Decisions - with Outcomes

There are few things that are more certain in life than change. Whether it brings growth is a different matter – but change is the constant. Many changes are beyond our managing – things happen and it is our place to react or respond with whatever we have in us at the moment. The more preparation of soul and character we have done before the change, the greater the likelihood that our response will redeem the change. Without that preparation, our reaction may be less beneficial.

But there are changes that we can manage, as well. Things that we decide on and that we can shape as the time draws near. Transitions can be eased with planning and careful, prayerful thought. Not every question can be answered, but enough of them can be to reduce the chaos of what comes next. The launch into something new is frightening enough under any circumstances – the fear can be reduced by choosing not to be surprised. And by making choices.

As we make progress in spiritual maturity, the black and white, right or wrong, kinds of decisions lessen and we are increasingly left with decisions that have no right or wrong answer. We move away from punishment for having made wrong choices to an adult way of life in which there is no right or wrong choice on many issues – but there are outcomes – outcomes wrapped up in the choice itself. The choice is not between right or wrong, and may not even be a matter of better or best. And we have to choose without knowing all the consequences of every action.

And just at that moment, it seems, God removes his guidance and instead gives us wisdom to choose. It is as if He is saying, “Whatever you choose is fine. I will be with you in any event. What do you want to do?” To that extent, managing decisions becomes a matter of knowing our own heart – knowing our own desires. We do not have to worry about pleasing God with our choice – He is already pleased with us. Now what is at stake is whether we are willing to make a certain choice without knowing all the outcomes. That requires courage and confidence. In truth, either outcome is acceptable in most cases. The only question is which outcome do we want to live with? And in it all, we know that God will be with us and give us capacity for our choices.

That is why James instructs us, when in seasons of doubt, to ask for wisdom. That is what we do in these times of transition. Then, we choose. And then, we live!

Play as Trust

For the first half of my life, winter was a season of trust. I didn’t think of it in that way then - then it was a matter of unconscious redemptive endurance. We knew we had to get through it. We knew that March and April were coming - but would probably be delayed. So, in the middle of enduring, we redeemed the days. We did so as kids, and as adult children, by play. The cold froze the small lakes and ponds into acres of skating rink. The slower, smaller streams would provide miles of skating trails for a couple months of the year. Winter was the season of downhill and cross-country skiing - days spent in the wonderland of a snow-covered landscape. Hot chocolate tastes so much better when the appetizer is an hour or two tobogganing down the hills a couple of blocks from home.

Play is a wonderful way to redeem endurance. After all, you have to go through it anyway - you might as well have fun on the way! There are few journeys that are not made lighter, more pleasant - and shorter - by play. Play brings a certain lightness of step to the plod of hanging in there until it is over. If you can’t make play part of the journey, at least take time out occasionally from the journey to play. The dark season of the year calls for such playfulness. The dark seasons of our lives do as well.

Play is a deep mark of trust. Play unconsciously enters into the full and deep awareness that I am not in charge of much of anything - and that the One who is can be fully trusted to do what is right. What a frightening world I would live in if I were in charge of all things concerning me. There would be no time to play - it would all be work, effort, struggle. Life would be task. Instead, life is trust. My life is in God’s hands. It is there whether I recognize it, accept it, and live like it, or not. Play decides to enter the game of trust - knowing that it is the only game in town. Play is at the center of the celebration of Sabbath - one day in every seven in which we do not work and which reminds us that we are created and redeemed - that we are not animals nor slaves - that we are not defined by what we do but by who we are - that we have a plane and a destiny in God’s great kingdom that is beyond any of our imagination.

And so we play - and so we rest - and so we trust. He, after all, has the whole world in His hands.

The Loneliness of Decision

Alone

     all

          alone.

Peering

          into the darkness

          of a future to be

          determined by

     this

          one

               choice.

Impossible

     to see a future

     that would make

     easier

     this

          one

               choice.

Even if

     future sight

     were given

          it wouldn’t help.

