May 15, 2017
Day 133: Spill Your Joy:
"I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
—John 15:11
Anderson begins today's lesson by reminding us that "Jesus died on the cross to restore our broken relationship with our heavenly Father. We no longer have to worry about whether we measure up to God's perfect laws because Jesus has supplied our righteousness." We don't have to be concerned about anything because Jesus has already taken care of it. "He is the eternal well of joy, and he wants us to celebrate with him, be filled with his glory, and have our joy increase."
Then he moves in to discussing how Jesus enjoyed parties "because his first miracle took place at a wedding when the hosts ran out of wine." I'm not so sure we can tell that Jesus enjoyed parties just because his first miracle took place at a wedding, but okay. Anderson's point is that Jesus was not "as solemn and serious as we sometimes make him out to be," which I can agree with. I think Jesus loved life and wanted others to love it too. I believe that he wanted us to overflow with joy.
Anderson believes that "as we allow [Jesus] to pour into us, our cups will continually overflow. The joy that spills out of us will flow to our neighbors and throughout our communities. Eventually, our joy will flow to the next town, the next state, and the next country, until the entire world is soaked in the joy of Jesus."
Although I appreciate the overwhelmingly positive tone, the realist, perhaps skeptic in me sees this as a romanticized view. Do I believe that our attitudes can impact those around us? Sure. Do I believe that we can be joyful ambassadors for Christ and affect change? Absolutely. However, I am sensitive to the fact that others may not hold the same view. I think we need to be careful and respectful in how we go about "soaking the entire world in the joy of Jesus."
Day 134: Wholly Forgiven:
"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."
—Colossians 3:12-13
This scripture fits well with day 133's lesson and my feelings about it. We need to be tenderhearted, merciful, kind, humble, gentle, patient and forgiving, especially if we desire to soak the world in the joy of Jesus. I think too often in our efforts to spread the good news, we forget about our responsibility to be tenderhearted, merciful, patient, and most importantly gentle. Most of the trouble people have with accepting Jesus stems from their experiences with God's people. I am part of group on Facebook that was created specifically for people who have been abused and traumatized by Christian church experiences. It's deeply disturbing to me just how many people there are in this group, never mind the number of people who just haven't found such a group yet. It's truly alarming.
Although Anderson's doesn't attempt to connect these two lessons, I believe that if we are to do as he suggests on day 133, then we need to practice today's scripture. The true point of Anderson's lesson is that we need to forgive those who hurt or offend us. I agree that if we are unforgiving of others, we do damage to ourselves. I actually have been questioning whether I am truly forgiving of a few people in my life. My biological father and his wife for one and a friend of mine from my former church who was my discipler/spiritual guide. There is still a great amount of pain in my heart when I think of these people. I know that if I were asked to help any of them in any way that I would gladly do so, but I am not going out of my way to maintain a relationship with any of the them. So, is that forgiveness? If I still feel the pain of experiences with them? If I am still guarded? I'm not so sure. Hebrews 10:17 says, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." If I am to forgive as God forgives, then these hurts from the past should be wiped out and I should "remember [them] no more." But believe me, I remember them. I don't know how to truly forget.
Day 135: Telling God's Story:
"I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal." —Psalm 123: 1-2
This particular lesson made me well up a little. Anderson shares how he was able to say goodbye to a patient he has had for over twenty-five years. He went into Coach's room to check on him because one of the nurses at the home had asked him to, and he found Coach staring "up and to the right," in what Anderson has come to call "the gaze of glory." Coach told Dr. Anderson that he was feeling really good, but that he was "getting tired of this world" and was "ready to go." Anderson said, "If you're gazing at glory, that's good. We'll all be okay if you go on ahead. We'll be joining you soon enough." As soon as Anderson had finished speaking, "Coach's breathing changed. It wasn't much longer before [he] sensed the parting of the veil between earth and heaven, like someone opening a door on a spring day, and Coach stepped ever so gently into eternity."
I like how Anderson describes the passing of elderly people in this book. It is so peaceful. I wish I felt that kind of peace when my mother passed away.
Day 136: Holding Tight To Hope:
"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." —Hebrews 10:23
The lesson shared today is about another person's passing, someone much younger, but in poor health due to an addiction to tobacco. Before this man's passing he made it clear that he wanted CPR, but didn't want to be placed on life support. "He was content with God's timing." The doctors and nurses tried to revive him, but CPR was unsuccessful, so after a short time they called time of death. Though this man's passing was not as serene as the previous one, Anderson still felt God's presence. He said, "As everyone else left the room, I lingered to feel God's presence. He had kept his promise to Marco to heal him for all eternity. Someday, he'll keep the same promise for us, as well."
Though this lesson focuses on the fact that God can be trusted to keep his promises, Anderson also uses it to remind us to "record [our] end-of-life instructions. Decisions made in advance allow everyone there to be fully present in the moment."
I know for myself, I do not want to be put on life support. I also prefer to be cremated rather than buried. Don't waste the ground space. Just throw my ashes in the woods; don't place me in a jar on a mantle somewhere.
Hold tight to hope, but let me go.
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