Martyrs and Reformers

My husband and I had the privilege of traveling in Europe for the last two weeks. In addition to beautiful art and amazing scenery, we enjoyed the sweep of history. 

We stood where they believe Peter was martyred, and saw a moving painting depicting the event.

 We stood by the Roman Colosseum, scene of pagan revelry, just next to the Arch of Constantine, marking the new age of Christianity as the empire's religion.

 

In Prague, we saw a statue of Jan Hus, burned for his faith and also these crosses in the Square in memory of other martyrs of those days of early protest and reform. In modern times in Prague students burned themselves to protest communism.

 

And then in Wittenberg, and Luther's house, I had a moving experience reading one of his quotes and realizing the stream of history in which I stand. I would not pastor church today if it were not for the reformers of days gone by and the many sacrifices they made, with their very lives, others with their freedom, others with the honor that would have been due them had they not protested the system.

We do stand on the shoulders of giants (quoting Isaac Newton). As we serve faithfully, I hope others will stand on our shoulders. More women pastor today than when I started 30 years ago. And it’s not really about that as much as about being obedient to God’s call and having the courage to follow that call. That’s what washed over me while standing in Luther’s house, the great responsibility that I have been given. May we serve with the courage of these ancestors in the faith, even if our physical lives are not at risk, may we be willing to risk reputation, favor, popularity, to do and say what God asks. Then someday we can join these forefathers and mothers in rejoicing at battles won and souls delivered.

A Split Soul

Today I walked up Kennesaw Mountain, where the Confederate Army dug in to protect Atlanta from the advancing Union troops. They lost and the Union Army left a swath of burning and pillaging in their wake.

I was born in Kentucky, a border state. Kentucky was a slave state, a fact of which I'm not proud. But when the war came, we made the right choice. Yet that choice split families as brothers signed up for differing sides of the conflict. Imagine the parents' anguish.

I now live in Cincinnati, and our family never really claims the state of Ohio, living in the corner as we do, but I'm proud of many things about my adopted city. Yet being a pseudo-Southerner is like having a split personality. Living with guilt, yet pride in the positives about the South, like the warm hospitality.

I'm grateful the Civil War ended slavery. But when I'm in the south, noting evidence of the battles, it hurts my soul. It hurts my soul to see injustice fixed only by violence.  And it's still going on today, in the Middle East, Ukraine, other parts of the world. I'm glad we are once again the "United" States, but justice still struggles, as we sure haven't outgrown racism and its side effects. As we continue to attempt to solve injustice with violence, sometimes it's hard to say which is worse, injustice, or the remedy. 

Humans lose more than just lives to violence, we lose respect and trust. And yet so often, as in the days of Lincoln, hard choices have to be made. I'm glad I don't have to make this kind of decision. I want to be careful not to judge those who must. The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders, let us do so instead of judging their choices. And may God clearly lead them.

Regret

Today I saw one of those signs in the store full of advice, and it ended with Never regret.

I have tried to live my life without regret. When I think of living without regret, for me that mostly means in relationships. Like tell people how you feel, hug them, love them, make sure they know. Too often we lose people without them understanding our deepest regard for them. Or they just walk around feeling undervalued because we didn't express ourselves.

But as I saw that sign saying Never regret, I thought that's a bit impossible. If we live with risks, take chances to stretch ourselves, sometimes it won't work out well. We'd be crazy not to regret that wrong move that ended up with a broken bone or other mishap. We will find ourselves saying, "well I wish I hadn't done that."

So I do try to live without regret in a way that pushes me to places I would otherwise avoid, but allow myself regret when appropriate, when life doesn't work out.

Today Robin Williams died, probably at his own hand, his escape from depression. Suicide brings a host of regret from the person's loved ones, a tornado of "What ifs..."

But we can only live life forward. Perhaps Williams himself had a moment of regret before his life elapsed.

