More Than Good Advice

As my church has been going through a sermon series on the book of Proverbs, I've been reading a chapter a day. (It works out grand because there are 31 days in July, and guess how many chapters in Proverbs? Why yes! 31 exactly.) My view of the book has been that it's a collection of random sayings that are slightly more inspired than the Chinese proverbs, or quotable quips from classic authors. The Proverbs, in my eyes, were God's how-to's for sticky situations and social scenarios.

However, upon reading them this time around and hearing the book preached on each week, I've come to hold a different view of the Proverbs. This inspired book is more than the good advice I gave it credit for. It's a portrayal of wisdom: who she is, what she looks like, and how to win her.

There are so many things in life I enjoy... financial security, a stable home, physical health, the approval of others, and friends and family. Yet walking through the day to day with all those things isn't the ultimate goal. No matter how many blessings I experience in life, there is still something more worth acquiring than security, stability, and stuff: wisdom.

A pastor described wisdom as the ability to navigate life in a God-honoring way. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that wisdom is an important spiritual characteristic as well as being straightforward and down-to-earth help. For example, Proverbs 3:30 says:

"Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm."

In one verse, God points me to spiritual character (patience, self-control, and joy) as well as a practical follow-through (don't become irritated with someone with no cause--a lesson I could work on from now until I'm 100 years old!).

 Navigating life is tricky... and my life is pretty simple compared to the experiences that many go through. If I desire to develop tact, grace, and a God-honoring way of living, I better be seeking wisdom. And for that, Proverbs is a good place to start.

Everyday Miracle

It's hard to find the right way to communicate to others how I feel and what's going on in my life. My words tumble out in a jumbled, hodge-podge fashion. But God knows in even more detail than I do, and doesn't even need me to speak perfectly precise and clear sentences for Him to understand.

Last night was one of those moments that God knew just what I needed, even when I didn't. He coordinated all the ins-and-outs to make a blessed moment happen.

The story goes like this:

After work, I somewhat randomly decided to study downtown. As I sat on a bench just outside the center circle of Main Street, a group of Christian guys and a girl came up and asked if I had a moment and they could pray for me. I cheerfully said yes! And requested they pray for me to be an encouragement to others, even when I'm stressed with school and my tendency is to become inwardly-focused The Lord gave them just the right words to sweetly lift my spirits and truthfully challenge me. When they heard I am a student, one of them reminded me to keep my precious, intimate time with the Lord as a priority over homework deadlines. Like clockwork, God had that reminder come on a day that I had pushed aside my quiet time. The fellow believer advised me to let every burden I felt to stay where it belongs: at the foot of the cross. Much of my anxiety is caused by my attempt to solve everyone else's concerns while living up to a self-imposed standard of mistake-free living. When these bold brothers in Christ prayed for peace and the joy of God to fill me up, I was truly blessed. Jesus used them to give me a timely glimpse of how time with Him is the most important rest and refreshment I can ever imagine.

As we stood in a circle on busy Main Street, we held hands and prayed. We said goodbye and they left. I sat back down, picking up my homework, and they were gone when I looked up.

I believe I have a Father in heaven who cares for me. I believe God works miracles to touch His children, and sometimes those miracles look a lot like everyday people, reaching out to pray for a stranger.

Being Grand... While Doing the Dishes

"Everybody wants to save the world but nobody wants to help mom with the dishes." -P.J. O'Rourke

There's something about ordinary, everyday work that gets hard. The day-in, day-out laundry-washing, dish-doing, work-going, homework-studying, family-crazy life. Sometimes I get up in the morning and by about lunchtime I'm exhausted with the mundane and it sounds more meaningful to do something big. You know, like serve in an orphanage in another country, teach 20 children, attend a prestigious university, or have a significant career. I want a big role that will be seen as successful and grand, one that I can announce and hear "oooh"s and "ahhh"s. I place normal life as somehow lower ranked than the "big" things, as if it's possible to do a grand thing without any ordinary, everyday work. I think I can save the world even if I'm unwilling to do the dishes.

Katie is a young woman living in Uganda, serving God and others. Talk about one of those grand, meaningful, big things, right? Surely her days are filled with only those amazing, immediately impactful things missionaries get to do. Well... her perspective isn't quite that way. (Have you read her blog? If not, check it out! It's encouraging and fabulous.) She writes:

People expect romantic, and all I have is a wildly disorganized bookshelf and dirty children shrieking with too-loud laughter. People expect that the days all hold life-saving medicine given to children on the brink of death and profound revelation and while some do, most consist more of peeling potatoes and wiping spills and listening to recited memory verses and biting my tongue as spaghetti sauce splatters everywhere and I light the pot holder on fire, again... 

