Buggin’

Something has been bugging me. It’s been bugging me for quite a while, actually.  And now I’m ready to talk about it.  It bugs me every time I go into an art museum.  It bugged me when Michael Jackson died.  It bugs me when I hear commercials on the radio for an exhibit “celebrating the human impulse to perform.”

Disclaimer:  This is a stream-of-conscious blog.  I’m literally working this out in my head as I write.  I am not out to accuse or condemn anybody.  This is simply my opinion and nothing more.  It is worth absolutely nothing.

I love music and art.  I think it exhibits part of God’s character, BUT I refuse to celebrate any human impulse.  I will praise God for his creative work in humanity, but I will not praise humanity itself.

I don’t even bother going into art museums any longer.  It’s too loud.  It’s as if every painting and sculpture in the place is screaming at me, saying, “Look how great we are!  Humanity can do anything.  We are limitless.”  It’s as if we’re trying to build that silly tower all over again.

Please understand.  Art is a beautiful gift given to us by God so that we can be like him.  I love to look at art and praise Him for the gift He has given…for the little portholes of beauty He has blessed us with in a sometimes dark and difficult life.  However, I find that the spirit with which these collections are often put together smells a bit of the offensive incense offered at the Tower of Babel.

It goes like this: I bake you a cake.  I use the best ingredients and work for hours to make sure it is beautiful and delicious.  I place the cake on the table.  Slice off a piece and give it to you.  You take a bite and look squarely at the cake and say, “You are absolutely scrumptious.  I have never tasted anything so good!  Thank you for tasting so good.”  It’s a silly picture but it is the exact same thing as celebrating human talent for the sake of human talent.

When Michael Jackson died, I must confess that I was a little surprised at the corporate mourning that took place in our country.  Not that I don’t think he deserved to be mourned.  Every person deserves that, but it almost seemed as if people worshiped his talents and accomplishments and were mourning the loss of those rather than the fact that one who bears the image of God had suffered an unfortunate and untimely death.

When we appreciate the talents of an individual, whether it is art, science, or something else, we must attribute those talents back to the One who gave them.  It is not to Michael Jackson’s credit that he had an incredible voice, was a great dancer and showman, and accomplished what no one ever thought he could.  It is to God’s credit.  Had God not chosen to give him those gifts, Michael Jackson would have been an ordinary guy with an ordinary life.

Maybe I’m just weird, but I find humanity worthy of zero glory and credit.  It all goes to God.

Whew.  I’m glad I got that off my chest.

Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed? – Isaiah 2:22 NASB

Divine Discontentment

Ever feel like you’re tired of your life? Maybe you feel like you’re bored with being you?  You go on and on, every miserable day the same as the one before?  Praise God!  You have been blessed with the gift of discontentment.  Perhaps you think you should move?  Or get a new job?  A new boyfriend/girlfriend?  Maybe go back to school?  You think, “I just need a change of pace…that will make everything better.” Perhaps you should think again.

I’m not saying that you couldn’t benefit from a change of pace.  I am merely suggesting that it is entirely possible (and actually quite likely) that after a few months or years of your “new pace” you will end up in the same unhappy hole.  You see, I believe that discontentment is a gift from the Holy Spirit to push us deeper into the vast ocean that is the knowledge of God. The human heart was built to be fascinated.  That’s why you’re bored.  You can try and fascinate yourself with earthly things, but it will only last so long.  It only takes a certain amount of time to discover all there is to know about a new city or to learn a new profession.  You will eventually become bored with any new venture you take on. This fact, my friends, is a divine gift.  We simply cannot fill ourselves to satisfaction with the things of this realm.  We must be drinking from the well that will never run dry.  The Psalmist prophesies of the children of God, “As they make music they will sing, ‘All my fountains are in You(Psalm 87:7 NIV).’”

I want that to be the song in my heart—that all my fulfillment and satisfaction is found in God alone.  Yes, I find fulfillment in my husband and my daughter, but these are gifts from the Father, and without Him I would grow bored and frustrated with them too (just Google “divorce rates” or “foster children” to see what I mean).  One of my favorite Bible teachers, Mike Bickle, often says that you can do the will of God in hospital bed or a prison cell—it is not dependent on your circumstances or surroundings.  Take a lesson from the desert fathers and John the Baptist.  You can be in the middle of the Sahara with only a water supply and a Bible and never be bored.  The only thing that will fully fascinate and settle the trouble in your soul is God Himself.

My advice?  Use this gift instead of trying to bury it in earthly experiences.  Throw yourself into the first commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. (Luke 10:27 NIV)

That alone can take a lifetime to do, and as you fulfill the first commandment, you’ll naturally fulfill the second—loving your neighbor as yourself.  Purpose yourself to know that which cannot be known by any natural means—Eternity—and if you manage that and still want to move then pack your bags.  Just make sure you’re not doing it to relieve yourself of the discomfort that God has so lovingly bestowed upon you so that you may come closer to Him.

A pro-life culture

Most people who know me know that I am vehemently pro-life.  I find that term to be interesting: “pro-life.”  It’s interesting because many people who claim to be “pro-life” are, in fact, only “anti-abortion”, which isn’t a bad thing to be.  We can certainly connect with God’s heart by being “anti-abortion.”  Abortion is wrong because murder is wrong, but why is murder wrong?  It’s wrong because God is pro-life.  God loves life and creates it with joy and gladness in his heart. We need to love life that way.

