Personalities

All this screaming and carrying on over the political situation gave me pause to stop and think, especially since it's become a blatantly ugly, personal, personality contest. There are those who deny patriotism, good sense, morality, and even Christianity to anyone who has a different opinion than their own.  Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true." Fine.  But, what if your personality is sharp, or even harsh and it costs you friends?  Do you change your personality to gain friends, or remain a cranky loner? What kind of personality did Shakespeare have?  Sorry.  I'm old, but not that old. Supposedly, he was accused of stealing someone else's writing.  Sir Francis Bacon?  Shakespeare in Love was a movie that portrayed him as an adulterous goofball.  One thing I have learned is that writers seldom live up to what they write.  He was a great writer, but if history has portrayed him accurately, he didn't learn anything from what he observed and wrote about.

                                                                                                                        That wasn't the case for the Apostle Paul. He believed and lived what he wrote. In Galations 1:10, he writes, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." He wasn't very popular in certain circles, and to this day, some people don't understand him and outright don't like him. He paid a very heavy price for what he said, what he believed, and what he lived.  His personality  was so strong that when he first became a believer in Jesus, the church was terrified of him because he'd persecuted the church before he came to Jesus.  Thankfully, his personality was as strong as a Jewish believer as it had been as a Jewish Pharisee. It served God's Sovereign purpose very well. He took the Gospel to the Gentiles, opening doors to everyone to become believers, instead of just the Jew. In the same way, his disagreement with Barnabus over Mark made two mission teams instead of one. God's ways are not ours, but they are perfect.

So, again, what to do? As I've pondered this situation, it's become clear to me that I must stand my ground, no matter what people think of me or call me.  By the same token, I have no right to try to force other people to think the way I do or call them names if they don't. That's denying them the right to be true to themselves.  As a believer, when I hear those sorts of things, I hear anger, anxiety, and arrogance.  What does the unbeliever hear and think? Actually, for the Christian, those words deny others the right to be true to the Lord. Name calling is judging and last I heard, God had not given His gavel to anyone.

Long before our Presidential election became a personality contest, I looked for men or women of noble character.  People with dignity and integrity. I expect my leader to be like Daniel in the Bible.  For that reason, my biggest complaint about  Donald Trump during the debates was his rudeness.  He belittled anyone who disagreed with him. That's not debating, that's bullying, but Trump has the type of personality that people follow. Do they overlook his myriad of imperfections? Yes. Am I one of them because I will vote for him? No.  I see him for what he is, but I also believe God is in control and the voting thus far has turned out the way it has because of God's Sovereign will.  Do I like it?  Can't say that I do.  I preferred Scott Walker and Carly Fiorina above all of them, but that's another story. Is this personality contest right? No.  Did God know this was going to happen before the beginning of time? Yes.  Does that make God evil because Trump defeated several Christians? Hardly.  It's been said that if God only gave good things, everyone would follow Him just for the good things.  No one would love Him for Himself. He's not the great Santa Claus of the sky.

Unfortunately, Christians of the Ted Cruz bandwagon are doing the same thing they have castigated Donald Trump for, only they're doing it to others because they don't have cameras and microphones following them around. Doesn't anyone remember the old adage that says when you point a finger at someone, you're pointing three back at yourself? Ted Cruz might have had better answers, but, this is not his time. Several talking heads have said Ted Cruz does not have a "sympathetic" personality. People just aren't listening to his message.  That's his problem, not Donald Trump's or the voters. Like Rand and Ron Paul, he has the same problem in Congress.  They can't get anything passed because their colleagues won't go along with them.  I'm not saying Ted Cruz is wrong, just that he can't get anybody to agree with him.  As President, how would he ever get anything done? Besides, how can anyone believe we love them and we love Jesus if all we can do is make nasty comments to one another?

Like all believers, I'm praying for good leadership.  However, if we don't get it, God is still in control. The possibility is we don't deserve it.  We've taken every good thing God has given us, and like spoiled children, demanded more.  We've twisted and perverted the truth in ways most people my age never dreamed possible. We're perilously close to anarchy.  Maybe God is going to use our next President as a wake up call for Christians to begin once again to obediently share the Gospel instead of democracy.

Or maybe not.  Maybe it's time for America learn what real hardship is. God brought Israel down for their disobedience.  What makes us think He has no right to do that to us? God knows what He's doing, but I don't. I have to say, I prefer it that way.  A huge load is off my shoulders now that I'm no longer tilting at windmills.

Who's the Boss?

There are those who do not believe as I do that God is Sovereign.  When discussions like that occur, I pray and seek answers in God's Word.  I believe He's shown me in three specific lives that He truly is Sovereign.  The subject could be easily dismissed by quoting Isaiah 55:8.  "'For My thoughts are no your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD."

