The Filter

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http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/174/cache/lawn-mower_17497_600x450.jpg

My son is quite patient by nature, but I was watching as his frustration quickly mounted. There is nothing as maddening for a 12-year-old boy as a lawnmower that keeps stalling out when you are trying to get through another round of lawn chores. My husband had been trying to get the mower fixed, but the local handyman never seemed to be home. However, as David struggled with his job, a kind neighbor came over and started to check out the equipment. He quickly told us that our problem was a dirty filter and he easily remedied the issue.

Filters are meant to keep certain things out. Their purpose is to keep things clean and in good working order. We all use filters in our daily lives. Not just in things like refrigerators, cars and vacuum cleaners, but also in things like our hearts, minds and emotions. From the time we are children, we start to install filters into our perceptions and interpretations to protect ourselves from things that seem harmful. Sometimes these are good filters. For example, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23 to “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” In other words, God is telling us we should install filters around our heart because garbage in will contaminate the quality of our existence. However, sometimes filters get dirty or wrongly installed and we tend to keep sputtering out and we don’t understand why. We don’t notice that we have installed thick filters of self-protection, defensiveness, mistrust, neediness, anger, boastfulness and a myriad other things in the hope of keeping hurtful things out. What we fail to realize is that what these filters are really doing is blocking out the good and necessary and instead of protecting our lives, they are choking us to death. Before you give up on that project, idea or relationship… check the filter!

Love Doesn't Care

The shouting, the tears, the jumping up and down all may have seemed a bit excessive to the casual observer, but none of this mattered to her! In the big picture of life, it was a relatively small victory but you would not have known this by watching her celebrate this small milestone. She had set a goal, done the work and made it happen, and now it was time to wholeheartedly celebrate! Her husband stood close by, witnessing this unbridled display of emotion which would have caused many ego-sensitive males to cringe in embarrassment or quietly slink to the nearest bathroom, but not this gentleman! With his arm slung around his rejoicing wife, copious tears of pride rolled down his rough face. It was not his accomplishment, not his achievement nor his personal victory, but one would never have known that by watching his expression of pure joy that reflected the happiness of his emoting wife. Self-consciousness was absent. Self-centered pride was carried away in the river of other-centered pride. It didn't matter what others thought, opined or said concerning the matter because the love in his heart just didn't care.

It is reminiscent of a man on a Cross. Bleeding, hurting, grieving, suffering, with rivers of blood streaming down his face. It was not His crime, not His transgression nor His fault. Self-consciousness was absent. Self-centered pride was carried away in a river of other-centeredness. It absolutely did not matter what others thought, opined or said concerning the matter because the love in his heart just didn't care.

The quality of our love is not measured as much by how much we care, but by how much we find we don't care when the whole world is watching. True love is not focused on managing opinions, presentations or criticisms of outsiders but on cultivating the well being of the ones we love at any cost, understood or not. Real love just can't afford to care.

The Cutest Passenger

I was boarding my flight to Dallas when I noticed a man by the plane door battling with a stroller. I felt sorry for him as the stroller seemed to be beating him in this parent-stroller showdown, and then I saw her standing next to him. She was the cutest little girl! I admired her dark hair and cherub face, her bright eyes and placid demeanor. It evoked a warm and fuzzy feeling indeed to lay eyes on such a sweet and beautiful child.

I slowly made my way to my row 11 aisle seat only to find it occupied by a young mother with a tiny infant in her arms. She asked me with pleading eyes if I would take the window seat next to her daughter who was coming, so I acquiesced and scooted in to the window. In a few minutes, here came the battling father that I had observed at the plane entrance with the lovely little girl in his arms. He sat her down next to me as her mother and I exchanged small talk. She was still as cute as ever, but suddenly it hit me that I would be corralled in my seat for the next 3 hours next to a two year old and a busy mother with an infant. I didn't really mind entertaining the little girl or tolerating a baby's wails, but my discomfort was in the change of plan. Air time is valuable time to write, read, think etc. and it looked like this little angel was going to change that plan for me. I recalculated and adapted to this new arrangement, but it jumped out at me how easy it is to admire something from a distance but how hard it can be to commit to it.

