Last night I watched the Jim Carrey version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with some friends from our English clubs. When we got to this part, I couldn't help but think about how real, lasting change often involves painful experiences. It makes me wonder if the Apostle Paul felt a little like this when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, or when he was writing Romans 7 and 8. There's a sense of joy and heartache in having your heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh.
A few seconds after this clip, the Grinch realizes he's crying and says, "What's happening to me? I'm all toasty inside. And I'm leaking." He then turns to Max, his faithful dog and welcomes him into a hug. But, as soon as the dog begins showing his affection by licking the Grinch he responds by saying, "Knock it off. Beat it! Get out of here! One step at a time." This is of course a normal reaction to being licked by a dog! But it made me think about how often we know that our hearts have been changed by God--we may even feel toasty inside--yet when his affection interrupts our expectations, we often respond with saying "Knock it off! Beat it! One step at a time." Christmas is the time when we remember Jesus' advent. God dwelling with us and the fulfillment of His promises. And one of the best promises is that God will remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). We will be given a new identity and will be in harmony with our Creator, instead of at war with Him. This is good news, and even though the reality is that growing into our new hearts is a processes that involves pain and tears, the truth that God keeps his promises reminds us of a new promise: He will wipe away all our tears and there will no longer be any grief or heartache or sorrow (Revelation 21:4). My prayer this Christmas is that my heart would be open to God's changing it and that I would be able to receive His changes for my life with thanksgiving and joy, instead of fear and avoidance. May God grant you the same! The question I get asked more than any other question regardless of where I am is this: "Have you met anyone, yet?" This question comes from a place of love. My friends who ask it want this blessing from God in my life. Sometimes there are suggestions that come along with the question (It's like playing "Have You Met Ted*" except replace Ted with my grandson, colleague, cousin, that guy over there, etc).
My single friends know this life. And some of us, like Ted from How I Met Your Mother are looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right (NOW) But I've begun to think that my priorities are wrong. I've heard a lot of opinions on being single: God must still be preparing you (or him). It [getting married] will happen when you stop looking for it. You probably need to delight yourself more in God so He'll give you what your heart desires. There are also assumptions about marriage that our society seems to hold:
It seems that marriage has become one of the foremost idols of our society. Is marriage bad? Of course not! Have we elevated it to being more important than anything else? Maybe. That question causes me to wonder if we have forgotten the rest of God's good gifts by allowing this one (of innumerable) to outweigh the rest. When I'm asked if I'm dating someone yet, I often have an internal battle. I find within me the desire to ask if something's wrong with me, if I'm not attractive (funny, tall, tan, sweet, fill-in-the-blank) enough, if I'm missing out on the real life, if I am defined by my state of relationship to the opposite sex. Between wanting to respond graciously and suddenly finding myself plunged into self-scrutiny of my faults that society tells me are probably the reasons I'm singe, I often respond with either false piety (Oh, I know God will provide a husband for me in His time.) or I try to make it a joke (I'm just so picky!) But in either of those responses, I have a missed opportunity to praise God. How is being asked a question that makes me question my entire identity an opportunity to praise God? Because, my friends, the gift of marriage is not God's only good gift. Do I actually believe the Bible? Because if I do, then this truth is unescapable: God delights in giving good gifts to His children. To His own, he only gives good gifts. The question then becomes not "Why is God keeping me from His good gift?" but "How is my life now full of good gifts from God?" If we truly believe the Bible, then we also know that the ultimate gift of God is Himself. *Barny's game from How I Met Your Mother |
Elisabeth CarySharing the love of Christ to make known the hope of Christ in Bulgaria. Archives
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