However, I think the subject deserves further attention.  There are three people in the Old Testament whose lives demonstrated God's Sovereignty.  The first is Job.  Job went through some very tough stuff. At the very beginning of the book, God taunts Satan with, "Have you seen my servant Job?" And the battle ensues.  Poor Job.  He loses all his children, all his livestock, and eventually, his health.

Worship was his response to the loss of his children. "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Scripture goes on to say, "In all this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." It is true, as time went on, Job because less patient with what was happening in his life and defends himself against his "friends."  He didn't understand what was going on.  He was never let in on the plan.  It was all between God and Satan.  Finally, God answers Job's complaints-but with neither apology nor explanation.  He asks question after question that forces Job to realize God is Sovereign and he is worthy of worship-no matter what happens.

Job is humbled, but not humiliated. God forgives his friends of all their pontificating when Job prays for them.  In chapter 42, verses 7 and 8, God says. "I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has...My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."

Samson is next.  Chuck Swindoll says Samson was a he-man with a she problem. His job was to give the Philistines defeats and he did it.  Even though he was born at a special time for a special reason and had God's special power on him, he used all of it in a very worldly way. He was temperamental. With his great strength and penchant for the ladies, he tangled with the Philistines frequently.

The first time was when he married a Philistine woman.  His parents objected, as well they should. God specifically told Israel not to intermarry. However, Judges 14:4 says, "His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, Who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines..." Confrontation followed.  And, it wasn't the only time.  But, each time, except for Delilah, the Spirit of God came on him in power.  Even with that one failure, he still fulfilled his purpose of making trouble for the Philistines.

Third was David when he decided to count his men.  This too, was forbidden and in II Samuel 24:1, it says, "Again, the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying 'Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.'" But in I Chronicles 21:1, the Bible says, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel."

Chuck Swindoll has the best take on the apparent discrepancy. He says, "Although Scripture is clear that God does not cause anyone to sin, it also clear that man's-and Satan's evil acts are under God's Sovereign control."

Apparently, God means it when He says His ways and thoughts are not ours. Do we accept it and continue to worship Him, or fight it and rebel?

What was that?

It started more than 15 years ago.  My abdomen would jump like I was late in pregnancy and the child in my womb was very active. Trouble was, I was in my late 50's and several years after a complete hysterectomy. (The doctor took so much out, I can never remember what all he did take.) I would forget about the jumping abdomen-until it happened again a couple of months later. I just hoped it never happened in public. I was sure I would die of pure humiliation.

Over the years, however, it has happened in public.  The first time was at school while I was working with a boy.  He laughed, not because he was making fun of me, but because he was startled and perhaps a little nervous. The number of times have increased dramatically and the severity has increased as well. In 2007, I finally found a neurologist who said if he couldn't find the problem, he'd find someone in the country who could.  We were impressed.

His news, however, was not what we wanted to hear.  My spinal cord has been damaged and the spinal cord fluid that is supposed to protect the cord has flowed into the opening, forming a cyst, called a syrinx. There's nothing that can be done.  If surgery is done, 33% of the time, nothing changes.  33% of the time it does stop, but 33% of the time it gets worse, including the possibility of paralysis.  At this point I'm having dozens, sometimes hundreds of tics a day.  Some are minor, most are severe. They can also be noisy.  Ever have someone slap you on the back and shock you to the point you yell?  That's what happens to me.  Sometimes they take my breath away and cause me to grunt.

The first thing the doctor said was that anything could trigger them.  So far, I've discovered that stimulants trigger them.  No chocolate or coffee or caffeine. Fatigue causes them and they, in turn, cause fatigue. Stress causes them, and they, in turn cause stress. Lack of sleep causes them. Change of weather causes them.  A severe rain storm the other night brought on a severe attack. Most of the time, they just happen for unknown reasons.

Several medications have been attempted, but all have failed. Perhaps they've failed because they're seizure medicines for the brain and my problem is in my spine.  They work for a short period of time and then the tics begin to increase and the medicine actually causes the increase.

The tics themselves are not painful, but they are debilitating. The fatigue hampers me physically.  I can't get nearly as much done as I would like to do.  I can't exercise because they increase.  It is emotionally exhausting.  When they get especially bad, I have no control over my emotions.  All I want to do is cry.  They are destructive socially.  If I have them in public, people are startled and ask me if I'm OK.  Then, comes the assumption that I have Tourette's Syndrome.  I feel compelled to explain what's going on and to say "Don't feel sorry for me." I told one friend if she did, I'd lose it.  Wrong answer. My answer needs to be that it's a sacrifice of thanksgiving. But. rather than endure people's kind attempts to help or to feel sorry for me, I tend to stay home more. It really is a boring conversation to talk about your ailments all the time. Spiritually, it's draining.  Studying God's Word and praying are harder to do because concentration is harder. Inability to concentrate doesn't do much for thinking, either, thus compromising my mental processing.

