Helen Keller once said "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." I would echo her words and also add that it is a regrettable thing to have sight but see no revelation. It's really a simply matter of logic to conclude that God created us and revealed himself to us in order that we might see Him. In addition to logic, the Bible tells us that all of creation speaks to the glory of God. But do I see God as He is revealing Himself to me?
I enjoy driving in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Not only is it beautiful in its scenary, but bountiful in it's wildlife. I particularly enjoy seeing an occassional deer when driving. As the family drives we will see the ever-present "deer crossing" sign and we all keep our eyes peeled for deer. This lasts for about 60 seconds until we are distacted by something else, or prefer to go back to playing the ever-popular "ABC" game. However, quite accidentally one of us will happen to see a deer along the side of the road (not lying on the road mind you). We all stop what we are doing and admire the beauty of this majestic animal. Then we vow to keep looking, which will last for about another 120 seconds before we are distracted with the mundane antics that midigate our ever-present boredome of driving hours in the car. But I wonder, how many of those majestic deer do I miss as they reveal themselves from the trees, simpy because I am no longer looking for them.
I believe this is similar to God's revelations to us. There are times when God intervenes in our lives which is quite disruptive in order to get our attention and reveal Himself to us. Often times its is during a crisis of some sort, and as a result we turn back to God. The 9/11 act of terrorism is a great example of how our nation turned back to God and we yearned to see revelations of God to us. But how often do I miss God's everyday revelations to me, because I fail to pray, fail to read the Bible or fail to believe that God yearns for me to see God and enjoy His beauty and majesty? Could it be that God yearns for me to witness his revelation to me every day, so that I might enjoy God, walk closely with God and share God with others? Could it be, that although I have sight, I am too busy to see?
Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3, why do we judge others and try to take the speck of saw dust out of another person's eye, when we have a beam in our own eye? He tells us that those beams inhibit our vision of others and I would suggest that those beams inhibit our vision of God as well. What are the beams in my eye that keep me from seeing God's revelations to me? Pride in my own eyes, Busyness in life, Independence from God, Indifference towards God. How might my life be different if I effectively remove those beams from my eye?
What are the beams that keep you from seeing God's revelations to you? How might your life be different if you effectively remove your beams from your eye?
Brett
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The More I Try to Control, The More Controlled I Become
Recently, I have been replaying the words of Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda, the wise sage and Jedi Master is training the younger trainee, Luke Skywalker how to utilize The Force. Luke fails in his attempt to utilize the force in which Yoda replies "Control, Control, you must learn Control."
The reason I have been remembering these words is because my life has seemed rather out of control due to my computer being shut down for two weeks. As a result, my own mantra lately has been "Control, Control, Oh how I yearn for Control."
What has been interesting for me has been my reaction to feeling out of control. I have been easily agitated and eager to control other people and situations. The littlest things that remind me I am out of control have been irriating, from the red stop light to the noise in the kitchen. Another reaction has been my attempts to control other people. Ironically, the more I tried to control other people and situations, the more I found myself feeling out of control. This was especially poignant to me when my obstinate 13 year old terrier would not come in from outside when I called her. I called, I whistled, I wailed and I threatened, but I could exert no control over her, but my level of frustration betrayed the amount of control I let her have over me.
And so it is with all my attempts to control other people and things. Control is simply an illussion which I prefer to hide behind. And when the reality that I have no control confronts me, I confront others by trying to control them. As a result, I allow myself to be controlled by other people and other things. Yoda's words..."Control, Control, you must learn Control" are words that I must apply to myself and not try to exert over others.
The past two weeks has enabled me to remember that Jesus Christ is the only one in absolute control of all things. If I continually surrender to His control over my life and the world I live in, then I will have peace. But when I complain and continue to exert control over my life and the lives of others, then I will have problems. "Control, Control, I must learn Control." I must learn that Christ is in control and that I am not. When I try to control others people and things, I feel out of control, but when I surrender control to Christ, I feel at peace.
Tell me, do you have this same beam in your eye?
Brett
The reason I have been remembering these words is because my life has seemed rather out of control due to my computer being shut down for two weeks. As a result, my own mantra lately has been "Control, Control, Oh how I yearn for Control."
What has been interesting for me has been my reaction to feeling out of control. I have been easily agitated and eager to control other people and situations. The littlest things that remind me I am out of control have been irriating, from the red stop light to the noise in the kitchen. Another reaction has been my attempts to control other people. Ironically, the more I tried to control other people and situations, the more I found myself feeling out of control. This was especially poignant to me when my obstinate 13 year old terrier would not come in from outside when I called her. I called, I whistled, I wailed and I threatened, but I could exert no control over her, but my level of frustration betrayed the amount of control I let her have over me.
