Bond of Friendship

Samwise carries Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom

Lord of the Rings is a movie that continues to captivate me.  I was especially fascinated with the bond shown between the Hobbits Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee.  From the beginning of the story, Samwise commits himself to ensuring Frodo is safe from harm, and fulfills his obligation to destroy the Ring of Power.  Throughout the movie, Samwise provides food, protection and sage advice for Frodo.

More than once, Samwise saved Frodo's life.

This reminded me of a bond of friendship that is shown in the Old Testament, David and Jonathan.  Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  When Jonathan's dad, King Saul, wanted to kill David, Jonathan warned David.  Jonathan helped David hide, and they parted in tears, swearing loyalty to each other in the Lord's name.

I find myself thinking about the emotions of this bond.  Very few friendships in this world could be defined as strongly as the bond shown by David and Jonathan, or even the bond shown by fictional characters Samwise and Frodo.

What keeps us from bonding so tightly?  Let's explore the definition of bonding.

Bonding is the ability to establish an emotional attachment to another person.  It's the ability to relate to another on the deepest level.  When two people have a bond with each other, they share their deepest thoughts, dreams, and feelings with each other with no fear that they will be rejected by the other person. ~Dr. Henry Cloud

Can you think of anyone in your life you have this level of trust and intimacy with?  If you cannot, think about why.  Do you have fears of rejection based on some past experience?  Do you have anxiety about your own shortcomings that keep you from sharing with others?  If so, think about our heavenly Father.  He made you in His own image.  He knows your deepest thoughts and failures, and He loves you.  He will never reject you or forsake you.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.

If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.  

We love each other because He loved us first.

~1John 4:7, 18-19 (NLT)

Resurrected Bodies

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down

(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body),

we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body

made for us by God Himself 

and not by human hands.

We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.

For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.

While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh.  

But, it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us.  

Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.

God Himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee

He has given us His Holy Spirit.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies,

we are not at home with the Lord.

For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, 

for then we will be home with the Lord.

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body,

our goal is to please Him.

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.

We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

~2Corinthians 5:1-10 (NLT)

I Can't Wait!

A Work in Progress

In my "Today's Musing" post, I reflected on this Bible verse:

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

This made me think of the constant work and refinement that goes into presenting a finished product to your professor or even your boss.  You begin with an outline or plan to get started, and then complete a draft.  You may present the draft to an editor for proofing, or if you have a teacher who wants to help you learn from your mistakes, you present the "work in progress" to your teacher.  She then takes a red pen and corrects the errors for you to finalize in your finished product.  How many of us really hated getting a paper back covered in red ink?  What we didn't know was that our teacher wanted us to go back, correct the errors and present the final paper error free.  We would be mortified to turn in a "work in progress" as final and complete to our boss.  

In this way, I feel like I am a constant "work in progress."  My life has been a series of mistakes and corrections made that continue to refine me.  I don't feel like I am ready to be presented as a finished work to my God, but this is my error.  It is not me that refines me.  God is at work correcting me, and refining me.  He makes me ready for the finished presentation to Him, when the Books are opened.  

"And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne.  And the books were opened, including the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.  And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire." ~Revelation 20:12, 15 (NLT)

Post Entanglement - What next?

My friend who contributed the tree branches picture in the post Entangled in Sin gave me another picture to think about.

He broke through the entangled branches of sin, only to find this scene of buried tanks of mystery.  What if you break through your addictions that kept you entangled in sin, only to find that the scene that awaits you is not what you pictured or dreamed about?

Life is hard.  Sometimes there really isn't any explanation for why some people will have a harder walk in this world than others.  Job is one such example that keeps popping up in my searches for good things to share with others.  It would seem that Job is the one we can identify with.  Job was blighted when Satan sought to test this man of God, and while he refused to curse God, he did wish to die.  If you remember the plight, Job lost everything, and then was cursed with painful illness, including horrible skin boils, "covered with maggots and scabs, skin breaking open, oozing with pus." ~Job 7:5 (NLT).

Men and women of God often find themselves in a calamity of life they cannot explain away by sin.  It could be the loss of a job, or divorce, or loss of a loved one, or even the loss of personal health, as in cancer.  The important thing to remember when we are facing these things, is that God never left your side.  It may seem that you are in a vast wasteland full of these barrels of buried waste, but even there, God is there too.