Luke 2:52 says Jesus grew "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." I'm doing none of that.  What good are they?  I've been anointed and prayed for and I have not been healed.  How can this situation possibly bring glory to God?

At the moment, I'm reading Elizabeth Elliot's book, Passion and Purity.  In Chapter 13, "Material for Sacrifice," she states that blessings we receive from the Lord are to be shared, not selfishly kept to ourselves.  That makes sense.  If God gives material blessings, we are to share with those who have needs.  But, how in the world does that have anything to do with what I'm going through?

Perhaps it has as much to do with my tics as it did her saying goodbye to the man she loved and who loved her.  They were unsure they'd ever meet again or marry.  At that point in their relationship, Jim was sure God wanted him to remain single even though he loved Elizabeth and she loved him.  It was a painful situation.  And, yet, they saw this as something God wanted them to go through.  They were willing to endure the pain of loneliness for the glory of God.

Those who think God only gives good things will not see my tics as something good. Nor will they see that I have not been healed as something good.  The comments I have received from those who feel that way have indicated a lack of respect and understanding.  Somehow, I'm not spiritually where God wants me to be.

What I know is that God understands and He's allowed this situation in my life for His glory.  E.E. said when someone complained of loneliness she'd tell her to give it to Jesus and the woman would not understand.  E.E.'s answer is spot on.  Giving it to Jesus is the only answer.  It's a sacrifice to Him and He's totally worth it.

No, I'm not always smiling or grateful for this affliction.  In fact, this morning, on the way to Wal-Mart, I was crying out to God for the help to endure the situation.  But, that's what brought the peace! Perhaps that's the point.  When we are desperate, we turn to the Lord. When things are going smoothly, same may think they don't need the Lord and might even be rather smug that they're not suffering like other people do.  God's blessing them because they deserve it.

I often quote Psalm 119:71.  "It was good for me to be afflicted that I might learn your decrees." And, I often quote Sarah Young. "Do not recoil from afflictions, since they are among My most favored gifts."  Understanding that affliction is a gift from God that I might learn from Him truly is a blessing.

Prime Example

Heard the most wonderful Mother's Day message today.  It was all about Jesus.  The passage was Luke 2:41-52.  I appreciate pastors whose messages cause me to think and this one certainly did.  In fact, I had to work very hard to concentrate (tic flare-up).  He seemed to be a little off kilter at first, but his subject was so profound and yet so simple the need to concentrate made it worth all the more to hear.

This passage of Scripture is the only passage that allows us to look into the childhood of Jesus.  Why is that important?  I have to admit I never thought about it before, but once he started preaching, I realized it is an important subject.  There's nothing unimportant in Scripture, but some things just go right over my head-until I hear a good message or the Scriptures grab my attention in a way it never has before.  How many times have I read a passage and thought, "Now, where did that come from?"  It had never seemed important before, but the Holy Spirit knows what I need to learn and when I need to learn it.  Today was one of those days.

If Jesus is God, surely He knows everything, so why does the Scripture speak of Him growing spiritually?  Why was He born as a baby?  Why did He have a mother and siblings?  Again, I never really considered it that important.  However, as the pastor spoke this morning, I realized Jesus went through the entire human process for the purpose identifying with us.  To be the example for us as to how we should live.  Granted, He is God and He does know everything, but how would we learn to live without His example? How could we draw close to a holy God without His death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins?

Other gods have no use for humans.  Have no desire to love us and communicate with us. It's been said that Muslims would be offended at the idea of Allah having a son. But God-our God-is the One True God and He desires to have fellowship with us.  Therefore, Jesus became man and lived as as human being to show us how to live and, through His death, we can have fellowship with Him.

Therefore, Luke 2:52, in which the author tells us Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man, it is very important for us to understand why that verse is there.  Jesus not only knew all about mankind's lives because He is God, but He also experienced what we do-without sin.  It was even mentioned that His family didn't believe in Him until after the resurrection.  In other words, His family was not supportive and didn't want Him to follow the will of the Father.

I'm grateful for the this morning's message.  Grateful that Jesus not only came to be our prime example, but to die for us because He also knew we could not live a life worthy of heaven unless the penalty for sin was paid and He did that, too.  What an awesome God we serve.

Culture clash

Let's talk.  Through the years, our diverse American population has become more and more averse to cultural beliefs that are not our own.  I can't remember how many times, especially on Facebook, I've been blasted because I've said something that someone from another culture got their back up and lowered the boom on me.  Of course, that only exacerbates the agitation and aggravation, but it does nothing to resolve the understanding or the differences. For the most part, I try to ignore those posts. But, that doesn't resolve anything, either.  So, let's talk. It's time we got back to disagreeing respectfully. Let's reason together, like God says to us in Isaiah.

