Coffee as a metaphor for the not-so-mind blowing revelations about American culture
my old home away from home There is something about knowledge that is both empowering and crippling. I find that I have unintentionally devoted a large portion of my brain cells to housing useless knowledge. Now, sometimes this knowledge comes in handy — like when you are at a party of nerds who like to argue about meaningless things such as coffee, bicycles, music, and the difference between a... read moreThe Misgivings of Grace
Part One of this series on The Misgivings of Grace focuses on our unnoticed assumptions of entitlement.
Imagine the reactions upon arrival to your birthday party if the guests, and you, the guest of honor, were told there would be no gifts. What would it look like? Perhaps you would handle it well, and would tell yourself that it wasn’t the most important part. I think most of us, however, would at least wonder somewhere deep inside why there were no gifts. Maybe it’s due to the absence of a long-honored tradition. Or maybe, if we were honest with ourselves, it was because we felt entitled. But what had we done that entitled us to gifts? Survived another year?
Often, this is exactly how we approach the gift of grace, whether it be for the first time, or continuously. As long as we believe we are entitled to what is given, we will never understand the impact grace has on our lives. Once we realize our undeserving nature, we will begin to acknowledge, and ultimately appreciate the gift. Grace is a gift given to the undeserving, and yet we often think we’re entitled. We become proud (some would say even complacent) when grace is present, then become upset, even angry, when it is taken away.
I rely on God’s promise of grace. Honestly, I would most likely be angry with God if he removed his grace. But would I have a right to do so? Consider this: In the United States, we are given the freedom, by the grace of those who could take it away, to be angry and challenge the behaviors of our leaders. Likewise, we have been given the freedom, by the grace of God who could take it away, to be angry and question Him. Even the freedom to question and petition God is a measure of grace. Take those freedoms away, and we are left with nothing but our own devices.
I am not afraid of lightning bolts. I’ve never been, nor do I know anyone personally who has been, struck by lightning. That said, if for some reason I am caught outside in the middle of a storm, I do not walk with a sense of entitlement to not be struck. Do I deserve to be struck? Maybe, maybe not – but this is not the most important question. Instead, a more paramount question is am I thankful for the shelter when it comes? I say this not to give the impression that God is sitting on high, waiting to strike us down. The storm is of our own making; God is the refuge. I don’t deserve to be rescued from a storm of my own making, yet I am. The question I should ask myself is, am I thankful? And one step further, how do I show my appreciation?
In order to have a healthy relationship with God, the giver of grace, we must shift our focus from entitlement to appreciation. True appreciation involves humbling oneself in gracious acceptance of a gift. True, it’s easy to look upon the sacrifice of Jesus and say we’re appreciative. But we live our lives with entitlement when we don’t graciously accept that gift everyday.
May we all, through grace, accept grace.
read moreLesson from my boys: twins!?!?!?
It was late November 2006 and all was good! I was loving married life and having a blast with my bride of just over 2 years. Well, we decided that it would be kinda cool to have a mini-me running around in this world too. Well, that is when the excitement began! On Christmas eve I awoke with 5 pregnancy tests being held in front of my face. They all said the same thing: “here we go!” And boy... read moreIntroduction
Well, here it is. My wife has been an avid blogger for over a year now, but I have been holding out. Well, so much for that! And as I was thinking about this thing the thought was, “what can I possibly blog about.” Then I was reminded of a movie that I had seen recently (which I didn’t even like) where a newspaper man is struggling to find topics that will interest his readers. Finally,... read moreHere’s what is next…
cast off.into.the.great.sea. I am going to be updating and posting old/new/relevant thoughts. Come join the... read more
The Paradigm Exchange is an opportunity for an evolving community to share and exchange their paradigms. We are faithful, we are passionate, we are sons, we are daughters, we are sisters, we are brothers....and these are our stories.
