On Sunday at our church we talked about submission. Now before you throw your computer off of your lap or yell at the monitor, let me clarify.
We are in a series on Abraham and talked about how Abraham let Lot choose his land first. Our conversation focused on “submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ” not “wives submit to your husbands”. Both are important conversations to be had but I want to talk about submission in general before we drag gender into it.
Here is where I landed on things: the word submission leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It has been misused against me and in instruction of me for all of my life. I relate submission to be being a limp noodle. You are in submission to someone when they dominate you. You may know more about a topic or decision but you defer to another’s opinion either for the sake of avoiding conflict or for fear of their reaction. That is the submission that I have been taught in the past. Who would want to do that?
And why would Christ call us to a life of fear?
Maybe I’ve misunderstood. On Sunday, I started wrestling with the idea of submission as controlled power. Choosing the way of another not because they are better than you or smarter than you or stronger than you. Laying down my own will not because I am afraid of conflict or strong reaction. Submitting my choice to another to show love. Allowing what may not be best for me, right now, so that what is best for another can shine through.
That seems more like what Christ would call his followers to.
What do you think?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Updates
So, I'm not capable of deep thoughts tonight. Why?
1. I'm hungry, even though I already ate dinner, and Hawaii is only 35 days away. No ice cream tonight!
2. I'm in that miserable pre-peeling stage after a bad sunburn. I am itching sooo bad!
3. I'm too busy enjoying our air conditioning that is working again. In Texas, in almost July, air conditioning is a necessity, not a luxury!
4. Work is hard right now. There is so much to do and no confidence to do it.
5. Did I mention that Hawaii is only 35 days away? Maybe I should explain that...in 35 days my sweet husband and I leave to celebrate our tenth anniversary in Hawaii. I could happily leave today and stay for 35 days! Kauai, our destination island, is one of my favorite places in the whole world and we haven't been there since our honeymoon.
OO! Here's a good idea to talk about: I have been dreaming about a vow renewal ceremony on the beach, at sunset on our anniversary. I would love to hear your creative input on ways to make it memorable and meaningful. Whatcha' think?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Wonder
Last week we took the family to San Antonio. It was a week of relaxing and just being together but the best part was going to Sea World. We rushed in the gates at 10am and headed straight to a show called "Viva". Dolphins and Beluga whales swam with synchronized swimmers and amazing divers all set to music. We were all mesmerized.
I found myself a little teary-eyed as I watched the dolphins and whales with their trainers. Complete trust and deep relationship existed betweeen an animal and a human. Part of my soul connected to this idea that God meant it to be like that. Animals were meant to trust humans as their protectors; humans were meant to treasure the gift of wildlife as a huge responsibility.
I am very disconnected from nature most of time. I'm not really the outdoorsy type. Outdoors is hot, messy and involves bugs. None of those are really my forte. But just maybe I've been missing out on more than grass stains and mosquito bites. Maybe I've been missing out on connecting with another way that God reveals Himself.
I'm not sure where this idea will really flesh out in my life. I still do not like heat or bugs but I do need to be connecting with God in all the ways that He would reveal himself to me. What do you think?
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Gift of a Godly Woman?
Recently the women’s ministry of our church set out to put women to work in the congregation according to their spiritual giftedness. When asked on a survey to list their spiritual gifts, 90% didn’t answer. I was stunned! Did they not know their own giftedness? Were they embarrassed by their gifts? In conversations that followed this survey, women made the most astounding statements regarding their own spiritual giftedness. One woman stated that she had been taught that only men had spiritual gifts; women had talents. Another woman stated that she didn’t have any spiritual gifts; she just did whatever needed to be done. Yet another stated that she was afraid to tell people her gift because it wasn’t “lady-like”.
Each of these women pursues the same question from a different point of view: are godly women a gift to their congregations? Experience teaches unforgettable lessons and these women have been very good students. They discovered that they were a liability, not an asset, in their giftedness. Consequently, these women have shut down their attempts to use their gifts completely.
