I'm not ashamed to admit that I sometimes struggle in my personal prayer life. I'm usually pretty good about telling God the things I need to say or ask for, but there are times when I forget that honest communication with God is a two-way street- talking, but also listening.
But God still finds ways to get my attention.
Lately, God has spoken to me on my morning run...through the iPod feature on my phone. I noticed this a few weeks ago when I started a run and used the "shuffle" feature. It seemed like each song in the session built on the next in order to help me get clarity on a problem I was facing.
It was sort of random the first time. Now, I intentionally pray to God with a specific question and asked him to speak to me while I run. The songs don't always fit together, but today I felt like God gave me a very clear answer. (I'm not going to get into the details. Even though this blog is public, my prayers are still private!)
Please don't misunderstand. There's much more to a faithful spiritual life than the blips, bytes, dots, and dashes of our electronics. Faith requires more than just hearing a few songs and thinking we have our answer.
At the same time, I believe that God can and does reveal himself in wonderful, surprising, mysterious, and sometimes very common ways. As long as the foundation of our faith is Scripture, then our experience of God's presence, the traditions of our faith, and our own reason can work together to help us gain a deeper understanding of God's leading in our lives.
When we ask God for guidance, it's important that we set ourselves in a position to actually listen and receive that guidance whenever and however it comes to us. Then we confirm what we've heard by getting back into God's Word and having conversations with people we trust.
I'm grateful for a God who loves us and meets us where we are, a God who truly does want to be in relationship with us each and every day.
Can you think of a time when you asked for God to speak to you and actually heard something?
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Hero Who Finished Last
Yesterday, South African runner Oscar Pistorius finished his semifinal heat in the 400m race in the London Olympic Games in eighth place. Dead last.
Most other athletes who finish at the back of the pack disappear into obscurity. But Oscar is not your ordinary, everyday also-ran. He just happens to be the world's first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics. (He was kept out of the Games in 2008 because some thought his prosthetic limbs game him a competitive advantage. Read more about that here.)
He said that his goal was to make the semifinals, which he did on Friday by finishing 2nd in his preliminary heat- completing one lap around the track in 45.44 seconds. After the semifinal race, one athlete (the man favored to win the gold medal) asked Oscar to trade name bibs- a gesture of respect from within the tight-knit competitive racing community.
Oscar may have come into the Olympic Games known mostly as "that runner with no legs," but he's leaving with millions of new fans- myself included- who appreciate talent, determination, and genuine hard work and respect people who refuse to be held back by their circumstances.
Most other athletes who finish at the back of the pack disappear into obscurity. But Oscar is not your ordinary, everyday also-ran. He just happens to be the world's first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics. (He was kept out of the Games in 2008 because some thought his prosthetic limbs game him a competitive advantage. Read more about that here.)
He said that his goal was to make the semifinals, which he did on Friday by finishing 2nd in his preliminary heat- completing one lap around the track in 45.44 seconds. After the semifinal race, one athlete (the man favored to win the gold medal) asked Oscar to trade name bibs- a gesture of respect from within the tight-knit competitive racing community.
Oscar may have come into the Olympic Games known mostly as "that runner with no legs," but he's leaving with millions of new fans- myself included- who appreciate talent, determination, and genuine hard work and respect people who refuse to be held back by their circumstances.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Balance
Our family's 16-year-old puppy was involved in a bad accident last Friday afternoon- the result was a traumatic brain injury. We have worked hard over the past several days to help his recovery. I'm especially proud of my children, who have stepped up in big ways.
I'm happy to report that he can now get himself to his food bowl and water dish to eat and drink as he pleases. When we take him outside, he can empty his bladder and move his bowels as necessary without assistance. He's walking, sometimes even running.
But when he stands still, or walks slowly, he stumbles around like a drunken sailor on his first shore leave. I believe that part of the problem is neurological- that he's still trying to get his brain and his legs back on the same page. The other part of the problem is his hearing. His hearing was limited before- now it seems to be completely gone. I don't know if we can expect it to return- somehow I doubt it. In any case, I'm certain that part of his balance issues have to do with the fact that he can no longer hear. In humans, the inner ear helps to detect the position of the body with respect to gravity as well as the motion of the body. I'm not a vet, but I'm guessing it's similar in dogs.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul used various parts of the human body to illustrate the importance of the variety of gifts necessary in the Church, the body of Christ. The complexity of the human body (and other animals for that matter) never ceases to amaze me. For example, how the ears can impact one's sense of balance, which is mostly carried by the lower body. It's miraculous.
It's only been six days since the dog's accident, and I expect his recovery to continue over several more weeks, but I'll be interested to see how he learns to adjust and compensate for the losses he has suffered in order to keep living a productive life.
Sometimes life throws something at us that knocks us off balance. We may not possess the necessary resources to get us back on our feet. But thanks be to God, we have confidence that someone else does. And their commitment to the body often compels them to offer what they have in order to offset what we do not. We are connected to one another. We share each others' joy and sorrow. And by standing together, we find the solid footing that our body needs to keep going.
I'm happy to report that he can now get himself to his food bowl and water dish to eat and drink as he pleases. When we take him outside, he can empty his bladder and move his bowels as necessary without assistance. He's walking, sometimes even running.
But when he stands still, or walks slowly, he stumbles around like a drunken sailor on his first shore leave. I believe that part of the problem is neurological- that he's still trying to get his brain and his legs back on the same page. The other part of the problem is his hearing. His hearing was limited before- now it seems to be completely gone. I don't know if we can expect it to return- somehow I doubt it. In any case, I'm certain that part of his balance issues have to do with the fact that he can no longer hear. In humans, the inner ear helps to detect the position of the body with respect to gravity as well as the motion of the body. I'm not a vet, but I'm guessing it's similar in dogs.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul used various parts of the human body to illustrate the importance of the variety of gifts necessary in the Church, the body of Christ. The complexity of the human body (and other animals for that matter) never ceases to amaze me. For example, how the ears can impact one's sense of balance, which is mostly carried by the lower body. It's miraculous.
It's only been six days since the dog's accident, and I expect his recovery to continue over several more weeks, but I'll be interested to see how he learns to adjust and compensate for the losses he has suffered in order to keep living a productive life.
Sometimes life throws something at us that knocks us off balance. We may not possess the necessary resources to get us back on our feet. But thanks be to God, we have confidence that someone else does. And their commitment to the body often compels them to offer what they have in order to offset what we do not. We are connected to one another. We share each others' joy and sorrow. And by standing together, we find the solid footing that our body needs to keep going.
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