Working in our local library I have had to learn about and abide by confidentiality regulations. I am glad for the protection these regulations provide for myself as well as others however it is sometimes frustrating when I can't tell people I know that there's something for them at the library. I feel as though I have good news that I am witholding.
Last week as I was thinking about that I was overwhelmed by the thought that in God's Kingdom, Good News shouldn't be kept confidential - it's meant to be shouted from roof tops and shared with everyone! At the same time I am thankful that God does abide by confidentiality considerations when it comes to my failures and short-comings.
That's Good News worth sharing.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
False Advertising
This week I cut out a coupon from our local paper to get a 2 for 1 deal at a restaurant near our home. We decided to use the coupons to go out for lunch after church today but ended up leaving disappointed and without lunch. Why? When we looked at the menu we could not find any lunches in the price range listed on the coupon. We asked the waitress about it and were told that they don't have any lunches for that price but that she would simply deduct the amount on the coupon from our bill.
I tried to explain to the waitress that since the coupon gave a price, we should be able to get a meal for the amount on the coupon but she said that was not an option. (I also pointed out that the coupon was false advertising and therefore illegal but that didn't get us anywhere either.) There was no manager on site to speak to us about the situation and so we chose to leave the restaurant and eat lunch somewhere else.
As we were driving home I thought about our pastor's message this morning as he exhorted us to trust God at all times because He is in control, He cares for us, He always does what He says He will do, His promises never fail and His Word is true. God is never guilty of false advertising!
I tried to explain to the waitress that since the coupon gave a price, we should be able to get a meal for the amount on the coupon but she said that was not an option. (I also pointed out that the coupon was false advertising and therefore illegal but that didn't get us anywhere either.) There was no manager on site to speak to us about the situation and so we chose to leave the restaurant and eat lunch somewhere else.
As we were driving home I thought about our pastor's message this morning as he exhorted us to trust God at all times because He is in control, He cares for us, He always does what He says He will do, His promises never fail and His Word is true. God is never guilty of false advertising!
God is not a man, so He does not lie.
He is not human, so He does not change His mind.
Has He ever spoken and failed to act?
Has He ever promised and not carried it through?
Numbers 23:19
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Like Honey
Every year when she goes back home my sister brings me a bottle of honey. There is nothing like Jamaican honey; it has a distinctive flavour and sometimes I think it might be part of my DNA. This morning as I spread a dollop of this year's honey on my bread I thought about how honey gets its flavour...from the nectar bees extract from flowers.
There are many different kinds/flavours of honey based on what flowers bees gather their nectar from. What the bees ingest determines the flavour of the honey they produce. You need only taste buckwheat honey to know that this is true. I can only imagine what eucalyptus honey tastes like.
This made me think about how what I ingest determines the flavour of what I produce. That made me think about a number of Scripture verses...
There are many different kinds/flavours of honey based on what flowers bees gather their nectar from. What the bees ingest determines the flavour of the honey they produce. You need only taste buckwheat honey to know that this is true. I can only imagine what eucalyptus honey tastes like.
This made me think about how what I ingest determines the flavour of what I produce. That made me think about a number of Scripture verses...
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103It also made me think about what I would like to flavour what I produce. I believe Galatians 5:22-23 says it all...
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!This week I will endeavour to choose carefully what I ingest so that what I produce will be sweet to all who receive it.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Forgiveness
In our house we have a chore chart. You know - each day of the week the essential chores are assigned to members of the household. Most chores are rotated so that everyone has a turn doing them but there are a few that are permanently assigned to a specific family member. One of my daughters likes doing laundry so that's her permanent task. My son does garbage/recycling because...I don't remember why he got stuck with that one but that's the way it is. My permanent chore is the floors. The reason I have that one is because I know no one else in the family likes doing floors and while I don't consider myself obsessive about the task (my children might disagree) I figure I will have less to complain about if I do it myself.
I have discovered that cleaning the floor is a frustrating chore. Depending on how messy they are, it can take a long time to get the floors clean. There are lots of obstacles - things like furniture, area rugs and potted plants - that make it more time consuming. The laminate flooring streaks easily. (I prefer to clean the floors at night when there is no sun streaming through the windows highlighting the smudged spots.) Those things, frustrating though they may be, pale in comparison to the ultimate frustration of cleaning floors - THEY GET DIRTY AGAIN...very quickly...especially in the winter. It doesn't take long for a clean floor to be messed up. Sometimes I feel as though my efforts are wasted but I know that it is better to keep cleaning the floors than to allow them to be permanantly damaged by the build up of dirt and grime. Better to have to clean the floors repeatedly than have to replace them!
