Just Showing Some Love

By Faith

I am not worth very much. I have no superstar qualities which make me stick out from the crowd. While I possess talents I don’t have any one talent that is uniquely mine, one that no one else shares. My talents are common and ordinary. When the world looks at me I am just another one in a mass of ordinary people.

Evaluating my talents I realize that I am not going to make an impact on a huge amount of people. I don’t have what it takes to make a huge difference in this world. It is thinking like this that assures that I will never make a lasting difference. When we do just the things we are confident in doing and doing just the things we perceive our resources allow us to do, we will not accomplish very much.

We don’t need better self-esteem, but we need faith. When we live by faith we understand that it isn’t about our talents or resources, but it is about God’s power at work in our lives. Stepping out to do God’s will, even when we don’t have the talents and resources, means we are giving God the opportunity to work through us.

Now, that doesn’t mean that every time we step out in faith and we seek to do something bigger than us will be a great success in our eyes. Sometimes it will even seem like a failure. Failure in our eyes doesn’t mean God’s will wasn’t accomplished. It means God’s agenda is different from our agenda.

Part of living by faith means focusing on God’s will rather than on our resources. It requires us to understand that if we are doing God’s will, then He is going to provide what is needed to get the job done. If we wait until we have the resources or the talents to do something we are going to miss out on God working through our lives to make an impact in this world.

Are You a Light, Am I?

Our love makes us lights in the world. Without love we still live in darkness, but our love, which provides a sharp contrast with the way of the world, shines for all the world to see. Why is our love a light? One reason is because love reveals life the way it is supposed to be lived. The world is filled with places where people are abused, where they are taken for granted, or they are simply ignored. If we as Chrstians participate in these same actions then we will look exactly like the rest of the world. To be lights requires that we stand apart from the world. If we can’t love ourselves and other Christians, how can we love those in the world? If we can’t love ourselves and other Christians, why would the unloved who are lost want to be a part of God's Family? Our love for each other meets a need that everyone has in their hearts.

Another reason love makes us lights is because love deals with our actions. Truth deals with thoughts and philosophies which are constantly argued and debated. When we reduce Christianity down to being just a truth, we turn it into just another philosophical discussion that is to be debated. If the truth of Christianity is lived out through our love then the Gospel moves from something that is debated to something that is real, practical and transforming. Our love is proof that the message is true.

To be lights in the world means that we love: Love God, love ourselves and love the lost. We can possess all the correct doctrine and have all the rational arguments for God's existence, but they are meaningless without love. What sometimes frustrates me is to see people who claim to be standing for "God's Truth," but who are so very unloving in their approach. Sometimes I agree with what they are saying, but I shake my head because by their approach I know they have missed the point. When we live in an unloving manner we prove that we are living in darkness!

 So how can we live a life of love? It begins by doing loving actions, regardless of how we feel about the person or situation. If we wait until we feel like loving then we will never love. Love begins by making the choice. The choice to be kind and respectful to other people. The choice to show love to someone even you don't feel like it at the time. When we do this, we begin to shine in the dark world around us.

Too Busy to Love?

 
Friends. They are so vital to our lives, and yet we can think of a dozen different reasons not to cultivate friendships. It is time consuming work to maintain friendships, and so we allow ourselves to be pushed along by life only stopping to connect with people when it is convenient to us.

One of the reasons I bring this up is because I often feel like I get treated that way. Yes, I am your friend, but the relationship is based on your terms. So, when I call, they don't return the message, or when I write an email they don't bother with a reply.

It is crucial for us to remember that we are sending a message with our silence. Being busy is no excuse for ignoring someone. We are all busy, and so relationships require we put aside, if not for a moment, the busy-ness to focus on the person. To allow our busy-ness to consume us makes us very self-centered people.

The sad reality is that as I examine my life, I realize that I have done the same thing. I haven't returned phone calls and have let emails go ignored. I pushed away the thought of buying the thank you card or stopping for a visit because I didn't have the time. People who I love and care for are left to wonder if I truly care anymore.

 Here is the question: Who is in need of our love and encouragement? Whose love and encouragement are you in need of? I am sure just like me, there is someone you know who is longing to hear a friendly voice or see a smiling face. Who are you going to share your love with today?

A Valentine Wish for All

A very Happy Valentine's Day to all of my friends and family. I love you all! As always have a wonderful day!

Eye of the Tiger

I have many television shows that I enjoy watching. From my blog postings, you have no doubt noticed that I am a huge LOST junkie. One of the shows that I haven't been able to keep up on, for various reasons, is Supernatural.

My daughter and I love this show! Mostly for no other reason than it is just good, fun entertainment.

At the end of a Season 4 episode entitled Yellow Fever, the folks of Supernatural treated fans to a hilarious clip of Jensen Ackles lip syncing Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. I have seen this clip so many times, yet every time I watch it I laugh uncontrollably. This represents for me, just one of the simple things in everyday life that make me happy. I hope you have as much fun watching it as I do. Enjoy!

Women, Faith and LOST

Television as a medium has a long way to go in its portrayal of both women and Christians, but in my rewatching of past episodes, ABC's LOST may be a promising start. It's not surprising to discover that TV is lacking in sophisticated portrayals of both women and Christian faith.

One of my favorite directors in television is Joss Whedon. Whedon is the creator of such shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and my personal favorite, FireFly. Despite the fantastical circumstances his female characters find themselves in, Whedon has been unusually successful in bringing them to life by grounding them in the common experience of women, and portraying that experience with a sympathy and a realness that is often a rarity in male directors. But what about the "common experience" of faith?

I'm hard pressed to think of a female character on television today who thoughtfully approaches issues of faith, but one that comes to mind is the character of Rose on LOST. For me, this show is one of the few on television that actively engages themes of faith. At its center is the fate vs. free will debate. Though it does so mainly through its male characters. Rose, albeit a character who screen time is dwarfed in comparison to the male characters of the show, embodies a thoughtful, confident faith that does not resort to stereotypes of religious folks. In one of the most moving scenes of the series, Rose prays with Charlie, a character struggling to make sense of a difficult situation. Her prayer (to "our heavenly Father") comforts Charlie and her faith impacts all those who come into contact with her.

I would love to see more of this kind of character, both to process my own faith and to help others understand the unique viewpoint of Christian women. LOST's subtle portrayal of faith has led to constructive conversations with millions of fans who would normally dismiss Christianity because of TV's portrayal of them as silly, judgmental or unintelligent. While TV has a long way to go, LOST represents small steps toward engagement with the issues of faith that make up our stories.