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| Hannah and Brinley, who is quite the dramatic girl just like her cousin, Han. |
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| SB and Brinley, who calls her Hannah, too. Brin is quite the character, by all accounts. |
Today is a little bit sad for us--Sarah Beth and Hannah's visit is over, and SB returns to Arkansas today. A little sad, just because they don't get to be together all the time, but also great, because SB really misses her DJ and Jughead. (Jughead is my grandkitten. He's quite a cutie pie.) They have had a wonderful visit. You see pictures of them with Brinley, my grandniece, who is hilarious. They have loved time with their 'little buddies,' Brinley and her brother, JJ (who is SB's best friend--just ask him). It's no secret that my family is very close, and I think we are all enjoying the chance for my parents to have their grandkids and great-grandkids in close proximity. SB heads back to Arkansas and her beloved today, and Han heads to Alabama and Florida starting Saturday. She'll be visiting the University of Mobile on Monday morning, which is a little surreal but also really exciting for all of us. And yes, she is visiting OBU on July 11th. :)
One of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century has to be Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you aren't familiar with his story, you should read Eric Metaxas' incredible biography of him. He was a German pastor, theologian, ethicist and yes, a spy. He worked with the Abwehr officers who plotted to assassinate Hitler. He was hanged in a concentration camp in 1945 for his involvement in the conspiracy. I've read several books about him, but I've come upon a new one that is making me chew on it a bit. It's not a particularly well-written book--maybe a seminary paper turned into a book?--but it is among the most thought-provoking things I've ever read. And indeed, well-written or not, the book makes it very clear that Bonhoeffer--his preaching, his ethics, his writings, his life--has quite a bit to say to the modern believer.
One of the things I've struggled with over the years is a feeling that my spiritual life is too academic, that I am missing out on some special revelation of God in emotional experiences with Him. For me, the study of the Bible, the study of the commands of God and Jesus, significant time spent in writing and prayer--these are the things that inform my understanding of who Jesus is and what is required of me as His follower. One of the things I really like about the preaching at our Austrian church is that it is so focused on the word of God as it applies to our lives here and now, the things we face here and now. Our pastor does not add. He does not base his sermon on his own experience, though sometimes he adds that in as an anecdote. The basic thrust of his sermons is--this is what God's word says. What will we do with that? It's not that he's unemotional--he's very funny and clearly values a close relationship with God. It's not merely a cerebral exercise for him, nor is it for me. I do have deeply emotional moments with God, especially in worship, most often in music. While at a meeting a few weeks ago, a beautiful and incredibly simple song took me down. I mean, seriously--big, emotional waves of tears at one line--I am Your child. I am in need. Often at church, I have a deeply emotional reaction to the music. (Though I probably interrupt Marc's emotional moment by asking, "Do I know this in English?" which I do about EVERY SONG. Seriously--pray for him. He has a lot to put up with.) So it's not necessarily that I approach faith unemotionally. But the deep growing of my spiritual life does not happen in emotion. It happens in time with God, in study of His word. It happens based not on my experiences or circumstances, but based on what His word says about those experiences or circumstances.
So what does that have to do with Bonhoeffer? He did not place any faith in the idea of a 'special revelation' of God's will. His belief was that God presented us with His Word and His Son, and everything we need to know is there. Does God care what I eat today? Yes, because in His Word He clearly states that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so I should treat it well. Does He care whether I have the watermelon for lunch or the cantaloupe? Probably not, because neither violates His clear command that I treat my body well. That's a silly example, but one that illustrates the point I'm trying to make. Does God care where Hannah goes to college? Yes, because He cares about Hannah. Is there a 'wrong' choice for her, in terms of God's plan for her life? No, I don't think so. I don't believe God has one path only that's 'right' for your life, and if you miss the mark, somehow--go to the wrong school, marry the wrong person, etc.--that you've messed it up for eternity. I think there is discernment, of course. And there are clear parameters around our lives as believers--don't be tied to an unbeliever in marriage, don't profane God's name, don't lust after what is not yours--but within those parameters, in obeying God's commands, doing things God clearly created you to do, there is an incredible freedom. Does He lead? Yes, through His word. Is there some secret, special riddle I'm supposed to solve in order to know God's 'best'? That hasn't been my experience. He is good and loving and faithful, and His love endures forever. Those are things to take to the bank.
Of course, what's difficult is when you choose a path and find great pain along the way. It's tempting, isn't it, to think that clearly, you made the wrong choice. Because why would God want me to suffer? Well, friends, I have some good news and some bad news. The life of faith is one fraught with difficulty and suffering. Jesus tells us very clearly that in order to be His, we have to die to ourselves, take up our own crosses, and follow Him. Where did He go? A hill called Calvary, where they crucified Him. If that were the end of the story, it'd be a pretty awful story. But of course, it's not the end of the story, but the beginning. He conquered death. He rose again. And His victory over death, over the grave, is ours for the claiming--if we are His. That has to be the best news of all time. So we say yes--to suffering, to eternity, to joy in spite of circumstances--to Him. Not because He makes us feel giddy with emotion, though that happens sometimes. But because He is who He said He is--Messiah, Redeemer, Savior, Friend. Hallelujah and amen.
Bonhoeffer knew, by the way--he knew what would happen if he returned to Germany from America, where he was preaching and studying. He knew he was likely walking into his own death. But the God he found in Scripture, the Christ he knew intimately bid him come and die, and he did so with gusto and a clear conscience. That seems like insanity to a world in which looking out for our own interests is the number one priority. But if the Christian life is guided by the commands Jesus identified as most important: love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself--then it's the only decision that made sense. I pray that when those difficult decisions come my way in life that I make them based on the clear commands of Jesus in Scripture--and not on what my emotions say. Because emotions are unreliable at best and liars at worst. But the God of everything--He is truth and beauty and all things good.
It's time to exercise and clean the shower in Han's room. I know--the glamor of it all. I have an afternoon of fun planned with John, so the morning has to be spent taking care of the less than exciting tasks that have to get done. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are daily discovering the God of the Bible and His deep, deep love for you, and that you are going to a movie with your favorite 13-year-old, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
