Hey!!! Pick Up The Phone!!!

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'" (Isaiah 6:8)

There are many things that compete for my attention on a daily basis: friends call and text, recovery from alcohol and drug addiction is a priority, family members ('nuff said), children, a new granddaughter I have seen but twice and who managed to capture my heart. Television and radio advertising may refocus my attention for a spell, sporting events and a desire for physical activity also call to me.

Some of these "calls" will be answered and others will not be heard. Calls are an expression of the nature of the one who calls. This is not an abstract concept. It is a matter of communication and relationship, expressed in terms of human understanding. Except in one case.

The call of God is an expression of His nature and is beyond my understanding. He has carefully woven His call throughout my life and once in a while I have been wise enough to pick up the phone. I use that metaphor quite purposely because I believe God wants me, and You too, to know Him so desperately that He will go to extraordinary lengths to get my (our) attention. And once He has me focused on Him, He will speak directly into my heart.

For much of my life I had no idea of the nature of God and so I could not understand what He was saying to me. As I awakened from my self-absorptive slumber His voice became more clear. Today I recognize that He's using the most advanced wireless technology imaginable.

Isaiah was in tune with God due to a great crisis he had endured, and God's word penetrated his soul. At that point it was literally decision time - Listen or Ignore?

Me. Send Me Lord!

Sufi Story - Part II

It has been my experience that whenever I am struggling with some aspect of my life, such as a painful decision, or a recalcitrant and stubborn part of me, a peculiar thing will happen. God will spontaneously place people in my life who are facing the same inner demons or issues. Or even more strangely, He will position me in a place where I can open up to someone who has successfully dealt with the problem.

Oddly, these instruments of God (I will not call them tools. That has a negative connotation from my childhood.) are completely unaware of how crucial their impact is on my experience of life. In relating their struggle, they offer insight to myself and my battle. Often, a single sentence or thought will cut through my cluttered mind, and free me.

God's like that. He continues to recognize my needs way ahead of me, and at the moment I am ready to face these things He springs His surprise. Somewhat uncanny, that God of mine; Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipowerful. Maybe He'll see fit to use me that way someday. But I hope it's behind my back. My head swells too easily.

The God of My (Not Quite) Understanding

In my walk with God it is becoming clear the only thing He wants to be clear is the way He deals with me. I am baffled by the sorrows and trials in the lives of others. As soon as I feel I have a grasp on someone else's problems, God will reveal the same shortcoming in my life.

The Spirit is hard at work to expose vast areas of stubbornness, pride and ego in me. And until I quiet all my pseudo-intellectual ramblings and get with Him, I get no peace. When He gets me alone, through suffering, heartbreak, disappointment, temptation, thwarted desires, broken friendships - when He has me to Himself, speechless - He will reveal myself to me and from there He leads me to a better relationship with "The One Who Has All Power."

On Perseverance

Perseverance through adversity is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are longing for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than merely hanging on, which may only be exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero can be conquered, or our team will be defeated.

But what of spiritual perseverance? My greatest fear is not that I will be damned for all eternity, but that somehow my Jesus will be defeated. Fears need not be rational, so play this out and see if it resonates.. In analyzing this fear I realize it's a fear that the very things He stood for - love, justice, forgiveness, kindness, charity - will not win out in the end; that my pursuit of these things will have been in vain, that these are unattainable goals.

This is at the core of my call to Spiritual Perseverance. It is not a call to hang and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

A Sufi Story

There is a Sufi story about a man who is so good that the angels ask God to give him the gift of miracles. God wisely tells them to ask him if that is what he would wish.

So the angels visit this man and offer him first the gift of healing hands, then the gift of conversion of souls and lastly the gift of virtue. He refuses them all. They insist he choose one or they will choose for him. "Very well," he replies. "I ask that I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it."

The angels were perplexed but devised a plan. Everywhere the man's shadow fell behind him it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain and comfort sorrow. As he walked, behind him his shadow made dry paths green, caused flowers to bloom, brought color to pale children and joy to unhappy men and women. The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue, as the moon and stars diffuse light, or as flowers share their scent, without even being aware of it.

The people, respecting his humility, followed him silently and never spoke of his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name and called him, "The Holy Shadow."

We can effect change in others' lives, often while merely passing through. A random act of kindness (at one time it was called chivalry), opening a door for someone, a smile and hello, or extending a hand in friendship may be just the miracle someone needs to make their day tolerable.

While it seems at times the world is growing more unfriendly, I believe it is a collective lack of concern for the good we can each do merely by being present. After all the harm I have caused in my life I doubt I will ever be universally considered a good man. But I believe we can all be considered good by the few whose lives we actually touch, or even just pass throuugh.