Recently i went on a canoe trip on an Estonian river with 45 kids. I noticed one fellow had quite a bit of artwork tattooed over his body. On his upper chest was tattooed this statement:
'Satisfaction is the death of desire'.
I thought it was an interesting statement, but i started wondering if i agree with it. In many Christian circles, we talk about dying to the flesh, or putting to death our fleshly desires. This tattooed statement at first seemed to prescribe to this thought. But is dying to desire really from where we gain satisfaction?
We can have many desires, some good, some not so good. Desire in itself isn't bad. I suppose it all depends on where the desire come from. God has placed desires in our hearts, good desires and hope. Selfish desires are the ones that never satisfy even if they are fulfilled. But when a good desire, hope or goal is not fulfilled, it can be devastating. Proverbs says 'hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life'.
A tree of life. Hmmm,.. maybe we shouldn't be so quick to kill our desires. If it's a tree, it must have roots, a trunk, branches and leaves. A desire can be good a fruitful if it's rooted in good soil, stands firm in storms and reaches out to give shade and shelter to others. It's leaves are green, and perhaps this tree of desire will give fruit in it's season. We are so fast to cut off the branches, or even cut and kill the tree of desire, thinking it would be pleasing to God, or perhaps as a defensive move to avoid disappointment and brokenness.
With death of desire, one may ultimately not only to the flesh, but to life. For many it become a loss of reason to live.
So it's true, a fulfilled desire does bring satisfaction and life, especially when it's unselfish and a God given desire. But a selfish desire can never satisfy, at least not for long, whether it's fulfilled or not.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Fjords and other art formations
I've spent this past week at a camp at the end of Norway's longest fjord. Skjolden is the name of the village located in this picturesque setting, surrounded by tall mountains, ice cold streams rushing down granite walls and babbling along beds of stones into rivers meandering to this frigid fjord.
Yes, the water was indeed too cold to venture in for a swim, regardless of how inviting it's clear blue hue seemed. Yet the majesty of these surroundings captivated me, as it always has when i visit this glorious land. Who has placed these mountains here, who has made the rivers flow into deep fissions we name fjords? Is this all by chance or is it by divine design? Has it been created by a master sculptor, or is it a random result of cause and effect?
Midsummer night, the sun falls behind the mountains but does not completely set, twilight remains throughout the night. The villagers and guests gathered for the unveiling of another masterpiece, this one a sculpture made by human hands. "Jonsok" the artist calls it, a Norwegian word for a midsummer bonfire. This gleaming red metal structure was to represent a bonfire, and now stands at a point at the end of the fjord. To my eyes, this sculpture somehow failed to represent a true bonfire, and yet i thought -what man made creation can compare with God's creation?
The real Jonsok, a burning fire, the art of it's beauty as it's Creator has conceived, cannot be replicated by man. It's the master artist's design, and any attempt to create a duplicate or representation will always dim in comparison.
I was left wondering about this "Jonsok" sculpture, was the artist happy with the final result? From what i understood, other people and companies actually built the sculpture from the artists design. She never put her hands on the material, the metal as it was bent into the the shape she designed, since she was far way in California, sending instructions by e-mail. Was the end result a fulfillment of what she had conceived in her mind?
What happens when the master artist's design does not stay in tact from conception to reality? The mountains, the streams, the deep fjords, the flame of the original "Jonsok" burning by the waters, a creation of The Master Creator, flawless in His design. And standing in midst of this, a sculpture made by human hands, but not the hands of the artist as she was thousands of miles away. Was this artist's vision fulfilled? If it wasn't, she certainly didn't say.
I thought of us humans. We are also like sculptures, masterpieces, God's workmanship. So what happens when we are far from The Artist, perhaps thousands of miles from the Author of our life? Can we fulfill His vision, the conception of who He designed us to be? Or are we as a skewed man made sculpture, far from the author's perfect design?
The Scripture says, 'We are God's workmanship, created to do good works which He has prepared in advance' (Eph. 2:10). Like the sculpture and the artist, we can be either be a close replicate of what our Creator wants us to be, or an abstract sculpture, a distortion of the Author's design. As i sit here and wonder, i consider God's wonderful creation, and then consider man's. Can a comparison be made? Whatever we do on our own fades in comparison to God's design.
So as God's workmanship, are we focused on Him, are we as clay in His hands? Or are we bent into some abstract sculpture by people, a distorted image shaped by influences that surround us?
Yes, the water was indeed too cold to venture in for a swim, regardless of how inviting it's clear blue hue seemed. Yet the majesty of these surroundings captivated me, as it always has when i visit this glorious land. Who has placed these mountains here, who has made the rivers flow into deep fissions we name fjords? Is this all by chance or is it by divine design? Has it been created by a master sculptor, or is it a random result of cause and effect?
