Could God be testing you? - 1

I have often heard people who suffer ask this question: “God why me?” This will certainly be a good question for those who are not Christians. For those who are Christians and are conversant with the teaching of Christ, I think the best question would be, “Why not me Lord?” At the trial of Jesus, Peter was so afraid that he could not withstand a young girl who confronted him that he was seen in the garden with Christ during his arrest. Peter swore an oat that he did not know Christ. All the other apostles fled, each man to his tent, and Christ was left standing alone to face his trial. After Christ’s death and burial, the Apostles where afraid to step out of their comfort zones and so locked themselves in the upper room in Jerusalem awaiting the promise of Christ, the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles were infused, as it were, with power and strength from above, as they received the Holy Spirit. They became changed men and went out preaching boldly. When they were persecuted they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to participate in the suffering of Christ. They remembered the teaching of Christ, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” Lk. 9: 23-24.

Life has taught us that there is no crown without a cross. So why are we afraid of suffering? Well the simply truth is that no one wants to suffer. I don’t. But at times when we suffer, could it be that God is testing us? Take a look at the book of Job. Job was a wealthy man who went about his business being a good and holy man. He loved God and obeyed his commands. He was good to his neighbors and kind to all. He was a devoted husband and a loving father to his children. Everyone wanted to associate with him. The Book of Job opens with this verse; “In the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil.” But wait; did God notice his good deeds? You bet he did. Now let us see what happens next. From the sixth through the 12 verse of the first chapter of the book of Job we read these words: “One day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “Whence do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, from roaming the earth and patrolling it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil? But Satan answered the Lord and said, “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” As soon as Satan left the presence of the Lord, Jobs problems started and he lost everything, including his children. But it did not end there. In the next post we will see how Job’s problems unfold, all because he was faithful to God. Please keep reading on tomorrow!

The Stinking thinkers!

Have you ever heard of Murphy’s Law? It states simply that “If anything can go wrong, it will.” As if that is not bizarre enough, just listen to Murphy’s philosophy: “Smile… tomorrow will be worse.” Captain Edward Murphy also said of one his workers: “If there is any way to do it wrong, he will find it.” These sayings attributed to Captain Murphy form part of what this post is all about – the stinking thinking in so many of us. Granted that some of us are wired that way, to think negatively about anything and everything, some on the other may have personalities that make them think negatively. Many are delusional, thinking that people are always out to get them. People can be so paranoid that they suspect others without sufficient basis that others are exploiting, harming or deceiving them. To people like these, a simple good morning cannot go without a thorough investigation on what was really good about the morning. Stinking thinkers can be very difficult to live with and extremely hard to associate with. They can be very annoying indeed and they will test your elasticity and your level of endurance. To them, you must be a Christian.  

Stinking thinkers think very negatively about themselves and also have negative reactions about every comment made by others. When bad things happen around them or to their property, they always blame it on themselves. Now tell me dear friend, how is it your fault if while you parked your car legally and went into the restaurant and someone backs out and damaged your car? What exactly could you have done that you did not do to deserve that blame? What about the young girl who was rapped through no fault of hers and she blamed it on herself. Because of this, she develops hatred for self and hence stuffed herself with food so that she may not look beautiful. That will be stinking thinking. My young beautiful girl, it is not your fault that you were rapped. It is the fault of the man who was already depraved and messed up. This man belongs in jail. For you, brace yourself up and keep on being beautiful.      

There are many stinking thinkers around us all the time. They see nothing good in anyone except perhaps themselves. They always find fault in everything and in everyone. They hate progress and spend their time plotting evil against others. Avoid stinking thinkers, they are vexation to the soul. Know who you are and whose you are. Be happy with yourself and with your achievements. Be patient! Remember God is not done with you yet, you are God’s work of art and the Master designer is still working on you towards perfection. Take sometime and read Ps. 139, “Lord, you have examined me, and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak you already know what I will say.”

Avoid stinking thinkers and do not be one yourself!

The man called John the Baptist

Apart from Jesus Christ, one of the most interesting characters in the Bible is John the Baptist. His birth was mysterious and his death was a painful testimony and a sincere witness to the truth. From his birth John seemed to have been sure of his destiny and his mission was undoubted. He was committed to his cause and defended it till the end. Jesus said of John, “I assure you, there is no man born of a woman greater than John” Lk. 7:28. There are many reasons for this statement of fact from Jesus. Let us examine some of them.