The Pattern
Our home was once just a house to me. It was a foundation with walls and floors. The furniture inside belonged to someone else as did the experiences within. Now, the walls are colors that I love. I remember painting them in the wee hours of the morning. The floors are materials that I had a part in choosing. I remember the sweat that went into installing them. There have been meaningful or funny events in every room in our home. Those memories are ours. These layers of meaning have added richness to my understanding of this structure we call home. It is no longer just an architectural establishment; it is a creation of love, time, and personality.
This discussion of women in our churches is the same way. While our heritage teaches us to say, and believe, that we only look at the Bible for our guidance in church life, it’s not always true. Current culture and centuries of history influence how we understand the Bible’s teachings on any given subject. Whether or not we recognize it, we are products of the world we live in.
Our current culture spotlights workplace gender equality efforts. Nightly news programs tell us that the glass ceiling women once faced is more like cellophane now. Pay scales are leveling out. Human resource managers proudly describe their family leave plans for both men and women. In other words, if men and women work the same, they are equal.
History’s attempts at gender equality center on the feminist movement. Women’s suffrage and reproductive rights have been aggressively pursued in the United States. Now the feminist movement has turned its attention to other countries for the battle here is well in hand. After all, there is a woman who is a legitimate force in the race for president!
Restoration churches, on the whole, have fought against this tide of change. While our women joined the workforce, they haven’t been invited to join the kingdom workforce with all they have to offer. In fact, most churches have created women’s ministries as a place for women to minister to other women. In theory, a great idea! But the motivation behind that idea is questionable. Are churches actually trying to avoid the question of gender equality by segregating men and women?
Modern history has tried to redeem the concept of gender equality by focusing on the feminist movement. Culture has tried to redeem the concept of gender equality by focusing on the workplace. Restoration churches have yet to offer their redemption to the concept of gender equality. Does the church have a responsibility to redeem the idea? The answer isn’t clear cut or well defined. However, for too long we have refused to ask the question because the answers seem too complicated. I don’t intend to offer answers here as they would just scratch the surface. Instead, I want to examine the influencing factors that make up the questions.
Biblical History
The Old Testament portrays women as property of their husbands, as was to be expected by the culture. They are excluded from Yahweh’s worship when they are unclean every month. While Jewish worship in New Testament times is even more rigid in its attempts to keep women separate in worship, Jesus doesn’t always respect those partitions. He engages women in spiritual conversation on multiple occasions and welcomes Mary as a disciple at his feet.
The New Testament church seems to have struggled with this concept a great deal. There was no LAW to tell them how worship should be done. Jewish Christians drew from their temple experiences. Recent pagan converts drew from their own worship. There were deities represented as women in their worship and women were part of public pagan worship. Usually, that involvement was sexual. Perhaps God, in His great wisdom, wished to protect women from such exploitation in the name Christianity.
Both Jewish and pagan influences held sway over the churches described in our New Testament. I believe that Paul did his best to offer advice on balancing the two with God always in focus. However in today’s reading, Paul’s teachings on women are inconsistent at best and downright confusing at worst! To one church, he tells women to be quiet always. To another, he reminds women to cover their heads when participating in worship. When we are trying to be the New Testament church, which instruction do we follow?
Current Church Culture
Restoration churches love a good idiosyncrasy. Women can stand on a stage as part of praise team but not pray aloud in front of a man. Women can teach a bible class for teenagers but not adults. Women can serve potluck dinners but not distribute a communion tray. It seems that we have developed a culture of norms that confuses an outsider. If we were really honest with ourselves, we might admit our own confusion! Many churches seem to have created the idea that women’s ministry is the answer to gender equality. While ministry to women by other women is valid and needed, it does little to alleviate the tension.
A woman may be the CEO of a corporation but she may not offer her expertise in efficient management to a church. A woman may be a professor of Jewish history but she may not present in a Bible class. A woman may be a professional speaker but may not share her testimony with the church. These are such strong contrasts to one another that it stands to reason that one perception is mistaken. Is it that culture is wrong? Or could it be that the church has refused to wrestle with the question of gender equality?
