Show the Skin, Not the Skeleton

Where would we be without our skeletons? Those strong bones give shape to our otherwise jellyfish bodies. Skeletons make movement possible. They allow us to put pressure where pressure is needed.

Skin has an entirely different purpose. It protects us from infection and provides a more expressive, softer image. Without skin, the skeleton wears a fixed and threatening grin.

When we are in a time of confrontation and we have the authority to make the final decision, it is good to feel the strength of our skeleton. It gives us “backbone” and supports our muscle for action. Yet, when it comes to our skeleton it is good to feel it, but not to reveal it.

It does more harm than good to talk of our right or our might. To stay human, stay covered with skin. It is warmer, softer, and more winning. It is more effective to explain “what’s in it” for the other person, or at least how our chosen action will serve the greater good.

Feel the power inside, but show regard outside. Certainly the skeleton gives shape to the skin, but the skin gives shape to our influence with others. 

The Lips Reveal the Teeth

Teeth don’t change. They are not bright when we are friendly and dark when we are threatening. They are what they are, solid, fixed in place. But nothing is more beautiful than teeth framed by a smile, nor more threatening than the teeth inside a snarl. The teeth haven’t changed. It’s the lips that tell us what the teeth mean.

The lips can change from one moment to the next. We shape the lips. Let’s shape them in a way that our audience always sees the strength of our teeth as interpreted by love and protection rather than our own will to survive.

Why We Thank God in All Things

Does it seem strange to give thanks to God in all circumstances? We are assured that God is working for our best in all things (Romans 8:28). That would be one reason to be thankful in every moment. But we’ve grown used to that verse, and we sometimes see it as God’s damage control plan, rather than His direct blessing.

Consider a verse that comes before it: “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

Imagine praying, “Oh Lord! I can’t take this anymore! Please send relief!” and hovering over you, praying with deep groans of compassion, the Spirit intones, “Father, he’s beginning to crack. Keep it up until his empty shell of self-help is destroyed and he finds himself gently floating on the ocean of Your sustaining grace.”

If we trust that in all things God’s Spirit is praying for exactly the right thing, despite what seems best to us at the moment, then we really can thank God for every circumstance. We can turn from despair and wait expectantly to discern what good thing He is bringing us.

Christ, the Lawnmower

Jesus told us that we would do even greater things than He did (John 14:12). Hard to believe. I have never healed the lame or raised the dead. But something struck me today; the three dead people He raised are dead again. The blind He healed can no longer see. He was like a huge lawnmower cutting an impressive swath across the historical record. It got our attention, and now He’s gone and the grass is still growing. 

Here I am learning to be a Christian (a “little Christ”), but I don’t feel like a lawnmower. I can’t cut 1,000 blades of grass in one second. I’m but an ant with a tiny saw, and it takes me 10 seconds to cut one single blade. Not very impressive.

But do the math. If there are a million blades to cut, it will take the Lawnmower over 16 minutes to cut them. But if there are a million ants sent into the lawn, the whole thing will be cut in 10 seconds.

And one further point, parts of Israel were blessed by the compassion of Jesus for about three years. But for over 2,000 years the world has benefited from the charity of unsung Christians in all corners of the globe. A multitude of feeble little Christians today continue to bring the love of Christ to the whole world.

What God Isn't

A friend is carrying a heavy burden right now, and I have sympathized sharing tales from my own times of disappointment. And it dawns on me that the testimonies we share in public are the things we believe that God is (all nice things, of course.) But in private, and in loss, we share what we have discovered He isn’t. Generally those words are more encouraging to the grieving, and more helpful to our growth in faith.

Is it possible that He sometimes withholds Himself from us so that we can learn to be a better support to each other?

What's in a Name!

An ancient story comes to life with new meaning when we look at the names that were involved. 

Orpah means “neck,” “girl with a full mane,” or “rain cloud.” Some take these images to mean “stubborn.” Ruth means “friend,” “companion,” or “vision of beauty.” Both pledge to stay with Naomi which means “pleasantness.” However, in the face of bitter disappointment and searing logic, Stubborn turns back while Friendship stays firm. And it creates a story of unparalleled beauty.

Isn’t it the same with us? Crisis and logic can twist us around and steal our vision. Our friendship with God is the stabilizing factor in our lives, and it puts the starch in our moral commitments. Stability and starch are necessary if we are to bring our Vision of Beauty to life on this earth.

In short, Pleasantness is fragile. It needs an unreasonable Friend.

Microscope Vs. Radar

My son once said that the rational mind is a wonderful servant, but a horrible master. There are things in our world that cannot be measured or logically outlined yet which make a huge difference to outcomes. Whether you think of those things as angels or psychological quirks, something puts a twist in the cause/effect chain of human life. All faculties must be used in charting our reality as best we can.

It struck me that examining the material of the physical world is like using a microscope. I can bring a relatively small object under the close scrutiny of my eye and conscious observation. It helps me get familiar with the subject. But to see the big picture takes a different instrument. I was going to say, a telescope since it helps bring the horizon closer. Now on further thought, I’d say “radar.” A radar helps us see 360. It gives us an awareness of what is around us. But like the radar, our faith, intuition, emotional intelligence, etc. may alert us to a "blip," but they do not provide the details and clarity of the microscope. Still, national defense would suffer if we limited ourselves to the clarity of the microscope.

To be fully attentive means to use each instrument available, and history has proven that faith has been a great complement to accurate perception and social action.