Friday, March 30, 2018
Starting Over
Her
heart ached as she studied his wrinkled face, trying to etch it in her memory. He
was one of the kindest men she had ever known and now he was making his last
stand against the cancer that ravaged his body. They had just said a short
prayer and a tear slipped from his eye as he gripped her hand firmly. She glanced around the small room in the hospice
wing of the hospital recalling their chance meeting two years ago in the AA
group that met in the basement of that very facility. He was old enough to be
the grandfather she never had, and he had come to be her greatest source of
encouragement. He always seemed like the guy who had it all together.
Rather
than engaging in small talk she somehow felt it was appropriate to have a more
meaningful conversation. So she cleared her throat and softly asked, “What would
you do different in life if you could start over?”
In
a labored whisper he gave her this startling answer: “Oh honey, I did start
over. In my younger years I was a scoundrel.
I hurt people, I cheated others and myself and I was determined to do
things my way. When I hit rock bottom
God sent me a good neighbor. He was different. He didn’t drink, cuss or talk
bad about his wife. He was one of those guys
who seemed like a goodie two shoes. He
bugged me because he seemed to have it all together and I didn’t think my life
and family could ever be like his.”
With
a faraway look in his eyes he continued, “My neighbor shocked me when he
offered to help me restore my classic Mustang – at no charge. Turns out he was a
normal guy. Over the next few years we would have dozens of life-changing conversations.
The most important talk was the one where he explained what Christians meant
when they talked about being “born again” and “resurrection”.
“Tell
me about that,” she interrupted, “I have never quite understood that
terminology or why people would be willing to die for that whole Christianity
thing.”
“It’s
really all about starting over,” he explained, as he feebly sipped some water
and placed his paper cup back on the portable food tray. “When I began telling
my neighbor all the bad things I had done and how much I had messed up my life,
he began helping me understand that the “Good News” was that I could start over.
You can’t imagine how much hope that gave me. When I pressed him for more
information he showed me a very simple but powerful scripture that was spoken
by St. Peter to people who were asking what they should do to fix their lives.
He said, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’”
(See Acts 2:38)
More
tired now, the dying man took a deep breath and continued, “In great detail my
neighbor explained to me repentance was like dying to one way of living and
turning to God’s way. Then he showed me that baptism was like burying that old
life – that is why they put people all the way under the water in Jesus’ name.
Finally he helped me understand that being filled with the Spirit is like
resurrecting to a new life.”
She
was a bit surprised at the fresh energy that filled the old man’s voice as he
recalled his own experience. “When it dawned on me that I could start over I
jumped at the opportunity and it was the smartest thing I ever did. I repented and was baptized. When I came out
of the water I felt so forgiven and clean. I even spoke in an unknown language
just like the disciples! My only regret is that I did not start over sooner.” Having
told his story, he smiled and drifted off to sleep.
Now
she understood what she needed in her life. Next Sunday was Easter Sunday and
she purposed in her heart that this Easter would be the day she would start
over.
Friday, March 02, 2018
A World-Changing Discovery
It
was first proposed in the 3rd century BC by Aristarchus of Samos, but it took
another 1,300 years for another astronomer, by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus,
to make it popular. Its scientific name
is Heliocentrism, and it is the belief that the earth revolves around the sun.
Until the 16th century most humans held to the geocentric model
which taught that the earth was center of the universe. When the Heliocentric
theory arose, even the church resisted it. It would be another century before
map maker Joan Blaeu would incorporate this revolutionary heliocentric theory
into a map of the world.
That
was a world-changing discovery that changed everything. It changed our understanding
of the planets and stars, and It made all the difference in how we would
eventually travel beyond earth’s atmosphere. Today it is a universally accepted
truth. So, why did it take so long to embrace? Because, from man’s limited
perspective it looks like the sun is circling the earth, and because it is
natural to think that the world is all about us. But human arrogance distorts
everything.
There
is another, more important, world-changing discovery that can change the world of
anyone who has the courage and faith to embrace it. It is a paradigm shift much
like the geocentric to heliocentric shift. It is the discovery that the
universe does not revolve around man. Life is not man-centered, it is
God-centered. The difference between those two views cannot be overstated. It
is like the difference between being the horse or the rider, or between being
the pot or the potter.
When
a person defines everything in relation to themselves they are more susceptible
to things like depression, fear, worry, performance anxiety. They are more
likely to stoop to manipulation, abuse,
adultery, murder, theft, and cheating. But a clear view of God changes everything.
St. John
saw a vision of heaven in which he heard its inhabitants sharing their
perspective. They said, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created.” (Revelation 4:11) Those
in heaven recognized it was all about God.
When
someone discovers the God-centered paradigm it changes everything, including
how they think, operate, and pray. For example, have you every prayed, “Lord
don’t let it rain.”? I have. But, honestly, do we think God’s primary role is
to frantically move clouds around to accommodate our agendas? Grant it, he can
intervene if the situation warrants, but everything is not about us. God invented
a water system designed to take care of His world. One person occupies 3 square
feet of this planet. There are another 1,597,675,921,460,000
square feet of dry land that He needs to tend. Each day God’s irrigation
system needs to drop 400 trillion gallons of water on the earth. If He were to move
the rain away from one person, He would need to make it fall on someone else.
So, if we pray for rain or shine, we should consider that God is dealing with a
much bigger picture.
Here
are some life changes that come to those who make this discovery:
·
They
will care as much for others as they do themselves.
·
When
praying, they will not give God direction, they will ask Him for direction.
·
When
hurt or abused, they will not see the perpetrators as all-powerful, but as
misguided souls who will one day be held accountable.
·
They
will worship God to show Him honor rather than to flatter Him.
·
When
rains on their day or when they fail to get a raise, they will still enjoy life,
because everything is not about them.
·
Instead
of worrying about things they cannot change, they will release everything to
the One who can change anything.
·
When
God leads them up steep hills, they will embrace the challenge knowing that He
is the Good Shepherd and is doing what is best for His sheep.
Discovering
that the universe is God-centered will change everything! It is an incontrovertible
truth waiting to be discovered by those humble enough to let their eyes be
opened so they can honestly embrace a wonderful universe that has meaning and
purpose.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