John the Baptist was the voice personified. At the announcement of his birth, his father doubted, and rightly so, and he was struck dump by the Angel. Reason: “Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this?  I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” Zechariah’s voice was only restored when the Voice was born, “Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.”

Material things meant nothing to John. Matthew said this of him: “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” He lived in the wilderness in preparation to preach repentance and to baptize people so that they may be ready to receive the Messiah.

What can I tell you about John’s humility? He told the Jews who wanted to know who he was: “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”’ When the Pharisees asked him why he baptized if he was not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet. His answer was, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John did not even think he was good enough to undo the strap of Christ’s sandal. And yet John was a relation of Jesus. He was older that the man Jesus and his job description included preparing the way for Christ.  John was truly the one who pointed the way to Jesus, and he was contented with doing that noble task. When he saw Christ walking passing him one day, he pointed Christ to his disciples. He said to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” His disciples left him and followed Jesus. What was John’s reaction? He was over joyed. He was not jealous, he did not throw tantrum; he did not go around telling people that Christ had deprived him of his disciples. He knew rather, that his job was coming to an end. He pointed the way to Jesus and he wanted Christ to take over the mantle of leadership while he, John, faded into the background. But wait, that is not all. The greatness of this man is unquantifiable, his humility unimaginable and his joy in the success of Jesus immeasurable.

In John 3:22-30, when John was told that Jesus was himself baptizing people in the region of Judea and that everyone was flocking to him, John’s answer truly reflected his character. He is indeed humility personified. Listen to these words of wisdom from the mouth of John: “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” Just imagine this for a while and tell me honestly, would this be the kind of answer you would have given if you were John? I doubt it!

When it came to speaking the truth, John had no revival. He was a fearless preacher and a great defender of the truth even when he knew that would cost him his head. John was not afraid to confront Herod and told him point blank that it was not lawful for him to marry his brother Philip’s wife. Herod was upset at this and had John thrown into jail. Herodias on the other hand was secretly looking for a way to get ride of John. You can read the rest of the story in Matthew 14:3-11. John lost his head due to a stupid oath made by a fickle minded king to please a spoilt child at the instigation of a demented mother. What a tragedy! But then John paid the ultimate price in defense of the truth.

 The truth of matter is no one will ever take what is yours from you. Your destiny can only be delayed not denied. Be patient with yourself. Be happy with what God has given you. Everyone has been given some gifts, some talents and we must seek to know what those gifts are. Your gifts are to be used to build up the body of Christ. The problem is not to recognize your gifts but to be jealous at the gifts of others, as if they are better than yours. Look at the man called John. Pray honestly to see life in John’s eyes. Remember these words once again and take them to heart: “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven.” Whatever gift we have comes from above, and everyone has been given something from above. If you look well, you will discover what your own gift is. Please be humble, be honest, be sincere, and use your gift for others. Your gift is your mission on earth, and you must accomplish that mission. Let your mantra be, I will rather do the right and receive no reward than do the wrong and receive no punishment. In working to discover your mission, do not forget that your no. 1 task is to point the way to Jesus. Once that is done, please step aside so that Jesus may grow tall in those who seek him. 

Prayer!

I have not made any posting for about two weeks now. The reason is partly laziness; but then there is the usual running around which form part of the demands of my day-to-day life. They say that ‘procrastination is the thief of time.’ So true! I have said to myself time and time again, I have to write today, but then my today becomes tomorrow, and tomorrow becomes my today again which never really came, because I have not been able to write. Today I want to reflect on a common topic that everyone knows about but few people put it into practice. Prayer!

So what really is prayer? We know prayer as the raising up of our mind and heart to God. That is very simply working definition of prayer. There are many ways we can achieve this goal. There are many devotions out there that may be confused with prayer or may be I should that form the component of what we call prayer. One thing is sure; everyone must be engaged in one form of prayer or the other. A wise person put it neatly thus, “The soul that does not pray is sick and emits offensive odor.” Ouch! If we do not spend sometime in commun with our creator, we would be “running well but off the road” as our brother St. Augustine would have us believe. The point of this post is not to teach you about prayer. It is only to remind you that if you are not praying, there is something wrong with your life.

Jesus Christ, the second person of the blessed Trinity, God’s own special Son, showed us that no matter who we are, we must make sure that we are connected to the source of our strength. Christ never embarked on any project of his life without having a deep and serious dialogue with His Father. To prepare for his ministry, Christ went first of all to his cousin John to receive baptism. As soon as He received baptism He went into the desert to fast and pray for forty days and forty nights. He had to be sure that His mission had the blessing of His Father. Does it then surprise you that Christ was a powerful and fearless preacher? It should not. His Father was behind him, hence his strength. Before he selected his companions, Luke tells us, “In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles” Lk. 12-13.

