Hey Y'all, how goes it in your neck of the woods?
Here, in Wisconsin, the White Death has begun, and this year, for the first time, I am seeing it for what it really is (to me) and I thought it might be helpful for some of y'all to understand a bit more what it is if I explained it.
I talked to my mama today and found out that in my gorgeous home state of Mississippi it was 50 degrees, rainy, and humid... Winter perfection. It's muddy, and slippery, and dreary. Tomorrow it could be 30 or it could be 70. And to me, it is both wonderful and delightful.
Here, on the other hand, it was a grand whopping two degrees when I got in my car to go to school at 6:45 this morning. As pulled out of my driveway my car bucked and groaned and protested (yes I let it warm up for awhile before leaving) and to be honest I completely understand. My tires squeaked and rubbed on the ice that had formed 'snards' on the mud flaps. Mud flaps. What is mud exactly?? Oh yes, it's that gooey brown substance that I grew up hosing off my daddy's vehicles in the roasting hot summer sunshine. It's also something that I don't think I've actually ever gotten on my vehicle since I live here, which makes me incredibly sad. But that's off topic. My point is that it was very very cold here.
I've been trying to explain to Jared the overwhelming grief that settles on my heart when it snows. The other day someone asked me what I thought of the snow and when I admitted that it feels like death to me someone else said "Well at least its beautiful death!" I understand this sentiment. The snow is beautiful. It is truly lovely when it lies unspoiled and perfect on the fields. I can see the beauty, just as I can see the beauty in a genuine fur coat, that doesn't make the fact that it symbolizes death any less real to me.
To me, snow is strange, it is cold, it is slippery, it is foreign, and most of all it is absolutely unrelenting. There is no escaping snow. It wraps the world in its icy grip and it simply does not let go. I am starting to learn that spring always comes, but the truth is that to me it doesn't feel like its going to. When the snow falls, I cry. That's just how it goes at our house. With all my heart I MISS the rain and the mud and the warmth and the changing weather.
So, all of this is true, and no matter what I do or say it's not going to change anytime soon, I know that. BUT, this is what I am learning. There is life in the White Death. God called me, a very happy to forever stay in Mississippi girl, to this far away and frozen land. He brought me into a family of people who were raised here and who feel exactly about this place as I do about my home state. He placed me in a tiny house by the railroad tracks with a man who thrives on the beauty of snow. He gifted me with the gracious love of a whole church full of people who are accustomed to snow and ice and winter and who actually think of it as a joy to live in. To all these people, I am the odd one, which has historically made it much tougher for me to cope with the White Death. But GOD, who called me here, is gracious and loving and gentle and He is teaching me that I can embrace the beauty in the White Death and lean on Him to get me through the eternally long months of winter in this frozen tundra.
So here is the moral of my long sad tale: for me, the winter is a time of grief. It is the time of year when home feels a million miles away and when I am reminded every moment that I am not in the South, that I am not in a place that is normal or comfortable for me, and that I must make a place for myself here, no matter how frozen it is. I know that to many this may seem trivial, but for just a moment stop and consider what your White Death is, and know this: God's grace is sufficient for it too, no matter how unrelenting or icy it may seem. Amen.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
A Symbol of Satan or a Symbol of Christ?
Snakes are a controversial subject. It is not at all uncommon to find people who believe with all their hearts that snakes are truly creatures from the devil and something that has deep and lasting impacts on one's spiritual life and well being.
I've been thinking a lot about this and decided that maybe doing a bit of research would be a good thing, so I started looking into what Scripture has to say about snakes. What I found might surprise you, since what I found was that the Bible doesn't say anything at all about snakes. It does, however, talk a fair bit about serpents, and to many people that is the same thing. The problem is that in Scripture it's not always the same thing, and seeing it as such skews the view that one may have of snakes drastically!
The biggest argument for the deep hatred and superstition that many Christians hold toward snakes is that it seems to have been a snake that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. This would mean that it was a snake that God condemned to crawl on its belly, a snake that Satan used as the embodiment of himself, and a snake that is forever doomed to be an evil reminder of the terrible fall that mankind took. All the Bible story books show us pictures of a snake, sometimes wrapped around a tree branch and sometimes wrapped around a pitchfork but always filled with evil intentions. The problem with this is that in Revelation chapter 12 we see a word picture painted of the evil serpent that tempted Eve, and that picture is not of a snake but of a "great dragon." This is the only place in scripture where the serpent from Genesis chapter three is described, which means that if we are honest, and if we take the Scripture literally, we have to admit that snakes might not deserve the bad rap they've gotten as the devil's tool.