On a smaller scale in the world's eyes, a dear Christian leader in our denomination and his wife died taking their granddaughter home, and the child perished as well. Undoubtedly the mother and father of that three-year-old, grieving their daughter and parents, are full of what-ifs as well, but at least that leader and his wife lived life full on for God, and died without regret, instead of in despair.

Whether by our own hand in a swirl of depression or by tragic accident, our end looms uncertain. In every day we are gifted, let us truly live without regret, taking advantage of every opportunity, even more as the Day approaches, and when we fail, forgive ourselves easily and begin again. Herein lies the remedy for regret.

God Sent a Deer

Today I took my daily walk in Spring Grove Cemetery. If you're not from Cincinnati that may sound odd, but it's an arboretum too, the largest civilian cemetery, and quite beautiful. Typically I walk about 3 miles and clock my pace on my phone.

But today I felt too tired and weary of spirit so I just ambled along, then took a few moments to sit and contemplate. I had just passed this monument and was thinking about how we cannot build anything permanent on this earth, it is subject to decay. I've been missing my parents this weekend looking through old photos.

 

I was sitting across from this beautiful chapel which is also missing pieces.

 I got up to continue my walk and noticed a deer down the road. It was mid day, hot, not a normal time to see a deer. Then I saw she had twin fawns. I began walking toward her. They were grazing some distance away and I kept walking to get a better view. The mother saw me, and began walking TOWARD me. You can see in this series of pictures how far she came in my direction, her ears pointed forward, looking right at me.

Something spooked one of the fawns and they all ran off, bounding away their white tails flagged in the air. I turned and started for home.

Deer are common everyday creatures, abundant in the cemetery and most woods, but I still love them. I felt encouraged by this special moment of connection. I felt encouraged to keep walking forward, into what the future holds, I will only see my parent in heaven, I will only see what God has in store here by walking into it. But God wasn't done yet.

On this hot day, a car stopped with one of the staff and handed me a cold bottle of water. I have walked here for years and that has never happened.

Then today's mail brought a belated birthday card with a gift from my mother-in-law, more than expected gift inside. Also a dear friend sent a gift in honor of Girlfriends Day. I felt remembered and acknowledged.

As I was walking toward the deer, my headphones were playing Because He Lives, a new version by David Crowder Band with Bill Gaither. "God sent his Son..." That's the really story of every day, but today in addition to that eternal gift, God sent a deer, a bottle of water, gifts in the mail. God wanted me to feel loved. And I do.

Adulthood

Recently a friend posted a helpful blog about men that women should not marry. Choices like an unbeliever, liar, addict, abuser, etc. Great list of those to avoid. My friend did not write it, but it's main point was that single women (and another post was for men) should not marry a bad choice, it was better to be single. With this I wholeheartedly agree and I appreciated my friend sharing it.

But I had to take issue with this one from the list:
"The man-child. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m suspicious of a guy who still lives with his parents at age 35. If his mother is still doing his cooking, cleaning and ironing at that age, you can be sure he’s stuck in an emotional time warp. You are asking for trouble if you think you can be a wife to a guy who hasn’t grown up. Back away and, as a friend, encourage him to find a mentor who can help him mature." (bolded emphasis mine)

I get the point. But I think we have to be careful what we assume about men or women living with their parents.

Americans value independence. The Bible values interdependence and community. In most cultures children don't move out while single, and often when married they bring their spouse into the family home. Most cultures live more intergenerationally, and benefit both directions.

Yes, we can find some men or women who haven't grown up and have an unhealthy dependence on their family. For some reason we see it as acceptable to room with a peer, but not a parent. These days that even gets testy, because anyone living with a same sex friend past their 20s is assumed to be gay. We really pretty much expect single people to live alone.

I quickly can think of two grown men who live with their mothers. One in his 50s had married, his wife left him, and he moved back in with his mother. She has rheumatoid arthritis and appreciates his help. He works long days and appreciates her cooking for him. They both share the bills. What could be wrong with this picture?

