His Eye is on the Pie Too

      I got a chuckle out of this cartoon on the weekend.  Not sure why, but I suspect it illustrates a truth that hits uncomfortably close to home.  Too often I treat God as if he were distracted and not paying attention. This is not the God of the Bible: the one who came here and didn't miss a trick. Jesus knew people thoughts, he knew what they had been up to, he knew what they were saying about him even when he wasn't within earshot.  He knew how the winds were blowing and saw through to his death, resurrection and to the end of time.

      I can forget this when I watch people struggle in their faith.  I can feel that God has missed something when temptations overwhelm someone and they return to using drugs. I wonder where God is when an ex-prisoner who showed tremendous potential and had high hopes drifts slowly away from the people who want to encourage him/her and from God into a life of spiritual mediocrity or rebellion.  Someone has said that prison ministry is a "ministry of disappointment" and that is very true in a number of ways as we deal with the frustration of institutional lethargy and bureaucracy and the effects of incarceration on individuals leaving the "system." Then I remember that my frustrations and disappointments are not mine alone, they are shared by the God who demonstrates grace and mercy to me and watches as I, ungrateful as I am, grumble about the ways things have gone or even worse, ignore his gifts. 

     When we have a small god, the problems we face become ours to deal with.  When our god is small, the temptations seem so much bigger, our ability to live the way we truly want to, impossible. It is easy to become pessimistic and angry if our god is too small, for we see the injustice around us and we don't feel it will ever change. We can easily stop fighting to be different and to make our world different when we aren't sure if God is even watching.  My encouragement as I meditate on what I read in Isaiah is that he is watching and cares deeply. Wrong will be righted. Injustice will be corrected. Trust will be rewarded. God asks for us to wait, and to believe, and to obey...He is magnificent and he is loving. 

He says: 

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times would is still to come. I say my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10

"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed" Isaiah 49:23

"instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily,, and my arm will bring justice to the nations."

Isaiah 51:4-5

       

      

Poverty of Spirit

                                                                                      

                                                                   (Image from http://consecration.ca/2015/12/week-16-blessed-are-the-poor-in-spirit/)

Jean Vanier shares one of his observations about the transformation he sees in people who arrive and stay at one of the L'Arche communities when he writes: "People may come to our communities because they want to serve the poor; they will only stay once they have discovered that they themselves are the poor." Jean Vanier in "From Brokenness to Community", p.20

    Discovering poverty in ourselves is a risky business. In order to discover how spiritually poor we are it requires a realization not just that we need God on a moment by moment basis, but also that we also need each other. It requires an honest self-examination, and this can be painful. It is necessary. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" said Jesus (Matthew 5:3). The humble come to an end of themselves and there find the God who is able and willing to save and support. They also find others who God has provided for them, which will be able to fill and to complete.  

   That poverty of spirit opens doors into the lives of others. I think about Jesus bowing down to wash the feet of his disciples. That was a tremendously poignant moment and his humility and servant-heart opened up some very important discussion around the need to need others, to be in that place where we allow ourselves to be served by others.  That is not an easy place to be.  I know because I will do anything not to need others; including taking 15 minutes using a dull hand saw to cut four by fours, even after the neighbour has offered a power saw!  I sure value my independence, but sometimes my independence is enslaving, not freeing. Our vulnerability and acknowledgment of need invites people in and frees us to receive love. 

   Poverty of spirit not only allows us to be served by others but also puts us in “service mode.” Jesus said of himself: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NIV).  To be a part of community we must also serve each other and we do that by listening to each other, praying for each other, challenging each other in the way we think and the way we act.  It also means reaching out in practical ways to meet needs that exist, whatever those needs might be.  There is a cost to comfort.  There is a cost to self.

  We have so much to learn from the people God brings into our lives. The men and women I meet on a daily basis in prison ministry can teach me new lessons or remind me of truths about myself if I let them. Recognizing and acknowledging our own poverty is a starting place that opens us up to that learning.

Boundaries

 

Crossing the Line

The apostle Paul wrote in one of his letters found in the New Testament: "We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too." 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)

      Paul let people in...no question about it.  When they struggled, he struggled.  When they attacked, he hurt.  When they cried, he cried. Their successes were his successes and he rejoiced with them. I wonder what Paul would say about "boundaries"? 
      I know what I say when I am pushed to talk about them in prison ministry: "Don't share personal info, don't invite people into your home, don't give money, don't, don't, don't." Obviously, working with men and women released from prison can offer some unusual challenges and potential risks as many are dealing with both addiction and mental health issues. I sometimes unwisely cross the line and realize I have exposed myself to potential danger. It happened the other day when I visited a woman who had been referred to me.  I had never met her before and went to her place as she struggles with a significant drug addiction and agoraphobia and doesn't like to leave her home. As I sat alone with her in the apartment I understood that I had put myself in a compromising situation- one false accusation and my ability to be effective for God would be over. It wasn't wise and I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. 
    Having said this though, I am also convinced that sharing our lives is the most effective way of helping people understand the love that God has for them. Trust comes to us as we demonstrate it to others and we do that when we open our lives up to to them. I often feel a great tension between "keeping safe" and loving people the way Jesus loves. I expect I will never get it figured out entirely because the ground keeps on shifting and each person is unique, each situation has a different dynamic. I do know that getting exhausted and overextending myself trying to do too much is counterproductive. None of us are "gods" in that we can't fix anyone, or save anyone. Getting grumpy and bitter because of a lack of response or change in the person is no help to anyone. Getting "burned" and hurt by someone we are trying to serve can cause disappointment and cynicism and that isn't good.  This is what happens when we don't listen to God and respect the boundaries He is telling us to draw. 
     But, on the other hand, we know that God uses his servants to do amazing things as they step out in faith under His guidance and demonstrate His love to others in sacrificial and radical ways. Oftentimes, these are the very ways that others criticize as being too risky.  When we do demonstrate God's love in this way, the kingdom of God benefits. We all want that. We all want our lives to be invested in ways that matter. I have the feeling that sometimes, our obsession with keeping ourselves safe and erecting boundaries to do so, may mean we push people away and we cut ourselves off from God-given opportunities to really love in Jesus' name. 

    My daily prayer for wisdom is the result of James' important counsel: "if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (TNIV, James 1:5) May this be our prayer: "God show me how you want me to love today. Then give me courage to do it."