The Dirt Road to Paradise

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 3-7

Gardens at Imbabazi in Rwanda

There are gardens at a former orphanage in Rwanda which sit on a foothill at the bottom of a volcano. The only way to get to this beautiful paradise is a long, windy, bumpy dirt road. Although the road is only a few miles long, driving down it is a long process due to its poor condition. But the gardens are an incredible sight, and the journey down the bumpy dirt road is suddenly forgotten when you take in your first breath while standing before the awe-inspiring landscape.

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When I traveled to Rwanda in May of 2012, I nearly missed visiting this orphanage. I was not feeling very well that day, and, due to illness, I feared the long bus ride on the bumpy dirt road. That morning at breakfast, I wavered between whether to go with the team or stay at the hotel. I ultimately decided to brave the adventure and face the bumpy dirt road.

Had I stayed at the hotel, I would have missed the brightly colored flowers, the crisp fog over the volcano's shadow, the joyful playing of music with the children, and the luscious green landscape that was so carefully tended to by the groundskeepers. Had I stayed at the hotel, I would have missed a glimpse of paradise.

So often, I catch Christians (including myself) praying asking God to "pave a path" for us. While praying for God to reveal His Will to those who love Him is good to practice, this particular wording of the prayer is the part which has begun to trip me up: "pave a path."

What if God's intended route for us to His paradise is not a smoothly paved path, but a bumpy dirt road?

Looking at the life of Jesus, His path to the Father's Will was certainly not a smooth one. He faced ridicule, persecution, and even death in order that God's Sovereign Will would come to pass. Jesus' life was none other than a bumpy dirt road- perhaps even the bumpiest dirt road any person has ever had to walk! He was completely innocent of wrongdoing, yet carried every single sin which we have ever committed and have yet to commit with him on the Cross. Now that is a bumpy dirt road.

The Archbishop of Cambrai, France, during the seventeenth century, Francois de Salignac de La Mothe Fenelon, was a spiritual advisor to a handful of members of the Court of Louis the Fourteenth. To these individuals, he wrote a letter containing the following statements regarding bearing our own crosses of hardship, as Jesus did for us:

"A cross which comes from God ought to be welcomed without any concern for self. And when you accept your cross this way, even though it is painful, you will find that you can bear it in peace. But when you receive your cross unwillingly, you will find it to be doubly severe. The resistance within is harder to bear than the cross itself! But if you recognize the hand of God, and make no opposition to His Will, you will have peace in the midst of affliction."

 As followers of Christ, we have to be willing to take the bumpy dirt road. The road may require extra travel time, and we may have to endure several bumps along the way. It will require endurance. It will require relying on God's strength. But the Destination! The Paradise waiting at the end is worth it!

Imagine you are a child taking a ten-hour road trip with your family to Disney World. Those ten hours... in the car... as a child... while anticipating arrival at "the happiest place on earth..." likely feel like the most grueling ten hours of your life. You are constantly questioning, "Are we there yet?" But when that fateful moment comes, and you arrive, the ten-hour car ride is pushed to the very back of your mind. Your focus shifts to the excitement of where you are and who you are going to see (Mickey Mouse)!

I imagine arrival in Heaven will be a similar, yet far more glorious, experience. Suddenly, the bumpy dirt road will not matter anymore. It will be completely forgotten. Instead, our focus will lie on Our Brilliant Creator with whom we finally have the chance to see face to face and spend eternity with! Where you are and Who you are going to see will take precedence over the journey it took to get there.

Until that day, we may be required to travel down a few bumpy dirt roads. We may be required to bear more than a few crosses. But do not resist those crosses. Carry them with dignity. Have perspective to know that you carry them with a Great Purpose.

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Gardens at Imbabazi in Rwanda

There are gardens at a former orphanage in Rwanda which sit on a foothill at the bottom of a volcano. The only way to get to this beautiful paradise is a long, windy, bumpy dirt road. Although the road is only a few miles long, driving down it is a long process due to its poor condition. But the gardens are an incredible sight, and the journey down the bumpy dirt road is suddenly forgotten when you take in your first breath while standing before the awe-inspiring landscape.

How to Be the Most Attractive Person in the Room

I begin with a scenario.  Allow me to set the scene:

Time: 8:30 AM 
Place: Corporate building of a major city 
Weather: Mild Thunderstorm

[You are walking toward your office of employment.  Enter a 20-something female holding a single sunflower in her right hand.  Her long brown hair cascades down the back of her business suit, and her high heels click across the marble-tiled flooring.  The large and vividly-colored yellow flower instantly draws your attention to her.  Although you are behind her and cannot see her face, you know that she is smiling because everyone she passes is smiling at her.  Something about her is intriguing, but you cannot quite put your finger on it.

 As the woman passes a small gift shop, she pokes her head through the glass doors, gives a wave to the elderly Indian man at the cash register, and cheerfully says, "Good morning!"  This is clearly not the first greeting of its kind, as the store owner offers a smile and a personal greeting in return.

Sunflower still in hand, she continues walking toward the bank of elevators and goes out of her way to hold the door open for the petite Hispanic custodian pushing a large garbage bin.  The custodian thanks her and flashes a smile back toward the woman.  At this point, you cannot take your eyes off of the woman and her sunflower.

