The Hill

Some of my most vivid, powerful, experiences of God's presence are through imagery. I thought I would share a couple images I received while in college.

Imagine you are climbing up a steep, rocky mountain. You can barely stand upright. The rocks are sharp and jagged. All you have is a rope. At the top of the mountain God is standing, gripping the other end of the rope. You look up to the peak, straining to see Him. With all your heart you want to be up there, standing with your Lord. You pull yourself up on the rope with all your strength. But you keep falling backwards. Your feet keep slipping. Now, slowly look behind you. What’s there? Is there something that keeps pulling you down? Is there something in your life that is pulling you away from God? Now look again. Is that the only thing behind you? Or is there something that is pushing you up, supporting you and helping you as you struggle? Now look back up to the peak. What is God doing? Is he pulling on the rope also? Is he speaking to you? Look closer, at his face. Look into his eyes. What do you see? Stay there a few minutes and allow God to speak to you.

There are times in our lives when God seems very distant, when the rocks are sharp and with every attempt we make to move forward we seem to only fall farther away. It was during one of these times that I walked up the hill behind campus to a spot where I often go on such days when I need to get away from everything and just be by myself to think or pray. It was a nice sunny day and in the afternoon when the sun was almost directly behind me. But on the top of the hill the wind hits you a little harder than it does elsewhere. I had been up there a little while already and was beginning to get cold. The wind was whipping at my hair, blowing it in my face so I couldn’t see, and in my mouth. But not yet ready to go back to the dorm, I stayed a little while longer and tried to withstand the chill. I was almost ready to leave when I noticed that my back felt warm from the sun. As I sat there focusing on this warmth, it slowly began to wrap around me like a blanket, maybe not totally taking away the chill of the wind but lessening it nonetheless.
Sitting on the top of the hill that day I was reminded that even though life gets rough sometimes and the winds get fierce, the Son is always at our back. God is always there with us, wrapping us in His unconditional, unending love.

Positive Changes

It seems this blog is becoming a twice-monthly occurance. I'll try to write more often. This morning I was reading in 1 Samuel about Saul and David's relationship. Saul was jealous of David because the people cheered for David more than him after the battle with Goliath. Ever since then Saul hated him, even though David was one of his best officers. How often do we hold grudges against others or judge people for the smallest offenses and miss out on the wonderful people they really are? At a meeting last night we were also talking about how we need to make an intentional effort to build relationships with people in the church who we don't normally connect with. Whatever happend to the Sunday dinner hospitality tradition? People started thinking football games, naps and any work that didn't get done on Saturday is more important.

On the radio this morning the hosts were talking about making a commitment to make positive changes in their lives, rather than a New Year's resolution. It doesn't seem so bad if you mess up then... you just start over the next day. What changes do you need to make in your life?

Peace

It seems as the peace and comfort of the Christmas season has come to an end and a new year has begun, I am harshly reminded of the lack of peace and comfort in the world. It is difficult to see God's light in such dark situations. Where is God in the life of a teen boy who is emotionally abused by his step-mother? Where is God in the lives of two boys running the streets because their fathers don't care and their mother is working or drunk? Where is God in the midst of the protests and violence in Kenya and Bolivia? Where is God when innocent people are killed or forced to live as refugees because their homes are not safe?

Many of my clients live in families that are constantly chaotic and tense with conflict. My cousin, a missionary, lives in Bolivia with his wife and three children. They were rarely able to leave their home for a few weeks because of the protests there. Our pastor candidate is also a missionary in Kenya. There have been many killings and people living in hiding because of the recent elections and protests there. Yet God is there. He is here. He is present. Please pray for peace in our homes, our communities, our countries, and around the world.