Okay, I need to ask you guys another thing or two. Forgive me for posting twice today-- I love a blog in the early days – my hope is the excitement will stay for some time.
This week we focused our attention on Jeremiah and his call from God. Specifically we zeroed in on Jeremiah 12:5 you're likely familiar with it. From the start of chapter 12 Jerry had been complaining and murmuring about how hard things had gotten in his local ministry (something we sanctified church planters would never be tempted to do. : ) ) After Jerry cries a bit about the people he ministers to God says this in verse 5:
"If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
It seems to me that first of all, God doesn't really whack Jerry for bringing his honest concerns to the table. He responds to Him in such a way as to say, 'Ok, your concerns are valid, but here is why you are feeling the way you are'
ReplyDeleteGod kind of validates his complaints by saying, 'yeah, you are right, your family has betrayed you' (v6) He identifies with his struggle by telling Jerry that He experiences the same betrayal. "Many shepherds with ruin my vineyard and trample my fields" (v10) Jesus had a few complaining a murmuring sessions of His own, "how long will I have to put up with you?" "This is too had, let the thing you have asked me to do pass from me"
He seems to say, people are going to be people, they are going to be contentious and betray you, GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD!! and then the main statement back seems to be, "spending time on why people are doing these things is a waste of valuable energy."
This is the running with men part. religious leaders were always trying to take Jesus off task by getting him into energy wasting arguments, but He never seemed to go there.
For me, the key is not so much about avoiding the murmuring and complaining as statements of my frustration, but to avoid allowing my murmuring and complaining to drive my "activity"
Practical example. people come to Missio Dei all the time as "tire kickers" wanting to see what we are up to and how we might be able to "meet their needs" After discovering what we are about, they realize that we don't meet their picture of what church is supposed to be about, they voice their concerns; You are not reaching out enough to my children. You need to have a youth program. The way you preach sounds like you don't know what the hell you are talking about. (yes, all of these are concerns that have been voiced to me in the past year by "tire kickers". A waste of valuable energy for me would be to allow my own desire for Missio Dei to grow to lead me down a path of chasing them down and telling them that we will develop these things they want so they will be happy at our church. (that would be running with men) this would take time and energy away from what I believe God has called me to which is to spend time with folks that are struggling in addiction, and the homeless and the poor. (that would be running with horses)
How we are battling this at Missio Dei is to very simply define what we are about and stick to it. then when criticism comes and we are betrayed, it goes to our head, (which breeds a bit of a gripe session) but does not penetrate our heart (which is the residence of our strength and energy)
I am becoming more and more comfortable with who I am and who I am not. with who we are at Missio Dei and who we are not and have to choose daily to stand with endurance in that confidence. And I think that is really it; Do we know who we are? Are we confident enough to stand firm in who we are?
"Now, I beseech thee to share with me your thought about these things about which I saith"
(A little King Jimmy to close things out for ya)
Love the King Jimmy -- if it's good enough for Paul...and all that business :)
ReplyDeleteI love the distinction you recognize between murmuring and complaining as an expression of our frustrations to God (he can handle it and he often deals with it)as opposed to allowing it to invade our activity. That'll preach---and I'll steal it. :)
I also like the idea that when we grumble, when we feel sorry for ourselves, when we don't have the answers, when our family is gone, when our friends are confused and even when we are sitting with a shard of pottery to get at the itch without getting pus on our our fingers, God shows up and calls us to find his grace to be sufficient.
I know I can cast all of my anxieties on him. I know he is the only true source of comfort. What becomes a struggle is allowing him to comfort me with his very presence and that alone.
I get it. I really do, at least most of the time. But living on manna (daily bread) gets tough and sometimes I want meat! The good news is God shows up and doesn't often give us the answer we're looking for, Job's questions are heard but they go largely unanswered, Jerry's ministry has little effect on his own people, a request for meat turns into vomiting quail from the nostrils. I've never vomited quail from my nostrils but I've had other things exit my nasal passages (uncomfortable) and in those moments I think the point he calls me to remember is the sweet aroma of the presence of this wild God we serve.