Midsummer night, the sun falls behind the mountains but does not completely set, twilight remains throughout the night. The villagers and guests gathered for the unveiling of another masterpiece, this one a sculpture made by human hands. "Jonsok" the artist calls it, a Norwegian word for a midsummer bonfire. This gleaming red metal structure was to represent a bonfire, and now stands at a point at the end of the fjord. To my eyes, this sculpture somehow failed to represent a true bonfire, and yet i thought -what man made creation can compare with God's creation?
The real Jonsok, a burning fire, the art of it's beauty as it's Creator has conceived, cannot be replicated by man. It's the master artist's design, and any attempt to create a duplicate or representation will always dim in comparison.
I was left wondering about this "Jonsok" sculpture, was the artist happy with the final result? From what i understood, other people and companies actually built the sculpture from the artists design. She never put her hands on the material, the metal as it was bent into the the shape she designed, since she was far way in California, sending instructions by e-mail. Was the end result a fulfillment of what she had conceived in her mind?
What happens when the master artist's design does not stay in tact from conception to reality? The mountains, the streams, the deep fjords, the flame of the original "Jonsok" burning by the waters, a creation of The Master Creator, flawless in His design. And standing in midst of this, a sculpture made by human hands, but not the hands of the artist as she was thousands of miles away. Was this artist's vision fulfilled? If it wasn't, she certainly didn't say.
I thought of us humans. We are also like sculptures, masterpieces, God's workmanship. So what happens when we are far from The Artist, perhaps thousands of miles from the Author of our life? Can we fulfill His vision, the conception of who He designed us to be? Or are we as a skewed man made sculpture, far from the author's perfect design?
The Scripture says, 'We are God's workmanship, created to do good works which He has prepared in advance' (Eph. 2:10). Like the sculpture and the artist, we can be either be a close replicate of what our Creator wants us to be, or an abstract sculpture, a distortion of the Author's design. As i sit here and wonder, i consider God's wonderful creation, and then consider man's. Can a comparison be made? Whatever we do on our own fades in comparison to God's design.
So as God's workmanship, are we focused on Him, are we as clay in His hands? Or are we bent into some abstract sculpture by people, a distorted image shaped by influences that surround us?
Thursday, June 2, 2011
When the last blow births an embrace...
Sometimes life hits us hard. Broken relationships, lost aspirations, and shattered dreams. Disappointing events and people roll across our planned path. Despite our best efforts, our journey becomes thwarted by circumstances and people of both good and bad intentions. Few accept us as we are, many try to change our path or direction, some even skew what we say and do into something that's untrue. We are often misunderstood, misrepresented, misjudged and misled. At times it creates amusement, often inconvenience, in worse cases it be painful blows which knock us off balance and to the ground.
Loss of a job, deteriorating health, loss of a family member or loss of a friend, these all heavy loads to carry. But what do you do when the load becomes too much, when the blows of life hit you relentlessly. You struggle, you grapple, you ask the hard questions... why?? Where is God's protection? Where is His blessing? Have i been abandoned? And just as you begin to re-grasp God's love and trust in His goodness again, you are hit by the ultimate blow. That final blow where your faith is shaken to it's core, and you question all you have ever believed. A decision must be made, do you grapple on or turn away...
So many loose faith in the midst of hard blows. After a culmination of disappointments it only takes one more blow to stop hoping and believing. Sometimes we hide the fact our faith has faltered, that our expectations have not been met, our hopes and aspirations have been shattered. We move behind a facade of faith though our hope in God has crumbled. We seek something to hold on to, something to shore up this wall of faith while it's foundation's been eroded or washed away..
We lean on good friends, but sometimes friends and enemies are difficult to distinguish. Proverbs speaks about the kisses of an enemy, and the blows of a sincere friend. Some present themselves as a friend yet their motives are nothing less than personal gain. They take advantage when you're the most vulnerable, perhaps a Judas who betrays you for a handful of silver. He's no stranger, he's the one who you spent sweet fellowship with, the one who you broke bread with, the one who you trusted with your plans, the one who you trusted with your heart...
This type of dissapointment is often a breaking point. If you can't trust a close friend, who can you trust? And after a series of disappointments and unanswered prayers, is even God trustworthy? Why has our faith crumbled? Let me reemphasize that: Why has OUR faith crumbled?
If OUR faith is based on fulfillment of a plan, a dream, a hope or a desire, it's vulnerable to circumstances. Circumstances that don't meet our expectations or approval, circumstances that make us question if God is good at all. We break into a tantrum, rebellion, or quiet resignation. God was supposed to fill my life with all blessings, all things good, but He has failed me! Maybe He's rejected me, maybe i'm paying for a past or hidden sin...
Maybe,.. but maybe God's wooing us to deeper place. A place of understanding we haven't really understood, a place of freedom where we've shackled ourselves with chains of expectation and disillusion, a place of dependency not in our life vision, but in His grace. Perhaps it's a place where God wants us to embrace Him with all we have and the deep undeniable security of knowing all things will STILL work for good as He's promised in Romans 8:28. Not only when there are bumps or detours on the road, but also when we're broken down, out of fuel, and left with no hope or recourse... except Him.
