In my high school English class, we learned that one of the themes of Lord of the Flies was that the greatest fear man has is fear of the Unknown. No matter how bad or frightening something is, as long as we can identify what it is, it could be worse. If you're terrified that the monster in the closet is 10 feet tall with 3 heads and 100 razor-sharp teeth and upon opening the door, you discover all your worst fears have been realized, you can at least be comforted knowing that it isn't 20 feet tall. And if it is 20 feet tall, at least it doesn't have 6 heads. And if in fact it does, at least it isn't holding a light savor and breathing fire! As long as the thing you fear is Unknown, undefined, it can be worse than anything you can imagine and realization of the truth consistently meets with relief. Fear of the Unknown is the secret of the suspense thriller. The Unknown hides in dark places, in every dark place. The Unknown is what jolts you to frozen terror in the middle of the night. The Unknown is the epitome of death, making even kings and warriors desperate in their search for immortality.
Yet throughout the Bible, we are instructed to fear the LORD, not evil or men, or the things of this world. Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." It's important to remember that God is in control of everything! Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose."
It's hard to trust God with the Unknowns in our lives. My future is Unknown, my major is Unknown, how to fix the rust on my bike chain is Unknown, the location of my missing socks is Unknown, whether I will get married is Unknown, death is Unknown, the time and date of the Second Coming is Unknown, what to do when I get off the plane in a foreign country is Unknown. All I can do is keep moving along; go ahead and open the closet door, because even when I seen the six-headed, 20-foot tall monster with 100 razor-sharp teeth wielding a light savor and breathing fire, I know that God is there with me, and He has a purpose and a plan for my life and I don't have to face the Beast alone. God knows all the Unknowns and He is stronger. Jesus triumphed over the grave and I can trust Him to lead me through the dark and mysterious places of life.
This is all very well, very theological and poetic, you say, but how about some practical advice! That's what I always want anyway. When I started at college my freshman year, life itself seemed to be a giant Unknown. I was (and am) undeclared. I knew fewer than five people on campus. I had to learn about my professors' expectations. I had to find my way around. I had to worry about whether my paperwork was in order. I had to make sure that I had everything I needed with no car of my own and home being several hours away. I couldn't bring all my things with me (although my parents might claim that I tried). Somewhere in that van-load though, I kept my Bible and that was one piece of my life that could remain constant. God was with me and I could count on Him, even when my friends and family were miles away. Through prayer and resting in the knowledge that God was in control, I was able to face each of the Unknowns. Some gracefully, others not as much. Some went quickly, others I still deal with.
Pray. Read the Bible. Relax and lean on God. Follow after God and do not fall into temptation to do evil. Go ahead and open the closet door. Learn how to fear God, not the Unknown.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Seeking Peace, Finding Sanctuary
I come from a Christian tradition of faith known as the Mennonite Brethren. I should clarify right here and now that this does not mean I'm Amish, as is the general misconception. One theological point that separates this denomination from other Protestant denominations is its emphasis on peace. The whole idea of peace seems rather mysterious to me. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the growth of pure virtues. How can peace be found?
I was reading the book Finding Sanctuary by Christopher Jamison over the summer for one of my classes this semester. Jamison is the Abbot at a Benedictine monastery called Worth Abbey in Sussex England. His book speaks of how to build spiritual sanctuaries in our lives by creating times of silence, being obedient to God and others, being humble, living as a community, being faithful in life, and looking forward to eternal life after death. I struggled to understand why he and others who follow the Benedictine monastic tradition
believed silence was so vital in a life of faith.
The book began by explaining how unnecessarily busy the lives of people in western civilization are. This made sense, because it is not by works that we are saved, but by grace, through faith. What we do is important, but it will not earn us salvation, so making ourselves helplessly busy, even in doing good things is not something God asks of us. Instead, God wants all of us in faith, so He can work through us. Jamison declared there is a need in each person's life to take the time to be silent and cast off any distractions. Stopping all surrounding noises and activities leaves only you and God and I believe it is important to spend time alone with God on a regular basis, to keep your life focused on important things.
The whole concept of focusing your life on what God wants through simplifying is easy enough for me to understand, but much more difficult for me to implement into my own way of living. I have filled my life so full that I don't even have time for sitting and watching a quick tv show (which was partially intentional, since I think they are rather unnecessary in life), but that means I also don't have much time for stopping and helping a friend in need without a readjustment of my priorities. As far as building silence around me to listen for God's voice, this feels next to impossible living in a college dorm! How can I chose which activities are important and which ones should be removed to make room for God to work in my life?
The answer is of course to give God complete control of my life. Let Him decide what is important, rather than play tug-of-war with my time. But this is Christian jargon that sounds great but doesn't mean much without practical application. How do I give God control of my life? What does that mean? I don't pretend to have that answer, but I do know that it starts with prayer and ends in obedience. I think silence lies somewhere in the middle. Giving at least enough time to God, just me and God, for Him to speak to my heart, telling me what He wants, and for me to refocus on the one important thing I have. Somewhere just beyond this silence lies peace. It is the fruit of justice and mercy, which come from God. Peace, unlike tranquility, is concerned with how people relate to one another. How I can relate meaningfully to others with a combination of justice and mercy is something I intend to work out as I live my life, but it will start in the sanctuary of my heart, where I am working to make room for God and the things He has for me.
I was reading the book Finding Sanctuary by Christopher Jamison over the summer for one of my classes this semester. Jamison is the Abbot at a Benedictine monastery called Worth Abbey in Sussex England. His book speaks of how to build spiritual sanctuaries in our lives by creating times of silence, being obedient to God and others, being humble, living as a community, being faithful in life, and looking forward to eternal life after death. I struggled to understand why he and others who follow the Benedictine monastic tradition
believed silence was so vital in a life of faith.
The book began by explaining how unnecessarily busy the lives of people in western civilization are. This made sense, because it is not by works that we are saved, but by grace, through faith. What we do is important, but it will not earn us salvation, so making ourselves helplessly busy, even in doing good things is not something God asks of us. Instead, God wants all of us in faith, so He can work through us. Jamison declared there is a need in each person's life to take the time to be silent and cast off any distractions. Stopping all surrounding noises and activities leaves only you and God and I believe it is important to spend time alone with God on a regular basis, to keep your life focused on important things.
The whole concept of focusing your life on what God wants through simplifying is easy enough for me to understand, but much more difficult for me to implement into my own way of living. I have filled my life so full that I don't even have time for sitting and watching a quick tv show (which was partially intentional, since I think they are rather unnecessary in life), but that means I also don't have much time for stopping and helping a friend in need without a readjustment of my priorities. As far as building silence around me to listen for God's voice, this feels next to impossible living in a college dorm! How can I chose which activities are important and which ones should be removed to make room for God to work in my life?
The answer is of course to give God complete control of my life. Let Him decide what is important, rather than play tug-of-war with my time. But this is Christian jargon that sounds great but doesn't mean much without practical application. How do I give God control of my life? What does that mean? I don't pretend to have that answer, but I do know that it starts with prayer and ends in obedience. I think silence lies somewhere in the middle. Giving at least enough time to God, just me and God, for Him to speak to my heart, telling me what He wants, and for me to refocus on the one important thing I have. Somewhere just beyond this silence lies peace. It is the fruit of justice and mercy, which come from God. Peace, unlike tranquility, is concerned with how people relate to one another. How I can relate meaningfully to others with a combination of justice and mercy is something I intend to work out as I live my life, but it will start in the sanctuary of my heart, where I am working to make room for God and the things He has for me.
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