There is nothing you face that He didn't face too.  I hope you can feel assured that the One who went before us is the One who heals us.  In the end, He healed Job and blessed his second life more richly than the first half.  If you find yourself in a calamity of life, think about this life on earth as much like the first half of Job's life.  There will be a second half.  Just wait, God has a plan for you.  I like to think of my beautiful second half of life being my life with God in heaven.  These are the promises I place my hope in.  In the meantime, I pray for resilience and endurance.  I also pray heartily for my friends who walk each day in pain.

"I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promise." ~Psalm 119:148 (NLT)

Consequences of Isolation

Yesterday, Amazon faithfully delivered a Blu-Ray of Disney's Frozen.  I admit, I am watching it for the second day in a row.  I loved the story about true love and how the writers shifted away from the old Disney formula of a "true love's kiss" and into real sacrificial love.

Today, I found myself thinking more about the damage the girls' parents'  mistake did to each of their girls.  By hiding them in the castle and isolating them from others, and even from each other, they both suffered.

Elsa was not allowed to ask forgiveness from her sister from accidentally hurting her.  Instead, her parents directed her to hide her talent and sheltered her.  They did not allow her a controlled setting to learn her talent where mistakes would be allowed and accepted.  As a consequence, she grew up lonely and afraid.  When she ran away from people, she let it go, and determined life was better alone.  When her sister confronted her, she was still dangerously uncontrolled.

Anna, her sister was lonely herself, but headstrong and way too trusting of people.  She fell in love with the first man who paid attention to her.  Alas, but this man had unscrupulous intentions.  He only wanted the power of the being married to the princess.  He even later admitted to planning to kill the queen to become the king.

The story continues to lessons learned about true love, for both the girls.

The pain of isolation reaches deep inside of us.  Some of us retreat deeper into the isolation, building fortified walls to protect us from the pain around us.  Others of us are so desperate for others' approval we fail to recognize the warning signs of the people who "friend" us.  Where is the happy medium?  How do we face our fears, and how do we know who to trust?

The Bible talks about how to do this. Solomon has many words to describe deception.  "People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they're deceiving you.  They pretend to be kind, but don't believe them.  Their hearts are full of many evils." ~Proverbs 26:24-25 (NLT).  Solomon also says this: "There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." ~Proverbs 18:24.  Solomon knew the definition of a true friend was shown in the actions of true love (or agape).  We have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to be real with others, yet be discerning enough to know when they are being real with us.

It takes practice.  Get out and be real with others.

Augmented Perception

Have you ever heard of "Google Glass?" This is a wearable computer that provides a way to access the environment with an augmented reality.  

Users wearing the glasses can say, "OK Glass, take a picture," and the glass will not only snap a photo of whatever you are looking at, but can also send it to your contacts.  It takes videos, sends text messages, offers turn-by-turn directions, and will bring up google articles of whatever you ask it to.  Check out the video sample.

I just absolutely loved the concept of yet another geeky device that reminds me of Geordi LaForge's visor (from Star Trek - The Next Generation for my non-geeky readers).  But then I started thinking about perceptions.  What if we believers could don a set of "Godly Glasses?"  What if we could have the augmented reality of having God's perception on the upper right corner of our daily vision?  It would be so helpful to have God's word helping us to see the world as He sees it.  Imagine looking at a person you have judged to be "just fine," but then having the "Godly Glass" alert you to what that person needs.  

The Bible tells us we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that does help us navigate the world, much like my fabled "Godly Glasses." Consider this verse: "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." ~Romans 8:26 (NLT). 

We can get better at hearing the message of God when we train ourselves to listen.  Spending time in the Word and in prayer is the key to learning how to see the world through God's perspective.  We can train our minds to think on things of God.  When you find yourself dwelling on something negative, perhaps an unfortunate life event or even your current circumstances, dive into the Word.  Pray.  These are the key actions we can take to alter our perceptions and change our worldview.  Shy away from the things of the world that are triggers to bad thoughts.  

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." ~Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT)

Cup O' Joe with Bill: There is no substitute for real friendship

This made me smile.