Redemption is the business of God. He sent His son to redeem humankind back into relationship with Him. The church is now the hands and feet of that mission. We have been given this mission of reconciliation, bringing the world back to its originally intended order. Does that include gender equality?
The Problem
Life in the restoration movement has been very challenging for me. I have struggled to find a “home”. You know that elusive place where you are safe to be all that you really are and to share all that you long to become. As a woman in the churches of Christ, I have felt that being gifted wasn’t really a gift at all. My gifts seem to cause strife either to myself or to the church at large. I have spent a lifetime wondering if I was mistaken about my giftedness; maybe these are just things that I am good at for the purpose of making a living.
I am a woman in the church of Christ. I was born and raised in the churches of Christ. I graduated from a church of Christ college. I married a church of Christ minister. I currently attend a church of Christ. I bring my children to that same church of Christ. I understand the rich heritage, and the ugly baggage, that comes with the name church of Christ. I live in the church of Christ world, with all of its complexities. I love church, as God’s choice of instrument in the world, and give my life to her mission. I respect the past to learn from it. I long for the future where God is King of His people again. I live in the present seeking choices that bring about that future. I have committed my life to restoration churches and their desire to be the kingdom of God right here and right now. I am in need of redemption.
Each of these women pursues the same question from a different point of view: are godly women a gift to their congregations? Experience teaches unforgettable lessons and these women have been very good students. They discovered that they were a liability, not an asset, in their giftedness. Consequently, these women have shut down their attempts to use their gifts completely.
The Pattern
Our home was once just a house to me. It was a foundation with walls and floors. The furniture inside belonged to someone else as did the experiences within. Now, the walls are colors that I love. I remember painting them in the wee hours of the morning. The floors are materials that I had a part in choosing. I remember the sweat that went into installing them. There have been meaningful or funny events in every room in our home. Those memories are ours. These layers of meaning have added richness to my understanding of this structure we call home. It is no longer just an architectural establishment; it is a creation of love, time, and personality.
This discussion of women in our churches is the same way. While our heritage teaches us to say, and believe, that we only look at the Bible for our guidance in church life, it’s not always true. Current culture and centuries of history influence how we understand the Bible’s teachings on any given subject. Whether or not we recognize it, we are products of the world we live in.
Our current culture spotlights workplace gender equality efforts. Nightly news programs tell us that the glass ceiling women once faced is more like cellophane now. Pay scales are leveling out. Human resource managers proudly describe their family leave plans for both men and women. In other words, if men and women work the same, they are equal.
History’s attempts at gender equality center on the feminist movement. Women’s suffrage and reproductive rights have been aggressively pursued in the United States. Now the feminist movement has turned its attention to other countries for the battle here is well in hand. After all, there is a woman who is a legitimate force in the race for president!
Restoration churches, on the whole, have fought against this tide of change. While our women joined the workforce, they haven’t been invited to join the kingdom workforce with all they have to offer. In fact, most churches have created women’s ministries as a place for women to minister to other women. In theory, a great idea! But the motivation behind that idea is questionable. Are churches actually trying to avoid the question of gender equality by segregating men and women?
Modern history has tried to redeem the concept of gender equality by focusing on the feminist movement. Culture has tried to redeem the concept of gender equality by focusing on the workplace. Restoration churches have yet to offer their redemption to the concept of gender equality. Does the church have a responsibility to redeem the idea? The answer isn’t clear cut or well defined. However, for too long we have refused to ask the question because the answers seem too complicated. I don’t intend to offer answers here as they would just scratch the surface. Instead, I want to examine the influencing factors that make up the questions.
Biblical History
The Old Testament portrays women as property of their husbands, as was to be expected by the culture. They are excluded from Yahweh’s worship when they are unclean every month. While Jewish worship in New Testament times is even more rigid in its attempts to keep women separate in worship, Jesus doesn’t always respect those partitions. He engages women in spiritual conversation on multiple occasions and welcomes Mary as a disciple at his feet.