I think forgiveness is like cleaning floors. Seriously. You know it needs to be done. You think about it. You decide to do it. You do it. Within minutes, it needs to be re-done. That's where I am at in the forgiveness process right now.
There is a situation in my life where I feel I was wronged. I have chosen to forgive those involved - repeatedly. I feel as though all is good. My conscience is clear; all evidence of the hurt, anger and unforgiveness have been eradicated and then...something happens to bring it up and all of a sudden, there are dirty footprints of unforgiveness in my heart and mind. I don't want the footprints there. I don't want to dwell on the events, the conversations, the decisions and yet...
I think about it. I decide - yet again - that I want to forgive. I take out the proverbial broom and mop, get it all cleaned up and move on to the next task at hand. Till another reminder comes along.
Remember the story in the Bible where Peter asks Jesus how many times he's to forgive someone who hurts him? (Matthew 18:21-23) Remember what Jesus says? Seventy times seven. Four hundred and ninety times. I have always heard it explained that it means even if someone wrongs you four hundred and ninety times, you forgive them. This week I am wondering if there might be a different interpretation of that - at least for me. Is it possible that Jesus is telling us that we may have to extend forgiveness four hundred and ninety times for the same offense - because we have trouble letting go of it?
My floors really do need to be swept and mopped today - it was on my list of chores for yesterday but I was out of town - and I do plan to get to it. My heart needs to be cleansed from unforgiveness today too and I really want to deal with it. I don't want the muck to build up and permanently mar my heart. I want for this time to be the four hundred and ninetieth time because I don't want to have to keep going through this process.
Lord, please help me to let go. Please shine Your light on my heart; show me the streaks and imperfections in my attempt to clear my heart of unforgiveness. Release me and those I feel have wronged me. Help us all to walk in freedom...on clean floors.
I have discovered that cleaning the floor is a frustrating chore. Depending on how messy they are, it can take a long time to get the floors clean. There are lots of obstacles - things like furniture, area rugs and potted plants - that make it more time consuming. The laminate flooring streaks easily. (I prefer to clean the floors at night when there is no sun streaming through the windows highlighting the smudged spots.) Those things, frustrating though they may be, pale in comparison to the ultimate frustration of cleaning floors - THEY GET DIRTY AGAIN...very quickly...especially in the winter. It doesn't take long for a clean floor to be messed up. Sometimes I feel as though my efforts are wasted but I know that it is better to keep cleaning the floors than to allow them to be permanantly damaged by the build up of dirt and grime. Better to have to clean the floors repeatedly than have to replace them!
I think forgiveness is like cleaning floors. Seriously. You know it needs to be done. You think about it. You decide to do it. You do it. Within minutes, it needs to be re-done. That's where I am at in the forgiveness process right now.
There is a situation in my life where I feel I was wronged. I have chosen to forgive those involved - repeatedly. I feel as though all is good. My conscience is clear; all evidence of the hurt, anger and unforgiveness have been eradicated and then...something happens to bring it up and all of a sudden, there are dirty footprints of unforgiveness in my heart and mind. I don't want the footprints there. I don't want to dwell on the events, the conversations, the decisions and yet...
I think about it. I decide - yet again - that I want to forgive. I take out the proverbial broom and mop, get it all cleaned up and move on to the next task at hand. Till another reminder comes along.
Remember the story in the Bible where Peter asks Jesus how many times he's to forgive someone who hurts him? (Matthew 18:21-23) Remember what Jesus says? Seventy times seven. Four hundred and ninety times. I have always heard it explained that it means even if someone wrongs you four hundred and ninety times, you forgive them. This week I am wondering if there might be a different interpretation of that - at least for me. Is it possible that Jesus is telling us that we may have to extend forgiveness four hundred and ninety times for the same offense - because we have trouble letting go of it?
My floors really do need to be swept and mopped today - it was on my list of chores for yesterday but I was out of town - and I do plan to get to it. My heart needs to be cleansed from unforgiveness today too and I really want to deal with it. I don't want the muck to build up and permanently mar my heart. I want for this time to be the four hundred and ninetieth time because I don't want to have to keep going through this process.
Lord, please help me to let go. Please shine Your light on my heart; show me the streaks and imperfections in my attempt to clear my heart of unforgiveness. Release me and those I feel have wronged me. Help us all to walk in freedom...on clean floors.
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