Cup O' Joe with Bill: There is no substitute for real friendship

Appearances

I created a fake magazine cover to illustrate just how easy it is to pretend life is good.  How many times do we look at the people around us and think to ourselves, "Boy, he/she has it all together."  Maybe it is the confidence that person exudes when he speaks, or maybe it is the outfits she carefully puts together.  It may be the car he drives, or the job she holds.  Whatever it may be, that person has something we want: the perfect life.

How far from the truth we are! We all are broken.  It does not matter if the person seems to have it all together, they are still inside, a very broken person.  "As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous - not even one." ~Romans 3:10.  Even though the picture to the left is me, and it does appear that I am just fine, I am not.  I have many doubts, fears and insecurities.  I fear something new daily.  In fact, my dentist told me my teeth are damaged from my constant clenching of teeth during stress.  I just hide it well (I think, anyway).

I have been thinking about how much we judge people by their appearances.  As Christians, we know we are not supposed to do this, but often times, I find myself doing this.  We mostly hear about how we should honor the poor and humble, for they shall inherit the earth.  Many of us spend time ministering to this population.  I ask if we should start working on the people who have cleverly constructed facades; the ones who won't show others their pain.  How do we reach the inner person?

Sometimes, we don't.  Sometimes we just pray for others whenever God leads us to.  Listen closely to God's words whenever you meet someone new.  Pray for them.  If you find the opportunity to talk, really get down to the things that matter to that person.  This is the key to reaching them, and connecting them to the salvation message.

"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins." ~Romans 3:23-24

The salvation message is for everyone.  

Entangled in Sin

Tree branches at Rock Springs Center, Decatur IL

This was a photo taken during a walk on the trails of a local wildlife preserve.  As I gazed into the complexity of the branches vining together, so much that I cannot see the origin of each branch, I find myself wondering how the individual trees became so ensnared by vines that mired together?  What caused this mess of entanglement?  A person walking upon this would find themselves stopped, unable to progress forward.

Sometimes I think sin creeps up on us slowly like the vines that grow on trees.  We start out healthy in our walk, earnest in our faith that God will take care of us, and keep us on the straight path.  But, like a snake, the sin creeps in.  It starts with a small decision to first speak an untruth, or to visit a pornographic website for the first time, or to have the first secret conversation with someone not your spouse, or to have your first drunken party with your friends.  You justify it every time.  This is how the vines of sin enter and begin to twine.  As your behavior progresses, justification becomes easier.  It is when you no longer accept your behavior as sinful and fail to repent, that the sin entangles you.  You are trapped and can no longer progress forward in your walk with Christ.

The vines in the picture would break apart easily if they die.  What would be a good way to break apart the vines of sin that entangle you?

Repent.  It is never too late to repent.  Accept the promise of God's grace.

"You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people.  You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance.  And I have indeed heard you, says the the Lord." ~2Chronicles 34:27 (NLT)

What's my Identity?

If you are Facebook user, you may have found your newsfeed to be littered with BuzzFeed quiz results.  I have to admit, I have been lured to take several of these quizzes.  I realize they have no meaning, but still, I get a kick out of learning...

What city should I actually live in?

I got Cape Town!

Really?
Or,
What career should I actually have? ~Surgeon (That's nice)
What state do I actually belong in? ~Vermont (hmm, never been there, but I really hate winter)
How about these?
What kind of dog am I? ~Shiba Unu (what's that?)
What Star Wars character am I? ~Darth Vader (Umm, I guess I do have a dark side)
I am addicted to personality quizzes.  I take these quizzes and I find I have no real answer to who I am.  Most of the time, my results are split so evenly, the quiz becomes inconclusive.  I have no real defined personality type or identity according the people who write these quizzes.  Do I believe that?  Not for one second!
I have an identity.  I am a child of God, the one true King.  I have a purpose He gave to me.  I am part of a community of believers who have been charged to love God and love people.  There are days this is difficult for me to do, but this is the bottom truth on which I base my whole outlook on life.  I find ways everyday to return to God, and to show Godly love for others.

"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.  Remain in my love.  When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love.  I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." ~John 15:9-13 (NLT)

Will you choose your identity in Christ?