Another argument that is often used in reference to the inherent evilness of snakes is the strong and often negative language that is used throughout the Bible about them. Evil people are often referred to as snakes and the danger and venom that are a part of snakiness is used as an illustration in many different passages. To some, this is enough to make snakes an obvious impersonation of evil, but according to this reasoning, we also have to condemn dogs, because they are used as examples only seven fewer times than serpents are. Psalm 22:16 says: "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."
Now let's look at the flip side of this coin; what are some positives we see in Scripture regarding the serpent? In Numbers chapter 21 God was very upset with the children of Isreal and sent poisonous serpents to punish them. If they were bitten they would die UNLESS they looked upon the bronze serpent that God had Moses construct and hang on a pole in the camp. That bronze serpent was a type of Christ. John 3:14 says, "Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert on a pole, so must the Son of Man be lifted up on the cross." If the serpent did indeed symbolize Satan and evil, why would God choose to use it as a symbol of Christ, His Son, Our Saviour?
Another place that we find a serpent in Scripture is in Matthew chapter ten where Jesus commands us as Christians to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Many people who see a snake as a symbol of Satan also see doves as a symbol of Christ or the Holy Spirit. If this is true, then why would Jesus ask us to be like both in one verse?
There is yet another issue that must be addressed; God continues to make snakes. He makes them in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of gifts, talents, venoms, uses, and practicality. There are many people who despise them, and many who find them charming and fascinating, and from what I find in Scripture neither view matters because snakes are just animals. They do not hold mystical powers, and they certainly do not all belong to the devil. If they did would God really keep creating them and allowing them to do the world of good that they do on earth in terms of keeping rodents and insects in check?
There is no denying that many people do deal with a very real terror of snakes. As a bonified arachnophobic I understand this completely! Snakes, spiders, insects, horses, mice, bats, dogs, and even cats; any creature that is unpredictable and quick moving has the potential to be life threatening and therefore a source of great fear. This is a natural reaction and most likely the reason that God uses serpents as examples so often throughout Scripture. Fearing something and feeling that it is inherently evil are two very different things.
So my friends, before you jump on the snake hating bandwagon, take a closer look at Scripture, at the nature of Christ, and at the creative genius of our Father God. He is no fool who does not cling to groundless superstitions, but he is also no fool who feels deeply his convictions and knows why he feels them. Make sure that your feelings about the inherent good or evil of an object has to do with real facts and not centuries of conditioned feelings and beliefs. Snakes, and doves, and dogs- they are animals created by God for the good of mankind and the proper running of the earth. May I gently suggest that perhaps to see them as anything borders on, superstition?
I've been thinking a lot about this and decided that maybe doing a bit of research would be a good thing, so I started looking into what Scripture has to say about snakes. What I found might surprise you, since what I found was that the Bible doesn't say anything at all about snakes. It does, however, talk a fair bit about serpents, and to many people that is the same thing. The problem is that in Scripture it's not always the same thing, and seeing it as such skews the view that one may have of snakes drastically!
The biggest argument for the deep hatred and superstition that many Christians hold toward snakes is that it seems to have been a snake that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. This would mean that it was a snake that God condemned to crawl on its belly, a snake that Satan used as the embodiment of himself, and a snake that is forever doomed to be an evil reminder of the terrible fall that mankind took. All the Bible story books show us pictures of a snake, sometimes wrapped around a tree branch and sometimes wrapped around a pitchfork but always filled with evil intentions. The problem with this is that in Revelation chapter 12 we see a word picture painted of the evil serpent that tempted Eve, and that picture is not of a snake but of a "great dragon." This is the only place in scripture where the serpent from Genesis chapter three is described, which means that if we are honest, and if we take the Scripture literally, we have to admit that snakes might not deserve the bad rap they've gotten as the devil's tool.
Another argument that is often used in reference to the inherent evilness of snakes is the strong and often negative language that is used throughout the Bible about them. Evil people are often referred to as snakes and the danger and venom that are a part of snakiness is used as an illustration in many different passages. To some, this is enough to make snakes an obvious impersonation of evil, but according to this reasoning, we also have to condemn dogs, because they are used as examples only seven fewer times than serpents are. Psalm 22:16 says: "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."
Now let's look at the flip side of this coin; what are some positives we see in Scripture regarding the serpent? In Numbers chapter 21 God was very upset with the children of Isreal and sent poisonous serpents to punish them. If they were bitten they would die UNLESS they looked upon the bronze serpent that God had Moses construct and hang on a pole in the camp. That bronze serpent was a type of Christ. John 3:14 says, "Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert on a pole, so must the Son of Man be lifted up on the cross." If the serpent did indeed symbolize Satan and evil, why would God choose to use it as a symbol of Christ, His Son, Our Saviour?
