Farewell 2013, Welcome 2014

It seems like every year people are ready to forget the past year and move on to the new one. I understand that completely. Believe me, I've been through those years, too. However, I also think that every year's memories, lessons learned, and people met are important in creating the person I am today. I thank God for every day of 2013, and am looking forward to every day of 2014.

New Year's resolutions are made to be broken, right? That's probably why I don't normally make them. This year, though, I've decided on a couple resolutions for 2014, and I'd like to share my favorite one with you. 

As I get older and infinitely busier, I am more and more surprised at how fast time flies. I turn around and the season/month/day is gone, and I realized there were quite a few things that I wanted to do that I didn't get done. Most of these things, however, aren't things that have to do with work or productiveness in general. I seem to miss things like picking buttercups in the spring or watching all the claymation movies during Christmas. So for my 2014 New Year's resolution, I've decided to make a list of things I would like to do during each season and hang it up where I can see it. I think having the list visible will keep me from forgetting to take time to rest and enjoy the sights and sounds of the seasons.

I hope you are able to thank God for this year, even if it wasn't the best one, and I pray many blessings over you and your family in the coming year. Happy 2014.

Choose Life

Almost every time you tell someone to turn anywhere in the Old Testament, you get some sort of eye roll, sigh, or other sign of "Do I have to?" It's a distaste that is widely shared in people of all ages, denominations, and personalities. For some reason, it just doesn't seem like much "fun" to read from the Old Testament. It may be because it is easily misunderstood, confusing, or even boring. However, some of life's best lessons are found in these ancient words.

A couple months ago I decided to read through the Bible again, because, let's face it, we all need to. There's always something you missed, no matter how many times you read it. Anyway, I fought my way through Leviticus and Numbers (yay) and now I'm toward the end of Deuteronomy. In the 30th chapter, Moses is on the brink of death and Joshua stands ready to take his place and lead Israel into Canaan. However, Moses isn't leaving without relaying one last message from the Lord.

The "Old Testament God" is many times seen as the God of judgment, unmerciful and cruel in His ways of punishing people. It's hard to digest that the God that killed off the entire human race except for one family is the same God that came to Earth to die for that same human race. It just doesn't make much sense. Really, though, when it comes down to it, Israel was God's chosen people. They were special. And special people deserve special treatment, whether that be positive or negative. Think of it this way: a coach has a special player on his team. This player scores the most points and shows great potential. Doesn't it make sense that if that player makes a mistake that the coach is harder on him than he would be on another average teammate? It's not unfair because he EXPECTS MORE out of this player. God expected more out of Israel and He expects more out of us because He loves us and we are special to Him.

It's really not like God just blindly dropped a lightning bolt every time an Israelite made a mistake. They screwed up so much, I'm sure Moses was tired of getting on his old, broken-down knees and climbing up mountains to ask the Lord to have mercy on them. And most of those times He complied. But if you expect someone to be great, consequences are naturally harsher for that person. Not to be cliché, but one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. 

Although the consequences were harsh, the rewards of obeying Him were even better. If they just trusted and followed Him, they would get the best land, the best food, and live many years in prosperity. So how in the world could this possibly be seen as unfair? He made it as simple as possible. You have two choices: life or death. Now choose life (vs. 19). It's like telling a grown adult over and over again that if they stick their hand in a fire, they will burn themselves, but if they leave their hand out, they won't. You can't call the messenger unfair if the person is dumb enough to stick their hand in the fire. 

Jesus gave us this same choice: life or death, heaven or hell. Following Him really isn't that hard. Love God and love others (Mark 12:29-31). Our God has always been, and will forever be, just.

Enjoying His Blessings

The good ol' USA: where sometimes your biggest problem of the day is that the barista at Starbucks used whole milk in your latte instead of non-fat (#firstworldprobz). Don't get me wrong, I love my home, and I'll always be an American, but honestly...no wonder people hate us. Living in Mexico taught me to see the US from an outsider's point of view. I know what it's like first-hand to work my butt off and get paid $800 a month to be angry with people on the other side of the border sitting in a chair for half a day getting paid $800 a week. It doesn't seem fair, and moving back here causes me to have guilt sometimes. Why do I live here and not someone else? Why do I have food on my plate and others haven't eaten in days? I mourn and pray for those "less fortunate" than I and give when I can, but it doesn't help much with feeling bad for being so blessed.

A couple days ago, a pastor from Jamaica came to talk to our church and thank us for supporting their ministry. They showed us pictures of their homes and streets and the way they lived their everyday lives. And all this 88-year-old man could say was, "Praise God! I thank Him for His blessings." I'm like, dude, what is wrong with me? Why am I not up saying the same thing? The guilt was overwhelming. Then he told us what he thought when he first landed here and saw our people. Instead of thinking, "These people don't even know what poverty is," or "I bet they've never gone hungry a day in their lives," he thought, "Wow, these people are enjoying the blessings of the Lord. This is the best land with the best people." As he talked and continued to explain how different their lives are from ours, he said, "Our God is not an unreasonable God. He is a just God." How dare I accuse Him (albeit subconsciously), of not knowing how and to whom He gives His blessings? It's obvious that His blessings come in many shapes and forms. I've seen many people with "little" that are filled with more joy than those that have "much."

This lesson came right at Thanksgiving time, which reminded me to be thankful for His blessings and share them with others, not feel guilty about what He has chosen to give me. He is not an unreasonable God. He is a just God.