And so it is with all my attempts to control other people and things. Control is simply an illussion which I prefer to hide behind. And when the reality that I have no control confronts me, I confront others by trying to control them. As a result, I allow myself to be controlled by other people and other things. Yoda's words..."Control, Control, you must learn Control" are words that I must apply to myself and not try to exert over others.
The past two weeks has enabled me to remember that Jesus Christ is the only one in absolute control of all things. If I continually surrender to His control over my life and the world I live in, then I will have peace. But when I complain and continue to exert control over my life and the lives of others, then I will have problems. "Control, Control, I must learn Control." I must learn that Christ is in control and that I am not. When I try to control others people and things, I feel out of control, but when I surrender control to Christ, I feel at peace.
Tell me, do you have this same beam in your eye?
Brett
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bumping Into Myself
I remember in college taking one of those cherished afternoon naps. You know the ones which left you somewhere between a deep sleep and a deep coma. Although when I awoke it was not like waking from a deep coma, but more like awaking from an amputation surgery.
I fell asleep with both my arms behind my head, so that when I awoke both my arms and the back of my head had fallen asleep, leaving absolutely no sensation or feeling whatsoever in those areas. My feelings of refreshment from a nice nap quickly turned to amusement when I realized I could not feel my arms, nor could I find my arms.
After a brief period mixed with panic and amusement, I happened to locate my arms. I managed to get one free and and when the blood returned, I used that arm to feel around my body for the other one. Once I found the other, virtally dead arm, I raised it above my face as I lay on the bed pondering the actual poundage of my appendage. Upon my pondering I lost my grip and my virtually dead, seemingly dismemebered arm dropped and struck a blow to my face. What a way to wake up!
I believe the altercation between my arm and my face mirrors what happens when we have conflicts with others. We have run-ins with others and conflict occurs. We bump into one another in life which can result in a simple annoyance to a significant realtional rift. However, when we bump into one another in life, I believe we are simply bumping into ourselves. When we have altercations with one another, we are actually have an altercation with ourselves. We need to wake up and realize that much of our conflicts with others are due to conflicts within ourselves more than with those around us.
I believe this is what Jesus Christ was referring to when he talked in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7 verse 3. Jesus talked about the "beam" (dokos) in our own eyes. This beam exists in our eye, yet we think we are so clearly seeing the speck of saw dust in the eyes of others. It's hard to believe that a person can walk around with a huge beam in his/her eye without noticing it. But, I never thought I could lose my own arms while they were still attached to my own body. Just like my arms were dead to me upon waking, I can be so dead to this huge beam in my own eye.
This blog is devoted to taking the beams out of my eye through honest personal examination which will lead to life transformation. Feel free to join Dokosology, the on-going study of the beam in your eye. I look forward sharing and interacting with you.
I fell asleep with both my arms behind my head, so that when I awoke both my arms and the back of my head had fallen asleep, leaving absolutely no sensation or feeling whatsoever in those areas. My feelings of refreshment from a nice nap quickly turned to amusement when I realized I could not feel my arms, nor could I find my arms.
After a brief period mixed with panic and amusement, I happened to locate my arms. I managed to get one free and and when the blood returned, I used that arm to feel around my body for the other one. Once I found the other, virtally dead arm, I raised it above my face as I lay on the bed pondering the actual poundage of my appendage. Upon my pondering I lost my grip and my virtually dead, seemingly dismemebered arm dropped and struck a blow to my face. What a way to wake up!
I believe the altercation between my arm and my face mirrors what happens when we have conflicts with others. We have run-ins with others and conflict occurs. We bump into one another in life which can result in a simple annoyance to a significant realtional rift. However, when we bump into one another in life, I believe we are simply bumping into ourselves. When we have altercations with one another, we are actually have an altercation with ourselves. We need to wake up and realize that much of our conflicts with others are due to conflicts within ourselves more than with those around us.
I believe this is what Jesus Christ was referring to when he talked in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7 verse 3. Jesus talked about the "beam" (dokos) in our own eyes. This beam exists in our eye, yet we think we are so clearly seeing the speck of saw dust in the eyes of others. It's hard to believe that a person can walk around with a huge beam in his/her eye without noticing it. But, I never thought I could lose my own arms while they were still attached to my own body. Just like my arms were dead to me upon waking, I can be so dead to this huge beam in my own eye.
This blog is devoted to taking the beams out of my eye through honest personal examination which will lead to life transformation. Feel free to join Dokosology, the on-going study of the beam in your eye. I look forward sharing and interacting with you.
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