Some say it's a dangerous prayer to ask God to grow our faith, and i must agree. It can become the most difficult test where many fail and walk away. But is our hope based on our circumstances, and our contentment on what we believe is good for us? Is it based on being able to see the path He has planned for us, or trusting him for the next step? I don't think any of Christ's disciples would have kept going had they known what awaited them. Nor would we. Keeping the faith in the deepest valley, not seeing any path or road that might lead you to the mountaintop, yet maintaining Shalom, the peace that surpasses understanding with the assurance that God will lead still you there again.
It takes a full embrace to keep going. It's not just wishful thinking that fades at the first obstacle or a hope that crumbles. A full embrace is more than holding one's hand, more than grasping the edge of His cloak or the end of a random rope. An embrace is never one sided, but two. This embrace is holding on to God while He holds on to you. An embrace exemplifies love and security. There is nothing that can harm you when you are embraced by the arms of God. He will carry you through the darkest valley, just as He will care for you in green pastures (psalm 23). He is loving, He is caring, and that He is good. But we can only receive His embrace when we embrace Him in the midst of our deepest valley. Only then can He take us to the mountaintop again.
Loss of a job, deteriorating health, loss of a family member or loss of a friend, these all heavy loads to carry. But what do you do when the load becomes too much, when the blows of life hit you relentlessly. You struggle, you grapple, you ask the hard questions... why?? Where is God's protection? Where is His blessing? Have i been abandoned? And just as you begin to re-grasp God's love and trust in His goodness again, you are hit by the ultimate blow. That final blow where your faith is shaken to it's core, and you question all you have ever believed. A decision must be made, do you grapple on or turn away...
So many loose faith in the midst of hard blows. After a culmination of disappointments it only takes one more blow to stop hoping and believing. Sometimes we hide the fact our faith has faltered, that our expectations have not been met, our hopes and aspirations have been shattered. We move behind a facade of faith though our hope in God has crumbled. We seek something to hold on to, something to shore up this wall of faith while it's foundation's been eroded or washed away..
We lean on good friends, but sometimes friends and enemies are difficult to distinguish. Proverbs speaks about the kisses of an enemy, and the blows of a sincere friend. Some present themselves as a friend yet their motives are nothing less than personal gain. They take advantage when you're the most vulnerable, perhaps a Judas who betrays you for a handful of silver. He's no stranger, he's the one who you spent sweet fellowship with, the one who you broke bread with, the one who you trusted with your plans, the one who you trusted with your heart...
This type of dissapointment is often a breaking point. If you can't trust a close friend, who can you trust? And after a series of disappointments and unanswered prayers, is even God trustworthy? Why has our faith crumbled? Let me reemphasize that: Why has OUR faith crumbled?
If OUR faith is based on fulfillment of a plan, a dream, a hope or a desire, it's vulnerable to circumstances. Circumstances that don't meet our expectations or approval, circumstances that make us question if God is good at all. We break into a tantrum, rebellion, or quiet resignation. God was supposed to fill my life with all blessings, all things good, but He has failed me! Maybe He's rejected me, maybe i'm paying for a past or hidden sin...
Maybe,.. but maybe God's wooing us to deeper place. A place of understanding we haven't really understood, a place of freedom where we've shackled ourselves with chains of expectation and disillusion, a place of dependency not in our life vision, but in His grace. Perhaps it's a place where God wants us to embrace Him with all we have and the deep undeniable security of knowing all things will STILL work for good as He's promised in Romans 8:28. Not only when there are bumps or detours on the road, but also when we're broken down, out of fuel, and left with no hope or recourse... except Him.
Some say it's a dangerous prayer to ask God to grow our faith, and i must agree. It can become the most difficult test where many fail and walk away. But is our hope based on our circumstances, and our contentment on what we believe is good for us? Is it based on being able to see the path He has planned for us, or trusting him for the next step? I don't think any of Christ's disciples would have kept going had they known what awaited them. Nor would we. Keeping the faith in the deepest valley, not seeing any path or road that might lead you to the mountaintop, yet maintaining Shalom, the peace that surpasses understanding with the assurance that God will lead still you there again.
It takes a full embrace to keep going. It's not just wishful thinking that fades at the first obstacle or a hope that crumbles. A full embrace is more than holding one's hand, more than grasping the edge of His cloak or the end of a random rope. An embrace is never one sided, but two. This embrace is holding on to God while He holds on to you. An embrace exemplifies love and security. There is nothing that can harm you when you are embraced by the arms of God. He will carry you through the darkest valley, just as He will care for you in green pastures (psalm 23). He is loving, He is caring, and that He is good. But we can only receive His embrace when we embrace Him in the midst of our deepest valley. Only then can He take us to the mountaintop again.
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