In Light of Eternity

This semester, I really don't have much actual class work anymore. I have my senior project and my internship and then two silly general education courses. I've done my time in the classroom, and now I'm applying it to prove I've learned what I set out to learn. After I'm done, I get to walk away from this school with a brand new tassel and diploma. 

But the path to this May has been littered with moments of near-panicking or fatigue. And this semester, rather than learning how to write an editorial or copy edit a story, I'm learning peace.

In the moments where the idea of completing the number of tasks set before me seems overwhelming, and there are many, I am slowly learning to trust rather than stress.

It's not easy. And it's not natural. But I was reading yesterday and the bible says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus makes things sound so easy. 

But he's right. It's not easy not to worry. Not to overreact. Not to stress incessantly about the enormity of the days ahead.

But stress is not trust, and stress is not faith. 

I read recently in "The Purpose Driven Life" that worry is like meditating on what's stressing us out.

Jesus says, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (Matthew 6:27)

No.

So we need to learn peace. We need to practice having faith. And we need to start meditating on God's word and his promise to take care of us. 

We can start by constantly keeping eternity in mind. No problem seems quite so big in light of forever.

Think incessantly about God's words to you, his promises, his commands and the peace he offers to those who trust in him. Slowly, and I mean slowly, what causes panic and stress will melt from the forefront of your mind.

Because usually those things aren't today issues. Rather than focusing our energy and time on the task at hand, we look at tomorrow's list and invest our energy in fretting about getting it done. And God has more important things for us to focus on. 

Every time I've gotten worked up about something, senior project, an article I'm writing, the opera, whatever it is, it's never as big of a deal as I think at the moment. 

But I don't think I could have tackled any of this semester without what peace I've found so far in God's grace. Because I can do all things through him. And it starts with the little things, like getting the next story done.

I hope you're learning peace as well. Life is big from the where we're standing, but small from where God is standing. So try to see things from his perspective, with the light of eternity cast upon them.

Love My Enemies?

My whole life I've read Matthew 5:48 and thought it was a nice verse. But I never really knew what it meant.

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."?

Sheesh. That's not an impossible standard or anything.

But I've read it and reread it the last few days and something finally clicked. Maybe it's obvious. I can be a bit thick-headed sometimes. Here's what I've come to realize:

Jesus isn't speaking in general or vague terms here. He still had most of the Sermon on the Mount ahead of him. He was only getting started. And this seems more like a closing statement if he meant it to summarize the whole sermon.

So I don't think it's meant to summarize everything. Not that it couldn't, but it seems to me he's saying, "Be perfect in love, as your heavenly father is."

Jesus says a couple verses earlier that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

It doesn't seem fair. Until you consider that just because someone hasn't chosen God doesn't mean God has given up on them. God sends trials and blessings on all of his children, not just the ones who are walking the "straight and narrow." Our enemies are still creatures of God.

Then Jesus says, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"

Even our enemies love their friends. Nobody has to tell you to be nice to someone you already like. It's just human nature. But it's not human nature to love our enemies, it's God nature. If we scorned our enemies, insulted them, fought their hatred with hatred, we woud only be perpetuating the Devil's agenda of discord and malice.

So this is where the hard part comes. Jesus commands us to be perfect as God is perfect by loving our enemies.

Because when we love them, despite whatever evil comes our way, we give them a glimpse of the kind of perfect love God offers us through the sacrifice of his son. By not giving up on people who spit on us, reject us, mock us, betray us and seek to destroy us, we shine God's light of redemption. Because at one point, we all did the same evils to God. And despite thousands of years of watching his kids screw up and turn their backs on him, God still fights for us.

So we should fight for the lost. Even the ones we don't like.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Nothing can quench the Father's love for his kids. We have the opportunity to be a part of God's plan to display that love. So pray for the strength to love your friends and enemies alike. Pray to be perfect, like your heavenly Father is perfect. Because humanity, now more than ever, needs that kind of crazy, passionate love. A love that erases all fear and rights all wrongs. A love that never fails.

Joseph

I was reading Matthew 1 yesterday and today, and I got to thinking. Joseph is only mentioned a couple of times in the bible. Really, of the two parents, we think of Mary. How she humbly accepted that she would have God's son and was receptive of God's will.

But consider Joseph's story. All of four paragraphs in Matthew 1. He is basically engaged to Mary. And when he finds out she's pregnant, he doesn't want to humiliate her, but it would be disgraceful to marry a woman who had already slept with a man. So out of respect for her, he planned to separate from her quietly.

But God had other plans. And he came to Joseph through an angel and said, "Hey. It's ok, Mary didn't do what you think she did. I made this happen, through my spirit. So stay with her. She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He's going to save everyone from their sins."

Joseph didn't argue. He didn't even ask the obvious question...How the heck does a woman get pregnant without sleeping with someone? He takes God at his word. And when he woke up, he did what God commanded. No stalling, no complaining. He just did it.

Joseph went counter-cultural by marrying a woman who was pregnant with a kid that wasn't his. He raised a kid that wasn't really his. And he did it on faith.

I thought it was odd that I'd never really heard people talk about how amazing a thing that was for Joseph to do. Joseph had a defining moment in his faith that determined the rest of his life.

But then I realized that Joseph's story kind of speaks to the every day person. Someone who really is just trying to please God. And they may have a great, defining moment or two. But in general, they may not be noticed. Their life probably won't be used in books like Jesus Freaks. They probably won't be a martyr. But by doing God's will in your everyday life: by being a good dad, by honoring your wife, by doing your job to the best of your ability, by trusting God, you honor God and fulfill part of God's purpose for your life.

You don't have to have a big story to have a big faith.