Jesus prayed so much that the apostles wanted to pray as He did. So they asked Him to teach them to pray, and He taught them the ‘Our Father’, which is the mother of all prayers. He also gave a powerful instruction on prayer. He said, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them…but when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” Mt. 6:5-8. This means that we do not pray to tell God about our good qualities, we should simply show up and present ourselves to Him, and He will do the rest. As you pray please remember me.

Keep on laughing it does not hurt!

There is nothing as good as a good laughter! Laughter is considered as the sound of the soul. There is a beautiful saying that goes thus: “Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” I wonder how life really is with those who do not laugh. There is so much stress in the world that we all need an outlet somehow to take some of the stress off our shoulders. Can you believe that an average adult only laughs 17 times a day while an average child laughs 200 times a day? Ever wonder why children are so peaceful all the time without any care in the world. Laughter is a conscious choice that we have to make everyday to be happy and to amuse ourselves. Everything that happens in our lives can make us bitter or better. The good thing about it is that we can make a choice either to be bitter or better. What choice are you making?

There is a hanging in my office that says “Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to!” How true. There are three ways to express ourselves when we feel a little at ease with ourselves or with our friends. We can smile or chuckle or laugh. At times you smile when you think of some good memories you may have had with your friends or when you watch a comedy or when you are reading a book. You can also smile at someone as you walk along the road, or sit in a bus, in a train or even when you are in a mall. You don’t really have to know someone to give him or her a smile. Hence the saying, “If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours.” A smile costs nothing but is capable of making someone happy. Smiling does not entail making a sound. It is simply an expression of joy; peace and making a good face while you may or may not show your beautiful set of teeth. Unfortunately it is not everyone who can smile. And there are those whose smile is nothing more than a mockery of themselves. They make a sudden twisting of their lips with dry expressions on their faces that only lasts a fraction of a second.

A chuckle on the other hand can be expressed with a sound but also demonstrates a feeling of joy on something you are watching, reading or even when chatting with a friend or friends. A chuckle only lasts but for brief moment. It is good to chuckle every now and then but then not without a reason.

Laughter is the grand mother of all these expressions combined together. It expresses how you feel especially when you are having fun. It can come from deep within and is often accompanied with some sound of different magnitudes. Some laughter can be so deep that it may cause one to shed tears. This type of laughter is contagious. Everyone should learn to laugh every now and then. I like the saying that states that “You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.” A great life lesson, I dare to admit. 

Alexander the coppersmith

St Paul was one the most eloquent preacher and missionary to the Gentiles of his time. He was transformed from Saul to Paul while on the way to Damascus to punish the followers of the Way - followers of Christ – as they were called at the time. I am sure I have written about this great missionary in the Barnabas in our lives. As a man of God, Paul was concerned with the task of preaching the Gospel. But every now and then, his humanity raised its ugly head, like it does in the rest of us, who are struggling to live the life of a Christian. I am always fascinated by some of the writings of Paul and how he was able to address every situation that presented itself to him. I sometimes think that Paul was not a very patient man. I also believe that he barley tolerated a lot of people. Recall his reaction when Barnabas wanted to take John Mark along in their second missionary journey? He would not hear of it that John Mark who had deserted them should be invited again to join the duo in the next trip. Now during his many trips he encountered a lot of people and was faced with many difficult circumstances. His reactions were determined by those situations.

In this post, I want to consider the man named Alexander who was a coppersmith. In his second letter to Timothy chapter four verse fourteen, Paul complains bitterly about a lot of people and what they did to him. One of those people was our dear Alexander. Listen to what Paul said about him: “Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” He went ahead to warn Timothy in the next verse, “You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching.” This man must hurt Paul so badly that he had previously warned Timothy in his first letter to Timothy, chapter two verse twenty; “Some by rejecting conscience, have made a shipwreck of their faith, among them Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” To understand the full story of what poor Alexander has done, you need to revisit the Acts of the Apostles chapter 19:23-40. But funny enough in this chapter Paul did not so much as answer Alexander and his fellow coppersmiths. You see, the coppersmiths were threatened that with Paul’s preaching many of the adherents of Artemis were deserting them and soon they would no longer be patronized. Because of this, they initiated a riot and chaos in the city. This made it difficult for Paul to preach the Gospel of Christ in Ephesus.

