LoveWithAMission.com - February 2008

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Hope
[Yay! New layout and new resolve(s)... I'm not gonna post the date anymore (which was usually not very accurate anyway, since I'd finish writing very, very early morning, but would cheat and put the date of the day before... *blush*) and I'm gonna try and write something every couple of days rather than once a week (which hadn't been working too well, either...) And the German version won't show up the same day as the English one. (Translating ain't easy!)]

I love writing funny stuff. But somehow life ain't been much fun lately. (Which doesn't mean it's gonna stay that way though! ;-)) I think the devil (or one of his minions) has been trying to drive me away from my church... Not that I'm letting him take any credit, it's all been my fault pretty much, but he does seem to try to use every opportunity to push, wheedle, hoodwink or bamboozle (love that word) you off your path. One method he uses on me quite often (to my shame, rather successfully) is doubt. I start wondering whether I'm really doing the right thing... "Is this really what God wants?" "Should I be doing that instead?" "How can I be sure?"
Another method he uses is to make me feel like a failure. I'm a part-time leader of a small-group from Sunday School, and still pretty new at it. One time I didn't prepare very much, was extremely nervous, consequently didn't sleep well the night before, and was absolutely terrified and completely demotivated by the time it started. It didn't go too badly, but because of how I was feeling before it even started, every little thing that happened felt like a stab right through my heart. Afterwards I felt like crawling under my bed and crying...
Then another thing happened, and another thing, till I was absolutely sure that the last place I was supposed to be at was my church. Then God finally got through to me...through my mother. She told me she believed the devil was trying to bring me down. I thought about it for a while, and realized she was probably right. The Bible doesn't say anywhere, If things don't work out the way you want them to, give up. No, in fact in the Psalms it says,

The suffering you sent was good for me, for
it taught me to pay attention to your principles.
Psalm 119:71
My father said something interesting, too. He said that it's the hard times that shape our character the most. Whether for good or evil, that's up to us. We can either gain endurance and become stronger, or we can become angry and bitter. When there's a mountain in our path we have two choices: Either we give up, or we tackle it.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Sometimes you have to climb the mountain, sometimes you have to dislodge it, one stone at a time.

Huck Finn
Have you ever read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain? If you haven't yet, you really should. It's written as if Huck were telling the story, so sometimes there're some funny words, and it isn't always what you'd call "politically correct", but it's still a great book. It's the story about a boy who runs away from his abusive father (by faking his death so his father won't go looking for him), runs into a very superstitious runaway slave named Jim (who's terrified because he thinks Huck is a ghost), and together they head on down the Mississippi River towards Cairo, Illinois, so that from there they can take a steamboat towards the free states.
What I love about this book (besides it being a whole lot of fun and mischief...) is that Huck usually tries to do the right thing. ...no, let me rephrase that. He does try to do the right thing and help the "good guys", but he usually has a completely backwards way of doing it. He tells so many lies that at times he has trouble keeping his stories straight. (But he's a kid, so we can overlook that. Or we could blame his parentage... ;-))
I wish I had the courage to always do the right thing, too, (though perhaps without all the made-up stories...) For me the "right" thing to do would be to share my faith with people more. If I don't it means that I'm just very lazy and incredibly selfish... That would kinda be like being invited to the Party of the Century and being told, "You can invite as many people as you like to take with you, too!", and then not inviting anyone at all. Of course I could say, "I won't ask them because they might say 'no'." Now that's where it becomes extremely selfish, because I would only be caring about how people respond to me, rather than allowing them the chance to go to this place that I know will be absolutely amazing.
It's not a sin to mess up sometimes. The sin is in never trying...

Star Shine vs. Candlelight
A couple of nights ago I was sitting out on the terrace, waiting, listening. Despite the massive clouds, one star was visible. "That star is you", I felt God say. It seemed like a compliment at first, after all, wouldn't perhaps a star-struck lover say something similar? But after contemplating for a while, I realized it wasn't even close to being complimentary...
Stars are very nice to look at, and can even be very useful, e.g. when it is otherwise completely dark, they can light up the sky somewhat to show you where you are going. When the sun isn't out, they can also show you which way is north, east, south, and west. But there is one flaw to their helpfulness: They can only help when the weather is fair. When the sky is overcast, they are hidden from view.
Now think of a candle - a thing which, thanks to Thomas Edison, we rarely use anymore, unless it's to create a special atmosphere. But Edisons light bulb only works as long as there is electricity (or a battery.) And what do we reach for as soon as our precious lamps cease to work? A candle. The only thing a candle needs in order to shine is a match (or any other type of fire-making gadget, or highly developed wood-rubbing skills...) When all else is dark, a candle will be able to show you the way, even in a tunnel or a cave, where stars are no longer visible.
So, if a person is like a star, what does that mean? To me it would mean that he (or she) is a Christian, but a distant Christian. He shines from a distance, not truly caring about the people whose paths he should be lighting. And as soon as "clouds" come, which could stand for "trouble" or "self-interest", he stops caring completely. While he is constant, always shining (though not always visibly), he stays far away from people with a reserved haughtiness, refusing to take part in other people's lives, and helping them where they need assistance.
On the other hand, if a person were like a candle, that would mean he would always be there when needed. He would help people "up front and personal", not just by "wishful thinking". And I believe if someone would care enough to try and live that way, God would always provide for the necessary "matches".

"You are the light of the world - like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it in a stand and let it shine for all."
Mathew 5:14-15

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