Another place that we find a serpent in Scripture is in Matthew chapter ten where Jesus commands us as Christians to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Many people who see a snake as a symbol of Satan also see doves as a symbol of Christ or the Holy Spirit. If this is true, then why would Jesus ask us to be like both in one verse?
There is yet another issue that must be addressed; God continues to make snakes. He makes them in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of gifts, talents, venoms, uses, and practicality. There are many people who despise them, and many who find them charming and fascinating, and from what I find in Scripture neither view matters because snakes are just animals. They do not hold mystical powers, and they certainly do not all belong to the devil. If they did would God really keep creating them and allowing them to do the world of good that they do on earth in terms of keeping rodents and insects in check?
There is no denying that many people do deal with a very real terror of snakes. As a bonified arachnophobic I understand this completely! Snakes, spiders, insects, horses, mice, bats, dogs, and even cats; any creature that is unpredictable and quick moving has the potential to be life threatening and therefore a source of great fear. This is a natural reaction and most likely the reason that God uses serpents as examples so often throughout Scripture. Fearing something and feeling that it is inherently evil are two very different things.
So my friends, before you jump on the snake hating bandwagon, take a closer look at Scripture, at the nature of Christ, and at the creative genius of our Father God. He is no fool who does not cling to groundless superstitions, but he is also no fool who feels deeply his convictions and knows why he feels them. Make sure that your feelings about the inherent good or evil of an object has to do with real facts and not centuries of conditioned feelings and beliefs. Snakes, and doves, and dogs- they are animals created by God for the good of mankind and the proper running of the earth. May I gently suggest that perhaps to see them as anything borders on, superstition?
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Judge not that ye be not judged...
Recently I read a conversation in a group I'm a part of on face book. It was a conversation between two women who did not know each other at all. One of these ladies had posted pictures that the other lady felt were immodest and because it is a Christian group, the second lady pointed this out to the first. Given what I just said its easy to see which of these two ladies was exercising judgement on the other right? Obviously if one child of God has an issue with something another child of God does and shares that with him or her that is being judgmental. Or at least that is what the current popular opinion would say.
Here is the thing though, the second lady in this scenario was very gentle. She did not use harsh words, she did not say anything about what was posted being 'wrong' or 'sinful' or any such thing. She did not in any way insinuate that the first lady was intending to be inappropriate. She stated her point in a very loving way, used careful wording, and made it clear that she did not want to sound harsh at all. The first lady, however, handled the situation very differently. Her words were angry. She accused the second lady of all sorts of evil and unholy intentions. She used harsh words to defend herself, when in reality she was not being attacked at all and would have known that had she read the comments with an open heart.
So here is what is rattling around in my little brain about all of this. What if we have it all wrong? What if "Judge not that ye be not judged" does not mean "don't ever reprove or correct another Christian so that you never have to deal with reproof or correction yourself" but rather means "Do not be quick to jump to conclusions about the feelings and intentions of another person so that others will respect you and grant you the same grace." Perhaps I am being too liberal with my interpretation but it seems to me that we use the 'judge not' verse as a weapon and shield to protect ourselves from the growth that we could experience through the input of other believers in our lives.
Let me put in a disclaimer right here: there have been times in my life that I'v been accused of judging, and times in my life that I was guilty of judging. I'm quite sure that both will happen again. But I don't want it to. I want to be an open book- a believer and follower of Jesus who takes correction with grace and holds her tongue from any words that are not healing. That is what I strive for, but have not yet attained. So please understand that Jesus is working in my heart about this, which is why I felt I needed to write about it.
Its never easy to take correction. Its much easier to say "YOU ARE JUDGING ME, BACK OFF" than it is to listen to another person, examine our lives, and say "you are right, I see a weakness in myself." The dictionary defines the verb 'judge' like this: to form an opinion or conclusion about. Now sometimes we do that by accusing others when we should keep our opinions to ourselves. And sometimes we do that when we by deciding that the concerns others have about us are groundless.
We make all kinds of judgements every day. We judge that someone is dirty or smelly or unsafe for our children to be around. We judge that someone is kind or gentle or a good influence on our kids. These are normal parts of life and generally don't hurt us or the ones we are 'judging' so to speak. The problem comes in when we make these conclusions and then use them to attack another person- whether that be by chastising them when we don't actually know the situation or by defending ourselves from correction by declaring another person judgmental and out of line.
I believe, after much pondering and praying, that the bottom line is this: the verse "Judge not that ye be not judged" is addressed to each individual person. We are responsible to ensure that WE are not judging others, not that they are not judging us. We can only control our own attitudes, not the attitudes of those around us. We can love, and pray, and seek to bring restitution when Jesus lays that on our hearts. But when it comes to judging- well thats in God's hands.
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