Posts Tagged "coping"

Forgiveness

Posted by admin on Dec 6, 2010 in Contemplations | 0 comments

“…unless you forgive your brother from your heart…” – Matt. 18:35b

It’s easy to reflexively think of forgiveness as a sort of one-shot deal, where you say some magic words and everything is fixed and fine.

But what about those times when you say the words, but your heart keeps churning afterwards?  Does that mean you didn’t really forgive from the heart? Maybe it’s not as simple as that.

If forgiveness was just some set of magic words that fixed everything at once, then would that even be worth anything?  To me, “from the heart” implies there is a degree of work involved, and that I must choose to be forgiving of the other person, not just flip some emotional switch.  After all, different offenses cause different levels of hurt and carry different consequences, so wouldn’t it make sense that they would also require different levels of forgiveness?  I think so.

Every Morning

Posted by admin on Sep 8, 2010 in 4/14 Window Global Summit, Contemplations, Observations | 1 comment

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Two days ago I returned home from an incredible and inspiring summit of leaders in children’s ministry from around the world.

For me, coming back from great gatherings of amazing people is always a mixed bag of emotions. On the one hand, it’s always nice to come home; familiar faces, consistency, routine, but on the other hand it can be such a letdown. After days spent stirring up vision and passion and motivation, of meeting people with whom you share so much in common, to come back “down to earth” is often a difficult thing.

It’s all just so… normal.

BUT, praise be to our Savior, who is ALWAYS faithful to his children! In times of great trial and hardship it’s easy to feel our deep need for the help and presence of God. For me, though, the truth that his mercies are new “every morning” is one I need now more than ever, because sometimes I think we need him even more, on the ordinary days.

Peace, Comfort, Seeking and Finding God

Posted by Phillip on Jul 8, 2009 in Contemplations | 0 comments

There is no greater comfort than that which comes when I stop trying to find out who I am and start seeking who He is. It is the giving up of the search for myself that gives me the freedom to truly seek Jesus, to really follow and focus on God Himself.

I can get so worked up over the unanswered questions of my life, the missing pieces and loose ends, that I lose sight of the hope that I have been given. What is this hope? It is the assurance that My God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory. It is the hope that comes from the certainty of knowing that as sure as morning always dawns after even the longest night, Jesus Christ and His word are steadfast, and so also, His promises and love for me are unchanging.

Seeking my own way, my own answers, brings me down because it will always be a losing battle. I lose because I am neither capable nor qualified to make things make sense in the world around me. I try to define and discover my identity, but that only leads me to despair, because all the things of this world that I try to tie my identity to are as fleeting as the tufts of a dandelion in a summer breeze. They look so poised and lovely, but in a moments time they vanish, and all the hopes I had tied to them simply disappear as well.

But oh the joy that comes in the pursuit of the person of Christ! When I refocus my efforts away from seeking who I am, and concentrate instead on who He is, there is a freedom and peace unsurpassed by any other pursuit. Again, He is unchanging, so all those hopes and dreams of mine that I turn over to and rest in Him are now secure: hidden and safe in the cleft of the rock.

Even better when I seek the person and presence of Christ, placing my passions and hopes in His very nature, that nature begins to be place in me, so that a glorious transfusion takes place. My concerns and questions begin to be overshadowed by the consuming power of His nature, as this vibrant life grows within me and replaces what had previously been the definer of my life my search for me.

This is peace and comfort then, not the answering of all my questions and the stilling of all my worries, but the replacement of them with the calm stillness that is His very life in me. The restless waves of my hearts cries give way to the steadfast ground of the solid rock, and in the beautiful strangeness of it all, my seeking of Him actually results after all, in the finding of me but not the selfish me tied to a changing world. This is the me that is defined by the Personhood of Christ within me, safe in the shadow of the Almighty and kept in the shelter of His hand.

I wish I could say this was me all the time, or even most of the time, but its not. I do pray though, that we all may ask for and receive the strength to press in to Him and seek that life so beautifully promised in the Word, and that we may have a vision of hope that will lead us to forget the search for ourselves, and begin the search for our God.