During our Wednesday night bible study a man spoke up with these words of wisdom: "Life is but a vapor. It's short, but eternity is forever." As I thought about him I realized he was probably the oldest man in the room and his words to us were: It's so short. My 32 year old life reads that in God's Word and I believe it, but this man, he knows. He's lived it. He has lived by what we would all know to be a good, long life, but by his own testimony life is brief.
We were talking about how doctrine relates to "problems in the real world." Do we feel that teaching doctrine like the new birth is counterproductive when so many problems exist in the world, or more specifically in individual's lives? I'm no fan of the prosperity gospel, and I think it has greatly distorted the church's view of God. The prosperity gospel is all about man (or woman), and it has robbed us of doing the very thing we were created to do: glorify God because we are too busy trying to glorify ourselves. The truth is we live in a very broken world, corrupted by sin, but thank God for the gospel. But the gospel does not promise your best life now. Quite to the contrary, it promises your best life later. And that is where the elderly gentlemen's paraphrase really comes into play. We aren't to focus on this temporal life, but on eternity.
Someone brought up the thought that people in the real world have real problems and they need help. It's true I don't have a secular job, and I don't even come into contact with a great number of people outside of my own home on a normal day, but as I look back over the past 5 years, I think of the women who have sat on my couch, broken and weeping. I've listened to heartbreaking stories that I would have rather never heard. My theology is not disconnected from the real suffering that real people are facing. That I have faced. And in the midst of understanding the problems that people are facing, my theology remains the same. A lady shared that she has been a therapist (I think she said for 19 years) and her conclusion was that the gospel was the only thing we have to offer broken people.
The message to Ryan at times is for him to change his message. Build people up, give them a chicken soup for the soul sermon to inspire them and give them hope that it is all going to turn out ok if you just love Jesus.
As I think of those ladies in my living room, I don't think their circumstance ever changed for any one of them. I suppose if they were hoping for their best life now, they are still looking for it. Something I learned back over the summer when I was on bedrest and read through A Praying Life is that when our prayer for a problem or circumstance to be removed doesn't come about, it may be that God is wanting to change us. So always ask, "God what are you trying to teach me through this?" This past Sunday during our Sunday School lesson Mark concluded with the challenge to pray for God to change us rather than praying for God to change our circumstances.
In the end does my theology have me or God at the center? I said Wednesday that I will never tire of hearing the gospel preached. Over and over again. Because the gospel wasn't just that one time that I prayed the sinner's prayer. I need the gospel every day of my life. At the end of the gospel is the promise of the resurrection. All things new. Made right. We can't offer people a message of their best life now, but we can offer them their best life later and in the midst of all the suffering and trials in this life, the gospel for every day life.
I like the way Julianna's bible story book says it: "There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name...
Should we be surprised then to hear the gospel in every sermon? How desperately we need to be rescued and how amazingly loving and good the Rescuer is? I don't need Jesus to make my life better...I need him to make me better so that at the end of this brief life, I can enter into the presence of a holy God through the righteousness of His Son.
I think my elderly friend had it exactly right...
We celebrated yesterday since Ryan had the day off. I had gotten the kids each a small gift and candy. We had pizza, cupcakes and red kool-aid! It was a fun day together.
Ryan got me a new wedding ring set. We have been talking a long time about either fixing or updating my set. I had my wedding ring cut off during one of the pregnancies...I think with Evan. I was so little when I got married, I think my ring size was 4. So I wore a cheap basic band all these years. Ryan told me that he wanted to buy me a nice piece of jewelry this year...he does that sometimes on Valentine's Day and we talked about what to do with my wedding ring. I looked around and found a style I liked. He took in my cut ring and they gave him more money for it than he originally paid! I love my new set...very pretty!
And for everyone who has asked me about Piper. She is doing some better. Not sleeping well at night, but right now she is feeding well and is even eating some oatmeal cereal!
Been a bit of a cloud over the Eaton house lately. Piper has been struggling with reflux...or something. All of the children had a difficult times with digestion issues as a baby. It's a trying time for me at the moment. Trying to figure out how to feed her to keep her minimally comfortable. Not much sleep. And in the midst of it all, I'm teaching kids how to count money, how to write a book report, memorizing multiplication facts, how to write in cursive, and phonics rules. And trying to fit in a little housework. The keyword being little. Which bugs me. I feel even more stressed with disorganization everywhere. 7 people live in our house...believe me disorganization abounds. I'm trying to remember that eventually she will outgrow all of this and Ryan lets me take a little catnap in the evenings which helps immensely. Of course he is so helpful around the house, but at the moment he has one of those killer head colds. He looks a little pitiful, and I have great fears about his upcoming trip in a couple weeks.
Piper does go to the doctor today so maybe some new medications will help. She is such a good, happy-go-lucky baby. I hate to see anything take her beautiful smile away.
Is there nothing to sing about to-day? Then borrow a song from to-morrow; sing of what is yet to be. Is this world dreary? Then think of the next. —C.H. Spurgeon
32 years isn't long to know much. 20-some years later, I am still learning how to be a Christ-follower. 5 kids later, and I am still learning how to be a parent, and 12 years later Ryan and I are still learning how to be husband and wife.
I do a lot of stuff, I guess. I once had a lady ask me (and I don't think it was in a good way), "Is there anything you can't do?" I really strive to be transparent. Just because I do a lot of things, doesn't necessarily mean that I do them all well. Most of the time I am just giving it my best shot and praying it all turns out and when it doesn't I pray more and get up the next day and try again.
Marriages are full of bumps or maybe even some head-on collisions. Ryan and I hit a bump yesterday. I learned that he had given away something of mine that held immense sentimental value. He hadn't asked me or communicated this with me. It broke my heart. Like into a tiny, million pieces. There were a lot of tears. Ryan felt horrible. I felt horrible. We texted back and forth and battled this out all evening long when he got home. Through it all though I knew that Ryan would never hurt me on purpose, and I knew I had to sort out my feeling and emotions to let it go. My head knew this, but my heart was a different story. We worked through it together and through much prayer on my own. The sun went down with Ryan and I snuggled up closer than ever.
He loves me. I love him.
I forgive him. He forgives me.
We're just two very imperfect people committed to loving each other no matter what.
My 5 kiddies were tucked into each of their beds. God reminded me that I had everything I really needed. My memories are still intact and hopefully what I treasured for so many years will bring happy memories to someone else.
And if you happen to see me wearing a new diamond ring in the near future, you'll know why! ;)