The New Testament church seems to have struggled with this concept a great deal. There was no LAW to tell them how worship should be done. Jewish Christians drew from their temple experiences. Recent pagan converts drew from their own worship. There were deities represented as women in their worship and women were part of public pagan worship. Usually, that involvement was sexual. Perhaps God, in His great wisdom, wished to protect women from such exploitation in the name Christianity.
Both Jewish and pagan influences held sway over the churches described in our New Testament. I believe that Paul did his best to offer advice on balancing the two with God always in focus. However in today’s reading, Paul’s teachings on women are inconsistent at best and downright confusing at worst! To one church, he tells women to be quiet always. To another, he reminds women to cover their heads when participating in worship. When we are trying to be the New Testament church, which instruction do we follow?
Current Church Culture
Restoration churches love a good idiosyncrasy. Women can stand on a stage as part of praise team but not pray aloud in front of a man. Women can teach a bible class for teenagers but not adults. Women can serve potluck dinners but not distribute a communion tray. It seems that we have developed a culture of norms that confuses an outsider. If we were really honest with ourselves, we might admit our own confusion! Many churches seem to have created the idea that women’s ministry is the answer to gender equality. While ministry to women by other women is valid and needed, it does little to alleviate the tension.
A woman may be the CEO of a corporation but she may not offer her expertise in efficient management to a church. A woman may be a professor of Jewish history but she may not present in a Bible class. A woman may be a professional speaker but may not share her testimony with the church. These are such strong contrasts to one another that it stands to reason that one perception is mistaken. Is it that culture is wrong? Or could it be that the church has refused to wrestle with the question of gender equality?
Redemption is the business of God. He sent His son to redeem humankind back into relationship with Him. The church is now the hands and feet of that mission. We have been given this mission of reconciliation, bringing the world back to its originally intended order. Does that include gender equality?
The Problem
Life in the restoration movement has been very challenging for me. I have struggled to find a “home”. You know that elusive place where you are safe to be all that you really are and to share all that you long to become. As a woman in the churches of Christ, I have felt that being gifted wasn’t really a gift at all. My gifts seem to cause strife either to myself or to the church at large. I have spent a lifetime wondering if I was mistaken about my giftedness; maybe these are just things that I am good at for the purpose of making a living.
I am a woman in the church of Christ. I was born and raised in the churches of Christ. I graduated from a church of Christ college. I married a church of Christ minister. I currently attend a church of Christ. I bring my children to that same church of Christ. I understand the rich heritage, and the ugly baggage, that comes with the name church of Christ. I live in the church of Christ world, with all of its complexities. I love church, as God’s choice of instrument in the world, and give my life to her mission. I respect the past to learn from it. I long for the future where God is King of His people again. I live in the present seeking choices that bring about that future. I have committed my life to restoration churches and their desire to be the kingdom of God right here and right now. I am in need of redemption.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Shack
I think I have a new favorite book. It is "The Shack" by William P. Young and I read it in about six hours. I was completely fascinated by it. While the book is fiction, I marked page after page of profound ideas about God and relationship with him.
The premise is that a man who is hurting and in a deep depression gets a letter from God inviting him to a meeting at the source of his pain, a physical location. The God who meets him there surpasses and changes all of the man's preconceived, small ideas about religion and relationship.
I could quote you pages and pages from this book but I would rather you read it and tell me what you think. Or, come to book club next week and talk about it with us!
The premise is that a man who is hurting and in a deep depression gets a letter from God inviting him to a meeting at the source of his pain, a physical location. The God who meets him there surpasses and changes all of the man's preconceived, small ideas about religion and relationship.
I could quote you pages and pages from this book but I would rather you read it and tell me what you think. Or, come to book club next week and talk about it with us!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Vulnerability of Innocence
I was driving the children home from small group one night when I overheard the following conversation between my daughters.
