some who are approved, and some who are not, and where the dividing line lies depends on the individual. I've been working on a reading list, but all the writers are of course flawed. What determines where the line of acceptability is? How do we know whether to accept the teachings of an individual or not? How do we accept the good and throw out the bad teachings, or do we instead not take on any of them?
The one source we can turn to without hesitation is the Bible. That is The One Gold Standard of Truth, and the only thing that can mess it up is our reading of it, how we take it in--or not reading of it so we can't take it in at all. We need to make a habit of testing all influences around us, knowing that we are all sinners, all the other books we are reading are flawed, all speakers, all the influences that flood our culture. A person could take extremes to perfect the information that he receives, in eschewing writings other than the Bible; or he can receive them, praying for the Holy Spirit's help in discernment of what is to be accepted and what is not. Depending on the Holy Spirit, all writings are acceptable for screening; all writings can be evaluated with His help, and the learning, the discipleship, the iron-sharpening-iron that we will receive may be broader than if we consider too many categories suspect.
Psalm 146 tells us not to trust in man, not to trust in princes...no writing, no source other than the Scriptures is fully reliable. We test everything against God's Word, and we are helped. One major test the Bible gives us in evaluating teachers is to watch how a person's grasp of truth is lived out in their lives. Is there an effort to live according to Christ? Has the person gladly made sacrifices along the way? Is that person teachable, humble, and honest? By their fruits we will know them, the Bible tells us, and I have found that it is a good qualifier. I praise God that just because they have their flaws, we aren't forbidden all these resources, all the learning and thinking and writing of men who have gone before; we have His help to pick and choose, and can then do so in confidence and eager expectation.

Um--I Think I Can See into the Future!

I am hereby predicting that, unless Jesus returns for us within the next two years, my son Tim will soon learn the love of reading and learning. I think he will become more self confident, more active, and generally happier. I think this will happen within the next two years, and there will be some noticeable change within the next week. Wow.
I don't remember ever being in the predicting mode quite like this before! How did this come about? Perhaps it had something to do with having taken him to an eye doctor in Lynnwood today. He had been to an eye doctor in Marysville and was prescribed a pair of glasses, but they did nothing to improve his ability to read. Tim can read quite well, but not for very long. A paragraph and a half, and he tires out. I found out through the homeschooling grapevine that kind of doctor only does certain tests; it isn't as complete a checkup as some people need.
So I took him to Nancy Torgerson at Alderwood Vision Therapy Center. For the last number of years, I had heard glimmerings of how helpful this mystery eyedoctor in Lynnwood was (I didn't know her name), and I pictured this older lady, heavy-set, grey hair, wise demeanor. When this bright and cheery and fairly young (well, I found out she's about my age--so, young comparative with the older picture I had) little lady invited Tim and me to come into the room, I thought she was an assistant. Not so! She was Dr. Torgerson herself, and she cheerfully started in asking Tim questions about what he liked and didn't like in school. Then when she found out what his reading problem was, she centered her attention on a few possibilities, using various tests...and just a few minutes into it, she had it. She said that he was completely unable to focus. (I'm not sure how that works--he can do fairly detailed drawings, and he does read to a point--and if he can't focus I'm not sure how he can tell anything on the eye chart--though he does falter pretty fast at the smaller letters.) She said he's tired even before he starts to read. I can't even imagine what that's like, but it makes perfect sense in the context of our homeschooling troubles.
I told her what my pre-conceived notion of her looks was, and she laughed and told me that someone else had said the same thing not too long ago. Something about having been in the business 20 years or so, maybe...but I think it has something to do with having a knack for solving people's learning problems, and making such a difference in their lives that you become a legend. Usually, legends are old, but not in this case!
She said that when she started school, she was going to become some other kind of doctor, and then talked to a friend who was retiring from work as an eye doctor and still loved her work. The woman advised her to take on this specialty, where she could help people with their ability to learn. That sounded good to Dr. Torgerson. So she switched avenues, not even returning to the school she was attending, but having all her belongings shipped back to her home. Then she pursued this line of work, has been at it ever since, and I'm so glad!
So she prescribed Tim some glasses and told him he can only tell others that she prescribed them if they're cool looking; if they're ugly, it was "Dr. Murphy" who prescribed them. She said they'll help him focus and they'll be therapeutic in that they'll help his eyes not just focus for the moment but learn to focus without eventually needing the glasses any more. I have a feeling we can find a cool pair of the glasses--we're going to look the day after Thanksgiving, most likely. I can hardly wait to see how well my "predictions" come true!