There is

     no future

     until a

     choice is

     made.

This

     one

          choice

gives rise

to a different

future than

this

     one

          choice.

In the

     loneliness of the choice

     choose

          knowing

          the futures

          are not

     lonely.

 “I will be with you.”

Weeping in Ramah (Matthew 2:18)

She thought it was over. Staying in Bethlehem to avoid the questioning looks of the neighbors back home, Mary and Joseph settled down to the good work of making a living and raising a son. Joseph’s skills made it possible for them to fit in without raising too many questions. Before long they realized Jesus was pretty much just like any other boy his age. The events surrounding his birth had faded to a treasured, and regularly pondered, memory.

Then out of the blue came the wise men with their wonderful story and over-whelming gifts. News of their arrival traveled fast in the small neighborhood – any thought of just going back to business as usual was shattered. And then, the angel – this time with a warning. Bethlehem was no longer safe, they must leave. Now. How do you decide what to take? How long are we going to be gone? Must we leave right now? Now! She had no time to say good bye to the few women she had become friends with.

The lights and sounds of the little village faded behind them as they began their weary way south. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it in that strange place between waking and sleeping, but the faint echo of the cries of mothers startled her into wakefulness. A shiver ran down her spine. She held the child so tightly that he squirmed in her embrace. The look in Joseph’s eyes told her she had not imagined the anguish – and that, but for the angel, it would be her cries of grief and outrage splitting the night air over Bethlehem. What kind of hatred, what kind of anger, what kind of fear, could move someone to slay innocent children – toddlers, some just learning to walk?

Simeon had warned her that the birth of her son would result in a sword piercing even her own heart. But so soon? And with this kind of pain? What right had she to be glad her son lived when so many of her friend’s sons had died? And worse, they died because he lived. Her heart ached with the battle and the shared pain. She finally surrendered to the numbing tedium of the road and let exhaustion over take her.

It was years before she could begin to understand what that night was all about - before she could place it in the  plan - before she knew what was at stake in the survival of her son and their travel into Egypt. For out of Egypt, God would call her son, and His. And begin the grand reversal. Tonight, his life resulted in death for many. One near day, his death would result in life for many, many more. He could not die this night. It wasn’t time . . . yet.

Epiphany

Today – January 6 – is Epiphany – the twelfth of the twelve days of Christmas. It commemorates, in the Western church, the visit of the Magi – the Persian sages whose reading of the night skies lead them to Bethlehem, with gifts – gold of royalty, frankinscence as part of the incense of worship, and myrrh used as one of the spices to wrap a body after death – embodying their understanding of his identity.

Ephiphany means something like “manifestation” or “appearance.” The focus is on the startling revelation of Jesus as the Incarnate Son of God. In the Eastern church, Epiphany commemorates Jesus’ baptism – the moment at which the heaven’s were opened, the Spirit descended, and He was declared to be Who He was – the Beloved Son of God.

In Epiphany, we celebrate the gift of Jesus to the whole world. Here the two branches of the church may find common ground in that the Magi were gentiles. The revelation of Jesus as the Son of God – startling in itself – is made even more so with the declaration that He is so for the whole world, not just those who self-identify as God’s chosen people.

In the church calendar, Epiphany gives way to Ordinary Time which lasts until the beginning of Lent. Ordinary Time is that reminder that the wonder of Incarnation, the stunning awareness of God with us, reshapes, redefines, reframes all of our days. Incarnation is useless if it is just memorialized in annual holy-days but does not work its way into the fabric of every-days. The purpose of the holy-days is to allow for the re-calibration of our souls – to remind us, again and again and again, over and over and over, that life – our life –  is more than what is seen all around us. That, in fact, wonder is afoot! We desperately need this persistent, consistent reminder – especially as wonder gives way to ordinary.

So, the tree is down – set out at the curb for pick up or stored away in its box for next year. The lights, which only days ago twinkled merrily against the backdrop of December darkness, look rather sad on the few houses on which they still remain. The gifts, given with such excitement and enthusiasm only twelve days ago, are now stacked with those of Christmas past – or, more likely, returned for what was wanted more.