I am definitely against abortion, but I believe we are missing the mark when we reduce the pro-life stance to simply being against abortion.  We have a pro-life culture when we celebrate life, when married couples aren’t afraid of getting pregnant, when we open our homes and hearts to the orphan and the widow in distress.  We love life when we go out of our way to help single mothers and fathers.  Let the reader understand that I am pointing the finger at myself here.

I understand I’m walking on thin ice, but bear with me.   I’m not against all forms of birth control (though I am against popular forms of birth control that prevent implantation, thus causing spontaneous abortions).  I believe that God gave us dominion and that includes the issue of family planning.  It’s not wrong to take measures to keep from getting pregnant, but it is wrong to take those measures out of fear that a baby will mess up your life.  I find that many young couples are simply afraid of having a baby because the world’s wisdom says it’s better to accumulate wealth before having children so the addition of children will not upset one’s lifestyle.  Remember, the wisdom of God is foolishness to this world.   Let it be known that God loves babies and we need to love them more than we love a comfortable life! Again, having a comfortable life is not wrong, but prioritizing comfort-ability and convenience over new life is wrong.  A better attitude might be to say, “I don’t think I’m ready for a baby (or another baby) right now, but God knows best and whatever He decides is fine with me.”  The Bible makes it clear that children are a blessing from the Lord.  How many of us refuse God’s blessing because we have our own plan for our lives and it doesn’t involve children until a certain point?

Let’s join together to start a culture that is truly pro-life.  It begins with us.

Babies, Big Heads, and the Father’s Heart

I type this post as my husband and I just put our two-month-old daughter to bed for the night (or part of it…hopefully).  In the same way I approach almost every new venture in my life, my introduction into motherhood has found me doing extensive research on babies, child rearing, child psychology, etc.  Did you know that human babies are born more immature than any other mammal on earth?  According to Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, this is due to the evolution of the human brain.  His theory is that humans originally (if “originally” is even possible in the theory of evolution) had a twelve-month gestation period, but as the human brain began to evolve babies’ heads became larger.  In order to survive with this larger head, babies needed to be born earlier–before their heads became too large to pass through the birth canal.  Of course, as you know, Dr. Karp’s theory is bunk, but I just happen to have a theory of my own.

Now this is simply a theory.  I cannot quote chapter and verse to back me up, but indulge me for a moment, if you will.  I think everything about having a child is specifically designed to give us deeper insight into the knowledge of God (as are most human experiences).  God created us in His image and He gives us children in our own image.  Think about that for a moment.  God could have designed the human race in any way imaginable.  In fact, He could have designed us in countless ways unimaginable to the human mind, but He chose to design us so that genes are passed down from parent to child; thus giving us children in our image just as He created for Himself children in His image.

He did not only that; He also designed us so that babies are born out of love.  He could have made us asexual creatures who procreate automically, but He didn’t.  He wanted children to be conceived in love just as humanity was conceived from the love of God.  Once the child is conceived, He allows the mother to carry her child inside her own body, just as He carries the plan of us in His heart before we are ever conceived or born (see Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5).

It is no mere coincidence that babies come out of the womb completely helpless.  It is part of God’s brilliant plan.  We are completely helpless.  Without Him we can do nothing.  Left on our own, we would die slow, painful deaths, but we don’t have to because He made a way.  And He not only made a way to save us, He gives us beautiful gifts, such as parenthood, which are designed to bring us even closer to Him.  As I have been a mother to this little girl for a mere two months, I have grown a deeper appreciation for the humility and servanthood of God than I have ever known.  I’m so very thankful for this journey!

More questions than answers

I often wonder how God feels regarding the depravity of the human race. We marvel at his creation. The stars, the planets, galaxies, oceans, and sunsets are but a few of the things that make us sigh and say “God, what a wonderful world you have made.” Yet the human race is the crowning glory of His creation. How often do you stop to praise God for making a person? Perhaps we praise God for our spouses or our children (occasionally), but he created the serial killers and the rapists too. I’m not saying that we should praise God for murderers and sex offenders. As the title indicates, this post contains many more questions than answers. I just wonder how it makes Him feel to see the crowning glory of His creation debased to the level of animalistic behavior–killing our own babies, molesting our own children. I often imagine that it hurts Him and makes Him sad. Yet the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. Hmmm.

If I knew that one of my children would grow up to hate me and vehemently oppose me would I still conceive that child? Honestly? Probably not. However, unlike me, God knew that the majority of humankind–His beautiful, glorious dream that He brought to life–would hate Him, yet he still created them. Why? He not only created mankind, but became a man and died for all those who hate Him. Why would He do such a thing? Is the love of the few worth the hatred of the many? Does the glory of His brilliant plan of salvation outweigh the pain caused by those who turn against their maker? It wouldn’t be worth it to me, but I’m not God and He’s not asking me to do what He did. I’m one of the depraved that He rescued and is continually transforming into the likeness of Himself. I don’t know why, but I am certainly thankful.