You walk into the elevator bank behind her as she pushes the 'up' button.  You have yet to catch a glimpse of her face because her hair is covering the small part that would otherwise be visible. You realize that the two of you are about to get on the same elevator, so you decide to make small talk.  To break the ice, you tell her that her sunflower is beautiful.

She finally turns toward you.  Her smile is contagious, and you find yourself suddenly smiling back.  She thanks you and tells you that a coworker of hers was out sick yesterday, so she brought the sunflower today for that coworker.  As you part ways, she tells you that she hopes you have a wonderful day as you get one last glimpse of the not-so-mysterious-anymore sunflower.]

Odd story, you say?  Well, this is not a hypothetical scenario.  I was actually in those shoes witnessing this woman's selfless actions a few days ago.

This woman was incredibly attractive.  Although she was beautiful, I am not referring to her attractiveness in the sense of outer beauty, but rather in the sense of how the opposite ends of a magnet are attracted to each other.  I was literally drawn toward her.

And what was it that attracted me so?  It was the love that she exuded to every single person who crossed her path that morning.  Even before babies are born, they develop a connection with their mothers.  We innately crave love.  Love is attractive.

I was not on the receiving end of the woman with the sunflower's love, but I could certainly feel it.  It was as if she was in a parade, throwing out handful after handful of candy to the spectators, and I was following her, picking up the leftover bits.  She did not pick and choose who to give her love to, she just kept pouring it out.  She did not let the morning's heavy traffic or rainy weather block her outflow of love, either.  She was giving love unconditionally, just like our Father gives to us.

...so do it.  Love unconditionally.  Small gestures make tremendous differences.  Strive to be attractive, not because of people-pleasing tendencies, but because of God-pleasing tendencies.  When others are drawn to you, you will have the opportunity to be the arrow that points them to Him!  It will not be easy, but if seeing the woman with the sunflower do so made such an impact, just think of the impact that will be made when you carry it forward.

And yes, I will admit- the title of this post was 100% misleading... but no matter your intentions, whether you are seeking a romantic attraction or are seeking to share the ultimate message of Hope, love is always a great place to start.

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:16

One Nation, AGAINST God?

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
John 15:18-19

The "American Dream" is completely backwards from what Jesus teaches. The American Dream, in a nutshell, says "acquire more money, acquire more fame, acquire more success, acquire more, acquire more, acquire more. Your treasure is your stuff." Jesus, on the other hand, says, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

I have an incredibly difficult time hearing part of the pledge of allegiance that says, "one nation, under God" because the American Dream removes us from being underneath God and places us above Him, often removing God from the equation altogether. Sometimes, I think it would be much more appropriate to change the pledge to say "one nation, against God." Non-Christians are not the only ones who get caught in the trap of the American Dream, either; Most Christians (including myself) struggle with a constant desire for more of something, whether it be money, romantic love, or recognition. The definition of 'holy' is to be set apart from the world, but worldly desires and distractions are always getting in the way of purely worshiping Him.

A couple of years ago, I made the decision to only listen to Christian music in my car.  At any given time, my radio is tuned to one of three Christian stations.  In a way this has been a tremendous blessing, allowing my mind to be filled with music about God so that my thoughts wander in His direction rather than hearing music and having my thoughts wander around the topics of sex and alcohol, the focuses of many secular songs. Listening to nothing but Christian music (as much as I can control) has been refreshing, but I have noticed that I have become extremely disconnected from pop culture.

I generally view disconnection from pop culture as a plus. My life is more centered on the Lord than it once was. My thoughts are much cleaner than they once were. Perhaps my attitude has been most affected by my fast from secular music. I find myself frustrated much less often, especially in traffic. However, there are some drawbacks. It has become increasingly more difficult to connect with non-Christians because music is no longer a common ground to stand upon.

Music is simply one example of the many ways Christians can disconnect themselves from the world.  However, where I struggle is determining how much disconnect is healthy.  In John 15:19, Jesus teaches that we "do not belong to the world," so detaching ourselves from a reliance on the worldly is certainly necessary. On the other hand, we as Christians are called to love the people of the world.  If we have nothing in common with these individuals, how will we be able to connect with them in a way that they receive our love?

Complete isolation from the worldly is not what Jesus intended. In fact, He set the prime example by having meals with tax collectors. But where is the point of balance? I believe the point of balance lies in the issue of reliance. If we rely on something or someone in this world, then it becomes a god in our life. However, it is extremely easy to make excuses and try to justify that which we rely on. It is also easy to be completely unaware that we deal with the issue of reliance.

The most effective test of reliance is separation. Is it difficult to separate myself from that which is worldly? If that thing or person was taken away from me, would my footing be shaken? Would separation be painful? If yes, then reliance exists. We should be so consumed in our mission to spread the Gospel that we delight in letting go of everything else.

Unlike the American Dream, the focus of the "Christian Dream" should not be what we acquire; rather, it should be focused on what worldly things we let go of. After all, we did not bring anything into the world, and we cannot take anything out of it. No possession belongs to us; each one is the creation of God to be used for His purposes. Instead of relying on that which is worldly, use it to further His kingdom. Just be sure to keep a loose grip!