The other man in his thirties served in the Armed Forces, attended college and has lived on his own. But while working to fix his grandparents' house to live in he has lived with his mother. Again, mutual benefit, sharing bills and chores.

My own daughter after living with roommates in college started a graduate program where she knew no one, so she got her own apartment. She has lived alone for three years. Now she has two options, moving into an apartment over a garage of a family in her church, or living with three other women in community.

As she debates the advantages of each, she commented to me she feels like moving in with friends feels less "adult," like a step backwards after living independently.

I actually think the opposite is true. Anyone can live alone. When we can do whatever we want, whenever we want it, basking in our every possibly selfish choice, that takes less maturity. Living with others and sacrificing for community, whether with a spouse or friends, requires more maturity.

So while I realize that most of our culture even the Christians advocate independence, I will take a stand for interdependence. Sharing life not only benefits, it helps us grow in ways we cannot alone.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 Painful, but worth it.

Pain Management

Our family isn't big on medication, so whenever someone has surgery, we struggle with how to use the prescription pain killers. The nurse always says to stay ahead of the pain, so typically the recovering patient avoids the pills, then takes one, then feels way too weird, and stops altogether or switches to an over the counter option.

Mind numbing pain can retard healing. But in general, pain tells us what is wrong, which helps us fix it. When I get dehydrated I get headaches, and I avoid taking medication so I can tell when I fix the problem. The pain is a symptom, the real problem is my body needs water. Fever means your body is fighting infection, so if you can stand it, allowing that fever to work helps you heal faster.

Figuring this out differs with the patient and the malady. A headache and a surgical incision require different treatment. No one else can really feel your pain or decide what is best for your healing.

This same truth applies to emotional pain. We can be bleeding from the heart and need immediate aid. That might even mean medication. Or professional counseling. Or simply a listening ear.

What it usually does not mean is numbing the pain with too much medication for too long or denying it's there in the first place. When a crisis first happens we often do shut down and that can provide us time to adjust. But in the long run, pain must be faced to be healed.

I have often compared grief to a river that we must cross to get to the other side. We can delay the crossing, but sooner or later we're better off if we get in. We may feel like we're going to drown someplace in the middle, but I believe God will not allow us to go under. There's no way around a river but through.

Grief applies to more than just the loss of a loved one to death, we grieve a lost marriage, a lost job, a child who rejects us, a move away from a familiar home, an injury that changes our ability to function, even the loss of functions as we age.

Whatever causes us emotional pain looms as real as having our arm amputated. The sooner we deal with it, the sooner we will find peace. Like an operation, a loss can leave a scar, but when skin forms a scar that new skin proves more resilient, and in the same way when we truly deal with loss the scar that forms makes us stronger.

People who have endured pain in their lives become more sensitive, more compassionate, more real. The opposite of pain is not numbness, it's healing. Trade numbing the pain for healing the pain. That requires active participation in the process, rather than avoidance and long term medication. I pray you have companions to walk with you toward healing.

Winning Strategy

Today my husband's cousin Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod, again. Two years ago he was the youngest champion ever. Last year his dad won becoming the oldest.

Dallas had a different strategy than most. He set out with a plan that built and got stronger as they went, instead of front speed in what promised to be a fast race. He broke his previous record with endurance, not sheer speed.

This reminds me of the race that Paul called the Christian life. Planning for endurance beats a quick burnout. If you've been at it awhile, ramp it up, not down. Find a new way to engage. Grow some deeper roots.

A dear pastor friend is nearing the end of his race. Even in his limited state of consciousness the doctor noted to his daughter, "We can often sense the spirit of a person when we care for them.Your father has clearly been a very intelligent, dignified, and gracious man. What was his profession?" She told him he was a pastor. He said, "I can see he has been a very unusual, caring, and courageous man. It shows in all aspects of him." 

That's how to finish a race. Check your strategy for what you are doing daily that will result in a strong finish.