Born poor, reborn rich

At our church, we practice a discipline called My One Word. Each year we ask God for a word by which we will look for his work in us for twelve months. This year my lens-word is possess. 'Possess' is about taking hold of everything God gives me in Christ Jesus.

Four months into the year, I make three observations:

1. I think the word is too big. It's like Christmas morning when you receive too many gifts—when you want to stop opening and fixate on the gift you just unwrapped. But everyone else in the room is prodding you to move on.

2. I've seen again that I was born poor and reborn rich. Apart from these 'gifts' I could only feel disconnected, ashamed, fearful, insecure, unstable, rejected, vulnerable, insignificant, hopeless, victimized, defensive, and unsettled—that is, if I couldn't find something to distract me. But now I have moments—more and more moments—when I get that I've been reborn into 'old money'—family wealth and security, connection, acceptance, and power, going way back.

3. There's an ever-present danger of focusing too much on the 'gifts' and too little on the Giver.

Eight months to go with this word. And a lifetime to possess these gifts.

Row, row, row your boat

This morning I saw four moms exercising at the park. They were using elastic bands to work their arms while singing:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream

I think they were more interested in friendship and exercise than they were in theology. Who knows what they even believe about God?

But that song!

There are religions that teach life is just a dream—that reality only exists in the spiritual realm. But the Bible teaches otherwise. Both the spirit world and the physical world are very real.

Many Christians see life as rowing a boat gently downstream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Just passing through. But the Bible calls us to spiritual warfare. We've been given the Great Commission (Matthew 28). We pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Life for the Christian is upstream stuff. And while we are to "count it all joy", it's not always merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.

There was a time when 'go with the flow' meant fitting in with the community we were born into. Now, we can customize our community with a couple of taps or clicks and we can receive all the affirmation we crave. But now, as before, let Jesus' praise be enough.

Whose right-of-way?

I'd probably have a lot less to write about if I didn't run in the morning. Today, I was running up a neighborhood road, just about to cross a side street. I heard a car come up behind me and just as I stepped into the street, the car made a left turn and nearly hit me. We are just two days shy of Daylight Savings Time, so there was plenty light to see.

Given my location and the appearance of the driver, I suspect she might have recently relocated here from another country. Or maybe not so recently. In any case, she smiled at me—giving no indication that she felt she had done anything wrong or unusual.

The experience reminded me of so many trips I've made abroad. There, the rule is "pedestrian beware". Here, we give pedestrians the right-of-way. Maybe this driver didn't know. Or maybe she just hasn't made the cultural adjustment yet.

As Christians, our adjustment to the Kingdom of God is similar. When we start out on our journey with Christ, we know there are things we should learn right away. But learning the subtleties of culture comes in layers and it takes years—a lifetime, really.

Let me never be satisfied with a surface knowledge of my new home.