wizard's sock theology
i've had a lot of time lately. time to do a lot of thinking. time to do a lot of emailing with others who are doing a lot of thinking. i appreciate people who think and debate to a determined end - an end meaning that they are genuinely looking for an answer. this does not mean we will always find the answers. but we're looking for them. together. and this is the only way in which we might even have the chance of possibly finding an answer.
so i've decided to share a quite intriguing analogy sent to me by a friend (if this friend opposes the sharing, i hope this friend will let me know). the second is a thought that simply developed as i was typing an email response to something of the same topic. i welcome all thoughtful comments.
friend:
Bad things do happen for a reason. It's kind of like playing King's Quest or Legend of Zelda when you were a kid -- you fight some bad-ass dragon in some weird castle to win a weird trinket like a wizard's sock, which seems strange and useless at first. But you just put it in your sack and know that, when the time is right, you'll know just the right time when that wizard's sock will be absolutely necessary. And, like you alluded to, God will not give us circumstances that we cannot handle (end of the game without the wizard sock). So if we miss something along the way, then God will still provide in those circumstances.i will now refer to all bad things as
the wizard's sock ;)
me:
a friend reminded me of the story of Joseph being sold as a slave only to later save his family from the famine. amazing how quickly i forget such stories, as it was one we focused on at NIKOS. she reminded me that, while it was a horrible experience to be sold as a slave, it certainly was God's will to use Joseph to save his family. unfortunate circumstances got him there, ..."but God intended it for good..." (Gen. 50:20). so whether we talk about God's will as sovereign or permissive, i certainly, though it sounds odd, am thankful for such circumstances.
i have always been saved from much in even the most painful situations, and now can be much more significantly used by God. ...my pastor in college has suggested that to the degree that we have suffered is also the degree to which God will be able to use us (this is definitely a paraphrase). i was very uncomfortable with that when i first heard it because i hadn't had much suffering in my life. 5 chronological years, 2 (and i should say ONLY 2) painful experiences, and only God knows how many years in maturity later, i can begin
to see the reality of his proposition. and i think i'm beginning to answer my own question of, "should we, then, seek out suffering in order to be used by God?" i would say, "no," for these events have a way of finding us on their own, and only then can we have the humility for God to use them in our life the way he intends. does our sin sometimes play a part in the occurrence of these events? sure. Joseph's pride over his dreams spurred his brothers to hate him and sell him as a slave. but Paul is very strong when he says we should not sin more for grace to abound more. neither do i think we should seek suffering, or dismiss our own sin, because it brings about better usefulness in God's kingdom. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 (ESV)
refer
here for more applicable verses.
control
we don't have any. and to think we do is a bit prideful. God tends to use events in my life (sometimes quite painful events) as reminders of this simple fact.
i think i just might be what you call a control freak. i like to think i can do everything on my own. even something as big as life itself. but this is just simply not the case. i need God and i need people.
if i would always remember that, without the intimate involvment in my life of those who love me, i would be on a downward spin toward destruction, i might more often heed those fleeting thoughts that these same people really should know what's going on in my life. instead, sometimes i choose to say, "no, i've got it under control."
clearly, i do not.
thankfully, God steps in. he takes the form of a church body that cares more about
people than stepping on toes. a church body that cares more about
truth than being the "nice guy." a church body that cares more about
restoration than revenge.
and it is this need for God and people that i hope i never again neglect.
i am soon to embark on a very huge task over which i have only the amount of control which God feels adequate to give me. it is a task in which i MUST depend on others for help. though i will be far from home, God is always near, and His body always active.
Hebrews 10:25
...not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another...
NEWS ALERT!
I AM NOT MARRIED, NOR AM I GETTING MARRIED ANY TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE
i don't know where these rumors start, but there is not even a hint of reality to them.
i'm not even dating anyone to whom i could be thought to be married or engaged (and for clarification, lest this be misinterpreted, i am not dating anyone AT ALL).
people and their crazy desires to get everyone hitched...
Camp NIKOS
Camp Nikos was definitely an experience. but isn't everything in life?
anyway, it was a great time. i had a cabin of 6 girls, ages 11-12 (well, actually 11-probably 14, but since the camp is capped at 12, we'll pretend these kids didn't lie...), plus me and two high school girls to help out. the average camper to counselor ratio was 2:1. pretty amazing, i think. i've never worked at a camp with such a small ratio. it was wonderful.
we only had one problem child. 1 out of 6 isn't too bad. and as far as problems go, i think i'll choose the "i'm 13 and you're not my mom so you can't tell me what to do" attitude over guns and drugs.
as mentioned before, the theme was Heroes & Giants. pretty powerful stuff considering where these kids come from. Tim Pinson did a great job of relating these Old Testament stories to the reality that these kids face every day. i heard one disturbing story from one child about a bruise on her leg. her mother hit her with a belt because she went into a room she was not supposed to go into. she wasn't supposed to go into this room because her step-father was in there with a gun. he was so angry he thought he might kill someone. i don't know which is worse - the fact and reason that she has a bruise, or that she might not even have been at camp. even though this was the only disturbing story that i personally heard, i know there were many more like them from these kids. at least they had one week to be away from it all.
one of the big lures of this camp is meal time. these kids get 3 full meals a day, plus two snacks. not a big deal to most of us. yet most of us didn't grow up hating summer because it meant we no longer got the governement provided breakfast and lunch at school. and most of us didn't grow up having to steel chips and coke from the corner convenient store for our dinner.
one thing i learned during the week is that simple concepts are sometimes all we really need. we sang all the goofy camp songs - many multiple times every day. we heard Bible stories i've heard from the womb. yet because of God's perfect timing, all these simple, yet glorious, concepts came at just the time that i needed them to be reinforced in my life.
here's just a few little blurbs of things i heard repetitively throughout the week:
"my God is a GREAT BIG GOD and He holds us in His hands"
"He's REAL!"
"...but God intended it for
good..." (Gen. 50:20, emphasis mine)
"The Lord rescues and He saves. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth." (Daniel 6:27)
i'm alive!
yes, folks, it's true. i am still alive. for those who actually read my blog, i apologize that it has been such a long time since i've posted.
one reason i have been absent is because i spent the last 7 days at
camp NIKOS. there will be a subsequent posting about this with more details, and hopefully a few lovely pictures. for now i'll just say that the lack of sleep and ability to keep up with personal hygeine was totally worth it.
there have been many lessons learned in the past 2 weeks. lessons that were keeping me from this dear friend of mine, the internet. suffice it to say that sometimes life isn't easy. sometimes it's just plain HARD. now i'm not trying to say that i have anything to compare to the kids i just spent the past 5 days with. nevertheless, we all have to face
giants in our lives, even if they aren't 9 foot Goliaths defiantly making fun of our God. but one thing i do know is this. my God is big. my God is powerful. my God is good. my God is REAL.