Recently, I reposted a comment and picture showing people in India showing their voter I.D. cards. This morning, I had a comment of surprise from a lovely, delightful young woman from another culture.  It dawned on me that she may have been offended.  She may be from a culture that believes voter I.D.s are designed to keep her culture from voting.  That's the furthest thing from my mind.  I applaud all people who are registered and who vote.

What I believe is that voter I.D. will prevent is fraud. There's not been many elections that reported votes have come from residents of cemeteries. Many want to give illegal aliens the privilege to vote. Voting is a privilege for the citizens. Committing a crime can cost the ability to vote.  Entering this country illegally is wrong, so what right does the person from another country have more than the citizen of this country who's done wrong and paid the penalty for it?

The Bible says if we've broken one law, we've broken all of them.  I know, that's referring to God's law, but the principle is the same.  There are those who have used aliases and vote more than once. Hopefully, voter I.D. will prevent that. The same for those who are already dead.  I'm reminded of the saying of my childhood: Winners never cheat and cheaters never win.  That doesn't seem to be the way it's going these days, but if everyone cheats to win, we'll someday have a strong person come along who will outcheat everyone and take our voting rights away from us. Besides, cheating is only necessary when insecurity or inferiority is at play.

I want to look up to my leaders.  I want them to be like Daniel in the Bible.  He lived in a foreign country that did not believe as he did and yet, he was respected and called upon to solve many problems Babylon faced. He was able to bridge the cultural divide without compromising the standards he had personally.  That's the kind of leader America needs. That's the kind of person I want to be even though I have not nor will I ever be called upon to lead. That's the kind of people I admire in history and that's the kind of people God used to make our country great.


Going back to the young woman, I met her just once a few years ago when we were both answering the call for jury duty.  She impressed me and I've prayed for her ever since.  Not long after we met, I got a phone call from a man I'd never met, calling from a business I've never been in, from a town I rarely enter.  He found a book in the parking lot that had my name and phone number in it and was calling to tell me where I'd lost my book, but the book wasn't mine.  I had given my new friend my information so that we could stay in contact.  I tried everything I could think of to get in contact with her because the book was a library book.  My efforts came to nothing. Just a few weeks ago, she contacted me through Facebook and asked me to friend her.  I was thrilled.

Have I offended her because of our cultural differences?  I sincerely hope not. I'm hoping we can get together this summer while I'm not working at the school.  I want to be friends and I want to understand her culture instead of getting wrapped up in this divisiveness that has become so ingrained in our once great country. No, I'm not a Trump supporter, but I've seen our country go downhill for a lot of years.  I want more for our country, but we're not going to achieve it by screaming and cussing at one another.

Supposedly, those who disagree with me in regard to voter I.D. is their belief is that voter I.D. is designed to keep the poor and the elderly from voting.  If the law were to become national, how hard would it be to register everyone? Congress wastes a lot of money on less important things.  I'm sure there are lots of people much smarter than I who could come up with ways to register those who don't have any kind of picture I.D.

Yes, I know there are those who would have a difficult time finding their birth certificates. Naturalized citizens, I assume, would have their papers in order. Natural disasters, like hurricanes, might also cause problems, but there are so many backups today the problem should not be insurmountable. For decades, my mother believed she had no birth certificate because she'd been told the church where her birth certificate was stored had burned and there weren't backups.  In the early 20th century, official documents were often stored in churches. How could she get Social Security without a birth certificate?  Her younger brother said he got his and that news encouraged her to see if hers was also available through the state capitol.  Lo and behold it was, enabling her to not only apply for Social Security but to register to vote.  Come to think of it, if the elderly are on Social Security, getting a voter I.D. should be no problem at all. Identifications for children enter school are necessary, so documentation for anyone is readily available.

When I saw the picture of Indians holding up their I.D.s, it took me back to memories of Germany, where we lived from 1964-1967.  At that time, all Germans had an I.D.  Whether it was used for voting, I do not know, but if for any reason a citizen was stopped by the police, they'd better have their I.D. with them.  A woman was trying to beg in the military housing and a neighbor called the MP's.  I happened to walk out of my balcony and saw them talking to her.  What happened after that, I don't know, but the neighbor who called the MP's said the first thing they did was ask for her identity card.  Are there other countries who utilize I.D.s?  Research says there are many.

Come to think of it, we chip our pets to prevent theft.  Are our pets really more important than the privilege of voting? There are some banks and credit card companies who now place pictures on their cards.  Cell phones have fingerprint I.D. to keep people from stealing them. Protecting things and creatures precious to us has become a way of life.  Therefore, our ability to vote our conscience should also be important enough to want to protect.  Reading the Bible tells me the day is coming when that precious privilege will be taken away.

At that time, identities will be put in our foreheads or in our hands.  That, Dear Ones, is where I draw the line.