Fear . . . Not

I've been thinking about fear a lot lately--about my own fear, and about the fears of others around me.  I'm a different person when my fear, or fears, take hold of me; when I let them, either consciously or unconsciously, rise to the top.  I'm edgy; anxious; fretful and snippy.  I can easily be coaxed into an argument, and teasing becomes serious business.  Really, I don't like to live like that, but sometimes I don't even realize what's going on until I'm in the middle of it--and often that's too late!  I'm not living as the best true self I was created to be.

I see lots of people around me who also live like this:  living and acting in ways that are not their best true selves. They are possessive and controlling; snippy and gossipy; combative, argumentative, and always preparing for the worst.  That's not who God created them to be.  That's not who God created any of us to be.

But I think that so many of these people, just like me, live with a bucketful of fears.  Fear of death; fear of failure.  Fear of loss; fear of change; fear of the future; fear of the past.  For I know that in their deepest places, God created them--and me--to be loving and compassionate.  It's just that the fears get in the way.

What are the fears you live with?  Have you ever stopped to notice how they affect you?  Do they push their way into the midst of your relationships, changing you into someone you're not sure you even recognize?

One of the phrases that is repeated in the New Testament, over and over again--from the mouths of angels to the mouth of Jesus--is this:  "Fear not."  You might say, "Fear not.  That's easy for someone else to say, but they're not living in our shoes.  They don't know the way it is for us."

And you would be right.  But, I guess when it gets right down to the nitty gritty, that's what faith is all about.  If we are going to believe in God and trust in Jesus, we have to believe it all--even words like these that just smack of patronization.  "Don't be afraid," is God's call to us, and God's promise to us.  And, as Robert Munsch says, "A promise is a promise."

So, my friends, I invite you to join me in naming one--just one--fear you struggle with.  And, once we've named that one fear, let's offer it up to God, over and over again.  And as we give up that fear, let's take on the mantra, 'Don't be afraid.'  Or, perhaps you could try, 'A promise is a promise.'  Or, find your own mantra that will somehow remind you that your fear is real, and yet so is your faith.  And with God, all things are possible.

For the Birds

If NOT for the birds today would not be the day it is!

I'm sitting in my living room, window open--and listening to the birds.  What a glorious sound!  They have returned, and surely spring cannot be far behind.  I think that there is nothing that compares to the morning wake-up call of the birds in March--sweetest music to be found on this earth!!

Two of my three babies were born in March, and the thing that made those early morning feedings easy was the sound of the birds singing their little hearts out, even as the sun was peeking out over the horizon.  Although it may have seemed I was alone in those early mornings, the birds reminded me that I was not.

Surely it is no coincidence that spring is the season in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and the new life and hope he brings to the world of broken humanity.  For, when the entire world around us is once again coming to life--birds returning; green shoots appearing out of nowhere; and tree branches heavy with the buds of  new life--it is easy to be hope-filled, and expectant.  Resurrection just feels right, at this time of the year.  New life surrounds us, and we are reminded that one day we, too, will be new people--loved and forgiven despite our brokenness, we too will sing with the birds and soar on the wing--and all will be well.

Happy Spring, friends.  The birds have returned.

In the Moment

I am a person who has always lived for what comes next:  the next holiday; the next party; the next lunch with friends.  You know the drill:  the next thing that is a diversion from whatever it is that is the humdrum 'normal' of my life.  But all of that has changed.
Due to circumstances far beyond my control, my personal life has become a soap opera drama over the last couple of years.  Let's just say it hasn't been pretty--and leave it at that.  I struggle with depression and anxiety, as a result, and some mornings it's just a huge effort to put a foot on the floor.
But, here's the thing:  somehow, in the midst of all of the drama, I have learned to live in the moment.  I have learned that it is what is happening in the here and now that really matters--not what is going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year.  I have learned to enjoy the moment in which I am living, and not to worry about or anticipate the moments to come.
There is great freedom in that (sometimes too much freedom, when I forget that I have to notify others of changes, etc.).  There is freedom to love the people I'm with for who they are--and forget about who they aren't.  There's freedom to enjoy this moment--instead of planning for and worrying about the next.  There is freedom to stop and enjoy the place I find myself, without worrying about what is going to come next.  Somehow I feel richer; more blessed; more in-tune with what's going on around me.
I'm wondering if God intended us to live this way.  Is that what Jesus is talking about when he talks about the lilies, and the birds of the air?  If so, alleluia!
I am still angry about the place I find myself these days, but I am also so thankful for the opportunity to change my perspective on life.  And once this drama is over, may it be that I am able to continue to enjoy life, and all it brings to me, in this moment-by-moment way.  For in the moment, life is good, and God is great.  And may it always be so!

Butterflies

We spent a wonderful few hours on Sunday afternoon wandering around the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.  The sun was shining.  The birds were chirping, and the butterflies were busy flying from here to there and back again.  It was a wonderful respite from the snow and cold outside.
As we sat and soaked it all in, watching the butterflies and the children squealing with delight when a butterfly landed anywhere near them, it occurred to me that life for us really could be a lot simpler than we make it sometimes.

Too often we get caught up in things and lose sight of what's really important in life and living.  But the butterfly knows what matters:  eating, relaxing, and stopping to soak up its surroundings.  Now, most of us are good at eating--especially if we are church folk!  But relaxing and stopping to soak up our surroundings?  It seems to me that we're not so good at doing that.  Instead we get caught up in the whirring rush of life, planning for tomorrow, next week and next month.  We focus on tasks and serious business, and too easily forget to stop and smell the roses--or the nectar if you're a butterfly!
God created us to be in relationship with each other; with all of creation; and with God.  But how can we build relationships when we are so busy rushing around planning and doing?  So I invite you, during the next few days, to intentionally slow down and to focus on your relationships, old and new; with people and with this wonderful creation.  What can you do to nurture them?  What can you do to build new ones?  And maybe, just maybe, life will grow simpler, and at the same time more fun.

Happiness

I'm spending the week 'discipling' at the feet of the Reverend Dr. Kennon Callahan.  We're talking about happiness--at least so far that's what we've been looking at--from a whole kaleidoscope of views.  Happiness.  It's an interesting concept.

Are YOU happy?  Why, or why not?  Do you expect happiness to be constant or momentary?  Fleeting or eternal?  Perhaps you feel that you don't deserve happiness--or you do deserve happiness.

We are all children of God.  God intends us to live in God's love and grace.  What that means is that we might not always be happy; we might not always live in the midst of happiness.  But, we DO always live in God's love, and whether the time is happy or not, we are not alone in the midst of what we face.  And in the midst of happy or sad times; in the midst of tragedy and celebration, God is present with us.

Happiness?  For sure.  What more could we ask?