God with us. It's enough.
"It's enough Dan...can you smell it?"
I think so but I still want to complain. I still want to wrestle a bit more...I hope it doesn't lead to a life long limp.
More often than not when I am expressing my concerns (read: crying like a whiny bubble blowing baby) to God he simply hears, he quietly pays attention, he endures my complaints (he may even enjoy them in a fatherly way, I like wrestling with my kids) and then he makes it clear that his presence is the answer.
I never see it as the answer when I start the complaining. I see tall grass, snakes, pits, illness, horses, drug abuse, Egyptians, hungry kids, financial woes, whatever. But when I get it right I realize that all those things are about me. His presence reminds me that real comfort only exists in him and all of this isn't really about me.
Oh...dang, I'm rambling, getting repetitive, and preaching to the choir but it did me a bit of good to type the words even if they're a bit random and goofy. G&P, Dan.
We/I didn't "join up" to run with men (you know what I mean) We want to run hard and strong, like a horse. But at the begining of the race we run with men and that wears me out. We know what our goal is, to start and finish running hard and strong. What ever we percieve "running with men" to be, it sounds like a starting point or at the very least not where we would like to be, and it tires us out and we complain and murmer. I guess murmuring and complaining is what humans do. I agree with what I read earlier, we don't let our complaining reach the point of "moving" us where we really do not want to be. We have to continuely see and focus on our goal, our prize, and remember that this (what ever we are complaing about)did not catch God by surprise. Can you imagin God saying; " Whoa! I didn' see that coming". I can't. So what ever I am going through that is making me complain, God must have a reason for it and because He is a loving and merciful God, even though I can't see it, this must be, by faith, a good thing. Yes my brothers, we are in the business of walking by faith and when we start, we run with men. It seems to me that running with men is not a bad thing, being worn out (complaining) is. Not so much being worn out, we are after all running,
ReplyDeletecomplaing about it keeps us from moving on to where we should be, running with horses.
There is a scene in the Tom Hanks movie "A League of their own". One of the players wants to quit the team. "It just got to hard", she says. If I remeber right,Tom Hanks answers, "It's suppose to be hard, the hard is what makes it great". He is refering to a baseball team and baseball games and the effort and time it takes. This isn't baseball. To quote the Blues Brothers, "We are on a mission from God".It's gonna be hard, we will want to quit the team. We forget that "hard" does not mean "impossible". Hard just means a little longer, a little more of hanging on. Would God entrust to me/us a mission with the goal for us to throw in the towel? I don't think so. I think he knows what he is doing. If only I can hang on a little longer and not get in his way.
"Dear God, when you hear me murmur and complain, don't believe me,remember I am but dust".
How's that for too church-y?
The hard is what makes it great, I love it! I'm stealing that line too. Thanks for this great stuff Fred!
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts Fred. You are blogging like you have always done it. Thank you for sharing with us on this journey. We are all richer for it.
ReplyDeletebtw Fred, why would God want you to remember that you are butt dust?
ReplyDeleteI think, my humble opinion of course, is so I remember my position before God. My glubeus maximus is always with me, but it alway lets me lead. When it leads the way I'm never sure of where I am going, there is very real possibility I will fall. I think that is what he wants me to remember. (maybe not, I just made that up and I'm not sure of the 'dust')
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what does "btw" mean?
Hey, who is the guy in the picture? I think I saw him in California the last time I was there.
ReplyDeleteFred, I love me some Blues Brothers. In fact, I have that poster in my office. To quote another movie (Harry Potter) "We have a choice between doing what is right and what is easy." That seems to be part of God's message to Jeremiah. What he calls us to is difficult and we will complain about that at times. But, I think it's important to notice that he keeps going. The book doesn't end in ch. 12. He chooses what is right over what is easy or quitting. That would be really easy.
ReplyDeleteHey Fred,
ReplyDeletebtw is short for "by the way"
if you ever see lol that is "laugh out loud"
and if you ever see dic it means "Dan is Crazy"
I think I'll make that my next tattoo.
ReplyDelete