4 year old: Knock, knock
6 year old: Who’s there?
4 year old: Hannah Montana
6 year old: Hannah Montana, who?
4 year old: Bough, bough! (yelled at the top of her lungs to imitate an electric guitar)
Giggle! Giggle!
Did that make sense?
6 year old: No
4 year old: Well, laugh anyway! Ha! Ha! Ha!
6 year old: Okay! Ha! Ha! Ha!
As I tried to keep a straight face and stop myself from wondering when knock, knock jokes will lose their appeal, I marveled at the transparency that children show. At first I thought, “Wow! She is so secure in herself that she would ask if that made sense. She worships her older sister and never wants to show weakness. Good for her!”
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she didn’t know that was weakness. Innocence protected her from recognizing that her question would show insecurity. She really just wanted to know if that was a good joke! (Maybe your children are smarter than mine, but they just don’t get what makes a good knock, knock joke yet.)
I long to be that innocent again. I want to ignore my filter when I need honest feedback. Do you know what I mean? That voice that tells you to stop and figure it out later or just stuff it altogether. I want to allow myself to be vulnerable enough to let people see the good, the bad, and the ugly about me! I want to find commonalities in insecurities and seek other’s wisdom in overcoming them.
There are times when I really wish that my children had filters in place. You know, when my six year old tells me that I have a fat tummy. Or when my four year old tells me that the boo-boo (zit) on my nose is really big. But, they are honestly reporting the world from their point of view.
Where is the healthy boundary between filtering what we say to be polite and losing track of honesty altogether? Where is the healthy boundary of being vulnerable without vomiting your stuff all over people? What do you think?
4 year old: Knock, knock
6 year old: Who’s there?
4 year old: Hannah Montana
6 year old: Hannah Montana, who?
4 year old: Bough, bough! (yelled at the top of her lungs to imitate an electric guitar)
Giggle! Giggle!
Did that make sense?
6 year old: No
4 year old: Well, laugh anyway! Ha! Ha! Ha!
6 year old: Okay! Ha! Ha! Ha!
As I tried to keep a straight face and stop myself from wondering when knock, knock jokes will lose their appeal, I marveled at the transparency that children show. At first I thought, “Wow! She is so secure in herself that she would ask if that made sense. She worships her older sister and never wants to show weakness. Good for her!”
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she didn’t know that was weakness. Innocence protected her from recognizing that her question would show insecurity. She really just wanted to know if that was a good joke! (Maybe your children are smarter than mine, but they just don’t get what makes a good knock, knock joke yet.)
I long to be that innocent again. I want to ignore my filter when I need honest feedback. Do you know what I mean? That voice that tells you to stop and figure it out later or just stuff it altogether. I want to allow myself to be vulnerable enough to let people see the good, the bad, and the ugly about me! I want to find commonalities in insecurities and seek other’s wisdom in overcoming them.
There are times when I really wish that my children had filters in place. You know, when my six year old tells me that I have a fat tummy. Or when my four year old tells me that the boo-boo (zit) on my nose is really big. But, they are honestly reporting the world from their point of view.
Where is the healthy boundary between filtering what we say to be polite and losing track of honesty altogether? Where is the healthy boundary of being vulnerable without vomiting your stuff all over people? What do you think?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Rain
I actually wrote this last summer but with the weather in North Texas this week, it seemed appropriate...
After a year of intense drought with record breaking high temperatures, a rainy summer day should have been welcome. After all, it was cool for July and the grass was still green everywhere. However, when I had to tell my kids one more time that we couldn’t swim because it was raining, again, I realized that I was tired of rain.
It was just such a rainy day when I was attempting to load all three of my children into their car seats after day camp when the bottom dropped out of the sky. I got soaked as I fastened little seatbelts.