I am writing this from row 23 after exchanging seats with the father of the cutest passenger and I am back to Plan A, but I am still meditating on this lesson. It is one thing to admire, but it is another thing to pay the price. 

Ruffled Feathers

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:3-5

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     Nobody likes to feel threatened and many times when a storm approaches our lives, we instinctively become defensive, demeaning, intolerant, arrogant, reclusive or paralyzed in response to it. We fluff up our psychological feathers to fool ourselves and others into believing we are strong and dominant, and humanly speaking, it often works! Instead of sleeping between the prison guards while facing certain demise (Acts 12:6), we stay up wringing our hands, planning our escape, plotting revenge, formulating our defense and bargaining with God; however, although these things can strategically pay off in the natural, all these things speak of our fear, not real power. Did God not promise to give us His power? (Acts 1:8) These responses tell of a life that is not exactly sure who it belongs to, what its destiny is and acutely feels its vulnerability and powerlessness before others so it puffs up at every attack. Our anchor should be the same one of faith that King David held onto when besieged by enemies, "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee." Psalms 56:3 It is when we know without a doubt that we are God's, we can trust Him and we have constant access to His great power that we can smooth our ruffled feathers, whip out our basin and towel (or sword and shield as the case may require) and continue to operate in the confidence that our power is secure in God. 

The Equalizer

 Photo retrieved from: http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2012/04/100-years-after-the-titanic-pictures/lifeboat/

Tragedies have a way of equalizing us. It has been noted by first responders that in the aftermath of catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes etc. when homes are destroyed, possessions lost and the ephemeral nature of life suddenly brought to the forefront, that suddenly all involved find themselves on an even ground. Rich, poor, ignorant, educated, white, brown, black are all looking for the same basic essentials: water, food, shelter and blankets. All are also in need of a reassuring word, a comforting hug and a dose of generosity. Times of chaos remind us that we are all human and as humans, we all have the same essential physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

As societies expand, opportunities abound and economic prosperity begins to take hold in a nation, the differences in us begin to polarize and become more distinctive. The rich become richer making the poor feel poorer, the ambitious stand on the backs of the common people and appear so much taller, the accomplished trumpet their achievements and make others feel like under performers and the satiated flaunt their abundance, making others feel less prosperous. The thirsty ask for a cup of water, but it is a bother to give a cup of water if one has never known thirst. Thus we feel unequal. We no longer tolerate the foibles, differences and needs of others because we feel they are inexcusable- and sometimes they are! However, it will allow us to be much more forgiving and escape much frustration in our lives if we retain the understanding that all of us as humans have the same wants, needs and desires at our cores. We are all on the ship of humanity together, whether in first class or steerage, all heading towards the same horizon and all hoping for a safe passage. May it not take a run-in with an iceberg to remind us that when life is endangered, we are all looking for the same lifeboat.  

An Elementary Oversight

How can we commit such an elementary oversight? The computer is not working and we are mashing buttons, muttering under our breath and looking for the Geek Squad hotline when our kid walks in and casually mentions that we might want to plug the computer in and give it some juice. Well, maybe the better question is, "How can I do such dumb stuff??" But I have.

We take being plugged in for granted. The washer washes, the freezer freezes, the blender blends, the light lights all because they are plugged into an outlet. In our American society, we rarely doubt if there is electricity flowing because it usually is, and we trust in this external energy source for function, comfort and convenience. So it is in other parts of our lives also. We take for granted our health, strength, mental capabilities, earning power and relationships. We rarely consider what source they are plugged into or what external provider allows us this energy. That is until we become unplugged. Suddenly our health fails, we can no longer pay the bills, we start having strange thoughts or our spouse files for divorce and we start flipping a thousand different switches to try to make it all work again. Not until the last option do we finally ask ourselves, "Could it be unplugged?" Sometimes we have to push through all the possibilities, all the advice and theories and simply reconnect with the Main Source. We must take the time to unload our burdened spirits of their pain, hurt, resentment, lack of forgiveness and fear and plug back into a real relationship with the Giver of All Life. It is amazing how well things can work when they are actually plugged in!