But wait! There’s more! The King – born to die – has come for us all! Even Ordinary days are alive – electric – with His Presence for those who have seen His star, for those who have heard the Voice.

Small Changes

Most resolutions made at the turn of a year, or at pretty much any other time for that matter, fail because they are too radical – too ambitious. Sometime over the Christmas season we have a chance to sit and take stock of where we are and consider where we want to be. It is the time for all the old familiar longings to come to the surface, fueled by the dreams of by-gone days, or by the realization that the future has arrived a whole lot faster than you had planned. Maybe some event triggers a desire for wholesale change – a complete makeover, inside and out. The latest “reality” programs on television make it clear that change – real change – is yours for the asking, if you have enough money, in just under an hour, and that mentality percolates down into our longings, compelling us to promise ourselves the world. Radical resolutions rarely see fulfillment. They simply don’t have the foundation to support their implementation.

Real change is accomplished in increments – a bit at a time. If it is your goal to finally make exercise a regular part of your lifestyle of stewardship, it is probably best not to schedule an hour long workout each day beginning at six in the morning! An approach more likely to succeed is one that has you doing stretching exercises and some cardio work two or three times a week for a month or two.

Likewise, if you desire to go deeper in your relationship with God, it is not likely to occur if you commit to an hour a day of intense prayer and study of the Word -  especially if you are starting from zero. You will do better, with real and sustained change, if you give yourself a reasonable target – fifteen to thirty minutes a day, three or four days a week. If you fail to get it done one week, don’t quit, just try again next week. And, for God’s sake, don’t shame yourself for failing – graciously – gracefully – train into the new.

This time of year reminds me of learning to drive in the snow. Every once in a while, we would get stuck. The temptation was to just sit in the car and floor the accelerator, thinking that more was better. The result was that the spinning wheel heated up the snow under it, which formed a slick coat of ice. The result? More stuck after than before!

The solution was to gradually apply the gas, rock the car gently back and forth until you were able to feel the tire “grab”. Then you would gingerly give it just a bit more gas to get you going a bit at a time.

Life change is sort of the same. You have to get some traction – some “grab” – before you get unstuck. And the way to do that is a bit at a time. 

No Guarantees - No Money Back

You pay your money and you take your chances. If that isn’t a description of life these days, I don’t know what is. But what better way is there to live in the light of the fact that God is with us?

The incarnation does not legitimate foolishness, but it does remind us that we are not alone in the universe and that God has come to us and is decidedly on our side. That is good news! It gives us enormous freedom to try and to fail or to try and succeed without risking anything important. All of the important issues of our identity and destiny have been settled in God’s coming to us. It is clear - the decision has been made - we are the children of God and have an exciting place in the great future He has planned for those who love Him. With that settled, we can really live. Make that LIVE! We can enter abundant life - the life of the heavens - now. So… what do you want to do today?

At the beginning of this new year, think what living in the full freedom of God’s eternal love and plan for you might mean. Full freedom - let that phrase wash over your mind for  a moment. You are completely safe in the love of God. You need not be anxious about anything. Anything! Your life is hidden with God in Christ. Now, what do you want to do today?

Might you perhaps live less anxious about tomorrow - knowing that is in His hand as well? Might you be more generous with your time or money, knowing that they are not the full measure of who you are? Might you relax more completely and laugh more deeply, knowing the deep joy that comes from being known of Him? Might you play more, knowing that the running of the universe is in Someone else’s hands? Might you work harder at a couple of things, leaving behind some others, knowing that your worth does not depend on getting everything done? Might you build more deliberately into relationships, knowing that those are the only things that are going to last? Might you take your life both more and less seriously, knowing that you are both here for purpose and yet not able to get it all done yourself?

There are no guarantees, and you can’t get your money back. But so what? Risk has been redefined – God is with us!