I choke because my every day life begins too feel small compared to the expectation. And He breathes truth that a life is not made by lives saved or bellies fed or words written. To adore the one who created the Heavens and the Earth, to give thanks for who He is and all He has given, to worship and commune with Holy God, whispering in the quiet, clinging in the noise, believing in all circumstances – this is what makes a life large.The miracle is joy in Him in a day that goes all wrong. The miracle is standing in awe of abundance as I chop carrots and bathe babies and fold laundry. The miracle is a Son sent to die for the very likes of me and His ever-pursuing love for me still. 

It's true, I do expect some element of the romantic for someone called to be a missionary in Uganda. I imagine days filled with sharing the Gospel, grand influence in the life of a child, and no interruptions by the mundane, nitty gritty of life.

But as Katie wrote, God mixes the mundane right in with the metaphysical (thanks Nathan Clark George, for that wonderful sermon on the mundane and metaphysical!). The miracle isn't that God's calling draws us away from the mundane to experience a life more "spiritual." The amazing thing is that they go together perfectly--I can love my little brother by doing his laundry, serve God by studying hard as a student, and show God's kindness when talking to the checkout lady at Goodwill.

It's still amazing to me that people have the courage to serve in another country, or devote their lives to a specific cause. But what's even more amazing is that the most grand calling is the one that God gives--whether it's to be a Mom with 3 toddlers and babies running around like little Indians or a prolific author/speaker or an accountant or anything else. God doesn't rate our obedience to Him based on how big or little I think a situation looks. Faithfulness in "little" areas is just as important as the huge moments. 

God doesn't need to save me from the mundane parts of life to let me do something grand. Instead, I need to recognize the miracle of the everyday, and turn my eyes to God through it all. Could he call me to something different? Of course! But I can't expect to follow Him in something else if I'm unwilling to follow Him where I'm at.

Thinking Back on Scotland

Out of all the great things to see and learn in Scotland, my favorite was the story of Patrick Hamilton. Even though he was part of the church, it wasn't until he was 23 (close to my age!) when he heard the Gospel for the first time. Immediately, he became very excited about the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith. So much so that he shared what he learned with Friar Campbell. The friar was amazed by the message from Patrick and put his trust in Christ.

 Or... at least he pretended to.

 In reality, Friar Campbell had no true conversion. He didn't even believe what Patrick told him about salvation. Instead, he acted like a believer to get Patrick to tell him more about the "heresy."

Eventually, the friar turned Patrick Hamilton in to the church authorities, who acted quickly.

He was summoned by a church council, tried, and sentenced to die. Hamilton's execution was carried out very quickly so that his friends would have no time to organize a rescue.

The church archbishop's intent was to quiet the spread of the true Gospel. Quite the opposite from what they intended, the news of Patrick Hamilton's death spread throughout Scotland. When people heard his story, it made them curious to learn more about the One he stood for.

Although his time as a Christian was only a year long, Patrick Hamilton influenced many people. He wrote:

 "The Law saith, Where is thy righteousness, goodness, and satisfaction? The Gospel saith, Christ is thy righteousness, goodness, and satisfaction."

Reformed vs. Reformer

Samuel Rutherford. John Knox. Patrick Hamilton. James Guthrie.

Each of these covenanters lived radically for Christ. Any tendency toward apathy in their lives was consumed by passion for the Truth. In the world's eyes, the Scottish reformers would hardly count as successful. Rather than attaining wealth and status, Rutherford devoted himself to a small congregation. Knox spent over a year as a galley slave. Faced with burning at the stake, Hamilton chose to die for Christ instead of deny Him and live. Steadfast Guthrie held to the Word of God, not the promises of man.

Successful at first glance? Not very.

Yet every one of these men were reformers who transformed lives, influenced communities, and changed culture. Today, many Christians are content to be "reformed"--that is, holding beliefs that are in accord with reformed theology. While the set of beliefs you adhere to is critical, being "reformed" is often viewed as an endpoint that marks a past-tense completion of a goal. Contrast that idea with the reformers, whose vision never let them stop growing and reaching out.

When reformation is viewed as a collection of individuals that hold a specific set of beliefs, a standstill is unavoidable.

However, if reformation takes place as it did with the covenanters, every area of life is effected. We have a "reformed" mindset. If Christians just hold to a reformed theology, we think, then the church has accomplished its mission. Centuries ago, reformers actively applied their faith, realizing that faith that does not make an impact isn't true faith.

Today, we call Christians "reformed." Scottish covenanters were reformers.

To make my faith active, I need heaps of God's grace. Praise Him that He is willing to give it.