Protection

Day 224: Matthew 21

I love Jesus's personality. He is humble, yet stick-it-in-your-face, but not to the people you might think. We tend to want Jesus to get on to "sinners," prostitutes, drunks, adulterers, and others like this. But no, Jesus's world is topsy turvy; it's backwards. He gets on to the religious people--those who think they know what they are doing, but who just don't get it, who are doing it all wrong. Jesus even tells them that it's going to be worse off for them. Wow. And this angers them so much. Jesus protects and defends the sinners, but he doesn't seem to protect and defend the religious leaders and the teachers of the law. He's come to teach us all, and one group is getting it while the other--the ones who should--don't. Which group are you a part of? Are you getting it, or are you judging Jesus and others who defend the sinners?

The Last Shall Be First

Day 223: Matthew 20

It's interesting that this passage about the parable of the vineyards where the first shall be last and the last shall be first came today. Tonight, we went to a memorial service for a man who went to our church for a little over a year, and Shane read this exact same passage at his funeral. This man was in his early 80s and had spent decades of his life in jail. I don't know what he did to get there, but it had to be something big since he had spent so much of his life there. His family didn't have much to do with him, and they really didn't care if we had a memorial service for him or not. I can understand that. For most of his life, he was a bad man, not just in the moral sense but also in the legal sense.

During his time in jail, he must have become a Christian because the moment he got out, he wound up at our church. And he was a faithful Christian for this past year. He even helped another young man, also an ex-con, who started coming to our church. He was a changed man.

But his family didn't want to forgive him. His daughter didn't come to the funeral. They didn't want to show him grace; he didn't deserve it. But in God's eyes, he has just as much of a place in the kingdom of heaven as anyone else does--those who come early in their life and who don't commit felonies, and those who come later on. God is holding a spot for this man, too. He's holding a spot for all of us. In his eyes, we're all the same--no matter when we respond to the call. Those of us who have been faithful Christians as long as we remember may not see this practice as just. But we know that God is a just God, and this form of justice is one that we should implement as well. Loving people and forgiving their past is God's way of justice. He did it for all of us, and extending this same grace to others--no matter when they might come to believe--indicates that we are living out God's form of justice.

Being Perfect

Day 222: Matthew 17-19

It's time for another confession: I'm a perfectionist. I like to have everything perfect in my life. I expect to be perfect. I expect Shane to be perfect. I expect my kids to be perfect. I expect my house to be in perfect order. I expect to have the perfect home, the perfect yard, the perfect [fill in the blank]. I expect my life to be perfect. I have very high expectations of myself and also of those close to me. I don't like this trait about myself, and maybe it can change one day. Who knows? But right now, I am a perfectionist.

I don't know when I first started being this way, but I have always tried to be perfect--the best, the favorite, #1. There was no room for second place, and everything but first wasn't good enough. I wanted to be the best child of my parents. I wanted to make the best grades of anyone else in school. I wanted to be the best basketball player on the court. I wanted to be people's "favorite," admired by all. I don't know where I got these ideas. Maybe it was from the strict rules I had as a child. Maybe it was because of the notion of heaven and hell that I was taught, which I thought at the time meant "perfect" or "not perfect." Maybe it was from my own expectations and desires. Who knows? But pretty soon, I came to think of myself and my own self-worth in this manner, too. That when I wasn't "perfect," then I was a failure. A loser. And that nobody would love me. I have a great fear of being unloved because of who I am. Even though I know in my heart that a lot of people love me, I still define myself by how "good" I am.

What's crazy about this association with being perfect and being loved is that I can never measure up to this status. I am daily under a lot of stress (we all are!). It's especially hard learning how to balance so many different commitments I have in my life--husband, children, job, church, God, friends, family, rest, and anything else that fills my time. It's not easy, and too often I feel like I give and give and give to all these areas, and it's never enough. Soon, I view myself as failing in every area, which then leads to a feeling of worthlessness.

These feelings can only be overcome through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus tells his disciples, "Nothing is impossible with God," and even though right now these feelings of failure and worthlessness are ever present in my life, I know that God can do anything. He can make the impossible possible. He can teach me to have a new way to see myself and to measure my success. He wants me to love him and love people. That's really all he asks. He doesn't ask us to be perfect, and I shouldn't try to be either. He doesn't even ask us to "try our best," as is often quoted to children in school. No, Jesus wants us to love God and love people. When we do that, God can take our feelings of insecurity, self-doubt, and self-loathing away and bring us happiness, joy, and contentment. Reading the New Testament right now couldn't have come at a better time.

Jesus's Teaching on What It Means to Follow Him

Day 221: Matthew 15-16

Today, I bring you these words (16:24-28, NLT):

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

May you find comfort and encouragement from the mouth of our Savior.

Coping with Stressful Days

Day 220: Matthew 14

Matthew 14 presents a stressful day in the life of Jesus, and I think we can learn a lot about how Jesus reacts in relation to these events. Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been killed by Herod. His disciples come and tell him the news of his horrific death at the head of Herod's daughter. When Jesus learns of John's death, he goes off in a boat, hoping to be alone. But the people follow him, so Jesus has compassion and heals them. Then, they get hungry, and next is the story of Jesus feeding all of them. After they are all satisfied, Jesus goes away by himself to pray. The disciples meanwhile are in a boat and a storm comes. Jesus walks out to them on the water, and Peter gets out of the boat and attempts to walk to Jesus. He has faith to get out of the boat, but he starts sinking because he doubts. Jesus then gets into the boat with them and the storm grows calm. They go to the other side of lake and there news of him spreads.