My mood could have been described as ‘less than cheery’ when I climbed into the driver’s seat. I started the car to the usual chorus of requests for favorite children’s CDs. I refused in my grumpiness and insisted on listening to the radio station of my choice. The rain pounded us and the streets were rivers of rushing water. Flash flooding had been a real danger all summer and I grew anxious about our drive home. I turned the radio up to help me calm down. The DJ said something about a tranquil song and I looked forward to his voice ceasing to speak and the tranquility beginning. Did I mention that I was grumpy?
“Word of God, Speak” began to play. The music itself is very soothing and I was swept away with it, feeling some of my anxiety slip away. Lost in the swelling sounds, my middle child’s voice interrupted my concentration.
“Mommy! He said rain. It’s raining here, too.”
He said rain? I missed it. I acknowledged her, with no conviction, but determined to pay attention to the words. Here is what I heard,
“Word of God speak.
Won’t you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see your majesty.
To be still and know that you’re in this place.
Please let me stay and rest in your holiness.”
Could the word of God truly pour down like rain? Like sheets of rain that fall from the sky so fast that rivers and streams form in streets? Could God’s presence so overwhelm a place? Could the words of God soak me?
I was overwhelmed. I’ve been in church all my life and taught to answer that certainly God could do such a thing. But my experience denies it. I have never felt washed over in the words of God like that rain was falling. I have never swum through God’s revelation. In fact, I feel pretty dry most of the time.
“Why?” I wondered to myself, “Are the writers of these words just making a pretty song? Has God failed? Or do I just expect so little of Him?”
Most of the time, I expect God to be more like humidity. You just endure it because you have to. Humidity becomes oppressive and stifling. It leaves you feeling sticky and as if you need a shower. Moisture seeps through clothing and even skin, leaving your entire being feeling wet. God can just be absorbed and then cleaned off.
Just a few short days later it had been raining again and I had the rare opportunity to spend time with just one of my kids. My middle one and I went to the library determined to stock up on enough good books and movies to keep us entertained on a rainy day. As I unloaded her from the car, she asked if we could splash in the puddles. Why not? We were both wearing flip flops and our feet would dry quickly. We splashed all the way to the doors. By the time we arrived at the entrance of the library we were soaked up to our knees and laughing out loud!
We carefully chose our books and movies and placed them in a plastic sack. As we walked to the doors, I realized that it was pouring. Great. We were going to get soaked because I had not brought in an umbrella.
“Mommy! Let’s dance in the rain!” my daughter yelled excitedly, in the library entrance.
Really? I confess that I didn’t want to but we were having such a good time together that day that I agreed. I got another plastic sack to cover the top of our book sack and out we went. We twirled and splashed. We jumped and laughed. We sang rain songs. We even ended up barefoot for awhile.
My daughter never once worried that her makeup would run (she doesn’t wear any) or that her hair would look funny wet. It never crossed her mind to be concerned that her clothes would get dirty or that she would be cold on the car ride home. She just danced. And sang. And played.
As I reflect on these moments, I realize that I shy away from God’s pouring presence because I am afraid of what the consequences will be. I don’t want to have my makeup run in front of others. I don’t want muddy feet to track up the floor. I don’t want to be uncomfortably wet and cold.
I don’t trust the pouring out of God’s word. I keep it away from me. I stand inside and watch it rain. I feel the humidity but I won’t jump in the water. I stop the pouring out by protecting myself from it. Any mist I feel sends me running indoors; I protect myself in the busyness of my life from feeling that rain.
What would happen if I had the courage to step out and splash in the outpouring of God’s word? Scripture promises us that all of creation sings of his presence. His word is pouring down. Will we stay indoors or will we dance in response?
Word of God, speak.
Won’t you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see your majesty
To be still and know, that you’re in this place.
Please let me stay and rest in your holiness.
Word of God, speak.
By Mercy Me
After a year of intense drought with record breaking high temperatures, a rainy summer day should have been welcome. After all, it was cool for July and the grass was still green everywhere. However, when I had to tell my kids one more time that we couldn’t swim because it was raining, again, I realized that I was tired of rain.