We have many of the Alexander the coppersmith and many other coppersmiths in our lives and in our places of work. They will do everything to contradict everything good that we stand for just to keep their territories protected. It does matter to them whether this be for the common good or not. Their one concern is their selfish end. They will not only contradict the good that we try to do, they will also struggle to get other good people on their side, to their camp, so that we may not succeed in doing good. The problem with them is that they will take the last breathe from you before they allow you to do anything. Many of them are like the dog at the manger, they will not go in themselves and they will prevent anyone from going in. Who can deliver us from Alexander the coppersmiths of this world? Many of them are your friends. You share your secret with them, but they, who promised you that your secret was save with them, went behind your back and divulged it to others. They make life difficult for you and with you. They make it difficult for you to trust anyone and anybody. What life lesson can we find that will assist us in dealing with them?

I guess the one lesson I can think of is that we have to be as cunning as a serpent and as wise as a dove when dealing with them. This lesson, incidentally, comes from Christ himself. We have to be tactical in dealing with them. Do not share with them anything you would not want another person to know about. Spend your time with those who are positive. Listen to them and take only the positive criticism that you know will assist you in your work. Do not waste you energy on them, it will only drain your spirit, which is exactly what they want to happen to you. Be happy all the time but, most of all, keep on loving them. Most of them do not love themselves, they love no one and you may be one of the objects of their anger. Do not grow weary in doing what is right and God will take care of you and deliver you from the hands of the many Alexander the coppersmiths in your life.

Never Presume!

It has been really difficult to keep this blog at the pace I would have loved it to go. The demands of the parish and other engagements are making things very difficult for me. But not to worry, whenever I am able, you will hear from me. So how have you been since the last time you visited my blog? I sincerely hope that you are enjoying yourself. Summer is here! Did I hear you say, hooray? Sure, its that time of the year again when a lot of people, especially our younger ones, think they must almost go naked, why? They will answer that it is too hot. Just because it is hot does not mean we are not to cover our nakedness again. Or what do you think? Remember, the way you dress is the way you are addressed. A word is enough for the wise, they say.

Now what is it I want to share with you today? Oh yes, it is about presumption. Read and enjoy this short story, I am sure most of you must have read it before. Well then, no harm reading it again a second or a third time. Here we go: “A distinguished young woman on a light from Switzerland asked the priest beside her, “Father, may I ask a favor?” “Of course; what may I do for you?” “Well, I bought an expensive electronic hair dryer that is well over the Customs limits and I’m afraid they’ll confiscate it. Is there anyway you could carry it through Customs for me? Under you robes perhaps? “I would love to help you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie.” “With your honest face, Father, no one will question you.” When they got to Customs, she let the priest go ahead of her. The official asked, “Father, do you have anything to declare?” “From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare.” The official thought this answer strange, so asked, “And what do you have to declare from your waist to the floor?” “I have a marvelous little instrument designed to be used on a woman, but which is, to date, unused.” Roaring with laughter, the official said, “Go ahead, Father” Next.”     

Now for crying aloud what was the officer’s understanding of the Reverend gentleman’s answer to him? You see, many times we miss the importance of a joke or a statement or a piece of communication because we presume to know what someone is talking about without taking the pains to ask or seek for a better explanation. The point of any communication is to pass on information about ourselves or about somebody or something. How would we ever really understand the information if we base our understanding on a mere subjective presumption or understanding of the point being put across to us? What do you suppose would be the best way for the officer to seek to understand the priest? Well for a start, he would have asked the priest to show him the ‘marvelous little instrument designed to be used on a woman.’ The priest would have brought out the electronic hair dryer and showed it to the officer. That would have solved the problem of being misunderstood. But then it would have brought in an altogether new problem of unimaginable proportion, exposing the priest, whose only aim was to help. Is that not how we all get into trouble at times, trying to be of help to someone? So you will be right to say that the priest was simply too smart for the officer. He told him exactly what he wanted to hear!

So the point of this post is simple: do not presume that you know what the other person is talking about. Ask for clarification and a better explanation of the point of discussion. He who asks understands. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Remember: there is no stupid question. It may sound stupid to the person who listens to you, but not to you. After all common sense is not common. If questions were not to be asked, irrespective of what it is, there would have been no word like ‘question’ in the dictionary. This sounds like a life lesson to me. What do you think?