What can we learn from Jesus in the midst of stress in our own lives?

1. Jesus shows us that even in the midst of terrible trials in our own lives, sometimes we must deal with the immediate concerns of those around us. Although Jesus wanted to be alone and reflect on the day, people were demanding his attention, and he has compassion and heals them. He responds to the need, regardless of what he personally was going through at the time. Daily, we are dealing with our own struggles. Some days we face things that we need time to process and deal with, but our families or friends or parents or children or churches or house--or whatever--demands our immediate attention. And it's OK to give it to them. To put our needs aside for a bit and to do what needs to be done.

2. Yet, when Jesus finds some time to be alone, he immediately goes away by himself to pray. After a sad and stressful day, Jesus goes to God and prays. We don't know what was said, but we do know that the next time we see him he is walking on the water to meet his disciples. Jesus was mourning the death of a friend--and doing much more than that, too, I'm sure--and so he went to the source of his strength. So often, I go to other people to talk about my problems before I go to God. But Jesus doesn't. He finds time to go by himself and pray. It wasn't that it was necessarily there--he could have filled up that time with other "more pressing" matters, but he carves out the time. He views it as that important, and so should we.

Jesus knows what it's like to be busy. And yet...he still takes the time to do important things like reconnecting to the Father. God can take care of all our problems--even if it's just being too busy--and he can help us. After we go to God, who knows, maybe we can even walk on water.

A Teaching Tip

Day 219: Matthew 13

A lot of the research I do for my job has to do with the notion of narrative. Narrative theory looks at how we use stories to construct meaning and make sense of our lives. Since the beginning of time, humans have used stories in such a way. And Jesus is no different. This chapter in Matthew details many of the parables Jesus uses in his teaching. In fact, this chapter even says that Jesus solely spoke to the people through parables. At no time did he teach them without using stories.

Today (and then, too), Jesus is considered the master teacher--the model for all to follow. And if we are to follow his lead, then we should understand that good teaching involves the telling of stories. As humans, we process and arrange our lives through stories, and when we listen to or read stories, the point (argument/claim/thesis) of the piece is more clear to us. Plus, we can then apply what we've learned about the example(s) used in the story to our own lives. This method of teaching by telling stories is so different than the way our education system focuses on memorizing "facts" and practicing methods. Stories aren't often used in formal instruction (at least from my perspective) to actually instruct; rather, they are primarily used to learn the facts of them. For instance, when we read _Romeo and Juliet_, we are tested over the details of the story. And when teachers lecture, they don't often use stories--at least mine didn't. When I teach, I know the importance of telling stories, but it's often more difficult to find and use stories than just to tell students something. And yet Jesus shows us the importance of using stories as a teaching tool--and not just something to memorize. Our education system, as well as individual teachers like me,  can learn from Jesus how to become a better teacher. 

Think on Good Things

Sickness has once again plagued the Alexander family. We've been dealing with it now for four days, which is why I'm a bit behind in posting. I'll get caught up soon, though. Thanks for your patience!

Day 218: Matthew 12
When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me many values. They taught me about God and the Bible. They taught me about good sportsmanship--to congratulate others when you lost and to have a good attitude about it. They wanted me to see the importance of education and reading and writing and arithmetic (that arithmetic never did amount to many skills for me, though--even though I wish it had). They also taught me the value of having good friends, watching "wholesome" movies, and not being around people who did things that were against my morals.

I knew then that my parents were right, and so, basically, I was a prude. I didn't go far with guys. I didn't go to parties, bars, or clubs. I didn't curse or swear. I didn't do drugs, have sex, or drink. I still had my own flaws, of course, just not these behaviors. And I'm glad I didn't do these things. I had a lot of friends doing them, and I saw how harmful this behavior could be on them. They were too close to guys who wouldn't be there the next week. They were ruining their brain cells, their intelligence. They became depressed and lonely. I felt sorry for them. But I didn't engage in these behaviors.

Don't get me wrong. There were some things that I really wanted to do and experience. But for some reason, I just didn't do them (I guess I thank the Lord for this). I was often seen as a prude (which was a negative concept) or a fuddy duddy or an old fogey. But I also had a great group of friends who weren't engaging in these behaviors either. So I felt all right.

Like I said earlier, I still had my own battles to fight. I sinned daily. I lied and stole and cheated on numerous occasions. And I learned something from my friends who battled these more visible behaviors. Although everyone knew that (s)he was a drug addict or that (s)he slept around with everyone, these people had something that I didn't have: they were honest. They didn't lie about who they were; rather, they were honest about it and let the whole world see who they were--warts and all. And either people liked them or they didn't. These friends of mine taught me many valuable lessons, and this was one of them.

But what we all had in common was that we were far from perfect. Jesus says in Matthew 12 that the mouth speaks what is already in the heart, so it's important to ponder and think about good things. Peace, love, faith, forgiveness, hope, repentance, salvation, redemption, grace. Thinking on the things that matter help identify who we are. I once heard a preacher say, "What comes out of the mouth is produced in the factory." I like that metaphor, and each day, I try to live life meditating and thinking on good things. Yes, evil and sin and depression and loneliness and all these other bad things exist. It's not that we shouldn't think about these things--we should try to help people who are struggling. But for ourselves, when we are trying to regroup and get refreshed and find rest, we should look to Jesus. He is the ultimate good thing, and he will allow our hearts to become more and more pure--no matter what we've done in the past.

Thank you, God, for good things.