Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: the 9 challenge: Eternity

I am still puzzled by the free gift of salvation. I didn't do anything to deserve it, I can't repay it, I can't exchange it. A neat aspect of this gift is the certainty of spending eternity with my Heavenly Father... pretty cool if you ask me.

When I think of eternity, and what seems like a really long time (for lack of a better term), I instinctively see pearly gates, flowers everywhere, white robes, harps... I am not sure if this is an accurate picture, all I know is that I get to go there. Not because of anything I did, do, or will do. Nope. It's a gift. I can't pretend that I am not scared of death, in fact I try not to think about it. But when I do, after the initial wave of fear and uncertainty, I remember Jesus' promise to prepare a room for me, I remember the eternal peace, the infinite joy. It feels good just to think about these things.

Why am I an eternal student? Because even if I spent an eternity on this earth, I still would not begin to understand my Father's love and care for me. I could think, ponder, wonder, cry, laugh, serve, love, live an honoring life and still not fully get it. Knowing that we can look forward to spending eternity with my Heavenly Father makes it all worthwhile.

EED

Before and after

For Easter, the church asked people to describe their lives before and after Christ on a piece of cardboard. No sound bites, no embellishment... just a piece of cardboard. I signed up by accident.. but I am glad I did. Here is my before/after story:








Happy Easter!

EED

Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: the 9 challenge: Obedience

Choosing to obey sounds like a oxymoron. How do you "choose" to obey?

Choosing a lifestyle of obedience is one of the hardest I have had to do. The idea of surrendering any aspects of my life to someone else was (and still is) a little unsettling. I do it everyday, at work, at home, at church, in life in general... but I never really thought I had a choice in the matter. Obedience was just something I had to do, whether I wanted it or not.

I think I was so scared of this concept, because I didn't know who I was supposed to listen to. How do I know that I am obeying God's will for my life? I really don't have a clear answer to this question. Well, I kinda do, but I think I might be taken away in a straitjacket if I shared all the details (LOL). In uncertain times, I usually pray this very simple prayer:

"I pray Father God that I am following Your voice, and obeying Your commands".

Obedience to me is also about accountability. I firmly believe that God sent me people I need to be accountable to. I am thankful for them, they keep me on track. But if I really had to boil it down to one point, obedience just naturally derives from love. Don Miller said it best in his book: "Blue like jazz":

"When you don't love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them, you get pleasure from their pleasure and it makes it easy to serve" pg 14

Obedience to my Heavenly Father is a choice. It's a choice to know Him better and to love Him. Obedience just comes naturally (maybe not easily) from that.

EED

Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: the 9 challenge: Godliness

-" I can't believe YOU said (or did) this!"

I seem to hear this expression more and more often. It used to upset me at first, but not so much anymore. I think it stopped bothering me when I realized that I am trying to be a godly person, and live a life honoring to God. I am not godly, justified, or sanctified yet... Hopefully I am on the right path.

When I attempt to rely on myself to be a good person, I can go at it for a while. I can say nice words, smile, be friendly, joke... but I run out of steam pretty quickly. A few negative comments or a stressful situation usually do the trick. Being godly in challenging situations is something I am still learning. It's easier for me to retreat in a place of isolation (I am not a really angry person) than to make the effort to respond appropriately.

I think a big part of my transformation has been the acknowledgment that I CAN'T rely on my own strength. The implications of this extend to the way I live my life, and how I interact with others. I was really scared of becoming too self righteous... but again, when I acknowledge that I am not in control, I (hopefully) start getting it.

EED

Something stupid...

Boy, do I LOVE this song!!!! I haven't heard in a while. I like the original version of course, but I like what Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman did with the song a few years ago:

Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: the 9 challenge: Forgiveness

Forgiveness is so easy on paper.

A good friend of mine hurt me recently. I am not sure if he did it on purpose, or if he was just joking... I rarely get offended, but I felt like he was attacking me for my beliefs, and it hurt more than I expected.

I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. If he was just kidding, couldn't he tell that I was getting offended by his words? I am sure my facial expression gave my feelings away, but he just wouldn't stop. I don't think it would be so bad if he was just a stranger to me. It's always harder to forgive the ones I care about; because I feel like they should know better.

Tough questions:

- Do I forgive him IF he didn't mean to hurt me?
- What if he DID mean to hurt me? Then what?

Well, the Bible is pretty clear about the answer. Forgiving is not really about saying that what he did was right or wrong, it's about saying that I won't let him hold this power over me. In times like this, Jesus' words on the cross sound so MUCH more powerful:

"Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."And they divided up his clothes by casting lots" Luke 23:24

Words to live by... not simply read and forget.

EED

PS: Incidentally, I am kind of glad this happened...I believe it was a direct answer to a specific prayer request.

Scars

Back in my senior year of high school, I fell.

I was running track, focused on the finish line, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, bleeding. I have played the scene back in my head time and time again, and I still can't figure out what happened. My shoes were perfectly tied, my pants were loose enough, the wind wasn't blowing at all, I wasn't pushed... I fell.

I didn't break anything, but my entire left side was covered in bruises: my left shoulder, my left elbow, my left knee, my left cheek were all covered in blood. It could have been worse, I guess. The point is... I quit running for a few years. Every time I tried to put on running shoes, I would still feel the sting in my left side. I would remember feeling helpless on the floor, while my friends were trying to lift me up and take me to the school nurse. I got over the fear of falling a while back, but it doesn't mean that I forgot about the pain...

The scars eventually disappeared, but the one of my left shoulder remains . I noticed it in the mirror the other day (it's actually barely noticeable unless I point it out). Seeing it made me think about fear, healing and forgiveness. It's sometimes very hard for me to let go of negative feelings that have followed me around for years. They are hard to let go because they feel so familiar, like the scars I used to carry. When I start feeling this way, I try to remember that I ended up running again. The fear is gone...

EED