It was just such a rainy day when I was attempting to load all three of my children into their car seats after day camp when the bottom dropped out of the sky. I got soaked as I fastened little seatbelts.
My mood could have been described as ‘less than cheery’ when I climbed into the driver’s seat. I started the car to the usual chorus of requests for favorite children’s CDs. I refused in my grumpiness and insisted on listening to the radio station of my choice. The rain pounded us and the streets were rivers of rushing water. Flash flooding had been a real danger all summer and I grew anxious about our drive home. I turned the radio up to help me calm down. The DJ said something about a tranquil song and I looked forward to his voice ceasing to speak and the tranquility beginning. Did I mention that I was grumpy?
“Word of God, Speak” began to play. The music itself is very soothing and I was swept away with it, feeling some of my anxiety slip away. Lost in the swelling sounds, my middle child’s voice interrupted my concentration.
“Mommy! He said rain. It’s raining here, too.”
He said rain? I missed it. I acknowledged her, with no conviction, but determined to pay attention to the words. Here is what I heard,
“Word of God speak.
Won’t you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see your majesty.
To be still and know that you’re in this place.
Please let me stay and rest in your holiness.”
Could the word of God truly pour down like rain? Like sheets of rain that fall from the sky so fast that rivers and streams form in streets? Could God’s presence so overwhelm a place? Could the words of God soak me?
I was overwhelmed. I’ve been in church all my life and taught to answer that certainly God could do such a thing. But my experience denies it. I have never felt washed over in the words of God like that rain was falling. I have never swum through God’s revelation. In fact, I feel pretty dry most of the time.
“Why?” I wondered to myself, “Are the writers of these words just making a pretty song? Has God failed? Or do I just expect so little of Him?”
Most of the time, I expect God to be more like humidity. You just endure it because you have to. Humidity becomes oppressive and stifling. It leaves you feeling sticky and as if you need a shower. Moisture seeps through clothing and even skin, leaving your entire being feeling wet. God can just be absorbed and then cleaned off.
Just a few short days later it had been raining again and I had the rare opportunity to spend time with just one of my kids. My middle one and I went to the library determined to stock up on enough good books and movies to keep us entertained on a rainy day. As I unloaded her from the car, she asked if we could splash in the puddles. Why not? We were both wearing flip flops and our feet would dry quickly. We splashed all the way to the doors. By the time we arrived at the entrance of the library we were soaked up to our knees and laughing out loud!
We carefully chose our books and movies and placed them in a plastic sack. As we walked to the doors, I realized that it was pouring. Great. We were going to get soaked because I had not brought in an umbrella.
“Mommy! Let’s dance in the rain!” my daughter yelled excitedly, in the library entrance.
Really? I confess that I didn’t want to but we were having such a good time together that day that I agreed. I got another plastic sack to cover the top of our book sack and out we went. We twirled and splashed. We jumped and laughed. We sang rain songs. We even ended up barefoot for awhile.
My daughter never once worried that her makeup would run (she doesn’t wear any) or that her hair would look funny wet. It never crossed her mind to be concerned that her clothes would get dirty or that she would be cold on the car ride home. She just danced. And sang. And played.
As I reflect on these moments, I realize that I shy away from God’s pouring presence because I am afraid of what the consequences will be. I don’t want to have my makeup run in front of others. I don’t want muddy feet to track up the floor. I don’t want to be uncomfortably wet and cold.
I don’t trust the pouring out of God’s word. I keep it away from me. I stand inside and watch it rain. I feel the humidity but I won’t jump in the water. I stop the pouring out by protecting myself from it. Any mist I feel sends me running indoors; I protect myself in the busyness of my life from feeling that rain.
What would happen if I had the courage to step out and splash in the outpouring of God’s word? Scripture promises us that all of creation sings of his presence. His word is pouring down. Will we stay indoors or will we dance in response?
Word of God, speak.
Won’t you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see your majesty
To be still and know, that you’re in this place.
Please let me stay and rest in your holiness.
Word of God, speak.
By Mercy Me
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